US President Donald Trump has identified India along with 21 other countries as among the major illicit drug producing or transit nations.Other Asian countries identified as major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries are Afghanistan, Pakistan and Myanmar.Read it at Business Standard Related Items
A 42-year-old man allegedly killed his mother using a sharp-edged weapon and injured his wife and three children near Ambala City in Haryana, police said on Saturday. The accused, Harjinder Singh, got into an argument with his family on Friday night. In a fit of rage, he attacked them, the police said. His mother Nayab Kaur sustained head injuries and died on the spot. His wife Kulwinder Kaur, daughters Anshika and Vanshika, and son Jashndeep were also injured, they said.
Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Lacson: 2019 budget delay due to P75-B House ‘insertion’ “CJ’s an energy guy at our team needs someone like him,” said Cardel. “Since his first years at San Sebastian he was already playing like Abueva who has everything. His attitude is also a plus.”Columbian already has a promising backcourt in Rashawn McCarthy and Jerramy King.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSPrivate companies step in to help SEA Games hostingSPORTSSEA Games: Biñan football stadium stands out in preparedness, completionSPORTSUrgent reply from Philippine football chiefKing was the team’s best scoring local during the Governors’ Cup putting up 20.2 points per game while McCarthy norms 13.6 points per game.The Dyip, however, haven’t fared well in the season finishing with a total record of 6-27 the whole season. View comments Private companies step in to help SEA Games hosting SEA Games: Biñan football stadium stands out in preparedness, completion LOOK: Joyce Pring goes public with engagement to Juancho Triviño TS Kammuri to enter PAR possibly a day after SEA Games opening “He has a great work ethic, he’s a team player, and those are the qualities I’m looking for,” said Cardel, whose team also owns the 11th pick in the first round. “He’ll be a great addition to the team.”“He can create for his teammates, give energy to the team, and he can give the team victories.”Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Is Luis Manzano planning to propose to Jessy Mendiola? LATEST STORIES Hotel management clarifies SEAG footballers’ kikiam breakfast issue MOST READ PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games PLAY LIST 02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games01:44Philippines marks anniversary of massacre with calls for justice01:19Fire erupts in Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City01:07Trump talks impeachment while meeting NCAA athletes02:49World-class track facilities installed at NCC for SEA Games02:11Trump awards medals to Jon Voight, Alison Krauss SEA Games: Biñan football stadium stands out in preparedness, completion Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.netMANILA, Philippines—Columbian has had its eye on CJ Perez declaring him as the team’s No.1 overall pick in the PBA Draft as early as the end of October.Dyip head coach Johnedel Cardel said back in October 30 that the 25-year-old Perez is a younger version of Phoenix superstar Calvin Abueva.ADVERTISEMENT Jamal Murray, Russell Westbrook tussle as Nuggets beat Thunder
Get the best of News18 delivered to your inbox – subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what’s happening in the world around you – in real time. Novak Djokovicrafael nadaltenniswedding First Published: October 24, 2019, 7:25 PM IST Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan): Spanish tennis icon Rafael Nadal said on Thursday that he and his wife Mery Perello enjoyed their wedding day and had a great time with their guests.Nadal married Perello after being together for 14 years, in a ceremony on the Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca on Saturday. “We really enjoyed this beautiful day,” the newlywed said at a press conference in the Kazakh capital ahead of a charity match for his foundation, reports Efe news.”We had a lot of fun and enjoyed ourselves with the people we wanted to be there, and that’s why we had a great day.””It was something we had been preparing for a long time, but it has already happened and now is the time to return for the end of the tennis season and it is good to return for a charity event,” he added.Nadal will play the charity match with one of his biggest rivals, Novak Djokovic.The wedding was attended by the king and queen emeritus of Spain, Juan Carlos and Sofia, and numerous other famous people. 
PAOK will follow champion Olympiakos to the Champions League qualifiers after drawing 1-1 with Panathinaikos on Tuesday in the last round of games of the Super League play-offs.The Thessaloniki club topped the mini-league after a nail-biting encounter at Toumba, with PAOK goalkeeper Panayiotis Glykos being the hero for the hosts through his fingertip intervention to a Mladen Petric shot three minutes from time that could have snatched the top spot for the Greens had it gone in.PAOK led after 17 minutes through a Garry Rodrigues strike but Panathinaikos went back on level terms just nine minutes later via a Robin Lod shot deflected in by Miguel Vitor.The hosts held on for the draw that kept them on top by one point and will enter the third qualifying round of the Champions League in late July.In the day’s other match, that had no bearing on the final standings, Panionios defeated AEK 1-0 at home courtesy of a Giorgos Masouras goal on the 41st minute.PAOK finished on 12 points, Panathinaikos had 11, AEK stayed on nine and Panionios reached up to four points.Panathinaikos, along with Cup winner AEK, will enter the third qualifying round of the Europe League from July 28 and Panionios will contest the second round of the same competition from July 14.TweetPinShare0 Shares
Galle, Nov 5 (AFP) England’s Jonny Bairstow is out of the first Test against Sri Lanka as he recovers after injuring himself playing football, coach Trevor Bayliss said.The wicketkeeper-batsman hurt his ankle playing football in a training session and missed the last two games of the five-match ODI series, which England won 3-1.”No, he’s not available for this Test match,” Bayliss told sports radio station talkSPORT.”He has come on a long way in the last week or so but with another winter tour and a big summer we didn’t necessarily want to risk it.” Jos Buttler or the uncapped Ben Foakes will take up the wicketkeeping duties for the opening Test of the three-match series starting Tuesday in Galle.England played three wicketkeepers in their first two-day warm-up game in Colombo with Ollie Pope also rotating with Foakes and Buttler.”They’re both (Buttler and Foakes) still very much in our thinking and that will probably come down to the combination we want to play,” said Bayliss.”Definitely one of them will be keeping but how we structure the batting order and what combination of bowlers we put in to the team could determine who eventually gets the gloves.” The Joe Root-led side is also mulling dropping paceman Stuart Broad to make way for an extra spinner on a turning Galle track that will be Sri Lankan spin legend Rangana Herath’s swansong.”You leave anyone out with the type of bowler he is then well, yeah, it’s very difficult,” he said.advertisement”If he does miss out on this one there’s every opportunity to play the next one, as with anyone who misses out this Test.” (AFP) APAAPA
One of the main points the NFL protest movement has made time and again is that their campaign is not, as Donald Trump and others have suggested, against America or the military but an attempt to highlights social injustice within the United States. On Wednesday Philadelphia Eagles player Malcolm Jenkins, who has been a central figure in the protest movement, stopped making those points out loud. He stood silently in front of reporters and displayed hand-written cards about the protests, gun violence and social injustice in the US. NFL Topics Philadelphia Eagles Share on Messenger US sports Share on LinkedIn Share on Twitter One of the signs appeared to be aimed at the president himself. Earlier this week Trump disinvited the Eagles to the White House, saying the anthem protests were unpatriotic, despite the fact that no Eagles knelt during the anthem last season. On Wednesday, Jenkins held up a sign reading “You aren’t listening”.Others highlighted the fact that African Americans and the poor are disproportionately affected by the criminal justice system. “More than 60% of people in prison are people of color,” one sign read while on another Jenkins had written: “Any given night 500,000 sit in jail. Convicted? No. Too Poor? Yes #EndCashBail”.Many critics, including large numbers of NFL fans, have depicted the protestors as unpatriotic entitled millionaires. Jenkins attempted to change that narrative with signs describing the efforts of players in the community. “Chris Long gave his entire year’s salary to educational initiatives,” read one while one two others he wrote: “Colin Kaepernick gave $1 million to charity”, “Devin McCourty Duron Harmon, Matt Slater and Johnson Bademosi lobbied to raise the age from 7 to 12 entering the criminal justice system.” Another message listed the toll of gun violence: “in 2018 439 people shot and killed by police (thus far)”.Jenkins was one of the Eagles players who said they would not have attended the meeting with Trump if it had gone ahead. He raised his fist during the anthem last season. Support The Guardian Read more Share on Facebook Share on WhatsApp Since you’re here… Reuse this content Share via Email Trump’s ‘celebration of America’ in lieu of cancelled Eagles gala fails to shine Share on Pinterest … we have a small favour to ask. More people, like you, are reading and supporting the Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism than ever before. And unlike many news organisations, we made the choice to keep our reporting open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay.The Guardian will engage with the most critical issues of our time – from the escalating climate catastrophe to widespread inequality to the influence of big tech on our lives. At a time when factual information is a necessity, we believe that each of us, around the world, deserves access to accurate reporting with integrity at its heart.Our editorial independence means we set our own agenda and voice our own opinions. Guardian journalism is free from commercial and political bias and not influenced by billionaire owners or shareholders. This means we can give a voice to those less heard, explore where others turn away, and rigorously challenge those in power.We hope you will consider supporting us today. We need your support to keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support The Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
Maria Shriver and Equinox Sports Clubs, the high performance lifestyle leaders in health and fitness, have a newly expanded MOVE FOR MINDS experience scheduled for Sunday, June 4, bringing together women across the country to increase awareness of Alzheimer’s as a women’s disease and raise necessary research funds to find a cure for it.“Women have worked for centuries to be recognized for our minds, and now we’re losing them to Alzheimer’s,” said Shriver, founder of Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement. “That’s what makes Alzheimer’s the ultimate women’s empowerment issue. Women’s minds matter, and we must mobilize now to save them.”“As leaders in high performance living, we are tremendously proud to once again partner with Maria and MOVE FOR MINDS,” said Scott Rosen, President and Chief Operating Officer, Equinox. “Our members live a high performance lifestyle and are passionate about keeping both their bodies and minds in the best shape possible, and MOVE FOR MINDS reflects that passion.”For the first time Equinox clubs in Dallas and Miami join those in New York, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C., as epicenters of the nationwide initiative. Sign-ups for the June 4 event at are now underway here.In this year’s event, participants will take part in a brand new, specially designed and fully integrated workout that will challenge them physically while sparking neural activity in the brain. The MOVE FOR MINDS WORKOUT was created by Equinox top tier coaches with deeply vetted expertise on how the brain learns and grows. It’s a breakthrough program designed to deliver not only results, but dramatic improvements in quality of life.Leading journalists Maria Shriver, Andrea Mitchell, Hoda Kotb, Jackie Nespral, Sonia Azad, Jessica Aguirre, along with national Alzheimer’s activists Leeza Gibbons and Lisa Genova will host panel discussions in each city with over 40 of the nation’s top experts in fitness, food, nutrition, stress, sleep, meditation and caregiving. Panelists include brain scientists Reisa Sperling, Daniel Amen, Dena Dubal, Adam Gazzaley, Josh Grill, Richard Isaacson and Wendy Suzuki, among others. Move for Minds also assembles brain healthy lifestyle experts including Bob Roth, Katy Bowman, Moll Anderson, Mallika Chopra, Dr. Pamela Peeke, and Kimberly Snyder, among dozens of others.In addition to the unprecedented gathering of experts and a specially designed workout, this year’s event features an interactive MARKETPLACE with brain healthy snacks and beverages, and a bookstore of best-selling resources in all areas of brain health, lifestyle, and caregiving.MOVE FOR MINDS 2017 also features a first-ever respite care program from Home Care Assistance, the nation’s only science-based provider of in-home senior care, where caregivers can apply for a Respite Grant so that they can take some much-needed time off to care for themselves. Sixty family caregivers will be chosen to receive a weekend, or two consecutive days, of respite care through the online program. For more information on the contest, click here.“It’s incredibly exciting to see corporate America stepping up by stepping into the Alzheimer’s space,” added Shriver. “I’m so grateful that these companies are recognizing that Alzheimer’s is one of the greatest health issues facing women today.” In addition to Lifetime and Home Care Assistance, MOVE FOR MINDS 2017 is generously supported by platinum sponsor smartwater as well as NuStep, Cole Haan, Koral, American Senior Magazine, Axovant Neurology Solutions, Beats by Dr. Dre and angel donor Carole Middleton. Corporate partners providing additional support include Lyft, Truist Skin Care, Rivet Revolution, Hall Wines, Bandolier, Headspace, Thrive Market, Juice Press, AAFA and Belmont Village, with others soon to be announced. Additionally, this year companies are engaging in the initiative by sponsoring employee teams to participate in MOVE FOR MINDS. Corporate teams include OWN, Blaze Pizza, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, PMK*BNC, Atria, FFO and more.The facts and figures of Alzheimer’s are staggering. Per the Alzheimer’s Association, every 66 seconds someone in the United States — a family member, friend, neighbor, work colleague — is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and two thirds of them are women. A woman in her early sixties is about two times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than breast cancer over the remainder of her life. Alzheimer’s, the 6th leading cause of death in America, kills more people than breast and prostate cancers combined.“As a doctor treating patients and a researcher working to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, I recognize the critical importance of what Maria Shriver has created in MOVE FOR MINDS,” said Dr. Reisa Sperling, Director, Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. “The initiative raises awareness of Alzheimer’s, arms participants with tangible ways to maintain good brain health and provides funding for more women-based brain-science research, three incredibly important elements to help us wipe out this disease.”To be part of the 2017 MOVE FOR MINDS experience or to donate to an individual participant, click here. If you want to learn more, please go here.
The May issue of “Foodcrops and Shortages,” a publication of the Global Information and Early Warning System, blames the situation largely on civil conflict and adverse weather, particularly drought. It also notes that in many of these countries, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a major contributing factor.In western Sudan, civil conflict which has displaced over 1 million people is leading to a grave humanitarian crisis, the agency warns. Desert locusts remain a serious threat to crops in northern and western Africa, where control operations are hampered by a lack of resources, according to the report. In southern Africa, delayed, inadequate and erratic rains caused flood damage and left many people in need of emergency food aid to survive. Zimbabwe could face acute food shortages as early estimates of 2004 food production indicate a potential deficit of up to 1 million tonnes of cereals.The report also warns that a serious humanitarian crisis continues in North Korea because of chronic food shortages. Donations have still left 600,000 core beneficiaries without their full rations in April, and new pledges are urgently needed to cover needs over the next six months.According to the report, Sri Lanka has been seriously affected by drought with rice production falling 18 per cent in 2004. Thousands of families are in need of food assistance there.The FAO reports that food assistance deliveries in Haiti had been returning to normal following improved security, until torrential rains and severe flooding struck that country as well as the Dominican Republic. Food assistance continues to be delivered in several Central American countries to rural families affected by a depressed coffee sector, the study found.
TORONTO – The Toronto Stock market closed lower after a day of choppy trading Friday as strong jobs data in the U.S. left investors anticipating a rate hike from the U.S. Federal Reserve.The S&P/TSX composite index lost 62.23 points to close at 14,957.16, while the loonie finished the day up 0.42 of a U.S. cent to 80.39 cents US.The Dow Jones industrial average was down 56.12 points at 17,849.46, the Nasdaq index rose 9.34 points to 5,068.46, and the S&P 500 lost 3.01 points to 2,092.83.The gold sector on the TSX was the biggest decliner, losing 2.3 per cent, while health care advanced the most, climbing by roughly one per cent.In economic news, May job data both north and south of the border exceeded analyst expectations.The Canadian economy created 58,900 jobs last month, although the jobless rate remained unchanged at 6.8 per cent as more people began searching for work.Todd Mattina, chief economist and strategist at Mackenzie Investments, called the data “very encouraging” following a weak start to the year on the employment front.“The pace of job growth in May was six times what economists had forecast,” Mattina said. “I think it’s the strongest report we’ve seen in more than six months.”The U.S. saw 280,000 new jobs created last month, though the unemployment rate edged higher to 5.5 per cent as job seekers flooded the market looking for work.“The strength of the U.S. payroll report increased the likelihood of Fed rate hikes around September to December,” Mattina said.Meanwhile, Greece missed its repayment deadline to the International Monetary Fund, opting instead to bundle its payments for this month into a lump sum payable at the end of the month.“Greece simply doesn’t have the cash to make all these payments,” Mattina said. “This is just another classic example of kicking the can down the road.”Concerns about the debt-laden country have introduced greater volatility to markets in recent weeks.“This environment of uncertainty will hold back growth prospects in the Eurozone more generally,” Mattina said.Shares of DavidsTea (Nasdaq:DTEA) soared more than 30 per cent during their first day of trading on the NASDAQ Friday following a successful initial public offering by the Montreal-based tea store chain.The shares were priced at US$19 per share Thursday but opened Friday at $25 and finished the day at $27.Shares of Hudson’s Bay Co. (TSX:HBC) lost 2.83 per cent to $24.04. Reports say the company is considering buying the struggling Kaufhof chain in Germany.On the commodity markets, the July crude contract was up $1.13 at US$59.13 a barrel and the August gold contract fell $7.10 to US$1,168.10 an ounce.Follow @alexposadzki on Twitter. Toronto Stock Exchange closes lower as traders anticipate U.S. rate hike by Alexandra Posadzki, The Canadian Press Posted Jun 5, 2015 7:01 am MDT Last Updated Jun 5, 2015 at 6:01 pm MDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email
The terrorist group, Boko Haram, abducted Hawa Abdu and her children in Nigeria in 2014. UN Photo/Eskinder DebebeIn 2014, my mother was in Bama, a town in between the state capital of Borno State, Nigeria, and the border with Cameroon, so I went to see her. One day, we were told by the local authorities that it was not safe to stay, but I refused to move my mother because she was sick. The terrorists entered the town at 4 a.m. the next day and gathered in the market. It was beyond our power to prevent them.I heard gun shots from all sides, and in the confusion, my two children ran in one direction and I went with my mother in another. We were caught by terrorists and my mother was slapped and left on the ground.I was taken, many of us were taken, by the terrorists. We were driven to the town of Zamaimaya and then had to walk 10 kilometres into the bush.All but the young girls were forced to marry a Boko Haram fighter. I refused to begin with, however after three days I realized I had no choice but to agree, because they said if we did not marry, we would be executed. I was ordered to convert to Islam, which I did before the marriage.After I married, I was beaten a lot and given very little food. One time I spent seven days without food. Sometimes I was given dindiri or beans to eat. I suffered a lot from hunger. I hated being married to a Boko Haram fighter.The terrorists killed many people in front of us. We did not have the power to stop that happening.,The United Nations is committed to supporting people who have been attacked, abducted, injured or traumatized by acts of terrorism wherever they are in the world. Ahead of the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism marked annually on 21 August, read more here about how the UN is showing solidarity with victims and survivors.,We moved around the bush a lot, changing locations day by day. God saved me during these harsh times.One day, my daughter Hadiza who is 13-years old managed to escape. I have not seen her since. I pray every day that she is still alive. I do not know where my mother is. And then later soldiers came and chased away Boko Haram, and they helped me and my other daughter, Fatima, who is now 14 years old, to escape.,She is with me in Minawao camp today.I have spent over a year in this camp and have been given food and clothes by my neighbours. I have not eaten chicken since I have been here. I sell groundnuts to make a little money. I need a mat, a pot and more clothes.I am suffering from heart disease and anxiety and cannot forget how I was separated from my parents and brothers and the killings I saw. I think about this every day.One way, I can relax is by listening to music to Hausa Fulani songs. I sometimes borrow my neighbour’s phone to listen. It makes me happy; it gives me peace of mind. Hawa Abdu, a 38-year old Nigerian mother of two was abducted by Boko Haram in 2014 and spent four years with the outlawed terrorist group moving around the north-east of Nigeria. She has been living in Minawao, a camp for Nigerian refugees in the Far North region of Cameroon, since January 2018.
You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the telling numbers tucked inside the news.2 roundsRonda Rousey was knocked out for the first time in her UFC career, going down in the second round against underdog and the anti-Rousey Holly Holm. [Los Angeles Times]10 percentAccording to Pornhub, a website that provides the exact services you think it does, traffic plummeted by 10 percent when “Fallout 4,” a hotly anticipated video game, became available to the gaming public. [VentureBeat]10.4 percentThe Chicago Cubs will increase season ticket prices by an average 10.4 percent following a run at the World Series and forthcoming deals with free agents. [ESPN]19 percentFollowing a wild weekend of college football, Alabama is now the most likely team to win the national title, with a 19 percent chance according to FiveThirtyEight’s model. [FiveThirtyEight]20 bombsWith 129 reported dead from the terror attacks in Paris, France has taken an increased role in combating the Islamic State, coordinating a 20-bomb campaign in northern Syria. [Sky News]1,000 resignationsMore than 1,000 members reportedly resigned from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints following the announcement that the Mormon church would no longer baptize the children of same-sex couples. [The New York Times]1,900 spiesU.K. Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the government will hire an additional 1,900 spies for its intelligence agencies MI5, MI6 and GCHQ following the terror attacks in Paris. [The Telegraph]71,871Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has surpassed Brett Favre’s record for most career passing yards. Manning now has 71,871 yards, but was pulled from the field in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs in favor of backup QB Brock Osweiler. [Pro Football Reference]$10.3 billionAmount collected by public universities from student fees to support athletics programs over the past five years, according to a Chronicle of Higher Education and Huffington Post investigation. A lot of schools are beginning to question how much that investment is really worth. [Chronicle of Higher Education]If you haven’t already, you really need to sign up for the Significant Digits newsletter — be the first to learn about the numbers behind the news.
European beach handball sees a new edition to its event calendar emerging, with the first edition of the Champions Cup taking place in Gran Canaria from 31 October to 2 November.After it had been confirmed by the EHF Executive Committee in December 2013 that the event will see eight women’s and eight men’s national beach handball champions competing, the European Handball Federation, after registration had started on 1 September, faced such great interest that it decided to add another two teams per event as well as another playing day.“This is great news,” said Ole Jorstad, chairman of the EHF Beach Handball Commission, in a first reaction.Places at the Champions Cup 2014 were awarded on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis, and the first teams to sign up were the Swiss men from Copaca Bale and the ‘Beachqueens’ also from Switzerland who registered their interest straight on midnight on 1 September.It then took very little time for the remaining places to fill up.The full list of participants is as follows:Men’s Champions CupBHC Detono Zagreb / CROCBMP Ciudad de Malaga / ESP“Nordlichter” Oldenburg / GERAC Kiklopes Alexandroupoli / GREDabas Beach Boy’z / HUNPallamano Grosseto / ITAPaksoft Camelot / NEDV. GAW / CAFÉ ROSSIO / POR“Ekaterinodar” Krasnodar / RUSCopaca Bale / SUIWomen’s Champions Cup BHC Detono Zagreb / CROCubas Llopis BM Playa Sevilla / ESP“Die Brüder” TSV Ismaning / GERATC Kastoria / GREOVB / HUNFIGH Esercito Futura Roma / ITAPaksoft Camelot / NEDBHT Piotrkowianin Juko Piotrkow Trybunalski / POLBeachqueens / SUIN. BELCHIOR / ACADEMICO DE LEIRIA / PORThis means that both winners from this year’s European Beach Tour Finals, the men’s team from BHC Detono Zagreb and women’s competitor OVB, will also compete in the first Champions Cup.Substitute teams are SUS Nyborg from Denmark and BHT Auto Forum Plock from Poland in the men’s event and Skrim Kongsberg from Norway in the women’s event.TEXT: EHF / ts Beach handballEHF ← Previous Story Maccabi Rishon Le Zion want to take back title with Milorad Krivokapic Next Story → HC Metalurg rewards “#WEAREHANDBALL” best
Although the Rock Band developer may be suing its former bosses for shady profit withholding, that lawsuit hasn’t stopped Viacom from successfully selling Harmonix off, which they managed to do right before the holidays.Word first popped up that Viacom was looking to sell Harmonix — creators of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, whose games have sold tens of millions of copies to date — back in November for unstated reasons.AdChoices广告Supposedly, the issue is profitability, which is a bit hard to believe. The revenues for the last three Rock Band games are commonly cited as being over $1 billion. I suppose it depends on how much Viacom was pumping into the company after the $175 million sale back in 2006, but e already know that Viacom is being accused of withholding bonuses. Perhaps things were bleaker than they first appeared.Either way, the new owner of Harmonix is a private investment firm in New York. Viacom says they’re now getting out of the rhythm music game market, but Harmonix has no intention of stopping: they’re currently working on a new music game for the Nintendo 3DS.Read more at LA Times
WILMINGTON, MA — Below are 5 things to do in Wilmington on Wednesday, September 4, 2019:#1) Town Yardwaste Center OpenThe Town’s Yardwaste Center is open from 8am to 2pm. Residents need to purchase a punch-card for $15 in order to enter the yardwaste center. Punch-cards are available for purchase through the Collector’s Office at Town Hall and will allow up to 5 vehicle trips to the Yardwaste Center per card. NO GRASS CLIPPINGS OR STUMPS ARE ACCEPTED. Commercial vehicles are not allowed. Make sure to bring photo identification to show you are a Wilmington resident.#2) Wilmington Conservation Commission MeetingThe Wilmington Conservation Commission meets at 7pm in Town Hall’s Room 9. Read the agenda HERE.#3) Cub Scout Pack 56 Registration NightCub Scout Pack 56 is holding a Registration Night at 6:30pm at Villanova Hall. Contact Kelly James at kellymarie583[at]gmail.com or 978-604-9753 for additional information. For kids entering K through Grade 5.#4) Book Store Next Door OpenThe Friends of the Wilmington Memorial Library’s Book Store Next Door (183 Middlesex Avenue) is open from 10am to 4pm. All books are $2 or less! Every penny of every sale benefits the Wilmington Memorial Library. Learn more HERE.#5) Car Seat Installs At Public Safety BuildingThe Wilmington Police Department offers safety seat installs at the Wilmington Public Safety Building (1 Adelaide Street) every Wednesday, 10am-2pm. No appointment is necessary, but calling ahead at 978-658-5071 is recommended. Learn more HERE.Like Wilmington Apple on Facebook. Follow Wilmington Apple on Twitter. Follow Wilmington Apple on Instagram. Subscribe to Wilmington Apple’s daily email newsletter HERE. Got a comment, question, photo, press release, or news tip? Email wilmingtonapple@gmail.com.Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading… Related5 Things To Do In Wilmington On Wednesday, August 7, 2019In “5 Things To Do Today”5 Things To Do In Wilmington On Saturday, August 10, 2019In “5 Things To Do Today”5 Things To Do In Wilmington On Saturday, September 7In “5 Things To Do Today”
Three Alaska Native tribal organizations have won nearly $3 million in federal housing grants to improve living conditions in more than 100 homes.Listen nowThe U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the Tribal Healthy Homes Production grants Monday in Juneau. The recipients hope to use the money for home repairs, education and to deal with mold and mildew issues.The Organized Village of Kake and the Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority each received $1 million. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium won almost $870,000.Housing Authority Executive Director Joyce Niven said the organizations will work together and with partners to improve living conditions in their regions.“We all have different skill sets that we’ll need to use to execute the grant … because it’s ‘Healthy Homes,’ it’s not just going in and repairing homes,” Niven said. “It’s educating people about managing their homes in a healthy manner.”One issue she said they frequently deal with in Southeast is mold and mildew. With the area’s wet climate, respiratory issues can result from poor ventilation in people’s homes.Niven said the Healthy Homes grant funding will help the organizations address those problems more thoroughly.“When we’re in the homes there’s often so much to be done that we have to set priorities and figure out what’s the most critical thing to get fixed. These funds will help us not have to set so many priorities and maybe get the entire home fixed,’” Niven said.Niven said she and her staff will start work on an implementation plan due back to the federal government in 90 days.The Healthy Homes grants are the first of their kind. HUD awarded $12 million in total to 13 tribal organizations across the country.
Europe’s biggest industrial group Siemens expects a double-digit rise in earnings for its current fiscal year provided that markets pick up for some of its key businesses.The trains-to-turbines group, which is the first of its peers to give an outlook for the year ahead, forecast a moderate full-year rise in revenue and a book-to-bill ratio above 1 after beating expectations for fourth-quarter profit.”Siemens anticipates further softening in the macroeconomic environment and continuing complexity in the geopolitical environment in 2016,” it said in a statement on Thursday.”This outlook assumes that momentum in the market environment for Siemens’ high-margin short-cycle businesses will pick up in the second half of fiscal 2016.”Siemens said basic earnings per share should rise by at least 14 percent on a comparable basis to 5.90 to 6.20 euros. EPS for the year to end-September was boosted by the disposals of Siemens’ hearing aids and household appliance businesses.The company exceeded its industrial profit margin target of 10-11 percent with a result of 11.3 percent in its fourth quarter to the end of September, and renewed the goal for the current year on Thursday.
Detective Branch of police produces Shahidul Alam, who was picked up by plainclothes men earlier, before a Dhaka court Monday. Photo: Shuvra Kanti DasAward winning photographer Shahidul Alam has again been taken to the Detective Branch (DB) office after a medical test was conducted at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).Physicians at the BSMMU found him in good health, so he has been taken back to the DB office, police said.Deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Masudur Rahman said Shahidul Alam was taken to BSMMU following an order of the High Court. The medical board formed for Shahidul’s treatment will submit a report on his health condition on Thursday.The HC on Tuesday asked the authorities to send detained photographer Shahidul Alam to BSMMU for treatment.It also asked the BSMMU authorities to submit a medical report on his health to the court by 10:30am Thursday. A HC bench of justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Md Iqbal Kabir passed the order after hearing a writ petition.Earlier, Shahidul’s friend Rahnuma Ahmed filed a writ petition with the HC challenging a lower court order that put him on a seven-day remand in a case filed under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act. Detective Branch (DB) of police picked up photographer Shahidul from his Dhanmondi flat on Sunday night after he had given an intervew to Al Jazeera where he spoke on the recent students’ demonstrations demanding safe roads.Shahidul was sued under the controversial section 57 of the ICT Act for his alleged involvement in spreading propaganda against the government. On Monday, Dhaka additional chief metropolitan magistrate Asaduzzaman Nur placed Shahidul Alam on a seven-day remand for interrogation in a case filed under the controversial Section 57 of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Act.
Neil ConwayMore women are ending up in Texas prisons and jails, and a criminal justice reform advocacy group wants policymakers to address the problems that led them there.The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition released a report Thursday to highlight common issues the more than 12,000 imprisoned women in the state face and propose gender-specific support, treatment and diversion options. The organization said in the report that although the female population is increasing, most programs that aim to help prisoners are geared toward men.Women only accounted for less than 9 percent of those in the Texas prison system in 2016, but the organization said that their population is increasing while the state lessens the overall number of prisoners. Between 2009 and 2016, the men’s prison system population decreased by more than 8,500 inmates, while the number of women went up more than 500.“The vast majority of women in Texas prisons have extensive trauma histories, and most of them are mothers,” Lindsey Linder, a policy attorney for the group and the report’s author, said in a news release. “It is critical that we help these women address the root causes of their criminality through community supports and services, rather than through incarceration.”In a survey of more than 400 incarcerated women, the organization found that nearly 60 percent said they suffered from sexual abuse or assault as a child and more than half said their household income before taxes was less than $10,000. More than 80 percent were mothers.To combat the rising female prison population, the group recommended that lawmakers and local officials emphasize pretrial diversion programs for non-violent crimes, especially for pregnant women or those with primary custody of a child, and invest in support programs at the community level to help women deal with trauma before being introduced into the criminal justice system. The report also recommended specialized treatment for women on probation or with substance abuse issues, and, more generally, reforming the bail system to help women in poverty.Andrea Button, a sociology professor at Midwestern State University who is analyzing the inmate survey responses with the Texas organization, said poverty is a massive factor for the incarcerated women because it also correlates with other traumas, like abuse.“When women leave incarceration … they get plunged back into that same system of poverty,” she said, adding that there need to be re-entry programs targeting women specifically to connect them to effective jobs and childcare. “If you go at it with this blanket approach, you’re going to trigger them right back to prison.”State Rep. James White, a Republican from Hillister and chairman of the House Corrections Committee, said the uptick in the female prison population is something his committee is going to dive into before the next legislative session. House Speaker Joe Straus issued an interim charge to the committee last year to look into treatment options and programs for incarcerated women.Though White’s committee often deals with women who are already entrenched in the system, he said he likes the idea of the state giving funding to local jurisdictions to use for pretrial diversion programs, especially for non-violent drug offenses.“I like the idea of giving our local jurisdictions the funding,” White said. “I’m hearing from probation officers and judges that pretrial diversion across the state is usually a very, very effective tool.” Share
Education leaders in the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County, Md. are reacting negatively to a bill proposed by an Iowa U.S. representative that makes substantial changes in the administration of public education.On Jan. 23, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) introduced HB 610, “The Choices in Education Act.” This legislation would repeal “The Elementary and Secondary School Act of 1965” that supports public schools with federal dollars. It also weakens nutritional standards in the nation’s public school cafeterias and authorizes a federal voucher program.“As the spouse of a former Iowa teacher, I understand that it’s the right thing for our children to take education decisions out of the hands of the federal government and back into the rightful hands of parents who know best to meet the educational needs of our own children,” King said.Markus Batechelor represents Ward 8 on the D.C. State Board of Education. (AFRO File Photo)Regarding the voucher program, King said “the freedom of choice will result in parents being able to send their children to safer, better schools by taking federal dollars from failing programs like No Child Left Behind and Common Core” and giving parents the choice to use those dollars to send their children to public, private, or home-schooled institutions.On the nutrition standards, King wants to get the United States Department of Agriculture out of feeding school children. He wants the states to make those types of decisions so that “schools must be serving our students as much nutritious food as they need, so that our students can grow, learn, and excel, in school and out of school-in the classroom and on the playing field.”Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) wants to expand the state’s school voucher program by $7 million, while Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III, is opposed to the voucher concept. Baker believes taxpayer funds should be used to strengthen Prince George’s County public schools.Others in the Washington metropolitan area are also critical of King’s bill. “I don’t support this legislation at all,” Markus Batchelor, a Ward 8 D.C. State Board of Education member, told the AFRO. “The promise of America is a good quality education, no matter where you live.”The District was the first jurisdiction in the country to have a federally-supported school voucher program in 2003, despite some reservations by D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D). The program, known as the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, was authorized in 2003 and expired in 2009.The program was resurrected in 2011 despite Norton’s chief argument that the D.C. Council, not the Congress, should decide on school vouchers.Batchelor isn’t a fan of vouchers. “Voucher programs don’t necessarily help students achieve academically,” he said. “What is needed and what I support is a good quality school in walking distance or close proximity in every neighborhood in the city.”“Those in support of HB 610 posture that it will ‘systematically’ fix what is wrong with public schools,” Barbara Dezmon, education committee chairman of the Maryland Conference of NAACP Chapters, told the AFRO. “The MSC would suggest that most of the bill’s supporters should try to fix those perceived wrongs rather than adopt measures that encourage ‘flight’ from public schools. With already diminishing resources and cuts in federal funding to education for the public greater good, we just can’t afford investment in voucher programs.”“Additionally, it raises further questions about equity in schools for Black and other minority and poor students,” she said.Dezmon agrees with Batchelor that the value of vouchers is questionable. “Vouchers also have a doubtful history as related to poor students and students with disabilities,” she said. “Often the private schools cannot accommodate these students, so they don’t have the same opportunity. The MSC observes inequities even in public education; however, moves such as those suggested in this bill will only exacerbate problems in this area.”Regarding the watering-down of nutritional standards, Batchelor said that HB 610 “would be a death knell for our kids.”“I represent a ward where children are living in food deserts and obesity is a problem,” he said.King’s bill is in line with the beliefs of President Trump and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the panel that will look at King’s bill if it is scheduled, hasn’t taken a public stand on the legislation but has made it clear through statements that he supports public education.