Sabq

"تعليم الرياض" تستضيف الدورة الرياضية المدرسية الثالثة للصغار

بمشاركة ١٦ إدارة تعليمية من ٢٧ ربيع الأول حتى ١ ربيع الآخر

تستضيف الإدارة العامة للتعليم بمنطقة الرياض الدورة الرياضية المدرسية الثالثة للصغار بمشاركة ١٦ إدارة تعليمية، وذلك في الفترة من ٢٧ ربيع الأول حتى ١ ربيع الآخر ١٤٤١هـ.

وتُقام مباريات كرة القدم على ملاعب معهد العاصمة النموذجي، فيما ستكون منافسات ألعاب القوى على ملاعب معهد إعداد القادة.

وتفصيلاً، أوضح الدكتور أنور أبوعباة، مدير النشاط الطلابي بتعليم الرياض، أن البطولة تشرف عليها وكالة التعليم العام ممثلة في الإدارة العامة للنشاط الطلابي بالوزارة، وتم الاستعداد لها من حيث توزيع العمل على لجان عدة، منها لجنة مخصصة للملاعب، وأخرى للسكن، وكذلك لجنة للأمن والسلامة، ولجنة للمواصلات والتغذية، ولجنة إعلامية.

وقال "أبوعباة": إن جميع اللجان العاملة في الدورة تقوم بكامل مسؤولياتها، وتواصل تحضيراتها على مدار الساعة، سواء في التنظيم والإعداد والتنسيق لهذه الدورة بهدف نجاحها، وكذلك لرفع مستوى الرياضة المدرسية.. مقدمًا شكره لشركاء النجاح، خاصة الاتحاد السعودي لألعاب القوى، ومعهد العاصمة النموذجي، ومعهد إعداد القادة، على جهودهم لتوفير الإمكانيات كافة لإنجاح البطولة.

"تعليم الرياض" تستضيف الدورة الرياضية المدرسية الثالثة للصغار

أعلن رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتنياهو أنه سيقبل بحكم المحكمة في قضايا الفساد المرفوعة ضده، وذلك بعد يوم من توجيه المدعي العام تهم الاحتيال والارتشاء وخيانة الأمانة إليه.

وقال نتنياهو في كلمة مصورة له، اليوم الجمعة، ردا على توجيه التهم إليه: "أود أن أكون واضحا بأن هذه القضية ستحسم نهائيا في المحكمة".

وأضاف: "نحن سنقبل بقرار المحكمة، بلا شك... ونحن سنعمل دائما، من البداية إلى النهاية، بالتطابق مع حكم القانون".

إقرأ المزيد

ولفتت وسائل الإعلام الإسرائيلية إلى أن نتنياهو خفف من حدة لهجته في ما يتعلق بتوجيه التهم إليه، علما بأنه في تصريحاته الأولى بعد توجيه الاتهام رسميا، رفض لوائح الاتهام بحقه، واصفا ذلك بـ "محالة الانقلاب" عليه.

ويأتي ذلك وسط دعوات معارضي نتنياهو، وعلى رأسهم تحالف "أزرق أبيض" بقيادة بيني غانتس، لتركه مناصبه الوزارية الأربعة، فيما طالبه حزب "العمل – غيشر" بتقديم الاستقالة من منصب رئيس الوزراء.

المصدر: يديعوت أحرونوت

نتنياهو يخفف اللهجة بشأن توجيه تهم الفساد إليه

Reuters

LA PAZ (Reuters) - Bolivia’s interim government filed a criminal complaint on Friday against former President Evo Morales for alleged sedition and terrorism, the interior minister said, as authorities began probes of his allies that they accuse of corruption and fomenting unrest.

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales speaks during a news conference in Mexico City, Mexico November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

Interim President Jeanine Anez, a former senator and opponent of Morales, has faced a wave of demonstrations by his supporters since taking office in a power vacuum last week.

Morales and his vice president stepped down under pressure from security forces and anti-government protesters on Nov. 10, amid reports of irregularities in the Oct. 20 election. Morales fled to Mexico and says he was toppled in a coup.

At least 29 have been killed in clashes since he resigned.

Interior Minister Arturo Murillo said he asked the public prosecutor’s office to open an investigation into Morales, based on audio in which, from Mexico, Morales allegedly directed plans for road blockades in Bolivia to destabilize the interim government.

Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the audio, which was played to reporters at a news conference earlier this week. Morales’ former health minister, Gabriela Montano, called the audio “fake.”

Murillo told journalists outside the prosecutors’ office in La Paz: “The evidence is clear. We’ve presented it.”

Morales could not immediately be reached for comment. He said on Twitter that authorities should be investigating the death of protesters instead of going after him on the basis of what he described as fake evidence.

It was unclear if prosecutors would investigate Morales or eventually file charges. The attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Blocking roads is a common form of protest in Bolivia and much of South America, though intense blockades by Morales supporters in the past week have cut off fuel and food to some cities.

Authorities have transported some 1,400 tonnes of food by plane in less than a week to the cities of La Paz, El Alto, Oruro and Sucre due to blockades, Productive Development Minister Wilfredo Rojo told journalists on Friday.

Anez pleaded with protesters to end an ongoing blockade at a natural gas plant that supplies La Paz. Eight people died in clashes after the military forcibly cleared access to it briefly on Tuesday.

“I ask for reflection from brothers who are carrying out this unnecessary blockade,” Anez said at the presidential palace on Friday. “We’re all Bolivians. You can’t punish the city of La Paz.”

Anez reiterated that she will only stay in power long enough for there to be new elections. But her critics say her cabinet have overstepped the bounds of a caretaker government by making changes to foreign policy and threatening to punish Morales’ allies.

Under Anez, authorities have alleged that several of Morales’ allies have taken part in criminal activity, including the former culture minister, the former vice president’s brother, and the vice president of his Movement to Socialism (MAS) political party.

Murillo said on Friday that he was also asking prosecutors to investigate Morales’ former presidency minister, Juan Ramon Quintana, for sedition and terrorism for allegedly telling a news outlet that Bolivia would become a modern Vietnam. Reuters could not verify the accuracy of his quoted comments or immediately reach him for a response.

A lawyer affiliated with opponents of Morales, Jorge Valda, said he planned to ask authorities to issue an arrest warrant for Morales’ 25-year-old daughter, Evaliz Morales, on Tuesday for alleged sedition and corruption.

Evaliz could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bolivia's interim government charges Morales with sedition and terrorism

International Business Times

A conservative opposition candidate is favored to win Uruguay's presidential election run-off Sunday as the South American country prepares to turn its back on the left after 15 years in power.

Luis Lacalle Pou, leader of the center-right National Party, trailed ruling party candidate Daniel Martinez in the first round, but a voting pact with lower-placed candidates has given him a significant opinion poll lead.

The latest poll shows Lacalle Pou, a 46-year-old former senator, would take 51 percent of the vote, with ex-Montevideo mayor Martinez on 43.

Photo: AFP / EITAN ABRAMOVICH

The run-off is effectively a referendum on 15 years of rule by the Broad Front -- or Frente Amplio -- according to Diego Lujan, a political scientist at the University of the Republic in Montevideo.

"When you have a party that has been in government for three terms, with a parliamentary majority that can implement its progam, the party is responsible for its results," Lujan told AFP.

The Broad Front's previous election victories came during periods of growth in Uruguay, but it now faces a backlash from voters angered by a stagnant economy, inflation of 7.5 percent and an unemployment rate of 9.0 percent

Photo: AFP / DANTE FERNANDEZ

Lacalle Pau has tapped in to voter concerns over the country's high tax rates, and promised to look elsewhere to raise the $900 million needed to reduce the public deficit -- currently running at 4.9 percent of GDP.

"Uruguay can't bear any more taxes," he told supporters.

Photo: AFP / Dante Fernandez

In this country known to be one of the safest in Latin American, rising crime rates are at the top of voters' concerns.

Uruguay has long been considered a bastion of peace and stability in an often turbulent region.

But security has been declining, with a sharp rise in some violent crimes reported last year.

Photo: AFP / PABLO PORCIUNCULA

In 2018, South America's second-smallest country registered a record 414 murders, up 45 percent on the year before.

The Broad Front, a coalition of leftist movements, can point to a record of progressive government since it broke a decades-long conservative stranglehold on government in 2005.

Uruguay stood out on the international stage by approving abortion, gay marriage and the small nation pioneered the legalization of cannabis in 2013.

"But this third government of the Broad Front has little claim on success," said Lujan.

As Lacalle Pau -- the son of a former Uruguay president Luis Alberto Lacalle -- made pacts with veteran politicians like Ernesto Talvi of the Colorado party and right-wing figure Guido Manini Rios, Martinez was left with nowhere to turn.

"Three consecutive terms in which it enjoyed a parliamentary majority has meant they weren't used to looking to other parties for support," said Lujan. "But the opposition parties want change."

Martinez, 62, turned to party icon Jose Mujica earlier this month in a bid to boost his appeal, tapping the former president and guerrilla leader as his next agriculture minister should he win.

But enlisting the 84-year-old to the cause has failed to have a significant impact on Martinez's poll standings.

The party still hasn't shaken off the 2017 scandal that forced the resignation of Vice President Raul Sendic, who was tried for embezzlement and abuse of power.

The scandal flew in the face of "a very ethical and very refreshing discourse" that the coalition brought to power in 2005, said Lujan.

Some 2.6 million voters are called to the polls Sunday. The next president will take office in March for five years.

Uruguay Prepares To Shun Left In Presidential Vote

Aljazeera.com

US Attorney General William Barr has said he initially had his own suspicions about financier Jeffrey Epstein's widely-speculated-on death while behind bars at one of the most secure jails in the United States, but came to conclude that his suicide was the result of "a perfect storm of screw-ups".

In an interview with the Associated Press news agency, Barr said his concerns were prompted by the numerous irregularities at theÂ Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York where Epstein was being held.

More:

But he said after the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Justice Department's inspector general continued to investigate, he realised that it was instead a "series" of mistakes that gave Epstein the chance to take his own life.

"I can understand people who immediately, whose minds went to sort of the worst-case scenario because it was a perfect storm of screw-ups," Barr told the Associated Press as he flew to Montana for an event.

Epstein took his own life in August while awaiting trial on charges he sexually abused girls as young as 14 and young women in New York and Florida in the early 2000s.

Barr's comments come days after two correctional officers who were responsible for guarding the wealthy financier when he died were chargedÂ with falsifying prison records. Officers Tova Noel and Michael Thomas are accused of sleeping and browsing the internet - shopping for furniture and motorcycles - instead of watching Epstein, who was supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.

His death cast a spotlight on the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which has been plagued by chronic staffing shortages and outbreaks of violence. The indictment unsealed this week against the officers shows a damning glimpse of safety lapses inside a high-security unit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.

'Scapegoated'

But the indictment also provided new details that reinforce the idea that, for all the intrigue regarding Epstein and his connections to powerful people, his death was a suicide - as the city's medical examiner concluded - and possibly preventable.

A lawyer for Thomas, Montell Figgins, said both guards are being "scapegoated".

The attorney general also sought to dampen conspiracy theories questioning whether Epstein really took his own life, saying the evidence proves Epstein killed himself. He added that he personally reviewed security footage that confirmed that no one entered the area where Epstein was housed on the night he died.

Epstein was placed on suicide watch after he was found July 23 on his cell floor with bruises on his neck but was taken off the heightened watch about a week before his death - meaning he was less closely monitored but still supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes. He was required to have a cellmate, but he was left alone after his cellmate was transferred out of the MCC on August 9, the day before his death, the indictment said.

Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell when the guards went to deliver breakfast.

One of the guards told a supervisor then that they hadn't done either their 3AM or 5AM rounds, according to the indictment.

'A screw up'

The Justice Department is still investigating the circumstances that led to the death, including why Epstein wasn't given a cellmate.

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"I think it was important to have a roommate in there with him and we're looking into why that wasn't done, and I think every indication is that was a screw-up," Barr said. "The systems to assure that was done were not followed."

Epstein's death ended the possibility of a trial and sparked widespread anger that he wouldn't have to answer for the allegations.

Even with his death, federal prosecutors in New York have continued to investigate the allegations against Epstein. Barr, who has vowed to aggressively investigate and bring charges against anyone who may have helped Epstein, said investigators were making good progress in the case.

"They are definitely pushing things along," Barr said. "I'll just say there is good progress being made, and I'm hopeful in a relatively short time there will be tangible results".

Epstein's estate still faces several lawsuit, including one filed just days after his death by two women who alleged they had been groomed and sexually abused by the financier and his associates and another filed on Thursday by a woman who says she was 17 years old when she was abused by Epstein.Â

US attorney general: Epstein's death 'perfect storm of screw ups'

ABOARD A US GOVERNMENT AIRCRAFT — Attorney General William Barr said he initially had his own suspicions about financier Jeffrey Epstein’s death while behind bars at one of the most secure jails in America but came to conclude that his suicide was the result of “a perfect storm of screw-ups.”

In an interview with The Associated Press, Barr said his concerns were prompted by the numerous irregularities at the New York jail where Epstein was being held. But he said after the FBI and the Justice Department’s inspector general continued to investigate, he realized there were a “series” of mistakes made that gave Epstein the chance to take his own life.

“I can understand people who immediately, whose minds went to sort of the worst-case scenario because it was a perfect storm of screw-ups,” Barr told the AP as he flew to Montana for an event.

Barr’s comments come days after two correctional officers who were responsible for guarding the wealthy financier when he died were charged with falsifying prison records. Officers Tova Noel and Michael Thomas are accused of sleeping and browsing the internet — shopping for furniture and motorcycles — instead of watching Epstein, who was supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.

Epstein took his own life in August while awaiting trial on charges he sexually abused girls as young as 14 and young women in New York and Florida in the early 2000s.

His suicide cast a spotlight on the federal Bureau of Prisons, which has been plagued by chronic staffing shortages and outbreaks of violence. The indictment unsealed this week against the officers shows a damning glimpse of safety lapses inside a high-security unit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.

But the indictment also provided new details that reinforce the idea that, for all the intrigue regarding Epstein and his connections to powerful people, his death was a suicide — as the city’s medical examiner concluded — and possibly preventable.

A lawyer for Thomas, Montell Figgins, said both guards are being “scapegoated.”

The attorney general also sought to dampen conspiracy theories by people who have questioned whether Epstein really took his own life, saying the evidence proves Epstein killed himself. He added that he personally reviewed security footage that confirmed that no one entered the area where Epstein was housed on the night he died.

Epstein was placed on suicide watch after he was found July 23 on his cell floor with bruises on his neck but was taken off the heightened watch about a week before his death, meaning he was less closely monitored but still supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes. He was required to have a cellmate, but he was left with none after his cellmate was transferred out of the MCC on Aug. 9, the day before his death, the indictment said.

Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell when the guards went to deliver breakfast. One of the guards told a supervisor then that they hadn’t done their 3 a.m. or 5 a.m. rounds, according to the indictment.

The Justice Department is still investigating the circumstances that led to Epstein’s death, including why he wasn’t given a cellmate.

“I think it was important to have a roommate in there with him and we’re looking into why that wasn’t done, and I think every indication is that was a screw-up,” Barr said. “The systems to assure that was done were not followed.”

Epstein’s death ended the possibility of a trial that would have involved prominent figures and sparked widespread anger that he wouldn’t have to answer for the allegations.

Even with his death, federal prosecutors in New York have continued to investigate the allegations against Epstein. Barr, who has vowed to aggressively investigate and bring charges against anyone who may have helped Epstein, said investigators were making good progress in the case.

“They are definitely pushing things along,” Barr said. “I’ll just say there is good progress being made, and I’m hopeful in a relatively short time there will be tangible results.”

Epstein’s death was a ‘perfect storm of screw-ups,’ says AG Barr

Voice of America

ABOARD A US GOVERNMENT AIRCRAFT - Attorney General William Barr said he initially had his own suspicions about financier Jeffrey Epstein's death while behind bars at one of the most secure jails in America but came to conclude that his suicide was the result of “a perfect storm of screw-ups.”



In an interview with The Associated Press, Barr said his concerns were prompted by the numerous irregularities at the Manhattan jail where Epstein was being held. But he said after the FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general continued to investigate, he realized there were a “series” of mistakes made that gave Epstein the chance to take his own life.



“I can understand people who immediately, whose minds went to sort of the worst-case scenario because it was a perfect storm of screw-ups,” Barr told the AP as he flew to Montana for an event.



Barr's comments come days after two correctional officers who were responsible for guarding the wealthy financier when he died were charged with falsifying prison records. Officers Tova Noel and Michael Thomas are accused of sleeping and browsing the internet shopping for furniture and motorcycles instead of watching Epstein, who was supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.



Epstein took his own life in August while awaiting trial on charges he sexually abused girls as young as 14 and young women in New York and Florida in the early 2000s.



His death cast a spotlight on the federal Bureau of Prisons, which has been plagued by chronic staffing shortages and outbreaks of violence. The indictment unsealed this week against the officers shows a damning glimpse of safety lapses inside a high-security unit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.



But the indictment also provided new details that reinforce the idea that, for all the intrigue regarding Epstein and his connections to powerful people, his death was a suicide, as the city's medical examiner concluded, and possibly preventable.



A lawyer for Thomas, Montell Figgins, said both guards are being “scapegoated.”



The attorney general also sought to dampen conspiracy theories by people who have questioned whether Epstein really took his own life, saying the evidence proves Epstein killed himself. He added that he personally reviewed security footage that confirmed that no one entered the area where Epstein was housed on the night he died.



Epstein was placed on suicide watch after he was found July 23 on his cell floor with bruises on his neck but was taken off the heightened watch about a week before his death, meaning he was less closely monitored but still supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes. He was required to have a cellmate, but he was left with none after his cellmate was transferred out of the MCC on Aug. 9, the day before his death, the indictment said.



Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell when the guards went to deliver breakfast. One of the guards told a supervisor then that they hadn't done their 3 a.m. or 5 a.m. rounds, according to the indictment.



The Justice Department is still investigating the circumstances that led to Epstein's death, including why he wasn't given a cellmate.



“I think it was important to have a roommate in there with him and we're looking into why that wasn't done, and I think every indication is that was a screw-up,” Barr said. “The systems to assure that was done were not followed.”



Epstein's death ended the possibility of a trial that would have involved prominent figures and sparked widespread anger that he wouldn't have to answer for the allegations.



Even with his death, federal prosecutors in New York have continued to investigate the allegations against Epstein. Barr, who has vowed to aggressively investigate and bring charges against anyone who may have helped Epstein, said investigators were making good progress in the case.



“They are definitely pushing things along,” Barr said. “I'll just say there is good progress being made, and I'm hopeful in a relatively short time there will be tangible results.”



AG Barr: Epstein's Death Was 'Perfect Storm of Screw-Ups'

Al Jazeera

قال البيت الأبيض إن الرئيس الأميركي دونالد ترامب عبّر في اتصال هاتفي مع أمير دولة قطر الشيخ تميم بن حمد آل ثاني عن امتنانه العميق للمساعدة التي قدمتها قطر في إطلاق سراح رهينتين من أفغانستان.

وأضاف البيت الأبيض في بيان أن الرئيس الأميركي وأمير دولة قطر ناقشا خلال الاتصال قضايا ثنائية وإقليمية دقيقة.

ووفقا لوكالة الأنباء القطرية، تلقى الشيخ تميم اتصالا هاتفيا اليوم الجمعة من ترامب، أعرب فيه الأخير عن خالص شكره للأمير على جهود قطر ودورها الفعال الذي أسهم في تسهيل عملية إطلاق الرهينتين اللذين كانا محتجزين في أفغانستان، فضلا عن استعراض العلاقات الإستراتيجية والتطورات الإقليمية والدولية.

ورحب ترامب أمس بإطلاق حركة طالبان سراح الرهينتين قائلا إنه يأمل أن تؤدي هذه الخطوة إلى "مزيد من الأمور الجيدة على جبهة السلام مثل وقف إطلاق النار، وإنهاء الحرب في أفغانستان".

وفي 12 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني الجاري، أعلنت أفغانستان الإفراج عن ثلاثة من قيادات طالبان، في إطار صفقة تبادل مشروطة بتحرير الحركة لرهينتين، وهما الأميركي كيفن كينغ (63 عاما) والأسترالي تيموثي ويكس (50 عاما)، وكانا يعملان بالجامعة الأميركية في أفغانستان.

وأعلنت مصادر في طالبان الثلاثاء أن ثلاثة من قياداتها غادروا إلى قطر إثر الإفراج عنهم، كما قالت الخارجية القطرية أمس إن عملية التبادل بين الحكومة الأفغانية وحركة طالبان "بادرة حسن نية" من الجانبين للمضي قدما في محادثات السلام.

ترامب يشكر الشيخ تميم على دور قطر في إطلاق رهينتين من أفغانستان

The United States has said that it supported sustained Indian involvement in Afghanistan, even as President Donald Trump looks to withdraw US troops.

India is one of the backers of Afghanistan’s government, contributing more than $3 billion since the 2001 US-led invasion toppled the Taliban, who'd harbored anti-Indian militants, according to AFP.

The US “welcomes India’s substantial investment in and assistance to Afghanistan,” Nancy Izzo Jackson, a State Department official in charge of Afghanistan, said on Thursday.

India constructed Afghanistan’s new parliament building and has also wooed Afghans with its soft power, including Bollywood films. However, India’s involvement in Afghanistan has been a cause of consternation for neighbor and rival Pakistan.

US backs continuing role for India in Afghanistan – official

(Reuters) - The global governing body of athletics on Friday suspended the reinstatement process for Russia pending the resolution of charges imposed on its athletics federation for violating anti-doping rules, dealing a blow to the country’s Olympic hopes.

Russia’s athletics federation (Rusaf) has been suspended since 2015 over a doping scandal and had hoped to be reinstated by the sport’s governing World Athletics, formerly the IAAF.

But four years into the suspension, the reinstatement process for the federation was halted after its president and a string of federation officials were provisionally suspended for violating anti-doping rules.

“The council immediately suspended the Rusaf (Russian athletics federation) reinstatement process pending the resolution of the charges,” said Rune Andersen, the chairman of the World Athletics taskforce overseeing Russia’s reinstatement.

On Thursday, the Athletics Integrity Unit, which oversees integrity issues in athletics, including doping, suspended federation president Dmitry Shlyakhtin and six other people for what they said were serious breaches of anti-doping rules.

The violations pertain to an investigation into whereabouts violations committed by Russian high jumper Danil Lysenko, which they said the officials had obstructed.

The officials, the AIU said, provided false explanations and forged documents to explain three whereabouts violations by Lysenko.

The suspension of Russia’s reinstatement process comes as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is set to decide next month on the status of Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA after Moscow allegedly provided it with doctored laboratory data.

Athletics: Russia reinstatement process suspended over AIU charges

(Reuters) - The World Athletics Council has suspended the reinstatement process of Russia’s Athletics Federation (RUSAF) pending the resolution of charges imposed on the body by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the sport’s governing body said on Friday.

Rune Andersen, chairman of the World Athletics task force overseeing RUSAF’s reinstatement, announced the decision following a meeting in Monaco.

RUSAF president Dmitry Shlyakhtin and several other officials were suspended on Thursday by the AIU for serious breaches of anti-doping rules.

RUSAF reintegration process suspended over AIU charges

Here's a look into the life of former Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota.

Personal

Birth date: December 9, 1947

Birth place: Aberdeen, South Dakota

Birth name: Thomas Andrew Daschle

Father: Sebastian Daschle

Mother: Betty Daschle

Marriages: Linda (Hall) Daschle (1984-present); Laurie (Fulton) Daschle (divorced in 1983)

Children: with Laurie Daschle: Kelly, Nathan and Lindsay

Education: South Dakota State University, B.A. in Political Science, 1969

Military: US Air Force, 1969-1972

Timeline

1969-1972 - Serves in the Air Force as an intelligence officer in the Strategic Air Command.

1973-1977 - Aide to South Dakota Sen. James Abourezk.

1978 - Elected to the US House of Representatives in a hotly contested race. After numerous recounts, Elected to the US House of Representatives in a hotly contested race. After numerous recounts, Daschle is declared the winner over Leo K. Thorsness by 105 votes.

1982 - Is reelected to House with 51.6% of the vote.

1984 - Is reelected to House with 57.4% of the vote.

1986 - Is elected to the US Senate with 51.6% of the vote, the exact same result as 1982.

1989-1999 - Serves as co-chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee with Serves as co-chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee with George Mitchell of Maine (1989-95) and Harry Reid of Nevada (1995-99).

1992 - Reelected to the Senate with 64.9% of the vote.

1995-2001 - Serves as Senate minority leader, succeeding Mitchell (D-ME).

1995-2005 - Serves as chairman of the Senate Democratic Conference.

1995 - Is involved in a scandal concerning the Federal Aviation Administration and B&L Aviation, a small airline whose owner was a family friend. The incident is later cleared by the Transportation Department and the Senate Ethics Committee.

1996 - Co-chairs the Democratic National Convention with Richard Gephardt, the Democratic House minority leader.

1998 - Reelected to a third term in the Senate with 62.1% of the vote.

June 6, 2001 - Becomes Senate majority leader by one vote after Jim Jeffords quits the Republican Party.

October 2001 - A Daschle aide opens a letter containing A Daschle aide opens a letter containing anthrax . The Hart Senate Building staff are evacuated, tested for anthrax, and given a 60-day supply of antibiotics.

January 2003-2005 - Serves as Senate minority leader.

January 7, 2003 - Daschle announces that he will not be running for president in 2004 and will remain in the Senate.

November 2, 2004 - Loses his Senate seat to Republican Loses his Senate seat to Republican John Thune by a vote of 49% to 51%.

March 5, 2005-2009 - Serves as special public policy adviser at the Washington branch of law firm Alston & Bird.

December 2, 2006 - Announces that he will not be running for president in 2008.

December 11, 2008 - nominates Daschle to be secretary of Health and Human Services and director of the White House Office of Health Reform. US President-elect Barack Obama nominates Daschle to be secretary of Health and Human Services and director of the White House Office of Health Reform.

January 8, 2009 - Confirmation hearings for Daschle begin in the Senate.

February 2, 2009 - In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, Daschle admits to errors on his tax returns. The issue involves Daschle's use of a car and driver he didn't disclose on his income taxes, and nonpayment of taxes on more than $80,000 he earned in consulting fees after leaving the Senate. He paid $146,000 in back taxes and interest to correct the errors.

February 3, 2009 - Announces that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as secretary of Health and Human Services.

November 18, 2009-October 2014 - Senior policy adviser for business law firm DLA Piper.

2013 - His book "The US Senate: Fundamentals of American Government" is published.

October 2014 - Daschle leaves DLA Piper and forms The Daschle Group, a public policy advisory of the Baker Donelson law firm.

November 2, 2017 - Daschle and his son Nathan Daschle are named two of Capitol Hill's top lobbyists in 2017.

Tom Daschle Fast Facts

(CNN) Here is a look at the life of Trent Lott , former Republican senator from Mississippi.

Personal

Birth date: October 9, 1941

Birth place: Grenada, Mississippi

Birth name: Chester Trent Lott

Father: Chester Paul Lott, shipyard worker

Mother: Iona (Watson) Lott, school teacher

Marriage: Patricia (Thompson) Lott (1964-present)

Children: Chester and Tyler

Education: University of Mississippi, B.S., 1963; University of Mississippi (Oxford), J.D., 1967

Religion: Baptist

Other Facts

Lott was originally a member of the Democratic Party but switched on the eve of his first campaign in 1972.

Timeline

1967 - Passes the Mississippi Bar and joins the law firm Bryan & Gordon as an associate.

1968-1972 - Moves to Washington to become an aide to Congressman William M. Colmer, representing Mississippi's Fifth District.

1972 - Lott is elected to Colmer's seat after Colmer decides not to run for reelection.

May 1974 - Youngest member of the House Judiciary Committee holding hearings to decide whether there is enough evidence against President Richard Nixon to call for his impeachment. Lott votes against Nixon's impeachment.

1981-1989 - Is elected as the House minority whip.

1988 - Is elected to the US Senate.

1989-2007 - Mississippi's four-term Republican senator.

1994 - Is elected Senate majority whip, the first person to be elected to the position of whip in both the House and Senate.

1995-1996 - Is elected Republican party whip.

1996-2001; 2002 - Is elected Senate Majority Leader.

December 5, 2002 - At a function honoring outgoing Sen. Strom Thurmond, Lott says, in regards to his state of Mississippi voting for Thurmond in the 1948 presidential election, "We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years either."

December 12, 2002 - , saying any suggestion that segregation was acceptable is "offensive and it is wrong." The Congressional Black Caucus releases a statement, calling for a "formal censure of Sen. Lott's racist remarks." President George W. Bush rebukes Lott for the comments , saying any suggestion that segregation was acceptable is "offensive and it is wrong." The Congressional Black Caucus releases a statement, calling for a "formal censure of Sen. Lott's racist remarks."

December 20, 2002 - due to outrage over his remarks, saying "In the interest of pursuing the best possible agenda for the future of our country, I will not seek to remain as majority leader of the United States Senate for the 108th Congress, effective January 6, 2003. To all those who offered me their friendship, support and prayers, I will be eternally grateful. I will continue to serve the people of Mississippi in the United States Senate." Lott steps down as incoming Senate Majority Leader due to outrage over his remarks, saying "In the interest of pursuing the best possible agenda for the future of our country, I will not seek to remain as majority leader of the United States Senate for the 108th Congress, effective January 6, 2003. To all those who offered me their friendship, support and prayers, I will be eternally grateful. I will continue to serve the people of Mississippi in the United States Senate."

August 2005 - Lott's memoir "Herding Cats: A Life in Politics" is released.

November 7, 2006 - Is elected to a six-year term.

November 15, 2006 - Is elected Senate Minority Whip.

November 26, 2007 - Announces Announces he will resign his Senate seat by the end of the year. Officially resigns on Dec. 18.

January 5, 2008 - Announces Announces he will open up a lobbying firm with former Sen. John Breaux and both of their sons.

July 2010 - The Breaux-Lott Leadership Group is purchased by lobbying firm Patton Boggs. Patton Boggs is later renamed Squire Patton Boggs.

October 1, 2011 - Lott becomes an independent director of Camgian Microsystems Corporation.

April 20, 2012 - Lobbying documents indicate the Breaux-Lott Leadership Group is being paid to lobby in support of the ratification of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, also known as the Law of the Sea Treaty. As a senator, Lott opposed it, saying it would create a "UN on steroids."

August 8, 2013 - Is Is hospitalized for a ruptured appendix.

Trent Lott Fast Facts

A "person of interest" in the investigation into the murder of a Maltese journalist has been released by the police because they need more time to question him, Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said.

"If a person is taken to court, he or she cannot be further questioned by the police, and in this case, the police want to question him further," Muscat told journalists on Friday.

More:

Prominent businessman Yorgen Fenech was arrested when his yacht was intercepted shortly after it sailed out of a Maltese harbour before dawn on Wednesday. Under Maltese law, those arrested have to be charged or released within 48 hours.

Fenech was released under police surveillance late on Thursday. Neither he nor his lawyer have made any comment since his detention.

His arrest came a day after Muscat offered to pardon a suspected middleman in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia if he provided legally binding evidence of who was behind the killing.

Caruana Galizia, one of Malta's best-known investigative journalists, was killed in a car bombing as she left her home on October 16, 2017.

Three men are awaiting trial for having set off the deadly bomb. Authorities still need to identify who commissioned the murder, which shocked Europe and raised questions about the rule of law on the Mediterranean island.

On Thursday, Muscat said Fenech's arrest had not stemmed from information so far provided by the alleged middleman, who has been named as Melvin Theuma.

Investigation

On Friday, Muscat confirmed media reports that Theuma had asked to be admitted to hospital, but said his condition was not believed to be serious. The prime minister said statements so far made by Theuma were still being studied by the police and needed to be corroborated.

Muscat also rebutted criticism from some opposition politicians over the decision to release Fenech.

"This is not a case of the investigators going from hero to zero. The police know what they are doing, they have to comply with the law while being mindful not to undermine their investigation," he said.

"Their interest and mine is to know all the facts."

Fenech headed a company that is one of the major shareholders in a power station built after having been granted a government contract.

A Reuters news agency's investigation has also shown that he is the owner of a company called 17 Black which was named in emails as being the vehicle for depositing money into the accounts of secret Panama companies owned by Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi and the government's chief of staff Keith Schembri.

Mizzi had been energy minister when the power station contract was awarded. It is not known whether any funds actually changed hands. Mizzi and Schembri have always denied wrongdoing and Muscat has repeatedly resisted calls for their dismissal.

Caruana Galizia had revealed the existence of 17 Black and the Panama companies owned by Mizzi and Schembri, although when she died it was still not known that Fenech was behind 17 Black.

Malta: 'Person of interest' in journalist murder case released

Guardian

A senior European monitor is calling for Malta’s prime minister to distance himself from the investigation into the killing of the prominent investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia due to a potential conflict of interest.

Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, has the power to grant immunity from prosecution to a key witness who may have vital evidence about those who commissioned Caruana Galizia’s assassination two years ago.

However, two current members of Muscat’s government have been linked to a businessman arrested on Wednesday in connection with the killing.

“The suspicions of personal and political interest are too strong, and the potential influence of the prime minister of Malta on the criminal justice system is too great,” said Pieter Omtzigt, a special rapporteur appointed by the Council of Europe to monitor events in Malta.

His comments came as businessman Yorgen Fenech was first released on police bail, and then re-arrested, giving police a further 48 hours in which to charge him. Fenech, who resigned as head of his family business last week, was apprehended while sailing away from Malta aboard his luxury yacht at around 5.30am on Wednesday morning.

Just before her death, the journalist received a massive leak of data from an energy company co-owned by Fenech.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Joseph Muscat makes a statement to media on the investigation. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters

The prime minister has taken a high-profile role in managing communications, making daily on-camera statements to the press since an apparent breakthrough in the case earlier this week.

On Tuesday Muscat revealed he was prepared to seek a presidential pardon for a key witness, Melvin Theuma, who claims to have acted as a middleman between those who planted the car bomb that killed Caruana Galizia in 2017 and those who masterminded the killing. Muscat said his decision to grant the pardon would be conditional on the evidence given by Theuma.

However, Omtzigt has joined the journalist’s family in voicing concerns that Muscat is conflicted.

Investigations have revealed Fenech as the owner of a secretive offshore company, 17 Black, which Caruana Galizia was looking into at the time of her death. It was later revealed 17 Black was due to make payments to other offshore companies belonging to Konrad Mizzi, Malta’s then energy minister, now in charge of tourism, and Keith Schembri, Muscat’s current chief of staff.

Schembri and Mizzi have both previously said they had no knowledge of any connection between 17 Black and Fenech, or of any plan to receive payments connected to Fenech.

“Concerned by events in Malta,” Omtzigt wrote on Twitter. “Who runs the investigation: PM Muscat? Who determines whether Theuma’s evidence justifies a pardon: the PM?”. He added: “Given his associations, shouldn’t PM Muscat be keeping his distance from all of this?”

Caruana Galizia’s family have issued a statement urging Muscat to step back. They said: “The prime minister has no place anywhere near the investigation and we trust that he will now distance himself from it. We are prepared to use all legal means at our disposal to ensure that the investigation is independent and impartial, and that it runs its full course.”

Malta's PM urged to step back from case of murdered journalist

أكد ملك الأردن عبد الله الثاني أن علاقة بلاده مع إسرائيل تمر اليوم بأسوأ حالاتها، وأن ما يعرف بالربيع العربي قاده شباب اشتد إحباطهم وأرادوا البحث عن فرص.

وأوضح خلال جلسة حوارية نظمها معهد واشنطن لسياسة الشرق الأدنى بنيويورك، أن المشاكل "التي نواجهها مع إسرائيل هي ثنائية، جزء منها يتعلق بالشؤون السياسية الداخلية".

وأضاف "أنا أتفهم ذلك، ولكن ليس على حساب شيء كافح والدي ورئيس الوزراء الراحل رابين لإنجازه كرمز للأمل والفرص للأردنيين والفلسطينيين والإسرائيليين وآخرين".

وردا على سؤال عما إذا كان حل الدولتين ما زال قائما، قال الملك الأردني "إنه سؤال مهم جدا. هل وصلنا إلى نقطة اللاعودة؟ وما هو البديل؟ أعتقد أن النساء والرجال الصالحين بإمكانهم إعادة الزخم بالاتجاه الصحيح".

ولفت إلى أن حل الدولتين هو الطريق الوحيد للمضي قدما، ويمثل الفرصة الأخيرة، وأنه "بمرور كل عام يزداد الأمر تعقيدا وتزداد الأمور صعوبة على الفلسطينيين والإسرائيليين للمضي قدما معا".

الربيع العربي

وتحدث الملك الأردني كذلك ردا على سؤال عن الاحتجاجات التي تشهدها بعض دول الشرق الأوسط، وهل تختلف هذه المرة عن موجة الاحتجاجات التي شهدها العالم العربي قبل ثماني سنوات.

وقال إن ما يعرف بالربيع العربي "قاده شباب اشتد إحباطهم وأرادوا فرصا، وأتمنى أن نتذكر هذه اللحظة من التاريخ التي تمثل مرحلة مفصلية في التاريخ الإسلامي والعربي كتقاطع طرق كان لا بد لنا أن نعبره".

وتحدث عن التشابه بين ما جرى في العالم العربي وما حدث في أوروبا قبل قرون من الزمن، مؤكدا أنه يعتقد أننا اليوم "نقف على تقاطع طرق مشابه".

وحول تعامل الأنظمة الملكية العربية مع الاحتجاجات التي شهدتها بعض دول المنطقة، قال الملك الأردني وفقا لبيان وزعه الديوان الملكي الأردني "إن مجتمعاتنا مبنية على النظام القبلي، وعندما يكون لديك نظام ملكي كما هو الحال في الأردن والمغرب، فإننا نضمن التوازن بين مختلف أطياف المجتمع".

وأضاف أن هذه الأنظمة تحرص على حماية ودعم الجميع، "وهذا ما ساعدها في الحفاظ على الاستقرار خلال وقت عصيب مرت به المنطقة".

تحدث عن الربيع العربي والأنظمة الملكية.. ملك الأردن: علاقاتنا مع إسرائيل في أسوأ مراحلها

قال الملك الأردني عبد الله الثاني إن هناك جيلا شابا في المنطقة "يريد مواصلة حياته" وأن يجد "فرص عمل واستقرار مع أسرة، والمضي قدما"، داعيا لمنحهم "فرصة" لجعل العالم "مكانا أفضل".

جاء ذلك خلال جلسة في نيويورك، أعقبت تسلمه جائزة "رجل الدولة – الباحث" لعام 2019، عن مجمل التطورات في منطقة الشرق الأوسط، وخطر الإرهاب والتطرف، ومساعي تحقيق السلام في المنطقة.

وقال الملك الأردني: "تأكدوا أن هناك جيلا شابا في منطقتنا يريد مواصلة حياته، سواء أكان أردنيا أو فلسطينيا أو إسرائيليا أو يمنيا أو إيرانيا، يريد أن يجد فرص عمل واستقرار مع أسرة، والمضي قدما".

إقرأ المزيد

وأضاف عبد الله الثاني: "حين نتطلع إلى النصف الممتلئ من الكأس، ندرك أن الناس تود المضي قدما بحياتها، ونحن أحيانا ننسى ذلك كثيرا، مؤكدا: "لو سألت الإسرائيليين والفلسطينيين لو قدمنا لكم السلام، سيصوتون لذلك. آمنوا بشعوبكم، فهم يريدون فعل الصواب ولكن أعطوهم الفرصة ليقوموا بذلك. وأنا لا أتحدث عن منطقتنا في الشرق الأوسط فحسب، هذا ينطبق على الجميع. امنحوا الشباب محبتكم واهتمامكم، فهم سيجعلون العالم مكانا أفضل إذا ما أعطيناهم الفرصة".

وحول تعامل الأنظمة الملكية العربية مع الاحتجاجات التي شهدتها بعض دول المنطقة، قال العاهل الأردني، إن "الأنظمة الملكية، كما رباني عليها جلالة المغفور له الملك الحسين، وكما تعلمه هو من الأجداد من قبله، هو أننا موجودون لتمثيل المجتمع بأكمله، وإن مجتمعاتنا مبنية على النظام القبلي، فعندما يكون لديك نظام ملكي كما هو الحال في الأردن والمغرب، فإننا نضمن التوازن بين مختلف أطياف المجتمع، سواء أكنت تنتمي إلى قبيلة ما أو كنت مزارعا، فنحن من يحرص على حماية ودعم الجميع، وأعتقد أن هذا ما ساعد الأنظمة الملكية في الحفاظ على الاستقرار خلال وقت عصيب مرت به المنطقة".

المصدر: "بترا"