Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades –
An investigation by The New York Times found previously undisclosed allegations against Mr. Weinstein stretching over nearly three decades, documented through interviews with current and former employees and film industry workers, as well as legal records, emails and internal documents from the businesses he has run, Miramax and the Weinstein Company. In a statement to The Times on Thursday afternoon, Mr. Weinstein said: “I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it. Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go.” He added that he was working with therapists and planning to take a leave of absence to “deal with this issue head on.” [NY Times]

Harvey Weinstein (By David Shankbone (Own work) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons)

Other News Stories –

• 2017 North Korea crisis
  • A South Korean lawmaker claims that in 2016, North Korean hackers stole classified military documents detailing joint operations between the South Korean and United States military forces in the event of war with North Korea. (The Financial Times)

• Economy of the United States
  • Multinational U.S. conglomerate Honeywell announces plans to spinoff its Homes, ADI Global Distribution, and Transportation Systems businesses into two separate, publicly-traded companies by the end of 2018. (PR Newswire)

• October 2017 Northern California wildfires
  • U.S. President Donald Trump declares the 17 Northern California wildfires a major disaster. The fires have destroyed 180 square miles in California’s wine country where mass evacuations are underway. The fires have killed at least 15 people with more than 150 others missing and at least 2,000 homes and businesses destroyed. (NBC), (The Weather Company)
• Syrian Civil War
  • A Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 crashes at the Khmeimim air base in Latakia province in northwestern Syria, killing the two crewmen. (i24 News) (RT)

• Cybercrime
  • According to The Guardian, the September disclosed hack attack at United Kingdom accounting firm Deloitte compromised a server with emails of some 350 clients, including U.S. government agencies and large corporations. Deloitte disputes the story, saying “very few” clients were affected. (Reuters)
  • U.S.-based credit reporting agency Equifax discloses that 15.2 million United Kingdom records were compromised in its May–July 2017 data breach. (Reuters)
• Prison riot in Mexico
  • A riot at Cadereyta Jiménez prison located outside the city of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, kills at least 13 people. (Reuters)
• Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct allegations
  • A report by Ronan Farrow published in The New Yorker alleges that Weinstein had sexually assaulted or harassed 13 women, and raped three of them. (ABC News), (The New Yorker)
  • Questions arise against NBC News President Noah Oppenheim, who The New York Times alleges blocked for several months NBC’s own reporter, Ronan Farrow, from detailing a story about Harvey Weinstein. (The New York Times)
  • Questions arise against Noah Oppenheim, who Fox News alleges blocked NBC’S own reporter, Ronan Farrow, from detailing a story about Harvey Weinstein while at the same time Oppenheim owns a film screenwriter company which has done business with Weinstein’s company. (Fox News)

• Environmental policy of the Donald Trump administration
  • The United States Environmental Protection Agency, on behalf of the Trump administration, announces that it will roll back clean energy regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, imposed under the Obama-era Clean Power Plan. (The Wall Street Journal), (The New York Times)
• Liberian general election, 2017
  • Voters in Liberia go to the polls to elect members to the country’s House of Representatives and to replace President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. (The Guardian)
• 2017 Spanish constitutional crisis
  • President of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont gives a speech regarding independence from Spain where he proposes to suspend the effect of the independence declaration in order to hold talks with Madrid. (The Guardian)
• Politics of the United States
  • The Cook County Board of Commissioners’ Finance Committee, which includes Chicago, repeals the tax approved in November 2016 on soft drinks and other sugary beverages. (Reuters)
  • California’s governor, Jerry Brown, signs a law that lowers the penalty for exposing partners to HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) from a felony to a misdemeanor, which includes those who donate bloodwithout informing the center about their HIV status. (FOX News)
• Kenyan general election, 2017
  • In an unprecedented move, Kenya‘s presidential aspirant, Raila Odinga, pulls out of a repeat presidential election just 15 days before the election. This action comes after the supreme court nullified the elections run on August 8 as being unconstitutional. (Business Daily Africa)

• 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
  • The United States men’s national soccer team loses 2–1 to Trinidad and Tobago, thus being eliminated from making it to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This is the first time the U.S. will miss the tournament since the 1986 edition. (ESPN)

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