Gunmen Kill Dangote Cement Country Manager In Ethiopia
Deep Kamara, the country manager of Dangote Cement Ethiopia, has been killed by gunmen.
According to reports by the Addis Standard, Reuters and several other Ethiopian news outlets, Kamara was shot dead on Wednesday afternoon by unknown assailants near the Dangote Cement Factory located some 85 kilometers west of Addis Ababa in Adeberga woreda, in the Oromiya region. Two other employees of Dangote Cement, a secretary and the driver of the country manager who were driving with Kamara, were also reportedly shot dead.
Ethiopia’s law enforcement agencies are yet to identify the assailants.
Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote (C) listens to a speech as he attends the rally organized to celebrate the 66th birthday of the leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in Lagos, on March 29, 2018. Photo credit should read STEFAN HEUNIS/AFP/Getty Images).
Today’s assassinations might be an indication that all is not well with Dangote’s operations in Ethiopia.
Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, has had a turbulent adventure in Ethiopia. In 2016, during the infamous wave of protests by the Oromiya people, protesters attacked and vandalized Dangote’s cement factory along with several vehicles and machinery. There have also been a series of other attacks from the local community on Dangote’s assets over some unresolved labor issues related to the private employment agencies hired by the company.
Last year, Dangote threatened to shut its operations in Ethiopia if the authorities in Oromiya did not reverse an order to cement makers to deliver control of some parts of their businesses to local young people.
Carl Franklin, a spokesperson for the Dangote Group did not respond to a request for comment at the time of filing this report.
Tony Watima, a Kenyan economist who studies Ethiopian politics says the Dangote Group failed to properly investigate the socio-political dynamics of Ethiopia before venturing there.
“Dangote’s Ethiopian troubles are a pointer to what happens when you use a top-down approach of inducing senior government officials to initiate a project and fail to properly engage the community. Everyone knows the Oromiya region is an anti-government region. Dangote should have done better due diligence,” he says.
Waterford Institute of Technology International Student Scholarships in Ireland, 2018
Waterford Institute of Technology is now accepting applications of scholarships for international (non-EU) students for the academic year 2017-2018. Scholarships are available for pursuing undergraduate or a higher diploma programme and taught masters programmes.
The main objective of the institute is to provide high quality, comprehensive educational and training opportunities that are compatible to changing needs of the students.
WIT is the major provider of higher education in the South East region of Ireland and one of the largest IOT’s in Ireland. The Institute’s range and scope reflect the changing needs of the southeast as well as the country as a whole.
Scholarship Description:
Application Deadline: May 18, 2018
Course Level: Scholarships are available for pursuing undergraduate or a higher diploma programme and taught masters programmes at Waterford Institute of Technology.
Study Subject: Scholarships are awarded to learn any of the courses available at Waterford Institute of Technology.
Scholarship Award: Undergraduate and Higher Diploma students: The International Student Scholarship will provide for a 25% reduction in tuition fees for each year of an undergraduate or a Higher Diploma programme. (NB for entry into all years of Bachelor programmes except final year). Award in subsequent years of study is subject to the achievement of 60% overall average mark.Postgraduate students: The International Student Scholarship will provide for a reduction of €3,150 for all taught Masters programmes
Number of Scholarships: Not given
Nationality: International (Non-EU) students
Scholarship can be taken in Ireland
Eligibility for the Scholarship:
Eligible Countries: International (Non-EU) students can apply for these scholarships.
Entrance Requirements: The following criteria must be met in order for applicants to be eligible for these scholarships
The scholarships are open to all self-funding Non-EU students
Minimum IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent
This scholarship only applies to new incoming students (first time entrants to WIT- it does not apply to WIT International Graduates)
English Language Requirements: Applicants must have minimum IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent.
Nationality: International (Non-EU) students can apply for these scholarships.
Application Procedure:
How to Apply: The mode of applying is online. Applications must be made on the prescribed forms (please see below) and submitted to the International office on or before 18th May 2018.
University of Adelaide International Scholarships in Australia, 2018-2019
Adelaide Scholarships International (ASI) are open for pursuing higher degree by research (masters/ doctoral) at University of Adelaide. International students can apply for these scholarships.
The University of Adelaide aims to create and engender a university culture that values health, safety and wellbeing as fundamental components of the work environment, supported by safe systems of work, appropriate governance, training, management structures and operational strategies.
The University of Adelaide is one of Australia’s most prestigious universities and is renowned internationally for excellence in education and research.
In order to be eligible applicants are required to have successfully completed at least the equivalent of an Australian First Class Honours degree.
Scholarship Description:
Application Deadline: August 31, 2018
Course Level: Scholarships are available for pursuing higher degree by research (Masters/ Doctoral) at University of Adelaide.
Study Subject: Scholarships are awarded to study any of the courses offered by the University of Adelaide.
Scholarship Award: The ASI provides
Course tuition fees for two years for a Master degree by Research and three years for a Doctoral research degree (an extension is possible for doctoral programs only),
An annual living allowance ($26,288 in 2016) for two years for a Master degree by Research and three years for a Doctoral research degree (an extension is possible for doctoral programs only), and
For Postgraduate Research (Subclass 574) visa holders, the award provides compulsory standard Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) Worldcare policy for the student and their spouse and dependents (if any) for the standard duration of the student visa. It does not cover the additional 6-month extended student visa period post thesis submission. If the award holder does not hold a subclass 574 visa then he/she is responsible for the cost of health insurance.
Number of Scholarships: Not Known
Nationality: International students
Scholarship can be taken in the Australia
Eligibility for the Scholarship:
Eligible Countries: International students can apply for these scholarships.
Entrance Requirements: In order to be eligible
Applicants are required to have successfully completed at least the equivalent of an Australian First Class Honours degree (this is a four-year degree with a major research project in the final year). All qualifying programs of study must be successfully completed.
Scholarships will be awarded on academic merit and research potential. Extra-curricular achievements are not considered.
International applicants must not hold a research qualification regarded by the University of Adelaide to be equivalent to an Australian Research Doctorate degree or, if undertaking a Research Master degree, not hold a research qualification regarded by the University of Adelaide to be equivalent to or higher than an Australian Research Master degree.
International applicants who have not provided evidence of their meeting the minimum English language proficiency requirements for direct entry by the scholarship closing date, or who have completed a Pre-Enrolment English Program to meet the entry requirements for the intended program of study, are not eligible.
Citizens and Permanent Residents of Australia, and citizens of New Zealand are ineligible.
Those undertaking research via remote candidature is ineligible.
Candidates are required to enrol in the University of Adelaide as ‘international students’ and must maintain ‘international student’ status for the duration of their enrolment in the University.
Candidates who have applied for Australian permanent resident status can apply for ASI scholarships.
International applicants are not eligible if they have already commenced the degree for which they are seeking an award unless they can establish that they were unable to apply in the previous round.
Scholarships holders must commence study at the University of Adelaide in the semester the scholarship is offered.
Applicants who applied and were eligible for consideration in an international scholarship round, and were unsuccessful, will automatically be reconsidered in the following international scholarship round, assuming they hold a valid offer of candidature for that intake. An applicant who has been considered in 2 rounds cannot be reconsidered in any future scholarship rounds.
The offer of a scholarship is contingent upon a student not being offered another award by the Commonwealth of Australia, the University of Adelaide, or an overseas sponsor. The University reserves the right to withdraw an offer of a scholarship at any time prior to enrolment if it is advised that an awardee has been offered a scholarship equal to or in excess of the financial value of the award offered by the University.
English Language Requirements: The university’s preferred accredited English language tests are: IELTS, TOEFL, Pearson Test of English – Academic and CAE (Cambridge English: Advanced). Students without the required level of English will need to satisfactorily complete an intensive program of English language before being admitted to the University of Adelaide. The university can arrange an appropriate English language program, Academic English (PEP Pathway) in Adelaide at the university’s English Language Centre.
Fully Funded Leverhulme PhD Studentship at Lancaster University in UK, 2018
The Lancaster University is offering a three year fully funded Leverhulme PhD studentship in the Sociology Department at the University. The studentship is available for UK and EU citizens.
The Lancaster University, also officially known as the University of Lancaster, is a public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England.
Applicants whose first language is not English may be required to provide a valid English language test certificate such as IELTS, Pearson Test of English, Academic, (PTE) or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE).
Scholarship Description:
Application close: May 18, 2018
Course Level: Studentship is available to pursue PhD programme.
Study Subject: Studentship is awarded in the Sociology Department at Lancaster University.
Scholarship Award:
The PhD is for 3 years duration;
Payment of academic fees (at the standard RCUK rate);
A Maintenance Stipend (£14,777 pa);
Access to a Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) (£800 pa) for reimbursement of research-related expenses including – but not limited to – conference attendance, training courses and equipment. Additional research costs (such as entailed in fieldwork) will be supported as appropriate;
Access to a range of training and development provided by the Sociology Department, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Material Social Futures PhD Programme, and the Institute for Social Futures;
The Material Social Futures PhD programme will offer optional internships (including international placements) in the second and or third year of training.
Nationality: Available to UK and EU citizens.
Number of Scholarships: Numbers not given
Scholarship can be taken in the UK
Eligibility for the Scholarship:
Eligible Countries: Studentship is available for UK and EU citizens.
Entrance Requirements: Applicants must meet the following requirements:
Candidates will preferably have a background and academic interest in sociology; anthropology, science and technology studies; Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), history of technology, material culture or social theory. Knowledge of relevant academic debates will be a significant advantage.
Candidates must have qualifications of the standard of Bachelor’s degree at first or upper second class level, and must also have a suitable Master’s degree or equivalent (or will have completed a Master’s degree by the starting date October 2018) in a relevant discipline.
Candidates will need to demonstrate that they have received training in the theoretical and methodological aspects of both qualitative and quantitative research.
Candidates must satisfy the ESRC’s academic and residential eligibility requirements (i.e. the UK or EU citizenship at the time of application).
English Language Requirements: Applicants whose first language is not English may be required to provide a valid English language test certificate such as IELTS, Pearson Test of English, Academic, (PTE) or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE).
Vice Chancellor’s International Student Scholarship at Plymouth University in UK, 2018
Plymouth University is pleased to offer 3 Vice Chancellor’s international student scholarship for September 2018 intake. The scholarships are available for pursuing masters degree programme.
The university offers a range of financial support to help applicants during their time with university to pay their tuition fees, to finding funding to support their studies, or getting financial support and advice.
Plymouth University is a public university based predominantly in Plymouth, England where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges all over South West England.
Scholarship Description:
Application Deadline: June 30, 2018
Course Level: The scholarships are available for pursuing masters degree programme.
Study Subject: Scholarships are provided to learn any of the courses offered by the Plymouth University in UK.
Scholarship Award: Scholarship has a value of £5,000.
Number of Scholarships: There are three awards are available.
Nationality: International Students (non-EU)
Scholarship can be taken in the UK
Eligibility for the Scholarship:
Eligible Countries: International Students (non-EU) can apply for these scholarships.
Entrance Requirements: Applicants must have equivalent of a UK university first class undergraduate degree in a relevant subject.
English Language Requirements: IELTS score must be 6.5 overall.
How to Apply: Complete the application form and return this, along with all requested documents to the email address specified. Please note: you must have first received a conditional offer for a place on a PGT programme commencing September 2018. You must also hold the equivalent of a UK University first class undergraduate degree in a relevant subject. See terms and conditions for details. Once all conditions of your offer have been met and the tuition fee deposit has been paid, we’ll then confirm the scholarship award and issue your unconditional offer letter or CAS.
As headlines swirl, Trump grows frustrated with Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani, center, an attorney for U.S. President Donald Trump, leaves after speaking at the Iran Freedom Convention for Human Rights and democracy at the Grand Hyatt, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
President Donald Trump is growing increasingly irritated with lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s frequently off-message media blitz, in which he has muddied the waters on hush money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels and made claims that could complicate the president’s standing in the special counsel’s Russia probe.
Trump has begun questioning whether Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, should be sidelined from television interviews, according to two people familiar with the president’s thinking but not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions.
Trump also expressed annoyance that Giuliani’s theatrics have breathed new life into the Daniels story and extended its lifespan. It’s a concern shared by Trump allies who think Giuliani is only generating more legal and political trouble for the White House.
Giuliani, the newest addition to the president’s legal team, first rattled the White House last week when he sat for interviews on Fox News and seemed to contradict Trump’s previous statements by saying the president was aware of the October 2016 payout to Daniels from his personal attorney, Michael Cohen. He also suggested the settlement with Daniels had been made because Trump was in the stretch run of his presidential campaign.
After Trump chided Giuliani on Friday, saying the lawyer needed to “get his facts straight,” the former mayor put out a statement trying to clarify his remarks. But in weekend interviews, Giuliani appeared to dig himself a deeper hole by acknowledging that “Cohen takes care of situations like this, then gets paid for them sometimes.” He did not rule out the possibility that Cohen had paid off other women.
Trump has begun questioning whether Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, should be sidelined from television interviews
Trump, who has denied the affair with Daniels, was angry that Giuliani had given the impression that other women may make similar charges of infidelity, according to the people familiar with his views.
Additionally, Trump has grown agitated in recent days by cable news replays of Giuliani’s Wednesday interview with Sean Hannity, in which he first said that Trump knew about the payment but claimed it wouldn’t be a campaign violation. A clearly surprised Hannity then asked, “Because they funneled it through the law firm?”
To which Giuliani responded, “Funneled it through the law firm, and the president repaid him.”
Trump snapped at both men in recent days, chiding Hannity for using the word “funneled,” which he believes had illegal connotations, according to the people. As for Giuliani, the president has not yet signaled to him to stop appearing on television, but told a confidant recently that perhaps his new lawyer should “be benched” at least temporarily, if he can’t improve his performance.
The president has not publicly discussed dismissing Giuliani and has been appreciative of his sharp attacks on the Russia investigation and his forceful battles with the press, according to three White House aides and outside allies. The two men have spoken frequently, according to officials familiar with their interactions.
But many Trump allies both inside and outside the White House have grown anxious in recent days about Giuliani’s whirlwind and unpredictable interviews.
“They’re admitting to enough that warrants scrutiny. It shouldn’t be put on television shows off the cuff,” said Alan Dershowitz, the emeritus Harvard law professor who has been informally advising Trump on the Russia collusion probe. “This is not the way to handle a complicated case.”
Trump, according to one confidant, celebrated Giuliani’s hiring last month by declaring that he had enlisted “America’s F—ing Mayor” as a legal attack dog with star power. But many in the White House have begun evoking comparisons with Anthony Scaramucci — who, like Giuliani, was a hard-charging New Yorker with a knack for getting TV airtime.
Scaramucci only lasted 11 days before being fired. The former White House communications director himself drew parallels between his own burn-bright-burn-fast tenure and Giuliani’s performance — but said he meant it as a “big compliment.”
“I am enjoying all of the comparisons between me and the mayor #RudyGiuliani,” Scaramucci tweeted Sunday. “He is loyal, tough and a fierce competitor. He fights and will win for @realDonaldTrump @POTUS. Big compliment thank you!”
Giuliani did not respond to requests for comment.
West Wing aides were blindsided by Giuliani’s TV appearances last week and many senior advisers and members of the president’s legal team have been cut out of the decision-making process. But some aides have been reluctant to broach the subject with Trump because it only increases their liability, according to officials.
Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was among those surprised by Giuliani’s string of TV appearances, said Monday that Trump felt the former mayor “added value” to his outside legal team. On Friday, Trump said Giuliani was “a great guy but he just started a day ago” on the defense team. He made clear the former New York mayor was still “learning the subject matter.”
Some West Wing aides have complained that Giuliani, who ran for president in 2008, was acting like a “principal” and not a member of a team. And some in Trump’s inner circle raised their eyebrows at Giuliani’s declaration that Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, was “disposable.” He also declined to rule out Trump invoking the Fifth Amendment in special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing Russia probe.
Trump has repeatedly railed against those who take the Fifth, declaring at one September 2016 campaign rally: “The mob takes the Fifth. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”
The episode revived worries in Trump’s inner circle about Giuliani, who enjoys the media limelight and has a tendency to go off-script. His behavior grew more unpredictable during the stretch run of the 2016 presidential campaign, when Trump chided him for falling asleep on the campaign plane, according to two former campaign officials.
Giuliani also alienated a number of people in Trump’s inner circle by insisting that the only Cabinet position he would consider would be secretary of state. He did not get the post.
Giuliani’s remarks have also been watched with concern at the State Department and Pentagon after he weighed in recently on international affairs, raising questions about whether he was speaking for the president. He declared last week that North Korea would be releasing three Americans being held captive, which has not yet happened, and said the administration was committed to regime change in Iran, a stance Trump has not taken.
“He speaks for himself and not on behalf of the administration on foreign policy,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Monday.
Nigeria’s president Buhari says to travel to Britain to see doctor
FILE PHOTO: Nigerian President Buhari addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said on Monday he was traveling to Britain to see his doctor in a surprise announcement that could renew concern about whether he is well enough to run for a second term at an election next year.
Buhari spent five months in Britain last year for treatment for an unspecified illness, an absence that prompted many to question his fitness to run a country that is Africa’s top oil producer and one of its biggest economies.
Buhari, 75, was military ruler between 1983 and 1985 and returned to power after winning an election in 2015. In April, he said he would seek a second and final term.
“I will be traveling to the United Kingdom tomorrow, to see my doctor, at his request. Will be away for four days; back in Abuja on Saturday, May 12,” he said on Twitter.
His spokesman said Buhari met his doctor last week in London on his way back from Washington.
“The doctor requested the president to return for a meeting which he agreed to do,” said the spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement.
Buhari took two months medical leave starting last January and a break from May to August.
Muslim woman sues sheriff’s department, says she was forced to remove hijab while jailed
Jennifer Hyatt, a 44-year-old registered nurse from Newbury Park, has formed a lawsuit and claims a deputy snatched her head covering and refused to give it back or provide her an alternate form of cover when she was detained by the sheriff’s department for several hours on 2017’s New Year’s Day, in Calabasas, Calif., on May 5, 2018.
LOS ANGELES – A Muslim woman filed a federal lawsuit against the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department on Monday, claiming deputies forced her to remove her head scarf while in custody last year, a move that runs counter to established case law protecting the religious rights of people in police custody.
In the lawsuit, Jennifer Hyatt, a 44-year-old registered nurse from Newbury Park, claims a deputy snatched her head covering and refused to give it back or provide her an alternate form of cover when she was detained by the sheriff’s department for several hours on New Year’s Day in 2017.
In the Muslim faith, some observant women follow an interpretation of the Quran that requires them to cover their heads and much of their bodies for the sake of modesty and dignity.
When Hyatt protested that she could not be in the presence of men without her hijab because she is a practicing Muslim, a deputy replied, “Not in here, you’re not,” according to the suit.
“I was spoken to like I was trash and deserved everything that was happening to me while in custody,” Hyatt said in a statement issued Monday by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “My hijab was yanked off my head in front of many men despite my continued requests to wear it, I felt naked and humiliated the entire duration of my custody. I am seeking justice because I do still have the right to be a covered Muslim woman – even in jail.”
Calls to the sheriff’s department seeking comment Monday morning were not immediately returned.
Hyatt was arrested after a dispute with her husband in Thousand Oaks, according to Marwa Rifahie, an attorney with CAIR in Los Angeles.
An off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy noticed the two arguing and separated them before calling local authorities, Rifahie said. But when Ventura County deputies arrived, they ignored Hyatt’s complaints of injuries and instead arrested her on suspicion of domestic battery, according to Rifahie.
Hyatt’s husband bailed her out of jail four hours later, and the charges were later dismissed, Rifahie said. The district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The deputies’ alleged conduct could be seen as a violation of the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which protects the rights of prisoners to observe their chosen faith, including access to certain types of garments or diets, unless the need would compromise security.
Similar conduct by other California law enforcement agencies has led to swift reprisals in court. After Orange County sheriff’s deputies ordered a Muslim woman to remove her head scarf while she was being detained in a Santa Ana courthouse, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2011 the deputies had violated federal law. Last year, the city of Long Beach paid $85,000 to a Muslim woman who was forced to remove her head scarf by officers arresting her on a shoplifting warrant.
Many of the region’s largest law enforcement agencies have written policies directing officers and deputies to make accommodations for the religious rights of detained persons. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which operates the country’s largest jail system, directs deputies to allow inmates to wear garments that conform to their religious beliefs, according to Nicole Nishida, an agency spokeswoman.
Capt. Romando Solano, the commanding officer of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Custody Services Division, said officers may ask that a person remove a religious garment, such as a hijab, but only briefly for a search. LAPD officers would then either return the person’s original covering or provide them with a transparent one in order to ensure the item isn’t being used to hide weapons, Solano said.
The LAPD does make efforts to stop people in custody from feigning religious observance to gain certain privileges, such as better food, and will sometimes ask for help from clergy members of various faiths to handle such situations, Solano said.
“Some people tend to try to fake a religious affiliation, so we have chaplains on call and we would bring them in and they would interview them, whatever faith they are,” Solano said.
Hyatt’s attorneys said she posed no threat to the deputies who refused to return her head covering.
“Though Ms. Hyatt protested against the removal of her religious head wear, Ventura County sheriff’s deputies continued to prohibit her from wearing any head-covering during her entire time in county custody, even though she had been thoroughly searched and did not pose any valid security concerns,” the suit said.
The sheriff’s department exonerated the deputies involved in the incident after Hyatt filed an internal affairs complaint last year, according to Rifahie.
Rifahie said the incident speaks to a larger issue involving the treatment of Muslim women who choose to cover themselves under a hijab. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has handled a number of cases in recent years involving female students and employees who have been denied the right to wear the clothing that conforms to their faith.
“The hijab issue, and a woman’s right to wear it, comes up all the time. A lot of our bullying cases involve female students having their hijabs tugged and pulled,” Rifahie said.
Erin Darling, who is also representing Hyatt, said he hopes the suit will compel the sheriff’s department to protect the rights of inmates.
“Big picture, my hope is that the county of Ventura follows the law and permits religious head wear among all detainees,” he said. “Whether it’s a woman wearing a hijab or a Jewish man wearing a yarmulke.”
Former top Chinese leader gets life in prison on corruption charges
Sun Zhengcai, a former top Chinese Communist Party official once considered a potential successor to President Xi Jinping, has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of taking bribes.
Sun, a former Communist party chief of the sprawling Chongqing municipality, told a court in northern China Tuesday that he will accept the ruling and would not appeal it, according to state media.
“I sincerely admit my guilt and regret my crime,” Sun was seen telling the First Intermediate People’s Court of Tianjin on national broadcaster CCTV.
“I will seriously reform myself,” he said and bowed.
Last month, Sun admitted to accepting more than 170 million yuan ($27 million) between 2002 and 2017, in both property and cash, when he held various posts across China.
close dialog
Sun, 54, was a former member of the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo — China’s top decision-making body — and considered a future leader at the time of his downfall.
When he first came under investigation by the party’s disciplinary arm in July, the move was seen as an example of Xi further consolidating power ahead of a major party congress.
Since taking power in 2012, Xi has promoted a massive campaign as a way to stamp out corruption throughout China. More than 1 million officials have been brought down since it began.
But analysts say the Chinese President, considered the country’s most powerful leader in years, has used the crackdown to eliminate some of his rivals.
Chongqing, one of China’s largest cities, is situated deep in the country’s economic heartland and far from the political center of Beijing.
Sun was put in charge of Chongqing in 2012 after former party Secretary Bo Xilai was jailed for life for corruption in a scandal involving the murder of a British businessman.
Sun was replaced by Xi protege Chen Min’er, a rising political star who joined the 25-member Politburo last year.
First lady Melania ‘stole’ an old FTC pamphlet to launch a new anti-cyberbullying campaign
The campaign’s “Talking with Kids About Being Online” brochure copies an Obama-era FTC document for its “Net Cetera” program back in 2014.
First lady Melania Trump has launched a new anti-cyberbullying campaign called “Be Best,” and the White House has released a pamphlet to go with it — one that’s not quite as new. As BuzzFeed News has pointed out, the campaign’s “Talking with Kids About Being Online” brochure copies an Obama-era FTC document for its “Net Cetera” program back in 2014. If you look at the documents side by side, the covers are almost identical, with slight changes to the smartphone graphics to make them look less like a Samsung Galaxy S3 and more like an iPhone
More importantly, their contents are almost the same. The first lady’s spokesperson Stephanie Grisham told BuzzFeed News that the materials were “updated and edited to reflect today’s event” and they “were happy to be able to provide the children in attendance with such a resource.” But upon checking, it’s clear that the new pamphlet lifted most of the older one’s contents word for word. Even the parts that aren’t exactly the same look merely shuffled around and paraphrased — imagine a student copying parts of Wikipedia and mixing things up a bit in hopes of getting past a plagiarism checker.
When the first lady announced Be Best, she thanked Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Snap and Twitter for supporting the platform. It’s still unclear how they’re contributing to it, but we’re hoping their involvement means Be Best has more to offer other than a copied brochure.
