Top Stories Today – April 19, 2019
Top Stories Today – April 19, 2019
Prabowo claims victory in Indonesia
Prabowo Subianto, the retired army general who ran against President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in the Indonesian presidential race on Wednesday, April 17, has declared victory in the country’s national election.
The quick count results, however, refuted his claim. According to various survey agencies including Litbang Kompas, Indo Barometer, Charta Politika, Poltracking, Indikator and Cyrus Network, Jokowi and his running mate, Ma’ruf Amin, won by 53% to 55%, while Subianto and Uno only received 44% to 46% of the votes. The official result will be released by the KPU on May 22 after manually counting the number of votes from 193 million people who went to 809,563 different polling stations. According to their website, as of today, the commission has recapitulated the data from more than 11,000 polling stations, which shows similar number with the quick count results, Jokowi is leading by 56%. The Voice of America
Runaway Saudi sisters treated like slaves
25-year-old Wafa, a Saudi woman who flee to Republic of Georgia, with her sister says, “We have to cover our face, we have to cook…like slaves. We don’t want this, we want real life, our life,” . Wafa and Maha al-Subaie, 28, are now in the republic of Georgia and are under state protection in a shelter.
The sisters are appealing to the UN to help them get to a third, safe country. They travelled to Georgia as Saudis do not require entry visas.
Looking distressed and terrified, the Saudi sisters arrived at Georgia’s migration department on Thursday evening accompanied by immigration authorities. In an interview to local media the sisters said they did not feel safe in Georgia because it would be easy for their male relatives to find them. This is the latest case of Saudi women fleeing the ultra-conservative kingdom, where women are forced to obtain the permission of their male guardians if they want to work or travel. BBC
America’s 1st female astronaut candidate dies
America’s first female astronaut candidate, pilot Jerrie Cobb, who pushed for equality in space but never reached its heights, has died. Cobb died in Florida at age 88 on March 18 following a brief illness. News of her death came Thursday from journalist Miles O’Brien, serving as a family spokesman.
In 1961, Cobb became the first woman to pass astronaut testing. Altogether, 13 women passed the arduous physical testing and became known as the Mercury 13. But NASA already had its Mercury 7 astronauts, all jet test pilots and all military men. None of the Mercury 13 ever reached space, despite Cobb’s testimony in 1962 before a Congressional panel. The Associated Press
Mueller report outlines obstruction evidence
The Justice Department on Thursday released Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the Trump campaign’s conduct surrounding Russian election interference in 2016. The report, which determined that Russia interfered in the election in a “sweeping and systematic fashion,” says President Trump and his campaign did not criminally conspire with the Russian efforts, but it did not determine whether any conduct constituted obstruction of justice.
The report says evidence obtained “about the president’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred.” Citing 10 instances of suspicious behavior, Mueller said Trump tried to “influence” the investigation but was “mostly unsuccessful” because aides refused to “carry out orders.” Justice Department via The Week
Dems seek Mueller Testimony
The Democratic leader of the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi say the conclusions drawn by US Attorney General William Barr about special counsel Robert Mueller’s report undercut the findings of the report itself.
Meanwhile, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler announced that he is seeking Mueller’s testimony before the committee as soon as possible, and no later than May 23. The Voice of America
Notre Dame fire likely caused by short-circuit
Paris police investigators think an electrical short-circuit most likely caused the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, a police official said Thursday, as France paid a daylong tribute to the firefighters who saved the world-renowned landmark.
A judicial police official told The Associated Press that investigators made an initial assessment of the cathedral Wednesday but don’t have a green light to search Notre Dame’s charred interior because of ongoing safety hazards. The Voice of America