Nobel literature academy shaken by #MeToo sex scandal wave
The Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Literature Prize, has been rattled by a sex scandal as several members, their wives and daughters accused an influential person with close ties to the prestigious institution of assault.
The #MeToo wave exposing sexual misconduct which began in Hollywood has shaken artistic, media and political circles in Sweden, one of the most gender equal countries in the world, as thousands of women have spoken up and campaigned against harassment.
Sweden´s prestigious literary scene was drawn into the fray on Tuesday when newspaper of reference Dagens Nyheter published the testimony of 18 women claiming to have been assaulted or raped by one of the most influential figures in Stockholm´s cultural scene.
The accused man´s name has not been published in the media due to Swedish laws on the presumption of innocence. But his identity is generally known by the public as he is a high-profile person in cultural circles and his name has appeared in online chat forums discussing the issue.
The man did not respond to AFP´s request for a comment, though he told Dagens Nyheter he was innocent.
Married to a writer with “close links to the Swedish Academy”, the man runs a cultural club showcasing exhibitions, readings and performances by both the cultural elite and hopefuls — including Nobel literature laureates — and dubbed by some as “the Academy´s living room”.The club was partly funded by the Academy.
The alleged sexual assaults occurred between 1996 and 2017, some of them in the club´s premises, according to Dagens Nyheter.
Several women spoke openly, allowing the newspaper to reveal their identities, and their stories were corroborated by eyewitnesses, the paper said.
One of them claims to have been raped in an apartment in a posh Stockholm neighbourhood.
“Everyone knows and everyone has always known,” that he was attacking young women, she says.
The women said they remained silent out of fear of jeopardising their careers because of the man´s connections and close relations with leading publishers, producers, directors and composers.
After a “crisis meeting” on Thursday evening, the Swedish Academy announced that it was cutting all ties with the accused, whom it had funded and allowed to manage an apartment it owns in an upscale Paris neighbourhood.
The Academy said in a statement that during the meeting, “it emerged that members of the Academy, daughters of Academy members, wives of Academy members and staff of the Academy have experienced unwanted intimacy or inappropriate behaviour” by the man.
The prominent institution said it would launch an internal inquiry to find out if the man “has had any direct or indirect influence on the Academy´s prizes, scholarships, and fundings of any kind”.
Culture Minister Alice Bah Kuhnke said she regretted honouring him with the 2015 Order of The Polar Star, awarded to members of the Swedish royal family and foreigners for services to Sweden.
PEMRA bans News channels,Facebook, Twitter and Instagram not accessible in Pakistan
News channels and social media remained suspended in Pakistan on Sunday after being shut down by the government a day earlier.
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Saturday and ordered to take all news channels off air. Prior to this decision, PEMRA had directed news channels to ensure the security of their staff while the situation persisted; in light of which, Geo News as per its tradition of responsible reporting was and continues to abide by the rules.
Earlier, PEMRA had barred media from live coverage of Islamabad operation under Media Code of Conduct 2015.
In a press release, the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) strongly condemned the unilateral closure of news channels by the government. The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) expressed concern over the sudden closure of television channels and their transmission
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are also not accessible in Pakistan, while YouTube can only be accessed via the mobile application. Access has also been blocked to the live stream pages of major news channels in Pakistan.
Protesters renewed violence early Sunday morning as they resorted to arson and pelted stones at police, a day after authorities commenced an operation to clear Faizabad Interchange of the sit-in that had paralysed the federal capital for weeks.
The protesters began pelting stones at policemen and set fire to five motorcycles and a car belonging to the police near I-8 sector earlier today, police said.
On Saturday, a protester was killed while over 250 people including 90 policemen and FC personnel, as protests took a violent turn in the capital. Around 8,000 security officials took part in the operation aimed at dispersing the protesters with the help of tear gas and water cannons.
Shamim Khan lift second IndianOil SERVO Masters Golf title
Shamim Khan weathers the storm, beats young Veer Ahlawat in playoff to lift second IndianOil SERVO Masters Golf title
Shamim narrows gap with Order of Merit leader Udayan Mane
Digboi, Assam, November 25, 2017: The experienced Shamim Khan weathered the storm called Veer Ahlawat to register his second win at the IndianOil SERVO Masters Golf on Saturday.
The 39-year-old Shamim came through in a playoff against the 21-year-old Veer after both the Delhi-based professionals ended the regulation 72 holes with identical scores of nine-under-279 at the tranquil Digboi Golf Links. It was Khan’s third title of the season and his 15th overall.
Khan took home the winner’s cheque of Rs. 6 lakh from the Rs. 40 lakh event and continued in second place on the PGTI Order of Merit. However, with Shamim’s season earnings moving to Rs. 35,58,250, he has now narrowed the gap between himself and the money list leader Udayan Mane to just Rs. 1 lakh.
Shamim Khan (72-66-71-70), the overnight joint leader, looked in control when he sank his second birdie of the day, a 35-footer on the fifth, which gave him a two-shot lead. But there was a twist when Veer Ahlawat (71-70-69-69), who was overnight tied third and one off the lead, produced birdies on the sixth, seventh and ninth while Shamim dropped a bogey on the eighth.
After nine holes, Veer, playing one group ahead of the leaders, drew level with Shamim to emerge as a top contender. Ahlawat, playing only his second season as a professional, finally took the sole lead when he drove the 12th green to set up a birdie. Veer, who plays at the DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon, dropped a shot on the 13th but regained his outright lead with a brilliant chip-putt birdie on the 15th.
Ahlawat then missed a few chances to seal his maiden title, notably an up and down for par on the 18th. The match went into a playoff as Khan made pars on his last 10 holes which included a crucial five feet conversion on the 18th.
Veer hit the green while Shamim was in the bunker after two shots each during the playoff on the par-4 18th. Khan managed to turn the tables with a gem of a bunker shot that set up a tap-in for par. The six-foot-three-inch tall Ahlawat, on the other hand, three-putted from 20 feet for a bogey that gave Shamim his 13th PGTI title.
Shamim, who previously won in Digboi in 2014, said, “My putting wasn’t great for the second consecutive day and when I missed a two-footer for par on the eighth, I knew I was in trouble.
“However, I hung in there with pars all the way till the end. I was quite happy to take it into the playoff after having trailed Veer on the back-nine. In a playoff situation, experience always counts. That’s what saw me through at the end. I felt Veer tried a bit too hard during the playoff.
“The birdies were hard to come by on the last two days but my chipping average was excellent. I landed all my chips within a short distance of the pins. The win puts me in a good position to once again contend for the Order of Merit crown,” added Khan, the 2012 PGTI Order of Merit champion.
Veer Ahlawat, who came close to causing a major upset on Saturday, jumped 14 spots to 16thposition in the Order of Merit as a result of his career-best runner-up finish.
Ahlawat said, “The four birdies on the first 12 holes really got my confidence going. I checked the leaderboard on the 15th and that’s when I realized that I was very close to victory.
“I knew Shamim will not be easy to beat but I was quite confident as I was hitting and putting really well. I just couldn’t end it well. I didn’t feel much pressure but I think I got a little excited.
“But I’m quite happy with this performance as it is my best finish as a professional. I feel I’m now coming into my own after an ordinary rookie season on the PGTI last year. Every aspect of my game is better this year.”
Manu Gandas of Gurgaon, another 21-year-old, fired a final round of 71 to take third place at seven-under-281.
Bangladesh’s Md Zamal Hossain Mollah struck a 67, the best score of the last round, to end up in tied fourth at five-under-283 along with Noida’s Rahul Bajaj (71).
Bengaluru’s M Dharma, the joint leader from round three, slipped to tied 10th at two-under-286 after a fourth round of 77.
Digboi’s Dulal Kalowar (76-74-76-77), the only local player to make the cut, shot a 77 on Saturday to end the week in tied 47th at 15-over-303.
2018 PCS 3rd Global Cell Science and Stem Cell Conference (CSSC-2018)
3rd Round invitation calling for speakers at PCS 3rd Global Cell Science and Stem Cell Conference (CSSC-2018) scheduled on 14 – 15 July, 2018 in Budapest, Hungary at which includes prompt keynote presentations, Oral talks, Poster presentations and posters’ display.
This Conference will be co-organized by World Innovative Medical Association (WIMA) and Global Century Science Group to promote scientific approach and research innovation within the field of Cell Sciences and Regenerative Medicine.
We are waiting for your response and confirmation for joining us as one of the speakers and your speech title along with a short CV as well as the session selection is expected for further arrangement.
With the theme of ” Exploring the Secrets of Life between Dream and Reality”, CSSC-2018 will provide a high-end academic information exchange platform encompass Advanced Technologies in Cell Sciences, Stem Cell and Stem Cell Therapy, Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine, Emerging Market for Cell Therapy and Stem Cells Application. Furthermore, any new topics are expected to be initiated by participants. You are welcomed to suggest some sessions we have not covered yet in our agenda and session chairs will be available for your application.
We look forward to meet you in Budapest and hope you are taking this opportunity to integrate with all participants and seek co-operation worldwide.
For more information, please see the attached program or visit our official website at http://www.pcscongress.org/cssc2018/
We look forward to hearing from you.
Ms. Mina Zhang
Coordinator of CSSC-2018
E-mail: mina@pcsconference.com
Pioneer Century Science
No. 134, Changjiang Road, Huanggu District,
Shenyang, China
Tel: +86-24-31930319
Fax: +86-24-86085759
On behalf of
Prof. Chiming Wei, MD, PhD, FACC,
President of CSSC-2018
President and Chairman,
Chinese Alliance of Precision Medicine,
China
President of CSSC-2018
President and Chairman,
Chinese Alliance of Precision Medicine,
China
Relatives mourn missing Argentine submarine crew, frantic search on
Ten days after the missing Argentine submarine San Juan went silent, grieving relatives have begun mourning the loss of its 44 missing crew members with a religious ceremony Saturday, even though the navy has yet to declare them dead.
A religious service is set to be held outside the Mar del Plata naval base, where the submarine was based, to support grieving friends and relatives.
The navy has refused to say there is no chance of finding survivors.
But many relatives of the crew have lost hope since the navy announced Thursday that there had been an explosion on board the submarine, which experts said was likely linked to a problem with its batteries and would likely have been catastrophic.
A handful of relatives held out hope that at least some of the sailors aboard the 34-year-old submarine, which had recently been retrofitted, could be found alive.
The frantic search for the San Juan “will continue day and night with help from 13 countries,” navy spokesman Captain Enrique Balbi said late Friday.
Hopes were boosted by the arrival later in the day of a giant Russian Antonov transport plane bringing an underwater robot that can scour the ocean at a depth of 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) below the surface.
Separately, an army of welders worked frantically to create an opening in the stern of the Norwegian offshore supply ship Sophie Siem, owned by the Total oil company, large enough to accomodate an underwater rescue capsule sent by the US navy.
The US capsule can sink to a depth of 200 meters (660 feet) and rescue up to 16 trapped submarine sailors at a time in shifts of 20 minutes, experts said.
Depths plummet from 200 meters (650 feet) to more than 3,000 meters on the edge of the Argentine shelf.
Experts say the sub would begin to break-up once below depths of around 600 meters due to the water pressure.
President Mauricio Macri on Friday ordered an inquiry to “know the truth” about what happened to the San Juan.
The submarine and was “in perfect condition,” Macri told reporters at the Argentine navy headquarters.
“My commitment is with the truth,” he said, adding the tragedy “will require a serious, in-depth investigation that will yield certainty about what has happened.”
Argentina´s navy has been fiercely criticised for its handling of the operation since first reporting on November 16 that the San Juan had not returned to base as scheduled.
“Until we have the complete information, we do not have to look for the guilty, to look for those responsible. First we have to have certainty of what happened and why it happened,” said Macri.
Magistrate Marta Yanez has already begun preliminary investigations into the disaster.
She told reporters that unlike a plane, “the submarine does not have a black box. The black box is the submarine,” and it would have to be recovered before the causes of the explosion could be known.
Nepal, polling for first phase begin
Nepal, polling for first phase of parliamentary and provincial elections is underway peacefully.
More than 31 lakh voters are expected to exercise their franchise in 32 hilly and mountainous districts.
AIR correspondent reports that 40 percent voting has been recorded till 12.30 PM.
AIR correspondent reports that 40 percent voting has been recorded till 12.30 PM.
People enthusiastically participating in the first ever federal elections in Nepal.
In most of the places despite severe cold people reached polling stations before 7 ‘o Clock.
Male and female voters from all age groups waiting in long queues for their turn.
702 candidates are trying their luck for 37 constituencies of House of Representatives and 74 seats of Provincial Assemblies.
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has appealed voters to participate in a large number in the most significant elections of the country.
She has expressed hope that this election will take Nepal on the path of political stability and prosperity.
Mount Agung in Bali erupts for 2nd time
Indonesia, Mount Agung in Bali erupted for the second time on Thursday spewing grey volcanic ash as high as 1,500 metres from the crater.
The National Disaster Migitation Agency, in a statement, said, there has not been any increase in tremors and volcanic activities since the eruption.
The agency has called for calm among the local community, from which around 25,000 people have been evacuated from the slopes of Agung to hundreds of refuge shelters.
Several international flights were cancelled and re-routed as a result of the eruption.
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