Two key members of the Catalan independence movement, Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart, have been held without bail while they are under investigation for sedition.
They were leading figures in the October 1 independence vote, which the Madrid government regards as illegal.
Their detention led to protests overnight, with more expected across Catalonia on October 17.
Jordi Sánchez, who heads the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), a pro-independence organization, and Jordi Cuixart, leader of Omnium Cultural, appeared before the High Court in Madrid on October 16.
The two men are being investigated over a protest on September 20 in which a crowd blocked Civil Guard officers inside a building in Barcelona, Catalonia’s regional capital.
Following the October 1 referendum, Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont signed a declaration of independence, but halted its implementation to allow negotiations.
Carles Puigdemont has called for talks to take place over the next two months.
However, the Spanish government has warned that Catalonia must revoke the declaration or face direct rule from Madrid.
Carles Puigdemont has also angered Madrid by refusing to clarify whether or not he declared independence last week.
The Catalan president, who has been given until October 19 to clarify his position, hit out at the government on Twitter following news of Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart’s detention.
“Spain jails Catalonia’s civil society leaders for organizing peaceful demonstrations. Sadly, we have political prisoners again,” he wrote.
In a video recorded before his court appearance and released on his Twitter account after his detention, Jordi Cuixart instructs separatists to “never lose hope because the people of Catalonia have earned their future”.
Daphne Caruana Galizia, a prominent Maltese blogger, who had accused the island’s government of corruption, has died in a car bomb attack, according to police.
The 53-year-old was reportedly killed when the car she was driving exploded shortly after she left her home in Bidnija, near Mosta.
According to local media, one of her sons heard the blast and rushed outside.
PM Joseph Muscat, whom Daphne Caruana Galizia accused of wrongdoing earlier this year, denounced the killing.
“I condemn without reservations this barbaric attack on a person and on the freedom of expression in our country,” the prime minister said in a TV statement.
“Everyone knows Ms Caruana Galizia was a harsh critic of mine, both politically and personally, as she was for others too.”
However, Joseph Muscat stressed there could be “no justification… in any way” for such action.
“I will not rest before justice is done.”
On October 16, thousands of people attended a candlelit vigil in the resort town of Sliema.
Malta Television reported that Daphne Caruana Galizia had filed a complaint to the police two weeks ago to say she had received threats but gave no further information.
Police have opened a murder inquiry.
Newspaper reports said the explosion had left debris from the rental car she was driving strewn across the road and in a nearby field.
Daphne Caruana Galizia’s death comes four months after Joseph Muscat’s Labor Party won an election he called early because of the blogger’s allegations linking him and his wife to the Panama Papers scandal.
The couple denied claims that they had used secret offshore bank accounts to hide payments from Azerbaijan’s ruling family.
Daphne Caruana Galizia’s popular blog had also targeted opposition politicians, calling the country’s political situation “desperate” in her final post.
Malta has asked for international help – including the FBI in the US – to find the perpetrator, the spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family has requested that the magistrate in charge of the investigation be replaced, the Malta Independent reports.
It said the current magistrate had on a number of occasions been the subject of criticism by Daphne Caruana Galizia.
In a statement released on October 15, Colin Kaepernick’s lawyers wrote: “We can confirm that this morning we filed a grievance under the CBA on behalf of Colin Kaepernick.
“This was done only after pursuing every possible avenue with all NFL teams and their executives.
“If the NFL (as well as all professional sports leagues) is to remain a meritocracy, then principled and peaceful political protest – which the owners themselves made great theatre imitating weeks ago – should not be punished and athletes should not be denied employment.
“Such a precedent threatens all patriotic Americans and harkens back to our darkest days as a nation. Protecting all athletes from such collusive conduct is what compelled Mr. Kaepernick to file his grievance.
“Colin Kaepernick’s goal has always been, and remains, to simply be treated fairly by the league he performed at the highest level for and to return to the football playing field.”
Some players from the 49ers again knelt during the anthem before their match on October 15.
They were playing for the first time since VP Mike Pence walked out of their game in Indianapolis, after several members of the team did not stand.
The results were announced by the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Tibisay Lucena. The CNE is dominated by government loyalists and has been accused of pro-government bias by the opposition.
The council came under fire earlier this year when the company providing the voting systems for July’s elections for the constituent assembly said the turn-out figures for that poll had been manipulated.
The CNE dismissed those allegations and used a different company for October 15 vote.
President Nicolas Maduro praised the results as proof that Venezuela has “the best electoral system in the world” and opposition leaders have called for street protests to be held on October 16.
Sebastian Kurz, the 31-year-old leader of Austria’s conservative People’s Party, is set to win the country’s general election, projections suggest.
He is also on course to become the world’s youngest national leader.
The People’s Party was set to win more than 31%. It is so far unclear whether the Social Democrats or the far-right Freedom Party will finish second.
Short of a majority, the People’s Party could seek an alliance with the anti-immigration Freedom Party.
Addressing his supporters on October 15, Sebastian Kurz said: “It is time for change in this country. Today is a strong order for us, to change this country, and I say thank you to you all who made this possible.
“I’m overwhelmed, I am happy, and I look forward to working for Austria.”
Before the election, Sebastian Kurz served as Europe’s youngest-ever foreign minister, after he was appointed in 2013 aged just 27.
In May 2017, he became the leader of the People’s Party. He began his political career in the youth wing of the party, which he chaired before moving on to serve on Vienna’s city council.
Nicknamed “Wunderwuzzi” (very roughly translated as wonder hotshot), Sebastian Kurz has been compared to the young leaders of France and Canada, Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau.
Much like Emmanuel Macron, Sebastian Kurz has created a movement around himself, rebranding the People’s Party – which has been in power for more than 30 years – as “The New People’s Party”.
Immigration was the dominant issue in the run-up to the vote, and Sebastian Kurz moved his party to the right in the wake of Europe’s 2015 refugee crisis.
The young man appealed to conservative and right-wing voters with pledges to shut down migrant routes to Europe, cap benefit payments to refugees, and bar immigrants from receiving benefits until they have lived in Austria for five years.
The rightward shift was seen as a response to the success of the Freedom Party, which narrowly missed out on the presidency in December when Norbert Hofer was defeated by Alexander Van der Bellen, head of the Greens.
The stance proved popular with Austrian voters after a huge influx of undocumented refugees from the Middle East and North Africa.
The Freedom Party accused Sebastian Kurz of stealing their policies with their candidate, Heinz-Christian Strache, calling him an “imposter”.
Sebastian Kurz is on course to win the lion’s share of the vote but not a majority. If the forecasts are correct, he will need to form a coalition, most likely with the Freedom Party.
The last coalition between the Social Democrats and the conservatives fell apart this spring – and there may be reluctance to renew it. However, an alliance with the populist, far-right Freedom Party could prove controversial among Austria’s EU counterparts.
Sebastian Kurz refused to discuss his plans, saying only that he would talk to other parties. He says he wants to wait for final results.
The board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted to expel Harvey Weinstein following numerous allegations of assault made against him.
The organization behind the Oscars said its board “voted well in excess of the required two-thirds majority” to expel the Hollywood film producer.
The board’s members include Hollywood figures such as Tom Hanks and Whoopi Goldberg.
Harvey Weinstein’s films have received more than 300 Oscar nominations and won 81.
In a statement, the Academy said governors voted to expel Harvey Weinstein “not simply to separate ourselves from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues but also to send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in s**ually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over”.
They added: “What’s at issue here is a deeply troubling problem that has no place in our society.”
The emergency board meeting followed an avalanche of accusations against Harvey Weinstein by more than two dozen women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Rose McGowan, who alleges that he raped her in a hotel room.
The NYPD and the UK police are investigating the allegations.
Harvey Weinstein has apologized for some aspects of his behavior but insisted that any contacts he had were consensual, and he denies accusations of harassment, rape and assault.
The 65-year-old’s expulsion comes after Bob Weinstein told the Hollywood Reporter that his “sick and depraved” brother should be “kicked out” of the Academy.
Harvey Weinstein’s expulsion means he will no longer be able to vote for nominees or winners in the Oscars.
Hollywood figures were quick to praise the move but some have called for the Academy to take similar action against other members.
It is only the second time a member has been expelled. Carmine Caridi had his membership revoked in 2004 after he allegedly sent confidential film preview videos to a friend which ended up online.
As the co-founder of Miramax Pictures and the Weinstein Company, Harvey Weinstein produced some of the most celebrated movies, including Pulp Fiction, The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love.
Harvey Weinstein has been thanked dozens of times in Oscar acceptance speeches, and in 2012 Meryl Streep jokingly referred to him as “God” onstage.
As accusations against Harvey Weinstein began to mount in recent days, film industry heavyweights came out to publicly condemn him and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) suspended his membership.
The French government is reportedly considering revoking Harvey Weinstein’s Legion of Honour, France’s highest civilian distinction, and there have been calls from some British politicians for his honorary CBE title to be revoked.
During an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Bob Weinstein called his brother “sick and depraved” and said he had no idea of “the type of predator that he was”.
Bob Weinstein refused to comment on reports that he and the board of Weinstein Company were aware of his brother’s settlements with women during recent contract negotiations, saying only that the board “did not know the extent of my brother’s actions”.
He went on to call Harvey Weinstein’s apology statement “utter insanity” and a “lame excuse”.
“I’ll tell you what I did know,” he said.
“Harvey was a bully, Harvey was arrogant…that I knew.”
Earlier, Bob Weinstein denied media reports that the Weinstein Company – which has placed Harvey Weinstein on indefinite leave – could now be closed or sold.
However, several large film projects have been pulled from the company already, and reports in the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal said that financers had begun to pressure the board to sell.
Everyone needs protection. And if you feel that you stay protected enough in the real world, you still feel not safe because of cyber world threats. Now the most popular tool for remaining absolutely private and secure in the daily usage of Worldwide Web is a virtual private network. Although these systems exist for a long time, they still bring confusion due to presence of several myths among users. If you want to choose the right service without becoming confused, read on.
5 myths about virtual private networks:
Virtual private networks cooperate with our governments, disclosing all suspicious activities we make. The key purpose of any virtual private network – to make your internet usage available only for you. Any service on http://bestvpnrating.com/ considers privacy and reputation at top places and there is no interest for them in disclosing your personal information;
Virtual private networks provide the same quality of service: Most think of a VPNs market as a market of perfect competition where the level of security always remains the same. But that is not so. There are still top notch services with higher quality (typically, their prices stay higher) and more affordable services with lower quality. If you pay more for the service, you know why do you do that;
With free virtual private network my internet usage can still be private: Although free VPNs still provide security and encrypt your data flow, don’t forget that any provider should somehow earn revenues to cover costs. So, if there is no provider’s fees, providers will do that with adds or selling your data to IT companies;
Virtual private networks always lower internet speed. Although encrypting data flows takes time, modern services learned how to make the internet the same way fast as without VPN. So if you feel that your test version of VPN works slower – change it to a faster one;
With VPN my Internet is almost secure: Reliable VPN will never replace antivirus programs and your awareness. Even though VPN is active, avoid visiting suspicious sites and downloading apps from not reliable developers. With the right service, you are still under a threat of installing malware or getting phishing messages, which may help hackers reach important files.
How to avoid mistakes choosing your provider?
There are a lot of virtual private network offerings on the Internet and it is up to you to choose exactly the one, which satisfies your expectations. Think carefully, why do you need privacy, which operations you are going to perform and use your answers to choose a provider, which satisfies your expectations. If you are not sure that the information on advertisements is worth relying on, read VPN reviews. Written by experienced professionals, these reviews will reveal an unbiased view on any interested provider so you will not make a mistake with your choice.
Bob Weinstein has denied media reports that the film production company he and his brother Harvey co-founded could be closed or sold.
He said in a statement: “Our banks, partners and shareholders are fully supportive of our company.
“Business is continuing as usual.”
On October 8, the company fired Harvey Weinstein amid a slew of harassment allegations.
The claims have prompted police investigations in both the US and UK.
On October 13, the scandal surrounding Harvey Weinstein – who produced movies including Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – deepened when he was accused of rape by Rose McGowan.
The Hollywood producer was already facing claims of rape, assault, groping and harassment.
Harvey Weinstein, who is believed to be in Europe seeking therapy, has insisted through a spokeswoman that any contacts he had were consensual.
According to recent reports, since the avalanche of claims began, the company has been trying to disassociate itself from its co-founder and save the business with efforts made to buy Harvey Weinstein out, rebrand and keep creative partners on board.
However, the Los Angeles Times said that financers had begun to pressure the company to sell and potential buyers were circling.
The Wall Street Journal also reported the company was “exploring a sale or shutdown” and was “unlikely to continue as an independent entity”.
The company is thought to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars but before the recent allegations had already faced questions about its future prospects amid increasing competition from media streaming services.
On October 13, Goldman Sachs said it was investigating options to sell the small stake it holds, citing the reported “inexcusable behavior”.
Rose McGowan has publicly accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of raping her.
In a series of tweets, the actress also accused Amazon Studio chief Roy Price of having ignored her when she made the allegation earlier.
Amazon has put Roy Price – himself accused on October 12 of harassing a female producer – on leave of absence.
Harvey Weinstein, 65, denies any assaults. There was no comment from Roy Price.
Meanwhile, the NYPD and UK police have launched investigations into assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. The NYPD is looking into an allegation dating from 2004 and reviewing whether there are any additional complaints. London’s Met Police has received an allegation of assault in the London area in the 1980s.
Addressing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Twitter, Rose McGowan – who has appeared in Scream, The Black Dahlia and TV series Charmed – criticized the company for doing business with Harvey Weinstein.
“I told the head of your studio that HW raped me,” the actress tweeted.
“Over & over I said it. He said it hadn’t been proven. I said I was the proof.”
Twitter briefly suspended McGowan for violating its terms and policies after she included a personal phone number in tweets about abuse allegations.
Some prominent figures, notably from the entertainment world, said they would boycott the platform on October 13 in protest, using the hashtag #WomenBoycottTwitter.
Roy Price was separately accused by Isa Hackett, a producer of one of Amazon’s shows, of inappropriate behavior in a taxi and at a corporate dinner in 2015, the Hollywood Reporter writes.
Isa Hackett reported the incident to Amazon executives immediately, she was quoted as saying, and an outside investigator was brought in.
She was not told the outcome of the investigation but did not see Roy Price again at any events involving her shows, she added.
In a statement, Amazon said: “Roy Price is on leave of absence effective immediately. We are reviewing our options for the projects we have with The Weinstein Co.”
Three women earlier accused Harvey Weinstein of rape in an investigative article in The New Yorker magazine.
They are Italian actress and director Asia Argento, former aspiring actress Lucia Evans and a third woman who was anonymous.
The same article says 10 other women told the author that Harvey Weinstein had either harassed or assaulted them between the 1990s and 2015.
The New York Times broke the story on October 5, when it detailed decades of allegations of l harassment against Harvey Weinstein.
The producer has insisted through a spokeswoman that any contacts he had were consensual.
Director Oliver Stone has said he believes that Harvey Weinstein should not be judged prematurely.
“If he broke the law it will come out,” he told reporters on a visit to South Korea for a film festival.
“I believe that a man shouldn’t be condemned by a vigilante system.”
In a subsequent social media post, however, Oliver Stone expressed a wish to “recuse” himself from a TV series about Guantanamo Bay “as long as The Weinstein Company is involved”.
Oliver Stone wrote on Facebook that he was “appalled” by the allegations made against Harvey Weinstein and “commend[ed] the courage of the women who’ve stepped forward”.
The death toll from northern California wildfires has climbed to 31, as officials warned that conditions would worsen.
Hundreds of people remain missing as at least 22 fires rampaged across the state’s famous wine country.
More than 8,000 firefighters are now battling the flames.
The fires have destroyed more than 3,500 buildings and homes over 170,000 acres and forced the evacuation of about 25,000 people.
According to officials, 17 people are now confirmed killed in Sonoma County, with another 8 in Mendocino County, 4 in Yuba County and two in Napa County.
The updated casualty figures mean the wildfires are the deadliest in California since 1933, when 29 people died in fires at Griffith Park in Los Angeles.
Strong winds that have fanned the flames eased in recent days, but forecasters warned they were set to pick up again on Friday night.
Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano said recovery teams with cadaver dogs were searching the smoldering ruins of homes.
“We have found bodies that were completely intact, and we have found bodies that were no more than ash and bone,” he said.
It is not yet clear what started the fires on October 8, but officials say power lines blown over by strong winds could be the cause.
One of the greatest threats to life is believed to be around the town of Calistoga, Napa County, where the entire population of 5,000 has been ordered to evacuate.
Geyserville, a town of around 800 people, and the community of Boyes Hot Springs, both in Sonoma, were also evacuated.
The huge fires have sent smoke and ash over San Francisco, about 50 miles away, and over some towns and cities even further south.
At least 13 Napa Valley wineries have been destroyed, a vintners’ trade group says.
Starting a new business requires a lot of groundwork. If you don’t create a stable foundation for your company, it’s difficult to keep track of all of the small details and tasks that need to be done to keep your business afloat. This is why it’s important to create a business plan. A good business plan gives you an outline to follow while building your business and helps you stay on track. To succeed, make sure you include these elements in your business plan.
Financial Considerations
You can’t accept payments from clients or customers unless you have a payment system and plan in place. It’s important to choose a global payment system, like BlueSnap, that integrates with your eCommerce platform and allows you to accept payments from around the world.
Additionally, you need to open a business bank account, find reliable accounting software, and develop a plan to determine how money flows through your company. You need to determine what percentage of money should go back into the business, what percentage you need to save, and what percentage goes into your personal bank account. It’s also really important to have a financial disaster plan in place so you know that your business won’t be impacted by unexpected events.
You need to keep a running tally of the money you need during the startup phase of your business, especially if you don’t plan to use loans or have investors. Include an estimated summary in your business plan, and adjust the amount of money dedicated to specific projects as your business grows.
Growth Goals
To scale your business, you need to plan for growth. This means you need to have outlined goals for each month, quarter, and year. When creating your goals, it’s important to be realistic. For example, you don’t want to set a goal to release an in-depth product within the next six months if you don’t have the time or funds to complete the project. Keeping your business goals simple and realistic allows you to stay focused on important tasks that help your business grow. However, it doesn’t mean that you should chuck all of your ideas out the window. Keep a list or file filled with ideas to implement in the future, and each time you set a new goal, review your ideas to see if any of them are feasible.
Digital Marketing Expectations
Digital marketing can jumpstart your business if it’s done correctly. So include a detailed digital marketing plan that details your overall goals and objectives within your business plan so you know exactly what needs to be done and you have a plan to accomplish your goals. Some things to consider include:
What platforms to use when marketing your business — instead of jumping in head first, take the time to build each platform slowly so you really connect with your target market.
What type of digital marketing you plan to use — do you want to use paid advertising, content marketing, or a combination of both?
What type of team you need to put in place to accomplish your marketing and sales goals.
Your marketing budget — if you have a tight budget, consider starting with low-cost options and working your way up to more expensive marketing tactics.
Building a business isn’t easy, but the process grows a lot smoother when you’re prepared. Create a detailed business plan that helps you establish working procedures and defines your business goals to keep yourself and your employees on track.
The US and UK police are conducting investigations into assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein.
The NYPD is looking into an allegation dating from 2004 and is reviewing whether there are any additional complaints.
Meanwhile, London’s Metropolitan Police has received an allegation of assault in the London area in the 1980s.
Harvey Weinstein, 65, has “unequivocally denied” any allegations of non-consensual intercourse.
The NYPD said it was “looking to speak” to an individual who had made an allegation dating from 2004.
Assistant Commissioner J. Peter Donald said: “Based on information referenced in published news reports, the NYPD is conducting a review to determine if there are any additional complaints relating to the Harvey Weinstein matter.
“No filed complaints have been identified as of this time.”
The force also appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
London’s Met Police, meanwhile, said it had been passed the allegation of assault by Merseyside Police.
A Merseyside Police statement said it “can confirm a report was received at 8.40 am on Wednesday (October 11, 2017) of an alleged s**ual assault in the London area in the 1980s”.
The investigations come as more women publicly accuse Harvey Weinstein of inappropriate behavior, harassment or assault.
Kate Beckinsale is one of the latest, saying she had an encounter with the film producer at the age of 17, at the Savoy Hotel in London.
The actress said on Instagram she was told to go to Harvey Weinstein’s room, where he “opened the door in his bathrobe”.
“After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left, uneasy but unscathed.
“A few years later he asked me if he had tried anything with me in that first meeting. I realized he couldn’t remember if he had assaulted me or not,” the British actress said.
Cara Delevingne also said Harvey Weinstein tried to kiss her as she tried to leave a hotel room.
Emma Thompson also said sh4 found him to be a “bully” when his company Miramax owned the rights to her film Nanny McPhee.
According to The New Yorker, three women have accused Harvey Weinstein of rape.
His spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister has said the producer “obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual.
“Mr. Weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path.”
Speaking on October 11, Harvey Weinstein said: “We all make mistakes – second chance I hope.”
The movie mogul told TMZ: “Guys I’m not doing OK but I’m trying; I’ve got to get help. I’m hanging in – I’m trying my best.”
TMZ reported Harvey Weinstein was heading to Arizona to a treatment facility.
As he departed in a car, the producer made a plea for fair treatment from reporters, saying: “I’ve always been loyal to you guys… I’ve been a good guy.”
Meanwhile, the hosts of the Oscars are to hold emergency talks this weekend to consider Harvey Weinstein’s future role.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said the allegations of assault against him were “repugnant”.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has already suspended Harvey Weinstein’s membership.
A statement has also been issued by Cannes Film Festival, which Harvey Weinstein attended many times.
President Pierre Lescure said the festival had been “dismayed to learn of the accusations”.
The US withdrawal will become effective at the end of December 2018 – until then, the US will remain a full member. The US will establish an observer mission at the Paris-based organization to replace its representation, the state department said.
Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted he had instructed his foreign ministry to “prepare Israel’s withdrawal… in parallel with the United States”.
The decision follows a string of UNESCO decisions that have drawn criticism from the US and Israel.
In 2011, the US cut its funding to UNESCO in protest at its decision to grant full membership to the Palestinians.
Last year, Israel suspended co-operation with UNESCO after the agency adopted a controversial resolution which made no reference to Jewish ties to a key holy site in Jerusalem.
The resolution also criticized Israel’s activities at holy places in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.
Then earlier this year, PM Benjamin Netanyahu condemned UNESCO for declaring the Old City of Hebron in the West Bank a Palestinian World Heritage site.
He accused UNESCO of ignoring Judaism’s ancient connection to the city, which includes the crypt where its matriarchs and patriarchs are buried.
Office leases vary from city to city, and the laws regarding them do also. Getting yourself an office for your business is a big step, and thus requires a lot of consideration. First of all, you’ll need to know whether you can expand, and secondly, what expansion is going to take out of you. Below are a few of those important considerations that absolutely need to be thought out at length, usually with the entire company in mind.
This is the main concern for obvious reasons, yet there’s a great amount of variance in why. For example, if you need to hold a meeting and your table isn’t big enough to fit everyone who needs to be there, can an event furniture rental fit in more items for you?
Of course, this is a small consideration compared to the other elements: the rentable space inside your office may come to a lot more than you originally thought, as each square foot is taxed by the landlord.
Also be sure to consider where in a building you want to be. The ground floor has walk in privileges, and the top floor has the view. Usually, the ground floor will have a higher taxable rate, so weigh up whether or not that will be a good investment.
Whether You Can Keep Up with the Costs
This isn’t only the rent each month, but the maintenance and utility bills that you’re going to incur. Knowing who has to pay for what is integral to bypassing any extraneous costs that you did not know you agreed upon when signing the lease. If the lease lasts longer than the usual year, you may be in for a downfall if you find yourself in a situation like this.
To make sure you aren’t accosted by extra expenses, have an agreement set out with a landlord from the beginning, of everything you would have to pay for. Anything that they can claim back when it comes to garnering money out of you should be defined by the law and not whimsical means. It means you won’t have random bills slipped through your door when the landlord needs the money, and you won’t be down in your profit due to this kind of manipulation.
When it comes to the rent cost, this can go up and down depending on how long you plan to stay, and where you are situated. Knowing why your rent may go up is a good preliminary step to take, and therefore calculating your taxes and expenses in advance will give you a good baseline on how much is needed to set aside.
Commercial real estate has both benefits and drawbacks to it, and with the rising inflation across the world, you can never be sure if the rent prices will be up or down. Do your research, get the lease length you know you can keep up with, and let your business growth soar as a result.
President Donald Trump has threatened to challenge media licenses for NBC News and other news networks after unfavorable reports.
The president took aim at NBC, which made him a star on The Apprentice, after the broadcaster reported he wanted to boost America’s nuclear arsenal almost tenfold.
President Trump labeled NBC report “fake news” and “pure fiction”.
NBC also angered the White House last week when it said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had called President Trump “a moron”.
Donald Trump tweeted on October 12: “With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!”
Welcoming Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to Washington later in the day, the president denied the NBC story.
“It is frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write, and people should look into it,” President Trump said at the White House.
When asked if he wanted to increase the country’s arsenal, the president said he only ever discussed keeping it in “perfect condition”.
“No, I want to have absolutely perfectly maintained – which we are in the process of doing – nuclear force.
“But when they said I want 10 times what we have right now, it’s totally unnecessary, believe me.”
Donald Trump added: “I want modernization and I want total rehabilitation. It’s got to be in tip-top shape.”
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also disputed NBC’s story, saying in a statement: “Recent reports that the President called for an increase in the US nuclear arsenal are absolutely false.
“This kind of erroneous reporting is irresponsible.”
President Trump’s tweet about news networks provoked a free-speech uproar.
Walter Shaub, who led the US Office of Government Ethics under President Barack Obama, said it could lead to “the point when we cease to be a democracy”.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said President Trump’s comment was a poor example for other world leaders.
NBC News reported that President Trump told a top-level meeting at the Pentagon in July that he wanted to dramatically boost the American stockpile of atomic missiles.
The president reportedly made the request after seeing a downward-sloping curve on a briefing slide charting the gradual decrease in US nuclear weapons since the 1960s.
Attributing its report to three officials in the room, NBC said President Trump’s request surprised those present, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
NBC reported that President Trump had also called for additional US troops and military equipment.
The US has 7,100 nuclear weapons and Russia has 7,300, according to the US non-partisan Arms Control Association.
Media commentators say Donald Trump would struggle to remove broadcasters’ licenses if he wished to do so.
The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates broadcasters, issues licenses not to networks as a whole, but to local stations.
The latest bout began on October 9, and weather officials have warned that the tropical depression may intensify into a more powerful storm in coming days.
The northern Yen Bai and Hoa Binh provinces have been particularly hard hit, with reports of widespread inundation and deadly landslides, and homes washed away.
On October 11, several people, including a Vietnam News Agency reporter, were swept away by a torrential river after a bridge they were crossing in Yen Bai collapsed, local media said.
According to state media, meanwhile 18 people were buried in an overnight landslide in Hoa Binh, with most of them still missing by October 12.
Hundreds of soldiers have been deployed for rescue efforts. A disaster agency official told AFP that they were “mobilizing all forces to search for the missing”.
If you’re a gamer, it makes sense to want to know a little more about how games function and why they’re so successful and getting us hooked. No one wants to feel like a lemming that gets easily trapped in the need to keep playing and coming back. But anyone who has ever played games will know that we all do that. So, how does it happen? Here are some of the factors that are most important in keeping is coming back for more.
Simplicity and Complexity
Once we feel like we’ve mastered the mechanic of the game, we want to push further or even learn even more about it. Some of the most simple games actually have the most to learn. For example, fighting games are simple on the surface. Two in-game characters fight each other until one wins. But there is a huge range of combos and moves that can be learned. So, the simplicity draws people in, while the complexity keeps them coming back.
Rewards
Rewards are often given in games. This can happen in many different ways. For example, if you continue playing through a game, you will often unlock new things that allow you to do new things and get more mileage out of the game. Then there are the more overt examples of games that give out rewards for winning, such as Unibet roulette. These all work on the same basis. We want to win and be rewarded, and that makes us want to keep playing.
Going One Better
High scores have long been features of gaming, and this goes all the way back to Pac-Man. It’s a great way to keep us coming back because we can see how well we did last time and how well we might do if you just give the game one more try. And then one more, and one more. It’s no surprise that so many very simple games have lasted a long time and remained popular when they use this basic technique.
For many games, it’s our need for social connections that keep us coming back for more. Large online multiplayer games can feed our need to interact with other people and make connections. They simulate that social interaction very well. And these days, most gamers use gaming as a tool for socialising with friends. They play games together and talk to each other via microphones and headsets.
In-Game Leveling Up
Studies and research have found that games that have a leveling up mechanic build into them are much more successful at getting us hooked on the gameplay. If we’re a level 1, we want to become a level 2. And if we’re a level 78, we want to be a level 79. And on it goes. You can see this in expansive video games like Skyrim, Destiny and World of Warcraft. We want to feel like we’re getting better and continually pushing on to the next level.
Video games keep us coming back for more, and now you know how. If they didn’t, we wouldn’t spend so much time playing them.
Matt Damon has denied trying to “kill” a story about Harvey Weinstein’s behavior when it was investigated by journalist Sharon Waxman thirteen years ago.
Sharon Waxman has said she looked into rumors that an employee of Harvey Weinstein in Italy was procuring women for him.
The journalist said Matt Damon and Russell Crowe called her to vouch for the employee.
However, Matt Damon has said he did not know the detail of the allegations.
“I would never, ever, ever try to kill a story like that,” the actor told Deadline.
“I just wouldn’t do that. It’s not something I would do, for anybody.”
Sharon Waxman, who then worked for the New York Times, was ultimately unable to publish any allegations relating to Harvey Weinstein’s behavior.
Matt Damon said Harvey Weinstein told him the New York Times story would be claiming the Italian executive “had no professional experience”. He said the producer asked him to “tell her that he was a professional and you had a good experience, and that was it”.
He said: “I was never conscripted to do anything. We vouch for each other, all the time.”
The actor added: “I’m sure I mentioned to her that I didn’t know anything about the rest of her piece, because I didn’t.”
Matt Damon said that he had never seen inappropriate behavior during time spent making films with Harvey Weinstein.
“I think a lot of actors have come out and said, <<everybody’s saying we all knew>>. That’s not true,” the actor said.
“This type of predation happens behind closed doors, and out of public view. If there was ever an event that I was at and Harvey was doing this kind of thing and I didn’t see it, then I am so deeply sorry, because I would have stopped it.”
Russell Crowe hasn’t commented.
Sharon Waxman claimed the 2004 New York Times story was “gutted” after “intense pressure” from Harvey Weinstein. The paper went on to break the story of the latest allegations at the weekend.
The New York Times’ executive editor Dean Baquet, who wasn’t working for the paper in 2004, said: “It is unimaginable to me that The Times killed a story because of pressure from Harvey Weinstein, who was and is an advertiser.”
According to California police, more than 150 people are missing in wildfires that have ravaged the state’s northern wine region.
At least 17 people are now confirmed dead and more than 2,000 buildings have been destroyed by the fires which broke out on October 8.
Eleven of the deaths have been in Sonoma County.
One of the worst affected towns there is Santa Rosa, north of San Francisco, where entire districts have been destroyed.
According to the Sonoma County sheriff’s office, 155 people were still unaccounted for, although that could be due to the chaotic pace of the evacuations.
In neighboring Napa County, victims included 100-year-old Charles Rippey and his 98-year-old wife, Sarah, police said.
The wildfires are among the deadliest in California’s history and have sent smoke as far south as San Francisco, about 60 miles away.
According to officials, more than 17 fires had burned about 115,000 acres in the past 24 hours.
There was some good news when winds that had been fanning the flames eased, helping firefighters to bring some of the blazes under control.
In Santa Rosa, a Hilton hotel and a mobile home park were destroyed. Tens of thousands of Sonoma County residents have fled, authorities said.
At least four wineries had suffered “total or very significant losses”, Napa Valley Vintners said, with nine others reporting some damage to buildings or vineyards.
More than 91,000 homes and businesses are without power.
California Governor Jerry Brown declared states of emergency in Sonoma, Napa and five other counties.
President Donald Trump has also approved a disaster declaration, allowing federal emergency aid to be disbursed.
The US and South Korea have conducted a joint military exercise, flying two strategic bombers over the Korean peninsula.
The B-1B combat bombers were joined by two South Korean F-15K fighter jets, and carried out air-to-ground missile drills off South Korean waters.
The move comes amid heightened tensions with North Korea over its nuclear program.
North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test, and launched two missiles over Japan, in recent months.
The bombers took off from the US Pacific territory of Guam on October 10, before entering South Korean airspace and conducting firing exercises over the East Sea and Yellow Sea, South Korea’s military said.
The training was part of a program of “extended deterrence” against North Korea, it added.
The US said Japan’s air force also took part in the drill.
According to the White House, President Donald Trump met top officials from his national security team on Tuesday night for a briefing on ways to respond to threats from North Korea.
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have exchanged heated rhetoric in recent weeks.
In aspeech at the UN last month, President Trump accused Kim Jong-un of being “on a suicide mission” – while the North Korean leader responded by vowing to “tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire”.
On October 11, a South Korean lawmaker said North Korean hackers had reportedly stolen a large cache of military documents from his country, including a plan to assassinate Kim Jong-un, and wartime contingency plans drawn up by the US and South Korea.
The South Korean defense ministry refused to comment about the allegation, while North Korea denied the claim.
Harvey Weinstein’s wife, Georgina Chapman, says she is leaving the Hollywood producer following allegations of harassment against him from a string of actresses.
Georgina Chapman, 41, said Harvey Weinstein’s actions were “unforgivable”.
Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow are the latest actresses to come forward with accusations of harassment. Both said the incidents happened early in their careers.
On October 10, Harvey Weinstein also denied allegations of rape made in The New Yorker magazine.
On October 8, Harvey Weinstein was fired from his own film studio. The Weinstein Company board said on October 10 that they would help any criminal investigation.
Georgina Chapman told People magazine: “My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions.”
The London-born designer and Harvey Weinstein, 65, have two children together.
Meanwhile former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have joined the growing public condemnation.
In a statement the Obamas said they were “disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein” and added that they “celebrate the courage of women who have come forward”.
Harvey Weinstein was a big donor to the Democratic Party under Barack Obama’s leadership. The Obamas’ eldest daughter Malia worked as an intern at The Weinstein Company in New York earlier this year.
Harvey Weinstein also donated to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Hilalry Clinton said she was “shocked and appalled” by the revelations.
Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow both sent statements about Harvey Weinstein’s behavior to the New York Times, which first reported allegations against him last week.
Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow are the latest actresses to allege they were victims of harassment by Harvey Weinstein.
Both actresses said the incidents happened early in their careers.
Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow join a string of actresses accusing the Hollywood producer of harassment.
On October 10, the producer denied allegations of rape made in The New Yorker magazine.
His wife, designer Georgina Chapman, said on the same day that she was leaving him.
Georgina Chapman, 41, told People magazine: “My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions.”
London-born Georgina Chapman, co-founder of fashion label Marchesa, and Harvey Weinstein, 65, have two children together.
The mogul has also been fired over the allegations by his Hollywood studio The Weinstein Company.
Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have added their voice to growing demonstrations of public outrage. Their eldest daughter Malia worked as an intern at The Weinstein Company in New York earlier this year.
A statement released by the Obamas says they “have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein”.
It adds they “celebrate the courage of women who have come forward”.
Also on October 10, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie both sent statements to the New York Times, which first reported allegations against him last week.
Angelina Jolie said in an email: “I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did.
“This behavior towards women in any field, any country is unacceptable.”
In a statement, Gwyneth Paltrow alleged that, after Harvey Weinstein cast her in the leading role in Emma, he summoned her to his hotel suite, where he placed his hands on her and suggested massages in his bedroom.
“I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,” the actress told the NYT.
Gwyneth Paltrow said she told her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt about the incident, and said he confronted Harvey Weinstein.
“I thought he was going to fire me,” she said.
The separate New Yorker report says that 16 former and current employees at Harvey Weinstein’s companies told the magazine “they witnessed or had knowledge of unwanted advances and touching at events associated with Weinstein’s films and in the workplace”.
The magazine quotes actress and director Asia Argento and Lucia Stoller, now Lucia Evans – who says she was an aspiring actress when Harvey Weinstein allegedly approached her in 2004. Both say they were forced into s**ual acts by the producer.
A third woman, who did not want to be named, said Harvey Weinstein had “forced himself on me s**ually”.
Asia Argento said she has not spoken until now because she feared it would ruin her career to do so.
“That’s why this story – in my case, it’s 20 years old, some of them are old – has never come out,” she told the New Yorker.
Other allegations in the piece came from Mira Sorvino, who won an Oscar in 1996 for her role in Mighty Aphrodite for Miramax, a studio headed by Harvey Weinstein at the time. She told the magazine that Harvey Weinstein had tried to pressure her into a relationship.
Roseanna Arquette also said that she rejected Harvey Weinstein’s advances and that she believes her acting career suffered as a result.
Harvey Weinstein’s spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister issued a statement in response to the article.
“Any allegations of non-consensual s** are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein,” she said.
“Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.
“Mr. Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual. Mr. Weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path.”
Former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton shared a statement saying that she was “shocked and appalled” by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein, who donated to her 2016 presidential campaign and has been a major donor to the Democratic Party.
President Donald Trump is challenging Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to an IQ test, in the latest sign of discord between the two.
The president made the remark during an interview with Forbes magazine when asked about reports that Rex Tillerson had called him a moron.
“I think it’s fake news,” Donald Trump told the magazine, “but if he did that, I guess we’ll have to compare IQ tests. And I can tell you who is going to win.”
On October 10, President Trump had lunch with Rex Tillerson.
Shortly beforehand, President Trump maintained he still had confidence in the secretary of state.
“I did not undercut anybody,” he also told reporters.
Asked about Donald Trump’s IQ test challenge, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the daily news briefing: “It was a joke. You should get a sense of humor.”
Reports have swirled of a schism in the Trump administration between the commander-in-chief and his top diplomat, as the US faces a host of vexatious foreign policy conundrums, from North Korea to Iran.
Last week, Rex Tillerson called a news conference to dismiss reports that he was considering quitting.
However, Rex Tillerson did not deny an NBC News report that he had called Donald Trump a moron after a July meeting at the Pentagon.
Earlier this month, President Trump publicly undercut the former ExxonMobile chief executive by tweeting that he was “wasting his time” trying to negotiate with nuclear-armed North Korea.
Last week, the New York Times reported that the secretary of state was astonished at how little President Trump grasps the basics of foreign policy.
According to the newspaper, quoting sources close to the secretary of state, President Trump has been irritated by Rex Tillerson’s body language during meetings.
Rex Tillerson is said to roll his eyes or slouch when he disagrees with the president’s decisions.
Catalan leaders, including President Carles Puigdemont, have signed a declaration of independence from Spain, following the October 1 disputed referendum.
However, the Catalan leaders say the move will not be implemented immediately to allow talks with the Spanish central government.
It is unclear whether the document – calling for Catalonia to be recognized as an “independent and sovereign state” – has any legal status.
The move was immediately dismissed by the Spain’s government.
Catalonia independence referendum – which Catalan leaders say resulted in a Yes vote for independence – was declared invalid by Spain’s Constitutional Court.
Earlier in the day, Carles Puigdemont told the Catalan parliament in Barcelona that the region had won the right to be independent as a result of the referendum.
According to Catalan officials, the referendum resulted in almost 90% of voters backing independence. However, anti-independence voters largely boycotted the ballot – which had a reported turnout of 43% – and there were several reports of irregularities.
National police were involved in violent scenes as they manhandled voters while implementing the legal ruling banning the referendum.
The declaration reads: “We call on all states and international organizations to recognize the Catalan republic as an independent and sovereign state.”
Carles Puigdemont told the regional parliament that the “people’s will” was to break away from Madrid, but he also said he wanted to “de-escalate” the tension around the issue.
“We are all part of the same community and we need to go forward together. The only way forward is democracy and peace,” the Catalan president told deputies.
He also said Catalonia was being denied the right to self-determination, and paying too much in taxes to the central government in Madrid.
Spain’s Deputy PM Soraya Saenz de Santamaria responded to the declaration by saying: “Neither Mr. Puigdemont nor anybody else can claim… to impose mediation.
“Any dialogue between democrats has to take place within the law.”
Spain’s PM Mariano Rajoy has called an extraordinary cabinet meeting for October 11 to address the latest moves in the crisis.
Independence supporters had been sharing the Catalan hashtag #10ODeclaració (10 October Declaration) on Twitter, amid expectations that Carles Puigdemont would ask parliament to declare independence on the basis of the referendum law it passed last month.
However, influential figures including Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau and European Council President Donald Tusk had urged Carles Puigdemont to step back from declaring independence.
Catalonia, a region of Spain for centuries but with its own distinct language and culture, enjoys broad autonomy under the Spanish constitution.
However, a 2005 amendment redefining the region as a “nation”, boosting the status of the Catalan language and increasing local control over taxes and the judiciary, was reversed by the Constitutional Court in 2010.
The economic crisis further fuelled discontent and pro-independence parties took power in the region in the 2015 elections.
Catalonia is one of Spain’s wealthiest regions, accounting for a quarter of the country’s exports. However, a stream of companies have announced plans to move their head offices out of Catalonia in response to the crisis.
The EU has made clear that should Catalonia split from Spain, the region would cease to be part of the European Union.
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has decided to withdraw from October’s election re-run.
Raila Odinga said his decision would give the electoral commission enough time to introduce reforms that will help deliver a more credible election.
The Supreme Court annulled the result of the original August 8 poll, which saw Uhuru Kenyatta declared winner, after finding irregularities.
However, Uhuru Kenyatta says he is ready to proceed with the new vote as planned.
Kenya’s electoral commission said Uhuru Kenyatta had won the August vote by a margin of 1.4 million votes – or 54% of the total, compared to Raila Odinga’s 44%.
VP William Ruto has now called on the commission to declare Uhuru Kenyatta president as a result of Raila Odinga’s announcement.
The election re-run was due to take place on October 26, but Raila Odinga said on October 10: “We have come to the conclusion that there is no intention on the part of the IEBC [electoral commission] to undertake any changes to its operations and personnel… All indications are that the election scheduled for 26 October will be worse than the previous one.”
As a result, Raila Odinga said, “considering the interests of the people of Kenya, the region and the world at large” it was best that he withdrew from the race.
His coalition party believes the election will have to be cancelled as a result of his withdrawal, allowing “adequate time to undertake the reforms necessary to conduct an election that is in strict conformity with the constitution, the relevant laws and the constitution”.
However, Uhuru Kenyatta, speaking at a rally in the southern town of Voi, said: “We have no problem going back to elections. We are sure we will get more votes than the last time.”
