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Security Council, to unite and support inclusive negotiations to find a political solution. -Ban told a news conference Wednesday that he plans to meet with foreign ministers of the five permanent council nations - the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France - on the sidelines of the General Assembly's ministerial session later this month to discuss Syria. -He expressed regret that divisions in the council and among the Syrian people and regional powers "made this situation unsolvable." -Ban urged the five permanent members to show the solidarity and unity they did in achieving an Iran nuclear deal in addressing the Syria crisis. -8 Poll Numbers That Show Donald Trump Is For Real -Some have tried to label him a flip-flopper. -Others have dismissed him as a joke. -And some are holding out for an implosion. -But no matter how some Republicans are trying to drag Donald Trump down from atop the polls, it hasn't worked (yet). -Ten of the last 11 national polls have shown Donald Trump's lead at double digits, and some are starting to ask seriously what it means for the real estate mogul's nomination chances. -Of course, it's still early in the election cycle. -None of this is to say that Trump is likely to win the Republican nomination. -Pundits point out that at this time in 2011, Rick Perry's lead was giving way to a rising Herman Cain, neither of whom won even one state in the nomination process. -And there are many reasons he would struggle in a general election. -But outside groups like Jeb Bush's Super PAC and the economic conservative group Club for Growth are recognizing Trump's staying power and beginning to unload their dollars to topple him. -Here are some recent poll numbers that suggest that the real estate mogul isn't just a passing phase: -Trump's favorability ratings have turned 180 degrees. -Right before Donald Trump announced his candidacy in mid-June, a Monmouth University poll showed only two in 10 Republicans had a positive view of the real estate mogul. -By mid-July, it was 40 percent. -In early August, it was 52 percent. -Now, six in 10 Republicans have a favorable view of Donald Trump. -Roughly three in 10 say they have a negative view. -And these numbers hold up in early states. -A Quinnipiac poll in Iowa last week found that 60 percent of Republicans there had a favorable view of Trump. -Two-thirds of GOP voters would be happy with Trump as the nominee. -In a CNN/ORC poll last week, 67 percent of Republicans said they would be either "enthusiastic" or "satisfied" if Trump were the nominee. -Only two in 10 say they would be "upset" if he were the nominee. -Only Ben Carson generates roughly the same level of enthusiasm as Trump (43 percent say they would be "enthusiastic" vs. 40 percent who say the same of Trump). -The next closest in enthusiasm? -Marco Rubio with only 21 percent. -On the flip side, 47 percent of Republican voters say they would be "dissatisfied" or "upset" if establishment favorite Jeb Bush becomes the nominee. -A majority of Republicans don't see Trump's temperament as a problem. -While Donald Trump has been widely criticized for his bombast and insults, 52 percent of leaned Republican voters nationwide think that the real estate mogul has the right temperament to be president, according to Monday's ABC News/Washington Post poll. -The same number holds in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa, where the same 52 percent of Republicans think he has the personality to be commander in chief, according to Quinnipiac last week. -Still, 44 percent think he doesn't have the personality to serve effectively, and almost six in 10 independents say his temperament does not belong in the White House, according to ABC/Post. -Republican voters are getting used to the idea. -When they put on their pundit hats, Republican voters think Trump is for real. -When asked who is most likely to win the GOP nomination, four in 10 said Trump was the best bet, according to a CNN/ORC poll out last week. -That's a change from when four in 10 placed their money on Jeb Bush in late July. -Full disclosure: GOP voters haven't had the clearest crystal ball in the past. -At this time last cycle, four in 10 Republicans picked Rick Perry to win the nomination, vs. only 28 percent for eventual nominee Mitt Romney. -Still, it shows that a plurality of GOP voters see Trump's campaign as plausible. -Even if Republicans rallied around another candidate, Trump still beats almost everyone. -Some pundits point out that the splintered field is likely contributing to Trump's lead, while anti-Trump support is be spread diffusely among more than a dozen other candidates. -But a Monmouth University poll in early September shows that, in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup between Trump and most other Republican candidates, Trump almost always garners majority support. -He leads Carly Fiorina by 13 points, Marco Rubio by 14 points, Walker by 15 points, Jeb Bush by 19 points, and, finally, Rand Paul, John Kasich and Chris Christie by 33 points each. -He's in a dead heat with Ted Cruz. -The only candidate who beats him? -Ben Carson would lead the businessman by a wide 19 points in a hypothetical head-to-head. -A bare majority of Donald Trump's supporters say they've made up their minds. -A new CBS/NYT poll out on Tuesday shows that just more than half of voters who support Trump say they have locked in their votes. -Obviously, a lot can happen to change that, and no one can really say they would never change their mind. -46 percent said they are leaving the door open to switching candidates. -Still, Trump's strongest competition at the moment is from fellow outsider neurosurgeon Ben Carson, but voters who say they have made up their minds are twice as likely to go for Trump. -Six in 10 Republicans say they agree with Trump on immigration. -Even since Donald Trump called immigrants from Mexico "rapists" in his campaign announcement speech two months ago, immigration has been front and center in the 2016 conversation. -Some are worried that Trump's bombast will drive crucial Hispanic voters away from the Republican Party and damage rebranding efforts. -But according to Monday's new ABC/Post poll, six in 10 Republicans say they agree with Trump on immigration issues. -So as long as immigration remains in the spotlight, it seems Donald Trump will remain too. -Frustration with government is climbing to new highs. -Donald Trump and Ben Carson now account for roughly half of the support from Republican voters, largely due to their outsider status. -Six in 10 Republicans in Monday's new ABC/Post poll say they want a political outsider over someone with government experience. -And they are angry at Washington, too. -A Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll in Iowa from two weeks ago shows that three in four Iowa Republicans are frustrated with Republicans in Congress, with 54 percent "unsatisfied" and 21 percent "mad as hell." -Jeremy Corbyn to make debut at Prime Minister's Questions -Since his election, Mr Corbyn's debut at PMQs has been keenly awaited -New Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is to make his debut at Prime Minister's Questions later, taking on David Cameron for the first time. -Mr Corbyn will rise to ask the first of his six allotted questions shortly after midday, with his performance likely to be closely scrutinised by the media and Labour MPs. -He has called for "less theatre and more facts" at the weekly showpiece. -He has also said he could skip some sessions, leaving them to colleagues. -The encounter will be the first parliamentary test of Mr Corbyn's leadership, coming after his appointment of a shadow cabinet and his speech to the TUC annual congress on Tuesday. -Meanwhile, the Labour leader's decision to stand in silence during the singing of the national anthem at a service on Tuesday to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain has attracted criticism from a number of Tory MPs and is the focus of several front page stories in the newspapers. -Mr Corbyn's decision not to sing the national anthem has attracted attention -A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said he had "stood in respectful silence" and did recognise the "heroism of the Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain." -But a member of Mr Corbyn's shadow cabinet, Owen Smith, told BBC Two's Newsnight programme he would have advised the Labour leader to sing the national anthem "irrespective" of his belief that the monarchy should be abolished. -Nearly a dozen shadow ministers have refused to serve in Mr Corbyn's top team, citing differences over the economy, defence and foreign affairs, while less than a sixth of the parliamentary party originally backed him as leader. -BBC political correspondent Robin Brant says policy differences are also "stacking up" within Labour following Mr Corbyn's appointment over its position on the European Union and the government's cap on benefits. -Mr Corbyn told the TUC conference Labour was putting forward amendments to remove the whole idea of a cap altogether. -Hours later Mr Smith, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said the party was "very clear" that it was only opposing government plans to reduce the level of cap from £26,000 to £23,000. -Mr Corbyn will be the fifth Labour leader that David Cameron has faced across the despatch box over the past decade since he became Tory leader. -The Labour leader, who has promised a different approach to politics, says he has "crowd sourced" ideas for questions to ask Mr Cameron and has been given more than 30,000 suggestions. -The Islington North MP has said PMQs is too confrontational and that he will refrain from both "repartee" and trading barbs, instead vowing to focus on serious issues such as poverty, inequality and the challenges facing young people. -Mr Corbyn has said that Angela Eagle, the shadow business secretary, will deputise for him at PMQs when he does not attend - for instance when Mr Cameron is travelling abroad. -He has also floated the idea of allowing other colleagues to take the floor on occasion, saying he had approached the Commons Speaker John Bercow to discuss the issue. -When he became leader in 2005, Mr Cameron said he wanted to move away from the "Punch and Judy" style of politics often associated with PMQs but admitted some years later that he had failed. -Since it was first televised in 1990, PMQs has been seen as a key barometer of a leader's judgement, their command of the Commons and their standing among their fellow MPs although critics have argued it has become a caricature and is in need of far-reaching reforms. -'Shot in Joburg': Homeless youth trained as photographers -Downtown Johannesburg is a tough place to be homeless. -But one group of former street children have found a way to learn a skill and make a living. -"I was shot in Joburg" is a non-profit studio that teaches homeless youngsters how to take photographs of their neighbourhood and make a profit from it. -BBC News went to meet one of the project's first graduates. -JD Sports boss says higher wages could hurt expansion -JD Sports Executive Chairman Peter Cowgill says a higher minimum wage for UK workers could mean "more spending power in the pockets of potential consumers." -But that spending power is unlikely to outweigh the higher labour costs at his firm, he says. -The costs could hit JD Sports' expansion plans, he added, which could mean fewer extra jobs. -Thanasi Kokkinakis backed by Tennis Australia president Steve Healy -Thanasi Kokkinakis deserves kudos rather than criticism for his behaviour. -Thanasi Kokkinakis has been the collateral damage in the recent storm around his friend Nick Kyrgios and deserves kudos rather than criticism for his own behaviour, according to Tennis Australia president Steve Healy. -Kokkinakis, the younger of the talented duo regularly referred to as the "Special Ks," was dragged into an unwelcome spotlight by the infamous Kyrgios sledge of Stan Wawrinka at the Montreal Masters. -In a fiery qualifying match in Cincinnati soon after, Kokkinakis and his opponent Ryan Harrison twice had to be separated by the chair umpire, with Harrison declaring: "Wawrinka should've decked Kyrgios, and I should deck that kid." -While he was last seen smashing a racquet after cramp foiled a potential US Open upset of Richard Gasquet, Kokkinakis has been defended staunchly by Healy. -The teenager is currently in Glasgow, competing with Sam Groth for the second singles berth behind Bernard Tomic in the Davis Cup semi-final against Britain. -"One thing I do feel quite keenly about is I think Thanasi's been dragged into the fray a little bit," Healy said. -He did break a racquet when he lost when he cramped in the US, but he's not the first player to break a racquet out of frustration with himself, and I know Thanasi well enough to know he wouldn't be proud of that. -But, really, he's handled himself extremely well, in pretty provocative circumstances in the US with Harrison and so on, and I think he deserves a lot of credit. -He's a great team around him, he's got a great family around him and I just think he's been a little hard done by. -He's a very mature 19-year-old, he works very hard, and he fits in with the team and so on, he hasn't ever had an issue with the other players, he's well respected in the locker room, he trains hard, he's in great shape, he's a very stable and mature young guy and I just think he deserves to be judged on his own merits. -Healy also backed the decision to overlook Kyrgios for the important tie, starting on Friday, describing the "mutual decision" as the right thing for all, but backing the Canberran to return as a long-term fixture in the team. -"First of all we want the team to be completely focused on the tie and not all the controversy around [Kyrgios]," Healy said. -And I think Nick, he's risen very quickly, as people like Federer and Murray have pointed out, he's growing up in the public eye and he's made some terrible errors and deserves all the criticism he gets, but we're trying to support him, we're trying to help him understand the consequences of his actions, and some time out of the limelight where he can just reflect on that I think is appropriate and it's best for the team and it's best for him. -Election 2016: Hillary Clinton's lead over Bernie Sanders cut by half in national poll -Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues to hold a double-digit lead in the Democratic race for the nomination nationally, but Sen. Bernie Sanders is gaining on her. -Clinton now has the backing of 47 percent of Democratic primary voters (down from 58 percent), while Sanders comes in second, with 27 percent (up from 17 percent). -Vice President Joe Biden, who has yet to announce whether he is running for president, receives support from 15 percent of Democratic primary voters. -More than five months before the start of the primary contests, most Democratic voters say it is too early to say that their minds are made up about which candidate they will support. -But Clinton's backers are more firm in their choice than those backing other candidates. -Since last month's CBS News Poll, Clinton has lost ground among a number of demographic groups, while Sanders has made some gains. -Clinton maintains a large lead among women and moderates, but those leads have narrowed. -Her support among men has dropped considerably and Sanders only trails her by 5 points. -Clinton's advantage with Democratic voters under age 50 has evaporated, and she and Sanders are now even. -However, Clinton still has a large lead with older voters. -Last month, Clinton was ahead of Sanders by double-digits among liberals, but Sanders now has a 5-point edge with this group. -About half of Democratic primary voters nationwide say they would enthusiastically support Clinton if she became the party's nominee. -A quarter would support her with some reservations and another 15 percent would only back her because she is the nominee. -Six percent would not support her. -Perhaps not surprisingly, Clinton's current supporters are especially likely to be enthusiastic about her. -Views are more mixed among those not currently backing Clinton - only about a quarter would enthusiastically support her. -While 48 percent of Democratic primary voters say they would enthusiastically back Clinton, fewer Republican voters say that about their frontrunner, Donald Trump (35 percent). -When Clinton's supporters are asked in an open-ended question why they want her to be the nominee, the top answer is that she has the right experience (16 percent), followed by it's time for a woman president (13 percent), and that she is the best candidate for the job (10 percent). -Also mentioned by Clinton supporters is her association with Bill Clinton (9 percent). -Agreement on the issues, and electability are also cited. -As the vice president weighs a potential run for president, 57 percent of Democratic primary voters would like to see him jump in the race - although a third don't think he should. -When Democratic primary voters are asked who would be their second choice for the party's nomination, Biden is the top pick. -Among Clinton supporters, more than half say Biden would be their second choice, far ahead of Sanders. -If Biden chooses not to run for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton's lead over Sanders widens, from 20 points with Biden in the race to 30 points without him in the running. -Fifty-five percent of Democratic voters see Clinton as the candidate with the best chance of winning the general election; however that figure is down from 78 percent last month. -Biden is a distant second on this measure, but the percentage that sees him as the most electable has risen. -Still, when asked which is more important in a nominee, Democratic voters pick issues over electability. -Similar to last month, no single Democratic candidate or potential candidate stands out as unacceptable as the nominee to these primary voters. -The Democratic candidates, or potential candidates, perform well on some key characteristics among their party's primary voters. -Majorities see Clinton, Sanders and Biden as honest and trustworthy and as having strong leadership qualities. -Biden does the best of the three on honesty, while Clinton's strength is leadership. -Thirty percent of Democratic primary voters don't think Clinton is honest and trustworthy, twice as many as say that about Sanders (15 percent), but 27 percent don't have an opinion of him on this. -Democratic primary voters also generally see Clinton, Sanders and Biden as in line with their views ideologically. -On all of these measures, about a quarter of Democratic voters do not have an opinion of Sanders. -As questions continue about Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email address and server while Secretary of State, most Democratic primary voters are satisfied with her explanation of the matter and say it hasn't impacted their overall views of her. -But it's a different story among the American public overall. -Half of Americans are now dissatisfied with her explanation, while just about a third are satisfied. -The public's views on this were split back in March, shortly after the issue came to light. -Most Americans say the email controversy has had no effect on their overall opinions of Clinton, although 36 percent say their opinion of her has grown worse. -It is mainly Republicans, more than six in 10, who say their views of Clinton have become worse. -Even though Clinton is viewed as honest and trustworthy by her party's voters, this continues to be a problem for her among registered voters overall: only 32 percent see her as honest and trustworthy, down eight points from last month, and 15 points since May. -Sixty-two percent of registered voters don't think of her as honest and trustworthy. -At the same time, 55 percent of registered voters nationwide don't see Trump as honest and trustworthy either. -Both Clinton and Trump, however, get good marks on leadership. -Of the six candidates tested, Biden, Carson and Bush do the best on honesty. -More see Sanders as honest than not, but like Carson, many don't have an opinion of him. -The margin of error for the sample of 351 Democratic primary voters is 6 percentage points. -Five fraternity members charged in death of Baruch College freshman -Nearly two years after a college student died during a fraternity hazing ritual in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, murder charges have been filed against five people. -Members of New York City's Baruch College Pi Delta Psi fraternity brutally assaulted Chun "Michael" Deng during an initiation rite in September 2013 and delayed taking him to the hospital, contributing to his death, police said. -Officials said he was blindfolded, saddled with a 30-pound backpack full of sand, and repeatedly tackled while he tried to walk toward a target across a frozen field. -Mr. Deng eventually complained that his head hurt then fell unconscious. -Pi Delta Psi fraternity members did not call 911 after Deng passed out, and allegedly waited an hour before bringing him to a hospital, police say. -They did, however, find time to change Deng's clothes, Google his symptoms, and contact Andy Meng, the fraternity's national president to seek advice, Police Chief Chris Wagner said at a news conference. -"At this point, members began to hide paraphernalia and basically put the fraternity's well-being over that of Michael Deng's," Chief Wagner said. -He could not be revived and he died the next morning. -According to an autopsy report, Deng was subjected to repeated blunt force trauma to his head, torso, and thighs. -"Too many families have been devastated as a result of fraternity hazing, with at least one student dying every year from hazing since 1970," Douglas Fierberg, an attorney representing Deng's family, said in a statement. -Fraternities and their members must be held accountable, and this step by authorities is an important one. -A Monroe County grand jury recommended third-degree murder charges for the first five members. -Thirty-two other fraternity members, including Mr. Meng, will also be charged with assault hazing and criminal conspiracy. -"We want to hold not only the individuals involved, but if there's an organization that sanctioned it, whether officially or unofficially, we're going to hold them accountable as well," Wagner said at a news conference Tuesday. -Baruch College banned the fraternity and the national fraternity revoked its affiliation with the local chapter. -Here's what will happen when the Fed raises interest rates -A rate hike will come and the bull market will stumble, bond yields will climb and the economy will slip into a recession. -This we know. -What we don't know is how long all of that will take and how long it will last. -For the economy specifically, history offers little guide about timing. -A recession has come as quickly as 11 months after the first rate hike and as long as 86 months. -The Federal Reserve's aggressiveness in raising rates is often, though not always, a determinant in how the economy and financial assets respond. -That's why officials at the U.S. central bank have stressed so vigorously that investors should not be focused on when it starts raising rates but rather the trajectory of how long it will take to normalize. -There are, indeed, multiple variables at play. -In the end, however, market participants may find that all the rate-hike fuss may have been overdone. -"The first hike from the Fed since the global financial crisis will inevitably be interpreted by some as signaling the end of the era of 'cheap money,' " Julian Jessop, chief global economist at Capital Economics, said in a note to clients. -In contrast, we do not expect the gradual return of U.S. interest rates to more normal but still low levels to be the seismic shock that many seem to fear. -That's not to say there won't be effects, however. -Here's a look at how some areas of the economy could react, based on historical trends: -As the market has seen over the past month or so, anticipation of rate hikes can make things volatile for a while. -Once the hike hits, though, the impact is not as dramatic. -"It does seem there is a trend for equity returns to stall 12-24 months after the first hike, which again perhaps reflects the lag in monetary policy," Deutsche Bank analysts said in a recent study of what happens after the Fed hikes. -More specifically, the market over the past 35 years or so is most often up sharply - about 14 percent - heading into the rate hike, fairly flat in the 250 days after (average gain of 2.6 percent) then back to normal once 500 days have passed, with average return in the past six cycles of 14.4 percent, according to a recent analysis Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at Nuveen Asset Management, posted on Barron's. -Deutsche said the impact on stocks tends to get more pronounced later in the rate-hiking cycle and returns begin to diminish. -Recessions are a fact of economic life, but rate hikes often help them along. -In the current case, the Fed is facing some conditions that did not exist before and could hasten a recession. -Most notably, gross domestic product will be near its lowest point ever for a Fed rate hike. -According to Deutsche Bank, in the 118 rate hikes since 1950, only twice has nominal year over year GDP been below 4.5 percent. -Even though the second quarter of 2015 was at 3.6 percent, few expect that to last, with the third quarter tracking at just 1.5 percent, according to the Atlanta Fed. -Hiking rates into such a fragile economic backdrop could be risky and set up the question of "whether this time is different," Deutsche said. -Market participants have been bracing for a Fed hike all year, with all eyes turned toward this week's Federal Open Market Committee meeting, which ends Thursday. -While many strategists and economists believe the FOMC could approve a hike at this meeting, futures trading indicates just a 25 percent probability. -"In our study since 1950, all hiking cycles to date have been in a super cycle of increasing leverage with GDP eclipsing prerecession peaks very quickly post the recovery commencing," the report said. -By contrast this has been a uniquely slow recovery from what was the worst recession in the sample period. -The current cycle is by far the longest the Fed has waited since the end of the last recession; the record had been 35 months, and this is 74 months and counting. -Fixed income also has been volatile as the market anticipates a rate hike, and the pattern is somewhat similar to what equities experience. -The principal difference is that the impact happens faster in bonds than stocks when the Fed changes course in policy. -For bonds, it does seem yields change direction immediately as the first hike/cut in the cycle arrives. -At the end of the hiking cycle bond yields fall immediately," Deutsche said. -Charles Schwab strategists believe the hike in rates will cause yields between longer- and shorter-dated bonds to move closer together, flattening the curve. -High-yield bonds often perform better in such a climate, though "we are still cautious about stretching for yield," Kathy Jones, fixed income analyst at Schwab, said in an analysis. -Interestingly, Jones thinks markets already have adapted to Fed policy expectations. -"In addition to the strength in the dollar and the drop in inflation expectations, there are several signs that the market has adjusted to the prospect of tighter monetary policy," she wrote. -Short-term interest rates are up, the yield curve is flatter, credit spreads have widened and volatility has increased - all characteristics of the market when the Fed tightens policy. -Broadly speaking, companies that do the majority of their business in the U.S. will win as interest rates rise and local products become more attractive. -Multinationals with lots of debt will fare worse, as a rising dollar makes their products more expensive in the global market space and their debt more expensive the finance. -"History shows that 'quality' stocks tend to outperform during the three months following an initial rate hike," Goldman Sachs analysts said in a report for clients. -Firms with strong balance sheets outpaced weak balance sheet companies following each of the 1994, 1999, and 2004 rate hikes, by an average of 5 percentage points. -Companies with high returns on capital as well as low volatility stocks also outperformed their lower quality counterparts, by an average of 4 (percentage points) and 3 (percentage points), respectively. -Debt will become a big issue. -Companies with a high percentage of floating rate debt stand to lose the most, Goldman said. -Outside pure stock plays, consumers stand to benefit as well through the rising dollar. -Savers could see gains as well through higher yields at the, though experts differ on how quickly that will take hold. -BBC Radio 3 is a copy of Classic FM says MP Andrew Bingham -Conservative MP Andrew Bingham criticised station for 'dumbing down' -Argues it's becoming increasingly indistinguishable from commercial rival -Also took aim at the BBC Music Awards, saying they just rip off the Brits -Colleague Damien Collins MP attacked The Voice, saying that too wasn't original -BBC Radio 3 is "turning into" Classic FM, a leading MP has claimed, piling fresh pressure on the broadcaster to prove that it does something that commercial broadcasters do not. -Conservative MP Andrew Bingham also told BBC bosses that the public service radio station appeared to be "dumbing down" and is becoming increasingly indistinguishable from its commercial rival. -"Radio 3 seems to be - I don't like to use the word "dumbing down" - but it seems to be turning into Classic FM," he said. -He also took aim at the BBC Music Awards, launched last December. -The BBC Music Awards which started last year seem to be the Brits by another name. -So, if you're trying to do something different - those are two examples from the top of my head where you're actually just mimicking what is already on the market," Mr Bingham said. -BBC director general denied the charges, arguing that BBC Radio 3 is far ahead of its commercial rival when it comes to live music and educating the public. -What I learn from Radio 3, I am not going to learn about classical music from anywhere else. -And it's commitment to live music and music making is actually second to none. -"And also, Radio 3's commitment to finding new music and commissioning new works I think is also really important," he said. -Earlier this year, BBC Radio 3 controller Alan Davey argued that it has to work harder to engage audiences than it did in the past, because Britons are less educated about classical music. -However, Radio 3 was not the only element of the BBC's output which came under fire for treading on the toes of commercial rivals, during the Culture, Media and Sport select committee hearing. -Tory MP Damien Collins attacked The Voice - the musical talent show which the BBC bought in from Dutch producer Talpa Media at an estimated cost of £22million. -Can you see why that programme is often discussed because it is not original and it is not particularly distinctive? -Lord Hall insisted that the BBC1 show - which stars Paloma Faith and Boy George as judges - was produced "in a particularly BBC way." -He added that he wants the Corporation to "find a hit from our own in-house stable" next time it launches an entertainment series. -However, he refused to rule out ordering more series of The Voice in the future, or spending licence fee payers' money on other entertainment formats. -Internet sales increased at slowest ever rate in August and Black Friday may be to blame -First three months of 2015 saw seven per cent increase in online sales -Last month saw lowest growth rise since records began in 2000 -Online sales bolstered three years ago by the use of mobile for shopping -Experts believe November's Black Friday could be holding back spending -For over a decade virtual shopping has been booming and turning many of Britain's high streets into ghost towns. -But experts say there are now signs that online sales are leveling off, after new figures showed just a seven per cent increase in the first three months of 2015. -Total spending for August presented the lowest increase in growth since records began in 2000, with just a five per cent rise on last year. -Experts say there are signs that online sales are leveling off, after new figures showed just a seven per cent increase in the first three months of 2015 -'If you look at growth levels for previous years and go back to 2000, it was always going to rationalise over time,' Andy Mulcahy, editor of IMRG sales index, told the Guardian. -He explained that online sales were bolstered three years ago when shoppers started using their mobile phones to make purchases. -It meant more people were able to shop online and that people could do it in different contexts, such as on the sofa. -But now that is plateauing a bit, you might see (growth) fall away. -The Black Friday phenomenon, which has been imported from America, is being cited as one of the reasons behind the slowing sales. -Experts believe shoppers could be holding off making purchases ahead of the event, which takes place on the last Friday in November . -Last year five times the average number of shoppers flocked to their computers to snap up deals crashing a number of retailers websites. -Experts believe Black Friday, which saw shoppers fight over bargains, could be holding shoppers off from making purchases -Research published by the British Retail Consortium found just over £1 in every £5 was being spent online. -For some products, such as TVs and washing machines, more than one third of purchases are now done through web stores. -At the same time, more than a quarter of people are buying clothes and shoes online, rather than using high street fashion chains. -Muslims bury those killed in Mecca crane crash as Bin Laden family sanctioned -Bodies of 29 of the dead carried through the streets by Muslims as the first funerals take place in Mecca -Come as Saudi Arabia has partly blamed the collapse on construction giant Saudi Binladin Group -The Health Ministry said a total of 394 people were also injured after the crane crashed down -Carried aloft through the streets, hundreds of Muslims gathered to bury 29 of the victims killed when a crane collapsed at Mecca's Grand mosque. -Dressed largely in white, mourners packed the route to pay their respects as the first of the dead made their final journey to Al-Moaissem cemetery. -The sad possession passed by the holy site, where just days earlier a construction crane crashed through the ceiling of the mosque and toppled onto worshipers. -The bodies were released for funeral as the Saudi King sanctioned the Bin Laden family construction group over the disaster, which also left 394 injured. -The bodies of 29 of the worshipers killed when a crane crashed collapsed at Mecca's Grand Central Mosque were carried through the streets -Among the dead was father-of-four Qasim Akram, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, who was on his first pilgrimage when the crane crashed down. -Mr Akram had been in the Grand Mosque with his parents ahead of the start of the annual hajj pilgrimage. -Saudi officials have already vowed that the hajj to Mecca will go ahead with thousands continuing to descend on the city. -Today, King Salman said the Binladin Group should not have left the crane's arm up when it was not in use. -An Arabic version of the decree, carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, said the Binladin Group was partly to blame for the collapse. -The news agency's English service did not report that detail, but did say leaders of the company have been banned from travelling abroad. -Earlier this week Salman vowed to reveal what caused the crane to topple into a courtyard of the Grand Mosque, where hundreds of thousands of Muslims have converged ahead of the hajj pilgrimage later this month. -Binladin Group has not released any statements about the crane collapse and its representatives have not been made available for comment. -The royal decree also blamed the group for not using up-to-date safety measures and failing to coordinate with meteorological officials. -Dozens of cranes surround Mecca's Grand Mosque, part of the massive construction effort headed by the Binladin Group. -The Binladin family has been close to Saudi Arabia's ruling family for decades and runs major building projects. -Al Qaida's late leader Osama bin Laden was a renegade son disowned by the family in the 1990s. -The crash came amid high winds and rain just days before millions arrive in the kingdom for the pilgrimage, which is required at least once in the life of every able-bodied Muslim. -Officials said 158 people remain in hospital. -Officials ordered one million riyals (£174,000) be paid to the relatives of those killed, and the same amount to those permanently injured. -Others injured will receive half that amount. -Advantages and disadvantages of the conversion of loans in Swiss francs -On the Banking market two offers have already appeared for the conversion in lei of loans in Swiss francs, the main advantages being the exclusion of currency risk and decrease of instalments. -Disadvantages can come in a few years, when the variable interest may lead to the increase of instalments. -Banca Transilvania has just completed the conversion process of Swiss francs loans granted by Volksbank and Bancpost announced the conversion offer for its clients. -According to the data gathered by the analysts of the financial portal FinZoom, Bancpost offers a three-year fixed interest rate for lei of 1.5%, the lowest on the market. -On the other hand, the conversion offer of Banca Transilvania was accepted by 83% of clients with loans in francs due to two successive reductions: the balance with the amount of risk and management fees paid by the client was reduced, and then a further reduction of 22.5% was applied to the balance in lei. -Both offers reduce the instalments of own clients compared with the monthly payments paid in lei equivalent before conversion. -Thus, Banca Transilvania reduces the instalment by 42.5% and Bancpost, by 33% in the first three years and, theoretically, by 18% in coming years. -Benefits -The main advantage of the conversion in lei of CHF loans is that it eliminates currency risk, the client being protected from future increases of the franc and the loan repayment will be made in the currency in which it receives its salary. -Another majour advantage of both offers of conversion is that a revaluation of property is not performed and additional guarantees and another proof of income are not required. -Basically, a new financial and legal analysis of the loan is not performed and additional costs in case of a refinancing will not be charged. -In addition, both banks offer a discounted monthly instalment, compared to how much clients paid before conversion, in lei equivalent. -Risks -The problem is that the instalment in the first years is formed mostly of interest and the client reimburses very little from the principal. -Bancpost's offer with a very low interest in the first three years seems advantageous to the client. -It is not known, however, how this interest will evolve after three years. -The margin offered to the clients may exceed 3.25%, so the reduction of cost is lower. -A possible risk for all loans in lei with a variable interest is the fact that ROBOR index may increase significantly in the coming years (more than Libor index - CHF). -For example the current three months ROBOR is 1.44%, but in 2013 it had reached 6%, in 2009 to over 15%, and within a few days of 2008 it exceeded 40%! -In addition, it is possible to have other costs, not mentioned in the initial offer. -Decision time on interest rates for US Federal Reserve -The world is watching as the US Federal Reserve meets over two days on Wednesday and Thursday, to take the crucial decision on whether or not to raise interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade. -A survey of 80 economists polled by Reuters found a little over half who only last week thought the Fed would go for it, now think it will hold fire a bit longer and keep rates at the current 0-0.25 percent range. -It's a historical event because it's been seven years since the Fed cut rates to zero. -For the first time we are approaching a situation where a major central bank might be able to get out of the zero bar and start a process of normalization of interest rates," said Angel Ubide, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. -The US economy has been performing relatively well, the recovery adding trillions of dollars to the balance sheet and generating little inflation. -However the Fed cannot ignore the less rosy global outlook. -It has warned markets to be ready for a hike but indications are they also believe the odds are against such a move. -The decision is due to be announced at 20.00 CET on Thursday. -Stars who lost their mojo -The actor (left), pictured with his son Redmond (right), has had a stressful few years. -In 2001, he battled leukemia, and in 2009, he lost long-time partner, Farrah Fawcett, to cancer. -The actor has also reportedly struggled with drugs, and in 2008, he was busted for drug possession. -All that stuff sure does take a toll. -Manchester United's Luke Shaw out for months with double fracture -Luke Shaw suffered a double fracture of his right leg during Manchester United's Champions League defeat at PSV Eindhoven. -While this left the full-back in tears and will rule him out for at least six months, Louis van Gaal remains hopeful Shaw could play again this season. -The injury was caused by a reckless tackle from Héctor Moreno in the 15th minute after the 20-year-old Shaw had burst into the PSV area. -He had nine minutes of treatment on the pitch and required oxygen before being taken to hospital. -Van Gaal said: "He has a double leg fracture and is in hospital." -He will be transferred tomorrow or maybe a day later and then operated on in Manchester. -It is awful - a boy who comes to Manchester United at 18, has it very difficult and then plays fantastically and then this happens. -When it was in the dressing room he had an oxygen mask on. -He was crying. -I am not a doctor but when you have a double fracture it is six months and he will not play in the group phase. -I hope he can play again this season. -Moreno appeared fortunate to escape a red card and the concession of a spot-kick. -Nicola Rizzoli, the referee, did not penalise the Mexican. -Van Gaal suggested the Italian official had erred. -You can judge for yourself when I say it is a penalty and a red card. -It was a very bad tackle with two legs. -A tweet on Shaw's account read: "Thank you everyone for your messages, words can't describe how gutted I am, my road to recovery starts now, I will come back stronger." -Related: Manchester United suffer Luke Shaw blow in defeat at PSV -The England defender will have an added incentive to recover with the European Championship in France next June. -Phillip Cocu, the PSV coach, said: "It's a very bad injury." -If any player goes off with this kind of injury, everybody is very sad about it. -It is never the intention of our players to injure an opponent. -Moreno suffered a broken leg when playing for Mexico against Van Gaal's Holland at the 2014 World Cup. -"He finds it very difficult because the intention was not to injure the opponent, and when you hear it is a very bad injury, it's not good," Cocu said. -For me it was not possible to see the moment. -The only thing I could see was the ball, which was heading in a different direction, so it looked like he [Moreno] touched it, but I couldn't see the tackle on Luke. -Speaking to SBS6, Moreno said: "I know how it feels, I know how difficult such a thing can be. -I feel very bad about it, I am so sorry. -PSV's Andrés Guardado was also taken to hospital following a challenge by Chris Smalling. -Adam Lyth was clearly at risk of England omission but it's still tough -Taking on Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates is a tough assignment but after seeing the squad England have selected for the tour, a repeat of the 3-0 Test series defeat suffered last time does not look on the cards for me. -I wouldn't rule out an away win, either. -Alastair Cook's side may be less experienced than the one three years ago but there are good players of spin in that batting lineup and the collective mindset is strong; they will not carry scars from 2012, only a youthful positivity. -With the ball, Moeen Ali is developing as a spinner and Adil Rashid, even if he is an unknown quantity at Test level, represents an attacking option. -Related: Adam Lyth dropped from England Test squad and replaced by Alex Hales -The decision to omit Adam Lyth is obviously a tough one for me to analyse as his head coach at Yorkshire. -His seven Tests have been against two good attacks in challenging conditions and the simple but harsh reality is that cricketers are judged on output. -There were no question marks over Joe Root, for example, leading up to the announcement because - and I have said this before - players are their own best selectors. -A couple of half-centuries and Lyth might have seen his run extended but he was in control of his own destiny. -Hopefully if he punches out more runs for Yorkshire another opportunity will come along. -The England head coach, Trevor Bayliss, praised his attitude even when he was not performing as well as he can and that does not surprise me; he is a team man above all else. -The question of how long a Test batsman gets to make his mark is a tough one. -Lyth got seven caps - like Sam Robson before him - while Nick Compton got nine. -Only Compton got the chance home and away. -The only gripe you could have was that England went for Jonathan Trott in the Caribbean first - when Lyth was in top form - but that wasted opportunity is in the past now. -Alex Hales comes in and he is a batsman I rate highly. -He is an X-factor cricketer, which we at Yorkshire saw early this season when he made 236 against us on a Trent Bridge pitch that was doing a bit. -He must at least be afforded the same opportunity as those before him but this will of course depend on the make-up of the side in the UAE. -The idea of Moeen opening the batting alongside Cook, which would get the extra spinner in while keeping four quicks, has been floated and it is not something I am against. -I don't see why a strokemaker cannot bat there and this left-hander has already shown he is one hell of a cricketer. -Moeen may not have done the job for his county, Worcestershire, but he has been a No3 for them and there is not much difference. -My old team-mate Justin Langer played his first 38 Tests at first drop before stepping up to open in 2001. -He peeled off three centuries immediately and did not look back. -Zafar Ansari comes into the squad as back-up spinner and, in my limited dealings with him, he has struck me as very impressive young man. -People may look at his raw stats - averaging 31 with the bat and 35 with the ball - and think it's a punt but there are not a heap of spinners putting their hands up and selectors have opted for youth. -He will learn a lot on this tour. -Away from the squad, England look to have made a couple of shrewd additions to their coaching staff. -The appointment of Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka batsman, as a consultant for the Test matches could be a masterstroke. -He is one of the game's loveliest blokes, who will bring a wealth of experience having done it in all conditions and against all attacks. -Paul Collingwood comes in for the white-ball leg of the tour and will bring both energy and a ruthless streak into the setup. -I always felt he was born to be involved in international cricket, be it playing or coaching, and like Mahela has nous that can be tapped. -Sometimes new voices in the dressing room, even if the messages are consistent with what has been said before, can freshen up a side. -Colly's Durham team-mate Ben Stokes is rested for the one-dayers, Root was given a similar break against Australia and I for one have no issue with this. -While not everyone will agree, the coaches and selectors do not set the schedule. -And you have to remember, like players, their jobs are dependent on results. -Such decisions are never taken lightly. -Brexit camp might win the day if economy is in doldrums by 2017 -David Cameron's half-baked renegotiation strategy for keeping Britain in the EU gets deeper into trouble with every day that passes, even without the election of genial Jeremy "Is it Yes or No?" Corbyn to the Labour leadership, or the TUC cutting up rough over Europe on Tuesday. -Foreigners have their Corbyns and Nigel Farages too. -A European diplomat chum explained the other day that, sunk in assorted crises as the EU is - not all of their own making - some member states are fed up with Britain's self-absorbed agenda of divisive concessions and disruptive treaty changes which they mostly don't want. -In Brighton for its annual bean, the TUC decided it didn't want them either if they eroded social protection. -We could even call it Dave and George's selfie agenda. -PM and chancellor rock up to summits or bilateral sessions in foreign capitals, take a photo of themselves in front of a famous local monument, with or without local grandee, then come home and say they are winning allies for reform. -It's all about me. -My European pal, who wants an outward-looking Britain inside the EU tent - "Don't leave us alone with France," says Berlin - suggests that more short-sighted ministers and officials in some capitals have got to the point where they don't care whether we stay or leave. -Angela Merkel, Germany's cautiously level-headed chancellor, is an ally, but has been in power for 10 years and wants to leave office before it goes bad for her, as it did for overstayers Thatcher (11 years), Mitterrand (14) and Kohl (16). -France's François Hollande is facing re-election or replacement in 2017. -He is a fading force too. -Poland may soon have a nationalistic government of the right, Spain one of the left. -It's hard to see them breaking a leg to help the Selfie Brits, whose energy might be better spent preventing Scotland leaving the UK - something they don't want either because most have similar separatist tendencies. -So some such ministers may even be planning to make deliberately unhelpful remarks, SNP-style, during the UK's 2017 referendum campaign to hasten the Brexit process, my pal suggests. -"The renegotiation was a fix" and "Britain got nothing of value out of the renegotiation." -The Europeans know to their cost how predatory Fleet Street can be and how EU-sceptic the oligarch press barons are, as they were not during the Tony Benn-inspired 1975 referendum which endorsed our 1973 entry by a ratio of 2:1. -They may dimly remember Boris Johnson, the arch Euro-opportunist, making his name as an "EU straight bananas" Brussels correspondent in the early 90s. -For all his foolishness Ed Miliband knew who his enemies were. -They included the medley of tax-shy rascals, phone-hacking foreigners and pseudo non-doms who own most of our great newspapers. -Actually Tony Blair thought much the same about them, but realised that when you're in a cage with a randy gorilla you have to pass the bananas to distract it from having you for lunch and again for tea. -In fact Miliband was more Blairite than Blair in opposing Cameron's referendum wheeze, since Blair had conceded the principle over the EU's aborted constitution, sunk by French and Dutch voters in 2005 who gave him a get-out card. -The press never forgave him that either. -But nice Jeremy Corbyn, who gave me a friendly pat on the back at Westminster on Monday - I told him he no longer has time to waste on me - seems to be in danger of re-adopting Neil Kinnock's boycott Murdoch strategy of the 80s, a mistake then and now. -It may take time, but he must develop a coherent strategy to engage with the media, not with me, but certainly with Andrew Marr whose BBC sofa he vacated on Sunday. -Corbyn's official position on Europe is what I will kindly call evolving. -He says he'd like us to stay in a reformed EU. -Well, most people outside Ukip's woad-wearing tendency and the wilder shores of Tory little Englanderism can probably say yes to that. -It's what Hilary "A Benn, but not a Bennite" Benn said on radio and TV this week as the boy scout in him struggled not to admit that Corbyn's appointment of abrasive John McDonnell as shadow chancellor was a bad idea. -It reminded me of the 70s, when his old dad struggled on TV to be disloyal to Labour cabinet colleagues without going too far and losing his cabinet job. -Hilary's struggle was more attractive. -But fighting to stay in "in all circumstances" - Benn's phrase - was not what McDonnell was saying, nor what JC told peers and MPs at their private meeting on Monday night, by all accounts. -Whatever the bottom-up, touchy-feely image Corbyn wants to convey - remember, he even touched me - message discipline remains important in the age of 24/7 TV and especially in the maelstrom that is social media, a hotbed of paranoia and betrayal. -It's fair enough not to give Cameron a free pass on Europe, allowing him to take Labour's support for granted in the referendum campaign, as McDonnell has said. -Simon Jenkins certainly thinks so. -But McDonnell and Corbyn's basic equivocation about EU membership - consistent with their Bennite siege economy, anti-capitalist past - is no longer just a matter of esoteric discussion among leftwing dissidents for whom the narcissism of small difference is a central tenet of doctrinal squabbles. -As with his equivocation over Nato - Tom Watson is adamant that JC won't campaign to quit - foreign diplomats will be obliged to try to make sense of it all for their masters at home. -Why should Paris or Berlin waste political capital - they have suspicious voters too - on concessions to Britain when it may all be pointless? -The US is already pretty disappointed with the Brits" feeble military performance in Iraq, Libya and Syria, even with a cost-cutting Tory government in power, as I was reminded at the launch of something called the British Influence Security Forum on Monday. -Experts criticise Public Health England e-cigarettes review -Claims by a government-funded agency that e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than smoking arose from a meeting of 12 people, some with links to the tobacco industry, researchers have said. -Experts writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) joined the Lancet in criticising the evidence used by Public Health England (PHE) in its report on e-cigarettes. -PHE published the "landmark" report last month, describing it as a "comprehensive review of the evidence." -But several researchers have questioned the robustness of the data and pointed to links between some experts and the tobacco industry. -An editorial in the Lancet medical journal last month attacked the "extraordinarily flimsy foundation" on which PHE based its main conclusion. -Writing in the BMJ, two further researchers have questioned whether the claims were "built on rock or sand." -Martin McKee, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Simon Capewell, professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Liverpool, said: "A fundamental principle of public health is that policies should be based on evidence of effectiveness." -They said the public would expect PHE's claims that "the current best estimate is that e-cigarettes are around 95% less harmful than smoking" would be based on a detailed review of evidence and modelling. -In fact, it comes from a single meeting of 12 people convened to develop a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) model to synthesise their opinions on the harms associated with different nicotine-containing products; the results of the meeting were summarised in a research paper. -McKee and Capewell said one sponsor of the meeting was a company called EuroSwiss Health, whose chief executive was reported to have previously received funding from British American Tobacco for an independent study. -He also endorsed BAT's public health credentials in a sustainability report, they said. -One of the 12 people at the meeting declared funding from an e-cigarette manufacturer but not the funding he was reported to have received previously from the tobacco company Philip Morris International, they added. -The rationale for selecting the members of the panel is not provided, but they include several known e-cigarette champions, some of whom also declare industry funding in the paper. -Some others present at the meeting are not known for their expertise in tobacco control. -The meeting was also attended by the tobacco lead at PHE. -The research paper produced by the group "tellingly concedes" there is a lack of "hard evidence for the harms of most products on most of the criteria," McKee and Capewell wrote. -However, none of these links or limitations are discussed in the PHE report. -McKee and Capewell said PHE's claims that "there is no evidence so far that e-cigarettes are acting as a route into smoking for children or non-smokers" were premature. -Prof Kevin Fenton, director of health and wellbeing at PHE, said the claims in the BMJ had been responded to before. -He said: "E-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than smoking." -One in two lifelong smokers dies from their addiction. -All of the evidence suggests that the health risks posed by e-cigarettes are small by comparison, but we must continue to study the long-term effects. -PHE has a clear duty to inform the public about what the evidence shows and what it does not show, especially when there was so much public confusion about the relative dangers compared to tobacco. -Nearly 80,000 people a year die of a smoking-related illness and smoking costs the NHS £2bn a year. -By spelling out clearly the current evidence - that while e-cigarettes are not risk-free, they carry only a fraction of the harm caused by smoking - we are fulfilling our national remit. -Illegal torture equipment - right on your doorstep! -The adverts shaming Britain's arms trade -Watch Amnesty International's anti-arms fair video. -Horrific killer drones! -Ankle-shattering leg irons! -Cluster bombs! -And electric stun batons that cause excruciating pain but leave no trace! -The cheery voice and cartoon imagery leave no doubt that this advert for the world's biggest arms fair is a sharp spoof, produced for Amnesty International to highlight the British government's willingness to flog weapons to repressive regimes via the Defence and Security Equipment International's jamboree at the ExCeL Centre in London's Docklands. -Related: DSEI weapons fair: authoritarian regimes descend on London -But a separate campaign is also leading to many posters cropping up at bus stops and on tube trains that require a second glance. -"Important announcement, Travelling on the DLR from 15th to 18th September?" reads one, using London Underground fonts and branding with the DLR line turning into the image of a tank. -This September, a swarm of arms dealers will be descending on the DLR ... Customers are requested to help stop the arms fair. -The 300 posters are by artists who exhibited work at the Museum of Cruel Designs in Banksy's Dismaland. -A collective called the Special Patrol Group helped distribute it around London using "Ad Space Hack Packs," a £6 pack of Allen keys which it claims "gain access to around a third of bus stop advertising space on the planet." -Transport for London is not amused by this flyposting "vandalism." -One of the spoof ads produced by the Special Patrol Group collective. -According to Gavin Grindon, curator of Cruel Designs and a lecturer at the University of Essex, artists are becoming more questioning and seeking to take political work to audiences outside galleries. -A lot of artists are moving to work with activists within protest movements, realising they have to get out in the real world for their art to have an impact on society. -Another of the anti-arms trade posters greeting commuters on the tube. -The Amnesty video has been watched more than 100,000 times in 24 hours via Facebook and was created by ad agency VCCP working pro bono, with the graphic designer and voiceover artist also working for free. -VCCP creative director Matt Lever was struck by the silence surrounding the advertising of the arms fair - with a blank space on ExCeL's calendar - and thought: "Let's give them the campaign they are trying to avoid." -They toyed with creating a more realistic dodgy corporate advert, but "by ramming it home with bright colours and animation, it was more arresting." -"They've done a fantastic job in helping us raise concerns about the selling of illegal torture equipment at the fair," says Tom Davies at Amnesty. -What we need now is for the UK government to take action and ensure that torture equipment is not illegally traded on our doorstep. -Perhaps the most creative art surrounding the arms fair comes from inside ExCeL, where exhibitors flog fantastically euphemistic products. -In a press release, Saab revealed an order from the US army for "the shoulder-launched AT4CS RS." -This includes a "unique shaped-charge warhead that delivers outstanding behind-armour-effects inside the target." -Whatever that does, it won't be pleasant. -Eight golden rules for living in student halls -It's been 11 years since I moved into student halls as an oblivious 19-year-old, still believing in berets and moral relativism, but it's only now I recall the strained smiles of those I annoyed - and the numerous, lengthy complaints about others. -Most of what I learned can be distilled into eight simple rules. -Moving into halls can range from mildly nerve-racking to totally terrifying. -It's tempting to babble: telling people where you're from, whether and where you took a gap year, where you stand on Corbyn and why you "honestly neither love nor hate Marmite because seriously guys it's just yeast extract HAHAHA I'll be in my room." -Take a breath. -And help others take one too - ask questions and show interest. -It steers the conversation and helps you to scout out the people you like versus those you wouldn't talk to even if your eyelashes were on fire and they were dispensing extinguishers. -Give people space. -People's rooms often morph into drinks receptions, movie-night venues and communal hangout spots, but they're also where people get dressed and adjust their underwear. -Related: Don't even think about starting university in a relationship -Introverts get a raw deal at university. -Your room should be a retreat, yet many halls form an inter-room-strolling culture that's friendly, social and conducive to lifelong friendships. -That can be hell for someone who's trying to recharge. -Nothing in the culture allows you to say, "I like you and I want our friendship to continue, but I need you to go away so I can get back the energy I've expended on interacting with you." -Try to sense when a fellow student is exhausted from socialising - and maybe text instead of knocking. -Speaking of knocking: do it. -One guy in my student halls had a policy that if a door wasn't locked he was invited in. -He saw some things. -Make friends through baking. -Since you're starting uni at the height of Bake-Off mania, knocking on people's doors to introduce yourself with a plate of brownies seems marginally less weird, less 1950s "Welcome to the neighbourhood, I baked you something, now smile as I ask you personal questions." -Offering homemade treats is a great way to make friends. -Your housemates will feel obliged to chat, and may end up associating your face with a tasty surprise. -Obviously this is subject to you being a decent baker. -Poorly-fused lumps of flour, sugar and fat are more likely to make people pretend to be asleep when you knock. -Stealing food is a common crime in student halls. -Obviously nicking someones chicken is theft, but is taking a drop of milk for your tea stealing? -Double check with the milk owner. -Chances are they'll tell you to help yourself even if they're seething inside. -If someone steals your stuff, it's annoying and you have my sympathies - but try to deal with it more maturely than my hallmate, who tainted her milk with washing-up liquid to punish those who stole it. -She's in jail now. -You shouldn't make noise that keeps people from sleeping or studying. -This isn't just to be a decent human, but because you are the proverbial people in glass houses. -A girl on my corridor asked her neighbour if they wouldn't mind turning down the drum and bass because it was 3am and she had an exam in the morning. -They responded by turning it up. -When they finally shut up at 5am, she kindly let them sleep for two hours before blasting her own music, locking her door as she left for her three-hour exam. -Wouldn't it be romantic if your future spouse happened to move into the same hall as you? -Conversely, wouldn't it be knuckle-bitingly awkward if you mistook a hallmate for your future spouse, hooked up, broke up and had to see them every day and possibly watch them get custody of all your mutual friends? -Of course, the heart wants what it wants - but if a hot hallmate is definitely not your future spouse, try to at least talk some sense into your groin. -In the exhilarating moment you realise someone's left their keys inside their unlocked room, the line between pranking and bullying is finer than it seems. -A good prank is funny, but takes moments to reverse. -Teach a valuable and amusing lesson about security by hiding something - but never trash someone's room with toothpaste and shampoo. -Lock their door and put their keys in a glass of water, which you then put in the freezer - but don't Blu-Tack their possessions to the ceiling more than twice. -David Grimal, the violinist: In Bach's era there were no world tours. -Beethoven, Brahms, Bartok, Enescu were working people, artists, and not commercial representatives. -The French violinist David Grimal is one of the great artists of our time, known not only as a soloist but also as the initiator of an unusual, downright "weird" project, as he himself says, Les Dissonances - an orchestra composed of international soloists and talented musicians, who play a symphonic repertoire without having a conductor, and this makes it a curiosity, to say the least, in the classical music scene. -Les Dissonances participated this year with two shows in the Enescu Festival: a performance on Sunday, in which the soloist was David Grimal, founder of the orchestra, and one on Monday, when the cellist Xavier Phillips was in the forefront, the works of Enescu being an indispensable and customary element of the event. -Both performances on the stage of the Athenaeum, showed the audience a different way of interpreting classical music. -Les Dissonances appeared on the music scene in 2004, at that time being the only classical musical ensemble with no conductor. -The conductor is the most important musician for the other musicians. -It is true that musicians need an education to become either soloists or performers in an orchestra - here we are talking about instrumentalists and not composers. -They are trained as "specialized workers". -They themselves feel they need to have a conductor. -On the other side of the stage, for the public, all the musical fetishism focuses on the conductor. -And so, the business, the music industry, markets itself. -Therefore, we are no longer talking about music. -"So if we look at this world, on the one hand we have skilled workers, which is stupid, and on the other hand we have a public that cannot listen, but must look instead, which is again stupid," says David Grimal. -The violinist says that this change in the way he makes music was the result of the "musical deception" in his solo career. -I was like a professional athlete who had to do the same exercise in different orchestras around the world, to earn money and to bring money into the music industry. -10 years ago, when I was around 30 years old, I found this thing to be very depressing because it could not find the creativity and human brotherhood in this system. -So, I had no reason to continue on this path. -This is the moment I decided to create Les Dissonances. -This happens in 2004, and at that time nobody was doing this kind of thing without a conductor: "The music world was very conservative and did not want this kind of projects." -"How do you imagine you could market a group of musicians which has no ego?" asks the artist. -David Grimal admits that Les Dissonaces is "a luxury", adding that none of the musicians who are part of the orchestra does not depend on the success of this project to make a living. -In the 10 years of existence of this group, the absence of a conductor did not prove to be an obstacle for the musical act: "Curiously, the more we play a more complex repertoire, the simpler it seems, because all the musicians are obliged to be present in the work and not just in the role," says Grimal, adding that the show on Sunday "had 74 conductors on stage. " -In Grimal's opinion, the Enescu Festival is "very brave" just because Les Dissonances were among the guests: "A great festival, featuring the greatest orchestras in the world which perform even 3 times a day, and in the midst of these orchestras you also invited this strange group." -In a temple of the orchestral tradition, as is the Enescu Festival, there is a the place and interest for something different, which breaks barriers. -Speaking about the work of Enescu, the violinist admits he feels the music the famous Romanian composer, so he did not feel the need for a special approach when he introduced some of Enescu's work in his repertoire. -Grimal notes that Enescu's music is very instinctive, but that happens when you talk about George Enescu and Romanian music, "because there is a George Enescu who composed French music." -Grimal strives to change the way in which the Classical music education is carried out, considering that "being a musician, as this activity is organized today, has a taste of death" and that "the future of music is the music itself." -We do not need to do a world tour 5 times a year if it does not serve anything. -In Bach's era there were no world tours. -Beethoven, Brahms, Bartok, Enescu were working people, artists, and not commercial representatives. -For me, organizing concerts, festivals, tours, release albums, they are all are formidable, extraordinary, but as long as they are in the service of music. -If not, we are part of a system where creativity suffers, no longer has freedom. -To illustrate this phenomenon, David Grimal gave the example of Romanian products before and after EU accession: "In Romania, before entering the EU, your vegetables and meat were good." -To join the EU you had to adopt health laws which are not good for vegetables and meat. -Agriculture and production end up in the service of the supermarkets, the same way it's happens in France. -The same thing happens with music, it's the same logic. -Les Dissonances makes tomatoes which are not particularly good looking, but you cut them they are veritable tomatoes. -In an ideal world, this music should be once again be in focus, and the institutions and industries which manage this system should understand that music does not need to be sold, but needs to be shared, and this may be achieved starting with the educational policy. -"If we were to believe - as do the Koreans, the Chinese, the Japanese - that Western music is one of the most beautiful things of humanity, we would reintroduce its teaching in schools, we would reintroduce the concerts on television and through this education we would no longer need to sell music by-products", said Grimal. -Certainly, there are things in classical music education which remain very communist. This can be found everywhere, is a very militarized phenomenon. -It depends on the discipline if you compare a musician to a soldier, or if we train a musician to play an instrument, who will be a musician, above all. -We are talking about a completely different education. If we want to train a soldier (this education - red.n.), the training must be conducted in a certain way, if we want to train a musician, we are talking about something else. -In your opinion, who is more dangerous, a soldier or a musician?", asks the French artist smiling. -Grimal shows that for artists, to reward a different way of making music comes from overcoming the "soldier" status, overcoming "the limit imposed by oneself": "In a certain moment, musicians discover that they are not soldiers, and therefore leave the concert smiling." -David Grimal spoke about his musical project and his vision for the music and the artist in the "Festival of Ideas", a public discussion organized by the Romanian Aspen Institute during the George Enescu International Festival. -The profile of David Grimal -After attending the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in Paris under the direction of Regis Pasquier, during which he received advice and encouragement from famous artists such as Schlomo Mintz and Isaac Stern, David Grimal studied for a year at the Ecole des Science Politiques before meeting with Philippe Hirshhorn in Paris, meeting which changed the course of life. -David Grimal has an international career as a solo violinist. During the last 20 years he held regular concerts on the main classical music stages of the world with prestigious orchestras such as the Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Russian National Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Berliner Symphoniker, New Japan Philharmonic, Orchestre de l'Opera de Lyon, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonia Varsovia under the direction of conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Michel Plasson, Michael Schￃnwandt, Peter Csaba, Heinrich Schiff, Lawrence Foster, Emmanuel Krivine, Mikhail Pletnev, Rafael Fruￌhbeck de Burgos and Peter Eotvos, Andris Nelsons, Christian Arming. -Several works have been dedicated to him by several composers, among which Marc-Andre Dalbavie, Brice Pauset, Thierry Escaich, Jean-Francois Zygel, Alexander Gasparov, Victor Kissine, Fuminori Tanada, Richard Dubugnon, Ivan Fedele, Philippe Harrowing, Anders Hillborg, Oscar Bianchi, Guillaume Connesson and Frederic Verrieres. -Besides his career as a solo artist, David Grimal wanted to explore more personal projects. -The freedom gained by his collaboration with Les Dissonances allowed him to develop his inner world by venturing in repertoires that are not accessible to a solo artist. -Together with Les Dissonances, he founded "L'Autre Saison", a series of concerts given for the benefit and together with the homeless at the Saint-Leu church, located in the heart of Paris. -Since 2008, David Grimal was a resident artist at the Opera of Dijon. -He teaches violin at the Musikhochschule of Sarrebruck, Germany. -He also teaches many master classes and was a member of the jury in the Long-Thibaud International Competition in Paris in 2010. -He was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture in 2008. -David Grimal plays a Stradivarius, "ex Roederer" from 1710, but also the "Don Quixote", a violin designed especially for him by the French violinmaker Jacques Fustier. -David Grimal was introduced Sunday at the George Enescu International Festival of this year together with Les Dissonances Orchestra, the program containing works by Debussy, Enescu and Beethoven. -Les Dissonances also appeared on stage Monday, this time together with cellist Xavier Phillips in the foreground, and the program consisted of works by Schnittke, Brahms and Enescu. -Cinema City seeks "Small Big Voices" -Cinema City launches the ultimate challenge for children: dubbing two characters from the blockbuster "Snow Queen 3D" -Do you have a super-talented and spontaneous child, who likes movies? -Give him/her the chance to become a star. -In September, during the latest campaign dedicated to enthusiastic and ambitious children, eager to become the next stars and aged between 8 and 16, Cinema City seeks "Small Big Voices", giving them the extraordinary opportunity to dub two characters from a famous animated film. -If classic cartoons focused on the semblance of the actor's voice to the animated character's features, lately, when a story is created, the persons who will become the voices of the characters are also taken into consideration, and they are usually well-known actors. -However, Cinema City Romania wishes to discover new voices and this is why we are launching this unique campaign. -We want to find the right voice and we challenge parents to register their children in our contest. -They will benefit from a special experience, because the characters are cute and the lines are funny. -"The children will have fun and will get a real chance to be part of a team of actors," said Ioana Ionescu, Marketing Manager of Cinema City Romania. -In the first stage of the competition, between 11 September to 30 September, Cinema City is organizing a pre-selection after which 10 children will be chosen (five girls and five boys) who will have the opportunity to audition in a recording studio alongside professionals. -All parents have to do is access the platform micilevocimari.cinema-city.ro, to register their child in the contest and prepare him/her for the voice audition. -Then, they have to choose one of four movies available on the platform, download the texts the child is going to read and then the child will be recorded while giving his/her own version of the dubbing. -The contestants can choose for the audition four films about friendship, fairy-tale heroes, magic and hope: "Yellowbird 3D," "Mune:The Guardian of the Moon 3D","Blinky Bill: The Movie 3D"and "Maya the Bee 3D". -Finally, the most talented two children (a girl and a boy) will see their dream come true and will dub one character in the blockbuster "The Snow Queen - 3D," which will premiere in Romania in November this year. -FedEx earnings mixed, lowers fiscal 2016 outlook -FedEx reported disappointing results for its latest quarter, and the delivery giant cut its full-year profit forecast on weaker demand for freight services and higher costs in its ground division. -The company also said it plans to hire about 55,000 seasonal workers for the holidays. -At this time last year, FedEx announced it would hire 50,000 seasonal workers for the holidays. -Its shares fell about 2.5 percent in premarket trading 45 minutes ahead of Wednesday's opening bell. -FedEx Corp. said that it expects to earn between $10.40 and $10.90 for the fiscal year that ends next May, down 20 cents from an earlier prediction. -Analysts expected $10.84, according to a survey by FactSet. -The reduced outlook comes despite rate hikes averaging 4.9 percent, which will take effect Jan. 4, and higher surcharges for ground shipment of heavy or large packages, which begin in November. -The company said it still expects earnings to grow over the previous year because of cost-cutting, higher revenue and growth in online commerce. -Chairman and CEO Fred Smith said the company was "performing solidly given weaker-than-expected economic conditions, especially in manufacturing and global trade." -The holiday-hiring plans were announced a day after rival UPS said that that it plans to hire 90,000 to 95,000 extra workers, about the same that it hired last year. -In the quarter that ended Aug. 31, FedEx earned $692 million, up 6 percent from a year earlier. -Earnings per share amounted to $2.42, short of the $2.44 per share average forecast of 12 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research. -Revenue rose 5 percent, to $12.3 billion. -Six analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $12.23 billion. -FedEx has been hit in recent years by a decline in priority international shipping, which has caused revenue in its Express unit to stagnate. -But the boom in online shopping has boosted results at FedEx Ground. -In the latest quarter, ground revenue rose 29 percent but operating income was basically flat on higher costs for larger packages and self-insurance. -The express unit saw higher income because of higher base rates, while income fell in the freight business on higher labor costs. -In premarket trading about an hour before the opening bell, FedEx shares were down $3.85, or 2.5 percent, to $150.15. -They closed Tuesday down 11 percent for the year and 17 percent below a record high on June 11. -At their most anticipated meeting in years, Federal Reserve policymakers will spend two days this week seated around a 27-foot Honduran mahogany table deciding if it's time to raise a key interest rate for the first time in nearly a decade. -Looming over them at one end of the central bank's ornate, two-story boardroom will be a mural of the United States. -The map is a reminder that Fed Chairwoman Janet L. Yellen and her colleagues are supposed to put the nation's economic interests above all others. -The central bank has a dual charge from Congress: maximize U.S. employment and keep prices here stable. -But since the Great Recession, Fed leaders have acknowledged that there's an unwritten third mandate: financial stability. -And that third mandate could be the X-factor in a too-close-to-predict decision, to be announced Thursday, about whether the U.S. economy is ready to start being weaned from the unprecedented stimulus provided by the near-zero short-term interest rate in place since late 2008. -Even though most data show the economy growing solidly, the recent turmoil in global financial markets could make already-cautious Fed officials skittish about adding to the volatility by raising their benchmark federal funds rate - even by no more than a mere quarter of a percentage point. -"Obviously the labor market and inflation is going to be first and foremost the most important thing they watch," said Lindsey M. Piegza, chief economist at brokerage firm Stifel Nicolaus & Co. -"But I think if they were looking for an excuse not to raise the rate, the increased uncertainty surrounding the global marketplace is enough to provide them with justification to wait further," she said. -There's no consensus about what the Fed will do, which in itself is causing financial market jitters. -About half of economists surveyed recently by Bloomberg predicted a rate increase this week. -Financial markets, however, are expecting the Fed to hold off, with a key indicator showing only about a 30% chance of a boost. -That would point to a stock market drop if the Fed raises the rate, unless policymakers were to soften the blow by promising that another increase would be a ways off. -On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average jumped 228.89 points, or 1.4%, to 16,599.85. -The rally was triggered by expectations that Fed policymakers will hold the rate steady this week, said John Lonski, chief economist at Moody's Capital Markets Research Group. -"It would be a surprise if the Fed hiked rates at this point in time," he said. -If Fed policymakers did, "they would have to go to great lengths in their policy statement to hold financial markets' hands so they don't panic." -Other experts argued that a rate increase would calm financial markets because it would remove uncertainty about when the Fed would act. -Just a month ago, the Fed seemed on track to raise the rate by 0.25 percentage point this month, the first small step in a slow tightening of monetary conditions that would validate the strength of the U.S. recovery. -Yellen had said through the spring and early summer that she expected a rate increase this year despite complaints from liberals that more economic progress was needed. -Although job creation slowed in August, labor market growth has been solid this year. -The unemployment rate dropped to 5.1% last month, the lowest in more than seven years and near the level the Fed considers to be full employment. -Wage gains have shown signs of picking up. -And although inflation continued to run below the central bank's annual 2% target, Fed policymakers said a key reason was the temporary effect of sharply lower oil prices. -The economy "can cope with higher rates, and needs them, given the tightness of the labor market," said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. -But financial markets around the world started convulsing late last month after China devalued its currency. -The Dow Jones industrial average dropped as much as 16% below its record high in May as investors feared a slowing Chinese economy would drag down global growth. -The market has rebounded somewhat this month, with the Dow now down nearly 10% from the May high. -For Fed policymakers, the market turmoil adds to the complex calculus of when to raise the interest rate. -"Absent what happened in financial markets and the news about the weakness in the Chinese economy over the past couple weeks, they would be tightening at this meeting," said Stephen D. Oliner, a senior research fellow at the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate and a former Fed official. -Now, he predicts they'll wait at least a month to get a better handle on the effects. -"There's a lot of uncertainty about what the impacts on the U.S. economy are going to be, and they have almost no data to rely on that post-dates the developments in China," Oliner said. -The health of the global economy isn't one of the Fed's primary concerns, so technically it shouldn't be factored into its decision-making. -But, in effect, the Fed has become the monetary authority of the world. -The central bank's influence in recent years has been enormous. -The mere hint by then-Chairman Ben S. Bernanke in 2013 that the Fed might "taper" its monetary expansion triggered market convulsions around the globe. -In a world where markets and economies are increasingly intertwined, Fed officials can be expected not only to monitor the developments elsewhere but also to consult with other central bankers and experts to get a better read on the global economy. -Its decision-making process is "more art than science," said Zachary Karabell, head of global strategy for wealth-management firm Envestnet Inc. -Jeffrey Lacker, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Va., noted this month that "the Fed has a history of overreacting to financial market movements that seem unconnected to economic fundamentals." -Lacker, a voting member of the policymaking Federal Open Market Committee who has been pushing for a rate increase, cited decisions in 1998-99 as an example. -A financial crisis in Asia led the Fed to cut its benchmark rate by 0.75 percentage point over three meetings "despite limited identifiable implications for U.S. growth," Lacker said. -A year later, Fed officials reversed those cuts. -The Fed should put financial stability concerns first only during a major crisis, such as the 2008 market meltdown, said Adam S. Posen, a former member of the Bank of England's rate-setting committee. -The latest turmoil doesn't come close to that level, he said. -"You certainly don't want to be put in a situation of being scared of a rate hike because markets got upset," said Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. -The Federal Reserve Act still has the dual mandate and does not mention financial stability, and until that is changed, I don't think they should get ahead of the curve. -Need a great Thai market? -Try LAX-C in Chinatown. -Yes, Chinatown -The market/warehouse opened in 1997 and is owned by LAX-C Inc. -Frequently referred to as the Thai Costco, LAX-C is a wholesale Thai market that also sells to the public. -Yes, it's in Chinatown and not Thai Town. -The market/warehouse is a one-stop shop, offering an dizzying array of fresh, frozen and dried goods, popular Thai and Asian snacks, and kitchenware, furniture, religious and holiday decorations. -There's even an automotive section if you need to pick up some motor oil. -The store is massive, and it will take over an hour to comb through all the aisles. -If all that shopping makes you hungry, grab a meal at the LAX-C BBQ Express. -The store's indoor food stall (good, inexpensive) is near the registers, and has various takeout options. -What it stocks: Need something - anything - Thai? -LAX-C probably has it. -Items are reasonably priced, and a number of items are sold in bulk. -Fresh produce includes specialty Asian and regional Thai herbs, fruits and more. -The meat counter is extensive, as is the fish - the staff behind the counter will clean and fillet fish, and even fry it for you if you'd like. -A good portion of the store is given over to the massive freezer section, where you'll find frozen curry leaves, bitter melon and galangal, whole ducks, fish, beef blood and bile, pork casings, fish balls, regional sausages, commercially-prepared foods and more. -Who shops there: Restaurant owners and chefs, also single families and individuals. -The wide aisles accommodate both shopping carts and forklifts. -The find: Fresh monthong durian next to the checkout stand. -Where is it: The store is in an industrial part of Los Angeles hugging the outskirts of Chinatown and Downtown - a few blocks away from Philippe The Original. -Parking: LAX-C has its own lot, which it shares with other shops and restaurants. -While the store can get busy, parking is usually not hard to find. -Seven's Sunrise dominates ratings, despite Nine's attempts to cover the leadership spill on Today Show -Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson's dash to Canberra to cover the aftermath of the Liberal leadership spill has failed to generate much of a ratings boost for Today. -Nine's breakfast show screened from the national capital after Malcolm Turnbull's overthrow of Tony Abbott. -Rival Sunrise, hosted by David Koch and Samantha Armytage, was stuck in London as part of a week-long series of international telecasts which also include Dubai, New York, Niagara Falls and Cancun. -That tyranny of distance didn't seem to matter much to Aussie TV viewers with Sunrise averaging 397,000 viewers across the five capital cities to Today's 339,000. -Today scored a slight uptick compared to its ratings for Monday (317,000) and last Tuesday (283,000) but its figure was behind last Thursday's (343,000). -Today has been closing the gap on Sunrise in recent months. -In August, Today averaged 318,000 to Sunrise's 330,000. -At the start of the year the gap was running at between 40,000 and 50,000. -So far in September, Sunrise is averaging 349,000 viewers to Today's 314,000. -This is the most interesting thing that's happened all morning. -The winds of change are affecting more than Parliament this morning folks! -Karl and Lisa are fine, thanks for checking! -Posted by TODAY on Monday, September 14, 2015 -The big news for Seven was the stunning debut of 800 Words with former Packed to the Rafters star Erik Thomson. -The new drama, about a recently widowed father who decides to relocate to seaside New Zealand with his two children, averaged a very impressive 1.219 million viewers. -Critics had wondered whether Thomson could carry a hit show solo without Rafters star Rebecca Gibney. -Last night's result answered that with a resounding "yes." -Seven's The X Factor stayed strong with 1.136 million viewers, easily beating The Block (838,000) and TBL Families (726,000). -Seven had mixed fortunes on night two of The Chase Australia. -The first half-hour (5pm to 5.30pm) of the new quiz show hosted by Andrew O'Keefe averaged 446,000 viewers. -The second half-hour (5.30pm to 6pm) jumped to 623,000 viewers - enough for a small win over Eddie McGuire's Hot Seat (613,000). -On Monday night, the first half-hour of The Chase Australia averaged 520,000 viewers and the second half-hour a whopping 720,000. -Hot Seat averaged 620,000. -The Chase Australia's second night ratings drop will have Nine quietly confident that Hot Seat will ultimately prevail at 5.30. -The Chase Australia is a replacement for Million Dollar Minute which failed to dent McGuire's show. -Originally published as Sunrise dominates as Today stays local -Elton John and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet to discuss gay rights -In 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russia's wealthiest man, was arrested at gunpoint on a Siberian runway. -Having openly challenged President Vladimir Putin, Khodorkovsky was convicted, his oil company, Yukos, seized and his pro democracy efforts curtailed. -4 Killed After Police Fire Rubber Bullets at Protesters in Nepal -Four people, including a 4-year-old boy, were killed in southern Nepal after the police fired rubber bullets into a crowd demonstrating against the country's proposed new constitution, an official said on Wednesday. -The violence occurred Tuesday evening in the district of Rupandehi, about 175 miles west of Kathmandu, the capital. -Bishnu Prasad Dhakal, the chief district officer, said more than 1,000 protesters had gathered outside a police station, some of them throwing stones and firebombs. -Mr. Dhakal said the police used tear gas and then fired into the air before resorting to rubber bullets. -Twenty police officers and five civilians were wounded, he said. -It was not immediately clear why rubber bullets, which are known to kill but are traditionally used as a less-lethal alternative, apparently produced such a high death toll. -The clash was the latest in weeks of violent protests across Nepal's southern plains, where members of the Madhesi ethnic group say new provinces established under the proposed new constitution would dilute their political influence. -There have also been protests in western Nepal from ethnic Tharus who want their own state. -At least 40 people, including 11 police officials, have been killed in violent clashes since Aug. -10, when four major political parties signed an agreement to divide the country into provinces - a major step toward a new constitution but a highly contentious issue in Nepal, which has been centrally governed for centuries. -Work on a new constitution has been underway since 2008, but lawmakers accelerated the process after the devastating earthquake that killed thousands of people in April. -Lawmakers have been voting on clauses in the draft constitution in Kathmandu this week, and officials have said that the new charter could be enacted by Sunday. -We will not use wire fences, dogs, police and weapons -The Prime Minister continuous the verbal disagreement with the Hungarian authorities. -At the opening of Wednesday's meeting, Ponta reiterated Romania's firm position towards the refugee crisis. -We try our best to handle the refugee crisis, all institutions have a coordinated view. -Romania does not agree and will not impose anti-democratic measures, guard dogs, wire fences or policemen with guns. -"It's a shame for 21st Century Europe to implement methods from the 30s", said Victor Ponta -"The prime minister said that all data and details regarding the refugee crisis will be discussed and determined during the CSAT (the country's Supreme Defence Council) meeting on Thursday", concluded the Prime Minister. -NHC says 60 percent chance of cyclone south of Cape Verde Islands -A broad low-pressure system about 350 miles (560 km) south of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands has a 60 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tuesday. -Another well-defined low-pressure system about midway between the Cape Verde Islands and the Lesser Antilles also has a 60 percent chance of tropical cyclone formation in the next two days, the Miami-based weather forecaster added. -For mildly obese diabetics, weight loss surgery may be helpful -The benefits of weight loss surgery for mildly obese people with type 2 diabetes can last at least five years, according to a new study. -It's still to early to say whether mildly obese people with diabetes live longer after weight loss surgery than those who receive non-surgical treatments, however. -"The mortality data take a long time to show up," said Dr. Robin Blackstone, a weight loss surgery expert who wrote an editorial on the new study in JAMA Surgery. -Weight loss operations, or bariatric surgery, use various methods to shrink the size of the stomach. -They reduce hunger and limit the body's ability to absorb food. -Over the years, bariatric surgeries have proved effective for treating type 2 diabetes, but most studies were done in people who are morbidly obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or above. -BMI, a measure of weight in relation to height, is considered normal between 18.5 and 24.9. -A BMI of 25 or higher indicates that someone is overweight, and people with a BMI over 30 are considered obese. -You can calculate your BMI here: 1.usa.gov/1D0ZqDv. -For the new study, researchers from Taiwan's Min-Sheng General Hospital used data collected since 2007 in a trial comparing two kinds of bariatric surgery - gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy - to medical treatments for type 2 diabetes in people who were mildly obese. -The average BMI among those who had surgery fell from 31 to 24.5 by the end of their fifth year in the study. -Meanwhile, the BMI among those receiving non-surgical diabetes treatments stayed about the same at 29. -Among those who had surgery, diabetes resolved completely in 36 percent and partially in 28 percent. -In the medically-treated group, by comparison, diabetes resolved completely in only 1 percent and partially in only about 2 percent. -In addition, control of blood pressure, triglycerides, and "bad" LDL cholesterol "was generally better in the surgical group," the authors found. -The researchers also monitored patients' blood levels of hemoglobin A1c, which reflect blood sugar levels over time. -Hemoglobin A1c is best kept below 7 percent, the researchers write. -After surgery, the average hemoglobin A1c level fell from about 9 percent to about 6 percent. -In the medical therapy group, however, it remained steady at about 8 percent. -But this better "glycemic control" - as reflected by the improved hemoglobin A1c levels - did not reduce the mortality rate at five years, according to lead researcher Dr. Chih-Cheng Hsu and colleagues. -The research team also compared average outcomes with the two types of surgery. -At the fifth year, compared to the sleeve gastrectomy group, the bypass surgery group had lost more weight (18.7 vs 14.2 kg), achieved larger drops in BMI (7.4 vs 5.1) and in hemoglobin A1c (3.1 percent vs 2.1 percent) and were more likely to have complete diabetes remission (46.9 percent vs 16.7 percent). -While the new study does not show a survival benefit or surgery after five years, there is evidence from a study of heavier people in Sweden that surgery does lead to a longer life, says Blackstone, of the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. -In the Swedish study, obese people who had bariatric surgery were about 29 percent less likely to die over 15 years, compared to a group who tried more conventional methods. -Though the new study didn't show a benefit in survival among surgery patients, Blackstone said it's reassuring for people with a BMI under 35 interested in the procedure. -"This is where this paper is critical, because it says this surgery is safe in that lower BMI group," with no increased risk of death or renal disease, she said. -Blackstone added that people and their doctors should start taking weight seriously once the patient's BMI falls between 27 and 30. -"I think we wait too long to get people to be serious about this," she said. -I think that once they've accumulated these genetic changes that hardwired their bodies into obesity and diabetes, reversing that is really hard. -"It is impossible for everyone to come to Europe" - Dalai Lama - RT News -Europe could not host all refugees, the Dalai Lama has said, adding that the real solution to the current refugee crisis lies in the Middle East. -The Tibetan Buddhist leader has called for the ending violence in the refugees" home countries. -The Dalai Lama addressed the issue of the ongoing refugee crisis in his speech at the opening of the Dalai Lama Centre for Compassion in Oxford, which is dedicated to ethics studies, at the beginning of his 10-day visit to the UK. -He claimed that, under current circumstances, the interests of humanity should be put before the interests of single nations or even continents. -He also stressed that, however admirable, the West-European countries" response to the refugee crisis is inadequate to the situation. -"It it's impossible for everyone to come to Europe," he said in his speech. -Although the Dalai Lama praised Germany's and Austria's efforts in dealing with the crisis, he stressed that it was only a temporary solution. -"So taking care of several thousand refugees is wonderful, but in the mean time you have to think about long-term solutions, how to bring genuine peace and genuine development, mainly through education, for these Muslim countries," he emphasized. -Ultimately we have to think about how to reduce the killing in their countries. -We have to reduce the use of force. -The use of force has never solved these problems," he added. -Addressing the issue of violence, the Dalai Lama also commented on George Bush's actions following 9/11 terrorist attacks, claiming that the US" violent response engendered a chain of uncontrollable events. -After 9/11 I expressed my condolences in a letter to President Bush and told him the way to solve this problem was through non-violence. -I know his motives were good but he used force and it created unexpected consequences," the Dalai Lama said. -Fourfold increase in children ingesting hand sanitizer in last 4 years -Poison control centers around the United States have reported a nearly 400-percent uptick since 2010 in the number of children under the age of 12 swallowing highly-alcoholic hand sanitizer, according to the Georgia Poison Center. -According to Dr. Gaylord Lopez, director of the Georgia Poison Center, hand sanitizer ingestion cases in children under 12 that were reported to poison control centers went up from 3,266 in 2010 to 16,117 in 2014. -"Kids are getting into these products more frequently, and unfortunately, there's a percentage of them going to the emergency room," Lopez told CNN. -He said some kids are drinking sanitizer intentionally, while some do it to impress their friends or on a social-media dare. -Videos on YouTube show teenagers drinking sanitizer for a cheap buzz. -Teens have reportedly mixed sanitizer with alcohol-containing mouthwash for a stiffer drink. -Younger children can be drawn to attractive sanitizer scents. -"A kid is not thinking this is bad for them," Lopez said. -A lot of the more attractive (hand sanitizers) are the ones that are scented. -There are strawberry, grape, orange-flavored hand sanitizers that are very appealing to kids. -Hand sanitizer contains anywhere between 45 and 95 percent alcohol. -In young children, especially, only a few squirts can cause alcohol poisoning. -"It's highly concentrated alcohol," Dr. Stephen Thornton, medical director of the poison control center at University of Kansas Hospital, told Fox 4 in Kansas City. -So you wouldn't leave a shot of whiskey sitting around, but people will have these hand sanitizers out and if kids get into it, it's a quick way to consume a lot of alcohol. -Nhaijah Russell, a six-year-old girl who recently ingested as many as four squirts of strawberry-scented hand sanitizer at school, was taken to an emergency room for treatment. -Her blood-alcohol level was .179, twice the threshold considered legally drunk in an adult, according to Dr. Chris Ritchey, an emergency room doctor who treated her at Gwinnett Medical Center outside of Atlanta. -Nhaijah was slurring her words and was unable to walk when she arrived at the emergency room. -Doctors monitored her overnight at a separate children's hospital for any signs of brain trauma, as the alcohol caused the girl to fall and hit her head, Ritchey said. -"That was very scary," Ortoria Scott, Nhaijah's mother, told CNN. -It could have been very lethal for my child. -Lopez has recommended parents and teachers use nonalcoholic products or sanitizing wipes short of moving hand sanitizer out of a child's reach. -Beyond alcohol poisoning, some sanitizers have been linked to deaths. -In 2013, two Ontario women died after swallowing hand sanitizer that contained a toxic, undeclared ingredient. -Health officials surmised that the product contained methanol, a deadly agent, rather than ethyl alcohol, which was listed as the active ingredient. -In January, three fourth-grade students in upstate New York plotted to poison their "mean" teacher "by putting antibacterial products around the classroom," according to a police report. -The teacher is highly allergic to hand sanitizer and banned it from her room. -Police considered the foiled plan to be "idle chatter," referring discipline to the school district. -Rumour Mill: No Celtic disharmony -Griffiths plays down talk of disharmony at Celtic as Deila admits Hoops are in a bad place but he'll turn it around. -Hearts to fight SFA over Neilson charge and Warburton wary of January signings disrupting squad unity -Dons stretch lead over Celtic to five points -ADAM Rooney's first-half penalty gave Aberdeen a narrow victory over Hamilton at Pittodrie, allowing the Dons to open up a five-point gap between themselves and Celtic. -Griffiths plays down disharmony talk -It has sparked rumours of disharmony at Celtic, which was dismissed out of hand by Griffiths, who insisted he and his team-mates are not labouring under any sense of increased scrutiny as they prepare to face the Dutch League leaders. -I don't think we feel under pressure, I think the players are looking forward to it. -Lack of Scots title race bores Dutch - de Boer -Former Rangers midfielder and ex-Netherlands international Ronald de Boer has said that Dutch football fans have lost interest in Celtic - because there's no title rivalry with Rangers. -De Boer, currently an ambassador for Ajax, said: "In Holland, they don't show highlights of the Celtic games any more and why?" -It is because Rangers aren't there. -People here don't only talk about Rangers coming back. -They talk about the Old Firm. -They talk about both teams together and that's what they are interested in. -There is a lot of tension in the Old Firm games and it is not just people in Scotland who want to see those games. -I'll turn things around, vows Deila -RONNY Deila has accepted Celtic are struggling, but the Norwegian boss vowed to turn things around. -Defeat to Malmo and subsequent Champions League exit was swiftly followed by losing to 10-man Aberdeen, who now sit five points clear at the top of the table. -But Deila said: "Celtic have had bad periods before and we will come again." -Now we want to come out of it as quickly as possible. -I know it is very frustrating and a lot of people are very, very angry or sad about what is happening. -That is the same as we are - but we have to go on. -We really, really need the support of Celtic because that makes the players much better. -To stay together now is so important. -Warburton wary of January transfers -Despite comments just a couple of weeks ago suggesting that he had identified some January transfer targets, Rangers boss Mark Warburton is wary of a signing spree, insisting he doesn't want to disrupt the Ibrox squad's unity. -The ex-Brentford gaffer said: "The January transfer window is very different from the summer window." -In terms of players coming in the summer, you have that pre-season period to bed them in, which you've seen with our own group this season. -The squad is doing really well. -Sometimes more harm is done by adding unnecessary players to what you really need. -Celtic target Michu in retirement hint -Swansea striker Michu, linked with Celtic during the transfer window, has dropped hints that he could retire when his contract with the Swans is up. -The 29-year-old has been plagued with a troublesome ankle for two years, and failed to find a move away from Wales in the summer. -Hearts set for SFA battle over Neilson comments -Hearts were leading 2-1 when Paterson was dismissed and went on to lose 3-2, but the defender's red card was later overturned - the third Collum red card in eight months to be rescinded. -Neilson is sticking with what he said, insisting: "I didn't question any integrity, I didn't comment on a performance." -Griffiths vows to avoid Tynecastle -The diehard Hibee was carpeted after admitting singing a song with offensive lyrics about ex-Hearts player Rudi Skacel. -The incident happened in a pub in the Roseburn area of Edinburgh before an Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle in March 2014. -"It was a derby and it was heat of the moment," the striker said, adding: "Safe to say I won't be going back to Tynecastle unless it is playing for Celtic." -Tannadice board has faith in Dundee United management - Donnelly -Simon Donnelly insists Dundee United's board still has faith in the management team to turn things round - but concedes the on-field decline must end. -I think Stephen Thompson has faith in us. -We'll get the boys ready to go again," said Donnelly. -McInnes glad to "win ugly" against Hamilton -Derek McInnes admits his Aberdeen side had to cling on desperately against Hamilton Accies to see out a seventh successive league win that moved them five points clear of Celtic at the top of the table thanks to Adam Rooney's first-half penalty. -McInnes said: "There's not a team out there who has won anything, whether it's cups or leagues, who haven't won games like that." -Scots unemployment remains unchanged as UK total rises -UNEMPLOYMENT in Scotland remained unchanged at 164,000 during the period May to July while the number out of work for the UK as a whole increased by 10,000 to 1.82 million during the same period. -Scotland's unemployment rate of 5.9 per cent was above the UK's rate of 5.5 per cent, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed. -Meanwhile, employment in Scotland fell by 12,000 during the three month period, with the number of those in work now standing at 2,612,000. -The employment rate for Scotland fell over the quarter at 74.0 per cent - a figure above the UK average of 73.5 per cent. -Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell, commenting on the latest figures, said: "The government's long term plan has laid the foundations for a stronger economy." -It is almost exactly a year since Scotland made the historic decision to remain part of the UK. -In those 12 months we have seen further improvements in the Scottish Labour market with employment increasing and unemployment falling. -Why I'm A Witness At An Execution In Oklahoma -Later today, barring a late legal intervention, I will watch a man being put to death. -If it happens, and I hope it won't, I will sit in a viewing gallery in the death chamber at Oklahoma State Penitentiary as Richard Glossip is executed by lethal injection. -He has asked me to be one of four official witnesses to his death. -The invitation was first made back in January, via his best friend, and though I was shocked, I agreed. -As the day approaches, I've come to dread it. -So why do it? -I agreed because I thought it was a good way of telling the full story about the death penalty. -It would offer a unique perspective. -True, journalists are permitted to watch executions in America and because there are often more applications than seats available, a macabre lottery takes place to decide who will be chosen. -Oklahoma has reduced the number of media seats from 12 to five. -Whoever is picked will watch it dispassionately. -I cannot do that. -I will be sitting alongside Richard Glossip's closest friends, and I have developed my own relationship with him through months of phone calls, and one visit lasting two-and-a-half hours. -I like the guy. -We often laugh a lot when we talk. -The prison authorities say I cannot be both a witness and a journalist, so I won't be allowed a notebook and pen to record what I see. -I will just have to try to remember all the details. -One Oklahoma journalist accused me on Twitter of compromising my impartiality. -Here's the lesson. -Tell the inmate's story the way he likes it, get access. -I complained to her. -She admitted that she "could have phrased it better," but still thinks I'm wrong to do what I'm doing. -Richard Glossip has taken issue with some of the things I've said and written. -He doesn't tell me what to write, and I wouldn't do it even if he did. -I've told him he can remove me from his list of witnesses at any time. -But he wants an international reporter to be there to write about it. -If he dies, he thinks the publicity will help the anti-death penalty movement. -Kim Bellware, a reporter from the Huffington Post, will be alongside me. -If you want to know more about the case, please listen to the series of podcasts I've made. -I won't go over all the details again here. -I cannot say with certainty that Richard Glossip is innocent. -His actions after the murder of Barry Van Treese would make him guilty of being an accessory after the fact. -But I believe there is a strong probability that he is not guilty of murder. -I certainly believe there was not enough evidence to justify a death sentence. -I believe his execution is wrong. -And it's from this perspective that I will watch him die. -I cannot claim to be truly objective. -There will be other reporters you can turn to for that. -What you will get from me is what it's like to watch a man I like die an unnecessary death. -Peter Moody alleges stewards tried to spy on him and threatens to quit racing -Peter Moody has alleged Racing Victoria stewards attempted to plant a spy in his stables last year and threatened to quit racing immediately. -He took aim at stewards and Racing Victoria's integrity department, alleging they have a personal campaign against him with the late scratching of Lady Tatai because of a race day treatment the final straw on Wednesday. -Moody told Fairfax Media he had always tried to do what is best for racing and has found himself in difficult circumstances when it comes to Lidari's positive swab to cobalt, which he can not explain. -He had bitten his tongue about the spy allegations for 18 months and didn't want it "to look like sour grapes." -"I wasn't going to say anything about that and I have sat on it for a long time but sometimes you get so frustrated it all comes out at once," Moody said. -They know it went on. -Sometimes you react and have to live the consequences and I will have to live with what I said. -I will go home tonight and sleep well. -I want to walk around with my head held high and want my owners to think that I am trying my best for them. -When they start to think I'm not that's when I shouldn't be a trainer. -I would then have to consider what I do with my licence. -Earlier, Moody had dropped the bombshell in a racing.com interview that the integrity department had tried to spy on his stable. -"Eighteen months ago Terry Bailey, Dayle Brown and Dr Brian Stewart sat in a room with a man - who I will name if asked - and offered him employment to work in my stables to offer information on what I was doing within my stables," Moody said on Racing.com. -They obviously believe I'm a cheat. -If that's the case surely they should all hand in their briefs because they've been incompetent in trying to catch me. -Robert Roulston, former chairman of RVL, David Moodie, current chairman of RVL, and Bernard Saundry, current CEO of RVL, were aware of that at the time and are aware of that today. -Should that make me think it's becoming personal? -Has RVL got a grow a set of balls and maybe make people outside of trainers responsible for what it is going on the industry? -Am I bad for the industry? -Am I that bad for the industry? -Maybe people out there think I am. -Maybe they need to take my licence off me and push me away and I've got no doubt what I'm saying now might make them think about that. -But I've got to the point now where I don't care and that saddens me. -That really saddens me. -I will put the pressure on them and onus on them to make a decision. -I've got the support of my family and I can walk away. -The trainer's frustration levels have built with the long-running cobalt inquiry involving Lidari and the late scratching had him saying that he could "throw my licence across the table." -Moody, best known for preparing unbeaten champion Black Caviar, labelled the race-day treatment rule "ridiculous" after a mud or clay poultice had been applied to the horses legs, which is against the rules. -It's against the rules of racing. -I've got to accept full responsibility for that," he said. -One of my staff mistakenly laced mud on its leg. -It could have had it last night. -It could have had it yesterday, which it did have. -It had it on race day. -Moody could be faced with a three-month disqualification for the race day treatment using the poultice, which stewards have opened an inquiry into. -It is a joke. -People making these rules know nothing about the horse. -"We all understand that we need for rules but it has gone too far," Moody said. -Cobram hit-and-run driver arrested -Police have arrested a man over a hit-and-run collision with a cyclist in Cobram at the weekend. -The cyclist was airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a car on the Murray Valley Highway on Saturday morning. -Police said the motorist drove away without stopping to help the injured rider. -On Monday a 50-year-old Nathalia man handed himself in to police at Shepparton. -He is expected to be charged with failing to stop at an accident, failing to render assistance, and other traffic offences. -The cyclist, a 40-year-old Cobram man, remains in hospital in a stable condition. -Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy hits back at rivals over wrestling claims -Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has called criticism of his side's tackling as "agenda setting" by the NRL's two premiership favourites. -Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson said the referees allowed the Storm to "wrestle" his side during the Storm's upset win in the qualifying final in Sydney on Friday night. -Brisbane Broncos coach Wayne Bennett made a thinly veiled reference to the Storm after his side's qualifying final win over North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday night when he called that game a "showcase" of the rugby league and said the two Queensland weren't "too big" into wrestling. -Bellamy defended his side's tackling and said they just focused on their "contact" when tackling. -Bellamy added he took confidence from having two leading coaches criticise his side as it meant they were concerned about the Storm beating them. -"That keeps coming up - I didn't hear Trent Robinson bring up wrestling when they beat us 24-2," Bellamy said on Wednesday. -I can guarantee we haven't changed nothing all year with our defensive systems or techniques, it's just that the last six weeks we have made a real emphasis with our contact in tackles and that has been the turn around for us. -Trent has been there three years and he obviously has a great side to coach so he is probably not used to losing so it was a bit of a shock to him. -It's funny how this always comes up at this time of year. -Bellamy challenged Bennett's idea of "exciting football" reminding his mentor that Bennett's St George-Illawarra Dragons won the premiership in 2010 by playing "boring" football. -Wayne is talking about exciting footy. -He made a point of comparing his game on Saturday night with our one on Friday night and how exciting their game was," Bellamy said. -I remember in 2010 St George was criticised a lot for being a boring team and Wayne said he didn't give a rat's arse. -But now he has a team which can play what we would see as exciting footy, especially his young halves with their speed. -That's the footy you would want to play when you have those sort of players. -He made that point in 2010, now he wants everyone to play his style of footy - not every team has two halves like Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt so they can play like that. -To me it builds more confidence because they are saying these things because they are a little bit concerned about playing us. -Six weeks ago they probably weren't thinking of us when they get to the big games. -Bellamy also pointed out the Storm and Roosters game was a higher scoring contest than the Broncos and Cowboys game. -The Broncos game was probably a good game, I haven't watched it yet but what was the score? 16-12? -Our game it was 20-18, there was two more tries in our game but is that exciting footy? -Or is it making breaks and not scoring tries that is exciting? -To me it's agendas. -If they are mentioning us it means that at some stage we might meet them there. -The Storm have this weekend off as they have won the right to host either North Queensland Cowboys or Cronulla Sharks in next Saturday night's preliminary final at AAMI Park with tickets on sale from next Tuesday morning. -Stevan Hogg used girls phone to lure paedophiles to send images -A paedophile used an 11-year-old girl's phone to solicit child abuse images. -Stevan Hogg took the girl's phone as she slept then logged into an online messaging service where he had a succession of indecent images of children sent to him by another user. -The girl later woke up and discovered the phone was missing and found it in sleeping Hogg's hand. -She looked through it and found the disturbing messages before immediately alerting her mother. -Police attended and saw the five pictures, then analysed computers found at the address and discovered "concerning" web searches using terms for finding indecent image of children. -Hogg then claimed to officers he had done it as it would "lead paedophiles" on the internet before "pretending he was a police officer to scare them." -Fiscal depute Eilidh Robertson told Dundee Sheriff Court: "He said it was an addiction - that he was addicted to scaring people. -He accepted the searches were made by him on the computer but said it was because he wanted to pretend to be a police officer to scare paedophiles. -He was asked about his conversations with the unknown person who sent him the images and him asking them to send more photos. -He said he was doing it to lure them in. -He said he was sick in the head when he was drinking and said he wants to view rape and murder images. -Ms Robertson added: "When the girl found the messages on the phone she shouted her mother and was shaking and crying. -She saw the indecent images on the phone and the accused was then confronted. -The girl was interviewed and spoke of the accused using the computer and Playstation to talk to girls who looked way younger than him. -Hogg, 23, of Ward Road, Dundee, pleaded guilty on indictment to charges of taking or making indecent images of children on June 14 last year, breaching bail on January 25 this year and failing to attend at court for a hearing on March 24 this year. -Defence solicitor Gregor Sim asked that Hogg not be placed on the sex offenders register as it may be argued there was "no significant sexual element" to his crime. -Sheriff Alistair Carmichael deferred sentence until October for social work background reports. -Hogg was granted bail in this case but was held in custody ahead of hearings on other outstanding cases. -He was placed on the sex offenders register ahead of his sentencing date. -Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe delivers wrong speech in parliament -Mr Mugabe, Africa's oldest leader, earlier this year fell down the steps leading from a podium. -He was unhurt, but video of the fall went viral on social media. -The opening of parliament was also tarnished by claims by opposition legislators that they had received anonymous death threats warning them against booing Mr Mugabe during his address. -Last month, they booed and heckled him during his state of the nation address in parliament - which is the speech he repeated on Tuesday. -Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) chief whip Innocent Gonese said seven opposition politicians received text messages on their mobile phones warning them not to disrupt Nr Mugabe's address. -"The message is coming from a number which is not reflecting but it's titled 'death'," he told journalists after Mr Mugabe's speech. -It warns the members concerned to know that immunity ends at parliament and once they step out of parliament that parliamentary immunity does not operate. -The chief whip said the party, led by Morgan Tsvangirai, is "worried" about the threats to its politicians. -Hewlett-Packard to cut up to 30,000 jobs -Hewlett-Packard expects to cut 25,000 to 30,000 jobs as part of its restructuring and cost-saving efforts at it enterprise services business. -HP is splitting into two listed companies later this year, separating its computer and printer businesses from its faster-growing corporate hardware and services operations. -The expected job cuts will result in a charge of about $2.7bn, beginning in the fourth quarter, HP said in a statement. -"These restructuring activities will enable a more competitive, sustainable cost structure for the new Hewlett Packard Enterprise," said Meg Whitman, the HP chairman and chief executive who will head the unit after the split. -"Hewlett Packard Enterprise will be smaller and more focused than HP is today, and we will have a broad and deep portfolio of businesses that will help enterprises transition to the new style of business," said Whitman. -As a separate company, we are better positioned than ever to meet the evolving needs of our customers around the world. -Hewlett Packard Enterprise will have more than $50bn in annual revenue and "will be focused on delivering unrivaled integrated technology solutions" to companies, according to a company statement. -It breaks up a company formed in the 1930s by Stanford University graduates Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard to make electric equipment, and whose Palo Alto garage has been dubbed "the birthplace of Silicon Valley." -HP has been undergoing a massive reorganisation to cope with the move away from traditional personal computers to mobile devices. -The move by HP, the world's second-largest PC maker and one of the biggest US tech firms, is the latest in the sector based on the belief that tightly focused firms perform better. -FriendsFest: the comedy show that taught us serious lessons about male friendship -The absence of similar portrayals in shows is glaring, particularly given how the need for men to open up is more desperate now than ever, with suicide rates amongst young males at 15 year high. -In 2013, it was the single biggest cause of death in men aged 20-45 in the UK, and remains three times more common in males than females. -In a bid to address the problem, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) announced 2015 as the Year of the Male, aiming to challenge the culture that prevents men from seeking help when they need it. -Friendship lies at the heart of the battle to meet this challenge. -A recent study of more than 2,000 high-school students displaying depressive symptoms found that if the sufferer had a high enough percentage of "healthy mood" friends, their chances of recovering doubled. -Equally, for those not depressed, a circle of mentally healthy friends halved the chances of mental challenges arising. -But of course, for friendship to work, it needs to be accessible in the first place. -In this age of social-media led communication, with its focus on style over substance, immediacy of response is often prioritised over meaningful contact. -Our digital lives have doubled the need to appear strong, fun-loving and successful, even if in reality isolation is king. -This superficial success is dominated by what psychologists term extrinsic values; money, image, social status, all at the expense of intrinsic values - our inner yearning for personal growth and friendship - that more deeply impacts our mental health. -And as a billionaire video-game creator explained recently, money really doesn't buy greater happiness. -The beauty of Friends was that it turned this focus on its head. -Each of the characters were not defined by their work, but rather their personalities, which shone through the interaction as friends. -The humour of Joey and Chandler's frequent hugs, moments watching football on the comfy chairs, and Ross's pining for Rachel, came from the knowledge that yes, men can all relate to this, even if they often hold back from fully exploring their feelings. -As a Samaritan worker explained to me: ...."my listening role to people feeling depressed and suicidal has really highlighted how even the smallest interactions from friends can make a difference." -Often the men who contact us feel unable to speak to friends. -The old adage of "getting on with it" is strong, as is the sense that it will be perceived as weak to open up about problems." -Friends is one of the shows that comes to mind when I try and offer more long-term coping mechanisms. -It highlighted the little moments of male friendship. -As much as my objective, outsider status over the phone helps people in moments of desperation, the long-term support comes from a close, personal family and friend network. -And so, if you attend Comedy Central's FriendsFest this weekend, with the sets fully redesigned in celebration, why not take your friends for a drink at Central Perk. -Or, better still, if in Starbucks you see someone alone, give a smile and say hello. -You never know what difference your friendship could make. -Friends is broadcasting on Comedy Central from start to finish - the full 236 episodes - for #FriendsFest -Di Maria scores to help PSG swat aside Malmo -Angel Di Maria celebrates with Blaise Matuidi and Edinson Cavani after scoring against Malmo. -Angel Di Maria scored on his Champions League debut to help PSG ease past Swedish side Malmo on Tuesday. -Here's the match report and reaction to the game. -Angel Di Maria and Edinson Cavani were on target as Paris Saint-Germain began their Champions League campaign with an ultimately comfortable 2-0 win against Malmo at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday. -Di Maria scored less than four minutes into his Champions League debut as a PSG player to set the French champions on their way, but they missed a succession of opportunities before finally extending their advantage when Cavani headed home in the 61st minute. -With Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk also in Group A, Paris needed a strong start against the Swedish champions as they target not just qualification for the knockout rounds but an improvement on their runs to the quarter-finals in each of the last three campaigns. -But while they got the points, it was not a vintage display by Laurent Blanc's side with Zlatan Ibrahimovic wasteful in front of goal and later being substituted against his hometown team and the club with whom he started his illustrious career back in 1999. -"It's not easy to win at home or away in the Champions League, so to win 2-0, cause our opponents problems and look comfortable at the back is a good start even if there are certain things we will need to perfect as the season goes on," said Blanc. -It augurs well. -We wanted to win and we did, although I regret that we did not score one or two goals more. -Ibrahimovic returned after injury in one of three changes to the Paris team that had been held to a 2-2 draw at home by Bordeaux in Ligue 1 at the weekend, but he was upstaged in the fourth minute by Di Maria. -The Argentina winger was labelled as the man to take PSG to the next level in Europe when he was signed from Manchester United last month, and he indicated why as he ran onto Marco Verratti's pass in behind the Malmo defence before angling a beautiful finish past Johan Wiland and into the far corner of the net. -However, if anyone then expected PSG to romp to a big victory, they were to be disappointed. -Malmo, who beat Celtic in a play-off to reach this stage, lined up with nine full internationals on the field at kick-off and, with a five-man defence and two deep in midfield, were stuffy opponents. -But, save for a Nikola Djurdjic shot that slid just wide of Kevin Trapp's far post in the 34th minute, they offered little in attack. -Instead, PSG let themselves down at times with some wasteful passing and poor finishing, not least from Ibrahimovic, who failed to convert no fewer than five attempts in the first half alone and was then let down by his touch having been put in by Cavani just after the restart. -Nevertheless, he proved much more adept when it came to setting up his colleagues, and it was from an Ibrahimovic pass that Di Maria sent in a curling shot which was tipped around the post by Wiland on 52 minutes. -The second goal finally arrived just after the hour mark thanks to Cavani, the Uruguayan heading home his sixth of the season after Ibrahimovic had flicked on a left-wing cross from Maxwell. -That ended any ideas that Malmo had of coming back into the game, and only a superb stop by Wiland from point-blank range to deny David Luiz kept the final score down before substitute Ezequiel Lavezzi had a goal disallowed right at the death. -Malmo coach Age Hareide later admitted PSG were a class above his side, the Norwegian saying: "Our last Champions League game was in December last year." -Since then we have only played in the Swedish league which is not the same level. -The qualifiers are not enough. -Hats off to Paris. -It was a magnificent match from them. -Glencore raises $2.5 billion in share sales -Swiss-based mining giant Glencore, hit by collapsing commodities prices, on Wednesday raised $2.5 billion via a shares sale as part of its vast debt-slashing plan. -London-listed Glencore said in a statement that it had sold new shares worth about £1.6 billion to pay down debt. -The company, which has lost 57 percent of its market value this year, is grappling with tumbling commodity prices as China's economic slowdown weighs on demand and sparks havoc across markets. -The rights issue sent Glencore's share price soaring to the top of the London stock market in early morning deals on Wednesday. -Shares jumped 2.77 percent to 131.60 pence on the FTSE 100 index, which opened 0.69 percent higher. -Glencore had last week revealed the $2.5-billion shares sale as part of broader plans to slash its $30 billion debt pile by about a third. -The company sold the new stock at 125 pence per share, which marked a 2.4-percent discount to the closing price on Tuesday. -It offloaded 1.3 billion shares worth up to 9.99 percent of the group. -Concerns over prolonged stalled Chinese growth have slashed iron ore prices by roughly a half, as coal, copper and other commodities have fallen by 20 to 40 percent. -Xi urges to open economy wider to world -The economy must open wider to the outside world to fuel growth, President Xi Jinping told a group tasked with steering reform on Tuesday. -"China should be committed to attracting foreign investment and expertise, and improve opening-up policies," he said, addressing the 16th Meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform. -Promoting opening up while pushing forward reforms will add new impetus and vitality, and provide new room for economic growth, Xi said. -The leading group adopted a series of guidelines including a negative list regulating market access, relaxation of border-control policies, encouraging state-owned enterprises (SOE) to absorb private capital and overhauling the resident registration system. -According to the statement, a negative list, identifying sectors and businesses that are off-limits for investment, will be drawn up. -The system will be gradually tested and improved through trial programs. -The move is significant as it will give the market a bigger role in allocating resources, ensuring a law-based business environment and making the market more open, the statement said. -The government will also loosen controls on the powers it delegates to companies, making sure that companies decide how to run their businesses. -The statement also said China will allow border areas to explore new models of cross-border economic cooperation and new mechanisms for promoting regional growth. -In a bid to open up state-controlled sectors, more areas will be open to private investment. -"The government will not change its policy toward foreign investment, and will protect the lawful interests of foreign-funded companies and provide better services for them," said the statement. -In addition, it will be made easier for foreigners to apply for permanent residence permits, or "green card," by optimizing requirements and streamlining the application process. -Guaranteeing lawyers' right to practice and nurturing professional judges and prosecutors were also discussed at a meeting. -The meeting was also attended by Premier Li Keqiang, and senior leaders Liu Yunshan and Zhang Gaoli, according to a statement released after the meeting. -Education unions, dissatisfied with the Government's proposal to raise salaries by 10% -Negotiations between Prime Minister Victor Ponta and education union leaders have not reached any result, the Government proposing a salary increase of 10% from 1 December, with payment from 1 January 2016 and the unions wanted an increase of 15% in November and 20% in December. -The discussions took place at Victoria Palace on Tuesday evening, the Prime Minister being accompanied by the Minister of Education, Sorin Cimpeanu, the Minister of Finance, Eugen Teodorovici and the Minister of Labour, Rovana Plumb. -We were not satisfied by the Government's proposal made today. Otherwise we would not have reached the situation to convene our federations. -The 10% promised to us today is less than what we expected. -"In fact, these10 % represent the money stipulated in our agreement with the government of last year for 2016," said Anton Hadar, President of Alma Mater at the end of the discussions. -Ponta: In the future, health and education will be the areas in which we will invest all the money available -According to him, Thursday will hold a meeting of FSLI (Education Free Unions Federation) attended by government representatives to present to the confederations' representatives in the country the proposal for the salary increase. Afterwards the unionists will decide whether to accept the offer of the Executive. -The Prime Minister told the unionists that the government is trying to send the Wage Law to the Parliament as soon as possible so that it can enter into force on 1 December. -The normative act provides a salary increase in the educational system of 25% of the overall increase of 70%, increase stipulated in the document to be made in instalments over the next four years. -In addition, Victor Ponta has promised the union members full payment of court rulings in 2016. -Immigrants crisis: Tragedy in the Aegean Sea -At least 22 migrants drowned on Tuesday in Turkey's territorial waters after their boat wrecked. -The victims include 11 women and 5 children, informs AFP, according to Yahoo News. -The boat was in the Aegean Sea and was heading for the Greek island of Kos. -Turkish Coast Guard informed that it managed to save 249 people from the wrecked boat, but their nationality is still unknown. -Earlier on Monday, other two people died while trying to cross the Aegean Sea. -Also over the weekend, 34 immigrants, including four babies and 11 children, drowned off the coast of Greek island Farmakonisi, located at 15 kilometres from the Turkish coast. -The situation was a similar one: the boat carried more people than its capacity, so it wrecked. -The route has lately become popular among immigrants who want to escape the war and hard living in countries such as Syria or Iraq. -More than 100 flight attendants, fired because they were too fat -Air India Airline is firing about 130 stewards and stewardesses that are overweight, the company said at the end of last week. -The state company announced that the decision was made for security reasons and recent government regulations, but critics say the measure is "ridiculous" and "shockingly sexist," according to The Washington Post. -The mass dismissal is the latest in a ten-year battle between the company and overweight flight attendants. -The weight limit for them dates from the '80s, when Air India began using ideal weight and height graphics. -In 2006, Air India fired nine stewardesses considered "exceptionally overweight", as this "can have an effect on reflexes and impede the agility necessary to perform emergency measures". -The stewardesses have sued the company, won and were rehired, but the company fired them again in 2009. -"All efforts to cause them to lose weight have failed", explained then a company spokesman. -A football player from Steaua gives lessons to Gigi Becali: The decision he has taken -A football player from Steaua gives lessons to Gigi Becali in terms of promoting young players. -After the champion's financer decided to close the Football Academy in which he has invested a considerable amount, defender Paul Papp opened a Football School. -"Paul Papp" Academy will operate in the city of Dej, and the city's children are expected for a first selection. -I am extremely happy to have reached this stage, to kick off the Football Academy which bears my name. -For me, it is extremely important to find talented children, who can play football without worrying about the future during training. -They must have only one thought: to play football as good as possible. -The technical details do not have to be in their care. -They must capitalise their talent. -This is what "Paul Papp" Football Academy aims to do. -"I expect mayor Costan Morar to be at the children's first selection, to prove to them that he supports them," said footballer Papp for dejeanul.ro. -Steaua defender's Academy is waiting for children under the age of 11. -All party members have decided to remain in power. -On Tuesday, the interim president of PSD (Social Democratic Party) Liviu Dragnea said that all party members decided to remain in power, and if the prime minister agrees, this decision will be formalized during the PSD Congress. -I understand that Mr Ponta expect this decision from the PSD congress, all members want to remain in power, the whole party. -If he wants this decision to be formalized by a decision of the Congress, we will do it. -There is no doubt about it. -"There are no developments, voices, opinions within the party to give the uncertainty of wanting to be part of the government or give the impression that anyone in the party does not want PSD to remain in power, in the current government, with the current prime minister", said Dragnea at the end of the PSD National Standing Bureau meeting. -PSD announced it will organise a Congress - and that this issue will be decided then -On Tuesday, Prime Minister Victor Ponta said that beside electing its leadership, during the PSD Congress the members of the party should decide if the party will be part of the current government or join the opposition. -Dragnea: On Monday I will announce if I am going to run for congress -On the other hand, Liviu Dragnea will announce next Monday whether he will run for a leadership position during the next Congress or not. -On Monday, after the Executive Committee, I will weigh the decision if the congress date is set. -"I will announce whether I will run for the party leadership or not" said Dragnea at the end of Tuesday's meeting of the PSD National Standing Bureau. -Asked if his hesitancy regarding the announcement of his candidacy has anything to do with his criminal file, Dragnea said he did not have this problem. -I do not have the problem you are referring to, but it seems right and fair to all my colleagues in the party to announce my candidacy at the time of the establishment of the congress date. -"It's my only motivation", said Dragnea. -Most social democratic branches proposed the date of October 11 for the extraordinary congress, and the exact date will be decided on Monday by the Executive Committee of the party. -The Career Fair offers thousands of jobs in 200 companies -200 companies are expected to the fall edition of the Career Fair (CF), an event which will take place in Brasov, Chisinau, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Sibiu and Tirgu-Mures. -Companies have thousands of vacant jobs, internship opportunities and internships, and some of them are already posted on the official website www.targuldecariere.ro. -Recruitment, a growing priority for companies -According to the statistics made after the 100 editions of the Career Fair which were held so far, most companies are concerned, in addition to actual recruitment, to develop a strong employer brand among young people: 97% of their representatives have stated that they wish to return for future editions, while 94% said that they recommend CF as a recruitment and employer branding solution. -There are cases in which companies choose to do package employments, because they can organize recruitments better in this way. -Among those who will be present at the CF in October and November 2015 are: Arvato Bertelsmann, Bombardier, Bosch, CIE Matricon, Competence Call Center, DB Schenker, Delphi, Office Depot, Preh, Renault, Schaeffler, Stefanini and Sykes. -CF Candidate Profile -Most participants who look for a job at the CF are students, over 59,70%, followed by college graduates - 23.05% and master graduates: 10,38%. -The least numerous are those who completed the doctorate courses - 0.67 - and young people who have finished high school or middle school - 6.20%. -Regarding their specialisation areas, most participants are working in IT and Software, in the banking sector or in insurance, marketing, advertising and media or in the automotive and construction industries. -There is hardly a novelty the fact that IT is in constant development in the country. -Therefore, a new edition of the IT Career Fair will also be held this year, a niche event dedicated exclusively to enthusiasts and specialists in this field. -Among the giants in the business environment present at the 7th edition of the event are Accenture, Endava, KFC, McDonald's, msg systems, Siemens, Steelcase, Unicredit Business Integrated Solutions and Yardi Systems. -Career Fair, 100 editions -Established in Cluj in 2006, the Career Fair is today the largest network of career events in Romania and Moldova. -The autumn edition will take place in Chisinau (Army House 2-3 October), Iasi (Palas 6-7 October), Brasov (Army House 14-15 October), Cluj Global (Polyvalent Hall 20-21 October) Cluj IT (Polyvalent Hall 22-23 October), Sibiu (Business Centre 28-29 October) and Targu-Mures (National Theatre, November 5). -Details about the registered companies until this moment and the Career Fair can be found on www.targuldecariere.ro. -An Italian was caught at Bors customs with immigrants hidden in his truck -Two citizens of Sri Lanka were found on Monday at Bors customs while trying to illegally cross the border, hidden in the trailer of a truck driven by an Italian citizen. -The investigations determined that the two had paid the driver with 4,000 euros to be transported to France, informs the Border Police. -During the routine control, the border policemen observed in the truck's cab, a large travel bag, which contained personal things of many people, which is why they conducted a thorough check on the means of transport. -With this occasion, the border policemen found two males hidden in the truck's trailer among plastic crates. -The verifications established that the two men, aged 28 years old, are citizens of Sri Lanka and have requested asylum in Romania. -"During the investigations, the two young men said they wanted to reach France, which is why they made contact with a countryman, through which they met with the Italian driver. The latter has offered to carry them to their destination, where he would receive 2,000 euros per person", according to the Border Police press release. -The police drew up for the two migrants a "criminal file under the accusation of attempted illegal crossing of the state border". -In addition, Pompeo B., the Italian citizen aged 45 who was driving a Renault Magnum truck registered in Romania, transporting plastic crates for an Italian company, was detained for 24 hours and will be submitted to the Court of Bihor with a remand custody proposal. -How satisfied are the Romanian couples: men versus women -Most Romanians are satisfied with their relationships. -This is the conclusion of a study conducted in Romania with the coming of John Gray, the famous author of the bestseller "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus". -A total of 62% of respondents say they are "very satisfied" and "satisfied" with the overall quality of their couple's relationship. -"However, 18% seem to be "slightly dissatisfied" and "very dissatisfied" in their couple life and another 18% "moderate" is the conclusion of the study, as stated in a press release issued on Tuesday to Ziare.com. -The situation is slightly different when responses are analysed separately for men and women. -Thus, 28% of men are very satisfied, 39% satisfied, 17% moderate, 6% very dissatisfied and 8% slightly dissatisfied. -Regarding women, 33% are satisfied, 24% very satisfied, 8% very dissatisfied, 14% slightly dissatisfied and 19% chose moderate. -When we look at the degree of satisfaction (positive), we see that men are more satisfied. -Regarding the neutral state (moderate), we see a difference of two percent. -"The same case is for the category very dissatisfied, the largest difference being registered for the slightly dissatisfied answer where we see a difference of 6 percent," the press release states. -The study also showed that a quarter of Romanians (26%) spend an hour or even less together, 18% spend between five and eight hours together, and 45% between two and four hours. -The study's conductors transmit that "Romanians feel the need for a little more adventure in their lives (24%), followed by affection (21%), money (21%), safety (20%), new things (19%), sex ( 19%) respect 18%, confidence 17%, pleasure 17%, connection 17%, knowledge 16%, protection 14%, importance 14%, learning 12%, freedom 11%, self-awareness 10% and control 7% ". -The study was done by Extreme Training during June 1 - September 1 on 1,369 people, the error margin being calculated at 2.6%. -Europe has once again embarrassed itself -German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said on Tuesday that Europe "has embarrassed itself" after Monday's failure of the ministerial meeting in Brussels regarding the distribution of refugees within the European Union. -"Last night (Monday night), Europe has once again embarrassed itself" Sigmar Gabriel said during a press conference, who is also Minister of Economy in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to AFP. -Earlier, German Minister of Interior Thomas de Maiziere suggested the reduction of EU structural funds for countries that reject quotas of refugees. -The European Ministers of Interior, who urgently met on Monday in Brussels, failed to reach an agreement on the compulsory distribution of 120,000 refugees. The meeting was requested last week by the European Commission to deal with one of the worst Migration crises in Europe after 1945. -A mayor for just a half an hour -Acting Mayor of Tuzla commune in Constanta county enjoyed this position for just a half an hour, due to DNA (National Anticorruption directorate) prosecutors. -Taner Resit had been appointed at the leadership of the locality, in place of the former mayor, Constantin Micu, convicted of embezzlement, B1 TV informs. -The County Prefect, Ion Constantin, waited for him at the institution's seat to make the official announcement, at 16.00, but he never arrived. -The reason? -Taner Resit was summoned at 14.00 at DNA Constanta. -After two and a half hours of questioning, he was detained for 24 hours. -Consequently, he was a mayor for only 30 minutes. -According to prosecutors, he is accused of blackmailing a businessman during 16 August to 8 September, together with Stefan Radu, a company owner who wanted to get 48,000 euros from him, according to Adevarul. -The two threatened the Director and drove away his customers, prevented their access in the store, changed the locks and seized the company's assets. -Moreover, on September 8, Stefan Radu allegedly beat the Director, in the presence of the Deputy Mayor. -Thousands of people lit a candle in his memory -Thousands of people came to see the coffin with the body of Corneliu Vadim Tudor. Sfantul George Church had not seen so many people since the consecration of the church or the Great Celebration of St. Nicholas, said pastor Emil Caramizaru on Wednesday. -Hundreds of people of all ages wait in a line which stretches from the church entrance to the side streets, to reach the bier with the coffin containing the body of Corneliu Vadim Tudor. -People wait about an hour to reach the Sfantul Gheorghe Nou Church, where groups of 40 people are allowed in. -On Wednesday, approximately 300 people per hour came to pay their respects to Corneliu Vadim Tudor. -Starting Tuesday, thousands of people in Bucharest but also Cluj, Baia Mare, Iasi, Constanta and Craiova came to bring homage to Corneliu Vadim Tudor. The church has never had so many visitor since its 300 year consecration and since the Great Feast of St. Nicholas. -"Corneliu Vadim Tudor was present at the 300 year consecration of the church and stayed beside the members of the Holy Synod, Patriarch Daniel and the representatives of the five patriarchates who attended the consecration", said the parish priest of the church in the capital, Emil Caramizaru. -According to him, people came with flowers and candles, sat quietly and waited in line, as they would have done for a great religious holiday. -The behaviour of these people is extraordinary. Children, old people, people in crutches sat quietly, with dignity, as they would have done for a great religious holiday. -"It's touching to see them waiting to worship and pay homage to Vadim Tudor", said pastor Emil Caramizaru. -According to him, at the request of Corneliu Vadim Tudor's family, the church will remain open from Wednesday to Thursday. Last night it was closed at 01.00 a.m., and reopened at 07.00. a.m. -The pastor said that, on Thursday morning at 10:00, a short service will be officiated in Sfantul Gheorghe Church, at kilometre 0, after which the coffin with the body of Vadim Tudor will be transported to the Ghencea civil cemetery. Here, a funeral religious and military service will be officiated. -The pastor mentioned that Vadim Tudor used to come often to this church, especially in the evening, after 8 p.m., and ask him to open the reliquary with the relics of St. Nicholas. He would remain here and pray. -He used to come here often, usually in the evening after 8 p.m., and asked me to open the reliquary with the relics of St. Nicholas and prayed. -He said that this church which was built by Brancoveanu was a great blessing. -He used to say to me: "Brother Emil, can you imagine the hand of St. Nicholas brought Brancoveanu, Eminescu, Mihai Viteazul here?". -"'Do you realize what a blessing this is for the country', said Vadim to me", stated the parish priest. -Corneliu Vadim Tudor is going to buried on Thursday with military honours in the Ghencea civil cemetery. -On Tuesday, the leadership of the Senate rejected the request of Corneliu Vadim Tudor's wife to place the body of the former senator in the lobby of the legislative chambers. -Corneliu Vadim Tudor was born on November 28, 1949, in Bucharest. He was a writer, politician and journalist. -He was the founder of the Romania Mare Party, former member of the European Parliament and former senator. -What happens with coach Darren Cahill -Simona Halep is facing a crucial decision for her career, as she is being forced to choose whether to continue or not to collaborate with coach Darren Cahill. -The two have worked together this year in the Adidas Player Development Programme, the Australian coach staying with the Romanian tennis player only during majour tournaments. -Simona had only words of praise for Cahill, who seems to be the only coach who managed to assert himself in front of the whimsical tennis player. -However, the Adidas program will end at the end of this year and Halep must decide whether she provides Cahill with a consistent contract or if she quits working with him. -We do not know yet exactly what will happen. -We will talk and see. -"After Singapore I will be able to provide an answer" confessed Simona at a press conference. -Darren Cahill is one of the most expensive coaches in tennis today and he is asking for a contract of a million dollars a year. -In addition, the Australian is also a sports commentator, a job he wouldn't want to quit now. -The last competition during which Simona and Cahill will work together is the Champions Tournament from Singapore. -It was not normal, I was not respected -Victor Piturca has revealed how he parted ways with the Romanian national team in the fall of last year. -The former coach said she did not get along with FRF president, Razvan Burleanu who replaced Mircea Sandu, and so he decided to leave the national team. -Finally, the head of the Federation was asked to substantial increase his salary to make him stay, but he refused. -Right now I'm not sorry that I left the national team. -I was sorry then, because I was leaving my work behind. -I thought that what I was doing at the time was good for me and I think it was indeed good for me. -What happened to me when I was coach was not normal, I was not respected, people did not respect my work. -I worked well with those who used to be in the Federation before, but when Burleanu came to the Federation he had preconceived ideas about me although he did not know me. He used to make his opinion about me from the news. -I was not replaced because it was very difficult at that time, considering the results I had, plus the financial situation was taken into account. -I continued working, everything went very well and perhaps he changed his opinions. -But I wanted to leave. -If he really wanted me to stay, I proposed an extension of the contract. -My salary was about 400 something thousand Euros per year and I was going to receive around 600 thousand Euros. -I did not talk to Burleanu, but with his right hand. -"He agreed, but only if the team managed to finish in the first place of the group", said Victor Piturca for Dolce Sport. -Victor Piturca resigned from the Romanian national team last fall, although the team perform well in the Euro 2016 qualifiers. -The coach has accepted the proposal to train in Saudi Arabia, immediately joining team Al Ittihad. -Armour-clad vehicles and water cannons at the border -Hungarian police dispatched military Humvee vehicles equipped with machine guns on the border with Serbia after the violent clashes of Wednesday, when water cannons and teargas were used against immigrants who wanted to come in from Serbia, despite the fact that Hungary raised a barbed wire fence. -At least 20 policemen and two children were injured during the clashes, writes Russia Today. -So far 20 policemen were injured and the ambulance service took over two children who were injured after being thrown over the security fence. -"We will rebuild the fence, we will strengthen it and we will protect the security of Hungary by any means," said Hungarian Prime Minister's security adviser, Gyorgy Bakondi. -Police tried to control the mass of people throwing plastic bottles, rocks and pieces of pavement with water cannons and teargas. -The authorities reported that several dozens of immigrants broke the fence between the cities of Röszke and Horgos and have managed to enter into the country. -Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto urged Serbia to take action against the "very aggressive" immigrants at their common border. -There are reports that Serbs have supplemented their police forces at the border. -Following the incident on Wednesday, Budapest suspended border crossing at Röszke-Horgos for 30 days. -Hungary is during a concerted action to close its borders in order to stop immigrants from entering the country. -If Tuesday the Hungarian Prime Minister announced that besides the barbed wire fence at the border with Serbia, the country will put up another one at the border with Romania, raising vehement protests from Bucharest, on Wednesday, he announced that a fence will also be up at the border with Croatia. -The rare illness of a man -American Nick Hess was suspected by his family to be an alcoholic and his wife even filmed him when he was intoxicated, barely holding himself standing and speaking words which were difficult to understand. -Although the 35 year old man said he had not been drinking, it was visible that he was intoxicated. -When she first accused me of being drunk without me drinking I thought she was crazy. -"But my friends and family thought "that maybe he drinks alone, that he is a secret alcoholic,'" he says, according to the Mirror. -When he saw his wife's films with himself the man from Columbus, Ohio did not recognize himself: "I looked into my eyes and I was not there." -"It was awful, I do not remember anything." -In addition, his wife, who, although doubted him for a while, finally took him to countless doctors, remembers that even Nick's breath smelled of alcohol. -The thing that most got Nick thinking was when, after a minor accident, when he had been hit by another car, he was found to have a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit, although the night before he had just one beer. -After years and countless investigations, it was discovered that Nick suffered from an extremely rare disease, "Auto-brewery syndrome". -Basically, his body makes all the consumed carbs to ferment, turning them into alcohol. -The one who suspected that this might be Nick's illness was his wife. -The disease has no cure yet, but since he gave up carbs, Nick has not experienced such episodes. -A man destroyed a Mercedes with a golf club -A South Korean man destroyed his own car, a Mercedes S63, in protest of the services offered by his dealer. -The man "attacked" the car with a golf club, causing enough damage that the car had to be scrapped, says BT. -The entire scene was filmed and the video was uploaded to the Internet, to the amusement of those who watched it.The entire room grew silent, as every man stopped and watched. -The man claimed that the car is defective and threatening to his and his family's life. -He got angry when the dealer from which he bought the car did not resolve its issues, as previously agreed. -The government approved on Wednesday the "National Strategy on Migration for 2015-2018" and the "Action Plan for the current year", documents regarded as "another step taken by Romania within its efforts to modernise the immigration management process on national territory", according to a press release. -The source shows that the strategy aims at the efficient management of the immigration phenomenon, including strategic goals, specific objectives and courses of action which reflect the policies established at European level, adapted to national realities. -Given the problems faced by Romania's neighbouring countries, measures for the unified and coherent management of the situation are taken into consideration due to the possible influx of illegal immigrants in Romania, generated by the crisis situations of political, social, economic or military nature. -"Romanian authorities will contribute to the establishment of a flexible admission system, but at the same time, they will pay special attention to citizens from countries with migration potential or who may affect national security," adds the mentioned source. -The strategy identifies a number of factors that can influence immigration and asylum, including the continuation of the conflict situation in Syria, the reactivation of the Iraq conflict, maintaining an unstable situation in Romania's bordering areas (Ukraine, Transnistria), continuation and intensification of the Israeli - Palestinian armed conflict. -On the other hand, the document sets some general strategic objectives regarding immigration, such as: promotion of legal migration, tighter controls of legal residence of third-country citizens in Romania and the appropriate application of removal and restrictive measures, improvement of the national asylum system. -The National Strategy includes specific objectives relevant for transposing and implementing overall strategic objectives. -These include: facilitating access in Romania of third party citizens that meet the employment needs, favouring access of third countries citizens for higher education institutions in Romania for fields and professions identified as deficient. -Regarding the Action Plan for 2015, the Government considers that it is "a means by which concrete activities are established that lead to the creation of a flexible system to stop the growing migration phenomenon". -Romania, in a European top on the labour market -Latvia, Romania and Bulgaria registered the largest increase in the total cost of labour among member states of the European Union in the second quarter compared to the same period in 2014, according to data released Wednesday by the European Office for Statistics (Eurostat) . -The index refers to employers' personnel expenses. -Thus, during April and June 2015, the total cost of labour increased by 1.9% in the EU and 1.6% in the Euro area. -Romania ranks third in the EU labour cost growth -The largest increases were reported in Latvia (7.9%), Romania (7.7%), Bulgaria (6.8%), Estonia (5.5%) and Lithuania (4.3%). -The only EU countries where hourly labour costs decreased in the second quarter of this year were Greece (minus 2.9%), Cyprus (minus 1.2%) and Italy (minus 0.4%). -The increase of labour costs in Romania during April and June 2015 is mainly due to the increase in the hourly labour cost in industry and services, with 7.9% and respectively 7.6%. -In the construction sector, Romania registered an increase of 5.8% of the hourly cost of labour. -Activity report of the TVR (Romanian National Television Network) leadership, rejected by the committees: Stelian Tanase risks to be dismissed -On Wednesday, the Parliament Committees on Culture rejected the report of the Board of Directors of the Romanian Television for 2014. -17 parliamentarians voted for the rejection of the report, one was against the rejection (senator Varujan Vosganian) and one abstained. -The text of the report will be submitted to the joint Standing Bureaus. -The decision will be taken next week, probably. -This will be discussed at the next plenary meeting. -"Considering the situation, I think the decision will be taken relatively quickly", said the president of the Senate Committee on Culture, Georgica Severin. -He added that it was "common sense" that TVR management be present at this meeting, given that no representative of TVR management attended the meetings of the Committees on Culture . -It was common sense that the leadership of TVR be present because nobody here has been subjected to personal attacks or something similar. -The invitation was made to the members of the Board of Directors as early as last night, with an approximate time because we did not know the exact time ourselves, but today, after the meeting of the joint Standing Committees, I have personally sent a fax to the management of TVR, inviting them. -I believe that when you are called, even if you don't like it, you give course to the invitation because you are a budgetary employee who is paid from public taxes and you are summoned to a meeting of the joint Standing Committees. -"You do it because it's your work obligation, you're part of an institution which is subordinated to the Parliament", said Severin after the meeting of the joint Standing Committees on Culture of the Parliament. -He added that the financial aspects of the institution on the adverse opinion of the budget committees were discussed during the meeting. -We all saw the evolution of the debts. Someone came up with the idea that the debts have been paid within the prescribed period, but the historical ones have not been paid. -"I remind you that it's not my fault or someone else's fault in this committees that the agreement with the banks and tax authorities was dropped. These are clear management issues", said Severin. -He added that after the progress report will be rejected by the plenum, elections will be held for a new Board of Directors, thus the new director of the institution will be appointed. -I do not know who will be proposed for this position. -There will be no miracles. -It is important to take political decisions for this institution to function. -I'm not going to lie to you and tell you a genius will appear and hold the line here and fight. -I hope that those with decision making abilities, namely the Parliament, will use reason when choosing the people who will lead TVR. -These people must know what is happening there, have experience and show fairness and respect towards the institution and the tradition. -I do not know who it will be. If you ask me what qualities I think the candidate must possess - I would say common sense in his attitude towards employees because a pile of petitions will come from employees, claims, layoffs. -"When you receive so many notifications - 50, 60, 70, something is rotten and the financial situation is a disaster," concluded the chairman of Senat's Comitee on Culture . -Although he did not attend the Parliament meeting, the president and CEO of TVR, Stelian Tanase, sent a letter to President of the Chamber of Deputies, Valeriu Zgonea, requesting the Parliament to consider a number of measures that could lead to the rescue and assurance of the economic and political independence of the public television. TV tax indexing is among these measures. -In his letter, Stelian Tanase solicits, in addition to TV tax indexation, the amending and supplementing of GD 978/2003 on public television service fee, meaning the update of the technological provisions, and the regulation of the control procedure of TV tax payment and the establishment of infringements and penalty implementation. -He also solicits the issuing of a provision to stipulate that all electricity suppliers are obligated to become mandatories of RTC (Romanian television company) for the collection of TV taxes, by involving the ANRE (National Regulatory Authority for Energy) for the regulation of this activity. -In his opinion, it is necessary to set the upper limit of commissionable revenues to 5%. -Stelian Tanase ask for the reduction of VAT rates for the specific activities of the public television network and NAO (National Audit Office) contribution from 15% to 3%. He also asks for the amendment of law 41/1994, which stipulates the possibility to receive budget allocation/funding for the acquisition of licenses for majour cultural and sporting events - football World Cup, Cerbul de Aur (the Golden Stag), Eurovision. -He says the RTC will go into default in the next few months given that the labour legislation obliges the employer to enforce court decisions, even if these are not definitive, and the remuneration shall be honoured with priority over any other obligation. -The administration of TVR has made constant efforts to reduce personnel and TV production expenses. -"Thus travel and other activity costs were reduced, a number of commercial contracts were renegotiated, and at the end of July TVR News was closed," reads the letter of the President of TVR. -Tanase estimated that disastrous financial situation cannot be remedied only through internal efforts. -"Without the support of state institutions - government, parliament, president - the Romanian Television will be sooner or later unable to even meet its public mission", reads the letter. -The leadership of the Chamber of Deputies decided to send the letter to the Committee on Culture. -Vasile Blaga's son in law, indicted -Vasile Blaga's son in law, Ionut Andrei Rudeanu, was indicted Wednesday by the prosecutors of the Court of Appeal Bucharest. -He is accused of tax evasion in a case with a prejudice of 600,000 euros, being placed under judicial control. -Andrei Rudeanu was taken in custody on May 22. -He founded a security company Axis Corporate Security SRL, along with his mother in April 2009, a year after marrying the daughter of Vasile Blaga, Agathe. -The investigation revealed that, in order to evade the payment of taxes to the state budget, representatives of a company specialising in providing security services have created a criminal circuit, formed of several companies, through which fictitious transactions were performed. -"In fact, the company's accounts registered fictitious acquisitions of services, which in reality were not provided, the state budget being thus so prejudiced with about 600,000 euros" explained the Romanian Police in a press release. -Sheikhs have established the fate of Sanmartean -Al-Ittihad club's sheikhs have determined the fate of midfielder Lucian Sanmartean. -Although Arab media announced that the separation between Sanmartean and Ittihad is imminent, coach Ladislau Boloni's agent, Arcadia Zaporojanu, says this will no longer happen. -Boloni is very pleased with Sanmartean. -Lucian is starting every game and does it well. -The Sheikhs also realised that he is the best and that it would be wrong to give him up. -They could have brought a much better player, but nothing came out. -"There were several discussions, for example with Mbark Boussoufa, but nothing was established," said Zaporojanu for Digi Sport. -Lucian Sanmartean came to Al-Ittihad earlier this year. -Ilie Sarbu was voted vice president of the Court of Auditors -The Parliament's plenary voted on Wednesday the appointment of PSD (Social Democrat Party) senator Ilie Sarbu, Prime Minister Victor Ponta father in law, as vice president of the Audit Authority of the Court of Auditors. -According to Mediafax, 290 votes "for" and 108 "against" were recorded. -The vote was made in secrecy, on bulletins. -PNL (National Liberal Party) representatives were the only ones who voted against the proposal, informs Digi24. -In fact, the Liberals criticized Sarbu's appointment to this position and announced that they would submit an appeal to the Romanian Constitutional Court, given that he has a DNA (National Anticorruption Directorate) file, and because he does not have appropriate expertise and experience. -Sarbu has 30 days by law to resign from the Senate because the new position at the Court of Auditors does not allow him to be involved in politics. -The PSD senator will occupy the vice-president position of the Audit Authority of the Court of Auditors, remained vacant after Ioan Anton was revoked following a decision by the Constitutional Court in September 2014, which found that his appointment was unconstitutional. -A surprise from one of the sexiest actors: I grew up in the kitchen -As Bradley Cooper is to play the role of a chef in the movie "Burnt", the actor revealed something his female fans did not expect. -In a recent interview, he said that he mostly grew up in the kitchen: "I have worked most of my life as a cook." -He revealed that he worked in the kitchen since he was 15 years old, when he worked for a Greek restaurant, and then he went to college to continue on the same path. -The actor explained that his mother has Italian origins, so his entire childhood he has cooked with his Italian grandmother, reports Contactmusic. -Asked about his plans for the future during that period, Bradley Cooper said that he has never been the type of person to make five-year plans, "not even two". -"It's not at all motivating for me to have a map," he said. -"I have dreams, things that you might laugh at if I told you," he added, but he later said that what he wanted since childhood came true. -Reaching the age of 40, the actor admitted, however, that he sees himself in the near future directing, taking Clint Eastwood's model, who started directing at this age. -Ponta, accused of uncontrolled defamations and irrational statements -The Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjarto harshly condemned, on Wednesday morning, the statements of the Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta according to which the Hungarian policymakers are "no better than those in Syria, Libya or other fleeing refugee countries." -"Yesterday, Victor Ponta has lost his self-control and by his irrational statements is insulting all of Hungary," the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release. -Civilized European politicians do not say such uncontrolled defamations. -"His remarks have only one explanation: he has entirely lost his support in the Romanian domestic politics", added the head of the Hungarian diplomacy, according to MTI. -In a Facebook post from Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Victor Ponta said he wants to draw attention to and sanction the behaviour of the Hungarian government officials, who, in his opinion, "are a disgrace to the culture and values of the EU". -I do not want to respond to challenges from some Hungarian government representatives. -"They are a disgrace for the culture and values of the EU, both due to their anti-Semitic attitudes and treatment of all minorities and now during the refugees crisis," Ponta said on Facebook. -The Romanian Prime Minister added that he is an advocate of rational and sustainable solutions in case of the refugees crisis, saying that brutality and aggressive laws will not solve the problem. -Barbed wire, aggressive laws, prisons and brutality certainly will not solve the problem - they will just show that in Hungary, in the heart of Europe, there are policymakers no better than those in Syria, Libya and other fleeing refugee countries! -"I believe in solidarity, in rational and sustainable solutions and especially in the superiority of European values - what we see these days in Hungary is in total contradiction with these goals and values," stressed the head of the Romanian Government. -Earlier on Tuesday, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjarto, described as "simple lies" the remarks of the Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta on the Hungarian management of the refugee crisis, saying that such statements are inappropriate for a leader of the XXI century, according to MTI. -The head of the Hungarian diplomacy also mentioned on Tuesday that the "extremist and false remarks" of the Romanian Prime Minister are related to the internal political crisis in Romania and said that Budapest is demanding an apology from Romania. -Szijjarto referred to a statement made on Monday by Prime Minister Victor Ponta. -What I said and have always said is that I am against xenophobic speeches, the idea to close the borders, that all those who come are terrorists are nonsense fitted for the Middle Ages and I totally oppose this approach. -If we can accommodate more, we will; the problem is our logistic ability to treat those people as people, and not as they are treated by our Hungarian neighbours, with violence and by „marking” them with serial numbers. -"I cannot agree with such a thing," said Romanian Prime Minister in a press conference in Targu-Jiu. -Also on Tuesday, Peter Szijjarto announced that the Budapest Government has decided to start the preparations to extend the fence that is being built at the border with Serbia to the Romanian border as well, to cope with a possible change of the route used by migrants. -Subsequently, Prime Minister Victor Ponta stated that Hungary's decision to build a fence at the border does not solve the refugee issue and that it "removes Hungary from Europe." -What is the link between Osama bin Laden and the collapse of the Mecca crane -Saudi authorities announced that the Saudi giant Binladin Group, belonging to the family of Osama bin Laden, is "partly responsible" for the collapse on Friday of a crane on the Grand Mosque of Mecca, accident which led to the death of 107 people. -According to an investigative committee, the company did not "comply with the safety regulations", according to the Saudi press agency (SPA), reports BBC. -Company executives have been banned from leaving the country pending inquiries in this case. -The company will also be excluded from new public contracts. -The Construction Company is owned by the family of the former leader of Al-Qaida terrorist network, Osama bin Laden. -The company was founded by Osama bin Laden's father 80 years ago and is currently managed by the brother of the former terrorist leader, Bakr. -Binladen Group has been working for four years to expand the Great Mosque in order to accommodate more pilgrims. -The accident occurred Friday night during a storm when a crane, probably unbalanced by strong blasts of wind, collapsed on the eastern side of the roof of the Great Mosque of Mecca. -Following the accident, 107 people died and nearly 400 were injured. -How Hagi silenced complainants -Considered by many the greatest Romania football player in history, Gica Hagi, was labelled after his retirement as a weak coach who is not able to achieve high performance in the new position. -After unfortunate experiences with the national team, Steaua and Galatasaray, Hagi took over a year ago the coach position for Viitorul Constanta, the team he owns. -After exactly one year after taking over the team, the King proved that he is able to transform a team that was struggling to save itself from relegation into a top one. -So after one year, Viitorul recorded with Hagi as a coach, 16 victories, 11 ties and 11 defeats. -The balance is one of a top team fighting in the European Cups. -Things have taken a turn for the better for Viitorul during this season, as the team came in second place in the National League with 19 points, one point less than the leader Astra Giurgiu. -Viitorul also has the best attack in the National League with 20 goals (at a tie with Astra), more than double than Steaua. -On the other hand, even if he brought more experienced players to the team, Hagi continued its policy to promote young football players, and lately the starting team included names like Ianis Hagi or Hodorogea. -The club's policy made Viitorul a team to be watched by foreign teams, and so Hagi has sold this summer in the amount of 1.5 million Euros - Ianis Hagi (Fiorentina - 1 million euro) and Alexandru Mitrita (Bari - 500 thousand euro). -Along with Steaua, Viitorul is the only profitable team from the National League, according to the information from the Trade Register. -In the refugee crisis, Romania has played the role of a small country so far. -This is a legitimate strategy, but then you cannot ask to be treated as the seventh country of the EU. -Large countries shall come up with solutions for the entire EU, said Cristian Ghinea, a member of the Board of Directors of the Romanian Centre for European Policies. -In an interview given to Ziare.com, Cristian Ghinea has stated that Europe cannot be transformed into a fortress and pure policing means will not work in this crisis: "Maybe we have doubts about the quality of values of these people." -But there are masses that have embarked on a path and we cannot undo history. -Migration is a reality to which we must adapt better but we must also adapt migrants to us. -In Cristian Ghinea's opinion, we live in a highly emotional moment in which the politicians feel the need to show their muscles. -After it passes, Europeans will be willing to give up the freedom of movement, but the rules governing the Schengen area must be changed: "Schengen is now like an animal created in another era and which was has not adjusted to the current situation." -What is our position in the refugee crisis after this JHA council which actually solved nothing? -It is clear that the EC President in agreement with Donald Tusk did not want to force a vote within the council. -All the forecasts say they had the necessary votes. -Before the Lisbon Treaty, the JHA applied the principle of unanimity and any state could block any decision. -Therefore, very little was integrated in justice and home affairs. -After Lisbon, the normal procedure applies, the EC has the initiative, and the Council approves it with the vote of 55% of the countries, namely 16, which represents 65% of the EU population. -The calculations stated that the votes existed. -But they did not want to go forward. -Because it's a sensitive issue, even Germany rejected Chancellor Merkel's policy of openness and did not want other countries to see it as: "EU thrusts migrants upon us". -The matter was therefore postponed, but the problem remains because obviously this wave creates a huge problem for the Schengen governance and we will likely see big changes in the next period. -Mandatory quotas were not really removed, but was the subject only allowed to further cool down? -Yes, on the other hand, tongues are wagging about greater involvement of the Frontex agency in the management of external borders, which means a shift of responsibility from the individual member countries found near Schengen's outer border to the Community agencies. -Greece's border with Turkey is actually Germany's border with Turkey, and this wave of migrants proved to be the limit for the old Schengen system. -Maybe the Dublin principle will be dropped because it is not sustainable. This principle states that migrants are the responsibility of the State in which they have entered first. -If Greece overturns, you cannot indefinitely sustain it's Greece's deal. -This is a common problem. -Precisely because this is a common problem, is it possible to fix it without a precise mechanism, perhaps even a shared mandatory effort to receive the migrants? -No one knows exactly how the mandatory quotas will work, if it comes to this. -A question still remains unanswered: what do you do with a man who does not want to come to Romania or Portugal, but instead wants to go to Sweden or Germany? -I do not think the European states will rush at the migrants: you will go to country X or country Y. -Perhaps it will come to the creation of some unique filtration centres in Greece or in Turkey where the refuge applications will be processed. -These kind of solutions are being conceived. -But the problem does not have a simple solution. -There are countries that have decades of experience in trying to integrate migrants, there are countries with no experience as is the case of Romania, where the problem of migrants will increase xenophobic trends. -The fact is that we are talking about millions of people in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, living in precarious camps and who are just beginning to head towards Europe. -One estimate says that only 10% have managed to leave because it is hard cross the Mediterranean during winter, but next year we expect an even bigger migration wave. -What about these people? -My prediction is that we'll get used to this problem and it will not seem so catastrophic in terms of media coverage. -You were talking about more or less experienced countries. -Does it seem like there are some places that have really managed to integrate large groups coming from a non-European culture? -I see the Maghrebians in France, Turks in Germany, they are also landlocked. -I would not make radical statements. -Of course, their integration is more difficult than other waves of migration, but that does not mean they are not integrated at all. -There are still some who remain unintegrated, creating majour social problems in France, Germany, UK. -But pure policing means will not work. -To create a fortress out of Europe is an illusory concept. -We have to develop the mechanisms of integration in European societies. -Some mistakes have been made in this area. -We must be more demanding. -We must ask these people to learn the language, try to appropriate our values, to stop having one foot in Europe and one in their home country, bringing the rest of the family including through marriages of convenience. -However, we must separate the imminent problem created by these people from the long term problem of their integration. -If others have failed in long-term integration that doesn't mean that we have to watch them drown in the Mediterranean. -Maybe we have doubts about the quality of values of these people. -And if there is going to be an intervention in Syria, which I don't think will ever happen, that does not mean that the country will recover overnight and you can send them back. -Until solutions are created, we will see fortresses in Europe. -The borders are closed, walls are being risen, border controls are being reintroduced in the Schengen area. -Is the European project being threatened? -The European project per se is not, but the former organisation form of the Schengen area is. -It was built quite minimalistic and its rules put too much pressure on the countries in which these migrants step foot in for the first time. -I mean we are free to rove, but each with their own problems. -We cannot continue like this when we are faced with this migration wave, because some countries cannot handle it. -When these kind of emotion waves arise, politicians want to show that they are doing something, but in the long run not much is changed. -After the attacks in France we do not have a much more draconian anti-terrorist legislation in the EU than we had last year. -It's a wave of public emotion that goes both ways. -The emotion is so unstable from one week to another that you cannot base your decisions on it. -We hear discussions, more bellicose statements from politicians who are at home and feel the pressure of being virile. -And then, the dramatic case of the child that drowned in Turkey happens and strikes a chord in the public opinion. -After the public emotion passes, we will return to the reasons we have created this space, the freedom of movement that is not only for people but also for goods. -This is the true single European market. -And I do not think that the Europeans will give up this principle of freedom of movement. -The fact that there are going to be different rules is a totally different thing. -Schengen is now like an animal created in another era and which was has not adjusted to the current situation. -What was Romania's role in this crisis so far? -As a small country, Romania believes that if it covers its eyes and ears, the situation will disappear. -In the reality of migration waves, you can choose to be part of the solution or say that this is not your problem as a small country. -This was our policy and it's a legitimate strategy, but then you cannot ask to be treated as the seventh country of the EU. -If you are not involved, you cannot be treated as other big countries. -Big countries come up with solutions for the entire EU, good or bad, we are not discussing their quality now. -As did Poland. -On the other hand, the effect of this crisis is that the Romanians' appetite for Schengen will greatly decrease. -President Iohannis says that maybe it's a good thing that Romania is not yet part of Schengen. -So we find ourselves in a transition from the despair to join to a more pragmatic position, but the goal still remains. -If Romania and Bulgaria join Schengen, there is of course the risk to be considered as an alternative route by the migrants. -This is not a reason for not joining Schengen, but a reason to be more pragmatic. -Romania will be part of Schengen and the Schengen will exist, but it will be transformed in the sense that the external borders will become common responsibility, there will be unique rules of acceptance of the migrants, unique rules of deportation for those who do not receive refuge, unique rules for countries considered safe. -The Ukrainian President stated that after Russia shifted its attention to Syria, there were no more deaths in the Ukraine. -Is there a link between the two outbreaks, one of Russia's games? -Russia behaves like a frustrated power. -It believes that being a great power means misleading Americans and Europeans. -From this point of view, yes, there is a connection. -Without the financial and military effort of the Putin regime, the Assad regime would likely have collapsed long ago. -Its crash would have been a good thing if it happened before its main opponent became the Islamic State. -A battle between the Assad regime and the laic and moderate Muslim militias, backed by the Gulf and Western countries, was fought for a couple of years. -Then the Islamic State has risen and we no longer know if we want the Assad regime to fall. -Russia could have complicated things, but cannot participate in the solution. -It creates instability and chaos outbreaks which it cannot bring to an end. -You are a great power only if you have solutions. -The off-side play is just a strategy to save time. -Perhaps Putin expects to receive offers, to press buttons in order to resolve the situation. -The offers do not come because the rest of the world is not convinced that he can solve the issues created by him one way or another. -But I do not agree with the theories that say that these people are driven by an invisible hand. -Let's not look at Putin and see him stronger than he actually is. -A new button will appear soon -Millions of Facebook users have become accustomed to the "Like" button, and the social network's representatives are preparing an opposed one, the "Dislike" button. -Tuesday, Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and chief executive of the company, announced on his account that this button will be available soon, informs New York Times on its blog. -Zuckerberg said that the "Dislike" button will look more like a shade of what a user feels than a simple option. -However, the announcement raised the issue that Facebook could become a less friendlier place. -Zuckerberg said he wants to avoid times when someone posts on his/her account an important event in his/her life, and someone else will hit the "Dislike" button. -The network's users, which reached 1.5 billion active accounts, have long called for the opportunity to express negative emotions or empathy with something sad. -Mark Zuckerberg has said it is not very comfortable for people to give "Like" to current events, such as the refugee crisis, or in the case of a death of a family member. -"It may not feel comfortable hitting Like for that post", said the Facebook representative. -The variant of a new button on Facebook was not received well by everyone. -"There is already enough hate on Facebook and social networks," said Atiq Haneef in Afghanistan, on the Facebook page of the New York Times, where the article on this subject was posted. -"I'll "Dislike" the "Dislike" button", he said. -Roger Anderson, a microbiologist from Atlanta, said that there is nothing wrong with this button, encouraging people to have different views on Facebook. -Debra Aho Williamson, an eMarketer social media analyst, said it is hard to imagine that one button can transmit a comprehensive range of negative emotions. -Moreover, she says, the election campaign in America is approaching, and the "Dislike" button would create a total disaster. -Only 70 refugees came to Hungary in 24 hours -Hungary accepted only 70 migrants on Tuesday, a handful out of the thousands that come at its southern border with Serbia, said Government Adviser Gyorgy Bakondi. -Hungary declared a state of emergency during the day in two counties along its border with Serbia due to the flow of refugees, closing a key border crossing point and announcing that it would build a fence on the border with Romania, DPA recalls. -The measure drew a sharp reaction from Serbia. -Just yesterday they said they would seal the border for those who want to pass, not for those who wish to seek asylum. -"As you can see, this is totally different," said Serbian Minister for Refugees, Aleksandar Vulin. -Before imposing the new immigration legislation, a record number of 5,809 migrants entered Hungary on Sunday, announced the police on Monday. -In addition, more than 170,000 immigrants from the Middle East and Africa broke into Hungary from Serbia in 2015. -Many avoid being registered and try to reach the West, especially in Germany. -The "new" headquarters of the County Council is about to collapse. -Two builders in insolvency -Massive investments made here in recent years to relocate the headquarters of the institution are about to crumble because they were stopped several times. -Two majour builders who performed the works there became insolvent during work. -The County Council headquarters located in Vasile Alecsandri street will eventually crumble by itself. -After a year and a half since the consolidation and refunctionalisation works should have been completed, the works are not even half completed. -A final stage in the building saga developed these passed days when the National Council for Claims Settlement (CNSC) has rejected a complaint from the company which intended to take over the contract for the implementation of the technical project related to the work still to be executed. -The initial draft was prepared by Impex Romcatel SA. -After the insolvency of the builder and the interruption of work, negotiation procedures were initiated with Impex Romcatel without the publication of a contract notice. The company was going to update the technical design, and then a new tender for works would have been issued. -"The negotiations did not result in signing of a contract, as the County Council considered that the proposed project would not be profitable for the institution", stated Razvan Timofciuc, the public relations representative of the County Council. -The County Council's decision to discontinue direct negotiations was sued by Impex Romcatel. -The Iasi Court sent the complaint to the CNSC, who dismissed it due to being late. -This does not mean that the County Council can start searching for another designer. -Impex Romcatel has the opportunity to appeal against the decision of CNSC. Another designer can be considered only after a final judgement has been issued by the Court of Appeal. -Thus, the consolidation of the building could resume as early as next year. -Our intention is to resume work as soon as possible. -As a general principle, the redrafting of the technical project should not take long, but we must conclude a contract. -"We are waiting to see if the decision of CNSC will be appealed or not," said Timofciuc. -The consolidation of the former police headquarters began in 2011. -The first works contract was terminated in April 2012, after 4.5 million lei had been spent on construction works. -The tender resumed and the contract was awarded to Moldoconstruct SA. -The company became insolvent and this contract was also terminated after payments of 1.5 million lei had been made. -The works performed so far represent approximately 50% of the total works. -Initially, the consolidation, refunctionalisation and attic conversion works of the building have been evaluated at 7.7 million lei. -"Okay, I will tell you everything!" - A statement that might incriminate the former head of the Cadastre Office -One of the employees involved in the scandalous case of the Cadastre Office signed an agreement recognizing the facts, in exchange for deferred prison. -Most likely, his statements will incriminate the other defendants, together with the former head, Narciza Nedelcu -A member of the Office of Cadastre and Land Registration (OCPI) of Iași county accused by DNA (National Anticorruption Directorate) in a corruption case admitted his actions. -The Agreement recognising the facts signed by Dumitru Dascălu was recorded yesterday at Iasi Court and the judges agreed to give a resolution in this case on September 29. -Dumitru Daniel Dascalu was charged with forgery in repeated form and agreed to do two years in prison with deferment and community work. -Regarding the alleged acts of Dascalu, the prosecutors said that, as adviser within the Office of Cadastre, together with other colleagues, he "has forged several minutes of acceptance on service contracts priorly concluded by OCPI of Iași county with the directors of SC Gauss SRL, SC Grup Cinci SRL, SC Topo Euro Cad SRL, SC Agenția de Cadastru și Topografie SRL and PFA Lipșa Ștefan attesting the false fact that the contracted services have been performed in full, although they were not carried out and were not submitted to OCPI of Iași county; -A few days ago, the former head of the Office Narciza Nedelcu, and other former or current OCPI employees were prosecuted in this case, being accused of paying for services charged by the mentioned companies, although the works were never carried out. -The damage exceeds 300,000 lei. -Adventures in the Stone Age -According the President of the Romanian Handball Federation, Alexandru Dedu, Romania can only host a majour handball tournament in 2024, and the women's handball national team training for the Olympics qualifications costs a fortune. -The President of the Romanian Handball Federation, Alexandru Dedu, stated yesterday during a meeting with the press, that there is great pride in the fact that our country has three teams in the Champions League. -Regarding the women's national handball team, "the main objective is the qualification for the Olympic Games in Rio, but in order to achieve this goal, the team must pass two gauntlets, firstly the World Championship and secondly the prequalification tournament" added Dedu. -We very much want to qualify for the Olympics. -There are some fantastic requirements from the technical staff led by Tomas Ryde. -Staff which will be formed of seven or eight people. -He wants a deputy coach, a physician, two masseurs, goalkeepers coach, physical coach, head of delegation. -They asked certain things in order to obtain the qualification, namely materials for physical training of which I have never heard. -All this to get to the Olympics and I will do all I can to obtain them. -We're talking about a massive investment, about a lot of money. -But this is the way to excellence. -Because at this time, our training is like in the Stone Age. -"The teams we compete with have these materials and they have had them for some time," said Dedu, who also mentioned that he is trying to obtain the amounts needed to purchase these products from the Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Sport and Olympics Romanian Committee. -The president of the Romanian Handball Federation also referred to the Romanian infrastructure and the opportunity for our country to host a majour handball competition. -We do not have a gym in Bucharest. -It is a matter of infrastructure and it is shameful to think about a European Gymnastics Championship. -Let us not forget that in other parts of the world Olympic districts were built from scratch within two years. -Until 1992, the current Barcelona Olympic area was a landfill, and now it has become a landmark of beauty. -The same happened in London, where the organization of the Olympics in 2012 was a success in terms of investments. -"In my opinion, we can host a majour competition in 2024," concluded Dedu. -He added that the international handball bodies are willing to give Romania the chance to organize a majour competition. -For me it's a priority to bring majour handball competitions in Romania. -Mr. Gatu went with a project in a civilized manner and many have agreed in principle with it but they soon learned that the hall will never be built. -I have also had discussions with the EHF, I told them that we are willing, that we are able to organize such a competition and they said that they agree and that we should invite them to the first match in the new Bucharest hall so we can discuss in concrete terms afterwards. -"So EHF and IHF are both open to the idea, but we have no infrastructure" the RHF official explained. -The great former handball player avoided to evaluate the chances of the women's teams CSM Bucuresti and HCM Baia Mare to reach the Final Four: "I have asked all coaches to be reserved in making forecasts, because if they do not happen, it will prejudice them." -A safe journey to the World Cup -Romanian Rugby players have their debut on September 23 against France -The national rugby team's captain, Mihai Macovei said, on Tuesday, during a press conference, that all the members of the Romanian team are prepared for the matches of the World Cup in England, where he hopes to obtain two victories: "We are ready". -Both my colleagues and I have our engines at full speed. -We have trained to give our best during the four matches. -Everyone will have high expectations, because our goal is to win two matches against Canada and Italy. -All groups are tough, and so is ours. -Let's take it easy, firstly with France and then we'll see. -But certainly, if we win with Canada, the match with Italy will be our final. -Words cannot describe the joy of participating in the World Cup. It is the reward for so many years of work. -I do not want to disappoint anyone from the rugby family and I wish we return home with good results. -"We want you to be proud that a few players, a small family as rugby is in Romania, represents with pride the Romanian flag," said Macovei. -The coach of the national team of Romania, Lynn Howells, who is at his first experience as a coach at the World Cup, hopes to make the Romanians proud of the national rugby team: "It is a great honour for us to participate in this World Cup." -I'm sure the players are ready to participate in the tournament. -For me, it's a great experience. -For me it is very important to make the Romanians proud of the national team during each match. -The Romanian Rugby Federation President, Haralambie Dumitraș has faith that the Romanian players can prove the progress they have made in recent years in rugby. -We have a very difficult group and we want to confirm the progress made by the national team. -I wish the players good luck and I believe will do our best at the event. -"These boys have started playing in the Romanian teams at the age of 18-19, so there is cohesion, it is a group of friends who wants to achieve a dream," said Dumitraș. -At the Rugby World Cup in England, Romania will play in Group D, in the following matches: with France, on September 23 in London; with Ireland on September 27 in London; with Canada, on October 6 at Leicester; with Italy, on October 11 at Exeter. -The competition starts on Friday, on Twickenham Stadium in London, with the England - Fiji match in Group A. -New Japanese culture courses organized at "Al.I.Cuza" University. -You can learn about the arrangement of flowers in a vase, painting in ink, and a casual study of the fine arts specific to the County of the Rising Sun during the courses organized by the students of Iasi county. -The Students' Circle of Japanese Culture in Iasi organizes new courses of Japanese culture (ikebana, Sumie and fine arts) during October 2015 - June 2016, for both beginners and advanced learners. -The courses will take place at the Centre for European Studies of "Al. I. Cuza" University of Iasi and promote the traditional and modern Japanese arts and culture. -There is only one entry fee of 50 lei per month per person. -In addition to art lessons, participants will take part in the development of exhibitions and other cultural activities to promote beauty. -The Japanese culture courses that we have proposed have been designed as an invitation to the general public, to make the first steps on the road to self-discovery through art. -"Those interested will find out how to make harmonious sculptural floral creations (ikebana), how to capture the soul of the surrounding elements in plastic compositions using the Japanese ink painting art (Sumie) or how to express their own individuality and creativity through the multifaceted universe of Fine Arts (graphic, drawing, painting)" said Sorin Mazilu, the teacher of these courses. -The courses are for all those who are passionate about art, regardless of age or experience. -You can register until September 30. For more information you can use the telephone number: 0742027153 or the following e-mail address: studenticultura@gmail.com. -14 million lei given to "Sf. Spiridon" Hospital at the budget adjustment -What will this amount of money be used for? -"Sf. Spiridon" Hospital received from the Ministry of Health, following the budget adjustment, about 14 million lei. -The money received by the medical unit to be used until the end of the year will be invested in modernization and planning works of some clinics, but also for equipment and medical technology for which the hospital has already initiated the procurement procedure. -The health unit will thus be equipped with a new Tomography Computer, a new X-ray device, six surgery kits, six ICU beds properly equipped, an ophthalmologic microscope and other equipment necessary to conduct the medical activity. -On the other hand, 5 million lei of the money received by the hospital will be directed to the construction and planning of "Marele Ars" (The Great Burnt). -From the money coming from the budget adjustment, the ER will receive 500,000 lei for the completion of the modernization works in the main section. -"In addition, in the coming days we will accept the works from the bridge linking the ER to the cardiology, hepatology and gastroenterology clinics to ensure the proper transfer of patients from the ER to the neighbouring clinics" explained the manager of the medical unit. -The Hospital will soon have the Tătărași Dermatology Clinic in its premises, which will be managed in ambulatory, in the form as it currently operates. -The clinic will operate in the area where the ambulatory allergy, haematology and endocrinology sections are and will have around 30 beds. -Iasi, embarrassed by the Autonomous Administration of Public Transport controllers and a leaflet. -The adventure of a tourist -A family of tourists from Cluj came to visit Iasi, but the trip ended with a bitter promise. -After this experience, my wife and I never want to set foot in your city. -Unwillingly, they faced false information from leaflets, the rudeness of the controllers of the Autonomous Administration of Public Transport (RATP) and a fine as a bonus "because the law says so." -The couple arrived in Iasi a few days ago, they checked into a hotel and asked for tourist leaflets. -They also received a leaflet with the RATP routes. -"Armed" with these maps, the spouses visited Iasi. -But two days ago, while they were in Copou, they wanted to go to Palas Mall. -Since there was not a ticket booth in the station near Copou park, they relied on the information printed on the leaflet: they can buy a ticket by SMS. -No one told them that this service no longer exists. -Confident in the leaflet, they boarded the bus and tried to send a SMS following the instructions on the leaflet. -Unfortunately for them, a RATP control team showed up. -They said the service no longer exists for 2 years and that the press announced it has been cancelled. -HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW what was written in the local press, since I came to visit the city a night ago? -I spoke with the controllers, we explained the situation and they said they do not care, it's not their job. -The attitude was very defiant. -They said all they can do is give us just one fine instead of two (for my wife and myself). -"I paid, I did not want to ruin my site seeing day at the gendarmerie giving statements!" says Ovidiu. -In conclusion, the family was fined due to the erroneous information from the leaflet and the controllers "who applied the law to the letter." -This is not right, and I made a referral to RATP Iasi to recover my money. -It's not about the money, the amount was not that great, but the fact is that I felt cheated on. -Bad luck for the rapists of Vaslui. -They had an accident and remained in custody -The trial of the seven rapists from Vaslui was transferred, yesterday, to the Court of Appeal Iași. -The Magistrates of Iasi county settled the first hearing in a closed session in which the seven youths were accused of raping a young woman aged 18, requested to be set free. -Before starting the actual hearing, one of the judges from Iasi county who had been assigned the case, Viorel Munteanu, made a request for abstention, which was accepted by his colleagues. -The magistrate worked until this summer at Vaslui Court, where he was the president of the Criminal Section, and he is the one who, on April 9 admitted an appeal brought by four of the defendants, ordering their placement under house arrest. -Currently, the case is judged by a panel that includes the magistrates Maricica Mititelu and Geta Sandu. -Judge Dan Anton also made a request for abstention earlier in the case, because his daughter is in a relationship of cohabitation with one of the rapists' lawyers . -The two judges decided that the rapists from Vaslui should remain in custody. -The young men will remain imprisoned for at least 30 days, period after which the judges will re-discuss the possibility of setting them free. -The next hearing will be held at the Court of Appeal of Iasi county on October 6. -Before arriving at the Court of Appeal of Iasi, the van transporting the rapists from Vaslui was involved in an accident in Păcurari district as the car was entering Iasi city through the beltway. -The Iveco van that transported the seven rapists was hit by a Volkswagen that came from Canta Street whose driver tried to turn left. -The van was coming from the end of Păcurari. -The car came this way because the Prison Administration employees preferred the route from Vaslui to Iasi which passed the location of Grajduri and then they entered on the beltway. -In this way, the road was shortened by a few kilometres. -Immediately after the impact, the prisoners' escort called for another transport to take the prisoners. -Soon, at the accident scene, arrived a car sent from the Iasi Maximum Security Penitentiary, which took the seven prisoners and transported them to the Court of Appeal. -Following the accident, none of the prisoners was injured. -To transfer them into the other van, the guards surrounded the back of the cars and the prisoners came out fast by twos. -"The incident was not reported to the Police because the drivers of the two cars have amicably agreed on the damages to be paid," stated Chief Commissioner Mădălin Țăranu of the County Police Inspectorate. -The great migrations -Romania is not nor will it be ever be ready for what comes next. -What about Europe? -I'm going to say this from the beginning, loud and clear: the approximate 7,000 refugees who should be and have to be naturalised by Romania is in itself an insignificant number, but a huge one compared to the capacity of the Romanian state to manage this kind of project . -For Romania, even the voluntary quota proposed by Bucharest, amounting to about 1,500 souls, surpasses by far our good intentions of solidarity with the European Union expressed in recent months. -Certainly, if those migrants will accept to settle in our cities, the chances of a quick integration in the Romanian society are extraordinarily small. -I am convinced that they will be the first to lose their patience. -Sucked dry by the parasites of the underworld gangs and by a venal political class, the Romanian State proves to be impotent in all areas. -Failure to integrate the Gypsies is just a trivial example. -Besides, governments of any colour were not able to absorb European funds to build roads, kindergartens or modern schools, provide decent health care, collect the garbage of the streets, create decently paid jobs or prevent its young generation from leaving the country. -Why would a refugee settle in a country similar to the one he's running away from? -But what is particularly surprising is the hypocrisy displayed when dealing with such a crisis. -Firstly, we come into contact with the hypocrisy of the bellicose powerful countries of the EU, which are especially generous when it comes to sharing their troubles with smaller countries. -The second thing is the Romanians' hypocritical fear. Although Romanians have millions of relatives scattered all over the world, they still do not accept the person next to them - the one speaking a different language, having a different religion or just because he has different blood running through his veins. -We are probably afraid that someone will steal our national identity. -In the end, there is the hypocrisy of many migrants who, although only invoke the horrors of war as a reason for leaving, do not accept another destination of their exodus other than Germany or the Nordic countries. -However, not all refugees are Syrian, and Pakistan is not at war. -Furthermore, the simple way of analysing the crisis can only be derided. -Some argue that the causes must be eliminated strictly relying on political correctness, asking for peace and investments in the migrants' home countries. -But Romania is at peace and occasionally, some foreign capital is injected in the national economy - but that does not prevent tens of thousands of Romanians from leaving the country every year. -Why do they leave? -In this crisis, the European Union has revealed to be a stiff, divided and overwhelmed structure. -We express criticism about the fact that Romania is not able to invent a project for the country, but we see that the EU also doesn't have any plans for the future. -Improvisations and threats will not help. -Considering the above, what is the use of the EU, if the only advantage enjoyed by the Romanians - freedom of movement - could be called into question because of the waves of refugees crossing borders with no effort whatsoever? -At one point, the war in Syria will end. -The migrant crisis will not. -In the following decades, overpopulation, poverty, climate change, resource depletion, etc. will push millions of desperate migrants from Asia and especially Africa to a better life. -With such politicians, Romania is not nor will it be ever be ready for what comes next. -7,000 Euro per year to rent Pogor Club. -The destination is practically imposed -The tender for concession covers 10 years. -After 7 years in which it remained closed, the club from the Romanian Literature Museum's courtyard is offered by the County Council to be leased for a period of 10 years. -The building has a net area of 134 square meters on two levels of cellars. -The County Council accepts as destinations for the building only literary cafe, bookstore or other cultural activities. -The building was valued at 68,300 euros, and the auction value beings at 6.830 euros per year, with a bidding step of 25 euros. -The concessionaire will have to use the building continuously and consistently and cover all the costs of rehabilitation, according to the technical project to be drafted. -"Pogor Club Building is highly deteriorated because during the time in which the catering unit functioned in this spaces or thereafter current repairs and maintenance works were not carried out as required during the operation of a building", is stated in the tendering procedure documentation. -The concession offers for the club can be submitted by September 18. -Two brothers from Tomești swallowed sleeping pills. -They were rushed to the hospital -Two small brothers aged 9 and 11 from Tomești, swallowed several Diazepam pills. -They found the pills lying around and took them out of curiosity. -Their mother had been taking medication and the drugs were not hidden. -The children were rushed to "Sfanta Maria" hospital in Iași. -Their condition is stable, state the doctors. -EXCLUSIVE: A meeting that will break your heart. -At the age 20 she received a brave gift: her biological parents -Lost in the hospital under unclear circumstances in the mist of the 90s, when she was only two months old, tiny ill and helpless, she was adopted by a wealthy family form Italy. During this time, the adoption laws in Romania were loosely regulated. The young girl from Iași who is now a beautiful blonde girl, was reunited with their biological parents in a village of the county after nearly two decades in which neither her or her biological parents new nothing about one another. -Crina will turn 20 a few days from now, and her adoptive parents in Palermo thought to offer their beloved daughter a courageous and staggering gift: a visit to Romania, to Iași, to learn about her unclear past. -"Ziarul de Iasi" assisted in the efforts to find a family based on a few extremely vague clues, witnessed these meetings which basically broke our hearts. -The story of the reporters, the emotions, the statements of those involved and their reactions are downright poignant and overwhelming. -Crina's story begins 20 years ago in the town of Ruginoasa of Iași county, when she was only two months old. -Due to health problems, the girl had to be hospitalized in the city. -At home, disagreements between the parents started to arise and the mother had to leave the residence. -The father decided to keep the girl and to drive me away from home. -He kept the girl, and after that I lost all contact. -"When I found out that she was in the hospital, it was too late," recalls Alina grieving, the biological mother of the girl. -Crina and her grandmother were admitted to the hospital of the municipality of Pașcani, and on the same day her father, Costica Balcan went to work in the city of Alexandria, Teleorman County. -Their lives would forever part ways. -They did not find Crina at the hospital. -After admission, Crina's father went to work in another town and returned after six months. -Meanwhile, the girl was transferred to the hospital in Iași and when the father came back he couldn't find her. -I think almost nine months had passed since the girl was hospitalized. -"Maybe she thought she was been abandoned", says a niece of the family. -Because of financial problems, the grandmother could not go with Crina to Iași and the girl remained in the care of the doctors. -Because during all this time nobody came to ask about the fate of the child, she was taken by the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection in Iași, who then gave her to the Foster Care Centre in Bucium. -During that period, abandonment and adoption were more lightly regulated in comparison to today's regulations in Romania. -The child was found in the centre in Bucium by an Italian, Salvatore and his wife, a couple from Palermo who wanted to have their own child but could not. -They fell in love with blonde Crina, and after some time she moved to Italy with them. -The little girl had turned almost two when the adoption formalities were completed. -When I saw Crina, I felt she's our girl. -"It was like my wife had given birth to her", says Salvadore, the adoptive father, smiling, while his hand caches the girl's frail hand. -At home, Crina's parents, Alina and Costică continued to search separately, wherever they were able to. -The father questioned the authorities of Ruginoasa, but received no reply about the whereabouts of his child. -The police then informed him that she may be deceased, but the parents found out what really happened to their daughter in Iași. -When I sought her here, the Court told me that she is in Italy, Palermo. -I couldn't look for her anymore. -We prayed to God to keep her safe. -I thought of her all the years, but we did not have the possibility to find her. -"It's hard," says the biological mother of Crina with tears in her eyes. -However, even if the years passed, the parents from Ruginoasa were never forgotten. -In Italy, Salvatore and his wife explained to the girl about her origins and that her past links her to Romania. -I was just a little girl when I found out. -I think I was five or six. -I reacted just like a child, I was curious. -"I wanted to meet my parents from Romania," says Crina delighted. -Her dream was going to come true. -This March, Chief Commissioner Romică Ichim, the Regional Director of the Centre for Prevention, Assessment and Counselling in Iași, was contacted by an acquaintance in Italy, who explained Salvadore's desire to find Crina's biological family. -The search began with just a name. -After the request from our partners in Italy, we began taking the first steps. -I only received a name, Balcan Costica, then the name of the town, Ruginoasa. -Shortly after that I conducted a business with the city hall of Ruginoasa, and I had the possibility to ask whether the name I received was familiar to the locals. -Then they gave me some pointers, only to find that the person I was directed to wasn't he person I was looking for. -"It took about a month to find the girl's biological father," explains Chief Commissioner Romică Ichim. -In total, the authorities needed more than three months to find Costică and Alina, especially since each of them was domiciled in another locality. -We started work somewhere in March and in June-July we completed the identification of the biological parents and concluded the discussions. -"Then we decided that the first meeting will take place in September", added Romică Ichim. -Last weekend, Alina and Costică saw the girl who was lost on the halls of the hospital in Iasi for the first time in 20 years. -The father was excited and barely able to control his tears and his hands were shaking incessantly. -He barely exchanged a few words with the people around him. -A week before the meeting he hadn't really been able to sleep. -He was all excited, shaking. -"It's something extraordinary to see your baby after so many years", says a niece who came with Costică from Ruginoasa. -Meeting between Crina and her biological mother and brother -While talking to his daughter, who is going to study at a top universities in Italy, Costica Balcan said, among other things, that if his daughter ever wanted to return to him in the village, she could come at any time: he can give her some sheep, goats, she can find a man from the village and start a household. -Her mother is also emotional, cries, and she can hardly believe such a thing could happen to her. -I'm very nervous. -I could not believe something like this could happen. -I've seen such cases only on TV, I kept thinking about her all these years, I hoped, but I never thought it could happen to me. -I am very nervous. -If she could only forgive me. -I hope that we can visit each other in the future. -"I hope we can stay in contact", says Alina with big tears on her cheeks, Crina's mother, while holding a napkin tight in her hand. -She hides her tears of happiness in that napkin, because soon she will see her daughter after so long. -On the other side, Crina, whose birthday is in just a few days from now, is turning 20 and she's trying to calm herself just like an emotional child. -She has no idea of what to expect, but has a vague idea about her biological parents. -She thinks they're young, but now before the meeting she tries to gather her thoughts, because she has so much to say, but nothing to reproach. -My parents are two mothers and two fathers. -But in the end, my parents are the ones who raised me. -It will be a nice meeting, a wonderful experience. -"I hope to gain a beautiful memory after meeting them, because now there are so many things to say," confesses Crina. -The first family reunion in Iași -In Piața Unirii, beneath the autumn sky, the family from Ruginoasa joins their destiny with their daughter in Palermo. -Crina is now 20, she's finishing high school according to the Italian school system, but she has the opportunity to begin a new chapter with Alina and Costel, her biological parents. -There are no more borders or countries separating them, just one barrier: the language. -This barrier is easily broken with the help of an interpreter, a local Italian owner whose establishment is located in the centre of Iași. -Those who managed to make this meeting possible say this is the first event of its kind, and that in the future, if they will have another chance to make it happen, they will do it. -It is the first event of this kind with such amount of emotion, and I'm glad it's a success. -The centre we work at conducts various activities and most times we are associated with an institution that only deals with drug consumers or addicts. -But we try to give something good back to the community. -"If I will ever be asked to participate in such activities, I will do it with all my heart", says Romică Ichim smiling, the director of the Regional Centre for Prevention, Assessment and Counselling in Iași. -Behind him, the Balcan family with Crina in the middle walk away telling stories. -It's quite understandable: they have much to say to each other. -Temporary truce, yesterday at PSD (Social Democrat Party). -Everyone can catch their breath -The sides of PSD Branch of Iasi county concluded a temporary truce. -After multiple discussion sessions, held from Friday to Sunday, the first being the most tense, PSD leaders agreed to temporarily suspend hostilities. -Forced by the party's executive president, Liviu Dragnea, to present a unified position, the Social Democrats of Iasi county will send a whole list of potential candidates for the party's positions. -Far from being over, the party's internal war seems to be on a break to allow combatants to catch their breath. -Dragnea has not given an ultimatum. -He sent a very simple and timely message under current circumstances: try to find a solution in order not to jeopardize the party. -On October 3 we have elections within the party. -All the positions will be made available to those who want them. -"Until then, we remain in the existing structure," said Acting Mayor Mihai Chirica. -The two days of discussions over the weekend led only to the conclusion that nothing certain has been established. -At the October elections for the presidency of the county branch of PSD a fierce competition is to be expected. -On the short list of possible candidates for the main position of the Iasi branch of the party is the Secretary of state Maricel Popa, Senator Florin Constantinescu, Senator Sorin Lazar, county councillor Vasile Câtea and Acting President of the County Council, Victorel Lupu. -The mayor of Schitu Duca commune, Mihai Mihalache, can also be added. -The candidacy of PSD county councillors leader Cristian Stanciu can also be a variant, if Lupu does not enter the race, as sources within the party say he is not interested in the position. -The only name that was not mentioned by any of the participants in the negotiations of recent days is that of the former head of the branch, Mayor Gheorghe Nichita. -The list of candidates is open. -According to the statute, applications may be submitted including in the election day and no one would be surprised if it happened. -"It is important we remain united and will remain so after October 3, when we shall have a new Executive Office, a new Permanent County Office and new leadership structures," stated Câtea. -Until the organisation of internal elections, the management of PSD county branch will be provided by Victorel Lupu, a close friend of Nichita and Stanciu. -Lupu is still on vacation until September 29, the preparation of the elections being actually provided by the branch executive secretary, county councillor Mihail Popescu, who is not in the best terms with Nichita's followers. -Contacted by telephone, Cristian Stanciu stated that the recent discussions led to "a partial agreement". -There is a wide openness to maintain balance and unity in the party. -A partial consensus was reached to support a unified team to manage the county. -"But on the other hand, there are many variants on the PSD presidential candidacy intentions in Iași county, as the list is still open," said Stanciu. -A judge from Iasi rejected the file of the rapists from Vaslui on the grounds of concubinage -The seven youngsters from Vaslui convicted of rape shell be heard today by the Court of Appeal Iasi. -The rapists whose sentences range from five years and eight months to eight years and four months will present arguments concerning their freedom today, after the trial court of Vaslui has requested their immediate incarceration after the sentencing. -The case was registered at the Court of Appeal last week, magistrate Dan Anton formulating a request of abstention which was admitted by his colleagues. -Anton claimed that one of the lawyers of the defendants, attorney Bogdan Luca, is the concubine of his daughter, attorney Dana Anton. -Luca defends Silviu Ovidiu Burada, who received the highest penalty in this case. -How the judges motivated their sentence -Last weekend, the magistrate of Vaslui Court who convicted the seven youngsters motivated his sentence. -In his motivation, the judge speaks of the defiant reaction of the defendants, but also of those who supported them, stating that such attitudes create a strong sense of indignation among the public. -"The court finds that after the moment the judicial control was placed under preventive measure, the measure of liberty restriction but not liberty deprivation, due to the impact of the attitude of the defendants and their families and local supporters, was felt in the local and national community as a strong sense of indignation regarding the fact that the individuals accused of serious offenses are tried under a less restrictive measure", states the motivation of the Vaslui Court. -Also, the magistrates ruled out the main defence of the seven defendants who, during the process, invoked that the girl they raped wasn't "quite a clean potato". -"The court emphasises that the moral quality the victim is irrelevant, aspect which the defendants wished to highlight in their defence, as the physical and sexual liberty of a person cannot be violated under any pretext", adds the motivation. -Corbyn, the Brexit and the future of Europe -Due to economic and demographic reasons, the prosperity enjoyed in the last decades cannot continue in the coming years. -By Saturday, probably few people in Romania knew who Jeremy Corbyn is. -Even today, after he became the new leader of the Labour Party in Britain, many are asking to what extent can we be affected by the choice of a politician who, after all, is not in a position to take decisions. -Jeremy Corbyn is the most radical leftist leader of the Labour Party after the war. -Avowed Marxist, anti-monarchist (at one point he asked Tony Blair, then prime minister, to eliminate the royal family from Buckingham Palace), a fierce anti-American and a supporter of Vladimir Putin (he was otherwise a regular guest of the "Russia Today" television channel, and he would comment political events). He is also a supporter of the Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist movements and wants Britain to give up nuclear weapons and withdraw from NATO and the EU. -At the time, Corbyn thought that the killing of Osama bin Laden was a true tragedy and ISIS was almost to be preferred in comparison to the United States. -As all populist demagogues, Corbyn has, of course, anti-austerity miracle solutions. -These kind of things were also said and promised by Tsipras in Greece until he came to close quarters with the real world and economic standards. -The economic program of the new Labour Party leader provides, among others, massive renationalisation and money printing as a solution for projects regarding financing development and coverage of generous social benefits. -Sure, some might ask why the money printing solution is not widely adopted around the globe. We would then have a general worldwide prosperity!, but who is going to beat his brain with such details. -Sure we can bleed white the bankers, who became a kind of usual enemies of the left wing, but from what we have seen so often in the past, this things have happened not only in the former communist countries or Ecuador or Venezuela, but also in France, at the beginning of Mitterrand and Hollande's mandates. -Additional amounts are quickly swallowed by generous unsubstantiated pledges, made by populist demagogues. -As Margaret Thatcher used to warn, "the problem of socialism is that, at some point, you run out of other people's money". -Few give Jeremy Corbyn a real chance to ever become prime minister. -In the early 80s another radical leftist leader, Michael Foot failed miserably in the elections. His beliefs were not as extreme as the one of the newly elected party leader. -But Great Britain still has a working class in the classic sense of the word, relatively consistent and structured. -Unions were significantly more influential than they are now. -Under the new industrial landscape, where all services are dominant in the workforce regarded as a whole, and extensive automation has led to an industry that needed massive highly qualified manpower, Corbyn's rhetoric has limited appeal. -But even as part of the opposition, he can influence important developments that may affect us directly. -In its latest issue, the Financial Times believes that Corbyn's election increases the chances of Brexit or the withdrawal of Great Britain from the EU. -The new Labour Party leader has been a consistent opponent of the country's membership in the European Union. -In the eyes of the radical left wing, Brussels is an agent of international capitalism and a promoter of globalisation which imposed austerity to the poor. -When you combine this with the kind of ideas with the ones expressed by the radical right and the anti-immigration rhetoric and you look at the refugee crisis that shakes up the EU, you get an explosive mix. -And this is not valid only for the United Kingdom. -But if the British decide to leave the European Union as a result of the referendum, which would take place before 2017, the loss of symbolic capital for the entire European project and the deep fault lines created within the EU by the Euro crisis and recently by that of the refugees, between North and South, between East and West, this leaves room for the most worrying scenarios. -The more so, since London has been a counterweight to the Franco-German axis (in which Berlin is becoming an increasingly dominant player) for a number of Member States. -It's true that the British business environment, the City, are strong advocates for remaining a member of the EU. -But the Europe of today is not what it used to be. -Resentment is currently growing in intensity. -The recent speech of Jean Clude Junker also revealed a problem which is that Brussels increasingly tends to make majour decisions without consulting the great majority of Member States, asking for the opinion of just a few European powers, mainly Germany. -This is happening while the electoral support for anti-system, anti-immigration parties which are Eurosceptic at the same time, increases dramatically across the continent. -In other words, negatively charged emotional climate has reached levels higher than ever before. -Hence the conclusion that was drawn by the Financial Times when assessing the chances of Brexit. -The pro-EU option is based on a cold calculation departing from national interest. -If the voters will take the decision using their brain, then Great Britain will remain in the EU. -But Corbyn's victory reminds us of the power of emotion in the politics of today. -Or, Eastern Europe can be significantly affected by such majour developments. -As expected, this will happen especially if we will see a more pronounced integration of the Eurozone, which will push most of the states in the region to the outskirts of interest and to the decision-making process in Europe. -Corbyn, Tsipras and Syriza in Greece, Podemos in Spain, even Bernie Sanders in the United States feed their populist rhetoric with the frustrations accumulated in the Western world. -Due to economic and demographic reasons, the prosperity, the generous social benefits enjoyed in the last decades cannot continue in the coming years. -Under the explosive pressure of the dual crisis, Eurozone - immigration, both caused by hasty decisions which only took into account the integration political ambitions, and not the ability and willingness of the peoples and governments of Europe to respond to such challenges, turmoil on the continent , internal tensions in the EU will increase in intensity and can greatly affect Romania's situation. -It's hard to exclude possible scenarios. -The main question is whether our political leaders are able to face such difficult situations. -Constantin Brancusi, the peasant god. -Rockefeller: "How can I help you?" -Brancusi: "Take the broom and sweep the workshop!" -The great sculptor had a big dream: to be somebody, to get famous, to be known worldwide. -Behind his reputation there is something else, something almost forgotten today. We hear millions of success stories, recipes for success in life. -That something has a name. -It's called "hard work". -What else is there to be written about Constantin Brancusi? -What is there to say, really? -His face has appeared on banknotes. -Recently, a prominent bank in Romania has hired an actor to play him in a video ad. -Brancusi produces and delivers money nearly 60 years after he is no longer with us. -In Romania, there are hundreds of streets and avenues that bear his name. -Moreover, even the author of this text resides on one of these streets. -When it comes to take the offspring out for a walk, he hears the following instructions: "We're going to the park, to Brancusi". -The country is full of his statues. -There are few Romanian personalities whose works are known by so many people, from children to the elderly. -Brancusi's penetration capacity is huge. -Even the communists have failed to extirpate him from the memory and culture of Romania. -The internet is full of his quotations, receiving hundreds of thousands of likes and shares. -And then again, what else is there to say, to write about this man? -Seen from the pile of books and articles trying to reconstruct his destiny, Brancusi's life seems almost fantastic, totally improbable. -You know, there are people who say that if you didn't have the luck to be born in a big city, in a wealthy family, your chances for success in life are virtually nil. -Brancusi's life is the perfect counterexample. -And perhaps this is the key. -Perhaps the following text should start here. -With a verdict, however detestable it may be. -Forget the stupid success stories, which are delivered daily to you in newspapers and on television. -Look carefully at the face of this man. -Do you want to know how he succeeded in life, how the whole world heard of him? -It's simple. -He worked his whole life to become someone. -That's what he did. -Constantin Brancusi was born on 19 February 1876 in Hobița, a small village from Peștișani, Gorj county, at the foot of the Carpathians. -He is the fifth child of Maria and Radu Nicolae Brancusi. -Although he came from a wealthy family of farmers, Brancusi lived a modest life, but one that provided his milestones which will guide his artistic vision later. -Remembering his childhood and the places where he grew up, the artist was going to confess, in a meeting with Petre Tutea, in Paris in 1933: "Back then life was beautiful and harmonious". -For millennia, people were living a happy, patriarchal life. -Everything progressed quietly from one season to another. -And you know why things changed? -The civilization of the great city reached us. -But Brancusi's childhood was far from an idyllic one. -One of the moments of his first years of life is highly suggestive for the combination of purity and violence that characterized the future sculptor's years spent in his hometown. -The moment is reproduced in "Brancusi. A Biography" by Alexandru Buican. -In 1879, Constantin Brancusi was 3 years old. -In the autumn of that year, when plum brandy was made in the alembic, Brancusi was watching those who tasted the liquid to see if the process was conducted properly, and he seized a moment of inattention. -He filled his cupped hands with brandy and drank in one gulp. -He fell asleep almost instantly. -The first people noticed after a few minutes. -His mother panicked, then became hysterical, believing her son is dead. -In the evening, when his father, Radu, returned from the vineyard accompanied by musicians, he saw desperate signs in the distance, the signs of those who were breathlessly waiting for him. -The party immediately turned into sorrow. -The father was already thinking of the burial. -Yet somehow, someone thought it would be better to call Baba Brandusa, a healer and servant of the Brancusi family. -Brandusa checked the child's breath, then put horse dung collected from the vicinity under his nose. -The child sneezed loudly. -The people applauded. -While the boy was allowed to sleep off his drunkenness, the party continued even louder and with more energy. -The next day, the father and the son meet in the orchard. -Radu Constantin Brancusi sent his son to gather some twigs and bring them to him. -The father holds his son upside down and whips him with the twigs, beats him to forever remember this. -While he feels the sting of the blows, little Brancusi has the revelation that the world can also be seen from another perspective and that things around him can seem overturned. -The Sun's position is different from the one the boy knows, and this makes him wonder, as he later admits in his old age, that maybe the star itself brings its contribution to his trouble. -Is it possible that the Sun was as troubled as his father because of what had happened to him? -Currently, the city does not work -An MP calls on the politicians to remember those who voted for them. -Independent Deputy Viorel Blăjuț appealed to PSD (Social Democrat Party) and PNL (Liberal National Party) to cease their internal disputes and reorient their agenda towards the voters. -What we see now on our political scene is just a great disunion and nothing more. -I have not seen any USL (Social Liberal Union) projects from 2012 to continue. -No highway or Regional Emergency Hospital, you only see how the politicians argue over possible locations based on real estate interests. -We should let politics aside for a time, and we should meet to talk. -Currently, the city does not work. -"If you're busy with an internal war, you have no time for those who elected you," said Blăjuț. -He said that the current political class has disappointed the voters of Iasi county, and the consequence will be a very low presence at the upcoming local elections, at around 30%, which is virtually the parties' loyal electorate. -The deputy also believes that the voters will increasingly focus towards traditional parties, expressing reservations towards the new political initiatives, such as the Party "For Iași" which will be launched today. -Local parties have little chance and will only break the right wing's electorate, and not the one of PSD. -Such parties rely on civic active people, who are usually from the right wing. -"The right wing is crumbling further, which is not good for anyone, including PSD", said Blăjuț. -He said he is not interested in a candidacy for the upcoming local elections, denying the rumours of his intention to enter the race for the Mayor position. -I have already stated I do not want to run for any local position. -I'll think about whether to continue as a deputy for the next office. -I tried to make an appeal for unity for Iasi during the discussions on the hallways with the other MPs, and I was accused that I want to build an image. -This is not my intention, but we cannot continue in this way. -"If the people voted for us it does not mean they are stupid enough to vote for us again if they don't see anything," said Blăjuț, who stated that the main reason the electorate is no longer interested in politics is the hypocrisy of the elected persons. -A colleague from Tătărași said that he does not have enough money and he must go by bus. -Let us not be hypocrites. -Money is enough. -Sometimes I'm ashamed to take my money from the cashier's office. -At the end of the office I will report everything I spent besides the cabinet employees' salaries and its maintenance. -One month I happened to collect 30,000 lei with the reimbursements for transport, accommodation and other expenses. -"To say that an MP does not have enough money is pure hypocrisy" concluded little Blăjuț. |