Friday, November 4, 2016
Suspect in custody following Rutgers University stabbing
A suspect is in custody following reports of a stabbing at Rutgers University, New Jersey, this afternoon.
The incident sparked a lockdown of the university’s Business School in New Brunswick while the emergency services raced to the scene.
Just a few moments ago the University issued a brief statement saying that ‘three people, including the suspect, are being treated for injuries” following the incident.
Initial reports said there had been multiple stabbings reported but few details about the incident are immediately available.
Initially the University tweeted an alert to avoid the area following the stabbing.
RU ALERT: Stabbing at Rutgers Business School (New Brunswick). Avoid the area and/or take shelter. 11/04/2016 14:45:32 EDT
— Rutgers University (@RutgersU) November 4, 2016
The incident began at 2.45pm and the lockdown was later lifted around 45 minutes later with the University tweeting that a suspect had been arrested.
RU ALERT: Suspect in custody. Area is safe. Police investigation ongoing. 11/04/2016 15:29:35 EDT
— Rutgers University (@RutgersU) November 4, 2016
Initial reports from the scene say that between three and five people have been injured.
As yet no motive has been established for the attacks and it unclear how seriously hurt the stabbing victims are.
Rutgers is a leading national research university which is this year celebrating its 250th anniversary, having being established in 1766.
It is the eighth oldest higher education institution in the United States.
According to the University website more than 69,000 students and 22,000 faculty and staff learn, work, and serve the public at Rutgers locations across New Jersey and around the world.
more follows…
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African-American Historic Church Burned and Marked with “Vote Trump”
The Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Mississippi set on fire with “Vote Trump” painted on its wall. Police officials considered it as an arson case as what appears to be an election-related hate crime.
On Wednesday afternoon, Ruben Brown Sr., the Greenville Fire Chief said at a news conference that the 111-year-old African-America historic church was “intentionally set.” The Fire Chief told reporters that “Samples and evidence have been collected from inside the church and are being analyzed to determine the accelerant or ignition source”.
Fortunately, no one was injured during the fire on Tuesday night but the church was severely damaged.
Hate Crime
The Greenville Police Chief Delando Wilson released a statement on Wednesday morning that they are “investigating this as a hate crime”. He added, “We feel that the quote on the church is intimidating. It tries to push your beliefs on someone else, and this is a predominantly black church and no one has a right to try to influence the way someone votes in this election.”
Police authorities interviewed a “person of interest” on Wednesday night regarding the fire. According to Chief Wilson, the police did not charge the individual.
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Recent Discovery Show Smoking Cause Permanent DNA Mutation
Scientists recently discovered that smoking creates an “archaeological record” of hundreds of DNA mutations. Unfortunately, the study reveals that the genetic mutations are permanent even if the individual has already stopped smoking.
A smoker who consumes 20 cigarettes a day can produce an average of 150 mutations in each lung every year. Scientist discovered the findings after sequencing thousands of tumor genomes.
Cause of Cancer
Analyzing DNA tumor may help researchers to find out the underlying origin of several cancers.
Pamela Pugh started smoking when she was 17 and quit during her early 50s. Sadly, the 69-year-old, doctors diagnosed her with lung cancer in 2013.
Pugh said that she never thought smoking can affect her even though she gave it up a long time ago. She added that “Had I known as a teenager that smoking caused mutations which would stay with me for life then I would never had started”.
Genetic Mutation
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridgeshire and the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico along with other international group conducted the study. The journal Science published the research.
The study presents a direct link of the mutation in the tumor DNA and the total number of cigarettes smoked.
Prof Sir Mike Stratton, of Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the lead author said, “The more mutations there are, the higher the chance that these will occur in the key genes that we call cancer genes, which convert a normal cell into a cancer cell.”
Researchers discovered that in lung tissues, they found at least 60 carcinogens of the mutational signature chemicals in the tobacco smoke. The lungs are directly exposed to smoke.
However, the scientist did not find the same mutational pattern in the bladders tissues. Since the bladders are not directly exposed to smoke.
The exact event on how the organs react to smoking remains “mysterious and complex”. According to Prof Stratton, smoking contributes to the acceleration of the ordinary mutational sequences. He added that further studies of the investigative methodology can identify other underlying causes of cancer, those that are less known.
Prof Stratton said, “By looking in the genomes of the cancers, we will find the archaeological traces of past exposures which have been responsible for generating the cancers and that may potentially lead to prevention”.
Genetic disruption
A consultant oncologist at the Papworth Hospital and Roy Castle Lung Foundation, Dr. David Gilligan said, “For every 150 mutations in the cell each year that is 150 opportunities for lung cancer to develop. Lung cancer has been at the bottom of the survival league for many years, but there are many exciting developments, including immunotherapy and genetically targeted drug treatments.”
Pugh received a treatment of a trial drug for six months at Papworth and Addenbrooke’s Hospitals in Cambridgeshire. The drug aims to interrupt the contributing genes that make lung cancer progress.
Experts examined DNA tumors in the participants of the Matrix trial to see how the genes respond to the treatment. However, in Pugh’s case, a scan showed that the tumor in her right lung had grown. She needs to leave the experiment to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
In the UK alone, lung cancer partakes to 35,000 deaths annually. However, with proper medical care, experts estimated 9 out of 10 cases are treatable.
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New Heavy Rocket Launch Advances China’s Space Program
China’s state media said that the country has launched its new Long March-5 heavy rocket sending its cargo into orbit. It is the country’s latest move in progressing its space exploration program.
The launch comes following China’s commencement of its longest manned space mission last month, transporting two astronauts to spend a month on board a space laboratory. The manned space mission is a part of a general plan to have a permanent manned space station by 2022.
The rocket is bigger than the earlier versions of the Long-March carrier rockets. State news agency Xinhua said it lifted off on Thursday night from a launch pad in the southern province of Hianan. The launch was aimed at verifying the rockets performance and design.
“Its successful launch has propelled China to the forefront of the world in terms of rocket carrying capacity, and marks a milestone in China’s transition from a major player in space to a major power in space,” Xinhua mentioned the ruling Communist Party’s Central Committee and powerful Central Military Commission as stating in a letter.
The two-stage rocket’s capability to put 25 tonnes of cargo into low-Earth orbit and 14 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit renders its carrying capacity 2.5 times larger than previous models, Xinhua said.
The news agency said that the heavy-lift carrier rocket provides China the ability to build a permanent manned space station and explore the moon and Mars.
Developing China’s space program, which China insists is for peaceful purposes, is a priority for Beijing.
The U.S. Defense Department has underlined China’s improving space capabilities. It said that China was engaging on activities meant at keeping other nations from using space-based assets in a crisis.
In late 2013, China’s Jade Rabbit moon rover landed on the moon to great fanfare. However, it developed severe technical problems soon after.
The moon rover and the Chan’e 3 probe that transported it there were first landing on the moon since 1976. Both Russia and the United States had accomplished the feat earlier.
US firms such as Blue Origin and SpaceX are currently developing space flight capabilities. Both companies are developing reusable rockets. SpaceX has gone as far as disclosing their ambitious plan of a manned mission to Mars as soon as 2024.
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UNESCO Says One Journalist Dead Every 4.5 days
On Wednesday, UNESCO announced a disturbing report about journalist killings statistics. According to the institution, one journalist is killed every four and a half days. 39 members of the Intergovernmental Council of UNESCO requested the report. In which Syria tops the list as the worst country for a journalist killed in the line of duty.
According to the report from the Director-General, 827 journalists died while on the job within the past 10 years. The report said, “The extent of the risks faced by journalists is demonstrated by the 827 killings recorded by UNESCO over the course of ten years,”
Worst Countries
In the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity report, the worst countries belong to the Arab Nations. Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, the four countries with the highest journalist fatalities top the list. Latin America followed next as the worst affected nation.
The most shocking surge of journalist slayings occurred in Western Europe and North America. In 2014, no journalist died in the line of duty, the number drastically increased to 11 journalists killed in 2015.
Local Journalist more vulnerable
The report also revealed that local journalists are more vulnerable to danger than foreign correspondent, amounting to 90% of the fatalities. However, a huge spike of deaths recorded for foreign correspondents in 2014. On the same year, 17 journalists killed compare to an average of 4 correspondents in the past years.
Online Journalist
Similarly, online journalist falls victims to the killings. A huge increase in fatalities with a total count of 21 from 2 in 2014, Syrian bloggers reckoned half of them.
Men vs Women
The UNESCO report also uncovered that men were 10 times more susceptible to killings than women. A total of 195 to 18 deaths recorded from 2014 up to 2015. TV journalists serve main targets than the print journalists.
Findings of the report indicated that death is not the only danger journalist have to face.
The report stated for the world to understand, “To this, one needs to add the countless other violations endured by journalists, which include kidnappings, arbitrary detention, torture, intimidation, and harassment, both offline and online, and seizure or destruction of material.”
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Incidence of Suicide Surpasses Number Car Crash Deaths Among Middle School Students in US
A federal report issued on Thursday said that the suicide rate among US middle school students doubled from 2007 to 2014. It is the first time the tally surpassed the incidence of youngsters aged 10 to 14 who died in car accidents.
The consistent seven-year increase in suicide among middle school students, from an annual rate of middle school suicides is 0.9 to 2.1 per 100,000, came as traffic casualties among the same age group decreased to 1.9 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
The motor vehicle mortality rate reported for 2014 indicated a 60 percent drop from 1999. 2014 was the latest year for which such data was available, while 1999 was when the government started monitoring such figures.
In cumulative numbers, 425 young individuals 10 to 14 years of age took their own lives in 2014. On the other hand, 384 individuals from the same age group died in car accidents that same year, according to the CDC.
Commenting on the findings, Mark Kaplan, a professor of social welfare at the University of California reiterated that any increase in youth suicides should be of concern.
“In time we might uncover some reasons, but a cautionary note is not to rush to any conclusions from this,” Kaplan said.
The primary causes of suicide are highly complex. This makes it tough to explain the trends documented by the CDC, he added.
Accidents in General on the Rise
According to the CDC, the leading general cause of death for Americans aged 10 to 14 remains accidents of all kinds, including car crashes. This accounted for 750 fatalities in that age group in 2014,.
Mortality rates from traffic collisions among all age groups have declined over several decades in the United States. Observers attribute this, in part, to improved safety features in cars, such as airbags.
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Driver in School Bus Crash Shouldn’t Have Been at the Wheel
The school bus driver who was implicated in a deadly crash with a commuter bus in Baltimore this week should not have been behind the wheel since his commercial driver’s license was suspended two months ago.
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration spokesman Chuck Brown said in a statement that they did not receive an updated Medical Examiner’s Certificate from Glenn R. Chappell. The driver’s one-year certificate expired in August 31 and federal law requires an updated one for holders of commercial driver’s licenses. These licenses are mandatory for school bus drivers in Maryland.
Brown presented copies of two cautionary letters the agency sent Chappell. One, dated July 17, prompted him that his certificate would soon expire. The other, dated Sept. 8, informed Chappell that he is no longer authorized to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
He was advised to either present updated information or have his permit demoted to a noncommercial driver’s license.
Another reason that could have prevented Chappell from driving: He pleaded guilty in 2012 to second-degree assault. A State Board of Education ruling says a school system “may not” allow someone condemned of a violent crime to operate a school vehicle.
In a statement obtained by WJZ-TV from AA Affordable, the transport company offered condolences to the victims’ families. Further, it said that the company is cooperating entirely with investigators and cannot comment while the investigation is underway.
Brown said that to renew a certification, drivers must disclose whether they have suffered a seizure, brain injury, dizziness or high blood pressure. Drivers should also submit to measurements of other standard health indicators. However, the resulting certificate doesn’t contain this detail so the agency is unaware about any medical conditions a driver might have.
The agency forwards warning letters only to commercial driver’s license holders, not their employers, Brown said. But federal regulations oblige companies to maintain the certificates for all of their drivers with commercial licenses.
The accident on Tuesday killed Chappell, 67, along with a Maryland Transit Administration bus driver and four mass transit passengers. Chappell’s school bus crossed the centerline and crashed into the commuter bus in southwest Baltimore. No children were onboard when the crash occurred.
Chappell’s son Moses said family members, as well as investigators, are awaiting his father’s autopsy results. It could reveal the probability that Chappell suffered a medical emergency. Investigators are also exploring whether speed played a role in the crash.
Moses said he never saw his father drink alcohol. He claimed that his father maintained a healthy lifestyle and that he didn’t appear to have any health issues.
His father drove trucks, buses and taxi cabs over the years, and loved driving, Moses added.
“It’s been the toughest 48 hours of my life,” he said.
Discretion that Could Have Prevented the Crash
A close reading of the board of education rules indicates that Glenn Chappell’s assault conviction wouldn’t have automatically prohibited him from driving a school bus; the wording seems to provide authorities some discretion.
The local school district would have been liable for making sure Chappell met state requirements.
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Garth Brooks wins Entertainer of the Year; Beyonce ruled 50th Annual CMA night
Presented by Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks were among the top awardees, BUT Brooks is the 50th Annual Country Music Award ‘Entertainer of the Year’, which is the highest award of the night.
Surprisingly, the Pop R&B Queen Beyonce took the spotlight, sporting a glittered, beaded gown, she ruled the audience as she performed country blues “Daddy Lesson” from her latest album “Lemonade” alongside was the Texas born star Dixie Chicks.
However, some fans expressed their frustration thru social media on why CMA allowed Beyonce to perform on the prestigious night.
“Tim McGraw on point with that diversity theme performing “Humble And Kind,” wrote one Twitter user, while another posted “This the first time black twitter has live tweeted the CMAs. Hilarious.”
Lifetime Achievement Award
Meanwhile, Dolly Parton earned the ‘Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award’, she said, “I would cry, but I didn’t want to mess up my eyelashes.”
Kenny Chesney won the special Pinnacle Award, this is only the third time this award has been presented at the CMA Awards
Carrie Underwood named Female Vocalist of the Year Award for the fourth time. Underwood was so overwhelmed and at loss for words, saying “I’ve just become suddenly stupid.”
Chris Stapleton received male vocalist of the year award for the second time and ended his message saying “It takes a village,” a famous line often linked with U.S president candidate Hilary Clinton.
Paisley and Underwood also told jokes about the presidential campaign in opening remarks that included the lines “this show is rigged,” as well as. “will you accept tonight’s results?” and “You’re a nasty woman.”
This was also a night to remember for Maren Morris who won for new artist, noting “Last year I sat across the street in a bar and watched this show.”
Eric Church received album of the year for “Mr. Misunderstood.”
Other awards went to Little Big Town for vocal group of the year and the Brothers Osborne, won vocal due of the year, Thomas Rhett for “Die a Happy Man,” won Single of the Year and Lori McKenna’s “Humble and King,” named song of the year.
CMA has been televised live from Nashville on ABC and aired more than three hours.
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Experts Pointed Out Safety Risk to SpaceX Fuel Proposal
A group of industry experts that advises NASA has told the U.S space agency about the danger of Elon Musk’s SpaceX proposal – to fuel its rockets while astronauts are on board. The team raised serious concerns after the fatal explosion incident while fueling the unmanned rocket last September. The incident is still under investigation.
In a conference call on Monday, Space Station Advisory Committee Chairman Thomas Stafford said, “This is a hazardous operation.”
NASA’s eight members including rockets Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle gets fueled before the astronaut’s board to the launch pad.
“Everybody there, and particularly the people who had experience over the years, said nobody is ever near the pad when they fuel a booster,” Stafford said
SpaceX launch system needs NASA approval before it can fully operate and send astronauts into space.
In a statement released last Tuesday, NASA said, “continuing its evaluation of the SpaceX concept for fueling the Falcon 9 for commercial crew launches. The results of the company’s Sept. 1 mishap investigation will be incorporated into NASA’s evaluation.”
Meanwhile, Tesla Motors Inc CEO Musk, who owned SpaceX said, “It would re-evaluate its fueling system and launch processes depending on results of the accident investigation.”
SpaceX said on Friday, that the explosion incident happened last September 1 was due to fueling error – a pressurized container of helium inside the rocket’s upper stage exploded which destroyed a $200 million Israeli Communication Satellite and the booster itself
Rocket engine uses super-chilled liquid propellants to increase the rocket’s efficiency to turn around and fly back to earth and be reused.
NASA stopped its Space Shuttle Program in 2011, then hired SpaceX and Boeing Co to fly its crew to the space stations.
Future of Space Travel
SpaceX is expecting to launch its passenger spaceship on 2018. The spaceship will include an emergency escape system. It will incorporate the a flight system for the main cabin capsule to fly away from a failing rocket before and after the launch.
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U.S. Senators: Wells Fargo Sales Scandal Includes Brokerage Unit
Wells Fargo broadened the scope of a scandal as it fired hundreds of brokerage workers for improper sales practices, three US senators said on Thursday. The fourth-biggest US bank has so far defined the controversy as a retail banking problem.
Senators Elizabeth Warren, Robert Menendez and Ron Wyden, in a letter to Wells Fargo Chief Executive Tim Sloan, questioned the bank’s revelations about those employee’s terminations in mandatory regulatory filings.
The letter is the first sign that clients of the brokerage business ‘Wells Fargo Advisors’, may have also been affected.
Wells Fargo would pay $5 million to customers and $185 million in penalties. This is for opening up to 2 million credit card and deposit accounts in customers’ names without their knowledge.
The San Francisco-based bank said it dismissed 5,300 employees for inappropriate sales practices over a period of five years.
In October, Reuters reported that thousands of small business customers have also been affected.
FINRA on the Case
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) informed congressional staff that it had received dismissal documents, or Form U5s, for at least 600 of those fired Wells Fargo employees. But only 207 of them have information indicating they were fired for practices that led to fake accounts.
FINRA is a non-government organization that regulates member brokerage firms and securities dealers.
The senators said that the incomplete U5 filings may have held back information from regulators that could have helped them to discover and stop the illegal activity sooner.
Spokeswoman Nancy Condon said that FINRA takes seriously the accuracy and integrity of all filings made by firms.
She disclosed that FINRA last week started a review of sales programs for all firms it administers.
Several investigations, including an internal review, were ongoing, Wells Fargo spokeswoman Jennifer Greeson Dunn said. She added that that the bank has been working for years to halt wrongful sales practices. She will be taking steps to mend the damage.
Sloan said at a conference on Thursday that he had not aware of issues outside the retail bank.
Wells Fargo’s retail branches include workers from other businesses who offer products other than bank accounts.
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Two Australians Pose as Pro Golfers Bluffed Their Way to North Korea’s Golf Tournament
Two Australian pose as professional golfers and bluff their way into the 18-hole international tournament in North Korea.
Morgan Ruig and Evan Shay, both 28 pulled of one of the craziest sports prank ever. The two were in a Polo trip in Beijing when they heard about the competition.
The two Australians emailed their application to North Korea, posing as professional Australian Team and wore fake green blazers bearing the National Logo. After the event, Ruig and Shay left two day tournament in North Korea without any problems.
85 participants flew from various parts of the world, to compete in the only golf course in North Korea, the Pyongyang Golf Course.
In 1987, late leader Kim Jong-il opened the Pyongyang Golf Complex; there are stories that the leader shot 11 holes-in-ones on first attempt.
The Australians were guarded by North Korean officials throughout their five-day trip. They were also given a tour of Pyongyang, where they offered flowers at a monument of the country’s infamous leaders.
Performance at the Green
Morgan Ruig told the Courier-Mail newspapaer, “We were very nervous handing our passports over at the border. There are stories of people not coming home.”
“I hit 120 and my caddy told me I had bought great shame to my family.”
“We played very poorly… but we met some very interesting people,” he added.
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Ruig said the officials thought it’s “quite funny.”
Despite their poor performance at the tournament, he said the experience was “character building.”
“I wouldn’t recommend it to a light-hearted traveller. It was pretty hardcore but it was an amazing experience.”
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Fear of Leaks Pushed FBI Decision on Emails Connected to Clinton
Law enforcement sources said on Thursday FBI Director James Comey was compelled in part by a fear of leaks from within his agency when he decided to inform Congress the FBI was investigating newly found emails related to Hillary Clinton,.
The analysis of the email traffic is now being done under the tightest secrecy by a team at the FBI headquarters in Washington, the sources said, requesting anonymity due to the inquiry’s sensitivity.
Another source said that it would depend on how the investigation goes and what the FBI finds. The source added that, as of Thursday, nobody really knows whether the FBI will have anything more to say before the election.
Last Friday, Comey sent a letter to senior lawmakers regarding the newly discovered emails. His disclosure just days before the elections elicited questions about his intentions and drew criticism from some over his timing.
Comey revealed that the FBI was looking at emails as part of an investigation into Clinton’s use of an unauthorized server while secretary of state. The FBI director did not describe the emails’ content or how long the probe might take. The FBI normally does not comment on ongoing investigations.
The new emails came to light as FBI investigators were inspecting electronic devices used by former congressman Anthony Weiner in connection with an apparent “sexting” scandal. Weiner’s estranged wife, Huma Abedin, is a Clinton confidante.
According to law enforcement sources, the FBI has made initial inquiries into Clinton Foundation activities and supposed contacts between Trump and accomplices with factions in Russia. However, these inquests were swung into low gear weeks ago because the FBI wanted to avoid any effect on the election.
Clinton had used unauthorized server at her residence in Chappaqua, New York, instead of the secure State Department system. The FBI beforehand had spent close to a year probing Clinton’s use of the private server after classified government secrets were discovered in some of her emails.
Comey had stated in July that while there was “evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.”
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