Puerto Rico's hurricane death toll rises to 45

Story highlights

• At least 113 people remain unaccounted for nearly three weeks after storm, official says
• Residents, relief workers and local elected officials say recovery is moving slowly

(CNN)Nearly three weeks after Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico, the vast majority of the island remains without power and the death toll from the storm has risen to 45, authorities said.

At least 113 people remain unaccounted for, according to Karixia Ortiz, a spokeswoman for Puerto Rico's Department of Public Safety.

The recovery has moved slowly since Maria struck the US territory on September 20, leaving most of the island without basic services such as power and running water, according to residents, relief workers and local elected officials.

Acting US Department of Homeland Security Elaine Duke will make her second trip to the island on Thursday, DHS spokesman David Lapan said Wednesday.

The visit comes as hospitals throughout the cash-strapped island of 3.4 million people have been running low on medicine and fuel. Some residents and local elected officials have said they expect the death toll to rise.

In the town of Caguas, in the central mountain range, some patients -- including one breathing with the aid of a ventilator -- had to be evacuated to the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort near San Juan after a generator failed, Dr. Christian Rodriguez said this week.

At least two people have died from leptospirosis, which spreads when the urine of infected animals gets into drinking water, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz told CNN Wednesday. People have been drinking water from creeks contaminated by dead animals, she said.

"We're not out of the woods yet," she said. "We are now starting to see a lot of health issues. ... So we are in a great effort, a great humanitarian effort."

As of Wednesday 89% of the island was without electricity and almost 47% had no phone service, according to a website set up by the Puerto Rican government. Some 43% of the island's 313 bank branches remained closed, it said.

Almost 90% of Puerto Rico is still without electricity.

"We are making progress," Chris Krebs, Homeland Security's assistant secretary for infrastructure protection, said Wednesday. "There's progress on the power side. But we can do more. We can push more resources down into the island."

The recovery will take time given the storm's magnitude, he said

"We are pushing everything we can down into Puerto Rico," Krebs said.

"There are over 17,000 responders, whether it's military or civilian assets. Over 100 helicopters doing air drops in remote communities, providing water. Each of the 78 municipalities has a dedicated water truck. Another 72 trucks are dedicated to hospitals and other critical services. ... Over 50 generators have been installed in critical facilities not just heath care but also now moving into other facilities like schools."

In the mountainous town of Añasco on the western coast, Lucelenia Rivera said she has been running a generator to keep her medications refrigerated but diesel fuel is in short supply. She suffers from asthma and arthritis, takes medication for her blood pressure and worries that recurring mudslides will further isolate her community.

"I'm going crazy trying to get out of here because of my physical condition," she said. "But this is all I have. I don't have money or another home. This is it."

At least five of those who are missing lived in the northern coastal town of Arecibo, where residents have been lining up for hours to buy ice and fuel.

Some arrive as early as 1 a.m. at ice plants that won't open for another six hours for a chance to buy a single bag of ice at a 20% markup, according to residents.

Kelly Lopez cried while saying she was denied an extra bag of ice for her sister, who is epileptic and bedridden.

"This is so hard on all Puerto Ricans," she said.

For weeks, island residents have been queuing up in seemingly interminable lines for their basic needs -- from food to cash.

Puerto Rico has a long way to go before being 'OK'

Abisain Medina said he drove 30 minutes to Arecibo to stand in line at a bank for five hours before the bank's computer's crashed.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, citing an "unprecedented catastrophe," has lobbied Capitol Hill for a significant new influx of money soon as the island perches on the brink of "a massive liquidity crisis," according to a letter obtained by CNN.

In a three-page letter sent to congressional leaders, Rosselló is requesting more than $4 billion from various agencies and loan programs to "meet the immediate emergency needs of Puerto Rico."

The Trump administration submitted a $29 billion disaster-relief request to Congress last week to fund recovery efforts in the wake of hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma and to pay federal flood insurance claims. The House is expected to vote on that measure as soon as this week.

Paul Ryan leading bipartisan delegation to Puerto Rico on Friday

Rosselló also pointed to a potential exodus of the island's inhabitants should aid not be available in a timely manner -- something he has also emphasized in conversations with lawmakers.

Over 400,000 Puerto Ricans have moved to the mainland United States since 2004, according to the Pew Research Center. Puerto Rico now has 3.4 million residents.

Many left because Puerto Rico suffers from high unemployment, rising taxes and few job opportunities outside of tourism.

Clarification: A previous version of this story may have given the impression that Karixia Ortiz, a spokeswoman for Puerto Rico's Department of Public Safety, said the death toll was expected to rise. Ortiz did not make that statement to CNN.

CNN's Nick Valencia, Matthew Friedman, Leyla Santiago and Phil Mattingly contributed to this report.

Originally published on   http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/11/us/puerto-rico-maria-crisis/index.html

Bank earnings; NAFTA threat; Finance chiefs meet

Click chart for more in-depth data.

1. Big banks report: Wall Street will get earnings from JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Citigroup (C) before the opening bell.

JPMorgan is expected to cement its position as the most profitable U.S. bank.

Citi is also set to make investors happy. For the first time since 2007, the bank's market value has topped $200 billion -- thanks to a 52% surge in its stock price since President Trump's election.

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2. Finance leaders meet: The annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank starts on Thursday.
U.S. tax reform, the economic crisis in Venezuela and nuclear threats from North Korea will be high on the agenda.
The question of increasing capital for the World Bank's main lending arm is likely to become a sticking point.
The majority of the bank's 189 member countries support the move. But the U.S. -- its largest shareholder -- could veto the decision.
3. NAFTA talks: The fourth round of NAFTA negotiations are also underway in Washington.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried Wednesday to convince Trump of the benefits of the free trade agreement during at a meeting in the White House. Trump has repeatedly called NAFTA the worst trade deal in U.S. history.
Trump doesn't appear to be buying Trudeau's message. He said that if Mexico, Canada and the U.S. can't renegotiate the deal, "it'll be terminated and that will be fine."
4. Global market overview: U.S. stock futures were lower early on Thursday.
Markets in Europe and Asia were mixed.
Tokyo's Nikkei reached its highest level in more than two decades on Thursday. Japanese stocks have been boosted by the cheap yen, low corporate taxes and expectations that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will remain in power.
U.S. markets hit more record highs on Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 gained 0.2%, while the Nasdaq added 0.3%.
Before the Bell newsletter: Key market news. In your inbox. Subscribe now!
5. Companies and economics: Domino's Pizza (DPZ) is set to release earnings before the open.
General Electric (GE) shares fell 1% to their lowest level in four years on Wednesday. A series of management shake-ups have failed to restore investor confidence in the industrial giant.
The annual shareholder meeting of British pay-TV provider Sky (SKYAY) is being held Thursday. James Murdoch, its chairman, is facing a backlash from some shareholders who want a truly independent executive in the position.
Murdoch also serves as chief executive of 21st Century Fox. Fox is attempting to buy Sky.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its producer price index for September at 8:30 a.m. ET.
The weekly U.S. crude inventories report will follow at 10:30 a.m.
Download CNN MoneyStream for up-to-the-minute market data and news
6. Coming this week:
Thursday -- JPMorgan earnings; Citigroup earnings
Friday -- Bank of America earnings; Wells Fargo earnings 

Originally published on http://money.cnn.com/2017/10/12/investing/premarket-stocks-trading/index.html

Harvey Weinstein: Wife Georgina Chapman leaves accused producer

Ms Chapman, pictured here with her husband, said his actions were "unforgivable"

The wife of producer Harvey Weinstein has said she is leaving him following allegations of sexual harassment from a string of actresses.

Georgina Chapman, 41, described Weinstein's actions as "unforgivable".
Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow are the latest women to come forward. Both said the incidents happened early in their careers.
On Tuesday, Weinstein also denied allegations of rape made in The New Yorker magazine.
Weinstein was fired on Sunday from his own film studio. The Weinstein Company board said on Tuesday that they would help any criminal investigation.
"My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions," Georgina Chapman, 41, told People magazine.
Chapman and Weinstein, 65, have two children together.
In a statement, the film mogul said: "​I support her decision, I am in counselling and perhaps, when I am better, we can rebuild."

Media captionModel Zoe Brock tells Radio 4's Today that she was one of Harvey Weinstein's victims

Meanwhile, former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have joined the growing public condemnation.
In a statement, they said they were "disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein" and added that they "celebrate the courage of women who have come forward".

• Weinstein's casting couch horror
• What next for Weinstein and Hollywood?
• Weinstein and the media's shame
• Would Pence rule counter sexual harassment?

Weinstein was a big donor to the Democratic party under Obama's leadership. The Obamas' eldest daughter Malia worked as an intern at The Weinstein Company in New York earlier this year.
Weinstein also donated to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Mrs Clinton said she was "shocked and appalled" by the revelations.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Angelina Jolie said she had a "bad experience" with Weinstein

Paltrow and Jolie both sent statements about Weinstein's behaviour to the New York Times, which first reported allegations against him last week.
Jolie said in an email: "I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did.
"This behaviour towards women in any field, any country is unacceptable."

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Gwyneth Paltrow said she was "terrified" when Weinstein made advances on her

In a statement, Paltrow alleged that, after Weinstein cast her in the leading role in Emma, he summoned her to his hotel suite, where he placed his hands on her and suggested massages in his bedroom.
"I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified," she told the newspaper.
She said she told her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt about the incident, and said he confronted Weinstein.
"I thought he was going to fire me," she said.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Asia Argento, pictured in 2009, has spoken to the New Yorker magazine

Others to have spoken out about their experiences with Weinstein include:

• Three women who told The New Yorker they had been raped by the producer. Italian actress and director Asia Argento told The New Yorker she was forced into a sexual act with Weinstein and had not spoken out until now because she feared it would have harmed her career
• Lucia Stoller, now Lucia Evans, told the magazine that Weinstein approached her in 2004 and also forced her into a sexual act
• The third woman was not named by the magazine but said Weinstein "forced himself on me sexually"
• Mira Sorvino, who won an Oscar in 1996 for her role in Mighty Aphrodite for Weinstein's Miramax studio, told The New Yorker that Weinstein had tried to pressure her into a relationship
• Rosanna Arquette said she rejected Weinstein's advances and believes her acting career suffered as a result
• Heather Graham said in a Variety interview that Weinstein implied she had to sleep with him to appear in one of his films
• British actress Romola Garai says she was left feeling "violated" when she was auditioned by Weinstein as an 18-year-old. She said the producer came to the door wearing a bathrobe, describing his behaviour as an "abuse of power"
• The initial New York Times report, which broke the story, said actresses Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan had accused Weinstein of serious sexual misconduct
• Zoe Brock, a writer and model, said Weinstein took his clothes off in a hotel room and asked her for a massage

The New Yorker report also said 16 former and current employees at Weinstein's companies "witnessed or had knowledge of unwanted sexual advances and touching at events associated with Weinstein's films and in the workplace".

Image copyright EPA

Image caption Mira Sorvino said Weinstein tried to pressure her into a relationship

Weinstein's spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister issued a statement in response to the article.
"Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein," she said. "Mr Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.
"Mr Weinstein obviously can't speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual. Mr Weinstein has begun counselling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path."
Meanwhile, actress Lindsay Lohan posted an Instagram story - which she later deleted - appearing to defend Weinstein, saying: "I feel very bad for Harvey Weinstein right now. I don't think it's right what's going on."
Buzzfeed reporter Lauren Yap did a screen grab and posted Lohan's video, in which she also posted an angel emoji under Weinstein's name, on Twitter. Lohan also said Chapman should "be there for her husband" - although it's not clear if she knew at the time that Chapman had said she was leaving him.

 Originally published on http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41578997

North Korea crisis: US bombers conduct military drills

The bombers took off from Guam and flew over the East Sea and Yellow Sea

The US has conducted a joint military exercise with South Korea, flying two strategic bombers over the Korean peninsula.

The B-1B combat bombers were joined by two South Korean F-15K fighter jets, and carried out air-to-ground missile drills off South Korean waters.
It comes amid heightened tensions with North Korea over its nuclear programme.
Pyongyang conducted its sixth nuclear test, and launched two missiles over Japan, in recent months.
The bombers took off from the US Pacific territory of Guam on Tuesday night, before entering South Korean airspace and conducting firing exercises over the East Sea and Yellow Sea, South Korea's military said.
The training was part of a programme of "extended deterrence" against North Korea, it added.

• Can the US defend itself against North Korea?
• What was Kim Jong-un's most used word?

The US said Japan's air force also took part in the drill.
US President Donald Trump met top officials from his national security team on Tuesday night for a briefing on ways to respond to threats from North Korea, the White House said.
Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have exchanged heated rhetoric in recent weeks.
In a speech at the UN in September, Mr Trump accused Mr Kim of being "on a suicide mission" - while Mr Kim responded by vowing to "tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire".

• 'Dotard' Trump? The story of 'rocket man' Kim's insult

On Wednesday, a South Korean lawmaker said North Korean hackers had reportedly stolen a large cache of military documents from his country, including a plan to assassinate North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, and wartime contingency plans drawn up by the US and South Korea.
The South Korean defence ministry refused to comment about the allegation, while North Korea denied the claim.

Originally published on  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41577769

India Supreme Court rules sex with child bride is rape

The age of consent in India is 18, but marital rape is not considered an offence

India's Supreme Court has struck down a legal clause that permits men to have sex with their underage wives.

The clause, which was part of India's law on rape, said intercourse between a man and his wife was permissible as long as she was over 15 years of age.
The legal age of consent and marriage in India is 18 but marital rape is not considered an offence.
The verdict has been hailed by women's rights activists but correspondents say the order will be difficult to enforce.
The judgement said that girls under 18 would be able to charge their husbands with rape, as long as they complained within one year of being forced to have sexual relations.

• The child marriage tradition of an Indian tribe
• India girl ends child 'marriage'

"This is a landmark judgement that corrects a historical wrong against girls. How could marriage be used as a criterion to discriminate against girls?" Vikram Srivastava, the founder of Independent Thought, one of the main petitioners in the case, told the BBC.
However, the BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi says that while welcome, the order will be difficult to implement in a country where child marriage is still rampant.
"Courts and police cannot monitor people's bedrooms and a minor girl who is already married, almost always with the consent of her parents, will not usually have the courage to go to the police or court and file a case against her husband," our correspondent says.
India's government says the practice of child marriage is "an obstacle to nearly every developmental goal: eradicating poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality; protecting children's lives; and improving women's health".

Originally published on http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-41578800

Harvey Weinstein sacked after sexual harassment claims

Harvey Weinstein, the Oscar-winning film producer accused of sexually harassing female employees, has been fired by the board of his company.

One of the biggest producers in Hollywood, Mr Weinstein was behind films including Shakespeare in Love, The King's Speech and Pulp Fiction.
The Weinstein Company directors said that "in light of new information about misconduct" his employment had been terminated "effective immediately".
Mr Weinstein had been informed.
His sudden departure comes after the New York Times published a report last week about sexual harassment claims dating back nearly three decades.
The 65-year-old apologised and said he planned to take a leave of absence.
"The way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologise for it," Mr Weinstein said.

• Hollywood reacts to Harvey Weinstein abuse claims

However, he later disputed the report, which said he had reached at least eight settlements with women, and vowed to take legal action.

Speaking up

Mr Weinstein is one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, having co-founded the Miramax and Weinstein Company production firms.
The allegations against him, according to the New York Times report, emerged mainly from young women hoping to break into the film industry and included celebrities Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan.
Among the accusations levelled against the film producer are that he forced women to massage him and watch him naked. In return for sexual favours, he promised to help advance their careers, they said.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was "not at all surprised" by the revelations about Mr Weinstein, a major backer of Democratic candidates.
Many Democratic lawmakers have since vowed to give their contributions from Mr Weinstein to charity. Mr Trump faced his own sex scandal last year when video emerged of him using lewd language to describe groping women.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Weinstein has two children with wife Georgina Chapman

Mr Weinstein, who is married to English fashion designer Georgina Chapman, formed the Miramax production house in the late 1970s with his brother and then sold it to Disney.
The pair went on to create The Weinstein Company and produce such hits as Django Unchained, Lion and The Butler.
The Weinstein Company statement was issued on Sunday by the firm's all-male board, Bob Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar.

'Mistakes'

His departure leaves control of the company in the hands of his brother, Bob Weinstein, and chief operating officer David Glasser.
Actress Rose McGowan called on the Weinstein board to resign immediately over the allegations.
"Men in Hollywood need to change ASAP," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "Hollywood's power is dying because society has changed and grown, and yet Hollywood male behaviour has not."
Feminist author Naomi Wolf said his sacking was "a landmark in penalties for this kind of eruption of testimony" against a powerful man.
Last week Mr Weinstein's lawyer, Lisa Bloom, said that he denied many of the allegations made against him as "patently false".
"He has acknowledged mistakes he has made," said Ms Bloom. "He is reading books and going to therapy. He is an old dinosaur learning new ways."
But on Saturday, Ms Bloom said in a tweet that she was no longer advising Mr Weinstein.
"I have resigned as an advisor to Harvey Weinstein," the tweet said. "My understanding is that Mr Weinstein and his board are moving to an agreement."


Originally published on  http://www.bbc.com/news/business-41546694

Trump wall: New proposal ties Dreamer plan to border clampdown

Dreamer supporters rallied outside Trump Tower in New York last week

The White House has tied any new deal on young undocumented immigrants to a clampdown on illegal immigration, including a border wall with Mexico.

US President Donald Trump is asking for funding for the wall, speedier deportations and the hiring of thousands of new immigration officials.
Last month he ended the Obama-era "Dreamer" programme which had protected some 690,000 immigrants.
Leading Democrats in Congress have rejected the latest proposals.
They accused Mr Trump of backtracking on a commitment not to include the border wall in negotiations over the status of young immigrants, who are mostly from Mexico and other Latin American countries.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) programme, set up in 2012 under President Barack Obama, is due to expire in March, casting doubt on the future of those protected.

• Daca revoked - what you need to know
• Trump travel ban: People denied entry can reapply
• Trump backs proposal to curb legal immigration

What are Trump's demands?

The list of "principles" delivered by the White House to Congress on Sunday includes:

• Constructing the border wall with Mexico
• Employing 10,000 additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and 1,000 lawyers for the agency
• Hiring an extra 370 immigration judges and 300 federal prosecutors
• Banning immigrants from bringing their extended family members to the US
• Penalising "sanctuary cities" that have resisted the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants
• Having companies use an E-Verify programme to keep illegal immigrants from getting jobs

"These findings outline reforms that must be included as part of any legislation addressing the status of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients," Mr Trump wrote in a letter to Congress accompanying the list.
His legislative affairs director, Marc Short, said the priorities were "essential to mitigate the legal and economic consequences of any grant of status to Daca recipients".
Last month, Mr Trump told Congress, which is dominated by his Republican party, it had six months to agree new legislation to help the Dreamers.

Who are the Dreamers?

They are young people who were brought to or entered the US illegally as children and as such faced deportation.
Under Mr Obama's policy, they were able to apply for work and study permits but critics said the scheme amounted to an amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Since the scheme was introduced, about 100,000 recipients have seen their status lapse or change, leaving about 690,000 recipients today.

Media captionWhere do America's undocumented immigrants live?

In order to qualify for Daca, applicants under the age of 30 submitted personal information to the Department of Homeland Security.
They had to go through an FBI background check and have a clean criminal background, and either be in education, have recently graduated or have been honourably discharged from the military.
In exchange, the US government agreed to "defer" any action on their immigration status for a period of two years.

What do the Democrats say?

"The administration can't be serious about compromise or helping the Dreamers if they begin with a list that is anathema to the Dreamers, to the immigrant community and to the vast majority of Americans," House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement.
"The list includes the wall, which was explicitly ruled out of the negotiations. If the president was serious about protecting the Dreamers, his staff has not made a good faith effort to do so."
Mr Schumer and Ms Pelosi said in a statement after a meeting with Mr Trump last month that he had told them funding for the wall would not be part of a Daca deal.
However, the next day White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted that "excluding the wall was certainly not agreed to"

Will the wall actually be built?

It was one of Mr Trump's most controversial election pledges but debate has raged over how it will be funded.
The US leader insisted Mexico itself should pay but the authorities there have rejected the idea.
Meanwhile, a prototype was erected near San Diego, California, last week.

• Six things that could topple the wall

Originally published on  http://www.bbc.com/news/