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Turkish Tanks Roll Across Syrian Border

Roy Siemens
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Turkish Tanks Roll Across Syrian Border

Turkey has sent tanks and other vehicles across the Syrian border after heavy shelling of an area held by ISIS.

Military sources told Turkish media 70 targets in the Jarablus area had been destroyed by artillery and rocket strikes, and 12 by air strikes.

Syrian rebels who are following the advance say they have entered the town of Jarablus itself.

The operation is aimed against both ISIS and Kurdish fighters.

Turkey shelled Syrian Kurdish forces in the region this week, determined not to let them fill the vacuum if ISIS leaves.

Photo Wikipedia
Photo Wikipedia

US Vice-President Joe Biden warned Kurdish forces in Syria they would lose US support if they advanced west of the River Euphrates.

Making the highest-ranking visit to Ankara by a Western official since the failed Turkish coup on July 15, Joe Biden also sought to dispel any doubts about America’s solidarity with its NATO ally.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced in a speech in Ankara: “At 04:00 [01:00 GMT] our forces began an operation against the Daesh [ISIS] and PYD [Kurdish Democratic Union Party] terror groups.”

Operation Euphrates Shield was aimed at “putting an end” to problems on the border, he said.

Between 9 and 12 tanks crossed the border, followed by pick-up trucks believed to be carrying Turkish-backed Syrian rebels from the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

The FSA said progress was slow because of mines planted by ISIS fighters in the area. There were no immediate reports of fighting on the way in.

Turkey has vowed to “completely cleanse” ISIS from its border region, blaming the group for a bomb attack on a wedding that killed at least 54 people in Gaziantep on August 20.

This is Turkey’s first known ground incursion into Syria since a brief operation to relocate the tomb of Suleyman Shah, a revered Ottoman figure, in February 2015.

The air strikes are Turkey’s first inside Syria since the downing of a Russian jet in November. Moscow and Ankara only mended ties in June after punitive Russian sanctions.

Fighters from the Syrian Kurd YPG militia – the military wing of the PYD – led the battle to drive ISIS out of the strategic crossroads town of Manbij this month.

Responding to news of the Turkish advance, PYD leader Saleh Moslem tweeted that Turkey was now in the “Syrian quagmire” and would be defeated like ISIS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55O9xMx7mL0

Tesla Launches New Battery Pack for Model S and X Cars

Clyde K. Valle
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Tesla Launches New Battery Pack for Model S and X Cars

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has announced the electric car maker is launching a new battery pack for the performance versions of its Model S and X cars that will extend the range and mean faster acceleration.

Elon Musk hailed the upgraded charger as a “profound milestone”.

The battery cell chemistry is the same, but the reconfigured product stored more energy in the same space, he said.

Photo Tesla
Photo Tesla

Tesla, which this month posted a steeper-than-expected loss, is adding a new sedan car to its sports line-up.

Elon Musk claimed that the new 100-kilowatt hour battery pack means high-end versions of the Model S sedan, called the P100D, will be the world’s fastest accelerating car in production.

The P100D will do 0-60mph in 2.5 seconds. Elon Musk said there were faster cars on the market, but these were limited-run vehicles, while the Tesla is aimed at the mass market, he said.

“These are very profound milestones and I think will help convince people around the world that electric is the future,” Elon Musk said on a conference call with journalists.

The new battery extends the range of performance versions of the new Model S well beyond 300 miles, from about 290 miles, Tesla said.

Elon Musk said that in cool weather, a driver could travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles – a nearly 400 mile drive – without recharging.

In May 2016, Tesla said it was stepping up production plans for its upcoming Model 3 mass-market sedan and would build a total of 500,000 all-electric vehicles in 2018, two years ahead of schedule.

The Model S and X vehicles with the upgraded batteries will help fund the more affordable Model 3 still in development, Elon Musk said. The performance versions of the S and X without the new battery currently start at $108,000 and $115,500, respectively.

However, Tesla Motors also warned that investment would ramp up as well.

The company has been under investigation from US safety regulators following a fatal crash in Florida earlier this year involving its drive-assistance feature known as Autopilot.

Elon Musk said a software update of the feature is nearing completion, adding that it will result in “material improvements in the autonomy of the car”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdrSTfC6yek

You Are Living Green…Is Your Energy Provider Doing the Same?

Dana R
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You Are Living Green…Is Your Energy Provider Doing the Same?

In a report titled “El New Energy Top 100 Green Utilities,” Energy Intel ranks worldwide utility companies by their greenness. The USA ranks a few times in the top twenty, but Canada doesn’t make an appearance until number 27. Hydro-Quebec made the top twenty in 2014, but has since declined.

A brief look at Canada’s greenest utilities as ranked by Energy Intel:

27. Hydro-Quebec

28. Ontario Power Generation

30. BC Hydro

67. TransAlta

The good thing is that certain parts of Canada feature a deregulated market, which means citizens can pick and choose who provides their utilities. For example, Edmonton residents can search Edmonton gas prices in the deregulated markets and compare the low-cost gas providers and their level of greenness. Canada’s residents are urged to choose providers that are affordable to them, but also are dedicated to improving their eco-friendliness.

China’s Utilities are Greener than Canada’s?

China’s utility companies actually take more top spots than Canada’s companies, which is surprising because China is the world’s biggest carbon emitter; and yet, Chinese utility companies have fewer carbon emissions and more renewables than Canadian utility companies.

Canada’s ranking is surprising because Canada is a leader in clean energy with many communities collecting energy from clean sources such as wind, water, sun, and recycled waste. If you’re a citizen in Canada, you’re probably thinking, What about “Let’s Go Green, Canada?” or What about new prime minister Trudeau’s promises to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels? or I’m green in my home, so why isn’t that reflected? The companies aren’t ranked by what you’re using, but rather what they’re expending.

How Winners are Chosen

Rankings are determined by points. The more points a company has, the higher they rank on the list. At most, a company can receive 300 points. For example, the number one greenest utility company, Acciona from Spain, received a grand total of 234 points. Companies can receive up to 100 points in regards to their carbon dioxide emissions or CO2 per megawatt hour generated, and up to 200 points for their non-hydro renewable capacity.

How green you are really has little effect on how green your utility company is; however, that doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference and help your utility company go green. Here are three ways you can make a difference and encourage your utility company to be greener:

1. Write a letter to the CEO

2. Vote for green policies and greener energy policies

3. Switch to a utility company that creates energy from renewable sources, such as wind turbines (this sends a strong message to other companies that if they want to retain their customers they should put their focus on renewables)

You can help your Canadian energy provider be as green as you are. By promoting the value of green utility providers, Canada may be able to improve its 2016 utility rankings by virtue of listening to its people. Right now, Canada has a lot of great ideas and is a leader in building renewable energy sources, so the future is looking bright for Canada’s utility providers.

Italy Earthquake: At Least 37 People Dead and 150 Missing

Diane A. Wade
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Italy Earthquake: At Least 37 People Dead and 150 Missing

At least 37 people are reported and dead and many others trapped under rubble after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake has hit central Italy.

Many of the dead were in the village of Pescara del Tronto which was leveled to the ground and there were fears the number could rise.

Much of the town of Amatrice was reduced to rubble and a family of four is feared dead nearby in Accumoli.

The earthquake hit at 03:36 local time, 65 miles north-east of Rome.

Although it struck at a shallow depth of 6 miles, its intensity was compared to the Aquila earthquake in April 2009 in which 309 people died. The epicenter was around Accumoli where several people died.

Some buildings in Rome shook for 20 seconds as the quake struck an area between the regions of Umbria, Lazio and Marche. The tremor was also felt from Bologna in the north to Naples in the south.

Photo AFP
Photo AFP

The highest casualties were reported in the small village of Pescara del Tronto, where 10 people were reported dead, among them children. Other 20 people have been taken to hospital.

Two boys aged 4 and 7 were pulled alive from the rubble of the house they had been staying in with their grandmother, Ansa news agency reported. Rescuers said they had been sheltering under a bed.

More damage was reported a short distance up the road in Arquata del Tronto.

Some of the worst damage was in the town of Amatrice, where at least five died and rescue efforts were under way to find survivors.

The main street through the town has been devastated and emergency workers are trying to reach six people in a collapsed building.

In Accumoli, a short distance to the north, Mayor Stefano Petrucci said one person had been pulled out of the rubble during the night.

Seismologist Andrea Tertulliani said there were sure to be further, numerous shocks that would probably diminish in intensity.

Italy’s Civil Protection agency described the earthquake as “severe”.

Rescue teams are being sent to the worst-hit areas, the prime minister’s office said.

The earthquake was initially reported as being magnitude 6.4. It was followed by several powerful aftershocks, La Repubblica reported.

North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile from Submarine

Roy Siemens
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North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile from Submarine

According to South Korean and US officials, North Korea has fired a ballistic missile from a submarine off its east coast.

The KN-11 missile was launched from waters near Sinpo and flew about 300 miles before falling into the Sea of Japan, a US official said.

Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe said it fell inside Japan’s Air Defense Identification Zone, calling it a “reckless act”.

The move comes as South Korea and the US begin annual military drills, which routinely anger Pyongyang.

Ulchi Freedom involves about 80,000 US and South Korean troops in a largely computer-simulated defense of South Korea from a fictional North Korean invasion.

Photo KCNA
Photo KCNA

North Korea, which sees these drills as a rehearsal for invasion, recently warned they were pushing the Korean peninsula towards the brink of war and threatened a “pre-emptive nuclear strike” in retaliation.

The communist country is banned by the UN from any use of ballistic or nuclear technology. But in recent months it has carried out repeated missile launches, and is believed to be close to conducting its fifth test of a nuclear device.

Today’s launch appears to have been its most successful test yet of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).

SLBMs are of particular concern because of the mobility of submarines and the ease with which launch preparation can remain undetected.

South Korea’s military said it “seemed to be aimed at raising military tension in response to the Seoul-Washington military drill”, the Yonhap news agency reports.

It said it would “sternly and strongly respond to any provocation by North Korea”.

Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe confirmed reports that the missile fell into Japan’s ADIZ, an area of airspace over which a country exercises security controls.

He said it was an “unforgivable, reckless act” which “poses a grave threat to Japan’s security”.

The US State Department said it “strongly condemned” this, and previous missile tests, and would raise concerns at the UN.

North Korea’s launch also coincided with a meeting of foreign ministers from Japan, China and South Korea in Tokyo.

South Africa Elections 2016: ANC Loses Control In Johannesburg

Diane A. Wade
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South Africa Elections 2016: ANC Loses Control In Johannesburg

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party has lost control of Johannesburg, the country’s largest city and economic center.

Herman Mashaba from the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has been elected as mayor by Johannesburg council.

The ANC had run Johannesburg since the fall of apartheid more than 20 years ago. It lost its council majority in local elections, although it is still the largest party.

It has also lost control of the capital Pretoria and Cape Town.

Photo Wikipedia
Photo Wikipedia

Of South Africa’s six biggest cities, the ANC only won an outright majority in Durban, seen as a stronghold for South African President Jacob Zuma.

On August 22, there was drama at the Johannesburg council meeting, which lasted 11 hours.

A scuffle broke out between opposition party members and electoral commission officials and an ANC councilor who was sworn in earlier in the day collapsed and died shortly after Herman Mashaba was elected.

The ANC had won 44.5% of the vote, more than the DA’s 38.4%. The left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) with 11% found itself in the position of kingmaker and refused to give its votes to the ANC.

Herman Mashaba, a 56-year-old businessman, has promised to reform Johannesburg administration.

“As of this evening, corruption is declared public enemy number one in this city,” he told cheering supporters.

“Public monies that have been misspent, misused, over the last five, 10 years or so … we’re going to take this money, we’re going to look after it, so that we can provide basic services to our people.”

Herman Mashaba also pledged to tackle unemployment saying: “Over 800,000 of our residents, one-in-three, are today unemployed. We need to address this and we need to address this as a matter of urgency.”

Forty Knives Removed from Indian Man’s Stomach

Nancy Clayson
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Forty Knives Removed from Indian Man’s Stomach

Indian doctors in the northern city of Amritsar say they have surgically removed 40 knives from a man’s stomach.

The 42-year-old man had swallowed the knives over a period of three months.

Photo Wikipedia
Photo Wikipedia

He was hospitalized last week after suffering severe pain in his stomach.

Doctors found out that he had been eating knives after conducting diagnostic tests.

The man is recovering in the hospital and is out of danger.

The surgery involved a team of five doctors and it took them five hours to finish the operation to remove the knives.

Doctors are now trying to find out why he was swallowing knives but say it seems like he was suffering from some kind of physiological disorder.

Even his family didn’t know about his habit of swallowing knives, doctors say.

Gaziantep Attack: Turkey Launches Artillery Strikes on ISIS and Kurdish Targets

Roy Siemens
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Gaziantep Attack: Turkey Launches Artillery Strikes on ISIS and Kurdish Targets

Turkey has launched new artillery strikes on ISIS targets at Jarablus, northern Syria, amid reports Syrian rebels are to launch an offensive against the Islamist group.

Some 1,500 Turkish-backed Syrian rebels are thought to be in Gaziantep waiting to attack.

A bomb attack on a Kurdish wedding there killed 54 people on August 20.

Turkey also shelled positions at Manbij held by Kurdish YPG fighters, who have been advancing against ISIS.

According to new reports, the attack in Gaziantep, blamed on ISIS, may have been spurred by reports of the imminent Syrian rebel offensive.

Meanwhile, more victims of the suicide attack are being identified.

On August 23, Turkish artillery fired at least 40 shells at ISIS positions in the Jarablus area after two mortar bombs landed in the Turkish town of Karkamis, just across the border, Turkish media report.

Photo AP
Photo AP

Nobody was hurt in the attack on Karkamis.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said ISIS should be “completely cleansed” from northern Syria.

On August 22, Turkey also shelled of ISIS positions but equally the bombardment of Kurdish YPG positions in the Manbij area.

A Turkish official quoted by Reuters said artillery had fired on the Kurds 20 times.

The YPG has been at the forefront of the recent advance against ISIS in northern Syria, leading the liberation of Manbij this month and driving the jihadists towards Jarablus.

However, Turkey links them to its own Kurdish insurgents, the PKK, and is determined to keep them away from its border with Syria.

The fighters poised to enter Syria from Gaziantep are believed to be Turkish-backed Syrian rebels.

A senior rebel official quoted by Reuters said they were fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army.

It is believed that any such operation would be aimed at frustrating any further advance by the Kurds.

The Kurds themselves have non-Kurdish Syrian allies, fighting alongside the YPG under the banner of the Syrian Democratic Forces.

The identity and motive of the suicide bomber who attacked the wedding party have yet to be revealed.

Soon after the attack, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said ISIS was the likely perpetrator but PM Binali Yildirim said on August 22 that investigators actually did “not have a clue”.

The prime minister downplayed earlier reports that the attacker was a teenager, saying this could not be confirmed.

What is known is that it was a Kurdish wedding and ISIS has targeted Turkish Kurds in the past.

Many of the victims were children as young as 4-year-old.

Sixty-six people are still in hospital, 14 of them in a serious condition, Turkey’s Dogan news agency reported.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rvR2simCL8

How Ramen Noodles Becomes Most Popular US Prison Currency

Nancy Clayson
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How Ramen Noodles Becomes Most Popular US Prison Currency

According to a recent study, ramen noodles has become the most valuable commodity in US prisons overtaking tobacco.

The shift was a response to a decline in the quantity and quality of food on offer, the study says.

Study author Michael Gibson-Light said: “Because it is cheap, tasty, and rich in calories, ramen has become so valuable that it is used to exchange for other goods.”

According to US prison data, spending has not kept pace with the number of inmates.

Michael Gibson-Light said staff and inmates at the prison he visited said the amount of food being provided had decreased steadily over decades and warned the shift could have serious implications.

Photo Wikipedia
Photo Wikipedia

“Prisoners are so unhappy with the quality and quantity of prison food that they receive that they have begun relying on ramen noodles – a cheap, durable food product – as a form of money in the underground economy,” he said.

“The form of money is not something that changes often or easily, even in the prison underground economy; it takes a major issue or shock to initiate such a change,” Michael Gibson-Light added.

The noodles are exchanged for goods including other food items, clothing, hygiene products and even services such as laundry and bunk cleaning, he said.

Other inmates use them as bargaining chips in gambling when playing card games or participating in football pools.

Ramen noodles are also replacing other traditional forms of prison currency, such as stamps and envelopes, the study found.

The shift was taking place across different groups within prisons and was not a response to bans on tobacco products within the prison system, Michael Gibson-Light said.

The researcher called for more research into what the reduction in food could mean for the care of prisoners.

All states spent about $48.5 billion on prisoners in 2010, 5.6% less than in 2009, according to the US Bureau of Prisons.

Ryan Lochte Scandal: Speedo and Other Sponsors Drop Olympic Swimmer

Clyde K. Valle
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Ryan Lochte Scandal: Speedo and Other Sponsors Drop Olympic Swimmer

Speedo, Ralph Lauren and other two sponsors have dropped Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte following Rio Olympics scandal.

They were followed by announcements from skin care company Syneron-Candela and Japanese mattress maker Airweave.

The move comes after Ryan Lochte, 32, lied about being robbed at gunpoint by a policeman after a night out during the Rio Olympics.

Ryan Lochte, a 12-time Olympic gold medalist, has earned millions of dollars through endorsements.

Speedo, the biggest sponsor of the four, said: “We cannot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for.”

Ryan Lochte said he respected Speedo’s decision, and thanked the company.

Photo Wikipedia
Photo Wikipedia

“I am grateful for the opportunities that our partnership has afforded me over the years,” the swimmer said.

Ralph Lauren, which has removed some of Ryan Lochte’s images from its website, said its sponsorship of the swimmer had been only for the Rio Games and would not be renewed.

Airweave and Ralph Lauren both stressed that they would continue their support of the US Olympic and Paralympic teams.

Syneron-Candela said: “We hold our employees to high standards, and we expect the same of our business partners.”

Speedo said it would donate a $50,000 portion of Ryan Lochte’s sponsorship fee to the charity Save The Children’s Brazilian operation.

The value of Ryan Lochte’s Speedo sponsorship has not been disclosed. The contract reportedly expires this year after 10 years.

Forbes magazine calculated that in the year of the 2012 London Olympics, Ryan Lochte earned about $2 million in sponsorships from companies such as Gillette, Nissan, AT&T and Gatorade.

Ryan Lochte’s performance at Rio did not reach the heights of his London triumph, but Forbes estimated the athlete’s endorsements would still have been between $1 million-$2 million.

The saga started when Ryan Lochte and three team-mates returned to the Olympic village after a late night out in Rio.

They tried, unsuccessfully, to use the locked toilet at a garage and urinated outside instead.

After first claiming that Ryan Lochte and his three team-mates had been robbed by bogus policemen, Lochte back-tracked and admitted he had, while still drunk, “left details out” and “over-exaggerated some parts of the story”.

Despite the evidence against him, including CCTV footage, he has however denied that he actually lied in his initial account to Brazilian police.

Ryan Lochte’s behavior has been met with disdain in the US and he has been widely pilloried in the US media.

On August 19, the New York Post carried a front-page headline describing him as the “Ugly American”, along with the slogan “Liar, Liar, Speedo on fire”.

Ryan Lochte is one of the most successful swimmers in history, with 12 Olympic medals, and he once had his own reality TV show.

In Rio, Ryan Lochte swam in two events, winning a gold medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay along with team-mate Jack Conger.

3 Strategies You Can Use To Successfully Trade Binary Options

Dana R
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3 Strategies You Can Use To Successfully Trade Binary Options

Binary options are financial derivatives in which the payoff is either a fixed monetary amount or nothing. Binary options have previously only been available to institutional investors and large corporations and were mainly used for currency hedging purposes. However, binary options have recently also become available for retail investors who are looking to place bets on stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies or indices.

How do binary options work?

Online binary options brokerages, such as Morton Finance, always quote binary options with a two-way price. An example would be 49.50/50.50. If you want to go ‘long’ and buy a binary option on the underlying asset (such as a stock, commodity, currency or index), you buy it at the offer price, which would be 50.50. Should the underlying asset close up within the pre-defined time horizon (say 5 minutes) your profit would be 49.50 times your investment per point (say USD 5). So, if we were to buy USD 5 per point at 50.50 and the underlying asset closes higher after 5 minutes, we would generate a profit of USD 5 * (100-50.50) = USD 247.50. Adversely, if the underlying asset would end up lower after 5mins, then you would make a loss of USD 5 * (0-50.50) = USD 252.50. The value of a binary option at expiry is always either 0 or 100. Therefore, your potential loss is limited, which helps you manage your loss exposure when trading binary options.

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Binary options trading strategies

However, as with all financial trading, it is important to have the right strategies in place to ensure the highest chance of consistent profits. Due to the short-term nature of binary options markets, they are best traded when there is a clear short-term trend in asset prices. That way you have a good chance of profitably closing out 5-minute or 10-minute binary options trades.

  1. Trade on the back of company news

Important company announcements, such as better-than-expected or worse-than-expected earnings releases, provide a great opportunity to put on binary options trades as they result in sharp price movements for a short period of time. You can capitalize on such mini-trends by either buying or selling a binary option on the company’s stock depending on whether the company announcement was positive or negative for its stock price. For example, if Goldman Sachs announces worse than expected results, its stock price will drop immediately after the announcement. In this situation, you could sell a binary option on Goldman Sachs stock and will very likely close out a profitable trade.

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  1. Trade on the back of economic data announcements

You could apply the same strategy to macroeconomic data and use stock indices as an underlying asset to put on binary options trades post market-moving economic data announcements. For example, if you trade the S&P500 using binary options you can go long after better-than-expected US economic data has been released or go short immediately after worse-than-expected US data has been announced. Hence, if there are better-than-expected US unemployment numbers you can go long the S&P500 using a 5-minute binary option and profit of the immediate jump in US stock prices.

  1. Trade on the back of central banker announcements

Alternatively to economic announcements, you could also apply this strategy to central banker announcements, which have been making in an increasingly high impact on asset prices since the 2008 financial crisis. If a central banker of a major economy such as the US, the UK or Europe hints at future rate cuts or hikes, this will cause a large movement in stocks prices, thereby creating a great opportunity to capitalize on immediate price trends using binary options.

Gina-Lisa Lohfink Convicted of Making False Rape Allegations

Lisa.Felice
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Gina-Lisa Lohfink Convicted of Making False Rape Allegations

Model Gina-Lisa Lohfink has been convicted of making false rape allegations against two men in a case that has sparked debate across Germany.

Gina-Lisa Lohfink was fined €20,000 ($22,600) by a court in Berlin.

The two men were cleared of rape and Gina-Lisa Lohfink was accused of making false testimony.

Gina-Lisa Lohfink is a former competitor on reality TV show Germany’s Next Top Model, and the high-profile case partly informed a recent change to Germany’s rape laws.

Photo Facebook
Photo Facebook

A new law was passed in July clarifying that “no means no” even if the victim did not fight back.

After the verdict was read out, Gina-Lisa Lohfink cried: “I don’t need to put myself through this” before storming out of the courtroom.

He defense lawyer described the verdict as “a scandal”.

Burkhard Benecken said he would discuss with her whether she had the strength for an appeal.

She was now concerned for all women who wanted to report a rape, he said.

The case has been extensively covered throughout the German media.

Bild reported the verdict as “a bitter setback” for Gina-Lisa Lohfink, and said the verdict was greeted with boos from the public gallery.

Die Zeit said that the trial showed “how disrespectfully we treat people, when it comes to the accusation of rape”. The case will stigmatize all parties in the long run, the newspaper said.

Donald Trump May Drop Deportation Plan

Diane A. Wade
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Donald Trump May Drop Deportation Plan

Donald Trump may drop his proposal to deport 11 million people who are living illegally in the United States.

Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said the mass deportation plan, which was a central plank of Donald Trump’s campaign, was yet “to be determined”.

Kellyanne Conway’s comments at the weekend came after the Republican presidential nominee met with a new panel of Hispanic advisers.

Donald Trump told Fox News on August 22 he was not “flip-flopping” but wanted a fair plan.

He is scheduled to deliver a speech on immigration in Colorado on August 25.

Photo AP
Photo AP

Donald Trump has taken a hard-line stance on immigration since the beginning of his campaign, vowing to create a “deportation force” as well as make Mexico pay for the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border.

While struggling to keep up with Hillary Clinton in the polls, Donald Trump has addressed black and Hispanic voters in recent days with the aim of broadening his support beyond white working-class voters.

“What he supports is to make sure we enforce the law, that we are respectful of those Americans who are looking for jobs, and that we are fair and humane to those who live among us,” Kellyanne Conway told CNN on August 21.

When asked to clarify if Donald Trump would maintain his position on creating a deportation force, Kellyanne Conway responded: “To be determined.”

Donald Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, insisted that the plan remains unchanged.

“I don’t think the message is changing at all. I think people are just getting to know Donald Trump better,” he said.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign later released a statement saying there would be little revision to his immigration plan despite Kellyanne Conway’s suggestions.

“Donald Trump’s immigration plan remains the same as it’s always been – tear apart families and deport 16 million people from the United States,” said Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair John Podesta.

If the deportation plan is dropped or refashioned, it would not be the first shift in Donald Trump’s immigration policy.

Donald Trump’s controversial plan to issue a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the country changed to a ban on countries with a history of terrorism against the US. That switch followed questions raised by constitutional experts.

Last week, the Trump campaign faced a dramatic overhaul with the exit of campaign chairman Paul Manafort as well as the hiring of Breitbart News boss Stephen Bannon as CEO and Kellyanne Conway as campaign manager.

The Tools That Are Helping Businesses Spend Less Time And Be More Productive

Dana R
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The Tools That Are Helping Businesses Spend Less Time And Be More Productive

In all businesses, wasting time and effort is an easy way to sink the whole business. If you’re worried that your floor isn’t as efficient as you would like it to be, then you need to make changes. This doesn’t just go for manufacturing and production businesses. In any kind of workplace, the speed and quality of the workflow matters. So take a look at the tips below to see what strategies you should consider implementing in your business.

Businessmen, Silhouettes, Meeting, Economy, Development

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Get re-organising

First, look at the physical layout of the workplace itself. Are there large gaps between different stages of the workflow? Are there unnecessary things in the way or just in the wrong place? Go back to the drawing board and try come up with floor plans that make workflow move a lot quicker. Of course, inefficiently reorganising can just as well cost you time. So when it’s time to move things around, look at tips like this industrial ball transfer demo by Hudson Bearings.

Frog, Fig, Files, Stack, Files Stacked, Office

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Automate your admin

If you spend all day doing busywork and pushing paper, then you’re not spending as much time on the processes that actually make you money. So get the tools on hand that can help you reduce the amount of time you have to spend doing it. For example, if your HR workload takes up a lot of your time, look at apps that can automate a lot of those processes.

Woman, Face, Photo Montage, Faces, Photo Album, World

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Build a team that can handle more

One of the biggest risks to the efficiency of your workplace is work interruption. In a high skill environment, an absent employee can be the most damaging case of work interruption. Don’t let your workflow come to a standstill. Don’t spend a huge amount of money hiring temps, either. Instead, take the time to help your employees mentor and train one another. Make sure that there’s always someone available to fill in the skills gap that another’s absence might create.

Suits, Warehouse, Jackets, Hanging, Plastic

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Keep an eye on inventory

In any workplace, lacking the supplies you need is going to be another real cause for work interruption. Particularly in the world of manufacturing, this can be  prevented by using an inventory tracking system. Know what you need well before you need it. Track equipment and keep it maintained on a regular basis. Don’t neglect the tools or materials that keep the whole thing going.

Dollar, Money, Us-Dollar, Arrangement, Funds, Currency

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Know your money

Money is vital to just about every kind of business. Yet, there are many who will lose track of it, only to find that they have no funding left for what they need. Financial advisors are more than just penny counters (though they are helpful in that regard). It’s always a good idea to have someone in the know who can help you spot opportunities to put your cash to better work.

We hope that the tools and tricks mentioned above help you create a much more streamlined business. If you can’t cope with your workflow efficiently, you could stand to lose everything.

Outsourcing: The Key To Business Success When You Have Chronic Illness

Dana R
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Outsourcing: The Key To Business Success When You Have Chronic Illness

Running a business is hard work when you are in the best of health. It can be tough for entrepreneurs to strike that balance between work and a happy private life full of wellness. But let’s face the facts: it is even harder when you are suffering from a chronic illness. You have to look after yourself, first and foremost. This does not mean running a business is impossible, however; far from it, in fact.

One of the keys to success is choosing the right people and products to work with. Building up a network of reliable, trusted service providers can help your business thrive, and take some of the pressure off. Here’s how you go about outsourcing work to others, while retaining full control over your business aims.

not-alone

source

Understand your strengths and weaknesses

Regardless of your illness, you have to know yourself before outsourcing any projects. It is vital that you understand your strengths and weaknesses. Not in a physical sense, of course – I mean where your business knowledge and abilities lie. These skills will be the drivers of your business, and it’s vital to use them in the most efficient way. That means spending as much time as possible on things you do well and contribute to earning while identifying areas that you don’t do so well. This will give you the opportunity to pass on those time-consuming tasks that end up costing you money.

Learn the basics

A little knowledge can take you a long way when it comes to selecting perfect partners. You don’t need to be an expert by any means, but it’s worth taking a little time to learn about specific areas. For example, you don’t need to learn code to hire a website designer. But it will be handy if you understand some of the basic principles of web design, so you hire the right people. However, you might find that expensive hires aren’t always necessary. Let’s say you want more website traffic, for example. You can put your new knowledge to good use with a white label SEO product instead of hiring an expensive consultant.  

mac-book

source

Identifying potential partners

Once you know where you need help, it’s time to start the interview process. Never hire anyone without speaking to them first, in person. There are a lot of risks here, and it is essential to understand if you can both work together. Ask for recent examples of their work – and to speak to former clients. Don’t feel under pressure to hire anyone unless you are happy to do so.

Forming an agreement

If you are happy to work with a particular firm, make sure you have an agreement in place. They will provide some degree of service to you, but, like everything in life, it will cost you money. You need to outline everyone’s expectations right from the start of your relationship so that you can get a get a good return on that investment. Make sure they are clear about what they are doing before signing any contracts. Don’t forget; outsourcing is about making your life easier. Constant questions and requests for help are not going to help you achieve that goal, and can add a lot of stress.

I hope this brief guide has helped you form an idea of how outsourcing can help – and hinder –  you. Let me know if you have any more questions!

Namewee Arrested In Malaysia for Insulting Islam

Sonia Pantiss
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Namewee Arrested In Malaysia for Insulting Islam

Controversial Malaysian rapper Namewee has been arrested after complaints that his most recent music video “insulted Islam”.

Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, was detained on August 21. He is known for his profanity-laced music.

The offending video, for his song Oh My God, was first released in July and features him rapping in front of places of worship around Malaysia.

Namewee, 33, insists that his song was intended to promote religious harmony.

Photo Facebook
Photo Facebook

On August 22, Malaysian police remanded Namewee in custody for four days to investigate him for “defiling a place of worship with intention to insult religion”. The charge carries a jail term of up to two years.

About two thirds of Malaysians are Muslim, though the country also has significant Buddhist, Christian and Hindu populations. But there have been a number of instances in recent years of blogs and certain representations of Islam stoking controversy in Malaysia.

Namewee makes several religious references, using terms such as “Allah” and “Hallelujah”.

The singer and three others also appear to sing and dance in front of Buddhist and Taoist temples, inside a church and outside a mosque.

The latest version of the video uploaded to YouTube on 20 August, however, does not appear to include a sequence in front of a mosque.

Representatives from 20 local NGOs lodged some 10 reports against the singer.

Namewee was arrested on August 21 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport after returning from an overseas trip.

On August 22, Namewee posted a statement on his Facebook page where he says the intention of the Oh My God video was only to promote religious harmony.

The singer responded to people asking why he had returned to Malaysia when he could have evaded arrest by staying abroad by saying that he had done nothing wrong.

“If I’ve not done any wrong, why should I run and hide? [Malaysia] is my home, my land.”

Singing in Mandarin Chinese, Namewee is also hugely popular in Taiwan and China. But this is not his first brush with controversy.

In one of his previous videos Namewee questions Malaysia’s national energy provider over a blackout and another video featured a parody of the national anthem, which almost landed him in jail.

Rio Olympics 2016: Closing Ceremony Turns Maracana into Street Carnival

Clyde K. Valle
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Rio Olympics 2016: Closing Ceremony Turns Maracana into Street Carnival

The Rio Olympics closed with a spectacular carnival-inspired ceremony, and the official handover to 2020 hosts Tokyo.

The Maracana stadium was turned into a street carnival as the ceremony celebrated Brazil’s art, music and dance.

The colorful ceremony lasted almost three hours.Russia banned from Rio Olympics 2016

The highlights included human formations of iconic Rio landmarks Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain.

The Olympic flame was extinguished by a rain shower, which then gave life to a large tree sculpture to symbolize rebirth.

The ceremony featured the symbolic handover of the Olympic flag. Rio mayor Eduardo Paes returned it to IOC President Thomas Bach, before it was passed to Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike.

IOC President Thomas Bach officially closed the Games of the 31st Olympiad after 16 days of competition, featuring 11,303 athletes from 206 nations and a refugee team.

One of the biggest cheers of the night came when Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe appeared dressed as computer game character Super Mario, rising out of a huge green pipe in the stadium.

The closing ceremony, watched by billions around the world, featured the parade of athletes and concluded with a confetti and firework show.

Prince Death: Pills Seized from Artist’s Home Falsely Labeled as Fentanyl

Sonia Pantiss
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Prince Death: Pills Seized from Artist’s Home Falsely Labeled as Fentanyl

Drugs found in Prince’s home were falsely labeled as fentanyl, according to reports.

Speaking to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, officials investigating Prince’s death said the pills were labeled as hydrocodone, a weaker type of opioid.

Autopsy results released in June revealed Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose.

Officials told the Associated Press Prince, 57, had no prescriptions for controlled substances at the time.

Photo Getty Images
Photo Getty Images

The artist was found dead in an elevator inside his Paisley Park home in April.

According to the Star Tribune report, Prince weighed just 110lbs at the time of his death and had significantly more than a fatal dose of fentanyl in his system.

Fentanyl has been linked to a surge in overdoses in parts of the US after being incorporated into counterfeit pills.

The counterfeit pills found in Paisley Park contained a variety of drugs, according to the Associated Press, including fentanyl, lidocaine and U-4770, a synthetic drug eight times more powerful than morphine.

Tests on the musician prior to his death did not show fentanyl in his system, AP said, citing an official involved with the investigation, indicating the singer was not a long-term user of the drug.

The official said Prince had many of these pills with him a week before his death when his airplane made an emergency stop in Illinois after he fell ill.

Prince reportedly received two doses of Narcan, an antidote used to reverse suspected opioid overdoses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3UV9ginu70

Kurdish Wedding Suicide Bomber Was a Child, Says Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Roy Siemens
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Kurdish Wedding Suicide Bomber Was a Child, Says Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The suicide bombing which killed 51 people at a Kurdish wedding party in Gaziantep, Turkey, was carried out by a 12 to 14-year-old, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

President Erdogan said ISIS was behind the attack. Gaziantep, near the Syrian border, is known to have several ISIS cells.

The bomb wounded 69 people, Recep Tayyip Erdogan added, 17 of them seriously.

The bomber targeted the wedding guests as they danced in the street.

Photo euronews
Photo euronews

A suicide bomber believed to have links to ISIS killed two policemen in Gaziantep in May.

In a written statement published by local media, President Erdogan argued there was “no difference” between ISIS, the Kurdish militants of the PKK, and followers of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he blames for the coup attempt last month.

The bomb went off in a part of town popular with students and which has a large Kurdish community.

According to a report by Turkey’s Dogan news agency, the couple had moved to Gaziantep from the Kurdish town of Siirt further east to escape fighting between Kurdish rebels and security forces.

The United States condemned the attack, calling it “barbaric act”.

Gord Downie Brain Cancer: Tragically Hip Band on Farewell Tour

Sonia Pantiss
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Gord Downie Brain Cancer: Tragically Hip Band on Farewell Tour

The Tragically Hip, whose frontman Gord Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, have performed their last concert at the end of an emotional farewell tour.

The Canadian blues and rock band drew a sell-out crowd to the last show in Kingston, Ontario, on August 20, broadcast live across the country.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was at the live show, said The Tragically Hip had “been writing Canada’s soundtrack for over 30 years”.

Gord Downie, 52, announced his illness in May.

The news of his illness caused shock across Canada.

Photo Facebook
Photo Facebook

The CBC called Gord Downie Canada’s “unofficial poet laureate”.

The 15-stop Man Machine Poem tour “left a trail of heartbreak but also celebration across the nation”, the Globe and Mail reported.

Justin Trudeau tweeted after the concert that The Tragically Hip would be “forever in our hearts and playlists”.

The prime minister also tweeted a picture of himself writing on a wall of messages to what he dubbed “Canada’s band”.

Formed in the 1980s, the band penned lyrics which explicitly referenced Canadian life, with a small-town charm that won the country over.

The Tragically Hip started as a college band working the local circuit and then took off, but their success across 14 albums was mostly confined to within Canada.

Known simply as The Hip to many Canadians, their songs became part of a national identity.

Kingston designated on August 20 as The Tragically Hip Day in honor of its local heroes.

The Kingston concert was broadcast on Canadian TV and was shown at hundreds of public screenings across the country in bars and outdoor venues.

The final concert, at the Rogers K-Rock Center, sold out in minutes.

Topics to do with The Hip concert trended on Canadian social media on August 20.

Turkey Wedding Attack Kills At Least 30 People In Gaziantep

Roy Siemens
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Turkey Wedding Attack Kills At Least 30 People In Gaziantep

At least 30 people have been killed and other 94 injured in a bomb attack at an outdoor wedding party in the south Turkish city of Gaziantep, the authorities say.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said ISIS was likely to have carried it out amid reports of a suicide bomber targeting the party.

The bomb attack, in an area popular with university students, could be heard across the city.

Photo AP
Photo AP

Gaziantep, near the Syrian border, is known to have several ISIS cells.

A suicide bomber believed to have links to ISIS killed two policemen in Gaziantep in May.

According to a report by AFP news agency, the bomb went off in a part of town with a large Kurdish community and there seem to have been many Kurds at the wedding.

In a written statement published by local media, President Erdogan argued there was “no difference” between ISIS, the Kurdish militants of the PKK, and followers of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he blames for the coup attempt last month.

“Our country and our nation have again only one message to those who attack us – you will not succeed!” the president said.

On August 20, Turkey’s government said the country would take a more active role in efforts to end the war in Syria.

PM Binali Yildirim said a future political settlement for Syria must not include President Bashar al-Assad, ISIS or Turkey’s own Kurdish separatist rebels, the PKK.

Rio 2016: Ryan Lochte Apologizes to Brazilians for Robbery Story

Clyde K. Valle
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Rio 2016: Ryan Lochte Apologizes to Brazilians for Robbery Story

Ryan Lochte has said sorry to Brazilians after “over-exaggerating” claims he was robbed at gunpoint while at the Rio Olympics.

The Olympic swimmer had claimed that he and a group of three other US swimmers had been robbed at a gas station.

However, CCTV footage contradicted Ryan Lochte’s story, showing the men had vandalized the gas station.

Ryan Lochte told Globo TV, Brazil’s largest broadcaster, that he had not lied over what happened.

“I wasn’t lying to a certain extent,” he said.

Photo Globo TV
Photo Globo TV

“I over-exaggerated what was happening to me.”

He added that he was sorry, saying: “Brazil doesn’t deserve that.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has set up a disciplinary commission to investigate the incident and the four swimmers’ behavior.

News of the alleged robbery emerged through Ryan Lochte’s mother on August 14.

Ryan Lochte then gave an account of the events, saying he and the other swimmers were returning by cab from a club in the early hours of the morning when they were robbed at gunpoint by men who forced the vehicle to pull over.

However, Brazilian police said a day later that there were inconsistencies in the men’s accounts.

On August 17, two of the swimmers, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, were taken off a US-bound plane at Rio de Janeiro airport and questioned by police.

Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger were eventually allowed to leave Brazil. Another swimmer, Jimmy Feigen agreed to pay $11,000 to a Brazilian charity after the incident.

On August 19, Jack Conger said in a statement that Ryan Lochte had pulled a metal advertisement in a frame to the ground, but Conger said he was “unsure why”.

Jack Conger also said Ryan Lochte began yelling at guards for an unknown reason. The men then agreed to pay the guards for the damage.

Rio de Janeiro’s mayor Eduardo Paes had told media he felt nothing but “shame and contempt” towards the athletes for their portrayal of what happened.

In a separate interview with NBC, part of which also aired on August 20, Ryan Lochte said he felt “hurt” watching footage of his team-mates being taken off their plane.

Ryan Lochte had already returned to the US from Brazil.

“I mean, I let my team down and you know, I don’t want them to think I left them out to dry,” he said.

However, Ryan Lochte maintained the men were threatened and made to pay: “Whether you call it a robbery or whether you call it extortion or us just paying for the damages, we don’t know. All we know is that there was a gun pointed in our direction and we were demanded to give money.”

Hande Kader: Turkish Transgender Activist Murder Sparks Protests

Diane A. Wade
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Hande Kader: Turkish Transgender Activist Murder Sparks Protests

The killing of Turkish transgender activist Hande Kader has caused an outcry in Istanbul.

Turkey remains conservative on LGBTI issues, but on August 21 activists will stage a rare protest in Istanbul.

Hande Kander’s body was found in a forest in Istanbul last week.

The 23-year-old transgender woman, who earned her living as a prostitute, was last seen entering a client’s car one night.

Photo Twitter
Photo Twitter

LGBTI activists protest against violence towards trans people, but the rest of Turkish society rarely reacts.

Under the state of emergency, declared after the failed coup attempt of July 15, restrictions on demonstrations are in place.

However, for the first time, famous figures in Turkey have joined the calls to raise awareness of Hande Kader’s murder and to take part in a demonstration scheduled for August 21 in Istanbul.

According to data from the rights group Transgender Europe, Turkey has the highest number of trans murders in Europe.

Hande Kader tried to call attention to trans murders in Turkey and the lack of justice. She was usually in the front at demonstrations.

In 2015, police had banned the annual LGBTI Pride march in Taksim Square in Istanbul. They tried to disperse the crowds, using water cannon, rubber bullets and pepper spray.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAStHdTT3js

Blue Cut Fire: Many Residents Return to Their Homes After Massive Evacuation

Nancy Clayson
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Blue Cut Fire: Many Residents Return to Their Homes After Massive Evacuation

California’s massive Blue Cut wildfire has been 40% contained allowing many evacuees to return home.

However, some 96 homes had been destroyed in the fire since it broke out on August 16.

Some 58 sq miles have been charred in San Bernardino County, 60 miles east of Los Angeles.

Photo Wikipedia
Photo Wikipedia

Several more fires continue to burn in other drought-stricken parts of California.

Fire spokesman Brad Pitassi said on August 19: “It’s looking very good.”

He added that more gains were expected on August 20, despite firefighters continuing to face dry, hot and windy weather.

Brad Pitassi said the number of buildings destroyed could have been far higher.

Blue Cut, named after a narrow gorge where the blaze broke out, had led to an evacuation order for 82,000 people on August 16.

Many people have now been allowed to return but others were left homeless.

China Glass Bridge Opens to Visitors in Zhangjiajie

Nancy Clayson
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China Glass Bridge Opens to Visitors in Zhangjiajie

World’s highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge has opened to visitors in Zhangjiajie, central China.

The glass bridge connects two mountain cliffs in what are known as the Avatar mountains (Avatar movie was shot here) in Hunan province.

Photo YouTube
Photo YouTube

Completed in December, the 1411ft-long bridge cost $3.4 million to build and stands 984ft above ground, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The bridge has been paved with 99 panes of three-layered transparent glass.

According to officials, the 20ft-wide bridge – designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan – has already set world records for its architecture and construction.

Park officials have said a maximum of 8,000 visitors will be allowed on the bridge each day.

Those wanting to add another thrill to their bucket list are strongly encouraged to book their slots in advance.

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