Announcement

Total 100 articles, created at 2016-09-08 18:02 1 Just 2.5 hours of exercise a week can offset dangers of drinking (1.02/2) Drinkers who exercise regularly may be offsetting their risks of alcohol-related diseases, new research suggests. 2016-09-08 18:01 2KB www.rt.com 2 British MP hits out at 'racist' Air China London tips

(1.02/2) A British MP on Wednesday slammed Air China for alleged 2016-09-08 18:01 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 3 Nintendo fills summer drought with Mario’s debut on mobile: iPhone's Super Mario Run (1.02/2) Now the Pokemon Go furor has died down (for now) as Nintendo expects limited profits from the Niantic-owned title, the company is set to roll out its heavy hitter, Super Mario, to mobile to rebalance revenues during the summer gaming drought. 2016-09-08 14:20 2KB www.thedrum.com 4 That 'awkward moment' when Obama met Duterte after 'whore' spat (1.02/2) US President Barack Obama and Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte had a brief face-to-face summit encounter, days after a very public spat. 2016-09-08 13:07 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 5 Drilon: No basis to suspend privilege of writ of habeas corpus (1.00/2) MANILA, Philippines—Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon said on Thursday there is no ground to suspend the writ of habeas corpus, as Sen. Richard Gordon has proposed, to give 2016-09-08 17:35 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 6 How ANC’s path to corruption was set in South Africa’s 1994 transition

(1.00/2) There are suggestions that the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa lost the plot after the ascension of Jacob Zuma as the party’s president in 2007. 2016-09-08 14:20 8KB www.timeslive.co.za 7 Theresa May still believes in the net migration target. How will she meet it? It's perfectly sensible to want a second EU (0.04/2) referendum. Here's why The Prime Minister will have to squeeze immigration from within the EU and outside of it to achieve her ambition. 2016-09-08 01:08 13KB www.newstatesman.com

8 Cassper is trying to fill up the stadium with pubic hair, says Ntsiki Mazwai Cassper Nyovest certainly heated up social media this week with a naked bathroom selfie that even got Ntsiki Mazwai talking. 2016-09-08 18:01 1KB www.timeslive.co.za 9 ‘A man’s sexual desire trumps women and children’s rights’ “A child is seen as a sexual object and an appropriate replacement for an unwilling adult woman.” 2016-09-08 18:01 3KB www.timeslive.co.za 10 Middle-class South Africans fewer than estimated The struggle to live a middle-class life in South Africa is highlighted by a new household study‚ which spells out how small this segment is and how even those who begin to climb the ladder slip down again. Women are the most affected by poverty. 2016-09-08 18:01 1KB www.timeslive.co.za 11 Bridge collapse halts Ivory Coast-Burkina rail traffic Rail traffic between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso has been halted for at least two weeks after a bridge collapsed on the line linking the two countries, the operator has said. 2016-09-08 18:01 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 12 Finance minister says it's up to Zuma whether he remains in office Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, who is facing an investigation by police that the opposition has called a 2016-09-08 18:01 891Bytes www.timeslive.co.za 13 $115bn in US arms for Saudis should leverage reduction of civilian casualties in Yemen – think tank — RT America The US has offered Saudi Arabia $115 billion worth of arms during Barack Obama’s two terms as president, an anti-war think tank counted, arguing that this should give Washington enough leverage to pressure Riyadh to prevent civilian casualties in Yemen. 2016-09-08 18:01 3KB www.rt.com

14 Newly elected Hong Kong lawmaker reports 'death threats' A Hong Kong lawmaker advocating more autonomy from China who won a seat in landmark elections last weekend said he had received 2016-09-08 18:01 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 15 Crude prices rising on shrinking reserves, China demand — RT Business A sharp drop in US crude stockpiles, a weaker dollar, and an increase in Chinese imports have continued to boost recent gains in oil futures. 2016-09-08 18:01 2KB www.rt.com 16 Morning buzz! Vibrator alarm clock offering orgasmic wake-up call sells out — RT UK An ingenious new contraption that combines an alarm clock with a sex toy has proved so popular, the company that produces it has run out of stock. 2016-09-08 18:01 2KB www.rt.com 17 ‘Outa members are now immune from e- toll prosecution’ The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) said that its members are “provisionally immune from legal claims for the non-payment of e-tolls”. 2016-09-08 18:01 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 18 South Africa will ensure mining industry does less harm to environment: Deputy Minister South Africa's mining industry will be less exploitative and kinder to the environment in future‚ Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources Godfrey Oliphant told a conference in Australia on Thursday. 2016-09-08 18:01 3KB www.timeslive.co.za 19 Russian senator seeks to make doping offences criminally punishable with prison — RT Russian politics The head of the Upper House Committee for Social Policies has prepared a bill introducing a special criminal law specifically targeting falsifications in doping control by athletes, coaches, or medics. 2016-09-08 18:01 3KB www.rt.com 20 Cassper claps back at questions over breakup with Boity Cassper Nyovest continues to make it crystal clear that he will not tolerate haters, trolls or negativity in his life. 2016-09-08 18:01 1KB www.timeslive.co.za 21 Segregation or integration? Danish school says ‘ethnic quota’ in classes to help locals stay — RT News A school in Denmark has been criticized for limiting the number of students from ethnic minorities in several classes. According to the headmaster, while the benchmark would select “Danish-sounding” names, the policy actually aims at better integration. 2016-09-08 18:01 3KB www.rt.com 22 Chinese August imports up for first time since 2014 — RT Business Imports into China unexpectedly rose in August for the first time in nearly two years, and the fall in exports abated, signaling a possible trade recovery in the world’s second-largest economy. 2016-09-08 18:01 2KB www.rt.com 23 Global stocks higher after stronger China trade, Nasdaq gain BEIJING — Global share prices were mostly higher Thursday after China reported unexpectedly strong trade and Wall Street's Nasdaq index hit a record-high close. KEEPING SCORE: In 2016-09-08 17:53 3KB business.inquirer.net 24 Robbie Lawler vs Donald Cerrone confirmed for UFC 205 event The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) debut at the world- famous Madison Square Garden Arena in New York just got a whole lot bigger, as former Welterweight titleholder “Ruthless” Robbie 2016-09-08 17:46 2KB sports.inquirer.net 25 Pangasinan Rep. Espino suspended for graft over black sand mining The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division on Thursday ordered the suspension of Pangasinan Rep. Amado Espino Jr. for 90 days amid a graft trial over alleged black sand mining in the province. In its 2016-09-08 17:32 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 26 7 Chinese arrested in raid at drug laboratory in PH MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency says seven Chinese citizens have been arrested in a raid on a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory inside a pig farm north of 2016-09-08 17:31 1KB globalnation.inquirer.net 27 Pacquiao arrives in LA for Vargas fight presser Boxing's most decorated fighter Manny Pacquiao arrived in Los Angeles a day before the press conference for his return fight against WBO welterweight world champion Jessie 2016-09-08 17:10 1KB sports.inquirer.net 28 Obama: Arbitral ruling should help clarify South China Sea claims VIENTIANE—US President Barack Obama on Thursday said the landmark ruling of an international arbitral court recognizing the Philippines’ ownership of the West Philippine Sea should help 2016-09-08 17:06 3KB globalnation.inquirer.net 29 169 gov’t execs in Cagayan Valley surrender, admit drug ties A total of 169 local executives in Cagayan Valley region turned themselves in to the police to confess their drug links. Senior Supt. Liborio Carabbacan, Cagayan regional police’s deputy director 2016-09-08 16:55 1KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 30 Three held for murdering man and burying body to hide crime in Thane Three persons were arrested for allegedly killing a 29-year-old man and burying his body near Kalyan township in the district to hide the crime, police said today 2016-09-08 16:03 2KB www.mid- day.com 31 Fire breaks out in Express building in south Mumbai, no casualties A major fire broke out on the 20th floor of Express building in Nariman point in the posh locality of south Mumbai. 5 fire tenders have been rushed to the spot 2016-09-08 15:54 1KB www.mid-day.com 32 Preeti Rathi acid attack case: Ankur Panwar sentenced to death The special women court in Mumbai on Thursday sentenced convict Ankur Panwar for murder of Delhi resident Preeti Rathi in May 2013 2016-09-08 15:26 3KB www.mid-day.com 33 Watch Video: Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra are happy-go-crazy Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh and his Bollywood actress wife Geeta Basra are off on a holiday at an undisclosed location and seem to be having the time of their lives 2016-09-08 14:40 1KB www.mid-day.com 34 Two boys drown in water tank in Nashik Two teenage boys drowned in a water percolation tank in Sinnar taluka in Nashik, when they stepped in for a swim, police said on Thursday 2016-09-08 14:28 985Bytes www.mid-day.com

35 How schools use language as a way to exclude children Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o once described language as “the most important vehicle through which that [colonial] power fascinated and held the soul prisoner”. 2016-09-08 14:23 7KB www.timeslive.co.za 36 LinkedIn denies gender bias claim over site search LinkedIn denies claims its search algorithm has been biased towards suggesting male versions of female names in searches on its site. 2016-09-08 14:17 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 37 Accessing content in multiple ways: why physical and digital can co-exist Since I started my career in digital some 17 years ago, there has been one clear and resounding belief in the industry; content consumption via physical means is in terminal decline. It’s been all too obvious in newspapers and magazines and almost complete in the DVD market... 2016-09-08 14:20 6KB www.thedrum.com 38 Stylebop.com partners with Rakuten Marketing to grow Asia Pacific business Luxury online retailer Stylebop.com is hoping to expand its business in Asia Pacific and has taken on Rakuten Marketing to help drive this through digital marketing. 2016-09-08 14:20 1KB www.thedrum.com 39 BT Sport partners with Google as it aims to show the future of personalised TV ad breaks BT Sport is changing the way it delivers across its digital platforms after partnering with Google to implement dynamic ad insertion into its live streamed events. 2016-09-08 14:20 2KB www.thedrum.com 40 Israel and China: The growing connection Earlier this year, Israel and China announced bilateral free trade talks. While the two capitals are more than 7,000 kilometers apart, the economies of both nations are inextricably linked. In fact, there’s a growing economic connection between Israel and China —a connection that’s expected to... 2016-09-08 14:20 5KB www.thedrum.com 41 Twitter appoints new communications boss as board executives meet to discuss the social network's future Twitter has appointed Kristin Binns to head up its communications, following the departure of Natalie Kerris in August. 2016-09-08 14:19 2KB www.thedrum.com

42 Bloomberg View Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news... 2016-09-08 13:10 1KB www.bloomberg.com 43 Sports Direct chairman Keith Hellawell's controversial career Under-fire Sports Direct chairman Keith Hellawell has faced controversy throughout a long and varied career. 2016-09-08 13:10 5KB www.bbc.co.uk 44 Puberty calorie burn fall 'could explain obesity rise' A sharp drop in calories burnt while resting during puberty could explain why a lot of teenagers put on too much weight, a study suggests. 2016-09-08 13:10 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 45 £12.5m for north England flood defences Millions of pounds are being spent on new temporary flood defences after a Government review. 2016-09-08 13:10 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 46 from Fabric and Gatecrasher to the Hacienda Clubbers have reacted with shock and disappointment at the closure of London's Fabric nightclub. 2016-09-08 13:10 6KB www.bbc.co.uk 47 Fabric closure: What next for the UK's club scene? The closure of Fabric, one of the UK's best-known nightclubs, sets a "disturbing precedent", club owners tell the BBC. 2016-09-08 13:09 8KB www.bbc.co.uk 48 Police 'regret' over Milly Dowler phone hacking An internal report on the hacking of missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler's phone in 2002 has concluded it should have been investigated but was not. 2016-09-08 13:09 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 49 UK tech firm swoops on HP software unit in £6.6bn deal Micro Focus, the fast-growing UK technology company, is buying Hewlett-Packard's software business in an $8.8bn (£6.6bn) deal. 2016-09-08 13:09 4KB www.bbc.co.uk 50 In pictures: Refugee crisis on show An exhibition in London on the global refugee crisis through the eyes of eight photographers. 2016-09-08 13:09 922Bytes www.bbc.co.uk 51 Reality Check: Have right-to-buy homes been replaced? Jeremy Corbyn says only one in five homes sold under the right to buy has been replaced, not one for one as was promised. 2016-09-08 13:09 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 52 In pictures: Photo Shanghai 2016 A selection of the work at Asia's premier annual fine art photography fair 2016-09-08 13:09 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 53 New survey uncovers consumers' biggest restaurant turn-offs It doesn't matter how good the food is, if one element of the dinning experience isn't up to scratch, it could be enough for more than nine-in-10 US diners to never return. 2016-09-08 13:39 1KB www.timeslive.co.za 54 Unbranded: The advent of submissive advertising ‘If you hide it, they will come.’ 2016-09-08 13:39 5KB www.thedrum.com 55 Morning Bulletin: The internet reacts to Apple's AirPods, McDonald's shutters millennial YouTube channel and Sports Direct boss flashes the cash As we reach the tail end of the week The Drum takes a look at some of this morning's top marketing and media stories from McDonald's shutting down one of its YouTube channels to those much-debated Apple earphones. 2016-09-08 13:39 3KB www.thedrum.com 56 Reading Room ex-MD Sarah Vick resurfaces at Siberia to steer European growth Sarah Vick, former managing director at Reading Room, has resurfaced at product design agency Siberia as European president to steer the growth of the business outside of its US headquarters. 2016-09-08 13:38 3KB www.thedrum.com 57 Deliver twins slightly short of full term, study says Twins should be delivered at 37 weeks, short of full term but not too short, for the best chance at survival, said a study Wednesday that analysed over 35,000 births. 2016-09-08 13:38 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 58 Manchester United inflates Apollo Tyres sponsorship globally Manchester United has enhanced its sponsorship relationship with Apollo Tyres extending it beyond the regional confines of the UK and India, a deal which was inked in 2013. 2016-09-08 13:38 2KB www.thedrum.com 59 Uber pushes car ride service Pool...with an actual pool (party) Uber is continuing to push its Pool service to the people of London with the announcement of its first-ever pool party. 2016-09-08 13:38 1KB www.thedrum.com 60 Everything You Need to Know – About Content Marketing: Optimisation The Drum has launched episode five of Everything You Need to Know – About Content Marketing, in association with PulsePoint, a video series designed to give marketers all the essential information they need about this hot industry topic in an under- three-minute video. 2016-09-08 13:38 2KB www.thedrum.com 61 Death to the ego: How agencies can encourage greater collaboration within their own walls We’re all creative people, and we all want to make the best stuff we can – stuff clients will love us for, stuff real people enjoy engaging with, and stuff we enjoy making. 2016-09-08 13:38 6KB www.thedrum.com 62 FirstRand bank warns South Africa faces downgrade this year The chief executive of South African's biggest lender by market value FirstRand Ltd said the chances of a sovereign downgrade for Africa's most industrialised country this year had risen due to a stagnant economy and political uncertainty 2016-09-08 13:38 2KB www.timeslive.co.za

70 Sir Nicholas Serota to leave Tate for Arts Council role Sir Nicholas Serota is to leave his role as director of the Tate after 28 years, in which he has transformed the success of the art galleries. 2016-09-08 13:09 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 71 Diary of a girl with the little known eating disorder 'diabulimia' Lisa Day was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 14. 2016-09-08 13:09 10KB www.bbc.co.uk 72 English Conversation Questions / Debates 14,020 discussion and conversation questions for speaking practice. 701 FREE ESL lesson plans, handouts, worksheets and downloads. Controversial and mainstream topics. 2016-09-07 19:05 826Bytes www.esldiscussions.com 73 On GBBO, it’s Bread Week, and the bakers are getting their knickers in a twist SRSLY #58: The Lesser Bohemians / The Get Down / Tallulah Bread Week: also known as Paul Hollywood Being Even More Insufferable Than Usual Week. 2016-09-08 01:08 7KB www.newstatesman.com 74 The many myths of back pain Back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide - and physios say many people have the wrong idea about how to deal with it. 2016-09-08 13:09 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 75 Your pictures: Botswana Spectacular landscape and wildlife provide some stunning images from Botswana. 2016-09-08 13:09 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 76 Guinness World Record for bearded woman Harnaam Kaur A model with six-inch long facial hair has become the youngest woman in the world to have a full beard, according to the Guinness World Records. 2016-09-08 13:09 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 77 Girls swimming rankings, Sept. 7 The Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association has released its first girls swimming rankings 2016-09-08 13:09 1KB highschoolsports.mlive.com 78 US election 2016: Forum moderator Lauer suffers media backlash How the moderator of the Clinton-Trump forum himself got some unwelcome headlines. 2016-09-08 13:07 4KB www.bbc.co.uk 79 India rescued rhino calves adjust to life after floods Eight rhino calves rescued from India's flood ravaged Kaziranga park in July and August are slowly being reintroduced to the wild. 2016-09-08 13:08 910Bytes www.bbc.co.uk 80 Bosnian school pupils reject ethnic divisions Bosniak and Bosnian-Croat pupils in Jajce start the school year together despite attempts to separate them. 2016-09-08 13:07 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 81 China uses crowdfunding for Great Wall restoration Heritage officials ask for public donations to help restore the famous attraction. 2016-09-08 13:08 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 82 Will an advert change the way Singaporeans think about education? A film by Singapore's Ministry of Education counters the stereotype that schools emphasise grades above student welfare, but not everyone is convinced. 2016-09-08 13:07 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 83 Islamic State group: Turkey and US 'ready to invade capital' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggests he and the US are ready to drive so-called Islamic State from its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. 2016-09-08 13:07 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 84 India trains 'flexi' fares cause anger on social media A new scheme that will see higher fares on India's premium train services causes anger on social media. 2016-09-08 13:07 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 85 Death on every corner: RT takes a look behind ISIS bomb-making industry in Sirte (EXCLUSIVE) — RT News On the frontline of the battle with jihadists in the Libyan town of Sirte, unexploded mortars and booby traps left by behind by Islamic State terrorists await unwatchful victims on every corner, RT’s William Whiteman reports from the ground. 2016-09-08 13:09 3KB www.rt.com 86 Florida toddler bitten more than a dozen times at day care center Law enforcement officials and child welfare authorities are investigating a Florida day care center after an 18-month-old boy was bitten more than a dozen times by another child, The Associated Press reported. 2016-09-08 13:24 979Bytes www.ajc.com 87 Ethanol Is Not Part of the Solution University of Michigan’s Energy Institute research professor John DeCicco believes that rising carbon dioxide emissions are causing global warming and, therefore, humans must... 2016-09-08 13:09 7KB spectator.org 88 The 900 Day Siege: 75 Years Later The 900 Day Siege of Leningrad began on September 8, 1941 — 75 years ago today — and ended on January 27, 1944... 2016-09-08 13:09 16KB spectator.org 89 The American Spectator You may have read that GM killed the electric car. This isn’t true... 2016-09-08 13:09 4KB spectator.org 90 Non-Establishment Nominees Are Nothing New While the media focus on the GOP Establishment’s 2016 nomination loss, such defeat is hardly new. Over the last 10 elections both major... 2016-09-08 13:09 5KB spectator.org 91 PC Segregation Still on the Rise It’s the start of new school year, so it’s time to hear bizarre stories from the nation’s universities — those politically correct hothouses where... 2016-09-08 13:09 7KB spectator.org 92 Chechen special ops center to invite US instructors, train Chinese commandos — RT News Russia’s state-of-the-art Special Forces training center based in Chechnya will invite US and other international instructors to help counter-terrorism units from China, the UAE, Kazakhstan, and Belarus sharpen their shooting and hostage rescue skills. 2016-09-08 13:09 3KB www.rt.com 93 Haim Katz offers compromise on Shabbat train work Minister says maintenance will be carried out on Shabbat, but workers can choose to refrain if they wish. 2016-09-08 13:20 1KB www.jpost.com

94 3 killed in Carroll County plane crash Two planes collided as they approached the runway of a suburban Atlanta airport Wednesday morning, leaving three people dead. 2016-09-08 13:12 1005Bytes www.ajc.com 95 Sachin Tendulkar shows up in 'mundu' for Kerela Blasters jersey unveiling Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar made a different style statement during the jersey unveiling of his Indian Super League team Kerela Blasters dressing in a mundu 2016-09-08 13:02 1KB www.mid-day.com 96 Oscar’s psychologist lambastes Die Antwoord's controversial new video Oscar Pistorius' psychologist Dr Löre Hartzenberg has responded angrily to a new music video by local Zef group Die Antwoord, accusing them of doing anything to make money out of the 2016-09-08 13:00 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 97 Msimanga lays criminal charges against erstwhile senior ANC officials Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga on Thursday laid criminal charges against three senior officials from the city’s previous ANC administration‚ as well as three municipal entities. 2016-09-08 12:59 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 98 Maphatsoe defends veterans’ role in #OccupyLuthuliHouse protest uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) chairman Kebby Maphatsoe has defended the behaviour of its members during the #OccupyLuthuliHouse protest at the African National Congress’ (ANC) headquarters in Johannesburg on Monday. 2016-09-08 12:57 3KB www.timeslive.co.za 99 Palestinian High Court suspends municipal elections The elections were supposed to take place in 416 locales on October 8, but have been suspended until an undetermined date. 2016-09-08 12:54 1KB www.jpost.com 100 How's this for motivation? Athletics couple say the one who earns less in 2016 must pay for end-of-year holiday Athlete Irvette van Zyl is in a race against time to recover from injury ahead of a lucrative series decider in Johannesburg next month‚ motivated in part by a bet with her husband. 2016-09-08 12:50 2KB www.timeslive.co.za Articles

Total 100 articles, created at 2016-09-08 18:02

1 Just 2.5 hours of exercise a week can offset dangers of drinking (1.02/2) The study, published on Wednesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, indicates that while drinking is linked to higher death rates, when exercise is factored in, only those who weren’t physically active exhibited patterns of higher mortality. Two-and-a-half hours a week of moderate-intensity exercise significantly reduced the impact of death from all causes related to drinking and lowered the cancer risk by 36 percent, according to the research, conducted by the University of Sydney, University College London and the University of Montreal. The researchers also found that exercise cuts the chance of dying from hazardous drinking by more than half. “Among the physically active, there was no increase in cancer and all-cause mortality up to hazardous levels of alcohol consumption,” said Associate Professor at the University of Sydney Emmanuel Stamatakis, one of the study’s authors. The study tracked more than 36,000 middle-aged men and women who had provided data for government health surveys in England and Scotland for an average of 10 years. Some 85 percent of participants reported drinking occasionally or often, including 13 percent who reported exceeding the recommended safe limit of 14 units of alcohol per week. The findings indicate that adults who exercised for five hours each week and exceeded the safe drinking limit were not any more likely to die than those who drank less. READ MORE: Study of 4 million people confirms – being fat is a killer, particularly if you are a man But Stamatakis cautioned against misinterpreting the study to say that adults should could drink as much they wanted so long as they exercised. "We cannot suggest that doing some exercise is a license to drink more alcohol, as alcohol abuse causes significant health and societal damage," he said. "Our research suggests that physical activity has substantial health benefits even in the presence of potentially unhealthy behaviors such as drinking alcohol. "

Exercise may offset health risks of drinking: study timeslive.co.za 2016-09-08 18:01 www.rt.com

2 British MP hits out at 'racist' Air China London tips (1.02/2) The airline's "Wings of China" magazine reportedly provides safety advice to travellers based on the race and nationality of local residents. "London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people," the magazine says, according to a photographed published by CNBC. "We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling," the magazine adds. The description prompted London MP Virendra Sharma, who emigrated from India to the UK in the 1960s, to complain to the Chinese government. "I am shocked and appalled that even today some people would see it as acceptable to write such blatantly untrue and racist statements," he said in an online statement. "I have raised this issue with the Chinese Ambassador, and requested that he ensures an apology is swiftly forthcoming from Air China, and the magazine is removed from circulation immediately," Sharma said. Neither Air China nor the Chinese embassy were immediately available to comment on the report, which comes during a period of tension between Beijing and London. British Prime Minister Theresa May returned to London this week from the G20 summit hosted by China, where she defended her decision to delay giving the go-ahead to a nuclear power project in which Beijing has substantial investment. China has a one-third stake in the plan to build Britain's first nuclear plant in decades at Hinkley Point in southwest England, along with French company EDF. May unexpectedly delayed the project in July after EDF gave it a green light, saying on Sunday she would make a decision this month. China's ambassador to Britain, Liu Xiaoming, warned last month relations were at a "crucial historical juncture" between the two countries.

Air China in-flight magazine slammed over racist London travel advice thedrum.com 2016-09-08 18:01 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

3 Nintendo fills summer drought with Mario’s debut on mobile: iPhone's Super Mario Run (1.02/2) Now the Pokemon Go furor has died down (for now) as Nintendo expects limited profits from the Niantic- owned title, the company is set to roll out its heavy hitter, Super Mario, to mobile to rebalance revenues during the summer gaming drought. The Apple iPhone (iOS) will play host to new mobile title Super Mario Run, aping the seemingly endless archive of ‘Runner’ games that have flourished on mobile as they require limited user input to play, dodging obstacles on a 2D plane - perfect for the lack of control offered by touchscreens. The game was rolled out during the Apple Event Wednesday (7 September) where the new iPhone 7 was debuted ( analysis here ). Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto took to the stage alongside Apple chief executive to give his seal of approval to the game citing how “anyone can pick up and start playing”. “You can even play it one handed, while you’re holding onto the handle on the subway, while eating a hamburger, or even an Apple," said Miyamoto. Super Mario Run will represent Nintendo’s first fully fledged swing at mobile, having released chat app Miitomo, and Niantic’s Pokemon Go. It now holds full control of its IP on mobile. The game by Nintendo's mobile partner DeNA , a company which promised almost a year ago that its use of Nintendo properties could raise as much as £17m a month once it gets a few titles on the mobile platform. There’s been much debate about Nintendo’s future on mobile. It faces the unique challenge of turning ‘downloads into dollars’ as its console and handheld sales shrink as the next generation NX console looms. Nintendo shares surge on Super Mario game for iPhone bbc.co.uk 2016-09-08 14:20 www.thedrum.com

4 That 'awkward moment' when Obama met Duterte after 'whore' spat (1.02/2) US President Barack Obama and Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte had a brief face-to-face encounter, days after a very public spat. On Tuesday Mr Obama cancelled planned talks after the firebrand Mr Duterte called him the "son of a whore". Wednesday's informal meeting took place before an Asean summit gala dinner. While a Philippine spokesman said he was "very happy" it happened, the US side said they had a "brief discussion" in a pre-meal "hold space" for leaders. Mr Obama and Mr Duterte are said to have entered the dinner venue separately at the summit in Laos and did not interact with each other during the event, which lasted one hour and 20 minutes. "They were the last people to leave the holding room. I can't say how long they met," Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, travelling with Mr Duterte, told reporters shortly afterwards. "I'm very happy that it happened. " A White House official said the pair exchanged "pleasantries" in a "brief discussion" before dinner. War on drugs Mr Duterte's outburst came after at a press conference where he told reporters he would not accept Mr Obama raising any concerns about the war on drugs in the Philippines. "You must be respectful. Do not just throw away questions and statements. Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum," Mr Duterte said, apparently in reference to the US president. What else has the controversial Filipino president said? Summit diplomacy, Duterte-style World leaders' offensive insults: Who's top? From 'Punisher' to president: Who is Rodrigo Duterte? The Filipino leader later expressed regret over the remarks, but not before Mr Obama had cancelled a planned meeting . Mr Duterte won the presidency with his hard-line policy to eradicate drugs and some 2,400 people have died in anti-drug operations since he took office in June. He had previously urged citizens to shoot to kill drug dealers who resisted arrest, and threatened to "separate" from the UN after it called his war on drugs a crime under international law. President Duterte, known for his controversial remarks, had previously called US Secretary of State John Kerry "crazy" and referred to Pope Francis as the "son of a whore". But the president also has staunch support at home for his hardline position on drugs.

Officials: Duterte skips summit meets because of migraine washingtontimes.com 2016-09-08 13:07 www.bbc.co.uk

5 5 Drilon: No basis to suspend privilege of writ of habeas corpus (1.00/2) MANILA, Philippines— Senate President Pro- Tempore Franklin Drilon said on Thursday there is no ground to suspend the writ of habeas corpus, as Sen. Richard Gordon has proposed, to give President Rodrigo Duterte expanded authority to quell drugs and terrorism. “If one is filed, I don’t think there is any basis for that. Under the Constitution, only in cases of rebellion or invasion, when public safety requires it, can the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus be suspended,” Drilon told reporters in an interview late afternoon Thursday. “In other words, it’s the same ground that must be cited, the same ground that should be relied upon in cases of the declaration of martial law,” he said. Asked if Gordon’s proposal surprised him, Drilon said: “I don’t want to attribute any motive [to him].” He said he has not spoken to Gordon about the proposal. Gordon said earlier Thursday that he would file a bill next week that would grant Duterte the power to suspend the writ of habeas corpus as an added boost to his war on drugs and campaign against terrorism. READ: Gordon: Give Duterte power to suspend writ of habeas corpus Suspending the privilege would allow authorities to make warrantless arrests and detain individuals even without pressing charges—an expanded law enforcement authority that led to the detention, torture, disappearance and killing of thousands under the rule of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos. RAM/rga De Lima on Gordon proposal: A ‘creeping martial law’ newsinfo.inquirer.net 2016-09-08 17:35 Tarra Quismundo newsinfo.inquirer.net

6 How ANC’s path to corruption was set in South Africa’s 1994 transition (1.00/2) There may be important elements of truth in this. However, there are compelling reasons that situate the morality challenges faced by the ANC – and by extension the country – in the 1994 political transition. Recent developments do indeed place Zuma, who is now also the president of the country, at the centre of the web of corruption at the present time. And it is clear that some within the ANC hold him personally responsible for the drastic decay in the party’s morality. For many, the present battle between Zuma and his minister of finance Pravin Gordhan is viewed as the culmination of the struggle between those who view the ANC as a machinery for accumulation and those who hold true to its historical mission as a vehicle of liberation fighting for a more socially just society. The harassment suffered by Gordhan at the hands of the Hawks, an elite police unit, is seen as an extension of the “state capture” agenda that led to the firing of Nhlanhla Nene in December 2015. This comes after a host of allegations that the country’s key state owned enterprises, like South African Airways and the power utility Eskom, have been captured by the Zuma faction of the ANC elite. This might look like a factional battle with good guys on one side and bad guys on the other. But I would argue that the challenge of economic transformation within a racially polarised capitalist economy provided opportunities for careerism, personal enrichment and corruption. At the heart of the morality problems faced by the ANC are fundamental forms of relations it has carved with capital as driven by two principal factors. Firstly, as a political party the ANC has needed funding. Secondly, there is the factor of how the ANC has chosen to promote what it terms the National Democratic Revolution , most notably through Black Economic Empowerment. Partner with large scale capital In the mid-1980s, South African capitalism had begun to lose faith in the capacity of the National Party government to stem the rising tide of revolution. Increasingly, therefore, business looked for an accommodation with the ANC. For its part, the ANC leadership recognised the unreality of strategy premised on a revolutionary seizure of power. It presented itself as a partner with which large scale capital could play. While it was the political negotiation process which grabbed the attention, much was happening behind the scenes. Individuals at the top of the corporate ladder struck up relationships with the incoming ANC leadership. Above all, this was exemplified by a focus on Nelson Mandela, who after his release from jail came to enjoy the company of the very rich. He forged strong relationships with both Harry Oppenheimer, Chairman of Anglo-American, and Clive Menell, vice chairman of the rival Anglo-Vaal mining group. Just as the ANC was unable to overthrow the political, so it was unable to overturn the economic order. The collapse of the Soviet Union, one of the ANC’s principal supporters, fundamentally changed the international landscape. This played to the strengths of those leaders within the ANC who were less than enamoured with state socialism. Such factors, along with pressure from bodies like the International Monetary Fund, underlay the shift away from the left. State-owned enterprises At base, the ANC was a nationalist movement whose principal focus was on the capture of the state and the pursuit of democracy. Within this formula was embedded the commitment to the overthrow of “internal colonialism” (the domination of whites over the majority black population). It followed that capture of the state and internal decolonisation would require the rapid growth of the black middle class and indeed, the expansion of a class of black capitalists. This was true both in terms of social justice and the needs of the economy. However, the problem facing an emergent black capitalist class was its lack of capital and capitalist expertise. One of the solutions was that, from the moment it moved into office, the ANC viewed its control over the civil service and parastatals as the instrument for extending its control “over the commanding heights of the economy”. Parastatals accounted for around 15% of GDP. This included the strategy of transferring state-owned enterprises on discounted terms to blacks via privatisation. In the event, this did not prove to be particularly successful simply because the amounts of capital required for the purchase of all but non-core assets were too large for aspirant black capitalists to raise. Nonetheless, the national democratic revolution charged the ANC with using state power to deracialise the economy. This predisposed the ANC to regard the parastatals as “ sites of transformation ”. The ANC’s control of the state machinery became a source of tenders for its cadres. This aspect has lent itself to corruption, patronage and the monetarisation of relationships within the ANC. The extent of corruption in tendering is difficult to estimate. The ANC is appropriately anti-corruption in its official stance, and indeed has put in place important legislation and mechanisms to control malfeasance. Equally, however, it has proved reluctant to undertake enquiries which could prove embarrassing. There have also been two other activities at work. First, certain corporations have distributed financial largesse to secure contracts and favour from government. (Their success in so doing is hard to prove given the secrecy of party funding). Second, ANC politicians at all levels of government have sought to influence the tender process in their favour. Odd combination of power and money One of the key challenges is that the South African political economy continues to revolve around “an odd combination of new (political) power without money and old money without power”. Each needs the other to advance its interests. This is structurally disposed to favour corruption, as is indicated by the incestuous relationship which has developed between Chancellor House and parastatals. Chancellor House is listed as a charitable trust designed to facilitate economic transformation. However it has become clear that its intent is to fund the ANC. And the need for party funding is more likely to increase than diminish. Although the case for public disclosure of private funding of political parties is by no means so strong as its supporters proclaim, it remains difficult to exclude influence peddling from this particular terrain. As the ANC acknowledges, it is a multi-class movement composed of capitalists, middle class, workers and the poor. As such it is a host to class struggle within a society imbued with capitalist values and consumerist temptations. Despite the early efforts of Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Community Party to shift policy to the left, many within their own ranks have fallen victim to the temptation of following a political path to personal enrichment. In such a situation, it is not surprising that it is the rich and the powerful who have benefited overwhelmingly from our democracy. This article was adapted from a paper titled The ANC for Sale? Money, Morality & Business in South Africa published in the Review of African Political Economy This article is from The Conversation

ANC demands DA retract and apologise for Mkhwebane spy claims timeslive.co.za 2016-09-08 14:20 ROGER SOUTHALL www.timeslive.co.za

7 7 Theresa May still believes in the net migration target. How will she meet it? It's perfectly sensible to want a second EU referendum. Here's why (0.04/2) Samuel Beckett advised those who fail to “try again” and “fail better”. The Conservatives’ immigration policy has long reflected this mantra. Since 2010, the party has aimed to reduce net migration to “tens of thousands” a year – a target that has been continually missed. Net migration currently stands at 327,000, only 9,000 below its peak of March 2015. Throughout the Cameron era, Tory ministers spoke privately of the folly of a target subject to factors – EU immigration and UK emigration – beyond their control. Others argued that reducing net migration came at an unacceptably high economic price. “Sometimes, I think only Theresa [May] and I actually believe in our immigration policy,” David Cameron complained to his cabinet. The then home secretary was undermined by colleagues who opposed her efforts to reduce student visas and work permits. Despite May’s record, some hoped that her arrival in Downing Street would end the net migration target. Her “tough” reputation, a Tory MP told me, could enable a “Nixon goes to China” moment. The new Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, agreed, stating that migration should be reduced to “sustainable levels”. She was seconded by Boris Johnson, who said his colleague was “entirely right to be careful about committing to numbers” because the government did “not want to be in a position where we are disappointing people again”. Yet rather than retreating, the Prime Minister has doubled down. “In her view, a sustainable level does mean tens of thousands,” a spokeswoman told me. For May, the EU referendum result necessitates greater control of immigration. There is no democratic justification, she believes, for maintaining free movement in its present form. The Leave campaign won with the promise of an “Australian-style points system” – an idea that proved popular in focus groups. But during her first G20 summit, in China, May rejected this approach. “A points-based system will not work and is not an option,” a spokesman said. May’s decision was less surprising than some suggested. Points-based systems, which use criteria such as skills and qualifications, are complex to design and do not invariably lead to reduced immigration. Australia’s “fortress” reputation largely derives from its unflinching asylum policy. On top of that, 13 per cent of those who arrived under the points system in 2013 were unemployed. “People come in automatically if they just meet the criteria,” the Prime Minister said. For all its stringent rhetoric, the Leave campaign never set a formal migration target. Rather than a points-based system, May’s allies suggest that she will seek to limit the free movement of non-workers. This could mean a ban on EU migrants entering the UK without a job offer. She argued for this while still home secretary. “When it was first enshrined, free movement meant the freedom to move to a job, not the freedom to cross borders to look for work or claim benefits,” she wrote in the Sunday Times in August 2015. “Yet last year, four out of ten EU migrants – 63,000 people – came here with no definite job offer whatsoever.” This stance has been met with approval from both Leavers and Remainers. In his first despatch box appearance as Brexit secretary, David Davis declared that the PM believes in a “results-based system”. Mark Field, MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, who backed Remain, told me: “The single most important element for those who voted Leave was to be able to take a level of control back of our borders . .. If we are to have any access to the single market or the retaining of some passporting rights [for financial services], which the City feels is very important, that has to be combined with some restrictions on free movement.” Some Tory ministers believe that the populist insurgency across Europe will ease the path to a favourable Brexit deal for the UK. In Germany, the anti- immigration Alternative für Deutschland party finished ahead of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats in regional elections in her home state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on 4 September. In France, the Front National’s Marine Le Pen remains likely to make the final round of next year’s presidential election. Other Tories, however, suggest that these disruptive forces will only encourage the EU to drive a hard bargain. The lesson of Cameron’s renegotiation, they argue, is that the EU will always put its interests first. But an agreement that ends free movement (while preserving single market access) would not ensure the net migration target is met. At present, non- EU immigration (282,000) exceeds that from the EU (268,000) – as it has done for decades. For some, this is proof that the target should be scrapped. It is the quality, not the quantity, of migration that counts. “The notion of everything being driven by day-to-day figures, that’s the concern,” Field told me. “We need to get a deal that’s sustainable for decades, rather than one that is driven by a quarterly analysis.” The liberal conservative group Bright Blue has similarly called for the abolition of the target, denouncing it as “arbitrary and indiscriminate”. But May regards permanently reduced migration as essential to her vision of a more ordered society. She believes the economic benefits of high immigration are both too negligible and too narrow. Her ambition is a forbidding one. Net migration has not been in the "tens of thousands" since 1997: when the EU had just 15 member states and the term "BRICS" had not even been coined. If May translates her rhetoric into action, both the UK’s economy and its labour force will become less globalised. By 2020, when she has pledged to hold the next general election, the government is likely to have failed to meet its migration target for a full decade. The question for Theresa May is what success would look like – and how to get there. In 1955, a referendum was held in Sweden on whether the country should continue to drive on the left or if there should be a switch to the right. A government committee investigating this issue had recommended such a change, the main argument being that this was the traffic system in all neighboring countries (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany. . .) In the mid-1950s, opinion polls were not regularly held and the result of the referendum came as a big surprise. No less than 83 per cent of the voters wanted to keep left-side driving and only 15 per cent supported a change. Constitutionally, however, referendums in Sweden are not binding and in 1963, a very large majority in the Parliament (294 against 50) decided that the country should switch. What is interesting is that there was hardly any critique of this decision from the very large majority who had voted for keeping driving on the left. The actual change of the traffic system took place in 1967 and I vividly remember the massive information campaign during my first weeks in high school. The general mood then and ever since has been that it was a very wise decision by the Swedish Parliament to disregard the referendum and decide to change. The 83 per cent who voted against a change had simply been wrong. Although the issue of UK remaining or leaving the European Union is a bigger thing, this shows that the result of a referendum should neither be seen as set in stone nor as having absolute democratic legitimacy. In fact, it is easy to come up with examples where it is clear that majorities have been completely and utterly wrong. This is true in ethical issues (think of the white racist majority in the American south during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, or the situation in Germany in the 1930s). But it is also true when it comes to matters of fact, as shown in the many local referendums in the United States about water fluoridation. Although the scientific evidence of the benefits of this is crystal clear, many local referendums have produced majorities against. This has been detrimental both to the voters’ (and especially their children’s) personal health and also resulted in much larger bills from their dentists. In political philosophy, this is known as the “epistemic problem of democracy”. Simply put, political legitimacy is not only dependent on a decision getting support by the majority. In addition, the epistemic theory of democracy points to the need for the decisions to also be in some sense “true” and “right”. Decisions need to be “true” in the sense that they are not based on what is known to be factually wrong. A case in point is former South African President Thabo Mbeki’s policies for handling the HIV/AIDS disease. According to a conservative estimation, the policies launched by the democratically elected South African government in this area caused the premature death of some 340,000 individuals. As is well-known, the party responsible for this catastrophe continues to have the support of a majority of voters in South Africa. Moreover, decisions needs to be “right” in the sense that ever so large majorities should not infringe on individual human and political rights, as now seem to be the case in Turkey. In this light, another illustration about the problems with referendums can be seen from the decision about nuclear power in Sweden. After the disaster at the Harrisburg nuclear power plant in the U. S. in 1979, the Swedish government panicked and decided that a referendum should be held about the future use of nuclear energy. The issue of nuclear had been very high on the country’s political agenda since the beginning of the 1970s. The political parties produced three alternatives for the referendum, all stating that nuclear power should be abolished. The first proposed that the six existing nuclear power plants should be closed within 10 years and the six new plants that were either planned or being constructed should not be opened. The other two alternatives differed about public or private ownership but both stated that nuclear power should be abolished when other energy resources were available. In the debate, this was said to be within 25 years. The majority voted for these two latter alternatives, thought of as ending nuclear power “within reason”. The referendum was held in 1980, and now, 36 years later, nine of the 12 nuclear power plants are still running. A clear majority voted to have nuclear power abolished by 2005 but this has not happened. The reason is that the successful proposals won because they promised something that in reality they could not guarantee, namely that other (and more safe) sources of energy would be available within a specific time horizon. The referendum in 1980 is now generally seen as an embarrassment. The implication from this example for the Brexit referendum is this. If the Brexit referendum had been about nuclear power, the “remain” alternative would have been that the country should continue to use this source of energy. The “leave” side’s alternative would have been that nuclear power should be replaced by “magic power”. Magic power, the leave side would have said, is free, safe and clean and thus a better alternative than nuclear power. My point is this – the leave side won because they, like the winning side in the Swedish referendum about nuclear power, promised something that does not exist. The idea that the UK could leave the EU but still have access to the single market without paying into the EU budget is a clear fantasy. Within days of the referendum result, leading politicians on the leave side had to admit that what they had promised was a mirage. Similarly, the idea that Britain will get access to the EU market but say no to free movement of labour is also pure fantasy – the likelihood that countries such as Poland and Romania would not veto such a deal is zero. The slogan “Brexit means Brexit” is thus meaningless because no one knows what a Brexit alternative will look like. This is the downside of referendums, namely that it is too easy to win if you launch an alternative that is a mirage. Real politics is about taking responsibility for making difficult choices between far-from-perfect “real-world” alternatives. The implication is that when the leave side finally produces a deal that instead of offering magic specifies the actual conditions under which the United Kingdom will leave the EU, there should be a new referendum. Bo Rothstein is Professor of Government and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford . There is now a useful online service to inform you how long it's been since Ken Livingstone last mentioned Hitler It's perfectly sensible to want a second EU referendum. Here's why newstatesman.com

Rio 2016: The Paralympics should no longer be a second act It's perfectly sensible to want a second EU referendum. Here's why newstatesman.com In the fight over grammar schools, the man to watch is Michael Gove It's perfectly sensible to want a second EU referendum. Here's why newstatesman.com

Tackling mental health is the policy challenge of our lifetime It's perfectly sensible to want a second EU referendum. Here's why newstatesman.com 2016-09-08 01:08 George Eaton www.newstatesman.com

8 Cassper is trying to fill up the stadium with pubic hair, says Ntsiki Mazwai Although the outspoken musician and social activist usually likes to reserves her Twitter rants for more important issues, even she couldn't resist giving her thoughts on Cassper Nyovest's picture when it surfaced on Wednesday. Like many on Twitter, Ntsiki's eyes naturally gravitated to the lower part of Cassper's pelvis and she had no problem with telling her fans that she had "seen his pubes now". She went on to joke that the Fill Up the Dome rapper would now be filling stadiums with his pubic hair. But after a few hilarious moments of poking fun at the rapper, Ntsiki took a more serious tone by drawing a comparison between the reactions to Cassper's nude and Boity's SAMA dress controversy. Little did she know that a few moments later Cassper would be the talk of the town, trending on social media and accumulating nearly a thousand comments on the controversial Instagram picture.

2016-09-08 18:01 TMG Entertainment www.timeslive.co.za

9 ‘A man’s sexual desire trumps women and children’s rights’ That is one of the explanations given by the perpetrators of child sexual abuse (CSA) included in a study by Kgauhelo Lekalakala from the Department of Social Work at the University of Johannesburg. For the study – titled Patriarchal Notions of Manhood as an Explanation for Sexual Abuse of Young Children in South Africa - Lekalakala conducted interviews with 27 incarcerated sex offenders who abused children from aged seven and younger. Lekalakala‚ who made a presentation at the International Conference Preventing Violence in Cape Town on Wednesday‚ said she conducted interviews at eight correctional centres in Limpopo‚ Gauteng and the North West. “The sex offenders ranged from 16 to 86 years old and their victims’ ages ranged from 18 months to approximately seven years‚” Lekalakala said. She said her research was motivated by South Africa’s reputation of “allegedly being the rape capital of the world”. “Between 2005 and 2006‚ there were about 54 926 reported rapes of women and girls – four times the reported number of rapes in the United States‚” Lekalakala said. “The sexual abuse of Baby Tshepang occurred when SA had high rates of HIV/Aids. This led to suggestions that child abusers are motivated to rape by a belief in the ‘virgin cleansing myth’.” But the explanations given to Lekalakala by perpetrators about their motives for carrying out abuse dismissed this myth. Instead‚ in the main‚ the narratives illustrated pro-abusive attitudes towards women and young children. “This shows how socio-cultural factors‚ including patriarchal manhood and a belief in sexual entitlement‚ are used to justify CSA.” Under a section in the study headlined “Sense of entitlement to sex”‚ the following “beliefs” were identified: “Most men reported using physical violence towards women in all aspects of women’s lives to assert their power and control. Rape was explained as a powerful tool to put a woman in her place‚” Lekalakala said. In addition‚ she said‚ the perpetrators were of the belief that democratic laws in South Africa are “unacceptable as they undermine patriarchal order and power”. “Giving a woman the right to dictate sexual terms renders men powerless and emasculated‚” Lekalakala said. “Furthermore‚ in relation to perceptions that women abuse their rights‚ some of these men say child rape is used or seen as the most painful too to punish and humiliate the mother. “The child is seen as a sexual object and an appropriate replacement for an unwilling adult woman.”

2016-09-08 18:01 Deneesha Pillay www.timeslive.co.za

10 Middle-class South Africans fewer than estimated The National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS)‚ launched by the Department of Planning‚ Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) in Pretoria on Thursday‚ states that "non-poor women" are no more likely to become poor than men who are not poor‚ but they are less likely to leave the poverty cycle. The NIDS is the first national household panel study in South Africa. The aim of the NIDS is to provide empirical data on the changing socio-economic dynamics of South African society. The study surveyed 28‚000 people who were tracked every two years from 2008 to 2015. “About 62% of the males in our balanced panel of Wave 1 (2008) … were consistently employed. In contrast‚ of the women‚ 47% were employed consistently‚ while 16% were unemployed compared with 7% of males‚” the study reveals. The study also shows that the South African middle class is much smaller than estimated‚ sitting at around 14.5% of the total population in 2014. “... It has not grown much since 1993 - growing its share by only two percentage points in the past 23 years…” According to the study‚ those in the middle class have a tendency to drop in and out of poverty.

2016-09-08 18:01 Nomahlubi Jordaan www.timeslive.co.za

11 Bridge collapse halts Ivory Coast-Burkina rail traffic The 250-metre iron bridge, built in 1910 across the Nzi river, collapsed dramatically on Tuesday as a freight train was crossing. Nobody was hurt during the incident, which took place near Dimbokro, a town in central Ivory Coast some 250 kilometres (150 miles) north of Abidjan. "We have a single track and this accident means we cannot continue rail operations. There will be a total stoppage (of rail transport) between Abidjan and Ouagadougou," Noel Kouadio, head of security at operator Sitarail, told AFP at the scene on Wednesday. In a statement, Sitarail said "significant resources" were being poured into repairing the line and ensuring a resumption of rail traffic, which would take "at least a fortnight" It said it was "looking into temporary rail solutions in order that (the bridge collapse) would not penalise the considerable volume of traffic which is important to the economies of both countries. " Sitarail, the International Company for African Rail Transport, is a subsidiary of French industrial giant Bollore, which runs the line between Ivory Coast's capital Abidjan and Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso. The freight train, which was made up of two locomotives and 20 wagons, was carrying more than 1,000 tonnes of goods. It remains stranded on the bridge. Local residents reacted angrily to the collapse, saying the entire bridge, which also had pedestrian access, was badly rusted and in need of repair. "The whole economy is paralysed. Today is market day but everything is blocked," Abu Kone, 52, a local trader told AFP on Wednesday. With the bridge out of action, residents were using small boats to cross to the other side of the river. The railway is the main means of access to the Atlantic coast for Burkina Faso and the cheapest way for Ivorian firms to export goods.

2016-09-08 18:01 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

12 Finance minister says it's up to Zuma whether he remains in office Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba does not come across as the type who is shaken by media reports but last week was not kind to him. It was deserved as his arrogance has not been rewarded on the field of play by his team.

2016-09-08 18:01 REUTERS www.timeslive.co.za

13 $115bn in US arms for Saudis should leverage reduction of civilian casualties in Yemen – think tank — RT America Weapons have been sold to Saudi Arabia in 42 separate deals since 2009, William Hartung of the US-based Center for International Policy, a non-profit group that has been advocating demilitarization since 1975, reported on Wednesday. The sum of $115 billion was arrived at based on data on arms sales deals published by the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The figure is greater than that for any previous US administration over more than seven decades of US- Saudi alliance. The latest example of arms trade between Washington and Riyadh is a deal for 153 Abrams tanks and other military equipment, which is worth an estimated $1.15 billion and was approved by the White House in August. Twenty of those tanks are meant to replace armor lost by Saudi Arabia in its war against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The war, which has claimed at least 10,000 lives, started in March of 2015 when Saudi Arabia sent troops to Yemen to reinstall its ousted Sunni president to power. According to a UN tally, 3,799 of the victims have been civilians, the majority of whom were killed in airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led Arab coalition. During 17 months of intervention, Saudi warplanes have been reported bombing schools, hospitals, marketplaces, and other non-military targets. Leading rights groups say such indiscriminate attacks should be considered war crimes. “It’s time for the Obama administration to use the best leverage it has – Saudi Arabia’s dependence on US weapons and support – to wage the war in Yemen in the first place,” Hartung told Reuters. “Pulling back the current offer of battle tanks or freezing some of the tens of billions in weapons and services in the pipeline would send a strong signal to the Saudi leadership that they need stop their indiscriminate bombing campaign and take real steps to prevent civilian casualties,” he said. Some US lawmakers made similar calls after the tank deal was announced last month. A bipartisan letter signed by 64 representatives said the sale must be delayed, while condemning the civilian casualties in Yemen. “The Saudi military’s operational conduct in Yemen and the killing of civilians with US-made weapons have harmed our national security interests, and I will continue to oppose any arms sale that contributes to its operations in that arena,” said Ted Lieu, who has led the effort to freeze the deal. Similar resistance has arisen in the UK, where the continued sale of British arms to Saudi Arabia is being criticized by Labour MPs, while PM Theresa May’s cabinet has advocated continued cooperation with Riyadh. “Actually, what matters is the strength of our relationship with Saudi Arabia. When it comes to counter-terrorism and dealing with terrorism, it is that relationship that has helped to keep people on the streets of Britain safe,” the prime minister said in response to opposition criticism. The spat broke out after a Parliamentary committee charged with scrutinizing the UK’s arms exports found that it was likely that British weapons had been used in committing violations of international law.

2016-09-08 18:01 www.rt.com

14 Newly elected Hong Kong lawmaker reports 'death threats' Eddie Chu was one of at least five candidates in the semi-autonomous city pushing for more distance or even an outright break from Beijing who took seats for the first time in the Legislative Council assembly Sunday amid fears of China tightening its grip. Chu, 38, is also an environmentalist who has campaigned against the destruction of heritage properties to make way for newer developments. He said he was unable to go home because he was being stalked and the safety of his family threatened. "The threat to my personal safety is imminent...it has drastically worsened in the past two to three days," he said before going into the city's Wan Chai police station with his lawyer. He did not give any detail on who had made the threats and how they reached him. Michael Vidler, a lawyer assisting Chu, urged police to take the case seriously. "Politically motivated threats or violence against elected representatives of the people is a direct attack on the rule of law and democracy," Vidler told reporters. "The Hong Kong police are duty bound to uphold the rule of law and everybody's constitutional rights, including Mr. Chu's," he said. Sunday's election saw a record turnout with more than two million residents casting their votes in the city of seven million. It was the first major poll since the 2014 "Umbrella Movement" protests, with the anti-establishment camp increasing its share of the legislature, which is still weighted towards Beijing. Chu, standing as an independent, emerged as winner in his constituency with more than 80,000 votes -- the most of any candidate in the polls. His allegations mark the latest controversy to hit the election. Several pro-independence activists were banned from standing and two say they will now appeal their disqualification, according to media reports. Pro-establishment candidate Ken Chow, of the Liberal Party, has also complained of interference, saying he was told to quit the race to make way for other pro-Beijing candidates.

2016-09-08 18:01 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

15 15 Crude prices rising on shrinking reserves, China demand — RT Business READ MORE: Oil price jumps after Russia & Saudi Arabia create market stability task force Following a 5.4 percent rise during the previous three sessions, crude climbed another two percent on Thursday. As of 10:30 GMT, Brent crude was trading in London at $48.75 per barrel, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was up to $46.33 a barrel. US crude stocks fell by a surprising 12.1 million barrels last week, according to data from the American Petroleum Institute (API). Government analysts expected the stockpiles to rise by 200,000. If the US government confirms the data, the decrease will be the largest since April 1985, according to Reuters. “If government data backs up the API figures, and we saw a decline in inventories instead of a build, then that would be a positive development,” said Ric Spooner, a chief market analyst at Sydney–based CMC Markets, stressing that the size of global inventories was a headwind for oil prices. Meanwhile, China has been creating strategic oil reserves, taking advantage of low crude prices and boosting the refiners’ gains. Last month, China’s monthly oil imports swelled to their highest level since December. The world’s second-biggest oil consumer after the US imported 33 million tons of oil in August, according to the General Administration of Customs. In August, oil rallied partly thanks to rumors that OPEC and other major producers would come to an agreement on freezing output. The deal, proposed as far back as February, is still far from certain with Tehran keeping traders guessing if it will join a potential agreement. The weaker US dollar in the last three days is also making oil attractive for investors. “A combination of a bullish prediction for a very big draw in stockpiles and a softer dollar is driving prices higher today,” said Bjarne Schieldrop, chief commodities analyst at Norwegian bank SEB, adding that prices would have to wait in the current range before they could run much higher as inventories were still very high. 2016-09-08 18:01 www.rt.com

16 Morning buzz! Vibrator alarm clock offering orgasmic wake-up call sells out — RT UK The British-made Little Rooster, designed to wake women up by replacing the much-hated alarm bell with pleasurable vibrations, will not be available until at least October. Sex trainer Charlotte Rose told RT that she believes this could help women suffering from certain sexual issues. She said “This looks like a great little device for women who may be suffering from low libido due to natural events such as menopause.” Priced at £69 ($92), the buzzing plastic gadget is meant to be placed in the user’s underwear overnight. When it goes off, it will throb and vibrate until switched off. The vibrations, which begin gently then increase in intensity, are said to provide users with a gentle wake up call. According to the Little Rooster’s manufacturers, the device has 27 silent buzzing settings, and three loud ones, for really heavy sleepers. Like any modern alarm clock, it even includes a snooze button. “I used to fall asleep and miss my stop. I don’t miss it now! Plus, my colleagues have noticed a change, but I haven't told them why,” one user told the company. Sex toys have recently become a political icon in the United States, after students at the University of Texas at Austin brought thousands of dildos to the campus as a protest over a new law allowing the carrying of firearms on the UT campus. The Cocks Not Glocks campaign quickly became viral as pictures of young people holding rubber sex toys spread across social media. The movement originally started in 2015, when University of Texas alum Jessica Jin hosted a protest mocking the rules that prohibit sex toys on campus but allow guns.

2016-09-08 18:01 www.rt.com

17 17 ‘Outa members are now immune from e-toll prosecution’ The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) said it has agreed with the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) that its 25 000 members will be immune from legal claims over the non-payment of e- tolls‚ pending the finalisation of a test case. However‚ millions of other motorists are not covered by this arrangement between Sanral and Outa‚ and will still need to meet the agency in court. In June‚ Sanral issued 6500 summonses to motorists for not paying e-tolls. It is estimated that 2.5-million motorists are in default. Among those motorists‚ Outa had 152 members who received summonses. Outa’s plea has been for the courts to hear a test case‚ or cases‚ to determine whether or not e-tolling was lawful. Outa chairman Wayne Duvenage said that Sanral had‚ in a correspondence‚ agreed not to proceed with legal claims against Outa members until three test cases involving unpaid bills had been finalised. This would ensure that the court system was not bogged down by thousands of cases which would clog the court system. Duvenage said the agreement granted the entire Outa member community immunity until the test case is complete. “Unfortunately‚ Sanral expressly rejected Outa’s proposal to include the stay of persecution to the public at large in this agreement.” Comment from Sanral was not immediately available.

2016-09-08 18:01 TMG Digital www.timeslive.co.za

18 South Africa will ensure mining industry does less harm to environment: Deputy Minister “The next century of mining must also be characterized by environmentally responsible and sustainable mining. Long after the life of mine or depletion of resource‚ we want to not only see thriving economies‚ but an environment that has been faithfully rehabilitated‚” Oliphant told the three-day Paydirt 2016 Africa Down Under mining conference in Perth. “Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past‚ or to do in other jurisdictions that which we would not be allowed or inclined to do at home. In South Africa‚ we are still dealing with the legacy of environmentally irresponsible mining in the form of over 6‚000 derelict and ownerless mines - so to speak- and acid mine drainage which pose real dangers to communities on a daily basis. “The cost of closing shafts and holes left open as well as rehabilitating land and water systems in retrospect‚ is exorbitant and is being borne by the public. This should be unthinkable today.” Oliphant said the SA government was upbeat about the future. "Our mining sector is mature and resilient‚ has an enviable supporting infrastructure‚ and in just a decade‚ has doubled the number of mines and quarries from 800 to around 1‚700 now across more than 50 mineral commodities.” The Deputy Minister acknowledged challenges in the sector. “The past few years have been challenging for the sector‚ commodity prices have fallen sharply after a sustained boom despite the global financial crisis of 2008‚" he said. “Mining is a cyclical business‚ however‚ and there are signs that we are reaching the bottom of the downturn in commodity prices and a new balance is emerging in demand and supply of minerals. This was placed in the context of 3.3% GDP growth in the last quarter in South Africa driven in no small part by a 12% growth in the mining sector. " Oliphant said the Government of South Africa remained committed to encouraging direct investment in the economy at large and mining in particular. “To this extent‚ we have engaged with stakeholders to identify their needs and concerns‚” he said. “Principle amongst these is regulatory efficiency and the cost of doing business and we are addressing these through initiatives like the development of Special Economic Zones and the establishment of a one- stop shop for investments‚ called InvestSA.” Oliphant said that South Africa will also continue to pursue value addition and beneficiation‚ and leverage its position as supplier of 80% of global platinum output while addressing energy security through development of fuel cells. The Deputy Minister also spoke of the work to address the compensation of ex-mineworkers‚ treatment of mining related diseases. “Some of these health issues are not emerging until 20 years or so after mining ceased‚ and due to the asbestos mining in the past‚ there are still ex-mineworkers being diagnosed with asbestosis.” The Deputy Minister referred to benchmarking studies undertaken in Australia with support of the University of Queensland and the need to address the growing demand for increased compensation in a sector that historically relied on cheap labour.

2016-09-08 18:01 TMG Digital www.timeslive.co.za

19 Russian senator seeks to make doping offences criminally punishable with prison — RT Russian politics Senator Valery Ryazanskiy told Izvestia daily that he considered it important to completely eliminate situations in which relations between sports professionals are built solely on the principle of achieving victory at any cost. “ We must protect the athletes and clerks from various sports organizations from these sorts of temptations and felonies ,” he said. The senator’s bill introduces amendments to the administrative code that stipulate fines of between 500,000 and 1 million rubles ($7800 – $15,600) for illegal doping. The lawmaker also said that he planned to introduce additional amendments to the criminal code that would mandate prison sentences for coaches and other specialists involved in doping abuse. The bill is expected to be considered by the Upper House at the very first meeting of the forthcoming fall session. READ MORE: Putin signs bill to get tough on corruption in sports In May of this year, another Upper House MP – Vadim Tylpanov – also proposed introducing criminal penalties for doping users and dealers. In Tyulpanov’s draft, officials responsible for monitoring anti-doping rules in sports could face fines of up to 200,000 rubles (about $3,000) and up to one year of correctional labor for violating rules on the sale or transportation of any drugs containing substances banned for use in sports. Coaches, medics, and other specialists who professionally work with athletes face fines of up to 500,000 rubles, or the amount of the convicted person’s income for up to three years, as well as up to five years behind bars. READ MORE: Russian doping scandal: ‘Is there fundamental fairness?’ The initiatives come shortly after Russia became the target of international anti-doping association WADA and several sport unions following allegations made by the former head of Russia’s anti-doping laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov. Rodchenkov, who fled to the US at the invitation of his journalist friend and has been offered witness protection by the US authorities, told reporters that he had personally developed and executed a program that allowed Russian team members to use banned substances during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Russian athletes, coaches, and sports officials have blasted these allegations as lies and slander. Deputy Sports Minister Yury Nagornykh said that the ex-official might have had a grudge against the Russian anti-doping system, or that he might have been dissatisfied with his position or have unrealized creative ambitions. Athletes claim that the allegations made by Rodchenkov were simply ridiculous, calling them a purely political tool aimed at weakening Russia’s position in the international arena.

2016-09-08 18:01 www.rt.com

20 Cassper claps back at questions over breakup with Boity The rapper who has been relatively quiet on social media over the past few months recently made an example of one Twitter troll, who threw massive shade at him over his breakup from Boity. Cassper who once made headlines for his public beef with AKA, and got into twars on the regular is a 'changed person,' choosing to rather "focus on the music. " However, that does not mean that Mr Shebeleza won't retaliate when the need arises. And one Twitter user found this out the hard way. "I'm surprised Cassper Nyovest hasn't committed suicide imagine being dumped by Boity TWICE!!!," tweeted the person. The rapper also found himself in the midst of a social media storm on Wednesday afternoon, after Twitter tore him to shreds for a nude picture he shared. Cassper shared the picture with the intention of showing off his incredible body transformation, but social media users didn't pay much attention to that, and instead took aim at the rapper for being nude. Despite becoming a laughing stock on social media, Cassper remained unfazed. "I'm long passed the negativity of social media, everything I do now is to impress myself. I'm working on me," he said.

2016-09-08 18:01 TMG Entertainment www.timeslive.co.za

21 Segregation or integration? Danish school says ‘ethnic quota’ in classes to help locals stay — RT News The controversial measure was introduced in Langkær upper secondary school near Aarhus, the second-largest city in Denmark. The first-year students in the school were organized into seven classes. Three of the classes had special quotas – 50 percent of students should be of Danish background and 50 percent could be ethnic minorities. The four other classes consist solely of students with immigrant backgrounds. READ MORE: Danish students offered portacabins amid accommodation shortage Turkish-born former lawmaker Özlem Cekic is planning to report the school to Denmark’s Board of Equal Treatment (Ligebehandlingsnævnet). “When a headmaster isolates the brown children from the white in an upper secondary school, this is a signal that the whites must be protected from the brown,” she wrote on Facebook. Her post has been shared by over 2,000 Facebook users so far. Many of the comments under her post – such as “There must be no division on ethnic background,” “Skinheads opinions” – were critical of the school’s policy. READ MORE: 'Essential to see each other': Danish school bans Muslim students from wearing niqab “In my opinion, guiding yourself solely on race or ethnicity to place students is illegal,” human rights lawyer Nanna Krusaa told TV 2. Danish Education Minister Ellen Trane Nørby has already requested a report from the school. “The fundamental problem is that we in Denmark have... schools with a too high ratio of students with a different ethnic background than Danish,” she wrote on Facebook. The school’s headmaster Yago Bundgaard defended the move, saying that it is not racist, but is meant to prevent ethnic Danes from leaving the school. “For real integration to take place in a class there has to be sufficient numbers from both groups for it to happen,” he told DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation). Bundgaard said the school was placing students into the classes with 50 percent Danish students if they had “a Danish-sounding name.” Professor Niels Egelund of Aarhus University supported Bundgaard, saying that he would do the same if he were the school’s headmaster. “I know that it may sound racist, but you have to create an environment where Danish children are not a minority,” he said , as cited by Jyllands- Posten newspaper. Langkær school has seen a sharp rise in the number of students with migrant backgrounds. In 2007, only 25 percent of the students were ethnic minorities, while this year the number jumped to 80 percent. 2016-09-08 18:01 www.rt.com

22 Chinese August imports up for first time since 2014 — RT Business Imports rose 1.5 percent year-on-year, reversing a 12.5 percent fall in July. Last month’s increase was the first on-year rise in imports in dollar-denominated terms since October 2014. Exports fell by a less-than- expected 2.8 percent from a year earlier, following July's 4.4 percent drop. This resulted in a trade surplus of $52.05 billion, slightly below July's $52.31 billion, which was the biggest since January. "The improvement in imports is mostly a reflection of stronger domestic demand. Chinese companies are restocking, and also are now expecting prices to start rising," Wang Jianhui, an economist at Capital Securities, told Reuters. "We expect exports to stay stable and imports to improve as higher prices spread to more products,” he added. Imports were boosted by commodities with the volume of coal jumping over 50 percent. China cut mining of its own coal in favor of buying higher quality supplies from countries such as Australia. Iron ore imports slipped from July but remained near record highs. Chinese steel exports are expected to hit a new record this year, with the steel price surge partly as a result of Beijing's efforts to reduce excess capacity. While demand for Chinese goods seems to be picking up slowly, global demand still remains depressed. The International Monetary Fund’s head Christine Lagarde said earlier this month that the global growth forecast for 2016 may be downgraded again. The Chinese economy grew 6.7 percent in the second quarter from a year ago. Beijing authorities say they intend to maintain annual growth of at least 6.5 percent over the next five years by creating more jobs and restructuring inefficient industries.

2016-09-08 18:01 www.rt.com

23 Global stocks higher after stronger China trade, Nasdaq gain BEIJING — Global share prices were mostly higher Thursday after China reported unexpectedly strong trade and Wall Street’s Nasdaq index hit a record- high close. KEEPING SCORE: In early trading, France’s CAC-40 was flat at 4,457.75 points and London’s FTSE 100 advanced 0.5 percent to 6,884.70. Germany’s DAX slipped 0.1 percent to 10,744.41. On Wednesday, the CAC 40 and DAX each rose 0.6 percent while the FTSE 100 gained 0.3 percent. On Wall Street, the future for the Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.1 percent and that for the Standard & Poor’s 500 advanced 0.2 percent. CHINA TRADE: Imports rose in August for the first time since late 2014, while a contraction in exports narrowed in a positive sign for global economic growth. Imports expanded by an unexpectedly strong 1.5 percent, up from July’s 12.5 percent plunge. Exports fell 2.8 percent but that also was better than forecast and an improvement over the previous month’s 4.4 percent contraction. The improvement was a positive sign for Chinese leaders who are trying to protect millions of trade-supported jobs. The import gain suggested lackluster Chinese domestic demand might be firming up. ECB WATCH: Investors were looking ahead to the European Central Bank’s policy meeting for signs of when it might raise euro zone interest rates. Forecasters expected no change following the ECB’s comment in its July review that it needed to closely watch the impact of Britain’s vote to leave the 28-nation trading bloc. Inflation is well below the bank’s target, with consumer prices barely changed this year. ANALYST’S TAKE: “Global equities have been climbing to a 12-month high recently, and are showing signs of fatigue,” said Bernard Aw of IG in a report. “Corporate earnings challenges aside, market participants will need a fresh catalyst for stocks to resume its bullish trajectory,” he said. “This could come in the form of more stimulus from the ECB or BOJ, or a stronger consensus on the delay in US rate hike for the rest of the year. However, the ECB is unlikely to come bearing stimulus gifts tonight when the council sets the policy decision, beyond getting another 6-month extension to the QE program.” ASIA’S DAY: Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 0.3 percent to 16,958.77 and Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 fell 0.7 percent to 5,385.80. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong gained 0.8 percent to 23,919.34 points and the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.1 percent to 3,095.95. Seoul’s Kospi added 0.1 percent to 2,063.73, while India’s Sensex rose 0.3 percent to 29,006.18. Taiwan and New Zealand rose while other benchmarks in Southeast Asia declined. ENERGY: Benchmark U. S. crude rose 92 cents to $46.42 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained 67 cents on Wednesday to close at $45.50. Brent crude, used to price international oils, rose 82 cents to $48.80 in London. It added 72 cents on Wednesday to close at $47.98. CURRENCIES: The dollar edged down to 101.55 yen from Wednesday’s 101.71 yen. The euro rose to $1.1271 from $1.1241. TVJ

2016-09-08 17:53 Associated Press business.inquirer.net

24 Robbie Lawler vs Donald Cerrone confirmed for UFC 205 event The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) debut at the world-famous Madison Square Garden Arena in New York just got a whole lot bigger, as former Welterweight titleholder “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler will clash against fan favorite, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.” The potential barnburner of a match-up was confirmed by Dana White himself to Cleveland Radio host Anthony Lima on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila). According to the UFC president, Lawler (27-11, 1 NC) personally requested a quick turnaround after losing his title in devastating fashion against Tyron Woodley at UFC 201 in July. Prior to his shocking defeat, the 34-year-old Florida native reeled off two straight title defenses against perennial contenders Rory McDonald and Carlos Condit. He won eight of his last nine bouts, while participating in several Fight of the Year-caliber fights. Cerrone (31-7, 1 NC), meanwhile, comes into the fight on a red-hot three- win streak, after reinventing himself at the 170-lb. weight class. Since losing to former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos last December, “Cowboy” has wrecked havoc at welterweight with wins over Alex Oliveira, Patrick Cote and Rick Story—all by stoppage. Cerrone has earned Performance of the Night bonuses in all three of his 2016 fights, while Lawler has won Fight of the Night bonuses three times over the past two years. The bout, however, will only be part of the event’s main card and the event headliner has yet to be announced. A match-up between ex-welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves and New Yorker Al Iaquinta was also confirmed as part of the main card. UFC 205 marks the promotion’s long-awaited debut in New York state after a ban on MMA was lifted earlier this year. READ: New York clears way, lifts ban on professional mixed martial arts The event takes place on No. 12. Khristian Ibarrola

2016-09-08 17:46 sports.inquirer.net

25 Pangasinan Rep. Espino suspended for graft over black sand mining The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division on Thursday ordered the suspension of Pangasinan Rep. Amado Espino Jr. for 90 days amid a graft trial over alleged black sand mining in the province. In its resolution, the anti-graft court granted the prosecution’s motion to suspend Espino, who was charged with counts of violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Section 13 of RA 3019 states that incumbent public officials being prosecuted under a valid information involving fraud of public funds should be suspended from office. This was despite Espino’s opposition that only the Congress can order his suspension, and that his suspension would be “in violation of the wishes of general public” as it “will deprive his constituents of their voice in Congress.” READ: Court urged to suspend Pangasinan Rep. Espino for graft The former Pangasinan governor, who won a congressional seat in the May elections, was accused of authorizing the issuance of permits in 2011 to Xypher Builders Inc. and Alexandra Mining and Oil Ventures Inc. to conduct soil remediation and mineral extraction in barangay (village) Sabangan in Lingayen. “The authority of this Court to order the preventive suspension of an incumbent public official, including members of Congress, charged with violation, not only of the provisions of RA No. 3019, as amended, but also of offenses under Title 7, Book II of the Revised Penal Code or for any offense involving fraud of public funds and property, has both legal and jurisprudential support,” the resolution read. “Once the information is found to be sufficient in form and substance, it is the ministerial duty of the Court to issue a preventive suspension order and ‘there are no ifs and buts about it.’ That the accused has recognized the validity of the information or it is sufficient in form and substance is no longer in dispute when he entered his plea or was arraigned,” it added. The companies that Espino allegedly authorized were not registered with the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board and lacked requisite area clearance from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), the prosecutors said. In his motion to dismiss the case, Espino claimed there was no need for the firms to secure clearance from the MGB because the excavation of black sand was not related to mining. In Alexandria’s case, Espino said the permit was to allow the extraction of black sand from a lot supposedly intended to be built as a golf course. JE/rga READ: Ex-Pangasinan Gov Espino pleads not guilty to mining graft raps

2016-09-08 17:32 Yuji Vincent newsinfo.inquirer.net

26 26 7 Chinese arrested in raid at drug laboratory in PH MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency says seven Chinese citizens have been arrested in a raid on a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory inside a pig farm north of Manila. The agency said Thursday that about half a kilogram (one pound) of methamphetamine with a street value of around 2.5 million pesos ($5,400), about 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of the drug ingredient ephedrine, laboratory equipment and various chemicals were confiscated during the raid Wednesday in Pampanga province. It said charges of illegal drug possession and manufacturing are being prepared against the arrested Chinese, including a woman. Officials said the drug laboratory in the basement of the hog farm’s stockroom may have been built there to mask foul smells from drug production. TVJ

2016-09-08 17:31 Associated Press globalnation.inquirer.net

27 Pacquiao arrives in LA for Vargas fight presser Boxing’s most decorated fighter Manny Pacquiao arrived in Los Angeles a day before the press conference for his return fight against WBO welterweight world champion Jessie Vargas. Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division world champion, will return to the sport six months after he initially said he’ll be retiring when he beat Timothy Bradley back in May. Thomas & Mack Center, which is inside the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will host Pacquiao’s return fight. Pacquiao was in the middle of his “Mexicutioner” run when he beat Erik Morales twice in their epic trilogy and it was in Thomas & Mack where he solidified his reputation as arguably the best knockout artist of his generation. Vargas beat Sadam Ali back in March to become the champion. /rga

2016-09-08 17:10 Bong Lozada sports.inquirer.net

28 Obama: Arbitral ruling should help clarify South China Sea claims VIENTIANE—US President Barack Obama on Thursday said the landmark ruling of an international arbitral court recognizing the Philippines’ ownership of the West Philippine Sea should help “clarify” the contrasting claims over the South China Sea. “With respect to maritime issues, we’ll continue to work to ensure that disputes are resolved peacefully, including in the South China Sea,” Obama said in his meeting with heads of state from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). The outgoing American leader attended the Asean-US summit, one of the related meetings of the 28th and 29th Asean summits, after his state visit to this Laotian capital. Obama said the decision issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague last July was “binding (and) helped clarify maritime rights in the region.” “I recognize this raises tensions, but I also look forward to discussing how we can constructively move forward together to lower tensions, and promote diplomacy and regional stability,” he said. READ: Obama puts South China Sea back on agenda at summit Obama’s remarks came amid allegations by the Philippine government that China was again engaged in reclamation activities in Panatag Shoal, located well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, after a flotilla of sea vessels was spotted in the area. President Duterte, who was in his maiden appearance at the yearly meeting of the regional bloc, had opted not to discuss the ruling during the meeting of Asean leaders. Instead, the President said Asean member-states should be “on the side of peace” in dealing with their overlapping territorial claims. In his short opening speech, Obama noted that his attendance at the three- day summit was his eighth meeting with Asean leaders, making him the US president with the most number of visits in Southeast Asia. “It reflects the growing importance of Asean in this region,” he said. “Asean is key to the US rebalance to Asia and more importantly, it’s key to a peaceful and prosperous future for the world.” Obama said the United States would continue to enhance its economic cooperation with Asean countries as it promotes the Trans Pacific Partnership trade program. “As Asean integration generates new opportunities, we will work to promote innovation and entrepreneurship between our countries and throughout the region,” he said. /rga

2016-09-08 17:06 Marlon Ramos globalnation.inquirer.net

29 169 gov’t execs in Cagayan Valley surrender, admit drug ties A total of 169 local executives in Cagayan Valley region turned themselves in to the police to confess their drug links. Senior Supt. Liborio Carabbacan, Cagayan regional police’s deputy director for operations, said that from July 1 to September 8, 169 government officials, majority of whom were local village chairmen, admitted to using drugs during the implementation of “Oplan Tokhang.” Those who surrendered consisted of three Sangguniang Bayan (SB) members, 46 barangay (village) captains, 92 barangay councilor, eight barangay tanods and 20 other government employees from different provinces in Cagayan Valley. Isabela has the highest with 114 local officials confessing to drug ties: two SB members, 14 barangay captains, 70 barangay councilors, 20 government employees and eight barangay tanods. No government official surrendered in the island- province of Batanes, the smallest province in the region. The Cagayan regional police recorded a total of 183,269 houses visited with 19,343 ‘surrenderers.’ “We will enforce the law to its fullest extent without fear and favor,” Regional Director Chief Supt. Gilbert Sosa said. /rga RELATED STORIES Cagayan village chair, 3 others nabbed for P150-M ‘shabu’ 22 Cagayan Valley police execs relieved

2016-09-08 16:55 Julliane Love newsinfo.inquirer.net

30 Three held for murdering man and burying body to hide crime in Thane Thane : Three persons were arrested for allegedly killing a 29-year-old man and burying his body near Kalyan township in the district to hide the crime, police said today. Akshay Eknath Bhoir (20), a cousin of the victim and a resident of Shiroshi in Murbad, Rafique Yunus Shaikh (27) of Murbad, and Ravindra Parshuram Thackeray (40) from Kalyan had allegedly kidnapped Vijay Kundalik Bhoir on August 25 on a bike and taken him out of Kalyan. Subsequently, a complaint of abduction was filed by Vijay's elder brother with the Khadakpada police under Kalyan following which a search was carried out. During the probe, police suspected the role of a relative in the kidnapping. Police then detained Akshay Bhoir who, during questioning, confessed to the crime along with others. According to police, the three accused allegedly kidnapped the victim and beat him to death. They buried the body on Vasundri-Khadavali road to destroy the evidence. The murder is suspected to be the fallout of a property dispute between the families of Akshay Bhoir and the victim. The accused were arrested last night and booked under IPC sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), police PRO Sukhada Narkar said. The body will be exhumed soon following due procedure and in the presence of a magistrate for further probe in the case, police added.

2016-09-08 16:03 By PTI www.mid-day.com

31 Fire breaks out in Express building in south Mumbai, no casualties A major fire broke out on the 20th floor of Express building in Nariman point in the posh locality of south Mumbai. 5 fire tenders have been rushed to the spot. No casualties reported. The entire building has been evacuated. Cooling operations are underway. According to Mumbai Police, Barrister Rajni Patel Marg has been closed for traffic between Sakhar Bhavan and Air India Junction.

2016-09-08 15:54 By mid www.mid-day.com

32 Preeti Rathi acid attack case: Ankur Panwar sentenced to death Preeti Rathi The special women court in Mumbai on Thursday sentenced convict Ankur Panwar for murder of Delhi resident Preeti Rathi in May 2013. Earlier Mumbai sessions court, on Tuesday, convicted Ankur Panwar for murder Rathi because he was jealous of the latter's success. He threw acid on her, leading to her death. Also Read: Preeti Rathi acid attack case: Timeline of events Crucial witnesses Earlier out of the 37 witnesses that the prosecutor examined during the trial, three identified Ankur from the acid attack, even though he had tied a handkerchief across his face at the time. He had boarded the same train Preeti had taken to Mumbai and when she got off at Bandra Terminus, he covered his face and put his hands on her shoulder. As she turned to see who it was, he flung acid on her. Preeti’s mouth was open, and she swallowed some of the acid. She suffered 12-15% burns on her face, neck, arms and deep internal injuries in her throat. She died a month later – a fact that the defence lawyer used during the trial, claiming that it was medical negligence, not the acid attack that killed Preeti. However, the court rejected this argument. Also Read: Preeti Rathi acid attack case: Crime Branch caught killer in his web of lies Although her father, aunt and uncle had accompanied her on the journey, they did not see the face of the culprit. But he was identified by Pankaj Malve, an agent who saw him stepping out of the train. Later, as Ankur fled from the crime scene, the handkerchief slipped from his face, and he was spotted by two more witnesses – bottle sellers Sameer Shaikh and Salim Shaikh. Also Read: 2013 Mumbai acid attack victim's parents want her attacker hanged The case Delhi resident Preeti had just completed her nursing course and was selected as a lieutenant nurse in the Indian Navy. On May 2, 2013, she was to report for her first day at naval hospital INHS Asvini and had just reached Bandra Terminus along with her father, when her neighbour, Panwar, threw acid on her. When the police finally caught up with him in January 2014, almost a year after the incident, they learnt that he had attacked her because he was jealous of her success. Despite spending an exorbitant amount of money on his hotel management education, Ankur was unemployed and was constantly taunted by his parents, who compared him to the younger, more successful Preeti.

2016-09-08 15:26 By Sailee www.mid-day.com

33 Watch Video: Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra are happy-go-crazy Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh and his Bollywood actress wife Geeta Basra are off on a holiday at an undisclosed location and seem to be having the time of their lives. The off spinner from Punjab posted a picture along with his wife on Instagram that shows that the two of them need nothing more than just the sun and sea besides each other. But it is this cool video clip that was posted by the 'Turbanator' on the photo sharing site that shows that the couple are having a blast. They appear to be accompanied by two other friends. Harbhajan went on to caption the picture saying: Happy-go-crazy! #GoodVibes Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra were also blessed with a baby girl in July.

2016-09-08 14:40 By mid www.mid-day.com

34 34 Two boys drown in water tank in Nashik Nashik: Two teenage boys drowned in a water percolation tank in Sinnar taluka in Nashik, when they stepped in for a swim, police said on Thursday. The incident took place on Wednesday after the duo, identified as Amol Bhaskar Wagh (19) and Tushar Ashok Wagh (17), failed to judge the water levels, they said. The boys were immediately rushed to a rural hospital, where they were pronounced dead following which the bodies were handed over to their families after postmortem.

2016-09-08 14:28 By PTI www.mid-day.com

35 How schools use language as a way to exclude children He illustrated this with a disturbing account of receiving corporal punishment, being fined and wearing a “plate around the neck with inscriptions such as I AM STUPID or I AM A DONKEY”. His “crime”? Speaking Gikuyu at his English medium school. Today, decisions about which language resources should count in schooling – as the language of instruction, a subject, or a legitimate language for learning – continue to be informed by the relationships between language and power. Schools and universities in post-colonial contexts still operate within the logic of coloniality. These realities have been thrown into sharp relief by revelations that some South African schools discipline their pupils for speaking any language but English (or Afrikaans) while on school grounds. At Cape Town’s Sans Souci High School for Girls, pupils obtain “losses” (or demerits) for a range of “offences” – like being caught speaking isiXhosa. For many of Sans Souci’s pupils, this is their home language. Students have likened the yellow book or demerits hook to the dompass#Sans Souci pic.twitter.com/DZjMVS99kq Sadly this problem isn’t unique to South Africa. It’s been seen in other post- colonial contexts like Nigeria, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie has spoken about not having the opportunity to learn Igbo proficiently at school. This, she says, left her with no option but to write exclusively in English. These girls' stories have foregrounded the crucial issue of language in processes of assimilation and exclusion. Over the past ten years there has been a major shift in our understandings of language, bilingualism and bilingual education which show the learning advantages of using more than one language in the classroom for learning. A cycle of blame and bad faith African children – whose home languages are by and large not English – are generally not recognised for the experiences, knowledge and linguistic resources they bring. They’re expected to adapt to pre-existing school cultures. African children in ex-Model C schools are expected to feel grateful at being given the “opportunity” of a quality education in a state school system that performs very poorly. The apartheid government designated all “white” state schools Model C in 1992. This semi-privatised them. Research conducted in such schools since the 1990s has consistently pointed out these schools' overwhelmingly assimilationist ethos. Many previously white primary and secondary suburban schools offer only English and Afrikaans as “home language” and “first additional language” subjects. This continues apartheid’s ideology of bilingualism. Where an African language is offered, it is given marginal status as “second additional language”. African languages get little space on the timetable and few resources. Primary school principals have defended the fact that they offer only English and Afrikaans by saying their pupils continue on to high schools that only offer these languages. High school principals, in turn, reported that they had to offer English and Afrikaans because their feeder primary schools were not offering African languages. This is a convenient cycle of blame which signals bad faith. If school leaders and parents were committed to embracing African languages and the spirit of the multilingual South African language in education policy, surely they would consult each other and design collaborative language policies? But society’s collective beliefs about whose languages “matter” and should be privileged scupper any meaningful collaboration. Language ideologies The concept of language ideologies – people’s beliefs about what language is, as well as what particular uses of language point to or index – are central in shaping whose language resources count in formal schooling. South African schools' language policies proceed from an ideology of “language as a problem” rather than “language as a resource”. As is the case in other post-colonial societies, this sets linguistic diversity up as a barrier to rather than an advantage for learning. The language ideology and practices that exclusively valorise English can be viewed as Anglonormativity : the expectation that people will and should be proficient in English, and are deficient (even deviant) if they are not. In ex-Model C schools it’s not just English but a particular variety of standard South African English which aligns with whiteness that is privileged. Research has revealed how early-grade primary school teachers buy into the myth that there’s one single correct pronunciation for English. They deviate from maths and literacy lessons to teach children to produce pronunciations and vowel sounds that align with white South African Englishes. This practice ignores the content or substance of children’s answers. It is also Anglonormativity that renders the typical South African child entering schooling as linguistically deficient. A typical learner in an ordinary South African school will have learned in their home language until the end of Grade 3. They’re then expected to switch to exclusively English instruction in all of their subjects from the beginning of Grade 4. This Anglonormativity is clearly a gross abuse of the child’s right to quality education. All textbook materials, notes and assessments are given in a language that the child has been learning as a subject for a few hours per week in the first three years of schooling. The child is expected to learn and be assessed exclusively in English to the final year of school and beyond. White middle-class English and Afrikaans speaking learners aren’t expected to make this sudden transition from learning in their home language. A long shadow of colonial racism This is not an argument for mother tongue education instead of English medium education. It’s an argument for bi- or multilingual education. Parents and children should not be forced to choose either English or an African language. Instead, children must be equipped with the ability to learn through and develop all their language resources throughout their schooling. The continuing denigration of African languages and exclusive valuing of English is evidence of apartheid’s long shadow. It also points to the internalisation of colonial racism and the continuing power of whiteness. It’s time to realise that access to English will not be achieved through English- only instruction. Xolisa Guzula : PhD Candidate in Language and Literacy, University of Cape Town This article first appeared in The Conversation

2016-09-08 14:23 CAROLYN MCKINNEY www.timeslive.co.za

36 LinkedIn denies gender bias claim over site search LinkedIn has denied that its search algorithm has been biased towards suggesting male versions of female names in searches on its website. A Seattle Times investigation found searching for "Stephanie Williams" on the professional networking service would trigger a prompt for "Stephen Williams" instead, for example. At least a dozen of the most common female names in the US were affected. LinkedIn has updated its algorithm to avoid proposing alternative names. Prior to the update, searches for 100 of the most common male names in the US did not result in prompts suggesting female versions of those names, the Seattle Times said. "Suggestions of similar spelt names that are frequently searched for on LinkedIn will follow the search query," said a LinkedIn spokeswoman. "The search algorithm is guided by relative frequencies of words appearing in past queries and member profiles, it is not anything to do [with] gender. " A fix had been rolled out to "explicitly recognise people's names" so that alternative names - of the same or a different gender - would not be proposed, she added. Microsoft announced that it would purchase LinkedIn for $26.2bn (£19.6bn) in June. Social network algorithms have faced much scrutiny over alleged hints of bias recently. Last month, Facebook overhauled its Trending feature - which recommends online content to users - after some complained that it was biased towards left-wing stories.

2016-09-08 14:17 By Chris www.bbc.co.uk

37 Accessing content in multiple ways: why physical and digital can co-exist Since I started my career in digital some 17 years ago, there has been one clear and resounding belief in the industry; content consumption via physical means is in terminal decline. It’s been all too obvious in newspapers and magazines and almost complete in the DVD market and in an advanced stage in music. It’s often been presented to me as fact that “music streaming is killing the physical sales”. However, a new piece of research suggests otherwise. The Entertainment Retailers Association has recently published their report “Multi-channel music research report” and it provides a fascinating insight into how people are actually consuming music content when there’s a choice of so many different ways to do the same thing. Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated Firstly, despite its demise being widely pronounced since the early 2000’s, radio continues to be one of the biggest methods for consuming music in Britain today. Over a third of us are regular radio listeners. This is borne out by the health of the radio industry which continues to hold huge influence over fundamental decisions in the music industry, such as who has the right to broadcast music prior to its official release date. Secondly, despite peaking in around 2000 or 2001, the humble CD continues to hold sway over all other forms of music consumption, with around a fifth of the UK enjoying CD’s and regularly buying them. This is only marginally ahead of music streaming done by those people free-of- charge at 19%. Thirdly, a whacking two-thirds of Brits listen to at least two separate music formats. This group of 66% of music listeners, access music by both streaming and either CD, vinyl or digital download. To have and to hold Of all these findings, the most intriguing is the huge number of people opting to combine their listening habits across multiple channels. The notion that one form of digital consumption can trump all other physical forms is actually wrong. Not only this, but according to the people questioned in the research, as a result of streaming music, they actually buy more CD’s than they would otherwise. In many cases this is due to the fact that streaming is used as a method for discovery which then leads to a physical purchase. The same is happening in the book world. As the CEO of a UK book publisher recently told me, the ebook world is prompting people, once they have read the book digitally, to then buy the actual book as something they would like to keep. This leads perfectly into the resurgence of vinyl records. Although the total consumption of vinyl records in the UK amounts to only around 2% of total music sales, there is a growing trend around the value of this physical format. How many times have you been at a dinner party, enjoying a playlist only for the food to finish and your host to reveal an immaculate set of vintage combination of amp, turntable and speakers and polished new/old records? The dropping of needle onto shiny, black record. The familiar crackle as the needle makes contact before the first chord is struck. The whole experience from the sleeve design to the amp controls speaks to our desire to own content in a physical form. We may live in a sharing economy, but the fact is, people still want ownership and attach great importance to something tangible and visually appealing. Stepping up Following some stern comments from the likes of Beats founder Jimmy Iovine about the Freemium model (where consumers are allowed free access to the content catalogue and subsequently encourage, but not forced to pay) it seemed perhaps we were going to witness the end of the freemium model. The model remains the method of choice for service such as Deezer and Spotify who have resolutely refused to offer a different catalogue in paid vs free despite repeated pressure to do so. However, one very clear finding from the latest research is that almost half of respondents cite their path to paid streaming as being via access free. Another myth-busted? For now, at least it seems so. Tyranny of choice Of all the challenges consumers face the no.1 issue raised in the research and the one which most music services have not solved, is how to navigate such a vast amount of content. Deezer holds a catalogue of over 40 million tracks. It would take approximately three human lifetimes of continuous listening to get through this amount of music. I consider myself to have pretty broad tastes when it comes to music, but even I would hesitate to listen to some of the more unusual genres contained in a catalogue of this size. Without the efforts of our 50 editors worldwide, and our personalised recommendations through Deezer Flow - a catalogue this size is almost impossible to navigate. In these circumstances, it’s not surprising that this remains one of the key issues which consumers consider the biggest challenge. It’s very much the responsibility of the whole sector to try and solve it, and quickly. Conclusion From everything described above, it seems impossible not to draw the conclusion that old media like radio, CD’s and vinyl are all here to stay. At least for now. Streaming is most likely, not killing the physical sales market, but enhancing it. It’s not too late to listen to those streaming audio - they are pointing the way of what is the most pressing question - how to identify the music they like when there’s so much to choose from? We’re certainly living in a multi-channel world and if true there’s much that could be learned from how people actually want to consume not just how we think they should. Now pass me that mix-tape. Christian Harris is vice president-Northern Europe at Deezer. He tweets @Chalfont14

2016-09-08 14:20 www.thedrum.com

38 Stylebop.com partners with Rakuten Marketing to grow Asia Pacific business Luxury online retailer Stylebop.com is hoping to expand its business in Asia Pacific and has taken on Rakuten Marketing to help drive this through digital marketing. The Germany-based business launched in Australia and Japan as its first markets in APAC and has selected affiliate marketing primarily as its tool for growth. In order to retain its premium brand and the designers that it stocks, such as Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Fendi and Balmain, Stylebop.com is only choosing to appear on premium content and fashion websites. According to Stylebop.com and Rakuten, affiliate marketing is often seen as discount-driven but both businesses are keen to dispel this as a myth. Hanna Tuchnitz, online marketing manager, Stylebop.com, said: "Our aim to break into APAC through Affiliate Partnerships is rapidly becoming a huge success; we have seen constant growth across all KPIs and gained many new valuable publishers. "Rakuten Affiliate Network is making vast leaps towards our objectives through fantastic account support and common understanding of how we can grow customer reach globally, while retaining our core brand values. " The brand’s initial activity focused on the Japan and Australian market but wider APAC growth is planned.

2016-09-08 14:20 www.thedrum.com

39 BT Sport partners with Google as it aims to show the future of personalised TV ad breaks BT Sport is changing the way it delivers across its digital platforms after partnering with Google to implement dynamic ad insertion into its live streamed events. The deal makes Google BT Sport’s exclusive digital sales partner and will see it take responsibility for ad monetisation around key live events appearing on the BT Sport website and app. During live streams ads will be delivered to the app and online using dynamic ad insertion technology, which will give viewers watching via BT Sport’s digital platforms a more personal ad experience with clickable ads. The partnership will also introduce Google’s DoubleClick for Publishers enabling ingestion of an entire broadcast schedule, which in turn will make it possible to mirror the TV broadcast advertising break pattern. The technology also makes it simple to package content and breaks into multiple bundles, to make booking and trafficking as simple as targeting the programme type. For BT Sport’s ad breaks of dynamic duration, DoubleClick for Publishers can serve creatives in real-time, while still ensuring that specific valuable positions within those breaks – such as the first ad and last ad – can be guaranteed. Tony Singh, BT’s director of business affairs and business development, said: “More and more people are enjoying BT Sport via our best-in-class app and online player and we are always looking at ways in which we can innovate to deliver a better offering for our advertisers as well as our users. We work with Google on a number of initiatives and we’re delighted to be partnering with them on dynamic ad insertion.” Benjamin Faes, Google’s EMEA managing director of global partnerships, added: “Our partnership with BT is hugely important to Google. It exemplifies the incredible opportunities that lie ahead of a broadcaster as more and more of their viewership comes from online sources, making their ad inventory more valuable.”

2016-09-08 14:20 www.thedrum.com

40 Israel and China: The growing connection Earlier this year, Israel and China announced bilateral free trade talks. While the two capitals are more than 7,000 kilometers apart, the economies of both nations are inextricably linked. In fact, there’s a growing economic connection between Israel and China—a connection that’s expected to increase by 50 percent this year. What’s driving the business exchange? Like any good trade relationship, there are bilateral benefits. For Chinese firms, Israel is an important entrepreneurial and innovation hub that can be a model for China as it builds the engine that will power its economy for the 21st century, as well as a dynamic opportunity for investment. For Israeli firms, China represents an enormous market and an opportunity to scale the technology that has been incubated domestically. Lessons the Chinese can take from a start-up nation A few years ago, the authors of the book Startup Nation asked this question: How is it that Israel—a country of eight million people, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies, in a constant state of war since its founding, with very few natural resources—produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada and the United Kingdom? While there are many reasons for Israel’s great start-up culture, one thing we hear time and again from Chinese visitors is that they admire our can-do spirit. In China, as one Israeli diplomat recently explained, Israel is synonymous with innovation and entrepreneurship. But while the world abounds with examples of entrepreneurship, Israel represents an especially useful model because there are important commonalities between our two nations that make unlocking and understanding the success of Israel’s entrepreneurial story particularly meaningful to China. First, Israel and China share a developing nation mentality. Israel is a young country and even our newest entrepreneurs can recall the challenges of building infrastructure from scratch. Just as important, the Chinese government and its business community can draw meaningful lessons from the relationship between the public and private sector in Israel. Israel, after all, is a global technology leader, but unlike the U. S. or Europe, the foundation of that industry was built largely on government investment in domestic defense programs that continue to be the leading source for developing homegrown talent. Israel’s example is especially on point, given the complex and evolving role of the Chinese state as that country continues to embrace a free market system. Finally, both Israel and China share a common understanding of the vital role technology plays in addressing critical challenges like food production. Here in Israel, the desert climate makes efficiency a necessity, but in China a highly efficient yield is essential for feeding a large population. Not surprisingly, Chinese investments in Israeli tech are rising, not just in the obvious areas like mobile and ad tech, but also in sectors like agriculture. Chinese investors seek growth There was a time when Chinese technology meant copying innovations from abroad. Those days are long gone. But after earning its reputation as a leading innovator, the Chinese technology industry now faces a challenge born from success—overvaluation. To continue growth, Chinese firms must look abroad. One reason we see so many Chinese investors coming to Israel is because we enjoy such a high percentage of technology unicorns. By investing liberally in “Silicon Wadi,” Chinese companies are able to tap into the world’s second largest start-up market (a good growth strategy) and access some of the interesting technologies that are byproducts of Israel’s defense industry. Just as important, the Chinese who come here tell us they see Israel as a bridge to other Western markets. The opportunity in China is bigger than the Chinese market Traditionally, the Israeli tech industry has focused on building start-ups that were sold to larger multinational firms. But today the Israeli technology industry is maturing to the point where the focus is shifting toward building our own multinational corporations headquartered in Israel. To carry out that transition, Israel needs a partner like China for two key reasons. First, China represents a large and growing consumer market that is important to Israeli technology firms that must grow revenues beyond what is possible in a relatively small nation. Second, but equally important, China offers unprecedented access to scale. The lifeblood of any technology business, especially those in the mobile and ad tech spaces, is the ability to scale because user data is the primary driver of innovation. What is especially exciting for Israeli firms about working with Chinese partners is the ability to test and refine products and solutions on a global scale. Recently, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu observed that cooperation between Israel and China can yield “enormous results” in “every field of human endeavor.” China and Israel have emerged as leaders of a global technology revolution. The question that comes next isn’t what our respective business communities can build together, but rather, how will those joint ventures change the world? Hagai Tal is CEO of mobile ad tech business Taptica.

2016-09-08 14:20 www.thedrum.com

41 Twitter appoints new communications boss as board executives meet to discuss the social network's future Twitter has appointed Kristin Binns to head up its communications, following the departure of Natalie Kerris in August. Kerris, who took on the role of vice-president of communications earlier this year and left after less than six months, opened up a space for Binns, who is joining from health insurance giant Anthem (formerly Wellpoint). Binns will take on the role of senior director of Twitter communications, overseeing the platform’s corporate and consumer PR. She will report to Twitter’s chief marketing officer Leslie Berland, who has been running the communications department since Kerris stepped down. Twitter has seen a lot of movement in its marketing and communications departments over the past two years, but since Berland’s appointment in early 2016, the team has made attempts to clear up misconceptions about Twitter and drive greater awareness to grow its stagnating userbase. In July, the microblogging site has unveiled a series of video and digital ads with a heavy focus on breaking news, sports and live events as part of a global campaign to position it as the place to 'See What's Happening' . Re/code reports that Twitter’s board of directors is meeting on today (8 September) to discuss the company’s future as an independent business . Sources told the tech site that there will be discussion around Twitter's fate as a standalone company, and what cuts may need to be implemented to help the firm improve performance - something several employees are reportedly "worried about. "

2016-09-08 14:19 www.thedrum.com

42 Bloomberg View Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world. Americas +1 212 318 2000 Europe, Middle East, & Africa +44 20 7330 7500 Asia Pacific +65 6212 1000 Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world. Americas +1 212 318 2000 Europe, Middle East, & Africa +44 20 7330 7500 Asia Pacific +65 6212 1000

2016-09-08 13:10 www.bloomberg.com

43 Sports Direct chairman Keith Hellawell's controversial career Keith Hellawell, the under-fire Sports Direct chairman, has had a long and varied career clouded by controversy. The 74-year-old, born near Huddersfield, faced an investor revolt at the company's annual meeting , with a majority of independent shareholders voting against his re-election as chairman. Yet he received the backing of billionaire owner Mike Ashley. "He knows my strengths, he knows my weaknesses," Ashley told the assembled media, before asking for more time for the pair to improve the company. Hellawell, who offered to resign earlier in the day, will stay in the role until Sports Direct's next general meeting. His decision came after a critical report into the company was published by its lawyers, following MPs saying that its treatment of staff was closer to "that of a Victorian workhouse than that of a modern high street retailer". Business Live: Sports Direct showdown Sports Direct faces shareholder revolt at annual meeting Sports Direct to put worker on the board Dominic O'Connell: Sports Direct review Views from Sports Direct workers Hellawell has faced pressure in other high-profile roles as the government's "drugs czar" and the chief constable of West Yorkshire Police. He started a 36-year career in the police at the age of 20 after beginning his working life as a coal miner once he left school at the age of 15. He became Britain's youngest sergeant aged 23 and progressed through the ranks to become assistant chief constable of West Yorkshire in 1983. While in that role, he was criticised for his tough treatment of fellow officers. He shut police station bars and sacked some deskbound senior officers so he could appoint more to go on the beat instead. He moved up to chief constable in 1993 after a spell in a similar role in Cleveland, where he won praise for the way he dealt with allegations of sexual abuse in the area as families were separated after controversial tests. In between, he served in most departments and was awarded the Queen's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 1990. After the arrest of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, in the 1980s, Hellawell was moved on to the case and managed to extract more confessions of attempted murder from him. However, he also attracted criticism after spontaneously giving Sutcliffe a Christmas card, although he told the Sunday Times in 2000: "It was just part of the rapport thing to get him to open up. " During the 1960s, he launched one of the first dedicated drugs squads, while during his police career he also found time to study for a degree in social policy and take another one in law. In 1998, he was appointed as Tony Blair's government's new UK anti-drugs co-ordinator - also known as "drugs czar" - with a remit of dealing with the problems of drug use and reducing the amount coming into the UK. Even that move was criticised because during his time in West Yorkshire he had operated a policy of widespread cautioning of cannabis-takers instead of automatically prosecuting them. Two years into the job he called for police to stop pursuing cannabis users so rigorously in an attempt to focus on drugs which cause "the major harm", such as heroin and cocaine. However, he told the BBC he did not support "legalisation nor decriminalisation" of cannabis. In 2001, his role was changed to make him a part-time adviser on international drug issues after the new Home Secretary, David Blunkett, took over his responsibilities. He won praise for his work in the role from Mr Blunkett, who said: "Keith has done an excellent job in helping lay the foundations for the future. " A year later and Hellawell was gone - announcing his resignation on BBC Radio 4's Today programme over Mr Blunkett's decision to downgrade cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug. In May 2006, he became chairman of pharmaceuticals business Goldshield, which had been one of five companies charged by the Serious Fraud Office with conspiracy to defraud a month earlier. However, the case collapsed in late 2008. The following year, Hellawell became chairman of Sports Direct - replacing David Richardson who had quit the role two years earlier. Although the company's shares soared in recent years, there has been a downturn in 2016 with the firm dropping out of the FTSE 100 in March. The company was also accused of exploiting its workers, many of whom are employed on zero-hours contracts, although Sports Direct has now pledged to abolish these terms. for its directly employed, casual retail staff. And at a parliamentary inquiry last year, Hellawell faced a barrage of criticism from MPs over his lack of knowledge about the collapse of one of Sport Direct's subsidiaries.

2016-09-08 13:10 www.bbc.co.uk

44 Puberty calorie burn fall 'could explain obesity rise' A rise in obesity in adolescents may be down to a sharp drop in the amount of calories they burn while resting. A study in the International Journal of Diabetes found energy used at rest was 25% lower in 15-year-olds compared with when they were 10 - a fall of 500 calories a day. This is equivalent to cutting out an hour's strenuous exercise every day. The study said the findings were unexpected but could help explain why a lot of teenagers put on excess weight. Most of the energy people burn is just to keep their bodies ticking over - using the brain, heart, liver and kidneys - rather than through physical activity. In a decade-long study following 279 children, researchers from the University of Exeter Medical School were surprised to find the number of calories the children burned at rest fell sharply during puberty. This is a period of rapid growth, which usually uses up lots of calories, but it was only around the age of 16 that the number of calories burned at rest started to rise again. During puberty there was also a noticeable drop in the amount of exercise, particularly among girls, which could add to weight gain, the researchers said. About a third of school children aged 10-11 in England are overweight or obese. Prof Terry Wilkin, from the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "Child obesity and associated diabetes are both among the greatest health challenges of our time. "Our findings can explain why teenagers gain excess weight in puberty, and it could help target strategies accordingly. " Prof Simon Capewell, vice-president of the Faculty of Public Health, said the findings showed there was an even greater need to improve children's diets and protect them from the heavy marketing of junk food and sugary drinks. "Adolescents sitting around using their smartphones and iPads are being bombarded with junk food marketing - while using even fewer calories than we previously thought. "Last month's government strategy on childhood obesity confirmed the duty on sugary drinks, but was otherwise a disastrous missed opportunity. "We need much tougher regulation around the marketing of junk food to children - particularly on TV and online. "

2016-09-08 13:10 www.bbc.co.uk

45 £12.5m for north England flood defences A total of £12.5m is being spent on new temporary flood defences in northern England, following a government review. The review was commissioned after 16,000 houses in Cumbria and Yorkshire were flooded during the wettest December in a century last year. Critics at the time said defences were not up to the job. The £12.5m would mean the Environment Agency would have four times as many temporary flood barriers than in 2015. Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom said the review set out "clear actions so we are better prepared to respond quickly in the event of future flooding and can strengthen the nation's flood defences". She added: "Work is already underway towards £12.5 million of new temporary defences stationed around England, better protection for our infrastructure and new flood modelling that makes better use of data and technology. " She also said the government was investing £2.5bn by 2021 to protect families, homes and businesses from flooding. Other recommendations from the review include: The National Flood Resilience Review was set up after devastating floods last winter across parts of northern England. Its aim was to assess how the country could be better protected from future flooding and increasing extreme weather. During storms last December in parts of Yorkshire and Cumbria, flood defences did not work in some places, forcing thousands of people from their homes over Christmas. Dr Stephen Gibbs, chairman of the Carlisle Flood Action Group, who lives in the Cumbrian city, was critical of the Government's approach. "The issue is Government statutory powers to say 'we will defeat flooding'," he explained. "The Environment Agency [EA] have a pattern - they have a flood, they have a review, then they get out the [sticking plaster] and hope for the best until the next flood. "Temporary flood defences are part of the filibustering that the EA are having to do. The Dutch defeated flooding because their senior politicians sat down and said 'How can we defeat this?' And they defeated flooding. "

2016-09-08 13:10 www.bbc.co.uk

46 from Fabric and Gatecrasher to the Hacienda Clubbers have reacted with shock and disappointment at the closure of London's Fabric nightclub. The club had its licence revoked by Islington Council after two 18-year-olds died after taking drugs in the club. Around 250 staff will now lose their jobs as Fabric becomes the latest major club to disappear from the UK scene. A number of iconic venues have closed in recent years. Some have disappeared because of financial problems or property development, but many, like Fabric, have been lost to drug-related crime. More related stories Fabric nightclub shut down for good Small venues 'need help fast' Drug coma: It can happen to anyone "Closing Fabric isn't the answer to the drug-related problems clubs like ours are working to prevent, and sets a troubling precedent for the future of London's night time economy," says an official statement from Fabric. The Farringdon club could now follow some famous names which have disappeared from the map. Fabric, London: First dance 1999 - last dance 2016 Fabric was closed permanently on Tuesday night following the deaths of two teenagers. The Metropolitan Police believe keeping Fabric open would cause further drug-related deaths and Islington Council described a "culture of drugs" at the venue. Celebrities, DJs and clubbers have spoken about their shock at Fabric's permanent closure, while support has also come from official channels. "This decline must stop if London is to retain its status as a 24-hour city with a world-class nightlife," says London mayor Sadiq Khan. The Tuxedo Royale, River Tyne: First dance 1983 - last dance 2007 The River Tyne's floating nightspot, The Tuxedo Princess, was a refurbished car ferry. In its heyday, it attracted celebrities including Kevin Costner, Mick Hucknall, Jason Donovan and Rick Astley. It couldn't have been any more late '80s. Cheryl Cole is believed to have once worked on the Tuxedo Princess when it was moved to Newcastle and the parents of The 1975's Matt Healy got engaged on the ship. The ship played a huge role in local nightlife, but many residents were thrilled when the "eyesore" was taken to Greece and sold as scrap. The Astoria, London: First dance 2000 - last dance 2009 As a gig venue, London's Astoria played host to the likes of David Bowie, Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys and Muse. But to many, it was perhaps best known as the home of G. A. Y., one of the UK's most famous (and fabulous) gay nights. G. A. Y. hosted the likes of Kylie Minogue, Scissor Sisters and Amy Winehouse during its time on Tottenham Court Road. The Astoria was closed, and later demolished, to make way for London's Crossrail expansion. Cream Nation, Liverpool: First dance 1992 - last dance 2002 Cream is one of the biggest names in clubbing, but the original Liverpool venue, Cream Nation, is no more, having been demolished in early 2016. After leaving the venue in 2002, Cream returned several times a year for one-off specials and the owners are now planning to build an underground venue where Cream Nation once stood. Some of the most iconic names in dance music DJ'd at Cream during its early years including Paul Oakenfold, Paul Van Dyk, Roger Sanchez and The Chemical Brothers. Cream now hosts a club night at Ibiza club Amnesia during peak season and festival Creamfields is one of the UK's biggest dance events. Hacienda, Manchester: First dance 1982 - last dance 1997 Manchester's iconic Hacienda played host to the likes of Madonna, The Smiths, Oasis and The Stone Roses during its glory days. In 1989 the UK's first ecstasy-related death happened at the venue and the club's legacy was also marred by shootings and violence in and around it. The club is believed to have lost up to £18m in its later years, as the club struggled to earn enough money from bar takings, despite its ongoing popularity. It is widely believed that people at the club were spending their money on drugs, not alcohol. The Hacienda closed as a club in 1997 and was demolished in 2002 to make way for a block of flats, which are controversially named The Hacienda Apartments. Prior to its demolition, Crosby Homes held a charity auction to sell items from the club, with former party animals and DJs attending to buy everything from the DJ booth to radiators. Matter/Proud2, London: First dance 2008 - last dance 2013 There were two attempts to run a successful club in a space at London's O2 Arena but neither found much success. Two founders of Fabric were behind the first attempt, Matter, in 2008 but it was forced to close in 2010. This was due to a delay in improving the Jubilee Line, which connects the arena with central London. It reopened as Proud2 but was closed down for 28 days in 2012 after two stabbings in the venue, a decision its owner called "absurd". It later reopened, but the lengthy closure had affected trade and Proud2 later went into administration. Gatecrasher: First dance 1996 - last dance 2015 Gatecrasher One was a hugely popular Sheffield club until it was destroyed by fire in 2007 and found a new home in Birmingham. The Birmingham venue was closed in November 2015 after a string of violent incidents at the 2,400 capacity venue. The club had its licence revoked after after a knife attack in the club and an alleged fight with doormen last October. Following the closure in Birmingham, Gatecrasher secured a temporary lease back in Sheffield with plans to reopen before the end of 2016. Space, Ibiza: First dance 1986 - last dance 2016 Space in Ibiza has been one of the biggest clubs on the island since it opened in 1986. Situated close to the airport, its outdoor terrace was known for the roar of jet engines as planes flew clubbers on and off the island. The club is closing - at least in its current, iconic location - on 2 October 2016 but it may re-open elsewhere in Ibiza. "It won't happen for at least two years and will it be the same? We don't know," DJ Carl Cox told Ticketmaster. "I don't know whether I will be involved because there are so many variables. " https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6QnwOSemD4 Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat Related Topics Music

2016-09-08 13:10 www.bbc.co.uk

47 Fabric closure: What next for the UK's club scene? Fabric, one of Britain's best-known nightclubs, has been shut after the deaths of two clubbers. But fans, DJs and venue owners have decried the decision, saying it will not solve the drug problem but will have a chilling effect on the clubbing scene. "Our culture has been torn apart," tweeted dance act Chase & Status , noting that almost all of London's iconic dance venues have now closed their doors. Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh said the decision marked "the beginning of the end of our cities as cultural centres". And a host of other artists and DJs, from Fatboy Slim and the Chemical Brothers to Radio 1's Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw, also expressed their dismay. Singer Roisin Murphy told the BBC: "For London it is a sign of things going downhill, in terms of being a fun place. I think people have seen the same thing happen in New York. " Islington Council revoked Fabric's licence after the drug-related deaths of two 18-year-olds in June and August. At a late-night meeting on Tuesday, the council's licensing board heard that both men had consumed MDMA in the nightclub and purchased drugs in the venue. During an undercover police operation, carried out between the two deaths, officers witnessed open drug use and drugs being offered for sale. "Staff intervention and security was grossly inadequate," the council said in their decision. "It was abundantly obvious that patrons in the club were on drugs and manifesting symptoms showing that they were. "This included sweating, glazed red eyes and staring into space, and people asking for help. " The decision has been criticised by drug charities and music industry bodies, however, who say Fabric had an excellent reputation for tackling drug-taking on its premises. "If we find a suspected drug dealer we take them to a well-lit, CCTV monitored room, we sit them down and we have them arrested," the club's co-founder, Cameron Leslie, told Tuesday's hearing. "Then our team, at our expense, goes to court to seek a conviction. "The notion that we provide a safe haven for drugs is frankly insulting to the considerable efforts we have put in over the years. " Chase & Status took a stronger line. "It's the early 90s garbage again - the law demonising clubs and raves with an archaic view on drugs and the youth. " So what does the closure mean for the future of clubbing? "This is a watershed moment for London and Britain," says Alan Miller, chairman of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA). "On the basis of what they've done in Fabric, they can close every single bar, club and licensed premises in the UK. " Alex Proud, owner of the Camden Proud nightclub , warns: "They'll come for me next. "Once the police have the ability to close a club that is well-run on those sorts of grounds, every club in London has to think it could be closed tomorrow. "It's a profoundly disturbing precedent to set. " Before Fabric closed, things were already reaching a crisis point. Nearly half of the UK's nightclubs have shuttered in the last 10 years , according to the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) - dropping from 3,144 in 2005 to just 1,733 last year. Duncan Dick, editor of dance bible Mixmag , says the scene could easily be driven underground. "You'll never stop people from dancing, so if they start declaring all-out war on clubs across London, you're going to see a big increase in people going to much less safe, much less well-regulated places. " And that's a problem, says Katy MacLeod, director of Chill Welfare , a social enterprise dedicated to keeping clubbers and festival-goers safe. "We're likely to see a shift back to things like warehouse parties and house parties, where there's no drug prevention or enforcement policy," she explains. "If people are going to have drug-related incidents, it's probably safer to have them in nightclubs, where they have much more likelihood of prompt medical treatment. "The idea that we're pushing it out to much more unsafe settings means we're much more likely to see fatalities. " The solution, she says, could take the form of on-site drug testing. Already popular at European music festivals, it has been trialled in the UK at Manchester's Warehouse Project and the Secret Garden Party Festival. The service, operated in agreement with police, allows users to hand over drugs for tests to establish their content before they take them. "If they find there's something harmful in their drugs, they're much more likely to surrender them," says MacLeod. "At the Secret Garden Festival about a quarter of people put them in an amnesty bin as a result. " MacLeod says initiatives like this often stumble because, in order to implement them, a club has to acknowledge people are taking drugs on its premises - which would immediately put them in breach of their licensing conditions. "That really needs to change," she says. "It isn't any one club that has a drug problem. It's everywhere in the community. There will be a percentage of people that are using drugs in any nightlife setting. " Indeed, the two deaths at Fabric did not occur in isolation. According to the Office for National Statistics , the number of deaths from ecstasy rose from eight in 2010 to 50 in 2014. It coincides with a new, more powerful strain of the drug - and many users are unaware of the effects. One of the teenagers who died at Fabric entered the club with three MDMA pills and later bought another because he "felt his were not working", according to police. With that in mind, Mixmag has started its own education programme - Don't Be Daft, Start With A Half - promoting safer ecstasy use. "It encourages people who are going to take ecstasy to take a small amount first and see the effects before they take a full dose," says Dick. "'Don't Be Daft, Start With A Half' might sound a bit superficial, but we're operating in such a vacuum that if we can just get one memorable phrase into people's heads, then hopefully we can save lives. " Meanwhile, the future of Fabric hangs in the balance. "I think the whole industry's going to rally round to do something about it," says the NTIA's Alan Miller. "It's not going to finish like this. There's all sorts of mechanisms that can be used to challenge this, whether it's the High Court or Parliament. " He has the support of London's Mayor, Sadiq Khan, and Islington South MP Emily Thornberry, who wrote to Islington's licensing committee asking them to keep the club open. "Whilst it may not be to everyone's tastes, Fabric has huge cultural significance to an entire generation - a generation too often ignored and overlooked by politicians and policy makers," she wrote on Facebook . "As a parent, my heart goes out to the family and friends of anyone who has lost loved ones at such a young age, with lives ended before they have even begun. But we must guard against the assumption that dangerous drug use would cease simply if we were to close a nightclub like Fabric. " Duncan Dick, who saw his favourite nightclub (Glasgow's Arches) close down in similar circumstances, is less optimistic. "The Arches was a huge cultural hub for the city and the police shut it down," he says. "And what do you know? The next thing, a luxury hotel gets built a couple of minutes down the road. "I don't want to impugn the motives of Islington Council but if Fabric closes down, it would be interesting to see what replaces it - and whether it's another multi-million pound property development. " Fabric was "an institution" in UK dance culture and a launchpad for new talent, according to Joe Lenzie, one half of chart-topping dance duo Sigma. "It was definitely a breeding ground for young producers, like ourselves, and loads of careers have come from long nights in that club," he tells BBC Newsbeat. "The council seem to be trading our roots and culture for expensive and high-end flats. " Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts , on Instagram at bbcnewsents , or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected] .

2016-09-08 13:09 By Mark www.bbc.co.uk

48 Police 'regret' over Milly Dowler phone hacking An internal Surrey Police report on the hacking of missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler's phone has concluded it should have been investigated but was not. The force said it was a "matter of deep regret". The inquiry was launched to establish how the force responded when the News of the World revealed it had obtained information from Milly's voicemail after she disappeared in 2002. The report accepts the hacking may not have been "seen for what it was". It said that in 2002 the phrase phone hacking had not been adopted and no- one knew the technique was being used illegally by some newspapers to get stories.

2016-09-08 13:09 www.bbc.co.uk

49 UK tech firm swoops on HP software unit in £6.6bn deal UK tech firm Micro Focus will buy Hewlett-Packard's software business in a deal worth $8.8bn (£6.6bn). Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) includes the assets of Autonomy, the UK software group that HP bought in an ill-fated deal in 2011. The deal makes Micro Focus one of the UK's biggest tech companies, with total annual revenues of $4.5bn (£3.4bn). Micro Focus was promoted to the FTSE 100 last week, replacing ARM after it was bought by Japan's Softbank. A string of acquisitions has turned Micro Focus, based in Newbury, England, from being a relatively small player to being worth over £5bn, with revenues doubling in 2015. Shares in Micro Focus soared 18% in morning trading, making it the biggest winner on the FTSE 100. Kevin Loosemore, Micro Focus executive chairman, said: "Today's announcement marks another significant milestone for Micro Focus and is wholly consistent with the long-term business strategy we have been pursuing to be the most disciplined global provider of infrastructure software. " Mr Loosemore said he approached Hewlett-Packard in February about a deal and was not put off by the market turbulence that followed the Brexit vote in the UK. HPE has more than 50,000 customers including many of the biggest US companies. We are accustomed to headlines bemoaning another UK industrial champion falling to a foreign predator. This morning the tide, if only briefly, is flowing the other way. Micro Focus, a fast-growing technology firm based in Newbury, Berkshire, is merging with a division of the original Silicon Valley titan, Hewlett- Packard. Although the combination will have a slim majority of shareholders from the US company, this is a British takeover. The new Micro Focus will keep its listing on the London Stock Exchange, and the management will be British. The new entity should have a stock market value north of £10bn - about twice the market cap of Sainsburys. While it is tempting to see this as a swallow that might herald a golden summer of takeovers by ambitious British companies, it has more to do with the weakness of an ageing tech giant rather than a resurgence of appetite on this side of the Atlantic. Hewlett-Packard is rightly credited with having founded Silicon Valley, nurturing a string of high-tech entrepreneurs and technology companies that went on to conquer the world. In 1968, it put the first personal computer on sale - a snip at $5,000. Only two years ago it still employed 210,000 people; after today's deal, that number falls to 50,000. For Hewlett-Packard it is part of a dramatic downsizing from having been a giant of the computer industry with annual revenues of more than $100bn. Under chief executive Meg Whitman the group has been stripped down to what she believes is its core strengths. HPE was one part of Hewlett-Packard which split into two last year. The other part, HP Inc, focuses on computers and printers. The software spinoff follows HPE's announcement of the sale of its business services division to CSC for $8.5bn. "We are taking another important step in achieving the vision of creating a faster-growing, higher-margin, stronger cash flow company well positioned for our customers and for the future," said Ms Whitman. The sale is also being seen as a way for Hewlett-Packard to finally shed itself of its ill-fated purchase of Autonomy. After the takeover, Hewlett-Packard wrote off about three-quarters of Autonomy's value, claiming that "accounting misrepresentations" had led it to overpay for the firm. Autonomy denied that and a slew of legal action then followed.

2016-09-08 13:09 www.bbc.co.uk

50 In pictures: Refugee crisis on show An exhibition in London explores the global refugee crisis through the eyes of eight photographers reporting from 13 countries on behalf of Oxfam. The pictures aim to capture something of the personal stories behind the migration facts and figures. Photography director Rebecca McClelland said: "My aim was to be as sensitive as possible to the subject, whilst stretching the limited language of crisis photography. " The Stand as One exhibition can be seen at 4 Holywell Lane, London from 8-15 September 2016. All photographs courtesy Oxfam

2016-09-08 13:09 www.bbc.co.uk

51 Reality Check: Have right-to-buy homes been replaced? The claim: Only one new house has been built for every five council houses sold under the right-to-buy policy, not one for one as was promised. Reality Check verdict: The promise was kept for the first year of the revamped right to buy, but the National Audit Office has warned that acquisitions and building will have to accelerate sharply if the government is to continue to keep that promise. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said at Prime Minister's Questions: "The former prime minister… promised that there would be a one-for-one replacement for every council house that is sold under right to buy. " "The reality is there's only one for every five that are sold. " Theresa May responded: "In relation to the figures on council houses, he is wrong. We have delivered on the one-to-one replacement on the right to buy. " Who is right? Replacing affordable homes, whether by buying or building, is not an instantaneous process. Finding the money is not straightforward and housing stock availability varies enormously around the country. Also, the numbers are calculated at a national level so - in theory - houses sold off in Brighton could have been replaced in Stockport. The policy applies only in England. This table from the House of Commons Library contrasts the number of sales under the right to buy with the number of properties acquired and builds started by local authorities: At first glance there is a big discrepancy between the number of properties sold and the number gained - more than six times as many have been sold as have been acquired. However, the government has not committed to replacing all sales. When the system was being overhauled in 2011-12 the government promised to replace only additional sales. Before the overhaul, about 2,500 homes were being sold anyway and the government has estimated how many would have been built after that without the revamp. Also, the promise was to replace sold dwellings within three years of the date they were sold. So, if you look at the first year of sales after the overhaul, you will see that 5,944 homes were sold. Subtract the estimated 2,890 that would have been sold anyway and you get 3,054. If you add up the new houses started or bought in the next three years you get 4,471, which is clearly better than the one for one promised. We do not yet know whether the promise has been kept for 2013-14 because a property sold in March 2014, for example, would not have to be replaced until March 2017. But it is going to start to get difficult to keep the promise. According to the National Audit Office : "To meet the target of replacing the roughly 8,512 homes sold in 2014-15 by the end of 2017-18 would require quarterly housing starts to reach around 2,130, a fivefold increase on recent figures of approximately 420 per quarter. " The House of Commons Library agrees that there is a chasm about to open up in the numbers, unless people suddenly stop buying council houses or large quantities of housing stock are suddenly bought or started. "The number [of acquisitions] for the next three years would have to total 24,800 for the commitment to be fully met, even if there were no further sales," it said.

2016-09-08 13:09 www.bbc.co.uk

52 In pictures: Photo Shanghai 2016 This year's Photofairs Shanghai features 50 international galleries showing works by artists including Elliott Erwitt, Martin Parr, Daido Moriyama, Herb Ritts and Antonie Rose, who created this image titled Spiagge Bianche Study 2, Tuscany. The fair offers the opportunity for international collectors to explore works by emerging, established and internationally renowned artists. (Martin Parr, Ireland, Galway Race, 1997, courtesy of Blindspot Gallery, Hong Kong) Fashion photography continue to be a strong theme at the fair with work by 19th Century pioneers such as Norman Parkinson. (Audrey Hepburn, courtesy of Augusta Edwards Fine Art, London, Norman Parkinson Ltd) Work by photojournalists such as William Klein and Elliott Erwitt also features. (Elliott Erwitt, New York City, 1955) Award-winning American photojournalist Steve McCurry has travelled the world, embedding himself in the daily lives of his subjects. He says: “If you want to get close to people, get close to the culture, you really have to break down that separation between you and them.” Robert Capa's work costs from £1,000 or so for a relatively recent print to many times that for a vintage one. (Robert Capa, Longchamp Racecourse, Paris, 1952) This year's programme of talks and discussion platforms includes Insight, which takes a look at new approaches to traditional photography techniques and perceptions of the medium. (Denis Darzacq, Sans titre, no12, 2006, courtesy of O'Ngallery, Beijing.) For several years, Eric Pillot has been photographing animals, including many endangered species. He says: "Through my photography, I try to portray them in their beauty, and, in a way, to get closer to them. " The late Chinese photographer Fan Ho was a master of street photography. His geometric images of 1950s Hong Kong are perhaps his most celebrated. Photofairs Shanghai runs September 9-11 at Shanghai Exhibition Center. (Ouka Leele, Escuela de Ro)

2016-09-08 13:09 www.bbc.co.uk

53 New survey uncovers consumers' biggest restaurant turn-offs The study of 2,034 US adults ages 18 and older, conducted by Harris Poll, found that litter and cigarette butts in front of the doorway would be enough to keep 70% of diners from returning. However, the biggest single issue cited by 86% would be dirty surfaces -- i.e., dust on wall-mounted decoration or dirt, dust or marks on tables, booths and the floor. "Even with a master chef in the kitchen, a dirty restroom or unattractive entryway can leave a bad taste in a diner's mouth," said John Engel, Senior Marketing Manager, Cintas, a business supplies company that funded the study. "Repeat business is vital to the success of any restaurant. " Other big turn-offs included a general bad odor (85%), dirty restrooms (80%) and dirty or slippery floors (72%). However, although 97% of all respondents said that some issue would stop them from returning, some diners are very easily swayed -- 47% wouldn't return to a restaurant with a loud ambience or loud employees, and 36% would give an establishment with poor lighting a miss.

2016-09-08 13:39 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

54 Unbranded: The advent of submissive advertising ‘If you hide it, they will come.’ This seems to be the overriding sentiment behind the latest trend in content marketing; the lesser- spotted unbranded ad. Long gone are the days when brands unabashedly touted their names. They’ve been relegated to the bottom of the commercial chain, the very last rung of the self-promotional ladder. And there they skulk like hunters in the forest, hoping to lure in unsuspecting consumers with just the right grade of meaty ‘content’. OK, I’m exaggerating. Unbranded advertising, as the latest spawn of the digital marketing age, is promising. It is rich, shareable content that’s been cleverly designed to engage, inform and entertain, all without making any overt references to the brand or product it represents. Some standout examples are L’Oreal’s content beauty hub Fab-Beauty.com, aimed at ardent beauty enthusiasts, Eurostar’s Somers Town film, which finely spliced art with the travel-bug, and Johnson & Johnson’s BabyCenter.com, providing information and resources for parents. All successful unbranded content is centred around an idea, rather than a product, and all strive to add value to the consumer. They aim to build engagement, gain traction, and in the long-run, promote brand recognition and/or reinforce brand loyalty. But the ‘long run’ is the operative term there, as unbranded content is a slow burner; not ideal if you are seeking a serious and sudden spike in brand equity. The purpose of unbranded advertising appears to be less about reaching customers, and more about understanding them. L'Oreal’s Fab-Beauty has identified valuable insights through analysing the behaviour of its website visitors, including how they self-describe and what content they care about. This is where the potential of unbranded content really shines. It provides prime fodder for long-term brand strategy, and if leveraged correctly, can help marketers really hit their mark. And the raw appeal of the unbranded campaign is undeniable; it relies on quality, not quantity, or reputation. Crucially, it builds trust, the holy grail of brand loyalty. And possibly best of all, the brand needn’t suffer the fallout of a conventional campaign that fails to deliver, as the unbranded ad comes with little risk, and less accountability. But therein, perhaps, lies the problem. In their efforts to placate a mass market and appear authentic, are brands undermining their integrity and losing touch with their true proposition? You must remember this Advertising guru David Trott claimed that only 4 per cent of adverts are positively remembered, while 7 per cent are negatively remembered and a staggering 89 per cent are entirely forgotten. He argues that it is more important to be a part of the 11 per cent, whether positive or negative, than to fall into the vast abyss of the forgotten ads. He, like many of the more ‘seasoned’ creative types, believe it is better to be be daring and bold than to play it safe and sink into obscurity. In this respect, unbranded advertising is the very definition of playing it safe. It is unaccountable, awkwardly apologetic and essentially grasps at straws for recognition. Like so many digital epidemics, it relies on the power of influencers, and the hope of a namedrop. It lacks balls. We all know where this need to placate the consumer has come from: the sinister malevolent force of cynicism and shrewdness that is the dreaded generation X/Y/Z delta 1 – the digital youth. They’re widely considered all too savvy for the likes of traditional marketing shenanigans. So utterly infallible to the charms of a well-placed tagline or shiny bit of art direction, that advertising, in its purest form has become original sin. But can we know this for sure? Do digital natives truly prefer the advertising wolf in the content sheep’s clothing to the more traditional method of simply trying to solve a simple need with a simple proposition? And is it possible that in pandering to the fickle whims of the social media age, advertising is losing its edge? Of course unbranded and branded content needn’t be mutually exclusive. One way to utilise the power of authentic, engaging content is to simply keep the branding to a minimum, as deftly demonstrated by Australia’s audacious Metro ad. Here the content performs first, before the brand steps up and takes a bow. Another example of the light branding technique hailed from boutique clothing store Wren, whose First Kiss video incited mass curiosity that resulted in both traffic and sales increases. Both examples effectively create intrigue and tap into the zeitgeist, while preserving brand integrity. Ultimately, there is a lot to be said for the benefits of tapping into the unbranded medium of influence, and with a well executed strategy and some longsighted vision it can definitely pay off. And yet something about it still strikes me as a little obsequious. Being unabashedly branded will always ring true, it’s more authentic and certainly braver. Sure some people will hate it, but as Trott would say, at least they’ll take notice. Suzie Kostadinov is a senior copy writer at Hugo & Cat .

2016-09-08 13:39 www.thedrum.com

55 Morning Bulletin: The internet reacts to Apple's AirPods, McDonald's shutters millennial YouTube channel and Sports Direct boss flashes the cash As we reach the tail end of the week The Drum takes a look at some of this morning's top marketing and media stories from McDonald's shutting down one of its YouTube channels to those much-debated Apple earphones. Apple’s iPhone 7 keynote predictably dominates headlines across the board today but one of the biggest talking points centres around what the tech giant left out. The omission of a headphone jack in its new range of phones was met with “bewilderment, outrage and parody” across social media, according to the Financial Times. In pushing users towards purchasing its $170 wireless Air Pods earphones, Apple’s propriety approach has upset the digerati, the FT writes , but “it may nonetheless be welcome on Wall Street, with accessories a high-margin part of Apple’s business”. McDonalds has shut down its youth-focused YouTube project Channel Us. Launched last summer, the project was focused on grabbing the attention of millennials and had enlisted popular YouTubers Oli White and Hazel Hayes to host. The brand's chief marketing officer, Alistair Macrow has now admitted to Campaign that the channel has "run its course. Mike Ashley is no stranger to negative headlines and the billionaire Sports Direct boss comes in for more criticism this morning after emptying wads of £50 notes from his pockets during a warehouse tour. As Sky News reports , Ashley’s PR faux pas came as he took journalists on a tour of the Shirebrook headquarters which had been slammed by MPs for being run like a “Victorian warehouse”. Following a comment about the amount of cash he’d placed into an airport-style security tray, the tycoon quipped: "Yes, I've been to the casino. " A tourism guide to London featured in Air China's inflight magazine has sparked a backlash after being dubbed "racist". A feature in the publication warned tourists to take precautions when "entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people. " It continued: "We advise tourists not to go out alone at night," before telling women to make sure they were always accompanied by another person when travelling. US-based Liberty Media has confirmed it is buying Formula 1 for $4.4bn (£3.3bn). The BBC reports that F1 figurehead Bernie Ecclestone will remain as chief executive but will be joined by a new chairman in the form of 21st Century Fox vice chairman Chase Carey. Liberty, which is owned by billionaire John Malone and also owns the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball Club, is buying the stake from private equity firm CVC Capital and will complete a full takeover upon regulator approval. Hewlett Packard Enterprise and UK-based Micro Focus are poised to create one of the UK's largest tech firms in a deal valued at around $8.8bn (£6.6bn), according to CityAM. The new company will be headed by by Micro Focus' executive chairman Kevin Loosemore who said to tie up will give costumers "more choice".

2016-09-08 13:39 www.thedrum.com

56 Reading Room ex-MD Sarah Vick resurfaces at Siberia to steer European growth Sarah Vick, former managing director at Reading Room, has resurfaced at product design agency Siberia as European president to steer the growth of the business outside of its US headquarters. Vick departed Reading Room in April after 13 years at the agency. Her move followed the agency’s acquisition by public service software solutions provider Idox for £5.6m. At the time she told The Drum: “It was time for me to move on and try something new”. Now she joins a “new breed of consultancy” specialising in “cutting edge technological product design”, she told The Drum. Siberia centres around providing business solutions through product development, specifically in sectors like automotive, aerospace, sports manufacturing, “any industry that is having to change its game using technology” Vick said. She said: “A lot of businesses don’t have innovation teams or product development teams, and need a third party to help.” When quizzed on wider industry challenges facing innovation, embodied by the closure of Ogilvy Labs last month , Vick said “whether that was because their approach wasn't right or what they were offering was not right for the market, that is not indicative of the whole industry”. “What we have found is that the market is open for it for any client that needs to evolve their business”, she added, “Automotive and aerospace need to change in order to move with the times. We haven't grown out of a traditional agency model, we are independent so we get to do it our own way.” As European President, Vick will be responsible for further expanding the business in its European offices in London and Berlin, where it doesn’t have a big profile. The business plans to double in size in the next year. Commenting on her decision to move from a traditional digital agency to a fledgling consultancy business, Vick said: “The thing that sets Siberia apart for me is that what we work on is always new. This reminds me of when I first started out in digital at the beginning of the 90s where the things we worked on had never been done before. I get that feeling when I talk to the people and look at the work we do at Siberia. And that's exciting.” Founding partner, Darrell Whitelaw said: “When we entered Europe we knew that being a home for the best talent making the greatest products and services of their careers was our mission. Sarah's passion for the work and proven track record of success is what we look for and I'm excited to see where her leadership and vision takes us.” Siberia will be recruiting in both London and Berlin in the coming months as the business grows.

2016-09-08 13:38 www.thedrum.com

57 Deliver twins slightly short of full term, study says The evidence however did not support routine delivery before 36 weeks from the date of fertilisation, said research published in The BMJ medical journal. Current recommendations for twin births vary from 34 to 39 weeks, short of the normal 40 weeks of gestation, to lower the risk of still birth. But premature delivery is associated with health complications for the children, making it a tough balance to strike. For the new analysis, an international research team looked at 32 studies published in the past 10 years of women with uncomplicated twin pregnancies whose children died at birth or shortly thereafter. They weighed data from 35,171 pregnancies to try to identify the optimal gestational age for twin delivery. Of the pregnancies, 29,685 were dichorionic, meaning each twin had its own individual placenta, and 5,486 monochorionic, sharing a single placenta. Scientists had previously observed a thirteenfold increase in stillbirths in monochorionic twins compared to single child pregnancies, and five-fold in dichorionic ones. In duo-placenta pregnancies, the risk of stillbirth and neonatal death did not change until 37 weeks, the team found. "However, delay in delivery by a week (to 38 weeks) led to an additional 8.8 deaths per 1,000 due to an increase in stillbirth," said a statement on the study. In the smaller group of single-placenta twins the evidence was less clear, the researchers said, but there was nothing to support routine delivery before 36 weeks. "Our estimates... should be taken into account when decisions are made on timing of delivery," the team concluded.

2016-09-08 13:38 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

58 58 Manchester United inflates Apollo Tyres sponsorship globally Manchester United has enhanced its sponsorship relationship with Apollo Tyres extending it beyond the regional confines of the UK and India, a deal which was inked in 2013. Apollo Tyres now enters its second three-year term of sponsorship, becoming the Official Tyre Partner of the club covering 100 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. During the deal, the partnership saw two ‘Go the Distance’ football pitches made from recycled tyre rubber, one outside Old Trafford and another in Powai, Mumbai. Richard Arnold, Manchester United, managing director, said: “Over the past three years, we’ve been impressed with how Apollo has taken opportunities after partnering with us. The company has supported our international events, especially in India. It has helped empower communities during its growth, and has been able to see first-hand what can be achieved when working with us. That has included greater exposure of Apollo’s brand. “Taking this partnership to more countries has enabled Apollo to broaden its range of consumers, and it has worked hard to engage compellingly with these new audiences. I’m delighted to say that today this journey has reached its natural conclusion with Apollo joining our family of global partners.” Marco Paracciani, chief marketing officer of Apollo Tyres, said: “The three- year association with Manchester United has supported our business expansion plans especially in India, Middle East, South East Asia and Africa. Our various campaigns have helped us connect with young people, increasing awareness of brand Apollo and customer acquisitions in these regions.”

2016-09-08 13:38 www.thedrum.com

59 Uber pushes car ride service Pool...with an actual pool (party) Uber is continuing to push its Pool service to the people of London with the announcement of its first- ever pool party. The event will take place on 15 and 16 September at Boxpark in Shoreditch. The pool itself will be surrounded by inflatable beach balls, deckchairs and a live DJ set so that Londoners can embrace the final days of summer. Swimwear is encouraged, although changing rooms will be on site to save any embarrassing and/or chilly rides on the tube. Tickets to the experience are free of charge and available to book through Uber’s website. The brand, which recently held its postponed annual ice cream day , wants to celebrate the success of UberPool, which has reportedly saved 231 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions through encouraging users to share journeys. Uber recently announced the launch of a Scheduled Rides feature in London , a blow to its rivals who have historically highlighted the ability to pre-book a taxi as a point of difference .

2016-09-08 13:38 www.thedrum.com

60 Everything You Need to Know – About Content Marketing: Optimisation The Drum has launched episode five of Everything You Need to Know – About Content Marketing, in association with PulsePoint , a video series designed to give marketers all the essential information they need about this hot industry topic in an under-three- minute video. It is the second series of Everything You Need to Know, developed by The Drum to provide marketers with an easy intro to the latest technologies, techniques and thinking in the industry. The fifth episode, Optimisation, explores how marketers can use technology to continuously optimise their content campaigns. According to a recent PulsePoint study, 58% of marketers and publishers agreed that technology would bring both better measurement and optimisation techniques. Of marketers surveyed in 2014, 83% believed that content marketing would be programmatically powered by 2017. As Penny Bartram, Bloomberg’s EMEA head of marketing, explains: “For advertisers and our own custom publishing teams alike, it requires a shift in mindset - we don't publish once and forget about it. We automatically and in real time adjust and adapt our distribution strategies for each piece, based on an audience's feedback.” The episode discusses everything from the effects of simple headline changes to the growing importance of creative segmentation. EYNTK ‘s aim is to provide marketers with a way to find out everything you need to know about each crucial subject in one short film, something they can watch in the back of a taxi on the way to their next crucial meeting on the subject. Everything You Need to Know is not designed to be the last definitive word on each subject. Instead, each film is intended to provide the essential information needed to fully understand each area. The next, and final, episode will look at the future of content marketing. The entire EYNTK series will be hosted at a dedicated hub here .

2016-09-08 13:38 www.thedrum.com

61 Death to the ego: How agencies can encourage greater collaboration within their own walls We’re all creative people, and we all want to make the best stuff we can – stuff clients will love us for, stuff real people enjoy engaging with, and stuff we enjoy making. The stuff we make as an agency used to be easy to define. It was advertising: messages in various formats beamed into people’s daily lives. And the process of making this stuff used to be easy too. We all knew the rules. We knew what our job titles actually meant (see below for mine – the irony is not lost). As departments in an agency, we knew what our roles were, and as agencies we knew how to work together and what we were in charge of. And when everyone knows what they’re doing, they can all just go off and do it. That is why we never really needed to collaborate. (Three-hour inter- agency status conference calls do not count as collaboration.) So why is it important to collaborate now? Well, it’s because the stuff we’re producing has changed. Even the most traditional agencies are no longer happy just concepting and producing traditional content. We’re all trying to produce (to a greater or lesser extent based on our collective bravery) this new type of stuff – let’s call it digital. Ha, yes, digital. Of course the term digital can literally mean anything now. And that’s good. But because it can mean anything it also means that the traditional rules of making stuff no longer apply. And without our trusty rulebook telling us exactly how to produce this stuff, how are we supposed to navigate our way through this new world? One way is to look to the experts. But we can’t hire them all, it’s just not viable. So instead we share. We work collectively, we collaborate – or at least we should. As the line continues to blur between idea and execution, it’s not as simple to get to ‘the big idea’, and then let other agencies execute it. We need to collaborate right from the start. The person in the room who understands how Snapchat works as a media platform is now just as valuable as the person who can write you a manifesto. If we know we should collaborate, why don’t we? Let’s face it – collaboration is hard. It takes time, willingness and trust. It needs process and rules. It doesn’t just magically happen, even if you do change your seating plan every six months. And when I talk about lack of collaboration, I’m not talking just between agencies, I’m talking within the agency itself – between departments, teams and even individuals. Although there are many reasons why we don’t collaborate (beyond the mere fact that it’s hard), there is one that restricts more than any other. It’s dangerous and can be found at any level, from the agency attitude right down to the individual creative: It is the perceived ownership of an idea. Yes, I understand the importance of protecting a well-crafted, well-executed and effective piece of work. Agencies build fame and attract new clients with awards, creative departments build notoriety and attract better talent, and creative teams build their portfolio for leverage and promotion. But if you guard all of your ideas, working on them alone and in isolation, they won’t get the chance to change and morph and grow into something you never expected when you first set out. This unwillingness and reluctance to allow other people, let alone other agencies, into the idea development process is increasingly hampering our ability to produce work that real people care about. So how do we encourage collaboration? Firstly, there are some individual traits we can work on to make sure we’re open to collaborate. A lack of confidence in what you think you can contribute is common – have you ever been too nervous/scared/worried to put your hand up in a meeting when you don’t know something? Stop that. Be as confident in the things you don’t know as the things you do. Saying that, there is such a thing as overconfidence. It’s fair to assume that the person who thinks they already know the answer is probably not going to be the one to invite another opinion. They don’t care what anyone else might know, or what experience they might have – to them it’s a waste of their time, so they stop listening altogether. (Don’t worry, they won’t be reading this. They’re too busy telling other people what they think.) But beyond just these individual traits, a deeper issue lies in the way the agency process works. The traditional creative agency process used to be simple: the work merely passed from department to department, from agency to agency. This waterfall approach is no longer viable if we want to encourage true collaboration and make all this new, exciting stuff. So we need to change it. At Wieden+Kennedy, we’re always experimenting and playing, never afraid of asking awkward and probing questions. Questions like: "what happens if we don’t start with a client brief? ", "what happens if we don’t know where this idea will take us? ", "what happens if we just make something quickly and release it? " and ultimately: "what happens if we open up our creative process and our doors to all sorts of different people/collectives/companies and just do stuff? " And by starting with these questions, we’re getting to some pretty interesting places. Good things happen when we collaborate So be confident (but not a know-it-all), be open, put your ego aside and push your process by questioning how you do everything – at an individual, departmental and agency level. Trust me on this: collaboration will only make your stuff better, not detract from your individual glory. Rob Meldrum is director of experience architecture at Wieden+Kennedy and a member of the IPA's Brand Tech Group which provides an industry view on the impact technology is having on brands, consumers and agencies

2016-09-08 13:38 www.thedrum.com

62 FirstRand bank warns South Africa faces downgrade this year Johan Burger said on Thursday after reporting the bank's annual results that a downgrade would negatively impact lending and lead to banks tightening credit extension. The central bank has forecast growth at zero percent this year. FirstRand reported a 5 percent rise in full-year headline earnings per share (EPS), slower than the previous year which it blamed largely on a sluggish economy, sending its shares down nearly 3 percent in early trade. "The probability has actually increased for a downgrade," he told Reuters. "That would have a negative impact on lending. " Burger said a downgrade could hurt clients' ability to afford credit as the currency weakens and interest rates rise. "Low growth combined with weaker balance sheets of some state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has added fiscal risk which is likely to result in a sovereign downgrade by the end of 2016," FirstRand said in a statement. Moody's rates South Africa two notches above junk, while both S&P and Fitch left ratings at BBB- in June, one notch above junk, however both agencies warned about the weakness of growth and heightened political risks. A police investigation into Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan over a surveillance unit set up years ago at the tax agency when he headed the department has rocked local markets and led to concerns that ratings agencies could downgrade the country in their reviews expected by December. State-owned enterprises, such as national carrier South African Airlines and power utility Eskom have struggled financially and relied heavily on government guarantees. FirstRand, which owns First National Bank and vehicle finance unit Wesbank, said headline EPS rose to 399.3 cents in the year to June 30 from 381.4 cents a year earlier. Earnings were lifted by a 13 percent increase in net interest income and a 7 percent rise in non-interest revenue. Headline EPS is the main profit measure in South Africa; it strips out certain one-off items. Shares in FirstRand fell 2.4 percent to 46 rand by 0837 GMT, compared to a 0.4 percent decline in the benchmark Top-40 index. - Reuters

2016-09-08 13:38 TJ STRYDOM www.timeslive.co.za

63 Fold7 takes majority stake in experiential startup amid rising popularity among brand marketers Independent creative agency Fold7 has taken a majority share in an experiential start- up led by Andrew Casher (pictured above, middle), in the hopes of cashing on a marketing channel the IPA predicts will grow faster than internet spend in 2017. The division – called Hyperactive – will act as an autonomous agency within Fold7, with Eurostar and luxury brand Tag Heuer its founding clients. However, Fold7 will use the expertise of Casher and his team of five when its own clients – which include Carlsberg and Hilton – look for experiential work. Fold7 chief executive Marc Nohr (above, left) – who will take a director role along with creative founder Ryan Newey (above, right) – told The Drum that it is reflective of the value now being placed on experiential among ‘top table’ brand marketers who might have simply seen it as an add-on in the past. “As humans we are immersed in technology more than we ever have been before, but at the same time value real-world experiences precisely because of that. Just as our digital content offering has burgeoned, so has our experiential,” he said. “But the two are closely related. Take Carlsberg, which has a massive poster in Shoreditch with a beer tap. Was that advertising? Experiential? We filmed it and it was watched all over the world, so was it a social campaign? For a lot of our clients, like Carlsberg, they want a that real- world presence. Loads of our clients are doing it anyway, so why don’t we help them.” The IPA Bellwether Report suggested that 'events' marketing will command an increasing share of budgets (expected to be up 13.4 per cent for 2017), compared to internet (up 10.9 per cent) and PR (up 2.3 per cent). Hyperactive will sit within Fold7's walls alongside Film7 – its production arm – meaning work such as the Carlsberg Tap Poster should be easier and quicker to produce for existing and new clients. Casher is well known to Fold7, having overseen the marketing for Ministry of Sound when it was a client of the agency before he moved to Havas SE Cake. He said that Fold7 shared the same philosophy, making it an easy decision to bring it into the mix. “We both want to produce big, creative, innovative ideas for clients that challenge and we want to leverage those ideas beyond just the point of impact and to think about the PR value, the social value and so on…,” he said. “It felt like a natural fit”. It terms of its growth plans, Casher will bring fresh talent into the team as new clients come on board. The team in place have a shared background in entertainment and technology, leading Casher to predict that it will likely pitch for work in those sectors. In the meantime, it will continue to work with Tag Heuer to activate its partnership with the Premier League with a series of pop-up events this month and is developing VR content for Eurostar.

2016-09-08 13:38 www.thedrum.com

64 Watch Video: MNS workers in Mumbai abuse fruit vendor from UP A video grab of the incident In yet another instance of attacks on North Indians in Mumbai, a fruit vendor from UP is seen being abused by workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), in Ghatkopar on Wednesday The video begins with a man thrashing the vendor. The acts of hooliganism continue as the MNS men topple the entire cart of the fruit vendor and pass unsavoury remarks at him, while also bullying him. Watch Video (Warning: Abusive content) Also Read: Vegetable vendors claim MNS corporator's goons demand hafta, freebies, molest women Read Story: Raj Thackeray wants only local hawkers

2016-09-08 13:36 By mid www.mid-day.com

65 Light pollution: as we lose sight of the stars, we lose a sense of ourselves Survey: Cyber insight For millennia, humans have gazed up at the night sky as an act of transcendence. It has long been a natural instinct to peer up into the unknown, pondering how we got here, and what more there is out there. Seeing stars sprayed across the black canvas above has always induced vertigo of cosmic proportions. Western astronomy found its beginnings in ancient Mesopotamia – the birthplace of civilisation – where Sumerians looked at constellations as if they were cathedrals, turning to the structures of the night sky for religious guidance and spiritual ecstasy. The practice was passed on to the Babylonians and Assyrians, who later occupied the region and evolved primitive astronomy into something a little more representative of science. Over the years, however, a significant rise in artificial lighting has meant the once routinely seen light of the stars and planets has been dimmed down. Lampposts, car headlamps, billboards – all of these contribute to light pollution. Estimations place a third of the global population in regions where the Milky Way galaxy can’t be seen, making it increasingly difficult for curious-minded individuals to ask the same questions of space as civilisations past. A common measure of the night sky's darkness is the Bortle Scale – a nine- stage scale grading the brightness of the skies. A nine on the scale indicates inner-city glow – a sky far too bright to spot the stars. A one, on the other hand, means conditions are as good as they can be to see the cosmos. Most westerners live under skies of grade six or seven. Filmmaker Sriram Murali depicts the dramatic contrast between the two ends of the Bortle Scale using timelapse, travelling to eight different locations in North America to show us “what we lose when we can’t see the stars”: The burgeoning interest in astronomy has meant the issue of light pollution has become a crucial one. Nasa announcements on the discovery of new exoplanets – planets beyond our Solar System that could potentially harbour life – seem to be an almost weekly occurrence. As the search for life in the Milky Way heats up, the brightening of the skies is obscuring the view for all those in city areas who are curious to know what lies beyond. To combat light pollution amateur astronomers take to city streets to give passersby the chance to see what populates the night sky, how far away certain planets are, and how long it takes for their light to reach us. In a video for the New Yorker , astronomer Joe Delfausse ruminates on why he takes to the streets of a city like New York, telescope in hand. “I like to take my telescope to places where people are, and show them the heavens, and let them commune with nature,” he explains. It takes time for light to travel from space, and so looking through telescopes gives people the chance to look into the past. The development of LED lights, cost-effective, energy saving, brighter alternatives to regular light bulbs, has meant that they have been widely adopted. The issue in the rise of their use, however, is that around half the light projected from these bulbs is wasted, glaring up towards the sky unnecessarily. Satellite images over the most populous regions of the world have photographically documented the raging glow of LED lights, highlighting a significant brightness over their tungsten counterparts. Many argue that the change to LED lighting has been a necessary one in order to ensure energy expenditure is minimised, while maximising the efficiency of the tools and energy we use. The push for LED lighting is scientifically grounded, and anything which gives society a chance to preserve energy in a world where burning fossil fuels damage the climate and run the risk of being depleted, should rapidly be adopted. If there is, however, a way of doing this while clearing the night skies, it should take priority. Circadian rhythms can be disrupted, and nocturnal animals may find night brightness causing unnatural changes to their sleeping patterns and habitats. In a world stifled with political anxieties and economic inequality, torn in regions by oppressive regimes, the chance to see the Milky Way once again, as previous civilisations have always done, may renew an age-old solution to tackling our most pressing issues. In his Meditations , Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius said, “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” The detriments of light pollution are severely underestimated. But if dealt with, humanity could find its Freudian ego dissolved, its insignificance in the face of the universe’s infinitude understood, and a forgotten unity rediscovered by standing under the stars.

2016-09-08 01:08 George Eaton www.newstatesman.com

66 Google helps track down child porn offenders in New Zealand Representational picture Auckland: Internet search giant Google has helped convict two men on charges of possessing child pornography, New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs said on Thursday. Google detected the two men separately uploading objectionable images and reported them to New Zealand authorities, Xinhua news agency cited from a statement. The men, aged 46 and 52 year old, were sentenced to a period of home detention in a court earlier this week. Censorship compliance inspector Jon Peacock said the department was part of a worldwide network of law enforcement agencies committed to helping prevent child abuse. "We have the expertise to track down offenders who may think, quite wrongly, that they're safe in the confines of their own homes," Peacock said. The announcement came as the government said it would be establishing the country's first child sex offender register. "Children deserve to be kept safe from harm, which is why we are going to be more proactive in managing the risk of reoffending from child sex offenders," Social Development Minister Anne Tolley said in a statement on Thursday. Offenders would be required to be on the register for a term of life, 15 years or eight years depending on their offence and the sentence imposed. The register would also include offenders who moved to New Zealand after being sentenced to imprisonment for a corresponding offence or subject to registration requirements for a corresponding offence in another country. Police estimated the register would initially list about 1,750 persons in total.

2016-09-08 13:31 By IANS www.mid-day.com

67 DNA confirms cause of 1665 London's Great Plague DNA testing has for the first time confirmed the identity of the bacteria behind London's Great Plague. The plague of 1665-1666 was the last major outbreak of bubonic plague in Britain, killing nearly a quarter of London's population. It's taken a year to confirm initial findings from a suspected Great Plague burial pit during excavation work on the Crossrail site at Liverpool Street. About 3,500 burials have been uncovered during excavation of the site. Daniel Defoe's 18th century account of the catastrophic event in A Journal of the Plague Year described the gruesome fate of Londoners. "The plague, as I suppose all distempers do, operated in a different manner on differing constitutions; some were immediately overwhelmed with it, and it came to violent fevers, vomitings, insufferable headaches, pains in the back, and so up to ravings and ragings with those pains," Defoe wrote. "Others with swellings and tumours in the neck or groin, or armpits, which till they could be broke put them into insufferable agonies and torment; while others, as I have observed, were silently infected. " Evidence of the pathogen had eluded archaeologists but seemed tantalisingly close when a suspected mass grave was discovered last year during a Crossrail dig at the Bedlam burial ground, also known as the New Churchyard, in East London. Alison Telfer from Museum of London Archaeology (Mola) showed me around the area planned for one of the downward escalators going into the future Broadgate ticket hall at Liverpool Street. "We've found about three-and-a-half thousand burials on this site," she told the BBC's Today programme. "We've been working here for the last five-and-half-years on and off and we're hoping we'll be able to get positive identification of the plague on a number of the individuals. "Because of the position of the skeletons, they'd obviously been laid in coffins & put in very respectfully, nobody was thrown in anywhere in presumably what must have been quite a traumatic event. " This revelation is somewhat at odds with Daniel Defoe's version of events: "Tis certain they died by heaps and were buried by heaps; that is to say, without account. " Panic and disorder only came towards the end of The Great Plague. Vanessa Harding, professor of London history at Birkbeck, University of London , describes the experience of Londoners at the time. "Not many people who actually get it survive but some do. And it seems to be quite easily transferred from person to person even if we're not sure currently about the agency or way in which this actually happens," Prof Harding said. "But there are also what we might consider public health measures which from their point of view include killing cats and dogs, getting rid of beggars in the streets, trying to cleanse the city in both moral and practical terms. The people who do best are those who get out of London. " The search for the bacteria Yersinia pestis , which causes plague, in a selection of skeletons from the dig continued last year in the osteology department at Mola where all the Liverpool Street finds were stored and examined by Michael Henderson. "They're carefully boxed, individual elements, legs separately, arms separately, the skulls and the torsos," he explained. "We excavated in the region of three and a half thousand skeletons, one of the largest archaeologically excavated to this date. A vast data set that can give us really meaningful information. " The bones are laid out in anatomical order. Teeth are removed and sent for ancient DNA analysis at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany. "The best thing to sample for DNA is the teeth; they're like an isolated time capsule," said Mr Henderson. In Germany, molecular palaeopathologist Kirsten Bos drilled out the tooth pulp to painstakingly search for the 17th century bacteria, finally obtaining positive results from five of the 20 individuals tested from the burial pit. "We could clearly find preserved DNA signatures in the DNA extract we made from the pulp chamber and from that we were able to determine that Yersinia pestis was circulating in that individual at the time of death," she said. "We don't know why the Great Plague of London was the last major outbreak of plague in the UK and whether there were genetic differences in the past, those strains that were circulating in Europe to those circulating today; these are all things we're trying to address by assembling more genetic information from ancient organisms. " Bos and her team will now continue to sequence the full DNA genome to better understand the evolution and spread of the disease. There was nothing to identify those found in the mass grave under the Crossrail development but located a short distance away a headstone was found inscribed with the name Mary Godfrey who fell victim to the plague. Her interment is recorded in the burial register of St Giles, Cripplegate, on 2 September 1665. To reassure anyone worried whether plague bacterium was released from the excavation work or scientific analysis, it doesn't survive in the ground.

2016-09-08 13:09 By Nicola www.bbc.co.uk

68 PS4 Pro: A generational leap or misstep? Three years after Sony launched its PlayStation 4 and dragged the games market out of a sales slump, the company is taking its machine along an uncharted path. On Wednesday, at the PlayStation Theatre in New York - the same venue in which the PS4 was first revealed some four years ago - Sony showcased an upgraded console, the PS4 Pro , for the first time. The PS4 Pro represents a break from a 40-year home console tradition. Since the days of the Sega Master System in the late 1980s, it has been commonplace for console manufacturers to gradually roll out slimmer, smaller and sleeker editions of existing hardware. Sony released several iterations of the PlayStation 2 during its 13 years, and rival Microsoft shipped five different Xbox 360 models across its 10- year lifespan. But the PS4 Pro is the first time Sony has offered a substantial hardware upgrade mid-generation. It is a system bolstered by a more advanced GPU and processor, and packaged with faster memory, making it capable of rendering games for ultra-high definition 4K televisions. It might carry the PS4 logo, but elementally this is a new console. Here's the twist: what makes PS4 Pro different from a PlayStation 5 is that it is designed to play the full library of PS4 games and have no exclusives of its own. "This is an unprecedented step. We've not seen upgrades of this nature before, at least not on home consoles," said Christopher Dring, the editor of games retail publication MCV. One key reason behind Sony's move, Mr Dring said, was to ensure the PS4 did not lose pace in a market that showcases more powerful technology at an alarming pace. "If you look at the [original] PS4 at its current specs and compare that with the latest PC, it's already looking outdated. With PS4 Pro, Sony has a chance to stay at the forefront of gaming technology," Mr Dring told the BBC. "More than ever, consoles are competing with PCs, and I think more and more Sony and [PC platform owner] Valve are becoming rivals. " Yet Sony's plan is not merely to sell new silicon to diehard games enthusiasts, according to IHS games analyst Piers Harding-Rolls. It represents part of a two-prong strategy, with both the PS4 Pro and the original PS4 targeted at different kinds of gamer, he said. "With the [PS4 Pro], Sony can offer a premium product to an audience that wants the best games experience possible, while also allowing it to lower the price of the 'standard' console," he told the BBC. Mr Dring agrees, and added that a low-price original PS4 would be crucial in drawing in the more casual consumer - the kind of buyer that helped drive sales of mainstream titles such as Fifa and Call of Duty. He said: "More than anything, Sony wants to expand its user base, ultimately so that it can sell more games. "In my estimation, the first people to buy a PS4 Pro will be people who already have an Xbox One or PS4. "But the original PS4 will likely be promoted with more family-friendly games in mind, which will be just as important. " Since it first went on sale in November 2013, Sony has sold more than 40 million PS4s. At an alarming pace, the system has been embraced across North America, Europe and Asia, but Sony still has a long way to go if it wants to match the success of the best-selling console of all time, the PlayStation 2. "Since the PS4 and Xbox One came out, business started flying," said Mr Dring, who has monitored the games market for nearly a decade. "It's been not on the same level as the Wii or PS2, I don't think, but we're only a couple of years into the cycle and there's already an estimated 60 million new consoles sold [PS4 and Xbox One combined]. "But if PS4 wants to get anywhere near the success of PS2, Sony needs to broaden the market. "The death of the Wii, in particular, has turned off the family audience a bit. "That's actually a big problem for the likes of Sony. " According to Mr Harding-Rolls, the PS4 Pro also serves as a pre-emptive strike against the expanding empire of games systems, from iPhones to Amazon Fire TVs, and Nvidia Shields. He said: "The console sector is under more pressure than it used to be. "There are increasingly more devices that you can play games on, which are becoming increasingly powerful. That's not just smart devices like phones and tablets, that's also devices that connect to TVs. These TV devices haven't made a huge impact yet, but they're definitely encroaching on similar ground. "So, I think Sony is responding by thinking that they need to keep the PS4 experience fresh. " While selling two distinctly different versions of the same machine will come with its own marketing challenges for Sony, for games creators it could pose even more complex problems. A distinct advantage that consoles have had over PCs is that their specs remain unchanged throughout their lifecycles. Gradually, that tends to make life easier for developers. The more programmers and designers that work on the console, the more the hardware becomes familiar, the more the code gets optimised. It is not uncommon that, later in a console's cycle, its games tend to achieve remarkable feats not foreseen at the system's outset. This advantage may not be true of the PS4 Pro, because developers will need to build the same game across two different hardware set-ups. One independent PS4 games developer, who asked not to be named, said that using the PS4 Pro's advanced power to fulfil complicated processing tasks could create problems when trying to achieve the same feat on the original PS4. "Where PS4 Pro might pose a problem is if you're building bigger games, or open-world games, and want to use the upgraded tech for more complex physics," they said. "If, for example, you want to use PS4 Pro's extra power for a game that has no loading screens and streams all the data, that could be an issue when scaling for the 'vanilla' console. " The developer anticipates that there will not be such an issue if games creators utilise the new hardware for faster frame rates and higher resolutions. Concerns should not be so much fixed on the PS4 Pro, but what comes afterwards, the developer said. "If we're about to head into this iOS-style upgrade system, where every year or two years a new PS4 comes out, then that is a problem," they said. "The best thing about consoles is you can put a flag in the ground on what your target technology is. "Two separate systems make things messier, and even more would muddy the water. It will make it harder for developers to make assumptions about the future. "If the PS4 Pro is the in-between console, then fine. "If it's the stepping-stone to the PS5, then fine. "If it's a start of a line of PS4 system upgrades, then that's a problem. " The developer added that, besides mentioning some of the potential pitfalls of developing for both PS4s, overall they had many reasons to be positive about the upgrade, especially that the new console would prolong the PS4's lifecycle. That is, of course, if PS4 Pro keeps Sony's sales momentum going. While Mr Dring expects the new system to perform "very well", Mr Harding- Rolls struggles to see the broad appeal. He said: "With Sony's strategy to allow the same PS4 games and content to be playable across both systems, that somewhat undermines the marketing potential of the PS4 Pro. "The whole premise of selling hardware is to get new experiences on new machines, and that's what new consoles have done in the past. "In this context, there isn't going to be any exclusive content on PS4 Pro. " In that scenario, he asked, what exactly were the reasons to buy the console? "You have a slightly better performance than the original PS4, and you have 4K video, but those drivers - I think - represent a relatively small proportion of the total PS4 user base," he said. "On that basis, who this new system appeals to is a relatively niche market. " Sony's chances are complicated further due to what Microsoft has on the horizon. In June, at the annual E3 event in Los Angeles, Microsoft revealed its own plan for an upgraded console . Codenamed Project Scorpio, the system is said to be a 4K-ready machine that will be powerful enough for virtual reality gaming. "I expect Scoprio will offer better specs than PS4 Pro by quite a meaningful amount," Mr Harding-Rolls said, "but I also expect Scorpio to come out a significantly higher price point. " In order to match those specs, he said, Sony may need to offer a second PS4 upgrade down the line. "But Sony might release a brand new console altogether for that task," he said.

2016-09-08 13:09 By Rob www.bbc.co.uk

69 Raspberry Pi passes 10m sales mark The Raspberry Pi has sold 10 million units - continuing its success as the most popular British computer ever. The computer, about the same size as a credit card, was first released in 2012 and is widely used as an educational tool for programming. However, it can also be used for many practical purposes such as streaming music to several devices in a house. A new starter kit for Raspberry Pi, including a keyboard and mouse, has been released to celebrate the success. The kit also includes an SD storage card, official case, power supply, HDMI cable, mouse, keyboard and guidebook - it costs £99 plus VAT and will be available in the coming weeks. The Pi has been adopted by pupils, programmers and inventors around the world - having been distributed for free in many cases by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a charity. British astronaut Tim Peake even took one to the International Space Station. "We thought our lifetime volumes might amount to 10,000 units - if we were lucky," wrote founder Eben Upton in a blog. "There was no expectation that adults would use Raspberry Pi, no expectation of commercial success and certainly no expectation that four years later we would be manufacturing tens of thousands of units a day in the UK and exporting Raspberry Pi all over the world. " The latest sales figures were "fantastic", said tech industry analyst Chris Green - who owns four of the computers himself - at business consultancy Lewis. "It's more than just a geeky coding tool - it's increasingly proving itself as a useful computer," he told the BBC. The Raspberry Pi Zero, a version of the computer that costs £4, was ideal for use in developing countries, he added. "They can run off batteries so where there isn't an abundance of electricity you still have a computer that can be used for teaching. " Although the Raspberry Pi has been used in many schools, it was more complicated for children to get to grips with than the BBC Micro Bit, argued Bethany Koby, co-founder of education-focused start-up Technology Will Save Us, which helped design the BBC's device. "[The Raspberry Pis are] incredibly powerful but they're hard to use," she told the BBC. "That being said, the resources are amazing. " One million BBC Micro Bit computers were delivered free to every Year Seven student in England and Wales earlier this year.

2016-09-08 13:09 By Chris www.bbc.co.uk

70 Sir Nicholas Serota to leave Tate for Arts Council role Sir Nicholas Serota is to step down as director of the Tate galleries after nearly 30 years to become chairman of Arts Council England. He will replace Sir Peter Bazalgette, who was appointed as chairman of ITV earlier this year. Tate chairman Lord Browne described Sir Nicholas as "one of the world's greatest museum directors". Sir Nicholas, who has transformed the success of the Tate, said the role had been an "exciting challenge". He will formally take over the new post in February but is to continue as director of the Tate until later in 2017. Sir Nicholas, who has been director for 28 years, said: "Over the past 30 years there has been a sea-change in public appreciation of the visual arts in this country. Tate is proud to have played a part in this transformation. "I leave an institution that has the potential to reach broad audiences across the UK and abroad, through its own programmes, partnerships and online. " Announcing Sir Nicholas's appointment at Arts Council England, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley told the House of Commons he had "a superb pedigree in the arts". Lord Browne said: "Under his leadership, Tate has become a preeminent cultural organisation nationally and internationally and one of the most visited in the world. " The announcement of of Sir Nicholas's departure from the Tate comes in the same week it was revealed that Martin Roth was leaving the Victoria & Albert Museum after five years. Sir Nicholas was born in London in 1946. He studied History of Art at the University of Cambridge and the Courtauld Institute. He became chairman of the new Young Friends of the Tate in 1969 and worked as a regional officer for the Art Council's visual arts department before being appointed director of the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford in 1973. In 1976, he became director of the Whitechapel Gallery, where he remained for 12 years. He was appointed director of the Tate in 1988 - the same year he began chairing the Turner Prize, which was redefined as a showcase for contemporary art under his leadership. The Turner Prize went on to become the world's preeminent art award and is now held outside London every alternate year. Sir Nicholas stopped chairing the judging panel in 2007. He oversaw the opening of the Tate Modern on London's South Bank in May 2000 and a renovation of the Tate Britain, located on Millbank, which was completed in 2013. The Tate's family of galleries also includes the Tate Liverpool and the Tate St Ives. Earlier this year, he oversaw the opening of a new extension to the Tate Modern - a pyramid-like tower called the Switch House, which increased the size of the gallery by 60%. A record number of people visited on the extension's opening weekend. He has also recently curated a number of high-profile exhibitions, including Donald Judd, Howard Hodgkin, Cy Twombly, Gerhard Richter and Matisse: The Cut Outs. In 2014, Sir Nicholas was named the most powerful figure in the art world. Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts , on Instagram , or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected] .

2016-09-08 13:09 www.bbc.co.uk

71 Diary of a girl with the little known eating disorder 'diabulimia' Lisa Day was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 14. It meant her body didn't produce insulin so to stay alive she had to inject it daily as well as take extra care with the food she ate. She died on 12 September 2015 after years of suffering with diabulimia. The term, which isn't yet medically recognised, refers to diabetic people who deliberately take too little insulin in order to lose weight. Lisa's older sister Katie Edwards has been looking through the diary her dead sister wrote just after she was diagnosed. Video caption The diary of Lisa Day Lisa started writing the diary just after she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in September 2001. Boxing Day 2001 "I feel really fat. I want to lose weight. Think I'm about 9 stone. " New Years Day 2002 "I have to do my injections in a mo. I am going to ring Sam tonight so that I can meet with him tomorrow. I've just made myself sick twice. " Flicking through the pages, Katie describes Lisa: "She was my younger sister. She was fun, but serious at times. She had a lot of friends. She loved life but you could tell that there was something deep down that was troubling her. "She always had a bit of a sad shadow following her around. " Image caption Lisa with her mum in 2007 13 February 2002 "Non-uniform day. I feel so FAT. Everyone looked great today but me. I threw up my food today. I have to quickly do my art homework. " 5 March "I am so pleased and I feel great. Haven't eaten chocolate in four days and I've lost half a stone. Mike texted me last night and everything is good. Must learn not to go red. "I weigh 55.8 kg. "I think I am bulimic. " Image caption Katie says her sister was "very very thin" when they went on holiday in 2009 Katie says she didn't realise how bad things were. She and her mum only recently found the diary. "I'm not sure which came first, diabetes or eating problems," Katie tells Newsbeat, as she looks through photos of her sister. "But I know that before Lisa was a diabetic she was completely happy, would eat what she wanted and wasn't funny about food at all. "When she was diagnosed as diabetic she was told to keep diaries and write down what she was eating and what her sugar levels were. " 14 March "I keep having to make myself sick otherwise I feel guilty about what I've eaten. " 15 March "I feel so fat. I hate myself. I start working at the pet shop tomorrow. Disco at FC tomorrow, going with Holly. " 18 March "I had a really bad hypo at lunch. I was sitting with Mike and his girlfriend. I don't think he thinks I'm fit any more. " Almost everyone with type 1 diabetes will have a "hypo" at some stage. Hypos (hypoglycaemia or low blood glucose) happen when your blood glucose level drops too low. In people who don't have diabetes, the right amount of insulin is usually produced at the right time so their blood glucose level doesn't go too high or too low. But in people with type 1 diabetes, the balance of insulin, food and physical activity sometimes isn't right and blood glucose levels drop too low. 30 April "I went to dance today and the gym. I haven't made myself sick for ages! Saw Mike again today. V boring day. " At this point Lisa wasn't aware of diabulimia. "Over Lisa's time as a diabetic it changed," Katie tells Newsbeat. "They [diabetics] have to look really hard at what they eat when diagnosed. "I think Lisa looked at it too hard. It was to the point where when she ate food she wouldn't have any sauce, any butter, no nothing on it. "Sometimes she would just have half a jacket potato or she would just have fish not cooked in oil, no nothing, and she would lose a hell of a lot of weight. " Image caption Lisa's "eating programme" when she wanted to get down from 7 stone 11 to 7-and-a-half stone "I remember once Mum gave her an ice cream and she was so proud that she'd eaten this but she was so ill because her stomach rejected it as she hadn't been eating enough. " 29 May "I hate being diabetic. I can't eat when I want (like not having to eat in the evening) cos I don't want to put on extra weight. " Katie remembers how Lisa changed her eating habits as time went on. "She was clever to start with - not eating a lot - but when she got the pump and things - she realised if she didn't take her insulin she would lose weight anyway - if she didn't take her insulin she could eat all the foods she wasn't supposed to. " An insulin pump is a battery-operated device that provides regular insulin throughout the day via a tiny, flexible tube (cannula), inserted under the skin. It can give someone with type 1 diabetes more flexibility. 15 August "I've been doing stomach exercises and bum exercises and going to the gym like every day, I can't do any more or I'll die from exhaustion, but maybe that's a good thing as I'm so fat. "I'd better go and burn some of my dinner off like doing star jumps or something, please let me die. " At this stage, in 2002, Lisa's family didn't realise just how bad things were getting. "The diabetic is in charge of their care, they know how much insulin is needed and it's up to them to look after themselves," Katie tells Newsbeat. "Me and my family, we assumed she knew what she's doing. There was nothing we could do and if she said she's done something... she's basically had her life in her own hands. " 23 October "I went swimming today and did about six lengths. Boring. I've been hiding skimmed milk in my room so I don't get as much fat from semi-skimmed! " 12 November "Didn't go to school today. I've now been writing a diary for a year. "So in the past year I've become bulimic - but I'm getting better. Yeh. "But I've lost 1 and a half stone. I now weigh 7 and a half stone. " 13 November "Went back to school today. Lesley and Phoebe had a fight. I threw up some pasta, I ate too much. I don't want to lose any more weight before I go to the hospital in two weeks. " 25 November "One month until Christmas! I really want to go to hospital on Thursday so I can eat lunch without feeling guilty, but I'm a bit scared about my weight. I felt really bad on Sat coz I didn't eat round Holz. " 4 December "Joe and Tom texted me. I've been told they think I'm well fit. GREAT my weight loss is paying off. " Katie talks about her sister's love of "baking cakes and cooking curries" adding that she just "ate it because she didn't take her insulin". "As time went on she realised she could run her blood sugars high, not take insulin, eat what she wanted and lose weight anyway. "She wasn't knocking back desserts, coke and sweets but when it came to food she'd literally eat what she wanted. " With that it brought on awful side-effects and, Katie says, "problems with her stomach, problems with her feet". "She's just generally getting worse and worse and you can tell, there's a picture here - see how pink her cheeks are - that's one of the signs of it. "Whenever you saw Lisa, if her cheeks were that colour you knew she wasn't taking her insulin. " Image caption Katie says Lisa's pink cheeks were a giveaway that she wasn't taking her insulin Lisa also developed serious stomach pains. "She had this stomach condition where she was eating food but her stomach wasn't processing it and it was coming out the same the other side and she was getting terrible pains - and in and out of hospital between January and April last year. "They said it was damage she had done through her misuse of insulin and it really got her down. " This was one of Lisa's last entries in this diary. 23 June 2004 "I feel as if I'm going to succeed, hit my red dress again and lose one to one and a half stone by September. " Image caption Lisa Day (left) on holiday with her mum Doreen and older sister Katie in 2009 Lisa's mum still has the red dress that her daughter obsessed over. "Lisa said a million times, 'That's my target dress,' which is pretty sad. I don't even think it's a proper size eight and she was gagging to get back into it. There's no way I could get in that. " In the years after this diary, Katie says Lisa was in and out of hospital and "even when she was smiling you could tell there was something else going on". "Looking back now since she's died I've realised everything she had to do and how hard it must've been for her. "I was aware she had to take insulin," says Katie. "But I didn't know how involved she had to be, and with this diabulimia thing I didn't realise about other people having it and that's only really come to light since she's died. "I just think it's really sad. If Lisa had help 10 years ago maybe she'd still be here because she'd be looking after herself. " Image caption Lisa with her niece Grace The UK's first ever diabetes and eating disorder service has launched at King's College in London. The charity, DWED (Diabetics With Eating Disorders) has been campaigning to have omitting insulin to lose weight officially recognised as a mental illness. A new set of guidelines for the treatment of eating disorders, which includes how best to treat those who also have diabetes, is expected to be released by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) in early 2017. On Monday it will be a year since Lisa died. "I don't want to sit here all day and be crying all day and upset 'cause it was the most awful week of my life," says an emotional Katie. "I just want to turn it into something more positive and a bit more cheerful but we will remember her in some way, yes. " There's more information on diabetes at BBC Advice. Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat Related Topics Life Eating disorders Diabetes Health

2016-09-08 13:09 By Tracy www.bbc.co.uk

72 English Conversation Questions / Debates Recommend the site on blogs, forums and other sites. Consider buying my 1,000 Ideas and Activities book. Send me 20 questions on a topic not already here. Mail to info [at] breakingnewsenglish . com Free ESL Materials.com: A site containing links to free materials for ESL teachers and students.

2016-09-07 19:05 www.esldiscussions.com

73 On GBBO, it’s Bread Week, and the bakers are getting their knickers in a twist SRSLY #58: The Lesser Bohemians / The Get Down / Tallulah “I’m quite nervous, because it’s bread. And it’s Paul Hollywood.” So said Tom at the beginning of this week’s Bake Off. He was right to worry. Every year, Bread Week sees irritating man-baby Hollywood inflate his chest and become even more insufferable than usual, and this year was no different. I am amazed at how much Paul swells with pride when Bread Week comes around, not least because it reveals that Mary is better at… literally every other week. All he’s got is bread. The dull middle manager of baked goods. The signature challenge involved making a chocolate bread, and Paul immediately began swanning around trying to intimidate the contestants: raising eyebrows at the amount of sugar and eggs in Candice’s offering, pointing out how small Rav’s dough is and picking over the precise definition of a “babka”. “When you fail you catastrophically fail,” he said to Tom, presumably as words of encouragement. Later, he informed Andrew that his single proving tactic is not a “traditional recipe” but “traditional bollocks” (or words to that effect). Gloriously, he had to eat his words on this one. Paul continued his needless displays of power by refusing to eat Candice’s underdone loaf, pulling at the dough with his fingers like a child. Candice’s response – a small, irritated moan of, “Oh, Paul, do you have to do that?” is basically the same as mine every time I watch this show. An upside to Bread Week is that it offers Sue more opportunities to ridicule Paul. This week, she mostly went for mocking his ridiculous macho body language with gorilla comparisons: calling him “The Silverback of Sourdough” and “King Kong”. Plus, she introduced the technical challenge with this perfect summation of his white male mediocrity: “Bakers, for our technical challenge today, we turned to the bread expert, but sadly she wasn’t available so we asked Paul instead if he’d like to contribute a recipe.” Anyway, the technical challenge itself saw smug Paul inflict a ridiculous German steamed bread on everyone: dampfnudel. “I’ve got no idea what a damp noodle is !” Jane despaired. Paul seemingly chose this just for the joy he gets in aggressively prodding his meaty finger in the little doughy balls afterwards. The only contestant close to matching Paul’s egregious displays of masculinity is Selasi, who freaks out his peers with some dramatic kneading. My heart sang when Benjamina saw right through this, labelling it “unnecessary”. “He’s trying to intimidate the other bakers,” muttered Andrew, looking as intimidated as you would expect – he is only 12. Meanwhile, Sue and Candice attempt some mental maths. “This is the most painful hour of television you will ever watch,” Sue says. I can’t help but agree. On congratulating the winner of the technical, Paul went with humble grace: “Overall, I thought it was the one that was closest to mine – still a million miles away, but closest to mine.” In case you didn't know, Paul Hollywood bakes bread. The showstoppers this week were a mad mix – from a strange Noah’s Ark with, hilariously, only one of each animal (isn’t twinning the main defining element of the Ark?!) to a basket-hat combo. But how true to form was this week’s episode? A classic example of a perfectly baked, formulaic GBBO classic? Or a diversion from the traditional reciple? Just how Bake Off was the Bake Off this week? “I’m more of a bloomers and baps girl.” – Kate said this literally two seconds in. +5 Candice: “No one likes a small underfilled ball.” +2 “We’ve never done anything like this on Bake Off before. It’s notoriously difficult.” They say this literally every week. +19 An interlude including a bunch of men in tuxedos singing a German ditty about steamed bread. +13. Classique. “Kate! How are your balls?” “ I’m just pinching their bottoms.” +5 The technical was steamed bread. This is the Bake Off not the Steam Off. - 4 Showstoppers including: a cornmaiden symbol of fertility and a “plaited ark hym”. +16 Mel and Sue play a game of “Guess the Smell”. +6 Sue refers to the bakers as “Vincent Van Doughs”. +9 A Man uses a tape measure. +14 “I used to do this with my pony’s tail!” This is possibly the most jolly-hockey- sticks, my-teeth-are-made-from-ancient-family-marble Bake Off thing ever said. Thanks Kate. +19 Bread shaped like a dick. +9 “It’s not a mess, it’s informal.” A classic entry in the Mary Berry dictionary. +7 Overall score: +120! A delicious, vintage Bake Off for all the family. This is SRSLY, the pop culture podcast from the New Statesman. Here, you can find links to all the things we talk about in the show as well as a bit more detail about who we are and where else you can find us online. Listen using the player below...... or subscribe in iTunes. We’re also on Stitcher , RSS and SoundCloud – but if you use a podcast app that we’re not appearing in, let us know. SRSLY is usually hosted by Caroline Crampton and Anna Leszkiewicz, the NS ’s web editor and editorial assistant. We’re on Twitter as @c_crampton and @annaleszkie , where between us we post a heady mixture of Serious Journalism, excellent gifs and regularly ask questions J K Rowling needs to answer. The Links The Lesser Bohemians The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride. The Times review. Eimear McBride's writing for the New Statesman. The Get Down The show on Netflix. Emily Nussbaum’s review. Tallulah The film itself. Anna's interview with Sian Heder. For next time Anna is watching the Ladylike video series from Buzzfeed . If you’d like to talk to us about the podcast or make a suggestion for something we should read or cover, you can email srslypod[at]gmail.com . You can also find us on Twitter @srslypod , or send us your thoughts on tumblr here. If you like the podcast, we’d love you to leave a review on iTunes - this helps other people come across it. We love reading out your emails. If you have thoughts you want to share on anything we’ve discussed, or questions you want to ask us, please email us on srslypod[at]gmail.com , or @ us on Twitter @srslypod , or get in touch via tumblr here. We also have Facebook now. Our theme music is “Guatemala - Panama March” (by Heftone Banjo Orchestra) , licensed under Creative Commons. See you next week! PS If you missed #57, check it out here .

2016-09-08 01:08 George Eaton www.newstatesman.com

74 The many myths of back pain Back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide, and in the UK it is one of the main reasons people miss work. As with anything so common, myths have developed over time about what causes it and how best to deal with it. It's understandable why these misconceptions arise. Indeed, some would have been the accepted belief in healthcare circles before new evidence emerged to give us fresh insights. So healthcare professionals have sometimes been guilty of perpetuating the myths; both with patients and in the media. Why all of this matters is that they can cause fear among people with back pain that influences their behaviour. We know that the best way to tackle back pain is to keep moving, but if fear stops people from doing that recoveries can be hindered, or even reversed. Clinicians see the consequences of this fear every day. so the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has a new campaign aimed at busting these common myths. We have moved on from the time when total bed rest was believed to be needed, but there remains a fear of twisting, bending and moving in general. This fear is understandable - it can be very painful - but it is essential to stay on the go. Gradually increase the amount of activity you do, and try to avoid long periods of inactivity. If you don't normally lift weights, we're not suggesting you head out today and get under a 100kg squat. However, back pain shouldn't cause you to stop doing exercise or the regular activities you enjoy. Exercise is now accepted as the best way to treat back pain and this includes weight-training, where appropriate. As with anything, gradually build up your tolerance and confidence but do not fear it. This is a fascinating one, and counters the view that technology holds all the answers. In some cases, a scan will be necessary. But most often it won't and what's more, there's some evidence to show that seeing the results of a scan can actually make a person's condition worse. Here's how. Even people without back pain can see changes to their spine on a scan or X-ray - evidence of that is not, therefore, an indication that anything is wrong. But if you do have back pain, and you see changes in a scan, you may become fearful of exercising and doing the other activities that I discussed earlier. That means having a scan that didn't actually reveal anything useful caused you to stop doing the very things you need to do to get better. This is one that was always the established view, but recent research has led to greater insight on what causes pain and how best to manage it. That's why, as physios, we take a more holistic approach to help patients understand why they are in pain. There may be physical reasons but there may also psychological or even social factors at play, and it's important to identify and address those. The key again, as with all of these myths, is to overcome the fear factor to avoid a person's condition worsening. Of course, I should point out that this advice is general in nature, will not apply to everyone and anyone who experiences back pain that lasts longer than six weeks is advised to see a physiotherapist or GP. But if we can begin to knock down these myths, we can start to make inroads on a condition that affects millions of us every day.

2016-09-08 13:09 By Carley www.bbc.co.uk

75 Your pictures: Botswana First time visitor to Africa, Anna Sobotka, writes: "I wasn't prepared for this country's natural beauty and dignity. " This is her shot taken in the Chobe National Park of bathing elephants. Another shot from the Chobe National Park, this time from Anne May of giraffe drinking from the Chobe River. "The lilac-breasted roller provides a splash of intense colour in Botswana, both when perched on branches and even more so when it swoops unexpectedly across your field of view", writes Philip Willmott A baobab tree with its distinctive fat trunk and slender branches. Some specimens date back hundreds of years. A competitor in the 2015 Kalahari desert race, an annual event in Botswana. Sunset in the Okavango Delta. A meercat at sunset in the Makgadikgadi Pans, one of the largest salt flats in the world. The Northern Okavango Delta in an Area Called NG23 near Seronga. An African leopard captured by Kim Pickett during a dawn game drive in Chobe National Park said to have one of the largest concentrations of big cats in southern Africa. 2016-09-08 13:09 www.bbc.co.uk

76 Guinness World Record for bearded woman Harnaam Kaur A model with six-inch long facial hair has become the youngest woman in the world to have a full beard, according to the Guinness World Records. Body positivity campaigner Harnaam Kaur, 24, from Slough, Berkshire, said it was "humbling" to be included. She described her beard as part of her quest to overcome years of bullying to cope with her appearance . Other record breakers added to the list include the longest pet cat and a high-jumping llama. Ms Kaur has polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal condition that causes her to grow excess facial hair. In March 2016 she became the first female with a beard to walk the runway at London Fashion Week. The record for longest domestic cat currently alive goes to a 3ft 10.59in (1.183m) moggy from Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Ludo, a Maine Coon, was no bigger than other kittens in his litter when he was taken home by his owner Kelsey Gill in 2014. Ms Gill now has to use a dog carrier for the supersized cat and a dog harness to accommodate his length. Also making the list is Caspa, a nine-year-old high-jumping llama who can leap a bar 3ft 8.5in (1.13m) high. The animal, which lives on a farm in Porthmadog, North Wales, has been described by his owner as a "total diva" and the envy of all the other llamas on the farm. The record for the fastest speed achieved on a monowheel motorcycle has been set by a team at Elvington Airfield, North Yorkshire. Kevin Scott, from Lincoln, achieved 98.464 km/h (61.18 mph) on a bike built by UK Monowheel Team.

2016-09-08 13:09 www.bbc.co.uk

77 Girls swimming rankings, Sept. 7 With the girls swimming season officially underway, the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association has released the first set of state rankings for the year. Here is a look at who made the first cut: DIVISION 1 1. Farmington Hills Mercy 2. Ann Arbor Skyline 3. Saline 4. Rockford 5. Holland West Ottawa 6. Northville 7. Rochester Adams 8. South Lyon 9. Brighton 10. Lake Orion and Ann Arbor Pioneer (tie) Others: Lakeland , Forest Hills Northern/Eastern , Farmington (co-op), Grand Blanc , Zeeland , Hudsonville , Bridgman DIVISION 2 1. Dexter 2. Forest Hills Central 3. Birmingham Seaholm 4. Grosse Pointe South 5. Byron Center 6. Jenison 7. Portage Central 8. Birmingham Groves 9. Ann Arbor Huron 10. North Farmington Others: Okemos , Midland Dow , Bedford , Saginaw Heritage , Holland , St. Johns , Grosse Pointe North DIVISION 3 1. East Grand Rapids 2. Bloomfield Hills Marian 3. Grand Rapids Catholic Central 4. Holland Christian 5. Cranbrook Kingswood 6. St. Clair 7. Tecumseh 8. Spring Lake 9. Milan 10. Grand Rapids Christian Others: Grosse Ile , Manistee , Hamilton , Country Day , Chelsea , Allegan , Otsego , Trenton , St. Joseph , Grandville Calvin Christian See More Sports News »

2016-09-08 13:09 Steve Ungrey highschoolsports.mlive.com

78 US election 2016: Forum moderator Lauer suffers media backlash There's an old adage in sport that the best referees are the ones that go largely unseen. Judging by US media reaction, NBC moderator Matt Lauer stomped around Wednesday's Trump-Clinton forum with a foghorn for a whistle. It certainly takes some performance to find yourself in as many headlines as Donald Trump. "Matt Lauer Failed The Moderator Test" blared the Huffington Post . "Matt Lauer's Pathetic Interview of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Is the Scariest Thing I've Seen in This Campaign" - New York magazine . In the New York Times : "Matt Lauer Fields Storm of Criticism Over Clinton- Trump Forum". Vox focused on the main point of contention: "Matt Lauer totally blew it on Trump's blatant lying about Iraq and Libya. " In her section of the event - Hillary Clinton "won" the toss and went first in New York - the Democratic candidate admitted her 2002 Senate vote in favour of the Iraq War was "a mistake". But she pointed out that Mr Trump had once supported the invasion. When it was his turn, he told Lauer: "I heard Hillary Clinton say I was not against the war in Iraq. I was totally against the war in Iraq. You can look at Esquire magazine from 2004. You can look at before that. " Some have looked before that - at an interview with radio host Howard Stern in 2002. It goes: Stern: "Are you for invading Iraq? " Trump: "Yeah, I guess so. I wish the first time it was done correctly. " Only Lauer let it go, sparking a storm of social media invective. Ditto Libya. Mr Trump said Ms Clinton had "made a terrible mistake on Libya". It was pointed out by fact checkers such as the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler that the Republican candidate had supported the action he new regards as erroneous. Jonathan Chait of New York magazine was aghast that Lauer had not pressed Mr Trump when the candidate accused President Barack Obama of doing "equivalently brutish things" as Russia's Vladimir Putin - a man Chait says is "dictator who imprisons and kills political critics and journalists". And if you think only the Clinton camp was angry, think again. Try the conservative news and opinion website, Breitbart, seething at "Clinton Foundation 'notable member'" Lauer for soft-pedalling the Democratic candidate. "Matt Lauer failed to ask the White House hopeful a single question about the myriad allegations that she used her position as secretary of state to sell access to major Clinton Foundation donors," it raged. Breitbart executive Steve Bannon is now Mr Trump's campaign chief. Part of the focus on Lauer may have stemmed from a lack of interest in what the candidates themselves had to say. "Unilluminating blather" was Time's verdict. Or perhaps the lack of drama from the format. We will have to wait until 26 September for the first head-to-head debate. Lauer also did not have long with each candidate - 30 minutes - and probably felt Hillary Clinton's "emailgate" warranted a lengthy exchange. But he boxed himself into a corner, on several occasions having to remind her of the time, prompting some accusations of sexism. Interrupting her with "as briefly as you can" as she was asked to explain her plan to defeat so-called Islamic State certainly caught the eye of Michael Grynbaum in the New York Times. The Huffington Post concluded Matt Lauer had "flunked in primetime. And his failure was even more remarkable because he had the very information he needed to succeed". And in its most coruscating verdict, it simply said the New York event would "be remembered largely for the shortcomings of the man who was tasked with moderating". "Don't shoot the messenger", Lauer might say, as he observes his body's bloody wounds.

2016-09-08 13:07 www.bbc.co.uk

79 79 India rescued rhino calves adjust to life after floods Eight rhino calves rescued from India's flood ravaged Kaziranga national park in July and August are slowly being reintroduced into the wild. Wildlife officials have placed the calves into a makeshift paddock as part of a "stabilisation process" to get them used to their surroundings. They will be released into the park once they are four years old. Kaziranga is one of the world's most important wildlife parks and is home to the highly endangered one-horned rhino.

2016-09-08 13:08 www.bbc.co.uk

80 Bosnian school pupils reject ethnic divisions Secondary school pupils in a Bosnian town have started the new school year together despite political attempts to separate them along ethnic lines. Education in Bosnia- Herzegovina is not controlled at a national level, and three separate curricula are used in different parts of the country depending on the ethnic make-up of an area - Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim), Serb or Croat. The language of instruction, and how subjects such as history and religion are taught differs under each system. In the town of Jajce, pupils at the two secondary schools currently study in ethnically mixed classes which follow the Croat curriculum, but the regional assembly wants that to change. In June, it voted to establish a new school where Bosniak students would follow their own curriculum, arguing that they were being discriminated against under the existing set-up. "Our children in Jajce study from textbooks printed in Zagreb and are given diplomas with the Croatian coat of arms in the background. This has meant the discrimination and humiliation of Bosniaks for the past 18 years," municipal leader Edin Hozan told the Oslobodjenje daily in July, adding that the move was backed by parents. It seems the students themselves didn't agree, though, as many spent their summer protesting against the plans. "We do not want divisions. We socialise together and we get along," Bosniak student Admira Kasum told the N1 TV channel during one protest. "After we were separated in primary school, it was wonderful when we started secondary school together. We'll do everything not to be divided. " And it seems they've been successful - plans for the new school have been shelved, at least for now. As students returned to school on Monday, the Buka news portal called them "young heroes" for their months-long "rebellion", but noted that the politicians' plans may simply be on hold as they're in the midst of an election campaign. For the students who fought the decision, there's relief. "We are together again and it's great, we see unity in the school," Bosnian-Croat student Ivica Jukanovic tells Bosnia-Herzegovina Federation TV. "I was so glad when I arrived and I could see what I have been fighting for the whole summer. " Next story: Police rations gripe costs Russian officer his job Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.

2016-09-08 13:07 By News www.bbc.co.uk

81 China uses crowdfunding for Great Wall restoration Heritage officials have launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for restoration work on the Great Wall of China. More than 16,000 people have donated online since the campaign started at the end of August, raising almost 300,000 yuan ($45,000; £34,000) so far. It's being run by the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation, a state-supervised body, which says the wall is in serious need of repair, China Radio International reports. Work on the wall began more than 2,000 years ago, but much of what visitors see today was constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). The foundation says that of more than 6,250km (3883 miles) built during that era, a third has disappeared. It's hoping to raise 11m yuan ($1.7m; £1.2m) by 1 December. Dong Yaohui, who's in charge of the fundraising effort, says protecting such a large site is more than the government can do alone. "By pooling the contribution of every single individual, however small it is, we will be able to form a great wall to protect the Great Wall," he says. The cash will go towards restoring the Xifengkou section, which runs through a reservoir, and according to Mr Dong all spending will be made public. Many Chinese social media users are sceptical about chipping in, though. Some are confused about why such an iconic site has to resort to public handouts. "They have plenty of money, why do they need to crowdfund? " asks one, while another wonders if the Great Wall's admission fee will be waived for donors. But there's some enthusiasm, with one person writing: "I am willing to invest in this! In the future I can proudly tell my grandchildren that this is our family estate! " Next story: Bosnian school pupils reject ethnic divisions Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.

2016-09-08 13:08 By News www.bbc.co.uk

82 Will an advert change the way Singaporeans think about education? An advertisement challenging the way Singaporeans view education has got the country talking. Singapore's education system, one of the best in the world, is known for its emphasis on grades and examinations. But a video by the Ministry of Education (MOE) suggests that attitude might be changing. The short film, based on a true story, shows Madam Pua, a geography teacher, trying her best to encourage and help her student Shirley, who keeps failing her tests. Despite all her hard work, enthusiasm and progress, Shirley still fails her next exam, but is encouraged by Madam Pua that success isn't about the grades but trying her best. "Heartened to see the Ministry conveying this message - it's a small step towards a greater goal where students receive a holistic education beyond just academic knowledge. Kudos! " said one post on the MOE's Facebook page in response to the video. "Liked that the advertisement didn't end dramatically, [with the student] scoring high marks. Inspiring! " another commenter said. "Tearing like a baby now," said another. The MOE said the video, released last Friday to mark Singapore's Teacher's Day, looked to "reinforce the holistic development of students". "Our teachers have always been focused on character building and making a difference in our students' lives in school and beyond," it said. The country has also been introducing new programmes for secondary schools, with a greater value placed on arts and outdoor education. But some say there is still some way to go before societal attitudes change. "This ad is so misleading. I've seen teachers contacting parents if their kids don't do well in school. Singapore's education system is crazy," one Facebook post read. "This is just an ad," said another post. "In reality, based on my own experiences, teachers like to put down students more than encourage them. " "Try convincing the parents," said another. A recent government survey shows that families in Singapore collectively spend about $1.1bn Singapore dollars ($827m; £526m) a year on private tuition, nearly double the amount from a decade ago. And it works - Singapore came first in the 2015 global school rankings, with the results based on maths and science. The UK came in at 20 and the US at 28. Nicholas Ong, who graduated from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), one of Singapore's top schools, said that "kids who grow up in Singapore start running the rat race from an early age". "My parents did not place many academic demands on me, but there was always a subliminal pressure from society to get good grades. " One teacher at a junior college in Singapore, who didn't want to give their name, told the BBC the ad could encourage "a new narrative amongst Singaporeans about education, that the process is just as important as the outcome". "I think MOE is heading in the right direction to acknowledge, and even to some point, affirm various life routes beyond one that focuses on grades. [But] parents and students often fuel the stress about grades because of a narrow definition of what success can be. "

2016-09-08 13:07 By Yvette www.bbc.co.uk

83 Islamic State group: Turkey and US 'ready to invade capital' Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested he and the US are ready to drive so-called Islamic State (IS) from its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. Mr Erdogan said US President Barack Obama floated the idea of joint action against the militants when they met at the G20 summit in China. He said Turkey would have "no problem" with such action. Last month Turkey launched an operation inside Syria, targeting both IS and Kurdish rebels. The US State Department would not confirm the details of Mr Erdogan's statement, but an official said it was important that "local forces" were involved in the fight to deliver "a lasting defeat" to IS. "The actions that Turkey is currently taking along its border with Syria, with US support, is having the important effect of isolating Raqqa," the official said. "That is a critical step in our ultimate objective to liberate Raqqa from Isil (IS) control. " Turkish-backed militia have driven IS from the border town of Jarablus, but Turkey has also been concerned with checking the advance of Kurdish forces whom it regards as terrorists. The offensive continues, and Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said Turkish forces might push deeper into Syria after securing a stretch of land along the border. Mr Canikli also said 110 Islamic State and Kurdish militia fighters had been killed since the operation began. Russia, which is allied to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said it was "deeply concerned" by the Turkish advance. Mr Erdogan's comments on Raqqa were published in Turkish media. "Obama wants to do some things jointly concerning Raqqa," Mr Erdogan said. "We said this would not be a problem from our perspective.'' "I said: 'Our soldiers should come together and discuss, then what is necessary will be done'," Mr Erdogan added. Mr Erdogan gave few other details but said more discussions would follow. Raqqa's fall was a key point in the rise of IS as it seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, and is now considered the jihadists' de facto capital. Between 250,000-500,000 people are still thought to live there, with brutal stories emerging of the treatment of civilians. Through its large-scale incursion into northern Syria, Turkey has made itself a military player in the country. But Ankara's move, directed in part against Kurdish forces backed by Washington, prompted serious strains in US-Turkey relations, already poor in the wake of the failed coup against the Erdogan government. There is now a desire on both sides to improve ties and the suggestion from President Erdogan of US acquiescence in a Turkish role in the wider battle-plan to recapture Raqqa from IS is clearly part of this. It would be an acknowledgement by Washington of Turkey's continuing strategic interest in Syria. No details have been given as to what a Turkish role might amount to but clearly if Raqqa is attacked then the zone approaching the Turkish border to the north of the city needs to be secured to block the withdrawal of fleeing IS forces.

2016-09-08 13:07 www.bbc.co.uk

84 India trains 'flexi' fares cause anger on social media Indian Railways' decision to introduce "flexi fares" on three premium train services has been met with anger on social media. Authorities announced that only the first 10% of tickets for its Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto express services would be held at current prices. Thereafter fares will jump by 10% for every 10% of berths sold, subject to a cap of 1.5 times the basic fare. Many have criticised the move as a poorly disguised fare hike. A railways spokesman told the BBC that the move was "experimental" and they would take passenger feedback into consideration. The state-run Indian Railways, the third largest network in the world, operates more than 12,000 passenger trains, carrying some 23 million people daily. However, the heavily subsidised service operates under massive losses. In 2014, it lost $5bn in its passenger operations. The three premium services are in high demand as they cover most of the country and are faster and more comfortable than regular trains. Critics say the new fare structure is likely to make many train journeys more expensive than flights on India's low-cost airlines, many of whom cover the same routes in a fraction of the time. The issue dominated conversation on Twitter on Thursday with #SurgePricing trending for much of the morning. There was overwhelming anger at what was seen as a policy that would primarily have an impact on the middle class and the poor. Many had tweeted at the Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu and the prime minister, requesting them to reconsider. 2016-09-08 13:07 www.bbc.co.uk

85 Death on every corner: RT takes a look behind ISIS bomb-making industry in Sirte (EXCLUSIVE) — RT News While the jihadists have already been forced out of most neighborhoods, they have left a perilous legacy behind in Sirte, where explosive devices masked as innocent-looking objects are scattered throughout the city. One such object shown to Whiteman by the locals was a mannequin “dressed” in a loose shirt with a flower-themed blanket on its knees. The deadly device was hidden in another blanket that was wrapped around its head. That didn’t prove to be the most intricate trap Whiteman encountered on the freshly liberated territory, however. When the RT crew’s car stopped at the site of an unexploded mortar sticking halfway out in the middle of the road, Whiteman discovered another explosive device hidden in a traffic cone nearby. “Knowing that the advancing Libyans would want to mark the unexploded projectile out in the road, Islamic State rigged this nearby traffic cone with a bomb,” Whiteman said. Numerous bomb factories were operating in Sirte during the reign of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants, who captured by the city in June of 2015. To get a rare glimpse of IS’ bomb-making setup, Whiteman met with members of a pro-government Libyan sapper battalion that had recently come upon five such facilities. Whiteman had a chance to examine a suicide vest loaded with bolts and ball bearings that were meant to maximize its lethal impact. “They basically strap this around the chest using this belt and, when it gets blown up, this all get scattered around everywhere… It’s really ominous seeing all this stuff up close, having been on the receiving end of it last we’ve been here,” says Whiteman. While reporting from Sirte earlier, the RT journalist was targeted by a suicide-car bomber, who was neutralized by pro-government forces seconds before he could detonate the explosive device. As the jihadists were running out of bomb ingredients after Libyan forces cut their supply routes, the militants resorted to setting booby traps. Medical supplies, parts of household appliances, such as timers, and disassembled ammunition – everything at the jihadists’ disposal came in handy for creating simple-looking but no less effective explosive devices. One of the sappers showed Whiteman an ordinary medical syringe that had been transformed into a bomb. A timer removed from a washing machine served to create a time bomb in another device. “You can hear it clicking down and then it just goes off. So they just leave it in the car or somewhere, wait for the Libyan government forces to advance past – boom – it goes off, kills a lot of people,” Whiteman says, adding that although the technology is “very simple,” it is nonetheless “very effective.” “That’s why Islamic State is so difficult to push out; they have been very advanced with their bombs.” US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday that the UN-backed Libyan government is close to driving out all of the Islamic State militants left in Sirte. “I expect that they’ll eliminate... the remaining opposition shortly,” he told journalists in London, stressing that the US air force will continue to provide support for Libyan forces until Sirte is completely recaptured. The Libyan government’s offensive against the militants in Sirte has been underway since May of this year.

2016-09-08 13:09 www.rt.com

86 Florida toddler bitten more than a dozen times at day care center Just One More Thing... We have sent you a verification email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your profile. If you do not receive the verification message within a few minutes of signing up, please check your Spam or Junk folder. Close

2016-09-08 13:24 Cox Media www.ajc.com

87 Ethanol Is Not Part of the Solution University of Michigan’s Energy Institute research professor John DeCicco believes that rising carbon dioxide emissions are causing global warming and, therefore, humans must find a way to reduce its levels in the atmosphere — but ethanol is the wrong solution. According to his just-released study, political support for biofuels, particularly ethanol, has exacerbated the problem instead of being the cure it was advertised to be. DeCicco and his co-authors assert: “Contrary to popular belief, the heat- trapping carbon dioxide gas emitted when biofuels are burned is not fully balanced by the CO uptake that occurs as the plants grow.” The presumption that biofuels emit significantly fewer greenhouse gases (GHG) than gasoline does is, according to DeCicco: “misguided.” His research, three years in the making, including extensive peer-review, has upended the conventional wisdom and angered the alternative fuel lobbyists. The headline-grabbing claim is that biofuels are worse for the climate than gasoline. Past bipartisan support for ethanol was based on two, now false, assumptions. First, based on fears of waning oil supplies, alternative fuels were promoted to increase energy security. DeCicco points out: “Every U. S. president since Ronald Reagan has backed programs to develop alternative transportation fuels.” Now, in the midst of a global oil glut, we know that hydraulic fracturing has been the biggest factor in America’s new era of energy abundance—not biofuels. Additionally, ethanol has been championed for its perceived reduction in GHG. Using a new approach, DeCicco and his researchers, conclude: “rising U. S. biofuel use has been associated with a net increase rather than a net decrease in CO emissions.” DeCicco has been focused on this topic for nearly a decade. In 2007, when the Energy Independence and Security Act (also known as the expanded ethanol mandate) was in the works, he told me: “I realized that something seemed horribly amiss with a law that established a sweeping mandate which rested on assumptions, not scientific fact, that were unverified and might be quite wrong, even though they were commonly accepted and politically correct (and politically convenient).” Having spent 20 years as a green group scientist, DeCicco has qualified green bona fides. From that perspective he saw that while biofuels sounded good, no one had checked the math. Previously, based on life cycle analysis (LCA), it has been assumed that crop-based biofuels, were not just carbon neutral, but actually offered modest net GHG reductions. This, DeCicco says, is the “premise of most climate related fuel policies promulgated to date, including measures such as the LCFS [California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard] and RFS [the federal Renewable Fuel Standard passed in 2005 and expanded in 2007].” The DeCicco study differs from LCA — which assumes that any carbon dioxide released from a vehicle’s tailpipe as a result of burning biofuel is absorbed from the atmosphere by the growing of the crop. In LCA, biofuel use is modeled as a static system, one presumed to be in equilibrium with the atmosphere in terms of its material carbon flow. The Carbon balance effects of U. S. biofuel production and use study uses Annual Basis Carbon (ABC) accounting — which does not treat biofuels as inherently carbon neutral. Instead, it treats biofuels as “part of a dynamic stock-and-flow system.” Its methodology “tallies CO emissions based on the chemistry in the specific locations where they occur.” In May, on my radio program, DeCicco explained: “Life Cycle Analysis is wrong because it fails to actually look at what is going on at the farms.” In short, DeCicco told me: “Biofuels get a credit they didn’t deserve; instead they leave a debit.” The concept behind DeCicco’s premise is that the idea of ethanol being carbon neutral assumes that the ground where the corn is grown was barren dirt (without any plants removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere) before the farmer decided to plant corn for ethanol. If that were the case, then, yes, planting corn on that land, converting that corn to ethanol that is then burned as a vehicle fuel, might come close to being carbon neutral. But the reality is that land already had corn, or some other crop, growing on it— so that land’s use was already absorbing CO. You can’t count it twice. DeCicco explains “Growing the corn that becomes ethanol absorbs no more carbon from the air than the corn that goes into cattle feed or corn flakes. Burning the ethanol releases essentially the same amount of CO as burning gasoline. No less CO went into the air from the tailpipe; no more CO was removed from the air at the cornfield. So where’s the climate benefit?” Much of that farmland was growing corn to feed cattle and chickens—also known as feedstock. The RFS requires an ever-increasing amount of ethanol be blended into the nation’s fuel supply. Since the RFS became law in 2005, the amount of land dedicated to growing corn for ethanol has increased from 12.4 percent of the overall corn crop to 38.6 percent. While the annual supply of corn has increased by 17 percent, the amount going into feedstock has decreased from 57.5 percent to 37.98% — as a graphic from the Detroit Free Press illustrates. The rub comes from the fact that we are not eating less. Globally, more food is required, not less. The livestock still needs to be fed. So while the percentage of corn going into feedstock in the U. S. has decreased because of the RFS, that corn is now grown somewhere else. DeCicco explained: “When you rob Peter to pay Paul, Peter has to get his resource from someplace else.” One such place is Brazil where previous pasture land, because it is already flat, has been converted to growing corps. Ranchers have been pushed out to what was forest and deforestation is taking place. Adding to the biofuels-are-worse-than-gasoline accounting are the effects from producing ethanol. You have to cook it and ferment it — which requires energy. In the process, CO bubbles off. By expanding the quantity of corn grown, prairie land is busted up and stored CO is released. DeCicco says: “it is this domino effect that makes ethanol worse.” The study looks at the period with the highest increase in ethanol production due to the RFS: 2005-2013 (remember, the study took three years). The research provides an overview of eight years of overall climate impacts of America’s multibillion-dollar biofuel industry. It doesn’t address issues such as increased fertilizer use and the subsequent water pollution. The conclusion is that the increased carbon dioxide uptake by the crops was only enough to offset 37 percent of the CO emissions due to biofuel combustion — meaning “rising U. S. biofuel use has been associated with a net increase rather than a net decrease in CO emissions.” Instead of a “disco-era ‘anything but oil’ energy policy,” DeCicco’s research finds, that while further work is needed to examine the research and policy implications going forward, “it makes more sense to soak up CO through reforestation and redouble efforts to protect forests rather than producing biofuels, which puts carbon rich lands at risk.” Regardless of differing views on climate change, we can generally agree that more trees are a good thing and that “using government mandates and subsidies to promote politically favored fuels de jour is a waste of taxpayers’ money.” 2016-09-08 13:09 Marita Noon spectator.org

88 The 900 Day Siege: 75 Years Later The 900 Day Siege of Leningrad began on September 8, 1941 —75 years ago today — and ended on January 27, 1944. The Nazis cut off Leningrad in 1941 trying to force the city to surrender. Over 600,000 civilians died from starvation. Another 400,000 soldiers and civilians died fighting the blockade. The city never fell, but the casualties were enormous. As I was reading Hillary Clinton’s book Hard Choices, I was struck by a conversation she had with Vladimir Putin regarding the 900-day Siege. Apparently Putin told Hillary that his father found his mother lying in the street. People thought she was dead, but his father didn’t give up. He picked his wife up and took her back to their apartment. He managed to nurse her back to health and they both lived for decades after the war. As I was reading this story, it reminded me of the story of how my own grandfather had fallen in the streets of Leningrad during the Siege. When he fell, he was so weak from starvation, he couldn’t get up. Thankfully someone came by that day to help him up. This was a very brave thing to do since most people walking in the street were so weak if they tried to help him someone they too would likely have fallen themselves. My grandfather, Yakov Brusin, was lucky to have survived. He was 17 years old when the war started. In the first year, he lost his father from starvation and his older brother on the front. Like many in his generation, he joined the Army to defeat the Nazis. By the end of the war, he got all the way to Berlin. My grandmother, Marina, donated so much blood for extra rations she almost died. She did it because those extra rations kept her mother alive. My Great Aunt Tatiana, who is still alive at 93, once told me that if we knew how long the Siege would last, we would not have made it. My mother, who was born after the war, told me that the Siege was so terrible that the survivors in our family remembered it every day for the rest of their lives. Putin’s parents survived the Siege, but they would see their first two sons die young: one in infancy before the war, the other during the Siege. Like many survivors, the Putins would start over. Their third son, Vladimir, was born after the war. The Siege continues to have a powerful impact on both the survivors and their descendents, including Vladimir Putin and myself. For years, I would listen to the stories of the survivors in my family. Just a few months ago, I was talking to my grandmother first cousin, Kirill, who, like President Putin, lost his older brother during the war as well. He is still alive at 91 and has lived 75 years without his brother. Every family lost a number of relatives during the war. More than any other event, the war continues to influence Russian attitudes towards national security. The more stories I hear, the more I believe that World War II, the Cold War, the turmoil of the 1990s, and the current tensions have only reinforced a Siege mentality within Vladimir Putin. Putin is hardly the only Russian to think this way. For example, Marshal Sergey Akhromeyev, who was Chief of the General Staff of Soviet Armed Forces in the 1980s, believed that Soviet military planners must make sure that “1941 shall never be repeated.” Akhromeyev’s unit was stationed only 35 miles from Leningrad during the war. Colin Powell wrote in his memoirs how he asked Akhromeyev, a fellow soldier, about his service during the war. The Soviet General said, “Eight of the ten boys my age died during the war. Only I and one other from my high school class of thirty-two survived.” The war was so painful that Russians dedicated themselves to making sure that 1941 would never happen again. Akhromeyev committed suicide after the August 1991 coup against Gorbachev because he believed that “Everything I have worked for throughout my life is being destroyed.” Gorbachev understood that the Russian people found it painful to have their troops withdraw from Eastern Europe. They felt that millions of Russians gave their lives to seize that territory. To withdraw was the equivalent of dishonoring the memory of the fallen soldiers. In the end, Gorbachev couldn’t afford to keep the Cold War going and he eventually came to believe that the Captive Nations had the right to determine their own affairs. Putin on the other hand expressed a similar view to Akhromeyev when he described the collapse of the Soviet Union as “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” Putin is not a communist, but he believes it was a tragedy in part because 25 million Russians, from the other Soviet republics, suddenly woke up one day and found themselves living in foreign countries. In Putin’s view, Russia must have a dominant position over its neighbors for Russian people to be secure. That was why Ukraine joining the EU, or NATO, was unthinkable to him. Putin would later give a speech providing his reasons for annexing Crimea. Among his reasons were that he simply couldn’t accept the loss of the Russian Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol. Putin implied in his speech if they hadn’t taken Crimea then it was possible that Ukraine would eventually join NATO and allow the U. S. Navy to use their former base. Putin’s argument implies that if Ukrainians could force their president to flee — as they had done with Viktor Yanukovych — then it is unlikely they would honor the 2010 Kharkiv Accords, which allowed Russia to keep its naval base in Sevastopol until at least 2042. While many Russians genuinely agree with Putin, this argument is wrong. First, the United States cannot accept the Russian takeover of Crimea because appeasement will only encourage further aggression. In seizing Crimea Russia violated at least three separate agreements that it had signed recognizing Ukraine’s right to Crimea (the 1975 Helsinki Agreements, the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, and the 1997 Russian- Ukrainian Treaty of Friendship). Second, the Ukrainians gave up their nuclear weapons in 1994 in exchange for the United States and Russia supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine. If we don’t stand with Ukraine, our ability push for nonproliferation will greatly diminish. Third, while there is no military option for Crimea, that doesn’t mean we can’t do more economically to isolate Russia and deter further aggression. The irony is that only the seizure of Crimea would have forced Ukraine’s leaders to risk a withdrawal from the Kharkiv Accords. It was only because of the Russian invasion that a majority of Ukrainians began to back joining NATO. In October 2013, only 20 percent of Ukrainians wanted to join NATO while 66 percent were opposed. By October 2014, that number increased to 51 percent of Ukrainians supporting NATO membership. Putin says that he did this in part because he thinks Crimea is an integral part of Russia and that Moscow had the right to protect Russians abroad. He mentioned how Prince Vladimir converted to Christianity in Crimea and how Russians gave their lives there in the Second World War and other wars. Sevastopol was declared a Hero City just as Moscow and Leningrad were. In the second half of his speech, Putin spoke as though Russia is still under siege from the West. When Americans think of containment, they think of the Cold War (1945 to 1991). But listen to Putin’s speech, and it’s clear he sees containment differently. In his mind the containment policy has never ended. He mentioned how the West had been pursuing a policy of containment toward Russia since the 18th century. He believes that, even before Crimea, America was still trying to contain Russia even if in a substantially reduced form since the Cold War ended. He believes the containment policy has occurred throughout his tenure as President from missile defense, NATO expansion, opposition to the Eurasian Union, restrictions on the sale of Western technology, America’s support for “colored” revolutions in the former Soviet Union, including Ukraine, and America’s use of force in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. Putin also used the speech to remind people that this action was very popular with the vast majority of Russia’s citizens. In the speech, he also equated any opposition to Crimea among a minority of Russians as traitors who prefer the West over Russia. The 900 Day Siege of Leningrad has clearly influenced Putin. This tragedy also influenced my political views of Russia, but in a very different way. Beyond helping me understand Putin better, I think the Siege contains many useful lessons on how we can improve U. S.-Russia relations. I think Putin and I would agree that the people who survived the Siege are heroes. It was the Russian people who endured the Siege and won the war and not the Soviet leaders. Where we likely disagree is that the Siege occurred because Stalin and the Soviet leadership failed to prepare for the future just as Putin is currently failing to prepare Russia for the future. Stalin made several mistakes that cost the Soviets dearly. Before the war, Stalin executed over 40,000 of Red Army’s most experienced officers. The Soviet Air Force was purged of 6,000 of their most experienced pilots prior to the war. Stalin had a relatively inexperienced air force fighting against the Luftwaffe. Despite numerical superiority in combat planes (10,451 to 3,297), Stalin left Soviet planes in forward positions. The Germans destroyed approximately 2,500 Soviet planes on the ground in the first day of the invasion at a loss of only 35 aircraft. If Stalin had attacked Hitler first by striking Germany’s limited oil supplies in Romania, it might have crippled the German war effort. By 1944, without Romania, the Germans had an extreme oil shortage. They needed oil for their tanks and planes. Russia could have quickly knocked Germany out of the war in 1941 and saved millions of lives. In contrast, Peter the Great was one of the most consequential Russian czars because he prepared Russia for the future. He insisted that Russians adopt European customs and military technology for Russia so that they could compete against other European powers. There were early slavophiles who objected to Russia becoming more European. These slavophiles were wrong and Peter helped Russia by reforming the country. Today, Putin, like Peter the Great before him, needs to adopt Western methods. For Russia to compete economically in the 21st century, it needs rule of law. It can’t rely on high oil prices anymore. To modernize its economy, the United States could really help in this effort in exchange for better relations. One reason the Siege occurred was because the West punished Germany harshly after World War I. The hyperinflation and the Versailles Treaty led to the rise of the Nazis. It was only after World War II that many American and European leaders saw the wisdom to help build a free and prosperous Germany anchored in the West. Today, Europe and Asia are more peaceful because America helped turn Germany and Japan into friends. After the Soviet Union collapsed, we tried to help Yeltsin, but the pro-Western Russians were discredited in the public because of the bad economy. From 1991 to 1998, the Russian economy contracted by 40 percent. It wasn’t until 2007 that the economy returned to the levels of the early 1990s. The economic growth during the Putin years has reinforced this image of a strong leader and the belief that only a strong central government can protect Russia. During the Medvedev years (2008-2012), there was serious push to reset relations with the United States and modernize the economy. By the 2011 elections, Putin refused to continue the process of modernization because he knew that he couldn’t control his people without controlling the economy. In order to stay in power, Putin allied with the Neo-Eurasianists, like Aleksandr Dugin, who are the Slavophiles of today. Neo-Eurasianists believe that Russian culture is closer to Asia than it is to Europe. These people oppose closer relations with the West and believe modernization could lead to the Westernization of Russia. After the 2011 protests over fraudulent parliamentary elections, Putin shifted in a more hostile and Neo-Eurasianist direction. With growth slowing, seizing Crimea has helped Putin keep his popularity high. My principle objection to Vladimir Putin is that he is ruining Russia’s future. In the past, American politicians have rightly attacked Putin as a KGB thug. Instead of attacking him about his past, we should criticize him more for failing to prepare Russia for the future. The Russians won’t care what Americans think about Putin until they think we care about them. As long as most of the Russian public supports Putin’s belligerent policies, he will remain confrontational. We may not be able to end Putin’s Siege mentality anytime soon, but we can still appeal to the Russian people directly. Sun Tzu wrote in the Art of War, “Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.” If we can show the Russians we care about them, they might begin to realize that they their lives can improve dramatically with better relations with the West. They will not leave Crimea anytime soon, but we can certainly ask Russia to return Edward Snowden and demand that this conflict in Eastern Ukraine will not spread any further. The Millennials in Russia love their iPhones as much as their American counterparts to. Most Russians do not want to live without the West. Regarding triangular diplomacy between Washington, Moscow and Beijing, Henry Kissinger wrote in his memoirs that, “Our relations to possible opponents should be such, I considered, that our options toward both of them were always greater than their options toward each other.” Kissinger believed that agility was important to make the policy sustainable. He wrote, “We had somehow not to flex our own muscles but, as in judo, to use the weight of an adversary to propel him in a desired position; there was always the risk of also antagonizing both sides.” Today, U. S.-Russia relations are worse than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Even before the crisis in Ukraine, Russia had been moving toward China. Russia-China trade grew from $15.8 billion in 2003 to $95.3 billion in 2014. Although Russia-China trade plummeted in 2015 to $64.2 billion, mostly due to falling oil prices, Russia’s trade with the United States was only $23.7 billion in 2015. In the same year, U. S.-China trade reached a record $598 billion. The reason China is building islands in the South China Sea is that it knows the U. S. has to devote a considerable amount of its resources to help defend Europe against Russia. This gives China more flexibility in Asia. If Russians and Americans don’t find a way to work together, this will only push Russia further into the Chinese orbit. Russia will increasingly be a junior member of such an axis. President Reagan and Secretary of State George Shultz were able to include human rights on their agenda with Gorbachev because they convinced him that it was in the Soviet national interest. With oil prices low for the foreseeable future, we can argue to the Russian people that the economy will no longer grow without improvements in human rights. Eventually, Russia will have to modernize its economy. I think we can win this argument in Russian public opinion that the United States and the European Union can help Russia in this transition far better than China ever could. Much like the 900 Day Siege, Russia must prepare for the future. If oil prices do not improve, it could also lead to chaos inside the country. Improved relations could eventually make Russia an invaluable ally in the war on terror. Russia has already helped us in Afghanistan because Islamic terrorism is a threat to both countries. The rise of China’s military may bring the United States and Russia much closer together. Perhaps in 20 years, we might see Russia as member of NATO helping us contain the Chinese military. As long as Russia is dependent on oil prices, and feels outside of European institutions, the Russian people will always feel under siege. We need to remind them that Putin’s policies are not fighting the Siege, they are only continuing it.

2016-09-08 13:09 Robert Zapesochny spectator.org

89 The American Spectator You may have read that GM killed the electric car. This isn’t true. The practical electric car, at any rate. By imposing car design edicts that have made it impossible (so far) to build an economical electric car. An economical electric car would have to be, above all, a very light car. Under 2,000 pounds, at least. A 2016 Tesla S electric sedan weighs in at 4,647 lbs. — which is about 600 pounds more than a current full-sized pick-up truck like the Ford F-150 (4,049 lbs.). A 2016 Nissan Leaf electric sedan — which is only slightly larger overall than a 1970 VW Beetle — weighs about twice as much as the old Beetle: 3,243 lbs. vs. about 1,600 lbs. Because they are so heavy, electric cars are not very economical. They cost a lot money. And they can’t travel very far, either. Which makes them not very practical. Impractical — and expensive. Now you know why it is necessary to heavily subsidize their manufacture — and pass laws requiring manufacturers to build them, even if they can’t sell them. Electric cars — electric batteries — are very sensitive to weight. The heavier the car, the greater the load on the battery; it depletes faster. A heavy EV requires a larger — heavier — battery pack. A Tesla S model’s battery pack alone weighs 1,200 lbs. — only about 400 pounds less than the weight of an entire 1970 VW Beetle. The motor must also be more powerful, in order to get the heavier car rolling. The more powerful motor is usually larger — and so, heavier. You see the problem. Unfortunately, the government does not. Or, it just doesn’t care. Cars generally (not just EVs) are heavier today than they have ever been, notwithstanding the now-widespread use of aluminum for engine blocks and plastic/composite body panels — in order to meet the government’s numerous “safety” requirements dictating the impact forces a vehicle must be able to withstand in a crash, including in particular its ability to roll onto its roof without the roof crushing. The only cost-viable way to accomplish this is by adding structure (steel) to the vehicle. Which makes it heavier. Which makes it less efficient — whether electric or gas (or diesel) powered. You can have “safety” (as defined by the government)… or you can have efficiency. It is hard to get both together. Particularly in an electric car. Getting 1,200 pounds of batteries rolling makes that challenging. But a 1,500 pound electric car would not need 1,200 pounds of batteries. It could probably get by with a pack that weighed half that. It would also not need a heavy motor (the Tesla’s weighs almost 400 pounds, about the same as an aluminum V8 engine) because less torque would be needed to get a light-weight car going. Imagine an electric car that weighed about what a 1970 VW Beetle weighed. Imagine how far it could go in between recharges. Imagine how inexpensive it would probably be. But such cars do not exist because of the government fatwas that do exist. So, instead of very light-weight, simple and inexpensive electric cars designed for maximum efficiency and maximum economy, we get hugely heavy and hugely expensive electric cars laden with electronic features and creature comforts to make the buyer feel better about their economic insensibility. It’s their luxury and “tech” — and in some cases, like the Tesla, their performance — that is touted. In which case, what’s the point? If an electric car costs more (much more) to buy and operate than a non- electric car, there’s no economic case to be made for the thing. It’s like admiring the beautiful singing voice of an obese girl competing for Miss Universe. Because they are very expensive — the “cheapest” of them being the $30k Nissan Leaf — it’s more than slightly ridiculous to talk up how much money you’ll “save” by purchasing one. Generally, people in a position to spend $30k-plus for a car can do basic math. And the math doesn’t add up. Hence, the need to sell electric cars on the basis of things other than their economy. Elon Musk’s Tesla Model S is quicker than many exotic high-performance sports cars. It has a beautiful body and a sumptuous interior with all the bells and whistles, plus the box they came in. It also starts at $70k. In part because it has a panorama sunroof (150 pounds) and four (front and rear) leather-covered, heated and powered (draws electricity) electric seats (200 pounds) plus 400 pounds of “safety control units” and air bags. See here. As economic proposition, it’s like the obese girl in the Miss Universe pageant. No one but the blind guy in the back row is wolf-whistling for her. Well, and perhaps Uncle.

2016-09-08 13:09 Eric Peters spectator.org

90 Non-Establishment Nominees Are Nothing New While the media focus on the GOP Establishment’s 2016 nomination loss, such defeat is hardly new. Over the last 10 elections both major parties have had non-Establishment nominees. These past non-Establishment uprisings have not been harbingers of party demise, but in most cases catalysts and conduits of change, which have led to the formation of a new Establishment. The liberal media has linked pronouncements of the Republican Party’s demise with Donald Trump’s rise. Such thinking will be no more accurate now than it has been in the past. While Trump’s victory as a non-Establishment nominee may seem unprecedented, it is anything but. In 1976, the non-Establishment politician, Jimmy Carter, captured the Democratic Party’s nomination, while another non-Establishment politician, Ronald Reagan, narrowly missed winning the Republican nomination. Carter was decidedly not of the Democratic Establishment, shocking it by winning the nomination and then frustrating it during four years in office. After narrowly losing to Ford in 1976, Reagan came back to win the Republican nomination and the presidency four years later. Now that he’s the conservative icon of the Republican Party, it is easy to forget how far from the Republican Establishment he was initially — as shown when he took George H. W. Bush as his running mate in order to reach out to it. Carter and Reagan’s non-Establishment feats would be repeated again, first by Bill Clinton in 1992 and then Obama in 2008. Bill Clinton adopted a “third way” approach to distance himself from the liberal bent of the Democratic Establishment. He successfully maintained it in office too, becoming the first Democrat to win two terms since FDR — 60 years earlier. Obama separated himself from the Democratic Establishment by beating its virtually unanimous choice for the nomination: Hillary Clinton. He won election and reelection with a majority of the popular vote — again doing something no Democrat had done since FDR in 1936. Although just four non-Establishment politicians in the previous ten elections may not seem large, the impact has been far greater because they have been so successful — especially in comparison to both parties’ Establishment nominees. Non-Establishment politicians (both in their initial elections and their reelection attempts) have gone 2-0 on the Republican side and 5-1 on the Democratic side — the only loss being Carter’s 1980 one to Reagan, another non-Establishment politician. In contrast, Establishment nominees in both parties have fared poorly, even though they have won a decided majority of the nominations. Establishment Democrats (Mondale, Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry) won four nominations, but lost the presidency each time. Establishment Republicans (Ford, Bush I, Dole, Bush II, McCain, and Romney) have won eight nominations but gone just 3-5 (Bush I winning in 1988 and Bush II in 2000 and 2004). Combined, Establishment nominees are 3-9 during the last 10 presidential elections, versus a combined 7-1 for non-Establishment nominees. Even larger than their won-loss record in presidential elections, has been the non-Establishment presidents’ impact on their parties. Reagan, Clinton, and Obama did not just successfully confront their party’s Establishment, they re-created it in their own image. Before they left office, they were the new Establishment. Only Carter could be said to have had no such impact. However, while Carter lost reelection, the Democratic Establishment lost sizable numbers of its former core supporters — in the form of Reagan Democrats — in 1980. When it tried to reassert itself with Mondale’s nomination in 1984, it suffered a loss of catastrophic proportions, ultimately setting the stage for Bill Clinton to largely follow Carter’s earlier non-Establishment formula. Nor has the non-Establishment trend been limited to the two major political parties. During these four decades, the media covering presidential elections has undergone no less a transformation. The oligopoly of news coverage has been progressively broken. In television and print, the stranglehold of a few major players — networks and newspapers — long ago disappeared. Now even television and print are being supplanted. The last four decades show how much American presidential politics has changed — especially when it comes to the so-called Establishments that have supposedly run it. It also shows just how ephemeral these Establishments have been. Were we to look back to the 10 elections preceding 1980, similar Establishment transformations would also be evident. The four non-Establishment nominees who have punctuated the last ten elections were both catalysts and conduits of change — both active and passive agents of it. In some instances they facilitated the change that would establish the new Establishments; in others, they merely embodied change already taking place. The most important point to take away from the past is how much the present conforms to it. Donald Trump is unquestionably a non- Establishment nominee. However, there have been others — and being one is no guarantee of victory, despite others’ success. Hillary Clinton is undoubtedly an Establishment nominee. There have been many in this role too — and being one is no guarantee of defeat, despite others’ failures. What is guaranteed is that the Establishments of both parties will continue to evolve, regardless of this election’s outcome and perhaps as a result of it.

2016-09-08 13:09 J.T spectator.org

91 PC Segregation Still on the Rise It’s the start of new school year, so it’s time to hear bizarre stories from the nation’s universities — those politically correct hothouses where seemingly intelligent people enforce rules that appear to have been designed in an insane asylum. After university officials issue their statements and denials, the matter fades from the front pages. But nothing ever changes. Last year, the University of California held faculty seminars that included a fact sheet with a remarkably forthright list of dos and don’ts. Asking a student of Latino descent where he or she is from is a “microaggression” that creates a “hostile environment.” So too is mistaking a female doctor for a nurse. Other evils include making such statements as “affirmative action is racist” or “men and women have equal opportunities for achievement.” The average Spectator reader probably “microaggresses” on a regular basis, which is why few of you noticed my evil remark above. I referred to “he or she.” One young person I know, a freshperson at a California public university, told me about the orientation program she/he/it was required to attend. Students were told not to make any assumptions about anyone’s gender. Using gender-specific pronouns is a definite no-no. It’s not just California. As one news report explained, “Students in at least one Rutgers University residence hall are being encouraged to use only language that is ‘helpful’ and ‘necessary’ to avoid committing microaggressions.” That’s right. Keep your eyes to the ground or stare blankly ahead of you. Don’t make jokes or engage in human contact. And you’ll be OK — safe for yet another day from the U. S. equivalent of the “mutaween,” the Iranian religious police. After the University of California brouhaha last year, a spokesperson in the university’s Office of the President assured me “no one is prohibited from making statements such as ‘America is a melting pot.’” The seminars were voluntary, the office said, and were designed to “make people aware of how their words or actions may be interpreted.” No one really thinks the UC system has its own PC police, but it’s clear such seminars create an atmosphere hostile to free expression. How many students — or non-tenured faculty members — are going to take the risk? After media outlets mocked the university, it scrubbed the fact sheet from its website. But the office still has plenty of related literature on its site regarding microaggressions and “critical race theory,” which the taxpayer- supported system suggests for faculty. That theory gave rise to the fad-ish thinking about “white privilege.” This isn’t a benign approach designed to promote equality and root out prejudices. It’s a leftist racial theory that rejects colorblindness, neutrality, and merit- based policies. In trying to create a society that applies the laws equally to all people, white Americans are creating a new tool of oppression, supporters say. The term “microaggression” always seemed odd. If theorists have to focus on unseen, hard-to-perceive, and even well-intended slights, there must be little at a macro level worth worrying about. But “critical race theorists” see the little stuff as the biggest problem: “Probably the most grievous of offensive mechanisms spewed at victims of racism and sexism are microaggressions,” according to a quotation in one article recommended by the University of California. These are the worst offenses because they are so deeply rooted in society and enmeshed in our psychology that they are hard to notice. The theorists’ answer is a race-based society, filled with reparations and self-flagellation by privileged majorities — and, ultimately, more segregation. This year’s biggest PC university scandal takes place at California State University-Los Angeles, which has established “‘black-only’ co-ed housing in response to demands from African-American students seeking refuge from what they consider insensitive remarks and ‘microaggressions’ from their white classmates,” according to a recent report on Fox News. The Halisi Scholars Black Living-Learning Community is open to everyone, according to university officials. But the goal is segregationist. A Los Angeles Times article reports that this approach is nothing new: “UC Berkeley has seven communities that each offer housing themed around a specific community, including Native Americans, Asian Pacific Americans and African Americans.” Private Stanford University in Palo Alto has 20 ethnically themed houses, per the report. Is this supposed to make us feel better about the situation? Don’t confuse California State University-Los Angeles with the University of California at Los Angeles. The latter is a highly competitive place, part of the premier University of California system. It has an 18-percent acceptance rate — and draws from straight-A students across the nation. It embodies every problem one will find in an elite university, but it is an elite university. Presumably, kids who get a degree in “oppression studies” at least have enough privilege to fall back on when they find few postgraduate career prospects. Cal States are the gargantuan public universities whose 21 campuses primarily serve their geographic regions. Cal State LA accepts 61 percent of its applicants, from mostly poor and working-class areas. The student population is 61-percent Latino, 7.6-percent white, and 4.2-percent African- American. It’s highly unlikely that white “privilege” is a dominant cultural force there. I wonder if this is a reflection of the common black versus Latino tensions in the LA-area high schools from which this university draws its student body. Are we sure we want to keep going down this race-based route? The mirror image of the microaggression movement is, of course, the newly emergent “alt right,” which is “inclined to prioritize the interests of their tribe,” according to a Breitbart news article co-authored by one of its thought leaders, Milo Yiannopoulos. It’s no surprise the failure of our universities (and our society in general) to withstand repugnant leftist separatism is driving the brash re-emergence of repugnant rightist racialism. During a trip last week to Santa Fe, New Mexico, I read the words on the obelisk in the plaza: “To the heroes who have fallen in various battles with ——– Indians in the territories of New Mexico.” The word missing: “savage.” A brass plaque was added in the 1970s explaining that the “Monument texts reflect the character of the times in which they are written.… Thus, we see on this monument, as in other records, the use of such terms as ‘savage’ ….” Except we don’t see the word, because it was later inelegantly chiseled out of the marble by a vandal and the word was never replaced. This, apparently, is the path our nation is taking — one that tries to stamp out aggressions large and small, rather than facing up to our history, warts and all. But there may still be hope for colorblindness, regardless of how our universities continue to behave. After leaving the plaza, my daughter purchased a souvenir from a Native American… who happened to be wearing a Washington Redskins cap.

2016-09-08 13:09 Steven Greenhut spectator.org

92 Chechen special ops center to invite US instructors, train Chinese commandos — RT News The sophisticated training facility in the southern Russian city of Gudermes is to be officially opened this autumn, but it has already attracted much attention from elite counter- terrorism units from all over the world, said Daniil Martynov, the head of the Chechen Republic’s aide in charge of law enforcement agencies. “We will invite US-based private experts with experience in, say, shooting training, to conduct workshops,” Martynov told RIA Novosti on Wednesday. “We collect the best [training] practices from all across the world and then integrate them at our center,” he added. Officially called the International Special Forces Training Center, the four- square-kilometer site features sophisticated live-fire facilities, including a live-fire kill house simulating a residential area, as well as a variety of typical urban environments, according to RIA Novosti. Over 200 Chechen and international instructors will train their students in hostage rescue, urban warfare, anti-insurgency warfare, and industrial climbing. The training facility has drawn much attention from other countries, Martynov stressed. “We have already discussed and launched cooperation with our Chinese partners; they are quite interested in working with us and sendinb their personnel. “Chinese [Special Forces] operators will arrive once the center is inaugurated. In addition, we plan to send our delegation to China this autumn to share experience,” he said. Martynov said the training center “has close ties with colleagues from Kazakhstan and Belarus,” adding that “Middle Eastern countries are interested, too, for instance, our friends from the UAE.” The choice of the location for the center can be explained by the region’s troubled neighborhood. Chechnya, which saw two major counter-terrorism operations in one decade, still struggles with Islamist radicals and their affiliates, though a remarkable effort has been made to end the long-lasting unease. Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya’s leader, has consistently said that his region remains at the forefront of Russia’s fight against terrorism. “Russian Armed Forces made the terrorists run with their tails between their legs in Syria,” he recently wrote on Instagram, commenting on a nine-minute video released by Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL) in which the terrorist group threatening to unleash jihad on Russia. “The terrorists’ days are numbered. We can completely destroy [IS] in its own lair and if anyone decided to start moving towards Russia, we would interrupt this raid very far from our borders!” he stated.

2016-09-08 13:09 www.rt.com

93 Haim Katz offers compromise on Shabbat train work Labor and Social Affair Minister Haim Katz announced Thursday that there will be limited Israel Railways work on Shabbat. "This Shabbat there will be essential maintenance work in order to ensure that trains will run properly and safely for all their passengers," Katz said in a statement. "I instructed Israel Railways management to enable any worker who does not want to work on Shabbat to refrain from doing so, whether he is secular or haredi (ultra-Orthodox). Be the first to know - Join our Facebook page. A spokesman for United Torah Judaism head Ya'acov Litzman declined to respond. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the crisis regarding work by Israel Railways on Shabbat to be over Tuesday, after the High Court of Justice issued an interim order permitting the work to continue, and stating that any order to the contrary is invalid. Speaking to reporters at a news conference on Tuesday alongside Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at The Hague, Netanyahu said that he respects the decision of the Court, and that he was glad the issue was resolved. Netanyahu added that he would abide with the court’s request that in the future, Katz (Likud) would determine what work could be done on Shabbat, and the rest of the work would be done during the week. Think others should know about this? Please share | |

2016-09-08 13:20 GIL HOFFMAN www.jpost.com

94 3 killed in Carroll County plane crash Just One More Thing... We have sent you a verification email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your profile. If you do not receive the verification message within a few minutes of signing up, please check your Spam or Junk folder.

2016-09-08 13:12 Ellen Eldridge www.ajc.com

95 Sachin Tendulkar shows up in 'mundu' for Kerela Blasters jersey unveiling Cricket legend and Kerala Blasters owner Sachin Tendulkar at the unveiling of the Kerala Blasters jersey. All Pics/ PTI Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar made a different style statement during the jersey unveiling of his Indian Super League team Kerela Blasters. The Mumbai batting maestro appeared in a 'mundu' along with co-owners Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna among others. Sachin Tendulkar seemed more than comfortable in the Kerela-style garment and was all smiles. These pictures below say it all. Sachin Tendulkar with co- owners of the team Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna at the unveiling Sachin Tendulkar along with co-owners Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna, Industrialists Nimmagadda Prasad, film producer Allu Aravind, Director of the Muthoot Pappachan Group Thomas George Muthoot and Executive Director Pappachan Group Thomas Muthoot, taking a selfie Sachin Tendulkar also took to Twitter to post a picture along with the team. He captioned it: All geared up for this season... Are you? #YellowMeinKhelo with @KBFCOfficial. Kerela Blasters also made some changes to their team with former Manchester United player Stephen Coppell stepping into the role as their coach.

2016-09-08 13:02 By mid www.mid-day.com

96 Oscar’s psychologist lambastes Die Antwoord's controversial new video Die Antwoord shocked fans and critics recently when the music video for their latest single Banana Brain seemed to poke fun at Oscar's shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. Responding to the video, Dr Löre Hartzenberg took to Twitter to lambaste the group for the video. Reposting a link to a Times Live article on the video, Dr Löre wrote: "Anything to make money out of the tragedy of Oscar and Reeva. Shame on Die Antwoord. Shame on you. " She went on tolabel the artists as "a music group that will do anything to be controversial to sell their music. " Speaking to You magazine, Dr Löre called the video "totally unacceptable and inappropriate. " "To me it is totally unacceptable and inappropriate. It blurs the lines and I don’t believe that they have the reputation to take on something like this,” she said. She said that the video has the potential to create even more hatred in a case that is already a powder keg of emotions. "I’m not saying that art needs to be put into boxes, but a video like this can stir up hate. There are already so many irrational thoughts and feelings involved in this case – nobody is sitting on the fence. Everyone has an opinion," she added. Dr Löre Hartzenberg examined Oscar prior to his trial and also testified during the court case.

2016-09-08 13:00 TMG Entertainment www.timeslive.co.za

97 Msimanga lays criminal charges against erstwhile senior ANC officials Charges of corruption were laid based on two forensic reports Msimanga had in his possession. Those involved could only be named once they had been formally charged‚ said Msimanga‚ who is the DA’s first mayor in South Africa’s official capital city and seat of government. The three officials no longer held their high office in the City of Tshwane‚ where one was a most senior official in former mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa’s private office‚ and another a senior procurement official‚ Msimanga said. “This is just the first set of corruption charges to be laid. There is a web of corruption that I am uncovering‚ and there will be more charges against more officials and former leaders to come. I am determined to cut out corruption in Tshwane decisively‚” he said. Msimanga said the forensic reports were compiled by external audit companies and dealt with corruption‚ fraud and wanton misuse of public money in two projects – R90m spent on the City Hall project and over- expenditure in the mayoral residence project. The former included upgrades to Ramokgopa’s office‚ which damaged the historic building and left it unsuitable for use‚ Msimanga said‚ also claiming that the upgrades did not justify the enormous price-tag. “I’ve laid charges of corruption because I promised the people of Tshwane to cut out corruption‚ and to pursue those who previously led a corrupt administration.” Last week‚ while giving a report during a council meeting‚ Msimanga pulled out from his bag what he said where forensic reports. He waved them in the direction of ANC councillors‚ saying: “Let me explain to the house why there is this boiling thing that is happening across us. You see‚ I am sitting with reports that are starting to shine some light on some of the dealings that have been taking place.” He said he had five reports which he claimed had been “suppressed for the longest time”. Msimanga told ANC councillors that the city was coming for them. “Some will change their suits into the orange uniform very soon.” ANC councillors at the time challenged Msimanga to reveal the details of the reports‚ saying if there were allegations of corruption he should refer the matter to the police.

2016-09-08 12:59 Genevieve Quintal www.timeslive.co.za

98 Maphatsoe defends veterans’ role in #OccupyLuthuliHouse protest The protesters handed over a memorandum to ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe despite attempts by members of the MKMVA to prevent this happening. The protesters called for‚ among other demands‚ the immediate resignations of ANC president Jacob Zuma and the party’s national executive committee. “We are not a militia. One of our aims is to play an important role in the life of the ANC‚ but one of our resolutions that we took in 2012…was to make sure that at all times we defend (the) ANC and we will continue doing that until (a) conference changes that resolution‚” Maphatsoe told SAfm’s #ForumAt8 on Thursday morning. Maphatsoe‚ who is also deputy minister of defence and military veterans‚ denied that his members acted in a heavy-handed manner. “They did not touch even a single member of #OccupyLuthuliHouse. There was command and control‚” Maphatsoe said. “With the journalists there was miscommunication‚ and I said during the week that we apologise for what happened on Monday to our journalists‚ it should not have happened.” He also denied that MKMVA prevented Mantashe from accepting the memorandum. “I was there. I am the one who picked (up Mantashe) from the office and the comrades were doing a guard of honour. There was never a point where MKMVA tried to stop (Mantashe) from accepting the memorandum.” When asked whether the MKMVA was in support of a particular faction of the ANC‚ Maphatsoe said his members did not act against any member of the party. “The message that was issued by #OccupyLuthulihouse prompted us to take a resolution that we cannot allow our movement and our offices and the leadership of the ANC and the staff not to function properly‚ do their day-today work‚ because of ill-disciplined people who are not following the procedures and processes of the ANC‚” he said. Maphatsoe said disciplined members of the ANC knew that if they wanted to raise any issue with the party‚ the procedure was for them to go to the region or province level to do so. “We would have understood if they have marched to the provincial office of the ANC and said: ‘Look we have got views we want you to take our views to the leadership of the African National Congress‚’ but not to use threats like you want to occupy‚” Maphatsoe said. Maphatsose said the ANC in Gauteng‚ where the marchers came from‚ distanced itself from “those people”. “It is not a factional matter. It is just an ill-discipline issue.”

2016-09-08 12:57 Ernest Mabuza www.timeslive.co.za

99 Palestinian High Court suspends municipal elections The Palestinian High Court of Justice ordered the suspension of the Palestinian municipal elections in the West Bank and Gaza until an undetermined date. The elections were supposed to take place in 416 locales on October 8. Be the first to know - Join our Facebook page. The High Court’s decision comes in response to a petition submitted by a Palestinian lawyer, Nael al- Houh to suspend the elections because they will not be held in Jerusalem, according to Ma'an, a Palestinian news site. The court said it will reconvene on December 21 to discuss the petition. Just this morning, a Hamas-supervised appeals court in Gaza disqualified five Fatah lists running in the municipal elections in Khan Younis, al-Qarar, al-Fukhari, Absan al-Kabira, and al-Shawka. Earlier this week, the Palestinian Central Elections Commission disqualified four other Fatah lists, meaning Fatah is currently not competing in nine of 25 locales in Gaza. Fatah does not recognize the legitimacy of the legal institutions in the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control over the coastal enclave in 2007. Fatah Spokesman Fayez Abu Aitah condemned the Gazan court's decision this morning. “Disqualifying these lists constitutes a massacre carried out by the Hamas courts against Fatah lists in Gaza,” Abu Aitah said. Think others should know about this? Please share | |

2016-09-08 12:54 ADAM RASGON www.jpost.com

100 How's this for motivation? Athletics couple say the one who earns less in 2016 must pay for end-of-year holiday A stress fracture in the third metatarsal of her left foot stands between her and the R160‚000 prize for the overall winner of the Spar Women’s Grand Prix 10km. Van Zyl tops the series leaderboard with 70 points amassed from three victories‚ just six points ahead of Lebogang Phalula. Rio Olympians Christine Kalmer is third on 58 points and Lebo Phalula fourth on 55. Van Zyl‚ who had to withdraw from the Olympic marathon the day before the race‚ has been cycling and swimming to keep fit. “It’s getting better‚” she said at the launch of the race decider at the Wanderers club on October 9. “Last week I was still in pain‚ but I will try again on Friday on the ultra-G [an anti-gravity treadmill that reduces a person’s weight] and hopefully on the road next week.” She’s also been going for treatment in a hyperbaric chamber‚ where she gets to breathe pure oxygen that helps recovery‚ although it gets expensive at R800 a pop. “I’ve had 20 sessions — it’s eating all my money up‚” she said with a laugh. Victory next month will also see the mother-of-one win a bet with hurdler hubby LJ van Zyl‚ where the one who earns the least prize money this year must pay for the end-of-year holiday. But she also has a deep desire to bury the disappointment of Rio. After failing to finish the marathon at the London Games four years ago‚ Van Zyl now has an Olympic Did Not Start. She couldn’t hold back the tears as she spoke about the pain of Rio. "It (winning the series) is important to me".

2016-09-08 12:50 David Isaacson www.timeslive.co.za

Total 100 articles. Created at 2016-09-08 18:02