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Annastacia Palaszczuk might've won the next Queensland election already thanks to a nifty piece of electoral reform. |
A Queensland QC is trying to exonerate one of the top cops associated with the reign of Queensland premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen. |
Matthew Condon has provided proof of Joh Bjelke-Petersen's corruption and criminal behaviour. |
Poll Bludger: will Newman pull a Kennett on Saturday? |
Calm down -- privatising some state assets does not mean Bjelke-Petersen-style brown paper bags of cash. |
Crikey readers have their say on the Queensland election, the practice of political figures snubbing journalists and other issues of the day. |
While superficially similar, there's a key difference between Bob Katter and Clive Palmer. Palmer, despite his buffoonery, is an experienced political mind. And Katter is just mad. |
Threatened with being replaced, striking Aggregate Industries workers have approved a contract that calls for them to pay for part of their health insurance and pension benefits and fewer guaranteed work hours. |
Between 25 and 30 people work at Aggregate Industries Northeast Inc.�s plant on Worcester Street in North Grafton. They ended a 10-day strike Thursday to avoid being out of work, Local 170 Business Agent James R. Fiore said. |
Mr. Fiore said Aggregate played �real hardball� during the negotiations and never budged. |
Representatives from Aggregate Industries headquarters in Rockville, Md., did not return calls yesterday seeking comment. |
Aggregate laborers had a choice between a four-hour guaranteed workday with a 9 a.m. start or a five-hour guaranteed workday with a 10 a.m. start. They chose the four-hour workday; before, they had an eight-hour guaranteed workday with an 8 a.m. starting time for eight months and a 9 a.m. starting time for the winter m... |
Under the new contract, the company will decide who is offered overtime, regardless of seniority. Seniority took precedence in the earlier contract. In addition, laborers will pay a share of their health insurance, as well as some money toward their pension, both of which they had not done before. |
Mr. Fiore said while it was an unfavorable contract for the workers, they did make the right decision to ratify it. |
Craig Semon can be reached by e-mail at csemon@telegram.com. |
Bedfordshire Police has made some progress to improve the service it provides to vulnerable victims, but still has much more work to do. |
In December 2015, Bedfordshire Police was one of four forces HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) graded as inadequate at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm and supporting victims. |
HMIC found that Bedfordshire Police needed to urgently the serious weaknesses in its arrangements for protecting vulnerable people. The force still had more work to do in relation to tackling domestic abuse to ensure victims received a reliable and effective response. We also had serious concerns about the way Bedfords... |
- has considerably more to do to ensure that it equips its officers and staff with the right skills to support vulnerable victims. |
HMI Zoe Billingham said: "When we inspected Bedfordshire Police in 2015, we found the force was failing vulnerable victims and needed to urgently address a number of serious weaknesses in its arrangements for protecting vulnerable people from harm. I am encouraged that since this inspection, the force has shown a commi... |
"Particular areas of concern remain. The force¡¦s current approach to missing and absent children is still inconsistent and ineffective, which means that children could still be at risk as a result. While the force has taken steps to increase the number of specially trained frontline staff, it needs to be confident tha... |
"On a positive note, I am pleased to find that the force has improved how it assesses the level of risk posed to victims of domestic abuse, which was a significant concern in 2015. It is also encouraging to find that partnership working and sharing of information have improved. However, more work is still required to e... |
Deputy Chief Constable Mark Collins said: "Protecting vulnerable people remains our priority and focus at Bedfordshire Police and we are investing a huge amount of resources and time into ensuring we are providing the best possible service. |
"We welcome the HMIC scrutiny and are keen to implement recommendations to help us protect those most at need. |
"I'm pleased the revisit report recognises the progress we have made since the initial inspection and shows we have improved in the majority of areas - particularly around identifying those at risk of harm and working closely with partners to safeguard the vulnerable in our society. |
"Since this latest revisit we have brought in new processes to ensure consideration of vulnerability is built in to everything we do, and have already seen further improvements in our service. However, we recognise that there is always more that can be done and we are constantly reviewing the way we work and exploring ... |
"I am absolutely determined that the good work will continue and hope that this will be reflected in the next HMIC inspection on this priority area for the force." |
"It is important that we groom him well and hopefully he is the next big thing for us", he said. The 25-year-old injured his left shoulder in the final over of Delhi Capitals innings while trying to stop the hit of Delhi Capital's star batsman Rishabh Pant on his follow through. |
"After the World Cup, my cricketing career is ending", Malinga said after his side lost the second Twenty20 global against South Africa by 16 runs. |
Leading the perennial slow starters, he added, "The combination might change for the next game". Yuvraj was purchased by the Mumbai Indians franchise for INR 1 crore at the auctions past year. They lost skipper Rohit Sharma (14) and Suryakumar Yadav (2) early. "And I could not decide on what to do", Yuvraj, who was the... |
A rebranded Delhi team showed its effort in every department of the game as firstly it rode Rishabh Pant's blistering knock to post a massive total of 213 runs before their bowlers also rose to the occasion to bowl out the three-time champions for 176 in 19.2 overs. He is playing well in Test matches as well. However, ... |
Rishabh Pant had a stunning start to this year's Indian Premier League. And we will be assessing the situation tomorrow as well. |
"Not to say we won't be committed to the IPL, but we've got to be smart". |
What is the Hajj and will an app make pilgrimage safer this year? |
More than two million Muslims will descend upon Mecca this weekend. |
The Hajj is an annual journey to Mecca, a desert valley in Saudi Arabia, that all able-bodied and financially capable Muslim adults are expected to make at least once in their lifetime. |
It is the world's largest annual pilgrimage, and this year there is an effort to use technology like never before, to make it as safe as possible. |
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has worked with the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission to set up extra cell towers and Wi-Fi spots to connect loved ones unable to perform the Hajj to those on the journey. |
An app for 2018 is also the first in a series of plans to use technology to re-design the event by 2030 (see below). |
The Hajj takes place on the eighth and twelfth days of the final month of the Muslim calendar: between Sunday 19 August and Friday 24 August in 2018. |
The five-day pilgrimage is the fifth and final pillar of Islam, and concludes when up to two million Muslims circle the sacred cube-shaped Kaaba, a building at the centre of the religion's most important mosque. |
In 2016, up to 1.8 million Muslims took part. An estimated 221,000 came from Indonesia, 179,210 from Pakistan, and 170,000 from India and Bangladesh and Egypt. The majority, 1,082,228, were male and 780,681 were female. |
More than 51,000 government staff work around the clock during the Hajj. |
Why is the ritual so important? |
Mecca is considered the most holy city for Muslims and the journey resembles a tradition performed by the Prophet Muhammad with millions of Muslims undertaking a route around a rocky mountain of the ancient city, where the Prophet Muhammad once traced the movements of the Prophet Abraham and Ishmael. |
In Islam, the Hajj represents the actions of the Prophet Muhammad in a pilgrimage dating back to 632 AD. The ritual cleanses faithful Mulsims of sin and brings them closer to God. |
A total of 1.8 million Muslims took part in the Hajj in 2016. That number jumped to more than 2.3 million pilgrims in 2017. |
What happens on each day? |
Pilgrims enter the sacred city of Ihram in plain white clothing. They then travel to the small town of Mina. Here Muslims will spend a day and night in the sprawling tent village. |
Known as the 'Day of Arafat' all pilgrims converge near Mount of Mercy after a 14.4km journey. Muslims stand or sit to pray. Following prayer, Muslims travel 9km to Muzdalifah and collect pebbles for the next day. |
Pilgrims travel back to Mina and throw the stone pebbles at pillars. The act resembes casting away the temptations of the devil. |
Next Muslims must slaughter a sheep, goat, cow or camel - to complete the re-enactment of when Abraham went to sacrifice his son, only to find God had placed a ram there to be slaughtered instead. |
Muslims give away the meat to the poor as a gesture of parting with something precious. |
Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor and needy. |
Finally, the last couple of days are dedicated to travelling to the Grand Mosque in Mecca and circling the Kaaba seven times. |
The Hajj has been marred with deaths in recent years. In 2015, Saudi Arabia officials claimed more than 717 people were killed due to a stampede in Mina. More than 360 pilgrims died in a stampede the following year. |
Tensions in the Gulf region also reached a critical point in 2017 after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar after they alleged the nation was supporting terrorism. |
In June 2017 the crossing between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the Salwa border, was blocked. All Qatar Airways flights were also banned during the Hajj. |
Since the dispute, Saudi Arabia's King Salman ordered the reopening of the border and relaxed its restrictions on flights. This year he is reported to be paying for hundreds of Yemeni and Sudanese families to attend the Hajj. The families will be relatives of soldiers killed in Yemen's war. |
For years, Yemen has been involved in a war between Houthi rebels and supporters of Yemen's internationally recognised government. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia formed a coalition of Arab states to defeat the Houthis. |
Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims make their way to cast stones at a pillar for the Hajj. |
Can an app improve safety in 2018? |
Government officials are making a big effort to make sure the Hajj is as safe as possible. As part of the initiative more than 16,000 communication towers and more than 3,000 Wi-Fi hotspots will be set-up. |
This will allow pilgrims to use the 4G mobile network at all times in order to maintain contact with families and to use the ministry's online services. |
The ministry's Smart Hajj app can be downloaded to help pilgrims perform the Hajj with a step-by-step guide, satellite map and information in seven different languages. |
The app also has GPS technology so pilgrims can locate their companions during the Hajj and find the shortest route to reach them. With just one-click emergency services can also be called. |
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah also released a video showing how technology could further improve the event by 2030. It suggests one day all attendees will get a digital ID card, electronic bracelet and earpiece. |
Senate Democrats have taken a formal step to codify their push for staff diversity in the Senate. |
Lawmakers approved new conference rules at the Democrats’ policy lunch last Tuesday, which encourage offices to use the NFL’s “Rooney Rule,” the requirement named after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ owner Dan Rooney that teams interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching vacancies. Democratic offices are now ... |
According to rule text shared with Democratic chiefs of staff and obtained by Roll Call, the rules would also cement the Senate Diversity Initiative that is run through the Democratic leader’s office. Former Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada launched the initiative, and his successor as minority leader, Charles E. Schumer, has... |
Schumer first announced that he would move to change conference rules at a meeting of the 2044 council last month. The group is comprised of lobbyists and former Capitol Hill staffers who work with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to encourage diversity among congressional candidates, and gets its name from... |
Democratic Sens. Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Cory Booker of New Jersey have been working with the 2044 council and leading a renewed push to diversify Senate staff. |
Schatz described the conference rules as a “first step” when asked how they would be enforced. |
“There’s a whole implementation conversation that has to happen,” he said. |
The start of the new Congress has led to a renewed push to diversify Senate staff, especially in the senior ranks. Although there are varying opinions on how to boost diversity, many agree that a major problem is a lack of data on diversity of race, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds among staff. |
But staff and lawmakers often point to a December 2015 report from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies that found racial disparities among senior Senate staff. Of 336 top Senate staffers, the report found 24 aides of color. |
Booker noted a key obstacle to diversifying staff is not having data on staff makeup, since currently no office is tasked with collecting that data. He suggested offices could collect the data themselves. |
As lawmakers work to figure out how to enforce the new rules, staffers cheered the new measure. Leaders of the staff associations representing black, Asian, and Hispanic staffers issued statements calling the move a step in the right direction. |
Lewis Myers, the new president of the Congressional Black Associates, noted that there needed to to be a bipartisan approach to diversity. |
Aug 5, 2013 - 05:17 pm .- The spiritual meaning of the Way of St. James pilgrimage must not be reduced to a mere touristic and ecological route, said a Spanish agency charged with promoting the Church's cultural heritage. |
Aug 5, 2013 - 05:09 pm .- Catholics should see the secular media as an opportunity to evangelize and more effectively reach “people who need heroes and need the Gospel,” said the head of a Catholic communications organization. |
Aug 5, 2013 - 04:31 pm .- Amid a flurry of media reaction, the Vatican has released a full transcript of the remarks Pope Francis made to journalists while on a flight back to Rome from Rio de Janeiro's World Youth Day. |
Aug 5, 2013 - 02:30 pm .- The winning photos of the contest “Life…in HD,” which is being organized by the Pontifical Council for the Family, will be projected for Pope Francis this October in Rome. |
Aug 5, 2013 - 07:54 am .- After a vacancy of nearly one year, the U.S. Senate approved the former head of Catholic Relief Services, Ken Hackett, to serve as the country’s new Ambassador to the Holy See. |
Due to volume growth I am recruiting for several Warehouse Assistants with immediate interviews and start dates available!! |
Hours of work are Monday to Friday 6am - 2pm with potential overtime on a Saturday and Sunday. |
Please note that due to the location of the company you will need to have access to a car as there is no public transport available. |
Please click APPLY NOW or send your CV across straight away if you are interested in finding out more about this position. |
Elkridge: 6600 block of U.S. 1: A home's side door was pried open between Sept. 11 and Thursday, but police said nothing was taken. |
Elkridge: 6600 block of U.S. 1: Someone stole a white 1988 GMC van with Maryland tags 37A 646 Wednesday or Thursday. The van had "Metro Aire Inc." painted on its side. |
Ellicott City: 3200 block of Normandy Woods Drive: A maroon 1987 Toyota 4-Runner with Maryland tags 146095M was stolen Wednesday night or Thursday, police said. |
Gerry Fairbanks, 85, above left, and Cathie Martin, 76, paint on their canvases. |
At Cypress Court retirement community in Escondido, Calif., painting student Cathie Martin, above, concentrates on a new work in class. |
When 85-year-old Gerry Fairbanks sits down in front of a blank canvas, she says her paintbrush might just as well be a magic wand. |
Fairbanks started painting about 20 years ago when she began losing her hearing. It was one of the few recreational activities she could enjoy without the necessity of sound. She’s now a regular at the weekly oils classes led by art instructor Janice Eakin. Recently, Fairbanks was painting a violin with a pair of songb... |
Fairbanks now has a cochlear implant, which has improved her hearing, particularly in quiet spaces like the painting class. She’s one of many Cypress Court painters who, in spite of physical limitations, have found unbridled freedom through a paintbrush. |
Eakin’s students include residents who are recovering from strokes, battling hand tremors and arthritis and suffer from failing vision, among other age-related issues. Some are novice painters, some are accomplished. All share the same desire to create in whatever ways they can. Case in point: Former student Louise Nie... |
Judy Lucous, wellness director at Cypress Court, said she’s inspired every week when she visits the painting class. |
John Call, 96, has macular degeneration. He has lost all vision in his left eye and has only limited vision in his right. But with Eakin’s help he has found a creative way to paint over the past three years. Eakin mixes Call’s colors and when he puts brush to canvas he follows the motion of her finger to direct his bru... |
Call’s favorite painting is a riverscape near the Valley of the Kings in Upper Egypt. A felucca boat with a lateen sail rests on a sandy shore near a mud-brick home and palm tree grove. It’s a scene he remembers well from his 20 years working in the U.S. Foreign Service, including three years in Cairo. He visited this ... |
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