US election 2016: Indians' verdict on Donald Trump's Hindi BBC

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Image copyrightSHALABH KUMAR

US presidential candidate Donald Trump has spoken a few words of Hindi in a video aimed at wooing Indian-American voters.

He is appropriating Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popular campaign slogan "Abki bar Modi sarkar" ("This time Modi government").

The video was made to air on Indian TV channels in the US, Buzzfeed quotedShalabh Kumar, a member of Trump's Indian-American Advisory Committee, as saying. Mr Kumar supports Mr Trump and says he made the video with him to appeal to Hindi speakers.

However, if the reaction of Indians in Delhi is anything to go by, Mr Trump still has some work to do.

As the BBC's Vikas Pandey found out in a quick survey on the streets of the Indian capital, no one was very impressed by the video.

'India is not just Hindus, Mr Trump'

Image captionShailesh Yadav believes that Mr Trump will not be a friend of India

Shailesh Yadav said he felt disgusted after watching the video because "Mr Trump seemed to be addressing only Hindus through the video".

"How could he just assume that Hindus means India? We are a plural country, Mr Trump. Muslims, Sikhs and Christians also live in this country." he said.

Mr Yadav added that he was hoping that "Americans will be smart enough to not vote this guy into power".

'Not a friend of India'

Law student Aparimita Pratap's reaction after watching the video was that Mr Trump "has already lost the election and no video is going to save him".

"He can't win in a million years. If he thinks that just speaking a few words in Hindi will get him the votes of Indian-Americans or win him fans here [in India], he is so horribly wrong," she said.

"He just has the support of some Indian-American business families and he thinks whole of India loves him. But then I can't blame him: he is the living embodiment of ignorance."

Image captionRaymon Singh, left, and Aparimita Pratap, right, are law students

Her friend Raymon Singh agrees and just laughs after I show her the video.

"This is so funny. He seems to have rehearsed the slogan many times, but he still didn't sound convincing," she said.

"Are you sure this is not some spoof video?" she asked.

• Will Donald Trump's outreach to Hindus work?

"If this is a real video, then it just proves that he is a man of contradictions. He first berates immigrants and then tries to woo Indian-Americans," she said.

"He is not a friend of India - he is nobody's friend. Just look at his regressive views about women. I feel disgusted as a woman listening to his comments."

'He can't be trusted'

Image captionKriti Kakkar believes Mr Trump will not win

Student Kriti Kakkar was so amused she watched the video a few times over.

"I thought the US was a developed country, but after seeing this man come this far, I am having serious doubts," she said.

"How could they not know him? I have followed him since he used to host The Apprentice on television. He was so rude even then."

She added that India "cannot trust him".

"He is saying nice things about India because he wants votes. But he can't be trusted to honour his promises," she said.

'Not the right person'

Image captionHitesh Yadav earlier thought that Mr Trump was going to win

Hitesh Yadav, a management professional, said he wasn't surprised by the video.

"He will say and do anything to win votes at the moment. I honestly thought he was going to win two months ago, but now his comments about women and minorities have shown his true face to the world," he said.

"If he wins, the world will become more unsafe, including India. He will try to shut down call centres in India," he said.

"He is not the right person for the job."

'Not a good sign for the US'

Image captionDesigner Anand Bhushan believes that Mr Trump won't protect the minorities if he wins

Designer Anand Bhushan said Mr Trump "appears to be trying to cash in on the victory of the Hindu nationalist BJP party in 2014 in India".

"And he may end up getting some votes of the Hindu Indian-American community. But that's not a good sign for the US," he said.

"Just look what's happening in India. We have seen so many cases of intolerance against minorities in India since 2014. Mr Trump is heading in the same direction," he said.

Science scores improving for U.S. students, but many still not proficient

The federal government has worked for several years with states and school districts to improve science education and attract more young students -- especially girls -- to get involved with the subject. Recent national test scores suggest the push is working. President Barack Obama, pictured delivering remarks at the White House Science Fair in April 2016, has pushed the cause hard during his seven years in office. File photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI 

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Although younger students in the United States have made gains in science and girls are eliminating long-standing gender gaps, older students were barely proficient in the subject based on their performance on a national science test.

The results of last year's National Assessment of Educational Progress suggest a renewed focus on science in education, specifically to get girls more excited and involved in the subject, is having a positive effect on younger students as their scores showed improvement.

The push to inspire excitement in students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM subjects, has grown out of a need of workers proficient in those areas. There has been a specific focus on getting young girls interested in STEM subjects because they have not traditionally gravitated toward them.

"Our nation's future is inextricably linked to how well we educate our students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics," said U.S. Secretary of Education John King. "Without a strong education in these vital disciplines, our nation cannot compete in a global economy."

The science exam, given every few years, was administered in 2015 to 237,300 students in 46 states and covered science, life science, and earth and space sciences.

Fourth- and eighth-grade students showed an improvement, increasing their average score to 154, from 150 in 2009, while 12th-grade students showed no improvement and kept their average score at 150.

Of 12th-graders, 78 percent were not proficient in the subject, garnering "basic" and "below basic" scores, with 20 percent ranking as proficient and 2 percent qualifying as "advanced."

Among 8th-graders, 66 percent were at basic or below basic levels, 32 percent met requirements for proficiency and 2 percent qualified as advanced. Among 4th-graders, who performed the best, 62 percent were basic or below basic, 37 percent achieved proficient scores and 1 percent were advanced.

Fourth-grade girls closed the gender gap, gaining five points to even their average score with boys at 154, while girls at other grade levels improved their scores but did not close the gender gap.

While the 2015 scores show more work is needed for many students, the improvement suggests the focus on STEM is having a positive effect, especially on younger students who are improving their test performance across the board.

"This is exactly what we like to see: All students improving but students at the bottom of the distribution making faster gains," said Peggy Carr, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics.

Russian oil production reached post-Soviet high

MOSCOW, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- A ratings agency assessing the profitability of Russian energy companies said oil production for September reached a post-Soviet high.

A profile of Russian energy companies from Moody's Investors Service said low production costs are paying off.

"In September 2016, Russian oil production reached 11.1 million barrels per day, a new post-Soviet record-high," the report read.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak last month met with his counterparts from major oil-producing countries to review strategies to pull the market back into a healthy balance between supply and demand. About a week before members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed on a proposal for a production ceiling, Novak said there were no considerations for a cut in output from Russia.

Denis Perevezentsev, a senior credit officer at Moody's, said companies like Russian oil major Rosneft should be in a strong position assuming oil prices hold at an average of $45 per barrel next year.

"We expect the profitability of Russian oil and gas companies to stay robust," Perevezentsev said.

Sanctions and lower crude oil prices put pressure on the Russian economy. Moody's said that, as far as sanctions are concerned, most Russian energy companies were shielded by a look toward the domestic market and state-controlled banks.

Moody's said Russian oil and gas companies should remain strong at least for the next 12 months because of good cash flow from existing operations and positive cash balances. Russia's deputy energy minister, meanwhile, said this week that investments in the Russian oil sector are expected to expand in comparison to last year, though nothing is certain for 2017.

Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the budget was based on oil priced at around $40 per barrel.

Czech President's Snub Of Holocaust Survivor Outrages Countrymen

Dozens of Czech institutions and civic groups have rushed to present an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor and remembrance activist with awards of their own after President Milos Zeman withdrew the offer of a state honor for George Brady in an apparent concession to China.

Brady, a Canadian Jew of Czech extraction who survived the Nazi Auschwitz death camp, told Czech media that he has received so many invitations following the president's last-minute reversal ahead of an annual state awards ceremony on October 28 that he is not sure he can attend all the events.

He has also said he no longer wants to receive the state award for public service, which Zeman's office had previously invited him to come to Prague to receive and which was to have been presented by Zeman personally.

"I'm no longer interested. I have other plans. I'm not available anymore," he told Czech Radiozurnal on October 24. But he said he was enormously proud of the awards that others were granting him, saying it showed a Czech awareness of the horrors of the Holocaust.

The adopted Torontan is well-known for his efforts to support global campaigns for Holocaust remembrance. In the past, Brady has been honored for his work by Britain's Queen Elizabeth and the German government, among others.

Tibet Connection

Zeman's U-turn on Brady, ahead of Czech national day on October 28, has angered many Czechs because it appears to be connected to a presidential feud with Brady's nephew, Czech Culture Minister Daniel Herman. Herman met with the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in Prague last week against the wishes of Zeman, who has sought to boost trade with China, which considers the Dalai Lama a violent separatist.

Czech President Milos Zeman's U-turn on Brady has angered many.

Herman told Czech Television on October 22 that "the president directly told me that if I meet the Dalai Lama, my uncle will be taken out of the list [for awards], and that is what happened."

Leading figures in the Czech Republic who have stepped forward to recognize Brady following Zeman's surprise reversal include the mayor of Prague, the mayor of Czech second city Brno, and the rector of Palacky University in Olomouc.

"I'm ashamed of what's going on regarding the award for Mr. Brady," Prague Mayor Adriana Krnacova said in a statement on her personal website. "That's why I've decided to use the authority I have to give him the official Key to Prague as an expression of gratitude."

The rector of Palacky University in Olomouc, Jaroslav Miller, expressed similar feelings.

"If the [president] really removed him from the honors list for meaningless reasons, Palacky University Olomouc would be honored to have Mr. Jiri [George] Brady accept our academic award," Miller wrote on his Facebook page. "At least we would save the honor of the Czech Republic and pay tribute to a man who did something for his country."

Reversing Havel

Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babis has denied that there was any connection between the events. But he confirmed that the president had asked Herman not to meet with the Dalai Lama.

Zeman has pushed hard for closer economic ties with Beijing during his presidency, despite opposition from human rights group in the Czech Republic over China's repressive policies in Tibet, which it annexed in 1951. Beijing discourages foreign states from receiving the Dalai Lama, who is Tibet's spiritual leader and heads Tibet's government-in-exile in India.

Zeman and predecessor Vaclav Klaus's attitudes toward the Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, contrast sharply with that of the late Czechoslovak dissident playwright and Czech president, Vaclav Havel, who was an internationally revered promoter of human rights and a friend of the Tibetan Buddhist monk.

Four government ministers and several other Czech politicians have vowed to boycott the October 28 ceremony at Prague Castle, the seat of the president. Instead, they plan to hold an alternative gathering in Prague's Old Town Square to protest Zeman's decision and celebrate the national day.

George Brady was born in Nove Mesto, a small town in the former Czechoslovakia, in 1928. His family, reportedly the only Jewish family in town, had a comfortable middle-class life until Nazi Germany invaded the country in 1939. Brady's parents were deported early in the war and reportedly died at Auschwitz. Aged 13, George and his younger sister were first sent to live with a Catholic uncle elsewhere in Czechoslovakia but in 1944 were sent to Auschwitz.

Assigned to the labor force in Auschwitz, George survived the camp. But his sister, Hana, died in a gas chamber there at age 13. He then returned to his uncle's home, finished his schooling, and fled communist Czechoslovakia in 1951. After becoming a Canadian citizen, he set up a plumbing company in Toronto.

The experiences of the Brady family are the subject of a nonfiction children's book published in 2002, Hana's Suitcase, by Karen Levine. The book has been translated from English into some 20 languages.

Europe's 'most corrupt country,'

Bulgaria, Europe's 'most corrupt country,' cracks down - again

Bulgaria is seen as the EU's most corrupt country. An investigation into its fisheries sector, following raids this week, is the latest battle in its fight to change that perception. Martin Kuebler reports from Brussels.

Despite having been part of the European Union for nearly a decade, tackling high-level corruption remains one of Bulgaria's "biggest challenges," the European Commission pointed out in a progress report earlier this year.

The report, which criticized the country's slow progress, said tackling high-level corruption and organized crime "must be the highest priority." This week, authorities have had another chance to follow that advice.

On Monday, three officials were detained in connection with an ongoing investigation into the alleged misuse of EU funds and suspected document fraud in the Bulgarian fisheries sector, following simultaneous raids in the capital, Sofia, the Black Sea city of Burgas and Yambol, a town in the country's southeast.

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Two of the men were with the Executive Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture (EAFA), including an inspector and agency head Yancho Yanev. The third man was a representative of a company that received EU funding through the agency.

Yanev had been with the agency since 2009; on Wednesday, Bulgarian Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva dismissed him from his post.

According to the prosecutor's office in Sofia, the case involved the use of fraudulent documents to access EU funding. A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said at a press conference that the investigation dealt with corruption "on a very large scale," which in Bulgaria can mean in the millions of euros.

The prosecutor's office said other "higher-level" EAFA officials who may have approved illegitimate EU grants were also being investigated.

Evidence collected over the past several months had shown that several Bulgarian firms had submitted fraudulent data in order to allegedly qualify for more than their fair share of EU funding.

Corruption charges date back years

Last November, the European Commission adopted an investment package for the Bulgarian maritime, fisheries and aquaculture sectors worth roughly 113 million euros ($123 million) for the period 2014-2020. Of that, more than 88 million euros will come from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

When asked by DW to comment on the investigation, a spokesperson for Karmenu Vella, the EU commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, said the European Commission had "no direct knowledge of the current allegations."

"The Commission has asked the Bulgarian Permanent Representation in Brussels for further information on this case as well as the measures to be undertaken to ensure continuity in EAFA's management," said Enrico Brivio, Vella's spokesperson.

Brivio pointed out that the Bulgarian programs linked to the European fisheries fund were primarily the responsibility of the national authorities, in this case the EAFA. The corruption charges date back to the previous funding period, from 2007-2013, when the EAFA was responsible for managing the funds.

The Executive Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture is based in the Black Sea port of Burgas

A representative for the Bulgarian Permanent Representation told DW that the ongoing investigation would have no effect on the 2014-2020 investment package, as management of the EU program has since been moved from the EAFA to the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

A press representative from the EU's anti-fraud agency, OLAF, said it was too soon to comment on any possible investigation into the EAFA. But in 2015, OLAF launched 19 investigations into the use of EU funds managed at the national or regional level in Bulgaria, a caseload second only to Romania. These investigations included many related cases involving the misuse of funds from the Special Accession Program for Agriculture and Rural Development (SAPARD).

Should any funds be proved to have been misused, OLAF said the money would be "progressively recovered to the EU budget," whether directly, through the closure of funding programs or other methods.

'Not just Bulgaria'

As highlighted in the 2015 OLAF report, this wouldn't be the first time the EU has investigated Bulgaria for corruption or mismanagement of funds. Back in 2008, the Commission went so far as to temporarily suspended hundreds of millions of euros in EU aid over concerns of corruption and organized crime.

Bulgaria was ranked 69th out of 167 countries in Transparency International's corruption perceptions index last year, the highest in the EU. But, as Nicholas Aiossa, an EU policy officer at the advocacy group's office in Brussels pointed out, the problem isn't limited to Eastern Europe.

"It's not just Bulgaria," said Aiossa. He highlighted examples across the EU, including in the Czech Republic, where a former health minister was found guilty of taking bribes and stuffing EU hospital funds into a wine box; and southern Italy, where an EU-funded highway has been under construction for decades and more than 381 million euros has been lost to a racketeering scheme.

"Across the continent EU funds are at risk of corruption, fraud and mismanagement. Only with transparency and monitoring on how EU funds are spent can we stop the curse of corruption around public works and have clean contracts," he said.

World wildlife 'falls by 58% in 40 years' By Rebecca Morelle , BBC News

Image copyrightROGER LEGUEN / WWF

Image captionThis report estimates that wildlife populations have declined by nearly 60% since 1970

Global wildlife populations have fallen by 58% since 1970, a report says.

The Living Planet assessment, by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and WWF, suggests that if the trend continues that decline could reach two-thirds among vertebrates by 2020.

The figures suggest that animals living in lakes, rivers and wetlands are suffering the biggest losses.

Human activity, including habitat loss, wildlife trade, pollution and climate change contributed to the declines.

Dr Mike Barrett. head of science and policy at WWF, said: "It's pretty clear under 'business as usual' we will see continued declines in these wildlife populations. But I think now we've reached a point where there isn't really any excuse to let this carry on.

"We know what the causes are and we know the scale of the impact that humans are having on nature and on wildlife populations - it really is now down to us to act."

However the methodology of the report has been criticised.

Image copyrightCARLOS DREWS / WWF

Image captionThe report looked at data collected on 3,700 species of vertebrates over the last 40 years

The Living Planet Report is published every two years and aims to provide an assessment of the state of the world's wildlife.

For freshwater species alone, the decline stands at 81% since 1970

Dr Mike Barrett, WWF

This analysis looked at 3,700 different species of birds, fish, mammals, amphibians and reptiles - about 6% of the total number of vertebrate species in the world.

The team collected data from peer-reviewed studies, government statistics and surveys collated by conservation groups and NGOs.

Any species with population data going back to 1970, with two or more time points (to show trends) was included in the study.

The researchers then analysed how the population sizes had changed over time.

Some of this information was weighted to take into account the groups of animals that had a great deal of data (there are many records on Arctic and near Arctic birds, for example) or very little data (tropical amphibians, for example). The report authors said this was to make sure a surplus of information about declines in some animals did not skew the overall picture.

The last report, published in 2014, estimated that the world's wildlife populations had halved over the last 40 years.

This assessment suggests that the trend has continued: since 1970, populations have declined by an average of 58%.

Dr Barrett said some groups of animals had fared worse than others.

"We do see particularly strong declines in the freshwater environment - for freshwater species alone, the decline stands at 81% since 1970. This is related to the way water is used and taken out of fresh water systems, and also the fragmentation of freshwater systems through dam building, for example."

Image copyrightWWF

Image captionAfrican elephants numbers have fallen dramatically as poaching has increased

It also highlighted other species, such as African elephants , which have suffered huge declines in recent years with the increase in poaching, and sharks, which are threatened by overfishing.

If pressures - overexploitation, illegal wildlife trade for example - increase or worsen, then that trend may be worse

Dr Robin Freeman, ZSL

The researchers conclude that vertebrate populations are declining by an average of 2% each year, and warn that if nothing is done, wildlife populations could fall by 67% (below 1970 levels) by the end of the decade.

Dr Robin Freeman, head of ZSL's Indicators & Assessments Unit, said: "But that's assuming things continue as we expect. If pressures - overexploitation, illegal wildlife trade, for example - increase or worsen, then that trend may be worse.

"But one of the things I think is most important about these stats, these trends are declines in the number of animals in wildlife populations - they are not extinctions. By and large they are not vanishing, and that presents us with an opportunity to do something about it."

Image copyrightSCOTT DICKERSON

Image captionThere are still many gaps in our knowledge of the world's vertebrates

However, Living Planet reports have drawn some criticisms.

There are some numbers [in the report] that are sensible, but there are some numbers that are very very sketchy

Stuart Pimm, Duke University

Stuart Pimm, professor of conservation ecology at Duke University in the United States, said that while wildlife was in decline, there were too many gaps in the data to boil population loss down to a single figure.

"There are some numbers [in the report] that are sensible, but there are some numbers that are very, very sketchy," he told BBC News.

"For example, if you look at where the data comes from, not surprisingly, it is massively skewed towards western Europe.

"When you go elsewhere, not only do the data become far fewer, but in practice they become much, much sketchier... there is almost nothing from South America, from tropical Africa, there is not much from the tropics, period. Any time you are trying to mix stuff like that, it is is very very hard to know what the numbers mean.

"They're trying to pull this stuff in a blender and spew out a single number.... It's flawed."

But Dr Freeman said the team had taken the best data possible from around the world.

"It's completely true that in some regions and in some groups, like tropical amphibians for example, we do have a lack of data. But that's because there is a lack of data.

"We're confident that the method we are using is the best method to present an overall estimate of population decline.

"It's entirely possible that species that aren't being monitored as effectively may be doing much worse - but I'd be very surprised if they were doing much better than we observed.