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Queen Elizabeth Appeals To Commonwealth Members To Accept Son Queen Elizabeth II has appealed to Commonwealth leaders to appoint her son, Prince Charles, to succeed her as their head. She said it was her “sincere wish” that Prince Charles takes over “one day”, as she opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London. The role is not hereditary and will not pass automatically to the Prince of Wales on the Queen’s death. The 53 leaders, gathered at Buckingham Palace, are to make a decision on the succession on Friday, No 10 has said. Addressing the gathering of dignitaries, royals and the prime minister, the Queen said it was a “pleasure, this time, to welcome you to my home” for the biennial meeting. She said it remained a “great pleasure and honour to serve you” and to observe “with pride and satisfaction that this is a flourishing network”. She added: “It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations, and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949.” Issues under discussion at the two-day summit also include ocean
conservation, cyber security, and trade between the countries. Prime Minister Theresa May told the leaders the summit would “take on some of the 21st Century’s biggest questions”. Speaking in the ballroom, which was decorated with flags of the 53 nations, Mrs May said: “There have been difficulties, successes, controversies, but I believe wholeheartedly in the good that the Commonwealth can do. The prime minister also thanked the Queen for hosting the event, calling the monarch a “steadfast and fervent champion” of the Commonwealth. Outside, more than 100 officers and soldiers from the Coldstream Guards were in honour guard, wearing scarlet tunics and bearskins, as a 53 gun salute marked the formal opening. The ceremony is being attended by 46 Commonwealth heads of government, out of the 53 member states, with the remaining attendees being foreign ministers. Earlier, Prince Charles told attendees the modern Commonwealth had a “vital role to play”, adding: “I pray that this [meeting] will not only revitalise the bonds between our countries, but will also give the Commonwealth a renewed relevance to all its citizens.”
Australian, ‘Doctor Death’ Invents Suicide Machine A controversial suicide pod that enables its occupant to kill themselves at a press of a button went on display at Amsterdam funeral show on Saturday. Called the “Sarco”, short for sarcophagus, the 3D-printed machine invented by Australian euthanasia activist Philip Nitschke and Dutch designer Alexander Bannink comes with a detachable coffin, mounted on a stand that contains a nitrogen canister. “The person who wants to die presses the button and the capsule is filled with nitrogen. He or she will feel a bit dizzy but will then rapidly lose consciousness and die,” said Nitschke, who has been dubbed “Dr Death” for his work to legalise euthanasia. The “Sarco” is a device “to provide people with a death when they wish to die,”
Nitschke said. The inventors put a model of the device on display, together with a set of virtual reality glasses to give visitors a true-tolife experience of what it would be like to sit in the pod, before ultimately pressing the button. Nitschke said he aimed to build the first fully-functioning pod before the end of the year. After that, the design will be put online as an open-source document for people to download. “That means that anybody who wants to build the machine can download the plans and 3D-print their own device,” Nitschke said. Asked about the controversy surrounding euthanasia and legal hurdles, Nitschke said: “In many countries suicide is not against the law.
Britain’s health Minister Faces Investigation Over Luxury Flats Purchase Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, is facing an investigation by a parliamentary watchdog over his failure to declare a property investment deal. Hunt, one of Britain’s wealthiest politicians, apologized last week for failing to initially disclose his interest in a company set up to purchase luxury flats, saying it was an honest administrative mistake. A spokeswoman for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards said a formal investigation has begun into why Hunt did not immediately disclose his stake in the firm on parliament’s register of
members interests. Hunt is a key figure in Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, charged with finding a long-term funding solution for the National Health Service and is widely viewed as a potential successor when she steps down. He set up a company in September last year with his wife, which was later used to buy seven flats along the south coast of England. But he did not declare his stake in the company until six months later. A spokesman for the department for health was not immediately available for comment.
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Friday, April 20, 2018
Cuba’s New President Vows To Defend Castro Revolutionary Cuba’s new president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, began his term yesterday with a promise to defend the socialist revolution led by the Castro brothers since 1959, giving a strident speech that also emphasized the need to modernize the island’s economy. A stalwart of the ruling Communist Party, Diaz-Canel was sworn in to replace Raul Castro by the National Assembly in a new chapter for the Caribbean island but one that has been carefully managed and is aimed at preserving the political system. “The mandate given by the people to this house is to give continuity to the Cuban revolution in a crucial historic moment,” Diaz-Canel told the assembly in his first speech as president. He delivered a long homage to 86-year-old Raul Castro, calling him the best student of his brother Fidel. Fidel Castro, who led a band of reb-
els that overthrew a U.S.-backed dictator and then ruled for decades, handed over power to Raul Castro in 2008 as his health deteriorated. He died in 2016. Raul Castro will retain considerable clout as he will remain head of the Communist Party until a congress in 2021. Diaz-Canel, 57, said Castro would remain the leader of the revolution and would be involved in major decisions. His speech laid out a course for the his five-year term, in which he will have to strike a balance between defending Cuba’s socialist system and reforming it enough to satisfy a young generation hungry for better economic conditions. He confirmed expectations that the transition would not herald sweeping changes to one of the world’s last staterun economies and one-party systems, promising there would be no return to capitalism. Diaz-Canel, who has risen the ranks
of the Communist Party over three decades, said the new period would also be characterized by “modernization of the economic and social model.” He said there would be no compromise in Cuba’s foreign policy, which is marked by volatile relations with the United States. In a repetition of a longheld stance by Havana, he said he would hold dialogue with anybody who treated Cuba as an equal. Thursday’s session was held on the 57th anniversary of Cuba’s 1961 defeat of a CIA-backed Cuban exile invasion at the Bay of Pigs, a victory that Havana has long marked as a symbol of its resistance to “imperialist” pressure for change from Washington. Of the 604 lawmakers present, 603 voted in favor of making Diaz-Canel president, marking a generational shift from the elderly leaders who fought to topple dictator Fulgencio Batista.
Diaz-Canel
US Senators Allowed To Bring Babies Into Chamber The US Senate has agreed new rules that allow members to bring infants into the chamber when they vote. The move comes a week after Tammy Duckworth became the first sitting US senator to give birth while in office. She had expressed concern about how she would be able to care for her newborn daughter while carrying out her constitutional duties. Senators said it was important that they led by example by introducing familyfriendly policies. The change was approved unanimously. The ‘miracle’ that helped a US mother
make history “I would like to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, particularly those in leadership and on the rules committee, for helping bring the Senate into the 21st Century by recognising that sometimes new parents also have responsibilities at work,” Ms Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, said in a statement. Family-friendly workplace policies aren’t just a women’s issue, they are a common-sense economic issue Senate rules committee chairman Roy Blunt said being a parent was a difficult job and Senate rules shouldn’t make it any harder.
“I’m glad we were able to get this done to address the needs of parents in the Senate. I congratulate Sen Duckworth and her family, and look forward to meeting her daughter,” he said. Ms Duckworth, 50, gave birth to daughter Maile - her second child - in a suburban Washington DC hospital last week. She was already one of only 10 women to give birth while holding elected federal office as her first child, Abigail, was born in 2014 when she was serving in the US House of Representatives.
Senegal Capital Erupts In Protest Over Proposed Election Law Protests flared in Senegal’s capital yesterday and a parliamentary debate descended into pushing and shoving over a proposed change to an election law that critics say will make it impossible for minor candidates to run for president in 2019. Hundreds of people took to the streets of Dakar’s downtown Plateau district, burning tyres and setting up barricades before police dispersed crowds with tear gas and arrested dozens. It was a rare outbreak of unrest in a country widely seen as a beacon of stability and democracy in West Africa, and came ahead of elections
in February next year in which President Macky Sall is seeking a second term. The proposed bill requires all election candidates to collect the supporting signature of one percent of registered voters in each of Senegal’s 14 regions, amounting to 60,000 people. Ruling party member Abdou Mbow told Reuters the proposed law would prevent elections from being “chaotic” by ruling out candidates with no chance of winning. Parliamentary elections last year were marred by voting problems caused in part by the record 47
candidate lists which voters had to choose from. But opposition party members say the proposed law is attempts by Sall to silence opponents. “Macky Sall wants to impose this law on us, it’s a dictatorship,” said 40-year-old shopkeeper Baba Kane, who closed his business to join the protests yesterday morning. Critics of the law say making candidates travel across the country would rule out smaller campaigns with low budgets. “You need a lot of money to do this, so to become president you need money,” said student Alassane Samb at the protest.