Wednesday, 31 October 2018
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ISTANBUL: World War I ended with the Ottoman Empire vanquished and facing imminent collapse, its doomed alliance with Imperial Germany costing hundreds of thousands of Ottoman lives and dealing a death blow to the already creaking empire.But 100 years after the surrender of the Ottomans to the Allied powers at Mudros on October 30, 1918, the Great War is in no way seen as a pointless waste or even a defeat by modern Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Rather than focusing on the four years of devastating conflict that ended in the capitulation and eventual dissolution of the empire, Turkey remembers key individual battles where Ottoman forces, often against huge odds, defied the Allies and helped forge a new Turkish national identity.Chief among them is the 1915-1916 Battle of Gallipoli, but other episodes like the siege at Kut al-Amara in modern Iraq and the Battle of Sarikamis against the Russians are also marked with increasing emphasis.Gursel Goncu, the editor-in-chief of the monthly Turkish history magazine #tarih, said the empire´s defeat was not something that existed in the memory of contemporary Turkey."We, the Turks, remember and talk about that period through the Gallipoli victory and the triumph of the siege of Kut al-Amara. The devastating defeat of 1918, on the other hand, is still being interpreted as the ´treason´ of the authorities at the time," he told AFP. ´Rising from the ashes´Erdogan increasingly gives these brief triumphs prominence, tracing a line of continuity through the centuries of great events in Turkish history from the pre-Ottoman era into the modern republic right up to the defeat of an attempted coup against him in 2016.The president sees these battles as a defiance of the West and defence of territory which was historically in Turkey´s natural sphere of influence.The Ottoman resistance at Gallipoli prevented the conquest of Constantinople and helped lay the foundations of the modern state that would be formed in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a key commander at Gallipoli.Erdogan, who refers to the battle as the Canakkale Victory, has urged Turkish soldiers to remember the heroism of their forebears as they prepare for battle."The aim is the same, the spirit is the same and the faith is the same," Erdogan said in March as he sent troops on a cross-border mission into Syria to help seize the Afrin region from Syrian-Kurdish militia."At Canakkale, a nation filled with a history of victories awakens from a centuries-old sleep, and rising up from the ashes, embraces the spirit of unity," he added.There is no room in this narrative for the fate of the empire´s Armenian citizens, whose leaders and prominent intellectuals began to be rounded up in 1915 just as the Gallipoli campaign started.Armenians contend they were the victims of the first genocide of the 20th century at the hands of Ottoman forces but Turkey rejects this, insisting far smaller numbers perished in a conflict that saw atrocities on both sides. ´Defeat, agony forgotten´Every January, thousands of Turks brandishing national flags brave freezing temperatures to march through snow in the northern Kars region to mark not a victory but a famous retreat of Ottoman forces in 1915 after a disastrous defeat inflicted by better-prepared Russian forces at Sarikamis.The retreat is seen as another act of defiance, though Western historians lambast the Ottoman commander Enver Pasha for needlessly sending troops to their deaths. Enver is despised by Armenians, who see him as the instigator of the 1915 massacres."For the sake of a higher and more meaningful victory, our army did not give in to the enemy or to nature," Erdogan said this year, revealing his own grandfather has been "martyred" at Sarikamis.However the 1916 siege in Kut al-Amara was successful, ending in the surrender of thousands of British and Indian soldiers. It is regarded as one of the most humiliating Allied defeats of the war."We try to understand World War I through rare victories such as Gallipoli, epic tragedies or personal heroic stories, without considering the reasons for such failures," said Tuncay Yilmazer, a WWI researcher and editor of the website Geliboluyuanlamak.com."We need to review our understanding of such a great event that led to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and transformation into a modern nation state," he told AFP.Goncu noted that WWI was part of more than a decade of devastating warfare endured by the Turks that began with the Balkan Wars of 1912 and ended with victory in the War of Independence in 1923."We have recalled and commemorated the victorious moments and the heroes of this 10-year long struggle, and we still do," Goncu said."As regards defeat and agony, well, they are to be forgotten!"
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Daily Horoscope For Wednesday, October 31, 2018. What kind of day will you have today? To find out what the star say, read the forecast given for your birth sign.Daily Horoscope for Tuesday, October 30, 2018ARIES(March 21-April 19)Today you are so confident! You’re almost swaggering because you’re full of big, money-making ideas that excite you. You quite literally feel like a player, because you know you’re in the zone!TAURUS(April 20-May 20)You easily will see the big picture in anything you look at or discuss today. You also will be intellectually more tolerant of other people’s viewpoints.GEMINI(May 21-June 20)A kind of inner optimism makes you feel happy, content and enthusiastic about life today. Essentially, it’s a belief in your own positive future.CANCER(June 21-July 22) All group activities will be rewarding and upbeat for you. Accept invitations from others. It’s time to rally the troops!LEO(July 23-Aug. 22) Conversations with bosses, parents, teachers and VIPs will be extremely positive today. Others are impressed with your ability to “think big.”VIRGO(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Travel plans are exciting. You’re starting to wrap your head around bigger ideas that you previously had entertained. This enthusiasm extends to school plans and anything having to do with medicine and the law.LIBRA(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)Keep your pockets open, because others will be generous to you today. This is an excellent day to discuss how to share or divide something, especially inheritances and jointly held property.SCORPIO(Oct. 23-Nov. 21)Conversations with friends and partners are unusually positive and upbeat today. In part, this is because people feel generous to each other.SAGITTARIUS(Nov. 22-Dec. 21)This is a wonderful day at work. Meetings with co-workers will be positive and successful. Work-related travel is likely. (But you will like it.)CAPRICORN(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)What a fun-loving day to party! Enjoy playful activities with children. Artists will be particularly confident about their ability to create something.AQUARIUS(Jan. 20-Feb. 18)Family gatherings will be enjoyable today because everyone is in a great mood. People will be generous and supportive of each other, which sets the tone for a happy get-together.PISCES(Feb. 19-Mar 20)Because you’re full of positive thoughts today, that is how your day will unfold. First comes the thought, then comes the word, and from the word springs the deed. Soon the deed becomes habit, which eventually hardens into character. Thoughts are important!
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WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Tuesday for an end to all air strikes in Yemen´s populated areas conducted by the Saudi-led coalition."The time is now for the cessation of hostilities, including missile and UAV (drone) strikes from Huthi-controlled areas into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates," Pompeo said in a statement."Subsequently, coalition air strikes must cease in all populated areas in Yemen," he added.
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ORLANDO: The Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel and will be retired after a 9-1/2-year mission in which it detected thousands of planets beyond our solar system and boosted the search for worlds that might harbor alien life, NASA said on Tuesday.Currently orbiting the sun 94 million miles (156 million km) from Earth, the spacecraft will drift further from our planet when mission engineers turn off its radio transmitters, the US space agency said.The telescope laid bare the diversity of planets that reside in our Milky Way galaxy, with findings indicating that distant star systems are populated with billions of planets, and even helped pinpoint the first moon known outside our solar system.The Kepler telescope discovered more than 2,600 of the roughly 3,800 exoplanets - the term for planets outside our solar system - that have been documented in the past two decades.Its positioning system broke down in 2013 about four years after its launch, though scientists found a way to keep it operational.But the telescope has now run out of the fuel needed for further operations, leading to its retirement. "While this may be a sad event, we are by no means unhappy with the performance of this marvelous machine. Kepler´s nine-and-a-half year flight was more than twice the original target," Charlie Sobeck, project system engineer at NASA´s Ames Research Center in California, told reporters on a conference call.Kepler was succeeded by NASA´s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, which was launched in April. TESS is on a two-year, $337 million mission. NASA launched the Kepler telescope on March 6, 2009, to learn if Earth-like planets that might harbor life are common or rare in other star systems.During its mission, Kepler found 2,681 confirmed planets and another 2,899 candidates, bringing its tally to 5,580. That number includes about 50 that may be about the same size and temperature as Earth."Basically, Kepler opened the gate for mankind´s exploration of the cosmos," William Borucki, Kepler´s now-retired chief investigator, told reporters. Borucki described his favorite exoplanet, located more than 600 light years from Earth and first spotted by the telescope in 2009, named Kepler 22B.It is a possible "water world" the size of Earth perhaps covered with oceans and with a water-based atmosphere.Water is considered a key ingredient for life. Kepler´s data also provided a new way to assess whether a planet had a solid surface, like Earth and Mars, or is gaseous, like Jupiter and Saturn.The distinction helped scientists zero in on potential Earth-like planets and better the odds for finding life.Kepler used a detection method called transit photometry, which looked for periodic, repetitive dips in the visible light of stars caused by planets passing, or transiting, in front of them.
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LONDON: Wilfried Zaha claims he suffered racist abuse and threats to his family after he won a controversial penalty in Crystal Palace´s 2-2 draw against Arsenal.Palace forward Zaha was clipped by Granit Xhaka in the closing minutes of Sunday´s Premier League clash, with Luka Milivojevic converting the spot-kick to end Arsenal´s 11-match winning run.Following the match, Arsenal defender Xhaka said he thought the incident had been a "clear penalty".But Ivory Coast international Zaha once again found himself accused of diving by fans on the internet, following several previous high-profile claims that he was guilty of simulation.Zaha took to social media to defend himself, but subsequently revealed in a post on Instagram on Tuesday that the abuse had escalated."For all the people taking it one step further and being racist and wishing death on my family I wish you and your families the best too x p.s my life is still very good despite your hate," Zaha wrote.
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NEW YORK: Several of Hollywood´s most famous female faces, including Oscar winners Cher, Julianne Moore and Jodie Foster, have joined forces for a TV spot to urge Americans to vote in the November 6 midterm elections.The minute-long video, produced by billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg and directed by Foster, was released Tuesday -- exactly one week before voters head to the polls."What matters to you?" Cher asks in the spot."Grey´s Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo talks about school shootings, comedian Lily Tomlin speaks about "basic human rights" and Moore mentions "freedom of speech."None of the women featured in the ad mention President Donald Trump by name, but the ad clearly seems to be calling for change.At stake on November 6 is control of Congress, which is currently held by Trump´s Republican Party. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs, along with about a third of Senate seats.Other celebrities featured in the ad include transgender actress Laverne Cox, "Crazy Rich Asians" star Constance Wu and Felicity Huffman of "Desperate Housewives" fame.Deaf Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin signs the word "Vote."The video was funded by Independence USA PAC, a political action committee launched by Bloomberg, a former mayor of New York who is pushing for Democrats to be elected this year.
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Dubai: A nine-year-old Moroccan girl on Tuesday won $136,000 (120,000 euros) in an Arabic-language reading competition organised by the Dubai government.Maryam Amjoun beat 16 other finalists all aged under 18 from across the Arab world to land the top prize in the third annual Arab Reading Challenge.Organisers said that this year's literacy initiative -- in which competitors have to read at least 50 books to qualify -- saw "10.5 million students from the Arab region and worldwide" take part.The Al-Ikhlas school, in Kuwait, won a $270,000 prize for the best reading initiatives for students.Aisha al-Tuwairqi, from Saudi Arabia, won the title of Outstanding Reading Supervisor and took home $82,000, while Tasneem Eidi, from France, was recognised for her reading efforts in non-Arab countries and won $27,000.Last year, 17-year-old Palestinian high school student Afaf Raed Sharif won first prize.
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Paris -Yemen´s war must stop, France´s Defence Minister Florence Parly said Tuesday, toughening Paris´ stance as photographs of starving children trigger outrage around the world."It is more than time that this war ended and it is also important -- even France´s priority -- that the humanitarian situation must improve and that humanitarian aid can get through," Parly told BFM television and RMC radio."This military situation is an effective dead-end so this war must stop. That´s a priority."More than 22 million Yemenis -- three quarters of the population -- are in need of humanitarian assistance in a conflict that has raged since 2015, when Saudi Arabia and its allies began bombing Huthi rebels.Like other Western nations, France has come under increasing pressure over its arms supplies to the kingdom since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul this month.French President Emmanuel Macron insisted last week that sales of weapons to Riyadh -- France´s second biggest customer after India -- have "nothing to do with Mr Khashoggi"."One shouldn´t mix everything up," Macron said, blasting calls to halt arms sales over the killing as "pure demagoguery"."I can understand the link with Yemen, but there isn´t any with Mr Khashoggi," he added.Parly reiterated her earlier insistence that France does not believe its arms have been used against civilians in Yemen."To my knowledge, the weapons we have sold recently have not been used against civilians," she said.She defended France´s "relatively modest" weapons exports to Saudi Arabia, saying they were subject to tight restrictions."We don´t sell weapons like they´re baguettes," she said.She added that France was exerting "relentless pressure" through the United Nations for a political settlement in Yemen.Yemeni officials said Tuesday that the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-linked Huthis had sent 10,000 new troops towards the vital rebel-held port city of Hodeida.Fighting has killed almost 10,000 people since the coalition intervened, and sparked what the UN has labelled the world´s worst humanitarian crisis.The world body warned last week that 14 million people in Yemen now face a serious threat of famine.
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Colombo - Tens of thousands of supporters of sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe blocked roads in Sri Lanka´s capital on Tuesday, stepping up a showdown with a former strongman accused of rights abuses -- who also claims to head the country´s government.Wickremesinghe left his official residence for the first time since Friday to condemn President Maithripala Sirisena for dismissing him and appointing Mahinda Rajapakse, a former president accused of grave human rights violations and corruption.Wickremesinghe´s party said about 100,000 people flooded the streets, while police sources estimated 25,000 even as scores of buses brought more demonstrators to the biggest rally since the constitutional crisis erupted.The army of followers chanted "Down With the Rogue PM" as they targeted Rajapakse, who Sirisena has brought back into frontline politics as his prime minister.Effigies of Sirisena were torn up in a symbolic protest against the president, who has faced international calls to end a suspension of parliament so it can hold a vote on the rival prime ministers."We are against the sacking, the people did not vote for Sirisena to act in this manner," Wickremesinghe told supporters from a makeshift stage. "We will resist what the president has done."Parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya has warned that the crisis could lead to a "bloodbath" on the streets if the assembly does not hold a vote.But the rally remained peaceful, watched by more than 2,600 police and special task force commandos, before it dispersed.Behind the scenes, the rivals battled to tempt lawmakers from opposing sides to bolster their numbers if a vote is held.Rajapakse, 72, gave four legislators from Wickremesinghe´s party ministerial portfolios in his cabinet after persuading them to defect on Monday.Another defected on Tuesday and was made a state minister but Rajapakse was unable to name a full cabinet.Wickremesinghe has also convinced at least two lawmakers from Sirisena´s camp to join his United National Party.Following the latest defection, Wickremesinghe has 104 MPs in the 225-seat chamber while Rajapakse and Sirisena together have 99.A majority of the 22 remaining MPs are expected to back Wickremesinghe in any vote but the horse-trading is sure to intensify, observers said.A deputy minister in Wickremesinghe´s administration, Ranjan Ramanayake, accused China of paying for Rajapakse -- who favoured a pro-Beijing policy during his decade-long tenure as president -- to buy legislators."I am telling China not to spend their millions to buy MPs in Sri Lanka. They want to buy the country wholesale," he said.- China denies interference -The Chinese embassy in Colombo denied the claims in a statement to AFP."Recent allegations about China by MP Ranjan Ramanayake are groundless and irresponsible," the statement said, adding that Beijing follows "the principle of non-interference in other country´s internal affairs."With Sirisena showing no sign of lifting the parliamentary suspension which runs until November 16, Wickremesinghe´s finance minister Mangala Samaraweera said the president was trying to buy time to secure votes for Rajapakse.Speaker Jayasuriya followed up his "bloodbath" warning by officially calling on Sirisena to recall parliament or risk unrest."If you do not, we will not be able to stop people taking alternate action to protect their democratic rights," Jayasuriya said in the letter seen by AFP.Tensions have been heightened by the killing of one activist in the capital on Sunday.The army has insisted however that it will let politicians solve the crisis.Sri Lanka´s army chief Mahesh Senanayake told AFP the military expected politicians to "constitutionally and legally" end the dispute."The army will not get involved," he said, responding to queries on the role of security forces as the constitutional crisis drags on."The police are responsible for maintaining law and order and only if they require our assistance, we will help."Sirisena appointed a 12-member cabinet late Monday, giving the powerful finance portfolio to Rajapakse.Rajapakse -- whose rule was marked by allegations of rights abuses and authoritarianism -- said Monday he was given the job because his predecessor´s party "engaged in a quest to sell off valuable state assets and enterprises to foreign companies"."I was aware that at this moment of national peril, the people expected our leadership and protection," Rajapakse said. "Hence, I accepted the invitation."
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In this file photo taken on February 26, 2015 German former male nurse Niels Hoegel hides his face behind a folder as he waits next to his lawyer Ulrike Baumann (R) for the opening of another session of his trial at a court in Oldenburg, northwestern Germany.1OLDENBURG: A German nurse admitted in court on Tuesday to being post-war Germany´s deadliest serial killer, murdering 99 patients with lethal injections so that he could play the hero by trying to revive them.When judge Sebastian Buehrmann asked 41-year-old Niels Hoegel if the charges against him were valid, he responded in the affirmative, adding: "All that I have admitted to is true." Hoegel hid his face behind a blue plastic folder as he was ushered into the courtroom in the northern city of Oldenburg by police and his attorney.He had already been sentenced to 15 years in jail in 2015 after he was found guilty of killing two patients with lethal injections.In January, prosecutors brought new charges against him for killing another 97 people.His admission will not end the trial, at which families of the victims hope to uncover more information about the crimes."We want him to get the sentence that he deserves," said Frank Brinkers, whose father died in an overdose allegedly administered by Hoegel."When this trial is over we want to put this whole thing behind us and find closure."Prosecutors in the northern German city of Oldenburg say an investigation and toxicology reports showed that he injected 35 people at one clinic, in Oldenburg, and 62 at another in nearby Delmenhorst, with drugs that could kill them.Ten years ago, a German nurse was convicted of killing 28 elderly patients. He said he gave them lethal injections because he felt sorry for them. He was sentenced to life in prison.In Britain, Dr Harold Shipman was believed to have killed as many as 250 people, most of them elderly and middle-aged women who were his patients.Known as Dr Death, Shipman was sentenced to 15 life terms in 2000; he died prison in 2004, apparently a suicide.
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London: Uber launched Tuesday an attempt at England´s Court of Appeal to overturn a ruling that the ride-hailing app´s drivers are its workers rather than self-employed, as protestors rallied outside.Uber is trying to to overturn employment tribunal findings which could pave the way for tens of thousands of its drivers in Britain to receive the national minimum wage and paid holiday time.The US firm´s lawyers said the "agency model" -- with Uber acting as an agent between self-employed drivers and passengers -- has been used in the private hire industry "for many years", and this had not been properly taken into account by the tribunal.Lawyer Dinah Rose said Uber was not "unusual" in the industry, but "the Uber app enables it to operate on a much larger scale than traditional minicab companies".A prior tribunal had found that former Uber drivers Yaseen Aslam and James Farrar had been its "workers".Rose claimed that the "only legally proper conclusion" from the tribunal´s findings "was that the claimants were not employed as workers".The company has about 40,000 drivers and 3.5 million customers in the British capital.Outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, hundreds of "precarious workers" attended a demonstration organised by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, which represents Aslam and Farrar."Today´s action is the articulation of the legitimate rage of the precarious workers and the exploited workers of the UK," said IWGB general secretary Jason Moyer-Lee.Speaking outside court, Farrar said people had told him to "work somewhere else" if he did not like working with Uber, "but the problem is the problems are repeated across the economy".Farrar said the case was more important than just the outcome for himself."There is a lot at stake. If we lose this, all those (other) people will be affected."
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Lebanese government talks hit snag over Sunni representation. Reuters. BEIRUT: Lebanon´s Hezbollah pressed a demand for one of its Sunni allies to be given a post in a new government on Tuesday as politicians sought a compromise to a standoff pitting the Iranian-backed group against prime minister-designate Saad al-Hariri.Hariri, Lebanon´s main Sunni Muslim politician, is trying to clinch a deal on a national unity government more than five months since a general election that produced a parliament tilted in favour of Hezbollah and its allies.A major hurdle was cleared on Monday when a row over Christian representation was settled with the staunchly anti-Hezbollah Christian Lebanese Forces ceding ground to President Michel Aoun and his Free Patriotic Movement, a Hezbollah ally.The row over Sunni representation is the last problem.Hezbollah is insisting one of its Sunni allies be made a minister to reflect the result of an election in which Hariri lost more than a third of his seats, many of them to Sunni allies of Hezbollah."Our view is that their demand is just and we stand by them," senior Hezbollah official Hussein Khalil said in televised comments after meeting with the group´s Sunni allies."I believe the problem of the representation of the independent Sunni MPs is not bigger than the problems that were solved," he said.Hariri has ruled out giving up one of his cabinet seats.A possible compromise would be for Aoun to appoint one of the Hezbollah-allied Sunnis within a group of ministers named by the head of state.Lebanon is dire need of a government that can embark on economic reforms that are seen as more pressing than ever.The country is wrestling with the world´s third largest public debt as a proportion of the economy and stagnant growth.Government posts in Lebanon are filled according to a strict sectarian system.The president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament a Shi´ite Muslim.Posts in the cabinet of 30 ministers must be split equally between Christians and Muslims.Faisal Karami, one the Hezbollah-allied Sunni MPs, criticised Hariri and his Future Movement party."He wants to monopolise the entire Sunni sect for himself," Karami told LBC television."Today the Future Movement no longer represents the absolute, overwhelming majority in the Sunni street."Rashed Fayed, a Future Movement official, said the demand by Hezbollah and its allies was "sudden" and "contrived" after months when the subject had not surfaced in the cabinet discussions."Saad al-Hariri will not let it pass," he told Reuters.A second source in the Hariri camp described the row as quite serious and said resolving it "will take time".Together, Hezbollah and its political allies secured more than 70 of the 128 seats in parliament in the election, Lebanon´s first in nine years.Hezbollah, proscribed as a terrorist movement by the United States, is expected to take control of the health ministry, the most significant cabinet post it has held, and to increase its number of ministers to three from two in the outgoing cabinet.
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A gallery assistant poses with a copy of the picture shows the book ´A Brief History of Time´ by theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking signed with a thumbprint with an estimate price of GBP £2,000-£3,000 GBP during a photocall for the sale of personal items from Hawking´s estate at Christie´s auction house in London on October 30, 2018. / AFP / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS A copy of Stephen Hawking´s doctorate thesis signed in a shaky hand was unveiled Tuesday as the highlight of a new auction of the British physicist´s personal items in London.One of Hawking´s wheelchairs, an early edition of his bestselling book "A Brief History of Time" marked with a thumbprint, and a script from one of his appearances on the television series "The Simpsons" are also among the 22 lots on sale at Christie´s auction house.The collection highlights the brilliance, determination and sense of humour of Hawking, who died in March aged 76 after a lifetime spent trying to unlock the secrets of the universe.Hawking published his thesis in 1965, two years after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor-neurone disease that would eventually leave him paralysed.His first wife Jane typed out the 117 pages but he added two hand-written signatures and the words "This dissertation is my original work" at the front, as well as several mathematical equations inside.The copy, one of only five originals of the thesis entitled "Properties of expanding universes", is the top priced item in the auction valued at £100,000-£150,000 ($128,000-$191,000, 112,000-168,000 euros).When the document was made available online last year by Cambridge University, where Hawking spent his career, it was so popular that it crashed the website.Another auction highlight is a red leather wheelchair which Hawking used from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, driving himself using a joystick, priced at £10,000-£15,000."Famously he was quite a dangerous driver. He ran over Prince Charles´ feet when they met," Thomas Venning, Christie´s head of books and manuscripts, told AFP.- Time traveller party -He noted that the items put on sale by the family revealed "the progression of his illness but also the way that he overcame it"."They range from some of his really important science to some fun stuff that reflects his quirky personality," he said.There are Hawking´s own copies of some of his most important scientific articles, including his seminal 1974 work that predicted black holes would release radiation, estimated at £3,000-£5,000.But there is also an invitation he sent out to a party held several years previously, a light-hearted experiment to see if any time travellers would turn up. It is priced at £100-£150.As Hawking´s health deteriorated, he could no longer write, and a 1988 copy of "A Brief History of Time", priced at £2,000-£3,000, is marked with a thumbprint on the inside page.The auction also contains a 2009 production script for "The Simpsons", the hit US show in which Hawking appeared several times, estimated at £2,000-£3,000.His lines, which he programmed into the computer he used to speak after losing his voice, are highlighted in yellow.Venning said there had already been huge interest from around the world for the auction, which will take place online from October 31 to November 8."He was someone who people connected with across the world," he said."It will be a range of people (who bid) but what they will have in common is a passion for science, and there will be people who are inspired by Stephen Hawking´s story."Other items include medals and awards, and a bomber jacket Hawking wore in a 2016 documentary.The items are only a small selection from Hawking´s archive, which his family is donating to the nation in lieu of paying inheritance tax, although there are no details yet of where it will be stored.The auction funds will go to the family although the money raised from selling the wheelchair will be donated to the Motor Neurone Disease Association and the Stephen Hawking Foundation.
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Smoke rises from the chimney of a paper factory outside Hanoi, Vietnam May 21, 2018. REUTERSGENEVA: Asia could reap massive benefits in health, environment, agriculture and economic growth if governments implement 25 policies such as banning the burning of household waste and cutting industrial emissions, according to a UN report.Air pollution is a health risk for 4 billion people in Asia, killing about 4 million of them annually, and efforts to tackle the problem are already on track to ensure air pollution is no worse in 2030, but huge advances could be made, the report said.The report’s 25 recommendations would cost an estimated $300 billion-$600 billion annually, a big investment but loose change compared with a projected $12 trillion economic growth increase.The publication of the report, “Air Pollution in Asia and the Pacific: Science based solutions”, on Tuesday coincides with the World Health Organization holding its first global air pollution conference in Geneva this week.The recommendations also included post-combustion controls to cut emissions from power stations, higher standards for shipping fuels, ending routine flaring of gas from oil wells, and energy efficiency standards for industry and households.The biggest gains would come from clean cooking, reducing emissions from industry, using renewable fuels for power generation and more efficient use of fertilisers.Huge improvements in post-combustion controls and emission standards for road vehicles were already anticipated because of recent legislation, although both could be improved further.Indeed, India may halt the use of private vehicles in the capital New Delhi if air pollution, which has reached severe levels in recent days, gets worse, a senior environmental official said on Tuesday.Authorities in the capital have already advised residents to keep outdoor activity to a minimum from the beginning of next month until at least the end of the Hindu festival of Diwali on Nov. 7, when firecrackers typically further taint air choked by the burning of crop stubble in neighboring states.Helena Molin Valdés, head of Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat at UN Environment, said there was increasing political openness to taking action on air pollution and the report reflected three years of discussions with governments.“What the governments were saying in the region was: ‘Don’t tell us we have a problem, we know there is a problem, how can we deal with it and what will it take to do it?’,” she said.The report estimates its recommendations would cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent compared to a baseline scenario, potentially decreasing global warming by one-third of a degree Celsius by 2050, which would also be a contribution in the fight against climate change.One billion people would enjoy high air quality, while the number exposed to the worst pollution would be cut by 80 percent to 430 million. Premature deaths would fall by a third.Crop yields would benefit because of a reduction in ozone, which is estimated to have cut 2015 harvests by 10 percent for maize, 4 percent for rice, 22 percent for soy and 9 percent across Asia, a total of 51 million tonnes.
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Washington -President Donald Trump plans to abolish the right to citizenship for anyone born in the United States -- guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution -- with an executive order, he said in an interview excerpt released Tuesday.While Trump asserts that he can change the provision with such an order, that is far from certain: there is a set process for modifying the constitution, which does not include presidential decree.His comments come shortly before a hotly-contested midterm election in which the president has sought to place the issue of immigration front and center."It was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don´t," Trump said in an interview with Axios. "Now they´re saying I can do it just with an executive order."The president´s opposition to the constitutional provision centers specifically on the fact that children born in the US to immigrant parents -- whether they are in the country legally or not -- are automatically citizens."We´re the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby and the person is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years with all of those benefits. It´s ridiculous. It´s ridiculous and it has to end," he said.Trump said he had spoken to legal counsel about it and that the change is in the works."It´s in the process, it´ll happen -- with an executive order."
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DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates has passed a law to combat money laundering and terrorism financing, it said on Tuesday, as it aims to bring its rules into line with international standards on combating illicit money flows.The law, which is in line with the requirements and recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), recommends the establishment of an independent financial information unit within the central bank to receive and investigate reports of illicit financing activity.FATF is an international organisation that sets global standards for fighting illicit finance.The UAE has been tightening its financial regulation to try to close regulatory gaps and overcome a perception that it is a hot spot for illicit money flows owing to its raft of free trade zones and geographic proximity to Iran. Dubai International Financial Centre this month updated its anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing rules.“This decree is a fundamental pillar of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, and contributes to raising the effectiveness of the legal and institutional framework of the nation,” said deputy ruler of Dubai and finance minister Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid.The law, which follows a decree by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, will be implemented one month after its publication in the Official Gazette.The law signals an acceleration in the UAE’s efforts to modernise its financial regulatory environment after it announced on Sunday new legislation governing the central bank and the regulation of financial institutions and activities.
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Oldenburg: Former nurse Niels Hoegel, accused of killing more than 100 patients in his care, went on trial Tuesday in the biggest serial killing case in Germany´s post-war history.Hoegel, 41, has already spent nearly a decade in prison on a life term for other patient deaths, and is accused of intentionally administering medical overdoses to victims so he could bring them back to life at the last moment.As the proceedings opened in the northern city of Oldenburg, presiding judge Sebastian Buehrmann said the main aim of the trial was to establish the full scope of the murder spree that was allowed to go unchecked for years at two German hospitals."We will do our utmost to learn the truth," he said. "It is like a house with dark rooms -- we want to bring light into the darkness."The bearded, heavyset Hoegel took his seat in the courtroom wearing a hoodie and covered his face with a folder as long as photographers and camera teams were allowed to remain.After a minute of silence for the victims, Hoegel listened impassively, his head lowered, as public prosecutor Daniela Schiereck-Bohlmann read out the name of each patient and the charges against the defendant.- ´Looking for justice´ -During the trial set to last until at least May, he is to face questioning before dozens of victims´ anguished loved ones.Prosecutors say at least 36 patients were killed at a hospital in Oldenburg where he worked, and about 64 more at a clinic in nearby Delmenhorst, between 2000 and 2005.More than 130 bodies of patients who died on Hoegel´s watch have been exhumed, in a case investigators have called "unprecedented in Germany to our knowledge".One of the more than 100 co-plaintiffs in the trial, Christian Marbach, said it was a scandal that Hoegel had been allowed to kill with impunity for such an extended period of time without hospital authorities or law enforcement intervening."They had everything they needed (to stop him) -- you don´t have to be Sherlock Holmes," Marbach, the grandson of one of the patients, told AFP."I am basically looking for answers, and for justice," said Frank Brinkers, whose father was among the alleged victims.- 200 victims? -Caught in 2005 while injecting an unprescribed medication into a patient in Delmenhorst, Hoegel was sentenced in 2008 to seven years in prison for attempted murder.A second trial followed in 2014-15 under pressure from alleged victims´ families, who accused prosecutors of dragging their feet.He was found guilty of murder and attempted murder of five other victims and given the maximum sentence of 15 years.It was then that Hoegel confessed to his psychiatrist at least 30 more murders committed in Delmenhorst. That prompted investigators to take a closer look at suspicious deaths in Oldenburg.Investigators say the final toll could top 200 but fear they might never know for sure because the bodies of many potential victims were cremated.Hoegel appears to have followed a similar procedure each time, first injecting a medication that triggered cardiac arrest, followed by an often futile attempt at resuscitation.Prosecutors say he was motivated by vanity, to show off his skills at saving human lives, and by simple "boredom".The choice of victim appears to have been entirely random, with their ages ranging from 34 to 96.Killing in itself was never his aim, according to one psychologist who evaluated him.When he managed to revive a patient, he was sated, but only for a few days, the expert said, adding: "For him, it was like a drug."
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DUBAI: Israel’s communications minister called for "peace and security" on Tuesday during a visit to the United Arab Emirates, as his country launches an unprecedented diplomatic push into Gulf states."Peace and security in every state... with economic and scientific progress is what guarantees a future for the coming generations," Ayoub Kara said at a telecommunications conference in Dubai.Kara’s statement comes amid a diplomatic push by Israel in the mainly Sunni Gulf, which Israel sees as an ally against Shia power Iran.It follows visits by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Oman on Thursday and Culture Minister Miri Regev to Abu Dhabi at the weekend.Neither Oman nor the UAE has diplomatic ties with Israel.Normalising ties with Israel -- or recognising it as a state -- remains the most controversial policy debate in the Arab world, which largely boycotts Israel over its occupation of Palestinian territory.Regev, known for controversial comments about Arabs, on Sunday toured the famed Sheikh Zayed mosque in Abu Dhabi -- wearing a red full-length abaya and white headscarf and speaking to the camera in Hebrew."This is the first time that an Israeli minister is here on a visit," Regev said, surrounded by a group of people in traditional Emirati dress.Regev is a member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party.Israel’s national anthem was also played at a judo tournament in Abu Dhabi on Sunday after one of its athletes won gold -- believed to be the first time the anthem has been played publicly in an Arab Gulf state.Netanyahu has long sought a rapprochement with Arab states, citing in part concerns over their common enemy Iran. Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab states to have full diplomatic relations with Israel.The Palestinian Central Council, a body of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, on Monday authorised the PLO to suspend recognition of Israel and stop security coordination with the Jewish state.Palestinian authorities have accused Israel of excessive force after an air strike killed three teenagers on the Gaza border on Sunday. Another Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli fire in Gaza border clashes on Monday.Kara was speaking at the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference in Dubai on Tuesday.
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LONDON: The fiancee of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has hit out at US President Donald Trump´s response to his murder, saying he must not let Riyadh cover up the killing."I am extremely disappointed by the stance of the leadership of many countries, particularly in the US," Hatice Cengiz told a memorial event in London late Monday."President Trump should help reveal the truth and ensure justice be served. He should not allow my fiance´s murder to be covered up," she said in Turkish, according to a video published by British media.She said she believed the Saudi regime knew where Khashoggi´s body was, and called for the "evil criminals and their cowardly political masters" to be held to account.Khashoggi was a Saudi journalist who went into self-imposed exile in the United States last year after falling out with the kingdom´s powerful Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.He was killed after entering the kingdom´s consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain paperwork for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.Western powers have expressed outrage at his killing and demanded answers from Riyadh, although Trump warned against halting a Saudi arms deal to increase the pressure, saying it would harm US jobs.Cengiz said Khashoggi´s death had "left a void in (her) heart and soul", adding: "If only I knew what would happen, I would have entered the consulate myself."If only I knew that would be the last time I would see my Jamal, his smile, hear his laughter, I would have stood in front of that murderous team myself."The head of the Saudi investigation, Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb, last week acknowledged that the killing was "premeditated", based on Turkish evidence.
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TAMPA: NASA´s Parker Solar Probe, which launched earlier this year, has set a new record for becoming the closest human-made object to the Sun, the US space agency announced Monday."The spacecraft passed the current record of 26.55 million miles (42.73 million kilometers) from the Sun´s surface on Oct. 29, 2018, at about 1:04 pm EDT (1704 GMT)," said a NASA statement."The previous record for closest solar approach was set by the German-American Helios 2 spacecraft in April 1976."The $1.5 billion unmanned spacecraft launched in August, on a strategic mission to protect the Earth by unveiling the mysteries of dangerous solar storms.Its goal is make a series of 24 flybys past our scorching star.Another record is in sight for the Parker Solar Probe.The spaceship is "expected to break the record for fastest spacecraft traveling relative to the Sun on Oct. 29 at about 10:54 pm EDT (Tuesday 0254 GMT)," NASA said."The current record for heliocentric speed is 153,454 miles (246,960 kilometers) per hour, set by Helios 2 in April 1976."Parker´s first close encounter with the Sun is scheduled for October 31.Its final close approach -- coming just 3.83 million miles from the Sun´s surface -- is expected in 2024, NASA said.
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London: A major investigation into historical child sexual exploitation in a town in northern England led to the conviction Monday of seven men who targeted teenage girls.Members of the gang were convicted of offences including rape, indecent assault and false imprisonment of vulnerable girls in Rotherham.One of the victims told the trial at Sheffield Crown Court how she had sex with "at least 100" ethnic South Asian men by the time she was 16.The BBC reported that the convicted men were all of British Pakistani heritage and had abused five girls over a seven-year period.The case arose from the National Crime Agency's (NCA) inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, which has identified more than 1,500 victims.This investigation was set up in the wake of a 2014 report which exposed the scale of abuse in the Yorkshire town between 1997 and 2013 and the failure of police and social services to intervene.The girls who were the victims of the men convicted in this case are now in their 30s, jurors heard during the eight-week trial."When they were in their teens, they were targeted, sexualised and, in some instances, subjected to acts of a degrading and violent nature at the hands of these men," said prosecutor Michelle Colborne.The jury heard how they were supplied with alcohol and drugs before being passed between men in Rotherham."The girls were enthralled by older, Asian men, men who had cars and seemed exciting to them," said Colborne."None of them had the maturity to understand that they were being groomed and exploited."The convicted men will be sentenced on November 16.They are Mohammed Imran Ali Akhtar, 37; Nabeel Kurshid, 35; Iqlak Yousaf, 34; Tanweer Ali, 37; Salah Ahmed El-Hakam, 39; Asif Ali, 33; and another defendant who cannot be named.The jury heard another victim recount how she was forced to have an abortion by her parents after she was raped by several men in a forest.Outside court, NCA investigations manager Robin Pearson said: "They were young girls at the time -- children, who were groomed and abused, plied with alcohol, plied with drugs, taken to remote locations and sexually abused by predators."The victims were 14, 15, 16 years old at the time and very vulnerable."
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Muslim community in Pittsburgh city of US has raised over $140,000 to help the victims of the shooting that killed 11 Jews at a synagogue.Posting a video of a press conference by Muslim leaders, a Journalist CJ Werlman wrote "Muslims helping Jews, and Jews helping Muslims is what makes America great!"Wadi Muhammad of Islamic Center of Pittsburgh said at the media talk :" We just want to know what you need. You know, if it's more money, let us know. If it's people outside your next service, you know protecting you let us know, we will be there.If you just need somebody to come to the grocery store because you don't feel safe in this city, we will be there. And I am sure everybody in this room will say the same thing. We are here for the community. Eleven elderly people were killed at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday by a gunman who later told police he "wanted all Jews to die".
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PARIS: "Runaway consumption" has decimated global wildlife, triggered a mass extinction and exhausted Earth´s capacity to accommodate humanity´s expanding appetites, the global conservation group WWF warned Tuesday.From 1970 to 2014, 60 percent of all animals with a backbone -- fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals -- were wiped out by human appetites and activity, according WWF´s "Living Planet" report, based on a survey of more than 4,000 species spread over 16,700 populations scattered across the globe."The situation is really bad, and it keeps getting worse," WWF International Director General Marco Lambertini told AFP. "The only good news is that we know exactly what is happening."
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WELLINGTON: A 6.1 magnitude earthquake rattled parts of central New Zealand Tuesday, where British royals Meghan and Harry are on tour, but officials said it caused no major damage.The quake was felt in Wellington during a session of parliament, prompting lawmakers to stop deliberations and seek refuge as a precaution.There was no tsunami threat and the quake was not strongly felt in Auckland, where the touring royals continued with a public walkabout on the city´s waterfront.Reporters travelling with the couple said they did not feel any tremors during the quake, which the US Geological Survey (USGS) gave a magnitude of 6.1.New Zealand´s official GeoNet seismic monitoring service said a 6.2 quake struck at a depth of 207 kilometres (128 miles) in the central North Island about 340 kilometres northeast of Wellington.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was widely felt across the centre of the country, despite the depth of the epicentre, and urged Kiwis to "check on those around you".Civil Defence Minister Kris Faafoi said there had been no reports of damage or injuries."I think some people might be a little nervy and that´s understandable but it´s just a case of following those safety messages and being prepared," he told reporters."I think if there was anything major we´d know by now."Faafoi said proceedings in parliament house were temporarily suspended because of heavy shaking in the building."We all felt it in the house, I was in there at the time... and just for the immediate safety of those in the house (the speaker) saw fit to suspend proceedings," he said."I think that was the wise thing to do as we felt it quite heavily."New Zealand lies on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which form part of the so-called "Ring of Fire", and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.A shallow 6.3 quake in the South Island city of Christchurch killed 185 people in 2011, while a 7.8 shake slightly further north in 2016 was the second strongest ever recorded in the country.
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World’s youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousufzai is an inspiration to many young girls around the world. On Monday, the social activist re-tweeted a picture on Twitter with British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed, with the following caption: “From one PPE student to another, I had a great time listening to @rizmc speak this weekend.” For many followers, watching both youth icons together in one frame was a treat to their eyes. Many even commented expressing immense joy. Malala is enrolled at the Oxford University where she is studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Riz Ahmed is also an Oxford alumnus with a graduate degree in the same subjects.The young social activist recently featured in the latest edition of British Vogue where the young girl shed light on her life at the prestigious Oxford University. Riz Ahmed on the other hand is a Grammy award winning actor who originally hails from Pakistan and often visits the country to grace literary festivals back home.
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BEIJING: A total of 18 countries’ leaders will be coming to next week’s major import expo in China’s commercial hub of Shanghai, the government said on Monday, ranging from Russia and Pakistan to the tiny Cook Islands, though none from major Western nations.Set to run from Nov. 5 to Nov. 10, the China International Import Expo will bring together thousands of foreign and Chinese companies, aiming to boost imports, allay foreign concern about China’s trade practices and show readiness to narrow trade gaps.Prime Minister Imran Khan has been invited as the chief guest on this international event.But the United States does not plan to send senior government officials to the fair, a U.S. embassy spokesman said last week. China said that the decision was “hard to understand”. The two countries are locked in a bitter trade war.China’s Foreign Ministry said leaders would be coming from the Czech Republic, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Kenya, Lithuania, Panama, El Salvador, Switzerland, the Cook Islands, Croatia, Egypt, Hungary, Georgia, Laos, Malta, Pakistan, Russia and Vietnam.El Salvador and the Dominican Republic both switched recognition from Taiwan to China this year.Some are sending presidents, including the Czech Republic and Kenya, while others, such as Russia and Pakistan, are sending their prime ministers.Asked why certain countries’ leaders had been invited specifically, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said everyone was very enthusiastic about attending the trade fair, but as to who represents which country was up to the countries to decide after “friendly consultations” with China. “Certainly, it has received broad attention and has been broadly welcomed by the international community,” he said.China holding an import fair shows the Chinese government’s determination to further open up the country and to share the benefits of China’s development, Lu added. China says more 130 countries and 2,800 companies have decided to take part, including 180 U.S. companies such as Microsoft Corp, Disney and Intel Corp.Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the import expo in early 2017 and will speak at its opening.However, some critics have dismissed the event, which China plans to hold every year, as largely a propaganda effort.
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WASHINGTON: The Pentagon is deploying 5,200 active-duty troops to beef up security along the US-Mexico border, officials announced Monday, in a bid to prevent a caravan of Central American migrants from illegally crossing the frontier.The move represents a massive military buildup along the border, where some 2,000 National Guardsmen are already working to provide assistance to overwhelmed authorities. Trump in recent weeks has repeatedly said more troops are needed to tighten border security, and he has made political capital of the caravan ahead of crucial midterm congressional elections that could see the Democrats regain some degree of power.According to US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, US authorities are tracking a group of about 3,500 people traveling north through the Chiapas-Oaxaca area in southern Mexico. Additionally, officials were monitoring another group of about 3,000 people that had gathered at a border crossing between Guatemala and Mexico.Even as US officials unveiled details of the military deployment, migrants were trying to cross the Suchiate River from Guatemala into Mexico on rafts made from truck tires, or by forming human chains to avoid being swept away. Others swam across after Mexican authorities refused to open a border bridge.McAleenan described the situation along the US-Mexico frontier as a "border security and humanitarian crisis," and said border agents over the past three weeks had apprehended about 1,900 people per day illegally crossing. "Over half of these arrivals have been made up of family units and unaccompanied children who place themselves in the hands of violent human smugglers, paying 7,000 (dollars) per person to make the journey," McAleenan said.The massive deployment marks a sharp increase from initial estimates last week, when US officials said about 800 active-duty troops would head south.It means that within days, the US military will have more than three times as many troops along the southern border as it does fighting the Islamic State group in Syria.- ´Please go back´ -Trump last week expressed frustration that the issue, which had been attracting growing cable news attention, had slipped from front pages as top figures in the Democratic Party were targeted by a series of mail bombs.He took to Twitter on Monday to again blast the migrant caravan, which is comprised mainly of Hondurans -- many of whom are fleeing horrific gang violence."Many Gang Members and some very bad people are mixed into the Caravan heading to our Southern Border," Trump wrote without providing evidence, doubling down on the hardline anti-immigrant rhetoric that helped fuel his 2016 election victory."Please go back, you will not be admitted into the United States unless you go through the legal process. This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!"Trump has been campaigning intensively for weeks, frequently hammering on the migrant caravan issue and stoking anti-immigrant concerns among voters.He is expected to hold 11 rallies in the days ahead of the November 6 midterms, which Washington pundits are characterizing as a referendum on his presidency.The American Civil Liberties Union blasted Trump´s decision to send troops, calling the move a political one to fuel "his anti-immigrant agenda of fear and division" ahead of the midterms. "These migrants need water, diapers, and basic necessities -- not an army division," ACLU lawyer Shaw Drake said.New York Times columnist Paul Krugman called the move "grotesque," saying it used "the military for purely political purposes."The Democrats, for their part, have been caught largely flat-footed by Trump´s messaging on the caravan and struggled to present coherent alternatives.The Southern Poverty Law Center called the deployment an act of "defiance" that would not make the US safer. In April, Trump ordered up to 4,000 National Guardsmen to head to the border as a different migrant caravan wound its way north. About 2,100 have deployed.- ´Harden´ the border -Air Force General Terrence O´Shaughnessy, head of the US military´s Northern Command, told reporters the 5,200 troops would focus on trying to "harden" border crossings and surrounding areas, with work done by combat engineering battalions with experience building temporary fencing. Additionally, the Pentagon is sending military police and three helicopter companies equipped with high-tech sensors and night-vision capabilities.They will bring border personnel "exactly where they need to be, regardless of the conditions," O´Shaughnessy said. Though soldiers are not conducting direct law-enforcement operations and will ostensibly be in a support role, they will nonetheless be deployed with their weapons, officials noted.In addition to the main caravans in southern Mexico, a group of around 300 migrants left San Salvador, the El Salvador capital, on foot Sunday heading for the border with Guatemala in the hope of eventually reaching the United States.
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Daily Horoscope for Tuesday, October 30, 2018. What kind of day will you have today? To find out what the star say, read the forecast given for your birth sign.ARIES(March 21-April 19)You’ll be busier in the next month. Short trips, errands, discussions with siblings, relatives and neighbors, plus increased reading will accelerate your daily pace.TAURUS(April 20-May 20)In the next month, you’ll be keen to work hard to earn money. Some of you also might be contemplating a major expenditure.GEMINI(May 21-June 20)Today the Sun moves into Gemini to stay for the next four weeks, giving you a chance to recharge your batteries for the rest of the year. It’s all about you!CANCER(June 21-July 22) You now enter a four-week period just before your birthday. This is the best time of year for you to plan ahead and decide what you want your new year to be all about.LEO(July 23-Aug. 22) A popular month ahead! Accept all invitations. Enjoy schmoozing with others. Many of you also will join classes, clubs, groups and associations. VIRGO(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) In the coming month, the Sun will be at the top of your chart. (This happens only once a year.) This means people in authority will notice you in a favorable way. (It’s like great lighting for you.)LIBRA(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)Grab every opportunity to travel in the next month, because you want to spread your wings. Be a tourist in your own town. Visit new places and learn new things.SCORPIO(Oct. 23-Nov. 21)In the coming month, you will be unusually intense and passionate about everything. (Romance will be hot and heavy!)SAGITTARIUS(Nov. 22-Dec. 21)Do whatever you can to get more rest, because the Sun is now sitting opposite from your sign, which means it’s as far away as it ever gets in the year. Respect your need for more sleep.CAPRICORN(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)Suddenly, you’re gung-ho to get organized. In the month ahead, you’ll want to be as efficient and effective as possible. Act on this burst of energy!AQUARIUS(Jan. 20-Feb. 18)Get ready for a fun-loving, playful month ahead, because the stars want you to party! Go on a vacation. Enjoy love affairs and romance. Sports and playful times with children will appeal.PISCES(Feb. 19-Mar 20)Home, family and your domestic scene will be your top priority in the month ahead. Interaction with a parent could be significant.
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Israeli sports and culture minister Miiri Regev visited Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on Sunday.Pictures of Ms Regev at the mosque, dressed in an abaya and loosely covering her hair, drew much attention on social media. In a Facebook post, accompanying a video of her being given a tour of the premises, Ms Regev said she was invited to visit the mosque by "an official representative of the UAE"."Ending a moving and powerful visit to Abu Dhabi that brought a lot of respect and pride to the State of Israel," she said."I am glad that I was privileged to be the first senior Israeli figure to sign the guest book at the mosque. I chose to do so in Hebrew, out of a message of brotherhood and hope for peace between peoples."
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RAMALLAH: A top Palestinian body authorised Monday the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to suspend recognition of Israel and stop security coordination with the Jewish state.The rare meeting of the Palestinian Central Council (PCC), a body of the PLO, in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank said the suspensions should be in place until Israel recognised the Palestinian state.Israeli and Palestinian security forces work closely together throughout the West Bank and any suspension would increase fears of an uptick in violence.The body made similar calls at its last meeting in January and in 2015, but the decision was ultimately not implemented by the PLO´s executive committee and president Mahmud Abbas.A statement at the closure of the two-day meeting said that in light of Israel´s "denial" of its obligations under agreements signed with the Palestinians, the PCC authorised the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority to "end their obligations... towards their agreements with the occupation authorities (Israel)."This included, the statement said, suspending recognition of the state of Israel until it recognises the state of Palestine with east Jerusalem as its capital, as well as halting security coordination in all forms.Speaking Sunday, Abbas again vowed to block any peace plan led by US President Donald Trump.Abbas compared the expected Trump peace plan to the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which saw the British government commit to the creation of a state for Jews in historic Palestine."If the Balfour Declaration is passed, this deal will not pass," he said.
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Tuesday, 30 October 2018
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WASHINGTON: Brazil's right-wing president-elect Jair Bolsonaro better not get too carried away with comparisons of him to the US president."There's only one Donald Trump," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders dead-panned Monday, pouring cold water on claims -- both from supporters and opponents -- that Brazil has produced its very own tropical Trump.Despite this, there were signs of a budding Trump-Bolsonaro friendship after the former paratrooper's election on Sunday.Washington has avoided any comment on Bolsonaro's long history of making comments seen as sexist, homophobic and racist, as well as openly praising torture and military rule under Brazil´s 1964-1985 dictatorship.Instead, Trump was quick off the mark with a phone call to congratulate Bolsonaro on Sunday.Later, Trump tweeted about the "excellent call," saying "we agreed that Brazil and the United States will work closely together on Trade, Military and everything else!"
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VENICE: At least three people died Monday in Italy as fierce winds and rains lashed much of the country and caused waters in the canal-ringed city of Venice to reach historic high levels.Two people were killed when a tree fell on their car not far from Rome, and a young man in the Naples region also died after being hit by a falling tree, according to authorities.In Venice, rain-soaked tourists were barred from an inundated St. Mark´s Square where local authorities said the "acqua alta" (high water) peaked at 156 centimetres (61 inches) by early afternoon, the elevated wooden platforms, usually placed on main passageways in the Renaissance city were not enough to ensure safe passage in the low-lying square.Families carried children on their shoulders through the surrounding streets. While some tourists donned thigh-high wellies, others had opted to take off their shoes and wade through the water. The waters have only topped 150 centimetres five times before in recorded history. In 1966, when floods swept through the country, famously devastating Florence´s historic centre, the waters reached 194 centimetres in Venice.Nearly all of northern Italy was on alert due to the violent storms with wind gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour and the rainfall in some places equivalent to the amount of rain that falls over several months.Luca Zaia, head of the Veneto region, said he was worried that the situation could be worse than the huge floods in 2010."The ground is already saturated with water, the rivers are full and due to sirocco (a strong hot wind from Northern Africa), the sea is not absorbing (the waters), he said.In the north all the schools in Veneto were closed as well as in Genoa and Rome.
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LONDON: Is this the 'Change' and 'Naya Pakistan' you promised us?, questioned Ziaduddin Yousafzai, father of Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai, to Prime Minister Imran Khan.Ziauddin raised the question while Sharing notification of government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in which the provincial government imposed a ban on the entrance of any male dignitaries in any events concerning girls’ government schools in the province.According to a notification issued the provincial administration’s Elementary and Secondary Education Department, events held in all-girls’ government schools are to invite female officers or members of parliament or provincial assembly as chief guests while the presence of male dignitaries will be forbidden.Malala's father tweets, "Dear PM @ImranKhanPTI, Is this the “Change” and “Naya Pakistan” you promised us?"Institutionalisation of Talibanisation?!," he continued.
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ISTANBUL: President Arif Alvi and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the inauguration ceremony of Grand International Airport in Istanbul on Monday.President Arif Alvi is in Turkey on three-day official visit on the invitation of Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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WARSAW/ABUJA: Pirates boarded a container ship off the coast of Nigeria, seizing 11 crew including eight from Poland, according the vessel’s management firm and Polish state media.The attackers struck the MV Pomerania Sky, bound for the Nigerian port of Onne, early on Saturday and abducted 11 of the crew, Midocean (IOM) Ltd said in a statement on Sunday. The firm added that nine others remained on board and were unharmed.“Our priority is securing the earliest release of the eleven crew who have been taken and we are working closely with our partners and the local authorities to achieve that,” Midocean said.“The families of those crew members taken are being kept informed of the situation,” said the company. It added the vessel had proceeded to safe waters.Nigerian police and the navy did not immediately respond to calls and texts seeking comment.Midocean declined to say where the kidnapped crew members were from, but Polish state media, citing Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz, said eight of them were from Poland.The nationality of the three other abducted crew members was not immediately clear.Kidnappings and piracy in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea are common.
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TOKYO: Princess Ayako married commoner Kei Moriya on Monday at a traditional ceremony at Tokyo´s Meiji Shrine, to become the latest female royal to leave Japan´s imperial family.The 28-year-old princess, the third daughter of Emperor Akihito´s late cousin Prince Takamado, tied the knot with Kei Moriya, a 32-year-old employee of shipping company Nippon Yusen.The princess wore a many-layered court kimono and molded hairdo typical of the imperial aristocracy, while the groom wore a black tuxedo with grey trousers for the ceremony at the shrine dedicated to the spirit of her great-grandfather, Emperor Meiji."I´m filled with joy to get married and to have so many people visit us at the Meiji Shrine and congratulate us, Princess Ayako told a news conference after the private Shinto wedding ceremony.Japanese royals have been given freedom to marry whom they choose for at least three generations.Emperor Akihito was the first crown prince to marry a commoner, who became Empress Michiko.They met on the tennis court.Princess Ayako had to renounce her imperial status because she married a commoner, as is the practice for women under Japan´s succession law.She will become Ayako Moriya after signing marriage papers later Monday.Japan´s royal family is experiencing a shortage of males.Crown Prince Naruhito, who takes over after Akihito abdicates next year, his brother Fumihito, his nephew Hisahito and Masahito, the octogenarian brother of the current emperor, are the only four male heirs to the throne left.The shrinking royal family has raised concerns and calls for changes in the Imperial Succession Law, but conservatives are deeply resistant to allowing females to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne.
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ABU DHABI: Israeli minister Miri Regev on Monday shared a video on Facebook of her touring a famed mosque in the United Arab Emirates, in an unprecedented visit by a cabinet member.The culture and sport minister, known for controversial comments about Arabs, was dressed in a red abaya with a white scarf covering her hair at Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque."I toured the site," Regev told the camera, in Hebrew, surrounded by a group of people in traditional Emirati dress."This is the first time that an Israeli minister is here on a visit."Regev, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, visited the mosque on Sunday, according to her spokesman.Her country does not have diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates.Israeli officials publicly toured landmark sites in the UAE at the weekend, the first such visit, days after Netanyahu travelled to the neighbouring Gulf state of Oman.The delegation, which includes the country's communications minister, was in Dubai for the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference this week."We arrived the day (Sunday) before the conference. We went around the town, and we visited the mall," a member of the delegation told AFP."We were impressed, and we didn't expect the town to be like this, this beautiful," she said on condition of anonymity.The visit came a day after Israel's national anthem was played at a judo tournament in Abu Dhabi after one of its athletes won gold—believed to be the first time the anthem has been played publicly in an Arab Gulf state.Netanyahu visited Oman on Thursday for talks with the country's ruler, Sultan Qaboos, on regional security issues, according to official statements by both countries.And at a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said of his Oman visit: "There will be more."Israeli Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz is scheduled to visit Oman next week for a transportation conference, according to his office.Netanyahu has long sought a rapprochement with other Arab states, citing in part concerns over their common enemy Iran.But Israel currently has full diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, as Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory remains a major obstacle to official recognition by Arab countries.
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Monday, 29 October 2018
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