Morocco Ranks 85 in Prosperity Index, First in North Africa
Rabat – Morocco was ranked 85th in the latest edition of the prosperity index, an annual ranking developed by the Legatum institute, which measures prosperity in 142 countries. The kingdom lost three places in comparison to last year’s index.The index used a set of ‘traditional criteria’ that are the most commonly used and widely accepted measures of national success, such as the size of a nation’s economy and GDP per capita.However, the authors of the study believe that these criteria alone are ‘too narrow to capture a country’s overall success’. Therefore, the index used a range of new factors described as ‘GDP and beyond’ including wellbeing, health, education, opportunity and personal freedoms among others.In terms of personal freedoms, Morocco was ranked 113th of the 142 countries surveyed. This is a major setback given the fact that the kingdom enjoyed a better ranking by the same index two years ago, moving from the 103rd position in 2012 to 94 in 2013. According to the Index, Morocco still suffers from problems related to bad governance. In this year’s rankings, the country has lost three positions in the governance category, moving from 69 in 2013 to 72 in 2014.However, Education and Health seem to be making progress although in a very slow pace. The vital sectors climbed one and two positions, respectively. They were ranked 106 and 76 in 2014 in comparison to 107 and 78 in 2013.Morocco was ranked in 5th position in the MENA region behind the United Arab Emirates (28th overall), Kuwait (36), Saudi Arabia (47) and Jordan (82).Despite this not-so-good overall performance, the kingdom managed somehow to be ranked better than its North African neighbors. It came ahead of Tunisia (92 overall), Algeria (97) and Egypt (116).The 2014 prosperity index ranked Norway as the most prosperous country in the world, while Central African Republic is the less prosperous one.
Ex-EastEnders actor Joseph Shade arrives at Norwich Crown CourtCredit:Joe Giddens/PA 
“On one occasion and only one occasion he touched one of them.” Joseph Shade, left, as Peter Beale in EastEndersCredit:BBC 
Mr Paxton said Shade had no previous convictions and was “tearful and expressed a degree of remorse” when he was interviewed by police.Shade, of Sheringham, Norfolk, appeared unshaven in a blue shirt, dark blue tie and suit trousers and spoke only to enter his pleas.The trial had been due to start on Monday and Shade denied 11 sexual offences against four girls, but on the fourth day of trial he admitted six sexual offences against three girls and the prosecution ordered that the remaining five counts lie on file.Judge Maureen Bacon, bailing Shade until a sentencing date to be fixed, warned him that he could be sent to prison. A former EastEnders actor turned youth worker has admitted sexual offences against three teenage girls while in a position of trust.Joseph Shade, 24, who played Peter Beale in the soap from 1998 to 2004, admitted five counts of causing or inciting a child under 18 to engage in sexual activity while in a position of trust and one count of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust.Prosecutor Chris Paxton told Norwich Crown Court that Shade was a youth worker at a project in Norfolk when he sent sexual text messages to girls and touched one on the bottom.The offences were against three girls aged between 14 and 17 and happened between 2012 and 2015. “He himself attended that youth project as a young person and got help from them,” said Mr Paxton. “As he reached the age of 18 he became formally employed as a youth worker and in this capacity as a youth worker he then engaged with many young people who came from similar backgrounds and vulnerabilities as he had.”During the course of his employment he accepts by his pleas that his relationships became too close to a number of attendees and he would engage with them by texting them messages asking them to have sex or to send sexual pictures of breasts and the like. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings.
And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sprint will be getting the Phone 5. Yes, it’s been a long time since wishful-thinking-Sprint customers waited for an iPhone on their carrier, but up until February when Verizon got an iPhone on its CDMA network, AT&T had a monopoly on the phone. Now, the WSJ is reporting that “people familiar with the matter” say Sprint will sell the iPhone 5 in mid-October.That rumor also validates another rumor we’ve heard that Apple will announce the new phone on September 7 but could wait until October to actually release the phone. That would mean the sales of the iPhone 5 wouldn’t count for Apple’s fiscal fourth quarter, which ends in September.However, Apple really doesn’t have much to worry about as the company had a staggering $4.31 billion net profit in Q3 of this year. The company sold 9.25 million iPads and 20.23 million iPhones during this quarter, so if Q4 doesn’t have the iPhone 5 sales, we’re sure Apple will be okay. During Apple’s July earnings call, CFO Peter Oppenheimer said that Apple’s September quarter would be affected by a “future product transition,” which is most likely the October iPhone 5 release.The top iPhone carrier in the U.S. now is Verizon, with AT&T behind it. The two carriers are said to be selling the phone in mid-October as well. The number of Sprint customers compared to the other two carrier’s numbers somewhat pales in comparison. Sprint had over 52 million subscribers at the end of Q2, whereas Verizon had 106 million and AT&T had about 99 million. However, Sprint could definitely see an increase in subscribers if it were to get the iPhone 5 on its roster.In addition to the iPhone 5, Sprint is also rumored to be carrying the iPhone 4, which, as we heard today, may be the 8GB model that will be sold at a less expensive price tag, making it a “budget iPhone.” It will still have iOS 5 and iCloud, and is rumored to be offered for $150, with contract of course.As we’ve heard, the iPhone 5 will be similar to the iPhone 4, but thinner, lighter, and with an edge-to-edge screen. It will also boast an 8-megapixel camera, and an A5 chip for better performance. Besides that, it’s not a whole lot different from the iPhone 4. The rumors of the tapered design aren’t looking very likely anymore.For Sprint’s sake, let’s hope the rumors are true. However, according to PCMag’s mobile analyst Sascha Segan, Sprint has no comment and referred to the claim as a “rumor.”More at the Wall Street Journal
The Flying Scotsman passes Ribblehead Train Station in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Source: PA Wire/PA Images#IMMUNITY: Lawyers acting on behalf of ousted White House national security adviser Michael Flynn have said he is prepared to provide testimony over alleged Trump campaign ties to Russia in exchange for immunity from prosecution.#ON THE MEND: The family of a survivor of the Westminster terror attack, who lost her husband in the incident, have shared a photograph showing her recovery. #HELD: Spanish police have detained more than 100 alleged paedophiles since September.PARTING SHOT Source: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.iePresident Michael D Higgins gives Mark Duffy’s son Fionn a hug after the funeral of the Coast Guard pilot. Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article http://jrnl.ie/3318073 Here’s What Happened Today: Friday Wildcat strikes, drowning on the Shannon and Denis O’Brien loses case. Get our daily news round up: 1 Comment Share1 Tweet Email Friday 31 Mar 2017, 9:09 PM 9,465 Views Mar 31st 2017, 9:09 PM Short URL NEED TO CATCH up? TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of today’s news.IRELAND There was commuter chaos throughout the country after unsanctioned strikes by transport workers. Source: Maura HickeyUnsanctioned ‘wildcat’ strikes by transport workers in support of Bus Éireann strikers dramatically escalated the ongoing dispute.Transport Minister Shane Ross called the strike “entirely unjustifiable” but claimed he had no business getting involved.The bodies of a man and a woman were recovered from the River Shannon.Denis O’Brien lost his High Court case against the Dáil and the State.All five bodies from the site of Wednesday’s helicopter crash in Wales have been recovered.Tom Savage, the veteran communications consultant and former RTÉ chairman, died aged 76.Self-employed people are now entitled to a free dental and optical check-up.WORLD By Rónán Duffy
24 April 1970 is the birthday of the republic. Between 18 February 1965 and 24 April 1970 The Gambia was a constitutional monarchy. It had the right to self-determination and independence and did not exercise the right to free itself from being under the rule of the queen of England who was still represented in the country by a Governor General. The Gambia attained self-determination and independence when the country became a Republic in 1970.One would have thought that such an important day would be commemorated with the full participation of every sovereign Gambian. The fact that this day is still not commemorated as a national holiday confirms that many are yet to acknowledge that the country belongs to them.Foroyaa would like to commend all Gambians who are ready to defend the sovereignty of the republic and further consolidate the sovereignty of the people. Democracy should enable the people in a country to come together as one after an election and focus very little on the ethno linguistic, religious and gender divide. As we commemorate 24 April today we must remind ourselves that it is only through unity that each would be able to take one’s place and move the country forward.
Employee Benefits poll: Under half (46%) of respondents feel that Uber drivers and Deliveroo riders should be treated equally in terms of access to employment rights, such as receiving holiday pay and the national minimum wage.A straw poll of www.employeebenefits.co.uk readers, which received 52 responses, also found that 31% are not sure whether Uber drivers and Deliveroo riders should be treated equally as more clarity on the issue is needed, compared to 23% who think that Uber drivers and Deliveroo riders do not need to be treated equally in terms of employment rights.Earlier this month, independent body The Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) ruled that motorbike and bicycle riders at online food ordering and delivery organisation Deliveroo are self-employed, and are therefore not entitled to be represented by a trade union, receive holiday pay, or be paid the national minimum wage.The case, which was brought by the trade union Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) against RooFoods, the owners of Deliveroo, involved assessing the employment status of riders who work for Deliveroo after the food delivery organisation refused IWGB’s request for recognition to represent riders.In comparison, The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) upheld the existing ruling against taxi organisation Uber in November 2017, confirming that its drivers are employed as workers rather than self-employed contractors and are entitled to employment rights.The long-standing case of Aslam and Farra v Uber, which was brought by the GMB trade union on behalf of 25 drivers, was originally heard in a preliminary hearing at the London Central Employment Tribunal in July 2016. The decision, which was published in October 2016, found that the drivers were employed as workers within the meaning of the Employment Rights Act, National Minimum Wage Act, and the working time regulations. The tribunal found that the claimants were engaged in unmeasured work for the purposes of the National Minimum Wage Regulations, and that their working time should be calculated in accordance with the working time regulations.What are your views on collective defined contribution (DC) pension schemes? Do you feel this type of scheme could effectively replace defined benefit (DB) arrangements? Have your say in our poll.
New Tehri : Nine children died and 10 were injured when a van taking them to school fell into a deep gorge in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district on Tuesday morning. The accident occurred on the Pratap Nagar-Kangsali-Madan Negi road near Lambgaon. The van was on way to the Angels International School, he said Nine school children and 10 were injured. Also Read – NRC in Assam to be released: list to finalize if a person is Indian or Foreigner Advertise With Us The children who received serious injuries have been brought to the district hospital, Tehri District Magistrate V Shanmugam said. The children are from the Kangsali village and aged between four to 13 years. State Disaster Response Force, district administration and medical professionals rushed to the spot and helped evacuate passengers of the bus and had the injured shifted to hospital. Also Read – Subramanian Swamy cross-examined in National Herald case Advertise With Us Meanwhile, chief minister of Uttarakhand, Trivendra Rawat has also ordered a magisterial-level probe into the incident. Rawat also expressed his condolences and directed the officers concerned to act quickly in their rescue efforts. In another accident, five passengers died and several were feared trapped when a boulder fell on their bus at Lambagad slide zone on the Badrinath Highway. Efforts to save the trapped people was underway, and a police team was also present at the spot. More details are awaited.
By IVAN MORENO, Associated PressRacist phone calls mocking Florida’s Black Democratic gubernatorial nominee appear to be from a White supremacist podcast that has also taken credit for inflammatory robocalls in Iowa and California.Someone falsely identifies themselves as Andrew Gillum in the recorded calls and speaks in a racist, old-time minstrel dialect while asking voters for their support. The calls are said to be paid for by The Road to Power — an Idaho-based video podcast.Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum greets supporters as he arrives at a Democratic Party rally Friday, Aug. 31, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)The Gillum campaign says the calls started Friday but it’s unclear if they’ve reached anywhere beyond Tallahassee, where Gillum is mayor.Gillum’s Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, is not affiliated with the podcast behind the calls. His campaign called them “absolutely appalling and disgusting.”___Ivan Moreno is supervisory correspondent in Milwaukee.
As we previously reported, there’s a special collaboration with Japanese lingerie creator Yummy Mart to release a whole new Kirby-themed clothing line, and they all look super adorable. Alongside the launch was an adorable party held at the Yummy Mart store in Harajuku where Kirby-themed refreshments were served alongside the display of Kirby merchandise for people to purchase. RocketNews24 (now SoraNews24) went to check it out and what they found was a dream come true for any Kirby fan.Among the items were mini dresses, underwear, pajamas, and other fashionable items such as clear backpacks, sleeping masks and more. There was even a special upstairs area decorated with Kirby plushes and other items, including Kirby cupcakes, juice and other delicious snacks. There were Kirby plushes of all shapes and sizes, little pink balls, star-shaped balloons, and plenty of music playing from the Kirby games to set the tone.via SoraNews24If you bought an item, you’d be given a glass of delicious pink juice a la the Kirby games, and delicious Kirby cupcakes, which were created by British sweet brand Monarch of London, specifically for the event. And while it looks like they’re just a lot of hot air, each cupcake was created with a unique pink shell with chocolate strawberry and chocolate mousse inside on top of yellow cake. Now seriously, they look too cute to eat, but I’m still super interested in trying out whatever kind of juice there was for patrons in those bottles! Cherry juice perhaps?AdChoices广告via SoraNews24Unfortunately, the special event with treats has ended, but if you’re in the area in Japan, you can go to Yummy Mart Harajuku and still purchase several of these items as long as you go through their website or purchase the items through April 26. Hurry up and make sure you get on the train if you’re a Kirby mega-fan! Stay on target The Ultimate Super Smash Bros. Character Guide: King DededeThe Ultimate Super Smash Bros. Character Guide: Meta Knight 
June 1, 2017 548 Views MethodologyThe survey was fielded by Keystone Analytics on the evenings of May 4-6, 2017, using telephone interviews conducted by purchased consumer data as having purchased a home in the commonwealth in the last 12 months. Respondents were asked to confirm this before being invited to complete the survey over the phone.Survey responses were weighted based on the geographic distribution of new home sales in Pennsylvania over the last 12 months, and grouped based on the layout of Pennsylvania’s demographic marketing areas. Results have a margin error of +/ – 5.7 percent within a confidence interval of 95 percent. home buyer Home Buyers Necessity of Homebuying need to buy want to buy 2017-06-01 Staff Writer More new home buyers are buying homes out of personal desire rather than necessity in the second quarter of 2017, reports the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors (PAR) in a survey conducted by The Welcome Home. Thirty-one percent of recent buyers purchased homes because they wanted to—they might want to start building personal equity, move to a good school district, have a larger yard, purchase a vacation home, or stop renting—as opposed to the 26 percent of home buyers in the state whose primary reason for purchasing a home was due to a sudden or unexpected change to their life, such as a death in the family, pregnancy, financial hardship, marriage, divorce, or health reasons. Nearly 20 percent of home buyers cited relocation as their reasoning for purchasing a home, which falls somewhere between the want and need category.Unsurprisingly, PAR found that “want to buy” purchasers were nearly twice as likely to secure a loan with the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and purchase mortgage insurance, thereby avoiding the required 20 percent down payment. Out of those surveyed, 35 percent of “need to buy” customers purchased their homes with cash, as opposed to 23 percent of “want to buy” purchasers. Both “need to buy” and “want to buy” purchasers had similar penchants for securing their home with a traditional 30-year mortgage: 37 percent to 40 percent, respectively.Whether out of perceived necessity or choice, people in Pennsylvania are buying—home sales across the state are up 10 percent in the second quarter year-over-year, and new listings has dropped 8 percent from the previous quarter. Average sale prices are also up 1.7 percent to $175,000. in Daily Dose, Featured, Headlines, News Desire Outweighs Necessity in the Home Buying Equation Share
Grace expects Greinke trade to have emotional impact In fact, Leaf’s 1998 QB rating of 39.0 is the third-lowest by any quarterback who started nine or more games in a season since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.Oops.The picks the Cardinals acquired weren’t exactly world-beaters, but they were certainly better than Leaf.Wadsworth was viewed as a can’t-miss prospect in 1998 after a dominant career at Florida State. He was a consensus All-American and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in ’97 when he had 16 sacks for the Seminoles, who went 11-1 and pounded Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl.After a lengthy holdout, Wadsworth signed a $42 million deal with the Cardinals the night before their season-opener in Dallas. He had a decent rookie campaign, finishing with five sacks and adding two more in the Cardinals’ stunning playoff victory over the Cowboys.However, his career was short-lived due to knee injuries. He was released following the 2000 season and never played in another NFL game.Chavous, whom the Cardinals got with the 33rd pick, was solid but unspectacular during his Arizona career, which lasted four seasons. Chavous became a full-time starter in 2001, his last year with the Cardinals. He was a favorite of the media, especially sports talk radio hosts, because of his encyclopedic knowledge of the game, including detailed scouting reports of college players. He’d go on to play seven more years in the league with the Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Rams. The next year, the Cardinals got Boston, the wide receiver responsible for breaking the hearts of ASU fans everywhere by catching the go-ahead touchdown pass late in Ohio State’s 1997 Rose Bowl win.Boston would play four seasons in Arizona, including a stellar 2001 campaign that saw him lead the NFL with nearly 1,600 receiving yards. He was known for his muscular physique, which turned out to be unnaturally enhanced. Boston was slapped with a four-game suspension for steroid use in 2004 while a member of the Miami Dolphins. If nothing else, this trade showed the harsh reality that draft picks on paper are often far more attractive than the players picked in those slots. Former Cardinals kicker Phil Dawson retires The 5: Takeaways from the Coyotes’ introduction of Alex Meruelo Derrick Hall satisfied with D-backs’ buying and selling Top Stories With the Tennessee Titans making a trade with (or more to the point, fleecing) the Los Angeles Rams in a draft trade earlier this week, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com took a stroll down memory lane and ranked the top five such trades in NFL history.Of course, Mike Ditka punting on his whole draft to move up and select running back Ricky Williams in 1999 and the Dallas Cowboys pulling the wool over the Minnesota Vikings’ eyes in the Herschel Walker trade in 1990 top the list. 0 Comments Share Minnesota Vikings quarterback Randall Cunningham scrambles out of the grasp of Arizona Cardinals’ Andre Wadsworth, right, during the second quarter of action in the NFC divisional playoff game in Minneapolis, Sunday, Jan. 10, 1999. (AP Photo/Mark A. Duncan) But the Arizona Cardinals landed in the top five as well, coming in at number five.5. Chargers move up with help from Arizona CardinalsYear: 1998Chargers got: No. 2 overall pick, which they used to draft quarterback Ryan Leaf.Cardinals got: Two first-round picks, a second-round pick and two players. The Cardinals used those picks to draft defensive end Andre Wadsworth, safety Corey Chavous and receiver David Boston.Comment: Everyone knows the Chargers made a big mistake in selecting Leaf, but it’s largely lost on history how much they gave up to move one spot to be in position to draft him in the first place. The Cardinals didn’t maximize those picks in terms of long-lasting impact, but in exchange for moving down one spot, they acquired the No. 3 and No. 33 picks in the 1998 draft and the No. 8 pick in 1999. Yikes.The Cardinals felt they had their quarterback in place with Jake Plummer manning the position, so that gave them the flexibility to deal with teams desperate to move up to get Leaf or Peyton Manning. Yes, there was a debate at the time to which quarterback would make the better pro.The Chargers ended up getting 18 starts out of Leaf, in which they went 4-14. His statistics were among the worst in NFL history — he threw 14 touchdown passes against 36 interceptions, completed only 48 percent of his passes and had a QB rating of 50.
Students are expected to flood Nicosia and other cities around Cyprus on Thursday morning to protest the 35th anniversary of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) marked in the north.Protests will take place under the umbrella of the Pancyprian Coordinating Students Committee (PSEM) and the Pancyprian Federation of Student Unions (Pofen), starting at 10.30am with a march in Nicosia starting from Famagusta Gate that will finish at the Ayios Kassianos checkpoint.In Limassol, demonstrations will be held at the old hospital at 10.30am, followed by an event at Gregoris Afxentiou square.In Larnaca, Paphos and Famagusta protests start at 11am.Parties and organisations have issued statements condemning the UDI which is only recognised by Turkey and more protests are expected later in the day.On 15 November 1983, nine years after the Turkish invasion of the island, Turkey instigated and endorsed a ‘unilateral declaration of independence’ in Cyprus’ occupied areas announced by the Turkish Cypriot leadership.The United Nations Security Council with Resolutions 541 and 550 call upon all States to respect the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, unity and non-alignment of the Republic of Cyprus. They also describe the UDI as ‘legally void’.You May LikeInsured Nation – Auto Insurance QuotesNew Rule in Rowland Heights, California Leaves Drivers FumingInsured Nation – Auto Insurance QuotesUndoPlarium I Vikings: Free Online GamePlay this for 1 minute and see why everyone is addictedPlarium I Vikings: Free Online GameUndoPopularEverythingColorado Mom Adopted Two Children, Months Later She Learned Who They Really ArePopularEverythingUndo Turkish Cypriot actions in Varosha ‘a clear violation’ of UN resolutions, Nicosia saysUndoThe Deniz boat incident showed clearly the intentions of the Turkish sideUndoConcern over falling tourism numbersUndoby Taboolaby Taboola
An ancient shipwreck from the Roman period was discovered in the depths of the Protaras sea, the antiquities department announced on Thursday,The department was informed of the location by two volunteer divers of an underwater archaeology research group of the University of Cyprus archeology research unit.The department said it mobilised immediately in view of securing the necessary resources to conduct a preliminary on-site investigation as soon as possible, while archeologists, students, and volunteers of the research group went to the scene to protect the position of the findings.The ship dates back to Roman Cyprus, the department noted, and was used to carry commercial amphorae from Syria and Cicilia. It is the first ship of good condition from the Roman period to be found in Cyprus.The results of studies that are to be conducted on the shipwreck are expected to shed new light on the breadth and scale of the island’s trade relations with the rest of the Roman provinces in the eastern Mediterranean.The find is of high significance for Cypriot archeology, the department said, since it is the first time that underwater archaeological research is conducted with sole funding from the transport ministry. You May LikePopularEverythingColorado Mom Adopted Two Children, Months Later She Learned Who They Really ArePopularEverythingUndoLivestlyChip And Joanna’s $18M Mansion Is Perfect, But It’s The Backyard Everyone Is Talking AboutLivestlyUndoSmart Tips DailySeniors With No Life Insurance May Get A $250,000 Policy If They Do ThisSmart Tips DailyUndo Concern over falling tourism numbersUndoPensioner dies after crash on Paphos-Polis roadUndoCypriot tycoon launches ‘Bank of Cannabis’Undoby Taboolaby Taboola