NEWS   SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2015   NEWS

Republican Hopeful Carson Says No To Syrian Refugees In US
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said the U.S. should bar refugees from war-torn Syria because they are "infiltrated" with Muslim extremists who seek to harm America. The comments come as Carson has taken an increasingly aggressive stance toward Muslims, and after rival Donald Trump pledged he would support deporting Syrian Muslims from the U.S. "To bring into this country groups infiltrated with jihadists makes no sense," Carson told about 150 people at the Des Moines Rotary Club. "Why would you do something like that?" ABC
VOA VIEW: A smart position.

Target To Become Biggest Retailer To Offer Apple Watch In Stores
Target Corp. will become the biggest retailer to offer the Apple Watch, throwing support behind a device that’s fighting for mainstream acceptance this holiday season.
The Apple Inc. product will debut in some Target stores this week, before reaching all of its locations by Oct. 25, the Minneapolis-based retailer said on Friday. The Apple Watch will go on sale at Target’s website on Oct. 18. Target’s move follows the rollout of the Apple Watch at Best Buy Co. in August. That chain has said that demand for the device outstripped its expectations. After initially being offered in 100 Best Buy locations, the company brought the Apple Watch to all of its 1,047 U.S. stores. Bloomberg

Killer An Army Flop Fascinated By Mass Shootings
The gunman who opened fire on fellow students in his community-college English class, killing nine people, was an Army boot-camp dropout who studied mass shooters before becoming one himself. A day after the rampage in this Oregon timber town, authorities said Christopher Sean Harper-Mercer, 26, wore a flak jacket and brought at least six guns and five ammunition magazines to the school. Investigators found another seven guns at the apartment he shared with his mother. Officials yesterday also released the names of the dead, who ranged in age from 18 to 67 and included several freshmen and a teacher. They were sons and daughters, spouses and parents. Philadelphia Inquirer

Secret Service Agents: Hillary Is A Nightmare To Work With
“‘Good morning, ma’am,” a member of the uniformed Secret Service once greeted Hillary Clinton. “F— off,” she replied. That exchange is one among many that active and retired Secret Service agents shared with Ronald Kessler, author of “First Family Detail,” a compelling look at the intrepid personnel who shield America’s presidents and their families — and those whom they guard. Kessler writes flatteringly and critically about people in both parties. Regarding the Clintons, Kessler presents Chelsea as a model protectee who respected and appreciated her agents. He describes Bill as a difficult chief executive, but an easygoing ex-president. And Kessler exposes Hillary as an epically abusive Arctic monster. “When in public, Hillary smiles and acts graciously,” Kessler explains. “As soon as the cameras are gone, her angry personality, nastiness, and imperiousness become evident.” NY Post
VOA VIEW: Hillary is a plastic phony bitch.

US Airstrike May Be To Blame For Deadly Afghan Clinic Bombing
Nine local staffers for Doctors Without Borders were killed and 30 were missing after an explosion near their hospital in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz that may have been caused by a U.S. airstrike. In a statement, the international charity said the “sustained bombing” took place at 2:10 a.m. (2140 GMT). Afghan forces backed by U.S. airstrikes have been fighting to dislodge Taliban insurgents who overran Kunduz on Monday. U.S. forces in Afghanistan said they conducted an airstrike on Kunduz at 2:15 a.m. The spokesman, U.S. Army Col. Brian Tribus, said the strike “may have resulted in collateral damage to a nearby medical facility” and that the incident was under investigation. Tribus said it was the 12th U.S. airstrike “in the Kunduz vicinity” since Tuesday. NY Post

McCarthy Says He Never Meant To Imply Benghazi Panel Was Political
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, walked back comments on the Benghazi committee that have caused a political storm for his caucus and led to renewed Democratic calls for it to be disbanded. McCarthy, the leading candidate for House speaker, earlier this week was accused by Democrats of implying the committee was created to politically damage Hillary Clinton, after he linked its work to her dropping poll numbers. On Thursday, some Republicans also criticized him, and urged him to clarify his remarks. Speaking with Fox News’ Bret Baier  in a "Special Report" exclusive interview, McCarthy said he “never meant to imply" that the Benghazi committee has any political motivations. Fox News

Will Donors Stick With Jeb Bush?
From the moment Jeb Bush entered the presidential race, his financial backers said they chose him because he was the candidate who could go the distance. But few expected the marathon would be so difficult. The former Florida governor is fifth in New Hampshire—where he has campaigned hard with a presence on the airwaves. He is trailing Marco Rubio in a new national USA Today/Suffolk University poll and is competing with his one-time understudy for the many undecided donors who are waiting to see how the field shakes out. And Bush is still being overshadowed by the juggernaut that is Donald Trump—as the real estate magnate continues to dominate media coverage that has helped solidify his wide lead in the polls. CNN

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Donald Trump Cancels Q&A, Says Hispanic Chamber Of Commerce
GOP frontrunner Donald Trump has canceled his appearance at a Q&A session with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce scheduled for next Thursday, the chamber said. USHCC spokesman Ammar Campa-Najjar said Friday Trump withdrew his participation in the session that has featured three other presidential candidates from both parties and will host a fourth on Tuesday, because Trump was concerned he would be "put on trial" and was unwilling to abide by terms and conditions of the candidate series. Michael Cohen, an attorney and adviser to Trump, was not immediately available for comment when contacted by NBC News. MSNBC

Education Secretary Arne Duncan To Step Down In December
Education Secretary Arne Duncan — an advocate for reform and, at times, a target for criticism from the left and the right — will be stepping down from his post in December. Duncan is one of just two remaining Cabinet secretaries who have served in the administration since the beginning of President Barack Obama's first term. The other is Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Obama lauded Duncan's efforts at education reform saying "America's going to be better off for what he has done." MSNBC

Tony Rodham, Hillary Clinton’s Married Brother, Revealed As Ashley Madison Member
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s younger brother is reportedly the latest high-profile victim of the August hack attack on AshleyMadison.com, being exposed as a paid user on the notorious cheating website. Tony Rodham, a married father of three who has publicly worked to advance Mrs. Clinton’s 2016 bid for the presidency, appeared along with 37 million other Ashley Madison users in a database breach that leaked online, the Daily Mail reported. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s younger brother is reportedly the latest high-profile victim of the August hack attack on AshleyMadison.com, being exposed as a paid user on the notorious cheating website. Tony Rodham, a married father of three who has publicly worked to advance Mrs. Clinton’s 2016 bid for the presidency, appeared along with 37 million other Ashley Madison users in a database breach that leaked online, the Daily Mail reported. Washington Times

Should Police Body Cam Footage Be Public?
Video from police body-worn cameras should generally remain out of the view of the public except in court, local law officers and attorneys said at a Thursday night forum, to the frustration of many audience members. Panelists, including San Diego police Chief Shelley Zimmerman, agreed that privacy issues outweigh expectations that a police agency would release footage of a controversial event, such as use of force by an officer. Zimmerman said she would consider releasing such video in the name of public safety, such as to forestall rioting, but she would not release everyday footage “to the court of public opinion.” Public access to police body-worn camera videos has become part of the national discussion over police use of force as more police departments use them and witnesses to police encounters post their own videos on social media. San Diego Union
VOA VIEW: Police body cam footage should be kept from public - court cases only.

Thickening haze in Singapore disrupts World Cup swim races
Worsening smog in Singapore prompted swimming World Cup organizers to cancel 15 finals races just an hour before the session was to start. Singapore has been shrouded with smoke and haze from Indonesian forest fires for weeks. Organizers from FINA, the International Swimming Federation, scrapped the races as the Pollutant Standards Index, or PSI, the country's main measure of air pollution, climbed toward 200. Spectators will be given a refund for tickets, but will miss the closely-watched women's 200-meter backstroke showdown between Australia's world champion Emily Seebohm, U.S. multiple Olympic champion Missy Franklin, and Hungary's world 200-meter individual medley record holder Katinka Hosszu. Kansas City Star

Vatican Fires Gay Priest On Eve Of Synod
The Vatican on Saturday fired a monsignor who came out as gay on the eve of a big meeting of the world's bishops to discuss church outreach to gays, divorcees and more traditional Catholic families. Monsignor Kryzstof Charamsa was a mid-level official in the Vatican's doctrine office. In newspaper interviews published in Italy and Poland on Saturday, Charamsa said he was happy and proud to be a gay priest, and was in love with a man whom he identified as his boyfriend. "The decision to make such a pointed statement on the eve of the opening of the synod appears very serious and irresponsible, since it aims to subject the synod assembly to undue media pressure," the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said in a statement. As a result, Charamsa could no longer work at the Vatican or its pontifical universities, Lombardi said. Charlotte Observer

Russia Launches New Wave Of Air Raids In Syria
Russian warplanes have attacked the Islamic State group and other insurgents in central and northern Syria with a wave of new airstrikes, Syrian and Russian military officials said Saturday. Russian military spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the warplanes flew 20 missions in Syria over the past day, hitting nine IS targets. He said an IS command post and a weapons storage bunker were destroyed in the area of Raqqa, the extremists' de facto capital. In Damascus, an unnamed Syrian military official was quoted by state TV as saying that the "concentrated and precise" airstrikes destroyed a command center in the central town of Latamneh in Hama province and targeted positions in the northwestern areas of Jisr al-Shughour and Maaret al-Numan. Charlotte Observer

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Republicans Find Governing Tough, Even With Control Of Congress
When Republicans secured the keys to the U.S. Congress in the 2014 elections, Mitch McConnell, taking over as Senate majority leader, proclaimed: "It's time to go in a new direction." Eleven months later, the direction the Republicans have gone looks anything but new. Party infighting is at full boil, as evidenced by House Speaker John Boehner's resignation under pressure from conservative firebrands, and party members cannot even agree amongst themselves on funding basic government operations. Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown this week, but with the Republican presidential primary campaign intensifying, and tough fiscal challenges ahead later this year, many fear another shutdown showdown in December. Reuters

Obama Says Russian Military Entering ‘Quagmire’ In Syria
Responding to Russia’s military intervention in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad, President Obama said Friday that Moscow is likely to get bogged down in a “quagmire” in the country’s civil war. “A military solution alone … is just going to get them stuck in a quagmire,” Mr. Obama said at a news conference at the White House. “It won’t work, and they will be there for awhile if they don’t take a different course. Washington Times

Bush Pushes Back On Calls For Gun Control: "Look, Stuff Happens"
In the wake of a fatal shooting at an Oregon community college that left ten dead and several more injured, Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush pushed back against calls for stricter gun control legislation. "Whenever you see the tragedy take place, the impulse in the political system - more often at the federal level, but also at the state level - is to do something," Bush said Friday at a conservative forum in Greenville, South Carolina. "And what we end up doing lots of times is to create rules on 99.999 percent of human activity that had nothing to do with tragedy." CBS

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Is Ancient 800-Ft Megatsunami Wave A Sign Of Things To Come
Off the west coast of Africa, scientists have found evidence that tens of thousands of years ago a collapsing volcano sparked a megatsunami producing waves up to 800 feet high. The tsunami, which engulfed an island 30 miles away, raises questions over whether such a collapse poses a threat to people living on volcanic islands today. By comparison, waves from biggest tsunami in modern times - the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami - were 100 feet tall. The apparent collapse occurred some 73,000 years ago at the Fogo volcano, one of the world's largest and most active island volcanoes. These days, it towers 2,829 meters (9,300 feet) above sea level, and erupts about every 20 years. CBS

T-Mobile Customers Hacked In Experian Breach: What You Need To Know
A  massive data breach at Experian, one of the country's major credit rating bureaus that companies use to conduct credit checks, has exposed the personal information of as many as 15 million T-Mobile consumers, according to the mobile carrier. "Obviously I am incredibly angry about this data breach and we will institute a thorough review of our relationship with Experian, but right now my top concern and first focus is assisting any and all consumers affected. I take our customer and prospective customer privacy VERY seriously," T-Mobile CEO John Legere said in a statement. "This is no small issue for us. I do want to assure our customers that neither T-Mobile’s systems nor network were part of this intrusion and this did not involve any payment card numbers or bank account information." ABC

Pfizer Raised Prices On 133 Drugs This Year, And It's Not Alone
A single, 5,000 percent price hike on an anti-parasitic drug made by Turing Pharmaceuticals garnered national media attention. But it’s just one of hundreds of smaller price increases drug companies make in the U.S. each year, a tactic the industry uses to generate more revenue from older medications. Pfizer Inc., the nation’s biggest drugmaker, has raised prices on 133 of its brand-name products in the U.S. this year, according to research from UBS, more than three-quarters of which added up to hikes of 10 percent or more. It’s not alone. Rival Merck & Co. raised the price of 38 drugs, about a quarter of which resulted in increases of 10 percent or more. Pfizer sells more than 600 drugs globally while Merck has more than 200 worldwide, including almost 100 in the U.S. Bloomberg

Departures From Alaska At Highest Point In 25 Years
More people left Alaska last year than they have in decades, with net migration out of the state at its highest point in in the past quarter-century. A report released Friday by the Alaska Department of Labor shows that about 7,500 more people moved out of the state than arrived in fiscal year 2014. The last time net departures were higher was in 1988, when 15,710 people left during an in-state recession, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported (http://bit.ly/1OdSYCC). The departures don't appear to be caused by the state's current financial problems because they came before oil prices dropped, Department of Labor economist Neal Fried said. "When those numbers were put together, we thought $100 oil was normal," Fried said, referring to the per-barrel price. Philadelphia Inquirer

Adidas, Kia Don't Join US Brands In Demanding Blatter Quits Published
Clinging to power after rebuffing resignation demands, Sepp Blatter received some respite Saturday when two sponsors declined to join four other FIFA corporate backers in demanding the president of world soccer's governing body goes before the emergency election in February. In a seemingly coordinated move, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Visa initiated their strongest interventions as sponsors on Friday in requesting Blatter's immediate exit from FIFA. The 79-year-old Blatter remains defiant in the face of a criminal investigation into alleged financial wrongdoing, insisting that his departure would not be in the best interests of FIFA as it responds to the corruption crisis by fast-tracking reforms. However, a decision over Blatter's future might be taken out of his own hands if FIFA's ethics committee suspends him. Tampa Tribune

Obama Rejects Candidates' Ideas For Solving Crisis In Syria
President Barack Obama is accusing White House hopefuls of concocting "half-baked" ideas for solving the crisis in Syria, appearing to even dismiss his former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's call for a no-fly zone before later clarifying his view of the Democratic front-runner. The idea of a no-fly zone — a region of Syria that the United States would protect from bombing to create a safe corridor for refugees — has emerged as a favorite option for Democratic and Republican candidates. It's a plan that allows them to stake out a more aggressive military posture than Obama, while stopping short of the kind of large-scale combat troop deployments the U.S. engaged in for years in Iraq and Afghanistan — and of which voters have wearied. Tampa Tribune
VOA VIEW: Americans want change from Obama's ways.

Guns Are Not The Only Deadly Weapon For Mass Killers
Mass shootings, such as the killing of 10 people at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, focus the nation's attention on gun laws, from President Obama down to local activists. But even if guns weren't available, nearly 450 people would likely still have died in mass killing incidents in the U.S. over the past 10 years. Since 2006, at least 1,075 people have died from gunshots in a mass killing, defined by the FBI as an incident with four or more victims. But another 140 people suffered fire-related injuries, 104 were stabbed and at least 92 were killed by blunt force, according to data tracked by USA TODAY. USA Today

Jeb Bush Criticized For Saying ‘Stuff Happens’ While Discussing School Shootings
President Obama and Democrats quickly condemned comments made Friday by Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, who said that there isn't always a useful government solution to mass shootings and other crises because "stuff happens." Speaking at an event in Greenville, S.C., Bush's comment came in the midst of expansive answers about the Second Amendment and how people respond to school shootings. "We're in a difficult time in our country and I don't think that more government is necessarily the answer to this," he said. "I think we need to reconnect ourselves with everybody else. It's just, it's very sad to see. But I resist the notion -- and I did, I had this, this challenge as governor, because we have, look, stuff happens, there's always a crisis and the impulse is always to do something and it's not necessarily the right thing to do." Washington Post

Abortion, Birth Control, Race Top Supreme Court's Agenda
Abortion, birth control and race are among the most divisive issues the Supreme Court will confront over the next nine months, amid a presidential election campaign in which some candidates are talking pointedly about the justices and the prospect of replacing some of them in the next few years. The justices are returning to the bench on Monday for the start of their new term and their first public appearance together since a number of high-profile decisions in June that displayed passionate, sometimes barbed, disagreements and suggested some bruised feelings among the nine judges. The three-month break probably is a good thing, Justice Samuel Alito noted in a speech at the University of Kentucky last month. By late June, "We tend to be kind of angry with each other," Alito said. No single case before the justices in the new term holds the significance of the court's 5-4 decision in June that extended the right to marriage to gay and lesbian couples nationwide. Houston Chronicle

House Republicans Still Searching For New Leadership
House Republican turmoil is boiling over as leadership elections approach, with dissatisfied lawmakers casting about for new choices and a surprise longshot challenger emerging in the speaker's race. The upheaval reflects a caucus ever more divided in the week since House Speaker John Boehner stunned Capitol Hill by resigning under conservative pressure. And it comes as a long list of weighty and polarizing issues loom on Congress' agenda, including raising the federal borrowing limit to avoid a market-shattering default, and paying the bills to keep the government running. Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, the brash 48-year-old chairman of the high-profile House oversight committee, intends to challenge the prohibitive favorite for speaker, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Republican aides said Friday. Houston Chronicle

Delta To Cut Jobs In Management, Salaried Ranks
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines plans to cut jobs from its administrative workforce, saying it must improve productivity. The cuts in positions will come from its roughly 10,000 employees in management or salaried positions. The cuts will affect employees at Delta’s headquarters in Atlanta near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Overall, Delta has nearly 80,000 employees, and the company said it will continue to hire flight attendants, pilots, reservations agents and other “frontline employees.”
Delta said in a written statement that it “must continue to look for ways to improve productivity and stay nimble particularly given that revenue has declined this year.”
The airline said it will reduce salaried positions over the next few months. Atlanta Journal

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Governors Declare State Of Emergency In Preparation For Hurricane Joaquin Flood Risk
Governors in five East Coast states have declared a state of emergency Friday as the coast prepares for potential torrential rain and severe flooding from powerful Hurricane Joaquin. The Category 4 storm is unlikely to make direct landfall, but forecasters are warning of flash floods from historic Charleston, South Carolina, to Washington, D C., and officials in Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia are bracing for the worst. "We're becoming increasingly confident and concerned about the heavy rainfall,” David Novak, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, told the Associated Press. Fox News

Secret Service Chief Knew About Jason Chaffetz Lak Earlier Than Initially Reported
The director of the Secret Service said Friday he first heard rumors about employees of his agency circulating unflattering information about a top Republican lawmaker earlier than he initially reported. Director Joe Clancy said in a statement he was first aware of the "speculative rumor" of members of his agency discussing Rep. Jason Chaffetz's records on March 25. Previously, Clancy said he first heard about the information from the media April 1. Clancy said when he first heard the information it was "not credible and was not attributed to a source of information or indicative of any action." CNN

Obama Uses Speech On Oregon Shooting To Call For Stricter Gun Control Laws
Without offering any specifics, a grim President Obama on Thursday insisted that Americans can "actually do something" to prevent the kind of mass shooting that took place at a community college in Roseburg, Oregon. "And each time this happens I'm going to bring this up," Obama said. "Each time this happens I am going to say that we can actually do something about it, but we're going to have to change our laws. And this is not something I can do by myself. I've got to have a Congress and I've got to have state legislatures and governors who are willing to work with me on this." CNS News

Donald Trump Holding Campaign Rally In Las Vegas Next Week
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is heading to the Las Vegas Strip for a campaign rally. Trump is scheduled to appear at the noontime rally on Oct. 8 at the Mystere Theater in the Treasure Island casino. The outspoken business mogul and current Republican front runner isn't the only candidate visiting Las Vegas next week. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic candidate Martin O'Malley have also scheduled campaign events. Las Vegas Sun

Cancer Drug Improves Memory In Study With Rats
A drug used to prevent normal cells from turning cancerous significantly improved the memory of rats in a new study conducted at Rutgers University. While the study was conducted with dementia in mind, the researchers said the treatment could potentially also be used with people who have delayed language learning disabilities or those recovering from a disease or injury. "Memory-making in neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease is often poor or absent altogether once a person is in the advanced stages of the disease," said Dr. Kasia Bieszczad, an assistant professor at Rutgers University, in a press release. "This drug could rescue the ability to make new memories that are rich in detail and content, even in the worst case scenarios." UPI

Potential Male Contraceptive Found In Study With Mice
Researchers in Japan may have found a method for reliable, reversible male contraception by blocking a protein in mice using two immunosuppressive drugs typically given to organ transplant patients. While the two drugs are not being recommended for use as contraceptives, researchers said the finding may lead to an option for men other than vasectomy or condoms. "It is important that we find an effective and reversible contraceptive option to allow men more control over their own reproductive futures," Masahito Ikawa, a researcher at Osaka University, told HealthDay. "The findings of this study may be a key step to giving men that control." UPI

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Ryan (R-Weird),’ ‘Michelle Bachmann (R-Fringe)’
Some of the advice Hillary Clinton was receiving via private email during her tenure as secretary of state was deeply political – and sometimes verged on juvenile as her close confidante Sidney Blumenthal mocked Republican lawmakers. In a January 24, 2011 email – among the latest batch released by the State Department on Wednesday night – Blumenthal advised Clinton on how the Democrats should respond to the GOP response to the State of the Union address due to be delivered the following day. That year, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) presented the official Republican reaction to President Obama’s speech, while Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) gave what was viewed as a Tea Party reaction. CNS News

'Sense Of Regret' In Vatican Over Pope Meeting With Gay Marriage Opponent
Pope Francis' meeting last week with an American woman at the center of a row over gay marriage was not something he had sought and should not be seen as an endorsement of her views, the Vatican said on Friday. One Vatican official said there was "a sense of regret" that the pope had ever seen Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk who went to jail in September for refusing to honor a U.S. Supreme Court ruling and issue same-sex marriage licenses. The encounter in Washington was originally kept secret and has sparked widespread debate since it became public this week, proving something of a misstep for the pontiff. Looking to smother the fierce controversy, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Davis was one of "several dozen" people who had been invited by the Vatican ambassador to see Francis during his visit to the U.S. capital. Reuters

France Tells Putin To Confine Airstrikes To Islamic State
With Russian warplanes bombing Syria for a third day, French President Francois Holland told President Vladimir Putin on Friday that Moscow's airstrikes must be onfined to attacking Islamic State militants, not other rebels opposing the Damascus government. Hollande used a meeting on Ukraine to address Western concerns that Russia's airstrikes would serve to strengthen Syrian President Bashar Assad by targeting rebels — perhaps including some aligned with the U.S. — rather than hitting IS fighters it has promised to attack. Allies in a U.S.-led coalition that is conducting its own air campaign in Syria called on Russia to cease attacks on the Syrian opposition and to focus on fighting the Islamic State group. A joint statement by France, Turkey, the U.S. Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Britain expressed concern that Russia's actions will "only fuel more extremism and radicalization." Las Vegas Sun

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Syrian Crisis: Russia Air Strikes 'Strengthen IS'
US President Barack Obama has said the Russian bombing campaign in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad is driving moderate opposition underground and "only strengthening" Islamic State. Mr Obama said he rejected the Russian assertion that all armed opponents of the "brutal" Mr Assad were terrorists. Moscow insists its air strikes - which began on Wednesday - are targeting IS. But the Syrian opposition and others have suggested non-IS rebels are bearing the brunt of Russian attacks.
Russia said its aircraft had hit IS command centres, arms depots and military vehicles. Targets included the IS stronghold of Raqqa, but also Aleppo, Hama and Idlib - provinces with little IS presence. BBC

Study Supports Cancer Link With Height
A Swedish study of five million people appears to support the theory that height and cancer risk are linked. The study found that taller people had a slightly higher risk of breast cancer and skin cancer, among other cancers. Its results found that for every extra 10cm (4in) of height, when fully grown, the risk of developing cancer increased by 18% in women and 11% in men. But experts said the study did not take into account many risk factors and that tall people should not be worried. BBC

Despite Sanctions, Sudan Remains Determined To Work Towards New Global Goals
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sudan told the UN General Assembly today that despite his country still being subjected to unilateral economic sanctions “which hinder the realization of its ambitions,” it is determined to ensure that the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) complement the process of peace, stability and growth. “We strongly support with appreciation, from this podium, the rejection of coercive and unilateral sanctions imposed on certain countries,” Ibrahim Ahmed Ghandour declared during the fifth day of the annual general debate. UN News

Over 500 Children Dead, 1.7 Million At Risk Of Malnutrition Owing To Yemen Violence – UN
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today underscored the devastating toll six months of violence has taken on the children of Yemen, where at least 500 have lost their lives and more than 1.7 million are at risk of malnutrition. Across the country, nearly 10 million children – 80 per cent of the country’s under-18 population – need urgent humanitarian assistance. More than 1.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes, the agency said in a news release. “With every day that passes, children see their hopes and dreams for the future shattered,” said UNICEF Representative in Yemen Julien Harneis. “Their homes, schools and communities are being destroyed, and their own lives are increasingly threatened by disease and malnutrition.” UN News

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