Rejecting Vigilantism, Regime Ramps Up 112 Crackdown

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20 October 2016, 16:48

More than four hundred people gathers in front of roti store on Saturday night in Phang Nga

BANGKOK — The military government has responded to episodes of retribution and mob violence by walking a fine line between condemning both those who speak ill of the monarchy and take justice into their own hands.

A week after the death of His Majesty the Late King, at least six cases of vigilantism against those suspected of defaming the monarchy have been reported. When the military government found its voice, it made clear that it didn’t support vigilantism while at the same time is expanding its own considerable efforts to track down such cases for prosecution.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha urged the public not to provoke conflict or engage in vigilantism, according to government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd. They should instead inform the authorities when they find or see something inappropriate to proceed under the law, Sansern said.

Deputy junta chairman Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan also spoke out in rejection of street justice.

“It is not the duty of the people, but the authorities to prosecute it in accordance to the law,” Prawit said.

Their words came after a series of several vigilante attacks occurred nationwide, starting Friday night with a mob in Phuket demanding the arrest of a Facebooker who allegedly defamed the Late King.

They also confirmed the government’s position after another junta member, Justice Minister Paiboon Kumchaya, seemed to endorse the lawlessness.

“The incident in Phuket was the feeling of Thais that they could not bear it,” Gen. Paiboon said Tuesday. “I have said it. There is no better way than social sanction.”

As his comments were criticized almost immediately, Paiboon on Wednesday sought to clarify that while he believes society should punish aberrant behavior, he did not support “mob rule” or any criminality.

“Law enforcement alone cannot change people’s attitudes,” Paiboon said of what he called “social sanctions” “Can you be sure that people will change their attitudes if you put them in the jail? This is about their understanding.”

Paiboon said his ministry had submitted letters to the ambassadors of seven countries where 19 alleged royal defamation suspects are living in exile. The letters, which included their addresses, requested the foreign governments at least help censure them.

In the past seven days since the death of King Bhumibol, police have identified 12 suspects to be charged with lese majeste under Article 112 of the Penal Code. National Police Chief Gen. Chakthip Chaijinda said Wednesday two had been arrested but did not provide further details about the cases.

In addition to law enforcement, other government agencies have been tasked with looking for violations of Article 112, including the Department of Special Investigation and the newly established Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.

Since the ministry set up a 24 hour website monitoring center Friday, approximately 60 defaming websites have been tracked, according to Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Juntong, who said 35 percent of which had been successfully shut down.

Under the authority of junta order No. 26, the government can shut down any website deemed to instigate unrest or provoke people to oppose the regime without seeking a court order.

In cases which do not requires a court order, Prajin said, “we are trying to make it faster” than the usual 15 days.

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Another Man Arrested for Lese Majeste in Phuket

Phang Nga Mob Enraged by Alleged Royal Defamation Post

Phuket Mob Demands Arrest of Man For Alleged Royal Defamation

Khaosan Road Never Quieter As Business Takes a Hit (Photos)

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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20 October 2016, 14:31

BANGKOK — While most bars and restaurants around backpacker destination Khaosan Road have reopened one week after His Majesty the Late King died, its usual loud scene has gone quiet as the supply of tourists has dried up.

Read: Khaosan Road: Open But Silent (Photos)

Numbers of Thai and foreign guests have dropped up to 70 percent since one week ago, hotel bookings have fallen and some foreign travelers have checked out earlier than planned, Sa-nga Ruangwattanakul of the local business association said Thursday. He estimates the potential losses at over 100 million baht.

“When many venues were closed [after the King’s death], profits declined and tourists changed their destinations to somewhere else,” said Sa-nga of the Khaosan Road Business Association.

Over at Golf Bar, the kind of venues that sells alcohol by the bucket, the booze was ready to serve but no music could be played.

Staff there said they have had fewer customers than ever before. The two-shop venue was pretty much deserted Wednesday evening, with only one table seated with foreign customers drinking inside. Outside, a dozen staff members plaintively waved menus in search of customers.

“We’ve been operating in the red every day,” manager Boonpatcharee Sangthongweerakul said.

She said tourists were understanding of the unprecedented situation.

“Some farang tourist asked me why we don’t turn on the music,” said Boonpatcharee, who is the bar owner’s daughter-in-law. “I explained to him that our King passed away. He immediately said, ‘Sorry.’”

The quiet on Khaosan was welcome to traveling Greek couple. Georgios Georgoulis and Dimitra Lioliou said they enjoyed the vibe as it is now.

“I like to wander around and see people, but I don’t like to see drunk people,” Georgoulis said.

Georgios Georgoulis, 28, and his girlfriend Dimitra Lioliou, 22.

Coming near the end of the year and tourism high season, the downturn could cut into what would otherwise be a profitable time.

Halloween, Loi Krathong and New Year’s Eve, usually busy party nights, would likely have to be canceled, according to Sa-nga of the business association. He estimates the loss of about 50 million baht per event canceled.

“When it was a flood or political protests near the area, the bars and restaurants remained open, unlike now,” he said.

Boonpatcharee Sangthongweerakul, 22, manager of Golf Bar

Khaosan Road: Open But Silent (Photos)

Police Look For Motorist Vowing to Shoot Those Who Defame King

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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20 October 2016, 14:00

BANGKOK — Police on Thursday were looking for an armed man who filmed himself driving around southwest metro Bangkok alternately crying and threatening to kill anyone caught defaming His Majesty the Late King.

In a 12-minute video clip posted Wednesday night to Facebook, a man clad in black and identifying himself as Suchaet Muangsamut of Samut Sakhon province appears distraught and disturbed as he drives around making repeated threats while displaying two handguns on the seat next to him.

“Police are now trying to find the man. They will first try to verify if the guns are real and whether or not he has a license. There must be more than circumstantial evidence to determine whether the man intends to kill someone,” Lt. Col. Pongsiri Kengnok said.

Coming amid a spate of vigilantism by crowds and individuals against those they deemed to have disrespected the King Bhumibol, who died Thursday, the man in the clip begins talking about his love for the King before threatening violence.

“The King is gone, why are you still full of these [criticisms]? If you don’t love the King, I don’t mind, but I love him… Look at my face, Suchaet Muangsamut, this my Facebook name. I still have His Majesty’s portrait in my car and I want all Thais to love each other,” he says in the clip, before panning the camera to show a framed portrait of the late King Bhumibol and Her Majesty the Queen in his back seat.

He then laments that there are people exploiting the King’s death by auctioning special commemorative 70 baht bank notes for 200 baht to 300 baht before returning to those who have insulted the Late King.

“Why defame the King? … I feel like crying. If I see these foul-mouthed people, I will shoot em all. Damn!” he says.

The man continues swearing and making threats, pointing the camera at two handguns on the seat beside him.

“Why don’t you love him, love the royal father? What the fuck is wrong with you people?” he says, crying.

He says he will spend the day driving around looking for people to shoot in Samut Sakhon’s Mahachai district.

“I’d like to end here. But if I hear or see you. You die! Thank you very much,.” Suchaet says before the video stops.

The original video was deleted but has since been reposted and widely shared.

His Music Marked Moments in Late Monarch’s Life, Death

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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20 October 2016, 13:54

BANGKOK — One week ago on Thursday, songwriter Chamras Saewataporn received a message from someone at a state TV station asking for permission to use one of his songs for an important announcement.

“I sort of knew what was going to happen, like other Thai people on that day,” Chamras, a 60-year-old composer with a career stretching back five decades, said Wednesday.

Hours later, just before 7pm, his 1996 instrumental piece “Whisper of the Wind” played on all state TV channels just before and after the historic announcement that King Bhumibol, who was beset by a number of illnesses at Siriraj Hospital for months, had died at 88.

It wasn’t the first time his music accompanied a pivotal moment in the monarch’s life. Another song was chosen to accompany live broadcasts of King Bhumibol’s 60th anniversary on the throne and his 85th birthday.

“I consider it a high honor. I was glad that I took part in those times, whether in moments of happiness or moments of sadness,” Chamras said. “I was glad to share them with other loyal subjects of the king.”

In the 1970s, Chamras front pop phenom band Grand Ex before shifting his career to composing easy listening music. Skytrain commuters would likely have heard his work before coming from the Green Music stalls selling his CDs at many stations.

In a way, Chamras was the obvious choice for background music on important announcements like the King’s death, as he had composed songs for numerous news reports and documentaries. So he wasn’t surprised when a staff member at MCOT, aka Channel 9, sent a message over Line asking for permission to use his music Oct. 13.

Read: King Bhumibol, Monarch and Father to Millions, 88

Chamras said he had no idea which piece would be used; the producer asked for blanket permission for all of his music, and he readily gave it without signing anything.

He could only speculate why the “Whisper of the Wind” was chosen. He said the song represents the inevitable changes in human lives.

“It was like a metaphor to the winds that keep blowing toward us, and the winds keep changing along with the seasons,” Chamras said. “Life is about change. Life is a journey.”

Another entry from his discography was picked by state media to serenade the moment King Bhumibol made an appearance before tens of thousands of yellow-clad Thais on Ratchadamnoen Avenue on June 9, 2006, for the 60th anniversary of his ascension to the throne.

As the monarch flashed his rare smile and waved to the loyal crowd, the song “Nirvana” was played on all TV and radios channels. Chamras said it was one of the proudest memories of his life.

“When ITV contacted me, they didn’t tell me what part they would use it for,” Chamras said. “I thought they wanted to use it in news reports about the celebration. I didn’t expect they would use it at such an important moment.”

The same song would later be used for live broadcasts of the celebration of His Majesty the King’s 85th birthday in 2012.

Apart from being a personal achievement for Chamras, the selection of “Nirvana” also changed his mother’s opinion he had chosen the wrong career.

“She didn’t like it. She wasn’t happy at all. She wished I was a businessman selling things instead,” Chamras said, laughing. “After that day, wherever she went, people told her they recognized the music of her son.”

Sing, Volunteer For His Late Majesty Bhumibol

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Black Friday: Crowds Throng Palace For Final Glimpse of King (Photos)

Grief Pours Out Home and Abroad for Death of King Bhumibol

King Bhumibol, Monarch and Father to Millions, 88

Entertainers Go Abroad as Nightlife Struggles During Mourning Period

By

Kaewta Ketbungkan, Staff Reporter

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20 October 2016, 13:31

DCNXTR performs in January at the Bukruk Festival at The Jam Factory in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — It’s not often that Chalasin Duangsupa drops in to strum his guitar at his little coffee shop in the capital’s Prachaniwet area.

But like other musicians and entertainers suddenly without gigs to play as the nation takes a somber turn to mourn King Bhumibol, he was there this week with his two daughters to help out his wife, who runs the cafe inside Matichon Academy.

“I completely understand the situation and am willing to cooperate,” Chalasin said. “It’s also hard for us to perform. We can wait until the grief is passed.”

With over 20 years experience performing at nightclubs, the 35-year-old musician said he might lose upward of 30,000 baht this month as four of his regular venues have stopped live music and bookings he had were canceled since Thursday.

Chalasin is among singers and musicians used to scraping by who have lost their jobs and incomes during the 30-day mourning period. Although the government backed off its insistence there be no entertainment for a month and said it was okay behind closed doors, many venues have refrained from entertainment out of respect or concern of appearing disrespectful.

A musician Chalasin Duangsupa at his coffee shop on Tuesday.

Some entertainers who can get gigs abroad have left Thailand for work in the meantime. Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Dubai are among destinations for Thai singers and musicians.

“The news caught me off guard,” said a 30-year-old female singer who would only speak anonymously as she has been working illegally in a Singaporean lounge since Monday. “My savings are scant, and I know I couldn’t survive being jobless for a whole month.”

Sounding hoarse and tense, she said working in Merlion land, where she performs from 10:30pm to 5am, wasn’t her preference. Nor was the expectation she do more than sing.

“I don’t want to be here,” she said. “I don’t get to sing much and I have to come on to the lounge’s guests. This isn’t my style.”

In Thailand, the singer said she earns between 60,000 baht to 100,000 baht per month singing at pubs, lounges, hotels and wedding receptions. That’s even with an industry that’s been hurting since the 2014 coup, when the military began cracking down on free-wheeling operating hours and venues.

A friend hooked her up with the lounge in Singapore where she got 35,000 baht for the month and an airline ticket. She knows of about 10 other Thai singers in Singapore along with about as many musicians arriving. Some, she said, have been turned back by immigration officers.

Many others won’t have that opportunity, and may have to rely on pub and bar owners willing to help by providing free or discounted food.

Those owners and their patrons have to adjust to the reality as well.

Popular nightlife venue Studio Lam, which normally operates until 2am, said it might close early if there are no customers, but insists that although it’s affected it is happy to cooperate for the sake of mourning the Late King.

Other places, such as bar and art cafe Jam have shifted their opening hours. Jam is closing at 12am and will hold no music events for a month, while continuing its film screening schedule. Owner Dhyan Ho declined to comment.

After closing for a week, Dark Bar reopened last night with a performance by DJ David Chong that kicked off at 9pm and finished at midnight, making it a rather early night for the Ekkamai area haunt.

As for art venues, Lee Anantawat said there’s not much change at her riverside venue Speedy Grandma. Apart from their usual raucous party-openings, Speedy is holding discussion panels instead. No music will be played at the exhibition launches. “Normally, we don’t have many visitors anyway. So, the situation doesn’t affect us that much,” Lee said.

Brazil President Impeachment Leader Arrested for Corruption

By

Associated Press

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20 October 2016, 11:11

Brazil's former President of the Chamber of Deputies Eduardo Cunha takes a break during the presentation of his defense in the Chamber of Deputies Sept. 12 in Brasilia, Brazil. Photo: Eraldo Peres / Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO — The powerful former speaker of Brazil’s lower house who spearheaded the ouster of President Dilma Rousseff was arrested Wednesday as part of a sprawling graft probe involving state oil giant Petrobras.

Federal deputy Eduardo Cunha, who until recently was a key ally of new President Michel Temer, is accused of corruption, money laundering and tax evasion related to an oilfield purchase that Petrobras made in 2011 in the west African nation of Benin, among a series of other charges.

Prosecutors said in a statement that they requested Cunha’s detention on the grounds that he represented a threat to the integrity of the investigation and was a flight risk. They also asked for bank accounts he holds totaling more than USD 60 million to be frozen.

Cunha was arrested in the capital, Brasilia, and was taken to the southern city of Curitiba, where Judge Sergio Moro is presiding over many of the Petrobras cases. In a statement, the former lawmaker said the arrest was “absurd.”

The ex-speaker faces multiple ongoing investigations and has been accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes for himself and other politicians. Cunha denies all the allegations and has said he is the target of a witch hunt for being an adversary of Rousseff’s Workers’ Party.

Cunha launched impeachment proceedings against Rousseff in December when he was speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, accusing her of violating budget rules.

That led to a Senate vote to remove her from office in August. By that time, corruption allegations already had forced Cunha was forced to resign as speaker. Last month he was stripped of his congressional seat — along with the legal protections against prosecution that come with elected office in Brazil.

Cunha then began publicly criticizing Temer, his erstwhile ally, and Cabinet officials. He announced he would write a tell-all book about the impeachment with the first excerpts to be published in November.

Analysts have said that if Cunha cooperates with prosecutors, he could potentially bring down others in the Petrobras case and create more headaches for the government.

Maria Herminia Tavares de Almeida, a political science professor at the University of Sao Paulo, said Cunha’s arrest shows that the Petrobras probe, which has already snared some of Brazil’s richest and powerful figures, still threatens others.

“Cunha was an obvious target,” de Almeida told the Associated Press. “Many feared that the investigations on Petrobras would be about to end or that they would focus only on the Workers’ Party, but today shows that there is a bigger picture.”

Following the arrest, Temer’s office said the president had cut short a trip to Japan and was expected to be back in Brasilia on Friday.

Congress was expected to have a busy schedule this week, but deputy speaker Waldir Maranhao, an ally of Cunha, suspended Wednesday’s session after the news broke.

Swiss officials have confirmed bank accounts there in Cunha’s name, with media reports putting their value in December at 2.4 million Swiss francs (USD 2.5 million).

“I hope the Swiss gives us that money back,” said doorman Francisco Aldo, a resident of central Rio. “Cunha is a big fish, but all that I hope is that he snitches on all the others that made him so big. Corruption in Brazil is far from over.”

Story: Mauricio Savarese

Indonesia Police Shoot Machete-Wielding Man With IS Symbol

By

Associated Press

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20 October 2016, 10:58

A 2014 screenshot of propaganda video published by the ISIS.

JAKARTA — A man with an Islamic State group symbol was shot Thursday after attacking police on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital Jakarta with a machete, police said.

Jakarta Police spokesman Awi Setiyono said three officers including a district police chief were injured and the attacker was shot in the leg to disable him.

The police were monitoring a protest by workers when the attack occurred Thursday morning in the satellite city of Tangerang.

The attacker, Sultan Azianzah, 21, was unemployed and a member of Daulah Islam, a hardline group in Ciamis in West Java province, said Setiyono.

Police seized a knife, two machetes, pipe bombs and an IS sticker from him.

People Share Music, Meals and Memories of Late King

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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20 October 2016, 10:47

Art students on Monday painting His Majesty the Late King’s portraits on the walls of Silpakorn University (Wang Tha Phra campus)

BANGKOK — Nearly a week after the death of His Majesty the Late King Bhumibol, netizens have been revisiting his long life to share everything from dishes he liked to cook to the music and paintings he created.

On Twitter and Facebook, people have been posting photos of their versions of a dish known as something His Majesty cooked for his daughter Princess Sirindhorn when she was young.

Kai Phra Athit, or Sun Eggs, is an omelette is fried with cooked jasmine rice stirred in.

In “Recipes from Traditional Thai Jasmine Rice to International Kitchens,” Princess Sirindhorn is quoted saying her father came up with the dish’s name while looking through binoculars and finding “the sun’s surface appeared similar to grains of rice.”

King Bhumibol was a huge jazz fan and saxophone player who composed dozens of his own songs. Online people have been sharing versions of the songs he was known for.

An unknown man performs the royal anthem composed in 1954 by the King on a mouth organ in Bangkok. The video was liked more than 125,000 times since Tuesday.

A few hours after the King’s death was announced, singer Saksit “Tor” Vejsupaporn posted this performance of “Saeng Duen” (Magic Beams), a song composed by King Bhumibol in 1958 about the moon and love.

Classical guitarist Ekachai “Bird” Jearakul paid tribute by performing “Love in Spring,” a 1961 ode to seasonal love.

While the King’s interest in photography was well-known, he also painted. Many of his paintings and photographs of Queen Sirikit have been shared online.

ภาพถ่ายฝีพระหัตถ์ราชินีของในหลวง งดงามมาก ในเฟสมีอีกหลายรูปเลยลองไปดูกันนะ ♥️ https://t.co/cepWkqBmhs #KingBhumibol pic.twitter.com/CncUdR2KA5

— •́ε•̀٥ พิฮุนของเก๊า (@pleo2shlx_) October 14, 2016

ภาพถ่ายฝีพระหัตถ์ท่านประดุจดั่งภาพวาด pic.twitter.com/cxyaYjRDSH

— ⓣⓞⓝ (@Tonfernn) October 14, 2016

ภาพจิตรกรรมฝีพระหัตถ์ของในหลวง ทรงวาดภาพพระสาทิสลักษณ์ของสมเด็จพระนางเจ้าฯ พระบรมราชินีนาถ พระราชโอรสและพระราชธิดาทุกพระองค์ และภาพครอบครัว pic.twitter.com/gPuP1kIGGh

— darin-indy (@darin_indy) October 14, 2016

ภาพถ่ายกับภาพวาดฝีพระหัตถ์พ่อ ช่างงดงามอะไรเช่นนี้ pic.twitter.com/bviepaDAkv

— น้ำหวาน แซ่เพ้ง (@namwancyj) October 14, 2016

https://twitter.com/bestbebestt/status/787197023644626944

ภาพถ่ายฝีพระหัตถ์ในหลวง pic.twitter.com/X0C2T2tcBo

— darin-indy (@darin_indy) October 18, 2016

ปกติจะเห็นภาพพ่อเวลาถือกล้องถ่ายรูป อันนี้คือภาพฝีพระหัตถ์ที่พ่อถ่าย สวยงามมากครับ #KingBhumibol #เรารักในหลวง #ขอเป็นข้ารองพระบาททุกชาติไป pic.twitter.com/cHJ7Gage0n

— NattaponPhotographer (@oNattapon) October 14, 2016

Trump Refuses to Say He’ll Accept Election Results

By

Associated Press

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20 October 2016, 09:44

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump points to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during the third presidential debate in October in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Patrick Semansky / Associated Press

LAS VEGAS — Threatening to upend a basic pillar of American democracy, Donald Trump refused Wednesday night to say he would accept the results of the November election if he loses to Hillary Clinton. The Democratic nominee declared Trump’s resistance “horrifying.”

Trump has spent the days leading up to Wednesday night’s presidential debate warning voters that the election will be “rigged.” Asked whether he would accept the results, he said, “I will tell you at the time. I’ll keep you in suspense.”

Earlier, Clinton forcefully accused Trump of favoring Russia’s leader over American military and intelligence experts Wednesday night, as the Republican nominee pointedly refused to accept the U.S. government’s assertion that Moscow has sought to meddle in the presidential election.

In a combative exchange in the final presidential debate, Clinton charged that Russian President Vladimir Putin was backing Trump because “he’d rather have a puppet as president of the United States.”

Trump denied any relationship with Putin and said he would condemn any foreign interference in the election. But he notably refused to accept the intelligence community’s assessment that Russia was involved in the hacking of Democratic organizations. The Clinton campaign has also said the FBI is investigating Russia’s involvement in the hacking of a top adviser’s emails.

The third presidential debate opened with a measured, policy-focused discussion — a stark contrast to the heated and highly personal clashes that defined the earlier contests. However, Trump quickly reverted to his previous style of repeatedly bursting in to interrupt Clinton as well as moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News.

The 90-minute contest in Las Vegas came just under three weeks before Election Day and with early voting underway in more than 30 states.

The candidates outlined starkly different visions for the Supreme Court under their potential presidencies, with the Republican declaring the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion would be overturned by his judicial nominees.

Clinton vowed to appoint justices who would uphold the ruling legalizing abortion, saying, “We have come too far to have that turned back now.”

Trump pressed Clinton on immigration, accusing her of wanting an “open borders” policy, a characterization she vigorously disputes. The Republican, who has called for building a wall the length of the U.S.-Mexico border, said that under a Clinton presidency, “People are going to pour into our country.”

Clashing on trade, Trump said Clinton had misrepresented her position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, noting that she had originally called it the “gold standard” of trade agreements. Clinton shot back that once the deal was finished, it didn’t meet her standards. “I’ll be against it when I’m president,” she said.

For Trump, the debate marked one of his final chances to reshape a race that appears to be slipping away from him. Clinton’s campaign is confidently expanding into traditionally Republican states, while Trump’s narrow electoral path is shrinking. Already unpopular with a majority of Americans, the GOP nominee has been battered by recent revelations of his vulgar comments about women and a string of sexual assault allegations.

Clinton began the debate with a lead in most battleground states. Her challenge was to both keep up her efforts to paint Trump as unfit to be president and start moving to ease America’s deep divisions, which have only been exacerbated during the campaign. The latter is no easy task for the Democratic nominee, given the public’s persistent questions about her honesty and trustworthiness.

Clinton faced debate questions for the first time about revelations in her top adviser’s hacked emails that show her striking a different tone in private than in public regarding Wall Street banks and trade. She quickly turned the discussion to Russia’s potential role in stealing the emails.

Trump entered the final debate facing a string of sexual assault accusations from women who came forward after he denied in the previous contest that he had kissed or groped women without their consent. Trump’s denial came after the release of a video of in which he’s heard bragging about exactly that.

Trump denied the accusations anew, saying the women coming forward “either want fame or her campaign did it.”

Clinton said Trump “thinks belittling women makes him bigger. He goes after their dignity, their self-worth.”

Story: Julie Pace, Lisa Lerer

Saudi Arabia Executes Prince for Murder

By

Associated Press

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19 October 2016, 17:26

A 2007 picture of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Jon Rawlinson / Flickr

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia says it has executed a prince who fatally shot another man in a melee, a rare death sentence carried out against a member of the kingdom’s extensive royal family.

The Interior Ministry said late on Tuesday it had executed Prince Turki bin Saud bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabeer in Riyadh. It did not describe how the sentence was carried out, though the Sunni-ruled kingdom often beheads the condemned in public.

A ministry statement carried on the state-run Saudi Press Agency warned “whoever dares to commit such a crime that the Shariah penalty is awaiting.”

Saudi Arabia is among the world’s top executioners.

Such royal executions are rare, but have happened before. In 1975, the kingdom beheaded Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for assassinating King Faisal.

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