【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2PU6wM1 Trump Says He Canceled Peace Talks With Taliban Over Kabul Attack
President Donald Trump is saying he has called off a secret Camp David meeting with Taliban and Afghanistan leaders.
Trump tweeted Saturday that a meeting slated for the following day was canceled because of a Taliban attack in Kabul on Thursday that killed 11 people, including a U.S. soldier.
Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday. They were coming to the United States tonight. Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to..
The president tweeted that he "called off peace negotiations" and demanded to know who "would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position" in the negotiations.
He added that if the Taliban could not hold to a cease-fire during the negotiations, "they probably don't have the power" to negotiate a peace deal.
The attack came as the U.S. and the Taliban had hoped to be close to finalizing a peace deal.
This story is breaking; please check back for more details.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZPGu05 Bianca Andreescu defeats Serena Williams in US Open final for first major title For the second year in a row, Serena Williams' quest for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title was denied in the U.S. Open final by a much younger opponent. September 08, 2019 at 06:59AM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/34xLwxG Israeli PM Vows Tough Response After Gaza Drone Attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Gaza's Hamas rulers on Saturday with a ``vigorous response'' after militants used a drone to drop a bomb on the Israeli side of the Gaza-Israel perimeter fence.
This appeared to be the first-ever attempt to carry out an attack with a drone piloted from Gaza. The Israeli army said the drone released ``what seems to be an explosive device'' and lightly damaged an army vehicle near the fence.
The military said it retaliated with an airstrike against Palestinian militants responsible for the attack. There were no reports of injuries on the Palestinian side.
Re-election bid
Netanyahu is in the midst of a re-election campaign, with less than two weeks to go before a do-over vote after he failed to secure a parliamentary majority in April's election.
``Hamas is responsible for everything coming out of Gaza and all attacks will be met with a vigorous response,'' Netanyahu said in a statement.
Hamas, which has run Gaza since 2007, is known to be developing a drone program and has used it before for reconnaissance missions over the frontier and into Israel. Using drones for attacks was previously unheard of.
Earlier, an Israeli father and son were stabbed near the town of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank. Israeli medical services said the 17-year-old was in a serious but stable condition. The military said it was an attack by a Palestinian assailant and that soldiers were in pursuit.
Relatives mourn the death of Iyad al-Rabiel, a 14-year-old Palestinian who was shot and killed by Israeli troops during Friday's protest along the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, in the family home in Gaza City, Sept. 7, 2019.
On Friday, Israeli forces shot dead two Gaza teenagers during regular weekend protests along the volatile perimeter fence. Militants in Gaza fired five projectiles into Israel in an apparent response to the deaths.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZFin57 Andrew McCarthy: Incredibly important lessons of Sept. 11 being forgotten Millions of Americans weren't born on Sept. 11,2001 or were too young to remember that horrible day. September 08, 2019 at 03:06AM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2Q44SY2 University of Tennessee turns bullied elementary school student's t-shirt design into official apparel The young University of Tennessee fan that was bullied last week for the homemade shirt he wore to his school's collegiate day was shown an outpouring of support that has since inspired the university to make his design into an official piece of apparel. September 08, 2019 at 02:57AM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZPYYJS 人工知能（AI）関連株に新たな風が吹き始めた。ソフトバンクグループ <9984> 率いる「ソフトバンク・ビジョン・ファンド（SVF）」第2号が近く始動する見通しにある。 September 07, 2019 at 07:30PM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2N1IFYl Kirin 990はAI処理専用のNPUを内蔵したものとしては、第3世代のSoC（統合型チップセット）。昨年発表のKirin 980は4Gモデムが内蔵されていたが、5G対応に ... September 07, 2019 at 06:00PM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2zXCKuO North Carolina Special Election Could Provide Insights to Trump's Re-Election Prospects
U.S. President Donald Trump heads to North Carolina late Monday, aiming to swing a congressional race in the 2020 election battleground state that could provide insight into his re-election chances.
Trump's rally aims to persuade voters in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District to head to the polls Tuesday to vote for Republican candidate Dan Bishop. His opponent, Democrat Dan McCready, will be trying to flip a district that Trump won in 2016 with 54% of the vote.
The special election could provide an early test of whether highly educated women voters in suburban areas will throw their support to Democrats in marginally Republican districts as they did in a number of House races in the 2018 midterm elections.
North Carolina is one of a handful of states seen by analysts as a possible swing state in the 2020 presidential election. This early race, fueled by heavy spending on the national level by both political parties, will be a key early indicator on a number of levels.
Michael Bitzer, a professor of politics and history at Catawba College in North Carolina, said the election, "could serve in some ways as a canary in the coal mine if we're looking at the national narrative of college-educated, white suburban women, and how they may view the Republican Party under President Trump, and whether they are supportive of him and the party, or they've been turned off by his rhetoric."
FILE - Dan Bishop, the Republican candidate in the North Carolina 9th Congressional District race, answers a question during a news conference outside McCready's campaign headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., May 15, 2019.
'Competitive election'
In this relatively safe Republican district, "bringing in the president and the vice president seems to indicate that Republicans are looking at this as a competitive election," Bitzer said.
Vice President Mike Pence will also campaign for Bishop on Monday.
The 9th Congressional District has sent a Republican representative to Congress since 1963. Congressman Robert Pittenger, whose retirement from seat triggered this special election, won by 58% of the vote two years ago.
The effort to fill Pittenger's seat has been anything but business as usual in this district.
Last November, McCready ran against Republican Mark Harris, whose election win was invalidated by the state board of elections after allegations of ballot tampering and election fraud. Support for Harris, who initially appeared to have won his election by 905 votes, eroded, leading him to decline to run in the new Republican primary held this February.
Bishop, the state senator who ultimately secured the nomination, appears to be lagging behind McCready in bipartisan polling. In a survey conducted Aug. 26-28, McCready leads Bishop by a margin of 46% to 42%. When voters leaning Democratic are included, McCready's margin increases to 49 percentage points.
FILE - Dan McCready, the Democratic candidate in the North Carolina 9th Congressional District race, speaks at a news conference in Charlotte, N.C., May 15, 2019.
Primarily urban, suburban
According to Bitzer, non-Hispanic/Latino white women make up 30% of the district's 501,000 registered voters. The district is primarily composed of urban and suburban areas that vote Republican, including outlying areas of Charlotte, the city selected for the 2020 Republican National Convention.
Democrats took back the House in 2018 by winning over traditionally Republican suburbs like the neighborhoods in the 9th District.
"It is a referendum on Trump and that's because Trump and Dan Bishop have made it such," said Susan Roberts, a political science professor at Davidson College in North Carolina. "That's the theme the NRCC [National Republican Congressional Committee] and the surrogates for Trump have made it. [Donald Trump, Jr.] came and talked about the Hamas wing of the Democratic Party supporting Dan McCready."
Bishop's campaign ads have characterized McCready as a Washington insider with socialist views. The accusations imply McCready would fit in with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the so-called "Squad," a high-profile group of female freshman House Democrats.
McCready is mounting a localized campaign, capitalizing on the fact that he has been running for this congressional seat for the past 2½ years.
"The feeling from the voters that I've talked to is that they're sort of ignoring the noise," said Sharon Toland, a door-to-door canvasser for the McCready campaign. "Dan's been campaigning in the district for years now. I think they feel like they know and they have a pretty good idea of who he actually is, he's a moderate candidate."
FILE - Gloria Garces kneels in front of crosses at a makeshift memorial, Aug. 6, 2019, near the scene of a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.
'Conservative district'
Recent mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, El Paso, Texas and Odessa, Texas, might not have much of an impact on the race.
"It's such a conservative district in terms of guns," said Sarah Taber, a member of the Cape Fear Indivisible, a Democratic activist group in the eastern part of the district.
Fort Bragg, the world's largest military base, is nearby, and many military families live in the 9th Congressional District. Taber said many military voters are gun owners who support common sense measures but don't engage with the issue as deeply as solutions for solving health care.
Political scientist Roberts said the district's long-running saga of voter fraud and multiple elections in a relatively short amount of time may have a significant impact on voter turnout.
"Even a narrow win by Bishop is going to seem encouraging to the Democrats because it should be a red district," Roberts said. "Anything you should win and don't win is a big deal and anything you barely win is a big deal."
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZOOT3T Whitehorse North
Bearcat: ←Created page with ''''Whitehorse North''' was a territorial electoral district in the Canadian territory of Yukon, which was represen...'
'''Whitehorse North''' was a territorial [[electoral district (Canada)|electoral district]] in the [[Canada|Canadian]] territory of [[Yukon]], which was represented on the [[Yukon Territorial Council]] from 1961 to 1974. The district comprised the northern portion of the territorial capital, [[Whitehorse, Yukon|Whitehorse]].
==Representatives== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Name ! Took Office ! Left Office |- | [[Ken McKinnon (politician)|Ken McKinnon]] | 1961 | 1964 |- | [[Ken Thompson (politician)|Ken Thompson]] | 1964 | 1967 |- | [[Ken McKinnon (politician)|Ken McKinnon]] | 1967 | 1970 |- | [[Clive Tanner]]<ref>"Two former members defeated as Yukon elects new councillors". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', September 10, 1970.</ref> | 1970 | 1974 |}
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2Q2CKF4 With Resignation of CEO, What Direction for US News Agencies?
The announcement of John Lansing's resignation as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media is renewing questions about the mission and direction of the broadcasters it oversees.
The USAGM directly manages five international news entities, including Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Voice of America. Combined, the USAGM broadcasters transmit in 61 languages and have an unduplicated weekly audience of 345 million.
Lansing, 62, a veteran cable TV executive, was named CEO of USAGM in 2015 and has now served under two presidents. He will formally leave the agency at the end of September and start in mid-October as CEO of the domestic National Public Radio network.
"John Lansing is going to leave behind a really remarkable legacy," said Amanda Bennett, director of the Voice of America. "He really focused USAGM on issues of a free and independent press. That's going to be his legacy. That, and his sunny disposition."
Michael Pack (Manifoldproductions.com)
Trump nominee
President Donald Trump has nominated documentary filmmaker Michael Pack to replace Lansing. Pack, a senior fellow and former president at the Claremont Institute in California, has collaborated on film projects with former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon.
Pack's name was sent to the Senate in January but has been stuck in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Efforts to reach committee Chairman Jim Risch, an Idaho Republican, and ranking member Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, were unsuccessful.
Pack could become the CEO in one of two ways: by Senate approval or appointment by the advisory Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), a bipartisan panel that includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Pack's nomination sparked debate about Trump's intentions for the agency, as has the president's own words and repeated criticism of the U.S. media.
On Twitter last November, Trump complained about unfair coverage by CNN and mused, "Something has to be done, including the possibility of the United States starting our own Worldwide Network to show the World the way we really are, GREAT!"
A few days later, Bennett published an op-ed in The Washington Post stating that such a network already existed: VOA.
Under VOA's charter, its journalists are required to report "accurate, objective and comprehensive" news. Other legal provisions, collectively known as the "firewall," protect VOA journalists from political interference in their work.
"Whoever the next CEO is, they need to look at the history of the agency," said Danforth Austin, a former reporter and executive at The Wall Street Journal who served as VOA director from 2006 to 2011.
Changed focus
Austin said that during WWII, and then the Cold War, VOA and the other U.S.-funded news entities were largely a propaganda tool. But from the 1960s on, they transformed into solid journalistic organizations with a mandate to provide balanced and independent news.
"There are all kinds of different groups with different ideas of what we should or shouldn't be broadcasting," Austin said. "I recall getting calls from the State Department saying, 'You can't do that!' I would always politely suggest they call the secretary of state and hang up the phone."
"Propaganda or news, you have to decide, 'What's the most effective approach?' " he added.
FILE - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., walks through the Hall of Columns at the Capitol as House Democratic chairs gather for a meeting with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., in Washington, March 27, 2019.
Representative Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat, chairs the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Although he has no vote in the Senate, his committee wields influence on Capitol Hill over USAGM.
Engel praised Lansing on Friday for putting the USAGM's networks " … on a path toward becoming modern, effective news organizations providing unbiased information in some of the world's most closed media spaces."
But he said that if the Senate does not confirm Pack in a timely manner, the BBG should exercise its power and appoint someone.
"The existing Board of Governors retains the power to name a replacement. I urge the board to do so immediately, as we can't predict when the Senate may act on the president's nominee. This is too important a job to be left vacant for even a day," he added.
The USAGM has its share of critics. Engel's predecessor, former Representative Ed Royce, a California Republican, has called it a "broken agency." Hillary Clinton, while secretary of state, said the agency was "practically defunct in terms of its capacity to tell a message around the world."
Bennett and Austin attributed audience growth under Lansing to a focus on independent and unbiased news coverage. In 2018, its audience expanded 24%, a record.
"Sixty percent of our audience around the world believes us and trusts us," Bennett said. "John's focus on editorial independence is what must carry on if we're not to squander that trust built up over the years."
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2MZ3LGY US Hiring Cools; Wages, Hours Offer Silver Lining
U.S. job growth slowed more than expected in August, with retail hiring declining for a seventh straight month, but strong wage gains should support consumer spending and keep the economy expanding moderately amid rising threats from trade tensions.
The Labor Department's monthly employment report on Friday also showed a rebound in the workweek after it shrank to its shortest in nearly two years in July, suggesting that companies were not yet laying off workers.
Economists said the report was consistent with an economy that was slowing but probably not flirting with a recession as has been signaled by financial markets, especially an inversion of the U.S. Treasury yield curve.
Some have blamed the economy's waning fortunes on the Trump administration's yearlong trade war with China and its effect on business sentiment and global manufacturing.
"The softening in job growth should surprise no one but it doesn't mean the economy is headed toward a recession right away," said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania. "Households still have the income to keep spending."
FILE - Spinning operator Sara Colburn pulls fabric off the spinning frame inside the mill on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, at American Woolen Company Inc., in Stafford Springs, Conn.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 130,000 jobs last month, helped by the temporary hiring of 25,000 workers for the 2020 census. The economy created 20,000 fewer jobs in June and July than previously reported.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls rising by 158,000 jobs in August.
President Donald Trump shrugged off the slowdown in job growth, tweeting "Good Jobs Numbers" and claiming that "China is eating the Tariffs."
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said the employment report offered "little comfort in an economy faltering under the Trump administration's reckless agenda to undermine the health, financial security and well-being of the American people."
Uncertainty on trade
Washington and Beijing slapped fresh tariffs on each other on Sunday. The duties are paid by U.S. companies importing the goods. While the two economic giants on Thursday agreed to hold high-level talks in early October in Washington, uncertainty over trade lingers.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said in Zurich, Switzerland, on Friday that he was not forecasting or expecting a recession, but he reiterated the U.S. central bank would continue to act "as appropriate" to keep the longest expansion in history on track. The Fed is expected to cut interest rates again this month after lowering borrowing costs in July for the first time since 2008.
A seasonal quirk could account for last month's lower-than-expected increase in employment. Over the past several years, the initial August job count has tended to exhibit a weak bias, with revisions subsequently showing strength.
But slower job growth is also in line with sharp declines in both the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing and services industries employment measures in August.
FILE - Ford Motor Co.'s F-650/F-750 medium-duty trucks roll off the line at the Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, Ohio.
Job gains have averaged 156,000 over the last three months, still above the roughly 100,000 per month needed to keep up with growth in the working-age population. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7% for a third straight month in August as 571,000 people, the most in 10 months, entered the labor force.
The dollar slipped against a basket of currencies. U.S. Treasury yields fell. Stocks on Wall Street were trading higher.
Job growth has slowed since mid-2018. Economists say it is unclear whether the loss of momentum in hiring was due to ebbing demand for labor or a shortage of qualified workers.
The government last month estimated that the economy created 501,000 fewer jobs in the 12 months through March 2019 than previously reported, the biggest downward revision in the level of employment in a decade. That suggests job growth over that period averaged around 170,000 per month instead of 210,000.
The revised payrolls data will be published next February.
Higher hourly earnings
Average hourly earnings gained 0.4% last month, the largest increase since February, after rising 0.3% in July. The annual increase in wages dipped to 3.2% from 3.3% in July as last year's surge dropped out of the calculation.
Wage growth has held at or above 3.0% for 13 straight months, helping to drive consumer spending and the economy. The average workweek rose to 34.4 hours in August from 34.3 hours in July. A measure of hours worked, which is a proxy for gross domestic product, increased 0.4% after falling 0.2% in July.
"This is indicating that firms aren't yet reducing labor input at the intensive margin," said Michael Feroli, an economist at JPMorgan in New York.
The labor force participation rate, or the proportion of working-age Americans who have a job or are looking for one, increased to 63.2% last month from 63.0% in July. The employment-to-population rate increased two-tenths of a percentage point to 60.9%, the highest since December 2008.
FILE - U.S. armed forces veterans attend an annual jobs fair in Miami.
But a broader measure of unemployment, which includes people who want to work but have given up searching and those working part time because they cannot find full-time employment, rose to 7.2% from a more than 18-year low of 7.0% in July.
The slowdown in hiring last month was across all sectors, with the exception of government, which was boosted by recruitment for the 2020 decennial census.
Private payrolls rose by only 96,000 jobs in August. Leading the slowdown was manufacturing, where employment rose by a tepid 3,000 jobs last month after increasing 4,000 in July.
Manufacturing struggles
Manufacturing has ironically borne the brunt of the Trump administration's trade war, which the White House has argued is intended to boost the sector.
Employment growth in manufacturing has averaged 6,000 jobs per month this year compared with 22,000 in 2018. The manufacturing workweek rose 0.2 hour to 40.6 hours in August, but factories continued to reduce overtime for workers.
Construction payrolls increased by 14,000 jobs last month after slipping by 2,000 in July. Retail employment dropped by 11,100 jobs, extending a decline that started in February.
Government employment jumped by 34,000 jobs. There were increases in professional and business services, health care, leisure and hospitality, financial activities and wholesale trade employment.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZF6z2H As Sudan Rebuilds Government, Flood Victims Rebuild Towns
KHARTOUM — As Sudan awaits formation of a new government following a landmark political deal, hundreds of thousands of houses across the country remain under water.
The rainy season, which causes the Nile to flood every year, hit particularly hard this year. And fuel shortages — the main motivation behind the initial protests last year which ousted longtime President Omar al Bashir — have continued to exacerbate the problem.
"The main issue is draining the water — the pump needs diesel all the time and there's no diesel," said Abdul el-Azzem Majid, a resident of the flooded Al Azoozab suburb of Khartoum.
"We need it more than — we can provide everything else but not the diesel," said Majid.
People carry their belongings as they wade through flood waters near the River Nile, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, Sept. 2, 2019.
While the one pump functioning in Al Azoozab drains water out of the town, residents and volunteers fill sandbags in an attempt to reinforce a cracked barricade that, in previous years, had kept flooded Nile waters out of their homes.
According to U.N. numbers released last week, 62 people have been killed in the recent floods. State news agency SUNA reported that 35,000 homes in 17 out of Sudan's 18 states had been affected.
On Aug. 17, Sudan's opposition coalition Forces for Freedom and Change signed a historic political agreement with members of the military. A prime minister and cabinet have been named, but the government is still forming a legislative body.
The power-sharing agreement calls for a three-year transitional period leading to elections for a civilian-led government.
As Sudan's new government continues to settle, local aid organizations are unsure how and when state aid will be made available.
A bus is seen partially submerged in flood waters near the River Nile, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, Sept. 2, 2019.
"Sadly this happens every year — it's a problem of infrastructure, city planning, and sanitation," said Hassan Mustafa, a volunteer at local aid organization, Nafeer.
"Government intervention is still very slow," he added. "Political turmoil has already affected the process, and as there's no government formed yet, that also changes the situation."
Nafeer, which means collective or community aid, is made up of volunteers who assess damage, collect water and medicine, and sometimes help evacuate victims out of affected areas.
Though Nafeer was created a few years ago, some victims like Mohamed Salah say that as the country waits for its legislative body to be formed in the wake of months of protests, the general sense of community in the country has increased.
"The political change that occurred had resulted in social change — we've seen a more collaborative approaches and an increase in younger volunteers as an alternative to our government," Salah said, standing outside his flooded home as his wife and children look on from the top floor.
"They have been opposing the regime but they can fulfill the government's role in its absence. The youth have done great work in this chapter of our history."
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2HNoFo3 Italy's Salvini Bides His Time
Italy's far-right populist Matteo Salvini has had his plans dashed to become the country's prime minister. His poll numbers have dropped since he precipitated a political crisis, hoping he could engineer a snap election, win and emerge, in his words, with "full powers."
But he has been out-maneuvered.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte arrives at Rome's Quirinale Presidential Palace, Sept. 4, 2019.
Salvini had not expected the outgoing Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to emerge as a surprise rival. Nor that his erstwhile partners in a short-lived and troubled coalition government, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), would forge a deal with the left wing Democratic Party (PD) and agree on a replacement coalition midweek with Conte as the new prime minister.
But will the sidelined Salvini be denied for long?
His loyalists scoff at the idea that Il Capitano, as they nickname him, will be kept at bay for long. They say that the old-school political maneuvering by the PD and the M5S — once sworn enemies — has merely planted the seeds for his return.
As the new cabinet of seven women and 11 men was sworn in, Salvini, the leader of Lega Party, accused dark forces of being behind the formation of the new government, saying "strong powers" within Europe were behind the new coalition.
"It won't last long," he tweeted. "Opposition in parliament, in town halls and in the squares, then finally we will vote and win."
Salvini says those who fear elections might escape a ballot for "three or six months," but in the end will have to face a Lega that is ready to give Italy a "strong and coherent" government and not one manipulated by the elites or foreign governments. His loyalists lap up the bellicose language.
But Salvini populist threats aside, it is hard to see how the new government will be less troubled than its predecessor.
The marriage between the PD and M5S is not one made in heaven and it is not clear how long they can cohere to bring some respite to the political drama. The one thing they have in common is fear of Matteo Salvini and a determination to halt the momentum Salvini, still the country's most popular politician, has been building electorally thanks partly to his adeptness in dominating news cycles.
M5S, founded by the quirky comic and blogger Beppo Grillo, built much of its success at the expense of the PD and has focused especially on the traditional strongholds of the left in the country's so-called Red Belt across central Italy and in the south. Until this week it has gone out of its way to humiliate the PD, linking it tirelessly to corruption and cronyism and accusing it of being out of touch with the working class.
And for months, PD leaders have said they would never enter a coalition government with the M5S.
Vincenzo Amendola, left, shakes hands with Italian President Sergio Mattarella as he is sworn in as Italy's European affairs minister during a ceremony in Rome, Sept. 5, 2019.
A coalition between the two risks being another oddball alliance paralyzed by internal disputes, warn analysts. While the PD is pro-European Union, M5S is skeptical and at one time wanted to ditch the Euro currency, although it has now agreed with the PD to tone down its criticism of the EU. The new EU affairs minister, Vincenzo Amendola, a PD member, said, "the parties in this government will do their utmost not to quarrel with Brussels, not to have pointless fights or rows."
The new government — it still has to win confirming votes next in the Italian parliament — will only have a slender majority in Italy's upper house, the Senate, and that could cause major problems for the new coalition, say analysts, especially when it comes to sensitive legislation.
Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Luigi Di Maio attends the new cabinet's first meeting at Chigi Palace in Rome, Sept. 5, 2019.
But the idea of a watching and waiting Salvini, who is ready to pounce, has lost some of his sheen. His triggering the crisis that led to his exclusion from the corridors of power was a strategic misstep for the normally sure-footed tactician, who throughout the 14-month-long coalition he served in as deputy prime minister was credited with catching his partner and rival Luigi Di Maio of the M5S, off guard, artfully using social media to do so.
Ambition and ebullience got the better of him, say commentators. And his rising poll numbers may have gone to his head: his far-right League party in Italy was nearing 39 percent in the opinion polls when he announced his party could no longer serve in government with the M5S. The Lega has dropped six percent in the past few days.
He now will be forced into "waiting for a mistake by the new majority," said Massimiliano Panarari, a politics professor at Luiss University in Rome. Italian publisher and commentator Alberto Castelvecchi, says he said an election has just been delayed. "The question is not if we go to elections, but when and how," he said.
The biggest surprise is that he was out-maneuvered by Giuseppe Conte, a relatively unknown lawyer who was plucked from obscurity to head the Lega-M5S government.
Outside of government another danger looms for Salvini. Milanese prosecutors probing allegations that the Lega party solicited covert Russian funding are likely to redouble their investigative efforts. Salvini shrugged off the accusations when they surfaced earlier this year, stepping up the tempo and fervor of his anti-migrant broadsides in rallies and on his social media sites, linking migration to crime and to joblessness and warning of threats to Italy's traditional Christian culture.
Other legal challenges could wound the Lega leader.
On Thursday Salvini was placed under investigation by prosecutors in Rome on suspicion of defaming Carola Rackete, the German captain of the NGO rescue ship Sea-Watch 3, who broke a naval blockade imposed by Salvini to land rescued migrants at Lampedusa. The inquiry follows a complaint filed by Rackete in July in which the ship's captain claimed Salvini defamed her and sought to stoke hatred against her.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZC5AQR Kansas' Pompeo Could Swing Senate Race, but Will He Run?
Many attending U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's college lecture Friday in his home state of Kansas listened for clues about whether he might run for the Senate next year, though it could be many months before anyone finds out.
Three Democrats and four Republicans are already actively running for the seat held by Republican Senator Pat Roberts, who isn't seeking a fifth term, and several others are expected to join them. Weeks after Pompeo said a run is ``off the table,'' though, he is still creating a buzz and looming over the race, as only he has enough name recognition and support among Kansas conservatives to afford to wait until next June's filing deadline to decide.
If he does run, Pompeo would enter the race as the favorite.
``It's the Pompeo decision, and then everything else trickles down,'' said Joe Kildea, a vice president for the conservative interest group Club for Growth.
Other candidates don't have the luxury of waiting and the field is likely to grow, with GOP Representative Roger Marshall of western Kansas expected to announce his candidacy Saturday at the state fair.
FILE - Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, right , Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, speaks Nov. 5, 2015, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Pompeo wasn't expected to directly address the speculation about his interest in running during his speech Friday at Kansas State University, but that hasn't stopped others from suggesting he's the person for the job. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell identified Pompeo as his preferred candidate shortly after Roberts announced in January that he wasn't seeking re-election.
The GOP hasn't lost a Senate race in Kansas since 1932, but many Republicans worry about a repeat of the governor's race last year. Kris Kobach, a nationally known advocate of tough immigration policies, narrowly won a crowded primary, alienated moderates and lost to Democrat Laura Kelly. He launched his Senate campaign in July.
For Kobach's GOP detractors, Pompeo would solve their perceived problems. His entry would likely clear most of the Republican field, and GOP leaders believe Pompeo would have no trouble winning in November 2020, making it easier for Republicans to retain their Senate majority.
And WDAF-TV reported that Kansas' other senator, Republican Jerry Moran, told reporters Wednesday at a Kansas City-area event that he didn't know Pompeo's current thinking ``but I wouldn't be surprised if he entered that race.''
Fellow Republicans concede that Pompeo, a former congressman and CIA director, has reasons not to run, including the prestige that comes with being the nation's top diplomat. He's currently dealing with weighty issues such as new sanctions on Iran from the Trump administration, a tariff war with China and questions about whether hopes for nuclear talks with North Korea are fading.
``I think he can't say that he's wanting to run for Senate now,'' said Tim Shallenburger, a former two-term state treasurer and Kansas Republican Party chairman. ``He's got to wait, and I think he can afford to wait.''
FILE - Then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is pictured in Lenexa, Kan., June 8, 2017.
Kobach, who served as Kansas' secretary of state but first built his national profile on immigration issues, has argued that as a Senate nominee, he'd benefit from the higher turnout that normally comes with a presidential election year and a greater focus on issues such as immigration. Some local Republican leaders agree and feel less anxious about Kobach's possible nomination victory.
Other GOP candidates include Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle; Dave Lindstrom, a Kansas City-area businessman and former Kansas City Chiefs player; and Bryan Pruitt, a conservative gay commentator. Also, Marshall has been flirting with running for months, and other potential Republican candidates include Alan Cobb, president and CEO of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, and Matt Schlapp, the American Conservative Union's president.
The Democratic candidates with active campaigns are former federal prosecutor Barry Grissom, former Representative Nancy Boyda, and Usha Reddi, a city commissioner in the northeast Kansas city of Manhattan.
Don Alexander, a manufacturing firm owner who is the GOP chairman in Neosho County in southeastern Kansas, said it's early to be trying to size up the race, almost 11 months before the August 2020 primary. He said he and other Republicans trust Pompeo to ``know where he's needed most.''
President's support seen
``I'm sure the president doesn't want him to leave,'' said Helen Van Etten, a Republican National Committee member from Topeka.
But Van Etten said comments from Pompeo that he'll stay on as secretary of state as long as Trump will have him leave an ``open door'' for a Senate bid.
Some Republicans, such as Alexander, take Pompeo at his word that he won't run. Others, including Shallenburger, read Pompeo's statements as meaning he isn't interested right now but that he may reconsider if he doesn't like how the race develops.
``He can announce on the filing deadline and cause most of the people in there to get out,'' Shallenburger said.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2UzouC5 Carlisle Citadel
Dormskirk: new article on historic building in Carlisle
[[File:The Citadel, Carlisle - geograph.org.uk - 1537908.jpg|thumb]] '''The Citadel''' is a former medieval fortress in [[Carlisle]], [[Cumbria]]. It comprises two towers, both of which are Grade I [[listed buildings]]: the Nisi Prius Courthouse<ref></ref> and the former Crown Court.<ref></ref>
==History== The original citadel, which was commissioned by [[Henry VIII|King Henry VIII]] and designed by Stephen von Haschenperg as a medieval fortress was completed in 1541.<ref name=bex></ref> The whole complex became a prison in 1611.<ref name=bex/> The Eastern Tower was modified to designs by [[Thomas Telford]] and [[Sir Robert Smirke]] and converted for use as a Nisi Prius Court (i.e. civil courts) in 1812.<ref name=bex/> The Western Tower was completely rebuilt to designs by [[Thomas Telford]] and [[Sir Robert Smirke]] and converted for use as the Crown Court in 1822.<ref name=bex/>
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZKetrP Video: Unoccupied classic muscle car ghost rides across highway and wrecks This self-driving car needs a little work. September 06, 2019 at 11:11PM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZDMHfC Country singer Kylie Rae Harris fought back tears in emotional video hours before death Hours before country singer Kylie Rae Harris died after being involved in a car crash in New Mexico on Wednesday night, the 30-year-old posted an eerie video reminiscing about the very roads that she would later die on. September 06, 2019 at 10:17PM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2Q0jA2e Into US Open SF, Nadal tries to close gap with Federer Rafael Nadal has been gaining on Roger Federer in the Grand Slam title standings and has a chance to add to his total at the U.S. Open. September 06, 2019 at 06:47PM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZTtsL8 Perfect storm: Media pound Trump over 'Sharpie-gate' hurricane map There is something seemingly ludicrous in the media obsessing on a squiggle drawn on a map with a black Sharpie, especially with millions in the path of a destructive hurricane. September 06, 2019 at 05:00PM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/34myQdb Safety deficiencies suspected in California boat fire after preliminary investigation: report A preliminary investigation into a Southern California dive boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Barbara is raising concerns over safety flaws on the vessel, according to a report Thursday. September 06, 2019 at 04:14PM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZC8hll Jemele Hill's call for black athletes to leave 'white' colleges draws charges of 'pro-segregation' and racism Former ESPN host turned Atlantic staff writer Jemele Hill wrote a controversial first piece for the October issue in which she says black athletes should leave white colleges. September 06, 2019 at 01:07PM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZLId6K Families: 'We Didn't Get Justice Today' in California 'Ghost Ship' Fire
A jury Thursday didn't convict two men charged after flames tore through a party at a San Francisco Bay Area warehouse that had been converted into a mazelike artist space, stunning families of the 36 victims who had opposed a deal that would have put the pair behind bars.
Jurors acquitted Max Harris of involuntary manslaughter but said they could not agree on whether to convict or acquit Derick Almena after deliberating over a two-week period.
As the judge declared a mistrial, sobs and gasps erupted from family and friends of the victims who packed the courtroom for the emotional three-month trial. The men were accused of filling the building in Oakland with so much clutter that it trapped people at an electronic music party nearly three years ago.
The Ghost Ship Warehouse after a fire that swept through the Oakland, Calif., building in this Dec. 3, 2016 photo..
Mazelike building
"I'm in shock," said David Gregory, whose 20-year-old daughter Michela perished in the fast-moving fire. "We were hoping for justice, but we didn't get justice today."
Michela Gregory and her 22-year-old boyfriend, Alex Vega, died when fire roared through the so-called Ghost Ship warehouse, which had been illegally converted into a live-work space for artists and held events.
The building was packed with furniture, extension cords and other flammable material but had only two exits and no smoke detectors, fire alarms or sprinklers, prosecutors say.
The blaze killed many young people trapped on the illegally constructed second floor. Prosecutors said the victims received no warning and had little chance to escape down a narrow, ramshackle staircase.
Plea deal rejected
Almena, 49, and Harris, 29, had pleaded no contest to manslaughter and were set to be sentenced last year to nine and six years in prison, respectively. But a judge threw out their pleas last year after many of the victims' families objected.
Vega's mother, Mary, was angry about Thursday's outcome but didn't regret the plea agreement being tossed. She said she was glad that Harris served more than two years behind bars awaiting trial.
"It's something. Doesn't matter, it's not going to bring my son back," Mary Vega said.
Mary and Alberto Vega, relatives of Ghost Ship victim Alex Vega, embrace after a jury did not convict master tenant Derick Almena and acquitted Max Harris of involuntary manslaughter that killed 36 people in 2016, in Oakland, Calif., Sept. 5, 2019.
Emotional toll
Prosecutors acknowledged the emotional toll of the trial on the victims' loved ones and said they would meet with families and others to evaluate their next steps in the case against Almena. He remains in custody and is to be in court again Oct. 4.
One of Almena's attorneys, Brian Getz, broke into tears, while another, Tony Serra, said he was pained and anguished but vowed to win the case.
"In the next trial, we'll do better," Serra said. "It may be hung again, or he may be acquitted, but we're not going to lose."
Almena, 49, was the master tenant of the warehouse and Harris, 29, acted like a manager by collecting rent and settling household disputes, prosecutors said.
In closing arguments, Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Autrey James said the men didn't obtain permits because they didn't want inspections and they violated the fire code by refusing to install safety devices.
The defendants argued that city workers were to blame for not raising concerns about fire hazards and said the fire was arson. Investigators have never found its cause, meaning arson cannot be ruled out.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZO4fBO California's Tenaja Fire forces 1,200 to evacuate homes as schools close A fast-growing wildfire has ravaged more than 2,000 acres in Southern California in a little more than 24 hours, forcing approximately 1,200 people out of their homes. September 06, 2019 at 11:40AM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2NTNe6W Owner of Dive Boat Where 34 Died Seeks to Head Off Lawsuits
The owners of the dive boat where 34 people perished in a fire off Southern California filed a lawsuit Thursday to head off potentially costly litigation, a move condemned by some observers as disrespectful to the families of the dead.
Truth Aquatics Inc., which owned the Conception, filed the action in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles under a pre-Civil War provision of maritime law that allows it to limit its liability.
Investigators are still searching for what caused the blaze that wrecked the boat, which remains upside down at the bottom of the sea near the Channel Islands.
The time-tested legal maneuver has been successfully employed by owners of the Titanic and countless other crafts — some as small as personal watercraft — and was widely anticipated by maritime law experts. Still, the fact it was filed just three days after the deadly inferno Monday surprised legal observers.
Limited time to act
Families of the deceased, who are not named in the complaint, will be served with notice that they have a limited time to challenge the company's effort to clear itself of negligence or limit its liability to the value of the remains of the boat, which is a total loss.
``They're forcing these people to bring their claims and bring them now,'' said attorney Charles Naylor, who represents victims in maritime law cases. ``They have six months to do this. They could let these people bury their kids. This is shocking.''
Professor Martin J. Davies, the maritime law director at Tulane University, said the cases always follow accidents at sea and always look bad, but they are usually initiated by insurance companies to limit losses.
``It seems like a pretty heartless thing to do, but that's what always happens. They're just protecting their position,'' Davies said. ``It produces very unpleasant results in dramatic cases like this one. ... The optics are awful.''
The U.S. law dates to 1851, but it has its origins in 18th-century England, Davies said. It was designed to encourage the shipping business. Every country with a shipping industry has something similar on its books.
In order to prevail, the company and owners Glen and Dana Fritzler must show they were not at fault in the disaster.
They asserted in the lawsuit that they ``used reasonable care to make the Conception seaworthy, and she was, at all relevant times, tight, staunch and strong, fully and properly manned, equipped and supplied and in all respects seaworthy and fit for the service in which she was engaged.''
A candle in memory of lives lost on the dive boat Conception sits at a makeshift memorial near boat owner Truth Aquatics, in Santa Barbara, Calif., Sept. 3, 2019.
Even if the captain or crew are found at fault, the Fritzlers and their insurance company could avoid paying a dime under the law, experts said.
All of those who died were in a bunkroom below the main deck. Officials have said the 33 passengers and one crew member had no ability to escape the flames.
Crew members told investigators they made several attempts to rescue the people who were trapped before abandoning ship, the National Transportation Safety Board said. None of the survivors has spoken publicly.
The court filing not only seeks to protect the boat owners from legal exposure but also will require any lawsuits to be filed in the same federal court.
A judge will hold a non-jury trial to see whether the company can successfully show it wasn't at fault. If that's the case, any claimants would be entitled only to the value of the remains of the ship, which the suit said is a total loss with zero value.
Legal measure's history
There's a long history of ship owners successfully asserting this protection. The case involving the White Star Line, the owners of the Titanic, went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which held that a foreign owner could assert protection of the Limitation Act, attorney James Mercante said.
In that case, plaintiffs eventually withdrew their lawsuits and filed them in England, where the company was based. British law, even though it also limited damages, provided a bigger payout than the value of the remaining lifeboats.
While the law can shield owners from damages, over 90% of cases where injury and death are involved are settled before trial, Mercante said.
Attorney A. Barry Cappello, who is in discussions with another firm to represent family members of the Conception victims in court, said there's a strong case to show negligence in the boat fire and that good lawyers can find a way around the admiralty law in federal court.
``The law is so antiquated and so skewed in favor of the ship owners that damages for wrongful-death-type cases is very limited unless one can prove exceptions,'' Cappello said.
Cappello recently prevailed in a case in which a company that rented a paddleboard to a man who drowned in Santa Barbara Harbor had asserted the liability protection. A judge ruled the admiralty law didn't extend to such crafts, though the company has appealed.
Davies said from what he's heard of the disaster, there's a realistic prospect the owner might prevail if the boat was properly equipped and the cause of the fire remains mysterious.
If the owner loses, there's the potential of unlimited liability.
``That's why the fight is always about limitation, because if you've got unlimited liability, well ... 30 dead people is a whole lot of money,'' Davies said.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/34u21e7 Poll: Most Americans See Weather Disasters Worsening
Nearly three-quarters of Americans see weather disasters, like Hurricane Dorian, worsening and most of them blame global warming to some extent, a new poll finds.
And scientists say they're right.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey shows 72% of Americans think catastrophic weather is more severe, while 4% see it as less nasty. About one-quarter say those disasters are about as extreme as they always were.
Half of those who think weather disasters are worsening say it's mainly because of man-made climate change, with another 37% who think natural randomness and global warming are equally to blame.
The poll was conducted in mid-August before Dorian formed, pummeled the Bahamas and put much of the U.S. East Coast on edge.
"We continue to loot our environment and it causes adverse weather," said John Mohr, 57, a self-described moderate Republican in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he was bracing for Dorian's arrival.
On Tybee Island, Georgia, Tony and Debbie Pagan said they rarely worried about hurricanes after buying their home nearly 50 years ago.
Hurricane David in 1979 and Floyd in 1999 threatened them but did little damage. The last four years haven't been so kind.
FILE - Destruction lies in the wake of Hurricane Irma in St. Martin, Sept. 6, 2017.
One miss, but two hits
Hurricane Matthew raked the island in 2016 and pushed several inches of floodwater into the Pagans' low-lying house. Hurricane Irma the following year sent 2 feet of water surging into the home. And this year Hurricane Dorian threatened, but didn't hit.
"This is climate change, though President Trump denies that it is," Tony Pagan, 69, a retired electrician, said as he and his wife finished packing to leave Wednesday. "He needs to open his eyes."
Majorities of adults across demographic groups think weather disasters are getting more severe, according to the poll. College-educated Americans are slightly more likely than those without a degree to say so, 79% versus 69%.
But there are wide differences in assessments by partisanship. Nine in 10 Democrats think weather disasters are more extreme, compared with about half of Republicans.
Americans this summer also are slightly more likely to say disasters are more severe when compared with a similarly worded question asked after hurricanes in 2013 and 2017.
"People are catching up with the science! Extreme events are always partly due to natural variability, but we do think many are increasing in frequency because of climate change," Cornell University climate scientist Natalie Mahowald said in an email.
FILE - Indian residents queue with plastic containers to get drinking water from a tanker in the outskirts of Chennai, May 29, 2019. An unrelenting heat wave triggered warnings of water shortages and heatstroke in India on June 1.
Heat, rain
It's more than hurricanes. A recent U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report found that heat waves are happening more often, are nastier and last longer, while heavy downpours are increasing globally, said NASA and Columbia University climate scientist Cynthia Rosenzweig.
Chris Dennis, 50, a registered nurse and self-described liberal Democrat in Greenville, South Carolina, said he is seeing more intense and more frequent weather disasters than in the past.
"Years ago, we didn't hear of these kinds of storms, at least that frequently," Dennis said, taking a break from watching the CNN forum on climate change for Democratic presidential candidates. He said he kept noticing the damning statistics on carbon dioxide put in the air, saying the "numbers are cranking up like the national debt clock ... that's pretty significant, what we're doing to our environment."
Scientific studies indicate a warming world has slightly stronger hurricanes, but they don't show an increase in the number of storms hitting land, Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said. He said the real climate change effect causing more damage is storm surge from rising seas, wetter storms dumping more rain and more people living in vulnerable areas.
Skeptic
Not everyone sees climate change making weather worse.
Though she's weary of dealing with storms three of the past four years, Sandy Cason of Tybee Island said she's not ready to blame climate change. She noted Georgia got hit by several powerful hurricanes in the 1800s.
"If you go back and read, it's a cyclical thing. It really is," Cason said. "If you read enough about the old storms, I don't think you can" attribute the most recent storms to climate change.
The AP-NORC poll of 1,058 adults was conducted Aug. 15-18 using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. Respondents were first selected randomly using address-based sampling methods and later were interviewed online or by phone.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/32BiQCu Ex-NFL player one of 12 accused in 61 robberies that netted $1M in electronics, authorities say An NFL cornerback who was waived by the Indianapolis Colts last week has been charged along with 11 other people in connection with 61 robberies of UPS drivers across Northern California. September 06, 2019 at 09:29AM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2ZToCxk Russian, Italian charged with conspiring to steal trade secrets from US aviation company A Russian national and an Italian national were charged earlier this month with conspiring and attempting to steal trade secrets from American company GE Aviation, the Justice Department announced Thursday. September 06, 2019 at 09:09AM
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2NYv6ZH 8chan Owner Pledges Changes in House Testimony About Links to Mass Shootings
8chan, the online message board linked to several recent mass shootings, plans to restrict parts of the website during a "state of emergency," site owner Jim Watkins told a U.S. House panel in a written statement.
Watkins completed his closed-door deposition Thursday, said Representative Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, and Ranking Republican Mike Rogers of Alabama. The panel last month subpoenaed the American living in the Philippines to answer its questions about whether the website "amplifies extremist views, leading to the radicalization of its users."
Watkins "provided vast and helpful information to the committee about the structure, operation and policies of 8Chan and his other companies. We look forward to his continued cooperation with the committee as he indicated his desire to do so during today's deposition," they said in a joint statement.
"If 8chan comes back online, it will be done when 8chan develops additional tools to counter illegal content under United States law," Watkins said in the statement released by his lawyer.
"If 8chan returns, staff would implement a way to restrict certain parts of the website during a state of emergency, in which case any board in question would be put in a read-only mode until it would be deemed safe enough to enable posting again," it said.
8chan owner Jim Watkins (YouTube).
Critics last month pressed tech companies to shun 8chan, which in its Twitter profile describes its location as "The Darkest Reaches of the Internet" and has become a hotbed for white extremist content.
Thompson and Rogers said last month that the shooting deaths of 22 people at an El Paso Walmart store was "at least the third act of supremacist violence linked to your website this year."
The El Paso gunman allegedly posted a four-page statement on 8chan before his attack, while the site was also apparently used this year by the shooters who attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and a synagogue in Poway, California, lawmakers told Watkins in a letter last month.
Benjamin Barr, a lawyer for Watkins, said in a statement to the committee, that "8chan has never tolerated illegal speech and has a consistent track record of working with law enforcement agencies when appropriate."
Watkins said 8chan "has worked responsibly with law enforcement agencies when unprotected speech is discovered on its platform. No single platform can sensibly prevent all hateful, illegal or threatening speech — it can only act in due time to remove it."
The company did remove some posts soon after mass shootings in Texas, California and New Zealand, he said.
But Watkins added, "my company has no intention of deleting constitutionally protected hate speech. I feel the remedy for this type of speech is counter speech, and I'm certain that this is the view of the American justice system."
The message board has been voluntarily down since late August.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2LoTDoI Sudan Forms First Cabinet Since Fall of Bashir
Sudan's prime minister announced on Thursday the formation of the first government since the overthrow of long-term ruler Omar Hassan al-Bashir in April.
The government was formed as part of a three-year power-sharing deal signed last month between the military and civilian parties and protest groups.
Abdalla Hamdok announced the names of 18 ministers in the new cabinet and said he would name two more later.
"[The new government] will start its work immediately in a harmonious and collective way," Hamdok told a press conference in Khartoum on Thursday evening. "Today, we start a new phase in our history."
The new government is an important step in transition away from nearly 30 years under Bashir, when Sudan was afflicted by internal conflicts, international isolation and deep economic problems.
Military-civilian friction
However, the months since Bashir's fall have been marked by tension between the powerful security forces and civilian groups that are pushing for democracy, reform and justice for those killed during crackdowns on protests.
The announcement of the cabinet had been held up by haggling over positions. Most of the 18 ministers announced on Thursday were approved earlier in the week. They include Asmaa Abdallah, who becomes the country's first female foreign minister, and Ibrahim Elbadawi, a former World Bank economist who will serve as finance minister.
Madani Abbas Madani, a leader of the civilian coalition that negotiated the transition deal with the military, will be minister of industry and trade.
General Jamal Omar, a member of the Transitional Military Council that took over from Bashir, was appointed defense minister.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/318fpmt Farms Destroyed As Ghana Tries to Raise Cocoa Incomes
Ghana, famous for its cocoa, supplies about 20 percent of the world's market. This year, the government announced plans to raise cocoa incomes, but cocoa bean farms are being destroyed, with or without the farmers' consent, as landlords end their leases early in favor of other crops, development or mining.
Farmer Ama Serwah supported her children and grandchildren by growing cocoa and other crops on leased land. This month, a bulldozer cleared the land, as well as the livelihood of Serwah's family. Farmers believe the land was cleared to make way for a cattle farm.
Cocoa farmer David Servor looks at the land that once held his cocoa farm, which was recently destroyed, in Asikesu, Ghana. (S. Knott/VOA)
In Asikesu, a cocoa-growing region of Ghana, hectares of cocoa trees like Serwah's have been destroyed. Farmers like Serwah have toiled for years growing their crops, on land they do not own or have much control over.
Serwah says the compensation she received was not enough and now she does not know how she will feed her family.
Another farmer, David Servor, also surveys land he once farmed, using the profits to help pay his children's school fees. Now, he has been told to leave his home.
"About two weeks now I have not had sleep," he said. "Thinking, thinking, thinking, because all what I have done in my lifetime has gone forever. And it's like I'm alive but I'm dead."
Ghana's cocoa industry is regulated by a government body that sets the price the growers earn from their beans.
Asikesu is a cocoa-growing region in Ghana, but farmers who do not own the land they farm are losing their land to other developments. (S. Knott/VOA)
Earlier this year, Ghana added a $400 "living income differential" fee per ton of cocoa beans sold on the market, with the aim of improving livelihoods for farmers.
The president of the Concerned Farmers Association, Nana Oboadie Opambour Boateng Bonsu, says ensuring a sustainable future for Ghana's cocoa farmers means protecting the crop on which they rely.
"This is a serious challenge and it's something that we have been fighting for for so long, but it seems the government has put wax in its ears because government is not all that serious about this cocoa issue," Bonsu said.
Farmers losing their land is a major problem, Ghana's cocoa regulator says, and often the ownership structure of land is the issue, where farmers lease land from chiefs who later take it back when enticed by other developments.
While the regulatory agency works with chiefs to combat the practice, it does not have the right to tell landowners what to do with their property. However, officials say it offers legal representation to farmers to address compensation rates.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2LnEAfa Yuko Miyazaki
Montgomery28:
'''Yuko Miyazaki''' is a lawyer and Justice of the [[Supreme Court of Japan]].
She was born on July 9, 1951.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> Miyazaki earned her legal education respectively from the [[University of Tokyo]] (Faculty of Law; 1976) and [[Harvard Law School]] (1984). In 1979, after having worked as a legal apprentice, Miyazaki registered with the Daiichi Tokyo Bar Association and began practicing as a taxation attorney.<ref name=":0"></ref> In 1979, she was hired as a permanent attorney at the law firm Nagashima & Ohno.<ref></ref><ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> She became legal counsel for the [[World Bank]] in 1984. Miyazaki also taught as a visiting professor at [[University of Tokyo|Tokyo University]] and [[Kyoto University]].<ref name=":0" /> In January 2018, she became the sixth female appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name=":1">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> Miyazaki is noted as foregoing tradition and becoming the first justice to issue rulings under her maiden name.<ref name=":1" />
== See also ==
* [[List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Japan]] * [[Supreme Court of Japan]]
== References == [[Category:Supreme Court of Japan justices]] [[Category:University of Tokyo alumni]] [[Category:Harvard Law School alumni]] [[Category:University of Tokyo faculty]] [[Category:Kyoto University faculty]] [[Category:1951 births]]
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2Uycxg2 Flood-Ravaged Nigerian Communities Unprepared for More Rains
Nigeria will experience torrential downpours and massive flooding this month, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency warns.
Nigeria is approaching the peak of its rainy season, and flooding is expected to hit 15 out of its 36 states this month. The agency has issued a red alert because of above-normal water levels on the country's two largest rivers, the Benue and the Niger.
In August, many communities along the rivers were cut off due to collapsed bridges and impassable roads. Four students were killed when a pedestrian bridge fell at a university in the northern region.
FILE - Houses partially submerged in flood waters are pictured in Lokoja city, Kogi State, Nigeria, Sept. 17, 2018.
With thousands of houses and hectares of farmland and produce destroyed along with schools and shops, the economic impact of this year'sflooding is expected to be high. The country's emergency management agency is stepping in to distribute items like cement bags, blankets and hygiene products.
Peter Odjugo, a professor of geography at Nigeria's University of Benin, works with the Nigerian Meteorological Society. He has been tracking the extreme weather patterns and says the government has repeatedly failed to take preemptive measures to reduce the impact of flooding.
"What they prefer doing or what they are doing now is services after the impact, rather than preventing it from occurring," he said.
Odjugo suggests that the silt be removed from the rivers to increase the volume of water they can hold. He also recommends that town planners enforce regulation on where buildings are constructed, saying this is a glaring weak spot across the country.
City regulators look out for buildings being constructed near waterways. Such buildings are often marked with an X, designating an order to stop construction work.
Stella Ojeme, the director for information in the Federal Capital Territory Administration, says that even in the nation's capital ofAbuja, enforcing building codes is a challenge.
"Most of our people will go, buy white paint, paint off the stop work mark," she said. "First of all, you find people [building] where they shouldn't build. You find people build on flood plains. You find some people dump their refuse in the gutter."
Odjugo says climate change is making a real impact in Nigeria, but the government has not made the issue a priority.
Additional challenges
Additionally, the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency says its weather data collection equipment is being vandalized and stolen.
Clement Eze, the agency's director general, spoke at a workshop last month, asking the public to help stop the illegal activity, as it is hindering the agency's ability to forecast extreme weather.
"We can no longer take readings, maybe accumulated or about a week or two," he said. "Or if there are no resources, it can even take more than six months before we can go back and replenish or repair and this equipment is imported from outside Nigeria."
During Nigeria's worst flooding in 2012, the Niger River reached a record high level of 12.84 meters. Two million Nigerians were forced from their homes and 363 people were killed, according to the National Emergency Management Agency.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2HJ88Sj Pope Stresses Hope, Peace, Reconciliation in Divided Mozambique
Hope, peace, and reconciliation were the three main pillars of Pope Francis's message to lawmakers and youth Thursday during his first papal visit to Mozambique.
Thousands of young Catholics packed a Maputo stadium to hear that message in a nation that, for decades, has struggled with conflict.
The pontiff was greeted Wednesday night by President Filipe Nyusi, who is running for re-election in October in a contentious poll in which rival parties have already begun to sling mud at each other.
Pope Francis waves to wellwishers as he leaves after a meeting at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the capital Maputo, Mozambique Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019.
But on Thursday, the Pope did not pander to Mozambique's leadership when pointing out their higher responsibility to honor a recent peace deal. Both sides in the peace talks have recently accused the other of violating the fragile deal, signed in August.
"As we know, peace is not merely absence of war but a tireless commitment — especially on the part of those of us charged with greater responsibility — to recognize, protect and concretely restore the dignity, so often overlooked or ignored, of our brothers and sisters, so that they can see themselves as the principal protagonists of the destiny of their nation," Francis said.
Papal visits always come with plenty of pomp. The pope was greeted throughout with dancing, music, red carpets, bands and even some plentifully plumed peacocks at the presidential palace.But those who came to hear him say they took deep meaning from his words. Thirty-four-year-old civil society campaigner Brenda Campos says she took to heart his entreaties for Mozambicans to look beyond their differences.
Nuns take photos as Pope Francis presides over a meeting at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, in Maputo, Mozambique, Sept. 5, 2019.
"His key message is that diversity is important, that you need to be united, even though we have diversity in our country," she told VOA. "It doesn't matter. We have to have unity if we want to reconcile, if we want peace, if we want to view the better Mozambique."
The pope will leave for Madagascar on Friday, and from there, to Mauritius. But Mozambicans say his message will linger here for a long time.
Maputo resident and seminary student DeClerk Nazare, 24, says the pontiff gave him a lot of material on which to reflect, spiritually and academically. But, he said, on this colorful, triumphant day, it all came down to one thing.
"Everyone is happy with the visit of the Holy Father in Mozambique," he said.
【Move to another page】 Quote https://ift.tt/2NMe7cS Gerdrup
Ramblersen2: ←Created page with ''''Gerdrup''' is a manor house and estate in Slagelse Municipality, Denmark. ==History== In the 12th century, Gerdrup belonged to the now extinct Hvide...'
'''Gerdrup''' is a manor house and estate in [[Slagelse Municipality]], [[Denmark]].
==History== In the 12th century, Gerdrup belonged to the now extinct Hvide family. In 1417, Jep Jensen (Godov) and his wife Elnæ Pallesdatter ceded it to Anders Jacobsen Lunge, who was one of the largest landowners of his time. After Anders Jacobsen Lunge's death in 1429, the ownership of Gerdrup is once again unclear. In 1475 , Gerdtrup was the subject of a legal dispute between Jørgen Rud, [[lensman]] of Saltø, and Jensen Sosadel Dyre. [[Christian I of Denmark|Christian I]] ended up ruling in favoyr of Dyre, who had claimed that Gerdrup had been Win the custody of him and his parents in 16 and 40 years". His daughter, Anne Dyre, would later marry the squire Claus Hansen (Stampe). Their son, Søren Clausen Stampe, was the owner of Gerdrup in 1529.<ref name=DH></ref>
During the [[Count's Feud]], in 1535, Gerdrup is in a [[cover letter]] listed as belonging to Knud Rud, but Søren Stampe is later once again mentioned as the owner of the estate. After Stampe's death, Gerdrup passed to his son-in-law Peder Markvardsen Hundermark, who served in the [[Kalmar War]] (1611-13) under his uncle, [[Herluf Trolle]], A great-grandson, Erik Hundermark, was the last male member of the Hundermark family. After his death, Gerdrup passed to his sisters, Eline and Anne Hundermark. Anne Hundermark married Frands Kaas. Ellen Hundermark married [[John Cunningham (explorer)|John Cunningham]], a Scotsman who had served as captain of [[HDMS Rrost]] on an expedition to [[Greenland]] and was lensman of [[Vardøhus]] in [[Norway]]. Another Scotsman, David Welwood, was is buried at Eggeslevmagle Vhurch, was also associated Gerdrup in this period.<ref name=DH/>
I 1654, Hans Welwood and Lorens Cunningham sold the estate to Peder Vibe. Two years later they had to enter into a [[Settlement (litigation)|settlement]9 with Claus Kaas, the heir of Frands Kaas, which required them to pay him 2,000 [[Danish rifsdaler]] for him to recognixe the deed of 1654.
Vibe was ennobled in 1634. His widow, Anne Cathrine Budde, married Joachim Frederik Vind in 1662. He died right after the marrige and Gerdrup was then transferred to the widow of his brother vice chancellor Holger Vinds, Margrethe Gjedde. In 1693, she ceded it to her son-in-law, Diderich Grubbe. Grubbe and his wife expanded the estate through the acquisision of more land. Gerdrup was after their death sold in auction. It was acquired by their son, Holger Grubbe, a lieutenant. The following year he ceded it to his sister, Diderikke Elisabeth Grubbe. Another sister, Christiane Elisabeth Grubbe, seems also to have owned a share in the estate in around 1731.
In 1731, Christiane Harboe (née Fuiren). She died in 1735 and Gerdrup was the following year sold in auction. The new owners were bailiff in Copenhagen Oluf Bruun samt [[amtmann|prefect]] Jørgen Willumsen. Bruun became the sole owner of the estate in 1739. In 1750, he sold it to chancery councilor Simon Borthuus. He once again expanded the estate with more land. He was succeeded on the estate by his brother, auditor-general Otto Borthuus. He sold it to major Caspar Frederik Bülow.<ref name=DH/>
In 1760, Gerdrup was acquired by Morten Iversen Qvistgaard. He was also the owner of nearby Lyngbygård. In 1786, he became a member of the Great Land Commission. He was an enthusiastic defender of the great agricultural reforms of the time and implemented them on his estate. After his death, Gerdrup and Lyngbygård were both passed to his youngest son, Peter Christoffer Quistgaard. His widow, Henriette Elisabeth Schow, kept the estate after her husband's death. In 1814, she married [[Peter Johansen de Neergaard]] bit somewhat unusually for the time kept Gerdrup as her personal agreement. In 1831, she ceded the estate to her son, Morten Christen Qvistgaard while Lyngbygård and the so-called Gimlinge kirkegods went to two other sons. Morten Qvistgaard commissioned the architect [[G. F. Hetsch]] to design a new main building. Hetsch created two design proposals but Qvistgaard died before either of them was realized. His son, Victor Emilius Qvistgaard, who inherited the estate when he was just four years old, constructed a new main building from another design by Rudolf Unmack in 1864-66. In 1870, he ceded Gerdrup to his son. Viggo Johan Qvistgaard. His heirs sold the estate to Holger Fabricius. He had already inherited Lyngbygaard efter his mother, Tofa Alvilda Fabricius (née Qvistgaard).. Fabricius' widow, Kirstine Feiring, ceded Gerdrup to her son Peter Frederik Fabricius in 1953. Peter Nicolai Fabricius Melchior inherited the estate in 1987.,<ref name=DH/>
==Architecture== The current, two-storey main building from 1864-66 is a simple, red brick building. The roof is a black-glazed tile roof.
==List of owners== * ( -1417) Jep Jensen Godov * (1417-1429) Anders Jacobsen Lunge * (1429-1475) Ejere ukendt * ( -1475) Jørgen Rud * (1475-1495) Erik Jensen Dyre * (1495- ) Claus Hansen * ( -1535) Søren Clausen Stampe * (1535- ) Knud Rud * ( -1558) Søren Clausen Stampe * (1558-1571) Peder Markvardsen Hundermark * (1571-1593) Claus Hundermark * (1593-1611) Peder Hundermark * (1593-1611) Iver Hundermark * (1593-1617) Erik Hundermark * (1617- ) Frans Kaas * (1617-1625) Ellen Hundermark, gift Cunningham * (1625- ) John Cunningham * ( -1651) David Welwood * ( -1654) Lorents Cunningham * ( -1654) Hans Welwood * ( -1656) Claus Kaas * (1654-1658) Peder Vibe * (1658-1662) Anna Cathrine Budde, gift 1) Vibe, 2) Vind * ( -1662) Hans Ribolt * (1662-1687) Joachim Frederik Vind * (1687-1693) Margrethe Gjedde, gift Vind * (1693-1702) Diderich Grubbe * (1702-1727) Anne Elisabeth Vind, gift Grubbe * (1727-1728) Boet efter Anne Elisabeth Vind * (1728-1729) Holger Grubbe * (1729-1731) Diderikke E. Grubbe * ( -1731) Christiane E. Grubbe * (1731-1735) Christine Fuiren, gift Harboe * (1735-1737) Boet efter Christine Fuiren * (1737-1739) Jørgen Willumsen * (1739-1750) Oluf Bruun * (1750-1755) Simon Borthuus * (1755-1756) Otto Borthuus * (1756-1760) Casper Frederik Bülow * (1760-1798) Morten Iversen Qvistgaard * (1798-1807) Peter Christoffer Qvistgaard * (1807-1814) Anna Henriette Schow, gift 1) Qvistgaard, 2) de Neergaard * (1814-1831) Peter Johansen de Neergaard * (1831-1842) Morten Christen Qvistgaard * (1842-1893) Victor Emilius Qvistgaard * (1893-1919) Viggo Johan Qvistgaard * (1919-1930) Holger Fabricius * (1930-1953) Kirstine Feyring, gift Fabricius * (1953-1975) Peter Frederik Fabricius * (1975-1987) Peter Fabricius * * (1993- ) Peter Nicolai Fabricius Melchior
[[Category:Manor houses in Slagelse Municipality]]
