China is facing a historic corruption battle

China must win its battle against corruption or face being erased by history, its new top graft buster said in an editorial on Saturday, underscoring the ruling Communist Party's focus on eliminating corrupt behavior.

Zhao Leji, appointed to the new seven-member Politburo Standing Committee last month and tasked to lead President Xi Jinping's signature war on corruption, wrote in the state-run People's Daily that failure would lead to the party's downfall.

"If our control of the party is not strong and party governance is not strict, then the party won't be able to avoid being erased by history and the historic task the party carries will not be able to be fulfilled," Zhao wrote.

Xi has previously warned that rampant official corruption could weaken the party's grip on power.

Russia remains unfazed by US oil sanctions

Western energy sanctions vis-à-vis Russia have become a steady phenomenon of the global oil and gas market.

Most Russian oil companies don’t expect sanctions to be scrapped anytime soon—an assessment espoused by the political elites of the country, too. The sides even seem to have resigned their minds to the current frosty relations.

The Russian economy has swung back to growth this year, with an anticipated 1.7 percent GDP increase this year, and the ruble solidified following a disastrous 2015-2016 period.

Russian oil companies have mostly overcome the lending obstructions U.S. sanctions present by finding new partners in Asia and taking use of their free cash flow, and were it not for the OPEC+ agreement, they would ramp up production even more swiftly than the 4-5 percent since the sanctions regime kicked in. As a consequence, the current consolidation will soon move to a new phase: testing the sanctions unity of the United States and European Union.

'Accident' at nuclear facility sends cloud of radioactive pollution over Europe

An accident at a nuclear facility in Russia or Kazakhstan has been blamed for a cloud of radioactive pollution over Europe in recent weeks, officials have said.

French nuclear safety institute IRSN said the incident likely happened in the last week of September.

The IRSN ruled out an accident in a nuclear reactor, saying it was likely to be in a nuclear fuel treatment site or centre for radioactive medicine.

There has been no impact on human health or the environment in Europe, the IRSN said.

IRSN, the technical arm of French nuclear regulator ASN, said it could not pinpoint the location of the release of radioactive material but that based on weather patterns, the most plausible zone lay south of the Ural mountains, between the Urals and the Volga river.

North Carolina air traffic controller arrested on weapons charge

Authorities say an air traffic controller at a North Carolina airport has been arrested on charges of possessing a weapon of mass destruction.

Local media outlets report that the FBI says 30-year-old Paul George Dandan was arrested Friday in Charlotte. The FBI is assisting Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police with the investigation but said federal charges aren't expected against Dandan at this point.

What’s it like living in Catalonia after independence declaration?

Catalonia is at a standstill on Wednesday after protesters blocked roads, highways and train tracks as part of a regionwide strike, called by a pro-independence union. Dave Walsh, a pro-independence supporter who lives in Sant Cugat, explains what it has been like to live in the region since indpendence was declared on October 27th.
Having escaped police violence during Catalonia’s independence referendum on October 1st, trouble arrived this week in the town of Sant Cugat, where I live, just north of Barcelona.

Here Are The 5 Women Who Have Accused Louis C.K. Of Sexual Misconduct

Just a month after the disturbing allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein were published in two detailed exposés from the New Yorker and the New York Times, another well-known man is being called out for alleged sexual misconduct by five women. The New York Times reports that Louis C.K. has been accused of sexual misconduct by Dana Min Goodman, Julia Wolov, Abby Schachner, Rebecca Corry, and a woman who wishes to remain anonymous. All five of the women accuse the comedian of masturbating or asking to masturbate in front of them, in most cases without their consent. Many of these instances took place in professional settings.
Earlier today, the Hollywood Reporter wrote that the New York premiere of Louis C.K.'s upcoming movie, I Love You, Daddy, was abruptly canceled due to "unexpected circumstances." A source told the outlet that this move was made in anticipation of the New York Times story. His planned appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was also canceled.

Taylor Swift: Reputation – track by track review of the new album

Taylor Swift’s Reputation, her new album that will sell by the truck load, is a new dawn in the singer’s career and she’s cleaning up all of the extracurricular and very public drama she took part in (or orchestrated) for the last few years. When you listen to Swift’s music, you generally need a fine comb to work your way through all of the references but when she went into overload with album precursor Look What You Made Me Do in August, it felt like a bad omen in a year where almost everything is a bad omen.
For the last 18 months or so, Taylor went into hiding. She retreated to recover from the media backlash she suffered and on Reputation, she’s showing us the scars.
She’s lost friends and she’s not afraid to tell you that some of them are now enemies but when she boats about that on This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things and End Game, it feels unintentionally sad.
End Game, Don’t Blame Me, Gorgeous, Dancing with our Hands Tied and Dress are all a bit so-so – but once you get to Delicate, Getaway Car and New Year’s Day, she returns to clever and insightful songwriting, finding tenderness and beauty in tiny details.
Taylor’s career is built on heartbreak and while her older songs held a starry-eyed optimism that love will save day, she’s knows a little bit better now but instead of examining the wounds, she holds a grudge and doubles up on her ammunition.
New Year’s Day, the final song on the album, is the finest. It’s simple in its delivery and after 14 songs of sex, petty revenge and toying with an R&B sound, it feels like she’s got something out of her system.

On-board computers and sensors could stop the next car-based attack

Cities are scrambling to protect busy pedestrian areas and popular events.
Computerized systems can be used to automatically brake or even steer the car.
But the question of whether humans should still be able to control the car — in certain scenarios — raises ethical concerns.

In the wake of car-and truck-based attacks around the world, most recently in New York City, cities are scrambling to protect busy pedestrian areas and popular events. It’s extremely difficult to prevent vehicles from being used as weapons, but technology can help.

Right now, cities are trying to determine where and how to place statues, spike strip nets and other barriers to protect crowds. Police departments are trying to gather better advance intelligence about potential threats, and training officers to respond – while regular people are seeking advice for surviving vehicle attacks.

These solutions aren’t enough: It’s impractical to put up physical barriers everywhere, and all but impossible to prevent would-be attackers from getting a vehicle. As a researcher of technologies for self-driving vehicles, I see that potential solutions already exist, and are built into many vehicles on the road today.

Former House of Commons bar manager claims up to 30 MPs hounded her for sex including one who 'groped her on a bus'

   
A former House of Commons bar manager has claimed up to 30 MPs hounded her for sex with one even allegedly 'groping' her on a bus.
Alice Bailey, 25, worked for almost four years at Parliament's Sports and Social Bar, where she claimed many MPs behaved like 'obnoxious old pervs'.
Miss Bailey, who started work at the bar as a 19-year-old, claimed she was regularly pestered by ministers for sex.
The former barmaid told the Sun: 'They fancied their chances because I was just a young barmaid and in their minds they were very important people who presumed I would be available.'
'They were such creeps. It was pathetic as they were nearly all married and at least twice my age.'
Miss Bailey claimed that one SNP MP begged her for sex just two hours into her first shift at the bar and that a veteran Labour MP followed her home and groped her on a bus after drinking 12 pints of beer.

‘Dad didn’t hack people up, he didn’t rape’ (Liberia’s jailed warlord Charles Taylor’s son talks about politics and gangster rap)

Philip Taylor is losing patience with the chickens. They peck at his feet, flapping their wings and clucking furiously. “I’m gonna freakin’ . . .” he says, lifting a foot, as if to kick them off the patio. But he thinks again, takes a deep breath and recomposes himself.
Over the course of the evening, the 34 year old takes a few deep breaths. Being the son of Charles Taylor, Liberia’s jailed warlord president, and Jewel Howard-Taylor, who may become the country’s next vice-president, has not exactly been plain-sailing.
That very morning, his father had called from his prison cell at HMP Frankland in England to dispense some Zen wisdom. “Dad reminded me to be focused. He said: ‘Always be calm, don’t lose your temper, analyse the situation,’” says Philip. “When I talk to him, he sounds like he’s in a six-star hotel.”
Unlike his once-flamboyant father, Philip prefers to keep a low profile. Ensconced behind the high walls of his Monrovia residence, the political science graduate pursues his passion for gangster rap, a creative outlet for his pent-up frustrations.
As “Bentman the Don”, he rolls out the standard gangster tropes, but there are also some clues to his real-life identity. “Come on baby, you can roll with government plates/Ain’t my money, you can spend that government cake,” he raps on Don’t You Baby.
Clan chief
If Philip resents his parents, it only shows in occasional flashes. One of Charles Taylor’s 15 children with “maybe six or seven women”, he now considers himself to be clan chief, charged with clearing the family name.

Evangelist Billy Graham's family celebrates him as he turns 99

Pioneer televangelist, Billy Graham turned 99 yesterday and his family took to Twitter to celebrate him. Blessed with long life.

Jamie Oliver leads tributes to celebrity chef Antonio Carluccio God father of italian cooking

Jamie Oliver has led tributes to the “charismatic charming don of all things Italian”, Antonio Carluccio, who has died aged 80.
Celebrity chef and restaurateur Carluccio died after a fall at his home on Wednesday. The chef, dubbed the Godfather of Italian gastronomy, had more work in the pipeline and was planning a trip across Italy’s Amalfi Coast next year, his representative said.
He was also working on a number of books and was in talks to appear on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.
A branch of Carluccio’s opened in Dublin’s Dawson Street in the 1990s.

The lives lost in Sutherland Springs, Tex.

A gunman opened fire on the pews of First Baptist Church; authorities say 26 people were killed. The attack left a staggering hole in a town of fewer than 700 people. Here are the stories of those who died.

Robert Corrigan, 51, and Shani Corrigan

Robert and Shani were high school sweethearts, marrying shortly after graduation, said Rodney Corrigan, Robert's brother. When Robert enlisted in the Air Force, he was stationed near San Antonio early in his career. The couple fell in love with the area and decided to move back upon retirement, Rodney said.

Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today’s most popular stories on The Washington Post

Rodney said his brother was a devout Christian and amateur musician who composed religious hymns and played guitar.

"He dedicated his life to God and his music," Rodney said in a brief interview. "He has always been very faithful. We went to church three times a week through our whole childhood, and my brother never strayed.

Robert and Shani grew up in Clare County, Mich., according to the Veterans Services office there. Robert, who had been a local track star, joined the Air Force to work in medicine after high school. From October 2012 until his retirement in September 2015, Robert was the superintendent of the 55th Medical Group at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. He retired as a chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force.

FATIGUE WARNING Sleep deprivation is ‘as bad as booze’ for us and can lead to seizures, scientists warn

SLEEP deprivation can affect people in a similar way to alcohol, scientists warn.

They say being over-tired disrupts the way brain cells transmit information as exhausted neurons respond more slowly than usual.
The researchers tested 12 epileptic patients who had electrodes implanted into their brains to ­pinpoint the origin of their seizures.

Professor Itzhak Fried said: “We discovered that starving the body of sleep robs ­neurons of the ability to function properly.

The Bodies Of 26 Teenage Girls Were Found In The Mediterranean Sea

Italian authorities are investigating the deaths of 26 teenage girls whose bodies were found in the Mediterranean Sea, NPR reports. Prosecutors believe they may have been sexually abused and murdered as they attempted to travel from Niger and Nigeria to Italy, according to the BBC.
The BBC also reported that five migrants are currently being questioned by Italian officials about the deaths. The victims ranged in age from 14 to 18. Autopsies will be conducted tomorrow, Salerno's head of police told CNN.
Prosecutors are investigating the possibility that the teenagers were victims of sex trafficking. According to a recent article published by Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, it's become increasingly common for Nigerian girls and women to be brought to Italy by sex traffickers.