NEW: BBC General Director George Entwistle resigns over elitist child sex ring allegations
George Entwistle, director general of the British Broadcasting Corporation, said Saturday that he would step down amid controversy over the broadcasting of false claims by a sex abuse victim.
“When appointed to the role, with 23 years experience as a producer and leader of the BBC, I was confident the trustees had chosen the best candidate for the post,” he said. “However, the wholly exceptional events of the past few weeks have led me to conclude that the BBC should appoint a new leader.”
The BBC has issued a formal apology for broadcasting false claims by a sex abuse victim that a senior political figure of the 1980s had abused him, in the latest in a series of painful missteps by the UK public broadcaster.
CIA director David Petraeus resigns in wake of extramarital affair:
CIA director David Petraeus abruptly resigned Friday after a brief but troubled tenure as head of America’s clandestine spy service, citing his “extremely poor judgment” for engaging in an extramarital affair that the FBI had uncovered in an unrelated investigation.
The scandal threw the CIA into turmoil three days after the presidential election, and caused consternation at the White House, which had assumed the widely respected former war commander in Iraq and Afghanistan would keep his national security position in the second Obama administration.
He disclosed no details of the affair, including the identity of the other person involved. But attention focused on his biographer, Paula Broadwell, amid news reports that she was being investigated by the FBI for improperly trying to access Petraeus’ email.
Lockheed Martin’s incoming CEO resigns; replacement named:
Lockheed Martin Corp., the world’s largest defense firm, announced its incoming chief executive resigned after an ethics investigation confirmed he’d had a “close personal relationship” with a subordinate employee.
Christopher E. Kubasik, 51, was set to take the top job of the Bethesda, Md., aerospace giant Jan. 1. Instead that role is to be filled by 58-year-old Marillyn A. Hewson, who would become Lockheed’s first-ever female CEO.
Lockheed’s board of directors also named Hewson acting president and chief operating officer in order to fill the jobs that once belonged to Kubasik. Hewson will retain her role as executive vice president of Lockheed’s electronic systems unit until the end of this year.
Laval’s scandal-plagued mayor resigns:
In one memorable, scandal-plagued week, no less than one-quarter of Quebecers have seen their mayor resign under a cloud of suspicion.
The head of the province’s third-largest city, Laval, announced his resignation Friday, just a few days after his Montreal counterpart tiptoed down the same political plank.
The cause: a public mutiny over corruption allegations.
It was a steep fall for Gilles Vaillancourt of Laval, who had been so electorally dominant over the course of a 23-year mayoral career that his critics would call him “the Monarch.”
Applebaum resigns from Montreals’s executive committee:
Michael Applebaum quit Friday as president of Montreal’s executive committee, citing the committee’s refusals to immediately make public a damning report on city contracts and to reduce the 2013 property tax hike.
Applebaum said he will continue as mayor of the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce/Côte-des-Neiges borough. He has not yet decided whether to quit former mayor Gérald Tremblay’s Union Montreal party, although he is considering it.
Applebaum said his resignation has nothing to do with the fact his party’s caucus chose Richard Deschamps over him as their candidate for interim mayor. Rather, he said, he was resigning for reasons that were “much more serious.”
Applebaum had recommended the city trim a proposed 3.3 per cent tax hike to 2.2 per cent, in light of revelations at the Charbonneau Commission into construction fraud suggesting that Montreal taxpayers have been overcharged on city contracts by the millions.
Rona’s top executive resigns:
The president of Canada’s largest network of home-improvement retailers has stepped down as top executive at Rona Inc.
Robert Dutton resigned Friday, ending a 20-year career.
The announcement came one day after Rona announced its third-quarter net profit fell nearly 90 percent due to more competition and one-time costs.
It also comes just months after the Canadian home improvement chain fended off a takeover attempt by U.S. rival Lowe’s, which was rebuffed not only by the Rona board but also Quebec provincial politicians.
Dutton joined the company, headquartered in Boucherville, Quebec, in 1977 and became its president and chief executive in 1992.
Frank Stronach steps down from Magna board chairmanship:
Canadian politics almost pulled Frank Stronach away from Magna International Inc. in 1988. Austrian politics has lured him away in 2012 – probably permanently.
The 80-year-old founder of the auto parts giant, which has risen to become one of the handful of global champions of Corporate Canada, is stepping down from the board of directors of the company he founded in 1957.
Mr. Stronach said he is too busy starting a new political party in Austria and getting his latest venture – a chain of steakhouses serving organic beef – up and running to remain on the board of a company that is on track to surpass $30-billion (U.S.) in sales this year for the first time.
Roger Ortiz’ resignation official, Cameron Co. searches for replace…
The Cameron County Elections Commission officially accepted a resignation letter from Election’s Adminstrator Roger Ortiz.
Wasting no time in setting a timeline to hire his replacement by the end of the year.
County officials are posting the job opening for an elections administrator as soon as Monday, and they will go as far as San Antonio to find the right candidate for the job.
“You’ve always got challenges and I wish him well.”
The Cameron County Elections Commission accepted election’s administrator Roger Ortiz’s resignation Friday, after he’s led the office for the past 10 years.
Then they got right to business putting together a list of criteria and qualifications and they want the next elections administrator to have.
KU VC Sharma resigns:
The twenty-two years long journey of Suresh Raj Sharma as the vice-chancellor (VC) of Kathmandu University (KU) ended with his resignation from the post which was immediately accepted by the university´s chancellor Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai at the KU senate Friday.
Right after Sharma´s resignation, the senate decided to form a three member committee to recommend a new VC. The Pro-Chancellor of the KU and Minister for Education Dinanath Sharma, Chairman of the KU Board of Trustees Daman Nath Dhungana and Prof Lok Bikram Thapa would recommend names of the candidates to the PM for appointment.
However, Dhungana said that he was not sure how long will it take for the committee to select the candidates. “We are yet to decide the date of our first meeting, let´s hope we will accomplish the task soon,” he said.
[link to www.myrepublica.com]
PetroShale Announces Resignation of Director:
PetroShale Inc. (“PetroShale” or the “Company”) (TSX VENTURE:PSH) would like to announce that Mr. Daniel M. Jarvie has resigned as a director of the Company. We wish to thank Mr. Jarvie for his efforts and wish him well in his future endeavours. Mr. Jarvie will continue to work with PetroShale as a technical consultant.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Hoskins, Sousa resign from cabinet, opening door for Ontario Libera… :
Two more Ontario cabinet ministers have quit as the race for the Liberal leadership heats up and the slate of potential candidates grows.
Dr. Eric Hoskins, who represents the Toronto riding of St. Paul’s, resigned late Thursday as Minister of Children and Youth Services – a prerequisite for making a leadership bid.
Charles Sousa also quit as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the minister responsible for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games on Friday.
Neither confirmed that they were running to succeed Premier Dalton McGuinty, but both hinted at it, saying they want to be a part of the party’s renewal.
Mr. Sousa is expected to throw his hat in the ring Saturday when he makes a yet-unspecified announcement in Mississauga.
Hillary Clinton stepping down:
Hillary Clinton is stepping down as Secretary of State next January, regardless of whether President Obama is sworn in for a second term or Mitt Romney is inaugurated for a first. And it looks like Clinton is going out on a high note, says David Graham in The Atlantic. She boasts “sky-high” approval ratings, was the subject of a flattering “Texts from Hillary” meme (which she very cooly dipped her own toe in), and set the internet abuzz by dancing and drinking beer at a late-night club in Colombia. Really, Graham says, the blazing hot “secretary of cool” will be a hard act to follow.
Eric Holder (Attorney General):
Attorney General Eric Holder might not be sticking around for a second term.
Holder told law school students at the University of Baltimore School of Law that he does not know if he will stay in his job.
“That’s something that I’m in the process now of trying to determine,” Holder said. “I have to think about, can I contribute in a second term?”
Holder says he needs to sit down with his family and President Obama to see if he wants to continue on the job.
“[I have to] really ask myself the question about, do I think there are things that I still want to do? Do I have gas left in the tank? It’s been an interesting and tough four years, so I really just don’t know,” Holder told students.
Holder has been under fire from congressional Republicans for what he knew about the botched “Fast and Furious” operation where the U.S. allowed guns to be sold illegally in hopes to track Mexican drug cartels. Holder was found in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over documents regarding the operation. President Obama has invoked executive privilege.