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Maldives: President Abdulla Yameen Declares 30-Day State of Emergency

Diane A. Wade
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Maldives: President Abdulla Yameen Declares 30-Day State of Emergency

Maldives President Abdulla Yameen has declared a 30-day state of emergency ahead of a planned anti-government rally.

The president’s declaration gives security forces sweeping powers to arrest suspects.

The move comes two days before the planned protest by the country’s main opposition, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

MDP leader Mohamed Nasheed was jailed in March after a widely criticized conviction under anti-terror laws.

“President Yameen has declared (a) state of emergency to ensure the safety and security of every citizen,” his spokesman Muaz Ali tweeted.Maldives state of emergency

Attorney-General Mohamed Anil said a cache of firearms and explosives had recently been discovered, as well as plots to use dangerous weapons.

On November 2, authorities said they had defused a bomb planted near the presidential palace.

“The military and police found weapons and an explosive from two locations,” Muaz Anil said.

“Because these would be a threat to the public and the nation, the National Security Council has advised to take immediate steps to protect the people of Maldives,” he added.

The Maldives has been rocked by political infighting in recent weeks, with Vice-President Ahmed Adeeb arrested in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate the president by blowing up his boat.

Abdulla Yameen narrowly escaped injury but his wife was hurt when a blast struck the boat, which he was using to return home from the airport last month.

Ahmed Adeeb has been charged with treason.

The FBI in the US investigated the blast and said it found no evidence that it was caused by a bomb.

Taiwan and China to Hold Talks in Singapore

Diane A. Wade
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Taiwan and China to Hold Talks in Singapore

Taiwan and China will hold a historic summit in Singapore as President Ma Ying-jeou will meet his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, on November 7.

The summit will be the first ever meeting between leaders of the two sides.

Ma Ying-jeou and Xi Jinping said the talks would focus on relations across the Taiwan Straits.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and views the island as a breakaway province which will one day be reunited with the mainland.

However, ties have improved since President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008.

The Chinese government threatens to use military force against Taiwan if it ever attempts to gain outright independence.China and Taiwan summit Singapore 2015

Taiwanese spokesman Chen Yi-hsin said President Ma Ying-jeou’s aim was “to promote peace cross the Taiwan Strait and maintain status quo”.

Ma Ying-jeou will hold a news conference on November 5 to explain his decision to hold the talks. More details are also expected from Taiwan’s mainland affairs council on November 4.

China’s official Xinhua news agency said the two sides would “exchange views on promoting the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations”.

In a sign of how politically sensitive the meeting is, the two leaders will address each other as Mr. Xi and Mr. Ma, rather than president, one Chinese government official has said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the US welcomed any steps to reduce tensions and improve relations, but added: “We’ll have to see what actually comes out of the meeting.”

Ties with China have improved under President Ma Ying-jeou, whose Kuomintang (KMT) party is seen as pro-Beijing.

In July 2009, the two leaders exchanged direct messages for the first time in more than 60 years, albeit in their respective party functions, and not as national leaders.

In 2010, China and Taiwan signed a historic trade pact.

However, correspondents say growing fears over China’s influence has led to widespread dissatisfaction in Taiwan.

The KMT party suffered a crushing defeat in local elections in 2015, a result that was widely seen as a rejection of President Ma Ying-jeou’s push for closer ties with China.

Ma Ying-jeou steps down next year having served two terms, and earlier this month the KMT dropped its candidate for January’s presidential election following a series of poor ratings in opinion polls.

Analysts say China is likely to see a meeting between the two leaders as a final chance to press its case for improved ties, in case the KMT loses the election.

China has insisted that countries cannot have official relations with both China and Taiwan, with the result that Taiwan has formal diplomatic ties with only 21 UN member states.

Taiwan also has no seat at the UN, having lost it to China in 1971. Repeated attempts to regain representation at the UN have been blocked.

Bucharest Nightclub Fire: Romanian PM Victor Ponta Resigns after Protests

Diane A. Wade
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Bucharest Nightclub Fire: Romanian PM Victor Ponta Resigns after Protests

Romania’s PM Victor Ponta has resigned a day after over 20,000 people took to the streets of Bucharest to protest against Colectiv nightclub fire that left 32 people dead.

Last week’s fire in Bucharest started when a heavy metal band performing at the club set off fireworks.

Photo Romanian Government
Photo Romanian Government

Protesters called for Victor Ponta to step down, complaining of government corruption and poor safety supervision.

Victor Ponta said on November 4: “I am handing in my mandate, I’m resigning, and implicitly my government too.

“I hope the government’s resignation will satisfy the people who came out in the streets.”

Keystone XL Pipeline: Barack Obama to Rule on Project’s Fate before Ending His Term

Clyde K. Valle
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Keystone XL Pipeline: Barack Obama to Rule on Project’s Fate before Ending His Term

President Barack Obama intends to rule on the fate of the Keystone XL oil pipeline before the end of his term, the White House said.

TransCanada, the company behind the pipeline, had wanted to delay the approval process until after his term.

The White House said on November 3 “there might be politics at play” in the decision by TransCanada.

Some analysts think the company is waiting in hopes that the next president would welcome the project.

TransCanada had complained for years about delays from the Obama administration and had aggressively urged that the project be approved as quickly as possible.

The Keystone XL would send more than 800,000 barrels a day of mostly Canadian oil to Nebraska. From there, the oil would travel to refineries and ports along the US Gulf Coast.

Photo ABC
Photo ABC

The project has pitted Republicans and other supporters – who say it will create much needed jobs – against many Democrats and environmentalists, who warn the pipeline will add to carbon emissions and contribute to global warming.

President Barack Obama vetoed a Republican bill approving the pipeline in February.

All the Democratic candidates for president – including front-runner Hillary Clinton – oppose the project. The Republican field supports the pipeline.

Outgoing Canadian PM Stephen Harper was a strong proponent of the pipeline, but his successor Justin Trudeau – while supportive – is less bullish on the scheme.

The Keystone XL pipeline project was first proposed more than six years ago, but has languished, awaiting a permit required by the federal government because it would cross an international boundary.

VW Admits 800,000 Vehicles May Have False CO2 Levels

Clyde K. Valle
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VW Admits 800,000 Vehicles May Have False CO2 Levels

The VW scandal widens as the automaker says it has found “irregularities” in carbon dioxide emissions levels, which could affect around 800,000 cars in Europe.

Volkswagen said the issue, which it came across while investigating diesel emissions, could cost about €2 billion.

Brands including VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat could be affected.

The issue mainly affects diesels, but could also include petrol models.VW false CO2 levels

CO2 is a greenhouse gas, as opposed to the NOx involved in earlier allegations, which is a pollutant that causes lung disease.

The so-called irregularities that have now been found relate to the way in which CO2 emissions and fuel consumption were measured during the technical approval process for some models.

VW has not said whether or not it believes those irregularities were caused by deliberate action and it also has not specified which models are affected.

The company’s CEO Matthias Muller said: “From the very start I have pushed hard for the relentless and comprehensive clarification of events. We will stop at nothing and nobody. This is a painful process, but it is our only alternative. For us, the only thing that counts is the truth.”

The company’s board will talk to regulators about the consequences of its discovery, VW said in a statement, adding that “the safety of the vehicles is in no way compromised”.

The supervisory board issued a separate statement saying it was “deeply concerned” and promising “to ensure swift and meticulous clarification”.

The latest setback comes a day after US authorities accused VW of fitting nitrogen oxide defeat devices on its larger 3.0 liter diesel vehicles – charges which VW denied.

VW is already beset by scandal after the EPA discovered that some of its diesel vehicles were fitted with software that detected when they were undergoing emissions tests and changed the way they operated.

The so-called defeat device is understood to be in 11 million vehicles worldwide.

Earlier, it was announced that VW’s sales in the US had risen in October, despite the scandal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRgckux5LwQ

Issue 3: Ohio Rejects Marijuana Legalization

Nancy Clayson
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Issue 3: Ohio Rejects Marijuana Legalization

Ohio voters have rejected proposals to make marijuana legal, according to local media projections.

The measure, known as Issue 3, would have amended the state constitution to legalize the personal and medical use of marijuana for anyone over 21.

However, the measure was defeated by nearly a two-to-one margin, the projections said.

Pro-legalization campaigners spent about $12 million in advertising in the run-up to November 3 vote.

Photo AP
Photo AP

Issue 3 would have granted rights for marijuana to be grown commercially at 10 sites across Ohio, which critics said could have created a monopoly.

The backers of the 10 growing sites had many famous names as investors, including former pop singer Nick Lachey, fashion designer Nanette Lepore and Woody Taft, a descendant of President William Howard Taft.

The legalization measure would have allowed marijuana, pot-infused sweets and other related products to be purchased in stores. Home-growers could keep up to four flowering marijuana plants.

There was strong opposition to the measure from children’s hospitals, business organizations and farmers.

Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, along with the District of Columbia, have legalized recreational marijuana.

More than 20 states permit its use for medical purposes.

Rome’s Trevi Fountain Reopens after Renovation

Kathryn R. Bown
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Rome’s Trevi Fountain Reopens after Renovation

Rome’s iconic Trevi Fountain has been reopened to public after it underwent a 17-month €2.2 million renovation.

The world famous fountain, nearly 300 years old, is visited by millions of tourists every year.

The fountain’s poor structural condition was exposed in 2012 when bits of its elaborate cornice began falling off after an especially harsh winter.

It became famous in 1960 with the release of the film La Dolce Vita.

In the movie actress Anita Ekberg wades through the fountain’s pristine waters – her hopelessly infatuated male co-star in her wake – in what critics say is one of the enduring cinematic images of the 20th Century.Trevi Fountain renovation

A team of 26 restorers have not only given the Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi) a thorough cleaning, they have stopped it from crumbling away.

They have repaired cracks and steel supports with the aim of avoiding a repeat of the incident in 2012 when pieces of the fountain came crashing down.

Water once more tumbles from the base of the fountain’s sea-god scene and new lighting shows off its gleaming Baroque facade.

The repairs have been paid for by the Italian fashion house Fendi, founded as a leather goods business in Rome in the 1920s and now part of French luxury giant LVMH. It agreed a deal which allows it to hang a plaque near the monument for four years.

Fendi has also spent €320,000 cleaning up Rome’s lesser known Le Quattro Fontane (Four Fountains).

Fontana di Trevi was commissioned by Pope Clement XII in 1730 and it was last restored 23 years ago.

The fountain is the end point of one of the aqueducts that supplied ancient Rome with water. The Acqua Vergine runs for a total of 12 miles before flowing into the fountain.

According to legend, the water source was discovered in 19 BC by thirsty Roman soldiers directed to the site by a young virgin – which is why it is called Virgin Waters.

Tourists can drink from a special tap tucked away at one side.

The tradition of throwing coins into the Trevi Fountain was made famous by Frank Sinatra’s Three Coins in the Fountain in the 1954 romantic comedy of the same name.

Sleigh Bells: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Lost Cartoon to Be Screened After 87 Years

Sonia Pantiss
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Sleigh Bells: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Lost Cartoon to Be Screened After 87 Years

Lost Disney cartoon Sleigh Bells featuring first character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is to be screened for the first time in 87 years.

A restored print of 1928’s Sleigh Bells will have its world premiere at the British Film Institute (BFI) in London in December 2015.

The BFI says the re-discovery of the “long-lost” six-minute film in its archive is a “joyful treat”.

Other Oswald cartoons survive but Sleigh Bells has been unseen since its original release.Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was invented by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal in 1927 before they went on to create Mickey Mouse.

The only surviving print of Sleigh Bells was preserved in the BFI National Archive and was “re-discovered” by a researcher browsing its online catalogue.

The restoration work was carried out by Walt Disney Animation Studios and the new print will be shown at BFI Southbank on December 1 as part of a program of Disney Christmas shorts.

Andrew Millstein, president of Walt Disney Animation Studios, which oversaw the restoration, said the Oswald shorts were an important part of Disney history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ymBbtJBaU

Susan Williams GMA Interview: Robin Williams’ Widow Speaks out for First Time since Actor’s Death

Sonia Pantiss
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Susan Williams GMA Interview: Robin Williams’ Widow Speaks out for First Time since Actor’s Death

Robin Williams’ widow said the actor had health problems that would have killed him within three years if he had not ended his own life.

In her first interview since the comedian died in August 2014, Susan Williams said her husband was “disintegrating before my eyes” in the weeks before his death.

“We were living a nightmare,” Susan Williams told ABC’s Good Morning America.

Robin Williams had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and had signs of a condition known as dementia with Lewy bodies.

The condition is caused by deposits of an abnormal protein called Lewy bodies inside brain cells, which disrupt the brain’s normal functions.

According to experts, the condition can interfere with memory, judgement, movement, concentration and visual perception.

Photo ABC
Photo ABC

“If Robin was lucky, he would’ve had maybe three years left,” she said.

“And they would’ve been hard years. And it’s a good chance he would’ve been locked up.”

Robin Williams was “completely clean and sober” when he died, Susan Williams said, but was struggling with depression and anxiety.

His physical symptoms included stiffness, slumping, a shuffling gait and “losing his ability in his voice”, his widow said.

“It’s one minute, totally lucid… And then five minutes later, he would say something that wasn’t… it didn’t match.”

Robin Williams was dealing with his problems as well as he could, she said, describing him as “the bravest man I’ve ever known”.

“But the last month he could not. It was like the dam broke.”

Asked whether her husband’s suicide was his way of taking back control, Susan Williams replied: “In my opinion, oh, yeah.

“I mean, there are many reasons. Believe me. I’ve thought about this. Of what was going on in his mind, what made him ultimately commit… you know, to do that act.

“And I think he was just saying, <<No>>. And I don’t blame him one bit. I don’t blame him one bit.”

Robin Williams died on August 11, 2014 at the age of 63.

Activision Blizzard Buys Candy Crush Maker for $5.9 Billion

Nancy Clayson
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Activision Blizzard Buys Candy Crush Maker for $5.9 Billion

World of Warcraft and Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard is buying King Digital Entertainment, the creator of Candy Crush Saga for $5.9 billion.

Activision Blizzard said the acquisition would make it a global leader in interactive entertainment across mobile, console and PC platforms.

It added the combined company would have more than half a billion monthly active users in 196 countries.

The Call of Duty series is one of the world’s best selling console games, while Candy Crush Saga is among the most popular games on mobile devices.

Video game publishers are switching from the physical sale of games to digital growth as consumers move from consoles to playing on smartphones and tablets.

In a statement, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said: “With a combined global network of more than half a billion monthly active users, our potential to reach audiences around the world on the device of their choosing enables us to deliver great games to even bigger audiences than ever before.”

Bobby Kotick told the Reuters news agency that the company wanted to broaden its reach and appeal to a larger demographic.Activision Blizzard Buys Candy Crush Maker

He said that 60% of King Digital Entertainment’s players were female, and that no games console or hardware, besides a smartphone, was needed to access its games.

King Digital Entertainment has focused on a business model that allows users to play a game for free, but pay extra for additional features.

The international success of Candy Crush Saga has given it exposure to high growth markets in Asia, such as China, Japan and South Korea.

Activision’s games are played on more expensive video game consoles or computers, with games costing between $30-$60.

King Digital Entertainment, which has its main offices in London and Stockholm, will continue to operate as an independent unit led by chief executive Riccardo Zacconi.

Riccardo Zacconi said: “Since 2003, we have built one of the largest player networks on mobile and Facebook, with 474 million monthly active users in the third quarter 2015.

“We believe that the acquisition will position us very well for the next phase of our company’s evolution.”

Activision Blizzard is offering $18 in cash for each King share, and the deal is expected to boost Activision’s earnings by about 30%.

King Digital Entertainment floated on the New York Stock Exchange in March 2014 with the original share price being offered at $22.50.

It closed in New York at $15.54.

Candy Crush Saga, which was first launched on Facebook and smartphones in 2012, caught the public imagination and still makes up about a third of the company’s revenue.

Even though the company has produced more than 200 games, including the popular Bubble Witch and Farm Heroes, it has yet to repeat the success it found with Candy Crush Saga.

King Digital Entertainment helped boost its number of daily active users with the launch of Candy Crush Soda Saga in late 2014, but there has been a decline in player spending on their number one game.

The deal is expected to be completed by Q2 of 2016, assuming approval from shareholders and regulators.

Amazon Books: Amazon Opens First Physical Bookstore in Seattle

Sonia Pantiss
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Amazon Books: Amazon Opens First Physical Bookstore in Seattle

Amazon Books is the very first mass market bookstore the company has ever launched.

It opens on November 3 in Seattle and will stock thousands of bestsellers that are rated 4+ stars on GoodReads and the Kindle e-book store.

The bookstore opening is described as a “physical extension” of Amazon’s business.

It will stock the most popular books from Amazon.com, and the prices will be the same as those offered on the website.

Customers will also be able to try out Amazon’s devices, including the Kindle and its Fire TV.

Photo Amazon
Photo Amazon

Amazon Books vice-president Jennifer Cast announced the online giant would open its “real, wooden doors” at the Seattle University Village on November 3.

“Amazon Books is a physical extension of Amazon.com. We’ve applied 20 years of online bookselling experience to build a store that integrates the benefits of offline and online book shopping,” she said.

The bookstore will stock 5,000 books in the 5,500-sq-ft space, with the majority chosen on the basis of customer ratings, pre-orders, sales, popularity on reader recommendation site GoodReads, and the store’s curators’ assessments.

Tom Tivnan, features editor at the Bookseller magazine, questioned why the online giant was experimenting with a bricks-and-mortar store.

“It goes against the Amazon model of being a never-ending bookshop that is not reliant on having books on shelves,” he said.

“It is unclear whether they will roll it out across the US.

“I can see it going to a limited number of cities like New York or possibly London, but I don’t think it will have a huge impact.”

The lines between online and offline are becoming increasingly blurred.

Turkey: 35 Fethullah Gulen Supporters Arrested following Elections

Diane A. Wade
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Turkey: 35 Fethullah Gulen Supporters Arrested following Elections

Thirty five people have been arrested in Turkey on suspicion of links to exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen accused by the authorities of seeking to overthrow the government.

The Turkish government has accused Fethullah Gulen, the spiritual leader of the Hizmet movement, of trying to run a parallel state.

Turkish media said the arrests include senior bureaucrats and police officers.

Fethullah Gulen was once an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose AK party was resoundingly re-elected on November 1.

However, the two fell out, and Fethullah Gulen now lives in self-imposed exile in the US.Fethullah Gulen supporters arrested

A Turkish court issued an arrest warrant for the influential cleric in 2014, accusing him of establishing and running an “armed terrorist group” – a claim the cleric strongly denies.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said those detained in today’s raids were suspected of acting “beyond their legal authority”.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has decried the work of Fethullah Gulen’s followers as that of “a state within a state”.

He has been seeking to curb the reach the Hizmet movement since 2013.

Last week Turkish police stormed the headquarters of a media group linked to Fethullah Gulen, raising concerns about media freedom days before the country’s election.

The parliamentary election on November 1 followed an earlier, inconclusive poll in June, in which Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP lost its majority in parliament.

The AKP’s victory came amid concerns about rising tensions in Turkey.

Turkey has stepped up operations against ISIS since it was blamed for twin blasts that killed more than 100 people in Ankara last month.

The double bombing, targeting a Kurdish peace rally, was Turkey’s most deadly, and came amid an upsurge of fighting between Turkish forces and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) rebels.

On November 2, the Turkish military said it had carried out air strikes on PKK militant bases across the border in northern Iraq – the first on PKK targets in Iraq since November 1 election.

In a statement on November 3, the military said that Turkish jets hit PKK shelters, bunkers and weapon storages in six locations, including the Qandil mountains where the rebel leaders are based.

The military has been targeting bases and hideouts of the PKK since July, when renewed fighting between the rebels and Turkish security forces broke out, signaling a breakdown in a two-year ceasefire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvDP7vo2c4s

Lamar Odom, Charlie Sheen, and Other Famous People with Drug Addictions

Kathryn R. Bown
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Lamar Odom, Charlie Sheen, and Other Famous People with Drug Addictions

Earlier this month, former NBA player Lamar Odom was found unconscious at a brothel in Las Vegas. Odom had his fair share of run-ins with the law due to his known drug addiction, but this recent event was the worst so far. He’s fine now, and he claims that he wants to now change his ways and seek the right help.

Although Lamar Odom’s drug addiction has landed him in the spotlight many times in the recent past, he is not the only celebrity to suffer from drug addiction. Take a look at some of the other celebrities who have suffered from drug addiction too.

Charlie Sheen

Charlie Sheen may be one of the most notorious celebrities to face drug addiction. After all, his “winning” rant has become an internet meme as well as a trending Twitter hashtag, and it’s still used today. Sheen’s drug abuse has been widely known since the 1980s, and it has landed him in many headlines, including losing his job as well as domestic abuse allegations. It was even reported that in the highs of his drug abuse, Sheen spent nearly $2,000 a day on drugs.

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan is another celebrity who has constantly made headlines due to drug and alcohol abuse. She has been seen out partying many times, and she has been arrested for drug use and DUIs more than once. She even did jail time and was put on house arrest for her partying actions. Although she’s gone to rehab many times, she still seems to catch attention with her partying.

Cory Haim

Back in the 1980s, Cory Haim and Cory Feldman were two teen heartthrobs that were seen in almost every movie. While the two have both struggled with drugs, Haim’s addiction was far worse. He started abusing drugs during his teenage years, and it continued into his adult life. He went on Celebrity Rehab to try and get his life back in order, but in 2010, Cory Haim was found dead, and his death was attributed to a lethal prescription medication concoction.

Robert Downey, Jr.

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, Robert Downey, Jr. was notorious for his drug use and addiction. However, it wasn’t until the late 1990s that he was arrested on drug-related charges. Since then, though, he has gotten his life together and is now one of the biggest box office celebrities.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

During his early adult life, Hoffman was abusing drugs and alcohol quite regularly. He finally made the decision to seek help, and he was on a sober path for many years. However, in 2014, Hoffman relapsed, and he died of an overdose in his apartment.

Judy Garland

Most people don’t know that Judy Garland struggled with drugs for most of her life. The Wizard of Oz star regularly turned to drugs to help her cope, and she died from a barbiturate overdose at the age of 47.

Drug and alcohol addiction is serious and can lead to many serious health and legal problems. Those who struggle with addiction should seek professional help.

VW Emissions Scandal: EPA Finds More Vehicles with Cheat Tests

Clyde K. Valle
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VW Emissions Scandal: EPA Finds More Vehicles with Cheat Tests

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), VW cars with bigger diesel engines also contained software devices designed to cheat in emissions tests.

Porsche, Audi and VW cars are all included in this new investigation, which affects at least 10,000 vehicles.

The EPA said that cars with 3.0 liter engines from the years 2014 to 2016 were affected.

However, VW denies the vehicles have software designed to cheat tests.

Instead the automaker says that cars with the 3.0 liter diesel V6 engines “had a software function which had not been adequately described in the application process”.

VW said it was cooperating with the EPA to “clarify the matter”.

“Volkswagen AG wishes to emphasize that no software has been installed in the 3-liter V6 diesel power units to alter emissions characteristics in a forbidden manner,” the company said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Porsche said it was “surprised” by the EPA’s allegations.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

“Until this notice, all of our information was that the Porsche Cayenne diesel is fully compliant,” it said in a statement.

The EPA says the investigation is ongoing.

“VW has once again failed its obligation to comply with the law that protects clean air for all Americans,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator at the EPA’s enforcement unit.

The EPA identified these diesel models as containing software aimed at cheating tests: 2014 VW Touareg; 2015 Porsche Cayenne; 2016 Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L and Q5.

In early September, VW admitted to the EPA that cars from the model years 2009 to 2015 contained software designed to cheat emissions tests.

It said that 11 million cars were affected.

That prompted US regulators to run further tests designed to detect such defeat devices and led to today’s announcement from the EPA.

“These tests have raised serious concerns about the presence of defeat devices on additional VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles. Today we are requiring VW Group to address these issues. This is a very serious public health matter,” Cynthia Giles said.

Regulators all over the world are now looking at VW’s diesel cars and the company is also facing criminal investigations.

State and federal prosecutors in the US have announced criminal investigations and German prosecutors are looking into the scandal.

VW CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned in late September as the scale of the scandal emerged.

At the time Martin Winterkorn said he was “not aware of any wrongdoing on my part” but was acting in the interest of the company.

Last month Volkswagen reported its first quarterly loss for at least 15 years after taking a big charge to cover the costs of the scandal.

VW said it had set aside €6.7 billion ($7.4 billion) to cover costs related to emissions cheating, which left it with a €2.52 billion pre-tax loss for the third quarter of the year.

Many analysts expect that VW will have to set aside more money to cover the recall of cars, penalties and lawsuits.

Cyclone Chapala Hits Yemen Mainland with Hurricane-Force Winds

Diane A. Wade
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Cyclone Chapala Hits Yemen Mainland with Hurricane-Force Winds

Cyclone Chapala has hit the Yemeni mainland bringing hurricane-force winds, heavy rain and powerful waves.

Photos and videos posted online showed water pouring through the streets of the southern coastal city of Mukalla.

Mukalla is controlled by al-Qaeda and correspondents say it is ill-equipped to deal with a disaster.

Earlier, Cyclone Chapala hit the remote Yemeni island of Socotra, killing at least one person.

Many residents there took shelter in schools and caves.

Chapala is believed to be the most powerful storm that Yemen has seen in decades.Cyclone Chapala Yemen

The UN’s World Meteorological Organization described the cyclone as “extremely severe”, and said that sea conditions around the centre of the storm were “phenomenal”.

On November 2, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) reported that Chapala was generating gusts of up to 150mph, equivalent to a category 4 hurricane.

The JTWC said Chapala would begin to weaken as dry air emanating from the Arabian Peninsula eroded the storm system, and that it would rapidly decay after landfall mainly due to the interaction with the rugged and dry Yemeni terrain.

Cyclone Chapala could nevertheless deluge parts of the country with up to 20in of rain in two days – 10 times the annual average.

Socotra is situated 230 miles south of the coast of Yemen in the Arabian Sea, to the east of Somalia.

It is home to about 50,000 people, who speak their own language, and hundreds of exotic plant species found nowhere else on earth, including dragon’s blood trees.

The mayor of Hadibu, Salem Zaher, told the AFP news agency that Chapala had damaged more than 80 houses and left hundreds of people needing hospital treatment.

More than 1,000 families had been evacuated and resettled in schools and camps inland before the storm hit, he added.

Residents of Mukalla, which has been controlled by a tribal council and jihadist militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) since April, meanwhile expressed concern about local preparations for when Chapala made landfall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w36eDpmcZl0

Oscar Pistorius Case: Prosecutors Appeal against Conviction

Clyde K. Valle
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Oscar Pistorius Case: Prosecutors Appeal against Conviction

Prosecutors have started an appeal hearing on whether Oscar Pistorius should be convicted of murder instead of culpable homicide.

Oscar Pistorius, 28, was released from prison last month after serving one year of his five-year term for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The Paralympic champion shot Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door in 2013 but insists he thought she was an intruder.

Oscar Pistorius could be sent back to jail if appeal judges overturn the original verdict.

He is currently under house arrest, and is not attending the hearing at South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.

The proceedings are being broadcast live on TV.Oscar Pistorius prosecutors appeal

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel has been outlining the state’s case for the verdict to be changed to murder from culpable homicide, or manslaughter.

The prosecution says that Judge Thokozile Masipa incorrectly applied the law of murder. It argues that Oscar Pistorius should have foreseen the result of his actions, namely that shooting four times through a closed bathroom door would result in a person’s death.

Oscar Pistorius said he believed there was an intruder in the house and thought Reeva Steenkamp was in the bedroom.

The prosecution will argue that who was behind the bathroom door is irrelevant, and Oscar Pistorius’ intent was to kill.

The final ruling will not be known for some weeks, reports say.

Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of the culpable homicide of his 29-year-old girlfriend at a trial in October 2014.

Reeva Steenkamp’s relatives have said they think Oscar Pistorius is “getting off lightly”.

The double amputee was released from prison on October 19. Under South African law, Oscar Pistorius was eligible for release under “correctional supervision”, having served a sixth of his sentence.

Oscar Pistorius’ family said he would “strictly” adhere to his parole conditions at his uncle’s upmarket home in Pretoria.

Keystone XL Pipeline: TransCanada Asks State Department to Suspend Review

Clyde K. Valle
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Keystone XL Pipeline: TransCanada Asks State Department to Suspend Review

The Keystone XL pipeline maker has asked the US government to put its review of the controversial project on hold.

TransCanada says the pause is necessary while it negotiates with Nebraska over the pipeline’s route through the state.

The move came as a surprise as TransCanada executives have pushed hard to get approval.

Environmental groups oppose the 1,179-mile pipeline, saying it will increase greenhouse gas emissions.

President Barack Obama is expected to reject the project, which has also been undermined by falling oil prices.

On November 2, the White House indicated that it would rule on the project before the end of Barack Obama’s term in office in January 2017.Keystone XL pipeline review suspension

However, a delay to the government review might leave a decision in the hands of President Barack Obama’s successor in the White House.

In February 2015, the newly Republican-led Congress voted to begin construction immediately, but Barack Obama vetoed the bill, saying it undermined the necessary review process.

“Our expectation at this point is that the president will make a decision before the end of his administration on the Keystone pipeline, but when exactly that will be, I don’t know at this point,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on November 2.

In a statement, TransCanada CEO Russ Girling said: “We are asking [the] State [Department] to pause its review of Keystone XL based on the fact that we have applied to the Nebraska Public Service Commission for approval of its preferred route in the state.”

The Keystone XL pipeline would run from the oil sands in Alberta, Canada, to Steele City, Nebraska, where it could join an existing pipeline.

It could carry 830,000 barrels of oil each day, and provide access to international markets.

Many of North America’s oil refineries are based in the Gulf Coast, and industry groups on both sides of the border want to benefit.

However, environmentalists say the Keystone XL pipeline would boost the emission of greenhouse gases and local community groups are concerned about accidents and pollution.

Standard Chartered Announces 15,000 Job Cuts

Clyde K. Valle
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Standard Chartered Announces 15,000 Job Cuts

Standard Chartered bank is to cut 15,000 jobs and raise $5.1 billion to create a “lean, focused and well-capitalized” group.

About $3 billion being raised in the rights issue will cover reorganization costs.

The remainder will be used to strengthen the bank’s balance sheet.

The restructuring was announced as Standard Chartered reported a “disappointing” pre-tax loss of $139 million in Q3 of 2015.

That compared with a profit of $1.5 billion for the same period of 2014.

Revenue fell 18.4% to $3.68 billion and losses on bad loans almost doubled to $1.23 billion for Q3 of 2015.Standard Chartered job cuts 2015

The job cuts are part of a restructuring program to take place over the next three years.

Standard Chartered gave few details about the staff reductions, but the figure could include businesses it plans to sell. It employs 86,000 people.

Bill Winters announced a strategic review of Standard Chartered when he took over as chief executive in June.

He put a new management team in place the following month and analysts had been expecting the bank to seek additional capital to shore up its balance sheet.

Bill Winters acknowledged the challenging business environment facing the bank.

“This is … an aggressive and decisive set of actions to fundamentally shore up the underpinnings of the bank,” he said on a conference call.

Standard Chartered shares fell more than 6% in early trading in London and by 3.2% in Hong Kong.

The bank has already shed some businesses, in Hong Kong, China and Korea, to help improve its capital position.

Among the plans announced on November 3, Standard Chartered said it would invest more than $1 billion to reposition its retail banking, private banking and wealth management businesses, as well as upgrade its Africa franchise and yuan services.

The rights issue had the backing of Temasek, Singapore’s state investment company and Standard Chartered’s largest shareholder.

Hugh Young, managing director at Aberdeen Asset Management, the bank’s second-biggest shareholder, said: “[There is] still a lot of hard work to put in but the path is clear.”

The rights issue, Standard Chartered’s first since 2010, will be launched on November 3 at a price of 465p a share – a 35% discount to its closing price on November 2. Two new shares will be issued for every seven existing shares.

Standard Chartered has also axed the final dividend for 2015 to conserve cash.

Saudi Prince Charged with Drug Smuggling in Lebanon

Roy Siemens
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Saudi Prince Charged with Drug Smuggling in Lebanon

Lebanese prosecutors have charged a Saudi prince and nine other people with drug smuggling, a week after a record seizure at Beirut’s airport.

The prince was not named, but Abd al-Muhsen bin Walid bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud was detained on October 26 in Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport.

The prince was about to conduct a flight on his private plane to Saudi Arabia.

Photo Yahoo News
Photo Yahoo News

He and four other Saudis were arrested after two tonnes of Captagon pills were found in cases being loaded on a private jet.

The others charged in the case – three Lebanese and two Saudis – are at large.

Captagon pills, which typically contain amphetamine and caffeine, are consumed widely in the Middle East.

The drug has helped fuel the conflict in Syria, generating millions of dollars in revenue for producers inside the country as well as being used by combatants to help them keep fighting.

C919: China’s First Homegrown Passenger Jet Unveiled in Shanghai

Clyde K. Valle
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C919: China’s First Homegrown Passenger Jet Unveiled in Shanghai

C919, the first Chinese passenger aircraft, has been unveiled in Shanghai at a ceremony attended by 4,000 guests.

The C919 is a large passenger aircraft having 168 seats and range of 3,444 miles.

The plane’s first test flight is not until 2016, but the unveiling was seen as having huge industrial significance.

“A great nation must have its own large commercial aircraft,” China’s civil aviation chief Li Jiaxiang said.

“China’s air transport industry cannot completely rely on imports,” he told the ceremony at a hangar near Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport.China C919 passenger jet

The C919’s manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac) says it has orders for 517 aircraft from 21 customers, most of them Chinese airlines, but also from leasing company GE Capital Aviation Services.

The development of the new aircraft has been hit by delays since the project was conceived in 2008. Assuming the test flights are successful, the C919 is due to enter commercial service in about 2019.

China has had ambitions to build its own civil aircraft industry since the 1970s, when leader Mao Zedong’s wife, Jiang Qing, personally backed a project. But the Y-10’s heavy weight made it impractical and only three were ever made.

Boeing’s latest World Market Outlook puts China’s total demand for civilian aircraft over the next two decades at 5,580 planes worth a total of $780 billion.

The C919 will compete in the market for single-aisle jets dominated by Airbus A320 and Boeing’s 737. But the Chinese aircraft is just the start of a strategy to eat into the Airbus-Boeing duopoly.

Comac also plans a wide-body plane, the C929, in cooperation with Russia’s United Aircraft Corp, and the company is also expected to create an aero-engine operation.

A separate state-owned company has developed a smaller regional jet, the ARJ-21, to compete in the market dominated by Brazil’s Embraer and Canada’s Bombardier. The first two ARJ-21s were delivered last year to a Chinese airline.

Foreign companies are key suppliers to the C919, including Honeywell and Rockwell Collins in the US. The aircraft’s engines are made by CFM International, a joint venture between America’s General Electric and France’s Safran.

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

Taylor Swift Accused of Stealing Shake It Off Lyrics

Sonia Pantiss
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Taylor Swift Accused of Stealing Shake It Off Lyrics

Taylor Swift is being sued for $42 million for allegedly stealing the lyrics to her 2014 hit Shake It Off.

Jesse Braham has claimed in legal papers Taylor Swift stole the words from a song he wrote in 2013 called Haters Gone Hate.

As well as the monetary compensation, the R&B singer also wants his name added as a writer on the track.

Representatives for Taylor Swift have yet to officially comment on the legal case.

Shake It Off topped music charts around the world and reached No 2 in the UK. The video for the song has been watched more than 1.1 billion times on YouTube.

Jesse Braham – who goes by the stage name Jesse Graham – claims he has copyright ownership of the phrases “haters gone hate” and “playas gone play”, which appear in the chorus of Taylor Swift’s song.

In his song, the chorus comprises: “Haters gone hater, playas gone play/ Watch out for them fakers, they’ll fake you everyday.”Taylor Swift Shake It Off lyrics copyright

The chorus of Shake It Off features lyrics including: “Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play/ And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.”

Taylor Swift sings another line: “And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake.”

Apart from the lyrical similarity, the songs bear no resemblance musically.

Jesse Braham, 50, told the New York Daily News he believed there was “no way” Taylor Swift could have penned the lyrics independently of his song.

“Her hook is the same hook as mine. If I didn’t write the song Haters Gone Hate, there wouldn’t be a song called Shake It Off,” he said.

The singer added he had spoken to Taylor Swift’s record label, Big Machine, four or five times about the issue.

He originally asked to be named as a writer and requested a selfie with the pop star, but was repeatedly dismissed and told his claim had no merit.

“At first I was going to let it go, but this song is my song all the way,” Jesse Braham said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLBMgm79mIw

Spectre Breaks All-Time Box Office Records

Sonia Pantiss
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Spectre Breaks All-Time Box Office Records

Spectre has broken all-time box office records in nearly every market in which it has been released so far.

The 24th James Bond movie’s launch in the UK set a new record for movies released on a Monday – as opposed to a Friday – taking more than £41 million ($65 million) in its first week.

Spectre beat previous Monday release record holder, 2004’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which took £23.8 million.Spectre box office record

Records were also set in the Norway, the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark.

Spectre took $80.4 million in all six released territories.

Skyfall, the previous James Bond movie, was the highest-grossing 007 movie in the franchise’s history, taking $1.1 billion worldwide.

Daniel Craig’s fourth outing as 007 has received widespread critical acclaim, with one saluting it as “pure action mayhem”.

Spectre opens in the US on November 6 where it is expected to top the box office, after a Halloween weekend of flops.

Cyclone Chapala Hits Socotra Island in Yemen

Diane A. Wade
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Cyclone Chapala Hits Socotra Island in Yemen

Cyclone Chapala, a rare tropical storm, has hit the remote Yemeni island of Socotra, killing at least one person before heading towards the mainland.

Many residents took shelter in schools and caves as Chapala brought hurricane-force winds, heavy rain and powerful waves to the island.

Photos and videos posted online showed water flowing through the streets of the provincial capital, Hadibu.

It is believed to be the most powerful storm that Yemen has seen in decades.

The UN’s World Meteorological Organization described the cyclone as “extremely severe”, and said that sea conditions around the centre of the storm were “phenomenal”.

On November 2, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Centre reported that Chapala was generating gusts of up to 150mph, equivalent to a category 4 hurricane.Cyclone Chapala Yemen

Gusts of up to 100 mph are forecast for when the storm makes landfall just west of the city of Mukalla, on the south coast of the Yemeni mainland, on November 3.

The cyclone could deluge parts of the country with up to 20in of rain in two days – 10 times the annual average.

Socotra is situated 230 miles south of the coast of Yemen in the Arabian Sea, to the east of Somalia.

It is home to about 50,000 people, who speak their own language, and hundreds of exotic plant species found nowhere else on earth, including dragon’s blood trees.

The mayor of Hadibu, Salem Zaher, told the AFP news agency that Chapala had damaged more than 80 houses and left hundreds of people needing hospital treatment.

More than 1,000 families had been evacuated and resettled in schools and camps inland before the storm hit, he added.

Residents of Mukalla, which has been controlled by a tribal council and jihadist militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) since April, meanwhile expressed concern about local preparations for when Chapala made landfall.

China One-Child Policy to End in March 2016

Diane A. Wade
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China One-Child Policy to End in March 2016

Chinese couples must continue to obey the country’s one-child policy until the law changes in March, China’s top family planning body has warned.

On October 29, the Chinese government announced it would relax the rules to allow all couples to have two children.

It said the decision was made because of China’s rapidly ageing population and to help support the economy.

However, officials have stressed that the one-child policy will continue to be enforced until the law is changed.

China’s controversial one-child policy was introduced nationally in 1979 to slow the population growth rate, and is estimated to have prevented about 400 million births.China two child policy 2015

Though there were exceptions to the policy, most couples who violated it faced punishment, from fines and the loss of employment to forced abortions.

On October 30, a local official was quoted as saying that women pregnant with a second child would no longer be punished, suggesting that the new policy was already effective.

However, on November 1, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said that local officials should continue to implement existing family planning laws until the two-child policy was ratified by lawmakers in March.

“The two-child policy must be implemented in accordance with the law,” an official with the commission said in a statement.

Until the new law was adopted, local officials “must seriously enforce existing policies” and “must not act of their own accord”, the statement added.

The Chinese government estimates that 90 million couples will be eligible for the new two-child policy.

Correspondents say that despite the relaxation of the rules, many Chinese couples may opt to have only one child, as one-child families have become the social norm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGMav9fFZ2Q

Fred Thompson Dies from Lymphoma Aged 73

Sonia Pantiss
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Fred Thompson Dies from Lymphoma Aged 73

Former Tennessee senator and actor Fred Thompson has died from lymphoma at the age of 73, his family said.

Fred Thompson had various film roles and starred in the TV series Law & Order and also mounted an unsuccessful bid for the presidency.

As a lawyer, Fred Thompson served as chief Republican counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee that investigated President Richard Nixon.

The former senator – his last term ended in 2003 – was known for his straight-talking style and booming voice.

“Fred was the same man on the floor of the Senate, the movie studio, or the town square of … his home,” his family said in a statement.

Fred Thompson ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2008 election but dropped out after failing to gain enough support.

The son of a used car salesman first achieved fame as a young lawyer for a Senate committee during the Watergate hearings in the 1970s.

His questioning of former Richard Nixon aide Alexander Butterfield uncovered the president’s secret tape recording system.

He asked the vital question: “Mr. Butterfield, are you aware of the installation of any listening devices in the Oval Office of the president?”Fred Thompson dead at 73

The lawyer’s acting career began when he was asked to read for a movie part based on one of his high-profile cases.

Fred Thompson ended up playing himself in the 1985 movie Marie, starring Sissy Spacek and Morgan Freeman.

Directors frequently turned to Fred Thompson to portray government power and he had roles as White House chief of staff, CIA director, FBI agent, rear admiral and senator.

He was also cast as a fictional president in the little-known film Last Best Chance and as President Ulysses S. Grant in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

Years later, Fred Thompson became best known for his role as a district attorney in the New York crime series Law & Order.

“Fred believed that the greatness of our nation was defined by the hard work, faith and honesty of its people,” the statement issued by his family said.

“He had an enduring belief in the exceptionalism of our country, and that America could provide the opportunity for any boy or girl, in any corner of our country, to succeed in life.”

Fred Thompson is survived by five children, three of them from his first marriage Sarah Elizabeth Lindsey and two from his second to Jeri Kehn Thompson.

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