Trump
Reignites Feud With Fox News
Donald Trump is reigniting his feud with Fox News, saying he is boycotting
appearances after being treated "very unfairly" by the cable network. In
a statement, FOX News said that Trump announced his boycott after FOX News
cancelled his appearance on the The O'Reilly Factor schedule for Thursday.
"At 11:45am today, we canceled Donald Trump's scheduled appearance on The
O'Reilly Factor on Thursday, which resulted in Mr. Trump's subsequent tweet
about his 'boycott' of FOX News. The press predictably jumped to cover
his tweet, creating yet another distraction from any real issues that Mr.
Trump might be questioned about," a FOX News spokesperson said. "When coverage
doesn't go his way, he engages in personal attacks on our anchors and hosts,
which has grown stale and tiresome. He doesn't seem to grasp that candidates
telling journalists what to ask is not how the media works in this country,"
the statement continued. MSNBC
VOA VIEW: Who blinks first - Fox or Trump?
Chicago-Area
District Clears Three School Buildings Due To Legionella
Three school buildings in suburban Chicago were closed and students
sent home on Wednesday after annual air quality testing of cooling towers
found higher-than-normal levels of the bacteria that causes Legionnaires'
disease, a school official said. The buildings included a high school,
middle school and one that houses central offices and a separate high school
program for District U-46 headquartered in Elgin northwest of Chicago,
Chief Executive Tony Sanders said in a statement. "While risk of exposure
to the bacteria was low, we decided, in consultation with the Kane County
Health Department, to evacuate staff and students to safe locations as
a precaution," the district said in an alert on its website. Reuters
OPM
Hack: 5.6 Million Fingerprints (Not 1.1 Million) Were Stolen
The Office of Personnel Management said Wednesday that 5.6 million
individuals' fingerprints were stolen in the massive breach the agency
discovered earlier this year -- more than five times the amount originally
reported. OPM, which screens and hires federal workers, had previously
said 1.1 million people's fingerprints had been compromised. "[T]he ability
to misuse fingerprint data is limited. However, this probability could
change over time as technology evolves," OPM warned in an alert on Wednesday.
The huge increase in the stolen-fingerprint figure -- which OPM revised
as part of its continuing investigation -- doesn't change the agency's
overall estimate of 21.5 million individuals affected by the breach. MSNBC
VOA VIEW: Lies!
Dalai
Lama: Female Successor Must Be Very, Very Attractive
The highest-ranking Tibetan Buddhist made the questionable comment
during a BBC interview published Monday. Journalist Clive Myrie asked if
theres a possibility a woman could be a 15th incarnation of the Dalai
Lama. Yes! he replied enthusiastically. The female biologically [has]
more potential to show affection
and compassion. The Dalai Lama said
a reporter in Paris had asked him the same question years ago. Washington
Times
PLEASE DO BUSINESS WITH THOSE WHO DO BUSINESS WITH US -- OUR ADVERTISERS.
CEO
Says Drug Price Will Be Lowered After Hike From $13.50 To $750 A Tablet
The former hedge fund manager who ignited a firestorm of criticism
over drug prices after hiking the price of a specialized drug from $13.50
a tablet to $750 a tablet said in an interview Tuesday his company will
substantially lower the price. Martin Shkreli, CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals,
told ABC News his company will lower the price of Daraprim after several
days of making headlines and receiving complaints from medical groups,
however he did not specify the new cost. Weve agreed to lower the price
on Daraprim to a point that is more affordable and is able to allow the
company to make a profit, but a very small profit, he said. Fox
News
Mike
Huckabee: Obama Pretends To Be A Christian
Mike Huckabee suggested President Barack Obama "pretends to be" a Christian
in knocking the President's handling of Pope Francis' first visit to the
U.S. When asked on Newsmax TV's "The Hard Line" on Tuesday about Ben Carson's
comments that a Muslim should not be president of the United States, the
former Arkansas governor began by saying there is no religious test for
public office, but then shifted to a comment about Obama. "I'm less concerned
about what faith the person has. I'm more concerned about the authenticity
of their faith and how that plays out in their politics ... I'm also concerned
about a guy that believes he's a Christian and pretends to be and then
says he is, but then does things that makes it very difficult for people
to practice their Christian faith," Huckabee said. CNN
Fiorina:
I Will Not Replace A Single Retiring Federal Bureaucrat
Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina said that if elected,
she will not replace a quarter of a million federal workers set to retire
over the next few years. I will say as president of the United States,
256,000 baby boomers are going to retire out of the federal government
in the next four or five years. I will not replace a single one, Fiorina
told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday. According to the Government Accountability
Office, 30 percent of the approximately two million federal workers who
were employed in September 2012 will be able to retire by September 2017.
Fiorina compared the federal government to the Hewlett-Packard Company
she previously ran as CEO. CNS
News
Democrats
Poised To Filibuster Stopgap Funding Measure
The Senate is preparing to vote on legislation that would keep the
government open beyond next Wednesday's deadline at a price Democrats are
certain to reject stripping taxpayer money from Planned Parenthood. The
stopgap spending bill is widely expected to fail Thursday. The next steps
aren't set in stone, although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.,
has promised there won't be a government shutdown. That suggests he would
soon press ahead with a stopgap measure that's free of the Planned Parenthood
dispute. Some of Capitol Hill's most ardent conservatives are unafraid
of extending the battle over Planned Parenthood, even if it would result
in a partial government shutdown. GOP leaders, on the other hand, are motivated
chiefly by a desire to avoid another shutdown like the 2013 episode that
hurt the party politically, and McConnell appears to enjoy support from
a majority of the Republican rank and file. Houston
Chronicle
VOA VIEW: Democrats are outwitting weak
Republican leadership.
Obama
Administration Denies Blocking 13-Year-Old Conservative YouTube Star On
Twitter
CJ Pearson, the 13-year-old Augusta boy who has gained popularity as
an outspoken YouTube critic of President Barack Obama, claims to have earned
Obama's notice: Pearson said earlier today that he's been blocked on Twitter
by the president's account (@POTUS) which the White House denies. "Well,
this sucks," Pearson tweeted this afternoon, with a screenshot seemingly
showing that he had been blocked. His being blocked cannot be independently
verified. Assistant Press Secretary Frank Benenati tweeted a denial of
Pearson's claim, a few hours after Pearson's tweet: "Public Service Announcement:
Nobody is or has ever been blocked from the @POTUS twitter account." Pearson
has denied this denial, calling the implication that he is a liar "outrageous."
He has not responded to a message seeking comment from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Atlanta
Journal
Israel
Military Says It Is Coordinating With Russia On Syria
Israel has set up a joint mechanism with the Russian military to coordinate
their operations in Syria and avoid any accidental confrontations, a senior
Israel military official said Thursday. The official, who spoke on condition
of anonymity because of military regulations, said that teams headed by
each of the militaries' deputy chiefs will hold their first meeting in
two weeks and will discuss coordination of aerial, naval and electromagnetic
operations around Syria. Russia has backed the Assad regime throughout
the nation's civil war, which has killed more than 250,000 people, and
recently deployed forces there to help Syria in its battle against Islamic
militants. Charlotte
Observer
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Obama
Touts Religious Liberty To Pope While Litigating To Force 15 Dioceses To
Cooperate In Abortion
So we stand with you in defense of religious freedom and interfaith
dialogue, knowing that people everywhere must be able to live out their
faith free from fear and free from intimidation. That is part of what
President Barack Obama saidin touting his administrations commitment
to religious libertywhen he greeted Pope Francis at the White House today.
At the same time, according to a count maintained by the Becket Fund for
Religious Liberty, Obamas Justice Department is actively fighting 56 separate
federal court cases aimed at forcing 140 religious ministries and institutions
to cooperate with an Obamacare regulation that requires virtually all health
care plans in the United States to cover contraceptives, sterilizations
and abortion-inducing drugs and devices. CNS
News
Clinton
Plan To Cut Health Costs Includes Tax Credits, More Sick Visits
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton unveiled a plan on
Wednesday to lower out-of-pocket health costs, including expanded coverage
of sick visits to the doctor and tax credits for those with substantial
medical bills. Clinton, who has promised to build on President Barack Obama's
signature healthcare initiative, also pledged to try to strengthen efforts
to block or modify what her campaign called "unreasonable" health insurance
rate increases. Clinton's campaign released the proposals a day after her
plan to battle drug "price gouging" battered shares in some pharmaceutical
companies. All of her healthcare proposals would face a difficult path
to approval in a U.S. Congress dominated by Republicans who have vowed
to repeal or roll back the 'Obamacare' healthcare law. Reuters
House
GOP Freshmen, Top Democrat Seek Off-Ramp From Looming Shutdown
Nearly a dozen freshmen Republicans pushed their party colleagues not
to pursue hard-line tactics that risk yet another federal shutdown, while
a top Democrat said Wednesday his party will not burn down the House,
as congressional factions jockeyed to meet next weeks deadline to fund
the government. In a Dear colleagues letter, 11 House Republicans warned
of the pitfalls that accompany a tea party bid to reject any spending plan
that doesnt defund Planned Parenthood, amid controversy over its abortion
practice. Washington
Times
Hillary
Denies Starting Birther Movement Against Obama
Hillary Rodham Clinton swore Wednesday she didnt start the birther
movement against Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic presidential primary
campaign.
Clinton, during a radio interview, rejected accusations by Donald Trump
that she and aides falsely promoted the idea that Obama wasnt born in
the United States.
That is so ludicrous, Clinton said on the Tom Joyner Morning Show.
.?.?. It is totally untrue. Factcheck.org found that while birtherism
may have been pushed by Clinton supporters, there is no evidence that
Clinton or her campaign had anything to do with it. NY
Post
VOA VIEW: Supporters and Clinton and/or
her campaign are one in the same.
Merkel
Says Benefits Of Migration Greater Than Risks
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the potential benefits resulting
from the influx of migrants and refugees far outweighs any dangers. Merkel
told German lawmakers Thursday that "the opportunities are much bigger
than the risks, we just have to recognize and use them."She spoke hours
after European Union leaders in Brussels agreed a series of measures to
tackle the migrant crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of people
stream into the continent from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Merkel
said the bloc still needs to agree a "permanent system for a fair distribution
of refugees across member states." Seeking to reassure state governors,
whom she is meeting with later in the day, Merkel said Germany can meet
the challenges. "Who if not we has the strength to do so," she said.
Tampa
Tribune
Documentary
Featuring Obama Prison Visit Debuts In Oklahoma
Federal inmates at an Oklahoma prison said Wednesday they are hoping
a documentary featuring President Barack Obama's July visit to the facility
and in-depth interviews with six of the prisoners will influence policymakers
to re-examine harsh sentences for nonviolent drug offenders. About 50 inmates
gathered inside the chapel of the Federal Correctional Institute at El
Reno to watch the premiere of "Fixing the System," a Vice on HBO special
report. Nonviolent drug offenders who talked to Obama during his visit
said the one-hour documentary, which begins airing Sunday on HBO, will
make people more aware of the impact that lengthy sentences have on inmates'
families and communities. Tampa
Tribune
Congress
Readies For Historic Speech By Pope Francis With High Security
Before the sun rose Thursday, the U.S. Capitol was already buzzing
with activity and security as the hour neared for Pope Francis to deliver
the first papal speech ever to a joint meeting of Congress. The Capitol
grounds are secured much like a presidential inauguration. Most street-level
access to the building is closed; metal detectors have been erected outside
for VIPs arriving for the speech; and staff and journalists are being routed
through congressional office buildings that connect to the Capitol via
tunnels. A ticket to the pope's speech is a cherished commodity. Each lawmaker
was allowed a guest in the gallery, and about 200 journalists will pack
into the House chamber as well before the pope takes the podium. USA
Today
YOU can speak out and be heard by having your own "Column" - Visit the "Public Opinion" Section above.
FBI
Reportedly Recovers Deleted Emails From Clinton Server
Federal investigators reportedly have recovered work-related and personal
emails from Hillary Clinton's time as secretary of state that the Democratic
presidential front-runner claimed had been deleted from her personal server.
The recovery of the emails was first reported by Bloomberg News late Tuesday.
The initial report, which cited a source familiar with the FBI investigation
into Clinton's private email server, was corroborated by The New York Times,
which cited two government officials. It was not immediately clear whether
all 30,000 messages Clinton said she had deleted from the server had been
recovered, but one official told the Times that it had not been difficult
to recover the emails that had been found so far. Fox
News
U.S.-Trained
Syria Rebels Lose Officer, Investigate Al Qaeda Claims
U.S.-trained rebels who recently returned to Syria said Wednesday they
have lost contact with one of their officers and that they are investigating
reports he defected and handed over his weapons to al Qaeda's branch in
the country. The allegations come only days after the group of about 70
rebels returned to Syria after training in Turkey as part of the U.S. program
to train and equip rebels to take part in the fight against the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS.) If confirmed, defection among the ranks
of U.S.-trained rebels would be an embarrassment to the program, which
has already been criticized as offering too little too late and failing
to provide enough protection for those trained rebels once inside Syria.
CBS
Board
Member Expects Further Resignations At Volkswagen
A member of Volkswagen's supervisory board says he expects further
resignations at the German automaker in the wake of the scandal over rigged
U.S. emissions tests.
Olaf Lies, economy and transport minister of VW's home state Lower-Saxony,
which holds a 20 percent stake in the company, said the investigation into
the scandal was only just starting. He told rbb-Inforadio Thursday that
"there must be people responsible for allowing the manipulation of emission
levels to happen." Lies spoke a day after Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn
resigned, saying he took responsibility for the "irregularities" found
by U.S. inspectors in VW's diesel engines while insisting he'd personally
done nothing wrong. Philadelphia
Inquirer
Trump
Calls Hillary Shrill At Half-Empty Campaign Event
Donald Trump zinged Hillary Rodham Clinton as shrill at a business
conference in South Carolina Wednesday. Do you know the word shrill?
he asked regarding Clinton, before raising his voice several octaves.
She can be kind of sha-riiiiiillllll! The conference room for Wednesdays
Charleston event, co-hosted by the South Carolina African-American Chamber
of Commerce, was only half-full, with nearly all of the 500 attendees consisting
of white Trump supporters, MSNBC reported. NY
Post
VOA VIEW: There are not that many black
Chamber of Commerce memebers - "half-empty" mention is a liberal media
sting.
Obama
Welcomes 2nd Chinese President For State Dinner
China will get its second state dinner with President Barack Obama
when its president, Xi Jinping, visits the White House Friday. The question
is, how will the United States make this shindig different from the last
one. A state dinner is the glitzy finale to a state visit, a high honor
usually reserved for longstanding and close U.S. allies. That makes the
double honor especially unique for China, as the two nations continue to
differ sharply on issues such as human rights and cybersecurity. Then-Chinese
President Hu Jintao visited the White House in 2011. The state dinner had
a "quintessentially American" theme, which was requested by the Chinese
delegation, and a menu that included poached Maine lobster, dry-aged ribeye
steak, lemon sorbet and apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Houston
Chronicle
Treating
Hot Flashes Without Hormones: What Works, What Doesn't?
The intense heat, sweating and rapid heartbeat synonymous with hot
flashes can range from a tolerable annoyance to a debilitating condition
for the three out of four women who report having them while going through
menopause. While hormonal treatments are available, some women cannot use
them for medical reasons or choose not to. To find relief, some 50 to 80
percent of women approaching menopause try nonhormonal therapies, according
to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), a nonprofit association
of health care professionals in the field. But scientific data on which
of these treatments actually work is sparse, so women often end up taking
a trial-and-error approach. "Many women try one thing after another, and
it is months before they stumble upon something that truly works for them,"
Janet S. Carpenter, PhD, RN, said in a statement. CBS
Pope
Canonizes 18th-Century Missionary; Not Everyone Happy
An 18th-century missionary who brought Catholicism to the American
West Coast was elevated to sainthood Wednesday by Pope Francis in the first
canonization on U.S. soil. Francis canonized Junipero Serra during a Mass
outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception,
the largest Catholic church in North America. Serra was a Franciscan friar
who marched north from Baja California with conquistadors from his native
Spain, establishing nine of the 21 missions in what is now California.
The pope announced in January that Serra would be canonized. Philadelphia
Inquirer
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'Mind
Reading' May Be Possible With Brain-To-Brain Interface
Researchers are hoping to find out if a certain kind of mind reading
might be possible, with the help of some serious computers. Scientists
from the University of Washington published a new study examining the feasibility
of a brain-to-brain interface between two people that may allow them
to communicate with brainwaves and a specially designed computer. The research
team set up a game similar to 20 Questions, where one person would ask
a question of the other respondent. In a different room, the respondent
would focus on the answer to that question by looking at either a Yes
or No flashing light. The two participants were in separate rooms nearly
a mile apart, according to the paper, published today in the prestigious
journal PLOS One. ABC
Democrats
Attack Jeb Bush's "Multiculturalism" Comment
"We should not have a multicultural society," said Jeb Bush Tuesday
in Iowa. It was a curious statement from the Republican presidential candidate.
Bush, whose wife is Mexican-born and has three Mexican-American children,
has long embraced the immigrant experience." He's been a consistent advocate
of comprehensive immigration reform that gives immigrants a path to legal
status. "When you create pockets of isolation and in some places the
process of assimilation has been retarded because they've slowed down
it's wrong," he added. "It limits people's aspirations." Bush made the
comments came yesterday at a small diner in Cedar Falls, Iowa. A young
woman had approached him and asked how the federal government could better
incorporate refugees. ABC
VOA VIEW: Bush's stock may go up, as a
result of this multiculturalism comment.
Government
Shutdown Non-Event For U.S. Economy That Has Moved On
For all the political hand-wringing, a U.S. government shutdown on
Oct. 1 would barely nick the worlds largest economy. The partisan debate
over the nations finances has heated up with almost clockwork regularity,
going back to the debt-ceiling fight in 2011 that led to the first-ever
downgrade of Treasury debt. Such familiarity breeds contempt as yet another
temporary closing of federal agencies will have a muted effect on gross
domestic product, payrolls and consumer confidence.
The economy will be able to shrug it off, said Jim OSullivan, chief
U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics in Valhalla, New York, and the
second-best forecaster of GDP, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Its not going to fundamentally change the trend in the economy. Domestic
growth is quite solid. Bloomberg
Gross
Tells Fed To `Get Off Zero Now!' As Economies Run On Empty
Bill Gross said the Federal Reserve needs to raise interest rates as
soon as possible, trading some near-term market losses for longer-term
stability and a healthier financial system. If zero interest rates become
the long-term norm, economic participants will soon run on empty because
their investments arent producing the gains or cash flow needed to finance
past promises in an aging society, he wrote in an investment outlook on
Wednesday for Denver-based Janus Capital Group Inc. Thats already beginning
to happen as Detroit, Puerto Rico, and, he predicts, soon Chicago, struggle
to meet their liabilities. My advice to them is this: get off zero and
get off quick, Gross urged the central bankers. He said its time for
a new thesis that allows people in developed economies to save, enabling
liability-based business models to survive and spurring more private investment,
which is the essence of a healthy economy. Near term pain? Yes. Long term
gain? Almost certainly. Get off zero now! Bloomberg
Declines
In Overseas Markets, Rise In Dollar Create Uncertainty On Wall Street
A mix of good and bad news put Wall Street in a holding pattern Wednesday,
effectively leaving traders in limbo -- unaware how it would affect the
global economy.
Manufacturing and service sector growth in Europe in September declined,
according to Markit figures. The manufacturing index fell to 52 from 52.3
in August, while services also fell. For the quarter, though, growth was
the highest in four years. Perhaps of greater impact is the sector's nosedive
in China -- where the index fell from 47.3 to 47 this month -- to a six-year
low, according to the Caixin/Markit PMI. "We are now at a stage where,
unless we have awful economic data from Beijing, traders will react well
to it," IG market analyst David Madden said. "Cash has flowed back into
commodity stocks, which are enjoying some needed respite today; but nobody
is under the illusion that this will last long." UPI
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Las
Vegas To Host General Election Presidential Debate Next Year
Las Vegas will host the general elections third and final presidential
debate on Oct. 19 next year. The Commission on Presidential Debates this
morning announced the cities that will host debates, just after the Las
Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority approved spending $4 million to
host a debate at UNLVs Thomas & Mack Center. Las Vegas joins Dayton,
Ohio, and St. Louis as host cities for the presidential debates; the vice
presidential debate will be held in Farmville, Va. The expenditure approved
by the Las Vegas visitors authority includes a $1.95 million host fee and
$2.05 million for the event program and production. Las
Vegas Sun
Pope
Is Rebuked For Words On Sex Abuse Crisis
The pope's praise for U.S. bishops for what he called their "generous
commitment'" to helping victims of clergy sex abuse has drawn an angry
rebuke from advocates who say the bishops acted only under the threat of
lawsuits. The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said bishops
had displayed "cowardice and callousness" in response to victims who came
forward. The group said they "hide behind expensive lawyers and public
relations professionals" instead of fully confronting the scope of the
problem within the church. Las
Vegas Sun
Brian
Williams Mocked On Twitter During Pope Francis Coverage
Former NBC Nightly News anchorman Brian Williams was mocked on Twitter
Tuesday, after returning to television for live coverage of Pope Francis'
highly anticipated visit to the United States. Viewers on Twitter would
not let Williams live down the falsified stories he reported on when he
was in Iraq and started the trending hashtag #BrianWilliamsPopeStories
as a way to joke about potential fake pope stories the journalist could
produce. "I was once in line to be the next pope"- Brian Williams," tweeted
Krista Sepe. "Did you know he was grazed by the very same bullet that struck
Pope John Paul II in 1981 in Vatican Square?" wrote Edward J. Casey. UPI
Tropical
Storm Ida Moving Eastward In Atlantic
Tropical Storm Ida is moving slowly eastward in the Atlantic. The storm's
maximum sustained winds early Thursday are near 40 mph (65 kph) with little
change in strength expected over the next two days. The storm is centered
about 1,155 miles (1,855 kilometers) east of the northern Leeward Islands
and is moving east near 6 mph (9 kph). Charlotte
Observer
Taking
Blood Pressure Drugs At Bedtime Lowers Diabetes Risk
People who take blood pressure medications at bedtime have half the
risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to research by Spanish scientists
published on Wednesday. If the result is confirmed by further studies,
it indicates an easy change in the medication routine for those with high
blood pressure, which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. About 70 million
Americans, or 1 out of 3 adults, have hypertension, according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. The authors performed a randomized
trial of more than 2,000 hypertensive Spanish adults 18 years or older
who did not have diabetes. There were 976 men and 1,036 women in the trial,
with an average age of 53 years. One group took all their blood pressure
drugs after awakening, and the second group took them at bedtime. San
Diego Union
Overall
US Immigrant Population On The Rise Again
After almost a decade of languishing growth, the nation's immigrant
population increased by more than 1 million last year amid stronger job
creation in the U.S. and slowing economic activity in other parts of the
world. New government data show there were 42.4 million foreign-born people
in the U.S. last year, or 13.3 percent of the country's total population.
That's up 1.04 million from 2013, about double the annual growth in recent
years. The sharp increase in immigrants, most of whom came from Asia, contrasts
with a small net decrease in immigrants in 2008 during the depths of the
Great Recession. The surge has been felt especially in states such as California
and Florida. Kansas
City Star
Saudi
Arabia Says 310 Pilgrims Dead In Hajj Stampede
At least 310 people were killed and hundreds were injured in a stampede
Thursday at the annual hajj pilgrimage, Saudi authorities said. The crush
happened in Mina, a large valley about five kilometers (three miles) from
the holy city of Mecca that has been the site of hajj stampedes in years
past. Mina is where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil
by throwing pebbles against three stone walls. It also houses more than
160,000 tents where pilgrims spend the night during the pilgrimage. The
Saudi civil defense directorate earlier said at least 450 other pilgrims
were injured in the stampede on Street 204 in Mina. It was not immediately
clear if some of those previously listed as injured were included in rising
death tolls. Miami
Herald
Donald
Trump Trashes Former Hedge-Fund Guy Who Jacked Up Drug Price
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Wednesday lit
into Martin Shkreli, the hedge-fund-manager-turned-pharmaceutical-CEO who
came under fire this week for raising a 62-year-old drug's price from $13.50
to $750 per pill. "He looks like a spoiled brat to me," Trump told reporters
at a press conference in South Carolina, where he spent the day campaigning.
"You want to know the truth? He looks like a spoiled brat." Turing, a pharmaceutical
startup that Shkreli founded in February, bought the US marketing rights
in August to the drug Dataprim. The drug is used to prevent malaria and
treat toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that's dangerous for people
with weakened immune systems, such as those with AIDS and patients undergoing
chemotherapy. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner,
tweeted Monday that the price hike was "outrageous." SF
Gate
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Abbas
To Netanyahu: Chaos At Al Aksa Could Lead To Another Intifada
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday called on
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "stop the chaos" at Al-Aksa mosque
in Jerusalem's Old City. Following a meeting in Paris with French President
Francois Hollande, the Palestinian leader said the situation in Jerusalem
was "a very dangerous one that is liable to lead to an eruption of an intifada,
which we are not interested in." Hollande, in turn, called for "calm, peace,
and respecting principles at al Aksa." Abbas arrived on Wednesday in Moscow
for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. Jerusalem
Post
Russia
Seen Building Up Two More Military Facilities In Syria
Satellite photos taken in mid-September and obtained by IHS Jane's
show Russian forces developing two additional military facilities near
Syria's Mediterranean coast, Rob Munks, editor of IHS Jane's Intelligence
Review, said on Tuesday. Munks said the previously undisclosed work was
taking place at a weapons storage facility and a military base north of
Latakia, suggesting Russia is preparing to place troops at both locations.
Russia has been dramatically increasing its forces at an air base south
of Latakia, a stronghold of Syrian President Bashar Assad, including positioning
combat planes and helicopters as well as tanks and accommodation blocks.
Jerusalem
Post
Los Angeles:
$100m Plan To Tackle Homeless 'Emergency'
The city of Los Angeles in the United States has declared its growing
problem of homelessness a public emergency. City officials say they will
commit $100m (£65m) to tackle the problem. An estimated 26,000 people
live on the city's streets, 12% more than two years ago. Experts say high
rents, low wages and unemployment are to blame for the rise. Officials
admit that the present policy amounts to little more than moving the problem
around the city. The plan was announced by Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is
heading the city's bid to host the 2024 Olympics. BBC
Everyone Has A
'Microbial Cloud'
Everyone is surrounded by a unique "cloud" of millions of their own
bacteria, according to scientists at the University of Oregon in the US.
Talk through someone else's cloud, and it will "rain" bacteria on your
skin and be breathed into your lungs. The study on 11 people, published
in the journal PeerJ, showed it was possible to identify people from their
microbial miasma. One microbiologist said the findings were simply "gross".
Studies have already shown that our microbiome - the collection of bacteria,
viruses and fungi that live on our skin and in our bodies - outnumbers
our own cells 10-to-one. BBC
Russia
Calls For More Tests On Supposed Romanov Royal Family Remains
Russias investigative committee has reopened its case on the 1918
murder of the Romanov royal family after the Russian Orthodox church demanded
further testing of what are believed to be their remains. The churchs
hesitancy to allow the remains of two final members of the family to be
buried has divided the Romanovs descendants, with one branch of relatives
supporting the call for more tests and another expressing impatience with
the hold-up. In a statement on Wednesday, spokesman Vladimir Markin said
that, at the suggestion of a working group created this summer by the Russian
prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, the investigative committee had reopened
the case to conduct additional identity testing on the remains using previously
unavailable evidence. Guardian
Hillary
Clinton's Lead Over Biden And Sanders Slips Among Democrats, Poll Says
A new poll suggests that the dominance of Democratic presidential frontrunner
Hillary Clinton among left-leaning voters is waning, as a challenger who
has not even declared his candidacy gains ground: vice-president Joe Biden.
A quarter of respondents to a Bloomberg poll conducted last week said their
top pick for president was Biden, while Clinton was backed by 33% and Vermont
senator Bernie Sanders by 24%. Hes been a very good, positive influence
on the Obama administration, Karen Hood, a 63-year-old consulting engineer
from Houston, Texas, told Bloomberg about why she chose Biden as her top
pick for president. I think he would help carry on what President Obama
has started. Guardian
UN
Agency Opens Two New Camps For Displaced Iraqis In Baghdad
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), partners
and local authorities announced today the recent opening of two new camps
for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Baghdad province, providing
shelter to close to 3,500 Iraqis who have had to flee the Anbar province
due to recent fighting. "UNHCR, the authorities and partners are working
hard to ensure that the shelter needs of internally displaced Iraqis are
being met and to relieve the pressure on the local community", said Bruno
Geddo, the UNHCR Representative in Iraq, in a press release. "While the
majority of those who have been forcibly displaced would prefer to return
home, a secure shelter will provide them with protection and a sense of
dignity until it is safe for them to do so," he added. UN
News
Three
New Suspected Cases Of Typhoid Near Yarmouk Camp In Syria
Following humanitarian operations in the southern Syrian town of Yalda,
the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the
Near East (UNRWA) said it has identified three new suspected cases of typhoid.
Our health teams in Syria are finding increasing evidence of a typhoid
outbreak among civilians from Yarmouk, in Damascus, said UNRWA Spokesperson
Chris Gunness in a statement. Today we saw 320 patients and among them
were three suspected cases of typhoid. This brings the total figure of
suspected cases to 90. That is 90 too many, he added. UNRWA has been providing
vital healthcare to civilians displaced from Yarmouk camp, where the lives
of Palestinian refugees continue to be threatened by the conflict in the
region. UN
News
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