US Mayor Resigns after Calling Michelle Obama ‘Ape in Heels’

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A mayor from West Virginia has resigned amid a furore over a racist Facebook post that described First Lady Michelle Obama as an “ape in heels,” US media said.

Beverly Whaling, the mayor of the tiny town of Clay, had appeared to applaud the incendiary comment and stepped down Tuesday amid the ensuing firestorm.

Local television news channel WSAZ confirmed that Whaling had resigned.

According to WSAZ, Clay County Development Corp. director Pamela Ramsey Taylor had posted after Donald Trump’s election: “It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified First Lady in the White House. I’m tired of seeing a Ape in heels.”

Whaling responded: “Just made my day Pam.”

The comments were later deleted and both women’s Facebook pages were eventually taken offline, The Washington Post reported citing local media.

Staffers at the Clay County Development Corp. told WSAZ that Taylor had been removed from her position.

Barack Obama’s eight years in office have been marred by racial slurs against the nation’s first African American president and his family.

Clay has a population of less than 500, according to the 2010 census, and is the seat of Clay County in West Virginia.

The furor over the racist comment, and the mayor’s seemingly agreeable response, prompted an online petition drive to have the two women ousted.

The text on www.thepetitionsite.com gathered nearly 160,000 signatures from across the country.

Whaling had apologized in a statement Monday to The Washington Post, writing: “My comment was not intended to be racist at all.”

Michelle Obama emerged as a hugely popular surrogate for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail.

Trump, a billionaire businessman, won West Virginia’s five electoral votes, helping him to his unexpected triumph over Clinton.

Trump, Putin Agree to Improve Relations

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump spoke for the first time since Trump won the US presidential election.

The two men spoke for the first time on Monday, with both keen to improve relations between their respective countries following Trump’s shock election win.

Russian news claims Putin called Trump as he prepares to talk with the US “on the basis of mutual respect, non-intervention into each other’s internal affairs”.

President-elect Trump noted to President Putin that he is very much looking forward to having a strong and enduring relationship with Russia and the people of Russia Putin and President-elect Trump allegedly agreed to “work to channel bilateral relationships into constructive cooperation, to combine efforts to tackle international terrorism and extremism, and to continue contact by telephone and to work towards meeting in person”.

Russia has been engaged in military intervention in Syria over the past year, assisting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad against rebels in a bloody civil war.

During his election campaign Trump spoke repeatedly of his desire to destroy ISIS, leading to suggestions that he could be willing to work with Putin to tackle the militant group.

A statement from Trump’s transition team said: “President-elect Trump noted to President Putin that he is very much looking forward to having a strong and enduring relationship with Russia and the people of Russia.

“During the call, the two leaders discussed a range of issues including the threats and challenges facing the United States and Russia, strategic economic issues and the historical US-Russia relationship that dates back over 200 years”.

The foreign policies of Moscow and team Trump has been described as “phenomenally close” by Moscow spokesman Dmitry Peskov, giving fresh hope that the two leaders can work together when Trump takes to the White House on January 20.

Merkel, With Nod To Trump, Warns Against Protectionism

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Staff Reporter

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Tuesday for globalization to be framed in multilateral agreements rather than see countries adopt protectionist measures, in a thinly veiled warning to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

In his campaign, Trump argued that international trade agreements had hurt U.S. workers and the country’s competitiveness. He has promised to “get tough” with China and withdraw from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, which is still not finalized.

Merkel, having last week offered to work with Trump on the basis of democratic values, used a speech to set out the case for strengthening international cooperation in the field of trade and avoiding a slide into protectionism.

“We are at the moment in a situation in the European Union, in our country and worldwide where there is an argument about how we want to shape globalization,” Merkel told a meeting of Germany’s BDA employers association.

“Globalization is happening. We can arrange it such that we strengthen multilateral instruments … or such that we seal ourselves off and become protectionist.”

“I am pleased that you, like me, are convinced that we must fashion globalization in a multilateral way,” added Merkel.

She said she would make globalization a theme for debate during Germany’s presidency of the G20 next year.

Merkel was the driving force in Europe behind the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), an ambitious trade deal between the European Union and United States).

That agreement, still in the negotiation phase, seems sure to die under Trump, whose protectionist promises, should they become reality, would hit few countries harder than Germany, whose economic strength depends heavily on the openness of the global trading system.

Read More: reuters

Outrage As Woman Calls Michelle Obama ‘Ape In Heels’

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A racist Facebook post about Michelle Obama has caused a major controversy involving a town mayor in the US state of West Virginia.

Pamela Ramsey Taylor, who runs a local non-profit group in Clay County, referred to the first lady as an “ape”.

“It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified first lady in the White House. I’m tired of seeing a Ape in heels,” she said.

Local mayor Beverly Whaling responded with “just made my day Pam”.

Ms Whaling is mayor of the town of Clay, which has a population of just 491.

It has no African American residents, according to the 2010 census. In Clay County as a whole, more than 98% of its 9,000 residents are white.

Screenshot of the Facebook post, taken from WSAZ 3 news channel

Despite the small population in the region, the controversial Facebook post spread across United States and international media outlets, and a petition calling for both women to be terminated from their positions has collected more than 85,000 signatures.

The Washington Post and New York Daily News reported that Ms Taylor was removed from her position on Monday.

She told local news outlet WSAZ, which first carried the story, that she acknowledged her Facebook post could be “interpreted as racist, but in no way was intended to be”, and that she was expressing a personal opinion on attractiveness, not the colour of a person’s skin.

She told the news station she was considering legal action for slander against unnamed individuals.

The Clay County Development group, of which Ms Taylor is the director, is partly funded through state and federal grants, and the group provides services to elderly and low-income residents.

In a statement given to the Washington Post, Mayor Whaling said: “My comment was not intended to be racist at all” and apologised for the comment “getting out of hand.”

“I was referring to my day being made for change in the White House! I am truly sorry for any hard feeling this may have caused! Those who know me know that I’m not of any way racist!” she said.

Read More: BBC

Donald Trump’s Granddaughter Becomes Viral Sensation In China

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Staff Reporter

She’s just five years old but might just be Donald Trump’s biggest diplomatic win in China.

A video of Trump’s granddaughter Arabella Kushner reciting Chinese poetry is being shared across the country.

During his bid for the US presidency, Trump had nothing but tough talk for Beijing.

But the little girl’s command of Mandarin is being interpreted by some as a hidden sign of Trump’s affinity with the country.

“Trump’s craziness and unreliability are just being deceptive,” said Weibo user @Ananqiumao in one top rated post.

“Look at his children and family, each one is cuter and more adorable than one another. That’s the result of family education. Trump is a man of achievement.”

“Feel like Trump would be more friendly to China,” said user @caiairenweimian.

In the video, Arabella is wearing a red Chinese style ball gown standing on a table. Other traditional Chinese elements — the Chinese character for happiness, lanterns and Monkey stickers — are visible in the background.

“Arabella wanted to have a pre-bedtime #ChineseNewYear party this past Sunday evening,” Trump’s daughter Ivanka wrote in the post earlier this year. “She got all dressed up and performed songs and poems for Jared, Joseph and me.”

Ivanka told the South China Morning Post magazine four years ago that her daughter was studying Mandarin from a Chinese nanny. She added that she was also learning the language and she could “pretty much name every animal in the zoo.”

Of course, others cautioned against reading too much into the video.

“The little girl’s language skill is a result of Ivanka’s education, nothing to do with Trump himself,” said user @Jason_ZFQ.

“Those who fantasize about Trump’s friendliness to China give me a break. Of course, his real attitude to China remains to be seen.”

Credit: cnn

Police Raid Mosques Across Germany

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Staff Reporter

German police have carried out more than 200 raids against mosques, apartments and offices across 10 federal states in search for suspected members of an alleged extremist group, officials say.

Hundreds of German security forces stormed the places to arrest members of the banned “The True Religion” group in early hours of Tuesday, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters in Berlin.

The sweeping raids, he said, included sites in at least 60 cities, particularly in western Germany but no arrests were made. De Maiziere said documents and files belonging to the group had been seized.

The group, commonly known as “Read (it)”, is accused of attempting to glorify militancy and urging young people to travel to Syria and Iraq to fight alongside the notorious Daesh terror group.

De Maiziere said the group was propagating hate messages and radicalizing young people.

The widespread operation came a week after German authorities announced that they had arrested five men suspected of recruiting terrorists for Daesh.

In May, German intelligence services said that of a total of 820 nationals who had left Germany for Syria and Iraq to join Daesh and other terror groups, one-third had returned and 140 were killed abroad. An estimated 420 German militants remain in the two Arab countries.

Wahhabism, the radical ideology dominating Saudi Arabia, which is freely preached by its clerics, fuels the ideological engine of terror organizations like Daesh and Fateh al-Sham, al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch formerly known as al-Nusra Front, which are wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq.

Credit: presstv

Greece Out of Economic Recession

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Greek economy emerged from recession for the first time since 2014, managing two straight quarters of GDP growth, figures released Monday showed.

Greece’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 0.5 percent in the three months to September from the previous quarter, and by 1.5 percent from the third quarter of 2015, statistics bureau Elstat said.

It had already nudged 0.2 percent higher in the second quarter from the first. Two consecutive quarters of growth officially mark the end of a recession.

The Greek government expects the Greek economy to contract by 0.3 percent in the full-year 2016, before returning to growth next year when it predicts GDP to surge by 2.7 percent.

On Thursday it said the growth dynamic was now in better shape than at any point since the financial crisis.

“The Greek economy has not known a comparable growth rhythm since the first quarter of 2008,” government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said.

He said Greece was counting on debt relief to support growth, as well as on Athens gaining access to the European Central Bank’s quantitative easing programme which involves purchases of sovereign bonds.

Apart from a brief respite in 2014, the Greek economy has been steadily contracting since 2008 as the country’s creditors as well as the European Union and the IMF imposed harsh austerity measures accompanying successive bailouts.

Falling salaries and pensions combined with tax hikes have had a devastating impact on demand, particularly consumer spending.

In May, Greece’s eurozone partners and the IMF agreed in principle to debt relief as well as series of short-term measures to be finalised in December.

They have not, however, been able to agree on the pace or the scope of long-term debt restructuring. European Union heavyweight Germany has pushed back any such deal to end-2018.

AFP

Mauritania Clerics Want ‘Apostasy’ Blogger Executed

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A body of Muslim clerics in Mauritania has called for the death sentence to be carried out against a blogger convicted of apostasy in 2014.

Mauritania, an Islamic republic, has not applied a death penalty since 1987.

The Forum of Imams and Ulemas says Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir, 29, should be executed despite the fact that he repented for an article criticising Mauritania’s caste system.

The clerics want him to be killed according to the “law of God”.

The blogger was arrested in January 2014 for an article in which he lashed out at those who use religion as a means of discrimination against members of certain ethnic groups.

The article was later taken down as it was deemed blasphemous towards the Prophet Muhammad.

Mkhaitir then apologised and said he never meant to insult the Prophet.

Mauritania’s Supreme Court can pardon him if it feels his repentance is sincere.

But ahead of the court’s decision on Tuesday, the body of clerics said the blogger should not be shown any mercy.

“We demand that the competent authorities apply the law,” the Forum of Imams and Ulemas was quoted by Reuters as saying in a statement.

“Kill him and bury him in conformity with the law of God,” the statement added.

Read More: BBC

Iran, China Sign Agreement To Boost Defense-military Cooperation

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Iran and China have signed an agreement to boost defense-military cooperation and fight terrorism.

The agreement was inked by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan and his Chinese counterpart General Chang Wanquan in Tehran on Monday at the end of an earlier meeting between the two sides.

“The development of [Iran’s] long-term defense-military relations and cooperation with China is among the top priorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s defense diplomacy,” Dehqan said in the meeting.

He added that the two countries’ defense-military cooperation would guarantee regional and international peace and security.

He emphasized that all countries in Asia and the Oceania shoulder the responsibility to maintain peace and stability.

“Today, foreign meddling and lack of respect for the national sovereignty of countries have turned the Middle East region into a hotbed of crisis and insecurity in the world and led to [the emergence of] terrorism and its spread throughout the world,” Dehqan said.

He added that the US and some regional countries are supporting terrorism and the scourge is overflowing into Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus as well as other regions.

“Today, the threat of Daesh and terrorism has turned into an important regional and international challenge,” the Iranian defense minister said.

Read More: presstv

Donald Trump Says he Will Take Just $1 as Salary

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

US President-elect Donald Trump has said he would take $1 as his salary a year and not the $400,000 that comes with the US president’s job and will refrain from going on any vacation.

Asked whether he was going to the president’s salary, 70-year-old Trump said, “No, I’m not gonna take the salary. I’m not taking it,” confirming a promise he made in a campaign video in September. “I think I have to by law take $1, so I’ll take $1 a year. But I don’t even know what it is,” Trump told CBS’s “60 Minute” in an interview aired yesterday.

Trump said he did not know what the salary of a US President is and also said he would not take any vacation.

“We have so much work. There’s so much work to be done. And I want to get it done for the people,” he said.

“I want to get it done. We’re lowering taxes, we’re taking care of health care. I mean, there’s just so much to be done. So I don’t think we’ll be very big on vacations, no,” Trump said, ruling out a vacation for himself.

Trump defeated his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s presidential vote, in a result which shocked many who had expected her to win following favourable opinion polls.

About Jailing Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Breaks His Post-election Silence

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

President-elect Donald Trump has backtracked on the suggestion he would jail his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton if elected, now saying he has more important things to focus on.

Throughout his election campaign, the Republican hit out at Clinton over the investigation into her use of a private email server during her role as secretary of state, suggesting he would launch a fresh investigation if he won the White House.

However, he has now said pursuing a prosecution of his former rival is low down on his list of priorities, telling the Wall Street Journal: “It’s not something I’ve given a lot of thought, because I want to solve health care, jobs, border control, tax reform.”

During the second presidential debate, Trump stepped up his previous suggestions he would investigate Clinton, saying she would be in jail if he were president.

“I’ll tell you what. I didn’t think I’d say this, but I’m going to say it, and I hate to say it. But if I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation, because there has never been so many lies, so much deception. There has never been anything like it, and we’re going to have a special prosecutor,” Trump said.

“It’s just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country,” Clinton responded.

“Because you’d be in jail,” Trump shot back.

Credit: ibtimes

Trump to Meet Chinese President on Bilateral Ties

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

hinese President Xi Jinping and US president-elect Donald Trump agreed Monday to meet “at an early date” to discuss the relationship between their two powers, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Monday.

In a telephone call, Xi told Trump — who frequently savaged Beijing on the campaign trail and threatened to impose a 45-percent tariff on Chinese-made goods — that the world’s top two economies “need cooperation and there are a lot of things we can cooperate on”, CCTV reported.

Xi and Trump “vowed to keep close contact, build good working relations, and meet at an early date to exchange views on issues of mutual interest and the development of bilateral ties”, CCTV said.

Before his election, Trump went as far as calling the Asian giant America’s “enemy”, accused it of artificially lowering its currency to boost exports, and pledged to stand up to a country he says views the US as a pushover.

He has vowed to pursue a policy of “peace through strength” and build up the US navy.

But he also indicated he is not interested in getting involved in far-off squabbles, and decried the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal, which encompasses several other Asian countries and has been seen as an effort to bolster US influence, for costing American jobs.

CCTV cited Trump as saying in the call that China was a large and important nation that he was willing to work with, and that he believed Sino-US relations could realise “win-win” benefits.

The phrasing the broadcaster attributed to the US president-elect is typical of Chinese diplomacy.

In a statement, Trump’s office confirmed the call and said that “the leaders established a clear sense of mutual respect for one another”.

Trump “stated that he believes the two leaders will have one of the strongest relationships for both countries moving forward”, it added.

Trump Vows to Immediately Deport up to Three Million Immigrants

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Donald Trump will keep his vow to deport millions of undocumented migrants from the United States, he said in an interview to be broadcast Sunday, saying as many as three million could be removed after he takes office.

“What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably two million, it could be even three million, we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate,” Trump said in an excerpt released ahead of broadcast by CBS’s 60 Minutes program.

Trump Removes ‘Muslim Ban’ from His Website

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Staff Reporter

One of President-elect Donald Trump‘s most divisive promises — to ban Muslims from entering America — disappeared from his campaign website before reappearing on Thursday.

Trump‘s campaign staff told US media that text of the pledge, posted in December following terror attacks in San Bernardino, California, vanished because of a technical glitch.

It reappeared after journalists questioned the disappearance.

“The website was temporarily redirecting all specific press release pages to the homepage. It is currently being addressed and will be fixed shortly,” the campaign said in a statement.

Trump said in December that Muslim immigrants pose the United States a security threat and called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.”

It was one of a number of his statements — including a pledge to build a wall on the Mexican border and criticism of women who accused him of sexual harassment — that prompted the greatest backlash against his campaign, with accusations of xenophobia.

Later, he shifted to say immigration should be suspended from any country “that has been compromised by terrorism.”

His stance apparently helped win him the presidency with the support of a majority of white, working-class voters.

AFP

US ‘Admits Somalia Air Strike Killed Allies, not Al-Shabab’

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Staff Reporter

An airstrike in Somalia that the US said had targeted al-Shabab actually killed 10 members of an allied local militia, US media report, quoting an unpublished Pentagon investigation.

The US says it carried out the September strike to protect Puntland forces who came under fire during an operation against al-Shabab militants.

The strike sparked anti-American protests among local communities.

The Somali army said the dead were civilians and Galmudug regional forces.

The US provides military support to Somalia in its fight against al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, which is waging an armed insurgency in the country.

After the strike, officials in Galmadug accused rivals authorities in Puntland of feeding the US military false intelligence to trick them into launching the strike that killed its soldiers.

Puntland and Galmadug, both semi-autonomous regions, have been fighting each other for decades over territorial disputes.

The US has denied that any civilians were killed in the attack.

“If we had known who they were, we would have done everything we could to prevent it,” an unnamed US military official told the Washington Post, discussing the unpublished report, which has also been seen by Reuters news agency.

“I Will Never Return To US While Donald Trump Is President” – Ella Masar

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Staff Reporter

United States Women’s winger Ella Masar has revealed she requested a four-year contract extension with Swedish outfit FC Rosengard following Donald Trump’s presidential election win.
The Republican candidate beat Hillary Clinton on Tuesday evening to become president-elect, but he remains an extremely unpopular pick among millions of voters due to his views on immigrants, Muslims and women.

Trump’s win has seen protests in major cities running over two nights across America as Clinton supporters voiced their displeasure at the outcome.

Illinois-born Masar, who has been in Sweden for 12 months, is not planning to return to her homeland for the next four years in a bid to miss Trump’s elected term length, adding that she also holds a Canadian passport.

“I went to see Therese [Sjogran, sporting director of FC Rosengard] and asked to sign on for another four years at the club so I do not go back to the US with Donald Trump as president,” Masar, 30, told Sydsvenskan.

“I’m also happy that I even have a Canadian passport.

“I’ve actually met him once. We had to go there for an Easter dinner and I thought then that he was a scary man.”

Barack Obama will remain US president until the end of January as Trump transitions into power.

Trump Meets With Obama At White House

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Staff Reporter

President Barack Obama hosted a triumphant Donald Trump in the Oval Office Thursday for talks on executing a smooth transition of power and steadying nerves after a vote that shocked the world.

Anger over the Republican property mogul’s upset election win over Hillary Clinton spilled out onto the streets of US cities late Wednesday as chanting protesters lit bonfires and snarled traffic.

The billionaire president-elect arrived at his soon-to-be home on Pennsylvania Avenue at roughly 11:00 am (1600 GMT), a US official said, for what may be an awkward meeting with Obama ahead of the January 20 inauguration.

Trump, 70, championed the so-called “birther movement” challenging that Obama was actually born in the United States — a suggestion laden with deep racial overtones — only dropping the position recently.

The Democratic commander-in-chief in turn has described the celebrity businessman as “uniquely unqualified” to be president.

But in the day after Trump’s shock election win, which virtually no poll had predicted, both sides spoke of healing the deep divisions sown in a bruising two-year battle for the White House.

His vanquished Democratic rival Clinton, holding back the bitter disappointment of not becoming America’s first female president, urged the country to give Trump a chance.

“We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead,” she said Wednesday in a concession speech.

Obama, addressing disconsolate staff in the White House Rose Garden, played down Trump’s win as part of the messy “zig-zag” movement of a democracy.

“Sometimes you lose an argument,” he said, adding that all Americans should now be “rooting” for Trump’s success.

In the battle for the soul of America, those who helped elect its first black president now appear to be in retreat and pondering whether his eight years in power have come to naught.

Both Obama and Clinton issued a faint — but clear — warning that Trump must respect institutions and the rule of law if a modicum of goodwill is to hold.

Trump’s tone, indicated White House spokesman Josh Earnest, “would seem to suggest that certain basic principles of our democracy are likely to be upheld.”

http://punchng.com/breaking-trump-meets-obama-white-house/

France Opens Refugee Shelter In Paris

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Authorities in France have opened a 400-bed shelter for refugees in northern Paris, as part of a plan to organize asylum seekers from a slum-like facility in the port city of Calais.

The camp, which was opened Thursday, is designated for single men in particular and is located in a disused railway yard near the French capital’s train station, Gare du Nord.

It will be taking in 50 to 80 people a day, which is the estimated number of refugees that arrive in Paris from Calais on a daily basis.

“The idea is to create a place where every newly arrived migrant can be welcomed and offered dignified, humane shelter,” said Bruno Morel, the head of a charity foundation that runs the center.

Reports said a separate facility for families and women will open in the southeastern suburb of Ivry-sur-Seine in early 2017.

The Calais refugee camp, pejoratively referred to in France as “the jungle,” was dismantled last month, and the French government had promised to secure places to resettle the camp’s residents around the country.

It was home to some 6,000 to 8,000 refugees, including 1,200 children, mainly from Afghanistan, Sudan and Eritrea, living in dire conditions.

The camp had become a symbol of Europe’s struggle to respond to its biggest influx of asylum seekers since World War II.

Credit: presstv

First Ever Muslim Somali-American Woman Elected As MP In Historic US Election

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Ilhan Omar, 34, has made history by becoming the first Somali legislator in the United States. A former refugee, the Somali-born activist has been elected to serve as an MP in the US state of Minnesota. The Muslim Somali-American woman becomes the highest-ranking Somali elected to office in the US.

Her election comes just days after US President-elect Donald Trump accused Somali immigrants in Minnesota of “spreading their extremist views”.

Minnesota has the nation’s largest Somali community – about 50,000 according to the US census.

Celebrating her victory, Ms Omar said she would be the “voice for the marginalised” in the state parliament.

“I think I bring the voice of young people. I think I bring the voice of women in the East African community. I bring the voice of Muslims. I bring the voice of young mothers looking for opportunities,” Minnesota Public Radio quoted her as saying.

Ms Omar escaped from Somalia with her family at the start of the civil war when she was eight years old.

They lived in a Kenyan refugee camp for four years, before moving to the US and settling in a Somali-American neighbourhood in Minnesota.

Read More: BBC

Chinese Security Official Elected Interpol Chief

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A top Chinese security minister has been elected president of the international crime fighting and police cooperation organization Interpol.

Meng Hongwei, China’s vice minister for public security and a former head of Interpol China, took the post Thursday at the organization’s general assembly in Bali, Indonesia.

The move could bolster China’s efforts to repatriate fugitive officials but critics have voiced concern that Beijing could use the crime-fighting body to track down dissidents based overseas.

He is the first Chinese official to become Interpol president, according to Xinhua.

Interpol’s secretary general is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day work of the organization, currently Jurgen Stock.

Read More: CNN

Japan’s Abe To Meet Trump Next Week

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to meet US president-elect Donald Trump next week in New York, officials said Thursday, after phone talks between the two following the billionaire’s shock election win.

Abe and Trump spoke for about 20 minutes and tentatively set a date of November 17 for the meeting, just before Abe goes to Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, a Japanese foreign ministry official told AFP.

During his election campaign, Trump raised eyebrows in Japan by calling on the country to pay more to support the cost of stationing US forces.

He even suggested that Japan might want to become a nuclear power to counter unpredictable neighbour North Korea, which has repeatedly conducted nuclear and ballistic missile tests to international condemnations and prompting UN sanctions.

That statement shocked many in Japan, the only country in the world to have been attacked with nuclear weapons.

Trump has also rejected the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal pushed by President Barack Obama and which Abe hopes his parliament will ratify soon.

Abe congratulated Trump soon after his victory on Wednesday, vowing that the countries would maintain their close relationship, calling them “unshakeable allies”.

During their phone talks, Abe “talked about the importance of the bilateral relationship and the Japan-US alliance”, which he stressed underpins the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region, the foreign ministry official said.

In response, Trump said he hoped to strengthen the US-Japan relationship further, the official said.

Trump also said he appreciated Abe’s economic policy and looked forward to working with him, she said.

She declined to elaborate on what else they discussed.

Credit:

http://guardian.ng/news/japans-abe-to-meet-trump-next-week/

ISIS Hails Donald Trump’s Victory Claiming He Will Destroy America Himself

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Islamic State jihadis have hailed the victory of Donald Trump while claiming the billionaire “fool” will ruin America himself allowing terror groups to take control of the country.

The Republican was branded a “donkey” by militants who warned his election is “an indication of the end of the American empire”.

One ISIS jihadi said:

“What we want is their country be delivered to a donkey like Trump who will destroy it.

In the end, they are all our enemies and we will only meet them on the battlefields.

It is either them or us. We ask Allah to make their destruction caused by their own plans and their death come among themselves.

The world is going to experience a change and this change will put Islam in the leadership position as the end result.”

It comes hours after group al-Qaeda said the billionaire’s White House win will give extremists across the Middle East a common enemy, sparking fears of a major attack on US soil.

Americans Bought into Our ‘Change’ Ideology – APC

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The All Progressives Congress has congratulated Americans for buying into the “change mantra” by electing Republican candidate, Mr. Donald Trump, who canvassed change in U.S. polity.

The National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said in Abuja on Wednesday that Americans had spoken by voting Trump, adding that APC could do nothing than to congratulate him for the victory.

Odigie-Oyegun, however, declined to speak on the expected Foreign Policy of the Republican President-elect, but stated that he preached change and Americans bought into change.

He said, “Like APC, Trump preached change and Americans bought into the change by electing him.”

The APC National Auditor, Chief George Moghalu, while also congratulating Trump for his victory said it was about the people of America.

He said, “l am however, a bit worried over the positions before and during the election, especially from the side of the President-elect with regards to his Foreign Policy.”

Meanwhile, some politicians and political parties have expressed concerns over the victory of the Republican candidate against his Democratic opponent, Hilary Clinton.

While some believe that Nigeria and Africa should be weary of Trump`s victory, some believed that the Democratic policy in the last eight years was not beneficiary to Nigerians and Africa.

Obama Vows To Ensure Smooth Transition For Trump

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

President Barrack Obama has said on Wednesday that he will ensure a smooth transition of power to President-elect, Donald Trump.

Earlier, Obama had called Trump to congratulate him on his victory and invited him to meet at the White House on Thursday.

During his speech at the White House, the United States President said the differences between Trump and him will not affect the transfer of power.

“It is no secret that the president-elect and I have some pretty significant differences. But remember that eight years ago, President Bush and I had some pretty significant differences..

“The presidency and vice presidency are bigger than any of us.

“We are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading this country. The peaceful transfer of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.”

Obama also described Hillary Clinton’s candidacy as historic.

“I could not be prouder of her… I am proud of her. A lot of Americans look up to her… Her candidacy and nomination were historic..

“Everybody is sad when their side loses their election. But the day after, we have to remember that we’re actually all on the same team…. we’re patriots first.

“That’s what I heard when I spoke to [Trump] directly, and I was heartened by that. That’s what our country needs. … I hope that he maintains that spirit throughout this transition and I certainly hope that’s how his presidency has a chance to begin.”

http://punchng.com/breaking-obama-comments-presidential-election/

Mexico Reaches Out To Trump, But Won’t Pay For Wall

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Wednesday he was ready to work with Donald Trump but the country’s foreign minister reiterated the government’s refusal to pay for his planned border wall.

Trump’s victory shocked Mexicans, who were angered by the Republican billionaire’s description of migrants as rapists and drug dealers.

His defeat of Democrat Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s election caused the peso and the Mexican stock market to plunge due to fears that Trump would upend economic ties with the country.

“I congratulate the US on its electoral process and reiterate to @realDonaldTrump my willingness to work together in favor of bilateral relations,” Pena Nieto said on Twitter.

“Mexico and the US are friends, partners and allies who must continue collaborating for the competitiveness and development of North America,” he said.

Pena Nieto had angered Mexicans by inviting Trump to his official residence in Mexico City in August and not forcefully condemning the Republican candidate’s comments against migrants.

Trump has vowed to make Mexico pay for a massive border wall — which is estimated to cost several billions of dollars — and to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

He also pledged to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and threatened to freeze billions in remittances that migrants send to their families back home.

“Paying for a wall is not part of our vision,” Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu of Mexico told the Televisa network.

But she said the government has had a “daily fluid dialogue” with the Trump campaign and that the two countries were “not starting from zero.”

“It’s an opportunity. The terms of the relationship change,” she said.

The national currency fell 7.81 percent to 20.22 pesos per dollar before day trade opened, while the Mexican stock market plunged 3.18 percent at the opening bell.

But Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade said the country’s economy was robust enough to cope with the market upheaval.

“Mexico has lived through challenges of volatility in the past that we faced with unity, seizing on our economic strength and taking correct and prudent policy decisions, and this won’t be an exception,” Meade said at the National Palace.

Meade noted that the election would have no immediate impact on trade, financial flows or people’s ability to travel. Mexico, he added, has inflation under control, controls deep international reserves totaling $175.1 billion and enjoys macroeconomic stability.

Meade said the strength of public and private financial institutions allowed the government to avoid taking “premature actions that move ahead of events that we don’t know about at the moment.”

Credit:

http://guardian.ng/news/mexico-reaches-out-to-trump-but-wont-pay-for-wall/

Obama Congratulates Trump, Invites Him, Clinton To White House

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

U.S. President Barack Obama has congratulated his successor, Donald Trump, in a phone call and invited him to the White House.

His office said in a statement on Wednesday in Washington that the meeting with Mr. Trump was planned for Thursday.

Mr. Obama also called Hillary Clinton and “expressed admiration for the strong campaign she waged throughout the country.

The president would make a statement from the White House later on Wednesday to discuss the election results and “what steps we can take as a country to come together after this hard-fought election season.”

The White House said that “ensuring a smooth transition of power” is one of Mr. Obama’s top priorities.

Republican Mr. Trump defeated Democrat Mrs. Clinton in a surprise result that saw him win key battleground states like Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania.

In his victory speech, Mr. Trump said he received a congratulatory phone call from Mrs. Clinton and congratulated her for running a strong campaign.

He pledged to unite the U.S., saying “I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.”

Credit: AFP

Canadian Immigration Website Crashes As Trump Wins

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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According to Washington Times, the Canadian government’s immigration website crashed Tuesday night when the billionaire Republican moved closer to the 270 electoral votes he needs to claim the White House.

It was recalled that many Americans publicly expressed that they will leave the country for Canada if Trump wins, and it seems this is likely to happen with the overload on the Canandian Immigration website.

Meanwhile the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Twitter page is yet acknowledge the crash but the immigration website has crashed showing a ‘500 – Internal server error’ message.

It will interest you to know that Major media outlets including Fortune magazine and USA Today recently published articles explaining how Americans could emigrate to Canada. And earlier this year, the Canadian town of Cape Breton launched a public-relations effort appealing to U.S. citizens who may wish to move north if Trump wins.

Credit: dailytrust

Netanyahu Congratulates Trump, A ‘True Friend’ Of Israel

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Donald Trump on his election as US president on Wednesday and called him “a true friend of the state of Israel.”

“President-elect Trump is a true friend of the state of Israel, and I look forward to working with him to advance security, stability and peace in our region,” the right-wing premier said in a statement.

“The ironclad bond between the United States and Israel is rooted in shared values, buttressed by shared interests and driven by a shared destiny.

“I am confident that president-elect Trump and I will continue to strengthen the unique alliance between our two countries and bring it to ever greater heights.”

Credit:

http://guardian.ng/news/netanyahu-congratulates-trump-a-true-friend-of-israel/

EU Invites Trump To Early Summit

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Leaders of the European Union institutions have invited United States President-elect, Donald Trump, to a summit as soon as he can schedule one.

Reuters says this was mentioned as key in a letter signed by the leaders on Wednesday congratulating Trump on his election as the new U.S. President.

“Today, it is more important than ever to strengthen transatlantic relations,” wrote Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, presidents respectively of the European Council, which groups member states, and the executive European Commission.

“Only by cooperating closely can the EU and U.S continue to make a difference when dealing with unprecedented challenges such as Da’esh, the threats to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, climate change and migration,” they said.

The leaders said that “fortunately, the EU-U.S strategic partnership was broad and deep, from our joint efforts to enhance energy security and address climate change.

“Through EU-U.S collaboration on facing threats to security in Europe’s Eastern and Southern neighbourhoods and to the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

“We should spare no effort to ensure that the ties that bind us remain strong and durable,” the EU leaders said.

Credit:

EU invites Trump to early summit

Merkel Offers To Work Closely With Trump

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Trump on his win. She added that the campaign had often been connected with confrontation that had been hard to tolerate.

Merkel said the person who ruled the United States carries a lot of responsibility, which was palpable almost everywhere in the world.

She stressed the Americans had decided Trump should be their President. Democracy, freedom and the respect of people’s dignity — regardless of race and religion — were pillars that connected Germany and the USA.

And, on the basis of those values. she offered to work closely with Trump.

Credit: CNN

Two Topless Women Protesting Against Donald Trump’s Victory Arrested by Police

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Two topless female protesters were today taken into custody by police after dropping their tops at a voting poll upon hearing that Donald Trump has become president. The ladies, who are Hilary supporters, removed their tops to show Anti-Trump statements written on their body and were arrested by police for public nudity and inciting ‘public unrest’.

Former KKK Leader: Trump Win a Great Victory for ‘Our People’

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke is calling Donald Trump’s electoral victory “one of the most exciting nights of my life.”

Duke, a white nationalist who unsuccessfully ran for Louisiana Senate, tweeted early Wednesday that his supporters played a major part in paving Trump’s road to the presidency.

“Make no mistake about it, our people have played a HUGE role in electing Trump!” he wrote.

Trump faced criticism early on in his candidacy for failing to denounce the KKK and disavow Duke, who had endorsed Trump for president. But more recently, the Trump campaign made several attempts to distance itself from the former KKK grand wizard, with Eric Trump saying earlier this month that Duke “deserves a bullet.”

US Election: I Will Be President for All Americans – Trump

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Donald Trump said Wednesday he would bind the nation’s deep wounds and be a president “for all Americans,” as he praised his defeated rival Hillary Clinton for her years of public service.

“Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country,” Trump said during his speech acknowledging a stunning victory in the White House race.

“I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all of Americans.”

Details later.

#PhotoNews: Images From Polling Stations Of The 2016 US Election

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Eager voters crowded into polling stations to choose a new US president Tuesday after a wild and bitter contest between the billionaire populist Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the Democrat seeking to become the first woman to win the White House.

Though the tone of the campaign leading to the election day was rather caustic, the election has been very orderly across America, according to media reports.

A crowd of people surround Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she votes at Douglas Grafflin Elementary School on November 8, 2016 in Chappaqua, New York. Hillary Clinton cast her ballot in the presidential election as the rest of America goes to the polls to decide between her and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 08: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump cast their votes on Election Day at PS 59 November 8, 2016 in New York City. Trump's marathon final two days of campaigning marched through 10 cities in two days, stretching into Election Day. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 08: Early morning voters including (left to right) Ali Gross, Esteban Simian and Cheryl Gratton wait for 1.5 hours to cast their ballot on election day November 8, 2016 at Grady High School in Atlanta, Georgia. After a contentious campaign season, Americans go to the polls today to choose the next president of the United States. Jessica McGowan/Getty Images/AFP

99-year-old Minerva Turpin with Hillary Clinton's running mate Tim Kaine as he gets set to vote on Tuesday. PHOTO: TWITTER/ TIM KAINE

Voters cast ballots at Club Lucky Lounge in the 2016 presidential elections in Chicago, Illinois on November 8, 2016.
Polling stations opened Tuesday as the first ballots were cast in the long-awaited election pitting Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump. / AFP PHOTO / Tasos Katopodis

Voters cast ballots at the Swedish American Museum in the 2016 presidential elections in Chicago, Illinois on November 8, 2016.
Polling stations opened Tuesday as the first ballots were cast in the long-awaited election pitting Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump. / AFP PHOTO / Tasos Katopodis

ARLINGTON, VA - NOVEMBER 08: Voters fill out their paper ballots in a polling place on election day November 8, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia. Americans across the nation make their choice for the next president of the United States today. Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP

Iraqi Forces Discover Mass Grave With 100 Beheaded Bodies In Mosul

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A mass grave containing the remains of about 100 beheaded civilians has been discovered inside a school in a town south of Mosul, Iraq’s military said in a statement Monday.

The mass grave was found by Iraqi forces in the School of Agriculture on the outskirts of Hammam al-Alil, a town that was recaptured from ISIS on Monday, Iraq’s Joint Military Command said.

“Gangs of ISIS militants continue to commit crimes against our people,” the statement said.

Special teams are being sent to the site to investigate the killings, the statement said. Beheadings and mass graves have become a hallmark of the Sunni terror group.

Iraq’s federal police forces and army troops attacked the ISIS-held town of Hammam al-Alil — about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) south of Mosul, and the last significant settlement on the Tigris River before Mosul — on Saturday.

A day earlier, the UN Refugee Agency said it had received reports that ISIS was instructing residents of the town to hand over boys aged 9 and older, apparently to fight on behalf of the terror group.

Read More: CNN

Today Is Our Independence Day– Trump

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Donald Trump has told supporters at his presidential campaign’s final rally that the United States is just “hours away from a once-in-a-lifetime change.’’

“Today is our independence day,’’ the Republican candidate said in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a state that has been solidly Democratic for decades.

Report says Trump sees an opportunity among Michigan white working class voters who have been hurt by the decline of the auto industry.

Trump added that his administration would stop the jobs from leaving America and would also stop the jobs from leaving Michigan.

“We are finally going to close the history books on the Clintons, their lives, their schemes, their corruptions,” he said of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Credit:

Today is our independence day – Trump

One Day To US Election, See Who Is Leading According To New Poll

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leads her Republican rival by three percentage points nationally as they head into the final day of a tight race for the White House, according to a new poll.

The final Bloomberg Politics-Selzer & Co poll released on Monday has Clinton ahead of Trump, 44 percent to 41 percent.

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson was at 4 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein had 2 percent support.

Clinton also leads Trump by three points in a hypothetical two-way matchup when third-party candidates are not included.

Another tracking poll released early on Monday also put Clinton in the lead.

The former secretary of state held a four-point lead over the billionaire businessman in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll. The survey showed 47 percent of likely US voters backed Clinton while 43 percent said they supported Trump.

The Clinton campaign received a late break with FBI Director James Comey announcing Sunday that no criminal charges were forthcoming in the probe of Clinton’s newly-found emails.

“Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July,” the FBI chief wrote in a new letter to congressional committee chairmen.

The development is a major relief to Clinton, who is spending the final hours of her campaign trying to close Trump’s path to presidency.

Read More: presstv

US Election: Mexicans Pray Trump Loses

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Mexicans have smashed Donald Trump pinatas and torched the Republican White House hopeful’s effigy. Now they hope he will crash and burn in Tuesday’s US presidential election.

The New York billionaire became Mexico’s bogeyman ever since he called migrants “rapists” and drug dealers when he launched his campaign last year.

“The guy is a clown, a blowhard,” said Jafet Granados, an 18-year-old biotechnology student who was standing under Mexico City’s Angel of Independence monument.

“If he wins, he won’t do half of what he has promised.”

The government certainly sees risks in a Trump victory.

Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade said while a Trump victory would undoubtedly cause more “volatility” in the markets, the country was on strong financial footing to deal with it.

And central bank chief Agustin Carstens, who warned in September that Trump could hit Mexico like a powerful “hurricane,” said this week that the government had a contingency plan to weather the storm.

With his vows to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement and make Mexico pay to build a massive border wall, Trump’s rise in opinion polls just before the US vote contributed to the fall of the Mexican peso to 19.50 per dollar.

The peso however soared to 18.5563 per dollar in early Asian trading on Monday after the FBI lifted the threat of charges against Trump’s rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, over her use of a private email server while secretary of state.

– Slim vs Trump –

Not everyone in Mexico is putting a brave face on a possible victory for the 70-year-old Manhattan property mogul.

Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim has warned that a Trump administration would “destroy” the US economy by imposing big tariffs on imports.

“As we say in Mexico, being a drunk is different from being a bartender,” Slim quipped to reporters on Friday.

Trump lashed out at Slim last month after The New York Times published claims from women accusing the real estate baron of sexual misconduct. Slim is the newspaper’s largest shareholder.

Despite Trump’s unpopularity in Mexico, President Enrique Pena Nieto made the shocking decision to invite him to his official residence in August.

The invitation and Pena Nieto’s failure to forcefully criticize Trump during a joint news conference angered Mexicans.

Pena Nieto defended the move, saying it was important to open dialogue with someone who could be the next US president, though he admitted that he may have rushed to hold the meeting and failed to anticipate the anger it caused.

– Republican in Mexico: ‘Disgrace’ –

“The majority of Mexicans don’t want (Trump) to win,” Jose Antonio Crespo, a political expert at the Economic and Teaching Research Center, told AFP.

“The bilateral relation will be more quarrelsome than it normally is,” Crespo said.

Marcos Reyes, 46, who works at an advertising firm, said he feared that Trump would go through with mass deportations while those who remain in the United States would have “few opportunities” to have a better life.

Even the Republican Party’s representative in Mexico, Larry Rubin, is not voting Trump.

“It wouldn’t be good for the United States and much less for relations between the United States and Mexico,” Rubin, a dual US-Mexican citizen, told the Televisa network.

“His rhetoric has been very negative,” he said. “It would be a disgrace.”

Hillary Clinton Related to French President

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is distantly related to French President Francois Hollande, according to a new book that claims they share royal blood from doomed kings of the 14th century.

Clinton, whose maiden name is Rodham, descends on her mother’s side from families from Canada’s French-speaking province of Quebec, according to French geneologist Jean-Louis Beaucarnot.

These immigrant families can be traced back to more than a dozen regions all over France, Beaucarnot writes in his book “Dico des Politiques” which was published last Thursday.

Most notably, back 23 generations, she counts as a relative king Louis X le Hutin, known as “Louis the Stubborn” in English.

Ominously, he died after only 18 months on the throne — officially from pneumonia, although some historians have suggested he might have been poisoned.

Hollande is distantly related to Louis’ successor and brother, Philip V, known as “Philip The Tall”, who lasted six years before dying without a male heir.

As well as sickly kings, Clinton also shares genes with entertainers Madonna and Celine Dion and actress Angelina Jolie, Beaucarnot writes.

Republican candidate Donald Trump traces the paternal side of his family back to Germany to the town of Kallstadt, whose other famous emigre is Henry Heinz, founder of the food giant that bears his name.

Trump’s grandfather Friedrich emigrated from there to the US in 1885 where he started working as a hairdresser in New York before being lured by the gold rush further west.

He went on to make a fortune opening restaurants and bars used by miners and workers that offered alcohol and allegedly opium and prostitutes.

Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, the latest major survey, an ABC/Washington Post tracker released Sunday, gave Clinton a five-percentage point 48-43 lead over Trump nationally.

Trump Cries Foul As FBI Clears Clinton Two Days To Election

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Donald Trump has accused the FBI of impropriety after it once again exonerated his rival Hillary Clinton of criminal conduct on her emails.

The FBI director said a fresh inquiry into the Democratic candidate’s communications found nothing to change the bureau’s conclusion this summer.

The Clinton campaign said it was “glad” the lingering issue had been resolved.

The dramatic twist lifted a cloud from her campaign as the final day of the marathon US election race loomed.

The latest opinion polls on Sunday, before news broke of the FBI announcement, gave Mrs Clinton a four to five-point lead over Mr Trump.

The Republican nominee cried foul after learning about the law enforcement bureau’s decision.

At a rally in the Detroit suburbs, Mr Trump insisted it would have been impossible for the FBI to review what has been reported to be as many as 650,000 emails in such a short time.

“Right now she’s being protected by a rigged system. It’s a totally rigged system. I’ve been saying it for a long time,” he told supporters in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

“Hillary Clinton is guilty, she knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know it and now it’s up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8.”

While Mrs Clinton herself did not address the FBI director’s letter on the trail, her campaign said it was always confident she would be cleared.

In Manchester, New Hampshire, on Sunday, she said the country was facing “a moment of reckoning” and Americans must choose between “division and unity”.

In July, the FBI said she had been “extremely careless” to handle classified material on a private email server as secretary of state from 2009-13, but it had found no evidence she committed a crime.

However, 11 days before the election, FBI director James Comey had pitched the race into turmoil by announcing a newly discovered batch of Clinton emails would be investigated.

The bombshell infuriated the Clinton camp, but threw a lifeline to a Trump campaign that had been receding in the polls.

Read More: BBC

ISIS Captive Gives Chilling Account Of Abuse After Birthing Child Of Rape

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Umm Al’aa will never tell her son who his father is.

He’s an ISIS fighter who raped her while she was a prisoner of the terror group.

Now 40 years old, she was a mother and a grandmother before being kidnapped and held captive for a year and a half. She has a child who’s younger than her grandchild.

But he’s just as much a part of their family despite his grim beginning, she says.

Umm Al’aa is a pseudonym. To protect her, the woman is not being identified. Her neighbors in Mosul were ISIS supporters but she and her family refused to pledge allegiance to them.

The terror group has been in control of the city since 2014.

ISIS fighters regularly came to their home to threaten them into submission.

One day, they beat her daughter, tore off her headscarf and ripped her clothes.

They wanted to rape her daughter, she said, but the man in charge did not let them.

“We want the mother,” she recalled him saying.

A few days later, they came for her when she was at the market. When they ordered her into a car she thought death was imminent.

She was wrong.

“‘You will be our slave,'” she said, recalling their words.

For more than a year she lived as a prisoner, “like a dead person, but they had not killed me yet.”

Toward the end of her captivity one of her captors beat and raped her.

“I tried to fight, I cried a lot. There was a lot of pain, I was beaten a lot, but I couldn’t do anything,” she told CNN’s Arwa Damon.

By the time she was released she was pregnant with a son.

She named Mohammed after her husband, who was killed on Tuesday amid battles on Mosul’s eastern outskirts where Iraqi and coalition forces are battling ISIS fighters.

“My best memory of him was how much he loved and respected me,” she said. “Yes we are poor people, but we were happy.”

The boy may be a product of rape but he’s still her son. Their son.

“I am not going to tell him who his father is. That his dad is ISIS. He’s my son, he’s not ISIS’ son.”

Credit: CNN

Eight Dead In Blast In Southeastern Turkey

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Eight people have been killed and dozens wounded in a huge explosion in central Diyarbakir, a city in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast, the country’s prime minister said.

Binali Yildirim said two police officers and six civilians were killed in Friday morning’s blast.

Yildirim said seven of the wounded are still being treated, adding that the others were discharged from hospitals.

The Diyarbakir governor’s office said that a car bomb went off at about 8am local time (5:00 GMT), adding that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) had claimed responsibility.

Al Jazeera’s Kadir Konuksever, reporting from Diyarbakir, said that an annex to the police headquarters had been targeted.

“Four other civilian buildings are heavily damaged,” he said, adding that at least 30 people were wounded in the incident and there were fears the number of casualties could increase.

Media reports said the explosion could be heard from several parts of the city and caused damage to nearby buildings.

The explosion happened hours after police arrested 11 MPs from the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party.

The government has stepped up a military campaign in the troubled southeast to eradicate PKK fighters, who have launched almost daily attacks since the rupture of a fragile ceasefire last year.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the PKK first took up arms in 1984, with the aim of carving out an independent state for Turkey’s Kurdish minority.

Credit: aljazeera

Tens Of Thousands Of Indonesian Muslims Protest Against Christian Governor

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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Tens of thousands of hardline Muslim protesters in Indonesia rallied outside the presidential palace on Friday to demand the resignation of the governor of the capital, Jakarta, who they said had insulted the Koran.

Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country, where many people follow a moderate form of Islam. While hardliners have launched occasional agitation in the past, protests on such a large scale have been rare.

The atmosphere in Jakarta was tense and some companies asked employees to work from home, access to business districts was restricted and embassies urged caution.

Truck loads of soldiers and police, some equipped with rifles, were on patrol and others secured shopping malls. A total of about 18,000 security personnel are expected to be deployed in the sprawling city of 10 million, police said.

The protesters, led by a group called the Islamic Defenders Front, are calling for Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahja Purnama, a Christian and the first ethnic Chinese in the job, to be jailed for blasphemy.

They say he insulted the Koran by dismissing a political attack by his opponents who urged Muslims not to vote for Purnama, who is popularly known as Ahok, by citing a verse from the Koran.

“He is not Muslim but he humiliated the Koran,” protester Muhammad Said told Reuters.

“Don’t refer to anything in the Koran, especially interpreting it incorrectly … I call on God to jail him.”

Protesters chanted “Hang Ahok!” and “God is greatest”, waved placards and sang the national anthem.

Some threw water bottles at police guarding the palace but apart from that there was no violence.

Purnama was not available for comment. His spokeswoman said he went to check construction of a sidewalk in north Jakarta.

Purnama served as deputy to President Joko Widodo when Widodo was city governor from 2012 to 2014, and has long been seen as an ally of the president.

On Friday, Widodo visited a rail construction project at the capital’s airport, the presidential palace said in a statement.

Read More: reuters

South Korean President Denies Following Cult As Scandal Continues

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The South Korean President, Park Geun-hye, has publicly denied falling victim to a religious cult as scandal threatens to engulf her leadership.

Appearing close to tears in a televised address, she apologised for allowing a long-standing friend inappropriate access to government policy-making.

She agreed to be questioned over the scandal but did not offer to resign.

Choi Soon-sil is suspected of using their friendship to solicit donations to a non-profit fund she controlled.

Ms Choi is in detention facing charges of fraud and abuse of power.

The main opposition party said the president’s apology lacked sincerity and it called on Ms Park to step back from state affairs.

Scuffles broke out between police and demonstrators demanding Ms Park’s resignation in central Seoul on Friday.

Read More: BBC

US Elections: Hillary Clinton Regains Clear Lead Over Trump

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Hillary Clinton is back on the driver’s seat five days to the US election.

The latest Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll released on Wednesday, showed the Democratic candidate holding the same 6 percentage point advantage over Republican Donald Trump among likely voters.

She held the same margin before an FBI announcement that reignited the controversy about her email practices.

The Oct. 28-Nov. 1 opinion poll was conducted almost entirely after FBI Director James Comey notified Congress last Friday his agency would examine newly discovered emails that might pertain to Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

Comey said he did not know whether the emails were significant and released no information other than that they existed. His announcement drew outrage from Democrats who voiced concern it would unfairly influence voters so close to next week’s election. Trump and other Republicans seized on the news to revive questions about Clinton’s credibility.

Among 1,772 people who have either voted already or were identified as likely voters in the Nov. 8 election, 45 percent said they supported Clinton, while 39 percent said they backed Trump. On Thursday, the day before Comey’s announcement, Clinton led Trump by 43 percent to 37 percent. In a four-way poll that included alternative party candidates, Clinton led Trump by 8 percentage points among likely voters.

Forty-five percent supported Clinton, while 37 percent backed Trump. Five percent supported Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and 2 percent backed Jill Stein of the Green Party. Other national polls have shown Clinton’s lead shrinking over the past week.

RealClearPolitics, which averages most major opinion polls, showed Clinton’s lead had narrowed to 1.7 points on Wednesday from 4.6 points last Friday. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English in all 50 states.

It had a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3 percentage points. Clinton’s position is stronger than national polls imply given that the race is decided by the Electoral College system of tallying wins from the states. Some 270 electoral votes are needed to win and Democrats have a built-in advantage, with large states such as California and New York traditionally voting Democratic.

Clinton looked likely to win at least 226 electoral votes, leaving her needing 44 votes to pick up from the 132 votes at stake in “toss-up” states such as Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada, according to estimates by RealClearPolitics on Wednesday afternoon. Trump, on the other hand, has a steeper path to climb, looking likely to win 180 electoral votes and so needing 90 of the 132 votes from the current battleground states, the website showed.

Both candidates are focusing their final campaign efforts on those crucial states. Clinton has been spending a lot of time in Florida, which yields a rich haul of 29 electoral votes.

In a tight race there, the RealClearPolitics average of polls from Florida put Trump one point ahead of Clinton on Wednesday.

“No state is more important, and it’s close,” a Clinton aide told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s a state that Trump has to win … we don’t believe he has any path without Florida.”

If Trump Wins US Election, I’ll Destroy my American Green Card – Soyinka

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate, has said he would destroy his green card if Donald Trump becomes president of the United States.

Soyinka said this on Wednesday while giving a speech to students of Oxford University, England, reports the Guardian UK.

“If in the unlikely event he does win, the first thing he’ll do is to say [that] all green-card holders must reapply to come back into the US. Well, I’m not waiting for that.

“The moment they announce his victory, I will cut my green card myself and start packing up,” said Soyinka, who is scholar-in-residence at New York University’s Institute of African American Affairs.

The internationally-acclaimed playwright and poet described Britain’s decision to exit the European Union as a “ridiculous decision”.

He said: “What is happening in Europe shouldn’t surprise any of us … It has happened before. We were here when Enoch Powell was leading his thugs out to drive blacks from here.

“It’s a constant fight to try to get a nation to recognise its own noble persuasions, its own persuasions of the loftiness of human possibility. It’s for young people like you to say no to them whenever that happens.”

Soyinka also informed the students that the torch of African literature is being carried by the younger generation.

“I think we of the older are getting a little bit tired, and I think our production gets thinner and thinner. But fortunately, it doesn’t worry any of us, as far as I know, because the body of literature that is coming out [is] varied and liberated.

“African literature suffered from some kind of ideological spasm in which the younger generation was bombarded by a sense of ideological duty, in other words it was bombarded with a very simplistic notion by leftist radical writers, very reformative revolutionary thinkers, that all literature is ideological and therefore writers must ensure that their writing illustrates progressive ideologies.”

Clinton Camp Blasts FBI For ‘Double Standards’

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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The Clinton campaign has blasted FBI Director James Comey for “blatant double standards” over the new inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s email use.

The comments came after US media reports that Mr Comey had urged against publicly accusing Russia of interfering in the US election, including alleged email hacking.

Mr Comey’s concern about releasing the information was due to the proximity to the election, reports say.

The FBI declined to comment to the BBC.

The statement that Mr Comey reportedly declined to sign off on was released by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on 7 October.

“The US intelligence community is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of emails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organisations… these thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process,” it said.

Mr Comey agreed with the statement but was against making it public before the election, according to US media.

FBI Sees No Ties Between Trump, Putin- Report

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has found no clear links between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Russia, officials say, proving false allegations by the candidate’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

The FBI spent most of the summer to verify claims by the Clinton campaign that Trump was linked to President Vladimir Putin, and Moscow was trying to influence the November 8 vote in his favor.

However, the bureau failed to find any indications of the alleged ties after scrutinizing advisors close to Trump, investigating the real estate mogul’s financial ties and even his emails, the New York Times reported Tuesday, citing law enforcement officials.

Clinton’s campaign voiced concerns about Moscow’s intervention after a series of emails belonging to various ranks of the Democratic Party were released by the anti-secrecy website Wikileaks.

American intelligence officials blamed the hacks on Russia and even threatened to come up with countermeasures of the same nature. President Barack Obama and high-ranking officials in his administration also blamed Russia for the breaches.

Under immense pressure from Clinton’s supporters, who were mad at Trump for calling Putin a great leader, the FBI started its investigation into the claims.

The Clinton campaign has called on the FBI to publicly discuss their findings about the case, as they did with their new investigation into Clinton’s new emails.

FBI chief James Comey told Congress on Friday that he was reopening investigations into Clinton’s emails after finding a trove of new emails on a laptop belonging to former representative Anthony Weiner, who was once married to Clinton’s top aide Huma Abedin.

At some point during its investigation, the FBI questioned Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign boss, who has reportedly had extensive business ties in Russia and other former Soviet states, especially Ukraine, the Times noted.

The bureau’s agents also investigated an email channel between Trump and the Alfa Bank, one of Russia’s biggest banks.

After weeks of detailed investigation, the FBI concluded that the connection was nothing more than marketing emails or spam

Trump has rejected Clinton’s allegations against Russia, and has pledged to work with Moscow and earn Putin’s respect.

Credit: presstv

Trump Edges Ahead Of Clinton, Poll Reveals

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has edged ahead of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by a point for the first time since May, an ABC News/Washington Post tracking poll out Tuesday has found.

The poll also registered a seven point decline for Clinton in the share of likely voters who are strongly enthusiastic about her, a possible reflection of the renewed controversy over her use of a private server while secretary of state, pollster Gary Langer said.

Trump’s 46-45 percent lead in the four-way race for the White House, while well within the margin of error, is the first time he has polled ahead of Clinton in the survey since May.

The new poll was taken from October 27-30, a period that includes FBI director James Comey’s October 28 announcement that his agents had found a new trove of email that may be pertinent to an earlier probe into Clinton’s handling of classified information.

The results flip 46-45 in the Democrat’s favor when combining the last seven days, Langer said.

“Either way the results are exceedingly close,” he said.

Credit:

http://guardian.ng/news/trump-edges-ahead-of-clinton-poll-finds/

FBI Has no Case in Email Review – Clinton

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Hillary Clinton said Monday there was “no case” to be found in a federal review of her emails, which the FBI director announced last week, convulsing the US election campaign in its home stretch.

“I’m not making excuses. I’ve said it was a mistake and I regret it,” she said on Monday of her decision to use a private email server while secretary of state, which sparked a controversial FBI investigation.

FBI boss James Comey announced in a letter to lawmakers that his agents are reviewing a newly discovered trove of emails, resurrecting an issue Clinton had hoped was behind her.

US media reports say those emails were found on a laptop used by one of her closest aides, Huma Abedin, and Abedin’s estranged husband who is being investigated for alleged sexual overtures to a 15-year-old girl.

“Now they apparently want to look at emails of one of my staffers, and by all means, they should look at them,” Clinton said.

“I am sure they’ll reach the same conclusion they did when they looked at my email for the last year.

“There is no case here,” she said to cheers and applause from hundreds of supporters at a rally in Kent, Ohio, a key battleground state in her race to defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box on November 8.

It was the first time Clinton directly addressed the email furor since Saturday, when she lashed out at Comey, calling his move “deeply troubling” while campaigning in another vital swing state, Florida.

Comey’s announcement thrust back into the spotlight allegations that Clinton put the United States at risk by using the private email server.

Comey in July accused Clinton of being “extremely careless” but did not recommend that charges be brought against her, angering Republicans.

The Democratic nominee is still the overwhelming favorite to win the presidency, but polls have pointed to an increasingly tight race.

Clinton used much of her speech at Kent State University, 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of Cleveland to paint her Republican opponent as unfit for office and a threat to national security.

Trump holds the slenderest of leads in the state, where he is just one point ahead at 45.3 per cent to 44.3 per cent in a four-way race, according to the poll average from RealClearPolitics.

AFP

Clinton’s FBI Investigation, Everything You Need To Know

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Hillary Clinton’s campaign was jolted when FBI Director James Comey delivered the ultimate October surprise.

Eleven days before the 2016 presidential election, Comey announced that the FBI had discovered additional emails and is reviewing them to see whether they are related to the bureau’s investigation into Clinton’s handling of classified information.

Here’s what you need to know — and how it might affect Clinton, Donald Trump and the presidential race:

It started with the FBI’s investigation into Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former New York congressman who was caught over the summer exchanging lewd and sexually suggestive messages with a 15-year-old girl.

Weiner’s estranged wife is Clinton adviser Huma Abedin. And in their look into Weiner’s sexting allegations, which began on September 22, investigators from the FBI’s New York field office discovered Abedin’s emails on Weiner’s laptop — with initial data showing those emails went through Clinton’s server.

It was enough to lead FBI Director James Comey to conclude the emails would need to be reviewed to see if he’d need to reopen the investigation he’d closed in July on whether Clinton kept classified information on the private email server she used during her tenure as secretary of state.

Comey was made aware of the emails’ existence by mid-October, law enforcement sources have said. He was given a full briefing on Thursday.

Comey decided Friday after a series of “long grueling meetings” with top FBI executives that the FBI needed to review to see whether the emails were related to its investigation into Clinton’s server, and a letter would be sent to Congress about the development, a law enforcement source told CNN.

And so, on Friday — 11 days from the election — Comey informed eight Senate and House chairmen, who are Republicans, and copied the ranking Democrats on their panels.

Everything about this is beyond precedent.

There’s never been a major party nominee under FBI investigation leading up to the election before. And how it’s being handled is equally out of the ordinary.

Comey gave advance notice to top officials at the Justice Department before sending his letter to lawmakers Friday — but he didn’t get sign-off from those officials, and wasn’t seeking it. Instead he made an independent decision to go against longstanding Justice Department and FBI practice to not comment publicly about politically sensitive investigations within 60 days of an election, a law enforcement official said.

Comey’s decision adds to the unusual role he has played in the Clinton email probe, which some critics have said usurped the role of prosecutors in the Justice Department whose job is to review FBI findings and make decisions on whether to bring charges.

Read More: CNN

Pope Heads To Sweden To Commemorate Martin Luther

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Pope Francis goes to Sweden on Monday to help start commemorations of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Reformation, a trip that has won him praise from Lutherans but criticism from Catholic conservatives.

Martin Luther, a German, started the Reformation in 1517 when he wrote 95 theses criticizing the Catholic Church for corruption in Rome, including the buying of ecclesiastical privileges, nepotism, usury and the selling of indulgences.

It led to a violent, often political schism throughout Europe and Christianity, prompting among other things the 30 Years’ War, the destruction of English monasteries, and the burning of numerous “heretics” on both sides.

Francis is traveling to the southern Swedish city of Lund, where the Lutheran World Federation was founded in 1947, for a joint service with Lutherans to launch Reformation commemorations that will continue throughout the world next year.

On Monday Francis and Lutheran leaders will hold an ecumenical prayer service in Lund’s Lutheran cathedral and another inter-religious event in nearby Malmo.

Last January, Francis, who is keen to continue Catholic-Lutheran dialogue, asked Protestants and other Christian Churches for forgiveness for past persecution by Catholics.

Conservative Catholics believe their Church has conceded too much to Lutherans and should not be taking part in any event that praises Luther.

Read More: reuters

Study Claims Scottish Independence Will Be More Damaging Than Brexit

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Scotland’s possible independence from the UK is more likely to harm the country’s finance sector than the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU), according to a new research.

According to the study released by the Strathclyde University on Monday, Scotland’s banks and financial institutions are expected to survive the Brexit shock with no major implications.

However, the outlook of an independence from the UK looks grimier than even a “sharp” Brexit, the research warns.

Under the “hard Brexit” formula, the UK may lose its preferential access to the EU’s single market and suffer from soured relations with other EU members.

“The uncertainties for the sector following independence look even greater than those following a sharp Brexit,” read the report, which was conducted by former Royal Bank of Scotland economist Jeremy Peat and Owen Kelly, head of Scottish Financial Enterprise.

“There are risks associated with Brexit but, historically, they are not the largest that the industry has faced,” the report continued.

“While it is not easy to see new opportunities arising from Brexit, equally the threats are not, given the diversity of the sector existential.”

Around 90,000 people are directly employed by the Scotland’s financial services, while another 90,000 jobs are indirectly dependent on the industry. Overall, the sector contributes £8 billion to the economy.

Scottish and British officials have been at odds over Brexit, ever since an EU referendum in June.

Although nearly 52 percent of Britons opted to leave the bloc during the vote, some 62 percent of the Scottish people voted against the decision.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has made it clear that she will complete the Brexit process by 2019 and that Scotland has no veto over it. She has also turned down Glasgow’s calls for an ‘equal’ role in the Brexit negotiations.

The spat has revitalized Scottish hopes for secession, two years after the first independence referendum on September 18, 2014, where 55 percent of the voters opposed the idea.

According to Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland and the other two devolved administrations—Wales and Northern Ireland—were in favor of the UK remaining in the single market.

Credit: presstv

Italy Quake Renders At Least 15,000 Homeless

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Italy’s most powerful earthquake since 1980 has left more than 15,000 people homeless, according to the country’s civil protection agency.

No-one was killed in the quake but 20 were injured and damage to the area round the town of Norcia is extensive.

The 6.6-magnitude quake struck near the central region where nearly 300 people were killed by a quake in August.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is chairing a meeting of his cabinet to discuss emergency reconstruction.

The quake struck on Sunday morning, destroying buildings or leaving them structurally unsafe in several towns and villages in the mountainous central region.

Many of those affected are living with relatives or friends, but the civil protection agency said it was providing assistance to 15,000, with 10,000 accommodated in tents and converted sports halls. Thousands spent the night in their cars or under canvas.

Read More: BBC

Michel Aoun Elected President Of Lebanon

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Michel Aoun, the former Lebanese army chief, has been elected president of Lebanon, ending more than two years of deadlock surrounding the vacancy.

Aoun, 81, secured the presidency by winning the support of 83 MPs, well above the absolute majority of 65 needed to win, according to a tally of votes read out in a televised broadcast from parliament on Monday.

Fireworks echoed across Beirut as the tally showed Aoun the winner.

Aoun, an MP, was shown smiling in his seat. The Lebanese presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian in the country’s sectarian power-sharing system.

Lebanon had been without a head of state for 29 months after Michel Suleiman stepped down as president at the end of his term in May 2014.

Since then, 45 sessions to elect a new leader have failed due to political infighting that led to of a lack of quorum.

Around noon on Monday, more than 100 of the 128-member legislature arrived at the parliament building guaranteeing the needed quorum for the session to start.

Read More: aljazeera

Philippine Mayor Killed In Police Shootout

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Philippine anti-narcotics officers gunned down a town mayor and nine of his men in a clash in one of the bloodiest operations since President Rodrigo Duterte launched a crackdown on illegal drugs.

Samsudin Dimaukom, mayor of the southern town of Saudi Ampatuan, was one of more than 150 local government officials, judges and police identified by Duterte earlier this year as being involved in the illegal drug trade.

He ordered them to surrender immediately or be hunted down.

The mayor had turned himself in to police but denied he was involved in the illegal drug trade. He had told the media that he was fighting illegal drugs himself and supported Duterte’s crackdown.

Ahead of the shootout on Friday, police received information that Dimaukom’s group was planning to transport a “huge” amount of methamphetamine from Davao city, Duterte’s hometown, to Maguindanao province, where Saudi Ampatuan is located.

Police spokesman Superintendent Romeo Galgo said Dimaukom and his security personnel opened fire after anti-narcotics police stopped their vehicles at a checkpoint on suspicion they were transporting illegal drugs.

Officers returned fire, killing the men in the town of Makilala, about 950 kilometres south of the capital Manila.

“Suspects [were] heavily armed and fired upon the law enforcers, which prompted them to fire back,” Galgo said.

Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride, reporting from Manila, said no drugs were found when Dimaukom’s compound was searched at an earlier date.

Read More: aljazeera

Tony Blair Suggests A Second Referendum To Reverse Brexit

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says Britain should keep its “options open” on whether or not to leave the European Union until after Brexit talks with the bloc are completed.

During an interview on Friday with BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program, Blair described the EU referendum as “a catastrophe” and said UK voters should be given the option of a second EU referendum.

Britain should not withdraw from the EU until it becomes clearer how Brexit would impact UK’s economic, social and cultural future, Blair said.

“The bizarre thing about this referendum is that we took a decision but we still don’t know the precise terms,” he said. “There’s got to be some way, either through parliament, or through an election, possibly through another referendum, that people express their view.”

The former premier, who was in office from 1997 until 2007, said it should be possible for the public to switch their verdict if it becomes clear the alternative negotiated by Prime Minister Theresa May is going to be worse.

Blair’s argument contrasts sharply with that of May, who has repeatedly said that “Brexit means Brexit” and that she’ll respect the referendum result. Blair had argued that Britain should stay in the EU before the referendum.

Economic growth in the UK is expected to slow significantly next year, due to uncertainty over of the Brexit vote.

Experts have warned that leaving the EU will severely hurt London’s position as a financial hub, unless the UK decides to keep its access to the single EU market by loosening its stance on immigration.

If the UK loses its access to the EU’s single market, the resulting increase in the costs of doing business and exporting to the EU would hurt Britain’s competitive position in Europe.

Credit: presstv

#Calais: Stranded Children Spend Night In Derelict Camp

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Dozens of children were forced to spend the night in a partially demolished migrant camp in Calais after French authorities failed to find them a safe space to stay, aid groups said Friday.

Work to empty and demolish The Jungle migrant camp began Monday — but as of Thursday, approximately 100 unaccompanied minors remained at the camp with nowhere to go.

Chaotic scenes unfolded outside the camp as the day wore on, with riot police barring entry to the camp and the authorities threatening that anyone who hadn’t been registered could be taken into custody.

Aid workers who waited with teenagers who hadn’t managed to register during the week because of long lines said they had finally been allowed back into what remained of the ramshackle camp to sleep.

The minors were permitted to stay in the makeshift school and mosque on the outskirts of The Jungle, Alexandra Simmons, of the charity Care4Calais, told CNN on Friday. Some had already spent the previous night sleeping rough at the camp.

Clare Moseley, founder of Care4Calais, told CNN via email: “School quiet this morning. Children given food and drink. Some have wandered off into the camp or elsewhere which is exactly what we feared.”

She said the police had come to the site and asked for a headcount, which was 106 children and nine adults.

The police chief said he was going to ask the Calais authorities for a bus to take the children to one of the temporary accommodation centers where adults from the camp have already been taken, she said.

Trump Warns Of World War III If Clinton Is Elected

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Donald Trump warned in an interview Tuesday that Hillary Clinton’s policies as president to address the Syrian conflict would lead to World War III, arguing the Democratic nominee would draw the US into armed confrontation with Russia, Syria and Iran.

“What we should do is focus on ISIS. We should not be focusing on Syria,” Trump told Reuters on Tuesday morning at his resort in Doral, Florida. “You’re going to end up in World War III over Syria if we listen to Hillary Clinton.”

The Republican nominee, who has called for a rapprochement with Russia in order to jointly combat ISIS, argued that his Democratic rival’s calls for taking a more aggressive posture in Syria to bring the conflict there to an end and combat ISIS will only draw the US into a larger war. Trump’s remarks come as he trails Clinton in most national and key battleground state polls just two weeks from Election Day.

“You’re not fighting Syria anymore, you’re fighting Syria, Russia and Iran, all right? Russia is a nuclear country, but a country where the nukes work as opposed to other countries that talk,” he said.

Trump has not laid out a clear strategy for combating ISIS or addressing the globally destabilizing conflict in Syria, which has killed hundreds of thousands and pushed millions more to flee their homes. He has suggested the US should allow ISIS, anti-government rebels and the Syrian government to fight it out and more recently has focused on joining forces with Russia — which has aided the Syrian regime in the bombing of civilians and US-allied rebels — to combat ISIS.

“Assad is secondary, to me, to ISIS,” Trump told Reuters of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom US officials have argued must step down.

Clinton has called for establishing a no-fly zone over Syria to help bring the five-year civil war to an end, a proposal top Republicans in Congress have championed, which President Barack Obama and others have opposed due to the risk of entering into conflict with Russia.

A US-enforced no-fly zone would mean the US could shoot down a Russian jet should it enter Syrian airspace.

Clinton addressed those concerns in the final presidential debate, arguing that it would “save lives and hasten the end of the conflict,” while cautioning that “this would not be done just on the first day.”

“This would take a lot of negotiation and it would also take making it clear to the Russians and the Syrians that our purpose is to provide safe zones on the ground,” Clinton said during the debate earlier this month. “I think we could strike a deal and make it very clear to the Russians and Syrians that this was something that we believe the best interests of the people on the ground in Syria. It would help us in the fight against ISIS.”

Trump has additionally called for establishing safe zones in Syria to protect civilians — as has Clinton — which could also put the US in conflict with the Syrian government or Russia should they oppose the policy.

Read More: cnn

Fires Rage Across Calais Refugee Camp Amid Evacuation

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Massive fires have been raging overnight through the refugee camp in the French port city of Calais that has been at the center of much controversy recently. This as authorities have been trying to evacuate thousands of refugees to other reception centers across the nation.

It is not exactly known who started the fires, with initial reports pointing the finger of blame at refugees opposed to the destruction of the camp.

But French authorities said later that they were investigating claims that ‘No Borders’ activists were indeed responsible for the arson attacks. The British group campaigns against borders and immigration controls.

The French government finally decided to completely demolish the infamous shantytown after a few earlier attempts to partially dismantle it. The operation got underway on Monday amid much opposition from the camp’s residents.

Fires billowing black columns of smoke into the air left some of the protesting refugees with major injuries, while others were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.

According to local officials emergency services workers were attacked with stones and other projectiles as they tried to put out the flames, and riot police had to intervene to deal with the chaos.

Residents told officials that activists had come into the settlement in the middle of the night and set off canisters, hence starting the fires.

Demolition workers on Tuesday started tearing down the tents where up to 8,000 refugees, including 1,200 children, mainly from Afghanistan, Sudan and Eritrea, have been living in dire conditions.

Last month, President Francois Hollande pledged to definitely and entirely raze the camp after a visit to Calais.

More than 1,200 police and officials have already been deployed in the northern port city in what Paris calls a “humanitarian” operation. But a large number of refugees are said to be resisting evacuation.

Credit: presstv

May Says Brexit Vote Will Not Undermine Northern Ireland Peace Deal

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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There is no reason Britain’s June vote to leave the European Union should undermine a 1998 Northern Irish peace deal, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.

Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU and Irish nationalist parties oppose Brexit, saying it could undermine the 1998 Belfast Agreement and reinstate a hard border with the Republic of Ireland.

“I don’t believe there’s any reason to believe that the outcome of the referendum will do anything to undermine the absolute rock-solid commitment of this government and the people of Northern Ireland to the settlement that was set out in the Belfast Agreement,” May told parliament.

“There is, and remains, a strong support for the entirely peaceful future for Northern Ireland that has been determined by democracy and consent … We remain committed to that.”

Read More: reuters

30 Year Old & 25 Year Old Hong Kong Legislators Defy Barring Order

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Hong Kong’s legislature has descended into chaos after two young pro-independence lawmakers defied a barring order and barged into the chamber as democrats formed a human chain around them, forcing the session to be adjourned.

At a swearing-in ceremony two weeks ago, Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung modified their oaths in an act of defiance by using a derogatory word for China. Yau also slipped in an expletive.

After Yau and Leung of the Youngspiration party entered the Legislative Council’s main chamber on Wednesday, surrounded by other legislators and dozens of journalists, the body’s president ordered them to leave, but the two refused.

After half an hour, the session was adjourned until next week.

The two legislators insisted they had the right to enter the chamber to retake their oath of office. Council rules state that members cannot attend meetings or vote before they take the oath.

The two were part of a new wave of youthful pro-democracy lawmakers elected in September amid a rising tide of anti-China sentiment, with many residents concerned about Beijing eroding Hong Kong’s wide autonomy.

“If we lose this war … our system is done for. We have no room to retreat,” said Leung, tears welling in his eyes.

The democrats called on Andrew Leung, council president, to step down, while Yau accused him of “destroying the dignity” of the council.

Nathan Law, a new legislator who advocates self-determination for Hong Kong, said that while he may not endorse the pair’s behaviour when they first took their oaths, they should be allowed to sit as elected legislators.

“What we are trying to protect is people’s rights to vote, and Hong Kong’s legislative system,” Law said.

Read More: aljazeera

President Obama Ridiculed On Snapchat By His Daughter Sasha

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Staff Reporter

President Barack Obama has disclosed that his youngest daughter recently mocked him on Snapchat.

The US leader said Sasha had recorded him discussing the social network at a family dinner and then quietly posted a reaction to her friends.

It is not the first time the president has discussed his 15-year-old’s online activities.

In July, he said she also tweets, leading several media outlets to try to identify her account.

It remains secret.

Likewise a copy of the described Snapchat post has not been made public. Messages posted to the app are designed to disappear after being viewed or within a short period of time, but there are ways to circumvent the restrictions.

“Sasha gave me instructions on Snapchat,” he said.

“One night at dinner we’re sitting there, and I had read that Snapchat was becoming really popular among her age cohort. So, I said: ‘So, tell me about Snapchat.’

“So, she starts explaining stuff – you can make little faces on your picture, and this and that and the other.

“And at the end of it, Michelle and I are sitting there. And I said: ‘Isn’t this interesting?’

“And I started talking to Michelle about the implications of social media and what all this means.

“[And I] come to find out she was recording us the whole time, and then sent to her friends afterwards: ‘This is my dad lecturing us on the meaning of social media.’

“And she took a picture of herself sort of looking bored.”

The president added that his wife – who joined Snapchat in June – and his eldest daughter Malia had “loved” the post.

Read More: BBC

American Hacker Jester Warns Russia To Stop Interfering With U.S. Election

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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The American vigilante hacker known as Jester (whose signature graphic is shown above) took a swipe at Russia for hacking U.S. sites. The self-described “gray hat” hacker who calls himself “Jester” hacked the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website Friday night. His message: “Stop attacking Americans,” according to CNNMoney.

Anyone who visited the Ministry website after the hack first heard the intentionally loud, annoying, attention-demanding dial tone sound that plays just before American emergency broadcast civil alert messages. Jester’s letter to the Ministry displayed in full on the site’s homepage. The letter, which no longer appears on the site but was still visible Saturday, went into detail about the activities to which The Jester objected.

As summarized by CNNMoney, Jester’s message was, “Comrades! We interrupt regular scheduled Russian Foreign Affairs Website programming to bring you the following important message … Knock it off. You may be able to push around nations around you, but this is America. Nobody is impressed.”

Jester’s complaints about Russian hacking included alleged Russian interfering with American politics. Recently 17 U.S. intelligence agencies accused Russian agencies of being behind hacks into the Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails, leaking information to influence the election toward Donald Trump and away from Hillary Clinton. Russia is also accused of supplying hacked and stolen emails to WikiLeaks.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has denied Russian involvement with DNC or other hacking, but the Jester called him out for it. “Let’s get real, I know it’s you, even if by proxy, and you know it’s you. Now, get to your room. Before I lose my temper.”

The Jester, who in the past has actively attacked terrorist activities, told CNNMoney this weekend that his frustration over Friday’s distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that overloaded significant internet sites in the U.S. led him to attack the Russian Ministry site.

New Poll Shows Clinton Over Trump By Double-Digits

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Hillary Clinton has a 12-point lead over Donald Trump and has reached 50% support nationally among likely voters, a new ABC News tracking poll shows.

The poll shows Clinton with 50% support to Trump’s 38%, with 5% backing Libertarian Gary Johnson and 2% supporting the Green Party’s Jill Stein.

The poll comes on the heels of the third presidential debate, which a post-debate CNN/ORC snap poll showed Clinton won.

The ABC News survey’s results show Clinton with a 20-point advantage among women, and a 3-point edge with men — a group that has tilted toward Trump for most of the 2016 race.

Clinton leads among voters of all education levels — but her 3-point advantage with those without college degrees is smaller than her 20-point lead among voters with college degrees.

Conway touts Trump’s ‘drain the swamp’ message, admits ‘we are behind’

Trump’s strongest group remains white, non-college educated voters, who back him 55% to 36%.

The results showing Clinton with a growing lead largely match CNN’s Poll of Polls, which averages recent national surveys. That Poll of Polls shows Clinton ahead 48% to Trump’s 39%.

The ABC News poll was conducted October 20-22 and includes 874 likely voters. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Credit: CNN

UK PM To Offer Scotland, Wales, North Ireland Talks With Brexit Minister

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Representatives of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments will get a chance to tell Brexit minister David Davis how they hope Britain’s future relationship with the EU will work, under plans the government announced on Monday.

At a meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Theresa May will offer the leaders of the three devolved governments, which have varying degrees of autonomy, formal discussions on Brexit at least twice before the end of the year, her office said.

“The country is facing a negotiation of tremendous importance and it is imperative that the devolved administrations play their part in making it work,” May said in a statement her office released before the meeting.

“The new forum I am offering will be the chance for them all to put forward their proposals on how to seize the opportunities presented by Brexit and deliver the democratic decision expressed by the people of the U.K.”

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish National Party, has said her government is preparing for all possibilities including independence after Britain leaves the EU.

Scots voted by a large margin to remain in the bloc and Sturgeon has said Scotland wants to keep as many of the advantages of membership of the EU’s single market as it can and is looking for a bespoke deal to do so.

The British government has said it will negotiate a one-size-fits-all Brexit deal on behalf of the whole United Kingdom.

May, who has dismissed labels such as “hard Brexit” and “soft Brexit” for describing how clean a break Britain makes with the EU, will also tell the devolved leaders no final decisions have been taken on the EU exit strategy, and that how Britain leaves the bloc will not boil down to a binary choice.

Credit: reuters

France Begins Dismantling Of Calais Jungle Camp

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Migrants and refugees have begun arriving at official meeting points set by French authorities as part of the full evacuation of the so-called Jungle camp in Calais.

Men and women carrying suitcases and bundles of possessions gathered early on Monday in front of a warehouse which is serving as the main headquarters of the evacuation operation.

French authorities believe the evacuation will take around three days in total.

As part of the operation, between 6,000 and 8,000 migrants and refugees – mostly from Afghanistan, Sudan and Eritrea – will be moved to reception centres across France.

Dozens of French riot police vehicles and other trucks carrying equipment earlier set off in the direction of the operation centre.

The flyers distributed on Sunday instructed the migrants and refugees in Arabic, Tigrinya, Pashto and other languages to show up at the warehouse from 8am local time on Monday (06:00 GMT) with their luggage.

At the warehouse they will be separated into four groups for families, single men, unaccompanied minors and other people considered vulnerable before boarding one of 60 buses that will take them to nearly 300 shelters nationwide.

Read More: aljazeera

Somali Pirates’ Hostages ‘Ate Rats’ To Survive

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A group of sailors who were held hostage by Somali pirates for nearly five years survived in part by eating rats, one survivor has told the BBC.

Filipino sailor Arnel Balbero said they were also only given small amounts of water and felt like “the walking dead” by the end of their ordeal.

The 26 sailors were seized on board their ship in 2012 and were eventually taken to Somalia.

They were freed on Saturday, reportedly after a ransom was paid.

The sailors were from China, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Mr Balbero was among the crew of the FV Naham 3 when it was captured by Somali pirates south of the Seychelles. One crew member was killed during the capture, according to non-governmental organisation Oceans Beyond Piracy.

A year later, the ship sank and the crew were brought onshore in Somalia. Two sailors subsequently died of illnesses.

Mr Balbero told the BBC that the last four and a half years had left him and his compatriots “like walking dead”.

Asked how the pirates treated them, he said: “They give us small amount of water only… We eat rat. Yes, we cook it in the forest.”

“[We] just eat anything, anything. You feel hungry, you eat.”

He also spoke of their difficulties adjusting to life after their ordeal, saying: “I don’t know what is… outside of this world when this finish, so it’s very hard to start again.”

Donald Trump Says He’ll Accept The Election Results, But Only If He Wins

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Staff Reporter

After refusing to confirm he’d accept the results of next month’s election during the third presidential debate, Donald Trump has now edited his statement to add the caveat he’d “totally accept the results” if he were to win.

“I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election — if I win,” Trump said to thunderous applause during a rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio on Thursday.

“Of course, I would accept a clear election result, but I would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result,” he continued. “And always, I will follow and abide by all of the rules and traditions of all of the many candidates who have come before me. Always.”

Trump’s refusal to say he’d concede the election if he were to lose has received criticism from both Democrats and Republicans alike, with both pointing out that the very fabric of American democracy is dependent on a peaceful transition between presidents and faith in the electoral system.

During the debate on Wednesday, Trump would not directly answer how he’d react to the election results, only saying “I will tell you at the time” and “I’ll keep you in suspense, OK?” Clinton responded by calling this “horrifying.”

Credit: cosmopolitan

“King” Eminem Drops 7-Minute Diss Track For Donald Trump

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Staff Reporter

It doesn’t get any more Eminem than this as the rapper dropped a seven-minute track titled Campaign speech in which he took Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump to the cleaners. Trump’s supporters were not spared either!

The veteran hip-hop star takes a jab at controversial candidate Donald Trump.
The rapper also revealed he’s working on a new album but we’ll have to be content with campaign speech.

In his opening line, he raps; “Jumped out of the second floor of a record store/ With a Treacherous Four cassette and a cassette recorder,” he rhymes. “In Ecuador with Edward Norton/ Witness the metamorphosis of a legend growing/ Like an expert swordsman from the Hessian war and/ Hence the origin of the Headless Horseman/ Born with the endorphins of a pathetic orphan.”

“Consider me a dangerous man / But you should be afraid of this dang candidate / You say Trump don’t kiss ass like a puppet? / ‘Cause he runs his campaign with his own cash for the funding? / And that’s what you wanted? / A f**kin’ loose cannon who’s blunt with his hand on the button / Who doesn’t have to answer to no one? / Great idea!” he spits his verses.

Eminem – Campaign Speech (Donald Trump Diss)

Donald Trump Reportedly Called Former Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice a ‘Bitch’ in 2006, Rice Responds!

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Staff Reporter

According to CNN’s KFile, U.S Presidential candidate Donald Trump wished former U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was a ‘bitch’ in 2006. According to CNN’s KFile, The NY Daily News allegedly reported in 2006 that Trump had told an audience at a Learning Annex convention speech,

“Condoleezza Rice, she’s a lovely woman, but I think she’s a bitch. She goes around to other countries and other nations, negotiates with their leaders, comes back and nothing ever happens.”

The New York Daily News republished the story on Tuesday and when Rice was asked if she had any response to the New York Daily News report of Trump’s remarks, Rice replied:

“Exactly. Can’t wait until November 9!”

According to CNN’s KFile archives, the video allegedly shows Trump saying:

“I wish she was a bitch. I don’t care if she’s a lovely woman. I want somebody that can go and make deals. She goes to countries, nothing ever happens. Except sound bytes.” Rice on October 8 on her Facebook page wrote :’Enough! Donald Trump should not be president. He should withdraw,”

Judge Presiding Over ‘El Chapo’s’ Case Shot, Killed While Jogging Outside Home

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The judge who presided over Sinaloa Cartel drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s case was shot in the head while jogging outside of his home Monday near Mexico City, according to media reports.

Judge Vicente Bermudez Zacarias, 37, was the judge presiding over Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s case, according to SDP Noticias. Zacarias lived in Metepec, which is 45 miles west of Mexico City.

SDP Noticias reported that the person who shot Zacarias fled the scene. Zacarias later died at the hospital in Metepec.

Photo: Eduardo Verdugo /Associated Press

According to Tristan Reed, Mexico Security Analyst for Stratfor Global Intelligence firm, there is no reason for El Chapo to go after Trump whom Reed called a “well known, wealthy figure in another country,” as it would cause unwanted attention from law enforcement. Despite reports from Daily Mail, Reed indicated that there is no truth to these rumors.

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Mexican army soldiers escort drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to a helicopter to be transported to a maximum security prison at Mexicos Attorney Generals hangar, in Mexico City, on Jan. 8.

The Mexico City newspaper reported that the judge was not given any protection while presiding over cases of drug lords like Abigael Gonzalez Valencia, leader of Los Cuinis cartel, and Guzman.

Guzman is currently being held in a federal prison on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, which borders El Paso, Texas.The Sinaloa Cartel druglord could be extradited to the United States by early 2017.

New Info Emerges On Leaked Clinton’s email

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A top official at the State Department repeatedly sought to have the FBI back down on classifying the contents of an email from Hillary Clinton’s private email server, documents released Monday revealed.

According to notes from interviews conducted during an FBI investigation into Clinton’s email practices, Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy personally tried to convince FBI officials that the email should be declassified. One interviewee described feeling “pressured” by another FBI official at Kennedy’s request.

The FBI is denying that any “quid pro quo” was offered in the fight between the bureau and State Department over the classification level of the email, though one interview described it as such.

At issue are somewhat contradictory interview notes contained in the crop of newly released FBI documents. In one, an FBI official recounted hearing second-hand that the State Department had offered a “quid pro quo” in exchange for declassifying an email. In another, a different FBI official said he told State Department he’d look into the email, if State Department looked into his request for personnel in Iraq.

An FBI records management official told the FBI in one interview that a member of the International Operations Division (IOD) told him that Kennedy had reached out to have an email unclassified in exchange for a “quid pro quo,” according to the records management official, documents revealed Monday show. The records management official said the IOD official “pressured” him to change the email’s classification.

In return for FBI declassifying one of the Clinton server emails, the interviewee said as relayed by the IOD official, the State Department official offered to help station FBI agents overseas in sensitive areas.

The anonymous individual said in a later meeting at State with several intelligence agencies, Kennedy responded to a question about whether any emails were classified by making eye contact and saying, “well, we’ll see.”

After the meeting, the individual said, “Kennedy spent the next 15 minutes debating the classification for he email and attempting to influence the FBI to change its markings.”

That records management official concluded State had an “agenda” related to “minimizing” the classification issues with Clinton’s emails.

The newly released documents contain a summary of interview notes related to the FBI’s investigation into whether classified information was improperly handled while Clinton was secretary of state.

Read More: CNN

Trump’s Women Accusers Are Lying- Melania Trump

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Melania Trump has insisted that her husband is a “gentleman” and that the women who allege that he sexually assaulted them are lying.

She also said that lewd comments Donald Trump made about women that were caught on videotape were unacceptable but did not represent the man she knows.

The Republican presidential nominee was guilty of “boy talk” but was “egged on” by TV host Billy Bush, she added.

The tape prompted dozens of Republicans to drop their support for him.

In the video, Mr Trump tells Mr Bush, who was then host of NBC’s Access Hollywood, that he can force himself on women because he’s a star.

Several women have since come forward and accused Mr Trump of sexual assault, which he denies.

“I know he respects women but he is defending himself because they are lies,” Mrs Trump said in an interview with CNN.

“I believe my husband,” she said. “My husband is kind and he is a gentleman and he would never do that.”

She claimed the scandal had been “organised and put together to hurt his candidacy” by Hillary Clinton’s campaign team and the media.

“With the details [the media] have got, did they ever check the backgrounds of these women? They didn’t have any facts,” she added.

Speaking for the first since the scandal began, Mrs Trump defended her husband’s conduct with women, saying he had never behaved inappropriately over the years.

Women commonly approached her husband in front of her to give him their phone numbers and behave inappropriately, she said.

Credit: BBC

Huge Fire Kills At Least 23 In Indian Hospital

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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Around 23 people have been killed by a fire which broke out in a hospital in eastern India, say local officials.

Some 120 firefighter were dispatched to put out the fire which started in the dialysis ward of the SUM hospital in the Indian city of Bhubaneswar, in Odisha state late on Monday.

“Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in the hospital fire in Odisha. The tragedy is mind-numbing. My thoughts are with bereaved families,” India Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post published on his Twitter account.

According to reports, the majority of victims died from smoke inhalation, and that 20 more people are receiving treatment in neighboring medical facilities.

After arriving, firefighters and police were forced to break windows and doors to evacuate the hospital. During the massive rescue operation, which was carried out with the aid of staff and volunteers, over 500 people were safely removed from the hospital.

“We suspect the fire occurred due to an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward”, said local fire services official Binoy Behera.

Credit: presstv

Man Who fired Gunshot at George Zimmerman Sentenced to 20 Years In Prison for Attempted Murder

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Florida man who fired a gunshot at perpetual menace George Zimmerman was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday for attempted murder.

Matthew Apperson, 37, had testified that he shot in self-defense during a road rage incident with Zimmerman last year. He said Zimmerman’s intimidating reputation — especially for his fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin — made him fear for his life.

But a Seminole County jury convicted Apperson last month of attempted second-degree murder, as well as shooting into an occupied vehicle and aggravated assault.

Zimmerman and Apperson both accused each other of beginning a confrontation and car chase in May 2015.

A reminder that George Zimmerman is cancer to society

Zimmerman testified that Apperson was shooting to kill without provocation. He said Apperson appeared to be glad when he believed his shot hit and killed Zimmerman, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

POOL PHOTO — Matthew Apperson sits in a Seminole County courtroom Tuesday, Sept. 13th.

(RED HUBER/AP)

Twenty years is Florida’s mandatory minimum sentence for shooting at another person with a gun.

But Zimmerman infamously walked free after shooting and killing Martin, an unarmed black teenager, after a scuffle in 2012. Zimmerman, who was a volunteer neighborhood watchman at the time, claimed self-defense and was acquitted.

He has since incessantly bragged about killing the teen and even auctioned the gun he used in the fatal confrontation, supposedly for $250,000.

Source: NY DAILY

Clinton Accuses Trump Of ‘Stalking’ Her During Debate

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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Hillary Clinton has accused her Republican presidential rival Donald Trump of “stalking” her during their televised debate on Sunday.

Trump often stood closely behind the Democratic nominee glowering as she answered questions from the audience during the town hall-style event in St. Louis.

Speaking during an interview on NBC’s The Ellen DeGeneres Show set to air Friday, Clinton said his movements made her feel “really weird” on stage.

“Because of the revelation of the public video, and everything that came out on ‘Access Hollywood,’ you know, he was really all wrought up, and you could just sense how much anger he had,” Clinton said, referring to a video leaked last week showing Trump making lewd comments about women.

“And so he was really trying to dominate and then literally stalk me around the stage and I would just feel this presence behind me.”

Trump rejected criticism about his debate performance at a rally on Monday.

“So I’m standing at my podium by my chair. She walks across the room. She’s standing in front of me, right next to me,” he said.

“And the next day I said what did the papers say? They said, ‘he invaded her space.’”

“Believe me,” he added, “The last space that I want to invade is her space.”

http://guardian.ng/news/clinton-accuses-trump-of-stalking-her-during-debate/

Colombia’s President Extends Ceasefire With Rebels Through Year End

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has extended a ceasefire with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) through the end of the year in order to give more time for a peace deal rejected by voters.

Santos made the announcement about the extension with Colombia’s largest rebel group during a televised speech on Thursday.

The original ceasefire, which was put in place in August, was nullified when the peace accord was narrowly rejected in a referendum earlier this month.

This came after President Santos, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to clinch the deal, heard proposals from representatives of those who voted against the agreement.

Santos said he decided to further extend the ceasefire after meeting with students who are demanding that the ceasefire be implemented despite its failure at the polls.

“One of the students reminded me, that in the army and in the guerrilla ranks, there are young people waiting to see what happens, hoping that they don’t need to fire another shot,” Santos said in the televised address, adding, “For that reason, and at the request of the students, I have taken the decision to extend the ceasefire until Dec. 31.”

On Wednesday, thousands of people marched in the Colombian capital Bogota to voice support for the peace deal between the government and FARC rebels. Students and victims of the decades-long war also took part in the march.

Read More: presstv

Facebook Shuts Down Ads For An Entire Country

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Facebook has taken the unusual step of shutting down ads for an entire nation.

The social network said it has turned off ads in Thailand following the death of the country’s deeply revered king. It’s the first time Facebook has imposed an ad blackout for a whole country.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 70-year reign came to an end on Thursday when he died at the age of 88. Facebook (FB, Tech30) said in a post that removing ads is “a cultural custom” during the mourning period.

It admitted that it doesn’t yet know how long Thailand will be mourning the king, whose unifying appeal stretched across Thai society.

According to the royal palace, all government buildings will fly the national flag at half-staff for 30 days starting Friday, and all civil servants have been ordered to wear black clothing for a year.

Facebook declined to comment further on the ad shutdown. Its post said advertisers within Thailand can still run ads outside the country.

Other websites took measures to reflect the country’s somber mood. Google (GOOGL, Tech30)’s homepage in Thailand was changed to a dark-gray-and-white color scheme, although ads were still showing up for some searches.

Read More: cnn

Thailand’s Beloved King, Unifying Figure, Dies At 88

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-serving monarch, has died at the age of 88, the palace announced Thursday, leaving a divided nation bereft of a rare figure of unity.

“Although the team of doctors treated him to the best of their ability, his condition deteriorated,” the Royal Household Bureau said in a statement.

“At 15:52 (0852 GMT) he died at Siriraj Hospital peacefully,” it said as large crowds kept vigil outside the hospital where the monarch spent most of the last two years.

All Thai television stations switched to a special announcement that began with black and white photographs of the king, before a formally dressed presenter read out the palace statement.

Bhumipol’s death, which will lead to a one-year mourning period, ends a remarkable seven-decade reign and plunges Thailand into a deeply uncertain future.

Most Thais have known no other monarch and Bhumibol has been portrayed as a guiding light through decades of political turmoil, coups and violent unrest.

His 64-year-old son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, is his named successor.

Bhumibol’s death is a major test for the country’s generals, who seized power in 2014 vowing to restore stability after a decade of political chaos, a turbulent period exacerbated by the king’s declining health as jostling elites competed for power.

The military has deep links with the palace and many inside the kingdom saw the putsch as a move to ensure generals could stamp down on any instability during a succession.

http://guardian.ng/news/thailands-beloved-king-unifying-figure-dies-at-88/

German Officials Demand Answers After Suspect’s Suicide

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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German authorities are under pressure to explain how a detained Syrian man suspected of planning an airport bombing attack was able to take his own life, with politicians demanding answers and calling the death in custody a “fiasco” and a “tragedy”.

Sebastian Gemkow, Saxony’s justice minister, said in a press conference in Dresden that Jaber al-Bakr, 22, strangled himself on Wednesday evening by tying his shirt to the bars of his jail cell.

“This should not have happened even though we did everything we could to prevent it,” Gemkow said on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, Bakr’s defence lawyer Alexander Huebner said that he had been informed his client was “under constant surveillance.

“How could this happen?” asked Huebner.

“I’m unbelievably shocked and absolutely speechless that something like this could have happened,” he said.

Rolf Jacob, the head of the prison where Bakr was held, told reporters that a trainee guard checked on the prisoner at 730pm on Wednesday, and that when he returned for another check 15 minutes later he found him dead.

Jacob said authorities who assessed him when he entered the prison had noted there was a suicide risk but did not consider it acute. He said the suspect was checked on every quarter of an hour and given pants without a belt as a precaution.

Read More: aljazeera

Amazon To Hire 120,000 Temporary Workers For Holiday Season

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Amazon.com Inc said it would hire more than 120,000 seasonal workers in the United States for the holiday season, 20 percent more than last year, highlighting the growing threat the e-commerce giant poses to traditional retailers.

U.S. retailers such as Macy’s Inc, Target Corp and Kohl’s Corp have said they plan to hire fewer temporary workers or to keep seasonal employment levels little changed this holiday season.

More than 14,000 seasonal positions were transitioned to regular, full-time roles after the holidays last year, and the company expects to increase that number this year, Amazon said on Thursday.

The U.S. National Retail Federation earlier this month forecast a 3.6 percent rise in holiday sales this year, with online sales expected to climb 7 percent to 10 percent.

U.S. brick-and-mortar retailers’ biggest challenge in recent years has been tackling the growth of online retailers, specially Amazon, which offer the same products at lower prices and have made shopping more convenient.

They are also keeping sales expectations and inventories low – and hiring light – ahead of the holiday season to avoid a repeat of last year, when unusually warm weather hit sales and piled up unsold goods.

Credit: reuters

Berlin Bomb Attack Plan Suspect Commits Suicide In Custody

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A Syrian refugee suspected of planning a bomb attack “with Islamist motives” on a Berlin airport has strangled himself to death with his shirt in detention, Saxony state justice officials said Thursday.

Investigators believe that 22-year-old Albakr, who arrived in Germany last year, was close to staging a terrorist attack. German police have said that Albakr’s “approach and behavior” suggest an ISIS link.

“On the evening of October the 12th, 2016, Jaber Albakr, the prime suspect in planning a serious attack against the state, took his life in the prison hospital of the Leipzig correctional facility,” the ministry said in a statement on its website, also confirming the news to CNN.

The Saxony Justice Minister Sebastian Gemkow told reporters that Albakr had strangled himself with his shirt but it was not immediately clear if he had hanged himself in his cell.

Gemkow said Albakr had been seen by a psychologist earlier in the day, but it was assessed that suicide was unlikely.

Authorities then decided to reduce its checks on him from every 30 minutes to every 15.

Albakr was on a hunger strike and refused to drink, Gemkow said, adding that authorities tried to resuscitate him for about half an hour after they found his body.

Pope Francis Begs For Immediate Ceasefire In Syria

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Pope Francis appealed on Wednesday for an immediate ceasefire in Syria, calling for “at least” a truce enabling civilians, especially children, to be evacuated, after Aleppo came under fierce air assault.

“I want to underline and reiterate my closeness to all the victims of the inhumane conflict in Syria,” he said at his weekly audience in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

“It is with a sense of urgency that I renew my appeal, begging those responsible, with all my strength, for an immediate ceasefire to be imposed and respected at least long enough to consent the evacuation of civilians, especially children, who are still trapped under the ferocious bombardments,” he said.

On Tuesday, regime ally Russia carried out its heaviest air strikes in days on Aleppo, killing 25 civilians including four children according to a monitor, and causing massive damage in several residential areas of the city’s rebel-held east.

Syria’s army announced a bid last month to retake the city, which has been divided since mid-2012.

The assault began after the collapse of a short-lived truce negotiated by Washington and Moscow, and has seen the besieged east of Aleppo come under fierce aerial assault.

http://guardian.ng/news/pope-francis-begs-for-immediate-ceasefire-in-syria/

Another Hunting Image Of Wounded Syrian Girl Go Viral

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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It’s another haunting picture of a wounded child from Syria. This one has also gone viral on social media.

The video and images were posted online by a pro-opposition activist group, Talbiseh Media Center.

It shows an 8-year-old girl in a medical facility, her hair and body covered with dust. There’s blood tricking down her forehead, her nose. She looks confused and scared and keeps calling out for her father.

Off camera, a man talks to her, asking for her name.

“Aya” she replies, crying.

“Where were you when this happened?” the questioner asks.

“At home but the roof fell on us,” she replies, looking around for her father.

“Oh Daddy… Daddy, come,” she cries.

Hospital staff and volunteers try to clean her up and attend to her wounds, as she continues to sob.

Aya was pulled from under rubble along with her family members when an airstrike hit their home in Talbiseh on Monday. Talbiseh, a large town in northwestern Syria, is about 10 kilometers north of Homs. Activists there say at least two people were killed and 30 wounded in three airstrikes that targeted residential areas of their town.

Aya’s mother, father and three siblings were wounded in the strike.

Aya, the oldest among her siblings, has been reunited with her family and they are all doing OK, activists said.

The family is now looking for a place to stay because their house was destroyed by the airstrike, according to a spokesperson with the Talbiseh Media Center.

Credit: cnn

North Korean Official Banished To Live On Farm

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Staff Reporter

North Korea has exiled its vice foreign minister and his family to a rural farming region outside of Pyongyang following the recent defection of the country’s deputy ambassador to the UK.

According to the South Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo on Tuesday, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un ordered Kung Sok-Ung removal from his post after Pyongyang’s UK ambassador defected, along with his family, to the South around two months ago.

“Since Thae Yong-Ho’s defection in late July, there has been an overall inspection throughout the foreign ministry,” the paper quoted a source familiar with North Korean affairs as saying.

“Kung Sok-Ung was held accountable for the embassies in Europe and purged as a result,” the source added.

The report also said that four other diplomats in charge of European affairs were also expelled from the capital.

Last week the paper published a report which said several North Korean embassy officials stationed in China had defected.

According to official figures provided by South Korea, nearly 30,000 people from North Korea have so far managed to defect to the South since the conclusion of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Read More: presstv

Russian Air Raids Kill 55 In #Aleppo

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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At least 55 people have been killed over the past 24 hours in the Syrian province of Aleppo as Russian air strikes resumed over the countryside, sources told Al Jazeera.

The deaths from raids in Aleppo’s Bustan al-Qasr and Fardos neighbourhoods, as well as Ar-Rasheeqa city, were the results of the heaviest Russian bombardment in days on the city’s rebel-held sector. Dozens were also wounded.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, reported a lull in fighting on Wednesday.

“Silence is taking over Aleppo city, so far no gunshots or airstrikes have been heard, since the airstrike[s],” the monitor said.

Heightened tensions on the ground came amid efforts from the international community to halt the bloodshed in Aleppo.

Al Jazeera has seen a letter signed by at least 62 countries including Saudi and Qatar, but excluding Egypt and Iraq, calling on the UN Security Council to prevent further deaths from a “calculated campaign”.

The letter warns that the war in Syria is unlikely to be resolved by armies. It called on all parties to adopt political processes for a political transition based on recommendations agreed upon at Geneva conventions and by the Security Council.

“The fighting, the bombardment and the siege have worsened conditions inside Aleppo,” said Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from the Turkish border with Syria.

“The United Nations is warning that drinking water remains limited, medical supplies are urgently needed and the distribution food rations are being split in half … aid agencies are appealing for access to treat the wounded,” Khodr added.

Read More: aljazeera

I Don’t Want His Support, Trump Trashes Ryan

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said that he doesn’t “want” or “care” about having House Speaker Paul Ryan’s support in an interview in which he repeatedly trashed the House speaker, virtually unprompted.

“I don’t want his support,” Trump told Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly about Ryan. “I don’t care about his support. What I want to do is I want to win for the people.”

His remarks come after the Republican nominee lashed out in a stream of tweets earlier Tuesday, slamming as Ryan effectively cutting him loose and accusing the party leadership of dooming his campaign.

“It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to,” Trump tweeted.

Asked to elaborate, Trump told O’Reilly “the shackles are some of the establishment people who are weak and ineffective.”

“They’re not giving support — they don’t give the support that we really need — but the fact is that I think we should get support and we don’t get the support from guys like Paul Ryan,” Trump said. “He had a conference call with congressman, with hundreds of them, and they practically rioted against him on the phone. One person stuck up for him.”

“And I don’t really want his support,” Trump said of Ryan.

Trump also fired off a list of grievances against Ryan, ranging from “open borders and amnesty” to “bad budgets.”

“By the way, very, very bad budgets. Frankly, the only one that (President Barack) Obama negotiates well with is Paul Ryan with the budgets,” he said.

Read More: cnn

Europe’s Prisons Becoming ‘Breeding Ground’ For Jihadists

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Prisons in Europe are becoming “breeding grounds” for jihadist groups, with some criminals seeing violent extremism as a form of redemption for their crimes, a report by a British think tank published Tuesday said.

Jihadist and criminal groups are recruiting from the same pool of people, while their social networks are also converging, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR) found, in what it dubbed a “new crime-terror nexus”.

The emergence of the Islamic State group (IS) has strengthened the link between crime and terrorism, according to the report which examined the profiles of European jihadists recruited since 2011.Rather than looking to universities or religious establishments, IS increasingly turns to “ghettos”, prisons and “underclasses” to recruit individuals with a history of criminal behaviour, it said.

Prisons provide a ready supply of “angry young men” who are “ripe” for radicalisation, according to the study, entitled “Criminal Pasts, Terrorist Futures: European Jihadists and the New Crime-Terror Nexus”.

ICSR director Peter Neumann, one of the report’s authors, said the lines between crime and jihadist groups were becoming “increasingly blurred”.

“Prison is becoming important as a place where a lot of networking happens,” he said.

“Given the recent surge in terrorism-related arrests and convictions… we are convinced that prisons will become more –- rather than less –- significant as breeding grounds for the jihadist movement.”

http://guardian.ng/news/europes-prisons-breeding-ground-for-jihadists/

I Love WikiLeaks, Trump Says Over Clinton’s Emails Leak

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Staff Reporter

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says he “loves” whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks for its latest revelations about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

The New York businessman made the comments during a campaign event on Monday, days after a series of leaked emails revealed Clinton’s disconnection from the struggles of the middle class and her behind-the-scenes advocacy for the further prosperity of Wall Street and big corporations – contrary to her campaign rhetoric.

“I love WikiLeaks,” Trump told thousands of his supporters in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. “It’s amazing how nothing is secret today when you talk about the Internet.”

“In a speech behind closed doors, ‘Crooked Hillary’ said, ‘Terrorism is not a big threat to our nation,’” the candidate continued. “Terrorism is a big, big threat. We are riding into something very dangerous.”

“In another closed-door speech, she wanted to have open borders and open trade with everybody. There go the rest of your jobs,” he added.

The comments prompted prolonged “Lock her up!” chants from the crowd.

Read More: presstv

#HurricaneMatthew: 1.4 Million Need Help In Haiti

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Haiti faces a crisis that requires a “massive response” from the international community, the United Nations has said, with at least 1.4 million people needing emergency aid after Hurricane Matthew.

The storm killed almost 1,000 people in the impoverished Caribbean nation, with that toll likely to rise as rescue workers reach previously inaccessible areas.

Matthew, the most powerful Atlantic storm since 2007, last week levelled homes, fouled water sources and killed livestock, leaving victims pleading for help to arrive quickly.

“Some towns and villages have been almost wiped off the map,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters.

The UN has launched a $120m flash appeal to cover Haiti’s needs for the next three months.

After pummelling Haiti on October 4 as a monster Category 4 storm, packing winds of 230km an hour, Matthew slammed into the southeastern United States, where it killed at least 20 people.

Hundreds of people were rescued by boat and helicopter as floodwaters inundated towns in the state of North Carolina on Monday, and officials warned that life-threatening flooding from swollen rivers would continue for days.

Read More: aljazeera

Most Senior Elected Republican Withdraws Support For Trump Over Sexual Comment

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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The most senior elected US Republican official has said he will not defend Donald Trump, after remarks he made about groping women led to outrage.

House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan vowed to focus on defending seats in Congress, but did not end his endorsement of the party’s nominee.

Mr Trump tweeted that Mr Ryan should not waste his time fighting him.

Earlier Democratic rival Hillary Clinton cast doubt on Mr Trump’s apology for the 11-year-old remarks.

On Sunday, Mr Trump described his words as “locker-room talk”.

In a bitter televised debate, a month before the US presidential election, Mr Trump denied he had groped anyone.

Mrs Clinton tweeted on Monday that, if he stood by this assertion, he was “clearly not sorry”.

#HurricaneMatthew: Hundreds Dead In Haiti Storm Disaster

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The death toll in Haiti as a result of Hurricane Matthew – the most powerful Caribbean storm in a decade – has soared to more than 300, officials say.

Some 50 people were reported killed in the town of Roche-a-Bateau alone.

The nearby city of Jeremie saw 80% of its buildings levelled. In Sud province 30,000 homes were destroyed.

The hurricane, now a Category Three storm with sustained winds of 120mph (193km/h), is heading up the coastline of the US state of Florida.

At 07:00 local time (11:00 GMT) Matthew was still off the coast, centred about 25 miles (40km) east of Cape Canaveral and moving north-north-west at about 14mph (22km/h), the National Hurricane Center said. It remains unclear whether it will make landfall.

An extreme wind warning was issued for Cape Canaveral and Port Canaveral, Governor Rick Scott tweeted.

Read More: BBC

Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The 2016 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos for his efforts to end his country’s long-running civil war with FARC rebels.

The Nobel committee made the announcement in Oslo on Friday, five days after voters in Colombia narrowly rejected a peace deal that Santos’ government had spent years negotiating.

In its citation, the committee said it had awarded Santos the prize for “his resolute efforts to bring the country’s more than 50-year-long civil war to an end, a war that has cost the lives of at least 220,000 Colombians and displaced close to six million people.”

It added: “The award should also be seen as a tribute to the Colombian people who, despite great hardships and abuses, have not given up hope of a just peace, and to all the parties who have contributed to the peace process. This tribute is paid, not least, to the representatives of the countless victims of the civil war.”

Read More: CNN

Chinese People Engage In Sleeping Competition

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Staff Reporter

While many people are packing their suitcases for a trip during China’s seven-day National Day holiday, also known as “the Golden Week”, some people in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, are packing their sleepwear for a sleeping competition.

The competition lasted two days and participants needed to sleep on their deck chair from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm. During the 10-hour sleeping marathon, the competitors cannot leave their chair for bathroom or meal break…s, or touch any electronic devices.

On the first day, a total of 16 people finished the competition, while only eight stayed the course on the second day amid the rain and temperatures falling to as low as 0? at dusk.

Although it was cold, participants were also not allowed to leave to get thicker quilts.

Participants from different places around the world joined the challenge with different intentions.

“I will win the game for my parents because winners are awarded a two-day stay at a spring hotel in Dalian, a coastal city. I want to take them there,” a female participant told the Harbin-based newspaper, Modern Evening Times.

“My girlfriend registered for me. I will prove that I can win,” a participant, nicknamed Leifeng Cap, said.

It was reported that the sleeping competition was not only a respite from electronics, but a challenge to people’s physical well-being.

Credit: CCTV

Prime Minister Caught on Camera Playing Game During Debate in Parliament

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The craze for games is taking a new dimension as world leaders have also caught the bug.

A Dailymail report has revealed that Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg was spotted playing Pokemon Go game during a debate in her country’s Parliament.

The report further revealed that it is not the first time Ms Solberg, 55, has been spotted trying to ‘catch them all’, after telling reporters she was trying to ‘hatch eggs’ during an official trip to Slovakia.

Hatching eggs is one of the side features of the game, where players can obtain eggs at ‘Pokestops’ dotted around maps and then ‘hatch’ them by walking a certain distance – 2km, 5km or 10km.

A picture of the leader on Pokemon Go appeared in a Norwegian newspaper and she reacted with good grace, writing on Twitter that ‘women can do two things at once’.

Pokemon Go is an online game many have become addicted to in recent times

It comes weeks after another Norwegian politician was spotted playing the game on her mobile phone during a hearing on the country’s military situation.

Trine Skei Grande, 46, leader of the Liberals (Venstre), in Norway, and was spotted by viewers playing the game when the meeting of the parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee was broadcast live.

Ms Grande was accused of caring more about the game than issues of national security, but during a break from the meeting, Ms Grande defended her actions saying she has a head that ‘listens better when she is doing brain dead’ activities.

And ironically, it was Ms Grande who was addressing Parliament when the Prime Minister was spotted making the same faux pas as she did in August.

US Poll: Clinton Leading Trump By 10 Points

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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A new poll shows US Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is leading her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, by 10 points in the run-up to the US 216 presidential vote.

According to the results of the Fairleigh Dickinson University survey released Wednesday, the former secretary of state has 50 points and the New York billionaire 40 percent among likely voters.

Adding two other candidates, Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein, to the equation would still show the former first lady in the vanguard with 45 percent to 36 percent compared to Trump.

In that case, Johnson grabs 11 and Stein nabs just 3 percent.

The outcome of the new poll was released in the wake of a debate between vice president picks by the two major parties, Indiana Governor Mike Pence and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.

The poll showed that if the two were running for president themselves, the Democratic senator would beat the GOP governor 49 to 41.

With a 4.4 percentage point margin of error, the poll questioned 788 voters in the period between September 28 and October 2.

According to a Real Clear Politics average of recent polls, Clinton currently maintains a 4.9 lead with 48.1 percent over the real estate mogul with 43.2 percent.

Credit: presstv

World Food Prices Rise To Highest In 18 Months In September- UN

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Staff Reporter

World food prices rose in September to their highest since March 2015, led mainly by sugar, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday.

Except for a small dip in July, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index has been increasing steadily since January, when it hit a seven-year low.

The index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar, averaged 170.9 points in September, 2.9 percent above the month before and 10 percent higher than the same month last year.

Sugar prices surged 6.7 percent in September from the previous month, largely because of bad weather in Brazil, the world’s biggest sugar producer and exporter, FAO said.

While cereal prices declined slightly, meat edged up and dairy and vegetable oil prices increased.

“A lot of the September increase has to do with sugar, so if sugar were to stop increasing, the index would be more or less flat,” said FAO senior economist Abdolreza Abbassian. “But the scope for big declines is not there.”

FAO raised slightly its forecast for world cereal production in the 2016-17 season rose to 2.569 billion tonnes, which would be a new record high and a 1.5 percent increase on the previous season. World wheat output is seen at 742.4 million tonnes, up slightly from the previous forecast of 740.7 million tonnes.

Credit: reuters

“I Don’t Love, I Don’t Hate”, Trump On Putin

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Staff Reporter

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has backed off from praising Vladimir Putin, saying he was unsure of his relationship with the Russian president who he has described as a better leader than President Barack Obama.

On Wednesday, just one day after his running mate Mike Pence appeared to break ranks during a vice presidential debate and called Putin “a small and bullying leader”, Trump adjusted his own previously warm rhetoric towards the Russian leader.

“I don’t love [Putin], I don’t hate. We’ll see how it works. We’ll see,” Trump told supporters during a campaign stop in the swing state of Nevada. “Maybe we’ll have a good relationship. Maybe we’ll have a horrible relationship. Maybe we’ll have a relationship right in the middle.”

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has appealed to anti-Russian sentiments in the US by criticising Trump, who often praises Putin, as being too cozy with the Kremlin leader and questioned the Republican’s business interests in Russia.

Read More: aljazeera

US Vice President Joe Biden on Trump: ‘He’s Not a bad Man, But he’s Out of Touch & his Ignorance is So Profound’

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Staff Reporter

US vice-president Joe Biden has blasted Donald Trump saying the U.S Republican party presidential candidate lacks knowledge of the ‘sensibilities of the American people’.

Biden also blasted Trump for his action on Friday morning when he tweeted around 3a.m slandering the media and blasting former Miss Universe Alicia Machado for being used as a tool by Hillary Clinton in her presidential campaign.

In a video chat with CNN on Tuesday, Biden said: “He’s not a bad man,”

“But his ignorance is so profound, so profound.”

“I bet he couldn’t carry his bag 18 holes in one of his own golf courses, speaking of energy,” Biden said.

“Can you imagine the President getting up at 3:30 in the morning and tweeting vitriol?”

“Since when does somebody who lives at the top in the world, in a penthouse overlooking the world, be in a position that he doesn’t feel any obligation at all to pay any federal income tax to support the military, to support education, to support our foreign policy?” Biden said about Trump.

“Since when is that a patriotic thing to do? Can you imagine any other president, any other president, just ever say that and be proud of that? I can’t fathom it.
“

Biden also said that despite Trump’s promises to challenge the status quo by becoming president, his proposed tax plan will preserve the tax breaks he took advantage of.

“What he’s proposing in the tax cut would lock in all of those special interests from real estate folks and cut their taxes even more,” Biden said. “This is all about Trump. This is all about Trump.”

Biden continued: “What’s that say about all the people here? Are they all suckers for paying their taxes, because they can’t hire a tax lawyer, because they couldn’t make significant contributions to try to change the law to benefit themselves? Come on, man. That’s just not right.”

The U.S vice president also said he’ll invite Trump to the “battlefield” with him in Afghanistan and Iraq so that Trump could experience what soldiers go through after Trump said on Monday that Army veterans suffer from PTSD and ‘are weak’.

“I was asked to present a Silver Star to a young man who had jumped into a burning Humvee to pull out his buddy after an IED exploded,” Biden said. “And the kid died. The commanding general … asked me to pin on a Silver Star, when I was there. You know what the kid said to me? ‘I don’t want it. I don’t want it. He did not live, sir. He did not live, sir.’ That kid probably goes to sleep every night with a nightmare.”

“How can (Trump) be so out of touch and ask to lead this country?” Biden asked.

Source: CNN

Source: http://www.kevindjakporblog.com/2016/10/us-vice-president-joe-biden-on-trump.html#ixzz4MCZeXoVq

U.N. Warns Russia Over Syria Air Strikes

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Staff Reporter

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein warned Russia on Tuesday over the use of incendiary weapons in Syria’s besieged enclave of eastern Aleppo, and said crimes by one side did not justify illegal acts by the other.

Zeid said that the situation in Aleppo demanded bold new initiatives “including proposals to limit the use of the veto by the permanent members of the Security Council”, which would enable the U.N. body to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“Such a referral would be more than justified given the rampant and deeply shocking impunity that has characterized the conflict and the magnitude of the crimes that have been committed, some of which may indeed amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Zeid said in a statement.

Syria’s government and its allies had undertaken a “pattern of attacks” against targets with special protection under international humanitarian law, including medical units, aid workers and water-pumping stations, he said.

Russia is a key player in the Syrian civil war by virtue of its military support for President Bashar al-Assad and its role as one of five veto-holding powers on the Security Council.

The use of indiscriminate weapons such as incendiary weapons in heavily populated areas was of particularly grave concern, Zeid said, drawing a parallel with the battles of Warsaw, Stalingrad and Dresden during World War Two.

There is no statute of limitations on international crimes, his spokesman Rupert Colville said.

“I remind all State parties to Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, including the Russian Federation, that they are strictly prohibited from using incendiary weapons in airstrikes on heavily populated areas, and that the use of such weapons by ground forces is severely restricted,” Zeid said.

The rebels’ use of inaccurate “hell-fire cannons”, homemade mortars that fire gas cylinders packed with explosives and shrapnel, was also totally unacceptable, he said.

Designating the enemy as a “terrorist organization” was not an excuse to ignore the laws of war, Zeid said.

Read More: reuters

Trump Has ‘Weird Fascination’ With Dictators- Clinton

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Staff Reporter

US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has accused his Republican rival Donald Trump of having a “weird fascination with dictators.”

Speaking at a rally in Akron, Ohio, on Monday night, Clinton bashed Trump over his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“He gets confused between leadership and dictatorship. He has a hard time remembering who our friends are and who are adversaries are. He has a weird fascination with dictators like Vladimir Putin,” she told her supporters.

Clinton said Trump “basically signs up for Putin’s wish list,” echoing the Democratic claim that, if elected, the New York businessman will bow to Moscow’s will.

“We have a lot of people living in this part of Ohio who, either themselves, their parents, or grandparents, came from countries that were under the yoke of oppression. And we are never going to let that happen again,” the former secretary of state said, while taking an indirect swipe at Russia.

Trump has long been accused by his opponents of, as The New York Times puts it, having a “crush” on Putin, an idea that gained more traction after he praised the Russian leader on several occasions during the primary race.

Read More: presstv

Man Insists He is the Biological Son of Former President Bill Clinton

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Rumors that Bill Clinton once fathered a child with a prostitute have reemerged, as the now 30-year-old man is trying to have the former president recognize him as his son. The man, Danney Williams started a Facebook page in December, under the new name Danney Williams-Clinton, with the intention of getting the Clintons’ attention.

The claim was initially made in the late 1990s by Williams’ mother and in 1999, a DNA test reportedly conducted by Star magazine said that Danney couldn’t be Clinton’s son but the result of the test wasn’t really clear.

Danney’s story first garnered international attention in 1992, as then-Arkansas Gov Clinton
was getting ready to run for the presidency.

The Globe interviewed Danney’s mother, a former prostitute named Bobbie Ann Williams, who gave them the exclusive story of how she allegedly met and began an affair with Clinton in 1984.

She said when she was 24 years old in 1984, Bill Clinton went out for a run one day in Little Rock, Arkansas when he jogged by her housing project and introduced himself to her. She was 24 years old at the time.

A few days later, Clinton allegedly jogged by the housing project again and paid Bobbie $200 for sex with him behind some bushes.

After that, Bobbie says that she and Clinton became a regular customer, sometimes alone, sometimes with other female partners. he said she eventually became pregnant and thought the baby was Clinton’s child after she had the baby on December 7th 1985 and saw that the baby was mixed. She added that Clinton was her only white customer at the time she got pregnant.

She said when she told Clinton who was a Governor at the time that she had had his child, he allegedly laughed in her face.

She said:

‘He rubbed my big belly and said, “Girl, that can’t be my baby.” But I knew it was. I just had this kind of woman’s feeling that this was his child.”

In 2013, Danney gave an interview with The Globe, explaining why he wanted to meet Clinton.

He said:

‘I read he doesn’t have long to live and I want to meet him face to face before he dies,’ Williams said. ‘I just want to shake his hand and say “Hi Dad,” before he dies. I’d like to have a relationship with Chelsea, too. She’s my half-sister.’

Source : Linda Ikeji

New York Orders Trump Foundation to Stop Fundraising

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Staff Reporter

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suffered a punishing new setback on Monday as authorities clamped down on his charitable foundation, while his opponent Hillary Clinton seized the opportunity to brand the property tycoon an unscrupulous businessman.

With just five weeks to go before the November 8 election, the billionaire Trump is struggling to regain his footing against a surging Clinton and climb out of one of the darkest periods of his campaign.

Already weakened by damaging revelations about his taxes, Trump was hit with an order by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman that the Donald J Trump foundation must “cease and desist from soliciting contributions” in New York.

The notice informed the charity that it had engaged in fundraising activities that were not legal because it had not been registered with state authorities.

With Team Trump on the defensive after leaked documents suggested that he may have paid no income tax for two decades, Democratic party candidate Clinton rounded on him as a bully who cares little for his fellow countrymen.

“While millions of American families, including mine and yours, were working hard paying our fair share, it seems he was contributing nothing to our nation. Imagine that,” a fired up Clinton said in Toledo, Ohio.

“He has been ‘dissing’ America in this whole campaign,” she charged, riding high on a surge in polling after a bruising first presidential debate.

The pair face off in their second showdown on Sunday.

Vice presidential nominees Mike Pence, the Republican governor of Indiana, and Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia take the stage on Tuesday for their only debate of the campaign cycle.

Personal attacks

Trump used an appearance before military veterans in Virginia to pound former Secretary of State Clinton again for handling classified information via a “basement” private email server.

But he appeared to stumble when he addressed mental health issues facing army personnel and suggested some were returning from battle ill-equipped to cope with debilitating conditions.

“When you talk about the mental health problems, when people come back from war and combat and they see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over, and you’re strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can’t handle it,” Trump said.

Retired Lieutenant-General Michael Flynn, a Trump adviser, said the candidate was merely “highlighting the challenges veterans face when returning home after serving their country.”

In recent days, Trump’s strongest line of attack has been seen as personal, and of a rare brutality even for this bare-knuckles campaign: he mocked Clinton over the weekend for coming down with pneumonia and even questioned her fidelity to her husband.

“Hillary Clinton’s only loyalty is to her financial contributors and to herself,” he said.

“I don’t even think she’s loyal to Bill, if you want to know the truth. And really, folks, really, why should she be, right?” he said, having already revived talk of former President Bill Clinton’s past infidelities after a lacklustre debate performance.

A defiant Trump meanwhile dodged the swirling questions about his tax record.

Trump’s top allies praised their candidate’s business acumen following the bombshell revelation by The New York Times that he declared a loss of $916m on his 1995 tax return, enabling him to legally avoid paying taxes for up to 18 years.

If true, the report based on documents leaked to the Times is proof of the tycoon’s “absolute genius,” said former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Trump adviser.

Pope Slams Transgender Teachings, Says It’s Against Nature

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Pope Francis reaffirmed his disagreement with teaching gender identity in schools on Sunday, after earlier calling it a “war against marriage.”

On a return flight to Rome at the end of a three-day trip to Georgia and Azerbaijan, the Pope recounted a meeting with a French father whose young son wanted to be a girl after reading about it in a textbook.

“This is against nature,” he said. “It is one thing when someone has this tendency … and it is another matter to teach this in school.”

“To change the mentality — I call this ideological colonization,” the Pope said.

The Pope said he still spends time with transgender people, leading them closer to God.

In August, the Pope called the teaching of gender identity theory “terrible.”

“Today, in schools they are teaching this to children — to children! — that everyone can choose their gender,” Pope Francis said.

New Ways Ministry, a Catholic LGBT advocacy group, criticized those remarks.

“The pontiff’s remarks are further evidence that church officials need desperately to educate themselves about the lives and experiences of LGBT people,” said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry.

“Nobody chooses a gender identity. They discover it.”

Read More: cnn

6 People Shot In 2 Minneapolis Shootings

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Staff Reporter

At least six people have been shot in two separate shootings in the US state of Minnesota, police say.

The shootings occurred in Minneapolis early Monday. One of the injured was in critical condition after being shot in the chest.

Police officers were dispatched to the 4th Street between Hennepin Avenue and Nicollet on reports of a shooting around 1:15 am local time, Minneapolis Police spokesman Corey Schmidt.

Upon arrival at the scene, they found two men who had both sustained gunshot wounds to the leg but it was clear if any of the injuries were lethal.

The second shooting occurred 15 minutes later about a block away, Schmidt added. Police found four victims—three men and one juvenile—at the scene.

Police were trying to find possible links between the two incidents as they happened within a block of each other.

Although no arrests were made in relation to the first shooting, police said they had taken a man into custody in connection with the second shooting.

Schmidt noted that all of the six victims were “uncooperative” with the investigation.

The shootings came only three days after a deadly case of domestic shooting in Minneapolis, where three people were shot dead and one was critically injured.

Read More: presstv

Russia Arrests Ukrainian Journalist For Alleged Spying

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Russian intelligence agency FSB says it has arrested a Ukrainian journalist suspected of spying on Russia, a move likely to increase tensions between Kiev and Moscow, which have been in conflict since 2014.

The FSB claimed in a statement on Monday that Roman Sushchenko is an officer with the Ukrainian military intelligence who has been collecting information about the Russian Armed Forces.

“Roman Sushchenko purposefully collected state secret information on the activities of the Russian Armed forces and the National Guard troops, which could have harmed state defence capabilities if leaked abroad,” the FSB said in a statement.

Sushchenko’s employer, the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, condemned the arrest, saying it was carried out in breach of international law.

Read More: aljazeera

Turkey Detains Brother Of Cleric Gulen, Issues Arrest Warrants For 115

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Turkish authorities have detained a brother of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric they accuse of orchestrating a coup attempt in July, and issued arrest warrants for 115 other people as part of nationwide investigations into the abortive putsch.

Kudbettin Gulen was taken into custody on Sunday by Turkish counter-terrorism police in the Gaziemir district of the Aegean province of Izmir following intelligence that he was staying at a relative’s house, state-run Anadolu Agency said.

The daily Hurriyet reported that Kudbettin Gulen had been abroad recently but that security services learned he had returned to Turkey and he was then detained.

Several of Gulen’s relatives, including a nephew, niece and cousins, have been arrested since the July 15 coup.

A chief prosecutor’s office in Sakarya province, 150 km (93 miles) east of Istanbul, has opened an investigation into 148 people over their suspected links to Gulen’s movement, Anadolu said. A court issued arrest warrants for 115 of them.

Police carried out simultaneous raids across 27 provinces to detain the suspects, it added.

Turkey has dismissed or suspended more than 100,000 people in the military, civil service, police and judiciary over their alleged role in the attempted coup. Some 32,000 people, including soldiers and journalists, have been arrested.

Read More: reuters

‘Pregnant’ Male Politicians Lead Japan Housework Drive

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A trio of male Japanese politicians has gamely strapped on “pregnancy vests” that simulate swollen bellies in a lighthearted campaign for men to pick up the slack in a nation where women do most of the housework.

The three governors of southwestern prefectures are taking to the airwaves with the public awareness campaign that loosely translates as: “The governor is a pregnant woman.”

Japanese men are not very helpful husbands when it comes to housework: they do just one hour of unpaid work daily compared to five hours for their wives, according to a 2014 study by the 35-nation Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The three-minute spot, which started running last week, shows the hapless lawmakers being outfitted with seven kilogramme (16 pound) vests that mimic the belly of a woman who is about seven months pregnant.

Then it is time to clumsily navigate stairs, carry groceries, or wait for someone to give up their seat on the bus.

One politician struggles to put on socks, while another wipes sweat from his brow after hanging a load of laundry, as an upbeat tune plays in the background.

“I can see how hard it is to be carrying a child and do house chores,” says 52-year-old Shunji Kono, the governor of Miyazaki prefecture.

“I think I have to be much kinder,” the father of three adds in the video.

http://guardian.ng/news/pregnant-male-politicians-lead-japan-housework-drive/

Saudi Dumps Islamic Calendar For Gregorian Calendar Due To Economic Crisis

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Oil rich gulf country, Saudi Arabia, has dropped the Islamic Lunar calendar for the Gregorian Calender for payment of salaries due to the economic crisis it is facing as a result of the fall in oil price.

The Gregorian Calender has at least 11 more salary days than the Islamic Lunar calendar. This will save the Kingdom more money in terms of payment of salaries, according to reports.

Saudi Arabia, which houses two hoilest Muslim sites, had earlier sacked some 10,000 deputy Imams in efforts to cut costs for the country to be able to survive its economic crisis.

Oil dependent countries like Nigeria, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia have been thrown into economic crises as a result of fall in oil price.

Credit: dailytrust

New Jersey Train Wreck Shocks Nation

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A commuter train crashed into one of the busiest train stations in the New York area during the morning rush on Thursday, killing at least one person, injuring dozens of others and creating a scene of chaos and destruction, the authorities and witnesses said.

The crash occurred around 8:45 a.m., when a commuter train slammed into the Hoboken Terminal building, Jim Smith, a spokesman for New Jersey Transit, said. It came to a stop on a busy concourse near a waiting area as passengers inside the train scrambled to climb out of the windows.

“It’s just head-shaking,” Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said on CNN. “Obviously, this train was traveling at a fairly high rate of speed.

Michael Larson, a New Jersey Transit worker, was in the station when the train crashed. He said he crawled on his hands and knees to pull people out of the first train car. Videos and photographs show the front of the train stopped beyond the tracks inside the station amid a jumble of mangled metal and hanging wires.

“The first car was pretty well destroyed,” Mr. Larson said. “The whole roof was caved in. The seats were broken.”

Mr. Larson, whose pant leg was bloodied, said that “by looking at the damage” he suspected there had been fatalities.

When the train arrived at the station, it went “over the bumper block, through the depot” and came to rest at the wall right before the station’s waiting area, Mr. Larson told reporters during a segment that was broadcast on CNN.

“One of the worst days I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Rail service was suspended into and out of the station, including service provided by the PATH system, which runs between Manhattan and New Jersey. Local buses and ferries began accepting New Jersey train tickets as a result of the accident, but ferry service to New York City from Hoboken was shut down at midday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said.

http://sunnewsonline.com/u-s-new-jersey-train-wreck-shocks-nation/

Putin Signs Decree To Draft 152,000 Men Into Army By Year-end

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to draft 152,000 young Russians into the Russian army before the end of the year.

Government spokesman said on Friday in Kremlin that the military draft would be carried out from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 concerning Russian citizens aged 18-27 who are not in reserve and are subject to the military draft under the law.

He said that in accordance with the law, Putin also ordered to carry out a dismissal of current conscripts from the military service.

The spokesman said further that “On military duty and military service,” the decree includes soldiers, sailors, sergeants and sergeant majors, whose term of service had expired.

Credit: dailytrust

Kenyan Govt To Give Laptops To Pupils

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Government will today Friday kick-start the delivery of digital learning devices to Class One pupils countrywide. The massive rollout plan will see all Cabinet Secretaries and Permanent Secretaries lead the distribution to 60 schools over the next one month. The plan, we have learnt, is advised by the need to fast-track the Jubilee government flagship project that has been elusive since 2013, with a total of 1.2 million devices expected to be delivered to all the 23,951 public primary schools by December this year.

The devices include laptops for teachers and tablets for pupils, which are fitted with Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD)-approved content. Content for Class One and Two is available
in five subjects.

According to a schedule by the ICT Authority and Digischool-the key implementers of the project-the rollout will kick off on Friday when ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru will deliver laptops to Ortum Boys School in West Pokot County.

Video Of Police Killing 6 Year Old Autistic Boy Released

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A court in the US state of Louisiana has released a video showing law enforcement officers fatally shooting a 6-year-old autistic boy last November.

The tape shows two deputy city marshals opening fire on a car, killing the boy and critically wounding his father in the city of Marksville.

Jeremy Mardis, who had autism, died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. His father, Chris Few, survived.

Prosecutors showed the tape in court to support their claim that one of the deputies had a pattern of using excessive force.

Police say the officer’s chased the boy’s father after he drove off from an argument with his girlfriend.

Defense attorneys argued the deputies acted in self-defense and claim the boy’s father rammed into a deputy’s vehicle before they fired.

However, the judge said the footage doesn’t show the boy’s father using his car as a deadly weapon at the time of the shooting.

The release of the video came days after several African American men were killed by police in the states of California, Oklahoma and North Carolina.

Read More: presstv

China Arrests Man Suspected Of Killing 19 In Remote Village

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Chinese police on Thursday arrested a man suspected of killing 19 people, including three children, found dead in different locations a remote southwestern village, state media and authorities said.

Mass killings are rare in China and the incident dominated discussion on social media platforms. It was not immediately clear how the victims were killed, or what the motive was.

Yang Qingpei, born in 1989, was arrested in Yunan province’s capital of Kunming, about 200 km (124 miles) from the site of the murders in Yema, Yunnan police said on their official microblog.

The victims were members of six families, said the official Xinhua news agency.

The bodies were found on Thursday at different locations in the village, a state-backed news website, ThePaper.cn, said, adding that the suspect had given authorities some details.

The public security bureau in the nearby city of Qujing told Reuters it was investigating.

Credit: reuters

Sudan Accused Of Chemical Weapons Attacks In Darfur

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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Sudan’s government has been accused of killing scores of civilians this year in at least 30 suspected chemical weapons attacks in a remote area of the country’s Darfur region.

In a report released on Thursday, Amnesty International estimated that up to 250 people, including many children, may have died as a result of exposure to the chemical weapons agents in the Jebel Marra area since January.

The UK-based rights group, which said that its investigation was based on satellite imagery and more than 200 interviews, alleged that the most recent attack occurred on September 9.

“There have been relentless attacks, there have been crimes against humanity, and now this level of viciousness with the use of suspected chemical weapons,” Tirana Hassan, Amnesty’s director of Crisis Research, told Al Jazeera.

“The use of chemical weapons is a war crime. The evidence we have gathered is credible and portrays a regime that is intent on directing attacks against the civilian population in Darfur without any fear of international retribution,” said Hassan.

Amnesty said it had presented its findings to two independent chemical weapons experts.

“Both concluded that the evidence strongly suggested exposure to vesicants, or blister agents, such as the chemical warfare agents sulfur mustard, Lewisite or nitrogen mustard,” the watchdog said in a statement.

Read More: aljazeera

Meet The Iraqi Housewife Who ‘Cooked The Heads’ Of ISIS Fighters, Tops ISIS’ Most Wanted List

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Staff Reporter

“Shut up and stay still,” the woman in black fatigues and a black headscarf snapped over her shoulder at the armed men behind her as she sat down for an interview.

Immediately they went quiet, each adjusting his weapon and standing up straight as if he’d been called to attention.

This is a woman who commands respect, I thought. She keeps a Beretta 9-millimeter pistol in a holster under her left arm. The area around the trigger was silver where the paint had worn off.

The woman in question, 39-year-old Wahida Mohamed — better known as Um Hanadi — leads a force of around 70 men in the area of Shirqat, a town 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Mosul, Iraq. She and her men, part of a tribal militia, recently helped government forces drive ISIS out of the town.

In the man’s world that is rural Iraq, female fighters are a rarity. Um Hanadi is not new to this.

“I began fighting the terrorists in 2004, working with Iraqi security forces and the coalition,” she says. As a result, she attracted the wrath of what eventually became al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, which later morphed into ISIS.

“I received threats from the top leadership of ISIS, including from Abu Bakr (al-Baghdadi) himself,” she says, referring to ISIS’s self-declared caliph.

“But I refused.”

“I’m at the top of their most wanted list,” she brags, “even more than the Prime Minister.”

Read More: CNN

World Leaders To Attend Shimon Peres’ Funeral

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A long list of world leaders will attend the funeral of former Israeli prime minister and president Shimon Peres, who died on Wednesday at 93.

Some of the world’s most powerful figures will be at the service in Jerusalem on Friday, including US President Barack Obama.

Mr Peres’s condition had deteriorated after suffering a stroke two weeks ago.

He was one of the last of a generation of Israeli politicians present at the nation’s birth in 1948.

Mr Peres won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role negotiating the Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians a year earlier, a prize he shared with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The agreement was witnessed by former US President Bill Clinton and signed at the White House. On Wednesday Mr Clinton said on Twitter:

“I will miss Shimon Peres, my brilliant and eloquent friend. His life was a blessing to all who strive for peace…”

Other world leaders set to attend the funeral on Friday include UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Mr Peres will receive a state burial at a ceremony on Friday at Mount Herzel Cemetery in Jerusalem.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sent a letter of condolence to Mr Peres’ family “expressing his sorrow and sadness”.

http://sunnewsonline.com/israel-world-leaders-to-attend-shimon-peres-funeral/

Hijab Wearing Muslim Woman To Appear On Playboy Magazine

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A Muslim-American journalist Noor Tagouri will appear in Playboy magazine’s October issue wearing a hijab, a decision that has elicited praise in some quarters and provoked condemnation in others.

She’ll appear alongside a sex activist, a comedian and novelist as part of the magazine’s “Renegade” series, which highlights people who have “risked it all — even their lives — to do what they love.”

Earlier this year, Playboy changed directions, enacting a several changes, the biggest of which was to do away with fully nude photos.

Tagouri, a 22-year-old journalist who reports for Newsy, appears in the issue clad in black jeans, Converse sneakers, a leather jacket and of course, her head covered.

Read More: CNN

Those Bombing #Aleppo ‘Must Answer To God’- Pope

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Pope Francis has decried the bombing of Aleppo in Syria, saying those responsible for killing civilians will have to answer to God.

Speaking at his public audience in St Peter’s Square in Rome, he called it “an already martyred city, where everybody is dying”.

Russian-backed Syrian government forces have launched a fierce campaign to take back rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

Airstrikes continued to hit the besieged northern city overnight.

Pope Francis urged all sides to “commit themselves with all their strength to protect civilians”.

“This is an imperative and urgent obligation. I appeal to the consciences of those responsible for the bombings, who will one day will have to account to God,” he said.

Read More: BBC

Eminem – Campaign Speech (Donald Trump Diss)

Matthew Apperson sits in a Seminole County courtroom Tuesday, Sept. 13th.