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travelerplanetsgroup · 4 years ago

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About Biman Bangladesh Airlines

Biman is the national flag carrier, which is fully owned and operated by the Government of Bangladesh. The corporate body of Biman, namely ‘Bangladesh Biman Corporation. It is doing business as Biman Bangladesh Airlines under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism. Biman was established as a corporation on 27 October 1972 with a vision to protect Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd. in the aviation market as a world-class airline. Biman has experienced manpower that is really a good strength though the management of Biman cannot work independently because of government intervention. At the same time considering the global standard of International Airlines, Biman is lagging behind. The staffs are not provided with modern technologies like Computer, internet facilities, etc. The labor passengers have an extreme attraction for the national flag carrier for its home-like hospitality. The returning residents also prefer national carrier for home essence. But the free entry of mega carriers like Saudia, Gulf, Etihad, etc. is creating a threat for the International market. Even domestic private airlines are chasing with the similar pace of Biman.

Overview Of Biman Bangladesh Airlines

Currently, Biman Bangladesh Airlines offers 16 Domestic and 102 International flights through its 13 local and 28 worldwide branch offices. A two-class service (J and Y) is operated on Biman’s wide-body airliners and a single class service is available on the smaller aircraft. Biman also operates a cargo service using the cargo holds of its passenger aircraft to ship freight to international destinations. It has established Cargo Village at Shahjalal International Airport where the cargo is packaged and labeled before being loaded onto its aircraft. In addition to the normal passenger, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca for the Hajj is undertaken by thousands of Bangladesh’s predominantly Muslim population. Airfare pricing is a complicated job. Being a member of IATA airlines has to follow the IATA pricing rules. IATA Tariff Coordinating Conference is the regulatory body of the Air Tariff worldwide both Passenger fare and cargo rate. Biman is far away from modern promotional activities. It has been coming up with all traditional promotional activities such as Tourism Travel Fair, Special Offers, Sponsorship, Media Conference, etc. Distribution of products in airline marketing refers to all aspects of the link between the airline and the passengers. Because of recent development particularly in the area of electronic technology, there are several approaches to reach its a product to the clients.

Biman BangladeshInternational Route

Dhaka- Kuala Lumpur- Dhaka

Dhaka-Bangkok-Dhaka

Dhaka-Singapore-Dhaka

Dhaka – Calcutta – Dhaka

Dhaka-Kathmandu-Dhaka

Dhaka-Yangon-Dhaka

Dhaka -Abu Dhabi- Dhaka

Dhaka -Dammam- Dhaka

Dhaka-Doha-Dhaka

Dhaka-Dubai-Dhaka

Dhaka -Jeddah- Dhaka

Dhaka- Kuwait-Dhaka

Dhaka-Muscat-Dhaka

Dhaka-Riyadh-Dhaka

Dhaka-Bahrain-Dhaka

Dhaka-London-Dhaka

Biman Bangladesh Domestic Route

Dhaka -Rajshahi -Dhaka

Dhaka -Syedpur -Dhaka

Dhaka -Barisal- Dhaka

Dhaka -Chottagram- Dhaka

Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar- Dhaka

Dhaka -Sylhet- Dhaka

Dhaka -Jessore- Dhaka

Traveler Planets

Satmasjid Super Market 2nd Floor, Suit NO:14Mohammadpur Bus Stand, Dhaka-1207

Email: [email protected]

Call for Air Ticket: +8801810-198949, +8801810-198950, +8801810-198951

Traveler planets officially connected with the aviation industry. We are the sales agent of almost all airlines. People choose us for Air ticket booking, issue, reissue, refund, and other travel information. We always ready to provide service via mail, phone call, website, and social media. We ensure a passenger global standard service and quality at the best price. As an International travel blog company our clients can book Hotels and Holiday Packages from our website. It’s an open information resource of the aviation and tourism industry. Traveler planets “Travel Blog” helps to find cheap flights and compares airfare deals from hundreds of airlines and travel agencies. Traveler planets is an international Travel Blog and Information resource of all airlines. We represent, lead, and serve the aviation and travel industries.

#travel #business class flights #Biman #Biman Bangladesh #Biman Bangladesh International Route #Biman Bangladesh Domestic Route #iman Bangladesh Airline #travelerplanets

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longstrydercourierservice · 4 years ago

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Some days I am totally fine and others it hits you in a flash.

It is October 2018. I get up from my desk carrel on our ten-desk, fifty foot, C-suite assistant bullpen. I am the oddball for many reasons, not the least of which being, I can just get up without worrying about my phone. I work in business affairs. My boss is an entertainment lawyer, a deal-maker. Half of my job is dodging phone calls. It isn't a big deal if I miss one. Plus, my boss is eating breakfast and reading an article about a journalist who was murdered. We don't have anything pressing. Our phone hasn't rung in a week.

The office has virtually no solid walls so that everyone can see the view from the 32nd floor of the white tower in Burbank, CA. I decide to take the flashy route past the Studio Chairman's office. He is actually a decent chairman and a family man. He has only been creepy with actresses a few times that I have seen. I give him a smile and a wave as I walk passed, knowing if I don't, I'll hear about it later. I walk past the creative execs, glad, once again, I made a choice long ago not to go down that path.

The communal kitchen on the upper floor of the very minor film studio I work at overlooks the Warner Bros lot and, twice a day, the fireworks from the Harry Potter show at Universal Studios across the LA river. I like to look out and see what season it is on the Superstore set at the very back of the Universal TV lot. As I walk into the kitchen to get a snack and cold drink, I see our CEO, the big boss, looking pensively at the Keurig. Odd, since his assistant made his coffee most days. I say, "Hi. How are you today?" He replies, "I got some bad news about my friend today. It is so weird because I was just at his house a few months ago. I had dinner with he and his wife at their compound. It was beautiful. And now..." I said, "Oh, I am sorry to hear that. What was his name?" My boss replied, "Prince Mohammed of Saudi Arabia. I was supposed to see him again in a few weeks, but now we have to cancel." I had heard the other assistants cancelling the trip. It had been discussed for weeks now, but the CEO was hesitant to cancel our company's commitment to attend an entertainment industry festival in Riyadh. We were courting Middle Eastern investors. I immediately flashed back to the headline my boss had shown me from the New York Times. Yeah... He was talking about the Saudi Prince who murdered (ordered the murder of) Jamal Kashoggi. "Well, I hope you can wrap your mind around it soon. I'm sorry for your loss." I walked back to my desk with my carrot sticks and my Coke zero. I was speechless. I mean, how could I possibly even explain what had just happened? By the end of the day, the company had issued a statement cancelling our attendance at the festival. The plane tickets and hotel cancellation fees were about as much as my annual salary. It's okay though, the boss went to China to court Chinese investors instead. I finished the book I was reading on my phone. My last day at the company was three weeks later.

#entertainment industry #ptsd #why I can never be an assistant again #no travel arrangements ever #i got a different job #away from the C-suite

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healtproblems · 4 years ago

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Abdel Fattah Lukashenko Al-Sisi

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, how the general tightened his grip on Egypt in January at the beginning of last year.

The Egyptian official warmly welcomed his guest President Alexander Lukashenko yesterday. Please, please. The audience applauded and the Sissi smiled with them, who seemed very happy, and he may finally find a low for his personal use in the coming presidential elections. There is no better person than Russia’s iron and fireman, Alexander Lukashenko, who won not only in his election but in Russia’s locked in Europe. The last remaining ruins of the old world of communism. Ten million people. A capital called Minsk. Elections every seven years and Azli’s president have been in power for 23 years. Represented on Sunday night, December 19th, 2010. We are safe for the opponents of one of the world’s most despotic presidents. On the night of the next president's election, nine presidential candidates tried to oust Lukashenko, who has been in power since 19494 for three consecutive rounds at the start of the count. Belarus Central elections Committee declared that all nine candidates will probably get less than half of the votes that Lukashenko will gain. Candidates gathered their supporters and landed in Minsk streets ten thousand opposers, who thought they would stop the election fraud, but Lukashenko shot the police forces, arresting seven of the nine presidential candidates and six hundred opposers. The election thus died in clinical trials. The same night, the red election Commission announced what everyone knew. Eighty percent of the votes for Azli President Lukashenko himself competed. He won himself as well. It is about two thousand five hundred kilometers, passing through five countries and four years only. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as Egypt’s defense minister, who did not have to run for real elections at the beginning of his rise. All roads to the federal palace were open. Successful coup, a turbulent political period, and popular direction toward the military. All this has made the defense minister’s presidential nomination a mere picnic by empty election committees on her shows. No real electoral program. The first election after a coup is the easiest. But he knew that 1818 would carry potential rivals from inside and outside the military. He was known to have had to tighten his grip over four years and to be well prepared to eliminate his rivals. How to win presidential elections in six steps without a teacher. First. Mansour's hunt. Al-Sisi started hunting the leaders of the armed forces. For a full five years. September 2002, 70 brigade members, a large number of the members of the military Council, and close to Tantawi. To retire. The file of the State Land Administration was extracted from major General Adel Emara and forced major General Ismail Othman, director of the Department of moral Affairs, to handle private moral affairs. Strong positions in the junta, such as Mohsen Al-Fangri, Samy Diab, Mukhtar al-Milla, and others, were redesigned as operational levels, which could be called a controlled brigade. Nine months to prepare for the coup, and eight months to unroll its opponents. Second. The opposition required representation by almost everyone. Ten documented massacres against more than 2,600 opponents, about 22,000 dead. More than 10,000 people are infected in just seven months. Third. International shields abroad No major country has moved dormant. Washington stood an arm for Sissi, which refused to call him a coup and kept pressure not to stop aids in any way. The US Congress was the emerging General’s firewall. When Senator Rand Paul asked to cut off military aid after the coup and even the presidential election, Senator John McCain led a counter-voting campaign and crushed it. A sea of funds is quite UAE and Saudi Arabia to support it. At least 31 billion dollars, no one knows where the setback of Europe has gone before the coup seeking future investments. The general bought Moscow support early with more than $4 billion that went to the Russian weapons companies. Israel supported Al-Sissi as no one did, like any other, security and intelligence coordination that was unprecedented in Egypt's history. A fruitful Israeli pressure on Washington to release Apache planes and deliver them to Cairo. Fourth. Back to the comrades of arms, the second fall of Sissi came on the army commands, starting with my law number 18. They have been the fortress of his position as Minister of Defense and the structure of the military Council. Then he sent another set of sayings to catch their capsule on a trip without return. Famous names such as major General Mohammad Arafat, commander of the southern region, and Ahmad Wsuri, commander of the second army. As his son Mahmoud Hijazi ascends the Chief of Staff and Sadiqi Sobhi is a defense. The general accumulated his papers as hell shields for any local opposition. An army led by his friends and family and then the moment has come. He gave himself the position of the Mir and then removed his military response to take over the presidency without any obstacles. The iron fist as usual is any dictator who loved the Sessi doubling his black numbers and burying himself. The weakness of the detainees reached in May 2005 more than 41.000. He rewarded the police for doubling their armament. Only two months after he took office. By the end of July 2004. Major General said Abbas, the northern region leader, and Dahr Abdullah, head of the military engineering organization, called the Council forever. Thus, the General had only two obstacles to be left to the beginning of his presidency. Fifth. The power centers flag Mubarak's flags did not greet the general, so a plan for his penetration and adaptation was launched by his men to fall in their grip by big stations and institutions. The networks of the CCBC, Al-Nahar, Al-Hayat, radio channels and waves, and former sovereign officers controlling the media scene, such as Yasser Salim and Sharif, are out. Or businessmen who have quickly made lightning strikes like Ahmed Abu Hiroshima and Tariq Ismail. One of the General's mysterious arms, which is not known for much. Najib Sawiris, who later withdrew from the scene, was with them. Sixth. Black holes. To solve his last problem, Sissi spent billions of pounds. Build the largest prison network. In Egypt's history. Twelve additional prisons between 2004 and 2005, and five prisons in 2006 and fourteen under construction since 2007 and now are major prisons that swallow anyone who thinks of him in the face of four presidential years of security repression. And regional and international deals. The second election of the admiring foreign general was historic, estimated at $81 billion, and at least historic internal debt of $190 billion and total. No. Astronomical. Debts exceeded LE4 and half trillion barrier; violent economic crises. More than 30 million Egyptians are below the poverty line. Armed organizations that come out of Sinai borders are deployed in Egypt in full despite dozens of weapons deals for the anti-terrorism regime. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi financed 20 billion dollars without using and crushing the public domain, which the general translated with more than one hundred thousand detainees, half of them on political charges. So Sissi knew the game was losing. He cannot stand up to popular anger and serious candidates, and his friend Lukashenko was right. If you want to win a single-vote, as much as you can with women, and you can win the fall of the candidates early. In just two months, you have all fallen the Sisi. Army colonel Ahmed Qansawa appeared. He is also a candidate and a renamer. Face the polite. Military suit. Arabic and healthy. Good English a coherent speech and expressions of self-confidence in which General Haggis saw his first home out of control. By December, the colonel was in his new home with military prison, so the hardliner registered for six years. Al-Sisi borrowed the map of Ibn Salman and detained Ahmad Shafiq in a hotel after his return to Egypt and declared his candidacy. At the beginning of January, the team followed safety and decided its favorite one in 2004 and withdrew. The slaying of the paper, Mohamed Anwar Sadat, head of the opposition reform and Development Party, started easily with a well-planned media attack on which a timetable for elections and an official period for collecting nomination formations are not enough to handle his breakfast. He withdrew. As for General Sami Annan, former Chief of Staff of the Armed forces and one of the highest army commands in the last 20 years, the general exceeded all historical traditions with him. He was arrested from his home for being forcibly hidden and charged with violating military traditions and laws. The last autumn paper was Khaled Ali, who withdrew from the Belarusian Egypt elections, and the Egyptian general would apply the complete guide of Lukashenko. On March 26, 2004, Sessi told everyone that no Egyptian could be forced to elect a president they did not want. The science of truth has made it. A president who came in a military coup that does not leave immediately after his first term. No one will do it. General Franco ruled Spain with iron and fire after his coup and until his death for about 40 years, and Gaddafi left judgment for forty-two years and delivered him with a coup except for a dead body, and crushed a Chilean sniffer for 17 years until Chileans recovered after articles and General Kanaan's arrest on Ankara, leaving only 150,000 detainees And for the vast years of hell, they all went away after long years. Lukashenko himself has not yet left, and though he did not come in a coup like his predecessors or his Sisi friend, the Egyptian general ate the shoulder and benefited from the experiences of all and crushed all. He does not seem to be going soon. It seems. Who came without an election does not leave with elections. Any elections.

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newstfionline · 4 years ago

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Friday, February 5, 2021

Canada puts Proud Boys on terror list, cites active security threat (Reuters) Canada named the far-right Proud Boys a terrorist entity on Wednesday, saying it posed an active security threat and played a “pivotal role” in last month’s attack on the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead. Although the Proud Boys have never mounted an attack in Canada, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said domestic intelligence forces had become increasingly worried about the group. The group’s assets can now be frozen by banks and financial institutions, and it is a crime for Canadians to knowingly deal with assets of a listed entity. Anyone belonging to the group can be blocked from entering Canada. The move underscored constitutional concerns about a Canadian government’s ability to designate a group as a terrorist entity, said Leah West, a national security professor at Ottawa’s Carleton University and former lawyer with the Canadian justice department. Designations are impossible to challenge beforehand and difficult to address afterward, especially given lawyers may be reluctant to provide counsel to members of a terrorist group, she said by phone.

US to cut off support for Saudi-led operations in Yemen amid humanitarian crisis (Guardian) The US has announced an end to its support for Saudi-led offensive operations in Yemen, citing the role the bombing campaign has had in creating the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The announcement was made byJoe Biden during a visit to the state department, capping a whiplash fortnight of dramatic foreign policy changes since his 20 January inauguration. “This war has to end,” Biden said. “And to underscore our commitment, we’re ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales.” The distancing of Washington from Riyadh is one of the most conspicuous reversals of Donald Trump’s agenda, but it also marks a break with the policies pursued by Barack Obama, who had backed the Saudi offensive in Yemen, although he later sought to impose constraints on its air war. The US will also freeze arms sales to Saudi Arabia, and name a special envoy to Yemen, to put more pressure on the Saudis, Emiratis and the Houthi forces they are fighting, to make a lasting peace agreement.

Capt. Tom’s legacy lives on (AP) The legacy of Capt. Tom Moore, the super fundraiser who died Tuesday of COVID-19, lives on in others. Capt. Tom, a World War II veteran recovering from a broken hip, set out to raise 1,000 pounds ($1,400) by walking 100 laps of his back garden before his 100th birthday last April. Three weeks later, he had raised 33 million pounds ($45 million) for Britain’s NHS after his quest cheered a nation in lockdown and triggered donations from around the world. But he also made a broader impact as his simple challenge—to do whatever you can to help others—persuaded the young it’s never too soon to start, and the old that it’s never too late. Take Margaret Payne, 90, who walked up the stairs in her home 282 times to raise 416,000 pounds for the NHS. Payne, from Ardvar in the Scottish Highlands, calculated that the feat was the equivalent of climbing 731 meters (2,398 feet), or the height of Suilven, one of Scotland’s best known mountains that she scaled when she was 15. And then there’s Tony Hudgell, a 5-year-old who lost both legs after being abused as a baby, set out to walk 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and raise 500 pounds for the Evelina London Children’s Hospital. After completing the challenge in a series of daily walks he had attracted more than 1 million pounds of donations. “Captain Sir Tom inspired so many people to take on their own extraordinary challenges, from running marathons to swimming lakes, and he gave us all hope,” said Ellie Orton, chief executive of NHS Charities Together.

How a Bavarian supermarket is helping shoppers find love amid shutdown (The Local/Germany) Can you find love while shopping in Germany? For many, a supermarket may be just about the least likely place for a starry eyed encounter. An Edeka supermarket in the Bavarian town of Volkach, however, is trying to break through barriers amid the coronavirus crisis: every Friday evening has been set aside for “singles shopping.” Every Friday between 6 and 8pm, singles can grab a heart with a number on it at the entrance and stick it on their jacket. If they spot someone they fancy amid the shelves, they can opt to have that person’s number called out at the checkout. Those who are a bit more bashful can simply leave their phone number with a message. For this purpose, slips of paper are laid out on which the type of contact can be ticked off, such as: “I’d be happy to meet you for an orange juice in the fruit department.” “Nothing has taken off yet,” a butcher’s assistant told Bavarian news website Merkur amid a display of schnitzel and minced meat. “At least not here by the meat, but maybe in another department.”

Mountain heartbreak: Italy has deep snow, closed ski resorts (AP) The granite peaks that majestically encircle the northern Italian town of Cortina d’Ampezzo glimmer with one of the most prolific snowfalls in years, while the COVID-19 pandemic silences Italy’s winter resorts. Italy’s 2019-2020 ski season closed unexpectedly early last March, when the country became the first Western country pummeled by the pandemic. A new season has yet to launch, unlike in neighboring Switzerland, which in December allowed lifts to open with restrictions, or in Austria, where residents still can ski. France’s ski lifts remain closed at least through February. In Italy, the pandemic-related closures are a hit to an industry that generates 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in annual revenues and employs 5,000 permanent and 10,000 seasonal workers, according to the association of ski lift operators, ANEF. The association said last year’s early end to the season led to a 20% revenue decline and called the current season a total loss. Factoring in hotels, restaurants and other services, the ski industry generates 11 billion euros ( $13.2 billion) in annual revenues, but travel restrictions have kept activity near zero on top of the stilled lifts.

Twitter Unblocked Accounts That Criticized India’s Government. Now, Its Employees Are Being Threatened With Jail Time Unless It Blocks Them Again. (BuzzFeed News) India’s government has threatened to punish employees at Twitter with fines and jail terms of up to seven years for restoring hundreds of accounts it has ordered the company to block. Most accounts were critical of the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi. On Monday, Twitter complied with the government’s order and prevented people in India from viewing more than 250 accounts belonging to activists, political commentators, a movie star, and the Caravan, an investigative news magazine. Most accounts had criticized Modi, India’s Hindu nationalist prime minister, and his government. But the company restored the accounts approximately six hours later after a Twitter lawyer met with IT ministry officials, and argued that the tweets and accounts constituted free speech and were newsworthy. India’s government disagreed. On Tuesday, the IT ministry sent a notice to Twitter, ordering it to block the accounts once again. It also threatened people who work at Twitter’s Indian arm with legal consequences, which could include a fine or a jail term of up to seven years. “This is really problematic,” said Nikhil Pahwa, editor of MediaNama, a technology policy website, and an internet activist. “I don’t see why the government of India should wade into this territory of trying to censor tweets when they have much bigger problems to deal with.”

Myanmar charges Suu Kyi, giving legal basis to detain her (AP) Police leveled their first formal charge against Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, her allies said Wednesday, accusing the ousted leader of possessing illegally imported walkie-talkies and giving the military authorities who staged a coup a legal reason to detain her for two weeks. The charge came to light two days after Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest and appeared to be an effort to lend a legal veneer to her detention, though the generals have previously kept her and others locked up for years. The military announced Monday that it would take power for one year—accusing Suu Kyi’s government of not investigating allegations of voter fraud in recent elections. Suu Kyi’s party swept that vote, and the military-backed party did poorly.

Myanmar blocks Facebook as resistance grows to coup (AP) Myanmar’s new military government has blocked access to Facebook as resistance to Monday’s coup surged amid calls for civil disobedience to protest the ousting of the elected civilian government and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Facebook is especially popular in Myanmar and the ousted government had commonly made public announcements on the social media site. Internet users said the disruption began late Wednesday night, and mobile service provider Telenor Myanmar confirmed in a statement that mobile operators and internet service providers in Myanmar had received a directive from the communications ministry to temporarily block Facebook. The political party ousted in Monday’s coup and other activists in Myanmar have called for a campaign of civil disobedience to oppose the takeover. In the vanguard are medical personnel, who have declared they won’t work for the military government and who are highly respected for their work during the coronavirus pandemic that is taxing the country’s dangerously inadequate health system. For a second night Wednesday, residents in Yangon engaged in “noise protests,” with people banging pots and pans and honking car horns under cover of darkness.

Japan’s population decline (Nikkei Asian Review) Japan’s population shrank by a record 420,000 people last year, government estimates show, as the coronavirus pandemic dealt a heavy blow to an influx of foreign workers that had helped offset the country’s ongoing natural population decline. The total fell for a 12th straight year, shattering the previous record of 329,000 set just a year earlier. The health ministry estimates Japan’s population at 125.57 million as of Jan. 1, based on confirmed data through July and estimates based on births, deaths and foreign arrival and departure data. The drop owes in large part to a 60% plunge in foreign arrivals that has kept the labor market tight even though the pandemic has slowed the economy and eliminated many jobs.

In Iraq’s ‘Dire’ Economy, Poverty Is Rising—And So Are Fears Of Instability (NPR) With the gold domes of the famed Kadhimiya shrine as a backdrop, nearby streets full of shops, markets and tea-sellers in Baghdad look bustling and vibrant, even at night. Tempting windows display sparkly clothes and cascades of candy in rainbow colors. But shopkeepers say no one has been buying much since Iraq devalued its dinar against the dollar last year. Around the world, economies have been crushed by the pandemic. The International Monetary Fund reported in October that most Mideast economies plunged into recession. But some places are especially vulnerable, among them Iraq. Its economy depends overwhelmingly on oil exports, and as travel halted and demand for fuel dwindled, government revenues tumbled along with oil prices. Government revenues plummeted by 47.5% in the first eight months of last year, the World Bank reports. With drastically less oil revenue, the government has been paying its salaries and pensions intermittently or not at all. Economists say Iraq’s poverty rate may have shot up from 20% in 2018 to 30% or more last year. To try to make it easier to pay those salaries, as well to encourage people to buy domestically instead of relying on imports, the government devalued the dinar against the dollar by about 20% in December. But as Iraq produces very little, people have little choice but to buy imported goods—which are only more expensive now. “Iraq’s economic situation can probably best be described as being dire,” says Ali al-Saffar of the International Energy Agency.

Beirut blast victims want the truth (AP) Days after a massive explosion ripped through Beirut’s port and disfigured the Lebanese capital, family members of some of the 211 people killed in the blast demanded an international probe. It was a swift vote of no confidence in the authorities’ ability to investigate one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history and one of the nation’s most traumatic experiences. The skepticism was justified. Lebanon, a country wrought by political violence and assassinations, has a history of unfinished prosecutions and buried secrets. Six months after the Aug. 4 blast, the domestic investigation has been brought to a virtual halt by the same political and confessional rivalries that thwarted past attempts to uncover the truth in major crimes. Lebanon’s sectarian-based political factions have had a lock on power in the country for decades and have divvied up posts across the state among themselves. Though rivals, they have a common interest in preventing accountability. Aya Majzoub of Human Rights Watch said a U.N. fact-finding mission is needed. “We can’t rest our hope and faith on a broken system that has proven incredibly resilient. We can’t expect the very people who are implicated in these crimes and other big crimes in Lebanon to lead reform.”

In thrice-demolished village, a Mideast battle of wills (AP) It looks like the aftermath of a tornado. There are dirt plots where there used to be makeshift homes; tent poles stacked like firewood; fencing and scrap metal scattered across a desert valley greened by winter rain; a cold firepit and a pile of kitchen essentials where a cooking tent once stood. This is what remains of the herding community of Khirbet Humsu in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli forces demolished it for the third time in as many months. On Wednesday, just minutes after the army left, Palestinian residents were at work repairing their fences—hoping to gather their sheep before dark, knowing the army might return the next day. “We build it up and they tear it down,” said Waleed Abu al-Kbash as he stretched fencing between two posts. “Where am I supposed to go? I have a thousand head of sheep.” Khirbet Humsu, perched on the rolling highlands above the Jordan Valley, is part of the 60% of the West Bank known as Area C, which is under full Israeli military control as part of interim peace agreements from the 1990s. Israel planned to annex the Jordan Valley and other parts of the occupied West Bank last year after getting a green light from the Trump administration, but it put annexation on hold as part of a U.S.-brokered normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates. It still maintains complete control over the territory, leaving Bedouin communities like the one at Khirbet Humsu at constant risk of displacement. Shepherds who rely on seasonal rains and scattered springs are also at the mercy of an arbitrary cycle of demolition and rebuilding.

Innovation (Bloomberg) South Korea returned to first place in the latest Bloomberg Innovation Index, while the U.S. dropped out of a top 10 that features a cluster of European countries. Korea regained the crown from Germany, which dropped to fourth place. The Asian nation has now topped the index for seven of the nine years that it’s been published. Singapore and Switzerland each moved up one spot to rank second and third.

#headlines #news

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good-times-with-theo · 5 years ago

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Black Gold (Chapter Three)

Sydney Boutique Hotel; Sydney, Australia, 3:39 A.M.

Another day, another dollar, as they said. Australia was so uncomfortable with wearing suits and ties, as according to the UN and the Commonwealth of Nations dress code, so the second he always got home, he changed into his usual outfits. The outfits consisted of shorts, t-shirts, and savannah hats. Boots and socks, occasionally. Of course, since he was still trying to find a house for himself, he had to live in a hotel room by himself. The Australian States, or his kids, were all grown up and had their own houses. Mainly because they had the chance to go to college at a young age, unlike their father, who had to fight in both World Wars before even considering university so he could get a well-paying job to support his kids. That was well over 70 years ago now, and here he was: a broke college student trying to find a home so he can stop living at this cursed hotel. Australia sat down on his couch and grabbed his phone, immediately getting a call that was rather coincidental to when he always grabbed his phone out. He answered the phone, only to be greeted by a scream and then the line going dead. “What in the bloody..?” Australia muttered, looking at his phone to see who the caller really was. He felt his heart drop to his stomach when he saw it was from his older brother, New Zealand. What had happened? Australia quickly changed before heading outside, only to find his brother surprisingly okay. “Zealand? What even happened?” Australia asked worriedly. “I heard a scream and--” New Zealand couldn’t help but chuckle. “Australia. That was my Halloween voicemail. Sorry about that.”

“You can’t scare me like that, mate! Do you know how terrified I was?!”

“Haha, yeah, I know. Sorry. I’ll change it. Anyway, we have to go to the Commonwealth of Nations building. Again.”

Australia sighed in annoyance. He didn’t even bother changing back into his suit, mainly because he knew that doing such a task would just delay him and his brother from getting there on time. He got into the passenger seat of his brother’s car, which was a 2010 Ford colored in navy blue that their father had given New Zealand.

Commonwealth of Nations, London, United Kingdom; 7:19 P.M.

After a long drive to the airport, plus a 23-hour long flight from Sydney to London, Australia and New Zealand finally made it in time for the meeting. Of course, they had to stay with their parents until that Sunday, which meant that they would be in their childhood bedroom that they shared for about three to four whole days, plus today, making it five. “Ah, hello, Australia and New Zealand,” Brunei greeted them formally at the door. The two brothers greeted Brunei as they kept walking. Of course, due to Australia’s much taller height than his brother, he saw their father first. “What’s been going on?” Australia immediately asked. “Mom said that you left for London after America had a World War I bomb in his house, then you went missing for three days.” The UK sighed. “Yeah, I know. I went on a secret mission in Buenos Aires with Argentina to figure out certain fault lines. I just returned an hour ago, and now I have a meeting to attend despite my lack of sleep and energy,” the Brit replied, looking at his son.

“Well, what’s going on anyway? You know, with China and Southeast Asia?”

“It’s a long story. Basically, China’s power over the world has been increasing tensions within Asia, Europe, and even North and South America. Even Central America is starting to grow uneasy with China’s growing power. Though, little can be done to stop such a global superpower. The Middle East has been getting worse with the tensions, especially between Bangladesh and Pakistan. The two, once united as father and son, have been arguing due to India’s grip on Bangladesh. I’m sure you know of China’s intentions with the Philippines and North Korea. If not, then that’s a whole other story I’d rather not get into at the moment. In other words besides my own, the world is going on complete lockdown, and that’s all because of Russia and other OPEC members trying to gain Wyomingite oil for their own profits.”

Australia couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Though, China had the tightest grips on himself, his father, and Canada. The three had all been easily manipulated into thinking that China could do no wrong, even when he had been one of the reasons the Cold War even began back in the late 1940s. “Wow,” was all the Australian would say to such a situation. “Mr. UK, Mr. Australia,” Sri Lanka suddenly said to the two. “You’re both needed in Pakistan’s office immediately.” The two nodded, quickly walking to Pakistan’s office in the Middle Eastern section of the Asian Wing. They both hoped it was nothing serious, but who knows. They could both be in deep, deep trouble the second they enter that office.

After a 10-minute elevator ride from the Oceania and European Wings, the two swiftly made their way to Pakistan’s office, knocking on the door before entering. “Pakistan. You called us?” The UK asked firmly. “Yes, yes. Come in. The door isn’t locked,” Pakistan replied from the office. Australia walked in with his father. “What seems to be the issue?” Australia asked.

“Well, I called you two here specifically because of China’s tight, tight grip on us all. Firstly, with the UK. His grip on you is the tightest; always has been, always will be. If you disobey anything he says, your economy will collapse, and so will your nation.”

The UK visibly flinched at the thought. “I know. He also owns half of Australia’s land and helps with his economy as well, whilst he is merely your ally whom you have been having particularly horrid tension within recent years,” he said.

“I know, which is what I would like to acknowledge. His grip on Australia is almost as tight as yours, whilst his on me is hardly even considered a grip. Merely, I am just a puppet for his control. Australia must do everything China says, or else his economy will suffer greatly, but could possibly recover if Australia was forgiven by China for certain actions that he could possibly commit. For example, Australia could make propaganda about China’s communist government, which means that Australia is speaking out against a government that forbids such an act of treason against the Supreme Leader, or the dictator as many other democratic nations refer to them as. If that were to be the case of a situation, China could cut off all trade within Australia’s land, shut down factories, and stop network services, which could cause banks to close and many other tragic collapses in the government. The Australian stock market could collapse, and your own son would be in so much debt that he would never be able to pay it back,” Pakistan said.

Australia stepped a small bit closer to the UK. “Well, what about you?” Australia finally said with enough effort to speak once again. “What will happen if you disobey China?” “Simple,” Pakistan replied. “I will be executed in front of my daughters, Islamabad and Karachi, and my daughters will suffer greatly because of my own actions that were intended to be against China himself, or his government. I do not wish to die in front of my young daughters when even they cannot grasp the idea of death nor grief at such a young age.”

The UK sighed. “We need to deal with China before it’s too late. He could go to America next or even France. He could even reach U.S cities and states,” he said firmly. “He already has,” Australia replied quietly. “Georgia and a few other U.S States rely on China to live. He is their best trading partner. I mean, it’s better than who Louisiana trades with.”

“Who does that boy trade with?” The UK asked hesitantly.

“Saudi Arabia. One of the worst countries ever. He only asks for sand and weapons, which Louisiana, along with Uncle Scotland and a few others, are struggling to keep as their main exports to Saudi Arabia. Especially now since Riyadh, who is Saudi’s son, is now in charge whilst his father is in custody,” Australia answered. Now, it was up to those three to lead a revolution, whether they died in it, or died after it. They needed to break China’s control.

This is only because China is the reason as to why families are being ripped apart, why children are becoming orphans like Riyadh, and even why brothers and sisters are betraying one another for land, just like China had done to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War.

It was their job to either save the world or let everyone become puppets to China.

Cape Town, South Africa; 5:24 P.M.

Even African countries had fallen prey to China’s manipulation. Well, most of them except for a few others. South Africa was one of them. He was the most famous of the African continent and knew exactly why. Though, he hardly spoke and had a rather formal nature to him, possibly because of the British influence on his country. “Greetings, South Africa!” Egypt said proudly, taking a formal bow to the man. “I’m sure you have heard of recent news involving our dear neighbors in the Middle East; Pakistan if I may specify.” South Africa looked up from his work. “Let me guess: China’s taken control again and is causing tension within Southeast Asia and the rest of the world?” He asked in a formal tone. “Good guess! A correct one indeed, Sir!” Egypt replied happily. “Well, I have come to inform you that the United Nations leaders have called you and Somalia to represent all of Africa. Of course, I envy you, but I do not wish to cause sabotage upon you nor our dear Somalian friend!” The two countries suddenly heard a car rolling up in the driveway. Somalia’s car. “Ah! Speaking of our Somalian buddy!” Egypt said with a bright smile, going to the door and letting Somalia in with a bow. “Greetings, Somalia, sir!” Egypt said proudly. Somalia just nodded and went to South Africa. “Hey. I’m sure our messenger here told you about the recent news and the calling of our presence for the representation of the entire continent, right?” Somalia said formally. South Africa nodded. “How will we represent 54 total countries on a supercontinent, though? All of them have different opinions, different claims, and even different ideologies,” he said. Somalia sighed. “I’m not sure,” he replied quietly. “We could ask all of them about the current situation and see which decision has the most. In that case, then we go with that.” South Africa got a pen, paper, and a clipboard. He quickly put the piece of paper on the clipboard and held his pen in his hand. “That’s the best option we have,” he said. “Egypt!” The South African said firmly. Egypt looked up from getting the mail. “Get one of the cars. One of the business ones. I’m sure you know which airport to take us to by now,” South Africa commanded. Egypt nodded, swiftly going out to the garage with a pair of car keys. After a few more minutes, the car that was perfect to arrive at the airport was in their driveway with South Africa and Somalia entering. Now, they had a long drive ahead of them to the nearest airport. A long, quiet drive with nothing but their thoughts.

Cape Town International Airport; 6:24 P.M.

The two countries were now waiting for their flight to Manhattan, New York, so they could attend the United Nations meeting they never thought would happen in their own lifetimes. “I can’t believe what’s going on… First, China’s manipulating everyone, now he’s causing nothing but tensions throughout the world? Soon enough, we’re gonna be hearing about Russia and North Korea’s relations strengthening into a global superpower relations rank,” Somalia said, looking at the news articles on his phone. “Yeah… It’s getting much, much worse ever since China’s population reached one billion,” South Africa replied. “And that’s mere because of the taxes in his own country. They’re high, and they’re giving him nothing but money to him and his government, yet he claims he cannot feed his own children nor his own brother. He also claims that the Hong Kong protests aren’t happening, even though protestors within his daughter’s own country have been getting beaten and arrested by Chinese police officers who work for China.” Somalia knew how serious the situation was getting, and what it could mean for the future of the world. Especially Africa. Most of the countries had some sort of trading route with China, but Somalia never knew if South Africa himself had ties with the communist. The PA System announced that their flight was boarding and the two stood up with their carry-on bags. “You got first class, right? I don’t want to be sitting next to a crying baby the entire flight,” Somalia said to his friend. “Of course I got first class. Who do you think I am, Central African Republic?” South Africa retorted, looking at Somalia. Somalia chuckled. “No, of course not. Besides, being rich is better than being poor. We can laugh in the faces of those poor imbeciles and watch their countries collapse into chaos, war, and even protests. Like Europe’s current condition,” the Somalian said, a proud grin on his face. South Africa fell silent as he boarded onto the plane. Sure, he was rich and kind of a snob, but that doesn’t mean he was rude and arrogant like many people thought he was. He always offered his help to the other countries of Africa, and even on other continents like Oceania and North America (even though North America didn’t really need his help anymore. Well, Mexico does but he prefers not to speak of it.) After they got situated on the flight, they were offered food and drinks, which the two politely declined for the first half of the flight. Oh, how they regretted it later. As they were flying over the Indian Ocean, they felt an unusual amount of turbulence. It caused people's carry-on bags to fall out of their compartments and spill all over the floor. “What’s happening?” Somalia asked nervously, looking at South Africa. “We have to jump out of this plane. It’s going down,” South Africa replied, only loud enough for Somalia to hear. Somalia was shocked as most people would be, but he nodded in agreement not a moment later, grabbing out the life jackets and raft from his carry-on bag. “I keep these on me at all times. I always come prepared,” Somalia said when South Africa looked at him weirdly. South Africa just nodded and they went to the back of the plane, opening the cargo door as some cargo fell into the Indian Ocean. “Push the life raft into the water after you get your life jacket on!” Somalia shouted over the roaring plane engines next to him and South Africa. They felt a jolt and the life raft suddenly fell out with Somalia still in it. “Somalia! Are you okay?” South Africa asked from the cargo door. “Yeah! I think,” Somalia replied. “Jump down! The boat’s drifting away too quickly for me to try and stop it with the ore!” Somalia then shouted up. South Africa took a running start and jumped into the life raft, landing on the boat safely. “Thank the Gods,” Somalia muttered. “You alright?” He then asked South Africa. “Yeah. I’m fine. What should we do now?”

“We wait until we see land. It’ll be a long, long drift to New York’s coast.”

“Okay. I understand.”

The two countries started their long journey to the United States coastal line. It would be a long, cold road ahead of them. But they had each other. For now.

Mexico City, Mexico; December 16th, 2019

Christmas was always hectic for Mexico. Of course, so was Mexico City, but that was normal for his capital. He had just gotten out of the local cafe shop when he was called by America. “Hola?” Mexico said as he answered. “USA, why are you calling me? Aren’t you busy with the current situation between you and OPEC?” America sighed. “I was, but then South Africa and Somalia washed up on New York’s shore. Now I have to take care of their injuries,” he replied.

“Let me guess; you called me so I could go over and take care of them while you deal with a possible third World War on your hands?”

“Yeah! That would be great! Could you come over right now if that’s possible?”

Mexico was a little concerned. He still had to finish wrapping gifts for his kids, and if he stopped, they could find them and it would no longer be a surprise. “USA, it’s almost Christmas! I cannot take care of them while I still have a family to care about!” Mexico said, clearly upset.

“Fine, fine, fine. When you’re done wrapping gifts, get over here. Or else I’m telling Argentina of what happened with you and Brazil,” America replied as he hung up. Mexico immediately knew he couldn’t let Argentina know how he actually broke his arm back in September. He quickly drove up to America’s border and got in, meeting America there.

“Wrapping gifts didn’t really seem that important after all, huh?”

“Oh shut it, you American idiot.”

Long Island, New York; 11:23 A.M.

“So what exactly happened? Do either of you remember anything?” Canada asked the two African countries. “I remember hearing that the plane was coming down, jumping out of the cargo door, and landing in this life raft,” Somalia replied. “Canadá, just give up already,” Mexico said, looking at the Canadian. “Somalia is the only one that can still be considered alive, whilst South Africa could die at any moment if we don’t get a blood transfusion in the next hour.” Canada just sighed, pulling a chair from the dining room table and sitting down, staring at the ground. “USA, you should call Switzerland. He’s the only doctor around for miles,” Greenland chimed in, looking at America. The American shrugged. “Does it look like I would have the number for that Swiss?” America said firmly.

“Well, isn’t he one of your closest allies, like that Italian?”

“What did you just say about Italy?!”

Canada grabbed America and made him sit down. “I know I have Switzerland’s number, so let me call him.” He then turned to America. “Don’t attack Greenland unless you wanna get on Denmark’s bad side. You know fully well how he can get if you attack his territory that is already beginning to melt because of your pollution.” He swiftly left the room, his snow boots clicking on the hallway floor as he dialed Switzerland’s number. “Hey, Switz? You got a moment or two?” The Canadian asked.

“Yes, why? Did America run out of medication?” Switzerland asked.

“No, no. America is fine. He’s been taking his BPD meds. It’s about South Africa. We found him and Somalia stranded on Long Island’s beach after New York called us, demanding we rush over there immediately.”

There was a moment of hesitation before Switzerland answered. “I’ll be right there,” he then said with a sigh. He then hung up.

Canada walked back out of the other room. “Switzerland is on his way. We can also assume that Austria might be brought over as well,” he said to the others. America visibly flinched at the mention of Austria, for Austria had been the person to approve of the oil heist. “I know you don’t want him to come, but I still want so save South Africa. He doesn’t deserve to die because of him trying to escape a crashing plane,” Canada then said. He then heard knocking and let Switzerland inside. “He’s upstairs in the guest room. Somalia is fine,” Mexico said to Switzerland, looking at him. Switzerland nodded, and Austria soon followed him upstairs. The Austrian felt America’s eyes on him the whole way. He was honestly nervous to be in the same house as someone whom he had tried to steal from. Now, they had to deal with not just the crisis, but two African countries found injured on American soil. That added more tension, and now European countries were beginning to get involved.

#country humans #countryhumans #countryhuman #ch #countryhumans mexico #countryhumans somalia #countryhumans south africa #countryhumans canada #countryhumans america #countryhumans switzerland #countryhumans austria #statehumans #statehumans new york #countryhumans egypt #countryhumans australia #countryhumans new zealand #countryhumans pakistan #countryhumans china #xountryhumans uk

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bowtochris · 5 years ago

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So Much Fucking Shit Happened This Month OMG

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events

March

1st: Afghan president Ashraf Ghani rejects a clause in the U.S.–Taliban deal setting the release of Taliban prisoners Former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg suspends his presidential campaign.

2nd: Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar suspends her presidential campaign Two dozen more cases are reported in the U.S., bringing the total number of infected Americans to 102.

3rd: Three tornadoes, two at least EF 3 in strength, rip through downtown Nashville and surrounding towns, killing 25 people. Myanmar turns a Silversea Cruises cruise ship away due to fears of coronavirus

4th: The United States Armed Forces says it has carried out its first airstrike against the Taliban since a peace deal was signed on February 29, 2020. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg suspends his presidential campaign. The United States confirmed 11 total deaths, with the first death outside of Washington state in California. California's total of infections has jumped to 51. The country confirmed 33 new cases, bringing the total number to 159.

5th: The Republican-controlled Arizona House of Representatives passes a bill banning transgender females from women's sports. In total, the US confirmed 69 more cases, bringing the total number to 228. Three more deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 14.

6th: SpaceX successfully launches a Dragon spacecraft in orbit to resupply the International Space Station. Florida confirms its first two deaths from the coronavirus.

7th: The Xinjia Express Hotel, which was being used for quarantining those with COVID-19, collapses in Quanzhou, Fujian, China. Ten people were killed and twenty-three are trapped. Thirty-eight have been rescued alive. The total number confirmed cases of for the US increased to 444. There was 1 new death, 11 in total.

8th: California U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate Kamala Harris endorses former Vice President Joe Biden in his campaign for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson endorses Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in his campaign for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. The first COVID-19 death is confirmed in Canada.

9th: Black Monday - Prior to opening, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures market experienced a 1,300 point ... This predicted 1,300 point drop would establish 9 March as being among the most points the Dow Jones Industrial Average has dropped in a single day. By the end of the day, it fell a total of 2,013.76 points. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit confirms a 2016 ruling that Led Zeppelin's 1971 song "Stairway to Heaven" was not unlawfully copied from Spirit's instrumental "Taurus". The United Kingdom's largest retailer Tesco say they will be restricting the sale of essential food and household items in response to fears of mass panic buying.

10th: Vladimir Putin backs a constitutional amendment that would allow him to remain in power after 2024 and make a lifetime presidency possible. Iran reports 881 new confirmed cases and 54 more COVID-19 deaths, the highest number of deaths in a single 24-hour period in the country to date, bringing the total to 8042 cases and 291 deaths.

11th: The bond market falls, in the first time since the financial crisis of 2007–08 that the stock and bond markets moved in the same direction. American film producer Harvey Weinstein is sentenced to 23 years in prison for two felony sex crimes. The world's largest annual video game industry event E3 2020 is officially cancelled due to concerns over the coronavirus.

12th: Black Thursday - All three major United States trading indexes fall 7% during early trading, leading to a 15-minute trading halt. They all closed over 9% down. The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 10%, the largest one-day percentage drop since ... 1987. First day where every story on Wikinews is coronavirus-related.

13th: Delta Air Lines says it will cancel all flights to Europe for the next 30 days. Florida, Arizona, Illinois, and Ohio will proceed having Democratic Party primaries despite the coronavirus outbreak. Astronomers discover 139 new "minor planets" in the Solar System that are beyond the orbit of Neptune.

14th: A total of 16 U.S. states have closed all of their schools. Italy's Ministry of Health reports 250 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest number of deaths in a single 24-hour period in the country to date. The Mayor of Bergamo Giorgio Gori says churches are now being used to store dead bodies as the city's morgues are full.

15th: The first one-on-one debate of the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries takes place between former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders in Washington, D.C., instead of Arizona as originally scheduled and without an audience as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues a recommendation to suspend gatherings of 50 or more people for the next two months. The governors of five states: California, Ohio, Illinois, Washington and Massachusetts, order bars and restaurants to close in response to the pandemic.

16th: The Dow closes 2,997 points or 12.9% lower - its largest daily points movement. The U.S. has 4,459 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of today, resulting in 86 deaths. West Virginia remains the only state with no confirmed cases.

17th: The Senate of Spain ratifies North Macedonia's accession protocol for NATO, becoming the last of NATO's 30 members to do so. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady announces he will not re-sign with the team, and will instead select free agency. West Virginia confirms its first case of COVID-19, becoming the last U.S. state to do so. Governor Jim Justice ordered restaurant dining rooms, bars, and casinos to close for two weeks.

18th: An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 hits Salt Lake City, Utah, with several aftershocks reported and tens of thousands of residents left without power. The earthquake is the largest in the state since the 1992 St. George earthquake. COVID-19 cases in Washington exceed 1,000. The United States reports its 150th death from COVID-19, with a total of at least 9,400 confirmed cases nationwide.

19th: Tulsi Gabbard ends her presidential campaign in the 2020 presidential election U.S. President Donald Trump calls for the Syrian government to release journalist and veteran Marine Austin Tice, arguing the "U.S. has done a lot for Syria". U.S. Senate Republicans unveil a $1 trillion economic stimulus package proposal to aid businesses and the American public during the coronavirus pandemic.

20th: The parliament of Ghana votes to legalize the medical and industrial use of cannabis. Madagascar confirms its first cases of COVID-19. The United States moves Tax Day from April 15 to July 15 due to the spread of the coronavirus.

21st: China reports zero domestic cases of COVID-19 for a third consecutive day. Yonhap News Agency reports that North Korea has fired two projectiles from Pyongan Province into the Sea of Japan. Ketchikan, in Southeast Alaska, shelters in place after six people test positive for COVID-19 in the town of 8,000 residents.

22nd: Pope Francis, in a call for a worldwide prayer, announces he will hold a special service to pray for the end of the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Senate votes down a coronavirus relief stimulus bill. Former film producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein tests positive for COVID-19. He is put in isolation at the Wende Correctional Facility.

23rd: Colorado abolishes the death penalty and commutes sentences of death row inmates. The ancestor, Ikaria wariootia, of all animals with a bilateral body plan is discovered as a fossil in rocks of South Australia. Rapper-turned-informant 6ix9ine requests an early prison release over fears of COVID-19.

24th: I'm allowed to work from home starting today. In Lynchburg, Virginia, Liberty University reopens, despite the coronavirus. The 2020 Summer Olympics has been postponed to 2021 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

25th: Turkey indicts 20 Saudis for the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi. None of them are Prince Mohammad bin Salman. The United States has its deadliest COVID-19 day to date, with 223 related deaths. New York City records 81 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the city's death toll to 280. Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned that more than half of all New Yorkers could become infected.

26th: The United States Space Force launches its first satellite into space aboard a Atlas V rocket. A bomb explodes near a Sikh crematorium in Kabul, wounding a child and disrupting funerals for 25 people bombed and shot the day prior. 2020 G20 Riyadh summit - World leaders convene virtually to coordinate a response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S. reaches 1,200. The total number of cases in the country is 83,097. The U.S. has surpassed China in number of active cases, making it the country with the most cases in the world.

27th: Pope Francis delivers a special Urbi et Orbi blessing in an empty Saint Peter's Square, praying for the end of the coronavirus pandemic and offering a plenary indulgence to repentant sinners. The House of Representatives passes a $2 trillion stimulus relief bill as an effort to save the economy during the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump signs the bill. Uzbekistan reports the first death from COVID-19, a 72-year-old woman with underlying health conditions in the city of Namangan. The USNS Mercy, which has 1,000 beds, arrives in Los Angeles to offer assistance during the COVID-19 crisis.

28th: In a televised address, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi offers to release five Saudi prisoners of war in exchange for the release of dozens of Palestinian activists convicted by Saudi Arabia earlier this month. New York postpones its primary from April 28 until June 23 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

29th: North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles into the ocean, the latest in an unprecedented flurry of launches. Both South Korea and Japan condemn the launching. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo extends the stay-at-home order for non-essential workers to April 15.

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saudicoaches · 5 years ago

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antoine-roquentin · 5 years ago

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The Rapid Support Forces, the notorious paramilitary group that led last Monday’s bloodshed, has an iron grip on the city. On major streets, soldiers cluster under trees or lounge around pickup trucks mounted with machine guns. In the south of the city, dozens of military vehicles line the inside wall of a sports stadium. Dozens more are parked in a nearby recreational park.

The most powerful man in the capital is widely considered to be Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, known as Hemeti, the leader of the Rapid Support Forces — even if the junta is formally led by another general, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, of Sudan’s regular army.

A onetime camel trader, Hemeti rose to prominence as a commander of the feared janjaweed, the militia accused of genocidal atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region in the 2000s. Now he has turned his troops on Khartoum, with backing from powerful patrons in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates who have lavished him with money, weapons and advice.

Emirati-made armored vehicles patrol the streets of Khartoum. The Saudis and Emiratis have pledged $3 billion in aid to prop up the ailing Sudanese economy. Hemeti flew to Riyadh to meet the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, last month.

Saudi and Emirati cargo planes have landed at Khartoum airport in recent weeks, apparently bearing military matériel, said Siddig Abufawaz, a former airline pilot now in the opposition.

Subscribe for original insights, commentary and discussions on the major news stories of the week, from columnists Max Fisher and Amanda Taub.

“They offloaded a lot of heavy boxes and some military vehicles,” he said.

Faced with overwhelming force, and the evident ruthlessness of the Rapid Support Forces, the protesters, most of them young Sudanese and led by doctors and other professionals, have gone underground.

The internet blackout is hurting them badly.

During the 11-week uprising that toppled Mr. al-Bashir, protesters used social media to organize, dodge the security forces and publicize abuses. Now just a handful of hotels and some homes are connected to the internet, leaving protesters stranded.

“They don’t want the truth to be shown to the world,” said Ahmed Babikir, a dentist, speaking by phone from a hiding place in the Burri neighborhood, a hotbed of protests....

The Sudanese Professionals Association, which helped lead the protests that toppled Mr. al-Bashir, has ordered supporters to avoid confrontation with the security forces during the general strike, which they say will last until the military cedes power. But they are faced with the might of Mr. Bashir’s notoriously harsh security apparatus, now enthusiastically reasserting itself.

“The deep state still exists and is still running the country; you can feel it everywhere,” said Rudwan Dawod, an opposition leader. “Systematically, we are still in the Bashir era.”

On the table before Mr. Rudwan lay a couple of SIM chips — like many people, he is abandoning his regular phone numbers to avoid surveillance or arrest.

The military hopes to counter the strike with targeted intimidation. One major focus is to keep the Khartoum airport running.

Last week Adil Mofti, a businessman who runs a major air services company, told his staff it was safer to stay home. On Thursday, he was summoned by the security forces.

“I hope you will hear from me again,” he said by phone before leaving home.

On Sunday morning, relatives said they had learned that Mr. Mofti fell into a diabetic coma in detention after his request for medication was denied. His wife expressed fear he might die.

Behind the displays of unity, cracks are showing inside the protester ranks. Some criticized their leaders for having failed to negotiate a power-sharing deal with the military since April. Others blamed themselves for not seeing the crackdown coming from Hemeti, the Support Forces leader.

“We knew he was a criminal from the beginning,” said Mr. Ali, the doctor in hiding. “But we couldn’t fight everyone then. So we just looked the other way.”

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gaylornation · 6 years ago

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“In late October 2017, Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser, dropped into Saudi Arabia for an unannounced visit to the desert retreat of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was in the process of consolidating his power. The two men talked privately late into the night.

Just a day earlier, Mr. Kushner’s younger brother, Josh, then 32, was flying out of the kingdom.

Jared came to talk policy, but Josh was there on business.”

“The founder of an eight-year-old venture capital firm, Josh Kushner had spent the three days before his brother’s arrival at an investor conference, where Prince Mohammed had promised to spend billions of dollars on a high-tech future for Saudi Arabia.

As others sat through speeches in a gilded conference hall, several participants said, the younger Mr. Kushner frequently ducked out for more exclusive conversations with Saudi officials.

Some government ethics lawyers say those conversations — never hidden, but not previously reported — create the appearance of a potential conflict of interest. Although Jared Kushner severed his ties with his brother’s company and divested his interest in his brother’s funds around the time he entered the White House, he was nonetheless discussing American policy with the rulers of the kingdom at virtually the same time that his brother was talking business with their top aides.

A spokesman for Josh Kushner’s firm, Thrive Capital, said that it was not in a formal fund-raising period at the time of the conference. A year later, however, the company raised $1 billion. And two people who spoke with Josh Kushner at the conference said he had been actively promoting a health insurance start-up he founded in 2012, Oscar Health, which five months later announced a fresh $165 million round of financing.

A spokesman for Josh Kushner said the management of Oscar Health knew of no direct investment by Saudis. But the spokesman, Jesse Derris, declined to disclose whether Saudis had invested in any Thrive funds. Mr. Derris said only that Thrive had received no money since the presidential election from any Saudi who had not previously invested in its funds.

“Out of an abundance of caution, Thrive instituted a policy shortly after the 2016 election to prohibit investments from new foreign investors with business in front of the current administration,” Mr. Derris said in a statement. “It has abided by that prohibition.”

But he declined to answer whether Thrive has continued to receive money from Saudis who began investing before November 2016.

Jared Kushner appears to have been closely involved in Josh’s venture capital firm, having sat on the board and investment committees of Thrive Capital until January 2017, his financial disclosure forms show.

He also received at least $8.2 million in capital gains from various Thrive funds while working in the White House, according to a financial disclosure form filed in May 2018.

Whether Jared Kushner was aware of his brother’s visit to Riyadh or of any Saudi investment in his brother’s funds could not be determined. Spokesmen for the White House and for Jared Kushner’s lawyers declined to address those questions publicly.

Jan Baran, a Republican lawyer specializing in government ethics, said an investment in a fund run by Thrive Capital did not appear to pose legal problems for Jared Kushner, unless his role in the White House gave him oversight over matters related to the Saudi investment.

But Kathleen Clark, an expert on government ethics and a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said Saudi discussions with Josh Kushner raised issues for his brother.

“The timing looks bad, O.K., but the bigger issue is his brother’s business,” she said. “It is reasonable to question Jared Kushner’s ability to be impartial in dealing with the Saudis.”

At the time of the conference, Prince Mohammed was basking in favorable attention from many in the West for having taken preliminary steps to open up the kingdom’s economy and relax its social codes. The New York Times was one of several media companies that co-sponsored the 2017 investment conference. Several Times journalists attended, and one spoke briefly with Josh Kushner.

But the bond between Jared Kushner, 38, and Prince Mohammed, 33, has drawn more scrutiny as the crown prince has displayed more aggression.

A week after the Kushners left the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Prince Mohammed ordered the extrajudicial detention of about 200 businessmen and former officials in a Ritz-Carlton hotel, some of whom were evidently tortured. He was also behind the bizarre kidnapping of Lebanon’s prime minister. And months later, he directed the arrests and, according to relatives, torture of prominent women’s rights advocates.

Then, last October, his agents killed and dismembered the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside a consulate in Istanbul — on the orders of Prince Mohammed, American intelligence agencies concluded.

The crown prince has led a four-year military intervention in Yemen that has brought on a humanitarian catastrophe with no end in sight. At the same time, he has sown division among American allies in the region by trying to isolate Qatar over policy disagreements.

Jared Kushner, though, has steadfastly supported the prince.

From the start of the administration, Mr. Kushner has argued persistently that Prince Mohammed can become a vital ally, especially in bringing the Palestinians into agreement with a promised American peace plan. He pushed past the objections of cabinet members and senior officials to persuade Mr. Trump to visit Saudi Arabia on his first trip abroad as president.

And even after a bipartisan backlash over the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, Mr. Kushner argued successfully that Mr. Trump should stand by the prince. Last month, the White House defied a congressional deadline for a report from Mr. Trump about who directed the killing, sidestepping pressure to acknowledge the intelligence findings about Prince Mohammed’s role.

Professor Clark said that ethics laws could require Jared Kushner to recuse himself from White House deliberations about the response to those congressional demands or other specific proceedings involving the Saudis.

Not long after the congressional deadline expired, Jared Kushner flew to Riyadh for his first face-to-face meeting with Prince Mohammed since Mr. Khashoggi’s death.

Critics of Mr. Trump have often argued that a tacit financial interest hovers over his administration’s dealings with the oil-rich rulers of the Persian Gulf, if only because they are major investors in American real estate. Both Mr. Trump and Jared Kushner are expected to go back into the business of selling real estate investments when they leave the White House.

Josh Kushner, however, has largely escaped the scrutiny that has fallen on the Trump administration, in part because he kept his distance. He stepped away from the family business to found his venture capital firm, and he is a Democrat who has said he voted against Mr. Trump despite the family connection.

Supporters of Josh Kushner note that his young firm has scored early wins — like a timely investment in the photo-sharing app Instagram — and that he was regularly invited to major tech investment conferences before 2016.

But the Riyadh conference drew Wall Street titans, and some attendees questioned how a relatively small player enjoyed high-level access to Saudi officials. On a list of the top 100 venture capitalists compiled by the trade publication CB Insights in collaboration with The New York Times, Josh Kushner appeared for the first time in 2018, entering at 99.

One of those he met, during an opening night party for V.I.P. guests, was Yasir Al-Rumayyan, an aide to the crown prince and the managing director of the kingdom’s vast Public Investment Fund. Another was Mr. Al-Rumayyan’s son Faisal, a student at New York University, and two of his associates said that after returning from Riyadh, they socialized together. (A person close to Josh Kushner said the two met face to face only once after the conference.)”

#i really do think things are going to start moving on the jared/josh side in the next few months #there are plenty more shoes to drop #like i think there's something shady going on with Oscar #kushner

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eflyto · 6 years ago

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political-fluffle · 6 years ago

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(...) It all started back in April of 2017, after Jared Kushner’s father, Charles Kushner, met with the Qatari finance minister at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City.

“Charles Kushner asked for $1 billion according to someone in that meeting, to whom I have spoken. The Qataris turned Charles Kushner down because the deal was a bad deal,” Ward explained to KrassenCast.

The deal she is talking about was in regards to a building owned by Kushner Properties located at 666 5th Ave. At the time, the company was headed towards a foreclosure of the property as a balloon payment came due in January of 2019. According to some sources, the revenue from the building only covered approximately 50% of the mortgage payment.

Ward then went on to explain the shocking details of what happened next, according to Qatari officials:

“What I have learned is that in the ensuing month [May 2017] before the US visit to Riyadh, Jared Kushner got on a plane and flew to Doha, the Qatari capital, and he reamed the Qatari ruling family, the al-Thanis, for not doing the deal with his father… They began to feel that he was indirectly threatening their sovereignty. The next thing they know, when they show up to the summit in Riyadh, the Emir, the ruler of Qatar, arrives with an entourage, but his entourage is suddenly cut off from him, and not allowed into the summit at the same time by the Saudis, which he felt was a move to deliberately make him look weak. You have to remember during this summit, Jared and Ivanka go off for a cozy secret unmonitored dinner with [Saudi Crown Prince] MBS. Nobody knows what they talked about,” Ward explained to KrassenCast.

Just ten days later, against the advice of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis, the United States supported the Saudi and UAE-led blockade of Qatar. On June 6, 2017 President Trump shockingly supported the blockade of a key US ally in the region, forcing many within his own Administration and the GOP to question the move publicly.

“What the Qataris found was not just a blockade. There were Saudi [and] Emerati troops on their border,” Ward explained to KrassenCast. “What they interpreted this as, was Jared Kushner basically saying, ‘if you don’t pay my father and pay off this building, look what’s going to happen. We’re going to, I’m going to, the Americans are going to sanction an invasion of your country.’ Sources in the State Department say, yes, it’s true; troops were on the border,” Ward continued.

Nine months later, a Canadian company, Brookfield Partners, who the Qatari Investment Authority owns a $1.8 billion or 9% stake in, bailed out Kushner Properties, with a 99-year lease agreement for 666 5th Ave.

“They bail it out in a deal that makes absolutely no economic sense. They do a 99-year lease and they pay the entire 99-year lease up front. You don’t need to be good at math, you don’t need to be in the New York real estate community to understand how crazy that is,” Ward told KrassenCast.

Around this same time, President Trump publicly shifts course, no longer supporting the blockade, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tells Saudi Arabia to stop the embargo. (...) We asked Ward her opinion on whether Qatar wanted it to be known that Kushner was likely extorting their nation by using the Saudi government as his pawn. Her response was rather frightening.

“I think the Qataris probably want it out there, but they don’t want their fingerprints on it because that would be dangerous to them. I think they’re genuinely afraid of Jared Kushner, so they don’t want to be associated with getting the story out there. They think their sovereignty is under threat and Jared is behind it. So, and they want that to end,” Ward explained.

Ward closed out the interview with the shocking revelation that she has heard that there is documentation out there to prove this apparent extort.

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labbaikhajjumrahguide · 3 years ago

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Important Facts about Traveling During The Month of January

What is Umrah?

Umrah is named after Makkah Mukarramah, a short version of the annual Hajj Ijtema. The word "Umrah" in Arabic signifies "visiting a populated place".

Umrah provides an opportunity for Muslims to renew their faith, apologize and pray for their needs. He who does this is free from sin.

These are the Most Important Facts about Travelling During January.

Weather in January

Temperature

Humidity

Clouds

Precipitation

The Busiest and Least Crowded Months

Weather in January

January, like December, is another tropical winter month in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, with average temperature fluctuations of 18.8°C (65.8°F) and 30.5°C (86.9°F).

Temperature

January is the coldest month with average high temperatures of 30.5°C (86.9°F) and an average low temperature of 18.8°C (65.8°F).

Humidity

January and December are the wettest months, with an average relative humidity of 47%.

Clouds

The month of January in Riyadh experiences gradually decreasing cloud cover, with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy decreasing from 26% to 20%. The lowest chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 20% on January 31. The clearest day of the month is January 31, with clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions 80% of the time. For reference, on July 29, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 40%, while on September 22, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy sky is 91%.

Precipitation

A wet day receives at least 0.04 inches of liquid or the equivalent of liquid rain. In Riyadh, the chances of a wet day during January are constant, and it stays close to 3%. For reference, the highest chance of a wet day of the year is %5 on March 12, and the lowest on July 11 is ٪ 0.

The Busiest and Least Crowded Months

The busiest month for tourism in the Saudi city of Mecca in January, followed by November and December. The prices of hotels and flights will be the most expensive during these months, although you can save if you shop well in advance. Tourists are unlikely to visit Mecca in August. People who want to meet at this time will probably find the least expensive month.

Performing your divine duties of Umrah in the first month of January 2022 is of special importance to you.

It is said that Umrah is the expiation for all sins between this Umrah and the next one. Muslim brothers and sisters wish to perform the Holy Umrah when they can perform the sacred rituals easily and comfortably - therefore, it is appropriate for them to choose the January Umrah Packages to seek forgiveness from Allah for this purpose. With the extension of the first week of January due to the Christmas holidays, Muslims have enough time to perform the Christmas holidays with ease as they are cleansed of sins. There is nothing better for you than wearing the same colour of ihram and circumambulating the Ka'bah when the Masjid al-Haram is less, reciting the same Talbiyah and performing similar acts when the ritual of 'Umrah on the New Year is sacred. Be To perform this Islamic duty of Umrah during January 2022, choose from our deals arranged by our designated Umrah operators and spend the New Year with the praise of Allah Almighty and forgive your sins by performing the most sacred acts of Islam Umrah.

The Holiest cities are Makkah and Madinah. Blessed rituals in most cities Every month to please Allah Almighty. Best because the temperature is very suitable for Muslim citizens in the UK. Visiting the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah in January gives Muslims spiritual satisfaction as they worship Allah and perform the religious duty of Umrah with peace of mind.

What could be better than starting your new year in January by praising God Almighty while staying in the holy cities and then performing the divine duty of Umrah? The book of our universal Umrah agreement in January allows you to easily kiss the black stone and imitate the kiss that the Islamic tradition writes, it was received by the Prophet of Islam (SAW) but it is a black stone that was not to be worshipped. Then why wait to contact your cost estimator and get your luxury package at the lowest rates because you don't get the kind of opportunity you have because of the Christmas holidays and New Year's Eve.

Meet when I enjoy the Christian holiday season in the UK. Labbaik Hajj Umrah takes pride in planning this special holy Umrah journey to attain spiritual satisfaction and seek the blessings of Allah Almighty. Whether you want to travel on the first day, or in the last days of January, we have a team of package design operators who specialize in the facilities of your choice, the facilities of your choice, and what's going on. Can prepare So that you can make the journey of Umrah comfortable in January.

#January #Umrah #January Umrah Packages #Travel

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