USA Mix Created at 2016-09-21 12:01

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USA mix 100 articles, created at 2016-09-21 12:01

1 Violent protests after fatal police shooting Tw elve officers have been injured during continuing protests in a North Carolina city sparked by the fatal police shooting of an African-American man, officials said on Wednesday. 2016-09-21 09:30 3KB www.timeslive.co.za (2.58/3)

2 3 Things to Watch for From the Federal Reserve on Wednesday Not quite yet. That's the decision the Federal Reserve is expected to deliver

(2.12/3) Wednesday w hen it announces to the financial w orld w hether it w ill resume raising interest rates now — or w ait until later, perhaps sometime soon. Most economists say they think the Fed w ants more time to... 2016-09-21 12:01 6KB abcnews.go.com

3 Watson, Ramirez Lend Glitz to UN Gender Equality Event Emma Watson cheered the possibility of the U. S. electing its first female president. Edgar Ramirez questioned a "macho" w orld that teaches boys to suppress emotions

(1.22/3) and dominate w omen. The actors roused up a glitzy and high-pow ered crow d at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan on Tuesday... 2016-09-21 12:01 4KB abcnews.go.com

4 Report: Staff Shortages Hamper US Wildlife Refuges Hundreds of national w ildlife refuges that provide critical habitat for migratory birds and other species are crippled by a staffing shortage that has curtailed educational

(1.16/3) programs, hampered the fight against invasive species and w eakened security at facilities that attract nearly 50 million... 2016-09-21 12:01 5KB abcnews.go.com

5 US bomber lands in South Korea in show of force An American strategic bomber landed in South Korea on Wednesday in a show of force the US said w as aimed at reminding Pyongyang of its pow erful military assets in the region. 2016-09-21 09:34 2KB www.timeslive.co.za (1.14/3)

6 Google launches Allo — a messaging app that'll make Facebook jealous Google's new messaging app Allo incorporates the Google search function in a smart (1.08/3) and useful w ay. 2016-09-21 12:01 6KB rss.cnn.com

7 Analysis: Ghosts of Netanyahu-Obama meetings past PM, US president are set to meet Wednesday in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. 2016-09-21 11:02 9KB www.jpost.com

(1.08/3)

8 Duterte only ordered ’window shopping’ for weapons in China–Visaya There w as no order from President Rodrigo Duterte to buy w eaponry from China but only to go “w indow shopping” there, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of (1.02/3) staff Gen. Ricardo Visaya said 2016-09-21 12:01 2KB globalnation.inquirer.net 9 LOOK: Affidavits vs De Lima over alleged Bilibid drug trade High-profile inmates and former subordinates testified against Sen. Leila de Lima and (1.02/3) linked her to illegal drug trade in the ongoing inquiry of the House of Representatives on the proliferation 2016-09-21 12:01 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

10 De Lima ally says drug lords getting back at senator It’s payback time for the drug lords w ho w ere hit by the campaign of the past administration to clean up the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP), as they now try to link Senator 2016-09-21 12:01 5KB newsinfo.inquirer.net (1.01/3) Leila de Lima to the

11 Army troops rescue trader abducted in Zamboanga del Norte Army soldiers on Wednesday morning rescued a businessw oman abducted by armed (1.00/3) men in Zamboanga del Norte last Monday. Initial reports from the military said that the soldiers from the Army’s 2016-09-21 12:01 1KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

12 90-year-old widow raped in Kerala In a shocking incident, a 90-year-old w idow, w ho is a cancer patient, has been raped here in Kerala by a man w ho w as armed w ith a knife, police said on Wednesday (0.01/3) 2016-09-21 12:01 1KB www.mid-day.com

13 6 electrocuted, 25 injured as bus touches high tension wire in Dhenkanal At least six persons died and 25 others suffered burn injuries w hen the bus carrying

(0.01/3) them came in contact w ith a high tension electric w ire in Odisha's Dhenkanal district today, a police officer said 2016-09-21 12:01 2KB www.mid-day.com

14 Two men killed in Ecija buy bust CABANATUAN CITY Tw o drug suspects w ere killed in a clash w ith policemen during a buybust operation at Tuesday daw n. Angelito Quiambao, 35, and Ariel Malabuyoc, 38, initiated the 2016-09-21 12:01 1KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

15 DND meets with Russia to explore possible military cooperation The Philippines has reached out to global pow er Russia to strengthen military capability amid lingering South China Sea disputes, threats of terrorism, and transnational crimes. Philippine 2016-09-21 12:01 4KB globalnation.inquirer.net

16 Spanish investors eye PH rail projects The governments of the Philippines and Spain w ould sign an agreement to intensify economic and financial cooperation, especially as Spanish investors eye participation in rail projects here, the 2016-09-21 12:01 4KB business.inquirer.net

17 AC Milan wins consecutive games for 1st time since February MILAN — AC Milan has w on consecutive Serie A matches for the first time since February. The Rossoneri beat visiting Lazio 2-0 on Tuesday to follow up a 1-0 w in over Sampdoria on 2016-09-21 12:01 1KB sports.inquirer.net

18 Del Potro says will be fit for ‘dream’ final Injury-plagued Juan Martin del Potro said on Tuesday that he expects to be fit for Argentina's "dream" Davis Cup final in November after the thrilling victory over holders Great 2016-09-21 12:01 2KB sports.inquirer.net 19 WATCH: Drone surfing is the future of extreme sports Looks kitesurfing is out and drone surfing is in. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), also know n as drones, as a recreational w ater sport is the latest technology fad among thrill 2016-09-21 12:01 2KB technology.inquirer.net

20 Pacquiao on De Lima: ‘I pity her’ Senator Manny Pacquiao can only offer sympathy for Senator Leila de Lima, w ho w as ousted as chair of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, upon his motion. “Naaaw a nga ako sa 2016-09-21 12:01 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

21 Manchester City's Yaya Toure retires from international football Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure on Tuesday announced his retirement from international football 2016-09-21 12:01 1KB www.mid-day.com

22 Obama hits at populist strongmen in last UN address UNITED NATIONS—President Barack Obama used his farew ell UN address Tuesday to castigate strongmen and populists, taking aim at Vladimir Putin's Soviet nostalgia and Donald Trump's rise 2016-09-21 12:01 5KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

23 2016: The year love died in Hollywood LOS ANGELES, United States -- The imminent divorce of "Brangelina" is the latest in a series of celebrity splits giving the impression that the average Hollyw ood marriage has about as 2016-09-21 12:01 5KB entertainment.inquirer.net

24 Oracle picks Maharashtra for Smart City digital initiative Announcing its first move on the Indian government's Smart City project, the $37-billion tech giant Oracle Corp has chosen Maharashtra to accelerate the states digital transformation and set up a Centre for Excellence there 2016-09-21 12:01 4KB www.mid- day.com

25 Samsung suffers backlash in China over smartphone response BEIJING (AP) — Liu Jingtang w as a Samsung loyalist. The Shanghai technology consultant traded up steadily through its smartphones to the new Note 7. But Liu’s devotion w as shaken by the Korean tech giant’s confusing… 2016-09-21 12:01 6KB wtop.com

26 Beijing: Gay man sues hospital for attempting to change his sexuality A gay man has filed a law suit against a hospital in Central China's Henan province alleging that he w as forced to undergo treatment for 2016-09-21 12:01 2KB www.mid- day.com

27 Owner who posted 'Muslims get out' sign invited to US mosque A restaurant ow ner in the US, w ho had put up a 2016-09-21 12:01 2KB www.mid-day.com

28 Ex-soldier jailed for 30 years for terror plot A former National Guard soldier w as sentenced to 30 years in prison for his part in a thw arted plot to carry out a deadly attack against his fellow soldiers at an armoury outside of Chicago in the US 2016-09-21 12:01 1KB www.mid-day.com 29 Albuquerque police make strides in 2 years since s ALBUQUERQUE, N. M. (AP) — Albuquerque police botched a standoff tw o years ago that led to the death of a mentally ill homeless camper, missing the opportunity to calm a volatile situation and shooting the man… 2016-09-21 12:01 4KB wtop.com

30 Reports: Outside groups spending big to help Trump, Clinton WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton say they raised record amounts of money in August for their presidential bids — a total of $233 million just in one month. And w ealthy donors are… 2016-09-21 12:01 7KB wtop.com

31 Man shot in East Chatham A 26-year-old man w as shot Tuesday night in the East Chatham neighborhood on the South Side. 2016-09-21 12:01 826Bytes chicago.suntimes.com

32 CPD officer saves life by bonding over football A Columbia Police officer is now being credited w ith saving a man's life after they bonded over football. 2016-09-21 12:01 2KB rss.cnn.com

33 Mississippi state flags confiscated at Ole Miss game Controversy w as brew ing over the Mississippi State flag displayed this w eekend at the Ole Miss/Alabama game. The University stepped in to take action, w hich is causing quite a stir on social media... 2016-09-21 12:01 1KB rss.cnn.com

34 Lawyers for slain Tulsa man: Drug discussion a distraction Crutcher's family's law yers said relatives didn't know if drugs w ere found in his SUV and, even if they w ere, that w ouldn't justify his fatal shooting 2016-09-21 12:01 7KB chicago.suntimes.com

35 10 killed in Indonesia flood, landslides At least 10 persons w ere killed, three w ent missing and 30 injured as flashfloods and landslides struck West Java province in Indonesia overnight and Wednesday morning, a disaster agency spokesman said 2016-09-21 12:01 1KB www.mid-day.com

36 India's 500th Test celebration: mid-day picks the Greatest XI India w ill play it 500th Test in Kanpur on 22 September and to celebrate the grand occasion w e have decided to play selector and pick India's Greatest Test side. Here our Dream XI 2016-09-21 12:01 8KB www.mid-day.com

37 No reports of clashes as truce between Reds, PH gov’t holds The ceasefire betw een the Philippine government and the communist rebels remains holding w ith no reports of major clashes and incidents after almost a month since the resumption of peace negotiations, 2016-09-21 12:01 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 38 Orioles stumble at the plate in another 5-2 loss to Red Sox BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles’ offense is sputtering, and — not coincidentally — so is the team’s hope of overtaking first-place Boston in the AL East. David Ortiz broke open a tight game w ith… 2016-09-21 12:01 4KB wtop.com

39 Denmark sees looming shortage of skilled workers COPENHAGEN, Denmark — After a lackluster recovery from the 2008 financial crisis, Denmark's central bank has w arned that the labor market faces a squeeze as unemployment falls, the population 2016-09-21 12:01 4KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

40 2-headed calf named Lucky born on Adair Co. farm The calf's ow ner said the unusual animal has been eating w ith both mouths. 2016-09-21 12:01 1KB rss.cnn.com

41 Ajay Shirke re-elected unopposed as BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke w as re-elected as unopposed secretary at the 87th Annual General Meeting of the BCCI w hich w as held today 2016-09-21 12:01 1KB www.mid-day.com

42 Court to Take up Issue of Murder Victim's Privacy The New Hampshire Supreme Court w ill be deciding w hether or not a murder victim's sexual past should remain private. Elizabeth "Lizzi" Marriott, of Westborough, Massachusetts, w as a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of New Hampshire w hen she w as killed in 2012. Seth Mazzaglia... 2016-09-21 12:01 1KB abcnews.go.com

43 13-foot alligator caught in Ashley River in Summerville - Live5News.com A first-time alligator hunter landed a major catch Sunday from the Ashley River in Summerville. 2016-09-21 12:01 1KB rss.cnn.com

44 Suriname Slides Into Economic Abyss, in Shadow of Venezuela It is a South American nation in crisis: Businesses are closing, food prices are soaring and hospitals are running out of basic supplies such as paper tow els and bandages. No, this isn't Venezuela but rather nearby Suriname, a multi-ethnic former Dutch colony w here the economy is in... 2016-09-21 12:01 6KB abcnews.go.com

45 CPD to hire nearly 1,000 cops to combat surge in Chicago violence The Chicago Police Department w ill launch a tw o-year hiring blitz that w ill add 970 police officers to confront a 50 percent spike in homicides. 2016-09-21 12:01 7KB chicago.suntimes.com

46 Today in History: Sept. 21 Here's a look at things that have happened on Sept. 21. 2016-09-21 12:00 4KB wtop.com 47 Telangana: Speeding car kills man, driver travels with body on the roof In a case of shocking inhumanity in Telangana, a speeding car driver knocked dow n a man, and claimed his life on Monday. But, w hile that w as apathetic in itself, w hat follow ed w as w orse 2016-09-21 11:59 1KB www.mid-day.com

48 Massive diamond mine opens in Canada’s far north YELLOWKNIFE, Canada—De Beers officially opened one of the w orld's largest diamond mines on Tuesday near the Arctic Circle in Canada's remote far north. The Gahcho Kue mine is 2016-09-21 11:57 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

49 Saudi pilot presses hijack alarm accidentally, triggers panic in Philippines A pilot of a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight pressed a hijack alarm accidentally, w hich triggered a major security response at Manila airport on Tuesday, according to some media reports 2016-09-21 11:47 2KB www.mid-day.com

50 S. Korea questions ‘serial offender’ N. Korea’s UN membership UNITED NATIONS — North Korea's repeated flouting of UN Security Council resolutions by conducting nuclear and missile tests calls into question its suitability for membership of the w orld 2016-09-21 11:44 5KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

51 Social media drop jaunty #Brangelina, Jennifer Aniston memes Hollyw ood high-profile couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are reported to be divorcing after tw o years of marriage, and social media can't help but w ail over the couple's marriage 2016-09-21 11:38 1KB technology.inquirer.net

52 UN chief and US president toast each other for last time UNITED NATIONS — It w as a unique event for the United Nations laced w ith nostalgia, humor and tributes — the secretary-general and the U. S. president toasting each other for the last time in 2016-09-21 11:22 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

53 Shocking: Stalker throws woman off balcony in Delhi for 'refusing' marriage proposal In a shocking incident, a 21-year-old w oman w as allegedly pushed off the balcony of her house by a man, after she 'refused' to accept his marriage proposal in outer Delhi's Mongolpuri area 2016-09-21 11:12 2KB www.mid-day.com

54 Archeologists find war-era artifacts in Nazi time capsule in Poland. Copies of "Mein Kampf", new spapers, coins and more w ere found in a Polish tow n that once belonged to Germany during World War II. 2016-09-21 10:59 1KB www.jpost.com

55 No Maharashtra players selected for India's World Cup kabaddi team Indian team announced for next month's Kabaddi World Cup has no players from Maharashtra despite there being six state players in the 26 probables 2016-09-21 10:48 2KB www.mid-day.com 56 Can you believe this? China's richest dog owns 8 new iPhone 7s! Coco the Alaskan Malamute, ow ned by the son of China's richest man, Wang Jianlin, w as pictured seated next to her 8 new iPhone 7s! Apart from the iPhones, Coco also ow ns tw o solid gold Apple smartw atches 2016-09-21 10:48 1KB www.mid-day.com

57 MSSA U-16 hockey: Children's Academy beat St Anne's 7-0 Children's Academy (Malad) secured an easy 7-0 victory against St Anne's (Orlem) in the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) Ahmed Sailor League cum knockout U- 16 inter-school hockey tournament at MHAL- Mahindra Stadium in Churchgate yesterday 2016-09-21 10:46 1KB www.mid-day.com

58 Rs 35 lakh prize money on offer for Vasai-Virar marathon The 6th Vasai Virar Mayor's Marathon, a national level event to be run on December 11, has offered a total prize fund of Rs 35 lakh across all categories 2016-09-21 10:44 1KB www.mid-day.com

59 American lawmakers introduce Act to designate Pakistan a State Sponsor of terrorism A bipartisan group of tw o pow erful American law makers has introduced an act in the US House of Representatives to designate Pakistan a State Sponsor of terrorism 2016-09-21 10:42 3KB www.mid-day.com

60 ‘Misery’ actress Kathy Bates gets Walk of Fame star LOS ANGELES—US actress Kathy Bates, best know n for her portrayal of an obsessed fan in "Misery," accepted a star on Tuesday on the Hollyw ood Walk of Fame and dedicated the honor to a 2016-09-21 10:42 2KB entertainment.inquirer.net

61 Duterte gives go signal for Martial Law remembrance activities Go ahead. President Rodrigo Duterte is encouraging activities to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the declaration of martial law but it should not cause public inconvenience. "The 2016-09-21 10:32 1KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

62 Trump slams ‘Trojan horse’ migrants, son sparks outrage NEW YORK—Donald Trump's hardline stance on immigration after tw o bombings in the New York area again sparked debate on the White House campaign trail Tuesday, as his son caused a firestorm 2016-09-21 10:27 5KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

63 Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier The city — sliced, diced and served w ith a dash of sauce 2016-09-21 10:20 4KB www.mid-day.com

64 UN suspends all humanitarian convoys in Syria after attack The UN said yesterday it had suspended all humanitarian aid convoys in Syria after a deadly air raid hit 18 of the 31 trucks delivering aid near Aleppo, killing 12 Red Crescent staff members 2016-09-21 10:20 2KB www.mid-day.com 65 Donand Trump gives 'aid, comfort' to IS recruiters: Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton is accusing Donald Trump of giving “aid and comfort” to Islamic terrorists, declaring his anti-Muslim rhetoric helps the Islamic State group and other militants recruit new fighters 2016-09-21 10:19 1KB www.mid-day.com

66 Five of Cuba's national volleyball players jailed for gang rape Five members of Cuba's national volleyball team w ere jailed yesterday in Finland for a gang rape that took place during a Volleyball World League championship in July, a district court said 2016-09-21 10:18 1KB www.mid-day.com

67 Prince William says 'dark moments' in ambulance job Prince William has talked of ‘dark moments’ in his job as an air ambulance pilot as he spoke of the strength he takes from the camaraderie of being part of a four-person helicopter crew 2016-09-21 10:15 1KB www.mid-day.com

68 30th anniversary of 1986 tied Test: Kapil Dev's gem thrills Chepauk Kapil Dev induced a state of delirium among the faithful on the fourth morning by playing an innings of such pow er and precision that India averted the follow -on and so preserved the prestige w on on the playing fields of England (in 1986) 2016-09-21 10:13 4KB www.mid-day.com

69 Mumbai: Boss behind bars, Ashwin Naik gang members turn to petty theft With dreaded gangster Ashw in Naik in jail, out-of-w ork members of his gang have turned to robbery to make ends meet. The VP Road police recently arrested three in a failed robbery attempt at Kanbai Chaw l 2016-09-21 10:12 3KB www.mid-day.com

70 Canadian honour for Aga Khan Even as the northern hemisphere’s Islamophobia is scaling new heights follow ing the recent New York bombings, its neighbour Canada has aw arded the current and 49th head of the Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan, w ith the inaugural Adrienne Clarkson Prize for Global Citizenship that recognises leaders committed to... 2016-09-21 10:10 2KB www.mid-day.com

71 Pakistan crosses the line, Army sends 10 terrorists to hell Barely tw o days after the terror attack in Uri, tw o infiltration bids w ere made from across the border in Kashmir yesterday but they w ere foiled by the Army in an encounter in w hich 10 terrorists and a jaw an w ere killed 2016-09-21 10:09 1KB www.mid- day.com

72 UK Jewish center accused of being 'apologists for terror' after hosting Corbyn Jew ish community center is bombarded w ith abusive messages after the venue hosted a debate betw een the UK Labour leader and his party election rival, Ow n Smith. 2016-09-21 10:09 2KB www.jpost.com

73 Fans warn Khloe Kardashian's boyfriend Tristan Thompson: Don't become next Lamar Odom Nasty trolls have sent a strong w arning to Khloe Kardashian's new boyfriend Tristan Thompson after the couple w ent public w ith their relationship 2016-09-21 10:06 1KB www.mid-day.com 74 Daughters of jawan martyred in Uri keep promise they made to dad Displaying rare grit and composure, three daughters of martyred soldier S K Vidyarthi took their school exams to keep commitment they had made to their father that they w ould do good in studies 2016-09-21 10:05 1KB www.mid-day.com

75 Mumbai Crime: Three break-ins in 48 hours, Rs 50 lakh stolen Mumbai Crime, Mumbai, break-ins, robbery, Kandivli, Chembur, Grant Road, break-in case solved, Mumbai new s 2016-09-21 09:59 3KB www.mid-day.com

76 Chinese tycoon’s son spoils pet dog with 8 iPhone7s Coco the Alaskan malamute is one lucky and spoiled pet dog. Her ow ner, Wang Sicong, son of Chinese real estate mogul Wang Tianjin, bought her eight iPhone 7 phones on the same day it w as released 2016-09-21 09:58 1KB technology.inquirer.net

77 Brandon Marshall of Denver Broncos where ire is for unarmed man shot by police Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall w onders w hy people have been more upset about him kneeling during the national anthem than Oklahoma police killing an unarmed black man. 2016-09-21 09:57 3KB www.espn.com

78 Israeli activist heading for Gaza with protest flotilla Zohar Regev calls plan "non-violent, direct action" to convince Israel to lift blockade, "w ork out a solution. " 2016-09-21 09:56 4KB www.jpost.com

79 Students have 48 hours to secure medical seats in Maharashtra Candidates and their parents have just tw o days to cancel previous admissions and get back the original documents, w hich the private colleges are demanding for confirmation 2016-09-21 09:54 4KB www.mid-day.com

80 No confusion in BSc exam timetable, says Mumbai university After confusing students and parents alike w ith its timetable of first semester examination of Bachelor of Science (BSc), w hich had different papers on the same day and same time, the Mumbai university has said that the timetable is not w rong and that it w ill soon explain how 2016-09-21 09:51 2KB www.mid-day.com

81 League Cup: Will Jose Mourinho drop Wayne Rooney today? Jose Mourinho under pressure to drop struggling Rooney as Man United look to halt run of defeats w hen they face Northampton Tow n today 2016-09-21 09:50 2KB www.mid- day.com

82 Bombay HC demolishes Maharashtra's claims on removal of illegal shrines The court said state has failed in removing shrines even w hen it claimed in 2015 that it w ould demolish them by May this year; govt has sought time till December 2016-09-21 09:48 3KB www.mid-day.com 83 Obama flirts with Mideast peace push in final months When he came to pow er, he appeared to imply it w as one of his priorities. In reality, US President Barack Obama has made less headw ay than many of his peers trying to achieve Mideast peace. 2016-09-21 09:46 3KB www.timeslive.co.za

84 DR Congo warlord 'Terminator' breaks hunger strike at ICC Congolese former rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda has started eating again after an unprecedented nearly tw o-w eek hunger strike in his detention cell in The Netherlands, refusing to attend his w ar crimes trial. 2016-09-21 09:43 2KB www.timeslive.co.za

85 Rafael Nadal, Mo Farah defend their medical records Rafael Nadal and British Olympic great Mo Farah said they have nothing to hide after their medical records w ere the latest to be leaked by a cyber-hacking group on Monday 2016-09-21 09:42 1KB www.mid-day.com

86 Mumbai: Two abandoned newborn girls rescued Tw o new born girls w ere found abandoned at Kamothe in Navi Mumbai and Vishnu Nagar in Dombivli recently. Both w ere rescued and are being taken care of by cops 2016-09-21 09:42 2KB www.mid-day.com

87 I want to teach girls how to wrestle, says Sakshi Malik Rio Olympics bronze medalist Sakshi Malik is enjoying celebrity status, but has missed out on training after achieving the herculean feat 2016-09-21 09:40 2KB www.mid-day.com

88 NASA's black female mathematicians hit the big screen During the era of US racial segregation, a handful of black female mathematicians managed to break social barriers and propel the US space agency to new heights - and soon their story w ill be a major motion picture. 2016-09-21 09:39 5KB www.timeslive.co.za

89 South Indian actress robbed during Eurotrip A South Indian actress-model, Gehena Vasisth, w ho is currently in Europe, w as robbed a few days ago. The incident occurred w hen she w as on her w ay to Barcelona from France 2016-09-21 09:37 1KB www.mid-day.com

90 Is Cristiano Ronaldo dating Latino glamour model Desire Cordero? Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly dating Spanish glamour model Desire Cordero after exchanging private messages on social media 2016-09-21 09:37 1KB www.mid-day.com

91 Ishant Sharma down with Chikungunya The Indian team management finally announced that pace bow ler Ishant Sharma has contracted chikungunya and is unavailable for the first Test 2016-09-21 09:33 2KB www.mid-day.com

92 Mumbai road scam: Cops want to nail BMC's dirty dozen The special investigation team (SIT) probing the Mumbai road scam has sought BMC's permission to reportedly make as many as 16 more arrests and prosecute three already nabbed 2016-09-21 09:33 3KB www.mid-day.com 93 Let us do our work: Academics voice concern over UCT shutdown As the University of Cape Tow n (UCT) remained on lockdow n on Wednesday‚ tension rose among academics. 2016-09-21 09:33 2KB www.timeslive.co.za

94 Yaya Toure won't play until he says sorry: Pep Guardiola Manager Pep Guardiola said Yaya Toure w ill not play again for Man City until player's camp apologises for agent's comments 2016-09-21 09:32 960Bytes www.mid-day.com

95 BCCI officials attending AGM will be jailed: Aditya Verma The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to conduct its 87th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at its Mumbai headquarters today, but according to Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Aditya Verma, officials attending the AGM might find themselves in serious trouble 2016-09-21 09:26 2KB www.mid-day.com

96 Government must help universities pay for upkeep - Msimanga Government must help universities maintain their infrastructure to mitigate against rising costs, Tshw ane Mayor Solly Msimanga has said. 2016-09-21 09:26 2KB www.news24.com

97 Unable to secure bail, Thane rape accused killed self The 27-year-old inmate in Thane Central Jail, w ho committed suicide on Monday night, hung himself w ith a tow el in a toilet on the premises as he w as frustrated and depressed w ith his life inside 2016-09-21 09:22 2KB www.mid-day.com

98 Confusion over ‘who has the mandate for safety and security’ in Western Cape schools Schools have become breeding grounds for gangs w ith undercover recruiters masquerading as sw eet vendors. 2016-09-21 09:15 2KB www.timeslive.co.za

99 CCS likely to discuss Uri attack today The Cabinet Committee on Security is likely to discuss the attack in uri on Wednesday, informed sources said 2016-09-21 09:12 1KB www.mid-day.com

100 Trump used charity funds to pay legal settlements - report Donald Trump used funds from his charitable foundation to pay settlements in legal cases involving his businesses, an apparent violation of law s governing non-profits, The Washington Post reported. 2016-09-21 09:10 3KB www.news24.com Articles

USA mix 100 articles, created at 2016-09-21 12:01

1 /100 Violent protests after fatal police shooting (2.58/3) Demonstrators gathered late Tuesday near an apartment complex in the city of Charlotte where the shooting occurred, carrying signs that read "Black Lives Matter" and chanting "No justice, no peace! " local television reported.

Police officers wearing riot gear block a road during protests after police fatally shot Keith Lamont Scott in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Charlotte, North Carolina, U. S. September 20, 2016. Reuters

Media reported that several hundred people gathered to protest after the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, who was reported to be African-American as was the officer who killed him.

"Approximately 12 officers injured. One officer hit in face with a rock," read a tweet posted by the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department.

A separate police department tweet said the officers were "injured tonight working to protect our community during demonstration. "

News reports said an unspecified number of civilians have also been injured.

WSOC-TV reported that police donned riot gear and used tear gas as they tried to subdue the angry crowd, which authorities said attacked and damaged several police cars. The standoff continued, with dwindling numbers, into the early hours of Wednesday.

News reports said the officer involved in the shooting, Brentley Vinson, has been put on paid leave.

The television station said Vinson and other officers were searching for a suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant.

Police encountered Scott -- who was not the person they were seeking -- in a car parked at the building.

Officials said he had a firearm, which is not illegal under local law. A confrontation ensued and police, who said they felt threatened by Scott, opened fire and killed him. News reports gave his age as 43.

The dead man's relatives, interviewed by local media, said he was not carrying a gun but instead was holding a book in his hands when he was gunned down.

"The community deserves answers and full investigation will ensue," she wrote on Twitter.

"Will be reaching out to community leaders to work together. "

Protests ov er Charlotte Protesters conf ront police police shooting mov e to af ter shooting in Charlotte highway cbs46.com washingtontimes.com

2016-09-21 09:30 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

2 /100 3 Things to Watch for From the Federal Reserve on Wednesday (2.12/3) Not quite yet.

That's the decision the Federal Reserve is expected to deliver Wednesday when it announces to the financial world whether it will resume raising interest rates now — or wait until later, perhaps sometime soon.

Most economists say they think the Fed wants more time to evaluate the U. S. economy, measure the risks emanating from abroad and assess whether inflation will soon reach the policymakers' 2 percent target rate. In the end, most Fed watchers think the next rate increase won't come before December.

But no one knows for sure. The biggest question Wednesday is whether the Fed will hint at when it will next raise its key short-term rate — and, if so, how explicitly it will do so.

The answer — or at least the perceived answer — could come from the triple-dose of news the central bank will issue: A policy statement, updated economic forecasts and a news conference by Chair Janet Yellen.

Here are three things to watch for:

———

HINTS OF A COMING HIKE?

The Fed raised its key policy rate in December after leaving it at a record low near zero for seven years to help support a struggling economy. No further rate hikes have followed. For months, Fed watchers had speculated that the policymakers were preparing investors for a September rate increase. But that likelihood has faded as recent economic reports have turned out weaker than expected.

The betting is that there will be no rate hike now but that the Fed's statement will hint that a December increase is likely by sounding a more optimistic note about the economy. At their most recent policy meeting in late July, the Fed's policymakers noted that near-term risks to the economy had diminished.

If that language is strengthened — perhaps by noting, in Fed parlance, that the risks to the Fed's economic outlook appear "balanced" — that would be read as a signal that a rate hike could be coming soon.

Based on history, the Fed wants to prepare investors for a forthcoming rate increase and avoid having a small rate hike trigger a stock market plunge. Last year, at the meeting that preceded its move to raise rates in December, the Fed had said it would consider whether an increase would be appropriate at its next meeting. It was the first time the central bank had been so explicit in hinting when a rate hike might occur.

———

A DIMMER ECONOMIC VIEW?

The Fed will update its quarterly economic forecasts Wednesday. Look to see whether it bows to signs of sluggish expansion by forecasting that the economy will fail to grow even 2 percent this year. In its previous forecast in June, the Fed had downgraded its expectations for 2016 growth from 2.2 percent to 2 percent.

In June, the Fed had forecast that the unemployment rate would fall to 4.7 percent by the October-December quarter. It might pull back that assessment given that the jobless rate has remained 4.9 percent for three straight months. (More people have begun looking for work and haven't immediately found it, and their influx has raised the number of people counted as unemployed.)

Another hint of the Fed's thinking could come from any revamping of its inflation forecast. Does it foresee inflation rising meaningfully toward its 2 percent target? Inflation has remained stubbornly below that level for four years — a key factor in the Fed's reluctance to resume raising interest rates.

The Fed has said repeatedly that it expects inflation to rise to 2 percent within a couple of years as the effects of falling oil prices and a stronger dollar fade. In June, it said it expected to achieve its 2 percent inflation target in 2018. Look to see whether the central bank scales back that expectation. If it does, it might suggest no rate hike for a while.

———

THE DOT PLOT

The uncertainty swirling around the Fed isn't just about when it will next raise its benchmark interest rate. It's also about how fast it will continue to act once it resumes its rate increases. Look to the Fed's signature "dot plot" to see where its 17 policymakers envision rates in the coming months and years.

Back in December, when it raised its benchmark rate for the first time in seven years, Fed officials had indicated the likelihood of four additional modest increases in 2016. But in March, the Fed scaled back that forecast to just two increases this year. On Wednesday, the dot plot could be revised further to a forecast of just one rate hike during 2016, if, as expected, the Fed doesn't act this week.

Two more meetings will be held in 2016 — in early November and mid-December. The November meeting is expected to be off-limits for a hike given that it will be just one week before the elections. The Fed could lift spirits on Wall Street by projecting an even more gradual pace for future rate hikes. In June, Fed officials projected three increases in both 2017 and 2018 — a pace that would lift the benchmark rate to 2.4 percent by the end of 2018. That was down from its March estimate that the rate would be at 3 percent after 2018.

At her news conference, Yellen will likely be questioned about whatever the consensus view turns out to be for future rate hikes. Don't expect any firm answers. The Fed chair always stresses that the estimates are based on 17 individual projections and do not represent any official central-bank target.

3 things to watch f or f rom US dollar rises ahead of the Federal Reserv e on Federal Reserv e statement Wednesday mid-day.com cbs46.com

2016-09-21 12:01 By abcnews.go.com

3 /100 Watson, Ramirez Lend Glitz to UN Gender Equality Event (1.22/3) Emma Watson cheered the possibility of the U. S. electing its first female president. Edgar Ramirez questioned a "macho" world that teaches boys to suppress emotions and dominate women.

The actors roused up a glitzy and high-powered crowd at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan on Tuesday night to promote U. N. Women's HeForShe initiative to draw men into the fight for global gender equality.

The organization released a report detailing progress made by 10 universities around the world that have committed to redressing gender inequality in their institutions. It is part of a wider project convening 10 heads of state, 10 global corporate CEOs and 10 university presidents to take concrete action for gender parity.

Watson, the U. N. Women Global Goodwill Ambassador, drew whoops and cheers when she referenced the possibility of Hillary Clinton winning the U. S. presidential elections.

"I don't know if I would have believed you if you had told me two years ago before I made my HeforShe speech that we might have the first female president of the United States," said Watson, best known for her "Harry Potter" character Hermione Granger, the plucky bookworm whose wits frequently saved the day.

Watson also celebrated the fact that Britain has a woman prime minister in Theresa May.

Ramirez, a Venezuelan actor who starred in "The Liberator" and "Joy," gave an impassioned indictment of a world where "male adolescents are taught to be dominant, tough and disrespect women. " He said teaching boys to suppress their emotions creates taboos around male mental health , leads to depression and even violence.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finish President Sauli Niinisto also spoke. "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah served as presenter. The report on the 10 universities detailed stark gender disparities within the participating institutions. At Georgetown university, 74 percent of its leadership and 64 percent of its tenured professors are men. At the University of Oxford, just 23 percent of tenured professors and 38 percent of senior leadership are women.

The report highlighted imbalances within certain academic tracks and in fields of study chosen by female students compared to their male counterparts.

Stony Brook University President Samuel Stanley told The Associated Press his school has started anti-bias training for senior leaders and search committees in an effort to redress gender imbalances. Nearly two-thirds of tenured professors at the New York-based school are men, and a similar number make up its senior leadership.

Stanley said his own daughters have encountered difficulties while pursuing careers in sciences, including one who was asked by a colleague if she could bake cookies.

Watson, Ramirez lend glitz The Latest: Watson, to UN gender equality ev ent Ramirez bring glitz to UN cbs46.com women ev ent cbs46.com

2016-09-21 12:01 By abcnews.go.com

4 /100 Report: Staff Shortages Hamper US Wildlife Refuges (1.16/3) Hundreds of national wildlife refuges that provide critical habitat for migratory birds and other species are crippled by a staffing shortage that has curtailed educational programs, hampered the fight against invasive species and weakened security at facilities that attract nearly 50 million visitors annually, a group of public employees and law enforcement said Wednesday.

Staffing at the nation's 565 wildlife refuges and related properties shrank nearly 15 percent in the past decade, and more than one-third of those locations don't have any staff on site, the Washington, D. C.-based Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility said. More than half of the refuges no longer have their own manager and have been combined into massive "complexes" that are overseen by someone who might be hundreds of miles away, said Jeff Ruch, executive director of the nonprofit alliance.

The report raises concerns about low staffing levels given the recent armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in remote southeast Oregon. More than two dozen occupied the refuge's headquarters in January, launching a 41-day standoff with authorities that ended two weeks after one of them was fatally shot.

The occupiers were protesting the prosecution of two ranchers who set fires on federal lands. Seven of them are now on trial in federal court in Portland.

The crisis set off alarm bells and prompted officials to spend $6 million from an already tight budget to move law enforcement officers to preserves scattered in remote locations across the West, said David Houghton, president of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. Many refuges are patrolled by a single officer who covers several states.

Some refuge managers have since sent their law enforcement officers to additional training or updated security plans.

"People are paying attention to that whole dynamic. I only have one law enforcement officer here and she covers the entire range of refuges, and she's by herself," said Michelle Potter, who manages seven refuges and three other habitats in and around Long Island, New York. "I worry about safety. "

Vanessa Kauffman, a spokesman for U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, declined to comment on the study but did acknowledge a tight budget in a phone interview with the AP. The agency oversees the refuge system.

"The budget determines the staff, and if you have attrition and you have a shortened budget, you're not going to be able to replace staff," said Kauffman. "We do what we can. "

The refuges, as well as 178 other federally protected areas dedicated to waterfowl habitat and wetland preservation, attract 47.5 million visitors a year for bird-watching, hunting, fishing and educational activities, but their primary mission is the preservation of critical habitat for fragile species. Many, but not all, are in remote areas.

Because they are focused on wildlife preservation, refuges are less well known by the public than their flashier, selfie-friendly cousins at the National Park Service, yet they have expanded rapidly in recent years as funding has shrunk.

Since 2010, the overall refuge budget dropped by $17 million to $486 million while the system added more than 700 million acres, said Houghton.

Much of that expansion comes from the addition of two massive marine monuments, including one designated in the Atlantic Ocean last week by President Barack Obama that includes 5,000 square miles of underwater canyons and mountains off the New England coast.

Meanwhile, existing refuges are struggling to complete their mission with a staff so pared down that some can't keep on volunteers because there's no one to manage them.

In Rhode Island , for example, a refuge complex cut educational programs for school children by 20 percent, lost its visitor center manager and hasn't been able to treat huge swaths of land for invasive species.

Charlie Vandemoer oversees five refuges in Rhode Island but has security from only one officer who also patrols refuges in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

He relies on more than 23,000 volunteer hours a year to get the most critical work done and recently sent his solitary law enforcement officer for additional training.

"If it wasn't for volunteers, they'd have to shut the doors," said Marvin Plenart, a retired manager in Portland who used to oversee the Western region. "It's pathetic, is what it is. " Report: Staf f shortages hamper US wildlif e ref uges cbs46.com

2016-09-21 12:01 By abcnews.go.com

5 /100 US bomber lands in South Korea in show of force (1.14/3) The move comes a day after North Korea claimed it had successfully tested a new, high-powered rocket engine which the South said was designed to demonstrate progress towards attaining a long-range missile.

Television footage showed two supersonic B-1B Lancers flying low over the US Osan Air Base at Pyeongtaek, 64 kilometres (40 miles) south of Seoul.

One of the aircraft flew back to the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, while the other landed at Osan, Yonhap news agency said.

"The bond between the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) is ironclad and the strength of that commitment will not be shaken by North Korea's aggressive behaviour," said Lieutenant General Thomas W. Bergeson of the US Air Force.

"What we are showing today is just one tool we have to choose from a wide array of options. The alliance grows stronger every day and we remain prepared to defend and to preserve the security of the Korean Peninsula and the region," he said.

The US flew two planes over South Korea last week, days after the North's fifth nuclear test, but they returned swiftly to Guam.

Critics dismissed the move as cursory in the light of an apparent quickening in the pace of North Korea's nuclear and missile testing programme.

It was not clear how long the Lancer that landed at Osan would stay.

South Korea is home to around 28,500 US troops and numerous bases.

The B-1 Lancer is a four-engine strategic bomber that can reach speeds of Mach 2.

It is capable of carrying the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the US Air Force inventory.

"It can rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, at any time," US Forces Korea said in a press statement. US f lies bombers ov er South Korea again in show of f orce washingtontimes.com

2016-09-21 09:34 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

6 /100 Google launches Allo — a messaging app that'll make Facebook jealous (1.08/3) While Facebook has been working to integrate bots with Messenger, Google went ahead and built a messaging app around the most useful bot there is: Google ( GOOGL , Tech30 ) search.

Allo, which was announced in May but is now available for download, marries Google search with many of the fun features people have grown accustomed to using in other apps.

There's group chatting, stickers and the option to let messages expire. The big thing that's missing is the ability to make video and audio calls, which was intentional.

For those functions, Google wants users to get on Duo, its dedicated video calling app launched in August.

Both are free, available for Android and iOS, and designed to simplify mobile messaging. Google says they're "companion apps. " (Google Hangouts lovers need not fret -- the app will still stick around, but Google is gearing the service toward enterprise users.)

Here's a more detailed look at what makes Allo great:

Allo knows what you might say

Google is calling Allo a "smart messaging app" because it learns from your conversations and suggests things for you to say.

The suggested responses pop up in text bubbles you can send by tapping. The recommendations are sufficient for the most part and can save users time, but are very basic and can feel a little impersonal.

During a recent test chat, Allo suggested "Very good! " to a message that read "How are you? " The app also thought we might say "Haha," "Nice," or "Yeah," after we received a message that said "Interesting. " And when we got a picture message of a happy child, Allo suggested saying "Love that smile. "

Over time, Allo will learn if you prefer to say "haha" or "lol," so the more you use the predictive feature, the better it will get at mimicking your speech style.

It's great for making plans

Using Google inside a chat is one of Allo's best features. To do so, mention Google by typing "@Google" and words to search for -- like things to do or places to eat. It's a great way to make plans with other people without having to switch between apps or send screenshots of search results.

You can also start a standalone chat with Google by messaging the Google Assistant account. It works just like Google but feels more like a conversation and less like a search and retrieval interaction.

At its core, the Google Assistant inside of Allo is just like a chat bot -- one of the much hyped trends on tech platforms this year. Facebook ( FB , Tech30 ) has made a huge push for this inside its own messaging service, Messenger, but requires you to know which bots you want to talk to.

Putting Google Assistant at the heart of Allo makes a lot more sense. Most of us go to Google anyway to get an answer for something. It doesn't require additional hunting for the right bot to get an answer.

You can set messages to be super private and to self destruct

All messages sent through Allo are encrypted by Google's servers, but using the "incognito chat" feature secures them at the device level.

That means only the sender and recipient can read the messages. Anyone who tries to intercept them will only see a jumble of characters.

The "incognito chat" also has some other neat tricks: When someone sends you a message, Google will hide their name in the notification that pops up on your phone. There's also a way to erase chat history by setting the expiration anywhere from five seconds to one week.

Interestingly, each user can reset the expiration time for any of the messages, so be prepared to wrestle over those decisions depending on how secretive you want chats to be.

Related: Google Duo is like FaceTime but more fun

You can doodle

Like Snapchat, Allo lets you draw on photos before sending them to friends. There's also a large selection of sticker packs that you can download to convey that precise feeling of dread or elation.

You can shout

Like Apple's updated iMessage app with iOS 10, Allo will let you send messages to demonstrate more emotion.

By holding your finger on the send button on the app, you can choose the font size of your message so that you can "shout. " Think of it as an alternative to using all caps. Nick Fox, Google's VP of Communications Products, told CNNMoney last week that his team wants to help people express themselves fully.

Apple ( AAPL , Tech30 ) gives you a few more options though, like the ability to animate text to shrink or grow, depending on the desired sentiment.

Related: Apple's iOS 10 is all about fun messaging and photos

There are no ads

Google won't show you ads in Allo, but it will use the information you search for as part of your overall Google account. Allo won't use anything you say in your conversations as a part of the data it uses to power ads, said Fox.

You can also go into "My Activity" on your Google account to see which interactions you've had with Google Assistant in the Allo app and delete them if you want.

Bottom line

If you like to Google things a lot while you're chatting, and you have a lot of friends on iOS and Android, Allo could be a good option for you.

The company started Allo's roll-out on Wednesday in India and will continue to do so globally over the next few days.

The smart response feature and Google Assistant bot only work in English right now.

Google Allo chat app is smart, but enough to break though? cbs46.com

2016-09-21 12:01 Hope King rss.cnn.com

7 /100 Analysis: Ghosts of Netanyahu-Obama meetings past (1.08/3) When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits down with US President Barack Obama at about noon Wednesday in the Lotte New York Palace hotel in Manhattan, it will be the 17th face- to-face meeting between the two men. That’s a lot of face time.

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Granted, it’s two shy of the number of meetings Obama’s predecessor George W. Bush had in his eight years in office with the two prime ministers he dealt with – Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert – but it is still a large number of meetings. Especially considering that while Bush got along swimmingly with both Sharon and Olmert, the same cannot exactly be said of Obama and Netanyahu. (What the UN General Assembly means for Israel) While each of the Bush- Sharon and Bush-Olmert meetings was obviously significant at the time, none of them is particularly memorable to the public. With the exception of Sharon’s meeting with Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, in 2005, one would be hard pressed to conjure up a particular image from any of those meetings. The same cannot be said of the Obama-Netanyahu parleys. Of the 16 previous meetings, five stand out, as does one meeting that never took place. Indeed, just as the epic 1970s prize fights between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were given names that live on to this day – the “Fight of the Century” and the “Thrilla in Manilla” – so two have some of the Netanyahu- Obama meetings been given titles. There was the first meeting in May 2009, dubbed by some in Jerusalem as “The Ambush”; the late night meeting in the White House in 2010 known as “The Snub”; and the meeting in the Oval Office a year later popularly referred to as “The Lecture.” Considering the relatively lack of contentiousness between the two leaders at this time, it is unlikely Wednesday’s meeting – which might later be dubbed “The Last Hurrah” – will live up in terms of drama to some of the previous ones. As such, in order to put Wednesday’s meeting in a certain historical context, it’s worth looking back at some of the previous more memorable tête– à–têtes. The Ambush The first meeting between the two leaders took place in May 2009, just a few months after the US elected a president significantly to the Left of his predecessor, and the Israeli public elected a prime minister significantly to the Right of his predecessor. Although on paper this already raised doubts about their compatibility – given the two men had starkly different worldviews – many believed that the first meeting would go smoothly, as both leaders would want to put on a harmonious face. But many were wrong. Obama was keen on placing daylight between himself and Israel, believing – as veteran diplomat Dennis Ross wrote in his book Doomed to Succeed: The US-Israel Relationship from Truman to Obama – that by distancing himself from Israel he could improve relations with the Muslim world. So distancing he did, and at the press opportunity that followed their meeting Obama called for a complete settlement freeze. During their private meeting, Obama went even further and called for an end to construction in east Jerusalem. One senior official who was involved in that meeting told The Jerusalem Post afterward that Israel had received no warning that this would be the nature of the conversation. “Netanyahu felt ambushed,” the official said. The Snub That first meeting set the tone for numerous clashes over settlement construction that would continue throughout the duration of the Obama-Netanyahu era. The clashes came to a head during a late night meeting in the White House in March 2010, just a couple weeks after a blowup with Washington over the announcement during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel of plans to build in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood in northern Jerusalem, beyond the Green Line. Netanyahu arrived at the White House in his limo without any pomp or circumstance: no cameras, no reporters, no lights, no Marine guards or protocol officers. The Washington Post ’s Jackson Diehl described the scene like this: “Tuesday night the White House refused to allow non-official photographers to record the president’s meeting with Netanyahu; no statement was issued afterward. Netanyahu is being treated as if he were an unsavory Third World dictator, needed for strategic reasons but conspicuously held at arm’s length.” After an hour meeting, Obama and Netanyahu came out of their meeting, and Obama announced that Netanyahu and the Israeli team were to work out a timetable – including a construction freeze – on fulfilling conditions he laid out for ending the crisis. Obama then announced that he was going upstairs to retire, leaving the Israelis to work with his team downstairs. (Political lore has it that Obama left the Israelis to go dine with his wife and two daughters, an account disputed by Israel’s ambassador at the time, Michael Oren, who wrote in his book Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide, that Michelle Obama and her daughters were out of town at the time.) Regardless, the perception created was of a president who purposely “disrespected” the prime minister. The Lecture Netanyahu got his chance to return the favor a little more than a year later, in May 2011. Just hours before Netanyahu boarded a plane for Washington to address the annual AIPAC conference, Obama delivered his first speech on the Middle East following the “Arab Spring.” He infuriated Netanyahu by breaking with past US declarations and using the 1967 lines, albeit with mutual land swaps, as the baseline for a future agreement with the Palestinians. Motivated to a degree by domestic political considerations, wanting to be seen as able to stand up to the US president, Netanyahu immediately issued a sharp and angry reaction to that speech. And then, at the photo opportunity that accompanied their meeting, he “lectured” the president on Jewish and Mideast history. “Israel wants peace. I want peace. What we all want is a peace that will be genuine, that will hold, that will endure,” Netanyahu said. “The only peace that will endure is one that is based on reality, on unshakable facts. I think for there to be peace, the Palestinians will have to accept some basic realities.” As Netanyahu spoke, Obama sat tensely with a clenched jaw. The Ice Breaker After four difficult years, and a number of tense and even awkward meetings and public appearances, the sun began to shine on the Obama-Netanyahu relationship in March 2013 when Obama made his first and only visit to Israel as president. The downright chummy tone of the visit was set when Netanyahu and Obama walked together – jackets jauntily thrown over their shoulders – on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport soon after the president’s arrival. At a press conference that night they joked about their children and their wives, and referred to each other throughout as Bibi and Barack. The display was clearly meant to send a signal that following high-profile clashes about the Palestinians and Iran, the two were back on the same page. The Non-Meeting The honeymoon that Obama’s trip ushered in was short, though the clashes that followed had less to do with the Palestinian issue – even as those differences did remain a constant irritant in the relationship – and more with the Iran deal. The degree to which the Iranian issue strained the ties between the two men became clear in March 2015, when Netanyahu infuriated Obama by accepting an invitation from Republican speaker of the house John Boehner to speak against the Iranian deal to a joint session of Congress. Despite the White House’s disapproval, Netanyahu went to Washington to deliver his speech. Obama refused to meet him. The official reason given: He did not want to interfere in the Israeli election. Only a few believed that was the true reason. The Reconciliation… of Sorts Eight months after the meeting that didn’t happen, and a couple months after the bruising battle over the Iran deal was won by the US president, the two leaders finally got together last November for what looked from the outside like a reconciliation of sorts. The two men took pains during a cordial photo opportunity to radiate a sense that – after the bitter Iran battle – they were letting bygones be bygones. During the brief photo- op following their meeting, they stressed what united them, rather than what divided them. Both said what they knew the other wanted to hear. Obama talked about increasing the 10-year military aid package to Israel (which he subsequently has done), and about blunting Iran’s destabilizing behavior in the region. He also did not speak about a return to the 1967 lines, or a construction freeze in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. And Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to a two-state solution, and thanked the president for bolstering Israel’s security. He didn’t mention the Iran agreement. That was the last time the two men met, and the tone of that meeting will likely carry over to their meeting on Wednesday. Neither man has an interest now in the fireworks of their previous bouts. Not Netanyahu, because such an outcome would only strengthen his political opponents claiming that he has badly damaged ties with the US; and not Obama, because a public fight with Netanyahu now – just two months before America goes to the polls – could hurt Hillary Clinton in what is turning into a closer than expected election.

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| | The Latest: Watson, Ramirez bring glitz to UN women ev ent cbs46.com

2016-09-21 11:02 HERB KEINON www.jpost.com

8 /100 Duterte only ordered ’window shopping’ for weapons in China–Visaya (1.02/3) There was no order from President Rodrigo Duterte to buy weaponry from China but only to go “window shopping” there, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Ricardo Visaya said on Wednesday.

Visaya said Duterte was just probably misquoted when the media reported that the Philippines was considering buying new weaponry from China and Russia.

READ: Duterte mulls purchase of arms from China, Russia

“I think the President was misquoted on that. There’s no instruction from our Commander in Chief for us to buy Russian military equipment or from China,” the AFP chief said when he faced his confirmation hearing at the Commission on Appointment’s committee on national defense.

“He (Duterte) just told us that just like any other country, China is offering their military equipment. Then the President said, if you want go there just go there and see. Meaning, it’s just like window shopping. But there’s no instruction for us to buy,” he said.

Duterte was earlier quoted as saying that the Philippine government was considering buying weaponry from the two countries.

“I would like to ask Defense Secretary Lorenzana to, samahan kayo (go with you) – the technical people. Pumunta kayo ng Russia at pumunta kayo ng China at tingnan ninyo kung ano ang pinakamabuti (Go to Russia and China and see what’s best),” one media report quoted him as saying. CDG

CA panel recommends conf irmation of AFP chief , 24 military execs newsinfo.inquirer.net 2016-09-21 12:01 Maila Ager globalnation.inquirer.net

9 /100 LOOK: Affidavits vs De Lima over alleged Bilibid drug trade (1.02/3) High-profile inmates and former subordinates testified against Sen. Leila de Lima and linked her to illegal drug trade in the ongoing inquiry of the House of Representatives on the proliferation of narcotics in the national penitentiary.

The witnesses include convicted kidnapper and former Philippine National Police Insp. Rodolfo Magleo, high-profile convicts Jaime Patcho, Herbert Colanggo, Noel Martinez , Jojo Baligad, Froilan Trestiza, and Hans Anton Tan, and De Lima’s former subordinates at the National Bureau of Investigation, Rafael Ragos and Jovencio Ablen Jr.

READ: IN THE KNOW: Witnesses against De Lima

The witnesses, who were brought in and being examined by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre despite not being a House member, alleged that De Lima allowed the flow of drugs and other contraband in the major prison facility and supposedly received payoffs for her campaign kitty.

The administration-backed inquiry against De Lima is being led by President Rodrigo Duterte’s allies in the “supermajority”-dominated lower chamber.

De Lima, who has become the President’s staunchest critic, initiated the Senate probe on the spate of alleged extrajudicial killings in the country amid the administration’s bloody war on drugs.

Here are the witnesses’ affidavits pinning down De Lima:

Aguirre belies claims that Bilibid gang leaders f urther Solon on Aguirre taking ov er witnesses v s De Lima were link De Lima to drug trade Bilibid probe: De Lima did it rehearsed newsinfo.inquirer.net too newsinfo.inquirer.net newsinfo.inquirer.net

2016-09-21 12:01 Yuji Vincent newsinfo.inquirer.net

10 /100 De Lima ally says drug lords getting back at senator (1.01/3) It’s payback time for the drug lords who were hit by the campaign of the past administration to clean up the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP), as they now try to link Senator Leila de Lima to the illicit drug trade in the national penitentiary, an opposition lawmaker said yesterday.

Magdalo partylist Rep. Gary Alejano said that in 2013, the then Aquino administration put together a strategy to address the proliferation of drugs at the NBP.

Now, this strategy is being used against De Lima by the Duterte administration and drug lords like Herbert Colanggo, who was among the convicted drug lords whose business was badly hurt by the previous administration’s antidrug campaign at the NBP, Alejano said.

READ: Cons pin down De Lima | Duterte: De Lima ‘allowed’ illegal drug trade inside Bilibid

At a press conference, Alejano said lawmakers from the 16th Congress, including himself, were briefed on the Aquino administration’s strategy to combat the menace, which profited some P4 billion a month right inside the NBP that time.

Part of the strategy was to use another convicted drug lord, Jaybee Sebastian, as a government asset.

Sebastian and Colanggo were rivals at the NBP, Alejano said.

Colanggo is among the witnesses presented by Justice Sec. Vitaliano Aguirre II linking De Lima to the drug trade at the congressional hearing on the proliferation of drugs at the NBP.

“It is a reality. It is the truth that the government used Jaybee Sebastian. That is what I know,” Alejano said.

He described the strategy as an inter-agency effort with De Lima, then the Justice Secretary, and then NBP superintendent Franklin Bucayo.

Among the other agencies that were part of the antidrug campaign were the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), Alejano said.

Alejano said De Lima, Bucayo, and other officials from the interagency task force met with him and other lawmakers to explain the strategy before the big NBP raid in December 2014.

Alejano said there were two major groups inside the national penitentiary—the Commando and the Presidio.

Sebastian led the Commando, while Colanggo was head of the Presidio.

“It was discussed how to carry out the raid. We know the contraband. We know the personalities… Jaybee Sebastian was going to be used (as an asset) because if you arrest all of them, no one would give information (to government) anymore,” Alejano said.

But Sebastian was quite a talkative and boastful asset, practically confirming to everyone else at the NBP that he was working for government.

Alejano said that at one point, a grenade was set off in front of Sebastian’s kubol, or a special detention area, allegedly by the drug lord’s rivals.

Sebastian is not among the witnesses of Aguirre in the congressional hearing.

“It is good to listen to the testimonies because all these testifying now are angry at Jaybee Sebastian. They are mad because Jaybee squealed on them,” Alejano said.

At the House investigation, Colanggo, wearing a pristine white short-sleeved barong, claimed that De Lima received millions in kickback in the drug trade, not only in exchange for allowing beer inside the NBP during his concerts, but to fund her senatorial bid as well.

Another witness presented by Aguirre, convicted kidnapper Rodolfo Magleo, claimed that he was an “adviser and confidant” of Sebastian.

Magleo, a former policeman convicted in 2004, said Sebastian’s drug business flourished during De Lima’s term as Justice Secretary.

Magleo said Sebastian told him he became “untouchable” at NBP because he financed De Lima’s senatorial bid, and that he also gave money to Bucayo.

Sebastian also allegedly claimed that he gave De Lima P10 million for his competitors to be transferred to Building 14, on top of the monthly P1 million that he supposedly gave her.

Alejano defended Bucayo from allegations that he also profited from the drug trade at the NBP.

Alejano said Bucayo, in fact, resigned because of the “extreme pressure” on him to eradicate the drug trade, but the reality is it was a difficult campaign because of the so-called “Bilibid culture” where the “symbiotic relationship” between inmates and penitentiary employees was hard to break.

While it was an uphill battle, Alejano expressed belief the drug trade “has been reduced significantly.”

“It has not been eradicated. But the point is, there was a drug trade, which was studied thoroughly, and that began in 2013, that the last administration raided the NBP and that was how the drug trade was exposed,” Alejano said.

Alejano said that it must be “clarified” that the efforts to clean up the national penitentiary of drug syndicates began during the time of then President Benigno Aquino III, and not just when President Duterte assumed office and declared a war on illegal drugs.

“The timelines are very important,” Alejano said. CBB

Bilibid gang leaders f urther De Lima hits back af ter link De Lima to drug trade Lacson say s basis enough newsinfo.inquirer.net to back drug charges newsinfo.inquirer.net

2016-09-21 12:01 Nikko Dizon newsinfo.inquirer.net

11 /100 Army troops rescue trader abducted in Zamboanga del Norte (1.00/3) Army soldiers on Wednesday morning rescued a businesswoman abducted by armed men in Zamboanga del Norte last Monday. Initial reports from the military said that the soldiers from the Army’s 35th Infantry Battalion rescued Martina Yee in Sulu.

No other details were available as posting time.

A previous report from the military said that the 60- year-old businesswoman was forcibly taken in her grocery store in Sirawai on Monday afternoon.

She was taken by the armed men on board a pump boat and fled. CDG

READ: Trader abducted in Zamboanga del Norte

Kidnapped businesswoman rescued in Sulu newsinfo.inquirer.net

2016-09-21 12:01 Frances Mangosing newsinfo.inquirer.net

12 /100 90-year-old widow raped in Kerala (0.01/3) Kollam: In a shocking incident, a 90-year-old widow, who is a cancer patient, has been raped here in Kerala by a man who was armed with a knife, police said on Wednesday.

The woman too told the media that the crime was committed by someone who knew the layout of her house. "The accused entered my house through the back door. This can be done only by someone who knows the house well," she said.

"I pleaded with him not to harm me but he did not listen... I want the police to arrest the accused," she said. The crime took place five days ago but became public knowledge only on Wednesday.

Kollam Rural Superintendent of Police Ajitha Begum told the media that police officials had taken the victim's statement. "An FIR has been registered. We will probe the incident by speaking to her relatives and those who met her after the incident," said Begum. Sick! 90-y ear-old cancer patient widow raped in Kerala mid-day.com

2016-09-21 12:01 By IANS www.mid-day.com

13 /100 6 electrocuted, 25 injured as bus touches high tension wire in Dhenkanal (0.01/3) Bhubaneswar: At least six persons died and 25 others suffered burn injuries when the bus carrying them came in contact with a high tension electric wire in Odisha's Dhenkanal district today, a police officer said.

The incident took place near Saraswati Sishu Mandir Chawk of Bhubana town. The bus was taking a detour due to a blockade on the main road and came in contact with a dangling 11 KV live wire, the officer said.

Bodies of six persons were recovered from the bus, he said.

Of the 25 injured, three have been shifted to the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack as their condition deteriorated, the officer said.

The bus was on way to Kamakshya Nagar from Cuttack with about 45 passengers.

Expressing grief over the tragedy, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the next of the kin of the deceased and free treatment for the injured persons.

Odisha's Transport Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi said he has asked the local RTO to probe into the matter and find out the circumstances in which the mishap took place.

Energy Minister Pranab Prakash Das also asked the engineer-in-chief to probe into the matter after it was alleged that the high tension electric wire was hanging below the stipulated height from the road.

Ironically, the bus had been forced to take a detour as locals were blocking the main road due to the death of a home guard of Bhuban police station in an earlier road accident. The driver and other staff of the bus fled from the spot immediately after the incident.

Private Bus Owners Association spokesman Debasis Nayak blamed the driver of the bus for the mishap. "There should be no doubt about the callousness of the driver which led to such a tragedy," Nayak said. Odisha: 6 electrocuted, 25 injured as bus touches high tension wire mid-day.com

2016-09-21 12:01 By PTI www.mid-day.com

14 /100 Two men killed in Ecija buy bust CABANATUAN CITY Two drug suspects were killed in a clash with policemen during a buybust operation at Tuesday dawn.

Angelito Quiambao, 35, and Ariel Malabuyoc, 38, initiated the gunfight with the policemen in Barangay (village) Daan Sarile.

Quiambao was the subject of the operation, having been included in a local police drug watchlist. JE

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2016-09-21 12:01 Ben O business.inquirer.net

17 /100 AC Milan wins consecutive games for 1st time since February MILAN — AC Milan has won consecutive Serie A matches for the first time since February.

The Rossoneri beat visiting Lazio 2- 0 on Tuesday to follow up a 1-0 win over Sampdoria on Friday.

Carlos Bacca opened the scoring in the first half and M’Baye Niang converted a penalty after the break.

Milan moved within one point of Serie A leader Napoli, which visits Genoa on Wednesday.

Lazio, which is winless at the San Siro against Milan since 1989, remained three points back.

After Lazio midfielder Danilo Cataldi gave the ball away, Juraj Kucka’s through ball left Bacca with only the goalkeeper to beat and he easily slotted the ball past Serie A debutante Thomas Strakosha.

Strakosha, a 21-year-old Albanian, was filling in after regular Lazio starter Federico Marchetti injured his calf during the warmup.

A hand ball by Stefan Radu led to Niang’s penalty after good work from Bacca, who joined Napoli’s Jose Callejon atop the scoring chart with five goals each.

Milan’s previous consecutive wins came against city rival Inter Milan in the derby and Palermo on Jan. 31 and Feb. 3 of last season. Milan finished seventh last season, missing out on European football. 2016-09-21 12:01 Associated Press sports.inquirer.net

18 /100 Del Potro says will be fit for ‘dream’ final Injury-plagued Juan Martin del Potro said on Tuesday that he expects to be fit for Argentina’s “dream” Davis Cup final in November after the thrilling victory over holders Great Britain.

Argentina have been finalists four times in the past 10 years and will attempt to win their first Davis Cup when they travel to Croatia from November 25 to 27.

“We managed to fulfil our dream to qualify for the final,” said the world- ranked 64 del Potro, who is still feeling his way back after a series of wrist injuries pushed him to the brink of retirement.

“We have a united group, we talk a lot. It went perfectly for us,” added the 27 year old on his arrival back in Buenos Aires, saying that “I have enough time to prepare (for the final).

“Now it’s time to rest and to have a general medical examination. I am still not at my best level, even if the last few months were some of the best moments in my career.”

Argentina — whose Davis Cup charge is spearheaded by del Potro — defeated Great Britain 3- 2 in Glasgow at the weekend, while the Croats booked their berth in the final with a 3-2 win over France.

Victory for the Argentines would cap a return to form for del Potro, who took silver at the Rio Olympics after losing to Andy Murray in the final — but got his revenge on Friday when he beat the Scot in a rubber lasting over five hours.

2016-09-21 12:01 Agence France sports.inquirer.net

19 /100 WATCH: Drone surfing is the future of extreme sports Looks kitesurfing is out and drone surfing is in.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), also known as drones, as a recreational water sport is the latest technology fad among thrill enthusiasts.

The new trend was introduced by Freefly Systems, a company specializing in camera drones, according to a Forbes report.

As seen in a YouTube clip, the “Free Fly ALTA 8” drone flew above water while towing Swedish professional kite-boarder Henning Sandstrom behind.

Sandstorm grabbed a skimboard and rode the drone in the waters of Dash Point Park in Tacoma, Washington, in the US. The kiteboarding veteran effortlessly skimmed through the course and even pulled a few tricks on the glassy lake. Meanwhile, the idea behind the aerial wonder was first tested with a skateboard on an abandoned parking lot, according to the company’s co-founder Tabb Firchau.

The outcome was so outstanding that the group decided to tweak it into a magnificent blend between kiteboarding, skimboarding, wakeboarding and surfing —but with a technological twist.

The tech aims to revolutionize the sport of wakeboarding by eliminating the use of a manned motorboat, while also removing kitesurfing’s reliance to strong winds.

Despite the massive development, Firchau insisted that the invention could be even elevated to new heights once the technology behind pulling force and the overall autonomy can be increased for years to come.

Weighing up to 20 pounds, the Freefly ALTA 8 is now available for purchase on the company’s website for $17,495 (P835,220). Khristian Ibarrola

WATCH: Drones take flight in professional racing league

2016-09-21 12:01 technology.inquirer.net

20 /100 Pacquiao on De Lima: ‘I pity her’ Senator Manny Pacquiao can only offer sympathy for Senator Leila de Lima, who was ousted as chair of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, upon his motion.

“Naaawa nga ako sa kanya dahil syempre bilang may nanay din ako, may mommy din ako so naaawa din ako (I pity her because I have a mother too),” Pacquiao told reporters on Wednesday.

“Pero kailangan natin ‘yung katotohanan, kailangan natin ‘yung tama para sa kabutihan (But we need to find out the truth for the good of the people),” he said. It was Pacquiao, who made a motion on the floor last Monday to declare the chairmanship and membership of the committee vacant.

READ: Pacquiao moves to declare De Lima committee on justice vacant

The move came shortly after Senator Alan Peter Cayetano delivered a privilege speech, criticizing de Lima’s handling of the committee’s investigation on the alleged spate of killings in the country. De Lima was replaced by Senator Richard Gordon.

Pacquiao said he was just doing his job and that he had nothing personal against de Lima.

“Sa akin naman hindi ako galit sa kanya…Useless kung pahintulutan natin ‘yung masasama (I hold no grudge against her. I just do not want the evil to triumph). It’s against the Constitution, against the law na bayaan na lang natin, hindi natin i-correct (if we just let evil triumph and not correct it),” he said.

He said no one had instructed him to make that motion. In fact, before doing it, he said, he prayed and asked for wisdom and guidance from the Lord.

“Before I decided to manifest, nag-pray ako (I prayed) and then asked guidance, wisdom, knowledge because of the problem na (that) the committee chair should be neutral, hindi maging (and) unbiased,” Pacquiao said.

“’Yun ang naging problema natin, ‘yung pagiging biased ng isang chairperson sa isang komite. Dapat hindi gamitin para sa sarili (That’s our problem, that the chairperson of a committee was biased. We should not use our positions just for our gains),” he said.

READ: Gordon: De Lima protected self at Senate’s expense

The senator said they did not unseat de Lima to stop the Senate probe on alleged extrajudicial killings, noting that the committee will continue with a fair investigation on the issue. IDL

2016-09-21 12:01 Maila Ager newsinfo.inquirer.net

21 /100 Manchester City's Yaya Toure retires from international football Ivory Coast's midfielder Yaya Toure controls the ball during the Group C football match between Colombia and Ivory Coast during FIFA 2014 WC. Pic/ AFP

Manchester: Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure on Tuesday announced his retirement from international football.

The Ivory Coast international said in a statement on his website: "Writing this note was probably 'the most difficult match of my life'. After 14 years at the highest level, I'm sure this is the right time for me. " "The fact that I am 33 now, the intensity of training and the multitude of games are not the reasons why I am making this decision. "

The 33-year-old has been capped 102 times by his country, scoring 19 goals.

The four time African Footballer of the Year was the captain of his national team and led the country to their second-ever African Nations Cup title in 2015.

Toure made his debut for the Ivory Coast in 2004, and replaced Didier Drogba as captain when the striker retired following the 2014 World Cup.

2016-09-21 12:01 By IANS www.mid-day.com

22 /100 Obama hits at populist strongmen in last UN address UNITED NATIONS—President Barack Obama used his farewell UN address Tuesday to castigate strongmen and populists, taking aim at Vladimir Putin’s Soviet nostalgia and Donald Trump’s rise at home.

Obama told the UN General Assembly that democracy remains the “firmest foundation for human progress” as he repudiated “crude populism” that has mushroomed in the United States and around the world.

“Some argue the future favors the strongman,” Obama said, in remarks that will echo in the 2016 US campaign as much as the Kremlin, or Tiananmen Square. “I believe this thinking is wrong.”

“History shows that strongmen are then left with two paths: Permanent crackdown, which sparks strife at home, or scapegoating enemies abroad, which can lead to war.”

Obama’s solemn valedictory remarks came less than 50 days before Americans decide whether fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, or Trump, the Republican nominee, will be his replacement.

The bellicose reality star has taken far-right positions on immigration and security on the campaign trail and into the US political mainstream.

Trump lashed out at Obama Monday after a spate of attacks in New York, New Jersey and Minnesota, saying “our country has been weak. We’re letting people in by the thousands and tens of thousands.”

Obama challenged that thinking, saying: “We have to open our hearts and do more to help refugees who are desperate for a home.”

READ: Obama slams Trump in speech: ‘Ignorance is not a virtue’

“We have to imagine what it would be like for our family, for our children if the unspeakable happened to us.”

But he admitted there were “deep fault lines in the existing international order,” not least in the Middle East where “basic order has broken down” and fundamentalists prey on social unease.

He admitted too that a “course correction” was needed to smooth the serrated edges of globalization.

“A world in which one percent of humanity controls as much wealth as the other 99 percent will never be stable,” he warned.

‘Past glories’

Obama had a more direct message for his Russian counterpart, accusing Putin — who has invaded Ukraine and deployed forces to Syria — of using the military to gain global clout.

“In a world that left the age of empire behind, we see Russia attempting to recover lost glory through force,” Obama said.

READ: Obama, Putin clash over differences on Syria’s future

“If Russia continues to interfere in the affairs of its neighbors, it may be popular at home, it may fuel nationalist fervor for a time, but over time it is also going to diminish its stature and make its borders less secure.”

By the same token, Obama warned China’s increasingly powerful leader Xi Jinping that adhering to the rule of law offers “far greater stability than the militarization of a few rocks and reefs” in the South China Sea.

Legacy on the line

Eight years ago at his first UN General Assembly — with America’s reputation tattered by the Iraq war and George W. Bush’s unilateralism — Obama promised a “new era of engagement.”

After two terms in the Oval Office a new Middle Eastern crisis, this time in Syria, threatens to sully Obama’s effort to improve America’s standing in the world.

Obama has been more cautious — critics would say timid — with the use of US power, refusing to intervene to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Before the UN, Obama restated the case for multilateralism and an America that knows the limits of its own might.

“I’ve noticed as president times when both America’s adversaries and some of our allies believe all problems were either caused by Washington or could be solved by Washington.”

“Perhaps too many in Washington believe that as well,” he said to laughs from delegates.

And even as a Syrian ceasefire brokered by Washington lay in tatters, Obama insisted diplomacy — not force — is the only way to end the brutal five-year conflict.

“There’s no ultimate military victory to be won, we’re going to have to pursue the hard work of the diplomacy that aims to stop the violence and deliver aid to those in need,” Obama said.

On Monday the Syrian military declared the ceasefire over and 18 UN aid trucks were destroyed as they tried to bring relief to war-ravaged citizens near Aleppo.

Syria and Russia denied striking the convoy, with Moscow suggesting it may have caught fire.

2016-09-21 12:01 Agence France newsinfo.inquirer.net

23 /100 2016: The year love died in Hollywood LOS ANGELES, United States — The imminent divorce of “Brangelina” is the latest in a series of celebrity splits giving the impression that the average Hollywood marriage has about as much chance of success as a non- white actor at the Oscars.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie-Pitt have both been through divorces before, he with “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston and she with actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton.

READ: ‘Brangelina’: the end of Hollywood’s golden couple

This year has also seen Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin finalize their famous “conscious uncoupling” around the same time that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were squabbling over the terms of their split.

Drew Barrymore, Lisa Marie Presley, Dennis Quaid and James McAvoy have announced divorces from their respective partners too, sparking some gossip websites to refer to 2016 as the year of the Hollywood divorce.

In 2012 statistics website PolitiFact estimated that the lifelong probability of an American marriage ending in divorce was 40–50 percent, citing academics and the National Survey of Family Growth.

Kelly Frawley, a partner at New York law firm Kasowitz, Benson, Torres and Friedman, believes that while there is no reason to think the rich and famous split more often than the rest of us, the pressures which put strain on relationships are amplified in the rarified air of Tinseltown.

“There are standard things that cause marriages to disintegrate — concerns about money, fights about how to raise the children, issues of fidelity,” she told AFP.

“Those are much bigger scale when you are dealing with a celebrity couple because there’s so much accessibility to all the things that make it easy to step out of a marriage.

“You can spend money with ease, you can leave with ease, you can have affairs with ease.”

‘Unique microscope’

It’s not all doom and gloom. Denzel and Pauletta Washington have been going strong since 1983 while Billy Crystal, Christopher Walken and their respective sweethearts expect to celebrate golden wedding anniversaries before the end of the decade. But unlike skin peels, kale and the 5:2 diet, divorce is one celebrity fad that has endured through the ages and the Hollywood hills are littered with the carcasses of euthanized showbiz marriages.

Among the high profile casualties are Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, who announced on June 30 2015, one day after their ten-year anniversary, that they were calling it a day.

Tom Cruise was on his third marriage by the time he and Katie Holmes split in 2012 and there were divorces in 2010 for Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson, and Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar.

“Celebrities are under a unique microscope, where every nuance is dissected over and over again the slightest misunderstanding is reported like you’re splitting up right away,” said Judi Bloom, a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Southern California.

“That can really wear down a couple in the end.”

One big problem for Hollywood couples, she told AFP, is that they spend so much time apart on their separate projects, which can “pull at the fabric of a relationship.”

Some avoid growing apart by continuing to work together after getting hitched.

Warren Beatty and Annette Bening began dating during the filming of “Bugsy” in 1991, married a year later and filmed “Love Affair” together in 1994.

Breathing space

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett are still together a quarter century after meeting on the set of his sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” when she auditioned to play his girlfriend.

She didn’t get the part but she got Smith — marrying the actor in 1997 and appearing alongside him in 2001 biopic “Ali.”

It doesn’t always work, of course.

Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton have joined forces for no fewer than seven films but called it a day after 13 years, an unlucky number which was also the length of the marriage of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, and the number of his films in which she appeared.

Rob Shuter, a former Hollywood publicist for Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson and others who now runs NaughtyGossip.com, told AFP celebrities and their representatives plan divorce announcements down to the most minute detail.

“The announcement about Brad and Angie came out one day after the weekly magazines went to print, which means that they get a week of breathing space,” he said.

Shuter says that while print is less important in the digital age than it used to be, the timing was still “a disaster” for People, which has the largest audience of any American magazine, and its rival Us Weekly.

He believes Pitt would have been the more passive partner in planning their divorce announcement because of Jolie-Pitt’s track record with carefully stage-managing the news cycle.

“When she was pregnant with Shiloh she didn’t make the announcement with an official statement, she walked around the corner and let her bump show for ‘People’ magazine,” he said.

2016-09-21 12:01 Agence France entertainment.inquirer.net

24 /100 Oracle picks Maharashtra for Smart City digital initiative Representational pic

San Francisco: Announcing its first move on the Indian government's Smart City project, the $37-billion tech giant Oracle Corp has chosen Maharashtra to accelerate the states digital transformation and set up a Centre for Excellence there.

Towards this, Oracle Global CEO Safra Catz has signed a pact with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the sidelines of the onging Oracle OpenWorld conference here, it was announced on Wednesday.

According to the pact, Oracle will create a cloud-based Centre of Excellence (CoE) to help accelerate Maharashtra's 'Smart City' programme and modernise technology solutions. Catz said the project is the most expansive and biggest of its kind.

It will be likely replicated across the country, if successful, she said. However, refusing to give its financial details, she also said the investment will be completely scalable because the focus will be to use the cloud technology for immediate uptake.

"We are thrilled to further our commitment in India by working with the Government of Maharashtra and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help position India as a world-class design and manufacturing epicenter," Catz said.

"The Cloud Center of Excellence powered by Oracle will play a key role in improving the lives of the people of this state," she said. The company recently set up nine incubation centers in the country, a massive campus in Bengalaru and launched an annual training initiative for 500,000 students.

"By moving to the Cloud, the government has the opportunity to create a digitally empowered society and a growing knowledge economy. We look forward to making this partnership a success," she added.

According to Fadnavis, the aim is to connect Maharashtra's 29,000 villages by December 2018 to digitally empower gram panchayats, schools, primary health centres and other institutions.

"The entire infrastructure creation for this will require investments to the tune of $1 billion," Fadnavis said.

"We would also like to create virtual agricultural markets or e-markets along with the supply chain. To transform the agriculture market, accessibility is the biggest challenge. Using the technology, every single village will be a connected market and health, education and agriculture will come under this," the chief minister added.

"The cities in the state will be covered by optic fibres in less than two years' time which will enable smart transportation, parking and other citizen-related services," Fadnavis announced, adding that the state government will enable 1,200 hotspots in cities, out of which 500 will be ready by November this year.

"Cloud computing has changed the landscape of governance. It has the power to enable inclusive growth and to transform the state into a digitally-empowered society," Fadnavis said.

The proposed projects, to be finalized before the end of the calendar year, include:

- Smart city in a box

- Mobile platform for service questions

- Unified app development for services like drivers license renewals or property tax payments

- Digital platform to deliver smart city services across the state

- Connected infrastructure across all devices, kiosks and citizens

- Infrastructure services for equipment and IT

- Resources to manage transportation logistics, including analytics, asset tracking, fleet management

- Resources to manage utilities, including water and power.

2016-09-21 12:01 By IANS www.mid-day.com

25 /100 Samsung suffers backlash in China over smartphone response BEIJING (AP) — Liu Jingtang was a Samsung loyalist. The Shanghai technology consultant traded up steadily through its smartphones to the new Note 7. But Liu’s devotion was shaken by the Korean tech giant’s confusing response to its latest product safety scare.

Liu, 32, said Samsung Electronics quickly confirmed his Note 7 wasn’t covered by a recall announced last week. But he said after reports China might have suffered its first explosion of the problem-plagued phone, Samsung’s announcement that it saw no problem with the battery with no other explanation left him baffled.

“My loyalty to Samsung is bound to decline by a lot,” said Liu. “Samsung was my priority, but not anymore.” China should be a bright spot for Samsung as it wrestles with a global recall of 2.5 million of its new flagship smartphones. The company has not confirmed any in China suffer the same problems that led to fires in the United States. But its brand has been battered by complaints it is doing too little to reassure Chinese owners their handsets are safe.

The potential damage to its image threatens to disrupt Samsung’s efforts to use the Note 7 to propel faster growth in a crowded Chinese market where it has slipped to sixth place after being the No. 1 brand as recently as mid-2014.

Chinese consumers are unusually alert to safety issues following an avalanche of scandals over shoddy or fake food, medicines and other goods. They also are sensitive about being treated as well as Western consumers.

“I think consumers are pretty unhappy with Samsung,” said Ben Cavender of China Market Research Group. “Consumers start to feel like they are being taken advantage of, that they are not being accorded the same respect here as they are abroad.”

Asked what it was doing to reassure Chinese consumers, Samsung said in a statement it is confident Note 7s sold by authorized outlets in China are safe.

IKEA suffered a similar backlash in June after the Swedish furniture recalled dressers in the United States and Canada due to concerns they could tip over and harm children. When the company didn’t immediately do the same in China, people posted angry comments online asking whether it valued Chinese lives less. IKEA announced a recall in China in July.

Samsung has blamed the fires on a manufacturing flaw in batteries and said Note 7 units sold in China would not be affected because theirs came from a different supplier.

On Monday, Samsung said its investigation into the first report of a Galaxy Note 7 fire in China found unspecified “external factors” might be to blame. It said it was unable to investigate a second fire report because the consumer refused to hand over the charred phone.

Liu, the technology consultant, said the statement made him question why Note 7 phones sold in China would be different from those sold abroad.

“They hastily put out this statement. Was that really good? I think it was unsatisfactory,” said Liu. As for external factors, he said, “does that mean the customer deliberately heated it over a fire? That doesn’t make much sense.”

Samsung surprised customers by saying no phones in China were covered by its global recall and then recalling 1,858 phones. It said those were distributed for testing before sales to the public began.

“For Samsung to recall only 1,858 units in China while it recalls 1 million in the United States seems insincere,” said a comment left on a website of the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily.

“Whether those phones that are not recalled will wind up being a problem or not will be a bomb planted in the hearts of customers,” it said.

Samsung is the world’s biggest smartphone brand by number of units sold but in China it trails market leader Huawei Technology Ltd. and three other local brands — Vivo, Xiaomi and Oppo. Apple Inc.’s iPhone was in fifth place in the first half of this year.

The Note 7 “was a good opportunity (to expand sales), but they blew it,” said Liu. Working in Samsung’s favor is the fact that phones are sold through retailers in China instead of carriers. That allows users to switch brands quickly and new competitors to enter the market. “In any given month, a brand is going to leapfrog another brand and come up with a brighter screen or bigger battery of faster charging,” said Cavender.

On Tuesday, the Note 7 was on sale at electronics retailers and shops run by state-owned phone carrier China Mobile Ltd., though employees said customers were asking about the reports of explosions.

“Sales for Note 7 were slightly affected by the incident but we are still selling them,” said a saleswoman who was reached by phone at an outlet of Suning, the country’s biggest electronics retailer, in the Wangjing neighborhood on Bejiing’s northeast side. “We are making explanations to customers every day, it is up to the customer to believe it or not.”

The Note 7 was sold out in black and only available in gold at a China Mobile store in the capital’s eastern business district, said a salesman who would give only his surname, Li. He said a customer bought one Tuesday and no one asked about the report of an explosion.

“There are some customers who only favor Samsung and they don’t bother asking questions,” said Li.

Longer term, the Note 7 in China is likely to “take a major sales hit,” said Cavender.

“People who want to buy a phone are going to switch to Apple or to a local brand like Huawei,” said Cavender. “Or if they want a Samsung, they probably are going to wait for the next generation, because they don’t want to take the risk that they will get a faulty product.”

___

AP researchers Fu Ting in Shanghai and Yu Bing in Beijing and AP Business Writer Youkyung Lee in Seoul contributed.

The next time you’re in a rush, here’s where you can grab a quick and healthy bite to eat, all while supporting local businesses.

2016-09-21 12:01 JOE McDONALD wtop.com

26 /100 Beijing: Gay man sues hospital for attempting to change his sexuality Beijing: A gay man has filed a lawsuit against a hospital in Central China's Henan province alleging that he was forced to undergo treatment for "sexual preference disorder" at the medical facility.

Yu Hu, 37, alleged that he was forced to undergo treatment at the Second People's Hospital of Zhumadian where he was admitted for 19 days by his family members in October last year after he filed for divorce from his wife.

Yu's lawyer, Huang Rui, told the state-run Global Times that this act obviously impinged upon his freedom. "The personal freedom of Chinese citizens is protected by law and cannot be infringed upon by hospitals or one's family members," Huang said. In his suit, which accuses the hospital of violating his personal freedom, Yu demanded an apology and compensation of 10,000 yuan (USD 1,520). However, Huang was pessimistic about the lawsuit because several critical pieces of evidence, including Yu's medical record and an investigation report issued by local authorities, have not been made available to him.

Huang said the mental hospital refused to allow him to make a copy of Yu's medical record until Wednesday, and he noted that the investigation report was simply based on the hospital's own explanation of Yu's confinement. He was then hospitalised for 19 days, during which time he was forced to receive injections and take medicines like anti-depressants, the Global Times report said.

"I tried to say that I have no metal illnesses. But the hospital rejected my release and treated me as a patient who has a sexual orientation problem," Yu said. He was rescued from the hospital on October 26, 2015 by local police, who had been alerted of his plight by a gay rights activist.

Yu decided to sue the hospital when he heard of the successful 2014 suit of a gay man who was also institutionalised for his sexual orientation. In that verdict, the court said "homosexuality is not a disease. "

2016-09-21 12:01 By PTI www.mid-day.com

27 /100 Owner who posted 'Muslims get out' sign invited to US mosque Washington: A restaurant owner in the US, who had put up a "Muslims get out" sign outside his eatery as he was upset over the recent stabbing in Minnesota, has been invited to a mosque to learn more about Islam and the Muslim community.

Dan Ruedinger, the owner of the Treats Family Restaurant, has said that he had put up the controversial sign because he was upset over the stabbings at a St. Cloud mall in Minnesota. A man making "some references to Allah" stabbed and injured eight people in the shopping mall, before being shot dead by an off-duty officer.

"We are not targeting the Muslims in general, just the extremists," Dan Reudinger has said. "That's all I can say. It's my right and I'm going to stand up, and I wish more people would do it," CBS Minnesota reported today. Jaylani Hussein, the executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations in Minnesota (CAIR-MN), plans to invite Ruedinger to a mosque in Faribault.

CAIR-MN hopes a meeting with local Muslims will change the business owner's view of the state's Islamic community, it said. "Our experience has shown that interaction with ordinary American Muslims and enhanced knowledge of Islam are key factors in the reduction of Islamophobic attitudes," Hussein said.

Hussein also thanked community members of different faiths and backgrounds who demonstrated outside the Lonsdale restaurant and spoke out against the sign on social media. Ruedinger's sign drew protesters. They said that while the business owner had the right to say what he wanted, his message reflected badly on the Lonsdale community.

2016-09-21 12:01 By PTI www.mid-day.com

28 /100 Ex-soldier jailed for 30 years for terror plot Chicago: A former National Guard soldier was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his part in a thwarted plot to carry out a deadly attack against his fellow soldiers at an armoury outside of Chicago in the US.

Hasan Edmonds, 23, the former soldier, pleaded guilty, along with his 30-year-old cousin Jonas Edmonds, to conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State (IS) terror group last year as part of a plot that included carrying out a massive attack against the post he was assigned to in Joliet, Illinois, USA Today reported on Tuesday.

Jonas Edmonds was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and lying to federal agents when he was initially questioned.

In sentencing the cousins, US District Judge John Lee charged that the Edmonds cousins, both Muslim converts who acknowledged they had been radicalized online, demonstrated "utter hatred and disdain for this country" with their actions.

But Lee said that Hasan Edmonds deserved a longer sentence, because of the special trust that was bestowed on him because of his position as a US soldier.

2016-09-21 12:01 By IANS www.mid-day.com

29 /100 Albuquerque police make strides in 2 years since s ALBUQUERQUE, N. M. (AP) — Albuquerque police botched a standoff two years ago that led to the death of a mentally ill homeless camper, missing the opportunity to calm a volatile situation and shooting the man who had two pocket knives but posed no immediate threat, a police expert said Tuesday at the trial of two former officers charged with murder. Hundreds of protesters decried James Boyd’s 2014 death as yet another questionable shooting by a police force that had killed more than 20 suspects from 2010 to 2014. Under investigation by the U. S. Justice Department for more than a year over allegations of excessive force, police faced a scathing federal report a month after Boyd’s death describing a “culture of aggression” and faulting officers for using unreasonable force with the mentally ill.

Police shootings have dropped since federal and city officials settled on reforms to the agency. But the series of court-mandated changes, including a use-of-force policy that adds new reporting measures for officers and their supervisors, are still fresh.

Defense lawyers for now-retired Detective Keith Sandy and former Officer Dominique Perez, who are charged with second-degree murder in Boyd’s death, maintain their clients opened fire because Boyd had pulled two knives and was threatening the life of a K-9 handler nearby.

Jeffrey Noble, a former police sergeant and attorney who testified as an expert witness for the prosecution, said each violated their training when they shot Boyd because he didn’t pose an immediate threat to other officers.

The supervisors on the scene also missed multiple chances to reassess their plan to take Boyd into custody, even after the situation spiraled into chaos, Noble said.

“It’s a solid line,” he said. “Without having an immediate threat of a deadly attack, use of force is not justified.”

The Police Department is in its first year of reforms. So far, there have been policy changes for special tactical teams, such as the SWAT unit where Perez was assigned, and the dismantling of the Repeat Offenders Project with which Sandy worked.

In a report this summer, the court-appointed monitor tasked with tracking the reforms said the SWAT unit has become one of the strongest teams within the department. Officers are being trained regularly on how to resolve crisis situations with the least amount of physical force necessary, resulting in fewer deaths and injuries involving SWAT officers, the monitor said.

The number of shootings by Albuquerque police that resulted in death or injury dropped from eight in 2013 to five in 2015. While final figures from 2016 aren’t yet available, police data show the number of times officers used firearms dropped to 10 times in 2015, down from 15 times in 2013.

It’s a change from the time when Boyd died. Police Chief Gorden Eden took the stand Monday and was peppered with questions about his department’s use-of-force policies in 2014, making for two days of testimony largely focused on the highly criticized policies at the time of Boyd’s death.

Police helmet camera video appeared to show Boyd preparing to surrender after an hourslong standoff when officers deployed a flash-bang grenade near him. That’s when a K-9 unit closed in, he pulled out two knives and officers opened fire.

The video led to a wave of protests in Albuquerque amid growing tensions over local shootings by police, with the unrest preceding a broader national debate on use of force by law enforcement. That debate has largely focused on race but also raised questions about deadly conflicts with people suffering from mental illness.

Jurors in the trial must decide whether Perez and Sandy justifiably perceived that Boyd posed a life-threatening danger to officers.

“Without question, the evidence in this case will show Boyd posed a threat,” said attorney Luis Robles, who represents Perez.

The next time you’re in a rush, here’s where you can grab a quick and healthy bite to eat, all while supporting local businesses.

2016-09-21 12:01 MARY HUDETZ wtop.com

30 /100 Reports: Outside groups spending big to help Trump, Clinton WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton say they raised record amounts of money in August for their presidential bids — a total of $233 million just in one month. And wealthy donors are pouring millions of dollars more into outside groups involved in the race for the White House and Senate contests. Many of those groups, along with the presidential campaigns, are due to report the details of their late summertime fundraising and expenses to federal regulators on Tuesday.

Here are some takeaways from the reports:

TRUMP MANAGER SUPER PAC PAYMENT

A firm headed by Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, received almost $250,000 from a super PAC in late August, the same month the company also was paid $128,000 by the Trump campaign, new documents show. The payment from Make America Number 1 to Conway’s The Polling Company was made Aug. 23, more than a month after Conway joined Trump’s team and almost a week after Trump named her his campaign manager.

That super PAC is funded almost exclusively by conservative billionaire Robert Mercer, who had tapped her to lead the super PAC during the primary, when the group backed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign continued paying its former manager, Corey Lewandowski. He and the campaign parted ways June 20, yet his Green Monster Consulting earned another $20,000 for “strategy consulting” on Aug. 11, the same amount it had regularly been paid.

___

CLINTON SPENDING SPREE

Clinton is spending at a faster clip than Trump. The difference meant his campaign started this month with nearly a $10 million cash advantage over hers.

Clinton’s campaign spent almost $50 million last month, nearly $12 million more than in July, including $33 million that went into advertising. She has blanketed the airwaves with thousands of commercials promoting her candidacy and attacking Trump as unfit for the presidency. And Clinton spent about $5 million on her roughly 800-person payroll.

The campaign raised more than $60 million in August; Clinton also helped raise another $81 million last month for the Democratic National Committee and state parties working to elect her. Trump’s campaign raised about $42 million and spent almost $30 million in August. Like Clinton, Trump also raised tens of millions of dollars more for the party.

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MORE BIG CHECKS FOR CLINTON GROUP

Apart from the campaign, which faces $2,700-per-person, per-election donation limits, Clinton can count on several super political action committees to promote her candidacy. Donors can give those groups as much as they’d like.

The biggest one, Priorities USA, continued to haul in money from wealthy Democratic donors in August. The group raised $23 million last month. And it started this month with $41.5 million in the bank. Nearly half of that came from a handful of big donors. Slim-Fast billionaire Daniel Abraham gave $3 million as did Chicago media billionaire Fred Eychaner. Combined, the two men have given the super PAC $16 million this election cycle.

Democratic super donors — both billionaire financiers — George Soros and Donald Sussman gave $2.5 million and $2 million, respectively, and Emerson Collective LLC, a social activism organization headed by Steve Jobs’ widow, Laurene Powell Jobs, contributed $2 million.

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DEMOCRATIC, REPUBLICAN FUNDRAISING

The Democratic Party raised $29.4 million last month compared to $23.4 million brought in by the Republican National Committee. Both presidential nominees have been working to raise money for their respective parties — which in turn devote resources to help their White House bids.

Despite the similar August fundraising totals, the Democrats burned through far more cash, leaving the party with $11.5 million available as of Sept. 1, compared to the GOP’s nearly $41 million.

___

SENATE CASH

Billionaires are writing big checks to outside groups focused on the Senate, the August documents show.

The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC helmed by a former chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, raised more than $28 million in August after months of slow fundraising.

More than two-thirds of that haul came from billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, marking their first major investments in the 2016 races. 39.3

The Democratic counterpart to the group, the Senate Majority PAC, raised $11.6 million last month. Its top August donor was Eychaner, who gave $3 million. Close allies of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid direct the super PAC.

Despite having been trounced in August fundraising, overall, the Democratic group has nearly kept pace with the Republican group, the reports show.

But brace for a flood of new Republican-boosting ads: The Senate Leadership Fund began this month with $40.2 million in the bank. The Senate Majority PAC had a little more than $12 million in available cash as of Sept. 1.

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NRA FOR TRUMP

One of the most active outside groups backing Trump, the Republican nominee, is the political arm of the deep-pocketed National Rifle Association, which began September with about $10 million in the bank.

“The NRA — great people — they endorsed me,” Trump said at a rally Tuesday in North Carolina.

The NRA Political Victory Fund reported Tuesday that it raised $1.4 million in August, mostly from small donations, while it spent more than $3.9 million.

The majority of the group’s spending— some $3 million— was on television advertising opposing Clinton, the Democratic nominee, the reports show. According to the Kantar Media’s political ad tracker, the group’s ads have been concentrated in the battleground states of Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Iowa. The new reports also show the NRA set up pro-Trump booths at gun shows across the country.

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FACEBOOK MONEY FOR CLINTON

Dustin Moskovitz, a co-founder of the social media site Facebook explained in an essay this month that he would spend $20 million to help elect Clinton and other Democrats. A chunk of that money — $5 million — showed up in the League of Conservation Voters’ bank account in August. That made up the majority of its almost $6 million in August fundraising, reports filed Tuesday show.

Nearly all of LCV’s expenses last month were related to television ads opposing Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey. The group is also canvassing and mailing out pledge cards and other materials backing Clinton, filings show.

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Keep track on how much Clinton and Trump are spending on television advertising, and where they’re spending it, via AP’s interactive ad tracker. http://elections.ap.org/content/ad-spending

Follow Chad Day and Julie Bykowicz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChadSDay and https://twitter.com/bykowicz

The next time you’re in a rush, here’s where you can grab a quick and healthy bite to eat, all while supporting local businesses.

2016-09-21 12:01 CHAD DAY wtop.com

31 /100 Man shot in East Chatham A man was shot Tuesday night in the East Chatham neighborhood on the South Side.

The 26-year-old was riding a bicycle about 8:20 p.m. in the 8000 block of South Ellis when another male fired shots in his direction, striking him in the left ankle, according to Chicago Police.

He was taken to Jackson Park Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

A police source said the man is a documented gang member.

2016-09-21 12:01 Ashlee Rezin chicago.suntimes.com

32 /100 CPD officer saves life by bonding over football The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. on the 9400 block of Old Concord Road. More >>

A West Texas family named in a case of child neglect here in Lubbock has a long history with Child Protective Services, going back to 2001 and tracking across three states. A judge just ruled the children will remain in the care of the state. More >>

Tropical Storm Lisa has formed in the Atlantic behind Tropical Storm Karl. More >>

A U-2 military airplane crashed Tuesday in an isolated area of Sutter County, CA, the Federal Aviation Administration said. More >>

A solid-gold, fully functional toilet is part of an exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. More >>

The acting duo were consistently named among the most attractive and influential couples in entertainment. More >>

The man suspected of planting bombs in New York and New Jersey may have aimed to inflict carnage incognito, but he didn't succeed for long in concealing his identity. More >> More >>

The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. on the 9400 block of Old Concord Road. More >>

Police are looking for a suspect after a man was shot during a robbery late Monday night in a local hotel room. More >>

Columbia residents are asked to be on alert for someone impersonating a City of Columbia water maintenance employee. More >>

Inside Papa Jazz Record Shoppe in Five Points, the possibilities seem endless. More >>

A 36-year-old Lexington County man stands accused of beating his girlfriend, then setting her car on fire. More >>

2016-09-21 12:01 WIS Staff rss.cnn.com

33 /100 Mississippi state flags confiscated at Ole Miss game The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. on the 9400 block of Old Concord Road. More >>

2016-09-21 12:01 Roslyn Anderson rss.cnn.com

34 /100 Lawyers for slain Tulsa man: Drug discussion a distraction TULSA, Okla. — Investigators found the drug PCP in the vehicle of an unarmed black man fatally shot by a white officer, according to Oklahoma police, but attorneys for the slain man’s family say a discussion of drugs distracts from questions about the use of deadly force.

Tulsa Sgt. Dave Walker told the Tulsa World on Tuesday that investigators recovered one vial of PCP in Terence Crutcher’s SUV, but he declined to say where in the vehicle it was found or whether officers determined if Crutcher used it Friday night. Walker confirmed to The Associated Press that what he told the newspaper was true, but declined further comment.

A spokeswoman for the state medical examiner’s office said autopsy and toxicology results for Crutcher are pending, and police said Tuesday the toxicology report could take several weeks. Attorneys for Crutcher’s family said the man’s relatives did not know whether drugs were found in his vehicle and, even if they were, that wouldn’t justify his fatal shooting.

“Let us not be throwing a red herring, and to say because something was found in the car that was justification to shoot him,” said attorney Benjamin Crump, one of the family’s lawyers.

Police say Tulsa Officer Shelby fired the fatal shot that killed Terence Crutcher on Sept. 16, 2016. | Tulsa Police Department via AP

Crump compared Crutcher’s shooting to Monday’s arrest of New York bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami, who police say engaged officers in a shootout.

“He wasn’t killed. So why was an unarmed black man who has committed no crime, who only needs a hand, given bullets in his lungs?” Crump said.

Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby fatally shot the 40-year-old on Friday after responding to a report of a stalled vehicle. Sgt. Shane Tuell said Tuesday that Shelby had a stun gun at the time but did not use it. Officer Tyler Turnbough, who also is white, used a stun gun on Crutcher, police said.

Two 911 calls described an SUV that had been abandoned in the middle of the road. One unidentified caller said the driver was acting strangely, adding, “I think he’s smoking something.”

PCP or phencyclidine, also called angel dust, can cause slurred speech, loss of coordination and a sense of strength or invulnerability, according to the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. At high doses, it can cause hallucinations and paranoia.

Oklahoma prison officials confirmed Tuesday that Crutcher served four years in prison on a drug conviction from 2007 to 2011.

But Damario Solomon-Simmons, another attorney for Crutcher’s family, said Shelby and other officers had no way of knowing about Crutcher’s background or the potential for drugs in his vehicle when they approached him Friday.

“It’s undisputed that the officers on the scene had no idea what may be in Terence’s car,” Solomon-Simmons said. “At that particular moment that he was shot, he was not a suspect for any crime. Period.”

Police Chief Chuck Jordan said Monday that Crutcher had no weapon on him or in his SUV when he was shot. It’s not clear from dashcam and aerial footage what led Shelby to draw her gun or what orders officers gave Crutcher.

Shelby’s attorney, Scott Wood, said Crutcher was not following the officers’ commands and that Shelby was concerned because he kept reaching for his pocket as if he was carrying a weapon. “He has his hands up and is facing the car and looks at Shelby, and his left hand goes through the car window, and that’s when she fired her shot,” Wood told the Tulsa World.

In this image made from a Friday, Sept. 16, 2016 police video, Terence Crutcher (center) is pursued by police officers as he walk to an SUV in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was fatally was shot by a police officer about 8 p.m. Friday, police said. Crutcher had no weapon on him or in his SUV, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said Monday, Sept. 19, 2016. | Tulsa Police Department via AP But attorneys for Crutcher’s family challenged that claim Tuesday, presenting an enlarged photo from the police footage that appeared to show that Crutcher’s window was rolled up. Local and federal investigations are underway to determine whether criminal charges are warranted and whether Crutcher’s civil rights were violated.

Hundreds of protesters rallied Tuesday night outside police headquarters in downtown Tulsa calling for Shelby to be fired.

“Police treated Crutcher differently than they would if a white person had been stopped in a similar instance,” said Sharon Smith, 60, an African-American resident of the suburb of Broken Arrow.

Organizers urged participants to remain peaceful, and the protesters dispersed before nightfall without any incidents.

Police helicopter footage was among several clips released Monday that show the shooting and aftermath. A man in the helicopter that arrives above the scene as Crutcher walks to the vehicle can be heard saying “time for a Taser” and then: “That looks like a bad dude, too. Probably on something.”

Betty Shelby’s mother-in-law, Lois Shelby, said the officer is grieving for Crutcher’s family and isn’t prejudiced. She told the AP in a phone interview Tuesday that Shelby “thought she had to protect her own life” when she shot Crutcher.

“She wouldn’t harm anyone. We’re all sick. We feel for the [Crutcher] family,” Lois Shelby said. “But, you know, we have a family that goes out every day and faces life and death. And when she is being accused of things she didn’t do wrong, it’s too much, and they don’t think about our family.”

Betty Shelby declined to comment, referring calls to her attorney.

Police video shows Crutcher walking toward his SUV that is stopped in the middle of the road. His hands are up and a female officer is following him. As Crutcher approaches the driver’s side of the SUV, more officers arrive and Crutcher appears to lower his hands and place them on the vehicle before the officers surround him.

Crutcher can be seen dropping to the ground. Someone on the police radio says, “I think he may have just been tasered.” Then almost immediately, someone can be heard yelling, “Shots fired!” and Crutcher is left lying in the street.

Shelby’s attorney, Wood, said Turnbough fired the stun gun at the same time Shelby opened fire because both perceived a threat.

The shooting comes four months after ex-Tulsa County volunteer deputy Robert Bates was sentenced to four years in prison on a second-degree manslaughter conviction in an unarmed black man’s 2015 death. Bates said he mistakenly grabbed his gun instead of his Taser. Shelby worked as a Tulsa County sheriff’s deputy for four years before joining the Tulsa Police Department in December 2011, officials said. She has been placed on paid leave.

2016-09-21 12:01 Justin Juozapavicius chicago.suntimes.com

35 /100 10 killed in Indonesia flood, landslides Jakarta: At least 10 persons were killed, three went missing and 30 injured as flashfloods and landslides struck West Java province in Indonesia overnight and Wednesday morning, a disaster agency spokesman said. The flashfloods also left hundreds of people displaced in Garut district as water in two rivers overflowed due to heavy downpours, Xinhua news agency quoted Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the national disaster agency, as saying.

Eight people have been killed, 30 wounded and one has gone missing, he said. In Sumedang district, landslides hit two houses, leaving two people dead and two others missing on Tuesday night, Sutopo said.

Search operations for the missing as well as emergency relief efforts are underway, involving soldiers, police, those from local disaster agency and search and rescue office.

Hundreds of affected people have been moved into government office buildings and military stations, Sutopo added. Indonesia is frequently hit by floods and landslides during heavy rains.

2016-09-21 12:01 By IANS www.mid-day.com

36 /100 India's 500th Test celebration: mid-day picks the Greatest XI India are set to play their 500th Test against New Zealand in Kanpur from September 22. To celebrate the occasion, we have decided to play selector and pick India's Greatest Test XI. The team sees the formidable opening pair of Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag, with their completely opposite ways of approaching the game.

Then comes 'The Wall' at No 3 and India's 'God of Cricket' at No 4. The No. 5 slot goes to a genius all- rounder who opened for India, but could fit in anywhere: Vinoo Mankad.

A 'Very Very Special' cricketer is at No 6. India's greatest all-rounder Kapil Dev is at No 7. We have kept Kapil as skipper because of his aggression and ability to lead from the front.

The depth of the team can be seen in the fact that a destructive batsman like MS Dhoni is at No 8.

Then come the bowlers: Anil Kumble at 9, Bishan Bedi at 10 and India first pacer Mohammad Nissar bringing up the rear at No 11.

The squad may not be to every one's liking and stoke controversy since it doesn't have the likes of MAK Pataudi, Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Azharuddin, Dilip Vengsarkar, Vijay Hazare, Polly Umrigar, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Gundappa Vishwanath. Ultimately, controversy and the selection of an imaginary cricket team go hand in hand. No matter which cricketer is picked to be part of the final XI, the ones omitted make more news and legions of fans stand up to protest their omission. So we would like to apologise in advance for not being able to fit in all the greats in our Playing XI. Sunil Gavaskar Tests: 125 | Runs: 10,122 | Hundreds: 34 | Ave: 51.12 | HS: 236 no The original 'Little Master', Sunil Gavaskar was the first cricketer to reach the landmark of 10,000 Test runs and India's batting rock for more than a decade-and-a-half. The great umpire Dickie Bird had called Gavaskar "one of the two best opening bats". He was named India's Cricketer of the 20th Century and when he retired in 1987 his 34 hundreds were the most in Test history. Gavaskar averaged 50 at home but even greater is his away record: an average of 52. Virender Sehwag Tests: 104 | Runs: 8,586 | Hundreds: 23 | Ave: 49.34 | HS: 319

Wisden, the highly respected cricket publication, had named Virender Sehwag as the Leading Cricketer in the World for 2008 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni captain of its first ever Dream Test XI.

Adjectives fall short in describing the ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’. Stats to don’t do full justice to his talent. But here are two -- Sehwag has two Test triple hundreds and a 293 to his name. His strike-rate of 82.23 in 104 Tests is the fastest of anyone with more than 2,000 runs. Test cricket’s overall greatest run-scorer Sachin Tendulkar at No.4 in his side. Tendulkar -- who retired at 40 having played a staggering 200 Tests, scored 15,921 runs in his remarkable career, with 51 hundreds -- was an automatic selection Rahul Dravid Tests: 164 | Runs: 13,288 | Hundreds: 36 | Ave: 52.31 | HS: 270

Rahul Dravid is not called ‘The Wall’ for nothing. He is after all, one of the toughest men to dismiss in the history of the game. One of the ‘Fab Four’ of India’ Test history, Dravid is one of the best No.3 in the game. He scored more than 13,000 runs in his career, including 36 centuries. He though was one of the most underrated cricketers, having had to share the limelight with Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Sachin Tendulkar Tests: 200 | Runs: 15,921 | Hundreds: 51 | Ave: 53.78 | HS: 248*

One of the greatest cricketers of all time, Sachin Tendulkar was ‘God of Cricket’ for India throughout his 24-year career. Form his Test debut as a 16 year old, ‘The Little Master’ left all opposition bowlers demoralized. When he quit the game in November 2013, at the age of 40 and in his 200th Test match, he bowed out as Test cricket's most prolific ever run-scorer. Vinoo Mankad Tests: 44 | Wickets: 162 | 5wi: 8 | Ave: 32.32 | BBI: 8-52 | Runs: 2109 | Hundreds: 5 | Ave: 31.47 | HS: 231

A left-arm spinner and opening batsman, Vinoo Mankad was one of the greatest all-rounders India has ever produced. He will always be in the history books for his record 413-run opening stand with Pankaj Roy against New Zealand in 1956, which remains an Indian record for any wicket. VVS Laxman Tests: 134 | Runs: 8,781 | Hundreds: 17 | Ave: 45.97 | HS: 281

Another one of the ‘Fab Four, VVS Laxman was exemplary in pressure situation, especially against the dreaded Australians. The wristy Indian lived up to his moniker of Very Very Special. His epic 281 in Kolkata in 2001 is perhaps the greatest Test innings of them all. He paired up with Dravid again in 2003 for another classic stand, this time in Adelaide, to engineer a first Indian win in Australia for 22 years. Kapil Dev (Captain) Tests: 131 | Wickets: 434 | 5wi: 23 | Ave: 29.64 | BBI: 9-83 | Runs: 5248 | Hundreds: 8 | Ave: 31.05 | HS: 163 Kapil Dev was named India's Cricketer of the 20th Century. Doesn’t that say it all. We have been looking to find his replacement ever since he retired, but have failed so far. ‘The Haryana Hurricane’ carried the hopes and dreams of a nation on his shoulders throughout his 16-year Test career.

MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper) Tests: 90 | Runs: 4,876 | Hundreds: 6 | Ave: 38.09 | HS: 224 | C: 256 | S: 38

MS Dhoni is by far the best wicketkeeper-batsman India has produced. The current India limited-overs skipper sneaks into the side on the basis of his batting ability, after all, he is regarded as one of the most destructive batsmen of the modern era.

Anil Kumble Tests: 132 | Wickets: 619 | 5wi: 35 | Ave: 29.65 | BBI: 10-74 The current coach of the India team was the first Indian spinner to break the 300-wicket mark and the second Test player to ever take all ten wickets in an innings, achieving the feat against Pakistan in 1999. His commitment to the game and team is best exemplified by the 14 overs he bowled in Antigua in 2002 vs West Indies with a broken jaw. It doesn’t hurt that he was also handy with the bat, and even has century against his name – vs England in 2007. Bishan Singh Bedi Tests: 67 | Wickets: 266 | 5wi: 14 | Ave: 28.71 | BBI: 7-98 The orthodox left arm off-spin of BS Bedi was beguiling. He makes it to the XI based on the fact that he has a superior Test average to the likes of Kumble, Harbhajan and Prasanna and instead of Bhagwat Chandrashekhar since he lends variety. Most impressive of all is the fact that some of his greatest achievements were in away matches, a bane for most Indian spinners. His only 10-wicket haul came at the bouncy WACA Ground in Perth. Mohammad Nissar Tests: 6 | Wickets: 25 | 5wi: 3 | Ave: 28.28 | BBI: 5-90 Mohammad Nissar makes it for his sheer pace. He is considered the fastest pre- independence Indian pace bowler and was arguably one of the fastest bowlers in the world during his time. Indian batsman C. K. Nayudu claimed in writings that during his first spell, Nissar was faster than Englishman Harold Larwood, who terrorized Australia in 1932 in the infamous Bodyline series. Nissar along with Amar Singh formed an Indian fast bowling duo that was considered one of the best in the world during the 1930s. Nissar's career kick-started right in his first match, as he, in the first ball of his second over, dismissed Herbert Sutcliffe for 3, knocking over Sutcliffe's stumps. Then, with the fifth ball of the very same over, he bowled the other opener, Percy Holmes And how can we ignore the man who took the first Test wicket for India. 12th Man: Eknath Solkar Tests: 27 | Wickets: 18 | Ave: 59.44 | BBI: 3-28 | Runs: 1068 | Hundreds: 1 | Ave: 25.42 | HS: 102 Eknath Solkar was an all-round cricketer who played 27 Tests and was called ‘Poor man’s Sobers’ for his ability to bat – he had a Test century to his name, and talent to bowl fast as well as slow. Solkar was renowned for his excellent close fielding. His catches helped India to victory against England at The Oval in 1971, the team's first Test win in England. Eknath's team-mate at Sussex Tony Greig once said, "He was the best forward short leg I've ever seen. " His 53 catches in only 27 matches is the best ratio for catches per test-match among non-wicket-keepers with 20 or more Tests.

2016-09-21 12:01 By mid www.mid-day.com

37 /100 No reports of clashes as truce between Reds, PH gov’t holds The ceasefire between the Philippine government and the communist rebels remains holding with no reports of major clashes and incidents after almost a month since the resumption of peace negotiations, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process said on Wednesday.

“It is indicative of the sincerity of both parties in the (peace) process which augurs well for peace,” government’s chief negotiator and Labor Secretary Silvestro ‘Bebot’ Bello III said in a statement.

He is also optimistic that a bilateral agreement will be reached when the next round of peace negotiations resumed on Oct. 4 to 10 in Oslo, Norway.

Both the government and the National Democratic Front declared their own ceasefire during the resumption of peace talks late last month. “This indefinite unilateral ceasefire from the NPA (New People’s Army) is considered ‘historic and unprecedented.’ The NPA said it is inspired by the release of the 22 detained NDF consultants, the most number of prisoners released by the government to date,” the OPAPP said.

READ: Gov’t, Reds OK signing of indefinite ceasefire

The two parties have agreed to submit drafts for the formal bilateral ceasefire agreement in the next round of peace talks

“Hopefully, this will ripen to a bilateral and permanent ceasefire and finally the end of hostilities,” Bello said.

The two parties will also tackle the proposed amnesty proclamation for all listed detained members of the NDF, and the cessation of hostilities and disposition of forces.

The two parties have agreed to accelerate the peace process until a final peace agreement is signed within a year, OPAPP said. CDG

2016-09-21 12:01 Frances Mangosing newsinfo.inquirer.net

38 /100 Orioles stumble at the plate in another 5-2 loss to Red Sox BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles’ offense is sputtering, and — not coincidentally — so is the team’s hope of overtaking first- place Boston in the AL East.

David Ortiz broke open a tight game with a three-run homer in the seventh inning, and the Red Sox beat Baltimore 5-2 Tuesday night for their sixth straight win.

The victory stretched Boston’s lead over Baltimore to five games with 11 to play. After sweeping four games from the Yankees, the Red Sox have won the first two of this pivotal four-game series by identical scores.

“Two runs is not quite enough to go up against that offense,” Orioles catcher Matt Wieters said. “We know we need to do better and score more runs.”

Facing the highest-scoring team in the majors, Baltimore got only six hits against Eduardo Rodriguez (3-7) and four relievers.

“They’re pitching real well and we haven’t swung the bats real well,” manager Buck Showalter said.

Trey Mancini homered in his major league debut for the Orioles, who began the day tied with Toronto for the league’s two wild cards.

The Red Sox are 11-3 in their last 14 games and a major league-best 13-5 in September. “I think there is growing confidence in our clubhouse daily,” manager John Farrell said.

The Red Sox led 2-1 in the seventh when Marco Hernandez and Mookie Betts singled off Kevin Gausman (8-11). One out later, Ortiz hit a 1-2 pitch far over the center-field wall.

“I still can’t figure out how he can swing so hard on balls up and in and then cover a pitch down and away, but that’s why he’s the hitter he is,” Wieters said.

Ortiz guessed correctly that Gausman would throw a fastball.

“I had to shoot for something. Experience played out in that at-bat,” he said. “I told myself, ‘I’ve got to either shoot for a fastball or a splitter.’ But I know he’s throwing his best fastball right now. So I’m going to go for a fastball.”

Playing in his final season, Ortiz has 36 home runs and 121 RBIs. Big Papi has hit eight home runs against the Orioles this season — including two in this series — and 54 for his career.

Betts also extended his run of success against Baltimore, going 3 for 5 and scoring twice. He is 16 for 31 at Camden Yards and has scored 16 runs in eight games.

Rodriguez allowed two runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings to earn his first win in 11 starts since July 16.

Craig Kimbrel worked the ninth for his 28th save.

After giving up four hits in eight scoreless innings last week at Boston, Gausman yielded five runs and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings.

“I was just leaving a couple of pitches too good early on,” he said. “A team like this, it’s tough to repeat what I did in Boston.”

Boston went up 1-0 in the third when Betts singled and scored on a grounder by Hanley Ramirez. Jackie Bradley Jr. hit his 26th homer in the fourth.

Rodriguez retired his first 11 batters and held Baltimore without a hit until Mancini connected with two outs in the fifth. The rookie sprinted around the bases, taking about half the time Ortiz did during his home run trot in the seventh.

UNFORGETTTABLE MOMENT

The Orioles were quick to turn the page after the defeat, but Mancini will never forget this night. He became the third Orioles player to homer in his first game, following Larry Haney in 1966 and Jonathan Schoop in 2013.

“It was a really special moment, something that I’ve definitely been waiting for my whole life,” the rookie said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: Farrell gave 2B Dustin Pedroia (knee) the night off but expected him back in the lineup Wednesday.

Orioles: LHP Wade Miley is expected to leave the team after Sunday’s game against Arizona to join his wife, who is expecting. Showalter said the pitcher might miss the Toronto series that begins Tuesday. UP NEXT

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz (7-10, 5.20 ERA) looks to extend a three-game winning streak Wednesday night. He is 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA against Baltimore this season.

Orioles: Unbeaten in four starts since Aug. 25, Ubaldo Jimenez (7-11, 5.94) is 2-5 with a 7.39 ERA lifetime against the Red Sox.

The next time you’re in a rush, here’s where you can grab a quick and healthy bite to eat, all while supporting local businesses.

2016-09-21 12:01 DAVID GINSBURG wtop.com

39 /100 Denmark sees looming shortage of skilled workers COPENHAGEN, Denmark — After a lackluster recovery from the 2008 financial crisis, Denmark’s central bank has warned that the labor market faces a squeeze as unemployment falls, the population ages and young people shun vocational jobs.

At Technical Education Copenhagen, traineeships for another 20 to 30 lorry drivers could probably have been found if only people were interested in them, according to Anders Wendelboe, a head of education at the vocational training college.

In a country where work-life balance is highly valued, a wrongful perception that the job came with irregular working hours was putting some people off, he speculated.

“Young people today would like to have leisure time, they would like to have a family,” he said.

A lack of skilled workers was also threatening growth at Teccon Form, a company in the western town of Holstebro making tools for injection molding, employing around 20 people.

“There has probably been too much focus on having a university education,” chief executive Michael Nederby lamented.

“There has been a slightly higher status around that, and we are fighting against that,” he said, adding that he had been forced to raise salaries to compete with other employers.

Central bank warning

Denmark’s central bank last week warned that the country was technically at full employment and that the economy could be hit if the country did not find ways of growing its labor force.

“Unemployment has now reached its ‘structural level’ … There are, so to speak, no labor reserves among the unemployed,” it said in a quarterly report.

“There are already signs of pressures in the labor market. The clearest indications are reporting of labor shortages in both the construction and manufacturing sectors,” it added.

Seasonally adjusted unemployment stood at 4.2 percent in July, according to data from Statistics Denmark based on the number of people on unemployment benefits and in labor market activation programs. The number rises to 6.2 percent under the so called ILO (International Labor Organization) measure, which is used to compare unemployment in different countries.

Denmark was badly hit by a burst property bubble during the 2008 financial crisis and growth has lagged the economies of neighboring Sweden and Germany.

The country’s central bank believes economic output will edge up 0.9 percent this year and 1.5 percent in 2017.

No quick fix

“The problem is the greatest among vocationally trained labor with technical skills, such as electricians, industry technicians and mechanics,” said Steen Nielsen, head of labor market policy at the Confederation of Danish Industry.

A previous reform raising the age of retirement, as well as using foreign labor — mostly from other EU countries — would help plug the skills gap in the short term, he added.

Still, as Denmark’s population ages, that is unlikely to be enough.

“A shift is taking place in the labor market,” said Stine Pilegaard Jespersen, the head of labor market and education policy at the Confederation of Danish Enterprise.

“More elderly are leaving the labor market … and the young who are coming in are much less likely to have a vocational education than those who are leaving,” she added.

Two of the country’s top markets for foreign labor, Germany and Poland, also have ageing populations and will also see their workforce shrink over the coming decades, she noted.

Denmark received 21,000 asylum seekers last year, and many Danes worry that the new arrivals — like previous generations of refugees — will struggle to find work, putting pressure on the Scandinavian country’s welfare state.

While some professions facing labor shortages, such as bakers and butchers, could offer opportunities, refugees were unlikely to play a major part in fixing the problem, Jespersen said.

A survey published by Denmark’s integration ministry in May showed that 55 percent of newly arrived refugees had only completed primary school, while eight percent had no education whatsoever.

“What we typically see with refugees is that they don’t have very strong skills. Many of them are very young and don’t have a lot of schooling, and they also don’t have a lot of work experience,” said Nielsen.

“On top of that there is a big language barrier,” he added.

2016-09-21 12:01 Agence France newsinfo.inquirer.net

40 /100 2-headed calf named Lucky born on Adair Co. farm Liquor stores will soon pop up across Campbellsville. More >>

JCPS said a bus driver leaving Minor Daniels Academy noticed a black Chevrolet Tahoe following the bus as it left the school Tuesday afternoon. More >> As Louisville Metro police and SWAT negotiated with a man barricaded inside the Falcon Crest Apartments for 14 hours on Monday, they may not have been the only ones in contact with Paul Badamo. More >>

As Louisville Metro police and SWAT negotiated with a man barricaded inside the Falcon Crest Apartments for 14 hours on Monday, they may not have been the only ones in contact with Paul Badamo.? More >>

Officers with the FOP are taking issue with the chief’s move to dismantle the FLEX platoons; which combat quality of life issues and complaints in neighborhoods. More >>

This week's Sports Illustrated cover, for the very first time, will be graced by a UofL football player. More >>

2016-09-21 12:01 Joey Brown rss.cnn.com

41 /100 Ajay Shirke re-elected unopposed as BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke

Ajay Shirke was re-elected as unopposed secretary at the 87th Annual General Meeting of the BCCI which was held today.

Earlier, a senior BCCI functionary had confirmed that Ajay Shirke was the only nomination for the post of secretary.

Ajay Shirke was appointed as the secretary in July after Anurag Thakur was elevated to the post of President after Shashank Manohar decided to quit BCCI to become ICC chairman.

Ajay Shirke is the supremo of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) and is also known to be a close friend to former BCCI and ICC president Sharad Pawar.

2016-09-21 12:01 By mid www.mid-day.com

42 /100 Court to Take up Issue of Murder Victim's Privacy The New Hampshire Supreme Court will be deciding whether or not a murder victim's sexual past should remain private.

Elizabeth "Lizzi" Marriott, of Westborough, Massachusetts , was a 19-year- old sophomore at the University of New Hampshire when she was killed in 2012. Seth Mazzaglia (muh-ZAYL'-ee-uh) was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life, but he is pursuing an appeal.

In June, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that information about Marriott's sexual activity that had been sealed during the trial should be made public during the appeals process, prompting objections from prosecutors and Marriott's family. The court will hear oral arguments Wednesday on that issue.

2016-09-21 12:01 By abcnews.go.com

43 /100 13-foot alligator caught in Ashley River in Summerville - Live5News.com Charleston County Council voted in favor of using up to a half a million dollars from the half cents sales tax fund to go towards completing the permitting process for the completion of I-526. More >>

The Charleston County Council voted to have the South Carolina Department of Transportation take another look at the Ashley River Bridge before moving forward with the bike lane decision. More >>

Family members say a man who was killed in an officer-involved shooting in Charlotte is from the Charleston area. More >>

Cane Bay at Hanahan is the Live 5 Game of the Week More >>

South Carolina is joining 20 other states suing the U. S. Department of Labor over a new rule that would make more higher-earning workers eligible for overtime pay. More >>

2016-09-21 12:01 Patrick Phillips rss.cnn.com

44 /100 Suriname Slides Into Economic Abyss, in Shadow of Venezuela It is a South American nation in crisis: Businesses are closing, food prices are soaring and hospitals are running out of basic supplies such as paper towels and bandages.

No, this isn't Venezuela but rather nearby Suriname, a multi-ethnic former Dutch colony where the economy is in freefall amid collapsing global commodity prices and the local currency's resulting slide against the U. S. dollar. Life has become exceedingly difficult in this isolated country of about 540,000 people on South America's northeastern coast, which the World Bank says now has the world's third highest rate of inflation, behind Venezuela and South Sudan.

"I am absolutely worried my country is becoming another Venezuela," said Umar Nazier, who closed his Texas-style grill restaurant in June because the cost of ingredients had doubled. "I had no other choice but to adjust the prices on my menu, but these new prices scared the customers away. "

The International Monetary Fund, which authorized a $478 million loan to Suriname in May, expects the economy to contract 2 percent this year. Suriname's Bureau of Statistics says inflation is running at an annualized 64 percent, up from an average 4 percent in 2013-2015.

The main reason for the collapse is falling prices for Suriname's main exports, gold and oil, and last year's closure of the Alcoa aluminum refinery, long a pillar of the economy. President Desi Bouterse likely also contributed by spending heavily before the May 2015 election, exhausting currency reserves.

Bouterse has frozen retail fuel prices and backed away from energy price increases, against the IMF's budget-protecting recommendations. He has also vowed to stabilize the exchange rate of the Surinamese dollar, which has fallen by more than half against the U. S. dollar over the past year.

The president said at a news conference Tuesday that the IMF requirements are "very harsh" and that his government may move to withdraw from the loan agreement and seek support from other sources such as the Islamic Development Bank.

"The IMF is cold and only thinks about the numbers and the deadlines we had agreed to," Bouterse said. "If the agreement with the IMF becomes too difficult to follow, if we risk becoming victims of the agreement ourselves, we will have to look for other options. "

As in other import-dependent countries, health care has been hit particularly hard. Doctors at the Academic Hospital Paramaribo, the country's largest, recently posted a YouTube video pleading for help from Surinamese living abroad, saying they lacked such things as sterile tubes. "We have reached the point that people will die an avoidable death," one said.

Hospital officials and doctors declined interview requests but accounts of shortages are widespread. Amanda Palis said she visited four pharmacies seeking a medicine to treat nausea and vomiting for her 2-year-old daughter before giving up and trying something else recommended by a pharmacist.

"I eventually gave my daughter medication that was not prescribed for her," she said. "What else could I do? "

Manodj Hindori, chairman of the National Hospital Council, said all of the country's hospitals "are on the verge of bankruptcy" because of higher prices for supplies combined with reduced government subsidies.

Most people live clustered in and around the capital, Paramaribo. More than 90 percent of the country is covered in rainforest, a rugged and beautiful landscape at the headwaters of the Amazon River.

Bouterse, who has expressed admiration for the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, ran Suriname as a military dictatorship in 1980-1987, then returned as president in a 2010 parliamentary election. In 2000, he was convicted of drug trafficking in the Netherlands in absentia. He has been charged in Suriname with orchestrating the killing of 15 political opponents in 1982, but as the economy crumbled this summer, he invoked a clause of the constitution to suspend the trial, citing national security.

Recent polls say Bouterse's popularity rating is now around 17 percent, about that of President Nicolas Maduro, the socialist leader in struggling Venezuela.

But that's where the comparison to Venezuela ends. Anti-government protests have been relatively small, attracting several thousand people at most. The opposition is weak and divided, with some leading figures saying they don't see the point in marching.

Economy Minister Gillmore Hoefdraad says the economic crisis is temporary and will improve when gold and oil prices recover. The government expects its budget will get a boost when U. S.-based Newmont Mining Corp. starts production at a new mine in Suriname later this year.

The Association of Economists of Suriname says the government must better diversify economically and produce more than just oil and gold. Chairman Winston Ramautarsing suggests developing agriculture, tourism and fishing. "Sadly enough, we seem to be better at spending money than at developing strategies to earn money. "

The government insists it will pass.

"The current situation, of course, is difficult. We still need to recover from this crisis," Hoefdraad said in a video statement the government released last month. "But the medium-term prospects look much, much better. "

2016-09-21 12:01 By abcnews.go.com

45 /100 CPD to hire nearly 1,000 cops to combat surge in Chicago violence The Chicago Police Department will launch a two-year hiring blitz that will add 970 police officers to confront a 50 percent spike in homicides and improve detectives’ ability to solve crimes, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

The hiring surge — the biggest since the mid-1980s — marks a turnaround for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has relied on police overtime in a failed attempt to stop the cycle of gang violence on the streets.

Over the next two years, the police department will add 516 patrol officers, 92 field-training officers, 112 sergeants, 50 lieutenants and 200 detectives.

The first-year cost will be $138,000 per officer including salary, benefits and supervision. So the 970 additional officers will carry a price tag of almost $134 million.

Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said he has no idea how Emanuel plans to pay for the extra cops.

“The mayor has assured me that he will ensure that I get the resources I’m asking for at the end of the day. … He has assured me that he’ll get it done. Specifics of it, you’ll have to get from the budgeting office,” Johnson said in an exclusive interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.

“When I sat down as superintendent, one of the first things everybody asked me was, ‘Did we have enough police officers?’ We did an overall analysis of the department. … I took a real hard look at it and this is what I think we need to make Chicago safer. … It’s going to cost. But there’s no price for the safety of this city.”

Emanuel’s communications director Adam Collins was no more specific about how the mayor plans to pay for it. He would only say the mayor has been “very clear that his priority in the budget is going to be public safety” and that whatever resources Johnson needs, he will get “without an increase in general revenue taxes” on sales, property or gasoline.

Emanuel has already raised property taxes by $838 million for police, fire and teacher pensions. He also imposed a first-ever garbage collection fee and slapped a 29.5 percent tax on water and sewer bills to save the largest of the city’s four employee pension funds.

The Sun-Times reported earlier this year that the police department spent a record $116 million on overtime in 2015 — up 17 percent from the previous year — to mask a manpower shortage that has mushroomed under Emanuel.

Police retirements have outpaced hiring. The two-year hiring blitz will essentially return the police department to the staffing levels of 2011, when Emanuel took office.

Fraternal Order of Police President Dean Angelo has branded the mounting overtime unhealthy, unsustainable and a recipe for officer burnout. On Tuesday, Johnson pretty much agreed.

“You don’t want to utilize overtime to the point that you burn your officers out. We have to be mindful of that. We have to be mindful of their mental health and physical health,” Johnson said. The police department has an authorized strength of 12,500 officers. There are currently 468 sworn vacancies, even before an expected surge of retirements triggered by changes in health- care contributions tied to the police contract.

The ranks of detectives have dropped precipitously from 1,252 in 2008 to 922 today, according to a recent analysis by Reuters. That helps explain why Chicago’s homicide clearance rate is among the lowest in the country.

Emanuel campaigned for his first term on a promise to hire 1,000 additional police officers, then revised the pledge after taking office by saying he would add 1,000 more “cops on the beat.”

More than half of those cops came from disbanded special units. The other half were primarily officers working desk jobs reassigned to street duty.

The mayor also balanced his first budget by eliminating more than 1,400 police vacancies without filling them, and closing three police stations and two area detective headquarters.

When shootings and murders spiked, Emanuel used overtime to tamp down the violence. Until now, City Hall has viewed OT as a flexible and cost-effective substitute for police hiring because the city doesn’t have to bear the cost of pensions and benefits for new officers.

The new officers will be drawn from the 8,100 men and women who passed a recent police exam. After an outreach campaign, 71 percent of those candidates are minorities. Another exam is planned for late next year to ensure the hiring pool continues to mirror the city’s population, Johnson said. Chicago Police officers spend six months in the police academy before they hit the streets for a probationary period that lasts a year. To get reinforcements on the street as quickly as possible, Johnson said he’s drafting plans to shift the police academy at 1300 W. Jackson into high-gear. “We’re putting the finishing touches on the plan, but what I can tell you is this: When we roll this out, we are going to have the personnel that we need, the staffing that we need and we’ll have the capacity to be able to handle that. There are different things being put in place to get to that end,” Johnson said.

Ultimately, Emanuel wants to replace the outdated training facility with a modern academy near the 911 Center at 141 W. Madison. The police and fire departments would share the new academy.

Meantime, Johnson said he plans to stay the course. He has no plans to restore the roving citywide units disbanded by his predecessor, Garry McCarthy.

“Right now, resources are dedicated to the area deputy chiefs. …That’s adequate for having a group of officers that we can move at a moment’s notice,” Johnson said.

“We’ve gotten really good at re-deploying. It used to take an hour or so to re-deploy officers. But because they’re under the direction of the area deputy chiefs, we can get them moved in like five to 10 minutes. That’s a good way to utilize our resources. I don’t see right now changing it.”

The last massive police hiring years were in 1986 when 950 cops were added to the city’s payroll and the mid-1990s when about 1,000 cops were hired with help from then-President Bill Clinton’s crime bill over a three-year period.

“I can remember back in the 1990s we had a hiring surge of this magnitude,” Johnson said. “I came on in ’88. Right before I came on, there was a hiring surge, too.”

Last week, Emanuel acknowledged it won’t matter how many more police officers the city hires if the ones Chicago has don’t get out of their defensive crouch.

Johnson agreed adding, “Each officer took an oath to protect this city and that’s what I expect them to do.”

But he also acknowledged that in his 28 years as a Chicago Police officer, he has never seen “the level of disrespect for police officers” that exists today.

“Law enforcement all over the country is being scrutinized like that. Let’s be honest about it. They don’t want to be the next viral video that comes out. They have families to support and careers to think about,” he said.

“My challenge is to keep encouraging them and to let them know that the administration has their backs.”

2016-09-21 12:01 Frank Main chicago.suntimes.com

46 /100 Today in History: Sept. 21 Today is Wednesday, Sept. 21, the 265th day of 2016. There are 101 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History :

On Sept. 21, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act denying federal recognition of same-sex marriages a day after saying the law should not be used as an excuse for discrimination, violence or intimidation against gays and lesbians. (Although never formally repealed, DoMA was effectively overturned by U. S. Supreme Court decisions in 2013 and 2015.)

On this date :

In 1792, the French National Convention voted to abolish the monarchy.

In 1866, English novelist H. G. Wells was born in Bromley, Kent.

In 1897, the New York Sun ran its famous editorial, written anonymously by Francis P. Church, which declared, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”

In 1925, the Rudolf Friml operetta “The Vagabond King” opened on Broadway.

In 1938, a hurricane struck parts of New York and New England, causing widespread damage and claiming some 700 lives.

In 1948, Milton Berle made his debut as permanent host of “The Texaco Star Theater” on NBC- TV.

In 1957, Norway’s King Haakon VII died in Oslo at age 85. The legal mystery-drama “Perry Mason,” starring Raymond Burr, premiered on CBS-TV.

In 1964, Malta gained independence from Britain.

In 1970, “NFL Monday Night Football” made its debut on ABC-TV as the Cleveland Browns defeated the visiting New York Jets, 31-21.

In 1976, Orlando Letelier (leh-tel-YEHR’), onetime foreign minister to Chilean President Salvador Allende (ah-YEN’-day), was killed when a bomb exploded in his car in Washington D. C. (The bombing, which also killed Letelier’s assistant, Ronni Moffitt, was blamed on Chile’s secret police.)

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo crashed into Charleston, South Carolina (the storm was blamed for 56 deaths in the Caribbean and 29 in the United States). Twenty-one students in Alton, Texas, died when their school bus, hit by a soft-drink delivery truck, careened into a water-filled pit.

In 1996, John F. Kennedy Jr. married Carolyn Bessette in a secret ceremony on Cumberland Island, Georgia. The board of all-male Virginia Military Institute voted to admit women.

Ten years ago: The Bush White House and rebellious Senate Republicans, including John McCain of Arizona, announced agreement on rules for the interrogation and trial of suspects in the war on terror. Space shuttle Atlantis and its six astronauts safely returned from a 12-day mission to install a big new piece of the orbiting outpost. The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all Americans ages 13 to 64 be routinely tested for HIV.

Five years ago: Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, two Americans jailed in Iran as spies, left Tehran for the Gulf state of Oman, closing a high-profile drama that brought more than two years of hope and heartbreak for their families. The state of Texas executed Lawrence Russell Brewer for his role in the gruesome dragging death of James Byrd Jr. The state of Georgia executed Troy Davis, who used his last words to declare his innocence in the killing of police officer Mark MacPhail. Alternative rock group R. E. M. announced on its website that it had “decided to call it a day as a band.”

One year ago: Pope Francis traveled to Cuba’s fourth-largest city, Holguin, where he celebrated a Mass marking the anniversary of the day he decided as a teenager to become a priest by pressing a subtle message to Cubans: Overcome ideological preconceptions and be willing to change. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker abandoned his bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. A federal judge in Albany, Georgia, sentenced former Peanut Corporation of America owner Stewart Parnell to 28 years in prison for his role in a deadly 2008-9 salmonella outbreak blamed for nine deaths.

2016-09-21 12:00 The Associated wtop.com

47 /100 Telangana: Speeding car kills man, driver travels with body on the roof In another instance of inhumanity, a speeding car driver knocked down a man, and claimed his life on Monday, in Telangana. But, while that was apathetic in itself, what followed was worse. The drive did not stop the vehicle, and drove on with the victim's blood-stained body on the roof of the car, for over two kilometres.

The said incident occurred near Rajpur on Hyderabad highway in Mehbubnagar district. Due to the impact of the collision, the victim, who was crossing the road, died almost immediately.

Locals were appalled at the scene of the car with the blood-stained body on top. They managed to stop the car at Machram and found the body. The driver, however, was able to flee.

2016-09-21 11:59 By mid www.mid-day.com

48 /100 Massive diamond mine opens in Canada’s far north YELLOWKNIFE, Canada—De Beers officially opened one of the world’s largest diamond mines on Tuesday near the Arctic Circle in Canada’s remote far north.

The Gahcho Kue mine is situated in the outback some 280 kilometers (174 miles) northeast of Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories.

“It’s the largest diamond mine brought into production in the last 13 years and it’s the biggest outside South Africa,” De Beers chief executive Bruce Cleaver told Agence France-Presse in an interview at a ceremony christening the new mine. “So this is very significant for us.”

Headquartered in Johannesburg, De Beers owns a 51 percent stake in the mine, whose name is derived from a term for “big rabbit” in the local indigenous Chipewyan language.

The global diamond company’s Canadian partner Mountain Province Diamonds controls the remaining ownership stake.

Discovered in 1995, the deposit located near the Arctic Circle took more than $1 billion to develop.

The open-pit mine is accessible only by air except for a few months in winter when trucks can travel across ice roads.

It is expected to produce 54 million carats of rough diamonds over its operating lifetime, by 2028, and employ 530 workers who must be flown in from communities further south for two- week work rotations, according to De Beers.

The search for diamond-rich kimberlite formations underground is costly and finds are rare, Cleaver said.

“It’s also very difficult to bring a new diamond mine into production on time and in the budget,” he added.

Finding a rich deposit, setting up the mine and bringing it on stream “is very rare these days,” he said.

The Gahcho Kue mine is the sixth to open in Canada in the last two decades, making the country the world’s fifth-largest diamond producer in terms of volume and third in value, with more than $1.5 billion in annual exports.

Cleaver predicted that “consumer demand for diamond jewelry is set to see continued medium to long-term growth.”

However, production is waning.

Last December, De Beers halted operations at its Snap Lake mine adjacent to the new Gahcho Kue mine and put it up for sale. It may be shuttered if no buyers come forward.

Another of its mines in Ontario province, meanwhile, is scheduled to close in the next three years.

Diamond sales to consumers have been hampered by an economic slowdown in China and ongoing turmoil in global financial markets, falling two percent in 2015 to $79 billion.

This sluggishness is expected to continue over the next decade, according to a forecast published last week by De Beers, which is owned by mining giant Anglo American and the government of Botswana. The United States, China, India and Japan have traditionally provided the largest markets, buying up around 73 percent of diamonds sold each year.

RELATED STORIES

Diamond the size of a tennis ball could fetch $70 million

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2016-09-21 11:57 Agence France newsinfo.inquirer.net

49 /100 Saudi pilot presses hijack alarm accidentally, triggers panic in Philippines Representational pic

A pilot of a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight pressed a hijack alarm accidentally, which triggered a major security response at Manila airport on Tuesday, according to some media reports. According to an AFP report , the police isolated the Saudia flight after it landed on Tuesday after the pilot pressed the distress signal by mistake, which is indicate that a hijack is.

Passengers aboard the Boeing 777 flight from the Red Sea city of Jeddah had to remain on the plane for over two hours, and were let off only after it was clear there was no threat.

"Situation is normal. It was alleged that the pilot pressed the emergency light of the aircraft unintentionally," AFP quoted Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde as saying.

The aviation authority statement said the distress signal pressed by the pilot alerted authorities "that a hijacking incident is on progress on board".

"Immediately the flight was given priority landing by airport authorities... and was directed to park on the remote bay and isolated for security procedures," the statement added.

"Apparently the pilot committed an error activating the 7500 squawking signal," the statement said, referring to the hijack alarm.

There were 410 passengers on board, as well as four pilots and 17 crew members. Many of the passengers were returning from annual Islamic pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

2016-09-21 11:47 By mid www.mid-day.com

50 /100 S. Korea questions ‘serial offender’ N. Korea’s UN membership UNITED NATIONS — North Korea’s repeated flouting of UN Security Council resolutions by conducting nuclear and missile tests calls into question its suitability for membership of the world body, South Korea’s top diplomat has told The Associated Press.

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se stopped short of calling for Pyongyang’s expulsion from the UN but said its authoritarian government was violating the terms under which both the Koreas had been admitted 25 years ago. He said the North had “broken records” in its violation of global norms: It is the only nation to have conducted nuclear tests in the 21st century and is already subject to five Security Council resolutions over its weapons testing.

“I think all members of the UN have to ask themselves whether North Korea is really qualified as a member of the UN,” Yun said in an interview late Tuesday said on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at its headquarters in New York.

Calling North Korea a “serial offender,” he said the Security Council, the UN’s top decision- making body, needs to close loopholes in existing sanctions and impose tough new measures in response to the North’s fifth and most recent atomic test. He said that the “Hiroshima-sized explosion” Sept. 9 made clear that Pyongyang poses an “existential threat” to its US-allied southern neighbor and a growing menace to the world.

“This latest test is a very sobering reminder (that) the danger and the threat from North Korea is now reaching a very, very dangerous stage. For many years we have been talking about the development of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles, and now we may be reaching a stage where we have to worry about the deployment of nuclear-tipped missiles,” Yun said.

“If that day comes, that’s not just a threat to South Koreans or to Japanese, it’s a threat to the United States and almost all members of the international community,” Yun said. He described the ongoing negotiations over a new Security Council resolution as a “last chance … to check this fanatic behavior” of young leader Kim Jong Un.

READ: US, Japan scramble for ‘strongest’ sanctions vs N. Korea

In a fresh sign of defiance, Kim oversaw a ground test of a new rocket engine and ordered a satellite launch preparation, North Korean state media said Tuesday, an indication the country might soon conduct a prohibited long-range rocket launch — possibly to coincide with the 71st founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party which falls Oct. 10. Commercial satellite imagery confirmed activity consistent with preparations for such an engine test.

READ: North Korea says it successfully ground tests new rocket engine

The United Nations and others view the North’s space launch development project as a cover for tests of missile technology, as ballistic missiles and rockets in satellite launches share similar bodies, engines and other technology. The North has conducted more than 20 launches of various types of missile this year. Yun also voiced concern that the North was accelerating its accumulation of fissile material with a view to mass producing nuclear bombs.

North Korea has said it needs nuclear weapons and missiles to cope with US military threats. About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Yun dismissed repeated North Korean calls for the US and South Korea to scrap annual military exercises, which it describes as a preparation for invasion. Some experts argue that could provide a diplomatic opening. Aid-for-disarmament talks have been stalled since 2008, and Washington says they can restart only if the North recommits to denuclearization. Yun said the North uses its argument over military exercises as an excuse as it pursues weapons development.

“We should not play their game,” he said.

Yun welcomed a meeting Monday between President Barack Obama and Premier Li Keqiang of China — the North’s main trading partner and traditional ally, in which both countries condemned the recent nuclear test and pledged closer coordination on addressing the nuclear threat from Pyongyang.

China is critical not only for enforcement of sanctions but agreeing to tougher measures, as it is a veto-wielding member of the Security Council.

The North was already slapped with the toughest UN sanctions in two decades following its fourth nuclear test in January. Yet Kim has doggedly pursued a dual strategy of seeking economic growth while developing nuclear weapons, with some apparent success. After the September test, North Korea’s state news agency cited a foreign ministry spokesman as describing sanctions as “laughable.”

Yun said the case of Iran showed that sanctions take time to have an impact. He said the restrictions were starting to bite. He cited an increase in defections of members of the North Korean elite who were willing to risk imprisonment or execution to escape the country for South Korea as they see no future living in the North.

READ: UN to begin work on new North Korea sanctions

2016-09-21 11:44 Associated Press newsinfo.inquirer.net

51 /100 Social media drop jaunty #Brangelina, Jennifer Aniston memes Hollywood high-profile couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are reported to be divorcing after two years of marriage, and social media can’t help but wail over the couple’s marriage fissure.

Twitter users crowned “Friends” alumnus Jennifer Aniston, Pitt’s ex- wife, as the “vengeful victor” of the break-up that has rocked Hollywood.

Many users imagined what would have been Aniston’s reaction upon hearing the shocking divorce by posting episode scenes of a jolly Aniston, 46, as she portrayed her character as Rachel Green in “Friends.”

On Monday, the “By The Sea” actress filed for divorce due to “irreconcilable differences,” US Weekly and TMZ reported. Jolie was “dissatisfied” with the parenting methods Pitt used for their six children. Also, Pitt’s alcohol and drug problem were another factors that obstructed their marriage.

Pitt and Aniston were married from 2000 to 2005. Gianna Francesca Catolico 2016-09-21 11:38 technology.inquirer.net

52 /100 UN chief and US president toast each other for last time UNITED NATIONS — It was a unique event for the United Nations laced with nostalgia, humor and tributes — the secretary-general and the U. S. president toasting each other for the last time in front of the world’s leaders.

Every year, the U. N. chief hosts a formal lunch for the presidents, prime ministers and potentates attending the annual ministerial meeting of the U. N. General Assembly. And every year, the U. S. president responds as representative of the host country on behalf of the leaders.

But Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday’s lunch was unique.

“Never before have a president of the United States and a secretary-general of the United Nations completed their terms at about the same time — within just 20 days of each other.”

READ: Duterte: Obama, Ban mum when I raised killings during PH-US war

Ban then looked at Barack Obama, sitting just a few feet away at the head table, and said: “Mr. President, we need to find something to do!”

The secretary-general’s second five-year term ends Dec. 31. Obama leaves the White House on Jan. 20 after eight years.

BACKSTORY: Obama envies UN chief’s second term

“I challenge you to a round of golf,” said Ban, whose whirlwind globe-trotting schedule doesn’t give him much time to play. “But please don’t challenge me to a game of basketball!”

Obama, a golfer and avid basketball player, didn’t say whether he would take up the secretary- general’s challenge — or what his future plans are.

Neither did Ban, who repeatedly refuses to say whether he will run for president of South Korea, where he was foreign minister before taking the helm of the United Nations.

Obama told the more than 200 VIPs sitting at round tables in the U. N. Delegates Lounge overlooking New York’s East River that they weren’t the only ones grateful for Ban’s leadership.

“A village on the island of Samoa declared him officially a crown chief and prince — which I believe is a title that you can keep for life,” the president said. “There’s no term limit to that.”

On a serious note, Obama paid tribute to U. N. peacekeepers and staff and those who risk their lives delivering aid in Syria, and he praised Ban’s leadership, courage, optimism and imagination. The president proposed a toast expressing gratitude for the secretary-general’s service saying “the world is a better place for him.” The secretary-general expressed “great appreciation” to Obama for advancing U. N. causes “while upholding our shared values: freedom, equality, democracy and peace.” He then urged the leaders to raise their glasses and toast “to peace, prosperity and human rights across the world.”

2016-09-21 11:22 Associated Press newsinfo.inquirer.net

53 /100 Shocking: Stalker throws woman off balcony in Delhi for 'refusing' marriage proposal Representational pic

In a shocking incident, a 21-year-old woman was allegedly pushed off the balcony of her house by a man, after she ‘refused’ to accept his marriage proposal in outer Delhi's Mongolpuri area.

The incident took place on Tuesday around 6.30 pm when the accused, identified as 28-year-old Amit, forcibly entered the woman's house with his sister and started fighting with the woman and her family, according to cops.

Amit allegedly threatened her to accept his marriage proposal but when she refused, he "pushed" her from the balcony of her house in Avantika Enclave in a fit of rage, it has been reported.

The woman was rushed to Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital where her condition is stated to be critical. The stalker was handed over to cops by neighbours.

Amit, however, claimed that the girl had borrowed Rs 1 lakh from him and wasn't returning it, according to the cops. He had apparently befriended the woman on Facebook around two years ago and got into a relationship. This was his version to the police.

Reports further stated that when the parents of the victim carried out a background check on Amit, they found that he was unemployed. However, Amit kept pressurising them for marriage.

Amit apparently told cops that he had gone to recover his money from the girl and in order to shift the blame on him, she jumped off the balcony.

2016-09-21 11:12 By mid www.mid-day.com

54 /100 Archeologists find war-era artifacts in Nazi time capsule in Poland. Archaeologists in Poland have unearthed a Nazi time capsule circa 1934 that contained images of Adolf Hitler, newspapers and other artifacts. The archaeologists had been aware for years of the existence of the time capsule, which was buried underground, but had not been able to reach the copper cylinder container, according to The Independent. Be the first to know - Join our Facebook page.

The capsule was located earlier this month in the northwestern town of Zlocieniec, which was part of Germany during World War II, and is believed to have been hidden during the construction of a building used to train Nazis. The archaeologists had to cut through various obstacles, including concrete and German mines, to reach the capsule, which they opened using a chainsaw. In addition to photographs of Hitler and newspapers, it contained two copies of the Nazi leader’s manifesto, “Mein Kampf,” as well as coins and material promoting the town of Zlocieniec, which was referred to by its former German name, Falkenberg, according to The European Pressphoto Agency. The capsule is being kept by the National Museum in Szczecin, also in northwestern Poland, where its contents will be shown to the public, according to The Independent.

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2016-09-21 10:59 www.jpost.com

55 /100 No Maharashtra players selected for India's World Cup kabaddi team Indian captain Anup Kumar shares the dias with chief guest Kapil Dev during the team announcement yesterday. Pic/Satej Shinde

The Indian team for the upcoming Kabaddi World Cup was announced yesterday, but not even a single player from Maharashtra was included in the side despite having six players in the list of 26 probables. The team, led by raider Anup Kumar, will begin their title defence on October 7 in Ahmedabad.

Maharashtra's contribution to the sport has been significant. Under the leadership of Mumbai's Pankaj Shirsat, India won the 2007 edition, defeating Iran in the final at Panvel. That team also saw two other players from the state—Dinesh Kumar and Gaurav Shetty. Arjuna awardee Raju Bhavsar was astonished when the announcement was made.

"Taking into consideration the status of Maharashtra, at least one player should have been selected. I thought Kashiling Adake would find a place. If you look at the other players, almost all are from Haryana," Bhavsar told mid-day. He also suggested the Maharashtra State Kabaddi Association (MSKA) to find out the reason why state players are unable to find a place in the national team. "Have our standards dipped, or has our (MSKA) relationship with the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India turned sour? " Bhavsar asked.

Dombivli resident Nilesh Shinde, who led Bengal Warriors in all four seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League, was hoping for a call. "I am 35 now. If I was selected it would have been a big achievement for me, but that didn't happen," Shinde rued.

2016-09-21 10:48 By Subodh www.mid-day.com

56 /100 Can you believe this? China's richest dog owns 8 new iPhone 7s! Coco the Alaskan Malamute, owned by the son of China's richest man, Wang Jianlin, was pictured seated next to her 8 new iPhone 7s! Apart from the iPhones, Coco also owns two solid gold Apple smartwatches.

Coco has over 1.9 million followers on social networking website Weibo, and is often pictured boarding her private jet, or getting luxury handbags for her birthday.

Each 32GB version of the iPhone 7 costs 5,388 Chinese yuan, or roughly USD 1,100, which amounts to Rs 73726.9.

2016-09-21 10:48 By mid www.mid-day.com

57 /100 MSSA U-16 hockey: Children's Academy beat St Anne's 7-0 Zaheen Baig (centre). Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Children's Academy (Malad) secured an easy 7-0 victory against St Anne's (Orlem) in the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) Ahmed Sailor League cum knockout U-16 inter-school hockey tournament at MHAL- Mahindra Stadium in Churchgate yesterday.

Courtesy of yesterday's win, they have topped Pool 'D' and will play Pool 'B' runners-up St Dominic Savio (Andheri) in the quarter-finals. Zaheen Baig scored two while Aniket Singh, Dhariya Daradia, Jay Dhanawade, Akshay Anwad and Rahul Patel scored a goal each. Coach Merzban Patel was delighted with the win. 2016-09-21 10:46 By Narendra www.mid-day.com

58 /100 Rs 35 lakh prize money on offer for Vasai-Virar marathon The 6th Vasai Virar Mayor's Marathon, a national level event to be run on December 11, has offered a total prize fund of Rs 35 lakh across all categories.

The winner of the men's full race stands to gain Rs 2.5 lakh while the winners of the half marathon, among men and women, would each take home R1.25 lakh each, it was announced by the Vashi Virar Municipal Corporation's first woman mayor, Pravina Thakur, at a media conference yesterday.

The event is organised by the Corporation and Vasai Taluka Kala Krida Vikas Mandal.

2016-09-21 10:44 By PTI www.mid-day.com

59 /100 American lawmakers introduce Act to designate Pakistan a State Sponsor of terrorism US Capitol building in Washington, Dc. Pic/AFP

Washington: A bipartisan group of two powerful American lawmakers has introduced an act in the US House of Representatives to designate Pakistan a State Sponsor of terrorism.

"It is time we stopped paying Pakistan for its betrayal and designate it for what it is: a state sponsor of terrorism," said Congressman Ted Poe, who is Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism. The 'Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act' (HR 6069) has been introduced by Republican Poe along with Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of the Democratic Party, who is Ranking member of this influential Congressional Committee on terrorism.

"Not only is Pakistan an untrustworthy ally, Islamabad has also aided and abetted enemies of the US for years," Poe said. "From harboring Osama bin Laden to its cozy relationship with the Haqqani network, there is more than enough evidence to determine whose side Pakistan is on in the War on Terror. And it's not America's," he alleged.

Poe said the bill will require the Obama Administration to formally answer this question. The President must issue a report within 90 days of passage detailing whether or not Pakistan has provided support for international terrorism, he said. "Thirty days after that, the Secretary of State must issue a follow-up report containing either a determination that Pakistan is a State Sponsor of terrorism or a detailed justification as to why Pakistan does not meet the legal criteria for designation," Poe said.

In a separate statement, Congressman Pete Olson supported every effort to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Uri terrorist attack. "I strongly condemn this terrorist attack on an Indian army base in Kashmir that resulted in the death of 18 Indian soldiers. India is a strong partner and ally in peace," he said.

"I support every effort to find out who committed this heinous act, so that the perpetrators are brought to justice. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims," Olson said. Senator John Cornyn, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus tweeted a story which said the Indian Army had suffered its biggest stack in a decade.

Indian-Americans continued to call for designating Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism. "Pakistan has been pursuing for almost 30 years the state sponsored terrorism as its strategic policy to further its sinister designs across its borders. In the process, Pakistan became a cradle and epicenter of global terrorism. At present it is totally isolated in the global community and turning into a rogue state," said Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP)-USA.

"OFBJP-USA believes that the attack at Indian Army in Uri by Pakistanis should not be termed as another incident of terrorism by infiltrators, but it should be considered as an act of war by Pakistan against India. And India must respond to teach a befitting lesson to Pakistan," it said.

2016-09-21 10:42 By PTI www.mid-day.com

60 /100 ‘Misery’ actress Kathy Bates gets Walk of Fame star LOS ANGELES—US actress Kathy Bates, best known for her portrayal of an obsessed fan in “Misery,” accepted a star on Tuesday on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and dedicated the honor to a young girl battling an illness.

The 68-year-old actress spoke emotionally at the ceremony, recounting how she believed her career was over several years ago until she was offered a role on the series “American Horror Story.”

READ: Kathy Bates happy being part of FX’s ‘Horror’

She said the award-winning show created by Ryan Murphy had “literally brought me back to life,” coming at a time when she was dealing with health issues and the cancellation of her NBC show “Harry’s Law.”

She also recalled her big breakout in Hollywood at age 42 thanks to her memorable Oscar- winning performance as a deranged nurse obsessed with an author played by James Caan in the 1990 film “Misery,” based on the Stephen King novel.

“Sixty years ago I stood not far from this very spot with my beloved aunt Lee,” she recalled, speaking in front of the TLC Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. “We were going to see ‘The King and I.’ And then 34 years later I came back to this very theatre with another king by the name of Stephen with a movie called ‘Misery’ that changed my life.”

Shirley MacLaine and Billy Bob Thornton — who will share the screen with Bates in the upcoming “Bad Santa 2″ — also spoke at the ceremony praising Bates for her talent and charity work.

“She is the type of actor who is not only loved by the public, the fans and the critics but also actors who know how good she is and what she can do,” Thornton said.

“I’m gonna keep this short and tell you that if I could be a woman, I’d be Kathy Bates.”

The actress who has survived both ovarian and breast cancer dedicated her star on Tuesday to an eight-year-old girl named Emma, whom she said was like her battling lymphedema, a condition often associated with cancer patients and which causes swelling of the limbs.

BACKSTORY: Kathy Bates recovering from double mastectomy

2016-09-21 10:42 Agence France entertainment.inquirer.net

61 /100 Duterte gives go signal for Martial Law remembrance activities Go ahead.

President Rodrigo Duterte is encouraging activities to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the declaration of martial law but it should not cause public inconvenience.

“The President encourages various activities to commemorate the occasion as long as they are peaceful and no public inconvenience or destruction of properties may ensue,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement on Wednesday.

Despite being a regular working day, Andanar said the significance of the event was never forgotten.

“It will be governance as usual. This, however, does not mean the significance of the day is lost to the collective memory of the nation,” he said.

Various militant groups are set to stage a rally in Mendiola, Manila to call for justice to the victims of human rights violation during the Martial Law years.

Duterte has earlier order the burial of former president Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani despite opposition from human rights group.

A petition to stop a hero’s burial for Marcos is now pending before the Supreme Court.

2016-09-21 10:32 Nestor Corrales newsinfo.inquirer.net

62 /100 Trump slams ‘Trojan horse’ migrants, son sparks outrage NEW YORK—Donald Trump’s hardline stance on immigration after two bombings in the New York area again sparked debate on the White House campaign trail Tuesday, as his son caused a firestorm by comparing Syrian refugees to lethal candies.

READ: Clinton, Trump show deep differences after US attacks

The Republican presidential hopeful’s uncompromising position on undocumented migrants — even calling them a dangerous “Trojan horse” who enter the country with the aim of doing harm — is inextricably linked to his meteoric political rise.

Most Republicans approve of his tough talk, with polls showing that a majority of party members agreed with his call last December to bar Muslims from entering the United States.

Since then, Trump has refrained from specifically targeting Muslims, but he has championed police profiling of suspects and promised to bar immigrants and travelers from certain countries deemed dangerous, such as Syria.

The candidate has repeatedly warned of the risks posed by Syrian refugees, citing the arrival in Europe of Islamic State operatives disguised as simple refugees, and says US immigration officials are not properly screening new arrivals.

“We want to make sure we are all only admitting people in our country who love our country,” he said Tuesday in a speech at High Point University in North Carolina.

“It’s just a plain fact that our current immigration system makes no real attempt to determine the views of the people entering our country. We have no idea who they are, what they think,” he said.

Trump also denounced the “open borders” that he said his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton advocated as secretary of state, blaming her for the rise of the Islamic State group.

“All these disasters with ISIS happened on Hillary Clinton’s watch, happened with her, her bad judgment, her bad decision-making,” he said. “Her attacks on me are all meant to deflect from her record of unleashing this monstrous evil upon us.”

Immigration is not one of the major issues on the minds of voters, ranking fourth according to a recent CBS/New York Times poll, making it unclear if Trump, 70, can use it to persuade those who are still undecided.

But national security and the anti-terror fight are number two on that list, and with less than 50 days to go before Election Day on November 8, Trump is attempting to blur the lines between the two issues.

Syrians and Skittles

Trump’s son Donald Jr., one of his surrogates on the campaign trail, has meanwhile courted controversy with a tweet comparing Syrian refugees to a bowl of multi-colored Skittles candy — some of them lethal, but not to the naked eye. “This image says it all,” he said on Twitter, with a picture of a white bowl filled with the popular sweets.

Written above the image is: “If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you, would you take a handful? That’s our Syria refugee problem.”

Trump Jr. thus argued that it is too dangerous to welcome migrants when a tiny number of them could later launch attacks. The man accused of planting bombs in downtown Manhattan and near a race in New Jersey over the weekend is a naturalized American of Afghan descent.

At his rallies, Trump Sr. has repeatedly recited the lyrics to a 1960s song, “The Snake,” which recounts how a woman who aided an injured snake ended up being bitten, and he used the Trojan Horse imagery to warn of hidden dangers.

READ: Trump lumps PH with terror states

“We cannot let this evil continue. Cannot do it,” he said Monday.

“Nor can we let the hateful ideology of radical Islam, its oppression of women, gays, children and non-believers, be allowed to reside or spread within our country.”

Wrigley, the maker of Skittles, on Tuesday criticized Trump Jr.’s tweet.

“Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don’t feel it’s an appropriate analogy,” a company statement said.

Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, who had no public events scheduled on Tuesday a week after taking a break from campaigning to recover from pneumonia, backs President Barack Obama’s position on immigration.

Obama has increased the number of Syrian refugees granted entry to the United States in the face of the brutal five-year war in their homeland.

On Tuesday, Clinton used a call with a group of advisors on national security issues to emphasize the need for “experienced, steady leadership” to defeat extremist groups like IS.

“Calm, not panic. Resolve, not fear,” she said in remarks released by her campaign.

“We can’t lose our cool and start ranting and waving our arms. We shouldn’t toss around extreme proposals that won’t be effective and lose sight of who we are. That’s what the terrorists are aiming for,” she said.

Meanwhile, former president George H. W. Bush plans to vote for Hillary Clinton in November, the niece of president John F. Kennedy wrote in a Facebook posting.

“The President told me he’s voting for Hillary!!” read the caption of a picture Kathleen Kennedy Townsend posted on Facebook, as she shook the 92 year-old ex-president’s hand.

2016-09-21 10:27 Agence France newsinfo.inquirer.net

63 /100 Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier Valmik Thapar with master painters Gajanand Singh and Narayan Singh who created art works at Ranthambhore railway station, an initiative by Thapar Valmik Thapar's day out with the tigers Valmik Thapar first went to Ranthambhore in 1976, as a 23- year-old. He was a city boy and unsure of what lay ahead. When he entered the forest, which would go on to become one of the last strongholds of wild tigers, it had a profound effect on him, changing his life forever. For the next 40 years, he studied nearly 200 Ranthambhore tigers. Of the many he observed, a few became special, and it is these that are brought to life in a new title, Living with Tigers.

They include Padmini, the Queen Mother, the first tiger the author got to know well; Genghis, the master predator, who invented a way of killing prey in water, the first time this had been observed anywhere in the world; Noon, one of his all-time favourites, who received her name because she was most active at noon, Laxmi, a devoted mother, whose methods of raising her cubs revolutionised tiger studies; Machli, Ranthambhore’s star, and many other striped beauties. A roaring bestseller, this.

Mall soccer league, really? Some developments manage to leave us baffled. News of a being held at a city mall had us wonder which side of the fence we were on. While it is a positive sign that malls, known as shopping havens, are encouraging sport, we wonder if the lack of quality open spaces has resulted in such ideas. The football facility in the mall is available for a steep rent in other times, we hear. It had us wonder where the future Ronaldos of India will practice the beautiful game.

It wasn’t me! Like a pesky fly that refuses to go away, Whatsapp continues to buzz with a message from celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, whose weight-loss wisdom, ‘eat what your daadi (granny) ate’ is encapsulated in a slew of books with titles like Lose your Weight, Don’t lose your Mind.

Kareena Kapoor with Rujuta Diwekar at the release of her book

This particular message was making its rounds on cellphones in the middle of the year. That seemed to have died down post July, but, once again, many phones are abuzz with this message, purporting to be from Rujuta Divekar.

A long message sharing points about Rujuta’s weight loss philosophy were posted. Here’s an example ‘Eat Local fruits. Like Banana, Grapes, Chikoo, Mangoes. All fruits have Fructose so it doesnt matter that u r eating a mango over an Apple. A Mango comes from Konkan n Apple from Kashmir. So Mango is more local to u.’

Such was the pervasive nature of these messages that it created a flutter in the fitness community. When this diarist contacted Diwekar for a comment, she didn’t respond to calls seeking comment. Instead, she pointed out to her official Facebook page that read: “If I want to give out messages or tips, I will do so from my verified FB account, like I always do. And not as a Whats App forward.” The message sounds like one Rujuta would frame. But, if the lady says no, it is no.

Poonam Pandey's soap opera

Pic/Nimesh Dave The actress poses for the shutterbugs inside a bathtub as part of a promotional activity for her upcoming film in Andheri.

Goddess in the making Artists are busy creating goddess Durga and other celestial idols for North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga Puja Samiti, one of the oldest puja mandals in the city, now in its 69th year.

Artists at work. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

It’s being spearheaded by actors Sharbani Mukherjee and Bappa Lahiri, who has taken over the mantle from his father, Bappida. For the five-day festivities that begin on October 7, the idol will be installed at a Juhu five-star and later, immersed with the help of a fork lift and crane, the only one in the city to do so.

Cupcakes with a difference Yesterday, a team from KidZania landed up at Ahura Support in Gamdevi to invite special kids at the Parsi NGO, with a box of cupcakes. These had invites to their indoor theme park to celebrate their third anniversary.

Kids at Ahura Support relish cupcakes. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

This gives the kids a pass to try their hand at making desserts in a makeshift or play the role of a director, fashion designer, RJ or even a dabbawala. The team also visited the old-age home at FS Parekh Dharamshala (run by the Bombay Parsi Panchayat) to share 100 customised cupcakes with seniors who ended up reliving their kiddie days. A case of sweet memories, indeed.

2016-09-21 10:20 By Team www.mid-day.com

64 /100 UN suspends all humanitarian convoys in Syria after attack A vest of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent hanging on a damaged vehicle, in Aleppo, Syria on Tuesday. Pic/AP

Geneva: The UN said yesterday it had suspended all humanitarian aid convoys in Syria after a deadly air raid hit 18 of the 31 trucks delivering aid near Aleppo, killing 12 Red Crescent staff members. The attack took place hours after the Syrian military declared an end to a week- long ceasefire, with an outraged UN warning it could amount to a war crime.

As an “immediate security measure, other convoy movements in Syria have been suspended,” said Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency in Geneva.

This marks a “very, very dark day for humanitarians in Syria and indeed across the world,” he said, stressing that it was “paramount that we are able to establish the facts through an independent investigation.”

The UN said at least 18 trucks in the 31-vehicle convoy were destroyed late yesterday en route to deliver humanitarian assistance to the hard-to-reach town of Orum al-Kubra.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 12 Red Crescent volunteers and drivers had died in the strike.

Red Cross spokesman Benoit Carpentier told reporters that the director of the Syrian Red Crescent’s sub-branch was killed, along with a number of civilians. Laerke said the convoy had been carrying food and non-food aid for some 78,000 people.

2016-09-21 10:20 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

65 /100 Donand Trump gives 'aid, comfort' to IS recruiters: Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton walks to a podium to speak at a rally. Pic/AP

Washington: Hillary Clinton is accusing Donald Trump of giving “aid and comfort” to Islamic terrorists, declaring his anti-Muslim rhetoric helps the Islamic State group and other militants recruit new fighters. Trump is insisting the US should “use whatever lawful methods are available” to get information from the Afghan immigrant arrested in this weekend’s bombings.

As Trump supporters at a packed rally in Florida shouted, “Hang him!”, the Republican presidential candidate mocked the fact that Ahmad Khan Rahami, a 28-year-old US citizen originally from Afghanistan, would receive medical care and legal representation.

“We must deliver a just and very harsh punishment to these people,” he said. “These are enemies, these are combatants and we have to be tough, we have to be strong.”

2016-09-21 10:19 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

66 /100 Five of Cuba's national volleyball players jailed for gang rape Helsinki: Five members of Cuba's national volleyball team were jailed yesterday in Finland for a gang rape that took place during a Volleyball World League championship in July, a district court said.

Four players, including 27-year-old team captain Rolando Cepeda Abreu, Abrahan Alfonso Gavilan, 21, Ricardo Calvo Manzano, 19, and Osmany Uriarte Mestre, 21, were handed five-year prison sentences for aggravated rape.

A fifth player, Luis Sosa Sierra, 21, received a shorter sentence of three years and six months, while a sixth teammate, Dariel Albo Miranda, 24, was acquitted of the same charge. 2016-09-21 10:18 By AFP www.mid-day.com

67 /100 Prince William says 'dark moments' in ambulance job Prince William at his job

London: Prince William has talked of ‘dark moments’ in his job as an air ambulance pilot as he spoke of the strength he takes from the camaraderie of being part of a four- person helicopter crew.

Britain’s second-in-line to the throne shared his experiences in a BBC documentary released during National Air Ambulance Week.

William says his most challenging case had to do with a patient who had suffered burns and who was “beyond help”, adding, “There are some very sad, dark moments and you know we talk about it a lot. That’s the best way of dealing with some of the situations.”

The prince works with East Anglian Air Ambulance.

2016-09-21 10:15 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

68 /100 30th anniversary of 1986 tied Test: Kapil Dev's gem thrills Chepauk Kapil Dev induced a state of delirium among the faithful on the fourth morning by playing an innings of such power and precision that India averted the follow-on and so preserved the prestige won on the playing fields of England (in 1986).

With a self-assuredness bordering on arrogance, Kapil lashed an attack which had carried all before it for five hours and 32 minutes the previous day, plundering 119 from 138 deliveries and advancing from 50 to 100 — his fourth century in 78 Tests but his first against Australia — with just 16 scoring shots, 11 boundaries, a two and four singles.

Kapil Dev

Irresistable Kapil Kapil is irresistible in such mood and he elicited stirring assistance from Chetan Sharma (who contributed 30 of a stand of 85 in 80 minutes for the eighth wicket) and Shivlal Yadav (19 of a partnership of 57 in 68 minutes for the ninth wicket). Yet to the dismay of all after such an audacious innings he departed tamely – caught at silly point by Allan Border when prodding at Greg Matthews.

Also Read: 30th anniversary of 1986 tied Test: Kris Srikkanth attacks, but Indians falter

Disappointment at the failure to enforce the follow-on was tempered by the success of Matthews, who made the necessary adjustments to technique and temperament for a different theatre of combat. His rewards were considerable; five wickets in an innings for the first time in 15 Tests and the supreme satisfaction of success against batsmen of the highest caliber.

Bowling in a cap – as Clarrie Grimmett had done at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay 48 years before him – Matthews accounted for Sunil Gavaskar, a living deity in pursuit of his 33rd Test century; the daring K Srikkanth; Ravi Shastri, a shrewd calculating professional; versatile newcomer Chandrakant Pandit and Kapil.

Also Read: 30th anniversary of 1986 Ind vs Aus tied Test: Chennai was my Mount Everest, says Dean Jones

Disappointment dissipated further during the remaining 49 overs when the pitch showed unmistakable signs of deterioration. There was animated discussion when a delivery from Shastri exploded past the probing bat of Geoff Marsh and struck wicketkeeper Kiran More in the face with such force that he was compelled to delegate his responsibilities to Pandit and retire for treatment.

The Australians found run-scoring difficult throughout another desperately hot and humid afternoon, although it is problematical whether their diffidence was a direct result of that one wicked ball to Marsh.

At the same time they did not exaggerate the degree of difficulty and were moderately satisfied with a scoreline of 5-170 and an overall lead of 347. Again they were grateful to David Boon with a smartly crafted 49 in just over two hours while Dean Jones, Border, Greg Ritchie and Matthews made effective cameo appearances, taking extreme risks to score quickly against Shastri and Maninder Singh who at times extracted considerable turn.

Maninder incurred Kapil's wrath when he ran 30 metres to speak to Jones after taking his wicket. 'How do you like those apples!', exploded Maninder, his face contorted beneath a pink patka.

Jones-Mani show Jones was flabbergasted to learn Maninder considered was merely replying in kind. Jones, in a stupor for much of his epic innings, had no recollection of calling out 'How do you like them apples' after belting a delivery from Maninder. The fragile relationship between the two teams had rarely been put to such a test.

Excerpts from Mike Coward's book, Cricket Beyond the Bazaar, published by Allen & Unwin

2016-09-21 10:13 By Mike www.mid-day.com

69 /100 Mumbai: Boss behind bars, Ashwin Naik gang members turn to petty theft (From left) Sadananad Sawant, Nitin Sonawane, Amarsingh Wagh and Rakesh Shah, the caretaker of the senior citizen

With dreaded gangster Ashwin Naik in jail, out-of-work members of his gang have turned to robbery to make ends meet. The VP Road police recently arrested three in a failed robbery attempt at Kanbai Chawl. The arrested have been identified as Nitin Sonawane (34), Sadananad Sawant alias Nandu Thapa (46), and Amarsingh Wagh (45). All three had murder and extortion cases against them between 1995 and 2000. Naik is in Nashik jail for the last six months post his arrest in an extortion case. He and eight of his associates have been booked under the stringent MCOCA; hearing in the case is in the next couple of months. Left empty-handed On September 5, the trio had planned a robbery at the house of Padma Syania (70). Syania’s caretaker Rakesh Shah (45), also an accused in the case, had tipped off the three about cash and gold lying in the house. The three entered the house on the first floor and, while trying to get the elderly woman to reveal where the valuables were, a ground-floor resident, Panna Mukesh Rana (27), heard her screams and she ran up to her house.

“Rana screamed ‘chor chor’ to scare the accused, who fled on hearing her. The brave woman, however, didn’t stop there and chased them alone till the gate,” said inspector Rajendra Uttekar, the investigating officer in the case.

Bappa to the rescue Even though Sonawane, who was being chased by Rana, managed to get out of the gate, he couldn’t go far, thanks to a passing Ganpati procession. And with the woman shouting, a few who were part of the procession managed to stop Sonawane and overpower him. Soon, the VP Road police were informed and a team reached the spot and arrested him.

Spilling the beans During interrogation, Sonawane revealed the names of his associates. After a search operation, the police arrested the two on September 8. Soon, Shah was nabbed too. Officers have recovered a pistol and one round from Sawant.

Senior inspector Sanjay Kamble said, “We have arrested them under sections 394 (Voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery), 397 (Robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt),âÂÂ452 (House-trespass after preparation for hurt)âÂÂand 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention)âÂÂof the Indian Penal Code and under relevant sections of the Mumbai Police Act.”

2016-09-21 10:12 By Santosh www.mid-day.com

70 /100 Canadian honour for Aga Khan The Aga Khan will receive the award in a ceremony in Canada on Wednesday

Even as the northern hemisphere’s Islamophobia is scaling new heights following the recent New York bombings, its neighbour Canada has awarded the current and 49th head of the Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan, with the inaugural Adrienne Clarkson Prize for Global Citizenship that recognises leaders committed to the ideals of belonging and inclusion. The Aga Khan will receive the award in a ceremony on September 21 in Canada.

“Globally, the amount of tolerance and love for the other religion is rapidly decreasing. The Aga Khan receiving this award comes as a symbol of peace since there is more need for the world to know what Islam is really about,” said Akbar Merchant, a member from the community. Contributions in Mumbai However, other members are not so quick to conclude that Mumbai falls under the same bracket of intolerance. “Mumbai, I think is extremely pluralistic; people are very giving and forgiving. We Mumbaikars are still very peaceful at heart,” said Riyaaz Makaniy, another community member.

In Mumbai, The Diamond Jubilee School and the Prince Aly Khan Hospital — both in Mazgaon — are the two institutes that are under the aegis of the Aga Khan Development Network, which also recently conducted restoration of the Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi. Not just in Mumbai, but the Aga Khan has institutes all over India, and abroad as well. “His highness the Aga Khan has been working in countries all across the world and an award like this will only inspire others to be more tolerant and giving,” another member Reshma Lakhani added.

2016-09-21 10:10 By Aparna www.mid-day.com

71 /100 Pakistan crosses the line, Army sends 10 terrorists to hell New Delhi: Barely two days after the terror attack in Uri, two infiltration bids were made from across the border in Kashmir yesterday but they were foiled by the Army in an encounter in which 10 terrorists and a jawan were killed even as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire and fired at Indian positions.

Soldier killed inâÂÂNowgam “Two infiltration bids by militants from across the Line of Control(LoC) have been foiled in Uri and Nowgam sectors today. The operations are in progress at both places,” an army spokesman said in Srinagar. The spokesman refused to comment on the number of militants killed in the ongoing operations so far, saying details will be made public in due course. He, however, said one soldier was killed in the operation in Nowgam sector.

15 tried to infiltrate Army sources in Delhi, however, said that 10 terrorists were killed in the encounter with the army in the Uri sector. The bodies have not yet been recovered, they added. The sources said a group of 15 terrorists had attempted to infiltrate into Indian territory.

2016-09-21 10:09 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

72 /100 UK Jewish center accused of being 'apologists for terror' after hosting Corbyn A London Jewish community center received abusive messages after the venue hosted Labour Party head Jeremy Corbyn, who has made controversial statements about Israel. Emails and Facebook messages, some of which were from members of the Jewish community, sent to the JW3 center accused its staff of being “apologists for terror” and called Corbyn “a known collaborator with Hamas and Hezbollah,” The Jewish Chronicle reported.

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Senders were angry that JW3 had hosted a debate Sunday between Corbyn and Owen Smith, his challenger to lead the party. Corbyn has faced allegations that his pro-Palestinian politics and endorsement of radical anti-Semites has encouraged hate speech against Jews. One of the messages referenced the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 by a right-wing Jewish extremist Yigal Amir, who was incensed by Rabin’s signing of the Oslo Peace Accords with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. “It was a lot of these messages coming from the same person, who then started posting them on social media,” JW3’s chief executive, Raymond Simonson, told The Jewish Chronicle. “Some people were responding to that — a very, very small number, I should be very clear — very strongly agreeing, and making comments about ‘look what happens when a Jew associates with a known anti-Semite, look what happens. Look what happened to Rabin who associated with, shook hands with Arafat.'” During the debate, which drew a crowd of hundreds, Corbyn faced questions from a Jewish audience about his party’s anti-Semitism problem, but refused to say whether Labour will kick out one of its most often accused offenders, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone. Livingstone sparked outrage in April after saying in an interview that Adolf Hitler was essentially “supporting Zionism” when he called for the expulsion of Jews in 1932. Dozens of Labour members have been suspended and several expelled from the party since February, when the British media began scrutinizing the proliferation of anti-Semitic incidents within Labour after the election last year of Corbyn. In 2009, Corbyn called Hezbollah and Hamas his “friends,” a comment he later walked back. He has also called for boycotts against Israeli settlements.

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2016-09-21 10:09 www.jpost.com

73 /100 Fans warn Khloe Kardashian's boyfriend Tristan Thompson: Don't become next Lamar Odom Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson

Nasty trolls have sent a strong warning to Khloe Kardashian's new boyfriend Tristan Thompson after the couple went public with their relationship.

Basketball fans are worried dating Khloe will ruin Thomson's career. The hoopster has been spammed with comments saying he'll 'go the same way as Lamar' if he doesn't break it off with the reality babe. Khloe's ex-husband Lamar Odam almost died from an overdose after the split and fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers star are concerned he will face the same due to the so called 'Kardashian curse'.

2016-09-21 10:06 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

74 /100 Daughters of jawan martyred in Uri keep promise they made to dad Gaya: Displaying rare grit and composure, three daughters of martyred soldier S K Vidyarthi took their school exams to keep commitment they had made to their father that they would do good in studies.

Attired in uniform, the three daughters – Aarti, a student of Class 8, Anshu, of standard 6th and Anshika, a standard 2 student appeared in school examination of DAV Public School, Rotary campus medical unit, Gaya.

“The three girls took the exam even while tears kept rolling down from their eyes over loss of their father at Uri in Kashmir on Sunday. It was really a touching moment for all of us,” school Principal AK Jana.

‘I will fulfil his dreams’ Later, Aarti told reporters that she had last meeting with her father in August when he came home. “He had asked me about my studies and inspired me to do good in studies. I will fulfil his dreams,” she said. Her sisters echoed the same sentiment.

SK Vidyarthi of Bihar Regiment hailed from Buknari village of Gaya district and is survived by wife, three daughters and a two-year-old son.

2016-09-21 10:05 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

75 /100 Mumbai Crime: Three break-ins in 48 hours, Rs 50 lakh stolen The watch shop opposite DB Marg police station in Grant Road that was robbed

The city witnessed three incidents of house break-ins over 48 hours — in Kandivli, Grant Road and Chembur. While the accused in the Kandivli case has been arrested and the booty recovered, the police are on the lookout for the culprits in the other two incidents.

Kandivli: Rs 25 lakh The police have arrested a 36-year-old carpenter, Narayan Sutar, for allegedly stealing valuables worth R25 lakh from the house of one Usha Venkateshan (42), a banker who lives in Hiranandani Heritage.

Venkateshan had asked a contractor, identified as Bharat, to send three carpenters to her home for some work. The three worked there from September 17 to 19. On the 19th, she found a Rolex watch worth Rs 20 lakh, a pair of diamond earrings worth R4 lakh, and a 40-gram gold bracelet worth Rs 1 lakh missing.

Also Read: Mumbai Crime: With no CCTV, watchman, thief decamps with Rs 42 lakh

She approached the Kandivli police, who asked her about the people who had visited her over the last two days. With the contractor’s help, the three carpenters were brought to her house, and the police detained and interrogated them.

After hours of questioning, Sutar confessed to the crime.

The entire booty has been recovered and Sutar has been arrested.

Grant Road: Rs 8.58 lakh Rs 8.58 lakh in cash was stolen from a watch shop located exactly opposite the DB Marg police station. The owner discovered the theft on Tuesday at 8.30 am, when he opened the shop. A case of theft has been registered in DB Marg police station.

Sapna Stores is on Maulana Shaukat Ali Road in Grant Road. When its owner Vipul Shah (42) reached to open it on Tuesday, he found the shutter half open. Sensing foul play, he opened the shop and checked the vault and found the money missing.

In his complaint, Shah told police that two of his employees had left work in the last two months and both had keys to the shop. He also told officers that apart from him, only his workers knew that the vault was behind a wall clock.

The police have registered a case under sections 380 (theft in dwelling house), 454 (house break-in), and 457 (house break-in by night) of the Indian Penal Code.

Chembur: Rs 17.9 lakh Cash and ornaments worth Rs 17.9 lakh were stolen from the house of a retired banker, Narayan Gohil, on Sunday night. Gohil was away on a pilgrimage with his family members.

Read Story: Two juveniles arrested for house break-ins

The theft was discovered on Monday morning, when Jayantilal Maru, a close relative of the Gohils, went to check on the flat in Bhakti Bhavan. He found door bolt broken and, on going inside, the entire house in disarray. He then called up the Chembur police. Rs 2.02 lakh cash, 63 tola gold ornaments, and 40 tola silver ornaments have been stolen.

Police says Senior Inspector Sandeep Dal said, “We are checking footage of the CCTVs put up in the society. It appears that someone had been keeping a watch on this particular house and looted it after the family went away. We have registered a case against unknown person/s under sections 380 (theft in dwelling house), 454 (house break-in), and 457 (house break-in by night) of the Indian Penal Code.

2016-09-21 09:59 By Anurag www.mid-day.com

76 /100 Chinese tycoon’s son spoils pet dog with 8 iPhone7s Coco the Alaskan malamute is one lucky and spoiled pet dog.

Her owner, Wang Sicong, son of Chinese real estate mogul Wang Tianjin, bought her eight iPhone 7 phones on the same day it was released in the country. Portraits of the coddled dog and his eight new smartphones were posted on Weibo, a Chinese social networking site , on Friday.

According to Shanghaiist, this was not the first time Wang pampered his pooch with “glitz and glamor.” Last year, he purchased Coco two rose gold Apple watches worth $12,000 (P571,000) each and flaunted them on his Weibo account .

According to Business Insider , Wang is known as the “nation’s husband” and “China’s richest son.” His father, Wang Jianlin, is worth $US28.8 billion (P1.3 trillion) and is the 20th wealthiest billionaire in the world. He is the chairman of the Dalian Wanda Group, the largest real estate company in China. Gianna Francesca Catolico

2016-09-21 09:58 technology.inquirer.net

77 /100 Brandon Marshall of Denver Broncos where ire is for unarmed man shot by police Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall said he is taken aback by the subdued reaction to the fatal shooting of an unarmed African- American man by Tulsa, Oklahoma, police compared to the outrage over NFL players' demonstrations during the national anthem.

"One thing I have an issue with is people are really, extremely [ticked] off and mad about us kneeling and protesting peacefully. How come they don't have that same type of anger toward the situations that are going on? I think everybody needs to check themselves," he told The Denver Post on Tuesday.

Editor's Picks Kaepernick says he has received death threats

Malcolm Jenkins and others have reminded us it's a wonderfully American thing to honor your conscience. "If you do it in a different way, that just allows you to ignore the issue," said Jenkins. 1 Related

Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick says his life has been threatened since his protest during the national anthem began, and notes that if he is murdered it will have "proved my point. " Malcolm Jenkins and others have reminded us it's a wonderfully American thing to honor your conscience. "If you do it in a different way, that just allows you to ignore the issue," said Jenkins. Marshall made his comments while at a local elementary school, where he addressed students about the importance of attending school. He was asked by the newspaper about the shooting of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher in Tulsa last week.

Police video shows Crutcher walking away from the officers and toward his SUV last Friday with his hands in the air. He then approaches the driver's side of his vehicle, where an officer shocks him with a stun gun and another fatally shoots him.

Officers had been called to the scene to respond to a report of a stalled vehicle. The officer who shot Crutcher, Betty Shelby, was placed on paid leave.

Marshall has knelt during the national anthem during each of the Broncos' first two games and has lost two local sponsorship deals as a result of his actions. He met with Denver Police Chief Robert White last week.

"It just lets me know that we have a long way to go as people," Marshall told the newspaper. "I don't want to go as far as to say people care more about the flag than their fellow man, but it seems like it. "

Several NFL players took to Twitter on Tuesday to react to the Crutcher situation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

2016-09-21 09:57 Jordan Raanan www.espn.com

78 /100 Israeli activist heading for Gaza with protest flotilla Zohar Regev has no idea what the legal consequences of participating in a flotilla to the Gaza Strip will be. Unlike the vast majority of participants, Regev is an Israeli citizen and if arrested, she will likely not be deported to another country.

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“I am aware of the risk as an Israeli citizen, but I am willing to take it because I cannot keep silent when these atrocities take place, especially when they are done by my own people,” Regev, from Kibbutz Kfar Hahoresh near Nazareth, who is an organizer of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, told The Jerusalem Post in a phone interview. Regev plans to set sail with 30 other women from Messina, Sicily, to the Gaza Strip aboard the Amal to protest Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. “We are partaking in nonviolent, direct action to protest this blockade and try to lift it by exercising political pressure on Israel,” Regev remarked. “We want to show the international community that Israel prevents nonviolent protesters at sea from reaching Gaza.” Israel and Egypt have enforced a blockade on the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007, limiting the movement of people and goods. According to Gisha, a NGO and legal action center dedicated to freedom of movement, the monthly average of exits into Israel and trucks entering Gaza since the start of 2016 is 13,750 and 11,330, respectively. The Amal set sail last week, but due to engine difficulties had to turn back for repairs. Another women’s flotilla, the Zeytuna, is already on its way to Gaza. Regev said that the Freedom Flotilla Coalition decided to organize two women’s boats to demonstrate that women can set sail on their own, but also to focus on the role of Palestinian women in nonviolent “resistance.” “We want to show the world that women can sail, take care of the engine, and do everything on a boat,” Regev remarked adding, “We also want to highlight the role of Palestinian women in nonviolent resistance, who are working for the survival of their people.” Flotillas protesting the blockade have set sail for Gaza on numerous occasions over the past many years. In 2015, the Freedom Flotilla III set sail for Gaza, carrying approximately 100 international activists. The IDF intercepted and redirected one of flotilla’s boats, the Marianne, to the Ashdod Port, while the rest of its boats turned back. In 2010, the Mavi Marmara set sail for Gaza and clashed with Israeli commandos, leading to the death of nine Turkish activists. Regev said that she does not accept Israel’s argument that it must enforce the blockade for security concerns. “The blockade does not serve Israel’s security concerns... solving the root problem, which is the occupation, does,” she said. “We are asking Israel to lift the blockade and then work out a solution, [namely] ending the occupation, for its security concerns. “We want to end this situation. Lift the blockade and we will see what happens.” The government has stated that it fears Palestinian fighters will convert imported materials into weapons and rockets. Hamas and other factions have fired approximately 11,000 rockets at Israel since 2007, according to the IDF. Emmanuel Nahshon, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, told the Post that he prefers not to comment on the women’s boats, but said the government generally views flotillas as a provocation. “On the one hand we have a tight blockade on Gaza, which is recognized internationally. And on the other hand, there is a free for all of merchandise and goods to Gaza. So we view flotillas as an unnecessary, political provocations,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman said. Regev also said that while the Freedom Flotilla Coalition recognizes Egypt is carrying out its own blockade of Gaza, it is not focusing its campaign on it. “We have mentioned on our website things about Egypt, but really Egypt is not the question here. If Israel had lifted the blockade, Palestinians could go to the West Bank and other countries. There would be no need to go through Rafah,” Regev said. Egypt has imposed a very tight blockade on Gaza, opening the Rafah border crossing for only 19 days in 2015 and approximately 20 days in 2016. Despite her frustration, Regev believes it is possible to live in peace, if Israel ends the blockade and its military rule. “We need lift the blockade, end the occupation, and then we may be able to really live in peace with our Palestinian brothers and sisters.”

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2016-09-21 09:56 ADAM RASGON www.jpost.com

79 /100 Students have 48 hours to secure medical seats in Maharashtra While some have to run around between two colleges to get their documents back, others have to hop in two different cities to secure admission. Representational pic

Though medical admissions in private colleges have finally begun, after the HC ruling on Monday, it’s likely to be a while before aspirants’ woes end completely — now, their task at hand is to cancel admissions taken in other institutions to get back their original documents for submission to medical colleges.

With admissions having delayed for a long time, students had secured seats in deemed university medical colleges as well as for other courses. And with the deadline to secure admission in private colleges being September 22, candidates are left with just a couple of days to cancel the earlier admission and get back original documents.

More time needed A majority of the candidates have demanded more time for this. They have also complained how the administration in deemed colleges is taking time in issuing original documents, while private institutions are not giving them the slightest of leeway to tackle technical delays.

A candidate, who had taken admission to Bharati Vidyapeeth, a deemed university medical college and has now got a seat in Kashibai Nawale medical college in the centralised merit list, said, “This is the new circus now — apply to earlier college to cancel admission, where we are unsure how long the process will take. Thankfully, in my case, both colleges are in Pune, so running between the two is not much of a task. But there are candidates who are running between two different cities and have just two days.”

“On finding out that the new college won’t confirm admission without original documents, I ran to Bharti Vidyapeeth, where I was asked to apply for cancellation. I am desperately hoping that I get the documents on Wednesday, so that I get a day to confirm my admission in the new college,” he added.

Admission circus His friend, however, is more tensed as he had taken admission in Ahmednagar’s Pravara medical college and has now been allotted a seat in Ashwini medical college in Solapur.

“Admissions to deemed universities are once again subject to verdict of the SC, with the state government having challenged them. Hence, I want to shift my seat to a private college, where admission will be final. But now, there is this issue.”

“Thank god though that my mother and I reported to the newly allotted college, while my father went to the one in Ahmednagar to begin the cancellation. There is, however, uncertainty, as we don’t know when we’ll get all the documents. They need to give us more time,” he added.

When contacted, chairperson of Bharati Vidyapeeth Group of Institutions Vishwajeet Kadam said, “It is a student’s right if s/he wants to cancel his/her admission. These formalities should take between 24 and 48 hours. We do not want to cause inconvenience to students.”

At Kashibai Nawale College though, they are firm about the admission deadline. Founder- president of Nawale Group of Institutions Maruti Nawale said, “We cannot give admission to any candidate without original documents. But considering the distance between colleges, more time could have been allotted to students to confirm their seats in the centralised process.”

And even as candidates and parents continue to run around, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) Dr Praveen Shingare has shrugged off any responsibility in the matter and said there is enough time. “We have given three days to candidates to confirm admissions in newly allotted colleges,” said Shingare.

2016-09-21 09:54 By Pallavi www.mid-day.com

80 /100 No confusion in BSc exam timetable, says Mumbai university After confusing students and parents alike with its timetable of first semester examination of Bachelor of Science (BSc), which had different papers on the same day and same time, the Mumbai university has said that the timetable is not wrong and that it will soon explain how.

The controller of examinations of the university held a meeting of an expert committee yesterday after complaints from students as well as colleges. It will now issue a circular to explain colleges how to conduct the examination with multiple question paper sets for every subject. It will also issue a revised timetable in couple of days. mid-day had reported how the university wants first semester of BSc students to appear for two papers at a time, as the timetable declared by MU showed clashing of several exams.

A committee member, Dr Vijay Joshi, told mid-day, “We will soon be issuing a circular to clarify how colleges should conduct the examination. The multiple question paper set approach has been taken for this examination, which is what could have led to the confusion.”

Joshi refused to explain further, saying everyone should wait for the circular. He, however, added, “As done in the arts faculty, MU wants to start the process of faster examination in science stream as well. The age-old approach made the exams drag on for a month. With the new system, we aim to finish sooner.”

2016-09-21 09:51 By Pallavi www.mid-day.com

81 /100 League Cup: Will Jose Mourinho drop Wayne Rooney today? Wayne Rooney needs only four goals to surpass Bobby Charlton's Manchester United scoring record of 249 goals. Pic/Getty Images

London: Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is under pressure to drop Wayne Rooney, with the captain’s clanking performances emblematic of the team’s struggles as they prepare to face Northampton Town in English League Cup today.

United have lost their last three matches and there is clamour among supporters and journalists for Rooney to be removed from the XI.

Fans call for Rooney axe In an online poll by the United fanzine Red Issue, over 99 percent of respondents called for him to be axed.

Jose Mourinho

"Where do you want Wayne Rooney to play? Or should he be playing at all? " former England captain Alan Shearer wrote in The Sun after United’s 3-1 defeat at Watford on Saturday.

"Not on yesterday’s performance, it is fair to say. " Despite United winning their first three league games, Rooney’s lacklustre displays meant his place was already under scrutiny.

With United having since lost to Manchester City, Feyenoord, in the Europa League, and Watford, the calls for him to be dropped are getting louder.

Mourinho, whose side host Leicester City on Saturday, has said he would have no qualms about dropping Rooney. "I can take him out. There is no problem for me to take him out," Mourinho said following United’s last-gasp 1-0 win at Hull City last month.

Pogba stifled As has been the case for much of his career, debate continues to rage about Rooney’s best position. Rooney was deployed in midfield by Roy Hodgson during England’s Euro campaign. But Mourinho appeared to nix the debate prior to the season.

Yet in the loss at Watford, Rooney started the game in a midfield with Paul Pogba. Once again he looked off the pace, even after moving into a number 10 role behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the second half.

2016-09-21 09:50 By AFP www.mid-day.com

82 /100 Bombay HC demolishes Maharashtra's claims on removal of illegal shrines The Bombay High Court came down hard on the state government yesterday on the issue of illegal shrines. It said that the state has failed in demolishing the shrines even when it had claimed that it could demolish the illegal structures by May 2016 in a government resolution (GR) last year.

The HC had in March 2015 directed the civic authorities to demolish all the illegal shrines that had come up in Maharashtra post 2009.

Complete failure “Were there only four illegal shrines constructed after September 29, 2009, the cut off date given by Supreme Court?” questioned the bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Amjad Sayed. The court said the demolition figures were not even one fourth of the total number of illegal structures and said, “It is a complete failure on the part of the state government that had earlier claimed that it could demolish all illegal structures by May 2016.” The court was hearing a bunch of PILs filed by social activist Bhagwanji Riyani and NGOS, including ‘Society for Fast Justice.’

State seeks December deadline Abhinandan Vagyani, the state’s pleader even tried to convince the bench by giving in writing that by December 2016 all illegal shrines in the state could be demolished, but the bench was not happy and asked the state to work on the matter and revert on Wednesday. Following a Supreme Court order, the state had issued a GR on May 5, 2011, containing a scheme, prescribing action regarding unauthorised religious structures in terms of regularisation, relocation or removal. In November 2015, it came up with another GR declaring action against all illegal shrines. The GR had directions to all municipal corporations and collectorates to demolish all illegal shrines built after September 29, 2009.

‘Cops delayed process’ Meanwhile, the state also told the bench that the process of demolishing illegal shrines was delayed as several officers of the collectorate and police were busy tackling the drought situation in the state. They were dealing with the shortage of water in state and so could not look into the issue of illegal shrines.

The state said there were around 847 illegal structures in collectorate areas of which around 159 were demolished, while corporation areas had around 14,519 illegal shrines of which around 2,138 had been regularised by the corporation, while they demolished 120. The state has 49,849 illegal shrines constructed before September 29, 2009.

Dealing with illegal shrines >> The state government had formed a schedule to deal with illegal shrines built before the September 29, 2009 deadline set by Supreme Court.

>> It gave six months for regularisation of the structures, six to nine months to shift the structure that interfered with traffic and nine months to demolish a shrine built post the deadline.

49,849 Illegal shrines in Maharashtra

221 Shrines regularised by BMC

11 Shrines demolished by BMC

2016-09-21 09:48 By Vinay www.mid-day.com

83 /100 Obama flirts with Mideast peace push in final months No one in Washington was expecting a sudden breakthrough in the standoff between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and Mahmud Abbas' Palestinian authority.

But in New York on Wednesday for the final United Nations General Assembly of his eight-year double term, Obama will meet the Israeli leader, perhaps for the last time.

Will the meeting prove to be another tense footnote to a stalemate, or a last bid to influence a dossier that confronted and disappointed of all his predecessors?

"This would be a declaratory effort to put on record what America believes are the parameters for a solution," argued Aaron David Miller of the Wilson Center.

"And it would be an effort to put the Obama... signature or stamp on an issue that presumably he cares deeply about," the former senior advisor argued.

On January 22, 2009, Obama marked his second day after his swearing in as leader of the Free World by nominating George Mitchell as Middle East peace envoy.

The former senator had been the point man in talks to end Britain's Northern Ireland conflict, and his promotion had been seen as marking the young US leader's seriousness.

The president himself, elected on a vague but inspiring "hope and change" ticket, vowed to "aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "

Eight years later, that has not come to pass. Israel and its neighbors are enduring a rough patch of political violence, despite high-profile international oversight.

Whatever personal tensions undermine ties between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader in the White House enjoys access to a bully pulpit.

Last week, Obama endorsed Israel's record 10-year, $38 billion US military aid contract -- a predictable result of the talks, but one which emphasized tensions.

Does this generous gift give Obama a margin to pressure the Jewish state's government into accepting the groundwork for a future compromise? Well, not quite.

If Obama had wanted to leave Israel-Palestine at the heart of what he has done or not done in office, opponents would have turned it into an election issue.

But Obama's putative Democratic successor Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the flamboyant Republican challenger to his legacy, have adopted strong immigration policies.

Before his election as US president in December 2000, Bill Clinton also had clear goals for the Middle East: two states alongside one another, with a shared capital in parts of Jerusalem.

"This was done in a low key fashion, with very little media visibility because Clinton honestly still believed there was still a chance to get a deal," Miller said.

Obama however does not have the luxury of hope -- he knows a deal will be difficult to achieve in the waning days of his presidency.

2016-09-21 09:46 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

84 /100 DR Congo warlord 'Terminator' breaks hunger strike at ICC The once-feared rebel leader from the Democratic Republic of Congo has not appeared in the courtroom at the International Criminal Court in The Hague since September 7.

"Mr Ntaganda started eating tonight," his lawyer, Stephane Bourgon, said in an email sent late Tuesday.

Ntaganda launched his hunger strike to protest against the conditions of his detention, including over family visits and his accusations that the court is not giving him a fair trial.

"If everything goes well, his wife will be in The Hague from Thursday and will be able to see Mr Ntaganda in an almost private setting, which meet (his) minimum expectations," Bourgon said.

In a long, rambling, written statement from September 13 seen by AFP, Ntaganda said: "There is no possibility that I will see my wife and children again under normal conditions. " Once dubbed "The Terminator", Ntaganda has denied 18 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity arising out of savage ethnic attacks carried out in the DR Congo by his rebel Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (FPLC) in 2002- 2003.

He is the first defendant before the tribunal -- set up in 2002 to try the world's worst crimes -- to ever go on hunger strike and his protest is vexing judges who have ordered his trial must go on in his absence.

Ntaganda's trial opened in September 2015 after he walked into the US embassy in Kigali in 2013.

The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been mired for two decades in ethnically- charged wars, as rebels battle for control of its rich mineral resources.

Prosecutors say Ntaganda played a central role in the Ituri conflict in the far northeast which rights groups believe alone has left some 60,000 dead since 1999.

2016-09-21 09:43 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

85 /100 Rafael Nadal, Mo Farah defend their medical records Rafa Nadal and Mo Farah

London: Rafael Nadal and British Olympic great Mo Farah said they have nothing to hide after their medical records were the latest to be leaked by a cyber-hacking group on Monday.

They are among more than 60 international athletes who have had their medical files — mostly therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) — published online by the so-called Fancy Bears, who have hacked into World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) records.

Spanish tennis ace Nadal and four-time Olympic champion distance runner Farah were shown to have used TUEs in the past to gain permission to take substances that figure on WADA's banned list.

"When you ask permission to take something for therapeutic reasons and they give it, you're not taking anything prohibited," Nadal said. "It's not news, it's just inflammatory. " Nadal, who has twice been granted a TUE, said he had never taken anything to improve his performance but took what doctors advised him for his troubled knee. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Farah said: "Mo has nothing to hide and doesn't have a problem with any of his (medical) information being released — in fact he voluntarily shared his blood data with the Sunday Times last year. "

2016-09-21 09:42 By AFP www.mid-day.com

86 /100 Mumbai: Two abandoned newborn girls rescued The 10-day old girl was found abandoned at Kamothe

The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign may be promoted enthusiastically, but the reality is far from it. Girls continue to be neglected.

Two newborn girls were found abandoned at Kamothe in Navi Mumbai and Vishnu Nagar in Dombivli recently. Both were rescued and are being taken care of by cops.

On September 14, at 11:30 pm an alert citizen informed the Kamothe police, that a newborn baby girl had been found near Jawhar Industries.

Found in a cart “He came to the police station and informed us, after which we reached the spot and found the girl was kept in a bullock cart and was crying loudly. The girl, who is approximately 10 days old, was wet in the rain and bitten by mosquitoes. We shifted her to MGM hospital in Kalamboli, where she is being treated,” said Ashok Naik, Senior Police Inspector, Kamothe police station.

Vikram Salunke, Police Sub-Inspector, Kamothe police station said, “A woman constable has been assigned 24 hours with the baby girl. We have also informed the Child Welfare Committee and will hand her over to them once the treatment is over.”

Another girl abandoned On September 19, an approximately two days old girl was found at around 2 pm under a water tank on the creek road near old Dombivli west. It was raining and this baby was also kept without any protection from the rain and mosquitoes. She has been admitted to a local hospital.

The Vishnu Nagar police station in Dombivli west has registered a case against unknown persons under IPC Section 317 (Exposure and abandonment of child under twelve years, by parent or person having care of it).

2016-09-21 09:42 By Faisal www.mid-day.com

87 /100 I want to teach girls how to wrestle, says Sakshi Malik Sakshi Malik

Rio Olympics bronze medalist Sakshi Malik is enjoying celebrity status, but has missed out on training after achieving the herculean feat. "Celebrity status is something very new to me but at the same time I am missing my training like anything. I am unhappy that I am not training. Come October, I will be back to training again," she said on the sidelines of Whisper India's Like A Girl campaign in a city hotel yesterday afternoon.

Modern-day sportsperson Ever since arrived back in India after she became the first Indian to win a medal in Rio, she has started to witness the other side of modern- day sportsperson, one which involves a lot of traveling, media interactions, promotional events, official functions and a whole lot of plastic smiles for the never- ending flash bulbs.

For someone like Sakshi, who has been wrestling since the age of 12, fighting against the will and words of a society more known for their skewed sex ratio, one has to give it to her for putting up a brave face against all odds. And now, she is also very focused on what she wants to do next. "This was my first Olympics and I have learnt a lot. There are some small things that differentiate an Indian wrestler from the others. I want to work on those minute details and win a gold in my next Olympics," she said.

Lack of infrastructure "We also lack a lot of things in terms of training facilities, infrastructures, medical expertise, research and guidance. I hope the government will look into these. " Sakshi said she wants to associate herself with wrestling even after she quits the sport. "I want to teach kids wrestling, mostly girls," she concluded. And why she wants to do that is anybody's guess.

2016-09-21 09:40 By Ajit www.mid-day.com

88 /100 NASA's black female mathematicians hit the big screen This remarkable story has been told in the book "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly, which was published in September.

The movie comes out in January, starring Taraji P. Henson -- known for her role in the TV series "Empire" and for her Oscar nomination in the 2008 film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" -- and Octavia Spencer, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2011 film "The Help. "

Some of the female mathematicians worked with the author's father, an engineer at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia, a southern US state where racial segregation was the norm.

Shetterly, herself an African-American, was born in 1969, and remembers the women as "normal" middle-class types, the mothers of friends who serve peanut butter sandwiches to kids.

The mathematicians provided pivotal contributions to the US space program, starting in the 1940s through to the 1960s, when the nation first sent men to orbit and then walk on the Moon.

It was not until Shetterly's husband heard about the women, during a visit with Shetterly's father, that she realized their story could -- and should -- be written in book form.

"My husband was like, 'Wait a minute, I cannot believe this. How can nobody knows the story'? " she recalled in an interview with AFP.

The heroines of the story are Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson and Mary Jackson.

The US involvement in World War II in 1941 opened the door to them, Shetterly said.

The country needed engineers and scientists to come up with new technologies to help planes fly higher and faster.

But segregation was still a reality. There were dozens of African-Americans, both male and female, working as mathematicians and physicists for the US space program, even as they were forced to use separate bathrooms from whites, and were barred from the same restaurants and schools frequented by whites.

The black women mathematicians at the center of "Hidden Figures" were nicknamed "colored computers," working apart from the rest of the math unit in the west wing of the Langley Research Center.

By the end of the war, there were around 25 black women and two white managers in the unit.

Soon however there was a new war, as the Cold War broke out between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The USSR launched its first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, raising the stakes for the United States in the space race.

By 1958 NASA was formed, gathering all the nation's space activities, and the Langley Research Center was in charge of the Mercury project, the first US manned space program.

It was then that the black mathematicians were integrated with the rest of NASA and tasked with making complex calculations about rocket launches.

In 1959, Katherine Johnson -- played in the movie by Henson -- and a white colleague were the first to calculate the parameters of the first suborbital flight in 1961 of astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space.

They also calculated John Glenn's course, as the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962.

According to the book, in 1962, Glenn asked that Johnson herself re-check the figures one last time before he embarked on the mission.

Johnson's math talents later helped determine the trajectory of the Apollo 11 flight that landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon in July 1969.

The women in the story are among about 80 black female mathematicians who worked for the US space program from 1943 to 1980 -- a time period that saw about 1,000 women employed there, far fewer than the number of men.

In November 2015, US President Barack Obama gave Johnson, who is now 98, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

Dorothy Vaughan, played in the movie by Octavia Spencer, died in 2008.

Mary Jackson, who died in 2005, was an aeronautical engineer and is played by Janelle Monae.

"Talent is distributed among all populations, whatever the color of their skin," said Shetterly.

"Given a chance, people can excel in these fields. "

She described the story of these women as "powerful source of inspiration" that "we can learn from the past, in terms of opening the doors for people to excel today. "

2016-09-21 09:39 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

89 /100 South Indian actress robbed during Eurotrip A South Indian actress-model, Gehena Vasisth, who is currently in Europe, was robbed a few days ago. The incident occurred when she was on her way to Barcelona from France.

“When I was about to leave from the shop, my car tyre burst. That’s when I noticed that my purse, which had my passport, cash, and credit cards, was missing. I had cards of nine banks, as well as 4,000 Euros,” she said.

“I really don’t know what to do now. I am in a bad situation and stuck here.” Vasisth has gone to Europe on a 15-day vacation on a tourist visa. She had taken a gold car on rent to visit France.

“I have registered a complaint with the police,” added Vasisth. mid-day has a copy of the complaint.

2016-09-21 09:37 By Shiva www.mid-day.com

90 /100 Is Cristiano Ronaldo dating Latino glamour model Desire Cordero? Cristiano Ronaldo and Model Desire Cordero. Pics/Getty Images

Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo looks to have found his match. CR7 is reportedly dating former Miss Spain Desire Cordero, who made the top 10 in the Miss Universe beauty contest.

According to Spanish glamour magazine Corazon, Ronaldo and Cordero have been going around for a month after liking each other's social media pictures, before exchanging private messages.

Cordero also has moved in to a new place in Madrid along with two other friends and has been spotted numerous times at the VIP gate of La Finca, a city on the outskirts of Madrid, where Ronaldo lives. The 23-year-old lass has sent a series of messages on Instagram, which could be interpreted as clues that she has a famous love. "Good things take time but really great things happen in a blink of an eye" to which a follower replied: "CR7. "

2016-09-21 09:37 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

91 /100 Ishant Sharma down with Chikungunya Ishant Sharma

Kanpur: The Indian team management finally announced that pace bowler Ishant Sharma has contracted chikungunya and is unavailable for the first Test. It was known unofficially that he was unwell and would not be fit for the first Test. The selectors have decided not to have any replacement, and thus the squad has been reduced to 14 members.

Head coach Anil Kumble said "Ishant's health is being monitored and though he is not fit for the first Test, the selectors have decided not to replace him, thus we are now a 14-member squad"

Kuldeep Yadav at nets The Indian camp has called up three net bowlers including two left-arm pacers, Pradeep Sangwan of Delhi and Aniket Choudhary of Rajasthan. They have been bowling to the Indian batsmen in the nets for the last two days to counter the threat posed by Kiwi pacer Trent Boult. They have also had chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav to bowl at them in the nets. Yadav, the highest wicket-taker in the day/night Duleep Trophy last week, was expected to get a call-up, but missed the bus as the selectors persisted with leg-spinner Amit Mishra.

Neesham out with rib injury As if the bowling spearhead Tim Southee returning home with ankle injury wasn't enough, the Kiwis suffered another setback when all-rounder Jimmy Neesham was ruled out of first Test due to a rib injury. The double blows have reduced New Zealand's arsenal. Luckily for the Kiwis, the pitch at Kanpur has the reputation of aiding the spinners, and so they would go in with three spinners. Left-arm seamer Trent Boult would be their main pace bowler, but he would surely miss his partner Southee at the other end.

Only 3000 tickets sold Despite the UPCA lowering the price of the tickets considerably, out of 13,000-odd tickets that have been put on sale, only 3000 are sold so far. Though a Test match is being played after seven years in Kanpur, there is no great rush to buy — tickets.

2016-09-21 09:33 By Santosh www.mid-day.com

92 /100 Mumbai road scam: Cops want to nail BMC's dirty dozen The ghost of the Rs 352-crore road scam will continue to haunt senior BMC officials even in the near future as the special investigation team (SIT) probing the case has sought the civic body’s permission to reportedly make as many as 16 more arrests and prosecute the three already arrested.

BMC chief Ajoy Mehta

As per the norms, if any government official is undergoing prosecution, permission to arrest them has to be sought. To that end, the SIT has written to civic commissioner Ajoy Mehta for his formal approval, who confirmed the development and said, “My office has got the letter from the police, but I will have to check the contents since it has been forwarded to the law department for their legal opinion.”

Also Read: Another road scam in Mumbai? Probe demanded on contractors who sell debris

Pothole-riddled Western Express Highway is extremely hard to navigate

New development According to a police official, “During the investigation, we found the involvement of more officers in the scam. The road engineers (in charge of particular roads) have helped contractors in the malpractices. To get in-depth details on what every officers’ role is, we need to arrest more people soon.”

Read Story: Mumbai road scam: Chief engineer's note said road quality not his responsibility

However, the police and BMC is tight-lipped on the exact number of engineers mentioned in the list of probable candidates for arrest. Sources, though, are claiming that 16 more engineers might face arrest soon. Recently, mid-day had reported that the police is taking IIT-B’s help from IIT-Bombay to make a watertight case against the contractor. Up till now, 26 people have been arrested in connection with road scam, including two chief engineers and an executive engineer from the road department.

Civic inquiry revealed The first phase of the civic body’s inquiry report had concluded that work on all 34 roads — built between 2013 and 2015 — that were inspected was sub-standard and led to a loss of Rs 14 crore. Following the report’s findings, the civic chief had suspended then chief engineer (Vigilance), UM Murudkar, and chief engineer (Building Maintenance), Ashok Pawar, for failing to perform their duties. Later, the SIT arrested one more official — executive engineer, Kishor Yerme — on the charges of helping contactors by collecting fines for their shoddy job.

In the FIR it filed at the Azad Maidan police station, the civic body named six contractors — RPS Infra, KR Construction, J Kumar, Relcon Infraprojects, RK Madhani and Mahavir Infrastructure — along with two third-party auditors SGC Consultant and IRS. On condition of anonymity a senior civic official said, “Last week, the SIT also sought permission from the BMC to prosecute the three arrested officials.

Despite repeated attempts, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Zone 1, Manoj Sharma was not available for comment. 2016-09-21 09:33 By Laxman www.mid-day.com

93 /100 Let us do our work: Academics voice concern over UCT shutdown Some accused vice-chancellor Max Price of being too soft on protesters‚ while others said there hadn't been enough transparency.

UCT's executive council made the "difficult decision" on Sunday to suspend classes‚ lectures and examinations‚ and so far they have not resumed.

Jenni Case‚ a professor of academic development in the engineering department‚ said her institution was shut for three weeks last year and that "some of what we lost then will never be regained".

Case had been "temporarily persuaded" that South Africa's social challenges were extreme enough to warrant something "fully disruptive" to raise awareness‚ but had now "seen the danger in that argument".

"If we strike at the core of the university's work‚ we inflict a body blow to the university's contribution to addressing those exact challenges‚" she said.

Another academic‚ speaking anonymously‚ said some staff were "angry" when they were told to come to work on Monday‚ despite classes being cancelled‚ only to be forced out by students and workers. "This has been nine months in the making but it has been business as usual with no transparent discussion. "

While UCT academics have been vociferous on Facebook‚ many are reluctant to speak to the media.

"The problem is that the spineless UCT management refuses to protect its students and staff by using the police to maintain public order‚" one wrote.

UCT spokesman Pat Lucas said they had in the past been criticised for bringing in security personnel‚ and had taken a "firm line" with protesters who broke the law.

Price said the campus was shut due to "heightened tensions‚ the assessment of our ability to contain disruptions‚ and the value of a day to develop a plan of action".

2016-09-21 09:33 Tanya Farber www.timeslive.co.za

94 /100 Yaya Toure won't play until he says sorry: Pep Guardiola Yaya Toure London: Manager Pep Guardiola said Yaya Toure will not play again for Man City until player's camp apologises for agent's comments.

Dimitri Seluk accused Guardiola of "humiliating" Toure by dropping him. "The day his agent spoke, Yaya is out," Guardiola said. "Unless Seluk apologises, when that happens, Yaya will be part of the group. "

2016-09-21 09:32 By AFP www.mid- day.com

95 /100 BCCI officials attending AGM will be jailed: Aditya Verma Aditya Verma

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to conduct its 87th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at its Mumbai headquarters today, but according to Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Aditya Verma, officials attending the AGM might find themselves in serious trouble.

Legal issue "They (BCCI officials) are preparing themselves to be jailed. Legally, they are not allowed to conduct and attend this AGM. Shirke's (BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke) election for the Honorary Secretary's post is also illegal. They are also planning to hold elections for Working Committee and the Technical Committee, which is also against the law," Verma told mid-day from Patna yesterday.

Verma, who filed a petition against the BCCI for contempt of court, said that the Justice RM Lodha Committee confirmed the receipt of his letter dated September 17. "Justice Lodha Committee replied to my letter and said not to worry and I should wait till the AGM," he added.

Shirke to stay as BCCI secy Current secretary Ajay Shirke is all set to be elected unopposed at the 87th Annual General Meeting of the BCCI scheduled to be held today. In fact a senior BCCI functionary confirmed that Shirke's was the only nomination for the secretary's post. "His (Shirke) was the only nomination received today," the official told PTI.

Shirke became the secretary in July after Anurag Thakur was elevated as the president with Shashank Manohar opting to quit BCCI for the ICC chairmanship. Shirke is the supremo of the Maharashtra Cricket Association and known to be close to former BCCI and ICC president Sharad Pawar.

2016-09-21 09:26 By Subodh www.mid-day.com

96 /100 Government must help universities pay for upkeep - Msimanga Pretoria - Government must help universities maintain their infrastructure to mitigate against rising costs, Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga says.

“Government needs to look at how they subsidise the running of universities, because some of the costs that universities are pushing down to students are the maintenance of buildings, the upkeep of facilities,” Msimanga told News24 on Tuesday.

He suggested the government use its expanded public works programme to help with this so that maintenance did not become the universities’ expense.

“Maybe that can go a long way in assisting as well. There are a number of ways in which we can assist our young brothers and sisters.”

On Monday, Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande gave universities the freedom to determine their own fee increases for 2017, but capped this at 8%, for those students who could afford it.

Students at several universities around the country subsequently began protesting, demanding no increases and free tertiary education.

Msimanga said the fee increases could have been handled better. A blanket approach that would also exempt those who could afford university education from paying for it would not work.

Government needed to first look at subsidising the most needy, and then ensure there was no large increase for those who could afford it.

He said government should be careful not to push those who could afford tertiary education into a corner where they could no longer pay.

2016-09-21 09:26 www.news24.com

97 /100 Unable to secure bail, Thane rape accused killed self The deceased Siraj Shaikh

The 27-year-old inmate in Thane Central Jail, who committed suicide on Monday night, hung himself with a towel in a toilet on the premises as he was frustrated and depressed with his life inside. The Thane Nagar police have registered a case of accidental death and are investigating the matter further.

Desperate measures According to jail sources, the deceased, identified as Siraj Aalam Ramzan Ali Shaikh, is a resident of Kandivli. On December 2, 2015, he was sent to Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai by the Borivli court on the charge of kidnapping a minor under the false pretext of marriage and then raping her. “On February 13, 2016, he was transferred to Thane Central Jail. Since then, he was here as his case was under trial in the Borivli court,” said a jail officer. Speaking to mid-day, the deceased’s younger brother Samir said, “I met Siraj last Wednesday… every time he used to ask us to get him out on bail. On Wednesday, he said to me that if we didn’t get him out by October 1, he would accept the crime in court, warning us that he would then be inside for 10 years. He told us that he is frustrated and harassed with the life inside and desperately wanted to come out.”

Unaccounted for Siraj’s body was found after jail officers realised that he was missing during the counting at 6 pm on Monday, which was started after distribution of the dinner around 5.30 pm.

“We searched each and every barrack for him. We then went to the factory on the premises as, at times, he used to help other inmates there. After a long search, at 7.15 pm when we went inside the toilet of the factory, we found him hanging with a towel. We came to know about the incident at around 7:15 pm. We immediately called for a doctor and brought him down, but he was pronounced dead,” said an officer.

Superintendent of Thane Central Jail, VB Vayachal said, “A detailed panchanama was done by the tehsildar and the Thane Nagar police station. A case of accidental death has been registered.”

2016-09-21 09:22 By Faisal www.mid-day.com

98 /100 Confusion over ‘who has the mandate for safety and security’ in Western Cape schools Western Cape police revealed they are investigating these sinister recruitment drives at schools.

On Tuesday‚ deputy provincial commissioner General Thembisile Patekile addressed a joint education and community safety portfolio committee on learner safety.

Speaking to the media after the meeting‚ Patekile said: “In some areas we do find drugs around schools‚ but in some areas you don’t find anything with the vendors‚ you just find fruits and sweets.”

Patekile was one of several stakeholders‚ including the provincial education department and the community safety department‚ who addressed the committee.

But what was meant to be a simple presentation turned into confusion between the parties over who should take responsibility for the safety of children and teachers in high-crime areas.

The SAPS claimed it was not responsible as its mandate is patrolling areas around schools.

In turn‚ Oscar Apollis‚ provincial manager of Safe Schools‚ run by the education department‚ claimed its only role is safety on school premises.

“The mandate of safety and security does not lie with the Western Cape education department‚ it lies with the department of community safety‚ they are the lead‚” Apollis said.

“Yes‚ we have a role to play; our role in terms of safety is within the parameter of the school‚” Apollis said.

His comments seemingly unsettled Gideon Morris‚ community safety head of department‚ who said if his department should take the lead‚ it should be given the funds.

“Schools Safe budget is with the education department‚ so if that needs to come to community safety‚ it’s something that we need to discuss‚” he said.

Pat Lekker‚ African National Congress (ANC) member of the provincial legislature‚ intervened‚ saying the departments should speak with a united voice.

But another education official‚ Naziem Shaik Ismaiel‚ added that community safety MEC Dan Plato had claimed at the meeting that the safety issue needed a community-oriented approach.

“We don’t know who has the mandate for safety and security… nobody wants to take responsibility‚” he said.

Another ANC MPL‚ Theo Olivier‚ suggested that both departments and the SAPS should meet to resolve the confusion.

2016-09-21 09:15 Aphiwe Deklerk www.timeslive.co.za

99 /100 CCS likely to discuss Uri attack today Prime Minister Narendra Modi

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Security is likely to discuss the attack in uri on Wednesday, informed sources said.

The CCS, which comprises of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is likely to meet before the union cabinet meet, said sources.

The attack at an Army camp in Uri on Sunday left 18 soldiers dead. Four terrorists who were killed were carrying food and medicine packets with Pakistan markings on it and preliminary investigation suggested the terrorists are from the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad. India has launched an effort at international level to isolate Pakistan for supporting terror. As a practice, the Indian Army's Director General of Military Operations will also be handing over documents proving Pakistan's involvement in the attack to his Pakistani counterpart.

2016-09-21 09:12 By IANS www.mid-day.com

100 /100 Trump used charity funds to pay legal settlements - report New York - Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump used funds from his charitable foundation to pay settlements in legal cases involving his businesses, an apparent violation of laws governing non-profits, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The cases involved a combined $258 000 paid out by the Donald J. Trump Foundation - a charity almost entirely funded with other people's money, the newspaper said - and follow a review of legal documents and the foundation's tax records.

The newspaper carried out a weeks-long investigation into the charity's finances, finding that Trump himself has not contributed a dollar since 2009. The group is funded by donations from third parties instead.

One of the group's suspect payments was a $100 000 donation to a veterans' charity in 2007 as part of a legal settlement with the city of Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump had sued the city after it fined him $120 000, or $1 250 per day, for erecting an 24m flagpole at his Mar-a-Lago Club that exceeded the maximum height permitted by local regulations.

'Trump has proven himself a fraud'

The Trump Foundation also made transactions that appeared to be exclusively for the benefit of the real estate mogul or his businesses, apparently in violation of regulations governing charities, the Washington Post said.

In one case, the charity paid $20 000 in 2007 for a six-foot portrait of Trump, the newspaper reported.

"Clearly the Trump Foundation is as much a charitable organisation as Trump University is an institute of higher education," said Christina Reynolds, a spokesperson for the campaign of Trump's White House rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

"Once again, Trump has proven himself a fraud who believes the rules don't apply to him," she said in a statement.

"It's past time for him to release his tax returns to show whether his tax issues extend to his own personal finances. "

Some Democrats have complained that the media has not sufficiently reported about the Trump Foundation's suspected wrongdoing, accusing journalists of being lenient in their treatment of the outspoken billionaire. Trump's campaign denied the Post report.

"In typical Washington Post fashion, they've gotten their facts wrong. It is the Clinton Foundation that is set up to make sure the Clintons personally enrich themselves by selling access and trading political favours. The Trump Foundation has no paid board, no management fees, no rent or overhead, and no family members on its payroll," said spokesperson Jason Miller.

News outlets have also been criticised for being more keen to cover a tweet by Trump's son comparing Syrian refugees to a bowl of colourful Skittles candy.

"If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful? " he wrote. "That's our Syria refugee problem. "

"If you are covering Skittles-gate instead Trump's illegal use of his foundation, you are probably in journalism for the wrong reasons," tweeted Dan Pfeiffer, a former top advisor to President Barack Obama.

2016-09-21 09:10 www.news24.com

Total 100 articles.

Created at 2016-09-21 12:01