Rabu, 17 April 2019
Notre Dame fire: drone footage shows damage to cathedral - Guardian News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMaY4KqG_d8
2019-04-17 08:33:35Z
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Indonesians await 'quick count' after country's biggest election - Aljazeera.com
Voting has ended in Indonesia's presidential and legislative elections, with tens of millions of people casting votes without widespread hitches.
Preliminary results based on so-called "quick counts"- votes publicly tallied at polling stations are expected to start rolling in within two hours.
The presidential race pits incumbent Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his running mate, Indonesian Ulama Council Chairman Ma'ruf Amin, against retired general and longtime rival Prabowo Subianto and multi-millionaire businessman Sandiaga Uno.
People in two districts of Jayapura, the capital of volatile Papua province in Indonesia's east, were unable to vote after ballots and ballot boxes were not delivered.
Yosina, a resident in Abepura district, said: "We are very disappointed, we have waited for nothing since this morning. We want to cast our vote but ballot box was not there."
Police officers pushed her away from the polling station after she shouted, "This is a big question mark for us, don't fool us, we are smart, don't play with us."
Theodorus Kosay, chairman of the province's election commission, said the problems arose because of delays in replacing damaged ballots and lack of volunteers. The election in the two affected districts was postponed until Thursday.
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Widodo and Amin are trying to project themselves as progressive yet religious, with a campaign slogan of "Advancing Indonesia".
"I am a nationalist," Widodo said on the announcement of his candidacy in August 2018. "He is a devout religious figure. We complement each other well."
Prabowo, who has been accused of human rights abuses, ran against Widodo in 2014, while Uno is a businessman who spent a few months as deputy governor of Jakarta, after the mass rallies against Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (also known as Ahok) who was accused - and later convicted - of blasphemy.
Earlier, ballot papers were delivered with security escorts to remote regions of the country by plane, speedboat, canoe and horseback.
Two speedboats were deployed as mobile polling stations for residents on the Thousand Islands chain north of Jakarta.
"Even though some people are apathetic, I think it's important to vote for Indonesia's future. Vote with your conscience," said Hadi Wiguna, who was queueing to vote at a polling station in central Jakarta.
A tornado in East Java late on Tuesday destroyed two village polling stations and cut power to two others, forcing the authorities to move the voting to safer areas, the domestic news agency Antara reported.
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Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay, reporting from Jakarta, said the overall turnout was likely to be more than the traditional 70 percent.
"The turnout might be more this time due to two different elections taking place as well as the divisive nature of the vote and the long election campaign where there were many disagreements surrounding issues like the economy and religion."
The latest opinion polls in the lead-up to the election had the Widodo-Amin pair leading by as many as 20 points, with a significant proportion of undecided voters.
Most political experts predict a closer result, however, given that 2014's pre-election polls were similar, but Widodo ultimately beat Prabowo by just six points.
Wednesday will also see elections for parliamentarians taking place. Legislative elections are normally held months prior to the presidential elections but the move means voters will be confronted with a list of tough choices.
More than 10,000 people have volunteered to crowd-source election results posted at polling stations in a real-time bid to thwart attempts at fraud.
However, the opposition has already alleged voter-list irregularities that could affect millions and has vowed legal or "people power" action if its concerns are ignored.
"We are very concerned, we hope and we pray that today's election will be fair and peaceful, it will be peaceful if it's fair. Hopefully, the will of the Indonesian people, will be heard today," said Prabowo after casting his vote.
Last week, several videos appeared online apparently showing thousands of voting papers stuffed in bags at a warehouse in neighbouring Malaysia, with many of them apparently already marked.
The country's election supervisory board has recommended a revote for Indonesians in Malaysia and in Australia, where several hundred registered voters were still standing in line after the polls closed there on Saturday.
A decision will be taken by the elections commission.
Additional reporting by Kate Walton in Jakarta
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/voting-underway-indonesia-biggest-election-190417005359316.html
2019-04-17 06:11:00Z
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Selasa, 16 April 2019
Trump offers condolences to Macron for Notre Dame fire: 'Those bells will sound again' - Fox News
President Trump offered condolences Tuesday to French President Emmanuel Macron over the devastating fire that ravaged the famed Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris a day earlier.
“France is the oldest ally of the United States, and we remember with grateful hearts the tolling of Notre Dame’s bells on September 12, 2001, in solemn recognition of the tragic September 11th attacks on American soil,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. “Those bells will sound again. We stand with France today and offer our assistance in the rehabilitation of this irreplaceable symbol of Western civilization. Vive la France!”
Trump referenced the blaze repeatedly on Monday during both public appearances and on social media. During a stop at a trucking company in Minnesota on Monday, the president expressed his shock and sadness at the news of the fire – calling the famed cathedral “one of the great treasures of the world.”
Along with Trump, numerous other world leaders offered their condolences to France in the aftermath of the fire, including Pope Francis, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen.
Monday's fire collapsed the spire and burned through the roof of the 12th-century building, sparking an outpouring of grief and reminiscing of visits to the Parisian landmark.
Macron has pledged to rebuild a cathedral that he called "a part of us" and appealed for help to do so. The church is home to relics, stained glass and other incalculable works of art and is a leading tourist attraction, immortalized by Victor Hugo's 1831 novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
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The Paris prosecutor's office said it was treating the fire as an accident, ruling out arson and possible terror-related motives, at least for now. French media quoted the Paris fire brigade as saying the fire was "potentially linked" to a 6 million euro ($6.8 million) renovation project on the spire and its 500 tons of wood and 250 tons of lead.
Despite the dramatic image of the flaming cathedral, no one was killed. One firefighter was injured, among some 400 who battled the flames for hours before finally extinguishing them. Firefighters continued working through the night to cool the building and secure the monument, as residual sparks sprinkled down from the gaping hole where the spire used to be.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-condolences-macron-for-notre-dame-fire
2019-04-16 17:17:16Z
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Dog found swimming 130 miles off the coast of Thailand - CNN
The brown canine was found paddling near the rig, cold and shivering, with no indication of how he got there.
Rig worker Vitisak Payalaw, an offshore planner with Chevron, told CNN that fellow staff members spotted the dog swimming towards the platform on the afternoon of April 12, and held out a pole for him. But, buffeted by the waves, he was unable to climb up, his grasp repeatedly slipping.
"I thought that if we didn't move quickly, I would not be able to help him," said Payalaw. "If he lost his grip, it would be very difficult to help him."
Payalaw described how the dog simply held on silently, looking up at the workers.
"His eyes were so sad. He just kept looking up just like he wanted to say, 'please help me,'" he said.
"At that moment, whoever saw this, they would just have to help."
The workers then decided to throw a rope around the dog and pull him up.
Once on board they bathed the dog and gave him some fresh water and an electrolyte drink, naming him Boonrod, which means "survivor."
"He looked extremely exhausted and ran out of energy. He didn't move much," Payalaw told CNN. "He was shaking and he couldn't stand, he had to sit all the time."
Boonrod -- an aspin, a breed native to the Philippines -- was returned at around 10 a.m. local time Monday to the mainland, where he was taken in by the charity Watchdog Thailand.
The dog was then transferred to an animal clinic in Thailand's Songkla province, the charity said on its unofficial Facebook page.
Payalaw said on his Facebook page that Boonrod would be given temporary shelter at a dog home until he can regain his strength.
If no one comes to reclaim Boonrod, Payalaw said he would adopt him.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/16/asia/dog-found-at-sea-thailand-intl/index.html
2019-04-16 15:37:00Z
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Dog Saved By Workers On Oil Rig, 135 Miles Off Thai Coast - NPR
The rescued dog appeared to be growing stronger on the oil rig before he made his journey back to shore. Vitisak Payalaw hide caption
Workers on an oil rig about 135 miles offshore from southern Thailand noticed something stunning in the water: a dog.
The animal swam toward the rig's platform and clung to it as team members tried to figure out how to save him, Vitisak Payalaw, an offshore planner for Chevron Thailand Exploration & Production, told NPR.
Video that Payalaw posted on Facebook shows the shivering animal partially submerged in water, staring up at the workers.
Payalaw said he and three members of his team spent 15 minutes working to secure the dog with a rope and pull him up to safety. They were racing against time, he said, because the seas were becoming rougher.
The oil rig workers used a rope to pull the dog to safety. Vitisak Payalaw hide caption
In the first photos Payalaw posted, the dog looks exhausted — "especially on his eyes" — and despondent. Workers provided him with water and pieces of meat on the deck of the rig, and they set up a kennel for him indoors.
They named him Boonrod, Payalaw added, a word that means "he has done good karma and that helps him to survive."
It's not clear how the dog ended up so many miles offshore. Payalaw declined to speculate, simply saying it is still a mystery. The Bangkok Post said the pup is "believed to have fallen from a fishing trawler."
Boonrod appeared to be steadily growing stronger, after eating and napping. After a day and a half, he looked happy and alert — and he was clearly popular with the oil rig team.
Boonrod poses with oil rig workers in the Gulf of Thailand. Vitisak Payalaw hide caption
The pup has now been transferred to land, arriving in Thailand's Songkhla province on Monday morning to receive veterinary care coordinated by the rescue group Watchdog Thailand. According to The Associated Press, the group has declared him "in good shape."
Photos posted by the organization showed a triumphant-looking Boonrod being greeted by rescue group workers and veterinarians. They placed a fetching bright yellow floral wreath around his neck as Boonrod flashed a bright smile.
The dog was later shown receiving a bath, playing with admirers and eating treats.
Boonrod's streak of good luck seems set to continue. Payalaw says he's going to be working on the rig until the end of April, but when he gets back to shore, he plans to adopt the dog.
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/16/713876618/dog-saved-by-workers-on-oil-rig-135-miles-off-thai-coast
2019-04-16 16:30:00Z
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French Titans’ Pledges to Notre-Dame Pass €600 Million - The New York Times
In the aftermath of the fire at Notre-Dame, one of the great symbols of France, the luxury industry — another symbol of the country, thanks to names such as Dior, Louis Vuitton and Saint Laurent — has pledged hundreds of millions of euros to the cathedral’s restoration.
The donations were followed on Tuesday by other pledges that soon surpassed 600 million euros, or about $675 million, and included beauty, energy, and finance companies.
On Monday, as Notre-Dame burned and flames lit the sky, the Pinault family — owners of Kering, the second-largest luxury group in France — was the first to publicly offer a significant contribution, pledging to donate €100 million to the rebuilding effort.
“The Notre-Dame tragedy strikes all French people, as well as all those with spiritual values,” said François-Henri Pinault, chairman of Artémis, the family holding company that controls Kering.
“Faced with this tragedy, everyone wishes to bring this jewel of our heritage back to life as soon as possible,” he added. “Today, my father and I have committed to donate €100 million from the Artémis fund to take part in the effort needed to fully rebuild Notre-Dame de Paris.”
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Shortly afterward, the Arnault family and LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, led by Bernard Arnault, the richest man in France, announced that they would give €200 million.
“The LVMH Group puts at the disposal of the state and the relevant authorities all of its teams — including creative, architectural and financial specialists — to help with the long work of reconstruction and fund-raising, which is already in progress,” they said.
LVMH is the largest luxury group in the world. Its fashion holdings include Celine, Dior, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton. The group also owns drinks brands including Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon and Veuve Clicquot, as well as the landmark Parisian stores Le Bon Marché and La Samaritaine. The group reported revenue of €46.8 billion in 2018.
Mr. Arnault was an early supporter of Emanuel Macron’s presidential bid, and Brigitte Macron, the French first lady, wears Louis Vuitton for most of her high-profile public events. Mr. Arnault also masterminded the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the contemporary art museum in the Bois de Boulogne designed by Frank Gehry that has helped reshape the landscape of Paris and that will ultimately become a gift to the city.
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For its part, Kering owns luxury brands such as Balenciaga, Boucheron and Yves Saint Laurent. The Pinault family — also among the richest in France — owns the wine estate Château Latour. The group’s 2018 revenues were €13.67 billion. François Pinault, the patriarch of the family that controls Kering, is building a contemporary art museum in the former Bourse de Commerce in the center of Paris that will be designed by the architect Tadao Ando.
François-Henri Pinault, Mr. Pinault’s son, is married to the actress Salma Hayek. Kering has its headquarters in Paris, and Ms. Hayek posted a message of condolence and support on Instagram after the fire. “As many others I’m in deep shock and sadness to witness the beauty of Notre-Dame turn into smoke,” she wrote. “I love you Paris.”
The two fashion groups are deeply embedded and invested in the heritage of France as a global beacon of beauty and artistic creativity, a tradition that is also carved into the stones of Notre-Dame.
In recent years, the luxury industry across Europe has become actively involved in restoring historic monuments. The Italian leather goods group Tod’s is underwriting the restoration of the Colosseum in Rome for €25 million. Fendi, which is owned by LVMH, paid €2 million toward the restoration of the Trevi Fountain in the Italian capital (the company held a fashion show there when it was completed). Bulgari, a jewelry brand also under the LVMH umbrella, spent €1.5 million on the Spanish Steps in the city. And Salvatore Ferragamo, an Italian luxury goods company, has supported the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
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The motives are both altruistic — supplying funds that local governments do not have in the interests of saving a joint inheritance — and self-interested — the companies clearly understand that the more closely they associate with masterpieces of history, the more they bask in their glow.
In addition, when it comes to Notre-Dame, donors will benefit from a hefty tax write-off. Individuals in France can get a 66 percent discount on charitable gifts, while companies can deduct 60 percent of their corporate sponsorship expenses — which would most likely include assistance to the cathedral — from their corporation tax, though the amount is capped at 0.5 percent of turnover.
In the aftermath of the tragedy in Paris, however, such distinctions may not matter. The gifts from the likes of the Arnaults and the Pinaults are a reflection of how personally, and how profoundly, the fire has reached into the identity of French citizens and their businesses.
Indeed, just after the announcement from LVMH, Patrick Pouyanné, the chief executive of the French energy company Total, said on Twitter that his firm would contribute an additional €100 million to the cause, and L’Oréal and the Bettencourt-Schueller Foundation, which is backed by the family that founded the cosmetics giant, pledged a total of €200 million. Offers of aid in the reconstruction effort also came from the bank Société Générale (€10 million) and the advertising firm JCDecaux (€20 million), while the tire maker Michelin also promised a large sum and the construction giant Vinci offered to provide workers and architects.
Their legacy will now be part of Notre-Dame’s future.
Liz Alderman contributed reporting.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/16/fashion/Donations-notre-dame-fire.html
2019-04-16 15:56:15Z
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French official shares latest details of Notre Dame fire - ABC News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7m6UNlkMxs
2019-04-16 14:09:24Z
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