Liege Airport’s Board of Directors have dismissed CEO Luc Partoune from his role for serious misconduct after an internal investigation found he had committed about 40 offences and irregularities, according to Belgian news website Aviation24.be. The board of directors met urgently on Tuesday, February 9 to look at the results of the offences which included rigged public contracts, fictitious jobs, unjustified expense reports and even corruption.
The board has appointed Frédéric Jacquet, deputy managing director, as the interim managing director, as they are in the process of recruiting a new general manager. According to a press release received by Aviation24, the company has said that the most important task as of now is to maintain the confidence of all the employees and partners, who make the airport today and who believe in the airport of tomorrow. It also said that the social, economic and environmental challenges that await the airport are extremely important and so they must mobilise all their energies.
During a news conference Thursday, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said the individuals were arrested as part of Operation Game Over the week prior to the Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.
Operation Game Over resulted in the arrests of three men on charges of human trafficking of a minor as well as the recovery of six individuals who were believed to be victims of human trafficking.
Chronister said those arrested are accused of seeking to either buy or sell sex.
Chronister also announced the arrests of three men – Juan Cano Jr., 33; Alvin Lynch Jr., 34; and Scott Fitzgerald, 27 – on charge of human trafficking for commercial sexual activity of a victim younger than 18-years-old.
Chronister said authorities also recovered six individuals who were believed to be victims of human trafficking.
“The sickening practice of human trafficking is a crime that is nothing less than modern-day slavery,” Chronister said in a news release. “Escaping the wrath of a trafficker takes courage and in some cases, is nearly impossible. For this reason we have not and will not relent in our efforts to stop the demand and we are accomplishing this one arrest at a time.”
According to the release, undercover deputies targeted massage parlors, hotels and online chat rooms known for illicit activity during the nationwide operation.
Those arrested ranged in age from 19 to 73, the release said
Officials say the Super Bowl can be a magnet for human trafficking because it’s an event that attracts a large concentration of people to a relatively confined urban area.
Bill Gates controls a 16.36 percent stake in Canadian National Railway through Cascade Investment LLC and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. | File photo
The founder of Microsoft is also the largest farmland owner in the United States and has invested heavily in plant protein
The fourth richest man in the world has quietly become by far the biggest shareholder in Canada’s largest railway.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has amassed a sizeable ownership stake in Canadian National Railway Co.
Most of those shares were acquired through Cascade Investment LLC, an investment firm solely owned by Gates. Cascade owns 101,400,770 shares, or 14.28 percent, of the railway, according to CNN Business.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust owns another 13,661,683 shares or 2.08 percent of the company.
Combined, that is a 16.36 percent ownership stake in CN. The next largest shareholder is Massachusetts Financial Services Co., with a 4.79 percent share of the company.
Gates has been investing in CN since 2006, and his total investment in the railway is valued at $16.3 billion.
Barry Prentice, professor of supply chain management at the University of Manitoba and former director of the university’s Transport Institute, said railways are popular investments for rich folks like Gates.
Warren Buffet, the world’s seventh richest man according to Forbes, owns the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co., the largest freight railroad in North America, according to Wikipedia.
“Just imagine owning a railway. Who could dream of that?” said Prentice.
He thinks railways are asset-heavy investments that are a good hedge against inflation.
“People like that who have a lot of wealth, they want to put it into something that’s going to hold value,” said Prentice.
Technology stocks have rapidly risen in value of late, but Prentice wonders if somebody like Gates, who is intimately familiar with that world, recognizes that tech stocks may not be as sustainable and reliable as something like a railway.
He referred to it as investing in things that hurt when you drop them on your foot.
“The railways are pretty essential and they’re pretty guaranteed. They’re going to run no matter what,” he said.
“This goes back to that notion of value investing. If you’re investing in assets, they’re likely going to hold their value one way or another.”
That same logic may have led Gates into investing in farmland.
According to The Land Report magazine, Gates has become the largest farmland owner in the United States.
He owns an estimated 242,000 acres of farmland. A little more than half of his landholdings are in Louisiana, Arkansas and Nebraska.
Gates has more than US$690 million tied up in farmland, according to The Land Report.
The vast majority of that land was accumulated in a 2017 deal when Cascade acquired a group of farmland assets from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for US$520 million.
The CPPIB had previously acquired the assets when it bought the Agricultural Company of America in 2013 and a 40 percent stake in Glencore Agricultural Products in 2016, according to The Land Report.
Gates has become keenly interested in food production in recent years, in particular with the vegetable protein business.
He was one of the initial investors in Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat and Memphis Meats. Gates was also an early backer of Hampton Creek Foods, which became JUST Inc.
In a 2013 blog post, the man who revolutionized the computer software business said he had recently sampled a chicken taco made out of plants.
“It was a taste of the future of food,” he wrote.
Gates said he is not a vegetarian — in fact, he loves hamburgers — but raising meat takes a great deal of land and water and there isn’t enough meat production to feed the world.
In a 2015 blog, he noted that raising animals takes a “big toll” on the environment.
“You have to feed the animal far more calories than you extract when you eat it,” he said.
“It’s especially problematic as we convert large swaths of land from crops that feed people to crops that feed cows and pigs.”
Sustainability could have also been a motivating factor for Gates to invest in CN, said Prentice.
The railway recently announced that it ranked 10th on the Corporate Knights 2021 Global 100 index of the most sustainable corporations in the world. It is the only railway on the list.
Prentice said rail is pretty sustainable compared to other forms of transportation due to the low rolling resistance of steel on steel.
When he was a youth he travelled to Western Canada and visited a cousin who was the manager of a grain elevator. His cousin asked Prentice to help move a rail car with nothing more than a pry bar.
“The two of us actually got a rail car to move. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, the rolling resistance is so small that you can actually do this,” he said
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- According to the TBI, 14 men were arrested as part of an undercover investigation aimed at addressing human trafficking in East Tennessee.
The TBI says that they set up a two day sting with the assistance of the Chattanooga Police Department and Homeland Security.
Authorities say that they placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases.
6 of the 14 men arrested are from Chattanooga.
Charges range from Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act to Possession of a Firearm While in Commission of a Felony.
All of the following men are booked into the Hamilton County Jail:
*Gregory Joiner (DOB 7/12/60), Chattanooga: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
*Thomas Baggenstoss (DOB 3/6/77), Knoxville: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
*Rubelino Velasquez Salas (DOB 1/6/89), Chattanooga: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
*William Fugate (DOB 8/18/76), Riceville: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
*Jerome Stewart (DOB 10/17/95) Chattanooga: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act, Possession of Marijuana
*Michael Scarlett (DOB 3/3/98), Houston, TX: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
*Khadim Gueye (DOB 9/26/87), Chattanooga, TN: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
*Sibley Evans (DOB 7/10/77), Lupton City: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
*Aurelio Hernandez (DOB 9/25/88), Roanoke, VA: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
*Thomas Cochran (DOB 4/27/78), Carrollton, GA: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act, Possession of Meth, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
*Nicholas Underwood (DOB 9/9/99), Cohutta, GA: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act, Possession of a Firearm While in Commission of a Felony
*Bersain Velasquez (DOB 5/24/79), Chattanooga: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
*Qu’darius Smith (DOB 12/10/97), Chattanooga: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act, Possession of Meth, Possession of Marijuana
*Nelvin Cruz-Cruz (DOB 2/17/72), Lilburn, GA: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
Hume City Council’s long-standing CEO, Domenic Isola announced his resignation today.
Mayor Joseph Haweil said Mr Isola has had an enduring energy, passion and commitment to the organisation and the Hume community which will be greatly missed.
“Domenic is one of the most highly regarded CEO’s in Local Government and the achievements of the organisation over the past 13 years are a testament to his leadership – not only for our community but also for the entire sector,” Cr Haweil said.
“Over the course of his employment with Hume City Council, Domenic has been an exemplary servant of the organisation and Hume community. The strength of Hume City Council’s current position can in large part be attributed to Domenic’s diligence, hard work and vision”.
“He departs Hume City Council leaving an unparalleled legacy of achievement and delivery for the organisation and a strong and respected reputation in the local government sector.”
“Domenic leaves Hume City with the profound appreciation of the Mayor, Councillors and staff and all those with whom he has had the pleasure of working over many years”.
Mr Isola said in a statement to all staff that it was time to look to the next chapter of his life exploring some new work opportunities after a break to spend more time with family and friends.
Mayor Haweil said Council was yet to discuss leadership arrangements whilst the organisation commences the search for its next Chief Executive Officer.
We look forward to celebrating Domenic’s achievements prior to his departure and they are many. To name just a few that will have a long legacy in our community – the award winning revitalisation of Town Hall Broadmeadows, the construction of global learning centres in Broadmeadows, Craigieburn and Sunbury, the Splash Aqua Park and Leisure Centre, Craigieburn ANZAC Park, the development of the Civic area in Broadmeadows.
A Queens County man once caught in a country-wide child pornography investigation is again facing child porn charges.
Nova Scotia RCMP say they seized electronic devices and a prohibited firearm after searching a home in Greenfield and a related business in Bridgewater on January 28th.
They say 57-year-old Vernon Bent of Greenfield was arrested without incident and faces charges of:
Accessing Child Pornography
Unsafe Storage of a Firearm
Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
Possession of a Prohibited Firearm with Ammunition
Bent, who is the registered owner of Reliable Computer Services on King Street in Bridgewater, was previously sentenced to nine months in jail in 2016 following Operation Snapshot III, a Canada-wide investigation into those sharing and downloading child porn online.
Police found over 3,000 files of child exploitation being shared during the investigation.
Bent was one of 10 Nova Scotians targeted during the operation. He admitted in 2014 to sharing illicit files using a peer-to-peer network.
Police say Bent was released on conditions for the current offences, and is expected to appear in Bridgewater Provincial Court March 3rd.
A 14-year-old boy is under arrest following the shooting death of a 22-year-old man in Merced Wednesday afternoon, according to police.
Authorities say the shooting was reported around 3:15 p.m. in the 600 block of W. 11th Street.
Officers say they arrived to find the 22-year-old victim suffering from a gunshot wound. Other officers in the area saw a 14-year-old boy running from the scene. The teenager was caught and a firearm was recovered.
The victim was taken to the hospital where he later died. Investigators believe the incident is gang-related.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Detective Haygood at 209-385-6998.
Macquarie Group (MQG) has announced a raft of leadership changes as well as some third-quarter results during its annual operational briefing.
The company released a wide-ranging update in line with the meeting today, revealing a number of significant departures.
Among those announcing the end of their tenure was Macquarie Bank CEO and Managing Director Mary Reemst, who has said she will retire in July.
She’s also set to step down from her board and executive committee roles and will be replaced by Macquarie Group Treasurer Stuart Green.
Along with Mary’s resignation, Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) Group Head Martin Stanley has also announced he will step down from his role.
Martin won’t leave the company — instead, he’ll become Chairman of the MAM Group, while the MAM Group Head role will go to fellow Macquarie leader Ben Way.
Finally, Gordon Cairns will leave the Macquarie Group and Macquarie Bank boards in May after announcing he would leave last year.
Along with the changes in management, MQG also used today’s operational briefing to announce that it expects its FY21 results to be down on FY20’s results.
The downgrade is being blamed on the “uncertainty caused by the worldwide impact of COVID-19 and the uncertain speed of the global economic recovery.”
It also comes despite the group recording an increase in profit over a number of its business sectors in the third quarter.
Specifically, the group’s annuity-style businesses combined December quarter net profit contribution was up on the previous year’s result.
Macquarie’s markets-facing businesses also brought in strong net profits, which were a significant increase on Q3 FY20’s results.
Meanwhile, shareholders appear to have responded well to the overall leadership changes and results, with MQG shares rising during early trade.
Macquarie Group’s shares are trading up 7.26 per cent at $144 each at 12:15 pm AEDT.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded not guilty on Monday as his trial on corruption charges resumed in a Jerusalem courtroom just weeks before national elections in which he hopes to extend his 12-year rule.
Netanyahu was indicted last year for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. In recent months, Israelis have held weekly protests calling on him to resign over the charges and criticizing his government’s response to the coronavirus crisis. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse could be heard inside the room where the hearing was being held.
Israel’s longest serving leader is also the first sitting prime minister to go on trial for corruption. Israeli law requires Cabinet ministers to resign when charged with criminal offenses, but does not specifically address the case of a prime minister under indictment.
Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and has dismissed the charges against him as a “witch-hunt” orchestrated by biased law enforcement and media. He has refused to step down and has used his office as a bully pulpit against critics and the criminal justice system.
At Monday’s hearing, Netanyahu’s lawyers submitted a written response pleading not guilty. They then argued against the cases on procedural grounds, saying the attorney general had not properly approved the investigations in writing.
After around 20 minutes, Netanyahu left the courtroom without explanation and his motorcade departed.
The hearing continued in his absence, with his lawyers arguing for more than an hour that constitutional procedures had not been followed. The judges appeared skeptical and repeatedly called on the defense lawyers to wrap it up. The prosecution then rejected those arguments, saying the attorney general had approved the investigations in dozens of meetings.
At the start of his trial last May, Netanyahu was flanked by a cohort of Likud party allies as he railed against the media, police, judges and prosecutors. He said the trial aimed to “depose a strong, right-wing prime minister, and thus remove the nationalist camp from the leadership of the country for many years.”
Netanyahu has served as Israel’s prime minister since 2009, and in the past two years has managed to hang onto power through three tumultuous, deadlocked elections. His flimsy ruling coalition collapsed in December, and he now faces a major battle for reelection in March 23 parliamentary elections.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today announced that Daleep Singh has stepped down from his role as Head of the Markets Group and will be leaving the Bank in mid-February to join the Biden Administration as Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy National Economic Council Director. Anne Baum, Head of Central Bank and International Account Services, will serve as interim Head of the Markets Group and the New York Fed will launch a search for his successor in the coming weeks.
“Daleep brought his dedication to public service and leadership skills to the New York Fed and had a meaningful impact during his tenure,” said John C. Williams, president and chief executive officer of the New York Fed. “Over the past year, Daleep has played a critical leadership role in the emergency facilities the Fed launched in response to COVID-19. I’m thrilled that he will continue to leverage his knowledge and expertise in support of economic policy at this important time.”
Mr. Singh joined the New York Fed in February 2020. As Head of the Markets Group, he focused on bringing together policy, strategy, analysis and operational effectiveness. He also served as a member of the Executive Committee.
Previously, Mr. Singh was Senior Partner and Chief U.S. Economist at SPX Capital, a global investment firm. He also worked at the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 2011 to 2017, serving as Acting Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets and Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs.
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