| Roy Moore Now Says There Shouldn't Be A Religious Test For Public Office Posted: 31 Oct 2017 10:29 AM PDT  WASHINGTON ― Alabama Senate GOP candidate Roy Moore said Tuesday that religion shouldn't be used as a litmus test for public office, contradicting his decade-old statement that Muslims shouldn't serve in Congress.
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| People Are Officially Done With John Kelly After His 'Absurd' Civil War Comments Posted: 31 Oct 2017 02:14 AM PDT  John Kelly, chief of staff to President Donald Trump, angered many on Monday when he told Fox News' Laura Ingraham that the Civil War was caused by a "lack of ability to compromise." Kelly had been seen by some as a voice of reason in the White House.
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| Teresa Giudice lashes out against Sofia Vergara: 'She's an immigrant ... she should be nice' Posted: 31 Oct 2017 08:55 AM PDT  If you don't know who Teresa Giudice is, you better fake it.
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| New York terror attack: Eight dead as truck runs down cyclists before driver shouts 'Allahu Akbar' Posted: 31 Oct 2017 05:47 PM PDT  Eight people dead, 11 injured in 'terror attack' Suspected identified as Uzbek national Sayfullo Saipov Trump brands attacker as 'very sick and deranged' Eight people died and 11 injured in the worst terror attack on New York since September 11, 2001 as a lone wolf extremist screaming "Allahu Akbar" used a pick-up truck to mow down cyclists along a bike path on Halloween. The attacker struck just a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Center memorial, running over afternoon riders on the path before reaching a road and ploughing into a school bus. He then jumped out of the truck wielding what turned out to be a pellet gun, and a paintball gun. He was chased and shot in the stomach by a police officer but survived and was arrested. The suspect has been identified as Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 29, an immigrant from Uzbekistan, who arrived in the US in 2010. He has a Florida driver's license but was reportedly living in Paterson, New Jersey, with family, sources told local media. US media, citing police sources, said that Saipov left a note in the truck claiming he committed the attack on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Sayfullo Saipov Credit: @NYScanner/Twitter President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter: "Looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!" Mr Trump blamed the attack on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant which has encouraged its followers to use vehicles to mow people down. The UK, France and Germany have all seen deadly vehicle attacks in the recent past. The US president added: "We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!" A White House official said Mr Trump had been fully briefed by his chief of staff John Kelly and was being "continually updated". Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "appalled by this cowardly attack, my thoughts are with all affected. Together we will defeat the evil of terrorism". New York terror attack, in pictures The attack begun shortly after 3pm when the truck mounted a bike path that runs down along the western edge of Manhattan, along the Hudson River, at Houston Street. It headed south, smashing into pedestrians and cyclists as it picked up speed and leaving bodies crumpled in its wake. Those who spotted the vehicle had little doubt the intention was terror, unable to think of another explanation for what they were seeing. "I was just going to watch a baseball game " said Eugene Duffy, a 43-year-old eye witness to the incident. "I saw a truck and he was clearly in the bike lane at three in the afternoon. "Then I saw two gentlemen lying on the path with tyre marks on their bodies.They were not moving. "He was going really fast and they didn't know what hit them." Jamal Lewis, a 17-year-old student who witnessed the attack told The Daily Telegraph: "I was walking down West street and heard a loud noise behind me. I saw the white pickup truck run over two cyclists and carried on. People were around their bodies, but they were dead. There was no screaming, people were in shock." A picture allegedly showing the suspected attacker Credit: @GGGLee089 The attacker continued all the way until Chambers Street - a distance of round 20 blocks - before heading back to the road. The truck smashed into a yellow school bus, injuring children and adults and leaving sizable dents in both vehicles. The crash happened just a few blocks from World Trade Center memorial. The attacker was left injured but not incapacitated. Stumbling from the car, he pulled out what appeared to be two guns - but were later confirmed to be a paintball and pellet gun. "Allahu Akbar", he begun to shout - "God is Great" in Arabic - as passersby screamed and ran in all directions. James O'Neill, the city's police chief, confirmed that the suspect made a statement that suggested terrorism as a motive when he exited the vehicle. "If you just look at the M.O. of the attack, that's consistent with what's been going on. So that along with the statement has enabled us to label this a terrorist event," he said. One witness said the driver looked "confused" and appeared to be injured in a "pretty bad" way. Others said he was limping. "A whole load of people came running past my way saying 'he's got a gun, he's got a gun', the witness added. By coincidence, a New York police officer stationed close by heard the commotion and was able to intervene rapidly. A woman is aided by first responders after sustaining injury on a bike path in lower Manhattan in New York Credit: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Witnesses recall hearing between five and ten shots. The NYPD later confirmed the attacker had been shot in the abdomen and taken to hospital. The officer was praised by Bill de Blasio, the New York Mayor, while other officers said it was that quick thinking that had prevented more "carnage". Soon half a dozen ambulances and a dozen fire truck had rushed to the area and police cordoned off the road. Two police helicopters buzzed overhead. While details were preliminary and the investigation still underway, the mayor said the suspect appeared to have been a lone wolf and not part of a wider plot. A motorist drove onto a busy bicycle path near the World Trade Center memorial and struck several people on Tuesday police and witnesses said Credit: AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews In the aftermath of the attack, shocked office workers stood at police cordons with children and parents on their way to Halloween parties. One children's' party at a small park near the scene of the attack had to be cancelled as the area was secured by police. Dozens of children in fancy dress, many crying, were led away. One of the mothers, Michelle Williams, said: "My kids are in complete shock. They don't understand what's happening. They have been looking forward to tonight for weeks - it's supposed to be the most fun night of the year. I don't know what I'm going to tell them. How do you explain this?" The city's main Village Halloween Parade went ahead as planned last night - but with an extremely heavy police presence. New Yorkers refused to be cowed by the attack. "You can't let the terrorists win," said Sam Rosenthal, who was on his way to a Halloween party. "I think New York is like London - after something like this, you have to get on and live your life without fear. Otherwise they win." 12:15AM Three Belgians injured in the attack Didier Reynders, Belgium's deputy prime minister, says three Belgians were also injured in the attack and are in the operating room. Trois belges ont également été blessés à #Manhattan et sont en salle d'opération. Notre consulat général va leur apporter son aide. ��������— didier reynders (@dreynders) November 1, 2017 11:58PM Photo of the suspect The suspect in the terror attack has been identified by US media as Sayfullo Saipov, a 29-year-old Uzbek national who lives in Florida. Sayfullo Saipov Credit: @NYScanner/Twitter 11:48PM 'Argentinians' among the victims Argentina's Foreign Ministry confirms 'Argentine citizens died' in the New York bike path attack. It doesn't say how many. 11:42PM A timeline of ramming attacks The attack was the latest involving a vehicle being used to mow down a crowd of people. Terror timeline - Ramming attacks involving vehicles 11:33PM Trump issues statement Having responded first on Twitter, Mr Trump has issued a statement on the attack. 11:15PM One of the victims was Belgian Didier Reynders, the deputy prime minister of Belgium, has announced that one of the victims in tonight's terror attack was from Belgium. I am deeply saddened to announce a belgian victim in #Manhattan - I express my condolences to the family and friends ��������— didier reynders (@dreynders) October 31, 2017 11:13PM Donald Trump: Attack carried out by sick and 'deranged person' The US president has given his first reaction to the attack on Twitter. In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017 We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017 My thoughts, condolences and prayers to the victims and families of the New York City terrorist attack. God and your country are with you!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017 9:43PM Attacker was carrying paintball gun More details have emerged about the attacker from the NYPD press conference. The attacker is a 29-year-old man. He has not been named by police. He drove onto a bike path at Houston Street and drove south until Chambers Street - around 20 blocks - hitting pedestrians and cyclists. The driver then smashed into a school bus, injuring adults and children. He then emerged holding a a paintball gun and pellet gun. He was shot in the abodemen by a police offer and is now in hospital. 9:36PM New York Mayor condemns 'cowardly act' Bill de Blasio, the New York Mayor, has condemned the attack at the NYPD press conference. He called it a "very painful day in our city" and a "horrible tragedy". "This was a cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their lives," Mr Blasio said. He praised the spirit of the city, saying: "New Yorkers do not give in in the face of these kind of actions." 9:29PM New York Police Department press conference taking place Eight confirmed dead, more than a dozen are injured. The incident has been described as a "tragedy of the greatest magnitude". A single officer who was near the incident when it happened is being praised for stopping the "carnage". 9:16PM Eyewitness: 'There was no screaming, people were in shock' Jamal Lewis, a 17-year-old student who witnessed the attack told the Telegraph: "I was walking down West street and heard a loud noise behind me. I saw the white pickup truck run over two cyclists and carried on. People were around their bodies, but they were dead. There was no screaming, people were in shock." 9:11PM Here is a map showing where the incident took place The point marked is roughly where the white Home Depot truck crashed. It is close to the World Trade Center memorial. There are reports that the truck had driven up to 20 blocks along a bike path before reaching this point, heading south. Where the incident occurred 9:05PM Driver shouted 'Allahu Akbar', according to claims The phrase, which means 'God is Great' in Arabic, was said by the suspected attacker during the incident, it has been claimed. The reports are said to be the reason that the FBI and NYPD are now treating the incident as a terror attack. 8:49PM Incident being treated as a terror attack Reuters has this: The striking of pedestrians by a vehicle in lower Manhattan on Tuesday was being treated as a terrorist attack, two U.S. government sources said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has joined the New York City police department in investigating the incident, the sources said. 8:45PM Witness accounts are beginning to come in A man who was riding in an Uber along the West Side Highway near Chambers Street said he saw several bleeding people on the ground after a truck struck several people. Another witness said the truck had also collided with a small bus and one other vehicle. Tom Gay, a school photographer, was on Warren Street and heard people saying there was an accident. He went down to West Street and a woman came around the corner shouting, "He has a gun! He has a gun!" Gay told Associated Press that he stuck his head around the corner and saw a slender man in a blue track suit running southbound on West Street holding a gun. He said there was a heavyset man pursuing him. He said he heard five or six shots and the man in the tracksuit fell to the ground, gun still raised in the air. He said a man came over and kicked the gun out of his hand. Uber driver Chen Yi said he saw a truck plow into people on a popular bike path adjacent to the West Side Highway. He said he then heard seven to eight shots and then police pointing a gun at a man kneeling on the pavement. "I saw a lot of blood over there. A lot of people on the ground," Yi said. His passenger, Dmitry Metlitsky, said he also saw police standing near a man who was on his knees with his hands up, and another man bleeding on the ground nearby. He said the truck had also collided with a small school bus and one other vehicle. 8:42PM New York Police Department statement The New York Police Department's official Twitter account gave a "preliminary" account of what happened on Tuesday afternoon. "Earlier a vehicle entered the West St. pedestrian/bike path a few blocks north of Chambers St," it read. "The vehicle struck multiple people on the path. There are several fatalities and numerous people injured. "The vehicle continued south striking another vehicle. The suspect exited the vehicle displaying imitation firearms & was shot by NYPD. "The suspect is in custody. This is preliminary, more information to follow."
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| China mulls three years' jail for anthem disrespect Posted: 31 Oct 2017 08:34 AM PDT  Disrespecting China's national anthem could carry a prison sentence of up to three years under a new draft law amendment, which may also affect Hong Kong and Macau, state media reported Tuesday. Some football fans in the self-governing city have booed the Chinese anthem when it was played at matches, despite appeals for restraint. China has been fine-tuning legislation on the proper way and place to sing its national anthem, recently tightening rules that already bar people from performing it at parties, weddings and funerals.
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| The Latest: 2 rescued women say they once got close to Oahu Posted: 29 Oct 2017 10:05 PM PDT  WHITE BEACH NAVAL FACILITY, Japan (AP) — The Latest on the rescue of two sailors lost nearly six months in the Pacific (all times local):
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| Kellyanne Conway Rips Campaigns That Seek Oppo Research From 'Foreign Nationals' Posted: 30 Oct 2017 12:05 PM PDT  Kellyanne Conway bashed political campaigns on Monday that "dig around with foreign nationals" to uncover dirt on their opponents.
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| Ta-Nehisi Coates Tears Into John Kelly's 'Creationist Theorizing' On Civil War Posted: 31 Oct 2017 06:46 AM PDT  White House chief of staff John Kelly claimed Monday that a "lack of ability to compromise led to the Civil War."
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| Eight people killed in New York 'act of terror' after truck drives on to bike path Posted: 31 Oct 2017 04:36 PM PDT  Bicycles and debris lay on a bike path after a motorist drove onto the path near the World Trade Center in New York Tuesday. Eight people were killed and more than a dozen injured after a man drove a truck nearly a mile down a bike path in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, striking pedestrians, cyclists and a school bus. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said the incident was being treated as an act of terror, "a particularly cowardly act of terror".
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| Man finds fish growing with plastic Powerade wrapper around it Posted: 31 Oct 2017 07:39 AM PDT  A man has shared a bizarre picture of a fish growing around a plastic wrapper, in a reminder of the damage people are doing to our oceans and rivers. The strange photos show that the fish has had to grow around the rubbish in which it has been wrapped. As such, its body is deformed and made thin where the wrapper was – the kind of adaptation that animals around the world are having to undergo as our water fills up with rubbish.
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| Wife of Chechen accused of Putin assassination plot shot dead near Kiev Posted: 30 Oct 2017 02:14 PM PDT ![Wife of Chechen accused of Putin assassination plot shot dead near Kiev]( "Wife of Chechen accused of Putin assassination plot shot dead near Kiev") By Natalia Zinets KIEV (Reuters) - The Ukrainian wife of a Chechen man accused by Russia of plotting to kill President Vladimir Putin was shot dead outside Kiev on Monday in an attack that also wounded her husband, Ukrainian interior ministry officials said. Amina Okuyeva and Adam Osmayev were in a car that was shot at from bushes near a railway crossing on the outskirts of the capital, interior ministry advisors Anton Gerashchenko and Zoryan Shkiryak said in separate posts on Facebook. The attack follows a vehicle bombing in Kiev last Thursday, in which two people were killed and three wounded, including Ihor Mosiychuk, a member of the populist opposition Radical Party.
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| Filmmaker Ken Burns Reminds John Kelly What Caused The Civil War: Slavery Posted: 31 Oct 2017 04:23 PM PDT  WASHINGTON — Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has weighed in on White House Chief of Staff John Kelly's controversial comments about the Civil War, saying that while many factors contributed to the conflict, one caused it: slavery.
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| Trump Clams Up When Asked If He'll Pardon Paul Manafort Posted: 31 Oct 2017 10:12 AM PDT  WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump refused to answer a question Tuesday about whether he would be willing to pardon his disgraced campaign manager, clamming up and indicating he was done talking to the press.
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| Celebrities React With Fury Over Kevin Spacey's Apology To Anthony Rapp Posted: 30 Oct 2017 02:33 AM PDT  Celebrities and others were swift and blistering in their condemnation of actor Kevin Spacey's Twitter apology to fellow actor Anthony Rapp early Monday.
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| Prince Charles and Camilla kick off Asia tour in Singapore Posted: 30 Oct 2017 09:50 PM PDT  SINGAPORE (AP) — Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, arrived in Singapore on Tuesday, the first stop of an 11-day trip to strengthen ties between Britain and Asian countries.
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| Mom Accused Of Driving Minivan With Son And Plastic Pool Tied To Top Posted: 31 Oct 2017 02:06 PM PDT  A mother in Wisconsin is facing a felony charge of recklessly endangering safety after she allegedly strapped her 9-year-old son to the top of a minivan on top of a plastic pool.
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| Arnold Schwarzenegger and ex Maria Shriver pose with three children on red carpet Posted: 31 Oct 2017 07:40 AM PDT  Arnold Schwarzenegger and estranged wife Maria Shriver reunited on Monday night on the red carpet at the premiere of National Geographic's "The Long Road Home," and they were joined by three of their grown-up, look-alike children.
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| As Teen Gets 40 to 100 Years for Killing Half-Sister, Her Mom Tells Him: 'I Will Never Forgive You' Posted: 31 Oct 2017 08:57 AM PDT  Savon Schmus will be nearly 60 years old by the time he is eligible for parole.
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| New Zealand firms up ban on foreign house buyers Posted: 30 Oct 2017 11:32 PM PDT  The New Zealand government firmed up plans Tuesday to prevent foreigners from buying houses in the country, saying it wanted the new law in place early next year. New Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she aimed to have the ban take effect before the wide-ranging Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement is ratified in February. Ardern, who was only sworn in as prime minister last week, said Australians would be exempt.
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| Russia's and America's New Stealth Fighters Share This Big Problem Posted: 31 Oct 2017 07:33 AM PDT  While the PAK-FA will likely be a formidable warplane, it is uncertain how many fully operation jets Russia will be able buy even after it completes engine development work for the T-50. Russia has completed the first phase of government flight-testing for its Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter. Sukhoi is expected to complete developmental work on an initial operational version of the new stealth fighter in 2019, but the current iteration of the jet will only see a limited production run.
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| 'It's Time to Wake Up.' Read John McCain's Speech to Naval Academy Graduates Posted: 31 Oct 2017 01:53 AM PDT  "We have to fight isolationism, protectionism, and nativism"
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| Sen. Tim Scott Responds To John Kelly: 'No Compromise To Make' On Civil War Posted: 31 Oct 2017 02:41 PM PDT  WASHINGTON ― Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) seemingly chided White House chief of staff John Kelly on Tuesday after the former Marine Corps general claimed that the Civil War was caused by the inability to compromise.
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| Listen To The Spookiest Sounds Ever Detected In Space Posted: 31 Oct 2017 02:32 AM PDT  For some real Halloween chills, check out NASA's new playlist of spooky signals picked up by its spacecraft over the years.
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| Teen girl dies of burn injuries from California wildfire Posted: 30 Oct 2017 02:23 PM PDT  REDWOOD VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — A teenage girl died in a hospital three weeks after she was severely burned in a fire that tore through Mendocino County, California, raising the number of those killed in the state's wildfires this month to 43.
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| Anthony Bourdain Blasts Quentin Tarantino For Weinstein Complicity Posted: 30 Oct 2017 12:35 PM PDT  Anthony Bourdain cooked up some strong words for Quentin Tarantino over the weekend during a conference Q&A session over the director's "complicity" in Harvey Weinstein's history of sexual assault.
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| The Level of Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere Hasn't Been This High in 800,000 Years Posted: 31 Oct 2017 07:05 AM PDT  The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surged in 2016 to its highest level in 800,000 years, according to a report released Monday by the United Nation's World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
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| 12 Crazy Good Pulled Pork Recipes Posted: 31 Oct 2017 03:34 PM PDT |
| Ethiopian-born suspect goes on trial for 1970s war crimes Posted: 30 Oct 2017 09:18 AM PDT  THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A former Ethiopian soldier denied responsibility Monday for war crimes committed under a brutal Marxist regime in his home country in the 1970s, as he was questioned by judges at the start of his trial in a Dutch court.
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| Tensions rise after Israel blows up tunnel from Gaza Posted: 31 Oct 2017 09:52 AM PDT  Tensions rose Tuesday after an Israeli operation to blow up a tunnel from the Gaza Strip killed seven Palestinian militants in one of the deadliest incidents since a devastating 2014 war. The seven men, from the armed wings of Gaza's rulers Hamas and allied group Islamic Jihad, were killed Monday when Israel blew up the tunnel it said had crossed into its territory and was intended for attacks. Hamas leader Ismail Haniya appeared at a funeral in central Gaza attended by a few thousand people, witnesses said, while senior Hamas figure Khalil al-Hayya spoke at one in the southern part of the strip.
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| U.S. House tax chief says state income tax deduction will not remain Posted: 31 Oct 2017 08:40 AM PDT  Republican tax legislation due to be released this week in the U.S. House of Representatives will not include a deduction for state and local income taxes, the top House Republican on tax policy said on Tuesday. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said in a radio interview with commentator Hugh Hewitt that the emerging bill will offer relief only on property taxes. Brady spoke as House Republican leaders sought to broker an agreement with Republican lawmakers who want the state and local income tax deduction to remain.
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| George Papadopoulos Is Bad News For Donald Trump Posted: 30 Oct 2017 11:03 AM PDT  WASHINGTON ― There may have been a brief moment Monday morning when the White House thought the week wouldn't be so bad.
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| Here's The Sexy Text A-Rod Sent J.Lo In The Middle Of Their First Date Posted: 31 Oct 2017 12:58 PM PDT  A-Rod: He's just like us! He, too, has been on a date where he wasn't quite sure if it was a date or simply two friends casually hanging out.
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| 'Shortest Asia-Europe rail link' launched in Azerbaijan Posted: 30 Oct 2017 10:11 AM PDT  Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey on Monday launched a rail link between the countries aimed at cutting total journey times from China to Western Europe while bypassing Russia. It will help to reduce the journey time between China and Europe, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said at the launch ceremony in the town of Alyat in the oil-rich Caucasus nation.
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| United Launched the Longest-Ever Nonstop Flight From the U.S. Posted: 30 Oct 2017 04:30 PM PDT  Better bring a book — or three
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| Kevin Spacey's Emmy Honor Rescinded After Sexual Harassment Allegation Posted: 30 Oct 2017 05:28 PM PDT  Kevin Spacey will no longer be honored at the 2017 International Emmys amid allegations that the actor sexually harassed then-14-year-old Anthony Rapp.
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| Las Vegas mass shooting victims accused of 'acting' by conspiracy theorists Posted: 30 Oct 2017 07:15 AM PDT  Survivors of the Las Vegas shooting earlier this month have been accused of "acting" by online trolls and conspiracy theorists. Stephen Paddock shot himself in October after killing more than 50 people and injuring nearly 500 who were watching a country music concert, overlooked by his hotel window. One victim told CTV News that his social media has been inundated with comments from people who say the shooting was a hoax, and he was forced to delete his accounts.
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| Prosecutors: Thousands of cases impacted by lab misconduct Posted: 31 Oct 2017 12:33 PM PDT  BOSTON (AP) — Prosecutors have identified at least 6,000 cases impacted by a former chemist who authorities say was high almost every day for eight years while she worked at a state drug lab, officials said Tuesday.
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| Bahrain suggests freezing Qatar's GCC membership Posted: 30 Oct 2017 12:59 AM PDT  Bahrain's foreign minister on Monday suggested suspending Qatar's Gulf Cooperation Council membership until it accepts the demands of its Arab adversaries in the region's worst crisis in years. "The correct step to preserve the GCC would be to freeze Qatar's membership until it sees reason and accepts the demands of our countries. If not, we will be fine with it leaving the GCC," Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said on Twitter.
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| White House Press Secretary: Indicted Campaign Members Had 'Nothing To Do With' Trump Posted: 30 Oct 2017 11:54 AM PDT  WASHINGTON ― White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday shrugged off news of criminal charges against several members of President Donald Trump's campaign, arguing they had "nothing to do with the president" or "the activities of the campaign."
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| Wendy Williams Faints On Live TV Dressed As The Statue Of Liberty Posted: 31 Oct 2017 08:52 AM PDT  The talk show host fainted during a costume contest segment for her Halloween-themed show on Tuesday.
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| Protests erupt after Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta declared winner of disputed elections with 98 per cent of votes Posted: 30 Oct 2017 08:13 AM PDT  Renewed protests erupted in parts of Kenya on Monday night after Uhuru Kenyatta was declared president of a bitterly divided nation for the second time in three months. Claiming a resounding mandate to serve a second five-year term, Mr Kenyatta accepted victory after securing 98 per cent of the vote in an election boycotted by his rival Raila Odinga. But with just 38.8 per cent of voters choosing to participate in the election, Mr Kenyatta faces a struggle to assert his authority and legitimacy over a fractured country increasingly polarised on ethnic lines. Dozens of people have been killed in electoral violence over the past three months and, even as government supporters held muted celebrations, rioting broke out in Nairobi's slums, while protesters also gathered in Mr Odinga's strongholds in western Kenya. The president also knows from experience that being declared winner of an election does not guarantee assuming office. His victory in August was overturned by the supreme court, which found "illegalities and irregularities" in the way the vote was counted. A protester hurls a stone at the police during a standoff between Kenyan police and supporters of Kenyan opposition leader Credit: FREDRIK LERNERYD/ AFP A new challenge seems highly likely, given that the constitution requires a presidential election to be held in all 290 of Kenya's constituencies. Voting was abandoned in 25 western counties without a ballot being cast after security forces clashed with opposition supporters trying to prevent polling stations opening. Given Mr Odinga's refusal to participate in the court-ordered rerun, claiming that a failure to enact reforms meant the second election would be no fairer than the first, the president's victory looks more likely to worsen Kenya's political crisis than resolve it. Mr Odinga, who has promised to lead a peaceful campaign of civil disobedience and national resistance, is expected to speak to his supporters on Tuesday. Raila Odinga addressing thousands of his supporters as he drives through Kawangware slum after attending a church service in Nairobi, Kenya Credit: DANIEL IRUNGU/ EPA Western diplomats, church leaders and human rights activists have warned that Kenya, which witnessed more than 1,300 deaths after a disputed election in 2007, risks sustained violence unless the president and his rival negotiate a way out of the impasse. Rory Stewart, the Africa minister, yesterday called for "transparent national dialogue", saying he was "deeply concerned by outbreaks of ethnic and political violence". President Uhuru Kenyatta delivers his speech after being declared by Kenya's election commission Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Credit: DANIEL IRUNGU/EPA President Kenyatta's acceptance speech was, however, notably light on conciliatory language, saying he would only countenance talks with Mr Odinga once any legal challenges to his victory had been addressed. Instead, the president excoriated his rival for refusing to participate in an election he had gone to court to secure. "You cannot choose for the opportunity to exercise a right and thereafter abscond from the consequences of that choice," Mr Kenyatta said.
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| U.S. military captures militant believed to have role in Benghazi attack: official Posted: 30 Oct 2017 12:52 PM PDT  U.S. Special Operation Forces have captured a militant who is believed to have played a role in a 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
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