Singer-songwriter Ron Bultongez is living the American Dream from growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo to being named the “Hometown Hero” of Plano, TX to becoming a Top 24 Finalist on American Idol 2018, where he left Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan in awe of his voice. Ron’s dreams have taken him far. His journey, depth, and spirit are evident in his smooth yet raspy vocals and his bluesy, soulful songwriting.
Month: July 2019
Puerto Rico Governor Chooses Possible Successor
Puerto Rico’s governor says he’s chosen former Congress representative Pedro Pierluisi as the U.S. territory’s secretary of state. That post would put Pierluisi in line to be governor when Rossello steps down this week – but he’s unlikely to be approved by legislators.
Ricardo Rossello made the announcement Wednesday via Twitter and said he would hold a special session on Thursday so legislators can vote on his nomination.
Rossello has said he’ll resign on Friday following massive protests in which Puerto Ricans demanded he step down.
Top legislators have already said they will reject Pierluisi’s nomination because he works for a law firm that represents the federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico’s finances and say that’s a conflict of interest.
Pierluisi represented Puerto Rico in Congress from 2009-2017.
Roadside Bomb Blast Kills Dozens in Afghanistan
Security officials in western Afghanistan say at least 34 people were killed and around 17 others injured after a passenger bus was hit by a roadside bomb on a highway between the cities of Herat and Kandahar.
A provincial official says the bomb tore through the bus, which was carrying mostly women and children. The injured were taken to Herat Regional Hospital for treatment.
No group has claimed responsibility. Taliban insurgents, however, operate in the region and frequently use roadside bombs to target government officials and security forces, even as peace talks involving U.S. officials and Taliban representatives are scheduled to resume.
The two sides hope to establish a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign forces in exchange for security guarantees by the Taliban.
The deadly violence Wednesday came a day after the United Nations reported that nearly 4,000 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the first half of 2019.
The U.N. Afghan mission noted in its report released Tuesday that more civilians were killed by government and NATO-led troops than by the Taliban and other insurgent groups in the first half of 2019.
Близько третини будинків Києва вже сортують і розділяють сміття – влада
Київ запроваджує роздільний збір сміття: у місті встановили 2,5 тисячі контейнерів для пластику, паперу і скла, повідомив заступник голови Київської міської держадміністрації Петро Пантелеєв. За його словами, близько 500 старих і непрацюючих контейнерів замінили «на нові й сучасні».
«Тобто близько третини будинків Києва вже сортують і розділяють сміття. І ми розширюватимемо цю мережу. Переконаний – кияни підтримають нас і сумлінно кидатимуть пластик до пластику, скло до скла, папір до паперу», – сказав Пантелеєв.
Він наголосив, що завдяки роздільному збору місто зможе реально зменшити кількість сміття, яке їде на захоронення на полігони. Європа фактично відмовилась від цього небезпечного методу утилізації, що негативно впливає на довкілля, додав чиновник.
За словами Пантелеєва, усі перевізники, які сьогодні працюють із міською владою, підтримали ідею впровадження роздільного збору.
Чиновник додав, що встановлені контейнери допоможуть щомісяця відправляти на переробку до трьох тисяч кубометрів пластику, скла й паперу.
Teens From Around the Globe Compete at Google
Teenagers from around the world were on Google’s campus this week to compete in a science competition. Their projects brought novel approaches to address health, disability and environmental issues. Michelle Quinn visited their booths to find out more.
A Blockchain Remedy for Handwritten Prescriptions
Doctors’ scrawls and scribbles are notoriously hard to read. Electronic prescriptions remedy the problem but around the world and especially in developing countries, the technology isn’t always accessible. One possible solution? Blockchain, the same technology underpinning cryptocurrency transactions. Tina Trinh reports.
Tanzania Plans to Install Cable Cars on Mount Kilimanjaro
Tanzania is planning to build a car cable service on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest peak and a world heritage site. The country wants to boost tourist numbers but a quarter million porters and mountain guides worry the quick ride up the mountain is a threat to their livelihoods. Charles Kombe reports from Kilimanjaro.
Чорне море удвічі більш забруднене, ніж Середземне – ЄС
У Чорному морі міститься майже вдвічі більше сміття, ніж у Середземному, йдеться в повідомленні делегації Європейського союзу в Україні, оприлюдненому 30 липня.
На основі досліджень, проведених із 2017 року в прибережних водах Грузії, України, Росії й у відкритому морі, ЄС заявляє, що 83 відсотки морського сміття складає пластик: «а саме пляшки, обгортки від цукерок і пакети».
Великі річки України несуть до моря від шести до 50 одиниць сміття на годину.
Таким чином, у Чорному морі є 90,5 предметів сміття на квадратний кілометр. Для порівняння, у Середземному морі їх 50.
Крім того, у дослідженнях Чорного моря зазначено, що «концентрація деяких забруднюючих речовин перевищує порогове значення».
Деякі виявлені хімічні речовини небезпечні для морського життя і життя людини.
Серед них – бензо(а)пірен, «кілька пестицидів, інсектицидів, а також ртуть і антипірени в рибі», йдеться в повідомленні.
Чисельність популяції всіх видів дельфінів, які живуть у Чорному морі, є «відносно низькою», зазначають в ЄС. Найбільші групи дельфінів виявлені поблизу дельти Дунаю і біля острова Зміїний.
Зростає також кількість інвазивних видів, які можуть нашкодити морській екосистемі.
З позитивного ЄС відзначає поліпшення стану найбільшої в світі колонії червоних водоростей – філофорного поля Зернова – з «поганого» до «задовільний».
Крім того, під час досліджень у багатьох пробах по всьому Чорному морю виявили ознаки присутності європейського осетра, який вважався майже зниклим.
«Отримані результати досліджень повинні сприяти» покращенню «статусу Чорного моря …, а також глобальному розумінню поточних ризиків і загроз морській екосистемі», – заявив керівник проєкту ЄС Ярослав Слободник.
Проєкт ЄС із моніторингу Чорного моря триватиме до 2020 року і має бюджет в 1,6 мільйона євро.
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Boston Gang Database Made Up Mostly of Young Black, Latino Men
Boston police are tracking nearly 5,000 people — almost all of them young black and Latino men — through a secretive gang database, newly released data from the department shows.
A summary provided by the department shows that 66% of those in its database are black, 24% are Latino and 2% are white. Black people comprise about 25% of all Boston residents, Latinos about 20% and white people more than 50%.
The racial disparity is “stark and troublesome,” said Adriana Lafaille, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, which, along with other civil rights groups, sued the department in state court in November to shed light into who is listed on the database and how the information is used.
Central American youths are being wrongly listed as active gang members “based on nothing more than the clothing they are seen in and the classmates they are seen with,” and that’s led some to be deported, the organizations say in their lawsuit, citing the cases of three Central American youths facing deportation based largely on their status on the gang database.
”This has consequences,” Lafaille said. “People are being deported back to the countries that they fled, in many cases, to escape gangs.”
Boston police haven’t provided comment after multiple requests, but Commissioner William Gross has previously defended the database as a tool in combating MS-13 and other gangs.
One 24-year-old native of El Salvador nearly deported last year over his alleged gang involvement said he was a victim of harassment and bullying by Bloods members as a youth and was never an MS-13 member, as police claim.
The man spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because he fears retribution from gang members.
He said he never knew he’d made the list while in high school until he was picked up years later in a 2017 immigration sweep.
The gang database listed him as a “verified” member of MS-13 because he was seen associating with known MS-13 members, had feuded with members of the rival Bloods street gang, and was even charged with assault and battery following a fight at school, according to records provided by his lawyer, Alex Mooradian.
Mooradian said he noted in immigration court that the man, who was granted special immigrant juvenile status in 2014, reported at least one altercation with Bloods members to police and cooperated with the investigation. Witnesses also testified about the man’s good character and work ethic as a longtime dishwasher at a restaurant.
”Bottom line, this was a person by all metrics who was doing everything right,” said Mooradian. “He had legal status. He went to school. He worked full time. He called police when he was in trouble. And it still landed him in jail.”
Boston is merely the latest city to run into opposition with a gang database. An advocacy group filed a lawsuit this month in Providence, Rhode Island, arguing the city’s database violates constitutional rights. Portland, Oregon, discontinued its database in 2017 after it was revealed more than 80% of people listed on it were minorities.
In Chicago, police this year proposed changes after an audit found their database’s roughly 134,000 entries were riddled with outdated and unverified information. Mayor Lori Lightfoot also cut off U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement access ahead of planned immigration raids this month.
California’s Department of Justice has been issuing annual reports on the state’s database since a 2017 law began requiring it. And in New York City, records requests and lawsuits have prompted the department to disclose more information about its database.
In Boston, where Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh has proposed strengthening the city’s sanctuary policy, the ACLU suggests specifically banning police from contributing to any database to which ICE has access, or at least requiring police to provide annual reports on the database. Walsh’s office deferred questions about the gang database to police.
Like others, Boston’s gang database follows a points-based system. A person who accrues at least six points is classified as a “gang associate.” Ten or more points means they’re considered a full-fledged gang member.
The points range from having a known gang tattoo (eight points) to wearing gang paraphernalia (four points) or interacting with a known gang member or associate (two points per interaction).
The summary provided by Boston police provides a snapshot of the database as of January.
Of the 4,728 people listed at the time, a little more than half were considered “active” gang associates, meaning they had contact with or participated in some form of gang activity in the past five years. The rest were classified as “inactive,” the summary states.
Men account for more than 90% of the suspected gang members, and people between ages 25 and 40 comprise nearly 75% of the listing.
The department last week provided the summary along with the department’s policy for placing people on the database after the AP filed a records request in June.
The ACLU was also provided the same documents in response to its lawsuit as well as a trove of other related policy memos and heavily redacted reports for each of the 4,728 people listed on the database as of January, according to documents provided by the ACLU and first reported Friday by WBUR.
The ACLU has asked the city for less-redacted reports, Lafaille said. It’s also still waiting for information about how often ICE accesses the database and how police gather gang intelligence in schools.
”After all this time, we still don’t have an understanding about who can access this information and how it’s shared,” she said. “That’s something the public has a right to know.”
California Governor Signs Bill on Presidential Tax Returns
California’s Democratic governor signed a law Tuesday requiring presidential candidates to release their tax returns to appear on the state’s primary ballot, a move aimed squarely at Republican President Donald Trump.
But even if the law withstands a likely legal challenge, Trump could avoid the requirements by choosing not to compete in California’s primary. With no credible GOP challenger at this point, he likely won’t need California’s delegates to win the Republican nomination.
”As one of the largest economies in the world and home to one in nine Americans eligible to vote, California has a special responsibility to require this information of presidential and gubernatorial candidates,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in his veto message to the state Legislature. “These are extraordinary times and states have a legal and moral duty to do everything in their power to ensure leaders seeking the highest offices meet minimal standards, and to restore public confidence.”
New York has passed a law giving congressional committees access to Trump’s state tax returns. But efforts to pry loose his tax returns have floundered in other states. California’s first attempt to do so failed in 2017 when then-Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, vetoed the law, raising questions about its constitutionality and where it would lead next.
”Today we require tax returns, but what would be next?” he wrote in his veto message. “Five years of health records? A certified birth certificate? High school report cards? And will these requirements vary depending on which political party is in power?”
While the law is aimed at Trump, it would apply to all presidential contenders and candidates for governor.
The major Democratic 2020 contenders have already released tax returns for roughly the past decade. Trump has bucked decades of precedent by refusing to release his. Tax returns show income, charitable giving and business dealings, all of which Democratic state lawmakers say voters are entitled to know about.
Candidates will be required to submit tax returns for the most recent five years to California’s Secretary of State at least 98 days before the primary. They will then be posed online for the public to view, with certain personal information redacted.
California is holding next year’s primary on March 3, known as Super Tuesday because the high number of state’s with nominating contests that day.
Democratic Sen. Mike McGuire of Healdsburg said it would be “inconsistent” with past practice for Trump to forego the primary ballot and “ignore the most popular and vote-rich state in the nation.”
McGuire said his bill only applies to the primary election because the state Legislature does not control general election ballot access per the state Constitution.
Chinese Officials Defend Treatment of Muslim Minority Amid International Scrutiny
Government officials in China’s Xinjiang region Tuesday defended re-education camps for Muslim minorities, saying the centers serve as a deterrent against religious extremism and terrorism.
Human rights groups have alleged the camps routinely engage in widespread violations. According to estimates by the United Nations, China has detained some 1 million people at the camps. Rights groups say a number of them are Uighurs. China has come under international scrutiny over its treatment of Uighurs and other members of largely Muslim minority groups.
China says the camps are vocational education centers that provide job skills and decrease extremism.
“Most of the graduates from the vocational training centers have been reintegrated into society,” Xinjiang’s governor, Shohrat Zakir, was quoted by Time magazine as saying.
“More than 90% of the graduates have found satisfactory jobs with good incomes,” he added, using a term for students who finish a course of study.
Another regional official also rejected the characterization of the centers by outsiders.
“Individual countries and news media have ulterior motives, have inverted right and wrong, and slandered and smeared [China],” said Xinjiang vice chairman Alken Tuniaz. He also said a number of people at the camps were being released.
“Currently, most people who have received training have already returned to society, returned home.”
In early June, 22 U.N. ambassadors signed a letter condemning the camps, urging China to release the Uighurs from detention.
In a related development, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday a delegation will visit Xinjiang to observe the Uighur situation.
Earlier in July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the internment of China’s Muslim minority the “stain of the century,” describing their treatment as “one of the worst human rights crises of our time.”
Dubai Ruler, Princess in London Court Over Welfare of Kids
A dispute between the ruler of Dubai and his estranged wife over the welfare of their two young children will play out over the next two days in a London courtroom amid reports the princess has fled the Gulf emirate.
The case beginning Tuesday in Britain’s High Court pits Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum against Princess Haya, daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan.
The princess is believed to be in Britain, where she owns a gated mansion.
The clash between Sheikh Mohammed and Princess Haya is the latest sign of trouble in Dubai’s ruling family. Last year, a daughter of Sheikh Mohammed tried to flee Dubai after appearing in a 40-minute video saying she had been imprisoned.
Manchester Bomber’s Brother to Go on Trial in November
Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi’s brother will go on trial in November following his extradition from Libya for a 2017 attack that killed 22 people, a court ruled on Tuesday.
Hashem Abedi, 22, is accused of buying bomb-making chemicals and making detonator tubes for use in the device, as well as helping to buy a car in which to store components.
He will go on trial at London’s Old Bailey central criminal court from November 5, judge Nigel Sweeney ruled.
Salman Abedi detonated his device outside an Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017, killing young fans and their parents.
His younger brother Hashem Abedi left for Libya before the attack.
He was arrested in Libya days after the bombing but was only extradited back to Britain earlier this month.
Libya has been mired in chaos since the ouster and killing of dictator Moammar Ghadafi in a NATO-backed uprising 2011.
The Abedi family, originally from Libya, had fled to Britain during the dictatorship, but the brothers returned to the country along with their father when the uprising began.
Trump Warns China to Negotiate Trade Deal Now Rather Than Later
As U.S.-China trade talks are set to begin, U.S. President Donald Trump is warning China against negotiating a deal after the 2020 U.S. presidential election — declaring a delayed agreement would be less attractive than a deal reached in the near term.
“The problem with them waiting … is that if & when I win, the deal that they get will be much tougher than what we are negotiating now … or no deal at all,” Trump said in a post Tuesday on Twitter.
…to ripoff the USA, even bigger and better than ever before. The problem with them waiting, however, is that if & when I win, the deal that they get will be much tougher than what we are negotiating now…or no deal at all. We have all the cards, our past leaders never got it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2019
The tweet came as U.S. and Chinese officials gathered in Shanghai to revive talks, with both sides trying to temper expectations for a breakthrough.
The world’s two largest economies are engaged in an intense trade war, having imposed punitive tariffs on each other totaling more than $360 billion in two-way trade.
The negotiations come after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed at June’s G-20 summit to resurrect efforts to end the costly trade war over China’s technology ambitions and trade surplus.
China is resisting U.S. demands to abolish government-led plans for industrial leaders to enhance robotics, artificial intelligence and other technologies.
The U.S. has complained China’s plans depend on the acquisition of foreign technology through theft or coercion.
Days prior to the Shanghai meeting, Trump threatened to withdraw recognition of China’s developing nation’s status at the World Trade Organization. China responded by saying the threat is indicative of the “arrogance and selfishness” of the U.S.
The U.S. delegation in Shanghai will be represented by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. They are due to meet with a Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He, who serves as the country’s economic czar.
МОН: українські учні вибороли 4 медалі на Міжнародній олімпіаді з хімії
Одне «золото», два «срібла» і «бронза» – такі нагороди здобули учасники української команди на Міжнародній учнівській олімпіаді з хімії, повідомляє Міністерство освіти і науки України. Змагання завершилися 30 липня у Парижі.
Загалом на олімпіаді змагалися близько 200 школярів зі 75 країн світу. Вони демонстрували свої знання у практичному і теоретичному турах.
До складу української команди увійшло четверо школярів, кожен з яких посів призове місце:
«золото» – Олександр Кудрик, учень ліцею № 100 «Поділ» (Київ);
«срібло» – Лідія Дубенська, учениця Львівського фізико-математичного ліцею-інтернату при ЛНУ імені Франка;
«срібло» – Гордій Андрусів, учень Львівського фізико-математичного ліцею-інтернату при ЛНУ імені Франка;
«бронза» – Анатолій Кузнєцов, учень Львівського фізико-математичного ліцею-інтернату при ЛНУ імені Франка.
Науковим керівником команди є фахівець Науково-виробничого хіміко-біологічного центру Київського національного університету імені Шевченка Костянтин Гавриленко.
Нещодавно МОН повідомляв, що українські школярі здобули дев’ять медалей на міжнародних олімпіадах із математики і біології.
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ОБСЄ: жінки становлять понад 70% жертв торгівлі людьми
Понад 70% жертв торгівлі людьми становлять жінки, вказує Організація з безпеки та співпраці в Європі у повідомленні з нагоди Всесвітнього дня боротьби з торгівлею людьми.
Особливу увагу потрібно приділяти важкому становищу жінок та дівчат, вказують в ОБСЄ і додають, що уряди мають активізувати зусилля для боротьбі з торгівлею.
«Торгівля людьми – це жахливий злочин. Зловмисникам ще ніколи не було так легко діяти, і водночас із ними ніколи не було так важко боротися. Щоб досягти реального прогресу в боротьбі з цим явищем, державам необхідний далекоглядний підхід, який включає співробітництво далеко за межами національних кордонів», – відзначила директор Управління ОБСЄ з питань демократичних інститутів та прав людини Інґіборг Солрун Ґісладоттір.
30 липня є Всесвітнім днем боротьби з торгівлею людьми. Торгівля людьми є третім (після торгівлі зброєю та наркотиками) за прибутковістю злочином, відзначає благодійний фонд «Карітас-Київ».
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Переможця конкурсу на побудову меморіального центру «Бабин Яр» оголосять восени – міжнародне журі
Міжнародне журі відтермінувало рішення про визначення переможця конкурсу на побудову Меморіального центру «Бабин Яр» на осінь цього року. Таке рішення члени журі ухвалили 29 липня після ознайомлення з п’ятьма проєктами-фіналістами.
Бенджамін Хосбах, директор німецької компанії-організатора конкурсу, пояснив перенесення необхідністю «відшукати найкраще поєднання сильної концепції з органічною інтеграцією проекту у простір Бабиного Яру». До того ж, за його словами, не всі члени міжнародного журі змогли у ці дні прибути до Києва.
Серед тих, хто оцінює роботи архітекторів у складі міжнародного журі – відомі архітектори з України, США, країн Євросоюзу, повідомила виконавча директорка міжнародного центру Голокосту «Бабин Яр» Яна Барінова.
«Ми прагнемо, щоб проєкт-фіналіст відповідав рівню знакової будівлі світового масштабу, про що було заявлено на початку конкурсу. Тому нам потрібен додатковий час, щоб ухвалити правильне рішення», – наголосила Барінова.
За її словами, меморіал виконуватиме «просвітницьку функцію», буде базуватися «на повазі до історичної пам’яті, знанні невикривленої історії та вивченні її уроків». У розмові з Радіо Свобода Барінова зазначила, що майбутній меморіальний комплекс не буде звичайним «пам’ятником на знак пошани загиблих».
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Міжнародний архітектурний конкурс оголосили 19 грудня 2018 року. 1 лютого цього року журі обрало до участі у конкурсі десять архітектурних проєктів зі 160, що зголосились після оголошення конкурсу. Перший етап конкурсу завершився 4 травня. За його результатами члени журі обрали п’ять найкращих проєктів із 10 представлених командами архітекторів і ландшафтних дизайнерів.
Свою концепцію меморіалізації Бабиного Яру 9 лютого представили науковці, працівники музейної сфери й експерти Міністерства культури України. Вони запропонували створити цілісний комплекс, який включатиме меморіальний парк «Бабин Яр – Дорогожицький некрополь», Український музей Голокосту та музей Бабиного Яру. Також науковці запропонували, щоб до комплексу увійшли «пам’ятники і пам’ятні місця, пов’язані з трагедією Бабиного Яру», котрі опиняються поза межами майбутнього парку.
Puerto Ricans Anxious for New Leader Amid Political Crisis
The unprecedented resignation of Puerto Rico’s governor after days of massive island-wide protests has thrown the U.S. territory into a full-blown political crisis.
Less than four days before Gov. Ricardo Rossello steps down, no one knows who will take his place. Justice Secretary Wanda Vazquez, his constitutional successor, said Sunday that she didn’t want the job. The next in line would be Education Secretary Eligio Hernandez, a largely unknown bureaucrat with little political experience.
Rossello’s party says it wants him to nominate a successor before he steps down, but Rossello has said nothing about his plans, time is running out and some on the island are even talking about the need for more federal control over a territory whose finances are already overseen from Washington.
Rossello resigned following nearly two weeks of daily protests in which hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans took to the streets, mounted horses and jet skis, organized a twerkathon and came up with other creative ways to demand his ouster. On Monday, protesters were to gather once again, but this time to demand that Vazquez not assume the governorship. Under normal circumstances, Rossello’s successor would be the territory’s secretary of state, but veteran politician Luis Rivera Marin resigned from that post on July 13 as part of the scandal that toppled the governor.
Next in line
Vazquez, a 59-year-old prosecutor who worked as a district attorney and was later director of the Office for Women’s Rights, does not have widespread support among Puerto Ricans. Many have criticized her for not being aggressive enough in investigating cases involving members of the party that she and Rossello belong to, and of not prioritizing gender violence as justice secretary. She also has been accused of not pursuing the alleged mismanagement of supplies for victims of Hurricane Maria.
Facing a new wave of protests, Vazquez tweeted Sunday that she had no desire to succeed Rossello.
“I have no interest in the governor’s office,” she wrote. “I hope the governor nominates a secretary of state before Aug. 2.”
If a secretary of state is not nominated before Rossello resigns, Vazquez would automatically become the new governor. She would then have the power to nominate a secretary of state, or she could also reject being governor, in which case the constitution states the treasury secretary would be next in line. However, Treasury Secretary Francisco Pares is 31 years old, and the constitution dictates a governor has to be at least 35. In that case, the governorship would go to Hernandez, who replaced the former education secretary, Julia Keleher, who resigned in April and was arrested on July 10 on federal corruption charges. She has pleaded not guilty.
But Hernandez has not been clear on whether he would accept becoming governor.
“At this time, this public servant is focused solely and exclusively on the work of the Department of Education,” he told Radio Isla 1320 AM on Monday. A spokesman for Hernandez did not return a message seeking comment.
‘Uncertainties are dangerous’
Meanwhile, Puerto Ricans are growing anxious about what the lack of leadership could mean for the island’s political and economic future.
“It’s very important that the government have a certain degree of stability,” said Luis Rodriguez, a 36-year-old accountant, adding that all political parties should be paying attention to what’s happening. “We’re tired of the various political parties that always climb to power and have let us down a bit and have taken the island to the point where it finds itself right now.”
Hector Luis Acevedo, a university professor and former secretary of state, said both the governor’s party and the main opposition party that he supports, the Popular Democratic Party, have weakened in recent years. He added that new leadership needs to be found soon.
“These uncertainties are dangerous in a democracy because they tend to strengthen the extremes,” he said. “This vacuum is greatly harming the island.”
Puerto Ricans until recently had celebrated that Rossello and more than a dozen other officials had resigned in the wake of an obscenity-laced chat in which they mocked women and the victims of Hurricane Maria, among others, in 889 pages leaked on July 13. But now, many are concerned that the government is not moving quickly enough to restore order and leadership to an island mired in a 13-year recession as it struggles to recover from the Category 4 storm and tries to restructure a portion of its more than $70 billion public debt load.
Gabriel Rodriguez Aguilo, a member of Rossello’s New Progressive Party, which supports statehood, said in a telephone interview that legislators are waiting on Rossello to nominate a secretary of state, who would then become governor since Vazquez has said she is not interested in the position.
“I hope that whoever is nominated is someone who respects people, who can give the people of Puerto Rico hope and has the capacity to rule,” he said. “We cannot rush into this. There must be sanity and restraint in this process.”
‘Rethink the constitution’
Another option was recently raised by Jenniffer Gonzalez, Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress. Last week, she urged U.S. President Donald Trump to appoint a federal coordinator to oversee hurricane reconstruction and ensure the proper use of federal funds in the U.S. territory, a suggestion rejected by many on an island already under the direction of a federal control board overseeing its finances and debt restructuring process.
As legislators wait for Rossello to nominate a secretary of state, they have started debating whether to amend the constitution to allow for a vice president or lieutenant governor, among other things.
The constitution currently does not allow the government to hold early elections, noted Yanira Reyes Gil, a university professor and constitutional attorney.
“We have to rethink the constitution,” she said, adding that there are holes in the current one, including that people are not allowed to participate in choosing a new governor if the previous one resigns.
Reyes also said people are worried that the House and Senate might rush to approve a new secretary of state without sufficient vetting.
“Given the short amount of time, people have doubts that the person will undergo a strict evaluation,” she said. “We’re in a situation where the people have lost faith in the government agencies, they have lost faith in their leaders.”
Trump Administration Further Tightens Asylum Eligibility Requirements
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has tightened the eligibly requirements for seeking asylum in the United States, making it more difficult for those persecuted because of family ties to be granted protection.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr ruled Monday that that those who seek asylum because of a threat against another family member usually do not have enough of a reason to be granted asylum in the United States.
Barr, as head of the Department of Justice, has the ability to set standards for all U.S. immigration judges and to overturn immigration court rulings.
U.S. law states that people can seek asylum in the United States if they can prove a fear of persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a specific social group. Until now the term “social group” was often interpreted by immigration judges to include families.
In his ruling Monday, Barr argued that virtually all asylum-seekers are members of a family and said “there is no evidence that Congress intended the term ‘particular social group’ to cast so wide a net.”
His decision was in regards to a case involving a Mexican man who sought asylum because his family was targeted after his father refused to let a drug cartel use the family store.
The Trump administration has taken a series of measures to restrict asylum claims, including denying asylum requests to victims of gang violence or domestic abuse. The administration has argued that the asylum system is often abused by immigrants who use fraudulent claims to try to enter the United States.
Immigration activists say the administration’s latest decision reverses years of precedent and could affect thousands of people.
Chinese ‘Cyberdissident’ Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison
A prominent Chinese human rights activist and journalist has been sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges of disclosing state secrets.
Huang Qi, 56, is the founder of the website 64 Tianwang, which documents alleged rights abuses by the government. He has been in custody for more than two years.
His sentence is one of the harshest given to a dissident since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, according to court records.
Huang was guilty of “leaking national state secrets and providing state secrets to foreign entities,” the statement by the Mianyang intermediate people’s court said.
His website, which reported on local corruption, human rights violations, and other topics rarely seen in ordinary Chinese media, is blocked on the mainland.
The journalism advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) refers to Huang as a “cyberdissident,” and awarded him its Cyberfreedom Prize in 2016. A few weeks later, Huang was detained in his hometown of Chengdu, according to human rights group Amnesty International.
Human rights groups, including the RSF, called on Xi on Monday to pardon Huang. “This decision is equivalent to a death sentence, considering Huang Qi’s health has already deteriorated from a decade spent in harsh confinement,” said RSF chief Christophe Deloire.
Huang’s mother, Pu Wenqing, has asked authorities to move him to a hospital to receive treatment for kidney disease, severe weight loss and other ailments.
Numerous Chinese dissidents have fallen ill while in state custody. Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo was serving an 11-year sentence for “inciting subversion of state power” when he died of liver cancer two years ago.
According to RSF, China is currently holding more than 114 journalists behind bars and is ranked 177th out of 180 in the RSF 2019 World Press Freedom Index.
At Least 52 Inmates Killed During Prison Riot in Brazil
Authorities say at least 52 prisoners have been killed by other inmates during a riot at a prison in northern Brazil.
Para state prison officials say 16 of the victims were decapitated while others were asphyxiated.
Inmates also set part of the Altamira prison on fire, preventing authorities from entering parts of the facility. The total number of victims could rise.
Authorities say a fight between criminal groups erupted early Monday.
No members of the prison’s staff were injured.
Tanzanian Journalist Abducted
A Tanzanian investigative journalist, Erick Kabendera, was abducted Monday from his home on the outskirts of Dar es salaam, the country’s business capital.
A leading Tanzanian newspaper Mwananchi reports that Kabendera who writes for local and international newspapers was abducted Monday evening by people who are said to be police officers. Police have immediately denied being involved.
The journalist’s wife Loy Kabendera, told Mwananchi newspaper that the journalist was “picked up by six people who forcibly stormed into the house and left with a Toyota Alphard” car. She said the people identified themselves as police but refused to produce their badges. They also left with cellphones belonging to Kabendera and his wife.
In November 2017 a Tanzanian journalist Azory Gwanda disappeared mysteriously while investigating a series of killings of local government officials and police officers by unidentified assailants near Kibiti in Pwani region. He has not been since.
In early July, Tanzania’s Foreign Minister Palamagamba Kabudi said during an interview with BBC that Gwanda had “disappeared and died.” He later retracted his statement.
Iraq Displays Stolen Artifacts Recovered From UK, Sweden
Iraqi officials are displaying stolen artifacts from the country’s rich cultural heritage that were recently recovered from Britain and Sweden.
Many archaeological treasures from Iraq, home of the ancient “fertile crescent” considered the cradle of civilization, were looted during the chaos that followed the 2003 U.S. invasion and whisked out of the country.
Now Iraq is making a massive effort to bring these pieces home, working closely with the U.N. cultural organization.
The artifacts on display Monday at the foreign ministry in Baghdad include archaeological and historical items, such as pottery fragments and shards with writing dating back at least 4,000 years to the ancient Sumerian civilization.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim said his country is determined to recover its lost heritage, whatever it takes.
Представництво президента в Криму звернулося до прокуратури через нищення собору ПЦУ в Сімферополі
«За вказівкою окупаційної влади, без відома Кримської єпархії ПЦУ, будівельники розібрали дах храму, повитягували двері, вікна…»
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Суд у Москві оштрафував 18 кримчан, затриманих під Верховним судом Росії
Суддя Таганського районного суду Москви Юлія Смоліна 29 липня призначила штрафи в обсязі 20 тисяч рублів (8 тисяч гривень) 18 кримчанам, яких затримали під Верховним судом Росії 11 липня, де вони зібралися на підтримку фігурантів першої бахчисарайської «справи Хізб ут-Тахрір», повідомляє кореспондент проєкту Радіо Свобода Крим.Реалії.
В ході судових засідань захист постійно вимагав забезпечити змагальність процесу, запросивши сторону обвинувачення, а також викликати для допиту свідків з числа співробітників поліції. Суд відхилив всі ці клопотання.
Кримчани, щодо яких був суд, на засідання не з’явилися, але надали письмові пояснення.
Адвокати звернули увагу суду на той факт, що несанкціоновані збори тривали 1 хвилину і 15 секунд, після чого пікетувальники виконали вимоги поліції та прибрали атрибутику, і також, на їхню думку, неправильну кваліфікацію правопорушення.
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В одному випадку захист зазначив, що обвинувачуваний – Олександр Гавриков – взагалі був затриманий на сусідній вулиці.
«Таким чином, у його діях немає події та складу правопорушення», – сказав адвокат Костянтин Андреєв.
Окрім цього, адвокатка Ольга Гнєзділова зазначила під час засідання, що суддя призначає максимальн покарання, передбачене цією статтею, хоча в справі немає обтяжувальних обставин.
За словами Гнієзділової та інших адвокатів, на всі рішення будуть подані апеляційні скарги.
Як повідомляє кореспондент Крим.Реалії, у нарадчу кімнату під час перебування там судді заходили сторонні особи: секретар суду, працівник адміністрації зі зв’язків із громадськістю, працівник канцелярії та невідомий чоловік.
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Штрафи в обсязі по 20 тисяч рублів кожному біли призначені Рустему Таїрову, Едему Абдуллаєву, Олександру Гаврикову, Кязиму Усеїнову, Наріману Ібраїмову, Зенуру Аппазову, Елеонору Ізмаїлову, Рустему Джелялову, Осману Хошу, Іззету Сайфуліну, Марлену Джемілєву, Ремзі Бейтуллаєву, Рефату Камілову, Осману Абдуразакову, Марлену Ахаєву, Едему Алієву, Еміну Рустемову та Аметхану Умерову.
Російська поліція 11 липня в Москві затримала 45 людей, які пройшли під будівлю Верховного суду Росії, щоб підтримати фігурантів першої бахчисарайської «справи Хізб ут-Тахрір». Активісти перебували під будівлею суду з плакатами «Наші діти не терористи», «Припиніть репресії в Криму».
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Українка увійшла до провідної п’ятірки підприємиць ООН
Зоя Литвин – засновниця Новопечерської школи та нішевого медіа-проекту «Освіторія»
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