NEWS   SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2015   NEWS

Gingrich On Speaker Fight: 'This Is A Serious And Sobering Period In American History'
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Sean Hannity on Thursday that he supported Kevin McCarthy for the job Gingrich once held, because "I thought Kevin was the best-prepared person." When Hannity asked him if he would consider being "interim speaker," Gingrich said that although he "can't quite imagine the circumstances" in which he would be drafted if someone "were to say to me 218 guys have called you up and given you their pledge, obviously no citizen, I mean, could ever turn down that kind of challenge." "This is a serious and sober period in American history he said. Hannity: "But my question is maybe this is the time for Newt Gingrich to come back with a flurry of ideas and a new contract that would advance a conservative agenda to help the country solve these horrible problems. CNS News
VOA VIEW: Gingrich was and would be a strong knowledgeable speaker.

U.S. Court Places Hold On Clean Water Rule Nationwide
A U.S. court on Friday issued an order temporarily blocking the implementation of a federal water rule across the country, the latest in a series of legal setbacks for Obama administration environmental regulations. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit granted a nationwide stay against the so-called Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which is intended to clarify which bodies of water are covered by the Clean Water Act. The rule was finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in May but still faces political and legal opposition. The appellate court said that the 18 states challenging the new standards were unlikely to face immediate irreparable harm from the rule, but there was also no evidence that the nation's waters would suffer "imminent injury" if the regulation was put on hold. Reuters

Obama Weighs White House Moves On Gun Control
As President Obama heads to Roseburg, Oregon for closed-door visits with families of the victims of last week's shootings at Umpqua Community College, the White House is considering wading once more into the politically-fraught issue of gun control. The administration is reconsidering a major gun control proposal that would establish new guidelines for who is legally defined as a licensed gun dealer and therefore required to conduct background checks on potential buyers, administration officials tell NBC News. The proposal would define anyone that sells more than a certain number of guns each year "in the business" of selling guns and therefore subject to laws for gun dealers. MSNBC

Black Men Gathering For Million Man March 20th Anniversary
Black men from around the nation are gathering on the National Mall to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March and call for policing reforms and changes in black communities. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who spearheaded the original march, will lead an anniversary gathering Saturday at the Capitol called the "Justice or Else" march. "I plan to deliver an uncompromising message and call for the government of the United States to respond to our legitimate grievances," Farrakhan said in a statement. Philadelphia Inquirer
VOA VIEW: What about the grievances of the American people resulting from black violence, rioting, looting, heavy dependence on welfare and failure to properly parent their children - change is needed.

House Votes To End Ban On Exporting Oil
The House voted Friday to end the 40-year-old ban on exporting American oil to foreign nations, launching a showdown with the Senate and the president in the nation's latest battle over energy and climate change. The ban was a response to the 1970s Arab oil embargo, ostensibly to protect Americans from gasoline shortages and price spikes. The oil industry is lobbying furiously to end the ban, calling it outdated in an era of enormous U.S. oil production and saying that exports would spur more drilling. The industry won a major victory when a bill by Rep. Joe Barton (R., Texas) to end the ban passed 261-159, with 26 Democrats joining 235 Republicans in favor. Barton argued that the bill would lead to the creation of jobs nationwide. "Those are real people, that's not Big Oil," Barton said. Philadelphia Inquirer

Reid Ribble Becomes Second Republican To Resign From House Freedom Caucus
Rep. Reid Ribble announced Thursday that he is resigning from the House Freedom Caucus, making him the second Republican to leave the conservative group since its founding. The Wisconsin Republican said he’s resigning over the group’s role in the GOP leadership debate following Speaker John Boehner’s resignation announcement, Roll Call reported. “I was a member of the Freedom Caucus in the very beginning because we were focused on making process reforms to get every Member’s voice heard and advance conservative policy,” Mr. Ribble said in a statement. “When the Speaker resigned and they pivoted to focusing on the leadership race, I withdrew.” Washington Times

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This Tech Helps You Find Your Lost Stuff
Whether you’re directionally challenged, suffer from short term memory loss, or lose your items on a regular basis, it can be very frustrating to find something you’ve misplaced. Thankfully, technology can help with all of the above. Smart apps and inexpensive gadgets can help you locate your stuff, whether it’s your parked car in a crowded lot, missing house keys or smartphone, or lost luggage at an airport. Some of these solutions can also help you find a friend you’re supposed to meet up with.
The following are a few worthy suggestions. USA Today

Strong Emotions As Obama Visits Grieving Oregon Town
Gun-rights activists and others gave voice to strong emotions when President Barack Obama came to meet privately with grieving families whose loved ones were killed on a college campus in Roseburg, Oregon. During Obama's brief visit on Friday, many residents showed anger over the call he made soon after last week's shootings for more gun restrictions. However, there were also Obama supporters among the people waiting behind a security fence near the airport to catch a glimpse of the president. They included two men on bicycles — Phil Benedetti and John Poole. "I want to support our president," said Benedetti, a Roseburg physician. "This isn't about gun control, it's about caring about the welfare of the small town and every small town when tragedy happens." He said he owns several guns for hunting and chasing deer from his garden, but he believes assault weapons shouldn't be available to the general public. Houston Chronicle

John Boehner's Here To Stay, For Now, With Nothing To Lose
Speaker John Boehner wants out. He really does. But the Ohio House Republican is staying put, for now — and that could improve the chances for a debt limit increase by early next month to avoid a market-shattering government default. His continued presence also might help lawmakers reach a bipartisan budget deal to head off a government shutdown in December. The tea party forces that pushed Boehner to plan his exit after nearly five years in the top job now have less leverage against a man with nothing to lose. Conservative hard-liners have caused further chaos by blocking the ascension of Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Houston Chronicle

Pentagon Ends Program To Train Syrian Rebels, Starts Revamped Initiative
The Pentagon on Friday announced it was ending its failed $500 million program to "train and equip" Syrian rebels and replacing it with a far less ambitious plan, defense officials said. The "training" part of the program — which managed to field only "four or five" Syrian rebels into the battle against ISIS at a $50 million price tag — has been halted, according to senior defense officials. Instead of combat training for the rebels, they will now be used as "enablers" to identify ISIS targets on the ground for U.S. and coalition airstrikes. They will also be advised on how to interact with U.S. military "at a distance," and there will be no American forces on the ground in Syria. The "equip" part of the program, which provided small arms, ammunition and vehicles, will be dramatically reduced to providing weapons to some 5,000 friendly moderate Syrian rebels to carry on the fight against both ISIS and presumably, the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. MSNBC
VOA VIEW: It took too long to accept the failure.

Hillary Clinton Heckled At Hispanic Caucus: ‘My Deportation Will Be Your Funding’
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton was interrupted Thursday by an immigration activist protesting her campaign’s acceptance of donations from corporations that run private prisons. Mrs. Clinton was presenting the 2015 Medallion of Excellence Award to Spanish-American chef Jose Andres at the annual Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute gala in Washington when she was interrupted by Juan Carlos Ramos of the advocacy group United We Dream Action, BuzzFeed reported. Mr. Ramos, 22, of Maryland, stood near the stage chanting “Hillary we’re watching. My deportation will be your funding,” and held a sign that read “Hillary for immigrants in prisons,” BuzzFeed reported. Washington Times

Houston Police: 1 Dead In Texas Southern University Shooting
Texas Southern University is on lockdown after two people were shot at a student housing complex. Houston Police said in a tweet that one person is dead and a possible suspect is detained. Houston police responded to the shooting at the Courtyard Apartments around 11:30 a.m. Police say the campus remains on lockdown while they search for the suspect. The rest of Friday's classes have been cancelled. According to the Houston Chronicle, the shooting is the third in recent weeks on or near the TSU campus. The shooting happened at the same student housing complex where another person was shot overnight, CBS affiliate KHOU reports. That victim was treated and released. CBS

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California Gives VW November 20 Deadline For Technical Fix In Diesel Scandal
California has given carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) until November 20 to come up with a plan to fix the diesel cars affected by its rigging of emissions tests, a spokesman for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) said on Friday. Volkswagen has said up to 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide need to be refitted because they could carry software designed to manipulate emissions tests. The CARB spokesman said the deadline represents 45 business days from an in-use compliance letter sent to Volkswagen dated Sept. 18. The November deadline was first reported by a group of German regional daily newspapers, which cited Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board, as saying the affected cars could be banned if a technical solution was not found by then. Reuters

DHS Investigating Wikipedia Entries Alleging Kevin McCarthy Affair
The Department of Homeland Security is investigating whether one of its employees changed Wikipedia pages for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Renee Ellmers alleging that they had an affair. "DHS has immediately launched an investigation into this serious matter. If it is discovered that a DHS employee, using Government property, is responsible for these alleged actions, immediate and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken," said DHS spokeswoman Marsha Catron.
DHS discovered a day earlier that changes made to the lawmakers' Wikipedia pages were tracked to an IP address at the department's office in Springfield, Virginia. CBS

Jeb Bush's 'Bush' Problem Hasn't Gone Away
Inside local eatery the Pizza Ranch, Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush was in the process of selling himself to a roomful of Iowa voters when a man asked Bush what his biggest mistake had been as governor of Florida and how he would change it. Seated in the back row, Dorene Oliver muttered audibly, "Not changing your last name." "That's not a mistake," Bush shot back. "I'm proud of my family." "I can understand you being proud of your dad," Oliver chimed in. "I'm very proud of my dad." ABC

Obama Insists Putin Hasn’t Taken Over America’s World Leadership
Russia has dispatched troops to Ukraine and is sending jet bombers to change the course of the war in Syria, but President Obama says Vladimir Putin hasn’t taken over America’s leadership role in the world. CBS’ Steve Kroft raised the issue during an interview for “60 Minutes” in which he questioned whether the Russian leader’s actions have forced the United States to take a back seat in world events. “Well, Steve, I’ve got to tell you, if you think that running your economy into the ground and having to send troops in, in order to prop up your only ally is leadership, then we’ve got a different definition of leadership,” Obama responded. NY Post
VOA VIEW: Obama is in deceptive denial - Putin has forced Obama out of world leadership.

France Train Hero Was Stabbed Trying To Protect Woman
The American train hero who was stabbed during a street-fight on Thursday was protecting a woman who was being beaten by her boyfriend, a witness claimed.
“He was defending her,” said Eric Cain, an employee at the A&P Liquor store who witnessed the brawl between Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone and a group of men.
“I figured it was a girlfriend dispute or something like that,” he told the Daily Mail. “She got hit twice, and that was mainly what I saw started the fight.” NY Post

Top New Hampshire Republicans Tell Christie To Keep Going
Despite his single-digit poll numbers and the dominance of another tough-talking candidate, Chris Christie is hearing a clear message from influential Republicans in the early voting states of New Hampshire and Iowa: Keep going. What he's not hearing are enough commitments. With Donald Trump still commanding the field and se "Maybe he's the tortoise in this race," said Donna Sytek, a former speaker of the New Hampshire House whose support Christie is courting heavily. "He's authentic," she said. "He's not scripted. He'll tell you a story from his own experience that illustrates these serious issues." Tampa Tribune

Donald Trump, Brash New Yorker, Picks Up Southern Campaign
Donald Trump is a brash New Yorker who knows the path to the Republican presidential nomination runs through a swath of Southern states where residents pride themselves on graciousness and gentility. He leads many state polls in the region just as he does nationally. In the last few weeks he's hired staff members in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia to go along with staff in South Carolina, which hosts the South's first primary. "It's almost like we're running a campaign for president of the United States," quipped Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski when asked about the expansion. Tampa Tribune

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Lankford: ISIS Threat 'Spectacular,' But Narco-Terrorists 'Accelerating At A Pace We Haven't Seen Before'
Yes, radical Islamic terrorists are a threat to the homeland; but Americans are undermining themselves with their insatiable demand for illegal drugs, the Senate Homeland Security Committee was told on Thursday. "We talk about the threat from ISIS; it's spectacular," committee member Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) told members of the Obama administration. But, he added, "Last year we had over 10,000 deaths by heroin on the streets of the United States. Hotel rooms, houses, on the streets, homes -- people quietly dying from heroin and from narco-terrorists moving into our borders, distributing this incredibly toxic substance across our nation. CNS

International War Crimes Charge Against US Unlikely After Kunduz Hospital Bombing
Despite claims by Doctors Without Borders that the U.S. bombing of a hospital in Afghanistan was a "war crime," a top legal expert ABC News spoke with said it is unlikely that international charges will be leveled in the incident, which left 22 dead. However, there is the possibility that those involved in the bombing could be prosecuted by a U.S. military court. Following the tragedy, officials with Doctors Without Borders, known internationally as Medecins Sans Frontieres or MSF, called the airstrike an "abhorrent and a grave violation of international humanitarian law," and suggested that a "war crime has been committed." ABC News spoke to a number of leading war crimes experts, including the prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and former DePaul University law professor M. Cherif Bassiouni, who explained that the motive behind the strike will matter a great deal. ABC

Lacker Says Fed Taking Risks With Economy At Full Employment
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Jeffrey Lacker said the U.S. is already at full employment and the central bank may risk overheating the economy as it attempts to drive additional job gains. With the unemployment rate at 5.1 percent, the central bank has achieved its goal and “exhausted relevant slack in the labor market,” the Richmond Fed chief said. “We’re there,” Lacker said in an interview in his office Thursday, referring to the central bank’s mandate to lower joblessness to the level consistent with stable price pressures. The median forecast of that rate among Fed officials is 4.9 percent, according to estimates released following last month’s meeting of the policy-making Federal Open Market Committee. Bloomberg

Judge Sends Abuse Victim To Jail For Not Appearing In Court
A Florida judge ignored the pleas and tears of a domestic abuse victim and sent the woman to jail for three days for ignoring a subpoena and failing to show up at her abuser’s trial. Prosecutors wanted the Lake Mary, Florida, woman to testify against the father of her child at a July hearing. He was charged with domestic battery and aggravated assault, and police say he choked her and threatened her with a knife. But the woman didn’t show up, so she was ordered to stand before Seminole County Circuit Judge Jerri Collins in a contempt hearing and answer why she had ignored the subpoena. Kansas City Star

New York Public Colleges Say Armed Officers Prep For Shooter
What used to be an unthinkable scenario, an active shooter on campus, is not only thought about at New York's public colleges but planned for the same way they prepare for weather disasters or fire. All 29 four-year campuses in the State University of New York system have their own armed, full-time police officers and are required to plan and practice for active shooters as part of emergency management plans. But even with preparedness written into mandates, the Oct. 1 shooting that left nine victims dead at picturesque Umpqua Community College in Oregon has campuses again contemplating if that's enough. Days after the latest high-profile shooting, SUNY Cortland President Erik Bitterbaum announced two active shooter training sessions for staff and a seminar on deterring college shootings to better the odds his campus would "survive a similar act of violence." SF Gate

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A U.S. Recession Just Got A Little More Likely
A delayed Federal Reserve rate hike, turmoil in global equity markets... and now increased expectations for a downturn in the U.S. The probability that the world's biggest economy will enter a recession in the next 12 months jumped to 15 percent, its highest level since October 2013, according to economists surveyed Oct. 2-7 by Bloomberg. The median had held at 10 percent for 13 consecutive months. Concerns over China, and the potential spillover to other economies, have led economists to cut their third-quarter growth forecasts to 2 percent from as high as 3 percent in July. China also is worrying Fed officials, who cited it as a risk to their outlook for economic growth and inflation — so much so that they delayed what would have been the first increase in the benchmark interest rate since 2006. Bloomberg

Jeb Bush Embraces The SEC – And Its Logo – With Visit To Georgia-Tennessee Game
Jeb Bush will attend the Georgia-Tennessee game Saturday to rev up students before another football matchup, his second of four trips this football season for tailgates deep in SEC country.jeb-bush-sec-logo. The former Florida governor and his SEC-inspired logo are headed to Neyland Stadium for what his campaign promises to be a selfie-riddled showcase for “a successful conservative governor from an SEC state.” Most of the crowded Republican field of candidates have stumped at college football games this fall. But no one has embraced it quite like Bush, who also released the above video about his love for the SEC. He has already tailgated at the University of Georgia’s North Campus before the home team’s 52-20 thrashing of South Carolina in September, wading through more than an hour of selfies with students and fans before and after his brief campaign speech. Atlanta Journal

Thousands Demonstrate In Germany Against EU-US Trade Deal
Protesters, organized by the Confederation of German Trade Unions, known by its acronym DGB, worry that an agreement could lower food safety standards and undermine local regulations by giving international arbitration panels the power to rule over disputes. One float in the protest showed Chancellor Angela Merkel lighting the fuse of a bomb while sitting on a building labeled "Democracy." The European Union and United States have been negotiating since 2013 on TTIP and supporters hope it will gain momentum now that the U.S., Japan and other Pacific Rim nations have reached an agreement on a separate trade deal. Charlotte Observer

'Black Lives' Leader Defends Looting In Yale Lecture
The “Black Lives Matter” leader who landed a teaching gig at Yale University delivered a lecture this week on the historical merits of looting as a form of protest, backing up his lesson with required reading that puts modern-day marauders on par with the patriots behind the Boston Tea Party. DeRay McKesson, who was hired by the Ivy League institution’s divinity school to lecture for two days on "Transformational Leadership in the #BlackLivesMatter Movement," had students read an essay written at the height of the rioting and looting that plagued the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson just over a year ago after a white police officer shot and killed a black man. Fox News
VOA VIEW: A lowlife.

Gun-Rights Activists Protest Obama Visit In Oregon
Gun-rights activists gathered near an Oregon airport on Friday to protest President Barack Obama's visit to meet with families of victims of last week's deadly college shooting. Obama was scheduled to arrive in rural Roseburg late Friday morning. Many locals are angry with Obama for calling for tighter gun restrictions in the wake of last week's shootings at Umpqua Community College that killed eight students and a teacher. About 200 protesters were milling around outside Roseburg airport Friday, some carrying placards saying Obama was not welcome and "Obama Go Home." At least one person was wearing a sidearm. "By coming here, Obama is going to politicize a tragedy by saying that you have to have gun control," said George Starr as he held a small American flag. Las Vegas Sun

Afghanistan And Russia To Sign Delivery Deal For Mi-35 Helicopters
Afghanistan and Russia are set to sign an agreement for the delivery of Mi-35 gunship helicopters as Afghan forces seek to boost their capabilities. Zamir Kabulov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's representative to Afghanistan, says the agreement is expected to be signed this month. The details of the agreement are unknown, however Khaama Press reports Russia will provide Afghanistan with both the weapons and training. This comes as further reports say First Vice President, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum has requested military assistance from Moscow. UPI

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Lockheed Martin's Modular ATHENA Laser Weapon Is Headed To Production
The US military already has a few high-powered laser weapons at its disposal, but it's about to get a hell of a lot more. Earlier this week, defense contractor Lockheed Martin began production of its modular, Advanced Test High Energy Asset (ATHENA) laser system for the US Army -- a weapon that's expected to roll out on the battlefield sometime next year. If you're not familiar with the ATHENA system, all you really need to know is that Lockheed has been working on it for the past few years, and demonstrated its power a few months ago by disabling a truck with it. This feat was accomplished by firing a sustained 30 kilowatt burst at the vehicle's hood, and burning a hole through the engine block. It's ridiculously powerful -- but power alone isn't its most revolutionary feature. Fox News

The Dalai Lama Says Buddhist Culture Most Important To Him
The Dalai Lama said Saturday he considered it most important to preserve the Buddhist culture that has helped the Tibetan people live together even in exile. "Our values have helped us Tibetans live together as a people," the 80-year-old spiritual leader said at his first public event after returning last week from a medical check-up in the U.S. "So after coming into exile, I have considered it most important to preserve this rich and profound culture that we have." Many Tibetans fear that their culture may not endure for long and may weaken after the Dalai Lama is gone. Carrying white silk scarves, dozens of school children in traditional Tibetan costumes welcomed the Dalai Lama to the event, the 10th anniversary of the opening of a Tibetan school in Dharmsala, the Tibetan government-in-exile's headquarters in northern India. Charlotte Observer

Good News On Electronic-Privacy Front
One of my pet peeves involves legislators who routinely cite the rights protected in the U.S. Constitution during their news conferences and floor speeches, yet who can’t manage to support bills that do little more than protect some clearly enumerated right. It’s always easier to use rhetoric than display courage at the Capitol. Not long ago, after some muscle-flexing by police organizations, the Assembly killed a bill that would simply have required cops to secure a conviction before seizing homes, cars and personal property. It’s a basic matter of the Fifth Amendment, which says no one should be "deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." San Siego Union

Paul Ryan Considering Running For House Speaker
Rep. Paul Ryan is telling House Republicans privately he is considering running for speaker, several members say. Ryan informed several members on the House floor of his deliberations, Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, told CNN. Stewart added that he urged Ryan to run, with the Wisconsin Republican replaying that he was "thinking and praying on it." Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who shocked Capitol Hill by deciding Thursday not to try and succeed retiring Speaker John Boehner, also said Ryan is weighing a run. CNN
VOA VIEW: Republicans need a leader with a conservative backbone.

U.S. Official: North Korea 'Likely Preparing' Weapons Test
The U.S. "sees indications" that North Korea is "likely preparing" for some type of weapons test in association with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers Party on October 10, a U.S. official told CNN. A likely scenario is that North Korea will attempt, for the first time, to test a submarine-launched medium-range ballistic missile at sea off its eastern coast, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the latest intelligence. The test is seen by the U.S. as part of the regime's "usual provocative efforts." In May, the regime published photos of what it said was leader Kim Jong Un standing in front of a submarine at sea, launching a missile, but U.S. intelligence experts said there was no electronic, infrared or satellite data to suggest a launch had occurred and that only the on-board ejection system was tested. CNN

Cell Proteins Are Foppy But Fast
Proteins are key to the life of a cell. They travel in and out of cells carrying information to and fro. Until recently, researchers couldn't figure out how these cellular communicators could move so quickly in and out of cells without compromising security. How do you allow for the flow of messengers without letting in foreign invaders?m A new study by a team of researchers from Germany, France and Britain is offering answers. What the scientists found was that flexible and disordered proteins, spaghetti-like in shape, are key to fast-paced inter-cellular communication. UPI

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Netanyahu Offered Vague Terms For West Bank Withdrawal, Former US Peace Negotiator Says
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United States five years ago that Israel could withdraw from most of the West Bank if his country's security needs were met, former US Middle East peace negotiator Dennis Ross recounts in a book to be published next week. Prodded by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2010 to say what he could do to advance peace talks and citing Israeli security needs, "he said that Israel could withdraw from most of the territory," Ross writes in Doomed to Succeed: the US-Israel Relationship from Truman to Obama. "He did not want to give percentages, but he understood what the Palestinians wanted, and if the Israeli security needs were accepted by us and met, he could be generally responsive," Ross writes. Jerusalem Post

Wave Of Violence Sweeping Israel Is 'Terrorism,' US Says
The Obama administration characterizes the recent wave of violence sweeping Israel as "terrorism," a US official told The Jerusalem Post on Friday. A State Department official had previously told the Post the administration would refrain from using the term pending a full investigation of the attacks. But the tempo of violence only increased in recent days, with over fifteen attempted or successful stabbings and shootings of Israelis by Palestinians across the country and throughout the West Bank. One attack perpetrated by a Jewish Israeli against four Arab Israelis also occurred in Dimona earlier in the day, raising the specter of revenge strikes and vigilantism. Israeli officials warned against such actions in a press conference on Thursday evening. Jerusalem Post

One In Three Young Chinese Men Will Die From Smoking, Study Says
The research, published in The Lancet medical journal, says two-thirds of men in China now start to smoke before 20. Around half of those men will die from the habit, it concludes. The scientists conducted two nationwide studies, 15 years apart, covering hundreds of thousands of people. In 2010, around one million people in China died from tobacco usage. But researchers say that if current trends continue, that will double to two million people - mostly men - dying every year by 2030, making it a "growing epidemic of premature death". BBC

North Korea To Hold Huge Parades For 70th Anniversary
A cavalcade of armoured vehicles and ballistic missiles is expected to rumble through the capital Pyongyang accompanied by marching troops. North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un will preside over the ceremony, but no world leaders will be attending. Analysts say the event will be closely watched for any new military hardware. When it announced plans for the anniversary earlier this year, the government spoke of "cutting-edge" weaponry suitable for modern warfare. BBC

Medical Marijuana: California Governor Signs Bills To Regulate Industry
Three bills aimed at bringing order and oversight to California’s medical marijuana industry nearly 20 years after the state became the first to legalise the drug for medical use have won Governor Jerry Brown’s signature, his office said on Friday. The Democratic governor’s endorsement of the 70-page Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act hammered out by lawmakers in the closing hours of the legislative session was expected – because his office crafted many of the exhaustive details. The bills create the first statewide licensing and operating rules for pot growers, manufacturers of cannabis-infused products and retail weed outlets since California voters legalised medical marijuana in 1996. Guardian

Hamas Leader In Gaza Declares Intifada As Deadly Attacks Continue
Hamas’s leader in Gaza has declared the current unrest in Jerusalem and the West Bank an intifada, as six Palestinians were shot dead protesting at the border fence, further raising the stakes after a week of escalating violence. The comments by Ismail Haniyeh contradicted recent remarks by Fatah’s leadership, including the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. There has been increasingly widespread use of the hashtag #intifada on Palestinian social media. In a sermon for Friday prayers at a mosque in Gaza City, Haniyeh said: “We are calling for the strengthening and increasing of the intifada. It is the only path that will lead to liberation. Gaza will fulfil its role in the Jerusalem intifada and it is more than ready for confrontation.” Guardian

UN Security Council Authorizes Operations To Disrupt Migrant Smuggling Of Coast Of Libya
Acting to help “save the threatened lives of migrants or of victims of human trafficking” and to disrupt criminal enterprises operating on the high-seas off the coast of Libya, the United Nations Security Council today authorized for one year operations by the European Union (EU) and individual countries to inspect and or seize vessels of suspected of people smuggling in the Mediterranean. By a vote of 14 in favour, with Venezuela abstaining, the Council adopted a resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which authorizes the use of force, through with countries and regional organizations could board ships for inspection, seize and even dispose of vessels suspected of being used by migrant smugglers. UN News

‘The Stakes Are High,’ UN Chief TellsClimate Finance Meeting In Peru
Stressing that financial resources are central to meeting the goals of the transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Agenda, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said that in order to create a low-carbon, climate-resilient future that benefits everybody, allocating appropriate finance is of key importance. “The first step must be a politically credible trajectory for mobilizing $100 billion dollars per annum by 2020. The methodology for deciding what is climate finance, and how private finance is counted, needs to be developed by all concerned – developed and developing countries alike,” Mr, Ban told a gathering of Climate Finance Ministers in Lima, Peru. UN News

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