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APTN National NewsInuit Liberal candidate Yvonne Jones appears to have beaten former Innu leader and Conservative candidate Peter Penashue who was attempting a comeback.The first poll results from Newfoundland and Labrador showed that Jones had 77 per cent of the vote early on in the race for the Labrador riding. The gap of her lead led to a quick projection call handing the seat to Jones.Penashue resigned his intergovernmental affairs minister post in the Stephen Harper government and his seat after it emerged there were donation irregularities with his federal campaign during the 2011 election.Penashue’s former campaign manager Reg Bowers pleaded guilty earlier this month to two counts under the Canada Elections Act. Bowers pleaded guilty to accepting illegal campaign contributions and for discounted airfares during the 2011 campaign.news@aptn.ca@APTNNews read more

OTTAWA – Federal Liberals have shared details about a $100,000 pilot project undertaken for their caucus research bureau by the Canadian data scientist who triggered an international uproar with allegations that Facebook users’ data was inappropriately harvested for political gain.Christopher Wylie came forward in recent days with accusations that a voter-profiling company improperly collected private information from some 50 million Facebook users. The effort helped seal 2016 victories for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in the U.S. and in the U.K.’s Brexit referendum, he said.Wylie has insisted in media interviews that he not only played a key role in developing the data-mining technique, he also helped establish the Cambridge Analytica firm he alleges was behind it.Political parties depend heavily on access to quality data about voters when fine-tuning their pitches, but Wylie has insisted in interviews that the profiling approach he helped create went too far.His allegations have forced policy-makers on both sides of the Atlantic to wrestle with growing public concerns that data collected by Facebook and other social-media companies is being misused to influence elections.After The Canadian Press revealed Wylie was contracted by the Liberals in early 2016, the party released more information Wednesday about the short-lived agreement — and they insist that after seeing a sample of his services, they decided not to move forward.The issue emerged as a dominant theme during question period in the House of Commons, where political rivals repeatedly questioned the government on the contract and the issue of protecting online privacy.Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer led off by demanding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau explain Wylie’s exact role with the Liberal government.“Protecting the personal and privacy information of Canadians should be a top priority for government,” said Scheer, who noted how Wylie had also worked for previous Liberal leaders about a decade ago.“Yet the prime minister has failed to be honest with Canadians about the Liberal party’s relationship with an individual who has exploited the private information of millions of people around the world.”Speaking about the issue in Toronto, Trudeau told reporters that all politicians need to make sure they’re using modern digital tools in a responsible and appropriate way that respects privacy of citizens and provides information so they can make better choices at the ballot box.“That’s something that I’ve actually asked our minister of democratic institutions to lean in on and to develop tools to protect both Canadians and our electoral processes.”Shortly before question period, the Liberals issued a statement saying Wylie’s company, Eunoia Technologies, conducted preliminary work for the caucus research bureau at a cost of $100,000 in a contract done in accordance with House of Commons procurement rules.The statement by the bureau’s managing director, Melissa Cotton, also said Wylie’s firm was contracted for several purposes, such as setting up social-media monitoring tools and the creation of samples of Canadians to help the party better understand the public’s opinions on government policies and other issues of national importance.Earlier this week, The Canadian Press spoke with an acquaintance of Wylie’s who described having drinks with the data expert in Ottawa in November 2015, a few weeks after the federal election.The acquaintance said Wylie talked about his plans to shop his Facebook data-mining techniques in the national capital, including with the Liberals and also in Washington with the Republican party.Wylie described using a Facebook survey as an entry point to collect user data and the pair discussed the ethical concerns surrounding the method, according to the acquaintance.By 2009, during Wylie’s stint working for the Liberal leader’s office, he had already begun to develop strategies on how politicians could capitalize on information collected through social media, another former Liberal insider said earlier this week.At that time, Wylie was pushing a fledgling form of the data-harvesting technique, but the idea was considered too invasive and raised concerns with the Liberals, who decided they didn’t want anything to do with it and chose not to renew his contract, said the insider, who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity.Wylie has not responded to interview requests by The Canadian Press.The federal privacy commissioner has formally launched an investigation to determine whether any personal information of Canadians was affected by the alleged unauthorized access to Facebook user profiles.Facebook Canada released a statement Wednesday saying it was “strongly committed to protecting people’s information” and would answer any questions from the privacy commissioner.Meanwhile, the Trudeau government is asking the Communications Security Establishment and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to take a closer look at the situation to better ensure the privacy rights of Canadians are protected.Brison has said he’d be open to strengthening federal privacy laws even further to better protect those who share their information online.Facebook has denied the data collection involving Cambridge Analytica was a breach, because people gave their consent when they chose to sign up for a personality test via an app on the platform.The social-media giant, however, has faced widespread criticism over revelations about the leak and the fact the company has known about it since 2015, but didn’t disclose it. The issue wasn’t made public until recently.On Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted in a post on the platform that his company had “made mistakes.”“We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you,” Zuckerberg said.Cambridge Analytica has denied allegations that it had improperly obtained Facebook data.The company has also insisted Wylie was a contractor, not a founder, as he has claimed. The 28-year-old from British Columbia, left the firm in 2014.Follow @AndyBlatchford on Twitter read more

Rabat – Professor Abdallah Ougazzaden, director of Georgia Tech Lorraine, the European Campus of the American University Georgia Institute of Technology in Metz,  in northeastern France, has received the Order of the Legion of Honor on June 27.Georgia Tech said that the award is a “nationwide recognition  of a lifetime of excellence and service.”Ougazzaden “served as  director of the GT-CNRS UMI 2958 from its founding in 2006 to 2015, according to Georgia Tech. The professor  left Morocco after he graduated  in Physics and Chemistry from Hassan II University. He started his career in France and the US.Read Also: Moroccan Scientist Wins UNESCO’s MAB Young Scientists AwardOugazzaden received his master’s and doctoral degrees in “materials science and his HDR (Accreditation to Supervise Research’ degree from the University of Paris VII (France) in 1986, 1990 and 1996, respectively.”He worked as a technical Manager in the Materials Growth and Characterisation group at the Bell-Labs Lucent Technologies from 1999 to 2003.Between 2003 and 2005 he  was a professor at the University of Metz and Deputy Director of Materials, Optics, Photonics and Systems (MOPS) laboratory, a joint lab of the High Engineering School SUPELEC and CNRS in Metz, France.The Casablanca native  has worked for 30 years in  scientific research and technology, renewable energies, transport and the environment.He authored and contributed  to “more than 200 international scientific papers and hols 23 patents,” added Georgia Tech.In 2006, Professor Ougazzaden was hired as  a director of the UMI Georgia Tech-CNRS laboratory, where he was responsible for projects creation.The National Academy of Metz elected the Moroccan professor as a corresponding member, a recognition for his reputation in the field of science and technology and his contribution to “the visibility of the city of Metz,” Georgia Tech said.On  December 7, 2017, Professor Ougazzaden   received “the medal of the Academy from the hands of Mr. François Muller, President of the Academy.”Ougazzaden has joined a lengthy list of Moroccan researchers and inventors whose achievements have been recognized across the world. read more

“We can acknowledge that we have inadequate labour market information and we need to do a fundamentally better job of getting granular information by region and industry,” he said.Skills shortages are looming in specific sectors, he added, but it’s not a market-wide issue. The construction, mining and petroleum sectors are examples of industries that will face serious shortages of skilled workers over the next decade, he said.Skills Canada has estimated that one million skilled trade workers will be needed by 2020, Kenney pointed out.We know we have these huge investments and opportunities . . . that will require tens if not hundreds of thousands of skilled workers“We know we have these huge investments and opportunities, particularly in a huge swath of northern Canada, through the massive multibillion-dollar investments in the extractive industries that will require tens if not hundreds of thousands of skilled workers who are not currently available,” Kenney said.Stephen Cryne, head of the Canadian Employee Relocation Council, said discussions about skills shortages are often short-sighted.“We’re competing on the global stage for talent. It’s needed to drive our economy forward,” he said, adding that shifting demographics, the globalization of trade and new technologies are worldwide concerns.In 2012, a McKinsey Global Institute report estimated that by 2020, the global economy could see 90 to 95 million more low-skill workers than employers will need, Cryne said.He added that this projection highlights the need to compete for workers on an international level, and increase the mobility of workers within Canada.“How do we get companies to tap into talent across from across Canada? How do we get (workers) to move from areas with pockets of high unemployment?” he said.Kenney noted that skills shortages are propelled by the inability to attract youth into the trades.Countrywide, there are 13 different apprenticeship programs with specific rules and requirements, he said.“Greater harmonization of that regime would make it easier for young apprentices to complete their training and give them the mobility to go where the jobs are,” Kenney said.He added that stakeholders need to de-stigmatize the trades and encourage young workers to enter skilled vocations.The minister cited countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom as places where apprenticeship programs offer youth better employment options, calling the programs “radically better.”He said the Canadian debate over apprenticeship programs has led to a mischaracterization of certain European systems, whereby youth are streamlined into trades from a young age. But he said the programs have now become more “permeable.”In Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark, Kenney said, about two-thirds of young high school students at the age of 16 enrol in paid apprenticeship programs and graduate at 19 “unencumbered by debt.”“(They are) graduating with a certificate that is considered to have the same social and economic value as a university degree,” he said.Young Canadians present a paradox, said Kenney. They are among the most educated in the developed world, but have an unemployment rate of 13.4%, nearly double the general unemployment rate. “It’s unacceptable,” he said.The conference comes less than a week after Kenney announced a myriad of changes to the controversial temporary foreign workers program.The new changes include a limit on the number of foreign workers that large and medium-sized companies are permitted to hire, stiffer penalties for companies found to be violating the new rules and on-site audits and inspections to guard against abuses. TORONTO — A shortage of skilled workers will be one of Canada’s greatest future economic challenges, Employment Minister Jason Kenney told a skills summit Wednesday.The conference held in Toronto brought together stakeholders to discuss the labour market, employee training and those under-represented in the labour force.It’s necessary that an “informed national discussion” take place about the condition of Canada’s labour market, in order to address future skills gaps, Kenney said.Laura Pedersen/National Post read more

The bank accounts of 60 army intelligence officers are to be investigated in connection to the murder of journalist Lasantha Wickremetunga.Court approval to investigate the bank accounts was obtained by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) today.

Jamaica is the first country to have signed an agreement to receive HIV/AIDS drugs and diagnostic tests at the reduced prices negotiated by the Clinton Foundation and paid for by the United Nations-initiated Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Fund said today.The Grant Agreement, worth $7.5 million over its first two-year phase, was signed in Geneva yesterday by Jamaican Minister of Health John Junor, according to the Fund.Recipients of Global Fund and World Bank grants can access the prices negotiated by former US President Bill Clinton’s foundation with five manufacturers of antiretroviral treatments (ARVs) as individual formulations and fixed-dose combinations and with five manufacturers of HIV/AIDS diagnostic tests.The prices are available to the 16 countries in the Caribbean and Africa where the Clinton Foundation’s HIV/AIDS Initiative operates.With 22,000 infected people, Jamaica has the third-largest population living with the virus in the Caribbean, after Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The latter two have also been awarded Global Fund grants for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention.The Global Fund, initiated by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is a unique global public-private partnership established to attract and disburse additional resources to prevent and treat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.Speaking from Kingston, Jamaica, Dr. Yitades Gebre, Executive Director of the National AIDS Programme, told the Fund, “In the last 15 years our program has been driven by education and prevention and in the last two years by treatment, but we were unable to scale up necessary life-saving interventions due to resource constraints.”With this grant we can take our response to a much higher level of saving lives.” read more

FILE – This file photo provided by Twentieth Century Fox shows Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass in a scene from the film, “The Revenant.” 20th Century Fox says that it used a wearable wristband on over 100 people in test screenings for Oscar nominated film before it hit theaters in December 2015. (Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox via AP, File) by Ryan Nakashima, The Associated Press Posted Jan 15, 2016 4:36 pm MDT Last Updated Jan 15, 2016 at 7:40 pm MDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Ever been told a movie is a heart-pounding thriller that’ll have you on the edge of your seat? Thanks to wearable technology, Hollywood has the tools to prove it.20th Century Fox says that it used a wearable wristband on over 100 people in test screenings for Oscar-contender “The Revenant” before it hit theatres in December. It’s unclear if it’s the first studio to obtain this sort of data from audiences, but experts say it’s unlikely to be the last.By measuring heart rate, skin moisture, movement, and audible gasps, Fox found the Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle had 14 heart-pounding moments where it measured significant jumps in people’s heart rates. Fifteen scenes evoked fight-or-flight responses, as determined by a range of indicators taken together. The audience was also almost completely motionless for just over half of the 2.6-hour movie — in other words, says the studio, on the edge of their seats.George Dewey, Fox’s senior vice-president of digital, said the data complements traditional written surveys and focus groups. One of its advantages, he said, is that it cuts through some of the statistical “noise” that results when audience members influence each other after the movie.“This is a pure way to measure individual audience response,” he said.Companies like the Innerscope Research unit of measurement and ratings giant Nielsen have been doing such biometric-based audience testing for nearly a decade, said Carl Marci, Nielsen’s chief neuroscientist. But Hollywood, he said, has been shy about applying these techniques to movies due to the time and expense involved.Taking such measurements has previously involved bringing viewers into the lab one at a time, where they can be monitored by medical-grade equipment that tracks everything from brainwaves to eye movement. The spread of inexpensive wearable sensors, however, is bringing costs down to the point where even movie producers with tight budgets can consider them.Sensors that are “wearable and smaller and lighter and less expensive” are starting to hit the marketplace, Marci said. “This is one example of the wave.”Lightwave Inc., the technology company Fox hired to run the test, said it opted for the sensor-laden wristband to avoid “white coat syndrome” — the sort of elevated blood pressure and heart rate people experience when they know they’re being tested. (Or just going to the doctor.)“The participant feels like they’re just going to a movie,” said Lightwave CEO Rana June.For now, Fox plans to use the technology for marketing — for instance, to highlight scenes that provoke more of a reaction among women in advertising that targets them. But “Revenant” director Alejandro Inarritu also saw the results, Dewey acknowledged. And it’s not hard to imagine such pulse and respiratory data influencing the way directors and editors put together their films, much the way test-audience reactions can lead filmmakers to drop certain scenes, or even to change a movie’s ending entirely.Dewey, however, played down the likely impact on the moviemaking process. “Nothing’s ever going to replace the artistry of filmmaking,” he said.___Follow AP Business Writer Ryan Nakashima at https://twitter.com/rnakashi . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/ryan-nakashima Heart-pounding action? Hollywood can now measure that read more

by Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press Posted Jul 11, 2016 2:20 pm MDT Last Updated Jul 12, 2016 at 7:20 am MDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email OTTAWA – Companies that lose personal customer data should be required to directly notify affected people — with limited exceptions — about the nature and date of the lapse along with steps taken to reduce the harm, says the federal privacy watchdog.The Trudeau government plans to introduce breach-notification regulations in coming months to improve transparency and help consumers.Several large businesses have been stung by hackers in recent years, causing embarrassment for proprietors and potential headaches for customers whose personal and financial details are suddenly circulating in cyberspace.Legislation passed last year laid the groundwork for mandatory reporting of private-sector breaches that pose a “real risk of significant harm” to individuals.The government recently asked the public and interested parties for comment on shaping the regulations and determining what companies and other private organizations will have to do in the event of a lapse.The office of federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien says companies should directly notify those affected by a breach through means such as telephone calls, emails or mailed letters.The notice should tell people about the circumstances, the date of the breach (or at least an estimate), a description of the personal information, steps taken to control the harm, measures those affected can take and the contact information of someone at the company who can answer questions.Setting out the requirements in regulation would “provide important clarity and certainty about the type of information that organizations should communicate to individuals,” the commissioner’s office says in its submission to the government.It also urges the government to give thought to cases in which affected people live outside Canada.In its submission, the Canadian Bar Association also recognizes the importance of providing meaningful notice to individuals of data breaches. “The regulations should avoid being overly prescriptive, however, in the form and manner of notifications. Organizations should have flexibility to determine whether direct or indirect notification is most suitable.”The privacy commissioner says organizations should be allowed to notify individuals indirectly only when:— Direct notification is likely to cause undue further harm, for instance by informing family members of the person’s purchase of a confidential product or service;— Giving direct notification to every affected person on an individual basis would involve prohibitive costs;— Contact information for affected individuals is out of date, incomplete or inaccurate.Under the new system, organizations covered by Canada’s private-sector privacy law would also have to report significant lapses to the privacy commissioner, which would allow his office to determine whether appropriate actions were indeed being taken.In addition, organizations that experienced a breach would have to keep a record of the data breach and make these records available to the privacy commissioner upon request.One of the thornier issues to be decided in the regulatory scheme is whether data breaches in which the information is encrypted — encoded so as to make it indecipherable without a digital key — should be considered “low risk” events.The privacy commissioner says encryption may indeed play a role in reducing or even eliminating risk of harm.However, it cautions that as algorithms evolve, encryption standards once deemed strong “may be eventually be rendered decipherable.” Alternatively, an organization’s key management system might be compromised.“In either case, personal information could then be easily decrypted.”Follow @JimBronskill on Twitter Companies must directly notify people affected by privacy breaches: watchdog FILE – Privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien waits to appear at the Commons human resources committee in Ottawa in an April 20, 2016, file photo. Companies that lose personal customer data should be required to directly notify affected people – with limited exceptions – about the nature and date of the lapse along with steps taken to reduce the harm, says the federal privacy watchdog. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld, File read more

Rothschild, an author and philanthropist, said the public had twice protected the art work from vandals in recent times, saying the necessary lack of insurance was “shocking but true”.Sir Nicholas Serota, former head of the Tate galleries, said it too did not insure works hanging on its own walls, saying there was “every confidence” in the measures in place to protect them.Asked how much the paintings hanging in the National Gallery were worth by Sir David Tang, during a talk at the China Exchange, Rothschild replied: “I wouldn’t have a clue.“Incidentally, this isn’t something that we widely publish, but the fact is that the paintings at the National Gallery are not insured.“Because we couldn’t possibly afford to insure them. They are priceless. How could you possibly insure even just The Ambassadors?”She added of art galleries in general: “Nothing is insured in this country. You couldn’t possibly afford to insure them. The moment they go off-site on tour then they become insured.“They’re too valuable, they’re priceless. Shocking but true.” Speaking to Sir David during a later public talk, Sir Nicholas Serota was asked the same question.”The only things that are insured at the Tate are the works that are being lent to us,” he said.”We’re not allowed to insure because the cost to the Exchequer would be huge. And I think there’s every confidence in our security.”He added: “Which is not to say that nothing has ever disappeared from the Tate and not to say nothing has never been introduced to the Tate.”A spokesman for the National Gallery said: “The National Gallery takes every precaution to ensure the safety of its Collection, its visitors and staff.”However, we never discuss our security measures in detail as to do so could compromise our security.”The Gallery’s collection, when it is displayed on site, is not commercially insured consistent with the principle that Government property (including the whole of the British National Collection) is self-insured.”When we lend works we require borrowers to insure the works to their full value. Also, when the Gallery borrows from third parties the works we borrow are insured under the UK Government Indemnity scheme.” Works of art in the National Gallery are “really vulnerable”, the institution’s chairman has admitted, as she said members of the public are their “greatest defenders”.Hannah Rothschild disclosed none of the works at the gallery are insured because they are worth so much that no institution could afford the premiums.Instead, she said, room attendants are “extremely highly trained” in protecting the works, including on “how to intercept lunatics”. The fact is that the paintings at the National Gallery are not insured. Because we couldn’t possibly afford to insure themHannah Rothschild Room attendants are “extremely highly trained” in protecting the works, including on “how to intercept lunatics”Credit:UniversalImagesGroup Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings. Rothschild, an author and philanthropist, said the public had twice protected the art work from vandals in recent timesCredit:View Pictures/UIG via Getty Images On the question of what would happen if someone attempted to damage a painting, or there was a fire, she conceded: “Yeah, you’re in trouble.“The room attendants are extremely highly trained in all sorts of things including how to intercept lunatics. And there are CCTV cameras and everything else.“But yeah, it’s really vulnerable.”“Very recently, somebody did have a go at a picture and I think what happened was the attendant went and launched themselves at them and so did members of the public.“I think it was an instinctive reaction. You wouldn’t say to somebody, put yourself in danger. But actually instinctively what happens is that the room wardens get so protective over paintings, and the members of public love them so much, that they don’t want members of the public attacking them.“The public sometimes are the greatest defenders of the work of art. It’s happened twice now it’s been the public which has protected a work of art. read more

ABB recently completed commissioning of the integrated electrification and automation system for the first process line of Northland Resources’ Kaunisvaara iron ore concentrator plant. The site is located approximately 100 km north of the Arctic Circle, in Sweden. The initial orders were awarded in the first quarter of 2012 by Metso Minerals and Northland Resources. The extremely tight schedule made this project distinctive – ABB delivered its first equipment only two months after the contract was awarded and production started merely seven months later on December 4, 2012.“This is truly a remarkable achievement by the Northland team together with our key suppliers. They have been able to keep up with the demanding time schedule that we set up”, said Karl-Axel Waplan, President & CEO of Northland. “This has only been possible thanks to the tremendous dedication of the project management team and the competent staff. The close partnership with our contract partners has played a vital role in our success.” ABB’s electrification and automation solutions will allow Northland Resources to achieve optimal operational conditions to reach highest production at lowest energy costs. The scope of supply included nine containerized electrical rooms with embedded medium- and low-voltage switchgear, variable-speed drives and motor control centers, integrated with a plant-wide process automation system using ABB’s Extended Automation System 800xA. ABB’s delivery also included fibre optic network equipment cabling, cable trenching, installation material, engineering, commissioning, installation supervision and project management services.A previous order included one sophisticated dual pinion low-speed mill drive system (2 x 5,800 kW). This drive system consists of converter transformers, the frequency converter ACS6000 and synchronous motors and is currently in its final commissioning stage. Northland plans to produce 1.4 million dry metric tonnes (dmt) of high-grade iron ore concentrate in 2013 and 3 million dmt in 2014. The company expects to reach a production capacity of 4 million dmt per year in the beginning of the third quarter of 2014. read more

And while the game didn’t go his side’s way, U17s boss Tom Mohan welcomed the unscheduled visit.“It was an absolute pleasure to have Roy along to our training camp in Everton,” said Mohan. “He made an inspirational speech to the lads, which saw them energised ahead of their clash against Everton Tuesday.“The result didn’t go our way, but they pulled together and put n a fantastic display. I’m looking forward to working with Roy again in future.”It’s great to see that he is taking an interest in the future of the game in this country.Anderson claims quotes about Man United exodus were made upIs Eden Hazard the best young player in the world? He then watched on as the team took on Everton’s academy squad in a spirited display, which saw them lose 3-2 to their hosts.” WITH IRELAND NOT in action until March, assistant manager Roy Keane has been busy scouting at games across the water, taking in some grassroots football and making a couple of surprise visits in recent weeks.This afternoon, the Cork native showed up at Everton’s Finch Farm where a three-day Ireland U17 training camp is currently taking place ahead of the upcoming UEFA elite mini-group qualifiers with Germany, Georgia and Serbia.“The legendary Ireland midfielder gave an inspirational speech at Ireland’s team base, lasting over an hour to the young hopefuls on his playing career, and opportunities he grasped from a young age,” said the FAI. read more

HOPES THAT SOME of the thousands of illegal Irish immigrants living in the US could be legalised have taken a blow, after an influential trade union criticised proposals to reform immigration as a threat to national security.In an open letter, the union representing US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) employees said the measures in the Bill would “damage public safety and national security and should be opposed by lawmakers.”“The culture at USCIS encourages all applications to be approved, discouraging proper investigation into red flags and discouraging the denial of any applications,” the union alleged.“USCIS has been turned into an ‘approval machine,” the union added, complaining it had not been consulted by the ‘Gang of Eight’ Senators who drafted the bill.Similar concerns had been raised by another union, representing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) workers.“Instead, the legislation was written with special interests – producing a bill that makes the current system worse, not better,” it said.Bill could legalise up to 50,000 IrishA Senate committee recently began its consideration of the massive immigration reform bill, which is supported by President Barack Obama and could offer legal status for millions of undocumented and illegal immigrants in the US, including Irish.There are an estimated 50,000 undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States, who are ineligible for social security and who are unable to travel home to Ireland for fear that they will be barred from re-entering their adopted homeland.The committee’s scrutiny could take weeks, before the legislation moves to a second stage in the Senate, where Democrats hold a slender majority.The Republican-controlled House of Representatives would then take up the legislation. Its prospects, however, remain uncertain – even though the legislation is backed by eight senior senators from both parties, including Democratic senator Charles Schumer and Republican veteran John McCain.The Obama administration has been left to lobby for immigration reform as one of its last priorities, particularly after its failure to secure the passage of new gun control laws.Additional reporting by AFPExplainer: How the proposed new US green card system will work read more

KUSI Newsroom May 18, 2019 KUSI Newsroom, Categories: Local San Diego News FacebookTwitter Celebration of Champions 00:00 00:00 spaceplay / pause qunload | stop ffullscreenshift + ←→slower / faster ↑↓volume mmute ←→seek  . seek to previous 12… 6 seek to 10%, 20% … 60% XColor SettingsAaAaAaAaTextBackgroundOpacity SettingsTextOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundSemi-TransparentOpaqueTransparentFont SettingsSize||TypeSerif MonospaceSerifSans Serif MonospaceSans SerifCasualCursiveSmallCapsResetSave SettingsSAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Today, thousands of people showed their support for some very young fighters.Rady Children’s hospital held it’s 24th annual “Celebration of Champions” which celebrates the efforts of children fighting cancer. More than 300 young champions who are fighting or who have survived cancer ran or walked while holding the “Torch of Life” while members of the Padres were there to show their suport Updated: 9:49 PM Posted: May 18, 2019 read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – Hundreds of positions are looking to be filled at a job fair in Fort Lauderdale.Beginning Monday morning, at 11 a.m. and continuing until 2 p.m., the Westin Hotel, located at 400 Corporate Dr., will offer many positions for those looking for a job around the holidays.The hotel asks those who attend to bring copies of their resumes.Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

News • Amazon launches new Alexa device for kids but privacy issues will still scare some parents Review • Amazon Echo Dot 3 review: Alexa’s best Dot yet plays defense $49 See It Enlarge Image Ry Crist/CNET Both Amazon and Best Buy have the Echo Dot (third generation) on sale for $40 or $10 off its list price of $50. But if you add three Echo Dots — any color — to your cart and proceed to checkout, the price goes down to $23.33 per Dot for a total of $69.96, not including tax. For Cyber Monday last year Amazon had single Echo Dots for $24 each, so this is essentially the same deal. On Amazon, just remember to proceed to checkout to see the discounted price. You can read CNET’s full review of the Echo Dot here.Note that CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page.See it at AmazonSee it at Best BuyBe sure to add three Dots to your cart to see the discount, on both sites. $29 See It The new Amazon Echo Dot: Does it sound better than before? Transform your Amazon Echo Dot with two new dock accessories Tags CNET may get a commission from retail offers. Smart Home Crutchfield Adorama Now playing: Watch this: 1:54 Mentioned Above Amazon Echo Dot (third-generation, Charcoal) $29 Preview • Amazon’s third Echo Dot takes a few cues from the Google Home Mini Best laptops for college students: We’ve got an affordable laptop for every student. Best live TV streaming services: Ditch your cable company but keep the live channels and DVR. Amazon Echo Dot Share your voice Best Buy $49 See It See it Post a comment 17 Photos 0 Amazon read more

Islamabad: Pakistan has decided to ban all cultural exchanges with India, including all kinds of joint ventures between the entertainment industry of the two countries after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, a media report said on Friday. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Thursday launched a national slogan ‘Say No to India’, Dawn newspaper reported. Also Read – Watch: Donald Trump says Florida faces absolute monster hurricane Advertise With Us “All kinds of Indian content have been stopped and Pemra [Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority] has been directed to step up its vigilance along with actions against the sale of Indian DTH instruments,” said Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan. Earlier this week, India revoked Article 370 to withdraw the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the region into two Union Territories –Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh. Also Read – Pakistan test-fires 290-km range missile Advertise With Us Pakistan termed the Indian action as “unilateral and illegal”, and said it would take the matter to the UN Security Council. Awan said that the deception of cultural exchange was polluting the minds of Pakistani youth. She said that the National Security Council had decided to establish a group and Pakistan would fight the “Hindutva ideology” from all fronts. Advertise With Us The group would be the cluster of all relevant ministries to fight against the Indian designs at required forums. “The external communications will be dealt with by the ministry of information, the Foreign Office and the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) as per nature of information,” Awan said. She said in the current situation, the clash between Indian and Pakistani cultural and social values were imminent and it was the media’s responsibility to come to the forefront to defeat Indian “cultural invasion”. The government has also banned the screening of Indian films in the country’s cinemas. “No Indian film will be screened in any Pakistani cinema. Drama, films and Indian content of this kind will be completely banned in Pakistan,” Awan tweeted. Films and cultural relations are the first to get affected when there is tension between the two countries and it is not for the first time that Pakistan has banned Indian films. Pakistan had taken a similar decision after Balakot air strikes by India in February this year. The Hindi film industry had announced a similar move in the wake of February 14 Pulwama terror attack on a CRPF convoy. read more

Amaravati: TDP national president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s residence on the bank of Krishna river has been partially inundated in floodwaters and the family had to shift to safer place. The first floor of river front was vacated, security vehicles were moved out and sand bags were put in place to prevent flood, said the sources in Chief Minister’s office on Wednesday. Also Read – A mother abandoned newborn baby girl in Chirala Advertise With Us The inundated house was earlier served with a notice as it has flouted norms and did not maintain the maximum flood level (MFL) of 22.6 metre but was constructed at 19 meter which is easily prone to submergence, according to the government sources. However, the opening of 70 crest gates of Prakasam Barrage saved the house from total inundation. Also Read – Fit India rally held in Vijayawada Advertise With Us Notices were served for vacating the adjacent illegal constructions which are prone to submergence in times of floods. However, the TDP is accusing the government of deliberately delaying lifting of Prakasam barrage gates to justify its demolition of Praja Vedika and allegations of former CM living in a house that flouted river conservation norms. Former minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao accused the state government and the ruling YSRCP of deriving “sadistic pleasure” by deliberately flooding the river bund areas where many poor people are living. read more

FBI Director James Comey during the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Russian actions during the 2016 election campaign on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. AFP file photoUS President Donald Trump on Tuesday fired his FBI director James Comey, the man who leads the agency charged with investigating his campaign’s ties with Russia—a move that sent shockwaves through Washington.The surprise dismissal of Comey, who played a controversial role in last year’s presidential election, came as he was leading a probe into whether Trump’s aides colluded with Moscow to sway the November vote.Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said he told Trump he was making a “big mistake” by dismissing Comey, a move that prompted parallels with a decision by a crisis-plagued Richard Nixon to fire his attorney general.Trump “has accepted the recommendation of the attorney general and the deputy attorney general regarding the dismissal of the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” his spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters.A search for a new FBI director was to begin “immediately,” the White House said.In a letter, Trump told Comey: “You are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately.”“While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.”“It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission,” Trump said.The stated reason for Comey’s dismissal—according to a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that was circulated by the White House—was for mishandling the probe into Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton’s emails.But his sacking raised immediate questions about Trump’s motives.FBI directors are appointed for a single 10-year term. The 56-year-old Comey, who is popular among rank-and-file agents, was appointed four years ago.He played an outsized—and controversial—role on the American political stage over the past year, lobbing one bombshell after another that rankled both parties in Washington.Clinton accused Comey of trashing her chances of becoming president by revealing an renewed investigation into her email use.Comey told lawmakers last week he felt “mildly nauseous” at the thought that he had swayed the election—but could not have acted any other way.‘Nothing less than Nixonian’Since the start of Trump’s presidency, the FBI chief had increasingly appeared to be a thorn in the president’s side.He has confirmed that the agency is investigating Russian interference in last year’s presidential election and notably Moscow’s possible collusion with Trump’s campaign.Democrats—already angry that Congressional inquiries into Russian meddling have been hamstrung by Republicans’ willingness to defend Trump—voiced sharp concerns that the FBI’s investigation may now be in jeopardy too, with several calling for an independent commission to take over the probe.“This is nothing less than Nixonian,” charged Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who called Trump’s official justification for firing Comey “absurd.”“That fig leaf explanation seeks to cover the undeniable truth: The president has removed the sitting FBI director in the midst of one of the most critical national security investigations in the history of our country—one that implicates senior officials in the Trump campaign and administration,” he charged.When Trump initially decided to keep Comey—who was appointed by Barack Obama—in his job, it raised eyebrows from critics who saw it as a tacit reward for his role in damaging Clinton’s chances.But within months, the FBI chief was back in the national spotlight—this time taking aim at Trump.During testimony to Congress last month, Comey flatly rejected Trump’s explosive claim that he was wiretapped by his predecessor.Comey’s public testimony—watched by millions around the world—came as Trump sought to steer the news focus by calling the question of Russian election meddling “fake news.”But it had become increasingly clear that Comey had set his sights on the issue of Russia’s election meddling, which has stalked Trump’s presidency since he took office. read more

Citation: Millisecond pulsar PSR J0740+6620 has a white dwarf companion with helium atmosphere, study suggests (2019, March 7) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2019-03-millisecond-pulsar-psr-j07406620-white.html 16 arcsec × 16 arcsec GTC/OSIRIS Sloan r′ (left) and i′-band (right) images of the J0740 field. The images are smoothed with the Gaussian kernel of 3 pixels, compatible with the seeing value. The white circle shows the 3σ pulsar position uncertainty of ≈ 0.24 arcsec, which accounts for the optical astrometric referencing errors and the radio timing position uncertainties, corrected for the proper motion. The region of 2.3 × 2.3 arcsec within the black box in the right panel is enlarged and shown in the inset at the right-top corner of the image. The solid and dashed circles are 1σ position uncertainties of the pulsar and its possible binary companion, respectively. Image credit: Beronya et al., 2019. Pulsars are highly magnetized rotating neutron stars emitting a beam of electromagnetic radiation. The most rapidly rotating pulsars, with rotation periods below 30 milliseconds, are known as millisecond pulsars (MSPs).Astronomers believe that MSPs are formed in binary systems when the initially more massive component turns into a neutron star that is then spun-up due to accretion of matter from the secondary star. Observations conducted so far seem to support this theory as more than a half of known MSPs have been found to have stellar companions.Located some 1,300 light years away from the Earth, PSR J0740+6620 (or J0740 for short) is an MSP with a spin period of about 2.88 milliseconds. Previous studies of this pulsar suggested that it has a secondary star, most likely a white dwarf. Now, a new study published by Daria Beronya of Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and colleagues provides more evidence supporting this assumption.Using the Optical System for Imaging and low Resolution Integrated Spectroscopy (OSIRIS) of Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), Beronya’s team performed deep optical observations of J0740 in December 2017 in order to identify a possible companion of this pulsar.”We report detection of the likely companion of the binary millisecond pulsar J0740+6620 with the Gran Telescopio Canarias in the r′ and i′ bands. The position of the detected starlike source coincides with the pulsar coordinates within the 1σ uncertainty of ≈ 0.2 arcsec,” the astronomers wrote in the study.According to the paper, the companion has a minimum mass of about 0.2 solar masses, a temperature below 3,500 K and a cooling age of over five billion years. Furthermore, observational data indicates that the object has a pure helium atmosphere and is the reddest source among known white dwarf companions of MSPs.Although the researchers suppose that the detected source is a white dwarf companion of J0740, other possibilities cannot be excluded yet. Alternative explanations taken into account are that the object is a red dwarf, red subdwarf or a brown dwarf. Moreover, the identified source could be not associated with J0740 at all, residing even outside our Milky Way galaxy.Hence, in order to draw final conclusions about the nature of the discovered object, more observations are required.”Deep infrared observations are necessary to clarify the properties and nature of the detected source. For a cool white dwarf with a pure helium atmosphere one can expect the blackbody-like spectral energy distribution. Future proper motion measurements can confirm the association of the likely counterpart with J0740,” the astronomers noted. More information: D. M. Beronya et al. The ultracool helium-atmosphere white dwarf companion of PSR J0740+6620? arXiv:1902.11150 [astro-ph.SR]. arxiv.org/abs/1902.11150 New pulsar discovered during a search for a companion to a low-mass white dwarf A new study published February 28 on arXiv.org suggests that a millisecond pulsar known as PSR J0740+6620 has a stellar companion. The research provides evidence indicating that this object is most likely accompanied by an ultracool white dwarf exhibiting a pure helium atmosphere. This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. © 2019 Science X Network Explore further read more

No related posts. RED ALERT!  Pickpocket thieves are working the main bus rest stop on Highway 1 (the Pan American highway) between Cañas and San José. The Florida couple mentioned in last week’s Arenal Report had their passports stolen from an open purse when Mrs. Wollmacher was in line paying for coffee. The police responded immediately and delayed the departure of the bus. They questioned and searched the other passengers on the bus, but were unable to recover the passports. The couple’s very enjoyable visit to Costa Rica ended on a sour note as they had to wait in San José over the weekend for the U.S. Embassy to reopen on Monday to issue replacement passports. All travelers must be made aware of this unfortunate situation as this particular rest stop is used by a multitude of buses routed between Nicaragua and San José.On a positive note, after filing a police report confirming the theft of the passports (necessary to present to the U.S. Embassy), the couple was met in San José by another police officer who provided them with instructions on what to do and where to go. He arranged for transportation to the embassy and a hotel near the airport. He then assured the couple that if they had difficulty obtaining accommodations due to a lack of passports, they would be welcome to stay at his home, gratis.This is the true character of Costa Rica that we, as permanent residents, love so much. The friendliness and willingness to help others is a hallmark of the Ticos we know. The adventures and unique experiences enjoyed by the couple from Florida have elicited promises of a return visit next year – with new passports.Final reminder: A spay/neuter clinic will be held in Nuevo Arenal tomorrow, Saturday, May 25. To schedule an appointment for your dog or cat call Gino at 2694-4621. Also on Saturday additional clinics will be held in Libano at the salon communal in the morning, and in San Luis in the afternoon (salón communal).For appointments at these locations call Judy Reisman at 2695-6652. If she is not home, let her Spanish phone message play through, then leave your phone number and she will call back. If you can’t get to the Saturday clinics, Judy has coordinated one for Sunday, May 26, in Tilarán at the bull ring (Atra Salón). These much-needed clinics rely on volunteers to assist in animal registration and simple animal care before and after their surgical procedures. If you are interested in helping, let Judy or Gino know.–William & Jean Priestjean_pri@msn.com Facebook Comments read more