Triggered!: Jewish groups angry, in shock over Duterte’s Hitler comments

(asiatimes) - President Rodrigo Duterte’s comments citing Adolf Hitler has triggered shock and anger among Jewish groups in the United States, which will add to pressure on the U.S. government to take a tougher line with the Philippines leader.

Duterte cited Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on Friday and said he would “be happy” to exterminate three million drug users and peddlers in the country.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Digital Terrorism and Hate project, called them “outrageous.”

“Duterte owes the victims (of the Holocaust) an apology for his disgusting rhetoric.”

The Anti-Defamation League, an international Jewish group based in the United States, said Duterte’s comments were “shocking for their tone-deafness.” Read More

Catalonia to Vote on Independence, With or Without Spain's Consent

(voiceofamerica) - Catalonia will hold a referendum on independence from Spain next year whether or not the central government in Madrid agrees to one, the region's head said Wednesday.

Carles Puigdemont told the Catalan parliament that he was willing to discuss the terms of a referendum with Madrid, which has steadfastly opposed any such vote in the northeastern region, but that otherwise he would hold one next September.

Spain's Constitutional Court in August annulled a resolution by Catalonia's assembly to press ahead with independence, sharpening the standoff between the separatists and the central government of the conservative People's Party (PP).

"There is an enormous consensus that the ideal formula is a referendum agreed with the Spanish state," Puigdemont told parliament.

He said he would discuss the wording of the question in a vote and its date.

"But if by July there has been no positive response [from the central government], we will be prepared to climb the last step and call a referendum for the second fortnight of September next year," he said.

US: Self-driving cars will have to pry the steering wheel from our cold, dead hands, poll says

(theverge.com) - Americans like the idea of self-driving cars, but are less willing to cede control of the steering wheel to a computer program, according to a new poll released today. An overwhelming majority, 80 percent, said humans should always have the option to drive themselves, while 64 percent expressed a need to be in control of their own vehicle.

Moreover, people are essentially torn between the promise of safety and the need for control: 49 percent said they prefer a safer roadway even if it means they would have less control over their vehicle, while 51 percent said wanted to stay in the driver seat, safer streets be damned.

Opinions like these will become increasingly relevant as self-driving cars become more mainstream. Right now, they are floating in limbo between hype and skepticism. Uber is offering a handful of Pittsburgh residents free rides in its self-driving cars. Ford, BMW, andVolvo say they plan to offer autonomous vehicles for sale within the next five years. But most experts predict that widespread adoption is still a decade or more away

The idea of fully autonomous cars, with no steering wheel, no pedals, and no way for a human to intervene, is also something most Americans are unwilling to embrace. One-third of respondents to the poll said they would never buy a Level 5 autonomous vehicle, where there is no option for human control, while 16 percent said they would buy one the moment they were available.

In fact, most people haven’t even heard of “autonomous vehicles,” as compared to the more easily defined “self-driving car,” the poll shows. “This is good, because we live in our own little world, where the word ‘autonomous’ is this word that everyone knows,” said Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book, which commissioned the poll of 2,200 US residents. “Forty-one percent are familiar with the term, while 59 percent are not." (FullText)

Blocking Indus waters will be act of war: Pakistan

(newindianexpress.com) - ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday said India cannot unilaterally revoke the 56-year-old Indus Waters Treaty and that any attempt by New Delhi to block Islamabad's share of water could be seen as an act of war.

Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday told the National Assembly that Pakistan would approach the International Court of Justice if India violates the treaty.

Pakistan will not accept "aggression by India in any form" and China would get justification to block Indian water if New Delhi did the same to Islamabad, he said.

Aziz said that India is "feeling pressure" due to Pakistan's diplomatic onslaught against "human rights violation" in Jammu and Kashmir and supporting their right to self determination in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.

He said Pakistan will "expose India" before the international community, and added that the government is preparing a comprehensive dossier on alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and "Indian interference in Balochistan".

Aziz said the Indus Waters Treaty offers no unilateral exit provision or revocation, and its role is defined in the treaty in case of violation by any party.

Aziz's statement came a day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review of provisions of the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan and was quoted as saying that "water and blood can't flow at the same time".

New Delhi's stance comes in the wake of the September 18 terror attack on the Uri Army camp in Kashmir which left 18 Indian soldiers dead. India has blamed the attack on Pakistan-based militants and Modi has promised that the sacrifice of the soldiers will not go waste.

Pakistan's former Indus Water Commissioner Jamat Ali Shah on Monday slammed India for threatening to block the flow of water.

He expressed fears that if the treaty gets suspended then India may build up dams on Jhelum and Chenab rivers.

On the Uri attack, Aziz said that Pakistan was ready to extend all possible support for investigation into the incident but it should be conducted by an international body.

Colombia, Marxist rebels to sign accord ending 52-year war

(Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Marxist rebel leader Timochenko will use a pen made from a bullet on Monday to sign an agreement ending a half-century war that killed a quarter of a million people and made their nation a byword for violence.

After four years of talks in Havana, Santos, 65, and Timochenko, nom de guerre for 57-year-old revolutionary Rodrigo Londono, will shake hands on Colombian soil for the first time.

Some 2,500 foreign and local dignitaries were to attend the ceremony scheduled for 5 p.m. local time (1800 EST/2200 GMT) in the walled, colonial city of Cartagena.

The agreement to end Latin America's longest-running war will turn the FARC guerrillas into a political party fighting at the ballot box instead of the battlefield they have occupied since 1964.

"We are going to sign with a bullet-pen ... to illustrate the transition of bullets into education and future," said Santos, who staked his reputation on achieving peace.

Guests, who were asked to wear white, include United Nations head Ban Ki-moon, Cuban President Raul Castro and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

"This step that your country is going to take is a giant step," Kerry said during a visit to a training center for conflict victims, former combatants and other young people.

"Anybody can pick up a gun, blow things up, hurt other people, but it doesn't take you anywhere," he said. " ... Peace is hard work."

Despite widespread relief at an end to the bloodshed and kidnappings of past decades, the deal has caused divisions in Latin America's fourth-biggest economy.

Influential former President Alvaro Uribe and others are angry that the accord allows rebels to enter parliament without serving any jail time.

Colombians will vote on Oct. 2 on whether to ratify the agreement, but polls show it will pass easily. Around Cartagena on Monday, huge billboards urged a "yes" vote.

FARC, which stands for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, began as a peasant revolt, became a big player in the cocaine trade and at its strongest had 20,000 fighters. Now it must hand over weapons to the United Nations within 180 days.

Colombians are nervous over how the remaining 7,000 rebels will integrate into society, but most are optimistic peace will bring more benefits than problems.

Kerry praised Santos and pledged $390 million in U.S. funds to help implement the peace pact.

Cats Sailed With Vikings During Sea Voyages, Ancient Feline DNA Reveals

(techtimes) - Vikings are popularly portrayed as tough seafarers who raided and traded across Europe between the late 8th and late 11th centuries, but these people have also likely kept Viking cats when they sailed ships.

Analyses of ancient cat DNA have revealed that thousands of years before they became one of the most common pets in American households, cats hopped continents as they were brought along by farmers, ancient mariners and even the hardy Vikings.

For the new study presented last week at the International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology in Oxford, UK, Eva-Maria Geigl and colleagues from the Institut Jacques Monod in Paris sequenced DNA from 290 cats coming from over 30 archeological excavations in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The study also included cat remains that were found in a Viking grave in Germany.

Genetic analysis of the ancient felines' remains revealed that cats likely spread out in two waves. Remains from a 9,500-year-old grave in Cyprus suggest that the first wave likely happened with the earliest farmers in eastern Mediterranean, which showed that man's relationship with felines dates back to the early days of agriculture.

The second wave happened when cats from Egypt spread to Asia and Africa, as hinted by remains of cats from Turkey, Bulgaria and Africa.

The second wave of expansion was associated with ancient seafaring people including the Vikings. The cat remains from a Viking grave in northern Germany were found to have the same maternal DNA common in Egyptian cat mummies.

The animals were likely brought on board ships during sea voyages. Mice and rats can be a problem with long voyages at sea and having cats on board can help keep down the number of these pests.

Kristian Gregersen, from the Natural History Museum of Denmark, said that people commonly used cat skins by the late Viking Age.

"We are sure that there were domestic cats then, because of their size." Gregersen said, adding that these cats did not have the same size as the wild cats.

Christian Koch Madsen, from the National Museum in Nuuk, Greenland, said that archeological evidence also shows that cats have made it to Greenland. Madsen said that these furry and intelligent creatures with the ability to understand laws of physics must have arrived aboard Viking ships.

Figures from the American Pet Products Association (APPA) show that between 74 to 96 million cats are owned in the U.S. Up to 37 percent of American households have a cat. (FullText)

India's Prime Minister Says Pakistan a Haven for Terrorism

(abcnews) - India's prime minister said Saturday that he would work to isolate Pakistan internationally, accusing his country's archrival of trying to destabilize Asia by exporting terrorism.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a nationally televised speech that in the last four months, Indian security forces have killed 110 terrorists who crossed over the cease-fire line in Kashmir from Pakistani territory.

"There would have been a bloodbath had they succeeded in carrying out attacks in India," Modi said.

He said terrorist attacks in Bangladesh and Afghanistan were also being instigated from Pakistan.

"We will isolate you," Modi warned Pakistan. "I will work for that."

Modi's speech in the southern Indian town of Kozhikode was his first since 18 soldiers were killed in an attack on an army base in Indian-controlled Kashmir last Sunday. Indian investigators say maps, weapons and other evidence indicated that the attackers were from Jaish-e-Mohammed, an outlawed militant group based in Pakistan. Pakistan denies the charge.

"Let me tell Pakistan that the sacrifice of 18 Indian soldiers will not go to waste," Modi said in his speech.

"There is one nation in Asia whose aim is to spread terrorism and is working toward ensuring that the 21st century does not belong to Asia," he said, referring to Pakistan. "Every nation is holding only one country responsible for terrorism. Only one country in Asia is a safe haven for terrorists."

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Saturday evening that it would release an official reaction to Modi's comments later. (FullText)