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SF declares tent city of homeless is health hazard

San Francisco officials give homeless people living on the sidewalk 72 hours to clear out




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The Cabula 12: Brazils police war against the black community

Brazil's anti-police movement continues to fight for the soul of Cabula, even as death threats intensify





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Hailey Baldwin 'feels less of a woman' when compared to Justin Bieber's ex Selena Gomez

Hailey Baldwin bared it all about the constant comparisons between her and Justin Bieber’s past lovers like Selena Gomez




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'Nothing beats hearing I love you, Mommy': Ayeza Khan on Mother's Day

Ayeza Khan is in self-isolation and spending quality time with family under lockdow




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Netflix's 'The Crown' criticized for branding Queen as a 'woman of limited intelligence'

'The Crown' depicted Queen Elizabeth as a 'countryside woman of limited intelligence'




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Iqra Aziz surprised by mom Asiya Aziz

Later, Iqra turned to Instagram and showered love and wishes to mom on Mother’s Day




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Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez's 'Tere Bina' teaser is out now

Salman Khan also extended wishes to all the mothers on Mother’s Day.




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Sindh govt stoking hatred to divert public attention from its poor performance, alleges Khurrum Sher Zaman

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Karachi president and MPA Khurrum Sher Zaman on Saturday said that one of his Friday statements had been misrepresented and therefore he tendered his apologies if it had hurt anyone’s sentiments.Zaman came under severe criticism by a section of activists on...




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Venezuela charges Americans with terrorism, conspiracy

CARACAS: Venezuela has charged two former US soldiers with terrorism and conspiracy for allegedly taking part in a failed bid to topple President Nicolas Maduro, the attorney general said on Friday.Luke Alexander Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, were among 17 people captured by the Venezuelan...




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Venezuela charges Americans with terrorism, conspiracy

CARACAS: Venezuela has charged two former US soldiers with terrorism and conspiracy for allegedly taking part in a failed bid to topple President Nicolas Maduro, the attorney general said on Friday. Luke Alexander Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, were among 17 people captured by the Venezuelan...




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Venezuela charges Americans with terrorism

CARACAS: Venezuela has charged two former US soldiers with terrorism and conspiracy for allegedly taking part in a failed bid to topple President Nicolas Maduro, the attorney general said on Friday.Luke Alexander Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, were among 17 people captured by the Venezuelan...




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'Youm-e-Wiladat' of Hazrat Imam Hassan

Islamabad :” The Patron-in-Chief of Supreme Shia Ulema Board and Quaid-i-Millat Jafariya Agha Syed Hamid Ali Shah Moosavi has said that enemies of the religion are looting the wealth of Muslims by creating differences amongst them and by sowing the seeds of hatred, says a press release.He...




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Liquor traders held; huge quantity of alcohol seized

Islamabad : Industrial-Area police have arrested a wine dealer and recovered 115 bottles of wine and 150 litres liquor from him, a police spokesman said.He said that Deputy Inspector General of Police Waqar Uddin Syed assigned special task to SP Industrial Area Zubair Ahmed Sheikh, to ensure...




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Abbasi wants PM, Asad quizzed by sugar scam probe body

ISLAMABAD: Senior vice president of the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has urged the commission of inquiry on the sugar scam to include Prime Minister Imran Khan and the then finance minister Asad Umar in the investigation to find out the truth.

Talking to reporters after appearing before the commission with another senior party leader and former minister Khurram Dastagir Khan here on Saturday, Mr Abbasi said he had told the commission there would be no worth of its report if it did not summon the prime minister and Mr Umar, the then chairman of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) that had allowed export of sugar despite knowing it was not available in stock.

“We do not talk politics. We have presented facts before the commission. If the prime minister and the [former] ECC chairman are not called [for interrogation] there will be no worth of the commission’s report,” said Mr Abbasi, who had served as prime minister after disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in July 2017 as a result of the Supreme Court’s verdict in Al-Azizia corruption case.

Mr Abbasi had himself written a letter to the commission and offered his services to it by sharing his experiences in probing the sugar scam. He had stated that he would inform the commission how sugar scandals developed in the light of his experience as a former chief executive of the country.

Mr Abbasi held the prime minister directly responsible for over Rs100 billion sugar scam, saying the inquiry commission should ask him the reason for allowing sugar export despite the fact that the commodity was not available in surplus in the country and for not taking any step to prevent increase in its price. He said the export continued for 16 months with 45 per cent increase in the sugar price in the country, but the government took no notice of it.

The former prime minister alleged that the sugar mill owners earned Rs30 per kilogram extra due to this decision of the government. He said the increase in sugar price proved the decisions of the cabinet and the ECC to export sugar were wrong.

“There can be three factors behind this wrong decision. Either the prime minister is incompetent or corrupt or he is both. The facts prove he is incompetent as well as corrupt and the people of Pakistan are paying the price for it,” he said.

Mr Abbasi said he had told the inquiry commission it would not be able to understand the issue until it would not summon the members of the cabinet and the ECC.

“Is it not a matter of conflict of interests?” he asked, alleging those who made billions through the sugar scam were part of the federal cabinet.

Mr Abbasi said it was a clear, open and shut case as facts showed sugar was exported against the advice of the relevant authorities and continued to be exported for 16 months while prices rose. He said not only that, the government also imposed a special tax on sugar import to ensure the rise in price and exploitation of the people.

Replying to a question, the former prime minister said when the PML-N had left the government in 2018, the sugar price was Rs54 per kg. He said the PML-N had also given huge subsidy of over Rs20bn and even allowed the export, but at the same time it kept check on its price and brought the price down.

Responding to another query, he said they had not given anything in writing or any document, but they were ready to do so, if asked. However, he said, the minutes of the meetings of the cabinet and the ECC would be sufficient as evidence.

The federal cabinet in its meeting on April 28 had allowed three more weeks to the Sugar Forensic Commission (SFC) to compile its report on last year’s food crisis after the expiry of the April 25 deadline given for the task.

The commission headed by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Wajid Zia had reportedly made a formal request to the federal government to grant it more time citing multiple reasons, including the situation created by coronavirus.

The commission had been constituted by the government in the first week of April following the release of two separate inquiry reports of the FIA on the issue of artificial shortage of sugar and wheat in the country and sudden increase in their prices last year.

The inquiry report on sugar had revealed names of many bigwigs, including Jahangir Tareen, former secretary general of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and a close confidant of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had allegedly obtained benefit during the crisis.

The report had showed in the past few years sugar production was historically more than the local requirement and said therefore it was imperative to include this aspect related to export of sugar, including any subsidy given, its impact on local sugar prices and eventually major beneficiaries of such export subsidies, if any. The inquiry committee had found the sugar export was not justified as sugarcane production was expected to be low in harvesting season 2018-19 and with the export of sugar in Jan 2019, the prices of sugar sharply increased.

After the release of the report, the opposition had demanded that the PM take stern action against those who had been declared responsible for the crisis by the FIA committee.

PM Khan had vowed to take action, but said he would do so after receiving the forensic audit report from the commission he had constituted on the recommendation of the ‘initial’ reports. The commission comprises officials from a number of agencies and departments, including Intelligence Bureau and the Federal Board of Revenue.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2020




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Aha™ Drives Ahead with Hundreds More Stations of Personalized Location-Based Content for Drivers

LAS VEGAS – Aha by HARMAN™ continues to bring drivers the widest array of options to be entertained and informed safely on the road. Today Aha announced partnerships with four of the web's leading location-based service providers that will bring hundreds of new personalized stations of location-based services to drivers who use Aha. By the end of 2013, Aha will be installed into vehicles by more than 10 auto manufacturers which in total represent more than 50 percent of all cars sold in the USA/Canada and up to 30 percent in Europe. Aha brings a world of infotainment to drivers including both mainstream and niche content. Because Aha is fully customizable, users can create the radio experience they want, and take it anywhere.




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Aha™ Cranks up the Entertainment Factor with Dozens of News, Music, Talk, Lifestyle and Children's Audio Stations

LAS VEGAS-- Aha by HARMAN today announced further expansion of entertainment and lifestyle programming available on its platform through partnerships with streaming innovators Entertainment Radio Network, the Kaliki Audio Newsstand, and Storynory. Aha brings a world of infotainment to its users on their smart phones and in their cars with more than 30,000 stations of content spanning from the most popular mainstream programs to unique niche interests. By the end of 2013, Aha will be installed into vehicles by more than 10 auto manufacturers which in total represent more than 50 percent of all cars sold in the USA/Canada and up to 30 percent in Europe.




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Aha By Harman to Provide Connected Entertainment System in Redesigned 2014 Mazda3

Palo Alto, CA – Aha by HARMAN™ today announced that the new 2014 Mazda3to be launched in North America and Europethis fall will offer access to Aha's free service withthe ability to select presets from more than 40,000* audio and information stations.




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HARMAN Partners with AdsWizz to Deliver Targeted Advertising via Aha Radio

CES 2014, LAS VEGAS – HARMAN today announced it will begin delivering targeted audio advertising to its users through a partnership between its Aha Radio and AdsWizz. A leading global technology provider of advertising solutions for the digital radio and audio industries, AdsWizz will be Aha Radio’s primary technology partner in enabling targeted audio advertising in vehicles and mobile phones through the Aha Radio app.This is the first time that the AdsWizz server-side Audio Injector for Streamers (AIS), built to be compatible with most of the market recognized streaming technologies, will be used in the vehicle audioadvertising space.




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Venezuela says troops seize abandoned Colombian combat boats, weapons

Venezuela's military said it seized three abandoned Colombian light combat vessels that soldiers found on Saturday while patrolling the Orinoco river, several days after the government accused its neighbor of aiding a failed invasion.




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Hands on with Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite

Backlight screen and faster performance are a couple of perks of this new e-reader.




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Which Zagg keyboard is right for your iPad mini?

I tested both of Zagg's iPad mini keyboard cases and either is a nice accessory. There's a difference in typing, however, due to the two sizes. That means you'll have to figure out if you value portability or a better typing experience when choosing.




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This is Z10, the first BlackBerry 10 handset

Research In Motion is no more! BlackBerry is the new company name and the Z10 is the first BlackBerry 10 handset. Here's a quick overview of the new phone.




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Is the Anna Hazare movement a turning point in India?

Nov. 15 - How much pressure is the Anna Hazare movement really putting on the Indian government. Professor Ashutosh Varshney of Brown University analyzes.




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The challenges of India's industrialization

Professor Ashutosh Varshney of Brown University analyzes the current state of India's democratic system as well as the strengths and challenges in this rapidly growing nation. Full interview.




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Roularta to sell seven French magazines to tycoon Patrick Drahi

Belgian publisher Roularta Media Group said it would negotiate exclusively with French businessman Patrick Drahi towards a sale of seven magazines including newsweekly L'Express.




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Maryland politician apologizes over threat to sue local paper

A Maryland politician who said he would sue a newspaper if it printed his name, Kirby Delauter, has apologized after his threat garnered national attention, the targeted newspaper reported on Thursday.




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UPDATE 1-U.S. FDA grants emergency use authorization to Quidel for first antigen test for COVID-19

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Saturday approved emergency use authorization (EUA) to Quidel Corp for the first COVID-19 antigen test.




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Brazil's central bank to shower economy with money in case of depression -economy minister

Brazil's Economy Minister Paulo Guedes on Saturday said the country's central bank is likely to shower the economy with money in case of an economic depression.




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UPDATE 2-Brazil's central bank to shower economy with money in case of depression -economy minister

Brazil's Economy Minister Paulo Guedes on Saturday said the country's central bank is likely to shower the economy with money in case of a depression due to the coronavirus pandemic.





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Daily Deals: Xbox Game Pass, Ryzen and Intel CPUs, iPads and More

Ryzen CPUs are some of the best on the market, and thanks to Newegg, could be yours for a discounted price.




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Kitchen gadgets, safe sanitizing, COVID news and more: Tech Q&A

Each week, I receive tons of questions from my listeners about tech concerns, new products, and all things digital. Sometimes, choosing the most interesting questions to highlight is the best part of my job. Do you have a question you’d like to ask me?





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Kristen Wiig Is Here to Jazz Up Your Quarantine as SNL Host

She also has a gift for mothers everywhere.




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Cyber Security Today – Zoom meeting job review scam, fake Labor Department email and a new Android threat

Zoom meeting job review scam, fake Labor Department email and a new Android threat. Welcome to Cyber Security Today. It’s Friday May 1st. I’m Howard Solomon, contributing reporter on cybersecurity for ITWorldCanada.com. To hear the podcast click on the arrow below: Videoconference provider Zoom has toughened its security by making it mandatory for users to…




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Hashtag Trending – Data Transfer Project; Amazon and COVID-19; and NVIDIA’s open source ventilator

Facebook is rolling out a tool that lets users in the US and Canada transfer photos and videos from its platform to Google Photos, Amazon says it plans to spend all of its profit for the second quarter, an estimated $4 billion, on its response to the coronavirus pandemic, and NVIDIA’s chief scientist rolls out…




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Hashtag Trending – Facebook bans anti-lockdown protesters; Amazon VP condemns Amazon, quits; New Apple Macbooks

Anti-quarantine protesters jumped onto other social platforms after being shut down by Facebook, Amazon Vice President Tim Bray said Amazon is designed to create a climate of fear and quits the company, Apple releases new MacBook 13 with an improved keyboard and more storage.   Anti-quarantine protesters are being kicked off Facebook and quickly finding…




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Lisa Lazareck-Asunta, IEEE’s Women in Engineering Chair, Is Just Getting Started

One of her goals is to make speaker panels and conferences more inclusive




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Mizoram’s corona-free status due to ‘discipline’ of people: CM Pu Zoramthanga




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Mexican President Says U.S. Can Still Apologize For Botched Obama-era 'Fast & Furious' Gun-Running Sting

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador reignited demands this week for either clarity or an apology over a botched Obama-era United States gun-running operation dubbed "Fast and Furious."




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Here’s What Happened At The Nazi Concentration Camp For Women That Time Forgot

History has all but forgotten them.




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Royal Mountain Records: Prioritizing Mental Health for Musicians

Earlier this year, Toronto-based indie label Royal Mountain Records (PUP, Mac DeMarco, Alvvays, U.S. Girls) created a first-of-its-kind fund to support its artists’ mental health. Each act on the label now has access to $1,500 each – completely confidential and non-recoupable – to use on mental health wellness and addiction treatment.

The label is run by Hollerado frontman Menno Versteeg, who joins us this week to talk about the fund’s creation and, more generally, mental health in the music community. Menno is open and honest about how his own history as a touring musician inspired the fund, and why labels, managers, agents, and others who earn their living off of musicians need to do more to support artists’ well-being.

And since Hollerado just released their final album and will soon embark on their last tour, we also fit in a quick chat about the band.




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Snotty Nose Rez Kids & The Rock Doctor

Ahead of their set at NXNE 2019, Mike caught up with Darren "Young D" Metz and Quinton "Yung Trybez" Nyce of acclaimed hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids. Hailing from the Haisla Nation in Northern B.C., the Polaris Prize shortlisters are one of the most exciting groups in Canada, producing straight-up bangers that get crowds pumping while also going for the political jugular with impactful lyrics that shine light on the experiences of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. Here, the guys talk about finding their artistic and political identity, being a voice for Indigenous youth, and more.

Plus, Mike Schwartz - better known as The Rock Doctor - joins us to talk about how your physical and mental well-being can affect your creativity, ability to perform, and more. He dispels some myths of the "rock star lifestyle" and shares some tips on how to turn anxiety into excitement ahead of a performance and ensure you're always on your A game.

http://canadianmusician.com http://canadianmusicianpodcast.com




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60 Minutes on 6-Strings - Wide Mouth Mason, Stephen Fearing & Linda Manzer

Mike recently spent an afternoon in the workshop of one of Canada’s top luthiers, Linda Manzer, for a fun chat with her and one Canada’s top singer-songwriters, Stephen Fearing (Blackie & The Rodeo Kings). Together, they talk guitars (obviously), the role the instrument plays in their respective careers and personal lives, share some interesting stories, and get into the new custom Cowpoke guitar that Linda had just presented to Stephen. After the interview, Stephen gives the first-ever performance on the custom guitar.

Plus, contributor Hal Rodriguez recently spoke with Wide Mouth Mason's Shaun Verreault on the band's new album,I Wanna Go with You, and the lap steel's central role in its composition. In this brief snippet, Shaun explains how he found and developed a fondness for the instrument. Check out the full Q&A at https://shorttakes.canadianmusician.com/wide-mouth-mason/

http://canadianmusician.com




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CDN Hip-Hop's Elite: Snotty Nose Rez Kids, David Strickland & Que Rock

Darren "Young D" Metz and Quinton "Yung Trybez" Nyce of acclaimed rap duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids join us this week. We chat about how they’re getting through the quarantine and the frustration of a cancelled U.S. tour. Then we get into the making of their new EP, Born Deadly, discussing the influence of Kobe Bryant (whose death inspired the song “Kobe Face”), as well as how they took their anger over the RCMP’s actions against Indigenous protesters in Wet'suwet'en territory, and across Canada, and put it into the raging new track “Cops with Guns Are the Worst!!!”

Plus, influetial and innovative hip-hop producer David Strickland and multi-faceted creator Que Rock talk about their collaborations on Strickland's upcoming collection, Spirit of Hip Hop. Strickland addresses the truly stellar guest list he's assembled for the record - which includes Que - before we touch on some of the themes they cover, how categorization can be counter-productive in hip-hop, and more.

http://canadianmusician.com




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Ocasio-Cortez frustrated with congressional 'abdication' on legislating coronavirus packages

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized the negotiation process for coronavirus relief packages, saying rank-and-file members have been all but shut out of the process.

"It's really hard to understate how devastating this has been, in terms of our legislative and oversight abilities, for an average member of Congress to ...




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Virus prevents diaspora Venezuelans from sending money home

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - After fleeing Venezuela along with millions of others amid the country's grueling humanitarian crisis, Misael Cocho made his way by bus to Peru - where he got odd jobs and sent money home monthly to support his mother and his 5-year-old son.

But just after Cocho ...




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Royal Ravens lose map without Skrapz, denied restart

The London Royal Ravens lost the first map against the Atlanta FaZe on Saturday and were denied a chance to restart despite the fact they had to play shorthanded because Matthew "Skrapz" Marshall was not in his seat at the start of the match.




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Cejudo shocks UFC by retiring after TKO of Cruz

Henry Cejudo defended his bantamweight title for the first time on Saturday night with a second-round TKO of Dominick Cruz, then he shocked the MMA world moments later by announcing his retirement at age 33.