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Replying to @PatBlanchfield he learned about it when he was under fire in iraq ||||| Tweet with a location

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 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Libertarian-minded Republicans like Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky blasted Trump's decision to launch strikes. | AP Photo Trump's Syria strikes divide Congress — but not along partisan lines

 President Donald Trump’s missile attacks against the Syrian government on Thursday night split Congress into several camps, winning bipartisan backing from some senior lawmakers while also sparking a coalition of those on the left and right who raised constitutional concerns.

 Congressional leaders in both parties largely signaled their support. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) called Trump’s strikes “appropriate and just" and said he looks "forward to the administration further engaging Congress in this effort."

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 Top Democrats, like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) also offered their support, but both made clear they believed any escalation would require the approval of Congress.

 “Tonight’s strike in Syria appears to be a proportional response to the regime’s use of chemical weapons," Pelosi said, but added, “The crisis in Syria will not be resolved by one night of airstrikes." Durbin said “any further action will require close scrutiny by Congress, and any escalation beyond airstrikes or missile strikes will require engaging the American people in that decision."

 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Making sure Assad knows that when he commits such despicable atrocities he will pay a price is the right thing to do.” The New York Democrat added, though, that “it is incumbent on the Trump administration to come up with a strategy and consult with Congress before implementing it.”

 Meanwhile, libertarian-minded Republicans like Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky blasted Trump's decision to launch strikes without first getting approval by Congress.

 “The President needs congressional authorization for military action as required by the Constitution,” Paul said in a Tweet.

 They were joined by liberal Democrats, including Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Rep. Ted Lieu of California, who also argued the use of force requires congressional approval under the Constitution.

 Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who was the lone member of Congress to vote against the 2001 war authorization against Al Qaeda, called the strikes an “act of war” and said Congress needs to come back into session and debate the matter. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) called Trump's failure to seek congressional authorization "unlawful."

 On the other side were Republican defense hawks, who offered full-throated praise for Trump’s decision — including Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, two of Trump’s fiercest GOP critics on other issues.

 “Unlike the previous administration, President Trump confronted a pivotal moment in Syria and took action,” McCain and Graham said in a joint statement. “For that, he deserves the support of the American people.”

 Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, another GOP defense hawk who has sometimes been critical of Trump, also issued a statement of support.

 “By acting decisively against the very facility from which Assad launched his murderous chemical weapons attack, President Trump has made it clear to Assad and those who empower him that the days of committing war crimes with impunity are over,” Rubio said.

 Congress and the White House have long been at odds over the president’s constitutional war powers.

 Both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were authorized by Congress. But President Barack Obama did not seek congressional authorization for the 2011 military intervention in Libya.

 Sign up here for POLITICO Huddle A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

 Obama did seek authorization in 2013 for strikes against the Assad regime in Syria, though he maintained he had the power to order strikes without such an authorization.

 Ultimately, Congress never acted on a resolution against the Syrian government amid significant opposition, and Obama did not launch strikes, instead pursuing diplomatic avenues for removing chemical weapons from Syria.

 Many Republicans may find themselves in an awkward spot Friday as they justify their support for Trump's missile strike after suggesting similar actions by the Obama administration would be unconstitutional.

 U.S. launches airstrikes in Syria poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201704/149/1155968404_5388955029001_5388944110001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true

 Stalwart Trump ally Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), along with more than 100 colleagues, signed a 2013 letter that sharply warned Obama against a unilateral attack. "Engaging our military in Syria when no direct threat to the United States exists and without prior congressional authorization would violate the separation of powers that is clearly delineated in the Constitution," they wrote.

 Other GOP signatories included Rep. Lynn Jenkins of Kansas, who applauded Trump as "decisive," and Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, who commended Trump for his "swift action." A slew of other Republicans who praised Trump — including Don Young of Alaska, Martha Roby of Alabama, Roger Williams of Texas — opposed or leaned heavily against Obama's request to authorize the use of force in Syria while heaping praise on Trump Thursday night.

 The Congressional Research Service addressed the issue of war powers in a report last month, noting that “in the post-Cold War world, presidents have continued to commit U.S. armed forces into potential hostilities, sometimes without a specific authorization from Congress.”

 “It is generally agreed that the Commander-in-Chief role gives the President power to utilize the armed forces to repel attacks against the United States,” CRS said in its report. “But there has long been controversy over whether he is constitutionally authorized to send forces into hostile situations abroad without a declaration of war or other congressional authorization.”

 The U.S. military has been conducting airstrikes in Syria since 2014, but these have been aimed at the Islamic State. The Obama and Trump administrations have cited as their legal justification for these strikes the authorization for use of military force passed by Congress after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

 Thursday’s strike was the first U.S. military action targeting the Bashar Assad regime in Syria, which Trump cast as retaliation for Assad’s most recent chemical attack on his own people.

 “Tonight I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched,” Trump said Thursday. “It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons.”

 Elana Schor, Seung Min Kim and Heather Caygle contributed to this report.

 Members of Congress react to air strikes against Assad forces in Syria The United States launched air strikes against the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad on Thursday. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader Chuck Schemer, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Tim Kaine, and Sen. John McCain react to the U.S. missile strike. poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201704/685/1155968404_5389764671001_5389647039001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" ||||| MSNBC’s breaking news anchor and 11th Hour host Brian Williams is facing criticism from the Twittersphere for comments he made during the network’s live coverage of the missile launch attack on a Syrian air base. The strikes were carried out following a chemical weapon attack supposedly ordered by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

 “I am tempted to quote the great Leonard Cohen: ‘I am guided by the beauty of our weapons,’” Williams said during an interview with U.S. intelligence expert Malcolm Nance. “They are beautiful pictures of fearsome armaments making what is for them what is a brief flight over to this airfield.”

 The comments were made while video provided by the Pentagon of Tomahawk missiles launched by U.S. warships towards the Syrian air base was being shown.

 Some people deemed the comments as insensitive or perhaps as a bit too cavalier given the circumstances.

 Jesus Christ — Brian Williams: “I’m guided by the beauty of our weapons” – You can support airstrike without glamorizing it. https://t.co/77tefLFt9g — Yashar (@yashar) April 7, 2017

 This is truly a surreal segment. Brian Williams: “I am guided by the beauty of our weapons.” https://t.co/85TNZxkNa8 — Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) April 7, 2017

 The saddest thing here is Brian Williams is probably not lying this time. He likely thinks missile strikes are beautiful. https://t.co/11XnE4EbjO — jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) April 7, 2017

 Nance, on the other hand, defended Williams’s comments:

 I personally love @BWilliams. He has an extremely calming effect in serious crises. His statement was a quote of poetry which I have adopted https://t.co/M1AYotR1h9 — Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) April 7, 2017

 Comments ||||| Brian Williams has come under fire for his seemingly euphoric reaction to Thursday night’s U.S. missile strike on Syria.

 During his “11th hour” MSNBC show, the anchor began to wax poetic at the sight of the Pentagon-released video that showed three missiles launching into the night sky on their way to a Syrian airfield

 “We see these beautiful pictures at night from the decks of these two U.S. Navy vessels in the Mediterranean,” Williams said.

 The veteran newsman said the images tempted him to quote the late singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen.

 And that’s what he did. “I am guided by the beauty of our weapons,” Williams said, a lyric from Cohen’s 1988 song “First We Take Manhattan.” He added, “They are beautiful pictures of fearsome armaments making a brief flight.”

 Watch Williams’ segment below.

 Twitter quickly pounced on his comments, calling them insensitive to the horrors of war.

 “You can support airstrike without glamorizing it,” one critic tweeted.

 Jesus Christ — Brian Williams: "I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons" – You can support airstrike without glamorizing it. https://t.co/77tefLFt9g — Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) April 7, 2017

 Some commented on how Williams seem to enjoy the imagery of war.

 thoroughly unsurprised by brian williams obscene enjoyment of the jouissance of US military technology — Patrick Blanchfield (@PatBlanchfield) April 7, 2017

 Brian Williams opens his wallet and out spill dozens of pictures of missile strikes with hearts drawn on them. — J.D. Altman (@NicCageMatch) April 7, 2017

 Others brought up Williams’ six-month suspension from NBC without pay in 2015 for misrepresenting events that occurred while he was covering the Iraq War in 2003, in addition to other stories.

 Brian Williams is under fire for calling the US strike beautiful. However that story might not be true as it was reported by Brian Williams. — Will Presti (@WillPresti) April 7, 2017

 “It’s time for Brian Williams to get fired again,” another tweeted.

 I think it's time for Brian Williams to get fired again. — Sean Burns (@SeanMBurns) April 7, 2017

 Neither MSNBC or Williams have yet to respond to the criticism. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– It's been awhile since "Brian Williams" and "controversy" have been uttered in the same sentence, but might as well take a crack at it again now that we're solidly in 2017. The MSNBC newscaster was among those providing commentary Thursday night after the US launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airfield, and while responses to the strike ran the gamut from "decisive" to "unlawful," Williams used a descriptor that few (if any others) did, per Adweek. "I am tempted to quote the great Leonard Cohen: 'I am guided by the beauty of our weapons,'" Williams waxed poetic (Variety notes it's a line from Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan"), as a video in the background showed the missiles hurtling from the US warships toward land. "They are beautiful pictures of fearsome armaments making what is for them what is a brief flight over to this airfield," he continued. But instead of swooning over his lyrical analysis, most of the internet came down on Williams for what appeared to be a glamorization of a wartime maneuver. One commenter called it "obscene enjoyment," while Matt Pearce of the Los Angeles Times called the segment "surreal." Others called Williams a "dope" or said he should be fired again. One person who didn't seem to mind Williams' take: Malcolm Nance, the intel expert who was on air with Williams during his soliloquy-like sermon. "He has an extremely calming effect in serious crises," tweeted Nance. (Congress members are split on how they feel about the strike.)


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(CNN) Michael Cohen, the longtime personal attorney for President Donald Trump, filed court papers Wednesday indicating he would assert his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination regarding his involvement in a hush money deal involving porn star Stormy Daniels and the President.

 Cohen cited FBI raids of his residence, office and hotel room and the seizure of "various electronic devices and documents in my possession," in his filing in US District Court in Los Angeles.

 "Based upon the advice of counsel, I will assert my Fifth Amendment rights in connection with all proceedings in this case due to the ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI and US Attorney for the Southern District of New York," Cohen said.

 Cohen filed the declaration as part of an effort to have a civil lawsuit filed by Daniels put on hold. The judge in that case said last week that he needed to hear from Cohen directly before deciding on that request.

 Michael Avenatti, Daniels' attorney, called Cohen's declaration "a stunning development."

 Read More ||||| This is a stunning development. Never before in our nation’s history has the attorney for the sitting President invoked the 5th Amend in connection with issues surrounding the President. It is esp. stunning seeing as MC served as the “fixer” for Mr. Trump for over 10 yrs. # basta ||||| Stormy Daniels’s attorney, Michael Avenatti, said on Wednesday that the decision by Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in Daniels’s lawsuit against him was “stunning.”

 “This is a stunning development. Never before in our nation’s history has the attorney for the sitting President invoked the 5th Amend in connection with issues surrounding the President,” Avenatti wrote on Twitter.

 This is a stunning development. Never before in our nation’s history has the attorney for the sitting President invoked the 5th Amend in connection with issues surrounding the President. It is esp. stunning seeing as MC served as the “fixer” for Mr. Trump for over 10 yrs. #basta — Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 25, 2018

 Avenatti, who earlier this month predicted that Cohen would plead the Fifth, said Cohen’s action was especially stunning given that he had served as the president’s “fixer” for more than 10 years.

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 “Based on the advice of counsel, I will assert my 5th amendment rights in connection with all proceedings in this case due to the ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York,” Cohen said in a court filing Wednesday.

 Cohen said he decided to plead the Fifth based on the FBI raid of his office and hotel room earlier this month and the criminal probe the raid was a part of.

 During the 2016 presidential election, Trump said pleading the Fifth Amendment was a sign that someone wasn't innocent.

 Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, is suing Cohen for defamation over his suggestion that Daniels lied about her alleged affair with Trump.

 Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement weeks before the election that, Daniels says, was meant to silence her about the reported affair. |||||

– In what Stormy Daniels' lawyer called a "stunning development," President Trump's personal lawyer said Wednesday that he plans to invoke his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself in the adult film star's lawsuit against him. Michael Cohen, citing government raids on his home and offices, filed papers saying he plans to plead the Fifth in connection with the civil lawsuit "due to the ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI and US Attorney for the Southern District of New York," CNN reports. Daniels is suing Cohen for defamation for accusing her of lying about her alleged affair with Trump, reports the Hill. She is also seeking to void a deal in which Cohen paid her $130,000 to stay quiet about the alleged affair. Michael Avenatti, Daniels' attorney, says the move is especially stunning because Cohen was Trump's "fixer" for more than a decade. "Never before in our nation’s history has the attorney for the sitting President invoked the 5th Amend in connection with issues surrounding the President," he tweeted. He also tweeted a link to a Washington Post story that noted Trump slammed Hillary Clinton staffers in 2016 for invoking the Fifth during the investigation of her email server—but invoked the amendment himself during his 1990 divorce from Ivana Trump, dodging no fewer than 97 deposition questions, mostly about other women. (Avenatti has filed a motion to depose Trump.)


Here is a news article: His voice quiet and raspy, Mayor Rob Ford (open Rob Ford's poilcard) said Thursday that he has been told he has a “50-50” chance of surviving his rare cancer.

 Ford said he is not sure if he will feel well enough to participate in any all-candidates’ debates in Ward 2 (Etobicoke North), where he is now a candidate for his old council seat. But he shrugged off criticism from residents who question his decision to run for office while undergoing chemotherapy.

 “Some people are saying that, but a lot more people are saying ‘I want your name on the ballot.’ And we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.There’s other candidates. If they don’t think I’m up to it, then vote for someone else,” he said outside his city hall office. “I think there’s about 12 or 15 people in my ward, I don’t know exactly how many. This came together relatively quick. I was doing great, I was doing fantastic.”

 Ford has 13 opponents. One of them, business professional Andray Domise, initially declined to comment for fear of sounding “harsh and insensitive,” then changed his mind minutes later and called Ford’s decision “highly irresponsible.”

 “My problem is: he’s put his name on the ballot, and asked to be treated as a serious candidate, so the least that I can do is respect that wish. Which also means holding him accountable,” Domise said.

 “So if your name is on the ballot but you’re not showing up for debates, you haven’t released a platform, you haven’t talked about what it is you’re going to do for Ward 2, you’re not canvassing, you’re not knocking on doors, you’re not putting down lawn signs, essentially you’re taking the neighbourhood for granted. You expect to be allowed back into city hall, as a seriously ill person, with no ideas for what we’re going to do for this ward going forward.”

 Candidate Luke LaRocque, a community developer, expressed a different view.

 “The people in this community are focused on making sure that their community gets things that it needs. And that’s what I’m focused on. If Rob’s going to be focused on those things, and people want to vote for him — because I believe strongly in democracy, I would have a difficult time saying he shouldn’t run until he gets well. It’s a personal decision of his,” LaRocque said.

 Ford represented Ward 2 for 10 years, from 2000 to 2010. Polls suggest he holds a big lead over the field. He has been seen canvassing at least once since he was discharged from the hospital.

 He spent part of the day Thursday in his office, where his aides have covered the front window with get-well cards.

 He skipped a Ward 2 all-candidates’ debate held by Rogers television on Wednesday night, instead attending a mayoral debate in which brother Doug Ford (open Doug Ford's poilcard) was participating. He left minutes after he arrived, saying he was not feeling well. ||||| Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says cancer has been the “worst event” that’s ever happened to him, saying that “some nights, I just cry myself to sleep.”

 Mr. Ford, who has been away from City Hall for the past several weeks while he undergoes treatment for liposarcoma, a rare form of cancer, paid a rare visit to his office Thursday afternoon. There, he spoke with City Hall reporters for the first time about his cancer diagnosis, and his decision to pull out of the mayoral race.

 'Some nights, I just cry myself to sleep': Rob Ford on cancer and treatment (The Globe and Mail)

 “This is the hardest by far,” Mr. Ford said of all the challenges he’s dealt with in the past few years – a period of time which includes his admissions of drug and alcohol abuse, having his mayoral authorities stripped away from him, and being the subject of a Toronto Police investigation.

 “A lot of the stuff that I’ve gone through, most of it’s been self-inflicted, but when you get hit by cancer, that’s not self-inflicted,” he said.

 The mayor added that the experience has been especially difficult given the fact that his own father died of cancer. “I wasn’t in his shoes, but I saw what he went through,” Mr. Ford said. “I just told the doctor ‘I just don’t want to suffer. I really don’t want to suffer.’”

 The worst part, he said, has been the effect on his family. “It’s explaining to my kid what a will is,” he said. “Stephanie’s 10 and Dougie’s seven – they know what’s going on at 10 and seven, and it’s heartbreaking at times…They say stuff like ‘Who’s going to tuck me in at night? Who’s going to take care of us?’ Some nights I just cry myself to sleep.”

 Mr. Ford, whose voice was hoarse and several times had to stop mid-sentence to gather his thoughts, said he was at his office Thursday in order to get work done. He apologized when this happened, saying “this chemo really does weird things to you.”

 “I’ve got letters to sign, I’ve got to open up every single get-well card,” he said, gesturing to the wall covered with cards that had been plastered on his office door. “People have the time to send them to me, I’ve got the time to read them.” He said he’d stayed up until late the night before to help put up campaign signs for the October 27 election.

 After the mayor was hospitalized in mid September, he dropped out of the mayoral race, opting instead to run for his former council seat in Etobicoke. His brother, Doug Ford, is now running for mayor in his place. At about the same time that the mayor spoke with reporters at City Hall, Doug was in Etobicoke, unveiling his transit plan at a press conference.

 “It’s different,” Rob said of playing “armchair quarterback” to his brother’s campaign from the sidelines. “I’m just trying to give him advice because we all start off – you think it’s easy, getting up and debating, but it’s a bit of a challenge, because you have so many different issues. You have a lot of your time condensed into 30 seconds or a minute.”

 At his Etobicoke press conference, Doug unveiled his $9-billion, 32-kilometre subway plan, which is almost identical to the plan unveiled by Rob when he was still running for mayor – with one notable exception.

 Whereas Rob's plan placed Sheppard and Finch subways as his first priorities, Doug said that a downtown relief line would instead be his number one priority.

 "The relief line downtown, the Yonge relief line, I think is a priority," he said, "right beside the Sheppard line. So we’ll be doing the Yonge relief line – I think we have consensus with the councillors.

 As with his brother, Doug promised to build the subways at no cost to residents, instead vowing to fund the plan with assistance from other levels of government, as well as a mix of public-private partnerships, sales of assets and air-rights over stations. |||||
A summary of this is?

– Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer, but he says he's trying to stay optimistic, even though doctors have given him a 50/50 chance of survival. "Some nights I just cry myself to sleep, but what can you do, there's only that many tears that can be shed," he told reporters yesterday, saying the hardest part was telling his two children about it, the Globe and Mail reports. "The kids, it's ripping my heart out," said Ford, who began chemotherapy for liposarcoma last month and whose brother Doug has taken his place in the city's mayoral race. Ford, whose father died of cancer in 2006, describes the disease as the "worst event" in a turbulent life. "A lot of the stuff that I've gone through, most of it's been self-inflicted, but when you get hit by cancer, that's not self-inflicted," he said. But Ford is still running for the city council seat he held for 10 years before becoming mayor, even though he might be too sick to take part in any debates. One of his 13 rivals for the seat, financial planner Andray Domise, tells the Toronto Star that Ford is being "highly irresponsible" by staying in the race when he is too ill to campaign. "He's put his name on the ballot and asked to be treated as a serious candidate, so the least that I can do is respect that wish. Which also means holding him accountable," Domise says. But Ford has a big lead, and another opponent, community developer Luke LaRocque, tells the Star he has no problem with Ford staying in the race as long as people want to vote for him. "Because I believe strongly in democracy, I would have a difficult time saying he shouldn't run until he gets well. It's a personal decision of his," he says.


Article:
GAYA/KOLKATA: A Japanese girl was allegedly confined and raped by a duo in Bihar's Gaya with the accused having been arrested on Friday by a joint team of Kolkata and Gaya Police."A joint team of Kolkata and Gaya Police arrested two brothers — Zahir and Shahid — from their house in Taro village under Fatehpur police station of Gaya district for confining and raping a Japanese girl," said Senior Superintendent of Police, Gaya, Nishant Kumar Tiwari.After contacting the Japanese consulate, the girl had lodged an FIR at Park Street police station in Kolkata that the duo along with a few of their accomplices had confined her since November 26 and gangraped her, he said.According to police, the girl was befriended by one Wasim Khan on November 20 in Kolkata who spoke Japanese and with whom she went to Gaya."Once there, Wasim molested her and took Rs 76,000 from her bank account before handing her over to the duo (Zahir and Shahid). There (Gaya), the brothers confined her till the end of December and repeatedly gangraped her," said Special CP (Crime) of Kolkata Police, Pallab Kanti Ghosh.Later, they put the girl on a bus bound for Varanasi where she got in touch with her friends and contacted the Japanese consulate in Kolkata, Ghosh said.After returning to Kolkata on December 26, she lodged the FIR following which Wasim was arrested. Acting on information collected from him during interrogation, a Kolkata Police team went to Gaya and arrested the duo and brought them to Kolkata.The two brothers were arrested on charges of rape and cheating the Japanese girl, the Gaya SSP added. ||||| Police in India arrested three people for allegedly gang-raping a 22-year-old Japanese research academic near a Buddhist pilgrimage centre in eastern India, officials said on Friday.

 Police were looking for two more suspects who also allegedly kept the Japanese woman as a hostage for nearly three weeks in a village near Bodh Gaya, a town 80 miles south of Patna, the capital of Bihar state, officer Akhilesh Singh said.

 The woman managed to escape on 26 December and reached her base at Kolkata, where she filed a police complaint. She has been studying life in rural India for some time, Singh said.

 A Kolkata-based tourist guide had taken the Japanese woman to Bodh Gaya to show her the Buddhist pilgrimage centre where Gautama Buddha is said to have obtained enlightenment under a tree. He was joined by four others in keeping her in captivity and raping her, police said.

 Two of the arrests were made in the area on Friday and one took place earlier this week in Kolkata, police added.

 India has a long history of tolerance of sexual violence, but a series of high-profile rape cases have triggered strong public outrage in recent years, leading to tougher anti-rape laws.

 India has doubled prison terms for rapists to 20 years and criminalised voyeurism, stalking and the trafficking of women.

 The law also makes it a crime for police officers to refuse to open cases when complaints are made. ||||| NEW DELHI — Five men have been arrested in connection with the alleged abduction and rape of a Japanese woman who said she was held captive for 12 days, the Indian police said Saturday.

 The young woman, who had been staying in Kolkata, said she had been lured by a man posing as a tour guide to travel to the Gaya district in the state of Bihar, the site of one of India’s holiest Buddhist temples, according to the Kolkata police. When she arrived in Gaya, two other men were waiting, she told police, saying the two held her at gunpoint and raped her.

 The police said the episode occurred sometime after her arrival in Kolkata on Nov. 20 and that she had first been taken to Digha, a resort in West Bengal by men involved in the case. The Press Trust of India, a news service, quoted the police as saying that she had been forced to remove money from her bank account.

 Anxiety in India over violence against women has been very high since the December 2012 gang rape of an Indian woman on a Delhi bus, an attack so brutal that she died of her injuries.

 Details of the latest case, including how long the woman was reportedly held, varied widely as the police continued their investigation Saturday. It was unclear how two of the five men were involved in the case.

 The police said that at least one of the five men spoke Japanese and that two were brothers.

 A senior police official in Kolkata, Pallab Kanti Ghosh, said on Saturday that after being held, the woman went to the city of Varanasi, where she told a group of Japanese tourists what had happened. She then returned to Kolkata and the Japanese Consulate put her in touch with the police in late December, Mr. Ghosh said.

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 It remained unclear if she had been released by the men or had escaped. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Yogita Limaye reports from Delhi on another sexual violence case in India

 Five men have been arrested in India charged with kidnapping and repeatedly raping a Japanese student.

 Police in the eastern city of Calcutta say the assaults took place over a period of more than a month from 23 November and in at least two locations.

 They say an organised gang is suspected of targeting single women tourists.

 Increasing numbers of rape cases are being reported and highlighted in India, prompting widespread outrage.

 Pallav Kanti Ghosh, a Calcutta police commissioner, told BBC Hindi that two of the men - said to be brothers - approached the 23-year-old victim as tourist guides after she arrived in the city and checked into a hotel in an area popular with foreign tourists.

 Trafficked at Buddhist holy site

 "One of the men spoke very fluent Japanese," he said.

 "They said: 'We are guides and want to take you sight-seeing.'

 "They took her to Digha [a beach resort in West Bengal state] on 23 November. There they sexually assaulted her and robbed her of 76,000 rupees [$1,200] using her ATM card."

 She was then taken to Bodh Gaya, the holiest site of Buddhism and a major pilgrimage and tourist centre.

 "There, the men handed her over to other gang members," Mr Ghosh said.

 The woman was held captive for several weeks and the assaults continued, he said.

 In late December she managed to reach the city of Varanasi from where she travelled to Calcutta, lodging a complaint via the Japanese consulate on 26 December.

 Mr Ghosh said three of the men were arrested near Bodh Gaya and two in Calcutta. The Hindustan Times newspaper said some were held after their mobile phone calls were intercepted.

 He said police were searching for other members of what he called an organised gang, several of whom are reportedly proficient in Japanese.

 Sexual violence in India has been in the spotlight since a student was fatally gang-raped on a bus in Delhi two years ago.

 That and other cases have prompted a domestic and international outcry.

 Other foreign women targeted by gang-rapists include a Swiss cyclist assaulted in central India in 2013 and a Danish tourist attacked in Delhi a year ago.

 Rape laws have been toughened in response to the crimes but correspondents say this has failed to act as a deterrent. |||||Summary:

– Another horrific gang-rape story is emerging out of India, this time involving a 22-year-old Japanese woman who police say was held for at least 12 days, reports the New York Times. Police have arrested five men, including two brothers, reports the BBC. Authorities say that the young academic was staying in Kolkata when a man who speaks fluent Japanese lured her away by posing as a tour guide. He and other accomplices then allegedly held her in a village near Bodh Gaya, a popular destination because of its Buddhist pilgrimage center, and repeatedly raped her, reports the Guardian. Details of the case are still coming together, and reports differ substantially. Most accounts say she eventually escaped and reached authorities in Varanasi, for example, while the Times of India says her captors put her on a bus. Some reports say she was held 12 days, some three weeks, and others (including the BBC) for more than a month. All seem to agree, though, that gangs are preying on female Japanese tourists. The men have been charged with gang rape, wrongful confinement, kidnapping, molestation, and criminal conspiracy.


Laquanda Moultrie, holding a stuffed bear she hopes to leave at Emanuel AME Church, stands with Surreace Cox near the police barrier. (Matthew Fortner/Staff)

 After a night of fear and grief in downtown Charleston, authorities in North Carolina arrested a young white man on charges that he gunned down nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, ending a vast search but leaving the city and the nation reeling.

 Video To see a video of the Rev. Clementa Pinckney’s opening prayer at the Charleston YWCA’s April 24 “Requiem on Racism 2015,” go to https://vimeo.com/126710749

 The Holy City struggled to comprehend why the gunman police identified as 21-year-old Dylann Storm Roof would sit down for an hour at a Bible study in the historic black church on Calhoun Street and then open fire, wiping out most of the clergy. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the killings as a hate crime.

 The victims The nine people fatally shot at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church: Clementa Pinckney, 41, the primary pastor who also served as a state senator. Cynthia Hurd, 54, St. Andrews regional branch manager for the Charleston County Public Library system. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45, a church pastor, speech therapist and coach of the girls’ track and field team at Goose Creek High School. Tywanza Sanders, 26, who had a degree in business administration from Allen University, where Pinckney also attended. Ethel Lance, 70, a retired Gailliard Center employee who has worked recently as a church janitor. Susie Jackson, 87, Lance’s cousin who was a longtime church member. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49, a retired director of the local Community Development Block Grant Program who joined the church in March as a pastor. Myra Thompson, 59, a pastor at the church. Daniel Simmons Sr., 74, a pastor, who died in a hospital operating room.

 To President Barack Obama, the shooting stirred up “a dark part” of American history when racially motivated violence was more prevalent. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch declared that such acts have “no place in a civilized society.”

 The emotional weight of the ordeal also brought local activists, Charleston’s police chief and South Carolina’s governor to tears as they fought to find words to ease community members who fear further violence in a city with a long and complicated history involving race.

 “We woke up today, and the heart and soul of South Carolina was broken,” Gov. Nikki Haley said, her voice trembling. “We have some grieving to do. ... Parents are having to explain to their kids how they can go to church and feel safe. That’s not something we ever thought we’d deal with.”

 After a massive manhunt, Roof, who has shown interest in racial segregation and the Confederacy, was caught during a traffic stop Thursday morning in Shelby, N.C., 250 miles north of Charleston. A motorist there recognized Roof’s 15-year-old Hyundai from wanted posters distributed by police.

 A resident of Eastover, a rural town near Columbia, Roof smiled at television cameras Thursday afternoon as Shelby officers led him to a waiting cruiser, his mop of blond hair hanging in his eyes and a ballistic vest covering his torso. He waived extradition, and South Carolina flew him back to Charleston County to face charges in what has been called one of worst hate crimes the United States has seen in decades.

 Meanwhile, the community mourned and searched for answers, with hundreds packing prayer vigils in a show of solidarity and support for the fallen and the families they left behind.

 In all, six women and three men died after gunfire sprayed through Emanuel’s basement. Among the dead were a state senator who served as the church’s primary pastor, a beloved county librarian, a dedicated girl’s track and field coach and a young college graduate. The victims ranged in age from 26 to 87.

 Their deaths marked the second fatal shooting in the past three months that has drawn the nation’s eyes to the Charleston area, roiling racial tensions and prompting federal investigations. The FBI has been examining potential civil rights violations in the April 4 killing of Walter Scott, a black man shot in the back by a white North Charleston police officer. FBI agents also are looking into what motivated Wednesday’s bloody attack in Emanuel AME Church, Columbia-based spokeswoman Denise Taiste confirmed.

 The tragedy also renewed politicians’ focus on reform of the nation’s gun laws. Obama said Thursday during a press briefing in Washington that the Charleston shooting should spark national introspection about the availability of guns.

 “I’ve had to make statements like this too many times,” Obama said. “Communities like this have had to endure tragedies like this too many times. Once again, innocent people were killed because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun.”

 The shooting

 The tragedy unfolded on a hot, steamy night after about a dozen clergy and church members gathered for a regular Bible study and prayer service. They met in the basement, a ground-level floor beneath the sanctuary that housed the pastor’s office and other rooms.

 They studied Mark 4 16:20. “Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy ...”

 A young white man, not part of the congregation, came in around 8:15 p.m. and sat down quietly. He stayed for 40 to 50 minutes as the session continued.

 “But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away ...”

 Suddenly, the young man rose, uttered remarks that betrayed his contempt for blacks and opened fire with a gun.

 A female trustee, who hid under a table, was among the survivors. The gunman told her he would let her live so that she could tell the story of what happened. Two other survivors, including a young girl, played dead, church members said.

 The search

 The gunman slipped out of the church as dozens of police officers descended on the area armed with military-style rifles, teams of police dogs and helicopters that circled overhead.

 Area residents locked the doors and bolted their gates, fearful after news spread that a gunman was on the loose. Activists from local black communities expressed fear of being targeted next.

 James Johnson, South Carolina president of the National Action Network, stood in the middle of Calhoun Street, where city leaders had announced the death toll moments earlier Thursday morning, and cried.

 Johnson has spoken out for years about civil rights concerns in Charleston-area policing. He had recently joined Clementa Pinckney, the slain AME church pastor, for a summit about the Scott shooting in North Charleston.

 But Johnson had never coped with anything like this, he said, and he worried that it would discourage people from talking about racially charged problems.

 “We feel that we’re not safe,” he said. “They could do the same thing when we speak out against this injustice. We must be mindful.”

 As Johnson and others grappled with such thoughts, the gunman, who had slipped out of Charleston, put distance between himself and the carnage he’d left behind.

 Investigators soon broadened their hunt, deploying local and statewide police agencies and top agents from the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They also circulated surveillance camera images of a young man with a bowl haircut who appeared to be the gunman they were looking for. A bulletin included pictures of the gunman’s 2000 Hyundai Elantra and a telephone tip line for people to call if they saw the car or its driver.

 Tips started rolling in soon after the bulletin went out. By mid-morning, investigators named Roof as the suspected gunman and a call went out for his arrest. Shortly after 11 a.m., authorities announced he had been nabbed in North Carolina.

 “We had a number of tips that were coming in,” Mullen, the police chief, later said. “It was amazing. Whenever we got a lead ... we sent out teams. It was a tremendous effort. ... I am so pleased that we were able to resolve this case quickly ... so that nobody else is harmed by this individual.”

 A picture soon emerged of a troubled young high school dropout who had talked about blacks in racially inflammatory terms and had been arrested in recent months on drug and trespassing charges.

 He had been banned from a Columbia mall in February after employees of two stores alerted police that Roof, dressed in all black clothing, was asking odd questions about their operations and when workers left for the night, an incident report stated. He was arrested on a trespassing charge in April after returning to the mall, records show.

 Friends said something seemed to be bothering him, but he stayed out of trouble until he walked into Emanuel AME Church Wednesday night.

 The aftermath

 Obama and Vice President Joe Biden called Charleston Mayor Joe Riley on Thursday to relay their condolences. They praised the efforts to track down the suspect, Riley said.

 “It’s a wonderful sign that we don’t let these people get away with these dastardly deeds,” he said.

 But further rattling people as they mourned the losses, someone called in bomb threats to another downtown AME church where residents and leaders had gathered for a vigil and to the office building where Charleston County’s coroner announced the names of those who were slain.

 Emotions already were raw this week from the anniversary of another tragedy that also claimed nine lives. The shooting occurred on the eve of the eighth remembrance of the June 18, 2007, Sofa Super Store blaze in West Ashley that killed Charleston firefighters.

 County Coroner Rae Wooten said the anniversary made her team’s response to the shooting more difficult.

 “It all came back,” she said. “It was somewhat disbelief that we could ever face something that horrific again.”

 But people from local leaders to the president expressed resolve to overcome the latest carnage.

 U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., called it “absolutely despicable” for such violence to occur in a place where people come together to “laugh, love and rejoice in God’s name.”

 Obama said Emanuel AME and its congregation have risen before from flames, an earthquake and other dark times to give hope to Charleston, “and with our prayers and love and buoyancy, it will rise now as a place of peace.”

 “Acts like this have no place in our country and no place in a civilized society,” Lynch, the attorney general, added during a Thursday morning news conference in Washington. “I want everyone in Charleston and everyone who has been affected by this tragedy to know that we will do everything in our power to help heal this community and make it whole again.”

 Christina Elmore, Glenn Smith, Robert Behre, Melissa Boughton, Tony Bartelme, Schuyler Kropf and Jennifer Berry Hawes contributed to this report. ||||| The Rev. Clementa Pinckney stands inside Emanuel AME Church shortly after he was named its new pastor in 2010. Pinckney also serves as a state senator. Staff/file

 Beyond the squad cars blocking roads and news trucks jamming downtown sidewalks, Emanuel AME Church sits a white sentry of faith in the heart of historic Charleston, roped off by police tape to all who are watching her.

 State Rep. Bakari Sellers stands in a dapper suit under sweltering heat before national TV cameras aimed at the historic church. He tries not to glance at his cell phone clock.

 The son of civil rights activist Cleveland Sellers, he wants to speak, to remind, to mourn with the nation.

 But the news crew is running late, and he needs to dash to a prayer vigil a few blocks away at Morris Brown AME, daughter church of “Mother Emanuel,” as the devastated congregation affectionately is known.

 The historic Charleston congregation, founded in 1818, was the first African Methodist Episcopal church in the South. It remains the oldest.

 However, its story really begins closer to 1816 when Morris Brown, a free shoemaker and devout Christian, walked out of a white, segregated Methodist Church in Charleston, an AME Church website states.

 He formed Emanuel AME which, like other black churches, became defenders of freedom to worship — and became deeply interwoven with freedom to do so much else.

 One of its founding members was Denmark Vesey.

 Almost to this precise day 193 years ago, Vesey plotted a failed slave rebellion from the very church where so much blood spilled Wednesday as worshippers gathered to study God’s word.

 Vesey’s rebellion might have charted a new course in the lives of enslaved black residents, had someone not tipped off authorities. But someone did. And the 1822 plot was discovered, bringing harsh reprisals to the area’s black residents.

 Vesey, a former slave but then a free carpenter, died with 34 others by the hangman’s noose. Emanuel AME was burned and its members driven underground to worship for decades. All-black churches were outlawed.

 The ensuing investigation forced its pastor, the Rev. Morris Brown, to flee north to Philadelphia, the seat of the AME Church. The church was burned.

 Mother Emanuel went underground. But rose again.

 In 1865, at the close of the Civil War, the congregation adopted the name Emanuel. It means, “God with us.”

 Despite what officials are calling a horrendous hate crime, enough has changed in the ensuing 150 years that the nation elected its first black president. Now he too is left to mourn.

 President and Mrs. Obama knew Rev. Clementa Pinckney, the church’s pastor who is among the dead.

 “Emanuel AME opened its doors to strangers who sought healing. It’s risen before from flames, earthquakes and other dark times,” President Obama said in a televised addressed to a shocked nation.

 Pinckney took the helm of Mother Emanuel in 2010.

 That year, he told a Post and Courier reporter, “Loving God is never separate from loving our brothers and sisters. It’s always the same.”

 Reach Jennifer Hawes at 937-5563, follow her on Twitter at @JenBerryHawes or subscribe to her at facebook.com/jennifer.b.hawes. ||||| CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A white man opened fire during a prayer meeting inside a historic black church in downtown Charleston on Wednesday night, killing nine people in an assault that authorities described as a hate crime. The shooter was still at large.

 Worshippers gather to pray in a hotel parking lot across the street from the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 Police stand outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 Police close off a section of Calhoun Street near the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 Worshippers embrace following a group prayer across the street from the scene of a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 A police officer uses a flashlight while searching the area following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 Police talk to a man outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (Wade Spees/The Post And Courier via AP) (Associated Press)

 A man kneels across the street from where police gather outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (Wade Spees/The Post And Courier via AP) (Associated Press)

 Police walk down the street from the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 A distraught man is comforted as a group of concerned people arrive inquiring about a shooting across the street Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 Police talk to a man outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (Wade Spees/The Post And Courier via AP) (Associated Press)

 An armed police officer moves up Calhoun Street following a shooting in Charleston, S.C., Wednesday, June 17, 2015. (Wade Spees/The Post And Courier via AP) (Associated Press)

 Police stand outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 An FBI agent walks across the street from the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 Police stand outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (Wade Spees/The Post And Courier via AP) (Associated Press)

 Worshippers gather to pray in a hotel parking lot across the street from the scene of a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 A man kneels across the street from where police gather outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (Wade Spees/The Post And Courier via AP) (Associated Press)

 Police stand outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 A man looks on as a group of people arrive inquiring about a shooting across the street Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 The shooting took place at the Emanuel AME Church, Police Chief Greg Mullen said. He said there were survivors, but would not say how many, or how many were inside at the time of the shooting. He also would not confirm whether the pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, was one of the victims.

 Mullen described the suspect as a white male in his early 20s. He said he believed it was a hate crime, but would not elaborate.

 "The only reason that someone could walk into a church and shoot people praying is out of hate," said Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley. "It is the most dastardly act that one could possibly imagine, and we will bring that person to justice. ... This is one hateful person."

 As police and the city's mayor updated the news media, a group of pastors huddled together praying in a circle across the street.

 Police moved members of the news media back away from the site due to what they called an "imminent" threat. They did not release any details.

 The campaign of GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush sent out an email saying that due to the shooting, the candidate had canceled an event planned in the city Thursday.

 The Emmanuel AME church is a historic African-American church that traces its roots to 1816, when several churches split from Charleston's Methodist Episcopal church.

 One of its founders, Denmark Vesey, tried to organize a slave revolt in 1822. He was caught, and white landowners had his church burned in revenge. Parishioners worshipped underground until after the Civil War.

 The shooting happened the day before the eighth anniversary of a fire at a furniture store that killed nine Charleston firefighters. ||||| Worshippers embrace following a group prayer across the street from the scene of a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 This image has been provided by the Charleston Police Department, Thursday, June 18, 2015. A man opened fire during a prayer meeting inside a historic black church in downtown Charleston, S.C., Wednesday... (Associated Press)

 A man kneels across the street from where police gather outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (Wade Spees/The Post And Courier via AP) (Associated Press)

 The steeple of Emanuel AME Church is visible as police close off a section of Calhoun Street early Thursday, June 18, 2015 following a shooting Wednesday night in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 Police stand outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 Worshippers gather to pray down the street from the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 Police close off a section of Calhoun Street near the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (Associated Press)

 Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen says the suspect in a shooting that killed nine people was at a historic black church attending a meeting and stayed for almost an hour before gunfire erupted.

 Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen gave the details at a Thursday morning news conference. He didn't elaborate. At the news conference, he also identified the victims of the Wednesday church night shooting as six females and three males. He says names won't be released until families are notified.

 The suspect is described as a white man thought to be in his early 20s. Mullen says the suspect is a "very dangerous individual."

 Earlier, Mullen said he had no reason to think the suspect has left the Charleston area, but is distributing information about him and the vehicle around the country.

 7:05 a.m.

 ___

 Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen says the victims of a shooting at a historic black church were six females and three males.

 At a news conference Thursday, Mullen did not give other details about the victims. He says names will not be released until families are notified.

 The Wednesday night shooting is being called a hate crime. The suspect is described as a white man thought to be in his early 20s. Mullen says the suspect is a "very dangerous individual." Mullen urged people to call police about the suspect and not pursue him or his vehicle on their own.

 Earlier, Mullen said he had no reason to think the suspect has left the Charleston area, but is distributing information about the suspect and the vehicle around the country.

 ___

 6:10 a.m.

 Police say they have surveillance video of a possible suspect and vehicle in the shooting deaths of nine people at a historic black church in downtown Charleston that's being called a hate crime.

 Police Chief Greg Mullen met with reporters early Thursday to distribute the video. Mullen said he couldn't give a specific make and model of the vehicle because they could not be certain from the video.

 The suspect is described as a white man thought to be in his early 20s. Mullen said he had no reason to think the suspect has left the Charleston area, but is distributing information about the suspect and the vehicle around the country.

 Mullen said police consider the shooting a hate crime. The FBI and state police are helping in the search.

 ___

 3:35 a.m. (EDT)

 Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen says the FBI will be involved in the investigation of a shooting at a historic black church that killed nine and is being called a hate crime.

 Mullen said the FBI would aid the investigation while speaking at a news conference that was also attended by FBI Special Agent in Charge David A. Thomas.

 House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford says that among those killed at Emanuel AME Church was the church's pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney.

 Authorities are still searching for the shooter, who's described as a white male in his early 20s.

 ___

 3 a.m. (EDT)

 A South Carolina legislative leader says the church's pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, is among those killed in a shooting at a historic black church in downtown Charleston that authorities are calling a hate crime.

 House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford says Pinckney was killed along with eight others in the Wednesday night shooting at Emanuel AME Church.

 Authorities are still searching for the shooter, who's described as a white male in his early 20s.

 ___

 1 a.m. (EDT)

 Charleston police say nine people have been killed in a shooting at a historic black church in what authorities intend to investigate as a hate crime.

 Police Chief Greg Mullen says eight people were found dead Wednesday at Emanuel AME Church and another person died later at the hospital.

 Mullen says a prayer meeting was going on at the church at the time of the shooting.

 The shooter, described as a white male, was not yet in custody.

 ___

 12:45 a.m. (EDT)

 Mayor Joseph P. Riley has confirmed to The Associated Press that police have told him nine are dead in a shooting at a historic black church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.

 Riley said he will release more details shortly at a news conference with Charleston police.

 Police were still looking for the suspect in the Wednesday night shooting at Emanuel AME Church.

 __

 12:30 a.m. (EDT)

 South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has responded to the shooting in downtown Charleston.

 "While we do not yet know all of the details, we do know that we'll never understand what motivates anyone to enter one of our places of worship and take the life of another," she said in a statement early Thursday morning.

 Police were still searching for a white male suspect.

 ___

 12:09 a.m. (EDT)

 The Post and Courier newspaper reports that Mayor Joe Riley has confirmed there are fatalities in a shooting that occurred at the site of a church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.

 Riley called the Wednesday night shooting "an unspeakable and heartbreaking tragedy."

 An Associated Press reporter on the scene said police were moving members of the media on the site back because of an "imminent" threat.

 GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush has canceled Thursday events in the area because of the shooting. ||||| Crawl of outlinks from wikipedia.org started March, 2016. These files are currently not publicly accessible. Properties of this collection. It has been several years since the last time we did this. For this collection, several things were done: 1. Turned off duplicate detection. This collection will be complete, as there is a good chance we will share the data, and sharing data with pointers to random other collections, is a complex problem. 2. For the first time, did all the different wikis. The original runs were just against the enwiki. This one, the seed list was built from all 865 collections. |||||

Write a summary.

– "This is a tragedy that no community should have to experience," Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen told reporters after a mass shooting at a historic black church left nine people dead. "I do believe this was a hate crime," he says of the attack, which is believed to have been carried out by a young white man who is still at large. The president of the Charleston NAACP tells the Post and Courier that a survivor says the gunman briefly sat down in the Emanuel AME Church before opening fire on a prayer meeting, but at a news conference this morning, Mullen said the shooter stuck around for almost an hour before the shooting began, the AP reports. Mullen also distributed a surveillance video of a possible suspect and vehicle, and added that the victims were six females and three males. The NAACP chief says the gunman told one woman he was letting her live so she could tell others what happened. "It is unfathomable that somebody in today's society would walk into a church when people are having a prayer meeting and take their lives," Mullen told reporters. "I can assure you that we're going to do everything in our power to find this individual, to lock him up and to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else." Mayor Joe Riley called the suspect "one hateful person," describing the shooting as "the most dastardly act that one could possibly imagine." In other developments: Helicopters are circling Charleston in the search for the suspect, who's described as a white male, around 21 years old, slender, clean-shaven, and wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans, and Timberland boots, the Guardian reports. Police say he is "obviously extremely dangerous." State Sen. Clementa Pinckney, the church's pastor, was in the church at the time of the attack, and State House Minority leader Todd Rutherford tells the AP that the lawmaker was among those killed. The 41-year-old "never had anything bad to say about anybody, even when I thought he should," Rutherford says. "He was always out doing work either for his parishioners or his constituents. He touched everybody." The Post and Courier has more on the history of the church, which it calls the "spiritual home to one of the oldest and largest black congregations south of Baltimore," and which many in the city call "Mother Emanuel." Its roots go back to 1816, and it was burned after one of its founders tried to organize a slave revolt in 1822. Members went underground until after the Civil War, when the church adopted the name "Emanuel." Jeb Bush has canceled a Charleston campaign appearance scheduled for today, the New York Times reports. A campaign aide for Hillary Clinton says she was in the city yesterday but left before the shooting.


By Timothy Large LONDON, Oct 17 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Some 30 million people are enslaved worldwide, trafficked into brothels, forced into manual labour, victims of debt bondage or even born into servitude, a global index on modern slavery showed on Thursday. Almost half are in India, where slavery ranges from bonded labour in quarries and kilns to commercial sex exploitation, although the scourge exists in all 162 countries surveyed by Walk Free, an Australian-based rights group. Its estimate of 29.8 million slaves worldwide is higher than other attempts to quantify modern slavery. The International Labour Organisation estimates that almost 21 million people are victims of forced labour. "Today some people are still being born into hereditary slavery, a staggering but harsh reality, particularly in parts of West Africa and South Asia," the report said. "Other victims are captured or kidnapped before being sold or kept for exploitation, whether through 'marriage', unpaid labour on fishing boats, or as domestic workers. Others are tricked and lured into situations they cannot escape, with false promises of a good job or an education." The Global Slavery Index 2013 defines slavery as the possession or control of people to deny freedom and exploit them for profit or sex, usually through violence, coercion or deception. The definition includes indentured servitude, forced marriage and the abduction of children to serve in wars. According to the index, 10 countries alone account for three quarters of the world's slaves. After India, China has the most with 2.9 million, followed by Pakistan (2.1 million), Nigeria (701,000), Ethiopia (651,000), Russia (516,000), Thailand (473,000), Democratic Republic of Congo (462,000), Myanmar (384,000) and Bangladesh (343,000). The index also ranks nations by prevalence of slavery per head of population. By this measure, Mauritania is worst, with almost 4 percent of its 3.8 million people enslaved. Estimates by other organisations put the level at up to 20 percent. Chattel slavery is common in Mauritania, meaning that slave status is passed down through generations. "Owners" buy, sell, rent out or give away their slaves as gifts. After Mauritania, slavery is most prevalent by population in Haiti, where a system of child labour known as "restavek" encourages poor families to send their children to wealthier acquaintances, where many end up exploited and abused. Pakistan, India, Nepal, Moldova, Benin, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Gabon have the next highest prevalence rates. At the other end of the scale, Iceland has the lowest estimated prevalence with fewer than 100 slaves. Next best are Ireland, Britain, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Finland and Denmark, although researchers said slave numbers in such wealthy countries were higher than previously thought. "They've been allocating resources against this crime according to the tiny handful of cases that they've been aware of," said Kevin Bales, lead researcher and a professor at the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation at Hull University. "Our estimates are telling them that the numbers of people in slavery - whether it's in Great Britain or Finland or wherever - in these richer countries actually tends to be about six to 10 times higher than they think it is." Walk Free CEO Nick Grono said the annual index would serve as an important baseline for governments and activists in the anti-slavery fight. "This kind of data hasn't been out there before," he said. "It's a multi-year effort, and next year we'll have a much better picture of where slavery is and what changes there are. If you can't measure it, you can't devise policy to address it." Countries with highest absolute numbers of slaves Country Estimated slaves India 13.9 million China 2.9 million Pakistan 2.1 million Nigeria 701,000 Ethiopia 651,000 Russia 516,000 Thailand 473,000 D.R. Congo 462,000 Myanmar 384,000 Bangladesh 343,000 Ranking by prevalence of modern slavery per head of population Rank Country Estimated slaves Population 1 Mauritania 151,000 3.8 million 2 Haiti 209,000 10.2 million 3 Pakistan 2.1 million 179.2 million 4 India 13.9 million 1.2 billion 5 Nepal 259,000 27.5 million 6 Moldova 33,000 3.6 million 7 Benin 80,000 10.1 million 8 Ivory Coast 157,000 19.8 million 9 Gambia 14,000 1.8 million 10 Gabon 14,000 1.6 million Source: Global Slavery Index 2013, Walk Free (Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, runs free news services covering humanitarian issues, human rights, corruption and climate change. Visit www.trust.org) (Editing by Tom Pfeiffer) ||||| Mauritania and Haiti have the highest proportions of slaves in the world. Bruno Vincent/Getty

 Slavery remains a serious global problem, with 29.6 million people in various states of forced servitude, including sexual exploitation, debt bondage and forced marriage, according to a new report.

 Mauritania and Haiti have the highest proportions of slaves, while India, Pakistan and China have some of the highest absolute numbers, the Walk Free Foundation said in its first Global Slavery Index report, published Wednesday. The forms of bondage violate international decrees, including the 1926 Slavery Convention, an international treaty, and the UN Trafficking Protocol.

 Native-born slaves are often found in poorer countries, while exploited workers from poorer parts of the world regularly end up in rich countries where they are often trafficked. In India, some native-born slaves never leave their own villages, Walk Free found.

 "Today some people are still being born into hereditary slavery, a staggering but harsh reality, particularly in parts of West Africa and South Asia," the report states.

 "Other victims are captured or kidnapped before being sold or kept for exploitation, whether through 'marriage,' unpaid labor on fishing boats, or as domestic workers," the report continues. "Others are tricked and lured into situations they cannot escape, with false promises of a good job or an education."

 The 10 countries with the highest number of enslaved or exploited workers, according to Walk Free, are: India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russian Federation, Thailand, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

 But Mauritania, with about 150,000 slaves, retains the highest proportion of enslaved people in the world, with aspects of "chattel slavery" that harken back to the American experience of the institution, where human beings are considered "full property of their masters who exercise total ownership over them and their descendants."

 Many slaves in the West African nation were born into classes that have toiled as slaves for generations. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Slavery continues to afflict almost 30 million people across the planet—in every one of 162 countries surveyed in a new report. India is home to 13.9 million slaves, by far the largest number; relative to population, however, Mauritania has the highest rate, with 4% of the population enslaved (though other groups have placed the figure as high as 20%). The new data comes from Australian activist organization Walk Free; its Global Slavery Index includes cases of human trafficking, forced labor and marriage, debt bondage, and other forms of exploitative control, Reuters notes. Three-quarters of slaves are in just 10 countries, led by China, with 2.9 million; Pakistan, with 2.1 million; Nigeria; Ethiopia; and Russia. By percentage, Mauritania—where a "chattel" system sees masters with "total ownership over (slaves) and their descendants"—is followed by Haiti, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. Iceland, meanwhile, has both the lowest number and the lowest proportion of slaves. The US has some 59,000 people experiencing such exploitation, al-Jazeera America reports. Numbers of enslaved people in wealthy countries is often "six to 10 times higher" than leaders believe, weakening anti-slavery efforts, says an expert.


News article:

In the next 60 seconds, people around the world will purchase one million plastic bottles and two million plastic bags. By the end of the year, we will produce enough bubble wrap to encircle the Equator 10 times.

 Though it will take more than 1,000 years for most of these items to degrade, many will soon break apart into tiny shards known as microplastics, trillions of which have been showing up in the oceans, fish, tap water and even table salt.

 Now, we can add one more microplastic repository to the list: the human gut.

 In a pilot study with a small sample size, researchers looked for microplastics in stool samples of eight people from Finland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom and Austria. To their surprise, every single sample tested positive for the presence of a variety of microplastics.

 “This is the first study of its kind, so we did a pilot trial to see if there are any microplastics detectable at all,” said Philipp Schwabl, a gastroenterologist at the Medical University of Vienna and lead author of the study. “The results were astonishing.” ||||| Tiny particles of plastic are seemingly everywhere: So-called microplastics have been found in the ocean, tap water, bottled water and soil. Now, they've even been found in our poop.

 In a small, first-of-its-kind study, researchers have found microplastics in stool samples from people around the world.

 The study "confirms what we have long suspected, that plastics ultimately reach the human gut," study lead author Dr. Philipp Schwabl, a physician scientist at the Medical University of Vienna's Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, said in a statement.

 Little is known about the health effects of microplastics, but there's concern that the pervasive plastics may affect our gastrointestinal (GI) health and possibly reach other organs. "Now that we have first evidence for microplastics inside humans, we need further research to understand what this means for human health," Schwabl said. [9 Disgusting Things That the FDA Allows in Your Food]

 Schwabl presented his findings today (Oct. 22) at UEG Week in Vienna, a European gastroenterology meeting. The findings have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

 Microplastics are bits of plastic that measure under 0.2 inches (5 millimeters) in length — about the size of a sesame seed or smaller. They're formed when larger pieces of plastic pollution break down. Microplastics can wind up in the oceans or the Great Lakes, where the particles are ingested by aquatic life and enter the food chain. Indeed, microplastics have been detected in seafood, including tuna, lobster and shrimp, the researchers said. Humans are also likely exposed to microplastics as a result of plastic contamination from food packaging or processing.

 Still, data on human exposure to microplastics is scarce, and the new study is the first to quantify the particles in human stool, the researchers said.

 In the study, the researchers analyzed stool samples from eight healthy volunteers living in eight countries around the world: Finland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom and Austria.

 Using a new type of analytical procedure, the researchers found microplastics in all of the stool samples they received. The most common types of plastic found were polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate — two plastics that have a wide range of uses, including plastic bottles. On average, the researchers detected 20 microplastic particles per 10 grams of stool.

 The participants were not told to eat any specific diet, but food diaries showed that six of the participants consumed fish in the week before giving a stool sample, and all of the participants consumed at least some plastic-wrapped foods or drank from plastic bottles.

 Although the study was small, the fact that microplastics were found in all of the samples "indicates a high likelihood that also many other people involuntarily ingest microplastics," Schwabl told Live Science.

 The researchers are planning to conduct a larger study to confirm the findings, and to see if they can identify factors linked with microplastics in stool, such as a person's diet, lifestyle or where they live, Schwabl said.

 The researchers are also planning further studies to investigate the effects of microplastics on human health. Animal studies suggest that microplastics can enter the bloodstream and lymphatic system, and may reach the liver, Schwabl said. In addition, microplastics may cause damage to the intestines and affect how well the body absorbs nutrients, he said.

 Originally published on Live Science. ||||| Researchers monitored a group of participants from 8 countries across the world with results showing that every single stool sample tested positive for the presence of microplastic and up to 9 different plastic types were identified

 (Vienna, October 23, 2018) Microplastics have been found in the human food chain as particles made of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) and others were detected in human stools, research presented today at the 26th UEG Week in Vienna reveals.

 Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna and the Environment Agency Austria monitored a group of participants from countries across the world, including Finland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, the UK and Austria. The results show that every single stool sample tested positive for the presence of microplastic and up to nine different plastic types were identified.

 Microplastics are small particles of plastic less than 5mm and are used in various products for specific purposes; as well as being created unintentionally by the breaking down of larger pieces of plastic through weathering, degradation, wear and tear. Microplastic may impact human health via the GI tract where it could affect the tolerance and immune response of the gut by bioaccumulation or aiding transmission of toxic chemicals and pathogens.

 The pilot study was conducted with eight participants from across the globe. Each person kept a food diary in the week leading up to their stool sampling. The diaries showed that all participants were exposed to plastics by consuming plastic wrapped foods or drinking from plastic bottles. None of the participants were vegetarians and six of them consumed sea fish.

 The stools were tested at the Environment Agency Austria for 10 types of plastics following a newly developed analytical procedure. Up to nine different plastics, sized between 50 and 500 micrometres, were found, with polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) being the most common. On average, the researchers found 20 microplastic particles per 10g of stool.

 Lead researcher Dr. Philipp Schwabl, who is presenting the findings at the 26th UEG Week, commented: "This is the first study of its kind and confirms what we have long suspected, that plastics ultimately reach the human gut. Of particular concern is what this means to us, and especially patients with gastrointestinal diseases. While the highest plastic concentrations in animal studies have been found in the gut, the smallest microplastic particles are capable of entering the blood stream, lymphatic system and may even reach the liver. Now that we have first evidence for microplastics inside humans, we need further research to understand what this means for human health."

 Global plastics production has increased substantially from the 1950s and continues to grow every year. For their many practical characteristics, plastics are pervasive in everyday life and humans are exposed to plastics in numerous ways. It is estimated that, through pollution, 2-5 % of all plastics produced end up in the seas. Once in the ocean, plastics are consumed by sea animals and enter the food chain where ultimately, they are likely to be consumed by humans. Significant amounts of microplastic have been detected in tuna, lobster and shrimp. Beyond that it is highly likely that during various steps of food processing or as a result of packaging food is being contaminated with plastics.

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 Notes to Editors

 For further information, or to arrange an interview with Dr Philipp Schwabl, please contact Luke Paskins on +44 (0)1444 811099 or media@ueg.eu

 About Dr. Philipp Schwabl

 Dr. Philipp Schwabl is a researcher and physician scientist at the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Medical University of Vienna, in the research team of Prof. Dr. Thomas Reiberger, and presenting this study at the UEG Week Vienna 2018.

 About Dr. Bettina Liebmann

 Dr. Bettina Liebmann is a consultant on environmental analyses and respected expert on microplastics at the Environment Agency Austria. She guides the method development for microplastic analysis by micro FT-IR spectroscopy and imaging and works on microplastic projects at both national and international level.

 About Umweltbundesamt - Environment Agency Austria

 The Environment Agency Austria is the most important national environmental expert organisation and one of Europe´s leading environmental consultants. Since 2007, the organisation has been operating an accredited human biomonitoring laboratory where blood, urine, tissue etc. are analyzed for a variety of environmental contaminants. Furthermore, the Environment Agency Austria is an international pioneer in the analysis of microplastics.

 About UEG Week

 UEG Week is the largest and most prestigious gastroenterology meeting in Europe and has developed into a global congress. It attracts over 14,000 participants each year, from more than 120 countries, and numbers are steadily rising. UEG Week provides a forum for basic and clinical scientists from across the globe to present their latest research in digestive and liver diseases, and also features a two-day postgraduate course that brings together top lecturers in their fields for a weekend of interactive learning.

 About UEG

 UEG, or United European Gastroenterology, is a professional non-profit organisation combining all the leading European societies concerned with digestive diseases. Together, its member societies represent over 22,000 specialists, working across medicine, surgery, paediatrics, gastrointestinal oncology and endoscopy. This makes UEG the most comprehensive organisation of its kind in the world, and a unique platform for collaboration and the exchange of knowledge. To advance standards of gastroenterological care and knowledge across Europe and the world, UEG offers numerous activities and initiatives, including:

 UEG Education, the universal source of knowledge in gastroenterology, providing online and classroom courses, a huge online library and delivering the latest GI news, fostering debate and discussion

 Activity Grants, promoting and funding educational projects in the field of digestive health to advance and harmonise the training and continuing education of professionals

 UEG Journal , published bi-monthly, covering translational and clinical studies from all areas of gastroenterology

 , published bi-monthly, covering translational and clinical studies from all areas of gastroenterology EU Affairs, promoting research, prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of digestive diseases, and helping develop an effective health policy for Europe

 Quality of Care, European-based and English clinical practice guidelines, clinical standards, consensus, position papers and standard protocols in the field of digestive health, are available in the repository.

 Find out more about UEG's work by visiting http://www. ueg. eu or contact: Luke Paskins on +44 (0)1444 811099 or media@ueg.eu

 References ||||| Microplastics have been found in human stools for the first time, according to a study suggesting the tiny particles may be widespread in the human food chain.

 The small study examined eight participants from Europe, Japan and Russia. All of their stool samples were found to contain microplastic particles.

 Up to nine different plastics were found out of 10 varieties tested for, in particles of sizes ranging from 50 to 500 micrometres. Polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate were the plastics most commonly found.

 On average, 20 particles of microplastic were found in each 10g of excreta. Microplastics are defined as particles of less than 5mm, with some created for use in products such as cosmetics but also by the breaking down of larger pieces of plastic, often in the sea.

 We are living on a plastic planet. What does it mean for our health? Read more

 Based on this study, the authors estimated that “more than 50% of the world population might have microplastics in their stools”, though they stressed the need for larger-scale studies to confirm this.

 The Environment Agency Austria conducted the tests using a new procedure the researchers said shed fresh light on the extent of microplastics in the food chain. Samples from the eight subjects were sent to a laboratory in Vienna where they were analysed using a Fourier-transform infrared microspectrometer.

 Philipp Schwabl, a researcher at the Medical University of Vienna who led the study, said: “This is the first study of its kind and confirms what we have long suspected, that plastics ultimately reach the human gut. Of particular concern is what this means to us, and especially patients with gastrointestinal diseases.”

 Previous studies on fish have also found plastics in the gut. Microplastics have been found in tap water around the world, in the oceans and in flying insects. A recent investigation in Italy also found microplastics present in soft drinks. In birds, the ingestion of plastic has been found to remodel the tiny fingerlike projections inside the small intestine, disrupt iron absorption and add to stress on the liver.

 “The smallest microplastic particles are capable of entering the bloodstream, the lymphatic system, and may even reach the liver,” said Schwabl, who will report on the study at UEG Week in Vienna on Tuesday. “Now that we have the first evidence for microplastics inside humans, we need further research to understand what this means for human health.”

 Plastic particles in the gut could affect the digestive system’s immune response or could aid the transmission of toxic chemicals and pathogens, the researchers said.

 The sources of the plastic found in the stool samples is unknown. The people studied kept a food diary that showed they were all exposed to plastics by consuming food wrapped in plastic or drinking from plastic bottles. None of those participating in the study were vegetarians, and six of the group ate sea fish.

 Scientists still know little about the effects of microplastics once they enter the human body, though many studies have already found them present in foods such as fish that people are likely to eat. The UK government has launched a study of health impacts.

 Plastic use is so pervasive in modern life that removing it entirely from the food chain would be extremely difficult. A million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute and the number is expected to jump another 20% by 2021.

 Steps are being taken to stem the rising tide of plastic pollution, for instance by the banning of microbeads in some jurisdictions. The 8m tonnes of plastic dumped in the sea each year is also the target of increasing campaigns, by the UN and others, mainly because of the dangers it poses to sea life. Many fish and other marine creatures consume the plastics, sometimes confusing them for food.

 The authors of the new paper stressed the need to reduce plastic use, increase recycling and improve disposal where appropriate.

 Microplastics in our mussels: the sea is feeding human garbage back to us Read more

 Pressure for action is growing. Earlier this year the European parliament voted for an EU-wide ban on microplastics in cosmetics. The European commission has also proposed a ban on single-use plastic products such as cotton buds and plastic straws and urged member countries to put the onus of cleaning up waste on producers in an effort to clean up oceans. By 2025, European nations are supposed to collect 90% of single-use plastic drink bottles.

 Several nations have banned plastic bags completely, and a growing number of cities, including many in the US, are discussing moves to ban straws and other single-use items.

 Following this lead, the British government on Monday announced a consultation on proposals to ban plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds, which can turn into microplastics as they break down. The ban is expected to come into force by October 2020.

 Critics, however, say such measures are late and inadequate to deal with a problem that has reached epic proportions. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– It was only a matter of time. Scientists, following up research showing tiny particles of plastic in everything from bottled water to salt, say they've found "the first evidence for microplastics inside humans." All stool samples taken from eight participants of a small study by Environment Agency Austria were found to contain plastic particles ranging in size from .002 to .02 inches, with 20 particles per 10 grams of excrement on average, report the New York Times and Guardian. Up to nine varieties of plastic were identified, with types used in bottles and caps (polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate) appearing the most often. The participants were as varied. Hailing from eight countries including the UK, Japan, and Russia, all ate food wrapped in plastic or drank from plastic bottles. Six consumed sea fish. This suggests plastic contamination during food processing or packaging and "indicates a high likelihood that also many other people involuntarily ingest microplastics," Philipp Schwabl, lead author of the study yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, tells Live Science. Indeed, study authors say "more than 50% of the world population might have microplastics in their stools," per the Guardian. While further research will explore what this means for human health, researchers say microplastics could transmit toxic chemicals and pathogens and affect the digestive system's immune response. "The smallest microplastic particles are capable of entering the bloodstream, the lymphatic system, and may even reach the liver," says Schwabl, mentioning particular concerns for people with gastrointestinal diseases. (Proper contact lens disposal may help.)