Europe lead USA but Solheim Cup’s opening day is marred by slow play
US sports For television viewers, let alone those who had paid good money to spectate, this was borderline unwatchable. It is to the detriment of what should be a marquee sporting event that the scenario continued, and continued, and continued to the point where it was the key narrative. That Europe enter Saturday with a lead, four and a half to three and a half, seemed almost an afterthought.Captaincy can be defined by bold calls. Catriona Matthew would have been subject to criticism had Anne van Dam and Suzann Pettersen slumped to defeat; instead this unlikely duo delivered a fourball showing which fully endorsed their captain’s faith. … we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading and supporting The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism than ever before. And unlike many new organisations, we have chosen an approach that allows us to keep our journalism accessible to all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford. But we need your ongoing support to keep working as we do.The Guardian will engage with the most critical issues of our time – from the escalating climate catastrophe to widespread inequality to the influence of big tech on our lives. At a time when factual information is a necessity, we believe that each of us, around the world, deserves access to accurate reporting with integrity at its heart.Our editorial independence means we set our own agenda and voice our own opinions. Guardian journalism is free from commercial and political bias and not influenced by billionaire owners or shareholders. This means we can give a voice to those less heard, explore where others turn away, and rigorously challenge those in power.We need your support to keep delivering quality journalism, to maintain our openness and to protect our precious independence. Every reader contribution, big or small, is so valuable. Support The Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Solheim Cup may have the history but it needs big names too Europe took a one point lead into session two. And yet, the overwhelming stars of the foursomes show were American. The Korda sisters, Jessica and Nelly, thumped Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Caroline Masson 6&4. Petr Korda, the golfers’ father and a former grand slam tennis champion, was among the Gleneagles galleries.The opening match of the competition was halved as Bronte Law and Carlota Ciganda could not be separated from Marina Alex and Morgan Pressel. Law and Ciganda earned another half point but were disappointed as Lexi Thompson holed a lengthy putt at the last to haul the Europeans back. Georgia Hall and Celine Boutier enjoyed a 2&1 foursomes success over Thompson and Brittany Altomare. Hall and Boutier sat out the fourballs.Charley Hull’s fondness for this biennial competition was again apparent as she combined with Azahara Muñoz for a 2&1 foursomes win over Megan Khang and Annie Park. In the fourballs Hull and Muñoz shared a point with Altomare and Nelly Korda. Van Dam, a Solheim Cup debutant, was nerveless as Salas and Danielle Kang were swatted aside by 4&2. Pettersen had undertaken pre-tournament media duties while barely able to speak because of a throat problem; the Norwegian was duly left out of the opening session. In Van Dam and Pettersen – the latter is playing in this event for the ninth time – Matthew had the perfect mix of youth and experience. Pettersen set the tone with a wonderful putt converted from 50ft at the 6th for a two. By the turn this European pair were four up, an irretrievable situation for the US.As Matthew celebrated the excellence of Van Dam and Pettersen, this proved a grisly Friday the 13th for Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist. The Swedes were demolished, 7&5, by Angel Yin and Ally McDonald, matching a Solheim Cup record. McDonald is worthy of special praise; she was an 11th-hour substitute here after the back injury suffered by Stacy Lewis. Share on WhatsApp Share on Messenger Read more Support The Guardian Read more Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks. Topics Share on LinkedIn news Share on Pinterest Golf Share on Twitter Solheim Cup Share on Facebook Anne van Dam draws strength from offbeat route to Solheim Cup debut Since you’re here… A 100-year-old woman earned social media stardom having impressed professionals with a few swings at this weekend’s Dutch Open on the European Tour. The joke goes that Susan Hosang was enjoying her 60s as the 16th Solheim Cup got under way at Gleneagles.A successful opening day for Europe was overshadowed by a curse of modern golf: slow play. The matter was particularly stark in the afternoon fourballs as the first match took five and a quarter hours until ending on the 16th green. Lizette Salas was singled out for a warning by officials but the unwillingness of those presiding to implement proper penalties is as recurring a theme as it is a depressing one. Salas did not appear worse than many others.Paul Lawrie, a former Open champion, enjoyed his visit to Gleneagles but spoke out about the “absolutely brutally slow” pace of play. Juli Inkster, the US captain, concurred. “It’s painfully slow out there,” she said. Share via Email Reuse this content
zoom Athens-based shipping company Tsakos Energy Navigation (TEN) has taken delivery of the aframax tanker Oslo TS, the seventh in a series of nine tankers built for long-term employment to a European company. Featuring a 1B ice-class notation, the new ship commenced its long-term employment with possible gross revenues in excess of USD 110 million.The two remaining aframaxes under the company’s fifteen-vessel growth program, the Bergen TS and the Stavanger TS are scheduled to be delivered and commence their long term employment in the third and fourth quarter of 2017.With the deliveries of these two vessels, TEN’s current expansion program will reach its conclusion and result in 77% of the fleet in secured contracts with gross revenues of over USD 1.5 billion and average charter duration of 2.5 years.
Image Courtesy: Avic DinghengChina’s shipbuilder Avic Dingheng has delivered Asphalt Synergy, a 37,000 dwt asphalt carrier, to US-based transportation company Valt.The delivery and naming ceremony for the newbuilding was held in Yangzhou on January 9, 2018.Asphalt Synergy is a sister vessel to Asphalt Splendor, which was built at the abovementioned shipyard in 2015.The 36,058 cbm vessel features a length of 179.9 meters and a width of 30.6 meters. Currently, its market value is USD 44.61 million, VesselsValue’s data shows.Avic Dingheng claims the 37,000 dwt ship is the world’s largest asphalt carrier, with “excellent” insulation effect, maximum storage capacity, energy saving optimization, green and other features.Apart from the newly delivered tanker, Valt, a joint venture between Vitol and Sargeant Marine, operates a fleet of eleven ships, according to the company’s website.World Maritime News Staff
Le gouvernement provincial reconnaît le rôle des artistes et de la créativité dans le développement de communautés dynamiques. La loi présentée aujourd’hui 30 mars définit le soutien offert au secteur des arts et de la culture et reconnaît le rôle de l’artiste. David Wilson, ministre des Communautés, de la Culture et du Patrimoine, a présenté la loi sur le statut d’artiste, respectant ainsi les engagements pris dans le plan en cinq points du gouvernement provincial pour les arts et la culture, annoncé en février 2011. « Chaque jour, les artistes améliorent la qualité de vie dans les communautés de la province par leur innovation et leur créativité, et cette loi reconnaît leur importance pour le tissu culturel, éducatif, social et économique de la province, a dit M. Wilson. Elle fait la promotion du traitement équitable des artistes et fait en sorte que leurs contributions améliorent la vie des familles par le biais de l’économie de la création en Nouvelle-Écosse. » Le gouvernement provincial a élaboré la loi en collaboration avec le Conseil de leadership pour la création en Nouvelle-Écosse, qui conseille le gouvernement sur les politiques artistiques et culturelles, et selon les lois et les meilleures pratiques adoptées dans d’autres régions. Le Conseil est formé de représentants du secteur des arts et de la culture. La loi : « Cette loi représente d’importants progrès en matière de reconnaissance du rôle et de l’importance des artistes dans la société néo-écossaise par ce gouvernement, a dit Ron Bourgeois, président du Conseil de leadership pour la création en Nouvelle-Écosse. Elle indique également à tous les Canadiens que la Nouvelle-Écosse prend ses artistes, et les arts et la culture en général, vraiment au sérieux. » Le gouvernement provincial a mis en œuvre d’autres éléments du plan en cinq points en adoptant une loi établissant le Conseil de leadership pour la création en Nouvelle-Écosse et Arts Nouvelle-Écosse à l’automne 2011, et en créant un comité interministériel chargé de coordonner les efforts d’appui et de financement du développement des arts et de la culture. Le premier conseil d’Arts Nouvelle-Écosse a été nommé cette semaine. « Je suis fier de dire que le gouvernement provincial est sur la bonne voie en ce qui a trait au respect de ses engagements pris dans le plan en cinq points pour faire en sorte que le secteur des arts et de la culture contribue à façonner un avenir positif pour la Nouvelle-Écosse, » a dit M. Wilson. permettra aux associations d’artistes d’établir le niveau de rémunération pour les œuvres créées et les services rendus; encouragera le traitement équitable des artistes par le gouvernement et énumérera les rôles et les responsabilités du gouvernement envers les artistes; continuera de faire en sorte que tous les Néo-Écossais aient accès à une formation et une éducation artistique; reconnaîtra les conditions de travail des artistes; affirmera l’engagement du gouvernement envers les droits des artistes, par exemple, des conditions de travail sécuritaires et la liberté d’expression et d’association; fera en sorte que le gouvernement ait les outils nécessaires pour appuyer les artistes de la Nouvelle-Écosse et leurs besoins uniques.
OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau will shuffle the federal cabinet today for the third time in recent months.This latest adjustment comes after the prime minister moved Jody Wilson-Raybould to veterans affairs from the justice portfolio in January.In that move, David Lametti became the new minister of justice.Trudeau made a few more changes earlier this month to fill the void left by Wilson-Raybould after she resigned from cabinet amid the ongoing SNC Lavalin controversy.Jane Philpott also quit the cabinet, saying she’d lost confidence in the government over its handling of the SNC Lavalin affair.Philpott had served as president of the Treasury Board.The Canadian Press
EDMONTON — NDP leader Rachel Notley’s time as premier has come to an end after an overwhelming UCP majority victory.She becomes the opposition leader and holds onto the Edmonton-Strathcona riding. In her concession speech Notley thanked supporters adding “it is such an honour to be here with you all tonight”.WATCH: Rachel Notley concedesDespite the loss, Notley joked that she was thankful “we expanded Alberta’s craft beer industry”.“Yes, tonight’s result is not the one that we hoped for or worked so hard for.But you know as I look out at all of you I am filled with an enormous sense of gratitude and pride.”Notley was elected premier in May of 2015 and formed the first NDP government in Alberta. She was first elected as an NDP MLA in 2008, serving the constituency of Edmonton-Strathcona.WATCH: Reaction from NDP’s Calgary HQ Born in Edmonton and raised in Fairview, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at the University of Alberta and a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School.READ MORE: Federal politicians keeping watch as Alberta election results could have ripple effect on fall voteShe practised labour law and workers’ compensation advocacy and also served as an adviser to British Columbia’s attorney general. Her father Grant Notley was the leader of Alberta’s first NDP opposition.These last 4 years have been an absolute honour and we still have more work to do.Thank you all for your support & for working together with me to keep building Alberta.If you haven’t voted yet, get to the polls.If you’re in line by 8 you’ll be allowed to vote.#abvote #abndp pic.twitter.com/DJTvdCnpl4— Rachel Notley (@RachelNotley) April 17, 2019
The painting shows a room illuminated by a ray of sunlight beaming through a window that remains out of view. Above an elegant neo-classical sofa, set alongside a chair and a closed secretaire, hangs the portrait of a 19th century gentleman in full view. The window casts a distorted outline against the wall, contrasting with the architectural order of the furniture arrangement. A woman, occupied by some undiscernible task, sits at a table. As is often the case in Hammershøi’s paintings, her back is turned to the viewer without revealing her identity.“This painting is exciting on many levels,” said NGC Associate Curator for European and American Art, Anabelle Kienle-Poňka, “Hammershøi used his apartment as a stage set; while we are drawn into his world, the artist’s reserve keeps us at bay. It is this tension between intimacy and privacy that makes Sunshine in the Drawing Room so compelling.”At the turn of the last century, the Scandinavian artist’s work set him apart from his contemporaries. “Hammershøi has a distinct style: innovative, but rooted in tradition,” Kienle- Poňka noted. “While he was well aware of other Modernist movements, he charted his own, independent course.”Modest, reclusive and introspective, Hammershøi’s oeuvre encompasses some 370 paintings. Throughout his life he devoted himself to a limited range of subject matter: nudes, interior scenes and architectural landscapes. While a major figure in Scandinavia, he was little known in the rest of Europe and North America. Interest in Hammershøi’s art has greatly increased in recent years, owing to a number of major exhibitions in Europe, Japan and North America.Hammershøi was one of the painters featured at the legendary Exhibition of Contemporary Scandinavian Art held in New York in 1912, which was received with critical acclaim. At its second venue at the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo in 1913, the exhibition also had a lasting impact on members of the Group of Seven, whose work is represented in great depth in the National Gallery of Canada’s national collection.Connect with the GalleryFollow the Gallery’s latest news on its social media networks: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.HoursThe Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Thursdays until 8 pm. Closed Mondays. Free admission on Thursdays from 5 pm to 8 pm. For more information call 613-990-1985 or 1-800-319-ARTS.AdmissionTickets: $12 (adults); $10 (seniors and full-time students); $6 (youth: 12-19); $24 (families: two adults and three youth). Admission is free for children under the age of 12 and for Members. Includes admission to the NGC Collection.About the National Gallery of CanadaThe National Gallery of Canada is home to the most important collections of historical and contemporary Canadian art. The Gallery also maintains Canada’s premier collection of European Art from the 14th to the 21st centuries, as well as important works of American, Asian and Indigenous Art and renowned international collections of prints, drawings and photographs. Created in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada has played a key role in Canadian culture for well over a century. Among its principal missions is to increase access to excellent works of art for all Canadians. To do so, it maintains an extensive touring art exhibition programme. For more information: gallery.ca. LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Advertisement Facebook Twitter Advertisement Login/Register With: Advertisement Sunshine in the Drawing Room, painted in 1910 by one of Denmark’s most celebrated artists, Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864–1916), is now part of the European Collection of the National Gallery of Canada (NGC). An important example of Hammershøi’s renowned contemplative interior scenes, it is the first work by the artist in the Gallery’s collection and the second to enter a public collection in Canada. Visitors to the Gallery will be able to view the painting starting today.“The Gallery’s acquisition of Sunshine in the Drawing Room fills a gap in our European collection for the period around 1900,” said the National Gallery’s Chief Curator, Paul Lang, “The work offers us the opportunity to introduce the public to an artist of considerable importance in the Scandinavian school of painting.”Sunshine in the Drawing Room depicts the living room that doubled as Hammershøi’s studio in the apartment where the artist and his wife lived for ten years in Copenhagen. Having been in private hands since its creation, the work is excellent condition. It is the last in a series of four depictions of the drawing room and the only one painted after 1903, thereby offering a revisionist view of the interior from a different perspective.
Facebook As always, please be prepared to thoroughly explain how your candidate has been able to distinguish themselves from others in their field.This year’s 5 to Watch will focus on entrepreneurial emerging talent in the following categories: writers, directors, producers, executive producers/showrunners and rising talent at production companies or broadcasters.We look forward to hearing from you, and thank you in advance for your selections.WHO QUALIFIES?Those who have made a significant impact or achieved remarkable success in the first few years of their career. Age is not a restriction but the length of time a nominee has been working in their field is. Mid-career and well-established professionals will NOT be eligible, even if their success is more recent. Ideally, the candidate has been in their field for less than five years.How do I know if my nominee is eligible?– Take a moment to consider their career path: is their success recent and early in their career?– Is this person already well-established on the industry’s radar? Or is it someone who’s about to be on everyone’s radar?– If they’ve won industry awards/accolades for their current profession, are they fairly recent (within the last two to three years)?– Have they been on other similar lists and if so, was that a long time ago? If they are still in the same career, they are likely not eligible.SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATIONS HEREDeadline: All nominations are due by June 19 Advertisement It’s that time of year again: Playback is welcoming submissions for its annual 5 to Watch.We’re looking to highlight up-and-coming stars in the Canadian screen production industry – and we need your help to do it.In 2019, we’re particularly interested in bringing an innovation lens to the 5 to Watch and showcasing individuals who are doing things a little bit differently. Whether that’s through entrepreneurial business strategies, innovative approaches to content production or cutting-edge work in their respective field, we want to hear about what makes your nominees unique. Advertisement LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Login/Register With: Twitter Advertisement
New Delhi: The Income Tax Department Tuesday searched a dozen properties in Delhi and Lucknow linked to a retired IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, who served in top positions during Mayawati’s chief ministership, in connection with an alleged tax evasion case, officials said. They said the premises raided by the department are linked to 1979-batch Indian Administrative Service officer Net Ram, now retired.The department is looking at instances of alleged tax evasion by making bogus entries of transactions or businesses worth Rs 90 crore. The raids could be linked to a case of suspected cash deposits made post-demonetisation.
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Show more VW has not offered compensation to British driversCredit:Kazuhiro Nogi /AFP / Getty British drivers affected by the diesel emissions scandal are launching legal action against car maker Volkswagen in an attempt to get thousands of pounds in compensation.Ten thousand motorists who feel they were misled into buying cars that emit more nitrogen oxide than they thought are taking action, seeking £3,000 each, adding up to a total £30 million.Some 1.2 million British vehicles, including Audis, Skodas and Seats, were affected by the emissions scandal, which centred around cars being fitted with software to cheat emissions tests. If VW had to pay out for every one, the cost would rise to £3.6 billion.The company has come under pressure from MPs to take action to fix the cars and to compensate drivers. 
Last year judges in the US approved a £12 billion settlement for compensation for drivers there, with each set to receive up to £8,000.However, in the UK VW has not yet offered any compensation to drivers. The legal case is being headed by Harcus Sinclair UK on behalf of a consortium of firms.Damon Parker, head of litigation at Harcus Sinclair, told the Daily Mail drivers felt they had “no choice but to take legal action”.”The group action aims to ensure that, if VW is found to have misled consumers about the environmental damage caused by their cars, they are penalised accordingly so as to discourage this sort of behaviour from happening again,” he said. VW Group UK would not comment for legal reasons.It comes as UK car industry executives said diesel technology is set to be a thing of the past. The plan is to invest in the technology needed for battery electric vehicles over the next five years.Figures from KPMG’s annual global automotive executive survey also show that 90 per cent of executives expect electric vehicles to dominate the market by 2025. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings.
Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings. A 51-year-old businessman man has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting four teenagers and two women.Kevin Bond, 51, of Chislehurst, Kent, appeared at Bromley Magistrates Court yesterday charged with the offences, which occurred between June and November last year.Wearing a grey tracksuit he stood to make a not guilty plea to all charges before sitting back down for the rest of the hearing.Bond is charged with the sexual assault of a 13-year old girl On October 5 2017 in Kidbrooke Park Road, Blackheath, south east London at 9.20am.He is also accused of the sexual assault of a woman on the same day at 9.30am in the same road.At 9.54am, again on the same day, he is accused of sexually assaulting a female at Liskeard Gardens in Blackheath.He is also accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl on November 22 2017 at 8.33am in Sandbourne Road in Brockley.Bond is also charged with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl on October 19, 2017, in Winns Common, Plumstead and with the sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl on June 30, 2017 at Ravens Way in Lee, south east London.Simon Arloff, prosecuting, said: “This is part of an ongoing investigation which is looking into a number of sexual assaults by a male suspect on female victims.” District Judge Vanessa Lloyd committed him to Woolwich Crown Court on March 2.Bond, who runs a consultancy specialising in building services and facilities management, was remanded in custody until the next court date.He was formerly the head of engineering at the ExCel exhibition centre, in east London, between 2006 and 2011.Detectives are investigating a series of other sexual assaults on schoolgirls and women carried out during the morning and evening rush hours across south east London in the boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, Southwark, Bexley and Bromley.All of the attacks have taken place on weekdays, many within the vicinity of schools or bus stops.Investigating officer Detective Constable Swaita Pereira said: “There are 26 sexual offences in total. “The first offence occurred on the 6th October 2016, 16 months ago. The latest occurred on the 8th January 2018.”
The big item on everyone’s iPhone 5 wish list is LTE (Long Term Evolution, otherwise known as 4G). However, it’s been widely discussed that the next-gen iPhone won’t be getting LTE. But, today, BGR is reporting that Apple’s carrier partners are testing iPhones with LTE capability.The evidence supporting this claim comes from an internal iOS test build from one of Apple’s major (unmanned) carrier partners. Deep within the firmware is a property list for LTE. But, don’t get yourself too excited just yet. It may still be too early for Apple to include a 4G LTE modem, but it at least shows us that Apple’s working on it.Back in April, Apple’s Tim Cook made it clear that the iPhone 5 will not be 4G since the LTE chipsets require a number of design compromises. Apple is not ready or willing to change the design of the iPhone just to accommodate the technology, it would rather wait until another solution arises or it gets small enough to fit.Since the company already has 56 million iPhones in line for production in the second half of 2011, it may be too late to add the necessary hardware for LTE in the new models. So, perhaps we’ll see LTE in the iPhone after this one.Apple has been wary of quickly adopting new technologies in the past. Take the original iPhone for example. The first edition was launched with EDGE while other phones out at the time had 3G. So perhaps it’s just taking its time to make sure everything’s perfect before it releases a product with LTE capabilities.Rumors say that the iPhone 5 will be announced September 7, so until then, we won’t know for sure if this carrier testing is for the fifth-gen iPhone or a later version.via BGR
Une tempête tropicale attendue en PolynésiePolynésie française – Une alerte a été diffusée jeudi en prévision du passage d’une dépression tropicale. Baptisée Nisha, cette tempête pourrait toucher la Polynésie française au cours de la journée de samedi ou dimanche matin.D’après les informations de Météo France, cette tempête tropicale modérée se situait vendredi matin à environ 1300 kilomètres à l’ouest de Rimatara et à 1600 km à l’ouest sud-ouest de Tahiti, la principale île de Polynésie française. Nisha se déplace vers l’est sud-est à 30 km/h en direction des Iles Cook du sud avec des vents maximums estimés à 120 km/h.À lire aussiQuand une cascade se met à couler à l’envers en EcosseSi le haut commissariat de la République craignait que cette tempête s’intensifie pour se transformer en cyclone, ce risque est très faible selon Météo France. “Nous en sommes au niveau 1 de l’alerte : la cellule de crise est préparée mais pas activée” a-t-elle précisé.Alors que le gouvernement autonome de la Polynésie française a également mis en place deux cellules de crise, la population s’est préparée en se procurant de l’eau, des torches et des cordes afin de renforcer les habitations les plus fragiles. Le 29 janvier 2010 à 16:07 • Emmanuel Perrin
La grande faune du Sahara est en terrible déclin Publiée en ligne dans la revue Diversity and Distributions, une étude internationale fait le point sur l’état de la grande faune du Sahara, et dénonce l’absence généralisée de gestion appropriée qui a conduit à l’extinction ou à l’extrême raréfaction de nombreuses espèces.C’est un véritable cri d’alarme que viennent de lancer plus de 40 spécialistes représentant 28 organisations scientifiques, menés par des membres de la Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) et de la Société zoologique de Londres (ZSL). Au terme d’une étude portant sur 14 espèces animales, ces scientifiques ont en effet réalisé un constat préoccupant : le Sahara, le plus grand désert tropical du monde, a subi un effondrement catastrophique de ses populations d’animaux sauvages.À lire aussiMaladie de Charcot : symptômes, causes, traitement, où en est on ?Ainsi, chez les antilopes, le bubale ainsi que l’oryx (à l’état sauvage) s’y sont éteints. La gazelle dama et l’addax n’occupent eux plus que 1% de leur ancienne aire de distribution. Le léopard ne subsiste que dans 3% de son ancien habitat et le guépard dans 10%. Quant au chien sauvage d’Afrique et au lion, ceux-ci ont tout simplement complètement disparu du Sahara. Seul le bouquetin de Nubie se maintient encore, bien que menacé.Pourtant, certains pays font des efforts : le Niger vient de créer une réserve naturelle de 97.000 kilomètres carrés qui abrite la plupart des quelque 200 derniers addax sauvages du monde, ainsi que l’une des rares populations de gazelles dama et quelques guépards sahariens. Le gouvernement tchadien, lui, espère réintroduire l’oryx dans la nature. Mais le Sahara souffre du manque chronique d’études de terrain dû à l’insécurité qui y règne.”Le Sahara est un exemple d’une négligence historique plus large concernant les déserts et les communautés humaines qui en dépendent. La communauté scientifique peut apporter une contribution importante à la préservation des déserts en fournissant des renseignements de base sur la biodiversité et en développant de nouvelles approches de la gestion durable des espèces et des écosystèmes désertiques”, conclut Sarah Durant, de la WCS et de la ZSL. Le 9 décembre 2013 à 12:37 • Maxime Lambert
Attendees hold up their lit mobile phones during a rally by civil servants to support the anti-extradition bill protest in Hong Kong, China on 2 August 2019. Photo: ReutersThousands of civil servants joined in the anti-government protests in Hong Kong on Friday for the first time since they started two months ago, defying a warning from the authorities to remain politically neutral.Protests against a proposed bill that would allow people to be extradited to stand trial in mainland China have grown increasingly violent, with police accused of excessive use of force and failing to protect protesters from suspected gang attacks.Chanting encouragement, crowds turned out to support the civil servants at their rally on Friday evening which halted traffic on major roads in the heart of the city’s business district.”I think the government should respond to the demands, instead of pushing the police to the frontline as a shield,” said Kathy Yip, a 26-year-old government worker.The rally on Friday came after an open letter penned anonymously and published on Facebook set out a series of demands to the Hong Kong government by a group which said it represented civil servants.”At present the people of Hong Kong are already on the verge of collapse,” the group wrote in the letter, saying it was “a pity that we have seen extreme oppression.”The group also listed five demands: complete withdrawal of the extradition bill; a halt to descriptions of the protests as ‘rioting’; a waiver of charges against those arrested; an independent inquiry and resumption of political reform.The protests against a now suspended extradition bill have widened to demand greater democracy and the resignation of Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam, and have become one of the gravest populist challenges to Communist Party rulers in Beijing.China’s new ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said on Friday that Beijing supported the action taken by Hong Kong’s government to “bring back the normal order, the rule of law, the normal life of people.”People attend a protest held by civil servants in the Central District of Hong Kong on 2 August 2019, in the latest opposition to a planned extradition law that was quickly evolved into a wider movement for democratic reforms. Photo: AFP”The demonstration has gone far beyond the nature of a peaceful demonstration, it’s really turning out to be chaotic and violent and we should no longer allow them to continue this reprehensible behaviour,” Zhang said. “We do not think that it’s in the long term interest of anyone.”On Thursday the government said Hong Kong’s 180,000 civil servants must remain politically neutral as the city braced for another wave of protests over the weekend and a mass strike on Monday across sectors such as transport, schools and corporates.”At this difficult moment, government colleagues have to stay united and work together to uphold the core values of the civil service,” the government said in a statement.Protest organisers said over 40,000 people participated in Friday’s rally, while the police put the number at 13,000.Police said they had arrested eight people, including a leading pro-independence leader, after seizing weapons and suspected bomb-making material in a raid.Under Chinese rule Hong Kong has been allowed to retain extensive freedoms, such as an independent judiciary, but many residents see the extradition bill as the latest step in a relentless march towards mainland control.Anson Chan, former chief secretary, said the rally was spontaneous and civil servants enjoyed the right to assembly and it could not be said to impair political neutrality.Many civil servants, however, were apprehensive about identifying themselves, with many speaking anonymously or asking for only their first name to be used.More Protests Planned Hundreds of medical workers also demonstrated on Friday to protest against the government’s handling of situation. Large-scale protests are planned for the weekend in Mong Kok, Tseung Kwan O and Western districts.In a warning to protesters, China’s People’s Liberation Army in Hong Kong on Wednesday released a video of “anti-riot” exercises and its top brass warned violence was “absolutely impermissible”.A protestor holds a banner during the medical sector`s rally to support the anti-extradition bill protest in Hong Kong, China on 2 August 2019. Photo: ReutersThe PLA has remained in barracks since protests started in April, leaving Hong Kong’s police force to deal with protests.US president Donald Trump has described protests in Hong Kong as “riots” that China will have to deal with itself. .Police said seven men and a woman, aged between 24 and 31, were arrested on Friday after a raid on a building in the New Territories district of Sha Tin, where police seized weapons and suspected petrol bombs. Making or possessing explosives illegally can carry a sentence of up to 14 years in jail.The police may arrest more people as the investigations unfold, police officer Li Kwai Wah said, adding, “Recently we are very worried about the escalating violence.”Andy Chan, a founder of the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party that was banned last September, was among those arrested. His arrest prompted about 100 protesters to surround a police station to demand his release, television footage showed.On Friday night, crowds of protesters surrounded a police station where Chan was being held, drawing out riot police to the street outside.Civil servants attend a rally to support the anti-extradition bill protest in Hong Kong, China on 2 August 2019. Photo: ReutersOn Wednesday, 44 people were charged in a Hong Kong court with rioting over a recent protest near Beijing’s main representative office in the heart of the city.The escalating protests, which have shut government offices, blocked roads and disrupted business, is taking a toll of the city’s economy and scaring off tourists.Cheng aged 39, who was speaking behind a large black mask, said the recent triad attack on protesters and slow police response had angered him and his civil service peers.Of the five protester demands, he said the need for an independent inquiry into the actions of the police was vital.”I hope to stay in the civil service for a long time. But we have to act now.”
This story is developing, and updates will appear at the bottom of this article.Destiny players celebrate Christmas once a week. Every Friday morning, a special weekend vendor arrives at a random location in the game’s main social hub, the Tower, and sells what is purported to be a randomized selection of the best and rarest (exotic tier) loot in the game. The vendor’s name is Xûr, and if not for his paltry asking price-per-piece, many players wouldn’t have gotten their favorite guns yet — even now, half a year after the game released. Every week, the anticipation of Xûr’s stock creates high hopes, and — due simply to the limited shelf space available — dashes them to the ground. For the past month, one intrepid player has been data mining Destiny to reveal Xûr’s stock before it goes on sale. Bungie has been doing what it can to prevent this player’s predictions, and it has created an escalating war between both factions.The player, the Japanese-speaking Redditor Megamanexe4, has not revealed his specific system for data mining Destiny, but his results have been dead-on since he began revealing them around one month ago. Every week, he has been able to exactly predict not only what Xûr would sell, but the modifiers on the weekly events, as well as uncovered loads of info about the upcoming expansion House of Wolves. Aside from satiating the players’ curiosity, revealing Xûr’s stock has had huge implications on Bungie’s relationship with their game’s community.By nature, a randomized list would mean Xûr’s stock often wouldn’t meet your desires, but the patterns the vendor has exhibited since release have frequently looked more like trolling than a random selection. He sold the worst exotic weapon in the game on Christmas, he has sold the exact same stock (three armor pieces, one weapon, and other assorted goodies) a handful of weeks apart, has sold a stock solely composed of items from the first DLC expansion more than once, and has had streaks of selling the same exact piece of gear over and over for weeks on end. These data points could all be coincidences, but that’s the point on which Destiny’s community sticks; Bungie has explicitly and repeatedly claimed that Xûr’s stock is both random and out of their control. Megamanexe4 seems to have proven otherwise.Bungie had at least one.The Redditor has not only predicted Xûr’s exact stock, the weekly event modifiers, and gear and maps from the upcoming expansion, but has also documented when Xûr’s stock has been manually changed, which again, is something Bungie vehemently claimed they could not do. Last week, Destiny received a tiny patch that installed tools to help Bungie better inspect and manage databases. Astute — or paranoid — members of the community immediately assumed it was to prevent gamers from being able to suss out upcoming content. Earlier today, Megamanexe4 posted an explainer on Reddit that seems to confirm those guesses of the astute and fears of the paranoid.Since that tiny patch, the Redditor explains that there are now two versions of Xûr — an original copy that is still predictable, and a new, unpredictable copy that Bungie manually controls. If Megamanexe4’s observations are to be taken as true, then Bungie managed to fix their Xûr leak — though the weekly event and upcoming DLC data still seems to be running from a faucet. If Bungie does continually use what Megamenexe4 describes as a manually operated Xûr, then the developer figured out a way to beat dataminers. If Megamanexe4 is right and Bungie has been able to alter Xûr’s stock all along, then they’ve either been lying to Destiny’s community or at least intentionally misleading them.What’s worse is that Bungie could’ve used Xûr to alleviate one of the game’s most prevalent bugs that was not only highly obnoxious, but put players at a disadvantage. The bug caused players to lose heavy ammo — ammo for the game’s hardest-hitting tier of weapons, and thus a valuable commodity to have for the game’s most difficult content — on death, after a cutscene, and when you leave a map. The on-death bug was finally patched after months of it wreaking tedious havoc on the gameplay (though it still persists when a cutscene loads or you leave the map). Xûr sporadically stocks a one-shot pack that, when used, replenishes your heavy ammo. Had Bungie just manually added the pack to Xûr’s stock every week, that would’ve quelled most of the community’s outcries. Instead, the developer chose to let the players suffer — at least, that’s how the community sees it.The battle changed from protecting the developer’s private data to maintaining the community’s positive perception of the company. In the end, if plugging the Xûr leaks have come at the cost of the community feeling that Bungie lies to them or allows them to suffer from developer-created bugs, who really lost the war?Update, 3/23/15: Megamanexe4 further explains the Destiny cave in which he mines data, and rather than diamonds, has dug out some coal. In a few updates, he explains what he feels is the backend change that Bungie made to the way the game both handles and delivers data for certain upcoming content. He previously described that he feels there are now two “versions” of Xûr, one that has the originally mined vendor stock data, and another with a stock that Bungie can manually change at will without the need for a game-wide update. When he queries Xûr for data now, it only returns the items from the current week, rather than the items coming in the pipeline.He claims he can still grab the data from the “original” Xûr, but cannot predict the Xûr that seems to be manually controlled and changed by Bungie. He says that if his mining efforts continue to return the same inconclusive data over the next couple of Xûr appearances, that he’ll most likely be unable to produce results anymore. It’s obviously worth noting that Bungie hasn’t commented on the issue, so technically it’s a random Redditor’s word against no one’s right now, but the accuracy of Megamanexe4’s mining efforts certainly instill some credence in his audience.