APTN National NewsThe streets of Montreal were filled with protestors again this week.It has been over 100 days since students in Quebec started protesting a proposed tuition hike.Hundreds of people have been arrested as students squared off against police.The response from the Quebec government hasn’t helped.As APTN National News reporter Danielle Rochette finds, new groups are now adding their voice to the protests.
APTN InFocus with Cheryl McKenzieThe work of Indigenous filmmakers is being screened and celebrated at the 13th annual Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival.Jeremiah Bitsui is Navajo and has starred in blockbuster hits like, Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers and AMC’s popular television series, Breaking Bad.In this edition our guests discuss the changing dynamics of Indigenous films and filmmaking.
Tom Fennario APTN National NewsThe Army has decided not to let the Dakota Access pipeline pass upstream from Standing Rock.That is, not yet.More consultation needs to take place.In the meantime, protest camps are starting to dig in for the long haul.APTN continues its coverage from Standing Rock.
NAPA, Calif. – A month after deadly wildfires swept through California’s famed wine country, hot-air balloons are floating again over Napa Valley vineyards splashed with fall colours. On the heels of the disaster, a new winery is opening, keeping the name it chose some time ago: Ashes and Diamonds.The fires had only a minimal effect on the area’s wineries, according to the Wine Institute, an advocacy and policy group. Of the 1,200 wineries in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino, about 10 were destroyed or heavily damaged, and 90 per cent of this year’s harvest already was complete, the institute said.Most vineyards were spared due to their high moisture content, and some even helped save surrounding structures by acting as fire breaks.But many operators are now grappling with other long-term effects from the fires that killed 43 people and wiped out 8,900 buildings: making up for losses from being closed at the busiest time of year, assessing the impact of smoke and other environmental damage on this year’s vintage, and persuading tourists to return after weeks of news coverage of the fires’ devastation.One of the most graphic scenes of destruction to emerge was that of the Signorello Estate winery engulfed in flames. Lost in the fire was the Napa winery’s signature stone hospitality building. A kitchen, corporate offices, a wine lab and owner Ray Signorello Jr.’s home also were destroyed.“We lost all our servers, systems, computers, the things we used to do business,” Signorello said. But he plans to rebuild and says he’s “trying to get people back to work.”At Cardinale Winery in Oakville, where just one Cabernet Sauvignon vintage is made from prized mountain appellations each year, winemaker Chris Carpenter is eyeing the grapes cautiously. He was a rare winemaker willing to say the fires’ effects would be felt for years, noting there also will be environmental issues to contend with.Only 50 per cent of Cardinale’s harvest was finished when the fires erupted, and he’s worried about smoke tainting what remains.“All the questions are unknown right now, and we hope to have a handle on that after fermentation,” Carpenter said.Carpenter said he had a chance to try some smoke-tainted wines in 2008, and they were not very pleasant – like a bacon-flavoured wine.“If we sense any of that, we won’t bottle,” he said.Things already appeared to be returning to normal for guests at Sonoma’s Gundlach Bundschu winery, where dozens of tourists soaked up the sun outside the tasting room a few weeks after the fires. Nearby blackened hills were the only visible reminder of what recently occurred.The winery celebrated its reopening with a community party that raised $16,000 for a fund to help fire victims, said sixth-generation vintner Katie Bundschu, who oversees marketing and sales.“It was a place to come and give each other hugs,” said Bundschu, whose own family has been dealing with the loss of her parents’ home.Now the push is on to lure visitors back to the three counties, which together saw more than $3.7 billion in tourism spending in 2016.Wineries are filling the pages of the San Francisco Chronicle with ads. “We are open and welcome you back to Napa!” read one. Some are donating their tasting room fees to wildfire relief charities.The state’s tourism commission, Visit California, is spending $2 million on an advertising campaign to encourage visitors to return.“Tourism is the wine country’s lifeblood,” said president and CEO Caroline Beteta. If the groups hosting fundraisers spread their goodwill across the region, she said, “I think they will be back and running and be able to host the world as they were before.”Once people understand everything is not burned down, tourism will return within a few months, said Eric Luse, the winemaker and owner of Eric Ross Winery in Glen Ellen.Standing outside his empty tasting room and looking at passing cars, he mused, “If you’re not optimistic, you are in the wrong business.”
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The year on Broadway came to a very sparkly end for theatre producers as many shows recorded their most profitable weeks ever despite theatre-goers facing bitter cold and some eye-popping ticket prices.Ten shows last week earned more than $2 million, led by “Hamilton,” ”The Lion King” and “Wicked,” which each pulled in more than $3 million, according to the Broadway League, a national trade association for the industry. The year ended with grosses soaring to $1.6 billion, attracting 13.74 million patrons, both yearly records.New weekly highs were reached by shows including “Come From Away,” ”SpongeBob SquarePants,” ”Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” ”The Play That Goes Wrong,” ”Waitress” and “The Band’s Visit.” Even the musical “Chicago” got into the act at the mature age of 21, earning a record $1.3 million.Those who boasted surpassing the $2 million mark included “The Phantom of the Opera,” ”Hello, Dolly!” ”Dear Evan Hansen,” ”Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” ”Aladdin,” ”Springsteen on Broadway” and “The Book of Mormon.”The time around Christmas and New Year’s is usually Broadway’s boom time, but this holiday season was particularly flush, pushed by premium pricing and several shows going from eight performances a week to nine. The average price for a seat at “Hamilton” was $358, while it was $508 to hear Bruce Springsteen. The official top premium price to see Bette Midler in “Hello, Dolly!” was $996.Not every show was popping Champagne. The holiday revue “Home for the Holidays,” which featured the winners of various TV singing competitions, ended its run as one of the poorest performing shows ever on Broadway. It crept out of town with a weekly haul of under $80,000 over eight performances, or 5 per cent of its potential gross. The average ticket was just $26, but the theatre was 70 per cent empty.The data this year is based on a 53-week calendar year, which is periodically necessary so 365-day years can be lined up with 52-week-long sales windows measured Monday through Sunday.___Follow Mark Kennedy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
CALGARY – Alberta’s premier says the Trump administration’s recent attacks on Canadian trade show how necessary it is to go ahead with the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.Rachel Notley has taken aim at what she called reckless U.S. moves against Canada’s steel and aluminum industries.She told the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary that Canada needs to be strategic with its resources and not put all its eggs in one basket.Virtually all of Canada’s oil exports go to the United States and the Trans Mountain pipeline would enable sales to Asia via the West Coast.The federal government agreed last month to purchase the project from Texas-based Kinder Morgan, which had threatened to pull the plug because of political hurdles in British Columbia.Notley says the United States benefits from Canada’s failure to build a pipeline to a Canadian coast and get a better price for its product.“In these days, I’ve got to say it’s getting harder and harder to stomach, with reckless attacks on our steel and aluminum industries and reckless attacks on the hard-working people that those industries employ,” Notley said Tuesday.“I have a message to send to folks beyond this room, to British Columbia and to all Canadians: if the last days and weeks tell us anything, it’s that we, as Canadians, need to take control of our economic destiny.”Notley directed a few good-natured jabs at the Americans who came to Calgary for the annual energy industry trade show.“For our American guests, let me just say how brave it is for you to join us here in a country that represents such a hostile national security threat,” she said.“I should let you know, that there is in fact a battalion of Canadian geese assembling outside the doors. We’ve cleared the building of maple syrup and, in fact, if some of you are not really, really careful, we may make you drink your own beer.”
TORONTO – Torstar Corp. says it has hired an experienced manager, editor and publisher from Sweden to be its senior vice-president of editorial, effective Jan. 2.Fredric Karen has been at Stockholm-based Svenska Dagbladet (Swedish Daily) since 2002, where he has been chief editor and publisher since 2013.The Toronto-based company says Karen will lead the “digital transformation” of its news operation, by developing its editorial strategy in keeping with ongoing efforts to combine data analytics and marketing to target ads and editorial content of most interest to its readers and advertisers.As part of the transition, the company’s flagship Toronto Star erected a partial paywall that limits free access to its online and digital content to five articles per 30 days. It also began offering full access to paid subscribers, starting Sept. 27.Torstar says Karen will work with senior editorial and department leaders at all its daily and community publications in Ontario and the StarMetro commuter publications in Toronto, Halifax, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.He’s expected to live in Toronto after moving from his current home.“He brings to Torstar a deep commitment to quality journalism, a determination to address difficult times in the media industry and a proven record of digital innovation that will help our company as we move transition [sic] to a more digital future,” said John Boynton, Torstar’s president and chief executive officer.Like most traditional newspapers, magazines and broadcast media, Torstar has been undergoing a years-long decline in advertising revenue due to competition from digital media and changing consumer habits.In addition to the Toronto Star, Torstar owns numerous online and community publications, six other Ontario daily newspapers in Hamilton, Waterloo Region, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland and Peterborough as well as StarMetro free commuter publications Toronto, Halifax, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.__Torstar holds an investment in The Canadian Press as part of a joint agreement with a subsidiary of the Globe and Mail and the parent company of Montreal’s La Presse.Companies in this story: (TSX:TS.B).
NEW YORK — The latest on developments in financial markets (all times local):9:35 a.m.Stocks are inching higher in early trading on Wall Street as fourth-quarter company earnings reports start to roll in.Delta Air Lines and First Republic Bank both rose early Tuesday after reporting results that were better than analysts were expecting. Delta climbed 2.8 per cent and First Republic gained 7.3 per cent.Netflix jumped 4.8 per cent after announcing higher pricing for its video-streaming plans.Sherwin-Williams slumped 5.2 per cent after the maker of paints and industrial coatings said it had a weak quarter.The S&P 500 rose 10 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 2,593.The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 35 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 23,949. The Nasdaq added 60 points, or 0.9 per cent, to 6,966.Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.69 per cent.The Associated Press
Jaipur: The BCCI had acted voluntarily while banning Steve Smith and David Warner from last edition of IPL on ball tampering charges and the former Australian captain said that only the Indian board can answer why it panned out that way. Cricket Australia’s one year ban was from international cricket and the duo were well within their rights to a play domestic T20 league like IPL but the richest cricket board in the world decided to impose their own sanctions. Smith, whose one-year ban ends on March 29 will be available for Rajasthan Royals’ first game on March 25 but it will depend on the condition of his elbow. “I am available for all the matches and BCCI has to answer that why I was not allowed to play earlier,” Smith took a dig at the BCCI during a promotional event on Friday. Speaking after the jersey launch ceremony, Smith said that he was looking forward for the tournament. “It is exciting to be back on field and I am looking forward to the tournament,” he said during an announcement. With his international ban set to end on March 29, Smith will be eyeing good IPL in order to make it to the World Cup squad.
NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party is likely to release its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on April 25, according to sources in the party. Polling for theseven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will be held in the sixth phase on May 12. The manifesto, which will list out its agenda for the general elections, will focus on its endeavour to get full statehood for Delhi, a source said. The document has been prepared by a seven-member team headed by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The ruling AAP in the national capital is fighting the Lok Sabha elections on the agenda of granting full statehood to Delhi. The Congress, with whom the AAP is yet to forge an alliance in the national capital, has already released its manifesto which promises full statehood to Puducherry but has no mention of Delhi on the issue. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is yet to release its mainfesto. The BJP is likely to release its manifesto on April 8.
New Delhi: The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2019 has been postponed in Odisha due to cyclone ‘Fani’, the HRD Ministry announced Saturday. The decision has been taken following a request from the Odisha administration in view of the rehabilitation work being underway in the state. “#NEET exam scheduled for 5th May in Odisha postponed as per the request of State Govt working on relief and rehabilitation work in the wake of #FaniCyclone. Revised dates for the exam in Odisha will be announced so,” HRD Secretary R Subramanyam tweeted. Also Read – 2019 most peaceful festive season for J&K: Jitendra Singh The extremely severe cyclonic storm, which made landfall at Odisha’s Puri on Friday, unleashed copious rain and windstorm that gusted up to 200 kmph, blowing away thatched roofs of houses, swamped towns and villages, before weakening and entering West Bengal. The death toll due to the calamity, which stood at eight on Friday, mounted to 12 with four fresh casualties reported from Mayurbhanj district in Odisha, officials said, adding that detailed information from many areas was still awaited.
Rio de Janeiro: At least 11 people have been killed in a shooting at a bar in Brazil’s Para state, police said. The shooting took place on Sunday in the city of Belem when seven gunmen arrived at the bar and began shooting, Xinhua news agency reported. They killed six women, among them the bar’s owner, and five men, according to the Military Police. One person was injured and taken to the hospital. An investigation into the shooting was opened by the Civil Police’s Homicide Division, but the motive behind the shooting is still unknown.
By Louise RiondelBordeaux, France – The European Parliament adopted the initial report on the situation of Human Rights in the Sahara prepared by the British Conservative MP Charles Tannock on Tuesday. The text was a real indictment against Morocco, but the Kingdom’s diplomacy foiled the accusations of his opponents and won another victory today. The European Parliament congratulated Morocco for its progress and all amendments against the Kingdom were rejected, including that concerning the fishing agreement between Morocco and the European Union.The report mentions that “a large number of stakeholders, including the Government of Morocco, Moroccan NGOs, and former residents of the Tindouf camps, said that the Polisario authorities limited the residents’ freedom of expression and freedom of movement”, and recognizes the involvement of Algeria in the conflict and its protection of the Polisario.In a statement from the headquarters of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Abderrahim Atmoun, Persident of the Parliamentary Committee of the EU-Morocco announced that the Moroccan diplomacy has managed to remove the “elements claiming falsely that the resources of the southern provinces did not benefit the people . “The report called on Algeria to facilitate the identification of people in the Saharawi refugee camps controlled by the Polisario. In addition, it urges “Algerian authorities to assume their responsibilities for improving the situation of human rights in the Tindouf camps.”The President of the EU- Morocco Friendship Group, Gilles Pargneaux said that “the Parliament should strengthen its relations with those who make more efforts to promote democracy. ““Do not forget that Morocco is the only country to have conducted a real development policy in the Saharan region, to have developed a respectable rule of law as the vector of terrorism and yet , some MEPs forget what the Kingdom of Morocco has accomplished,” he added.
Brussels – The Morocco-European Union association committee opened this Monday in Brussels its 11th session in the presence of a large Moroccan delegation chaired by minister of foreign affairs and cooperation.The meeting will look into the political and economic situation in Morocco and progress made in political, economic and social reforms.The session will also be an opportunity to assess relations between Morocco and the European Union since the Council’s last session held in April 2012, mainly regarding the implementation of the political, economic, social and human dimensions of the association agreement and the work plan of the European neighborhood policy. Morocco and the EU will examine prospects of the exemplary partnership existing between the two sides, in light of the objectives set by the new work plan for the advanced status.Regional and international issues, such as integration in the Maghreb, the situation in the Sahel-Sahara region and in Africa and means to consolidate collaboration as part of renovated triangular cooperation are other items on the agenda of this session.
Rabat- The Meridian International Center and Gallup released a new U.S.-Global Leadership Project this week, which found that the U.S. Leadership approval rating lost 15 points in Morocco in 2013.It seems like Moroccans’ opinions on US leadership fluctuate from year to year. Although Moroccan approval of US global leadership decreased in 2013, it is still the highest of any Arab country after Mauritania.The project, which included 160 countries, found that U.S approval leadership rating in Morocco has lost 15 points in the last year, from 33% in 2012 to 15% in 2013. Still, “the majority of Moroccans (59%) did not have an opinion about U.S. leadership. Residents of Morocco were, however, nearly twice as likely to disapprove (27%) as approve (15%) of U.S. leadership,” the survey said.Notably, after the White House’s leadership popularity in Morocco lost only 3 points from 2009 to 2010, regaining5 points in 2011, support for America’s leadership lost 18 point between 2012-2013 going down from 33 to 15%Morocco’s approval decrease (-15) ranked the kingdom among the ten biggest losses in approval in the world in 2012, alongside South Africa (-16), Nigeria (-17), Ghana (-17), Angola (-20) and Madagascar (-23).According to Gallup and Meridian, U.S. leadership disapproval was 80% in Palestine, 71% in Lebanon, 69% in Yemen, and 47% in Syria.Edited by Jessica Rohan
Taroudant, Morocco – A group of people called “ASWAT” Group for sexual minorities launched a campaign for the defense of gays and lesbians in Morocco. The group whose motto is “Love is not a crime” calls for the protection of the rights of same-sex minorities in the kingdom.The organizers of this campaign intend to protest what they call the discrimination against homosexuals in Morocco. Less than two weeks before the International Day against Homophobia, held on May 17 every year, the group “ASWAT” posted a video on YouTube in which several civil society activists, Amazigh, journalists, university teachers and community activists call for the respect of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) rights in the country.ASWAT for sexual minorities also launched a petition entitled “Say No to homophobia in Morocco” to demand the abolition of Article 489 of the Criminal Code, which criminalizes “licentious acts against nature with an individual of the same sex.Under Article 489 of the Moroccan penal code, sexual acts between people of the same gender are punishable by between six months and three years in prison.Held on May 17 every year, the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia is a rallying international event that raises awareness about the situation of LGBT all over the world and calls for the protection of their fundamental rights.© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed
Rabat- Morocco is the best prepared country in the Eastern Mediterranean region to deal with any imported cases of Ebola on its soil, Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Morocco, Yves Souteyrand, said Monday.A team of international experts hailed the efforts made by Morocco in all areas covered by the response, including monitoring and follow-up of contacts, support, sectoral coordination, laboratory and control at entry points, Souteyrand said at the opening ceremony of a regional workshop on “Capacity Building for surveillance, prevention and fight against epidemics: the case of Ebola” (March 2-5 in Rabat).She also recalled that WHO Director General had publicly praised the kingdom for its air transport policy since it is “the only country to maintain its daily flights to the most affected countries”. For its part, Japanese Ambassador to Morocco, Tsuneo Kurokawa praised the “humanitarian and strategic” decision of Morocco to maintain its regular flights to Ebola-affected countries, adding that this commitment is part of the cooperation between the Kingdom and African countries.“Given the historical, cultural and linguistic ties with French-speaking African countries, Morocco is a privileged partner in the tripartite cooperation”, he underlined.
New York – Exit polls showed that Popular Party (PP), the party of outgoing Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, won Spain’s general election on Sunday night.However, preliminary results revealed that the PP failed to obtain an absolute majority win and will have to form a coalition in order to govern the country for four more years.With over 92 percent of the votes counted, Prime Minister Rajoy’s PP managed to secure the first spot in the elections. However, today’s score is the PP’s worst result ever in a general election, according to Spanish media. The PP secured the victory with less than 30 percent (29%) of the votes, which will make it challenging for Rajoy to govern, as the Parliament will be more fragmented than ever.The opposition Socialist Party (PSOE) came in second with 91 seats (22 percent of votes), while the anti-austerity party Podemos secured 69 seats (20 percent) and liberal party Ciudadanos won 40 seats (13 percent).Out of the 350 elected seats in the lower house of Parliament, the PP went from having 186 seats in 2011 to only 122 seats in this general election.The PSOE will have 91 seats, Podemos will fill 69 seats and Ciudadanos will be set with 40, according to preliminary results provided by Reuters.Spanish politics have suffered serious challenges over the past four years with the nation’s economic crisis, corruption and a separatist drive in Catalonia.“This result confirms Spain has entered an era of political fragmentation,” Teneo Intelligence analysts Antonio Barroso said according to ABC.“It’s clear that parties will have to negotiate and forming a government could be pretty complicated,” he added.Considering the results of Sunday’s elections, at least three parties will have to join on either side to form a coalition in order to govern with the absolute majority of 176 seats.The PP could allegedly need more than just Ciudadanos’ 40 seats to join their 122, as both parties together did not garner enough votes.
Rabat – The “Zero Mika” innitiative, beginning July 1 under the law 77-15, could bring about consequences unseen beyond initial planning as change will be evident in the daily lives of many Moroccans following the national prohibition of producing, importing, and commercializing plastic bag.Carrying the daily dose of bread home from the bakery each morning will feel absolutely different after July 1, but the plastic ban significantly impacts larger aspects of life that affects national environmental and economic policies that might lead to a setback if not controlled and regulated properly.In pushing forward this legal initiative, the Ministry of Environment planned to collect and burn approximately 11 tons of plastic bags in Fqih Ben Salah and four tons in Fes as well as other cities since the beginning of June as one of the measures taken to eliminate any long term trace of plastic bags. However, that approach might in fact bring about equal if not more environmental harm than it would benefit. On the brighter side, it’s not all about incineration and air pollution;the Elhaité Department started an awareness campaign that targeted Moroccan population in hopes of spreading information on more environment-friendly options that would replace the widespread use of plastic bags.“The distribution of cloth bags is one of the viable options in this initiative,” Mohamed Benyahia, director of the communication and cooperation department at the Ministry of Environment told Telquel. “There are many other environment-friendly traditional options that are forgotten and should be revived.”These options, according to Mr. Benyahia, include the traditional use of bags made of wicker, cloth, or woven using palmetto branches.The newly adopted prohibition furhter encouraged the Ministry of Industry to take on an inter-ministerial project that linked the Ministry of Environment, Commerce, Interior and Agriculture. Such a program will take on a plan of economic conversion.The Minister of Industry, Trade, and New Technologies Moulay Hafid Elalamy has promised a total of MAD 200 million to all workers in the plastic bag production industry. The proposed funding aimed to help workers accommodate the curtailing of the plastic bag industry.Under Elelamy’s policy, registered enterprises that make more than 30 percent of their turnover would be offered 50 percent of industrial investment linked to the economic conversion project, according to Usine Nouvelle, a website specialized in this sector.For smaller enterprises, the state will support required training for employees to work in other economic sectors. However, these small companies will not be able to benefit from any public aid unless they “engage in complete fiscal and social transparency and destroy or sell all machinery linked to the production of plastic bags,” declared the Ministry of IndustryWholesale dealers across Morocco have, nonetheless, voiced their discontent. Many of them are willing to keep selling their plastic bags despite the risk of getting fined for a sum of MAD 10,000 to MAD 500,000.The repercussions stated above questioned whether banning plastic bags is really a risk worth taking, only to be answered by the progress of time.
Rabat – Morocco is strongly committed to implementing the Paris Agreement which will make the Marrakech conference the COP of action, said, on Wednesday in New York, COP22 president Salaheddine Mezouar.The fact of depositing the instruments for the ratification of the Paris Agreement mirrors the firm commitment of Morocco to implement the said agreement, said Mezouar, also foreign minister, on the sidelines of the 71st UNGA, quoted in a statement by the COP22 steering committee.HM King Mohammed VI entrusted me with the task of depositing Morocco’s instruments of ratification, he said, adding that this is a strong message for the international community all the more so because we have reached the threshold of 55 countries which have ratified the agreement ahead of the COP22 in Marrakech next November. Mezouar called for continuing the mobilization, hoping to see the Paris Agreement come into force before the COP22.UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon applauded in a speech the 29 countries which have already ratified the agreement, as well as the 31 new ones which have deposited their instruments on Wednesday.For the enforcement of the Paris Agreement, 55 countries representing at least 55% of global emissions should deposit their instruments of ratification at the UN.