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Friday, 30 November 2018
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A gas leak caused an explosion this week that killed 23 people in a northern Chinese city that will host part of the 2022 Winter Olympics, authorities said Friday.The blast in the small hours of Wednesday in the city of Zhangjiakou, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) northwest of Beijing, also injured 22 people."Initial investigations have shown that the explosion was caused by a gas leak from the Hebei Shenghua Chemical Co. of ChemChina," Zhangjiakou mayor Wu Weidong told reporters."Vinyl chloride spread to the public road outside the factory and was ignited by an open flame."Authorities previously reported that a truck carrying combustible chemicals had blown up while entering a factory, igniting other nearby vehicles, but the cause of the explosion had not been known until now.Thirty-eight trucks and 12 cars were also damaged in the explosion, which eyewitnesses say created a huge fireball that engulfed vehicles on an entire stretch of road. The explosion occurred in the city´s Qiaodong district some 45 minutes away from Chongli, which will host some of the mountain sport competitions during the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. Industrial accidents are common in China, where safety regulations are often poorly enforced.In 2015, giant chemical blasts in a container storage facility killed at least 165 people in the northern port city of Tianjin.
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Israel has reportedly carried out airstrikes in Southern Syria targeting Iranian militias, in its first publicized strike since September 16, when Syria’s aerial defense system mistakenly targeted the plane after an attack by the Israeli air force near the Syrian city of Latakia.Citing military sources, Syrian television said its air force had “successfully repelled enemy targets,” but did not specifically identify the enemy or the targets. The Saudi-owned TV network Al Arabiya reported that Israeli planes had attacked positions held by Iranian militias near the town of Kiswah, south of the capital, Damascus.The Israeli army did not claim responsibility for the bombardment and declined to comment on the report.The Israeli army said a missile was fired at the Golan Heights, but that it remains unclear whether the projectile fell in Israel."In the course of Syrian ground-to-air missile fire, (Israel's) air defences sighted a single trajectory toward an open area of the Golan Heights," it said in a statement carried by Haaretz."At this stage it remains unclear whether there was indeed an impact in our territory. Our forces are scouring the area."With the presence of Iranian and Hezbollah forces, Israel’s northern front has become the IDF’s number one priority. Working to prevent the entrenchment of Iranian forces and the transfer of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah, the Israel Air Force has admitted to carrying out hundreds of airstrike in Syria.
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Five people were killed and 32 injured when a coach carrying Cathay Pacific staff to Hong Kong´s airport collided with a taxi on Friday, police said, with passengers thrown from the coach´s windows on impact.The back half of the taxi was completely crushed and both sides of the bus were damaged with traces of blood on the outside following the crash on the island of Tsing Yi."We believe the taxi was broken down and stopped on the left lane of the road. Around 40 seconds later, a coach hit it from behind," police superintendent Yip Siu-ming said.The coach then lost control, Yip added, hitting the right hand side crash barrier and then the left one and throwing three passengers out of the coach. The 62-year-old driver was also hurled from the vehicle and injured.The taxi driver and two men and two women coach passengers were killed, according to police.Debris including glass and personal belongings was strewn across the road, which remained closed early Friday.Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific confirmed "a shuttle bus carrying our employees was involved in a traffic accident this morning"."It is a tragic and very sad incident. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who have sadly passed away," the airline said.Superintendent Yip said police would look into whether the coach driver — who had been working for 10 hours at the time of the accident — had been tired or affected by alcohol."From what we can see, it´s obvious that the driver did not see the broken-down taxi on the road and hit it from behind," Yip said, adding that his working hours were from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am.Tsing Yi is connected by a freeway to Hong Kong International Airport which is located on neighbouring Lantau island.Crushed togetherTelevision footage showed the injured being treated by the side of the road before they were taken to four hospitals.The South China Morning Post reported that several of the injured were in serious condition.One coach passenger said the bus had been travelling fast before it crashed into the taxi which had its hazard lights on, according to SCMP."It seemed to me that the coach did not slow down. I fell onto the floor (when it crashed)," the passenger said.A passenger told local television channel TVB the scene on the bus was "very chaotic, we were crushed together".Another said "the bus hit once, then hit left and right, and hit the roadside to stop."Television footage showed the crash barrier on either side of the road was damaged.The accident happened at 5:00 am (2100 GMT Thursday) near the exit of a tunnel.Hong Kong prides itself on having one of the world´s best public transport systems but deadly bus accidents are not unknown.A speeding double-decker overturned in northern Hong Kong in February, killing 19 people and leaving more than 60 injured. The bus driver was arrested for dangerous driving.And in 2003 a double-decker bus collided with a truck and plummeted off a bridge, killing 21 people and injuring
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In the name of science, six United Kingdom and Australia-based pediatricians agreed to swallow a Lego head to determine how long it would take for their bodies to pass them.In a paper published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, six researchers from Australia and the UK swallowed the head of a Lego figure – roughly 10mm by 10mm – in the “noble tradition of self-experimentation”.The experiment, they said, was to help parents get a better idea of how long it would likely take their child to pass a small foreign object — such as a coin or Lego piece — as kids are notorious for swallowing things they aren’t supposed to. Toy parts are the second most common foreign object that children swallow, and frequently cause anxiety among parents, but usually pass in a matter of days without pain or ill-effect.Researchers used unique metrics to determine the time it took for the Lego head to pass: The Stool Hardness and Transit score and the Found and Retrieved Time score.Researchers said they used a "variety of techniques" to retrieve the Lego head, ranging from tongue depressors, gloves and even chopsticks. In other words, "no turd was left unturned," they wrote.By the end, they determined it took roughly one to three days to pass the Lego head, with an average time of 1.7 days.None of the doctors had complications after ingesting the Lego, though one doctor still hadn’t passed his Lego head after two weeks.“It is possible that childhood bowel transit time is fundamentally different from adult, but there is little evidence to support this, and if anything, it is likely that objects would pass faster in a more immature gut,” the researchers wrote,” noting the results should “be of use to anxious parents who may worry that transit times may be prolonged and potentially painful for their children.”
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Buenos Aires: Stepping away from the sealed security zone and ceremonial pomp of the Group of 20 summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought a message dear to his heart to host Argentina -- the value of yoga.With the sound of rush-hour traffic audible outside, about 4,000 yoga practitioners in Buenos Aires took to their mats in a convention hall to hear Modi as well as a troupe of 70 Indian musicians."I arrived in Buenos Aires a short time ago after a trip of more than 24 hours, but thanks to your enthusiasm and affection I feel like I´m still in India," Modi told the crowd.The right-wing leader, who has championed a greater Hindu identity in officially secular India, has made yoga a diplomatic priority since taking office in 2014.Modi has promoted an International Day of Yoga and dedicated a government office to yoga, the Indian-rooted spiritual exercises that have found a global following among seekers of mental and physical strength.Modi in his remarks voiced hope that the summit of the Group of 20 economic powers would make progress on international challenges such as sustainable development and climate change.He also voiced hope for greater relations with Argentina, seeing pharmaceuticals, energy and information, and aerospace technology as areas of cooperation.The Buenos Aires yoga followers folded their arms together toward the sun in a traditional "surya" greeting.Several voiced support for the theme of Modi´s appearance, that yoga can be a route to peace.Silvana Alberto, a 59-year-old astrologer, wore a T-shirt with a phrase of India´s nonviolent independence hero Mahatma Gandhi: "We must be the change that we want to see.""All of us being here is a way to anchor the energy of this place, which we need so much," she said."It is the masses that give this energy its force," she said.
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What kind of day will you have today? Read our horoscope...ARIES(March 21-April 19)Even though someone at home might be on your case (it could be a parent or an older relative), this is still a happy day for you. Expect to meet new people and see new places.TAURUS (April 20-May 20)Just let your worries go today, because lovely financial opportunities are at hand. For some, these opportunities will translate into chances to buy something unusual or high-tech.GEMINI(May 21-June 20)You feel restless and ready for fun today. You’re eager for adventure, even though you feel a bit squeezed for cash. Oh well. (Join the club; we number in the millions.)CANCER(June 21-July 22) Don’t let an older relative get you down today. Slough off criticisms. A secret surprise that pleases you is hiding somewhere.LEO(July 23-Aug. 22) You likely will meet someone new and interesting today, especially in a group setting. This person intrigues you!VIRGO(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Someone older might be critical of you today. Give this little thought, because others, especially bosses, parents and VIPs will surprise you in a pleasant way.LIBRA(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)Although someone in a position of authority might discourage you, surprise opportunities to travel will pick up your spirits. New contacts with people from other cultures are likely.SCORPIO(Oct. 23-Nov. 21)Unexpected gifts and goodies might come your way today, just in time to offset discouraging news about travel plans. You win some; you lose some.SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)This is a winning day for dealing with partners and close friends, in large measure because others are glad to see you. (However, it’s not a good day to discuss shared property.)CAPRICORN(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)Opportunities to improve your job or, perhaps, to get new high-tech equipment exist for you today. New changes with co-workers or staff might please you. AQUARIUS(Jan. 20-Feb. 18)Unexpected flirtations could spark into something romantic for some of you today. Surprise invitations to parties or social events also might occur. Stay light on your feet and ready to play!PISCES(Feb. 19-Mar 20)Your home routine will be pleasantly changed today. A friend might drop by, or you might buy yourself a new, high-tech toy. This will be a nice lift, because children might be a challenge.
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A sign that Icelanders still value their language: candidates for election make sure they use it. This poster says in Icelandic "Continue to lower taxes" (AFP Photo)Reykjavik: Two centuries ago experts predicted that Icelandic would be a dead language by now. But the doomsayers can eat their words: Icelandic is alive and kicking despite an onslaught of English brought on by modern technology.Currently spoken by the 355,000 inhabitants of this North Atlantic island, Icelandic has repeatedly come under threat through the ages -- following migrations, invasions by Norway and Denmark from the 16th to the early 20th centuries, and the Industrial Revolution.But it has always survived, with the written language little changed since the 11th century.With just a little guesswork, an Icelander today can read the Icelandic Sagas, medieval literary masterpieces written in Old Norse in the 13th and 14th centuries.Yet English usage has in recent decades skyrocketed in Iceland -- as around the world -- thanks to the dominance of American pop culture as well as the adoption of modern technology such as the internet, YouTube and smartphones with lightning speed.Visitors to the capital Reykjavik need only ask locals for directions to quickly discover that Iceland is in fact bilingual.For youths here, speaking English is simply a matter of necessity."I have to be able to read English because it´s everywhere and it´s universal," 11-year-old Sigthor Elias Smith says -- in Icelandic.Here, people watch videos and play games on their laptops, tablets and smartphones in English for the most part. Like in other Nordic countries, dubbing is almost non-existent.And Icelandic is glaringly absent in the online world."I watch YouTube a lot, I learn a lot of English that way, and also on Netflix," says Sigthor´s friend Eva Bjork Angarita, 12. Icelandic in the digital age Amid some concern that English is too prevalent, Iceland has adopted several measures to promote its own language.In 1996, the government designated November 16 as Icelandic Language Day, aimed at drawing attention to its contribution to national identity and culture.In 2011, a new law recognised Icelandic as the country´s official language.And Education, Culture and Science Minister Lilja Alfredsdottir announced in September that authors or editors publishing books in Icelandic would have 25 percent of their expenses reimbursed, in a bid to increase the diversity of books available in Icelandic. To counteract the dominance of English in technology, Alfredsdottir has also earmarked 2.4 billion kronur (around 17.5 million euros, $19.3 million) to develop Icelandic versions of voice recognition services for virtual personal assistants such as Apple´s Siri and Amazon´s Alexa.Sigthor and Eva´s Icelandic teacher, Solveig Reynisdottir, is among those concerned about the rise of the Bard´s tongue.She worries that the tsunami of English that children are exposed to online is affecting their Icelandic vocabulary."The children sometimes lack words because there are many they´ve never heard," she laments as she hands out a language comprehension assignment to her 23 students. "The technological changes are a real challenge," Alfredsdottir admits.Eirikur Rognvaldsson, an Icelandic professor and linguist at the University of Iceland, agrees.He acknowledges that the ubiquity of English is not unique to Iceland, but notes that in contrast to other countries, many young Icelanders choose to live abroad."Young people in Iceland ... don´t necessarily see Iceland as their home in the future. They want to go abroad, study and live abroad. It seems their connections to their country and language are not as strong as they used to be."A 2016 Forbes study showed that 11.4 percent of Icelanders lived abroad, in sixth place of OECD countries with populations living overseas. No worriesOthers say the fears are unwarranted.Icelanders are prolific writers. Some 1,600 books are published in print each year, according to Iceland´s National and University Library. That´s three times more per capita than in France."We shouldn´t be worried by a few red flags," says Ari Pall Kristinsson, a researcher at the Arni Magnusson Institute for Icelandic Studies. "Cultural life in Icelandic is very dynamic today."And it is worth noting that English may be gaining ground orally, but it is not making its way into Icelandic dictionaries. While English loanwords and slang regularly creep into other languages, Icelandic remains one of the world´s purest languages. The government´s Icelandic Language Committee sees to that. It guards the language closely, working meticulously to devise new words with Icelandic roots when necessary.For computer, it came up with "tolva": a mix of "tala" (number) and "volva" (prophetess), to create the poetic "prophetess of numbers"."I don´t think Icelandic will disappear," says Gudrun Kvaran, head of the committee."Two centuries ago, our famous Danish language experts predicted that Icelandic would be dead within 200 years. And yet we´re still speaking Icelandic today."
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WASHINGTON: The US Army is investing millions of dollars in experimental exoskeleton technology to make soldiers stronger and more resilient, in what experts say is part of a broader push into advanced gear to equip a new generation of "super-soldiers."Worn over a pair of pants, the battery-operated exoskeleton uses a suite of sensors, artificial intelligence and other technology to aid natural movements.For the US military, the appeal of such technology is clear: Soldiers now deploy into war zones bogged down by heavy but critical gear like body armor, night-vision goggles and advanced radios. Altogether, that can weigh anywhere from 90 to 140 pounds (40-64 kg), when the recommended limit is just 50 pounds (23 kg)."That means when people do show up to the fight, they’re fatigued," said Paul Scharre at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), who helped lead a series of studies on exoskeletons and other advanced gear."The fundamental challenge we’re facing with infantry troops is they’re carrying too much weight."The technology is being developed by Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) with a license from Canada-based B-TEMIA, which first developed the exoskeletons to help people with mobility difficulties stemming from medical ailments like multiple sclerosis and severe osteoarthritis.Lockheed Martin said on Thursday it won a $6.9 million award from the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center to research and develop the exoskeleton, called ONYX, under a two-year, sole-source agreement.Keith Maxwell, the exoskeleton technologies manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said people in his company’s trials who wore the exoskeletons showed far more endurance.“You get to the fight fresh. You’re not worn out,” Maxwell said.Maxwell, who demonstrated a prototype, said each exoskelelton was expected to cost in the tens of thousands of dollars.B-TEMIA’s medically focused system, called Keeogo, is sold in Canada for about C$39,000 ($30,000), company spokeswoman Pamela Borges said.The United States is not the only country looking at exoskeleton technology.Samuel Bendett at the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally funded U.S. research and development center, said Russia and China were also investing in exoskeleton technologies, "in parallel" to the US advances.
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OTTAWA: The Canadian government on Thursday imposed sanctions on 17 Saudis, accused of slaying journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was killed in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate on October 2.As per details, Canada has announced targeted sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals who were allegedly linked to the murder of journalist in Istanbul last month.The sanctions, which freeze their assets and bar their travel to Canada, "target individuals who are, in the opinion of the government of Canada, responsible for or complicit in the extrajudicial killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on October 2," Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland was reported to have said.The Canadian measures come two weeks after US sanctions were announced, and as the kingdom’s ruler attempts a return to the international spotlight by attending Friday’s Group of 20 meeting in Argentina. However, Canada’s action leaves existing arms sales to Saudi Arabia untouched. This means that the massive light-armoured vehicles manufactured in London, Ont, continue to roll off the assembly line and onto ships bound for the Mideast kingdom in a deal valued at $15-billion, including fees paid to a Canadian Crown corporation for acting as prime contractor.
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WASHINGTON: Police on Thursday arrested a man who allegedly shot two people at a shopping mall in the US state of Alabama -- an incident in which an officer killed an earlier suspect.Erron Martez Dequan Brown, 20 Brown was taken into custody in neighboring Georgia for attempted murder after allegedly shooting and wounding two people at the shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) said in a statement.In the police response to the shooting, an officer shot and killed Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford, who was also in the crowded mall, and was armed.Hoover police said they had intercepted the shooter but later admitting that Bradford, a 21-year-old military veteran, was likely not the one who had shot and wounded the 18- and 12-year-old victims. Bradford´s family said he had a license to carry the gun.His death provoked angry demonstrations in Hoover as protesters decried the latest in a years-long string of high-profile police shootings, especially of white officers killing black men. Bradford was black.The family hired a civil rights attorney and the police officer was placed on administrative leave until the end of the investigation, which the ALEA said was ongoing as of Thursday.After his extradition from Georgia to Alabama, Brown is expected to be held under a $150,000 bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, and additional charges could follow.
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RIYADH: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is planning to launch electronic individual Umrah visas for certain categories of pilgrims, after which the individuals can apply for Umrah visas directly without approaching the respective Saudi diplomatic missions.The move will ensure comfortable stay of pilgrims during their pilgrimage in Kingdom starting from embarkation to visits of holy sites, performing rituals and up till their return home.Abdul Aziz Wazan, undersecretary of the ministry for Umrah affairs was reported to have said: e-visa is linked and integrated by various government agencies and would also enable the ministry to track the services provided to pilgrims, adding that pilgrim data and images will be scanned and their entire itinerary, involved with all stake holders, is just fingertip away.Officials of the ministry, represented by its Agency for Umrah Affairs and the office for realization of the Vision 2030, discussed with representatives of the Umrah service providers about the preparations and arrangements for issuance of e-visas for individuals.
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WASHINGTON: One in three women in the Americas has suffered violence at the hands of their domestic partner at some point in their life, according to a study released Thursday by the Pan American Health Organization."In our region, intimate partner violence is the most prevalent form of violence against women, affecting one in every three women in the Americas," said Isabella Danel, the deputy director of the organization.She said rates vary from country to country across the region, with some nations recording a rate of 14 percent and others, such as Bolivia, as much as 60 percent. Alessandra Guedes, the group´s regional expert on domestic violence, said the problem was extremely widespread and that states have not given it sufficient attention."Even though we know it is an extraordinarily large problem and that we need intervention to allow us to address it, we carry on having no policies, or have policies that are not sufficiently funded to allow concrete change," she told AFP.The study was carried out using national surveys in 24 countries, and showed that some types of violence had declined over the past 20 years in Canada, Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. But it warned that violence against women still had very serious consequences, including the death of abuse victims, either through murder by a partner or suicide, or through health problems associated with infections and maternal mortality. The researchers also noted the difficulty of obtaining reliable data on the problem, because so few surveys on the issue have been carried out in the past two decades.
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NEW YORK: Three moon rocks brought to Earth nearly half a century ago and the only known documented lunar samples in private hands, sold for $855,000 in New York on Thursday, Sotheby´s said.The rocks, collected by an unmanned Soviet Luna-16 Mission in 1970, went for nearly double the $442,500 last paid for them by the present-day US sellers in a Sotheby´s Russian space history sale in 1993.They were originally the property of Nina Ivanovna Koroleva, widow of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev -- the former director of the Soviet space program -- who was given them by the Soviet Union in honor of her husband´s work.Korolev was a rocket engineer, aircraft and spacecraft designer, and mastermind behind the Soviet space program during the 1950s and ´60s.His work was critical to the success of numerous Soviet space programs, including the first human earth orbit by Yuri Gagarin, but he died in 1966 and never lived to see the lunar soil samples returned from the moon.In September 1970, Luna-16 landed on the moon, drilled a 35-cm (14-inch) hole in the surface and collected the sample before returning safely back to earth. It is extremely rare for authentic lunar samples to come onto the market with all those collected by the Americans in the hands of the US government, not individuals, the auction house said."Space exploration is something that´s universal," Sotheby´s expert Cassandra Hatton told AFP before the sale."Anybody can look up at the sky and get excited about it. So we have a lot of interest from around the world and in all age brackets."Hatton said moon rocks come with their "own mythology.""When you really think about the true cost ... many lives were lost attempting to get up there," she said. "The symbolism of that, the value is far greater than any dollar amount somebody would pay for it at auction."
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Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday scrapped a planned meeting at the G20 summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over Moscow´s detention of a group of Ukrainian sailors."Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin," he wrote on Twitter."I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!," Trump added, shortly after taking off for the weekend summit in Buenos Aires.The announcement came shortly after Trump had told reporters as he left the White House that the summit would be a "very good time" for a meeting with Putin."I probably will be meeting with President Putin. We haven´t terminated that meeting. I was thinking about it, but we haven´t. I think it´s a very good time to have the meeting," he had said.White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters shortly after take-off Trump had conferred in person with Chief of Staff John Kelly and Secretary of State Pompeo aboard presidential plane Air Force One -- as well as by phone with National Security Advisor Bolton, who is in Brazil -- before announcing the U-turn."It´s just happened in the last half hour," Sanders said.Asked how Putin was informed about the cancelation, she said she was "not aware" of a phone call between the two leaders"There was some back and forth" through other channels, she said without elaborating.
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OTTAWA: Canada, following in the path of the United States, France and Germany, said on Thursday it would impose sanctions on 17 Saudi nationals linked to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.A statement by the foreign ministry said the sanctions would include a travel ban and an asset freeze.
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Paris- Journalists are increasingly becoming easy targets for organised crime, with more than 30 killed worldwide over the last two years, a media watchdog warned Thursday."The Mob has spread its tentacles around the globe faster than all the multinationals combined," Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a new report on the dangers."From Beijing to Moscow, from Tijuana to Bogota, from Malta to Slovakia, investigative journalists who shed light on the deals that involve organised crime unleash the wrath of gangsters, whose common feature is an aversion to any publicity unless they control it," said its author, French investigative journalist Frederic Ploquin.He said the only way to counter the threat was for reporters to work together to protect each other.The biggest danger was in investigating corruption, Ploquin said, now that ruthless crime groups have "established a kind of pact with the state" in many countries, "to the point that you cannot tell where one stops and the other begins.""How is it possible that Mexico´s drug cartels sprout like mushrooms without the support of part of the state´s apparatus?" asked RSF after nine of the 14 journalists murdered worldwide in 2017 by organised crime groups were killed there.Eight more have already died so far in 2018.Three reporters were also killed this year in Brazil and three more elsewhere in Latin America. An Indian journalist who was investigating his country´s "sand mafia" was run over by a truck.The toll has also become worrying in Europe, the report said, with journalists assassinated in Russia, Slovakia and Malta since 2017.Both Daphne Caruana Galizia, killed last year in by a car bomb in Malta, and Jan Kuciak, shot with his girlfriend in Slovakia in February, had been looking into the Italian Mafia and its links with local politicians.In 2017 alone, 196 Italian journalists were said to have had some kind of protection, with a dozen including Roberto Saviano, the author of the bestselling book "Gomorroa" on the Naples crime syndicate the Camorra, living under permanent police guard.
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Washington-US President Donald Trump said Thursday a weekend G20 summit of world leaders would be a "very good time" for a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin."I probably will be meeting with President Putin. We haven´t terminated that meeting. I was thinking about it, but we haven´t. I think it´s a very good time to have the meeting," Trump told reporters at the White House.The gathering of Group of 20 nations in Argentine capital Buenos Aires takes place under a cloud of Russia´s seizure of three Ukrainian ships, and Trump had threatened to cancel planned talks with Putin."I´m getting a full report on the plane as to what happens with respect to that as that will determine what we are going to be doing," Trump said, adding that he considered talks with the Russian president "very important."Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had earlier told journalists the meeting would start around noon on Saturday with "brief talks between the leaders" followed by broader Russia-US talks that could last around an hour."We need to think about how to start talking about the topics of bilateral relations, the topics of strategic security and disarmament and regional conflicts," Peskov said."We don´t have to agree on all the issues and indeed that may be impossible but we need to talk. That´s in the interests not only of our two countries, it´s in the interests of the whole world."
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When the Wieczorek mine, one of the oldest coal mines in Poland, closed in March, Grzegorz Chudy noticed for the first time the neighborhood was vibrant with trees in the full bloom of spring. The smell was heady.“It was incredible. You never knew all those trees were there,” he told Reuters in his art studio in a housing estate for mining families in the southwestern Polish city of Katowice.“The smell wasn’t there while coal was being transported on trucks. The dust covered it up.”The Wieczorek mine in Katowice, with its towering brick shaft, is among dozens closing down throughout Poland, home to one of the most polluted coal mining regions in Europe.From Sunday, Katowice will host a round of United Nations climate talks, at which nearly 200 countries will attempt to agree rules on how to shift the world economy from fossil fuels to try to curb rising temperatures.The meeting comes as the World Meteorological Organization warned on Thursday that global temperatures were on course to rise by 3-5 degrees Celsius ((5.4-9.0 degrees Fahrenheit) this century, overshooting a global target of limiting the increase to 2C.Reaching agreement on how to implement ambitious fossil fuel cuts at the talks could be tough given fears over the impact on industry which have divided the Euopean Union and trade tensions between the United States and China.Poland has painful experience of the difficulty of an economic transition from coal and even as it counts down to Sunday, it announced plans for a new coal mine in the south of the country.Its government drew support in part from those with an emotional attachment to the job security, social fabric and national pride associated with mining that overlooked the downside for health and the planet.The issue resonates especially with older Poles who remember deadly anti-communist protests in the early 1980s when the miners emerged as heroes.BLACK GOLDChudy, 36, whose paintings often depict the life and architecture of Nikiszowiec, is one of hundreds of people who have moved to the area, drawn by its industrial feel and affordable housing. Built to house the families of miners at the start of the 20th century, Nikiszowiec was designed as a self-sufficient neighborhood with its own communal bread ovens and pigsties, as well as a bath house for miners and laundry and mangle facilities.In the years after communist rule ended in Poland in 1989 and the mining sector started to shrink, the area became notorious for crime and poverty. Such problems have all but disappeared as the area has become gentrified and the bold decision to hold the climate talks in the region could also help to shift opinions.Those in the artistic community say their work could only exist with the inspiration provided by decades of mining.“For me using coal in a different way than it used to be, which was energy, shows its completely new face, so we can call it our new, cool black gold,” Katarzyna Depa, who makes jewelry from coal, said.But for those with mining in the blood, moving on is harder and the smell of coal dust is as sweet as blossom.Above all they miss the community spirit even if it meant shared danger and hardship.“The atmosphere used to be much better,” miner Krzysztof Zawisza said. “On Friday or Saturday evening people were coming out to sit on the banks, drink some beer, have a barbecue. Now I do not know most of those who have come here.”
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NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has criticized the Indian government for its refusal to resume talks with Pakistan, saying the move betrays its "contradictory and self-defeating stand" vis-a-vis Islamabad.In an editorial, the CPI-M said the BJP government’s decision to engage with Pakistan is dictated "by its communal agenda within the country.""What is required is resumption of the comprehensive dialogue while maintaining a firm stance on tackling terrorism," said an editorial in the CPI-M journal "People's Democracy"."With its blinkered approach to relations with Pakistan which are dictated by its communal agenda within the country, the PM Modi government is constricting its scope for strategic autonomy," the Communist Party of India-Marxist said. "Whether it is Afghanistan or South Asia regional cooperation, India cannot play a positive role given its confrontationist stance towards Pakistan."Such a position does not only affect our external policy but also will have harmful repercussions internally - the worsening situation in Kashmir and the revival of extremism in Punjab are the two obvious pointers," the editorial said. The CPI-M hailed the decision to open a corridor from India to the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan as "one of the rare instances when the governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to cooperate after a long period of stalemate and tensions".The corridor links the Dera Baba Nanak Gurudwara in Gurdaspur district in Indian Punjab to the Darbar Sahib Gurudwara where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life. "The joint effort in preparing the Kartarpur corridor has once again underlined the necessity for improving relations and cooperation between the two countries. It also highlighted the importance of developing people to people relations as a vital component of restoring normalcy and good neighbourly relations," the editorial said. But on the very day the corridor was being formally launched, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced India's rejection of Pakistan's invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the SAARC summit in Islamabad saying talks cannot be held along with terrorist actions."This falling back on a hardline stance underscores the contradictory and self-defeating stand of the Modi government in its relations with Pakistan," it said. It said that the "surgical strikes" of September 2016 only led to more firings and shelling across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, where rising terrorism has been met with "brutal state repression". The CPI-M said that there was no consistency in India's approach to Pakistan.
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Tbilisi: Georgia´s newly elected President Salome Zurabishvili on Thursday hailed her victory as a step forward for women and a move closer to Europe for the ex-Soviet republic.With all votes counted, the country´s election commission said the French-born ex-diplomat, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, had taken 59.52 percent of the second-round vote.Her rival Grigol Vashadze, from an alliance of 11 opposition parties led by exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili´s United National Movement (UNM), took 40.48 percent.The opposition denounced the election as a fraud. But while raising some serious concerns, foreign observers said the vote was "competitive" and well-run."It is now important to show that this country has chosen Europe," Zurabishvili said told journalists after her win. "For that purpose, Georgians have elected a European woman president.""It feels great," she said, pointing out that she was one of a small number of women presidents in the world.The election was seen as a test of Georgia´s democratic credentials as it seeks European Union and NATO membership.It was also a trial run for more important parliamentary elections in 2020, when Georgian Dream is set to face off against a range of opposition parties.- Vote-buying accusations -The party is the creation of billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, who many see as the small country´s de facto ruler."(The) election was competitive and candidates were able to campaign freely, however one side enjoyed an undue advantage," monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a report after the vote.The elections were "well administered", they said, but raised concerns about misuse of administrative resources that "blurred the line between party and state".Ivanishvili´s great rival, the flamboyant ex-president Saakashvili, claimed "mass electoral fraud" even before official results were released."The oligarch has stamped out Georgian democracy and the institutions of elections," he said on the pro-opposition Rustavi-2 television channel, referring to Ivanishvili."I urge Georgians to defend our freedom, democracy and the law. I call on you to start mass peaceful rallies and demand snap parliamentary polls."But Vashadze´s opposition alliance distanced itself from Saakashvili´s remarks, saying it would hold an evening gathering of supporters to discuss further steps.Tensions increased ahead of the second round, as the opposition accused the government of voter intimidation and claimed that ruling party activists had attacked Vashadze campaign staff.Zurabishvili in turn said she and her children had received death threats through text and voice messages from people affiliated with the UNM.Rights groups have accused government officials of vote-buying on a "widespread" and "unprecedented" scale and of election fraud, including through the alleged printing of fake ID cards.- Daughter of refugees -Zurabishvili, a 66-year-old independent lawmaker, is the daughter of refugees who fled Georgia in 1921 for Paris after the country´s annexation by the Red Army.Her career in France´s foreign service culminated in a posting to Tbilisi, where then-president Saakashvili appointed her foreign minister.But Zurabishvili quickly made enemies among the parliamentary majority, with MPs and some senior diplomats accusing her of arrogance and impulsiveness.When she was sacked after a year in the job, thousands took to the streets of the capital to protest her dismissal.On Thursday morning she received blessings from the influential head of Georgia´s Orthodox Church, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, and was later seen by passersby sipping coffee with her children on a sunny terrace in central Tbilisi.The French foreign ministry said in a statement that Paris was looking forward to working with Zurabishvili "to further strengthen" relations.Vashadze, a 60-year-old career diplomat, had criticised Ivanishvili´s "informal oligarch rule" amid growing discontent over the government´s failure to tackle poverty.The vote was Georgia´s last direct leadership poll as it transitions to a parliamentary form of governance. The first round of the presidential election on October 28 saw Zurabishvili take 39 percent of the vote, against 38 percent for Vashadze.Street protests against the results could spark concern for the country, which has seen civil wars, mass demonstrations and unrest since gaining its independence in 1991 on the break-up of the Soviet Union.A smooth presidential transition, however, would be welcomed by many as a sign of stability in Georgia, which is emerging as a tourism hotspot and hopes for more foreign investment.
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Buenos Aires -Donald Trump jets to Argentina Thursday for a weekend of G20 summitry riven by new tensions over Ukraine on top of fissures carved open by the US president on trade and climate change.Following Russia´s seizure of three Ukrainian ships, Trump threatened to cancel planned talks in Buenos Aires with President Vladimir Putin. But the Kremlin said the meeting was on for Saturday."We don´t have to agree on all the issues and indeed that may be impossible but we need to talk. That´s in the interests not only of our two countries, it´s in the interests of the whole world," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow.After igniting a trade war with China and threatening tougher tariffs to come in January, Trump is also slated to sit down with President Xi Jinping on the G20 margins to press for wholesale reform of the world´s second-biggest economy in favor of access for US companies.En route to Argentina, Xi vowed on Wednesday that China would "make a lot of efforts to speed up market access, improve the investment environment and increase protection of intellectual property."But foreign firms in China complain that such promises are all too routine, and analysts doubt that Trump and Xi´s talks over a working dinner will serve up much beyond a commitment to negotiate further.For starters, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Wednesday slammed Beijing for failing to offer "meaningful reform" on aggressive trade policies and threatened tariffs on Chinese autos.In an interview with Argentine daily La Nacion, French President Emmanuel Macron warned against the risk of "a destructive trade war for all" emanating from the G20 discussions."If we do not show concrete progress, our international meetings become useless and even counterproductive," he said.Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing, said Trump needs to properly overhaul the US-China trading relationship and press for lasting reforms by Xi."An agreement that simply results in the purchase of more US products from China, or promises vague commitments with unclear timelines, will only serve to kick the can down the road, and would further harm the state of the relationship for years to come," he commented.The G20 summit is already confronted with dire warnings, by the International Monetary Fund among others, of the potential harm faced by the world economy from Trump´s tariffs on Chinese goods and his stated threats of action to come against European and Japanese cars.G20 leaders, whose countries account for four-fifths of the world´s economic output, first met in November 2008 to forge a united front against the global financial crisis.A decade on, that unity has vanished as the "America First" Trump shreds the consensus underpinning international trade and other G20 countries such as Brazil, Italy and Mexico turn to populist leaders.Trump has repeatedly shown his disdain for international summitry by blocking final communiques at other recent gatherings such as the G7 and the Asia-Pacific bloc APEC.G20 sources said agreement about the communique in Buenos Aires was hitting trouble on climate change. Trump now has an ally on that issue in Brazil´s incoming, far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, their skepticism defying scientists´ increasingly urgent warnings that the planetary threat is real and needs policy redress now.Thomas Wright, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said "there´s a deep division in this G20 now between democracies and authoritarians.""Now I think it´s really been stripped bare," he said, adding there was an opening for a leader like Macron or Canada´s Justin Trudeau to make a splash in Argentina by standing up for liberal values.Meanwhile the US, Canada and Mexico are expected in Buenos Aires on Friday to sign a revamped version of the North American trade pact NAFTA, which Trump excoriated when running for president.If that negotiation has averted one trade war, the IMF said Trump´s threatened auto tariffs on Europe and Japan could lop three-fourths of a percent off the global economy.Britain´s "Brexit" separation from the European Union is another threat to global growth, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said.Like Trump and Xi, Prime Minister Theresa May will arrive in Buenos Aires late on Thursday to bring another intriguing subplot to the world´s pre-eminent economic forum.Britain and Argentina went to war over the Falkland/Malvinas islands in 1982, and May will be the first serving British leader ever to visit the Argentine capital.In the here and now, May will use the G20 to sell Britain´s post-Brexit trading future outside the EU.But Trump has done her no favors by mocking a hard-fought withdrawal agreement negotiated between London and Brussels, and May still has to win backing for the deal from the fractious British parliament.
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The U.S. Army said on Wednesday that it has awarded Microsoft Corp a $479.2 million contract to supply prototypes for the Army’s augmented reality systems helping soldiers in training and combat missions.The Army posted the contract award on its website.“Augmented reality technology will provide troops with more and better information to make decisions,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in an emailed statement.Bloomberg, which earlier reported the deal, said the contract went though a bidding process with key tech companies including Magic Leap participating in the auction.
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The governor of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Fernando Pezao, was arrested Thursday over allegations he took bribes as part of the sprawling "Car Wash" graft probe.Pezao, 63, is accused of receiving bribes when he was vice governor of the Brazilian city under Sergio Cabral, who is currently in prison after being sentenced to a cumulative 180 years for corruption.The Globo News television channel showed live footage of federal police at Pezao´s residence, where he was having breakfast at the time."The governor is part of the political nucleus of a criminal organization that, over the last few years, committed several crimes against the public administration, especially corruption and money laundering," a General Prosecutor´s Office statement said.He was transferred to a police headquarters in Rio.The sweeping "Lava Jato" (Car Wash) probe kicked off in 2014, ensnaring politicians from nearly every party in corruption allegations mainly linked to Brazil´s state-owned oil company Petrobras.In Rio de Janeiro, the police also raided the Guanabara Palace, headquarters of the local government, searching for documents.Brazil´s attorney general, Raquel Dodge issued the prison order which was carried out by the Superior Court of Justice, which has jurisdiction over governors.The arrest warrant was based on the confession of Carlos Miranda, a former Cabral associate, who cooperated in exchange for a sentence reduction.According to Miranda´s testimony, Pezao would have received a monthly payment of 150,000 reais ($40,000) as well as end-of-the-year bonuses of up to one million reais, local press reported.The money would have been paid by companies and intermediaries bound by contracts with the Rio de Janeiro government during a period from 2007 to 2014, press reports said.In previous inquiries, Pezao had denied participating in the scheme.- ´Operated his own scheme´ -The attorney general emphasized that "despite having been a trusted man of Sergio Cabral and assuming a key role in that criminal organization, even succeeding him in leadership, Pezao operated his own scheme, with its own financial operators."The prosecutor´s office warned that if Pezao remained free he could hinder the recovery of misappropriated assets and eliminate assets illegally acquired."There are records of payments in kind of more than 25 million reais between 2007 and 2015, a value absolutely incompatible with the declared patrimony" to the treasury by the governor, the prosecutor´s office said.In current values the total value of the bribes would equal 39 million reais (8.8 million euros, $10 million), investigators said.Pezao was elected governor in 2014 by the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement, and his term was set to end at the end of 2018.Wilson Witzel was elected in October to govern the state and is set to take office January 1, with the state of Rio de Janeiro on the verge of bankruptcy and plagued by insecurity. Large Brazilian construction companies like Odebrecht, OAS and Camargo Correa have been implicated in the broad graft scandal. The investigation quickly spread throughout Latin America, sending many from the political and business elite to prison.
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New Delhi: India´s cricket captain Virat Kohli called Thursday for a captive elephant being maltreated and used for tourist rides in a tourist hotspot to be relocated to a rehabilitation facility.Kohli´s plea comes after a group of American tourists had witnessed eight men violently beating the elephant at the famous Amer Fort in Jaipur last year.Kohli on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has written a letter to the state minister of Rajasthan to rescue the elephant, known as "Number 44"."As a professional cricketer, I am proud to represent our country, but when I learned about the hateful attack on Number 44 last June, I felt so ashamed," wrote Kohli, currently on tour in Australia."Violence against animals is completely unacceptable, not to mention illegal, and our nation cannot fail elephants this way."...I beseech you to start helping them by transferring Number 44 to a reputable rehabilitation facility where she can get the care she needs, socialise with others of her kind, and live free from chains, abuse, and fear."Kohli´s letter follows PETA India´s complaint to the state´s forest department, which resulted in a notice being issued to Number 44´s custodian, Wasid Khan, holding him responsible for the abuse.Tens of thousands of tourists visit the Amer Fort, a medieval complex on a hilltop outside Jaipur also known as the Amber Fort, every year and many opt to enter its imposing gates on an elephant.A report commissioned by the Animal Welfare Board of India early this year revealed that 19 elephants used to ferry visitors were blind or vision impaired while nine others had tuberculosis.The report also said that the captive elephants were unfit for safaris and that carrying people on their backs endangered both the elephants and tourists alike.
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Once a common sight across Europe, much-loved French cars from a bygone era rattle along the streets of Madagascar´s capital Antananarivo, doing their duty as private vehicle, taxis or even police cars.The Renault 4L and the Citroen 2CV, which have made way for sleek younger models elsewhere, are still part of daily life on the Indian Ocean island, battling up its steep hills and wheezing towards top speed on its dusty main roads."There´s no question of a car chase," admitted one uniformed police officer sitting in his white 4L, complete with a rooftop beacon and police signage, parked on guard close to the presidential palace."But it does have the advantage of not consuming much petrol," he added.Nearby, in the shade of jacaranda trees, several other 4Ls and 2CVs serve as taxis waiting for customers.The two models are celebrated worldwide as masterpieces of design, representing Europe´s post-war boom and the explosion of car ownership -- but their heyday has long passed.Rijason Randrianantoanina, a 37-year-old taxi driver, is proud of his "magnificent" 2CV, which he has owned for 16 years."It was made in 1978, but it´s a solid car," he said.The body is suffering from some patches of deep rust and the fuel gauge does not work anymore.The 2CV tank contains only 28 litres, and its driver must be a good judge of petrol usage."I have a gauge in my head, you just have to get used to it," he said.- The ´go-to´ mechanic -Starting from the 1960s, 2CVs and 4Ls were imported into Madagascar from France and Belgium, while models were also assembled on the island until the 1980´s.It was while working at the Somacoa plant that Elysee Rakotondrakolona learnt to dismantle and erect the quirky 4L.He is now the go-to 4L mechanic in Antananarivo, in the busy, working-class district of Antoamadinika."The 4L can go where even modern 4x4s cannot go -- because it takes only three people to lift it," he said dryly.In his open-air garage, squeezed between an "aesthetic hairstyle" salon and a donut stand, the chassis of old 4Ls are piled on top of each other.Here, resourcefulness reigns supreme."I take parts from Renault 5s for the front axle unit of the 4L," said Rakotondrakolona, wearing blue work overalls almost as old as some of his wrecks."Our national speciality as Madagascans is that when you see two pieces that look alike, we know how to adapt them. It is the ´make-do-and-mend´ system."The only problem that is unsolvable is a broken gearbox. "Then, there is nothing to do," he said.Easy to repair, almost unbreakable and fuel efficient, the 2CV and 4L are well-adapted to survive in Madagascar.No official figures are available but thousands are still on the roads of the former French colony which is one of the world´s poorest countries, with almost four in five people living in grinding poverty.Back in the garage, a worker patiently straightens the dented bodywork of a 4L using a small hammering tool, while others remove the engine from an orange model to modify its chassis.- ´It goes everywhere´ -One customer Bruno Rasolofomanantsoa, a rice farmer, had brought his 4L for a major operation by "doctor" Rakotondrakolona, who will transplant an engine into it from another car.Rasolofomanantsoa, in his 50s, uses his hard-working vehicle to carry fertiliser into his paddy fields, and he admires its simplicity."If you have a problem in the middle of nowhere, to find out what is wrong, just open the hood," he said."But it does have the advantage of not consuming much petrol," he added loyally.Riri, a taxi driver, is also happy under the hood of his trusty old Renault. "I repair it myself, I learnt on the job," he explained, as he waited for customers near the palace.On his sign, one "N" in Antananarivo has fallen off. But his 4L, which dates from 1975, is always reliable."It goes everywhere even when there is flooding because the ignition is high," he said.Original spare parts are however increasingly rare, he laments.Traders have long imported parts from Europe, and Indo-Pakistanis settled in Madagascar have now got into the trade, said Riri."We do not know if these are copies or not" he joked.
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LONDON: British security firm G4S said Thursday that five of its employees were killed and 32 injured on Wednesday in an attack on one of its compounds in Kabul claimed by the Taliban."It is with great sadness that we can confirm that five of our employees were killed and 32 were injured, five of them seriously, in an unprovoked, criminal attack on one of our compounds in Kabul," managing director Charlie Burbridge said in a statement.At least 10 people were killed after a massive blast outside a British security company´s compound in Kabul late Wednesday, officials said, with the attack claimed by the Taliban in the latest violence to target the Afghan capital.
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German prosecutors raided several Deutsche Bank offices in the Frankfurt area Thursday over suspicions of money laundering based on revelations from the 2016 "Panama Papers" data leak.The investigation centres on allegations that Germany´s biggest lender helped clients set up offshore companies in tax havens to "transfer money from criminal activities" to Deutsche Bank accounts, the Frankfurt prosecutor´s office said.Some 170 police officers and investigators from the prosecutor´s office were searching six of the bank´s premises in and around the city, it added in a statement.Deutsche Bank confirmed the raids and said it was "fully cooperating" with the authorities."The case is related to the Panama Papers," it added.The Panama Papers scandal that erupted in 2016 with a massive data leak from Panamaian legal firm Mossack Fonsenca exposed large-scale tax evasion, laying bare how the world´s wealthy and powerful stashed their assets in offshore businesses.Deutsche Bank was among hundreds of financial institutions whose names cropped up in the media reports about the Panama Papers.The Frankfurt prosecutors said their probe was focussing on two Deutsche Bank employees aged 50 and 46, as well as "several" unnamed senior staff members.Based on information from the Panama Papers, they are accused of "failing to report suspicions of money laundering" linked to offshore firms involved in tax evasion "even though there was sufficient evidence" to suggest illegal activity, prosecutors said.Shares in Deutsche Bank fell 2.7 percent to 8.36 euros by 1000 GMT, against a DAX blue-chip index up 0.6 percent.
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Thursday, 29 November 2018
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