Clinton
Email Server Reportedly Target Of Cyberattacks From China, South Korea,
Germany
Hillary Clinton's private email server, which stored some 55,000 pages
of emails from her time as secretary of state, was the subject of attempted
cyberattacks originating in China, South Korea and Germany after she left
office in early 2013, according to a congressional document obtained by
The Associated Press. While the attempts were apparently blocked by a "threat
monitoring" product that Clinton's employees connected to her network in
October 2013, there was a period of more than three months from June to
October 2013 when that protection had not been installed, according to
a letter from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Homeland Security
and Government Affairs Committee. That means her server was possibly vulnerable
to cyberattacks during that time. Fox
News
VOA VIEW: Hillary has jeopardized the
nations security.
House
Dems: Oversight Committee Should Apologize To Planned Parenthood
Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), and Louise
Slaughter (D-N.Y.) released a letter Tuesday evening to House Speaker John
Boehner, saying that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
should extend an apology to Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards
for ideologically based personal attacks in the committees hearing investigating
the organization last week. They told Boehner that they sincerely hope
that he directs the chairs of House Committees to refrain from conducting
this type of hearing in the future and to abandon any thought of establishing
a Subcommittee to pursue these allegations that the Chairman of the Oversight
Committee admitted have not been substantiated. CNS
News
Kevin
McCarthy Drops Out Of House Speaker Race
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has dropped out of the race to
succeed Speaker John Boehner, a shocking move that throws the House into
chaos. The move came without warning as House Republicans were in a closed-door
meeting to select their nominee for speaker, with McCarthy's wife and kids
in the room. Boehner subsequently postponed the vote. "I think I shocked
some of you, huh?" McCarthy told reporters following the decision. Boehner
is poised to resign at the end of the month. There is no clear successor
who can overcome the deep divisions in the party and win the post. An influential
group of conservatives endorsed a long-shot candidate, Rep. Daniel Webster,
on Wednesday, placing McCarthy's ability to win the House floor vote later
this month in doubt. CNN
VOA VIEW: Republicans need a tough and
smart leader.
Former
President Carter's Home-Building Trip To Nepal Canceled
Citing civil unrest, a humanitarian group on Thursday canceled a home-building
trip next month to Nepal that was to have included former President Jimmy
Carter and his wife, Rosalynn. Atlanta-based Habitat for Humanity International
scrapped the trip scheduled for November 1-6, called the Jimmy & Rosalynn
Carter Work Project, in the South Asian nation's Chitwan District. Nepal
has been experiencing civil unrest due to the countrys recent announcement
of its new constitution, the non-profit group that builds homes for low-income
people said in a statement. Reuters
Outsiders
View Keeps Florida Rep. Dan Webster In GOP Race To Succeed John Boehner
The former speaker of the Florida House received his first surge of
support Wednesday when members of the House Freedom Caucus a group of
about 40 conservative Republicans announced that they planned to vote
for the Florida lawmaker, saying a McCarthy speakership would be an extension
of Boehners.
Webster, 66, said that he does not consider himself the new favorite,
but he does see McCarthys decision to drop out as a testament to the fact
that the rank-and-file membership want a change. Central to his pitch is
his record of reform in the Florida House, after Florida Democrats narrowly
lost their majority in 1996 and he became speaker with a 61-59 majority.
Miami
Herald
John
Boehner Is Asking Paul Ryan To 'Step Up And Be Speaker'
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) reportedly asked Rep. Paul Ryan
(R-Wisconsin) to "step up" and run to replace him, as House Republicans
entered into a new phase of turmoil Thursday. The Washington Post's Robert
Costa reported that Boehner reached out to Ryan amid a day that saw Boehner's
designated successor, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California),
unexpectedly drop out of the race. Ryan, the 2012 Republican vice
presidential nominee who is now the chair of the powerful House Ways and
Means Committee, has repeatedly shot down any interest in the position.
He did so when Boehner resigned two weeks ago and again on Thursday, minutes
after McCarthy collectively stunned Washington and dropped out. SF
Gate
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FBI:
Dozens In U.S. In Secret Conversations With ISIS
Dozens of people in the U.S. are engaged in conversations with overseas
supporters of ISIS that the FBI cannot monitor, FBI Director James Comey
said Thursday.
He has been warning for months that when ISIS supporters find someone
in the U.S., through messages on social media, they then employ software
that encrypts their communications, making it impossible for the FBI to
follow them, even with a court order. "ISIS is sending a poisonous message
that buzzes in the pockets of troubled souls, unmoored people, all day
long," Comey told the Senate Homeland Security Committee. MSNBC
Tunisian
Democracy Group Wins Nobel Peace Prize
A Tunisian coalition of workers, employers, human rights activists
and lawyers won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for pulling the country
that sparked the Arab Spring back onto a path toward democracy and preventing
it from descending into civil war. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited
the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet "for its decisive contribution to
the building of a pluralistic democracy" in the North African country following
its 2011 revolution. "It established an alternative, peaceful political
process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war," the
committee said in its citation.
Safety
Regulators Press For New Furniture Standards
Two months after announcing a recall affecting millions of dressers,
federal safety regulators on Thursday urged manufacturers to enact stronger
stability standards to limit the risk of children being injured or killed
by furniture that topples forward. At a sometimes-heated meeting in Conshohocken,
a team of federal engineers came armed with proposed changes they said
would improve dresser safety. "We're trying to head off the incidents,"
said Arthur Lee, an engineer at the Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC). "If you would rather wait for those children to die before we do
that -." Philadelphia
Inquirer
White
House Revels In House GOP Chaos: Were Having A Little Fun With All Of
This
The White House poked fun at House Republicans and mocked former Vice
President Dick Cheney on Thursday, admitting that were having a little
fun with all of this as GOP leaders scramble to find the next speaker
of the House. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, California Republican,
unexpectedly dropped out of the speaker race Thursday, forcing the caucus
to postpone its vote until the successor to Speaker John A. Boehner can
be found. Washington
Times
VOA VIEW: The White House no room to poke
fun with an inept president and cabinet.
Obama
Focusing On Condolences, Not Gun Laws, In Oregon Visit
President Barack Obama is bringing words of comfort and sympathy to
grieving families of victims of the shooting rampage in Roseburg, Oregon,
muting his message about the need for new laws to stem gun violence as
he visits an area where firearms are popular. Obama will talk with family
members Friday at the start of a four-day West Coast trip. Eight community
college students and a teacher were killed before the gunman fatally shot
himself in front of his victims after he was wounded by police. Staunchly
conservative Douglas County is bristling with gun owners who use their
firearms for hunting, target shooting and self-protection. A commonly held
opinion in the area is that the solution to mass killings is more people
carrying guns, not fewer. "The fact that the college didn't permit guards
to carry guns, there was no one there to stop this man," said Craig Schlesinger,
pastor at the Garden Valley Church. Houston
Chronicle
Air
Force Dental Technician Accused Of Being A Witch
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation is representing a former
Air Force contractor who says she was fired from a dental clinic at Fort
Meade, Maryland, after complaining that her co-workers discriminated against
her because she was Hindu. She claims they then accused her of being
a witch. Group founder and president Mikey Weinstein wrote in a letter
to officials: We have spoken with witnesses at the clinic under your command
who have universally confirmed that, not only did this horrid harassment
take place, but ever since the execution of her punishment for failing
the religious test imposed by the leadership of Epes Dental Clinic, a particular
offending party has effusively celebrated her replacement by a Catholic
woman by saying publicly that It's good to see we got an angel, since
last time we had the devil. The alleged harassment violates a vast sea"
of Defense Department and Air Force directives as well as the U.S. Constitution,
Weinstein writes. Atlanta
Journal
Fed
Poised To Raise Interest Rate This Year, MeetingNotes Suggest
Federal Reserve officials said the U.S. recovery will probably remain
insulated from the slowdown in China that has roiled the global economy,
keeping the central bank on track to begin ending its extraordinary stimulus
later this year. The Fed opted to keep its benchmark interest rate at zero
after its regular policy meeting in September. The central bank on Thursday
released minutes from that discussion showing that officials were hesitant
to make a move in the face of volatile financial markets and increased
uncertainty over the extent of the strains in China and other developing
countries. Many investors now think the Fed will not raise rates until
2016. Charlotte
Observer
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Tim
Kaine: 'We're Involved In A War That Congress Hasn't Debated'
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), speaking about the "catastrophe" in Syria,
blamed both Congress and the Obama administration for failing to produce
a "sound strategy."
"Bottom line, we're involved in a war that Congress hasn't debated,"
Kaine told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday. "And becasue we haven't debated
it, the administration hasn't had to come up with a sound strategy. We're
in a very vulnerable position right now." Russia's intevention in Syria
is not surprising, Kaine said, given Russia's interest in protecting its
military base in that increasingly unstable country. And now, with both
U.S. and Russian jets flying in the same air space, the chances for "just
an accident" are growing, Kaine said. CNS
News
Donald
Trump: Theyre Giving Me A Lot Of Credit For Kevin McCarthy Bowing Out
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Thursday said
people are giving him a lot of credit for House Majority Kevin McCarthys
shocking decision to withdraw his name from contention to be the next House
speaker. You know, Kevin McCarthy is out - you know that, right? Mr.
Trump said at a rally in Las Vegas, to some cheers. And theyre giving
me a lot of credit for that, because I said you really need somebody very,
very tough and very smart. Washington
Times
1
Dead, 3 Wounded In University Shooting In Ariz.
Officials say one person is dead and three others are wounded following
an early morning shooting at Northern Arizona University. School public
relations director Cindy Brown says the suspected shooter is in custody.
She says the first police call about the gunfire came in at 1:20 a.m. PDT
Friday. The shooting occurred in a parking lot outside Mountainview Hall
dormitory at the northeast side of the Flagstgaff campus. Brown says she
doesn't know what caused the shooting and also didn't have any details
about the suspect and victims, their conditions and whether they are students.
Tampa
Tribune
VOA VIEW: More antigun hysteria will follow
the tragedy.
Its
Going To Cost More To Binge-Watch Your Favorite Shows
Its going to cost you a little more to tune into Season 4 of House
of Cards. Netflix said Thursday it is raising the price of one of its
Internet video service plans by $1 in the US and several other countries
to help cover its escalating costs for original programming, like its popular
political drama. The new price of $10 per month for Netflixs standard
plan wont affect most of the services existing 42 million US subscribers,
who have signed up for Netflix basic. The basic plan allows a subscriber
to watch shows from the Los Gatos, Calif., company on one screen. The standard
plan hit with the increase covers viewing on two screens at once. NY
Post
Israel
On High Alert As Stabbing Attacks Continue
An Israeli man stabbed four Arabs in the south of the country Friday
morning and a Palestinian later stabbed a 14-year-old Israeli in Jerusalem
police said, as spiking tensions in Jerusalem and the West Bank threatened
to spread throughout Israel. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said two members
of the country's Bedouin minority and two Palestinians were wounded in
the attack in the city of Dimona. The men were evacuated to a hospital
for treatment. Samri said attacks were likely "nationalistically" motivated.
Israeli media reported the stabber said after his arrest that he carried
out the attacks in retaliation for the numerous Palestinian attacks on
Israelis this week. Tampa
Tribune
Woman
Invited Onstage: 'I'm Hispanic And I Vote For Mr. Trump!'
GOP front-runner Donald Trump has contended for months that hes popular
with Hispanic voters, despite comments hes made about Mexico and his proposal
to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border. Well, now he has at least one
solid and very enthusiastic example. During a Las Vegas rally on Thursday,
GOP front-runner Donald Trump was talking about the People magazine cover
featuring his family when he spotted a woman in the crowd holding the magazine.
He brought her onstage and to the podium. Where are you from? he asked.
Colombia! she replied. USA
Today
Former
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Launches New Gun Control Initiative
Former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot and seriously
wounded in 2011, is planning a new initiative to address gun violence against
women and families. The Womens Coalition for Common Sense will feature
a national advisory committee that includes former secretary of State Madeleine
Albright, former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman, former Michigan
governor Jennifer Granholm, and actresses Connie Britton and Alyssa Milano,
among others. Giffords is hosting a daylong "Domestic Violence Awareness
Summit" in Washington on Wednesday that is expected to draw more than 100
women from across the country. The new coalition will be announced at the
event. USA
Today
VOA VIEW: Expected!
Sanders'
Debate Mantra: Let Bernie Be Bernie
There are no image consultants, no mock stages and no body language
coaches. Instead, Bernie Sanders and his campaign team have a relatively
simple plan for his debut appearance in a nationally televised debate:
"Let Bernie be Bernie." It's a strategy aides say fueled Sanders' rise
in the Democratic primary campaign, where the often-disheveled, 74-year-old
Vermont senator has won the hearts of his party's base with an unapologetically
liberal message. He enters the first Democratic debate as an insurgent
challenger to front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton, eager to prove that
a self-identified democratic socialist could be the strongest nominee the
party has to offer. With limited preparation, Sanders is getting ready
to present his policies free college tuition, a single-payer health care
system and a $15-an-hour minimum wage to the largest audience of his
34-year political career. Houston
Chronicle
Not
Over Yet: S.C. Governor Warns Of New Flooding
In a terse warning, South Carolina's governor urged thousands of people
in low-lying areas near the coast to evacuate Thursday before a mass of
water rumbling toward the ocean floods some places for up to two more weeks.
Gov. Nikki Haley said at a news conference that people in flood-prone parts
of four counties should "strongly consider evacuating," including the 10,000
residents of Georgetown. Officials expect to close two of the main state
roads out of the historic town in the coming days.
She asked people watching on television to call relatives who may have
a false sense of confidence from surviving hurricanes, calling the second
round of expected flooding "a different kind of bad." She said the standing
water could last up to 12 days. CBS
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Avoid
Giving Aspirin To Children
Grown-ups who feel achy and feverish often reach for an aspirin. But
you should never give an aspirin to a child or teenager who feels that
way. Aspirin use by children and teens with viral infections has been linked
to Reye syndrome, a rare but severe condition. Reye syndrome usually strikes
children younger than 15. It typically starts about a week after they come
down with a common viral infection, such as a cold, the flu, or chickenpox.
Doctors still arent sure exactly what causes Reye syndrome. But research
shows that giving children aspirin to treat a viral illness may trigger
it. CNN
Declassified
US Docs Reveal Pinochet Ordered Killing In US
Newly declassified U.S. intelligence documents that came to light Thursday
reveal that Gen. Augusto Pinochet directly ordered the 1976 assassination
of a Chilean diplomat in Washington. Orlando Letelier, a former defense
and foreign minister, was killed by a car bomb along with American Ronni
Moffitt. Letelier had been a top official under Marxist President Salvador
Allende, who was ousted by the Pinochet-led coup in 1973. Letelier was
tortured and jailed, then later fled to the United States. We hope that
studying these documents will shine a light on both Pinochets role in
the killing and a judicial system that never tried the dictator for the
crime, Leteliers son, Sen. Juan Pablo Letelier, told reporters Thursday.
Charlotte
Observer
Rupert
Murdoch Apologizes For "Real Black President" Remark
The founder of the global News Corp. media empire, Rupert Murdoch,
issued an apology Thursday after he faced social media backlash following
his suggestion that President Obama isn't a "real black President." Murdoch
was praising Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson and his wife
on Twitter on Wednesday when he wrote: "Ben and Candy Carson terrific.
What about a real black President who can properly address the racial divide?"
He also recommended a New York magazine article suggesting Mr. Obama has
been a "disappointment" to the black community. Murdoch, who founded Fox
News Channel, apologized Thursday and tweeted that he "personally find(s)
both men charming." CBS
VOA VIEW: Murdoch had it right in the
first place.
Volkswagen's
US Chief Apologizes To Lawmakers About 'Deeply Troubling' Events
Michael Horn, Volkswagen Group of America CEO and president, was in
the hot seat on Capitol Hill today, answering questions about the company's
11 million diesel cars that may have cheated emissions standards around
the world. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, relaying questions from his constituents,
asked Horn at the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing how he
can consider himself a member of the human race, or how he sleeps at night,
and compared Horn to convicted fraudster Bernie Madoff. My answer to myself
is that I do everything -- and I dont sleep at night -- to help our dealers,
to help our customers and to be there for my company and our employees
to get us through this crisis here in the U.S., Horn said. ABC
DNA
Test Can Reveal Male Sexual Orientation
In the first study of its kind, male sexual orientation can be predicted
with nearly 70 percent accuracy with information from five segments of
the human genome, according to research released Thursday. If confirmed,
the study will give more weight to suggestive but so far less than conclusive
evidence that differences in DNA help determine whether people develop
as heterosexual or homosexual. Other studies have found potential linkages,
but have had trouble being replicated. This study is the first to examine
the effect of "epigenetic" changes in DNA, using pairs of identical twins,
said UC Los Angeles researcher Tuck C. Ngun, the study's first author.
These are produced by alterations to DNA that turn genes on or off, but
don't alter the actual DNA sequence. The study was presented at the annual
meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics in Baltimore. San
Diego Union
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Russian
Cruise Missiles Intended For Targets In Syria Hit Iran Instead
Four cruise missiles launched from a Russian warship aimed at targets
in Syria missed their target and crashed in Iran Thursday, a senior defense
official told Fox News. The Kalibr cruise missiles were fired for the
first time in combat from warships in the Caspian Sea, the official said.
There was no immediate word of any damage or casualties in Iran. Russia
began launching missiles into Syria from warships on Wednesday, The Associated
Press reported. Russian officials said 26 cruise missiles launched from
warships have already hit the provinces of Raqqa and Aleppo in the north
and Idlib province in the northwest. Fox
News
VOA VIEW: Oops!
Ben
Carson Suggests Holocaust Would Have Been Less Likely If Jews Were Armed
Republican candidate Ben Carson continued his controversial remarks
about guns Thursday -- suggesting in a new interview that the Jews may
have been able to diminish the likelihood of the Holocaust if they were
armed. Carson made the remarks, which drew swift condemnation -- on CNN.
He said that passengers on Flight 93, which crashed on 9/11, helped avoid
further tragedy by rushing the gunman. In Carson's new book A Perfect
Union, Carson writes that through a combination of removing guns and
disseminating propaganda, the Nazis were able to carry out their evil intentions
with relatively little resistance. ABC
VOA VIEW: Right again.
My
Plan To Prevent The Next Crash
Seven years after the financial crash, despite important new rules
signed into law by President Barack Obama, there are risks in our financial
system that could still cause another crisis. Banks have paid billions
of dollars in fines, but few executives have been held personally accountable.
Too big to fail is still too big a problem. Regulators dont have all
the tools and support they need to protect our economy. To prevent irresponsible
behavior on Wall Street from ever again devastating Main Street, we need
more accountability, tougher rules and stronger enforcement. I have a plan
to build on the progress weve made under President Obama and do just that.
Bloomberg
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Minutes
Show Fed Leaders Delayed Rate Hike Over Global Risks
Federal Reserve officials put off an interest-rate increase in September
because of growing risks to their outlook for economic growth and inflation,
mainly from China, even as they continued to say they were on track to
raise the target later this year. Policy makers agreed that developments
over the inter-meeting period had not materially altered the committees
economic outlook, according to minutes of the Sept. 16-17 session of the
Federal Open Market Committee, released Thursday in Washington. Nonetheless,
the committee decided that it was prudent to wait for additional information
confirming that the economic outlook had not deteriorated. Bloomberg
VW
Executive: Any Fix For Car Owners Could Take Year Or More
Volkswagen's top U.S. executive apologized Thursday as the emissions-rigging
scandal engulfing the world's largest automaker deepened and members of
Congress said the company violated the public's trust. "On behalf of our
company, my colleagues in Germany and myself, I would like to offer a sincere
apology for Volkswagen's use of a software program that served to defeat
the regular emissions testing regime," Volkswagen of America CEO Michael
Horn told a House subcommittee. Calling his company's admission "deeply
troubling," Horn said, "We have broken the trust of our customers, dealerships,
and employees, as well as the public and regulators."
Even so, Horn distanced himself from the company's behavior, saying
he felt personally deceived by actions he said were taken by unknown individuals.
Las
Vegas Sun
Trade
Deal, Keystone Open Clinton To Flip-Flop Charges
Hillary Rodham Clinton's new opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership
is the latest in a long line of issues on which Clinton has recently shifted
her views. And it gives her opponents a chance to call her a flip-flopper
in the first Democratic presidential debate next week. Clinton has announced
her opposition recently to the Keystone XL pipeline, a project she supported
back in 2010 as President Barack Obama's secretary of state. She also backs
gay marriage but opposed it for more than two decades in public life. Clinton's
repositioning is aimed at a Democratic primary electorate eager to find
a new standard-bearer. But her reversals could trail her into the general
election. UPI
VOA VIEW: Hillary's positions change like
the weather.
Obama
Signs Bill Preventing Healthcare Cost Increase
President Obama signed changes into Obamacare preventing health insurance
premium increases for millions. The rare bipartisan changes, called the
Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act, will ensure some 3 million
people won't see a spike in premiums in 2016. The bill was passed by both
chambers without a single "no" vote and signed by the president Wednesday
without controversy or fanfare. "I'm very pleased that, in this instance,
Congress rose above the partisan squabbling to make this improvement to
the health care reform bill and I hope it's a good omen for further cooperation,"
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., a co-sponsor of the bill, said. UPI
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Netanyahu:
Now Is The Time For Unity Government, Not Announcements Of Building In
Settlements
Settlement construction now would harm international support for the
tough measures Israel is taking against terrorism, a solemn Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday at a special evening press conference
that underlined the crisis mode the country has now entered. Netanyahu,
sitting alongside Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Public Security Minister
Gilad Erdan ,Chief-of-General-Staff Lt. General Gadi Eizenkot, and acting
police commissioner Bentzi Sau, said settlement construction announcements
now would only divert attention from the battle against terrorists, and
dilute important international backing. Jerusalem
Post
Abbas
To Israeli Government: Stay Away From Our Islamic And Christian Holy Sites
Various Palestinian factions on Thursday called for stepping up protests
in the West Bank and east Jerusalem following Friday prayers. The appeal
came as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas voiced support for
a peaceful popular resistance. Speaking to reporters in Ramallah, Abbas
said, We wont be dragged to their (Israels) square. We wont use violence
or force. We believe in peace and peaceful popular resistance, which is
our right and must continue as long as there is aggression. Abbas also
expressed support for Palestinians who are defending the Aksa Mosque and
are suffering a lot for the sake of defending it. Jerusalem
Post
VOA VIEW: Islamic militants are causing
the problems.
Islamic
State 'Used Mustard Gas' Against Peshmerga
Islamic State (IS) militants fired mortar rounds containing mustard
agent at Kurdish peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq, Kurdish officials
say. The Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs said blood samples from about 35
fighters revealed traces of sulphur mustard. It did not say if any of the
peshmerga had died as a result of the attack, or how severely they had
been wounded. Mustard gas can burn skin and cause severe respiratory problems,
and is banned under international law. The exposure took place along the
front lines near the northern Iraqi towns of Makhmour and Gwer, the ministry
said in a statement. BCC
Donald
Trump Goes To Supreme Court Over Menie Wind Farm
Donald Trump's challenge to a planned offshore wind farm is being heard
at the UK's Supreme Court. Developers intend to site the large turbine
structures close to Mr Trump's golfing development on the Aberdeenshire
coast. The US businessman has taken on the Scottish government, which approved
the plan. Mr Trump began his challenge to the decision to grant planning
permission more than two years ago. He was furious when the Scottish government
approved plans for the renewable energy development within sight of his
multi-million pound golf development on the Menie Estate in the north-east
of Scotland. BBC
Mars
Lakes May Have Existed Long Enough For Life To Evolve
Ancient lakes that came and went over millions of years in the Gale
crater basin on Mars may have persisted long enough for life to evolve
in them, researchers have said. Nasa scientists analysed fresh images sent
back from the Curiosity rover and found evidence of lakes in the basin
that lasted for up to 10,000 years at a time potentially long enough
to support life. The lakes formed as the water table rose and rivers trickled
down to the lowest point in the crater, only for them to dry up again when
the water table subsided. Even though the lakes disappeared, the soil may
have remained damp. Guardian
Leader
Of Christian Group Adjusts Incorrect Doomsday Prediction: 'Soon'
The leader of a Christian group who claimed that the world would end
on Wednesday has admitted his prediction was incorrect. Chris McCann,
head of the eBible fellowship, warned that the planet would be destroyed
with fire on 7 October. This did not happen. Since it is now 8 October
it is now obvious that we were incorrect regarding the worlds ending on
the 7th, McCann said. McCann originally told the Guardian that by Thursday
the world would be gone forever: annihilated. McCann based his claim
on an earlier prediction by Christian radio host Harold Camping, who said
the world would end on 21 May 2011. Campings forecast also turned out
to be incorrect. Guardian
New
UN Report Shows Global Youth Unemployment Rate Still Above Financial Crisis
Levels
Global youth unemployment rates have stabilized somewhat but remain
well above pre-financial crisis levels, according to a new report released
by the International Labour Organization (ILO) today. The rate has stabilized
at 13 per cent following a period of rapid increase between 2007 and 2010,
but it is still well above the pre-crisis level of 11.7 per cent, according
to the ILO report Global Unemployment Trends for Youth 2015: Scaling up
investments in decent jobs for youth. It also highlights a drop in the
number of unemployed youth to 73.3 million in 2014, some 3.3 million less
than the crisis peak of 76.6 million in 2009. UN
News
Extremely
Concerned By Escalating West Bank Violence, UN Rights Chief Urges Restraint
Voicing extreme concern over escalating tensions and rapidly-spreading
violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the United Nations human
rights chief today called for urgent action by both Israelis and Palestinians
to halt the violence, while stressing the need to ensure security forces
comply with international standards and respect for human rights. The
security situation has deteriorated dramatically over the past week in
the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Zeid Raad Al Hussein, the UN
High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a news release. UN
News
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VOA VIEW --Is the opinion of "Voice of Americans", which is a private entity not affiliated in any way with the United States government or any of its agencies. The opinions expressed here, in whatever medium or format, are not necessarily the opinions of the ownership or advertisers of this web site - 0415.