Sharp winds scuttle efforts to retrieve bodies
Pithoragarh: Indian Air Force helicopters on Wednesday undertook three sorties to retrieve bodies of five mountaineers lying near the Nanda Devi East Peak in Uttarakhand but high-speed sharp winds hampered their efforts.Considering the tough terrain, the operation of retrieving the bodies might extend beyond a week, Pithoragarh District Magistrate V K Jogdande said. He said three sorties were undertaken from Pithoragarh to retrieve the bodies but the helicopters could not hover over and get down at the spot where five bodies were found. Also Read – Dussehra with a ‘green’ twistHigh-speed sharp winds at the peak did not let the IAF helicopters with ITBP mountaineers on board get down, he said. “Besides the aerial operation, the administration will also try to reach the spot by the land route tomorrow to retrieve the bodies,” he said. We are being joined by 35 State Disaster Response Force men tonight who will be divided into two groups. One will be sent to the spot by land route while the other will try to reach the spot by air,” the DM said. Also Read – India receives its first Rafale fighter jet from France”Due to continuous snowfall in the region the bodies might be covered by snow which would further complicate the challenge for the rescue team,” he said. IAF helicopters had on Monday spotted the bodies of five of the eight mountaineers who went missing recently on way to the Nanda Devi East peak. The bodies had been sighted near an unscaled peak adjoining the Nanda Devi East peak during a search by IAF helicopters. The bodies were of mountaineers belonging to the eight-member team comprising climbers from the UK, US and Australia that went missing en route to the Nanda Devi East peak. Apparently, the mountaineers perished in an avalanche while ascending an unscaled peak near the Nanda Devi East peak after they failed to scale the latter, the DM had said. The bodies were sighted after an air search was conducted over the peak on the basis of clues provided by four climbers from the UK rescued during a sortie undertaken on Sunday. The missing mountaineers included seven from the UK, US and Australia besides one liaison officer from Delhi’s Indian Mountaineering Foundation. They had left Munsiyari on May 13 to scale the peak but did not return to the base camp on the appointed date of May 25. Led by well known British mountaineer Martin Moran, the team comprised John McLaren, Richard Payne, Rupert Havel (all from the UK), Ruth Macrain (Australia), Anthony Sudekum (US), Rachel Bimmel (US) and a liaison officer from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation Chetan Pandey. With PTI inputs
New Delhi: The national capital Monday recorded the lowest temperature for June this year at 33.3 degrees Celsius, as a cloud cover and gusty winds offered a much-needed respite from the sweltering heat.Light rainfall witnessed over the last two days ended a dry spell of around 20 days during which the mercury soared to as high as 48 degrees Celsius. Gusty winds and a cloudy sky kept the mercury in check. The city recorded a high of 33.3 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal and the lowest for June this year, and a minimum of 28 degrees Celsius, a MeT official said. Traces of rainfall were recorded at isolated places. Humidity levels oscillated between 50 and 54 per cent, it said. Similar weather conditions will prevail in the city for another three-four days. The mercury will hover between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius.
San Francisco: Apple has recalled a limited number of older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro units which contain a battery that may overheat and pose a safety risk. The units with Retina display were sold primarily between September 2015 and February 2017 and can be identified by their product serial number. Customers can get an affected 15-inch MacBook Pro battery replaced free of charge, Apple said in a statement on Thursday. The recall does not affect any other 15-inch MacBook Pro units or other Mac notebooks. Also Read – Spotify rolls out Siri support, new Apple TV app “Apple is asking customers to stop using affected 15-inch MacBook Pro units. Customers should visit apple.com/support/15-inch-macbook-pro-battery-recall for details on product eligibility and how to have a battery replaced, free of charge,” said the company. Apple issued a similar replacement programme last year for newer 13-inch Pros over issues related to battery expansion. According to Apple famed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the tech giant would release an “all-new” 16-inch MacBook Pro later this year. Battery issues are not uncommon and Samsung had to recall its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in 2017 owing to batteries catching fire.
Chandigarh: Top wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Yogeshwar Dutt on Wednesday slammed the Haryana government for “cut in prize money” due to them for winning international medals, an allegation denied by the state sports minister. The Haryana government was already facing flak for scrapping an award function which was to be held on Monday at Panchkula to give away cash prizes worth Rs 90 crore to about 3,000 sportspersons who have won medals in national and international competitions. Also Read – Djokovic heaps praise on ‘very complete’ MedvedevInstead of rewarding the sportspersons in public, the state government decided to transfer the cash prize directly into their accounts. Some of the players, however, claimed that they got reduced amount in their accounts. State Sports Minister Anil Vij, however, said that there was no cut in prize money. “Haryana youth gave medals to the country. Haryana may be a small state, but it has made entire country proud on numerous occasions. Their (players’) morale should not be lowered by cut in prize money. My request to Haryana government is to reconsider this,” Asian champion Punia tweeted. Also Read – Mary Kom enters quarterfinals, Saweety Boora bows out of World C’shipsPunia reminded the Haryana government that financial incentive was not the sole concern for a player, but they also expect the government to stand behind them. “When you promise rewards to players, at that time it is not the promise of financial incentives you make to them, but of standing solidly behind them. If you cannot stand on your promise, then in future what expectation a player can have from you,” he wrote. Phogat, a gold winner in 2018 Asian Games, was more vocal, asking the Haryana government to take back their prize money.
Osaka: Foreign ministers from the United States and Russia will begin talks over nuclear arms control but it may not lead to an extension of the START3 nuclear disarmament treaty, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday. “We have charged our respective foreign ministers with starting consultations on this subject… but we can not yet say whether this will lead to an extension of START3,” Putin told reporters after a G20 summit in Osaka on Saturday. Also Read – Turkey preparations for Syria offensive ‘completed’Putin did not say when talks would begin. START3 refers to a proposed agreement between the two nuclear powers for which negotiations broke down years ago. Intended as a successor to previous agreements, it would have required them to lower their numbers of deployed nuclear weapons. The two countries are currently covered by the New START treaty signed in 2010, which caps the number of nuclear warheads well below Cold War limits. But it expires in 2021 and Putin has been calling on the United States to negotiate an extension, saying Washington’s failure to do so is a threat to arms control. Also Read – Imran Khan arrives in China, to meet Prez Xi JinpingTogether with another agreement known as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, New START is considered a centrepiece of superpower arms control. Earlier this month, Putin said Russia was prepared to drop New START if the US continues to put off negotiations, warning of a “global catastrophe” if Washington works to dismantle the international arms control regime. Moscow suspended participation in the INF treaty in March after President Donald Trump’s White House announced it would ditch the key agreement for alleged Russian violations of the terms.
Osaka: Donald Trump had a “productive discussion” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on topics like Iran, 5G and national security during their meeting here, the US President’s daughter and top adviser Ivanka Trump has said as she described India as a “critical” trading partner, security partner and ally of America. Modi and Trump met in the Japanese port city of Osaka on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, the first since the Indian prime minister led his Bharatiya Janata Party to a landslide win in the general elections. Also Read – Turkey preparations for Syria offensive ‘completed’ In a video of Ivanka tweeted by the White House on Saturday, the final day of the G20 Summit, she gave a brief summary of Trump’s separate bilateral meetings between her father and Prime Minister Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Ivanka, who has made women’s economic issues her main focus, said the US President especially talked about the 5G telecommunications technology and its security implications with other global leaders in his bilateral meetings on the margins of the G20 Summit. Also Read – Imran Khan arrives in China, to meet Prez Xi Jinping “We are here at the G20 in Osaka and Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Abe just concluded a meeting with the President talking about 5G technology, particularly with focus on its security implication,” Ivanka said about the meeting between the top leaders of Japan-America-India here. “A one-on-one meeting between the President and Prime Minister Modi where the same issues were covered, of course 5G, as well as trade relationship between the United States and India, a critical trading partner, a critical security partner and a critical ally,” she said while commenting on the Trump-Modi meeting. “So it was a productive discussion, everything from Iran to national security was covered by the President and the US delegation with their Indian counterparts,” the 37-year-old businesswoman-turned politician said, adding that it has been a productive Friday morning for the US President. Modi himself tweeted that the topics discussed during his talks with President Trump were wide-ranging. “We discussed ways to leverage the power of technology, improve defence and security ties as well as issues relating to trade,” the prime minister said on Twitter. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told reporters that Prime Minister Modi and President Trump had a “very open and productive” meeting. “This was a very open and productive meeting. The two leaders had a very warm discussion,” he said. President Trump congratulated Prime Minister Modi on his victory and the two leaders discussed issues related to Iran, to 5G, to trade and to defence relations. On the issue of Iran, Modi outlined India’s energy concerns as well its concerns regarding peace and stability in the Persian Gulf region. Both sides agreed that they would remain in touch on the issue of Iran and will continue to have mutual discussion on how to ensure regional peace and stability. The discussion came at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the US, which has accused Tehran of being behind a series of operations against oil tankers in highly sensitive Gulf waters. The US has also deployed its warships and additional soldiers to the region. On 5G, the prime minister highlighted the technical and business opportunities that this new area provides for cooperation between India and the United States. The Prime Minister outlined that India would have a billion users of the 5G technology and in that sense India is the second largest market in the world. “The way India moves or the way whatever choices India makes will essentially determine the way the global trend will go,” Gokhale said. He said Prime Minister Modi underlined the importance of Indo-US collaboration in the further development of 5G technology for mutual benefit. The two leaders discussed the issue of 5G at a time when Chinese telecom giant Huawei has urged India to make an “informed and independent decision” on permitting its 5G trials in the country. The Trump administration is putting pressure on other countries to restrict the operations of Huawei and banned American companies buying its products over security concerns. Gokhale said President Trump welcomed this idea and he spoke about the work that American companies are now doing in 5G. He specifically referred to the Silicon Valley and said that since he had taken over as the President of United States he has focused on this area, on developing America’s capabilities in technology, that he looked forward to working with India.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday reminded people of the Emergency and urged them not to take democracy “for granted”, saying in day-to-day life, it is difficult to savour the joy of democratic rights, unless they are snatched away. In his first ‘Mann ki Baat’ monthly radio address after returning to power, he said everyday when one gets to eat food on time, one doesn’t realize what hunger pangs are. “Similarly, in day-to-day life, it is difficult to savour the joy of democratic rights, unless they are snatched away. During Emergency, every citizen of the country had started getting the feeling that something that belonged to him had been snatched away. If what was snatched had never been enjoyed by that person, ever, it had to eventually precipitate into a painful inner agony,” he said. Also Read – Balakot strikes show major shift in govt’s handling of terror attacks: IAF chief The prime minister reminded people that in order to ensure smooth conduct of the social order, a constitution is required. “Laws and rules are necessary, rights and duties should be part of due discourse,” he said. On June 25, India marked the 44th anniversary of Emergency. In 1977 Lok Sabha elections, the PM said, people voted without bothering about other rights and requirements. They voted, he said, “just for the sake of saving democracy. And the country had witnessed one such Election in 1977.” Also Read – Pak activated 20 terror camps, 20 launch pads along LoC “When something is in close proximity of us, we tend to underestimate its importance. We ignore even amazing facts about it. We have been blessed with a democracy so invaluable, yet we take it for granted so easily,” he said. Modi was of the view that people must keep reminding themselves that democracy is “gloriously great, it flows in our veins, through centuries of dedicated practice.” Referring to the recently-concluded Lok Sabha election, he said a record 61 crore out of nearly 91 crore voters exercised their franchise. “If you exclude China, the number of people who voted in India exceeds the population of any other country in the world. The number of people who voted in the 2019 Lok Sabha election is more than the entire population of America, close to double the figure. The total number of voters in India exceeds the entire population of Europe,” said in his address. He pointed out that lakhs of teachers, officers and staff strived day and night to carry out the exercise. Three lakh personnel of the central armed police forces, 20 lakh state police personnel ensured free and fair elections. “Besides this, there is another fact pertaining to these elections that swells our hearts with pride. Perhaps, this is the first time ever that women have enthusiastically voted, as much as men did. This time the ratio of men and women who voted was almost the same. “Another encouraging fact is that, today, there are a record 78 women Members of Parliament. I congratulate the Election Commission and every person connected with the electioneering process and salute the aware voters of India,” Modi said. The prime minister also used the opportunity to ask people to read more and more books at a time when everything is available using “Google guru”. He said he prefers books and not bouquets as gifts and referred to a collection of Munshi Premchand’s stories which he went through again recently. ” … in today’s digital world and in the time of Google Guru … take some time out from your daily routine and devote it to books,” he said.
Nainital: The Uttarakhand High Court has issued notices to Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan and AIIMS Delhi Director Randeep Guleria on a contempt petition filed by Indian Forest Service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi in a case involving him. It has asked them to file their reply before July 26, asking why they should not be punished for contempt of court, according to the official orders. The matter relates to an order passed by the high court on August 21, last year while hearing the case of Chaturvedi. Also Read – How a psychopath killer hid behind the mask of a devout laity! In its order, the court had termed as “vindictive” the attitude of the central government and imposed on it a cost of Rs. 25,000. The court was hearing Chaturvedi’s petition against an order passed by chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), New Delhi, on July 27, 2018. The CAT chairman had stayed the proceedings of circuit bench of the tribunal in Nainital for a period of six weeks in the matter related to adverse entries into appraisal report of Chaturvedi, for financial year 2015-16, when he was serving in AIIMS on central deputation. Also Read – Encounter under way in Pulwama, militant killed Chaturvedi, a 2002 batch officer of IFS, had sought quashing of orders of the CAT chairman and directions to Nainital bench of the tribunal to allow its proceedings. However, the AIIMS challenged this order of high court before the Supreme Court in October last year. On February 1, this year, the apex court not only upheld the orders of the high court but also the additional cost of Rs 25,000. Respondents have always acted with unprecedented haste while passing any illegal order or causing injury to petitioner, whether it be awarding zero grading in 48 hours (for which statutory instructions provide a period of 3 months) or removal of petitioner from post of CVO, to protect influential corrupt accused, in which around 20 signatures were recorded in just 24 hours. However, when it comes to compliance of lawful directions of courts in favour of petitioner, they are extremely slow/reluctant, Chaturvedi’s plea read.
Kolkata: A tourist vehicle travelling from Siliguri towards Sikkim skidded off the road and plunged more than 100 feet into the River Teesta near the Coronation bridge on Wednesday. The vehicle, along with the passengers and the driver, has gone missing in the river. A search operation has been launched.The incident occurred around 2 pm on Wednesday. The number plate (WB73E2940) of the vehicle, luggage, driver’s wallet and driving license and wallet were found from the accident site. A search and rescue operation has been launched. NDRF, rafters and fire brigade personnel have launched the search operation. The driver (as per his PAN card) is Rajesh Rai, a resident of Bhanunagar, Sevok Road, Bhaktinagar, Siliguri. On investigation, the police found out that the Innova vehicle was carrying two tourists from Jaipur, Rajasthan. They were identified as Aman Gaur (26) and Gaurav Sharma (24). Also Read – Centuries-old Durga Pujas continue to be hit among revellersAt the time of filing the report the vehicle as well as the passengers and drivers were still untraceable. Meanwhile, rains continued in the Hills on Wednesday with fresh landslides. There were 6 landslides reported between Rongtong and Kurseong on the NH55. The NJP-Darjeeling Darjeeling Himalayan railway services continue to be suspended. A Mazda truck and a bike were washed away in a slide in Tindharia. On the National Highway 10 to Sikkim, landslides were reported Kalijhora, 29th Mile, Setijhora and Bhoteybhir near Rongpu. Earth movers were pressed into service and a single lane was opened up for traffic.
New Delhi: Acceding to the demand by Tamil parties led by AIADMK, the Government on Tuesday decided to cancel the examination for appointment of postmen held on July 14 to hold it in all local languages including Tamil.”The examination will now be held in all local languages, as per the notification of 10-5-2019 of the department concerned (with) examination, including (in) Tamil,” Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told the Rajya Sabha. Tamil parties had been protesting that questions in the postal department’s examination for appointments of postmen and assistants in rural areas held on Sunday were only in Hindi and English, and not Tamil. The AIADMK were joined in by DMK, CPI and CPI-M members in the protests. Also Read – How a psychopath killer hid behind the mask of a devout laity!Proceedings of the Upper House were adjourned thrice during the pre-lunch period and again for 30 minutes after the Upper House re-assembled at 2 PM on the issue. When the proceedings resumed, Prasad, who is the Union Minister for Law and Justice, Communications and Electronics and IT said he has examined the matter and it has been decided to cancel the examination held on July 14. “Certain issues were raised in this House by members, including my friends from Tamil Nadu. I have examined the matter today itself and it has been decided to cancel the examination held on 14-7-2019,” Prasad said. Also Read – Encounter under way in Pulwama, militant killedThe minister said he would like to assure the House and the entire nation that the government led by Narendra Modi has respect for all regional languages, including Tamil. “I have myself seen the depth of language of Tamil when I was (election) in-charge there, and all other languages. Therefore this government’s commitment to respecting all languages is full and total,” Prasad said. His assurance satisfied the agitating members. V Maitreyan of the AIADMK expressed gratitude to Prasad and said “due to the development in the last couple of days unfortunately we were forced to raise the issue in the morning today in our own way. I am really thankful on behalf of my party members”. A Navaneethakrishnan of AIADMK said: “I really thank our minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Thank you Thank You Thank You”. T K Rangarajan (CPI-M) suggested that all departments should hold examinations in regional languages. Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma (Congress) said the larger issue is to pre-empt and ensure that there is no recurrence. “Therefore, will the government give a categorical assurance to this House, and through the House to the people of the country, that for all future recruitments, examinations, interviews, in all Central Government Departments, the PSUs, paramilitary forces, the three-language formula, the assurance for which was given by India’s first Prime Minister (Jawaharlal Nehru) shall be adhered to”.
Gurugram: On the wet Sunday afternoon when the former and longest-serving Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was cremated, it was not only residents of Delhi who were left teary-eyed but also the Gurgaon residents. It was not only Delhi that has expressed gratefulness to Sheila but also Gurgaon which is now Gurugram.Realising that Gurgaon was a developing city where a large number of Delhiites were going for job opportunities, it was under her leadership that the number of DTC buses were increased and that still continue to transport a large number of residents. Till date, there are three major routes on which the DTC buses ply between Gurugram and Delhi. Also Read – After eight years, businessman arrested for kidnap & murderThese routes include Anand Vihar, Badarpur, Karol Bagh and continue to ferry over lakhs of travellers on a daily basis. Moreover, she also made sure that not only connectivity was not enhanced by increasing the frequency of buses but she also made sure that the Delhi Metro was extended to Gurugram in the form of Yellow line. B etter coordination between Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Sheila Dikshit with the team of DMRC officials ensured that the phase of Yellow Line metro was completed in time. Also Read – Two brothers held for snatchingsIn October 2010, Delhi Metro was introduced in Gurgaon that solved a major hurdle of transportation for the travellers of Gurgaon and Delhi. Credited for improving the road infrastructure of Delhi, it was also under her watch that road connectivity between Delhi and Gurgaon improved to world-class levels. Not only was the Delhi-Jaipur expressway popularly known as National Highway-8 was widened but she also made sure that the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road, most of which was under her department, was improved. Like a true leader, she realised that as Delhi expand, the connectivity towards its suburbs needed to be improved. Though not a frequent visitor to Gurgaon, she was a popular face especially among the urban electorate for her works in the national capital at her zenith. She attended various rallies in the city and was instrumental in making Congress a strong force in not only Gurgaon but also in Haryana.
Chennai: DMK President M.K.Stalin on Wednesday said the low cut-off marks for economically weaker sections (EWS) –28.5 per cent– as against that for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and other categories in the recruitment examination held by the State Bank of India (SBI) shows how the Central government has thrown social justice into a deep pit. In a tweet, Stalin said: “In the preliminary exam for recruitment of Junior Associate post, the SBI had fixed the cut off mark for EWS category at 28.5 per cent as against the cut off mark for SC, General and Other Backward Communities (OBC) at 61.25 per cent and for ST at 53.75 per cent.” He urged the Central government to remove the 10 per cent reservation for EWS.
Bengaluru: With an eye on the Olympic Qualifiers later this year, the Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams on Sunday left for Tokyo to take part in the Test events, starting on August 17. The Olympic Test events are expected to provide good exposure to both the teams ahead of the Qualifiers in November. The Indian men’s team will play against hosts Japan, New Zealand and Malaysia, while the women will be up against Australia, China and Japan. Also Read – Puducherry on top after 8-wkt win over Chandigarh”I believe this tournament is a good opportunity for youngsters to shine as we will all be watched closely ahead of the team selection for the Olympic Qualifiers,” said men’s team skipper Harmanpreet Singh. He also said that the Test event will help the team understand the playing conditions in Tokyo, the venue of next year’s Olympics. “We are positively working towards making the Olympic Qualification. Playing at this venue will help us understand the playing conditions there and we are looking forward to a good tournament,” said the defender dragflicker. The women’s team captain Rani said her team’s aim in the upcoming tournament is to register an upset win over higher ranked Australia. “We have done well against Japan and China in the past one year but the one team we are looking forward to do well against is Australia. A win against them will make a big impact for our team’s preparations for the Olympic Qualifier,” Rani said ahead of the team’s departure here.
North Sound (Antigua): Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane’s half centuries strengthened India’s position in the first Test against West Indies, the two performing their leadership duties with aplomb here.After a career-defining 81 in the first innings, vice-captain Rahane remained unbeaten on 53 while skipper Kohli was batting on 51, as India reached 185 for three at stumps on the third day of their opening World Championship Test on Saturday.The visitors enjoyed an overall lead of 260 runs with seven wickets in hand and two full days play remaining. Also Read – Puducherry on top after 8-wkt win over ChandigarhDropped on 17 by John Campbell off Kemar Roach’s bowling, Rahane made full use of the life to register his career’s 18th half-century.Rahane and Kohli’s unbroken fourth-wicket stand yielded 104 runs in 41.4 overs.India lost three wickets after lunch before Rahane and Kohli joined hands and the duo played without taking any risk to keep the visitors ahead.Off-spinner Roston Chase was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts, taking two wickets for 69 runs. Also Read – Vijender’s next fight on Nov 22, opponent to be announced laterOpener Mayank Agarwal (16) was the first wicket to fall for India in the second innings, controversially trapped in front by Chase in the 14th over. Although TV replays showed the ball was missing the leg stump, the batsman didn’t go for a review.After Agarwal’s departure, K L Rahul (38) and Chesteshwar Pujara (25) added 43 runs for the second wicket to take India forward.Rahul, however, gave away his wicket, bowled by Chase. He went across his stumps while going for a sweep, only to expose all the three stumps and the West Indian spinner succeeded as the batsman failed to connect the ball. An over later, Roach went through Pujara’s defence to reduce India to 81 for three.India had earlier taken a healthy 75-run first-innings lead, which had swelled to 89 by lunch.The visitors bowled out West Indies for 222 in 74.2 overs in their first innings in reply to their 297 all out, with Ishant Sharma returning figures of 5 for 43.Besides Ishant, Mohammed Shami (2/48) and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2/64) scalped two wickets apiece.For West Indies, Chase top-scored with 48 while skipper Jason Holder played a fighting 39-run knock, as the hosts failed to build up partnerships.At the opening break of the third day, India were 14 for no loss in their second innings.Earlier, resuming at overnight 189 for eight, Holder and Miguel Cummins ground it out for 103 balls, forging a 41-run partnership for the ninth wicket to take West Indies closer to the Indian total.Holder made 39 off 65 balls with the help of five boundaries and even though Cummins could not open his account, he lasted 45 balls to frustrate the Indian bowlers. India needed 85 balls in the opening session to dislodge the duo.The partnership was finally broken when Holder edged a Mohammed Shami delivery to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant in the 74th over.Left-arm spinner Jadeja drew the curtains on West Indies innings when he cleaned up Cummins an over later.
Nainital: The Uttarakhand High Court has given the state government six months to formulate a policy to implement provisions of the Excise Act which provide for prohibition of alcohol in the state. A division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma directed the state government on Thursday to take a policy decision for gradual prohibition of alcohol, petitioner DK Joshi, an advocate said. Also Read – Uddhav bats for ‘Sena CM’ The high court has given six months to the state government, he said. Besides asking the state government to ensure compliance of section 37 A of the Excise Act which provides for prohibition, the court also ordered strict compliance of the law prohibiting sale of alcohol to a person under 21 years of age. The order came on a PIL filed by Joshi, an advocate and a resident of Garuda in Bageshwar district. It was contended in the PIL that liquor sold under government protection is affecting lives in the state. Also Read – Farooq demands unconditional release of all detainees in J&K Many households have been destroyed by the social evil and no compensation has been made for casualties, diseases and accidents caused by alcohol consumption, the PIL said. In Uttar Pradesh, the Excise Act, 1910, was amended by the UP government through 37A in 1978, but the Uttarakhand government did not implement this amendment.Even after 19 years of the creation of the state, no preventive steps have been taken towards prohibition of alcohol through this provision, the PIL submitted. On the contrary, the state government has registered an increasing number of shops in the name of revenue.The Excise Policy of 2019 gives special power to the DM to ensure that no area of ??the district is deprived of a liquor store, it said. The government for its part assured the court that in the year 2002, many restrictions had been imposed in the Excise Policy which were being duly followed. For instance, alcohol has been banned in religious places of the state including Haridwar, Rishikesh, Chardham, Purnagiri and Piran Kaliyar. Prescribed distance from school, college and temple mosque has also been maintained. Describing the verdict as historic, senior advocate VP Nautiyal, appearing for the petitioner, said the court has given the government six months to formulate a policy to implement the provisions of 37A. “The high court has given a historic decision to awaken the state government. It will curb growing trend of alcoholism in the state,” he said.
Indore: If everything goes as per plan, Madhya Pradesh might become the first state in the country to have a happiness index (HI) in place by the end of the financial year 2019-20, a top official has said. Madhya Pradesh Institute of Happiness CEO Akhilesh Argal said they are giving the final touches to the questionnaire for an upcoming government survey to measure the HI. “We are giving final touches to the questionnaire for the survey which will be launched in November this year. It is our aim that the survey is completed by the end of this financial year and the maiden happiness index announced,” said Argal. He said the state government has made Kharagpur-based IIT’s Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness as its “knowledge partner” for this unique project. “To prepare the survey, about 15,000 people from various villages, towns and cities in Madhya Pradesh would be contacted and their views on wide range of topics like lifestyle, income, education, health, safety, achievements, interests, positive and negative feelings, inter-personal relationships, attachment to environment etc. would be taken,” informed the CEO.
Pathankot: In a major boost to the Indian Air Force’s combat capabilities, eight US-made Apache AH-64E attack helicopters are set to be inducted into the IAF on September 3, officials said on Monday.Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa will be the chief guest during the induction ceremony, which will take place at the Pathankot Air Force station. The AH-64E Apache is one of the world’s most advanced multi-role combat helicopters and is flown by the US Army. Also Read – Uddhav bats for ‘Sena CM'”Eight of the Apache attack helicopters are set to be inducted into the IAF, that will enhance the force’s combat capabilities,” a senior IAF official said. The IAF had signed a multi-billion dollar contract with the US government and Boeing Ltd in September 2015 for 22 Apache helicopters. The first four of the 22 helicopters was handed over to the air force by Boeing on July 27. The delivery of the first batch of Apache helicopters to the IAF at the Hindan air base had come nearly four years after a multi-billion dollar deal for the choppers was sealed. Also Read – Farooq demands unconditional release of all detainees in J&KAdditionally, the Defence Ministry in 2017 approved the procurement of six Apache helicopters along with weapons systems from Boeing at a cost of Rs 4,168 crore for the Army. This will be its first fleet of attack choppers. By 2020, the IAF will operate a fleet of 22 Apaches. These first deliveries were ahead of schedule. The AH-64E Apache for the Indian Air Force completed successful first flights in July 2018. The first batch of Indian Air Force crew began their training to fly the Apache in the US in 2018. Senior IAF officials said the addition of the Apache fleet will significantly enhance the force’s combat capabilities as the chopper has been customised to suit IAF’s future requirements. Boeing has delivered more than 2,200 Apaches to customers around the world since the aircraft entered production and India is the 14th nation to select it for its military. “By 2020, the IAF will operate a fleet of 22 Apaches, and these first deliveries are ahead of schedule,” Boeing had earlier said. The aerospace major said the AH-64E has the latest technology insertions, maintaining its standing as the world’s best attack helicopter. “It is the only available combat helicopter with a spectrum of capabilities for virtually any mission requirement. For the AH-64 E, this includes greater thrust and lift, joint digital operability, improved survivability and cognitive decision aiding.
Chandigarh/Dharamshala: Four bank employee unions have given a call for a two-day strike from the midnight of September 25 and an indefinite stir from the second week of November to protest against the mega-merger of 10 nationalised banks, a union leader said on Thursday. The unions are also pressing for expeditious wage revision, the introduction of the five-day week and other demands. The strike call has been given by All India Bank Officer’s Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Officer’s Association (AIBOA), Indian National Bank Officer’s Congress (INBOC) and National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO), the general secretary of AIBOC (Chandigarh), Deepal Kumar Also Read – Thermal coal import may surpass 200 MT this fiscalSharma, said here. Nationalised banks across the country will observe strike from midnight of September 25 to midnight of September 27 to protest merger and amalgamation in the banking sector by the central government and other demands of employees, Sharma said. He said that the nationalised banks will further observe indefinite strike from the second week of November. The bank employee unions are demanding expeditious wage revision, immediate introduction of five day week, halting of undue interference in the existing procedure of vigilance cases by outside agencies, settlement of issues pertaining to retirees, adequate recruitment, scrapping of NPS, reduction of service charges for consumers and harassing of officers under specious plea of non-performance, he said.
New Delhi: In a major move aimed at turning India into an export hub of electronic manufacturing, the government is set to hold a confidence-building measure meeting with industry bigwigs.While talking to Millennium Post, IT Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney said that the country has taken a giant leap to be a global electronics manufacturer as domestic manufacturing has grown from $ 29 billion in 2014-15 to $70 billion in 2018-19. It’s for the time that the government is going to hold direct dialogue with CEOs of over 50 global technology companies, including Apple, Samsung, Cisco, Vivo, etc, after the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into power, the IT Secretary said, adding that the IT Ministry itself has received over $15 billion worth of investment proposals under its flagship investment scheme. Also Read – Thermal coal import may surpass 200 MT this fiscalElaborating about the global meet, Sawhney said, “As per the schedule, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad would hold the round table discussion on Monday. At the meeting, global leaders would brainstorm about the challenges being faced by the industry, opportunities and expectations of the industry from the government to make Indian electronics manufacturing sector grows faster.” “Number of factors already make India an attractive destination for electronics manufacturing. There is a huge talent pool, cost competitiveness and all major brands are already here. The value addition being done in India for feature phones have now increased to 25 per cent from 11 per cent earlier and in smartphones, it is now 18 per cent,” he said. As India has emerged as the second-largest manufacturer of mobile handsets in the world and one of the world’s largest mobile manufacturing facility is based in India, the industry has also helped in employment generation for over 20 lakh persons across the country, the Secretary said.
Mysuru: Young Shubman Gill will be the centre of attraction when a dominant India ‘A’ lock horns against South Africa ‘A’ in the second and final unofficial Test of the series, starting here on Tuesday. After pocketing the five-match unofficial ODI series 4-1, India ‘A’ continued their domination over South Africa A in the Test rubber by winning the first game by seven wickets. And the Indians would look to draw curtains on the series on a perfect note with yet another complete performance. Also Read – Puducherry on top after 8-wkt win over ChandigarhBut the focus will be on 19-year-old Gill, who has broken into the Indian Test squad for the three-match series against the Proteas, starting on October 2 in Visakhapatnam. Gill, who was captain in the first match, made a superb 90 en route to the comprehensive win. And the youngster from Punjab would be eager to prove the national selectors right after being named in the Virat Kohli-led Indian Test squad. In the second four-day game, the national selectors have given opportunities to several performers in the domestic circuit. Also Read – Vijender’s next fight on Nov 22, opponent to be announced laterExperienced Bengal wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha will take over the captaincy from Gill, while openers Priyank Panchal and Abhimanyu Easwaran have also been drafted in. Both Panchal and Easwaran, who too are knocking on the doors of the senior Test side, will be keen to showcase their potential after Gill leapfrogged them into the five-day team. Saha was in the reserves on the recent tour of West Indies as Rishab Pant donned the big gloves. With Pant’s keeping skills on Indian wickets yet to be tested in the longest format, Saha would fancy his chances and a good showing here would do him a world of good. Karnataka batsman Karun Nair, out of favour since the home series against Australia in 2017, is also part of the squad and will hope to score big after some impressive performances in the recent Duleep Trophy tournament. But it remains to be seen if Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar, who missed the first match due to a thumb injury, gets an opportunity. Spin trio of Shahbaz Nadeem, Jalaj Saxena and Krishnappa Gowtham did the damage in the Thiruvananthapuram game after pacers Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj had made early inroads into the South Africa ‘A’ line-up. Saxena, who plays for Kerala now, impressed with both bat and ball, while Nadeem picked up wickets in both innings. The home team’s bowling attack may witness some changes after experienced Umesh Yadav and chinaman Kuldeep Yadav were drafted into the squad along side Avesh Khan. After being outplayed in the first unofficial Test at Thiruvananthapuram, the visiting team led by Aiden Markram would hope for an improved show from his players in the final match of the series. South Africa ‘A’ have a handful of players who are part of the senior Test squad and they would be hoping for good outing. The batting unit led by the highly-rated Markram came a cropper in Thiruvananthapuram. For Markram and others in the Test team — Theunis de Bruyn, Zubayr Hamza, Heinrich Klaasen, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Piedt and Lungi Ngidi — this match presents a chance to prepare for the tough examination that awaits them.
OTTAWA, ON. – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is welcoming a promise from Donald Trump that the US president won’t pull out of NAFTA without first trying to renegotiate the pact.Trump was preparing to do just that, but changed his mind after a phone conversation with Trudeau and the Mexican president.Both Trudeau and the president are confirming this wasn’t an empty threat, with Trump admitting he was prepared to give notice of a pull out within days.However, Trudeau says on that phone call he pointed out the major economic consequences of such a move. “He was very much thinking about cancelling. It would cause a lot of short and medium-term pain for an awful lot of families. And he, like me, got elected on a platform of helping people and helping the middle class.”Trump took to social media to say a very good deal is still possible although there is frustration within his administration regarding the pace of renegotiations.Much of that has to do with hold-ups in Congress and a time crunch before the Mexican election which is a year away. “We agreed that we could sit down and get to work on looking at ways to improve NAFTA, as it’s been improved before, in a thoughtful way that will benefit all of our countries,” adds Trudeau.Despite the back and forth, it’s unclear when renegotiations will begin.
OTTAWA – The Canada Revenue Agency says eight of its employees were fired in the last fiscal year after violating taxpayers’ privacy.Previously, the agency has not always confirmed if an employee was fired or shuffled out of the CRA for being part of a privacy breach, often citing the employee’s privacy.A spokesman for the agency says the employees in each case were found to have had unauthorized access to taxpayer information, including one incident that the CRA calls the largest such breach in the agency’s history.In that case, one employee improperly accessed the accounts of 1,264 taxpayers.All of the firings took place between April 2016 and March 2017, the federal government’s fiscal year.All of the incidents were also reported to the federal privacy commissioner as required on federal government policy because they involve sensitive personal information that could be used to cause “serious injury or harm” to the individual, or involved a large number of affected individuals.“The CRA takes the protection of Canadians’ tax information very seriously. The confidence and trust that individuals and businesses have in the CRA is a cornerstone of Canada’s tax system,” agency spokesman Patrick Samson said in an email.The agency has looked to crack down on internal privacy breaches years after Canada’s privacy watchdog released a critical audit of how the CRA controlled access to personal information.The privacy watchdog made 13 recommendations in 2013 in areas including monitoring of employee access rights, threat and risk assessments for information-technology systems and ensuring the privacy impacts of new programs are evaluated.Still, privacy violations have dogged the CRA.In February, the CRA reported that it had lost a DVD containing information on about 28,000 Yukon taxpayers. The information from the 2014 tax year, hasn’t been recovered, Samson said.The DVD was encrypted and the data stored in a way that it would be difficult to read even if the encryption were broken.Samson said there is no evidence that the personal information on the DVD has been compromised.
OTTAWA – Quotes about Canada’s new, feminist foreign aid policy announced Friday:“Focusing Canada’s international assistance on the full empowerment of women and girls is the most effective way for our international assistance to make a difference in the world. Sustainable development, peace and growth that works for everyone are not possible unless women and girls are valued and empowered.” — International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.——“We’re pleased to see Canada take the lead towards a global culture shift to empower women and girls. This new feminist international assistance policy provides us with a critical opportunity to advance the empowerment and well-being of a significant segment of the world’s population that is at risk of being left out of global progress: 1.1 billion girls.” — David Morley, president and CEO, UNICEF Canada.——“Empowering women and girls is in Canada’s best interest and ensuring equal opportunity is much more than a bold commitment to feminism. It’s about basic human rights and basic common sense.” — Michael Messenger, president, World Vision Canada.——“The juxtaposition of a recommended 70 per cent increase to the defence budget with a recommended zero per cent increase to the development budget is simply stunning.” — Stuart Hickox, Canada director of anti-poverty group One, comparing Canada’s defence and assistance spending plans.——“This is a game-changer. From Syria and Yemen to Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, it is the grassroots women’s groups that are doing the heavy lifting to help communities respond to crisis, build peace and bring about gender equality.” — Leymah Gbowee of the Nobel Women’s Initiative.——“That there has been no increase in the international assistance envelope or even a plan for an increase is concerning.” — Cicely McWilliam, policy director for Save the Children Canada.——“Minister Bibeau’s leadership is bold and courageous and it marks an important shift in Canadian foreign policy. We look forward to working closely with her office to ensure this new model reaches those women’s rights organizations quickly and effectively-and that the funding’s impact is maximized.” — Jess Tomlin, president and CEO, The Match International Women’s Fund.——“Improving gender equality and women’s rights takes much more than bold words and good intentions. It will require hard work to push this agenda through.” — Jacquelyn Wright, vice-president of International Programs at CARE Canada.”——“They’re just using this as branding, and it’s just trying to look good because there’s no new money behind this.” — New Democrat MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau.
OTTAWA – Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale plans to introduce a bill today to upgrade a list of Conservative anti-terrorism measures.It will include more robust oversight of the Canada Border Services Agency along with changes to ensure existing security watchdogs can exchange information and collaborate more easily on reviews.The extensive package of legislation will also follow through on Liberal campaign promises to repeal some elements of omnibus security legislation brought in by the Conservatives after a gunman stormed Parliament Hill in 2014.The Trudeau government has committed to ensuring all CSIS warrants respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to preserving legitimate protest and advocacy, and to defining terrorist propaganda more clearly.It has also pledged that appeals by Canadians on the no-fly list will be subject to mandatory review.The Liberals say the goal is to strike a balance between keeping Canadians safe while respecting their rights and freedoms.This bill, and another tabled Monday dealing with Access to Information, come as MPs prepare to dash off to their ridings for the summer, which means the legislation is unlikely to face serious debate until the fall.
POND INLET, Nunavut – Inuit groups say their lobbying and traditional knowledge is behind a huge expansion in the boundaries for what is to become Canada’s largest national marine conservation area.“Our organizations worked extremely hard to ensure the extended boundary was accepted,” said P.J. Akeeagok, head of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.“It was Inuit traditional knowledge that determined the extent and the purpose of how Inuit used this particular very important body of water, and we’re now here celebrating today the expanded boundaries.”Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna joined Akeeagok and other Nunavut leaders in Pond Inlet on Monday to celebrate a deal that will more than double the size of the Lancaster Sound national marine conservation area — now to be known as Tallurutiup Imanga.The sound, off the north coast of Baffin Island, is a particularly rich area of the Arctic. Its cliff-studded coastline is interspersed with bays, inlets and deep fiords. Most of the world’s narwhal, as well as large numbers of beluga and bowhead whales, swim amongst the icebergs that bob in its waters.Polynyas — large sections of year-round, ice-free water — make rich habitat for seals and walrus, which in turn attract numerous polar bears. Seabirds flock there in the millions.For centuries, Inuit have depended on its waters.“It’s the cultural heart of our region,” said Akeeagok.Inuit began fighting in the 1960s to have the waters protected.In 2009, they went to court to block a German research vessel from conducting seismic tests that would have assessed the sound’s potential for oil and gas. The tests were blocked.Some say the furor over the court case was behind the Harper government’s 2009 decision to launch a study into how big the conservation area should be and where to put its boundaries.The Harper proposals, which were on the table as late as last year, called for setting aside about 48,000 square kilometres. Monday’s announcement creates an area of about 110,000 square kilometres.Together with existing adjacent protected areas, more than 130,000 square kilometres of ocean will be protected from mining, energy development, dumping and overfishing.“(The Inuit association) played a critical role (in the expansion),” said McKenna. Elders and Nunavut communities such as Pond Inlet were also heavily involved.Shell Canada also helped. Facing a lawsuit over alleged invalid exploration permits it held in the region, the company chose last year to relinquish rights to more than 8,000 square kilometres of ocean.McKenna said the new marine conservation area — Canada’s fifth — will be governed jointly with local Inuit. An impact-and-benefits agreement, complete with promises on new infrastructure and jobs, is planned for April.“Inuit will be directly involved in decision-making.”The talks will be crucial not only for Lancaster Sound, but for future protected areas, said Chris Debicki of The Pew Charitable Trusts Oceans North Canada.“This is the start of negotiations between Inuit and the federal government that will determine how protection is going to look in the 21st century,” he said.The Lancaster Sound expansion brings the portion of Canada’s marine waters under some form of protection to 3.5 per cent from 1.5 per cent. McKenna acknowledged that’s still below the government’s promised 10 per cent by 2020.“We’re working really hard,” she said.“We need to be doing this in partnership with Indigenous peoples, with different provinces and territories. Environmentalists and businesses are involved.”— By Bob Weber in Edmonton. Follow him on Twitter at @row1960Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said the protected area was called Tallurutiup Tariunga.
VANCOUVER – A targeted shooting on a major Vancouver street has left three people injured, including someone police describe as an “innocent” teen.Vancouver police said several shots were fired Saturday evening in a busy commercial and residential area on Broadway.Sgt. Jason Robillard said a man in his early 20s, who is believed to be the target of the attack, was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.A 15-year-old from Coquitlam, B.C., who was driving through the area when the shots were fired, was also seriously injured and taken to hospital.“At this time the evidence suggests that he is innocent,” Robillard said at a news conference Sunday.He said the victims taken to hospital remain in serious condition.A man in his 30s, who police said was not a target, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene and released.It’s unclear what prompted the incident, but Robillard said there are indications that gunfire was exchanged.“This is bad and we are concerned with how brazen this was,” Robillard said, adding that more than 30 officers are working on the case.No arrests have been made.The area of Broadway and Ontario Street remained closed through Sunday evening as the investigation continued.Area resident Gloria Gribling said she heard what she thought were fireworks going off Saturday evening.“I heard quite a large bang and then I thought that sounds like a gunshot, and then I thought ridiculous, I’m watching too much TV,” she said.“And then I hear immediately afterward what sounded like fireworks, very fast explosions but they weren’t as loud as the first one.”She said Broadway is a busy thoroughfare, and while the noise seemed out of character, she considers the area typically safe.“I have no fear of going for walks or anything like that around here, it’s very safe,” Gribling said.A number of local businesses, including a furniture store and yoga studio, posted on social media that they would remain closed while police had the area cordoned off.Robillard said police need time to gather evidence and capture the scene accurately.“Our officers are working diligently to try to put all the pieces together,” he said.Police are asking witnesses or anyone with dash-cam footage of the scene to come forward as the investigation continues.
OTTAWA – The Supreme Court of Canada will decide whether an Ottawa university can reclaim almost $500,000 in pension payments to a professor who went missing before being found dead in the woods near his home.George Roseme, a political science professor at Carleton University, was 77 and suffering from early-stage Alzheimer’s disease when he disappeared in September 2007.A six-day search of the area near Roseme’s home in nearby west Quebec failed to locate him.Roseme had signed a memorandum agreeing that his pension payments would cease with his death, rather than going to his heirs or estate.When the university learned of Roseme’s disappearance, Carleton informed Lynne Threlfall — his former partner and recipient of the pension monies as his property administrator — that it would cease payments.The university was forced to reverse the decision after Threlfall pointed out that under Quebec law, Roseme was presumed to be alive for seven years after his disappearance or until there was proof of death.In July 2013, Roseme’s remains were discovered by a dog in the woods near his property, and a coroner’s investigation concluded he had died in 2007.Shortly afterward, the university went to court to recoup the $497,332 in pension monies paid to Threlfall since 2008.Threlfall unsuccessfully argued in Quebec Superior Court that she should not have to return the payments, given that Roseme’s death had only recently been confirmed. A three-judge appeal panel upheld the decision against Threlfall, prompting her appeal to the Supreme Court.As usual, the high court gave no reason Thursday for agreeing to take the case and no date has been set for a hearing.
MONTREAL – The Coalition Avenir Quebec wants young people to be able to see clearly now.The party says it will reimburse up to $250 every two years for anyone 17 or under who needs glasses or contact lenses.Currently, Quebec’s health insurance board covers the cost of an eye exam for youngsters but not the purchase of eyewear.Coalition Leader Francois Legault made the promise in eastern Quebec today on Day 8 of the provincial election campaign and said good vision is essential to success in school.Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Parti Quebecois Leader Jean-Francois Lisee said he wants an additional 200,000 Quebecers to be working from home by 2025.Lisee believes having people work from home improves quality of life and also cuts down on traffic congestion.
OTTAWA — Without U.S. global leadership, just a few effective ways remain for Canada and its allies to respond to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest attack on Ukraine.Short of dispatching a NATO-led naval show of force that could escalate to all-out war, the West could still hurt Putin by imposing more sanctions, travel restrictions and curbs on Russia’s foreign financial transactions, say diplomats and analysts.After seizing three Ukrainian ships and capturing their two dozen sailors in the Kerch Strait between Crimea and the Russian mainland on the weekend, Russia announced Wednesday it would deploy another battery of anti-aircraft missiles to the Crimean Peninsula, bolstering its hold on the region it seized from Ukraine in 2014.The Kremlin also said it would send nine Ukrainian sailors to court to face charges while the remaining 15 linger in prison indefinitely.Canada and other Western countries have called loudly for the release of the sailors, but the rhetoric will continue to fall on deaf ears in Moscow unless they hit Putin in the pocketbook.Michael Bociurkiw, a Canadian-born global-affairs analyst, says strong statements of support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russia — including from Canada — are appreciated in Kyiv, but they do not deter Putin.“What he really understands are more targeted sanctions, travel restrictions on a wider circle, financial restrictions on overseas transactions, on commercial Russian banks,” said Bociurkiw, who until recently served in Kyiv with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.For countries such as Canada, the United States and Britain, that could mean using their “Magnitsky” legislation, which allows them to sanction particular people deemed to have violated human rights, he said.That could prevent Putin’s rich oligarch friends from travelling and curtail their ability to buy foreign property and other assets, said Bociurkiw. (The law is named for a accountant who exposed corrupt Russian tax officials and died in prison.)Andriy Shevchenko, the Ukrainian ambassador to Canada, said his country wants Canada to push Magnitsky sanctions especially with its G7 allies. Canada, he says, still holds the chairmanship of the G7 for another month, and should use that position to deal with the current crisis.Canada could also use this week’s G20 meeting in Argentina to advance that line of response, said Shevchenko.“We would like to see a joint consolidated response from the free world,” he said. “We hope that Canada will help us unify this position among our allies.”The Ukrainian government has the names of individual prosecutors, judges, police officers, special-forces members and politicians who could be targeted, said Shevchenko.Canadian government officials, who briefed journalists prior to this week’s G20, were non-committal about what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland might be prepared to do on behalf of Ukraine at this week’s summit.Freeland on Twitter called the imprisonment of the sailors “completely unacceptable” and called for their release, adding that an “immediate de-escalation is necessary.” Freeland pushed the Ukraine crisis onto the G7 agenda earlier this year. She is headed to meeting of NATO foreign ministers next week.But Bociurkiw says the 28-country military alliance doesn’t have the stomach to send an armada through the Kerch Strait to challenge the Russian attempt to gain control over the Sea of Azov, a strategic body of water off Ukraine’s south roughly the size of Switzerland.Shevchenko said this weekend’s nautical clash represents a significant deepening of the Ukraine-Russia conflict because it marks the first time the Russian military has actively attacked Ukrainian forces. Until now, he said, Russia hid behind rebel separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.“This time they do not hide behind any ‘green men,’ or local mercenaries, or any rebels or whatever they call them. This time they do it openly,” said Shevchenko.“This is a message not just to Ukraine, but to the West. They are trying to say, ‘we believe we can do whatever we choose to.’ “Bociurkiw said the timing of the latest Russian attack is vintage Putin — it comes with Europe mired in uncertainty over Brexit, coupled with the rise of far-right governments in some eastern European capitals, as well as the dominance of a U.S. president who has often appeared too accommodating of the Russian leader.“We’re seeing the aftereffects of the U.S. abdicating its traditional role as the world’s policeman,” said Bociurkiw.Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Russia for its “aggression” and said he might cancel a meeting with Putin at the G20.But a Kremlin spokesman quickly contradicted the U.S. president on Wednesday, saying Russian fully expects the meeting to take place.Bociurkiw said he expects Trump’s anti-Putin bluster to evaporate by the time he reaches Buenos Aires, given the U.S. president’s performance next to the Russian leader at their infamous Helsinki meeting this summer. Trump accepted Putin’s denial of meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, and faced massive criticism for not defending American interests.“Trump is very, very intimidated by Putin,” Bociurkiw said. “They’re both alpha males, but this is one male Trump can’t stand up to.”Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA (660 NEWS) – The saga involving SNC and a former member of cabinet is hurting the Trudeau government in the eyes of voters.According to a new poll by Angus Reid, the federal Liberals trail the Conservative Party by seven points among decided and leaning voters.The poll shows the Tories at 38 per cent, Liberals at 31 per cent, and the NDP far behind at 14 per cent.New today: Trudeau government’s handling of SNC-Lavalin affair opens seven-point lead for CPC over Liberals https://t.co/aYw1hIU6Ay pic.twitter.com/EDPQEee466— Angus Reid Institute (@angusreidorg) February 26, 2019“(It’s) not necessarily especially surprising to us given the SNC Lavalin affair,” said research analyst with Angus Reid, Ian Holliday. “It’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks for the Trudeau government, and that seems to be taking a toll.”RELATED: Trudeau looking forward to Wilson-Raybould testimony on SNC-Lavalin controversyThe poll also showed nearly two-thirds of those who responded have an unfavourable view of Justin Trudeau and a similar number say opinions of the Prime Minister have worsened in the past month.Holliday did point out, though, that 54 per cent of respondents have an unfavourable view of Andrew Scheer with 64 per cent not favouring NDP leader Jagmeet Singh.None of the major federal party leaders have a positive favourability. Scheer (46% favourable, 54% unfavourable) comes closest at -8 https://t.co/aYw1hIU6Ay pic.twitter.com/sJvxf7h0Pv— Angus Reid Institute (@angusreidorg) February 26, 2019Those numbers are a far cry from the lead up to the 2015 election.“When we’re looking at Harper versus Trudeau and Mulcair in 2015, we tended to find more favourable or at least more neutral numbers for the opposition leaders than we are finding right now in this poll,” said Holliday.Holliday said that with the SNC Lavalin case still unfolding and the election just a few months away, more research and polls are expected to come.WATCH: Lametti, Trudeau comment on expected testimony from Wilson-Raybould
OTTAWA — Canadian parliamentarians love to quote Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity.No one more so than Liberal Sean Casey, who’s cited the famous quotation purportedly from the acclaimed physicist at least five times in the House of Commons or in parliamentary committees since he was first elected in 2011.“Albert Einstein once said, ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,’” the Prince Edward Island MP told the Commons during a 2014 debate on the previous Conservative government’s bill to stiffen criminal penalties for child predators.“No one in the House would accuse the minister of justice of being Einstein, but the government’s behaviour on this issue gives rise to the suspicion that they are playing politics with a very serious issue.”But it seems no one can accuse Einstein of being Einstein either — at least not when it comes to the insanity quotation.“There is no evidence to suggest that Einstein ever said this,” says a report by micro-learning platform Blinkist.“It only began to be attributed to him long after his death … The exact origin of the quote is unknown, but the general consensus is that it emerged during the 1980s.”Casey is far from alone in mistakenly attributing the insanity definition to Einstein. A quick search of Commons and committee transcripts turns up at least 13 references to the supposed Einstein maxim by Liberal, Conservative and New Democrat MPs — just since 2015.According to Blinkist, which analyzed 25 years of publicly accessible records from Canadian, American and British legislative transcripts, it is the most frequently misattributed quotation cited by Canadian parliamentarians — with former Reform MP Mike Scott appearing to be the first to use it during parliamentary debate in 1999.“It’s human nature to try and find the perfect quote from famous figures we admire in order to support our point of view,” says Blinkist CEO and co-founder Holger Seim. “However, when taken out of context, quotes can lose their meaning or, as we’ve seen in the age of social media, could be completely wrong in the first place.”Here are the nine runners-up for the top misattributed quotes cited in Canada’s Parliament:— “Let them eat cake.” Attributed to Queen of France Marie Antoinette on learning that starving peasants had no bread. According to Blinkist, the phrase was first attributed to an unnamed princess in philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s 1770 work, “Confessions.” At the time, Marie Antoinette was a child, so it is unlikely she was the princess to whom Rousseau referred.— “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Attributed to 18th-century historian and philosopher Voltaire. According to Blinkist, “Voltaire never used this expression. It was actually written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall in her book, ‘The Friends of Voltaire,’ in 1906.”— “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the independence movement against British colonial rule in India. Blinkist says there is no evidence Gandhi ever said this, although it does fit with his non-violent philosophy.— “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Also attributed to Gandhi. According to Blinkist, what he actually said was, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.”— “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Attributed to American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. Blinkist says this was actually said by Carl W. Buehner, former Republican party candidate for governor of Utah.— “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.” Attributed to former British prime minister Winston Churchill. According to the International Churchill Society, “It’s a nice quote, but definitely not Winston Churchill.”— “An army marches on its stomach.” Attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte. Blinkist says there’s no evidence he ever said this.— “There are only two certainties in life: death and taxes.” Falsely attributed to various people, including Mark Twain and Benjamin Franklin. According to Blinkist, it was first uttered by English actor Christopher Bullock in 1716.— “The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.” Attributed to one-time Soviet strongman Josef Stalin. Blinkist says this was “actually a satirical point made in an essay by Kurt Tucholsky about French diplomacy in 1925.”Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press
WINNIPEG — Animal rights activists want the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg to permanently shut down its interactive stingray exhibit.“Stingray Beach” allows visitors to get up close to a shallow pool, and touch and feed the animals.The zoo temporarily closed it down last week after three stingrays died and another three were injured because of natural — but aggressive — mating behaviour.The randy cownose rays are being exposed to less daylight and colder water to try to fool them into thinking mating season has passed.The zoo says it’s won’t permanently close the exhibit, which opened in May.Danae Tonge, who organized a small protest held on Sunday, says the stingrays are being used for entertainment and aren’t in a natural setting.“They’re being prodded at and that’s not right,” Tonge said. “They have nowhere to go to escape people. Their behaviour is being thrown off. Their being abused.”The zoo said a decision on when to reopen will be done based on what’s best for the stingrays. It said forceful mating behaviour — in which competitive males fight each other but also sometimes bite females while mating — has been observed in the wild as well as in captivity.The injured rays are receiving treatment and recuperating, it said, and the males and females have been separated in the main pool.Spokeswoman Laura Cabak told CTV Winnipeg that the zoo closed the exhibit to give its animal-care workers a chance to provide treatment, observe the stingrays without outside influence and modify their environment.“We take our responsibility to care for these animals very seriously,” said Cabak.The Canadian Press
CALGARY — Alberta’s justice minister says he’ll be pushing for changes after a review board ruled a schizophrenic man who killed five young people in Calgary can be eased back into the community.Doug Schweitzer says on Twitter that he’s heard from a lot of Albertans who are concerned, frustrated and disturbed by the Alberta Review Board’s recent decision.A judge found Matthew de Grood not criminally responsible in the 2014 stabbing deaths of Zackariah Rathwell, Jordan Segura, Kaitlin Perras, Josh Hunter and Lawrence Hong.Schweitzer says he’ll formally request that the board ensure a maximum possible role for victims to be part of the review board’s hearing process.He also says he’ll be asking Ottawa to review the standards of release for people found not criminally responsible of crimes.Schweitzer says he’ll also ask his department to examine any and all options around the review board process to respect victims.His office declined to provide further comment.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2019. The Canadian Press
More than five hundred business leaders raised over £400,000 at a special fundraising dinner for The Prince’s Trust last week.The Prince of Wales makes a speech at the Prince’s Trust Youth Leadership receptionCredit/Copyright: www.princeofwales.gov.uk/Founder and president, HRH The Prince of Wales, spoke about the impact of unemployment on young people’s mental health at the The Prince’s Trust and EMC Leadership Dinner.Hosted by newsreader Sophie Raworth and featuring a speech by Baroness Joanna Shields OBE – Advisor on the Digital Economy, Chairman of Tech City UK and Director of the London Stock Exchange Group – the event united business leaders to raise over £400,000 for The Trust.The evening also saw the unveiling of a multi-channel ad campaign, with the first Prince’s Trust TV advert in nearly a decade.The campaign – #TogetherWeCan – aims to increase support and donations to help vulnerable young people, many of whom are facing issues such as mental health problems, homelessness and abuse, move into employment, education or training.Speaking about the research produced by the Trust, The Prince said: “My Trust’s Youth Index, published earlier this month, found that it is often a lack of support at home which has a detrimental effect, and that a quarter of the young people in the UK don’t have anyone to talk to about their problems while growing up, and one in 10 have been physically attacked at home during their childhood.”The report, based on interviews with 2,265 16 to 25-year-olds, also revealed that while 20% of young people admitted to “falling apart” emotionally on a regular basis, this increased to a third among unemployed young people.His Royal Highness told more than 600 business leaders that research produced by his organisation had found that almost half of the unemployed young people it questioned felt depressed “always” or “often”.“For young people who are unemployed, the situation is increasingly dire, with 53% of them feeling anxious about everyday situations and a heart-breaking 47% feeling depressed ‘always’ or ‘often’.“As we all know, unemployment eats away at the confidence of those it affects, and I urge you not to forget about those young people who we haven’t reached yet, who are out there right now with no hope for the future.“They still need our help – and one very important way of doing so is through skills training. With so many gaps in skills … to be filled, the level of youth unemployment could be greatly reduced – with some joined-up thinking.”Hosted by BBC Broadcaster and Prince’s Trust Ambassador Sophie Raworth, the event featured Chantelle, a young ambassador for the Trust, telling her inspiring story of how she overcame the traumatic experience of being a young carer and unemployed to work in customer services with a leading bank.Guest speaker Baroness Shields said of the event: “The working world has experienced a seismic shift in how it uses technology, The Prince’s Trust is helping to put disadvantaged young people at the front of the queue for those jobs. I couldn’t be more proud to lend my support to this event.”
Scottish band Wet Wet Wet were in London last week to help kick off Nordoff Robbins’ 40th anniversary celebrations, and took the time to visit the music therapy charity’s centre.During their visit, they got to meet Romano, an 11-year-old who has autism and global developmental delay. He has been attending the centre for around five years and his music therapy sessions have helped him hugely with personal skills (building confidence and reducing anxiety), developing cognitive skills (increasing self-awareness and speech development) and physical co-ordination.Romano got to experience an extra special session yesterday when he performed the band’s timeless number one hit, Love Is All Around, with the men themselves! With Tommy on drums, Neil at the piano, Graeme on guitar and Marti on vocals, the band embraced their new fifth member!Wet Wet Wet, a band who have sold in excess of 15 million records whilst notching up over thirty UK chart hits including three number 1’s, has a long history with Nordoff Robbins dating back to when they received a Silver Clef award for new music in 1988. At this point band members Graeme, Tommy, Neil and Marti were introduced to the inspiring work that the charity does, using music to help people express themselves and communicate. The band went on to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992 in aid of Nordoff Robbins, funds from which opened a much needed library at the London-based music therapy centre in 1993. The facility is still used to this day by Nordoff Robbins students and therapists alike. The band have since been staunch supporters and decided to mark the longevity of their relationship with Nordoff Robbins, in what is the 40th birthday year for the charity, with a very special show last week.The band are a renowned live act having played to over four million people across 25 countries and although they are normally seen performing in massive arenas, the smaller surroundings of the Koko gig allowed fans to get a lot closer than normal. With a massive catalogue of much loved songs including Julia Says, Somewhere Somehow, Sweet Little Mystery and Goodnight Girl, this was a chance to see how the band earned their reputation as one of the most powerful live artists around.Marti Pellow, lead singer of Wet Wet Wet, said “We get to do two things we love – play live to our fans and support a charity we have believed in since day one. The work Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy does is special and it works. They are so dedicated and we wanted to wish them happy birthday by putting on this show.”Drummer Tommy Cunningham added “Music has given us a lot in life, and it’s great to be able to use music to give something back, we are very proud of our association with Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy.”Source:Nordoff Robbins
Jennifer Lawrence visited patients at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Montreal last week.Jennifer Lawrence Visits Shriners Hospitals For Children In CanadaCredit/Copyright: Facebook“Jennifer Lawrence is in Montreal filming a new movie and she made time to visit some of our #ShrinersCanada kids and staff. Everyone had a great time!” said a note on the Shriners Facebook page.
ICC Cricket For Good, UNICEF and the Board of Control for Cricket in India, along with cricketers from 16 teams in the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 have joined forces to educate children on sanitation and toilet use, as one essential step towards ending open defecation in India.More than 564 million Indians still defecate in the open – the largest number of people in any country in the world and half the global total. Almost 1 in 10 of the 1.2 million children under 5 years old who die every year in the country succumb to diarrhoea, which is linked to poor water, hygiene and sanitation. Some 40 per cent of the country’s children are stunted – chronically malnourished – a condition which is linked to open defecation.
The Team Swachh campaign aims to use the vast reach, appeal and power of cricket in India to build a social movement for toilet use, especially among children, and to promote messages on health, sanitation and hygiene.In specially designed Team Swachh cricket clinics set up in the stadia where the WT20 competition will be played, cricketers from participating teams will coach children about the importance of handwashing and using toilets.“Open defecation affects every aspect of a child’s life putting them at risk of stunting and exposing them to avoidable diseases,” said UNICEF India Representative Louis George Arsenault. “The aim is to harness the enormous popularity and appeal of cricket in this country to spread the word about why everyone should use a toilet. We can achieve this if we come together as a team – then we will see real progress.”
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Sachin Tendulkar emphasized the need for team play. “Ending open defecation and achieving sanitation for all in India takes a genuine team effort in which all relevant actors – from the Government to the people practicing open defecation, from role models to international development partners – play together as one team,” he said.Speaking at the launch, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said ICC was committed to working with UNICEF to help improve the health, education, nutrition, and protection of children. Globally, ICC and UNICEF will engage the broader cricketing community to empower children and adolescents. Under the umbrella of Team UNICEF, UNICEF continues to use the power of sport to change the lives of children.The Team Swachh activities have already started. During the 3,000 km ICC WT20 Host City Tour in February – March, disadvantaged children chosen by local NGOs in eight cities joined Team Swachh. They met cricketing heroes like Yuvaraj Singh, Venkatesh Prasad, Umesh Yadav, Dinesh Karthik, Manoj Tiwari, Rishi Dhawan, Gurpreet Singh Mann, Pawan Negi, Sameer Dighe, Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Shubhlakshmi Sharma and Diana Edulji. These prominent cricketers demonstrated handwashing, played cricket and toilet-themed cricket games, and reached out to urban and rural populations with basic hygiene messages.
U2 bassist Adam Clayton will be honored at the MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert in New York on June 26 in support of MusiCares’ addiction recovery programs.Clayton will receive the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award in recognition of his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund as well as his commitment to helping others with the addiction recovery process.Performers will be announced shortly.MusiCares offers a variety of addiction recovery services, including their signature MusiCares MAP Fund. Developed as a pool of resources to address addiction and recovery needs, the fund provides addiction recovery treatment and sober living resources for members of the music community, regardless of their financial condition. The MusiCares MAP Fund acknowledges that a vital part of recovery consists of ongoing support aftercare services.With 22 GRAMMYs, U2 are among the top GRAMMY winners of all time. The quartet — comprising frontman Bono, bassist Clayton, guitarist The Edge, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. — are the only group in GRAMMY history to earn Album Of The Year twice, winning for The Joshua Tree for 1987 and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb for 2005.“We are extremely pleased that our annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert is returning to New York City, and paying tribute to such a genuinely talented and influential artist as Adam Clayton,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy and MusiCares. “Adam is a hero to fans and music creators around the world, and he is also a hero in the world of recovery for his fearless determination to give voice to the issues of addiction that affect — and all too often devastate — our music community.”“MusiCares does such vital work in helping vulnerable people across our industry,” said Clayton. “I know from experience the importance of an accessible, supportive environment in times of need and I’m always happy to do what I can to benefit this important organization. I’m very much looking forward to the event in June.”The MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert is open to the public. A variety of seats and ticket packages are available. Contact MusiCares’ Wynnie Wynn for ticket information at 310.392.3777 or wynniew@grammy.com. Individual seats are available for purchase via AXS.com.
DJ Mag has announced UNICEF will be this year’s beneficiary from their annual Top 100 Global DJ Poll.DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs Poll is the world’s biggest publicly voted music poll – with over 1 million votes in 2016 – and the definitive annual guide to the world’s most popular DJs. In 2016, Martin Garrix, the 20-year-old Dutch superstar, was voted the youngest ever No.1 DJ, and took the coveted top spot from 2015 winners, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike.Voting opened this week – Wednesday 5th July at 12pm BST– for the 2017 edition of the Top 100 DJs Poll, and runs until Wednesday 13th September at 11.59pm BST. Dance music fans can cast their vote at www.top100djs.com.The results will be announced at a special awards show during the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) in October (further details and the event date will be announced soon). The full reveal of the Top 100 DJs Results will take place across DJ Mag’s digital and social channels on the same night, climaxing with the unveiling of the The World’s No.1 DJ. The magazine will then issue the Top 100 DJs print edition on 25th October, featuring interviews with every single DJ in the poll. Further. Top 100 DJs events will be revealed soon.Unicef, the global children’s organization, is the official charity beneficiary of Top 100 DJs 2017. Unicef works in over 190 countries around the world to keep all children healthy, happy and safe. They ensure more of the world’s children are vaccinated, educated and protected than any other organisation. DJ Mag will use the Top 100 DJs 2017 events and awards ceremony to raise money for Unicef, as well as giving voters an opportunity to enter a charity raffle, with prizes including an all-expenses-paid VIP trip to Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) to attend the Top 100 DJs Awards Show and meet the winning DJs. Further details on Top 100 DJs fundraising activities will be announced soon.In addition to Facebook and Google, fans can also vote for the first time via WeChat, Asia’s biggest social network. The voting platform has been opened up to more territories, reflecting the new frontiers of international club culture. The app is now translated into Russian, Chinese (simplified) and Japanese, in addition to seven other global languages. These changes will dramatically expand the reach of the poll and ensure it remains inclusive and globally representative.Unicef UK Deputy Executive Director, Catherine Cottrell, said:“We would like to thank DJ Mag for supporting Unicef through the 2017 Top 100 DJs poll. The money raised through working with this long-established cornerstone of the dance music calendar will have a great impact on the lives of children around the world. DJ Mag readers’ donations will help Unicef to continue to protect children in danger and transform their lives. With your help, we can make the world a safer place for children.”DJ Mag Managing Director, Martin Carvell, said:“We’re very excited to have Unicef as the charity beneficiary of Top 100 DJs 2017. Both the Top 100 DJs and the dance music industry have grown immensely over the last 25 years. Over 1 million people voted in last year’s poll and with the continuing global expansion of electronic music, we feel that the time is right for us, as music fans, industry, and DJs, to give something back.
On Tuesday, December 5, The Washington Post will host “Pathways to Progress: Combating the HIV/AIDS Epidemic,” a program exploring the fight against HIV/AIDS- an ongoing crisis in America that has faded from the spotlight, but remains an urgent problem.Speakers will discuss the latest scientific and medical advances aimed at combating and containing the disease; explore the barriers faced by policymakers and advocates who are calling for more HIV/AIDS research, funding and outreach; and take a deep-dive into the HIV/AIDS epidemic sweeping America’s Southern states.Confirmed speakers include:Dionne Warwick, Grammy Award-winning artist; HIV/AIDS activist Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesJesse Milan, Jr., President and CEO, AIDS UnitedGregorio Millett, Vice President and Director, Public Policy, American Foundation for AIDS ResearchDel. Eleanor Holmes Norton, (D-D.C.), U.S. House of Representatives; Member, Congressional HIV/AIDS CaucusThe program will also include a discussion produced by Gilead featuring their own Executive Vice President, Corporate and Medical Affairs, Gregg H. Alton and State Department Chief Policy Advisor, Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy, Cornelius Baker.EVENT DETAILSTuesday, December 5, 20179:00am – 10:45am (Doors open at 8:30am)The Washington Post Live Center1301 K Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20071“Pathways to Progress: Combating the HIV/AIDS Epidemic” is presented by Gilead with support from Whitman-Walker Health.
Today, eBay for Charity, a platform that easily connects buyers and sellers with the causes they care about, announced its partnership with GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy group, to launch a campaign in celebration of Pride Month this June.eBay for Charity Partners with GLAAD to Celebrate Pride Month & the LGBTQ CommunityFrom Monday, June 11 at 8 a.m. PDT – Thursday, June 21 at 8 a.m. PDT shoppers can visit eBay.com/GLAAD to enter a truly unique sweepstakes as well as bid on exclusive auction items and experiences donated by their favorite celebrities. 100% of proceeds from this campaign will benefit GLAAD, a nonprofit whose goal is to accelerate LGBTQ acceptance by working with content creators in film, television, music, digital, and more, as well as the news media, to ensure fair and accurate LGBTQ representation.“In partnership with our employee-led Communities of Inclusion like United in Pride, which focuses on the LGBTQ community, we are committed to making our workplace safe, inclusive and free of judgement and discrimination for everyone at eBay,” said Damien Hooper-Campbell eBay’s Chief Diversity Officer. “By partnering with GLAAD through this charity campaign, it is yet another way we’re able to help advocate, educate and celebrate diversity of the LGBTQ community within eBay and beyond.”Lunch with the Real Housewives
The cast of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is offering the chance for one lucky fan to dine in housewife style for the day and join them for a VIP lunch. GLAAD supporters and Housewives fans alike can enter via a sweepstakes by donating either $10, $25, $50 or $75 at eBay.com/GLAAD. Shoppers who enter the sweepstakes by donating a value higher than $50 will receive a PINTRILL pin at no charge. See below for more information on the PINTRILL pins.Support GLAAD like a Celeb
Some of GLAAD’s biggest celebrity supporters including Debra Messing, Iggy Azalea, Halsey, and more, have united to celebrate Pride Month by donating unique auction items/experiences, including:Cast Autographed This Is Us “Pilot” ScriptTwo VIP Tickets and a Meet & Greet with HalseyWill & Grace Photo with the CastSigned Costume from Iggy AzaleaOne-on-One Lunch or Dinner with Yara MartinezTwo tickets and Meet & Greet with Melissa EtheridgeWynonna Earp Blue Devils Cheerleading UniformVIP Meet & Greet Pass with Betty WhoTwo Tour Costumes signed by Adam LambertNY Giants Quarterback Eli Manning Autographed PosterTwo Tickets to Broadway’s Acclaimed Kinky BootsAlice and Olivia SUGAR BABIES Embroidered & Beaded Handbag by Stacey BendetShow Your Pride
Lastly, eBay for Charity has partnered with PINTRILL to design two limited-edition Pride-themed pins that will be available exclusively on eBay for Charity for $15 each. The designs include a “Love Is Love” pin and a “Rainbow” pin.
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Login/Register With: CaribbeanTales: TIFF may not leave much available real estate on Toronto screens for the next few weeks but what there is will be well-used by several festivals that have made their homes in September. Celebrating its eleventh year as a showcase and incubator for filmmakers of Caribbean heritage both in Canada and places further south, CaribbeanTales starts Sept. 7 at the Royal. The opening gala selection, Diary of a Badman is a drama about a Jamaican-American detective who falls for the drug kingpin she’s investigating. Presenting one of many variations on the CTFF’s stated theme of “Caribbean Love” for this year’s edition, Diemiruaya Deniran’s film plays its Canadian premiere at the Royal on Sept. 7. Further fest highlights include Trafficked (Sept. 14), a Trinidadian thriller about three vacationers who come under the sway of a charismatic stranger, and Rainbow Revolution (Sept. 15), a new documentary about Jamaica’s first-ever Pride celebrations last year. The CTFF wraps up on Sept. 17 with the Canadian premiere of Dreadlocks Story, a doc highlighting the spiritual links between Jamaica’s Rastafarians and India’s sadhus.Many more features, docs and shorts — including the winners of the fest’s own #BlackLoveMatters film challenge — will also be most generously on offer.Toronto Urban Film Festival: Meanwhile, far below the city’s streets on over 300 subway platform screens typically reserved for far more mundane content, the Toronto Urban Film Festival (TUFF) presents its tenth annual program of one-minute movies. Once again, commuters get a chance to treat their weary eyes to selections ranging from experimental vignettes to silent slapstick to bold animations by time-conscious filmmakers from all over the world. Former Little Mosque on the Prairie star and Toronto film commissioner Zaib Shaikh serves as the guest judge for the competition. Facebook
Advertisement Advertisement Two Canadian acting legends will be in the spotlight Monday night as Christopher Plummer presents a special honour to Gordon Pinsent.Pinsent is being recognized as this year’s recipient of the Stratford Festival’s Legacy Award.Plummer will present the honour to Pinsent at a ceremony in Toronto. It will be a reversal of roles for the two actors and longtime friends, after Pinsent presented the Oscar winner with the festival’s inaugural Legacy Award in 2011. Facebook Advertisement Login/Register With: LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Twitter
“I hope that you’re doing OK,” Dion said.Part one of @celinedion speech before the show tonight. #VegasStrong #CelineDionVegas Credit to owner pic.twitter.com/uLQChHEiAf— Queen Celine (@celiniacs) October 4, 2017“I never start the show like this: standing in front of the curtain just talking. But tonight is very different.”READ MORE Celine Dion performs My Heart will Go On at 2017 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. The singer returned to her Vegas residency Tuesday night, less than 48 hours after a deadly shooting killed 58 there. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/Associated Press) LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Advertisement A sombre Céline Dion returned to her Las Vegas residency Tuesday night, less than 48 hours after the deadly shooting that saw 58 people killed and more than 500 injured just a few kilometres down the road.The Quebec chanteuse appeared onstage at Caesars Palace alone before her show started, let out a big breath and launched into a five-minute talk about the shooting and why she decided to perform.She dedicated the show to the victims, their families and first responders. Twitter
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Jennifer Baichwal, left, and Nicholas de Pencier explore environmental issues with the forthcoming Anthropocene, the final title in their stunning trilogy with photographer Edward Burtynsky. (Arthur Mola/Invision/Associated Press) A total of 20 Canadian features were announced on Wednesday, including Arcand’s crime thriller The Fall of the American Empire, which has already screened in French in the Oscar winner’s home province of Quebec.Alexandre Landry stars as a lonely man who finds two bags filled with money after witnessing a deadly armed robbery.“I think it’s one of his more pointed political films in quite some time,” senior programmer Steve Gravestock said in an interview before Wednesday’s press conference announcing the lineup.“In a weird way, even though it looks at all sorts of corruption, it’s also quite hopeful.” Sharkwater Extinction is the final work by the late filmmaker and conservationist Stewart, and Barry Avrich’s Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz is about the United States’ chief prosecutor during the Nuremberg trials.Meanwhile, Ron Mann looks at gentrification in the documentary Carmine Street Guitars, about a Greenwich Village shop that makes custom guitars out of material from historic sites and torn-down buildings.Indigenous talent showcasedThe lineup also has world premieres of three films that showcase Indigenous talent, including Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Edge of the Knife. It’s billed as the first feature-length film made in Haida, which is classified by UNESCO as an endangered language.Meanwhile, renowned Métis actor Tantoo Cardinal stars in Darlene Naponse’s Falls Around Her.And Anne with an E executive producer Miranda de Pencier makes her feature directorial debut with The Grizzlies, a creative collaboration between herself and Inuit producers Alethea Arnaquq-Baril and Stacey Aglok MacDonald.The lineup also has the sci-fi drama Clara by Akash Sherman, starring Patrick J. Adams of Suits fame as a depressed astronomer who gets a new outlook on life after meeting a woman.There are a lot of films that … don’t shy away from difficulties that people are facing — and even in some cases, some tragic circumstances — but really look at people’s resiliency.– Steve Gravestock , TIFF senior programmerSupernatural tales are found in The Great Darkened Days by Maxime Giroux, Fausto by Andrea Bussmann, and The Stone Speakers by Igor Drljaca.Stories featuring teens and young adults include Keith Behrman’s Giant Little Ones, Thom Fitzgerald’s Splinters, Firecrackers by Jasmin Mozaffari, and Sébastien Pilote’s The Fireflies Are Gone.TIFF says 40 per cent of the Canadian film slate this year is directed by women.Previously announced Canadian features include Giant Little Ones as well as Kim Nguyen’s The Hummingbird Project, Patricia Rozema’s Mouthpiece, and Don McKellar’s Through Black Spruce.“There are a lot of films that we have this year that don’t shy away from difficulties that people are facing — and even in some cases, some tragic circumstances — but really look at people’s resiliency,” Gravestock said.THE CANADIAN PRESS Facebook Advertisement Baichwal explores environmental issues with Anthropocene, the final title in a trilogy with producer Nicholas de Pencier and photographer Edward Burtynsky after Manufactured Landscapes and Watermark.“It’s quite stunning to look at but also I think, in some ways, this is quite painful to watch because it is very much about extinction, what we’re doing to animals,” said Gravestock, who worked on the lineup with Danis Goulet, the TIFF Canadian features programmer.Other docs exploring a feeling of unease include Astra Taylor’s What is Democracy? Starting in Greece, it looks at the history of democracy and the dangers facing it. Xavier Dolan’s star-studded The Death and Life of John F. Donovan will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.The movie is the Quebec phenom’s highly anticipated English-language directorial debut starring Kit Harrington, Natalie Portman, Thandie Newton, as well as Canadians Jacob Tremblay and Sarah Gadon.Contemporary anxieties and Indigenous issues are among the themes in the rest of the Canadian lineup for this year’s movie marathon, which also includes works by directors Denys Arcand, Jennifer Baichwal and Rob Stewart. Twitter Login/Register With: Filmmaker Denys Arcand’s ‘pointedly political’ movie, The Fall of the American Empire, will screen at TIFF in September. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press) LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Advertisement Advertisement
APTN National NewsBritish Columbia’s provincial government and BC Hydro have been busy signing deals with First Nations to develop power in and around their territories.But some First Nations near Peace River, B.C., are not buying into what BC Hyrdo is selling.First Nations say a proposed dam will damage prime farmland and wildlife.APTN National News reporter Wayne Roberts has this story.
(Video above of APTN story on leaked Stratfor emails discussing Canada and the U.S.)Check out previous APTN National News partnership with WikiLeaksBy Jorge BarreraAPTN National NewsEnbridge is likely lowballing the Northern Gateway pipeline’s projected $5.5 billion price tag which could triple in cost by the time it’s completed and see the Chinese end up financing most of it, according to internal emails written by senior analysts with a private international intelligence firm known as the “shadow CIA.”The internal emails, from Texas-based intelligence firm Stratfor, were obtained by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks. APTN National News gained access to the emails through an investigative partnership organized by WikiLeaks.WikiLeaks began publishing the first of the nearly 5 million emails on Feb. 27. The emails range from 2004 to December 2011.Stratfor has a global client list that includes major corporations and U.S. agencies, along with the RCMP and Canadian government departments like Foreign Affairs and Natural Resources Canada.The emails show Stratfor officials have been monitoring the opposition to the tar sands and the proposed Enbridge pipeline to ship Alberta bitumen to the British Columbia coast. Stratfor analysts, however, questioned Enbridge’s stated price-tag for its controversial Northern Gateway Pipeline which seemed low for a project that would cross the Canadian Rockies.Peter Zeihan, Stratfor’s vice-president of analysis, said he expected the price tag triple and that Chinese state-owned Sinopec, which is part of the project, would likely pick up most of the bill.“While technically possible, going over the Canadian Rockies would be a technical challenge to say the least. I’m guess that the price tag on this would easily go above $15b (sic),” writes Zeihan, in the Jan. 21, 2011 email. “There’s a very good reason why all the crude goes south on flat land to the Midwest. So not impossible, but China would have to pony up for all of that itself.”The comments emerged during a discussion on a news story on China’s decision to help finance the pipeline project, which is heavily opposed by many First Nations communities and environmental groups.An Enbridge spokesman, however, said the company stands by its projected cost for the project.“It is a figure we use that we expect is going to be the cost to construct the pipeline,” said Todd Nogier, spokesperson for Enbridge. “Our funding partners, participants and Enbridge have financial arrangements. Whatever cost escalations that might occur, that is not something we are dealing with at the moment.”The Stratfor emails also reveal that one of the intelligence firm’s analysts used his younger brother, a Canadian trade official currently in Japan, as a source on the Enbridge pipeline.Mark Schroeder, Stratfor’s Africa analyst, contacted his brother, Alan Schroeder, who, according to his LinkedIn account, is a trade official with the Canadian embassy in Tokyo, to get information.Mark Schroeder asked Alan Schroeder what he knew about the Enbridge pipeline and the port in Prince Rupert, B.C., which Stratfor analysts speculated could be the end point for the Enbridge pipeline.“We had a little talk this morning at work about the infrastructure plans for Prince Rupert,” wrote Schroeder, on Jan. 21, 2011. “Have you heard any more talk on plans for expanding infrastructure there? Some folks are real interested (stuff like what port changes they have in mind in addition to new pipelines that are possible).”Alan Schroeder, using a Gmail account, responded by saying he didn’t know too much about the Enbridge pipeline because it was a new project, but speculated it could be ready by 2016.“Enbridge is the entity that is working on it. There is quite a bit of interest and Sinopec has committed $100 million to the project. There is still a lot of preparatory work that needs to get done, and perhaps that’s why I’m not very familiar with the project…If everything runs smoothly it could be operational by the end of 2016,” he wrote.Mark Schroeder then copied and pasted his brother’s answer into an email to Strafor’s analysts and identified him as a “Stratfor Canadian source,” code number CA012, with a reliability rate of “four.”Nogier said Enbridge has looked at Prince Rupert as potential end point for the project, but the company concluded that Kitimat, B.C., was the safest option for the pipeline’s end point.jbarrera@aptn.ca
APTN National NewsThe Chiefs of Ontario have a stern warning for the federal government.No unilateral imposition is going to work in their communities and they’ll take action to prevent those things from happening.The chiefs made the announcement at a news conference Thursday rejecting any proposed federal education legislation.They said it’s missing one important element.APTN National News reporter Delaney Windigo tells us what that is.
APTN National NewsThere has been tension between members of the Cross Lake First Nation and Manitoba Hydro for decades.It is because of diversion projects and a lack of consultation with First Nations.Now one woman from the northern community has found her family caught in the middle of the dispute and has been left without electricity for nearly a week.APTN’s Shaneen Robinson explains.
(Screen grab from One World Labs founder and prominent hacker Chris Roberts during an appearance on Fox News)Jorge Barrera APTN National NewsA well-known U.S. hacker told F.B.I. agents he took momentary control of an airplane’s engines mid-flight by hacking into its inflight entertainment system, according to a document filed in U.S. federal court and obtained by APTN National News.Roberts, who has been interviewed at least three times by the F.B.I. this year, is under investigation for allegedly hacking into the electronic entertainment systems of airplanes, according to an application for a search warrant to probe seized electronic equipment.The document shows F.B.I. agents investigating Roberts believe he has the ability to do what he claims: take over flight control systems by hacking the inflight entertainment computer.Roberts has not yet been charged with any crime. The allegations contained in the search warrant application have not been proven in court.Roberts is the founder of One World Labs and he is widely viewed as an expert on counter threat cyber security.F.B.I. agents obtained the search warrant on April 17 to probe a number of electronic items seized from Roberts after he arrived in Syracuse, NY, from Chicago on April 15. Roberts had posted a joke tweet earlier in the day while on a United Airlines flight between Denver and Chicago. The tweet referred to hacking into the airplane’s in-flight entertainment and passenger oxygen mask system.During two interviews with F.B.I. agents in February and March of this year, Roberts said he hacked the inflight entertainment systems of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, during flights, about 15 to 20 times between 2011 and 2014. In one instance, Roberts told the federal agents he hacked into an airplane’s thrust management computer and momentarily took control of an engine, according to an affidavit attached to the application for a search warrant.“He stated that he successfully commanded the system he had accessed to issue the ‘CLB’ or climb command. He stated that he thereby caused one of the airplane engines to climb resulting in a lateral or sideways movement of the plane during one of these flights,” said the affidavit, signed by F.B.I. agent Mike Hurley.Roberts also told the agents he hacked into airplane networks and was able “to monitor traffic from the cockpit system.”According to the search warrant application, Roberts said he hacked into the systems by accessing the in-flight entertainment system using his laptop and an Ethernet cable.Download (PDF, Unknown)F.B.I. agents let Roberts go after they seized his equipment and questioned him in Syracuse. The agents then tracked the Denver to Chicago airplane Roberts took before connecting to Syracuse. Roberts sat in seat A3 on the Chicago flight. The airplane was traced to Philadelphia and F.B.I. agents discovered the boxes in seats A2 and A3 showed evidence of tampering, according to the warrant application document.The document stated the box under A2 was “damaged” with the outer cover “open approximately” half and inch and “one of the retaining screws was not seated and was exposed.”Roberts was blocked from boarding a United Airlines flight he had booked to fly him out of Syracuse, Wired magazine has reported.The F.B.I. said it seized Roberts’ electronic equipment in the interest of public safety because they believe he has the ability to take control of airplane systems.“We believe Roberts had the ability and the willingness to use the equipment then with him to access or attempt to access the (inflight entertainment system) and possibly the flight control systems on any aircraft equipped with an (inflight entertainment system) and it would endanger the public safety to allow him to leave the Syracuse airport that evening with that equipment,” sates the warrant application.The items seized from Roberts include a black iPad with a “Death Wish Coffee Co.” sticker, a silver MacBook Pro with “multiple” stickers, three hard drives, six thumb drives and two USB cables.Shortly after the incident with Roberts, Wired reported that the TSA and the F.B.I. issued a bulletin to airlines to be on the lookout for passengers showing signs they may be trying to hack into an airplane’s Wi-Fi or inflight entertainment system. Wired also reported that the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a report warning that electronic systems on some planes may be vulnerable to hacking.Roberts told the F.B.I. that he has discovered vulnerabilities in the inflight entertainment systems of Boeing 737-800, 737-900 and 757-200 aircraft along with Airbus A-320s.Air Canada flies Airbus A-320 aircraft and WestJet flies Boeing 737-800 aircraft, according to the airlines’ websites.According to Wired, Roberts has been issuing warnings about vulnerabilities in inflight entertainment systems for years.jbarrera@aptn.ca@JorgeBarrera