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Source: http://hk.ibtimes.com/articles/20130214/finmeccanica-appoints-ceo-after-india-suspends-deal.htm
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republicans have, for now, blocked Chuck Hagel's nomination to become defense secretary.
The Senate came up two votes short of the 60 needed to move Hagel's nomination forward as lawmakers prepare to leave town for a week's break. Democrats hold a 55-45 edge in the Senate.
Republicans had been blocking the confirmation of their former colleague and Vietnam veteran until they received information from the White House on President Barack Obama's actions during the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.
The White House responded to that request earlier Thursday, saying Obama spoke with Libyans a day after the attack.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-gop-blocks-hagel-vote-now-220856198--politics.html
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The President?s Office has claimed the government has achieved ?remarkable success? during its first year in power.
February 7, 2013, marked the one year anniversary of the government of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan, following his controversial ascension to power.
Former President Mohamed Nasheed suddenly resigned on February 7 last year,?following 22 days of continuous anti-government protests sparked after the Chief Judge of Criminal Court was placed under?military detention. ?The?demonstrations were later backed by mutinying sections of the police and military.
Within a few hours following the chaos, Nasheed?s then Vice President Waheed ? to whom the opposition had pledged their allegiance weeks before ? assumed power and formed a ?unity government? with the protesting politicians.
In a publication (Dhivehi) released on the President?s Office website last Thursday, under the title ?One year for the National Unity Government?, the office highlighted its achievements in 10 different areas. These included: democracy and good governance, upholding of law, building a safe society, economic development, employment opportunities, education, health, fight against drugs, transport system and housing development.
Democracy and good governance
Under democracy and good governance, the President?s office claimed that the Commonwealth-backed Commission of National Inquiry (CNI)?s report on the transfer of power had defeated the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)?s claims challenging the legitimacy of the government.
Following the transfer of power, the opposition MDP had claimed that former President Nasheed?s government was toppled in a bloodless coup d??tat and that his resignation was obtained under duress.
The CNI was formed to look into the circumstances surrounding the transfer of power. ?The Commonwealth-led national inquiry panel in its report?concluded that the transfer of power that took place on February 7, 2012 was legitimate.
?A national unity government was formed, a roadmap of how the government would be run was established on February 16, 2012, and successfully ran the government for one year,? the pamphlet stated.
However, during Parliament?s Executive Oversight Committee (EOC)?s reviewing of the CNI report, senior police and military officials during Nasheed?s administration ? including former Chief of Defense Force retired Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel and former Commissioner of Police Ahmed Faseeh ? disputed that their evidence was included in the report, and told the parliamentary committee that Nasheed had no choice but to resign, suggesting that his resignation was obtained under duress.
?I fully believe that President [Nasheed] resigned under duress,? Faseeh?told the committee at the time.
Recalling the events, former Commissioner Faseeh told the committee he had done everything he could to control the situation but said there came a point when the officers had openly mutinied and disobeyed his orders.
The former military intelligence head also alleged that Nasheed?s resignation and transfer of power involved unlawful elements and had all the hallmarks of a coup d??tat.
?Academically speaking, the events on February 7 fulfilled all the essentials of a coup. It involved all the features of a coup that are widely accepted around the world. Some of the elements take place before the toppling of a president. Others take place spontaneously,? Brigadier General Ahmed Nilam?said. He was subsequently suspended.
President Waheed?s former Human Rights Minister Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed, in her personal memoir on the controversial transfer of power, alleged that Waheed had a role in the controversial toppling of Nasheed. ?She also claimed that the then vice-president had prior knowledge of what would possibly happen in?February.
Battle against CMAG
The President?s Office in the publication also detailed the decision of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) to remove ?the Maldives from its formal agenda? after it was put there following the controversial transfer of power.
In September 2012, following the findings of the CNI, the Commonwealth?s human rights and democracy arm removed the Maldives from its formal agenda and placed it under ?Matters of Interest to CMAG?.
The government also claimed it had reduced the number of political appointees below that of former President Mohamed Nasheed?s administration, which resulted in savings of MVR 2 million (US$ 129,701.68) per month.
?Efforts were carried out to broaden the role of the civil service and strengthen the functionality of the government,? it stated.
?To close down all doors to corruption, [the government] for the first time in history, established and enacted a code of conduct for political appointees during their course of employment,? it added.
Under democracy and good governance, the publication also highlighted that the Maldives had won the position of vice chairmanship of United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council and the vice chairmanship of the annual assembly of International Renewable Energy Institute (IREI), to be held this year.
Upholding of law
The government highlighted its success on upholding the rule law, claimed that it had established a free state broadcasting service by handing over Television Maldives (TVM) and Voice of Maldives (VOM) radio station to the Maldives Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) ? formerly the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) one and Raajje Radio ? thereby running the government without a government-funded media.
Video footage taken during the storming of MNBC on February 7,2012 revealed that a mutinying police officer used a firearm to break down the gates of the station headquarters in capital Male?, ?allowing dozens of police and military forces (MNDF) as well as some civilians in plain clothes to forcefully take over the station ? approximately two hours before former president Mohamed Nasheed resigned from office.
The publication also stated that the government had abolished the National Administration Offices and had transferred its responsibilities to the local councils.
?The lands that were withheld by the central government were given to local councils in a transparent and responsible manner,? it read.
In July 2012, President Waheed?s government announced that it would be taking over ?some responsibilities? assigned to the elected Male? City Council (MCC).
A press statement released by the President?s Office at the time said the decision had been taken on the advice of cabinet to take back some services that are currently provided by the MCC.
The statement read: ?Despite the legal system of the country [dictating] that several services given from the government to the public are delegated to local councils under the Decentralization Act, the decision of the President with the consultation of the cabinet, comes at a time where several of these local councils are failing to provide these services?.
Establishing a peaceful society
The government, under the heading, ?establishing of a peaceful society?, claimed it had eradicated violence and established law and order within society.
?License given to cafes, shops and boutiques to operate 24 hours a day were revoked and more police were added to patrol duty which brought down crime rate,? the report claimed.
It also claimed that 60 police stations carried out more than 1000 operations to seek out law breakers, and during the course 215 out of 437 prisoners released by the former government?s rehabilitation and training program ?Second Chance? were arrested at crime scenes and sent back to jail.
Despite these claims, the year 2012 recorded a significant rise in murder cases including a veteran lawyer and a member of parliament.
Murders in 2012 included: Member of Parliament Dr Afrasheem Ali murdered at his residence, lawyer Ahmed Najeeb found murdered and mutilated in a house, Lance Corporal Adam Haleem murdered while on his way to duty, Hassan Aboobakuru, 65 years, murdered in Manafaru Island, Abdulla Muheeth ?mistakenly killed by a gang, 16 year old? Mohamed Arham found murdered inside the park behind Kulliyathul Dhirasathul Islamiyya, and a Bangladeshi expatriate worker found murdered in a building in Male.
?Prison space was increased,? the government said, adding ?No prisoner was pardoned as per the power vested in the president under the Clemency Act.?
Presidents Office Spokespersons Ahmed ?Topy? Thaufeeq and Masood Imad were not responding at time of press.
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3D Generalist - Maya - Games - London - ?35,000 - ?55,000 A leading games studio in London is seeking a talented 3D Generalist to create world class characters, assets and environments for games across web and mobile.
You will have a portfolio demonstrating game design across all digital platforms for recognised games and global brands.
Description
You'll be involved in:
*Creation of Maya 3D Character art assets in line with the predefined Art Direction
*3D modelling, texturing, rigging and animation within the constraints of mobile platforms.
*Collaborating with the art and design teams to ensure direction and quality requirements are aligned and met.
*Working closely with the Art Director to create and support the strategic vision of the project.
*Delivering content on schedule and within technical limitations.
What you'll bring to the role:
*Excellent Maya 3D Character art, animation experience and a passion for playing games
*A general knowledge of the smart phone and tablet gaming landscape, and the ability to identify likes and dislikes in other online games
*The ability to replicate art styles, with an eye for detail
*Excellent communication and collaboration skills within a team
*The ability to take constructive feedback and provide strong rationales to support design decisions
*A good understanding of game development Practices and processes
Desirable Skills:
*Experience working with children's brands or platforms
Knowledge of the children's games space a plus
*Working knowledge of scrum and agile processes
*Proven experience in smart phone or tablet design
*Understanding of the Unity game engine.
Source: http://jobs.brandrepublic.com/job/519038/3d-generalist-maya-games-london-35-000-55-000/?TrackID=2
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will give his State of the Union address on Tuesday with one eye on the political calendar as time ticks down on his bid to advance an agenda that will help shape his White House legacy.
Just three months after winning re-election on November 6, the Democratic president has a narrow window to push through policy priorities on the economy, immigration reform, and gun control.
Analysts say he has roughly a year before Washington turns its attention to the 2014 mid-term elections, which could sweep more Republicans into Congress and accelerate the subsequent "lame duck" status that defines presidents who are not running for office again.
"He basically has a year for major legislative accomplishments because after the first year you get into the mid-term elections, which will partially be a referendum on his presidency," said Michele Swers, an associate professor of American government at Georgetown University.
Obama's speech at 9:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday will be a chance for the president to build momentum within that tight time frame.
"I don't want to say it's the last important speech he's going to give, but the window for a second-term president is fairly narrow," said Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman under former Republican President George W. Bush.
With unemployment still high and massive "sequester" spending cuts looming, administration officials say Obama will use the address before a television audience of millions to press Congress to support his proposals to boost the economy.
The White House is eager to show Obama's commitment to the economy is as great as it is to immigration and gun reforms, and he is expected to spend most of his speech reviving a theme that dominated his 2012 campaign: helping the middle class.
"You will hear ... an outline from him for his plan to create jobs and grow the middle class," White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday.
"His principal preoccupation as president has been the need to first reverse the devastating decline in our economy and then set it on a trajectory where it's growing in a way that helps the middle class, makes it more secure, and makes it expand."
ECONOMY, LEGACY
The likelihood of passing new short-term economic initiatives that require government spending in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives is low, said Jeffrey Bergstrand, a finance professor at the University of Notre Dame and a former Federal Reserve economist.
"What will probably surface is something similar to what he proposed in 2011 and never got through," he said, referring to proposals that would give grants to state and local governments as well as boost spending on infrastructure and research.
Obama is also expected to call for comprehensive trade talks with the 27-nation European Union.
The White House has signaled Obama will urge U.S. investment in infrastructure, manufacturing, clean energy and education, despite Republican opposition to increased government spending and a political divide over how to tame the U.S. budget deficit.
Obama's advisers argue that his push for immigration reform is also an economic issue, and momentum for change is stronger there than it is for the president's other policy priorities.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American who is championing immigration reform - albeit with a more restrictive process of legalization than Obama supports - is slated to give his party's response to Obama's speech.
The debate over immigration will also play out in the balconies of the House of Representatives, where non-lawmakers will sit to listen to the speech. Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois plans to bring a man who is fighting deportation as his guest to the speech.
Prospects for success on gun control are in doubt, but the president is likely to use his speech to seek more support for proposals he laid out last month after the Newtown, Connecticut, school-shooting massacre.
After giving prominent mention to the fight against climate change and equality for gays in his inaugural address, supporters will be disappointed if he fails to lay out details in those two areas. Obama could advance both issues through executive orders, circumventing Congress and doing more to bolster his legacy.
"A second-term State of the Union is usually written with an eye on history books and I'm sure the president is thinking about what his legacy is going to be," said Doug Hattaway, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to Hillary Clinton.
Iran's nuclear ambitions and the festering civil war in Syria may present Obama with the toughest foreign policy tests of his second term, but they are likely to receive little attention in his speech.
He might raise concerns about cyber attacks, which have hit a succession of major U.S. companies and government agencies in recent months.
Obama will travel to three states in the days after his speech to sell his proposals to the public.
(Additional reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Alistair Bell and Todd Eastham)
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Al Brewer uses a snow rake to clear snow off the roof of his home that dates back to 1840, as rain falls on Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, in Vernon, Conn. (AP Photo /Journal Inquirer, Jim Michaud)
Al Brewer uses a snow rake to clear snow off the roof of his home that dates back to 1840, as rain falls on Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, in Vernon, Conn. (AP Photo /Journal Inquirer, Jim Michaud)
Two men clear snow off a roof of a home in North Andover, Mass. Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. Beleaguered Massachusetts residents returned to work on Monday for the first time since the weekend blizzard, crawling along narrow snow-covered secondary roads and being greeted by a new wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
A state worker punches a hole in snow so standing water on a bridge can drain in East Lyme, Conn., Monday Feb. 11, 2013. As electricity returns and highways reopen, some Northeast residents tried to get back to their weekday routines Monday following the massive snowstorm that had millions digging out from New York to Maine. (AP Photo/Robert Ray)
Vehicles try to maneuver across snow and ice-covered state Route 112 in Medford, N.Y., Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. While major highways on eastern Long Island were beginning to recover from a weekend blizzard, many local roads remained covered in snow and ice two days after the storm. (AP Photo/Frank Eltman)
Rick Atwood clears memorial stones at Atwood Memorial Company in Haverhill, Mass. Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. Beleaguered Massachusetts residents returned to work on Monday for the first time since the weekend blizzard, crawling along narrow snow-covered secondary roads and being greeted by a new wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) ? Snow-weary Northeasterners still digging out driveways and clearing roads from a weekend storm were hit with potential danger coming from above as well ? roofs collapsing from the weight of snow and ice along with recent rainfall.
In Connecticut, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the number of reported roof collapses across Connecticut had grown to at least 16 by early evening on Monday, up from five in the morning. He warned places with flat roofs, like schools, to get them cleared.
"Schools are important resources. Please get somebody up on the roof," Malloy said during an evening briefing in Hartford. "At the very least, make sure that the drains are clear and working. We don't want a tragedy to occur at one of our school buildings."
Police on Long Island evacuated one of the area's biggest malls on Monday because of major roof leaks. The Smith Haven Mall in Suffolk County was cleared by 4 p.m. Monday after significant leaks were detected in more than two dozen stores. Police worried the roof could collapse.
Smithtown Building Department Director John Bongino said that in one of the stores it looked "almost as if there was an open ceiling and it was raining."
Schools remained closed across much of New England and New York on Monday after the epic storm swept through on Friday and Saturday with 1 to 3 feet of snow that entombed cars and sealed up driveways. About 49,000 homes and businesses were still waiting for the electricity to come back on early Tuesday.
The storm was blamed for at least 18 deaths in the U.S. and Canada.
Most major highways were cleared by Monday, but the volume of snow was just too much to handle on many secondary roads. A mix of sleet and rain also created new headaches. A 10-mile stretch of Interstate 91 just north of Hartford to Massachusetts was closed briefly because of ice and accidents.
In New York, where hundreds of cars became stuck on the Long Island Expressway on Friday night and early Saturday morning, some motorists vented their anger at Gov. Andrew Cuomo for not acting more quickly to shut down major roads, as other governors did, and for not plowing more aggressively.
"There were cars scattered all over the place. They should have just told people in the morning, 'Don't bother going in because we're going to close the roads by 3 o'clock.' I think Boston and Connecticut had the right idea telling everybody to stay off the roads," said George Kiriakos, an investment consultant from Bohemia, N.Y.
On Monday morning, he said, conditions were still miserable: "It's just as slick as can be. You've got cars stuck all over like it's an obstacle course."
Cuomo has defended his handling of the crisis and said that more than one-third of all the state's snow-removal equipment had been sent to the area. He said he also wanted to allow people the chance to get home from work.
"People need to act responsibly in these situations," the governor said.
The number of homes and businesses without power was down from a peak at 650,000. More than 46,000 of those still waiting were in Massachusetts.
About 50 residents of Scituate, Mass., remained at a shelter set up at Situate High School Monday, as much of the town was still without power. That numbers is down from a peak of 150 on Saturday, said Jennifer Sullivan, the town's director of public health.
Richard and Ann Brown, married 65 years, spent the last three nights sleeping on side-by-side cots at the shelter. By Monday afternoon, they were missing the comforts of home.
"It's disrupting when you're older," said Ann Brown, 88. "You've got to be careful to keep your spirits up," she said.
Richard Brown, 89, said they were grateful to be warm and to be given meals at the shelter. But Brown, who has lived in Scituate for 35 years, said he was hoping the electricity will be restored to their home by Tuesday.
"We don't like this," he said. "I want to go home."
___
Associated Press writers Pat Eaton-Robb in Columbia, Conn., John Christoffersen in Branford, Conn., Frank Eltman in Patchogue, N.Y., Denise Lavoie in Marshfield, Mass., and Jay Lindsay in Boston contributed to this report.
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DETROIT (Reuters) - A lawyer for former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick on Tuesday questioned the credibility of government witnesses in the case, saying cash attributed to bribes and kickbacks by prosecutors came in part from gifts, and urging jurors to acquit him of public corruption charges.
Kilpatrick, who voters hoped in 2001 could reverse decades of decline when they elected him the youngest mayor in Detroit history at age 31, faces an array of charges from racketeering conspiracy to bribery, extortion, mail fraud and tax charges.
James C. Thomas said Kilpatrick served a "higher purpose," and received cash gifts because people believed in the job he was doing as mayor.
"Let Mr. Kilpatrick go home with his wife and kids," Thomas told jurors in closing arguments seeking an acquittal on all counts in the five-month-long federal trial.
As for witnesses, Thomas said, a former aide who testified that he passed Kilpatrick money in a restaurant bathroom was a felon seeking a reduced sentence, and "not a trustworthy guy."
A second man who testified to a transaction with the mayor was "demented," , Thomas said, adding that a former Kilpatrick fundraiser who said she turned over part of her commissions to the mayor over a period of several years, had huge gambling debts.
Prosecutors have accused Kilpatrick, who served as mayor of the beleaguered city from 2002 until 2008, of conspiring with construction company owner and friend Bobby Ferguson as well as his father Bernard Kilpatrick in a more than decade-long criminal enterprise.
Kilpatrick is accused of forcing contractors to include Ferguson and/or Bernard Kilpatrick in many city projects, at times holding up contracts to apply leverage. The elder Kilpatrick ran a consulting business during his son's tenure as mayor.
Thomas argued, however, that there were good reasons for holding up some contracts, including one where the low bidder proved to not be based in Detroit.
On Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Bullotta said such deals increased the cost to city taxpayers.
Prosecutors have said the former mayor personally profited from the deals and have referred to bank statements that showed a steady cash flow into his account starting in 2002, the year he became mayor, and continuing until he resigned in 2008.
Thomas said Kilpatrick received generous cash gifts for his birthday and Christmas during that period.
Kilpatrick also has been accused of using money donated to the nonprofit Kilpatrick Civic Fund to support community projects for personal expenses such as golf clubs, yoga, a crisis manager to support his image and surveillance equipment.
Prosecutors presented testimony from dozens of witnesses, plus text messages, invoices, bank records and surveillance videos in the trial before U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds. Kilpatrick faces 30 counts, Ferguson 11 and Bernard Kilpatrick four.
Lawyers for Bernard Kilpatrick are expected to continue closing arguments on Thursday, followed by Ferguson's lawyers. Prosecutors will have the last word before the jury deliberates.
Kilpatrick stepped down as mayor in 2008 under a plea agreement in a separate case in which he admitted to lying under oath during a lawsuit brought by two fired police officers. The charges to which he pleaded guilty showed Kilpatrick had lied to conceal cellphone text messages that detailed an affair with a woman who was his chief of staff.
Detroit's population has been shrinking for decades, totaled just over 700,000 residents in 2011, compared with more than 1.8 million in 1950. After years of severe budget deficits, the state has been reviewing the city's finances and is considering appointing an emergency manager.
(Editing by David Bailey, desking by G Crosse)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/witnesses-against-ex-detroit-mayor-shaky-lawyer-argues-224324826.html
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