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The Latest: Congress releases Russia-linked Facebook ads

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The Latest: Congress releases Russia-linked Facebook ads

The Associated Press
Facebook's General Counsel Colin Stretch speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Russian election activity and technology, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

    The Latest on Russian use of Facebook, Twitter and Google to try to influence the 2016 U.S. election (all times local):

    7 p.m.

    A trove of Facebook ads made public by Congress depicts Russia's extraordinary cyber intrusion into American life in 2016.

    The ads, seen by vast numbers of people, were aimed at upending the nation's democratic debate and fomenting discord over such disparate issues as immigration, gun control and politics.

    The few dozen ads are a small sampling of the roughly 3,000 Russian-connected ones that Facebook has identified and turned over to Congress.

    They were released Wednesday amid two consecutive days of tough and sometimes caustic questioning by House and Senate lawmakers about why social media giants hadn't done more to combat Russian interference on their sites.

    U.S. intelligence services say the Russian use of social media was part of a broad effort to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.

    ———

    6:15 p.m.

    Apple CEO Tim Cook weighed in on the grilling his high-tech colleagues got by congressional investigators this week — saying fake news, and manipulation campaigns were a bigger deal than simply ads bought by foreign governments.

    In an interview with NBC's Lester Holt to air Wednesday evening, Cook said he believes ads bought by state actors are "point-one percent of the issue" and the larger problem remains "that some of these tools are used to divide people, to manipulate people, to get fake news to people in broad numbers, and so, to influence their thinking."

    Lawyers from Facebook, Google and Twitter were harshly questioned by lawmakers in three separate public hearings Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington.

    Cook spoke ahead of the Friday release of the iPhone X (pronounced "ten"). While Apple also sells ads and distributes content through Apple News, it makes most of its money from sales of iPhones.

    ———

    5 p.m.

    A Democrat on the House intelligence committee says Tuesday's attack on a New York City bike path shows there is still misinformation promoted on social media platforms.

    Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley said If you clicked on the trending topic "New York City terrorist attack" on Twitter, the top link was from the website Infowars. That site is run by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

    Quigley said it was a "real-time example" of misinformation being weaponized.

    Sean Edgett, Twitter's general counsel, said the system corrected the link but he doesn't know how long it was at the top. He said it was "a bad user experience and we don't want to be known for that."

    Eight people were killed when the attacker drove a rented truck onto the bike path near the World Trade Center memorial.

    ———

    4:30 p.m.

    A member of the House intelligence committee is challenging Facebook on its diversity.

    Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell says members of the Congressional Black Caucus visited Facebook's California headquarters last month. She suggests it will be hard for the company to monitor for ads from Russia that try to stoke racial tensions if employees at the company aren't diverse.

    In the U.S., 3 percent of Facebook's workforce is black. Sewell said Wednesday the company should make sure it is not "adding to the problem," and asked the company's general counsel, Colin Stretch, if she should trust those vetting the ads are a diverse work force.

    Stretch said the company understands the importance of diversity.

    Many of the more than 3,000 Russia-linked ads that Facebook has turned over to the panel attempt to stoke racial tensions from all sides.

    ———

    4:10 p.m.

    Documents released by House lawmakers show that Russian-linked organizations buying Facebook ads weren't always successful in getting their message seen.

    One pro-Bernie Sanders ad from a group purportedly called the "United Muslims of America" was narrowly targeted — to those who already follow that group, as well as their friends. Consequently, the ad got just 11 views, and no one clicked it.

    Because Facebook charges based on the number of views, the ad cost less than six rubles (10 cents).

    Payment was through Qiwi, a Moscow-based payment provider. The company's website says Qiwi aims to serve "the new generation in Russia" and former Soviet republics.

    The ads were released Wednesday as representatives of leading social media companies faced criticism on Capitol Hill about why they hadn't done more to combat Russian interference on their sites and prevent foreign agents from meddling in last year's election.

    ———

    3:45 p.m.

    The House intelligence committee is only releasing a sampling of the more than 3,000 ads that Facebook has turned over to the panel.

    Texas Rep. Mike Conaway, the Republican leading the committee's probe into Russian interference, has said the committee will release the ads. But Conaway only released five ads on Wednesday as the panel grilled representatives from Facebook, Twitter and Google. Committee Democrats released around two dozen more.

    In a memo, the committee Democrats said the panel is working to "scrub personally identifiable information" so they can release the ads.

    The ads released by Conaway were all paid for in Russian rubles and directed users to pages that targeted different groups: "Blactivist," ''Woke blacks," ''South United," ''Being Patriotic" and "Back the Badge."

    The ads received between 32,000 and 73,000 clicks.

    ———

    3:30 p.m.

    The release of a trove of Facebook ads bought by a Russian firm show a clear attempt to target the information to certain audiences.

    The release included details on ad placements and spending. In one case, one of the ads — a video parodying Donald Trump — targeted blacks who also are interested in BlackNews.com, HuffPost Politics or HuffPost Black Voices. It was shown 716 times and got 42 clicks.

    The ads were released Wednesday as representatives of leading social media companies faced criticism on Capitol Hill about why they hadn't done more to combat Russian interference on their sites and prevent foreign agents from meddling in last year's election.

    ———

    2:40 p.m.

    Lawmakers have released troves of Facebook ads linked to a Russian internet agency and meant to influence American public opinion.

    The ads were released Wednesday as officials from Facebook and other social media companies faced criticism for not doing enough to prevent Russian agents from interfering with the American political process. Many of the ads purchased during the 2016 election focused on divisive social issues like immigration and gay rights.

    In preparation for hearings this week, Facebook disclosed that content generated by a Russian group, the Internet Research Agency, potentially reached as many as 126 million users. Facebook had earlier turned over more than 3,000 advertisements linked to that group.

    Twitter also disclosed that it has uncovered and shut down 2,752 accounts linked to the same group.

    ———

    12:25 p.m.

    Lawmakers are demanding answers from leading social media companies about why they haven't done more to combat Russian interference on their sites.

    One Democrat says congressional action might be needed in response to what she calls "the start of cyberwarfare" against American democracy.

    Representatives from Facebook, Twitter and Google have struggled at times to defend themselves against complaints they didn't act quickly or thoroughly enough as it became evident that Russians used the sites to try to influence the 2016 U.S. election.

    The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee says his questions about the interference were "blown off" by the companies until this summer.

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    Source – abcnews.go.com

    Technology

    US moves to end ban on new uranium mining near Grand Canyon

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    US moves to end ban on new uranium mining near Grand Canyon

    The Associated Press
    FILE – This Feb. 22, 2005 photo shows the North Rim of Grand Canyon in Arizona. Federal officials are proposing to lift the Obama administration's ban on issuing new mining leases for mining uranium from public land outside Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona. The Forest Service's announcement Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017, of the proposed change responds to President Donald Trump's executive order for federal agencies to eliminate numerous restrictions on energy production. (AP Photo/Rick Hossman,File)

      U.S. officials said Wednesday that they have proposed ending the Obama administration's ban on new uranium mining leases on public land outside Grand Canyon National Park.

      The Forest Service proposed the change in response to President Donald Trump's executive order for federal agencies to eliminate restrictions on energy production. The Trump administration has moved to unravel former President Barack Obama's environmental regulations aimed at curbing climate change.

      "Adoption of this recommendation could reopen lands to mineral entry pursuant to the United States mining laws facilitating exploration for, and possibly development of, uranium resources," according to a report last week by the Forest Service's parent agency, the Department of Agriculture.

      The Oct. 25 report also said it's in the national interest "to promote the clean and safe development of America's vast energy resources." Nuclear power plants use uranium as fuel.

      Conservationists are decrying the Forest Service's move, saying that past uranium mining in the region has polluted soils, washes, aquifers and drinking water.

      "The Forest Service should be advocating for a permanent mining ban, not for advancing private mining interests that threaten one of the natural wonders of the world," said Amber Reimondo, energy program director of the Grand Canyon Trust based in Flagstaff.

      In 2012, then-Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar banned new hard rock mining for 20 years on more than 1 million acres of national forest and Bureau of Land Management land near the Grand Canyon. He said he was acting to protect a "priceless American landscape."

      The ban did not affect existing mining claims in the region.

      • Star


      Source – abcnews.go.com

      Business

      Govt loses vote on Brexit impact papers

      skynews-theresa-may-westminster_4143264
      Theresa May has resisted publishing the documents

      By Aubrey Allegretti, Political Reporter

      The Government has lost an opposition vote calling on it to publish impact assessments of Brexit on more than 50 key industries.

      There was no official division as only Labour MPs backed it and no Conservative MPs objected.

      Speaker John Bercow said he "expects" the Government to respect the decision – despite confusion over whether the result is binding.

      Opposition Day debate motions are traditionally non-binding, but Labour had tabled a special "Humble Address" motion.

      It is a centuries-old and infrequently used procedure that asks the Queen directly to request documents from the Government.

      Mr Bercow had only advised: "Motions of this kind have in the past been seen as effective or binding."

      He warned ministers could be in "contempt" of Parliament if they ignore the call.

      Jean-Claude Juncker gives the 2017 State of the Union address for the EU
      How the EU might move on without the UK

      Afterwards, SNP MP Peter Grant said: "Today's debate at Westminster was an utter shambles – and clearly the Tories are in a total panic about these secret papers.

      ''People have the right to know just how bad Brexit is going to be – particularly as the people of Scotland rejected it by such a large margin.''

      Labour hailed the vote as a "victory for Parliament and for democracy".

      Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: "It's completely unacceptable for the Tories to have wasted months avoiding responsible scrutiny and trying to keep the public in the dark.

      "The reality is that it should not have taken an ancient parliamentary procedure to get ministers to listen to common sense.

      "As the Speaker has made clear, the Government cannot ignore tonight's binding decision. David Davis must now respond to Parliament's ruling and urgently set a date for when he will share these papers."

      Brexit
      Brexit will cost how much?!

      The Government has been fighting to keep its Brexit impact assessment papers secret, amid claims their release would weaken the UK's negotiating hand.

      The 58 sectors analysed include the nuclear, rail and tourism industries.

      The senior whip charged with publishing the assessments will be Chris Heaton-Harris, who is Vice Chamberlain of the Household and also the MP who wrote to universities asking for reading lists on Brexit.

      More politics news

      • Previous article Fallon resignation 'absurd and ridiculous'
      • Next article Sky Views: End Westminster's toxic culture


      Source – News.sky.com

      Lifestyle

      Pregnant Obese Mom Thinks Her Baby Died Until C-Section Doctor Finds The Heartbeat Buried Inside Her

      Shannon Roan was a young 20-year-old who weighed more than 238 pounds when she got pregnant with her first child. Shannon’s pregnancy was going smoothly until the 26th week when she was diagnosed with strep B. Group B Streptococcus is a type of bacterial infection that is found in pregnant women vagina or rectum. This bacteria is normally found in 25 percent of healthy adult pregnant women and it causes no harm. However, in case of Shannon, she was rushed to the hospital because she experienced bleeding during her pregnancy.

      Image source: Caters

      According to research, GBS is harmless but in some conditions, it may cause stillbirth and fatal infections in newborns such as pneumonia, meningitis, and blood poisoning. At this time Shannon, said, her belly grew so big that the doctors were unable to detect her son’s heartbeat due to the rapidly growing belly fat. The doctors were convinced that her son has passed away inside the womb. Shannon herself was losing health and fell into a coma before delivering the baby.

      The doctors had to perform an emergency C-section on her to save both her life and her baby’s. Her family was notified of the horrific consequences that could occur and they should be prepared for it.

      Image source: Caters
      A few days later when Shannon woke up from the coma she was baffled to discover that her baby was doing fine and so was she. Shannon had given birth to a baby boy whom she named, George- her miracle son.
      Later when the young mother and son were sent home, George would often get sick and was rushed to the emergency. The reason behind Geroge’s sickness was Shannon’s large intake of carbs while breastfeeding.

      According to research, women who eat a lot of carbs, and sugary food items while breastfeeding can cause obesity and diabetes in their infants. Soon after her pregnancy, Shannon started gaining more and more weight which was threatening for her life.

      Image source: Caters

      After her complicated pregnancy and astounding recovery, Shannon decided to make the most of the second chance that life has given her. When she stopped breastfeeding George, she signed up for a weight loss program. The struggle was not easy, but due to her immense hard work and resilient attitude, Shannon lost 100 pounds and was now a size 8 down from size 20. Inspired by her drastic change, Shannon was awarded the “Slimmer of The Year” by Cambridge Weight Plans, among all the other participants.

      Whereas, George who would often remain sick, also rapidly recovered from Sepsis which caused harmful bacteria in his tissues. At one time, the doctors thought he was dead, but the little fighter fought for his life and his now a happy and healthy one-year-old toddler.

      Image source: Caters

      The story of Shannon and George inspires us to never give up. Life has a way of testing us and it will throw the worst at us, but if you stay strong and keep fighting you can overcome everything. And remember, never to lose hope.

      Liked This? Here’s More For You To Read: Exercises You Need To Look Gorgeous When Naked

      Article By: Born Realist

      The post Pregnant Obese Mom Thinks Her Baby Died Until C-Section Doctor Finds The Heartbeat Buried Inside Her appeared first on Born Realist.


      Source – bornrealist.com

      World

      Colombia’s Farc leader Timochenko to run for president

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      Colombia's Farc leader Timochenko to run for president

      Image copyright Reuters
      Image caption Timochenko has gone from rebel leader to presidential candidate

      The leader of the demobilised Farc rebel group has announced he will run for president in 2018.

      Rodrigo Londoño, known as Timochenko, signed a peace deal with the Colombian government a year ago. He will run for the party founded by the rebel group.

      Timochenko, 58, became the leader of Farc rebels in 2011.

      His chances of becoming president are deemed to be minimal as many Colombians are loath to see a former rebel representing them.

      Right-wing parties in particular have been critical of the peace process for allowing Farc members to run for office without having to serve prison time.

      More than 260,000 people were killed in more than five decades of armed conflict between the Farc, government forces and right-wing paramilitaries.

      Polls suggest that many Colombians continue to question the Farc's commitment to peace.

      Its party has retained the same acronym but it now stands for Revolutionary Alternative Force of the Common People, rather than the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

      From rebel to politician

      Timochenko succeeded Alfonso Cano as the Farc's top commander after the latter was killed by the Colombian armed forces.

      • Timochenko: The rebel leader who talks peace
      • Who are the Farc?

      Soon afterwards, he signalled his willingness to enter to enter into peace talks with the government.

      After four years of negotiations, the two sides reached an agreement, only for it to be rejected by the Colombian people in a referendum.

      A revised agreement was signed by Timochenko and President Santos on 24 November 2016 and approved by Congress.

      In it, the Farc agreed to lay down their weapons and turn themselves into a political party.

      Image copyright Getty Images
      Image caption President Juan Manuel Santos (left) and Timochenko (right) negotiated a peace deal to end 54 years of armed conflict

      They officially ceased to be an armed group on 27 June when a ceremony marked the end of the disarmament process.

      At the ceremony, Timochenko shouted: "Goodbye, weapons! Goodbye, war!"

      Timochenko's running mate will be Imelda Daza, who spent more than 20 years in exile in Sweden.

      The first round of the presidential election will be held on 27 May 2018.

      The incumbent president, Juan Manuel Santos, is not running again.

      The Farc will also be fielding candidates for the house of representatives and the senate.

      Under the terms of the peace deal, they are guaranteed five seats in each of the chambers.


      Source – bbc.com

      World

      Runaway 7-year-old girl sneaks onto plane at Geneva airport

      WireAP_74fca436d07c453e83581cfb5b52b957_12x5_992

      Runaway 7-year-old girl sneaks onto plane at Geneva airport

      The Associated Press
      FILE – This Dec. 11, 2015 file photo shows the Geneva airport in Geneva, Switzerland. A Geneva airport spokesman says a runaway 7-year-old girl slipped through security checks and onto a plane without a boarding pass before being spotted by a crew member and handed over to police Sunday Oct 29, 2017. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP,file)

        A runaway 7-year-old girl slipped through security checks at Geneva's airport and onto a plane without a ticket before being spotted by a crew member and handed over to police, officials said Wednesday.

        Acknowledging an "eminently regrettable" incident that could have ended badly, Geneva Airport spokesman Bertrand Stampfli said authorities were enhancing measures to make sure children are accompanied by adults when passing through security checks.

        In the incident on Sunday, the girl, who was not identified, initially slipped away from her parents at Geneva's main railway station and traveled by train to the small airport on the French border.

        The child repeatedly "took advantage of her small size" and employed a "ruse" to make it look like she was traveling with adults ahead or behind her, Stampfli said.

        After a first attempt failed, she tried again and succeeded — getting aboard an easyJet flight to Corsica. An alert Air France crew member who had spotted the girl trying to board one of the carrier's flights flagged her to the crew of easyJet, which in turn alerted police.

        Using video surveillance footage, airport authorities said she was turned away after trying to follow crew members onto a flight. She then quickly blended into the nearby crowd, pretending to join up with her parents, Stampfli said. The second time, she succeeded by slipping through a gap only large enough for a small child.

        EasyJet, a low-cost carrier, said in a statement that "an unaccompanied child incorrectly boarded flight EZS1305 from Geneva to Ajaccio," and said an investigation has been launched.

        "The crew correctly identified the child should not be onboard and immediately reported it to the police," the statement said.

        Silvain Guillaume-Gentil, a spokesman for Geneva police, said the girl's father had repeatedly notified police after losing track of her near the train station – and even ended up riding briefly in a patrol car to try to find her.

        He said the family, which was not identified, resided in Geneva. The reason she ran away was not immediately clear.

        Geneva airport's Stampfli said representatives of all airport personnel were immediately summoned for a meeting.

        "What this shows is that while controls for adults and accompanied children are effective, there are holes to fill when it comes to unaccompanied children," he said.

        New measures include confirming that children are accompanied by at least one adult at security checks, he said.

        ———

        This story has been corrected to show that airport spokesman's first name is Bertrand.

        • Star


        Source – abcnews.go.com

        Health

        The Latest: GOP lawmaker says tax plan could preserve 401(k)

        WireAP_0f195cb95c314680bef7b50c380b2649_12x5_992

        The Latest: GOP lawmaker says tax plan could preserve 401(k)

        The Associated Press
        Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting on tax policy with business leaders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

          The Latest on the Republican tax overhaul effort (all times local):

          6:20 p.m.

          House Republicans are leaving intact 401(k) retirement plans popular with the middle class.

          That's according to a senior House GOP lawmaker. The development comes as Republicans are scrambling to assemble a complete draft of their long-awaited plan to dramatically rewrite the tax code.

          Republicans like Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady had hoped to reduce 401(k) contribution limits, in part to generate new tax revenues in the near term to finance cuts to income tax rates.

          Brady, a Texas Republican, is instead planning on maintaining the limits where they are. Another lawmaker cautions that the decision might still change.

          The lawmakers required anonymity because the tax panel is trying to keep its deliberations secret until the tax measure is released Thursday.

          ———

          12:01 p.m.

          GOP lawmakers from high-tax states like New York and New Jersey have mixed opinions about a plan by House leaders to permit taxpayers to continue to be able to deduct property taxes but lose the deduction for state income taxes.

          New York Rep. Peter King said the plan wouldn't sway him to vote for the tax overhaul bill because the "income tax is a real big hit on New York."

          But New Jersey GOP Rep. Tom MacArthur is amenable to the idea, saying the loss of the deduction for state income tax is "probably is one of the prices of a compromise."

          The nettlesome issue is one of the major unresolved issues as House Republican leaders seek to wrangle support for the tax overhaul measure in hopes of a vote this month.

          ——

          11:25 a.m.

          President Donald Trump is tweeting that Congress should repeal a key aspect of the Obama health care law and use the savings to help pay for tax cuts for the middle class.

          Trump's tweets about repealing the so-called individual mandate come as House Republicans are working out final details of the tax overhaul package in anticipation of public release on Thursday.

          Trump's push to use health care savings to pay for tax cuts ignore the fact that Republicans have failed on multiple attempts to repeal the health care law.

          Trump has intensified his lobbying for the nearly $6 trillion tax overhaul plan. Republicans see taxes as a political imperative that will determine whether they keep their majorities in the House and Senate in next year's elections.

          ——

          4:44 a.m.

          House Republicans are struggling to complete work on a sweeping tax proposal, delaying its public release by a day. President Donald Trump has set an ambitious, by-Christmas timetable for passage of the legislation.

          The GOP tax-writers strained to make last-minute changes to the proposed legislation, working Tuesday through the day and night to produce the first major overhaul of the U.S. tax system in three decades.

          But they couldn't finalize details in time for their Wednesday deadline for a public rollout, and so moved it to Thursday.

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          Source – abcnews.go.com

          World

          Yemen war: Saudi-led air strike ‘kills 26 at Saada market’

          _98570893_407bb8cb-4334-49f2-b4a1-84805eacf225

          Yemen war: Saudi-led air strike 'kills 26 at Saada market'

          Image copyright Reuters
          Image caption The coalition did not immediately confirm or deny that it was behind the attack

          A suspected Saudi-led coalition air strike has killed at least 26 people in rebel-held northern Yemen, medics and local officials say.

          Warplanes are reported to have bombed a hotel and a busy market in the Sahar district of Saada province.

          Rebel-controlled media said the area was crowded with civilians at the time.

          The coalition, which has backed Yemen's government in a two-and-a-half year war with the Houthi movement, said it was following the reports with concern.

          Its Joint Forces Command will carry out a comprehensive review of operations in the area, according to a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

          The coalition also stressed it was "morally and legally committed to protecting civilians as well as civilian objects" and that operations were "conducted according to the highest standard measures of targeting".

          Rights groups say it has bombed schools, hospitals, markets and residential areas.

          • Witnessing Yemen's desperate suffering
          • Unpaid teachers strike as education crisis deepens
          • One-eyed unity with injured Yemeni girl
          • Yemen conflict: Who is fighting whom?

          The rebel-controlled Saba news agency said the hotel and market in Sahar were crowded with workers and stall owners when the area was hit early on Wednesday.

          Image copyright Reuters
          Image caption Rebel-controlled media said the area was crowded with civilians at the time

          The blast left a crater, levelled the hotel and reduced the stalls to heaps of metal.

          Medics told the Reuters news agency that at least 26 people were killed, while AFP cited rebel health authorities as putting the death toll at 29.

          One photograph showed the charred bodies of at least 15 male victims laid on plastic sheets in the courtyard of the local hospital's mortuary.

          Another featured a man pulling the body of a boy from a wrecked building.

          Image copyright Reuters
          Image caption More than 8,670 people have been killed in Yemen's war since March 2015

          Last month, the Saudi-led coalition was included on a United Nations list of parties that kill and maim children in armed conflict.

          The text said the coalition's actions resulted in 683 child casualties during 2016, and accused it of carrying out 38 attacks on schools and hospitals.

          Yemeni pro-government forces, the Houthis and al-Qaeda in the Arabia Peninsula (AQAP) were also named on the list.

          Media playback is unsupported on your device
          Media captionWatch: What happened to Saleem?

          More than 8,670 people, 60% of them civilians, have been killed and 49,900 injured in air strikes and fighting on the ground since March 2015, according to the UN.

          The conflict has also left 20.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, created the world's largest food security emergency, and led to a cholera outbreak that is believed to have affected 884,000 people and caused 2,184 deaths.


          Source – bbc.com