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CLOSE Migrants in a caravan of Central Americans have arrived by the hundreds in Tijuana, just south of San Diego. Many say they will seek asylum in the US. (Nov. 15) AP Members of the 'migrant caravan' worship during a street worship service outside a temporary shelter set up for members of the caravan on November 23, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. Around 5,000 migrants from Central America have arrived in the city with the mayor of Tijuana declaring the situation a 'humanitarian crisis.'.. (Photo: Mario Tama, Getty Images) WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump announced over Twitter Saturday evening that asylum seekers at the Southern border will wait in Mexico while their claims are processed in U.S. courts. "Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court. We only will allow those who come into our Country legally," the president wrote on Twitter Saturday evening. "All will stay in Mexico." In his tweets, the president also threatened to close the Southern border "for any reason it becomes necessary." "There is no way that the United States will, after decades of abuse, put up with this costly and dangerous situation anymore!" Trump wrote. The president's tweets followed a Washington Post report Saturday that described a new agreement between the U.S. and Mexico that would allow asylum seekers to stay in Mexico. Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court. We only will allow those who come into our Country legally. Other than that our very strong policy is Catch and Detain. No “Releasing” into the U.S... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2018 ....All will stay in Mexico. If for any reason it becomes necessary, we will CLOSE our Southern Border. There is no way that the United States will, after decades of abuse, put up with this costly and dangerous situation anymore! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2018 The Post, which quoted Mexican officials and senior members of President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s transition team, reported the agreement would break with long-standing asylum rules and place a "formidable new barrier" for migrants from Central America attempting to reach the United States. The Post said the plan was dubbed "Remain in Mexico." More: Homeland Security focuses on border security — not processing asylum applications from migrant caravan More: Homeland Security focuses on border security — not processing asylum applications from migrant caravan More: It's not just 'Obama judges'. Here are Republican appointees who have ruled against Trump Thousands of migrants, fleeing violence and poverty, have gathered at the Mexican border city of Tijuana. They are among several hundred other asylum-seekers heading north in groups toward the United States. The Post reported that no formal agreement on the issue has been signed, and many details remain unresolved. López Obrador takes office Dec. 1. Before the U.S. midterm elections, Trump called the northward movement of migrants in caravans an "invasion" and ordered several thousand U.S. troops to the border to bolster border security. The Post, quoting U.S. and Mexican officials, said the deal took shape last week in Houston during a meeting between Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s incoming foreign minister, and top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. In a statement, James McCament, acting undersecretary for policy for the Department of Homeland Security, said the administration has been working since July with the current Mexican government and incoming administration on "shared issues of concern." He said these include legitimate trade and travel, an interest in ensuring that those traveling to the U.S. borders do so safely and orderly, as well as "concern for the safety and security of vulnerable migrant populations, and respect for each nation's sovereignty." The White House had no immediate comment on the Post report. The agreement leaving asylum seekers in Mexico until their claims are heard in court could end the system derided by Trump as “catch and release,” which has generally allowed those seeking refuge to wait on safer U.S. soil. CLOSE Several busloads of mostly Central American migrants traveling in a caravan arrived to Tijuana, Mexico. USA TODAY “For now, we have agreed to this policy of Remain in Mexico,” Olga Sánchez Cordero, the top domestic policy official under López Obrador, told The Post. She called it a “short-term solution.” “The medium- and long-term solution is that people don’t migrate,” said Sánchez Cordero, the incoming interior minister. “Mexico has open arms and everything, but imagine, one caravan after another after another, that would also be a problem for us.” A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order this week blocking a Trump order that would deny protection to people who enter the country illegally seeking asylum. "Whatever the scope of the president’s authority, he may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden,” Judge Jon Tigar wrote in his order. Trump responded by blasting "Obama judges" who challenge his orders, saying such judges make the border unsafe. Contributing: Christal Hayes Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/11/24/u-s-mexican-government-reach-deal-handling-asylum-seekers-report/2101037002/[SEP]Image copyright Reuters Image caption Thousands of migrants are now waiting at the border in Mexico Mexico's incoming foreign minister has said discussions on how to deal with migrants travelling to the United States are continuing despite reports a deal has been reached. Marcelo Ebrard denied reaching an agreement which would see asylum seekers waiting in Mexico while their claims were processed in US courts. Mr Ebrard's words seem to contradict US President Donald Trump's latest tweet. He said migrants would not be allowed entry until their claims were approved. "Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court," Mr Trump wrote, adding: "No 'releasing' into the US. All will stay in Mexico." The conflicting statements emerged after the Washington Post reported Mexican officials had agreed to let migrants trying to enter the US stay in Mexico while their asylum claims were heard. According to the newspaper, the plan was called "Remain in Mexico". But Mr Ebrard, who will become foreign minister in December after Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's administration takes power, said the US had yet to even send "a specific proposal" on how to deal with the issue. He said conversations were still taking place with Washington. Image copyright Reuters Image caption There are fears migrants could be stuck in temporary shelters for months Incoming Interior Minister Olga Sanchez Cordero also told news agency Reuters no agreement had been reached - although the Washington Post article initially quoted her as saying it was a "short term solution" to deal with the migrant caravan. Thousands of migrants - including women and children - are currently at the US-Mexico border after travelling more than 4,000km (2,500 miles) from Central America. They say they are fleeing persecution, poverty and violence in their home countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Many are now waiting in temporary shelters in the border city of Tijuana, leading the mayor declare a humanitarian crisis. There are fears as many as 9,000 may be stuck in the city for months. Meanwhile, Mr Trump has deployed about 5,800 troops to the border and has previously described the migrants as an "invasion".[SEP]MEXICO CITY -- Mexico's incoming government denied a report Saturday that it plans to allow asylum-seekers to wait in the country while their claims move through U.S. immigration courts, one of several options the Trump administration has been pursuing in negotiations for months. The deal was seen as a way to dissuade thousands of Central American migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S., a process that can take years. In effect, Mexican border towns are already acting as waiting rooms for migrants hoping to start new lives in the U.S. due to bottlenecks at the border. "There is no agreement of any sort between the incoming Mexican government and the U.S. government," future Interior Minister Olga Sanchez said in a statement. Hours earlier, The Washington Post quoted her as saying that the incoming administration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had agreed to allow migrants to stay in Mexico as a "short-term solution" while the U.S. considered their applications for asylum. Lopez Obrador will take office on Dec. 1. The statement shared with The Associated Press said the future government's principal concern related to the migrants is their well-being while in Mexico. The Washington Post reported Saturday that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has won support from the Mexican president-elect's team for a plan dubbed "Remain in Mexico." The newspaper also quoted Sanchez as saying: "For now, we have agreed to this policy of Remain in Mexico." Sanchez did not explain in the statement why The Washington Post had quoted her as saying there had been agreement. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said, "President Trump has developed a strong relationship with the incoming (Lopez) Obrador Administration, and we look forward to working with them on a wide range of issues." Stephanie Leutert, director of the Mexico Security Initiative at the University of Texas at Austin, described the Remain in Mexico plan as a strategy to take away the ability of migrants to live and work in the U.S. while cases are processed. "The hope is that asylum seekers will not want to live in (Mexico) for months/years and won't come," Leutert said via Twitter. U.S. officials have said for months that they were working with Mexico to find solutions for what they have called a border crisis. One variation, called "Safe Third," would have denied asylum claims on the grounds that asylum seekers had found haven in Mexico. President Enrique Pena Nieto offered thousands of Central Americans asylum on Oct. 26 if they agreed to remain in southern Mexico. Close to 3,000 migrants took Mexico up on the offer. Sanchez said Saturday that the next government does not plan for Mexico to become a "Safe Third" country. Approximately 5,000 Central American migrants have arrived in recent days to Tijuana, just south of California, after making their way through Mexico via caravan. But agents at the San Diego port of entry process fewer than 100 claims per day. Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum on Friday declared a humanitarian crisis in his border city of 1.6 million, which he says is struggling to accommodate the influx. Most of the migrants are camped inside a sports complex, where they face long wait times for food and bathrooms. Hundreds of Tijuana residents have protested their arrival, complaining that recent caravans forced their way into Mexico from Guatemala. Trump threatened Thursday to shut down the border crossing entirely if his administration determines that Mexico has lost "control" of the situation in Tijuana. Julieta Vences, a congresswoman with Lopez Obrador's Morena party who is also president of Mexico's congressional migrant affairs commission, told the AP that incoming Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has been discussing with U.S. officials how to handle a deluge of asylum claims at the border. "They're going to have to open the borders (for the migrants) to put in the request," Vences said. "They will also give us dates, on what terms they will receive the (asylum) requests and in the case that they are not beneficiaries of this status, they will have to return here," Vences said. She said Mexico needs to examine how to accommodate the migrants without angering locals. "When they come back, we need to see how ... we can integrate them into an economic activity so that they can develop and not generate conflict with our own communities." Local churches and charities have been feeding the migrants, with assistance from state and federal agencies. They have also distributed thousands of blankets, thin mattresses and personal hygiene kits. Meanwhile, the government of the state of Baja California has identified 7,000 jobs for which migrants could possibly earn income while they await hearings in the U.S. Trump took to Twitter again Saturday to reiterate that he plans to do away with the U.S. catch-and-release system, which allows asylum seekers to work and study sometimes for years while their cases are pending. "Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court," Trump wrote. "We only will allow those who come into our Country legally. Other than that our very strong policy is Catch and Detain. No 'Releasing' into the U.S..."[SEP]US President Donald Trump says asylum seekers have to wait in Mexico until claims approved, but Mexico denies making any deal US President Donald Trump has said migrants at the US-Mexico border will stay in Mexico until their asylum claims are individually approved in US courts, but Mexico's incoming government has denied striking any deal. Their comments came on the back of a report in The Washington Post, which claimed Mexico and the US had agreed on a deal named Remain in Mexico. The plan, according to the newspaper, foresees thousands of migrants staying in Mexico while their asylum claims in the United States are being processed. This could potentially end a system Mr Trump has decried as "catch and release" that has, until now, often allowed those seeking refuge to wait on safer US soil. But Mexico's incoming interior minister Olga Sanchez Cordero said there was "no agreement of any type between the future government of Mexico and the United States". Ms Sanchez Cordero ruled out that Mexico would be declared a "safe third country" for asylum claimants. If Mexico were to assume "safe third country" status, asylum seekers would be required to claim refugee status in Mexico rather than the United States, and activists have long argued Mexico does not have the security conditions to offer safe haven for Central American migrants fleeing poverty and violence. Ms Sanchez Cordero, the top domestic policy official for president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador — who takes office on December 1 — said the incoming government was in talks with the United States. But she said they could not make any agreement on the issue, since they are not yet in government. Mr Trump is seeking to block thousands of Central Americans travelling in caravans from entering the United States, and has ordered that immigrants who enter the country illegally from Mexico are ineligible for asylum. That order has been temporary suspended by a US judge. During his Thanksgiving break, Mr Trump also threatened to close entry into the country from the southern border. Managing attorney for the Los Angeles office of legal rights organisation Human Rights First, Jenna Gilbert, said Mr Trump's new plan is "outright illegal, and I'm sure the administration will once more see itself in court". The Washington Post article cited Mexican officials and senior members of Mr Lopez Obrador's transition team. It said the deal would break with long-standing asylum rules and mount a new obstacle for Central American migrants attempting to seek refuge in the United States. Mexico's incoming deputy interior minister, Zoe Robledo, said details of the Remain in Mexico scheme were still being worked out. "What we're aiming for is that people leaving their countries due to security issues or violence can find a place to stay in Mexico, if that is their decision," Ms Robledo said. Ms Robledo said the incoming government wanted to find jobs for Central American migrants in sectors that are short-staffed, such as maquila assembly plants. Mr Lopez Obrador has vowed to try to eliminate the causes of migration by creating more jobs and improving living conditions in Mexico and Central America. In exchange, he hopes Mr Trump and the Canadian government will agree to help spur economic development in the region. Outgoing President Enrique Pena Nieto has also sought to stem the flow of migrants north by offering jobs to them, and has received backing from the private sector in his efforts.[SEP]The Mexican government has reached a deal with the Trump administration that would require asylum seekers at the Southern border to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed in U.S. courts, the Washington Post reported Saturday. The Post, which quoted Mexican officials and senior members of President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s transition team, reported the agreement would break with long-standing asylum rules and place a "formidable new barrier" for migrants from Central America attempting to reach the United States. The Post said the plan was dubbed "Remain in Mexico." Thousands of migrants, fleeing violence and poverty, have gathered at the Mexican border city of Tijuana. They are among several hundred other asylum-seekers heading north in groups toward the United States. More: More than 100 migrants camp at Paso del Norte international bridge, wait to enter U.S. The Post reported that no formal agreement on the issue has been signed, and many details remain unresolved. López Obrador takes office Dec. 1. Before the U.S. midterm elections, President Donald Trump called the northward movement of migrants in caravans an "invasion" and ordered several thousand troops to the border to bolster border security. The Post, quoting U.S.and Mexican officials, said the deal took shape last week in Houston during a meeting between Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s incoming foreign minister, and top U.S. officials such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. The White House had no immediate comment on the Post report. The Post reported that asylum applicants at the border would have to remain in Mexico while their cases were processed through U.S. courts. That could end the system derided by Trump as “catch and release,” which has generally allowed those seeking refuge to wait on safer U.S. soil. “For now, we have agreed to this policy of Remain in Mexico,” Olga Sánchez Cordero, the top domestic policy official under López Obrador, told The Post. She called it a “short-term solution.” “The medium- and long-term solution is that people don’t migrate,” said Sánchez Cordero, the incoming interior minister. “Mexico has open arms and everything, but imagine, one caravan after another after another, that would also be a problem for us.” A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order this week blocking a Trump order that would deny protection to people who enter the country illegally seeking asylum. "Whatever the scope of the president’s authority, he may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden,” Judge Jon Tigar wrote in his order. Trump responded by blasting "Obama judges" who challenge his orders, saying such judges make the border unsafe.[SEP]MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico’s incoming interior minister said on Saturday there was “no agreement of any type between the future government of Mexico and the United States” that will require asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims move through U.S. courts. Olga Sanchez Cordero, also the top domestic policy official for president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador who takes office on Dec. 1, ruled out that Mexico would be declared a “safe third country” for asylum claimants, following a Washington Post report of a deal with the Trump administration known as “Remain in Mexico,” which quoted her calling it a “short-term solution.” The plan, according to the newspaper, foresees migrants staying in Mexico while their asylum claims in the United States are being processed, potentially ending a system President Donald Trump decries as “catch and release” that has until now often allowed those seeking refuge to wait on safer U.S. soil. “Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court. We only will allow those who come into our Country legally. Other than that our very strong policy is Catch and Detain. No “Releasing” into the U.S.,” Trump said in a tweet late Saturday that also threatened to close the U.S. southern border if necessary. Sanchez, who said the situation of migrant caravans was “very delicate,” did not explicitly rule out that Mexico could keep caravan migrants on its soil while their U.S. asylum claims are processed. But she told Reuters that plans to assume “safe third country” status were “ruled out.” If Mexico were to assume “safe third country” status, asylum seekers would be required to claim refugee status in Mexico rather than the United States. Migration activists have long argued that Mexico does not have the security conditions to offer safe haven for migrants feeling violence in Central America. The article cited Mexican officials and senior members of Lopez Obrador’s transition team and said the deal would break with long-standing asylum rules and mount a new obstacle to Central American migrants attempting to seek refuge in the United States from poverty and violence. Alison Leal Parker, U.S. managing director for Human Rights Watch, a New York-based rights organization, said the plan was “a pathetic attempt by the United States to shirk responsibility. Central Americans have faced serious harm in Mexico.” The effect, Parker said, would likely “push people fleeing for (their) lives into riskier attempts to find safety, including using criminal human smugglers who will gain power under this new policy.” Reached for comment by Reuters, incoming deputy interior minister Zoe Robledo said details of the “Remain in Mexico” scheme were still being worked out. “What we’re aiming for is that people leaving their countries due to security issues or violence can find a place to stay in Mexico if that is their decision,” Robledo said. Robledo said the incoming government wanted to find jobs for Central American migrants in sectors that are short-staffed, such as maquila assembly plants. Lopez Obrador has vowed to try to eliminate the causes of migration by creating more jobs and improving living conditions in Mexico and Central America. In exchange, he hopes Trump and the Canadian government will agree to help spur economic development in the region. Outgoing President Enrique Pena Nieto has also sought to stem the flow of migrants north by offering jobs to them, and has received backing from the private sector in his efforts. There was no immediate comment from the White House on the deal that the Washington Post said took shape last week in Houston during a meeting between Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s incoming foreign minister, and top U.S. officials including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Without confirming the deal, James McCament, Homeland Security’s Acting Under Secretary for Policy, said the U.S. government has been working since the Mexican elections with its current and incoming Mexican counterparts on trade, border policy and other issues. “We appreciate the leadership and partnership the Mexican government has shown,” McCament said. Trump has been seeking to block thousands of Central Americans traveling in caravans from entering the United States, and has ordered that immigrants who enter the country illegally from Mexico are ineligible for asylum. That order has been temporary suspended by a U.S. judge.[SEP]MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Saturday that migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border would stay in Mexico until their asylum claims were individually approved in U.S. courts, but Mexico’s incoming government denied they had struck any deal. Mexico’s incoming interior minister said there was “no agreement of any type between the future government of Mexico and the United States.” Olga Sanchez Cordero, also the top domestic policy official for president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador who takes office on Dec. 1, told Reuters that the incoming government was in talks with the United States but emphasized that they could not make any agreement since they were not yet in government. Sanchez ruled out that Mexico would be declared a “safe third country” for asylum claimants, following a Washington Post report of a deal with the Trump administration known as “Remain in Mexico,” which quoted her calling it a “short-term solution.” The plan, according to the newspaper, foresees migrants staying in Mexico while their asylum claims in the United States are being processed, potentially ending a system Trump decries as “catch and release” that has until now often allowed those seeking refuge to wait on safer U.S. soil. “Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court. We only will allow those who come into our Country legally. Other than that our very strong policy is Catch and Detain. No “Releasing” into the U.S.,” Trump said in a tweet late Saturday. “All will stay in Mexico,” Trump added in second tweet, that also threatened to close the U.S. southern border if necessary. Jenna Gilbert, managing attorney for the Los Angeles office of Human Rights First, a legal rights organization, said Trump’s plan is “outright illegal, and I’m sure the administration will once more see itself in court.” Trump has been seeking to block thousands of Central Americans traveling in caravans from entering the United States, and has ordered that immigrants who enter the country illegally from Mexico are ineligible for asylum. That order has been temporary suspended by a U.S. judge. Sanchez, who said the situation of migrant caravans was “very delicate,” did not explicitly rule out that Mexico could keep caravan migrants on its soil while their U.S. asylum claims are processed. But she told Reuters that plans to assume “safe third country” status were “ruled out.” If Mexico were to assume “safe third country” status, asylum seekers would be required to claim refugee status in Mexico rather than the United States. Migration activists have long argued that Mexico does not have the security conditions to offer safe haven for migrants feeling violence in Central America. The Washington Post article cited Mexican officials and senior members of Lopez Obrador’s transition team and said the deal would break with long-standing asylum rules and mount a new obstacle to Central American migrants attempting to seek refuge in the United States from poverty and violence. Alison Leal Parker, U.S. managing director for Human Rights Watch, a New York-based rights organization, said the plan was “a pathetic attempt by the United States to shirk responsibility. Central Americans have faced serious harm in Mexico.” The effect, Parker said, would likely “push people fleeing for (their) lives into riskier attempts to find safety, including using criminal human smugglers who will gain power under this new policy.” Mexico’s incoming deputy interior minister Zoe Robledo said details of the “Remain in Mexico” scheme were still being worked out. “What we’re aiming for is that people leaving their countries due to security issues or violence can find a place to stay in Mexico if that is their decision,” Robledo told Reuters. Robledo said the incoming government wanted to find jobs for Central American migrants in sectors that are short-staffed, such as maquila assembly plants. Lopez Obrador has vowed to try to eliminate the causes of migration by creating more jobs and improving living conditions in Mexico and Central America. In exchange, he hopes Trump and the Canadian government will agree to help spur economic development in the region. Outgoing President Enrique Pena Nieto has also sought to stem the flow of migrants north by offering jobs to them, and has received backing from the private sector in his efforts.[SEP]The Trump administration has won the support of Mexico's incoming government for a plan to remake U.S. border policy by requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims move through U.S. courts, according to Mexican officials and senior members of president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador's transition team. The agreement would break with long-standing asylum rules and place a formidable new barrier in the path of Central American migrants attempting to reach the United States and escape poverty and violence. By reaching the accord, the Trump administration has also overcome Mexico's historic reticence to deepen cooperation with the United States on an issue widely seen here as America's problem. The White House had no immediate comment. According to outlines of the plan, known as Remain in Mexico, asylum applicants at the border will have to stay in Mexico while their cases are processed, potentially ending the system Trump decries as "catch and release" that has until now generally allowed those seeking refuge to wait on safer U.S. soil. "For now, we have agreed to this policy of Remain in Mexico," said Olga Sánchez Cordero, Mexico's incoming interior minister, the top domestic policy official for López Obrador, who takes office Dec. 1. In an interview with The Washington Post, she called it a "short-term solution." "The medium- and long-term solution is that people don't migrate," Sánchez Cordero said. "Mexico has open arms and everything, but imagine, one caravan after another after another, that would also be a problem for us." While no formal agreement has been signed, and U.S. officials caution that many details must still be discussed, the incoming Mexican government is amenable to the concept of turning their country in to a waiting room for America's asylum system. While they remain anxious the deal could fall apart, U.S. officials view this as a potential breakthrough that could deter migration and the formation of additional caravans that originate in Central America and cross through Mexico to reach the United States. They have quietly engaged in sensitive talks with senior Mexican officials, attempting to offer a diplomatic counterbalance to President Donald Trump's threats and ultimatums. Alarmed by Trump's deployment of U.S. military forces to California, Arizona and Texas, and his threats to close busy border crossings, Mexican officials were further determined to take action after migrants traveling as part of a caravan forced their way onto Mexican soil last month, pushing past police blockades at the border with Guatemala. The prospect of keeping thousands of Central American asylum seekers for months or years in drug cartel-dominated Mexican border states - some of the most violent in the country - has troubled human-rights activists and others who worry that such a plan could put migrants at risk and undermine their lawful right to apply for asylum. "We have not seen a specific proposal, but any policy that would leave individuals stranded in Mexico would inevitably put people in danger," said Lee Gelernt, an ACLU attorney whose team has won several legal victories against the Trump administration's immigration initiatives in recent months. "The Administration ought to concentrate on providing a fair and lawful asylum process in the U.S. rather than inventing more and more ways to try to short-circuit it," Gelernt said. The new measures could also trigger legal challenges, though Gelernt said it was too early to comment on potential litigation. The deal took shape last week in Houston during a meeting between Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico's incoming foreign minister, and top U.S. officials such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, according to U.S. and Mexican officials. Nielsen has been fighting to keep her job since the midterms, and while Trump has told aides he plans to replace her, the president praised her this week for "trying." Dozens of U.S. asylum officers have been sent to San Diego where they will begin implementing the new procedures in coming days or weeks, according to Department of Homeland Security officials. Under the new procedures, asylum seekers arriving at the border will be given an initial screening interview to determine whether they face imminent danger by staying in Mexico. U.S. officials describing the new system on the condition of anonymity said that they will be able to process at least twice as many asylum claims as they do now because they would not be limited by detention space constraints at U.S. ports of entry. The San Ysidro port of entry in the San Diego area currently accepts about 60 to 100 asylum claims per day. Just over the border, nearly 5,000 Central Americans have arrived in Tijuana this month as part of caravan groups, and several thousand others are en route to the city, where a baseball field has been turned into a swelling tent camp. The city's mayor declared a "humanitarian crisis" Friday and said the city's taxpayers would not foot the bill for the migrants' care. A group of business leaders in the city said they have thousands of job openings at the city's assembly plants, or maquiladoras, inviting Central American migrants to work in the factories. Though wages there are a small fraction of U.S. pay, Mexican officials said the work offer was one reason they believe the Remain in Mexico plan will succeed. Across the country, there are 100,000 jobs available to Central American asylum seekers, officials said. "We want them to be included in society, that they integrate into society, that they accept the offer of employment that we are giving them," Sánchez Cordero said. "That they feel taken care of by Mexico in this very vulnerable situation." Two senior members of López Obrador's transition team said the new accord would formalize what is already occurring. By admitting so few people into the asylum process, the United States is already using Mexico as an antechamber. U.S. immigration statistics show roughly 80 percent of Central Americans pass a perfunctory "credible fear" interview after reaching the United States, but fewer than 10 percent are ultimately granted asylum by a judge. The backlog of cases in U.S. immigration courts has ballooned past 750,000, giving many asylum seekers who do not qualify a chance to remain in the country for several years while waiting to see a judge.[SEP]By Joshua Partlow and Nick Miroff | The Washington Post MEXICO CITY — The Trump administration has won the support of Mexico’s incoming government for a plan to remake U.S. border policy by requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims move through U.S. courts, according to Mexican officials and senior members of president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s transition team. The agreement would break with long-standing asylum rules and place a formidable new barrier in the path of Central American migrants attempting to reach the United States and escape poverty and violence. By reaching the accord, the Trump administration has also overcome Mexico’s historic reticence to deepen cooperation with the United States on an issue widely seen here as America’s problem. The White House had no immediate comment. According to outlines of the plan, known as Remain in Mexico, asylum applicants at the border will have to stay in Mexico while their cases are processed, potentially ending the system Trump decries as “catch and release” that has until now generally allowed those seeking refuge to wait on safer U.S. soil. “For now, we have agreed to this policy of Remain in Mexico,” said Olga Sánchez Cordero, Mexico’s incoming interior minister, the top domestic policy official for López Obrador, who takes office Dec. 1. In an interview with The Washington Post, she called it a “short-term solution.” “The medium- and long-term solution is that people don’t migrate,” Sánchez Cordero said. “Mexico has open arms and everything, but imagine, one caravan after another after another, that would also be a problem for us.” While no formal agreement has been signed, and U.S. officials caution that many details must still be discussed, the incoming Mexican government is amenable to the concept of turning their country in to a waiting room for America’s asylum system. While they remain anxious the deal could fall apart, U.S. officials view this as a potential breakthrough that could deter migration and the formation of additional caravans that originate in Central America and cross through Mexico to reach the United States. They have quietly engaged in sensitive talks with senior Mexican officials, attempting to offer a diplomatic counterbalance to President Donald Trump’s threats and ultimatums. Alarmed by Trump’s deployment of U.S. military forces to California, Arizona and Texas, and his threats to close busy border crossings, Mexican officials were further determined to take action after migrants traveling as part of a caravan forced their way onto Mexican soil last month, pushing past police blockades at the border with Guatemala. The prospect of keeping thousands of Central American asylum seekers for months or years in drug cartel-dominated Mexican border states — some of the most violent in the country — has troubled human-rights activists and others who worry that such a plan could put migrants at risk and undermine their lawful right to apply for asylum. “We have not seen a specific proposal, but any policy that would leave individuals stranded in Mexico would inevitably put people in danger,” said Lee Gelernt, an ACLU attorney whose team has won several legal victories against the Trump administration’s immigration initiatives in recent months. “The administration ought to concentrate on providing a fair and lawful asylum process in the U.S. rather than inventing more and more ways to try to short-circuit it,” Gelernt said. The new measures could also trigger legal challenges, though Gelernt said it was too early to comment on potential litigation. The deal took shape last week in Houston during a meeting between Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s incoming foreign minister, and top U.S. officials such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, according to U.S. and Mexican officials. Nielsen has been fighting to keep her job since the midterms, and while Trump has told aides he plans to replace her, the president praised her this week for “trying.” Dozens of U.S. asylum officers have been sent to San Diego where they will begin implementing the new procedures in coming days or weeks, according to Department of Homeland Security officials. Under the new procedures, asylum seekers arriving at the border will be given an initial screening interview to determine whether they face imminent danger by staying in Mexico. U.S. officials describing the new system on the condition of anonymity said that they will be able to process at least twice as many asylum claims as they do now because they would not be limited by detention space constraints at U.S. ports of entry. The San Ysidro port of entry in the San Diego area currently accepts about 60 to 100 asylum claims per day. Just over the border, nearly 5,000 Central Americans have arrived in Tijuana this month as part of caravan groups, and several thousand others are en route to the city, where a baseball field has been turned into a swelling tent camp. The city’s mayor declared a “humanitarian crisis” Friday and said the city’s taxpayers would not foot the bill for the migrants’ care. A group of business leaders in the city said they have thousands of job openings at the city’s assembly plants, or maquiladoras, inviting Central American migrants to work in the factories. Though wages there are a small fraction of U.S. pay, Mexican officials said the work offer was one reason they believe the Remain in Mexico plan will succeed. Across the country, there are 100,000 jobs available to Central American asylum seekers, officials said. “We want them to be included in society, that they integrate into society, that they accept the offer of employment that we are giving them,” Sánchez Cordero said, “that they feel taken care of by Mexico in this very vulnerable situation.” Two senior members of López Obrador’s transition team said the new accord would formalize what is already occurring. By admitting so few people into the asylum process, the United States is already using Mexico as an antechamber. U.S. immigration statistics show roughly 80 percent of Central Americans pass a perfunctory “credible fear” interview after reaching the United States, but fewer than 10 percent are ultimately granted asylum by a judge. The backlog of cases in U.S. immigration courts has ballooned past 750,000, giving many asylum seekers who do not qualify a chance to remain in the country for several years while waiting to see a judge. This gap, Department of Homeland Security officials say, amounts to a “loophole” that has invited a flood of spurious asylum claims, giving applicants a way to live and work in the United States for years. The new deal, however, could inadvertently increase illegal border-crossing attempts by discouraging asylum seekers from approaching official ports of entry. On Monday, a federal judge in California blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to render ineligible for asylum those who cross illegally, saying U.S. laws protect everyone who reaches U.S. soil. Last month, the number of people taken into U.S. custody along the Mexico border or who attempted to enter without authorization topped 60,000, the highest of Trump’s presidency. For months U.S. officials sought an accord with Mexico that would obligate asylum seekers to wait south of the border or render those who pass through the country ineligible for humanitarian protections in the United States. They have viewed such an accord as the key step to stopping the sharp increase in asylum claims, which have quadrupled since 2014. One version of the plan, known as a “Safe Third” agreement, was discussed extensively with the current government of president Enrique Peña Nieto. It would have barred Central Americans from applying for asylum in the United States, on the grounds that they would no longer face persecution after arriving in Mexico. But López Obrador’s landslide July 1 victory sunk those plans, and senior members of his transition team say a “Safe Third” is a nonstarter. Mexican officials consider the Remain in Mexico plan more palatable. It would not lock them into a formal, long-term agreement. And several Mexican officials privately acknowledge that the country’s border states are not, in fact, safe. U.S. State Department travel warnings also urge American visitors to avoid several Mexican border states. U.S. officials involved in the talks said Mexico has not asked for financial assistance to implement the new procedures, which could result in significant costs if asylum seekers are made to wait for months or years. They described the deal as a collaboration, and senior officials from both governments insisted it was not imposed upon Mexico. Both American and Mexican officials said they hoped the accord would pave the way to a broader regional cooperation aimed at stimulating job creation in Central America. “Our engagement with Mexico is, first and foremost, based on mutual respect and on a commitment to work together to find creative solutions to our shared challenges,” said Kim Breier, a senior State Department official with purview of Mexico and Latin America who participated in the talks. “As neighbors and friends, the United States and Mexico are committed to strengthening cooperation to advance the security and economic well-being of the citizens of both nations based on shared interests and respect for each country’s sovereignty and the rule of law,” Breier said in a statement. A fixture on Mexico’s left for decades, López Obrador won on populist promises to fight corruption and help the poor. Many U.S. officials assumed he would bring a more confrontational approach toward Trump and the United States. During the campaign, he was generally restrained in his criticism of Trump, repeatedly expressing a desire for a positive relationship. At times he offered harsh assessments, though: he referred to Trump as a “neo-fascist” last year as he was gearing up for his campaign, and later said that the Mexican government had been doing Washington’s “dirty work” by catching Central Americans. Since his victory in July, López Obrador and Trump have traded compliments. Sánchez Cordero said the transition team’s interactions with the Trump administration have been “surprisingly cordial.” “Trump has been very friendly, very courteous, very cordial with President López Obrador,” said Sánchez Cordero. “It’s been a very smooth relationship.” U.S. asylum officers and other immigration officials who began receiving guidance this week on the implementation of Remain in Mexico were told the new procedures could take effect imminently, but senior officials from both governments say key details remain unresolved. U.S. officials want to roll out the program at the San Diego border crossing to deal with the caravans that have become a source of frustration for Trump, but they envision it could be expanded to another five to seven crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border. Senior U.S. officials said they want more assurances on how Mexico intends to keep asylum seekers safe and to ensure they don’t get deported back to Central America before the asylum claim gets resolved. After an initial fear screening at the port of entry, the asylum seeker would wait until their scheduled court appearance before an immigration judge. Then they would be escorted to a federal courthouse by U.S. officers but would potentially have to return to Mexico again if the judge did not reach an immediate determination on their asylum claim. Under the new rules, an applicant whose asylum claim is denied would not be allowed to return to Mexico. Instead, that the person would remain in U.S. custody and face immediate deportation to their home country.[SEP]MEXICO CITY — Mexico's incoming government denied a report Saturday that it plans to allow asylum-seekers to wait in the country while their claims move through U.S. immigration courts, one of several options the Trump administration has been pursuing in negotiations for months. "There is no agreement of any sort between the incoming Mexican government and the U.S. government," future Interior Minister Olga Sanchez said in a statement. Hours earlier, The Washington Post quoted her as saying that the incoming administration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had agreed to allow migrants to stay in Mexico as a "short-term solution" while the U.S. considered their applications for asylum.Lopez Obrador will take office on Dec. 1. The statement shared with The Associated Press said the future government's principal concern related to the migrants is their well-being while in Mexico. Sanchez said the government does not plan for Mexico to become a "third safe country." The Washington Post reported Saturday that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has won support from the Mexican president-elect's team for a plan dubbed "Remain in Mexico." The newspaper also quoted Sanchez as saying: "For now, we have agreed to this policy of Remain in Mexico." Sanchez did not explain in the statement why The Washington Post had quoted her as saying there had been agreement. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. U.S. officials have said for months that they were working with Mexico to find solutions for what they have called a border crisis. Approximately 5,000 Central American migrants have arrived in recent days to Tijuana, just south of California, after making their way through Mexico via caravan. Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum on Friday declared a humanitarian crisis in his border city, which is struggling to accommodate the influx. Most of the migrants are camped inside a sports complex, where they face long wait times for food and bathrooms. Julieta Vences, a congresswoman with Lopez Obrador's Morena party who is also president of Mexico's congressional migrant affairs commission, told the AP that incoming Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has been discussing with U.S. officials how to handle a deluge of asylum claims at the border. "They're going to have to open the borders (for the migrants) to put in the request," Vences said. "They will also give us dates, on what terms they will receive the (asylum) requests and in the case that they are not beneficiaries of this status, they will have to return here," Vences said. She spoke to the AP after a visit to the crowded sports complex in Tijuana.

U.S. President Donald Trump announces that migrants seeking asylum at the southern border will wait in Mexico while their claims are processed in U.S. courts. Mexico's incoming foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard denies an agreement has been reached, and says "(no) specific proposal" has been received from the United States. Andrés Manuel López Obrador's administration will take power next Saturday, December 1.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen casts her vote for the local elections in New Taipei City, Taiwan, November 24, 2018. Chang Haoan/Pool/via REUTERS TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Saturday she was resigning as chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party after mayoral election defeats. Tsai also told a news conference that she had not accepted the resignation of her premier, William Lai, who had offered to quit earlier in the evening.[SEP]Supporters of the opposition Nationalist Party cheer in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018. Taiwan's ruling party suffered a major defeat Saturday in local elections seen as a referendum on the administration of the island's independence-leaning president amid growing economic and political pressure from China. (AP Photo) Supporters of the opposition Nationalist Party cheer in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018. Taiwan's ruling party suffered a major defeat Saturday in local elections seen as a referendum on the administration of the island's independence-leaning president amid growing economic and political pressure from China. (AP Photo) TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s ruling party was handed a major defeat in local elections Saturday that were seen as a referendum on the administration of the island’s independence-leaning president amid growing economic and political pressure from China. Soon after the results came in, President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as head of the Democratic Progressive Party. She will remain as president and her resignation will have no direct effect on the business of government, although the results bode ill for her re-election chances in two years. Rival China said the results reflected a desire of Taiwanese for better relations with the mainland. Ma Xiaoguang, the spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said his government will continue to treat Taiwan as part of China and “resolutely oppose separatist elements advocating ‘Taiwan independence’ and their activities,” according to the official Xinhua news agency. In another victory for China, voters rejected a proposal to change the name of its Olympic team to Taiwan from the current Chinese Taipei. They also approved a referendum opposing same-sex marriage in a setback to LGBT couples, though ballot initiatives in Taiwan are non-binding. The DPP lost the mayoral election to the Nationalist party in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, where it had held power for 20 years. The Nationalists also defeated the DPP in the central city of Taichung, home to much of Taiwan’s light industry, while Ko Wen-je, the independent mayor of Taipei, the capital, narrowly won a second term. The Nationalist candidate in Taipei has asked for a recount. At a brief news conference at DPP headquarters late Saturday, Tsai announced she was stepping down as DPP chair and said she had refused Premier William Lai’s resignation, saying she wanted him to continue her reform agenda. “Today, democracy taught us a lesson,” Tsai said. “We must study and accept the higher expectations of the people.” The elections for mayors and thousands of local posts were seen as a key test for Tsai’s 2-year-old administration, which has been under relentless attack from Beijing over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China. Tsai and the DPP won a landslide victory in 2016, but China swiftly responded by cutting all links with her government. Beijing has been ratcheting up pressure on the island it claims as its own territory by poaching its diplomatic partners and barring its representatives from international gatherings, while staging threatening military exercises and limiting the numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan. The Nationalists, known also as the KMT, had campaigned on their pro-business image and more accommodating line toward Beijing. Since her election, Tsai has walked a fine line on relations with China, maintaining Taiwan’s de facto independent status that the vast majority of Taiwanese support, while avoiding calls from the more radical elements of her party for moves to declare formal separation from the mainland. Taiwanese officials had warned that Beijing was seeking to sway voters through the spread of disinformation online similar to how Russia was accused of interfering in U.S. elections. Although domestic concerns were in the foreground, China played a major factor in voter sentiment, analysts said. “I think part of the reason for the vote on Saturday was concern about relations between Taiwan and mainland China,” said Huang Kwei-bo, vice dean of the international affairs college at National Chengchi University in Taipei. “Their relations have slid backward.” Saturday’s results also throw Tsai’s political future into question. While the DPP still controls the national legislature, local politicians are crucial in mobilizing support among grass-roots supporters. “I’m afraid it will be a big challenge for her in 2020,” said Gratiana Jung, senior political researcher with the Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute think tank in Taipei. Economic growth, employment and pension reforms were among key issues in the elections, which drew high turnout from the island’s 19 million voters. Government employees who feel slighted by pension cuts that took effect in July probably mobilized against Tsai’s party, Jung said. Nationalist Party Chairman Wu Den-yih told reporters Saturday that his party would keep trying to avoid diplomatic friction with China and ensure smooth two-way trade. “We hope the two sides will soon go back to a peaceful and stable trend in relations,” he said. Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists rebased their government to Taiwan in 1949 amid the civil war with Mao Zedong’s Communists. They ruled under martial law until the late 1980s, when the native Taiwanese population began to take political office, mostly through the DPP. The vote against changing the name used in international sporting events to Taiwan was seen as a test of support for independence. It was symbolic in nature, as the International Olympic Committee had ruled out a name change, which would be opposed by China. Though referendums are only advisory, the vote in favor of restricting marriage to male-female couples will likely put lawmakers in a difficult position. They face both a court order to make same-sex marriage legal by 2019 and elections in 2020.[SEP]TAIPEI: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday (Nov 24) after the pro-independence party suffered major defeats in key mid-term polls, a blow to her prospects for re-election. "As chairperson of the ruling party, I will take complete responsibility for the outcome of today's local elections," Tsai told reporters. "I resign as DPP chairperson. Our efforts weren't enough and we let down all our supporters who fought with us. I want to express our most sincere apologies." DPP lost its traditional stronghold of Kaohsiung city for the first time in 20 years, and was also defeated in the second-largest city of Taichung. The local elections were seen as a mid-term test for Tsai, as she faces a backlash over domestic reforms and concerns about deteriorating ties with China. The results of the polls, being held a little more than a year ahead of Taiwan's next presidential elections, will be closely watched in China, which claims self-ruled and proudly democratic Taiwan as its own. Both Kaohsiung and Taichung were won by the China-friendly opposition, the Kuomintang. Tsai said the DPP would reflect on the defeat, but she vowed to press on. "Continuing reforms, freedom and democracy, and protecting the country's sovereignty are the mission that the DPP would not abandon," she told reporters. Tsai said she would not accept the resignation of her premier William Lai, who had offered to quit earlier in the evening. Lai wrote on his Facebook page: "The election results showed that people are not satisfied. For this, I feel sorry, and have offered my resignation to President Tsai Ing-wen to accept political responsibility." The DPP held on in two of its other strongholds though: Tainan in the island's south and Taoyuan in the north. Votes are still being counted in Taiwan's capital Taipei, where the incumbent mayor Ko Wen-je, an independent, is in a close race with the Kuomintang's Ting Shou-chung, and the DPP is running a distant third. Taiwan television stations reported a high turn out, with some polling stations in parts of Taipei and Kaohsiung remaining open past 4pm (0800GMT) when the polls were supposed to close. Candidates fanned out across the island to press the flesh and canvass votes, and held noisy, colourful rallies that have become the hallmarks of Taiwan's vibrant democracy, in marked contrast to China where the Communist Party tolerates no dissent to its rule. Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have heightened with China conducting military drills around the island and snatching away Taiwan's dwindling number of diplomatic allies. Tsai's domestic reform initiatives, from the island's pension scheme to labour law, have also come under intense voter scrutiny recently. Confidence in the government has waned in recent months after reform moves upset both the opposition and some supporters, who said Tsai had backed away from promises to reduce the deficit and cut pollution. Underscoring Tsai's challenge are a series of public votes also held on Saturday on whether to make same-sex marriage legal, an issue which has deeply divided Taiwan. "This is a small step for myself, but a big step for mankind," Chi Chia-wei, a veteran gay rights activist who had petitioned Taiwan's constitutional court to take up the issue, told Reuters after he voted. Tsai has made little progress despite campaigning on a promise of marriage equality in the run-up to elections in 2016. In Asia's first such ruling, Taiwan's constitutional court declared in May last year that same-sex couples had the right to legally marry, and set a two-year deadline for legalisation. Voters will also be asked whether the island should join the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as Taiwan, rather than "Chinese Taipei" – the name agreed under a compromise signed in 1981. A vote to compete under a Taiwan banner would further rile Beijing, which has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Results for the referendum votes may not come out until the early hours of Sunday morning, according to election officials.[SEP]The Latest on local elections in Taiwan (all times local): Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has resigned as head of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to take responsibility for a major defeat suffered by her party in local elections. Tsai will remain as president and her resignation will have no direct effect on the business of government. At a brief news conference at DPP headquarters late Saturday following the elections, Tsai also said she had refused Premier William Lai's resignation, saying she wanted him to continue her reform agenda. Tsai said: "Today, democracy taught us a lesson. We must study and accept the higher expectations of the people." The elections for mayors and thousands of local posts are seen as a key test for the 2-year-old administration of Tsai, whom Beijing has relentlessly attacked over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China. Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party has suffered a major defeat in local elections seen as a referendum on the island's president amid growing pressure from China. Saturday's elections for mayors and thousands of local posts are a key test for the 2-year-old administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, whom Beijing has relentlessly attacked over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China. Tsai's DPP lost the mayorship to the Nationalist party in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, where it had held power for 20 years. The Nationalists ruled Taiwan for decades after it split from mainland China in 1949 amid civil war. The Nationalists also defeated the DPP in the central city of Taichung, while Ko Wen-je, the independent mayor of Taipei, the capital, appeared on track for a second term. Taiwanese have begun voting in midterm local elections seen as a referendum on the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, amid growing pressure from the island's powerful rival China. The elections that follow Tsai's landslide victory in 2016 will decide the races for 22 mayors and county magistrates along with thousands of local officials. Driven from power two years ago, the opposition Nationalists hope to regain territory by counting on their pro-business image and a more accommodating line toward Beijing. Since her election in 2016, Tsai has maintained Taiwan's de facto independent status while avoiding calls to declare formal separation from the mainland. China has been ratcheting up pressure on the island it claims as its own territory by poaching away its diplomatic partners, cutting official contacts and staging threatening military exercises.[SEP]TAIPEI, Nov 24 — Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said today she was resigning as chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party after mayoral election defeats. Tsai also told a news conference that she had not accepted the resignation of her premier, William Lai, who had offered to quit earlier in the evening. — Reuters[SEP](CNN) - Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen announced her resignation Saturday as head of the Democratic Progressive Party after the party suffered a "crushing defeat" in local government elections, according to state media. The Central News Agency reported Tsai apologized to supporters for the ruling party's "disappointing performance" in a speech at its headquarters, and she took full responsibility for the party's losses. Although she resigned as the party head, Tsai -- the first woman to be elected President of Taiwan -- will serve out the remainder of her term. The next presidential election is scheduled for January 2020. According to CNA, Tsai said while her administration is moving in the right direction, the election results were proof that the Taiwanese people are setting a higher standard for their government. The pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party is expected to undergo a "major reshuffle" soon, Tsai said, to prepare for the challenges ahead, CNA reported. Premier Lai Ching-te echoed Tsai in a Facebook post, saying the election results indicated the public's dissatisfaction with the government's performance. Lai had offered to resign earlier Saturday and take ownership of the party's defeat, but Tsai asked him to stay on as premier to ensure the continuity of the government's policies and initiatives. Tsai was elected President in a landslide victory in January 2016 after a political career mostly as an outsider. She joined the Democratic Progressive Party in 2004 and was its chairwoman by 2008. She lost her first bid for presidency in 2012 and resigned as the party head before taking the mantle back up in 2014. Tsai is a lawyer by training and first studied at National Taiwan University before continuing her studies by earning a master of law degree from Cornell University and then a doctorate from the London School of Economics. Copyright 2018 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP](TAIPEI, Taiwan) — Taiwan’s ruling party was handed a major defeat Saturday in local elections seen as a referendum on the administration of the island’s independence-leaning president amid growing economic and political pressure from China. Soon after the results came in, President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as head of the Democratic Progressive Party. She will remain as president and her resignation will have no direct effect on the business of government, although the results bode ill for her re-election chances in two years. The DPP lost the mayoral election to the Nationalist party in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, where it had held power for 20 years. The Nationalists also defeated the DPP in the central city of Taichung, home to much of Taiwan’s light industry, while Ko Wen-je, the independent mayor of Taipei, the capital, appeared on track to win a second term. At a brief news conference at DPP headquarters late Saturday, Tsai announced she was stepping down as DPP chair and said she had refused Premier William Lai’s resignation, saying she wanted him to continue her reform agenda. “Today, democracy taught us a lesson,” Tsai said. “We must study and accept the higher expectations of the people.” The elections for mayors and thousands of local posts were seen as a key test for Tsai’s 2-year-old administration, which has been under relentless attack from Beijing over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China. Tsai and the DPP won a landslide victory in 2016, but China swiftly responded by cutting all links with her government. Beijing has been ratcheting up pressure on the island it claims as its own territory by poaching its diplomatic partners and barring its representatives from international gatherings, while staging threatening military exercises and limiting the numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan. The Nationalists, known also as the KMT, had campaigned on their pro-business image and more accommodating line toward Beijing. Since her election, Tsai has walked a fine line on relations with China, maintaining Taiwan’s de facto independent status that the vast majority of Taiwanese support, while avoiding calls from the more radical elements of her party for moves to declare formal separation from the mainland. Taiwanese officials had warned that Beijing was seeking to sway voters through the spread of disinformation online similar to how Russia was accused of interfering in U.S. elections. Although domestic concerns were in the foreground, China played a major factor in voter sentiment, analysts said. “I think part of the reason for the vote on Saturday was concern about relations between Taiwan and mainland China,” said Huang Kwei-bo, vice dean of the international affairs college at National Chengchi University in Taipei. “Their relations have slid backward.” Saturday’s results also throw Tsai’s political future into question. While the DPP still controls the national legislature, local politicians are crucial in mobilizing support among grass-roots supporters. “I’m afraid it will be a big challenge for her in 2020,” said Gratiana Jung, senior political researcher with the Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute think tank in Taipei. Economic growth, employment and pension reforms were among key issues in the elections, which drew high turnout from the island’s 19 million voters. Government employees who feel slighted by pension cuts that took effect in July probably mobilized against Tsai’s party, Jung said. Nationalist Party Chairman Wu Den-yih told reporters Saturday that his party would keep trying to avoid diplomatic friction with China and ensure smooth two-way trade. “We hope the two sides will soon go back to a peaceful and stable trend in relations,” he said. Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists rebased their government to Taiwan in 1949 amid the civil war with Mao Zedong’s Communists. They ruled under martial law until the late 1980s, when the native Taiwanese population began to take political office, mostly through the DPP. Voters on Saturday also cast ballots on 10 referendums, including one on whether to amend the civil code to include same-sex marriage — which was legalized last year — and on whether to uphold a commitment to ban nuclear energy by 2025. And in a highly symbolic but potentially impactful referendum, voters were also asked whether they wish to compete in future international sporting events, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as “Taiwan” instead of “Chinese Taipei” — the name the island is required to use at China’s insistence. Although the IOC has already ruled out any changes and warned that Taiwan could even lose its accreditation, many see the vote as a test of support for independence and a means to fire up the DPP base. China has already responded. Earlier this year, it forced a vote at the Asian Olympic Committee to withdraw the right of Taichung in central Taiwan to host a youth competition scheduled for next year. The results of the referendums weren’t expected until Sunday.[SEP]TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s ruling party was handed a major defeat Saturday in local elections seen as a referendum on the administration of the island’s independence-leaning president amid growing economic and political pressure from China. Soon after the results came in, President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as head of the Democratic Progressive Party. She will remain as president and her resignation will have no direct effect on the business of government, although the results bode ill for her re-election chances in two years. The DPP lost the mayoral election to the Nationalist party in the port city of Kaohsiung, where it had held power for 20 years. The Nationalists also defeated the DPP in the city of Taichung, home to much of Taiwan’s light industry, while Ko Wen-je, the independent mayor of Taipei, the capital, appeared on track to win a second term. At a news conference at DPP headquarters late Saturday, Tsai announced she was stepping down as DPP chair and said she had refused Premier William Lai’s resignation, saying she wanted him to continue her reform agenda. “Today, democracy taught us a lesson,” Tsai said. “We must study and accept the higher expectations of the people.” The elections for mayors and thousands of local posts were seen as a key test for Tsai’s 2-year-old administration, which has been under relentless attack from Beijing over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China. Tsai and the DPP won a landslide victory in 2016, but China swiftly responded by cutting all links with her government. Beijing has been ratcheting up pressure on the island it claims as its own territory by poaching its diplomatic partners and barring its representatives from international gatherings, while staging threatening military exercises and limiting the numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan. The Nationalists had campaigned on their pro-business image and more accommodating line toward Beijing. Since her election, Tsai has walked a fine line on relations with China, maintaining Taiwan’s de facto independent status that the vast majority of Taiwanese support, while avoiding calls from the more radical elements of her party to declare formal separation from the mainland. Taiwanese officials had warned that Beijing was seeking to sway voters through the spread of disinformation online similar to how Russia was accused of interfering in U.S. elections. Ralph Jennings is an Associated Press writer.[SEP]TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan Premier William Lai said on Saturday he had offered his resignation to the president, after the ruling Democratic Progressive Party was trounced in mayoral elections. “The election results showed that people are not satisfied. For this, I feel sorry, and have offered my resignation to President Tsai Ing-wen to accept political responsibility,” he wrote in a statement on his Facebook page.[SEP]TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The Latest on local elections in Taiwan (all times local): China says the results of local elections in Taiwan, where President Tsai Ing-wen’s independence-leaning party suffered a major defeat, reflect a desire for better relations between the mainland and the self-ruled island. Ma Xiaoguang, the spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, says “we have noticed the results of the elections.” He says they reflected “the strong will of the public in Taiwan in sharing the benefits of the peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait, and desires to improve the island’s economy and people’s well-being.” He says his government will continue to treat Taiwan as part of China and “resolutely oppose separatist elements advocating ‘Taiwan independence’ and their activities.” The elections for mayors and thousands of local posts were seen as a key test for the 2-year-old administration of Tsai, whom Beijing has relentlessly attacked over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has resigned as head of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to take responsibility for a major defeat suffered by her party in local elections. Tsai will remain as president and her resignation will have no direct effect on the business of government. At a brief news conference at DPP headquarters late Saturday following the elections, Tsai also said she had refused Premier William Lai’s resignation, saying she wanted him to continue her reform agenda. Tsai said: “Today, democracy taught us a lesson. We must study and accept the higher expectations of the people.” The elections for mayors and thousands of local posts are seen as a key test for the 2-year-old administration of Tsai, whom Beijing has relentlessly attacked over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China. Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party has suffered a major defeat in local elections seen as a referendum on the island’s president amid growing pressure from China. Saturday’s elections for mayors and thousands of local posts are a key test for the 2-year-old administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, whom Beijing has relentlessly attacked over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China. Tsai’s DPP lost the mayorship to the Nationalist party in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, where it had held power for 20 years. The Nationalists ruled Taiwan for decades after it split from mainland China in 1949 amid civil war. The Nationalists also defeated the DPP in the central city of Taichung, while Ko Wen-je, the independent mayor of Taipei, the capital, appeared on track for a second term. Taiwanese have begun voting in midterm local elections seen as a referendum on the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, amid growing pressure from the island’s powerful rival China. The elections that follow Tsai’s landslide victory in 2016 will decide the races for 22 mayors and county magistrates along with thousands of local officials. Driven from power two years ago, the opposition Nationalists hope to regain territory by counting on their pro-business image and a more accommodating line toward Beijing. Since her election in 2016, Tsai has maintained Taiwan’s de facto independent status while avoiding calls to declare formal separation from the mainland. China has been ratcheting up pressure on the island it claims as its own territory by poaching away its diplomatic partners, cutting official contacts and staging threatening military exercises.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen resigns as leader of the Democratic Progressives and refuses Prime Minister William Lai's offer to quit after a major defeat in local elections.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Same-sex marriage supporters reacted as it became clear that they lost the vote Voters in Taiwan have rejected legalising same-sex marriages in a series of referendums on Saturday. They backed the definition of marriage as the union of a man and woman. Last year a high court had ruled in favour of same-sex unions, ordering legislation. The government has said it will still press on with new laws but they may now be weaker. Meanwhile, President Tsai Ing-wen quit as leader of Taiwan's governing party after defeats in local elections. Her pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost more than half of the 13 cities and counties it won in 2014. Taiwan's relations with China have deteriorated since Ms Tsai came to power in 2016. Beijing has refused to deal with her because she does not recognise an agreement reached between the two sides in 1992 that both sides are part of one China. What were voters asked about same-sex marriage? The marriage issue was actually the subject of three separate referendums on Saturday, which were put forward by rival camps. Conservative groups asked whether the current legislation - defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman in Taiwan's Civil Code - should remain unchanged, while LGBT activists asked for the marriage law to be amended to include same-sex couples. Results showed voters backed the conservative "pro-family" groups. The government had earlier said that Saturday's referendums would not affect it bringing in the changes required by the court ruling. The authorities are now expected to pass a special law, without amending the Civil Code. But campaigners fear the eventual legislation will be weaker. One possible outcome could be that gay couples are given legal protection - but not allowed to get married, correspondents say. What about President Tsai's move? At a news conference, she admitted that the DPP had suffered a series of defeats in key local elections. Image copyright Reuters Image caption President Tsai Ing-wen (centre): "We let down all our supporters" "Our efforts weren't enough and we let down all our supporters," the president said. Meanwhile the China-friendly former ruling party KMT made a dramatic comeback, winning 15 of the 22 cities and counties in Taiwan. Nearly 21,000 candidates were vying for 11,000 elected positions, from mayors to city councillors and township chiefs. A simple question of good relations Analysis by Cindy Sui in Taipei During campaigning, President Tsai and her administration accused China of meddling in the elections without providing hard evidence, often using the term fake news and promoting her party as protecting Taiwan's democracy. As in previous elections it also tried to fuel fears about China. In the end voters expressed dissatisfaction with her and her party, not only for the sluggish economy, continuing low wages and a wealth gap, but also the worsening of relations with China since she came into power in 2016. The DPP's core supporters are the 30% of Taiwanese who are adamant about independence and want it immediately. But the majority of voters want to maintain the status quo - neither independence nor unification. They simply want good relations with China and peace and prosperity for Taiwan. If President Tsai and her party refuse to change course on China, they risk losing the presidency and their majority rule in parliament in the 2020 election.[SEP]Voters in Taiwan have rejected marriage equality in a series of referendums, creating uncertainty around how the government will respond to a court ruling demanding legal recognition of same-sex unions in the country. In May last year, Taiwan’s top court ruled that the country’s marriage laws violated same-sex couples’ constitutional right to equality and set a two-year deadline for the parliament to amend the existing laws or pass new ones. But the government failed to act and after petitions from both anti- and pro-LGBTIQ groups, a series of competing public votes were held on Saturday, six months ahead of the May 2019 deadline. One called for the current definition of marriage in Taiwan’s Civil Code – recognised as between a man and a woman – to stay unchanged won more than seven million votes, passing the threshold for success, BBC News reported. And another calling for legal protections for same-sex unions under a separate law gained over six million, also passing the threshold. But a referendum by LGBTIQ advocates proposing the Civil Code be amended to define marriage to be between two people only received three million votes in favour, falling short of the number of votes needed. The Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan said they were “deeply saddened and disappointed” by the results of the referendum. “However, we would like to express our gratitude toward those who have been supporting the cause throughout the process,” the group said. Opposing group, the Coalition for the Happiness of our Next Generation, said the win was a victory for all people “who treasure family values”. The results of the referendum are a major setback for LGBTIQ advocates in the country and while the votes won’t affect the 2017 court ruling or the May 2019 deadline for change, it’s now unclear how the government will respond. LGBTIQ campaigners are concerned that establishing a separate marriage or civil partnership scheme would fail to deliver same-sex couples full equality. Human rights group Amnesty International said the results don’t change the need to provide legal recognition to same-sex unions but they “cast a shadow” on how that will be implemented. “This result is a bitter blow and a step backwards for human rights in Taiwan,” Amnesty International Taiwan’s Acting Director Annie Huang said. “However, despite this setback, we remain confident that love and equality will ultimately prevail.” Huang warned the result “must not be used as an excuse to further undermine the rights of LGBTI people.” “The Taiwanese government needs to step up and take all necessary measures to deliver equality and dignity for all, regardless of who people love,” she said.[SEP]TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Voters in Taiwan passed a referendum asking that marriage be restricted to one man and one woman, a setback to LGBT couples hoping their island will be the first place in Asia to let same-sex couples share child custody and insurance benefits. The vote on Saturday, organized by Christian groups that make up about 5 percent of Taiwan’s population and advocates of the traditional Chinese family structure, goes against a May 2017 Constitutional Court ruling. Justices told legislators then to make same-sex marriage legal within two years, a first for Asia, where religion and conservative governments normally keep the bans in place. Although the ballot initiative is advisory only, it is expected to frustrate lawmakers mindful of public opinion as they face the court deadline next year. Many legislators will stand for re-election in 2020. “The legislature has lots of choices on how to make this court order take effect,” said referendum proponent Chen Ke, a Catholic pastor in Taiwan and an opponent of same-sex marriage. People take part in a rally in support of same-sex marriage near the Presidential Office in Taipei on November 18, 2018, ahead of a landmark vote on LGBT rights on November 24. Ruling party lawmakers backed by President Tsai Ing-wen had proposed legalizing same-sex marriage in late 2016, but put their ideas aside to await the court hearing. Courts will still consider local marriage licensing offices in violation of the law by May 2019 if they refuse same-sex couples, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said last week. “The referendum is a general survey — it doesn’t have very strong legal implications,” said Shiau Hong-chi, professor of gender studies and communications management at Shih-Hsin University in Taiwan. “One way or another it has to go back to the court.” Voters approved a separate measure Saturday calling for a “different process” to protect same-sex unions. It’s viewed as an alternative to using the civil code. A third initiative, also approved, asked that schools avoid teaching LGBT “education.” “This result is a bitter blow and a step backwards for human rights in Taiwan,” Amnesty’s Taiwan-based Acting Director Annie Huang said. “However, despite this setback, we remain confident that love and equality will ultimately prevail.” Taiwanese also elected candidates from the China-friendly opposition Nationalist Party to a majority of mayoral and county magistrate posts, reversing the party’s losses in 2014.[SEP]TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan voters were set to back a referendum that defines marriage as between a man and a woman, dealing a blow to the self-ruled island’s reputation for liberalism in Asia amid a heated debate over marriage equality. In Asia’s first such ruling, Taiwan’s constitutional court declared in May 2017 that same-sex couples had the right to legally marry, and set a two-year deadline for legalization. But the island’s election authority earlier this year approved contradicting referendum petitions from both conservative and rights groups. While the election authority had not yet announced the final results of Saturday’s referendum, more than six million voters approved a series of initiatives opposing marriage equality, passing a threshold needed for a public vote. The vote presents a major defeat for rights activists who had campaigned for equal marriage. “This is a victory for all the people who support family value and the education for the next generation,” the Coalition for the Happiness of Our Next Generation, a group opposed to same-sex marriage, said in a statement. “The referendum is illegal and against the constitution, and has sharply divided and harmed the society,” the Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan said in a statement. “The result showed that most people were misled by false information from anti-gay groups,” it said. The government has said the ruling of May 2017 will not be challenged by referendum results. But the authorities are expected to enact a special law for same-sex unions after Saturday’s vote. The vote presents a challenge to President Tsai Ing-wen, who activists say has backed away from a promise of marriage equality which she made in the run-up to elections in 2016. The issue has divided Taiwan, at family dining room tables, online and on the streets, with large campaigns and rallies on both sides of the debate. Taiwan hosts the region’s largest annual gay pride parade showcasing its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.[SEP]Taipei held its annual gay pride parade on Saturday, October 27, as the government faced ongoing pressure to pass same-sex marriage legislation. This video shows activists holding a huge rainbow flag at the parade on Ketagalan Boulevard. The event, which was in its 16th year, was hailed as the largest gay pride event in Asia, Focus Taiwan reported. There were an estimated 130,000 participants. LGBTQI activists were this year calling for people to vote to support same-sex marriage legislation in a referendum on November 24, after Taiwan’s constitutional court ruled in May, 2017, that banning same-sex unions was unlawful. Credit: Chan Ya Hui via Storyful Voters in Taiwan passed a referendum asking that marriage be restricted to one man and one woman, a setback to LGBT couples hoping their island will be the first place in Asia to let same-sex couples share child custody and insurance benefits. The vote on Saturday, organised by Christian groups that make up about 5 per cent of Taiwan’s population and advocates of the traditional Chinese family structure, goes against a May 2017 Constitutional Court ruling. Justices told legislators then to make same-sex marriage legal within two years, a first for Asia, where religion and conservative governments normally keep the bans in place. Although the ballot initiative is advisory only, it is expected to frustrate politicians mindful of public opinion as they face the court deadline next year. Many legislators will stand for re-election in 2020. “The legislature has lots of choices on how to make this court order take effect,” said referendum proponent Chen Ke, a Catholic pastor in Taiwan and an opponent of same-sex marriage. Ruling party politicians backed by President Tsai Ing-wen had proposed legalising same-sex marriage in late 2016, but put their ideas aside to await the court hearing. Opposition to same-sex marriage crested after the court ruling. Courts will still consider local marriage licensing offices in violation of the law by May 2019 if they refuse same-sex couples, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said last week. “The referendum is a general survey — it doesn’t have very strong legal implications,” said Shiau Hong-chi, professor of gender studies and communications management at Shih-Hsin University in Taiwan. “One way or another it has to go back to the court.” Voters approved a separate measure on Saturday calling for a “different process” to protect same-sex unions. It’s viewed as an alternative to using the civil code. A third initiative, also approved, asked that schools avoid teaching LGBT “education.” Amnesty International told the government it needs to “deliver equality and dignity.” “This result is a bitter blow and a step backwards for human rights in Taiwan,” Amnesty’s Taiwan-based Acting Director Annie Huang said. “However, despite this setback, we remain confident that love and equality will ultimately prevail.” Taiwanese also elected candidates from the China-friendly opposition Nationalist Party to a majority of mayoral and county magistrate posts, reversing the party’s losses in 2014.[SEP]Same-sex marriage campaigners in Taiwan were dealt a blow when the country in a referendum voted to restrict marriage to being between a man and a woman. Taiwanese voters cast ballots in 10 national referendums on Saturday, including on same-sex marriage and changing the country’s name at international sporting events. Seven million voted in favour of the civil code recognising marriage as between a man and woman, while six million called for same-sex unions to be regulated under a separate law, The Guardian reported. Only three million voted in favour of giving same-sex couples equal marriage rights under the civil code. In May 2017, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage but the government has been unable to implement its top court ruling in the face of conservative opposition. The court had given the government two years to implement its order. The government had said the referendum results would not impact the court’s ruling on same-sex marriage, but the results are expected to make it more difficult for lawmakers to pass legislation. Many lawmakers are up for re-election in 2020. Taiwan also opposed changing the country’s name in international sporting competitions, Focus Taiwan reported. The country currently competes as “Chinese Taipei” at such events. Meanwhile, the country’s President Tsai Ing-wen quit as head of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party after losing two vital cities in the mayoral elections. Ahead of the elections, Tsai’s government had accused China of attempting to sway voters through fake news, which Beijing denied. The mayoral posts in Taichung and Kaohsiung cities were won by the Kuomintang party, which is more friendly towards China, according to Global News. After Tsai’s decision, China lauded Taiwan voters for her party’s defeat, claiming it showed that people wanted peace with Beijing. “The results reflected the strong will of the Taiwan public in hoping to continue to share the benefits of the peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait, and their strong wish in hoping to improve the island’s economy and people’s wellbeing,” a statement said according to Reuters.[SEP]A little less than a year and a half ago, Taiwan seemed to be on the verge of allowing same-sex marriage. In May 2017, the country’s constitutional court ruled that the island’s civil code, which stated that only a man and a woman could marry, violated constitutional guarantees and gave the legislature two years to amend it or pass new legislation. The move seemed certain to cement Taiwan’s status as a haven in Asia for LGBT activism — indeed, it could not have happened without decades of activism. Taiwan looked set to become the first country in the whole of Asia to legalize same-sex unions. However, things have not worked out quite so simply. This Saturday, the country will vote in a referendum on whether to amend the civil code to allow same-sex marriage. And despite accusations of misinformation and propaganda, conservatives have mounted a powerful campaign against Taiwan’s LGBT movement, raising the real prospect that same-sex marriage could fail to become fully legal in the country. Although Taiwan is considered one of the most open to LGBT rights of all Asian countries, one recent survey from the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation found that 77 per cent of the country was opposed to amending the civil code. To many activists, a large part of the problem lies with the government of President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). With her party’s popularity falling because of a stagnant economy and political pressure from China, the president has been hesitant to push the potentially divisive issue of same-sex marriage. Tsai once spoke in favor of marriage equality, but she has taken a neutral stance ahead of the vote, apparently hoping to appease the young voters who largely support gay marriage and the older voters who largely oppose it. “Same-sex marriage is also a reflection of the generational gap,” she said in an interview this summer. “We will bridge the differences society holds on this issue in order to propose a comprehensive bill.” Saturday’s referendum will take place on the same day as a midterm election that could be a key test of Tsai’s political leadership. And there will be a total of 10 referendums held on the day, including a geopolitically contentious vote on using the name “Taiwan” rather than “Chinese Taipei” in international sporting events — a move that could provoke anger from China. Notably, civic organizations spearheaded the same-sex marriage referendums, rather than the government. In fact, there are four separate same-sex marriage ballot issues organized by opposing organizations — two proposed by conservatives and one proposed by pro-LGBT-rights groups — as well as two separate questions about the teaching of LGBT issues to children in Taiwanese schools. There has been an avalanche of advertisements in Taiwanese media. Conservative groups have been accused of spreading misinformation about LGBT rights, running homophobic advertisements ahead of videos aimed at children on YouTube and using chat apps such as Line to spread false rumors stating that same-sex marriage will prompt a wave of HIV-positive gay men to move to Taiwan to take advantage of the country’s health care system. Taiwan has had referendums before, though none has passed. But changes to the law have meant that the threshold for approval has dropped from 50 per cent of eligible voters to 25 per cent. There’s certainly a possibility, however remote, that pro- and anti-gay marriage referendums could pass, providing a contradictory result for LGBT activists. While the referendum result can’t negate the constitutional court’s 2017 decision or the May 2019 deadline for implementing it, it could well influence what the government does next — in particular, whether it amends the civil code or proposes a new law. For many LGBT activists, the fear is that they will end up with legal same-sex unions but without full marriage equality — and that what once seemed like a great leap forward will not mark a real step in the right direction after all.[SEP]TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Voters in Taiwan passed a referendum asking that marriage be restricted to one man and one woman, a setback to LGBT couples hoping their island will be the first place in Asia to let same-sex couples share child custody and insurance benefits. The vote on Saturday, organized by Christian groups that make up about 5 percent of Taiwan's population and advocates of the traditional Chinese family structure, goes against a May 2017 Constitutional Court ruling. Justices told legislators then to make same-sex marriage legal within two years, a first for Asia where religion and conservative governments normally keep the bans in place. Although the ballot initiative is advisory only, it is expected to frustrate lawmakers mindful of public opinion as they face the court deadline next year. Many legislators will stand for re-election in 2020. "The legislature has lots of choices on how to make this court order take effect," said referendum proponent Chen Ke, a Catholic pastor in Taiwan and an opponent of same-sex marriage. Ruling party lawmakers backed by President Tsai Ing-wen had proposed legalizing same-sex marriage in late 2016, but put their ideas aside to await the court hearing. Opposition to same-sex marriage crested after the court ruling. Opponents have held rallies and mobilized votes online. FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2016, file photo, supporters of LGBT and human rights wave rainbow flags during a rally supporting a proposal to allow same-sex marriage in Taipei, Taiwan, on the World Human Rights Day. Voters in Taiwan passed on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018 a referendum asking that marriage be restricted to one man and one woman, a setback to LGBT couples hoping their island will be the first place in Asia to let same-sex couples share child custody and insurance benefits. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File) Courts will still consider local marriage licensing offices in violation of the law by May 2019, if they refuse same-sex couples, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said last week. "The referendum is a general survey, it doesn't have very strong legal implications," said Shiau Hong-chi, professor of gender studies and communications management at Shih-Hsin University in Taiwan. "One way or another it has to go back to the court." Voters approved a separate measure Saturday calling for a "different process" to protect same-sex unions. It's viewed as an alternative to using the civil code. A third initiative, also approved, asked that schools avoid teaching LGBT "education." Amnesty International told the government it needs to "deliver equality and dignity." "This result is a bitter blow and a step backwards for human rights in Taiwan," Amnesty's Taiwan-based Acting Director Annie Huang said. "However, despite this setback, we remain confident that love and equality will ultimately prevail." Taiwanese also elected candidates from the China-friendly opposition Nationalist Party to a majority of mayoral and county magistrate posts, reversing the party's losses in 2014. FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2016, file photo, a couple kiss and hold their marriage certificate during a rally supporting a proposal to allow same-sex marriage in Taipei,, Taiwan, on the World Human Rights Day. Voters in Taiwan passed on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018 a referendum asking that marriage be restricted to one man and one woman, a setback to LGBT couples hoping their island will be the first place in Asia to let same-sex couples share child custody and insurance benefits. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)[SEP]Voters in Taiwan have voted to restrict marriage to being between a man and a woman in an advisory referendum. Voters in Taiwan have voted to restrict marriage to being between a man and a woman in an advisory referendum. The referendum result has been seen as a setback to LGBT couples who were hoping their island would be the first place in Asia to let same-sex couples share child custody and insurance benefits. The vote on Saturday, organised by Christian groups that make up about 5% of Taiwan’s population and advocates of the traditional Chinese family structure, goes against a May 2017 Constitutional Court ruling. Justices told legislators then to make same-sex marriage legal within two years, a first for Asia where religion and conservative governments normally keep the bans in place. Although the ballot initiative is advisory only, it is expected to frustrate politicians who are mindful of public opinion as they face the court deadline next year. Many legislators will stand for re-election in 2020. “The legislature has lots of choices on how to make this court order take effect,” said referendum proponent Chen Ke, a Catholic pastor in Taiwan and an opponent of same-sex marriage. Ruling party politicians backed by President Tsai Ing-wen had proposed legalizing same-sex marriage in late 2016, but put their ideas aside to await the court hearing. Opposition to same-sex marriage rose after the court ruling, as opponents held rallies and mobilised votes online. Courts will still consider local marriage licensing offices in violation of the law by May 2019, if they refuse same-sex couples, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said last week. “The referendum is a general survey, it doesn’t have very strong legal implications,” said Shiau Hong-chi, professor of gender studies and communications management at Shih-Hsin University in Taiwan. “One way or another it has to go back to the court.” Voters approved a separate measure on Saturday calling for a “different process” to protect same-sex unions. Amnesty International told the government it needs to “deliver equality and dignity”. “This result is a bitter blow and a step backwards for human rights in Taiwan,” Amnesty’s Taiwan-based Acting Director Annie Huang said. “However, despite this setback, we remain confident that love and equality will ultimately prevail.”[SEP]Taipei [Taiwan], Nov 25 (ANI): A public vote held in Taiwan rejected the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the island-nation, despite a 2017 high court ruling in favour of such unions. Quoting state media, CNN reported that a question which asked "Do you agree that Civil Code regulations should restrict marriage to being between a man and a woman?" received the largest vote-share - more than seven million votes - amongst five referendum questions related to LGBT rights and education. Out of these, three questions were framed by members from conservative parties while two had been drafted by pro-LGBT activists. On the other hand, the question on same-sex marriage put forth by gay rights activists only garnered three million votes, sending a wave of disappointment amongst supporters. "The results of the referendums on Saturday indicate that the three anti-LGBTI rights motions were accepted, with up to 35 per cent of all eligible voters supporting. The two pro-LGBTI rights motions received less than 18 per cent in favour," human rights group Amnesty International mentioned. The referendum took place regardless of the high court's ruling, as the government failed to implement laws legitimising same-sex marriages in the face of resistance from conservative groups that led to the public vote. The court had given a two-year deadline to the government. "The regression of gender equality deals the most severe blow to Taiwan's democratic values," Jennifer Lu, Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan's spokesperson told Al Jazeera. Nevertheless, human rights groups including Amnesty International are rallying for marriage equality in the island nation. Amnesty tweeted, "Taiwan's referendum results rejecting marriage equality are a bitter blow but despite this setback, we remain confident that love and equality will ultimately prevail!" This is a major setback to same-sex rights in the nation, in the face of the latest local elections in Taiwan. Current President Tsai Ing-wen turned in her resignation as the chief of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after the results, where DPP was handed a crushing defeat. She will, however, serve the remainder of her term as Taiwan's President until 2020. The Kuomintang (KMT) party, which is believed to be close to the People's Republic of China, obtained a higher vote share in the elections which are being seen as a precursor to the 2020 Presidential elections. (ANI)

Referendum voters in Taiwan reject a proposal to allow same-sex marriage. A March 2017 Constitutional Court ruling found the ban on these unions unconstitutional and ordered parliament to change the law within two years. Earlier, the government said the results of this vote would not affect its complying with the court's decision.

PARIS (Reuters) - Police firing tear gas and water cannons clashed in Paris on Saturday with thousands of protesters angry over rising car fuel costs and President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies, the second weekend of “yellow vest” protests across France. As night fell, the famed Champs-Elysees avenue, where fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld switched on the red lights of Christmas just a few days ago, was still aglow with fires lit by protesters. President Emmanuel Macron thanked police forces for their” courage and professionalism” in dealing with demonstrators as calm progressively returned to the Champs Elysees. “Shame on those who attacked them ... There is no room for this violence in the Republic,” Macron said on Twitter. During the clashes a trailer was set on fire and exploded on the Champs Elysees, France’s most famous tourist mile, and a man who tried to attack fire fighters was overpowered by some of the demonstrators themselves. On the nearby Avenue de Friedland, police fired special rubber balls to control demonstrators, who carried French flags or slogans, saying “Macron, resignation” and “Macron, thief”. Around 8,000 protesters had converged on the Champs Elysees where police tried to prevent them from reaching the president’s Elysee Palace. Police officers fire a tear gas during protests against higher fuel prices, on the Champs-Elysee in Paris, France, November 24, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier Police detained 130 people in Paris and in protests in other parts of the country. Protesters are opposed to taxes Macron introduced last year on diesel and petrol which are designed to encourage people to switch to cleaner forms of transport. Alongside the tax, the government has offered incentives to buy electric vehicles. For more than a week, protesters clad in the fluorescent yellow jackets that all motorists in France must have in their cars have blocked highways across the country with burning barricades and convoys of slow-moving trucks, obstructing access to fuel depots, shopping centers and some factories. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner accused far-right leader Marine Le Pen of fanning the protests in the capital. “Ultra-right networks were very mobilized on the Champs Elysees,” he said. There were about 20 people injured on the Champs Elysees, according to police. CHALLENGE FOR MACRON Last Saturday nearly 300,000 people took part in the first yellow vest demonstrations countrywide. By early evening on Saturday, more than 106,000 demonstrators were involved in protests across France, according to the ministry. Slideshow (19 Images) The unrest is a dilemma for Macron who casts himself as a champion against climate change but has been derided as out of touch with common folk and is fighting a slump in popularity. While the movement, which has no leader, began as a backlash against higher fuel prices, it has tapped into broader frustration at the sense of a squeeze on household spending power under Macron’s 18-month-old government. Since coming to power, Macron has seen off trade union and street demonstrations against his changes to the labor rules, and overhauled the heavily indebted state rail operator. Foreign investors have largely cheered his pro-business administration.[SEP]Police officers advance during a ‘Yellow vest’ protest against higher fuel prices, on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, France, on Saturday (Reuters photo) PARIS — Police firing tear gas and water cannons clashed with protesters in Paris who are angry over rising fuel costs and President Emmanuel Macron's economic policies, the second weekend of "Yellow vest" protests across France. A trailer was set on fire and exploded on the Champs-Élysées and a man who tried to attack fire fighters was overpowered by some of the demonstrators themselves. On the nearby Avenue de Friedland, police fired special rubber balls to control demonstrators. Around 5,000 protesters had converged on the Champs-Élysées where police tried to prevent them from reaching the president's Elysée Palace nearby. Protesters sang the national anthem and waved French flags while others carried signs with slogans saying "Macron, resignation" and "Macron, thief". Police detained 22 people in Paris and at protests in other parts of the country. Protesters are opposed to taxes Macron introduced last year on diesel and petrol which are designed to encourage people to switch to cleaner forms of transport. Alongside the tax, the government has offered incentives to buy electric vehicles. For more than a week, protesters clad in the fluorescent yellow jackets that all motorists in France must have in their cars have blocked highways across the country with burning barricades and convoys of slow-moving trucks, obstructing access to fuel depots, shopping centres and some factories. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner accused far-right leader Marine Le Pen of fanning the protests in the capital. "The ultra-right is mobilised and is building barricades on the Champs-Élysées. They are progressively being neutralised and pushed back by police," he said. In a message on Twitter, Le Pen said she had questioned why no protests were being allowed in the area. "Today Mr Castaner is using this to target me. This is low and dishonest," she said. Last Saturday, when nearly 300,000 people took part in the first yellow vest demonstrations countrywide, retailers' daily revenue fell 35 per cent, according to consumer groups. By 2PM, more than 80,000 demonstrators were protesting across France, including 8,000 in Paris alone, according to figures from the interior ministry Demonstrators were blocking access to shopping malls in Bollene and Carpentras in southern France while in Dole, in eastern France, a man carrying a weapon was overpowered on a roundabout occupied by demonstrators. The unrest is a dilemma for Macron who casts himself as a champion against climate change but has been derided as out of touch with common folk and is fighting a slump in popularity. Despite calls for calm from the government, the yellow vest protests have spread to French territories abroad, including the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, where cars were set on fire. While the movement, which has no leader, began as a backlash against higher fuel prices, it has tapped into broader frustration at the sense of a squeeze on household spending power under Macron's 18-month-old government. Since coming to power, Macron has seen off trade union and street demonstrations against his changes to the labour rules, and overhauled the heavily indebted state rail operator. Foreign investors have largely cheered his pro-business administration. But political foes have dismissed him as the "president of the rich" for ending a wealth tax, and voters appear to be growing restless, with the 40-year-old president's popularity slumped at barely 20 per cent.[SEP]PARIS (AP) — The Latest on protests in France (all times local): Violent clashes between police and protesters are ongoing in the French capital, with demonstrators angry about rising fuel taxes and President Emmanuel Macron's government. Protesters burned large plywood sheets and other material in the middle of several streets in central Paris, sending up large columns of smoke. Demonstrators also hurled rocks and other projectiles at police, who responded by firing tear gas and bursts from water cannons. Police tried to push back the protesters, at times beating back demonstrators with baton strikes and dragging them away. French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has accused the far right of encouraging acts of violence and clashes with police in Paris. Marine Le Pen, the head of the National Assembly party, called on protesters to head to the Champs-Elysees earlier this week despite authorities banning all demonstrations on the avenue. Castaner's comments came as French police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse angry demonstrators in Paris, as protests and road blockades, led by drivers opposing rising fuel taxes and Emmanuel Macron's presidency, swept the nation. Castaner said that 5,000 protesters flooded the Champs-Elysees alone, with 23,000 protesters in total nationwide. But Castaner told journalists in Paris that the protest was "weakening," French police have fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators in Paris, as thousands gathered in the capital and staged road blockades across the nation to vent anger against rising fuel taxes and Emmanuel Macron's presidency. Thousands of police have been deployed nationwide to contain the demonstrations, including a tense protest at the foot of the Champs-Elysees where protesters upturned a large vehicle. Six people have been arrested. France is deploying thousands of police to try to contain nationwide protests and road blockades by drivers angry over rising fuel taxes and Emmanuel Macron's presidency. Tensions have been mounting around the grassroots movement that drew more than a quarter million people a week ago to protests across France, from Provence to Normandy and in between. A new wave of protests is planned Saturday, including beneath the Eiffel Tower. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner called for calm and promised tough police measures against unruly crowds. Paris alone is deploying some 3,000 security forces, notably around tourist-frequented areas like the Champs-Elysees, after an unauthorized attempt last week to march on the presidential palace. Two people have been killed and hundreds injured in the week of protests.[SEP]Police fired tear gas and water cannons at demonstrators in Paris as thousands took to the streets across France to protest over rising fuel taxes and Emmanuel Macron’s presidency. Tensions have been mounting around the grassroots movement which drew more than a quarter of a million people a week ago to demonstrations from Provence to Normandy and in between. Demonstrators, dubbed ‘yellow jackets’ face riot police during clashes on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, as they protest against fuel tax hikes (Kamil Zihnioglu/AP) A new wave of protests was launched on Saturday, including beneath the Eiffel Tower. On the nearby Champs-Elysees, police used water cannons and tear gas to try disperse protesters. Protesters flee as police fire tear gas during clashes on the Champs-Elysees in Paris( Kamil Zihnioglu/AP) Interior Minister Christophe Castaner had earlier called for calm and threatened tough police measures against unruly crowds. Paris alone deployed some 3,000 security forces, notably around tourist-frequented areas like the Champs-Elysees, after an unauthorised attempt last week to march on the presidential palace. Two people have been killed and hundreds of others injured in the week of protests, which are posing a big challenge to Mr Macron. Authorities are struggling because the movement has no clear leader and has attracted a motley group of people with broadly varying demands. The protesters call themselves the “yellow jackets” after the hi-vis security vests that drivers are required to keep in their vehicles. A man caused a dramatic stand-off with police on Friday when he donned a neon vest and brandished an apparent grenade at a supermarket in the western city of Angers. He was later arrested. Fuel tax protesters also took to the streets in Lyon (Laurent Cipriani/AP) Most of the protesters’ anger is targeted at Mr Macron, a pro-business centrist accused of indifference to the struggles of ordinary people. The president has defended the fuel taxes as necessary to reduce France’s dependence on fossil fuels, but promised to lay out new plans on Tuesday to make the “energy transition” easier.[SEP]'Shame on those who assaulted or intimidated citizens, journalists and politicians.... There is no place for violence in the [French] Republic,' says French President Emmanuel Macron PARIS, France – Anti-government protesters clashed with French police on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Saturday, November 24 leaving the area cloaked in tear gas and smoke from fires on a fresh day of demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron. Demonstrators wearing the yellow, high-visibility vests that symbolize their movement threw projectiles at police preventing them from moving along the famed shopping avenue, which was decked out in twinkling Christmas lights. They also built barricades in some spots, and tore down traffic lights and street signs, creating riotous scenes reminiscent of France's 1968 civil unrest, or street insurrections in the mid-19th century immortalized in paintings and movies. Police arrested 130 people, 69 of those in Paris, and 24 people were injured, 5 of them police officers including one who suffered burns to his groin, the city police department and Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said. Elsewhere, protesters took over highway toll booths to let traffic pass for free, or held go-slow vehicle processions, underlining one of their core complaints of escalating taxes on car fuel, especially diesel. Macron, targeted by protesters' calls that he resign, took to Twitter to thank police. "Shame" on those who assaulted or intimidated citizens, journalists and politicians, Macron said. "There is no place for violence in the [French] Republic." Calm returned to the streets of the capital after midnight on Saturday, with the Champs-Elysees reopening to traffic. The clean-up operation also got under way as garbage trucks were deployed and workers removed barricades along the famous avenue. The violence was on a smaller scale than a week ago when the "yellow vest" movement staged its first nationwide protest. "We're not here to beat up cops. We came because we want the government to hear us," said one protest spokeswoman, Laetitia Dewalle, 37, adding that the largely spontaneous movement denounced "violence by pseudo-protesters" on the fringes. (READ: Paris police fire tear gas, water cannon against 'yellow vest' protesters) "We have just demonstrated peacefully, and we were teargassed," said Christophe, 49, who travelled from the Isere region in eastern France with his wife to protest in the capital. The interior ministry counted 106,000 protesters across France on Saturday, with 8,000 in Paris, of whom around 5,000 were on the Champs-Elysees. That was far less than the national tally of 282,000 in the November 17 protests. Castaner said after the tumult died down that damage on the Champs-Elysees was "small". The French government cast blame for the unruly protests on far-right politician Marine Le Pen, claiming she egged them on. But Le Pen rejected that accusation saying she had "never called for any violence whatsoever" and in turn accused the government of "organizing the tension" and seeking to make her a scapegoat. Meanwhile, opposition parties on both the right and left accused the government of trying to reduce the protests to just the sporadic scenes of violence, and turning a deaf ear to the demonstrators' grievances. Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the radical left France Unbowed party who attended a separate march Saturday protesting violence against women, tweeted that the action on the streets was "a mass protest of the people" which signalled "the end for Castaner". A week ago, two people died and over 750 people, including 136 police officers, were injured in sometimes violent demonstrations that have shone a light on frustrations in many rural areas and small towns of France. The "yellow vests" hail overwhelmingly from non-urban areas of France. They feel overlooked and penalized by policies they see as being pushed through by elitist politicians in Paris. Former investment banker Macron was elected on a pledge to put more money in workers' pockets. But the effects of his pro-business reforms on unemployment and purchasing power have been limited so far. Many of the often low-income "yellow vest" protesters are particularly incensed at his decision to hike anti-pollution taxes on diesel, while scrapping a wealth tax on the rich. "I'm not just fighting against the price of fuel. It's about tax, what we pay," protester Catherine Marguier told Agence France-Presse near the village of La Gravelle in northwest France. Meanwhile, in a separate protest in the southern city of Marseille, police fired teargas at bottle-throwing demonstrators upset by the "gentrification" renovation work on the town's biggest square. Around 1,200 demonstrators took part and two were arrested. Revolts against taxes have been a feature of French public life for centuries. Citizens still pay some of the highest in Europe as a percentage of GDP, and fuel-price protests are a common modern occurrence. Previous rounds pitting the government against drivers took place in 1995, 2000, 2004, and 2008, often when tax increases coincided with high oil prices – as they have this year. A poll by the Odoxa research group for Le Figaro newspaper this week found that 77% of respondents described it as "justified". – Rappler.com[SEP]PARIS (AP) — French police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators in Paris on Saturday, as thousands gathered in the capital and staged road blockades across the nation to vent anger against rising fuel taxes and Emmanuel Macron's presidency. Thousands of police were deployed nationwide to contain the demonstrations, including a tense protest at the foot of the Champs-Elysees where protesters burned barriers and large plywood sheets, wielded placards reading "Death to Taxes" and upturned a large vehicle. There were no immediate reports of injuries in the clashes, but 18 were detained for various acts including for "throwing projectiles," Paris police told The Associated Press. "It's going to trigger a civil war and me, like most other citizens, we're all ready," said Benjamin Vrignaud, a 21-year-old protester from Chartres. The famed avenue was speckled with plumes of smoke and neon — owing to the color of the vests the myriad self-styled "yellow jacket" protesters don. French drivers are required to keep neon security vests in their vehicles. Authorities said that 5,000 protesters flooded the Champs-Elysees alone, with 23,000 protesters in total nationwide. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner denounced protesters from the far-right whom he called "rebellious," as he accused the Marine Le Pen, party leader of the National Assembly, of encouraging them. In a week of demonstrations that has dominated national news coverage, hundreds have been injured and two people were killed in accidents stemming from the protests. The Interior Ministry played down the scale of Saturday's demonstrations by highlighting that last week's protest comprised more than 100,000 protesters across the country. The unrest is proving a major challenge for embattled Macron, who's suffering in the polls and the focus of rage for the demonstrators, who accuse the pro-business centrist of indifference to the struggles of ordinary French. Macron has insisted the fuel tax rises are a necessary pain to reduce France's dependence on fossil fuels and fund renewable energy investments — a cornerstone of his reforms of the nation. He will defend fresh plans to make the "energy transition" easier on Tuesday. On Saturday, Paris deployed some 3,000 security forces, notably around tourist-frequented areas, after an unauthorized attempt last week to march on the presidential Elysee Palace. Authorities said protesters have so far not breached a no-go zone set up by authorities around key areas including the presidential palace and the National Assembly on the Left Bank of the Seine River. But authorities are struggling because the movement has no clear leader and has attracted a motley group of people with broadly varying demands. A man caused a dramatic standoff with police Friday when he donned a neon vest and brandished an apparent grenade at a supermarket in the western city of Angers. He was later arrested. Taxes on diesel fuel have gone up seven euro cents (nearly eight U.S. cents) and are to keep climbing in the coming years, Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne has said. The tax on gasoline is to increase 4 euro cents. Gasoline currently costs about 1.64 euros a liter in Paris ($7.06 a gallon), slightly more than diesel. "When tax is no longer agreed to, it's the start of revolutions in France," far left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon told BFMTV. Alex Turnbull, Chris Den Hond and Patrick Hermensen contributed to this report.[SEP]The famed Champs-Elysees, decked out in twinkling Christmas lights, was left shrouded in smoke from tear gas and fires (AFP Photo/Bertrand GUAY) Paris (AFP) - Anti-government protesters clashed with French police on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Saturday, leaving the area cloaked in tear gas and smoke from fires on a fresh day of demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron. Demonstrators wearing the yellow, high-visibility vests that symbolise their movement threw projectiles at police preventing them from moving along the famed shopping avenue, which was decked out in twinkling Christmas lights. They also built barricades in some spots, and tore down traffic lights and street signs, creating riotous scenes reminiscent of France's 1968 civil unrest, or street insurrections in the mid-19th century immortalised in paintings and movies. Police arrested 130 people, 42 of those in Paris, and 24 people were injured, five of them police officers including one who suffered burns to his groin, the city police department and Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said. Elsewhere, protesters took over highway toll booths to let traffic pass for free, or held go-slow vehicle processions, underlining one of their core complaints of escalating taxes on car fuel, especially diesel. Macron, targeted by protesters' calls that he resign, took to Twitter to thank police. "Shame" on those who assaulted or intimidated citizens, journalists and politicians, Macron said. "There is no place for violence in the (French) Republic." The violence was on a smaller scale than a week ago when the "yellow vest" movement staged its first nationwide protest. "We're not here to beat up cops. We came because we want the government to hear us," said one protest spokeswoman, Laetitia Dewalle, 37, adding that the largely spontaneous movement denounced "violence by pseudo-protesters" on the fringes. "We have just demonstrated peacefully, and we were teargassed," said Christophe, 49, who travelled from the Isere region in eastern France with his wife to protest in the capital. The interior ministry counted 106,000 protesters across France on Saturday, with 8,000 in Paris, of whom around 5,000 were on the Champs-Elysees. That was far less than the national tally of 282,000 in the November 17 protests. Castaner said after the tumult died down that damage on the Champs-Elysees was "small". The French government cast blame for the unruly protests on far-right politician Marine Le Pen, claiming she egged them on. But Le Pen rejected that accusation saying she had "never called for any violence whatsoever" and in turn accused the government of "organising the tension" and seeking to make her a scapegoat. Meanwhile opposition parties on both the right and left accused the government of trying to reduce the protests to just the sporadic scenes of violence, and turning a deaf ear to the demonstrators' grievances. Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the radical left France Unbowed who attended a separate march Saturday protesting violence against women, tweeted that the action on the streets was "a mass protest of the people" which signalled "the end for Castaner". A week ago, two people died and over 750 people, including 136 police officers, were injured in sometimes violent demonstrations that have shone a light on frustrations in many rural areas and small towns of France. The "yellow vests" hail overwhelmingly from non-urban areas of France. They feel overlooked and penalised by policies they see as being pushed through by elitist politicians in Paris. Former investment banker Macron was elected on a pledge to put more money in workers' pockets. But the effects of his pro-business reforms on unemployment and purchasing power have been limited so far. Many of the often low-income "yellow vest" protesters are particularly incensed at his decision to hike anti-pollution taxes on diesel, while scrapping a wealth tax on the rich. "I'm not just fighting against the price of fuel. It's about tax, what we pay," protester Catherine Marguier told AFP near the village of La Gravelle in northwest France. Meanwhile, in a separate protest in the southern city of Marseille, police fired teargas at bottle-throwing demonstrators upset by the "gentrification" renovation work on the town's biggest square. Around 1,200 demonstrators took part and two were arrested.[SEP]French police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators in Paris on Saturday, as thousands gathered in the capital and beyond and staged road blockades to vent anger against rising fuel taxes. Thousands of police were deployed nationwide to contain the eighth day of deadly demonstrations that started as protests against tax but morphed into a rebuke of President Emmanuel Macron and the perceived elitism of France's ruling class. Two people have been killed since Nov. 17 in protest-related tragedies. Tense clashes on the Champs-Elysees that ended by dusk Saturday saw police face off with demonstrators who burned plywood, wielded placards reading "Death to Taxes" and upturned a large vehicle. At least 19 people, including four police officers, were slightly hurt and one person had more serious injuries in the day of unrest in Paris, according to police. Macron responded in a strongly worded tweet: "Shame on those who attacked (police). Shame on those who were violent against other citizens ... No place for this violence in the Republic." Police said that dozens of protesters were detained for "throwing projectiles," among other acts. By nightfall the Champs-Elysees was smoldering and in the Place de la Madeleine, burned scooters lay on the sidewalk like blackened shells. "It's going to trigger a civil war and me, like most other citizens, we're all ready," said Benjamin Vrignaud, a 21-year-old protester from Chartres. "They take everything from us. They steal everything from us," said 21-year-old Laura Cordonnier. The famed avenue was speckled with plumes of smoke and neon — owing to the color of the vests the self-styled "yellow jacket" protesters don. French drivers are required to keep neon security vests in their vehicles. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said that 8,000 protesters flooded the Champs-Elysees at the demonstration's peak and there were nearly 106,000 protesters and 130 arrests in total nationwide. Castaner denounced protesters from the far-right whom he called "rebellious," as he accused National Assembly leader Marine Le Pen of encouraging them. But the Interior Ministry played down the scale of Saturday's demonstrations by highlighting that up to 280,000 people took part in last Saturday's protest. The unrest is proving a major challenge for embattled Macron, who's suffering in the polls. The leader, who swept to power only last year, is the focus of rage for the "yellow jacket" demonstrators who accuse the pro-business centrist of elitism and indifference to the struggles of ordinary French. Macron has so far held strong and insisted the fuel tax rises are a necessary pain to reduce France's dependence on fossil fuels and fund renewable energy investments — a cornerstone of his reforms of the nation. He will defend fresh plans to make the "energy transition" easier next week. Paris deployed some 3,000 security forces on Saturday, notably around tourist-frequented areas, after an unauthorized attempt last week to march on the presidential Elysee Palace. Police officials said that a no-go zone, set up around key areas including the presidential palace and the National Assembly on the Left Bank of the Seine River, has not been breached. But authorities are struggling because the movement has no clear leader and has attracted a motley group of people with broadly varying demands. The anger is mainly over a hike in the diesel fuel tax, which has gone up seven euro cents per liter (nearly 30 U.S. cents per gallon) and will keep climbing in coming years, according to Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne. The tax on gasoline is also to increase four euro cents. Gasoline currently costs about 1.64 euros a liter in Paris ($7.06 a gallon), slightly more than diesel. Far left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon explained to BFMTV the historical importance of this issue in the Gallic mindset: "When tax is no longer agreed to, it's the start of revolutions in France." Chris Den Hond and Patrick Hermensen contributed to this report.[SEP]Police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators in Paris as thousands gathered in the capital and staged road blockades across France to vent anger against rising fuel taxes and Emmanuel Macron’s presidency. Thousands of police were deployed nationwide to contain the demonstrations, including a tense protest at the foot of the Champs-Elysees where protesters wielded placards reading “Death to Taxes” and upturned a large vehicle. No-one was injured in the clashes, but six were arrested for “throwing projectiles”,Paris Police told the Associated Press. “It’s going to trigger a civil war and me, like most other citizens, we’re all ready,” said Benjamin Vrignaud, a 21-year-old protester from Chartres. The famous avenue was dotted from early morning with neon – owing to the hi-vis vests the myriad self-styled “yellow jacket” protesters wear. French drivers are required to keep neon security vests in their vehicles. Five thousand protesters flooded the Champs-Elysees alone, with 23,000 protesters in total nationwide, according to Interior Minister Christophe Castaner. In a week of demonstrations that has dominated national news coverage, hundreds have been injured and two people died in accidents stemming from the protests. The unrest is proving a major challenge for embattled Mr Macron, who is suffering in the polls and the focus of rage for the demonstrators, who accuse the pro-business centrist of indifference to the struggles of ordinary French people. Mr Macron has insisted that the fuel tax rises are a necessary pain to reduce France’s dependence on fossil fuels and fund renewable energy investments, which is a cornerstone of his reforms of the nation. He will defend fresh plans to make the “energy transition” easier on Tuesday. On Saturday, Paris deployed some 3,000 security forces, notably around tourist-frequented areas, after an unauthorized attempt last week to march on the presidential Elysee Palace. Authorities said protesters have so far not breached a no-go zone set up by authorities around key areas including the presidential palace and the National Assembly on the Left Bank of the Seine River. But authorities are struggling because the movement has no clear leader and has attracted a motley group of people with broadly varying demands. A man caused a dramatic stand-off with police on Friday when he donned a neon vest and brandished an apparent grenade at a supermarket in the western city of Angers. He was later arrested.[SEP]Police fired teared gas and used water cannons Saturday to disperse protestors in Paris who are demonstrating for a second weekend against rising fuel prices. The so-called “Yellow Jacket” activists, named after the neon vest worn by motorists during roadside emergencies, are calling on French President Emmanuel Macron to step back from planned hike of taxes on gasoline. While the mass movement focuses on the gas tax, it highlights a broader array of frustrations with Macron. The French president was already struggling with approval scores in the mid-twenties and an underperforming economy before protests began. His popularity has slipped to a new low, according to an opinion poll published Friday, which found only 26 percent of French people had a favorable opinion of Macron. The French president is attempting to re-focus frustration with the tax onto rising global oil prices. Police and government officials are increasingly concerned that far-right and far-left extremists are infiltrating the grassroots protesters, inciting violence. By early Saturday afternoon, there were about 23,000 protesters across the country, out of which 8,000 in Paris, Le Monde reported. Around 30,000 people are expected to protest in the French capital alone, Reuters reported. Some protesters sang the national anthem while others carried signs with slogans saying “Macron, resignation” and “Macron, thief.” Video footage showed thousands of protesters marching on the Champs-Élysées avenue, with firetrucks rushing to a vehicle demonstrators set on fire. French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner spoke about a “mobilization of the extreme right” and said that security forces had anticipated the development. About 280,000 took to the streets last weekend. Police detained a man wearing an explosive device Friday night in Western France after he demanded that Yellow Jacket activists be given an audience with Macron. Read this next: Pedro Sánchez: EU summit in doubt if no Gibraltar deal

Violent clashes between French police and protesters last well into the night on the Champs-Élysées in Paris over rising fuel taxes.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied allegations Russia was behind the Salisbury spy poisoning Russia is now a "far greater threat" to the UK's national security than the Islamic State group, the head of the British army has said. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, General Mark Carleton-Smith said Britain "cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses". "The Russians seek to exploit vulnerability and weakness wherever they detect it," he said. The UK blames Russia for the Salisbury poisoning and several cyber-attacks. In March, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal - who sold secrets to MI6 - and his daughter Yulia survived being poisoned with Novichok. Dawn Sturgess, 44, was later exposed to the same nerve agent and died in hospital. Gen Carleton-Smith's comments follow similar remarks made earlier this year by the UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson. In October, the UK government also accused Russia's GRU military intelligence service of being behind four high-profile cyber-attacks on targets including the US Democratic Party and a small TV network in Britain. Russia denies any involvement in the Skripal poisoning and has described cyber-attack accusations as a "rich fantasy". Image copyright EPA/ Yulia Skripal/Facebook Image caption Mr Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious In his first interview since being appointed Chief of the General Staff in June, Gen Carleton-Smith said Russia is "indisputably" a bigger threat than Islamic terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and IS. "Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare," he said. "We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested." The Russian Embassy responded by poking fun at his comments. The 54-year-old former SAS commander graduated from Sandhurst military academy in the final years of the Cold War. He led the search for Osama bin Laden following the 9/11 terror attacks and was at the forefront of Britain's role in the campaign to combat IS in Iraq and Syria. Image copyright Crown Copyright 2016 Image caption Gen Carleton-Smith said the physical manifestation of the Islamist threat has diminished Russia has previously been condemned by world leaders over its annexation of Crimea and role in the conflict in Ukraine. Moscow has also been accused of meddling in the 2016 US presidential election - which President Vladimir Putin and other top Russian officials have repeatedly denied. Image copyright Metropolitan Police Image caption CCTV shows two suspects in the Salisbury poisoning, who the UK believes are from Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU Mr Putin also rejects the UK's allegations that the two suspects in the Skripal poisoning were GRU operatives. Russia has accused the British authorities of Russophobia, misleading the international community and UK citizens and of "disgusting anti-Russian hysteria". Read more:[SEP]General Mark Carleton-Smith, the head of the British army, has said that Russia was now a “far greater threat” to the UK’s national security than the Islamic State (IS) terror group, the media reported on Saturday. In his first interview since being appointed Chief of the General Staff in June, Gen Carleton-Smith said Russia was “indisputably” a bigger threat than Islamic terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and IS, the BBC reported. “Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare,” he said. “We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested.” Read also| 14,000 unaccompanied immigrant children in US custody The 54-year-old former SAS commander led the search for slain Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks and was at the forefront of Britain’s role in the campaign to combat the IS in Iraq and Syria. The UK has blamed Russia for the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury earlier this year. In October, the British government accused Russia’s GRU military intelligence service of being behind four high-profile cyber-attacks on targets including the US Democratic Party and a small TV network in Britain. Russia denies any involvement in the spy poisoning and has described the cyber-attack accusations as a “rich fantasy”.[SEP]Russia is a "far greater threat" to Britain's national security than Islamic terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS), the new head of the British Army has warned. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph published on November 23, General Mark Carleton-Smith said Britain and its allies "cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses." He made the comments at a time of heightened tensions between the West and Russia over issues including Moscow's aggression in Ukraine, its alleged election meddling in the United States and Europe, massive international cyberattacks, and the poisoning of a Russian double agent and his daughter in Britain. "Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats" such as Al-Qaeda and IS, Carleton-Smith said in his first interview since becoming chief of Britain's General Staff in June. The 54-year-old former SAS commander said Moscow had "embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the nontraditional areas of cyber-, space, undersea warfare." With the threat from Islamist groups in the Middle East now reduced, the focus needs to shift to Russia, the British general also said, warning, "We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested." In October, U.K. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson accused Russia of acting like a "pariah state," whose "reckless and indiscriminate" attacks had left it isolated in the international community. The Russian Foreign Ministry described the accusations as "fantasy." Britain and most of the West has blamed Russia for a nerve-agent attack on Russian former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in the English city of Salisbury in March. Moscow denies any involvement. The Skripals survived the poisoning, which used a Soviet-made military nerve agent known as Novichok. Two other British citizens were exposed to the nerve agent in June, apparently by accident; one of them, Dawn Sturgess, died. With reporting by the Daily Telegraph, the BBC, and Press Association[SEP]Britain’s new chief of the General Staff says Moscow is now a greater threat than ISIS. The new Army chief Gen. Mark Carleton-Smith warns that Russia is now “indisputably” a greater threat to the security of Britain and her allies than Islamist extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State His comments come as ISIS is on the retreat in the Middle East and the mantra of ‘evil Russia’ is making a comeback in the hearts and minds of British strategists. RT reports: Apart from posing a conventional military threat, he also believes that Moscow is seeking to exploit Western vulnerabilities in cyberspace and in space. Moscow has demonstrated that it is “prepared to use military force to secure and expand its own national interests,” he told the Telegraph. Head-chopping Islamists apparently pale in comparison. Carleton-Smith was speaking after visiting UK soldiers deployed to the Baltic country of Estonia, where ‘Russia scare’proponents have also been known to raise a few eyebrows. The general provided some clues as to why the so-called “Russia threat” has risen back to the top. “The physical manifestation of the Islamist threat has diminished with the complete destruction of the geography of the so-called Caliphate,” he said, recommending that the London and its allies focus their attention on Russia. Carleton-Smith, who led the 22nd SAS regiment during the Western-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, has outlined what a “conventional military response” to Moscow would be – “the capabilities and coherence of the NATO alliance.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov fired back on Saturday, saying:“That’s the worldview of a country that has spelt out its right to use force arbitrarily regardless of UN Security Council resolutions.” In fact, some would argue that fanning fears over ‘evil Russia’ are instrumental in explaining or justifying increased defense spending. It wouldn’t be the first time the UK establishment has done so.[SEP]General Mark Carleton-Smith, the new Chief of General Staff for the British Army says that Russia poses a much bigger threat to the country’s security than Islamic extremist groups. And the Army boss has warned Britain not to the “complacent” about the threat. General Carleton-Smith told the Telegraph: “Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as Al Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). “Russia has demonstrated that it is prepared to use military force to secure and expand its own national interests. The Russians seek to exploit vulnerability and weakness wherever they detect it. “Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare. “We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested.” General Carleton-Smith said that with the destruction if ISIS territories in Iraq and Syria the threat to British security had evolved. He added: “The physical manifestation of the Islamist threat has diminished with the complete destruction of the geography of the so-called Caliphate." Russia came under fire in March this year when former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were exposed to the deadly chemical Novichok, which left them critically ill for weeks. The pair were found passed out on a bench in Salisbury after coming into contact with the chemical but despite allegations that the pair were targeted by Russia, Vladimir Putin said the idea that the Kremlin had anything to do with the attack was “nonsense”. Two suspects were named by police for attempting to assassinate Sergei and Yulia Skripal but escaped back to Russia before they could be found guilty. The married father-of-two, who issued the warning about Russia, began his military career in 1982 with operational service in Northern Ireland and the first Gulf War before he serving with the SAS in Bosnia. He was awarded an MBE for his service in Kosovo before becoming an SAS Commanding Officer in 2002 and then commanded a brigade in Afghanistan and from 2012-2015 served as director special forces and deputy chief of the defence staff.[SEP]Russia ‘indisputably’ poses a far greater threat to national security than Islamic terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and Isis, the new head of the British Army has warned. General Mark Carleton-Smith said the UK cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses ‘or leave it uncontested’. The former SAS commander said Russia had made plain its preparedness to use force to expand its interests, while it had also been ‘systematic’ in its efforts to exploit cyber, space and undersea military arenas. ‘The Russians seek to exploit vulnerability and weakness wherever they detect it,’ he told the Daily Telegraph. ‘Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as al-Qaeda and Isil (also known as Isis).’ Gen Carleton-Smith, who graduated from Sandhurst in the final years of the Cold War, took over as chief of the general staff in June. He led the hunt for Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 terror attacks and later spearheaded Britain’s role in the campaign to defeat Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Now, with the threat from Islamist groups in the Middle East reduced by years of concerted international military action, the focus needs to shift to Russia, he said. ‘We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested,’ Gen Carleton-Smith warned. Russia has been the subject of international condemnation over its annexation of Crimea and continued involvement in conflict in Ukraine that also saw it blamed for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. The Kremlin has also been accused of aggression in cyber space, including meddling in the 2016 US election and attacks on a number of Western interests. Its military intelligence unit, the GRU, is suspected of having a global reach and has been accused of being responsible for the nerve agent attack in Salisbury. In October Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson accused Russia of acting like a ‘pariah state’. Countering Russia’s suspected efforts to destabilise the established world order has led to debate over the role of Nato – including president Donald Trump’s threats over the US’ contribution – and suggestions of other means of international cooperation. Earlier this month French president Emmanuel Macron called for the creation of a ‘true European army’ to make up for any loss of support from Washington. Gen Carleton-Smith said he would not support any initiative that ‘diluted’ the military effectiveness of Nato. He said the alliance represents the ‘centre of gravity of European security’ and insisted it has been ‘extraordinarily successful’. ‘In my experience, we should reinforce success,’ he said.[SEP]Russia is now “indisputably” a greater threat to the security of Britain and her allies than Islamist extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil), the new Army chief has warned. Apart from posing a conventional military threat, the Russians are constantly seeking to undermine the West by developing new war-fighting capabilities in non-conventional areas such as cyber and space. Speaking in his first interview since his appointment as the Chief of the General Staff, Gen Mark Carleton-Smith, 54, said it was vital that Britain and its allies were not complacent about the threat Russia posed. “Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national...[SEP]"Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as al-Qaeda and Isil[Daesh]," Carleton-Smith said in an interview with The Telegraph newspaper released late on Friday. "Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare… We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested. The most important conventional military response to Russia is the continued capabilities and coherence of the NATO alliance," Carleton-Smith argued. Russia has repeatedly said it did not plan to attack any NATO member. Moscow has suggested that the alleged Russian aggression was used as a pretext by the military alliance to boost its military build-up near the Russian border.[SEP]Russia is a "far greater threat" to Britain's national security than Islamic terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS), the new head of the British Army has warned.In an interview with The Daily Telegraph published on November 23, General Mark Carleton-Smith said Britain and its allies "cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses."The Russian Embassy in London responded to the comments with a tweet on November 24, saying "Army chief doesn't care about [IS]? Great global strategic vision!"Carleton-Smith made the comments at a time of heightened tensions between the West and Russia over issues including Moscow's aggression in Ukraine, its alleged election meddling in the United States and Europe, massive international cyberattacks, and the poisoning of a Russian double agent and his daughter in Britain."Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats" such as Al-Qaeda and IS, Carleton-Smith said in his first interview since becoming chief of Britain's General Staff in June.The 54-year-old former SAS commander said Moscow had "embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the nontraditional areas of cyber-, space, undersea warfare."With the threat from Islamist groups in the Middle East now reduced,, the British general also said, warning, "We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested."During a visit to Lisbon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also poked fun at the remarks, saying, "We cannot influence the British government's decisions as to whom they trust to head its armed forces," according to the Interfax news agency."I hope they check the appropriateness of such decisions," Lavrov added.In October, U.K. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson accused Russia of acting like a " pariah state ," whose "reckless and indiscriminate" attacks had left it isolated in the international community.The Russian Foreign Ministry described the accusations as "fantasy."Britain and most of the West has blamed Russia for a nerve-agent attack on Russian former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in the English city of Salisbury in March. Moscow denies any involvement.The Skripals survived the poisoning, which used a Soviet-made military nerve agent known as Novichok.Two other British citizens were exposed to the nerve agent in June, apparently by accident; one of them, Dawn Sturgess, died.[SEP]Russia “indisputably” now poses a bigger threat to Britain’s security than terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda, the head of the British army said in an interview published Saturday. General Mark Carleton-Smith warned Moscow had shown a willingness to use its military to pursue its national interests while seeking to “exploit Western vulnerabilities”. “Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as Al-Qaeda and (IS),” he told The Daily Telegraph. “Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare.” Relations between Russia and Britain have sunk to historic lows this year. London has blamed the country’s military intelligence service for orchestrating the poisoning with a nerve agent of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury in March. The incident prompted a wave of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions between Moscow and the West, as well as a ratcheting up of US sanctions. Carleton-Smith, 54, said following IS battlefield loses in Syria and Iraq, the Western alliance must switch focus to the threat posed by Russia -- and do so through NATO. “The physical manifestation of the Islamist threat has diminished with the complete destruction of the geography of the so-called Caliphate,” he said. “We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested. “The most important conventional military response to Russia is the continued capabilities and coherence of the NATO alliance.” The former special forces commander was speaking in his first interview since becoming Britain’s chief of the general staff in June. He made the comments after visiting British troops deployed in Estonia as part of a NATO battle group intended to deter aggression from neighbouring Russia. Carleton-Smith also took the opportunity to downplay the need for a separate European army, as recently encouraged by French President Emmanuel Macron. “I would not support any initiative that diluted the military effectiveness of NATO,” he said. “It has been an extraordinarily successful alliance and, in my experience, we should reinforce success.”

The British Army Chief of the General Staff, Mark Carleton-Smith, says Russia is a "far greater threat" to the United Kingdom's national security than the Islamic State.

For the eleventh game of the World Chess Championship Match, world champion, Magnus Carlsen switched his opening once again and went for 1.e4. His challenger, Fabiano Caruana could not have been happier as he got to play his favourite Petroff Defence. With black, Caruana neutralized the position comfortably to steer the game to a draw in just a little over 2 hours, leaving the match score tied at 5½-all. In terms of time, this was the shortest game of the match. The penultimate installment of the match had begun on a humourous note after Carlsen’s former world title challenger, Sergey Karjakin, played 1.b4 as the ceremonial first move. Karjakin, who happened to be with his wife in London, had been invited to open the game. Soon afterwards, Karjakin took to Twitter to thank his partners in crime, Viswanathan Anand and Chess.com journalist, Maria Emelianova. After the move had evoked laughter from all around (since the broadcast had begun by the time the move was made), Carlsen replaced it with his choice of 1.e4. In the Petroff Defence that ensued, the world champ did not repeat the 3.Nd3 side line which he had played Game 6 but instead, chose the main line with 5.Nc3. This usually leads to a fierce game with players castling on opposite wing. This game was no exception. Kings soon went opposite ways. For the first seven moves, the players followed the line they had discussed previously at the Sinquefield Cup. Caruana was the first to deviate this time with 7…0-0 (instead of 7…Nc6 that was played at the Sinquefield Cup). While the opening did allude to an exciting game, Carlsen decided to put the brakes on with his 13.c4 by offering a trade of queens. After Caruana took the exchange, the sting was out of the position. More exchanges followed as Carlsen went for 15.Nh4 and by the 25th move, the players were left in a dead equal endgame with bishops of opposite colour. Carlsen pressed on in the endgame, trying to draw blood out of stone. His inspiration, he said, was the 1975 game between Ljubomir Ljubojevic and Anatoly Karpov played in Milan, Italy, where the former world champion managed to pull out a win from a similar position. “I don’t think there is anything real. I mean, every chess player knows the game Ljubojevic-Karpov in which Karpov won some ending like this. But yeah, the drawing margin is very high.” While the position didn’t offer much, Carlsen tried a few tactical tricks to see if the challenger fell for any. But Caruana had also foreseen these tactical resources and made no mistake defending against them and by the 55th move, after Carlsen’s last tactical threat had been parried successfully, a draw was agreed. After the game, Carlsen praised his challenger’s opening preparation. “He’s been very well prepared so far and I haven’t gotten much with white. I mean, and those are the cold, hard facts.” Another interesting detail was Carlsen’s admission of having been caught off guard by Caruana’s opening. But then, this exact variation of the Petroff had been mentioned in the infamous leaked video that contained Caruana’s preparation details. “Yeah, the Nd7-Nf6 line was there (in the video), obviously, but he managed to surprise me nevertheless. If that was, indeed, some king of gambit, it worked well,” Carlsen said. In the last remaining game of the match, it will be the challenger, Fabiano Caruana, who will have the white pieces. If the final game is also drawn, the winner will be determined via a tiebreak in faster time controls. In his previous world championship match against Karjakin, Carlsen had voluntarily gone into the tiebreaks and had emerged victorious. Back then, however, it was Carlsen who had the white pieces in the final game. Answering whether this will make a difference, Carlsen said, “Psychologically, it’s a difference obviously. We’ll see what happens, but if that’s the situation, I would prefer to be white tomorrow.” Caruana said he expects the final game to be a tough one. “What can I say, it’s going to be a tough game. At this point, the tension is sort of at its peak. If I knew what would happen, I would tell you.” Sunday will be another rest day in London. Play will resume on Monday at 8:30 PM IST.[SEP]What term do you want to search? Search with google[SEP]Hello and welcome to today’s 11th game of the world chess championship between Norway’s Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana of the United States. Play resumes today after with the best-of-12-games match deadlocked at 5-all following 10 draws in as many games, no closer to a verdict than when we started. We have, however, borne witness to a bit of history: the longest streak of games to open a match without a decisive result in the recognized 132-year history of world championship matches. A brief refresher on how we got here: Game 1 was a grueling seven-hour, 115-move staredown, where Carlsen nearly become the first defending champion to win the opening game of a world championship with the black pieces in 37 years. The next four contests – Game 2, Game 3, Game 4 and Game 5 – were mostly safer, straightforward affairs where Caruana was able to get his teeth in the match. The tension ramped up in Game 6 when Carlsen was outplayed by Caruana in the middlegame and pushed to the limit before saving a draw with incredibly precise defending. They played to another draw in Sunday’s Game 7, a result that left the champion lamenting his gun-shy play as white. In Monday’s Game 8, Carlsen found himself down nearly an hour on the clock facing a dangerous position as black, until one false step by the American allowed him to hold. It was Caruana’s turn to suffer in Game 9 until he was bailed out by a Carlsen inaccuracy. Then came Thursday’s Game 10, where Caruana found himself on the brink once more until Carlsen overextended himself and was made to “grovel” for a draw. Ten games. Ten draws. Will today be the day that first blood is finally drawn? We’ll soon find out when Carlsen makes the first move as white at the top of the hour.[SEP]The penultimate scheduled contest of Magnus Carlsen’s world championship title defense against Fabiano Caruana fizzled out practically before liftoff on Saturday, ending in a simple two-and-a-quarter-hour draw to leave their best-of-12-games match knotted at 5½-all with one game remaining. “I’m not thrilled, obviously,” the 27-year-old champion from Norway said. “I got surprised in the opening and just decided to shut it down. It wasn’t great but it’s no disaster. Now I’ve just got to play well in one more classical and see what happens.” Carlsen, as white, played into Caruana’s Petroff with an opening line that paralleled their August meeting at the Sinquefield Cup, which ended in a draw. The American challenger and world No 2 was first to deviate, castling on the kingside (7. O-O) instead of the Nc6 he’d played in St Louis. A briefly promising double-edge position took shape with (8. Qd2 Nd7 9. O-O-O Nf6 10. Bd3 c5), but Carlsen expended 23 minutes on his next two moves (11. Rhe1 Be6 12. Kb1 Qa5) and admitted he’d been thrown for a curve once more by Caruana’s exhaustively researched opening preparation and not for the first time during the fortnight. Eventually the champion offered up a queen exchange with 13. c4 and the ladies were off the board (13. ... Qxd2 14. Bxd2), abruptly stripping the tension from the affair. “I wasn’t pleased from the opening and then after that I just wanted to play it safe,” Carlsen said. “I was trying to push a little bit, but it’s nothing real. In this match situation I thought there was no reason to go crazy.” The action soon entered an opposite-colored bishop endgame which Caruana held with no problems before consenting to a 55-move draw after two hours and 13 minutes, the shortest game of the match so far. The 11 straight draws represent the longest streak of games to open a match without a decisive result in the recognized 132-year history of world championship play. The previous mark was set during the 1995 match between Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand, which started with eight consecutive draws before Kasparov broke through en route to a 10½-7½ victory. The players will look forward to another rest day on Sunday before the competition resumes on Monday at the College in Holborn with Game 12, where a decisive result could lift the winner over the 6½-point threshold and decide an outright winner in the €1m ($1.14m) showdown. “There’s a lot riding on the last game,” said the 26-year-old Caruana, who will play with the white pieces in a one-off that could make him only the second American-born player to capture the world championship after Bobby Fischer in 1972. “It will be very tense for both of us. I’m not going to go crazy or anything, of course, but I will try to put pressure on him.” He added: “What can I say? It’s going to be a tough game. At this point the tension is sort of at its peak. If I knew what would happen I would tell you.” Should Monday’s final classical game end in another bloodless result, Carlsen will be a prohibitive favorite in Wednesday’s tie-breaker, which consists of a series of games under tighter time controls. The Norwegian, who in addition to his No 1 ranking is the world’s top rated rapid player and top rated blitz player (compared to Caruana’s respective ratings of No 8 and No 16), is unbeaten in tie-breakers over the last 13 years. “We’ll see what happens,” said Carlsen, who extended a career-high streak of 16 straight draws stretching back to last month’s European Club Cup in Porto Carras, Greece. “A lot depends on what (Caruana) wants to do. If he wants to shut it down then that’s fine by me, we’ll play rapid (on Wednesday).[SEP]With his last chance to command the white pieces in a regulation game in the World Chess Championship, defending champion Magnus Carlsen was unable to drum up any attacking chances. Game 11 — like the 10 that preceded it — ended in a draw. Carlsen’s challenger, Fabiano Caruana, defended admirably and the two are tied 5.5-5.5 with one regulation game to go. Saturday’s game began with the Petroff Defense, Caruana’s favorite opening with the black pieces. Not surprisingly, this was familiar mental territory for the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world. Within 90 seconds, they’d blitzed out their first 10 moves, arriving at the position below. This specific choice of opening was interesting for two reasons. One, Sergey Karjakin, the 2016 championship challenger, won a game with the white pieces from this exact position in 2016, against the elite Indian grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna. Two, the infamous deleted video that appeared to show secret aspects of Caruana’s pre-match preparation once again reared its head. That video showed a laptop screen with a variation of the Petroff that included the move “9…Nf6.” And indeed, on his ninth move, Caruana moved his knight to the f6 square. But little else was interesting on Saturday. That “leaked” variation led to nothing sharp from either player and the secretive preparation unleashed no interesting secrets. Karjakin happened to be in attendance at the venue in London on Saturday, and he provided some early commentary for the viewers that has also become the mantric chant of this match: “It looks very drawish,” he said. He was right. The queens came off the board by the 14th move. Only a pair of bishops and some pawns remained by the 26th. Thirty fruitless moves later, Carlsen and Caruana shook hands. This is what an uneventful world championship draw looks like at high speeds. Come for the Petroff, stay for the bishop dance. “Not much really happened today,” Caruana said after the game, to a bit of uncomfortable laughter from the crowd. While Caruana may have very briefly felt some unpleasantness in the middlegame, “he may suffer successfully,” said Sam Shankland, the U.S. national champion, on a Chess.com broadcast. (To suffer successfully — what a lovely idea.) And indeed Caruana did. Indeed we all have over these past two weeks. Here’s exactly how, according to the computer’s unblinking eye: “Chess in its present form will die the death of the draw,” wrote Emanuel Lasker, a former world champion, nearly 100 years ago. Yet here we are! Draws “are ingrained in the fabric of the game, a part of chess theory and culture,” another former national champ, Joel Benjamin, wrote in 2006. “Grandmasters play the opening better and make fewer mistakes. Willpower alone cannot ensure a decisive result.” There is an austere beauty in the equilibrium of draws that this match has reached: Two goliaths, pushing each other with all their might, yet moving nowhere. At any moment, though, the ground can shift. The mounting draws bring both good and bad news for the American challenger. On one hand, Caruana has proved beyond a doubt his ability to hang with and even outplay Carlsen, perhaps the best player of all time, in lengthy games under the sport’s brightest lights. On the other, should the match remain tied after the final game, the two will move on to speedier tie-breaking games. I wrote about what those look like in 2016. Carlsen is rated No. 1 in the world in both speedy chess formats that will be used, and he is almost universally thought to be a heavy favorite in the tiebreaker. The match rests tomorrow. Game 12 — the final game of regulation and in which Caruana will have the white pieces — begins Monday at 10 a.m. Eastern. The tie-breaking games, if necessary, will happen on Tuesday. I’ll be covering it all here and on Twitter.[SEP]Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, the world’s top two grandmasters, spent Thanksgiving in London in a soundproof glass box, staring at a small table, guzzling bottled water and continuing their deadlocked battle for the World Chess Championship. The match was already a record-breaker, having started with more consecutive draws than any championship on the books. As the holiday began, the best-of-12 race for the title sat level 4.5-4.5. Tensions ran high. #LooksDrawish was trending on Twitter (I assume/dream). I awoke in my Brooklyn apartment early Thursday morning, put on some heavy-duty coffee and watched as the grandmasters opened Game 10 with another Sveshnikov Sicilian, just as they’d done in Game 8. Caruana steered out of Game 8’s lane on his 12th move, with a novel “pawn to b4,” and they were left with the position below. “It’s going to be a complicated game,” said the grandmaster Judit Polgár, providing the official match commentary. And indeed it was going to be — for the players and your humble chess correspondent. My parents were in town, my sister was sweating over an oven, and forgotten provisions had to be procured. A table had to be set. Mashed potatoes had to be eaten. I tore away from the match and headed into the city. Having nervously missed a handful of moves on my train ride, I ascended from the serviceless subway station in time to witness something special from Carlsen, the defending world champion who had yet to do much special at all. One grandmaster told me his move was “phenomenal.” Another tweeted that it was “incredible.” A chess writer called it “sensational.” A chess instructor called it “fascinating.” So just what was it that Carlsen did with the black pieces here? It was pawn to b5. Erwin l’Ami, the grandmaster who called it “incredible,” described the idea behind the move, which ostensibly loses a pawn for Carlsen, as follows: Once Carlsen pushes that pawn to b5, Caruana can win it by moving his pawn to b6. (That may not appear to be a legal move, but it’s a special capture known as en passant, in which a pawn can diagonally capture another pawn that has just hopped up two squares next to it.) Carlsen could then take the rook on a3 with his rook, and Caruana could take that rook with his knight. Carlsen could then push his pawn to f3, encroaching further into white’s territory. Two pawn captures then ensue on that same square, followed by Caruana capturing there with his bishop. And then Carlsen could bring his knight into the action on e5. The result of that hypothetical line would have looked like this — a “huge attack” on Caruana’s king. After snacking nervously with this chess idea in our heads, my parents and I emerged from a serviceless restaurant worried (or at least I was) that we may have missed the final Norwegian triumph and the de facto end of the world championship. Someone may have won! We found instead that we hadn’t missed many moves and that Caruana hadn’t bit on Carlsen’s aggressive pawn sacrifice. No devastating attack had come. The position (my phone told me) was once again level. It looked drawish. When we arrived at last at my sister’s apartment, her boyfriend already had both the chess game and the football game on large screens, thereby forever cementing his value to the family. He’s not much of a chess player, but he did have some interesting thoughts on rook endgames. Lucky thing, too, because by that point the game looked like this. With my attention divided between how-to-carve-a-turkey videos on YouTube, a glass of Cabernet, and the soundproof glass box in London, I was nevertheless unsurprised to see Carlsen and Caruana shake hands for the 10th game in a row, agreeing to a draw on the 54th move. The match — needless to say — sits level at 5-5 with two games to go. Brin-Jonathan Butler, a Canadian journalist who was therefore presumably unencumbered by Thanksgiving, had been keeping a close eye on the match and called me to say that it has been “as eventful as a bus keeping its schedule.” And indeed, that schedule continues: Game 11 begins Saturday at 3 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time — that’s 10 a.m. Eastern. I’ll be covering it here and on Twitter.

After eleven consecutive draws, a record for the 132-year-old championship, Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana are tied 5.5 points each in the best-of-12-games match.

The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday after Russia seized three Ukrainian navy ships off the coast of Crimea, the US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley wrote on Twitter. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), which oversees the country's border guard service, said it was forced to open fire on the ships on Sunday after they illegally entered Russian territorial waters. "There is irrefutable evidence that Kiev prepared and orchestrated provocations," it said. "These materials will soon be made public." Three Ukrainian sailors wounded in the clashes were in a stable condition and receiving medical care, it added. Earlier in the day, Russia blocked access to the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea, accusing the same three Ukrainian vessels of entering its territorial waters without permission. The two Ukrainian navy artillery boats and a tugboat were transiting from Odessa on the Black Sea to Mariupol in the Sea of Azov via the Kerch Strait, a narrow passage between Crimea and the Russian mainland. The Ukrainian navy said a Russian coast guard vessel responded to their presence by ramming the tugboat, resulting in damage to the ship's engines and hull. Ukraine's interior minister, Arsen Avakov, shared a video on Twitter purporting to show the moment the Russian ship rammed the tugboat. Read more: Five years after Euromaidan, Ukraine's new reformers battle corruption Ukraine said Russia's actions broke international law and vowed a "diplomatic legal response." The FSB, it insisted, had received advance notice about the ships' movements. President Petro Poroshenko said on Monday that he would propose parliament declare martial law. This would restrict civil liberties and give state institutions greater power. The European Union and NATO separately called for restraint on both sides and for Russia to restore freedom of passage via the Kerch strait. Although a 2003 treaty designates the tow areas as shared territorial waters, Russia has been asserting greater control over the passage since 2015. The latest dispute has raised concerns about a possible escalation of a wider conflict between the two neighbors. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 to widespread international condemnation. Since then, Ukraine has fought a civil war against pro-Russian separatists in the country's eastern regions. Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.[SEP]MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s coast guard opened fire on and seized three of Ukraine’s vessels Sunday, wounding two crew members, after a tense standoff in the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula, the Ukrainian navy said. Russia blamed Ukraine for provoking the incident, which sharply escalated tensions that have been growing between the two countries since Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and it has worked steadily to bolster its zone of control around the peninsula. Earlier in the day, Russia and Ukraine traded accusations over a separate incident involving the same vessels, prompting Moscow to block passage through the narrow Kerch Strait, which separates the peninsula from the Russian mainland. The Ukrainian navy said two of its gunboats were struck and Russian crews boarded and seized them and an accompanying tugboat. Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the FSB and which oversees the coast guard, said there was “irrefutable evidence that Kiev prepared and orchestrated provocations … in the Black Sea. These materials will soon be made public.” The FSB confirmed early Monday that it fired on the vessels to force them to stop, and then seized them. The European Union and NATO called for restraint from both sides and for Moscow to restore access to the strait, which Ukraine uses to move ships to and from ports on either side of the peninsula. Ukrainian authorities said they had given advance notice to the Russians that the vessels would be moving through the strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. Russia said the three Ukrainian vessels made an unauthorized passage through Russian territorial waters, while Ukraine alleged that one of its boats was rammed by a Russian coast guard vessel. The tugboat, which was rammed, was traveling with the two Ukrainian gunboats from Odessa on the Black Sea to Mariupol, an eastern Ukraine port, via the Kerch Strait. “Russian coast guard vessels … carried out openly aggressive actions against Ukrainian navy ships,” the Ukrainian statement said, with the tugboat suffering damage to its engine, hull, side railing and a lifeboat. The Kerch Strait is the only passage into the Sea of Azov. The strait is spanned by the recently completed Kerch Bridge, connecting Crimea to Russia. Transit under the bridge has been blocked by a tanker ship, and dozens of cargo ships awaiting passage are stuck. Russia has not given any indication of how long it will block the strait, but a long-term closure to would amount to an economic blockade of Ukrainian cities on the Azov coast. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet greatly outmatches the Ukrainian navy. Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov include strategically vital centers such as Mariupol, the closest government-controlled city to Donetsk and Luhansk, the breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia-backed separatists. Thousands of people in those regions have been killed in fighting between Ukrainian troops and the separatists since 2014. The FSB told Russian news agencies after the first incident that the Ukrainian ships held their course and violated Russian territorial waters. “Their goal is clear — to create a conflict situation in the region,” the FSB statement said. It did not mention that a Ukrainian tugboat was rammed. Although a 2003 treaty designates the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov as shared territorial waters, Russia has been asserting greater control over the passage since 2015. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said earlier that Russia’s actions violated the U.N. Charter and international law, and pledged to “promptly inform our partners about Russia’s aggressive actions.” “Such actions pose a threat to the security of all states in the Black Sea region,” the statement said, “and therefore require a clear response from the international community.” Ukraine’s National Security Council said in a statement that it was meeting over the incident. About 50-100 people gathered outside the Russian Embassy in Kiev to protest Moscow’s actions. Dmitry Kiselyov, a commentator on Russian state-controlled TV, told viewers of his Sunday evening news program that Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko, encouraged by the U.S., is looking to pick a fight with Russia in the Black Sea. The talk show host also alleged the U.S. talked Poroshenko into staging a provocation against Russia as a means to disrupt an upcoming meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at this week’s Group of 20 summit in Argentina. “What is happening now at the (Kerch) bridge threatens to turn into a very unpleasant story,” Kiselyov said.[SEP]Ukrainian policemen guard the Russian embassy building with smoke behind during Ukrainian activists rally in Kiev, Ukraine, 25 November 2018. Russia has seized three Ukrainian vessels amid their leaving the Kerch Strait; Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is gathering the Military Cabinet over the incident. MOSCOW – Ukrainian lawmakers were set to consider a presidential request for the introduction of martial law in the country on Monday following an incident in which Russian coast guard ships fired on Ukrainian navy vessels. An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council was also called for Monday. The European Union and NATO called for restraint from both sides. The Ukrainian navy said six of its seamen were wounded when Russian coast guards opened fire on three Ukrainian ships near the Kerch Strait and then seized them late Sunday. The two nations traded blame over the incident that further escalated tensions that have soared since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and backed a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine said its vessels were heading to the Sea of Azov in line with international maritime rules, while Russia charged that they had failed to obtain a permission to pass through the Kerch Strait separating Crimea from the Russian mainland. More: Russia fires on Ukrainian vessels in Black Sea; 2 wounded The narrow strait is the only passage between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It’s spanned by a 19-kilometer (11.8-mile) bridge that Russia completed this year. Ukraine’s president, Petro Poroshenko, chaired an emergency meeting of his Cabinet early Monday and asked parliament to introduce martial law in response to what he described as Russian aggression. “We consider it as an act of aggression against our state and a very serious threat,” the president said. “Unfortunately, there are no ‘red lines’ for the Russian Federation.” The Ukrainian military said that six of the 23 crew on board its three vessels were wounded. Russia’s Federal Security Service that is in charge of the coast guard said that three Ukrainian sailors were lightly injured and given medical assistance. It said the Ukrainian boats were towed to the nearby port of Kerch. Russia closed the Kerch Strait for sea traffic Sunday by positioning a tanker under the bridge spanning it. It reopened the route early Monday. The seizure of the Ukrainian ships followed a tense situation in which the three Ukrainian vessels were maneuvering near the Kerch Strait for hours shadowed by Russian coast guard boats. The incident came after months of tensions and incidents in the Sea of Azov that involved inspections and seizures of ships. While a 2003 treaty designates the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov as shared territorial waters, Russia has sought to assert greater control over the passage since the annexation of Crimea. Yuras Karmanau in Minsk, Belarus, contributed to this report.[SEP]Russia has accused Ukraine of planning and staging a deliberate "provocation" for political purposes following a naval incident in the Kerch Strait that marked the first public acknowledgement by Moscow of its forces firing on Ukrainian troops since the onset of fighting in eastern Ukraine nearly five years ago. Kyiv insists Russia is waging a "hybrid war" on Ukraine, and that the ramming, firing-on, and seizure of its vessels with their crews outside the Sea of Azov is just the latest attack in a long-running, separatism-fueled conflict with Moscow and its proxies. The UN Security Council called a special session for later on November 26 to discuss the situation. "We're dealing with a very dangerous provocation, and this of course demands special attention and a special investigation," Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on November 26. He said the Kremlin would refrain from further comment until the Russian Foreign Ministry made a detailed statement about the incident. Kyiv regards the incident as evidence of continuing Russian aggression in a region where Moscow used to call the shots, and alleges that Russia continues to wage a hybrid war against its smaller neighbor. Moscow counters that Ukraine's government is provoking conflict under orders from Washington. "Literally the whole basis of the politics of Poroshenko and his regime is a provocation," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Facebook, without citing any evidence. Chalking the incident up to efforts by the Poroshenko administration to raise his approval rating and distract from domestic issues, Zakharova's statements echoed those of other Russian officials, including Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin. Karasin claimed that the Sea of Azov had been specifically chosen for its strategic location -- where "provocative activities by Ukraine can bring rapid and required results for an international scandal." "Unfortunately our worst fears have been confirmed," Karashin told RIA Novosti. Russian state media have given generous coverage to the incident, devoting several live TV debates to the issue. "Maritime Aggression" was the title of a report on the prime-time Sunday evening show News of the Week, in which Russian state media boss and presenter Dmitry Kiselyov claimed the clash near the Kerch Strait was a Western-led provocation aimed at undermining a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Argentina on November 30. "Ships of the Ukrainian Navy are still in our territorial waters, but they're adrift. They're waiting for something," Kiselyov said on the evening of November 25, as news of the event was still unfolding. "It's unwise to sink the trespassers, since that's clearly exactly what they want. All we can do is pray that the rusty old barges of the Ukrainian Navy don't sink themselves, as they'll pin that on Russia in any case." Russia has bolstered naval forces into the area over the past year -- with an overmatched Ukraine trying to do the same -- and routinely detained Ukrainian vessels in waters that Kyiv still regards as its own or at least shared, according to a bilateral agreement from 2003. In an interview with news channel Rossia 24, the Moscow-installed leader in Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said the conflict is being provoked by "psychologically abnormal people" in Ukraine who have no concern for the fate of their citizens. "Crimea has returned to Russia forever," he said. "So there's nothing in the cards for them." The United Nations gave overwhelming support to a 2014 resolution underscoring Ukraine's territorial integrity following Russia's seizure of Crimea and with Russia-backed separatists fighting for control of swaths of eastern Ukraine in 2014. Russian officials have also publicly targeted international support for Ukraine's version of the November 25 events, calling out their counterparts in the European Union for risking further escalations with their statements of support for Kyiv. After European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted that he condemned Russia's use of force in the Sea of Azov, Andrei Klimov, a member of Russia's Federation Council, issued a bitter rebuke and accused the EU of encouraging Ukraine's president to engage in "military adventurism." "The EU does not understand the consequences of such decisions, that it encourages such actions by Poroshenko," Klimov told RIA Novosti. "This is the same as placing a machine gun and flame thrower in the hands of a psychopath and watching how he acts in a recreation park where people are taking walks." Yet while the Russian narrative has zeroed in on the notion that Poroshenko is angling for approval ratings ahead of a planned vote in Ukraine in March, some commentators in Russia painted the incident as a ploy by Russia's president to improve his own political standing. "Putin's approval rating this month is 66%, slowly going down to its lowest pre-Crimean level," Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center, wrote on Twitter, referring to a period before Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 boosted outward displays of patriotism and raised Putin's domestic ratings. "Why not to mobilize domestic audience, demonstrating military force in the sea?" But if this was the Kremlin's tactic, at least some Russians appear convinced that it might have unintended consequences. Vladimir Milov, a prominent member of the Russian opposition, argued that the Ukrainian Navy might have been trying to test Russia's resolve in preventing it from entering the Kerch Strait. "If the goal was to scare the Ukrainians so that they 'stop trespassing,' then the way this was done they'll definitely 'trespass' again," Milov wrote on Facebook. "There'll be consequences for Putin, 100%, talk of a new round of sanctions will now get a fresh impulse."[SEP]MOSCOW — A dispute between Russia and Ukraine in the waters off the Crimean Peninsula has raised the prospect of a larger military confrontation between the two neighbors. It follows 4½ years of bloodshed between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. A look at the conflict, its roots and possible outcomes: When the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, parts of Ukraine were eager to escape the Russian leash and join with Western Europe and possibly NATO. But Russia’s ties with the industrial heartland of eastern Ukraine run deep, with many Russian speakers living there. In addition, most people who live in Crimea are Russian-speakers, and Moscow has a naval base there where its Black Sea fleet is headquartered. In 2013, the Ukrainian government was due to sign a deal supposed to open European Union markets for Ukrainian goods and put the country on a pathway to possible EU membership. Russia, Ukraine’s closest neighbor and major trading partner, vehemently opposed the deal, fearing an uncontrolled flow of goods through what was then virtually an open border. Then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych pledged to sign the deal — but walked out on it at the last moment. Mass protests followed in Kiev, decrying Yanukovych for what was seen as an attempt to deny Ukrainians a European future. A crackdown by riot police saw 130 people killed in sniper fire. Yanukovych fled to Russia. Russia annexed the Crimea in 2014 after troops without insignia occupied crucial infrastructure, including Ukrainian military bases, while Ukrainian troops put up little resistance and retreated. It was only years later that Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly admitted that these were in fact Russian troops. Activists in eastern Ukraine, backed by Russian operatives, took over towns and tore down Ukrainian flags. Separatist leaders in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk held elections supporting a motion to break away from Ukraine. Sporadic violence grew into a full-blown conflict in May 2014, when Ukraine launched an airstrike on the Donetsk airport that was overrun by Russian Chechen fighters. More than 10,000 people have been killed and over 1 million displaced, with large parts of the east still under separatist control. The Kremlin never admitted its role, portraying it as a civil conflict, but overwhelming evidence suggests Russia has been sending a sizeable number of troops and advisers as well as weapons to the rebels. Ukraine signed peace accords with the separatists in 2015, calling for a cease-fire and political settlement in the east. While it helped to decrease the intensity of fighting, the accords did nothing to resolve the region’s political stalemate. The latest area of rising tension occurred Sunday in the Kerch Strait, which links the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea off the eastern edge of the Crimean Peninsula. Russia has built a long bridge spanning the strait and connecting the peninsula with its mainland. In March, Ukraine detained a fishing vessel sailing from Crimea, and Russia increased its military presence in the area, inspecting all vessels sailing to or from Ukrainian ports, disrupting trade. Ukraine has protested, calling them an “economic blockade” affecting its ports in the industrial east. Ukraine says two of its naval gunboats and a tugboat were fired on and seized by the Russian coast guard in the narrow strait. Russia says the Ukrainian vessels violated its territorial waters. Both sides blamed the other in the incident. In another sign of Ukraine’s resolve to break with Russia, Kiev has stepped up efforts to seek independence for its Orthodox church. The church in Ukraine has been tied to the Moscow Patriarchate for hundreds of years, but calls for independence have increased since the conflict began. The Istanbul-based patriarchate, whose head Bartholomew I is considered the “first among equals” of Orthodox church leaders, made the first step toward recognizing the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in October. The move was decried by the Russian Orthodox Church as well as the Kremlin. The ship seizure has prompted global concern and raised questions about eventual international intervention. NATO and the U.N. Security Council discussed what to do. Russia’s actions are drawing renewed Western anger — and demonstrating Putin’s resolve just days before he meets U.S. President Donald Trump at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina. The European Union is calling on both sides to stay calm, but is distracted by negotiations on Britain’s pending departure and divided over migration, and may have little energy to deal with a new crisis involving Russia and Ukraine. While Sunday’s incident raises the specter of a full-blown conflict between Ukraine and Russia, it is not likely that either wants an all-out-confrontation, and the leaders of both countries might be getting an outcome that they want. Putin, whose approval ratings have tumbled recently, reinforced the message that Crimea is Russian for good and that he won’t allow anyone to question it. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is likely to benefit if parliament enacts his proposal of martial law. Poroshenko’s approval ratings have been plunging, and delaying the March presidential elections and playing up the Russian threat could help him get re-elected if the vote is put off for later. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]The Kerch bridge is seen blocked for ships entrance, near Kerch, Crimea, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. A Russian coast guard vessel rammed a Ukrainian navy tugboat near Crimea, damaging the ship's engines and hull, the Ukrainian navy said Sunday. (AP Photo) The Kerch bridge is seen blocked for ships entrance, near Kerch, Crimea, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. A Russian coast guard vessel rammed a Ukrainian navy tugboat near Crimea, damaging the ship's engines and hull, the Ukrainian navy said Sunday. (AP Photo) MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s coast guard opened fire on and seized three of Ukraine’s vessels Sunday, wounding two crew members, after a tense standoff in the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula, the Ukrainian navy said. Russia blamed Ukraine for provoking the incident, which sharply escalated tensions that have been growing between the two countries since Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and it has worked steadily to bolster its zone of control around the peninsula. Earlier in the day, Russia and Ukraine traded accusations over a separate incident involving the same vessels, prompting Moscow to block passage through the narrow Kerch Strait, which separates the peninsula from the Russian mainland. The Ukrainian navy said two of its gunboats were struck and Russian crews boarded and seized them and an accompanying tugboat. Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the FSB and which oversees the coast guard, said there was “irrefutable evidence that Kiev prepared and orchestrated provocations ... in the Black Sea. These materials will soon be made public.” The FSB confirmed early Monday that it fired on the vessels to force them to stop, and then seized them. An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council was called for Monday morning over the escalating situation, according to U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley. The European Union and NATO called for restraint from both sides and for Moscow to restore access to the strait, which Ukraine uses to move ships to and from ports on either side of the peninsula. Ukrainian authorities said they had given advance notice to the Russians that the vessels would be moving through the strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. Russia said the three Ukrainian vessels made an unauthorized passage through Russian territorial waters, while Ukraine alleged that one of its boats was rammed by a Russian coast guard vessel. The tugboat, which was rammed, was traveling with the two Ukrainian gunboats from Odessa on the Black Sea to Mariupol, an eastern Ukraine port, via the Kerch Strait. “Russian coast guard vessels ... carried out openly aggressive actions against Ukrainian navy ships,” the Ukrainian statement said, with the tugboat suffering damage to its engine, hull, side railing and a lifeboat. The Kerch Strait is the only passage into the Sea of Azov. The strait is spanned by the recently completed Kerch Bridge, connecting Crimea to Russia. Transit under the bridge has been blocked by a tanker ship, and dozens of cargo ships awaiting passage are stuck. Russia has not given any indication of how long it will block the strait, but a long-term closure to would amount to an economic blockade of Ukrainian cities on the Azov coast. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet greatly outmatches the Ukrainian navy. Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov include strategically vital centers such as Mariupol, the closest government-controlled city to Donetsk and Luhansk, the breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia-backed separatists. Thousands of people in those regions have been killed in fighting between Ukrainian troops and the separatists since 2014. The FSB told Russian news agencies after the first incident that the Ukrainian ships held their course and violated Russian territorial waters. “Their goal is clear — to create a conflict situation in the region,” the FSB statement said. It did not mention that a Ukrainian tugboat was rammed. Although a 2003 treaty designates the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov as shared territorial waters, Russia has been asserting greater control over the passage since 2015. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said earlier that Russia’s actions violated the U.N. Charter and international law, and pledged to “promptly inform our partners about Russia’s aggressive actions.” “Such actions pose a threat to the security of all states in the Black Sea region,” the statement said, “and therefore require a clear response from the international community.” Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, after a meeting with his National Security Council, said in a statement he would ask parliament Monday to take up the issue of whether to implement martial law over the incident. About 50-100 people gathered outside the Russian Embassy in Kiev to protest Moscow’s actions. Dmitry Kiselyov, a commentator on Russian state-controlled TV, told viewers of his Sunday evening news program that Poroshenko, encouraged by the U.S., is looking to pick a fight with Russia in the Black Sea. The talk show host also alleged the U.S. talked Poroshenko into staging a provocation against Russia as a means to disrupt an upcoming meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at this week’s Group of 20 summit in Argentina. “What is happening now at the (Kerch) bridge threatens to turn into a very unpleasant story,” Kiselyov said.[SEP]MOSCOW, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Russia reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping in the early hours of Monday morning after firing on and seizing three Ukrainian naval ships a day earlier, a move that triggered a dangerous new crisis between the two countries. Russia's FSB security service said early on Monday its border patrol boats had seized two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors, the most serious clash between Moscow and Kiev in years. It had previously blocked the Kerch Strait near Russia-annexed Crimea to stop the ships from passing from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov, saying the small flotilla had not notified it of its plans in advance and ignored warnings to stop while manoeuvring dangerously. With relations still raw after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the incident risks pushing the two countries towards a wider conflict and is likely to renew Western calls for more sanctions on Moscow. The Russian rouble opened 0.4 percent weaker against the dollar in Moscow, its lowest since mid-November. Kiev, which denied its ships had done anything wrong, accused Russia of military aggression and asked for the international community to mobilise to punish Russia. The U.N. Security Council will meet on the latest developments at the request of Russia and Ukraine later on Monday, diplomats said. The European Union said in a statement it expected Russia to restore freedom of passage via the Kerch Strait and urged both sides to act with the utmost restraint to de-escalate the situation. A NATO spokeswoman issued a similar appeal to both sides. A Reuters witness said the three Ukrainian naval vessels seized by Russia were being held at the Crimean port of Kerch. People in naval-style uniforms could be seen around the vessels, which bore no sign of damage, the witness said. The FSB has said Russia has opened a criminal case in connection with what it said was the ships' illegal entry into Russia's territorial waters. The FSB said three Ukrainian sailors were wounded in the incident and were getting medical care. Their lives were not in danger, it said. The Ukrainian parliament is due to consider a proposal to impose martial law for 60 days later on Monday after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met his top military and security chiefs on Sunday night. The move may be unpopular in some quarters in Ukraine since it would restrict civil liberties and give state institutions greater power ahead of a presidential election next year which polls indicate Poroshenko would lose. (Additional reporting by Tom Balmforth Editing by Christian Lowe)[SEP]MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - Russia seized three Ukrainian naval ships off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors, a move that risks igniting a dangerous new crisis between the two countries. Russia’s FSB security service said early on Monday its border patrol boats had seized the Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea and used weapons to force them to stop, Russian news agencies reported. The FSB said it had been forced to act because the ships - two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat - had illegally entered its territorial waters, attempted illegal actions, and ignored warnings to stop while maneuvering dangerously. “Weapons were used with the aim of forcibly stopping the Ukrainian warships,” the FSB said in a statement circulated to Russian state media. “As a result, all three Ukrainian naval vessels were seized in the Russian Federation’s territorial waters in the Black Sea.” The FSB said three Ukrainian sailors were wounded in the incident and were getting medical care. Their lives were not in danger, it said. With relations still raw after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the incident risks pushing the two countries toward a wider conflict. Ukraine denied its ships had done anything wrong, accused Russia of military aggression, and asked for the international community to mobilize to punish Russia. The U.N. Security Council will meet on the latest developments at the request of Russia and Ukraine, diplomats said. POROSHENKO PROPOSES MARTIAL LAW Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met his top military and security chiefs. Poroshenko said he would propose that parliament impose martial law. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and then built a giant road bridge linking it to southern Russia that straddles the Kerch Strait - a narrow stretch of water that links the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, which is home to two of Ukraine’s most important ports. Russia’s control of Crimea, where its Black Sea Fleet is based, and of the bridge mean it is able to control shipping flows. The crisis began on Sunday after Russia stopped the three Ukrainian ships from entering the Sea of Azov by placing a cargo ship beneath the bridge. Seized Ukrainian ships, small armoured artillery ships and a tug boat, are seen anchored in a port of Kerch, Crimea November 26, 2018. REUTERS/Pavel Rebrov A Reuters witness said Russia backed its blockade with at least two Sukhoi Su-25 warplanes that screeched overhead. Russian state TV said Russian combat helicopters had been deployed in the area. The Ukrainian navy said on social media six Ukrainian sailors were wounded in the subsequent seizure of its ships, which appear to have been rammed and boarded, and that the Russian attack on them had occurred after they had retreated and headed back toward Odessa, the Black Sea port from where they had begun their journey. “After leaving the 12-mile zone, the Russian Federation’s FSB (security service) opened fire at the flotilla belonging to ... the armed forces of Ukraine,” it said in a statement. The European Union said in a statement it expected Russia to restore freedom of passage via the Kerch Strait and urged both sides to act with utmost restraint to de-escalate the situation. A NATO spokeswoman issued a similar appeal to both sides. RISK OF WIDER CONFLICT A bilateral treaty gives both Russia and Ukraine the right to use the Sea of Azov, which lies between them and is linked by the narrow Kerch Strait to the Black Sea. Tension has risen since Russia annexed Crimea, with both countries complaining about shipping delays and harassment. Russia’s border guard service accused Ukraine earlier on Sunday of not informing it in advance of the three ships’ journey, something Kiev denied. Russia said the Ukrainian ships had been maneuvering dangerously and ignoring its instructions with the aim of stirring up tensions. Slideshow (19 Images) Russian politicians denounced Kiev, saying the incident looked like a calculated bid by Poroshenko to increase his popularity ahead of an election next year. In another sign of rising tensions, Russia’s state-controlled RIA news agency reported on Sunday night that Ukrainian forces had started heavy shelling of residential areas in eastern Ukraine, which is controlled by pro-Moscow separatists. Reuters could not independently confirm that and the Interfax news agency cited separatists as denying there had been any unusual escalation.[SEP]MOSCOW – President Petro Poroshenko said Monday that he is introducing martial law across Ukraine for 30 days, starting Wednesday, triggering a sharp escalation with neighboring Russia. Parliament still needs to ratify the proposal, though the bill is widely seen as sailing through. The move comes one day after Russian ships fired at and seized Ukrainian vessels in the Black Sea. Several Ukrainian sailors were injured, and 24 were detained by Moscow for provoking the incident by the Kerch Strait, a narrow strip of water separating the Black and Azov Seas. Poroshenko took to state television to say there was a “serious threat” of a land invasion by Russia. He cited Ukrainian intelligence reports as saying that Russian forces were forming just miles from the border with Ukraine. Russia warned Ukraine of “serious consequences” if it continues what Moscow describes as stoking conflict. Moscow has closed off the Kerch Strait. Under Ukrainian legislation, martial law allows for a slew of restrictions, from the media to individual movement. The latest standoff comes after months of rising tensions between the two countries, who have been at loggerheads since a pro-Moscow government in Ukraine was toppled more than four years ago, touching off Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine involving pro-Russian separatists. The international community has condemned Russia’s maritime moves, with the European Union and NATO calling for restraint. • Ex-Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos must report to prison Monday, judge orders • Trump says he has turned in answers to Mueller questions “Once again, we see Russian contempt for international norms and Ukrainian sovereignty,” British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Twitter, calling for the release of the Ukrainian soldiers and a restoration of movement through the Kerch Strait. An emergency session of the U.N. Security Council will be held Monday to discuss the crisis.[SEP]MOSCOW -- Ukraine's president demanded Monday that Russia immediately release Ukrainian sailors and ships seized in a standoff around Crimea that sharply escalated tensions between the two countries and drew international concern. The two neighbours have been locked in a tense tug-of-war since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, but the incident late Sunday in which Russian coast guard ships fired on Ukrainian navy vessels near the Kerch Strait directly pitted the two militaries, placing them on the verge of an open conflict. The Ukrainian navy said six of its seamen were wounded when Russian coast guards opened fire on three Ukrainian ships near the Kerch Strait and then seized them. Russia said that three Ukrainian sailors were lightly injured and given medical assistance. Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko, chaired an emergency meeting of his Cabinet early Monday and asked parliament to introduce martial law in response to what he described as Russian aggression. "We consider it as an act of aggression against our state and a very serious threat," the president said. "Unfortunately, there are no 'red lines' for the Russian Federation." Martial law could entail a variety of measures including closing the borders, imposing restrictions on foreigners entering the country, a ban on gun sales, a ban of any political gatherings and rallies and even closing down media outlets if they are deemed a threat to national security. An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council was also called for Monday. The European Union and NATO called for restraint from both sides. Poroshenko had a phone call Monday with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the situation. NATO later said that at Poroshenko's request its ambassadors and Ukraine's envoy will hold emergency talks in Brussels later Monday. NATO said Stoltenberg expressed the U.S.-led military alliance's "full support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, including its full navigational rights in its territorial waters under international law." Poroshenko said at a meeting of Ukraine's national security council Monday that "we demand that (the ships and crews) are urgently turned over to the Ukrainian side" and called for a "de-escalation" of the crisis around Crimea. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over the incident that further escalated tensions that have soared since Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and backed a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine said its vessels were heading to the Sea of Azov in line with international maritime rules, while Russia charged that they had failed to obtain permission to pass through the Kerch Strait separating Crimea from the Russian mainland. The narrow strait is the only passage between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It's spanned by a 19-kilometre (11.8-mile) bridge that Russia completed this year. While a 2003 treaty designates the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov as shared territorial waters, Russia has sought to assert greater control over the passage since the annexation of Crimea. "There is no doubt that it was done by blessing or, perhaps, even a direct order from the top," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "While planning that provocation, Ukraine had undoubtedly hoped to get additional benefits from the situation, expecting the U.S. and Europe to blindly take the provocateurs' side." He urged the West to "calm down those in Ukraine who are trying to unleash a military hysteria to get political gains in connection with the planned elections" -- a reference to Ukraine's presidential vote in March. A motion to introduce martial law requires a simple majority of votes in the 450-seat parliament, which Poroshenko's party controls. If martial law is introduced as proposed for 60 days, it will derail the presidential election campaign, which was expected to start on Dec. 30 with the vote in March. Some lawmakers lashed out at Poroshenko's move as an attempt to influence the vote. Polls show Poroshenko trailing far behind arch-rival Yulia Tymoshenko. "Martial law in Ukraine would present a wonderful chance to manipulate the presidential elections," said Oksana Syroid, a deputy speaker of parliament who is a member of the Samopomich faction. She noted that martial law was not introduced in 2014 or 2015 despite large-scale fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in the east. President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that Poroshenko's initiative to introduce martial law "clearly smacks of electoral intrigues." "We believe that it's wrong and dangerous to solve electoral tasks by waving a flag of war," he said. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters from far-right party National Corps waved flares at a protest in the snowy streets outside the Ukrainian parliament Monday. They brandished yellow-and-blue flags with the Ukrainian national symbol, the trident, and a huge white banner reading 'Don't back down!" Yuras Karmanau in Minsk, Belarus, and Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed to this report

Russia stops three Ukrainian Navy vessels from passing under the Kerch Strait Bridge by blocking it with a cargo ship. Russia claims they violated her territorial waters and ignored warnings. The navy vessels and their crews are seized after shots were fired. Russia says three Ukrainians were wounded. According to Ukraine, six of their sailors are wounded. Ukraine denies their ships did anything wrong.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO called an emergency meeting with Ukraine on Monday, the Western military alliance said, after Russia opened fire and seized Ukrainian ships over the weekend near Crimea. NATO announced the meeting in a statement after the alliance’s head Jens Stoltenberg held a phone call with Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko on Monday “about developments in the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait ... involving Russian and Ukrainian naval vessels.” “The Secretary General expressed NATO’s full support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, including its full navigational rights in its territorial waters under international law,” it said. “At the request of President Poroshenko, the Secretary General agreed to convene an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at Ambassadorial level in Brussels this afternoon to discuss the current situation.”[SEP]The Security Council will convene tomorrow at 11am to discuss the escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia. Mrs Haley tweeted: “An emergency Security Council meeting has been called for tomorrow at 11am.” The meeting comes after the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN called for an emergency meeting to be held. A NATO spokesperson said it "fully supports Ukraine's sovereignty and its territorial integrity" and called on Russia "to ensure unhindered access to Ukrainian ports in the Azov Sea”. The spokesman said: "NATO is closely monitoring developments in the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait, and we are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities. We call for restraint and de-escalation." The mission said: “Ukraine has requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting due to Russian military aggression in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov: Three Ukrainian vessels attacked and seized, at least six Ukrainian servicemen wounded.” However, Russia’s FSB claims only three people were injured. Russia also argued the vessels had illegally entered their territory. Despite Russia’s claims, Ukraine has said they had informed Russia about their plans to move their ships to the Sea of Azov. Ukraine said the ships were going from the port of Odessa in the Black Sea to Mariupol in the Sea of Azov. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he will ask the Ukrainian parliament to declare martial law. Parliament will vote on whether or not to declare martial law on Monday. If martial law is implemented, then it will see civil liberties restricted and the government granted more power. The National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine said it supports the implementing of martial law for up to 60 days. The three ships were intercepted by Russia with Ukraine claiming that one of the vessels was rammed. The Ukrainian vessels continued through the Kerch Strait before it was stopped by a tanker that Russia had placed under a bridge. Protests were held following the confrontation with flares being thrown in front of the Russian Embassy in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. In 2014, the Russian military invaded the region of Crimea and annexed it as part of Russia. The land grab has continued to be an area of contention between Ukraine and Russia who both claim the land as theirs.[SEP]NATO called an emergency meeting with Ukraine on Monday, the Western military alliance said, after Russia opened fire and seized Ukrainian ships over the weekend near Crimea. NATO announced the meeting in a statement after the alliance's head Jens Stoltenberg held a phone call with Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko on Monday "about developments in the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait ... involving Russian and Ukrainian naval vessels." "The Secretary General expressed NATO's full support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, including its full navigational rights in its territorial waters under international law," it said. "At the request of President Poroshenko, the Secretary General agreed to convene an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at Ambassadorial level in Brussels this afternoon to discuss the current situation."[SEP]Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he will introduce 30 days of martial law across the country after Russian border patrol boats seized two small Ukrainian armored ships and a tug boat that Moscow said illegally entered territorial waters near the Crimean Peninsula. Poroshenko, speaking to a meeting of his National Security Council in Kiev on Monday, also demanded Russia to release the vessels and 24 sailors that were held after a naval standoff on Sunday near the Kerch Strait that links the Black Sea and the Sea of Avoz. Ukraine said six members of the crews were wounded in the attack. “I appeal to the leadership of the Russian Federation with a demand to immediately release the Ukrainian servicemen who were brutally detained in violation of international law and whose fate is unknown,” Poroshenko said, adding that Russia must “de-escalate the situation.” If the Ukrainian Parliament approves martial law, it will be the first time Kiev has taken such an action since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, which led to the deteriorating relationship between the two countries. Russia and Ukraine have engaged in a war of words since the incident with both blaming each other for instigating the conflict in the Black Sea. Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN Volodymyr Yelchenko urged the the body’s Security Council to tighten sanctions against Russia. “This is the only way. Russia doesn’t understand any other language, unfortunately,” he said. Segey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said Ukraine provoked the incident to get the US and other European countries to team up against Moscow. “There is no doubt that it was done by blessing or, perhaps, even a direct order from the top,” Lavrov said on Monday. “While planning that provocation, Ukraine had undoubtedly hoped to get additional benefits from the situation, expecting the U.S. and Europe to blindly take the provocateurs’ side.” UN Ambassador Nikki Haley told the Security Council that the US joins with its allies to support Ukraine. “We stand united in opposing Russia’s attack,” she said. “We strongly support Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders extending to its territorial waters. We express our deep concern over the incident which represents a dangerous escalation and violation of international law.” Poroshenko halved the proposed period of martial law to 30 days from 60 after he was criticized for trying to disrupt an election that begins at the end of next month and that polls show he’s behind in his bid for re-election. “Martial law in Ukraine would present a wonderful chance to manipulate the presidential elections,” said Oksana Syroid, a member of parliament. Poroshenko promised lawmakers that the election would proceed as scheduled and that citizens’ rights would not be violated. Ukraine said its vessels were steaming to the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait in accordance with maritime rules. A bilateral treaty gives Russia and Ukraine the right to use the strait. But Russia, which has been tightening its control of the narrow passage since it annexed Crimea, said Ukraine had failed to get permission to allow the flotilla to pass through the strait and had ignored warnings to halt. Russia then placed a cargo ship under an 11.8-mile bridge it built over the strait. Ukraine said a Russian ship rammed the tug boat in an effort to stop it.[SEP]Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday issued a decree to impose martial law on the country after Russian forces seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews near the disputed Crimea region. The bill needs parliamentary approval to go into force, with the Supreme Rada due to vote on the issue later on Monday. Martial law would mean, among other things, partial mobilization of the country's military and stepping up air defense — moves that raise fears of a military escalation in the region. The Ukrainian navy says six of its seamen were injured in the Russian action, during which Russian border guards opened fire on the vessels in the Kerch Strait, a waterway between Russian-annexed Crimea and mainland Russia that flows between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Read more: Do sanctions against Russia work? The Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov are designated as shared territorial waters by a 2003 treaty, but Russia has asserted more control over the waterways since it annexed Crimea in 2014 in a move that drew widespread condemnation and international sanctions. In recent weeks, Russia has increased its military presence in the area and started inspecting all vessels traveling to or from Ukrainian ports, causing dayslong delays and disrupting trade. Ukraine had previous detained a Russian fishing vessel travelling from Crimea in March. Read more: The Odessa massacre: Remembering the 'Holocaust by bullets' In the latest incident, both sides have traded accusations of the other's being in breach of international norms, with Moscow saying Kyiv failed to obtain authorization for the passage of its vessels, and Kyiv claiming Moscow had ignored a notification sent by the ships. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said on Monday that the captured seamen should be treated as prisoners of war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has so far not said whether Moscow will accord them that status. Tensions between the former Soviet republic of Ukraine and Russia have been growing since 2013, when large-scale protests led to the ousting of pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych. The Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and a Moscow-backed insurgency in Ukraine's east have further fanned the flames. Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.[SEP]Russia fired on and then seized three Ukrainian ships on Sunday, accusing them of illegally entering its waters in the Sea of Azov, in a dramatic spike in tensions that raises fears of a wider escalation. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg held phone talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and officials from the two sides will meet later in the day. “The Secretary-General expressed NATO’s full support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, including its full navigational rights in its territorial waters under international law,” NATO said of Stoltenberg’s call. Kiev demanded the return of its ships and sailors, denouncing “another act of armed aggression” by Russia, which annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The Ukrainian military has been put on high alert and the country’s parliament is to vote on a request by Poroshenko to impose martial law for 60 days. Ukraine has also urged its Western allies to step up existing sanctions implemented against Russia over Crimea and its role in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine between the government and pro-Moscow separatists. Moscow blamed Kiev for the incident, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accusing Ukraine of a planned provocation and of using “dangerous methods” that put ships in the area at risk. Russian denials drew a barbed response on Twitter from the US Special Envoy for Ukraine Negotiations, Kurt Volker. “Russia rams Ukrainian vessel peacefully travelling toward a Ukrainian port. Russia seizes ships and crew and then accuses Ukraine of provocation???” Volker tweeted. Tensions have been building over the Kerch Strait, where Russia has built a new bridge that gives it a land connection to Crimea. Kiev has accused Moscow of blocking access for Ukrainian ships through the strait, the only way in and out of the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. The European Union warned Sunday that tensions in the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait had “increased dangerously” and demanded Russia restore freedom of passage.[SEP]Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko has imposed martial law after the Ukrainian vessels faced off with the Russian ships near Crimea.[SEP]The Security Council will convene tomorrow at 11am to discuss the escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia. Mrs Haley tweeted: “An emergency Security Council meeting has been called for tomorrow at 11am.” The meeting comes after the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN called for an emergency meeting to be held. A NATO spokesperson said it "fully supports Ukraine's sovereignty and its territorial integrity" and called on Russia "to ensure unhindered access to Ukrainian ports in the Azov Sea”. The spokesman said: "NATO is closely monitoring developments in the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait, and we are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities. We call for restraint and de-escalation." The mission said: “Ukraine has requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting due to Russian military aggression in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov: Three Ukrainian vessels attacked and seized, at least six Ukrainian servicemen wounded.” However, Russia’s FSB claims only three people were injured. Russia also argued the vessels had illegally entered their territory. Despite Russia’s claims, Ukraine has said they had informed Russia about their plans to move their ships to the Sea of Azov. Ukraine said the ships were going from the port of Odessa in the Black Sea to Mariupol in the Sea of Azov. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he will ask the Ukrainian parliament to declare martial law. Parliament will vote on whether or not to declare martial law on Monday. If martial law is implemented, then it will see civil liberties restricted and the government granted more power. The National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine said it supports the implementing of martial law for up to 60 days. The three ships were intercepted by Russia with Ukraine claiming that one of the vessels was rammed. The Ukrainian vessels continued through the Kerch Strait before it was stopped by a tanker that Russia had placed under a bridge. Protests were held following the confrontation with flares being thrown in front of the Russian Embassy in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. In 2014, the Russian military invaded the region of Crimea and annexed it as part of Russia. The land grab has continued to be an area of contention between Ukraine and Russia who both claim the land as theirs.[SEP]Ukraine’s parliament has voted to impose martial law to fight what its president called “growing aggression” from Moscow after a naval confrontation off the disputed Crimean peninsula. The weekend incident saw Russia fire on and seize three Ukrainian vessels amid renewed tensions between the neighbours. Western leaders and diplomats urged both sides to de-escalate the conflict, and the US blamed Russia for what it called “unlawful conduct” over Sunday’s incident in the Black Sea. Russia and Ukraine blamed each other in the dispute that ratcheted up tensions that have simmered since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014 and threw its weight behind separatists in eastern Ukraine with clandestine support, including troops and weapons. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko asked legislators in Kiev to institute martial law, something the country has not done even during the worst of the fighting in the east that killed about 10,000 people. After a five-hour debate, parliament overwhelmingly approved his proposal, voting to impose martial law for 30 days in 10 of Ukraine’s 27 regions — those bordering Russia, Belarus and Moldova’s pro-Moscow breakaway republic of Trans-Dniester. The locations were identified as potentially in the front line of any Russian attack. The capital Kiev is not under martial law. Mr Poroshenko said it was necessary because of intelligence about “a highly serious threat of a ground operation against Ukraine”. “Martial law doesn’t mean declaring a war,” he said. “It is introduced with the sole purpose of boosting Ukraine’s defence in the light of a growing aggression from Russia.” Ukraine’s Defence Ministry had announced earlier in the day that its troops were on full combat alert. The approved measures included a partial mobilisation and strengthening the country’s air defences. It also contained vaguely worded steps such as “strengthening” anti-terrorism measures and “information security” that could curtail certain rights and freedoms. Mr Poroshenko’s critics reacted to his call for martial law with suspicion, wondering why Sunday’s incident merited such a response. His approval ratings have been plunging, and there were concerns that he would postpone a presidential election scheduled for March. Just before parliament met to vote, he sought to allay those fears by releasing a statement revising his original martial law proposal from 60 days to 30, to “do away with the pretexts for political speculation”. Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said Mr Poroshenko assured him martial law would not have a negative impact on the election. Mr Poroshenko’s call also outraged far-right groups in Ukraine that have advocated severing diplomatic ties with Russia. Hundreds of protesters from the National Corps party waved flares in the snowy streets of Kiev outside parliament and accused the president of using martial law to his own ends. But he insisted it was necessary because what happened in the Kerch Strait between Crimea and the Russian mainland “was no accident”, adding that “this was not the culmination of it yet”. Russian coastguard ships fired on the Ukrainian navy vessels near the strait, which separates the Black Sea from the Sea of Azov, injuring six Ukrainian seamen and eventually seizing the vessels and their crews. It was the first open military confrontation between the two neighbours since the annexation of Crimea. Ukraine said its vessels were heading to the Sea of Azov in line with international maritime rules, while Russia said they had failed to obtain permission to pass through the narrow strait that is spanned by a 11.8-mile bridge that Russia completed this year. While a 2003 treaty designates the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov as shared territorial waters, Moscow has sought to assert greater control over the passage since the annexation. Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin said the dispute was not an accident and Russia had engaged in “deliberately planned hostilities”. His Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov blamed Kiev for what he described as a “provocation”, adding: “Ukraine had undoubtedly hoped to get additional benefits from the situation, expecting the US and Europe to blindly take the provocateurs’ side.” At a UN Security Council meeting, US ambassador Nikki Haley urged Moscow to “immediately cease its unlawful conduct” in the Black Sea.[SEP]Ukrainian lawmakers on Monday approved a decree by President Petro Poroshenko to impose martial law on his country, while the US had severe words for Moscow at the UN, after Russian forces seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews near the disputed Crimea region the day before. At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, US ambassador Nikki Haley warned Russia that its action in seizing the ships was an "outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory." She said her statement reflected "the concerns at the highest level" of US leadership, adding that "outlaw actions like this one" would make it impossible for the US to normalize relations with Russia. The US stopped short of calling for further sanctions against Russia. Russia's deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, in his turn accused Ukraine of planning the incident as a way of boosting Poroshenko's popularity ahead of an election in March. Several European nations, including Germany, France and Britain, issued a statement following the meeting that called for restraint and de-escalation and reaffirmed recognition of Ukraine's territorial integrity. The Ukrainian president had earlier announced that he had signed a bill calling for martial law in response to the incident. Martial law would mean, among other things, partial mobilization of the country's military and stepping up air defense — moves that raise fears of a military escalation in the region. In a televised address, Poroshenko said he had reduced his original call for two months of martial law to 30 days from November 28. The reduction was made in apparent response to opponents who said his initial proposal for 60 days would prevent elections scheduled for March going ahead as expected. The Ukrainian navy says six of its seamen were injured in the Russian action, during which Russian border guards opened fire on the vessels in the Kerch Strait, a waterway between Russian-annexed Crimea and mainland Russia that flows between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Read more: Do sanctions against Russia work? The Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov are designated as shared territorial waters by a 2003 treaty, but Russia has asserted more control over the waterways since it annexed Crimea in 2014 in a move that drew widespread condemnation and international sanctions. In recent weeks, Russia has increased its military presence in the area and started inspecting all vessels traveling to or from Ukrainian ports, causing lengthy delays and disrupting trade. Ukraine had previously detained a Russian fishing vessel travelling from Crimea in March. Read more: The Odessa massacre: Remembering the 'Holocaust by bullets' In the latest incident, both sides have traded accusations of the other's being in breach of international norms, with Moscow saying Kyiv failed to obtain authorization for the passage of its vessels, and Kyiv claiming Moscow had ignored a notification sent by the ships. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said on Monday that the captured seamen should be treated as prisoners of war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has so far not said whether Moscow will accord them that status. Tensions between the former Soviet republic of Ukraine and Russia have been growing since 2013, when large-scale protests led to the ousting of pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych. The Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and a Moscow-backed insurgency in Ukraine's east have further fanned the flames. Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.

An emergency National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine meeting is convened in response to the Russian blockade of the Kerch Strait and the seizure of its vessels, after which President Petro Poroshenko says he will ask the Verkhovna Rada to support a declaration of martial law in Ukraine. The parliament is set to have an emergency meeting at 4 p.m. local time on November 26.

Representative image | Photo; Credit: Thinkstock; Baghdad: At least 21 people have died and tens of thousands displaced by heavy rains that have battered Iraq over two days, the health ministry and United Nations said on Sunday. Women and children were among the dead, health ministry spokesman Seif al-Badr told AFP. Some had drowned, but others had died in car accidents, were electrocuted, or were trapped when their houses collapsed. At least 180 more were injured, he added. Iraq and neighbouring countries have been hit by heavier-than-average rainfall in recent weeks, resulting in deaths and widespread damage. The country's north has borne the brunt of it, and the UN's Iraq office said the downpour had forced tens of thousands of people out of their homes. An estimated 10,000 people in Salahaddin province and 15,000 people in Nineveh are in desperate need of help, including families living in displacement camps, the UN said. In the Al-Sharqat district in Salahaddin, about 250 kilometres (150 miles) north of Baghdad, thousands of homes were left totally underwater by the rains. And in Mosul, the Islamic State group's onetime bastion in Iraq, the heavy storms submerged two floating bridges along the Tigris river, which bisects the city. They were the only way to move between Mosul's eastern and western halves, after its bridges were all bombed by the anti-IS fight. Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi announced Friday he was establishing a "crisis cell" of security forces and local authorities to coordinate a response. The ministries of electricity, oil, and trade had also indicated their willingness to help. Iraq is one of the hottest countries on earth but when heavy rains do hit, they can result in casualties because of deteriorating public infrastructure. In 2015, 58 Iraqis were killed in floods and cases of electrocution due to intense downpours. [SEP]BAGHDAD: At least 21 people have died and tens of thousands displaced by heavy rains that have battered Iraq over two days, the health ministry and United Nations said on Sunday. Women and children were among the dead, health ministry spokesman Seif al-Badr told AFP. Some had drowned, but others had died in car accidents, were electrocuted, or were trapped when their houses collapsed. At least 180 more were injured, he added. Iraq and neighbouring countries have been hit by heavier-than-average rainfall in recent weeks, resulting in deaths and widespread damage. The country's north has borne the brunt of it, and the UN's Iraq office said the downpour had forced tens of thousands of people out of their homes. An estimated 10,000 people in Salahaddin province and 15,000 people in Nineveh are in desperate need of help, including families living in displacement camps, the UN said. In the Al-Sharqat district in Salahaddin, about 250 kilometres north of Baghdad, thousands of homes were left totally underwater by the rains. And in Mosul, the Islamic State group's onetime bastion in Iraq, the heavy storms submerged two floating bridges along the Tigris river, which bisects the city.[SEP]At least seven people, including children, have been killed and thousands have been forced to flee their homes after heavy rains triggered flash floods in northern Iraq.Officials told the dpa news agency on Friday that the seven people were killed when floods hit the al-Houreya village in Salahuddin province.Ali Dodah, the mayor of Shirqat, a town 260km northwest of Baghdad and around 80km south of Mosul, said rains had flooded houses and farms with "some 3,000 people now homeless".Footage from the state-run Iraqi News Agency showed people in Salahuddin province, where Shirqat is located, escaping their half-submerged homes in small boats.The Kurdish news agency Rudaw reported that the floods had damaged a camp housing at least 30 internally displaced Yazidi families, with residents facing temperatures hovering around zero."This has been our life for three years. Nobody is helping us. We go to the manager [of the camp], he says go to the local mayor. Nobody recognises us," one Yazidi man was quoted as saying.The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) systematically killed, captured, and enslaved thousands of Yazidis in the summer of 2014 as they overran the Sinjar area, where many of the minority group lived. UN investigators have said it constituted genocide.The floods, after unusually heavy and early rainfall in recent weeks, have piled more pressure on Iraq's new government to provide services and fix infrastructure in provinces hard-hit by the 2014-17 war against ISIL, also known as ISIS, and by years of neglect that critics blame on corruption.[SEP]At least 21 people have died and dozens more have been injured as heavy rains battered Iraq over the past two days, the health ministry spokesman told AFP on Sunday. Women and children were among the dead, Seif al-Badr said. Some had drowned, but others had died in car accidents, were electrocuted, or were trapped when their houses fell on them. Meanwhile, local media reported that as many as 300 homes have been badly damaged by the floods, especially in Nineveh and Kirkuk provinces. Also, heavy flooding inundated the town of Al-Shirqat in Saladin province, northwest of Baghdad, following days of heavy rainfall in the area. Several countries in the region -- including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan -- have been pounded by torrential rains in recent days that have left scores dead.

At least 21 people have died, 180 have been injured and tens of thousands have been displaced by heavy rains that have affected Iraq.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Some buildings were damaged in Iran's capital Tehran, about 650km away from the epicentre More than 700 people have been injured in a 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck western Iran on Sunday night, state television reports. The epicentre was in Kermanshah province, where last year more than 600 people were killed in the country's deadliest earthquake in over a decade. Tremors were reportedly felt across the wider region, with reports of at least one death in nearby Iraqi Kurdistan. No fatalities were reported in Iran, nor any major damage. The earthquake hit 20km (12 miles) away from the city of Sarpol-e Zahab, at a depth of 10km, at about 20:00 local time on Sunday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. Shallower earthquakes are more likely to cause broader levels of damage. "We have had 729 injured, 700 of them have been treated and released ... some 18 people have been hospitalised," the provincial governor, Houshang Bazvand, told state TV on Monday. An official for Iran's Red Crescent Society, Morteza Salimi, told AFP that most of Sunday's casualties were caused by a stampede sparked by the first tremors. State TV aired footage of damaged houses in Sarpol-e Zahab, where a number of people still remain homeless after last year's destructive earthquake. Dozens of rescue teams, as well as the national army and Iran's Revolutionary Guards have been deployed, the authorities said. President Hassan Rouhani "has ordered officials to do whatever is necessary to provide help for the victims," state TV reported. According to officials in nearby Iraqi Kurdistan, one person died and 43 others were injured in the quake. Residents in the Iraqi capital Baghdad - about 175km away - and several other Iraqi provinces also felt Sunday's quake. Many people in the affected areas in Iran were forced to spend the night outdoors in cold weather due to concerns about aftershocks. Iran sits on two major tectonic plates and is prone to frequent seismic activity. In 2003, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake destroyed the historic city of Bam in the south-east of the country, killing 26,000 people.[SEP]US Geological Survey says a magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes western Iran near its border with Iraq TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — US Geological Survey says a magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes western Iran near its border with Iraq.[SEP]TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — US Geological Survey says a magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes western Iran near its border with Iraq.[SEP]TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 6.3 earthquake has struck western Iran near its border with Iraq. The earthquake Sunday night hit near Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran's Kermanshah province. State television in Iran reported the quake, saying it had magnitude of 6.4. Varying magnitudes are common in the immediate aftermath of a temblor. The earthquake was shallow, which can cause severe damage. It was felt as far as Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. A November 2017 earthquake in the same area killed over 400 people.[SEP]Over 400 people were injured after an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 on the Richter scale struck western Iran on Sunday, Reuters reported. No fatalities were reported. “We have had 411 injured, 80% of whom have been treated and released... no fatalities have been reported,” Kermanshah Governor Houshang Bazvand told state TV. Kermanshah is a province located near the country’s western border with Iraq. The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake struck near Sarpol-e Zahab in Kermanshah at a depth of 10 km, around 8 pm local time. Tremors were also felt in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and in Kuwait. Bazvand said more than 200 people were injured in Sarpol-e Zahab near the epicentre. “No reports of any fatalities yet and most of the injured were hurt while fleeing, not due to quake damage,” said Iran’s emergency services chief Pirhossein Koulivand. Kermanshah Medical Sciences University Mahmoud Reza Moradi Chancellor put the number of injured at 387, Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Iran sits on fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. A 7.3-magnitude earthquake in the same region last year had killed more than 600 people and injured more than 9,000. In August, two people had died and 241 were injured when a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck the province. While Sunday’s earthquake triggered landslides, officials said all roads in the area remained open to traffic and electricity had been restored in most places. According to reports, 23 operational teams have been dispatched to the affected areas. All schools and universities across Kermanshah province will remain closed on Monday.[SEP]TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck western Iran near its border with Iraq on Sunday night, the same area where another temblor last year killed over 600 people. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Sunday night's earthquake struck near Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran's Kermanshah province, which suffered half of the casualties from last year's quake and where some still remain homeless. State television in Iran reported the quake, while semi-official news agency Fars said it was felt across seven Iranian provinces. Authorities said six rescue teams were immediately deployed after the quake stopped. Morteza Salimi of Iran's Red Crescent told state TV that since the area was reconstructed after the last year's quake, officials hope there won't be casualties. The earthquake had a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), making it very shallow. Shallow earthquakes have broader damage. The earthquake was felt as far away as the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Iran is located on major seismic faults and experiences an earthquake per day on average. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam in southern Iran, killing 26,000 people. Last year's earthquake near Sarpol-e Zahab, a predominantly Kurdish town, had a magnitude of 7.3. The region, nestled in the Zagros Mountains, largely rebuilt in recent decades after Iran and Iraq's ruinous 1980s war, saw many buildings collapse or sustain major damage in the 2017 quake.[SEP]Iran said on Sunday that no fatalities had been reported so far after an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck near its western border with Iraq, Iranian state TV reported. “No reports of any fatalities (have been reported) yet and most of the injured were hurt while fleeing, not due to quake damage,” Pirhossein Koulivand, head of the Iranian state emergency services, told state TV. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake was at a depth of 65 km (40 miles) and struck 114 km northwest of the city of Ilam, close to Iran‘s border with Iraq. The Iraqi Geological Survey said the quake had been felt in the capital Baghdad and in Erbil in the Kurdistan region. Iraq’s interior ministry said no damage or casualties had been reported in Baghdad. The quake was also felt in Kuwait and in coastal areas, according to state news agency Kuna. “Fortunately, the quake was not near bigger cities. But it might have caused damage in villages and I hope not that many villages are located where it hit,” Ali Moradi, head of Iran‘s seismology center, told state TV. Last November, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit western Kermanshah province, killing at least 620 people and injuring thousands. In 2003, a quake of a magnitude of 6.6 in Kerman province killed 31,000 people and flattened the historic city of Bam.[SEP]London, Nov 25: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 shook Iran near its border with Iraq on Sunday night, the same area where another temblor last year killed over 600 people. The US Geological Survey said the quake was at a depth of 65 kilometres (40 miles) and struck 114 km northwest of the city of Ilam, close to Irans border with Iraq. The Iraqi Geological Survey said the quake had been felt in the capital Baghdad and in Erbil in the Kurdistan region. No fatalities have been reported so far, but Kermanshah province's deputy governor general was quoted by Fars news agency as saying that scores of people have been treated for injuries, mostly in the two cities of Sarpol-e-Zahab and Gilan-e-Gharb. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam in southern Iran, killing 26,000 people. Last year's earthquake near Sarpol-e Zahab, a predominantly Kurdish town, had a magnitude of 7.3. The region, nestled in the Zagros Mountains, largely rebuilt in recent decades after Iran and Iraq's ruinous 1980s war, saw many buildings collapse or sustain major damage in the 2017 quake.[SEP]A major 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit western Iran on Sunday night, injuring hundreds of people and sending panicked residents running into the street. According to USGS, the earthquake originated 20 km (12.5 miles) southwest of Sarpol-e Zahab, in the Kermanshah Province of Iran close to the Iraq border. Sunday's earthquake struck near Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran’s Kermanshah province, located close to the Iran-Iraq border. Business Insider/Google Maps The quake struck at a shallow depth of 10 km (6.2 miles) at around 8:00 p.m. local time. Shallow earthquakes can often cause more broad damage. Tremors were felt as far away as the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Hundreds of people have been reported injured in the quake. According to the Associated Press, over 500 people were injured. Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported 387 injured, most of them minor. All schools and universities in the region were closed on Monday, IRNA said. Roads were temporarily closed and electricity was affected by the quake but they appeared to be back in order by Sunday evening. Dozens of rescue teams were dispatched to the area, authorities said. Several army units were also called in to assist in rescue efforts. Iran sits along major fault lines and experiences earthquakes on a near daily basis. The location of Sunday's quake, Sarpol-e Zahab, was hit with a major 7.3 earthquake last year that killed more than 600 people and left thousands injured and homeless. It was the deadliest earthquake of 2017.[SEP]More than 400 killed after magnitude 7.3 quake on Iran-Iraq border region At least one person was killed and over 400 injured when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck western Iran near its border with Iraq on Sunday night. Sunday night's earthquake struck near Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran's Kermanshah province, which suffered half of the casualties from last year's quake and where some still remain homeless. People fled into the street after the quake in fear. Kermanshah provincial Gov. Houshang Bazvand told Iranian state television that 411 people were hurt, though he said most injuries were minor and only 15 people were hospitalized. He said those injured were from rural areas and the situation was under control. Authorities said dozens of rescue teams were immediately deployed after the quake stopped and the country's army and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard were responding. Officials reported damage at buildings both in town and in rural Kermanshah, as well as to some roadways. The temblor also downed power lines and caused power outages into the night as temperatures hovered around 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit). The shake was also felt in northern Iraq where one was killed and 45 others were injured, joint crisis coordination center of Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) said on Twitter. The quake struck just after 8 p.m. in Iran, meaning most were still awake at the time and able to quickly flee. The 6.3 earthquake had a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Iran state TV gave the depth as 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). Such shallow earthquakes have broader damage. The earthquake was felt as far away as the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Iran is located on major seismic faults and experiences an earthquake per day on average. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam in southern Iran, killing 26,000 people. Last year's earthquake near Sarpol-e Zahab, a predominantly Kurdish town, had a magnitude of 7.3. The region, nestled in the Zagros Mountains, largely rebuilt in recent decades after Iran and Iraq's ruinous 1980s war, saw many buildings collapse or sustain major damage in the 2017 quake.

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near Sarpol-e Zahab, Iran, and close to the Iraqi border. A person died in Iraq while more than 700 others are injured.

(CNN) After two and a half weeks of historic destruction, the Camp Fire in Northern California is 100% contained, but the search for remains threatens to push the death toll over 88, where it stood late Monday. It's already the state's deadliest fire. The Butte County Coroner's office reported what they believed to be the remains of two people, but Coroner Kory Honea said Monday night the office determined it was actually the remains of three people. JUST WATCHED Drone footage shows wildfire devastation Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Drone footage shows wildfire devastation 01:04 Since it began November 8, the fire has destroyed almost 14,000 homes, 514 businesses and 4,265 other buildings. It has covered more than 153,000 acres, roughly the size of Chicago. Cal Fire, the state's forestry and fire protection agency, announced the blaze was completely contained early Sunday. That does not mean the fire is out. It indicates that a fire line has been cut around the entirety of the remaining blaze, preventing it from reaching trees and other fuel. Read More[SEP]Teams searching for remains from the deadliest wildfire in California history were able to comb through wreckage in dry weather Saturday, but rains are expected to return next week and officials warned of a threat of mudslides. The Camp Fire all but obliterated the mountain community of Paradise, 175 miles (280 km) northeast of San Francisco, on Nov. 8, killing at least 85 people and destroying nearly 14,000 homes. The death toll was increased late Saturday night by one, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. Some 475 people from Paradise and surrounding communities remain unaccounted for, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. Hundreds of police officers and volunteers have searched in and around Paradise since the fire swept through the area. The 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) of rain that fell there during the last few days turned ash from the thousands of destroyed homes into slurry, complicating the work of finding bodies reduced to bone fragments. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea has warned that remains of some victims may never be found. A total of 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) of rain is forecast for areas burned by the Camp Fire from Wednesday through Saturday, said meteorologist David Roth of the federal Weather Prediction Center. Rainfall earlier this week did not trigger any large debris flows, but Roth said the danger of a mudslide will remain far into the future for hillsides that flames have stripped of vegetation. “Any heavy rain event really for the next few to several years would be a problem there,” he said. Authorities said they would lift evacuation orders in some areas south of Paradise Saturday. The city of Paradise was a popular destination for retirees, with people ages 65 or older accounting for a quarter of its 27,000 residents. Most of the victims of the fire identified so far were of retirement age. With help from rainfall, firefighters have contained 98 percent of the blaze, which torched 154,000 acres (62,000 hectares), an area five times the size of San Francisco, officials said. Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire. Thousands of people forced to flee Paradise spent Thanksgiving in warehouses in the nearby city of Chico, or with friends or relatives in nearby towns.[SEP]Camp Fire death toll climbs to at least 85 Camp Fire death toll climbs to at least 85 BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. (NBC) –There has been an update on the number of people killed in California’s Camp Fire. According to state fire officials, the massive blaze has claimed at least 85 lives. The news comes as the California Department of Forestry and Protection announces that the fire is finally 100% contained. Meanwhile, crews continue to sift through muddy ash for human remains in and around the devastated town of Paradise. The nation’s deadliest wildfire in a century burned more than 153,000 acres. Leave a Comment: Note: By commenting below you agree to abide by the KOBI5.com commenting guidelines. View the KOBI5.com Comment Board Guidelines »[SEP]FILE PHOTO: The word "sorry" is spray painted on the edge of a property burned by the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, U.S. November 21, 2018. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage (Reuters) - The deadliest wildfire in California history that destroyed the mountain town of Paradise and killed at least 85 people was 100 percent contained on Sunday, according to state fire officials. The number of people still missing from the Camp Fire north of San Francisco dropped to 249 on Sunday, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said. The number was revised down from 475 as people who were believed missing were found in shelters, staying in hotels or with friends, officials said, adding that many did not know they were on the list. The Camp Fire that started on Nov. 8 destroyed nearly 14,000 homes and burned nearly 154,000 acres (62,000 hectares) - an area five times the size of San Francisco. Searchers will have a few more days of dry weather, but starting late Tuesday, another 2-5 inches (5 to 13 cm) of rain is expected to drop on the Sierra Nevada foothills through next Sunday, hampering the searchers work and renewing fears of flash floods and mudslides, forecasters said. "The fear is that the rain will drop in intense bursts," Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the federal Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, said early Sunday. "All the vegetation has burned away, and that's a dangerous recipe for mudslides," Hurley said. Last week, 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) of rain fell there and turned ash from the thousands of destroyed homes into slurry, complicating the work of finding bodies reduced to bone fragments. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea has warned that remains of some victims may never be found. The town of Paradise was a popular destination for retirees, with people aged 65 or older accounting for a quarter of its 27,000 residents. Most of the victims of the fire identified so far were of retirement age. Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire. Thousands of people forced to flee Paradise spent Thanksgiving in warehouses in the nearby city of Chico, or with friends or relatives in nearby towns.[SEP]Cal Fire released two updates on the Camp Fire Saturday night.The good news is containment is now up to 98 percent, but with the increase in progress comes a tragic update.One more bodies were found in the wildfire aftermath, bringing the death toll to 85.Cal Fire initially reported Saturday that the death toll was at 87, but later issued a correction that it is 85.You can see the full Camp Fire Incident ReportAt 153,336 acres, the Camp Fire is the most destructive in California history.It has burned down 13,954 residences, 514 commercial buildings, and 4,265 other buildings.The fire is also the deadliest in state history.[SEP]HERE is you chance to own a piece of upmarket luxury in Paradise. This house and land package, at 8B Greenwillow Ave, with a choice of three or four bedrooms, will be created for you by Sahara Building Group. 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In addition to publishing a print edition, the journalists are also constantly updating the paper’s website. Members of the Enterprise-Record staff were among those who lost their homes, Little told CNN’s Brian Stelter in an interview this week on “Reliable Sources.” “We’ve had 10 people who work at the newspaper lose their homes,” he said, adding that other staffers were still under evacuations orders. “And of course everybody’s touched by friends and family members who have lost homes.” Little also oversees the Enterprise-Record’s sister paper, the twice weekly Paradise Post. But the Camp Fire has almost completely wiped out the town of Paradise, and there aren’t many readers left there. “Both the Paradise Post and the Enterprise-Record had a good number of subscribers in Paradise,” Little said, “and now we don’t have a town to deliver it to.” So instead of going to readers’ homes, new editions of the Paradise Post are being brought to them at evacuation centers, Little said. And this week the paper was expected to be distributed with the Enterprise-Record and another sister paper, the Oroville Mercury Register. “Because we know a lot of people aren’t staying at evacuation centers,” Little said. “They’re with friends and family and maybe that’s a way for them to get their Paradise Post newspaper.” For safety reasons, many Paradise residents have not been allowed back into town to see the destruction for themselves. “I don’t think they know how little is left until they come here,” Paradise Post Managing Editor Rick Silva told CNN. “It’s complete. It seems like a complete removal of the town, of what it once was.” It’s important, Silva said, that readers know the paper is being published in the face of crisis, and see it recording the history of their town, even though not much of it is left. “The printed newspaper has such staying power,” Little said, “so we all know that years from now, people will look back at these print editions as sort of a history book for what happened during the fire.” Silva said, “It’s the voice of the community — has been since 1947. We have to continue that.”[SEP]The number of people still missing after a northern California wildfire obliterated the mountain town of Paradise, dropped to 249 on Sunday, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office said. The search for the dead will continue at first light Sunday, in the ash and rubble of the so-called Camp Fire that started on Nov. 8 and killed at least 85 people and destroyed nearly 14,000 homes, in and around Paradise, California, about 175 miles (280 km) northeast of San Francisco. The death toll was increased late Saturday night by one, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.[SEP]Kim Paradise provides healthy and delicious tingkat meals in Singapore. The company offers a varied range of delivery options suited for individuals, couples and larger groups. [SINGAPORE, 23/11/2018] – Kim Paradise is a provider of nutritious tingkat meals for individuals, couples and families across Singapore. Interested parties can take advantage of an 8-day trial for home meal delivery services. Try Before You Buy Prospective clients who wish to partake of Kim Paradise’s tingkat delivery services can start with an 8-day trial period. 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The number was revised down from 475 after people who were believed missing were found in shelters, staying in hotels or with friends, officials said, adding that many did not know they were on the list. The search for the dead is continuing Sunday in the ash and rubble of the so-called Camp Fire that started on November 8 and killed at least 85 people and destroyed nearly 14,000 homes, in and around Paradise, California, about 175 miles northeast of San Francisco. The death toll was increased late Saturday night by one, according to the Butte County Sheriff's Office. Searchers will have a few more days of dry weather. Starting late Tuesday, another 2-5 inches of rain is expected to drop on the Sierra Nevada foothills through next Sunday, hampering the searchers work and renewing fears of flash floods and mudslides, forecasters said. 'The fear is that the rain will drop in intense bursts,' Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the federal Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, said on Sunday. 'All the vegetation has burned away, and that's a dangerous recipe for mudslides,' Hurley said. Last week, 2-3 inches of rain fell there and turned ash from the thousands of destroyed homes into slurry, complicating the work of finding bodies reduced to bone fragments. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea has warned that remains of some victims may never be found. The town of Paradise was a popular destination for retirees, with people aged 65 or older accounting for a quarter of its 27,000 residents. Most of the victims of the fire identified so far were of retirement age. With help from the recent rain, firefighters have contained 98 percent of the blaze, which torched 154,000 acres - an area five times the size of San Francisco, officials said. Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire. Thousands of people forced to flee Paradise spent Thanksgiving in warehouses in the nearby city of Chico, or with friends or relatives in nearby towns.

Two more bodies are found in Paradise and one in nearby Magalia, raising the death toll to 85. Another 249 people are still missing.

The water in Quangang, East China's Fujian Province is contaminated with pollutants after a vessel spilled nearly 7 tons of C9 aromatics over the weekend.Photo: IC The government of Quanzhou in East China's Fujian Province on Sunday released a report on a recent chemical spill incident, exposing that the actual leak of C9 aromatics was 69.1 tons, nearly 10 times higher than the initially released figure of "6.97 tons." Having colluded to conceal the actually leak amount, a number of officials of Quangang district as well as the port where the incident took place on November 3, have been suspended from their posts, according to the report. The suspended officials include Chen Xiangcheng, a member of the district Party committee, and Zhu Huiyang, the head of the district transport bureau. The accident occurred when the tube connecting a vessel codenamed Tiantong 1, which is run by the Ningbo Zhoushan Tongzhou Shipping Company, and the Donggang Petrochemical Corporation-administrated wharf in Quangang broke on November 3, around 4 pm, according to the government report. The figure of "6.97 tons" was first released by the Donggang Petrochemical Corporation, under the direction of the company's legal representative, whose surname is Huang. Such figure was later released to the public as an agreement reached by the vessel captain and the company side. The Quanzhou government has since established a special medical squad to handle local residents who were exposed to the leaked chemical. A total of 69 residents have been received by the team, 11 of which were hospitalized for treatment. All patients were discharged by November 16. The air quality in the surrounding areas returned to normal by November 5, and the waters were assessed as "moderately polluted" on November 6 and 7, and have returned to Level I and II at present. China classifies water quality into six levels, ranging from level I, which is suitable for drinking after minimal treatment, to level VI for water that is severely contaminated. Donggang Petrochemical Corporation has been suspended from doing business for rectification, and seven company employees including Huang and four operators on the vessel, have been arrested by the local police. Global Times [SEP]The company responsible for a chemical spill that left dozens ill in east China "deliberately concealed" the extent of the leak, which was 10 times worse than reported, authorities said. The spill in Fujian province happened in the early hours of November 4 when a tube transferring the chemicals from a wharf to a tanker broke, spilling 69.1 tonnes of C9 aromatics into the sea. Fujian Donggang Petrochemical Company, the firm responsible for the incident, had previously reported just 6.97 tonnes. "From the start, Donggang Petrochemical deliberately concealed, maliciously colluded, and forged evidence," said a statement released by the local Quanzhou city government on Sunday. According to local authorities, mid-level and higher-up employees were told to keep the real volume of the chemical spill secret at a meeting following the incident in order to "escape" the legal consequences. Later, the company under-reported the spill and blamed the hose rupture on old and damaged parts. The local government also accused the petrochemical firm of disorderly management and weak safety protocols. So far, authorities have arrested seven people over the incident. Three are employees of the Fujian Donggang Petrochemical Company, which operates the wharf, and four are crew members of the tanker involved in the leak. Earlier this month, residents near the coast who had come into contact with the C9 reported dizziness, nausea, and breathing difficulties. C9 is typically used to produce adhesives, printing ink and paint, and is toxic. A total of 69 residents were hospitalised after the leak, though all are now in "good condition", the state-run China Daily reported Monday. It is the latest alleged corporate cover-up to make waves in China. In October, Chinese authorities slapped penalties totalling a whopping $1.3 billion on a pharmaceutical company that fabricated records for its rabies vaccines. Though authorities said the suspect vaccines did not enter the market, the case provoked outrage from consumers fed up with recurring product-safety scandals, particularly in the drug sector. In 2008, China was hit with one of its most explosive health scandals when 300,000 children fell ill and six were killed by milk powder laced with the chemical melamine to give the appearance of higher protein levels. Melamine is usually used to make plastic.

The chemical spill accident in Quangang District, Quanzhou, China on November 4 is found to be 10 times worse than initially reported. According to the government of Quanzhou, the actual leak of C9 aromatics was 69.1 tonnes instead of 6.97 tonnes understated by the Fujian Donggang Petrochemical Company. Several officials of Quangang District have been suspended from their posts and seven company employees have been arrested by the police in connection with the cover-up.

According to anti-drug laws in force in South Korea, the country's citizens who smoke, possess, buy, or sell cannabis face imprisonment of up to 5 years or are obligated to pay a fine of up to 100,000 million Korean won (around $88,000). Despite the existing legislation, South Korean authorities approved the medical use of cannabis this week. On 25 November, the South Korean National Assembly approved using cannabis for medical purposes through an amendment to national Management of Narcotic Drugs Act (MNDA), as some ‘treatment effects' of using marijuana have been proven. The meeting to amend the MNDA was initially stated to take place on 15 November, but was postponed because of the absence of the opposition, according to the Korean news website Kyeonggi. Non-hallucinogenic doses of medical cannabis were approved for use under the new legislation, which provides a legal basis for issuing licenses for production, sale or purchase of cannabis for medical purposes, according to the description of a new version of the MNDA on the official website of the South Korean National Assembly. In order to use cannabis for treatment, South Korean citizens will be required firstly to get a medical prescription, then approval from the Korean Orphan Drug Center, which would process applications on a case-by-case basis, according to the MB Daily. READ MORE:UK Going to Pot: Medicinal Cannabis Now Available on NHS via Prescription The South Korean decision was characterized as ‘a significant breakthrough for the global cannabis industry' by Vijay Sappani, CEO of Ela Capital, based in Toronto, Canada, which specializes in examining emerging medical cannabis markets. ‘The importance of Korea being the first country in East Asia to allow medical cannabis at a federal level should not be understated. Now it's a matter of when other Asian countries follow South Korea, not if', he said to Marijuana Business Daily. In October, South Korean authorities warned that those who ‘smoke, purchase, possess or deliver' cannabis abroad would be ‘punished' when they return home, as these acts are still ‘criminal'. ‘Even in a place where marijuana is legalized, if our citizens smoke, purchase, possess or deliver marijuana, it's a criminal act, so they will be punished', the South Korean Embassy to Canada wrote on its Twitter page, according to BNN Bloomberg. South Korea became the first country in East Asia and the second in Asia after Sri Lanka to legalize medical cannabis, the use of which remains prohibited in all other Asian countries. READ MORE:Indian Lawmaker Vouches for Legalizing Marijuana In September, Malaysia reportedly was seeking to become the first country in Asia to legalize medical cannabis. Negotiations, however, have so far led nowhere, as Malaysia's Ministry of Health has been sceptical about the medical value of cannabis, according to Bloomberg. Malaysian anti-drug legislation stipulates capital punishment for drug-related offences, as does legislation in most Asian countries.[SEP]Each of the 400 phone calls to the cannabis dispensaries followed a script. ‘Hi,’ said a female voice. ‘I’m eight weeks pregnant and feeling really nauseated. Are there any products recommended for morning sickness?’ In two-thirds of cases, the reply was: ‘Yes’. Around half of those callers who’d received an affirmative answer were then advised to buy a specific ‘cure’ in a form they could eat. Just under 40 per cent were told to get it in a form that could be inhaled or smoked. Most of the remainder were offered tinctures or drinks. The recommended cure in question? Marijuana. But far from being genuine requests for help from expectant mothers, the phone calls were part of a research project by the University of Colorado. The researchers were pretending to be pregnant to see how cannabis — legal for medical reasons in the U.S. state of Colorado since 2000 and fully legal since 2014 — was being dispensed. The answers they received offer a worrying insight into the booming medical marijuana industry. ‘After eight weeks [of pregnancy], everything should be good with consuming alcohol and weed,’ one dispensary assistant replied. ‘When I was pregnant and started to feel nauseous, I did not smoke [cannabis] more than two times a day,’ recommended the proprietor of another clinic. ‘Edible [marijuana] would not hurt the child,’ reassured another, telling the woman, wrongly, that something ‘going through your digestional tract’ will have no effect on an unborn child. Of the 277 dispensaries that recommended cannabis as a cure for morning sickness, three-quarters then attempted to sell a version of the drug containing THC, the chemical that gives users a ‘high’. Many also advised their pregnant patients to keep their consumption of this intoxicating drug secret from their doctor. ‘The doctor will probably just tell you that marijuana is bad for kids and try pushing pills on you,’ said one. ‘I do not know if the baby doctors are chill or not, [so] do not go stoned when you talk to them,’ warned another. Perhaps those doctors had good reason for their reservations about cannabis. For the Colorado research paper, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynaecology earlier this year, highlights cannabis as a matter of growing concern to medical practitioners across the world. Increasingly, marijuana is being sold for medical reasons. Yet this ‘medical’ marijuana is very far from being the safe, natural healthcare product its often-rapacious suppliers would have us believe. In some circumstances, the product — which is becoming legal in growing numbers of countries, including Canada, the U.S. and most recently Britain in highly specific circumstances — can be dangerous and possibly fatal. Particularly when taken by pregnant women. To blame is a simple fact: a multitude of studies over several years have shown all forms of cannabis to be ‘teratogenic’. Meaning that, like tobacco or excessive alcohol, they can harm a foetus. The drug has been linked to a host of serious birth defects, including at least six life-threatening deformities. They include two congenital heart problems; a neurological condition called anencephaly, in which a child is born with a large portion of the brain missing, often dying within hours; and the birth defect gastroschisis, where the intestines develop outside the body. ‘Babies exposed to marijuana in utero are at increased risk of admission to neonatal intensive care units,’ says Torri Metz, a University of Utah professor who was among the Colorado study’s authors. ‘There are also concerns about possible long-term effects on the developing brain, impacting cognitive function and decreasing academic ability later in childhood.’ Which brings us to the situation in Britain, where there is pressure on the Government from an increasingly powerful cannabis lobby to loosen the NHS guidelines on medical cannabis use. They were relaxed this year following two high-profile cases involving children who suffer from serious forms of epilepsy. One, Alfie Dingley, found an unlicensed, technically illegal cannabis oil from Holland prevented his seizures. Another, Billy Caldwell, had medical marijuana from Canada confiscated at customs, causing him to be admitted to hospital with what his family described as ‘life-threatening’ seizures. In response to the public outcry over both cases, the Home Office relaxed the law to allow specialist doctors to prescribe unlicensed cannabis-based drugs to patients. Their use is still limited to three distinct conditions: epilepsy, nausea associated with chemotherapy, and muscle stiffness associated with multiple sclerosis. Even then, patients must first have tried conventional medicines. But the cannabis lobby is calling for it to be made more widely available, claiming six million Britons would eventually use the product for a variety of ailments, including pain and nausea relief. It would almost certainly mean dispensaries handing it out over the counter, just like in Colorado. The British Medical Journal (BMJ) recently published an article arguing that the widespread use of medical cannabis could eventually lead to a public health crisis bearing comparison with the thalidomide disaster. That scandal, one of the most notorious in modern history, came after the drug thalidomide was given to large numbers of pregnant women from the late Fifties to the early Sixties, mostly to treat morning sickness. It caused hundreds of thousands of miscarriages, and resulted in around 10,000 babies being severely deformed. Many died. ‘Thalidomide was marketed for anxiety, morning sickness and pain relief. Very similar claims are now being made about cannabis, and we are being told that millions of people should take it,’ says the author of the BMJ article, Dr Albert Reece, a professor of medicine at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. ‘But as with thalidomide, no one is properly looking at the side-effects. They are frightening. ‘During foetal development, the presence of it increases the chances of a child developing heart and intestinal defects. In the womb, it can also not only interfere with brain development but basically amputate the forebrain.’ Even for adults, there are serious side-effects, he adds: ‘Cannabis is linked to serious psychiatric symptoms, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Plus stroke, heart attack and 12 kinds of cancer.’ The cannabis doctors can now prescribe in Britain — albeit only to certain very sick patients — can have intoxicating levels of the chemical THC. Most British patients who will take it are expected to be given it in the form of capsules or a highly concentrated oil. However, chemically speaking, there will be very little to distinguish these medical products from what recreational cannabis users might smoke. For example, Bedrocan, a Dutch-made brand which is one of the world’s most popular varieties of medical cannabis, contains 22 per cent THC according to its manufacturer’s website, making it more intoxicating even than the ‘skunk’ (which ranges from around 14 per cent to 20 per cent THC for ‘superskunk’) that illegal dealers sell. The difference, says the manufacturer, is that Bedrocan — which consists purely of dried cannabis flowers — is chemically standardised, so it is easier to regulate dosage, when taking the product. Meanwhile, in California, where medical cannabis was first made available 20 years ago and has since been entirely legalised, a high-profile organisation called ‘Cannamommy’ advertises a range of what it terms ‘safe, organic natural products’ designed for mothers. One popular brand of medical marijuana is called ‘Trainwreck’, advertised as a cure for migraines, pain and arthritis. According to the maker, the product, which is between 12 and 21 per cent THC and is sold in a dried form suitable for smoking, ‘begins its hurtle through the mind with a surge of euphoria, awakening creativity and happiness’. Another Cannamommy product, ‘Green Crack’, which it recommends for housewives suffering ‘fatigue, stress and depression’, induces ‘an invigorating mental buzz’. A third, ‘Guerilla Glue’, will apparently ‘deliver heavy-handed euphoria and relaxation, leaving you feeling glued to the couch’. To critics, this sales patter suggests many customers are as interested in enjoying a legal high as they are the medical benefits. And when medical marijuana products are aimed at mothers, it’s a dangerous trend, they argue. ‘We are at ground zero of this new medical epidemic, which will lead to havoc,’ says one critic, Karen Randall, an emergency room physician in Colorado. ‘The number of babies testing positive for THC has increased dramatically.’ Randall says her local area contains 15 medical cannabis dispensaries. ‘When a breast-feeding mother uses marijuana, it gets concentrated in the breast milk. ‘There are many studies that show memory is decreased with constant use, so I guess that in five to ten years, we are going to see a lot of kids with learning issues.’ Someone who illustrates the potential hazards is Marie McKillop, 36, from the Australian city of Brisbane, who says smoking marijuana during pregnancy led to her daughter’s death. Her baby, named Crystal, weighed just 2lb 9oz at birth and was unable to breathe or feed unaided because of a serious congenital heart defect. She underwent three major heart surgeries, but died aged eight months. Adding to her mother’s trauma was the fact she’d previously had four miscarriages. ‘I felt totally broken,’ Marie says. At the time the tragedy occurred, several years ago, McKillop was a troubled young woman battling substance abuse problems. Though clinicians advised her to steer clear of the hardest illegal narcotics, they concluded that she should continue to take marijuana while pregnant. ‘The fear was that if I stopped, it would give me withdrawal symptoms, which could make me miscarry,’ she recalls. Later, in hospital reports, marijuana was described as a ‘high contributing factor’ to Crystal’s subsequent health problems. Thankfully, having weaned herself off drugs, Marie has since had three healthy children. Others won’t be so lucky. Her doctor, Stuart Reece, believes the drug affects three key organs of an unborn child: the brain, the heart and the intestines. He cites a study in the Toxicology Journal last year in which pregnant laboratory mice were exposed to cannabis, which found that ‘smoking marijuana during pregnancy even at low doses can be embryotoxic and fetotoxic’; and a University of Arkansas study also from 2017 which associated pre-natal cannabis exposure with ‘lower birth weight, life-long smaller head circumference, reduced length of gestation, neonatal neurological disturbances, [and] reduced function in specific cognitive domains’. Two studies by the American Center for Disease Control have linked it to anencephaly, while the American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics believe it increases rates of ventricular septal defect and Ebstein’s anomaly, two heart defects. The drug’s links to gastroschisis — when the intestines develop outside the body — are documented by, among others, a long-running Canadian study and a Hawaiian research project which has linked cannabis to no fewer than 21 birth defects. ‘Only once has a known teratogen like cannabis been marketed globally,’ Dr Reece says. ‘That was thalidomide. It’s the reason we have the entire modern drug approval system, but the medical cannabis lobby is saying that system should be abandoned and the drug should be given to millions of people. It’s incredibly dangerous.’ Sharing this view are 166 of Britain’s most eminent pain relief doctors. Last month, they wrote to The Times, saying medical cannabis ‘will provide little or no long-term benefit in improving pain and may be associated with significant long-term adverse cognitive and mental-health detriment.’ They argued there is no medical evidence that, in this field, cannabis works. There are, however, serious psychological problems associated with its regular use. The 166 doctors cited a report from the International Association for the Study of Pain, which took in the results of 104 studies. The report concluded that 24 patients in pain would need to be treated for just one to experience any benefit. Yet one in six would suffer some form of ‘harm’ due to side-effects, including nausea, dizziness, insomnia and depression. And the report concluded: ‘It seems unlikely cannabinoids are highly effective medicines for chronic non-cancer pain.’ ‘As doctors, the first law is to “do no harm”,’ says author Dr Raj Munglani, a chronic pain expert who practises in Cambridge and London. ‘We could end up damaging more people than we help. We fear new rules in the UK could cause a major public health crisis.’ Until this year’s relaxation in the law, drugs in Britain that are made from cannabis had an identical status to those derived from other illegal narcotics such as heroin. To be licensed for medical use, these products must undergo stringent testing to ensure that they are effective and safe. Though the licensing process takes several years, it’s perfectly possible to negotiate it. The UK firm GW Pharmaceuticals has done just that with marijuana, developing two licensed drugs: Sativex (with moderate levels of THC) which treats seizures associated with multiple sclerosis, and Epidolex, for epilepsy (interestingly, patient notes make clear that they must never be taken by pregnant women). In theory, there’s never been anything to stop other advocates of medical cannabis developing licensed products in this way to combat the myriad other conditions they say it can treat. But none have so far succeeded. It seems it’s far easier to lobby politicians to relax the licensing laws. But the danger is that this could one day lead to a situation in Britain where, as in Colorado, cannabis is sold as a cure for morning sickness — with potentially terrifying consequences.[SEP]Cannabis and alcohol are enjoyed by many people in the Edson and Hinton region but cannabis offers more benefits, according to a professor at the University of Calgary. “But, unlike alcohol, which really doesn’t have any medicinal benefits, cannabis also has some medical benefits and is used by individuals for those benefits and for different conditions,” said Professor Keith Sharkey. Cannabis eases pain, helps as a sleep aid, and there are other benefits, said Sharkey. “Others take it to improve specific diseases, for improving gastrointestinal function and other organ functions. Individuals do report improvements in the quality of their lives – so that is generally reported.” But cannabis can also do harm, Sharkey said. “We’re beginning to understand them. Saying that there are no ill effects is wrong.” Being a drug, cannabis can be addictive, he said. “Not as addictive as alcohol and it’s certainly not as addictive as the opioids [but] rate of addiction probably doubles if you take this drug as a teenager or a young adult.” As to whether cannabis is a gateway drug, Sharkey said there is some evidence for that but not very much at this point of time. There are two components to gateway drugs, he explained. There is the biological activity of the drug in the brain. Then there’s the social aspect that encourages people to use it. Sharkey pointed out that, biologically, the urge to consume cannabis is not as strong as nicotine. However, there is evidence that those who take cannabis will be pre-disposed to other drugs, Sharkey said. But there is good news. Cannabis doesn’t repress respiration like opioids do, said Sharkey. On the mental health side, cannabis use can promote the development of psychosis, he said. “Particularly if they consume on a regular basis and particularly if you consume strong doses of cannabis. Very frequent use of very strong cannabis is worse than occasional use in cannabis which is not as strong.” Cannabis can also cause paranoia if over consumed. This is especially true when it comes to edibles. Even though edibles were not approved is this round of cannabis legislation, Sharkey offers a warning for the future. “The dose is much harder to control,” he said. “It takes longer for you to react when it’s in edible form.” For example, residents of Colorado and Washington State where the drug has already been approved both in standard and edible types, people have over dosed on edibles. “They make a mistake and eat more. Four to six hours later they have problems,” Sharkey said. Does cannabis cause cancer or Alzheimer’s disease? The cases are not widespread but he has heard of some cancer reports. “There have been sporadic reports but nothing as a big signal,” said Sharkey. Not many studies have been done because people who have taken the drug over the years have been reluctant to admit they’ve used cannabis. There have been sporadic reports though that cannabis use may cause testicular cancer but Sharkey said this too is rare. There is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to cannabis and tobacco smoke, Skarkey said. The exhaled products, in both, are toxic but cannabis smoke, when inhaled, is unlikely to cause cancer. But when tobacco is used with cannabis in a joint or pipe the risk goes up, he said. However, Sharkey urged caution in these findings because the overall data is simply not there. “People are moving away from cannabis cigarettes with tobacco in them,” he noted. Sharkey said that even though there is no solid proof that inhaled cannabis smoke is harmful to the lungs he noted that many cannabis users do have coughs as a result of irritated throats. Cannabis is bad for pregnant or lactating women, Sharkey stressed. “It can cause impairment in brain development.” Driving under the influence of cannabis is not recommended or using cannabis in the workplace, especially when someone is operating something mechanical as it could impair judgement and memory, said Sharkey. “The effects of cannabis last a long time,” he added. For first time users he recommended those in question use a low dose until they’re sure of the possible effects. Plus combining alcohol and cannabis is not a great idea, Sharkey said.[SEP]Cody Lindsay served in the Canadian forces for seven years; completing two tours of duty. Lindsay was released from the military because of cannabis use. “It destroyed my life and I kind of fought the system and said 'Listen, this is what's helping me.' ” An accomplished chef, for years in Ottawa, Lindsay is now The Wellness Soldier. He cooks with cannabis products and shares healthy ways to use oils and edibles in the kitchen; conducting seminars at expos across the country. “For the first demo I’m going to be doing a steak with chimichurri and horseradish cream sauce and for the second one I’m going to be doing a rustic tomato and bacon pasta with a herb vinaigrette salad.” The expo featured dozens of vendors providing a multitude of products and services, from glassware to hydroponic equipment. “It's very, very easy.” said Nabi Alexandre of Teragenic Solutions in Gatineau. Alexandre and his colleagues teach customers how to properly light and set-up equipment for growing plants. The company also offers plant-trimming equipment.” “The blade spins and basically cuts the excess of your cannabis plants.” He says trimming 4 pounds of plants can take an hour. Kevin Blackburn is show director of the Cannabis and Hemp Expo, he says from business professionals to those curious about the industry, the two-day event offers something from everyone; over the age of 19. “Some are selling products, some are here for education. Some are here for recruitment if you want to work in the cannabis sector. People want to learn how they can use cannabis in different ways and not just to get high...To also treat medicinal issues as well so it's just a really good educational forum where you can get a lot of good information.” said Blackburn. Many in attendance are cannabis-users treating chronic pain and illness. “I do take other medication but CBD has replaced a lot of anti-inflammatories and things that can damage your kidneys and stuff long-term so that's where I find it benefits.” said Hayley who treats her anxiety and pain with Cannabidiol; a non-psychoactive, high-free cannabis compound. Angelo Muscari is an Ottawa pharmacist with a team of trained medical cannabis professionals at Hybridpharm. His pharmacy provides customers with individualized treatment plans and products from pills to oils and snacks. “This opioid crisis is still with us, I'm a father of four, and I've seen it on a very personal level in many ways and it has to change. Cannabis is not for everyone, but it can be for some people.”[SEP]Canada 23-11-2018. Canna Seeds Bank is the perfect online source to buy high-quality, hand-selected and lab-tested cannabis seeds. It is providing very good quality of cannabis seeds which can be used to grow the plants which are helpful in production of medicines. There are several serious health problems which can be treated with the help of cannabis and if you really want to avail cannabis for all your future needs then it is better to grow your own plants. To grow high-quality cannabis, you need to buy good quality seeds and Canna Seeds Bank is the perfect source for your needs. To buy medical cannabis seeds online, Canna Seeds Bank is the name you can trust. It provides all the very good quality range of cannabis seeds ideal for distinct requirements. These seeds are collected from the sources of origin and will definitely work over your needs. The different cannabis seeds have different ability in producing different plants with different CBD or THC levels. Here at Canna Seeds Bank, you will be able to shop from diverse cannabis seeds types. You can shop feminized cannabis seeds, auto-flowering, medical or regular cannabis seeds. These all types of seeds further have many types which are suitable to different growing needs. Different types of seeds are suitable to different growing needs and different geographical areas. So, before you buy seeds it is important for you to consider all the related factors to make sure you are planting right kind of seeds. If you are looking to buy medical seeds or regular cannabis seeds then make sure you prefer Canna Seeds Bank for high-quality cannabis seeds. Their seeds are guaranteed for high-quality yield so you can easily invest on these seeds. To buy medical cannabis seeds or to know about their distinct types, please visit: https://www.cannaseedsbank.com/medical-seeds/[SEP]Police found cannabis plants growing in the loft when they raided a Wigan house, a court heard. Officers went to Steven Mifsud’s home on Keats Avenue, Worsley Mesnes, to execute a warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Wigan justices heard they had received intelligence that cannabis was being grown and distributed from the property. Katie Beattie, prosecuting, said: “They located cannabis growing in the loft area and this was deemed to be a professional set-up.” There was LED lighting, polystyrene on the roof to make it waterproof and fans running, she said. Police also found 15 individual bags of cannabis, plants, seeds, scales and a mobile phone. When interviewed by the police, Mifsud, 34, accepted growing cannabis for his personal use but denied supplying it to others, the court heard. He had been addicted to the drug since the age of 12 to 14 and had been using it more frequently in recent times after a motorbike accident. The court was told Mifsud claimed the cannabis was put into bags so he knew how much he was using. Ms Beattie said police investigations found nothing to suggest he had been selling the drugs. Mifsud, who represented himself, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis, which is a controlled class B drug. He disputed the number of bags of cannabis found and said some of the seeds were for tomatoes and raspberries, rather than cannabis. He said he had been seeking help from Addaction and planned to see his GP for anxiety. Magistrates handed down a community order with eight days of rehabilitation activities. They also ordered the defendant to complete 120 hours’ unpaid work, pay £100 prosecution costs and an £85 victim surcharge.[SEP]The two schools have partnered with Pacific Rim Brands, a Kelowna-based integrated cannabis company Susan Murch, chemistry professor at UBC Okanagan, has partnered with a BCIT professor and Pacific Rim Brands, a Kelowna-based integrated cannabis company to develop beverage formulas containing cannabis extracts. —Image: contributed A unique partnership between UBC Okanagan, the British Columbia Institute of Technology and a private company, has opened the door for the research and development of cannabis-infused beverages. Professor Susan Murch, who teaches chemistry at UBC Okanagan, and Paula Brown, director of BCIT’s Natural Health and Food Products Research Group and Canada Research Chair in Phytoanalytics have partnered with Pacific Rim Brands, a Kelowna-based integrated cannabis company to develop beverage formulas containing cannabis extracts. “We are at the early stages of this research and are very excited about the potential for both interesting science and new products for consumers,” says Murch. RELATED: Little variety in THC levels with different cannabis strains, says UBCO study Murch’s research investigates the chemistry of plants and how plant chemistry affects human health. She’s interested in cannabis ingredients and how they can be used in beverages. “We are seeing industry recalls in cannabis products because we really don’t know how to use the ingredients on a large scale,” she says. “Making stable products that can sit on store shelves for months or years requires innovation.” BCIT’s Paula Brown also investigates plant chemistry and works with the natural products industry to develop new products. At the same time, she works to establish standards of quality and ensure regulatory compliance. “Like any new sector, the science and formulation will be the most important element to ensure consistency, scalability and trust,” says Brown. “There is a lot of work to be done to develop stable, high-quality, consistent cannabis formulations that consumers can use with confidence.” The partnership with Pacific Rim allows Murch and Brown to develop high-quality cannabis beverages for health, wellness and leisure, explains Kevin Letun, founder and chief strategy officer of Pacific Rim Brands. RELATED: More cannabis jobs to come to Kelowna “This is an exciting time for research institutions and cannabis companies in the private sector,” says Letun. “The impeccable credentials of these professors and their on-going research will give industry partners and the consumer the quality assurance they require.” The collaboration between BCIT, UBC Okanagan and Pacific Rim Brands provides the opportunity to conduct more research about the chemicals in cannabis and at the same time conduct research on products that can be brought to markets across Canada and globally,” says Kim Dotto, Dean of Applied Research at BCIT. “This partnership reconfirms the ongoing commitment required to drive research nationally and internationally,” adds Dotto. “BCIT is committed to these collaborations and applauds the highly-skilled researchers involved with this exciting project.” Phil Barker, vice-principal research and innovation at UBC’s Okanagan campus, says the university has a long history of innovation and commercializing new products. “Our campus has a growing reputation for embracing creativity and risk-taking, and this research partnership is no exception,” says Barker. “We’re excited to be at the forefront of responsible research that prioritizes the safe use of cannabis in our communities.” @KelownaCapNews newstips@kelownacapnews.com Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.[SEP]Scroll To See More Images With the blockbuster success of this summer’s Crazy Rich Asians, Hollywood is taking note of the power and influence of Asian and Asian-American faces. The effects are making their way to the fashion and beauty industry too, with more and more milestones for Asian and Asian-American models happening each day. There was the all-Asian issue of Allure in June. There was Claudia Li’s all-Asian runway show at New York Fashion Week in September. There was Kelsey Meritt, the first Filipina model to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in November. Though there’s a long way to go before Asian models are offered the same opportunities as their white peers, there’s no doubt that times are changing. To celebrate this new age of Asian representation, we’ve collected 12 Asian models changing the face of fashion. They come from different nationalities and different ethnicities and have different skin tones and body types, but they share one common mission: to improve diversity in fashion. In 2012, Wen was dubbed by The New York Times “China’s first bona fide supermodel.” Discovered in a modeling contest at 17 years old, Wen, a native of Hunan, China, went on to become the first East Asian model to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, the first East Asian model to become the face of Estée Lauder, the first East Asian model to make Forbes’s annual highest-paid models list and the first Chinese model to appear on the cover of American Vogue. Wen has also modeled for designers such as Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana and posed for magazines like GQ and Harper’s Bazaar. Merritt, a half-Filipina model born in the Philippines, made history in 2018 to become the first Filipina model to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Meritt, who is signed to Wilhelmina Models, has also modeled for brands such as Palmolive and Kashieca, and in 2016, she was named one of Sports Illustrated’s Rookies of the Year. Known for her millennial pink hair and sharp features, Ly, a Chinese-Australian, has modeled for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and Dior. She was discovered at a mall in Australia at 16 and became one of Louis Vuitton’s muses not too long after, following her pink hair change. Ly was also one of three Asian models to appear on the cover of Allure’s history-making all-Asian issue in June 2018. In 2011, He made history after she became the first East Asian model to open a Ralph Lauren fashion show. Soon after, she became the second Chinese model to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, following in Liu Wen’s footsteps. Discovered in a modeling contest at 16, He, a native of Zhejiang, China, has walked for designers including Vivienne Tam, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel and Dior. Born in South Korea and raised in California, Park is known for her platinum-blonde hair and Chanel campaigns. She was one of three Asian models to appear on the cover of Allure’s all-Asian issue in June 2018 and has also worked with the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Emporio Armani and Fendi. She’s also been the face of brands including MAC Cosmetics and Michael Kors. In 2014, she became the first Asian-American spokesmodel for L’Oreal Paris. Sun, a native of Shandong China, started modeling at 19 years old after she won a modeling competing in China and signed with Elite Models. Since then, she’s walked for brands such as Miu Miu, Prada and Valentino and was hand-picked by Karl Lagerfeld to walk in Chanel’s Paris-Shanghai fashion show. In 2013, she became the first East Asian model to appear in a solo cover for Italian Vogue. She was also one of three Asian models to appear on the cover of Allure’s all-Asian issue in June 2018. Gill, a British model of Indian and Punjab descent, became the first Southeast Asian model to be featured in a Burberry campaign in 2014. Signed to Next Model Management, Gill has also modeled for the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch, Dior and Kanye West’s Yeezy. Raised in Australia, Shaik, who is part-Pakistani and part-Saudi Arabian, started modeling at 8 years old after she scored a TV commercial for Hyundai. After a break to concentrate on school, Shaik started modeling again as a teenager after she finished in second place in the Australian reality competition, Make Me a Supermodel. Since then, Shaik, who is signed to Next Model Management, has modeled for brands such as Intimissimi, Oscar de la Renta, Diesel and Victoria’s Secret, making her debut in the brand’s annual fashion show in 2011. Taylor T is regarded as one of the most well-known plus-size models in South Korea. Discovered by a photographer on a trip to London, Taylor T has modeled for magazines such as Cosmopolitan Korea and Queen Size Magazine. A size 14, Taylor T has been a lifelong activist for body positivity and size inclusivity, especially in Korea. “All bodies, all colors, all shapes should be represented,” she writes on her Instagram. The winner of 2017 Miss India International, Gupta has leveraged her pageant name into careers in Bollywood and modeling, having appeared on the cover of GQ India and FHM and modeled for brands including Lakmé Cosmetics, one of India’s most well-known cosmetics companies. Hue might not be as much of a household name as other models on this list, but she’s on the rise. One of the cast members of E!’s Model Squad, following the careers of several up-and-coming models, Hue has posed for the likes of Banana Republic and Polo Ralph Lauren and magazines such as Marie Claire and Modern Luxury. In 2018, Jing was named by The New York Times as one of eight “models to watch” at this year’s New York Fashion Week. A native of Wuhan, China, Jing made her runway debut at Givenchy’s Spring/Summer 2018 show in October and has posed for the likes of Harper’s Bazaar China and Marie Claire Hong Kong. She’s 22 and is represented by Elite Model Management.[SEP]Though cannabis is used as a wonder plant in the treatment of various ailments, patients are denied cannabis-based medicines in India. Experts say that India needs to tweak its legal, regulatory system to establish newer categories of medicinal products derived from cannabis so that cannabis-based medications become more widely available. ‘India needs to tweak its legal, regulatory regime on the lines of countries like the Netherlands and Canada to build newer categories of medicinal products derived from Cannabis. ’ In the last few years, cannabis has made its way into the medical mainstream in Western nations owing to its efficacy in multiple health conditions, but in India, patients are denied cannabis-based medicines despite the country having a tradition of thousands of years of using the properties of this miracle plant.India needs to tweak its legal, regulatory system. Experts said this at a conference titled "Cannabis R&D in India: A Scientific, Medical & Legal Perspective," jointly organized by the Bombay Hemp Company (BOHECO) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM).The day-long conference saw participation of prominent medical experts, policymakers and researchers, including Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office; Dr. Ram Vishwakarma, Director - CSIR-IIIM; Dr. Rajendra Badwe, Director, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai; Dr. Dharamvira Gandhi, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha); Dr. Rajender Pal Singh, Former DDG (North Zone), Narcotics Control Bureau; Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Director, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology; Dr. Manjari Tripathi, Head (Neurology), All India Institute of Medical Sciences; Dr. Anurag Srivastava, Head (Surgery), All India Institute of Medical Sciences; and Jahan Peston Jamas, Co-founder, Bombay Hemp Company.Said Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office: "Since ancient times, cannabis-based products like Bhaang have been a part of Indian culture, social customs, and festivals. There is a very thin line between use, misuse, and abuse of a substance, and it is our responsibility to draw that line so that we do not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Research into cannabis-based medicines is going to be very important for the management of chronic diseases like diabetes which cause excruciating neurological pain and for which currently there is hardly any relief. The age demography and epidemiology is undergoing a change in India about 70% of the population is below 40 years. However, the size of the elderly population is going up too, as lifespan increases. Due to this, the incidence of diseases and malignancies that happen in the later decades of life is rising. Worse, people are getting afflicted with diseases of the elderly like diabetes at a much younger age. This is a big challenge. The world clinically overcame communicable diseases in the 1950s. Now, as the incidence of non-communicable diseases increase in India, we need to conduct pioneering research on drugs originating from plants and herbs found in the Indian mountainous regions. In the middle of the last century, such research gave us mint, which has now become an internationally used product. We need to replicate this kind of success by exploring the full medicinal potential of cannabis for the treatment and management of pain and health conditions for which there is currently no effective cure."Said Jahan Peston Jamas, Co-founder, Bombay Hemp Company: "Chronic diseases are on the rise in India, and existing medical solutions are not proving adequate. In this scenario, cannabis-based medicines can offer a high-quality, cost-effective solution for patient populations across urban and rural India. The geriatric population of India is poised to reach 100 million people by 2020-2025. Unfortunately, R&D work with other forms of medicine for several critical conditions afflicting the elderly has plateaued. Cannabis has properties of binding with CB1 and CB2 receptors within the human body. Health conditions like mental disorders, rheumatism, osteo-based ailments, and heart diseases can be greatly alleviated with the use of cannabis which has almost negligible side-effects, as shown by a range of global regulatory and research work."Talking about why cannabis-based modern medicines have a nominal presence in India, Avnish Pandya, Director of Research & Development, Bombay Hemp Company, said: "Any medicine requires a standard, stable and predictable dosage for it to be clinically effective. In India, there is a lack of distinct standardized cannabis plants with standard cannabinoid output derived from their flowering tops to get consistent medicine. There is also a lack of clinical trials on cannabis and its isolated compounds. Clinical trials are based on single molecule compounds due to their predictability, in contrast to Ayurvedic medicines which represent a multi-compound, multi-faceted approach towards medicine. So, either cannabis has to walk down the path of clinical trials, or clinical trials have to accommodate multi-compound, complex formulations. The lack of regulatory clarity on cannabinoids other than THC (the psychoactive compound), combined with the socio-cultural stigma of cannabis consumption since 1985, has contributed towards the absence of cannabis-based medicines in the Indian market."Said Dr. Vivek Benegal, Professor, Centre for Addiction Medicine, NIMHANS: "Though cannabis is a psychoactive drug and causes intoxication, its addictive potential is lower than that of tobacco, alcohol heroin, cocaine, etc. The cannabis plant and its commonly used forms like ganja, bhang, charas, etc. contain many chemicals which are not psychoactive and are seen to have opposite actions to that of THC (the predominant chemical which causes intoxication and addiction). One such chemical, Cannabidiol, is arousing interest in the scientific community due to its medical and therapeutic capabilities. It is observed to reduce the intoxicating and addictive properties of THC in cannabis addicts. This is interesting since there are currently no licensed treatments for persons with cannabis dependence. Some early studies have explored the beneficial effects of Cannabidiol on persons addicted to opioids like heroin, alcohol and even tobacco. This chemical will have useful applications in the treatment of addictive disorders. But before that, the molecule must be subject to stringent and scientifically rigorous testing. This is difficult due to its current ambiguous position under the law in India, especially the NDPS Act."Said Prasanna Namboodiri, Senior High Court Advocate dealing with NDPS matters: "The bar under Section 10 (2) (d) of the NDPS Act, 1985, requiring cannabis to be delivered by the cultivators to the officers of the state government is a major impediment in the cultivation of cannabis plant for medical and scientific purposes through extraction of cannabinoids. The failure of many state governments in India to frame NDPS rules providing for the cultivation of cannabis is a major hurdle. Such cultivated cannabis cannot be resold to private entities by the state governments for the extraction of cannabinoids in the absence of any provision in the NDPS Act. Due to this, private entities do not have any role to play in the extraction of cannabinoids for use as medicines. Participation of private entities in post-cultivation activities for medical benefit would require extensive amendments to the NDPS Act. These should aim to transfer the power to control, permit and regulate the cultivation of cannabis and extraction of cannabinoids for use as medicines, from the state governments to the Central government on the same lines as was done for poppy straw from which juice has not been extracted."Experts pointed out that Western countries are much ahead in R&D of cannabis-based medicines compared to India. Said Jahan Peston Jamas, Co-founder, Bombay Hemp Company: "In Canada and USA, cannabis-based medicines have always had distinct channels within the regulatory framework for trial, experimentation, and application of new medicines and drugs, to be utilized for patient populations facing orphan or rare diseases. Recently, the FDA categorized a cannabis-based medicine Epidiolex as a Schedule V drug (limited potential for abuse). it also approved two drugs containing synthetic Cannabinoids (Nabilone, Dronabinol) for research and medical applications. The Canadian Government has created a Medical Marijuana Access Program which acts as a foundation for patients to obtain certification from their doctors and access to standard, high-quality grades of cannabis in multiple forms. Since 2005, a plant-based cannabis medicine (Sativex) has been made available for patients suffering from cancer-based pain. Since June 2018, there have been 330,000 medical cannabis clients and patients registered in Canada alone. India has a lot to learn from such countries, right from the standard cultivation of cannabis plant to product development and access programs for patients."Speaking at the conference, experts said that India lacks three very Important aspects to bring it up to the level of Western nations regarding cannabis-based medicines. These include non-availability of standard cannabis varieties or strains which will have predictable outputs; negligible clinical research on cannabis due to lack of standard material; and absence of standard product development from standard cannabis varieties. They asked the Indian Government to provide support on the plant-breeding side of cannabis ecosystem, as standard cannabis has not been bred in India since 1985.The panelists recounted several myths surrounding cannabis-based medicinal products. These include the myth that synthetic cannabinoid-based medicines have greater efficacy, predictability, and safety, compared to-based cannabinoids. They said that it is wrong to think that the major method for ingestion and consumption of cannabis-based medicine is through smoking. There are multiple forms of administration of cannabis with considerably lesser health risks, such as capsules, oils, tinctures, patches, sub-lingual sprays and vaporizers.Talking about the main challenges in the production and consumption of cannabis-based modern medicines, Dr. Dhiraj Vyas, Head of Dept. - Plant Biotechnology, CSIR-IIIM, said: "There are no standard varieties or seeds of cannabis to cultivate in India. As cannabis is considered a narcotic commodity under the NDPS Act, research is restricted due to the non-availability of research-grade material. Research projects to produce standard varieties of cannabis have only recently begun in India by CSIR-IIIM in collaboration with the Bombay Hemp Company, and there are no standard extracts from which medicines can be produced. Since there are no standard medicines available, patients are reluctant to try cannabis in the form of oils, etc. and doctors lack awareness about endocannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system that is present within every mammal. As a result, only a few doctors in India are currently in a position to prescribe cannabis-based medicine to anyone."Experts felt that the cannabis plant is a victim of misperception despite being an integral part of Indian culture. For thousands of years, it has been a trusted ingredient in the treatment of various ailments. Cannabis is mired in ambiguity when it comes to its application in modern healthcare.Source: Medindia[SEP]VANCOUVER, Nov. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Namaste Technologies Inc. ("Namaste" or the "Company") (TSXV: N) (FRANKFURT: M5BQ) (OTCMKTS: NXTTF) is pleased to announce that the Company has signed a Subscription Agreement (the "Agreement"), whereby the Company has completed an investment of $250,000 to acquire 46,729 Class B common shares of Kief Cannabis Company Ltd. ("Kief Cannabis") at a cost of $5.35 per share. Namaste's investment represents approximately 3% of the issued and outstanding shares of Kief Cannabis, based on an $8.1 million valuation. Further to the Company's August 29, 2018 news release where Namaste's wholly-owned subsidiary, Cannmart Inc. ("Cannmart') signed a medical cannabis Supply Agreement (the "Supply Agreement") to purchase premium medical cannabis products from Kief Cannabis for sale on its online platform, Cannmart will now also have the right of first refusal ("ROFR") on 35% of the total production of cannabis from Kief Cannabis. This investment and additional security of supply bolsters Namaste's objective to become Canada's premier online medical cannabis retailer. In September, the Company received its Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations ("ACMPR") Sale for Medical Purposes licence, the first of its kind to be issued by Health Canada, allowing Canadian customers the ability to purchase medical cannabis from wide assortment of licensed producers through Namaste's platform, giving consumers the power of choice rather than having to register with just one LP. Supply agreements and Investments like this in high-quality craft producers such as Kief Cannabis address the issues around selection and product shortage across Canada. Namaste is committed to supporting the craft grower through strategic investments and services like its Craft Program to ensure the widest possible assortment and ongoing supply of new products for its customers. Further to the November 19th, 2018 news release, the Company has also received a positive response from many craft cultivators who are interested in participating in the program. Namaste has established itself as a global market leader, creating the world's largest online marketplace for cannabis, cannabis accessories, and other related products with more than 30 websites in 20 countries. It recently made significant investments in AI technology and machine learning platforms, helping customers to make strain-specific purchases based on their individual needs. Kief Cannabis is a Manitoba-based, late-stage applicant to become a licensed producer subject to the terms of the Cannabis Act. Kief Cannabis is focused on developing high-quality craft cannabis products using only the best plant genetics and a refined production process that will to deliver high-grade, small-batch products. Namaste's financial investment in Kief Cannabis is part of a larger program to foster the growth of the craft cannabis market by offering long-term supply agreements that in turn benefit Cannmart's growing number of registered customers. Jesse Denton, CEO of Kief Cannabis comments: "The entire team at Kief Cannabis is thrilled to have entered into a strategic relationship with one of the industry's most forward-thinking companies. Namaste's recent announcement regarding the launch of their craft cannabis and micro-cultivator platform will provide great exposure to smaller producers and further demonstrates our shared vision to bring high-quality products to customers. Kief Cannabis is focused on providing artisan crafted cannabis products designed to deliver a premium quality experience. Our driving force is quality above quantity with an emphasis on rare genetics unseen in today's marketplace." Sean Dollinger, President, and CEO of Namaste comments: "We're very pleased to announce this investment into Kief Cannabis. We strongly believe that craft cannabis products will add significant value to our platform through Cannmart and that many of the strains which we plan to introduce have not yet been seen on the market. By working with and supporting the craft market, we will bring long term value to the Company and to our patients. Thanks to Kief Cannabis and their team for understanding the value of what Namaste brings to craft growers and are excited to offer their products to our patients in the future. Kief Cannabis Ltd. is a late-stage ACMPR craft producer focused on providing rare, sought-after strains of premium-quality cannabis. Kief Cannabis has received its Confirmation of Readiness letter from Health Canada and is currently working to complete build-out and anticipates receiving its production licence by December 2018. Namaste Technologies is Your Everything Cannabis Store™. Namaste operates the largest global cannabis e-commerce platform with over 30 websites in 20+ countries under various brands. Namaste's product offering through its subsidiaries includes vaporizers, glassware, accessories, CBD products, and the company will soon be selling medical cannabis in the Canadian market. Namaste has developed and acquired innovative technology platforms including NamasteMD.com, Canada's first Health Canada compliant telemedicine application, and in May 2018 the Company acquired a leading e-commerce AI and Machine Learning Company, Findify AB. Findify uses artificial intelligence algorithms to optimize and personalize a consumer's on-site buying experience. Namaste is focused on leveraging its cutting-edge technology to enhance the user experience throughout its platforms. Namaste will continue to develop and acquire innovative technologies which will provide value to the Company and to its shareholders as well as to the broader cannabis market. On behalf of the Board of Directors Further information on the Company and its products can be accessed through the links below: FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, Namaste assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The TSXV has neither reviewed nor approved the contents of this press release.

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Spain's prime minister said the summit could proceed since he had received written assurances that meant that in the future, Spain and Britain could directly negotiate on Brexit issues relating to Gibraltar. LONDON – Nothing is simple in Brexitland. In the lead-up to a historic summit Sunday in Brussels, where a Brexit deal is expected to be rubber-stamped, tiny Gibraltar suddenly loomed large. It literally put Britain’s European Union (EU) divorce settlement between “The Rock” and a hard place for a time. That’s because Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez insisted his country have final say over any future status of the enclave, a self-governing British territory on the tip of southern Spain and near the narrow mouth of the Mediterranean. Spain, which has had a centuries-long feud with Britain over Gibraltar, wanted Britain to make a commitment in writing before the summit. It went down to the wire. Late Saturday, Sánchez said Spain would lift its veto because the EU and Britain had accepted Spain’s demands. The summit, he said, could go ahead now that he had received written assurances that meant that in the future, Madrid and London could directly negotiate on Brexit issues relating to Gibraltar. On Sunday, the leaders of the 28 EU countries are expected to meet in Brussels at a carefully choreographed summit to approve Brexit plans and an accompanying political declaration on the future ties between Britain and the 27 EU nations that will say goodbye officially in March. The Brexit package, which is very much British Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal, has been painstakingly crafted. But it’s been a tortured path: 17 months of sometimes bitter negotiations, nonstop bickering within May’s own leadership team, ongoing concerns about how to handle the border between EU-member Ireland and North Ireland, the resignation of a string of ministers, including two Brexit secretaries, and a new vocabulary of Brexit-related puns and put-downs from British tabloids. About 30,000 Britons live in Gibraltar, a 2.6-square mile rocky outpost that shares a land border with Spain. It was famously the headquarters for Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower during the planning stages of the Allied invasion of North Africa in 1942. The sovereignty issues surrounding Gibraltar may have hit the headlines this week, but they are long-festering. Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht, but it is still claimed by Spain. In a 2002 referendum, its citizens overwhelming rejected a proposal of joint British-Spanish rule, instead opting to remain under the sovereignty of Britain only. But the two countries have deep ties with each other; an estimated 12,000 workers cross the border every day. In the 2016 EU referendum, Gibraltarians voted 96 percent to remain in the EU. May has said that any Brexit deal must apply to the “whole U.K. family,” including Gibraltar. Spain can’t officially “veto” the withdrawal agreement, a 585-page legally-binding agreement, but the EU has worked hard at presenting a united front during Brexit negotiations and it wants a consensus on Sunday. Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, tweeted on Saturday afternoon that there was unity and solidarity from the EU side. He added: “No one has reasons to be happy.” Even with the Gibraltar issue solved at the eleventh hour, May’s headaches are far from over. If the deal is signed off in Brussels this weekend, as expected, she still needs to persuade the majority of British lawmakers to back her deal – arguably her biggest challenge yet.[SEP]BRUSSELS (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May is kicking off a big Brexit weekend as she travels to the European Union headquarters in Brussels for talks on Saturday with key leaders. Spanish objections over the status of Gibraltar — the tiny territory ceded to Britain in 1713 but is still claimed by Spain — is the only dispute left hanging ahead of Sunday’s summit of EU leaders. May will meet with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Council President Donald Tusk in the evening. May hopes to leave Brussels on Sunday with a firm agreement on the withdrawal terms for Britain’s departure from the EU on March 29, as well as a comprehensive negotiating text on how future relations should look like once both sides agree on a trade agreement.[SEP]LONDON — Nothing is simple in Brexitland. In the lead-up to a historic summit Sunday in Brussels, where a Brexit deal is expected to be rubber-stamped, tiny Gibraltar suddenly loomed large. It literally put Britain's European Union divorce settlement between "The Rock" and a hard place for a time. That's because Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez insisted his country have final say over any future status of the enclave, a self-governing British territory on the tip of southern Spain and near the narrow mouth of the Mediterranean. Spain, which has had a centuries-long feud with Britain over Gibraltar, wanted Britain to make a commitment in writing before the summit. It went down to the wire. Late Saturday, Sanchez said it would lift its veto because the Europe Union and the Britain had accepted Spain's demands. The summit, he said, could go ahead now that he had received written assurances that meant that in the future Madrid and London could directly negotiate on Brexit issues relating to Gibraltar. On Sunday, the leaders of the 28 EU countries are expected to meet in Brussels at a carefully choreographed summit to approve Brexit plans and an accompanying political declaration on the future ties between Britain and the 27 EU nations that will say goodbye officially in March. The Brexit package, which is very much the British Prime Minister Theresa May's deal, has been painstakingly crafted. But it's been a tortured path: 17 months of sometimes bitter negotiations, nonstop bickering within May's own leadership team, ongoing concerns about how to handle the border between EU-member Ireland and North Ireland, the resignation of a string of ministers including two Brexit secretaries, and a new vocabulary of Brexit-related puns and put-downs from British tabloids. Around 30,000 Britons live in Gibraltar, a 2.6-square mile rocky outpost that shares a land border with Spain. It was famously the headquarters for Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower during the planning stages of the Allied invasion of North Africa in 1942. The sovereignty issues around Gibraltar may have hit the headlines this week, but they are long-festering. Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht, but it is still claimed by Spain. In a 2002 referendum, its citizens overwhelming rejected a proposal of joint British-Spanish rule, instead opting to remain under the sovereignty of Britain only. But the two countries have deep ties with each other — an estimated 12,000 workers cross the border every day. In the 2016 EU referendum, Gibraltarians voted 96 per cent to remain in the European Union.[SEP]BRUSSELS (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May is kicking off a big Brexit weekend as she travels to the European Union headquarters in Brussels for talks on Saturday with key leaders. Spanish objections over… BRUSSELS (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May is kicking off a big Brexit weekend as she travels to the European Union headquarters in Brussels for talks on Saturday with key leaders. Spanish objections over the status of Gibraltar — the tiny territory ceded to Britain in 1713 but is still claimed by Spain — is the only dispute left hanging ahead of Sunday’s summit of EU leaders. May will meet with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Council President Donald Tusk in the evening. May hopes to leave Brussels on Sunday with a firm agreement on the withdrawal terms for Britain’s departure from the EU on March 29, as well as a comprehensive negotiating text on how future relations should look like once both sides agree on a trade agreement. Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.[SEP]BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on Brexit negotiations (all times local): Former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has slammed the proposed Brexit deal and urged the Democratic Unionist Party not to abandon the Conservative Party. Johnson told the DUP conference in Belfast Saturday that the Northern Ireland party's support is crucial to the government. He said that "I hope that you agree that it is absolutely vital that we keep this partnership going." Johnson warned of the dangers of weakening the Conservatives so much that the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn comes to power. The DUP is threatening to break with the government over Brexit. Johnson said that Prime Minister Theresa May's government is "making a historic mistake" if it goes forward with its Brexit plan. He said it would greatly reduce Britain's influence and ability to make independent trade deals. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says Spain will agree to support the Brexit deal after Britain and the European Union agreed to give it a say in the future of the disputed British territory of Gibraltar. Sanchez says Saturday that the U.K. and the EU have agreed to include language in the Brexit divorce deal that Spain could deal with London directly on the issue of Gibraltar. Sanchez says "this is going to allow us to have direct negotiations with the U.K. regarding Gibraltar." The issue had become a late stumbling block in the Brexit talks. Sanchez had said on Friday he wouldn't back the divorce deal U.K. and European Union leaders are supposed to vote on during Sunday's summit in Brussels, saying a draft agreement did not include clear language regarding Gibraltar. The European Union is close to reaching an agreement to ease Spanish concerns about the future of Gibraltar in Brexit talks. EU spokesman Preben Aamann said on Twitter Saturday that after a phone conversation between Spanish Premier Pedro Sanchez and EU Council President Donald Tusk, "we are closer" to an agreement ahead of Sunday's EU summit in Brussels. The future of tiny territory of Gibraltar — ceded to Britain in 1713 but which is still claimed by Spain — was the only dispute left hanging ahead of Sunday's summit. On Friday, Spain pushed for a cast-iron guarantee of its say over the future of Gibraltar as a condition for backing a divorce agreement between Britain and the EU. The deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland has used a party conference speech to try to persuade Prime Minister Theresa May to change course on Brexit. Nigel Dodds told the conference in Belfast Saturday that it is not too late for May to alter her Brexit plan. He says her proposed Brexit agreement reached with the European Union would leave the U.K. in a "pitiful and pathetic place." The small DUP has an outsize role because its support has been crucial to May's shaky government, which doesn't enjoy a majority in Parliament. The party is threatening to end its support over the Brexit plan favored by May. That would imperil May's already difficult challenge in winning parliamentary support for her proposal. Portugal's foreign minister is in support of the Brexit deal including Spain's request to have its say on the future of the disputed British territory of Gibraltar. Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva says that the original Brexit guidelines laid out last year that included assurances to Spain that it could deal with London directly on the issue of Gibraltar were "wise." Spain said Friday it wouldn't back the divorce deal U.K. and European Union leaders are supposed to vote on during Sunday's summit in Brussels after language regarding Gibraltar didn't appear in a draft agreement. Santos Silva says the impasse has an "easy resolution because the heads of state of the 27 had already agreed (.) that any agreement between the U.K. and the EU regarding Gibraltar would require previous agreement from Spain, and that appears to be a very wise line." British Prime Minister Theresa May is kicking off a big Brexit weekend as she travels to the European Union headquarters in Brussels for talks on Saturday with key leaders. Spanish objections over the status of Gibraltar — the tiny territory ceded to Britain in 1713 but is still claimed by Spain — is the only dispute left hanging ahead of Sunday's summit of EU leaders. May will meet with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Council President Donald Tusk in the evening. May hopes to leave Brussels on Sunday with a firm agreement on the withdrawal terms for Britain's departure from the EU on March 29, as well as a comprehensive negotiating text on how future relations should look like once both sides agree on a trade agreement.[SEP]BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on Brexit negotiations (all times local): The deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland has used a party conference speech to try to persuade Prime Minister Theresa May to change course on Brexit. Nigel Dodds told the conference in Belfast Saturday that it is not too late for May to alter her Brexit plan. He says her proposed Brexit agreement reached with the European Union would leave the U.K. in a "pitiful and pathetic place." The small DUP has an outsize role because its support has been crucial to May's shaky government, which doesn't enjoy a majority in Parliament. The party is threatening to end its support over the Brexit plan favored by May. That would imperil May's already difficult challenge in winning parliamentary support for her proposal. Portugal's foreign minister is in support of the Brexit deal including Spain's request to have its say on the future of the disputed British territory of Gibraltar. Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva says that the original Brexit guidelines laid out last year that included assurances to Spain that it could deal with London directly on the issue of Gibraltar were "wise." Spain said Friday it wouldn't back the divorce deal U.K. and European Union leaders are supposed to vote on during Sunday's summit in Brussels after language regarding Gibraltar didn't appear in a draft agreement. Santos Silva says the impasse has an "easy resolution because the heads of state of the 27 had already agreed (.) that any agreement between the U.K. and the EU regarding Gibraltar would require previous agreement from Spain, and that appears to be a very wise line." British Prime Minister Theresa May is kicking off a big Brexit weekend as she travels to the European Union headquarters in Brussels for talks on Saturday with key leaders. Spanish objections over the status of Gibraltar — the tiny territory ceded to Britain in 1713 but is still claimed by Spain — is the only dispute left hanging ahead of Sunday's summit of EU leaders. May will meet with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Council President Donald Tusk in the evening. May hopes to leave Brussels on Sunday with a firm agreement on the withdrawal terms for Britain's departure from the EU on March 29, as well as a comprehensive negotiating text on how future relations should look like once both sides agree on a trade agreement.[SEP]Brussels [Belgium], Nov 25 (ANI): The leaders of the 27 countries of the European Union (EU) on Sunday endorsed the United Kingdom's withdrawal agreement from the bloc. The approval of the deal came after European Council president Donald Tusk broke the news and took to his Twitter handle and wrote, "EU27 has endorsed the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration on the future EU-UK relations." The EU leaders gave consensus to the pact at a special summit held in Brussels, the seat of the EU, after negotiations which lasted nearly an hour, CNN reported. British Prime Minister Theresa May, who prepared the Brexit deal, had shown complete support for the draft agreement and reiterated time and again that the pact serves UK's national interest. With the EU leaders' endorsement of the deal, the Brexit agreement is now slated to go to the UK Parliament for a vote next month, where many opposition MPs, including those from May's Conservative Party, are expected to vote against the deal, owing to various disagreements. On November 21, the Brexit deal suffered a setback after Spain threatened to veto the agreement over the handling of Gibraltar, a British territory on the Iberian Peninsula. The Spanish government had objected to part of the deal that covers future trade and security relations between the UK and the EU, insisting that arrangements related to Gibraltar should be discussed separately. However, the problems were resolved following last-minute negotiations by Spain and the UK on Saturday. In 2016, over 50 per cent of the UK electorate voted to leave the EU, following which the British government had triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, beginning the country's process of its exit from the European bloc. According to the draft deal, the UK is scheduled to leave the bloc on March 29, 2019, after which it will move into a 21-month long transitionary period (post-Brexit transition). (ANI)[SEP]Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May: "I will make the case for this deal with all my heart" EU leaders have approved an agreement on the UK's withdrawal and future relations - insisting it is the "best and only deal possible". After 20 months of negotiations, the 27 leaders gave the deal their blessing after less than an hour's discussion. They said the deal - which needs to be approved by the UK Parliament - paved the way for an "orderly withdrawal". Theresa May said the deal "delivered for the British people" and set the UK "on course for a prosperous future". Speaking in Brussels, she urged both Leave and Remain voters to unite behind the agreement, insisting the British public "do not want to spend any more time arguing about Brexit". The UK is scheduled to leave the EU on 29 March 2019. The EU officially endorsed the terms of the UK's withdrawal during a short meeting, bringing to an end negotiations which began in March 2017. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said anyone in Britain who thought the bloc might offer improved terms if MPs rejected the deal would be "disappointed". But European Council President Donald Tusk, who broke the news of the agreement on Twitter, said he would not speculate on what would happen in such a situation, saying: "I am not a fortune teller." The UK Parliament is expected to vote on the deal on 12 December, but its approval is far from guaranteed. Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, the DUP and many Conservatives MPs are set to vote against. Mrs May has appealed to the public to get behind the agreement - saying that although it involved compromises, it was a "good deal that unlocks a bright future for the UK". Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Prime Minister Theresa May meets EU leaders after their endorsement of her Brexit deal At a news conference in Brussels, she said the agreement would: end freedom of movement "in full and once and for all" protect the constitutional integrity of the UK, and ensure a return to "laws being made in our country by democratically elected politicians interpreted and enforced by British courts". The agreement, she added, would not remove Gibraltar from the "UK family" - a reference to a last-minute wrangle with Spain over the territory. What has the EU decided? Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jean-Claude Juncker: "There are no smooth divorces" The EU leaders have approved the two key Brexit documents: The EU withdrawal agreement: a 599-page, legally binding document setting out the terms of the UK's exit from the EU. It covers the UK's £39bn "divorce bill", citizens' rights and the Northern Ireland "backstop" - a way to keep the Irish border open, if trade talks stall The political declaration, which sets out what the UK and EU's relationship may be like after Brexit - outlining how things like UK-EU trade and security will work There was no formal vote on Sunday, with the EU proceeding by consensus. Mr Juncker said it was a "sad day" and no-one should be "raising champagne glasses" at the prospect of the UK leaving. While it was not his place to tell MPs how to vote, he said they should bear in mind that "this is the best deal possible...this is the only deal possible". His message was echoed by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar who said "any other deal really only exists in people's imagination". But Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite suggested there were a number of possible outcomes if the UK Parliament rejected the deal, including an extension of the negotiations, or another referendum. PM's message: 'This is all there is' By Laura Kuenssberg, BBC political editor It's a compromise. It was always going to be. It's not a happy compromise either. People on both sides of the Brexit argument are already screaming their protests. And although the prime minister must be relieved, she didn't exactly say that she was pleased about the deal when I asked her at a news conference this lunchtime. Instead, she said she was sure the country's best days are ahead. But however she really feels about it - and with this prime minister it is hard to tell - her strategy for the next couple of weeks is crystal clear. Her case? This is all there is. What was the mood in the room? No member states raised objections to the Brexit withdrawal deal and it was approved in a matter of seconds, according to a senior EU official. Around seven leaders spoke in the session of the 27 member states, mostly to say this was a sad day and they wanted the future relationship with the UK to be as close as possible. After Mrs May's address, roughly half of the leaders spoke. Several wished her good luck with the meaningful vote in Parliament. No "what ifs" were discussed. What happens next? Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt appealed to so-called "Bobs" - people who he said are "bored of Brexit" - to support the agreement Mrs May will now need to persuade MPs in the UK Parliament to back it. She is expected to spend the next fortnight travelling the country trying to sell the deal before a parliamentary vote in the second week of December. If MPs reject the deal, a number of things could happen - including leaving with no deal, an attempt to renegotiate or a general election. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the parliamentary arithmetic was "looking challenging" and warned "nothing could be ruled out" if Mrs May lost the vote, including the government collapsing. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr that the UK was getting "between 70% and 80%" of what it wanted, while the agreement "mitigated" most of the negative economic impacts. Asked if the UK would be better off than if it stayed in, he said the country would not be "significantly worse or better off but it does mean we get our independence back". The agreement will also have to go back to the European Council, where a majority of countries (20 out of 27 states) will need to vote for it. It will also need to be ratified by the European Parliament, in a vote expected to take place in early 2019. What are Mrs May's critics saying? Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responded to Sunday's summit by calling the deal "the worst of all worlds". He said his party would oppose it, but would work with others "to block a no deal outcome" and ensure "a sensible deal" was on the table. Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said he would find it "very, very difficult" to support the agreement as it stood. "I don't believe that, so far, this deal delivers on what the British people really voted for," he told Sky's Sophy Ridge show. "I think it has ceded too much control." SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon - who wanted to stay in the EU - said it was a "bad deal" and Parliament should consider "better alternatives", such as remaining in the single market and customs union permanently. And Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster - who wants to leave the EU - said her party's parliamentary pact with the Conservatives would be reviewed if MPs approved the deal. She told the BBC's Andrew Marr show the agreement as it stood would leave Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK "still within European structures with no say in its rules". Former PM Tony Blair, who backs another referendum, said the deal was "a dodo".[SEP]Disappointed Gibraltarians have reacted to Spain’s attempt to block Brexit, which previously threatened to derail Theresa May’s deal being agreed by European Union leaders at a special summit tomorrow. One resident said: “The Spaniards are never going to change, so we are lumbered with that. “Just remember when they closed the border, the things that happened during the franco era, and since then what has changed in their attitude. Very very little.” Another Gibraltarian said: “Automatically these things tend to occur from time to time, but more so whenever Gibraltar’s under the focus of the EU, obviously because of the present Brexit negotiations.[SEP]Theresa May has arrived for a crunch EU summit to sign off her Brexit deal after stitching together a last-minute pact over Gibraltar. Tomorrow's gathering was hurled into doubt after Spain threatened to "veto Brexit" if it didn't get more of a say over the Rock. Eventually the spat was resolved - and invites sent out to 27 EU leaders - less than three hours before the PM's jet touched down in Brussels. Spain and the UK both claimed victory after thrashing out a compromise in emergency talks. But May was accused of betraying the Rock. Mrs May ignored a shout of "did you compromise over Gibraltar?" as she arrived with Jean-Claude Juncker's hand on her shoulder tonight. She later insisted the UK's policy had not changed adding: "I will always stand by Gibraltar." Jubilant European Council President Donald Tusk quoted Freddie Mercury on the 27th anniversary of his death, tweeting: "Friends will be friends - right till the end." The compromise was resolved after a UK clarification about the position and talks between Mr Sanchez, Mr Tusk and Mr Juncker. UK ambassador to the EU Sir Tim Barrow wrote that Gibraltar will not necessarily be part of a future trade deal between the UK and the EU. Instead, it is being suggested in Brussels, Gibraltar could have its own separate agreement - with Spain retaining the power of veto. Tonight Mrs May insisted she would "negotiate on behalf of the whole UK family, including Gibraltar" and "the UK's position on the sovereignty of Gibraltar has not changed and will not change." She added: "I am proud that Gibraltar is British and I will always stand by Gibraltar." Yet Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez - who has highlighted the issue ahead of domestic elections - declared triumphantly: "Europe and the UK have accepted our demands". And foreign minister Josep Borrell claimed the agreement was "the most important" since the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 under which Gibraltar was ceded to the UK. Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake claimed Mrs May had "caved in" and "appears to have cast the people of Gibraltar aside". He said: "She has conceded that Gibraltar won't necessarily be covered by a future trade deal, simply another example of why what she has negotiated is completely unacceptable." The agreement makes it easier for EU leaders to sign off the Brexit deal tomorrow. But it could make things even tougher when Theresa May has to get her deal past a crucial House of Commons vote. Will Theresa May win the Brexit deal vote? Theresa May has a Brexit deal, but the danger is looming that it will be defeated in the House of Commons. Even getting it past her Cabinet forced Esther McVey and Dominic Raab to resign. Now she faces two more hurdles - an EU summit with 27 leaders on November 25, and then the vote in Parliament at some point before Christmas. MPs are grouped in several factions - their warring opinions are explained more fully here. But if 318 or more vote against the deal, they will defeat the deal. TORY BREXITEERS: There are up to 60 (but probably a lot fewer), led by Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg. They will vote down a deal that keeps Britain trapped in "vassalage" with Brussels. TORY HARD REMAINERS: Only about a dozen, but many - including Justine Greening and Jo Johnson - will vote against, instead wanting a second referendum. DUP: Theresa May's Northern Irish allies - who she handed £1.5bn - are 10-strong. They will vote down the deal if it allows customs checks between Ulster and Britain. LABOUR LOYALISTS: About 150 MPs are consistently loyal to Jeremy Corbyn on Brexit. The party has confirmed they'll be told to vote against the deal because it doesn't meet Labour's 'six tests'. LABOUR REMAINERS: There are about 50 hard Remainer Labour MPs. They're likely to oppose the deal to avoid enabling a Brexit. OTHERS: The SNP (35), Lib Dems (12), Plaid Cymru (4) and Greens (1) are all likely to vote against. TORY LOYALISTS: Well over 200 are likely to vote with Theresa May, for the deal. Many have paid government jobs - so would have to quit if they oppose her. 'NERVOUS LABOUR': Some Labour MPs could BACK a deal - fearing otherwise Britain will be plunged into an even worse No Deal. There could be 20 or more. Caroline Flint is among them. LABOUR BREXITEERS: There are only about half a dozen. It was generally thought they'd side with Theresa May, but Kate Hoey MP broke ranks and said she could vote against. Today DUP leader Arlene Foster warned she could rip up her pact to support the Tories - which cost £1bn - over the Brexit deal. And Tory Boris Johnson was given a rapturous reception at the DUP's conference in Belfast as he urged the party to "junk" the agreement. He hit out at a customs 'backstop' - backup plan - which would extend EU customs rules across the UK with no easy exit plan. "Unless we junk this backstop, we will find that Brussels has got us exactly where they want us - a satellite state," he said. Theresa May arrived at the European Commission building tonight for talks with Mr Tusk and European Commission President Mr Juncker. Mr Juncker held her deep in conversation and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as they walked to waiting press, flanked by EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier. The PM smiled and failed to answer questions about whether she had compromised over Gibraltar. Earlier Chancellor Philip Hammond urged a "political healing process, bringing our country back together because countries that are disunited and divided are not successful countries." 25 November 2018: Emergency EU summit with 27 other leaders to sign off the deal. Early December? A vote in the House of Commons on the deal. 13 December: The last chance EU Council summit, where deal could come back for more negotiation. 20 December: Parliament rises for its Christmas break. Final or 're-run' vote by MPs must be held before now. If it fails there could be no deal, or a general election, or a second EU referendum. 29 March 2019: Brexit Day. If there's a deal, this will be a total anticlimax because a transition will be in place. If there's No Deal, planes could be grounded, ports jammed up and customs checks thrown into chaos at 11pm. 31 December 2020: If there's a deal, this is when the transition period - which continues pretty much all the EU rules we have now - is supposed to end. But it could be extended by two more years. 1 January 2021: If there's still no deal, under current plans a "backstop" would kick in. This could keep the UK tied to EU customs rules, until a proper agreement is reached, in exchange for keeping the Northern Ireland border open. Read the full guide to the timetable here. He also warned of "economic chaos" if the deal is voted down in Parliament, saying: "I am sure we would get a very negative reaction from the business community, from investors, from the markets." Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph reported the Home Office has drawn up plans to issue low-skilled migrants with 11-month visas "with restricted entitlements and rights" while they are living in the UK as part of the post-Brexit immigration system. Alternative plans could allow EU migrants aged between 18 and 30 to live and work in the UK for two years, with a strict cap on numbers. The Government will abolish the cap on highly skilled "tier 2" migrants entirely, the report said, with the plans set out in the week beginning December 3 - a week before the crunch Brexit vote is expected in the Commons.

European Union leaders approve the proposed Brexit deal, at a summit in Brussels.

Der Ticker ist abgeschlossen 18:56 Herzlichen Dank und auf Wiedersehen! Liebend gerne schliessen wir uns den Worten von Bundesrat Schneider-Ammann an. Ein grosses «Chapeau!» verdient nicht nur der Hornkuh-Initiant Capaul, sondern auch Sie! Merci fürs Abstimmen und fürs Verfolgen unseres Livetickers. Wir wünschen Ihnen einen erholsamen Abend und halten Sie bei uns selbstverständlich weiter auf dem Laufenden. Legende: Keystone 18:51 SVP schöpft eigenes Wählerpotenzial aus – wenn auch knapp So lautet das Fazit der Nachanalyse zur Selbstbestimmungs-Initiative. Ein interessanter Nebenaspekt: Zur Information nutzten die Urnengänger fast ausschliesslich bestehende Massenmedien und das Bundesbüchlein – Social Media spielten bloss eine marginale Rolle. Mehr Informationen zur Untersuchung von gfs.bern folgen im Verlauf des Abends. 03:41 Lukas Golder zur Nach-Abstimmungs-Befragung Legende: Video Lukas Golder zur Nach-Abstimmungs-Befragung abspielen. Laufzeit 03:41 Minuten. Aus News-Clip vom 25.11.2018. 18:35 Berset zum Rahmenabkommen: «Es muss für das Land stimmen» Die nächste Woche dürfte wegweisend sein für die Schweiz: Am Freitag wird der Bundesrat über das Rahmenabkommen entscheiden. Ob es ein solches geben wird, bleibt unklar. Es müsse im Interesse beider Parteien sein, sagt Bundesrat Alain Berset im SRF-Interview. Man habe dieses Jahr viele Fortschritte gemacht, auf technischer Ebene wie auch in den Verhandlungen. Nun werde der Bundesrat die ganze Situation beurteilen und sehen, wie die Reise vorwärts gehe. «Es muss wirklich einfach für das Land stimmen.» Er könne sich vorstellen, «dass man einen Rahmenvertrag oder irgendwelchen Vertrag unterstützt, wenn es wirklich im Interesse der Schweiz ist.» 01:03 Bundespräsident Alain Berset zum Rahmenabkommen Legende: Video Bundespräsident Alain Berset zum Rahmenabkommen abspielen. Laufzeit 01:03 Minuten. Aus News-Clip vom 25.11.2018. 18:20 VS: Verfassungsrats-Mitglieder sind gewählt Das Walliser Stimmvolk hat 130 Vertreterinnen und Vertreter für den Verfassungsrat gewählt. Dieser soll die Kantonsverfassung komplett überarbeiten. Die Beteiligung erreichte nur knapp 50 Prozent und war damit tiefer als bei Vorlagen von ähnlicher Tragweite. Die Namen der gewählten Mitglieder des Verfassungsrates dürften erst am späteren Abend bekannt werden. 18:03 Stadion-Entscheid in Zürich: «Am Ziel ist das Projekt noch nicht» Auch wenn die Zürcher Fussballfans wohl bereits in Feierlaune sind: SRF-Korrespondent Simon Hutmacher warnt vor allzu grosser Euphorie. «Das Projekt hat eine Hürde genommen, ist aber nicht am Ziel.» 02:31 «Das Projekt hat heute eine grosse Hürde genommen» Legende: Video «Das Projekt hat heute eine grosse Hürde genommen» abspielen. Laufzeit 02:31 Minuten. Aus News-Clip vom 25.11.2018. 17:49 Pfister: «Gegner müssen das Abstimmungsergebnis akzeptieren» CVP-Präsident Gerhard Pfister ist froh, dass es nun eine direkt-demokratische Legitimation für das Gesetz zur Überwachung Sozialversicherter gebe. «Alle, die verloren haben, müssen das Abstimmungsergebnis akzeptieren und entsprechend umsetzen», so Pfister weiter. Damit ist die Präsidentenrunde beendet. 17:47 Gössi: «Keine Observationen ohne Anfangsverdacht» Angst vor «Ausuferungen» müsse niemand haben, ist FDP-Präsidentin Gössi überzeugt. Schliesslich habe man auch bisher eine entsprechende Praxis gehabt. Diese werde nicht komplett umgekrempelt. «Die Versicherungen können auch weiterhin nicht ohne Anfangsverdacht Observationen durchführen», so Gössi. 17:43 Rösti: «Privatsphäre muss gewahrt bleiben» Die Botschaft sei sehr klar und eine Klärung vor Gericht unnötig, entgegnete SVP-Präsident Rösti. Dass es im Bereich der Invalidenversicherung zu unschönem Missbrauch komme, habe die SVP schon vor längerer Zeit gesagt. Trotzdem müsse die Privatsphäre weiterhin gewahrt bleiben. «Gefilmt wird nur, was vom öffentlichen Raum aus sichtbar ist – nie in einem Schlafzimmer.» 17:39 Levrat: «Ein Fall für die Richter» Bei der Debatte rund um die Vorlage zur Überwachung Sozialversicherter war es dann wieder vorbei mit der Einigkeit. Das Gesetz sei im Parlament nicht genügend sorgfältig erarbeitet worden, monierte SP-Präsident Levrat. Zwar habe die Diskussion geholfen, die Grenzen der Überwachung etwas klarer zu zeichnen. «Doch nun werden wohl die Gerichte den Rest der Arbeit tun müssen.» 17:34 Viel Sympathie und Anerkennung für die Hornkuh-Vorlage Eine gewisse Einigkeit herrschte bei den Parteipräsidenten in Bezug auf die Hornkuh-Initiative. Eine durchaus sympathische Vorlage, so der Grundtenor. Und ein schöner Beweis, wie die direkte Demokratie in der Schweiz gelebt werde. «Es steht sehr gut um die Volksrechte, dass man bei uns auch solche Anliegen zur Abstimmung bringen kann», brachte es FDP-Präsidentin Petra Gössi auf den Punkt. 17:29 Gössi: «Keine Diskussionsverweigerung mehr» Die FDP sieht Sozialpartner und SP in der Pflicht. «Die SP soll die direkte Demokratie leben, ihre absolute Diskussionsverweigerung bezüglich flankierenden Massnahmen aufgeben und sich an den Verhandlungstisch begeben», fordert FDP-Präsidentin Petra Gössi. 17:16 Pfister: «Das Volk entscheidet» Was bedeutet das SBI-Nein zur weiteren Vorgehensweise des Bundesrates, zum Beispiel beim Rahmenabkommen? «Wir werden den Rahmenvertrag anschauen und dann mit der Bevölkerung diskutieren, ob es mehr Vor- oder Nachteile gibt», sagt CVP-Präsident Gerhard Pfister. «Das Volk entscheidet.» 17:11 Levrat: «Müssen internationale Lösungen suchen» Internationale Verträge seien wichtig für die Schweiz, das sei dem Volk sehr bewusst, so SP-Präsident Christian Levrat. Es gelte, internationale Lösungen zu suchen für globale Probleme. «Grundsätzlich müssen sich die Mitte-Parteien von der SVP weniger unter Druck setzen lassen.» 17:09 Rösti: «Bin gelassen, was die Zukunft anbelangt» Er gehört zu den grossen Verlierern des Tages: SVP-Präsident Albert Rösti. Trotzdem gibt er sich in der Präsidentenrunde gelassen. «Wir haben eine Schlacht verloren, aber nicht den Kampf für die Unabhängigkeit der Schweiz». Man werde die Gegner der Selbstbestimmungs-Initiative nun in die Pflicht nehmen. 17:07 Jetzt – die Präsidentenrunde Es geht bei uns Schlag auf Schlag weiter. Nun äussern sich bereits die Parteipräsidenten zu den Abstimmungen. 17:03 Berset: «Für starke Sozialversicherungen» Starke und vor allem auch vertrauensvolle Sozialversichungen seien den Bürgern wichtig, das zeige das Abstimmungsresultat. In Einzelfällen müssten diese Überwachungen durchführen können. Die Vernehmlassung laufe bis Ende Jahr. Eine Inkraftsetzung solle so schnell wie möglich erfolgen. 03:37 Bundesrat Alain Berset zum Sozialversicherungs-Artikel Legende: Video Bundesrat Alain Berset zum Sozialversicherungs-Artikel abspielen. Laufzeit 03:37 Minuten. Aus News-Clip vom 25.11.2018. 17:00 Berset: «Privatsphäre weiter wahren» Innenminister Berset spricht nun zur Überwachung von Sozialversicherten. Es verstehe sich von selbst, dass die Privatsphäre der Bürger auch weiterhin gewahrt werden müsse. Überwachungen müssten mit Bedacht eingesetzt werden. 16:56 Sommaruga: «Es braucht Kompromisse» Bundesrätin Sommaruga weiter: Die Institutionen in der Schweiz seien so aufgestellt, dass niemand alles entscheiden könne. Man schaue einander gegenseitig auf die Finger. Das Stimmvolk schätze dies. «Alles oder nichts, schwarz oder weiss – das ist nicht, was die Schweiz so erfolgreich gemacht hat», sagt Sommaruga. Die Stimmbevölkerung dürfe und solle immer wieder eingreifen. 04:17 Bundesrätin Simonetta Sommaruga zur SBI Legende: Video Bundesrätin Simonetta Sommaruga zur SBI abspielen. Laufzeit 04:17 Minuten. Aus News-Clip vom 25.11.2018. 16:53 Sommaruga: «Ergebnis freut uns» Jetzt spricht Simonetta Sommaruga zur Selbstbestimmungs-Initiative. «Auch wenn die Emotionen teilweise hochgehen – am Ende entscheidet das Volk», so Sommaruga. «Das Ergebnis freut den Bundesrat.» Es bestätige frühere Entscheide.[SEP]Swiss voters today rejected a referendum proposal that would have asserted precedence for Swiss rules over international law, the national broadcaster SRF reported. Two-thirds of voters said no to the so-called “Swiss-law first” initiative in a referendum that the country’s right-wing People’s Party (SVP) backed. Had the initiative been successful, it would have put Switzerland at odds with the EU and the United Nations. Six U.N. agencies are based in Geneva, making the city the U.N.’s second-largest base. The SVP had argued that the proposal would have strengthened the country’s national identity and Swiss autonomy. “The result [today] proves once again that while the SVP can score points with initiatives related to foreigners, it is less successful when it comes to questions of national politics,” Martina Mousson of pollsters gfs Bern told The Local. In a separate referendum vote, Switzerland also rejected a bid to give farmers subsidies if they refuse to remove their cows’ horns. Swiss voters defeated the cow horns’ vote with a majority of 54.7 percent, SRF reported, while 45.3 percent voted in favor of the subsidies initiative.[SEP]RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- New Direction Family Law has been named to the 2018 Law Firm 500 Award Honorees List recognizing the top 250 U.S. law firms that have achieved significant growth in revenues. New Direction Family Law was ranked #129 on the 2018 list, with an annual percentage growth rate of 113%. This growth includes expansion from one attorney and one paralegal to a team comprised of four attorneys, two paralegals, a director of public relations, client relations specialist, legal assistant and an intern—all in less than three years. New Direction Family Law represents individuals in Wake, Durham, Johnston, and surrounding counties in North Carolina in legal matters related to divorce, legal separation, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, child custody, child support, alimony, property division, domestic violence, and guardianship. The firm offers full legal representation for family law matters, including mediation and litigation. "We are honored to be chosen as one of the fastest growing law firms in the U.S., but what this award really represents is the trust our clients have in us to achieve the best possible outcome for their family law matters," said founding partner Elizabeth A. Stephenson. Law Firm 500 is a prestigious, one-of-a-kind award recognizing fast growing law firms of all sizes. It celebrates velocity, innovation, and the entrepreneurial spirit of law firms measured by revenue growth over the past three years. The 2018 Law Firm 500 Awards are ranked according to percentage of revenue growth over the previous three years. To qualify, companies must be a for-profit law firm, based in the U.S., and independent (not a legal department or division of another firm).[SEP]The GRP-owned business becomes Camberford Underwriting and has designed its refreshed website to ensure simplicity and efficiency for broker partners. Camberford Underwriting is the new name for Bromley-based niche and affinity specialist managing general agent (MGA) Camberford Law. The business has also developed its website and managing director, Simon Carter, explained that it had been designed “with brokers in mind” and with a focus on adapting to mobile and desktop services. Carter said: “Our strategic acquisition of insurance underwriting software specialist Cloud Desk earlier this year has provided us with the sophisticated technology we need to deliver competitive pricing whilst ensuring sustainable returns for our capacity providers.” Trading He continued: “Our new website will incorporate Cloud Desk technology, making it simple and efficient for our broker partners to deal with us. It will also provide the platform from which we will roll out new online trading capability over the coming months.” Camberford Law was bought by GRP in February this year. At the time GRP bosses said the deal was an opportunity for the MGA to make its own acquisitions. Clive Nathan, chief executive of GRP Underwriting, commented: “The Camberford brand has a great heritage and is well known in the broker market for niche and specialist market expertise. “Building on this foundation, the rebrand reflects the transition the business has made over the 60 years since its foundation from scheme broker to the digitally integrated MGA it is today.” For all the latest industry news direct to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.[SEP]I support the notion that at times the Bible contradicts itself. The Old Testament teachings on their own are mostly in unison with each other. The books of the other apostles like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John focus on the teachings of Jesus Christ and are generally in agreement with each other and those of the Lord our God. Variances emerge here and there between the teachings of God the Father, the Son, and some of those of Paul, especially in relation to the law. Jesus Christ taught in support of the law. He spoke in Matthew 5:17: “Think not that I have come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to fulfil them.” He even preached to the Pharisees: “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one dot of the law to be void.” (Luke 16:17) Christ’s teachings were in tandem with those of the God the Father. Isaiah 42:21 says: “The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness’s sake, he will magnify the law.” Jesus indeed magnified the law. What is termed “the new law” in Matthew 5:21-48 is just the same old law expanded by Christ to give it a broader meaning. He did not dump his Father’s law, never. A deeper scrutiny of the gospels of Apostle Paul will reflect some contrast with regard to the law. A narration of chronological events will highlight inconsistencies within his acts and teachings. In Acts 13:39 when Paul was invited to preach in the synagogue in Antioch, he in part speaks, “By him (Jesus) everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the Law of Moses,” This was the beginning of the inclination of what sounds to be his teachings against the law. While the council of the apostles had approved that Christianity be spread to non-Jewish people, the Gentiles, one question had arisen among them. “Is it necessary to circumcise the Gentiles and to charge them to keep the law of Moses” (Acts 15:5). A judgement was arrived at based on Apostle James’ advice. It reads, “Therefore, my judgement is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the pollutions of idols and from unchastity and from what is strangled and from blood”. (Acts 15:19-21). What this decision of the Christian church leaders of that time meant was that Christians who were not of Jewish origin should not be burdened by all the requirements of the law, but still had to be taught about some particular elements of the law. Thereafter, Paul wanted a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, and of a Greek father, to accompany him to spread the gospel. He took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, for they knew his father was not a Jew (Acts 16:1-4). Paul wanted to be seen to be observing the law. In essence, this would signify his contrasting behaviour with regards to the law. Paul was even summoned before the council of the Christian apostolic elders in Jerusalem and questioned about some of his teachings which seemed to go against the law. Acts 21:20-21 reads: And they said to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed; they are all zealous for the law, and they have been told about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs. What then is to be done?” This question was directed at Paul by the elders to explain his anti-law teachings. The Christian elders proceed to advise Paul to correct his teachings by doing actions that would be seen to be in observance of the law (Acts 21:23-26). The other apostles did not know that Paul’s assignment from Christ was to preach to the Gentiles. He had a propensity to talk in favour of the law whenever he found himself in conflict with Jewish authority, but did not stand steadfast with it on his teachings to the Gentiles. The people of Jerusalem also rose against Paul so much that they caused great commotion inside the city. They conspired to kill him but he was saved by the intervention of soldiers and centurions who asked him what he had done wrong (Acts 21:22-36). In his defence he said, “I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in his city at the feet of Gama’liel, educated to the strict manner of the law of our Father, being zealous for God as you all are this day”. It would seem Paul always quickly moved to the side of the law whenever his teachings against the law seemed to stir trouble for him. Another time, Paul was brought before the high priest Anani’as for questioning. Anani’as then brought Paul before the governor of that time, Felix. Asked to speak in his defence, part of his reply reads, “I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect (Christianity), I worship the God of our Fathers, believing everything laid down by the law or written in the prophets” (Acts 23:14). Again when Paul was summoned for questioning before King Agrippa, he spoke in his own defence, “The Jews have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest law of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee” (Acts 26:5). I know a lot of Christian followers would want to crucify me for seeming to want to discredit Paul. However, in my defence, I would want to bring forward Paul himself to act as my defence counsel, to explain his actions. In 1 Corinthians 9:19-21, Paul defence, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win more followers. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law — though not being myself under the law — that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law — not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ — that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings”. In Acts 9:15 Christ defined Paul’s mission, “He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles”. In his own words, he acted like one of those not under the law. In II Timothy 3:16-17, Paul wrote to Timothy, his missionary apprentice, “All scripture is inspired by God and is also profitable for teaching, for reproach, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”. We all stand to be corrected at every level of our faith, as at times we all err. Simon Peter, the first head of the Christian church, also wrote about the teachings of Paul: “There are some things in Paul’s letters hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. You, therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, beware lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your own stability” (II Peter 3:15-18). Amen. Prosper Tingini is the president of the Children of God Missionary Assembly. Registration in progress for those who wish to undertake Bible Studies or train as Ministers of Religion. Contact 0771 260 195 or email: ptingini@gmail.com[SEP]QUEZON CITY — Victims of Marcos’ martial law and their relatives from Cagayan Valley trooped to the House of Representatives on Wednesday, November 14, to register their calls for the reopening of application for the recognition and indemnification of martial law victims. More than 60 individuals led by the regional chapter of Hustisya held an audience with the Makabayan bloc representatives. They also submitted a petition with more than 6000 signatures and 4 municipal resolutions supporting their clamor. The victims and their families are appealing for the enactment of a new law that will establish a body that will continue the process of recognizing victims of martial law and provide indemnification. Makabayan representatives said the body to be created must be more considerate in the application process. The solons noted that most who applied in the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board were denied due to technicalities. Officials demanded the submission of documents like release papers, medical certificates, and death certificates that were almost non-existent during martial law especially in the rural areas. In May 2018, the board closed with only 11,103 or 14% applications for indemnification approved. The activity happened a few days after the conviction of Imelda Marcos, wife of deceased Dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Hustisya-Cagayan Valley regional coordinator Charles Valencia called for her immediate arrest. He pointed that poor individuals are swiftly arrested even if claims against them are still accusations while the rich, like Imelda, are allowed to circumvent the law. The group also conducted forums, discussions, and mobilizations Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines-Diliman. They provided first-hand testimonies to the students and urged them to always stand for what is right. The students from the two universities also signed petitions in support for the martial law victims’ campaign for their recognition and indemnification. Last October 29, the first batch of martial law victims from Cagayan Valley went to Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City to witness the unveiling of the monument dedicated to them. They also talked in University of the Philippines-Manila about their quest for justice and to gather support. The activity was in coordination with the regional chapters of Karapatan, Rural Missionaries of the Philippines. It was the offshoot of consultations and forums with martial law victims’ in Isabela and Cagayan.# nordis.net[SEP]The initiative, entitled "Swiss Law, Not Foreign Judges" was launched by the national-conservative Swiss People's Party (SVP), which has the largest representation in the National Council, the lower house of the Swiss legislature. The Swiss federal government does not support this idea, believing that in this case, the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and, in the worst case, the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will be under threat. READ MORE: Switzerland to Probe 2 Russians Suspected of "Espionage" on Spiez Chemical Lab If the proposals are approved in a referendum, the federal constitution will be recognised in Switzerland as the supreme source of law. International human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have voiced opposition to this referendum.[SEP]ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (APP): Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Muhammad Farogh Naseem on Friday said law ministry was examining the laws governing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as directed by Supreme Court of Pakistan.[SEP]The evidence pops up on a screen in front of the jury. Meeting with a lawyer is done via video conference. And court documents that used to be stored in boxes are on a flashdrive. Technology advances in the practice of law are rapidly changing, and Long Island colleges and universities are adjusting their programs to prepare the more than 1,300 law students Islandwide. Hofstra University has a high-tech mock courtroom and provides its students iPads on which they keep their legal arguments, evidence and other court documents. Students at the Touro Law Center are learning how to use artificial intelligence for electronic discovery, creating algorithms to sort digital data. “Technology is revolutionizing and changing the practice of law each and every day,” said Judge Gail Prudenti, dean of Hofstra’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law and executive director of the Center for Children, Families and the Law. “Firms are using technology more and more to become more efficient to save time and to save costs.” Technology also is “helping to expand greatly access to legal services for those who cannot afford it — both those of modest means, as well as those who live below the poverty line,” Prudenti said. Hofstra in early October offered its first one-day legal tech boot camp for students, discussing the role of technology in law and the skills needed in the workplace. The event touched on e-discovery, e-filing, e-billing, cybersecurity, e-research and the use of artificial intelligence and how it’s improving legal services. The Hempstead-based, 853-student law school plans to offer the boot camp again next year and hopes to open it to the community, including law professionals. “What we’re trying to do is give our students an opportunity to explore not just where the practice of law is now, but where it’s headed,” said Courtney Selby, Hofstra law professor, associate dean for information services and director of the Law Library. “We’re trying to give them the opportunity to see a little bit into the future of their own professional lives.” This fall, Hofstra also began offering a class in courtroom technology and advanced advocacy. Students, playing the roles of attorneys, judge and juror, conduct mock trials in the recently updated court classroom, presenting evidence on screens controlled by their iPads. Using the TrialPad app, students can digitally access case files and store evidence. They can then take that evidence and highlight or zoom in on portions of photos or documents, making it easier to point out information to witnesses. The technology not only makes documents more easily accessible, but allows attorneys to tell a story, keeping jurors engaged, said special professor of law Jared Rosenblatt, who teaches the class. The course helps make students more marketable, as courtrooms and law firms across the state implement the technology, Rosenblatt said. “In this ever-difficult job market, we need our students to stand out, to be able to say to an employer not only do I have the sufficient experience, but this is what I can do to help your firm, help your business.” Hofstra third-year law student Taylor Cain, 25, of Wantagh, said taking the class has made him feel “ahead of the game. We’re getting ahead of a field that’s emerging. “It’s one thing to go up there with an exhibit and say, ‘What is this exhibit, what does it say?’, and it’s another thing to use technology to actually break that exhibit down in a more helpful manner," he added. Gabriella Malfi, 28, of Great Neck, a third-year law student who also took the course, described one class where the students came in with their opening and closing arguments and directs and cross-examinations printed out, and they were using the iPad separately. The professor taught them to use the notes feature in PowerPoint so they could go paperless, said Malfi, who has been working for the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and has accepted a full-time position there next fall. “It’s another way to get more comfortable in the courtroom and more understanding of how to respond to objections, how to get evidence in if you can’t get it in, how to use the technology,” she said of the class. The focus on technology doesn’t end with learning new ways to use devices in the courtroom, but also how to sift through information. “Over time, the amount of information stored digitally has grown exponentially,” said Jack Graves, professor of law and director of digital legal education at Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center. The Central Islip-based college, which has 486 law students, has been offering an e-discovery course for the last four years. Discovery is the process of finding and reviewing information used in litigation. Along with electronic records, there’s also more digital communication, so the course teaches students how to search for and analyze information, Graves said. Artificial intelligence and computer algorithms are increasingly being used to locate information relevant to the case, he said. Artificial intelligence is also being used to predict settlement values and legal outcomes. Technology also is changing how legal services are delivered, he said. Graves offers a course in building automated systems that can be used, for example, to create automated client intake. Clients can assess their own legal needs before meeting with an attorney. It also allows attorneys to see more clients, as they move away from the days of hourly rates with lawyers chained to their desks, he said. These methods, along with the use of digital communication, also allow attorneys to deliver cost-effective legal services to those who can’t otherwise afford them, he said. “By rethinking what is it that we're trying to do, and coming up with a better, more efficient way to solve a given problem, we make that solution more accessible to more people." Touro has been offering courses online, and flipped its classroom — so content is taught online and the classroom is reserved for discussion, said Harry Ballan, Touro Law Center dean and law professor. The program encourages team-based learning, using technology to allow students to comment on projects and grade each other, Ballan said. The use of online technology allows the college to deliver a better, more accessible education to students who may not otherwise have been able to attend, Graves said. “Whether we're talking about educating law students, or law students providing legal services, the idea is that the appropriate use of technology, blended with individualized interaction as necessary, can make law schools better at educating tomorrow's lawyers and can make tomorrow's lawyers better at delivering legal services to their clients,” he said.[SEP]26 November 2018 – Brink At Law is offering comprehensive and valuable advice on how to evict a tenant in Washington using all the necessary legal tools and means. Finding a good tenant is not as simple as you may believe it is. 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A referendum to give national law precedence over international law fails.

Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea.[SEP]UNITED NATIONS, November 26. /TASS/. Russia has asked for the convocation of an emergency UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Sea of Azov on November 26, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky has told reporters. "In connection with the dangerous developments in the Sea of Azov and subsequent events, Russia requested an urgent convocation of an open Security Council meeting in the morning of November 26 on the maintaining international peace and security agenda item," he said. "The meeting is tentatively scheduled for 19:00 Moscow time." On Sunday, November 25, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) border directorate for Crimea reported that three Ukrainian warships had illegally crossed Russia’s state border in the Black Sea and entered Russia’s territorial waters performing dangerous maneuvers. Later on, the FSB said that two more Ukrainian warships had sailed off from Berdyansk to join the three vessels. However, they later turned back. All three Ukrainian Navy vessels, which violated the Russian state border, were detained in the Black Sea, with weapons used to force them to stop. Three wounded Ukrainian military servicemen received medical care, the FSB said, adding that there were no threat to their lives. A criminal case has been initiated over violation of Russia’s state border. The FSB stressed that "before making such dangerous and irresponsible decisions, the Kiev leadership should have thought about possible consequences of its actions.".[SEP](MOSCOW) — U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley says an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council has been called over the escalating situation between Russia and Ukraine. Haley tweeted that a meeting has been called for 11 a.m. Monday. The Ukrainian navy says Russian ships fired on and seized two of its artillery ships Sunday in the Black Sea following an incident near Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Kiev in 2014. A tugboat was also seized, and two crew members were hurt. Russia has blamed Ukraine for preparing and orchestrating “provocations.” The incident sharply escalated tensions that have been growing between the two countries since Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Russia has since worked steadily to bolster its zone of control around the Crimean Peninsula.[SEP]Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea.[SEP]Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea.[SEP]Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea.[SEP]Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea.[SEP]Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea.[SEP]Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine's president to convene emergency meeting of the military's top brass amid Russia tensions near Crimea.[SEP](MOSCOW) — U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley says an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council has been called over the escalating situation between Russia and Ukraine. Haley tweeted that a meeting has been called for 11 a.m. Monday. The Ukrainian navy says Russian ships fired on and seized two of its artillery ships Sunday in the Black Sea following an incident near Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Kiev in 2014. A tugboat was also seized, and two crew members were hurt. Russia has blamed Ukraine for preparing and orchestrating “provocations.” The incident sharply escalated tensions that have been growing between the two countries since Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Russia has since worked steadily to bolster its zone of control around the Crimean Peninsula.

Russia asks for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to convene.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping after it seized three Ukrainian naval ships nearby, the RIA news agency cited a port official as saying on Monday. Russia blocked the strait off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday and seized two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat, which Moscow said had illegally entered Russia’s territorial waters.[SEP]MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping after it seized three Ukrainian naval ships nearby, the RIA news agency cited a port official as saying on Monday. Russia blocked the strait off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday and seized two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat, which Moscow said had illegally entered Russia’s territorial waters.[SEP]MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine on Monday imposed martial law for 30 days in parts of the country most vulnerable to an attack from Russia after President Petro Poroshenko warned of the “extremely serious” threat of a land invasion. Poroshenko said martial law was necessary to bolster Ukraine’s defenses after Russia seized three Ukrainian naval ships and took their crew prisoner at the weekend. U.S. President Donald Trump said he did not like what was happening between Russia and Ukraine and was working with European leaders on the situation. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Russia’s seizure of the Ukrainian vessels “a dangerous escalation and a violation of international law” and called for restraint from both countries. “The United States condemns this aggressive Russian action. We call on Russia to return to Ukraine its vessels and detained crew members, and to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Pompeo said in a statement. The State Department said Pompeo spoke by phone with Poroshenko and reiterated strong U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian “aggression”. The Ukrainian parliament approved the introduction of martial law after Poroshenko reassured some skeptical lawmakers that it would not be used to curb civil liberties or delay elections scheduled for next year. It came at the end of a day when Ukraine and Russia traded accusations about Sunday’s standoff and Kiev’s allies weighed in to condemn Moscow’s behavior. With relations still raw after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the crisis risked pushing the two countries into open conflict. “Russia has been waging a hybrid war against our country for a fifth year. But with an attack on Ukrainian military boats it moved to a new stage of aggression,” Poroshenko said. In a phone call with Poroshenko, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg offered the alliance’s “full support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.” Ukraine is not a NATO member though it aspires to membership. Washington’s envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said Russia’s actions were an “outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory” and sanctions on Russia would remain in place. The European Union, Britain, France, Poland, Denmark, and Canada all condemned what they called Russian aggression. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the need for dialogue. The stand-off in the Azov Sea is more combustible now than at any time in the past four years as Ukraine has rebuilt its armed forces, previously in disarray, and has a new generation of commanders who are confident and have a point to prove. (Map of the Kerch Strait bridge: tmsnrt.rs/2PRMbqh) “PROVOCATION” Russia’s foreign ministry blamed Kiev for the crisis. “It’s obvious that this painstakingly thought-through and planned provocation was aimed at igniting another source of tension in the region in order to create a pretext to ramp up sanctions against Russia,” it said in a statement. Such a policy was “fraught with serious consequences,” it said, adding that Kiev was acting in coordination with the United States and the European Union. Russia summoned the ranking diplomat at Kiev’s embassy in Moscow over the incident, the foreign ministry said. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks during a parliament session to review his proposal to introduce martial law for 60 days after Russia seized Ukrainian naval ships off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea, in Kiev, Ukraine November 26, 2018. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko In Kiev, Poroshenko said intelligence data suggested there was an “extremely serious threat” of a land-based operation against Ukraine by Russia. “I have a document of intelligence in my hands ... Here on several pages is a detailed description of all the forces of the enemy located at a distance of literally several dozens of kilometers from our border. Ready at any moment for an immediate invasion of Ukraine,” he said. Martial law would allow Ukraine to respond swiftly to any invasion and mobilize resources as quickly as possible, he said. He dismissed “dirty speculation” by critics that he wanted to use the proposed measure to delay elections next year, where he faces a tough re-election fight and opinion polls show him trailing his opponents. Ukrainian lawmakers held a second vote to confirm the polls would take place as scheduled on March 31. UKRAINIANS WOUNDED, VESSELS HELD Russia's rouble currency RUB= weakened 1.4 percent against the dollar in Moscow on Monday, its biggest one-day fall since Nov. 9, while Russian dollar-bonds fell. Markets are highly sensitive to anything that could trigger new Western sanctions, and therefore weaken the Russian economy. A fall in the price of oil LCOc1 - Russia’s biggest source of revenue - has made its economy more vulnerable. The crisis erupted when border patrol boats belonging to Russia’s FSB security service seized two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat after opening fire on them and wounding three sailors on Sunday. The Ukrainian vessels had been trying to enter the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea via the narrow Kerch Strait that separates Crimea from the Russian mainland. Interfax news agency quoted Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, as saying on Monday that 24 Ukrainian sailors were being detained. Three of the sailors were wounded but were not in a serious condition and were recovering in hospital. The FSB said the Ukrainian ships had ignored warning shots, forcing Russian vessels to open fire for real, after they illegally entered Russian territorial waters. Slideshow (17 Images) A Reuters witness in Kerch, a port in Crimea, said the three Ukrainian vessels were being held there on Monday. Domestic politics in Moscow also add to the combustibility of the situation. Russian President Vladimir Putin has seen his high approval rating fall because of unpopular domestic policies. In the past, successful military action beyond Russia’s borders has buoyed his popularity. Tensions have long been brewing over the Azov Sea. Crimea, on the western shore, is now controlled by Moscow, the eastern shore is Russian territory, and the northern shore is controlled by Ukraine.[SEP]MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping after it seized three Ukrainian naval ships nearby, the RIA news agency cited a port official as saying on Monday. Russia blocked the strait off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday and seized two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat, which Moscow said had illegally entered Russia’s territorial waters.[SEP]MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping after it seized three Ukrainian naval ships nearby, the RIA news agency cited a port official as saying on Monday. Russia blocked the strait off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday and seized two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat, which Moscow said had illegally entered Russia’s territorial waters.[SEP]It has been a month and a half (7 weeks, to be more precise) since the Pixel Slate was unveiled at Google’s hardware event. When we ventured up to NYC for the event, I was hopeful that we’d not only see ‘Nocturne’ in the flesh, but that we’d also be rolling out of the event with a review unit. I was pumped about the idea of filming some initial footage with the device in Manhattan and what sort of video content may have come from those interesting New York settings. My bubble was burst pretty quickly, however, when I quickly realized the Slate was not only going to be absent from our review kit, but also absent from our office for weeks. This wasn’t exactly anyone’s fault. I made some assumptions and had my hopes up and that was clearly a mistake. The past 7 weeks, because of this anticipation, have been long if I’m being honest. I personally like Apple’s way of announcing and shipping things, where only days exist between a product announcement and shipping dates. I know Google’s still learning their way around the whole hardware scene, but 7 weeks from announcement to shipping seems a bit long to me. Either way, as of today, The Pixel Slate is now shipping out from Google and Amazon. We’ve not only received emails confirming this: my personal Pixel Slate has finally been marked as shipped. We’d fully assume that other outlets are shipping as well, but would love to hear from you all to confirm this. After Google’s little slip up on shipping dates, it is good to finally see this device actually rolling out to consumers. There’s a lot to talk about with the Pixel Slate, so keep checking back here later today for more Pixel Slate fun![SEP]DENVER — The holidays are upon us and that means it’s a busy time for retailers and shipping companies as people look to get gifts or ship them off before the holidays. But to avoid any trouble, you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss any of the important holiday shipping deadlines. So, if you want your package to arrive before Christmas, take note of the dates below for the three major U.S. shipping carriers. All of these are to ship within the U.S. Visit the USPS website for more information, including deadlines for international shipping. UPS Second Day Air: Dec. 20 (for delivery on Dec. 24) UPS Next Day Air: Dec. 21 (for delivery on Dec. 24) More information can be found on the UPS website. More information and international shipping is on the FedEx website.[SEP]Both Amazon and Target have responded to upset customers, saying that two-day shipping refers to the time an order takes once it's in the package carrier's hands to the time it arrives at its destination. DAYTON, Ohio — If you haven’t yet received your free two-day delivery from several days ago, you’re not alone. Dozens of shoppers have taken to Twitter since Thanksgiving with complaints that “free two-day shipping” isn’t what it seems. During the busiest shopping season of the year, Adobe Analytics forecasts online sales will increase 15 percent for holiday shopping. Consumers who tried to skip the Thanksgiving and Black Friday lines have used Twitter to express dissatisfaction with the free two-day shipping that Amazon, Target and Walmart offered over the last few days in what has come to be termed the “delivery wars.” “So Walmart offers free two-day shipping to compete with amazon, so instead of supporting amazon for once I’m like eh screw it ill order what I need from wally … 2 WEEKS to have my stuff shipped to me … never again Walmart,” one user said. But shoppers aren’t happy with Amazon Prime’s free two-day shipping, either. “Placed my #CyberMonday2018 order on @amazon with my prime two-day shipping. Too bad that’s two days from when the item ships, not two days from order date. I miss the good old days,” another user tweeted Monday. Both Amazon and Target have responded to upset customers, saying that two-day shipping refers to the time an order takes once it’s in the package carrier’s hands to the time it arrives at its destination. The two days do not include additional processing time. “I’m sorry for the frustration! Prime One-Day and Two-Day Shipping refers to transit time, in business days, once shipped. This doesn’t include any processing time,” the Amazon Help account responded to shoppers.[SEP]The Shipping Deputy Ministry to the President and the Cyprus Marine Club with the support of Cyprus’ Photographic Society are delighted to officially launch a photo competition with the topic: “Cyprus: The Shipping Star of the Mediterranean”. The photo competition has the dual purpose of further raising public awareness regarding Cyprus shipping, while at the same time enriching the archive of images available by the Shipping Deputy Ministry for its upcoming promotional campaigns. The photo competition is open to everyone above 18 years old, with the clear understanding that any images submitted for consideration (regardless of whether or not they receive an award) will be available for use indefinitely and with no restriction by the Shipping Deputy Ministry in its promotional material and/or any other publications and communications. Each participant is free to submit up to five (5) images taken by himself/herself with the general theme of shipping and maritime. Participants are kindly requested to avoid submitting photographs with an overly touristic theme. Please submit images along with the participation form, to the following address: [email protected]. The photo competition is open until 11 January 2019, following which an evaluation committee comprising two members of the Shipping Deputy Ministry, two members of Cyprus Marine Club and one member of the Cyprus Photographic Society will evaluate the photographs and determine the winners (first, second and third prize). A photo exhibition will follow on 4 and 5 February 2019 presenting the winning images as well as a series of other selected images which will take part in the competition. The winners will receive their awards during the Annual Reception of the Shipping Deputy Ministry, which will be held on 4 February 2019 in Limassol in conjunction with the exhibition. The Shipping Deputy Ministry expresses its sincere appreciation to Fleet Management Limited, Nicosia and ÖL Shipping Group, Limassol for sponsoring the prizes. More information regarding the terms and conditions of the contest can be found here: www.shipping.gov.cy.[SEP]Schneider Capital Management Corp trimmed its position in Ardmore Shipping Corp (NYSE:ASC) by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 745,616 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 31,193 shares during the quarter. Ardmore Shipping accounts for approximately 0.9% of Schneider Capital Management Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Schneider Capital Management Corp owned about 2.25% of Ardmore Shipping worth $4,847,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Eqis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Ardmore Shipping by 46.7% during the 2nd quarter. Eqis Capital Management Inc. now owns 30,578 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 9,735 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Ardmore Shipping by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 891,430 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $7,310,000 after purchasing an additional 12,808 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Ardmore Shipping by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 389,396 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,193,000 after purchasing an additional 15,492 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Ardmore Shipping by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,606,539 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $10,443,000 after purchasing an additional 21,978 shares during the period. Finally, WealthTrust Axiom LLC increased its position in Ardmore Shipping by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. WealthTrust Axiom LLC now owns 124,100 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $806,000 after purchasing an additional 35,500 shares during the period. 90.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. ASC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Fearnley Fonds raised shares of Ardmore Shipping from a “reduce” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $6.70 to $9.30 in a research report on Tuesday, September 25th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Ardmore Shipping from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 1st. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Ardmore Shipping from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 9th. Finally, ValuEngine raised shares of Ardmore Shipping from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Ardmore Shipping presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $10.22. NYSE:ASC opened at $5.64 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.68 million, a PE ratio of -15.24 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Ardmore Shipping Corp has a 1-year low of $5.30 and a 1-year high of $9.00. Ardmore Shipping (NYSE:ASC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 7th. The shipping company reported ($0.37) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.33) by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $48.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.84 million. Ardmore Shipping had a negative return on equity of 7.85% and a negative net margin of 14.94%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.14) earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Ardmore Shipping Corp will post -1 EPS for the current fiscal year. ILLEGAL ACTIVITY NOTICE: “Schneider Capital Management Corp Has $4.85 Million Position in Ardmore Shipping Corp (ASC)” was originally reported by Macon Daily and is the property of of Macon Daily. If you are viewing this news story on another site, it was illegally copied and republished in violation of international copyright law. The legal version of this news story can be viewed at https://macondaily.com/2018/11/26/schneider-capital-management-corp-has-4-85-million-position-in-ardmore-shipping-corp-asc.html. Ardmore Shipping Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the seaborne transportation of petroleum products and chemicals worldwide. The company operates a fleet of 28 double-hulled product and chemical tankers. It serves oil majors, oil companies, oil and chemical traders, and chemical companies. Featured Story: What strategies should day traders use to execute a trade? Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ASC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ardmore Shipping Corp (NYSE:ASC). Receive News & Ratings for Ardmore Shipping Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ardmore Shipping and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

The Kerch Strait is re-opened to commercial shipping.

Ukrainian parliament has voted to impose martial law for 30 days in wake of Russian seizure of Ukrainian vessels KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian parliament has voted to impose martial law for 30 days in wake of Russian seizure of Ukrainian vessels.[SEP]Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage of the collision was posted by the Ukrainian interior minister Ukraine's parliament has backed a presidential plan to impose martial law in part of the country after Russia captured three of its naval vessels and 23 crew members on Sunday. President Petro Poroshenko said the 30-day order would affect border regions vulnerable to potential Russian attack. Authorities can ban protests and strikes, and citizens could be called up for military duty. Russia's President Putin expressed "serious concern" at the decision. Russian coastguard ships opened fire on Sunday as three Ukrainian boats sailed off the coast of Crimea, annexed by Russian in 2014. Several Ukrainian sailors were wounded in what Ukraine described as an "act of aggression" by Russia. Moscow said the ships had illegally entered its waters. Russian TV broadcast statements from some of the captured Ukrainian navy men on Tuesday. One commander was quoted as saying he realised his actions "were provocative" and Russian TV claimed the Ukrainian operation had been carried out by the SBU security service. The naval clash is the first time Russia and Ukraine have come into open conflict in recent years, although Russian-backed separatists and Russian "volunteers" have been fighting Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine since 2014. A number of Western countries condemned Russia's actions and President Poroshenko warned the threat of a Russian land invasion was "extremely serious". In New York, the United Nations Security Council met to discuss the crisis - but failed to agree a Russian-proposed agenda amid sharp disagreements between Moscow and the West. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the seizure of Ukrainian ships was a "dangerous escalation and a violation of international law". President Donald Trump said: "We do not like what's happening, either way we don't like what's happening and hopefully they'll get straight." Taking a call from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Vladimir Putin argued that the Ukrainians had "deliberately ignored the rules of peaceful passage in the territorial sea of the Russian Federation", the Kremlin said. What will martial law mean? After heated debate in Ukraine's parliament, 276 lawmakers backed a decision to impose martial law on 10 of Ukraine's 27 regions: Five regions border Russian territory Two regions border Moldova's breakaway Trans-Dniester region, where Russian troops are stationed Three regions on the Black Sea/Sea of Azov coast Thirty lawmakers voted against the move. Martial law will enter into force at 09:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Wednesday and will end on 27 December. Image copyright EPA Image caption President Poroshenko said the authorities needed firm power in case of a full-scale Russian invasion Monday's vote in parliament came after an emotional address by President Poroshenko, who promised not to restrict basic freedoms. Some MPs expressed fears Mr Poroshenko could suspend a presidential poll on 31 March 2019 - a claim he firmly denied. But he stressed he needed firm power in case of a full-scale Russian invasion. Ukraine's national security and defence council had initially recommended a 60-day martial law. But Mr Poroshenko said he amended the proposal because he did not want martial law to affect the presidential elections. Still, critics expressed fears that Mr Poroshenko - whose ratings have plummeted in recent months - could suspend the elections to stay in power. What happened on Sunday? This is the chronology of the dramatic events that led to the naval clash: In the morning, Ukraine said it had sent two gunboats and a tug from the Black Sea port of Odessa to Mariupol in the Sea of Azov Ukraine's navy then said Russian boats had tried to intercept its vessels, ramming the tug Russia accused Ukraine of illegally entering its territorial waters Russia scrambled fighter jets and helicopters as the Ukrainian vessels approached a bridge over the Kerch Strait - the only access to the Sea of Azov The bridge itself was blocked by a tanker In the evening, Ukraine said its vessels had been fired on and seized by the Russians. Six Ukrainian crew members were injured Russia confirmed it had used weapons to force the Ukrainian vessels to stop, saying three Ukrainians were injured Russia said the Ukrainian ships were in its waters illegally because Moscow had temporarily closed an area of water for shipping. Kiev called Russia's actions a flagrant violation of international law, because the Black Sea is free for shipping, and Crimea belongs to Ukraine. Ukraine also cited a 2003 Russia-Ukraine treaty on unimpeded access to the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov. It said it had informed the Russians in advance of its plan to move its ships to Mariupol - a claim denied by Russia. In recent weeks, two Ukrainian vessels passed through the Kerch Straight without incident. Why is this happening now? There have been growing tensions between the two sides over navigation in the area. Russia has recently begun inspecting all vessels sailing to or from Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jonah Fisher talks to a commander of the Ukrainian Navy about the tensions in the Azov Sea This began after Ukraine detained a fishing vessel from Crimea in March. Moscow also says the checks are necessary for security reasons. Ukraine has accused Russia of trying to occupy the Sea of Azov and damage Ukraine's economy by hindering access to its ports. Why are relations so bad between Russia and Ukraine? Ukraine gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, Russia considers a Western-leaning Ukraine a threat to its interests. In 2014, Ukraine's pro-Russian leader was overthrown, after large-scale protests against the government's decision to abandon plans to sign an association agreement with the EU. Russia then annexed Crimea, while Russia-backed separatists moved against the Ukrainian state in the east. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict in the east.[SEP]Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree on Monday to introduce martial law for 60 days, a statement on his website said, though it needs parliamentary approval to come into force. The decision came a day after Russia fired at and captured three Ukrainian vessels in Kerch Strait near Crimea, triggering a sharp escalation in tensions between the two countries. Poroshenko said he would impose martial law throughout the country from Wednesday but said his decree did not include restrictions on citizens' rights or postponing elections slated for next year. In a televised address, he offered parliament the introduction of martial law for 30 days instead of the 60 days his security council had originally envisaged. "I fulfilled my constitutional duty and a few hours ago, by my decree, I imposed martial law throughout Ukraine from 9 am on November 28," he said. Ukrainian lawmakers voted later on Monday to back a proposal by President Petro Poroshenko to introduce martial law for a period of 30 days in areas of the country most vulnerable to an attack from Russia. They also voted to confirm that Ukraine would hold presidential elections on March 31. Separately, the International Monetary Fund said introducing martial law would have no bearing on continued IMF cooperation with Ukraine. Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 in the aftermath of the turbulent period when Ukraine's pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was toppled after weeks of pro-European protests. It unilaterally annexed the peninsula after a referendum in March 2014, but failed to garner international support and recognition for the move while prompting the U.S. and the E.U. to impose sanctions. The incident in Kerch Strait has raised fears of a wider military escalation and the U.N. Security Council was to hold an emergency session Monday. NATO also called an emergency meeting on the incident. Ukraine's Western allies accused Russia of using force without justification, while Kiev urged its partners to impose further sanctions on Moscow. "These were planned acts of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine," Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told reporters in Kiev. "We will demand (at the Security Council) the immediate release of our sailors and the liberation of our ships." He said talks were underway, with the European Union and others, on increasing sanctions imposed on Russia. Moscow insisted Kiev was to blame, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying: "The Russian side acted strictly within both domestic and international law." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Kiev of a planned provocation and of using "dangerous methods" that put ships in the area at risk. The crisis unfolded as two small Ukrainian warships and a tugboat were heading through the Kerch Strait, a waterway that gives access to the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea and which is used by both Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine said a Russian border guard vessel rammed the tugboat and then fired on the ships, immobilizing all three. It said the Kerch Strait was blocked by a tanker and that Russian military aircraft were flying over the area. Russia's FSB security service, which oversees border forces, confirmed weapons had been fired and the vessels seized, accusing the Ukrainian ships of "violating the Russian border". Ukraine said six of its servicemen were injured, two seriously. The FSB said only three had suffered non-life threatening injuries and were given medical treatment. Russian news agencies quoted port officials in Crimea as saying the strait was reopened to traffic early on Monday. The confrontation is a dangerous development in the long-running conflict pitting Ukraine against Moscow and Russian-backed rebels in the east of the country. More than 10,000 people have died in the fighting. "I condemn Russian use of force in Azov Sea. Russian authorities must return Ukrainian sailors, vessels & refrain from further provocations," EU President Donald Tusk tweeted. France also called on Russia to release the sailors and ships, with the foreign ministry saying "nothing appears to justify the use of force" by Russia. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said any Russian "blockade" of the Sea of Azov was "unacceptable". Tensions have been building over the Kerch Strait, where Russia has built a new bridge that gives it a land connection to Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014. Kiev has accused Moscow of blocking access for Ukrainian ships through the strait, the only way in and out of the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. In recent months both sides had deployed more naval and border vessels to the area. "The incident marks a significant escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine," research firm Eurasia Group said. "Western governments will side with Ukraine against Russia over the incident... making new sanctions against Russia likely." Poroshenko held a late-night meeting of his military cabinet, proposing the imposition of martial law in Ukraine "to ensure the security and safety of its citizens". Eurasia Group said martial law could have wide-ranging domestic consequences, especially with a presidential election due in March and Poroshenko behind in opinion polls. "Poroshenko did not take this kind of action during the worst of the conflict in 2014 and 2015. This raises concerns that... it could lead to postponement of the presidential election," it said. Protesters gathered in several Ukrainian cities to denounce Russia's actions, with several hundred far-right activists marching to parliament in Kiev and setting off flares.[SEP]One of the key aspects of Ukrainian citizens lives that will be affected by martial law, is their right to participate in elections and referendums. The proposed martial law will last for 60 days, meaning that it will at least affect the presidential election campaign that is due to start in 2019, and, considering the law can be prolonged, may even affect the elections themselves, which are scheduled for 31 March 2019. In other words, President Petro Poroshenko will be able to keep his post as long as martial law lasts. Same goes for the parliament, which can't be re-elected while martial law is in effect. If it lasts for little over a year, the elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which are to take place on 27 October 2019, will also be postponed. Furthermore, both the parliament and the president won't be able to amend the Ukrainian Constitution, including the clauses regarding martial law. Although certain fundamental rights can't be alienated even during martial law, Ukrainians will still be stripped of some of their rights, apart from the right to vote. Namely, the government will be able to ban any gatherings, strikes, and protests if it considers them 'threatening'. Kiev will also be able to impose a curfew and limit citizens' movements across the country, if it deems it necessary. In addition to all that, the government gains the right to expropriate any private property for military needs, although owners are eligible for compensation in such cases. Plus any person, eligible for military service can be immediately mobilised if the government demands it. Also, Kiev will be able to command any plant or factory to switch production to a military footing for the duration of martial law. At the same time, working hours and conditions can also be altered by a government decree, although workers retain their right to rest and minimal pay. Failure to abide by any of these demands and limitations is punishable just like as any violation of the regular law. The government can prolong martial law as long as it finds that the threat to the state's sovereignty or intergrity continues.[SEP]MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine on Monday imposed martial law for 30 days in parts of the country most vulnerable to an attack from Russia after President Petro Poroshenko warned of the “extremely serious” threat of a land invasion. Poroshenko said martial law was necessary to bolster Ukraine’s defenses after Russia seized three Ukrainian naval ships and took their crew prisoner at the weekend. U.S. President Donald Trump said he did not like what was happening between Russia and Ukraine and was working with European leaders on the situation. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Russia’s seizure of the Ukrainian vessels “a dangerous escalation and a violation of international law” and called for restraint from both countries. “The United States condemns this aggressive Russian action. We call on Russia to return to Ukraine its vessels and detained crew members, and to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Pompeo said in a statement. The State Department said Pompeo spoke by phone with Poroshenko and reiterated strong U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian “aggression”. The Ukrainian parliament approved the introduction of martial law after Poroshenko reassured some skeptical lawmakers that it would not be used to curb civil liberties or delay elections scheduled for next year. It came at the end of a day when Ukraine and Russia traded accusations about Sunday’s standoff and Kiev’s allies weighed in to condemn Moscow’s behavior. With relations still raw after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the crisis risked pushing the two countries into open conflict. “Russia has been waging a hybrid war against our country for a fifth year. But with an attack on Ukrainian military boats it moved to a new stage of aggression,” Poroshenko said. In a phone call with Poroshenko, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg offered the alliance’s “full support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.” Ukraine is not a NATO member though it aspires to membership. Washington’s envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said Russia’s actions were an “outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory” and sanctions on Russia would remain in place. The European Union, Britain, France, Poland, Denmark, and Canada all condemned what they called Russian aggression. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the need for dialogue. The stand-off in the Azov Sea is more combustible now than at any time in the past four years as Ukraine has rebuilt its armed forces, previously in disarray, and has a new generation of commanders who are confident and have a point to prove. “It’s obvious that this painstakingly thought-through and planned provocation was aimed at igniting another source of tension in the region in order to create a pretext to ramp up sanctions against Russia,” it said in a statement. Such a policy was “fraught with serious consequences,” it said, adding that Kiev was acting in coordination with the United States and the European Union. Russia summoned the ranking diplomat at Kiev’s embassy in Moscow over the incident, the foreign ministry said. In Kiev, Poroshenko said intelligence data suggested there was an “extremely serious threat” of a land-based operation against Ukraine by Russia. “I have a document of intelligence in my hands ... Here on several pages is a detailed description of all the forces of the enemy located at a distance of literally several dozens of kilometers from our border. Ready at any moment for an immediate invasion of Ukraine,” he said. Martial law would allow Ukraine to respond swiftly to any invasion and mobilize resources as quickly as possible, he said. He dismissed “dirty speculation” by critics that he wanted to use the proposed measure to delay elections next year, where he faces a tough re-election fight and opinion polls show him trailing his opponents. Ukrainian lawmakers held a second vote to confirm the polls would take place as scheduled on March 31. Russia's rouble currency RUB= weakened 1.4 percent against the dollar in Moscow on Monday, its biggest one-day fall since Nov. 9, while Russian dollar-bonds fell. Markets are highly sensitive to anything that could trigger new Western sanctions, and therefore weaken the Russian economy. A fall in the price of oil LCOc1 - Russia’s biggest source of revenue - has made its economy more vulnerable. The crisis erupted when border patrol boats belonging to Russia’s FSB security service seized two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat after opening fire on them and wounding three sailors on Sunday. The Ukrainian vessels had been trying to enter the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea via the narrow Kerch Strait that separates Crimea from the Russian mainland. Interfax news agency quoted Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, as saying on Monday that 24 Ukrainian sailors were being detained. Three of the sailors were wounded but were not in a serious condition and were recovering in hospital. The FSB said the Ukrainian ships had ignored warning shots, forcing Russian vessels to open fire for real, after they illegally entered Russian territorial waters. A Reuters witness in Kerch, a port in Crimea, said the three Ukrainian vessels were being held there on Monday. Domestic politics in Moscow also add to the combustibility of the situation. Russian President Vladimir Putin has seen his high approval rating fall because of unpopular domestic policies. In the past, successful military action beyond Russia’s borders has buoyed his popularity. Tensions have long been brewing over the Azov Sea. Crimea, on the western shore, is now controlled by Moscow, the eastern shore is Russian territory, and the northern shore is controlled by Ukraine.[SEP]MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday warned Ukraine against any "reckless acts" after Kiev declared martial law in response to Moscow's seizure of three of its navy vessels. The Ukrainian Parliament late Monday voted in favour of President Petro Poroshenko's request for the introduction of martial law in border areas for 30 days. The move came after Russian forces fired on, boarded and captured three of Kiev's ships on Sunday off the coast of Crimea, sparking the most dangerous crisis between the ex-Soviet neighbours in years. The incident was the first major confrontation at sea in the long-running conflict pitting Ukraine against Moscow and Russian-backed separatists in the country's east. It has raised fears of a wider escalation, in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people since 2014, and prompted international calls for restraint. Martial law gives Ukrainian authorities the power to mobilise citizens with military experience, regulate the media and restrict public rallies in affected areas. In a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Putin expressed "serious concern" over its introduction, the Kremlin said in a statement. He said he hoped Berlin could intervene with Ukrainian authorities "to dissuade them from further reckless acts". Moscow has accused Kiev of planning Sunday's confrontation as a provocation aimed at drumming up support for Poroshenko ahead of elections next year and convincing Western governments to impose further sanctions on Russia. SAILORS TO APPEAR IN COURT Putin said Kiev's actions were "clearly taken in view of the election campaign in Ukraine". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday that Kiev's martial law threatened to cause an "escalation of tensions in the conflict region" in the east of the country. Moscow has so far resisted calls to release the three ships or the 24 sailors it has detained. Some of the sailors will face trial in Simferopol, the main city in Russian-annexed Crimea, on Tuesday, the peninsula's human rights ombudsman Lyudmila Lubina told AFP. The rest are expected to face trial on Wednesday, she said, while three others were still in hospital after being wounded in the weekend clash. Moscow accuses them of crossing illegally into Russian waters and of ignoring warnings from its border guards, with officials suggesting they could face criminal prosecution. Sunday's incident has been playing out on Russian and Ukrainian television screens, with dramatic footage of Russian ships chasing down a Ukrainian tugboat that was trying to pass through the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov. Russian state television late on Monday aired footage of some of the captured sailors being questioned by Moscow's security services. One of the sailors is heard saying "the actions of the Ukrainian armed vessels in the Kerch Strait had a provocatory character", parroting the version of events put forward by Russian authorities. Ukraine's naval commander, Igor Voronchenko, said the sailors were pressured into giving false evidence. "I know these sailors, they were always professional. What they are saying now is not true," he told Ukrainian media. "They (the Russians) could even say that we came from the sky on a spaceship." Ukraine has accused Russian border patrol vessels of ramming the tugboat, which was accompanied by two small warships, and of firing on the Ukrainian vessels. Western governments have rallied behind Kiev in the dispute, accusing Russia of illegally blocking access to the Sea of Azov and of taking military action without justification. Britain, Canada, France, Germany and others expressed support for Kiev on Monday, with European Union (EU) President Donald Tusk calling for Russia to return the Ukrainian sailors and ships and "refrain from further provocations". The foreign minister of Austria, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said Tuesday that the EU will next month consider further sanctions against Moscow over the flare-up. Pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia on Tuesday denounced the reaction as "predictably anti-Russian". The United Nations Security Council met in an emergency session on the crisis on Monday, where US envoy Nikki Haley called the seizure of the ships an "outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory."[SEP]The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has scheduled presidential election for March 31, 2019. A total of 298 parliamentary members backed respective draft resolution, when 226 votes were enough to pass the decision, the Ukrainian News Agency reports. Calling of the next regular presidential election for the said date was one of the demands of a number of parliamentary factions during the voting for imposition of martial law. In compliance with the Law of Ukraine On Legal Regime Of Martial Law, holding presidential election under martial law is prohibited. As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the Verkhovna Rada has approved imposition of martial law for the period of 30 days starting November 28, 9 a.m.[SEP]KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko said on Monday he would propose that parliament declare martial law in the country after the Russian military attacked and seized three Ukrainian navy ships in the Black Sea. He said the parliament on Monday could decide whether to approve martial law, which would restrict civil liberties and give state institutions greater power.[SEP]After intense debate, 276 lawmakers vote in favor of President Petro Poroshenko's request for martial law in border areas for 30 days KIEV, Ukraine – Ukraine's parliament approved the introduction of martial law in border regions on Monday, November 26, as Russian state TV aired images of Ukrainian sailors captured after Moscow seized 3 of Kiev's ships in a confrontation at sea. After intense debate, 276 lawmakers voted in favor of President Petro Poroshenko's request for martial law in border areas for 30 days. The decision came after Russian forces boarded and captured Kiev's ships on Sunday, November 25, with Moscow accusing the vessels of illegally entering Russian waters off the coast of Crimea in the Sea of Azov. Ukraine and its Western allies say Russia illegally blocked the strait and acted against international law by grabbing the vessels and sailors. The martial law gives Ukrainian authorities the power to mobilize citizens with military experience, regulate the media and restrict public rallies. Amid fears of a Russian ground offensive, Poroshenko had wanted the law to cover the entire country but it was limited to border regions after opposition from lawmakers. Before the vote, Poroshenko had accused Moscow of a "new phase of aggression." With Ukraine's military on high alert, images of several captured sailors were broadcast on Russia's state-run channel Rossiya 24 showing interrogations by Moscow's security services. At one point, one of the sailors is heard saying that "the actions of the Ukrainian armed vessels in the Kerch Strait had a provocatory character" – parroting the version of events put forward by Russian authorities. The incident has raised fears of a wider military escalation. The UN Security Council met in an emergency session, where US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned Russia against "outlaw actions". US President Donald Trump later weighed in on the incident. "We don't like what's happening and hopefully it will get straightened out. I know Europe is not – they are not thrilled. They're working on it too. We're all working on it together," Trump told reporters at the White House. The confrontation is the latest dangerous development in the conflict pitting Ukraine against Moscow and Russian-backed rebels in the east of the country. More than 10,000 people have been killed since the Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in April 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The United States and EU have already imposed sanctions on Russia over the conflict and on Monday European capitals rallied behind Kiev. Ukraine's Western allies accused Russia of using force without justification in the naval confrontation, while Kiev urged its partners to impose further sanctions on Moscow. "These were planned acts of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine," Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told reporters in Kiev. Poroshenko accused Russia of taking the two countries' long-running conflict to another level. The incident showed "the arrogant and open participation of regular units of Russian troops," he said in a television address to the nation, disparaging Moscow's insistence that its forces were not directly involved in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Kiev, saying: "The Russian side acted strictly within both domestic and international law." The crisis unfolded as two small Ukrainian warships and a tugboat were heading through the Kerch Strait, a waterway that gives access to the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea and which is used by both Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine said a Russian border guard vessel rammed the tugboat and then fired on the ships, immobilizing all 3. It said the Kerch Strait was blocked by a tanker and that Russian military aircraft were flying over the area. Russia's FSB security service, which oversees border forces, confirmed weapons had been fired and the vessels seized, accusing the Ukrainian ships of "violating the Russian border". Ukraine's interior minister released a video on Twitter apparently from aboard one of the Russian ships, showing the tugboat being chased down and the collision, interspersed with commands and swearing in Russian. Russian television networks showed a similar video, but with the voices removed and without the moment of collision. Ukraine said 6 of its servicemen were injured in the incident, two seriously. The FSB said only 3 had suffered non-life threatening injuries and were given medical treatment. Russian officials said 24 Ukrainian servicemen had been detained and Peskov said a criminal investigation had been opened. "I condemn Russian use of force in Azov Sea. Russian authorities must return Ukrainian sailors, vessels & refrain from further provocations," EU President Donald Tusk tweeted. France also called on Russia to release the sailors and ships, with the foreign ministry saying "nothing appears to justify the use of force" by Russia. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said any Russian "blockade" of the Sea of Azov was "unacceptable" and proposed French-German mediation to resolve the crisis. Tensions have been building over the Kerch Strait, where Russia has built a new bridge that gives it a land connection to Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014. Kiev has accused Moscow of blocking access for Ukrainian ships though the strait, the only way in and out of the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. In recent months both sides had deployed more naval and border vessels to the area. – Rappler.com[SEP]Ukraine's Baptists have asked for prayer for their country as they face the prospect of martial law following renewed clashes with Russia. Russia annexed Ukraine's territory of the Crimea in 2014 and has backed an insurgency in the east of the country. Now three Ukrainian naval vessels have been seized by Russia in the Black Sea, marking a escalation of the tension between the two nations. Ukraine said six crew members had been injured. Russia has been accused of trying to limit Ukraine's access to strategically important ports. Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has described Russian actions as 'unprovoked and crazy' has signed a decree requesting parliament to introduce martial law. He said that this did not mean a 'declaration of war', stressing that 'Ukraine does not plan to fight anyone'. The Baptist Union of Ukraine asked churches around the world to pray for Ukraine as parliament meets later today to vote on the proposal to impose martial law. It said: 'The situation is very serious. If martial law is imposed, it will change many things in our regular daily life in Ukraine. A bigger war is now more possible than ever before. 'We ask for your prayers for our situation in Ukraine.'

The Verkhovna Rada approves the introduction of martial law in 10 oblasts of Ukraine for a period of 30 days.

New police chief among those who died when convoy was attacked in Farah province This article is more than 9 months old This article is more than 9 months old Twenty policemen were killed in a Taliban ambush of a police convoy in western Afghanistan and 10 troops died in an insurgent attack on an army checkpoint in the north, Afghan officials said on Monday, as minority Shias took to the streets of Kabul for the second day to protest against the arrest of a local militia commander. During the demonstration in the Afghan capital, protesters opened fire on the police, wounding four policemen. The deputy interior minister, Gen Akhtar Mohammad Ibrahimi, said 44 policemen were also injured when protesters threw stones and other hard objects at them. The Taliban ambush, in western Farah province on Sunday afternoon, wounded four policemen, including the deputy provincial police chief, said Dadullah Qaneh, a member of the provincial council. The convoy was on its way to the district of Lash Wa Juwayn to introduce the newly appointed district police chief when it came under attack, said another council member, Abdul Samad Salehi. The police chief was also killed, said Qaneh. In the northern Faryab province, the Taliban attacked an army checkpoint in Qaisar district, killing 10 troops, said Mohammad Tahir Rahmani, head of the provincial council. Three soldiers were wounded, while the fate of five others is unknown. The Taliban, who in recent years have taken control of nearly half of Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the Farah attack, which was the latest in a series of brutal, near-daily Taliban assaults on Afghan military and security forces. There was no statement on the Faryab assault. The Taliban view the US-backed government in Kabul as a dysfunctional western puppet and have refused to negotiate with it. The protesters in western Kabul were rallying to denounce the arrest of Abdul Ghani Alipoor, a Shia militia leader in western Ghor province. The Afghan intelligence service accuses Alipoor of leading an illegal armed group that is behind extortion and other mafia-like behaviour in the region. “I can hear the sporadic sound of shooting from the area,” MP Nasrullah Sadeqizada, who lives nearby, told AP by phone on Monday. Russia hosts talks between Taliban and Afghan peace council Read more Mahobullah, a resident form the area, said hundreds of protesters were carrying posters of Alipoor, shouting “Alipoor is innocent” and demanding that he be released. During a previous attempt to arrest Alipoor, in June, security forces in Ghor clashed with his followers, leading to the deaths of seven civilians and four policemen. On Sunday, hundreds clashed with police during a similar protest in Kabul. In that demonstration, three policemen were shot and wounded and 20 were injured by stones thrown by protesters, who also torched two police checkpoints. There were also protests on Monday in the northern Balkh and central Bamyan provinces, but no reports of violence. [SEP]At least 22 police officers were killed in a Taliban ambush in western Afghanistan, a health official said Monday, in another blow to Afghan forces already suffering record casualties. The attack on the police convoy in Farah province follows a wave of violence across Afghanistan in recent weeks, including a suicide bombing inside an army base mosque on Friday, and intensifying efforts to convince the Taliban to end the 17-year war. Two police officers were wounded in Sunday´s ambush, said Shir Ahmad Weda, director of the public hospital in the provincial capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a WhatsApp message, saying 25 police were killed and four wounded. “Four vehicles were destroyed and a large quantity of weapons were seized,” Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the militants, added. Provincial police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib said the convoy had been travelling from Farah city to Juwain district when it came under attack. Mohib put the death toll at five with another seven wounded. The Taliban and its smaller rival the Daesh have been inflicting record casualties on the forces this year. Since the start of 2015, when local forces took over from US-led NATO combat troops to secure the country, nearly 30,000 Afghan soldiers and police have been killed, President Ghani revealed this month — a figure far higher than anything previously acknowledged. Meanwhile, Afghan authorities are considering postponing a presidential election scheduled for April 20 next year, officials said, following heavy criticism of the chaotic organization of parliamentary elections last month. Kubra Rezaie, a spokeswoman at the Independent Election Commission, said an option was being considered in which the presidential election, along with already delayed parliamentary elections in the central province of Ghazni and district council elections could be delayed by three months. “But we cannot say they will be postponed because this is something at an initial stage,” she said. Last month’s parliamentary elections, which saw huge delays at polling stations across Afghanistan, came in for heavy criticism over problems ranging from incomplete voter lists to malfunctioning biometric voter verification equipment. However, any delay to the presidential ballot could provoke strong opposition from political groups, many of which suspect President Ashraf Ghani of trying to engineer his own re-election. The issue is complicated by diplomatic efforts to start peace talks with the Taliban, who have met US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad but who have refused to deal with the Afghan government, which they consider illegitimate. The IEC has announced preliminary result for parliamentary elections in 10 of the 33 Afghan provinces where voting took place. The election was not held in Ghazni due to disputes over representation between different ethnic groups. Results in the rest of the provinces have yet to be announced as recounting votes continues in some provinces, caused by the large number of complaints about fairness.— Agencies[SEP]HERAT: At least 22 police officers were killed in a Taliban ambush in western Afghanistan, a health official said on Monday, in another blow to Afghan forces already suffering record casualties. The attack on the police convoy in Farah province follows a wave of violence across Afghanistan in recent weeks, including a suicide bombing inside an army base mosque on Friday, and intensifying efforts to convince the Taliban to end the 17-year war. At least two police officers were wounded in Sunday´s ambush, said Shir Ahmad Weda, director of the public hospital in the provincial capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a WhatsApp message, saying 25 police were killed and four wounded. "Four vehicles were destroyed and a large quantity of weapons was seized," Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the militants, added. Provincial police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib said the convoy had been travelling from Farah city to Juwain district when it came under attack. Mohib put the death toll at five with another seven wounded. Afghan government and military officials often downplay the casualty toll of security forces, while the Taliban frequently exaggerate the number its fighters have killed or wounded. The Taliban and its smaller rival the Islamic State group (IS) have been inflicting record casualties on local forces this year. At least 27 soldiers were killed in Friday´s suicide attack in a mosque on an army base in the eastern province of Khost. IS claimed responsibility for the explosion, which also wounded at least 79 service members. That came days after a suicide assault on a religious gathering in Kabul that killed at least 55 people and wounded 94. Since the start of 2015, when local forces took over from US-led Nato combat troops to secure the country, nearly 30,000 Afghan soldiers and police have been killed, President Ghani revealed this month -- a figure far higher than anything previously acknowledged. Experts have warned the attrition rate is unsustainable. US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad expressed hopes in Kabul earlier this month that a peace deal to end the war could be struck before the Afghan presidential election, scheduled for April 20. His comments underscore an apparent increasing sense of urgency in the White House and among American diplomats for such a deal to be done quickly. But Afghan election organisers said on Monday they were considering delaying the poll for three months amid fears the ballot could derail efforts to persuade the Taliban to talk.[SEP]HEART: At least 22 police officers were killed in a Taliban ambush in western Afghanistan, a health official said Monday, in another blow to Afghan forces already suffering record casualties. The attack on the police convoy in Farah province follows a wave of violence across Afghanistan in recent weeks, including a suicide bombing inside an army base mosque on Friday, and intensifying efforts to convince the Taliban to end the 17-year war. At least two police officers were wounded in Sunday’s ambush, said Shir Ahmad Weda, director of the public hospital in the provincial capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a WhatsApp message, saying 25 police were killed and four wounded. “Four vehicles were destroyed and a large quantity of weapons were seized,” Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the militants, added. Provincial police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib said the convoy had been travelling from Farah city to Juwain district when it came under attack. Afghan presidential election may be postponed: Afghanistan’s embattled election organisers are considering delaying April’s presidential ballot by three months, officials said Monday, as they struggle to tally votes cast in the recent legislative poll and resolve thousands of complaints. The remarks come as the United States spearheads international efforts to engage the Taliban in peace talks to end the 17-year war that some had feared could be derailed by the April 20 presidential vote, which is expected to fiercely contested. The ballot could be pushed back to July 13, spokesmen for the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) told reporters. “There are legal and technical issues that should be addressed properly (if the vote is to be delayed),” ECC spokesman Ali Reza Rohani said. “We have to see if the proposed new date of July 13 is practical and whether we have to hold four elections at once.” Presidential, provincial council and district council elections are scheduled to take place across the country in 2019.[SEP]HERAT: At least 22 police officers were killed in a Taliban ambush in western Afghanistan, a health official said on Monday, in another blow to Afghan forces already suffering record casualties. The attack on the police convoy in Farah province follows a wave of violence across Afghanistan in recent weeks, including a suicide bombing inside an army base mosque on Friday, and intensifying efforts to convince the Taliban to end the 17-year war. At least two police officers were wounded in Sunday´s ambush, said Shir Ahmad Weda, director of the public hospital in the provincial capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a WhatsApp message, saying 25 police were killed and four wounded. "Four vehicles were destroyed and a large quantity of weapons was seized," Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the militants, added. Provincial police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib said the convoy had been travelling from Farah city to Juwain district when it came under attack. Mohib put the death toll at five with another seven wounded. Afghan government and military officials often downplay the casualty toll of security forces, while the Taliban frequently exaggerate the number its fighters have killed or wounded. The Taliban and its smaller rival the Islamic State group (IS) have been inflicting record casualties on local forces this year. At least 27 soldiers were killed in Friday´s suicide attack in a mosque on an army base in the eastern province of Khost. IS claimed responsibility for the explosion, which also wounded at least 79 service members. That came days after a suicide assault on a religious gathering in Kabul that killed at least 55 people and wounded 94. Since the start of 2015, when local forces took over from US-led Nato combat troops to secure the country, nearly 30,000 Afghan soldiers and police have been killed, President Ghani revealed this month -- a figure far higher than anything previously acknowledged. Experts have warned the attrition rate is unsustainable. US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad expressed hopes in Kabul earlier this month that a peace deal to end the war could be struck before the Afghan presidential election, scheduled for April 20. His comments underscore an apparent increasing sense of urgency in the White House and among American diplomats for such a deal to be done quickly. But Afghan election organisers said on Monday they were considering delaying the poll for three months amid fears the ballot could derail efforts to persuade the Taliban to talk.[SEP]At least 22 police were killed in a Taliban ambush in western Afghanistan, a health official said Monday, in another blow to Afghan forces already suffering record casualties. The attack on the police convoy in Farah province on Sunday also wounded at least two officers, said Shir Ahmad Weda, director of the public hospital in the provincial capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a WhatsApp message, saying 25 police were killed and four wounded. “Four vehicles were destroyed and a large quantity of weapons were seized,” Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the militants, added. The Taliban have stepped up attacks on Afghan security forces in recent months, inflicting record casualties even as efforts to engage the militants in peace talks intensify.[SEP]Afghan official says a Taliban ambush of a police convoy in western Farah province killed at least 20 policemen KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan official says a Taliban ambush of a police convoy in western Farah province killed at least 20 policemen.[SEP]At least 18 policemen were killed after Taliban insurgents ambushed a convoy of Afghan forces in Farah province last night, a local official said on Monday. Dadullah Qani, a member of Farah provincial council told Ariana News that a convoy of Afghan security forces was ambushed by Taliban fighters when the convoy was on its way from Farah city to Lash Jawin district. He added that at least 18 policemen including Lash Jawin newly appointed police chief were killed in the attack. According to Mr. Qani, the convoy was dispatching the newly appointed district police chief along with some weapons and ammunition when it came under attack. Security officials have not made a comment about the report yet. The attack comes a day after U.S. top commander in Afghanistan visited Farah city and vowed to support Afghan forces in the province. Farah is among the volatile provinces in the west of Afghanistan where the Taliban insurgents are actively operating in a number of its districts and usually carrying deadly attacks against government forces.[SEP]KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan official says a Taliban ambush of a police convoy in western Farah province killed at least 20 policemen.[SEP]An Afghan official says at least 20 police officers have been killed when the Taliban ambushed a convoy in western Farah province. Dadullah Qaneh, a member of the provincial council in Farah, says four policemen, including the deputy provincial police chief, were wounded in the attack on Sunday afternoon near Lash wa Juwayn district. Another council member, Abdul Samad Salehi, says the convoy was on its way to the district to introduce newly appointed district police chief when it came under attack. Qaneh says the newly appointed chief was also killed. The Taliban, who in recent years have taken over nearly half of Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. It was the latest in a series of brutal, near-daily Taliban assaults on Afghan military and security forces throughout the country.

Taliban insurgents ambush a police convoy in the western Farah Province, killing 20 officers, including the newly appointed provincial police chief.

BEIT UMMAR, West Bank (Reuters) - A Palestinian was shot dead while carrying out a car-ramming attack on Monday that injured three Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said. The military said one of the soldiers sustained moderate injuries and the other two were slightly hurt when the Palestinian crashed his vehicle into them along a West Bank road north of the city of Hebron. Another soldier then shot and killed the assailant, the military said. Palestinians, many of them individuals without known associations with militant groups, carried out a wave of car-ramming attacks in the West Bank in late 2015 and in 2016, but the frequency of such incidents has since decreased. There was no claim of responsibility for Monday's incident, which drew praise from the Hamas militant group as "a response to crimes carried out by the occupation", a term it uses to refer to Israel. Israel captured the West Bank in a 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek to establish a state there and in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014. (Writing by Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem; Editing by Alison Williams)[SEP]Israeli policemen inspect the scene of a car ramming attack near Hebron, in the occupied West Bank November 26, 2018. Three Israeli soldiers were wounded, one moderately and two lightly, in a car-ramming attack in the West Bank. The assailant was shot dead by one of the soldiers. To really understand Israel and the Palestinians - subscribe to Haaretz The Israel Defense Forces spokesman released a statement saying the attack occurred on Route 60, south of Jerusalem, as road work was underway. The soldiers were taken to a hospital to receive medical care. Palestinian media outlets named the driver as Ramzi Abu Yabbes, a former prisoner from the Deheisheh refugee camp. Two months ago an Israeli-American, Ari Fuld, was killed in a stabbing attack at the entrance to a mall near the junction. Fuld shot and moderately wounded the assailant, Khalil Jabarin, a 17-year old Palestinian from the West Bank village of Yatta near Hebron, after he was stabbed. Fuld was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem with injuries to his upper body before succumbing to his wounds. Thousands attended Fuld's funeral in Kfar Etzion.[SEP]According to Haaretz, three Israeli servicemen have been lightly wounded in a ramming incident at the Gush Etzion junction. The newspaper also reported that a Palestinian man was shot by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) during the incident. One of the victims sustained moderate wounds, while the other two were only lightly injured, The Times of Israel reported, citing medics at the scene of the event. READ MORE: Israel Unleashes Fire & Fury on Airbnb for Banning Rentals in Occupied West Bank The IDF addressed the assault, saying that it would be properly investigated. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the ramming attack yet. The incident comes after a series of assaults on the Israeli servicemen in the West Bank, including stabbing and ramming attacks.[SEP]JERUSALEM (JTA) — Three Israeli soldiers were injured in a suspected car-ramming attack in the West Bank. The incident on Monday morning took place near the West Bank settlement of Karmei Tzur, located south of the Gush Etzion Junction, which has in the past been the site of many such attacks. A fourth soldier at the scene of the attack shot the Palestinian driver and “successfully neutralized the terrorist before anyone else was hurt,” the IDF spokesman said. The Palestinian Maan news agency reported that the driver, identified as Ramzi Abu Yabes, a resident of the Dheisheh refugee camp, was killed by the soldier’s bullet. The report said his wife also was in the car and was injured. The three soldiers were treated at the scene and then evacuated to hospitals in Jerusalem. One suffered a head injury, the other two were lightly wounded.[SEP]Three Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers were injured in a car-ramming attack in the West Bank Monday. They were carrying out “engineering work” on the road at the time of the attack. The incident took place at the Gush Etzion Junction along Route 60, south of Jerusalem. The driver struck the three Israeli soldiers, leaving one of them with moderately severe injuries. The soldiers were reportedly carrying out road works between Beit Ummar and Aruv, south of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc at the time of the attack. Another soldier shot the assailant, who later died from his injuries. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reportedly arrived immediately on the scene but were prevented from taking the suspect for medical treatment. The IDF soldiers were hospitalized as a precaution, though their injuries were minor. No one else was hurt in the incident. The Palestinian Civil Authority confirmed the death in a Facebook post. Tensions are high in the area following a series of so-called “price-tag” attacks by Jewish youths in which they vandalized Palestinian property. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story![SEP]A Palestinian was shot dead while allegedly attempting to carry out a car-ramming attack on Monday that injured three Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said. The military said one of the soldiers sustained moderate injuries and the other two were slightly hurt when the Palestinian allegedly crashed his vehicle into them along a West Bank road north of the city of Hebron. Another soldier then shot and killed the assailant, the military said. There was no claim of responsibility for Monday’s incident, which drew praise from the Hamas militant group as “a response to crimes carried out by the occupation”, a term it uses to refer to Israel. Israel captured the West Bank in a 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek to establish a state there and in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014.[SEP]Israeli forces inspect the scene of a car ramming attack near Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, on Monday (Reuters photo) EIT UMMAR, West Bank — A Palestinian was shot dead while carrying out a car-ramming attack on Monday that injured three members of the occupying Israeli forces in the West Bank, the Israeli forces said. They sustained moderate injuries and the other two were slightly hurt when the Palestinian crashed his vehicle into them along a West Bank road north of the city of Hebron. Another member of the Israeli forces then shot and killed the assailant. Palestinians, many of them individuals without known associations with militant groups, carried out a wave of car-ramming attacks in the West Bank in late 2015 and in 2016, but the frequency of such incidents has since decreased. There was no claim of responsibility for Monday’s incident, which drew praise from the Hamas militant group as “a response to crimes carried out by the occupation”, a term it uses to refer to Israel. Israel captured the West Bank in a 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek to establish a state there and in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014.[SEP]related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. 2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. A Palestinian injured three Israeli soldiers in a car-ramming in the occupied West Bank on Monday and was then shot, the Israeli military said. BEIT UMMAR, West Bank: A Palestinian injured three Israeli soldiers in a car-ramming in the occupied West Bank on Monday and was then shot, the Israeli military said. In a statement, the military said the attacker was "neutralised", but did not give his condition. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the Palestinian man had died. The military said one of the soldiers sustained moderate injuries and the other two were slightly hurt when a Palestinian rammed his vehicle into them as the troops were carrying out engineering work along a West Bank road, north of the city of Hebron. Another soldier, on patrol, then shot the alleged assailant, the military said. Palestinians carried out a wave of car-ramming attacks in the West Bank in late 2015 and in 2016, but the frequency of such incidents has since decreased. Israel captured the West Bank in a 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek to establish a state there and in the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014.[SEP]Three Israeli soldiers were injured when a Palestinian man rammed his car into them along a central West Bank highway in a suspected deliberate attack Monday, officials said.The driver of the vehicle was shot dead by another soldier.One of theto his arms and legs, while the other two were, with scrapes and bruises, medics said.They received medical treatment at the scene and were taken to hospitals in Jerusalem for additional treatment, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.Following the attack, Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Ne'eman called on "the government and the security forces to restore calm and ensure safety for the residents of the area."The three servicemen were performing construction work along the side of the road when they were hit by the car as it traveled down the Route 60 highway near the Karmei Tzur settlement, south of the Gush Etzion Junction, the army said.According to the military, another member of the patrol opened fire at the driver, killing him.The driver was later identified by Palestinian officials as Ramzi Abu Yabes, a male nurse from the nearby Deheishe refugee camp.The Route 60 highway, one of the main thoroughfares in the West Bank used by both Israelis and Palestinians, has been the site of many terror attacks in recent years.[SEP]BEIT UMMAR, West Bank (Reuters) - A Palestinian injured three Israeli soldiers in a car-ramming in the occupied West Bank on Monday and was then shot, the Israeli military said. In a statement, the military said the attacker was “neutralized”, but did not give his condition. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the Palestinian man had died. The military said one of the soldiers sustained moderate injuries and the other two were slightly hurt when a Palestinian rammed his vehicle into them as the troops were carrying out engineering work along a West Bank road, north of the city of Hebron. Another soldier, on patrol, then shot the alleged assailant, the military said. Palestinians carried out a wave of car-ramming attacks in the West Bank in late 2015 and in 2016, but the frequency of such incidents has since decreased. Israel captured the West Bank in a 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek to establish a state there and in the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014.

Three Israel Defense Forces soldiers are wounded, one moderately and two lightly, in a vehicle-ramming attack in the West Bank. The assailant was shot dead by one of the soldiers.

Having already made a reputation as one of the greatest Italian film directors of his generation, Bernardo Bertolucci, who has died aged 77, gained worldwide notoriety with Last Tango in Paris (1972), mainly as a result of its explicit sex scenes. In his depiction of the painful, loveless, joyless relationship between a middle-aged American man (Marlon Brando) and a young Frenchwoman (Maria Schneider), Bertolucci set out to show, he said, that “every sexual relationship is condemned”. Fifteen years later, Bertolucci gained his greatest international triumph with The Last Emperor (1987), which won nine Oscars. According to Bertolucci, cinema is “a truly poetic language”, a claim that many of his films justify. He had started out as a poet, with his collection In Cerca del Mistero (In Search of Mystery) winning the Viareggio prize in 1962, as his father had done before him. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Peter O’Toole as the tutor Reginald Johnston and Wu Tao as Emperor Pu Yi in Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, 1987. Photograph: BBC Two He was the son of Attilio Bertolucci, a well-known Italian poet, and Ninetta (nee Giovanardi), a school teacher. As a boy Bernardo often accompanied his father to the cinema in Parma, the city where he was born and brought up, and began making 16mm films when he was 16 years old. He got to know the poet Pier Paolo Pasolini through his father, and when Pasolini made his first film, Accatone (1961), Bernardo was hired as production assistant. A year later he directed his first feature, The Grim Reaper (La Commare Secca), based on a five-page story outline by Pasolini. It told of an investigation into the murder of a prostitute in Rome, seen from different perspectives of different people on the events of her last day. Each episode, as told to the unseen investigator, was filmed in a different style. It is, as the director admitted, the film of “someone who had never shot one foot of 35mm before but who had seen lots and lots of films”. Before the Revolution (1964), a far more personal film, explores the problems of a selfish middle-class young man who is torn between radical politics and conformity, and between a passionate affair with his young aunt and bourgeois marriage. He opts for respectability on both counts. The film, loosely based on Stendhal’s The Charterhouse of Parma, is technically impressive, as is Bertolucci’s ability to articulate themes, such as the betrayal of a totemic father and the connection of the libido with politics, that would mature in his later work. However, as with the film’s hero, there is an element of the dilettante in Bertolucci’s approach. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bernardo Bertolucci, left, on location with Marlon Brando during the filming of Last Tango in Paris, 1972. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock This impression grew stronger in Partner (1968), which is an undigested homage to Jean-Luc Godard, about a young man literally divided into two by having a double. Derived from Dostoevsky’s short novel The Double, and updated to the Rome of 1968, it has the central character, played by Pierre Clémenti, speaking French while all the rest speak Italian. In the same year, Bertolucci was credited with the story of Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West. Bertolucci’s reputation was greatly enhanced when he joined forces with the cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, who had been a camera operator on Before the Revolution. The Spider’s Stratagem (1970), the first of eight films they made together as director and director of photography, easily transposed the Jorge Luis Borges story Theme of the Traitor and the Hero from Ireland to Italy. As oedipal and labyrinthine as its source, it concerns a young man who revisits the village in the Po valley where his father was murdered by the fascists in 1936, and gradually discovers that his father, whom he had considered a hero, was really a traitor. The Conformist (1970) most successfully brings together Bertolucci’s Freudian and political preoccupations in an ironic study of pre-war Italy (beautifully captured by Storaro) and an attempt to penetrate the mind of ordinary fascism. The childhood trauma of having shot a chauffeur who tried to seduce him, together with his own repressed homosexuality, is a strong factor in making Marcello (Jean-Louis Trintignant) contract a bourgeois marriage and offer his services to the fascist party, for whom he is asked to assassinate his former professor. The Conformist saw the full flowering of Bertolucci’s flamboyant style – elaborate tracking shots, baroque camera angles, opulent colour effects, ornate décor and the intricate play of light and shadow that give his work such a distinctive surface. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jean-Louis Trintignant and Stefania Sandrelli in a scene from Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist, 1970. Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext After the release of Last Tango in Paris in Europe, Bertolucci was indicted by a court in Bologna for making a pornographic film. Although he was acquitted, he lost his civil rights (including his right to vote) for five years and the Italian courts ordered that all copies of the film should be destroyed. In recent years, further controversy surrounded the extent to which Schneider had consented to elements of the film shoot. The worldwide acclaim and box office for Last Tango in Paris helped Bertolucci obtain the vast financial resources needed to embark on the long-planned project 1900. With this $6m, five-hour epic, released in 1977, Bertolucci turned away from the introspection of his previous films and tried to make a popular movie of the class struggle using the style of both American epics and the socialist realism of the Russian cinema of the 30s. Italian history is seen through the diverging lives of Olmo (Gérard Depardieu), the son of a peasant woman, and Alfredo (Robert De Niro), the son of the lord of the manor (Burt Lancaster), both born on the same day, 27 January 1901, through to Italy’s Liberation Day, 25 April 1945. Often bombastic and didactic, it enters greatness in the last 30 minutes. Luna (1979) was the story of a passionate mother/son relationship, in which an internationally renowned opera singer (Jill Clayburgh) has an almost incestuous relationship with her spoiled teenage son who is searching for a father. Bertolucci’s virtuosity is undeniable in the film, which threads together a series of splendid scenes (or arias and duets) on the string of an opaque plot. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Maria Schneider and Marlon Brando in a scene from Last Tango in Paris, 1972. Photograph: Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock The Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (1981) was Bertolucci’s first film to deal with contemporary Italy since 1964. The elliptical, quasi-thriller tells of a factory owner and self-made man (Ugo Tognazzi), who sees his son being forcibly hustled into a car. The police suspect the victim of colluding in his own kidnapping because of his far left sympathies. The reverse of the Spider’s Stratagem, in which a son investigates his father’s life, this ambiguous view of terrorism failed to please the public and critics mainly because the crime is not solved. It was six years before Bertolucci was able to make another film. In the meantime, he wrote two screenplays based on Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest, which he hoped would be his first film set in America. When nothing came of it, he went to China to shoot The Last Emperor in English. It was the first western film to be made almost entirely in China with active official Chinese participation. The biopic of Pu Yi, China’s last emperor or “Son of Heaven” who is “re-educated” by the Maoist regime, is a fascinating, sumptuous epic, covering nearly 60 years of China’s cataclysmic history. Another exploration of the Bertolucci theme of the upper classes learning about working-class life, the film looks every cent of its $21m cost, which included paying for 19,000 extras, 9,000 costumes, and 2,000 kilos of pasta for the Italian crew. Especially impressive was Storaro’s luminous photography, capturing the golden splendour of the palace in the Forbidden City. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bernardo Bertolucci directing Debra Winger and John Malkovich on the set of The Sheltering Sky, 1990. Photograph: Sportsphoto/Allstar After his two-year sojourn in China, Bertolucci completed what he called his “eastern trilogy”, his exploration of non-western cultures, which opened up his work to existential and philosophical themes: The Sheltering Sky (1990), shot in Algeria, Morocco and Niger, and Little Buddha (1993), shot in Bhutan and Nepal. The former, based on Paul Bowles’ mystical, metaphysical semi-autobiographical novel, followed an egocentric American couple travelling to find the meaning in their relationship. Bertolucci felt that The Sheltering Sky had much in common with Last Tango in Paris. “Isn’t the empty flat of Last Tango a kind of desert and isn’t the desert an empty flat?” he asked. But despite the beautifully captured arid landscapes, the film itself was dramatically arid. Little Buddha sets the ancient tale of Siddartha (Keanu Reeves) and his quest for enlightenment alongside a contemporary story of an eight-year-old American boy who may be the reincarnation of a famous Buddhist master. The film, which contrasts the two worlds by underlining the blue tonality of Seattle and the red and gold of the oriental story, was aimed at children, though it was more simplistic than simple, and pleased neither children nor adults. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Liv Tyler in a scene from Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1996 film Stealing Beauty. Photograph: Sportsphoto/Allstar After his expensive, exotic enterprises, Bertolucci returned to home ground, working on a smaller, more intimate scale with Stealing Beauty (1996), a minor piece about a teenage American girl’s sexual awakening at a villa in Tuscany, inhabited by artists and bohemians, and Besieged (1998), set in Rome, which focuses on the relationship between a reclusive English pianist and his young African housekeeper. Made originally for Italian television, Besieged gave Bertolucci a chance to rediscover a kind of spontaneity in film-making which he felt he had lost since the 1960s. Bertolucci then tried to recapture the spirit of the student uprising in Paris in 1968 in The Dreamers (2003), but its events provide only a background to a cloistered ménage-a-trois whose main preoccupations are sex and the movies. Paying homage to Jean Cocteau’s Les Enfants Terribles, the film is the apotheosis of Bertolucci’s cinephilia, always an element in his films. Owing to serious back problems, he used a wheelchair and did not make another film for nine years. Me and You (2012), his first Italian movie since 1981, was a relatively modest affair with a small cast and largely one location – a cellar in which a teenage boy is holed up with his half-sister. Bertolucci is survived by his second wife, the screenwriter and director Clare Peploe, whom he married in 1978. His first marriage, to the actor Adriana Asti, the female lead in Before the Revolution, ended in divorce. • Bernardo Bertolucci, film director, born 16 March 1941; died 26 November 2018[SEP]Bernardo Bertolucci, whose epic The Last Emperor won nine Oscars and who influenced generations of filmmakers with other groundbreaking works such as The Conformist and Last Tango in Paris, has died aged 77. His publicist, Flavia Schiavi, said the Italian director died on Monday from cancer. The Last Emperor, an adaptation of the autobiography of China’s last imperial ruler, Pu Yi, swept the 1987 Oscars, winning every category in which it had been nominated, including best picture and best director. It is among the movies that have won the most Academy Awards and was also the first Western epic about China made with the Chinese government’s cooperation. Born on March 16, 1941, into a wealthy family in the northern Italian city of Parma, Bertolucci was a prodigious talent from a young age. The son of well-known poet and writer Attilio Bertolucci, he himself won an award for his poetry at 21, then decided to become a filmmaker. Bertolucci’s debut film, The Grim Reaper in 1962, was an investigation into the murder of a Roman prostitute told from multiple points of view. In 1970, he received his first Academy Award nomination for the adapted screenplay of The Conformist, based on a novel by Alberto Moravia. The film is set during Italy’s Fascist period and centres on a tormented intellectual (Jean-Louis Trintignant) recruited by Mussolini’s secret police to go to Paris to assassinate an anti-Fascist professor who was once his teacher. Shot by ace cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, The Conformist is now hailed as a masterpiece that exerted a major influence on other filmmakers, especially the so-called New Hollywood directors of the day, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. Although Tango is regarded as one of the most important films of the 20th century, it generated particular controversy for its anal rape scene, in which butter is used as a lubricant. Bertolucci acknowledged later that the scene was sprung as a surprise on female lead Maria Schneider, then 19, in order to elicit an authentic reaction from her “as a girl, not as an actress.” Before her death in 2011, Schneider told an interviewer she had “felt humiliated and ... a little raped” by Brando and Bertolucci. But the director denied he had mistreated her. Last Tango also landed Bertolucci in trouble with the law in his homeland. He was brought up on charges of obscenity, which caused him to lose his civil rights for five years. “I could not vote, and that was the punishing part,” he said. “I felt like I’m not Italian anymore.” The political exile of sorts played a part in his choice to make what he called his “faraway movies” set in distant locales: The Last Emperor in China; The Sheltering Sky (1990) in North Africa; and Little Buddha (1993), in Nepal and Bhutan. The worldwide fame Bertolucci achieved with Last Tango allowed him to mount his first Hollywood production, the daring historical epic 1900, in Italy. It stars Burt Lancaster - who was so eager to be in the film he worked for free - and also Donald Sutherland, Robert De Niro and Gerard Depardieu. They acted alongside farmers from Italy’s Emilia region, where the sweeping depiction of social struggle is set. Bertolucci’s director’s cut of 1900 was five hours, 17 minutes long, prompting a fierce battle with Paramount. The version released in the US in 1977 clocked in at three hours and five minutes. The fight, and the film’s mixed critical response, nearly ended Bertolucci’s career. But 10 years later, in 1987, he came roaring back in the US when the Academy awarded nine Oscars to The Last Emperor in what he has called “perhaps my most curious Hollywood moment.” Among the accolades bestowed on him were the Cannes Film Festival’s Honorary Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement, in 2011; the Venice Film Festival’s Honorary Golden Lion, in 2007; and the Locarno Film Festival’s Leopard of Honour, in 1997. Bertolucci is survived by his third wife, screenwriter and director Clare Peploe, whom he married in 1979.[SEP]ROME • Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, whose films include Last Tango In Paris and 1900, died yesterday, Italian media said. He was 77. His publicist said he died at home in Rome from cancer. Considered one of the giants of Italian cinema, he also mined success in Hollywood and was the only Italian ever to win the Oscar for best film, snapping up the award in 1988 for The Last Emperor. The biographical masterpiece about the last Chinese emperor won a total of nine Oscars, all of those for which it was nominated, including Best Director. It was also touted as the first Western epic about China that was made with the Chinese government's cooperation. Born in Parma, north-eastern Italy, in 1941, Bertolucci made films that were often highly politicised, dealing with workers' struggles in the 1976 movie 1900 or the fate of left-wingers in fascist Italy in The Conformist (1970). He acquired notoriety for his 1972 erotic drama Last Tango In Paris starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider, which featured a controversial sex scene involving butter. But others noted that the movie explored politics and sexuality too. According to trade publication Variety, Bertolucci later revealed that the scene was not told to Schneider, then 19, in advance, in order to get an authentic reaction from her "as a girl, not as an actress". But the controversy over the movie allowed him to tap a high-profile cast, including Robert De Niro, Gerard Depardieu and Burt Lancaster, for his 300-minute epic 1900, the Guardian noted. When asked in 2013 how he would like to be remembered, Bertolucci said: "I don't care. I think my movies are there, people can see them. "And sometimes I laugh, thinking I will be remembered more as a talent scout of young girls than as a film director." The list of starlets he discovered includes Dominique Sanda in The Conformist, Schneider, Liv Tyler in Stealing Beauty (1996) and Eva Green, who made her screen debut in The Dreamers (2003). Bertolucci, who had been wheelchair-bound for more than a decade, won an honorary Palme d'Or for his life's work at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.[SEP]ROME—Italian film-maker Bernardo Bertolucci, who won Oscars with “The Last Emperor” and whose drama “Last Tango in Paris” shocked the world, died Monday. Considered one of the giants of Italian and world cinema, Bertolucci was the only Italian ever to win the Oscar for best film, snapping up the award in 1988 for “The Last Emperor.” The biographical film about the last Chinese emperor won a total of nine Oscars.[SEP]Bernardo Bertolucci, whose epic “The Last Emperor” won nine Oscars and who influenced generations of filmmakers with other groundbreaking works such as “The Conformist” and “Last Tango in Paris,” in which he explored politics and sexuality through personal storytelling and audacious camera work, has died. He was 77. His publicist, Flavia Schiavi, said that Bertolucci died at 7 a.m. Monday from cancer. Italy’s greatest auteur of his generation, Bertolucci managed to work both in Europe and Hollywood, though his relationship with the studios had its ups and downs. But even when he operated within the studio system, Bertolucci always managed to make films that were considered projections of his inner world. “The Last Emperor,” an adaptation of the autobiography of China’s last imperial ruler, Pu Yi, swept the 1987 Oscars, winning every category in which it had been nominated, including best picture and best director. With it, Bertolucci became the first and only Italian to win the Oscar for best director. “The Last Emperor” is among the movies that have won the most Academy Awards and was also the first Western epic about China made with the Chinese government’s cooperation. Born March 16, 1941, into a wealthy family in the northern Italian city of Parma, Bertolucci was a prodigious talent from a young age. The son of well-known poet and writer Attilio Bertolucci, he himself won an award for his poetry at 21, then decided to become a filmmaker. He started out as an assistant to another Italian poet, Pier Paolo Pasolini, on Pasolini’s first feature “Accattone,” in 1961, a portrayal of a Roman pimp. Bertolucci’s own debut film, “The Grim Reaper” in 1962, was an investigation into the murder of a Roman prostitute told from multiple points of view. The movie screened at the Venice Film Festival. In 1970, he received his first Academy Award nomination for the adapted screenplay of “The Conformist,” based on a novel by Alberto Moravia. The film is set during Italy’s Fascist period and centers on a tormented intellectual (Jean-Louis Trintignant) recruited by Mussolini’s secret police to go to Paris to assassinate an anti-Fascist professor who was once his teacher. Kinetically shot by ace cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, “The Conformist” is now hailed as a masterpiece that exerted a major influence on other filmmakers, especially the so-called New Hollywood directors of the day, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola.[SEP]NOVEMBER is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and we're urging Sunshine Coast locals to help raise awareness of the disease, reduce their risk and support those affected. Lung cancer is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women and is the leading cancer-related cause of death in Queensland. In the Sunshine Coast region alone, around 312 people are diagnosed with lung cancer each year. The main symptoms of lung cancer are a new dry cough or change in a chronic cough, chest pain or breathlessness, repeated bouts of pneumonia or bronchitis, or coughing or spitting up blood. These symptoms do not necessarily mean you have cancer, but it's important to talk to your general practitioner if you experience them, so they can be checked. While there are many factors that can contribute to lung cancer, we do know that smoking is the leading cause - and because of this many patients, particularly non-smokers, can feel stigmatised by their illness. A cancer diagnosis is isolating - but it can be especially tough if there is stigma involved. Stigma contributes to psychological distress, negatively impacting on the patient's quality of life and sometimes, tragically, influencing treatment decisions. More education and awareness is needed to diminish lung cancer stigma, and with your help, we can ensure that no one goes through lung cancer alone. If you or someone you know is affected by lung cancer, call Cancer Council's 13 11 20 for access to a comprehensive range of cancer publications, confidential support and referrals, or visit our website, cancerqld.org.au.[SEP]His publicist, Flavia Schiavi, said Bernardo Bertolucci died at his home in Rome on Monday morning. He had been suffering from cancer Oscar-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci of The Last Emperor, died in Rome on Monday. He was 77. Bertolucci's epic drama The Last Emperor won nine Oscars. He influenced generations of filmmakers with other groundbreaking works such as The Conformist and Last Tango in Paris, in which he explored politics and sexuality through personal storytelling and audacious camera work. His publicist, Flavia Schiavi, said Bertolucci died at his home in Rome on Monday morning. He had been suffering from cancer, reported variety.com Italy's greatest auteur of his generation, Bertolucci managed to work both in Europe and Hollywood, though his relationship with the studios had its ups and downs. But even when he operated within the studio system, Bertolucci always managed to make films that were considered projections of his inner world. "The Last Emperor", an adaptation of the autobiography of China's last imperial ruler, Pu Yi, swept the 1987 Oscars, winning every category in which it had been nominated, including best picture and best director. With it, Bertolucci became the first and only Italian to win the Oscar for best director. "The Last Emperor" is among the movies that have won the most Academy Awards and was also the first Western epic about China made with the Chinese government's cooperation. Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever[SEP]Acclaimed Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci died on Monday in Rome, his publicist confirmed to the media. The director of The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, the Academy Award-winning The Last Emperor, The Sheltering Sky and The Dreamers was 77 and was suffering from cancer. He is survived by his third wife, British screenwriter Clare Peploe. Born on March 16, 1941, in Parma in Italy, Bertolucci made his directorial debut at the age of 21 with La Commare Secca (1962). His second film, Before the Revolution (1964), explores themes to which he would return in subsequent productions: the tensions between beauty and revolution, sexual desire and political commitment, fascism and communism. The film that put Bertolucci on the world map was The Conformist (1970), based on Alberto Moravia’s novel of the same name. Jean-Louis Trintignant plays a fascist foot soldier who plots the assassination of a political dissident who once taught him. The film was acclaimed for its imaginative production design and cinematography, by frequent collaborator Vittorio Storaro. In 1972, at the age of 31, Bertolucci made the film for which he is best remembered: Last Tango in Paris. The erotic drama stars Marlon Brando as a widower who has a life-altering encounter with a much younger woman, played by Maria Schneider. The film caused controversy for its explicit sexual content, but was equally acclaimed for its narrative bravura, Brando’s poignant and heavily improvised performance, and Schneider’s heart-rending lack of inhibition. The movie’s reputation has suffered in recent years along with Bertolucci’s after Schneider claimed in a 2007 interview that she had not been informed about the manner in which a controversial anal rape sequence was to be filmed. “I felt humiliated and to be honest, I felt a little raped, both by Marlon and by Bertolucci,” she said. Bertolucci said in response that he did not regret his on-set decisions. Other notable films include the historical epic 1900 (1976), which explored the tussle between communist activists and fascists in rural Italy. The star-studded cast included Robert De Niro, Gerard Depardieu, Donald Sutherland and Burt Lancaster. The film clocked 317 minutes, and was often screened in two parts. Bertolucci’s most decorated work was The Last Emperor (1987), which won Academy Awards in every one of the categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The sumptuously mounted film was based on the autobiography of Puyi, the last ruler of the Qing dynasty before Communist rule. Starring John Lone, Joan Chen and Peter O’Toole, The Last Emperor was the first Western production to be permitted to film inside the Forbidden City in Beijing, the palace complex that once housed the Chinese dynasties. Bertolucci’s later work included The Sheltering Sky (1990), based on the Paul Bowles novel of the same name and starring John Malkovich and Debra Winger as a married couple desperately seeking to rekindle their relationship. “I conceived of ‘The Sheltering Sky’ as a kind of anti-’Last Emperor,’ as a completely private project,” Bertolucci told the Los Angeles Times in an interview in 1990. “This is a story about two people in the desert, instead of a movie with 20,000 extras. ‘The Last Emperor’ was talking about history in capital letters. This was a film about intimate, private destinies.” The 1990s and 2000s saw the Keanu Reaves-starrer Little Buddha (1993), which explores a quest to find a new Lama, the multilingual Stealing Beauty (1996) with Liv Tyler, Joseph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, The Dreamers (2003) and Italian drama Me and You (2012). The Dreamers, a tribute to the spirit of 1960s France and the French New Wave, marked the debut of Eva Green, who plays one peg of an erotic triangle involving her twin brother and their newly acquired friend. The tributes paid to Bertolucci on social media include stills and clips from his films – a testament to his visual mastery and his command over the tools unique to cinema.[SEP]Bernardo Bertolucci, the Italian director of seminal classics including “The Conformist”, “The Last Emperor” and the controversial “Last Tango in Paris”, has died at 77, local media said Monday, hailing the “last great maestro” of Italian cinema. The revered filmmaker, who had been confined to a wheelchair in recent years, died at his home in Rome after a long illness, surrounded by family, said Italy's state-run broadcaster RAI. Considered one of the giants of Italian and world cinema, Bertolucci was the first recipient of the Cannes Film Festival's Honorary Palme d'Or, awarded in 2011. He was also the only Italian ever to win an Oscar for Best Picture, snapping up the award in 1988 for "The Last Emperor". His biographical masterpiece about the last Chinese emperor won a total of nine Academy Awards, all of those for which it was nominated, including Best Director. Born in Parma, northeastern Italy, in 1941, Bertolucci was a disciple of film legend Pier Paolo Pasolini and a self-professed Marxist. His films were often highly politicised, dealing with workers' struggles in the five-hour long epic "1900" (1976), starring Robert De Niro and Gérard Depardieu, or the fate of left-wingers in fascist Italy in "The Conformist" (1970), which many critics regard as his finest work. Bertolucci, however, is best remembered for the sexually explosive "Last Tango in Paris", starring Marlon Brando, which has continued to stir controversy since its release in 1972. The Italian director was recently criticised for revealing that he withheld details of the film's infamous butter rape scene from actress Maria Schneider, who was 19 at the time. Bertolucci returned to the themes of political and sexual awakening in many of his later films, which included "Stealing Beauty" (1996) and "The Dreamers" (2003). Despite working with some of Hollywood's biggest stars, he always defended his own filmmaking style against what he said was the pressure of the US film industry. Gilles Jacob, the former president of the Cannes Film Festival, told AFP on Monday he was saddened by the death of "the last emperor of Italian cinema, the lord of all epics and all escapades". He added: "The party is over, it takes two to tango."[SEP]ROME, Nov 26 — Italian film director Bernardo Bertolucci, whose films include Last Tango In Paris and 1900, has died in Rome aged 77, Italian media said today. Considered one of the giants of Italian and world cinema, Bertolucci was the only Italian ever to win the Oscar for best film, snapping up the award in 1988 for The Last Emperor. The biographical masterpiece about the last Chinese emperor won a total of nine Oscars, all of those for which it was nominated. He acquired notoriety for his 1972 erotic drama Last Tango In Paris starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider which featured a controversial sex scene involving butter. He had been wheelchair-bound for several years and won an honorary Palme d’Or for his life’s work at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Former festival president Gilles Jacob said he was saddened by the death of “the last emperor of Italian cinema, the lord of all epics and all escapades.” “The party is over: It takes two to tango,” Jacob told AFP. Born in Parma, northeastern Italy, in 1941, Bertolucci made films that were often highly politicised, dealing with workers’ struggles in 1900 or the fate of left-wingers in fascist Italy in The Conformist. In 2016 several Hollywood stars accused him and Brando of abusing Schneider by keeping her in the dark about how the notorious butter scene in Last Tango was to be shot. Bertolucci acknowledged Schneider was not aware that Brando’s character would use butter as a lubricant during the scene in which the actor simulates anally penetrating his lover, played by then 19-year-old Schneider. “The only new thing was the idea of the butter. It was this, I learned many years later, that upset Maria, and not the violence that was in the scene and was envisaged in the script of the film. “It is both consoling and distressing that anyone could be so naive to believe that what happens on the cinema screen actually takes place,” he said of viewers. Schneider, who suffered drug addiction and depression before her 2011 death, said four years earlier she had felt “a little raped” during the scene and was profoundly angry about it for years afterwards. — AFP

Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, whose film The Last Emperor won nine Oscars, dies of lung cancer.

GM Announces Cuts At Car Assembly Plants In Michigan, Ohio, Canada Enlarge this image toggle caption Ron Schwane/AP Ron Schwane/AP Updated at 3:16 p.m. ET General Motors says it plans to cease production of some models at three vehicle assembly plants in the U.S. and Canada in 2019. It also plans to cut production at two plants in the U.S. that make transmissions. The company said the moves are part of an effort to cut 15 percent of its workforce. It's part of a major restructuring that will prioritize the company's electric and autonomous vehicle programs. The decision, announced Monday, will impact Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly in Detroit, Lordstown Assembly in Warren, Ohio, and Oshawa Assembly in Oshawa, Ontario. Two transmission plants — one in White Marsh, Md., and another in Warren, Mich. — are also set to stop production. GM says it is maintaining its profitable lineup of SUVs and trucks but will shift away from some of its smaller vehicles that haven't seen strong sales. The company said it plans to halt production of the Chevrolet Cruze at the Lordstown plant in March. In Detroit, it plans to halt production of the Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Volt in March and the Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Impala in June. In Ontario, it plans to halt production of the Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac XTS by the final quarter of 2019. "These tend to be the lower-margin vehicles," GM Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevara told reporters. The company says 5,901 hourly employees and 804 salaried employees work at these plants. "We are announcing the cessation of certain products resulting in a number of plants being without allocated volume to produce," GM spokesperson Julie Huston-Rough told NPR. She added that shutting down or closing a plant is an issue that must be discussed in negotiations with the United Auto Workers. GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said the company is aiming to cut executive positions by 25 percent, as part of its overall push to cut it workforce. "We will achieve this through a combination of voluntary and involuntary programs," she said. GM added that it expects to save some $6 billion by the end of 2020. UAW Vice President Terry Dittes called it a "callous decision" that would be "profoundly damaging to our American workforce." "The UAW and our members will confront this decision by GM through every legal, contractual and collective bargaining avenue open to our membership," the union said in a statement. President Trump told reporters, "We don't like it; I believe they'll be opening up something else." He added that he's "not happy" about the announcement. The communities impacted by the decision are digesting the news. "They told me straight up there's nothing we can do," Ontario Premier Doug Ford told lawmakers, according to the CBC. He called the decision "absolutely devastating," and the broadcaster reported that thousands of workers at the Ontario plant stopped working Monday. As Michigan Radio reported, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan called the news "troubling" and said that the union and local officials are "working together to come up with a solution that works for GM and the employees." Ohio politicians have also responded to the announcement. Arno Hill, the mayor of Lordstown, told NPR that he received a call from GM to inform him of the decision about five minutes before the news was released to the public. "Everybody's very downhearted," he said. "They know they're making a great product ... but they also realize that the car is not selling, and, you know, the key is to get another product for this plant." "GM owes the community answers on how the rest of the supply chain will be impacted and what consequences its disastrous decision will have on the Mahoning Valley and our state," Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown said in a statement. Ohio Gov. John Kasich called it "painful to see this happen to the plant's workers," noting the plant had been working with GM for more than 50 years. Barra explained that GM is restructuring now, "while the company and the economy are strong, to stay in front of a fast-changing market." That sentiment, as NPR's Jim Zarroli reported, is paired with a widespread expectation that the economy will slow down next year. He adds that there are also big questions about trade and rising interest rates. "So there are just a lot of questions about where the market is going, whether sales have peaked," Zarroli reported. "I think GM is just trying to sort of get ahead of what it sees as an inevitable downturn."[SEP]General Motors is shutting down its plant in Oshawa, Ontario, leaving more than 2,500 employees without a job. Mike Drolet has reaction from workers and their union, Unifor.[SEP]The Warren Transmission and Baltimore operations General Motors manufacturing plants will both be phased out as part of the company’s bid to “accelerate its transformation for the future.” The new future of General Motors starts today after the company announced it planned to idle three assembly plants and reduce its salaried workforce by 15 percent as it looks to strengthen its core business and capitalize on significant cost efficiencies. In all, the move should save the company upwards of $6 billion with most of it earmarked for autonomous driving programs and electric vehicle development. The plant closures have already claimed the Chevrolet Volt, Cruze, and Impala, along with the Buick LaCrosse, while questions remain regarding the future of the Cadillac XTS and CT6 sedans. As a knock-on effect of the assembly plant closures, both Warren Transmission Operations in Warren, Michigan and Baltimore Operations in White Marsh, Maryland are scheduled to close by the time summer 2019 rolls around. Baltimore, which is responsible for the production of Allison 1000 transmission which is used in 2500 and 3500 versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, will wrap operations by April 1, 2019. Unless General Motors is prepared to source the gearboxes directly from Allison or reestablish production elsewhere, this could point to a new transmission on offer for the upcoming T1 2500/3500 trucks. Warren Transmission will soldier on until August 1, 2019, when it will cease producing 6-speed transmissions and the Global Front Wheel Electric unit for the Volt. 6-speeds from Warren are currently found in the now discontinued XTS, Impala, and Volt, but it can also be found in the Acadia, and Malibu… models that will soldier on. With the Acadia losing its supply of 6-speed transmissions we could finally see the crossover migrate to GM’s new 9-speed transmission developed in partnership with Ford. The 9-speed already made its debut in the Malibu during 2017, and the 2019 Malibu already replaces the old 6-speed with a CVT.[SEP]DETROIT - General Motors announced Monday morning that it is shuttering several plants including the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant and the Warren Transmission Operations. Overall, the company will lay off 14,700 factory and white-collar workers in North America and put five plants up for possible closure as it restructures to cut costs and focus more on autonomous and electric vehicles. The following assembly plants will be idled in 2019: The following propulsion plants will be idled in 2019: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Monday that the news of the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant's future is "troubling" "This morning I spoke to Mary Barra and she advised me for the first time of the situation at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant. The news is troubling," reads a statement from Duggan. "I have spoken to UAW President Gary Jones and the city's economic development team. They are working together to come up with a solution that works for GM and the employees. We all know there is strong demand for manufacturing space in Detroit and we are willing to work with GM to fill all the available manufacturing space at Poletown with either GM-related entities or other companies." General Motors also announced Monday that in addition to the previously announced closure of the assembly plant in Gunsan, Korea, the automaker will cease the operations of two additional plants outside North America by the end of 2019. “The actions we are taking today continue our transformation to be highly agile, resilient and profitable, while giving us the flexibility to invest in the future,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “We recognize the need to stay in front of changing market conditions and customer preferences to position our company for long-term success.” The staff reduction includes 8,100 white-collar workers, some of whom will take buyouts and others who will be laid off. Most of the affected factories build cars that won't be sold in the U.S. after next year. They could close or they could get different vehicles to build. They will be part of contract talks with the United Auto Workers union next year. Here's more from the news release: Contributing to the cash savings of approximately $6 billion are cost reductions of $4.5 billion and a lower capital expenditure annual run rate of almost $1.5 billion. The actions include: • None Transforming product development – GM is evolving its global product development workforce and processes to drive world-class levels of engineering in advanced technologies, and to improve quality and speed to market. Resources allocated to electric and autonomous vehicle programs will double in the next two years. Additional actions include: • None Increasing high-quality component sharing across the portfolio, especially those not visible and perceptible to customers. • None Expanding the use of virtual tools to lower development time and costs. • None Optimizing product portfolio – GM has recently invested in newer, highly efficient vehicle architectures, especially in trucks, crossovers and SUVs. GM now intends to prioritize future vehicle investments in its next-generation battery-electric architectures. As the current vehicle portfolio is optimized, it is expected that more than 75 percent of GM’s global sales volume will come from five vehicle architectures by early next decade. • None Increasing capacity utilization – In the past four years, GM has refocused capital and resources to support the growth of its crossovers, SUVs and trucks, adding shifts and investing $6.6 billion in U.S. plants that have created or maintained 17,600 jobs. With changing customer preferences in the U.S. and in response to market-related volume declines in cars, future products will be allocated to fewer plants next year. These manufacturing actions are expected to significantly increase capacity utilization. To further enhance business performance, GM will continue working to improve other manufacturing costs, productivity and the competitiveness of wages and benefits. • None Staffing transformation – The company is transforming its global workforce to ensure it has the right skill sets for today and the future, while driving efficiencies through the utilization of best-in-class tools. Actions are being taken to reduce salaried and salaried contract staff by 15 percent, which includes 25 percent fewer executives to streamline decision making. Barra added, “These actions will increase the long-term profit and cash generation potential of the company and improve resilience through the cycle.” GM expects to fund the restructuring costs through a new credit facility that will further improve the company’s strong liquidity position and enhance its financial flexibility. GM expects to record pre-tax charges of $3.0 billion to $3.8 billion related to these actions, including up to $1.8 billion of non-cash accelerated asset write-downs and pension charges, and up to $2.0 billion of employee-related and other cash-based expenses. The majority of these charges will be considered special for EBIT-adjusted, EPS diluted-adjusted and adjusted automotive free cash flow purposes. The majority of these charges will be incurred in the fourth quarter of 2018 and first quarter of 2019, with some additional costs incurred through the remainder of 2019. The United Automobile Workers union released the following statement after GM's announcement: General Motors decision today to stop production at the Lordstown, Ohio, and Hamtramck, Michigan, assembly plants will idle thousands of workers, and will not go unchallenged by the UAW. This decision will also affect employment at other GM locations including Baltimore, Maryland, and Michigan’s Brownstown and Warren Transmission plants. The UAW and our members will confront this decision by GM through every legal, contractual and collective bargaining avenue open to our membership. “This callous decision by GM to reduce or cease operations in American plants, while opening or increasing production in Mexico and China plants for sales to American consumers, is, in its implementation, profoundly damaging to our American workforce,” said Terry Dittes, UAW Vice President, Director GM Department. “GM’s production decisions, in light of employee concessions during the economic downturn and a taxpayer bailout from bankruptcy, puts profits before the working families of this country whose personal sacrifices stood with GM during those dark days. These decisions are a slap in the face to the memory and recall of that historical American made bailout.” GM assembles cars, trucks and crossover vehicles outside of the United States for sales to American consumers. GM currently assembles versions of the full-size Chevy and GMC pickups in Mexico. In addition, the Buick Cascada is assembled in Poland and the Buick Envision is assembled in China only to be imported to the U.S. for American sales. Recently, GM announced the new Chevy Blazer will also be assembled in Mexico and imported to the United States for American sales. “We must step away from the anti-worker thinking of seeking simply the lowest labor cost on the planet,” said UAW President Gary Jones. “The practice of circumventing American labor in favor of moving production to nations that tolerate wages less than half of what our American brothers and sisters make, must stop. More importantly, we must understand that these companies, including GM, are no longer in trouble. They are recording annual profits in the tens of billions.” To that end, the UAW and its membership will do its part to convince GM and all American employers that the American consumer market should support American-made products by building where we buy products. Simply said, American consumers need to be patriotic consumers by joining the UAW in this effort in saying ‘No’ to American companies that choose foreign workers over American workers and imported products over U.S.-made products. As Dittes stresses, “This has, and always will be, a part of the fabric of the UAW.” Be informed when making an American company automobile purchase: Examination of the driver-side window near the dashboard displays the Vehicle Identification Number plate (VIN) that identifies where the vehicle was assembled. VIN numbers beginning with “1”, “4” or “5” were assembled in the U.S., “2” were assembled in Canada, “3” were assembled in Mexico. If it begins with the letters J-R, it was assembled in Asia. “America is only as great as the patriotism practiced within it,” says Jones. "The UAW does not believe that eliminating American jobs, hurting the American economy and devastating families and communities for quick profits, are the principles this country was built on.”[SEP]General Motors is poised to close factories in Michigan, Ohio, Maryland and Canada, and slash 15 percent of its salaried workforce in a sweeping cost-cutting plan designed to boost its profits. The Detroit-based automaker said it would end production by the end of 2019 at its Lordstown Assembly plant in northeast Ohio; its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in southeast Michigan; its Oshawa Assembly plant in Ontario; its Baltimore Operations parts plant; and its Warren Transmission Operations plant in southeast Michigan. Assembly plants are job juggernauts. GM has about 1,500 employees at the Detroit plant, 1,600 at the Lordstown factory and 2,500 in Oshawa. The announcement comes ahead of next year's contract talks with the United Auto Workers union, which could potentially lead to decisions to devote vehicles to those facilities. But there's a serious chance that the plants close for good. CEO Mary Barra is seeking to reposition GM for a future defined by self-driving cars, ride-sharing networks and electric vehicles. The plan may signal the demise in the U.S. of several passenger cars that have been struggling, including the Chevrolet Cruze, the Chevrolet Impala and the Cadillac XTS. The cuts will make GM "lean and agile" as the company aims to "lead in autonomous and lead in electric vehicles," Barra said. Taken together, the moves will deliver more than $6 billion in additional annual cash flow by the end of 2020, GM said. That includes $4 billion in cost cuts and $1.5 billion in reduced capital expenditures. GM said it would also close two additional plants outside of North America by the end of 2019. It will also continue with plans to close its plant in Gunsan, South Korea. The workforce reduction will affect 15 percent of the company's salaried and salaried contract workforce. It's not clear how many of those cuts will be voluntary and how many will take the form of layoffs. GM offered buyouts to 18,000 workers several weeks ago. The company said it would also have 25 percent fewer executives.[SEP]DETROIT — General Motors will lay off 14,700 factory and white-collar workers in North America and put five plants up for possible closure as it restructures to cut costs and focus more on autonomous and electric vehicles. The reduction includes 8,100 white-collar workers, some of whom will take buyouts and others who will be laid off. Most of the affected factories build cars that won’t be sold in the U.S. after next year. They could close or they could get different vehicles to build. They will be part of contract talks with the United Auto Workers union next year. Plants without products include assembly plants in Detroit; Lordstown, Ohio; and Oshawa, Ontario. Also affected are transmission factories in Warren, Michigan, as well as Baltimore. About 6,000 factory workers could lose jobs in the U.S. and Canada, although some could transfer to truck plants.[SEP]General Motors is poised to close factories in Michigan, Ohio, Maryland and Canada, kill off several passenger cars and slash 15 percent of its salaried workforce in a sweeping cost-cutting plan designed to boost its profits. The Detroit-based automaker said it would end production by the end of 2019 at its Lordstown Assembly plant in northeast Ohio; its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in southeast Michigan; its Oshawa Assembly plant in Ontario; its Baltimore Operations parts plant; and its Warren Transmission Operations plant in southeast Michigan. Assembly plants are job juggernauts. GM has about 1,500 employees at the Detroit plant, 1,600 at the Lordstown factory and 2,500 in Oshawa. The announcement comes ahead of next year's contract talks with the United Auto Workers union, which could potentially lead to decisions to devote vehicles to those facilities. GM's biggest employee union, the United Auto Workers, vowed to fight the plan. But there's a serious chance that the plants close for good. More: GM to kill Chevrolet Volt, Cruze, Impala as Americans ditch passenger cars More: GM offers buyouts to 18,000 salaried workers, says layoffs possible The company will also discontinue the Chevrolet Cruze, Volt and Impala cars in North America as Americans flock to larger vehicles in the form of crossovers, SUVs and pickups. CEO Mary Barra is seeking to reposition GM for a future defined by self-driving cars, ride-sharing networks and electric vehicles. General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra speaks about the financial outlook of the automaker, Jan. 10, 2017, in Detroit. The company issued an optimistic earnings forecast this year based on improved cost efficiencies and continued strong sales in North America and China. The cuts will make GM "lean and agile" as the company aims to "lead in autonomous and lead in electric vehicles," Barra said. Taken together, the moves will deliver more than $6 billion in additional annual cash flow by the end of 2020, GM said. That includes $4 billion in cost cuts and $1.5 billion in reduced capital expenditures. The UAW said it would "confront this decision by GM through every legal, contractual and collective bargaining avenue open to our membership." It's a "callous decision" to cut American operations about 10 years after the automaker first accepted federal bailout money, UAW GM official Terry Dittes said in a statement. “GM’s production decisions, in light of employee concessions during the economic downturn and a taxpayer bailout from bankruptcy, puts profits before the working families of this country whose personal sacrifices stood with GM during those dark days," Dittes said. "These decisions are a slap in the face to the memory and recall of that historical American made bailout.” GM said it would also close two additional plants outside of North America by the end of 2019. It will also continue with plans to close its plant in Gunsan, South Korea. The workforce reduction will affect 15 percent of the company's salaried and salaried contract workforce. It's not clear how many of those cuts will be voluntary and how many will take the form of layoffs. GM offered buyouts to 18,000 workers several weeks ago. The company said it would also have 25 percent fewer executives.[SEP]General Motors will lay off 14,700 factory and white-collar workers in North America and put five plants up for possible closure as it restructures to cut costs and focus more on autonomous and electric vehicles. The reduction includes 8,100 white-collar workers, some of whom will take buyouts and others who will be laid off. Most of the affected factories build cars that won't be sold in the U.S. after next year. They could close or they could get different vehicles to build. They will be part of contract talks with the United Auto Workers union next year. Plants without products include assembly plants in Detroit; Lordstown, Ohio; and Oshawa, Ontario. Also affected are transmission factories in Warren, Michigan, as well as Baltimore. About 6,000 factory workers could lose jobs in the U.S. and Canada, although some could transfer to truck plants. General Motors is closing a Canadian plant at the cost of about 2,500 jobs, but that is apparently just a piece of a much broader, company-wide restructuring that will be announced as early as Monday. A person briefed on the matter told The Associated Press that the plant being shuttered in Canada is just the beginning as GM prepares for the next economic downturn, shifting trade agreements under the Trump administration, and potential tariffs on imported automobiles. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement hasn't been made public. In the fall, the Detroit automaker offered buyouts to 18,000 white collar workers, but it has yet to say how many accepted, or if its's close to meeting the staff reduction goals it set to better withstand leaner times.[SEP]General Motors on Monday said that it will discontinue the Chevrolet Volt, Cruze, and Impala early next year and shutter three assembly plants in the U.S. and Canada as it reduces its workforce and feeds demand for crossover SUVs and pickups rather than sedans. GM said that the assembly plants it will idle by the end of 2019 include the Lordstown plant near Warren, Ohio, the Detroit-Hamtramck plant in Michigan, and one in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. In a release, GM said that the plants won't be allocated new products, which will spell the end of the line for several sedans in the automaker's portfolio. GM told Motor Authority that the Volt and Cruze will go out of production in March 2019, while the Impala will end during the fourth quarter of next year. The Buick LaCrosse will end production in March 2019. In June, GM said that it would invest $175 million into its Lansing, Michigan, assembly plant to build new Cadillac sedans. Production of the CT6 could move there, too. The Cadillac flagship is currently built at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant and its fate is unknown. However, it is unlikely to be dropped as an update has just been implemented for 2019. GM's crosstown rivals Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles have also consolidated their slow-selling passenger car lineups in favor of more crossover SUVs and pickup trucks. GM said it would push forward with electric cars and self-driving vehicles as part of its future plans. The automaker also said 75 percent of its future vehicles will come from only five vehicle architectures by early next decade. Two additional U.S. facilities also will go offline next year: the Baltimore Operations in White Marsh, Maryland, and Warren Transmission Operations in Warren, Michigan. In Baltimore, GM builds electric-car components. The automaker said it will also idle two additional international car production plants next year. South Korean plants may be a prime target after the automaker closed its first Korean plant in May. In the Monday announcement, GM added it will slash its corporate workforce by 25 percent in a further effort to cut costs inside the automaker. The layoffs come after GM issued a buyout packaged to thousands of salaried workers. The proposed cuts come ahead of scheduled negotiations with the United Auto Workers union next year that could reshape production plans for hourly workers. GM said the plant restructuring and layoffs will combine to free up $6 billion by 2020.[SEP]General Motors Co said on Monday it will cut production of slow-selling models and slash its North American workforce in the face of a stagnant market for traditional gas-powered sedans, shifting more investment to electric and autonomous vehicles. The announcement is the biggest restructuring in North America for the U.S. No. 1 carmaker since its bankruptcy a decade ago. Its shares rallied 7.6 percent to $38.66. GM plans to halt production next year at three assembly plants – Lordstown, Ohio, Hamtramck, Michigan, and Oshawa, Ontario. The company also plans to stop building several models now assembled at those plants, including the Chevrolet Cruze, the Cadillac CT6 and the Buick LaCrosse. The Cruze compact car will be discontinued in the U.S. market in 2019. Plants in Baltimore, Maryland, and Warren, Michigan that assemble powertrain components will have no products assigned to them after 2019 and thus are at risk of closure, the company said. It will also close two factories outside North America, but did not identify them. “We are right-sizing capacity for the realities of the marketplace,” Chief Executive Mary Barra said, adding that the cuts were prompted by auto industry changes. Barra said the company will double resources dedicated to electric and self-driving vehicles over the next two years. The UAW union vowed to “confront this decision by GM through every legal, contractual and collective bargaining avenue open to our membership.” “General Motors decision today to stop production at the Lordstown, Ohio, and Hamtramck, Michigan, assembly plants will idle thousands of workers, and will not go unchallenged by the UAW,” Terry Dittes, UAW Vice President in charge of negotiations with GM, said. What can we learn from business legend Carlos Ghosn’s downfall? In a statement, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan described the news as “troubling” and said that the city’s economic development team and the UAW union are “working together to come up with a solution that works for GM and the employees”. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke with Barra and expressed “deep disappointment”. GM said it will take pre-tax charges of US$3 billion to US$3.8 billion to pay for the cutbacks, but expects the actions to improve annual free cash flow by US$6 billion by the end of 2020. Its North American salaried workforce, including engineers and executives, will shrink by 15 percent, or about 8,000 jobs. The company said it will cut executive ranks by 25 per cent to “streamline decision making.” Even as GM is moving to lay off salaried staff, the company is hiring. At GM’s Detroit headquarters on Monday, there were signs directing people to a “New Hire Orientation” meeting. Barra said GM can reduce annual capital spending by US$1.5 billion and increase investment in electric and autonomous vehicles and connected vehicle technology because it has largely completed investing in new generations of trucks and sport utility vehicles. Some 75 percent of its global sales will come from just five vehicle architectures by the early 2020s. It plans to reduce annual capital spending to US$7 billion by 2020 from an average of US$8.5 billion a year during the 2017-2019 period. Cost pressures on GM and other carmakers and suppliers have increased as demand waned for traditional sedans. The company has said tariffs on imported steel, imposed earlier this year by the Trump administration, have cost it US$1 billion. Barra did not link Monday’s cuts to tariff pressures, but said trade costs are among the “headwinds” GM has to face as it deals with broader technology change and market shifts. Trump’s tariffs set to rain on Chinese carmakers’ US parade With U.S. car sales lagging, several car plants have fallen to just one shift, including its Hamtramck and Lordstown, assembly plant. A rule of thumb for the automotive industry is that if a plant is running below 80 percent of production capacity, it is losing money. GM has several plants running well below that. Consultancy LMC estimates that Lordstown will operate at just 31 percent of production capacity in 2018. Barra said the carmaker is running at about 70 percent capacity utilisation in North America, and the company will provide an update on how the latest moves will improve utilisation in January. “We need to make sure that we are well positioned to compete, not just over the next few years, but well beyond,” she said. Unlike its plants making passenger cars, many of GM’s plants producing its higher-margin trucks and SUVs are running on three shifts, with some running six and sometimes seven days a week to keep up with demand. Rivals Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV have both curtailed U.S. car production. Ford said in April it planned to stop building nearly all cars in North America. The industrywide slowdown in passenger car sales started to pick up steam in 2017. The shift by U.S. consumer preferences have been away from passenger cars to larger, more comfortable SUVs and pickup trucks has been swift and severe, leaving carmakers scrambling to readjust. US carmakers are schooling Trump on how trade works As recently as 2012, passenger cars made up more than 50 percent of all U.S. new vehicle sales. Through the first nine months of 2018, that had fallen to a little over 31 percent. While industry-wide passenger car sales were down 13.2 percent through the first nine months of the year, pickup truck and SUV sales rose 8.3 percent. As well as being roomier, the fuel economy on SUVs and crossovers has improved significantly. Sales of Cruze, built at Lordstown, fell 27 percent through September 2018. Impala, which is built at Oshawa and Hamtramck, was down 13 percent. Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac CT6, which are built at Hamtramck, were down 14 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

General Motors announces it will cease production at the Oshawa Car Assembly in Oshawa, Lordstown Assembly in Lordstown, Ohio, and the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly in Detroit. Two transmission plants, the Baltimore Transmission in Baltimore and the Warren Transmission in Warren, Michigan, are also expected to stop production.

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The Yeni Akit newspaper said that Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar is on his way to the crash site.[SEP]Four soldiers were killed and another was wounded after a military helicopter crashed in a residential area in Istanbul's Sancaktepe district on Monday.The Bell UH-1 helicopter crashed onto a street between apartments in the Asian district of Sancaktepe, where a military base is situated, after colliding with the roof a building.Images of the wreckage in an empty yard between buildings showed that a potential disaster was diverted thanks to the heroics of the pilots."A military helicopter crashed in Samandıra district while performing a training flight. Four soldiers were killed and another was injured," Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said.Yerlikaya arrived on the scene of the crash along with National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.Akar told reporters that the flight took off at 10:32 a.m. from the base but lost contact with the base around 11:02 a.m."The crash happened at that time and we have four martyrs. We have a sergeant who is in intensive care unit now," Akar said while examining the scene of the crash.He said pilots sought an emergency landing for a yet unknown reason."Obviously, these heroic officers exerted great effort to make the landing without hurting anyone on the ground," Akar said, adding that helicopter was trying to reach the helipad at the base when it crashed.President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered his condolences for the deceased soldiers and wished the injured a speedy recovery during a speech at a symposium.Eyewitnesses said that. A neighborhood resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, told reporters that the helicopter crashed "very close" to an apartment building and would have "certainly killed a lot of people if it hit."Another witness said his house near the crash site "shook" when the helicopter crashed.A businessman was killed and his pilot was injured when a Bell-430 helicopter crashed off Maltepe coast of Istanbul on Sept. 6 in the latest accident before this. The deadliest crash was in 2017 when a Sikorsky helicopter carrying business executives hit a TV tower in the city's Büyükçekmece district in March 2017, killing all seven people aboard.Four UH-1 helicopters have crashed in Turkey between 2002 and 2011. Ten officers were killed in total in two UH-1 crashes in the northern province of Erzincan in 2006 and in capital Ankara in 2011.UH-1 helicopters, whose production ended in 1976, are widely used by armies around the world and they are mainly employed for training, rescue and transportation purposes.[SEP]Four soldiers have been killed and a fifth wounded after a Turkish military helicopter crash-landed in Istanbul on Monday morning. The Bell UH-1 helicopter crashed in the city's suburban Sancaktepe district at around 11am after it hit the roof of a building and fell to earth between two apartment blocks. It was said to have taken off on a routine training flight from Istanbul's Samandira military air base at 10.32am Monday and was due to be returning to the same heliport later on, but never made it back. Turkey's Anadolu news agency said the helicopter hit the roof of a building and then crashed before splitting into two. Government sources confirmed the military helicopter had crashed and pictures emerging from the scene showed the wreckage of the stricken chopper lying in several pieces on the suburban street. Several roads surrounding the crash site were cordoned off by authorities in the immediate aftermath as emergency services frantically searched for anyone else hurt in the tragedy. The Governor of Istanbul Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the deaths of several soldiers later on Monday morning. 'During a military training flight from Samandira air base a helicopter crashed due to unknown reasons with four dead and one wounded,' Yerlikaya said. 'Treatment for the wounded and an inspection into the cause of the incident has been started. Efforts at the crash site are underway,' Yerlikaya said. The cause of the incident was not immediately clear but no-one else was said to have been hurt in the crash.[SEP]ISTANBUL (AP) - Four Turkish soldiers died while another was fighting for life after their helicopter crashed Monday into a residential area of Istanbul. Even though the helicopter struck a four-storey building before crashing, there were no civilian casualties, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. The UH-1 helicopter, which was on a training flight, ended up on a street in Istanbul's Sancaktepe neighborhood - on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents - while trying to make an emergency landing, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters at the scene of the crash. The helicopter appeared to have turned over and debris from the crash scattered around the street, according to video footage from the scene. Akar said the pilot appeared to be trying to land the helicopter, which was on its way to the air force base of Samandira, near Sancaktepe, on an empty plot of land in order to prevent civilian deaths. "They tried to make an emergency landing for a reason that we do not know yet," the minister said. "(The helicopter) was very close to the air base, but unfortunately could not make it back." Firefighters and security members work after a military helicopter with five soldiers on board crashed in an Istanbul neighborhood on Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, killing four of them, officials said. The fifth soldier was rushed to a hospital with injuries. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the helicopter, which was on a training flight, hit the roof of a building and crashed in between apartment blocks in Istanbul's Sancaktepe neighborhood, on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) The dead servicemen included two officers and two non-commissioned officers, Akar told reporters. The injured serviceman, a sergeant, was in serious condition and facing an operation. An investigation into the cause of the crash has been launched, he said. Firefighters and security members work at the site after a military helicopter with five soldiers on board crashed in an Istanbul neighborhood on Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, killing four of them, officials said. The fifth soldier was rushed to a hospital with injuries. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the helicopter, which was on a training flight, hit the roof of a building and crashed in between apartment blocks in Istanbul's Sancaktepe neighborhood, on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents.(DHA via AP) Emergency services attend the scene after a military helicopter with five soldiers on board crashed in an Istanbul neighborhood on Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, killing four of them, officials said. The fifth soldier was rushed to a hospital with injuries. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the helicopter, which was on a training flight, hit the roof of a building and crashed in between apartment blocks in Istanbul's Sancaktepe neighborhood, on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)[SEP]Four Turkish soldiers were killed and another was wounded after a military helicopter crashed in a central district of Istanbul. The helicopter crashed in the middle of a residential area in the Sancaktepe district of Istanbul, on the Asian side of the city. The reason for the crash is still being investigated. The aircraft was carrying out training flights at the Samandira air base in Istanbul, according to state-owned Anadolu news agency.[SEP]ISTANBUL — A military helicopter with five soldiers on board crashed in an Istanbul neighbourhood on Monday, killing four of them, officials said. The fifth soldier was rushed to a hospital with injuries. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the helicopter, which was on a training flight, hit the roof of a building and crashed in between apartment blocks in Istanbul’s Sancaktepe neighbourhood, on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents. No one else was hurt in the incident, according to a statement from the Istanbul governor’s office. The cause of the accident was under investigation. The helicopter was returning to Samandira air base, near Sancaktepe, and may have tried to land on an empty plot of land in the neighbourhood after experiencing a technical fault, private NTV television reported. The helicopter appeared to have turned over and its debris was scattered around the street, video footage from the scene showed.[SEP]ISTANBUL (AP) — Officials say a military helicopter with five soldiers on board has crashed in an Istanbul neighborhood, killing four of them. The fifth soldier was rushed to a hospital with injuries. Anadolu Agency said the helicopter, which was on a training mission, on Monday hit the roof of a building and crashed in between apartment blocks in Istanbul's Sancaktepe neighborhood, on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents. No one else was hurt in the incident. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.[SEP]Turkish officials say a military helicopter has crashed in a residential neighborhood in Istanbul, killing four of the five soldiers on board. Authorities say the remaining soldier was taken to a hospital. Anadolu, the state news agency, says the helicopter was on a training flight Monday when it hit the roof of a building and crashed in between apartment blocks in Istanbul's Sancaktepe neighborhood, on the Asian side of the city. Governor Ali Yerlikaya told Anadolu that "an inspection into the cause of the incident has been started."[SEP]Four Turkish soldiers were killed and another wounded on Monday when a military helicopter crashed in a residential area in Istanbul during a training exercise, officials said. The helicopter went down in the Sancaktepe district of Istanbul, on the eastern edge of the city’s Asian side, in an area of apartment buildings. It had been carrying out a training exercise at the nearby Samandira air base, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya told the state-owned Anadolu news agency. The cause of the crash had not yet been determined, he said. Rescue workers sorted through the debris where the helicopter lay on its side on the street. A large chunk of the tail rested on the other side of the road. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, who visited the scene, said an investigation was underway. Four soldiers were killed and one was in intensive care, he said. There were no reports of civilian casualties. “These heroic aviation personnel of ours made an effort to make an emergency landing for reasons we do not yet know,” Akar told reporters at the scene. “It is understood that they made a great effort to do this without hurting anyone.” The helicopter hit the roof of a four-storey apartment building as it attempted an emergency landing, Yerlikaya was quoted as saying by broadcaster NTV. No tags for this post.

A UH-1 Iroquois military helicopter crashes during a training flight in the Sancaktepe district of Istanbul, Turkey, killing four soldiers and leaving one wounded.

LONDON — Matthew Hedges, the British academic who was sentenced last week to life in prison by the United Arab Emirates on spying charges, was pardoned on Monday “with immediate effect,” the Emirati government announced, after British officials lobbied to have him released. The conviction of Mr. Hedges, and the severity of the sentence, had been met with outrage in Britain, where Prime Minister Theresa May promised to raise the issue with the United Arab Emirates at the “highest level.” Both the British government and Mr. Hedges’s wife, Daniela Tejada, have denied that he was a British spy. Family members have said that he was made to sign a confession written in Arabic, which they said he does not read or speak. Mr. Hedges, 31, a graduate student at Durham University in England, was pardoned by Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the emir of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates, the government said. A flight carrying him landed at London Heathrow Airport on Tuesday morning, Reuters reported.[SEP]Durham student accused of spying by UAE lands at Heathrow after being granted ‘gracious clemency’ This article is more than 9 months old This article is more than 9 months old A flight carrying British academic Matthew Hedges landed at London Heathrow airport on Tuesday morning, Reuters has reported, a day after he was pardoned in the United Arab Emirates from a life sentence for spying. The UAE released Hedges, 31, on Monday after showing a video of him purportedly confessing to being a member of Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency. Britain has denied he was a spy and welcomed his pardon. The move follows intense lobbying by the British foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, amid an international outcry that left the UAE scrambling to produce evidence to justify claims that Hedges was a spy. At a press conference on Monday, the UAE continued to insist Hedges was an MI6 agent, and played video footage showing him apparently confessing that he had been trying to discover military secrets, including about the UAE’s weapons purchases. Matthew Hedges: UAE insight 'could have made him target' Read more The UAE said a “gracious clemency was granted on Sunday in response to a letter from the Hedges family bearing in mind the historical relationship between the UAE and the UK”. A spokesman for the UAE’s national media council said hours after Hedges’ pardon was confirmed that he had been freed. UAE officials said it may take as long as two days for Hedges’ passport to be cleared for his departure back to the UK. But Reuters reported he had boarded a flight to London in Dubai on Monday night. Hedges’ wife, Daniela Tejada, welcomed the pardon. “The presidential pardon for Matt is the best news we could have received. Our six-plus months of nightmare are finally over and to say we are elated is an understatement. That he is returning home to me and the rest of his family is much more than I was ever expecting to happen this week. “Without the involvement of the media, the overwhelming support of academics, the public worldwide, the work of the British diplomatic body in the UAE and Secretary Hunt’s intervention, this would have never happened.” Daniela Tejada (@dtejadav) The presidential pardon for Matt is the best news we could’ve received. Thank you friends, family, media, academics, and the wider public for your undivided support - I’ve been brought back to life. pic.twitter.com/vruok0ST6O Hunt said news of Hedges’ pardon was “bittersweet” given that fellow Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe remains detained in Iran, also accused of spying. He tweeted: “Fantastic news about Matthew Hedges. Although we didn’t agree with charges we are grateful to UAE govt for resolving issue speedily. But also a bittersweet moment as we remember Nazanin & other innocent ppl detained in Iran. Justice won’t be truly done until they too are safely home.” Prof Stuart Corbridge, the vice-chancellor of Durham University, said: “We are absolutely delighted to learn the news of Matt’s impending release. It is paramount that he is now allowed to return home to Daniela and his family as quickly and safely as possible.” The clemency was granted on Sunday by the UAE president, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and was one of more than 800 pardons granted by the Gulf state. The short video clips shown by the UAE did not provide context but showed Hedges discussing how MI6 operates in the UAE, and apparently confessing to holding the rank of captain in MI6, a position that does not exist. The clips are not being shared by the UAE for wider broadcast. They also purported to show Hedges confessing to researching the military systems the UAE was purchasing. The bulk of the press conference was designed to defend the UAE’s judicial system and to justify claims that Hedges was indeed a spy, giving the UAE an opportunity to defend its international reputation. UAE leaders have been angered at the attacks on its reputation, led by Tejada and backed by Hunt, who said he was shocked that Hedges had been jailed at a five-minute hearing last week. The UAE claims the brief hearing was just a formal announcement of the sentence, and not part of the trial itself. Play Video 0:49 Wife of UK academic jailed by UAE 'elated' by news of pardon – video The press conference began with a spokesman detailing the charges against Hedges, the seriousness of the case, and the belief that the UAE was right to have charged him. He claimed Hedges “had sought information on the ruling families and their networks” and was seeking “to gather classified information on the UAE military and political role in Yemen”. He said these would be considered serious threats to the national security of any country, and that the information collected went far beyond standard academic practice. “In fact, Mr Hedges took advantage of the openness granted academic researchers in this country. We are a country that hosts branches of some of the world’s finest academic institutes and we pride ourselves in our contribution to scientific advancement and academic pursuits.” He said the investigation found Hedges had used two different identities to gather information from his “targets”: a PhD researcher, and a businessman. “He was a part-time PhD researcher, a part-time businessman, but he was a 100% full-time secret service operative. “Hedges has been found guilty of espionage. He sought out sensitive information. He knew he had access to it. He was here to steal sensitive national security secrets for his paymasters.” With the UAE being a close trading partner of the UK and its leading political ally in the Gulf, the case had the potential to cause a major rift between the two countries. The UAE’s foreign affairs minister, Anwar Gargash, said: “It was always a UAE hope that this matter would be resolved through the common channels of our longstanding partnership. This was a straightforward matter that became unnecessarily complex despite the UAE’s best efforts.” He said the case against Hedges was based on evidence secured from his electronic devices, surveillance and intelligence gathering by UAE agencies, and evidence provided by Hedges himself, “including a corroborated account of asset recruitment and training and the confidential information being targeted. His recruitment and progress within a foreign intelligence service was authenticated to the court by UAE intelligence agencies.” Hedges’ release was announced ahead of UAE national day, when traditionally prisoners are granted pardons. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Matthew Hedges and his wife Daniela Tejada. Photograph: Daniela Tejada/EPA Reacting to the news of Hedges’ release, academics and their representatives said universities must review how they operated in Gulf countries. The University and College Union’s head of policy and campaigns, Matt Waddup, said: “UK universities with overseas operations should launch reviews covering human rights, trade union representation, academic freedom and ensuring that local workers employed by the institution are not exploited. It is vital that the profits from overseas operations are not achieved on the back of the dilution of staff and student rights and personal safety.” David Wearing, a teaching fellow in international relations at Royal Holloway, University of London, said: “It remains clear that legitimate intellectual activity is impossible in the UAE, and it isn’t ethically tenable for UK universities to blithely accept that. They should demand guarantees of equivalent academic freedom to that enjoyed in the UK, or they should pull out. “What I expect to happen, however, is that corporate managers will breathe a sigh of relief that this PR problem has gone away, and return to business as usual.” Marc Owen Jones, an assistant professor of Middle East studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar, said: “The issue is not really that Matthew got a life sentence, but that it got to the point where he had already spent months in terrible conditions before public pressure helped to release him. “There’s no guarantee at all that other academics will not be afforded the same treatment. So what safeguards can universities actually have that academic freedom will be upheld, especially given the context of the UAE as a close British ally?” • This article was amended on 28 November 2018 to give the full name of Royal Holloway, University of London.[SEP]Matthew Hedges has been pardoned by the UAE. It comes as a video showing the Durham University student 'confessing to being a member of MI6 is released The UAE has reportedly released a video showing the jailed Durham student "admitting he's a member of MI6". Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt spoke to the foreign minister of the UAE on Sunday. Matthew could now be released on December 2, the national day of the UAE. His wife, Daniela Tejada, said she and the rest of his family were "elated" at the news he was to be freed. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's taken me by surprise and I'm just so happy and so relieved and really incredulous that it is all happening finally. "It's been an absolutely nightmarish seven months already and I can't wait to have him back." Mr Hedges, a 31-year-old doctoral student at Durham University was sentenced to life in prison last week on spying charges. He was arrested at Dubai airport in May and had been held on solitary confinement until his trial which sentences him to 25 years imprisonment followed by deportation. Matthew, who is originally from Exeter, was studying for a PHD in Middle Eastern Studies at Durham University's School of Government and International affairs. His research interests are listed on the University's website and include: changing nature of war, civil-military relations, defence industrialisation and Middle Eastern politics. After Matthew was sentenced, his wife Daniela slammed the British Government for failing him and ignoring her pleas for help. However, after meeting with Mr Hunt she said she was more 'hopeful' a solution would be found. She said: "I am very hopeful that the UAE rulers will take into consideration Matt's family and my plea for his freedom."[SEP]The United Arab Emirates on Monday pardoned a British researcher who was sentenced last week to life in prison for spying, an official statement said. Matthew Hedges was among more than 700 prisoners pardoned by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on the occasion of National Day. "Mr. Hedges will be permitted to leave the UAE once formalities are completed," the statement said.[SEP]British academic Matthew Hedges, who was jailed for life in the United Arab Emirates on a spying charge last week, has been pardoned. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the news, announced at a press conference in the UAE on Monday, was “fantastic”. The 31-year-old, originally from Exeter, was arrested at Dubai Airport as he tried to leave the country on May 5. Speaking at the press conference, a UAE official said the country stands by the charges against Mr Hedges, but that the academic was being pardoned, alongside 784 other prisoners, as part of the UAE’s 47th National Day. The spokesman said Mr Hedges was “100% a full-time secret service operative” who was in the country “to steal the UAE’s sensitive security national secrets for his paymasters”. He said the Briton’s pardon was in response to a letter from his family appealing for clemency and due to the historical close ties between the UK and UAE. “His Highness has decided to include Mr Matthew Hedges among the 785 prisoners released,” he said. “Mr Hedges will be permitted to leave the country once all the formalities are complete.” UAE minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash said the pardon would allow the UAE and UK to “return our focus to the underlying fundamental strength of the UAE-UK bilateral relationship”, the WAM Emirates news agency reported. Dr Gargash said: “His Highness the President’s gracious clemency in the customary National Day pardons allows us to return our focus to the underlying fundamental strength of the UAE-UK bilateral relationship and its importance to the international community. “It was always a UAE hope that this matter would be resolved through the common channels of our longstanding partnership. This was a straightforward matter that became unnecessarily complex despite the UAE’s best efforts.” Mr Hunt said news of Mr Hedges’ pardon was “bittersweet” given that Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe remains detained in Iran, also accused of spying. He tweeted: “Fantastic news about Matthew Hedges. Although we didn’t agree with charges we are grateful to UAE govt for resolving issue speedily. But also a bittersweet moment as we remember Nazanin & other innocent ppl detained in Iran. Justice won’t be truly done until they too are safely home.”[SEP]The United Arab Emirates said on Monday it pardoned and released a British academic sentenced to life in prison on charges of spying in the Gulf Arab country, after showing videos of him purportedly acknowledging that he worked for MI6, the overseas arm of British intelligence. The announcement of Matthew Hedges' release ends a diplomatic headache for the UAE, a staunch American and British ally in the Mideast. However, Emirati officials made a point of insisting their arrest came on solid ground, showing a closed-door meeting of journalists hastily convened in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, short video clips of Hedges allegedly acknowledging his intelligence work. "He was a part-time PhD researcher, a part-time businessman, but he was a 100-percent a full-time secret service operative," said Jaber al-Lamki, an official with the UAE's National Media Council. "Mr. Hedges has been found guilty of espionage. He sought out sensitive information he knew had access to it. He was here to steal the UAE's sensitive national security secrets for his paymasters," al-Lamki added. Daniela Tejada, Hedges' wife, told BBC that she does not believe her husband is a spy, saying the ordeal has "been an absolutely nightmarish seven months." "I can't wait to have him back" she said and added, "in my heart, I know that he isn't a spy." Asked about her husband being pardoned, rather than having the spying conviction quashed, Tejada said that "if that is what it takes for him to be back, I just welcome the news." Britain's Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also welcomed the decision on Hedges, tweeting it was "fantastic news." He said Britain did not agree with the charges against Hedges but added that it is "grateful to UAE government for resolving issue speedily." "We've seen no evidence to support these accusations," Hunt said, adding that the U.K. is "deeply perplexed" by the charge leveled against Hedges. Hunt had lobbied senior UAE official for Hedges' release. The UAE came under increasing international pressure since the academic's life sentence was handed down last week. "Today we want to thank them (the UAE) for the fact that they've reflected upon the strong representations we have made," Hunt said Monday. UAE President and Abu Dhabi ruler Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued the clemency for Hedges on Sunday, along with over 780 others to mark the country's forthcoming National Day. In his statement, al-Lamki said Hedges had routine access to doctors and lawyers, while British Embassy officials attended his court hearing. Al-Lamki declined to take any questions from journalists at the news conference. Al-Lamki later said at 3 p.m. on Monday that Hedges had been released, without elaborating. Emirati officials insisted Hedges' arrest was warranted, showing short clips of him being questioned and being in court. In the video, Hedges, a 31-year-old doctorate student in Middle Eastern studies at Durham University, is seen describing himself as a "captain" in MI6 during what appears to be a court hearing somewhere in the Gulf Arab country. However, MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service, is not known to use military ranks. The service is similar to the CIA in that it handles covert overseas intelligence collection and analysis. Another clip appears to show Hedges speaking to someone in an office, describing his work as trying to understand UAE weapon purchases and strategy. He says he describes himself as an academic as "it helps the research to go in in an easy way." Hedges then snaps his fingers and adds: "Then it becomes MI6." Emirati officials did not allow journalists to record the videos. In the office video, Hedges appears in a blue polo shirt and jeans. He did not appear to be injured or under duress, though the audio during the court appearance sounded garbled. Emirati officials also did not offer any context for the video clips, which ended with Hedges describing himself as being alone in the UAE, looking down at his hands. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless and Gregory Katz in London and Fay Abuelgasim in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.[SEP]The United Arab Emirates on Monday pardoned a British researcher who was sentenced last week to life in prison for spying in a case that shocked Britain. Matthew Hedges was among more than 700 prisoners pardoned by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on the occasion of National Day. "Mr. Hedges will be permitted to leave the UAE once formalities are completed," an official statement said. The UAE showed footage at a news conference in which Hedges purportedly confessed to being an MI6 foreign intelligence agent. A UAE official said that the presidential pardon came in response to a letter by Hedges's family delivered by a British official. Hedges was sentenced to life in jail by a court in Abu Dhabi last week after he was convicted of spying for a foreign country. The UAE official said that Hedges was "a 100-percent secret service agent and was convicted of espionage." He said Hedges confessed to gathering information about the UAE ruling family, military and its involvement in the Yemen war. Hedges was arrested on May 5 at Dubai airport. A lawyer had been appointed to defend Hedges who was also allowed to speak to his family repeatedly during his detention, the official said. UAE state minister for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash said the pardon allowed the two countries to refocus to developing their relations. "It was always a UAE hope that this matter would be resolved through the common channels of our longstanding partnership. This was a straightforward matter that became unnecessarily complex despite the UAE's best efforts," he said in a statement. "Fantastic news about Matthew Hedges. Although we didn't agree with charges we are grateful to UAE govt for resolving issue speedily," Hunt said on Twitter.[SEP]Matthew Hedges has been pardoned by the UAE. Matthew, a 31-year-old doctoral student at Durham University was sentenced to life in prison last week on spying charges after being arrested at Dubai airport in May. The UAE has reportedly released a video showing the jailed Durham student "admitting he's a member of MI6". After Matthew was sentenced, his wife Daniela slammed the British Government for failing him and ignoring her pleas for help. However, after meeting with Mr Hunt she said she was more 'hopeful' a solution would be found. Matthew could now be released on December 2, the national day of the UAE. Matthew, who is originally from Exeter, was studying for a PHD in Middle Eastern Studies at Durham University's School of Government and International affairs.[SEP]The United Arab Emirates on Monday pardoned a British academic jailed for life on spying charges, granting his family's request for clemency minutes after showing a video of him purportedly confessing to being a member of Britain's intelligence agency MI6. ABU DHABI/DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates on Monday pardoned a British academic jailed for life on spying charges, granting his family's request for clemency minutes after showing a video of him purportedly confessing to being a member of UK intelligence agency MI6. The UAE president issued the pardon as part of a mass clemency of more than 700 prisoners to mark the country's National Day, according to a statement carried by state news agency WAM. The pardon was effective immediately and Matthew Hedges, a 31-year-old doctoral student at Durham University held for more than six months, will be allowed to leave the country "once formalities are completed," the statement said. Britain's foreign minister welcomed the move, saying the UK government had not agreed with the charges against Hedges but was grateful to the UAE for resolving the issue speedily. The UAE had signalled on Friday that it was working on an "amicable solution" to the issue after London described the sentencing days prior as deeply disappointing. Hedges has been held since May 5, when he was arrested at Dubai International Airport after a two-week research visit. Minutes before the pardon was announced, a government spokesman showed journalists a video of Hedges purporting to confess to being a member of MI6 researching which military systems the UAE was buying. In the video, Hedges said he had approached sources as a doctoral student as a cover. His family and university have cast Hedges as a talented researcher who fell foul of the UAE's security and justice system. The UAE cast him as a British spy who was given a fair trial for grave espionage offences. "The family and I welcome the news of the presidential pardon and cannot wait to have Matt back home," Hedges' wife Daniela Tejada said after the pardon.[SEP]Matthew Hedges, a British PhD student sentenced to life in jail over spying for the UK government, is to be released immediately after being pardoned by the UAE, who says he confessed to being a member of MI6. Hedges was sentenced to life in prison last week on spying charges in a court in Abu Dhabi. UAE officials have reportedly released a video showing the 31-year-old doctoral student “admitting he’s a member of MI6,” according to the Mirror. The Durham University student from Exeter in Devon was arrested in the UAE on May 5, after conducting a two-week research project for his doctoral thesis. Matthew's wife Daniela Tejeda, who has maintained that her husband denies all spying charges said: "We welcome news of the presidential pardon and cannot wait to have Matt back home." Dr. Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said: "His Highness the President’s gracious clemency in the customary National Day pardons allows us to return our focus to the underlying fundamental strength of the UAE/UK bi-lateral relationship and its importance to the international community. "It was always a UAE hope that this matter would be resolved through the common channels of our longstanding partnership. This was a straightforward matter that became unnecessarily complex despite the UAE’s best efforts," according to WAM. Hedges case sparked a diplomatic row between the UK and UAE, with Tajeda accusing the British government of “putting their UAE interests above a citizen’s rightful freedom.” British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has welcomed the news of the PhD student’s release, insisting that “Although we didn’t agree with charges we are grateful to UAE govt for resolving issue speedily.” Hedges’ hearing only lasted five minutes and his lawyer was not present, according to a spokesperson for the family. The student had 30 days to appeal his convictions of spying and sharing sensitive security and intelligence information to third parties. A life sentence in the UAE includes a maximum of 25 years in jail and can be followed by deportation. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.

Matthew Hedges, the British student who was sentenced last week by a judge in the United Arab Emirates to life in prison on espionage charges, is pardoned and released by authorities. The UAE maintains that he was an MI6 agent.

Tekashi 6ix9ine limped into Manhattan court on Monday to plead not guilty to charges that he’s a violent, drug-dealing gang member — as his lawyer revealed that he was transferred to another jail because of “threats” from his co-defendants. The rainbow-haired rapper, who sported his signature braids and navy prison scrubs, looked glum as he and three others were hauled back into Manhattan federal court a week after they were indicted on racketeering and firearms charges. The courtroom, which was packed with relatives, erupted into laughter as Assistant US Attorney Michael Longyear laid out the litany of charges against the men. He said there is surveillance video that links Tekashi to an April 21 shooting at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where the “Gummo” rapper was set to perform an entrance song for one of the boxers. “Who sang the intro song?” Judge Paul Engelmayer asked, prompting the chuckles. “I don’t have that information,” Longyear replied. Tekashi and his crew were at the venue for the bout between Adrien Broner and Jessie Vargas, one of three fights on the card that evening. But on their way to a VIP area, they were confronted by a rival rap crew and that’s when someone from Tekashi’s entourage squeezed off a single shot, TMZ reported at the time. No one was hit. A .32-caliber shell was found at the scene but not processed after it was handled by arena staff. Tekashi and his pals stayed behind for police interviews — and none were found with a weapon. Prosecutors accuse Tekashi, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, and five others of terrorizing the city as members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, an offshoot of the Bloods. Also charged are his just-fired manager, Kifano “Shottie” Jordan, and three former associates, Faheem “Crippy” Walter, Jensel “Ish” Butler and Jamel “Mel Murda” Jones. All but Walter, who wasn’t in the courtroom, pleaded not guilty. Last week, The Post reported that Tekashi was transferred from a federal jail in Brooklyn to an undisclosed lockup due to threats to his life. Outside the courtroom, his lawyer Lance Lazzaro said he’s in a “facility in Queens.” “He was moved because of his co-defendants’ threats,” Lazzaro said. “He is pretty good but he’s not happy.” His co-counsel, Dawn Florio, added, “He’s safe but he’s not happy to be in jail.” Tekashi was mysteriously moved out of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn last week after also receiving threats from “other gang-affiliated inmates” while in general population, Lazzaro said. The lawyer didn’t comment on why his client was limping. Prosecutors said they’re poring through Hernandez’s three cellphones and his social media, including Snapchat and Instagram, as well as his iCloud and email. They alleged Tekashi filmed an April robbery in Times Square and that some of the ill-gotten gains, including jewelry, were found at his Brooklyn home in September. Longyear said the suspected gang members were also responsible for other acts of violence. “The purposes of the enterprise included preserving and protecting the power, territory, and profits of the enterprise through acts involving murder … and threats of violence,” he said. Walter wasn’t in court Monday because he was taken back to the hospital related to gunshot injuries he suffered in a scuffle with restaurant security last month. Walter faces gang assault charges in the brawl at Philippe Chow. Tekashi, who was shackled at the hands and ankles and seated in the jury box in front of his three co-defendants, didn’t once turn around to look at them. Instead, he stared into space and looked up at the ceiling. As the men were led out of court, Jordan shouted to the gallery, “I love all my family. We don’t fall, we don’t bend, we don’t break” and then, “Entertainment.” This article originally appeared in Page Six.[SEP]Tekashi 6ix9ine pleaded not guilty to federal racketeering and firearms charges in New York on Monday morning, according to TMZ and multiple news reports. A pre-trial conference is set for January 22 and the trial is scheduled for September. The rapper, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, and his co-defendants, who also pled not guilty, will remain in custody, where they have been since Nov. 18, although it is unclear for how long. TMZ reports that Lance Lazarro, the rapper’s attorney, is planning to apply for bail directly to the trial judge; Lazarro did not immediately respond to Variety’s requests for comments. “We don’t fold, we don’t bend, we don’t break,” Shotti (Kifano Jordan), 6ix9ine’s former manager, said in court Monday, according to Complex, although the context was unclear. “It’s Tr3yway.” Hernandez, who was already in legal trouble on multiple fronts, was arrested with Jordan and associates Faheem Walter and Jensel Butler in New York on Nov. 18 on federal racketeering and firearms charges. The eight-count indictment claims Hernandez and the other defendants “participated in the operation and management of” the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods gang. Hernandez, Jordan, and two others are accused of robbing unidentified rivals of the gang at gunpoint on April 3; the indictment also mentions a July 16 shooting incident in Brooklyn. Tekashi 6ix9ine Arrested on Firearms and Racketeering Charges, Faces Possible Life Sentence Hernandez and others are accused of agreeing “to shoot an individual who had shown disrespect to members of Nine Trey, and as a result of this agreement an innocent bystander was shot.” Hernandez and Joran are both facing six counts, the most serious of which is discharging a firearm while committing a crime, which carries a minimum 25-year sentence and a maximum penalty of life. “As alleged in the indictment, this gang, which included platinum-selling rap artist Tekashi 6ix9ine, wreaked havoc on New York City, engaging in brazen acts of violence,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in a statement. “Showing reckless indifference to others’ safety, members of the gang were allegedly involved in robberies and shootings, including a shooting inside the crowded Barclay’s Center, and a shooting in which an innocent bystander was hit.” The investigation was a joint effort between the ATF, New York City police and Homeland Security[SEP]Tekashi 6ix9ine’s legal troubles are far from over. The rapper pleaded not guilty to racketeering and firearms charges on Monday (Nov. 26) morning, and his trial has been for Sept. 4, 2019, TMZ reports. On Sunday, Nov. 18, federal agents arrested 6ix9ine—born Daniel Hernandez—and several of his Tr3yway associates under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO. The 22-year-old rapper was denied bail and ordered by the judge to be held until his hearing. 6ix9ine has previously expressed his affiliation with New York’s 9 Trey Bloods gang. If convicted, he faces 32 years to life in prison. This is hardly 6ix9ine’s first brush with the law. In 2015, the rapper pleaded guilty to the use of a child in a sexual performance, for which he was sentenced 1,000 hours of community service and prohibited from sharing “sexually explicit or violent images of women or children on social media" last month. On Monday, prosecutors revealed they had social media warrants for 6ix9ine’s Instagram account, along with iCloud, Snapchat and email accounts from other defendants, Complex reports. Prior to his arrest, 6ix9ine had been slated to release his debut studio album, Dummy Boy, on Nov. 23. The album included features from Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Lil Baby and other high-profile rappers. On Wednesday (Nov. 21), DJ Akademiks confirmed that 6ix9ine had postponed the release of Dummy Boy indefinitely. “Of course you have to keep in mind that he is not here to promote it, and also he’s not here to make sure it’s released in the capacity that he wants it to be released, not to mention there’s a case hanging over his head,” Akademiks said. If 6ix9ine is waiting for his legal woes to subside before releasing Dummy Boy—and if he spends the next nine months leading up to his September trial behind bars—then the album might not see the light of day for a long time.[SEP]Fox News is reporting that 6ix9ine has pleaded not guilty to charges that he’s a violent, drug-dealing gang member.According to the media house, the rapper returned to the Manhattan federal court a week after they were indicted on racketeering and firearms charges. While addressing the court, the Assistant US Attorney Michael …via Olisa.tv – https://ift.tt/2r48JoQ Get more Nigeria Entertainment News[SEP]Tekashi 6ix9ine appeared in court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to racketeering and firearms charges. Earlier this month, the Stoopid rapper, whose legal name is Daniel Hernandez, was arrested and could face a minimum of 32 years in prison, if convicted. A pretrial conference is set for Jan. 22, 2019, and his trial date has been set for Sept. 4, 2019. READ MORE: Tekashi 6ix9ine transferred from federal jail to new facility for ‘security reasons’ He’ll remain in custody, although it is unclear for how long. 6ix9ine is among five people indicted last week on charges that he directed or participated in violent acts as part of a deadly gang known as the 9 Trey Bloods. The indictment alleges that the violent episodes involving 6ix9ine included the July shooting of a bystander in Brooklyn and the gunpoint robbery of one of the gang’s rivals last spring. Last week, 6ix9ine was transferred from a federal jail in Brooklyn to a new facility for “security reasons.” He was removed from the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park where he was being housed in general population following his arrest on racketeering and firearms charges. 6ix9ine’s lawyer Lance Lazzaro said that the 22-year-old rapper had been “receiving threats from other inmates.” Lazzaro said in a statement that his client was “completely innocent of all charges.” “An entertainer who portrays a ‘gangster image’ to promote his music does not make him a member of an enterprise,” Lazzaro said. “Mr. Hernandez became a victim of this enterprise and later took steps by firing employees and publicly denounced this enterprise through a morning show. Threats were then made against his life which resulted in this case being brought immediately,” he added. Two of the firearms charges that 6ix9ine is facing have a maximum sentence of life behind bars. READ MORE: Amanda Bynes is ‘ashamed and embarrassed’ by drug-fuelled tweets The Gummo rapper recently pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in Brooklyn Criminal Court in connection with a May traffic stop. In a 2015 case in New York, 6ix9ine was sentenced to probation for his involvement in a sexually explicit video of a 13-year-old girl. At the time of the incident, 6ix9ine was 18. The video, posted on social media, showed the girl performing a sex act on another man while 6ix9ine “stands behind the child making a thrusting motion with his pelvis and smacking her on her buttocks,” according to court documents. He is not registered as a sex offender, but he was told that he must refrain from gang affiliation and the posting and reporting of online sexually explicit or violent images of women or children. READ MORE: ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,’ Warner Bros. settle with Satanic Temple over goat-headed statue Earlier this month, shots were fired on the set of 6ix9ine’s and Kanye West’s upcoming music video in Beverly Hills. According to police, there were no injuries and the investigation is ongoing, but they could not confirm the names of anyone involved in the incident. 6ix9ine’s new album, which features West and Nicki Minaj, was due to be released last Friday but it’s been postponed. —With files from the Associated Press[SEP]Tekashi 6ix9ine has pleaded not guilty to his federal racketeering charge, TMZ reports. The controversial rapper, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, will stand trial in September 2019 meaning he'll be behind bars for almost a year awaiting trial after being arrested in New York City on November 18. Tekashi could face life in prison as he was indicted on six counts including '"conspiracy with others to commit racketeering, discharging a firearm while committing a crime, committing a crime of violence in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm, and committing a crime in aid of racketeering." Last week it was reported the rapper had been released from federal prison on Thanksgiving. Hot New Hip Hop claimed that the rapper has been sent home from the Federal Prison of Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. However, the site says that while it appears he's no longer at the prison, he may have been moved to another facility for his own safety. While TMZ reported that Tekashi had been moved to a federal facility regularly used to house witnesses who co-operate with the police. Sources connected to the detention centre say the move was facilitated by US Marshals on Wednesday night. They claim the rapper specifically asked to be kept in a unit away from the Crips and the Bloods. Attorney, Lance Lazzro, would not comment on whether or not his client was trying to cut a deal by offering information on others in his racketeering case. But he did tell the website that the transfer was for "security reasons" as the rapper was getting threats from gang members. It had been reported that the young rapper was facing a minimum of 32 years in prison over racketeering and firearms charges. According to TMZ , the controversial rapper's latest arrest relates to a five-year federal investigation He is also facing charges including involvement in an armed robbery, drug dealing and conspiracy to murder. The most serious charge involves him allegedly discharging a firearm while allegedly committing a crime - it carries a possible life sentence. The rapper was arrested on Sunday night in New York. His ex-manager was also arrested. He was later denied bail after a prosecutor told a court he was "quite violent". He will remain in custody until his trial. It comes after he narrowly avoided prison time in his child sex case. He was ordered to complete 1,000 hours of community service and avoid any additional arrests. The judge also said he must refrain from associating with any gang members and avoid all gang activity and also avoid posting or reposting online sexually explicit or violent images of women or children. Last week, he shocked fans when he announced he had fired his entire team and cancelled his US tour just days before he was due to hit the road. He said he no longer has a manager, booking agent or publicist. Mirror Online has reached out to Tekashi 6ix9ine for comment.[SEP]Tekashi 6ix9ine Pleads Not Guilty in Racketeering, Guns and Drugs Case Tekashi69's got a date with the judge -- he got a trial date in court Monday morning after he entered a plea in his federal racketeering case. The rapper -- who has been behind bars since Nov. 18 -- was in court, where he entered a not guilty plea. The judge set his trial date for September 4. That's a long way off and, at least for now, it seems 6ix9ine will remain behind bars for much of that period ... if not all of it. The issue of bail was not addressed in court. As we reported, his attorney, Lance Lazzaro, plans to apply for bail directly to the trial judge. Tekashi was denied bail when Lazzaro offered to pay $750k, surrender his passport and remain on house arrest. TMZ broke the story ... Tekashi and 2 former associates, including his manager, Shottie, were arrested by federal agents on racketeering and other serious charges. According to his indictment, obtained by TMZ, Tekashi and his crew conspired to commit a slew of crimes, including drug deals, armed robberies and shootings. The feds believe Tekashi himself pulled an armed robbery on April 3 along with his ex-manager, Shottie, and 2 other members of the Nine Trey Bloods. The indictment also mentions the April 21 shooting incident at Barclays Center in Brooklyn ... and fingers Fuguan Lovick as the trigger man. In all, the indictment lists 17 counts dating back to 2013. As we first reported ... Tekashi was moved to a new detention center just in time for Thanksgiving ... and, so far, he's having a rough time of it there.[SEP]Tekashi 6ix9ine has pled not guilty to federal racketeering and firearms charges, TMZ reports and Pitchfork can confirm. A pre-trial conference is set for January 22, 2019 and the trial is scheduled for September 4, 2019, according to a spokesperson for the United States Department of Justice. 6ix9ine, as well as his co-defendants who also pled not guilty, remain in custody. Pitchfork has contacted representatives for 6ix9ine. 6ix9ine and several associates were arrested in New York City on federal crime charges on November 18. According to the eight-count indictment, viewed by Pitchfork, 6ix9ine and the other defendants “participated in the operation and management of” the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. The indictment accuses the gang members of murder, robbery, assault, the sale of drugs, and more. Two of the charges that 6ix9ine faces have a maximum penalty of life in prison. Prior to his arrest, 6ix9ine planned to release his new album DUMMY BOY on November 23. Following the arrest, Tekashi’s team postponed the record’s release “due to circumstances beyond our control.” This past weekend, DUMMY BOY was leaked after the album was temporarily sold as a digital download on the rapper’s web shop. Learn more about the Brooklyn rapper’s legal history in “Untangling Tekashi 6ix9ine’s Legal Cases, Which Could Soon Land Him to Prison.”[SEP]Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine pleaded not guilty Monday to federal racketeering and firearms charges, according to reports from New York's NBC 4 station and PIX11. The Brooklyn rapper, whose legal name is Daniel Hernandez, was among four people arrested on racketeering and firearms charges earlier this month, authorities said. Tekashi 6ix9ine was in federal custody while awaiting his court appearance after his arrest, with charges alleging that he participated in the July shooting of a bystander in Brooklyn and the gunpoint robbery of his gang's rivals last spring. Tekashi remains in custody, with a pretrial conference is set for Jan. 22, 2019 and a trial date of Sept. 4, 2019, NBC 4 and PIX11 report. Authorities also arrested three of Hernandez's former associates, Kifano "Shotti" Jordan, Jensel "Ish" Butler and Faheem "Crippy" Walter. His lawyer, Lance Lazzaro, released a statement on Wednesday, saying that 6ix9ine is "completely innocent of all charges being brought against him." "An entertainer who portrays a 'gangster image' to promote his music does not make him a member of an enterprise," Lazzaro said in the statement. "Mr. Hernandez became a victim of this enterprise and later took steps by firing employees and publicly denounced this enterprise through a morning show. Threats were then made against his life which resulted in this case being brought immediately." USA TODAY has reached out to Tekashi 6ix9ine's lawyer for comment on reports of his plea. More: Nicki Minaj shows love for rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine following arrest: 'I am praying for you' More: Tekashi 6ix9ine: What is racketeering? Why is the rapper being charged with mafia crimes? 6ix9ine has been one of the most ascendant and controversial names in hip-hop in recent months. His album Day69: Graduation Day was among the top records on iTunes following its February release. He is also known for the multiplatinum hit "Fefe" with Nicki Minaj, which peaked at No. 3 on the pop charts, and "Stoopid," featuring the incarcerated rapper Bobby Shmurda. 6ix9ine also has had a series of run-ins with law enforcement and has publicly identified himself as a member of a violent New York gang, 9 Trey Bloods. In a 2015 case in New York, 6ix9ine was sentenced to probation for his involvement in a sexually explicit video of a 13-year-old girl. The video, posted on social media, showed the girl performing a sex act on another man while 6ix9ine "stands behind the child making a thrusting motion with his pelvis and smacking her on her buttocks," according to court documents.[SEP]Rapper Tekashi69, AKA 6ix9ine, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering, as he was handed his trial date for 2019. He’s due to appear back in court on 4 September, 2019, according to TMZ, meaning the rapper will likely spend close to a year in prison awaiting his moment in front of the judge for charges, in which he faces life in prison if found guilty. The 22-year-old rapper – real name Daniel Hernandez – was arrested earlier this month alongside his ex-manager and two former associates in New York City, and has been in prison since 18 November awaiting the next move. According to reports, the star was indicted on six counts – conspiracy with others to commit racketeering, discharging a firearm while committing a crime, committing a crime of violence in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm, and committing a crime in aid of racketeering. Two of these charges have a maximum sentence of life in prison, with Tekashi facing a minimum of 32 years in prison. The Fefe star entered a not guilty plea, and, according to TMZ, bail was not addressed in court – however he was previously denied bail when his attorney Lance Lazzaro ‘offered to pay $750k (£585k), surrender his passport and remain on house arrest’. It’s reported a pre-trial conference has been scheduled for 22 January in which Lazzaro will broach bail. ‘As alleged in the indictment, this gang, which included platinum-selling rap artist Tekashi 6ix9ine, wreaked havoc on New York City, engaging in brazen acts of violence,’ US Attorney Geoffrey S Berman previously said in a statement in regards to the charges. ‘Showing reckless indifference to others’ safety, members of the gang were allegedly involved in robberies and shootings, including a shooting inside the crowded Barclay’s Center, and a shooting in which an innocent bystander was hit.’ Lance Lazzaro said in regards to his client: ‘Daniel Hernandez is completely innocent of all charges being brought against him.’ Tekashi, whose music video with Kanye West and Nicki Minaj was hit by bullets earlier this month (no one was hurt), claimed he only ‘pretends’ to be a gangster to sell his music. Lazzaro added to The Blast: ‘Mr Hernandez became victim of this enterprise and later took steps by firing employees and publicly denounced this enterprise through a morning show.’ The rapper was put on probation for use of a 13-year-old child in a sexual performance in 2015, when the hip-hop star created three sexually explicit videos involving the girl. In his plea deal, Tekashi had to prove ‘that the crime he committed was the result of a serious mistake he made in his youth, one that was not indicative of the law abiding life he intended to lead as an adult’. He was sentenced to four years of probation, and to also complete 1000 hours of community service as well as avoid any involvement with gangs or any further arrests – which doesn’t bode well for his current situation. MORE: Tekashi69 ‘spends nearly $100k on bodyguards’ during drama-filled trip to LA before prison MORE: Tekashi69’s fellow inmates are annoyed about him receiving ‘special treatment’

American rapper 6ix9ine pleads not guilty to racketeering and firearms charges and is denied bail as his trial date is set for September 4, 2019.

Image copyright Getty Images A court in Milan is considering charges of corruption against Eni and Shell in a controversial oil deal that led to Nigeria losing an estimated $6bn. The campaign group Global Witness has calculated the OPL 245 deal in 2011 deprived Nigeria of double its annual education and healthcare budget. Eni and Shell are accused of knowing the money they paid to Nigeria would be used for bribes. The Italian and Anglo-Dutch energy giants deny any wrongdoing. This unfolding scandal, which is being played out in an Italian court, has involved former MI6 officers, the FBI, a former President of Nigeria, as well as current and former senior executives at the two oil companies. The former Nigerian oil minister, Dan Etete, was found guilty by a court in France of money laundering and it emerged he used illicit funds to buy a speed boat and a chateau. It is also claimed he had so much cash in $100 bills that it weighed five tonnes. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Shell is one of the oil firms facing corruption charges Global Witness has spent years investigating the deal which gave Shell and Eni the rights to explore OPL 245, an offshore oil field in the Niger Delta. It has commissioned new analysis of the way the contract was altered in favour of the energy companies and concluded Nigeria's losses over the lifetime of the project could amount to $5.86bn, compared to terms in place before 2011. The analysis was carried out by Resources for Development Consulting on behalf of Global Witness, as well as the NGOs HEDA, RE:Common and The Corner. The estimated losses were calculated using an oil price of $70 a barrel as a basis. Eni has criticised the way it was calculated because it ignores the possibility that Nigeria had the right to revise the deal to claim a 50% share of the production revenues. Deal or no deal Campaigners say the deal should be cancelled. "We discovered that Shell had constructed a deal that cut Nigeria out of their share of profit oil from the block," Ava Lee, a campaigner at Global Witness told the BBC's World Business Report. "This amount of money would be enough to educate six million teachers in Nigeria. It really can't be underestimated just how big a deal this could be for a country that right now has the highest rates of extreme poverty in the world." Nigeria is the richest economy in Africa, but despite having large resources of oil and gas millions of people are poor. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Campaigners say the deal deprived Nigeria of double its annual education and healthcare budget Lucrative OPL 245 It is understandable why Eni and Shell wanted to acquire the rights to develop OPL 245, because it is estimated to contain nine billion barrels of oil. But the process of how they secured the contract is dogged by claims of corruption. The court in Milan is weighing evidence of how a former Nigerian oil minister, Dan Etete, awarded ownership of OPL 245 to Malabu, a company he secretly controlled. He is accused of paying bribes to others in the government, such as former President Goodluck Jonathan, to ensure that process went smoothly. Shell and Eni are accused of knowing the $1.1bn they paid to Nigeria would be used for bribes, claims based on the content of emails which have since emerged. "Looking at the emails it seems that Shell knew that the deal they were constructing was misleading but they went ahead with it anyway even though a number of Nigerian officials raised concerns about this scandalous, scandalous deal," says Ava Lee from Global Witness. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Eni's headquarters in San Donato Milanese, near Milan No wrongdoing The Anglo-Dutch and Italian energy giants insist they have done nothing wrong, because they paid the money to secure the exploration rights directly to the Nigerian government. Shell issued a statement to BBC World Business Report saying: "Since this matter is before the Tribunal of Milan it would not be appropriate for us to comment in detail. Issues that are under consideration as part of a trial process should be adjudicated in court and we do not wish to interfere with this process. "We maintain that the settlement was a fully legal transaction and we believe the trial judges in Italy will conclude that there is no case against Shell or its former employees." Eni has also denied any wrongdoing and told the BBC that it questions the competence of the experts commissioned by Global Witness and its "partners", as well as raising the possibility that the report by the campaign group is defamatory. The Italian oil and gas company said "as this matter is currently before the Tribunal of Milan, we are unable to comment in detail". In a statement it noted: "Global Witness together with its partners Corner House, HEDA Resource Centre and Re: Common had requested twice to be admitted as aggrieved parties in the Milan proceedings. On both occasions, the request was firmly denied by the Tribunal of Milan." Eni also said it "continues to reject any allegation of impropriety or irregularity in connection with this transaction". Biggest ever corruption case Campaigners believe this is a landmark case and the outcome of the trial in Milan will cause an earthquake to reverberate through the oil and gas industry. Nigeria's leader is being encouraged to intervene by Olanrewaju Suraju, from HEDA. "President Buhari should reject any deal," he said. The contrast between the way Italy deals with migrants and the actions of one of the nation's biggest companies has been raised by Antonio Tricarico of Re;Common. "The Italian government is discouraging Nigerian migrants trying to reach Italy by claiming that it will help them at home, but Italy's biggest multi-national, part owned by the state, is accused of scamming billions from the Nigerian people." The outcome of the unprecedented court case in Milan could force the oil industry to change how it conducts its business, especially in countries where corruption is rife, because more transparency about contracts and payments made would discourage fraud.[SEP]A new analysis by Global Witness has revealed that the deal involving Malabu Oil and Gas Limited in Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 245 deprived Nigeria of an estimated $6 billion, double the country’s annual budget for education and health. Global Witness said it had spent years investigating the deal, which gave Shell and Eni the rights to explore OPL 245, an offshore oil field in the Niger Delta.It has commissioned new analysis of the way the contract was altered in favour of the energy companies and concluded Nigeria’s losses over the lifetime of the project would amount to $5.86 billion, compared to terms in place before 2011. BBC reported that the analysis was carried out by Resources for Development Consulting on behalf of Global Witness. The estimated losses were calculated using an oil price of $70 per barrel as a basis. However, Eni has criticised the way it was calculated because the calculation allegedly ignored the possibility that Nigeria had the right to revise the deal to claim a 50 per cent share of the production revenues. “We discovered that Shell had constructed a deal that cut Nigeria out of their share of profit from the block,” a campaigner at Global Witness, Ava Lee, told the BBC’s World Business Report, adding,”This amount of money would be enough to educate six million teachers in Nigeria. It really can’t be underestimated just how big a deal this could be for a country that right now has the highest rates of extreme poverty in the world.” A court in Milan is considering charges of corruption against Eni and Shell in the controversial oil deal. Eni and Shell are accused of knowing the money they paid to Nigeria would be used for bribes. The Italian and Anglo-Dutch energy giants deny any wrongdoing. This unfolding scandal, which is being played out in an Italian court, has involved former MI6 officers, the FBI, a former President of Nigeria, as well as current and former senior executives at the two oil companies. The former Nigerian oil minister, Dan Etete, was found guilty by a court in France of money laundering and it emerged he used illicit funds to buy a speed boat and a chateau. It is also claimed he had so much cash in $100 bills that it weighed five tonnes. It is understandable why Eni and Shell wanted to acquire the rights to develop OPL 245, because it is estimated to contain nine billion barrels of oil. But the process of how they secured the contract is dogged by claims of corruption. The court in Milan is weighing evidence of how Etete, awarded ownership of OPL 245 to Malabu, a company he secretly controlled. He is accused of paying bribes to others in the government to ensure that process went smoothly. Shell and Eni are accused of knowing the $1.1bn they paid to Nigeria would be used for bribes, claims based on the content of emails which have since emerged. “Looking at the emails it seems that Shell knew that the deal they were constructing was misleading but they went ahead with it anyway even though a number of Nigerian officials raised concerns about this scandalous, scandalous deal,” Ava Lee of Global Witness, said. The Anglo-Dutch and Italian energy giants insist they have done nothing wrong, because they paid the money to secure the exploration rights directly to the Nigerian government. Shell issued a statement to BBC World Business Report saying: “Since this matter is before the Tribunal of Milan it would not be appropriate for us to comment in detail. Issues that are under consideration as part of a trial process should be adjudicated in court and we do not wish to interfere with this process. “We maintain that the settlement was a fully legal transaction and we believe the trial judges in Italy will conclude that there is no case against Shell or its former employees.” Eni has also denied any wrongdoing and told the BBC that it questions the competence of the experts commissioned by Global Witness and its “partners”, as well as raising the possibility that the report by the campaign group is defamatory. The Italian oil and gas company said “as this matter is currently before the Tribunal of Milan, we are unable to comment in detail”. In a statement it noted: “Global Witness together with its partners Corner House, HEDA Resource Centre and Re: Common had requested twice to be admitted as aggrieved parties in the Milan proceedings. On both occasions, the request was firmly denied by the Tribunal of Milan.” Eni also said it “continues to reject any allegation of impropriety or irregularity in connection with this transaction”. Nigeria’s leader is being encouraged to intervene by Olanrewaju Suraju, from HEDA. “President Buhari should reject any deal,” he said. The outcome of the unprecedented court case in Milan could force the oil industry to change how it conducts its business, especially in countries where corruption is rife, because more transparency about contracts and payments made would discourage fraud.[SEP]Lagos / with Agency Report – A court in Milan is considering charges of corruption against Eni and Shell in a controversial oil deal that led to Nigeria losing an estimated $6 billion. Already, a campaign group, Global Witness, has calculated that the OPL 245 deal in 2011 deprived Nigeria of double its annual education and healthcare budget. Eni and Shell are accused of knowing the money they paid to Nigeria would be used for bribes. The Italian and Anglo-Dutch energy giants deny any wrongdoing. The scandal has involved former MI6 officers, the FBI, a former President of Nigeria, as well as current and former senior executives at the two oil companies. But the erstwhile Nigerian president has since denied any involvement in the Malabu oil deal. The former Nigerian oil minister, Dan Etete, was found guilty by a court in France of money laundering and it emerged he used the illicit funds to buy a speed boat and a chateau. It is also claimed he had so much cash in $100 bills that weighed five tons. Global Witness has spent years investigating the deal which gave Shell and Eni the rights to explore OPL 245, an offshore oil field in the Niger Delta. It has commissioned new analysis of the way the contract was altered in favour of the energy companies and concluded Nigeria’s losses over the lifetime of the project could amount to $5.86 billion, compared to terms in place before 2011. The analysis was carried out by Resources for Development Consulting on behalf of Global Witness, as well as the NGOs HEDA, Re: Common and The Corner. The estimated losses were calculated using an oil price of $70 a barrel as a basis. Eni has faulted the way it was calculated because it ignores the possibility that Nigeria had the right to revise the deal to claim a 50% share of the production revenues. But the campaigners were persistent on the need for the deal to be cancelled. “We discovered that Shell had constructed a deal that cut Nigeria out of their share of profit of oil from the block,” Ava Lee, a campaigner at Global Witness said. “This amount of money would be enough to educate six million teachers in Nigeria. It really can’t be underestimated just how big a deal this could be for a country that right now has the highest rates of extreme poverty in the world.” It is understandable why Eni and Shell wanted to acquire the rights to develop OPL 245, because it is estimated to contain nine billion barrels of oil. But the process of how they secured the contract is dogged by claims of corruption. The court in Milan is weighing evidence of how a former Nigerian oil minister, Dan Etete, awarded ownership of OPL 245 to Malabu, a company he secretly controlled. He is accused of paying bribes to others in the government, such as former President Goodluck Jonathan, to ensure that the process went smoothly. Shell and Eni are accused of knowing the $1.1 billion they paid to Nigeria would be used for bribes, claims based on the content of emails which have since emerged. “Looking at the emails it seems that Shell knew that the deal they were constructing was misleading but they went ahead with it anyway even though a number of Nigerian officials raised concerns about this scandalous, scandalous deal,” says Ava Lee from Global Witness. The Anglo-Dutch and Italian energy giants insist they have done nothing wrong, because they paid the money to secure the exploration rights directly to the Nigerian government. Shell said in a statement: “Since this matter is before the Tribunal of Milan it would not be appropriate for us to comment in detail. Issues that are under consideration as part of a trial process should be adjudicated in court and we do not wish to interfere with this process. “We maintain that the settlement was a fully legal transaction and we believe the trial judges in Italy will conclude that there is no case against Shell or its former employees.” Denying any wrongdoing, Eni questioned the competence of the experts commissioned by Global Witness and its “partners”, as well as raising the possibility that the report by the campaign group is defamatory. The Italian oil and gas company said “as this matter is currently before the Tribunal of Milan, we are unable to comment in detail”. In a statement, it noted: “Global Witness together with its partners Corner House, HEDA Resource Centre and Re: Common had requested twice to be admitted as aggrieved parties in the Milan proceedings. On both occasions, the request was firmly denied by the Tribunal of Milan.” Eni also said it “continues to reject any allegation of impropriety or irregularity in connection with this transaction”. Campaigners believe this is a landmark case and the outcome of the trial in Milan will cause an earthquake to reverberate through the oil and gas industry. Nick Hildyard of the Corner House wonders if investors are comfortable. “Fund managers should be alarmed at this brazen dishonesty,” he said. Nigeria’s leader is being encouraged to intervene by Olanrewaju Suraju, from HEDA. “President Buhari should reject any deal,” he said. The contrast between the way Italy deals with migrants and the actions of one of the nation’s biggest companies has been raised by Antonio Tricarico of Re: Common. “The Italian government is discouraging Nigerian migrants trying to reach Italy by claiming that it will help them at home, but Italy’s biggest multi-national, part owned by the state, is accused of scamming billions from the Nigerian people.” The outcome of the unprecedented court case in Milan could force the oil industry to change how it conducts its business, especially in countries where corruption is rife, because more transparency about contracts and payments made would discourage fraud. But stakeholders who spoke with our correspondent on Monday expressed discontent about the sleaze being perpetrated in the nation’s oil and gas sector, saying the development was counterproductive to its growth. They urged the Federal Government to get to the conclusion of the matter and design a stringent mechanism to free the sector from graft. In May of 2012, Global Witness published a statement detailing agreement by Nigerian subsidiaries of Shell and ENI to pay the Nigerian government US$1,092,040,000 to acquire the offshore oil block OPL 245. The Nigerian government had also consented to pay the exact sum to Malabu Oil and Gas, a company generally reported as controlled by Dan Etete, a petroleum minister during the Abacha era. The two international oil companies (IOCs) deny having any agreements with Malabu, but with the Nigerian government. Nigeria’s former Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, however, stated in an interview that, “SNUD (A Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary in Nigeria) and ENI agreed to pay Malabu through the Federal Government acting as an obligor, the sum of US$1,092,040,000 in full and final settlement of any and all claims, interests or rights relating to or in connection with Block 245.” Reports corroborated the former minister’s claim, as it revealed that former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration instructed the release of almost 80% of the funds paid for OPL 245 (US$801,540,000) to accounts controlled by Malabu. The funds were subsequently shared through convoluted structures to certain companies and individuals. Last year, Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, in a letter dated September 27, 2017 and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, said should Nigeria pursue the resolution of the Malabu oil deal that has dragged for years legally, the country stood a clear chance of losing. He said the entire Malabu story clearly indicated that there were the civil and criminal aspects to the case. The civil aspect bothers on the skirmishes between the directors of the company which led to the claims that shares of the same directors were divested without their consent thereby taking over their interest. He added that in the criminal case, the aggrieved parties through their lawyers petitioned the EFCC against some directors of Malabu Oil and Gas, alleging fraudulent divestment of their shares and subsequently depriving them of their benefits in the sale of OPL 245.[SEP]Nigeria lost an estimated $6 billion to the controversial deepwater block Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245 deal, a new analysis from world-class oil experts revealed. The projected lost revenue, according to analysts could fund Nigeria’s combined annual federal health and education budgets twice over. This was made known on Monday, November 26, 2018, during a presentation of an analysis jointly inaugurated by the Human and Environmental Development Agency, Global Witness, RE: Common and The Corner House. Industry experts at the Resources for Development Consulting, a research-focused organisation conducted the analysis. ALSO READ: How Nigeria wasted $1 trillion during five major oil booms - Report According to the report, leaked documents from Shell had suggested the oil giant capitalised on the 2011 presidential election to get the federal government to sign the deal. Shell and Eni have denied any wrongdoing, reiterating that they had acted correctly in the purchase of OPL 245. The two oil giant along with a number of their senior executives have involved in lawsuits for their alleged role in the deal. The Resources for Development Consulting projected that Nigeria lost an estimated $4.5 billion based on 2003 fiscal terms on the deal. Projecting further, they said the federal government lost N5.86 billion over the lifetime of the project based on 2005 fiscal terms. The firm used a discounted cash flow analysis model made up of elements including fiscal terms, field data from various sources, an oil price assumption of $70 a barrel to arrived at the figure. Don Hubert, founder and president of Resources for Development Consulting, said the fiscal terms governing the OPL 245 deal only favoured Shell and Eni. “The payment of $1.1 billion dollars in 2011 was not only a payment to secure rights to OPL 245, but the payment also served fiscal terms that were highly generous to the IOCs (International Oil Companies) but were highly detrimental to the government of Nigeria,” he said. “The lack of profit oil in the current fiscal terms that is governing OPL 245 will result, our analysis shows, in a loss to the Nigerian people of at least $4.5 billion.” Barnaby Pace from Global Witness said the report shows how the terms of the agreement were in the favour of the two oil giants. Pace said globally there is call on the Nigerian government to revoke the licence so that its estimated $6 billion losses will be stopped in its track. "We also call for contracts to be made public.” ALSO READ: 5 things you should know about Malabu Oil deal and JP Morgan’s involvement In August 2018, a Milan court sentenced Nigerian man, Emeka Obi and an Italian middleman to four-year jail terms over $1.1 billion Malabu oil fraud. Shell and Eni denied the two 'middlemen'. The two international oil and giants - Royal Dutch Shell and Italian Agip-Eni - paid out about $1.1 billion to Dan Etete, Nigeria's former petroleum minister who had previously been convicted of money laundering in France. The payment and oil deal became a subject investigation and several Nigerian government officials were believed to have received several million dollars in bribes for the enabling roles they played. Nigeria’s OPL 245 is one of the biggest sources of untapped oil reserves on the African continent with reserves estimated at 9 billion barrels.[SEP]Nigeria will lose an estimated $6 billion in revenue to international oil companies, Shell and Eni, over the deal on the controversial oil block, widely known as Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245. icirnigeria.org reported the new findings quoting a report by Global Witness called Take The Future. According to icir.org, leaked emails and confidential documents also showed that the oil giants might have used unethical means to secure the deal as they altered earlier terms on the oil block with the intention of depriving Nigeria billions of dollars of future revenue while raking in huge profits. The report draws on an analysis from leading experts at Resources for Development Consulting commissioned by Global Witness and NGOs HEDA, RE:Common and The Corner House. Two weeks before the deal was signed in 2011, Andrew Obaje, then Director of Department of Petroleum Resources advised the Federal Government not to accept the deal because it was bad. Obaje’s advice was in response to Mohammed Adoke, the then Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Federation who sought his comment on the agreement underpinning the disputed oil block. Obaje concluded in the letter that “the resolution agreement as proposed is highly prejudicial to the interests of the Federal Government, more so when there is considerable leverage on the part of the FGN irrespective of the outcome of the arbitration. Government should therefore re-evaluate the proposal with a view to securing for the FGN a more advantageous outcome from any resolution of the matter.” Rather than follow Obaje’s recommendation, the Federal Government went ahead to approve the deal that stripped it of earlier favourable terms. The deal excluded Shell and Eni from paying royalty and Profit Oil on the OPL 245 which were part of the fiscal terms that were contained in the earlier contractual agreement with the oil companies in 2003 and 2005. Assuming that oil price remains at $70 per barrel, Nigeria loses $5.86 billion projected revenue over the lifetime of the oil block when compared to earlier terms that had applied before the 2011 deal. Barnaby Pace from Global Witness said “Shell and Eni execs set the deal up so that Nigeria would earn some $6bn less than it could have. This scandalous deal must be cancelled.” Reacting to the analysis by Global Witness, Eni and Shell denied any wrongdoing. Erika Mandraffino, Eni’s Senior Vice President, Global Media Relations and Crisis Communication, questioned the methodology of the analysis. “We note that Global Witness draws conclusions on the appropriateness of Eni’s and its partner’s transaction and on the legitimacy of Eni’s conduct by referring to analyses carried out by unnamed partners whose competence or expertise is not substantiated in your letter,” Mandraffino wrote “We can understand that your organisation, which is not engaged in business activities in the oil and gas sector, may not be best placed to assess the input, methodology and overall quality of such analyses and come to incorrect conclusions. In this respect, let us just note that the technical and contractual assumptions adopted as basis for the analysis appear to be partial and inaccurate, if not misleading.” The assessment of the impact of different fiscal terms for government revenues from OPL 245 was carried out by Resources for Development Consulting whose responsibility is to assist resource-rich countries in securing a fair share of mining, oil, and gas revenues by analysing fiscal regimes, preparing revenue forecasts, assessing vulnerability to tax avoidance, and supporting cost monitoring and auditing. To do the analysis, Resources for Development Consulting pointed out that it used discounted cash flow modelling which is an industry-standard methodology used for valuation by oil companies and for revenue forecasting by governments. “The field data contained in this analysis comes predominantly from the companies themselves: Shell and Eni. The basic field data comes from a 2006 Valuation document prepared by Shell in support of arbitration proceedings. This data has been updated based on information from subsequent Shell reports and information published by Eni in 2011 as well as public domain sources from analogous blocks in neighbouring countries.” the consulting firm wrote in its report. It is inexplicable how Mohammed Adoke, then Attorney General of the Federation led the Federal Government to agree to the deal that altered the terms of the agreement in favour of the oil companies against the position of Department of Petroleum Resources. In response to the analysis’ findings, Adoke stressed that the deal was concluded following consultations with relevant ministries, adding that no attempt was made to prevent civil servants from voicing their concerns. He said the issues were resolved following inter-ministerial discussions. He said that the production sharing agreement between Shell and Eni was not within his remit. The OPL 245, which covers nearly 2,000 square kilometres in the southern edge of the Niger Delta in water depths of more than 1,200 meters, was first allocated in 1998. The then Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete allocated the oil block to Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, an indigenous company owned by him. In 2001, Malabu offered Shell 40 per cent stake in the oil block. However, Malabu’s licence was later revoked by the Federal Government. The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) later offered the block for bid which Shell won. The NNPC in 2003 signed a production sharing contract (PSC) with Shell on the oil block. But Malabu went to court to restore its ownership of the oil block. Malabu’s right to the oil block was restored in 2006 by the court. Then Shell disagreed on the restoration of the oil block to Malabu and in 2007 instituted proceedings against the Federal Government at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, seeking full restitution of its rights as set out in the 2003 production sharing agreement. In 2011, a deal was reached for Shell and Eni to pay $1.1 billion to the Federal Government and Malabu to have full ownership of the oil block, a deal that has been trailed with bribery scandal. Shell and Eni are currently facing bribery charges over the OPL 245 deal in a landmark trial in Italy, the first time a company as large as Shell or such senior executives of a major oil company have ever stood trial for bribery offences. Eni’s current CEO Claudio Descalzi, and former Royal Dutch Shell Executive Director for Upstream, Malcolm Brinded CBE are facing charges of bribery and corruption over the oil block in the trial that began in Milan in September. According to Global Witness, the case brought by the Milan Public Prosecutor alleges that $520 million from the deal was converted into cash and intended to be paid to then former President Goodluck Jonathan and other Nigerian government officials. The prosecutors further allege that money was also channelled to Eni and Shell executives, with $50 million in cash delivered to the home of Eni’s then head of African Operations Roberto Casula. Two middlemen in the OPL 245 deal have already been sentenced to four years imprisonment, as well as confiscations of over €100 million by the Italian court. The offenders, Emeka Obi (Nigerian) and Gianluca Di Nardo (Italian) were found guilty of corrupt offences over the oil block.[SEP]A court in Milan is considering charges of corruption against Eni and Shell in a controversial oil deal that led to Nigeria losing an estimated $6bn.The campaign group Global Witness has calculated the OPL 245 deal in 2011 deprived Nigeria of double its annual education and healthcare budget......Read more via Nairaland – https://ift.tt/2SdHIL4 Get more: Nigeria Business News[SEP]A court in Milan is considering charges of corruption against Eni and Shell in a controversial oil deal that led to Nigeria losing an estimated $6bn. The campaign group Global Witness has calculated the OPL 245 deal in 2011 deprived Nigeria of double its annual education and healthcare budget. Eni and Shell are accused of knowing the money they paid to Nigeria would be used for bribes. The Italian and Anglo-Dutch energy giants deny any wrongdoing. This unfolding scandal, which is being played out in an Italian court, has involved former MI6 officers, the FBI, a former President of Nigeria, as well as current and former senior executives at the two oil companies. The former Nigerian oil minister, Dan Etete, was found guilty by a court in France of money laundering and it emerged he used illicit funds to buy a speed boat and a chateau. It is also claimed he had so much cash in $100 bills that it weighed five tonnes. Global Witness has spent years investigating the deal which gave Shell and Eni the rights to explore OPL 245, an offshore oil field in the Niger Delta.[SEP]PRETORIA - A court in Milan is considering charges against oil multinationals Eni and Shell for allegedly defrauding Nigeria of $6 billion in petroleum revenue. The oil companies say they’re innocent in what could become one of the biggest corruption cases in history. The corruption, conflict and environmental abuse watchdog Global Witness says Eni and Shell knew full well that their payments securing exploration rights to the Nigerian Block 245 seven years ago would stick to corrupt fingers. The court is looking at evidence that in order to secure exploration rights, the oil companies altered earlier contractual terms, depriving Nigeria of billions in revenue. Global Witness reckons the amount stolen would pay for twice the Nigerian giant’s annual education and health care budget.[SEP]The Nigerian government is expected to lose an estimated $ 6 billion because of corruption in the sale of the Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245 to Shell and Eni Oil in 2011. The Oil field 245 said to be one of the largest in the world is being extracted by the two oil companies despite corruption allegations and charges in courts both in Italy and Nigeria. A report released on Monday by Global Witness, ‘Take The Future: Shell’s Scandalous Deal For Nigeria’s Oil,’ investigates the deal and its shortfalls. It states that a new analysis of the deal shows it included generous terms that deprive the Nigerian people of $6 billion potential revenue. “The deal for the OPL 245 licence includes previously unreported terms that left Nigeria without share of profit from oil produced to which it was entitled from the block, resulting in an historical poor deal for Nigeria,” the report stated. It said the deal hid huge generous fiscal terms for the companies. The deal between Shell, Eni, Nigerian government officials and Malibu Oil and Gas called for a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) to be signed between only Shell and Eni subsidiaries. The report noted that this departs from the standard procedure of a production sharing contract (PSC) that is agreed between the contractor and the state. It noted that the exclusion of the Nigeria State from the PSA resulted in the removal of a central feature of production sharing contract that is a proportion of the oil produced known as ‘profit sharing’ is allocated to the government. Global Witness also said Shell knew their billion dollar payment for the deal was going not into the public purse but would fill private pockets. It said Shell and Eni and some of their most senior executives are now facing bribery charges in Italy and Nigeria, in one of the biggest corporate corruption cases in history. Prosecutors allege that their $1.1bn payment for the block in 2011 funded bribes to key ministers. The trial is continuing and the defendants have denied wrongdoing, the anti-corruption group said. “This amount of money would be enough to educate six million teachers in Nigeria. It really can’t be underestimated just how big a deal this could be for a country that right now has the highest rates of extreme poverty in the world,” Ava Lee, a campaigner at Global Witness told the BBC’s World Business Report.[SEP]A court in Milan is considering charges of corruption against Eni and Shell in a controversial oil deal that led to Nigeria losing an estimated $6 billion. The campaign group Global Witness has calculated the OPL 245 deal in 2011 deprived Nigeria of double its annual education and healthcare budget. Eni and Shell are accused of knowing the money they paid to Nigeria would be used for bribes. The Italian and Anglo-Dutch energy giants deny any wrongdoing. This unfolding scandal, which is being played out in an Italian court, has involved former MI6 officers, the FBI, a former President of Nigeria, as well as current and former senior executives at the two oil companies. Global Witness has spent years investigating the deal which gave Shell and Eni the rights to explore OPL 245, an offshore oil field in the Niger Delta. It has commissioned new analysis of the way the contract was altered in favour of the energy companies and concluded Nigeria’s losses over the lifetime of the project would amount to $5.86 billion, compared to terms in place before 2011. The analysis was carried out by Resources for Development Consulting on behalf of Global Witness, as well as the NGOs HEDA, RE: Common and The Corner. The estimated losses were calculated using an oil price of $70 a barrel as a basis. Eni has criticised the way it was calculated because it ignores the possibility that Nigeria had the right to revise the deal to claim a 50% share of the production revenues. Campaigners say the deal should be cancelled. “We discovered that Shell had constructed a deal that cut Nigeria out of their share of profit oil from the block,” Ava Lee, a campaigner at Global Witness told the BBC’s World Business Report. “This amount of money would be enough to educate six million teachers in Nigeria. It really can’t be underestimated just how big a deal this could be for a country that right now has the highest rates of extreme poverty in the world.” Nigeria is the richest economy in Africa, but despite having large resources of oil and gas millions of people are poor.(BBC)

A court in Milan, Italy, examines evidence submitted by the campaign group Global Witness, that alleges bribery around the attribution of the OPL 245 oil prospecting license in 2011 led to a loss for the Nigerian state estimated at US$6 billion.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - George Soros’s Open Society Foundation said on Monday it would cease operations in Turkey, days after President Tayyip Erdogan accused the billionaire philanthropist of trying to divide and destroy nations. FILE PHOTO: Business magnate George Soros arrives to speak at the Open Russia Club in London, Britain June 20, 2016. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo The organization said it was no longer possible to work in Turkey after it became the target of “baseless claims” in the media and a renewed investigation by Turkish authorities into mass protests against Erdogan’s government five years ago. It said the Turkish Interior Ministry was renewing attempts to prove that the Soros foundation was behind the 2013 Gezi Park protests, one of the biggest political challenges to Erdogan’s 15-year rule. The foundation denied any link to the protests. Erdogan denounced Soros last week while speaking of the detention of 13 activists and academics accused of supporting attempts by jailed businessman and rights advocate Osman Kavala to revive the Gezi protests. “The person (Kavala) who financed terrorists during the Gezi incidents is already in prison,” Erdogan told a meeting of local administrators on Wednesday. “And who is behind him? The famous Hungarian Jew Soros. This is a man who assigns people to divide nations and shatter them. He has so much money and he spends it this way.” One of the 13 people detained on Nov. 16 was Hakin Altinay, who helped establish the Open Society Foundation in Turkey. Others were staff members of Kavala’s Anadolu Kultur center, which campaigns for human rights and cultural diversity. All but one of the detainees were later released, but not before the European Union and United States expressed concern about their cases. Ankara’s Western allies have repeatedly criticized the arrest of tens of thousands of people since a failed military coup in Turkey in July 2016. MONEY TRANSFERS Kavala, in detention for more than a year, said on Monday in a statement posted on his website that he was still waiting for an indictment to be prepared so that he could prove that the claims he had helped to direct and finance the Gezi protests and wanted to overthrow the government were “unfounded”. The pro-government Sabah newspaper, citing reports from financial crime investigators, said on Monday the Open Society Foundation had made financial transfers to Kavala’s organization to support the spread of the Gezi protests nationwide. It said nearly 1.9 million lira had been transferred between August 2011 and April 2017. The foundation said it informed the Turkish authorities every year about which institutions and projects had received donations, and the authorities had approved them. “However, with the new investigations that have been opened, it is seen that there is an effort to link the Open Society Foundation to the Gezi incidents in 2013. These efforts are not new and they are outside reality,” it said. The foundation said it would apply for the legal liquidation and winding up of the company’s operations as soon as possible. “The increase of baseless claims and disproportionate speculation in the media in recent days has made it impossible for the foundation to continue its operations.” Soros, a U.S.-based financier and philanthropist, and his Open Society Foundation have also come under fire in Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orban accuses Soros and the liberal causes he backs of trying to undermine Europe’s Christian culture by promoting mass migration, a charge the financier denies.[SEP]George Soros’s Open Society Foundations group has said it will cease operations in Turkey, days after the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accused the billionaire philanthropist of trying to divide and destroy nations, the Guardian reports. The organisation said it had been the target of baseless claims in the Turkish media that made it impossible for it to continue its work. It also faced an investigation by the interior ministry that sought to demonstrate a link, which it denied, between the foundation and protests at Gezi Park in Istanbul in 2013. One of its founders in Turkey, Hakan Altinay, was among 13 people detained 10 days ago. They were accused of supporting jailed rights activist Osman Kavala in trying to overthrow the government through mass protests. In a speech last week, Erdogan linked those arrests to Soros. “The person [Kavala] who financed terrorists during the Gezi incidents is already in prison,” he told a meeting of local administrators. “And who is behind him? The famous Hungarian Jew Soros. This is a man who assigns people to divide nations and shatter them. He has so much money and he spends it this way.“ The foundation said that “new investigations” were trying to link it to the Gezi protests. “These efforts are not new and they are outside reality,” it said The foundation said it would apply for the legal liquidation of its operations as soon as possible.[SEP]Billionaire George Soros' Open Society Foundation said Monday it has decided to cease operations in Turkey, saying "baseless claims" in the media "made it impossible" for the foundation to carry out its work. It also said recent investigations by the Interior Ministry had attempted to show a link, which the foundation denied, to mass protests in Turkey five years ago. The foundation said it would apply for the legal liquidation and winding up of the company's operations as soon as possible. Last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slammed Soros for supporting Osman Kavala, a former business tycoon who is in prison awaiting trial on charges of inciting the 2013 Gezi Park riots. "The person (Kavala), who financed terrorists during the Gezi incidents, is currently in prison. And who is behind him? The famous Hungarian Jew George Soros. This is a man who was assigned to divide nations and shatter them. He has so much money and he is spending it in these ways," Erdoğan said. Kavala was nicknamed the "Turkish Soros" for his connections with the Hungarian-American tycoon. He is known for his close ties to the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a party linked to the PKK terrorist group. Over a dozen people linked to Kavala, including Open Society Foundation Chairman Ali Hakan Altınay, were detained on Nov. 16 on charges of trying to spread the 2013 riots and "creating chaos with the ultimate intent to overthrow the government." Turkish National Police issued a statement at the time of the arrests saying Kavala sought to overthrow the government by force through the Gezi Park incidents and used the Open Society and Anadolu Kültür to finance and organize the riots. Suspects "under a hierarchy" held meetings and brought in activists from abroad to stoke riots, police sources said. On May 31, 2013, Turkish police intervened in what began as a peaceful protest against the redevelopment of Gezi Park adjacent to Taksim Square at the heart of Istanbul. What followed were nationwide riots that led to over 20 deaths, the torching of cars and destruction of public property in a matter of a few days. Responsibility for the riots has been linked to the PKK and the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), along with fridge factions linked to them. Turkish authorities are also investigating the fact that Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ)-linked police officers headed crowd control operations and may have been responsible for the escalation of violence. The Open Society Foundations was founded by Soros in 1979. The grant-making network operates in more than 100 countries, with 26 national and regional offices, and lists annual expenditures exceeding $940 million.[SEP]Open Society Foundations, the philanthropic group founded by George Soros, announced Monday that it would stop its operations in Turkey, where the organization and its founder have been assailed by an increasingly authoritarian government. The organization, which promotes justice and human rights in more than 100 countries, said that it would close its office in Istanbul after it became the target of “baseless” accusations that made it impossible to work in the country. The Turkish government has tried to link Open Society to the Gezi Park protests of 2013; the organization has denied any role and dismissed the allegation as unfounded. One of the organization’s board members, Osman Kavala, was arrested and has been in jail for over a year without being formally charged, the organization said. “We are deeply dismayed and disappointed that the foundation had to close,” an Open Society spokeswoman, Laura Silber, said on Monday. But, she said, “it became completely untenable.”[SEP]Open Society Foundations, the philanthropic group founded by George Soros, announced Monday that it would stop its operations in Turkey, where the organization and its founder have been assailed by an increasingly authoritarian government. The organization, which promotes democracy and human rights in more than 100 countries, said it would close its office in Istanbul after it became the target of “baseless” accusations that made it impossible to work in the country. The Turkish government has tried to link Open Society to the Gezi Park protests of 2013; the organization has denied any role and dismissed the allegation as unfounded. One of the organization’s board members, Osman Kavala, was arrested and has been in jail for more than a year without being formally charged, the organization said. “We are deeply dismayed and disappointed that the foundation had to close,” an Open Society spokeswoman, Laura Silber, said Monday. But, she said, “it became completely untenable.” The announcement came days after the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, denounced Soros in a speech, Reuters reported. Erdogan accused Kavala, one of Turkey’s most prominent businessmen and civil society activists, of financing terrorists during the Gezi protests and accused Soros of supporting him. “And who is behind him?” Erdogan said, according to the report. “The famous Hungarian Jew Soros. This is a man who assigns people to divide nations and shatter them. He has so much money and he spends it this way.” It was the latest in a series of attacks against Soros, a Hungarian-born Jewish billionaire and a major Democratic donor who has been under siege on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States, conservative groups often paint him as a villain. He was among several critics of President Donald Trump who were sent explosive devices leading up to the midterm elections. Some have speculated — falsely — that he financed a caravan of migrants moving north in Mexico and, last week, Facebook acknowledged that it had hired a lobbying company that pushed negative stories about Facebook’s critics, including Soros. In Europe, he has been a target of government leaders. The organization ceased operations in Hungary, the country of Soros’ birth, in May amid political and legal pressure from Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has long used Soros as a foil, often using anti-Semitic tropes. Orban has been the chief architect behind a campaign of misrepresentations and falsehoods aimed at Soros, even Photoshopping him into campaign posters with opposition candidates during the country’s spring elections. In that case, Open Society said it would move its operations to Berlin. Silber, the Open Society spokeswoman, said the organization was unsure whether it would be able to continue to do work in Turkey after the closing of its Istanbul office but hoped to be able to continue working with Turkish citizens. “We are in a time of rising authoritarianism and closing space on civil society,” Silber said. “This is not about the Open Society Foundations. This is a much bigger battle at play — the battle against free expression, against human rights and justice.” This article originally appeared in The New York Times[SEP]ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Billionaire George Soros’s Open Society Foundation said on Monday it has decided to cease operations in Turkey, saying ‘baseless claims’ in the media made it impossible for the foundation to carry out its work. It also said recent investigations by the Interior Ministry had attempted to show a link, which the foundation denied, to mass protests in Turkey five years ago. The foundation said it would apply for the legal liquidation and winding up of the company’s operations as soon as possible.[SEP]George Soros's Open Society Foundation said on Monday it would cease operations in Turkey, days after President Tayyip Erdogan accused the billionaire philanthropist of trying to divide and destroy nations.The foundation said it had been the target of "baseless claims" in the Turkish media, which made it impossible for it to continue its work.It also faced an investigation by the Interior Ministry which sought to demonstrate a link, which it denied, between the foundation and protests at Istanbul's Gezi Park in 2013.One of its founders in Turkey, Hakan Altinay, was among 13 people detained 10 days ago.In a speech last week, Erdogan linked those arrests to Soros. "The person (Kavala) who financed terrorists during the Gezi incidents, is already in prison," he told a meeting of local administrators."And who is behind him? The famous Hungarian Jew Soros. This is a man who assigns people to divide nations and shatter them. He has so much money and he spends it this way."The foundation said that "new investigations" were trying to link it to the Gezi protests five years ago. "These efforts are not new and they are outside reality," it saidThe foundation said it would apply for the legal liquidation and winding up of the company's operations as soon as possible.[SEP]Leftist billionaire George Soros’s Open Society Foundations announced on Nov. 26 that it would cease operations in Turkey. The foundation said “baseless claims” in the media “made it impossible” for it to carry out its work in Turkey. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Soros for allegedly supporting Osman Kavala, a former business tycoon who is in prison awaiting trial on charges of inciting the 2013 Gezi Park riots which over the course of a few days resulted in 20 deaths, the torching of cars and destruction of public property. “The person (Kavala), who financed terrorists during the Gezi incidents, is currently in prison. And who is behind him? The famous Hungarian Jew George Soros. This is a man who was assigned to divide nations and shatter them. He has so much money and he is spending it in these ways,” Erdogan said. Over a dozen people linked to Kavala, including Open Society Foundations Chairman Ali Hakan Altınay, were detained on Nov. 16 on charges of trying to spread the 2013 riots and “creating chaos with the ultimate intent to overthrow the government,” according to a report by the Daily Sabah. Turkish National Police issued a statement at the time of the arrests saying Kavala sought to overthrow the government by force through the Gezi Park riots and used the Open Society and Anadolu Kultur to finance and organize the riots. The Open Society Foundations was founded by Soros in 1979. The grant-making network operates in more than 100 countries, with 26 national and regional offices, and lists annual expenditures exceeding $940 million. Check Out Geostrategy-Direct __________ Jump Start the U.S. Media Share This Post! Want to help out the Free Press in America? If you enjoyed this article we'd really appreciate a quick share. Every share makes a big difference and helps us focus on what we do the best: The news! Thanks from World Tribune Editors and Correspondents! Login To Your FaceBook to Make Comments[SEP]Liberal billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations NGO will close up shop in Turkey, saying “groundless claims and speculation” have hindered its work. The organization announced the news on Monday, days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Soros of stoking protests to divide the country, referring to the elderly liberal financier as that “famous Hungarian Jew Soros.” Erdogan accused Soros of controlling Turkish opposition figure Osman Kavala, himself accused of financing and organizing anti-government demonstrations in 2013, and being linked to a failed coup attempt in 2016. Over a dozen people linked to Kavala were arrested last week, as Erdogan’s crackdown on anyone suspected of involvement with the coup continues.[SEP]ANKARA, TURKEY—The Open Society Foundations, which is funded by George Soros, is pulling out of Turkey days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the billionaire philanthropist of attempting to destabilize his country. The foundation, which has backed projects to improve education, women’s rights and encourages democratic reforms, said “baseless” accusations had made it impossible for it to continue operating in Turkey.

George Soros' Open Society Foundations says it will cease operations in Turkey, stating that "baseless claims" in the media and a government investigation into its alleged role in the Gezi Park protests make its work impossible.

TUNIS - Dozens of Tunisian rights activists and journalists staged a small protest on Monday against a planned visit by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Tunisia is one of the few Arab states where demonstrations are allowed, following a 2011 uprising that toppled veteran ruler Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and ushered in freedom of speech and the press. The Saudi crown prince is expected to arrive on Tuesday, part of a tour of several Arab countries on his first trip abroad since Khashoggi's murder, which has strained Saudi Arabia's ties with the West and battered his image abroad. Some 13 Tunisian civic and rights groups, among them the journalists' union, had called for a protest at the central Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, scene of the mass protests that toppled Ben Ali in 2011. They waved pamphlets demanding "Freedom for Saudi women" or which read "Bin Salman, you are murderer Number 1". "The Tunisian revolution... cannot agree to receive him (bin Salman) and allow him to clean himself (with his visit) of a murder," Soukaina Abdessamad of the journalists' union told reporters. "We will stage protests on Monday and Tuesday.” Saudi Arabia has said the crown prince had no prior knowledge of the killing of Washington Post columnist at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul last month. After offering numerous contradictory explanations, Riyadh said Khashoggi had been killed and his body dismembered when negotiations to persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia failed. Since the 2011 uprising that ended the rule of Ben Ali and triggered the Arab Spring protests that convulsed the region, Tunisia has become one of the few Arab countries where protests are permitted.[SEP]Tunisian activists have called for protests over the killing of Saudi Journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, when Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives in Tunis on Tuesday. The activists plan demonstrations in front of the Presidency in Carthage, during Prince Mohammed’s first trip abroad after he was accused of ordering the murder of the Saudi journalist in Istanbul. Soukaina Abdessamad, Secretary General of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists said a country like Tunisia striving towards democracy, it is unacceptable to receive a “dubious Crown Prince”. It is a danger to democratic transition. Because in a country like Tunisia, which wants to, which is moving towards democracy, which wants to build a democratic society. We cannot accept to receive or welcome a dubious Crown Prince. “It is a danger to democratic transition. Because in a country like Tunisia, which wants to, which is moving towards democracy, which wants to build a democratic society. We cannot accept to receive or welcome a dubious Crown Prince.” Prince Mohammed’s visit, which is part of a tour to several Arab countries, will mark the first time a member of the Saudi royal family has visited Tunisia in 7 years.[SEP]TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian rights groups on Monday will stage a protest against a visit of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, activists said. Tunisia is one of the few Arab states where demonstrations are allowed, following a 2011 uprising that toppled the president and gave its once-staid media a new lease of life. The Saudi crown prince is expected to arrive on Tuesday, part of a tour of several Arab countries on his first trip abroad since Khashoggi’s murder, which has strained Saudi Arabia’s ties with the West and battered his image abroad. A total of 13 Tunisian civic and rights groups, among them the journalists’ union, will hold a protest in the afternoon at the central Habib Bourguiba avenue in Tunis, the venue of mass protests against the rule of Zine el-Abidine Ben Al in 2011. “The Tunisian revolution.. cannot accept to receive him (bin Salman) and allow himself to clean himself (with his visit) of a murder,” said Soukaina Abdessamad of the journalist’ union told reporters. “We will stage protests on Monday and Tuesday.” Saudi Arabia has said the crown prince had no prior knowledge of the killing of the Washington Post columnist at said Khashoggi had been killed and his body dismembered when negotiations to persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia failed. Since the 2011 uprising that ended the rule of Ben Ali and triggered the Arab Spring protests that convulsed the region, Tunisia has become one of the few Arab countries where protests are permitted.[SEP]Hundreds of Tunisian protesters marched through the capital Tunis in opposition to a planned visit Tuesday by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, urging justice over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The demonstrators shouted "Go away assassin!" and held placards with slogans including "The people want Bin Salman to be judged", "No to the killer of Yemeni children" and "You're not welcome". It was the second protest in as many days against the de facto Saudi ruler, who was expected to fly into Tunis from Egypt on Tuesday for talks with President Beji Caid Essebsi as part of a regional tour. It comes as Khashoggi's murder leads to increased scrutiny of Saudi Arabia's role in Yemen's devastating war. "It's inhuman to see an Arab leader killing his brothers in Yemen, and the murder of a journalist is the icing on the cake," said Basma Rezgui, a teacher brandishing a red-stained saw. Saudi Arabia has faced intense global criticism over the killing of insider-turned-critic Khashoggi in its Istanbul consulate on October 2. He was reportedly dismembered in what Saudi Arabia said was a "rogue" operation, but CIA analysis leaked to the US media pointed the finger at Prince Mohammed. His visit will be the first by a Saudi royal to Tunisia since the 2011 revolution deposed longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi crown prince has also held talks in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt on his first foreign tour since the Khashoggi affair erupted. In Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi praised the "unshakable strategic alliance between Egypt and Saudi Arabia" during Prince Mohammed's visit there, the state daily Al-Ahram reported Tuesday. "The stability and security of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of Egypt's security," Sisi was quoted as saying.[SEP]TUNIS (Reuters) - Hundreds of Tunisians protested on Tuesday against a visit by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, denouncing the top Saudi royal as a murderer in the second straight day of demonstrations condemning the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, heir to the throne of the world’s top oil exporter, departed from Cairo on Tuesday and was expected in Tunis in the late afternoon on a tour of Arab states that has also taken him to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and acritic of the crown prince, at Riyadh’s consulate in Istanbulsix weeks ago has strained Saudi Arabia’s ties with the West andbattered Prince Mohammed’s image abroad. Saudi Arabia has said the prince had no prior knowledge ofthe murder. After offering numerous contradictory explanations,Riyadh said last month that Khashoggi had been killed and hisbody dismembered when negotiations to persuade him to return toSaudi Arabia failed. Hundreds of protesters marched through the central Habib Bourguiba avenue in Tunis, scene of the mass protests that toppled Ben Ali in 2011. They chanted “the murderer is not welcome in Tunisia” and “Shame on Tunisia’s rulers” for receiving bin Salman. Journalists put up a huge banner at their union showing the prince with a saw, which Turkish sources have said was used to dismember Khashoggi in Istanbul. Dozens of Tunisian rights activists and journalists staged a smaller protest on Monday. Last week Nourredine Ben Ticha, adviser to Tunisia’s President Beji Caid Essebsi, said the truth about the killing of the Saudi journalist needed to be established but the incident should not be used to harm the kingdom’s stability. Tunisia and Saudi Arabia have very different political systems. The kingdom is an absolute monarchy while the North African country has undergone a democratic transition since 2011. Tunisia has been holding free elections since then and agreed in 2014 on a constitution guaranteeing fundamental rights such as freedom of speech.[SEP]TUNIS (Reuters) - Hundreds of Tunisians protested on Tuesday against a visit by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, denouncing the kingdom’s de facto ruler as a murderer in a second straight day of demonstrations condemning the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, heir to the throne of the world’s top oil exporter, left Cairo on Tuesday and was expected in Tunis in late afternoon on a tour that has also taken him to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and acritic of the crown prince, at Riyadh’s consulate in Istanbul six weeks ago has strained Saudi Arabia’s ties with the West and battered Prince Mohammed’s image abroad. Saudi Arabia has said the prince had no prior knowledge of the murder. After offering numerous contradictory explanations, Riyadh said last month that Khashoggi had been killed and his body dismembered when negotiations to persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia failed. Hundreds of protesters marched through the central Habib Bourguiba avenue in Tunis, scene of the mass protests that toppled Ben Ali in 2011. They chanted “the murderer is not welcome in Tunisia” and “Shame on Tunisia’s rulers” for receiving bin Salman. Protesters also called for an end to the Saudi-led military campaign in neighboring Yemen, which was launched by Prince Mohammed in his role as defense minister in 2015. Journalists put up a huge banner at their union showing the prince with a saw, which Turkish sources have said was used to dismember Khashoggi in Istanbul. It read: “No to the pollution of the Tunisian revolution.” Dozens of Tunisian rights activists and journalists staged a similar protest on Monday. In an apparent attempt to avoid embarrassing the prince, the presidency only invited photographers to cover his visit. It will not hold a news conference, a usual event at top visits. Last week Nourredine Ben Ticha, adviser to Tunisia’s President Beji Caid Essebsi, said the truth about the killing of the Saudi journalist needed to be established but the incident should not be used to harm the kingdom’s stability. Tunisia and Saudi Arabia are very different political systems. The kingdom is an absolute monarchy while Tunisia has undergone a democratic transition since 2011. The north African country has been holding free elections since then and agreed in 2014 on a constitution guaranteeing fundamental rights such as freedom of speech. Tunisia was a strong Saudi ally under Ben Ali but ties have since been strained at times. The kingdom granted exile to Ben Ali who flew to Jeddah on the Red Sea after his ousting, resisting calls by some Tunisian parties to hand him over. Another irritant is that moderate Islamists have been sharing power with secularists in Tunisia since 2011. Some critics have likened the Tunisian Ennahda party to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in Saudi Arabia. In contrast, Tunisia has since 2011 expanded cooperation with Qatar, with which Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states severed trade and transport ties in June 2017. The four accused Doha of supporting terrorism and Iran — charges Doha denies. Tunisia also has strong ties with Turkey, whose relations with Saudi Arabia have been strained by the Khashoggi killing. The prince is expected to fly on to a G20 summit in Argentina at the end of his Tunisia visit.[SEP]TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is encountering something in Tunisia that he doesn’t see often: public anger. Amid international concern about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, some 200… TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is encountering something in Tunisia that he doesn’t see often: public anger. Amid international concern about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, some 200 protesters gathered in central Tunis on Monday night to protest the prince’s Tuesday arrival for talks with the Tunisian president. A banner showing a doctored image of the prince holding a bone saw hung on the headquarters of the Tunisian journalists union. Turkish officials say Khashoggi’s body was dismembered in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul last month. A youth activist group that criticizes Saudi limits on women’s rights planned another protest Tuesday. Prince Mohammed is not exposed to this kind of protest back home, especially as he’s engaged in a crackdown targeting business leaders, human rights activists and other royals. Traveling abroad for the first time since the killing, the crown prince is visiting allies in the Middle East before heading to a Group of 20 summit in Argentina this week, where he may face questions about the gruesome slaying. On his tour’s first stop, in the United Arab Emirates, the Saudi prince was embraced on the tarmac by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, a close ally. He also went to neighboring Bahrain, an island nation that functions as a vassal state to Saudi Arabia. Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi’s office said Tunisia denounces the journalist’s killing and wants a full investigation, but doesn’t want it to be used to destabilize Saudi Arabia. Asked about the prince’s visit, Tunisian government minister Selma Elloumi said he is “welcome” in Tunisia and stressed “historical and fraternal” relations between the countries. But many Tunisians are angry over the killing and suspicions of the prince’s involvement. “He is coming to this country to dirty it, and acquire a false legitimacy,” said Tahar Yahya, of the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. “We don’t want the money of a regime whose hands are stained with blood.” His group tried to seek a court order blocking the prince’s visit. The Tunisian journalists’ union sent a letter to the president calling it an “attack on the principles” of the 2011 revolution that brought democracy and freedom of expression to Tunisia. Saudi Arabia offered refugee to the autocratic ruler that Tunisians overthrew in 2011, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and democracy activists have denounced Riyadh’s refusal to extradite him. A dozen Tunisian non-governmental organizations issued a joint statement saying the visit is aimed at cleaning up Prince Mohammed’s image after the Khashoggi death, and denounced “flagrant violations of human rights and repressive practices against freedom of speech” in Saudi Arabia. The Tunisian journalists’ union also filed a legal complaint Monday against the prince for alleged crimes against humanity in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting Shiite rebels. It’s unclear whether Tunisian authorities will take action on the complaint. Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.[SEP]TUNIS (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Tunisia on Tuesday, a Tunisian presidency source said. Hundreds of Tunisians have been staging the first protests of the Arab world against him, denouncing the kingdom’s de facto ruler as a murderer involved in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.[SEP]Hundreds of Tunisian protesters marched through the capital Tunis in opposition to a planned visit Tuesday by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, urging justice over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The demonstrators shouted 'Go away assassin!' and held placards with slogans including 'The people want Bin Salman to be judged', 'No to the killer of Yemeni children' and 'You're not welcome'. It was the second protest in as many days against the de facto Saudi ruler, who was expected to fly into Tunis from Egypt on Tuesday for talks with President Beji Caid Essebsi as part of a regional tour. It comes as Khashoggi's murder leads to increased scrutiny of Saudi Arabia's role in Yemen's devastating war. 'It's inhuman to see an Arab leader killing his brothers in Yemen, and the murder of a journalist is the icing on the cake,' said Basma Rezgui, a teacher brandishing a red-stained saw. Saudi Arabia has faced intense global criticism over the killing of insider-turned-critic Khashoggi in its Istanbul consulate on October 2. Khashoggi's remains have not yet been discovered. He was reportedly dismembered in what Saudi Arabia said was a 'rogue' operation, but CIA analysis leaked to the US media pointed the finger at Prince Mohammed. Despite this, US President Donald Trump has said he will not punish the Saudis for the murder of the Washington Post columnist. Trump said last week in a statement that drew both domestic and international criticism: 'The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region.' The crown prince's visit will be the first by a Saudi royal to Tunisia since the 2011 revolution deposed longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi crown prince has also held talks in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt on his first foreign tour since the Khashoggi affair erupted. In Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi praised the 'unshakable strategic alliance between Egypt and Saudi Arabia' during Prince Mohammed's visit there, the state daily Al-Ahram reported Tuesday. 'The stability and security of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of Egypt's security,' Sisi was quoted as saying. Meanwhile advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) wrote to a federal prosecutor arguing that the Argentinian courts should prosecute the crown prince under Argentinian law when he arrives there later this week. The G20 conference gets underway in three days time in Buenos Aires, and Argentina is reportedly considering charging Mohammed bin Salman with war crimes. The writ issued by HRW to a federal prosecutor cites the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and alleged incidents in Yemen war, but it is unclear whether there is enough evidence to charge him at this moment in time.[SEP]CAIRO (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's crown prince was due to arrive in Egypt on Monday for a two-day visit, state news agency MENA reported, part of his first trip abroad since the murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is due to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi "dealing with bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries ... as well as some political files of shared interest", MENA said. Prince Mohammed has visited the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain since Thursday. He is expected to travel to Tunisia on Tuesday. Khashoggi's killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul at the beginning of October drew global condemnation. Saudi Arabia has said the crown prince had no prior knowledge of the killing of the Washington Post columnist at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul last month.

Human rights activists in Tunisia stage protests against a planned visit by Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing of Saudi Arabia journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Mission controllers at NASA-JPL have received a signal from NASA’s InSight lander on the Mars surface via MarCO OR a beep from InSight’s X-band radio. In the coming hours, engineers will be checking on the spacecraft’s health. A post-landing news briefing expected at 2 p.m. PST (5 p.m. EST).[SEP]When NASA’s InSight lander successfully touched down on Mars yesterday, it was the end of a seven-month journey to the Red Planet. But the landing also marked the beginning of the next phase of the spacecraft's two-year, $850-million mission. “Now that we’re on the surface of Mars, we have a lot of work to go,” Elizabeth Barrett, who leads the team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory charged with deploying and operating InSight’s instruments, said in a news briefing yesterday after the landing. “The first thing we’ll do is assess the health of our spacecraft and the health of the instruments that went with us, and then look at our landing site,” she added. The 800-pound lander is parked on a broad plain north of the Martian equator known as Elysium Planitia — a mostly rock-free area that was faintly visible in the first photo sent back from the lander. Over the next two to three months, Barrett and her team will direct the lander’s six-foot-long robotic arm to pluck each science instrument from the craft and place it directly on the Martian surface. “I liken it to playing that claw game at a carnival, but you’re doing it with a really, really valuable prize, and you’re doing it blindfolded, where you can only take occasional pictures, and then you’re doing it via remote control on another planet,” Barrett said. The team will begin with InSight’s dome-shaped seismometer, which is designed to eavesdrop on Mars’ deep interior, listening in on seismic activity and measuring the frequency and magnitude of marsquakes. About two weeks after the seismometer and its protective shield are in place, the arm will be used to deploy a probe that will hammer itself as far down as 16 feet below the surface. This probe will measure how much heat is coming from deep within the planet. The seismometer and heat probe are designed to give scientists new insights into how Mars, Earth and other rocky planets formed and evolved. Even though InSight’s landing spot is mostly flat, placing the craft’s instruments on the surface is a delicate, risky process. But the team at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California, will have time to rehearse. “We have a test bed here that we’ll actually terraform to look very much like the Martian area we land in, and we’ll practice deploying to make sure everything is going to go smoothly,” Barrett said. Once InSight’s instruments are in place, the lander’s science mission can begin in earnest. “At that point, we’ll be sitting back and listening for those marsquakes and measuring the vital signs of Mars,” Barrett said. “We’re really looking forward to that.” Want more stories about Mars? • Robert Zubrin wants to establish a 'new branch of civilization' on Mars • Here's what future Mars and lunar space colonies could look like • A lake on Mars? Discovery of liquid water below planet's surface stokes hopes of finding life[SEP]A NASA spacecraft designed to burrow beneath the surface of Mars landed on the red planet Monday after a six-month, 482 million-kilometre journey and a perilous, six-minute descent through the rose-hued atmosphere. Flight controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, leaped out of their seats and erupted in screams, applause and laughter as news came in that the three-legged InSight lander had touched down on the red planet. The InSight lander reached the surface after being slowed by a parachute and braking engines, the space agency said. Updates were coming in via radio signals that take more than eight minutes to cross the nearly 160 million kilometres between Mars and Earth. It was NASA's ninth attempt to land at Mars since the 1976 Viking probes. All but one of the previous U.S. touchdowns were successful. NASA last landed on Mars in 2012 with the Curiosity rover. The plan called for the spacecraft to go from 19,800 km/h to zero in six minutes flat as it pierced the Martian atmosphere and settled on the surface. "Landing on Mars is one of the hardest single jobs that people have to do in planetary exploration," said InSight's lead scientist, Bruce Banerdt. "It's such a difficult thing, it's such a dangerous thing that there's always a fairly uncomfortably large chance that something could go wrong." Mars has been the graveyard for a multitude of space missions. Up to now, the success rate at the red planet has been only 40 per cent, counting every attempted flyby, orbital flight and landing by the U.S., Russia and other countries since 1960. The U.S., however, has pulled off seven successful Mars landings in the past four decades, not counting InSight, with only one failed touchdown. No other country has managed to set and operate a spacecraft on the dusty red surface. InSight was shooting for Elysium Planitia, a plain near the Martian equator that the InSight team hopes is as flat as a parking lot in Kansas with few, if any, rocks. This is no rock-collecting expedition. Instead, the stationary 360-kilogram lander will use its 1.8-metre robotic arm to place a mechanical mole and seismometer on the ground. The self-hammering mole will burrow five metres down to measure the planet's internal heat, while the seismometer listens for possible quakes. Nothing like this has been attempted before on Mars, a planet nearly 160 million kilometres from Earth. No lander has dug deeper than several inches, and no seismometer has ever worked on Mars. By examining the interior of Mars, scientists hope to understand how our solar system's rocky planets formed 4.5 billion years ago and why they turned out so different — Mars cold and dry, Venus and Mercury burning hot, and Earth hospitable to life. InSight has no life-detecting capability, however. That will be left to future rovers. NASA's Mars 2020 mission, for instance, will collect rocks that will eventually be brought back to Earth and analyzed for evidence of ancient life.[SEP]After months in space, the NASA InSight probe has successfully touched down on Mars. The long-awaited landing came with the usual “seven minutes of terror” while signals from Mars crawled back to Earth at the speed of light. There was nothing to fear this time, though. NASA reports that InSight’s automated landing sequence performed perfectly and the probe is conducting systems checks in preparation for science operations. Landing on Mars is no easy feat, not even for a small stationary robot like InSight. Mars has an atmosphere thick enough to incinerate or deflect an incoming spacecraft. InSight had to hit the atmosphere at an angle of 12 degrees exactly. Too shallow and InSight would have bounced off and tumbled into deep space. Too steep, and it would burn up before reaching the surface. Three and a half minutes after entering the atmosphere, InSight deployed its parachute and ejected the heat shield. The atmosphere is thick enough to generate dangerous heat, but it’s not thick enough for parachutes to work all the way down. While InSight slowed itself with its parachute, it was too heavy to reach a safe landing speed. The answer, as with Curiosity, was a bank of small rockets. Forty-five seconds before touchdown, InSight jettisoned its chutes and activated the rockets for a nice, gentle landing. The team was extremely happy with the landing, as you can see in the tweet below. InSight confirmed it was on the surface with a quick pulse shortly after 2 PM ET, making this the first NASA Mars landing in six years. InSight followed up its brief hello with an image of the landing site. The probe isn’t designed to take a lot of impressive photos, so you won’t learn anything new from the photo. However, it shows InSight is sitting level on a smooth area called Elysium Planitia. That’s important as NASA prepares to deploy InSight’s solar panels later today. As long as those work after the tumultuous landing, it should be smooth sailing for InSight. During its two year mission on Mars, InSight will use instruments to study the planet’s interior. The probe is outfitted with a seismometer that will gather data on tremors beneath the Martian surface. Speaking of beneath the surface, InSight will also dig 5 meters down to measure the planet’s temperature. NASA will also monitor radio pulses from InSight as a way to track Mars’ rotation and wobble, which could help us understand its internal structure. Now read: NASA Selects Ancient Crater Lake as Landing Site for Future Mars Rover, NASA Certifies Falcon 9 to Carry Its Most Important Spacecraft, and NASA Shares Photo of ‘Flying Saucer’ Crash[SEP]And you thought finding a parking place could be difficult. To reach its reserved spot on Mars, NASA’s InSight lander on Monday must hit a precise spot in the Red Planet’s upper atmosphere, survive a searing plunge to the surface involving a supersonic parachute and touch down softly on a tripod of legs. Mission managers at the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California are feeling a mix of excitement and nerves about the process formally called Entry, Descent and Landing, or EDL, but informally known as “seven minutes of terror.” “Everything that we’ve done to date makes us feel comfortable and confident we’re going to land on Mars,” said Tom Hoffman, the mission’s project manager at JPL. “But everything has to go perfectly, and Mars could always throw us a curveball.” More: How to become an astronaut: Tales from Mae Jemison and Leland Melvin about training for space More: In search for life on Mars, NASA’s 2020 Rover mission will land in an ancient lakebed NASA's InSight mission, on track for a Nov. 26 touchdown on Mars, will look for tectonic activity and meteorite impacts on the Red Planet, study how much heat is still flowing through the planet, and track the planet’s wobble as it orbits the sun. This helps answer key questions about how the rocky planets of the solar system formed. Less than half of the missions ever launched to Mars have made it to their destination. NASA’s $814 million InSight mission, which plans to study Mars’ deep interior, will take its turn six years after the Curiosity rover and nearly seven months after a May 5 blastoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on an Atlas V rocket. Around 2:40 p.m. EST Monday, the probe will pivot its heat shield to face Mars and separate from a cruise stage that on Sunday briefly fired an engine one last time — equivalent to a “breath of air,” Hoffman said — to line up the landing zone. The target: Elysium Planitia, or a “heavenly plain” near Mars’ equator that Hoffman hopes offers “a really flat-looking area, much like a giant Walmart parking lot.” NASA's InSight mission, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is designed to give the Red Planet its first thorough check up since it formed 4.5 billion years ago. The mission launched May 5 from California and is set to land on Mars on Monday, Nov. 26. Minutes later, the spacecraft will hit the upper atmosphere at 12,300 mph, needing to slow down to 5 mph, or else risk creating a new crater on the Martian surface. Landing on Mars is a particularly difficult challenge, NASA says, because its gravitational pull combined with a very thin atmosphere, about 1 percent of Earth’s, makes slowing down hard. InSight’s heat shield will feel temperatures approaching 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit — hot enough to melt steel — during its descent. If all goes well, after slowing to about 850 mph, at roughly seven miles above the surface, the spacecraft will pop out a supersonic parachute for more braking power, then drop its heat shield, deploy three landing legs and begin scanning the surface with radar pulses. More: I trained to be an astronaut on a mission to Mars at Space Camp. Here's what it's like. More: Humans could be heading to Mars in 25 years, NASA says After shedding a backshell and a brief free-fall, InSight will fire a dozen retro-rockets to soften the 789-pound lander’s touchdown in a cloud of red dust around 2:47 p.m. Back on Earth, white-knuckled engineers at JPL will await word of the lander’s fate. Within about eight minutes, the time radio signals will take to traverse the 91 million miles to Earth, they hope to hear a beep signifying that the lander is safe. “I’m going to be very excited once we get that first signal back that shows we’ve successfully landed on Mars,” said Hoffman. Teams may get more information from a pair of tiny “stalkers” that launched with the lander. NASA's Insight mission is targeting a touchdown on Elysium Planitia, a flat-smooth plain just north of the equator that makes for the perfect location from which to study the deep Martian interior. Two experimental NASA spacecraft known as CubeSats, each about the size of a briefcase, are the first of their kind to travel in deep space. Engineers hope they'll be able to relay news about the lander’s descent and health as they fly by the Red Planet roughly 3,000 miles behind InSight. Otherwise, mission teams will have to be patient. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will fly overhead and transmit the data about three hours after landing. Confirmation that power-generating solar arrays have unfurled will take closer to six hours. InSIght — short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport — then will begin a months-long process of robotically placing science several instruments on the surface of Mars, chief among them a seismometer provided by France. More: This NASA probe got closer to the Sun than any other spacecraft That will begin a minimum two-year study of the layers making up the planet’s, crust, mantle and core, measuring “marsquakes” to create a 3-D picture of Mars’ interior. Scientists expect that knowledge to advance understanding about the evolution of planets, including Earth and planets orbiting other stars. “There’s a lot of things that can go wrong,” Bruce Banerdt, the mission’s lead scientist from JPL, said Sunday. “I’m actually really confident, personally, that we’re going to land safely (Monday). Doesn’t mean I’m not nervous.”[SEP]Jubilant NASA engineers cheered Monday as the $828 million InSight lander signaled a safe landing on Mars, where it will take the pulse of the Red Planet by monitoring seismic waves from quakes and meteor strikes. A dust-speckled image of the Martian plain, blurred by a lens cap, transmitted from the spacecraft was the first direct indication that it had touched down successfully. As a safety measure, two tiny experimental CubeSat spacecraft called MarCO that followed InSight to Mars also relayed its landing data to Earth.[SEP]NASA’s InSight spacecraft, the first robotic lander designed to study the deep interior of a distant world, touched down safely on the surface of Mars on Monday with instruments to detect planetary seismic rumblings never measured anywhere but Earth. Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near Los Angeles burst into cheers, applause and hugs as they received signals confirming InSight’s arrival on Martian soil — a vast, barren plain near the planet’s equator — shortly before 3 pm EST (2000 GMT). Minutes later, JPL controllers received a fuzzy “selfie” photograph of the probe’s new surroundings on the Red Planet, showing the edge of one lander leg beside a rock. Watch parties for NASA’s live television coverage of the event were held at museums, libraries and other public venues around the world, including Times Square, where a small crowd of 40 or 50 people braved pouring rain to witness the broadcast on a giant TV screen affixed to a wall of the Nasdaq building. InSight’s descent and landing, consisting of about 1,000 individual steps that had to be flawlessly executed to achieve success, capped a six-month journey of 301 million miles (548 million km) from Earth. The spacecraft was launched from California in May on its nearly $1 billion mission. It will spend the next 24 months — about one Martian year — collecting a wealth of data to unlock mysteries about how Mars formed and, by extension, the origins of the Earth and other rocky planets of the inner solar system. “The reason why we’re digging into Mars is to better understand not just Mars, but the Earth itself,” said JPL’s Bruce Banerdt, InSight’s principal investigator. A central question is why Mars, once a relatively warm, wet planet, evolved so differently from Earth into a mostly dry, desolate and cold world, devoid of life. The answers are believed to have something to do with the as-yet unexplained absence, since Mars’ ancient past, of either a magnetic field or tectonic activity, said NASA’s chief scientist James Green. While Earth’s tectonics and other forces have erased most evidence of its early history, much of Mars — about one-third the size of Earth — has seemingly remained largely static, creating a geologic time machine for scientists, Green said. InSight and the next Mars rover mission, scheduled for 2020, are both seen as precursors for eventual human exploration of Mars, an objective that NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said on Monday might be achieved as early as the mid-2030s. InSight was the eighth spacecraft to have landed successfully on Mars, all of them operated by NASA. The three-legged lander streaked into the thin Martian atmosphere at 12,300 miles (19,795 km) per hour and plunged 77 miles to the surface within seven minutes, slowed to a gentle touchdown by atmospheric friction, a giant parachute and retro rockets. The stationary probe was programmed to pause for 16 minutes for the dust to settle, literally, around its landing site, before two disc-shaped solar panels were to be unfurled like wings to provide power to the spacecraft. But scientists did not expect to verify successful deployment of the solar arrays for at least several hours. The 880-pound (360 kg) InSight - its name is short for Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport - marks the 21st U.S.-launched Mars mission, dating back to the Mariner fly-bys of the 1960s. Nearly two dozen other Mars missions have been sent from other nations. InSight’s new home in the middle of Elysium Planitia, a wide, relatively smooth expanse close to the planet’s equator, is roughly 373 miles (600 km) from the 2012 landing spot of the car-sized Mars rover Curiosity, the last spacecraft sent to the Red Planet by NASA. InSight’s primary instrument is a French-built seismometer, designed to record the slightest vibrations from “marsquakes” and meteor impacts around the planet. The device, to be placed on the surface by the lander’s robot arm, is so sensitive it can measure a seismic wave just one half the radius of a hydrogen atom. Scientists expect to see a dozen to 100 marsquakes during the mission, producing data to help them deduce the depth, density and composition of the planet’s core, the rocky mantle surrounding it, and the outermost layer, the crust. The NASA Viking probes of the mid-1970s were equipped with seismometers, too, but they were bolted to the top of the landers, a design that proved largely ineffective. Apollo missions to the moon brought seismometers to the lunar surface as well. But InSight is expected to yield the first meaningful data on planetary seismic tremors beyond Earth. A second instrument, furnished by Germany’s space agency, consists of a drill to burrow as much as 16 feet (5 metres) underground, pulling behind it a rope-like thermal probe to measure heat flowing from inside the planet. Meanwhile, a radio transmitter will send back signals tracking Mars’ subtle rotational wobble to reveal the size of the planet’s core and possibly whether it remains molten. NASA officials say it will take two to three months for the main instruments to be deployed and put into operation. The landing data and initial photograph were relayed to Earth from two briefcase-sized satellites that were launched along with InSight and were flying past Mars as it reached its destination. The twin “Cubesats” tagging along for the flight to Mars represented the first deep-space use of a miniature satellite technology that space engineers see as a promising low-cost alternative to some larger, more complex vehicles.[SEP]A NASA spacecraft designed to burrow beneath the surface of Mars landed on the red planet Monday after a six-month, 300 million-mile (482 million-kilometer) journey and a perilous, six-minute descent through the rose-hued atmosphere. Flight controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, leaped out of their seats and erupted in screams, applause and laughter as the news came in. The three-legged InSight spacecraft reached the surface after being slowed by a parachute and braking engines, the space agency said. Updates were coming in via radio signals that take more than eight minutes to cross the nearly 100 million miles (160 million kilometers) between Mars and Earth. It was NASA's ninth attempt to land at Mars since the 1976 Viking probes. All but one of the previous U.S. touchdowns were successful. NASA last landed on Mars in 2012 with the Curiosity rover. Viewings were held coast to coast at museums, planetariums and libraries, as well as New York's Times Square. The plan called for the spacecraft to go from 12,300 mph (19,800 kph) to zero in six minutes flat as it pierced the Martian atmosphere and settled on the surface. "Landing on Mars is one of the hardest single jobs that people have to do in planetary exploration," said InSight's lead scientist, Bruce Banerdt. "It's such a difficult thing, it's such a dangerous thing that there's always a fairly uncomfortably large chance that something could go wrong." Mars has been the graveyard for a multitude of space missions. Up to now, the success rate at the red planet has been only 40 percent, counting every attempted flyby, orbital flight and landing by the U.S., Russia and other countries since 1960. The U.S., however, has pulled off seven successful Mars landings in the past four decades, not counting InSight, with only one failed touchdown. No other country has managed to set and operate a spacecraft on the dusty red surface. InSight was shooting for Elysium Planitia, a plain near the Martian equator that the InSight team hopes is as flat as a parking lot in Kansas with few, if any, rocks. This is no rock-collecting expedition. Instead, the stationary 800-pound (360-kilogram) lander will use its 6-foot (1.8-meter) robotic arm to place a mechanical mole and seismometer on the ground. The self-hammering mole will burrow 16 feet (5 meters) down to measure the planet's internal heat, while the seismometer listens for possible quakes. NASA's InSight mission, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is designed to give the Red Planet its first thorough check up since it formed 4.5 billion years ago. Nothing like this has been attempted before at our next-door neighbor, nearly 100 million miles (160 million kilometers) away. No lander has dug deeper than several inches, and no seismometer has ever worked on Mars. By examining the interior of Mars, scientists hope to understand how our solar system's rocky planets formed 4.5 billion years ago and why they turned out so different — Mars cold and dry, Venus and Mercury burning hot, and Earth hospitable to life. InSight has no life-detecting capability, however. That will be left to future rovers. NASA's Mars 2020 mission, for instance, will collect rocks that will eventually be brought back to Earth and analyzed for evidence of ancient life. NASA's Insight mission is targeting a touchdown on Elysium Planitia, a flat-smooth plain just north of the equator that makes for the perfect location from which to study the deep Martian interior. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]After seven months of traveling through space, the NASA InSight mission has landed on Mars. A few minutes after landing, InSight sent the official “beep” to NASA to signal that it was alive and well, including a photo of the Martian surface where it landed. Mission Control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory exploded into celebratory applause and cheers after the touchdown was confirmed. The landing was watched around the world and even broadcast live on the Nasdaq Stock Market tower in New York City’s Times Square. During a post-landing NASA press conference, the astronauts on the International Space Station called down to congratulate the mission team and said they “got some goosebumps” watching the coverage. “Today, we successfully landed on Mars for the eighth time in human history,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said. “InSight will study the interior of Mars and will teach us valuable science as we prepare to send astronauts to the Moon and later to Mars. This accomplishment represents the ingenuity of America and our international partners, and it serves as a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our team. The best of NASA is yet to come, and it is coming soon.” Bridenstine said that Vice President Mike Pence called to congratulate the entire team. InSight, or Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is going to explore a part of Mars that we know the least about: its deep interior. It launched May 5. InSight will spend two years investigating the interior where the building blocks below the planet’s surface recorded its history. To reach Mars, InSight cruised 301,223,981 miles at a top speed of 6,200 miles per hour in space, followed by two cube satellites. The suitcase-size spacecraft, called MarCO, are the first cube satellites to fly into deep space. MarCO shared data about InSight when it entered the Martian atmosphere for the landing. “We’ve studied Mars from orbit and from the surface since 1965, learning about its weather, atmosphere, geology and surface chemistry,” said Lori Glaze, acting director of the Planetary Science Division in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “Now we finally will explore inside Mars and deepen our understanding of our terrestrial neighbor as NASA prepares to send human explorers deeper into the solar system.” The first image taken by InSight includes the dust cover still on the lens, which will be removed this week. The black specks are dust, and there’s a rock in the left foreground. To the right is one footpad of the lander. The MarCO cube satellites also bid farewell to InSight after it landed and their own mission ended. MarCO-B took an image of Mars from 4,700 miles away during its flyby at 3:10 p.m. ET after helping to establish communications with mission control about the landing. InSight robotically guided itself through the landing. The landing itself is a tricky maneuver. NASA engineers don’t call it “seven minutes of terror” for nothing. In less time than it takes to hard-boil an egg, InSight slowed from 12,300 mph to 5 mph before it gently landed on the surface of Mars, according to NASA. “While most of the country was enjoying Thanksgiving with their family and friends, the InSight team was busy making the final preparations for Monday’s landing,” said Tom Hoffman of JPL, InSight’s project manager. “Landing on Mars is difficult and takes a lot of personal sacrifices, such as missing the traditional Thanksgiving, but making InSight successful is well worth the extraordinary effort.” Only 40% of missions sent to the Red Planet by any agency have been successful. Part of this is due to the thin Martian atmosphere, which is only 1% of Earth’s, so there’s nothing to slow something trying to land on the surface. Like the Phoenix spacecraft, InSight had a parachute and retro rockets to slow its descent through the atmosphere, and three legs suspended from the lander absorbed the shock of touching down on the surface. But the engineers prepared the spacecraft to land during a dust storm if need be. About 20 minutes before landing, InSight separated from the cruise stage that helped bring it all the way to Mars and turned to position itself for entering the atmosphere. At 2:47 p.m. ET, the entry, descent and landing phase began, and InSight came blazing into the atmosphere at 12,300 mph. Peak heating of the protective heat shield reached 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit two minutes later. This is when the intense heat caused a temporary drop in the radio signal from the craft. Then, the parachute deployed, the craft separated from the heat shield, deployed its three legs and activated radar to sense how far it is from the ground. After getting that radar signal, it separated from the remaining shell and parachute, firing its descent engines known as retrorockets to help slow it down even more. In ballet-like fashion, InSight executed a gravity turn to make sure the lander was in the right position before touching down. It slowed until it reached a consistent 5 mph. Then, it touched down at 2:54 p.m. ET. Just before 3 p.m. ET, InSight sent a signal to let scientists on Earth know that it’s alive and well. “We hit the Martian atmosphere at 12,300 mph, and the whole sequence to touching down on the surface took only 6½ minutes,” Hoffman said. “During that short span of time, InSight had to autonomously perform dozens of operations and do them flawlessly — and by all indications, that is exactly what our spacecraft did.” Bruce Banerdt of JPL, InSight’s principal investigator, said, “It’s taken more than a decade to bring InSight from a concept to a spacecraft approaching Mars — and even longer since I was first inspired to try to undertake this kind of mission. But even after landing, we’ll need to be patient for the science to begin.” What happens next InSight’s two-year science mission won’t begin right away. It will take two to three months for the robotic arm to place the mission’s instruments on the surface. Meanwhile, mission scientists will photograph what can be seen from the lander’s perspective and monitor the environment. Science data isn’t expected until March. Later Monday, mission scientists should be able to confirm that the spacecraft’s solar arrays have unfurled. “We are solar-powered, so getting the arrays out and operating is a big deal,” Hoffman said. “With the arrays providing the energy, we need to start the cool science operations. We are well on our way to thoroughly investigate what’s inside of Mars for the very first time.” InSight landed at Elysium Planitia, called “the biggest parking lot on Mars” by astronomers. Because it won’t be roving over the surface, the landing site was an important determination. This spot is open, flat, safe and boring, which is what the scientists want for a stationary two-year mission. InSight will unfurl its solar panels and robotic arm and study the entire planet from its parking spot. It’s along the Martian equator, bright and warm enough to power the lander’s solar array year-round. The suite of geophysical instruments on InSight sounds like a doctor’s bag, giving Mars its first “checkup” since it formed. Together, those instruments will take measurements of Mars’ vital signs, like its pulse, temperature and reflexes — which translates to internal activity like seismology and the planet’s wobble as the sun and its moons tug on Mars. These instruments include the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structures to investigate what causes the seismic waves on Mars the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package to burrow beneath the surface and determine heat flowing out of the planet and the Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment to use radios to study the planet’s core. “Landing was thrilling, but I’m looking forward to the drilling,” Banerdt said. “When the first images come down, our engineering and science teams will hit the ground running, beginning to plan where to deploy our science instruments. Within two or three months, the arm will deploy the mission’s main science instruments, the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) and Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instruments.” Meanwhile, the mission for MarCO has ended. But it proves that cube satellites can survive the trek into deep space. “Every Mars landing is daunting, but now with InSight safely on the surface, we get to do a unique kind of science on Mars,” JPL director Michael Watkins said. “The experimental MarCO CubeSats have also opened a new door to smaller planetary spacecraft. The success of these two unique missions is a tribute to the hundreds of talented engineers and scientists who put their genius and labor into making this a great day.”[SEP]NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, that is currently orbiting the Red Planet, relayed the signals After the successful launch of NASA's InSight on Mars on Monday, the spacecraft has sent signals to Earth indicating that its solar panels are open and collecting sunlight on the Martian surface. NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, that is currently orbiting the Red Planet, relayed the signals. It was received on Earth at about 5.30 p.m. PST (8.30 p.m. EST), the US space agency said in a statement. Solar array deployment ensures the spacecraft can recharge its batteries each day. Odyssey also relayed a pair of images showing InSight's landing site. "The InSight team can rest a little easier tonight now that we know the spacecraft solar arrays are deployed and recharging the batteries," said Tom Hoffman, InSight's project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "It's been a long day for the team. But tomorrow begins an exciting new chapter for InSight: surface operations and the beginning of the instrument deployment phase," Hoffman added. On Monday, NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander successfully touched down on the Red Planet after an almost seven-month, 300-million-mile (458-million-kilometre) journey from Earth. InSight was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on May 5. The lander touched down on Monday, near Mars' equator on the western side of a flat, smooth expanse of lava called Elysium Planitia, with a signal affirming a completed landing sequence at approximately noon PST (3 p.m. EST). The spacecraft's two-year mission will be to study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed, NASA said. InSight's twin solar arrays are each seven feet (2.2 meters) wide when they're open, the entire lander is about the size of a big 1960s convertible. Mars has weaker sunlight than Earth because it's much farther away from the Sun. But the lander doesn't need much to operate: The panels provide 600 to 700 watts on a clear day, enough to power a household blender and plenty to keep its instruments conducting science on the Red Planet. Even when dust covers the panels -- what is likely to be a common occurrence on Mars -- they should be able to provide at least 200 to 300 watts. "We are solar powered, so getting the arrays out and operating is a big deal. With the arrays providing the energy we need to start the cool science operations, we are well on our way to thoroughly investigate what's inside of Mars for the very first time," Hoffman said. The panels are modelled on those used with NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, though InSight's are slightly larger in order to provide more power output and to increase their structural strength. These changes were necessary to support operations for one full Mars year (two Earth years). In the coming days, the mission team will unstow InSight's robotic arm and use the attached camera to snap photos of the ground so that engineers can decide where to place the spacecraft's scientific instruments. It will take two to three months before those instruments are fully deployed and send back data, NASA said. In the meantime, InSight will use its weather sensors and magnetometer to take readings from its landing site at Elysium Planitia -- its new home on Mars. With InSight landing successfully on Mars on Monday, NASA has successfully soft-landed a vehicle on the Red Planet eight times, the statement noted. "Today, we successfully landed on Mars for the eighth time in human history," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "InSight will study the interior of Mars, and will teach us valuable science as we prepare to send astronauts to the Moon and later to Mars. This accomplishment represents the ingenuity of America and our international partners and it serves as a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our team. The best of NASA is yet to come, and it is coming soon," he added. InSight will begin to collect science data within the first week after landing, though the teams will focus mainly on preparing to set InSight's instruments on the Martian ground. At least two days after touchdown, the engineering team will begin to deploy InSight's 5.9-foot-long (1.8-meter-long) robotic arm so that it can take images of the landscape. InSight will operate on the surface for one Martian year, plus 40 Martian days, or sols, until November 24, 2020. The mission objectives of the two small MarCOs which relayed InSight's telemetry was completed after their Martian flyby. Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

The NASA robotic lander InSight lands safely on the Elysium Planitia plain of Mars to study the geology of the red planet.

In this Oct. 10, 2018 photo, He Jiankui is reflected in a glass panel as he works at a computer at a laboratory in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province. Chinese scientist He claims he helped make world's first genetically edited babies: twin girls whose DNA he said he altered. He revealed it Monday, Nov. 26, in Hong Kong to one of the organizers of an international conference on gene editing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) In this Oct. 10, 2018 photo, He Jiankui is reflected in a glass panel as he works at a computer at a laboratory in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province. Chinese scientist He claims he helped make world's first genetically edited babies: twin girls whose DNA he said he altered. He revealed it Monday, Nov. 26, in Hong Kong to one of the organizers of an international conference on gene editing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) HONG KONG (AP) — A Chinese researcher claims that he helped make the world’s first genetically edited babies — twin girls born this month whose DNA he said he altered with a powerful new tool capable of rewriting the very blueprint of life. If true, it would be a profound leap of science and ethics. A U.S. scientist said he took part in the work in China, but this kind of gene editing is banned in the United States because the DNA changes can pass to future generations and it risks harming other genes. Many mainstream scientists think it’s too unsafe to try, and some denounced the Chinese report as human experimentation. The researcher, He Jiankui of Shenzhen, said he altered embryos for seven couples during fertility treatments, with one pregnancy resulting thus far. He said his goal was not to cure or prevent an inherited disease, but to try to bestow a trait that few people naturally have — an ability to resist possible future infection with HIV, the AIDS virus. He said the parents involved declined to be identified or interviewed, and he would not say where they live or where the work was done. There is no independent confirmation of He’s claim, and it has not been published in a journal, where it would be vetted by other experts. He revealed it Monday in Hong Kong to one of the organizers of an international conference on gene editing that is set to begin Tuesday, and earlier in exclusive interviews with The Associated Press. “I feel a strong responsibility that it’s not just to make a first, but also make it an example,” He told the AP. “Society will decide what to do next” in terms of allowing or forbidding such science. Some scientists were astounded to hear of the claim and strongly condemned it. It’s “unconscionable ... an experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible,” said Dr. Kiran Musunuru, a University of Pennsylvania gene editing expert and editor of a genetics journal. “This is far too premature,” said Dr. Eric Topol, who heads the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California. “We’re dealing with the operating instructions of a human being. It’s a big deal.” However, one famed geneticist, Harvard University’s George Church, defended attempting gene editing for HIV, which he called “a major and growing public health threat.” “I think this is justifiable,” Church said of that goal. In recent years scientists have discovered a relatively easy way to edit genes, the strands of DNA that govern the body. The tool, called CRISPR-cas9, makes it possible to operate on DNA to supply a needed gene or disable one that’s causing problems. It’s only recently been tried in adults to treat deadly diseases, and the changes are confined to that person. Editing sperm, eggs or embryos is different — the changes can be inherited. In the U.S., it’s not allowed except for lab research. China outlaws human cloning but not specifically gene editing. He Jiankui (HEH JEE’-an-qway), who goes by “JK,” studied at Rice and Stanford universities in the U.S. before returning to his homeland to open a lab at Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, where he also has two genetics companies. The university said He’s work “seriously violated academic ethics and standards” and planned to investigate. A spokesman for He confirmed that he has been on leave from teaching since early this year, but he remains on the faculty and has a lab at the school. The U.S. scientist who worked with him on this project after He returned to China was physics and bioengineering professor Michael Deem, who was his adviser at Rice in Houston. Deem also holds what he called “a small stake” in — and is on the scientific advisory boards of — He’s two companies. The Chinese researcher said he practiced editing mice, monkey and human embryos in the lab for several years and has applied for patents on his methods. He said he chose embryo gene editing for HIV because these infections are a big problem in China. He sought to disable a gene called CCR5 that forms a protein doorway that allows HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to enter a cell. All of the men in the project had HIV and all of the women did not, but the gene editing was not aimed at preventing the small risk of transmission, He said. The fathers had their infections deeply suppressed by standard HIV medicines and there are simple ways to keep them from infecting offspring that do not involve altering genes. Instead, the appeal was to offer couples affected by HIV a chance to have a child that might be protected from a similar fate. He recruited couples through a Beijing-based AIDS advocacy group called Baihualin. Its leader, known by the pseudonym “Bai Hua,” told the AP that it’s not uncommon for people with HIV to lose jobs or have trouble getting medical care if their infections are revealed. Here is how He described the work: The gene editing occurred during IVF, or lab dish fertilization. First, sperm was “washed” to separate it from semen, the fluid where HIV can lurk. A single sperm was placed into a single egg to create an embryo. Then the gene editing tool was added. When the embryos were 3 to 5 days old, a few cells were removed and checked for editing. Couples could choose whether to use edited or unedited embryos for pregnancy attempts. In all, 16 of 22 embryos were edited, and 11 embryos were used in six implant attempts before the twin pregnancy was achieved, He said. Tests suggest that one twin had both copies of the intended gene altered and the other twin had just one altered, with no evidence of harm to other genes, He said. People with one copy of the gene can still get HIV, although some very limited research suggests their health might decline more slowly once they do. Several scientists reviewed materials that He provided to the AP and said tests so far are insufficient to say the editing worked or to rule out harm. They also noted evidence that the editing was incomplete and that at least one twin appears to be a patchwork of cells with various changes. “It’s almost like not editing at all” if only some of certain cells were altered, because HIV infection can still occur, Church said. Church and Musunuru questioned the decision to allow one of the embryos to be used in a pregnancy attempt, because the Chinese researchers said they knew in advance that both copies of the intended gene had not been altered. “In that child, there really was almost nothing to be gained in terms of protection against HIV and yet you’re exposing that child to all the unknown safety risks,” Musunuru said. The use of that embryo suggests that the researchers’ “main emphasis was on testing editing rather than avoiding this disease,” Church said. Even if editing worked perfectly, people without normal CCR5 genes face higher risks of getting certain other viruses, such as West Nile, and of dying from the flu. Since there are many ways to prevent HIV infection and it’s very treatable if it occurs, those other medical risks are a concern, Musunuru said. There also are questions about the way He said he proceeded. He gave official notice of his work long after he said he started it — on Nov. 8, on a Chinese registry of clinical trials. It’s unclear whether participants fully understood the purpose and potential risks and benefits. For example, consent forms called the project an “AIDS vaccine development” program. The Rice scientist, Deem, said he was present in China when potential participants gave their consent and that he “absolutely” thinks they were able to understand the risks. Deem said he worked with He on vaccine research at Rice and considers the gene editing similar to a vaccine. “That might be a layman’s way of describing it,” he said. Both men are physics experts with no experience running human clinical trials. The Chinese scientist, He, said he personally made the goals clear and told participants that embryo gene editing has never been tried before and carries risks. He said he also would provide insurance coverage for any children conceived through the project and plans medical follow-up until the children are 18 and longer if they agree once they’re adults. Further pregnancy attempts are on hold until the safety of this one is analyzed and experts in the field weigh in, but participants were not told in advance that they might not have a chance to try what they signed up for once a “first” was achieved, He acknowledged. Free fertility treatment was part of the deal they were offered. He sought and received approval for his project from Shenzhen Harmonicare Women’s and Children’s Hospital, which is not one of the four hospitals that He said provided embryos for his research or the pregnancy attempts. Some staff at some of the other hospitals were kept in the dark about the nature of the research, which He and Deem said was done to keep some participants’ HIV infection from being disclosed. “We think this is ethical,” said Lin Zhitong, a Harmonicare administrator who heads the ethics panel. Any medical staff who handled samples that might contain HIV were aware, He said. An embryologist in He’s lab, Qin Jinzhou, confirmed to the AP that he did sperm washing and injected the gene editing tool in some of the pregnancy attempts. The study participants are not ethicists, He said, but “are as much authorities on what is correct and what is wrong because it’s their life on the line.” “I believe this is going to help the families and their children,” He said. If it causes unwanted side effects or harm, “I would feel the same pain as they do and it’s going to be my own responsibility.” ___ AP science writer Christina Larson, video journalist Emily Wang and researcher Fu Ting contributed to this report from Beijing and Shenzhen, China. ___ This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.[SEP]Hong Kong (CNN) The Chinese government has ordered an "immediate investigation" into the alleged delivery of the world's first genetically edited babies, as experts worldwide voiced outrage at such use of the technology. The pushback comes amid claims made online by Chinese scientist He Jiankui that twin girls had been born with DNA altered to make them resistant to HIV, a groundbreaking move that is likely to spark significant ethical questions around gene editing and so-called designer babies. He, a professor at Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, claims that his lab had been editing embryos' genetic codes for seven couples undergoing in-vitro fertilization. In a video posted to YouTube on Monday , the Chinese researcher said that one of the pregnancies had been successful and that ostensibly healthy twin girls Lulu and Nana had been born "a few weeks ago." He claims that he used a tool known as CRISPR-cas9, which can insert or deactivate certain genes. In his YouTube video, He describes the procedure as having "removed the doorway through which HIV enters." He's claims have neither been independently verified nor peer-reviewed. Editing the genes of embryos intended for pregnancy is banned in many counties, including the United States. In the UK, editing of embryos may be permitted for research purposes with strict regulatory approval. It is unknown whether the procedure is safe or, if used in pregnancy, whether it can have unintended consequences for the babies later in life or for future generations. China has invested heavily in gene-editing technology, with the government bankrolling research into a number of world "firsts," including the first use of the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 in humans in 2016 and the first reported use of gene editing technology to modify nonviable human embryos in 2015. More recently researchers in China claimed to have bred healthy mice from same-sex parents, using gene editing technology. But in a statement posted Tuesday morning, China's National Health Commission said that it had "immediately requested the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission to seriously investigate and verify" the claims made by He Jiankui. The statement follows moves by the Chinese hospital named in He's ethical approval documents, Shenzhen Harmonicare Women's and Children's Hospital, to distance itself from involvement in the procedures. "We can ensure that the research wasn't conducted in our hospital nor were the babies born here," a hospital representative told CNN. The hospital confirmed that two of the doctors named in He's documents work at the hospital and suggested that an internal investigation was underway. An initial investigation by the hospital said that signatures on He's ethics review form are suspected to be forged. The hospital has never convened an ethics committee meeting on it, according to a statement on its WeChat account , and the facility will ask police to intervene and investigate it and hold related people accountable by law. The Shenzhen Health and Family Planning Commission denounced the legitimacy of the hospital ethics committee and the review process that approved the application. It confirmed that an investigation was launched Monday to "verify the authenticity of the ethical review of the research reported by media." He's University, Southern University of Science and Technology, said in a statement that the researcher has been on leave since February 1. "The research work was carried out outside the school by Associate Professor He Jiankui. He did not report to the school or the department of biology. The university and the biology department are not aware of it," the institution said, adding that "the Academic Committee of the Department of Biology believes that it seriously violates academic ethics and academic norms." A 'huge blow' to Chinese research A joint statement issued by more than 120 Chinese scientists on the Chinese social media site Weibo condemns the human genome-editing research. "The medical ethics review exists in the name only. Directly experimenting on human is nothing but crazy ... as soon as a living human is produced, no one could predict what kind of impact it will bring, as the modified inheritable substance will inevitably blend into human genome pool," they wrote, adding that the trial is a "huge blow" to the reputation of Chinese biomedical research. "It's extremely unfair to Chinese scientist who are diligent, innovative and defending the bottom line of scientific ethics." Julian Savulescu, director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, described the alleged births as "genetic Russian Roulette." "If true, this experiment is monstrous," he said. "The embryos were healthy. No known diseases. Gene editing itself is experimental and is still associated with off-target mutations, capable of causing genetic problems early and later in life, including the development of cancer. "There are many effective ways to prevent HIV in healthy individuals: For example, protected sex. And there are effective treatments if one does contract it," Savulescu said. Joyce Harper, a professor in genetics and human embryology at the Institute for Women's Health at University College London, described the alleged research "premature, dangerous and irresponsible," calling for public debate and legislation. Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team. "Before this procedure comes anywhere near clinical practice, we need years of work to show that meddling with the genome of the embryo is not going to cause harm to the future person," she said in a statement. Despite ethical concerns in the West, a recent study suggested that the Chinese public is broadly in favor of using gene-editing for medical purposes. An online survey conducted by Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou found that more than two-thirds of the 4,771 people surveyed (575 of whom reportedly have HIV), supported its use in treating diseases, according to the state-run tabloid Global Times. "(Chinese people) have a high willingness to use of gene in disease prevention and treatment," Liang Chen, a professor at Sun Yat-Sen University was quoted as saying. "This suggests that the research of gene editing in China not only has a promising potential, but also is responding to the public's needs."[SEP]A Chinese hospital has denied involvement in the alleged delivery of the world’s first genetically-edited babies and experts worldwide have voiced outrage at such use of the technology. The push back comes amid claims made online by scientist He Jiankui that twin girls had been born with DNA altered to make them resistant to HIV, a ground-breaking move that could potentially spark huge scientific and ethical dilemmas. He, a professor at Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, claims that his lab had been editing embryos’ genetic codes for seven couples undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF). In a video posted to YouTube Monday, the Chinese researcher said that one of the pregnancies had been successful, and that ostensibly healthy twin girls Lulu and Nana had been born “a few weeks ago.” He claims that he used a tool known as CRISPR-cas9, which can insert or deactivate certain genes. In his YouTube video, He describes the procedure as having “removed the doorway through which HIV enters.” But the hospital named in He’s ethical approval documents, Shenzhen Harmonicare Women’s and Children’s Hospital, has denied involvement in the procedures. “We can ensure that the research wasn’t conducted in our hospital nor were the babies born here,” a hospital spokesperson told CNN. The hospital confirmed that two of the doctors named in He’s documents work at the hospital, and suggested that an internal investigation was underway. The Shenzhen Health and Family Planning Commission denounced the legitimacy of the hospital ethics committee and the review process that approved the application. It confirmed an investigation was launched Monday to “verify the authenticity of the ethical review of the research reported by media.” He’s University, Southern University of Science and Technology, said in a statement that the researcher has been on leave since February 1, 2018. “The research work was carried out outside the school by Associate Professor He Jiankui. He did not report to the school or the department of biology. The university and the biology department are not aware of it,” the institution said, adding that “the Academic Committee of the Department of Biology believes that it seriously violates academic ethics and academic norms.” He’s claims have neither been independently verified nor peer-reviewed. But if true, the procedure would raise significant ethical questions around gene-editing and so-called “designer” babies. Editing the genes of embryos intended for pregnancy is banned in many counties, including the US. In the UK editing of embryos may be permitted for research purposes with strict regulatory approval. It is unknown whether the procedure is safe or, if used in pregnancy, whether it can have unintended consequences for the babies later in life, or for future generations. A joint statement has been issued by more than 120 Chinese scientists on the Chinese social media site Wiebo condemning the human genome-editing research. “The medical ethics review exists in the name only. Directly experimenting on human is nothing but crazy… as soon as a living human is produced, no one could predict what kind of impact it will bring, as the modified inheritable substance will inevitably blend into human genome pool,” they wrote, adding that the trial is a “huge blow” to the reputation of Chinese biomedical research. “It’s extremely unfair to Chinese scientist who are diligent, innovative and defending the bottom line of scientific ethics.” Julian Savulescu, director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, described the alleged births as “genetic Russian Roulette.” “If true, this experiment is monstrous,” he said. “The embryos were healthy. No known diseases. Gene editing itself is experimental and is still associated with off-target mutations, capable of causing genetic problems early and later in life, including the development of cancer. “There are many effective ways to prevent HIV in healthy individuals: For example, protected sex. And there are effective treatments if one does contract it,” Savulescu said. Joyce Harper, a professor in genetics and human embryology at the Institute for Women’s Health, UCL, described the alleged research “premature, dangerous and irresponsible,” calling for public debate and legislation. “Before this procedure comes anywhere near clinical practice, we need years of work to show that meddling with the genome of the embryo is not going to cause harm to the future person,” she said in a statement. Yalda Jamshidi, senior lecturer in human genetics, St George’s, University of London pointed out that such controversial research is not necessary for preventing HIV. “We already have ways to prevent HIV infection and available treatments should it occur. We also do not need gene editing to ensure it isn’t passed on to offspring,” she said. “We know very little about the long term effects, and most people would agree that experimentation on humans for an avoidable condition just to improve our knowledge is morally and ethically unacceptable. Despite ethical concerns in the West, a recent study suggested that the Chinese public is broadly in favor of using gene-editing for medical purposes. An online survey conducted by Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou found that more than two-thirds of the 4,771 people surveyed (575 of whom reportedly have HIV), supported its use in treating diseases, according to the state-run tabloid Global Times. “(Chinese people) have a high willingness to use of gene in disease prevention and treatment,” Liang Chen, a professor at Sun Yat-Sen University is quoted as saying. “This suggests that the research of gene editing in China not only has a promising potential, but also is responding to the public’s needs.”[SEP]A Chinese scientist who studied in the U.S. said Monday that he created the first genetically edited babies who were born earlier in November and were modified to be unable to contract HIV. The alleged gene editing sparked an outcry from many in the scientific community who say there is not enough research to justify exposing children to the potential downsides of the experimentation. Scientist He Jiankui’s claims have not been verified by independent experts, but he told The Associated Press that he edited two embryos made with the sperm of an HIV-positive father who was one of seven participating in He’s program. Those two embryos, twin girls, were implanted in a mother without HIV. The identities of the people involved in the study have not been revealed, in part because of stigma against HIV-positive individuals in China, according to the AP. He studied at Rice and Stanford universities, both prestigious schools located in the U.S., and now works at the Southern University of Science and Technology of China. He also owns two genetics companies in China, reported the AP. “I feel a strong responsibility that it’s not just to make a first, but also make it an example,” He told the AP. “Society will decide what to do next.” He made the announcement a day before the International Summit on Human Genome Editing begins in Hong Kong Tuesday, according to the MIT Technology Review. Many countries, including the U.S., ban the type of gene editing He said he performed because edited DNA can be passed down to future generations. The method is also “associated with off-target mutations, capable of causing genetic problems … including the development of cancer,” said Julian Savulescu, the Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics at Oxford University. “If true, this experiment is monstrous. The embryos were healthy. No known diseases,” Savulescu said in a statement Monday. “There are many effective ways to prevent HIV in healthy individuals … In many other places in the world, this would be illegal punishable by imprisonment.” Scientist He said he used a tool called CRISPR-cas9 to delete a gene called CCR5 that acts as a “doorway” to allow the HIV virus to enter a cell, according to the AP. CRISPR-cas9 is called a “molecular scissor” and has been used to edit genes in adults with deadly diseases, a technique the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has encouraged. The technique has even been used to treat hemophilia, a genetic disorder that keeps blood from clotting properly. Those DNA edits in adults are not heritable, but the edits He said his team made would be heritable. The twins He said were born after he genetically engineered them as embryos are being referred to as “Lulu” and “Nana.” It appears that one twin had both copies of the CCR5 gene edited while the other twin only had one copy edited, He said. He’s trial involved seven couples, and the scientist used 11 embryos in six implant attempts before Lulu and Nana implanted, according to the AP. Editing embryos’ genes is allowed in the U.S. only in laboratory research. But some Americans would support the technique spreading outside the lab in the future. Seventy-two percent of respondents believed that embryonic gene editing to “to treat a serious disease or condition that the baby would have at birth” is an appropriate use of technology, according to Pew survey conducted in April and May. A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. 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"When Lulu and Nana were just a single cell, this surgery removed a doorway through which HIV enter to infect people," He says in the video, one of several posted online to justify and explain the work. Because the research has not yet been published in a scientific journal or carefully vetted by other scientists, many researchers and bioethicists remain cautious about the claim. But, if true, many said the move would be historic, comparing it to the birth of Louise Brown, the first baby created through in-vitro fertilization, IVF. "This event might be analogous to Louise Brown in 1978," wrote George Church, a prominent Harvard geneticist, in an email. "Both anecdotal — yet healthy baby girls can have an impact," Church wrote. He and Church are among hundreds of scientists gathering at the Second International Summit on Human Gene Editing in Hong Kong. The summit was organized try to reach a global consensus on whether and how it would be ethical to create genetically modified human beings with CRISPR. He's claims immediately sparked widespread criticism from attendees at the summit and elsewhere. "This work is a break from the cautious and transparent approach of the global scientific community's application of CRISPR-Cas9 for human germline editing," Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist at the University of California, Berkeley, said in an interview. Doudna helped discover CRISPR and organize the summit. "All of us that are here at this conference are struggling to figure out what was done and also whether the process was done properly. We just don't know yet," says Jennifer Doudna says. But the claim "really reinforces the urgent need to confine the use of gene-editing in human embryos to settings where there's a clear unmet medical need and where there's no alternative viable approach," says Doudna. She does not think that is the case in this situation. "If this was done to avoid HIV infection, there are alternative ways to prevent infection that are already effective," Doudna says, such as "washing" the sperm of infected men to eliminate HIV. "Why would you use this instead of an already established approach?" Doudna says. For their research, He and his colleagues say they used CRISPR to make changes in one-day old embryos in a gene called CCR5. The CCR5 gene enables HIV to enter and infect immune system cells. Scientists have long searched for ways to block this pathway to protect people from HIV. He's team used CRISPR to edit 16 embryos, and implanted 11 edited embryos into the wombs of women to attempt to create a viable pregnancy before the twin pregnancy was achieved, according to the Associated Press, which first reported He's claims. "No gene was changed except the one to prevent HIV infection," He says. The twins appear to be healthy, and underwent detailed genetic analysis. "This verified the gene surgery worked safely," He says. Nevetheless, other scientists questioned whether the editing really worked, an argue it was far too soon for the team to try the experiment. "It is premature at this stage of technology," wrote Shoukhrat Mitalipov, a scientist at the Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, Ore. Mitalipov was the first scientist to report using CRISPR to successfully edit human embryos, but stopped far short of trying to use them to make babies. "Although I appreciate the global threat posed by HIV, at this stage, the risks of editing embryos to knock out CCR5 seem to outweigh the potential benefits," wrote Feng Zhang, a CRISPR pioneer at MIT. Zhang noted that knocking out the CCR5 gene "will likely render a person much more susceptible for West Nile Virus." CRISPR enables scientists to make very precise changes in DNA much more easily than ever before. As a result, it's revolutionizing scientific research and raising high hopes for major breakthroughs, including preventing and treating many diseases. But making changes in human DNA that could be passed down for generations has long been considered off-limits. One reason is that a mistake could introduce a new disease that could be passed down for generations. Another is that it could open the door to "designer babies" — children that are modified for non-medical reasons, such as to be taller, stronger or smarter. "If it's true as reported, then it's an extremely premature and questionable experiment in creating genetically modified children," agrees Jeffrey Kahn, a bioethicist at Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics attending the Hong Kong summit. But the development of CRISPR has prompted some scientists to re-think that prohibition for medical purposes. And researchers around the world have been racing to determine how it could be done safely. Many scientists believe it is inevitable, but should be restricted to situations where no alternative is available. "If true, this amounts to unethical and reckless experimentation on human beings, and a grave abuse of human rights," said Marcy Darnovsky, executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society, a genetic watchdog group. "Throwing open the door to a society of genetic haves and have-nots undermines our chances for a fair and just future," Darnovsky says. He acknowledges his work could spark criticism, but defends the step. "I understand my work will be controversial. But I believe families need this technology. And I am will to take the criticism for them," He says.[SEP]A Chinese scientist has claimed that he has helped birth the world's first-ever genetically edited babies — a pair of twin girls. Their DNA was reportedly altered using a new and powerful tool called CRISPR-Cas9. He Jiankui says it is now possible to rewrite the very blueprint of life. If He Jiankui's claims are true, this development would be a profound leap in the field of genetics as well as scientific ethics, points out an AP report. An American scientist has also reportedly taken part in the experiment in China. Gene editing on humans is banned in the US, notes the report, because modifying genes and making changes in the DNA could possibly move from one generation to the next and there is an ever-present threat to the health of other genes as well. It is said that many mainstream scientists feel like gene-editing humans are too unsafe to try, and others are said to have denounced this Chinese research as it being akin to human experimentation. He Jiankui of Shenzhen, who goes by "JK", the scientist who carried out this research, told AP that he modified the embryos for seven couples when they were undergoing fertility treatments. So far, says JK, it has resulted in one pregnancy. JK says the goal was not to cure or prevent any diseases that a child might inherit but to try and give it a trait that a small percentage of humans naturally have—the ability to possibly resist future HIV infections. HIV is responsible for AIDS and a cure for the disease is yet to be found. He claims that the parents involved in the study have declined to be interviewed, and also refused to disclose the location of where the research was carried out. AP has also said that, so far, there is no independent analysis or any confirmation of He and his work, and it is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal so that it can be thoroughly vetted by other researchers and experts in the field. JK spoke of his study this week in Hong Kong, notes the report, to one organizer of an international conference on gene editing and has also spoken to the AP on what his research has found so far. "I feel a strong responsibility that it's not just to make a first, but also make it an example," He told the AP. "Society will decide what to do next" in terms of allowing or forbidding such science. Fellow members of the scientific community have strongly condemned He's work. It's "unconscionable... an experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible," said Dr Kiran Musunuru, a gene-editing expert from the University of Pennsylvania. "This is far too premature," added Dr Eric Topol, who heads the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California. "We're dealing with the operating instructions of a human being. It's a big deal." George Church, from Harvard, however, defended this research. More so because it deals with HIV, the disease, he says, is "a major and growing public health threat." "I think this is justifiable," Church said of trying to combat it. HIV, according to the WHO's Global Health Observatory Data, is a global epidemic where more than 70 million people have been infected and about 35 million people have died. Gene editing is a process of modifying strands of DNA that controls the entire body. It can be easily edited using a tool called CRISPR-Cas9. It can effectively perform operations on the DNA directly and theoretically, one can supply a needed gene to the strands or even disable the one that's causing problems, notes AP. JK said he was able to gain practice by editing mice, monkey, and human embryos in labs for several years. He has even applied for patents for some of his methods as a result of his study. Embryo gene editing for HIV was chosen because it is a major health issue in China. As to how exactly JK has gone about it, he says that he sought to disable the CCR5 gene. It forms something of a protein doorway which allows HIV to enter a cell, eventually reproduces rapidly and take over the immune system. All the men involved in this project were HIV positive and all the women were not. The target of the gene editing research, however, was not aimed at preventing a risk of transmission. All the male subjects had their HIV infections suppressed by HIV medicines that are now easily available all over the world and there are ways to keep the infection from spreading to their babies that already exist and they do not involve and gene altering. The research, however, was to offer HIV positive people a way to have children with immunity to the deadly virus. JK then went on explain the process—gene editing, he says, was carried out during IVF or lab fertilisation. First, the sperm cells were "washed" to separate them from semen, this is where HIV could possibly be found. A single sperm cell, he says, was placed into a single egg and an embryo was thus formed. It is at this point that the gene editing was carried out. At around 3 to 5 days old, a few cells were taken from the embryo and checked if it was possible to edit them. At this point, couples were told that they could choose whether to use edited or unedited embryos for their pregnancy attempts. In the research, says JK, 16 out of 22 embryos were edited. Eleven edited embryos were then used in six implant attempts before one of the couples were able to achieve the twin pregnancy, He said. So far, one of the twins had both copies of the edited gene-altered while the other twin had just one altered. There is also no evidence of any harm to the embryos' other genes. In general, those with one copy of the gene can still contract HIV, but there are chances that their rate of decline, when it comes to health could happen more slowly if they do. A number of scientists have so far reviewed data that He gave to the AP, notes the report. They have said that the tests so far are insufficient. There is not enough evidence to conclusively state whether or not the editing worked so far as to rule out harm caused to the embryos. "It's almost like not editing at all" if only certain cells go through alteration, HIV infection can still occur, Church said. The use of that embryo suggests that the researchers' "main emphasis was on testing editing rather than avoiding this disease," Church said.[SEP]Scientists have been abuzz with excitement ever since it became clear that CRISPR would unlock a new world of powerful gene editing techniques. Teams around the world have experimented with CRISPR-based gene editing techniques in human embryos, but no one has allowed those embryos to become living, breathing people — until now. A Chinese team claims to have used CRISPR to make two infants that are resistant to HIV infection. The CRISPR/Cas9 system was derived from bacterial cells and allows scientists to make precise cuts in DNA. Cas9 is the enzyme that actually makes the cut, but it needs CRISPR DNA sequences as a guide to find the right location in a genome. Researchers have used CRISPR in the lab to neuter disease-carrying mosquitoes, halt HIV replication inside cells, and engineer bacteria that can eat plastic. There is no scientific consensus on the ethics of editing genes in human embryos for the purpose of reproduction, but now we may be seeing the world’s first “designer babies.” According to He Jiankui of the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, his team used CRISPR to edit the genes of human embryos that eventually became twin girls Lulu and Nana. The change to the twins’ CCR5 gene causes their cells to carry a mutated form of the CCR5 protein. This mutation should protect them from HIV infection. In a video posted after the announcement, He Jiankui explains why they chose to focus on HIV first. While medication can control HIV and prevent the development of AIDS, we know some people won’t develop an infection even when exposed to the virus. HIV uses CCR5 to gain access to white blood cells, where it replicates and goes on to infect more cells. As a result, the CCR5 gene is one of the most studied in the human genome, and we’ve identified a variant that blocks HIV. Those with the mutated CCR5 gene don’t have the matching cell surface protein for HIV, so the virus particles can’t get into cells. The gene editing procedure in China replicated this mutation in day-old embryos to imbue the resulting babies with the same resistance. The team created 16 edited embryos and implanted 11 of them in women before the twin pregnancy occurred. He Jiankui says the twins are healthy and have undergone genetic testing to ensure the modified gene was present and no other genes had been changed. It’s important to stress that this research has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. The Southern University of Science and Technology also issued a statement that it was not involved in the experiment, which took place at an outside facility. Scientists around the world are expressing a mix of skepticism and shock following the announcement. Many of them say that using CRISPR to create modified humans is reckless when the technology is still so new. If the results are confirmed, there are serious ethical questions to consider. Chinese medical authorities are pledging to investigate. Now read: Scientists Use CRISPR to Block HIV Replication Inside Living Cells, CRISPR Gene Editing May Have Unanticipated Side Effects, and Could We Be the Last Generation to Know What the Flu Feels Like?[SEP]A Chinese researcher claims he helped make the world’s first genetically edited babies — twin girls whose DNA he said he altered with a powerful new tool capable of rewriting the very blueprint of life. If true, it would be a profound leap of science and ethics. A US scientist said he took part in the work in China, but this kind of gene editing is banned in the United States because the DNA changes can pass to future generations and it risks harming other genes. Many mainstream scientists think it is too unsafe to try, and some denounced the Chinese report as human experimentation. The researcher, He Jiankui of Shenzhen, said he altered embryos for seven couples during fertility treatments, with one pregnancy resulting thus far. He said his goal was not to cure or prevent an inherited disease, but to try to bestow a trait that few people naturally have — an ability to resist possible future infection with HIV, the AIDS virus. He said the parents involved declined to be identified or interviewed, and he would not say where they live or where the work was done. There is no independent confirmation of Mr He’s claim, and it has not been published in a journal, where it would be vetted by other experts. He revealed it on Monday in Hong Kong to one of the organisers of an international conference on gene editing that is set to begin on Tuesday. “I feel a strong responsibility that it’s not just to make a first, but also make it an example,” Mr He told the AP. “Society will decide what to do next” in terms of allowing or forbidding such science, he added. Some scientists were astounded to hear of the claim and strongly condemned it. Dr Kiran Musunuru, a University of Pennsylvania gene editing expert and editor of a genetics journal, said it was “unconscionable … an experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible”. “This is far too premature,” said Dr Eric Topol, who heads the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California. “We’re dealing with the operating instructions of a human being. It’s a big deal.” However, one famed geneticist, Harvard University’s George Church, defended attempting gene editing for HIV, which he called “a major and growing public health threat”. In recent years, scientists have discovered a relatively easy way to edit genes, the strands of DNA that govern the body. The tool, called CRISPR-cas9, makes it possible to operate on DNA to supply a needed gene or disable one that is causing problems. It has only recently been tried in adults to treat deadly diseases, and the changes are confined to that person. Editing sperm, eggs or embryos is different — the changes can be inherited. China outlaws human cloning but not specifically gene editing. Mr He studied at Rice and Stanford universities in the US before returning to his homeland to open a lab at Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, where he also has two genetics companies. The US scientist who worked with him on this project after Mr He returned to China was physics and bioengineering professor Michael Deem, who was his adviser at Rice in Houston. The Chinese researcher said he practised editing mice, monkey and human embryos in the lab for several years and has applied for patents on his methods. He said he chose embryo gene editing for HIV because these infections were a big problem in China. He sought to disable a gene called CCR5 that forms a protein doorway that allows HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to enter a cell. All of the men in the project had HIV and all of the women did not, but the gene editing was not aimed at preventing the small risk of transmission, Mr He said. Instead, the appeal was to offer couples affected by HIV a chance to have a child that might be protected from a similar fate. He said the gene editing occurred during IVF, or lab dish fertilisation. First, sperm was “washed” to separate it from semen, the fluid where HIV can lurk. A single sperm was placed into a single egg to create an embryo. Then the gene editing tool was used. When the embryos were three to five days old, a few cells were removed and checked for editing. Couples could choose whether to use edited or unedited embryos for pregnancy attempts. Eleven embryos were used in six attempts before the twin pregnancy was achieved, Mr He said. Tests suggest that one of the twins, born this month, had both copies of the intended gene altered and the other twin had just one altered, with no evidence of harm to other genes, Mr He said. People with one copy can still get HIV. Several scientists reviewed materials that Mr He provided to the AP and said tests so far were insufficient to draw conclusions. “I believe this is going to help the families and their children,” said Mr He. If it causes unwanted side effects or harm, “I would feel the same pain as they do and it’s going to be my own responsibility”, he added.[SEP]A scientist claims to have helped create the world's first genetically-modified humans during laboratory work in China. The DNA of twin girls was altered with a powerful new tool capable of rewriting the very blueprint of life, Chinese researcher Dr He Jiankui says. He claims the babies, named LuLu and Nana, were born a few weeks ago and have a resistance to infection with HIV, the AIDS virus. A US scientist said he took part in the work in China, but this kind of gene editing is banned in the United States due to risks that altered DNA will warp other genes. These potentially dangerous changes may then be passed down to future generations. Gene editing is banned in Britain, the US many other parts of the world, and researchers said that, if Dr He's claims are true, the 'monstrous' experiment was 'not morally or ethically defensible.' Dr Jiankui, of the Southern University of Science and Technology, in Shenzhen, said he altered embryos for seven couples during fertility treatments, with one pregnancy resulting thus far. He said his goal was not to cure or prevent an inherited disease, but to try to bestow a trait that few people naturally have - an ability to resist infection with HIV. He said the parents involved declined to be identified or interviewed, and would not say where they live or where the work was done. There is no independent confirmation of Dr He's claim, and it has not been published in a journal, where it would be vetted by other experts. He announced the research Monday in Hong Kong to an organiser of an international conference on gene editing that is set to begin Tuesday, and earlier in exclusive interviews with The Associated Press. 'I feel a strong responsibility that it's not just to make a first, but also make it an example,' he told the AP. Society will decide what to do next' in terms of allowing or forbidding such science. Some scientists were astounded to hear of the claim and strongly condemned it. It's 'unconscionable ... an experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible,' said Dr Kiran Musunuru, a University of Pennsylvania gene editing expert and editor of a genetics journal. 'This is far too premature,' said Dr Eric Topol, who heads the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California. 'We're dealing with the operating instructions of a human being. It's a big deal.' 'If true, this experiment is monstrous,' said Professor Julian Savulescu, Director of the University of Oxford's Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics. 'These healthy babies are being used as genetic guinea pigs. This is genetic Russian Roulette.' However, one famed geneticist, Harvard University's Professor George Church, defended attempting gene editing for HIV, which he called 'a major and growing public health threat.' 'I think this is justifiable,' Professor Church said of that goal. In recent years scientists have discovered a relatively easy way to edit genes, the strands of DNA that govern the body. The tool, called CRISPR-cas9, makes it possible to operate on DNA to supply a needed gene or disable one that's causing problems. It's only recently been tried in adults to treat deadly diseases, with all edits confined to that person, meaning they cannot be passed down to their children. Editing sperm, eggs or embryos is different - the changes can be inherited. In the US, it's not allowed except for lab research. China outlaws human cloning but not specifically gene editing. Dr He Jiankui (HEH JEE'-an-qway), who goes by 'JK,' studied at Rice and Stanford universities in the US before returning to his homeland to open a lab at Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, where he also has two genetics companies. The US scientist who worked with him on this project after Dr He returned to China was physics and bioengineering Professor Michael Deem, who was his adviser at Rice in Houston. Professor Deem also holds what he called 'a small stake' in - and is on the scientific advisory boards of - Dr He's two companies. The Chinese researcher said he practiced editing mice, monkey and human embryos in the lab for several years and has applied for patents on his methods. Dr He said he chose to try embryo gene editing for HIV because these infections are a big problem in China. He sought to disable a gene called CCR5 that forms a protein doorway that allows HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to enter a cell. All of the men in the project had HIV and all of the women did not, but the gene editing was not aimed at preventing the small risk of transmission, Dr He said. The fathers had their infections deeply suppressed by standard HIV medicines and there are simple ways to keep them from infecting offspring that do not involve altering genes. Instead, the appeal was to offer couples affected by HIV a chance to have a child that might be protected from a similar fate. Its leader, known by the pseudonym 'Bai Hua,' told the AP that it's not uncommon for people with HIV to lose jobs or have trouble getting medical care if their infections are revealed. Describing the work, Dr He said: 'The gene editing occurred during IVF, or lab dish fertilisation. 'First, sperm was 'washed' to separate it from semen, the fluid where HIV can lurk. A single sperm was placed into a single egg to create an embryo. Then the gene editing tool was added. 'When the embryos were three to five days old, a few cells were removed and checked for editing. 'Couples could choose whether to use edited or unedited embryos for pregnancy attempts. 'In all, 16 of 22 embryos were edited, and 11 embryos were used in six implant attempts before the twin pregnancy was achieved,' Dr He said. Tests suggest that one twin had both copies of the intended gene altered and the other twin had just one altered, with no evidence of harm to other genes, Dr He said. People with one copy of the gene can still get HIV, although some very limited research suggests their health might decline more slowly once they do. Several scientists reviewed materials that Dr He provided to the AP and said tests so far are insufficient to say the editing worked or to rule out harm. They also noted evidence that the editing was incomplete and that at least one twin appears to be a patchwork of cells with various changes. 'It's almost like not editing at all' if only some of certain cells were altered, because HIV infection can still occur, Church said. Church and Musunuru questioned the decision to allow one of the embryos to be used in a pregnancy attempt, because the Chinese researchers said they knew in advance that both copies of the intended gene had not been altered. 'In that child, there really was almost nothing to be gained in terms of protection against HIV and yet you're exposing that child to all the unknown safety risks,' Musunuru said. The use of that embryo suggests that the researchers' 'main emphasis was on testing editing rather than avoiding this disease,' Church said. Even if editing worked perfectly, people without normal CCR5 genes face higher risks of getting certain other viruses, such as West Nile, and of dying from the flu. Since there are many ways to prevent HIV infection and it's very treatable if it occurs, those other medical risks are a concern, Musunuru said. There also are questions about the way Dr He said he proceeded. He gave official notice of his work long after he said he started it - on November 8, on a Chinese registry of clinical trials. It's unclear whether participants fully understood the purpose and potential risks and benefits. For example, consent forms called the project an 'AIDS vaccine development' program. The Rice scientist, Professor Deem, said he was present in China when potential participants gave their consent and that he 'absolutely' thinks they were able to understand the risks. Professor Deem said he worked with Dr He on vaccine research at Rice and considers the gene editing similar to a vaccine. 'That might be a layman's way of describing it,' he said. Both men are physics experts with no experience running human clinical trials. The Chinese scientist, Dr He, said he personally made the goals clear and told participants that embryo gene editing has never been tried before and carries risks. Dr He said he also would provide insurance coverage for any children conceived through the project and plans medical followup until the children are 18 and longer if they agree once they're adults. Further pregnancy attempts are on hold until the safety of this one is analyzed and experts in the field weigh in, but participants were not told in advance that they might not have a chance to try what they signed up for once a 'first' was achieved, Dr He acknowledged. Free fertility treatment was part of the deal they were offered. Dr He sought and received approval for his project from Shenzhen Harmonicare Women's and Children's Hospital, which is not one of the four hospitals that Dr He said provided embryos for his research or the pregnancy attempts. Some staff at some of the other hospitals were kept in the dark about the nature of the research, which Dr He and Professor Deem said was done to keep some participants' HIV infection from being disclosed. 'We think this is ethical,' said Lin Zhitong, a Harmonicare administrator who heads the ethics panel. Any medical staff who handled samples that might contain HIV were aware, Dr He said. An embryologist in Dr He's lab, Qin Jinzhou, confirmed to the AP that he did sperm washing and injected the gene editing tool in some of the pregnancy attempts. The study participants are not ethicists, Dr He said, but 'are as much authorities on what is correct and what is wrong because it's their life on the line.' 'I believe this is going to help the families and their children,' Dr He said. If it causes unwanted side effects or harm, 'I would feel the same pain as they do and it's going to be my own responsibility.' This article has been adapted from its original source.[SEP]He Jiankui, a Chinese researcher, is claiming to have successfully used the genetic editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the DNA of two twin baby girls. A researcher at the Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, He claims that he has given the girls an ability to resist possible future HIV infection. Declining to name the parents of the children or offer any independent verification of the work, there is still skepticism that He, who has degrees from Stanford and Rice, has actually done it. Cases of scientific fraud in high-stakes breakthroughs, like South Korean researcher Woo Suk Hwang's cloning claims, still loom large. But if He has genetically altered the two children, it is a monumental step forward for CRISPR technology. “I feel a strong responsibility that it’s not just to make a first, but also make it an example,” He told the Associated Press. As for laws governing genetic engineering, He says, “society will decide what to do next.” CRISPR's potential to treat serious diseases has been known for years, although scientists are unsure how many people are actually immune to the procedure. He claims that he chose the HIV virus, the infection that can lead to AIDS, because the disease is a growing problem in China. In September, the Chinese government announced a 14 percent rise in the number of citizens living with HIV or AIDS, with 40,000 new cases reported in the second quarter of 2018. He has also put out a series of YouTube videos describing his reasoning for choosing to focus on HIV as well as the ethics of his actions. He claims to have edited the embryos of seven couples during in vitro fertilization (IVF), in which an egg and sperm are combined outside the body. In all seven cases, the men had HIV and the women did not. The couples were recruited through an AIDS advocacy group called Baihualin, which works against societal discrimination of those infected with the disease. He focused on disabling a gene well-known to HIV researchers: CCR5, a protein on the surface of white blood cells. HIV commonly uses the CCR5 protein to enter cells. By disabling the CCR5 doorway, He's work would block off one of the HIV virus's most common routes of infection. Genetic alternations made during the IVF stage can be inherited by future children, the prospect of which has made such testing illegal in the United States. While China has laws outlawing cloning, no such regulations prevent gene editing. Laws aside, the announcement has been met with severe backlash across the scientific community. Focus has been not just on general morality but also on He's choice of target. While CCR5 is a gateway for HIV, it also works to prevent mosquito-associated diseases like West Nile virus. In a strenuous statement, one of the inventors of CRISPR technology, Feng Zhang of MIT and Harvard, said that, "Although I appreciate the global threat posed by HIV, at this stage, the risks of editing embryos to knock out CCR5 seem to outweigh the potential benefits, not to mention that knocking out of CCR5 will likely render a person much more susceptible for West Nile Virus. Just as important, there are already common and highly-effective methods to prevent transmission of HIV from a parent to an unborn child." "Given the current state of the technology, Feng continues, "I'm in favor of a moratorium on implantation of edited embryos, which seems to be the intention of the CCR5 trial, until we have come up with a thoughtful set of safety requirements first."

A Chinese scientist claims to be the first person to edit the genome of a human baby, by targeting an immune-receptor which is used by HIV (CCR5). This has provoked denial from the hospital and international outcry.

Tomorrow the world chess championship will be decided in London by a succession of games played at increasingly fast time limits It's an unsatisfactory to decide the game's ultimate honour - rather like deciding a drawn Ashes series with a Twenty20 game.And there have been several problems with the match between the reigning champion, Norway's Magnus Carlsen, and his challenger, Fabiano Caruana from the United States.Carlsen has seemed out of sorts, particularly after failing to convert a favourable position in the first game. In the final game he offered the draw that took the game into a fast play off rather than press for victory in another good position.All 12 games in the match were drawn, which was disappointing for the chess enthusiasts watching around the world. Games between top players often do end in draws, but this was an unprecedented streak of them.A 12-game match seems too short to me, making players afraid of losing. Fischer and Spassky was a 24-game match and that length makes it possible for a player to take a risk, lose and still come back to win the match.And there were complaints about the expense of tickets and the facilities offered to spectators who went to watch live.Carlsen is the favourite to win tomorrow as he is a significantly stronger at fast speeds than is Caruana. But note the words of a former champion.Whoever wins tomorrow, I suspect the match will have dented Carlsen's aura of effortless invincibility.And the number of draws has been in part a reflection of how hard it now is to surprise your opponent in the opening when everyone has access to powerful computers.A good new move used to be played and debated round the world for months or years. These days everyone (apart from the player facing it) knows the best reply as soon has it is played.[SEP]The World Chess Championship goes into overtime Wednesday, as Norway's Magnus Carlsen and the United States' Fabiano Caruana compete for the title. After 12 games and 12 draws, the two grandmasters meet in London for a series of tie-breaking games. If Caruana wins, he would be the first American champion since Bobby Fischer in 1972. Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson talks with Hungarian chess grandmaster and official match commentator Judit Polgár (@GMJuditPolgar) about the matchup.[SEP]For hours, the play in Monday’s Game 12 of the World Chess Championship was filthy. Then it was weird. Things did not look drawish! But because of a remarkable decision by the world’s top grandmaster, they ended in a draw anyway. Over more than two weeks, more than 600 moves, 48 hours of play, one scandalous video and one black eye, the world’s top two grandmasters have now fought to a dozen straight draws. The World Chess Championship match between Norway’s Magnus Carlsen and the U.S.’s Fabiano Caruana remains deadlocked at the end of regulation, and the title will be now be decided by speedy tie-breaking games including, perhaps, a sudden-death format known as Armageddon. But before the tiebreakers came a wild, oscillating Game 12. Carlsen, with the black pieces, and Caruana, with the white, began with the Sveshnikov Sicilian, just as they had in Game 8 and Game 10. Carlsen was the first to deviate from the earlier contests, perhaps a stratagem to take Caruana out of his seemingly excellent preparation for the championship, and to angle for a decisive result at last. By the 12th move, the two were in uncharted territory, looking at a board that that no two people had created before at this level of chess. “This is going to get really dirty, really soon,” said Levon Aronian, the world No. 11, on a Chess.com broadcast. Sharp, gnarly and double-edged attacks appeared to be arriving soon, and the game was surely bound to be the first decisive result of the match. Surely! Caruana thought for about 25 minutes before making his 17th move. It’s hard to blame him, as the position on the board was very complicated. Worse for Caruana, it soon became complicated in a way that favored the Norwegian. “It looks like black is having all the fun in the position,” the grandmaster Robert Hess said after Caruana’s 21st move. All of black’s cavalry was mounted and armored and ready to charge. Black had more space in which to prepare its plans, and its bishops would likely soon eye an attack on the kingside. Undeterred, with his 21st and 22nd moves — rook to h2 and castling on the queenside, readying a heavy battery — Caruana signaled his willingness to fight. It was a willingness that led to real trouble. After Caruana’s 25th move, he was down more than 30 minutes on the clock and the equivalent of nearly two pawns, according to a supercomputer analyzing the game. The middlegame became a wild rumpus, and a scary one for fans of the American, one that neither human grandmasters nor chess superengines could make all that much sense of. Swings in advantage were wild, and time pressure was mounting. After Carlsen’s 31st move, Caruana had less than nine minutes remaining and faced this position. An attack was coming Caruana’s way, his time was dangerously low, and he was about to make the eight most important moves of his life under various flavors of high pressure. But Carlsen reached out his hand before Caruana could move and offered a draw — a pacifistic bolt from the blue. Caruana happily shook it. I’m not a grandmaster — far from it — but the position above looks nothing like a draw to me. There are, to put it professionally, soooooo many pieces left, including a ton of firepower, plus a pawn rolling down the left flank for black and various pieces that are under attack. And yet, a draw. Another draw. “I wasn’t in a mood to find the punch,” Carlsen said by way of explanation after the game. “I should be really happy with a draw,” Caruana said. “My position had no chances to win.” Caruana said he was surprised by the draw offer. So was everyone else. Let’s leave a deeper discussion of whether Carlsen’s shocking gesture is good for chess for later (it’s absolutely not) and take a look at how we got here. Our championship computer analysis chart is now completed, but its contents weren’t enough to determine a winner. According to the match rules, here’s what the grandmasters will do on Wednesday: • They’ll play a mini-match of four rapid games, in which each player gets 25 minutes plus 10 bonus seconds after each move. Points will be awarded as they were during regulation: 1 point for a win, half a point each for a draw. • If the score is still tied after those four games, they’ll play a mini-match of two blitz games, in which each player gets five minutes plus three bonus seconds after each move. If that’s tied, they’ll play another and another and so on, for up to five mini-matches, or 10 total blitz games. • If all of those two-game blitz matches are tied, they’ll play a single game of Armageddon. In this format, white gets five minutes, black gets four minutes, and a draw counts as a win for black. Lots are drawn (no pun intended) to determine who gets which color. For the risk averse grandmaster, there was an incentive to head to tiebreakers: The 1 million pound prize fund is divided 60-40 to the winner, unless the match is decided in tiebreakers, in which case, it’s 55-45. But who will win 55 percent of the money? Probably Carlsen, and the faster the tiebreakers get, the bigger Carlsen’s advantage. To see why, let’s do a little math to calculate each player’s win probability in each potential round of tiebreakers. First, we need some measure of the players’ strengths in the speedier formats — I’ll use FIDE’s Elo ratings. Carlsen’s rapid rating is 2880, and his blitz rating is 2939; Caruana’s rapid rating is 2789, and his blitz rating is 2767. We also need a measure of how likely draws are in these faster formats. I’ll use historical data. In last year’s World Rapid Championship, for example, about 30 percent of the games were draws. In last year’s World Blitz Championship (which Carlsen won), about 20 percent of the games were draws. Combining those facts and running a bunch of simulations give the following probabilistic picture of the world championship tiebreakers. Carlsen is a roughly 80 percent favorite — again, based only on the quantitative factors mentioned above. These simulations do not care about Caruana’s strong form in the 12 lengthy games that have been played so far or his confident utterances during recent post-game press conferences. (In real life, the two have played 23 speedier games against each other, according to Chessgames.com — Carlsen won 13, Caruana won six and four were draws.) While I hate to disappoint, these somewhat crude calculations suggest only a 0.02 percent — or 1-in-5,000 — chance of Armageddon at the World Chess Championship. Then again, maybe the conventional wisdom is all wrong. For what it’s worth, the longtime world champion Garry Kasparov reassessed his own prediction of the tiebreakers following Monday’s draw. The tie-breaking games begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. Eastern, and a world champion will be crowned. I’ll be covering them here and on Twitter.[SEP]What term do you want to search? Search with google[SEP]The world championship tilt between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana will be decided in a quickfire tie-breaker after Monday’s Game 12 ended in a 31-move draw. The result shocked onlookers in light of the champion’s advantages in position and time, and left the best-of-12-games match in a historic 6-6 deadlock. The latest bloodless result, the 12th draw between the world’s top two players in as many contests, ensured the €1m showdown in London will go down as the first title match in which no decisive results were managed in the official 132-year history of world championship play. “I wasn’t necessarily going for the maximum,” said Carlsen, who essentially admitted he was content to settle it in the tie-breaker after move 20. “I just wanted a position that was completely safe, [BUT]where I could put some pressure. If a draw hadn’t been a satisfactory result, obviously I would have approached it differently.” The 27-year-old champion from Norway will play as white in Wednesday’s first tie-break stage after a drawing of lots following Monday’s game: a best-of-four rapid match with 25 minutes for each player with an increment of 10 seconds after each move. If that’s not enough to break the deadlock, they will play up to five mini-matches of two blitz games (five minutes for each player with a three-second increment). If all five mini-matches are drawn, it will come down to one sudden-death ‘Armegeddon’ match where white receives five minutes and black receives four minutes and both will receive a three-second increment after the 60th move. If that game is drawn, black will be declared the winner. Carlsen, who in addition to his number one ranking is the world’s top rated rapid player and top rated blitz player (compared to Caruana’s respective ratings of No 8 and No 16), is widely regarded as a warm favorite in the format, not least due to a 13-year unbeaten record in tie-breakers. But no less than Garry Kasparov said Monday that Carlsen’s hasty draw offer betrayed a lapse of nerve in the 27-year-old reigning champion. “In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids,” the longtime world number one wrote on Twitter. “Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his.” Caruana, as white, played into the Sveshnikov variation in Monday’s classical finale, as he did in the eighth and 10th games. Carlsen was first to deviate from those lines with 8. ... Ne7 and Caruana quickly fell behind on time after the champion played a novelty with 12. ... h5. The 26-year-old American challenger was offered a chance for a draw by repetition shortly after (13. Qa4 Bd7 14. Qb4 Bf5) but bravely turned it down with 15. Be3. Yet Caruana’s temporal issues compounded over the next few moves (15. ... a6 16. Nc3 Qc7 17. g3 Be7 18. f3 Nf8 19. Ne4 Nd7 20. Bd3) and he found himself nearly 50 minutes behind on the clock. After Carlsen castled following a 12-minute think (20. ... O-O), Caruana delivered a surprise move (21. Rh2!?) that cost him in the opinion of the evaluation engines, but earned praise from the Russian grandmaster Alexander Grischuk from the commentary booth: “The deepest move in the match so far,” he said. Even after the champion expended another 10 minutes before playing 21. ... Rac8, Carlsen was ahead in development with more than a half-hour advantage in time. He pressed the initiative with 22. ... Bg6 23. Rc2 f5 and Caruana’s dubious 25. f4 sent the computers haywire. The challenger’s position appeared increasingly difficult to hold after 26. ... e4 27. Be2 Be8 28. Kb1 Bf6 29. Re1 a4 30. Qb4 g6. Which made Carlsen’s decision to offer a draw after 31. Rd1 Ra8 nothing short of mystifying. A relieved Caruana gladly accepted after a game that had lasted two hours and 57 minutes, sending the match to Wednesday’s tie-breaker. “I was a bit surprised by the draw offer,” Caruana said. “I can never be better [THEN MOVE 31]. And I don’t really have any active ideas. If anything, black is better. At least I thought I was over the worst of it. I thought it was much more dangerous a few moves ago.” He added: “I’m mainly relieved because I thought it was quite close today. I was very worried during the game. When you feel like you’re sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it’s quite good.”[SEP]The world championship tilt between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana will be decided in a quickfire tie-breaker after Monday’s Game 12 ended in a draw. The result shocked onlookers in light of the champion’s advantages in position and time, and left the best-of-12-games match in a historic 6-6 deadlock. The latest bloodless result, the 12th draw between the world’s top two players in as many contests, ensured the €1m ($1.14m) showdown in London will go down as the first title match in which no decisive results were managed in the official 132-year history of world championship play. “I wasn’t necessarily going for the maximum,” said the 27-year-old Carlsen, who essentially admitted he was content with a draw after move 20. “I just wanted a position that was completely safe, [but] where I could put some pressure. If a draw hadn’t been a satisfactory result, obviously I would have approached it differently.” Caruana, as white, played into the Sveshnikov variation, as he did in the eighth and 10th games. Carlsen was first to deviate from those lines with 8. ... Ne7 and Caruana quickly fell behind on time after the champion played a novelty with 12. ... h5. The American challenger was offered a chance for a draw by repetition shortly after (13. Qa4 Bd7 14. Qb4 Bf5) but bravely turned it down with 15. Be3. Yet Caruana’s temporal issues compounded over the next few moves (15. ... a6 16. Nc3 Qc7 17. g3 Be7 18. f3 Nf8 19. Ne4 Nd7 20. Bd3) and he found himself nearly 50 minutes behind on the clock. After Carlsen castled following a 12-minute think (20. ... O-O), Caruana delivered a surprise move (21. Rh2!?) that cost him in the opinion of the evaluation engines, but earned praise from the Russian grandmaster Alexander Grischuk, who was in the commentary booth: “The deepest move in the match so far,” he said. Even after the champion expended another 10 minutes before playing 21. ... Rac8, Carlsen was ahead in development with more than a half-hour advantage in time. He pressed the initiative with 22. ... Bg6 23. Rc2 f5 and Caruana’s dubious 25. f4 sent the computers haywire. The challenger’s position appeared increasingly difficult to hold after 26. ... e4 27. Be2 Be8 28. Kb1 Bf6 29. Re1 a4 30. Qb4 g6. Which made Carlsen’s decision to offer a draw after 31. Rd1 Ra8 nothing short of mystifying. A relieved Caruana gladly accepted after a game that had lasted two hours and 57 minutes, sending the match to Wednesday’s tie-breaker. “I was a bit surprised by the draw offer,” the 26-year-old Caruana said. “I can never be better [than move 31]. And I don’t really have any active ideas. If anything, black is better. At least I thought I was over the worst of it. I thought it was much more dangerous a few moves ago.”[SEP]Three-time defending champion Magnus Carlsen had been neck and neck with American Fabiano Caruana ahead of their latest match, which once again resulted in a tie. Game 12 of 12 ended in a draw after 31 moves, with Carlsen — who had been enjoying a clear time advantage — offering a draw that Caruana accepted. Many observers were surprised that Carlsen offered a draw while appearing to have the upper hand, including former chess champion Gary Kasparov, who felt the Norwegian might be losing his nerve. The pair also eked out ties in their first 11 world championship games, meaning they stand level in the championship stakes on six points each (with half a point awarded to each player for each draw). The 27-year-old Carlsen — nicknamed the "Thor of Chess" — has been seeking to cement his reputation as one of history's greatest players of the game. Caruana, aged 26, is the first American to compete for the title since chess legend Bobby Fischer in 1972. In the playoff on Wednesday, the pair will face each other in the best of four rapid games. If still tied, they would compete in two "blitz games" in which each player would have only five minutes. Should the players still be level, the championship would go down to a single "Armageddon" match, the format of which guarantees a winner. Carlsen could be favorite in the tie-break, considering that he also holds titles in speed and blitz chess, while Caruana's recent record in speed chess has been poor. In addition to the prestige of winning the title, the pair are also battling over a €1 million (£880,000) cash prize. Caruana, an Italian-American from Miami, earned his shot to play Carlsen by winning the Candidates Tournament earlier this year in Berlin.[SEP]Hello and welcome to London for today’s 12th game of the world chess championship between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. Play resumes today at the College in Holborn after with the best-of-12-games match deadlocked at 5½-all following 11 draws in as many contests. Sixteen days and no blood drawn: the longest streak of games to open a match without a decisive result in the recognized 132-year history of world championship play. But the tension will never be higher than today, where a decisive result would lift the winner over the 6½-point threshold and determine an outright winner in the €1m ($1.14m) showdown. If Carlsen can pull off a win with the black pieces, the 27-year-old from Norway will seal his third defense of the title he captured from Viswanathan Anand in 2013. If Caruana can win as white, the 26-year-old challenger will not only become the second American-born player to capture the world championship after Bobby Fischer in 1972, he will inherit the No 1 ranking that Carlsen has held uninterrupted since July 2011. If they draw for a 12th time, it will all come down to Wednesday’s tie-breaker, which consists of a series of games under shorter time controls. A brief recap on how we got here: Game 1 was a grueling seven-hour, 115-move staredown, where Carlsen nearly become the first defending champion to win the opening game of a world championship as black in 37 years. The next four contests – Game 2, Game 3, Game 4 and Game 5 – were mostly safer, straightforward affairs that allowed Caruana to get his teeth in the match. The tension ramped up in Game 6 when Carlsen was outplayed by Caruana in the middlegame and pushed to the limit before saving a draw with incredibly precise defending. They played to another draw in Game 7, a result that left the champion lamenting his gun-shy play as white. In Game 8, Carlsen found himself down nearly an hour on the clock facing a dangerous position as black, until one false step by the American allowed him to hold. It was Caruana’s turn to suffer in Wednesday’s Game 9 until he was bailed out by a Carlsen inaccuracy. Then came Thursday’s Game 10, where Caruana found himself on the brink once more until Carlsen overextended himself and was made to grovel for a peaceful result. Saturday’s Game 11 fizzled out practically before liftoff, ending in a simple two-and-a-quarter-hour draw. Eleven games. Eleven draws. Will the staredown finally end today? We’ll soon find out when Caruana makes the first move at the top of the hour.[SEP] • The 2018 World Chess Championship will go to tiebreakers after a shocking draw in Game 12 on Monday. • There had been an unprecedented 11 draws before Monday’s result. • The reigning world champion, Magnus Carlsen, had an edge in Game 12 but didn’t capitalize. UPDATE: Game 12 ended, controversially, in a draw after 31 moves, after Magnus Carlsen held a slight edge with the black pieces. The chess world was shocked by the result. The match will now go to tiebreakers on Wednesday to decide the championship. After an unprecedented 11 draws, the 2018 World Chess Championship has come down to a final classical game on Monday in London between the defending champ, Magnus Carlsen of Norway, and his challenger, Fabiano Caruana of the United States. The No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world are separated by just a year in age and a few ranking points: Carlsen, 27, is at 2,835, and Caruana, 26, is at 2,832. So the march of equal results shouldn’t entirely be a surprise, though it’s never happened before. In 2013 and 2014, Carlsen defeated the former world champion Vishy Anand of India with decisive wins over the board in classical time controls, without going to rapid or blitz tiebreakers. That wasn’t the case in 2016, when Russia’s Sergey Karjakin challenged Carlsen and won a single game. Carlsen also won a game, then the remainder were draws, but Carlsen defended his title in the “Armageddon” rounds that followed. On Monday, Caruana has the white pieces and a slight statistical edge, but the big question is whether he’ll press for a win, overextend himself, and hand the title to Carlsen, or angle for a draw and take his chances in the tiebreakers. The latter is risky, as Carlsen is the world’s best rapid and blitz player. Read more: American challenger Fabiano Caruana missed his best chance to win a game against Magnus Carlsen at World Chess Championship Caruana’s preparation for the match has generally been better than Carlsen’s, but while both players have enjoyed opportunities to win, neither has converted. Caruana, not an aggressive player, has sought to negate whatever small advantages Carlsen snared – a major difference from Anand’s brand of power chess, where he countered Carlsen’s talents by launching redoubtable assaults from his side of the board. Caruana’s preparation vs. Carlsen’s uncanny ability to find the right responses, even when he’s in trouble In the competitive championship games, we’ve seen Carlsen repeatedly caught in Caruana’s superior opening preparation but able to find the best moves to equalize. Caruana, meanwhile, has missed some tactical shots – or, if you accept that he possesses computerlike calculating skills, followed such moves down their lines of play and decided they were too risky. The 11-all score line has set off the usual bout of complaints that there are too many draws in super-grandmaster chess. The Carlsen-Caruana draws have been fascinating studies in peaceful outcomes, and there have even been a few novelties uncorked, as well as many Sicilian Defences with the black pieces. (The Sicilian is regarded as one of black’s best chances to play for a win.) But the chess has been rather studious, and it’s shown that at the top level, the use of analysis engines means it’s difficult to rattle the best competitors. For many fans, a decisive result on Monday would be thrilling and make up for the march of draws; America might also have its first world champion since Bobby Fischer in 1972. Coming off a rest day, neither player should be prone to a blunder brought on by stress, so one of these guys will have to go for it. The prospect of a sharper Sicilian looms, as that was the opening employed in Game 12, which showed an advantage for white after 12 moves, the result of an early punch thrown on the kingside by Carlsen. Sharp Sicilians are notorious for getting out of hand for black – and Carlsen, having trounced Karjakin in the tiebreakers two years ago and knowing Caruana is the lesser “fast” player, could aim for a draw, though the initial moves of Game 12 suggest he has a win on his mind.[SEP]In a baffling end to a less-than-stellar match, world champion Magnus Carlsen offered a draw in a clearly superior position to American challenger Fabiano Caruana Monday, marking the 12th and final consecutive draw in their title match and setting up a rapid chess playoff for the crown Wednesday. It was the first world chess title match ever without a single decisive result, as the world’s two top-ranked players continually probed but never managed to crack their opponent through a dozen games in London. Carlsen’s decision to offer the draw — quickly accepted by White — was even more difficult to understand since Caruana, facing a growing attack on his castled king, had barely six minutes left on his clock to make his next eight moves. Despite outplaying his opponent from the Black side of a Sicilian Sveshnikov Defense, Carlsen missed a number of opportunities to sharpen the play, with many grandmasters and computer programs saying Black could have obtained a strong initiative with the aggressive 25…exf4 26. Bxf4 b5!, threatening to open up multiple attacking lines to the White king. The Norwegian champ chose a slower approach, maintaining a clear clamp on the position and keeping Caruana, seeking to be the first American-born world champion since Bobby Fischer, on the defensive. But despite the champ’s penchant for making his opponents suffer for long stretches in unpleasant positions, it was Carlsen who unexpectedly offered to split the point on Move 31. The match will be decided Wednesday with a four-game rapid playoff, in which each player has just 25 minutes to play his entire game. If they are still tied, the match will come down to a series of games at an even faster, “blitz” time controls. The unprecedented run of draws has sparked serious talk that the match format needs an overhaul. One popular idea, though it could definitely draw out the proceedings, is to count only wins and say the winner is the first player to achieve a set number of victories — the format Fischer wanted in his forfeited 1975 title match.

After twelve consecutive draws, Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana will enter a tie-breaker on Wednesday, for the first match in WCC history to have no decisive games before the tie-breaker.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption US forces serving with Nato have been training Afghan forces since combat operations ended in 2014 Three US service members have been killed and three others wounded in an explosion near Ghazni in Afghanistan. A US civilian contractor was also hurt by the improvised explosive device, the Nato-led mission said in a statement. Officials would not give further detail until next of kin were notified, saying only that the injured were evacuated and receiving medical treatment. Taliban militants said they carried out the attack, their latest near the strategic city south of the capital. On Saturday, a US soldier was killed in Nimroz province in what appeared to be an accidental shooting, the Nato-led mission also announced on Tuesday. On 3 November, Utah mayor Brent Taylor was killed in an apparent insider attack while serving with the US Army National Guard to train Afghan security forces. Earlier this month, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said more than 28,000 Afghan police and soldiers had been killed since 2015. For the past year, US and Afghan officials had withheld such information as it was deemed too sensitive, reported the New York Times. In October, a local police chief was killed when a bodyguard opened fire on a group of US and Afghan officials in the southern Kandahar province. US General Scott Miller escaped unhurt in that attack, which was later claimed by the Taliban. A total of 13 US troops have been killed this year in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Post publication. Why are US troops in Afghanistan? American-led combat operations against the Taliban officially ended in 2014, but some US troops remain in the country to provide training and assistance to Afghan forces, which do most of the fighting. The Taliban's power and reach has surged since then - and the number of security personnel being killed has soared. Last year, US President Donald Trump signalled he would keep US boots on the ground indefinitely amid concerns that the Taliban was gaining ground. The US forces are part of the Nato-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, which has more than 16,000 personnel.[SEP]A roadside bomb killed three American soldiers in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the U.S. military said, in what appeared to be the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in the last 17 months. The military said that three other service members were wounded when the bomb went off near the city of Ghazni. An American contractor was also wounded, it said. The military did not immediately identify any of the casualties. Lt. Ubon Mendie, a military spokesman, said the wounded were evacuated and are receiving medical care. The Taliban claimed the attack, saying a U.S. tank was completely destroyed. It appeared to be the deadliest attack on American forces since June 2017, when an Afghan army soldier shot and killed three U.S. soldiers in an insider attack in the Achin district of the eastern Nangarhar province. The Taliban claimed that attack. The Taliban carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan forces, and in August the insurgents overran parts of Ghazni, leading to days of intense fighting before they were driven out. Ghazni was the only one of Afghanistan's 34 provinces where parliamentary elections could not be held in October. Voting there has been postponed for a year. The U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, but still provide close support to Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations. Some 15,000 American forces are currently serving in Afghanistan. In a separate incident on Tuesday, the Taliban abducted 21 passengers from two vans that were traveling through the northern Sari Pul province, according to Habibullah Mujahidzada, a district police chief. It was not immediately clear what motivated the abduction, and there was no immediate comment from the Taliban.[SEP]Three US troops killed, four Americans wounded by IED in Afghanistan Three U.S. troops were killed and four Americans were wounded Tuesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near the city of Ghazni, south of Kabul, the U.S.-led coalition said. The wounded, which included three troops and one contractor, were evacuated and are receiving medical care. The names of the slain troops were being withheld pending notification of next of kin, according to Pentagon policy. The deaths bring to 13 the number of U.S. troops killed in Afghansitan this year. This story will be updated.[SEP]ISLAMABAD, Nov 27 (APP):Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Tuesday strongly condemned the IED attack on the Resolute Support Mission Servicemen in Ghazni, Afghanistan, resulting in killing and injury to the US service members.[SEP]Three US soldiers were killed and three wounded by a bomb in Afghanistan on Tuesday, Nato said, with the attack claimed by the Taliban as the US tries to ratchet up efforts to engage the militants in peace talks. Nato's Resolute Support mission would not immediately release any details about the identity of the soldiers, whose deaths took the number of American service personnel to die in the war-torn country this year to 12. A Nato statement said they had been killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near Ghazni city in central Afghanistan. An American contractor was also wounded, it said, adding that the four injured in the blast were receiving medical care. The casualties come just days after another US soldier was killed in Afghanistan's Nimroz province on Saturday. An initial review showed the soldier was “likely accidentally shot by our Afghan partner force”, a Nato statement said on Tuesday, adding that the “tragic” incident occurred as they engaged in a battle with Al Qaeda militants. “There are no indications he was shot intentionally,” the statement added, naming the soldier as Sgt Jasso without giving a first name. General Scott Miller, the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, said Jasso was killed “defending our nation, fighting Al Qaeda alongside our Afghan partners”. Jasso's death follows a spate of so-called “insider attacks” that have rattled foreign troops tasked with training and assisting Afghanistan's military. More than 2,200 American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban regime from power. Washington is trying to find a way out of the conflict more than 17 years since it began. US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is spearheading efforts to strike a peace deal with the Taliban before Afghanistan's presidential election, scheduled for April next year though officials have said it could be postponed until July. A Taliban delegation met with Khalilzad in Doha in October and November to discuss ending the Afghan conflict. Khalilzad has said he is “cautiously optimistic” for an end to the conflict. The number of American casualties has fallen dramatically since the end of 2014 when Afghan forces took over from US-led Nato combat troops to secure the country. Since the start of 2015, 58 Americans have been killed, President Ashraf Ghani said earlier this month. In the same time period, nearly 30,000 Afghan police and soldiers have died, Ghani said — a figure much higher than any previously acknowledged, as the Taliban step up their attacks on local forces. The shocking mortality rate, which some experts warn is unsustainable, has sent already shaky morale to new lows. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has strongly condemned the IED attack on the RSM servicemen in Ghazni, Afghanistan, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Pakistan condemns terrorism," the statement asserted adding that "Pakistan stands in solidarity with the US government and its people in this hour of grief."[SEP]US forces in Afghanistan say three American service members have been killed in a roadside bombing in Ghazni province KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — US forces in Afghanistan say three American service members have been killed in a roadside bombing in Ghazni province.[SEP]KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — US forces in Afghanistan say three American service members have been killed in a roadside bombing in Ghazni province.[SEP]By The Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — US forces in Afghanistan say three American service members have been killed in a roadside bombing in Ghazni province. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — US forces in Afghanistan say three American service members have been killed in a roadside bombing in Ghazni province. Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 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The NATO statement gave no details but Mohammad Arif Noori, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said an armoured vehicle carrying US troops hit a large roadside bomb in Shahbaz area, just outside the city on Tuesday morning. He said US Special Forces had been conducting operations with Afghan forces around Ghazni city since Monday. The deaths are the latest in a growing toll on US forces in Afghanistan following the death of an army Ranger during an operation against al Qaeda militants in Nimruz province on Saturday. Resolute Support said the soldier had been accidentally shot by a member of Afghan partner forces. At least 11 US service members have now died in Afghanistan this year, in combat or in so-called "insider attacks" by Afghan soldiers or police. Four Czech soldiers, serving with Resolute Support, have also been killed. There was no official confirmation of the circumstances of the blast but Ghazni has been one of the most heavily fought over regions of Afghanistan this year and many areas close to the city are in the hands of the Taliban. The city, which sits on the main highway linking the capital Kabul with Kandahar in the south, was overrun this year by a large Taliban force before it was driven off by Afghan and U.S. troops after days of heavy fighting. About 14,000 US troops remain in Afghanistan as part of Resolute Support and a separate counter-terrorism mission aimed against militant groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Three U.S. troops are killed and three others are wounded in an IED blast near Ghazni, Afghanistan.

The National Board of Review on Tuesday revealed its 2018 award winners, naming Green Book as its pick for best film. The winners will be recognized during a Jan. 8, 2019 gala at New York's Cipriani 42nd Street, hosted, as they were last year, by NBC News' Willie Geist. The NBR awards are voted on by a group of film enthusiasts, professionals, academics, young filmmakers and students. Last year, NBR selected The Post as its best film. The previous year it picked Manchester by the Sea and in 2015 it picked Mad Max: Fury Road. While The Post, Manchester and Mad Max all earned Oscar nominations, NBR has a mixed track record in terms of predicting Oscar contenders. In 2014, NBR selected A Most Violent Year as its best film, but the J.C. Chandor-directed drama about New York in 1981 was completely snubbed by the Oscars. The year before, NBR selected Spike Jonze's Her as its best film. The movie won only one Oscar, for best original screenplay. Previous NBR best film winners include Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Hugo (2011), The Social Network (2010) and Up in the Air (2009). The full list of this year's NBR winners follows. More to come... Best Film: GREEN BOOK Best Director: Bradley Cooper, A STAR IS BORN Best Actor: Viggo Mortensen, GREEN BOOK Best Actress: Lady Gaga, A STAR IS BORN Best Supporting Actor: Sam Elliott, A STAR IS BORN Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader, FIRST REFORMED Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK Best Animated Feature: INCREDIBLES 2 Breakthrough Performance: Thomasin McKenzie, LEAVE NO TRACE Best Directorial Debut: Bo Burnham, EIGHTH GRADE Best Foreign Language Film: COLD WAR Best Documentary: RBG Best Ensemble: CRAZY RICH ASIANS William K. Everson Film History Award: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND and THEY’LL LOVE ME WHEN I’M DEAD NBR Freedom of Expression Award: 22 JULY NBR Freedom of Expression Award: ON HER SHOULDERS Top Films (in alphabetical order) The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Black Panther Can You Ever Forgive Me? Eighth Grade First Reformed If Beale Street Could Talk Mary Poppins Returns A Quiet Place Roma A Star Is Born Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order) Burning Custody The Guilty Happy as Lazzaro Shoplifters Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order) Crime + Punishment Free Solo Minding the Gap Three Identical Strangers Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order) The Death of Stalin Lean on Pete Leave No Trace Mid90s The Old Man & the Gun The Rider Searching Sorry to Bother You We the Animals You Were Never Really Here[SEP]THE NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW NAMES 2018 HONOREES INCLUDING GREEN BOOK FOR BEST FILM OF THE YEAR & BRADLEY COOPER FOR BEST DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR The Organization’s Gala will be held on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 in New York City New York, NY (November 27, 2018) – The National Board of Review today announced their 2018 honorees, with top awards including Green Book as Best Film of the Year, Bradley Cooper as Best Director of the Year for A Star is Born, Viggo Mortensen as Best Actor of the Year for his performance in Green Book, and Lady Gaga as Best Actress of the Year for her performance in A Star is Born. NBR President Annie Schulhof said, “We are proud to honor Green Book as our best film – it is a warm and heartfelt look at a remarkable friendship, brought to the screen at a moment where its story of love, compassion, and shared humanity deeply resonates. We are also thrilled to award Bradley Cooper as our best director – he is an extraordinary talent behind the camera, bringing a fresh and modern perspective, as well as superb craftsmanship and tremendous heart, to the classic story of A Star is Born.” The 2018 awards continue the NBR’s tradition of recognizing excellence in filmmaking, going back 109 years. This year 261 films were viewed by this select group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals, academics, and students, many of which were followed by in-depth discussions with directors, actors, producers, and screenwriters. Voting ballots were tabulated by the accounting firm of Lutz & Carr, LLP. The National Board of Review’s awards celebrate the art of cinema, with categories that include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Actress, Best Original and Adapted Screenplay, Breakthrough Performance, and Directorial Debut, as well as signature honors such as Freedom of Expression and the William K. Everson Film History Award. The honorees will be feted at the NBR Awards Gala, hosted by Willie Geist, on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at Cipriani 42nd Street. To request credentials to the evening’s red carpet, please fill out the application here by December 28, 2018. Below is a full list of the 2018 award recipients, announced by the National Board of Review: Best Film: GREEN BOOK Best Director: Bradley Cooper, A STAR IS BORN Best Actor: Viggo Mortensen, GREEN BOOK Best Actress: Lady Gaga, A STAR IS BORN Best Supporting Actor: Sam Elliott, A STAR IS BORN Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader, FIRST REFORMED Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK Best Animated Feature: INCREDIBLES 2 Breakthrough Performance: Thomasin McKenzie, LEAVE NO TRACE Best Directorial Debut: Bo Burnham, EIGHTH GRADE Best Foreign Language Film: COLD WAR Best Documentary: RBG Best Ensemble: CRAZY RICH ASIANS William K. Everson Film History Award: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND and THEY’LL LOVE ME WHEN I’M DEAD NBR Freedom of Expression Award: 22 JULY NBR Freedom of Expression Award: ON HER SHOULDERS Top Films (in alphabetical order) The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Black Panther Can You Ever Forgive Me? Eighth Grade First Reformed If Beale Street Could Talk Mary Poppins Returns A Quiet Place Roma A Star Is Born Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order) Burning Custody The Guilty Happy as Lazzaro Shoplifters Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order) Crime + Punishment Free Solo Minding the Gap Three Identical Strangers Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order) The Death of Stalin Lean on Pete Leave No Trace Mid90s The Old Man & the Gun The Rider Searching Sorry to Bother You We the Animals You Were Never Really Here ABOUT THE NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW For 109 years, the National Board of Review has dedicated its efforts to the support of cinema as both art and entertainment. Each year, this select group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals and academics of varying ages and backgrounds watches over 250 films and participates in illuminating discussions with directors, actors, producers and screenwriters before announcing their selections for the best work of the year. Since first citing year-end cinematic achievements in 1929, NBR has recognized a vast selection of outstanding studio, independent, foreign-language, animated and documentary films, often propelling recipients such as George Miller’s visionary 2015 Best Film winner Mad Max: Fury Road into the larger awards conversation. NBR also stands out as the only film organization that bestows a film history award in honor of former member and film historian William K. Everson. In addition, one of the organization’s core values is identifying new talent and nurturing young filmmakers by awarding promising talent with ‘Directorial Debut’ and ‘Breakthrough Actor’ awards as well as grants to rising film students and by facilitating community outreach through the support of organizations such as The Ghetto Film School, Reel Works Teen Filmmaking, and Educational Video Center. With its continued efforts to assist up-and-coming artists in completing and presenting their work, NBR honors its commitment to not just identifying the best that current cinema has to offer, but also ensuring the quality of films for future generations to come. Join the conversation @NBRfilm Contacts: Andy Gelb / Shawn Purdy/ Rachael Trager SLATE PR (212) 235-6814 andy@slate-pr.com / shawn@slate-pr.com / rachael@slate-pr.com Andy Gelb / Shawn Purdy/ Rachael TragerSLATE PR(212) 235-6814[SEP]NEW YORK (AP) - The National Board of Review has named the feel-good road-trip drama "Green Book" the best film of the year, and its star, Viggo Mortensen, best actor. The awards announced Thursday gave "Green Book" a much-needed jolt. The film was declared an Oscar favorite after taking the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival, but it has struggled to latch on at the box office. "A Star Is Born" also took several top awards, including best director for Bradley Cooper, best actress for Lady Gaga and best supporting actor for Sam Elliott. Barry Jenkins' James Baldwin adaptation "If Beale Street Could Talk" took prizes for Jenkins' screenplay and for Regina King's supporting performance. The awards will be handed out in a gala in New York on Jan. 8. This image released by Universal Pictures shows Viggo Mortensen, left, and Mahershala Ali in a scene from "Green Book." The National Board of Review announced their 2018 honorees, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, with top awards going to "Green Book" as best film of the year and best actor of the year going to Mortensen. (Patti Perret/Universal Pictures via AP) This image released by Universal Pictures shows Viggo Mortensen, foreground, and Mahershala Ali in a scene from "Green Book." The National Board of Review announced their 2018 honorees, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, with top awards going to "Green Book" as best film of the year and best actor of the year going to Mortensen. (Universal Pictures via AP) This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows director/co-writer/producer Bradley Cooper on the set of "A Star is Born." The National Board of Review has named the feel-good road-trip drama "Green Book" the best film of the year, and its star, Viggo Mortensen, best actor. "A Star Is Born" also took several top awards, including best director for Bradley Cooper, best actress for Lady Gaga and best supporting actor for Sam Elliott. (Clay Enos/Warner Bros. via AP) This image released by Warner Bros. shows Sam Elliott in a scene from the latest reboot of the film, "A Star is Born." The National Board of Review has named the feel-good road-trip drama "Green Book" the best film of the year, and its star, Viggo Mortensen, best actor. "A Star Is Born" also took several top awards, including best director for Bradley Cooper, best actress for Lady Gaga and best supporting actor for Elliott. (Clay Enos/Warner Bros. via AP) This image released by Warner Bros. shows Lady Gaga in a scene from the latest reboot of the film, "A Star is Born." The National Board of Review has named the feel-good road-trip drama "Green Book" the best film of the year, and its star, Viggo Mortensen, best actor. "A Star Is Born" also took several top awards, including best director for Bradley Cooper, best actress for Lady Gaga and best supporting actor for Sam Elliott. (Clay Enos/Warner Bros. via AP)[SEP]The National Board of Review—one of the awards season’s inaugural voting bodies—has announced its Top 10 Films of the Year list, along with other superlatives. If you’re looking for a correlation between NBR and the Oscars, well you’re not gonna find it. The winner of Best Film from the National Board of Review hasn’t won the Best Picture Oscar since 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire, and as a voting body their tastes can be a bit left of center. Last year The Post took the top prize, while 2014’s top film—A Most Violent Year—remains one of the more puzzling awards decisions in recent memory. But I digress. This year, the National Board of Review named Green Book the best film of 2018. The “inspired by a true story” drama chronicles the budding friendship between two opposites in the Deep South in the 1960s—a crass, working-class, racist driver played by Viggo Mortensen and a refined, secluded world-class pianist played by Mahershala Ali. The film won the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, but it underwhelmed at the box office last weekend and has received flack for its problematic nature. But it’ll probably land a number of Oscar nominations. Elsewhere, NBR named Bradley Cooper as Best Director for his stellar work on A Star Is Born, but they went with Green Book once again in Best Actor with Viggo Mortensen taking the prize. Lady Gaga was named Best Actress for her terrific work in A Star Is Born, while the supporting trophies went to Sam Elliott for A Star Is Born and Regina King in If Beale Street Could Talk, both of whom are serious Oscar contenders and certainly deserving of these honors. The NBR’s Top 10 list this year is a pretty solid crop of films, owing to the strength of the year overall. Check out the NBR’s full list of winners below. Top Films (in alphabetical order) The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Black Panther Can You Ever Forgive Me? Eighth Grade First Reformed If Beale Street Could Talk Mary Poppins Returns A Quiet Place Roma A Star Is Born Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order) Burning Custody The Guilty Happy as Lazzaro Shoplifters Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order) Crime + Punishment Free Solo Minding the Gap Three Identical Strangers Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order) The Death of Stalin Lean on Pete Leave No Trace Mid90s The Old Man & the Gun The Rider Searching Sorry to Bother You We the Animals You Were Never Really Here Best Film: GREEN BOOK Best Director: Bradley Cooper, A STAR IS BORN Best Actor: Viggo Mortensen, GREEN BOOK Best Actress: Lady Gaga, A STAR IS BORN Best Supporting Actor: Sam Elliott, A STAR IS BORN Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader, FIRST REFORMED Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK Best Animated Feature: INCREDIBLES 2 Breakthrough Performance: Thomasin McKenzie, LEAVE NO TRACE Best Directorial Debut: Bo Burnham, EIGHTH GRADE Best Foreign Language Film: COLD WAR Best Documentary: RBG Best Ensemble: CRAZY RICH ASIANS William K. Everson Film History Award: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND and THEY’LL LOVE ME WHEN I’M DEAD NBR Freedom of Expression Award: 22 JULY NBR NBR Freedom of Expression Award: ON HER SHOULDERS[SEP]The National Board of Review, the century-old New York-based film enthusiasts collective that annually helps kick off awards season with a list of year-end superlatives, has declared “Green Book” the best film of 2018. The organization, comprised of filmmakers, professionals and academics, tapped Viggo Mortensen (“Green Book”) and Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”) for the year’s top acting honors. Sam Elliott (“A Star Is Born”) and Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) won in the supporting categories. Screenplay prizes went to Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” for original and Barry Jenkins’ “If Beale Street Could Talk” for adapted. “Star” helmer Bradley Cooper won best director. Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” took the animation prize, while Ruth Bader Ginsburg doc “RBG” won best documentary. “Cold War” was named best foreign film. Last year’s NBR winner for best film was Steven Spielberg’s “The Post.” Full list of winners can be found below. The NBR awards gala will be held on Jan. 8, 2019 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York. Best Film: “Green Book” Best Director: Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born” Best Actor: Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book” Best Actress: Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born” Best Supporting Actor: Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born” Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk” Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader, “First Reformed” Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, “If Beale Street Could Talk” Best Animated Feature: “Incredibles 2” Breakthrough Performance: Thomasin McKenzie, “Leave No Trace” Best Directorial Debut: Bo Burnham, “Eighth Grade” Best Foreign Language Film: “Cold War” Best Documentary: “RBG” Best Ensemble: “Crazy Rich Asians” William K. Everson Film History Award: “The Other Side of the Wind” and “They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead” NBR Freedom of Expression Award: “22 July” NBR Freedom of Expression Award: “On Her Shoulders” Last Time I Cried at the Movies Top Films (in alphabetical order) “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” “Black Panther” “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” “Eighth Grade” “First Reformed” “If Beale Street Could Talk” “Mary Poppins Returns” “A Quiet Place” “Roma” “A Star Is Born” Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order) “Crime + Punishment” “Free Solo” “Minding the Gap” “Three Identical Strangers” “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order) “The Death of Stalin” “Lean on Pete” “Leave No Trace” “Mid90s” “The Old Man & the Gun” “The Rider” “Searching” “Sorry to Bother You” “We the Animals” “You Were Never Really Here”[SEP]This image released by Warner Bros. shows Sam Elliott in a scene from the latest reboot of the film, "A Star is Born." The National Board of Review has named the feel-good road-trip drama “Green Book” the best film of the year, and its star, Viggo Mortensen, best actor. “A Star Is Born” also took several top awards, including best director for Bradley Cooper, best actress for Lady Gaga and best supporting actor for Elliott. (Clay Enos/Warner Bros. via AP) (AP)[SEP]NEW YORK — The National Board of Review has named the feel-good road-trip drama “Green Book” the best film of the year, and its star, Viggo Mortensen, best actor. The awards announced Thursday gave “Green Book” a much-needed jolt. The film was declared an Oscar favourite after taking the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival, but it has struggled to latch on at the box office. “A Star Is Born” also took several top awards, including best director for Bradley Cooper, best actress for Lady Gaga and best supporting actor for Sam Elliott. Barry Jenkins’ James Baldwin adaptation “If Beale Street Could Talk” took prizes for Jenkins’ screenplay and for Regina King’s supporting performance. The awards will be handed out in a gala in New York on Jan. 8.[SEP]NEW YORK (AP) — The feel-good road-trip drama “Green Book” was named the best film of the year, and its star, Viggo Mortensen, best actor, by the National Board of Review in one of the first in a parade of awards season honors. The NBR awards, announced Tuesday, gave the Oscar hopes of Universal’s “Green Book” a jolt. The film, directed by Peter Farrelly (who typically makes broader comedies like “There’s Something About Mary” with his brother, Bobby) was declared an Oscar favorite after taking the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival. But in two weeks of release, it has struggled to latch on at the box office, and some critics have called its portrayal of race relations old-fashioned and criticized it for relying on “White savior” tropes. It stars Mahershala Ali as classical pianist Don Shirley, who tours the Deep South in 1962 with a racist Italian-American driver played by Mortensen. Bradley Cooper’s lauded remake “A Star Is Born” also took several top awards, including best director for Cooper, best actress for Lady Gaga and best supporting actor for Sam Elliott. Lady Gaga in “A Star is Born” (Clay Enos/Warner Bros. via AP) Barry Jenkins’ James Baldwin adaptation “If Beale Street Could Talk” took prizes for Jenkins’ screenplay and for Regina King’s supporting performance. Though sometimes called an Oscar harbinger, the National Board of Review, a 109-year-old organization of film enthusiasts, academics and professionals, has typically deviated from eventual best picture winners. It last year chose Steven Spielberg’s “The Post.” Before that, its top winners were “Manchester By the Sea,” ″Mad Max: Fury Road” and “A Most Violent Year.” On Monday night, the Gotham Awards , which honor independent film, selected Chloe Zhao’s “The Rider” as its best feature film of the year. Critics groups will soon start weighing in with their picks, starting with the New York Film Critics Circle on Thursday. Other prizes from the National Board of Review included best ensemble for the cast of the romantic-comedy hit “Crazy Rich Asians”; best documentary to the popular Ruth Bader Ginsberg chronicle “RBG”; best screenplay to Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed”; best animated feature to “Incredibles 2″; best foreign language film to “Cold War.” The awards will be handed out in on January 8 in New York at a gala hosted by Willie Geist.[SEP]Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali's new movie Green Book and A Star is Born have been given massive Oscars boosts after landing top awards from America's National Board of Review. Green Book, which chronicles the relationship between African-American classical pianist Don Shirley and his white driver, is the critics pick for the film of the year, while Mortensen has been named Best Actor. Bradley Cooper has picked up the Best Director for his filmmaking debut, A Star Is Born, while his leading lady, Lady Gaga, has been named Best Actress and their co-star Sam Elliott Best Supporting Actor. If Beale Street Could Talk has also been handed multiple honours, including a Best Supporting Actress prize for Regina King. As well as Green Book, the National Board of Review's top films of 2018 are The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Black Panther, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Eighth Grade, First Reformed, If Beale Street Could Talk, Mary Poppins Returns, A Quiet Place, Roma, and A Star Is Born. The National Board of Review honorees will be feted at a gala in January (19) at Cipriani 42nd Street in new York. The full list of winners is: Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk William K. Everson Film History Award: The Other Side of the Wind & They'll Love Me When I'm Dead[SEP]Awards season formally began at last night’s Gotham Awards, and it barrels on: The National Board of Review announced its 2018 winners Tuesday morning. Green Book, a buddy comedy about master musician Dr. Don Shirley and the bigoted white man whose heart softens as the two drive across the Jim Crow South, was the biggest winner, earning awards for Best Film and Best Actor for Viggo Mortensen. Coming up hot behind was A Star Is Born — yeehaw Jackson Maine’s deep voice! — which scored Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor. Barry Jenkins’s tender James Baldwin adaptation, If Beale Street Could Talk, won Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay. The National Board of Review is one of awards season’s earliest events. Last year, The Post swept with the Best Film, Actor, and Actress awards. Greta Gerwig, Timothée Chalamet, and Laurie Metcalf also took home awards. See the full list of 2018 winners below: Best Supporting Actress Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk Best Adapted Screenplay Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk William K. Everson Film History Award The Other Side of the Wind and They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order) Crime + Punishment Free Solo Minding the Gap Three Identical Strangers Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order) The Death of Stalin Lean on Pete Leave No Trace Mid90s The Old Man & the Gun The Rider Searching Sorry to Bother You We the Animals You Were Never Really Here

The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures names Green Book the best film in 2018. A Star Is Born won three awards.

US President Donald Trump has said he may cancel a long-awaited summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after a confrontation at sea between Russia and Ukraine led Kiev to warn of the threat of “full-scale war”. Trump is scheduled to meet Putin at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires at the end of this week but warned it would depend on the results of a report being prepared by his national security advisers about Russia’s seizure of three Ukrainian ships. “Maybe I won’t have the meeting. Maybe I won’t even have the meeting,” he told the Washington Post on Tuesday. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko earlier warned that the standoff could herald more drastic developments as tensions escalate between the ex-Soviet neighbours. “I don’t want anyone to think this is fun and games. Ukraine is under threat of full-scale war with Russia,” Poroshenko said. The number of Russian units deployed along the Ukraine-Russian border has “grown dramatically” while the number of Russian tanks has tripled, Poroshenko said, citing intelligence reports but giving no precise timescale for the buildup. He spoke after Russian forces seized three of Kiev’s ships off the coast of Crimea on Sunday and captured 24 Ukrainian sailors. On Tuesday, a court in Simferopol, the main city in Russian-annexed Crimea, ordered 12 of the sailors to be held in pre-trial detention for two months. Three hospitalised sailors were also formally detained for two months. The rest are to appear in court on Wednesday. The move stoked already high tensions between Moscow and Kiev, as Russia continues to accuse the sailors of crossing illegally into Russian waters and of ignoring warnings from its border guards.[SEP]UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Monday (Nov 26) warned Russia that "outlaw actions" like the seizure of Ukrainian ships in the Sea of Azov are preventing normal relations from developing between Washington and Moscow. US Ambassador Nikki Haley told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that "the United States would welcome a normal relationship with Russia. But outlaw actions like this one continue to make that impossible." Tensions have flared after the Russian navy on Sunday boarded and seized three Ukrainian ships off the coast of Crimea, accusing Ukraine of illegally entering Russian waters in the Sea of Azov. The confrontation at sea raised fears of a wider military flareup. Haley put the blame firmly on Russia for the clash, calling the seizure of the ships an "outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory" and slamming "yet another reckless Russian escalation." But she did not specifically threaten further sanctions, instead calling for a de-escalation of tensions over Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 in a move never recognised by the international community. "The United States will maintain its Crimea-related sanctions against Russia. Indeed, further Russian escalation of this kind will only make matters worse," said Haley. "It will further undermine Russia's standing in the world. It will further sour Russia's relations with the US and many other countries. It will further increase tensions with Ukraine. " Haley said her remarks followed conversations with President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and reflect "concerns at the highest level of the American government." The US warning comes ahead of a planned meeting between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina later this week. Russia's envoy accused Ukraine of provoking the confrontation to justify the imposition of martial law and a delay of elections as polls show Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko faces possible defeat. Ukraine's parliament was to vote Monday on a request from Poroshenko to impose martial law for 60 days. Denouncing a "mythical Russian aggression," Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told the council: "Our country has never caused the first blow, but it knows how to protect itself." Ukraine called for a toughening of sanctions against Russia, with Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko warning that "if unopposed, the Kremlin regime will take another and another aggressive act" leading to wider conflict. The Ukrainian ambassador cited audio recordings of communications among Russian vessel commanders that showed they were given orders to attack the ships after they had changed course and were returning to their Ukrainian port. France and Germany, which lead European diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, urged Russia to hand over the seized ships and release the seamen. At the outset of the meeting, Russia suffered a setback in the council after it sought to discuss the clash in the Azov under an agenda item that described the incident as a violation of Russia's borders. This was rejected in a procedural vote, with only China, Bolivia and Kazakhstan siding with Russia. The council then discussed the clash under a less contentious agenda item.[SEP]The world’s principal forum of global leaders risks marking its 10th anniversary with an identity crisis. The debut Group of 20 leaders’ summit was convened in 2008 to develop an response to the financial crisis ripping through markets. Leaders attending the latest edition in Buenos Aires on Friday and Saturday face shared threats from trade disputes to migration and climate change—but are so lacking in common purpose that a blowup looks more likely than a collective response. President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda is one obvious culprit for the breakdown in global solidarity, but far from the only one. Even as some leaders try to put on a show of unity, others are increasingly going it alone, whether Vladimir Putin’s power play in Ukraine, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s business-as-usual approach after the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, or even Theresa May’s dogged pursuit of Given the global challenges, it’s in many ways a perfect time for a summit. But the outlook for substantial breakthrough seems slim: Trump blew apart the G-7 earlier this year and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit ended in disarray this month without a joint statement for the first time. Russia’s attack on Ukrainian warships this week further diminishes the likelihood the G-20 will showcase multilateralism over nationalist isolationism. The paradox is there may be little alternative to such summits, said John Kirton, who leads the G-20 research group at the University of Toronto. “If you believe the demand for global governance is great and growing, the only supplier left standing is the G-20,” said Kirton. “When leaders get together, big things can happen.” And yet at this week’s summit, big things are more likely to be defined on the sidelines. Trump’s long-awaited meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping will be parsed for signs of a cease-fire in their simmering trade war. It will at best “produce some signs from the top that an agreement could possibly be reached—but very little on the details,” said Mary Lovely, an economics professor at Syracuse University who specializes in trade. But the U.S. “seems to have done a lot more work to prepare for a trade war than a trade truce.” After dodging bilateral talks this month during World War I commemorations in Paris, Trump is due to meet with Putin in an encounter that may show whether the U.S. leader still wants Crimea to be recognized as Russian territory. The U.S. is also set to sign a new trade deal with Canada and Mexico at the meeting, even as Trump threatens to permanently close the U.S.-Mexico border. The participating countries may yet come out the other end of the summit with a joint statement, but even if they do it will be watered down to accommodate the U.S. and others. It might not, for instance, even mention multilateralism. And then there’s the defiant Saudi Crown Prince; if he travels to Argentina, then all eyes will be on who—apart from Trump and potentially Putin—will shake his hand, let alone consider him a partner on challenges. “My guess is a lot of the news will be made not by the communique that comes out, but by the bilaterals that are held—or not held,” said Ted Truman, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for Economics. “It’s not going to produce a breakthrough in international cooperation, if I can put it that way, because the people are not ready for a breakthrough in international cooperation.” Trade, and Trump, will define much of the meeting. The same summit a year ago ended with a joint statement peppered with apparent Trump appeasement lines, such as condemning “unfair trade practices,” recognizing “the role of legitimate trade defense instruments” and noting the U.S. decision to quit the Paris climate accord. The final communique, in some sections, was less a unified joint statement than a laundry list of impasses. The G-20 was established in 1999 as a forum for finance chiefs and central bankers from economies representing some two-thirds of the world’s population and 85 percent of global output. It was elevated to leaders’ level in 2008 in the depths of the financial crisis: the first summit was held in Washington two months after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. As leaders head to Argentina, the G-20 lacks the urgency it had at its outset. “But there’s a new crisis brewing, which is trade,” said Ronaldo Costa Filho, undersecretary general for Economic and Financial Affairs at Brazil’s foreign ministry, who is the country’s sherpa, or leader’s envoy at the summit. Even so, “joint consensus recommendations” are not yet within reach, he said. G-7 leaders meeting in Canada in June did manage to reach a common statement, only for Trump to disavow it hours later with a tweet from Air Force One, while labeling host Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “dishonest & weak.” Five months on, the formal G-20 agenda as set by host Argentina focuses on infrastructure, jobs of the future and food security. The fight over steel and aluminum tariffs, and the threat of U.S. tariffs on auto imports, will also dominate sideline discussions, as will the future of the World Trade Organization, something of a sibling entity for the G-20. Talks began last month on how to reform it in a way both China and the U.S. would agree to. The Khashoggi murder looms large. The summit will include Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has shared recordings related to Khashoggi’s murder with allies; Germany’s Angela Merkel, who has suspended Saudi arms exports; and Trudeau, who’s been locked in a diplomatic fight with the kingdom since before Khashoggi’s death. Trump has effectively deflected any Saudi role in the killing. At the center of the diplomacy is Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri, who has sought to hold the summit together in something of a bid to re-enter the upper tier of world powers. But he’s vying to join a club at risk of collapse; take Brazil and Mexico, which will be represented by lame-duck leaders and not the incoming populists who’ve won power. It will be up to Macri and the liberal order as represented by Trudeau, Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron—the latter two not without their domestic difficulties—to try to save the G-20’s multilateral mission from its growing isolationist tendencies, according to Kirton. “We have two agendas warring withing the bosom of a single summit,” he said.[SEP]BUENOS AIRES: World leaders began arriving in Argentina on Wednesday (Nov 28) ahead of a G20 summit dogged by increasingly strident warnings about the impact on the world economy of threatened US trade tariffs. US President Donald Trump's trade war with China is a dominant theme at the weekend summit but one sideshow is how leaders deal with the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The de facto Saudi ruler stepped onto Argentine soil bidding to shrug off international outrage over the murder last month of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Prince Mohammed appears to be enjoying a pass from Washington. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had seen no "direct" evidence linking the prince to Khashoggi's murder at a Saudi consulate in Turkey. Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss the killing of Khashoggi when he meets the prince on the summit sidelines, but the "main aim" would be developing Russia-Saudi relations, said Putin's foreign policy advisory Yuri Ushakov. Putin will be one of several leaders to meet the Saudi prince, who is also expected to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN chief Antonio Guterres. A meeting with Trump has not been ruled out by the White House. Human Rights Watch is also waiting for the crown prince, having urged Argentine prosecutors to charge him with war crimes over the Saudi-led military coalition's action in Yemen. Argentina already has plenty to contend with as it hosts its most important international gathering yet in the middle of a biting economic crisis. Angered by rampant inflation and soaring unemployment, an alliance of Argentine activist groups and trade unions plans a major protest in central Buenos Aires on Friday, the summit's first day. Economic troubles could spread much further if Trump goes through on a threat to impose auto tariffs on trading partners including Europe and Japan, the International Monetary Fund warned in a pre-G20 report. An IMF calculation "suggests that the resulting short-term losses could lower global GDP by about 3/4 percent." Trump's trade war on China is already well underway, and he is threatening to impose deeper tariffs in January unless Chinese leader Xi Jinping yields when they meet on the G20 sidelines. A White House official said that Trump sees a "good possibility" for a deal to defuse the trade frictions, as Washington demands greater market access and protections for intellectual property by Beijing. En route to Argentina, Xi said in Spain on Wednesday that his government would indeed boost protection of intellectual property, although foreign companies in China complain they have heard such promises before. "China will make efforts to further open its door to the outside world," Xi told the Spanish Senate. "We will make a lot of efforts to speed up market access, improve the investment environment and increase protection of intellectual property." Wendy Cutler, a former US trade negotiator now at the Asia Society institute in the United States, said the best to expect at the G20 would be a "ceasefire" as both sides agree to go back to talks. "The issues of concern regarding trade, investment and IPR (intellectual property rights) were not created overnight and cannot be solved quickly," she said. In Buenos Aires, Trump is also due to sit down with Putin for a bilateral meeting that has taken on added import after Russia fired on and detained three Ukrainian ships in the Sea of Azov near Crimea. Putin insisted on Wednesday that Russian forces were in the right to seize the Ukrainian ships last weekend, but Trump expressed "deep concern" at Moscow's actions against a US ally. Trump on Tuesday threatened to cancel his planned talks with Putin at the G20 summit, but the Kremlin said it still expected the encounter to go ahead. "The meeting is equally needed by both sides and important for the development of the general situation in the world," Ushakov said.[SEP]President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia had no choice but to cut its dependency on dollars to conduct trade, after becoming the target of increasingly severe US sanctions. "It isn't our goal to desert the dollar," Putin told an investment forum in comments broadcast on national television. "The dollar is deserting us." The dollar is the preeminent currency in international trade. Washington has made it difficult for some targets of its sanctions to use the currency. "Those who are taking such decisions are not shooting themselves in the foot, but a bit higher," Putin said to laughter from the crowd. Worries about the ability to use the dollar will push other countries to seek alternatives, said Putin. Russian authorities have long talked about "de-dolarisation" of its international trade. "We need to do it and I assure you we will do it," said Putin. However, progress on that front has been slow. Oil, Russia's major export, is priced in dollars. Nevertheless, much of Russia's trade with its ex-Soviet neighbours is in rubles, and Putin noted the country recently sold its S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries to Turkey without dollars featuring in the transaction. Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov recently said India will pay for its S-400s in rubles. Russia and China have also indicated they want to increase the use of the ruble and yuan in their bilateral trade. Russia has been hit by several rounds of sanctions by Washington and the European Union since Moscow's intervention in Ukraine in 2014.[SEP]President Donald Trump has a packed schedule of meetings with foreign leaders when he's at the G20 in Argentina later this week but one person not making the list is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the White House announced on Tuesday. 'No,' said National Security Adviser John Bolton when asked if the president would meet with the prince. 'The bilateral schedule is full to overflowing.' Trump said last week he was opening to sitting down with MBS - the crown prince is known by his initials - after he has repeatedly defended the prince against allegations MBS ordered the murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. But officials on Tuesday released the president's schedule for his two days at the G20 in Buenos Aires and MBS did not make the cut, although several other world leaders will get face time with Trump. His schedule contains meetings - or bilaterals as they are known - with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Argentina President Mauricio Macri, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The president will also have a working dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping as the two nations tussle in a trade war. Erdogan, whose government has led the charge against MBS for the murder of Khashoggi, is expected to use his G20 meeting to use as a platform to demand accountability for the journalist's killing. Trump said on Thanksgiving Day that the CIA has not 'concluded' the Saudi crown prince ordered Khashoggi's murder. 'Whether he did or whether he didn't, he denies it vehemently,' Trump said of the prince to reporters after he spoke on the phone with U.S. troops. 'The CIA doesn't say they did it. They do point out certain things, and in pointing out those things, you can conclude that maybe he did or maybe he didn't.' 'The CIA points it both ways. And as I said, maybe he did, maybe he didn't. I will say very strongly that it's a very important ally,' he noted of the oil-rich Saudi Arabia. His statement contradicts reports the spy agency has determined with 'high confidence' that MBS - the crown prince is known by his initials - ordered the assassination, which contradicting the Saudi government's claims that MSB was not involved. The president has repeatedly defended Saudi Arabia as a 'strong ally' who has invested billions of dollars into the United States. One of the president's most closely watched meetings at the G20 will be with Putin. The two leaders will talk about security issues, arm controls issues, and regional issues including Middle East, Bolton said. Trump and Putin spoke briefly in France when both men were present for celebrations celebrating the 100th anniversary of the armistice ending World War I but they have not had a formal sit down since their July summit in Helsinki, where Trump made news for backing Putin's assertion Moscow did not meddle in the 2016 presidential election, contradicting conclusions from U.S. intelligence agencies. The president later walked back his remarks. Another meeting that will be closely monitored is dinner with Xi, which comes amid back-and-forth tariffs each nation is imposing on the other. It will be the first time the two have met since Trump imposed tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese imports and China responded with import tariffs on U.S. goods. Trump has threatened another round of billions in tariffs if China can't make a trade deal. 'If we don't make a deal, then I'm going to put the $267 billion additional on' at a tariff rate of either 10 percent or 25 percent, he told the Wall Street Journal earlier this week. But Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow said Tuesday the president is optimistic both sides can come together for a deal. 'In his view there's a good possibility that a deal can be made and that he is open to that,' Kudlow said a press briefing. He said China would have to come to the table with resolutions for issues on intellectual property theft, and forced technology transfers. He added that tariff and non-tariff barriers have to be solved along with issues of ownership. 'We want a world ideally of zero tariffs, zero non tariff barriers and zero subsidies,' Kudlow said. 'If China will come to the table - in this case the dinner table - with new ideas, new attitudes and new cooperation, the president has said he's open to it,' Kudlow said of the possibility of a deal. Kudlow indicated the U.S. would use its economic might to strong arm China into an agreement. 'The United States is coming to the summit in very good shape,' he noted, adding that 'most observers believe China to be in a slump where as the United States is in very strong position.' He noted additional tariffs on China is not the United States' 'first choice.' 'I think we are in far better shape to weather this thing than the Chinese are,' Kudlow added. 'There is broad base support for America's position that China should change its practices,' he said. Bolton also sounded an optimistic note about the dinner between the two world leaders. 'I think President Trump has developed a very positive relationship with President Xi,' he said. Trump said on Thanksgiving Day he was well prepared for his meeting with Xi. 'It's not like, 'Oh gee, I'm going to sit down and study.' I know every ingredient. I know every stat. I know it better than anybody knows it. And my gut has always been right. And we're doing very well. And I will tell you China very much wants to make a deal,' he said.[SEP]Nov 28 (Reuters) - Last year’s G20 is remembered for the moment when Donald Trump flew off in a huff, leaving differences on issues like climate change unresolved. This year, few Western leaders are likely to have any grand illusions when they arrive in Buenos Aires for this weekend’s 2018 summit. For many, it seems, the U.S. president is operating under one overriding world view. American foreign policy is for sale. The issue is finding just the right price. Now, as Trump heads off for his second G20 conference – the premier gathering of world leaders, at least half of whom have been loyal friends and allies of the United States for a century or longer – it’s time for him, and for much of the world that once counted America as a firm and true partner, to turn the corner. So perhaps it would be worthwhile to give the U.S. president a little cheat sheet he can take into each of his bilateral conferences – or even water-cooler encounters – that will help him work out where the nation’s most fundamental needs and desires really lie. Among the G20 there is a core group of developed nations, then an outer ring of arrivistes. And finally, there are the hangers-on, “observers” who quite often need to be courted as assiduously as any of the primary groups. Trump cares little for any of the countries in the core. He has already managed to create rifts with British Prime Minister Theresa May. Deeply wounded at home by Brexit gone awry, she could use a friend. She should not look for that from Trump, who fanned the flames on Monday by saying that her Brexit deal may make U.S.-UK trade more difficult at the very moment Britain may be much in the market for a loyal ally. Angela Merkel is equally wounded and widely seen as a lame duck after announcing she would not run for another term as German chancellor. But Germany’s manufacturing and financial muscle are still key to any eventual trade deal between Europe and the United States. It would behoove Trump to put behind him that widely-disseminated photo of Merkel staring down a truculent Trump at the G7 summit in Canada in June. Finally, among the European triad, there is France. Trump may smell some blood in the waters around Emmanuel Macron, whose popularity is waning. But the French president still aspires to lead Europe and no longer hesitates to take Trump to task when he sees a moment, most recently at the 100th World War One Armistice Day celebrations with a pointed denunciation of nationalism as a “betrayal of patriotism.” Trump’s key targets are in the second ring of the G20. China, Russia and especially Saudi Arabia, whose delegation will be led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Already, Trump has thanked Riyadh for keeping oil prices low – and called for prices to go even lower. The heir-apparent to the Saudi throne also can’t be anything but delighted by the White House whitewashing his role in the assassination of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The world, not to mention at least a dozen potential Democratic candidates for president in 2020, will be watching for the breadth of any smile the two leaders might exchange. The Saudi encounter, if there is one, could even take a back seat to the discussion between Trump and China’s Xi Jinping. Xi faces a looming threat of another round of tariffs on $262 billion worth of Chinese goods, with the rate jumping from 10 percent to 25 percent. Trump has hanging over his head the effects of a long-term trade freeze on the American stock markets and the broader economy. Xi has dug in; Trump no longer has the clear upper hand. And then there is Russia’s Vladimir Putin. So far, every face-to-face meeting between the leaders has been viewed as a victory for Putin and a catastrophe for Trump. The best hope in Buenos Aires is that Trump somehow manages not to pay obeisance to this dictator. He must also understand the Pandora’s box he’s on the verge of opening by threatening a withdrawal from the INF missile agreement that was a key restraint on Putin’s dash toward an all but unassailable weapon system. There’s also everyone else who’ll show up in Argentina – many with critical issues that Trump has dealt with in some fashion. Trump is selling his new NAFTA pact, rebranded as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and expected to be signed in Buenos Aires, as “a win for U.S. workers.” But Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and outgoing Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, who will both be at the G20, still have to sell the treaty to their legislatures back home. They could use some understanding. Trump should also find a way to restore some grace to America’s relations with NATO-member Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who’s been determined to lay the blame for the Khashoggi murder at the feet of the Saudi crown prince. Nor should Trump ignore South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who’ll likely be central to any accord with the North. Finally, there’s the outer circle – leaders of Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa, Senegal, Spain, Jamaica, Chile, the Netherlands, Brazil and Italy, all key players in their regions, the latter two representing a kind of neo-con nationalism that should be in Trump’s wheelhouse. The weeks leading up to most G20 summits are generally occupied by teams of sherpas making careful preparations, setting the table for agreements to be signed and accords reached in carefully crafted language. Now, however, they face the prospect of Donald Trump re-loading the craps table with his own dice. The rest of the world needs to step up its game. (Reporting by David A. Andelman)[SEP]President Trump speaks during an interview with Washington Post reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) President Trump threatened Tuesday to cancel his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin at a global summit later this week because of Russia’s maritime clash with Ukraine, saying, “I don’t like that aggression.” Russia captured three Ukrainian naval ships and their crews in the Black Sea on Sunday, an act that drew condemnation from the West and led to Ukraine preparing to impose martial law in 10 of the country’s 27 regions. Asked during an interview Monday with The Washington Post whether he thinks Putin was within his rights to seize the Ukrainian ships, Trump said he was considering canceling his bilateral meeting with Putin scheduled for later this week. “I am getting a report on that tonight and that will determine what happens at the meeting,” Trump said. “I’m getting a full report on that tonight. That will be very determinative. Maybe I won’t have the meeting. Maybe I won’t even have the meeting. We’re going to see, depending on what comes out tonight.” The session is planned on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked about Trump’s comments on Wednesday, told reporters that the Trump-Putin meeting was still on. National security adviser John Bolton speaks during a White House press briefing Tuesday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) “The meeting has been finalized,” Peskov said. “We have no other information from our U.S. counterparts.” Asked whether Russia’s aggression is a cause for concern to the American people, Trump said it is. “I don’t like that aggression,” Trump said. “I don’t want that aggression at all. Absolutely. And by the way, Europe shouldn’t like that aggression. And Germany shouldn’t like that aggression.” Trump went on to criticize Germany for not spending enough on its defenses as part of NATO. “They’re absolutely not doing enough,” Trump said. “Germany. Absolutely not! Many of those countries are not doing enough toward NATO. They should be spending much more money.” Russian President Vladimir Putin hands U.S. President Trump a World Cup soccer ball during a news conference on July 16 in Helsinki. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images) The Trump administration has also been critical of Germany for a planned gas pipeline deal with Russia. White House national security adviser John Bolton said Tuesday that Trump’s meeting with Putin would cover arms control and “security issues,” but he did not say whether Trump planned to challenge Putin over the naval incident. U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley spoke for the administration when she condemned the incident Monday, Bolton said. The Russian action appears to fit a pattern in which the Kremlin takes provocative action and then gauges international reaction before moving further. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine four years ago after a series of smaller steps that the West called provocations. Trump has been under pressure to back out of the Putin meeting so as not to appear to endorse the latest action, which Haley had called unacceptable aggression. James Jay Carafano, a conservative foreign policy adviser at the Heritage Foundation with close ties to the White House, was among those calling Monday for Trump to cancel the session in protest. The meeting, if it happens, would come on the heels of Trump’s decision not to impose further punishment on Saudi Arabia or directly hold Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to account for the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month. Trump did not rule out a meeting with the crown prince at the Argentina session, although White House officials said there is nothing scheduled.[SEP]President Donald Trump no longer has any intention of meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he had announced, but will get together with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has had tense relations with Riyadh because of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump said last week that he would have a bilateral meeting with Bin Salman if both attended the meeting of G20 leaders, to be held in Buenos Aires this Friday and Saturday.[SEP]Russia’s deployment of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in Crimea, announced on Wednesday, sounds worrying. The move comes days after Russian forces fired on Ukraine’s navy in the Kerch strait, prompting western condemnation and fears of a wider conflagration. At first glance, Vladimir Putin appears to have opted for defiance and escalation. But first glances can be misleading. All parties to the Crimea-Donbass conflict have an interest in shaping outside perceptions, and not all is what it seems. In fact, Russia has stationed three S-400 missile battalions in Crimea since 2014, when it seized and illegally annexed the peninsula. It is now adding a fourth. It is not welcome news, but it is not necessarily a prelude to all-out war. Opinions differ about the Russian president’s motives. Western analysts suggest he is intent on blockading the Azov Sea and eastern Ukraine’s industrial ports, thereby weakening Kiev economically and demonstrating Moscow’s superior control. Russia could also be reacting to Ukraine’s plan to build a new Azov naval base. This in turn may all be part of a long-term strategy to push Nato out of the Black Sea region. On the other hand, Putin’s domestic approval ratings are falling, hit by a row over pensions and economic problems caused by western sanctions. When Putin ordered the Crimea invasion, his popularity surged to 80%, compared to 30% the year before. Maybe he is trying to pull the same trick again. If so, it’s a dangerous game. The motives of Petro Poroshenko are likewise open to question. Ukraine’s president warned this week of “full-scale war”, claiming to have detected a recent buildup of Russian tanks at the border. In fact, Russia started relocating army units closer to Ukraine four years ago. This led over time to a “substantial expansion of Russia’s military presence”, according to Harvard’s Belfer Center. But it’s not new. Is Poroshenko deliberately exaggerating the imminence of the Russian threat? He faces elections in March that he is tipped to lose. Opponents suggest his emphasis on Ukraine’s endangered security, and imposition of martial law, could compromise the democratic process. Sergii Leshchenko, an opposition MP, said Poroshenko’s re-election hopes rested on a nationalist tripod: “Language, faith, army.” Western motives are also suspect. Pentagon hawks have an interest in stiffening Donald Trump’s support for Nato in general and Ukraine (an aspiring Nato member) in particular. The Kerch confrontation highlights Putin’s repeat offending, as they see it, in eastern Europe, the Baltic, the Balkans, Syria and Salisbury. The crisis could be used to draw the US and Europe closer together at a time of transatlantic rifts – and strengthen the case for western arms sales to Ukraine, even for direct intervention. Trump is now under pressure to cancel his G20 meeting with Putin this weekend. In Washington, this is all mixed up with the FBI investigation into Trump’s past dealings with Russia and current appeasement of Putin. Reflecting these sensitivities, the White House has mostly steered clear of the Kerch row. The US so far has not responded substantively to European calls for new sanctions or Kiev’s pleas for help. If Putin hoped to expose western divisions and exploit Trump’s ambivalence, he has succeeded. If Poroshenko, by launching what Moscow calls a provocation, wanted to boost his political fortunes, he may have succeeded too. Or maybe it is less complicated. Maybe excitable mid-level Russian commanders simply exceeded their authority. That’s believable. And that’s how wars start.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he may cancel his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during this week's 2018 G20 Buenos Aires summit because of Russia's maritime clash with Ukraine.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo have ruled Nicaragua for more than a decade The US has imposed sanctions on Nicaragua's Vice-President Rosario Murillo, the wife of President Daniel Ortega, accusing her of corruption and serious human rights abuses. She is believed to have held influence over a youth organisation that the US says engaged in extra-judicial killings, torture and kidnapping. Sanctions were also imposed on the presidential couple's security adviser. Ms Murillo has ruled Nicaragua jointly with Mr Ortega for more than a decade. She is accused of controlling the police and the youth wing of the governing Sandinista Liberation Front. On Tuesday, the US Treasury said it was using a new executive order issued by US President Donald Trump to punish Ms Murillo, accusing her of undermining Nicaragua's democracy. Meanwhile her aide - and the president's security adviser - Néstor Moncada Lau was accused of carrying out orders by paying armed groups to attack protestors during months of anti-government disturbances earlier this year. The sanctions will ban US individuals, banks and other entities from carrying out transactions with the pair, who will also have any assets that fall under US jurisdiction frozen. Nicaragua has been through huge upheaval this year. In April, anti-government protesters demanded that the socialist president, Mr Ortega, step down over unpopular pension reforms. However, he refused to negotiate and instead sent in the security forces. Hundreds were then killed in the space of weeks. Earlier this month, opposition activist Félix Maradiaga told the BBC that human rights in Nicaragua were at the "most severe crisis in generations". Mr Maradiaga was forced to flee his country in July after receiving death threats.[SEP]The U.S. imposed sanctions Tuesday on Nicaragua’s vice president and its national security adviser for corruption and for their violent repression of pro-democracy protesters, as President Trump ramps up economic and diplomatic pressure on the so-called “troika of tyranny” in Latin America. Mr. Trump signed an executive order targeting the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega regime and its supporters, who “continue to engage in rampant corruption, dismantling of democratic institutions, serious human rights abuse, and exploitation of the people and public resources of Nicaragua for private gain,” the Treasury Department said. Under the order, Treasury imposed sanctions on Vice President Rosario Maria Murillo De Ortega, and Nicaraguan national security adviser Nestor Moncada Lau. Since April, anti-government protests in Nicaragua have resulted in more than 350 deaths, according to human-rights monitors. “Vice President Murillo and her political operators have systematically sought to dismantle democratic institutions and loot the wealth of Nicaragua to consolidate their grip on power,” said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “This administration is committed to holding the Ortega regime accountable for the violent protests and widespread corruption that have led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent Nicaraguans and destroyed their economy.” The Treasury actions freeze any property or assets under U.S. jurisdiction of the two Nicaraguan officials. A senior administration official said the action is a signal to Mr. Ortega “to find an exit strategy” and pave the way for free and fair elections. Until then, the official said, the administration’s goal is to continue “a campaign of maximum pressure.” Mr. Ortega, 72, is a former left-wing guerrilla who has ruled Nicaragua for 22 of the past 39 years since his Sandinista rebels toppled a U.S.-backed strongman. The unrest is the worst since he returned to power in 2007, and he has said he intends to serve in his current term as president until 2021. Earlier this month, U.S. national security adviser John R. Bolton said in a speech that Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba comprise a “troika of tyranny.” He promised a comprehensive, new administration approach to confront leftist, anti-democratic regimes in the Western Hemisphere. “This Troika of Tyranny, this triangle of terror stretching from Havana to Caracas to Managua, is the cause of immense human suffering, the impetus of enormous regional instability, and the genesis of a sordid cradle of communism in the Western Hemisphere,” Mr. Bolton said. “The United States looks forward to watching each corner of the triangle fall. . . . The Troika will crumble.” Sign up for Daily Newsletters Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. 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"This Administration is committed to holding the Ortega regime accountable for the violent protests and widespread corruption that have led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent Nicaraguans and destroyed their economy." After an exclusive interview with President Ortega in September, DW reporter Carolina Chimoy said that, "Rosario Murillo ... is actually the one who is running the government day by day. It is not the president. It is her." Since April standoffs between anti-Ortega protestors and police and armed groups have led to the deaths of more than 300 individuals, with more than 2,000 injured. Protestors have accused Ortega of organizing the violence, which has drawn international condemnation. The protests began in response to proposed welfare changes but escalated into calls for democratic reforms in Nicaragua, including the resignation of Ortega and new elections. Ortega, a former leftist Sandinista rebel, has been president since 2007. He previously ruled the Central American country from 1979 to 1990. Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.[SEP]"OFAC imposed sanctions on two of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s closest associates: the Vice President of Nicaragua and First Lady, Rosario Maria Murillo De Ortega (Murillo), and Nestor Moncada Lau (Moncada), who has acted as a national security advisor to the President and Vice President," the release said. The Treasury added that the action was taken against Ortega’s supporters because of their engagement in "rampant corruption, dismantling of democratic institutions, serious human rights abuse, and exploitation of the people and public resources of Nicaragua for private gain." Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the release that the Trump administration is committed to holding Ortega and his government accountable for the violent protests and corruption that has led to the deaths of hundreds of people, and destroyed the country's economy. READ MORE: US Envoy to UN Says Nicaragua Following Syria's, Venezuela's Footsteps Turmoil erupted in Nicaragua on April 18 when people took to the streets to protest unpopular social security reforms announced by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. After several days of protests, Ortega cancelled the reforms, but the protests have nevertheless continued. Earlier this month the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry said 198 people were killed, including police officers, and more than 1,200 others were injured due to the protests.[SEP]The Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Nicaragua’s vice president and its national security adviser, in the latest move to put pressure on the regime of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. The sanctions against Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo, who is also the country’s first lady, and adviser Nestor Moncada Lau followed President Trump’s signing of an executive order allowing the Treasury Department to block the property and interests of Nicaraguan officials. The text of the order, which was issued Tuesday, states that the action was taken in response to the Nicaraguan government’s corruption, its “violent response” to protests and its “systematic dismantling and undermining of democratic institutions and the rule of law.” “Vice President Murillo and her political operators have systematically sought to dismantle democratic institutions and loot the wealth of Nicaragua to consolidate their grip on power,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. “Treasury is intent on ensuring that Ortega regime insiders are not able to access the U.S. financial system to profit at the expense of the Nicaraguan people.” Ortega, 73, came to power in 1979 as part of a government built by the Sandinista National Liberation Front guerrillas who overthrew President Anastasio Somoza, a longtime U.S. ally. First elected to a six-year term as president in 1984 as head of the Sandinista party, he lost the next three electoral rounds, only to win the next three, most recently in 2016, when his wife, Murillo, ran as his vice president. The Nicaraguan people, he said, would have a “50-50” presidency between the two of them. Murillo, 67, is outspoken and well-organized compared with Ortega’s somewhat bland public persona and had already long been a visible wielder of power. Despite increasingly autocratic tendencies, allegations of electoral fraud and conspicuous unearned wealth, Ortega managed to co-opt much of the business community and, unlike much of the rest of Central America, maintain relative peace and a sustained growth rate of at least 4 percent with the help of international bank loans and deeply discounted fuel supplies from Venezuela. But a sharp decrease in those supplies, as Venezuela’s economy and oil exports have nose-dived, led the Ortega-Murillo government to look for places to cut the budget. When they announced in April that the were decreasing public pensions, Nicaragua erupted in violence. Protest demonstrations joined senior citizens with students angry over the paucity of jobs — many of which were reserved for Sandinista supporters. The government responded with repressive force that sparked new demonstrations by students and political opponents, sparking even more force by the government and its paramilitary militias that has left hundreds of protesters and uninvolved civilians dead. The Trump administration, which had displayed little interest in Nicaragua to that point, responded by supporting mediation efforts by the Organization of American States and the Catholic Church that eventually collapsed. As administration criticism and sanctions against Venezuela increased along with government repression and violence against civilians in that country, the White House turned its attention toward Nicaragua. In a speech in Miami earlier this month, national security adviser John Bolton vowed to confront Nicaragua, which he said was part of the “troika of tyranny” along with Cuba and Venezuela. “This triangle of terror stretching from Havana to Caracas to Managua, is the cause of immense human suffering, the impetus of enormous regional instability, and the genesis of a sordid cradle of communism in the Western Hemisphere,” Bolton said. “Under President Trump, the United States is taking action against all three regimes to defend the rule of law, liberty and basic human decency in our region.” The administration had already minimized ties with Cuba, reversing the opening pursued by President Barack Obama, and has imposed escalating sanctions on the Venezuelan government of President Nicolás Maduro. In the speech, Bolton criticized Ortega for his “regime’s violence and repression against its citizens and opposition members.” The Nicaraguan government, he said, “like Venezuela and Cuba, will feel the full weight of America’s robust sanctions regime.” In a conference call with reporters, Trump administration officials cast the sanctions on Murillo and Lau as the first step in fulfilling that pledge. Sigal Mandelker, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the Treasury Department, said there was “no question in our mind” that the move would have a significant impact on the Nicaraguan government.

The Donald Trump administration announces sanctions on Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo and national security advisor Néstor Moncada Lau for corruption, violence against protesters, and human rights violations.

Prosecutors on Tuesday morning raided Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung's house in Bundang amid suspicions that Lee's wife used a pseudonymous Twitter handle to spread fake news about President Moon Jae-in and other political rivals of her husband. Prosecutors raided the house in search for a missing smartphone that Lee and his wife Kim Hye-gyeong used during the race for the presidential candidacy in the Minjoo Party, when Lee was up against Moon and others. Lee has claimed he lost the phone. Prosecutors also searched his provincial office in Suwon. Lee said he is ready to cooperate with prosecutors and expressed hope that his wife will be free from suspicion soon. Kim is suspected of having conducted smear campaigns against Moon and others under the Twitter handle 08_hkkim since 2013. Lee denies the allegations and claims e-mail accounts linked to the Twitter account were hacked.[SEP]Prosecutors on Tuesday raided Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung's office and home, apparently to search for his wife's old mobile phone believed to hold crucial evidence in investigations into her suspected role in political slander. Prosecutors and investigators from the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office began the raid on Lee's home in Seongnam, south of Seoul, at around 9 a.m. (Yonhap) About the same time, another group of prosecutors searched Lee's office in Suwon in the presence of the governor and his lawyer.The raid was apparently intended to retrieve an iPhone used by Lee's wife, Kim Hye-kyung, from July 2016 until April this year, when allegations of her involvement in online slandering of Lee's election rivals surfaced.Kim, who is suspected of posting slanderous messages on social media sites via her mobile phone, changed her iPhone and phone number in April and told police investigators later that she was not aware of its whereabouts.Police recently identified the owner of the Twitter ID "Hyekyunggung Ms. Kim," who left numerous defamatory comments before and during elections in recent years, as Kim.Police suspect she wrote comments in December 2016 against President Moon Jae-in, then Lee's potential rival in the Democratic Party's primary for the 2017 presidential election. She accused Moon of using his influence to help his son land a job at a public institution years ago.Police also claimed she wrote in April this year that one of Lee's rivals in the DP primary for the Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial election collaborated with the conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party.She faces charges of defamation and spreading of false information.Prosecutors believe Kim used the missing iPhone to write the two controversial posts.Tuesday's raids came eight days after police referred the case to the prosecution with an opinion of indictment.Kim was previously questioned by police but strongly denied any wrongdoing. Lee, former Seongnam mayor, has denounced the police for making politically motivated, baseless accusations while disregarding any evidence in Kim's favor. (Yonhap)[SEP]Metaphorical maxims about the speedy dissemination of lies and the much slower pace of corrective truths have a long history. One of the first can be attributed to Jonathan Swift in 1710. Follow-up quotes have been attributed the likes of Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, and Terry Pratchett. Now over 308 years since 1710 and we are still talking about the speed of truth and lies. To a certain degree, it’s an issue that is more poignant than ever thanks to social media. Anyone can tweet truth or lie to the entire audience of a social network with little or no fact checking or editorial control you’d see previously in the press. You only have to look at the latest mid-terms election in the United States. Areas of the virtual city that is Twitter was awash with fake news. The one instance I can highlight is this Tweet by @fintruthQ. This video has made the around across a number of different social media networks and users. The first instance I could find of this video being posted was from an Instagram account by a supposed ‘Red Piller’. It reports itself to be evidence of voter fraud or election rigging. Showing that the user had voted for a Republican, but the confirmation print out showed a vote for a Democratic candidate. It has 6,344 retweets and has been liked 5,880 times. You can probably see where I am going with this. The video is disinformation. The printer attached to the voting machine, rather than the voting machine itself was broken, and the print was of a vote cast earlier in the day. It was also later found out, that in either instance, a print would not be started until the voter had actually confirmed their vote – which you cannot see the recorder do. A response by a local political reporter, Andrew Tobias, (@AndrewJTobias) who followed up the case and found the truth only received 12 retweets. He has posted to his own feed, and in the comments to the original video highlighted above.The original video that reported the supposed election fraud, was still being retweeted, despite evidence of the contrary. This is just one case, but it’s not in isolation. Across the internet, there are viral tweets, images, and videos being shared that contain fake news, while the truth is too slow to matter. The current situation is simple and can be explained with a simple metaphor. There’s a shiny attractive race car driving around dumping huge piles of shit everywhere. The fact checkers have a busted-up Ford Orion and a very small garden trowel to pick it up. What’s the cause of this phenomenon? There’s several political communication theories that can explain what’s happening. It’s an injustice to try and list them all in a blog post but let me try anyway. Emotion: – People online,react, and share information in a pool of strangers. They don’t really know who they are talking to like they do in a pub, and there are no real pre-existing social relations. So, unless you know the person, you have a low probability of interacting with them. But there are ways you can increase this probability. The first of which is emotion. According to Berger & Milkman (2010) one way to increase interaction with your content is to fill it with sentimental arousal. People are more likely to react on social media when the topic is particularly emotive. News about crisis, breaking news, violence, deceit, corruption, has long since made the most popular news headlines – the same is true for social media. If you see something bad and scary to you, this will lower your pre-existing issues with sharing something by a stranger you otherwise wouldn’t. Social media has created an incentive to post more negatively charged content to get more likes. Confirmation Bias: – People have an innate characteristic of not wanting to be challenged. When we see information, part of our brains decides if it’s good for us, or bad for us. Generally, if the new information agrees with us, we are more likely to take notice of it (and go off to share and retweet). But if the information is contrary to what we know, our brains will try and discard it in order to maintain cogitative consistence. When information agrees with your beliefs, it takes no time to confirm it; when information disagrees, it takes many, many contrary facts before we even consider changing our minds. If you see a negative post about something you already dislike, such as the government, we are move likely to share it. A positive post about the government to the same person at the same time is more likely to be discarded. This makes us vulnerable to false claims that confirm what is familiar but might be wrong. Gatekeeping of the news:- Fake news and disinformation isn’t new, an article by Allcott & Gentzkow (2017) highlights that conspiracy theories have long been prevalent in American society.One such example is from 1835 when the New York Sun published a series of articles on the discovery of life on the Moon. However, they argue that one reason why fake news has propagated so much in the last few years is due the nature of the internet and social media itself. Previously, news had a high barrier to entry. In order to get people to buy your paper you had to be reputable. As a result, they are discouraged from producing falsehoods. Now anyone can create a website, put some advertising space on it, produce some lies with a catchy title and still make profit. While on social media anyone can say anything, either to draw clicks to a website, or for a little bit of that viral fame. The previous economic incentives that created fact-based reporting are not present on social media. Resources: – This is probably the most important reason why fake news and disinformation can propagate. The incentives for creating fake news is high, yet the economic incentives for countering fake news is low. Teenagers from the town of Veles, Macedonia, managed to create a successful network of over 100 fake news websites that raised them tens of thousands of pounds (Subraminan, 2017). Similar examples include a 24-year old man from EasternEurope currently manages Endingthefed.com, a website responsible for4-out-of-10 most popular fake news stories on Facebook (Townsend, 2016). Another example is a US company called Disinfomedia that owns many fake news sites, including NationalReport.net,USAToday.com.co, and WashingtonPost.com.co, and its owner claims to employ between 20 and 25 writers (Sydell 2016). All these websites are low-cost high-profit enterprises. Compare that to a fact checking organisation. For example, FullFact.org, an independent charity that seeks to fact-check statements made in the media and online is reported to cost £865,000a year to run (FullFact, 2018) Much of their funding comes from the corporate or charity sponsors. Donations from the public are limited, and a crowd funding campaign during the EU referendum only raising £42,260. Nowhere near enough to cover their operating expenses during an emotionally-charged referendum rife with falsehoods. Or compare it to the efforts of journalists, who try and counter falsities. They don’t get near the number of social media shares or views. The issue is simple, Fake news can take seconds to think up. Countering it takes hours to gather evidence, researching,or going through financial data. By the time you’ve factchecked the first claim made, there’s been an additional 6 produced. Even worse than that, for all that effort, you still only get seen by a tiny proportion of the public compared to the fake news story. It goes some way to explain why the majority of fake news goes unexposed (Newman et al, 2018). What is needed in a solution? The big question of how to solve the issue of fake news being spread on social media is to address what a solution needs to incorporate. Firstly, it goes without saying that no social media, nor public will, is behind any solution that somehow involves silencing or deleting social media content. For instance, Twitter refused to ban far-right fascistic paranoiac Alex Jones after he had already been removed from iTunes and Spotify. Free speech is something ingrained into the publics psyche, and when you look at the solutions and actions of social media platforms (Twitter in particular) they are unwilling to delete disinformation content unless it breaks the law. Alex Jones was finally suspended from the service, for one week, after he made a tweet making a call for his followers to get their “battle rifles” ready. He was only permanently banned from the service after he continued to use the platform for harassment. So what elements are needed in a solution? -It needs to empower fact checkers and fact checking organisations. Fact checkers do not get nearly enough exposure to the audience that the original fake news account does. -It needs to be bold, and it needs to be unavoidable. Any action should be bright enough that people will notice it, above their confirmation bias. -It needs to be verified. Social media sites need to work with credible 3rd parties to deliver the majority of the factchecking – after all you can’t expect Twitter to fact check everything. Letting the everyman create fact checking reports leaves the door open for the system to be politicised. Twitter should therefore only accept reports by trusted people or organisations. After this, Twitter still must verify that the fake news report is accurate by their own team to ensure that any action isn’t taken in bad faith. -It needs to be transparent. Reports need to clearly display why the tweet is fake or provides disinformation and give ample evidence of why this is the case. In addition to this, it needs to be informative and educate users why this fake news piece is bad, and why disinformation is bad for society. -It needs to be retrospective. Many people share content and forget. People should be made aware if they have interacted with an article of fake news in the past. What about a solution through education? There have been many attempts by a range of actors to stop fake news by making the public more aware. For example, the excellent work by DROG, a multidisciplinary team of academics, journalists and media-experts who have come together to try and build educational programmes to help people build a resistance to fake news. (https://www.aboutbadnews.com/). They have created a game called Bad News (https://getbadnews.com/#intro) where you can learn how fake news operates. There are a number of other projects attempting to do the same thing. The BBC has its own scheme to help school children spot fact from fiction, and The News Literacy Project All this education about disinformation is fantastic, and its importance cannot be understated. But there isn’t a silver-bullet to the problem of fake news, and no solution can work in silo. What’s been tried to stop disinformation before: Washington Post in 2016 launched a browser plug in, that provided context to any tweet made by Donald Trump that was incorrect, misleading, or pure false. It was a great initiative that heavily influenced the solution presented in this post. However, it has had some issues. First off, the plugin was optional, and only really used by people who already followed the Washington Post, or dislike Trump. You’re most likely to use the plugin if you’re already sceptical of Trump to begin with. Secondly, most users of Twitter access the website by mobiles or tablets, where you can’t use this browser plug in. Thirdly, any solution should be native to the platform for maximum effect. Facebook’s in-house solution: Facebook also created its own solution. Working with 3rd parties, Facebook displayed a sign on dubious news websites to better inform its users of who is making the news, and why the news item itself is disputed. They also use this data to place items of dubious content away from your social feed entirely. Going some way to bring back the economic incentives that led to newspapers to focus on the factual accuracy of the news. However, Facebook stopped the programme after while finding it effective at stopping fake news. It did not also provide context to why. This led to users having a backlash against Facebook and entrenching their views. It went on to replace the flag with “related articles”to give more context. A little of me wonders if Facebook was growing concerned with losing users over stopping fake news and decided to tone down the program to save face. However, either way the original solution doesn’t go far enough. It only reports based on the link being shared, rather than the content of viral messages. Twitter Trial. Twitter once tested it’s own solution – letting users flag fake news. However, it never moved beyond a prototype – with (now ex) spokesperson Emily Horne saying that the company had “no current plans to launch …[and] There are no current plans to launch any type of product along these lines.”. I suspect the reasoning for this is simple.If you democratise reporting, you also politicise it. Letting users create fake-news comments on things that they might simply disagree with would flood Twitter with reports… probably too many to manually verify. Behind the scenes at Twitter. One area that is more difficult to comment on is the work going on behind the scenes at Twitter. Reports from the latest US elections suggest that whatever they are doing behind closed doors, it’s working. With foreign and domestic bots both failing to get any significant attraction. This follows significant time investment to create systems that automatically mute bots or bot-like activity. This is to be applauded. But one disinformation video that contained a edited video of a news anchor laughing to the burning of a US flag was still shared 4,000 times before it was caught. Twitter needs to somehow reach out to them potentially 4,000 people and alert them to the disinformation. Another report from the Knight Foundation found that 80 of disinformation accounts from the 2016 US election are still active today. So what ever Twitter is doing, it still has some work do to. Bring in some friends: – The solution lies with a bit of realism. Twitter doesn’t have the resources to police their platform, and while technology has been reported to be a solution – creating machine code to detect fake news. But we have heard that before, and yet they still haven’t really come to the rescue. At the same time, there are teams, journalists, charities, and other trusted individuals already doing what needs to be done – fact checking. Many of these do it for the exposure. The first step of my solution involves partnering up with a network of people who are willing to fact check posts made on Twitter, particularly those by accounts with large followings or tweets that have gone viral. Flag false tweets: – Rather than just flagging the link or website, tweets that contain fake information should be reported. The flag needs to be bold and unavoidable. Users must first understand why the Tweet has been flagged before they can interact with it in anyway. This will prime members of the audience to be readier to accept that what they may read, while might agree with them, is false. Allow users to educate themselves. Each flagged tweet should come with a small report that indicated why the tweet’s content was false and provides a hint of reality. The report also allows Twitter to be transparent with who reported and provided the information to Twitter, and how Twitter verified the report themselves. Retroactive notification: – Many people fire and forget when it comes to retweets, and much of the fact checking could come after the tweets‘viral hump’. Users should be notified if a tweet they have previously interacted with (commented, liked, or shared) was fake news. The notification should also make it easy for users to review the interaction they have made with the offending tweet and allow for them to easily un-like or un-retweet a post. Obviously, any solution should be one in a number of measures to help solve the issue of disinformation. In addition, there might be some really experienced staff who have thought of this but not explained the reason publicly for why it’s not been put into place. But it’s becoming clear that Twitter does need to something. Disinformation has had a negative impact on democracy, and some of the institutions that support it. Indeed, it has been the press who have found themselves in the targets of many who create this fake news. The approach here, while simple in some elements, have also hopefully solved most of aspects that any solution requires as I highlighted earlier in the post. I expect that the major blockage to implementing a solution like this will not be technological, but rather political. Social media are playing a balancing act with truth and profit and in the end it’s democracy that’s ending with a bloody nose. If there is one thing I want this post to demonstrate is that solutions are available, and they are being presented. It’s now up to us, as social media users and as citizens to start acting for them to be put into place. Notes: This is a solution I previously wrote in a much more condensed summary on Twitter. I’m thankful for a the few people who spoke to me privately about the proposed solution. Sources (cited and uncited in the bodytext): Berger, J., & K.L. Milkman, (2010). Social Transmission, Emotion, and the virality of Online content. http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~kmilkman/Virality.pdf Bump, P. (2016, Dec 19.) Now you can fact-check Trump’s Tweets. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/12/16/now-you-can-fact-check-trumps-tweets-in-the-tweets-themselves/?utm_term=.eb5b5b9a5524 DROG (N.D). DROG: A Good way to fight bad news. https://www.aboutbadnews.com Dwoskin, E. (2017, June 29). Twitter is looking for ways to let users flag fake news, offensive content. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/06/29/twitter-is-looking-for-ways-to-let-users-flag-fake-news/?utm_term=.c58fc8c114b1 Hunt, A., & Gentzkow, M. (2017). Socialmedia and fake news in the 2016 election. Journalof Economic Perspectives, 31(2). https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.31.2.211 Sydell, L. (2016, Nov 23). We Tracked Down A Fake-News Creator In The Suburbs. Here’s What We Learned. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/11/23/503146770/npr-finds-the-head-of-a-covert-fake-news-operation-in-the-suburbs Townsend, T. (2016). The Bizare Truth Behind the Biggest Pro-Trump Facebook Hoaxes. Inc. https://www.inc.com/tess-townsend/ending-fed-trump-facebook.html

Prosecutors raid the house of Gyeonggi Province governor Lee Jae-myung amid suspicions that his wife used a pseudonymous Twitter handle to spread fake news about President Moon Jae-in and other political rivals of her husband.

Popular Drinking culture and American kids On America's college campuses, there are epidemics we talk about and those we don't. When sexual assaults or fraternity hazing deaths make headlines, court cases follow and new rules are enacted, but less attention is paid to an underlying issue – binge drinking culture. CBSN Originals explores how drinking to excess is not only considered normal, but cool, and how for many young people "blacking out" is less a rarity than an every weekend occurrence – with grave consequences.[SEP]The Latest: Coliseum decked out in Christmas decor for Trump TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump in Mississippi (all times local): Christmas has come to Biloxi, Mississippi, as President Donald Trump holds his second rally of the day in the state. The Mississippi Coast Coliseum has been decked out in an elaborate display that includes dozens of evergreens, a gigantic fake chimney, complete with stockings and a wreath, and Santa's present-filled sleigh. There are also large nutcrackers and even a blow-up helicopter with moving rotor and penguins inside. During his campaign, Trump railed against what he described as a war against Christmas and promised that, if elected, "people would be saying Merry Christmas again." Trump is campaigning for Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is facing a tough runoff election against Democrat Mike Espy on Tuesday as she seeks to keep her seat. President Donald Trump is defending his government's use of tear gas on women and children in a group of Central American migrants that included some who tried to storm the border in Tijuana over the weekend. At a roundtable in Mississippi on Monday, Trump asked why mothers had put themselves and their children in harm's way. He says, "You really say, 'Why is a parent running up into an area where they know the tear gas is forming and it's going to be formed and they were running up with a child?'" Without offering evidence, he claimed that some of the women are not really parents but are instead "grabbers" who steal children so that they have a better chance of being granted asylum in the U.S. Many of the female migrants have said they are seeking better lives for themselves and their children, away from gang violence and poverty. President Donald Trump says Vice President Mike Pence and daughter Ivanka Trump plan to attend the Mexican presidential inauguration on Saturday. Trump made the announcement Monday at a roundtable discussion to promote prison and sentencing reform legislation in Mississippi. The White House has said Trump has developed a "strong relationship" with incoming Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and looks forward to working with him. The two countries are working to find a solution for the caravans of Central American migrants traversing through Mexico in hopes of seeking asylum in the U.S. Trump had an uncomfortable relationship with the outgoing administration of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Trump had promised during his 2016 campaign to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and have Mexico pay for it. Pena Nieto refused. President Donald Trump is hailing prison and sentencing reform legislation as a "great bipartisan effort" as he holds a roundtable discussion to promote it during a campaign jaunt to Mississippi. Among those in attendance Monday are Vice President Mike Pence, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Miss Mississippi Asya Branch, who is wearing a gown and crown. Trump has called on Congress to pass a new version of the "First Step Act" that would make it easier for nonviolent offenders to amass credits to get out of prison early and change some mandatory minimum sentencing rules. The Senate announced it has reached a bipartisan deal on the issue, but if remains unclear whether Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell will choose to hold a vote in the lame-duck session before Democrats take control of the House in 2019. President Donald Trump is defending his administration's response to Central American migrants who tried to illegally cross the border in Tijuana. The action on Sunday prompted a chaotic clash that included U.S. agents firing choking tear gas into the crowds. Trump said Monday at a campaign rally in Mississippi that he is sending the caravan members a clear message: "Turn around and go back home." He tells that crowd that "we don't want those people in Mississippi" and that migrants are "not coming through anymore" illegally. In the days leading up to the midterm elections, Trump likened the approaching caravans to an "invasion." His comments at one point prompted the crowd to chant, "Build that wall!" Opening a political rally in Tupelo, Mississippi — the birthplace of Elvis Presley — President Donald Trump is joking that people used to say he looked like the king of rock 'n' roll. Trump was in Mississippi stumping for Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is in a Senate runoff. She is running against Democrat Mike Espy in a contest that has increasingly taken on racial overtones. Trump says that when he was young, "other than the blond hair, they said I looked like Elvis." The midterms are over, but President Donald Trump is back campaigning in Mississippi to help GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith keep her seat in Republican hands. Trump is holding two rallies Monday to help Hyde-Smith finish the final two years of the term started by Republican Thad Cochran. Hyde-Smith is in a tight runoff Tuesday against Democrat Mike Espy, a former congressman and agriculture secretary under President Bill Clinton. Espy would be the first African-American to represent the state in the Senate since Reconstruction. The election has been dominated by racial issues, after a photo emerged of Hyde-Smith wearing a replica hat of a Confederate soldier and a video emerged of her saying she'd be "on the front row" of a public hanging if invited. President Donald Trump is heading to Mississippi for two rallies to try to keep a Senate seat in Republican hands. Trump will be campaigning Monday for GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is in a runoff Tuesday against Democrat Mike Espy. The former congressman was agriculture secretary under President Bill Clinton. Espy is trying to become the first African-American to represent Mississippi in the Senate since Reconstruction. Trump plans to speak Monday afternoon at a rally in Tupelo and then that night at a rally in Biloxi. Trump returned Sunday evening from Florida, where he spent the Thanksgiving holiday at his Mar-a-Lago club. He visited his nearby golf course all five days he spent in Florida, and he took time to talk to troops stationed abroad on Thanksgiving Day.[SEP]In the end, it was not enough. Not enough that Cindy Hyde-Smith, the Republican candidate in the Mississippi Senate run-off tonight, was caught on tape saying she would be willing to take a front row seat at a “public hanging” if one of her important supporters invited her—an odd offer, to say the least, in a state that, according to the NAACP, has a horrific history that includes 581 lynchings from 1882 to 1968, the most of any state in that period. Not enough that Hyde-Smith, after visiting the home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, took to social media and posted a photograph of herself sporting a confederate cap and calling the place, “Mississippi history at its best.” Not enough that she sponsored one resolution to honor the last living daughter of a Confederate soldier, and another to re-name a road the “Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway.” Not enough that she attended a “segregation academy”—one of the private essentially “Whites Only” schools, that were hastily set up in the state to circumvent the federally mandated integration of public schools; Hyde-Smith sent her daughter to one of these as well. None of this shameful record was enough to hand victory to her opponent, Democrat Mike Espy. At a rally on Monday to bolster Hyde-Smith, President Trump said of Espy: “Oh, he’s far left. He’s out there. How does he fit in in Mississippi?” Espy, a former congressman and U.S. secretary of agriculture, was born in Mississippi. He was the first African American to represent the state in Congress since Reconstruction. He would have made a fine senator, but it was not to be. Alas, not in Mississippi, at least not yet.[SEP]WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith fended off a challenge from Democrat Mike Espy Tuesday in a closely watched Senate runoff election marked by racial tensions. She becomes the first woman from Mississippi elected to Congress. The Associated Press called the race for Hyde-Smith just before 10:30 pm EST. President Donald Trump, who campaigned for Hyde-Smith in Mississippi Monday, applauded Hyde-Smith on her victory. "Congratulations to Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith on your big WIN in the Great State of Mississippi,'' he tweeted late Tuesday. "We are all very proud of you!" Hyde-Smith was appointed by Republican Gov. Phil Bryant to fill the seat of longtime GOP Sen. Thad Cochran, who retired in April because of failing health. Hyde-Smith, a former state agriculture commissioner and state senator, will complete the two years remaining of Cochran’s term. The contest was the last Senate race of 2018 and will give Republicans a 53-47 advantage next session. Hyde-Smith, 59, will be among a record number of women, mostly Democrats, elected to Congress this year and part of the record number of women – 24 – to serve in the Senate in the upcoming 116th session. Of those, 17 are Democrats and seven are Republican. The new number tops the record of 23 women now serving in the Senate. “Mississippi was one of the last two states to have never elected a woman to Congress," said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. “While Cindy Hyde-Smith got Mississippi out of that undistinguished club when she was appointed, there still had never been a woman elected, so this is another milestone for the state of Mississippi." Vermont is now the only state to have never elected a woman to Congress. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., was joined by President Donald Trump at a rally Nov. 26, 2018, in Biloxi, Miss. Trump encouraged voters to support Hyde-Smith's runoff race against Democrat Mike Espy. Despite the historic moment, much of the national attention on the Mississippi race in recent weeks has focused on Hyde-Smith’s controversial “public hanging” remark that sparked an uproar in a state with a troubled history of discrimination and lynching. The Mississippi Senate race should have been an easy GOP win in the ruby-red state, but it took many twists and turns with Trump dropping in at the 11th hour to help Hyde-Smith’s faltering campaign. “I don't want to take my chances" of her losing, Trump said at one of two rallies for Hyde-Smith in Mississippi Monday. It was unusual for Republicans to have to battle for the seat. It’s been decades since a Democrat won a U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi. President Donald Trump points as the walks with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., at Tupelo Regional Airport Nov. 26, 2018, in Tupelo, Mississippi. Trump won the conservative state in 2016 and five of the six members of the state’s congressional delegation are Republicans. “It should have been a slam dunk," said John Bruce, chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Mississippi. “We’re here because of the president and the national mood. And we’re here because Cindy Hyde-Smith has run a bad campaign. She has tripped over herself more than once." Hyde-Smith had come under fire for remarks considered racially insensitive. In a video at a Nov. 2 event, Hyde-Smith said of a supporter, "If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be on the front row." Mississippi has a history of lynching blacks. Hyde-Smith has since apologized “for anyone who was offended,” but blasted her opponents for trying to twist her comments. Trump noted her apology and defended her saying Monday "her heart is good." Hyde-Smith, who has kept a low profile in her seven months in the Senate, has been an avid supporter of Trump and his policies. She voted for several measures backed by Trump, including the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. She campaigned on supporting Trump tax cuts, a stronger border patrol and funding for a border wall. Trump, in turn, came to her aid, stumping for Hyde-Smith in Mississippi in October and returning on the eve of Tuesday’s runoff. Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, among others, also campaigned for Hyde-Smith. Espy, 64, former congressman and U.S. secretary of agriculture during the Clinton administration, also had high-profile backers campaign for him in Mississippi, including possible 2020 Democratic presidential contenders Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey. Democrat Mike Espy, left, challenges an answer from appointed U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., during their televised Mississippi U.S. Senate debate in Jackson, Mississippi, Nov. 20, 2018. Beyond the visits, both campaigns and their allies spent millions on ads in recent weeks leading up to the special election. Bruce said there have rarely been competitive special elections in Mississippi and that Republicans were nervous because they were “in unchartered territory.” “This is kind of a novel thing," he said. Mississippi in the spotlight again It’s not the first time a Mississippi Senate race has drawn national attention. The race for this same seat was also in the national spotlight in 2014 when Cochran had to fend off a runoff challenge from state Sen. Chris McDaniel, a tea party favorite. Black voters are credited with helping Cochran pull off that win, but the senator was criticized by some fellow Republicans for courting them. More: Mississippi plants seeds to elect state's first woman to Congress[SEP]In an unguarded moment on her campaign trail, Mississippi’s Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith revealed her racist attitude toward African Americans that serves as just one of several reasons why the state should elect Mike Espy to the U.S. Senate. See Also: Mike Espy Speaks Out On Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith Saying She Would Sit Front Row At A ‘Public Hanging’ Republicans scrambled on Monday to prevent Hyde-Smith from losing a Senate seat in deep red Mississippi to a Democrat in the state’s runoff election Tuesday, Politico reported. President Donald Trump was expected to hold two rallies for Hyde-Smith on Monday in the hope of turning out his base to vote for her. Espy is an underdog in the race to unseat Hyde-Smith, who was appointed by the governor to complete the term of retiring GOP Sen. Thad Cochran. He would become the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction. A recent survey showed that Hyde-Smith has a 10-point lead despite revelations about her racist attitudes. Hyde-Smith’s missteps may have opened the door for a possible win if Democrats—especially African-Americans—turn out in large numbers to support Espy and if moderate Republicans crossover or stay home. Hyde-Smith’s biggest misstep came from a Nov. 2 campaign stop when she praised a longtime supporter. “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row,” she was caught saying on a video posted to social media. Just like Trump, Hyde-Smith has inspired racists. Two nooses and several hate signs were discovered Monday morning at the Mississippi State Capitol. Hyde-Smith was also caught on video telling a crowd that “they remind me that there’s a lot of liberal folks in those other schools who maybe we don’t want to vote. Maybe we want to make it just a little more difficult. And I think that’s a great idea.” Users on social media wondered if she was referring to the state’s many historically Balck colleges and universities. It took a U.S. Supreme Court order — more than 15 years after Brown v. Board of Education — for many public schools in the South to racially integrate. Beginning in the 1960s, “segregationist” schools began to pop up in response. These private schools were all-white. Not only did Hyde-Smith attend a segregation high school in the 1970s, but she also chose to send her daughter to one. Hyde-Smith supported a legislative measure to honor a Confederate soldier’s effort to “defend his homeland” while she also promoted revisionist views about the Civil War. After Hyde-Smith’s public hanging comment, her campaign gladly accepted a $1,000 donation from former Ku Klux Klan member George Malvaney. Even a Rhodes Scholar from Mississippi called the senator a white supremacist. “The Trump administration has made no secret of its intention to secure our borders, and I support that goal. The implementation of the zero-tolerance policy and the separation of children from their parents is distressing to me as a mother, but we cannot lose sight that U.S. immigration laws must be enforced,” she stated. Hyde-Smith has said she would support the repeal of Obamacare, raising fears about the safety of the law’s protections for pre-existing medical conditions. The senator went out of her way—breaking the tradition of newly appointed senators quietly observing debates—to support the controversial nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Calls Grow To Fire Tom Shand, The Florida State Fan Who Posted Image Of FSU Coach Willie Taggart Being Lynched Vote Mike Espy! 9 Irrefutable Reasons Why Mississippi Shouldn’t Elect Cindy ‘Public Hanging’ Hyde-Smith was originally published on newsone.com[SEP]WASHINGTON – Voters in Mississippi headed to the polls Tuesday in the Senate runoff election between Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Mike Espy. The race has drawn national attention from both parties as Hyde-Smith has sought to tamp down a controversy over her remarks about a "public hanging" that evoked memories of the state's brutal past of slavery and racism. Espy is seeking to become Mississippi's first black U.S. senator since Reconstruction. President Donald Trump held two rallies in the state on Monday for Hyde-Smith, urging voters to turn out. Here's what you need to know about Tuesday's runoff: The race is the conclusion of a special election for the seat of Republican Sen. Thad Cochran, who retired in April. Hyde-Smith was appointed to fill the seat for the remainder of Cochran's term, becoming the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress. The candidates were forced into a runoff after neither won a majority in the Nov. 6 election. The race split three ways, with Hyde-Smith earning 41.3 percent of the vote to Espy's 40.9 and former state senator Chris McDaniel snatching 16.4 percent. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST. Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said that as of Monday, 46,428 absentee ballots had been requested for the runoff, portending high and perhaps record turnout, at least by runoff standards. The Nov. 6 election set a record for a Mississippi midterm, with more than 940,000 votes cast of the 1.8 million registered voters. U.S. sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith listens to a fellow panelist of President Trump's round table on criminal justice reform initiatives in Gulfport before Hyde-Smith's rally for support of her runoff campaign against Mike Espy held at the the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi. Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. The candidates and the controversies In the weeks leading up to Tuesday's runoff, Hyde-Smith was plagued by controversy. She continues to face backlash from comments made Nov. 2 that she'd be in the "front row" if invited to a "public hanging." The former beef cattle farmer and state agriculture commissioner was also caught on video making comments about voter suppression. Hyde-Smith's critics say her comments have stirred up images of lynching and Mississippi's racist past, which was underscored Monday when nooses were found hanging from trees near the state's capitol in Jackson. In his uphill battle to defeat Hyde-Smith, Espy has walked a fine line on the issue of race as he attempts to win over voters. A former congressman and U.S. secretary of agriculture in the Clinton administration, Espy has focused on casting himself as a moderate who can work with both parties on issues like access to health care. Democrat Mike Espy votes in a runoff election Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018 in Ridgeland, Miss. Mississippi voters are deciding the last U.S. Senate race of the midterms, choosing between Espy and Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Although Hyde-Smith's lead in the polls has shrunk in recent weeks, she's still favored to win. To pull off an upset, Espy needs to motivate African-Americans voters to turn out and also capture the votes of some white voters. “The contest is going to be decided on race one way or the other because Espy’s path to victory is dependent on African-American turnout," Jennifer Duffy, senior editor at the nonpartisan Cook Report, told USA TODAY. About 38 percent of Mississippians are African-American. Black voters in the state lean strongly Democratic. But the state has historically been a Republican stronghold, as many white voters favor the GOP. What this means for the Senate The Mississippi runoff is the last Senate contest this election cycle. If Hyde-Smith wins Tuesday, Republicans will have 53 seats next year instead of the 51 they now hold. Even if she loses, Republicans will still hold a majority in the Senate but will have one less vote to count on. A total of 53 votes gives Republican Senate leaders room for potential defections but it would not put them over the threshold for most controversial bills, which need 60 votes. While winning a majority in the Senate, Republicans saw control of the House flip to Democrats in the midterms. More: A look at Mike Espy before US Senate runoff: People over party, keeping head down More: A look at Cindy Hyde-Smith before US Senate runoff: Trump's choice, guarded public image Voters wait in line at a polling precinct in north Jackson.[SEP]President Donald Trump is holding two rallies for a Republican senator from Mississippi who has been criticized over racially charged comments she made ahead of a closer-than-expected runoff election. Trump praised Cindy Hyde-Smith on Monday ahead of the rallies for the senator, who faces Democrat Mike Espy in a runoff on Tuesday following the 6 November election. Hyde-Smith has drawn fire for a video showing her praising a supporter by saying: “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.” Trump says Hyde-Smith has apologized and misspoke. He says her comments were “taken a certain way but she certainly didn’t mean it”. He also says she’s done a great job and is respected in the Senate. Hyde-Smith has made Monday’s rallies a highlight of her campaign, and Trump thanked her right back on Twitter for voting for “our Agenda in the Senate 100% of the time”. But race has become a dominant issue as Hyde-Smith faces Espy, who would become Mississippi’s first black senator since Reconstruction. Espy says he’s running his own race and won’t be thrown off by Trump’s rallies. Espy told reporters Monday in suburban Ridgeland that Trump is “going to say whatever he has to say”. Espy, a former US secretary of agriculture, continues to emphasize that he’s a moderate seeking the votes of everyone and willing to work across party lines. He notes that he crossed the “party chasm” to endorse the re-election of Republican governor Haley Barbour in Mississippi in 2007. Hyde-Smith was appointed to the Senate by Governor Phil Bryant when Thad Cochran retired earlier this year. The winner of Tuesday’s vote gets the final two years of the term. Meanwhile, a civil rights group is challenging Mississippi’s absentee voting procedures in a lawsuit filed on the eve of the Senate runoff election. The Washington-based Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is asking a federal court to make Mississippi extend its deadline for voters to return absentee ballots. The complaint says some voters didn’t have enough time to fill out and mail absentee ballots for the runoff over the Thanksgiving holiday unless they paid for costly overnight shipping. The group sued on behalf of the Mississippi NAACP and three voters. The secretary of state’s office didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment.[SEP]Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) prevailed in Mississippi’s Senate runoff on Tuesday night, boosting the Republican Senate majority to 53-47 and becoming the first woman elected to the Senate from the state. After failing to capture a majority of the vote on November 6, she went to a runoff on this post-Thanksgiving Tuesday. With 83 percent of precincts reporting, Hyde-Smith was leading her Democratic opponent Mike Espy, a former Mississippi congressman and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in Clinton's administration, by a margin of 54.9% to 45.1%. In the initial November 6 vote, Republicans earned 58 percent of the vote, combined between Hyde-Smith and her firebrand GOP challenger Chris McDaniel. Espy and another Democrat in the initial count earned 42 percent. Espy, whose family has deep roots in the states, dramatically outperformed Hillary Clinton, who lost by about 18 points in a state where a Democrat last won a Senate race since 1982. He released a hopeful statement after the race was called, saying: "Make no mistake—tonight is the beginning, not the end. When this many people show up, stand up, and speak up, it is not a loss. It is a moment. It is a movement. And we are not going to stop moving our state forward just because of one election. I look forward to finding new ways to do just that.” Hyde-Smith offered herself as an instrument of President Trump’s agenda, hitting the trail on a bus called the MAGA Wagon emblazoned with with an image of the 45th president. Like Trump, who held two rallies for her earlier this week, Hyde-Smith drew attention to herself through a series of self-inflicted wounds that had Republicans worried about losing a seat in the solidly red state. “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row,” Hyde-Smith was caught saying at an event. Espy attempted to capitalize on the moment, telling voters she embarrassed the state that has long-suffered from its history of racial violence. Making matters worse, Hyde-Smith did not immediately apologize or appear to reckon with the impact of her remarks in a state that had the highest number of lynchings in the country from 1882 to 1968. Hyde-Smith eventually issued a muted apology in her only debate with Espy but, in Trumpian fashion, claimed her words had been “twisted and it was turned into a weapon to be used against me.” Espy quickly shot back that “No one twisted your comments. They came out of your mouth. I don’t know what’s in your heart—but we all know what came out of your mouth… It’s caused our state harm. It's given our state another black eye that we don’t need.” President Trump defended Hyde-Smith to reporters before departing for the rallies on Monday. "I know her. And I know she apologized. And she misspoke," he said of the senator. "She's been an excellent senator. She's done a great job. She's somebody that's respected in the Senate." Major companies like Walmart, Google, and Major League Baseball appeared to agree with Espy though, as they withdrew political contributions to Hyde-Smith in the closing days of the campaign. But that wasn’t enough to move the voters of Mississippi, who ultimately backed Hyde-Smith on Tuesday, allowing her to fill out the remainder of the term until 2020.[SEP]Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith will win Mississippi’s US Senate runoff election, CNN projects, in a contest that centered on her actions and comments evoking the state’s dark history of racism and slavery. Hyde-Smith will defeat Democratic challenger Mike Espy, a former congressman and agriculture secretary, in the last Senate race to be decided in 2018. The victory will make her the first woman ever elected to Congress from Mississippi. Her win on Tuesday means Republicans will hold 53 seats to Democrats’ 47 seats in the Senate in January. The GOP grew its majority in the Senate by two seats in this year’s midterm elections even as Democrats took control of the House. Hyde-Smith’s victory also means that there will be 24 women in the Senate next year. That will set a new record for women serving in the Senate, one more than the current high, set during this Congress. Hyde-Smith will finish out the final two years of former Sen. Thad Cochran’s term, who retired earlier this year due to health concerns. Hyde-Smith will have to run again in 2020 to serve a full six-year term. RELATED: A political blockade is colliding with the evidence on climate change President Donald Trump visited Mississippi on Monday to rally Republican voters behind Hyde-Smith after her comments about a “public hanging” set off weeks of controversy. It began when video emerged online of her telling supporters earlier this month that she’d be “on the front row” if one of her supporters “invited me to a public hanging.” She later called the comments an “exaggerated expression of regard,” but her use of the phrase brought memories of Mississippi’s history of lynchings to the forefront and put the contest under the national microscope. Asked about her remark in a debate, Hyde-Smith said she would “certainly apologize” to anyone who was offended, but then pivoted to an attack on her opponent. “This comment was twisted and it was turned into a weapon to be used against me,” Hyde-Smith said. The same progressive blogger who published the video of her using the phrase “public hanging” later published one in which Hyde-Smith told a small group at Mississippi State University that suppressing the votes of students at other colleges was “a great thing.” Her campaign said it was a joke, but that explanation backfired when the black student seen laughing in a picture from the event her campaign posted on Twitter responded that Hyde-Smith’s campaign was using him as a prop. On Friday, the Jackson Free Press reported that Hyde-Smith had attended a private high school that was founded in 1970 so that white parents could avoid attempts to integrate public schools. Hyde-Smith’s daughter later attended a similar private school established around the same time, according to the Free Press. The senator’s campaign responded to the report by attacking the “liberal media.” Over the weekend, CNN reported that Hyde-Smith once promoted a measure that praised a Confederate soldier’s effort to “defend his homeland” and had pushed a revisionist view of the Civil War. In photos posted to her Facebook account in 2014, Hyde-Smith was pictured posing with Confederate artifacts during a visit to Beauvoir, the home and library of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The caption on the post read, “Mississippi history at its best!” Democrats had hoped a surge in turnout among black voters — who make up nearly 40% of Mississippi’s population, the largest share in the nation — could carry Espy to victory in a state that is highly polarized along racial lines, with most white voters backing GOP candidates and black voters supporting Democrats. Espy’s campaign hammered Hyde-Smith with television ads that cast her as an embarrassment to a state that has attempted to overcome its history of slavery and racism. “We’ve worked hard to overcome the stereotypes that hurt our economy and cost us jobs. Her words should not reflect Mississippi’s values, either,” a narrator said in one ad. The ad also called Hyde-Smith “so embarrassing, she’d be a disaster for Mississippi.” Several companies that had donated to Hyde-Smith’s campaign, including Walmart, publicly withdrew their support for the senator over the “public hanging” comment. The controversies surrounding her set off a major push by national Republicans to avoid the same embarrassment they’d suffered last year in Alabama over the Senate campaign of Roy Moore and save Hyde-Smith. While Hyde-Smith largely stayed off the campaign trail, the party’s infrastructure rallied to her defense. GOP groups spent $4 million on the Mississippi runoff — much more than Democrats’ $1.2 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Republican groups spent more than twice as much as Democrats on television advertisements, per the ad tracking firm Kantar/CMAG. Trump’s visits to Mississippi on Monday night were also seen as bid to rally the Republican base to vote in an election taking place two days after the Thanksgiving weekend.[SEP]In spite of some race-related controversies, Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith won Mississippi’s special Senate election Tuesday night, defeating Democrat Mike Espy, according to a projection by NBC News. Hyde-Smith had 55.2 percent, or 362,567 votes, while Espy had 44.8 percent, or 296,254 votes, with 78 percent of the votes reported. With Hyde-Smith’s victory, Republicans will have a 53-47 majority in the Senate in January. The race-related controversies surrounding Hyde-Smith included her recorded remark about willingness to attend a “public hanging.” She claimed that the remark was not intended to have an racial overtones, but it was hard for many to overlook in a state that was once known for lynchings and where racial divisions continue to this day. (NBC News) • Hyde-Smith claimed that her words were “twisted” and used against her. • She was endorsed by Donald Trump. • Espy is a former congressman who worked as agriculture secretary for President Bill Clinton.

Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith defeats Democratic candidate Mike Espy in a run off election in Mississippi.

Image copyright NOAA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Image caption An image showing the 2015 El Niño with rising temperatures in the Pacific The World Meteorological Organization says there's a 75-80% chance of a weak El Niño forming within three months. The naturally occurring event causes changes in the temperature of the Pacific Ocean and has a major influence on weather patterns around the world. It is linked to floods in South America and droughts in Africa and Asia. El Niño events often lead to record temperatures as heat rises from the Pacific. According to the WMO update, sea surface temperatures in the east-central tropical Pacific have been at weak El Niño levels since October. However the atmosphere has not yet responded to the extra warmth that's produced by the upwelling seas. Scientists have been predicting the likelihood of a new event since May this year, with confidence increasing. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology are now estimating that an El Niño event will start in December. US forecasters are saying there's a 90% chance of the event starting in January. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Droughts in some places and floods in many others are linked to El Niño The WMO models are say that a fully fledged El Niño is estimated to be 75-80% likely between December and February 2019. At this point, the WMO says its predictions for the event range from just a warm-neutral condition through to a moderate strength event with sea surface temperatures peaking between 0.8C to 1.2C above average. The chance of a strong event are currently low. "The forecast El Niño is not expected to be as powerful as the event in 2015-2016, which was linked with droughts, flooding and coral bleaching in different parts of the world," said Maxx Dilley, director of WMO's Climate Prediction and Adaptation branch. "Even so, it can still significantly affect rainfall and temperature patterns in many regions, with important consequences to agricultural and food security sectors, and for management of water resources and public health, and it may combine with long-term climate change to boost 2019 global temperatures," he said. In terms of food security, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have issued a report detailing the countries that could suffer food shortages as a result of the event.[SEP]GENEVA, Nov 27 (Reuters) - There is a 75-80 percent chance of a weak El Nino weather pattern forming by February and slightly lower odds that it will continue through the northern hemisphere winter of 2018/19, the U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday. The last El Nino, a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacifc that typically occurs every few years, occurred from 2015/2016 and caused weather-related crop damage, fires and flash floods. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, editing by Tom Miles)[SEP]GENEVA (Reuters) - There is a 75-80 percent chance of a weak El Nino weather pattern forming by February and a slightly lower likelihood that it will continue through the northern hemisphere winter of 2018-19, the U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday. Its forecast, based on models from around the world, was in line with that of a U.S. government arm, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, earlier this month. An El Nino - a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific that typically happens every few years - last occurred in 2015-2016 and caused weather-related crop damage, fires and flash floods. “The forecast El Niño is not expected to be as powerful as the event in 2015-2016, which was linked with droughts, flooding and coral bleaching in different parts of the world,” Maxx Dilley, director of WMO’s Climate Prediction and Adaptation branch, said in a statement. “Even so, it can still significantly affect rainfall and temperature patterns in many regions, with important consequences to agricultural and food security sectors, and for management of water resources and public health, and it may combine with long-term climate change to boost 2019 global temperatures,” he said.[SEP]There is a 75-80 percent chance of an El Niño weather pattern forming by February, the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has predicted. The last El Nino, a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific that typically occurs every few years, last happened from 2015/2016 and led to weather-related crop damage, fires and flash floods. However, forecasters say next years event is predicted to be far weaker. 'The forecast El Niño is not expected to be as powerful as the event in 2015-2016, which was linked with droughts, flooding and coral bleaching in different parts of the world,' said Maxx Dilley, director of WMO's Climate Prediction and Adaptation branch. 'Even so, it can still significantly affect rainfall and temperature patterns in many regions, with important consequences to agricultural and food security sectors, and for management of water resources and public health. 'It may combine with long-term climate change to boost 2019 global temperatures,' Sea surface temperatures are already at weak El Niño levels in part of the tropical Pacific, although the corresponding atmospheric patterns have not yet materialized, the WMO said. It also indicated that precipitation patterns predicted for December-February resemble those normally associated with El Niño. Sea surface temperatures in the east-central tropical Pacific have been at weak El Niño levels since October 2018. However, the atmosphere has not yet responded to this additional warmth, and the upper level winds, cloud and sea level pressure patterns do not yet reflect typical El Niño features. Model forecasts suggest that this will change within the coming month or two. Model predictions of the strength of the El Niño range from just a warm-neutral condition through to a moderate strength El Niño event, with sea surface temperatures peaking at approximately 0.8 to 1.2 degrees Celsius above average. The chance for a strong event (sea surface temperatures in the east-central tropical Pacific rising to at least 1.5 degrees Celsius above average) is currently low. Above-normal precipitation is favoured in part of southern North America, part of southeast South America, part of northwest North America, central and northern Asia, part of southwest Asia, part of the eastern Maritime Continent, and part of Europe. Near-normal precipitation is favoured in parts of interior northern tropical Africa.

The World Meteorological Organization and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology predict a weak El Niño forming within three months.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has described victory in the 17-year-old war Afghanistan as reinstalling the same Taliban jihadist group American forces overthrew in late 2001. The Trump administration has made “reconciliation” between Kabul and the Taliban the primary tenet of its strategy to end the conflict, raging since October 2001 at an estimated cost of nearly $1 trillion as well as a human toll of 2,272 U.S. military fatalities and 20,412 injuries, mostly at the hands of the terrorist group. This week, amid increased U.S. efforts to pressure the terrorist group to engage in peace negotiations with Kabul, the Taliban claimed responsibility for killing three American service members and wounding three others in the eastern Afghan city of Ghazni. Trump officials have come out in support of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s unconditional offer to the Taliban of a cease-fire and legitimacy as a political group. “We do look toward a victory in Afghanistan,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis declared in March, adding, “Not a military victory — the victory will be a political reconciliation” with the Taliban. Taliban narco-jihadis, who already control more territory than during any other time since the American military removed it from power in 2001, have been locked in a stalemate with U.S. troops for years now. The magnitude of the Afghan Taliban’s manpower and influence has reached historic proportions despite the record number of airstrikes against jihadis in Afghanistan under President Trump, which stood at a record 5,213 bombs so far this year. Ghani’s offer of political recognition and a truce to Taliban is the “best opportunity to end” the war in Afghanistan, U.S. Gen. John Nicholson, then the top commander of American and NATO troops, added in April. On Wednesday, Afghan President Ghani reportedly announced that his administration has formed a 12-member team to hold peace talks with the Taliban. The Trump administration is reportedly exploring the idea of pushing back the looming Afghan presidential elections, scheduled for April. “Under this scenario, an interim government could include a Taliban representative, and this possibly could open the way for the Taliban to enter into full-fledged peace negotiations, as it has long maintained that the existing Afghan government and constitution are illegitimate,” NBC News reported this week, referring to the Trump administration possibly pushing Kabul to suspend the elections. An assessment of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan published by the Pentagon’s office of the inspector general (OIG) on November 19 acknowledged that the end state of Trump’s Afghanistan strategy is to pressure the Taliban to reach a “political settlement” with Kabul. The report, which covers the quarter from July 1 to September 30, noted: In July, the U.S. Department of State (DoS) appointed Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan national, to serve as Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation as the Trump administration ramped up its peace-seeking efforts. Khalilzad is “testing all channels” and talking to as many top Taliban terrorists as possible “as he tries to launch peace negotiations to end the war before Trump can simply pull the plug and order U.S. troops home,” NBC News reported. “Former officials said the current peace effort showed more promise than a previous U.S. attempt under President Barack Obama, which was plagued by turf battles inside the administration and ambivalence among military commanders, who favored hammering the Taliban on the battlefield before entering into any serious talks,” the news outlet conceded. Amid the Trump administration’s intensified peace-seeking efforts, a spike in violence at the hands of the Taliban has occurred, a testament to gains in strength made by the terrorist group on the battlefield. According to the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), terrorist groups, primarily the Taliban, control or contest 45 percent of the war-ravaged country. Independent and government assessments show that the Taliban’s strength and influence have reached unprecedented levels. Citing U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A) in its quarterly report, the Pentagon’s IG approximated the strength of the Taliban and its Haqqani Network allies to stand at between 28,000 and 40,000 fighters. Bill Roggio from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think-tank dismissed the estimate, noting “Once again, the U.S. military has grossly underestimated the size and scope of the Taliban, despite battling the group head-on for the last 17 years.” Americans have grown tired of the war in Afghanistan, urging elected officials to bring the U.S. troops back. A Pew Research Center poll in October revealed that about half of Americans (49 percent) believe the United States has mostly failed in achieving its goals in Afghanistan. Only about a third (35 percent) say the United States has mostly succeeded there. Still, 45 percent say the U.S. made the right decision in invading Afghanistan, while 39 percent believe it was the wrong move. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has noted that everything, including the presence of U.S.-NATO-led troops, is up for discussion in Afghanistan. Marking a significant shift in U.S. policy long sought by the terrorist group, the Trump administration is engaging directly with the Taliban to end the Afghanistan war. “Both the Defense Department and State Department are acting as if withdrawal is on the table, sooner or later,” Thomas Joscelyn from the FDD think-tank told NBC News.[SEP]KABUL, Afghanistan – At least 30 civilians were killed along with 16 Taliban fighters as Afghan government forces battled insurgents in southern Helmand province overnight, provincial officials said Wednesday. In the eastern part of the capital Kabul, Taliban insurgents staged a coordinated attack against security forces when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and fighters then engaged them in a gun battle, an Afghan official said. Attahullah Afghan, who heads the provincial council, said most of the casualties in Helmand – which included men, women and children – incurred in an airstrike that hit a house on Tuesday night during military operations in the province, a Taliban heartland. A child that was wounded in the attack was brought to a hospital in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, he said. A statement from governor’s office in Helmand confirmed that 16 Taliban insurgents were killed and said that an investigation was underway to determine the number of civilian casualties. It said the militants had stockpiled ammunition in the area of the operation, which could have caused civilian casualties. There was also a car packed with explosives that ignited during the strike, the statement added. Abdul Wadod Popul, a lawmaker from Helmand, also confirmed the civilian casualties. “The area is under Taliban’s control and is very difficult to get a precise number of casualties,” he said in Kabul. Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed in a statement sent to the media that all the victims were civilians. Telephone lines with Helmand were cut on Wednesday and it was not immediately possible to reach local officials and civilians there. Also, it was not clear if the operation was being conducted exclusively by Afghan forces or whether NATO forces were there to support the Afghans. The Taliban carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan forces. The U.S. and NATO troops formally concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, but still provide close support to Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations. Some 15,000 American forces are currently serving in Afghanistan. The Helmand fighting came as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was in Geneva, attending a two-day U.N.-backed conference that ends Wednesday and that is expected focusing on development, peace and security in the war-battered country. Najib Danish, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry, said the attack in Kabul took place when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and then other insurgents started a gun battle with forces in the area. At least 11 wounded were transferred to hospitals from the attack site, said Wahid Majroh, spokesman for the Public Health Ministry. Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said the target of the attack may have been a security company called G4S. He had no details on the company but contact information on the website of a multinational security company called G4S is in London. Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on Twitter. Also on Wednesday in Kabul, the home of former intelligence chief Amarullah Saleh was attacked by three insurgents but was quickly repelled by Saleh’s security guards, said Rahmatullah Nabil, also a former intelligence chief in a tweet. Associated Press writer Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to his report.[SEP]A British security contractor, G4S, says five of its employees, including a Briton, were killed and 32 others injured in an overnight gun-and-bomb attack against one of its compounds in the Afghan capital Kabul. The company said Thursday five employees have been “seriously” injured. Afghan officials confirm the attack on the well-guarded facility in Kabul killed a total of 10 people and injured many more. "We are committed to our security role in support of the people of Afghanistan, and we are determined that incidents such as this will not prevent the vital work that the international community conducts from continuing,” said Charlie Burbridge, the company’s managing director. The Taliban has claimed responsibly for the suicide raid, saying it inflicted heavy casualties on both Afghan and “foreign occupying” forces inside the compound. G4S is a leading global security company providing security for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the attack began Wednesday with a suicide bomber exploding a vehicle-born bomb, making way for four other heavily armed “martyrdom seekers” to storm the compound. He claimed the targeted compound was being used to plan attacks in Afghan provinces of Kandahar, Helmand and Nangarhar. Mujahid said the attack was a “response to recent enemy atrocities against civilians" in these provinces. Afghan officials and residents have confirmed dozens of civilians, including women and children, have been killed in recent airstrikes in Kandahar, Helmand and Nangarhar. The spike in insurgent attacks comes as the United States has renewed efforts for a negotiated settlement to the conflict with the Taliban. U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan peace and reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, is leading the peace efforts. He has held two rounds of talks with Taliban representatives in Qatar in recent weeks. “Yes, we are in a hurry to end the Afghan tragedy, the Afghan people deserve peace. They have been at war for 40 years," he told PBS TV on Wednesday when asked whether he was attempting to strike a peace deal before the Afghan presidential election in April. “Everyone, starting with the President (Donald Trump), would like to see the war in Afghanistan end, that there would be reconciliation and peace among the warring factions,” he noted.[SEP]KABUL, Afghanistan – At least 30 civilians were killed along with 16 Taliban fighters as Afghan government forces battled insurgents in southern Helmand province overnight, provincial officials said Wednesday. In the eastern part of the capital Kabul, Taliban insurgents staged a coordinated attack against security forces when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and fighters then engaged them in a gun battle, an Afghan official said. Attahullah Afghan, who heads the provincial council, said most of the casualties in Helmand – which included men, women and children – incurred in an airstrike that hit a house on Tuesday night during military operations in the province, a Taliban heartland. A child that was wounded in the attack was brought to a hospital in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, he said. A statement from governor’s office in Helmand confirmed that 16 Taliban insurgents were killed and said that an investigation was underway to determine the number of civilian casualties. It said the militants had stockpiled ammunition in the area of the operation, which could have caused civilian casualties. There was also a car packed with explosives that ignited during the strike, the statement added. Abdul Wadod Popul, a lawmaker from Helmand, also confirmed the civilian casualties. “The area is under Taliban’s control and is very difficult to get a precise number of casualties,” he said in Kabul. Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed in a statement sent to the media that all the victims were civilians. Telephone lines with Helmand were cut on Wednesday and it was not immediately possible to reach local officials and civilians there. Also, it was not clear if the operation was being conducted exclusively by Afghan forces or whether NATO forces were there to support the Afghans. The Taliban carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan forces. The U.S. and NATO troops formally concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, but still provide close support to Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations. Some 15,000 American forces are currently serving in Afghanistan. The Helmand fighting came as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was in Geneva, attending a two-day U.N.-backed conference that ends Wednesday and that is expected focusing on development, peace and security in the war-battered country. Najib Danish, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry, said the attack in Kabul took place when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and then other insurgents started a gun battle with forces in the area. At least 11 wounded were transferred to hospitals from the attack site, said Wahid Majroh, spokesman for the Public Health Ministry. Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said the target of the attack may have been a security company called G4S. He had no details on the company but contact information on the website of a multinational security company called G4S is in London. Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on Twitter. Also on Wednesday in Kabul, the home of former intelligence chief Amarullah Saleh was attacked by three insurgents but was quickly repelled by Saleh’s security guards, said Rahmatullah Nabil, also a former intelligence chief in a tweet. Associated Press writer Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to his report.[SEP]KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban have denied involvement in a suicide bombing in the Afghan capital that killed at least 55 people. Tuesday’s attack, which targeted a gathering of hundreds of clerics at a wedding hall in Kabul, bore the hallmarks of a local Islamic State affiliate, which has carried out mass bombings targeting minority Shiites as well as perceived supporters of the U.S.-backed government. Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said Wednesday that 55 people were killed and 94 others were wounded in the attack, updating a previous toll. Both the Taliban and the IS affiliate want to overthrow the Afghan government and impose a harsh form of Islamic rule. But they are bitterly divided over leadership, ideology and tactics. The Taliban mainly target security forces and government officials, while IS specializes in sectarian attacks on civilians. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said late Tuesday his group condemns any attack on civilians or religious clerics. The suicide bomber was able to sneak into a wedding hall where hundreds of Muslim religious scholars and clerics had gathered to mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. The Islamic State group claimed a suicide bombing in June that killed at least seven people and wounded 20 at a meeting of top clerics in the capital. The body of religious leaders, known as the Afghan Ulema Council, had issued a decree against suicide attacks and called for peace talks. IS said it had targeted “tyrant clerics” who were siding with the U.S.-backed government. The Taliban denied involvement in the June attack but they also denounced the gathering. Afghan security forces have struggled to combat the twin insurgencies since the U.S. and NATO formally ended their combat mission in 2014, shifting to a support and counterterrorism role. President Donald Trump’s decision last year to send in additional U.S. forces has had little if any impact on the ground. Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.[SEP]KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — At least 30 civilians were killed along with 16 Taliban fighters as Afghan government forces battled insurgents in southern Helmand province overnight, provincial officials said Wednesday. In the eastern part of the capital Kabul, insurgents staged a coordinated attack against security forces when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and fighters engaged them in a gun battle, an Afghan official said. Attahullah Afghan, who heads the provincial council, said most of the casualties in Helmand — which included men, women and children — incurred in an airstrike that hit a house on Tuesday night during military operations in the province, a Taliban heartland. A child that was wounded in the attack was brought to a hospital in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, he said. A statement from governor's office in Helmand confirmed that 16 Taliban insurgents were killed and said that an investigation was underway to determine the number of civilian casualties. It said the militants had stockpiled ammunition in the area of the operation, which could have caused civilian casualties. There was also a car packed with explosives that ignited during the strike, the statement added. Abdul Wadod Popul, a lawmaker from Helmand, also confirmed the civilian casualties. "The area is under Taliban's control and is very difficult to get a precise number of casualties," he said in Kabul. Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed in a statement sent to the media that all the victims were civilians. Telephone lines with Helmand were cut on Wednesday and it was not immediately possible to reach local officials and civilians there. Also, it was not clear if the operation was being conducted exclusively by Afghan forces or whether NATO forces were there to support the Afghans. The Taliban carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan forces. The U.S. and NATO troops formally concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, but still provide close support to Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations. Some 15,000 American forces are currently serving in Afghanistan. The Helmand fighting came as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was in Geneva, attending a two-day U.N.-backed conference that ends Wednesday and that is expected focusing on development, peace and security in the war-battered country. Najib Danish, spokesman for Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, said the attack in Kabul took place when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and then other insurgents started a gun battle with forces in the area. Danish said there were casualties but the number of dead and wounded was not immediately known. Associated Press writer Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to his report.[SEP]LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - At least 30 Afghan civilians were killed in U.S. air strikes in the Afghan province of Helmand, officials and residents of the area said on Wednesday, the latest casualties from a surge in air operations aimed at driving the Taliban into talks. An Afghan boy receives treatment at a hospital after an airstrike in Helmand province, Afghanistan November 28, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer Afghanistan’s NATO-led force said Afghan government forces and U.S. advisers came under fire from Taliban fighters in a compound in Garmsir district and called in an air strike, but the ground forces were not aware of any civilians in or near the compound. Helmand provincial governor Mohammad Yasin Khan said troops had called in air strikes against Taliban fighters in Garmsir, causing both civilian and Taliban casualties. A resident of the area called Mohammadullah said the clash began late on Tuesday. “Foreign forces bombed the area and the bombs hit my brother’s house,” he said. He said women and 16 children were among the dead. Another resident, Feda Mohammad, said some victims were still buried in the rubble of the compound. “The area is under the control of Taliban but all of the victims of last night’s bombing are civilians,” he said. The NATO-led Resolute Support forces said Afghan forces and U.S. advisers came under fire from Taliban equipped with machines guns and rocket-propelled grenades. “At the time of the strike, the ground force was unaware of any civilians in or around the compound; they only knew that the Taliban was using the building as a fighting position,” a force spokeswoman said in a statement. “We investigate every credible allegation of error and review every mission to learn, adapt and improve,” she said. The deaths are the latest in a growing civilian casualty toll caused by air strikes and underline the severity of the Afghan war even as moves to begin peace talks have picked up with contacts between U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives. The United Nations said last month the number of civilian casualties from air strikes in the first nine months of the year was already higher than in any entire year since at least 2009. The increase has come together with a sharp jump in the number of air operations under a U.S. strategy aimed at stepping up pressure on the Taliban to force them to accept a negotiated end to the 17-year war. According to figures from the U.S. military, U.S. aircraft had released 5,213 weapons by the end of September, up from 4,361 for the entire 2017 and the highest number since 2011 when there were more than 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.[SEP]KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban insurgents staged a coordinated attack targeting a security firm in the Afghan capital on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 19 others, as the U.S. said an airstrike hours earlier in Helmand province that reportedly killed civilians was conducted by American aircraft. Wednesday's attack in eastern Kabul took place when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and other insurgents started a gun battle with security forces in the area, Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said. The assault came hours after provincial officials said at least 30 civilians were killed along with 16 Taliban fighters during the overnight battle between Afghan government forces and insurgents in southern Helmand province. A local official, Attahullah Afghan, said most of the civilian casualties — which included men, women and children — came when an airstrike struck a house in the central Helmand River valley, a Taliban heartland. U.S. officials said it happened in Helmand's Garmsir district. A U.S. military spokesman in Kabul said the airstrike was carried out by American aircraft called in to back Afghan "special security forces" after they came under heavy Taliban fire. Maj. Bariki Mallya, the spokesman, said in an email exchange that the airstrike was conducted in self-defense after Taliban fighters armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns retreated into a compound and continued firing on Afghan government forces and their American advisers. "In self-defense, the ground force called an airstrike," Mallya said. "After the strike, there were secondary explosions, we assess from explosives inside the compound. At the time of the strike, the ground force was unaware of any civilians in or around the compound; they only knew that the Taliban were using the building as a fighting position." Mallya declined to say what the U.S. knew about civilian casualties or whether the incident was under U.S. investigation. In a prepared statement, he said the U.S. investigates every "credible allegation of error and reviews every mission to learn, adapt and improve." A statement from the governor's office in Helmand confirmed that 16 Taliban insurgents were killed and said that an investigation was underway to determine the number of civilian casualties. It said the militants had stockpiled ammunition in the area of the operation, which could have caused civilian casualties. There was also a car packed with explosives that ignited during the strike, the statement added. Abdul Wadod Popul, a lawmaker from Helmand, also confirmed the civilian casualties. "The area is under Taliban's control and is very difficult to get a precise number of casualties," he said in Kabul. The resurgent Taliban, who in recent years have taken over nearly half of Afghanistan, claimed the attack Wednesday in Kabul. Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said the target of the attack was a security company called G4S. He had no details on the company, but the website of a multinational security company named G4S has London contact information. The attacks were the latest in a series of brutal and near-daily Taliban assaults on military and police forces and government and other installations throughout the country. The Taliban view the U.S.-backed government in Kabul as a dysfunctional Western puppet and have refused repeated offers to negotiate with it. They carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces. U.S. and NATO troops formally concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, but still provide close support to Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations. Some 15,000 American forces are currently serving in Afghanistan. The fighting came as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was in Geneva, attending a two-day U.N.-backed conference that ends Wednesday and that is focused on development, security and peace efforts in the war-battered country. Burns reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Amir Shah in Kabul contributed to this report.[SEP](KABUL, Afghanistan) — At least 30 civilians were killed along with 16 Taliban fighters as Afghan government forces battled insurgents in southern Helmand province overnight, provincial officials said Wednesday. In the eastern part of the capital Kabul, Taliban insurgents staged a coordinated attack against security forces when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and fighters then engaged them in a gun battle, an Afghan official said. Attahullah Afghan, who heads the provincial council, said most of the casualties in Helmand — which included men, women and children — incurred in an airstrike that hit a house on Tuesday night during military operations in the province, a Taliban heartland. A child that was wounded in the attack was brought to a hospital in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, he said. A statement from governor’s office in Helmand confirmed that 16 Taliban insurgents were killed and said that an investigation was underway to determine the number of civilian casualties. It said the militants had stockpiled ammunition in the area of the operation, which could have caused civilian casualties. There was also a car packed with explosives that ignited during the strike, the statement added. Abdul Wadod Popul, a lawmaker from Helmand, also confirmed the civilian casualties. “The area is under Taliban’s control and is very difficult to get a precise number of casualties,” he said in Kabul. Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed in a statement sent to the media that all the victims were civilians. Telephone lines with Helmand were cut on Wednesday and it was not immediately possible to reach local officials and civilians there. Also, it was not clear if the operation was being conducted exclusively by Afghan forces or whether NATO forces were there to support the Afghans. The Taliban carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan forces. The U.S. and NATO troops formally concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, but still provide close support to Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations. Some 15,000 American forces are currently serving in Afghanistan. The Helmand fighting came as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was in Geneva, attending a two-day U.N.-backed conference that ends Wednesday and that is expected focusing on development, peace and security in the war-battered country. Najib Danish, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry, said the attack in Kabul took place when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and then other insurgents started a gun battle with forces in the area. At least 11 wounded were transferred to hospitals from the attack site, said Wahid Majroh, spokesman for the Public Health Ministry. Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said the target of the attack may have been a security company called G4S. He had no details on the company but contact information on the website of a multinational security company called G4S is in London. Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on Twitter. Also on Wednesday in Kabul, the home of former intelligence chief Amarullah Saleh was attacked by three insurgents but was quickly repelled by Saleh’s security guards, said Rahmatullah Nabil, also a former intelligence chief in a tweet.[SEP]Rahim Faiez and Robert Burns, The Associated Press KABUL -- Taliban insurgents staged a co-ordinated attack targeting a security firm in the Afghan capital on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 19 others, as the U.S. said an airstrike hours earlier in Helmand province that reportedly killed civilians was conducted by American aircraft. Wednesday's attack in eastern Kabul took place when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and other insurgents started a gun battle with security forces in the area, Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said. The assault came hours after provincial officials said at least 30 civilians were killed along with 16 Taliban fighters during the overnight battle between Afghan government forces and insurgents in southern Helmand province. A local official, Attahullah Afghan, said most of the civilian casualties -- which included men, women and children -- came when an airstrike struck a house in the central Helmand River valley, a Taliban heartland. U.S. officials said it happened in Helmand's Garmsir district. A U.S. military spokesman in Kabul said the airstrike was carried out by American aircraft called in to back Afghan "special security forces" after they came under heavy Taliban fire. Maj. Bariki Mallya, the spokesman, said in an email exchange that the airstrike was conducted in self-defence after Taliban fighters armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine-guns retreated into a compound and continued firing on Afghan government forces and their American advisers. "In self-defence, the ground force called an airstrike," Mallya said. "After the strike, there were secondary explosions, we assess from explosives inside the compound. At the time of the strike, the ground force was unaware of any civilians in or around the compound; they only knew that the Taliban were using the building as a fighting position." Mallya declined to say what the U.S. knew about civilian casualties or whether the incident was under U.S. investigation. In a prepared statement, he said the U.S. investigates every "credible allegation of error and reviews every mission to learn, adapt and improve." A statement from the governor's office in Helmand confirmed that 16 Taliban insurgents were killed and said that an investigation was underway to determine the number of civilian casualties. It said the militants had stockpiled ammunition in the area of the operation, which could have caused civilian casualties. There was also a car packed with explosives that ignited during the strike, the statement added. Abdul Wadod Popul, a lawmaker from Helmand, also confirmed the civilian casualties. "The area is under Taliban's control and is very difficult to get a precise number of casualties," he said in Kabul. The resurgent Taliban, who in recent years have taken over nearly half of Afghanistan, claimed the attack Wednesday in Kabul. Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said the target of the attack was a security company called G4S. He had no details on the company, but the website of a multinational security company named G4S has London contact information. The attacks were the latest in a series of brutal and near-daily Taliban assaults on military and police forces and government and other installations throughout the country. The Taliban view the U.S.-backed government in Kabul as a dysfunctional Western puppet and have refused repeated offers to negotiate with it. They carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces. U.S. and NATO troops formally concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, but still provide close support to Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations. Some 15,000 American forces are currently serving in Afghanistan. The fighting came as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was in Geneva, attending a two-day U.N.-backed conference that ends Wednesday and that is focused on development, security and peace efforts in the war-battered country. Burns reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Amir Shah in Kabul contributed to this report.

A series of U.S. airstrikes kills at least 30 Afghan civilians, including 16 children, in Garmsir District, Helmand Province. Additional civilians were left wounded or buried in the rubble. The target of the strikes was a suspected Taliban compound. The United States' strategy aims to push the Taliban into talks.

Gunmen have attacked a British security contractors’ compound in Kabul, killing at least 10 people and wounding 19 hours after the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, outlined plans for peace in the country. The Taliban claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, which began when a car bomb exploded outside a G4S facility on the main road leading eastwards out of the Afghan capital. “A number of gunmen entered the G4S compound right after the car bomb,” said Najib Danish, a spokesman for the interior ministry. The attack on a well-protected site underlines how insecure Kabul remains despite efforts by the US and the Afghan government to open peace talks with the Taliban to end more than 17 years of war. “It is unfortunate and events like this bolster our resolve for peace,” said Hamdullah Mohib, the Afghan national security adviser, on the sidelines of a UN-sponsored conference in Geneva where Ghani repeated calls for peace with the Taliban. Zabihullah Mujahid, one of the Taliban’s two official spokesmen, said the attack had been launched in retaliation for casualties caused by Afghan security forces in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. G4S is among a number of foreign security contractors that operate in Afghanistan and provides guards for the area around the British embassy in Kabul. “We can confirm that there has been an incident at one of our locations in Kabul. The situation is ongoing and we are coordinating with Afghan authorities to bring it to a conclusion,” the company said. An official from the public health ministry said city hospitals had taken at least 10 dead and 19 wounded but added that there was no definitive casualty figure because clearance operations were continuing into the night. “There was a bang and right after that, all the windows and ceiling collapsed over the children. All of the doors were shattered,” said Hafizullah, whose three children were wounded in a house near the G4S compound.[SEP]A British citizen has been killed in an “unprovoked, criminal attack” by the Taliban on a G4S compound in the Afghan capital, the security firm has said. Wahid Majoroh, Afghanistan’s public health ministry spokesman, said on Thursday that six people were killed, as well as four attackers, with dozens more left injured. The incident, which happened on Wednesday, saw a Taliban suicide bomber detonate explosives as other insurgents battled Afghan forces in Kabul. Charlie Burbridge, managing director of G4S Risk Management Group, said: “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.” The company said four of its employees who died were Afghan nationals, and one was British. It is understood G4S has been providing security in Afghanistan to a number of bodies including non-governmental organisations and corporate clients since 2003. The secure compound which was attacked by the Taliban is called Camp Anjuman, and is where the firm runs its security operations from in the central Asian country. Mr Burbridge said the next of kin of those involved have been informed, adding that the company’s thoughts are with the families of those killed and injured, and with the “brave team in Afghanistan who have lost colleagues and friends”. He added: “We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the British Embassy, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British and Afghan armed forces, other Nato forces and other private security companies who have all assisted us as we ensure our operations in Kabul are secure and continue safely. “We are committed to our security role in support of the people of Afghanistan, and we are determined that incidents such as this will not prevent the vital work that the international community conducts from continuing.” The Foreign Office said it is aware of the incident and it is working with the authorities to establish further details. The Taliban carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces. The latest in Kabul came hours after officials said at least 30 civilians were killed along with 16 Taliban fighters during a battle between government forces and insurgents in southern Helmand province. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack in a statement posted on Twitter. The group later said it was in response to a US air strike which led to the deaths of civilians and children in the clash in southern Helmand. The G4S website says it is the largest secure outsourcing company in the UK and Ireland. “More than 10,000 customers, including 59 FTSE 100 companies, depend on G4S to provide them with a safe and secure way to deliver their services,” it adds.[SEP]The British citizen killed in a Taliban attack on a G4S compound in the Afghan capital has been named by the security firm as Luke Griffin. Charlie Burbridge, the managing director of G4S Risk Management Group, said five of their employees died in the “unprovoked, criminal attack” – including one Briton and four Afghans – 32 others were also injured. On Wednesday, a Taliban suicide bomber rammed an explosive-packed truck into the gate of the G4S compound in eastern Kabul. Insurgents armed with grenades and automatic rifles then proceeded to storm the building, engaging in a drawn out battle with Afghan forces. The suicide blast left a giant crater in its wake and blew out windows in nearby buildings. Six people were killed in the attack, as well as four insurgents, Afghan officials said. A G4S spokesman has since confirmed that the British citizen killed in the attack on one of their compounds was Mr Griffin, who lived in the Merseyside area. He said the 33-year-old had been working for the company for the past eight years. It is understood that G4S have been providing security in Afghanistan to a number of bodies including non-governmental organisations and corporate clients since 2003. The secure compound which was attacked is called Camp Anjuman and is where the security firm runs its security operations from in the country. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on Twitter. The group has since said it was launched in revenge for a US airstrike which was carried out hours before in southern Afghanistan that killed 30 people – including civilians, as well as children.[SEP]KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The Latest on developments in Afghanistan (all times local): A spokesman for the Kabul police chief says at least six people have been wounded in a coordinated attack against security forces in the eastern part of the capital Kabul. Basir Mujahid says the six were transferred to a hospital for treatment. Officials say a suicide bomber detonated his explosives Wednesday and then other insurgents started a gun battle with forces in the area. Mujahid says security forces are in control of the area and there isn't any shooting now. Mujahid says initial reports indicate that the target of the attack was a security company called G4S. He couldn't provide any other details on the company. Najib Danish, spokesman for Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, says there's been a coordinated attack against security forces in the eastern part of the capital Kabul. He says a suicide bomber detonated his explosives Wednesday and then other insurgents started a gun battle with forces in the area. Danish says there are casualties but the number of dead and wounded was not immediately clear. An Afghan official has reported a loud explosion in the capital Kabul. Nasart Rahimi, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, says there are no immediate details. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both Taliban and Islamic State group insurgents are active in Kabul. The explosion comes after at least 30 civilians were killed, along with 16 Taliban fighters, by government forces battling the insurgents in Helmand province overnight. An Afghan official says that at least 30 civilians have been killed, along with 16 Taliban fighters, as government forces battled the insurgents in Helmand province overnight. Attahullah Afghan, who heads the provincial council, says most of the casualties - including men, women and children - incurred in an airstrike that hit a house on Tuesday night during military operations there. A statement from governor's office in Helmand confirmed that 16 Taliban insurgents were killed and said an investigation was underway to determine civilian casualties. It says the militants had stockpiled ammunition in the area of the operation, which could have caused civilian casualties. There was also a car packed with explosives that ignited during the strike. Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed all the victims were civilians.[SEP]KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The Latest on developments in Afghanistan (all times local): A spokesman for the Kabul police chief says at least six people have been wounded in a coordinated attack against security forces in the eastern part of the capital Kabul. Basir Mujahid says the six were transferred to a hospital for treatment. Officials say a suicide bomber detonated his explosives Wednesday and then other insurgents started a gun battle with forces in the area. Mujahid says security forces are in control of the area and there isn't any shooting now. Mujahid says initial reports indicate that the target of the attack was a security company called G4S. He couldn't provide any other details on the company. Najib Danish, spokesman for Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, says there's been a coordinated attack against security forces in the eastern part of the capital Kabul. He says a suicide bomber detonated his explosives Wednesday and then other insurgents started a gun battle with forces in the area. Danish says there are casualties but the number of dead and wounded was not immediately clear. An Afghan official has reported a loud explosion in the capital Kabul. Nasart Rahimi, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, says there are no immediate details. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both Taliban and Islamic State group insurgents are active in Kabul. The explosion comes after at least 30 civilians were killed, along with 16 Taliban fighters, by government forces battling the insurgents in Helmand province overnight. An Afghan official says that at least 30 civilians have been killed, along with 16 Taliban fighters, as government forces battled the insurgents in Helmand province overnight. Attahullah Afghan, who heads the provincial council, says most of the casualties - including men, women and children - incurred in an airstrike that hit a house on Tuesday night during military operations there. A statement from governor's office in Helmand confirmed that 16 Taliban insurgents were killed and said an investigation was underway to determine civilian casualties. It says the militants had stockpiled ammunition in the area of the operation, which could have caused civilian casualties. There was also a car packed with explosives that ignited during the strike. Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed all the victims were civilians.[SEP]A British citizen has been killed in an “unprovoked, criminal attack” by the Taliban on a G4S compound in the Afghan capital, the security firm has said. Wahid Majoroh, Afghanistan’s public health ministry spokesman, said on Thursday that six people were killed, as well as four attackers, with dozens more left injured. The incident, which happened on Wednesday, saw a Taliban suicide bomber detonate explosives as other insurgents battled Afghan forces in Kabul. Charlie Burbridge, managing director of G4S Risk Management Group, said: “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.” The company said four of its employees who died were Afghan nationals, and one was British. It is understood G4S has been providing security in Afghanistan to a number of bodies including non-governmental organisations and corporate clients since 2003. The secure compound which was attacked by the Taliban is called Camp Anjuman, and is where the firm runs its security operations from in the central Asian country. Mr Burbridge said the next of kin of those involved have been informed, adding that the company’s thoughts are with the families of those killed and injured, and with the “brave team in Afghanistan who have lost colleagues and friends”. He added: “We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the British Embassy, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British and Afghan armed forces, other Nato forces and other private security companies who have all assisted us as we ensure our operations in Kabul are secure and continue safely. “We are committed to our security role in support of the people of Afghanistan, and we are determined that incidents such as this will not prevent the vital work that the international community conducts from continuing.” The Foreign Office said it is aware of the incident and it is working with the authorities to establish further details. The Taliban carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces. The latest in Kabul came hours after officials said at least 30 civilians were killed along with 16 Taliban fighters during a battle between government forces and insurgents in southern Helmand province. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack in a statement posted on Twitter. The group later said it was in response to a US air strike which led to the deaths of civilians and children in the clash in southern Helmand. The G4S website says it is the largest secure outsourcing company in the UK and Ireland. “More than 10,000 customers, including 59 FTSE 100 companies, depend on G4S to provide them with a safe and secure way to deliver their services,” it adds.[SEP]The Latest on developments in Afghanistan (all times local): A spokesman for the Afghan Public Health Ministry says at least one person has been killed and 12 wounded in a coordinated attack by Taliban insurgents against security forces in the eastern part of the capital Kabul. The wounded have been transferred to hospitals from the Wednesday attack site, says Wahid Majroh. Officials say a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and then other insurgents started a gun battle with forces in the area. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack. Basir Mujahid, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, says security forces have started a clean-up operation and there is no sound of gunfire. The forces are looking around for any other possible attackers, he added. A spokesman for the Kabul police chief says at least six people have been wounded in a coordinated attack against security forces in the eastern part of the capital Kabul. Basir Mujahid says the six were transferred to a hospital for treatment. Officials say a suicide bomber detonated his explosives Wednesday and then other insurgents started a gun battle with forces in the area. Mujahid says security forces are in control of the area and there isn't any shooting now. Mujahid says initial reports indicate that the target of the attack was a security company called G4S. He couldn't provide any other details on the company. Najib Danish, spokesman for Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, says there's been a coordinated attack against security forces in the eastern part of the capital Kabul. He says a suicide bomber detonated his explosives Wednesday and then other insurgents started a gun battle with forces in the area. Danish says there are casualties but the number of dead and wounded was not immediately clear. An Afghan official has reported a loud explosion in the capital Kabul. Nasart Rahimi, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, says there are no immediate details. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both Taliban and Islamic State group insurgents are active in Kabul. The explosion comes after at least 30 civilians were killed, along with 16 Taliban fighters, by government forces battling the insurgents in Helmand province overnight. An Afghan official says that at least 30 civilians have been killed, along with 16 Taliban fighters, as government forces battled the insurgents in Helmand province overnight. Attahullah Afghan, who heads the provincial council, says most of the casualties — including men, women and children — incurred in an airstrike that hit a house on Tuesday night during military operations there. A statement from governor's office in Helmand confirmed that 16 Taliban insurgents were killed and said an investigation was underway to determine civilian casualties. It says the militants had stockpiled ammunition in the area of the operation, which could have caused civilian casualties. There was also a car packed with explosives that ignited during the strike. Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed all the victims were civilians.[SEP]At least 10 killed in Kabul attack, Afghan official says KABUL — Taliban insurgents staged a coordinated attack targeting a security firm in the Afghan capital on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 19 others, as the U.S. said an air strike hours earlier in Helmand province that reportedly killed civilians was conducted by American aircraft. Wednesday’s attack in eastern Kabul took place when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and other insurgents started a gunbattle with security forces in the area, Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said. The assault came hours after provincial officials said at least 30 civilians were killed along with 16 Taliban fighters during the overnight battle between Afghan government forces and insurgents in southern Helmand province. A local official, Attahullah Afghan, said most of the civilian casualties — which included men, women and children — came when an air strike hit a house in the central Helmand River valley, a Taliban heartland. U.S. officials said it happened in Helmand’s Garmsir district. A U.S. military spokesman in Kabul said the air strike was carried out by American aircraft called in to back Afghan “special security forces” after they came under heavy Taliban fire. Maj. Bariki Mallya, the spokesman, said in an email exchange that the air strike was conducted in self-defense after Taliban fighters armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns retreated into a compound and continued firing on Afghan government forces and their American advisers. “In self-defense, the ground force called an air strike,” Mallya said. “After the strike, there were secondary explosions, we assess from explosives inside the compound. At the time of the strike, the ground force was unaware of any civilians in or around the compound; they only knew that the Taliban were using the building as a fighting position.” Mallya declined to say what the U.S. knew about civilian casualties or whether the incident was under U.S. investigation. In a prepared statement, he said the U.S. investigates every “credible allegation of error and reviews every mission to learn, adapt and improve.” A statement from the governor’s office in Helmand confirmed that 16 Taliban insurgents were killed and said that an investigation was under way to determine the number of civilian casualties. It said the militants had stockpiled ammunition in the area of the operation, which could have caused civilian casualties. There was also a car packed with explosives that ignited during the strike, the statement added. Abdul Wadod Popul, a lawmaker from Helmand, also confirmed the civilian casualties. “The area is under Taliban’s control and is very difficult to get a precise number of casualties,” he said in Kabul. The resurgent Taliban, who in recent years have taken over nearly half of Afghanistan, claimed the attack Wednesday in Kabul. Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said the target of the attack was a security company called G4S. The attacks were the latest in a series of brutal and near-daily Taliban assaults on military and police forces and government and other installations throughout the country. Rahim Faiez And Robert Burns are Associated Press writers.[SEP]KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan officials have revised the number of casualties from a deadly Taliban attack the day before on the Kabul offices of a Britain-based security company to six people killed. Earlier reports said the assault left 10 dead but Afghanistan’s public health ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said on Thursday that four of the dead were attackers. He says 23 people were wounded but didn’t identify any of the casualties. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives on Wednesday as other insurgents battled with Afghan forces near the security company called G4S. The Taliban say the attack was revenge for a U.S. airstrike hours earlier in southern Afghanistan that killed 30 people, many of them civilians, including children. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claims all 10 dead are foreigners. Insurgents often exaggerate their claims. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]A gun battle between other insurgents and security forces unfolded shortly after, Afghanistan Interior Ministry spokesperson Najib Danish said. The Taliban, who have taken over nearly half of Afghanistan in recent years, claimed the attack in a statement posted on Twitter. The assault came hours after 30 civilians were killed in an overnight battle between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters in southern Helmand province. A G4S spokesperson confirmed five of their employees were killed in the "unprovoked, criminal attack," including one British national. "We are committed to our security role in support of the people of Afghanistan, and we are determined that incidents such as this will not prevent the vital work that the international community conducts from continuing," Charlie Burbridge, Managing Director of G4S, said. US and NATO troops formally concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, but still provide close support to Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations. Some 15,000 American forces are currently serving in Afghanistan, AP reports.

At least 10 people are killed and 19 are wounded in an attack on a compound of the G4S security contracting company in the Afghan capital Kabul. The Taliban's strategy seeks to strengthen its position before any formal negotiations.

BEIJING (Reuters) - A series of blasts during the delivery of a flammable gas at a chemical manufacturer in China on Wednesday killed 23 people and injured at least 22, the latest casualties in a series of industrial accidents that has angered the public. A video of the blast scene broadcast by state media showed billowing black smoke and flames, while photographs showed rows of burnt-out cars and trucks. An explosion during a delivery of acetylene set off a chain reaction among trucks parked along a road, leaving 50 vehicles damaged, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the city’s fire fighting department. The local government announced the casualty toll in a social media posting. The acetylene was being delivered to the Haipoer New Energy Technology Company in Zhangjiakou city, in the northern province of Hebei, Xinhua reported. Reuters was unable to contact Haipoer for comment. All fires at the blast site had been extinguished, state media reported. Production at the nearby Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry Co was operating normally, Xinhua reported. A woman who answered the plant’s telephone had earlier told Reuters that production had been suspended. Zhangjiakou, about 156 km (96 miles) northwest of Beijing, is set to host the 2022 Winter Olympics along with the capital. Slideshow (6 Images) Public anger over safety standards has grown in China after three decades of swift economic growth has been marred by accidents ranging from mining disasters to factory fires. In August 2015, 165 people were killed in a chemical warehouse explosion in the port city of Tianjin. The government found that the disaster was causes by improperly or illegally stored hazardous materials. China has vowed to improve industrial standards, but environmentalists say they fear oversight weaknesses persist, including an opaque production process for hazardous chemicals.[SEP]An explosion and fire near a chemical factory left at least 22 people dead and 22 others injured in northern China on Wednesday, authorities said. [BEIJING] An explosion and fire near a chemical factory left at least 22 people dead and 22 others injured in northern China on Wednesday, authorities said. The incident near Hebei Shenghua Chemical in Zhangjiakou, a city some 20km northwest of Beijing, also burned 50 large and small trucks, the local propaganda department said on its Weibo social media account. The injured were taken to hospital for treatment following the blast, which occurred at 12.41am, according to the statement. The charred and smoking remains of trucks and cars were scattered on a road as firefighters worked at the scene, according to photos posted on Twitter by state broadcaster CGTN. "On-site search and rescue work and investigation of the cause of the accident are still under way," the propaganda department said.[SEP]22 people died and 22 more were injured in an explosion near a chemical plant in China's city of Zhangjiakou, the city’s authorities said in a statement. The fire after the explosion has destroyed 38 trucks and 12 cars, according to reports. The blast occurred at 0:41 a.m. (16:41 on Tuesday GMT). ​The search and rescue operation as well as the investigation into the causes of the explosion are ongoing.[SEP]22 people have died and 22 more were injured in a blast outside a Chinese chemical factory. The blast occurred as the vehicle waited to enter Hebei Shenghua Chemical Co plant. The plant is situated in Zhangjiakou, north of Beijing. Thirty-eight trucks and 12 vehicles were engulfed by flames, city officials said. The charred and smoking remains of trucks and cars were scattered on a road as firefighters worked at the scene, according to photos posted on Twitter by state broadcaster CGTN. "On-site search and rescue work and investigation of the cause of the accident are still under way," the city's government said. Zhangjiakou is due to host the alpine skiing events at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. You can also download our all-new app. Click here for iPhone and here for Android[SEP]Beijing, Nov 28: At least 22 people were killed near north China chemical plant, reports AFP quoting official. The incident near Hebei Shenghua Chemical Co. in Zhangjiakou, a city some 200 kilometres (124 miles) northwest of Beijing, also burned 50 large and small trucks, the local propaganda department said on its Weibo social media account. The injured were taken to hospital for treatment following the blast, which occurred at 00:41 am, according to the statement.[SEP]Beijing: A huge explosion outside a chemical plant in China’s northern Hebei province on Wednesday killed at least 22 people and left as many others injured, the second major industrial accident in the country in the last four days. The blast occurred outside the Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry in Zhangjiakou, Qiaodong district around 12:40 am, igniting a fire that engulfed nearby vehicles, the officials were quoted as saying by thepaper.cn, a Shanghai-based website. An industrial safety official, identified only as Wu, said that one of the trucks lined up outside the plant to deliver chemicals had exploded, setting off a chain reaction that engulfed other trucks. Chinese news reports, and images from the scene, indicated that a fiery explosion near the plant had set around 50 vehicles ablaze, including dozens of trucks, and sent a dark plume of smoke into the night sky. The fire has now been contained, and a search operation is underway, authorities said. The injured have been taken to a nearby hospital. Employees at the Shenghua plant said operation has been suspended out of safety concern. Shenghua is affiliated with China Haohua Chemical Group, a subsidiary of State-owned ChemChina, which is ranked 167th among Global Fortune 500 enterprises. Fu Jianhua, the vice-minister of emergency management, has led a team to the site to guide relief work, the report said. Zhangjiakou, a city about 156 km northwest of Beijing, is set to host the 2022 Winter Olympics alongside the capital. Industrial safety is a major concern in China, where requirements for the storage and transport of chemicals and other dangerous products are often weakly enforced. This is the second major industrial explosion in China in the last four days. Two people were killed and 57 injured in a warehouse explosion in northeast China’s Jilin Province on November 24. A total of 370 houses have been damaged, with 15 having collapsed. A massive explosion in 2015 traced to improperly stored chemicals killed at least 173 people in Tianjin, about an hour east of Beijing. (PTI)[SEP]BEIJING (AP) — An explosion outside a chemical plant in northeastern China early Wednesday killed at least 22 people and destroyed scores of vehicles, in the latest challenge to efforts to boost industrial safety in… BEIJING (AP) — An explosion outside a chemical plant in northeastern China early Wednesday killed at least 22 people and destroyed scores of vehicles, in the latest challenge to efforts to boost industrial safety in the world’s second-largest economy. The blast occurred just after midnight at a loading area next to the plant operated by the Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., according to a statement from the Zhangjiakou city government. The plant is located in Zhangjiakou, which is to play host to the 2022 Winter Olympics. Another 22 people were injured and 38 trucks and 12 passenger cars were destroyed by fire, the statement said. “We request that citizens do not go to the site to watch in order to avoid disrupting recovery efforts,” it said. An official at the city government propaganda department, who gave only his surname, Gao, said the accident’s cause was still under investigation and no other information could be provided. Footage from state broadcaster China Central Television showed row after row of charred tanker trucks with smoke still rising from some of them, hours after the explosion occurred. On its website, Hebei Shenghua described itself as a “backbone enterprise of the city, and for the domestic chlor-alkali industry and one of the Top 500 chemical enterprises in the country.” According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the chlor-alkali electrolysis process is used mainly to manufacture chlorine, along with hydrogen and sodium hydroxide solution. Chlorine is one of the most commonly produced chemicals, widely used in the textile and paper industries, as well as for general cleaning and disinfecting and as a raw material for synthetic organic chemistry. It is also an essential component of construction materials, solvents and insecticides. Other products made at the plant include PVC resins, caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, oxygen, chlorine, dissolved acetylene, coated kettle agent, water treatment chemicals and new building materials, according to the company website. The company is a subsidiary of state-owned China National Chemical Corporation, China’s largest chemical company, listed 167th on the Fortune Global 500 list. Industrial safety is a major concern in China, where requirements for the storage and transport of chemicals and other dangerous products are often weakly enforced. A massive explosion in 2015 traced to improperly stored chemicals killed at least 173 people in Tianjin, about an hour east of Beijing. More recently, 52 people were sickened when around 7 tons of the common chemical additive C9 leaked while workers were loading barrels onto a ship in Fujian province on Nov. 4. While the ruling Communist Party emphasizes improvements in industrial safety, the authorities remain extremely sensitive about the potential for social unrest. Over recent years, grass-roots movements have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across China to protest accidents and plans for chemical plants, garbage incinerators and other projects deemed harmful to the environment. In the C9 leak case, police staged a late night raid on the hotel room of a reporter writing about the accident for one of China’s most respected business media groups. The officers, who said they were conducting a routine inspection, departed after conducting a search, but footage of the raid was leaked online, prompting the local police department to issue a rare apology. Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.[SEP]BEIJING (Reuters) - A blast near a chemical plant in China’s northern Hebei province early Wednesday killed 22 people and injured at least 22 others, the local government said. Authorities are investigating the cause of the blast in Zhangjiakou city, the local government said in an online statement.[SEP]An explosion and fire near a chemical factory left at least 22 people dead and 22 others injured on Wednesday in a northern China region that will host the 2022 Winter Olympics, authorities said. The incident near Hebei Shenghua Chemical Co. in Zhangjiakou, a city some 200 kilometres (124 miles) northwest of Beijing, also burned 50 large and small trucks, the local propaganda department said on its Weibo social media account. The injured were taken to hospital for treatment following the blast, which occurred at 00:41 am, according to the statement. The charred and smoking remains of trucks and cars were scattered on a road as firefighters worked at the scene, according to photos posted on Twitter by state broadcaster CGTN. The statement did not say whether the factory was affected by the blast or whether it took place on a road. "On-site search and rescue work and investigation of the cause of the accident are still under way," the propaganda department said. Zhangjiakou will host the Olympic alpine skiing events at the 2022 Winter Games, which Beijing is organising. It was not immediately clear if the explosion was near the site. Road and industrial accidents are common in China. A blast at a chemical plant in southwest Sichuan province left 19 dead and 12 injured in July. The company had undertaken illegal construction that had not passed safety checks, according to local authorities. In 2015, giant chemical blasts in a container storage facility killed at least 165 people in the northern port city of Tianjin. The explosions caused more than $1 billion in damage and sparked widespread anger at a perceived lack of transparency over the accident's causes and its environmental impact. China has also also experienced its share of horrific road crashes, with traffic regulations often flouted or unenforced. Two cars ploughed into crowds in two separate incidents in recent days: Five children were killed when a driver deliberately rammed into students crossing a road in northeast China last week and seven people died when another car hit people on a sidewalk in the southwest on Tuesday. An out-of-control truck ploughed into a 31-car lineup in northwest Gansu province earlier this month, killing 15 people and injuring 44. In November last year, a highway pile-up involving at least 30 cars killed 18 people in eastern Anhui province.[SEP]Shijiazhuang: A blast near a chemical plant in Zhangjiakou city, in north China`s Hebei province, has killed 22 and injured 22 others early Wednesday morning, local authorities said. The blast occurred near Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry Co Ltd. in Zhangjiakou at around 0:40 AM local time. Fire caused by the blast has engulfed 38 trucks and 12 vehicles, according to the sources from Zhangjiakou city government, Xinhua news agency reported. The injured have been rushed to hospitals. Further investigation is underway.

A chain reaction of exploding trucks triggered by a blast during the delivery of acetylene gas at a chemical plant in Zhangjiakou, China, kills 23 people and injures at least 22 others.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption People in vehicles were among those caught up in the floods Sydney has been deluged by the heaviest November rain it has experienced in decades, causing flash-flooding, traffic chaos and power cuts. Heavy rain fell throughout Wednesday, the city at one point receiving its average monthly rainfall in two hours. Officials said dozens of vehicles crashed in the stormy conditions, with winds of up to 90km/h (55mph) also recorded. At least two deaths have been blamed on the storm. A 14-year-old boy died in a car accident in Thornleigh, in the north of Sydney on Wednesday morning. A volunteer with the state's emergency service also died while out on duty, and two police officers were injured after being hit by a falling tree while trying to help Sydney motorists, authorities said. Images posted online showed downed trees and flooded roads, houses and train stations. The weather played havoc with commuters in Australia's biggest city, with many transport services cancelled or delayed - including 130 flights at the international airport. A spokeswoman for Sydney airport said it was forced to operate only one runway after two others were closed due to the storm. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said it was the region's wettest November day since 1984. "The intensity of that rainfall was phenomenal - 91mm fell in 90 minutes," forecaster Rob Taggart told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Sydney had one month's worth of rain in two hours, meteorologists say Image copyright EPA Image caption Council workers attempt to clear a drain The storm centred on coastal parts of New South Wales (NSW), but was reported to have missed many inland regions affected by drought. Ausgrid, the country's biggest electricity network, said the storm had cut electricity to more than 8,000 customers around the Sydney area. By Wednesday evening, more than 3,250 homes and businesses were still reported to be without power. Authorities urged people to try to avoid travelling where possible, as the two main phases of the rain fell around commuting times. "We cannot stress enough that motorists should never attempt to drive through flood waters or cross flooded causeways," assistant commissioner Michael Corboy of NSW Police said on Wednesday. The floods are not the only extreme weather currently being experienced in Australia. In Queensland, further north, thousands have been evacuated as an unprecedented heatwave grips the region, sparking destructive bushfires and dust-storms.[SEP]More than 500 Australians have called for emergency assistance after storms lashed Sydney and nearby regions, causing floods, power cuts and flight delays. Sydney had its average monthly rainfall within just two hours on Wednesday, according to meteorologists. Authorities said at least 11 people had been rescued from vehicles trapped in floods. One man died in a car accident. Two police officers were injured in Sydney after being hit by a falling tree while trying to help motorists, authorities said. The weather played havoc with the morning commute in Australia's biggest city, with many transport services cancelled or delayed - including more than 50 flights. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said it was the region's wettest November day since 1984. "The intensity of that rainfall was phenomenal - 91mm fell in 90 minutes," forecaster Rob Taggart told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The storm centred on coastal parts of New South Wales (NSW), but was reported to have missed many inland regions affected by drought. • What does it take to break a drought? Authorities urged people to stay safe ahead of more forecast storms later on Wednesday. "We cannot stress enough that motorists should never attempt to drive through flood waters or cross flooded causeways," said assistant commissioner Michael Corboy of NSW Police.[SEP]Torrential rain triggered flash flooding that turned streets into rivers in Sydney, Australia's biggest city, on Wednesday, causing major disruptions to the morning commute. A spokesman for Ausgrid, the nation's biggest electricity network, said the storm had so far left 8,100 homes without power around Sydney and the central coast. There was chaos on the roads, with at least five stranded motorists needing to be plucked from rising floodwaters, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. "The storm is pretty intense in and around the airport," a Sydney airport spokesperson said. "We are operating from a single runway so that means that there are delays and likely some flights will be cancelled." The central Sydney area had received 90 millimetres of rain, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, and state emergency services received dozens of calls for help. A series of storms was forecast to last through most of the day and ease in the evening, with strong winds continuing.[SEP]Hundreds of Australians were forced to call the emergency services for help as Sydney was hit with flash flooding. More than 500 people in Sydney and the surrounding areas were left trapped as heavy rains lashed the city. The ferocious storms caused widespread flooding, power cuts and flight delays as they hit the coastal parts of New South Wales (NSW). Meteorologists said Sydney experienced an average month's worth of rain within just two hours. Authorities said one man died in a car accident. At least a further 11 had to be rescued after their vehicles became trapped by flood waters. Two police officers were injured when they were hit by a falling tree while trying to help motorists. Pictures and footage posted online show flooded streets and emergency workers trying to clear drains as rain continues to fall. The storms caused travel chaos with more than 50 flights cancelled or delayed. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said it was the region's wettest November day since 1984. "The intensity of that rainfall was phenomenal - 91mm fell in 90 minutes," forecaster Rob Taggart told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. More warnings were issued as more storms are forecast to hit on Wednesday. Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy of NSW Police said: "We cannot stress enough that motorists should never attempt to drive through flood waters or cross flooded causeways."[SEP]Hundreds of people called authorities for emergency assistance as storms struck Sydney and its surround areas. Australian officials said at least 11 people had been rescued from vehicles trapped in floods. One man died in a car accident.[SEP]Torrential rain and gale force winds lashed Australia's biggest city of Sydney on Wednesday, flooding streets, railway stations and homes, grounding flights and leaving hundreds of people without electricity. Police called on motorists to stay off the roads. One person was killed in a car crash and two police officers were seriously injured when a tree fell on them as they helped a stranded driver. Greg Transell, a local office manager, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that strong winds caused widespread disruption to the tower block office where he works. "I started to go upstairs to see if there was any damage, and next minute there was an almighty bang and it ripped panels off the roof in the warehouse," said Transell. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) Sydney got more than 100 millimetres of rain in just a few hours, a level the country's most populous city would normally get through the whole of November. "That's the sort of rainfall you'd expect to see once every 100 years," Ann Farrell, the bureau's state manager, told reporters. The rain offered a welcome respite to farmers who have suffered through a sustained drought in recent months, but it caused major transportation disruptions. Sydney airport, the country's busiest, said 130 flights had been cancelled or delayed after it was forced to close two of its three runways. "The storm is pretty intense in and around the airport," Cait Kyann, an airport spokesperson, told Reuters. "We are operating from a single runway, so that means that there are delays and likely some flights will be cancelled." Ausgrid, the country's biggest electricity network, said the storm had cut power to 8,100 customers in Sydney and the Central Coast area to its north. By late afternoon, 1,700 homes and businesses remained without power, Ausgrid said. The storm struck only hours before morning rush hour, transforming some streets into fast-flowing rivers and parks into lakes. Several stranded motorists were plucked from rising floodwaters. "We are asking all road users to reconsider the need to be on the roads throughout what will be a severe rain event," said Michael Corboy, New South Wales state assistant police commissioner. In contrast, in Australia's northern state of Queensland, soaring temperatures near 40 C and strong winds exacerbated major bushfires. Firefighters have been battling for nearly a week to contain more than 130 fires across Queensland, and 8,000 people were ordered to evacuate the city of Gracemere, about 600 kilometres north of the state capital of Brisbane. "These are unprecedented conditions," said state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. "We have not seen the likes of this."[SEP]SYDNEY (Reuters) - Torrential rain and gale force winds lashed Australia’s biggest city Sydney on Wednesday causing commuter chaos, flooding streets, railway stations and homes, grounding flights and leaving hundreds of people without electricity. Police called on Sydney motorists to stay off the roads due to the “horrendous weather”. One person was killed in a car crash during the storm and two police officers seriously injured when a tree fell on them as they assisted a stranded motorist. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said within just a few hours Sydney received more than 100mm of rain, a level that the country’s most populous city would normally receive throughout the whole of November. Although the rains offered a welcomed respite to farmers who have suffered through a sustained drought in recent months, the weather caused major disruptions to Sydney’s infrastructure. Sydney Airport, the country’s busiest, said it cancelled at least 20 flights after closing two of its three runways, while the majority of flights that continued suffered delays. “The storm is pretty intense in and around the airport,” Cait Kyann, a spokeswoman from Sydney Airport, told Reuters. “We are operating from a single runway so that means that there are delays and likely some flights will be cancelled.” Ausgrid, the nation’s biggest electricity network, said the storm had left 8,100 customers without power around Sydney and the Central Coast area to its north. There was chaos on Sydney’s roads as the storm struck only hours before the city’s main morning peak hour, transforming some streets in fast flowing rivers and parks into lakes. Several stranded motorists were plucked from rising floodwaters. “We are asking all road users to reconsider the need to be on the roads throughout what will be a severe rain event today,” said New South Wales state Assistant Police Commissioner Corboy. The BOM said the storms would last through most of the day before easing, with gale force winds whipping up four metre (12 feet) waves which are expected to pound Sydney’s beaches. In stark contrast in Australia’s northern state of Queensland soaring temperatures near 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and strong winds exacerbated major bushfires. Firefighters have been battling for nearly a week to contain more than 80 fires across Queensland. “We are expecting a very bad day,” Craig Crawford, fire and emergency services minister for the Queensland state government told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio. “These are the kind of days where people could lose their lives.”[SEP]Sydney at risk of flash flooding as BOM forecasts thunderstorms to hammer coast tomorrow A deepening low over central New South Wales moving towards the coast has triggered warnings of possible flash flooding in Sydney from tomorrow morning, as well as flooding for the Nepean, Hawkesbury and Georges rivers. The Bureau of Meteorology forecasted strong winds, heavy rain and rough surf conditions along the coast, with the worst-hit areas likely to be the Illawarra and metropolitan Sydney, the Hunter, the Central Coast, the central tablelands and parts of the mid north. It says damaging winds, averaging 60–70 kilometres per hour with peak gusts in excess of 90kph, are likely along the coastal Illawarra and Sydney fringe from late Wednesday morning. Forecaster Jordan Notara said some parts of Sydney may flood. "Sydney at the moment is looking like it may have some localised flash flooding through the northern parts of Sydney as well as southern parts and that may be due to potentially some isolated thunderstorm activity on the day," he said. "So those areas from Wednesday will start to experience some quite significant rainfall as that low starts to deepen off the coast and as we start to go into the later part of the day, we'll see those winds start to come into play as well." A low-pressure system is expected to enter the north-west of New South Wales on Tuesday and then track south-east, rapidly intensifying as it crosses the coast about the Greater Sydney area. The most-intense rainfall is likely to be during Wednesday morning, but it is expected to ease late on Wednesday and early Thursday as the low-pressure system moves further offshore. The State Emergency Service is advising that people should move vehicles away from trees, secure loose items around the house and balconies and not to drive through floodwater.[SEP]One person was killed in a car crash and two police officers injured after torrential rain lashed Sydney, Australia, early on Wednesday. A series of storms swept over a large area of the New South Wales state, wreaking havoc to the morning commute in the country's largest city, with flash flooding inundating roads and delaying flights. State Emergency Services rescued 12 people from floodwaters and responded to over 500 calls for help, according to local media.[SEP]Shikhar Dhawan, who is a part of the Indian team for the series in Australia, was in top form during the recently concluded T20I series. He will now be playing in the ODI series which will start after the Test series gets over Ace Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan is relaxing in Australia between the matches as he is on a break from the Test matches and is preparing for the upcoming ODI’s. After winning the Man of the Series for the T20 matches, Shikhar Dhawan took out sometime for himself and sailed through the Sydney Harbour this morning Shikhar Dhawan wrote, "While I’ve strolled around the spectacular Sydney Harbour several times, it is for the first time that I’ve indulged in taking a yacht ride across, and it definitely is a great way to experience the two amazing Sydney icons. During all my previous visits to Australia, I’ve always been fascinated by the natural beauty, unique wildlife, iconic attractions, and the multicultural cities. It’s easy to see why it is so popular as a holiday destination for Indians and some of my personal favourite family holiday experiences are also from Australia - including an unforgettable visit to the Great Barrier Reef, sipping the best brews in the lanes of the coffee capital of the globe – Melbourne, and meeting the world’s happiest animals – the quokka at Rottnest Island near Perth. Shikhar Dhawan, who lives in Australia these days with his wife and kids, has become quite the local it seems. Catch up on all the latest T20 news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

Flash flooding kills two people and causes major power outages in Sydney, Australia.

Islamabad/New Delhi - Nestled in the verdant green rice fields of Pakistan's eastern Narowal district, the white domes of the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara offer a striking contrast. Centuries ago, it is said, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, spent his final days in this small village, farming the fields and formalising many of the practices of what would become a religion followed by more than 25 million people around the world. When he died in 1539, the legend goes that he was so revered by both Hindus and Muslims that there was a dispute over how his remains should be treated: Should he be buried, in the Islamic tradition, or cremated, as Hindus wished? Today, at the Sikh gurdwara, or place of worship, built over his final resting place, there is both a Muslim grave and a Hindu samadhi (shrine) marking his passing. A few kilometres away, Sikhs gather at a podium to view one of the most sacred sites in their religion, lining up to pay tribute to Guru Nanak by viewing the gurdwara through a set of binoculars. They are unable to access the site, just five kilometres away, because between the two gurdwaras lies an obstacle that has been almost insurmountable for most: The international border between India and Pakistan. All that, however, is about to change. Starting a new era On Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated a new visa-free corridor between the gurdwara at Kartarpur and the Indian town of Dera Baba Nanak, about six kilometres away. Sikh pilgrims will be able to travel freely between the two holy sites without visas for the first time since the border was established here in 1947 when India and Pakistan gained independence from Britain. {articleGUID} Khan, inaugurating the project, which will see the construction of a new road and bridge that would link the two sites, spoke of wanting to open a new era of relations between India and Pakistan. "There have been mistakes on both sides [in the past], but we will not be able to move forward until we break the chains of the past," said Khan. "The past is there only to teach us, not for us to live in." Also present on the occasion were Indian federal ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri, and provincial Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu. The inauguration in Pakistan follows a similar event on the Indian side of the border earlier this week, attended by the chief minister of India's Punjab province and the country's vice president. The corridor will formally open next year, in time for the 550th birth anniversary celebrations for Guru Nanak. It marks a rare moment of positivity in relations between the two South Asian nations, who have fought three wars since gaining independence and between whom dialogue has been stalled for years. Earlier this year, India cancelled planned foreign minister-level talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly following the killing of Indian security forces personnel in the disputed region of Kashmir by armed separatists. India accuses Pakistan of supporting the armed separatist movement in Kashmir, which both countries claim in full but administer separate portions of. Pakistan denies the charge and alleges that India foments instability by supporting separatists in Balochistan province. {articleGUID} With the opening of the corridor - a long-standing demand of the Sikh community and one which Pakistan proposed to be followed through with earlier this year - the Pakistani government says it is showing that it is prepared to take concrete steps to ease tensions. "The story of Kartarpur is as old as the history of Pakistan and India's independence itself," Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan's information minister, told Al Jazeera. "We have groups on both sides of the border, some who are pro-peace, and many who do not want [talks] to occur. It is for the government to decide who to support. With this step, we have shown where we stand." For Sikhs in the area, the opening of the corridor is the culmination of a long-held dream. "We have been asking for this for years," said Ramesh Singh Arora, a Sikh community leader in Narowal who tends to the gurdwara. "It will make it a lot easier for people to come from India and then return to their country." With the inaugurations this week, work will now begin on a fenced-off road between the gurdwara at Kartarpur and the gurdwaras on the Indian side of the border, which will allow Sikhs to access both sites without a visa. Previously, Arora says, pilgrims were forced to cross the border at the Wagah/Attari crossing, a journey of more than 200km that involved dealing with a restrictive visa regime and travelling by road for hours. "It's a sense of homecoming. This is an emotional moment for the community," says Bhabishan Singh Goraya, 67, a Sikh resident of nearby Amritsar, in India's Punjab province. "We have been demanding this for so long." Political pressures Analysts say the Indian government, led by right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was pressured into opening the corridor due to domestic political pressures. "Politics did play a factor, with general elections in India less than six months away," Krishan Pratap Singh, a New-Delhi based analyst, told Al Jazeera. "The Akali Dal, a coalition partner of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, is struggling in Punjab with internal strife and the Kartarpur corridor is being seen as an attempt to provide them a much-needed fillip." It is a point that has been made in Pakistan, too. "The reaction from Delhi [to the Kartarpur proposal] was always very negative," said Pakistani Information Minister Chaudhry. "But now that they have elections in Punjab, so the Indian government has changed its position because of that. Internal public pressure has changed it." One of the sources of opposition to the corridor within India has been security concerns regarding the free movement of citizens between the two countries, even in the controlled environment of the corridor. "There are apprehensions that some left-over elements of the [Sikh separatist] Khalistan movement still operate from Pakistani territory," said Sreeram Chaulia, dean of New Delhi's Jindal School of International Affairs. "They are still capable of appealing to vulnerable Sikh youth, recruiting and mobilising them. India has no way of monitoring once they are inside Pakistani soil." Sikh separatists in India began agitating for a separate homeland in the 1970s, but the movement petered out two decades later. India believes there has been an attempt to revive separatist groups in the recent past. Pakistani analysts, too, warn that while the corridor may be a rare success story, the prospect of any resumption of dialogue between the countries remains dim. "This is a good move in a situation where there is little hope of any improvement in the relations between the two countries," said Zahid Hussain, an Islamabad-based security analyst. "But I don't think it will change the overall atmosphere that prevails right now. It's more for public consumption rather than a move that could change the politics of the region," he added. Hussain points out that the opening of the corridor could not have occurred without backing from Pakistan's powerful military, which has ruled the country for roughly half of its 71-year history. This is a good move in a situation where there is little hope of any improvement in the relations between the two countries. Zahid Hussain, an Islamabad-based security analyst Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa has publicly supported the project and first discussed it with Indian legislator Sidhu at Prime Minister Khan's inauguration in August. General Bajwa was also in attendance at the ground-breaking on Wednesday. Pakistan's government is planning further confidence-building measures, Information Minister Chaudhry said, including the easing of visa restrictions on Indian journalists. "Pakistan has shown a bigger heart," he said. "We had the attack on the Chinese consulate [last week] and we still didn't stop this initiative [on Kartarpur] - the Indian support for the Baloch Liberation Army is not a secret." Chaudhry was referring to an attack on the Chinese diplomatic mission in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi by Baloch separatists on Friday, which killed two policemen. Regardless of the tension in the relationship between the states, the Sikh community remains jubilant about the opening of the corridor. "There are lots of relations on either side. When partition happened, most of our relatives went to India from Pakistan," said Arora. "We decided to stay. We are Pakistani, but we are one people." Asad Hashim is Al Jazeera's digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim. Zeenat Saberin is Al Jazeera's digital correspondent in India. She tweets at @SaberinZe.[SEP]Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Monday laid the foundation stone of Kartarpur corridor in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. Recently, both India and Pakistan agreed to build the corridor linking India to a historic gurudwara in Pakistan's Kartarpur where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life. Gurdaspur, November 26: Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Monday laid the foundation stone of Kartarpur corridor in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. Recently, both India and Pakistan agreed to build the corridor linking Indian town of Dera Baba Nanak to a historic gurudwara in Pakistan's Kartarpur where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life. On November 22, Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced the decision to open the corridor. Responding to India’s request, Pakistan announced the construction of the corridor on its side. Navjot Singh Sidhu Accepts Pakistan's Invitation to Attend Opening Ceremony of Kartarpur Corridor, Writes to MEA for Permission. Also Read | KTM 125 Duke Motorcycle Launched at Rs 1.18 Lakh; Price in India, Specifications, Top Speed & Bookings Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will lay the foundation stone of the religious corridor on November 28. It will be opened for Sikh pilgrims on the 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev. Speaking at the event on Monday, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, hit out at Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa over the increasing incidents of ceasefire violations. The Punjab chief minister said, "Which Army teaches to violate ceasefire and kill jawans on the other side? Which Army teaches to send people to attack Pathankot and Amritsar? This is cowardness." Also Read | Kartarpur Corridor: Captain Amarinder Singh Refuses to Comment on Navjot Singh Sidhu's Views, Flays Pakistan Over Terror Kartarpur Sahib is around six kilometres from the Indian town of Dera Baba Nanak. Though the Dera Baba Nanak has a railway station, Gurdaspur and Amritsar are major stations, which are close to the border town where inter-state trains halt. From Gurdaspur, it is around 40km, and from Amritsar, it is 45km. However, Amritsar has better road connectivity to Dera Baba Nanak as compared to Gurdaspur. Pilgrims coming from Delhi are advised to take a bus from Amritsar to visit the corridor, while people from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh can take a route through Gurdaspur to reach the corridor. Punjab CM Amarinder Singh's Name on Kartarpur Foundation Stone Black-taped by His Minister Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa. The nearest airport to Dera Baba Nanak is Sri Guru Ram Das Airport, Amritsar. Pilgrims travelling from abroad or from other Indian states can take a flight to Amritsar, and take a cab or a bus to visit the corridor. The distance between Kartarpur Sahib and Indian Border is four kilometres (approx.)[SEP]ISLAMABAD: The foundation stone laying ceremony of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor at Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in Indian Punjab district Gurdaspur on Monday marred with contentious statements, tug of war between ministers representing State and Union governments as BJP designated Vice President Venkaiah Naidu performed the ceremony in tense atmosphere. Indian Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, who is a former Captain of Indian Army, delivered highly obnoxious speech against Pakistan and its military leadership. Amarinder Singh was posted at Khem Karan sector on Indian side in 1971 Pakistan-India war where Indian troops suffered heavy causalities. According to media reports first controversy erupted with a Congress minister objecting to the names of former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal belonging to Akali-BJP alliance opposition in Indian Punjab engraved on the foundation stone to be laid for the Kartarpur Sahib corridor. Punjab's Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was reviewing the arrangements made for the function when he spotted the names of the Badals on the foundation stone. A furious Randhawa then enquired about it with the officials concerned. “I asked them (authorities concerned) about the status of former CM Parkash Singh Badal and former Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal in the govt. If they want to write their names, the name of Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and others should also be there,” Randhawa said. He accused the Badals of never visiting the Dera Baba Nanak for "the opening of the corridor" when they were in power. It's not a function of the BJP or the Akalis, he said. The local MLA said: "It is not a political function. It is a government function, and I told them their (Badals) names should not be there." “My name should not be with the Badals' on the foundation stone," he said, and then went on to pasting a black tape on his name and that of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, State Minister Vijay Inder Singla and Gurdaspur Member Parliament Sunil Jakhar. "This is not a war for taking credit. Nobody’s name should have been there. ‘The Guru Ka Marg (Road of Guru) dedicated by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu’ should have been mentioned instead,” said Randhawa. After the protest by the Punjab minister, the particular foundation stone was removed. The Kartarpur Sahib corridor will facilitate easy passage to Sikh pilgrims to the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan. Kartarpur is located in Shakargarh in Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, had spent more than 18 years of his life there. The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is located about three-four km from the border in Pakistan. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the Kartarpur Corridor on the Pakistani side tomorrow (November 28). Later, Indian Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in his speech disregarding international norms by hurling allegations against Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javaid Bajwa and said that he is violating ceasefire and vitiating the atmosphere in India. “I am warning you (Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Bajwa). We are also Punjabis, you will not be allowed to enter here and vitiate the atmosphere,” the Punjab CM said. Questioning the Pakistan Army Chief as a military man, Captain Singh referred to the act of violating ceasefire as cowardly. “Which Army teaches to violate ceasefire and kill jawans on the other side? Which Army teaches to send people to attack Pathankot and Amritsar? This is cowardness,” he said while speaking at the ground laying ceremony of Kartapur corridor on Monday.[SEP]Kartarpur corridor is a proposed border-corridor between India and Pakistan connecting the Sikh holy shrine of Dera Baba Nanak Sahib with the holy shrine of Kartarpur Sahib in Indian Punjab and Pakistani Punjab. The call for a visa-free Kartarpur Sahib corridor is an old demand from the Sikh community. Subsequently, the Pakistan government in September 2018, decided to open the corridor before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak for visa-free entry of Indian Sikhs from India to Pakistan. The Gurdwara is also notable for its location near the border between Pakistan and India. The shrine is visible from the Indian side of the border. Indian Sikhs gather in large numbers to performdarshan, or sacred viewing of the site, from the Indian side of the border through binoculars. The shrine is located by the River Ravi within a distance of 4 km from the Dera Sahib railway station in India. The proposal to construct the corridor, providing visa-free access to Sikh pilgrims, was renewed by Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in August this year while talking to Congress leader and Indian Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, during the latter's visit to Pakistan in August for attending Prime Minister Imran Khan's oath-taking ceremony. The Kartarpur corridor aims to ease travel for Indian pilgrims visiting one of the holiest sites of the Sikh faith in Pakistan. Sidhu crossed the international border at Wagah and was received by Pakistani authorities. Speaking to reporters at the Wagah Border, Sidhu hailed the Kartarpur Corridor. He credited PM Imran Khan for the initiative. By congratulating Pakistan and India for providing the facility to Sikhs after 73 years, he said: "I want to avoid conflicts - religion should not been seen through the lens of politics. There is no rule in the world that prevents religious devotees to visit places of worship". Pakistan has warmly welcomed and initiated the ground-breaking ceremony and extended their hands in welcome to the Indian ministers and journalists on the occasion. The Pakistan government has invited Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, the Chief Minister of Indian Punjab Amarinder Singh and minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, besides 17 Indian journalists to the groundbreaking ceremony. However, Swaraj excused herself from attending the ceremony, citing "prior commitments". Prime Minister Imran Khan will perform the groundbreaking today. The move to open the corridor, analysts say, might thaw the frosty relationship between the two neighbours. Read | Who's in charge in Pakistan: Imran Khan or the army? What PTI's Waleed Iqbal said Also watch | Kartarpur corridor: New beginning of India-Pakistan ties or false dawn?[SEP]Pakistan and India to get border crossing for Sikh pilgrims ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's prime minister is to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the first visa-free border crossing with India, a corridor that will allow Sikh pilgrims to easily visit their shrines on each side of the border. The crossing — known as Karatarpur corridor — is a rare sign of cooperation between the two nuclear-armed rival countries. It's unclear how long the construction will take or when the crossing will actually open. Instead of visas, the pilgrims will be given special permits to access their shrines — the Dera Baba Nanak in India's Punjab province, and the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Narowal border district in its own Punjab province. Wednesday's ceremony comes after India last week gave the green light for the crossing, an initiative of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.[SEP]ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s prime minister is to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the first visa-free border crossing with India, a corridor that will allow Sikh pilgrims to easily visit their shrines on each side… ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s prime minister is to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the first visa-free border crossing with India, a corridor that will allow Sikh pilgrims to easily visit their shrines on each side of the border. The crossing — known as Karatarpur corridor — is a rare sign of cooperation between the two nuclear-armed rival countries. It’s unclear how long the construction will take or when the crossing will actually open. Instead of visas, the pilgrims will be given special permits to access their shrines — the Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Punjab province, and the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Narowal border district in its own Punjab province. Wednesday’s ceremony comes after India last week gave the green light for the crossing, an initiative of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.[SEP]We should end hatred between our countries, says Indian Union Minister Badal “If the Berlin Wall can fall, hatred between India and Pakistan can also end”, Indian Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan. She attended the ceremony along with an Indian delegation, including Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and other officials as well as local and Indian Sikh pilgrims. They came to Pakistan through Attari-Wagah land route in Amritsar to attend the ceremony as representatives of the Indian government. Indian cricketer turned politician Navjot Singh Sidhu was also among the prominent guests who were invited to the ceremony. The groundbreaking was performed by Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, who welcomed all the guests who came from India on Wednesday. Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It was established by the Sikh Guru in 1522. The first gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was built here, where Guru Nanak Dev is said to have died. The Kartarpur Corridor will facilitate the visa-free travel for Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.[SEP]The following is the chronology of events leading up to the foundation laying for the corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district to facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims: 1522: The first Gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was established by the first Sikh Guru where Guru Nanak Dev is said to have died. February 1999: The Kartarpur Sahib corridor was proposed by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he took a bus ride to Lahore during a peace initiative with Pakistan. 2000: Pakistan agrees to allow Sikh pilgrims from India to visit the shrine visa-free (and without passport) by constructing a bridge from the India side of the border to the shrine. August 2018: Upon his return from Islamabad, Sidhu says that Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa informed him that the Pakistan government would open the Dera Baba Nanak (Kartarpur) corridor on Guru Nanak's 550th birth anniversary. November 22: Indian Cabinet approves the Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak to the Pakistan border. November 26: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu lays the foundation stone of the Dera Baba Nanak - Kartarpur Sahib Corridor (up to the International Border) at an event at Mann village of Gurdaspur district of Punjab. November 28: Prime Minister Imran Khan lays the foundation stone of the 4-km corridor which is expected to be completed by next year.[SEP]Kartarpur aimed at lessening tension between two countries ISLAMABAD: It is a matter of great respect and pride for Pakistan that holy places of three big religions of the world – Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism – are situated in Pakistan. Taxila in Rawalpindi district of Punjab has been a centre of Buddhism’s Gandhara civilisation. The Katas Raj temples, also known as Qila Katas, situated near Chakwal city, is a very sacred place for Hindus, with centuries old history, while Hasanabdal, Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur towns are well known in the world as sacred places of the Sikh community. Kartarpur’s Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, situated at the bank of River Ravi about 10 kilometres from Narowal city, is being opened to Sikh Yatrees from India through a new border crossing on Nov 28. India’s zero line (border) is just three, four kilometres away from Kartarpur. Before the Partition, tehsil Narowal, in which Kartarpur is situated, and tehsil Shakargarh were part of Indian’s Punjab’s Gurdaspur district. After creation of Pakistan, these tehsils were made part of district Sialkot, and in 1991, Narowal and Shakargarh were upgraded as districts. It has been a long-drawn demand of Indian Sikh Yatrees that they should be provided with the facility of visiting Kartarpur’s Gurdwara Darbar Sahib directly from Dera Baba Nanak, a city and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district of Indian Punjab. Pakistan contacted India time and again in the past in this regard, but failed to get a positive response every time. A suggestion was made once again few months back. As India is going to election next year, the Narendra Modi government showed willingness to accept the suggestion and open the Kartarpur border, to win the support of the Sikh community in polls. According to the programme, Prime Minister Imran Khan will perform the groundbreaking of the Kartarpur Corridor project on Nov 28. The move is aimed at facilitating the Sikh Yatrees from India on the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, being celebrated next year (2019). Currently, the Sikh Yatrees intending to visit Kartarpur’s Gurdwara Darbar Sahib have to reach Lahore first through Wagah border crossing and then proceed toward Kartarpur through Baddomalhi. However, after opening of Kartarpur border crossing and construction of the corridor, the Yatrees will have to cover just six kilometres distance across Ravi River. Historically, the proposal for opening of Kartarpur border crossing was discussed between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998 for the first time. When Vajpayee came to Lahore in his Dosti (Friendship) Bus in 1999, the plan was discussed again. Pakistan People’s Party has also supported the initiative always. During the Pervez Musharraf era, when composite dialogue process was launched between Pakistan and India in 2004-5, the two countries had agreed on launching the Khokhrapar-Munabao railway line and Amritsar-Lahore-Kartarpur road link. However, later on relations between the two countries got tense and the plans could not be implemented due to security reasons. During Pakistan Muslim League-N government, the then interior minister Ahsan Iqbal also made various efforts for Indian Sikh Yatrees’ direct access to Kartarpur’s Gurdwara. However, the final decision was reached after Imran Khan’s party won General Election in 2018. During the swearing-in ceremony of Premier Imran Khan in May 2018, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa told visiting former cricketer and incumbent Indian Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu that he was in favour of construction of Kartarpur Corridor to facilitate the Yatrees. The announcement sent a wave of joy among the Sikh community in India and Pakistan. The initiative, launched by Pakistan, is primarily aimed at reducing tensions between the two countries. At the moment, the corridor would be used only for performance of religious rituals by the Sikh Yatrees. The road leading to the Gurdwara from Indian border would be fenced properly. Pakistan has awarded the task of construction Kartarpur religious corridor to Frontier Works Organization (FWO), which is carrying out work on it at a fast pace. The Pakistani government is preparing a master plan for construction and completion of the corridor, and it is hoped the project would be completed by November 2019, when the Sikh community would celebrate 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. It is also hoped the act of inaugurating work on Kartarpur Corridor by Prime Minister Imran Khan would prove to be beginning of new relations with India. Pakistan and India are engaged in trade via two routes, Karachi port and Wagah-Atari currently. Pakistan has suggested opening old trade routes of Khokharapar-Munabao in Sindh and Head Sulemanki in Punjab. Rawalakot, Poonch, Chakothi and Srinagar routes were opened to trade and travel in 2008, but they fell prey to security issues. If the intra-Kashmir corridor had remained open, trade between Jammu and Sialkot could have been restored. By building Kartarpur-Dera Baba Nanak Corridor, the old trade route of Amritsar-Jammu could also be made functional. To facilitate visitors, a 4km long bridge over the Ravi will have to be built, which was blasted in the 1965 war. Pakistan's total border is about 6,774km. Pakistan and India share 2240km long border, which was demarked on August 17, 1947. The border includes Working Boundary, over 740km long Line of Control also exists between them. Indian Gujarat borders Tharparker, Umerkot, Sanghar, Khairpur, Ghotki in Sindh, Rahimyar Khan, Bahawalpur and Bahwalnagar in Punjab, while Indian Punjab touches Okara, Kasur, Lahore and Narowal in Pakistan's Punjab. Narowal and Sialkot districts lie on Pakistan's side of the Working Boundary, while occupied Jammu and Kashmir are on the Indian side of the Working Boundary. Then starts the Line of Control, which has Azad and occupied Jummu and Kashmir on both sides, respectively. It is a temporary border between India and Pakistan. Three crossings exist on the most dangerous border of the world. The Wagah-Atari border is the most famous. Wagah is a village in Pakistan while Atari is part of Indian city of Amritsar. It is the first Indian city on the Lahore-Delhi rail track. A heart-warming flag-lowering ceremony takes place at Wagah every day. Kartarpur Darbar Sahib exists few kilometres from India. It takes three hours from Lahore to reach there. After opening of the Kartarpur border, Indian city of Qadian will be at a distance of just 2.5 hours. There is a barbed wire towards the East of Ravi on Indian border. Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is a unique site. This site is near the border as compared to Sikh holy sites like Dear Sahib, Lahore, Punja Sahib, Hasanabdal and Janam Asthan Nankana, in Pakistan. Gurdwara Kartarpur is the holiest worship place for the Sikh community. These are birth and death places of Baba Guru Nanak. Baba Guru Nanak travelled all over the world in his 70 years of age and stayed in Gurdwara Kartarpur for 18 years. The devotees could see this holy site, but 4-km across the border. The Indian Border Forces have set up a post from where these devotees could see the shrine with the help of a pair of binoculars. After Partition in 1947, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib became the part of Pakistan. This Gurdwara remained closed for a long time due to sour relations between Pakistan and India. When it was opened after 18 years, millions of Sikhs from India could not get visa to visit the holy site. A few hundred Yatrees are issued visa to visit Pakistan to pay homage to the birth site of Baba Guru Nanak. Indian envoy in Pakistan visited the Kartarpur border to look for the possibility of opening it. Pakistan Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, in an interview, gave a suggestion that a visa-free corridor should be established to give Sikhs access to Kartarpur Gurdwara. Pakistan and India may reach an agreement in this regard. However, it will take time to build facilities and centres for the Sikh Yatrees. There is also a possibility of Kartarpur and Baba Nanak trade route. While fulfilling the longstanding demand of Sikhs, differences between the two countries must come to an end.[SEP]Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday laid the foundation stone for a corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district to facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims. Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It was established by the Sikh Guru in 1522. The first Gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was built here, where Guru Nanak Dev is said to have died. (Live updates) The Kartarpur Corridor, which will facilitate the visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, is expected to be completed within six months. The development comes ahead of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary next year. Thousands of Sikh devotees from India visit Pakistan every year to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. India had proposed the corridor to Pakistan around 20 years back. India was represented by Union ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri at the event. Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu also attended the ceremony. Last week, Pakistan and India announced that they would develop the corridor on their respective side of the border to help Indian pilgrims visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. India-Pakistan ties nose-dived in recent years with no bilateral talks taking place. The ties between the two countries had strained after the terror attacks by Pakistan-based groups in 2016. Pakistan had invited External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who thanked her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi for the invite and said she was unable to travel to Kartarpur Sahib due to prior commitments. The issue of Kartarpur Sahib came into focus after Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu visited Pakistan in August to attend the oath-taking ceremony of his cricketer-turned-politician friend Imran Khan as prime minister of that country. After his return, Sidhu said that Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had told him that Pakistan may open a corridor to Kartarpur Sahib. Sidhu has already arrived in Lahore with a group of Indian journalists to attend the ground breaking ceremony on Wednesday.

Personalities from both countries inaugurate a corridor that will enable Sikh pilgrims to travel visa-free between the Indian town of Dera Baba Nanak and the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan.

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - An ex-president of Madagascar and the man who overthrew him in a 2009 coup will compete to become the island state’s next leader in a run-off election in December after the two came top in a first-round vote that eliminated the incumbent. FILE PHOTO: A combination photo shows former Madagascar's Marc Ravalomanana on February 17, 2011 and former Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina on December 18, 2013 respectively. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings and REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photos Former president Marc Ravalomanana garnered 35.35 percent of the vote in the first round on Nov. 7, behind his successor, Andry Rajoelina, who got 39.23 percent, the High Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday. Incumbent President Hery Rajaonarimampianina drew just 8.82 percent, the court said, and will not take part in the second round, due on Dec. 19. The court rejected his request for the vote to be canceled and Rajoelina’s votes invalidated, saying there was insufficient evidence of widespread irregularities. Rajoelina told reporters after the court’s announcement of results: “I appeal to all citizens, to those who did not vote, it is not too late. The time to save Madagascar has come. Vote in the next election. I reach out to those who are not yet convinced. Take my hand.” Madagascar is hoping for its second peaceful election since the upheaval of 2009 when Ravalomanana was toppled by protests led by Rajoelina in what the African Union and other international organizations said was a coup. Rajoelina’s takeover prompted an exodus of foreign investors from Madagascar, which is one of the world’s poorest countries despite reserves of nickel, cobalt, gold, uranium and other minerals. It is also the world’s biggest producer of vanilla. Madagascar, a sprawling island off the coast of southeastern Africa, held its last elections in 2013. The constitutional court also reported a turnout of 53.95 percent among registered voters. “I appeal to those who did not come to vote. You have an electoral card, come and vote. The country’s future for the next five years is at stake,” said Hanitra Razafimanantsoa, vice-president of the National Assembly and a member of Ravalomanana’s TIM party. Though relative political stability since the 2013 election has enabled the economy to rebound, about 80 percent of the population of 25 million lives on less than $2 per day. Madagascar was rocked by a fresh crisis in April sparked by a legal amendment by Rajaonarimampianina’s government that would have prevented Ravalomanana from standing for office. Rajaonarimampianina later removed that provision.[SEP]ANTANANARIVO, Nov 28 — Former president Andry Rajoelina won the first round of Madagascar’s presidential election and will face Marc Ravalomanana, another former leader, in a second round vote next month, the High Constitutional Court said today. The court said incumbent president Hery Rajaonarimampianina was eliminated after coming third in the Nov. 7 vote. The second round is due to be held on round, due on Dec. 19. — Reuters[SEP]ANTANANARIVO, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Former president Andry Rajoelina won the first round of Madagascar's presidential election and will face Marc Ravalomanana, another former leader, in a second round vote next month, the High Constitutional Court said on Wednesday. The court said incumbent president Hery Rajaonarimampianina was eliminated after coming third in the Nov. 7 vote. The second round is due to be held on round, due on Dec. 19. (Reporting by Lovasoa Rabary Writing by George Obulutsa Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)[SEP]ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - A former president of Madagascar and the man who overthrew him in a coup will compete to become the island state’s next leader in December, after coming top in a first-round vote that knocked out the incumbent. Former president Marc Ravalomanana got 35.35 percent of the vote in the November first round, behind his successor, Andry Rajoelina, who got 39.23 percent, the High Constitutional Court said on Wednesday. Current president Hery Rajaonarimampianina got just 8.82 percent, the court said, and will not take part in the second round, due on Dec. 19. The court rejected his request to have the election cancelled. Madagascar is hoping for the second peaceful election since upheaval in 2009 when Ravalomanana was forced out of office by protests led by Rajoelina in what the African Union and other international organisations said was a coup. The court said total voter turnout was 53.95 percent of the registered voters.[SEP]Madagascar’s High Constitutional Court has confirmed that former presidents Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina, will contest the second round of the presidential election. Neither candidate secured 50 percent of votes cast, required to secure an outright victory. The country’s top court said on Wednesday, Ravalomanana got 35.35 percent of the vote in the November first round, while Rajoelina got 39.23 percent. “The two candidates cleared to go to the second round are Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana,” Constitutional Court judge president Jean Eric Rakotoarisoa said. Current president Hery Rajaonarimampianina got just 8.82 percent, the court said, and will not take part in the second round, due on Dec. 19. The court rejected his request to have the election cancelled. Madagascar is hoping for the second peaceful election since upheaval in 2009 when Ravalomanana was forced out of office by protests led by Rajoelina in what the African Union and other international organisations said was a coup. The court said total voter turnout was 53.95 percent of the registered voters. Madagascar’s former president Marc Ravalomanana, who won the first round of the November 7 presidential election, has withdrawn his legal complaints over alleged irregularities, his lawyer said on Wednesday. Neither Ravalomanana nor his arch-rival Andry Rajoelina, won the 50 percent of votes required for a first-round victory in the November 7 ballot. A run-off vote is scheduled for December 19. “For the peace and sovereignty of Madagascar, the TIM (Ravalomanana’s party) have decided to withdraw all their complaints,” Hasina Andrianadisaona, Ravalomanana’s lawyer, told reporters. Rajoelina who took 39.19% of the first-round vote against Ravalomanana’s 35.29%, also lodged complaints with the courts and accused election officials of “manipulation”. The election commission issued a statement in response to Rajoelina’s allegations insisting that it had “ensured the transparency of the electoral system at all times”. Madagascar’s presidential election result is likely to face stiff legal challenges, following accusations of electoral fraud and corruption against the electoral body. AFP says appeals have already been lodged with the country’s High Constitutional Court. Madagascar’s electoral commission announced results on Saturday, confirming an expected presidential election run-off after neither of the candidate obtained the 50% of votes needed to win outrightly. According to the Independent electoral commission, former presidents Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana, will contest the second round having secured 39.19% and 35.29% respectively. The outgoing president Hery Rajaonarimampianina, placed third in the polls with only 8.84% of the vote. The commission said turnout was 54. 3%. With 96 percent of all polling stations counted, Madagascan police on Friday called for calm, as results showed two former presidents leading the close presidential race; Andry Rajoelina was on 39.38 percent and Marc Ravalomanana on 34.19 percent. Outgoing president Hery Rajaonarimampianina came in third place with about nine percent. “The electoral process is at a delicate moment, sensitive to any tensions and rivalries, so all stakeholders are urged to protect the best interests of the nation and to guarantee order,” the police said in a statement. The three leading candidates have all raised allegations of fraud and malpractice by election authorities. The second-round duel between the two top vote winners — required if no candidate scores above 50 percent in the first round — is to take place on December 19. With 80 percent of the ballots counted from last week’s vote, two former presidents are in the lead, with Andry Rajoelina on 39.63 percent, while Marc Ravalomanana was on 35.42 percent, pointing towards a close race for the presidency in the head-to-head second round. Outgoing president Hery Rajaonarimampianina was in third place with eight percent. “Given the results of the CENI (Independent National Electoral Commission), the second round is now inevitable,” Madagascan analyst Mahery Lanto Manandafy told AFP. Under Madagascar’s electoral regulations, the two frontrunners go through to a run-off, scheduled for December 19 — if neither manages to secure more than 50 percent in the first round. Both Ravalomanana and Rajoelina were banned from contesting the last election in 2013 under international pressure to avoid a repeat of political violence that engulfed the island in 2009. Ravalomanana, 68, and Rajoelina, 44, are bitter rivals and this is the first time they have faced each other at the polls. Ravalomanana ruled from 2002 to 2009 until he was ousted in a military-backed coup that installed Rajoelina who was in power until 2014. Rajaonarimampianina succeeded him, ruling until earlier this year. While Madagascar’s president Hery Rajaonarimampianina, who is running for a second term, has complained about some electoral irregularities, the EU observer chief said last Friday that there were not enough irregularities to affect the outcome of Wednesday’s election. Rajaonarimampianina on Thursday complained against the use of an invalid voter register, delays in the opening of the polls in some places, intimidation and ballot-stuffing. But the EU’s chief observer Cristian Preda said any irregularities observed so far were not sufficient to change the outcome or call the vote into question. “We are in a good atmosphere. The disputes are part of the democratic game… it’s normal, it’s human. Disputes must be handled by the law enforcement bodies,” Preda said. He however noted that the lack of a cap on campaign spending by the candidates had put some at a disadvantage, without providing any names. The result of the first round of voting in one of the world’s poorest countries could hinge in part on which of the frontrunners, all wealthy men, spent the most money. “In 2013, the European Union recommended capping candidate expenses and in future reports, there will still be this recommendation,” Preda said. As election officials count votes, following Wednesday’s presidential poll, the frontrunners have expressed optimist about their chances of winning. Incumbent president Hery Rajaonarimampianina, is facing a stiff challenge from two former presidents, Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina. “I am optimistic and positive, I do not think there will be a second round,” dairy tycoon Marc Ravalomanana said at his political headquarters, where dozens of supporters gathered. For his part, former nightclub promoter Andry Rajoelina spoke to hundreds of supporters gathered at the studio of his TV chain Viva, saying he was satisfied the early results “express the desire for change.” Rajaonarimampianina called it “a big day… a victory for democracy” after casting his ballot. While election observers are hoping for a peaceful election, having detected no anomalies in the polls, some are worried about the possibility of a second round. “The big risk of this election is that it will return us to an era of crisis,” said Sahondra Rabenarivo, an analyst at the Malagasy Observatory on Public Life. “It’s very important that the results are credible and that the third-placed candidate accepts them.” If the poll needs to go to a second round, it will involve only the two top candidates and take place on Dec. 19. Polling stations closed in Madagscar at 5pm local time (14:00GMT), having opened as early as 6am (3:00GMT). While the head of the European Union’s observer mission, Cristian Preda, reported that there were no issued during the voting, some voters in the capital reportedly could not find their names on the voters’ register. With close to 10 million registered voters, the electoral body, CENI reported a turnout of 40%. Vote counting is now underway, in the presidential race that pit incumbent President Hery Rajaonarimampianina against his two main challengers are former heads of state: Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina. The Malagasy people demonstrated enthusiasm as they started voting early on Wednesday morning in a presidential election, hoping for change of the Indian Ocean island’s fortunes in terms of job opportunities, poverty eradication and corruption. Voter Sahondramalala Nirisoa told Reuters she had arrived early because she needed to get to work. “I hope and I pray for a change,” she said. “That is why I came to vote.” There are nearly 10 million registered voters in the country of 25 million people, data from the electoral commission showed. Few analysts expect an outright winner from the 36 total who are contesting. All three leading candidates have criss-crossed the island in a hunt for votes and each has pledged to accelerate recovery for an economy the International Monetary Fund forecasts will grow at more than 5 percent this year, its highest rate in a decade. If the poll needs to go to a second round, it will involve only the two top candidates and take place on Dec. 19. Since a peaceful election in 2013, investors and donor governments re-engaged following a four-year freeze that began after Rajoelina came to power. The events of 2009 prompted an exodus of foreign investors from a country that is one of the world’s poorest despite reserves of nickel, cobalt, gold, uranium and other minerals. The island was hit by a fresh political crisis in April sparked by a legal amendment by Rajaonarimampianina’s government that would have prevented Ravalomanana from standing for office. Rajaonarimampianina approved a new law removing that provision the following month, allowing Ravalomanana to register as a candidate.[SEP]ANTANANARIVO - Two former presidents of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana, will face each other in a run-off election next month to decide who will lead the Indian Ocean island nation, the country's top court announced on Wednesday. The run-off comes after neither candidate won the 50% of votes required for a first-round victory on 7 November, with Rajoelina on 39.23% and Ravalomanana 35.35%, according to final results released by the Constitutional Court. The run-off vote is due on 19 December. It is the first time the bitter rivals have faced each other at the ballot box. Both Ravalomanana, 68, and Rajoelina, 44, were banned from running in the last election in 2013 under international pressure to avoid a repeat of deadly political violence that engulfed the island in 2009. Ravalomanana ruled from 2002 to 2009 until he was ousted in a military-backed coup that installed Rajoelina, who was in power until 2014. Rajoelina's succcessor and the country's immediate past president Hery Rajaonarimampianina was eliminated from the race after he came a distant third with just 8.82% of the ballots cast in November.[SEP]Two former presidents of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana, will face each other in a run-off election next month to decide who will lead the Indian Ocean island nation, the country's top court announced on Wednesday. The run-off comes after neither candidate won the 50 percent of votes required for a first-round victory on November 7, with Rajoelina on 39.23 percent and Ravalomanana 35.35 percent, according to final results released by the Constitutional Court. "The two candidates cleared to go to the second round are Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana," Constitutional Court judge president Jean Eric Rakotoarisoa said. The run-off vote is due on December 19. It is the first time the bitter rivals will have faced each other at the ballot box. Both Ravalomanana, 68, and Rajoelina, 44, were banned from running in the last election in 2013 under international pressure to avoid a repeat of deadly political violence that engulfed the island in 2009. Ravalomanana ruled from 2002 to 2009 until he was ousted in a military-backed coup that installed Rajoelina, who was in power until 2014. Rajoelina's succcessor and the country's immediate past president Hery Rajaonarimampianina was eliminated from the race after he came a distant third with just 8.82 percent of the ballots cast in November. The court shot down his application to annul the results. Judge Rakotoarisoa cautioned the two hopefuls to "avoid provocations" as they head to the final stretch of the election in a country which has history of political turmoil. "The people of Madagascar do not need trouble," he said, warning that there should be no vote rigging. Rajoelina, who sat in court on Wednesday, had lodged complaints with the court alleging that election officials tampered with software to "inflate" the number of registered voters in the first round in what he labelled "vote manipulation". He had also accused Ravalomanana of vote buying. The electoral commission rejected the allegations and the court threw out his petition. Last week Ravalomanana withdrew his legal complaints over alleged irregularities in the first round, with his lawyer saying the decision was reached for the sake of "peace and sovereignty of Madagascar". Madagascar is well known for its vanilla and precious redwood, yet is one of the world's poorest countries, according to World Bank data, with almost four in five people living in grinding poverty. In the largely peaceful campaign to the first round of election, the frontrunners spent huge sums on flashy campaign rallies and helicopters, with 36 candidates in all. Shortly after the court session on Wednesday, Rajeolina vowed to appeal to undecided voters. "I open my arms, let's work together to save Madagascar. "I will do my best to convince the undecided," he told reporters. The former French colony off the southeastern coast of Africa also has a long history of political instability and coups.[SEP]Madagascar’s top court announced results of the November 7 presidential election on Wednesday, confirming that ex-presidents Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina would be contesting a second round of the poll. According to the High Constitutional Court, Ravalomanana garnered 35.35 percent of the vote while Rajoelina got 39.23 percent. The result also means incumbent President Hery Rajaonarimampianina who managed just 8.82 percent will not take part in the second round, due on Dec. 19. The country’s electoral law provides that the top two candidates advance to a second round, if no one obtains an absolute majority of fifty percent plus one vote. We now present to you the profiles of the two candidates who have been flagged off to contest a second round of the presidential poll. Both candidates, who have governed the Indian Island ocean before, are bitter rivals. Ravalomanana was toppled by protests led by Rajoelina in 2009. The African Union and other international organisations described it as a coup. Madagascar’s elected leader from 2002 until he was overthrown in 2009, Ravalomanana is known to voters as “the milkman” because he owns the country’s leading dairy conglomerate. Following a power struggle and weeks of bloody street protests, the self-made millionaire businessmen was toppled in a military coup and replaced by Rajoelina. He lived for years in exile in South Africa before returning to Madagascar in 2014 to mount his political comeback. Ravalomanana, 68, says the country has gone backwards since he was ousted. If elected, he told Reuters in an interview: “We will rebuild everything they have destroyed, repair the roads that we built when I was president and that have not been maintained until now.” A former disc jockey who goes locally by the nickname “TGV” after the fast French train, Rajoelina seized power from then President Marc Ravalomanana in 2009. Known for his rapid-fire rhetoric and charisma, he became Africa’s youngest president at the age of 34. During his four years in power, poverty and corruption grew as investors and donors cut aid. He supported Rajaonarimampianina in the 2013 election after he agreed not run himself to help restore order. This time, the former president is promising infrastructure development – everything from hospitals, schools and sports stadiums – and pledging to improve beaches to make them “like those of Miami and Côte d’Azur” to draw more tourists and promote job creation. This is the first time Ravalomanana and Rajoelina are facing off at the ballot, and they both called for a higher voter turnout following Wednesday’s proclamation of results. “I appeal to all citizens, to those who did not vote, it is not too late. The time to save Madagascar has come. Vote in the next election,’‘ Rajoelina told reporters. “I appeal to those who did not come to vote. You have an electoral card, come and vote. The country’s future for the next five years is at stake,” said Hanitra Razafimanantsoa, vice-president of the National Assembly and a member of Ravalomanana’s TIM party. The constitutional court reported a turnout of 53.95 percent among registered voters. Judge Rakotoarisoa also cautioned the two hopefuls to “avoid provocations” as they headed into what is expected to be a close contest. “The people of Madagascar do not need trouble,” he said. Madagascar, a former French colony, is well known for its vanilla and precious redwood, and will be hoping for a peaceful election.[SEP](Bloomberg) -- A Madagascar court ruled that former President Andry Rajoelina won the most votes in this month’s election, paving the way for a runoff against the ex-head of state he once deposed. The former nightclub DJ won 39.2 percent of ballots in the Nov. 7 vote, against 35.4 percent for his closest rival, Marc Ravalomanana, the High Constitutional Court said Wednesday in a statement. The two will compete again in the final round on Dec. 19. The now-outgoing president, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, received 8.8 percent. About 4.98 million valid ballots were cast, from about 9.95 million registered voters, the court said. Madagascar, the world’s biggest vanilla grower and home to proven oil and mineral reserves, typically sees tense elections. Rajoelina overthrew Ravalomanana with the help of the Indian Ocean island nation’s military in 2009; both were barred from running in the 2013 election that brought Rajaonarimampianina to power. To contact the reporter on this story: Kamlesh Bhuckory in Port Louis at kbhuckory1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn, Helen Nyambura

Two former presidents, Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana, advance to the second round, due to be held on December 19. Incumbent president Hery Rajaonarimampianina is eliminated.

Protesters surround the Catalan parliament. M.M. Doctors and firemen surrounded the Catalan regional parliament on Wednesday to demand Catalan regional premier Quim Torra reverse budget cuts introduced during the financial crisis. Catalan family doctors want a minimum of 12 minutes for each consult and no more than 28 consults a day The protesters waved placards and used plastic horns, whistles and megaphones to mount a noisy protest and make their demands heard. The demonstrators were held back by the Catalan regional police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, who clashed with the firemen. The firefighters are calling for more personnel, resources and better salaries. Family doctors in Catalonia are also demanding more resources and better working conditions.This is the third day of industrial action for the group. The union Doctors of Catalonia (MT) began a strike on Monday, claiming the state of the region’s primary healthcare sector is “unsustainable.” On the first day of the strike, hundreds of doctors blocked Barcelona’s Gran Via avenue and occupied the headquarters of the Catalan Health Institute (ICS), the public entity that manages 80% of primary healthcare services. On Tuesday, more than a thousand people protested outside the Health Department against the “precariousness” of the sector, which lost nearly a thousand doctors during the cutbacks and, according to MC, only has 30% of its former purchasing power. ampliar foto Main entrance to Pompeu Fabra University in Poblenou. grego casanova The ICS has offered to immediately incorporate 200 doctors to help relieve the sector’s urgent needs. While the institute has the budget to cover this measure, it admits there is not enough staff to fill the places and is asking doctors to work extra remunerated hours. The MC has rejected the offer. The union wants a minimum of 12 minutes to be guaranteed for each patient visit and no more than 28 visits a day – demands the ICS has not accepted. “We are doing everything we can to address their demands. Hopefully today we will find a solution,” said Torra on Tuesday. But no solution was found and on Wednesday the family doctors entered their third day of stoppages. This time they were joined by university students who stopped classes to call for academic fees – which rose by 67% during the financial crisis – to be reduced by 30%. University protesters at UAB. Cristóbal Castro The Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) suspended classes in the Ciutadella campus in Barcelona in response to the strike, citing security reasons. The University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) continued classes but asked professors not to hold exams or other activities that would be graded. Students at UAB blocked access to the Bellaterra campus early Wednesday morning, setting up barricades with chairs, tables and trash cans at each of the entry points. The strike, organized by the Catalan Student Union (SEPC), is set to continue on Thursday. University teaching and research staff have called their own strike on Thursday to support the students’ demand to reduce academic fees. Students and teachers will gather outside the University of Barcelona square for a demonstration at midday. English version by Melissa Kitson.[SEP]Nurses, Firefighters, Teachers, Students and Civil Servants joined Doctors on strike in the Spanish Region of Catalonia on Thursday, protesting budget cuts which they alleged hindered their jobs properly. Protests were noted in Barcelona, Tarragona and Girona, among others. The strikers say the government needs to undo austerity measures introduced in 2011 to make better pay and working conditions possible. Doctors, who have already been on strike for four days, say they need to be able to have more time to work with their patients. Eva Granados, a spokesperson for the Socialists, noted the “great social protest’’ in the region and pointed out that the sitting government had focused its energies on seceding from Spain. Catalonian leader Quim Torra has not yet made a comment. “This silence is scandalous. The government has gone missing,’’ said Granados.[SEP]Doctors, nurses, students, teachers and civil servants went on strike in Catalonia Thursday, asking the Spanish region's government to end spending cuts imposed during the crisis after years of seeking independence. Thousands protested in Barcelona -- 8,000 according to police and 25,000 according to unions -- against the government led by Quim Torra, whom many regard as giving priority to splitting from Spain rather than day-to-day management of the region. "We have a government that doesn't govern, which only focuses on independence and does nothing to resolve the social situation," said Josep Lluis Casamitjana, a 62-year-old doctor, in the protest. "The independence process has been a big smoke screen, but bad management and spending cuts are still here," said Rafael Castillo, a 67-year-old retiree. In 2010 during the country's economic crisis, Catalonia was a pioneer in implementing drastic austerity measures which were later extended to the rest of Spain. For two years, people took to the streets to protest but in 2012 the issue took a back seat when then regional president Artur Mas took on the pro-independence cause. This week austerity protests returned with a five-day strike by doctors, another two-day stoppage by students and teachers, partial strikes by civil servants and a firefighters' protest on Wednesday that ended with police charges. Protesters want an increase in the number of health and education workers and a drop in university fees -- the highest in Spain. They also want authorities to give back bonuses for civil servants that were suspended between 2012 and 2014, which has already been done in other regions. But this week, a spokesman for Torra's pro-independence party Together for Catalonia played down the importance of the protests and said the solution lay in "fleeing the (Spanish) state." "We're distracting ourselves with things that aren't essential," Eduard Pujol said Tuesday in comments that drew criticism. Torra on Thursday gathered much of his executive to discuss the strikes which come at a time when the regional budget for 2019 is being drawn up. "The government is well aware of the efforts made by public workers and is working to give them a response," regional vice-president Pere Aragones said.[SEP]BARCELONA, Nov 30 — Doctors, nurses, students, teachers and civil servants went on strike in Catalonia yesterday, asking the Spanish region’s government to end spending cuts imposed during the crisis after years of seeking independence. Thousands protested in Barcelona — 8,000 according to police and 25,000 according to unions — against the government led by Quim Torra, whom many regard as giving priority to splitting from Spain rather than day-to-day management of the region. “We have a government that doesn’t govern, which only focuses on independence and does nothing to resolve the social situation,” said Josep Lluis Casamitjana, a 62-year-old doctor, in the protest. “The independence process has been a big smoke screen, but bad management and spending cuts are still here,” said Rafael Castillo, a 67-year-old retiree. In 2010 during the country’s economic crisis, Catalonia was a pioneer in implementing drastic austerity measures which were later extended to the rest of Spain. For two years, people took to the streets to protest but in 2012 the issue took a back seat when then regional president Artur Mas took on the pro-independence cause. This week austerity protests returned with a five-day strike by doctors, another two-day stoppage by students and teachers, partial strikes by civil servants and a firefighters’ protest on Wednesday that ended with police charges. Protesters want an increase in the number of health and education workers and a drop in university fees — the highest in Spain. They also want authorities to give back bonuses for civil servants that were suspended between 2012 and 2014, which has already been done in other regions. But this week, a spokesman for Torra’s pro-independence party Together for Catalonia played down the importance of the protests and said the solution lay in “fleeing the (Spanish) state.” “We’re distracting ourselves with things that aren’t essential,” Eduard Pujol said Tuesday in comments that drew criticism. Torra yesterday gathered much of his executive to discuss the strikes which come at a time when the regional budget for 2019 is being drawn up. After that, he recognised that “the demands expressed on the streets” were “just, logical, necessary and opportune. And above all, legitimate,” according to a regional government statement. But he largely blamed the central government for the situation, pointing out for instance that Catalonia paid a lot in taxes. One of the major complaints among separatists is that Catalonia pays more to the central government than it receives in central spending. He added the only solution was “an independent republic that takes responsibility for its acts and can serve with efficiency and quality the citizens who have created it”. — AFP[SEP]Baku. 2 October. REPORT.AZ/ Over the past week, the world community has witnessed two "referendums" on “independence”. One of them is Iraq, which is partly occupied by ISIS and trying to clear extremists in the land with the help of an international coalition, led by the United States. "Voting", initiated by the local government in northern Iraq, has not been officially recognized by Baghdad, Turkey, Iran, the U.S., UK, Russia, France, the European Union and others, calling it "illegitimate, contrary to the Iraqi constitution”. This "referendum" was supported only by Israel. However, this does not mean the recognition of the "independence" of the Kurdish autonomy in northern Iraq. Another "political action" was held in EU member, Kingdom of Spain. Along with combating terrorism, Spain has suffered from this crime committed internationally. The central government considers this "referendum" illegal. Prime Minister of Spain Mariano Rajoy said the results of this "action" would be abolished in the Constitutional Court. Carles Puigdemont, the head of Catalonia's pro-sovereignty government, has signed a law on independence "on the event”. The Catalonia government says more than 90 percent of voters voted for independence, while official Madrid even said the results were falsified. The referendum in Catalonia has not been calm. 12 police officers were injured, more than 800 participants were detained, majority were injured. No matter how bitter and ridiculous, such observers use the name of democracy, as a rule, violate international law and the laws of the country. It is also a well-known fact that democracy is not a tool to violate country laws and ignore international law. The U.S. and the EU have not yet commented on the results of “referendum”. Two days before action Chairman of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, stated: "The referendum in Spain is against Spanish Constitution and European law. Discussion of the matter between the Spanish government and the Catalonian government at the political level would be the best solution. This talk is important for Spain. This is an internal problem of Spain not Europe”. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, made a distinct statement on September 14, saying: "If Catalonia achieves independent, we will respect this option. However, Catalonia can not be a member of the European Union on the eve of Independence”. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan commented on the "independence referendum" held in Catalonia, Spain. The Foreign Ministry emphasized that the Republic of Azerbaijan respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty within the internationally recognized borders of the Kingdom of Spain: "We are in favor of a peaceful settlement of the current situation within Spanish Constitution and laws." It is not excluded that during the day and after the referendum political relations will be expressed. Catalonia residents hold this action for the first time. This autonomous province is located in the northeastern part of Spain, on the Iberian Peninsula. The official name is Catalonia Autonomous Province. Territory of the region is 32 thousand 114 sq. km. The center of the state is the city of Barcelona. The official languages of the Catalonia are Catalan, Spanish and Oceania. The province's population is 7 million 512 thousand 381 people. Historical Catalonia consists of autonomous provinces in Spain and the Eastern Pyrénées Department in France. In addition, Catalonians called territories of France joined the Province of Catalonia the Northern Catalonia. Notably, Eucalyptus, alongside Spain, live in the southwest of France (in the western part of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques department, Labourd, Soule and Lower Navarre). Corsica is located north of the Mediterranean Sea. The territory of this island is 8.7 thousand square kilometers. Napoleon Bonaparte was born in the city of Ajaccio, capital of Corsica. Different figures mentioned about their number: From 600 to 2.8 million in Spain, from 75 to 250 thousand people in France, 6.9 thousand in the U.S., 20 thousand people in Mexico and so on speak Basque. Spanish and French languages are widely used among them. The Flemish people in Belgium also said they wanted to get out of this monarchy. That's why a few years ago there was a government crisis in Belgium. By the way, the flemish live in 5 northern provinces of Belgium. Their area of land is 13 thousand 522 square km. This means 44.29 percent of Belgium territory. Five million flemish live in the kingdom. There are 250 thousand flamands in north of France. According to the data, the total number of Flemish people is 7.5 mln. Those who want to be independent are citizens of the leading European states. The worst and ridiculous thing is that these states support the separatist tendencies in other countries. The most obvious example of this is the issue of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Spain, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and others have condemned the occupation of the territory of Azerbaijan and have not imposed any sanctions against separatists yet. Statements from this and other similar states sound like this, "Protect your ceasefire, negotiate". By means of this type of silence world's leading powers support separatist movement internationally. Another example. In the Middle East this process carried out with gun. Separators are armed with European and Western powers. They are also given instructions in the countries of this part of the world. Unfortunately, these two factors are not respected. The West, European Union sees the fruit of its policy pursued in the Middle East, South Caucasus its support to separatism in Spain. In other words, West tears the Kingdom of Spain apart. It is not excluded that this process will move to other European countries in the future. Therefore, it is not ruled out that new states will emerge not in Asia, Africa and America, but in Europe, and the political map of the world will change. As the proverb says: “As you sow, so shall you reap”. Thus, the states established in Europe as a result of the two world wars in the twentieth century may break down.[SEP]Protesters surrounded the Catalan regional parliament in Barcelona on Wednesday, November 30, for a third day of protests over budget cuts and labor improvements. This footage shows scenes from outside the parliament. Demonstrators can be seen holding flares that are sending smoke into the air. According to El Pais, doctors and firefighters make up the protesting groups, with the doctors calling for increased resources and the firefighters asking for more personnel. The union Doctors of Catalonia has been on strike since Monday. Credit: Marta Belles Abad/Catalunya Radio & Catalunya Informacio via Storyful[SEP]Protesters surrounded the Catalan regional parliament in Barcelona on Wednesday, November 28, for a third day of protests over budget cuts and labor improvements. This footage shows various scenes from outside the parliament. Demonstrators can be seen holding flares, burning effigies and waving placards. According to El Pais, doctors and firefighters make up the protesting groups, with the doctors calling for increased resources and the firefighters asking for more personnel. The union Doctors of Catalonia has been on strike since Monday. Credit: Ric_one1 via Storyful[SEP]BARCELONA, Spain — Thousands of Catalan civil servants have joined strikes and ongoing protests by students and health workers to demand more funding and better working conditions. Barcelona police say that 8,000 have joined a downtown march all the way to the regional parliament in the city. Thursday’s strike paralyzed many public services in the northeastern Spanish region, leaving some schools and universities empty. Workers and student unions say that austerity measures implemented at the height of the 2008 financial crisis haven’t been reverted despite five years of continued economic growth. Catalan authorities blame the cuts on a lack of funding from central authorities. A similar protest on Wednesday by fire and health workers — the latter on their fourth day of consecutive strike — ended in clashes with anti-riot police.

Doctors and firefighters strike in Catalonia, Spain, over budget cuts, ending with clashes between demonstrators and Mossos d'Esquadra at the doors of Catalan Parliament. Students and teachers start a two-day strike.

ARMAGEDDON looms in the Chess World Championship after the most dramatic title showdown in recent memory crashed to another grinding halt in the final scheduled match. The World Chess Federation Championship between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and Norway's champion Magnus Carlsen has already become the first title showdown between grand masters that's failed to record a deadlock-busting victory across the 12 classic games scheduled. Every previous world championship showdown since 1886 - 132 years ago - has witnessed some kind of breakthrough, but Caruana and Carlsen remain deadlocked after more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks inside London's The College of Holborn theatre. That doesn't begin to tell the story of pure drama. The showdown was first plunged into scandal when a three-minute video leaked online showed secrets of Fabiano's championship training camp in St Louis. Reigning champion Carlsen then showed up for Game 9 sporting a black eye which he'd suffered during a weekend amateur football game. He needed to be cleared for concussion by his own medical team before the championship was allowed to continue. The very next game Carlsen inexplicably dropped his bundle when he had been on the verge of a famous victory. His one mistake allowed Caruana to sneak through for another draw. The 27-year-old admitted he "blew it". Grand masters around the globe declared Carlsen may have been suffering the affects of concussion. In Game 12, Carlsen seized control of the game after Caruana switched to the so-called Petrov Defence and was picked apart by his Norwegian rival. Again, the chess world was shocked as Carlsen proposed a draw with Caruana after 21 moves. Victory had been within his grasp. "I'm very shocked by Magnus's decision," Hikaru Nakamura, an American grand master, told chess.com at the time. All the delicious drama from the 12-drawn regulation games is simply the appetiser to the main event of mayhem predicted for when the championship heads into sudden death on Thursday morning (AEDT). The match - which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London - now comes down to a series of rapid games. Opinion across chess commentators is divided ahead of the sudden death showdown - but many already predict the world championship will be decided by an "Armageddon" tiebreaker. The two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls - 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player. If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games. And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game - where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black. An Armageddon match has never been used to decide the world championship in 132 years of recorded history. That is now likely to change. Carlsen has drawn the white pieces for the sudden death round. While Carlsen, defending his crown for the third time, is considered the higher ranked speed-round player, there are now question marks surrounding his mental state after his inexplicable peace offering in the 12th classic game. "In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favourite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted. "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his." Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game. "When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said. Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess. "I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen." Nobody does, and that's why this showdown is the best thing in sport right now. The winner will get 550,000 euros ($860,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($700,000).[SEP]The big chess showdown between three-time defending champion Magnus Carlsen and his US challenger Fabiano Caruana will be decided by a series of rapid-play tiebreakers on Wednesday. Norway’s Carlsen and Caruana wrapped up their 12-match World ChessChampionship series in London with their 12th successive draw on Monday. It was an anti-climactic finish to a showdown between 27-year old Carlsen – a former child prodigy now regarded by many as the greatest ever chess player – and the first American contender to the crown since the legendary Bobby Fischer in 1972. The result means the players will have a day off on Tuesday before getting together for an intense session of chess played in a completely different format. They will try to settle things first in a four-game series in which each player will have 25 minutes. An extra 10 seconds of time are added for each move they make. Things will go to an even faster-paced format if there is still no winner. The final tiebreaker is a single winner-take-all game played in a lightning three minutes. Carlsen will be viewed as the favourite on Wednesday. He excels at rapid chess and defended his title through tiebreakers against the Russian Sergey Karjakin in 2016. “I think I have very good chances,” the Norwegian told reporters after Monday’s game. But chess legend Garry Kasparov said he was losing faith in Carlsen. The former Soviet and Russian world champion said Carlsen had the upper hand in Monday’s encounter but agreed to settle on a draw because he had lost his nerve. “In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids,” Kasparov tweeted. “Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his.”[SEP]Chess world title match comes down to rapid tiebreakers LONDON (AP) — After more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks, the chess world championship title will be decided by speedy tiebreaker games on Wednesday. A 12-game battle of brains between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has resulted in 12 straight draws — the first time that has happened in a chess world championship match. That means the match — which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London — now comes down to a series of rapid games. Caruana, 26, is trying to become the first American since Bobby Fischer to be crowned chess world champion. Still, he remains the underdog against the 27-year-old Carlsen, a former teenage prodigy who has been the world's top-ranked player since the age of 19 and is considered even more dominant when playing with shorter time controls. However, Carlsen stunned many commentators when he offered Caruana a draw in the 12th game Monday despite having what experts and computer programs considered to be a better position and a large time advantage on the clocks. That led to suggestions the defending champion may be cracking under the pressure. "In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted. "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his." Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game. "When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said. Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess. "I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen." With no decisive games and no political undertones, this match has not created anything resembling the worldwide buzz that Fischer's 1972 title meeting with Soviet champion Boris Spassky generated during the height of the Cold War. Still, American chess fans are hoping that a win for the Miami-born Caruana could boost the game in the U.S. Carlsen has created a chess craze in Norway, where his matches are front-page news and often shown live on TV. In 2014, he checkmated Bill Gates in nine moves on a Norwegian talk show, using just 12 seconds on the clock. For a global audience, these games have been live-streamed online with several top grandmasters providing play-by-play commentary and analysis, aided by super computers that instantly evaluate each position. The first game, on Nov. 9, came closest to a decisive result but Carlsen failed to convert a winning advantage and had to settle for a draw after a seven-hour tussle. Carlsen's previous title fight against Russian Sergey Karjakin also went to tiebreakers in 2016 after they only managed to win one game each. But despite the lack of knockout blows, this year's championship has still had some drama as both players have missed good chances to win games. Carlsen even showed up with a black eye for one game after getting injured playing soccer on an off-day. On Wednesday, the two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls — 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player. If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games. And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game — where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black. The winner will get 550,000 euros ($621,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($508,000).[SEP]Chess world title match comes down to rapid tiebreakers LONDON (AP) — After more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks, the chess world championship title will be decided by speedy tiebreaker games on Wednesday. A 12-game battle of brains between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has resulted in 12 straight draws — the first time that has happened in a chess world championship match. That means the match — which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London — now comes down to a series of rapid games. Caruana, 26, is trying to become the first American since Bobby Fischer to be crowned chess world champion. Still, he remains the underdog against the 27-year-old Carlsen, a former teenage prodigy who has been the world's top-ranked player since the age of 19 and is considered even more dominant when playing with shorter time controls. However, Carlsen stunned many commentators when he offered Caruana a draw in the 12th game Monday despite having what experts and computer programs considered to be a better position and a large time advantage on the clocks. That led to suggestions the defending champion may be cracking under the pressure. "In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted. "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his." Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game. "When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said. Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess. "I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen." With no decisive games and no political undertones, this match has not created anything resembling the worldwide buzz that Fischer's 1972 title meeting with Soviet champion Boris Spassky generated during the height of the Cold War. Still, American chess fans are hoping that a win for the Miami-born Caruana could boost the game in the U.S. Carlsen has created a chess craze in Norway, where his matches are front-page news and often shown live on TV. In 2014, he checkmated Bill Gates in nine moves on a Norwegian talk show, using just 12 seconds on the clock. For a global audience, these games have been live-streamed online with several top grandmasters providing play-by-play commentary and analysis, aided by super computers that instantly evaluate each position. The first game, on Nov. 9, came closest to a decisive result but Carlsen failed to convert a winning advantage and had to settle for a draw after a seven-hour tussle. Carlsen's previous title fight against Russian Sergey Karjakin also went to tiebreakers in 2016 after they only managed to win one game each. But despite the lack of knockout blows, this year's championship has still had some drama as both players have missed good chances to win games. Carlsen even showed up with a black eye for one game after getting injured playing soccer on an off-day. On Wednesday, the two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls — 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player. If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games. And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game — where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black. The winner will get 550,000 euros ($621,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($508,000).[SEP]LONDON — After more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks, the chess world championship title will be decided by speedy tiebreaker games on Wednesday. A 12-game battle of brains between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has resulted in 12 straight draws — the first time that has happened in a chess world championship match. That means the match — which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London — now comes down to a series of rapid games that could even conclude in a sudden-death format known as "Armageddon" if a winner can't be found. Caruana, 26, is trying to become the first American since Bobby Fischer to be crowned chess world champion. Still, he remains the underdog against the 27-year-old Carlsen, a former teenage prodigy who has been the world's top-ranked player since the age of 19 and is considered even more dominant when playing with shorter time controls. However, Carlsen stunned many commentators when he offered Caruana a draw in the 12th game Monday despite having what experts and computer programs considered to be a better position and a large time advantage on the clocks. That led to suggestions the defending champion may be cracking under the pressure. "In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted . "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his." Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game. "When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said. Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess. "I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen." With no decisive games and no political undertones, this match has not created anything resembling the worldwide buzz that Fischer's 1972 title meeting with Soviet champion Boris Spassky generated during the height of the Cold War. Still, American chess fans are hoping that a win for the Miami-born Caruana could boost the game in the U.S. Carlsen has created a chess craze in Norway, where his matches are front-page news and often shown live on TV. In 2014, he checkmated Microsoft founder Bill Gates in nine moves on a Norwegian talk show, using just 12 seconds on the clock. For a global audience, these games have been live-streamed online with several top grandmasters providing play-by-play commentary and analysis, aided by super computers that instantly evaluate each position. The first game, on Nov. 9, came closest to a decisive result but Carlsen failed to convert a winning advantage and had to settle for a draw after a seven-hour tussle. Carlsen's previous title fight against Russian Sergey Karjakin also went to tiebreakers in 2016 after they only managed to win one game each. But despite the lack of knockout blows, this year's championship has still had some drama as both players have missed good chances to win games. Carlsen even showed up with a black eye for one game after getting injured playing soccer on an off-day. On Wednesday, the two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls — 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player. If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games. And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game — where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black. The winner will get 550,000 euros ($621,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($508,000).[SEP]ARMAGEDDON looms in the Chess World Championship after the most dramatic title showdown in recent memory crashed to another grinding halt in the final scheduled match. The World Chess Federation Championship between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and Norway's champion Magnus Carlsen has already become the first title showdown between grand masters that's failed to record a deadlock-busting victory across the 12 classic games scheduled. Every previous world championship showdown since 1886 - 132 years ago - has witnessed some kind of breakthrough, but Caruana and Carlsen remain deadlocked after more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks inside London's The College of Holborn theatre. That doesn't begin to tell the story of pure drama. The showdown was first plunged into scandal when a three-minute video leaked online showed secrets of Fabiano's championship training camp in St Louis. Reigning champion Carlsen then showed up for Game 9 sporting a black eye which he'd suffered during a weekend amateur football game. He needed to be cleared for concussion by his own medical team before the championship was allowed to continue. The very next game Carlsen inexplicably dropped his bundle when he had been on the verge of a famous victory. His one mistake allowed Caruana to sneak through for another draw. The 27-year-old admitted he "blew it". Grand masters around the globe declared Carlsen may have been suffering the affects of concussion. In Game 12, Carlsen seized control of the game after Caruana switched to the so-called Petrov Defence and was picked apart by his Norwegian rival. Again, the chess world was shocked as Carlsen proposed a draw with Caruana after 21 moves. Victory had been within his grasp. "I'm very shocked by Magnus's decision," Hikaru Nakamura, an American grand master, told chess.com at the time. All the delicious drama from the 12-drawn regulation games is simply the appetiser to the main event of mayhem predicted for when the championship heads into sudden death on Thursday morning (AEDT). The match - which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London - now comes down to a series of rapid games. Opinion across chess commentators is divided ahead of the sudden death showdown - but many already predict the world championship will be decided by an "Armageddon" tiebreaker. The two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls - 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player. If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games. And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game - where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black. An Armageddon match has never been used to decide the world championship in 132 years of recorded history. That is now likely to change. Carlsen has drawn the white pieces for the sudden death round. While Carlsen, defending his crown for the third time, is considered the higher ranked speed-round player, there are now question marks surrounding his mental state after his inexplicable peace offering in the 12th classic game. "In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favourite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted. "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his." Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game. "When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said. Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess. "I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen." Nobody does, and that's why this showdown is the best thing in sport right now. The winner will get 550,000 euros ($860,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($700,000).[SEP]Chess world title match comes down to rapid tiebreakers LONDON (AP) — After more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks, the chess world championship title will be decided by speedy tiebreaker games on Wednesday. A 12-game battle of brains between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has resulted in 12 straight draws — the first time that has happened in a chess world championship match. That means the match — which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London — now comes down to a series of rapid games. Caruana, 26, is trying to become the first American since Bobby Fischer to be crowned chess world champion. Still, he remains the underdog against the 27-year-old Carlsen, a former teenage prodigy who has been the world's top-ranked player since the age of 19 and is considered even more dominant when playing with shorter time controls. However, Carlsen stunned many commentators when he offered Caruana a draw in the 12th game Monday despite having what experts and computer programs considered to be a better position and a large time advantage on the clocks. That led to suggestions the defending champion may be cracking under the pressure. "In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted. "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his." Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game. "When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said. Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess. "I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen." With no decisive games and no political undertones, this match has not created anything resembling the worldwide buzz that Fischer's 1972 title meeting with Soviet champion Boris Spassky generated during the height of the Cold War. Still, American chess fans are hoping that a win for the Miami-born Caruana could boost the game in the U.S. Carlsen has created a chess craze in Norway, where his matches are front-page news and often shown live on TV. In 2014, he checkmated Bill Gates in nine moves on a Norwegian talk show, using just 12 seconds on the clock. For a global audience, these games have been live-streamed online with several top grandmasters providing play-by-play commentary and analysis, aided by super computers that instantly evaluate each position. The first game, on Nov. 9, came closest to a decisive result but Carlsen failed to convert a winning advantage and had to settle for a draw after a seven-hour tussle. Carlsen's previous title fight against Russian Sergey Karjakin also went to tiebreakers in 2016 after they only managed to win one game each. But despite the lack of knockout blows, this year's championship has still had some drama as both players have missed good chances to win games. Carlsen even showed up with a black eye for one game after getting injured playing soccer on an off-day. On Wednesday, the two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls — 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player. If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games. And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game — where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black. The winner will get 550,000 euros ($621,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($508,000).[SEP]LONDON (AP) — After more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks, the chess world championship title will be decided by speedy tiebreaker games on Wednesday. A 12-game battle of brains between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has resulted in 12 straight draws — the first time that has happened in a chess world championship match. That means the match — which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London — now comes down to a series of rapid games that could even conclude in a sudden-death format known as "Armageddon" if a winner can't be found. Caruana, 26, is trying to become the first American since Bobby Fischer to be crowned chess world champion. Still, he remains the underdog against the 27-year-old Carlsen, a former teenage prodigy who has been the world's top-ranked player since the age of 19 and is considered even more dominant when playing with shorter time controls. However, Carlsen stunned many commentators when he offered Caruana a draw in the 12th game Monday despite having what experts and computer programs considered to be a better position and a large time advantage on the clocks. That led to suggestions the defending champion may be cracking under the pressure. "In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted . "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his." Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game. "When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said. Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess. "I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen." With no decisive games and no political undertones, this match has not created anything resembling the worldwide buzz that Fischer's 1972 title meeting with Soviet champion Boris Spassky generated during the height of the Cold War. Still, American chess fans are hoping that a win for the Miami-born Caruana could boost the game in the U.S. Carlsen has created a chess craze in Norway, where his matches are front-page news and often shown live on TV. In 2014, he checkmated Microsoft founder Bill Gates in nine moves on a Norwegian talk show, using just 12 seconds on the clock. For a global audience, these games have been live-streamed online with several top grandmasters providing play-by-play commentary and analysis, aided by super computers that instantly evaluate each position. The first game, on Nov. 9, came closest to a decisive result but Carlsen failed to convert a winning advantage and had to settle for a draw after a seven-hour tussle. Carlsen's previous title fight against Russian Sergey Karjakin also went to tiebreakers in 2016 after they only managed to win one game each. But despite the lack of knockout blows, this year's championship has still had some drama as both players have missed good chances to win games. Carlsen even showed up with a black eye for one game after getting injured playing soccer on an off-day. On Wednesday, the two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls — 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player. If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games. And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game — where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black. The winner will get 550,000 euros ($621,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($508,000).[SEP]ARMAGEDDON looms in the Chess World Championship after the most dramatic title showdown in recent memory crashed to another grinding halt in the final scheduled match. The World Chess Federation Championship between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and Norway's champion Magnus Carlsen has already become the first title showdown between grand masters that's failed to record a deadlock-busting victory across the 12 classic games scheduled. Every previous world championship showdown since 1886 - 132 years ago - has witnessed some kind of breakthrough, but Caruana and Carlsen remain deadlocked after more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks inside London's The College of Holborn theatre. That doesn't begin to tell the story of pure drama. The showdown was first plunged into scandal when a three-minute video leaked online showed secrets of Fabiano's championship training camp in St Louis. Reigning champion Carlsen then showed up for Game 9 sporting a black eye which he'd suffered during a weekend amateur football game. He needed to be cleared for concussion by his own medical team before the championship was allowed to continue. The very next game Carlsen inexplicably dropped his bundle when he had been on the verge of a famous victory. His one mistake allowed Caruana to sneak through for another draw. The 27-year-old admitted he "blew it". Grand masters around the globe declared Carlsen may have been suffering the affects of concussion. In Game 12, Carlsen seized control of the game after Caruana switched to the so-called Petrov Defence and was picked apart by his Norwegian rival. Again, the chess world was shocked as Carlsen proposed a draw with Caruana after 21 moves. Victory had been within his grasp. "I'm very shocked by Magnus's decision," Hikaru Nakamura, an American grand master, told chess.com at the time. All the delicious drama from the 12-drawn regulation games is simply the appetiser to the main event of mayhem predicted for when the championship heads into sudden death on Thursday morning (AEDT). The match - which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London - now comes down to a series of rapid games. Opinion across chess commentators is divided ahead of the sudden death showdown - but many already predict the world championship will be decided by an "Armageddon" tiebreaker. The two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls - 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player. If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games. And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game - where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black. An Armageddon match has never been used to decide the world championship in 132 years of recorded history. That is now likely to change. Carlsen has drawn the white pieces for the sudden death round. While Carlsen, defending his crown for the third time, is considered the higher ranked speed-round player, there are now question marks surrounding his mental state after his inexplicable peace offering in the 12th classic game. "In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favourite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted. "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his." Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game. "When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said. Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess. "I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen." Nobody does, and that's why this showdown is the best thing in sport right now. The winner will get 550,000 euros ($860,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($700,000).[SEP]Fabiano Caruana is the first American to play in the World Chess Championship match since Bobby Fischer back in 1972. If he wins against defending champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway this week, it won’t just be a big deal for the U.S.; it could cement St. Louis as a center for chess. Caruana moved to St. Louis in 2015 with the intention of preparing to take on Carlsen. “I think we're sitting in the epicenter of World Chess,” said Rex Sinquefield. The billionaire financier has had a lot to do with making his St. Louis Chess Club in the Central West End the place for grandmasters to be. There’s the annual Sinquefield Cup, a stop on the Grand Chess Tour, as well as the grandmaster-in-residence program that’s attracted several top-level players here. Sinquefield readily acknowledges he might be too close to judge whether the city has reached international status, but he points to someone whose opinion carries a lot of weight in the chess world. “Garry Kasparov said it too. If Kasparov said it, it's true,” Sinquefield said, with a chuckle, referring to the Russian grandmaster and former world champion who many consider the greatest chess player. Now, Sinquefield waits to see if Caruana will bring home the World Chess Championship to St. Louis. Caruana and Carlsen have been evenly matched, ending with 12 consecutive draws since Nov. 9 when the championship began in London. The tiebreak will begin Wednesday with a series of rapid games. If those shorter games end in draws, the championship could culminate in what’s known as Armageddon in the chess championship. (The BBC explains it here.) For those who couldn’t make it to London, there’s been commentary and analysis streamed around the globe from a broadcast studio in the basement of the St. Louis Chess Club. Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan is one of three commentators for the Caruana-Carlsen showdown. He’s an American who lives in Amsterdam, but he has a strong connection to the St. Louis chess scene, having served as the club’s first grandmaster-in-residence. He’s convinced a Caruana win could elevate chess in the U.S. to heights not seen since Fischer more than four decades ago. “Corporate sponsors have ignored chess. And for good reason. It's not on TV. The public is not clamoring,” he said. “But once we have a world champion, then the public goes, 'oh, cool.'” Even before making it into the World Chess Championship, Caruana had already made an impact on chess in St. Louis. “Him being here, really inspires me,” Jason Zhou said. The John Burroughs student is the Missouri high school chess champion and spends a lot of his time at the chess club, learning from experts brought in from around the world. Zhou hasn’t had a chance to take on Caruana, but he hopes someday he’ll get his chance. "I would love to," he said, "I feel like there's a lot to learn from playing against the top of the top." Now high schoolers like Zhou and grandmasters like Yasser Seirawan will be closely watching the tiebreak in London on Wednesday. Should Caruana win, Sinquefield expects St. Louis will have the proper reaction. “I think the only thing that makes sense is we should all go out and go crazy,” he said. Even if Caruana doesn’t bring a championship home, Sinquefield has his eye on hosting the World Chess Championship in St. Louis. The city is already home to several big chess tournaments, including the U.S. Championship and the U.S. Women’s Championship. “I think we know what it takes and I've already said I'm prepared to do what it takes. So the powers that be, I think, are willing to make that happen,” he said. Sinquefield has set a goal of six years for that crowning achievement.

Magnus Carlsen retains the title after a 3–0 victory against Fabiano Caruana in the best-of-four rapid tiebreaking series.

Reggae, 'A Voice For All,' Added To Intangible Cultural Heritage List By UNESCO Enlarge this image toggle caption Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images One of the best-loved musical styles in the world now bears a new distinction. Reggae — the uniquely Jamaican creation born in the late 1960s and made popular globally by artists like Bob Marley and Toots and the Maytals — has been added to a list of global cultural treasures by UNESCO, the cultural and scientific agency of the United Nations. On Thursday, reggae was "inscripted," as the UNESCO term goes, to the "Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity," joining more than 300 other traditional practices worldwide on the U.N. agency's list. "Its contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual," UNESCO said in a statement. "The basic social functions of the music — as a vehicle for social commentary, a cathartic practice, and a means of praising God — have not changed, and the music continues to act as a voice for all." UNESCO enlarges its list annually; dozens of musical, dance and theater styles have already been included, though possibly none so well-known, or commercially popular worldwide, as reggae. Among other traditions newly added to the UNESCO list this year are wrestling from the country of Georgia, hurling in Ireland, Japanese raiho-shin rituals, spring festival rites among the horse breeders of Kazakhstan and as-samer dancing in Jordan.[SEP]Jamaica Your browser is not supported by this application. Please use recent versions of browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari to access 'Dive' interfaces. Inscribed in 2018 (13.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity © Raging Fyah/Kingsley Michael 'Ibo' Cooper/Big Ship studios/Creative Production & Training Centre Ltd./Magamedia/Licenced courtesy of Islands Records, a Division of Universal Music Operations Limited Having originated within a cultural space that was home to marginalized groups, mainly in Western Kingston, the Reggae music of Jamaica is an amalgam of numerous musical influences, including earlier Jamaican forms as well as Caribbean, North American and Latin strains. In time, Neo-African styles, soul and rhythm and blues from North America were incorporated into the element, gradually transforming Ska into Rock Steady and then into Reggae. While in its embryonic state Reggae music was the voice of the marginalized, the music is now played and embraced by a wide cross-section of society, including various genders, ethnic and religious groups. Its contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual. The basic social functions of the music – as a vehicle for social commentary, a cathartic practice, and a means of praising God – have not changed, and the music continues to act as a voice for all. Students are taught how to play the music in schools from early childhood to the tertiary level, and Reggae festivals and concerts such as Reggae Sumfest and Reggae Salute provide annual outlets, as well as an opportunity for understudy and transmission for upcoming artists, musicians and other practitioners.[SEP]This year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has added reggae music to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In addition to compiling their World Heritage List, which includes geographic locations worthy of protection and preservation on an international scale, UNESCO reserves another list of “intangible” cultural elements specifically for practices and traditions. The news of reggae’s inclusion on the list comes after last week’s announcement that Jamaica had submitted the genre for consideration earlier this year. In a statement announcing their decision, UNESCO wrote the following: [Reggae’s] contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual. The basic social functions of the music – as a vehicle for social commentary, a cathartic practice, and a means of praising God – have not changed, and the music continues to act as a voice for all. Egyptian puppetry and Mongolian camel-coaxing rituals also made the cut for the Intangible Cultural Heritage list this year.[SEP]UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has added reggae to its list of cultural institutions worthy of protection and preservation, the BBC reports. Each year, UNESCO adds to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and Jamaica submitted reggae for consideration earlier this year. The genre now joins a list of over 300 cultural traditions, including numerous musical ones such as Dominican merengue, Slovakian bagpipe music and Vietnamese xoan singing. In a statement on its website, UNESCO said of reggae, “Its contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual. The basic social functions of the music – as a vehicle for social commentary, a cathartic practice, and a means of praising God – have not changed, and the music continues to act as a voice for all.” To mark its inclusion on the list, UNESCO shared a short documentary that examines the history and distinct characteristics of reggae music. While reggae’s inclusion on UNESCO’s Intangible list is largely symbolic, The New York Times reported earlier this month that Jamaica is hoping to further protect and preserve the music in various ways. Among the plans are radio stations centered around reggae, as well as public exhibitions in museums and Reggae Month, which will take place in February, the birth month of Bob Marley.[SEP]PARIS (AP) — Reggae music has been inscribed on the prized intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO, the U.N.’s cultural agency. UNESCO said Thursday the Jamaican music is unique because it represents “a vehicle of… PARIS (AP) — Reggae music has been inscribed on the prized intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO, the U.N.’s cultural agency. UNESCO said Thursday the Jamaican music is unique because it represents “a vehicle of social commentary” and “continues to provide a voice for all” since it was first created by marginalized groups, mainly in the western part of Jamaica’s capital of Kingston. It said the music — which combines Caribbean, Latin and North American influences — provides a “cathartic experience” when played and it is also used as a means of praising God. The intangible heritage list aims to improve the visibility of non-physical traditions and know-how of communities around the world. UNESCO committees are holding their latest round of heritage inscriptions in the Mauritius capital of Port Louis through Saturday. Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.[SEP]UNESCO—the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization—annually adds new entries to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This year, Jamaica submitted reggae for consideration, and UNESCO has approved its inclusion, the BBC reports. The list serves to document elements of different cultures that are deemed worthy of recognition and preservation. Jamaica’s application listed the influence of Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh, as well as the contemporary success of Chronixx, as reasons to include reggae in the list. Reggae’s “contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual,” UNESCO said. It added: “The basic social functions of the music—as a vehicle for social commentary, a cathartic practice, and a means of praising God—have not changed, and the music continues to act as a voice for all.”[SEP]PARIS -- Reggae music has been inscribed on the prized intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO, the UN's cultural agency. UNESCO said Thursday the Jamaican music is unique because it represents "a vehicle of social commentary" and "continues to provide a voice for all" since it was first created by marginalized groups, mainly in the western part of Jamaica's capital of Kingston. It said the music -- which combines Caribbean, Latin and North American influences -- provides a "cathartic experience" when played and it is also used as a means of praising God. The intangible heritage list aims to improve the visibility of non-physical traditions and know-how of communities around the world. UNESCO committees are holding their latest round of heritage inscriptions in the Mauritius capital of Port Louis through Saturday.[SEP]Reggae music, whose calm, lilting grooves found international fame thanks to artists like Bob Marley, on Thursday won a spot on the United Nations’ list of global cultural treasures. UNESCO, the world body’s cultural and scientific agency, added the genre that originated in Jamaica to its collection of “intangible cultural heritage” deemed worthy of protection and promotion. Reggae music’s “contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual,” UNESCO said. The musical style joined a list of cultural traditions that includes the horsemanship of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, a Mongolian camel-coaxing ritual and Czech puppetry, and more than 300 other traditional practices that range from boat-building, pilgrimages and cooking. Reggae emerged in the late 1960s out of Jamaica’s ska and rocksteady genres, also drawing influence from American jazz and blues. The style quickly became popular in the United States as well as in Britain, where many Jamaican immigrants had moved in the post-WWII years. It was often championed as a music of the oppressed, with lyrics addressing sociopolitical issues, imprisonment and inequality. Reggae also became associated with Rastafarianism, which deified the former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie and promoted the sacramental use of ganja, or marijuana. The 1968 single “Do the Reggay” by Toots and the Maytals was the first popular song to use the name, and Marley and his group the Wailers produced classic hits such as “No Woman, No Cry” and “Stir It Up.” Jamaica applied for reggae’s inclusion on the list this year at a meeting of the UN agency on the island of Mauritius, where 40 proposals were under consideration. “Reggae is uniquely Jamaican,” said Olivia Grange, the Caribbean island nation’s culture minister, before the vote. “It is a music that we have created that has penetrated all corners of the world.”[SEP]Reggae music has been named a ‘global treasure’ by the United Nations. UNESCO, the world body’s cultural and scientific agency, added the genre that originated in Jamaica to its collection of ‘intangible cultural heritage’ deemed worthy of protection and promotion. The musical style joined a list of cultural traditions that includes the horsemanship of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, a Mongolian camel-coaxing ritual and Czech puppetry. More than 300 other traditional practices that range from boat-building, pilgrimages and cooking were also protected. Reggae emerged in the late 1960s out of Jamaica’s ska and rocksteady genres, also drawing influence from American jazz and blues. Reggae also became associated with Rastafarianism, which deified the former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie. Jamaica applied for reggae’s inclusion on the list this year at a meeting of the UN agency on the island of Mauritius, where 40 proposals were under consideration.[SEP]Reggae music, whose chill, lilting grooves found international fame thanks to artists like Bob Marley, on Thursday won a spot on the United Nations’ list of global cultural treasures. UNESCO, the world body’s cultural and scientific agency, added the genre that originated in Jamaica to its collection of “intangible cultural heritage” deemed worthy of protection and promotion. Reggae music’s “contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual,” UNESCO said. “While in its embryonic state Reggae music was the voice of the marginalized, the music is now played and embraced by a wide cross-section of society, including various genders, ethnic and religious groups.” The musical style joined a list of cultural traditions that includes the horsemanship of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, a Mongolian camel-coaxing ritual and Czech puppetry, and more than 300 other traditional practices spanning from boat-building and pilgrimages to cooking and dance. Jamaica applied for reggae’s inclusion on the list this year at a meeting of the UN agency on the island of Mauritius, where 40 proposals were under consideration. Reggae was competing for inclusion alongside Bahamian strawcraft, South Korean wrestling, Irish hurling and perfume making in the southern French city of Grasse. Reggae emerged in the late 1960s out of Jamaica’s ska and rocksteady styles, also drawing influence from American jazz and blues. It quickly became popular in the United States as well as in Britain, where many Jamaican immigrants had moved in the post-WWII years. The style is often championed as a music of the oppressed, with lyrics addressing sociopolitical issues, imprisonment and inequality. Reggae also became associated with Rastafarianism, which deified the former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie and promoted the sacramental use of ganja, or marijuana. The 1968 single Do the Reggay by Toots and the Maytals was the first popular song to use the name. Marley and his group the Wailers then soared to fame on classic hits like No Woman, No Cry and Stir It Up. Peter Tosh, a core member of the Wailers, established a successful solo career with hits including Legalize It, while Desmond Dekker also enjoyed international success with the song Israelites. Toots and the Maytals rose to prominence with Pressure Drop and Jimmy Cliff became an international sensation with The Harder They Come, also the title of a 1972 movie he starred in. The reggae sound, with its heavy bass lines and drums, has influenced countless artists and inspired many genres including reggaeton, dub and dancehall. The steady beats and smooth grooves have also proven key to hip-hop: Sister Nancy’s anthem Bam Bam, for example, has been heavily sampled by superstars like Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, Chris Brown and Jay-Z. While largely symbolic, inclusion on the UNESCO cultural heritage list can serve to raise the profile of the country and the practice. “Reggae is uniquely Jamaican,” said Olivia Grange, the Caribbean island nation’s culture minister, before the vote. “It is a music that we have created that has penetrated all corners of the world.” Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter

Reggae music is added to the UNESCO Representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

London (CNN Business) Bayer plans to slash thousands of jobs as part of a corporate overhaul following its acquisition of Monsanto. The chemicals and pharmaceuticals group said it would cut 12,000 jobs out of its global workforce of 118,000 by the end of 2021. A significant number of the reductions will be made in its home market of Germany. More than 4,000 jobs will go at the company's crop sciences division, a consequence of Bayer's acquisition of US rival Monsanto earlier this year. The German company said in a statement on Thursday that it was considering whether to sell more assets, including the sunscreen business Coppertone and footwear brand Dr. Scholl's. Read More[SEP]BERLIN (AP) - German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG says it's cutting 12,000 jobs worldwide as it seeks to reduce costs. The Leverkusen-based company said Thursday that details of the cuts to its 118,200-stong workforce would be worked out in coming months but that "a significant number" of the reductions would come in Germany. Bayer acquired U.S. seed and weed-killer maker Monsanto Co. this year. It says with the "synergies expected from the acquisition of Monsanto" and other efficiency and structural measures, including the job cuts, "Bayer anticipates annual contributions of 2.6 billion euros from 2022 on." The company says a portion of the funds will be used to strengthen competitiveness and innovation in its divisions. Bayer shares rose on the news and were up 3 percent in afternoon trading in Frankfurt. FILE - In this May 25, 2018 file photo members of the supervisory board sit in front of the company logo during the annual shareholders meeting of German chemical giant Bayer AG in Bonn, Germany. Bayer said Thursday, Nov 29, 2018 it will cut 12 000 jobs, most of them in Germany. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file) FILE - In this April 28, 2010 file photo a vessel passes by the plant of chemical giant Bayer AG at the rive Rhine in Leverkusen, western Germany. Bayer said Thursday, Nov 29, 2018 it will cut 12 000 jobs, most of them in Germany. (AP Photo/Frank Austin, file) FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2018 fiel photo CEO Werner Baumann of Bayer AG talks to the media at the Financial News Conference in Leverkusen, Germany. Bayer said Thursday, Nov 29, 2018 it will cut 12 000 jobs, most of them in Germany. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file)[SEP]German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG says it's cutting 12,000 jobs worldwide as it seeks to reduce costs. The company said "a significant number" of the reductions would come in Germany. BERLIN (AP) — German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG says it’s cutting 12,000 jobs worldwide as it seeks to reduce costs. The Leverkusen-based company said Thursday that details of the cuts to its 118,200-stong workforce would be worked out in coming months but that “a significant number” of the reductions would come in Germany. Bayer acquired U.S. seed and weed-killer maker Monsanto Co. this year. It says with the “synergies expected from the acquisition of Monsanto” and other efficiency and structural measures, including the job cuts, “Bayer anticipates annual contributions of 2.6 billion euros from 2022 on.” The company says a portion of the funds will be used to strengthen competitiveness and innovation in its divisions. Bayer shares rose on the news and were up 3 percent in afternoon trading in Frankfurt. Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 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Bayer said Thursday, Nov 29, 2018 it will cut 12 000 jobs, most of them in Germany. (AP Photo/Frank Austin, file) In this Feb. 28, 2018 fiel photo CEO Werner Baumann of Bayer AG talks to the media at the Financial News Conference in Leverkusen, Germany. Bayer said Thursday, Nov 29, 2018 it will cut 12 000 jobs, most of them in Germany. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file)[SEP]German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG says it's cutting 12,000 jobs worldwide as it seeks to reduce costs. The Leverkusen-based company said Thursday that details of the cuts to its 118,200-stong workforce would be worked out in coming months but that "a significant number" of the reductions would come in Germany. Bayer acquired U.S. seed and weed-killer maker Monsanto Co. this year. It says with the "synergies expected from the acquisition of Monsanto" and other efficiency and structural measures, including the job cuts, "Bayer anticipates annual contributions of 2.6 billion euros from 2022 on." The company says a portion of the funds will be used to strengthen competitiveness and innovation in its divisions. Bayer shares rose on the news and were up 3 percent in afternoon trading in Frankfurt.[SEP]Bayer plans to slash thousands of jobs as part of a corporate overhaul following its acquisition of Monsanto. The chemicals and pharmaceuticals group said it would cut 12,000 jobs out of its global workforce of 118,000 by the end of 2021. A significant number of the reductions will be made in its home market of Germany. More than 4,000 jobs will go at the company’s crop sciences division, a consequence of Bayer’s acquisition of US rival Monsanto earlier this year. Bayer (BAYRY) spent over $60 billion buying Monsanto. To gain regulatory approval for the deal, Bayer agreed to sell assets including its seed business and some herbicide brands. The German company said in a statement on Thursday that it was considering whether to sell more assets, including the sunscreen business Coppertone and footwear brand Dr. Scholl’s. It will get out of the business of animal health, and sell its 60% stake in Currenta, a company that provides services to chemical companies. Shares in Bayer have dropped by more than a third so far this year, in part because of concerns over the company’s exposure to lawsuits involving Roundup, a weedkiller made by Monsanto. In August, San Francisco jurors awarded $289 million in damages to a former school groundskeeper who said his terminal cancer had been caused by the product. The damages were later reduced by a judge, but hundreds of other patients have made similar claims. Monsanto has said the product is safe when used as directed.[SEP]FILE - In this May 25, 2018 file photo members of the supervisory board sit in front of the company logo during the annual shareholders meeting of German chemical giant Bayer AG in Bonn, Germany. Bayer said Thursday, Nov 29, 2018 it will cut 12 000 jobs, most of them in Germany. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file) (Martin Meissner)[SEP]BERLIN— Bayer AG BAYRY -1.28% on Thursday said it would cut 12,000 jobs and sell its animal-health business, Coppertone sunscreens and Dr. Scholl’s foot-care products in an effort to win back investors’ trust after a string of setbacks and a sharp fall in its share price. The job cuts, targeting some 10% of Bayer’s 118,200 global workforce, come as the German chemicals and pharmaceuticals company faces challenges in most of its businesses, from falling sales of over-the-counter drugs to a dwindling stable of blockbuster prescription medicines. Compounding its difficulties, the company known mainly as the inventor of Aspirin faces nearly 10,000 lawsuits from users of weedkillers it recently acquired as part of Monsanto. Plaintiffs allege the products cause cancer, a claim Bayer has vigorously rejected. The $63 billion Monsanto acquisition, which closed in June, was a bid by Chief Executive Werner Baumann to boost the company’s scale and give it a strong second leg in crops and seeds alongside its pharmaceutical activities. But the legal woes have put the company on the defensive and angered some investors already skeptical of the deal when it was clinched. With the stock falling, some Bayer leaders are also growing anxious that the company could become a target for hostile investors, according to a person familiar with the company. Bayer’s shares have lost roughly a third of their value since a San Francisco jury verdict in August found that Monsanto’s Roundup weedkillers, which contain the chemical glyphosate, were responsible for causing cancer in a man. Bayer is appealing the decision. Thursday’s announcement wasn’t linked to the glyphosate litigation or the Monsanto acquisition, Mr. Baumann told reporters, adding that the job cuts and disposals would “position Bayer as a leader across all its businesses.” “These changes are necessary and lay the foundation for Bayer to enhance its performance and agility,” Mr. Baumann said. Bayer said it expected the battery of cost-saving measures and disposals to create annual savings of €2.6 billion ($2.96 billion) as of 2022, including annual synergies it was already planning to generate from its combination with Monsanto as of 2022. Overall, the planned cost savings would help free up funds for a planned €35 billion to be invested in the company’s future through the end of 2022, it said, with R&D accounting for two-thirds of this sum. Analysts estimate that the sale of the animal-health unit, the smallest of the group’s four businesses, could fetch up to €7 billion ($8 billion) while a sale of Coppertone and Dr. Scholl’s could raise roughly €1 billion. Thursday’s announcement initially lifted Bayer’s share price by up to 4%, but the stock later erased most of its gain and traded 0.7% lower. While Bayer faced strategic challenges in its main activities before the Monsanto deal, the collapse of its share price in recent months and the uncertainty surrounding the Roundup lawsuits have raised pressure on management to improve the group’s outlook. Bayer said the restructuring would help it focus on its life- science strategy—essentially its crops and drugs businesses. Analysts had called such a move inevitable after Bayer took on a large amount of debt—the company is targeting net debt of around €37 billion by the end of 2018—to fund the Monsanto deal. In Crop Science, where Bayer is now the world’s largest provider of seeds and pesticides, the group said it would cut 4,100 jobs as it integrates the Monsanto acquisition. In pharmaceuticals, which now make up roughly half of total sales, the company said it would outsource more Research and Development activities through partnerships or licensing deals. This overhaul—in the making for the past year under the code name “Super Bowl”—will ax some 900 job cuts in R&D, and an additional 360 through the closure of a production site in the German city of Wuppertal. The ensuing savings would be invested into external research deals, Bayer said. Some 5,500 to 6,000 jobs at central corporate functions would also go, Bayer said, with all job cuts due to happen by the end of 2021. Bayer said it would cut a significant share of jobs in its home-market Germany. The cuts come as Bayer is heading toward a period of slower sales growth in its prescription drugs as patents for top-selling drugs Xarelto and Eylea are due to expire from 2023. Analysts have been fretting over how Bayer planned to fill that looming gap.The consumer health division—which includes the flagship Aspirin brand—would see some 1,100 jobs go and the disposal of two brands—Coppertone and Dr. Scholl’s—whose sales had been sliding in recent quarters. Sales and profits at the over-the-counter-drugs unit have been declining in recent quarters, partly because of tough competition in the U.S., where consumers have turned away from drugstores to cheaper, online shops. In the first nine months of 2018, sales fell 7.7% to €4.12 billion. The decision to sell the animal-health unit follows weeks of Bayer exploring strategic options for a business it no longer sees as core and is too small to flourish under its ownership. Mr. Baumann said Bayer had identified a number of potential buyers for the unit but that it wasn’t in advanced talks with any party. The Rhineland-based company said it would also sell a 60% stake in chemical park operator Currenta, a company whose relevance had been waning since Bayer exited specialty chemicals business Covestro . Analysts say the Currenta stake could fetch between €1 billion and €2 billion.[SEP]Bayer, the German pharmaceuticals and chemicals group, has announced plans to cut 12,000 out of 118,200 jobs worldwide, in a bid to reduce costs and regain investor favour following a string of legal setbacks related to its Monsanto acquisition earlier this year. The measures include a plan to exit the market for animal health products, as well as its Coppertone sun care and Dr Scholl’s foot care product lines. Bayer also plans to sell the group’s 60 per cent stake in service provider Currenta. “Including the synergies expected from the acquisition of Monsanto, Bayer anticipates annual contributions of €2.6 billion from 2022 on as a result of its planned efficiency and structural measures,” the group said in a statement. Werner Baumann, the Bayer chief executive, said: “With these measures, we are positioning Bayer optimally for the future as a life sciences company.” The group’s shares have suffered a sharp decline in recent months, after a California court awarded $289 million in damages to a school groundskeeper with terminal cancer. The jury found that the man’s sickness was the direct result of his exposure to a widely-used weedkiller manufactured by Monsanto. The sum has since been reduced by a higher court, but analysts and investors worry that the avalanche of follow-up cases will be costly for Bayer all the same. Bayer has had an operation in the Republic for almost 50 years and is based in south Dublin. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2018[SEP]Pharmaceutical giant Bayer to cut thousands of jobs and sell off business after Monsanto take-over. The German pharmaceutical giant Bayer will cut 12,000 jobs globally and sell off a number of its businesses, after its takeover of agrochemical company Monsanto. In August Bayer's shares dropped by more than a third, after a US jury awarded $US289 million ($396 million) in damages to a former school groundskeeper who said his terminal cancer had been caused by Roundup, a product made by Monsanto. The damages were later reduced by a judge, but hundreds of other patients have made similar claims. Monsanto disputes the judgement and has said the product is safe when used as directed but now faces more than 9,000 lawsuits over the alleged carcinogenic affects of Roundup. About one in 10 workers will lose their jobs, with most going in Germany, and in a statement, Bayer Australia said it did know what the effect in Australia would be. The animal health division, could be worth up to 7 billion Euros ($11AUD billion) and accounts for about 4.5 per cent of group revenues. It also plans on selling its products Coppertone Sunscreen and Dr Scholl's foot care products. Werner Baumann, Chairman of the Board of Management said the measures would ensure the business was sustainable. "We have made very good progress with Bayer's strategic development in recent years. "As we now proceed with these measures, we are laying the foundation to sustainably enhance Bayer's performance and profitability," said. "With these measures, we are positioning Bayer optimally for the future as a life science company."

The German chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer is to cut 12,000 jobs by the end of 2021 as part of an overhaul following its acquisition of Monsanto earlier in 2018.

(CNN) CNN said Thursday that it had severed ties with contributor Marc Lamont Hill following controversial comments the liberal pundit made about Israel. "Marc Lamont Hill is no longer under contract with CNN," a spokesperson for CNN confirmed in a short statement. The move was first reported by the media news website Mediaite. Hill, who is also a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, made the controversial comments during a meeting at the United Nations held for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on Wednesday. In his remarks at that meeting, Hill said "we must advocate and promote non-violence," but added that "we cannot endorse a narrow politics of respectability that shames Palestinians for resisting, for refusing to do nothing in the face of state violence and ethnic cleansing." Read More[SEP]Marc Lamont Hill delivers a Nov. 28 speech on Palestine at the UN, after which he was fired from his position as a CNN commentator. (Courtesy of #UnitedNations General Assembly Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People) Philly native and Temple professor local Marc Lamont Hill just celebrated the one-year anniversary of the opening of Uncle Bobbies' Books and Coffee on Nov. 27, the Germantown coffee shop and bookstore that is a tribute to black-owned bookstores he frequented during his youth and his inspiring, educational relationship with his late Uncle Bobbie Lee Hill. But Hill is making national news not for his business thriving as a community hub serving up great coffee, but for being fired from his long-held position as a CNN commentator after he gave a passionate speech in defense of Palestinian rights at the United Nations, which has also received criticism from domestic Jewish groups like the Anti-Defamation League and the National Council of Young Israel, who called the speech anti-Semitic. Particular ire was sparked by Hill's closing line: "We have an opportunity to not just offer solidariy in words, but to commit to political action, grassroots action, local action and international action which will give us what justice requires, and that is a free Palestine, from the river to the sea." The phrase "from the river to the sea" has been used as a slogan by militant Palestinian groups like Hamas and the PLO, and understood by some to mean an eradication of the ever-controversial state of Israel, founded in 1948. Hill took to Twitter to deny the accusations against him, calling accusations that he had called for the destruction of Israel "absurd." "'River to the sea is a phrase that precedes Hamas by more than 50 years," he tweeted. "I was talking about full citizenship rights IN Israel and a redrawing of the pre-1967 borders. ... I concluded my remarks with a call to free Palestine from river to sea. This means that all areas of historic Palestine —e.g., West Bank, Gaza, Israel— must be spaces of freedom, safety, and peace for Palestinians." On Nov. 29, a CNN spokesperson confirmed that the network had ended its contract with Hill. They did not specify a reason or aspect of Hill's speech which led to their decision. In general, the speech, given on at the United Nation's Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People during the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, was heavily critical of Israel's policies, its treatment of Palestinians, and the circumstances of its founding. Hill drew parallel between the 70th anniversary of the UN's founding with a "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel, in which he asserted that Palestinians have been denied these same rights since the declaration was first made. Hill, who noted in the speech and on his social media accounts that he visiting Palestine over Thanksgiving, at one point paused to have a drink of water, before asking to be excused for his thirst – telling the crowd he had just gotten off a flight from Palestine, and had been "boycotting Israeli water." An outcry quickly arose after Hill's firing by CNN, with many supporters on social media rushing to Hill's defense. Journalist Glenn Greenwald, famed for his publication of stories based on documents leaked by former NSA analyst Edward Snowden, accused CNN of caving to the "right-wing outrage machine." One petition demanding CNN re-hire Hill had garnered some 7,300 signatures by Friday afternoon, another petition had 2,200 signatures. Temple University, for its part, stood by Hill: " he has a constitutionally protected right to express his opinion as a private citizen," Temple said in a statement. “Marc Lamont Hill has been quoted extensively over the last 24 hours. Marc Lamont Hill does not represent Temple University and his views are his own." Was the speech anti-Semitic or legitimate criticism? Judge for yourself, and watch the video below.[SEP](JTA) — CNN has fired Marc Lamont Hill, a political commentator and professor at Temple University, after he used a phrase associated with Palestinian extremists – “a free Palestine from the river to the sea” – during a speech at the United Nations. A CNN representative told Mediaite on Thursday that Hill was no longer working for the news channel. Hill, a professor of media studies and urban education at Temple who also hosts the syndicated television show “Our World with Black Enterprise,” made the remark on Wednesday at an event held for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. “We have an opportunity to not just offer solidarity in words but to commit to political action, grassroots action, local action and international action that will give us what justice requires and that is a free Palestine from the river to the sea,” Hill said. “Palestine from the river to the sea” was a slogan of the Palestine Liberation Organization beginning with its founding in 1964, claiming a Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and rejecting control by Israel of any land in the region, including areas controlled by Israel prior to 1967. It later became a popular political slogan used by Palestinians who reject compromise with Israel, including the terror group Hamas, which calls for the destruction of Israel. Hill’s remarks drew criticism from the Anti-Defamation League; Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Barack Obama; and Dani Dayan, Israel’s consul general in New York, among others. The ADL called his remarks “divisive” and “destructive.” “Those calling for ‘from the river to the sea’ are calling for an end to the State of Israel,” Sharon Nazarian, the group’s senior vice president for international affairs, told the Jewish Journal. “It is a shame that once again, this annual event at the United Nations does not promote constructive pathways to ‘Palestinian solidarity’ and a future of peace, but instead divisive and destructive action against Israel.” Shapiro called Hill’s use of the “river to the sea” phrase “disgusting,” while Dayan called him “a racist, a bigot, an anti-Semite.” Hill defended his remarks, saying in a tweet that the phrase predates Hamas by some 50 years. “It also has a variety of meanings. In my remarks, which you clearly didn’t hear, I was talking about full citizenship rights IN Israel and a redrawing of the pre-1967 borders,” he retweeted. Hill also suggested that Palestinians have a right to use “resistance” against Jewish civilians to achieve their aims without specifically ruling out violence. “We must advocate and promote nonviolence at every opportunity, but we cannot endorse a narrow politics of respectability that shames Palestinians for resisting, for refusing to do nothing in the face of state violence and ethnic cleansing,” he said. Hill later said in a tweet: “In my speech, I talked about the need to return to the pre-1967 borders, to give full rights to Palestinian citizens of Israel, and to allow right of return. No part of this is a call to destroy Israel. It’s absurd on its face.”[SEP](JTA) — A CNN political commentator and professor at Temple University used a phrase associated with Palestinian extremists – “a free Palestine from the river to the sea” – during a speech at the United Nations. Marc Lamont Hill, a professor of Media Studies and Urban Education at Temple who also hosts the syndicated television show “Our World with Black Enterprise,” spoke at the United Nations on Wednesday at an event held for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. “We have an opportunity to not just offer solidarity in words but to commit to political action, grassroots action, local action, and international action that will give us what justice requires and that is a free Palestine from the river to the sea,” Lamont Hill said. “Palestine from the river to the sea” was a slogan of the Palestine Liberation Organization beginning with its founding in 1964, claiming a Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and rejecting control by Israel of any land in the region, including areas controlled by Israel prior to 1967. It later became a popular political slogan used by Palestinians who reject compromise with Israel, including the terror group Hamas, which calls for the destruction of Israel. Lamont Hill defended his remarks, saying in a tweet that the phrase predates Hamas by some 50 years. “It also has a variety of meanings. In my remarks, which you clearly didn’t hear, I was talking about full citizenship rights IN Israel and a redrawing of the pre-1967 borders,” he retweeted. Lamont Hill also suggested that Palestinians have a right to use “resistance” against Jewish civilians to achieve their aims, without specifically ruling out violence. He said that Israel sometimes fails to distinguish between Palestinian civilians and fighters and that “we must allow the Palestinian people the same range of opportunity and political possibility. If we are standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people, we must recognize the right of an occupied people to defend itself.” “We must advocate and promote nonviolence at every opportunity, but we cannot endorse a narrow politics of respectability that shames Palestinians for resisting, for refusing to do nothing in the face of state violence and ethnic cleansing,” he said. Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Barack Obama, called Lamont Hill’s use of the “river to the sea” phrase “disgusting.” “Calling for the elimination of Israel is anti-Semitic and (being thankfully futile) does Palestinians no favors,” he tweeted. Lamont Hill later said in a tweet that: “In my speech, I talked about the need to return to the pre-1967 borders, to give full rights to Palestinian citizens of Israel, and to allow right of return. No part of this is a call to destroy Israel. It’s absurd on its face.”[SEP]CNN has fired a commentator who made comments that critics described as a 'dog whistle' advocating the elimination of Israel. During a speech at the United Nations on Wednesday, Marc Lamont Hill said accused the Israeli government of 'normalizing settler colonialism' and called for a 'free Palestine from the river to the sea.' Hill made the comment during a meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. On Thursday, a a spokesperson for CNN told Fox News, 'Marc Lamont Hill is no longer under contract with CNN. Those calling out the television personality said his use of the phrase 'from the river to the sea' was problematic, due to its regular use by anti-Israel groups, including the terrorist organization known as Hamas. Hill said the phrase 'precedes Hamas by more than 50 years' and 'has a variety of meanings,' calling the assertion that he was calling for the eradication of Israel 'absurd on its face.' When Hill used the phrase in question, the crowd erupted in applause. Hill’s speech was described as an 'especially obscene UN moment that reveals the true nature of the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish animus of the modern United Nations,' by Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and president of Human Rights Voices/ 'Hill's call at the United Nations for the destruction of the Jewish state was not some accident,' Bayefsky added. 'He didn't misspeak. He was an invited guest. He was the only person invited to speak as "the" representative of "civil society." When he ended his extraordinary tirade with "Give us a free Palestine from the river to the sea" his words were met by a round of applause. The only applause for any speaker.' Before Hill's profile was removed from the CNN site, it described the political commentator as 'one of the leading intellectual voices in the country.' He's appeared on the cable network discussing a variety of issues, including guns in America. At other points during his speech, Hill said he had just taken a flight from 'Palestine' and that he 'was boycotting the Israeli water so I was unable to quench my thirst,' as he poured himself a drink. 'If we are standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people, we must recognize the right of an occupied people to defend itself,' Hill said at another point during his talk, while comparing the Palestinian movement with the American civil-rights movement. 'We must prioritize peace, but we must not romanticize or fetishize it.' In response to the controversy, Hill wrote on Twitter on Thursday: 'Yesterday, I gave a speech at the UN in which I critiqued Israel’s polices and practices toward Palestinians. It’s baffling how people are not responding to the critique, but instead responding to things I didn’t actually say. 'In my speech, I talked about the need to return to the pre-1967 borders, to give full rights to Palestinian citizens of Israel, and to allow right of return. No part of this is a call to destroy Israel. It’s absurd on its face. 'I believe in full rights for all citizens. I believe in safety for all citizens. I believe in self-determination for all citizens. This is not an anti-Semitic position. 'While I have my own beliefs about one vs two state solutions (I prefer one), it is not my job as an outsider to decide for Palestinians or Israelis. Regardless of the resolution, however, Palestinians cannot be denied freedom, self-determination, or human rights. 'Unfortunately, we are in a moment where any critique of the Israeli government is called anti-Semitic. Any call for Palestinian freedom is seen as an attempt to diminish Israel freedom. This does not have to be, nor should it be, the case. 'I concluded my remarks with a call to free Palestine from river to sea. This means that all areas of historic Palestine —e.g., West Bank, Gaza, Israel— must be spaces of freedom, safety, and peace for Palestinians. 'Anyone who studies the region, or the history of Palestinian nationalism, knows that “river to sea” has been, and continues to be, a phrase used by many factions, ideologies, movements, and politicians. 'The phrase dates back to at least the middle of the British Mandate and has never been the exclusive province of a particular ideological camp. The idea that this is a Hamas phrase is simply untrue. 'It’s also ABSURD and illogical to suggest that a speech that explicitly called for redrawing borders and granting full citizenship for Palestinians IN Israel was also calling for its destruction. People either didn’t listen to the speech or they’re being dishonest.' In response to one Twitter user who accused Hill of calling 'for the destruction of Israel,' saying, 'That is not criticism that's violence,' Hill wrote: 'I did not. I have not. And I would not.' After this exchange, Hill tweeted again, this time writing: 'I normally would ignore the current drama, but it’s actually important to me that I’m clear and understood. As a matter of principle. 'I support Palestinian freedom. I support Palestinian self-determination. I am deeply critical of Israeli policy and practice. I do not support anti-Semitism, killing Jewish people, or any of the other things attributed to my speech. I have spent my life fighting these things. 'My reference to "river to the sea" was not a call to destroy anything or anyone. It was a call for justice, both in Israel and in the West Bank/Gaza. The speech very clearly and specifically said those things. No amount of debate will change what I actually said or what I meant. 'This isn’t a case of throwing rocks and hiding hands. I genuinely believe in the arguments and principles that I shared in the speech. I also genuinely want peace, freedom, and security for everyone. These are not competing ideals and values.' Hill is a former professor at both Columbia University in New York and Atlanta's Morehouse College. He currently teaches media studies and and urban education at Temple University in Philadelphia. Temple spokesperson Brandon Lausch said in a statement that Hill 'does not represent Temple University and his views are his own. However, we acknowledge that he has a constitutionally protected right to express his opinion as a private citizen.'[SEP]NEW YORK (AP) — CNN on Thursday parted ways with contributor Marc Lamont Hill after a speech the college professor made on Israel and Palestine at the United Nations. A CNN spokesperson confirmed Hill is no longer under contract. The network did not give a reason, but the move comes amid objections to Hill’s speech by the Anti-Defamation League and other groups. Hill, a professor of media studies at Temple University who had been a recurring political commentator on CNN, called for countries to boycott and divest from Israel in the Wednesday speech given for the UN’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. “We have an opportunity to not just offer solidarity in words but to commit to political action, grass-roots action, local action and international action that will give us what justice requires and that is a free Palestine from the river to the sea,” Hill said in the speech. The ADL and others said the “river to the sea” phrase is code for the destruction of Israel often used by Hamas and groups bent on its destruction. “Those calling for ‘from the river to the sea’ are calling for an end to the State of Israel,” the ADL’s Senior Vice President for International Affairs, Sharon Nazarian, said in a statement, adding that the annual event at the UN “promotes divisiveness and hate.” Hill sent a series of tweets responding to his firing and defending his speech. “My reference to ‘river to the sea’ was not a call to destroy anything or anyone,” Hill said on Twitter. “It was a call for justice, both in Israel and in the West Bank/Gaza. The speech very clearly and specifically said those things.” “I support Palestinian freedom. I support Palestinian self-determination,” Hill tweeted, adding, “I do not support anti-Semitism, killing Jewish people, or any of the other things attributed to my speech. I have spent my life fighting these things.”[SEP]CNN fired its analyst Marc Lamont Hill on Thursday after ‘controversial’ statements he made about Israel at the United Nations. “Marc Lamont Hill is no longer under contract with CNN,” a network spokesperson said in an email. Speaking at a pro-Palestine meeting at the UN on Wednesday, Hill called for a “free Palestine from the river to the sea.” The statement — which is sometimes said by the militant group Hamas and refers to extending Palestine’s borders from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea — is viewed by some as advocating for the destruction of the Jewish state, reported the New York Post. Related: 14 Palestinians wounded during protests along the Gaza border “Those calling for ‘from the river to the sea’ are calling for an end to the State of Israel,” Sharon Nazarian, the Anti-Defamation League’s senior vice-president for international affairs, told the Jewish Journal. Hill also works as a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia. The school stood by him on Thursday, saying in a statement: “Marc Lamont Hill does not represent Temple University and his views are his own. However, we acknowledge that he has a constitutionally protected right to express his opinion as a private citizen.” Hill took to Twitter to defend himself. “My reference to ‘river to the sea’ was not a call to destroy anything or anyone. It was a call for justice, both in Israel and in the West Bank/Gaza,” he wrote on Thursday. “I do not support anti-Semitism, killing Jewish people, or any of the other things attributed to my speech. I have spent my life fighting these things,” he added.[SEP]Marc Lamont Hill faced accusations of anti-Semitism for using term in UN speech, denies he was advocating for Israel’s destruction or killing Jews ed note–so, the obvious question that needs to be (rationally) asked and (honestly) answered here (and particularly on the part of those ‘Trump is owned by d’Jooz’ types) is why Jim Acosta has not been fired as well, if indeed, as we are incessantly told by all the ‘experts’ within ‘duh muuvmnt’ that the 45th POTUS is the ‘chosen son’ of Judea, Inc and that all the opposition to him within the JMSM in America is simply a ‘leftist’ thing rather than an overt attempt to destroy his presidency on the part of OJI? Go ahead, all you ‘experts’, take your time formulating your answer. CNN on Thursday said it had ended its contract with one of its political commentators after he used a phrase associated with Palestinian extremists – “a free Palestine from the river to the sea” – during a speech at the United Nations. “Marc Lamont Hill is no longer under contract with CNN,” the network said in a statement. Lamont Hill, a professor of Media Studies and Urban Education at Temple University who also hosted the syndicated television show “Our World with Black Enterprise,” spoke at the United Nations on Wednesday at an event held for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. “We have an opportunity to not just offer solidarity in words but to commit to political action, grassroots action, local action, and international action that will give us what justice requires and that is a free Palestine from the river to the sea,” Lamont Hill said. “Palestine from the river to the sea” was a slogan of the Palestine Liberation Organization beginning with its founding in 1964, claiming a Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and rejecting control by Israel of any land in the region, including areas controlled by Israel prior to 1967. It later became a popular political slogan used by Palestinians who reject compromise with Israel, including the terror group Hamas, which calls for the destruction of Israel. Lamont Hill defended his remarks, saying in a tweet that the phrase predates Hamas by some 50 years. “It also has a variety of meanings. In my remarks, which you clearly didn’t hear, I was talking about full citizenship rights IN Israel and a redrawing of the pre-1967 borders,” he retweeted. Lamont Hill also suggested that Palestinians have a right to use “resistance” against Jewish civilians to achieve their aims, without specifically ruling out violence. He said that Israel sometimes fails to distinguish between Palestinian civilians and fighters and that “we must allow the Palestinian people the same range of opportunity and political possibility. If we are standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people, we must recognize the right of an occupied people to defend itself.” “We must advocate and promote nonviolence at every opportunity, but we cannot endorse a narrow politics of respectability that shames Palestinians for resisting, for refusing to do nothing in the face of state violence and ethnic cleansing,” he said. Dan Shapiro, the former US ambassador to Israel under president Barack Obama, called Lamont Hill’s use of the “river to the sea” phrase “disgusting.” “Calling for the elimination of Israel is anti-Semitic and (being thankfully futile) does Palestinians no favors,” he tweeted. Dani Dayan, Israel’s consul general in New York, also condemned Lamont Hill’s remarks. “Lamont Hill called for the elimination of the State of Israel from the map,” he tweeted. “MLH is a racist, a bigot, an antisemite. The fact that he is all this while in the payroll of @CNN and [Temple University] is appalling.” Lamont Hill later said in a tweet that: “In my speech, I talked about the need to return to the pre-1967 borders, to give full rights to Palestinian citizens of Israel, and to allow right of return. No part of this is a call to destroy Israel. It’s absurd on its face.” Were Israel to accept a “right of return” for the 5 million-plus on whose behalf the Palestinian Authority and Hamas demand it, this would mark the end of Israel as a majority Jewish state. Only a few tens of thousands of those millions were refugees who lived in what is today’s Israel before the state was established; the rest are descendants of refugees. Israel’s position is that a Palestinian state would provide citizenship for refugees and their descendants, as Israel has absorbed Jewish refugees from the Middle East and North Africa. PA President Mahmoud Abbas has said he does not seek to flood Israel with refugees, but has formally continued to demand a “right of return” in intermittent peace negotiations.[SEP]Jewish and pro-Israel groups said Lamont Hill’s speech was anti-Semitic, but the professor stands by his comments. CNN cut ties with Marc Lamont Hill, a Media Studies and Production professor and national news contributor on Thursday, for his controversial pro-Palestine, anti-Israel remarks during a United Nations speech the day before. Israel supporters criticized Lamont Hill, who started teaching at Temple University in the urban studies and MSP departments in 2005. Lamont Hill said the state of Israel is committing injustices against Palestinians and called to “free Palestine from the river to the sea,” in his speech. Jewish and Israel advocate groups, like the National Council of Young Israel, said the language in Lamont Hill’s speech was anti-Semitic and similar to what Hamas, an Islamic extremist Palestinian nationalist group, and other groups with the goal to eliminate Israel use. They said he called for the destruction of Israel. Some Jewish advocacy groups also called for Lamont Hill to be fired at Temple. “Marc Lamont Hill has been quoted extensively over the last 24 hours,” wrote a university spokesman in a statement to The Temple News. “Marc Lamont Hill does not represent Temple University and his views are his own,” the statement read. “However, we acknowledge that he has a constitutionally protected right to express his opinion as a private citizen.” Lamont Hill was endowed as the Klein College of Media and Communication’s first Steve Charles Chair in Media, Cities and Solutions in May 2017. He said he was in Palestine the day before he delivered his UN speech. Lamont Hill has visited the country several times as an activist and researcher. He expressed support of protest and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement against Israel-based institutions that do not recognize or support the occupation of Palestine. Lamont Hill stood by his positions on Thursday, tweeting that his remarks were not anti-Semitic, and he is a critic of Israeli policy towards Palestine. “Unfortunately we are in a moment where any critique of the Israeli government is called anti-Semitic,” he tweeted. In October 2017, Lamont Hill spoke to Temple Students for Justice in Palestine in the Student Center about his support for an independent Palestinian state.[SEP]CNN has parted ways with contributor Marc Lamont Hill after a speech the college professor made on Israel and Palestine at the United Nations. A CNN spokesperson confirmed Thursday that Marc Lamont Hill is no longer under contract. The network did not give a reason, but the move comes amid objections to Hill's speech by the Anti-Defamation League and other groups. Hill, a Temple University professor, called for a boycott of Israel and for a "free Palestine from the river to the sea" in the Wednesday speech. The ADL and others said the "river to the sea" phrase is code for the elimination of Israel. Hill replied on Twitter that the phrase was "not a call to destroy anything or anyone," and said he supports Palestinian freedom, not anti-Semitism.

CNN announces it has severed ties with liberal commentator Marc Lamont Hill after he gives a U.N. speech advocating for Palestinian rights in which he used the phrase, "free Palestine from the river to the sea".

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, second from right, speak with soldiers during a military training at a military base in Chernihiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov, 28, 2018. Russia and Ukraine traded blame after Russian border guards on Sunday opened fire on three Ukrainian navy vessels and eventually seized them and their crews. The incident put the two countries on war footing and raised international concern. (Mykola Lazarenko, Presidential Press Service via AP) (Mykola Lazarenko)[SEP]KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The Latest on raised tensions between Russia and Ukraine (all times local): NATO says it already has a strong presence in the Black Sea region, after Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko urged members of the military alliance like Germany to send warships amid tensions with Russia. Spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said Thursday that NATO ships routinely patrol and exercise in the Black Sea, noting that NATO ships have spent 120 days there this year compared to 80 in 2017. She said several NATO allies conduct air policing and reconnaissance flights in the region, and that members Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey border the Black Sea and have their own military equipment deployed. Lungescu said “there is already a lot of NATO in the Black Sea, and we will continue to assess our presence in the region.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she plans to press Russian President Vladimir Putin at this weekend’s G-20 summit in Argentina about his country’s seizure of three Ukrainian ships and their crews. Merkel told a Ukrainian business summit in Berlin on Thursday that Germany is urging the release of the ships and crews and that she would confront Putin at the summit. She says “we can only resolve this in talks with one another because there is no military solution to all of these conflicts.” Merkel says that beyond Ukraine, Russia has been aggressive in several other nations creating “a belt of countries that cannot develop in the way they want and we can’t, as Germans, close our eyes to that.” The Kremlin has sharply criticized the Ukrainian president’s plea for NATO to deploy naval ships to the Sea of Azov amid a standoff with Russia. President Petro Poroshenko made the call in an interview with the German daily Bild published Thursday, hoping that NATO countries “are now ready to relocate naval ships to the Sea of Azov in order to assist Ukraine and provide security.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Poroshenko’s request is “clearly aimed at provoking further tensions” and driven by the Ukrainian leader’s “electoral and domestic policy motives.” In Sunday’s confrontation, Russian ships fired on and seized three Ukrainian vessels and their crews trying to pass into the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait between Russia’s mainland and Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has discussed the possibility of a Turkish mediation to resolve tensions between Russia and Ukraine in the Sea of Azov. Erdogan made the comments early Thursday, hours after he held separate telephone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The Turkish leader said: “Can we assume a mediator role? We discussed this subject with both sides.” Erdogan said he would hold more talks concerning the standoff with both Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G-20 summit meeting in Buenos Aires. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine flared on Sunday, when Russian border guards fired on three Ukrainian vessels and seized the ships and the crew. The Ukrainian president is urging NATO to deploy naval ships to the Sea of Azov amid a standoff with Russia. President Petro Poroshenko made the call in an interview with the German daily Bild published Thursday, saying that “we hope that states within NATO are now ready to relocate naval ships to the Sea of Azov in order to assist Ukraine and provide security.” In Sunday’s confrontation, the Russian coast guard fired on and seized three Ukrainian vessels that sought to pass from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait, between Russia’s mainland and the Crimean Peninsula it annexed from Ukraine. Ukraine insisted that its vessels were operating in line with international maritime rules, while Russia said they had failed to get permission to pass.[SEP]BRUSSELS, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The European Union's hawks have called for more sanctions on Russia after a fresh flare-up of tensions with Ukraine but the divided bloc is not going to act swiftly, if at all, diplomatic sources said. A sign of their long-standing divisions on how to handle President Vladimir Putin's Russia, the 28 EU states were still struggling on Wednesday to agree a joint statement, three days after Russia seized Ukrainian navy vessels and sailors. The three former Soviet republics sitting on the Baltic Sea coast, backed by Poland and Britain, want tough language on more sanctions looming. Several senior European politicians raised the prospect on Tuesday and U.S. President Donald Trump said he might cancel a meeting with Putin later this week over the maritime clash he described as "aggression". But the bloc's top powers Germany and France have so far put emphasis on seeking to calm tensions. "We are not going to move very quickly on any new sanctions, there could be some later on, that is not ruled out. But for now the unity of the 28 is key. And focus on de-escalation," one EU diplomat said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to Putin and Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was in France. "There is a lot of contacts going on. Let's see where they take us. I doubt we will rush on sanctions too much," another EU diplomat also said. Countries including Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus have long called for a softer stance vis-à-vis Moscow, saying the bloc's existing economic sanctions over Russia's role in the turmoil in Ukraine hurt EU businesses too. The bloc first imposed sanctions after Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Kiev in 2014. Brussels tightened the measures as Moscow went on to back rebels fighting against government troops in east Ukraine. EU leaders are expected to decide to roll the economic sanctions over for another year when they meet in Brussels in December. They could also look at any new punitive measures then after a discussion among their foreign ministers on Dec.10. "In order to discuss sanctions, we'd need to have a clearer picture of what happened," another EU source said, highlighting unease in some EU quarters that Poroshenko could also stand to gain from the situation. Putin on Wednesday accused Poroshenko of orchestrating a "provocation" in the sea to boost his flagging popularity ratings before an election next year. Following the incident, Ukraine introduced martial law in parts of the country it says are vulnerable to Russian attack. The European Commission has said it received "important" assurances from Poroshenko that this would not interfere with democratic processes or restrict citizens rights. If the 28 EU member states fail to agree the wording of a joint statement, the bloc is likely to put out a less strongly worded statement in the name of its top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, on Wednesday. It would call on Russia to free the Ukrainian vessels and sailors as well as ensure unrestricted sea access. It would urge both sides to show restraint and express support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, diplomatic sources said. EU diplomats said the latest escalation weakens the hand of Russia doves in the bloc. While the EU would not necessarily create new sanctions, it can add new names to its existing blacklists, including some Russian military personnel, the sources said. The U.S. State Department called on the EU on Tuesday to do more to help Ukraine in its struggle with Russia, including through tougher enforcement of existing sanctions and dropping support for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline with Moscow. Washington, which under Trump has promoted more exports of its own natural gas that competes with Russia, has long lobbied the EU against the construction of another pipeline that would deepen the bloc's dependence on Russian gas deliveries. The U.S. government has threatened to sanction those involved in the project but Germany - the final destination of the pipeline and the project's co-author with Russia - said it was sticking to it. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska Editing by Peter Graff)[SEP]Russia's weekend maritime clash with Ukraine illustrated the vast military imbalance between the neighbors. No fewer than 11 Russian vessels surrounded Ukraine's two light military ships and one tugboat, ramming them before eventually opening fire on Sunday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told NBC News. Poroshenko insists his country is under "extremely serious" threat of a land invasion, and that's why he had to declare martial law for 30 days in regions adjacent to Russia. The gulf in military might was further driven home when Russia announced Wednesday it would deploy another of its S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to Crimea, the peninsula it annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The S-400 can track 300 targets simultaneously including aircraft, drones and other missiles mid-flight, and has a range of 250 miles. It will be the fourth S-400 in Crimea. According to Poroshenko, Russia also tripled the number of tanks at a base near the Ukrainian border from September to October. "We are now strengthening our defense on all the borders with Russia," Poroshenko told NBC News' Richard Engel on Tuesday. The U.S. currently has around 200 soldiers stationed as advisers in Ukraine. Ukraine says that Russia is attempting to take control of the Sea of Azov. The annexation of Crimea gave it control of the Azov’s only entrance, the Kerch Strait, choking access to Ukraine’s own ports. In May, Russia opened a $3.69 billion bridge across the strait, and Ukraine says Sunday’s clashes were evidence the Kremlin is further tightening its grip. Kiev is concerned about how to protect a 180-mile stretch between Crimea and the eastern part of Ukraine that's already run by Russian-backed separatists. Most of Ukraine's navy was based in Crimea when it was annexed, meaning the military lost around 80 percent of its fleet to capture or defections. Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to give the vessels back, although he described what is left as being a "wreck." Since 2014, fighting in eastern Ukraine has claimed more than 10,000 lives. In 2015, the rebels briefly stormed the port city of Mariupol. Poroshenko says he believes they might try again. "I have a document of intelligence in my hands," he said Monday, explaining his decision to impose martial law. He said the files contained a "detailed description of all the forces of the enemy located at a distance of literally several dozens of kilometers from our border, ready at any moment for an immediate invasion of Ukraine." "It is very unlikely that the rebels would attempt to mount a land assault and try to push the boundaries of the conflict further into Ukraine," says Emily Ferris, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, a London think tank. Ferris points out that if anything Moscow has been attempting to politically disengage from the conflict in the east of the country, with its domestic media focusing on the country's role in Syria. In December 2017, Moscow withdrew from an organization that oversees the often-violated ceasefire in Ukraine, likely an attempt to persuade Ukraine to deal directly with separatists, Ferris added. "We would have to consider what Russia could gain from this," she said referring to a land assault. Some fear the Ukrainian president is using the crisis to weaken democracy as he trails badly in the polls ahead of an election in March. However, given the disparity between Ukraine's forces and Putin's military next door, many are alarmed by the prospect of conflict between the former members of the Soviet Union. Ihor Kabanenko, a retired admiral with the Ukrainian navy, has for months been predicting a flare-up along the lines of the Sunday's incident. In August, he told NBC News that "Moscow will use Ukrainian maritime vulnerability and its own maritime supremacy at the Sea of Azov to achieve this goal." In September, the United States gave Ukraine two Island-class patrol boats, outdated vessels built for the U.S. Coast Guard in the 1980s and 1990s. These will form part of a new so-called "Mosquito Fleet" of light vessels that Ukraine is trying to assemble But it is no match for Russia, whose Black Sea Fleet is station in Crimea and has received a "large number" of new ships and submarines since 2014, according to the War on the Rocks website. The boats that detained Ukraine's ships on Sunday were part of Russia's FSB security service. Compare that with Ukraine. In October, the BBC spent time aboard one of Ukraine's remaining vessels: a small, slow fishing boat with a gun bolted to the back.[SEP]Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, second from right, speak with soldiers during a military training at a military base in Chernihiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov, 28, 2018. Russia and Ukraine traded blame after Russian border guards on Sunday opened fire on three Ukrainian navy vessels and eventually seized them and their crews. The incident put the two countries on war footing and raised international concern. (Mykola Lazarenko, Presidential Press Service via AP) (Mykola Lazarenko)[SEP]Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, second from right, speak with soldiers during a military training at a military base in Chernihiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov, 28, 2018. Russia and Ukraine traded blame after Russian border guards on Sunday opened fire on three Ukrainian navy vessels and eventually seized them and their crews. The incident put the two countries on war footing and raised international concern. (Mykola Lazarenko, Presidential Press Service via AP) (AP)[SEP]Action by NATO could further inflame tensions between the two countries Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, second from right, speak with soldiers during a military training at a military base in Chernihiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov, 28, 2018. Russia and Ukraine traded blame after Russian border guards on Sunday opened fire on three Ukrainian navy vessels and eventually seized them and their crews. The incident put the two countries on war footing and raised international concern. (Mykola Lazarenko, Presidential Press Service via AP) The Ukrainian president has urged NATO to deploy naval ships to the Sea of Azov, a proposal that has been sharply criticized by Russia as a provocation that could further inflame tensions between the two countries. In an interview in the German daily Bild, published Thursday, President Petro Poroshenko laid out his hope that NATO would “relocate naval ships to the Sea of Azov in order to assist Ukraine and provide security” against the expansionist ambitions of Russian President Vladimir Putin. His call follows the weekend incident in which the Russian coast guard fired on and seized three Ukrainian vessels and their crews. Russia charged that the Ukrainian vessels had failed to obtain permission to pass from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait between Russia’s mainland and the Crimean Peninsula it annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine insisted that its vessels were operating in line with international maritime rules. “Putin wants nothing less but to occupy the sea,” Poroshenko said. “The only language he understands is the unity of the Western world.” Putin, for his part, criticized the West for what he described as connivance with Ukraine’s “provocation.” “The authorities in Kyiv are successfully selling anti-Russian sentiments as they have nothing else left to sell,” he said. “They can get away with whatever they do. If they want to eat babies for breakfast today, they will likely serve them too.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she plans to press Russian President Vladimir Putin at this weekend’s G-20 summit in Argentina to urge the release of the ships and crews. “We can only resolve this in talks with one another because there is no military solution to all of these conflicts,” she said. NATO said that it already has a strong presence in the Black Sea region. The alliance’s spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said NATO ships routinely patrol and exercise in the Black Sea, and that they have spent 120 days there this year compared to 80 in 2017. She noted that several NATO allies conduct air policing and reconnaissance flights in the region, adding that members Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey border the Black Sea and have their own military equipment deployed. “There is already a lot of NATO in the Black Sea, and we will continue to assess our presence in the region,” Lungescu said. While NATO condemned the Russian action, the alliance is not expected to send ships into the Sea of Azov, a deployment that could trigger a confrontation with Russia. A 2003 treaty between Russia and Ukraine stipulates that permission from both countries is required for warships from others to enter the internal sea. In response to Sunday’s events, Poroshenko has imposed martial law in much of the country, a move that won parliamentary backing. Putin accused his Ukrainian counterpart of provoking the naval incident in a bid to impose martial law to shore up his sagging popularity and sideline competitors ahead of March’s presidential election. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Poroshenko’s request for NATO to send warships into the Sea of Azov is “clearly aimed at provoking further tensions,” adding that it was driven by the Ukrainian leader’s “electoral and domestic policy motives.” Ukraine has released what it said was the exact location where its ships were fired on by Russia, saying they were in international waters west of the Kerch Strait. Russia, meanwhile, insisted the Ukrainian vessels were in its territorial waters and refused to communicate with the Russian coast guard, or accept a Russian pilot to guide them through the narrow strait. “What were the border guards supposed to do?” Putin said Wednesday. “They fulfilled their duty to protect the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation. If they had done something differently, they should have been put on trial for that.” Ukraine and Russia have been in a tug-of-war since Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Russia has also supported separatists in Ukraine’s east with clandestine dispatches of troops and weapons. The fighting there has killed at least 10,000 people since 2014 but eased somewhat after a 2015 truce. The naval incident marked the first overt collision between Russian and Ukrainian militaries since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. It has fueled fears of a wider conflict and has drawn strong criticism of Russia from the U.S. and its allies. Amid the tensions, the Russian military said it had deployed another batch of the long-range, S-400 air defence missile systems to Crimea. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he discussed the possibility of a Turkish mediation to resolve tensions and held separate telephone conversations with Putin and Poroshenko on Thursday. Asked about the Turkish offer, Peskov responded that “Moscow is grateful to all those willing to help de-escalate the tensions provoked by the Ukrainian side, but doesn’t see any need for mediation efforts.” “Those who have such opportunities could help by exerting influence on the Ukrainian authorities,” Peskov said. Yuras Karmanau And Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.[SEP]Kiev asks for western presence in sea it shares with Russia, saying Putin is blocking ports The Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, has called on Nato to deploy naval ships to the Sea of Azov to “provide security” amid a deepening crisis with Russia. Nato foreign ministers are due to meet next Monday in Brussels and will assess their existing presence in the area, but it is unlikely they will send warships to the area. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, insisted there was no military solution, even after describing Moscow’s actions as unacceptable. She said she would be talking directly to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, at the G20 summit in Argentina, which starts on Friday. This week’s renewed crisis in Russian-European relations erupted after Moscow seized three Ukrainian naval ships and their crews on Sunday in waters off Russian-annexed Crimea. The ships were trying to make their way through the Kerch strait to the Ukrainian port of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov. Ukraine said Russia used a tanker to block access to the Kerch strait, which under a treaty is shared territory. Russia said the vessels illegally entered its waters. On Thursday Donald Trump abruptly cancelled his own planned G20 meeting with Putin, blaming Russia’s failure to return the seized ships and sailors. Play Video 1:16 Russia seizes Ukrainian naval ships in major escalation of tensions – video The Crimean courts have put 24 Ukrainian sailors under two-month pre-trial detention. Some of the sailors have been flown to Moscow, two of their lawyers told AFP on Thursday. Ukraine claimed Russia was escalating the crisis by imposing a de facto blockade on two Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov and barring ships from leaving and entering via the Russian-controlled Kerch strait. Russia has blocked 35 merchant ships from leaving or entering the Sea of Azov, Ukraine asserted. The infrastructure ministry said on Thursday 18 ships were stuck in the Black Sea, waiting to pass through the Kerch strait into the Sea of Azov, and another 17 vessels were unable to sail out of the Ukrainian ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk. Kerch strait confrontation: what happened and why does it matter? Read more The Kremlin denied it was restricting shipping and said if there was any blockage it was because of bad weather. In his most fiery rhetoric of the crisis, Poroshenko accused Putin of wanting to annex Ukraine, telling the German newspaper Bild on Thursday: “Don’t believe Putin’s lies. Putin wants the old Russian empire back. Crimea, Donbass, the whole country.” Likening Putin to a Russian tsar, he said: “He believes his empire cannot function without Ukraine – he sees us as his colony.” He called on Germany to increase existing economic sanctions against Russia and again urged Berlin to rethink its plans to allow Russia to build a new gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2, which he said would leave the EU even more dependent on Russian energy and deprive Ukraine of badly needed income derived from its existing pipeline. Merkel said the pipeline would go ahead, adding Germany would “ensure Ukraine remains an important transit country”. Speaking at a Ukrainian business forum in Berlin, she said: “We must do everything to help places like Mariupol …We can’t allow this city to just be cut off, thus indirectly isolating further parts of Ukraine. “The Ukrainian side has asked us to act wisely ... there is no military solution to these problems, we have to emphasise that.” In a tweet sent en route to the G20 summit, Trump said: “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 … I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!” . Russia claims the Ukrainian vessels ignored “the legitimate demands of the coastguard of the border service and the Black Sea fleet to immediately halt, and end performing dangerous manoeuvres”. It says a chase involving some gunfire ensued in order to stop the Ukrainian ships, which were detained in Russian territorial waters. The Ukrainian authorities have introduced martial law in selected regions along the border with Russia as well as along the coast of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov for 30 days. It includes an order that only Ukrainians can enter the country. Poroshenko also tweeted on Thursday that he would impose unspecified restrictions on Russian citizens in his country and spoke of banning some foreign currency and banking operations in Ukraine. Putin and Poroshenko motives open to question in Kerch crisis | Simon Tisdall Read more The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, offered to play a mediator role between Ukraine and Russia alongside Merkel. He has held phone talks with leaders on both sides, and said he would continue discussing the issue with Putin and Trump at the G20 summit. Kiev has called for Russian vessels to be banned from passing through the Bosphorus strait in Turkey as a reprisal for the Kerch strait standoff. Merkel put the crisis in a wider context of Russian interference in eastern Europe, accusing Russia of creating instability not only in eastern Ukraine, but also in Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan and Armenia. “There is a belt of countries that cannot develop as they want. In the face of this, we cannot close our eyes as Germans.”[SEP]BERLIN (Reuters) - Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia’s Vladimir Putin of seeking to annex his entire country and called in interviews with German media for Chancellor Angela Merkel to come to Kiev’s aid in the crisis. Russia seized three Ukrainian navy ships and their crews on Sunday near the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, over what it said was their illegal entry into Russian waters - a charge Ukraine strongly refutes. In interviews with Germany’s Bild newspaper and the Funke newspaper group on Thursday, Poroshenko rejected Russia’s charge that the vessels’ entry into the Azov Sea - a body of water shared by Ukraine and Russia on which the Ukrainian ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk sit - was a provocation. “Don’t believe Putin’s lies,” he told Bild, Germany’s biggest-selling paper, comparing Russia’s protestations of innocence in the affair to Moscow’s 2014 denial that it had soldiers in Crimea even as they moved to annex it. “Putin wants the old Russian empire back,” he said. “Crimea, Donbass, the whole country. As Russian Tsar, as he sees himself, his empire can’t function without Ukraine. He sees us as his colony.” The seizure of the navy vessels drove tensions to their highest since 2015, when Moscow-backed rebels rose against the Kiev government in the eastern Donbass region, sparking a war that has killed tens of thousands. Poroshenko called on Germany, the largest and wealthiest buyer of Moscow’s gas exports, to halt the building of an undersea gas pipeline that would allow Russia to supply Germany directly, cutting out Ukraine. “We need a strong, resolute and clear reaction to Russia’s aggressive behavior,” he told Funke. “That also means stopping the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.” Germany regards the pipeline, which is being built by Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom, as a private investment. But Merkel recently acknowledged its “political dimensions” and said Ukraine must continue to be a conduit for Russian gas sold to western Europe. German officials said on Wednesday that their position on the pipeline remained unchanged and that talk of tighter sanctions against Moscow, demanded by the United States and many European politicians, was “premature”. Poroshenko also called for the stationing of NATO vessels in the Sea of Azov.[SEP]Twenty five years ago, Ukraine was the world's third-largest nuclear power, with more warheads than the United Kingdom, France and China combined. The government in Kiev inherited this arsenal after the breakup of the Soviet Union, finding itself in possession of an estimated 5,000 nuclear weapons, more than 170 intercontinental ballistic missiles and several dozen nuclear bombers. In 1994, Ukraine agreed to dismantle this stockpile in return for a promise from Russia that the country wouldn't be attacked. But after Russian forces fired at and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels on Sunday, Kiev has pointed to this deal and suggested that the U.S. and Europe should do more to protect it against the vastly superior Russian military. For months Ukraine has accused Russia of restricting access to its own ports in the nearby Sea of Azov, alleging the Kremlin wants to turn it into a Russian lake. But the attack on the vessels and detention of their crews brought the relationship between the neighbors to a new low. Ukraine says the incident occurred in international waters. Ukraine insists Moscow is again blockading the sea, something Moscow denies. Russia says it merely needs to inspect all ships passing through as a security measure to protect a $3.6 billion bridge it's built across the Kerch Strait from its mainland to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. It’s against this backdrop that Ukraine has invoked the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, which was signed in 1994 by Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and U.K. "Ukraine gave up the third-largest nuclear arsenal" in the world, Ukrainian lawyer and human rights activist Stanislav Batryn told UkrLifeTV this week. "Today Russia violated the territorial integrity of Ukraine and is in fact starting a Third World War." After declaring independence in 1991, Ukraine found itself with thousands of Soviet nuclear weapons that were still controlled by Russian systems. The U.S. was extremely worried about the potential emergence of another nuclear power with ICBMs designed to target the U.S. and its allies. So Washington brokered the agreement and paid half a billion dollars for Ukraine to pass these weapons to Russia to be dismantled. In return, Russia, the U.S. and the U.K. agreed to "refrain from the threat or use of force" against Ukraine and to respect its "independence and sovereignty and the existing borders." Belarus and Kazakhstan also gave up their smaller stockpiles in exchange for the same promises. When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, it was widely accepted that this agreement had been violated. After this week's clash on the Black Sea, Ukraine used the memorandum as a rallying cry. "We are appealing the entire pro-Ukrainian world coalition — we have to join our efforts," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Monday. "We are appealing to our partners in Budapest Memorandum that took on obligations to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity." Russian President Vladimir Putin's explanation in 2014 was that the memorandum had been agreed with a previous Ukrainian government, so was no longer valid. Most observers dismissed this as ridiculous; if agreements expired with the governments that signed them, then countless important treaties throughout history would be now void. In 2016, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov offered another explanation, claiming that the agreement only stipulated its signatories "won’t use nuclear weapons against Ukraine" — which is not true. However, some have expressed concern that Poroshenko could be using the Azov crisis to weaken democracy as he trails badly in the polls ahead of elections slated for March. As well as invoking the Budapest Memorandum, he has also declared martial law, neither of which he did even at the height of the country’s crisis in 2014. The problem is that the Budapest Memorandum is a political agreement rather than a legally binding treaty. It does not say countries have to take any particular action if it is violated, other than enter into talks. The U.S. says it remains committed to the agreement, and has provided more than $2.8 billion since 2014 to help Ukraine "defend its territory and implement key reforms." Some 200 U.S. troops are stationed at a base in western Ukraine, albeit hundreds of miles from Crimea or fighting in the east. And earlier this year the Trump administration sold Ukraine Javelin anti-tank guided missiles worth an estimated $47 million. But Poroshenko told NBC News this week that what he really wants — "what we were promised" — is Washington's help to join NATO. This would in theory give his country the alliance's Article 5 mutual-defense protection: an assurance that the U.S. and others would come to its aid in an attack. In September, Ukraine hosted NATO military exercises involving some 2,270 troops from 14 countries including the U.S. However, analysts say there is little chance of Ukraine gaining NATO membership while the status of Crimea remains unresolved and conflict simmers in the east. The Ukrainian president was seemingly snubbed again this week when he called on NATO to send its ships into the Azov and called on Germany to halt construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is being built under the Baltic Sea and bypasses Ukraine. Both NATO and Germany appear to have declined these overtures. Just because they haven't gone to war over the issue, that doesn't mean Western countries have ignored the Budapest Memorandum, according to Jack Watling, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. "Policymakers haven't forgotten," he said, "but given that they've ruled out the most direct way of fulfilling that obligation, they are trying to use other tools in their arsenal: diplomatic, economic." These tools include the raft of sanctions slapped on Russia by the U.S. and European Union since the Crimea annexation. "There's no way of making this a limited war like the Falklands," Watling added, referencing Britain's war with Argentina in 1982. "It would be World War III and the risk of nuclear escalation is unacceptable. We're not prepared to take that risk over Crimea."

Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan says the ports of Berdiansk and Mariupol are effectively under blockade as Russia refuses to let any Ukrainian vessels leave or enter the Sea of Azov. President Petro Poroshenko calls on NATO to send warships to patrol the Sea of Azov.

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Our mission @BelgiumDefence is to protect your security pic.twitter.com/JBjFxSLXTc[SEP]On early redemption of Baltic RE Group, AS bonds Baltic RE Group, AS will close the list of bondholders for its bonds (ISIN code LV0000802197, ticker BREB061520A) early redemption and interest payment on December 5, 2018. Proceeding from the above, bonds of Baltic RE Group, AS will be traded for the last day today November 30, 2018. Trading with Baltic RE Group, AS bonds will be suspended starting from December 3, 2018, until the early redemption on December 12, 2018. Nasdaq Baltic is a common name for exchanges, regulated markets, alternative markets First North operated by Nasdaq companies in the Baltic states, i.e. Nasdaq Tallinn AS, Nasdaq Riga, AS and AB Nasdaq Vilnius.[SEP]This fall in Europe and in the Baltic region in particular is very “hot” from the military point of view. Russia thinks that NATO exercises in the region are not just single episodic maneuvers but a chain of successive events, a well-designed scheme of conducting large-scale exercises that are offensive in nature. This point of view is disputable but certainly Russian experts have the reasons to feel threatened. These days NATO exercise dubbed Anakonda 2018 is conducted on the territory of Poland and three Baltic States. If taken separately, Anakonda 2018 is not so large-scale, as for instance, Trident Juncture, held between October 25 and November 7 in and around Norway (that was just one of NATO’s military exercises this year.) But taking into account a series of NATO military events that were conducted and planned this autumn, Anakonda 2018 exercise distrusts Russia. Thus, in parallel with and just after Trident Juncture exercise in Europe and in the Baltic region, smaller NATO exercises are united by a common concept and held against a common background. These are Baltic Host 18 in the Baltic States (November 1–30), Iron Wolf 18 in Lithuania (November 5–18), Brave Lion in Denmark (November 5–23), Arcade Fusion 18 in the UK (November 5-27), Anakonda 18 in Poland and in the Baltic States and the Baltic Sea (November 7-16), Citadel Bonus 18 in France and Poland (November 10-20). By the way, this year NATO has already coordinated approximately 100 exercises, 20% more than during the same period in 2017. During exercises NATO, as it was officially stated, trains and assesses multinational battle groups abilities to plan and conduct “defense/offense in decisive action environment and improves the level of interoperability of multinational forces.” One more fact shows the offensive nature of NATO exercises. This is a clear intention to train troops under severe weather conditions. Such a climate is typical only to some countries in the world including Russia. So, are NATO troops going to fight on Russian territory? This automatically means the offensive nature of Alliance’s maneuvers. The more so, the accelerating of rearmament in the Eastern European countries, the deployment of new bases, the renewal of NATO infrastructure, new military formations in the region, and specifically in the Baltic countries – all this suggests that the main goal of the exercises is not to defend NATO member states, but to prepare to attack. *Viktors Domburs is an engineer, born in Latvia, and now lives in the United Kingdom.

The Belgian Air Component informs on Twitter that yesterday, Belgian F-16s operating in the Baltic region for NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, "intercepted" Russian Flanker jets, allegedly because they had no flight plan.

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel wird wegen eines technischen Defekts an dem Regierungsflugzeug "Konrad Adenauer" den Auftakt des G20-Gipfels im argentinischen Buenos Aires verpassen. Nach SPIEGEL-Informationen war die Panne dramatischer als bisher bekannt: Eine Stunde nach dem Start in Berlin war bei dem A340 der Luftwaffe das komplette Kommunikationssystem mit dem Boden ausgefallen. Ein solcher Vorfall gilt in der Luftfahrt als gefährlicher Notfall. Deswegen entschlossen sich die Piloten sofort, den Flug nach Argentinien abzubrechen. Zu dem Zeitpunkt befand sich die Maschine im Luftraum über den Niederlanden. Nur mit einem Satellitentelefon an Bord gelang es der Crew des Regierungsfliegers, Kontakt zur Flugleitstelle aufzunehmen und die Landung auf dem Flughafen in Köln-Bonn zu planen. Ein solcher Ausfall der kompletten Kommunikationsanlage, die durch mehrere Ersatzsysteme abgesichert ist, kommt extrem selten vor. Der Grund des Ausfalls war bis zum späten Donnerstagabend unklar, hieß es in Bundeswehrkreisen. Auf die erste Panne folgten weitere Nach dieser ersten Panne sorgten dann gleich mehrere Faktoren dafür, dass Merkel nicht mehr rechtzeitig zum Auftakt des G20-Gipfels reisen kann. Zwar steht für die Kanzlerin und den Bundespräsidenten routinemäßig eine Ersatzmaschine für den Fall von technischen Pannen zur Verfügung. Dieser Jet stand zur Zeit der Funkpanne jedoch in Berlin - und nicht in Köln. Ein Flug nach Berlin ohne Funkkontakt zum Boden erschien den Piloten zu gefährlich. Als der A340 schließlich Köln anflog, gab es eine weitere unglückliche Panne. Weil der Flieger seit dem Start Berlin erst wenig Kerosin verbraucht hatte und im Anflug auf Köln wegen des Defekts der Funkanlage keinen Treibstoff ablassen konnte, war sein Landegewicht noch hoch. Die Folge: Das Bremssystem erhitzte sich bei der sogenannten "harten Landung" sehr stark. Nach der Landung musste also die Feuerwehr anrücken und die Passagiere inklusive der Kanzlerin noch 70 Minuten im Flieger abwarten. Die Gesamtsituation war nach SPIEGEL-Informationen so brenzlig, dass Verteidigungsministerin Ursula von der Leyen schon nach dem Komplettausfall der Funkanlage informiert wurde. Über mehrere Stunden versuchte sie unter anderem bei europäischen Partner-Nationen, eine Ersatzmaschine für die Kanzlerin zu organisieren. Allerdings sind Langstreckenjets mit einer VIP-Ausstattung in der EU Mangelware. Merkel verbrachte die Nacht nun in einem Bonner Hotel. Dort sagte sie über den Zwischenfall: "Ich kann nach den Ereignissen sagen, es gab eine ernsthafte Störung." Glücklicherweise sei an Bord eine exzellente Crew gewesen und der erfahrenste Kapitän der Flugbereitschaft. Merkel soll nun am frühen Freitagmorgen mit einem anderen Flugzeug der Luftwaffe von Köln nach Madrid gebracht werden. Von dort fliegt sie dann gegen 9 Uhr mit einem Linienflug von Iberia nach Buenos Aires - kommt aber erst gegen 17.55 Uhr Ortszeit dort an. Mehr Hintergründe zum Gipfelprogramm erfahren Sie hier. planestream: Reportage über Truppentransport der Flugbereitschaft[SEP]Image copyright AFP Image caption Chancellor Merkel returned to German soil far earlier than planned, carrying an umbrella in the Cologne rain German Chancellor Angela Merkel missed the opening of the G20 summit in Argentina after her plane was forced to land shortly after leaving Berlin. The plane carrying Mrs Merkel's team turned back while flying over the Netherlands late on Thursday, because of a communications failure. The Airbus made a safe but unscheduled landing in Cologne. Mrs Merkel flew to Madrid on Friday then boarded a scheduled Iberia airlines flight to Buenos Aires. Among her fellow passengers on board the Iberia flight was Agustín Agüero, who tweeted a picture of the chancellor on board. 'Multiple system malfunction' On Thursday evening the captain of Mrs Merkel's plane told those on board that he had decided to turn back after the "malfunction of several electronic systems". The plane's communications system went down and the crew had to use a satellite phone to contact air traffic controllers, Germany's Spiegel website reported. The problem is thought to have been with an electronic distribution box, which controls both the radio and discharge of aviation fuel. At no time was there any risk to the lives of passengers, a spokeswoman for Mrs Merkel stressed. The German air force denied suggestions that the plane's electronics could have been sabotaged. "There's is absolutely no indication of a criminal background," a spokesman said. 'Overheated braking system' An added problem for the plane was that Cologne airport's longer runway was unavailable, Spiegel added. As the A340 had to slow down quickly and it was still fully laden with fuel, its braking system overheated and the fire brigade met the plane on the tarmac. The German delegation was kept on the plane for some time before officials decided to travel by bus to a hotel in Bonn. Image copyright EPA Image caption The plane was met on the tarmac in Cologne by emergency vehicles The chancellor and a smaller delegation including the finance minister travelled to Madrid on an air force plane on Friday morning before leaving for Argentina on an Iberia plane, a spokesman said. Mrs Merkel's husband was among those on the initial flight who remained in Germany. Although there is a standby government plane for long-haul flights, no crew was available to fly it, German media report. Organising an alternative route proved a headache for the German government, as Mrs Merkel's entourage had to include several security officials. Merkel misses key talks The chancellor missed the "family photo" at the start of the G20 summit and officials were trying to reschedule planned bilateral meetings with national leaders. German TV's satirical Heute Show tweeted an image showing three other G20 leaders arriving alongside an airport baggage hall, with the caption: "Merkel decided on an alternative arrival." The chancellor had been due to have talks on Friday with President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping but was due to arrive in Buenos Aires only by early evening. Amid the continuing crisis over Russia's seizure of 24 Ukrainian sailors, a spokeswoman in Berlin said the chancellor's meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin on Saturday would go ahead as planned. President Trump has cancelled a meeting with the Russian leader. The Airbus A340-300 hit by technical failure is named Konrad Adenauer after West Germany's first post-war chancellor. For finance minister Olaf Scholz, the plane's technical problems are nothing new. In October he was on a trip to Indonesia when the plane was grounded because rodents had gnawed through electrical cables during an annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Last month, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived late for a trip to South Africa because one of the plane's engines would not start.[SEP]New Delhi, Nov 30: German Chancellor, Angela Merkel will not be able to attend the opening of the G20 Summit in Argentina after her plane Enroute to the summit made an emergency landing in Cologne on Thursday. The Chancellery said in a statement that the official plane landed safely in Cologne following a technical problem. Also Read | Angela Merkel will step down as chancellor in 2021: source The Airbus A340-300, named Konrad Adenauer after Germany's first post war chancellor, was met on the tarmac by fire engines, the German news agency DPA said, adding that Merkel was waiting for a replacement plane to taker her to Buenos Aires. It also added that Merkel was waiting for a replacement plane to take her to the summit.[SEP]Angela Merkel's plane to the G20 Summit has been forced to make an emergency landing tonight. The German Chancellor was travelling to Argentina but her plane has had to divert back to Cologne, it is understood. The emergency landing happened just one hour into the 15-hour journey. It is believed the "technical problem" relates to a communication device on board the plane. Crews are understood to be replacing the machine on the tarmac. Local media reports Merkel's plane is an Airbus A340-313X VIP nicknamed the "Konrad Adenauer" after the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, from 1949 to 1963. Merkel will be late to the Argentinian capital, German media also reports. Attention at the meeting is expected to focus on issues including a trade war between the US and China. Heads of state from Italy, Canada, South Korea, Singapore and Turkey have already arrived in Buenos Aires. Theresa May is expected to tell world leaders the Brexit deal she has reached with the EU will be good for the global economy as she uses a international gathering to push her "global Britain" message. She becomes the first serving UK Prime Minister to visit the Argentine capital, and only the second to travel to the country, following a Tony Blair trip over the border from Brazil in 2001.[SEP]Merkel will leave for Madrid on Friday and head on a commercial flight for Buenos Aires with a slimmed down delegation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will miss the opening of the G20 summit in Argentina. (Photo: File | AP) Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel will miss the opening of the G20 summit in Argentina after her plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Cologne on Thursday due to a technical problem, her spokeswoman said. "We will not be proceeding today," she told AFP. According to tweets by German journalists on board the Airbus A340, named Konrad Adenauer after Germany's first post-war chancellor, Merkel will leave for Madrid on Friday and head on a commercial flight for Buenos Aires with a slimmed down delegation. The Chancellery did not confirm these reports. A senior journalist with the public national television ZDF said Merkel would spend Thursday night in Bonn. The plane turned back from the Netherlands and landed in Cologne because it was the only base with a replacement aircraft, the DPA news agency said. It was met on the tarmac by fire engines, DPA said, adding that the captain told the passengers the plane would have to turn back as a technical problem was disrupting several electrical systems.[SEP]German Chancellor Angela Merkel's plane headed to the G20 summit in Argentina made an emergency landing in Germany due to a technical problem. The Airbus A340 government aircraft carrying Merkel and the German delegation to Buenos Aires was forced to land shortly after taking off from Berlin on Thursday. The plane turned around over the Netherlands about an hour into the flight before landing in Cologne. 'Following a technical problem, the official plane landed safely in Cologne,' the Chancellery said. A replacement German air force plane is being prepared to carry Merkel and her entourage to the G20 meeting that starts on Friday. It was not immediately clear when a new aircraft would arrive to continue the 15-hour flight to Argentina. The captain told passengers aboard the plane he decided to switch aircraft at the Cologne-Bonn airport in northwestern Germany after the 'malfunction of several electronic systems.' He said there had been no security risk. Meanwhile, heads of state from Italy, Canada, South Korea, Singapore and Turkey were among the first to arrive in Buenos Aires, joining French president Emmanuel Macron Macron and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, who arrived the previous day. At the summit, Merkel planned to hold bilateral meetings with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi, Australia's Scott Morrison and Argentina's president Mauricio Macri, senior German officials said She is preparing to leave politics after announcing last month she would give up leadership of her party, a post she has held since 2000.[SEP]German Chancellor Angela Merkel's plane, headed for the G20 summit in Argentina, made an emergency landing in Cologne on Thursday due to a technical problem, the Chancellery said. "Following a technical problem, the official plane landed safely in Cologne," it said, without indicating when she could leave again. The Airbus A340-300, named Konrad Adenauer after Germany's first post war chancellor, was met on the tarmac by fire engines, the German news agency DPA said, adding that Merkel was waiting for a replacement plane to taker her to Buenos Aires. The plane turned back from the Netherlands and landed in Cologne because it was the only base with a a replacement plane, the news agency said.[SEP]German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s journey to Buenos Aires for this weekend’s G20 summit was interrupted on Thursday after the government’s “Konrad Adenauer” Airbus airplane experienced “electronic problems” mid-flight, German media reports. According to DW, shortly after departing from Berlin on Thursday evening, the plane circled over the Netherlands and landed at the Cologne/Bonn airport in western Germany, which is also home base for the German government’s aircraft. Merkel, who was also traveling with Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and a pool of journalists, hoped to switch into a replacement plane at the airport, but it is unclear how the travel interruption will affect the chancellor’s attendance at the G20 summit which is due to start tomorrow. The pilot informed the chancellor and other passengers that a technical defect had caused several electronic systems on the Airbus A340-300 to fail, reported news agency DPA. This is not the first time Germany has had problems with “made in Europe” airplanes: Issues with the government’s A340 jets also caused travel problems for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during several of his diplomatic trips this year.[SEP]Don’t cry for me, Argentina. With a 14-hour delay, a mini-delegation and no husband, German chancellor Angela Merkel left for Buenos Aires on Friday morning, missing the first day of the G20 summit after a dramatic night in the skies. The chancellor’s plane made an emergency landing in Cologne on Thursday evening after an electronic fault caused a complete communications system failure. A series of unfortunate events followed: the plane was unable to dump its fuel for the 12,000km journey and the main runway in Cologne was not available. That meant the “Konrad Adenauer” government jet – a modified Airbus A340 – was forced into a hard landing on a shorter runway, with fire crews on hand to monitor the overheated brakes. “After the events I can say there was a serious defect,” said Dr Merkel on arrival. The only suitable replacement plane was in Berlin, but another crew was not available to continue the journey. So, after a short night’s sleep in a four-star Cologne hotel, the chancellor took a commercial flight from Madrid to Argentina. Her air odyssey began an hour after the government jet left Berlin at 8pm. German television journalist Bettina Schausten was sitting with other travelling press in a background briefing with Dr Merkel when the problem arose. “Someone from the air crew came in and said, ‘Madam Chancellor, please come, it’s important’, which was clearly different to normal,” said Schausten on her home station, ZDF. “We learned that the on-board electronic system had failed. The mood onboard was not fearful or agitated, the captain promised a safe landing and everything ended up fine.” After online conspiracy theories began to build, government officials insisted on Friday the problems was a “classic failure of a component that could happen at any time”. Commander Guido Heinrich, head of the German air force VIP squadron, said the failed component was responsible for the emergency electricity supply. This failure – considered extremely rare in aviation circles – meant that radio communications were inoperable, leaving a satellite phone as the only means of communication with air traffic control, as were controls to dump excess fuel as usual in the case of emergency landings. After landing with a near-full tank, Dr Merkel and other passengers had to spend 70 minutes on board until the brakes had cooled. German government jets have had a run of bad luck recently. Last month finance minister Olaf Scholz was left stranded in Bali after rats ate through a government jet’s on-board cables. “The air force is certainly no poster boy if it’s unable to get the chancellor to a summit,” said Ms Schausten. “I think the chancellor has already prepared herself for some ribbing.” After wild days and mad existence in power, Dr Merkel – who stands down as leader of her party next Friday – was determined to reach Buenos Aires for the G20 summit dinner, and hopefully catch up on missed bilaterals. Her message en route to US and Chinese presidents: I kept my promise, don’t keep your distance.[SEP]German Chancellor Angela Merkel's journey to Buenos Aires for this weekend's G20 summit was interrupted on Thursday after the government's "Konrad Adenauer" Airbus airplane experienced "electronic problems" mid-flight, German media report. Merkel’s plane had to return after just an hour into the 15-hour flight to Buenos Aires after experiencing a technical malfunction. According to DW, shortly after departing from Berlin on Thursday evening, the plane circled over the Netherlands and landed at the Cologne/Bonn airport in western Germany, which is also home base for the German government's aircraft. Merkel, who was also traveling with Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and a pool of journalists, hoped to switch into a replacement plane at the airport, but it is unclear how the travel interruption will affect the chancellor's attendance at the G20 summit which is due to start tomorrow, and where Merkel is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Syria and Ukraine, including the recent incident in the Kerch Strait. The pilot informed the chancellor and other passengers that a technical defect had caused several electronic systems on the Airbus A340-300 to fail, reported news agency DPA. This is not the first time Germany has had problems with "made in Europe" airplanes: Issues with the government's A340 jets also caused travel problems for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during several of his diplomatic trips this year.

An emergency landing delays German chancellor Angela Merkel's arrival at the summit due to a complete shutdown of the onboard-ground communication system aboard the official Airbus A340-313 Konrad Adenauer.

The Kremlin said Thursday that Washington confirmed a one-on-one meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina, but Trump later announced that he was canceling the meeting. In a tweet from Air Force One en route to the summit in Buenos Aires, Trump blamed the cancellation on Russia's seizure of Ukrainian ships and sailors over the weekend. Trump had previously cast the Buenos Aires sit-down into doubt, telling The Washington Post he might cancel seeing Putin after Russia's naval action sparked global condemnation and a sharp escalation in tensions between the neighbors. But he seemed to reverse course as he left the White House on Thursday, telling reporters that the meeting with Putin was still on. Shortly afterward, however, Trump tweeted: "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. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!" Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow: "We are expecting the two presidents to speak briefly at first, but everything is left to the discretion of the heads of state." As he left the White House on Thursday en route to Argentina, Trump said: "I probably will be meeting with President Putin. We haven't terminated that meeting." He added that he would be getting a "finalized report" on Ukraine while on the plane. Peskov said the agenda for the meeting scheduled for Saturday between Putin and Trump included strategic security, bilateral relations, disarmament and regional conflicts. "This is in the interests of not only our two countries, but the world at large," he said. He said American and Russian delegations would also convene for talks that may last an hour. It was not immediately clear whether those talks were still on. The crisis between Russia and Ukraine has continued to deepen. Kiev is hoping Trump will push Putin on the confrontation, which began Sunday when Russia fired on Ukrainian ships trying to enter the Kerch Strait, a crucial waterway separating the Black and Azov seas. But while Russia's maritime maneuvers have been sharply criticized by senior U.S. and Western officials, Trump has been more reticent on the issue. He stopped short of condemning Russia, instead saying, "I don't like that aggression." Limited martial law in Ukraine is in place for 30 days, and Russia said Wednesday it was strengthening air defense and early warning radar systems on the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine four years ago. The Kremlin also scoffed at an appeal by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko for NATO to reinforce the Azov Sea with naval ships, saying this was yet another provocation by Kiev designed to further escalate the situation. Kiev is banking on its Western allies to provide military support to contain Russia, which it says is preparing to invade its territory by land. The latest crisis threatens to significantly worsen the conflict. Fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces has resulted in the deaths of 10,300 people. There have been widespread calls for Russia to immediately release 24 Ukrainian sailors it captured, and some European leaders have called for fresh sanctions against Russia. But Russia, for the most part, has shrugged off Western pressure. Russia maintains that the crisis was created by Poroshenko for political gain. The deeply unpopular leader could seek reelection in a vote in March. The Washington Post's Natalia Abbakumova in Moscow and John Wagner and William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report. First published in The Washington Post[SEP]BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Will U.S. President Donald Trump’s much-heralded meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Argentina on Saturday lead to an easing of the Sino-U.S. trade conflict? That has been the main question of financial and commodity markets leading up to the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. The answer is likely to steer investors at the start of the coming week. Signals leading up to the meeting were at best mixed. “I think we’re very close to doing something with China, but I don’t know that I want to do it,” Trump said as he set out on his journey from the White House. The state-run China Daily newspaper said any deal was unlikely to be a comprehensive solution to the impasse due to “diverging demands and agendas”. Economists at UBS expressed hope that a positive message could at least emerge, with a path towards resolution some time next year, but that recent U.S. actions and statements had tempered their optimism. ING was downbeat on a breakthrough coming soon, adding that two sides remained far apart on the extent to which China’s trade surplus with the United States could be reduced. ING Bank forecasts that global trade growth will slow from 2.6 percent this year to 1.3 percent in 2019, the weakest rate since 2009, when the global financial crisis was at its height. The estimate is based on an intensified U.S.-China trade war in which Washington increases tariffs on $200 billion of products to 25 percent in January from 10 percent now and then targets the $267 billion of Chinese exports not already subject to measures. Without that, global trade growth could be unchanged at 2.6 percent. However, if Trump also decides to hike import duties on cars, that growth would slump to 0.5 percent next year, ING says. Trump has threatened for months to impose auto tariffs, notably those made in Europe, although he has pledged to refrain from doing so for the European Union and Japan as long as it makes constructive progress in trade talks with the pair. However, Trump reignited speculation on Wednesday by saying new auto tariffs were “being studied” and asserting they could prevent jobs cuts such as the layoffs and plant closures announced by General Motors Co (GM.N). Economists at Citi believe any tariffs would apply to finished vehicles but not to auto parts and the principal question is not if, but when, they will be unveiled. As speculation has intensified, top executives from German carmakers Volkswagen (VOWG.DE), BMW (BMWG.DE) and Daimler (DAIGn.DE), previous targets of Trump’s criticism, are set to visit the White House next week. Once markets have absorbed the fruits of the Trump-Xi exchange, investors may shift focus to at least two events at the end of the week. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies meet on Dec. 6-7 and are expected to discuss a possible production cut. Oil prices have fallen by more than 20 percent in November, to make it the biggest monthly drop in a decade. The United States will also report its widely watched monthly jobs report on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters forecast that the unemployment rate will hold at a 49-year low of 3.7 percent and that year-on-year wage growth will also match the 3.1 percent of October, itself a nine-and-a-half-year high. The figures, if confirmed, should make it a near-certainty that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates for a fourth time this year at its Dec. 18-19 meeting, even as its chairman Jerome Powell signals a more cautious approach on future rate hikes next year. “While sentiment may be a bit gloomy after the fallout from G20 meeting the more positive tone to the U.S. macro story could improve spirits as we move through the week,” said James Knightley, chief international economist at ING.[SEP]WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday suddenly canceled a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for this week's Group of 20 industrialized nations summit in Argentina, citing the current Ukraine crisis. "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. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!" Trump tweeted after departing for the G20 summit. Trump's tweet was a sudden turnaround. Roughly an hour earlier, he had told reporters he would probably meet with Putin at the summit and said it was "a very good time to have the meeting." But Trump had also said he would get a final report during the flight to Argentina on the tension in the region after Russia seized Ukrainian vessels near Crimea on Sunday. Differences over Ukraine, as well as Moscow's role in the civil war in Syria, have been an irritant in U.S.-Russian relations for years. The administration of former President Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. That in part brought ties between Washington and Moscow to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. Since then, the United States has investigated Russia's possible interference in the 2016 presidential election that Trump won. Russia has denied meddling and Trump has repeatedly said there was no collusion. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.[SEP]MOSCOW, (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko of orchestrating a naval “provocation” in the Black Sea at the weekend in order to boost his flagging popularity ratings before an election next year. Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews on Sunday over what it said was their illegal entry into Russian waters, something Ukraine denies. The episode has raised fears in the West of a wider conflict between the two countries and Kiev has since introduced martial law in parts of the country, saying it fears a possible Russian invasion. Some of Ukraine’s Western allies have raised the possibility of imposing new sanctions on Russia over the incident, which could deliver a blow to the Russian economy. In his first public comments on the incident, Putin said the Ukrainian vessels had clearly been in the wrong, dismissed the incident as a minor border issue, and accused Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko of having orchestrated the mini crisis in order to boost his dire ratings. “It was without doubt a provocation,” Putin told a financial forum in Moscow. “It was organised by the president ahead of the elections. The president is in fifth place ratings-wise and therefore had to do something. It was used as a pretext to introduce martial law.” Ukraine was successfully using the episode to sell anti-Russian sentiment and the West was ready to forgive Ukrainian politicians their shortcomings because it bought into the narrative Kiev was promoting, said Putin. The Russian leader was speaking after Moscow said it would send more of its advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to Crimea, the Ukrainian region it annexed in 2014, and a Reuters reporter saw a Russian warship deploying nearby as tensions with Ukraine rose. Fallout from the episode risks derailing a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin at a G20 summit in Argentina later this week. Trump said on Tuesday that he might cancel the meeting due to the incident, but Putin said on Wednesday he still hoped to meet Trump.[SEP]The president canceled on Putin not long after his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, revealed he had lied to Congress to cover up that he was negotiating a real estate deal in Moscow on Trump's behalf during the Republican presidential primary in 2016. The news ensured any meeting with Putin would have put a spotlight on the special counsel's investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow during the campaign. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.[SEP]President Donald Trump canceled his planned bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was slated to take place Saturday during the G-20 Summit in Argentina. Trump indicated that the move was in response to the Russia’s seizing three Ukrainian ships and imprisoning 24 sailors in the Sea of Azoz, near the Crimean Peninsula, over the weekend. He tweeted news of the cancellation from onboard Air Force One on his way to Buenos Aires. “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,” Trump wrote. He added, “I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!” Prior to leaving for his trip, Trump sounded more positive that the meeting with Putin would take place during an exchange with reporters at the White House. “I probably will meet with President Putin,” he said. “We haven’t terminated the meeting. I was thinking about it, but we haven’t. They’d like to have it. I think it’s a very good time to have the meeting.” However, Trump offered the caveat, “I’m getting a full report on the plane as to what happened with respect to that, and that will determine what I’m going to be doing.” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters traveling with the president that Trump’s decision was made after conferring with Chief of Staff John Kelly, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton. Sanders added that Russia had been made aware of the decision. “A Kremlin spokesperson told a Russian state media outlet that if the meeting was off, Putin would have several hours freed up for other important meetings,” USA Today reported. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were looking to Trump to take a much tougher stance toward Putin than he did during his Helsinki Summit with the Russian leader in July. “It’s just about standing up for what we believe in because I think when you don’t stand up to Russia, or other countries that would take that kind of aggressive activity, they take from it that it’s somehow acceptable,” Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told USA Today. The top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, feels the cancellation means a lost opportunity. “I would have liked him to meet Putin and challenge Putin, to find his spine as it relates to Putin’s violation of the international order,” Menendez told CNN. “What I wouldn’t want to see is another Helsinki performance. This was (Trump’s) opportunity to redeem himself…and instead he’s abdicating it.” CNBC reported that Bolton said on Tuesday that Trump and Putin had planned to continue discussions begun in Helsinki on issues concerning arms control and other security issues. Trump’s decision comes the same day special counsel Robert Mueller entered into a new plea agreement with former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen. Cohen pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress about a Moscow building project the Trump Organization was considering in early 2016. Mueller made news two days before Trump was slated to meet with Putin in July by announcing the indictments of 12 Russian agents for allegedly interfering in the 2016 election. The effect, then as now, was to raise the profile of the Russia investigation just as Trump was preparing to meet with the Russian leader. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.[SEP]Diplomats from the Group of 20 countries were haggling hard over a final summit statement Friday, with deep divisions over what language to use on the Paris climate accord and the WTO, say two European officials involved in the discussions. Facing the prospect of a no-statement summit, European delegations were trying to create a common front and may come out with their own separate declaration if they can't get the US or others on board. European leaders were meeting in the morning at the summit venue in the Argentine capital to stake out common positions on trade, climate and the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. France is seeking to build coalitions on certain issues or "ad hoc partnerships" to try to salvage the spirit of the G20 even if all countries can't agree, according to a French official. The officials weren't authorised to be named speaking about the closed-door discussions and spoke on condition of anonymity. The G20 was supposed to focus on issues like development, infrastructure and investment, but as the gathering officially kicked off, those themes seem like afterthoughts, overshadowed by contentious matters from the US-China trade dispute to the conflict over Ukraine. European Council President Donald Tusk urged G20 leaders to discuss "trade wars, the tragic situation in Syria and Yemen, and Russian aggression in Ukraine". He said the European Union is expected to extend sanctions on Moscow over its "totally unacceptable" seizure of Ukrainian ships and their crews near Crimea. "Europe is united in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Tusk said, calling the standoff "a cause of great concern". Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in Buenos Aires on Friday morning, is among the leaders involved. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over the ship incident. Also expected to loom large amid dozens of bilateral meetings in Buenos Aires: the gruesome slaying of Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate and how the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who is alleged to have ordered the killing, is received by world leaders. Saudi Arabia has denied that MBS played a role, but some leaders may be cool toward him to avoid seeming to legitimise a man who US intelligence agencies concluded ordered the killing. US President Donald Trump's administration has made clear it does not want to torpedo the longstanding US relationship with Riyadh, however. It is the prince's first significant appearance overseas since the killing. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been sharply critical of Saudi Arabia over the incident, is also in attendance. Leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico met in the morning to sign a trade deal replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement that was struck following months of tough negotiations that analysts say left a bitter taste among the partners. Trump called the pact known the USMCA a "model agreement that changes the trade landscape forever". It must still be ratified by lawmakers in all three countries, and passage in the US could face a tough road in the House of Representatives after Democrats won a majority in November midterm elections. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose six-year term ends Saturday, said the deal modernises the trade framework, highlights a need for economic integration in North America and protects labour rights and the environment. Trade agreements should "move along with the economy", Pena Nieto said. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on Trump to remove tariffs on steel and aluminium, saying they remain a major economic obstacle. Trump met in the morning with summit host and Argentine President Mauricio Macri at the presidential palace known as the Casa Rosada, or Pink House. Posing for photos in a gilded salon, Trump spoke about their longtime personal relationship and said they would discuss trade, military purchases and other issues. An expected high-profile bilateral meeting between Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin planned for Saturday was abruptly cancelled by Trump the previous day in a tweet citing Russia's seizure of Ukrainian vessels over the weekend. Russian news agencies quoted Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the cancellation means Putin will have more time for "useful meetings". Trump was still scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but analysts were not optimistic about prospects for a major breakthrough on the two countries' trade disputes a month before US tariffs on Chinese goods are set to ramp up. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was supposed to get in to Buenos Aires early Friday, but her arrival was delayed when her plane suffered a technical problem and returned to Germany on Thursday night. Merkel's office said Friday that she and a small delegation, including the finance minister, took a different government plane to Madrid and then boarded a commercial flight to Buenos Aires. The British Embassy in Argentina said Prime Minister Theresa May's visit would be the first by a UK prime minister to Argentina's capital. The only other prime minister to visit the country was Tony Blair, who went to Puerto Iguazu in 2001. The two countries have long been at odds over the Falkland Islands. Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie said the recent establishment of more flights to the disputed islands was a positive development. Regarding May's visit, he said: "Macri has reiterated at various moments that dialogue must be maintained. The issue of sovereignty is always on the table." "We are not withdrawing our historic claim," he added. "The focus of this opportunity is in the reestablishment of trust."[SEP]President Donald Trump canceled his planned bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was slated to take place Saturday during the G-20 Summit in Argentina. Trump indicated that the move was in response to the Russia’s seizing three Ukrainian ships and imprisoning 24 sailors in the Sea of Azoz, near the Crimean Peninsula, over the weekend. He tweeted news of the cancellation from onboard Air Force One on his way to Buenos Aires. “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,” Trump wrote. He added, “I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!” TRENDING: Trump Issues Warning to GM CEO After Factory Closure Announcement – ‘You’re Playing Around with the Wrong Person’ Prior to leaving for his trip, Trump sounded more positive that the meeting with Putin would take place during an exchange with reporters at the White House. “I probably will meet with President Putin,” he said. “We haven’t terminated the meeting. I was thinking about it, but we haven’t. They’d like to have it. I think it’s a very good time to have the meeting.” However, Trump offered the caveat, “I’m getting a full report on the plane as to what happened with respect to that, and that will determine what I’m going to be doing.” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters traveling with the president that Trump’s decision was made after conferring with Chief of Staff John Kelly, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton. Sanders added that Russia had been made aware of the decision. “A Kremlin spokesperson told a Russian state media outlet that if the meeting was off, Putin would have several hours freed up for other important meetings,” USA Today reported. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were looking to Trump to take a much tougher stance toward Putin than he did during his Helsinki Summit with the Russian leader in July. “It’s just about standing up for what we believe in because I think when you don’t stand up to Russia, or other countries that would take that kind of aggressive activity, they take from it that it’s somehow acceptable,” Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told USA Today. The top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, feels the cancellation means a lost opportunity. “I would have liked him to meet Putin and challenge Putin, to find his spine as it relates to Putin’s violation of the international order,” Menendez told CNN. “What I wouldn’t want to see is another Helsinki performance. This was (Trump’s) opportunity to redeem himself…and instead he’s abdicating it.” CNBC reported that Bolton said on Tuesday that Trump and Putin had planned to continue discussions begun in Helsinki on issues concerning arms control and other security issues. Trump’s decision comes the same day special counsel Robert Mueller entered into a new plea agreement with former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen. Cohen pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress about a Moscow building project the Trump Organization was considering in early 2016. Mueller made news two days before Trump was slated to meet with Putin in July by announcing the indictments of 12 Russian agents for allegedly interfering in the 2016 election. The effect, then as now, was to raise the profile of the Russia investigation just as Trump was preparing to meet with the Russian leader. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.[SEP]MOSCOW (Reuters) - The United States has confirmed that a meeting in Argentina between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin would go ahead on Saturday at a G20 summit, the Kremlin said on Thursday. The meeting was thrown into doubt on Tuesday when Trump said he might cancel it after Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels at the weekend.[SEP]WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday suddenly canceled a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for this week’s Group of 20 industrialized nations summit in Argentina, citing the current Ukraine crisis. “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. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!” Trump tweeted after departing for the G20 summit. Trump’s tweet was a sudden turnaround. Roughly an hour earlier, he had told reporters he would probably meet with Putin at the summit and said it was “a very good time to have the meeting.” But Trump had also said he would get a final report during the flight to Argentina on the tension in the region after Russia seized Ukrainian vessels near Crimea on Sunday. Differences over Ukraine, as well as Moscow’s role in the civil war in Syria, have been an irritant in U.S.-Russian relations for years. The administration of former President Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. That in part brought ties between Washington and Moscow to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. Since then, the United States has investigated Russia’s possible interference in the 2016 presidential election that Trump won. Russia has denied meddling and Trump has repeatedly said there was no collusion.

After Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the summit is still on, while flying to Argentina, President Trump tweets that, after conferring with his top National Security advisers, he decided to cancel the meeting, adding that it was not a good time since Russia has not returned the ships and sailors to Ukraine. Less than an hour earlier, Trump said that he would "probably" meet Putin and that he believed it was "a good time to have the meeting."

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning continued to rail against General Motors' announced closures and layoffs, using them to again threaten tariffs on imported autos and auto parts. In tweets Wednesday, Trump mentioned the so-called chicken tax – a 25 percent tariff placed on imported light-duty trucks in the U.S. initially created in response to other countries' taxes on imported chicken from the U.S. – as "The reason that the small truck business in the U.S. is such a go-to favorite." "If we did that with cars coming in, many more cars would be built here," Trump tweeted. Trump has been threatening for much of his presidency to tax imported autos and auto parts, saying it would save and create manufacturing jobs in the U.S. His administration is in the midst of a review of whether such a move could be made under national security grounds. But many carmakers are dead-set against such a move, saying it would increase the costs of production and set in motion a trade war that could hurt their businesses. In September, other Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee criticized the proposal as well, citing estimates they could result in a $73-billion tax increase on consumers and put hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk. More: Trump's plan to tax auto imports blasted by Senate Republicans More: Trump threatens punishment for GM after plant closures, layoff news More: Democrats say GM gets tax cuts while workers get shafted Trump argued again Wednesday, however, that tariffs may be the incentive needed for GM to keep U.S. plants open in the wake of an announcement Monday that it would shed some 14,000 jobs nationwide and close assembly plants in Michigan, Maryland and Ohio. If tariffs were put in place, he said, "G.M. would not be closing (those) plants. Get smart Congress. Also, the countries that send us cars have taken advantage of the U.S. for decades." He ended with a threat, noting that regardless of congressional action, "The President has great power on this issue — Because of the G.M. event, it is being studied now!" As president, Trump could order tariffs to be increased under his present authority. But that authority — which was granted by Congress — could be challenged by votes in the U.S. House and Senate. Meanwhile, there have already been reports that Trump could look to add tariffs on autos as early as next week, following this weekend's G20 talks in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Trump has sharply criticized GM following Monday's announcement, first saying he was "not happy" and had spoken directly to CEO Mary Barra about it and then, on Tuesday, threatening to cut subsidies for the company — which appeared especially aimed at one it and other automakers rely on to sell electric vehicles. It was far from clear that Trump could do much to stop that benefit as well without having Congress change the law, and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, said such a move would be "the exact opposite of what we should be doing right now. This is a time when we should be supporting the new jobs being created for our talented auto workers, not doubling down on policies that will hurt them.” Tuesday afternoon, GM put out a statement saying, "We appreciate the actions this administration has taken on behalf of industry to improve the overall competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing" and said it remains "committed to maintaining a strong manufacturing presence in the U.S." It did not directly address the president's remarks, however. Barra said Monday the moves were being made to reposition the company at a time of downturn in auto sales overall. Meanwhile, it's also worth noting that when it comes to popular smaller trucks, not all are made solely in the U.S. now. While Ford's F-150 is the most popular vehicle and GM actually has larger market share for trucks than anyone, the most popular midsize truck is the Toyota Tacoma, which is assembled in Texas and Mexico. Competition is heating up in the segment and production will increase. GM and Ford build their midsize trucks in the United States, and Fiat Chrysler plans a Jeep truck to be built in Toledo.[SEP]BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The Latest on President Donald Trump at the Group of 20 summit (all times local): President Donald Trump is meeting Argentine President Mauricio Macri as he kicks off two days of diplomacy at the G-20 meeting. The leaders greeted each other warmly Friday as the annual meeting of leaders from rich and developing nations opened in Buenos Aires. Trump spoke about his longtime personal friendship with Macri and said they would discuss trade, military purchases and other issues. Macri is hosting his counterparts as he struggles with a raft of domestic issues, including trying to halt economic turmoil that has caused the steep depreciation of the Argentine peso. Trump and Macri enjoy a personal relationship dating back to their days as businessman. Macri visited the White House soon after Trump took office in 2017. President Donald Trump is blasting the investigation in which his former lawyer pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about a Moscow real estate deal he pursued for Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. Michael Cohen says he lied to be consistent with Trump's "political messaging." Trump says Cohen is lying now. In a tweet Friday from Argentina, Trump recalled "happily living" his life as a developer before running for president after seeing the "Country going in the wrong direction." Trump says "Against all odds" he decided to run for president and continue to run his business, which he calls "very legal & very cool." He says he "talked about it on the campaign trail." Trump tweets he "Lightly looked at doing a building somewhere in Russia. Put up zero money, zero guarantees and didn't do the project. Witch Hunt!" President Trump kicks off two days of diplomacy at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina on Friday after his abrupt decision to cancel a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin overshadowed the proceedings before they even started. Trump barreled into the two-day meeting by announcing via Twitter that he was canceling on Putin over Russia's seizure of Ukrainian vessels. His agenda Friday is expected to include meetings with world leaders, the signing of a revamped trade deal with Canada and Mexico, as well as a number of group activities for the gathering of rich and developing nations. Coming into this G-20, Trump faces a series of diplomatic challenges — most notably whether he can strike an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) to ease trade tensions. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump frequently credits himself with accomplishing more for the military and veterans than any other president in recent memory. But he has yet to embark on what has long been a traditional presidential pilgrimage important to the military: a visit to troops deployed in a war zone. As he departed Tuesday for Florida to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday at his private club in Palm Beach, Trump said he'd soon correct the oversight. "I'm going to a war zone," he said in response to a reporter's question about his support for the troops. He did not say when he would be making the trip or where he planned to go. An official said a White House team recently returned from beginning to plan for such a visit. The omission is one of a long list of norm-breaking moves that underscore the Republican president's increasingly fraught relationship with the military, which has celebrated Trump's investments in defense spending but cringed at what some see as efforts to politicize their service. ALSO READ | US President Donald Trump​ is inspiring hate: Katherine Waterston Just this week, Trump leveled criticism against the storied commander of the 2011 mission that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, retired Adm. William McRaven. "Wouldn't it have been nice if we got Osama bin Laden a lot sooner than that, wouldn't it have been nice?" Trump said. The latest controversy followed a pattern of concerns raised by former senior military officers about Trump's grasp of the military's role, and it comes as White House aides and defense officials have raised alarm about what they view as the president's disinterest in briefings about troop deployments overseas. Shortly after taking office, Trump appeared to try to deflect responsibility for the death of a service member, William "Ryan" Owens, in a failed operation in Yemen, saying planning for the mission began under his predecessor and was backed by senior military commanders. "They explained what they wanted to do, the generals, who are very respected," he told "Fox & Friends" at the time. "And they lost Ryan." Trump won the White House on a platform of ending U.S. military commitments abroad, but he's been bedeviled by many of the same challenges as his predecessors. More American troops are now deployed in conflict zones than when he took office. Aides have suggested that Trump is wary of traveling to conflict zones where he doesn't fully support the mission. Trump begrudgingly backed a surge of troops in Afghanistan last year and boosted U.S. deployments in Iraq, Syria and Africa to counter the Islamic State and other extremist groups. Trump said last week in a "Fox News Sunday" interview that he was "very much opposed to the war in Iraq. I think it was a tremendous mistake, should have never happened." Trump, in fact, offered lukewarm support for the invasion at the time but began offering public doubts about the mission after the conflict began in March 2003. At home, some assert that Trump's decision to send thousands of active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border shortly before the Nov. 6 midterm elections was a political stunt. And Defense Department officials said they rejected requests by the Department of Homeland Security — and backed by the White House — for armed active-duty troops to bolster Border Patrol agents, saying it ran afoul of federal law. Trump also drew criticism for his decision not to visit Arlington National Cemetery to mark Veterans Day, following his trip to Europe. He said later he "should have" visited the cemetery but was too busy with official business. His public schedule that day listed no events. In the "Fox News Sunday" interview, Trump was asked why he hadn't visited the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan in the two years he's served as commander in chief. "Well, I think you will see that happen," he said. "There are things that are being planned." He also touted his support for the men and women in uniform. "I don't think anybody's been more with the military than I have, as a president," Trump said. "In terms of funding, in terms of all of the things I've been able to get them, including the vets, I don't think anybody's done more than me." Trump received five draft deferments during the Vietnam War, four for education and one for a diagnosis of bone spurs — though he later told The New York Times he could not remember which foot was affected by the malady or how long it lasted. Trump told The Associated Press in a recent interview that he doesn't think visiting troops in a war zone is "overly necessary." "I've been very busy with everything that's taking place here," he added.[SEP]The US Senate on Wednesday blocked an expedited vote on legislation intended to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who’s leading the Russia investigation, from being fired. Republican Senator Jeff Flake, along with two Democratic senators, tried to get a unanimous consent in the upper chamber of Congress to schedule the legislation for a vote, citing escalated attacks from President Donald Trump against the wide-ranging inquiry. “With the President tweeting on a regular basis, a daily basis, that the special counsel is conflicted, that he is leading so-called 12 angry Democrats and demeaning and ridiculing him in every way, to be so sanguine about the chances of him being fired is folly for us,” Flake said. Republican Senator Mike Lee objected to the request, saying the bill, known as the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, was unconstitutional. Read also| At G20, Donald Trump to advance a global economic system based on fair economic competition, says White House If such as bill were passed it would “fundamentally undermine the principle of separation of powers” and create a “de facto fourth branch of government”, Lee said. This was the second time the attempt to get a vote on the legislation failed. The bill has already been approved at the committee level with bipartisan support, but has been kept off the floor by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, who has said there is no need to vote on it. He called it a “solution in search of a problem” on Tuesday. Under the Senate rules, senators can go to the floor to request a vote or passage of any bill or nomination. But any one senator can block their requests. Flake pledged that they would come back to the Senate floor to try to set up the bill for a vote again. Trump continued his attacks against Mueller and his team on Wednesday by describing them as “angry Mueller gang of Dems” on Twitter, as new developments have put the probe under national spotlight. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been accused of repeatedly lying to investigators after pleading guilty to federal charges related to his work as an unregistered lobbyist for Ukraine — prior to his time with the Trump campaign. Prosecutors alleged Manafort had violated a plea agreement that he signed in September with Mueller, according to a court filing released on Monday. The allegation has fueled speculation Manafort might be angling for a pardon. Trump has not ruled out the possibility of pardoning Manafort. After the midterm election earlier this month, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was forced to step down and Trump named Matthew Whitaker, who once criticised the Mueller probe, as acting attorney general. Whitaker is now overseeing it in pace of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, another long-time target of Trump’s criticism. The bill that passed the Senate Judiciary Committee would protect Mueller, or any other special counsel, in the event he is fired, by codifying Justice Department regulations that say only a senior department official could fire Mueller or another special counsel. It would also give a special counsel an “expedited review” of their firing. If a court determines that it wasn’t for “good cause”, the special counsel would be reinstated. Mueller, who was appointed in May 2017, is looking into the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election and any potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow, among other matters that may arise from the investigation. Trump has repeatedly dismissed any collusion between his campaign and the Russians while slamming the Russia probe as a “hoax” or “witch hunt” but has denied trying maneuvering to shut down the investigation.[SEP]Joy Behar celebrated her 20th anniversary as co-host of “The View” on Thursday, and she suggested that if that weren’t reason enough for President Donald Trump to resign (as a gift to her), his former lawyer Michael Cohen also pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about plans for a Trump Tower in Moscow. Cohen lied about the timing of the negotiations, originally saying all discussion of the project ended in January 2016, but in reality he admitted the talks continued “as late as approximately June 2016.” MICHAEL COHEN PLEADS GUILTY TO LYING: The co-hosts react to the president's former personal attorney pleading guilty to lying to Congress in a new deal with special counsel Robert Mueller in Trump-Russia probe. https://t.co/NZE0ittEtL pic.twitter.com/n52aY0KkxZ — The View (@TheView) November 29, 2018 Sunny Hostin, another “View” co-host and a lawyer, was critical of Trump. “If these negotiations were going on while he was president,” she noted, “it’s precisely what the framers of our Constitution wrote in to protect the American people against.” But Behar, a vehement critic of Trump, took an even more aggressive stance on the revelation. “Today is a good day for Donald Trump to resign,” she said. “Twenty years for me, that would be my gift. Donald, do it for me.” In response to Cohen’s guilty plea, Trump called his former attorney “weak” and said he’d only hired Cohen because the lawyer had once done him a favor. He did not specify what that favor was.[SEP]Michael Cohen walks out of federal court on Thursday in New York. Cohen admitted he lied to Congress about Donald Trump's real estate negotiations in Moscow. Image credit: Julie Jacobson Updated at 11:49 a.m. ET Donald Trump and his aides continued negotiations about a potential Trump Tower project in Moscow well into the 2016 presidential campaign, his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen acknowledged in a guilty plea in a New York federal court on Thursday. Cohen admitted that he lied to Congress last year when he said that those discussions had ended in January 2016 and that his overtures to the Russian government went unrequited. In fact, the talks continued through June, and Cohen did hear back from one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top aides, spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to court documents. Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that Cohen is lying. But that even if Cohen weren’t lying, the president said, he hadn’t broken any law. “There would be nothing wrong if I did do it,” he said. Trump said his pledge not to conclude new deals only applied after he had been elected and inaugurated. He was perfectly within his rights to continue to run his businesses even as he pursued the presidency, he said. Trump said he ultimately decided not to pursue a real estate project in Russia, but it isn’t clear precisely how discussions ended over the notional Trump Tower in Moscow. What the new information means The new timeline established by Cohen’s plea means that the talks with Russians and the Russian government were ongoing when Trump became the GOP front-runner and not long before he formally became the party’s nominee. People described in the court papers, including Cohen, even discussed when to schedule potential trips to Russia as part of their negotiations as they planned for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. The GOP adopted a platform at that convention that softened the party’s official view on support for Ukraine, which Russia had invaded in 2014. It isn’t clear whether there’s any link among Russians, American political figures and that change in the platform, although such a connection has long been a subject of speculation. Cohen’s acknowledgement on Thursday also means that the negotiations with Russians were taking place the same month as the much-discussed meeting in New York City at which the president’s top campaign aides hosted a Russian delegation that had offered dirt on Hillary Clinton. Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. have admitted that campaign leaders went into the meeting expecting material that would be useful against the Democratic presidential nominee but said that this is common practice in politics and that nothing came from it. According to accounts from people in the meeting that were given to Congress and from elsewhere, the Russians provided a tip about people who they said were improperly funneling money to the Democratic National Committee. Trump Jr. has said he did not take any action based on that tip. The question about what Trump knew specifically about that meeting and generally about Russia’s wave of active measures against the U.S. is at the heart of the investigation being run by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller is trying to determine whether anyone on Trump’s campaign conspired with the Russians who interfered with the election using cyberattacks, the dumping of stolen data, agitation on social media and other techniques. Trump has denied publicly that he had any knowledge at the time and said as much in written answers recently given to Mueller’s office, according to reports on Wednesday. Trump’s opponents faulted what they called the deepening air of criminality around the president’s sometime-associates, several of whom have pleaded guilty in the Russia case or associated investigations. “This is yet another example of the President’s closest allies lying about their contacts with Russia. With each indictment and each guilty plea, we learn more about the president’s connections to Russia in the midst of Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 election,” said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee. Warner’s committee was one of the two to which Cohen gave statements that his guilty plea now admits were lies. Warner and other Democrats say the prospect of increasing pressure from Mueller’s office means the Senate must pass legislation that would protect him from being pressured or fired by the president. “Special counsel Mueller’s investigation must continue — free from political interference by the president — until the truth is out, and Congress should pass legislation immediately to make sure that happens,” Warner said. The other committee to which Cohen has now admitted lying was the House intelligence panel; its incoming chairman, California Rep. Adam Schiff, said on Thursday that the plea shows how important it will be to launch new investigations in 2019. “These false statements regarding the continued pursuit of a Moscow-Trump Tower deal during much of the presidential campaign only underscore the importance of a thorough investigation into any financial entanglement between Trump and Russia,” he said.[SEP]WASHINGTON — The slow-motion suspense of Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia sped up suddenly Thursday as Michael Cohen, the president’s former lawyer, admitted to a New York judge he lied to congressional investigators last year about discussions surrounding an aborted plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. The surprise pivot, which the president promptly shrugged off as a last-ditch bid for a reduced sentence on Cohen’s unrelated convictions for tax evasion and bank fraud, came just days after Trump submitted written answers to questions from special counsel Robert Mueller. In a statement in court, Cohen described how his role as a lawyer and fixer for Trump bridged the former chief executive’s transformation from Manhattan real-estate mogul to presidential candidate in 2016, and how he followed his boss’s script of “repeated disavowals” of ties to Russia. And he described telling two congressional intelligence committees that the discussions about Trump possibly building one of his trademark skyscrapers in Moscow had come to a halt by January 2016, when the presidential campaign was ramping up in advance of the Iowa caucuses. “That description was false, I knew at the time, in that I had asserted that all efforts concerning the project had ceased in January of 2016 when, in fact, they had continued through June of 2016,” Cohen said. He also admitted he had “extensive communications” with Trump — referred to throughout the statement as “Individual One” — about the project, rather than the “limited” ones he told Congress about, and that the pair did in fact discuss the issue of travelling to Russia, contrary to what he told the committees. “I made these misstatements to be consistent with Individual One’s political messaging and out of loyalty to Individual One.” Trump, unsolicited, tore a strip off his former lawyer, accusing him of seeking to mitigate the damage from an earlier unrelated guilty plea on charges of tax evasion, bank fraud and violating campaign finance laws. “He was convicted of various things unrelated to us, he was given a fairly long jail sentence, and he’s a weak person,” Trump said before embarking on a trip to Argentina for Friday’s G20 meetings. “Unlike other people that you watch, he’s a weak person and what he’s trying to do is get a reduced sentence. He’s lying about a project that everybody knew about.” Trump went on to sound all but certain that once in Argentina, he would sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin to talk about the Russian navy’s brazen confrontation with Ukraine on the Sea of Azov, only to abruptly reverse course minutes later after getting on board Air Force One. “I think it’s a very good time to have the meeting,” he said on the ground. “I’m getting a full report on the plane as to what happened … and that will determine what I’m going to be doing.” White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the final decision was made in consultation with national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The Kremlin said it had not been formally notified of the decision, which came hours after Moscow said the meeting was on track. Cohen’s admission comes just one week after Trump and his lawyers provided written answers to questions posed by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is at the helm of a sweeping investigation of the Trump campaign’s links to Russia and that country’s role, if any, in swaying the 2016 presidential election. It also follows Monday’s decision by Mueller to call off his team’s co-operation agreement with Paul Manafort, who has also pleaded guilty to a number of financial charges, upon learning that Trump’s former campaign chief had lied about “a variety of subject matters” after agreeing to work with the special counsel. All of it suggests Mueller is close to showing his cards, said Capri Cafaro, executive in residence at American University’s School of Public Affairs. “Something is going on,” said Cafaro, a former Democratic minority leader in the Ohio state senate. “We’re seeing a lot of developments come out in succession … obviously, progress seems to be being made, because we’re seeing actions being taken in the public sphere, like with Manafort and now with Cohen.” Thursday’s hearing reinforces the narrative — first borne of Cohen’s admission earlier this year that he made hush-money payments during the campaign on Trump’s behalf — that the president’s former lawyer has become one of his biggest legal liabilities. “We had a position to possibly do a deal to build a building of some kind in Moscow. I decided not to do it … I was focused on running for president,” Trump said. “There would be nothing wrong if I did do it. I was running my business while I was campaigning.” Mueller’s final report could come sooner rather than later if the special counsel is at all concerned about being accused of having a political agenda, said Cafaro — releasing it in the midst of a newly sworn-in Democratic majority in the House of Representatives could provide the White House with easy talking points. “It may be likely that Mueller provides this information prior to the end of this year in order to circumvent any potential optics that it may be political,” she said. “Maybe Mueller will try to release this prior to the new Congress being sworn in just simply to make sure people don’t think he’s somehow placing any political calculus and co-ordinating the fact that the House is coming in.” Cohen is to be sentenced Dec. 12. — With files from The Associated Press[SEP]Ivanka Trump news: Ivanka wore a chic grey and black outfit for her journey to the G20 summit Ivanka Trump , 37, held hands with her husband Jared Kushner, 37, as the couple made their way to a waiting plane with Donald Trump and Melania Trump yesterday. The foursome were headed to Argentina for the G20 summit, which starts today. Ivanka looked stylish in a grey and black outfit for the journey. Mum-of-three Ivanka donned a light grey wool wrao coat, which she belted tightly at the waist. Ivanka Trump looks angelic in white as she joins Apple CEO Tim Cook Ivanka Trump news: Donald Trump is joined by his daughter & Jared Kushner at G20 summit A pearl and turquoise brooch could be seen on the collar of the coat, adding a pop of colour. Ivanka donned a pair of black suede knee high boots with the coat, meaning every inch of skin was covered. Her favourite Chanel Executive Tote, £2660, swung by her side as she walked. As she was boarding a plane, Ivanka kept her makeup simple, opting for nude lipstick and light eye makeup. She wore her hair poker straight over her shoulders, with a high side parting.[SEP]The business entity that manages US President Donald Trump’s companies and real estate ventures was planning on gifting Russia President Vladimir Putin a penthouse suite worth tens of millions of dollars at a proposed Trump Tower in Moscow if the plan could come through. That plan ultimately didn’t come to fruition, but this latest revelation, according to reporting from BuzzFeed News, adds a new wrinkle in the Trump/Russia saga, and brings into question whether similar dealings were proposed or followed through upon in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. Four sources, including one person who originated the plan, confirmed that the Trump Organization had planned to give Putin a penthouse in the proposed tower worth around $50 million. Two law enforcement officials also confirmed that Michael Cohen, who was Trump’s lawyer at the time, had spoken about the deal directly to an aide to Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary. Some details about the deal aren’t known at this point. For instance, it’s unknown whether Trump was aware about the proposal to gift Putin with the penthouse, although according to testimony given today at Cohen’s plea hearing, the lawyer regularly briefed Trump and his family members about aspects of the negotiations. Also unclear is when this part of the negotiation was proposed, if it came at early parts of the talks or later on toward the end when things fizzled out. That last part may be on the minds of investigators and many Americans who are paying close attention to the Russia inquiry. As reporting from MarketWatch pointed out, negotiations between Russia and the Trump Organization lasted well into Trump’s run for president. Previously, the president, Cohen, and people close to Trump had insisted that those negotiations had ended in January, just before the Iowa caucuses and the official start of the presidential campaign. Cohen’s statement earlier on Thursday, however, indicated that the negotiations lasted into June of 2016 — around the same time Trump earned the Republican Party’s nomination, and just a month before a controversial meeting happened at Trump Tower in New York, between a Russian lawyer with close ties to the Kremlin and Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort. After Cohen’s plea statement on Thursday, Trump denied any wrongdoing, and responded by suggesting that Cohen was a liar. “He’s a weak person and what he’s trying to do is get a reduced sentence,” Trump said, per reporting from ABC News.[SEP]With the election of six new Republicans this month and a runoff victory Tuesday for staunch Trump ally Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, the U.S. Senate will now be more pro-Trump than ever. In 2016, many Republicans had hoped to win despite Trump, rather than because of him. In 2018, it was Trump’s endorsement and repeated rallies in their states that helped propel GOP candidates to victory. Now lawmakers owe him and will be eager to champion the president's agenda. Depending on the outcome of Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, they might even provide a bulwark protecting Trump from impeachment. “These are the individuals who embraced the Trump agenda, ran with Trump and had unwavering support,” Trump’s former campaign manager and current adviser Corey Lewandowski told USA TODAY. “That is going to translate when they get to Washington to help Trump be successful.” • North Dakota senator-elect Kevin Cramer, who had been his state's sole congressman, was personally recruited by Trump to run for Senate and served as the Trump's energy adviser during the presidential transition. • Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who will be the first woman senator from Tennessee, was a top surrogate during Trump’s campaign. • Incoming Florida Sen. Rick Scott, the state’s current governor, was one of the first prominent Republican politicians in the nation to back Trump's candidacy in 2016 and has known him for decades. • Indiana businessman Mike Braun and Missouri’s Josh Hawley, the state’s attorney general, unabashedly praised the president on the trail. • Hyde-Smith, who beat Democrat Mike Espy in a runoff election, strongly supported Trump in the Senate since being appointed this year to fill an open seat. The president defended her after she made "public hanging" remarks many considered racially insensitive. They were all rewarded during the campaign with frequent visits from the president, Vice President Mike Pence and Trump family members. "He made my candidacy better just by being connected," Cramer told USA TODAY during an interview on Capitol Hill Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., center, meets with incoming GOP senators for the 116th Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., Nov. 14, 2018. From left are, Sen.-elect Mike Braun, R-Ind., Sen.-elect Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Sen.-elect Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Sen.-elect Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Sen-elect Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Sen.-elect Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. The GOP also has a wider 53-47 margin after the midterms, thanks to Republicans flipping four Democratic seats while holding onto two open seats. Democrats picked up two GOP seats, giving Republicans an overall two-seat gain. The incoming group may end up being Trump’s final protection against impeachment. The House flipped to Democratic control earlier this month, picking up nearly 40 GOP seats. Democrats are expected to open investigations into the president and his administration as soon as they take over committee gavels. That could lead to impeachment proceedings, though Democratic leadership denies it’s their goal. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host who is now vice chairwoman of a pro-Trump super PAC, said it's “hugely important” to have allies to provide “strong support” for the president in impeachment proceedings and say "listen, the country doesn’t need this." Guilfoyle traveled the country with her boyfriend, the president's son Donald Trump Jr., in the final weeks campaigning for Republicans, including Cramer, Braun and Scott. Divided government also means there likely will be showdowns over legislation on immigration, government funding and protections for special counsel Robert Mueller. Already, Congress is at an impasse over government spending because of Trump’s demand for increased border wall funding. Some of Trump’s judicial nominations have been blocked over unrelated demands to bring up a bill that would protect Mueller. If those fights spill over into the next Congress, new senators will have a say in how to proceed. Some of the group have echoed the president’s characterization of the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election as a “witch hunt.” Cramer said he doesn't think the president should fire Mueller, but said the investigation has failed to restore confidence in the justice system. This summer, Hawley said the president’s assertion he could pardon himself was “an open question.” And he said he understood why Trump was frustrated with the probe, according to The Kansas City Star. The wider GOP margin, stacked with Trump allies, could also widen the leeway for tough votes and help usher through the president’s picks for the court and administration. Republican Senator elect from Utah Mitt Romney (L) walks with Republican Senator elect from Missouri Josh Hawley (R) following the Republican leadership elections in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Nov. 14, 2018. But there is one new Republican senator who worries some Trump allies with his independence. “I think that Mitt Romney is going to be a thorn in the president’s side,” Lewandowski said. The former Massachusetts governor ran unsuccessfully for president in 2012 was critical of Trump during the 2016 election, calling him “a phony” and “a fraud.” Romney and Trump eventually patched things up and he was briefly considered as Trump’s secretary of State. Trump endorsed Romney for his Utah Senate run, but Romney has kept the president at arm’s length. Democrats worry that replacing some of the most moderate senators in the chamber with Trump allies will make it harder to make deals. “Voters and Americans thought that there was gridlock in the Senate and in Congress before. I think that is only going to get worse,” said Tara McGowan, the head of ACRONYM, a progressive digital startup. More: Meet the Democrats who could lead the investigations into President Donald Trump More: Donald Trump still faces Senate headaches despite a wider Republican majority Others say these new members will act like Republicans, not Trump clones. ”A lot of Republican senators in the senate had come to a pretty stable conclusion that they were going to ignore (Trump) on the legislative side, but they were going to defend him,” said Matt Glassman, senior fellow at the Georgetown University Government Affairs Institute. But defending Trump may have limits, even for some of his strongest supporters. When the president attacked two cable news hosts and said one had been bleeding from a facelift, Blackburn said the tweets were “were a step too far.” Scott, who won by a tiny margin in Florida after a recount, ran a Spanish-language ad during the campaign that said he didn’t always agree with the president. Trump has insulted Hispanics with his immigration stance and by calling those who cross the border illegally "animals" and "rapists." Scott also said he disagreed with the president's assessment that Democrats had bolstered the Puerto Rican death toll for political reasons. Chris Harline, a spokesman for Scott, said he has "shown that he’s willing to break with the president.” Cramer left open the possibility of himself breaking with the president on issues that require compromise with Democrats, such as immigration. But he added he thinks the president has offered up a fair solution. "My comfort will be determined by what I believe to be in the best interest of North Dakota and the country," Cramer said. "He's popular out there, but so am I." Cramer said he likes to remind Trump his margin of victory was higher than the president's in 2016. Cramer pointed out newly elected members could have opportunities for compromise. As if on cue, Vermont Rep. Peter Welch, a progressive Democrat, interrupted the conversation to congratulate Cramer on his Senate win. "I love him," Cramer said as Welch walked away. Rory Cooper, a Republican strategist for former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor but no fan of Trump, said, “Just because you act like a Republican does not mean you’re Trumpian. It just so happens that Trump is acting like a Republican when it comes to the Trump agenda." The president should have an easier time directing his party, now that two of his most vocal GOP critics are on their way out. Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who didn't run for re-election, will be replaced by Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. Outgoing Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker's spot went to Blackburn. “I hope that senators will show independence. That’s usually why you have six-year terms. And this institution has a lot of oversight responsibilities with the administration, obviously,” Flake told USA TODAY. “I’m sure some of them will.”

Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer for U.S. President Donald Trump and The Trump Organization, pleads guilty to lying to Congress about Trump's Russian business contacts.

On Thursday morning, German police raided the Frankfurt headquarters of Deutsche Bank, President Donald Trump’s biggest lender, in connection with a money laundering investigation. The raid focused on an alleged money laundering operation that may have involved as much as $350 million and was exposed with the 2015 release of the Panama Papers—a trove of documents detailing the creation and use of offshore bank accounts. The investigation is the latest in a string of scandals and financial setbacks for the bank, which holds the mortgages on several of Trump’s most prized properties, including his Doral golf resort and his Washington, DC, luxury hotel. Speculation for months has swirled around the possibility that another company could take over the ailing bank—including rumors that the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, a Chinese state-owned bank, might be interested. This is significant because any entity that controls a large chunk of Trump’s debt holds a certain amount of leverage over him—an unprecedented situation in the history of the US presidency. Trump has a long relationship with Deutsche Bank dating back to the early 2000s. At the time, most US banks refused to loan money to Trump following his string of bankruptcies and Atlantic City failures. But Deutsche Bank continued to let him borrow hundreds of millions of dollars—as of his inauguration, Trump owed the German bank as much as $364 million. Once a powerful player in international banking, Deutsche Bank has paid out billions in settlements to both US and European regulators for its role in the 2008 financial crisis and other scandals. When Trump took office, he refused to divest from his company, meaning he continues to owe the bank money—several of the loans are personally guaranteed by the president—even as the Department of Justice has opened new investigations into the bank’s activities. In 2017, the bank paid regulators $670 million in fines for its involvement with “mirror trades” in Russia—a complicated scheme to allegedly help wealthy sanctioned Russians move currency out of the country. Deutsche Bank is also embroiled in a scandal involving Danske Bank, a Danish company, which allegedly was involved in laundering billions of dollars from Russia. Danske is under heavy scrutiny from the Justice Department and European regulators, and Deutsche Bank has reportedly been contacted by US investigators for its role in handling some of Danske’s suspect transactions. Thursday’s raid is not related to either of those scandals. In a statement, the bank confirmed it had been raided in connection with offshore transactions revealed in the Panama Papers, and said it is cooperating with the investigation. The fines and ongoing controversies have sent Deutsche Bank into a financial tailspin and tanked its stock price, which in turn has raised the possibility of a takeover. In July, Deutsche Bank’s stock briefly rallied after it was reported by the German business press that JPMorgan and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China were both interested in taking big stakes in the troubled bank. A scenario in which the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which is the country’s largest bank, took control of Trump’s mortgages would potentially pose an enormous conflict of interest for Trump, if not a national security threat. That said, the bank is already the single largest tenant in Trump Tower, and its lease is due to expire in October 2019, setting up another major conflict. Even as it stands, Deutsche Bank’s ownership is rife with conflict of interest landmines for the president. Currently, Chinese financial giant HNA Group, which has sparred with American regulators, owns 8 percent of the German bank—though it is under pressure to sell that piece. American hedge fund Cerberus Capital—co-founded by Stephen Feinberg, a major Trump donor whom the president appointed to head his intelligence advisory board— owns another 3 percent. The White House did not return a request for comment on whether the administration has any plans for how to handle conflict of interest concerns if Deutsche Bank is taken over.[SEP]German police raided Deutsche Bank's offices in Frankfurt on Thursday in a probe of money laundering against the country's flagship lender. Two Deutsche Bank staff members are suspected of helping clients set up off-shore businesses to launder money gained from criminal deeds. Some 170 police officers, prosecutors and tax inspectors searched six of Deutsche Bank's offices Thursday morning, Frankfurt's public prosecutor's office said in a statement. Numerous written and electronic business documents were seized, it added. A police officer passes a gate outside the headquarters of Deutsche Bank AG in Frankfurt, Germany, on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018. Andreas Arnold | Bloomberg | Getty Images "We confirm that police are currently investigating our bank at various locations in Germany. The investigation concerns the Panama Papers," Deutsche Bank said in a statement, according to a CNBC translation. "We will share more details as soon as we have them and we will cooperate with authorities," the bank added. Shares of the bank slipped toward the bottom of the European benchmark on the news, down 3.4 percent at 4.45 p.m. London time (11.45 a.m. ET). Panama Papers The public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt said an evaluation of data from the Panama Papers had triggered suspicion that the bank may have helped customers create offshore companies in tax havens around the world. In 2016 alone, more than 900 customers with a business volume of 311 million euros ($353.6 million) were thought to have been cared for by a Deutsche Bank subsidiary based in the British Virgin Islands, the prosecutor said. "We thought that we had provided to the authorities all the relevant information regarding Panama Papers and of course we will now cooperate closely with the prosecutors here in Frankfurt. … As it is also in our interest to clarify the facts as soon as possible," Joerg Eigendorf, global head of communications at Deutsche Bank, told CNBC's Annette Weisbach on Thursday.[SEP]Berlin (AP) — Some 170 police officers, investigators and prosecutors raided the German offices of Deutsche Bank on Thursday on the suspicion bank employees helped clients set up offshore companies in tax havens to launder hundreds of millions of euros. The investigation emerged from an analysis of documents leaked from tax havens in recent years, including the 2016 “Panama Papers,” said Frankfurt prosecutors’ spokeswoman Nadja Niesen. It is focused on two Deutsche Bank employees, aged 50 and 46, and possibly other not-yet identified suspects, she said. Starting at 10 a.m. locally, officers swooped on six buildings in Frankfurt, where Deutsche Bank has its headquarters, as well as premises — including at least one suspect’s home — in nearby Eschborn and Gross-Umstadt. Niesen said the analysis of the Panama Papers and other documents “gave rise to suspicion that Deutsche Bank was helping clients set up so-called offshore companies in tax havens and the proceeds of crimes were transferred there from Deutsche Bank accounts” without the bank reporting it. In 2016 alone, more than 900 customers are alleged to have transferred some 311 million euros to one such company set up in the British Virgin Islands, she said. The suspects, both German citizens, are accused of failing to report the suspicious transactions even though there was “sufficient evidence” to have been aware of it. Deutsche Bank confirmed the search and said “the investigation has to do with the Panama Papers case.” “More details will be communicated as soon as these become known. We are cooperating fully with the authorities,” the bank said. Money laundering has become a growing problem in Europe, where a series of scandals has exposed lax regulation. And it’s not the first time Deutsche Bank has run into trouble over the flow of dirty money. It was fined more than $600 million by U.S. and U.K. authorities in January 2017 for allowing customers to transfer $10 billion out of Russia in what regulators said was “highly suggestive of financial crime.” The Panama Papers are a trove of documents from a law firm that handled shell companies for thousands of the rich and powerful around the world. While owning a shell company is not illegal, it is used to hide the beneficial owner of a company or transfer, making it important for the handling and laundering of dirty money. Several other institutions besides Deutsche Bank have been fined by authorities in the U.S. and Europe for not properly checking up on the beneficial owners of shell companies that send money through their accounts. Analysts say that because these transactions can be lucrative, banks have few incentives to do more than the minimum required by law to check on the identity of a bank. Most recently, Denmark’s biggest bank, Danske Bank, admitted that some 200 billion euros in suspicious money had flown through its Estonian branch from 2007 to 2015. Whistleblower and former employee Howard Wilkinson has indicated that Danske Bank’s management was aware of what was going on at the branch, which was among the bank’s most profitable units. He has also alleged that family members of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s spy agency were using the bank for money laundering. The bank’s CEO has since stepped down over the scandal. Another Baltic state, Latvia, has also emerged as a major hub of money laundering, with a 2014 leak showing that tens of billions of dollars were funneled from Russia in 2010-14. Some of the money reportedly went through Deutsche Bank and ended up in major capitals like London, according to The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. There was no indication that Thursday’s raid was linked to that scandal, though Deutsche Bank says that it has since stopped providing dollar transactions in some countries, including Latvia.[SEP]Around 170 police officers, prosecutors and tax inspectors searched six Deutsche Bank offices in and around Frankfurt on Thursday over money laundering allegations, the Frankfurt public prosecutor's office said in a statement. Around 170 police officers, prosecutors and tax inspectors searched six Deutsche Bank offices in and around Frankfurt on Thursday over money laundering allegations, the Frankfurt public prosecutor's office said in a statement. Investigators are looking into the activities of two Deutsche Bank staff members who are alleged to have helped clients set up off-shore firms to launder money, the prosecutor's office said. Written and electronic business documents were seized from Deutsche Bank and further investigations are ongoing, the prosecutor's office also said. Deutsche Bank confirmed the search of its offices and said it was fully cooperating with the authorities. The bank's shares were down 2.7pc by 0953 GMT. The investigation was triggered after investigators reviewed so-called "Offshore-Leaks" and "Panama Papers", the prosecutor said. The Panama Papers, which consist of millions of documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, were leaked to the media in April 2016. Several Banks, including Swedish lenders Nordea and Handelsbanken have already been fined by financial regulators for violating money laundering rules as a result of the papers. The prosecutors said they are looking at whether Deutsche Bank may have assisted clients to set up "Offshore-Companies" in tax havens so that funds transferred to accounts at Deutsche Bank could skirt anti-money laundering safeguards. In 2016 alone, over 900 customers were served by a Deutsche Bank subsidiary registered on the British Virgin Islands, generating a volume of €311m, the prosecutors said. They also said Deutsche Bank employees are alleged to have breached their duties by neglecting to report money laundering suspicions about clients and offshore companies involved in tax evasion schemes. The investigation is separate from another money laundering scandal surrounding Danish lender Danske Bank, where Deutsche Bank is involved. Denmark's state prosecutor on Wednesday filed preliminary charges against Danske for alleged violations of the country's anti-money laundering act in relation to its Estonian branch. Danske is under investigation for suspicious payments totalling €200bn from 2007 onwards and a source with direct knowledge of the case has told Reuters Deutsche Bank helped to process the bulk of the payments. A Deutsche Bank executive director has said the lender played only a secondary role as a so-called correspondent bank to Danske Bank, limiting what it needed to know about the people behind the transactions.[SEP]The headquarters of Germany's Deutsche Bank was raided on Thursday amid allegations of money laundering linked to the Panama Papers leak. Prosecutors have accused two of the bank's staff of helping to launder money obtained through criminal activity. In total around 170 police officers raided six properties belonging to the bank and seized electronic and paper documents. The Panama Papers were a leak of millions of financial documents obtained from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca which were leaked to the press in 2016. They contained evidence of widespread abuse of the global financial system including tax avoidance and evasion by celebrities, politicians and corporations. Prosecutors said that, as a result of the leak, they are looking at whether Deutsche Bank assisted clients to set up offshore companies in tax havens so that funds transferred to their bank accounts could skirt anti-money laundering safeguards. In 2016 alone, over 900 customers were served by a Deutsche Bank subsidiary registered on the British Virgin Islands, generating a volume of 311million euros, the prosecutors said. Lawyers added that Deutsche Bank employees are alleged to have breached their duties by neglecting to report money laundering suspicions about clients and offshore companies involved in tax evasion schemes. This investigation is separate to another Panama Papers probe which also involves Deutsche Bank. In that case, prosecutors are investigating whether Danish lender Danske Bank violated anti-laundering laws by funneling more than £200billion in payments through its Estonian branch. Sources have told Reuters that Deutsche Bank helped process the majority of those payments. A Deutsche Bank executive director has said the lender played only a secondary role as a so-called correspondent bank to Danske Bank. Speaking about the latest investigation, a Deutsche Bank spokesman said: 'Of course, we will cooperate closely with the public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt, as it is in our interest as well to clarify the facts.' The news comes as Deutsche Bank tries to repair its tattered reputation after three years of losses and a drumbeat of financial and regulatory scandals. Christian Sewing was appointed as chief executive in April to help the bank to rebuild. He trimmed U.S. operations and reshuffled the management board but revenue has continued to slip. Deutsche Bank shares were down more than 3 per cent by midday on Thursday and have lost almost half their value this year. Deutsche and Danske banks are not the first to be stung following revelations contained within the Panama Papers. Scandinavian lenders Nordea and Handelsbanken have already been fined by regulators for violating money laundering rules. Weaknesses in Deutsche Bank's controls that aim to prevent money laundering have caught the attention of regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. The bank has publicly said that it agreed it needed to improve its processes to properly identify clients. In September, Germany's financial watchdog - BaFin - ordered Deutsche Bank to do more to prevent money laundering and 'terrorist financing,' and appointed KPMG as third party to assess progress. In August, Reuters reported that Deutsche Bank had uncovered further shortcomings in its ability to fully identify clients and the source of their wealth. Last year, Deutsche Bank was fined nearly $700million for allowing money laundering through artificial trades between Moscow, London and New York. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice is still ongoing. Deutsche Bank has been under pressure after annual losses, and it agreed to pay a $7.2 billion settlement with U.S. authorities last year over its sale of toxic mortgage securities in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis.[SEP]FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Roughly 170 criminal police officers, prosecutors and tax inspectors on Thursday searched six Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) offices in and around Frankfurt on money laundering allegations, the Frankfurt public prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Investigators are probing the activities of two Deutsche Bank staff members who are alleged to have helped clients set up off-shore firms to launder money, the prosecutor’s office said. Written and electronic business documents were seized from Deutsche Bank and further investigations are ongoing, it added. Deutsche Bank confirmed the search, adding that it is fully cooperating with the authorities. A deeper probe of the bank was triggered after investigators reviewed so-called “Offshore-Leaks” and “Panama Papers”, the prosecutor said. The so-called Panama Papers, which consist of millions of documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, were leaked to the media in April 2016. Several Banks including Swedish lenders Nordea and Handelsbanken have already been fined by financial regulators for violating money laundering rules as a result of the papers. Prosecutors are probing whether Deutsche Bank may have assisted clients to set up “Offshore-Companies” in tax havens so that funds transferred to accounts at Deutsche Bank could skirt anti money laundering safeguards. In 2016 alone, over 900 customers were served by a Deutsche Bank subsidiary registered on the British Virgin Islands, generating a volume of 311 million euros. The Deutsche Bank employees are accused of having breached their duties by neglecting to report money laundering suspicions about clients and offshore companies involved in tax evasion schemes, the prosecutors said.[SEP]German authorities have searched the headquarters of Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt and other offices on the suspicion that bank employees helped clients set up offshore companies in tax havens to launder hundreds of millions of euros. Frankfurt prosecutors’ spokeswoman Nadja Niesen said the investigation was focused on two Deutsche Bank employees, aged 50 and 46, and possibly other not-yet-identified suspects. Some 170 prosecutors, state police, national police and tax investigators were involved in the morning searches of six buildings in Frankfurt, and in nearby Eschborn and Gross-Umstadt, Ms Niesen said. The investigation was launched after evaluation of the explosive Panama Papers tax haven revelations and the previous Offshore Leaks report of offshore bank accounts, she said. Police officers at Deutsche Bank headquarters during a raid in Frankfurt (Michael Probst/AP) The analysis “gave rise to suspicions that Deutsche Bank was helping clients set up so-called offshore companies in tax havens and the proceeds of crimes were transferred there from Deutsche Bank accounts” without the bank reporting it. In 2016 alone, more than 900 customers are alleged to have transferred some €311m to one such company set up in the British Virgin Islands, she said. The suspects are accused of failing to report the suspicious transactions even though there was “sufficient evidence” to have been aware of it. Deutsche Bank confirmed that authorities were “conducting an investigation at a number of our offices in Germany”. “The investigation has to do with the Panama Papers case,” the bank said. “More details will be communicated as soon as these become known. We are co-operating fully with the authorities.”[SEP]FRANFURT AM MAIN: German prosecutors raided several Deutsche Bank offices in the Frankfurt area on Thursday over suspicions of money laundering based on revelations from the 2016 “Panama Papers” data leak. Prosecutors said they were investigating 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 latest raid was a new blow to the financial institution that has been hammered by a string of scandals linked to its pre-2008 crisis attempts to compete with Wall Street investment banking giants. Some 170 police officers and investigators from the Frankfurt prosecutor’s office were searching six of the bank’s premises in and around the city, the prosecutors said in a statement. Deutsche Bank said it was “fully cooperating” with the authorities on the case which it said was “related to the Panama Papers”. The Panama Papers scandal that erupted in 2016 with a massive data leak from Panamaian legal firm Mossack Fonseca 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. The Frankfurt prosecutors said their probe was focusing 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. Prosecutor Nadja Niesen said one of Deutsche Bank’s offshore branches one the British Virgin Islands handled transaction volumes worth 311 million euros ($354 million) for more than 900 clients. “There is currently suspicion that most of the money stems from foreign tax offences.” Shares in Deutsche Bank were down 3.4 per cent at 8.30 euros in the early afternoon, making them the worst performing stock on the DAX blue-chip index. The raids are the latest embarrassment for embattled Deutsche Bank, which has repeatedly been rapped by regulators for lax money laundering controls. Markus Meinzer, director of the Financial Secrecy Tax Justice Network, said the “raid is long overdue because the Panama Papers have amply illustrated how offshore law firms cooperated with banks in setting up structures with one single aim: to help clients hide their true identities.” “As banks in Germany manage roughly three trillion euros of interest yielding assets, the potential for abuse is enormous… Germany owes to the world to clamp down on this dark side of its economy.” In September, Germany’s financial supervisor BaFin took the unusual step of embedding auditors from KPMG at Deutsche to monitor the bank’s progress in battling illegal transactions such as money laundering, terrorist financing and dealings with organised crime. — AFP[SEP]Police raided six Deutsche Bank offices in and around Frankfurt on Thursday over money laundering allegations linked to the “Panama Papers,” the public prosecutor’s office in Germany’s financial capital said. Investigators are looking into the activities of two unnamed Deutsche Bank employees alleged to have helped clients set up offshore firms to launder money, the prosecutor’s office said. Around 170 police officers, prosecutors and tax inspectors searched the offices, where written and electronic business documents were seized. “Of course, we will cooperate closely with the public prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt, as it is in our interest as well to clarify the facts,” Deutsche Bank said, adding it believed it had already provided all the relevant information related to the “Panama Papers.” The news comes as Deutsche Bank tries to repair its tattered reputation after three years of losses and a drumbeat of financial and regulatory scandals. Christian Sewing was appointed chief executive in April to help the bank rebuild. He trimmed US operations and reshuffled the management board, but revenue has continued to slip. Deutsche Bank shares were down more than 3 percent by 7:20 a.m. ET and have lost almost half their value this year. The investigation was triggered after investigators reviewed so-called “Offshore-Leaks” and “Panama Papers,” the prosecutor said. The “Panama Papers,” which consist of millions of documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, were leaked to the media in April 2016. The prosecutors said they are looking at whether Deutsche Bank may have assisted clients to set up offshore companies in tax havens so that funds transferred to accounts at Deutsche Bank could skirt anti-money laundering safeguards. In 2016 alone, over 900 customers were served by a Deutsche Bank subsidiary registered in the British Virgin Islands, generating a volume of 311 million euros ($354 million), the prosecutors said. They also said Deutsche Bank employees are alleged to have breached their duties by neglecting to report money laundering suspicions about clients and offshore companies involved in tax evasion schemes. The investigation is separate from another money laundering scandal surrounding Danish lender Danske Bank, where Deutsche Bank is involved.[SEP]FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Police raided six Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) offices in and around Frankfurt on Thursday over money laundering allegations linked to the “Panama Papers”, the public prosecutor’s office in Germany’s financial capital said. Investigators are looking into the activities of two unnamed Deutsche Bank employees alleged to have helped clients set up offshore firms to launder money, the prosecutor’s office said. Around 170 police officers, prosecutors and tax inspectors searched the offices where written and electronic business documents were seized. “Of course, we will cooperate closely with the public prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt, as it is in our interest as well to clarify the facts,” Deutsche Bank said, adding it believed it had already provided all the relevant information related to the “Panama Papers”. The news comes as Deutsche Bank tries to repair its tattered reputation after three years of losses and a drumbeat of financial and regulatory scandals. Christian Sewing was appointed as chief executive in April to help the bank to rebuild. He trimmed U.S. operations and reshuffled the management board but revenue has continued to slip. Deutsche Bank shares were down more than 3 percent by 1220 GMT and have lost almost half their value this year. The investigation was triggered after investigators reviewed so-called “Offshore-Leaks” and “Panama Papers”, the prosecutor said. The “Panama Papers”, which consist of millions of documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, were leaked to the media in April 2016. Several banks, including Scandinavian lenders Nordea and Handelsbanken have already been fined by regulators for violating money laundering rules as a result of the papers. The prosecutors said they are looking at whether Deutsche Bank may have assisted clients to set up offshore companies in tax havens so that funds transferred to accounts at Deutsche Bank could skirt anti-money laundering safeguards. In 2016 alone, over 900 customers were served by a Deutsche Bank subsidiary registered on the British Virgin Islands, generating a volume of 311 million euros, the prosecutors said. They also said Deutsche Bank employees are alleged to have breached their duties by neglecting to report money laundering suspicions about clients and offshore companies involved in tax evasion schemes. The investigation is separate from another money laundering scandal surrounding Danish lender Danske Bank (DANSKE.CO), where Deutsche Bank is involved. Danske is under investigation for suspicious payments totaling 200 billion euros from 2007 onwards and a source with direct knowledge of the case has told Reuters Deutsche Bank helped to process the bulk of the payments. A Deutsche Bank executive director has said the lender played only a secondary role as a so-called correspondent bank to Danske Bank, limiting what it needed to know about the people behind the transactions. Weaknesses in Deutsche Bank’s controls that aim to prevent money laundering have caught the attention of regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. The bank has publicly said that it agreed it needed to improve its processes to properly identify clients. In September, Germany’s financial watchdog - BaFin - ordered Deutsche Bank to do more to prevent money laundering and “terrorist financing,” and appointed KPMG as third party to assess progress. In August, Reuters reported that Deutsche Bank had uncovered further shortcomings in its ability to fully identify clients and the source of their wealth. Last year, Deutsche Bank was fined nearly $700 million for allowing money laundering through artificial trades between Moscow, London and New York. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice is still ongoing. Deutsche Bank has been under pressure after annual losses, and it agreed to pay a $7.2 billion settlement with U.S. authorities last year over its sale of toxic mortgage securities in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis.

German police raid Deutsche Bank's offices in Frankfurt in connection with money laundering allegations that two staff members helped clients set up off-shore businesses as tax havens. Police officers, prosecutors and tax inspectors search six of the bank's offices and seize numerous written and electronic business documents. Deutsche Bank says the investigation stems from the 2016 Panama Papers leak.

Image copyright Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Image caption Little was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2014 for three murders in the 1980s (file photograph) An imprisoned murderer is being investigated after confessing to 90 killings across four decades in the US. The FBI believe Samuel Little, who is 78, may be among the most prolific serial killers in US criminal history. State and federal agencies are now working to match his confessions with the deaths of dozens of women across the country from 1970 to 2005. Investigators say they have already linked him to 34 murders and are working to corroborate many others. Little is currently serving life in prison after being sentenced in 2014 for the murders of three women. He has been in custody since September 2012 when he was arrested at a Kentucky homeless shelter and transferred to California where he was wanted on a drugs charge. DNA samples taken from Little were then linked to the unsolved deaths of three women in Los Angeles county in 1987 and 1989. All three of those victims had been beaten and strangled before their bodies were dumped separately. He pleaded not guilty at trial, but was eventually sentenced to three consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole. Before that he already had an extensive criminal record, with offences including rape and armed robbery. The murder convictions led to Little being referred to the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) - a scheme that works to analyse serial offenders of violent and sexual crimes, and share information with local law enforcement agencies to cross-reference unsolved crimes. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Pearl Nelson (left) holds a photo of her mother Audrey Nelson, who Little was found guilty of murdering Officials from the programme say they then uncovered an "alarming pattern" and "compelling links" to many more murders across the US. One unsolved cold-case murder in Odessa, Texas of a woman named Denise Christie Brothers was then pursued by local authorities. A local ranger, James Holland, then travelled to California with ViCAP team members earlier this year to interview Little. They say Little agreed to talk to them because he was hoping to move prisons. The FBI say that Little has confessed to 90 killings in total - stretching states across the breadth of the US, from California to Maryland. The ViCap team said in a news release earlier this week they had so far established his ties to 34 deaths, with many others apparently pending confirmation. "Over the course of that interview in May, he went through city and state and gave Ranger Holland the number of people he killed in each place. Jackson, Mississippi - one; Cincinnati, Ohio - one; Phoenix, Arizona - three; Las Vegas, Nevada - one," ViCAP Crime Analyst Christina Palazzolo said in the report. They believe Little particularly targeted marginalised and vulnerable women who were involved in prostitution or addicted to drugs. Investigators say their bodies were often left unidentified and their deaths un-investigated by authorities. "Little's method of killing also didn't always leave obvious signs that the death was a homicide. The one-time competitive boxer usually stunned or knocked out his victims with powerful punches and then strangled them," the FBI report said. "With no stab marks or bullet wounds, many of these deaths were not classified as homicides but attributed to drug overdoses, accidents, or natural causes," it continued. A large number are believed to have taken place in the 1970s and early 1980s before DNA technology was available to police. Image copyright Wise County Jail Image caption A recent mugshot of Little, who reportedly also went by the name Samuel McDowell Beth Silverman, the Los Angeles County prosecutor who helped convict Little in 2014, told the New York Times that "a lot of agencies around the country...dropped the ball on this case". "He got off over and over and over again," she told the newspaper. The FBI says the 78-year-old is "in poor health" and is likely to now remain in prison in Texas until his death, where he was transferred from California after admitting the Odessa killing. The bureau says it is continuing to work alongside Ranger Holland, who is said to be interviewing Little "nearly daily", to help build an accurate and full picture of his crimes. "The biggest lesson in this case is the power of information sharing," Kevin Fitzsimmons, ViCAP's supervisory crime analyst said in the FBI report. "A Jane Doe [unidentified victim] who turned up dead in an alley in New Orleans may look like an isolated event but when entered into the ViCAP database and examined with other mysterious deaths or missing persons, patterns emerge. That is the value of ViCAP."[SEP]“Over the course of that interview in May,” said Palazzolo, who was sitting down the hall combing through data with Williamson, “he went through city and state and gave Ranger Holland the number of people he killed in each place. Jackson, Mississippi—one; Cincinnati, Ohio—one; Phoenix, Arizona—three; Las Vegas, Nevada—one.” In total, Little confessed to 90 killings, and Palazzolo and Williamson have been working to match up evidence to as many confessions as they can. Thus far, the team has confirmed 34 killings with many more pending confirmation. There are still a number of Little’s confessions that remain uncorroborated. Williamson and Palazzolo say Little remembers his victims and the killings in great detail. He remembers where he was, and what car he was driving. He draws pictures of many of the women he killed. He is less reliable, however, when it comes to remembering dates. Little’s uncertain timeline has created a verification challenge for the ViCAP team, along with the issues stemming from the victims Little targeted, his methods, and how much he moved around—features of his crimes that begin to explain how he got away with murder for decades. From the time Little dropped out of high school and left his Ohio home in the late 1950s, he lived a nomadic life. Palazzolo and Williamson said he would shoplift and steal in a city or town to gather the money to buy alcohol and drugs, but never stayed in one place for long. He would drive from New Jersey to California in a matter of days, reports Palazzolo, and when he had his many run-ins with police, they often just wanted to shoo him out of town. Little chose to kill marginalized and vulnerable women who were often involved in prostitution and addicted to drugs. Their bodies sometimes went unidentified and their deaths uninvestigated. Little’s method of killing also didn’t always leave obvious signs that the death was a homicide. The one-time competitive boxer usually stunned or knocked out his victims with powerful punches and then strangled them. With no stab marks or bullet wounds, many of these deaths were not classified as homicides but attributed to drug overdoses, accidents, or natural causes. In addition, DNA evidence was often not available or could not provide a clear link back to Little. A large number of the killings occurred in the 1970s and early 1980s, before DNA profiling was part of the law enforcement toolbox. After DNA analysis came into play, the victims’ work as prostitutes complicated the ability of police to gather telling physical evidence. After Holland interviewed Little, he was indicted for the Odessa homicide and extradited to Texas a few months later. He remains in the custody of Odessa, but has been housed in Wise County for some time to be closer to Holland, who has been conducting nearly daily interviews to create the most accurate accounting possible of Little’s crimes. Palazzolo and Williamson have continued to gather new information from these interviews and are examining every tie they can find, from mortuary records and death certificates to cold case files. “The biggest lesson in this case is the power of information sharing,” said Kevin Fitzsimmons, ViCAP’s Supervisory Crime Analyst. “These connections all started in our database of violent crime.” Palazzo and Williamson said the cases that were recorded in ViCAP made for early and easy connections. The absence of data on so many others is what has made confirming Little’s accounts difficult and is perhaps part of what allowed his crimes to continue for so long. “A Jane Doe who turned up dead in an alley in New Orleans may look like an isolated event,” stressed Fitzsimmons. “But when entered into the ViCAP database and examined with other mysterious deaths or missing persons, patterns emerge. That is the value of ViCAP. “ Little is in poor health and will likely stay in prison in Texas until his death. The goal now is to identify his victims and provide closure and justice in unsolved cases. ViCAP is also hoping this case will serve as a reminder to every jurisdiction of the importance of consistent violent crime reporting. For more information or to report potential case links to Samuel Little, contact ViCAP at 800-634-4097.[SEP]A convicted murderer has confessed to 90 murders spanning four decades, making him one of America's most prolific serial killers. Samuel Little, 78, is already serving a life sentence after being convicted of killing three women in 2014 but is now being investigated in connection to dozens more unsolved cases. In a report released this week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Little was able to evade detection by preying mainly on drug addicts and prostitutes in a murder spree that stretched from coast to coast. A former boxer, Little would stun his victims with a powerful blow before strangling them, meaning many of the deaths were attributed to drug over doses or natural causes, the agency said. A large number of the murders were also committed in the 1970s and early 1980s, before DNA profiling was common practice.[SEP]Samuel Little, who often went by the name Samuel McDowell, leaves the Ector County Courthouse after attending a pre-trial hearing. Samuel Little, who often went by the name Samuel McDowell, leaves the Ector County Courthouse after attending a pre-trial hearing. A 78-YEAR-OLD DRIFTER in prison in Texas has confessed to 90 murders and is being investigated as possibly the most prolific serial killer in US history. Samuel Little preyed mainly on drug addicts and prostitutes during a decades-long murder spree that stretched from coast to coast, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said in a report. Little, a 6ft 3in former boxer also known as Samuel McDowell was arrested at a homeless shelter in Kentucky in 2012 and extradited to California to face drug charges. Once there, DNA evidence linked him to three cold cases and Little was convicted in 2014 of murdering three women in Los Angeles between 1987 and 1989. All three had been beaten and strangled. Sentenced to life in prison, Little was transferred to Texas in connection with the investigation into another murder. Bobby Bland, district attorney of Ector County where Little is being held, said he eventually confessed to the 1994 murder of Denise Christie Brothers in Odessa, Texas. And after a Texas Ranger named James Holland gained his trust, Little began confessing to dozens of other murders committed between 1970 and 2005, Bland said. FBI crime analyst Christina Palazzolo said during the course of an interview in May 2018, Little “went through city and state and gave Ranger Holland the number of people he killed in each place. “Jackson, Mississippi — one; Cincinnati, Ohio — one; Phoenix, Arizona — three; Las Vegas, Nevada—one…” Palazzolo said. A total of 90 murders in all, of which law enforcement has so far verified 34 killings. These incidents are either linked to victims who have not yet been identified (Jane Does) or to murders described by Samuel Little that have not yet been definitively corroborated by law enforcement (unmatched confessions). Source: FBI/Google “Little will be confirmed as one of, if not the most, prolific serial killers in US history,” Bland said in a statement. The deadliest known US serial killer is believed to be Gary Ridgway, the so-called “Green River Killer” convicted of 49 murders who is serving a life sentence in Washington state. The FBI said it was working with the Department of Justice, Texas Rangers and dozens of state and local agencies to match Little’s confessions to unsolved murders across the country. According to the FBI, Little “remembers his victims and the killings in great detail” but is “less reliable, however, when it comes to remembering dates”. Because his victims were mostly drug addicts and prostitutes, in some cases the women were never identified and their deaths were not investigated. “Little’s method of killing also didn’t always leave obvious signs that the death was a homicide,” the FBI said. “The one-time competitive boxer usually stunned or knocked out his victims with powerful punches and then strangled them,” it said. Little grew up in Ohio, dropped out of high school and lived a “nomadic life,” shoplifting or stealing to buy alcohol and drugs, the FBI said. His criminal record dates back to 1956 with arrests for shoplifting, fraud, drugs and breaking and entering. He was accused of murdering women in Mississippi and Florida in the early 1980s but was not convicted. The FBI said Little is in poor health and is likely to spend the remainder of his days in prison in Texas. The FBI did not say what ailments he suffers from but The New York Times said he is wheelchair-bound and has heart disease and diabetes. Sergeant Michael Mongeluzzo, a Florida detective, told the Times that he had asked Little during an interrogation how he managed to avoid arrest for all these years. “I can go into my world and do what I want to do,” Mongeluzzo recalled Little as saying. “I won’t go into your world.”[SEP]A 78-year-old convicted murderer serving a life sentence in a Texas prison has confessed to killing 90 women over nearly four decades – which, if his confessions are confirmed, could make him one of the worst serial killers in American history. Samuel Little, who is serving a life term without the possibility of parole after being found guilty in 2014 of three murders in California, confessed to killings in multiple states during an interview with law enforcement officials in May. Police have linked Little, described by the FBI as having a “dark, violent streak”, to 34 murders and are working to corroborate many others. The FBI, which this week released a report into Little’s criminal past, said in a statement: “Law enforcement has only recently begun unraveling the true extent of his crimes.” Little’s “nomadic lifestyle” and violent history have sent investigators looking across 36 cities and 16 states at his alleged crimes. Little was convicted four years ago over the deaths years earlier of the three women in Los Angeles area. The FBI’s Kevin Fitzsimmons said: “The biggest lesson in this case is the power of information sharing. These connections all started in our database of violent crime.” Little’s known crimes began in 1956, as he crisscrossed the country shoplifting, soliciting prostitutes, committing fraud and burglary. The earliest murders released to the public began in the 1970s, before DNA matching was widely available, and continued until 2005. He escaped prosecution and conviction more than once, even as several women escaped him. Christina Palazzolo, a crime analyst with the FBI, said that when Little did have run-ins with police, they often simply shooed him out of town. The FBI said Little preyed on women who were sex workers or addicted to drugs, and whose “bodies sometimes went unidentified and their deaths uninvestigated”. In the early 1980s, Little was charged with killing more than one woman in Mississippi and Florida. However, he escaped indictment in Mississippi, and was not convicted in Florida. He spent time in jail for assaulting a woman in Missouri and for holding a woman against her will in California. Little was finally arrested in 2012 in a Kentucky homeless shelter, wanted on drug charges in California. He was sent to Los Angeles, where police tested his DNA. He was connected to three unsolved murders between 1987 and 1989 and convicted of those crimes in 2014. Then Los Angeles police contacted the FBI, asking agents to build a profile on the killer. The FBI found several possible cases involving Little, the strongest of which was in Odessa, Texas. In May, Texas Ranger James B Holland joined Palazzolo to interview Little. Little confessed to 90 murders, and Palazzolo sat down the hall, “combing through data”. Little, Palazzolo said, “went through city and state and gave Ranger Holland the number of people he killed in each place. Jackson, Mississippi – one; Cincinnati, Ohio – one; Phoenix, Arizona – three; Las Vegas, Nevada – one”. The remainder of Little’s confessions remain uncorroborated, and many of the victims remain unidentified. Investigators said Little remembers his victims well, but not when he killed them, making cases difficult to confirm. Little is in poor health, and the FBI said it is working with him to identify victims before his almost certain death in prison.[SEP]A 78-year-old inmate sentenced to life behind bars for the murders of three women in the United States, recently confessed to 90 homicides between 1970 and 2005, the FBI said. If confirmed, this number of murders would make Samuel Little one of the most prolific serial killers in US history.[SEP]Convicted murder and former boxer Samuel Little has confessed to killing 90 people since the 1970s.If the number of killings Little claims to have committed proves true, it would make him one of the most prolific killers in U.S. history. Ted Bundy confessed to 30 homicides from about 1974 to 1978. John Wayne Gacy killed at least 33 boys and young men in the 1970s.Little, 78, is serving a life sentence for murdering three women in California.Now, officials around the country are working to investigate his claims.So far, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it has corroborated 36 of the killings, ABC News reported Now, they're working to confirm another 60 in 16 states across the country, which span more than 40 years.In many cases, Little claims he strangled his victims--who were often vulnerable women involved in drugs or prostitution--in the back seat of his car, ABC News reported.The cases were often not investigated or occurred before DNA profiling existed.Little evaded police for years, but it wasn't until he was picked up for a drug charge in 2012 that officials started to connect the dots.Authorities said DNA evidence linked him to three unsolved murders in the late 1980s."In all three cases, the women had been beaten and then strangled, their bodies dumped in an alley, a dumpster, and a garage," the FBI said a report.He was extradited to Texas in July and charged with the 1994 murder of an Odessa woman.One of Little's confessions involves the fatal shooting of a woman in Richland County, South Carolina, in September 1978, the Associated Press reported.Records state that Little confessed to shooting Evelyn Weston, 19, in the head.Another killing is of an unidentified 19-year-old woman in Laurel, Maryland, more than 45 years ago.According to the Associated Press, Little said he picked the victim up at a Washington bus station and she indicated she was recently divorced, from the Massachusetts area and might be a mother.Detectives are working to identify her.[SEP]A 78-year-old serial killer convicted of three murders has now confessed to killing about 90 women in a decades-long, multi-state crime spree, and the FBI is working to match his confessions with cold cases around the country. If his claims are confirmed, Samuel Little would be one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. Little was convicted in 2014 after DNA evidence tied him to three murders of women in Los Angeles from the 1980s. "In all three cases, the women had been beaten and then strangled, their bodies dumped in an alley, a dumpster, and a garage," the FBI said in a statement Tuesday. "Little asserted his innocence throughout his trial—even as a string of women testifying for the prosecution told of narrowly surviving similarly violent encounters with Little." Now, Little is no longer maintaining his innocence. He has confessed to scores of other murders throughout the U.S. dating back to at least the 1970s. A DNA hit on Little and a subsequent background check by the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) showed "an alarming pattern and compelling links to many more murders," the FBI said. Investigators found one clear connection between Little and a cold case out of Odessa, Texas, and went to interview Little, who is currently serving three life sentences without parole. Little wanted to move prisons. In exchange for a move, he was willing to talk, the FBI said. During the May 2018 interview, Little listed cities and states and told officials the number of people he murdered in each, ViCAP Crime Analyst Christina Palazzolo said. "Jackson, Mississippi—one; Cincinnati, Ohio—one; Phoenix, Arizona—three; Las Vegas, Nevada—one," Palazzolo recounted. Little was indicted for the Odessa homicide and was extradited to Texas, where he remains in custody. He is in poor health and will likely remain in Texas until his death, the FBI said. Now, Palazzolo and Angela Williamson, Department of Justice Senior Policy Advisory and ViCAP Liaison, are working to match his confessions to as many cold cases as they can. The team has confirmed 34 killings so far, with many more pending confirmation, according to the FBI's statement. However, many more of Little's confessions remain uncorroborated. CBS affiliate WKRG in Mobile, Alabama, reports that at least two of the murders Little confessed to occurred there. Mobile Police Major John Barber said, "We sent a detective over to Texas in November to interview Samuel little. He gave information to our detective relating to two unsolved homicides in 1984 that would suggest he would be the one that committed the crimes due to the information he had was intimate to somebody that had been there that night." Little has not been formally charged in those killings, but WKRG reports the two cases will be sent to the grand jury to seek an indictment. The FBI said Little, a one-time competitive boxer, had several run-ins with the law dating back to the 1950s. He was charged with assaulting or killing several women in different states in the 1980s, but there wasn't enough evidence for the juries to convict him. Little's murder victims were often "marginalized and vulnerable" women connected to drugs and prostitution, the FBI said. Some of the bodies were unidentified, and many of the murders took place before DNA profiling was a reliable tool for investigators. Texas Ranger James Holland has been conducting nearly daily interviews with Little, while Palazzolo and Williamson are examining mortuary records, death certificates and cold case files, trying to gather as much detail as they can to see if other unsolved murder cases can finally be closed. "The biggest lesson in this case is the power of information sharing," said Kevin Fitzsimmons, ViCAP's Supervisory Crime Analyst. "These connections all started in our database of violent crime." "The goal now is to identify his victims and provide closure and justice in unsolved cases," the FBI statement said. Nearly six decades after he first started breaking the law, investigators are just now beginning to unravel the true extent of Little's crimes.[SEP]Local investigators say a Texas inmate who’s spent months confessing to killings across the United States has confessed to two unsolved murders in Mobile in 1984. If what he’s told authorities is true, Samuel Little, 78, would be among the most prolific serial killers in United States’ history. Since May, he’s confessed to at least 90 murders in multiple states between 1970 and 2005. Little began making his confessions in exchange for a prison transfer earlier this year. At the time, he was already serving three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole following a 2014 conviction f0r three homicides in California between 1987 and 1989. He is currently incarcerated in Wise County, Texas. Authorities first announced Little’s confessions earlier this month, but the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported Wednesday that its Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) has confirmed 34 murders so far, with many others still pending confirmation. As first reported by WKRG, the Mobile Police Department now says two of those confessions were to the 1984 murders in Mobile. Little hasn’t been formally charged locally, but police say he confessed to the unsolved killings of Mae Campbell and Hannah Mae Bonner, both from Mobile. According to the FBI, Little lived a “nomadic life” and drifted from city to city and through several Gulf States including Florida, Mississippi and Alabama. In a news release, the FBI reported Little has had trouble remembering the exact time of the murders he’s confessed to but recalls vivid details of each. According to MPD, after hearing from federal investigators, a detective was sent to Texas to interview Little earlier this month. During the interview, Little gave “intimate” information to the detective about Campbell and Bonner’s murders, suggesting he was there the night they died. The information collected by local investigators will be presented to a Mobile County grand jury to determine whether he’ll faces charges for those murders. Other confessions Little has made, if proven true, would place Little in the Southeast during at least part of that year. Investigators say Little confessed to multiple killings in Florida, one in Georgia, five in Mississippi that were reported in 1984 the Southeastern U.S. Some of those were reported in cites as close to Mobile as Pascagoula and Gulfport, Mississippi. The FBI reported Little was actually charged with killing women in Mississippi and Florida in the early 1980s but escaped indictment in the case in Mississippi and conviction in the other.[SEP]WASHINGTON - A 78-year-old drifter in prison in Texas has confessed to 90 murders and is being investigated as possibly the most prolific serial killer in US history. Samuel Little preyed mainly on drug addicts and prostitutes during a decades-long murder spree that stretched from coast to coast, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said in a report. Little, a 1.9m former boxer, was arrested at a homeless shelter in Kentucky in 2012 and extradited to California to face drug charges. Once there, DNA evidence linked him to three cold cases and Little was convicted in 2014 of murdering three women in Los Angeles between 1987 and 1989. All three had been beaten and strangled. Sentenced to life in prison, Little was transferred to Texas in connection with an investigation into another murder. District Attorney of Ector County Bobby Bland said he eventually confessed to the 1994 murder of Denise Christie Brothers in Odessa, Texas. And after a Texas Ranger named James Holland gained his trust, Little began confessing to dozens of other murders committed between 1970 and 2005, Mr Bland said. FBI crime analyst Christina Palazzolo said during the course of an interview in May, Little "went through city and state and gave Ranger Holland the number of people he killed in each place. "Jackson, Mississippi - one; Cincinnati, Ohio - one; Phoenix, Arizona - three; Las Vegas, Nevada - one..." Ms Palazzolo said. A total of 90 murders in all, of which law enforcement has so far verified 34 killings. "Little will be confirmed as one of, if not the most, prolific serial killers in US history," Mr Bland said in a statement. The deadliest known US serial killer is believed to be Gary Ridgway, the so-called Green River Killer convicted of 49 murders, who is serving a life sentence in Washington state. The FBI is working with the Department of Justice, Texas Rangers and state and local agencies to match Little's confessions to unsolved murders. According to the FBI, Little "remembers his victims and the killings in great detail" but is "less reliable, however, when it comes to remembering dates". Because his victims were mostly drug addicts and prostitutes, in some cases the women were never identified and their deaths were not investigated.

Convicted murderer Samuel Little confesses to murdering 90 women between 1970 and 2005, making him one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed 34 of his confessions and are now working to confirm the others.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Salome Zurabishvili is the daughter of refugees who fled to France from Georgia in 1921 Salome Zurabishvili has won Georgia's presidential election, becoming the first woman to hold the office. With nearly all votes counted, the French-born ex-diplomat had 59% of the vote with rival Grigol Vashadze on 40%. Ms Zurabishvili was backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, while Mr Vashadze was a united opposition candidate. A new constitution is due to come into force, making the role of president largely ceremonial. Ms Zurabishvili, 66, was born in Paris after her parents fled Georgia in 1921 following its annexation by Soviet forces. She took up a career in the French foreign service and was posted to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, as ambassador in 2003. She later gave up her post and the then-president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, appointed her foreign minister. The BBC's Rayhan Demytrie in Tbilisi says the strength of the vote for Ms Zurabishvili raises questions. In just a few weeks she managed to get 20% more votes than in the first round. Yet, our correspondent reports, she failed to connect with voters, and many Georgians could not forgive her for saying it was Georgia that started the war with Russia in 2008. Georgian-Russian relations remain clouded by mutual suspicion. Ms Zurabishvili told BBC Russian that "considering Russia's current behaviour towards Ukraine, I don't think it means we can move right now to co-operation [with Russia]". The vote is good news for the most powerful man in Georgia, billionaire Georgian Dream party chief Bidzina Ivanishvili. It is the last direct election of a Georgian president, as the country is switching to a parliamentary system, following constitutional reforms adopted last year. Image copyright EPA Image caption Some saw Mr Vashadze as more pro-Western However the election is also seen as an indicator of how parliamentary elections in 2020 could go. Georgia is seeking European Union and Nato membership. But both ambitions are obstructed by Russia's troop presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia - breakaway regions of Georgia. The opposition complained of voting irregularities and attacks on its campaigners, but this has been denied by the ruling party. International observers said the first round of voting last month was held on an "uneven playing field".[SEP]Georgia has elected ruling party candidate Salome Zurabishvili as its first woman president, final results showed on Thursday, but the opposition claimed fraud. With all votes counted, the French-born ex-diplomat had taken 59.52 percent of the vote in on Wednesday’s second round run-off, the election commission said. Her rival Grigol Vashadze, from an alliance of 11 opposition parties led by exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM), won 40.48 percent. The election was seen as a test of Georgia’s democratic credentials as the Caucasus nation seeks European Union and NATO membership. It was also a trial run for more important parliamentary elections in 2020 when the ruling Georgian Dream party is set to face off against a range of opposition parties. Georgian Dream — the creation of billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili who many see as the country’s de facto ruler — backed Zurabishvili in the presidential vote. 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.” Saakashvili swept to power in 2004 in a mass protest movement known as the Rose Revolution but, after a disastrous 2008 war with Russia, fled the country in 2013 and has since been stripped of his citizenship. He was sentenced in absentia to six years in prison for abuse of office, charges he rejects as politically motivated. He now lives in the Netherlands. 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. Opposition supporters will be watching for reports from foreign election monitors, including from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, to see if their claims of voter fraud are supported. OSCE observers were to hold a press conference in Tbilisi later Thursday. Street protests against the results could shake the small ex-Soviet republic, 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. 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. Vashadze, a 60-year-old career diplomat, had criticized 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 on October 28 saw Zurabishvili take 39 percent of the vote, against 38 percent for Vashadze. More than 3.5 million people were eligible to vote in the election and turnout was 56.23 percent.[SEP]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. 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. 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.[SEP]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 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. 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. 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.[SEP]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. 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.—AFP[SEP]Former foreign minister Salome Zurabishvili has won Georgia's presidential election, becoming the first woman to hold the role. The 66-year-old took 59.6 per cent of Wednesday's vote after 99 per cent of ballots had been counted, the country's election commission said early Thursday, while her rival, Grigol Vashadze, also a former foreign minister, took 40.4 per cent. "The country made a fundamental decision today," Zurabishvili said, according to the television station Rustavi 2. "We all, definitively and firmly, said no to the past." Zurabishvili ran as an independent but is backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which wants to develop ties with both Russia and the European Union. She said she would now seek dialogue with those who had not supported her in the presidential race. The new president is set to take office in mid-December. Vashadze, who was a close runner-up in the first round of voting last month, and his opposition coalition, Strength Is In Unity, support integration with the EU and the Western military alliance NATO. Zurabishvili's supporters say she would bring international stature to the presidency. But her opponents have criticised her for statements that appeared to blame Georgia for the 2008 war and remarks about minorities that some see as xenophobic. Zurabishvili was born in France and served as French ambassador to Georgia until becoming Georgia's foreign minister in 2004. "Diplomatic work in France for me was also a work for Georgia," Zurabishvili said. "Everyone knew that I am Georgian who fights for its country. I knew very well the price of independence and freedom, because I am the child of the country whose ancestors have sacrificed themselves for the independence and freedom." Turnout was around 66 per cent of Georgia's 3.5 million voters. Outgoing President Giorgi Margvelashvili declined to run. The vote marked the last time Georgians directly elected the president, as the country is set to convert to a parliamentary republic. The next presidential election is to be conducted by an electoral college including parliament members.[SEP]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 per cent 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 per cent. 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. The opposition candidate rejected the results and called for protests. “We do not recognise the election results, we demand to hold snap parliamentary polls,” Vashadze said in televised remarks after Zurabishvili was declared the winner. He called for “a mass peaceful demonstration” in the capital Tbilisi on Sunday against the result. Opposition parties have denounced widespread instances of vote-buying, use of administrative resources in favour of Zurabishvili, voter intimidation, and ballot-stuffing in the election’s second round. Georgia’s leading rights groups also 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. Outgoing President Giorgi Margvelashvili, an independent, congratulated Zurabishvili on her election but expressed “concern over the sharp worsening of the second round’s compliance with democratic norms”. International observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a report after the vote that the “election was competitive and candidates were able to campaign freely, however one side enjoyed an undue advantage,” due to the misuse of administrative resources. The election was seen as a test of Georgia’s democratic credentials as it seeks European Union and Nato membership. — AFP[SEP]TBILISI: Georgia has elected ruling party candidate Salome Zurabishvili as its first woman president, final results showed Thursday, but the opposition claimed fraud. With all votes counted, the French-born ex-diplomat had taken 59.52 percent of the vote in Wednesday’s second round run-off, the election commission said.Her rival Grigol Vashadze, from an alliance of 11 opposition parties led by exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM), won 40.48 percent. The election was seen as a test of Georgia’s democratic credentials as the Caucasus nation seeks European Union and NATO membership.It was also a trial run for more important parliamentary elections in 2020, when the ruling Georgian Dream party is set to face off against a range of opposition parties. Georgian Dream — the creation of billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili who many see as the country’s de facto ruler — backed Zurabishvili in the presidential vote.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.[SEP]Reflecting upon the recent developments in Georgia electing the first woman-president. the chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with South Caucasus (DSCA) Sajjad KARIM (UK, ECR) shared his vision of the dynamics between the EU and the countries of the region: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, underlining their remarkable progress in rapprochement with Europe. MEP Karim perceives the President-elect Salomé Zurabishvili as someone who “really understands the depth of the European values”, who “lived and breathed Europe” her entire life has the ability to influence the direction of the country, the people, and the entire region – the South Caucasus. “Georgia is Europe” – Karim continued, underlining the choice of a French-born woman President is a clear sign of European aspirations of the Georgians. The election of the Salome Zurabishvili as a President of Georgia in the second round of elections marked her remarkable victory, establishing the ruling party candidate and former Georgian foreign minister as the first female head of state. Zurabishvili won the run-off with 59.6 percent of the ballot, according to the Central Election Commission, while her competitor Grigol Vashadze took 40.4 percent. The first woman to be elected to the role was backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, founded by billionaire banker Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country’s richest man. Zurabishvili is expected to try and balance pro-Western aspirations while avoiding antagonizing Moscow. This regional Delegation serves the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee (PPC), the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC) and the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee (PAC). These three countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – are part of the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood policy. The parliamentary extension of our relations was established in bilateral agreements, concluded with Azerbaijan in 1999, Georgia in 2014 and Armenia in 2017.[SEP]In an exclusive interview, the country's President-elect and first woman head of state, Salome Zurabishvili, told Euronews that aggression from Vladimir Putin on that border has never stopped. "We have an occupying line, within Georgian territory, that is moving every day," she asserted. Zurabishvili also told us that her priority was to bring Georgia closer to Europe. "I've been elected by a society that wants more Europe," she said. Zurabishvili had 59% of the vote and her rival candidate Grigol Vashadze took 40%, with nearly all ballots counted. However, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe says the process was undermined The OSCE said on Thursday that one in the presidential election had enjoyed "an undue advantage". "The second round of Georgia’s presidential election was competitive and candidates were able to campaign freely, however one side enjoyed an undue advantage and the negative character of the campaign on both sides undermined the process." WATCH the interview above for more.

Voters in Georgia elect Salome Zurabishvili as president. She will be the first woman elected to hold the position when she assumes office on 16 December 2018.

California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman, leader of one of the most influential political forces in the nation, said Thursday he intended to resign after allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior toward party staff members and activists. Bauman’s decision to resign follows a report from The Times on Wednesday that said 10 party staff members and political activists had accused him of making crude sexual comments and engaging in unwanted touching or physical intimidation in professional settings. “I have made the realization that in order for those to whom I may have caused pain and who need to heal, for my own health, and in the best interest of the party that I love and to which I have dedicated myself for more than 25 years, it is in everyone’s best interest for me to resign my position as chair of the California Democratic Party,” Bauman said. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and other top Democrats, including state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Controller Betty Yee, had earlier called on Bauman to resign, ratcheting up the pressure for him to step down. Advertisement “Sexual harassment shouldn’t be tolerated — no person or party, no matter how powerful, is above accountability,” Newsom’s spokesman, Nathan Click, said on Thursday. State Democratic Party Secretary Jenny Bach, a member of the Young Democrats, said the allegations against Bauman revealed that the party has serious self-examination to do to avoid a similar situation in the future. “Our party is not perfect, and we can and must do better going forward to ensure we can provide support and accountability for all survivors,” Bach said in a statement released by the party. Bauman’s resignation comes during a nationwide reckoning on sexual harassment and assault that was ushered in by the #MeToo movement, which has led to the downfall of powerful figures including Hollywood moguls, entertainers, politicians and CEOs. Bauman, a gay married man, faces accusations of misconduct from men and women, including many young, low-level party staffers who felt their futures in politics were, at least in part, at his mercy. Advertisement A Bronx-born former nurse who rose to political power through his years as a labor leader and LGBTQ political activist, Bauman, 59, led the Los Angeles County Democratic Party from 2000 to 2017 before party delegates elected him chairman of the California Democratic Party. As leader, he helped guide the party’s campaign efforts, fundraising and policy positions. California Democratic Chairman Eric Bauman accused of sexually explicit comments, unwanted touching >> On Saturday, Bauman said he would take a leave of absence after he was accused of unspecified misconduct in a letter by state party Vice Chairman Daraka Larimore-Hall that referred to “a clear and escalating pattern of Chairman Bauman’s horrific and dehumanizing behavior” and called for his resignation. Bauman said in a statement that he hoped to put the matter behind him after an independent investigation was conducted by outside counsel hired by the party. Bauman was then confronted on Wednesday with several allegations of misconduct in a story by The Times that said seven current party staffers had accused him of making sexually explicit comments in the workplace, including references to his and and others’ genitalia, and remarks about sex acts and his sexual attraction to some staff members. In statement to The Times responding to the allegations, Bauman said he would “seek medical intervention to address serious, ongoing health issues and to begin treatment for what I now realize is an issue with alcohol.” “The events of the last few days have given me the opportunity to reflect on my actions and their potential effect on other people. I deeply regret if my behavior has caused pain to any of the outstanding individuals with whom I’ve had the privilege to work. I appreciate the courage it took for these individuals to come forward to tell their stories,” Bauman said. “In the interest of allowing the [California Democratic Party’s] independent investigation to move forward, I do not wish to respond to any of the specific allegations.” Larimore-Hall renewed his call for Bauman’s resignation on Wednesday, and said a thorough investigation of the allegations and the culture inside the state party was needed. “We must make it clear that sexual harassment will not be tolerated on any level, by anyone,” he said. “Throughout, we must engage one another with solidarity and respect, but we must also be brave enough to look inward and ask difficult questions. One thing is clear: People of a range of genders, gender expressions and sexual orientations felt unsafe working in and around the CDP. We share a profound responsibility to fix that.” Advertisement Alexandra “Alex” Gallardo Rooker, the party’s first vice chair and now acting chair, assumed Bauman’s duties after he went on leave Saturday. According to party bylaws, Rooker will remain in that post until the executive board appoints a temporary chair. Delegates will then vote on a new chair at the next state Democratic Party convention, most likely in May. In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Rooker said she has no intention of running to be the party’s next chair. She promised to continue the independent investigation into the allegations that led to Bauman’s resignation, and said a summary of the findings would be made public. “I care deeply about all of our staff and volunteers and my heart aches to know that any may have suffered harassment or abuse,” Rooker said. “There is no place for harassment or abuse in our party or in any workplace. As a party, all of our officers and senior staff must be committed to ensuring that the culture of our workplace changes for the better.” Coverage of California politics » phil.willon@latimes.com Twitter: @philwillon Updates on California politics Advertisement UPDATES: 4:46 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from Alex Rooker. 1:55 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about Bauman’s resignation and a comment from California Democratic Party Secretary Jenny Bach. This article was originally published at 1:15 p.m.[SEP]California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman resigned Thursday amid an investigation into allegations that he sexually harassed and assaulted several party staff members. “I have made the realization that in order for those to whom I may have caused pain ... to heal, for my own health, and in the best interest of the Party that I love and to which I have dedicated myself for more than 25 years, it is in everyone’s best interest for me to resign my position as chair of the California Democratic Party,” Bauman said in a statement Thursday night. Roger Salazar, a spokesman for the party, confirmed that Bauman had submitted his resignation. Alexandra Gallardo Rooker, who assumed the role of acting chair on Tuesday, will continue to lead the party until a new permanent chair is elected, he said. Bauman had been California Democratic Party chairman since May 2017. He was the first openly gay person to lead the party in the state. A growing chorus of voices had called for Bauman’s resignation in the days since Daraka Larimore-Hall, the state party’s vice chairman, sent a letter to the party’s secretary last week urging Bauman’s removal. In the letter, Larimore-Hall said he had been approached by several party staff members with “credible, corroborated and utterly heart-breaking” allegations that Bauman had sexually harassed and assaulted them. On Saturday, Bauman issued a statement saying that an independent probe had been launched by an outside investigator. After the Los Angeles Times published a detailed report on Wednesday with accounts from several of the alleged victims, the drumbeat for Bauman’s resignation grew louder. Ten party staffers and activists told the newspaper that for more than a decade, Bauman engaged in a range of inappropriate behavior, from making sexually explicit comments to unwanted touching. Bauman also frequently consumed alcohol during the workday in violation of state party policy, several staff members told the Times. On Thursday morning, California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom (D) called for Bauman to step down. “The governor-elect believes the investigation should move forward and the victims should be heard,” Newsom spokesman Nathan Click said. “But given the numerous detailed, severe and corroborated allegations reported by The Times, he believes the best course of action for the party is for the chair to resign.” The investigation into Bauman’s behavior is expected to continue. In his statement, Bauman hailed what the party had achieved in the “18 short months” of his tenure.[SEP]SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – The California Democratic Party chairman resigned Thursday following a cascade of sexual misconduct allegations and mounting pressure from party leaders who wanted a quick resolution to an embarrassing interruption from the party’s midterm victory celebration. Eric Bauman’s resignation came less than a week after he first faced public accusations of sexual misconduct, although the party received at least one report of inappropriate behavior ahead of the Nov. 6 election. “I have made the realization that in order for those to whom I may have caused pain and who need to heal, for my own health, and in the best interest of the party that I love and to which I have dedicated myself for more than 25 years, it is in everyone’s best interest for me to resign my position as chair of the California Democratic Party,” Bauman said in a statement. It followed a call from Governor-elect Gavin Newsom and other officials for Bauman to resign after the Los Angeles Times reported multiple allegations of crude comments and inappropriate touching by Bauman. He said Wednesday he would seek treatment for alcohol abuse and other health issues. Bauman did not directly address the allegations against him. Instead he cheered his own accomplishments as the party’s leader, a post he narrowly won after a bitter 2017 battle between so-called establishment Democrats, who were Bauman’s allies, and progressive activists. Bauman was the party’s first openly gay chairman. California Democrats won sweeping victories in the November election that furthered the party’s grip on power in Congress and the state Legislature. A replacement likely won’t be chosen until the party’s convention next May, said Alex Gallardo-Rooker, the acting chair. She said Thursday she won’t seek the post and will instead focus on ensuring a smooth transition of power and creating a better work culture. An investigation into Bauman could bring further scrutiny on the party when its results are released. Eric Schickler, a professor of political science at the University of California-Berkeley, said Bauman’s resignation is unlikely to cause direct problems for the party given the election has passed. But it does put pressure on the party to act more swiftly in the future. “It sends a message to the party, if there is a next time where there are these kinds of open secrets, we really need to deal with it more aggressively,” Schickler said. Party vice chairman Daraka Larimore-Hall on Nov. 20 submitted accusations of sexual harassment and assault by Bauman against unnamed victims to the party, secretary Jenny Bach said Thursday. That kicked off a process that allows Bauman to formally respond. Outside attorneys have also been hired to investigate. David Campos, chairman of the San Francisco Democratic Party, said another complaint was raised with the party ahead of the election. Campos and members of U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s team asked Bauman not to attend a Nov. 2 event in San Francisco after hearing two young women reported drinking and inappropriate comments by him during a campaign bus tour. Grace Leekley told the Los Angeles Times that Bauman asked her and another 21-year-old party staffer if they were sexually involved on Nov. 1. Larimore-Hall said that story and multiple others, including more serious allegations of sexual assault, prompted him to call for Bauman’s removal last week. “I heard enough stories that to me it was really clear he shouldn’t be our chair,” Larimore-Hall said Thursday. He held a conference call with six victims Thursday to talk about how to move forward, he said. Newsom, the incoming governor, “is troubled by the serious allegations,” his spokesman Nathan Click said in a statement. “Sexual harassment shouldn’t be tolerated – no person or party, no matter how powerful, is above accountability,” the statement said.[SEP]After they allowed Harvey Weinstein to donate millions of dollars to political campaigns and host dozens of gala black-tie fundraisers in support of their candidates, it appears the California State Democratic Party is finally learning to take allegations of sexual assault seriously. Three days after taking a "leave of absence" from running the state Democratic Party - and just a few hours after Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom called on him to quit - California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman resigned Thursday afternoon. Rumors that multiple victims were preparing to come forward to accuse Bauman of sexual harassment and sexual assault began circulating on social media Friday night, prompting Daraka Larimore-Hall, the state party's second-vice chair, to file paperwork on Saturday to initiate the process to have Bauman removed. In a letter sent to the party that was reported by the Sacramento Bee, Larimore-Hall alleged that he had learned of the incidents after speaking with two of the victims and a witness who accused Bauman of intimidation. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times published a report detailing the allegations against Beuman from 10 party staffers and political activists, who accused Bauman of transgressions ranging from making crude sexual comments to engaging in unwanted touching or physical intimidation. Following Newsom's calls for Bauman to resign, a party spokesman said sexual harassment would not be tolerated. Bauman said in a statement on Thursday that he recognized that "it was in everyone's best interest" for him to resign. "I have made the realization that in order for those to whom I may have caused pain and who need to heal, for my own health, and in the best interest of the Party that I love and to which I have dedicated myself for more than 25 years, it is in everyone’s best interest for me to resign my position as chair of the California Democratic Party," Bauman said. And so another virtue signaling Democrat is felled by their own hypocrisy.[SEP]LOS ANGELES >> In the midst of an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations, California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman announced his resignation Thursday, Nov. 29. Bauman, former head of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, said in a statement the decision is in “everyone’s best interest,” including “those to whom I may have caused pain and who need to heal.” Bauman took a leave of absence on Monday amid reports of the allegations and news of the investigation. Pressure on Bauman mounted on Wednesday when the Los Angeles Times reported on allegations made by 10 party staffers and political activists accusing him of making crude sexual comments and engaging in unwanted touching or physical intimidation. Bauman said Wednesday he would be seeking treatment for health issues and “an issue with alcohol.” By Thursday, however, Bauman opted to step down from his post. “I have made the realization that in order for those to whom I may have caused pain and who need to heal, for my own health, and in the best interest of the party that I love and to which I have dedicated myself for more than 25 years, it is in everyone’s best interest for me to resign my position as chair of the California Democratic Party,” he said in a statement. “My dream was to create an environment at the CDP where the officers were partners, actual participants in the planning and operation of the party; where delegates and staff could share their ideas and concerns; where outreach into key communities was not limited to the campaign cycle, but was a permanent year-round commitment; where our meetings were focused on our delegates and their interests and needs; where new and creative ideas, concepts and technologies were tested, adopted and integrated; where the most innovative, sophisticated and comprehensive campaigns could be built and executed, and as a result we could engage and participate in all parts of the state; where Democrats could be elected in places long written off as unlikely, unwinnable or unimaginable; and that our relationships with grassroots groups, labor and our legislative leadership and political teams would grow and be strengthened. “I leave knowing that in 18 short months we did all of that,” he said. Last week, Daraka Larimore-Hall, a vice chairman of the state party, sent a letter to state Democratic Party leadership calling for Bauman’s removal, saying he had spoken to two of the alleged victims and that their stories “illustrate a clear and escalating pattern of Chairman Bauman’s horrific and dehumanizing behavior.” She re-iterated that call Wednesday following The Times report. The Times on Wednesday reported that Bauman, who is gay, has a reputation for being brash and boisterous, but his behavior became inappropriate over the course of a decade. The paper cited eight current party staffers who said Bauman would make sexually explicit comments in the workplace to men and women alike, referring to sex acts, his and other staffers’ genitalia and being sexually attracted to staff members. One female staffer based in Southern California told The Times Bauman made obscene comments to her at a dinner in September of last year. A gay male party official told The Times that during work interactions, Bauman would ask him about his sex life. The staff members also told the paper they experienced or witnessed Bauman engaging in unwanted physical contact, particularly with male staffers, The Times reported. Bauman was elected chairman of the party in 2017, after a closely contested election against progressive activist Kimberly Ellis. A former nurse and organizer, he led the Los Angeles County Democrats for 17 years and also served as vice chairman for the statewide party for eight years.[SEP]SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - The chairman of the California state Democratic Party said on Thursday he would resign amid allegations that he engaged in unspecified sexual misconduct with party staffers. Eric Bauman, a key player in Democrats’ recent electoral successes in the state, has said in recent days that he regretted pain his behavior had caused others. He did not specify the allegations against him but he also did not deny them. State party officials are conducting an investigation but did not give details about the accusations. “I have made the realization that in order for those to whom I may have caused pain and who need to heal, for my own health, and in the best interest of the Party that I love and to which I have dedicated myself for more than 25 years, it is in everyone’s best interest for me to resign my position as chair of the California Democratic Party,” said Bauman, 59, the first openly gay person to head the state party. Bauman’s decision to step down came after calls for his resignation by the state’s Governor-elect, Democrat Gavin Newsom, as well as members of the party executive committee. The allegations against Bauman surfaced earlier this month, when another party official, Vice Chair Daraka Larimore-Hall, began proceedings to remove him after talking with staff members of the state Democratic Party. In addition to removing Bauman, “we also must conduct a truly independent investigation, not only into these specific allegations of harassment and assault, but into the structures and culture of the party that allowed this to happen,” Larimore-Hall said in a statement. “We must make it clear that sexual harassment will not be tolerated on any level, by anyone.” The scandal comes after the party’s “blue wave” triumph in November’s midterm congressional elections, which saw Orange County in southern California, once a bastion for the Republicans, become wholly represented by Democrats in Congress.[SEP]FILE - In this Saturday, May 20, 2017 file photo, Eric Bauman addresses the California Democratic Party annual convention as he seeks their vote for chairman in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) SACRAMENTO (CBS SF / AP) — California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman announced Thursday that he plans to resign, following a cascade of sexual harassment allegations that emerged against him in recent days. Bauman’s decision came hours after Governor-elect Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, called for the embattled chairman to step aside. Bauman said he would immediately give his resignation to party officials. Newsom cited a Los Angeles Times article describing allegations of crude comments and inappropriate physical touching by Bauman, including asking two young women if they were sexually involved. “I have made the realization that in order for those to whom I may have caused pain and who need to heal, for my own health, and in the best interest of the party that I love and to which I have dedicated myself for more than 25 years, it is in everyone’s best interest for me to resign my position as chair of the California Democratic Party,” Bauman said in a statement. He did not directly address the allegations against him. Bauman’s resignation announcement came after he said Wednesday he is seeking treatment for alcohol abuse and other health issues while he takes leave from the party chairmanship he narrowly won in early 2017. He is the party’s first openly gay chairman. The party shake up comes as California Democrats celebrate sweeping victories in the November election that furthered the party’s grip on power in Congress and the state Legislature. He has faced mounting pressure to quit since the party’s vice chairman, Daraka Larimore-Hall, made allegations of sexual harassment and assaults by Bauman against unnamed victims. Before Larimore-Hall’s accusations, someone made a sexual harassment complaint to the party against Bauman days ahead of the midterm election, said David Campos, chairman of the San Francisco Democratic Party. He told The Associated Press that two young women reported drinking and comments about sex by Bauman during a state Democratic Party bus tour. The Los Angeles Times quoted two 21-year-old women describing Bauman asking them if they were sexually involved at a stop on the tour. Newsom, the incoming Democratic governor, “is troubled by the serious allegations,” his spokesman Nathan Click said in a statement. “Sexual harassment shouldn’t be tolerated — no person or party, no matter how powerful, is above accountability,” the statement said. Newsom’s statement said the investigation should continue so victims can be heard, “but given the numerous detailed, severe and corroborated allegations reported by the Times, he believes the best course of action for the party is for the chair to resign.” California Democratic Party Secretary Jenny Bach also called Thursday for Bauman to resign, citing the “harrowing and upsetting” allegations. © Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]California Democratic Party chairman Eric Bauman stepped down on Thursday, the day after the Los Angeles Times published an article detailing sexual misconduct allegations from 10 party staff members and political activists. According to CBS Los Angeles, the state party's Vice Chairman Daraka Larimore-Hall last week began initiating proceedings to have Bauman removed after allegations of misconduct surfaced. Bauman announced on Saturday that he was taking a leave of absence. He said on Wednesday, the day the Times report was published, that he would seek treatment for alcohol abuse. According to eight current party members who spoke to the Times, Bauman would "regularly make sexually explicit comments in the workplace to men and women, including remarks about sexual acts, his and other staffers' genitalia, and being sexually attracted to staff members." Bauman has expressed remorse for his behavior. "I deeply regret if my behavior has caused pain to any of the outstanding individuals with whom I've had the privilege to work. I appreciate the courage it took for these individuals to come forward to tell their stories," Bauman told the Times on Wednesday. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and other California Democrats called on Bauman to resign on Wednesday.[SEP]LOS ANGELES — Eric C. Bauman, the California Democratic Party leader, stepped down on Thursday over allegations of sexual misconduct following calls for him to quit — including from Gavin Newsom, the state’s governor-elect. Mr. Bauman’s resignation — 18 months after he took the high-profile job — came after he was accused by fellow party members of sexual harassment and misconduct. Those accusations were followed by a Los Angeles Times story detailing accusations of sexually charged comments and inappropriate touching by Mr. Bauman, who is openly gay. The resignation comes at a heady time for the California Democrats. The party triumphed on Election Day, sweeping six of the seven Republican-held congressional seats they had set out to win. And the Democratic candidate in the seventh district, T.J. Cox, is now ahead in the count over Representative David Valadao, a Republican, though the race has not yet been officially called. Mr. Bauman had first responded to the accusations by appointing an outside law firm to investigate. After the story in The Los Angeles Times, he said he was seeking treatment for alcohol abuse.[SEP]Democratic Party Chair Eric Bauman resigned on Thursday in light of sexual misconduct allegations that surfaced late last week and detailed in the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday. “I have made the realization that in order for those to whom I may have caused pain and who need to heal, for my own health, and in the best interest of the Party that I love and to which I have dedicated myself for more than 25 years, it is in everyone’s best interest for me to resign my position as chair of the California Democratic Party,” Bauman said in a statement on Thursday. The allegations against Bauman were made public on Nov. 23, when a letter written by Democratic Party Vice Chair Daraka Larimore-Hall outlining the allegations circulated across the internet. Larimore-Hall’s letter said that anonymous whistleblowers had come forward alleging Bauman had either sexually harassed or assaulted them and called for his resignation. On Monday, Bauman released a statement attributing his misconduct to alcoholism, said he welcomed an investigation into his behavior and would take a leave of absence while he received treatment. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times published an investigation detailing the allegations. In the Times’ story, which corroborated some of the allegations with text messages, unnamed party activists and staff members alleged Bauman frequently made inappropriate, sexually explicit comments and made unwanted touches to mens’ backs and abdomens. “The governor-elect believes the investigation should move forward and the victims should be heard. But given the numerous detailed, severe and corroborated allegations reported by The Times, he believes the best course of action for the party is for the chair to resign,” Newsom’s spokesman Nathan Click said. Bauman, a former nurse and veteran political operative from Los Angeles, became party chair in May 2017 after a protracted battle with Kimberly Ellis that divided moderate and progressive Democrats. He was heralded as the first openly gay party chair. More: Inland Empire politicians brace for change, preparing for Democrats to take House majority. More: Coachella Valley Republicans want to reverse the party's regional decline. Sam Metz covers county and state politics. Reach him at sam.metz@desertsun.com.

Eric C. Bauman resigns as California Democratic Party chairman after accusations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior toward party staff members and activists.

ska (AP) - The Latest on the earthquake in Alaska (all times local): Scientists say the damaging Alaska earthquake and aftershocks occurred on a type of fault in which one side moves down and away from the other side. Seismologist Lucy Jones told reporters Friday at the California Institute of Technology that the fault is within the Pacific tectonic plate that is diving under Alaska, a mechanism that produces the largest earthquakes in the U.S. Jones says the type of damage being reported is not surprising. She says the area in which the quake occurred has loose sediments containing lots of water and when the ground moves it creates liquefaction, or "temporary quicksand." Jones says liquefaction can cause damage to structures because the ground moves out from beneath them. Tim Craig, an owner of Anchorage True Value Hardware in south Anchorage, says the quake knocked hundreds of items onto the floor and caused two stockroom shelves to become unbolted from the wall and collapse. No one was hurt. Six off-duty employees, and some customers, offered to help clean up after the earthquake hit Tuesday morning. Craig and his wife were driving to the store when the quake hit and he says their car was bouncing. An overhead traffic signal bobbing over their heads caused immediate concern and his wife pulled over because she was worried it would fall. The quake knocked out numerous stoplights, snarling traffic in downtown Anchorage. April Pearce was at her desk at work in the assessor's office in the small city of Soldotna and started filming once she realized the rumbling of the Alaska earthquake was the start of something big. In the video, the murmurs of her colleagues can be heard as filing cabinets jostle. She says in an email later that people were gasping and panicking and called the event "spooky." Her home escaped major damage, but some Christmas decorations fell down. Fifteen-year-old Sadie Blake and other members of the Homer High School wrestling team were at an Anchorage school gymnasium waiting for a tournament to start when the earthquake hit. She says the bleachers started rocking "like crazy" and then the lights went out. People ran the bleachers in the pitch dark, trying to get out. By the time it was over, Sadie was still in the gym and says she started crying while hanging out in a nearby mall with her team. Molly McCammon says was at home waiting for a work teleconference when the quake started. She says she's lived in Alaska 45 years and called Friday's earthquake "worst earthquake I've ever been in." McCammon had taken a tour Thursday of the Anchorage Emergency Operations Center in her role as a member of the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council. One of the topics was earthquake preparation. She says: "Then it happens the next day." McCammon says the quake reminded her how much more emergency preparation she needs to do. She plans to sign up for an emergency alert system and make sure she has an emergency kit on hand. Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll says he's been told parts of a scenic highway that heads from Anchorage toward mountains and glaciers have sunken and "completely disappeared" following the earthquake. He says officials are evaluating the damage to the Glenn Highway but some was so significant that it will probably "take a long time to repair." Doll also says there has been damage reported to bridges. President Donald Trump has tweeted that the federal government "will spare no expense" helping Alaska following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that shook Anchorage. Trump on Tuesday tweeted "you have been hit hard by a 'big one'" and asked residents to follow officials' directions. Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin tweeted that her family is OK but said her "house is not." She did not elaborate but said the thinks "that's the case for many, many others." The police chief and the mayor of Anchorage said they were unaware of any reports of deaths of injuries after the quake shook buildings and opened up crevices and cracks in roads. Anchorage Fire Department Jodie Hettrick says there were reports of buildings collapsing but she did not have further details. Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll says he is unaware of reports of deaths or serious injuries following the earthquake that rocked the state's largest city. Doll made the statement to reporters Tuesday after the quake shook buildings and damaged road infrastructure. It was felt 350 miles away in Fairbanks. The Alaska Railroad has suspended all operations amid "severe" damage at their Anchorage Operations Center and unknown track conditions throughout the state. External Affairs Manager Tim Sullivan says the operations center lost power and is experiencing flooding following the quake Friday that rocked Anchorage and surrounding areas. He says: "It's tough to run trains when you have no dispatch." Sullivan says no reports of track damage have yet been reported, but it will take a day or two for staff to fully assess conditions. Until the tracks are cleared for use, all railroad operations will are suspended, Sullivan said. The quake was felt 350 miles away in Fairbanks. The operators of the 800-mile long trans-Alaska pipeline said they shut the system down as a precaution following the earthquake in south central Alaska. She says there is no known damage to the pipeline. She says data will be assessed at an operations center and a physical inspection of the line will be performed. She says pipeline can be restarted before the physical assessment is complete. The Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage says it has canceled elective surgeries and that the hospital experienced multiple water leaks. The hospital says in a statement that there was not a large influx of patients after the quake rocked Anchorage Tuesday morning. There were no reports of serious injuries or deaths and there were no reports of injuries at the hospital. The Federal Aviation Administration says operations have stopped at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport following the earthquake that rocked buildings and damaged roads. FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer in Washington state said Friday it's not known when inbound flights will resume and that travelers should check with their airlines. Kenitzer and Alaska transportation spokeswoman Meadow Bailey say telephone service is out at the airport. The FAA spokesman says the airport tower was evacuated and flights that could be diverted were being sent to Kodiak. He says inbound international flights to Anchorage were being guided by controllers at a regional radar approach facility. Alaska Gov. Bill Walker tweeted that he has issued a disaster declaration. The White House says President Donald Trump has been briefed about the earthquake that rocked Anchorage, causing damage to buildings and infrastructure. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted Tuesday that Trump is monitoring the reports of damage. Trump is in Argentina at the Group of 20 summit. Huckabee adds: "We are praying for the safety of all Alaskans." There have been no immediate reports of serious injuries or deaths following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake. The earthquake that shook Anchorage and damaged roadways also knocked many traffic lights out of service and has snarled traffic. Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said the earthquake also disrupted some communications and electrical service. The Anchorage School District canceled classes for its more than 100 schools and asked parents to pick up their kids when they could. The district wants to examine its buildings for potential damage and check for any potential gas leaks. State government offices in Anchorage were also closed so officials could assess damage. Officials have canceled a tsunami warning for coastal areas of southern Alaska following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that shook Anchorage. National Tsunami Warning Center senior technician Michael Burgy said the tsunami warning was automatically generated, Officials monitored gauges to see if any underwater landslides would generate tsunami waves. Because there were none, the warning was canceled. Police had told residents of the island community of Kodiak to head to higher ground. The quake damaged buildings in Anchorage and buckled roads and sent people running into the streets. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or deaths. Police in Alaska's island community of Kodiak say residents are heeding advice to head to higher ground because of a tsunami warning issued after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake shook Anchorage. Kodiak has about 6,000 residents and the city is about 250 miles (400 kilometers) south of Anchorage. The tsunami warning issued by the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, was automatically generated following the Friday morning temblor. Senior center technician Michael Burgy says gauges are being monitored to determine if any underwater landslides have generated tsunami waves. If there are none, the warning will be canceled. The warning could be expanded if concrete data is received about waves that have been generated. Brandon Slaton was alone and home and soaking in the bathtub when the Alaska earthquake struck. Slaton just moved to Kenai, Alaska with his wife from Arizona and had never felt an earthquake before the 7.0 magnitude temblor hit on Friday morning. Slaton says the quake created a powerful back-and-forth sloshing in the bathtub and before he knew it, he'd been thrown out of the tub by the force of the waves. His 120-pound (54-kilogram mastiff panicked and tried to run down the stairs, but the house was swaying back and forth so much that she was thrown off her feet and into a wall and tumbled to the base of the stairs. Slaton says: "It was anarchy. There's no pictures left on the walls, there's no power, there's no fish tank left. Everything that's not tied down is broke." Slaton ran into his son's room after the shaking stopped and found his fish tank shattered and the fish on the closet floor, gasping for breath. He grabbed the Betta fish and put it in another bowl. He says the area was eerily quiet. His children, 11 and 16, were evacuated from school. Police in Alaska's Kodiak island community have told residents to head to higher ground amid the tsunami threat from the earthquake that rocked buildings in Anchorage, caused damage to roads and sent office workers running out to the streets. Kodiak is an island about 200 miles south of Anchorage. The U.S. Geological Survey said it was a 7.0-magnitude quake and tsunami warnings were issued for southern Alaska coastal areas. Photographs posted to social media sites showed damage that included collapsed ceiling tiles at an Anchorage high school and buckled roadway pavement in places. Cereal boxes and packages of batteries littered the floor of a grocery store after the earthquake Tuesday morning that rocked buildings in Alaska's largest city, and picture frames and mirrors were knocked from living room walls. Alaska averages 40,000 earthquakes per year, with more large quakes than the other 49 states combined. Southern Alaska has a high risk of earthquakes due to tectonic plates sliding past each other under the region. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Pacific plate is sliding northwestward and plunges beneath the North American plate in southern Alaska, the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. On March 27, 1964, Alaska was hit by a magnitude 9.2 earthquake, the strongest recorded in U.S. history, centered about 75 miles east of Anchorage. The quake, which lasted about 4½ minutes, and the tsunami it triggered claimed about 130 lives. Anchorage lawyer Justin Capp says he was getting ready for work when he felt the shaking start. He grabbed on to the doorframe in the hallway and the door slammed into his hands, scraping his fingers and hand. Capp says he's lived in Anchorage eight years and that Tuesday's quake was the worst he had experienced. Another lawyer, Hank Graper, was driving when the quake struck. He first thought his vehicle had a flat tire, then thought it was exploding. He realized it was an earthquake after he saw traffic poles swaying. Graper called it the most "violent" earthquake he's experienced in his 20 years in Anchorage. The U.S. Geological Survey initially said it was a 6.7 magnitude earthquake and later boosted the magnitude to 7.0 The National Tsunami Warning Center has issued a tsunami warning for coastal zones of southern Alaska following an earthquake that rocked buildings in downtown Anchorage. The center said Friday that the warning was in effect for parts of the state's Cook Inlet and the southern Kenai peninsula. The U.S. Geological Survey initially said it was a 6.7 magnitude earthquake and then reduced that to 6.6. The quake was centered about 7 miles north of Alaska's largest city. A 6.6 magnitude earthquake has rocked buildings in Anchorage and caused lamp posts and trees to sway, prompting people to run out of offices and seek shelter under office desks. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake Friday morning was centered about 7 miles (12 kilometers) north of Alaska's largest city. An Associated Press reporter working in downtown Anchorage saw cracks in a 2-story building after the quake. It was unclear whether there were injuries. People went back inside buildings after the earthquake but a smaller aftershock a short time later sent them running back into the streets again. Check back for updates to this developing story. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]"Many homes and buildings are damaged," the department said in a statement Friday morning. "Many roads and bridges are closed. Stay off the roads if you don't need to drive." Police officers were dispatched across the region to handle "multiple situations," the department said, although it did not elaborate beyond saying it was working with the school district to check on children there. A journalist with the news station KTVA shared a photo of the damage in that newsroom, in which pieces of the ceiling had apparently fallen on desks and the floor. Several unconfirmed photos on Twitter showed major damage to roads around Anchorage, with buckled and broken asphalt.[SEP]An Associated Press reporter working in downtown Anchorage saw cracks in a 2-story building after the quake. It was unclear whether there were injuries.[SEP]An Associated Press reporter working in downtown Anchorage saw cracks in a 2-story building after the quake. It was unclear whether there were injuries.[SEP]An Associated Press reporter working in downtown Anchorage saw cracks in a 2-story building after the quake. It was unclear whether there were injuries.[SEP]ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Chris Riekena was driving his 7-year-old son to school when his car started acting up. As he pulled over, he realized the problem wasn't his car — it was a huge earthquake. Riekena turned around to calm his son in the back seat and when he looked forward again, the road ahead of him was sinking into the earth. He pulled his son out of the car as light poles along the road swayed in the air. By the time the shaking stopped Friday, the car just in front of his on the freeway was marooned on an island of asphalt with a huge chasm on both sides. "It was probably a good 30 to 40 seconds of slow-motion disaster," said Riekena, an engineer with the Alaska Department of Transportation who later returned to the site for his job. "Thankfully I pulled over when I did," he said. "I've walked around the site enough over the last few hours that I've replayed that a few times." Back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.7 shattered highways and rocked buildings Friday in Anchorage and the surrounding area, sending people running into the streets and briefly triggering a tsunami warning for islands and coastal areas south of the city. No tsunami arrived and there were no reports of deaths or serious injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said the first and more powerful quake was centered about 7 miles (12 kilometers) north of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, with a population of about 300,000. People ran from their offices or took cover under desks. The 5.7 aftershock arrived within minutes, followed by a series of smaller quakes. "We just hung onto each other. You couldn't even stand," said Sheila Bailey, who was working at a high school cafeteria in Palmer, about 45 miles from Anchorage, when the quake struck. "It sounded and felt like the school was breaking apart." Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll said he had been told that parts of Glenn Highway, a scenic route that runs northeast out of the city past farms, mountains and glaciers, had "completely disappeared." The quake broke store windows, knocked items off shelves, opened cracks in a two-story building downtown, disrupted electrical service and disabled traffic lights, snarling traffic. Flights at the airport were suspended for hours after the quake knocked out telephones and forced the evacuation of the control tower. And the 800-mile Alaska oil pipeline was shut down for hours while crews were sent to inspect it for damage. Anchorage's school system canceled classes and asked parents to pick up their children while it examined buildings for gas leaks or other damage. Jonathan Lettow was waiting with his 5-year-old daughter and other children for a school bus near their home in Wasilla, about 40 miles north of Anchorage, when the quake struck. The children got on the ground in a circle while Lettow tried to keep them calm and watched for falling trees. "It's one of those things where in your head, you think, 'OK, it's going to stop,' and you say that to yourself so many times in your head that finally you think, 'OK, maybe this isn't going to stop,'" he said. Soon after the shaking ended, the school bus pulled up and the children boarded, but the driver stopped at a bridge and refused to go across because of deep cracks in the road, he said. Gov. Bill Walker issued a disaster declaration. He was in an elevator in a high-rise Anchorage office building and said it was a "rough ride" coming down. He described the quake as a 7.2, though it was unclear why his figure differed from that of the USGS. Walker says it will take more than a week or two to repair roads damaged by the earthquake. "This is much more significant than that," he told reporters at a news conference. In Kenai, southwest of Anchorage, Brandon Slaton was soaking in his bathtub when the earthquake struck. The temblor created a powerful back-and-forth sloshing that threw him out of the tub, he said. His 120-pound mastiff panicked and tried to run down the stairs, but the house was swaying so much that the dog was thrown into a wall and tumbled down the stairs, Slaton said. Slaton ran into his son's room after the shaking stopped. The boy's fish was on the floor, gasping, its tank shattered. Slaton put the fish in a bowl. "It was anarchy," he said. "There's no pictures left on the walls, there's no power, there's no fish tank left. Everything that's not tied down is broke." Alaska was the site of the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the U.S. The 9.2-magnitude quake on March 27, 1964, was centered about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Anchorage. It and the tsunami it triggered claimed about 130 lives. The state averages 40,000 earthquakes a year, with more large quakes than the 49 other states combined. Southern Alaska has a high risk of earthquakes because the Earth's plates slide past each other under the region. Alaska has been hit by a number of powerful quakes over 7.0 in recent decades, including a 7.9 last January southeast of Kodiak Island. But it is rare for a quake this big to strike so close to such a heavily populated area. David Harper was getting coffee at a store when the low rumble began and intensified into something that sounded "like the building was just going to fall apart." He ran for the exit with other patrons. "People who were outside were actively hugging each other," he said. "You could tell that it was a bad one." Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage; Gillian Flaccus in Portland, Oregon; Gene Johnson in Seattle; Jennifer Kelleher in Honolulu; Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington; and John Antczak in Los Angeles contributed to this report.[SEP]ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Chris Riekena was driving his 7-year-old son to school when his car started acting up. As he pulled over, he realized the problem wasn't his car - it was a huge earthquake. Riekena turned around to calm his son in the back seat and when he looked forward again, the road ahead of him was sinking into the earth. He pulled his son out of the car as light poles along the road swayed in the air. By the time the shaking stopped Friday, the car just in front of his on the freeway was marooned on an island of asphalt with a huge chasm on both sides. "It was probably a good 30 to 40 seconds of slow-motion disaster," said Riekena, an engineer with the Alaska Department of Transportation who later returned to the site for his job. "Thankfully I pulled over when I did," he said. "I've walked around the site enough over the last few hours that I've replayed that a few times." Back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.7 shattered highways and rocked buildings Friday in Anchorage and the surrounding area, sending people running into the streets and briefly triggering a tsunami warning for islands and coastal areas south of the city. No tsunami arrived and there were no reports of deaths or serious injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said the first and more powerful quake was centered about 7 miles (12 kilometers) north of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, with a population of about 300,000. People ran from their offices or took cover under desks. The 5.7 aftershock arrived within minutes, followed by a series of smaller quakes. "We just hung onto each other. You couldn't even stand," said Sheila Bailey, who was working at a high school cafeteria in Palmer, about 45 miles from Anchorage, when the quake struck. "It sounded and felt like the school was breaking apart." Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll said he had been told that parts of Glenn Highway, a scenic route that runs northeast out of the city past farms, mountains and glaciers, had "completely disappeared." The quake broke store windows, knocked items off shelves, opened cracks in a two-story building downtown, disrupted electrical service and disabled traffic lights, snarling traffic. Flights at the airport were suspended for hours after the quake knocked out telephones and forced the evacuation of the control tower. And the 800-mile Alaska oil pipeline was shut down for hours while crews were sent to inspect it for damage. Anchorage's school system canceled classes and asked parents to pick up their children while it examined buildings for gas leaks or other damage. Jonathan Lettow was waiting with his 5-year-old daughter and other children for a school bus near their home in Wasilla, about 40 miles north of Anchorage, when the quake struck. The children got on the ground in a circle while Lettow tried to keep them calm and watched for falling trees. "It's one of those things where in your head, you think, 'OK, it's going to stop,' and you say that to yourself so many times in your head that finally you think, 'OK, maybe this isn't going to stop,'" he said. Soon after the shaking ended, the school bus pulled up and the children boarded, but the driver stopped at a bridge and refused to go across because of deep cracks in the road, he said. Gov. Bill Walker issued a disaster declaration. He was in an elevator in a high-rise Anchorage office building and said it was a "rough ride" coming down. He described the quake as a 7.2, though it was unclear why his figure differed from that of the USGS. Walker says it will take more than a week or two to repair roads damaged by the earthquake. "This is much more significant than that," he told reporters at a news conference. In Kenai, southwest of Anchorage, Brandon Slaton was soaking in his bathtub when the earthquake struck. The temblor created a powerful back-and-forth sloshing that threw him out of the tub, he said. His 120-pound mastiff panicked and tried to run down the stairs, but the house was swaying so much that the dog was thrown into a wall and tumbled down the stairs, Slaton said. Slaton ran into his son's room after the shaking stopped. The boy's fish was on the floor, gasping, its tank shattered. Slaton put the fish in a bowl. "It was anarchy," he said. "There's no pictures left on the walls, there's no power, there's no fish tank left. Everything that's not tied down is broke." Alaska was the site of the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the U.S. The 9.2-magnitude quake on March 27, 1964, was centered about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Anchorage. It and the tsunami it triggered claimed about 130 lives. The state averages 40,000 earthquakes a year, with more large quakes than the 49 other states combined. Southern Alaska has a high risk of earthquakes because the Earth's plates slide past each other under the region. Alaska has been hit by a number of powerful quakes over 7.0 in recent decades, including a 7.9 last January southeast of Kodiak Island. But it is rare for a quake this big to strike so close to such a heavily populated area. David Harper was getting coffee at a store when the low rumble began and intensified into something that sounded "like the building was just going to fall apart." He ran for the exit with other patrons. "People who were outside were actively hugging each other," he said. "You could tell that it was a bad one." Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage; Gillian Flaccus in Portland, Oregon; Gene Johnson in Seattle; Jennifer Kelleher in Honolulu; Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington; and John Antczak in Los Angeles contributed to this report.[SEP]ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Chris Riekena was driving his 7-year-old son to school when his car started acting up. As he pulled over, he realized the problem wasn't his car — it was a huge earthquake. Riekena turned around to calm his son in the back seat and when he looked forward again, the road ahead of him was sinking into the earth. He pulled his son out of the car as light poles along the road swayed in the air. By the time the shaking stopped Friday, the car just in front of his on the freeway was marooned on an island of asphalt with a huge chasm on both sides. "It was probably a good 30 to 40 seconds of slow-motion disaster," said Riekena, an engineer with the Alaska Department of Transportation who later returned to the site for his job. "Thankfully I pulled over when I did," he said. "I've walked around the site enough over the last few hours that I've replayed that a few times." Back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.7 shattered highways and rocked buildings Friday in Anchorage and the surrounding area, sending people running into the streets and briefly triggering a tsunami warning for islands and coastal areas south of the city. No tsunami arrived and there were no reports of deaths or serious injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said the first and more powerful quake was centered about 7 miles (12 kilometers) north of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, with a population of about 300,000. People ran from their offices or took cover under desks. The 5.7 aftershock arrived within minutes, followed by a series of smaller quakes. "We just hung onto each other. You couldn't even stand," said Sheila Bailey, who was working at a high school cafeteria in Palmer, about 45 miles from Anchorage, when the quake struck. "It sounded and felt like the school was breaking apart." Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll said he had been told that parts of Glenn Highway, a scenic route that runs northeast out of the city past farms, mountains and glaciers, had "completely disappeared." The quake broke store windows, knocked items off shelves, opened cracks in a two-story building downtown, disrupted electrical service and disabled traffic lights, snarling traffic. Flights at the airport were suspended for hours after the quake knocked out telephones and forced the evacuation of the control tower. And the 800-mile Alaska oil pipeline was shut down for hours while crews were sent to inspect it for damage. Anchorage's school system canceled classes and asked parents to pick up their children while it examined buildings for gas leaks or other damage. Jonathan Lettow was waiting with his 5-year-old daughter and other children for a school bus near their home in Wasilla, about 40 miles north of Anchorage, when the quake struck. The children got on the ground in a circle while Lettow tried to keep them calm and watched for falling trees. "It's one of those things where in your head, you think, 'OK, it's going to stop,' and you say that to yourself so many times in your head that finally you think, 'OK, maybe this isn't going to stop,'" he said. Soon after the shaking ended, the school bus pulled up and the children boarded, but the driver stopped at a bridge and refused to go across because of deep cracks in the road, he said. Gov. Bill Walker issued a disaster declaration. He was in an elevator in a high-rise Anchorage office building and said it was a "rough ride" coming down. He described the quake as a 7.2, though it was unclear why his figure differed from that of the USGS. Walker says it will take more than a week or two to repair roads damaged by the earthquake. "This is much more significant than that," he told reporters at a news conference. In Kenai, southwest of Anchorage, Brandon Slaton was soaking in his bathtub when the earthquake struck. The temblor created a powerful back-and-forth sloshing that threw him out of the tub, he said. His 120-pound mastiff panicked and tried to run down the stairs, but the house was swaying so much that the dog was thrown into a wall and tumbled down the stairs, Slaton said. Slaton ran into his son's room after the shaking stopped. The boy's fish was on the floor, gasping, its tank shattered. Slaton put the fish in a bowl. "It was anarchy," he said. "There's no pictures left on the walls, there's no power, there's no fish tank left. Everything that's not tied down is broke." Alaska was the site of the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the U.S. The 9.2-magnitude quake on March 27, 1964, was centered about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Anchorage. It and the tsunami it triggered claimed about 130 lives. The state averages 40,000 earthquakes a year, with more large quakes than the 49 other states combined. Southern Alaska has a high risk of earthquakes because the Earth's plates slide past each other under the region. Alaska has been hit by a number of powerful quakes over 7.0 in recent decades, including a 7.9 last January southeast of Kodiak Island. But it is rare for a quake this big to strike so close to such a heavily populated area. David Harper was getting coffee at a store when the low rumble began and intensified into something that sounded "like the building was just going to fall apart." He ran for the exit with other patrons. "People who were outside were actively hugging each other," he said. "You could tell that it was a bad one." Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage; Gillian Flaccus in Portland, Oregon; Gene Johnson in Seattle; Jennifer Kelleher in Honolulu; Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington; and John Antczak in Los Angeles contributed to this report.[SEP]Alaska is now beginning to survey the damage of powerful back-to-back earthquakes that struck the area around Anchorage on Friday, an event that resulted in damage to buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. Speaking with reporters following the quake, Alaska Governor Bill Walker said that resulting disruption and needed repairs could last “quite some time.” A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck around 8:29 a.m. local time followed by ensuing, smaller earthquakes. Citing United States Geological Survey research geophysicist Gavin Hayes, CNN reported Saturday that “a magnitude-5.2 aftershock about 11 p.m. Friday was the second-biggest event since a magnitude-5.7 temblor hit minutes after the main quake.” Despite earthquakes being common in the area, Friday’s event was still significant. “This is a very earthquake-prone region. Much more so than California,” climatologist Brian Brettschneider told Gizmodo by email. “That said, it’s been over 50 years since an earthquake this strong was felt in Anchorage. The good news is that most of Anchorage was built, or rebuilt, after the great 1964 Earthquake (M9.2). That means very strict building codes.” He also noted that there were no injuries or fatalities, adding: “If you had to be in a city of over [a quarter of a million] people and have an M7 earthquake hit, this is the best place to be.” Videos shared on social media captured widespread damage across Anchorage and the surrounding area. One video shared by Brettschneider on Twitter captured drone footage of cracks in ice at Anchorage’s Waldron Lake. According to Brettschneider, the ice was 8 inches thick. Nat Herz, a reporter for Alaska Public Media, told NPR that he was sitting at a coffee shop in Anchorage when he “just felt like sort of a rumble or a buzz.” “But then things kind of got louder, and things started really shaking and shaking hard. And people were kind of looking around,” he told NPR. “And then I think, you know, someone went for the door, and everyone else went for the door. And, you know, everyone kind of hurried outside. And kind of once things settled down, everyone went back in.” At least two highways were closed down following the earthquake, with local CBS affiliate KTVA reporting that area’s Glenn Highway endured significant damage that included a “massive sinkhole.” Power losses also reportedly affected tens of thousands of people following the initial earthquake. Governor Walker said in a phone interview Friday that there’s a possibility that some infrastructure damage could take weeks or months to repair, especially given the winter season. Walker also said he spoke with President Donald Trump, after which call KTVA reported the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved assistance for the area. “It’s going to be a disruption for quite some time,” Walker said. “We’ve been on the phone with the White House a number of times today [and] took a call from President Trump. They talked about their desire to help us, and we appreciate that very much.” According to Alaska Public Media, schools in the area are expected to be closed until at least Wednesday of next week.[SEP]An Associated Press reporter working in downtown Anchorage saw cracks in a 2-story building after the quake. It was unclear whether there were injuries.

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hits Alaska, with the epicenter in Anchorage. Severe damage is reported.

Hide Transcript Show Transcript WEBVTT HAVE FOR US? BRETT: WE HAVE BEEN OUT HERE ALL EVENING AND WE WILL SHOW YOU THE FIRST LOOK AT SOME OF THE DAMAGE WE BELIEVE WAS CAUSED BY A TORNADO. WE ARE JUST OFF HIGHWAY 100. YOU CAN SEE THE TREES DOWN. THIS USED TO BE A MOBILE HOME BACK HERE. IT IS DESTROYED. WE DON’T KNOW IF PEOPLE ARE LIVING INSIDE THAT HOME OR THE EXTENT OF ANY INJURIES. SEE HOW THE TREES HAVE SNAPPED OFF AT THE TOP. WE WERE TELLING YOU EARLIER -- THAT BUSINESS IS NO MORE. TREES DOWN, HARD TO BELIEVE THAT WAS A HOME RIGHT THERE. JUST THE DAMAGE THAT WAS CAUSED RIGHT THERE. WE WILL BRING YOU A LIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE SEQUOYAH COUNTY SHERIFF WHO IS UNSEEN. NUMEROUS HOMES HAVE BEEN DAMAGED THROUGH THIS AREA. NO WORD ON INJURIES. WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO BE RESCUED. WE WILL WALK IN AND SHOW YOU GUYS SOME OF THIS. WALTER, COME OVER HERE. THIS IS THE SEQUOYAH COUNTY SHERIFF LARRY LANE. HE IS HERE ON SCENE. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US? >> WE ARE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE LOCAL BUSINESSES, IT IT LOOKS LIKE MOST OF THE BUSINESS AND THE HOUSE IS WIPED OUT. A LOT OF TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. BRETT: HAVE YOU HEARD OF ANY INJURIES? >> THE FAMILY IS OUT OF THE SELLER, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT GOT THEM OUT. THERE ARE STILL SOME MORE HOUSES DAMAGED OF THE ROAD. BRETT: AND IT IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND NO POWER. >> RIGHT. AND WITH ALL THE DEBRIS WE CAN’T GET AROUND AND GET TO EVERYTHING. BRETT: C1 >> WE HAVE BEEN HERE FOR YEARS, WE KNOW HOW IT’S USED TO LOOK. SEEING THIS, WHAT COMES TO MIND? >> IT DOES NOT EVEN LOOK LIKE THE SAME PLACE. I KNOW THE FAMILY REAL WELL WHO LIVES HERE AT THE END OF THE ROAD. HE IS THE PRINCIPLE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL HERE. I KNOW HIM REAL WELL. LIKE I SAID, THEY ARE SAFE AND NOT INJURED. >> NO WORD ON ANY INJURIES, BUT YOU ARE STILL CHECKING, RIGHT? >> WE ARE STILL TRYING TO RUN DOWN REPORTS OF HOUSE DAMAGE. >> BOATS ARE BLOCKING THE ROAD. >> THEY SAID THERE ARE SEVERAL BOATS IN THE ROAD. >> DO YOU NEED ANY HELP? YOU NEED SOME DAYLIGHT. >> DAYLIGHT AND THE RAIN TO STOP. >> THANKS FOR TALKING WITH US. YOU HEARD FROM THE SEQUOYAH COUNTY SHERIFF. THEY’RE STILL TRYING TO GET AN OVERALL SENSE OF THE STRUCTURE AND THE STORM HAS CAUSED. Advertisement SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ACROSS THE AREA Share Shares Copy Link Copy 12:30 a.m. The strongest storms have exited the 40/29 viewing area. The Tornado Watch for much of western Arkansas has been cancelled. 12:10 a.m. Tornado Warning for Johnson, Logan, and Pope Counties has been allowed to expire. New Severe Thunderstorm Warning for eastern Johnson County and NE Logan County until 1:00 a.m. A line of severe thunderstorms is moving NE at about 65 mph. 60 mph wind gusts with quarter-sized hail are possible. 11:57A Tornado Warning has been issued for southern Johnson County - including Clarksville until 12:15 a.m.At 11:57 p.m., A severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Hoyt - near Clarksville - moving east at 65 mph. 11:52 p.m. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for NE Benton Co., northern Madison Co, Carroll Co., and NE Washington County until 12:45 a.m. 60 mph wind gusts are possible. 11:30 p.m. The Tornado Warning over Crawford and Sequoyah counties has been allowed to expire. A new Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for most of Benton County and the northern part of Washington County until 12:30 a.m. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has also been issued for Polk County until 12:15 a.m. 11:20 p.m. A Tornado Warning has been issued for parts of Crawford and Sequoyah counties. At 11:09 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Short moving northeast at 55 mph. 10:40 p.m.A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for parts of Crawford and Washington counties until 11:15 p.m. At 10:37 p.m., a severe thunderstorm was located over Cedarville, moving north at 50 mph. 60 mph wind gusts and quarter sized hail are possible. 10:30 p.m. The Tornado Warning has been extended into parts of Benton, Adair, and Cherokee counties until 11:00 p.m. 10:25 p.m.A Tornado Warning remains in effect for Adair/Cherokee counties until 10:45 p.m. Shortly before 10:20 p.m., a confirmed, large tornado was located near Procter, moving northeast at 45 mph. As of 10:25 p.m. the tornado continues to track across NW Adair County. 10 p.m.Storm spotter reports power lines down along Highway 64 east of Highway 10 and damage to cars and at least one home in the Tenkiller area. 9:40 p.m.A storm spotter reported a tornado on the ground near Gore, Oklahoma.A "large and dangerous" tornado was reported in that area.Damage was reported near the Gore exit of I-40.---------------------------------------9:20pm, Friday Update: A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for Adair, Sequoyah, and Cherokee counties until 10pm. The storm is moving toward the northeast at 45 mph. The main concern 60 mph winds. This storm was Tornado warned toward the south of Sequoyah county. 8:oopm, Friday UPDATE: The Storm Prediction Center has moved the Enhanced Risk for severe weather a little farther north, now including much of NW Arkansas. The hatched area, indicating the area at greatest risk for a strong tornado, was also pushed a little farther north and west.All this means is that the SPC is now a little more confident that the severe weather could end up being a little more north than originally expected.And I'm going to tell you the same thing we've been telling you... the severe threat extends over our entire area, and it's not that much higher in one area or the other. Certainly the threat, in theory, is slightly higher in the River Valley, but, it's certainly no guarantee that the worst storms will inevitably occur there. We're all in the area of concern tonight. We'll keep watching it carefully. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A Tornado Watch Has Been Issued For The Following Counties: Sebastian, Crawford, Washington, Benton, Franklin, Carroll, and Madison Effective Until 2:00 amA Tornado Watch Has Been Issued For The Following Counties: Polk, Scott, Johnson, and Logan Effective Until 2:00 am Get severe weather alerts and the latest forecast on your phone with the free 40/29 News app, available on Apple and Android devices------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5:30pm, Friday UPDATE:The first Tornado Watch has been issued for Eastern Oklahoma. It includes Sequoyah, Delaware, Adair, and Le Flore counties until Midnight. We do expect additional tornado watches in Arkansas. Those should come out in the next hour or two.Again, a few tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds possible across our entire area tonight, thru about 2am. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12:05pm, Friday UPDATE:The Storm Prediction Center continues to highlight much of NW Arkansas, and especially the River Valley and the SW corner of Arkansas, for the threat of severe weather this evening and overnight. The yellow indicates the Slight risk, the orange is the Enhanced risk, where severe weather is most likely with this system.Bottom line... our entire viewing area has a chance to see a few storms capable of producing large hail and damaging winds, and even a few tornadoes. The area I've highlighted in the black circle is where the SPC thinks a strong tornado (EF2 or stronger) is a little more likely. As always, we'll be watching it carefully at 40/29 and we'll have updates throughout the night, as needed.Chief Meteorologist Darby Bybee-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Storm Prediction Center has updated the projections for severe weather in our area. The line of division is basically I-40. If you live NORTH of I-40, you have a SLIGHT chance of severe weather tonight. If you live along and SOUTH of I-40, you have an ENHANCED chance of severe weather. The timing of the storms has basically stayed the same. While we could see a few spotty showers during the day, the chance for stormier weather doesn't begin going up (first in the River Valley) until later this afternoon ( after 5pm). The chances of storms intensifying increases throughout the evening. However, all showers and storms should be out of here by 2:00 Saturday morning. The peak threat looks to be between 9pm and midnight...Keep in mind that all modes of severe weather are possible tonight. Winds greater than 60 mph, large hail, and even isolated tornadoes could all be in the mix. And while the greatest threat for severe weather looks to be in the River Valley and southward, we will also be watching NW Arkansas for the development of any strong to severe storms throughout the night. Remember, the threat for severe weather tonight is very real. We'll be watching it very closely in the 40/29 Weather Center, and will have updates on 40/29 News and on line leading up to tonight's storms.Chief Meteorologist Darby Bybee[SEP]Lightning strikes in Haltom City in this image uploaded to our web site by a user in that city. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A strong storm system is expected to bring hail, heavy rain and possibly tornadoes to parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The National Weather Service says the storms are expected to develop Friday afternoon and could impact northern Texas, eastern Oklahoma and most of Arkansas. Golf ball sized hail, damaging wind gusts and heavy rains creating a risk of flash flooding are the primary risks, but the weather service says isolated tornadoes are also possible throughout the region. The weather service says the severe weather is expected to end on Saturday.[SEP]A strong storm system is expected to bring hail, heavy rain and possibly tornadoes to parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The National Weather Service says the storms are expected to develop Friday afternoon and could impact northern Texas, eastern Oklahoma and most of Arkansas. Golf ball sized hail, damaging wind gusts and heavy rains creating a risk of flash flooding are the primary risks, but the weather service says isolated tornadoes are also possible throughout the region. The weather service says the severe weather is expected to end on Saturday.[SEP]A major storm developing in the central U.S. is bringing ongoing severe weather across the south, a flash flood threat to parts of the Gulf Coast and a major winter storm in the Northern Plains and upper Midwest. There was one reported tornado in eastern Oklahoma overnight as several tornado warnings were issued in the eastern parts of the state. Additionally, there were nearly 60 reports of strong winds from northern Texas to southern Missouri. Numerous tornado warnings were issued during the overnight hours in southern Missouri, where winds reached 83 mph. The U.S. averages 24 tornadoes in December with most developing in the southern U.S. A clear circulation was evident on radar and satellite imagery across Kansas on Saturday morning. This developing major storm will slowly move east during the day. A tornado watch is in effect for parts of Missouri and Arkansas through the early Saturday morning hours as a line of strong storms moves through the region. A couple of tornadoes will be possible through the early morning hours in the watch area. The risk will diminish by mid-Saturday morning in this region. Heavy rain has spread from eastern Kansas to Florida and snow is beginning to develop across parts of Nebraska. Travel conditions will become hazardous on Saturday morning with heavy snow developing in parts of Nebraska and South Dakota. Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour are likely with winds gusting to 35 mph in parts of the Northern Plains. This will cause near whiteout conditions. Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories are in effect for much of the northern U.S. from Montana to northern Iowa. The severe weather threat will nudge eastward later in the day Saturday with two main areas of concern under a slight risk for severe weather: the Gulf states from Louisiana to Florida, including much of Alabama, and parts of eastern Missouri and much of Illinois. In these slight-risk areas, strong winds, brief tornadoes and hail will all be possible. Additionally, an onslaught of heavy rain is expected for parts of the Florida Panhandle, extreme southern Georgia and Alabama. A flash flood watch has been issued for parts of this region, as locally 3 to 5 inches of rain is possible this weekend, with the bulk of it coming Saturday. This flood threat includes Panama City, Florida, and Dothan, Alabama. Heavy snow will fall on Saturday through parts of the Midwest and Northern Plains with a significant impacts to roadways and possible flight delays at region airports. As some of this precipitation moves into the Northeast late Saturday night, it will encounter some colder air. As a result, some precipitation may fall as a mix of snow, freezing rain and sleet in parts of the interior Northeast. However, up to 1 inch of snow and a one-tenth of an inch of ice is expected from parts of New York to Maine. This could cause dangerous travel overnight Saturday into early Sunday morning. As warmer air moves in from the south on Sunday morning, temperatures will change the precipitation to rain. Borderline icy events can be extremely impactful on the roads. On Sunday, the severe threat will slide toward the Southeast coast with a slight risk of severe weather from parts of Georgia to extreme southeast North Carolina. In the slight risk area there is a possibility of strong winds, brief tornadoes and hail. The greatest snow totals will be across parts of Nebraska, where locally over 1 foot of snow will fall. The combination of strong winds and heavy snow could cause some power outages in the region. Widespread snowfall totals of 6 to 12 inches are possible from Kansas to Wisconsin.[SEP]Kyler Murray threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns, but it was Oklahoma’s defense that helped the No. 5 Sooners keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive with a 39-27 win over No. 14 Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday at AT&T Stadium. Oklahoma has won four consecutive Big 12 Championships, a first for the conference. The teams now await their bowl fates Sunday, with Oklahoma hoping for a third playoff appearance in four seasons. The Sooners will need to move up one spot after avenging their only loss of the year. After an Oklahoma turnover with just more than nine minutes remaining gave the Longhorns the ball at their own 7, Sooners cornerback Tre Brown got to Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger in the end zone and bowled him over for the safety to put the Sooners ahead 32-27. The Sooners (12-1) then ran the clock down with a drive that took more than six minutes off the clock, capped by Grant Calcaterra’s second touchdown catch of the game. Oklahoma had allowed 40 or more points in four consecutive games coming in, but the Sooners’ defense came up with several crucial stops, including early when Oklahoma’s offense struggled to find much of a rhythm. Texas led 14-6 early in the second quarter after Ehlinger’s second rushing touchdown. Oklahoma failed to score a first-quarter touchdown for the first time in 25 games and took awhile to get going in the second, punting after Ehlinger’s score. But the Sooners’ defense held Texas, with the help of Amani Bledsoe’s third-down sack that forced a punt. Then Oklahoma’s offense came alive, with Murray hitting CeeDee Lamb for a 42-yard pass on the first play of the ensuing drive and finding Lamb again five plays later for a 28-yard touchdown. Ehlinger threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns for the Longhorns, who finished with 437 yards of total offense — more than 60 yards less than they had in Texas’ 48-45 win Oct. 6. Texas receiver Collin Johnson set a Big 12 championship game record with 177 yards receiving on eight catches. Lamb had six catches for 167 yards and a touchdown for Oklahoma.[SEP]It's gameday! Texas and Oklahoma will square off at 11 a.m. on KVUE for the Big 12 Championship. If this game turns out to be anything like the first matchup, fans at AT&T Stadium are in for a real treat. In October, Texas defeated Oklahoma 48-45 in the final seconds due to a game-winning field goal by freshman kicker Cameron Dicker. The Red River Rivalry loss was Oklahoma's sole blemish on the season. This matchup also marked the first time the two programs have met in a conference title game. The KVUE team was up bright and early to bring you the latest from behind the scenes of the Big 12 Championship festivities. PHOTOS: Texas Longhorns fans gear up for Big 12 Championship game against Oklahoma Sooners RELATED | UT PICK 'EM: KVUE staff chooses its Big 12 Champion. What is your score prediction? If Texas beats OU, they go to the Sugar Bowl, but could also go if they lose big. Here's why. University of Texas students are ready to be Big 12 Champs ESPN gives Texas a 27.1 percent chance to defeat the Oklahoma Sooners, according to its football power index. When UT and Oklahoma played each other in October, Texas only had a 26.6 percent chance of winning, according to the ESPN power index. The Longhorns won that game, 48-45. HIGHLIGHTS: No. 17 Texas Longhorns fall to No. 13 West Virginia Mountaineers, 42-41 RECAP: No.19 Texas wins 48-45 over No. 7 Oklahoma after taking lead with nine seconds left RECAP: No. 18 Texas Longhorns survive after allowing 14 unanswered second half points, win 19-14 RECAP: Texas holds on to win 28-21 in home opener versus Tulsa Golden Hurricane[SEP]OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City fire crews searched a storm drain on Thursday after receiving reports that someone may be inside it in in northwest Oklahoma City. On Thursday afternoon, firefighters were called to the 14500 block of N. Pennsylvania Ave. after witnesses reported seeing an open manhole cover and a bicycle next to it. For nearly an hour, crews searched the area and the storm drain to make sure no one was in danger. In the end, no one was found.[SEP]OKLAHOMA CITY – The country’s rate of uninsured children grew for the first time in about a decade, and Oklahoma was no exception. The Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families released a report in November detailing the drop. About 82,000 Oklahoma children, or 7.7 percent of the state’s minor population, went without coverage in 2017. That grew from 79,000 the year before and left Oklahoma with the fourth-highest uninsured rate. Texas, Alaska and Wyoming fared worse. Oklahoma was also listed as one of 12 states with a child uninsured rate significantly higher than the national average, which is 5 percent. “Uninsured children are more likely to have unmet health needs and lack a usual source of care,” the report states. Usual sources of care and health insurance are requisites for preventive care, said Dr. Jean Hausheer, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association and a physician serving low-income residents in Comanche County. That can mean anything from overall wellness checks to obesity assessments, nutrition and vaccines. The latter is an issue the medical association has raised serious concerns over, she said. Only about two-thirds of Oklahoma’s infants aged 19-35 months have gotten all of their recommended vaccines. In 2017, about 2 percent of Oklahoma’s public school children got an exemption from required vaccinations, she said. That totals more than 13,000 people, based on the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s education totals for 2017. Oklahoma is one of 18 states that allow philosophical and religious exemptions to exams. “Measles outbreaks are coming,” Hausheer said. “Our vulnerable population is our insured group.” Hausheer also noted that Oklahoma is one of 14 states that didn’t approve Medicaid expansion, which creates more access to federal- and state-sponsored health coverage for working families. The Georgetown report states three out of every four children who lost coverage between 2016 and 2017 live in states that have no expanded Medicaid coverage to parents and other low-income adults. Rick Snyder is the vice president of finance and information services at the Oklahoma Hospital Association. He said the increase in the child uninsured rate is to be expected. “I don’t think there’s any surprise in that,” he said. “Oklahoma’s low in insurance rates overall. It’s still a symptom of the problem.” The state ranks second highest in the nation for its uninsured rate, according to census data released in September. About 14.2 percent of Oklahoma’s nearly 4 million residents had no medical coverage in 2017, up from 13.8 percent in 2016. Insured adults are more likely to have insured children, Snyder said, so the association is continuing its work to promote insurance access for all. That includes its push for Oklahoma officials to accept all available forms of medical funding. Patients who come to hospitals needing care don’t get turned away, he said. Pediatric care is administered, and then hospitals have to find some way to handle the loss when there is one. Although it is difficult for all, Snyder said, the challenge isn’t as hard for pediatric specialty hospitals as it is for others. “They’re a little better able to cushion the uninsured kids by having larger volumes and so forth,” he said. “The rural hospitals, where they’re already in a negative margin, will have uninsured kids too.” Like what you’re reading? Check out more exclusive news and analysis by subscribing today:[SEP]In a battle of the Big 12's heavyweight programs, No. 14 Texas and No. 5 Oklahoma fought until the end to determine which team would take home the conference championship — and it was the Sooners that came out on top with a 39-27 victory. Oklahoma hasn't lost to the same opponent twice in the same season since it was swept by the Longhorns in 1901, and that didn't change Saturday as it was a Red River rematch. The Longhorns beat the Sooners 48-45 on Oct. 6, but this time it was a different story. The Sooners had a shaky first quarter as they were figuring out their offense against Texas, but they turned it around late in the second quarter to take a 20-14 lead at the half. Texas led until the last 18 seconds of the first half when Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray passed 6 yards to Grant Calcaterra for a touchdown. Oklahoma took advantage of the momentum it built late in the first half as it came out in the third quarter and scored a touchdown on their first drive to go up 27-14. From there, the Sooners held on and relied on a strong defense to stop Texas as they became the Big 12 champions for the fourth year in a row. This win had major College Football playoff implications as Oklahoma remains in contention for one of the final spots. Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma's victory over Texas. Oklahoma struggled in the first quarter to get anything going offensively and it wasn't until late in the second quarter that the Sooners figured out what they needed to do to get past the Longhorns' defense. Saturday's Big 12 Championship game marked the end of Oklahoma's streak of 24 consecutive games with a touchdown in the first quarter. To put in perspective how long that streak is, Alabama previously held it with 12 games, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The biggest difference was that the Sooners relied on Kyler Murray to pass the ball more. Their run game wasn't working as they were held to just 53 rushing yards in the first half and coach Lincoln Riley knew it. They went into halftime with 203 passing yards and finished the game with 379. Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray keeps proving why he's at the center of Heisman Trophy conversations. Murray proved his versatility against Texas and showed how well he moves in the pocket. He sets up plays with the idea of throwing, but also has the capability to rush when he needs to run the ball based on how he reads the defense. Murray had three touchdowns Saturday, giving him 51 touchdowns this season, which is two more than 2017 Heisman winner Baker Mayfield had in 14 games last season. Heading into the conference championship game, Murray had thrown for 3,674 yards with a 70.6 completion percentage while averaging 12.01 yards per attempt. Murray entered the game with 37 passing touchdowns and 11 rushing touchdowns on the season. Texas made its loss against Oklahoma much harder than it needed to be as the Longhorns faced huge penalties throughout the game. To end the first half, the Longhorns had eight penalties for 78 yards compared to the Sooners' two for 15 yards. It only got worse from there as Texas racked up five in the second half and finished with a total of 13 for a loss of 128 yards Saturday. Many of the penalties came at critical times, including two on a scoring drive when the Sooners were first and goal late in the third quarter. It was clear the Longhorns' concentration was off as they made several mistakes that could have resulted in a different outcome of the game.[SEP]ARLINGTON, Texas - Kyler Murray threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns as No. 5 Oklahoma defeated No. 9 Texas 39-27 in the Big 12 championship game Saturday (Dec. 1). With the victory, the Sooners avenged their only loss of the regular season and made their case to return to the College Football Playoff. Murray, the Heisman Trophy-contending, dual-threat quarterback, threw two of his TDs to Grant Calcaterra. That included an impressive 18-yard score on a third-and-10 play with two minutes left as the Sooners (12-1) won their seventh consecutive game despite being held to fewer than 40 points for the first time in nine games. Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger was 23-of-36 passing for 349 yards with two touchdowns and also ran for two scores. But his last pass was picked off by Tre Norwood at the 1 in the final minute. Sugar Bowl pairing of Texas and Georgia appears likely, but ‘anything can happen’ Oklahoma is the first Power Five team to win four consecutive outright conference titles since Florida in the SEC in the mid-1990s. The Sooners went ahead to stay on Austin Seibert’s third field goal, a 31-yarder that made tyeh score 30-27 with 12:37 left. It was good after ricocheting off the top of the left upright. Two plays after Oklahoma's only turnover, when receiver CeeDee Lamb fumbled inside the 10 after a 54-yard catch-and-run with nine minutes left, the Sooners got points anyway. Cornerback Tre Brown sacked Ehlinger in the end zone for a safety. The 114th meeting between the Red River rivals was their first in a championship game, and the first time since 1903 they had played twice in the same season. Every game since 1929 had been played about 20 miles away at the State Fair of Texas, where the Longhorns beat Oklahoma 48-45 eight weeks ago. Oklahoma never trailed after Murray threw TDs on its last two drives of the first half for a 20-14 lead, on Calcaterra’s 6-yard TD pass in the final minute when the Sooners were out of timeouts but went 80 yards in five plays. The Sooners were up 27-21 until Ehlinger threw a 5-yard TD to Lil’Jordan Humphrey with 2:44 left in the third quarter. But the extra point that would have put Texas ahead was deflected and clanged off the crossbar no good. • Texas: Collin Johnson set a Big 12 championship game record with 177 yards receiving on eight catches. He had a 27-yard TD catch in the third quarter on a drive when he also had catches of 25 and 21 runs. • Oklahoma: The Sooners won their 12th overall Big 12 title. They are the only Big 12 team that has made it into the College Football Playoff, going in 2015 and again last season with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Baker Mayfield. They haven’t made it to a CFP title game. • Texas will go to its first Sugar Bowl since 1995 if Oklahoma gets into the College Football Playoff. If not, the Longhorns are likely headed to the Alamo Bowl. • Oklahoma waits to find out if it gets into the College Football Playoff, which could mean playing four weeks from now in the same stadium for the Cotton Bowl. If not, the Sooners go to the Sugar Bowl to play an SEC team.

A severe storm system brings tornado watches and warnings throughout the U.S. states of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri. A "large and dangerous" tornado is confirmed near Gore, Oklahoma. Several other tornadoes are seen by storm chasers.

New York (CNN Business) If you've stayed at a Starwood hotel in recent years, there's a good chance you've been impacted by a massive data breach that potentially exposed the personal data of about 500 million guests. Marriott — which owns Starwood hotels such as the St. Regis and the Westin — on Friday disclosed that the Starwood guest reservation system had been hacked, in a breach dating back to 2014. For 327 million people, Marriott says, the exposed information includes names, phone numbers, email addresses, passport numbers and dates of birth. For millions of others, credit card numbers and card expiration dates were potentially compromised. This kind of information could be used to steal your identity and open bank accounts, credit cards or loans in your name. It's the second biggest corporate data breach in history, behind one involving Yahoo, which said last year that 3 billion accounts among several of its brands were compromised. Marriott said it will start emailingusers who were impacted and it has set up a website with information about the breach. In the meantime, here's what you can do to protect yourself: Change your password Marriott says guests should change their passwords regularly and pick ones that aren't easily guessed. For example, instead of a common phrase, choose a combination of four or more unrelated words with numbers, characters and a mix of upper and lower-case letters. You should also have different passwords for all the services you use. "Changing your password will just add one more roadblock to a potential hacker getting into your system," said Aaron Brantly, a cybersecurity expert at Virginia Tech. Many websites, including social media and financial accounts, offer two-factor authentication for an added layer of security. Even if someone obtains your password, you can't access your accounts without a second piece of information, like a code texted to your phone. Monitor your accounts for suspicious activity Marriott recommends customers keep an eye on their Starwood Preferred Guest account for any suspicious activity. Guests should also check their bank, retirement, and brokerage accounts, as well as credit card statements to look for any unauthorized transactions. Some experts recommend signing up for credit monitoring services or identity theft protection. A more extreme step is putting a freeze on your credit, which blocks anyone from accessing your credit reports without permission. "Unfortunately, the reality is [these consumers] have to monitor continuously, for generally the rest of their lives," said Brantly. "These types of accounts are sold regularly on the dark web. ... You can usually buy credit card information for a couple dollars per credit card online." Vivek Lakshman, VP of innovation at cybersecurity firm ThumbSignIn, says consumers can also enroll in services like WebWatcher -- which Marriott is providing for free for a year -- to track their exposure. These sites monitor websites where personal information is shared and alerts consumers if there's evidence of their information exposed online. Open a separate credit card for online transactions Yair Levy, a cybersecurity and information systems expert at Nova Southeastern University, recommends having a credit card dedicated to online shopping. This makes it easier to track transactions and spot fraudulent activity. If that credit card is compromised, you also won't have to update automatic payments for things like bills. Limit the information you share Experts say not to provide information unless it's absolutely required to buy a product or service. "Consumers should limit what they provide companies based on their need to know. Often, companies gather data that they may not need, but take if volunteered," said Marty Puranik, the CEO of Atlantic.Net, a cloud computing and hosting services provider. For example, a travel company may ask for passport information, but it may not be required. If it is, you can ask what other forms of identification you can provide instead. "If you give lower level information, or information that can be changed -- for example, a second credit card to verify your identity -- it is easier to change and protect that than a social security number or passport ID," he said. But this isn't always possible. If you are traveling internationally, a company like Marriott may require a passport number. Avoid saving credit card information on websites Experts recommend minimizing the number of places where you store credit card information. However, this doesn't mean your data will be safe or protected -- it just helps cut down on the risk. Another option is to use services such as PayPal, Google Pay, or Apple Pay, which let you pay for goods and services without divulging your credit card to the company you're buying from. Be vigilant Consumers should work under the assumption cyber criminals already have access to their information as breaches become increasingly common. "Having a very healthy dose of skepticism moving forward is probably the best way to safeguard yourself in an era where all your information has been divulged, unfortunately," said Brantly. Experts caution internet users to be wary of "phishing" attempts by bad actors looking to steal your data, including through bogus emails, fake links and fraudulent websites. On its informational website about the hack, Marriott reminded members the company will not ask you to provide your password by phone or email. "Know you are consistently being exposed [and] consistently under threat -- not necessarily through any fault of your own but accidental disclosures by companies or carelessness by companies. It requires us in the modern era to be vigilant consistently," said Brantly.[SEP]One of the largest hotel chains in the world announced Friday that the personal information of up to 500 million guests may have been stolen after its reservations database was hacked. Marriott International said that guests who made reservations with its Starwood properties on or before Sept. 10 may have had their information compromised. Among the hotels under the Starwood brand are Sheraton, Westin and St. Regis. A: The database included information tied to as many as 500 million guests, Marriott said. For about 327 million of the guests, hackers had access to names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and passport numbers. The hackers could also see loyalty program account information, dates of birth, gender and reservation information. The hotel said that the database also contained encrypted credit card numbers for some customers and that it can’t rule out that the hackers stole information that could decrypt and reveal those numbers. For the remaining customers, the information stored in the database included their names and, for some, addresses, email addresses and other information, Marriott said. Q: What should I do? A:If you made a reservation with a Starwood hotel on or before Sept. 10, the information you shared may have been stolen, the hotel said. Starting Friday, Marriott said it will begin sending emails on a rolling basis to affected guests who have shared their email addresses with Starwood. Marriott has cautioned customers to stay vigilant as they look for this email because malicious actors may try to pose as Marriott. On an FAQ page, Marriott listed the official email address from which it will send the notification. The hotel said: Marriott has also put up a dedicated website and directed customers to a cell center to ask questions. Q: How do I sign up for fraud monitoring? A: Marriott said it is offering customers a fraud monitoring service at no cost for one year. It said WebWatcher monitors websites where personal data is shared and alerts customers if their information is found. People can enroll in WebWatcher through Marriott’s dedicated website. Q: What happens next? A: Marriott has directed customers to monitor their loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guest, for suspicious activity. Customers should also review their credit card statements and look out for unauthorized purchases, the hotel said. Marriott said it will not ask customers to provide their password by phone or email and told guests to stay vigilant against phishing attempts in the wake of the data breach.[SEP]The information of as many as 500 million people staying at Starwood hotels has been compromised and Marriott says it's uncovered unauthorized access that's been taking place within its Starwood network since 2014. The company said Friday that credit card numbers and expiration dates of some guests may have been taken. For about 327 million people, the information exposed includes some combination of name, mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number, Starwood Preferred Guest account information, date of birth, gender, arrival and departure information, reservation date and communication preferences. For some guests, the information was limited to name and sometimes other data such as mailing address, email address or other information. Marriott said that there was a breach of its database in September, which had guest information related to reservations at Starwood properties on or before Sept. 10. Starwood operates hotels under the names: W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Element Hotels, Aloft Hotels, The Luxury Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton and Design Hotels. Starwood branded timeshare properties are also included. Marriott International Inc. discovered through the investigation that someone copied and encrypted guest information and tried to remove it. Marriott and Starwood merged two years ago and attempts to combine the loyalty programs for the hotels have been marred by technical difficulties. CEO Arne Sorenson said in a prepared statement Friday that Marriott is still trying to phase out Starwood systems. Marriott has set up a website and call center for anyone who thinks that they are at risk, and on Friday will begin sending emails to those affected. Follow @ChiTribBusiness on Facebook and @ChiTribBiz on Twitter.[SEP]As many as 500 million people who made reservations at Starwood properties may have had their personal information accessed in a breach that lasted as long as four years. The hotelier said it determined Nov. 19 that a breach had occurred involving the Starwood guest reservation database, which has information on reservations at Starwood properties made on or before Sept. 10, 2018. Marriott said it got an alert Sept. 8 about an attempt to access the Starwood database in the U.S., and enlisted security experts to assess the situation. During the investigation, Marriott said it learned there had been unauthorized access to the Starwood network since 2014. An unauthorized party had copied and encrypted information from the database and had taken steps towards removing it, Marriott says. The company was able to decrypt the information on Nov. 19 and found that the contents were from the Starwood guest reservation database. More: Dunkin' Donuts says some DD Perks members' accounts may have been hit by data breach More: USA TODAY's list of the biggest data breaches and hacks of all time Your Money: Managing your money can be hard. Let our newsletter make it easier. Marriott has not finished decrypting the duplicated data but says it contained information on as many as 500 million guests who made a reservation at a Starwood property. For about 327 million of them, Marriott says, the data includes some combination of name, mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number, Starwood Preferred Guest account information, date of birth, gender, arrival and departure information, reservation date, and communication preferences. A breach potentially yielding that massive of a database pushes Marriott's Starwood incident into the upper echelon among the largest breaches ever. The 2013 Yahoo breach, which affected as many as 3 billion accounts, remains the largest so far. A separate subsequent Yahoo breach also hit 500 million accounts. Among the most attention-grabbing breaches, Facebook said in October 2018 that about 30 million users potentially had personal information accessed. Marriott faces potential legal repercussions and a major hit to its reputation, says Jeff Pollard, vice president and principal analyst at research firm Forrester. The hackers' access appears to go back four years and apparently "went undetected during the merger and subsequent consolidation efforts," he said in a statement. "Cybersecurity breaches have a long tail, and this one will lead to unanticipated costs for Marriott.” Any guest who made a Starwood reservation, regardless of whether they are a Starwood Preferred Guest member, may have had their data involved in the breach, Marriott says. For some Starwood guests, the data may also include payment card numbers and payment card expiration dates, but the payment card numbers were encrypted, Marriott says. Still, Marriott has not been able to rule out the possibility that the breach led to that data being accessed. For the remaining customers, the information was limited to name and possibly other data such as mailing address, email address, or other information. Marriott has notified regulators about the breach and continues to work with law enforcement on the investigation, the company says. “We deeply regret this incident happened,” said Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson said in a statement. “We fell short of what our guests deserve and what we expect of ourselves. We are doing everything we can to support our guests, and using lessons learned to be better moving forward.” Marriott completed its $13 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels and Resorts in September 2016 to make the combined company the largest hotel chain in the world with more than 5,500 hotels at the time. Marriott now has more than 6,700 hotels. After the merger, members of the Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest programs were able to link their accounts. However, Marriott uses a separate reservation system on a different network for Marriott hotels. Starwood Hotels include W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Element Hotels, Aloft Hotels, The Luxury Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton and Design Hotels. Starwood branded timeshare properties are also included. Marriott says it will begin Friday emailing guests whose email addresses are in the database. The company says it will provide free of charge online account monitoring software WebWatcher to guests for one year. The service reimburses fraud loss of up to $1 million. U.S. customers who use it will also get fraud consultation services and reimbursement coverage for free. To enroll in WebWatcher and get additional information about the breach, customers can go to info.starwoodhotels.com. Other steps Marriott recommends to guest potential hit in the breach: •Monitor your Starwood Preferred Guest account for suspicious activity. •Change your password. Do not use easily guessed passwords or the same passwords for multiple accounts. •Review your credit card statements for unauthorized activity and immediately report any to your bank. •In the wake of data breaches, consumers should be wary of third parties attempting to gather information by deception, so-called "phishing" attempts, including through links to fake websites. Marriott will not ask you to provide your password by phone or email. •If you think you may be the victim of identity theft – or your personal data has been misused – immediately contact law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission. On the FTC's site, it recommends consumers get a free, one-year fraud alert from one of three credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion.[SEP]Starwood Hotels has confirmed its hotel guest database of about 500 million customers has been stolen in a data breach. The hotel and resorts giant said in a statement filed with U.S. regulators that the “unauthorized access” to its guest database was detected on or before September 10 — but may have dated back as far as 2014. “Marriott learned during the investigation that there had been unauthorized access to the Starwood network since 2014,” said the statement. “Marriott recently discovered that an unauthorized party had copied and encrypted information, and took steps towards removing it.” Specific details of the breach remain unknown. We’ve contacted Starwood for more and will update when we hear back. The company said hat it obtained and decrypted the database on November 19 and “determined that the contents were from the Starwood guest reservation database.” Some 327 million records contained a guest’s name, postal address, phone number, date of birth, gender, email address, passport number, Starwood’s rewards information (including points and balance), arrival and departure information, reservation date, and their communication preferences. Starwood said an unknown number of records contained encrypted credit card data, but has “not been able to rule out” that the components needed to decrypt the data wasn’t also taken. “Marriott reported this incident to law enforcement and continues to support their investigation,” said the statement. Marriott-owned Starwood the largest hotel chain in the world, with more than 11 brands covering 1,200 properties, including W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton, Westin, Element and more. Starwood branded timeshare properties are also included. The company said that its Marriott hotels are not believed to be affected as its reservation system is “on a different network.” The company has begun informing customers of the breach — including in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Given that the breach falls under the European-wide GDPR rules, Starwood may face significant financial penalties of up to four percent of its global annual revenue if found to be in breach of the rules.[SEP]Marriott Says Up To 500 Million Customers' Data Stolen In Breach In one of the largest cybersecurity breaches in history, Marriott International said Friday that information on up to about 500 million of its customers worldwide was exposed in a breach of its Starwood guest reservation database dating as far back as 2014. The world's largest hotel chain said it learned of the breach on Sept. 8. The company said the Marriott hotel network was not affected. "The investigation only identified unauthorized access to the separate Starwood network," it said. Marriott acquired Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in 2016. For 327 million of the affected guests, the compromised data includes "some combination of name, mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number, Starwood Preferred Guest ("SPG") account information, date of birth, gender, arrival and departure information, reservation date, and communication preferences," the company said. For some customers, the information "also includes payment card numbers and payment card expiration dates, but the payment card numbers were encrypted," Marriott added. But the company said it could not rule out the possibility that the hackers were able to decrypt those details. Starwood brands include W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton and Starwood-branded timeshare properties. Marriott said it reported the data breach to law enforcement officials and has begun to notify "regulatory authorities." The attorneys general of New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts said they've opened investigations into the breach. "New Yorkers deserve to know that their personal information will be protected," New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said in a tweet. "We want to know who was affected, what personal info was compromised, how it happened, and when Marriott knew about the #breach," Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro tweeted. Arne Sorenson, Marriott's president and chief executive officer, said: "We deeply regret this incident happened. We fell short of what our guests deserve and what we expect of ourselves. We are doing everything we can to support our guests, and using lessons learned to be better moving forward." Marriott has set up a special website and call center to provide information on the incident. The U.S. call center number is (877) 273-9481. Marriott said it will begin notifying affected guests by email starting Friday. The data breach is one of the largest in history. It's not as massive as the 2013 hack of Yahoo, which hit 3 billion users, and exposed data including names, email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates and passwords. But the Marriott breach includes sensitive data such as passport numbers, mailing addresses and credit card information. Equifax said about 148 million people were impacted by a massive cybersecurity breach of the credit-reporting agency last year. That data included names, Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses and, in some cases, driver's license numbers and credit card information. The Marriott hack is "one of the most significant data breaches in history given the size ... and the sensitivity of the personal information that was stolen," Ted Rossman, an analyst with CreditCards.com, said in an email. Given the sensitive personal information involved, he said, people "should be concerned that criminals could use this info to open fraudulent accounts in their names." Rossman recommends that affected people freeze their credit by contacting credit agencies Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.[SEP]Nov 30 (Reuters) - Marriott International said on Friday the Starwood guest reservation database was breached, potentially exposing information on about 500 million guests. The company said its investigation showed that an unauthorized party had copied and encrypted information, and that it had taken steps towards removing it. (Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva)[SEP]BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — The Latest on a security breach inside Marriott's worldwide hotel empire that has compromised the information of as many as 500 million guests (all times local): Security experts say a data breach that affected up to 500 million guests at Marriott hotels is one of the largest in the past decade in terms of size and scope. The fact that it took four years to discover is problematic, too. They say the richness of the data taken makes the hack unique, especially if the hackers end up being hostile nation-states. Chris Wysopal, chief technology officer of Veracode, says that with information about someone's arrival and departure dates, "that could be used to incriminate someone" or attack someone's reputation. He says it goes beyond the traditional credit-card theft or risk of identity theft. Marriott says that unauthorized access to data at former Starwood hotels, which Marriott acquired two years ago, has been taking place since 2014. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia is appealing to Congress to pass laws that require data minimization following Marriott's disclosure of a data breach. Warner, who is vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and co-founder of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, said Friday that Congress should ensure that companies don't keep sensitive customer data that they no longer need. Warner also said that new laws should make companies accountable for security costs. The New York Attorney General is opening an investigation into a Marriott data breach that may have affected 500 million guests. In a tweet Friday, Attorney General Barbara Underwood said residents need to know that their personal information is safe. Marriott says that unauthorized access to data at former Starwood hotels, which Marriott acquired two years ago, has been taking place since 2014. The affected hotel brands include W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton, Westin, Element, Aloft, The Luxury Collection, Le Méridien and Four Points. Starwood branded timeshare properties are also included. None of the Marriott-branded chains are threatened.[SEP]Marriott discovered a data breach that could have affected up to 500 million guests, the company said Friday. The hotel group revealed that hackers compromised the guest reservation database of its Starwood division. An internal investigation found that its network was first breached in 2014, and that "an unauthorized party had copied and encrypted information." For around 327 million of those impacted, that data included names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, passport numbers and travel details. Marriott noted that some of the stolen information also included payment card numbers and expiration dates. Even though this data is normally encrypted, the company said the encryption key data might've been stolen too. "We fell short of what our guests deserve and what we expect of ourselves," said Arne Sorenson, Marriott's president and CEO, in a release. "We are doing everything we can to support our guests, and using lessons learned to be better moving forward." Firefox warning: It'll let you know if the website you're visiting suffered a data breach. Facebook breach: A vulnerability put the data of 50 million users at risk[SEP]BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — The information of as many as 500 million people staying at Starwood hotels has been compromised and Marriott says it’s uncovered unauthorized access that’s been taking place within its Starwood network since 2014. The company said Friday that credit card numbers and expirations dates of some guests may have been taken. Marriott said that there was a breach of its database in September, which had guest information related to reservations at Starwood properties on or before Sept. 10. Marriott discovered through the investigation that someone copied and encrypted guest information, and says it’s now working toward removing the information. Marriott has set up a website and call center for anyone who thinks that they are at risk, and on Friday will begin sending emails to those affected.

Marriott International discloses that its Starwood Hotel brand had been subject to a data breach.

Image copyright Getty Images For the first time in more than a decade, a train has travelled from South Korea across the heavily guarded border into North Korea. On board is a team of South Korean experts investigating ways to help North Korea modernise its rail network. The two Koreas have made significant progress in improving their relationship over the past year. The hope is that it will eventually become easier to travel and trade across the border. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The train had to make its way over one of the most heavily guarded borders in the world Image copyright EPA Image caption South Korean officials say opening the line will improve peace and prosperity on both sides Image copyright Getty Images When the leaders of North and South Korea had their historic meeting in April, North Korea's Kim Jong-un asked for help with updating his country's railways, which he said were in an "embarrassing" state. Some of the infrastructure dates back to the early 20th Century, so if it is ever to link up with the South it needs a full overhaul. The engineers boarded the train in Dorasan, just north of Seoul, on Friday morning for the short journey to the Demilitarised Zone which has divided the Korean peninsula since the Korean War in the 1950s. A banner displayed across the train as it headed over the heavily armed border described it as an Iron Horse, running towards an era of peace and prosperity. At Panmun Station across the border, a North Korean engine took over to take them further north. Image copyright AFP Image caption The experts can only look at the network so far, they can't do any actual work on it The 28 experts will live on the train for the next 18 days while inspecting 1,200km (745 miles) of track and railway infrastructure. The BBC's Laura Bicker in Seoul says the engineers can only look at the North's network but they can't touch it just yet. They also had to get special one-off clearance from the UN to get around sanctions, which prohibit taking fuel and certain equipment into North Korea. Image copyright EPA Cho Myoung-gyon, who heads the Unification Ministry which oversees relations with North Korea, said the project was "intended to overcome division and open a new future of the Korean Peninsula". "Through the one connected railway, the South and the North will prosper together and the ground for peace on the Korean Peninsula will be consolidated. The trains running on the track will also carry peace and prosperity with them to North East Asia and the world," South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying. Image copyright EPA Image caption Could 2019 see a regular scheduled train crossing the DMZ? But while inter-Korean relation-building has continued apace over the past year, talks with the US have stalled. Pyongyang and Washington have repeatedly accused each other of failing to honour the vague agreements about denuclearisation they made at their landmark summit in Singapore in June. South Korea's President Moon Jae-in is determined that this railway project will go ahead, says our correspondent. The US has given its support to the rail survey, but Mr Moon will have to have a number of difficult conversations if he's to persuade President Donald Trump that easing sanctions at this stage would be worthwhile so the project can go ahead, our correspondent says.[SEP]South Korean trains venture over the border for first time in a decade to fix the North’s dilapidated railway[SEP]A South Korean train crossed into North Korea on Friday for the first time in a decade — packed with engineers on a mission to upgrade the North’s dilapidated rail tracks and create a linked, cross-border network. Connecting up the railway systems was one of the agreements made earlier this year in a key meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the South’s President Moon Jae-in. It marked the first time in a decade that a train from the South entered North Korea. TV footage on Friday showed a red, white and blue train — displaying a banner reading “Iron Horse is now running toward the era of peace and prosperity” — pull away from the South’s Dorasan station, the nearest terminal from the western part of the inter-Korean border. “This signals the start of co-prosperity of the North and the South by reconnecting railways,” Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee said. She added the railway reconnection would help expand the country’s “economic territory” to Eurasia by land, as the division of the Korean peninsula has left South Korea geopolitically cut off from the continent for many decades. The six-carriage train is transporting 28 South Koreans including railway engineers and other personnel and carrying 55 tonnes of fuel and an electricity generator. There is a passenger coach, a sleeping coach, an official coach and a wagon loaded with water for showers and laundry. When it arrives at Panmun Station — the first North Korean terminal across the border — the six carriages will be linked up to a North Korean train, and the South Korean locomotive will return home. The South Koreans and their counterparts will live in the train, inspecting two railway lines for a total of 18 days — one linking the North’s southernmost Kaesong City to Sinuiju City near the Chinese border, and the other connecting Mount Kumgang near the inter-Korean border to Tumen River bordering Russia in the east. They will travel some 2,600 kilometres (1,600 miles) on railway tracks together, the transport ministry said. Before the division of the Korean peninsula in 1948, there were two railway lines linking the North to the South — one in the west and the other in the east. As a gesture towards reconciliation, the two Koreas reconnected the western line in 2007 and limited numbers of freight trains transported materials and goods to and from the Seoul-invested Kaesong industrial zone in the North for about a year. But the line has since then been put out of service due to heightened tension over the North’s nuclear development programme. The current railway project has also faced delays over concerns it could violate UN sanctions imposed on the North over its nuclear and missile programmes. But the UN Security Council granted an exemption for the joint study last week, although it is unclear whether others will be given as the project progresses. Seoul said the survey was purely aimed at gathering information on the current state of the North’s rail system and assured that actual restoration works would come only after consents from the UN. The South’s Unification Ministry has earmarked some 63.4 billion won ($56.6 million) for next year on the assumption that it will take five years to repair and improve the two railway routes in the North. The North’s leader Kim Jong Un, during a summit with the South’s President Moon Jae-in in April, said the North’s railway infrastructures are “embarrassingly” dilapidated, praising the South’s high-speed railway system. The North’s railway tracks are in such disrepair that trains reportedly operate between 20-45 km per hour. The study comes as differences emerge between Seoul and Washington, which stations 28,500 troops in the South as part of their decades-old alliance. The South’s dovish President Moon has long favoured engagement with the nuclear-armed North and has dangled large investment and joint cross-border projects as incentives for steps towards denuclearisation.[SEP]For the first time in more than a decade, a South Korean train entered the North on Friday, as officials and engineers begin a surveying mission on the tracks. The move is crucial to realizing Pyongyang and Seoul's shared goal of re-establishing rail connections between the two countries. The aim is to facilitate cross-border travel and trade. "Iron Horse is now running toward the era of peace and prosperity," read a banner on the train as it pulled out of Dorasan Station, near the border. "Through the railways that will be connected in one, the South and North will prosper together and peace in the Korean Peninsula will become firmer," South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said during a ceremony at the station. Leaders of both countries have announced a desire to break ground on a new, interconnected rail line by the end of the year. However, US sanctions make it difficult to proceed with this plan. While Washington has signaled a willingness to roll back the penalties, it has said that North Korea must first prove that it has taken steps to abandon its nuclear and missile programs. At the same time, soldiers from both sides were making another show of solidarity by removing at least 20 guard posts from the border. Teams are then going to search for human remains left over from the Korean War, marking the first-ever joint search. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, seeking to improve diplomatic relations as part of his ultimate goal to reunite the Korean peninsula. To that end, several cooperation projects have been announced, including a bid to co-host the 2032 Olympics. 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"Through the railways that will be connected in one, the South and North will prosper together and peace in the Korean Peninsula will become firmer," South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said during a ceremony at Dorasan Station near the border. "We will maintain close consultation with related nations so that the project to connect the South and North's railways could proceed with international support." The South Korean engineers boarded the train in Dorasan, just north of Seoul, on Friday morning. A banner displayed across the train described it as an “Iron Horse” running towards an era of peace and prosperity, the BBC reported. At Panmum Station, near the town of Kaesong, a North Korean engine took over to pull the train further north. According to plans outlined by Cho's ministry, Korean officials will begin by surveying a 248-mile railroad section between Kaesong and Sinuiju that cuts through the North's central region and northeastern coast. From Dec. 8 to 17, the Koreas will inspect a 497-mile railway section along the country's eastern coast, stretching from an area near the scenic Diamond Mountain to a riverside station near the North's border with Russia. During the surveys, a North Korean train engine will pull six South Korean cars — including passenger and sleeping cars, a power-generator car and a fuel tanker — to test operability. The Unification Ministry said the North will attach its own cars to the engine, but it was unclear how many. Fifty-six South Korean officials will participate in the surveys, 28 each for the inspections on the western and eastern sections, the ministry said. The Koreas plan to hold a groundbreaking ceremony by the end of the year on an ambitious project to connect their railways and roads as agreed by their leaders. But beyond surveys and tape-cuttings, the Koreas cannot move much further along without the removal of U.S.-led sanctions against the North, which isn't likely before it takes firmer steps toward relinquishing its nuclear weapons and missiles. Also on Friday, an official from Seoul's Defense Ministry said the North and South Korean militaries completed removing 20 front-line guard posts and landmines from a border area where they plan to start their first-ever joint search for remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office rules. The joint railway surveys were on hold before the U.N. Security Council on Saturday granted an exemption to sanctions that allowed them to proceed. Seoul initially said the joint surveys wouldn't violate U.N. sanctions but later said that Washington had different views and the two sides had discussed the matter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.[SEP]South Korean Train Heads To The North For The First Time In More Than A Decade South Korean trains crossed over into North Korea on Friday for the first time in a decade. South Korea is pushing to link the two countries' railways, despite stalled talks on the nuclear issue.[SEP]A South Korean train rolled across the heavily militarized frontier into North Korea for the first time in a decade on Friday, as Seoul pushed ahead with a plan to reunite the two railway networks despite heavy U.N. sanctions. The train pulled six cars carrying dozens of South Korean officials and experts, who will undertake an 18-day, 750-mile survey of railway tracks in the North. The journey required special permission from the United Nations to carry equipment and fuel into the North despite the sanctions regime. Seoul plans to hold a ground-breaking ceremony before the end of the year on a plan to establish road and rail links between the two Koreas, first agreed upon by the countries’ two leaders at a summit in April. But the project can’t go beyond symbolic gestures to become reality unless sanctions are lifted. Nevertheless, with talks between the United States and North Korea stalling, the government in Seoul is keen to show progress in its own peace process with Pyongyang. “The inter-Korean railway connection project is intended to overcome division and open a new future of the Korean Peninsula,” Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said at a ceremony at Dorasan Station near the border, according to pool reports. “Through the one connected railway, the South and the North will prosper together and the ground for peace on the Korean Peninsula will be consolidated,” he said. “The train crossing the Korean peninsula will carry peace and prosperity to northeast Asia and the world.” Cho also promised to maintain close consultation “with related nations” — in other words, the United States — so that the project proceeds with international support. After whistling twice, the South Korean train slowly traveled toward North Korea’s Panmun Station, near the town of Kaesong, where the cars would be reconnected to a North Korean engine. The survey will run in two stages. The first will go through central North Korea and along the northwestern coast to the city of Sinuiju near the Chinese border. The second phase will go from an area near the Mount Kumgang tourist region and along the east coast up to a riverside station near the border with Russia. The train will include passenger and sleeping cars as well as a power-generator car and a fuel-tank. “You will visit train stations and cross hills and rivers in North Korea no outsiders have visited,” Cho told the survey team. Freight services ran between the two Koreas from December 2007 until November 2008 to support factories in a joint economic zone at Kaesong in North Korea. But the line was cut in 2008 and the Kaesong park eventually closed in 2016 as relations deteriorated. The contrast between North Korea’s slow and decrepit network and the South’s gleaming bullet trains could hardly be greater. During his April meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un admitted the railways in his country were in an “embarrassing” state. Moon has since outlined ambitious plans to set up an East Asian Railway community, as a first step towards the sort of regional economic integration Europe established after World War II. Seoul wanted the railway survey to take place earlier this year, but the plan was initially blocked by the U.S.-led United Nations Special Command in South Korea. Strains have emerged in the relationship between Seoul and Washington over how to handle North Korea, with some members of the U.S. administration worried that South Korea is moving too fast down the path of rapprochement, and some South Koreans frustrated that the United States is making unreasonable demands of Pyongyang, as they see it, while maintaining harsh sanctions. Min Joo Kim in Seoul contributed to this report. As clock ticks, South Korea looks for a leap of faith from Washington over North Korea S Korean leader wants rail, road links with North as first step toward economic integration Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news[SEP]SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean train Friday crossed into North Korea for the first time in a decade, as the two countries began a joint study on renovating the North’s decrepit rail system and linking it to the South’s. Over the next 18 days, dozens of officials and engineers from both Koreas will live and work on the six-car train, traveling more than 1,600 miles as they study the North’s rail network and consider what it would take to bring it up to international standards. The train rolled north across the countries’ heavily armed border Friday morning. The joint study “signals that inter-Korean cooperation is reaching a new level,” said Kim Eui-kyeom, the spokesman for President Moon Jae-in of South Korea. The study is one of a number of collaborative projects that Moon has championed to develop closer ties with the North and demonstrate what economic benefits the country could gain from giving up nuclear weapons. When Moon and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, met for the first time in April, the South agreed to help rebuild the North’s railroads and highways, which Kim said were in “embarrassing” shape. But whether that happens will depend on progress in ridding the North of its nuclear arms. International sanctions imposed on the North over its weapons program forbid the kind of significant investment from the South that such infrastructure work would entail. Even bringing in the fuel and equipment needed to carry out the joint rail study required special approval from the United Nations Security Council. The two Koreas last conducted such research in 2007, when they carried out a limited field study on a rail line in western North Korea. They connected short stretches of railway across their border that year. A South Korean cargo train ran five times a week on one of those short cross-border routes until 2008, when the countries’ relations began to sour over the North’s pursuit of nuclear arms. Plans for further connections between the two rail systems were suspended. On Friday, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and other South Korean officials sent off the study team during a brief ceremony at the Dorasan train station near the border with the North. “You will visit train stations and cross hills and rivers in North Korea no outsiders have visited before,” said Cho, according to pool reports from South Korean journalists. “By reconnecting our railways, South and North Korea will be able to prosper together and make peace on the Korean Peninsula more solid.” The Koreas’ rail lines have been severed since the 1950-53 Korean War. Moon hopes that reconnecting them will be a step toward economic integration and, eventually, reunification. But while Moon has been eager to pursue such projects, the United States is adamant that the South refrain from significant economic collaboration with the North until it takes major steps toward denuclearization. The apparent discord raised fears of a rift in the alliance. South Korea’s proposal to conduct the rail study was thwarted earlier this year by American concerns that it could violate U.N. sanctions. But last week, Washington and Seoul launched a joint working group to better coordinate their interactions with North Korea, and the United States signed off on the rail study. Moon has said he agrees with the Trump administration that major economic cooperation with the North can begin only after sanctions have been lifted. He plans to meet with President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit conference in Argentina this weekend to discuss how to break a stalemate in the denuclearization talks between North Korea and the United States. South Korea, whose only land border is with the North, has long dreamed of building a trans-Korean railroad that could provide a link to China and beyond. That would give it a faster way to ship exports that are now sent by sea to China and Europe, and to bring in Russian oil and other natural resources. This article originally appeared in The New York Times[SEP]SALT LAKE CITY — A South Korean train is entering North Korea for the first time since 2007. What’s going on: According to BBC News, the train will carry a team of South Korean specialists through the Demilitarized Zone and into North Korea to assess the state of the rail system. • The team will work to see what needs to be done in order to bring North Korea’s rails to an international standard and make it possible to reopen the rail between the two countries, The New York Times reported. • As reported by The Washington Post, the trip will consist of two stages. First, the specialists will survey the central to northwestern rail. Then they will travel near the Mount Kumgang tourist region and up the east coast to a station near the Russian border. • “You will visit train stations and cross hills and rivers in North Korea no outsiders have visited,” Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told the survey team, according to the Washington Post. • According to CNN, President Moon Jae-in has “long dreamed” of building a trans-Korean railroad because of the economic benefits that would result in being more easily connected to China and Russia. The railway would also be a huge step in the relationship between the two countries. Complications: The Washington Post reported that in order for the trip to happen, South Korea had to receive special permission from the UN due to sanctions that are currently in place on North Korea. • According to CNN, the team was given strict instruction that any food, fuel or water remaining at the end of the trip must return with them to South Korea. • Unless the North follows through on denuclearization, the sanctions will prevent the South from providing further resources to update the rail system, per The New York Times. The history of the inter-Korean railways: Before the Korean War, two rail systems connected the northern and southern parts of the Korean Peninsula, per AFP. • In 2007, a western rail was reconnected and a South Korean train ran between the two countries five times a week, according to The New York Times. • The cross-border route was discontinued in 2008 when the relationship between the North and South grew worse due to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, per The New York Times.[SEP]TOKYO — A South Korean train rolled across the heavily militarized frontier into North Korea for the first time in a decade Friday, as Seoul pushed ahead with a plan to reunite the two railway networks despite heavy U.N. sanctions. The train pulled six cars carrying dozens of South Korean officials and experts, who will undertake an 18-day, 750-mile survey of railway tracks in the North. The journey required special permission from the United Nations to carry equipment and fuel into the North despite the sanctions regime. Seoul plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony before the end of the year on a plan to establish road and rail links between the two Koreas, first agreed upon by the countries’ two leaders at a summit in April. But the project can’t go beyond symbolic gestures to become reality unless sanctions are lifted. Nevertheless, with talks between the United States and North Korea stalling, the government in Seoul is keen to show progress in its own peace process with Pyongyang. “The inter-Korean railway connection project is intended to overcome division and open a new future of the Korean Peninsula,” Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said at a ceremony at Dorasan Station near the border, according to pool reports. “Through the one connected railway, the South and the North will prosper together and the ground for peace on the Korean Peninsula will be consolidated,” he said. “The train crossing the Korean Peninsula will carry peace and prosperity to northeast Asia and the world.” Cho also promised to maintain close consultation “with related nations” – in other words, the United States – so that the project proceeds with international support. After whistling twice, the South Korean train slowly traveled toward North Korea’s Panmun Station, near the town of Kaesong, where the cars would be reconnected to a North Korean engine. The survey will run in two stages. The first will go through central North Korea and along the northwestern coast to the city of Sinuiju near the Chinese border. The second phase will go from an area near the Mount Kumgang tourist region and along the east coast up to a riverside station near the border with Russia. The train will include passenger and sleeping cars as well as a power-generator car and a fuel tank. Freight services ran between the two Koreas from December 2007 until November 2008 to support factories in a joint economic zone at Kaesong in North Korea. But the line was cut in 2008 and the Kaesong park eventually closed in 2016 as relations deteriorated.

A South Korean train arrives towards Panmun Station and crosses the DMZ border for the first time since 2008, when a South Korean cargo train operated five times a week.

Ukraine has banned Russian men aged between 16 and 60 from entering the country, amid fears Moscow is planning an invasion. The Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko said the restrictions have been imposed to prevent Russians from forming "private armies" in his country. Moscow has been supporting Russian separatists in the east of the country with troops and weapons. Mr Poroshenko also told Sky News he has evidence that Russian tanks are massing along his country's border. Ukraine imposed martial law earlier this week following an escalation in the long-simmering conflict between the two nations over Crimea, which Moscow seized n 2014. In a violent confrontation, Russian border guards fired on and captured three Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea. The Ukrainian vessels had been trying to pass through the Kerch Strait on their way to the Sea of Azov. The latest crisis led US President Donald Trump to cancel a meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin at a summit of world leaders in Argentina. Mr Trump said it would not be appropriate as Moscow had still not released the 24 crew members of the seized vessels. A Crimea court has ruled that the sailors will be detained for two months pending the outcome of an investigation. Meanwhile, Ukrainian intelligence officers have been searching the home of the the head of Kiev's largest and oldest monastery. which is part of the Russian Orthodox Church. Spy chief Ihor Guskov said the Russian cleric Father Pavlo, who leads the Pechersk Monastery, is suspected of "inciting hatred". The Ukrainian authorities have sought to portray Russian Orthodox clerics in the country as supporting separatists.[SEP]Russian men between the ages of 16 and 60 have been barred entering Ukraine after long-simmering tensions between the countries escalated into a clash on the Black Sea. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tweeted Friday that restrictions on Russian nationals were taken in order to prevent the formation of "private armies which in reality are representatives of Russian armed forces." Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters Friday that Moscow would not reciprocate and impose similar restrictions on Ukrainian men. Russian ships opened fire on and seized three Ukrainian vessels and 24 crew members in the Sea of Azov off the coast of Crimea on Sunday. Ukraine says the attack occurred in international waters. Amid fears of a Russian invasion, Poroshenko introduced martial law on Tuesday for up 30 days in parts of the country deemed most vulnerable to a potential attack. Martial law allows the president to impose restrictions, including limits on the movement of foreigners. It also means Poroshenko can ban peaceful public protests and regulate the media. No elections can be held when it martial law is in place, but Poroshenko insists Ukrainians will be be able to vote as planned in March. The seizure of Ukrainian ships on Sunday was the latest rift between the neighbors. Tensions were already high after the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the ongoing armed conflict between government forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. When Russia and Ukraine were relatively friendly, they shared the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait as part of a 2003 agreement. But Moscow's annexation of Crimea gave it control of not just one but both sides of the strait. Most countries in the world, including the U.S. and almost all of Europe, say Russia's annexation of Crimea is an illegal occupation. Although the 2003 agreement still stands in theory, Russia now demands that all vessels, including those from Ukraine, to request permission before they pass through. In May, it opened the $3.69 billion Crimea Bridge, cementing its grip on this crucial bottleneck. Independent observers have pointed out that the bridge's span is lower than international standards, putting a permanent cap on the size of ship able to enter the Azov. The move has caused huge delays in recent months, leading to claims Russia is trying to blockade Ukraine's ports and transform the Azov into a de facto Russian lake. Some Western critics say this is all part of the Kremlin's tactic of "creeping annexation," a ploy to subtly recoup Soviet-era territory. Ukraine is demanding that Russia release crew members of the seized ships. On Friday, the Tass news agency reported that the commanders of the three Ukrainian vessels were being transferred to Moscow for interrogation. The other 21 remained in custody in Crimea.[SEP]Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speak to soldiers during a visit to a military base in Chernihiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov, 28, 2018. Russia and Ukraine traded blame after Russian border guards on Sunday opened fire on three Ukrainian navy vessels and eventually seized them and their crews. The incident put the two countries on war footing and raised international concern. (Mykola Lazarenko, Presidential Press Service via AP) (Mykola Lazarenko)[SEP]Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko on Friday barred Russian men of military age from entering the country, saying the order was needed to prevent an infiltration in what appeared to be an allusion to Moscow's 2014 takeover of Crimea from Ukraine. Poroshenko's decree comes days after he assumed martial law powers in Ukraine following a maritime skirmish in the Kerch Strait that joins the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov through Crimea. That encounter saw Russian warships fire on and seize three Ukrainian navy vessels, wounding several of their crew. "Today, the entry of foreigners is limited — primarily citizens of the Russian Federation — non-admission of citizens of the Russian Federation aged from 16 to 60, male," Petro Tsygyka, the Ukrainian head of the border service, said in a televised meeting Friday. Poroshenko tweeted on Friday that the restriction was enacted to prevent the infiltration of "private armies." In 2014, Russian soldiers in unmarked uniforms infiltrated Crimea, taking control of Ukrainian ships and military bases on the peninsula as Moscow insisted its forces were not involved. The Kremlin has also backed an ongoing separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine. On Monday, Poroshenko declared martial law in response to the latest naval incident, citing fears that Russia was planning further military action. It is set to continue until Dec. 26 in 10 regions bordering Russia. At the time, The Associated Press noted, "Martial law will include a partial mobilization and strengthening of the country's air defense. The measures before parliament also included vaguely worded steps such as 'strengthening' anti-terrorism measures and 'information security." A 2003 treaty between the two countries says the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov are shared territorial waters. Russia has attempted to exert greater control over the area since annexing Crimea — including opening a bridge linking Russia to the Ukrainian peninsula earlier this year. "Ukraine's navy estimates it lost at least 80 percent of its assets and capabilities after the annexation of Crimea, as its most important bases were located on the peninsula," Kim reports. "Russia's seizure of the two gunboats on the weekend is a further blow." U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called Russia's seizure of the vessels an "outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory." On Thursday, President Trump cancelled a scheduled meeting with President Vladimir Putin at G-20, citing the intensifying Russian aggression toward Ukraine.[SEP]Ukraine has barred Russian male nationals between 16 and 60 from traveling to the country, President Petro Poroshenko announced on November 30. The move comes amid escalation tensions between the two countries after Russian border guards opened fire and captured three Ukrainian naval vessels and their 24-member crew off on November 25 off Crimea, which Russia forcibly annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Poroshenko tweeted on November 30 that the restrictions on Russian travelers have been taken to prevent the Russians from forming "private armies" fighting on Ukrainian soil. Russia has backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed more than 10,300 people since April 2014. Meanwhile, a Russian government-appointed ombudswoman in Crimea said the captured Ukrainian naval personnel were being transferred to Moscow. Russia says the Ukrainians had violated its border while Ukraine says its ships were acting in line with international maritime rules. A Crimean court earlier this week ruled to keep the Ukrainian seamen behind bars for two months pending the investigation. Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS[SEP]Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, left, leads the National Security and Defence Council meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Ukraine's president says that the country has barred Russian men between 16 and 60 from traveling to the country. The move comes as the long-simmering conflict between the two nations escalated in the Black Sea on Sunday. President Petro Poroshenko has tweeted that the restrictions on Russian travelers have been taken in order to prevent the Russians from forming "private armies" fighting on Ukrainian soil. (Mykhailo Markiv, Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool) (Mykhailo Markiv)[SEP]An Orthodox priest blessed Russian missiles as part of a deployment ceremony for the country's anti-aircraft launchers yesterday, which were seen amassing close to the Ukrainian border yesterday. Triumf surface-to-air missile systems - part of an anti-aircraft military unit of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Southern Military District - entered combat duty near the Crimean town of Dzhankoy, just 12 miles away from Ukraine on Thursday night. It is common for Orthodox priests in Russia to bless military equipment before use; in January 2017 a bishop sanctified the S-400 Triumf medium and long-range surface-to-air missile system at the base of the Russian Southern Military District and in 2016 a similar event occured when the Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter aircraft joined the Russian Navy Baltic Fleet for the first time. Last month, the Soyuz rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan was consecrated by a churchman in preparation for its space launch. Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine's president, has this week warned that Russian tanks are lining up along the border and taken the step of banning all Russian men of military age from entering the country. Poroshenko said he has evidence that Russian tanks are lining up just 11 miles (18km) from the border, close to where Russia stores its ammunition and multi-rocket launch systems, Sky News reports. Poroshenko made the claim just hours after accusing President Vladimir Putin of wanting to annex his whole country. 'This is the tank base just 18km from our border, this was happening in September, October, and now,' Poroshenko told Sky. 'This is 18km from my border, this is the same warehouse where they have their ammunition, the same where they have multi-rocket launch systems, we should be prepared to protect my country.' He added: 'If the whole world has no reason to trust Putin, Ukraine definitely doesn't have a reason to go with him.' President Poroshenko also said the country has barred Russian men between 16 and 60 from travelling to the country. The move comes as the long-simmering conflict between the two nations escalated in the Black Sea on Sunday when Russian border guards opened fire on and captured three Ukrainian vessels and their 24-member crew. Poroshenko tweeted today that the restrictions on Russian travellers have been taken in order to prevent the Russians from forming 'private armies' fighting on Ukrainian soil. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Poroshenko's request is 'clearly aimed at provoking further tensions' and driven by the Ukrainian leader's 'electoral and domestic policy motives.' Russia seized three Ukrainian navy ships and their crews on Sunday near the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, over what it said was their illegal entry into Russian waters - a charge Ukraine strongly refutes. The Russian coast guard fired on and seized the three Ukrainian vessels that sought to pass from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait. Ukraine insisted that its vessels were operating in line with international maritime rules, while Russia said they had failed to get permission to pass. The G7 foreign ministers' today released a statement on the recent events near Kerch Strait. 'We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, express our utmost concern about Russia's actions against Ukraine in the Kerch Strait and surrounding waters, ‎which have dangerously raised tensions,' the statement said. 'There is no justification for Russia's use of military force against Ukrainian ships and naval personnel. 'We urge restraint, due respect for international law, and the prevention of any further escalation. We call on Russia to release the detained crew and vessels and refrain from impeding lawful passage through the Kerch Strait. 'We, the G7, once again reiterate that ‎we do not, and will never, recognize Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, and we reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.‎' In interviews with Germany's Bild newspaper and the Funke newspaper group on Thursday, Poroshenko rejected Russia's charge that the vessels' entry into the Sea of Azov - a body of water shared by Ukraine and Russia on which the Ukrainian ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk sit - was a provocation. 'Don't believe Putin's lies,' he told Bild, Germany's biggest-selling paper, comparing Russia's protestations of innocence in the affair to Moscow's 2014 denial that it had soldiers in Crimea even as they moved to annex it. 'Putin wants the old Russian empire back,' he said. 'Crimea, Donbass, the whole country. As Russian Tsar, as he sees himself, his empire can't function without Ukraine. He sees us as his colony.' He added that there needs to be increased pressure on Moscow, including stopping the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is being built under the Baltic Sea and would bypass Ukraine to deliver gas directly to Germany. Poroshenko said the government will impose unspecified restrictions on Russian citizens in response to the seizure of the three Ukrainian vessels and their crews. He that the one-month period of martial law introduced this week in Ukraine wouldn't restrict travel, cash withdrawals or currency purchases by Ukrainians but Russians will face some constraints. The Ukrainian leader tweeted Thursday that 'there will be restrictions regarding Russian citizens, which I believe are quite justified.' He did not elaborate. The seizure of the navy vessels drove tensions to their highest since 2015, when Moscow-backed rebels rose against the Kiev government in the eastern Donbass region, sparking a war that has killed tens of thousands. A Russian government-appointed ombudswoman said on Friday the three commanders of the Ukrainian vessels captured near the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula last weekend are being transferred to Moscow. The Tass news agency on Friday quoted Russian government-appointed ombudswoman Lyudmila Lubina as saying that the vessels' commanders are being transferred to Moscow for interrogation. The other 21 remain in custody in Crimea. A Crimea court earlier this week ruled to keep the Ukrainian seamen behind bars for two months pending the investigation. Poroshenko called on Germany, the largest and wealthiest buyer of Moscow's gas exports, to halt the building of an undersea gas pipeline that would allow Russia to supply Germany directly, cutting out Ukraine. 'We need a strong, resolute and clear reaction to Russia's aggressive behaviour,' he told Funke. 'That also means stopping the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.' Germany regards the pipeline, which is being built by Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom, as a private investment. But Merkel recently acknowledged its 'political dimensions' and said Ukraine must continue to be a conduit for Russian gas sold to western Europe. German officials said on Wednesday that their position on the pipeline remained unchanged and that talk of tighter sanctions against Moscow, demanded by the United States and many European politicians, was 'premature'. Poroshenko also called for the stationing of NATO vessels in the Sea of Azov.[SEP]KHARKIV, Ukraine -- Vladyslav Sobolevskyy isn't someone you'd expect to be hearing it from, but there it was. "It’s a political manipulation," said the burly, battle-hardened veteran of a war that's been gnawing at Ukraine for more than four years, in a reference to this week's imposition of martial law across nearly half the country. A former commander of one of Ukraine's most controversial volunteer battalions since fighting broke out in 2014, who keeps an ax adorned with a skull on his desk, Sobolevskyy spent three years fighting in a village that sits on the shore of the Sea of Azov. Access to that strategic sea, long shared by Russia and Ukraine, was at the center of the naval clash on November 25 that prompted the call for martial law and rekindled fears of a broader conflict. But three days later, Sobolevskyy was suggesting the current mobilization was an attempt by President Petro Poroshenko to boost his public standing four months ahead of a planned presidential election -- a charge similarly raised by Poroshenko’s critics in Kyiv and by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sobolevskyy was helping to oversee the start of weapons training for around 50 civilians who were filing into the Azov National Militia's training center in Kharkiv on November 28 in response to a call for volunteers after the naval incident. The group of mostly young men practiced assembling Kalashnikov rifles. "They want to be ready," Sobolevskyy said. Ukraine’s second-largest city and home to an important tank factory, Kharkiv sits 420 kilometers north of the Sea of Azov. But it abuts Russia's border to the north and was the scene of an armed effort by Russia-backed separatists in 2014 to seize control of the city before they were repelled by government forces. If Russia unleashes a large-scale assault on Ukraine, "we will not have much time" to react, Sobolevskyy said. "We will be the first people who will go to the new war." Outside the Azov training center on November 28, there were few obvious signs of martial law. In Kharkiv itself, banks were open, cafes were buzzing, and the subway was running on schedule. Many residents shrugged off talk of martial law or downplayed any immediate effect on their daily lives. Or, in some cases, they simply hadn't heard the news. Dmytro Yuriev, a 79-year-old retired university worker and volunteer handing out pamphlets on the country's war effort from a tent on Kharkiv’s snow-covered Freedom Square, said he knew nothing of the new directive when RFE/RL informed him. "How can that be?" he asked. "What does it mean?" Local officials were unsure exactly what it might mean for the city, and they held meetings through most of the day on November 28 to discuss it. Through a spokesperson, Kharkiv Mayor Hennadiy Kernes declined an interview because he was said to be unsure which aspects of martial law would go into effect. Regional military leaders, too, declined to meet with reporters because they said they were still parsing the language of the law. Dmytro Bulakh, a Kharkiv regional council member and co-chairman of the board at Kharkiv Reform Coalition, speculated that it might not "affect the lives of ordinary people," who were already used to war on their doorstep. Several hours into the new regime, he said, "I don’t think it will need to be imposed here." But Kharkiv regional authorities had taken some precautionary measures, including checks of bomb shelters, schools, and gymnasiums, where people might gather in the event of an attack. Not all aspects of martial law were formally invoked in the 10 regions directly affected, but in some, local officials with their own interpretations of the law were invoking it in seemingly creative ways. In neighboring Sumy, the city council said it was mulling an initiative to restrict traffic in the city with checkpoints and to limit the sale of alcohol between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. In south-central Zaporizhzhya, the regional head urged political parties to "decrease their activity in the form of the holding of mass events." In Kherson, which directly borders annexed Crimea to the north and has access to the Black and Azov seas, authorities stepped up security at the administrative border with the peninsula and began restricting the passage of Russians. That security was tightened further on November 29 when the State Border Guard Service announced that only Ukrainian citizens would be allowed to enter Crimea from Ukrainian territory under government control. It did not clarify how long the measure would be in place. At the Hoptivka border crossing 35 kilometers north of Kharkiv one day earlier, there was little traffic bound for Russia and even fewer vehicles entering Ukraine. Oksana Ivanets, a State Border Guard Service spokeswoman for the Kharkiv region, told RFE/RL that the service had received orders to be on "full military readiness." But faced with the threat of an incursion near Hoptivka for more than four years, border guards there have long been on heightened alert, and even erected a border fence and dug antitank trenches as a precaution. Otherwise, not much had changed and officials were still awaiting further orders from Kyiv. "This is a first for all of us," Ivanets said. "We’re still learning what it will mean for everyone." In Hoptivka, nobody had been barred entrance to Ukraine and border guards had not witnessed any "provocations," she added. Poroshenko argued that martial law was necessary in the face of the threat of "full-scale war" with Russia, which he claimed was massing tens of thousands of troops and military equipment along its border with Ukraine. That claim has not been independently verified. And while there was much confusion about what exactly martial law meant for most Ukrainians, one thing was clear: Ukraine’s military had been put on "full combat alert." "I will now be using the opportunities, which are given to me as the commander in chief by the law on martial law, to strengthen our armed forces," Poroshenko told a November 28 meeting of top officials in the Chernihiv region, one of those under martial law, according to his press department. "I will do everything I can to implement all the necessary decisions so that our army would be ready." The same day, 900 kilometers to the south, Reuters reported seeing a Russian Navy ship, the Vice Admiral Zakharin minesweeper, moving toward the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea. On November 29, Russian Black Sea Fleet spokesman Aleksei Rulev told the Interfax news agency that a fourth S-400 air-defense missile battalion had been put on combat duty in the Crimean city of Dzhankoi, near the border of mainland Ukraine. Meanwhile, Poroshenko announced new measures banning Russian citizens from exchanging foreign currency or conducting bank withdrawals. He also said he supported further measures restricting Russians' travel to Ukraine. "And I think it’s totally justified,” he added.[SEP]Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko on Friday barred Russian men of military age from entering the country, saying the order was needed to prevent an infiltration in what appeared to be an allusion to Moscow’s 2014 takeover of Crimea from Ukraine. Poroshenko’s decree comes days after he assumed martial law powers in Ukraine following a maritime skirmish in the Kerch Strait that joins the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov through Crimea. That encounter saw Russian warships fire on and seize three Ukrainian navy vessels, wounding several of their crew. “Today, the entry of foreigners is limited — primarily citizens of the Russian Federation — non-admission of citizens of the Russian Federation aged from 16 to 60, male,” Petro Tsygyka, the Ukrainian head of the border service, said in a televised meeting Friday. Poroshenko tweeted on Friday that the restriction was enacted to prevent the infiltration of “private armies.” In 2014, Russian soldiers in unmarked uniforms infiltrated Crimea, taking control of Ukrainian ships and military bases on the peninsula as Moscow insisted its forces were not involved. The Kremlin has also backed an ongoing separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine. On Monday, Poroshenko declared martial law in response to the latest naval incident, citing fears that Russia was planning further military action. It is set to continue until Dec. 26 in 10 regions bordering Russia. At the time, The Associated Press noted, “Martial law will include a partial mobilization and strengthening of the country’s air defense. The measures before parliament also included vaguely worded steps such as ‘strengthening’ anti-terrorism measures and ‘information security.” “Domestic opponents of the unpopular president accused him of planning to use martial law as a way to suspend an election scheduled for March 31. Poroshenko only got Ukraine’s boisterous parliament to approve the measure once he had watered down his proposal by reducing martial law — which entered into force Wednesday — to 30 days from 60, limiting it to border regions and promising not to postpone the election.” A 2003 treaty between the two countries says the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov are shared territorial waters. Russia has attempted to exert greater control over the area since annexing Crimea — including opening a bridge linking Russia to the Ukrainian peninsula earlier this year. “Ukraine’s navy estimates it lost at least 80 percent of its assets and capabilities after the annexation of Crimea, as its most important bases were located on the peninsula,” Kim reports. “Russia’s seizure of the two gunboats on the weekend is a further blow.” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called Russia’s seizure of the vessels an “outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory.” On Thursday, President Trump cancelled a scheduled meeting with President Vladimir Putin at G-20, citing the intensifying Russian aggression toward Ukraine.[SEP]MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on Russia-Ukraine tensions (all times local): A Russian activist says she has visited Ukrainian seamen who have been transferred to a Moscow jail. Russian border guards in the Black Sea near Crimea fired at three Ukrainian vessels on Sunday, seizing the ships and their crews. Russia says they have violated its border while Ukraine says the vessels were in compliance with international maritime law. Two dozen Ukrainian seamen have been ordered to stay in custody for the next two months. Russian TV station Dozhd on Friday quoted Kogershyn Sagiyeva, a member of the Moscow oversight council which is allowed to inspect prisons, as saying that 21 seamen have been transferred to the Moscow Lefortovo jail while three other seamen are in a hospital in another jail. She said she met with some of the seamen and they appeared to be in good shape. European Council President Donald Tusk says the EU is expected to extend sanctions on Russia over its "totally unacceptable" seizure of Ukrainian ships and their crews near Crimea. Tusk said Friday that "Europe is united in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," calling the standoff "a cause of great concern." Speaking on the sidelines of a G-20 summit in Buenos Aires, he urged the leaders meeting there to discuss points of tension including "Russian aggression in Ukraine." He didn't elaborate on the sanctions or other measures the EU might take. Russian President Vladimir Putin is among the leaders involved at the G-20. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over the ship incident. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban says his country is supporting Ukraine in the latest escalation of tensions with Russia. Speaking through a translator in Prague after meeting his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis on Friday, Orban says: "The Hungarian position is clear. We are a pro-Ukrainian government." But he added that "The peculiarity of the situation is that there is a Ukraine-friendly government in Hungary, while in Ukraine there is an anti-Hungarian government." Orban's statement comes amid a dispute between Ukraine and his country over the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine. But Orban said his support for Ukraine is not going to change. Orban is considered to have one of the best relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin's among European Union politicians. Russia's foreign ministry says that Moscow is not going to mirror the travel ban that Ukraine has imposed on Russian men. Ukrainian officials announced earlier on Friday that all Russian men aged between 16 and 60 will be barred from entering Ukraine for the 30-day duration of martial law. The statement is the latest step in the escalation of the long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine which began in 2014 with Russia's annexation of Crimea. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that Russia is not planning to impose similar measures on Ukrainians. Zakharova blamed the Ukrainian government for implementing a policy that hurts ordinary people. The Ukrainian intelligence agency is searching the home of the father superior of Kiev's biggest and oldest monastery which is part of the Russian Orthodox Church. Ihor Guskov, chief of staff of the SBU intelligence agency, told reporters on Friday that its officers are searching the home of Father Pavlo, who leads the Pechersk Monastery in Kiev. He said the cleric is suspected of "inciting hatred." The Ukrainian church, which has been part of the Russian Orthodox Church for centuries, moved close to forming an independent church — fueled by the conflict with Russia Ukraine's Orthodox communities earlier this year. There are currently three Orthodox communities in Ukraine including two breakaway churches. Ukrainian authorities sought to portray the Russian Orthodox clerics in Ukraine as supporting separatists. Tensions between Ukraine and Russia have escalated since last weekend, when Russian border guards opened fire on three Ukrainian naval vessels near Crimea and captured their crews. Ukraine's president says that the country has barred Russian men between 16 and 60 from traveling to the country. The move comes as the long-simmering conflict between the two nations escalated in the Black Sea on Sunday. Russian border guards opened fire on and captured three Ukrainian vessels and their 24-member crew. President Petro Poroshenko tweeted Friday that the restrictions on Russian travelers have been taken in order to prevent the Russians from forming "private armies" fighting on Ukrainian soil. A Russian government-appointed ombudswoman says the three commanders of the Ukrainian vessels captured near the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula last weekend are being transferred to Moscow. The long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine bubbled over Sunday when Russian border guards opened fired on three Ukrainian vessels in the Black Sea. The Russians then captured the 24-member crew. Russia says the Ukrainians had violated its border while Ukraine says its ships were acting in line with international maritime rules. The Tass news agency on Friday quoted Russian government-appointed ombudswoman Lyudmila Lubina as saying that the vessels' commanders are being transferred to Moscow for interrogation. The other 21 have also been transferred away from Crimea, but it wasn't immediately clear to where. A Crimea court earlier this week ruled to keep the Ukrainian seamen behind bars for two months pending the investigation.

Ukraine bans Russian men aged between 16 and 60 from entering the country following the imposition of martial law. President Petro Poroshenko says the ban is to prevent the formation of "private armies" in Ukraine. Russia says it does not plan to retaliate.

A ship named the Torrent is nearing the end of a 5,000-mile trip carrying soybeans from the U.S. Great Lakes to Argentina - a journey that only makes economic sense because of the U.S.-China trade war. BUENOS AIRES/CHICAGO: A ship named the Torrent is nearing the end of a 5,000-mile trip carrying soybeans from the U.S. Great Lakes to Argentina: a journey that only makes economic sense because of the U.S.-China trade war. The ship is scheduled to dock in the Rosario grains hub on Dec. 4, days after the leaders of the world's two largest economies, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, hold high-stakes trade talks in Buenos Aires. They will meet on the sidelines of a Group of 20 nations summit and are expected to discuss how to roll back tit-for-tat tariffs - covering goods worth hundreds of billions of dollars - that have skewed global trade flows. The Torrent's 20,000-tonne soybean cargo is one such distortion, and just one of 14 ships the Argentine soy crusher Vicentin has lined up to import U.S. soybeans, according to port data reviewed by Reuters. The previously unreported shipments are among the first significant Argentine purchases from the United States in two decades, according to Vicentin's broker and port data, as the nation's government and industry moves to capitalize on the tumult of the U.S.-China conflict. Argentina - one of the world's top soybean exporters, and the top exporter of processed meal and oil - usually has no reason to import beans. But this year, the South American nation has raced to the top of the list of U.S. soybean importers because the prices of U.S. beans have fallen by 15 percent since late May, when China first threatened tariffs on them. "One of the consequences of the trade war is that U.S. beans have to find a new home," said Thomas Hinrichsen, president of Buenos Aires-based brokerage J.J. Hinrichsen SA, which cut the deals for Vicentin. "You are in the money to ship cheaper U.S. beans into efficient crushing plants in Argentina." Beyond price, Argentina needs U.S. beans to feed its massive soy-crushing industry after a punishing drought. What is left of the nation's own crops are going to feed pigs in China - where buyers are paying a premium for South American soybeans to fill the gap left by virtually halted imports from the United States. "The combination of the drought in Argentina and the soy glut in the United States caused by the trade conflict has directed U.S. soybeans toward Argentina," said Guillermo Wade, manager of Argentina's Port and Maritime Activities Chamber. "They are being used to keep our crushers working while freeing Argentine soybeans to go to China." Argentina's International Trade Secretary, Marisa Bircher, told Reuters Argentina was also seeking to export more soy and byproducts to India and Southeast Asia. Argentina's current top soymeal buyers include the European Union, Vietnam and Indonesia. "Clearly, this U.S.-China conflict is generating a change in the grain trade," Bircher said. The grains powerhouse is even negotiating a license to export soymeal directly to China - which has until now only imported Argentine beans for crushing in China. "We have a very good relationship with China... we are negotiating to open the market to soybean meal before the end of the year," said Bircher. Argentina collects export taxes from companies on agricultural goods like soy, corn and wheat shipments, providing it with much needed revenue in the midst of an economic crisis. The country, which is in the global spotlight as G20 host, has good relations with both the United States and China and has sought deals with both in recent weeks as it seeks to cash in on opportunities that have arisen due to the trade war. Besides seeking the soymeal deal with China, it has negotiated a deal to export beef to the United States for the first time in 17 years. The Torrent, which loaded a month ago at a Toledo, Ohio facility operated by Ohio-based The Andersons, is one of 43 U.S. soybean ships that have sailed for Argentina since July and the second to sail from the Great Lakes region, on the other side of the world from the South American country. Just nine have sailed for China. A year ago, 282 soybean cargo vessels were loaded in the United States bound for China in that time and none to Argentina, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. China's soybean tariffs, which have virtually halted purchases of U.S. soybeans that last year totaled US$12 billion, came in retaliation for Trump's duties on Chinese steel and aluminum. That has left U.S. farmers and grains merchants with huge inventories of soybeans because China typically buys 60 percent of U.S. soy exports. Grains companies have had to adapt quickly to keep massive volumes of perishable goods moving at the lowest possible cost. Bulk grain terminals in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, the most direct outlet for Asia-bound shipments, are handling a quarter of their normal autumn soybean volume. The beans that are hauled there by rail are instead heading east to Great Lakes terminals or south to Mexico or Gulf Coast ports bound for countries other than China. "By shipping soybeans out of the U.S. to unnatural destinations - and moving Brazilian and Argentine soybeans in place of that into China when they should have come out of the U.S. West Coast - there's an inherent logistics cost in this," Soren Schroder, Chief Executive of global grain trader Bunge Ltd told Reuters in a recent interview. The inefficiencies amount to "many, many millions" of dollars in new costs, borne by the whole industry, he said. The changes have also presented opportunities for agricultural trading giants such as Bunge, Louis Dreyfus Company and Cargill Inc, who are making money processing cheaper U.S. soybeans in Argentina and Canada. They're also selling those countries' unprocessed beans at a premium to Chinese buyers who are struggling to replace the huge volume of soybeans they typically buy from the United States. Nimble traders are reaping big profits, but the opportunities may be fleeting. "Everyone's getting on the 'Make America Great' Trump gravy train for soybeans from Canada," said Dwight Gerling, president of Toronto-based DG Global, a Canadian exporter of soybeans by container. On a delivered basis to China, Canadian soybeans were fetching a premium of up to US$3 per bushel this fall over the Chicago futures price, more than double the premium U.S. soybeans make in export markets, he said. DG Global has increased soybean sales volumes by 80 percent year to date, due entirely to the U.S.-China trade fight, Gerling said. DG buys cheap U.S. soybeans to ship to its regular southeast Asian buyers - who would normally buy Canadian soy - and this autumn sent its Canadian soybeans to China, a new market for the company. The sales to China have recently slowed, however, with winter shipping restrictions approaching on the Great Lakes, Gerling said. Chinese bids for Canadian soybeans are now only slightly higher than bids from other countries for American soybeans. While companies are finding new ways to make money, U.S. farmers in the export-focused Dakotas are feeling the sting of the trade battle as prices at their local elevators for their newly harvested soybeans are the lowest in more than a decade. The concern there and elsewhere among U.S. farmers is that the damage to their relationships with Chinese buyers - built up over three decades - will be difficult to repair even if Trump and Xi strike a deal in Buenos Aires. "The Chinese can get soybeans from other places if we're not a reliable supplier," said Bob Metz, a fifth generation farmer in Peever, South Dakota. "They have 1.4 billion people to feed. They don't want to be dependent on us."[SEP]BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — President Donald Trump joined the leaders of Canada and Mexico at a global meeting in Argentina on Friday (Nov. 30) to sign a revised North American trade pact, fulfilling a longstanding political promise with a deal he celebrated as a “groundbreaking achievement.” The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is meant to replace the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump has long denigrated as a "disaster." However, ongoing differences over steel and aluminum tariffs the U.S. has imposed on its northern and southern neighbors encroached on the celebratory moment. Trump appeared with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at the Group of 20 nations summit in Buenos Aires for the formal signing ceremony. Each country's legislature must also approve the agreement. "It's been long and hard. We've taken a lot of barbs and a little abuse and we got there," Trump said of the pact. "It's great for all our countries." Legislative approval is the next step in the process, but could prove to be a difficult task in the United States, especially now that Democrats — instead of Trump's Republicans — will control the House of Representatives come January. Democrats and their allies in the labor movement are already demanding changes to the agreement. Within hours of the signing, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said that for the deal to get majority support in Congress, it must have stronger labor and environmental protections and "must prove to be a net benefit to middle-class families and working people." While Trump hailed the revised trade pact, Trudeau was more measured and used the event to call on Trump to remove the steel and aluminum tariffs the U.S. slapped on Canada and Mexico. Trudeau also referenced recent downsizing by General Motors in North America as a "heavy blow." Trump did not mention the job losses. "With hard work, good will and determination I'm confident that we will get there," Trudeau said. Pena Nieto, who will handoff to his successor Saturday, said he was honored to be at the signing on the last day of his administration, saying it is the culmination of a long process "that allow us to overcome differences and to conciliate our visions." The signing came at the front end of two days of tough diplomacy for Trump. On the top of his agenda is a Saturday dinner meeting with Chinese President Xi Jingping. which will determine if the two can ease escalating trade tensions. Before Trump arrived in Argentina he injected additional drama into the proceedings by canceling another high-stakes meeting, with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Friday, Trump opened the day with a cordial meeting at the Casa Rosada with Argentine President Mauricio Macri, a longtime business acquaintance. Posing for photos in the gilded Salón Blanco, Trump spoke about their longtime personal relationship and said they would discuss trade, military purchases and other issues. "We've known each other a long while," Trump said, noting he worked with Macri's father on real estate developments. The businessman-turned-politician joked that when he and Macri first met they'd never have imagined their future roles on the world stage. Macri is hosting the summit as he struggles with problems at home. He is trying to halt economic turmoil that has caused the steep depreciation of the Argentine peso. Trump, who arrived in Buenos Aires late Thursday, barreled into the two-day meeting by announcing via Twitter that he was canceling a planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Russia's seizure of Ukrainian vessels. His agenda for the weekend includes meetings with world leaders, as well as a number of heavily choreographed group activities for the gathering of leaders of rich and developing nations. Trump faces a series of diplomatic challenges over the weekend, most notably whether he can strike an agreement with Xi. The president canceled on Putin not long after his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, revealed he had lied to Congress to cover up that he was negotiating a real estate deal in Moscow on Trump's behalf during the Republican presidential primary in 2016. The news ensured any meeting with Putin would have put a spotlight on the special counsel's investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow during the campaign. Trump has denied any wrongdoing. Trump showed that the Russia investigation was testing his ability to stay focused on summit business after he blasted the investigation in a fresh tweet on Friday, again calling it a "Witch Hunt!" One looming question is whether Trump will have a run-in with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid global dismay over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that the Saudi crown prince must have at least known of the plot to kill Khashoggi, who was critical of the Saudi royal family. Lawmakers in both parties have called on Trump to at least avoid the young heir apparent as punishment. But Trump publicly announced his decision to effectively give the prince a pass in the name of "America First," making vastly exaggerated claims of Saudi military contracts and investments in the United States. The president also views Saudi Arabia as a vital counterbalance to Iranian influence in the Middle East. Asked Thursday why the two had no meeting scheduled, Trump said: “I would have met with him but we didn’t set that one up.”[SEP]USMCA: Trump Signs New Trade Agreement With Mexico And Canada To Replace NAFTA Enlarge this image toggle caption Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Updated at 8:25 a.m. ET President Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto signed the new U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement — or USMCA — in Buenos Aires Friday, using the backdrop of the G-20 Summit to resolve a trade dispute between America and its closest neighbors. "Let's go," all three leaders said as they sat alongside each other to sign multiple copies of the deal. They then shuffled binders around in front of them, to finalize the deal that remakes one of the world's largest free trade zones. When the signing was over, they paused for a photo-op. "Might as well hold that up," Trump said, displaying the fresh signatures as the three leaders sat together. Despite that and other prodding, Trudeau opted not to follow his peers in holding up his binder to celebrate — a sign, perhaps, of the lingering effects of the contentious process that was triggered when Trump imposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada earlier this year, which remain in place. The signing event and the leaders' remarks were livestreamed. You can watch the event here. YouTube In the lead-up to the signing, Canadian officials had "made it clear they didn't want to celebrate the end of a year of U.S. attempts to twist Canada's arm with the tariffs still in place," the CBC reports. But that wish ran counter to the desires of Trump and Peña Nieto, both of whom have preferred to portray the deal as a victory that helps to cement their legacies. "This has been a battle, and battles sometimes make great friendships," Trump said at the start of the signing ceremony. Saying all three countries will benefit from the deal, Trump said of the USMCA, "It is probably the largest trade deal ever made." The USMCA (read the whole text here) replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement, which had created a free trade zone between the three countries back in 1994. The deal will require ratification by all three countries' legislatures before taking effect. "The biggest change this deal makes, really, is to the automotive sector," NPR's Scott Horsley reports, "where it does put higher requirements on North American content, and in particular high-wage content, for vehicles to trade duty-free." The USMCA deal emerged in early October, months after President Trump hit Mexico and Canada with tariffs on their steel and aluminum products. That move set off retaliatory tariffs and intense negotiations to create a new trade pact. Calling the deal "the new North American Free Trade Agreement, Trudeau said it "lifts the risk of serious economic uncertainty that lingers throughout a trade renegotiation process — uncertainty that would have only gotten worse and more damaging if we had not reached a new NAFTA." There is more work to be done, Trudeau said, calling the recent announcement that General Motors will close plants in Canada and the U.S. "a heavy blow." Turning to address Trump, said "And Donald, it's all the more reason why we need to keep working to remove the tariffs on steel and aluminum between our countries." "General Motors has said that those steel and aluminum tariffs robbed it of a billion dollars in profits in the last year," Scott Horsley reports. In June, GM also warned the Trump administration that new tariffs could result in "a smaller GM." When it was his turn to speak, Peña Nieto said the trade agreement includes provisions for e-commerce and informational technology — subjects that he said made it necessary to update NAFTA. "In fact, one-third of the agreement includes topics that were not included in the first agreement," he said. Peña Nieto also said the USMCA "is the first trade agreement that incorporates elements that address the social impact of international trade; it enables the participation of more sectors in the economy." Among those provisions, he said, are protections for workers' rights and the environment, and elements that seek to extend the benefits of free trade more broadly. The signing took place on Peña Nieto's final day in office; Mexico's newly elected president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, will be sworn in on Saturday. Shortly before the signing ceremony, Peña Nieto awarded presidential senior adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner with the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor Mexico gives to foreigners. The move "shocked many in Mexico," as NPR's Carrie Kahn reported earlier this week, referring to the outrage and anger that has poured out online. Later in the G-20 meetings, Trump will turn to another high-profile trade crisis, when he has dinner on Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping.[SEP]BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — World leaders arrived Thursday in the Argentine capital for the Group of 20 summit of the globe's largest economies as issues such as a trade war between the United States and China, the killing of a Saudi journalist in the country's Istanbul Consulate and the conflict over Ukraine threatened to overshadow the gathering. The two-day summit beginning Friday is supposed to focus on development, infrastructure and food security, but those seemed largely an afterthought amid soured U.S.-European relations and as the United States, Mexico and Canada hammered out the final language of a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement expected to be signed Friday. Michael Shifter, head of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank, said that this G-20 summit was once considered an opportunity for Latin American members Argentina, Brazil and Mexico "to project a regional bloc to shape a global agenda." But, he said, "that turned out to be a fleeting aspiration." "The fact that the G-20 is taking place in South America for the first time is almost beside the point," Shifter said. "Argentine President Mauricio Macri, the summit's host, has lowered expectations. ... Now a success would be a summit meeting that goes smoothly, without any major disruption." Nonetheless, French President Emmanuel Macron, who flew into Buenos Aires on Wednesday as one of the earliest arrivers, clung to the importance of the ideal of cooperation that the G-20 represents. "I believe in our capacity to make the spirit of dialogue and cooperation triumph," Macron said at a joint news conference with Macri, warning that if nations "close down," the alternative could be trade wars or armed conflict. Macron also called for international involvement and "complete clarity" in investigations into the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and said European leaders should discuss it at a meeting Friday. Macri said the matter of the killing would be "on the table" during bilateral and possibly broader meetings. Saudia Arabia has denied that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played a role in Khashoggi's gruesome slaying. But Human Rights Watch accuses him of responsibility and also of war crimes in Yemen, and on Wednesday, Argentine legal authorities took initial action to consider a request to prosecute him for alleged crimes against humanity, a move apparently aimed at embarrassing him as he attends the summit. It is to be bin Salman's first significant appearance overseas since the killing. Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been sharply critical of Saudi Arabia over the incident, is also in attendance. "Given the role that Turkey has played in this, given that the murder happened at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, this will be an interesting meeting," said Willis Sparks, director of global macro politics at Eurasia Group. "Just to see how leaders interact with the crown prince will be interesting — how warm they are. I expect (U.S. President Donald) Trump to be very warm with him, but European leaders probably are going to be very reluctant to have their pictures taken with him." An expected high-profile bilateral meeting between Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin planned for Saturday was abruptly canceled by Trump, who made the announcement in a tweet citing Russia's seizure of Ukrainian vessels over the weekend. The Kremlin said it had not been notified and only learned about it from the tweet. Russian news agencies quoted Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the cancellation means that Putin will have "a couple more hours" for "useful meetings" with G-20 leaders. Trump was still scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but analysts were not optimistic about prospects for a major breakthrough on the two countries' trade disputes a month before U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods are set to ramp up. Shannon O'Neil, an expert on global trade at the Council on Foreign Relations, said she believes it "very likely" that the tariffs will take effect in January. "I think this is an issue that Trump cares a lot about and is going to use when he campaigns for 2020," O'Neil said. "It used to be Mexico and NAFTA, and now it's going to be China." The U.S., Canada and Mexico are scheduled to sign the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that is replacing the NAFTA trade deal during a ceremony Friday. There had been speculation Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau might not attend and send his foreign minister instead if Trump did not lift steel and aluminum tariffs, but Trudeau's press secretary confirmed Thursday night that he would be at the ceremony. The foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, said the three countries were "very much on track" to sign on time. "These agreements are massive, and a vast number of technical details need to be scrubbed and wrapped up," she said. "The fact that this is an agreement in three languages adds to the level of technical complexity, and it is on that level that we're just being sure that all the i's are dotted and all the t's are crossed." The pact must still be approved by lawmakers in all three countries. O'Neil said she anticipates that to be "quite smooth" in Mexico and Canada, but passage could be more complicated in the United States after midterm elections flipped the House of Representatives, meaning the next speaker could be Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi. "There are some ... things in there that I think Democrats can support," O'Neil said. "But I can't imagine having a new NAFTA is going to be Pelosi's first priority when she comes in, so I'd expect it to be drawn out." It stands to be a short visit for Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who is scheduled to return to his country for the inauguration Saturday of his successor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. On Thursday, Macron criticized protectionist stances by Trump but said they have no plans for a one-on-one at the summit. The two have increasingly clashed in recent weeks on everything from Trump's nationalism to wine tariffs. The French president envisions himself as a new leader of the free world and is fashioning himself at this summit as the anti-Trump — a champion of the Paris climate accord, defender of the postwar system of global trade and crusader against multinational tax evaders. Macron warned that Europe might not sign trade deals with the South American regional bloc Mercosur if Brazil's incoming president, Jair Bolsonaro, pulls out of the Paris accord. Taking the world stage at the G-20 is a welcome relief for Macron, who has faced mass protests at home over rising fuel taxes that are the biggest challenge yet to his presidency. But his party dominates parliament and neither faces re-election until 2022. Other European leaders at the summit are facing domestic struggles of their own. Britain's Theresa May is fighting for political survival as she tries to pull her country out of the European Union. Germany's Angela Merkel is preparing to leave politics after announcing last month she would give up leadership of her party, a post she has held since 2000. Italy's Giuseppe Conte heads a populist coalition that is clashing with the EU and suffers internal divisions. Senior German officials, briefing reporters in Berlin on condition of anonymity, said Merkel planned to hold bilateral meetings with Trump, Putin, Xi, India's Narendra Modi, Australia's Scott Morrison and Macri. Merkel was supposed to arrive in Buenos Aires early Friday, but her plane returned to Germany on Thursday night due to a technical problem. A German air force plane was being readied to carry the chancellor and her entourage. The British Embassy in Argentina said May's visit would be the first by a U.K. prime minister to Buenos Aires; the only other prime minister to visit the country was Tony Blair who went to Puerto Iguazu in 2001. The two countries have long been at odds over the disputed islands known as the Falklands in Britain and the Malvinas in Argentina. Outside Argentina's congress, as many as 1,000 people gathered Thursday for a forum hosted by organizations opposing the G-20 and the International Monetary Fund. A large inflatable blimp caricaturing Trump as a baby holding a cellphone — which has appeared at protests in other places the U.S. president has visited — floated over the square underneath a light rain. Thomas Bernes of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a Canada-based think tank focusing on global governance, said this summit could be a defining moment for the Group of 20 — for better or for worse. "The G-20 Leader's Summit is at risk of falling into disarray with the summit being overshadowed by items not on agenda," Bernes said. "The true test will be whether the other members of the G-20 will act resolutely or whether we will witness the crumbling of the G-20 as a forum for international economic cooperation."[SEP]BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Table talk at President Donald Trump’s dinner meeting Saturday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping will undoubtedly have a global impact. What they agree on — or don’t — will likely move markets up or down, determine whether the world economy gets some relief from destabilizing trade tensions and cast judgment on the wisdom of the American leader’s hard-nosed trade tactics. Trump and Xi are seeking a way out of a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies, while also saving face for their domestic audiences at home. Before the dinner of grilled sirloin, red onions, goat ricotta and dates, Trump told reporters that “we’ll be discussing trade and I think at some point we are going to end up doing something that is great for China and great for the United States.” He did not offer any details. Xi’s remarks also gave no indication of whether any breakthrough was imminent. “Only with cooperation between us can we serve the interests of world peace and prosperity,” Xi said, adding that he looked forward to exchanging ideas and having an opportunity to “jointly map out the future for China-U.S. relations.” The Trump-Xi meeting is set to be the marquee event of Trump’s whirlwind two-day trip to Argentina for the Group of 20 Summit after the president cancelled a sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin over mounting tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Trump also canceled a Saturday news conference, citing respect for the Bush family following the death of former President George H.W. Bush. Trump said that “the very important meeting” with Xi would go on, but he noted that Bush’s death “really puts a damper on it, to be honest with you.” The United States and China are locked in a dispute over their trade imbalance and Beijing’s push to challenge American technological dominance. Washington accuses China of deploying predatory tactics in its tech drive, including stealing trade secrets and forcing American firms to hand over technology in exchange for access to the Chinese market. Trump has imposed import taxes on $250 billion in Chinese products. If he can’t get a deal with Xi, he’s poised to more than double most of those tariffs Jan. 1. And he’s threatened to expand tariffs to virtually everything China ships to the United States. China, which has already slapped tariffs on $110 billion in U.S. goods, is likely to retaliate, ramping up a conflict that is already rattling financial markets and causing forecasters to downgrade the outlook for global economic growth. U.S. officials insist that the American economy is more resilient to the tumult than China’s, but they remain anxious of the economic effects of a prolonged showdown — as Trump has made economic growth the benchmark by which he wants his administration judges. It’s unlikely the two countries will reach a full-blown resolution in Buenos Aires; the issues that divide them are just too difficult. What’s more likely, analysts say, is that they reach a truce, buying time for more substantive talks. Whether such a cease-fire would be enough to get Trump to delay higher or expanded tariffs is unclear. Growing concerns that the trade war will increasingly hurt corporate earnings and the U.S. economy are a key reason why U.S. stock prices have been sinking this fall. Joining other forecasters, economists at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development last week downgraded their outlook for global economic growth next year to 3.5 percent from a previous 3.7 percent. In doing so, they cited the trade conflict as well as political uncertainty. Trump met Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a rare trilateral meeting. The symbolism ahead of the Xi meeting was clear: the Trump administration has looked to find common cause with both nations in countering China’s regional hegemony. Earlier that day, Trump signed a revamped three-way trade deal with Canada and Mexico, fulfilling a longstanding pledge, though the agreement could face headwinds in Congress. He also held a series of formal and informal meetings and will continue those sit-downs Saturday, including with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Last spring, it looked like Beijing and Washington might have found a peaceful resolution. In May, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declared the trade war “on hold” after Beijing agreed to increase its purchases of U.S. soybeans and liquefied natural gas — a move that could have put a dent in China’s massive trade surplus with the United States. But the cease-fire didn’t last. Facing criticism that he’d gone soft on China, Trump backed away from Mnuchin’s deal and decided to proceed with tariffs. Now a lasting peace is likely to require the Chinese to scale back their ambitions to become a technological power. Or at least curb the strong-arm tactics. Kudlow said the administration has been “extremely disappointed” by China’s engagement in trade talks but the meeting between Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit could be a game-changer. “Perhaps we can break through in Buenos Aires or not,” he said. Kudlow added that if the U.S. doesn’t get “satisfactory” responses to its trade positions more tariffs will be imposed. He said Trump is “not going away.” “I hope they understand that,” he said. Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania is skeptical: “This has been their business model for a while,” Toomey told reporters this week. “They’re not going to abandon it lightly.” Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]The leaders of Mexico, Canada and the United States signed a North American trade pact on Friday after brinkmanship over the final details of the deal continued through the eve of the signing. They agreed on a deal in principle to govern the more than trillion dollars of mutual trade after a year and a half of acrimonious negotiations concluded with a late-night bargain just an hour before a deadline on Sept. 30. Since then, the three sides have bickered over the wording and the finer points of the deal and still had not agreed just hours before officials were due to sit down and sign it as the G20 summit kicks off in Buenos Aires. Legislators from the three countries still have to approve the pact, officially known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), before it goes into effect and replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's spokesman only confirmed his attendance late on Thursday. Before signing the deal he continued to refer to as "the New NAFTA," Trudeau told Trump the two should continue to work together to eliminate steel and aluminum tariffs. Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto joined the ceremony on his last day in office. Trump had vowed to revamp NAFTA during his 2016 presidential election campaign. He threatened to tear it up and withdraw the U.S. completely at times during the negotiation, which would have left trade between the three neighbors in disarray. Trump forced Canada and Mexico to renegotiate the 24-year-old agreement because he said the existing pact encouraged U.S. companies to move jobs to low-wage Mexico. U.S. objections to Canada's protected internal market for dairy products was a major challenge facing negotiators during the talks, and Trump repeatedly demanded concessions and accused Canada of hurting U.S. farmers. A side letter to the September agreement showed that Trump preserved the ability to impose threatened 25 percent global tariffs on autos while largely exempting passenger vehicles, pickup trucks and auto parts from Canada and Mexico. "It's been long and hard. We've taken a lot of barbs and a little abuse, but we got there," Trump said of the pact. Legislative approval is the next step in the process, but could prove to be a difficult task in the United States, especially now that Democrats – instead of Trump's Republicans – will control the House of Representatives come January. Already Democrats and their allies in the labor movement are demanding changes to the agreement. While Trump hailed the revised trade pact, Trudeau was more measured, saying there was still work to be done and calling on Trump – using his first name – to remove steel and aluminum tariffs the U.S. imposed on Canada and Mexico. Trudeau also referenced recent downsizing by General Motors in North America as a "heavy blow." Trump did not mention the job losses. The signing came at the front end of two days of tough diplomacy for Trump. On the top of his agenda is a Saturday dinner meeting with Chinese President Xi Jingping. which will determine if the two can ease escalating trade tensions. Overhanging the summit in Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital, is a trade dispute between the United States and China, the world's two largest economies, which have imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other's imports. All eyes will be on a planned dinner between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday to see whether they can make progress toward resolving differences threatening the global economy. Beijing hopes to persuade Trump to abandon plans to hike tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods to 25 percent in January, from 10 percent at present. "We hope the U.S. can show sincerity and meet China half way, to promote a proposal that both countries can accept," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a briefing in Beijing. Trump faces a series of diplomatic challenges over the weekend, most notably whether he can strike an agreement with Xi. Before departing Washington on Thursday, Trump said he was "very close" to reaching a deal with China but added "I don't know that I want to do it because what we have right now is billions and billions of dollars coming into the United States in the form of tariffs or taxes." The U.S. began hiking tariffs on Chinese goods earlier this year and Beijing has responded in a tit-for-tat fashion, sparking tensions that a full trade war could erupt. Trump increased additional duties imposed on Chinese goods this year from 10 percent to 25 percent next January. The U.S. president also said he is considering levying extra tariffs on another $267 billion worth of Chinese imports should Beijing retaliate. With his "America First" approach, general distaste for multinational deals and habit of insulting allies, Trump typically gets a mixed reception at global gatherings. Trump has slapped tariffs on the European Union, pulled the U.S. out of the landmark Paris Climate Accord and the Iran nuclear deal and suggested he might be willing to pull the U.S. out of NATO if member countries don't significantly boost their defense spending. Ending the NAFTA would have meant tearing up the continent's closely integrated auto supply chain. But Ottawa, Mexico City and Washington have now agreed to sweeping changes to manufacturing and labor requirements that U.S. officials say should boost wages and discourage moving production offshore. The deal will require that 75 percent of auto content be made in the region, increased from 62.5 percent, and that 40-45 percent be made by workers earning at least $16 an hour. Mexico also agreed to continue to recognize U.S. auto safety standards, unless Mexican regulators conclude they are inferior to their own standards. Trump has threatened to use a national security justification to impose steep tariffs on the hundreds of billions of dollars in autos the U.S. imports annually. But the USMCA includes side letters that agree to exempt Mexico and Canada up to a threshold of 2.6 million vehicles a year, as well as an unspecified amount of light trucks, and tens of billions of dollars in auto parts. However, the new deal does not resolve the punishing steel and aluminum tariffs imposed worldwide earlier this year, and on Mexico and Canada since May. Canada, which guarantees prices for its dairy producers through its managed supply system, agreed to open its borders a little wider to American milk, cheese, cream, butter and other goods. The concession from Ottawa removed a major sticking point that Trump said was a deal breaker. Canada will also eliminate categories of low-cost dairy goods and will allow greater imports of U.S. chicken, eggs and turkey. The U.S. agreed to Canada's insistence that the dispute settlement system – formerly known as Chapter 19 – remain in the deal. Canadian officials resolutely rejected Trump's demand to scrap provisions to resolve disagreements through international arbitration, something Ottawa has successfully used to challenge U.S. tariffs. However, the agreement does make some changes to the more controversial "Investor-State Dispute Settlement" powers, which critics said had allowed powerful companies and wealthy investors to invalidate local laws and court decisions through unaccountable arbitration. The new agreement requires that signatories allow equal copyright treatment for writers, composers and others from member countries, requiring a minimum term of the author's life plus 70 years for copyrighted works. When NAFTA took effect in 1994, e-commerce hardly existed in its current form and modernizing its provisions was a key premise of the talks. The new agreement prohibits customs duties for digitally distributed goods like software and games, e-books, music and movies. It would also limit local governments' powers to force companies to disclose propriety source code or place restrictions on where data may be stored. Tucked in the agreement is a provision that appears designed to stop either Canada or Mexico from seeking a better deal with Beijing. If any signatory seeks to enter into a free-trade agreement with a "non-market-economy" – read China – the other parties will then be allowed to cancel the three-country deal and replace it with a bilateral agreement.[SEP]World waits to see if Trump-Xi dinner brings trade peace BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — When President Donald Trump sits down for dinner Saturday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, their table talk will undoubtedly have a global impact. What they agree on — or don't — will determine whether stock markets rise or fall, whether the world economy gets some relief from destabilizing trade tensions, and cast judgment on the wisdom of the American leader's hard-nosed trade tactics. Trump and Xi will be seeking a way out of a trade war between the world's two biggest economies, while also saving face for their domestic audiences at home. Trump Friday expressed optimism about a deal. "There's some good signs," he said. "We'll see what happens." The Trump-Xi meeting is set to be the marquee event of Trump's whirlwind two-day trip to Argentina for the Group of 20 Summit after the president cancelled a sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin over mounting tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Trade analysts and administration officials acknowledge it won't be easy. The United States and China are locked in a dispute over their trade imbalance and Beijing's push to challenge American technological dominance. Washington accuses China of deploying predatory tactics in its tech drive, including stealing trade secrets and forcing American firms to hand over technology in exchange for access to the Chinese market. Trump has imposed import taxes on $250 billion in Chinese products. If he can't get a deal with Xi, he's poised to more than double most of those tariffs Jan. 1. And he's threatened to expand tariffs to virtually everything China ships to the United States. China, which has already slapped tariffs on $110 billion in U.S. goods, is likely to retaliate, ramping up a conflict that is already rattling financial markets and causing forecasters to downgrade the outlook for global economic growth. U.S. officials insist that the American economy is more resilient to the tumult than China's, but they remain anxious of the economic effects of a prolonged showdown — as Trump has made economic growth the benchmark by which he wants his administration judges. It's unlikely the two countries will reach a full-blown resolution in Buenos Aires; the issues that divide them are just too difficult. What's more likely, analysts say, is that they reach a truce, buying time for more substantive talks. Whether such a cease-fire would be enough to get Trump to delay higher or expanded tariffs is unclear. Growing concerns that the trade war will increasingly hurt corporate earnings and the U.S. economy are a key reason why U.S. stock prices have been sinking this fall. Joining other forecasters, economists at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development last week downgraded their outlook for global economic growth next year to 3.5 percent from a previous 3.7 percent. In doing so, they cited the trade conflict as well as political uncertainty. Trump met Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a rare trilateral meeting. The symbolism ahead of the Xi meeting was clear: the Trump administration has looked to find common cause with both nations in countering China's regional hegemony. Earlier that day, Trump signed a revamped three-way trade deal with Canada and Mexico, fulfilling a longstanding pledge, though the agreement could face headwinds in Congress. He also held a series of formal and informal meetings and will continue those sit-downs Saturday, including with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Last spring, it looked like Beijing and Washington might have found a peaceful resolution. In May, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declared the trade war "on hold" after Beijing agreed to increase its purchases of U.S. soybeans and liquefied natural gas — a move that could have put a dent in China's massive trade surplus with the United States. But the cease-fire didn't last. Facing criticism that he'd gone soft on China, Trump backed away from Mnuchin's deal and decided to proceed with tariffs. Now a lasting peace is likely to require the Chinese to scale back their ambitions to become a technological power. Or at least curb the strong-arm tactics. Kudlow said the administration has been "extremely disappointed" by China's engagement in trade talks but the meeting between Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit could be a game-changer. "Perhaps we can break through in Buenos Aires or not," he said. Kudlow added that if the U.S. doesn't get "satisfactory" responses to its trade positions more tariffs will be imposed. He said Trump is "not going away." "I hope they understand that," he said. Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania is skeptical: "This has been their business model for a while," Toomey told reporters this week. "They're not going to abandon it lightly."[SEP]The divisions among the world's leading economies were evident from the moment the Argentine president opened the summit Friday with a call for international cooperation to solve the planet's problems. BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The U.S. has been blocking progress at the Group of 20 summit on fixing world trade rules, fighting climate change and tackling migration, according to European officials involved in the discussions. The divisions among the world's leading economies were evident from the moment the Argentine president opened the summit Friday with a call for international cooperation to solve the planet's problems. President Donald Trump sought to use the summit to make his own trade deals. Meanwhile, two men under heavy criticism from the West lately — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — appeared to seek refuge in each other, bonding with a tough-guy hand grab as the leaders sat down around a huge round table for talks. Security concerns also weighed on the two-day talks in Buenos Aires. Argentina's security minister said eight gasoline bombs were discovered in an area of the capital where a protest against the G-20 summit began in the afternoon. Diplomats from the Group of 20 countries were haggling hard over a final summit statement, with deep divisions over what language to use on the Paris climate accord and the World Trade Organization. Two European officials involved in the discussions said the U.S. was stymieing progress on both. So an unorthodox solution emerged: Because of resistance from the Trump administration, an official in the French president's office said the statement may have language that sets the U.S. apart. For example, a draft says 19 of the participants agree on the importance of upholding the Paris climate accord, but the U.S. doesn't. The officials said the U.S. was also blocking any mention of migration in the final statement. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the closed-door discussions. Argentine President Mauricio Macri kicked off the summit by acknowledging divisions within the G-20 while urging world leaders to have a "sense of urgency" and take actions "based on shared interests." The summit is meant to focus on issues such as labor, infrastructure, development, financial stability, climate sustainability and international commerce. But as the gathering got underway, those themes seemed like afterthoughts, overshadowed by contentious matters from the U.S.-China trade dispute to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. European Council President Donald Tusk urged G-20 leaders to discuss "trade wars, the tragic situation in Syria and Yemen, and Russian aggression in Ukraine." He said the European Union is expected to extend sanctions on Moscow over its "totally unacceptable" seizure of Ukrainian ships and their crews near the Crimean Peninsula. "Europe is united in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Tusk said, calling the standoff "a cause of great concern." Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over the weekend ship incident — which Trump cited in canceling a much-awaited meeting with Putin at the G-20. Russia's foreign minister regretted the move, but said "love can't be forced." Also looming large amid dozens of bilateral meetings in Buenos Aires: the gruesome slaying of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate and how the Saudi crown prince, who is alleged to have ordered the killing, is received by world leaders. As soon as he arrived, the crown prince was confronted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who pressed him on the Khashoggi investigation and the Saudi-backed war in Yemen. Bin Salman told Macron not to worry, but Macron countered, "I am worried." Saudi Arabia has denied that bin Salman played a role, but some leaders may be cool toward him to avoid seeming to legitimize a man who U.S. intelligence agencies concluded ordered the killing. Trump's administration has made clear it does not want to torpedo the longstanding U.S. relationship with Riyadh, however. It is the prince's first significant appearance overseas since the killing. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been sharply critical of Saudi Arabia over the incident, is also in attendance. Leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico, meanwhile, met in the morning to sign a trade deal replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement that was struck following months of tough negotiations that analysts say left a bitter taste among the partners. Trump called the pact a "model agreement that changes the trade landscape forever." It must still be ratified by lawmakers in all three countries, and passage in the U.S. could face a tough road in the House of Representatives after Democrats won a majority in November midterm elections. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose six-year term ends Saturday, said the deal modernizes the trade framework, highlights a need for economic integration in North America and protects labor rights and the environment. Trade agreements should "move along with the economy," Pena Nieto said. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on Trump to remove tariffs on steel and aluminum, saying they remain a major economic obstacle. While Trump canceled his meeting with Putin, the U.S. president was still scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but analysts were not optimistic about prospects for a major breakthrough on the two countries' trade disputes a month before U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods are set to ramp up. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was supposed to get in to Buenos Aires early Friday, but her arrival was delayed when her plane suffered a technical problem. British Prime Minister Theresa May's attendance at the summit marked the first time a U.K. prime minister has visited Argentina's capital. The only other prime minister to visit the country was Tony Blair, who went to Puerto Iguazu in 2001. The two countries have long been at odds over the South Atlantic islands known as the Falklands in Britain and the Malvinas in Argentina. Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie said the recent establishment of more flights to the disputed islands was a positive development. Regarding May's visit, he said: "Dialogue must be maintained." "We are not withdrawing our historic claim," he added. "The focus of this opportunity is in the reestablishment of trust."[SEP]BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The United States, Canada and Mexico signed a North American trade pact on Friday, and President Donald Trump brushed aside difficulties he may have in getting the deal through U.S. Congress, where the opposition Democrats will control one of its two chambers from January. The leaders of the three countries agreed on a deal in principle to govern more than a trillion dollars of mutual trade after a year and a half of acrimonious negotiations concluded with a late-night bargain just an hour before a deadline on Sept. 30. Friday’s signing potentially ends a big source of irritation for the U.S. administration as it pivots to a much bigger trade fight with China that threatens the global economy. All eyes are on a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday after a G20 summit in Buenos Aires. Canada and Mexico bickered with the United States over the wording and the finer points of the trilateral deal and still had not agreed just hours before officials were due to sit down and sign it as the G20 summit kicks off in Buenos Aires. “It’s been long and hard. We’ve taken a lot of barbs and a little abuse and we got there,” Trump said after the signing. “It’s been a battle and battles sometimes make great friendships.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau still had a few barbs of his own on Friday. He called the deal by its old name NAFTA, prodded Trump over U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs and said General Motors Co’s (GM.N) decision to cut production and its North American workforce, including in Canada, was a “heavy blow.” “Donald, it’s all the more reason why we need to keep working to remove the tariffs on steel and aluminum between our two countries,” Trudeau said. Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto, who awarded Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, with Mexico’s highest order for foreigners, was warmer. On his last day in office, he said the new deal was forged with the “firm belief that we are stronger and more competitive.” Legislators from the three countries still have to approve the pact, officially known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), before it goes into effect and replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). But the U.S. trade landscape will shift significantly in January when Democrats take control of the U.S. House of Representatives in January after winning midterm elections in November. House Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pledged to “closely scrutinize” the new pact. However, Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Friday they were confident the agreement would pass Congress. “It’s been so well reviewed I don’t expect to have very much of a problem,” Trump said. Trump had vowed to revamp NAFTA during his 2016 presidential election campaign. He threatened to tear it up and withdraw the U.S. completely at times during the negotiation, which would have left trade between the three neighbors in disarray. Trump forced Canada and Mexico to renegotiate the 24-year-old agreement because he said the existing pact encouraged U.S. companies to move jobs to low-wage Mexico. U.S. objections to Canada’s protected internal market for dairy products was a major challenge facing negotiators during the talks, and Trump repeatedly demanded concessions and accused Canada of hurting U.S. farmers. BDI, Germany’s main industry association, said in a statement the agreement’s rules on preferential origin for the automotive sector would be stricter and more complex, calling it “a retrograde step compared with NAFTA.”[SEP]BUENOS AIRES: The United States, Canada and Mexico signed a North American trade pact on Friday, and President Donald Trump predicted an easy passage through U.S. Congress to approve the deal, despite opposition from some lawmakers. The three leaders agreed on a deal in principle to govern the more than trillion dollars of mutual trade after a year and a half of acrimonious negotiations concluded with a late-night bargain just an hour before a deadline on Sept. 30. Since then, the three sides have bickered over the wording and the finer points of the deal and still had not agreed just hours before officials were due to sit down and sign it as the G20 summit kicks off in Buenos Aires. "It’s been long and hard. We’ve taken a lot of barbs and a little abuse and we got there," Trump said. Legislators from the three countries still have to approve the pact, officially known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), before it goes into effect and replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). But the U.S. trade landscape will shift significantly in January when Democrats take control of the U.S. House of Representatives after winning midterm elections in November. House Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has pledged to "closely scrutinize" the new pact. However, Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Lightizer said they were confident the agreement would pass Congress. "This was negotiated from the beginning to be a bipartisan agreement.... I think we’ll get the support of a lot of Democrats," he told reporters. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's spokesman only confirmed his attendance late on Thursday. Before signing the deal he continued to refer to as the new NAFTA, Trudeau told Trump the two should continue to work together to eliminate steel and aluminum tariffs. Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto joined the ceremony on his last day in office. Trump had vowed to revamp NAFTA during his 2016 presidential election campaign. He threatened to tear it up and withdraw the U.S. completely at times during the negotiation, which would have left trade between the three neighbors in disarray. Trump forced Canada and Mexico to renegotiate the 24-year-old agreement because he said the existing pact encouraged U.S. companies to move jobs to low-wage Mexico. U.S. objections to Canada's protected internal market for dairy products was a major challenge facing negotiators during the talks, and Trump repeatedly demanded concessions and accused Canada of hurting U.S. farmers. BDI, Germany's main industry association, said in a statement the agreement's rules on preferential origin for the automotive sector would be stricter and more complex, calling it "a retrograde step compared with NAFTA."

The United States, Canada and Mexico sign the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement in Buenos Aires, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement.

AFP Copyright: AFP Local rights groups have long spoken out about the suffering inflicted on women and children Image caption: Local rights groups have long spoken out about the suffering inflicted on women and children Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says there has been a wave of "horrific episodes of sexual violence" against women and girls over the past 10 days in northern South Sudan. MSF has given "emergency medical and psycho-social support to 125 women and girls who were raped, robbed and beaten in Rubkona County", it said in a statement. That's compared to the 104 sexual and gender-based violence survivors who used MSF's services in the first 10 months of this year. Some of the survivors are younger than 10 years old while others are over 65, it added. Their attackers reportedly robbed them of anything of value they had - including money, clothes and shoes - and destroyed their ration cards, preventing them from receiving food distributions. MSF says the rise in attacks on women coincides with a rise in the number of displaced people seeking food aid distributions in the region. They say women have taken to walking together in large groups for safety, but they are frequently targeted by groups of attackers. A fragile ceasefire is currently in place in the country, after a power-sharing deal between the warring sides was signed in September. Years of civil conflict have forced 3.8 million people from their homes according to the World Food Programme, while the UN has identified 40 officials who it says may be individually responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.[SEP]The Nigeria Police on Friday killed 104 armed bandits during an attack on Mahanga forest in Birnin Mogaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State. Force spokesman, Acting DCP, Jimoh Moshood stated this in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Friday, adding that 50 hideouts in three camps belonging to the bandits were also destroyed. Moshood also stated that over 500 cattle and 79 Sheep were also recovered from the bandits, adding that a policeman was killed during the operation. The statement reads in part: “At about 1600hrs on November 29th, the Police Joint Operation Team repelled ambush attacks from bandits at Birnin Mogaji Village, Zurmi LGA of Zamfara State and in the process killed 104 bandits and destroyed over 50 bandit hideouts in three camps. “They recovered over 500 cattle and 79 sheep from the bandits but unfortunately lost a policeman during the attacks. The Police team has restored normalcy and peace in the affected areas. “Following the development, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris dispatched the DIG, Department of Operations, Joshiak Habila to Zamfara State. Other units are Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Police Anti-Bomb (EOD) Squad and conventional policemen. “The team headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police has been mandated to arrest and prosecute bandits, Kidnap for ransom and cattle rustling gangs operating in parts of the State.” Moshood further urged members of the public with any information or in distress in any part of Zamfara to call the following numbers: 08037025670, 08033210966,08033312261,08123829666, 09053872244, 07082351758, 08091914752.[SEP]The Nigeria Police says it has killed no fewer than 100 suspected bandits terrorising communities in Zamfara State. Force Public Relations Officers, Mr Jimoh Moshood, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday said the security operatives also destroyed several hideouts of the suspects. According to him, the suspects were neutralised on Thursday in an operation conducted in Birnin Mogaji Local Government Area (LGA) of the state. “The Police Joint Operation Team at about 1600hrs, November 29, 2018, repelled ambush attacks from armed bandits at Mahanga Forest in Birnin Mogaji LGA of Zamfara State and in the process killed one hundred and four (104) bandits, destroyed over fifty (50) bandits hideouts in three (3) camps, recovered over five hundred (500) cattle and seventy-nine (79) sheep from the bandits.” Moshood, however, said a policeman lost his life during the operation and the police team has since restored normalcy and peace in the affected areas. He explained that the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, had deployed a Police Joint Intervention Team of about 1,000 police personnel on November 9 to Zamfara to arrest and prosecute armed bandits and other criminals terrorising the state. The team, he said, comprised seven units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Police Anti-Bomb (EOD) Squad, and conventional policemen. The Force spokesman revealed that the team arrested no fewer than 85 suspects and recovered several weapons and livestock from them. They include 27 AK47 rifles and 52 locally fabricated rifles among other dangerous weapons, as well as 269 cattle and 109 sheep which have since been handed over to their owners. “Consequent on the ambush attacks on the Police Joint Team which were successfully repelled by the police team, the Inspector General of Police yesterday, November 29, 2018, deployed DIG Department of Operations to Zamfara State, to be the overall commander of the Police Joint Intervention Force and add new impetus to the operations,” Moshood added. He said the DIG arrived in the state with hundreds of personnel of Police Special Forces, CTU, as well as additional PMF and FSARS operatives. The DIG was also said to have arrived with three surveillance patrol helicopters and crew members to coordinate the operation to completely rout-out all armed bandits from Zamfara and other contiguous states. He was mandated by the police authorities to also coordinate the Commissioner of Police in Zamfara and personnel of the command to sustain and restore lasting peace throughout the state.[SEP]More than 100 "bandits" involved in cattle-rustling and other crimes in Nigeria's north-western Zamfara state have been killed, Nigerian police say. The criminals were killed on Thursday when special forces repelled an ambush in Mahanga Forest, police spokesman Jimoh Moshood said. Fifty hideouts were destroyed and more than 500 heads of cattle were recovered, Moshood said. More than 85 suspects were arrested and more than 75 rifles and other weapons were recovered, he added. One police officer was killed during the fighting. One thousand police officers were deployed to Zamfara state earlier this month to arrest kidnappers and cattle rustlers, and the military has also deployed a large contingent to the area. The situation in Zamfara reflects the worsening security situation in Nigeria, where the Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram poses a steady threat to communities in the north-east.[SEP]The police said on Friday that 104 bandits have been killed in a special anti-rustling operation conducted in Zamfara State on Thursday. The police said 50 hideouts of the bandits were also destroyed and hundreds of stolen cattle and sheep recovered and handed to the owners. One police officer was killed during the operation in Birnin Mogaji, Zurmi Local Government Area, police spokesperson Jimoh Moshood said in a statement. Birnin Mogaji and surrounding communities have become a regular target of bandits who have been undertaking a series of robberies in the state in recent years. The bandits often target herders for their livestock, farms for their produce and even kidnap persons for humongous ransom. Mr Moshood, an acting deputy police commissioner, said police officers on a patrol in Zurmi LGA were ambushed by the bandits, but sharply repelled the attacks. Normal activities have been restored to the communities as of Friday afternoon, the police said. The attack comes as Inspector-General Ibrahim Idris sent Habila Joshak, the deputy inspector-general in charge of operations, to oversee police operations in Zamfara State, all largely aimed at checking worsening banditry. Mr Idris dispatched a contingent of 1,000 police officers to the state on November 9, under Police Joint Intervention Team. The team included seven units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) headed by an assistant police commissioner, Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Police Anti-Bomb (EOD) Squad, and conventional police officers The police said the operation has so far led to the arrest of 85 suspects, recovery of 27 AK-47 rifles and 52 locally made, amongst other weapons used by the criminals. Two hundred and sixty-nine cattle, 109 sheep were recovered and handed over to their owners. Plans to parade the suspects arrested within the period are already underway, police said.[SEP]Zamfara- Nigerian police claimed on Friday that over 100 “bandits” had been killed in a crackdown targeting crime in the northwest state of Zamfara, following a surge in kidnappings for ransom and cattle rustling. Zamfara has been plagued by violent crime over the past year, with Amnesty International warning in July that people living in the impoverished state were “at the mercy” of armed bandits who take hostages and raid villages. A joint operation team on Thursday “repelled ambush attacks from armed bandits” at Mahanga Forest in Zamfara State and “in the process killed one hundred and four bandits,” national police spokesman Jimoh Moshood said in a statement. Confirming the death toll Moshood told AFP: “Yes, 104 bandits (were killed). Not people, armed bandits that had been terrorising and killing innocent people.” Over 1,000 policemen had been deployed to Zamfara at the beginning of the month, the statement said, adding that since then 85 people have been arrested in connection with kidnappings and cattle rustling. Amnesty International Nigeria spokesman Isa Sanusi said it was difficult to assess the success of security operations in the remote region. “In many cases, the pronouncements of security agencies are quite contrary to the situation on ground in Zamfara state,” Sanusi said. “Bringing the killers to justice is more important in taming the tide of impunity that allowed the security situation in Zamfara state to continue deteriorating.” The kidnappings are just one security concern putting pressure on Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari who is seeking a second, four-year term in closely contested February polls. Facing criticism for an increase in Boko Haram jihadist attacks, among other security threats, Buhari is working to show that his government is able to tackle rising violence in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer. The problem has sparked the concern of neighbouring Niger. In August, Niamey announced it was sending security reinforcements to the Maradi area on the south-central part of the border, which abuts Zamfara. Nigeria’s interior minister said in October that at least 30 bandits were killed in their troubled frontier. In the last two years, kidnapping for ransom has reached unprecedented levels in the region, where entire villages have been deserted for fear of raids and kidnapping by criminal gangs. Those abducted are often released within days if the ransom is paid but residents say they can be killed if no money is forthcoming, and their bodies dumped in the bush.[SEP]The Nigeria Police Force said it has killed 104 armed bandits during an attack on Mahanga forest in Birnin Mogaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State. A statement by the force spokesman, acting DCP Jimoh Moshood, in Abuja on Friday, said 50 hideouts in three camps belonging to the bandits were also destroyed. Moshood said that over 500 cattle and 79 Sheep were recovered from the bandits, adding that a policeman was killed during the operation. He said that following the incessant attacks in the state, the Inspector- General of Police, on Nov. 9, deployed a Police Joint Intervention Team of about 1,000 personnel comprising the seven Units of Police Mobile Force (PMF). Other units are : Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Police Anti-Bomb (EOD) Squad and conventional policemen. The spokesman said that the team which was headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police has been mandated to arrest and prosecute bandits, Kidnap for ransom and cattle rustling gangs operating in parts of the State. He said that since arrival, the team has arrested more than 85 suspects, recovered 27 AK-47 rifles and 52 locally fabricated rifles and other dangerous weapons, 269 cattle, 109 sheep already handed over to their owners. Moshood said that to further consolidate on the successes achieved so far, the I-G on Nov.29 deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Department of Operations to coordinate the operation. “Members of the public with any information or in distress in any part of Zamfara should call the following numbers 08037025670, 08033210966,08033312261,08123829666, 09053872244, 07082351758, 08091914752,“ he said.[SEP]Senior police officers have told PREMIUM TIMES that the ambush on a police team in Zamfara State on Thursday ended with the loss of dozens of police officers. The account, which was also corroborated by civilian sources near the scene of the incident in Zurmi Local Government Area, contradicted an official account provided by the police on the attack Friday afternoon. Police spokesperson Jimoh Moshood said in Abuja Friday afternoon that officers repelled the ambush, killing 104 bandits in the process. He also said 50 hideouts used by the bandits were razed by officers, and stolen cattle and sheep were recovered. Birnin Mogaji, an agrarian community where Mr Moshood said the incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m., and surrounding communities, has become a regular target of bandits who have been undertaking a series of robberies in the state in recent years. The bandits often target herders for their livestock, farms for their produce and even kidnap persons for humongous ransom. Mr Moshood, an acting deputy police commissioner, said normal activities have been restored to the communities as of Friday afternoon. He also said Habila Joshak, the deputy inspector-general in charge of operations, had been dispatched to oversee police operations in the troubled state. Mr Moshood later sent the names of 16 suspects, who range from 18 to 59 years to PREMIUM TIMES Friday night, saying they had been paraded for their alleged involvement in the ambush and banditry in Zamfara. Arms and ammunition allegedly recovered from them were also shown to the media. But “that was not everything that happened,” a senior police officer said. “What was in the official statement is different from the reality being faced at the Force Headquarters.” The officer said a series of emergency meetings have been held over the matter, amidst concerted schemes to contain the aftermath of the large-scale losses. “The DIG Operations was hurriedly sent to supervise security over there. They would not do that if it was only a police officer that was killed,” the senior police officer added. The officer preferred not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to journalists. Civilian sources close to the community also said the word had already circulated around the area that dozens of police officers were killed in the shootouts with bandits on Thursday. “We have heard of it, but because it is a security matter, we are being careful on what to say,” a resident said under anonymity to avoid being traced and victimised by security agents. It was not immediately learnt the specific number of officers killed by the bandits, or whether their bodies have been recovered. They were amongst the 1,000-strong police contingent sent to the state in a fresh redeployment on November 9, police said. Apart from hundreds of civilians killed, the police and the Nigerian Army have suffered casualties in Zamfara since security agencies were deployed to regain control of the state from bandits. As of August 2018, an estimated 3,000 people have been killed and thousands of homes destroyed in the attacks in recent years, according to the state government. Thousands fleeing the crisis have been settling in neighbouring states, triggering humanitarian emergency. The Nigerian Air Force has carried out regular aerial bombardments of the bandits’ positions throughout 2018, a response that has helped impose normalcy in many troubled parts of the state.[SEP]LAGOS: Nigerian police claimed on Friday that over 100 “bandits” had been killed in a crackdown targeting crime in the northwest state of Zamfara, following a surge in kidnappings for ransom and cattle rustling. Zamfara has been plagued by violent crime over the past year, with Amnesty International warning in July that people living in the impoverished state were “at the mercy” of armed bandits who take hostages and raid villages. A joint operation team on Thursday “repelled ambush attacks from armed bandits” at Mahanga Forest in Zamfara State and “in the process killed one hundred and four bandits,” national police spokesman Jimoh Moshood said in a statement.[SEP]SOUTH LA (CBSLA) — Thieves took advantage of dozens of people whose apartments on South Vermont Avenue in South LA had been tented for termites. When they came home they found their units had been ransacked. Neighbors and police say that the thieves targeted and ransacked at least 30 units — going through each one and stealing jewelry, money and other prized items. The residents came home Wednesday after their building was tented for termite extermination. At some point during the tenting the thieves broke in and had their way with the place. “We had neighbors who had just gotten married and had their diamond rings stolen,” said Dominic Valdez. Police on scene were trying to determine exactly how much was stolen. The company who did the tenting — Mike’s Termite & Fumigation — said the thieves sliced through the tent and began their crime spree. The company said the thieves likely understood the tenting process because tear gas is mixed in the solution but it fades at the end of the process. CBSLA reached out to the landlord after hours but had not heard back as of Wednesday night. “We have not heard from the landlord. I have not heard from my manager,” said a resident. The owner of the termite fumigation company said that in the years he’s been doing this it is the worst hit job he has seen.

Nigerian police killed 104 cattle thieves in operations in the north-western state of Zamfara.

A Vice Media reporter will have to hand over records of his conversations with an alleged ISIS member to police following a Supreme Court of Canada decision. In the unanimous decision released Friday, the top court upheld a lower court's ruling regarding the work of reporter Ben Makuch. The case was seen as pitting journalists' interest in protecting their sources against the state's duty to investigate crimes. In a statement issued after the ruling was released, Vice called it "a dark day for press freedom, which is a basic tenet of democracy." "While we've lost this battle, nothing can shake our belief that a free press is instrumental to a truthful understanding of the world in which we live. We will continue to foster the power of youth voices to speak that truth," the statement said. Makuch took to Twitter to say he's "profoundly disappointed in today's ruling." STATEMENT: I am profoundly disappointed in today’s ruling, not just as an appellant in this case or a reporter, but as a citizen of Canada. It is truly a dark day for press freedom around the globe at a time where journalism is unquestionably under attack everywhere. —@BMakuch The case dates back to 2014, when Makuch wrote three stories about Farah Mohamed Shirdon, a former Calgary resident, and his ties to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Intrigued by the idea of a young man leaving a Canadian city to fight for a terrorist group, Makuch embedded himself in Shirdon's online world and eventually convinced him to explain some of ISIS's online recruiting and radicalizing strategies. In 2015, the RCMP filed an information to obtain order (ITO) compelling Vice and Makuch to produce all of his communications with Shirdon — who has since been killed, according to reports — including Kik Messenger chats, paper printouts, screen captures and any other computer records. Minister of Official Languages Melanie Joly offers a general comment about the government's support of the protection of journalistic sources. 0:22 Kik does not store messages on servers, meaning police could not go to a service provider for copies of the conversation. "The articles contained statements by the source that, if true, could provide strong evidence implicating him in multiple terrorism offences," says the court's decision, written by Justice Michael Moldaver. Makuch brought an application forward to quash the RCMP's production order, but it was dismissed — a decision upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal. In their Friday decision, the Supreme Court justices said that while it was important for media to be able to gather news without government interference, that right was outweighed in this case by society's interest in investigating and prosecuting crimes. A previous court decision set out a framework of nine conditions for deciding when police should be able to access media materials. Vice Media argued before the Supreme Court that the lower courts had incorrectly applied those conditions. Moldaver wrote that the production order for Makuch's records should proceed because his work didn't involve "off the record" or "not for attribution" conversations, meaning the records would not reveal the identity of a confidential source. He also wrote that screen shots of the conversations were the only way for police to obtain hard copies of what was said. Media not 'an arm of the state' However, the Supreme Court justices said Friday that framework guiding access to media materials should be refined. Right now, police can go before a court to make the case for a production order ex parte — without the journalist or media outlet present. In today's decision, the justices said journalists should be given the chance to argue their side — unless it's an emergency. "The authorizing judge may find it desirable to require that notice be given to the media," notes the decision. "However, that conclusion is not mandatory." CWA Canada, a union representing thousands of journalists, called it a troubling ruling. "Police have an important job to do in protecting us from crime, but they cannot expect journalists to do that job for them. The media is not, nor should it ever be, an arm of the state," said president Martin O'Hanlon. It's not clear what happens next with the investigation. NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice calls for stronger legislation to protect journalists. 0:39 A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said his department is reviewing the court's decision. In a statement, the RCMP said it "respects judicial process and the ruling determined by the Supreme Court of Canada and will not comment further." The court did not deal with the Journalistic Sources Protection Act — Conservative Senator Claude Carignan's bill passed in late 2017 — because the facts behind the Vice case transpired before the law took effect. That law aims to protect confidential sources from investigations by the police. Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie Mélanie Joly said the government believes "in the importance of protecting sources and making sure that journalists can protect their sources." "We've supported the Senate bill that was presented by Senator Carignan because we believe in having a strong free and independent press, and therefore we will continue to abide by these principles," said Joly, who previously held the Heritage portfolio. "As to the particular facts of this case, obviously I don't have any comments as of now because I haven't had the chance to read it."[SEP]OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The Supreme Court of Canada says a Vice Media reporter must give Canada’s national police force material he gathered for stories about an accused terrorist. The case has pitted press freedoms against the investigative powers of police. The high court said in a 9-0 decision Friday the state’s interest in prosecuting crime outweighed the media’s right to privacy in gathering the news. Reporter Ben Makuch in 2014 wrote three articles about the involvement of Farah Mohamed Shirdon, formerly of Calgary, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Shirdon appeared in an ISIL propaganda video. Their exchanges in text-messaging service were crucial to the articles. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 2015 directed Vice Media and Makuch to provide documents and data relating to communications with Shirdon.[SEP]OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday a Vice Media reporter must give Canada's national police force material he gathered for stories about an accused terrorist in a case that pitted press freedoms against the investigative powers of police. The high court said in a 9-0 decision Friday the state's interest in prosecuting crimes outweighed the media's right to privacy in gathering the news. Vice Media said the ruling made it a "dark day for press freedom." Organizations representing Canadian journalists also decried the decision as setback that imperils their work. In 2014, reporter Ben Makuch wrote three articles about the involvement of Farah Mohamed Shirdon, formerly of Calgary, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Shirdon had left Canada for Turkey in March of that year. A month later, he appeared in an ISIL propaganda video that turned up on the internet. He tore up his Canadian passport, threw it into a fire and said, "With help from Allah, we are coming to slaughter you." Their exchanges in text-messaging service were crucial to the articles. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 2015 directed Vice Media and Makuch to provide documents and data relating to communications with Shirdon. Makuch tweeted: "I am profoundly disappointed in today's ruling, not just as an appellant in this case or a reporter, but as a citizen of Canada." The Canadian Association of Journalists and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression also called the ruling deeply disappointing. "It creates a chill for anyone who wants to speak truth to power or expose government wrongdoing," said CAJ president and CJFE board member Karyn Pugliese. "The country's highest court erred significantly in today's decision."[SEP]OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada says a reporter must give the RCMP material he gathered for stories about an accused terrorist. The 9-0 decision is likely to be seen as a defeat for media that could leave them vulnerable to serving as investigative arms of the police. In 2014, Vice Media reporter Ben Makuch wrote three articles about the involvement of Farah Shirdon, formerly of Calgary, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Shirdon had left Canada for Turkey in March of that year. A month later, he appeared in an ISIL propaganda video that turned up on the internet. He tore up his Canadian passport, threw it into a fire and said, "With help from Allah, we are coming to slaughter you."[SEP]OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada says a reporter must give the RCMP material he gathered for stories about an accused terrorist. The decision is likely to be seen as a defeat for media that could leave them vulnerable to serving as investigative arms of the police. In 2014, Vice Media reporter Ben Makuch wrote three articles about the involvement of Farah Shirdon, formerly of Calgary, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Exchanges between Makuch and Shirdon through a text-messaging service were crucial to the stories. The RCMP obtained a production order under the Criminal Code that directed Vice Media and Makuch to hand over documents and data related to communications with Shirdon. Makuch brought an application to quash the production order, but it was dismissed — a decision upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal and now the Supreme Court.[SEP]OTTAWA—The Supreme Court of Canada says a reporter must give the RCMP material he gathered for stories about an accused terrorist. The 9-0 decision is likely to be seen as a defeat for media that could leave them vulnerable to serving as investigative arms of the police. In 2014, Vice Media reporter Ben Makuch wrote three articles about the involvement of Farah Shirdon, formerly of Calgary, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Shirdon had left Canada for Turkey in March of that year. A month later, he appeared in an ISIL propaganda video that turned up on the internet. He tore up his Canadian passport, threw it into a fire and said, “With help from Allah, we are coming to slaughter you.” Exchanges between Makuch and Shirdon through a text-messaging service were crucial to the articles. In 2015, the RCMP obtained a production order under the Criminal Code, directing Vice Media and Makuch to provide documents and data relating to communications with Shirdon, who might now be dead. Makuch brought an application to quash the production order, but it was dismissed — a decision upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court agreed to hear Makuch’s case, which squarely pitted press freedoms against the investigative powers of police. In a previous case, the court had set out nine conditions for assessing the reasonableness of a search of a media outlet. Vice Media argued at the Supreme Court that lower courts had been incorrectly applying, or failing to apply, the balancing test. Philip Tunley, a lawyer for Vice Media, told the high court last May there should be clear protections for the media when enforcement agencies come knocking. He said the result of current law and practice was “a chilling effect” on the media’s important role in gathering and publishing news in Canada. Federal lawyer Croft Michaelson told the hearing there was “no merit” to criticisms of the robust legal framework in place for deciding access to media materials. In its arguments, the Crown called the test a principled and flexible framework intended to curb any potential chilling effect that an order might have on the ability of the media to do its work. It said the courts had not been acting as rubber stamps that favoured the interests of law enforcement at the expense of freedom of expression.[SEP]The Supreme Court of Canada says a reporter must give the RCMP material he gathered for stories about an accused terrorist. The decision is likely to be seen as a defeat for media that could leave them vulnerable to serving as investigative arms of the police. READ MORE: Vice Media challenges RCMP demand for reporter materials in top Ontario court In 2014, Vice Media reporter Ben Makuch wrote three articles about the involvement of Farah Shirdon, formerly of Calgary, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Exchanges between Makuch and Shirdon through a text-messaging service were crucial to the stories. The RCMP obtained a production order under the Criminal Code that directed Vice Media and Makuch to hand over documents and data related to communications with Shirdon. READ MORE: Vice Media reporter forced to turn over materials to RCMP after Ontario appeal court ruling Makuch brought an application to quash the production order, but it was dismissed _ a decision upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal and now the Supreme Court.[SEP]OTTAWA — A Vice Media reporter must give the RCMP material he gathered for stories about an accused terrorist, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in a case that pitted press freedoms against the investigative powers of police. In its 9-0 decision Friday, the high court said the state’s interest in prosecuting crime outweighed the media’s right to privacy in gathering the news when all the factors in play were taken into account. Vice Media said the ruling made it a “dark day for press freedom.” Organizations representing Canadian journalists also decried the decision as setback that imperils their work. “Police have an important job to do in protecting us from crime, but they cannot expect journalists to do that job for them,” said Martin O’Hanlon, president of CWA Canada, a union that represents over 6,000 media workers. “The media is not, nor should it ever be, an arm of the state.” In 2014, reporter Ben Makuch wrote three articles about the involvement of Farah Mohamed Shirdon, formerly of Calgary, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Shirdon had left Canada for Turkey in March of that year. A month later, he appeared in an ISIL propaganda video that turned up on the internet. He tore up his Canadian passport, threw it into a fire and said, “With help from Allah, we are coming to slaughter you.” Exchanges between Makuch and Shirdon through a text-messaging service were crucial to the articles. In 2015, the RCMP obtained a production order under the Criminal Code, directing Vice Media and Makuch to provide documents and data relating to communications with Shirdon, who might now be dead. Makuch brought an application to quash the production order, but it was dismissed — a decision upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court agreed to examine Makuch’s case, with a full bench hearing arguments last May. In a previous case, the court had set out nine conditions for assessing the reasonableness of a search of a media outlet. Vice Media argued at the Supreme Court that lower courts had been incorrectly applying, or failing to apply, that balancing test. Philip Tunley, a lawyer for the multimedia outlet, told the high court there should be clear protections for journalists when enforcement agencies come knocking. He said the result of current law and practice was “a chilling effect” on the media’s important role in gathering and publishing news in Canada. Federal lawyer Croft Michaelson told the hearing there was “no merit” to criticisms of the legal framework in place for deciding on police access to media materials. In its arguments, the Crown called the test a principled and flexible framework intended to curb any potential chilling effect that an order might have on the ability of the media to do its work. Although the Supreme Court was unanimous in dismissing Makuch’s appeal, the judges provided two distinct sets of reasons. Justice Michael Moldaver said on behalf of the majority that the framework continues to provide a suitable model for considering applications for search warrants and production orders relating to the media, though certain elements should be tweaked. Even then, Moldaver wrote, the production order for Makuch’s materials should stand because disclosure of the materials would not reveal a confidential source, no “off the record” or “not for attribution” communications would be disclosed, there is no alternative source through which the materials could be obtained, and Shirdon used the media to publicize extremist views. Moldaver added that he struggled to see why a chilling effect should be presumed in such matters, saying this “should be assessed on a case-by-case basis.” Tunley had no comment Friday, and it was not clear when — or even if — the materials would be given to the RCMP. The Mounties said they respect the judicial process but would not comment on the next steps in their investigation. “This is a dark day for press freedom, which is a basic tenet of democracy,” Vice Media said in a statement. “While we’ve lost this battle, nothing can shake our belief that a free press is instrumental to a truthful understanding of the world in which we live.” Makuch, who is based in New York, was not at the court for the decision’s release, but he tweeted: “I am profoundly disappointed in today’s ruling, not just as an appellant in this case or a reporter, but as a citizen of Canada.” The Canadian Association of Journalists and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression also called the ruling deeply disappointing. “It creates a chill for anyone who wants to speak truth to power or expose government wrongdoing,” said CAJ president and CJFE board member Karyn Pugliese. “The country’s highest court erred significantly in today’s decision.”[SEP]The court said the state's interest in prosecuting crime outweighed the media's right to privacy in gathering news when all factors were considered.A Vice Media reporter must give the RCMP material he gathered for stories about an accused terrorist, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in a case that pitted press freedoms against the investigative powers of police.In its 9-0 ruling Friday, the high court said the state's interest in prosecuting crime outweighed the media's right to privacy in gathering the news when all the factors in play were taken into account.Vice Media said the decision made it a "dark day for press freedom."In 2014, reporter Ben Makuch wrote three articles about the involvement of Farah Mohamed Shirdon, formerly of Calgary, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.Shirdon had left Canada for Turkey in March of that year. A month later, he appeared in an ISIL propaganda video that turned up on the internet. He tore up his Canadian passport, threw it into a fire and said, "With help from Allah, we are coming to slaughter you."The Supreme Court agreed to examine Makuch's case, with a full bench hearing arguments last May.In a previous case, the court had set out nine conditions for assessing the reasonableness of a search of a media outlet.Vice Media argued at the Supreme Court that lower courts had been incorrectly applying, or failing to apply, that balancing test.Philip Tunley, a lawyer for the multimedia outlet, told the high court there should be clear protections for journalists when enforcement agencies come knocking.In its arguments, the Crown called the test a principled and flexible framework intended to curb any potential chilling effect that an order might have on the ability of the media to do its work.Although the Supreme Court was unanimous in dismissing Makuch's appeal, the judges provided two distinct sets of reasons.Makuch, who is based in New York, was not at the court for the decision's release. Tunley had no comment, and it was not immediately clear when - or even if - the materials would be given to the RCMP."This is a dark day for press freedom, which is a basic tenet of democracy," Vice Media said in a statement. "While we've lost this battle, nothing can shake our belief that a free press is instrumental to a truthful understanding of the world in which we live."[SEP]OTTAWA — A Vice Media reporter must give the RCMP material he gathered for stories about an accused terrorist, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in a case that pitted press freedoms against the investigative powers of police. In its 9-0 ruling Friday, the high court said the state’s interest in prosecuting crime outweighed the media’s right to privacy in gathering the news when all the factors in play were taken into account. Vice Media said the decision made it a “dark day for press freedom.” In 2014, reporter Ben Makuch wrote three articles about the involvement of Farah Mohamed Shirdon, formerly of Calgary, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Shirdon had left Canada for Turkey in March of that year. A month later, he appeared in an ISIL propaganda video that turned up on the internet. He tore up his Canadian passport, threw it into a fire and said, “With help from Allah, we are coming to slaughter you.” Exchanges between Makuch and Shirdon through a text-messaging service were crucial to the articles. In 2015, the RCMP obtained a production order under the Criminal Code, directing Vice Media and Makuch to provide documents and data relating to communications with Shirdon, who might now be dead. Makuch brought an application to quash the production order, but it was dismissed — a decision upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court agreed to examine Makuch’s case, with a full bench hearing arguments last May. In a previous case, the court had set out nine conditions for assessing the reasonableness of a search of a media outlet. Vice Media argued at the Supreme Court that lower courts had been incorrectly applying, or failing to apply, that balancing test. Philip Tunley, a lawyer for the multimedia outlet, told the high court there should be clear protections for journalists when enforcement agencies come knocking. He said the result of current law and practice was “a chilling effect” on the media’s important role in gathering and publishing news in Canada. Federal lawyer Croft Michaelson told the hearing there was “no merit” to criticisms of the legal framework in place for deciding on police access to media materials. In its arguments, the Crown called the test a principled and flexible framework intended to curb any potential chilling effect that an order might have on the ability of the media to do its work. Although the Supreme Court was unanimous in dismissing Makuch’s appeal, the judges provided two distinct sets of reasons. Justice Michael Moldaver said on behalf of the majority that the framework continues to provide a suitable model for considering applications for search warrants and production orders relating to the media, though certain elements should be tweaked. Even then, Moldaver wrote, the production order for Makuch’s materials should stand because disclosure of the materials would not reveal a confidential source, no “off the record” or “not for attribution” communications would be disclosed, there is no alternative source through which the materials could be obtained, and Shirdon used the media to publicize extremist views. Makuch, who is based in New York, was not at the court for the decision’s release. Tunley had no comment, and it was not immediately clear when — or even if — the materials would be given to the RCMP. “This is a dark day for press freedom, which is a basic tenet of democracy,” Vice Media said in a statement. “While we’ve lost this battle, nothing can shake our belief that a free press is instrumental to a truthful understanding of the world in which we live.”

The Supreme Court of Canada says that Vice Media reporter Ben Makuch must give the Royal Canadian Mounted Police material he gathered for stories about an accused Islamic State terrorist.

The universities minister, Sam Gyimah, has resigned in protest at the prime minister’s Brexit plan and pledged to vote against the agreement in parliament. On Friday, he became the seventh minister to quit Theresa May’s government over the issue. Gyimah said the deal on offer would mean the UK lost its voice in the European Union, while still having to abide by the bloc’s rules. “In these protracted negotiations, our interests will be repeatedly and permanently hammered by the EU27 for many years to come. Britain will end up worse off, transformed from rule makers into rule takers,” he wrote in an article for the Daily Telegraph. Sam Gyimah: rising Conservative star who quit over Brexit Read more “It has become increasingly clear to me that the proposed deal is not in the British national interest, and that to vote for this deal is to set ourselves up for failure. We will be losing, not taking control of our national destiny.” And the Conservative MP for East Surrey, who voted to remain in the EU, said May should not rule out holding a second referendum. Sam Gyimah MP (@SamGyimah) After careful reflection, I will not be supporting the Government on the EU Withdrawal Agreement. As such, I have tended my resignation as Universities & Science Minister – read more on my Facebook page: https://t.co/EFQrBjkJZG The resignation is a fresh blow to the prime minister, who has been trying to get on the front foot in the fight to force her deal through parliament on 11 December. The Democratic Unionist party, which struck a confidence and supply deal with the Tories after the last election and upon whom May relies heavily, has already indicated it would not support her plan. And many of her own MPs, as well as the Labour party, do not back it either. Gyimah’s resignation triggered an outpouring of support from Tory remainers, including two former ministers, who highlighted his suggestion that a second referendum was an idea worth considering now May’s deal had been made public. Jo Johnson, who quit from his job as rail minister over Brexit earlier this month, said Gyimah’s resignation was “strong and principled” and welcomed his openness to “giving the public the final say”. The former education secretary and leading supporter of the campaign for a second referendum Justine Greening said: “Like many MPs he has recognised the huge shortcomings of the prime minister’s deal and the need to find an alternative path forward for Britain.” She was backed by the Lib Dems’ education spokesperson, Layla Moran, who said Gyimah’s resignation was yet more evidence the prime minister did not have the support of parliament. “The list of Tory rebels for May’s deal gets longer and longer and she is now searching for a new universities minister as well as votes. This government is falling apart and the decision must be taken back to the public.” Earlier this week, Gyimah was spotted at a breakfast meeting in Westminster with Johnson and the soft Brexit-supporting ministers, Greg Clark, David Gauke and Margot James, prompting speculation about plotting by those on the left of the party. With speculation about further resignations swirling on Friday night, James swiftly declared she was not going to quit, saying: “I fully intend to support the deal the PM is putting to parliament on 11 December.” Gyimah is likely to join the People’s Vote second referendum campaign, after talking to Johnson and Greening in the run up to his departure. But, with the ink barely dry on his resignation letter, he has yet to decide precisely what he intends to do. Chief among his concerns was the protracted negotiations over Galileo, the EU’s strategic satellite navigation system. The government has said UK defence and security services would no longer participate after Brexit and it emerged on Friday that the country may never claw back £1.2bn it had already invested. Gyimah said the prime minister was right to withdraw from the negotiation, which he said was “stacked against us from the very beginning”. But he added: “Galileo is only a foretaste of what’s to come under the government’s Brexit deal.” He wrote: “There is a mountain to climb, and we are still in the foothills. Under the deal we will have only two, at most four, years to agree at least five times what has been settled to date. “With so much left to negotiate, we must take a clear-eyed view on the strength of our position.” Gyimah said the EU had held the cards so far in the negotiations and time was not on the UK’s side. “All of this points to an off-the-shelf deal dictated by the EU that will be materially worse for my constituents in East Surrey than staying in.”[SEP]The former Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation of Great Britain Sam Gyimah The former Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation of Great Britain Sam Gyimah ANOTHER MEMBER OF Theresa May’s government has resigned, after universities and science minister Sam Gyimah stepped down last night over what he said was the Prime Minister’s “naive” Brexit plan. He becomes the seventh member of May’s government to quit since she brought back the draft Withdrawal Agreement from Brussels last month. Gyimah, who voted to remain in the EU, said the deal was “not in the British national interest” and argued that voting for it would set Britain “up for failure”. “Britain will end up worse off, transformed from rule makers into rule takers,” he wrote on Facebook. “It is a democratic deficit and a loss of sovereignty the public will rightly never accept,” he added. He did not rule out the possibility of supporting a second referendum, saying “we shouldn’t dismiss out of hand the idea of asking the people again what future they want”. Gyimah said Britain’s exclusion from the EU’s Galileo programme because of Brexit was a “clarion call”, saying it was “only a foretaste of what’s to come” in negotiating a future relationship with the bloc. “I have seen first-hand the EU stack the deck against us time and time again,” he said. Britain in June revealed that it had been formally excluded from future contracts for the programme, intended for commercial uses such as logistics as well as for armed forces and emergency services. Brussels has said it will deny London access to Galileo’s encrypted signals after Britain’s EU departure next year, despite its estimated £1.2 billion (€1.3 billion) investment. May has said Britain would look to build its own system. Gyimah, a former aide to prime minister David Cameron, praised May’s “grit and determination”, but his resignation highlights the daunting task of getting the deal through parliament. Both Remainers and Brexiteers in her own party have vowed see it defeated in a crucial vote on 11 December.[SEP]LONDON: British science and universities minister, Sam Gyimah, quit Prime Minister Theresa May's government on Friday, the sixth minister to resign in protest of her proposed Brexit deal with the European Union. Gyimah, a junior-ranking minister who campaigned in the 2016 vote to keep Britain in the EU, said May's deal meant Britain would surrender its "voice and its veto" and that the prime minister should not rule out the prospect of a second referendum. His resignation represents a further blow to May, who is trying to persuade her own lawmakers to approve the deal she struck with Brussels on Sunday. May faces criticism from all sides including the Northern Irish party propping up her government, ahead of Britain's departure from the EU in four months. "It has become increasingly clear to me that the proposed deal is not in the British national interest, and that to vote for this deal is to set ourselves up for failure," Gyimah wrote in a resignation statement published by the Daily Telegraph newspaper. "We will be losing, not taking control of our national destiny." Gyimah did applaud the "grit and determination" of May, who is in Buenos Aires attending a Group of 20 summit. Earlier on Friday, May conceded that Britain will not use the EU's Galileo space project for defence or critical national infrastructure, following a row over the post-Brexit future of the planned rival to the U.S. Global Positioning System. "Galileo is only a foretaste of what's to come under the government's Brexit deal," Gyimah said in his statement.[SEP]Universities minister Sam Gyimah is the seventh minister to quit since Theresa May presented her Brexit agreement two weeks ago. The East Surrey MP, 42, resignation is another blow to the prime minister hopes of getting the deal through the House of Commons. It follows the resignation of Brexit minister Dominic Raab earlier this month, after his predecessor David Davis left to rally against the Chequers agreement. On Facebook, Mr Gyimah said he could not support an agreement which would hand sovereignty to Brussels, leaving Britain ‘poorer, less secure and weaker in the pursuit of our national interests’. Mr Gyimah said that if MPs were to support the agreement it would ‘set ourselves up for failure’ by surrendering ‘our voice, our vote and our veto’. With a number of Tory MPs now publicly opposed to the deal, his departure highlighted the scale of the task the May faces if she is to win the crunch vote in the Commons on December 11. He added in his article: ‘Britain will end up worse off, transformed from rule makers into rule takers. It is a democratic deficit and a loss of sovereignty the public will rightly never accept. ‘It has become increasingly clear to me that the proposed deal is not in the British national interest, and that to vote for this deal is to set ourselves up for failure. We will be losing, not taking control of our national destiny.’ Downing Street confirmed that his letter had been received and said there would be a response ‘in due course’. Mr Gyimah’s announcement came as Mrs May disclosed she had given up efforts to gain access to the EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system for defence and critical national infrastructure purposes, after being frozen out by Brussels because of Brexit. She confirmed the UK would instead aim to build its own Global Navigation Satellite System, at a cost estimated by independent experts at £3-5 billion. She said: ‘Given the Commission’s decision to bar the UK from being fully involved in developing all aspects of Galileo, it is only right that we find alternatives.’ Mr Gyimah was added to the Conservative party A-List and selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for East Surrey in 2010 following the retirement of Peter Ainsworth. He took the seat with a 17,000 vote majority and had only been in Westminster for two years when he was made parliamentary private secretary to then Prime Minister David Cameron. But he pushed for a bigger role in Government, becoming a whip in 2013 and childcare minister in 2014. Further promotions to prisons minister and his most-recent role as universities minister followed.[SEP]Theresa May has accused Labour of planning a “betrayal of the British people” by voting down her Brexit deal and pushing the country towards a no-deal departure from the EU. With less than a fortnight to go to the historic House of Commons vote on her plan, the Prime Minister urged all MPs – including 100 or more Tories who have said they may rebel – to cast their vote “in the national interest” and back a deal which she said would deliver Brexit while protecting jobs. In a round of broadcast interviews in Argentina, where she is attending the G20 summit, Mrs May declined to discuss whether she might offer a Plan B if her deal is voted down on December 11, or whether defeat could mean her resigning or being forced out. “It’s not about me,” said Mrs May. “This is about what is in the national interest. “It’s about delivering the vote to leave the EU and doing it in a way that protects people’s jobs and livelihoods and protects our security and our United Kingdom.” Her comments came after a cross-party group of senior MPs tabled an amendment to stop the UK leaving the EU without a deal if Mrs May’s plan fails to win the support of the Commons. The amendment, put down by a group of committee chairs, including Labour’s Hilary Benn and prominent Tory Sarah Wollaston, calls for the Commons to be able to express its views about what should happen if Mrs May’s deal is voted down. Speaking at the G20 in Buenos Aires, European Council president Donald Tusk warned that Mrs May’s Withdrawal Agreement is “the only possible one” and voting it down will either lead to a no-deal Brexit or no Brexit at all. He told reporters: “The European Union has just agreed an orderly divorce with the United Kingdom. “A few days before the vote in the House of Commons it is becoming more and more clear that this deal is the best possible – in fact the only possible one. “If this deal is rejected in the Commons we are left with, as was already stressed a few weeks ago by Prime Minister May, an alternative: no deal or no Brexit at all.” Asked whether she was putting pressure on Tory MPs to fall in behind her plan, Mrs May said: “Obviously we’re talking to colleagues about this vote. I think we should remember that we gave the vote to the British people as to whether or not to leave the EU. People voted for Brexit and I think it’s up to us to deliver Brexit. “The message I get from members of the public is that they want the Government to do that, they want us to deliver Brexit and we want to do it in a way that protects people’s jobs. I think it’s that interest in constituents that MPs need to have in their minds too when they come to vote.” Turning her fire on Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn, who she has offered to debate with on TV ahead of the crunch Commons vote, Mrs May said: “I’ve got a plan, I’ve got a proposal, I’ve got the deal that I’ve negotiated. “We don’t see any alternative coming forward from the Labour Party. I think people need to be aware of that. “Instead, what I see from Labour is an attempt to frustrate what the Government is doing to deliver Brexit for the British people. That is actually a betrayal of the British people.” Mrs May said she was ready to use the G20 summit to correct suggestions by US president Donald Trump – who is also in Buenos Aires – that her deal would leave the UK unable to forge a trade agreement with America. “I’m very happy to tell President Trump and others that we will have an independent trade policy, because we will have an independent trade policy, we will be able to do trade deals,” she said. “It is expressly referenced in the deal that we have negotiated with the EU. It says we will be able to do those trade deals, and we will be able to do them with the US and others.” Mrs May’s comments came as International Trade Secretary Liam Fox insisted that a no-deal Brexit would not be a disaster. Dr Fox said that reactions to Whitehall analysis showing that withdrawing from the EU without an agreement would have severe economic consequences had been “overblown”. Dr Fox, who insisted that Mrs May was “changing the public mood”, appeared to suggest that some of his Cabinet colleagues may still vote against the PM’s Brexit deal. Asked if he thought the whole Cabinet would back the deal in the Commons, Dr Fox told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think members of the Cabinet will vote for the deal.” But hinting at potential further resignations from Mrs May’s top team over Brexit, he added: “Members of the Cabinet who don’t vote for the deal won’t be members of the Cabinet.” Writing in the Daily Telegraph, arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg accused the Government of an effort to “frighten and to gull (people) into acquiescing to a non-Brexit Brexit”. Dr Fox, who has given his backing to Mrs May’s deal, is using a speech on Friday to appeal for unity and support for the PM’s stance.[SEP]Prime Minister will be questioned by senior Members of Parliament on the draft agreement. On November 22, Mrs May defended a Brexit draft in the House of Commons again, after the UK and the European Union agreed on the text of the declaration on future relations. The draft deal was criticized by some officials. On Wednesday, UK Chancellor Philip Hammond said that every Brexit scenario will be detrimental to the United Kingdom "in pure economic terms". "Yes, you're right in that analysis. If you look at this purely from an economic point of view, there will be a cost to leaving the European Union because there will be impediments to our trade," Hammond told BBC Radio 4's Today program when asked whether every Brexit scenario will be detrimental to the UK's GDP compared to the current status quo. READ MORE: 'No Sympathy for Theresa May': Scholar on Trump's Comments on Brexit Deal The UK Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal "absolutely minimizes those costs and reduces to an absolute minimum the impact of leaving the EU," Hammond added. Previously, Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's First Minister reacted on May's Brexit Deal and PM's open letter to the British people. "I don't say this lightly, but almost nothing in this desperate letter is true," Sturgeon tweeted. "This is a bad deal, driven by the PM's self-defeating red lines and continual pandering to the right of her own party." The House of Commons of the UK Parliament is to hold a final vote on Brexit deal with the European Union on December 11 after the EU leaders approved the withdrawal agreement at a special summit. In the June 2016 referendum, the UK voted to leave the EU. According to the European Council, the agreement will come into force on March 30, 2019, to provide for an "orderly" withdrawal, despite a spate of stumbling blocks that hamper the Brexit talks, including the Irish border, the proposed customs union, the Gibraltar issue and post-Brexit UK-EU economic relations.[SEP]During an interview with Sky news host's Gillian Joseph and Stephen Dixon, co-owner of website Westmonster Michael Heaver claimed that Theresa May and her team were taking tactics from David Cameron’s Remain playbook. He said: “Theresa May knows that so many MP’s are against the deal. Virtually every Brexiteer Mp is against it and about 100 Tory Mp’s are against it. “What she is trying to do, is go over the heads of them and go directly to people and build up public support. “I am frankly astonished that Theresa May and her team seem to be replicating David Camerons Remain strategy that was defeated in 2016." Theresa May has been touring the country in an attempt to convince the people of the UK that her Brexit withdrawal deal is what is best for the country in achieving Brexit. She has faced intense scrutiny from both Remainers and Brexiteers who have noted that through trying to please both parties equally she has achieved in pleasing nobody.[SEP]Further details of a looming Holyrood vote against Theresa May's Brexit deal have been revealed, with MSPs set to declare it would be "damaging for Scotland and the nations and regions of the UK". All parties apart from the Conservatives recently teamed up to announce they are putting a joint motion forward for debate at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday - less than a week before MPs at Westminster have their say on the Prime Minister's proposals. The SNP, Labour, the Greens and Liberal Democrats have now agreed the wording of the single motion up for debate. It states: "Parliament agrees that both a no-deal outcome and the outcomes arising from the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom as presented to the House of Commons by the Prime Minister would be damaging for Scotland and the nations and regions of the UK as a whole and therefore recommends that they be rejected and that a better alternative be taken forward." A vote by MSPs against the draft EU Withdrawal Agreement will not stop the deal from going through, and is largely symbolic, but it will become the formal position of the Scottish Parliament if adopted. The debate follows talks between Constitutional Relations Secretary Mike Russell, Labour Brexit spokesman Neil Findlay, Ross Greer from the Greens and Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott. In a joint statement, the four politicians said: "This debate will give the Scottish Parliament the opportunity to express its overwhelming opposition to both the Prime Minister's Withdrawal Agreement and a no-deal Brexit, agreeing that a better alternative must be found." The Scottish Conservatives' interim leader Jackson Carlaw has previously said it was "deeply regrettable" the other opposition parties at Holyrood had "chosen to stand shoulder-to-shoulder" with the SNP on the issue. He said: "These four parties don't seem to get it. As numerous European leaders have made clear in recent weeks, the alternative to the Prime Minister's deal is a no-deal scenario. "It would be devastating for Britain. Yet that is what the SNP, Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens are risking by opposing the deal on the table." Despite the agreement by the four parties on the motion, there are significant divisions on what should happen if the Prime Minister’s draft agreement is rejected. The Lib Dems, the SNP and the Greens favour a referendum which would offer voters the chance of staying in the EU, while Labour has described a second vote as merely an option. Meanwhile, the latest Minister to quit the Government over the Prime Minister's Brexit plan has dismissed her agreement with Brussels as a "deal in name only". Sam Gyimah, who resigned as Universities and Science Minister, said Britain was giving up "our voice, our veto and our vote" in Europe and would get "hammered" in the next stage of the talks on future relations with the EU. He urged the Prime Minister not to rule out a second referendum if - as many at Westminster expect - she is defeated in the crucial Commons vote on the Withdrawal Agreement on December 11. Senior ministers continued to argue that while the agreement was not perfect, it was the best that could be achieved. However, with scores of Tory MPs now publicly opposed to the deal, Gyimah's departure highlights the scale of the task facing May if she is to avoid a potentially crippling defeat in the Commons. He is the seventh minister and ministerial aide to resign from the Government since May unveiled the draft Withdrawal Agreement less than three weeks ago. Like Jo Johnson, who quit as transport minister, Gyimah backed Remain in the referendum, underlining the fact that opposition to the deal comes from both the Leave and Remain wings of the party.[SEP]LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May accused the opposition Labour Party of betraying the British people by trying to stop Brexit as she went on the offensive Friday in her battle to win approval of the widely criticized divorce agreement she negotiated with the European Union. With less than two weeks to go before a vote in the House of Commons, May is trying to win support from lawmakers of all parties who have balked at the deal. She declined to entertain questions about what alternative she might offer if the current agreement is rejected Dec. 11. "I've got a plan, I've got a proposal, I've got the deal that I've negotiated," she said ahead of the G-20 summit in Argentina. "We don't see any alternative coming forward from the Labour Party. ... Instead, what I see from Labour is an attempt to frustrate what the government is doing to deliver Brexit for the British people. That is actually a betrayal of the British people." The agreement ratified by EU leaders last weekend came more than two years after a U.K. referendum in which 52 percent of those who cast ballots voted to leave the bloc. Some opponents are calling for a second referendum now that the costs of leaving the EU have become clear, but May says that would violate the trust of the 17.4 million people who voted for Brexit in 2016. The prime minister has been highlighting the risks of leaving the EU without a deal in a bid to persuade skeptical lawmakers — including many of her fellow Conservatives — to back the agreement. Her efforts suffered a blow Friday when Universities Minister Sam Gyimah quit the government, saying accepting the deal would mean surrendering "our voice, our vote and our veto" in the EU. "Britain will end up worse off, transformed from rule makers into rule takers," Gyimah wrote in the Daily Telegraph. Several other ministers have quit the government in the past two weeks, saying they cannot support the agreement. Some, like Gyimah, supported remaining in the bloc in Britain's 2016 EU referendum, while others back a definitive break with the EU. Many members of Parliament on both sides of the Brexit debate oppose the deal — Brexiteers because it keeps Britain bound closely to the EU, pro-EU politicians because it erects barriers between the U.K. and the EU, its biggest trading partner. Leaving the EU without a deal would end more than 40 years of free trade and disrupt the flow of goods and services between Britain and the EU. The Bank of England warned this week that a no-deal Brexit would plunge Britain into a severe recession. May's comments came after lawmakers proposed an amendment that could stop Brexit if Parliament rejects her agreement. The amendment says Parliament must be able to express its view on how the government should proceed if the prime minister's plan is defeated. Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, a staunch Brexiteer who is one of the most vocal critics of the deal, said Friday the government was trying to frighten people into accepting it with dire forecasts about the impact of leaving the EU without an agreement. Some lawmakers urged May to return to the EU for better terms. But European Council President Donald Tusk, who is also at the G-20 meeting in Buenos Aires, warned that the agreement ratified by the EU last weekend is "the only possible one." "If this deal is rejected in the House of Commons, we are left with an alternative: no deal, or no Brexit it all," Tusk said. "The European Union is prepared for every scenario." May urged British lawmakers to remember that the country voted for Brexit, and insisted that the public wanted government to get on with it. "This is about what is in the national interest," she said. "It's about delivering the vote to leave the EU and doing it in a way that protects people's jobs and livelihoods and protects our security and our United Kingdom."[SEP]May faces more Brexit woes after UK minister quits LONDON (AP) — The latest minister to quit British Prime Minister Theresa May's government because of Brexit says the prime minister's divorce deal with the bloc would leave Britain outnumbered and outmaneuvered in future negotiations. Ex-Universities and Science Minister Sam Gyimah likens the agreement to a soccer match where the opposing team is the both referee and rule-maker. The agreement endorsed by EU leaders last weekend includes the legally binding terms of the U.K.'s departure and an ambitious but vague declaration on future relations. Gyimah said Saturday that the agreement was "a deal in name only. We've got a wish-list of aspirations that we intend to negotiate with the EU (after) we've lost our voice, our veto and our vote." Britain's Parliament is due to vote on the accord Dec. 11.

Sam Gyimah resigns as British Minister of State for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in protest to Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal deal.

(CNN) George H.W. Bush, the 41st President, whose steady hand and foreign policy vision led the nation through a period of sweeping global change, has died at the age of 94. Bush's death, late Friday at his home in Houston, was announced by his son and fellow Republican, former President George W. Bush, who praised his father as "a man of the highest character." Born into privilege and a tradition of service, Bush was a son of a senator, celebrated World War II combat pilot, student athlete, Texas oilman, Republican congressman, national party chairman, pioneering diplomat and spy chief. After his own 1980 presidential campaign came up short, he served two terms as Ronald Reagan's vice president before reaching the pinnacle of political power by winning the 1988 presidential election, soundly defeating Democrat Michael Dukakis. After losing the White House in 1992, Bush became a widely admired political elder who leapt out of airplanes to mark birthday milestones. Emphasizing the generosity of his soul, he forged a close -- and unlikely -- friendship with Democrat Bill Clinton, the man who ended his presidency. When Parkinson's disease mostly silenced him in public, Bush flashed his sense of humor by sporting colorful striped socks. Bush's death comes after his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush, passed away on April 17 at age 92. Before her funeral, Bush was pictured in a wheelchair gazing at his wife's flower-covered casket, in a moment that encapsulated their life-long love affair. On his final day, Bush was asked, according to a source, whether he wanted to go to the hospital. The former president said no, and that he was ready to go and be with Barbara and Robin, who died of leukemia as a child. A source familiar with Bush's final hours told CNN that Bush spoke his final words to his son, George W., during a phone call. In the conversation, the son told the senior George Bush that he had been a "wonderful father." "I love you, too," his father replied. The elder Bush's final words were first reported by the New York Times. Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures President George H.W. Bush attends the Republican National Convention in Houston in 1992. Bush dedicated his life to serving others and held many different roles in government, the highest being President. Hide Caption 1 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush is pictured with his sister, Mercy, in 1929. He was born June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts. Their father, Prescott Bush, was a successful Wall Street banker who became a US senator in 1952. Hide Caption 2 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush sits in his VT-51 Avenger in 1945. Two years earlier, he became the youngest pilot in the US Navy. He flew 58 combat missions in World War II and was awarded three Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Hide Caption 3 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures After the war, Bush attended Yale University and played baseball there from 1945 to 1948. He was team captain. Hide Caption 4 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Before he entered politics, Bush made a fortune drilling for oil in Texas. He created the Zapata Offshore Co., which introduced a new era in the drilling industry. Hide Caption 5 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush is pictured with his wife, Barbara, during his first campaign for Congress. He represented Texas' 7th District from 1967 to 1971, and he was appointed to the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. Hide Caption 6 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush represents the United States at the United Nations in 1971. He served as US Ambassador from that year until 1973. Hide Caption 7 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush sits with members of his family in 1971. He met his wife at a country club dance in 1941, and they were married in 1945. They had six children. Hide Caption 8 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Under President Gerald Ford, Bush served as the chief liaison to China in 1975. Here, Bush greets well-wishers in Beijing. Hide Caption 9 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Ford meets with Bush in December 1975 to talk to about Bush taking over as director of Central Intelligence. Hide Caption 10 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures The Bushes stand with Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, in 1980. Bush lost to Reagan in the primaries but became his running mate. Hide Caption 11 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush and House Speaker Tip O'Neill listen to Reagan deliver his second State of the Union address in 1983. Hide Caption 12 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Reagan shakes hands with Bush in 1988. Bush served as Reagan's vice president from 1981 to 1989, and he would succeed him as President. Hide Caption 13 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures The Bushes pose for a 1986 photo in Kennebunkport, Maine. Hide Caption 14 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures The Reagans and the Bushes join hands after President Reagan endorsed Bush's presidential run at a dinner in 1988. Hide Caption 15 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush poses for a photo with real estate mogul and future President Donald Trump during a campaign event in 1988. Hide Caption 16 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush debates Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988. Hide Caption 17 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush joins supporters in Houston after learning he had defeated Dukakis in the presidential election. Hide Caption 18 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Shortly after winning the election, Bush casts a line while surf fishing in Gulf Stream, Florida. Hide Caption 19 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev takes in the New York skyline with Reagan and Bush in 1988. Hide Caption 20 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush was sworn into office as the 41st president of the United States on January 20, 1989. First lady Barbara Bush holds the Bible for her husband while Chief Justice William Rehnquist administers the oath of office. Hide Caption 21 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures President Bush delivers his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on January 31, 1990. Hide Caption 22 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush holds up a plastic bag with crack cocaine during a televised speech about drugs in 1989. Weeks later it was revealed that government agents had bought the drugs from a dealer in front of the White House for the purpose of Bush's speech. Hide Caption 23 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush hosted Nelson Mandela, South Africa's anti-apartheid leader and future president, at the White House in June 1990. Hide Caption 24 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush and the first lady wave goodbye to US Marines and British troops after a Thanksgiving Day visit to Saudi Arabia in 1990. Hide Caption 25 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush and Colin Powell, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speak on separate phones in February 1991 while Joint Chiefs John Sununu, Robert Gates and Brent Scowcroft listen to a conversation about halting the Gulf War. Hide Caption 26 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush, at his vacation home in Kennebunkport, meets with Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas in 1991. Bush also appointed Justice David Souter in 1990. Hide Caption 27 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush plays golf with tennis player Andre Agassi in 1991. Hide Caption 28 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush and Gorbachev shake hands at the end of a news conference in Moscow in July 1991. Hide Caption 29 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures From left, Presidents Bush, Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon stand together at the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Library in 1991. It was the first time five presidents gathered in one place. Hide Caption 30 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle join hands at the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston. They are joined by their wives, Marilyn Quayle and Barbara Bush. Hide Caption 31 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush checks his watch during a 1992 presidential debate with Ross Perot, right, and Bill Clinton. The memorable moment was interpreted as the President being out of touch. Hide Caption 32 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush takes a last look around the Oval Office with his dog, Ranger, before vacating the White House for Bill Clinton. Hide Caption 33 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush's eldest son, George Walker Bush, was elected President in 2000. They became the second father-son duo in history to hold the office (the first being John Adams and John Quincy Adams). The two Georges hug here moments after the youngest was sworn in on January 20, 2001. Hide Caption 34 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures With his father by his side, President George W. Bush sits at his desk in the Oval Office for the first time on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2001. Hide Caption 35 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush rides a Segway at his home in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 2003. Hide Caption 36 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Celebrating his 80th birthday in 2004, Bush performs one of two skydiving jumps he completed with the Army Golden Knights. Hide Caption 37 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures In 2005, President George W. Bush appointed his father and Bill Clinton to lead fundraising efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Hide Caption 38 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush arrives on the South Lawn of the White House in 2008. Hide Caption 39 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures President Barack Obama presents Bush with the Medal of Freedom in February 2011. "His life is a testament that public service is a noble calling. ... His humility and his decency reflects the very best of the American spirit," Obama said. Hide Caption 40 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Barbara Bush kisses her husband as they arrive for the 2012 premiere of a documentary about his life. Hide Caption 41 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush, in the wheelchair, arrives for the dedication of his son's presidential library in Dallas in 2013. Joining him, from left, are President Barack Obama and former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Hide Caption 42 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush holds up his wife's hand at a Republican presidential debate in 2016. One of their sons, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, was among the candidates in the debate. Hide Caption 43 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures The Bushes participate in the ceremonial coin toss before the Super Bowl in 2017. Hide Caption 44 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush was admitted to a hospital in April 2017 for an acute respiratory problem stemming from pneumonia. This photo of him and his son George was posted to Twitter. "Big morale boost from a high level delegation. No father has ever been more blessed, or prouder," the elder Bush wrote about the photo. Hide Caption 45 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush joins former presidents and first ladies at the funeral ceremony for his wife in April 2018. Behind Bush, from left, are Laura Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and current first lady Melania Trump. Hide Caption 46 of 47 Photos: President George H.W. Bush's life in pictures Bush is seen in the car after a stay in the hospital. His son Jeb tweeted the photo in May 2018, saying, "My beloved dad is in Maine." Bush had been admitted to the hospital after contracting an infection that spread to his blood, a family spokesman said. Hide Caption 47 of 47 The first sitting vice president to be elected to the presidency since 1836, Bush was also only the second person in US history to see his own son follow in his presidential footsteps when George W. Bush was elected in 2000. In addition to the 43rd president, Bush is survived by his son Jeb, the former Florida governor and 2016 presidential candidate; sons Neil and Marvin; daughter Dorothy; and 17 grandchildren. His daughter Robin died of leukemia as a child, a tragedy that still moved Bush deeply late in his life. He will be buried alongside her and the former first lady at his presidential library in College Station, Texas. Bush will lie in state at the US Capitol before a memorial service at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, with a second memorial service to follow at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston. He will then be taken by a motorcade procession to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, where he will be laid to rest. Specific times and more details will be announced at a later time, according to the statement released by Bush's spokesman Jim McGrath. President Donald Trump will designate December 5 as a national day of mourning, according to a White House statement, and the President and first lady Melania Trump will attend the funeral at the National Cathedral. When Bush left office in 1993, he joined the dubious club of presidents rejected by voters after only one term in office. A career filled with top jobs preparing him for the presidency was cut short in its prime. He lost to Clinton after failing to shake off his image as a starchy Yankee oblivious to the struggles of heartland Americans during an economic downturn. But as time passed, his foreign policy acumen has come to define his presidency, leaving a legacy of wise and sure-handed management of world affairs. The first Persian Gulf War Bush, alongside national security adviser Brent Scowcroft and Secretary of State James Baker, engineered a soft landing for the Cold War as the Soviet empire shattered and Germany unified and then prospered -- despite widespread distrust at the time of its history and motives. In another dangerous foreign policy test, Bush decided in 1990 to build a diverse international coalition, including more than 400,000 US troops, to eject Iraqi forces from Kuwait. "This will not stand. This will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait," Bush vowed before getting to work on a successful mission that united US allies in Europe and the Middle East in a lightning war. Later, with Iraqi forces routed, Bush decided not to push on to Baghdad to oust Saddam Hussein. That instinct later came to look prescient, given the blood and resources expended by the United States in his son's own war against Iraq. The 1990s Gulf War was the first time the world learned of the huge leaps in precision weaponry used by US forces and ushered in a brief era of unchallenged American hegemony after the dented confidence of the post-Vietnam war era. Earlier, Bush had also ordered US troops to invade Panama after an off-duty Marine was killed by forces loyal to dictator Manuel Noriega. The force quickly overwhelmed Noriega's men and he was overthrown in just four days and was later sentenced to 40 years in US federal prison on drug charges. Bush also had to walk a fine line with China, imposing sanctions after a 1989 government crackdown on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, but also seeking to prevent a permanent rupture in relations. Also on his watch, Washington backed early diplomacy between Israel and the Palestinians, which led to the Oslo accords in the Clinton presidency. Perception of being out of touch at home But Bush's success abroad became a cross to bear at home. Voters appeared to get the impression he was more interested in striding the world stage than their economic struggles. His failure to connect was encapsulated by an incident in which his fascination with a supermarket scanner during his 1992 re-election campaign triggered widespread mockery. Former aides to this day insist that Bush was maligned by a New York Times report on the incident, which they say resulted from a misinterpretation of a pool report. But in another incident, Bush exacerbated the idea he was out of touch by looking at his watch in a town-hall style presidential debate, then waffled when a woman asked how he was personally affected by the bad economy. Bush was often criticized for lacking an overarching political philosophy, a charge he testily decried by complaining about "the vision thing." 'Read my lips' He managed to undermine himself with powerful GOP conservatives by breaking his famous 1988 GOP convention pledge: "Read my lips: no new taxes." On Election Day, with the right-of-center vote fragmented by third-party candidate and billionaire businessman Ross Perot, Bush carried only 18 states and just over 37% of the vote. In many ways, Bush paid a price for ragged presentation skills. Even before his 1988 presidential campaign, there were questions about his political fortitude. Newsweek magazine, which in pre-social media days had immense power to set the political media narrative, published a cover story questioning whether the President was beset by the "wimp factor." In her 1988 Democratic convention keynote speech, then-Texas Treasurer Ann Richards had lampooned Bush's upbringing and tongue-tied political style by joking Bush was "born with a silver foot in his mouth." Other incidents in Bush's presidency entered popular culture. Once, he caused a brief panic when he collapsed at a state dinner in Japan. He blamed the embarrassment on a stomach illness. In 1990, he banned broccoli on Air Force One, saying he had hated it since he was a kid. As elder statesman, he kept publicly quiet Bush faded from view during the Clinton years, but was thrust back into the spotlight -- and became the subject of a torrent of amateur psychology -- when his son ran for president in 2000. Once his son entered office, those expecting a restoration of the elder Bush's ways were disappointed. The new president responded to the September 11, 2001, attacks by rejecting the internationalism of his father and embracing the neo-conservative doctrine of preemptive war. JUST WATCHED A look back at George H.W. Bush's legacy Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH A look back at George H.W. Bush's legacy 01:24 There was much speculation about what Bush thought of his son's actions in Iraq, especially after some of his foreign policy lieutenants went public with criticisms of US policy. But the elder Bush kept quiet in public, though he was outraged when Democrats branded George W. Bush a "liar" during his 2004 re-election bid. The attacks on his other son, Jeb, who endured a bruising primary battle in 2016 against Donald Trump, the eventual GOP nominee and 45th president, caused him deep personal pain. Sources said the elder Bush voted for Hillary Clinton, Trump's Democratic rival. Both former Bush presidents did call to congratulate Trump soon after the New York businessman's win over Clinton. In one of his final political acts, Bush wrote to Trump to apologize for not being able to not attend his inauguration owing to his poor health. But in many ways, the acerbic and bitterly divisive election of 2016 represented a final wrenching departure from the more courtly, old-fashioned politics practiced by George H.W. Bush, who until late in his life would pen handwritten notes to friends, former political allies and foes and even reporters who covered his presidency. He counted Democrats among his closest friends, and his death marks not only the passing of a president but a reminder of a bygone era of greater civility in Washington. WWII hero became Texas oil prospector Born in Massachusetts on June 12, 1924, George H. W. Bush was the son of wealthy Wall Street banker and future Connecticut Sen. Prescott Bush and Dorothy Bush. He became the youngest naval pilot at age 18 following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and flew combat missions from the aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto. As a "flyboy" in the Pacific War, Bush flew 58 combat missions and won the Distinguished Flying Cross. One mission in September 1944 was almost his last. Bush's air wing attacked a radio installation on the tiny Japanese-held island of Chichi Jima. During the raid, his plane was hit and as flames licked around the cockpit, Bush gave the order to abandon the aircraft. The bodies of his crewmen, Ted White and John Delaney were never found. Bush, after desperately paddling his life raft away from the island and Japanese boats sent out to capture him, was miraculously rescued by a U.S. submarine. It took decades before Bush was able to speak publicly about his experiences in the war. "It was just part of my duty. People say, 'war hero.' How come a guy who gets his airplane shot down is a hero and a guy who's good enough that he doesn't get shot down is not?" Bush told CNN in 2003. Late in his life, the former president's heroism was recognized when the Navy named a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier after him. After returning from the Pacific, Bush attended Yale University, where he was a noted athlete and then went west with his new wife, Barbara Pierce, to set himself up as an early Texas oil prospector. By the mid-1960s, politics was calling and Bush ran for the US Senate, but lost. In 1966, however, he was on his way, winning a seat in the House of Representatives. Chosen by President Richard Nixon to serve as envoy to the United Nations, Bush later served as the head of the Republican National Committee during the Watergate scandal. Then, he became one of the few prominent Westerners to get into China, which had been closed to outsiders for decades. Bush headed the US Liaison Office in Beijing, the forerunner of the US Embassy. He later detailed his experiences, including trips into the Chinese countryside on bicycles, in diaries published in 2008. In 1976, Bush became the head of the CIA. He only held the job for a year, but was so well remembered that the agency later named its headquarters in Langley, Virginia, after him, and he would later say it was his favorite job. In 1980, Bush ran for the White House, challenging former California Gov. Ronald Reagan for the GOP nomination, slamming what he said was his foe's "voodoo economic policy." After a sometimes rancorous campaign, Reagan won, and after briefly flirting with picking former president Gerald Ford as his running mate, handed Bush the vice presidential spot. 'Nothing self-conscious in my love of country' With Reagan set to leave office in 1989, with his popularity ratings on a high, Bush was in the ideal spot to claim the nomination and the presidency. "I may not be the most eloquent, but I learned early that eloquence won't draw oil from the ground," Bush said in his 1988 convention speech. "I may sometimes be a little awkward, but there's nothing self-conscious in my love of country. I am a quiet man -- but I hear the quiet people others don't," Bush said, vowing to fight for a "better America, for an endless enduring dream and a thousand points of light." It's an irony that it was not until he was well-settled in retirement that many Americans began to get glimpses into the character traits that might have helped him win a second term. Refusing to bow to advancing age, he marked his 75th, 80th, 85th and 90th birthdays by going skydiving, with the money going to charity. His primary causes included literacy, cancer research and volunteerism, and he and Barbara Bush would raise more than $1 billion for charity in their years after the White House. JUST WATCHED Bush 41 takes a dive on his 90th birthday Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Bush 41 takes a dive on his 90th birthday 01:30 He and Clinton became close friends after working together after the Asian tsunami disaster in 2004 and after Hurricane Katrina the following year. "It was an amazing experience. This man who I had always liked and respected and ran against ... I literally came to love," Clinton said in 2011. President Barack Obama awarded Bush the Presidential Medal of Freedom that same year. Never completely got out of politics Several bouts with illness and advanced age kept Bush out of the spotlight in recent years and he has rarely made public remarks. But, in November 2014, he was in the audience in a wheelchair when George W. Bush published a biography entitled "41: A Portrait of My Father." The younger Bush poignantly said he "wanted Dad to be alive" when the book came out. In 2017, several women accused Bush of inappropriately touching them during photo ops, prompting his spokesman to release a statement saying that "on occasion, (Bush) has patted women's rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner" and apologizing to "anyone he has offended." The elder Bush revealed several years ago he suffered from a form of Parkinson's disease which left him unable to walk. He used a wheelchair or a scooter to get around. Bush suffered multiple health scares later in his life. In December 2014 he was hospitalized for what aides described as a precautionary measure after experiencing shortness of breath, and the following July fell at his home in Kennebunkport, Maine, breaking the C2 vertebrae in his neck. The injury did not result in any neurological problems, his spokesman said at the time. This story has been updated.[SEP]Former President George H.W. Bush Dies At 94 Hide caption George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, speaks at a fundraiser in Dallas in 1991. Previous Next Marcy Nighswander/AP Hide caption Bush is pictured with his sister in 1929. Previous Next AFP/Getty Images Hide caption Bush served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1945. He was one of the youngest pilots in the Navy during World War II. Previous Next AFP/Getty Images Hide caption Bush married Barbara Pierce in 1945. They had six children and were married 73 years. Previous Next AP Hide caption Bush made a fortune in the 1950s drilling oil as the president of Zapata Offshore Oil Co. Previous Next AP Hide caption Bush celebrates after winning the U.S. House seat for Texas' 7th District in 1966. Previous Next Ed Kolenovsky/AP Hide caption Bush ran against Ronald Reagan for the GOP presidential nomination in 1980 but lost. Reagan chose him to be his vice president. Previous Next Charles Tasnadi/AP Hide caption Bush and his wife, Barbara, wave at a victory party after he beat Democrat Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election. Previous Next J. Scott Applewhite/AP Hide caption Bush and his Soviet counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev, hold a July 1991 news conference in Moscow to announce the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Previous Next Mike Fisher/AFP/Getty Images Hide caption The Bushes share the stage with Vice President Dan Quayle and his wife, Marilyn, at the Republican National Convention in August 1992. Previous Next Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images Hide caption Bush concedes the presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton in November 1992. Previous Next Bob Daemmrich/AFP/Getty Images Hide caption Bush attends the inaugural parade for his son, President George W. Bush, in January 2001. His daughter-in-law first lady Laura Bush is at left. Previous Next Alex Wong/Getty Images Hide caption Bush (center bottom) performs a tandem parachute jump with Army Golden Knight Sgt. Bryan Schnell in 2004 over the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas. Bush made two jumps to celebrate his 80th birthday. Previous Next U.S. Army/Getty Images Hide caption Father and son wave to the crowd before the Texas Rangers host the San Francisco Giants in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. Previous Next Christian Petersen/Getty Images Hide caption Bush endorses former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for president in 2012. Previous Next Larry W. Smith/EPA/Landov 1 of 15 i View slideshow Updated at 7:05 a.m. ET George Herbert Walker Bush died Friday at the age of 94. Former President George W. Bush released a statement, saying for himself and his siblings, "Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died." "George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for," he said of the 41st president. "The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41's life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens." There were fears that after his wife, Barbara, died in April, Bush might die, too. He was admitted to the hospital with a blood infection on April 23, one day after the funeral for the former first lady, and remained there for 13 days. He also spent time in the hospital in May and June, but lived to be the first former president to reach the age of 94. Bush was the patriarch of a political dynasty that included one son who served as president, another as a governor and a grandson who currently holds statewide office in Texas. Enlarge this image toggle caption Charles Tasnadi/AP Charles Tasnadi/AP The senior Bush had a lifetime of public service before he became president — as a young Navy pilot in World War II, Texas congressman, CIA director and faithful vice president to Ronald Reagan. "His loyalty to Ronald Reagan was legendary," said biographer Timothy Naftali. "He did not always agree with Ronald Reagan. And he was so secretive about those moments where he disagreed, we don't even have good documentation — at least not available yet — on when he disagreed." Bush famously disagreed with Reagan when he ran against him in the Republican primary of 1980. Bush branded Reagan's supply-side faith that government could slash tax rates without losing revenue as "voodoo economic policy." History would prove that assessment right. Reagan later had to reverse some of his tax cuts in the face of mounting deficits. But by the time Bush ran to succeed Reagan, he knew what it took to win the confidence of conservative Republicans. "Read my lips," Bush pledged at the 1988 GOP convention. "No new taxes." Bush trounced Democrat Michael Dukakis that year to win the White House. But he ultimately backtracked on his lip-reading promise. During 1990 budget negotiations with Democratic congressional leaders, Bush, like Reagan before him, agreed to a tax increase. Enlarge this image toggle caption J. David Ake/AFP/Getty Images J. David Ake/AFP/Getty Images His press secretary, Marlin Fitzwater, recalled a budget meeting where the deal was presented. "The minute I saw it, I looked around the table and the Democrats looked like the cat who ate the canary," Fitzwater said. "They knew they had negotiated a winner." The tax hike cut the deficit, but it cost Bush dearly with conservatives. Years later, he would receive a Profile in Courage award from John F. Kennedy's grandson, who said, "America's gain was President Bush's loss." Bush's most notable accomplishments in the White House came in the area of foreign policy. While Reagan is often credited with winning the Cold War, it was Bush who successfully navigated the aftermath. His low-key approach avoided inflaming communist hard-liners and allowed for the peaceful breakup of the Soviet Union. "The soft landing that occurred, which was not inevitable, is in large measure due to George H.W. Bush's diplomacy," said Naftali. Bush, who served as U.S. envoy to China as well as a globe-trotting vice president, had a thick Rolodex and plenty of experience working the phones. His lifetime of foreign contacts also came in handy when Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait in 1990. Bush methodically assembled an international coalition to push them back. Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP A five-week bombing campaign was followed by a 100-hour ground assault that routed the Iraqis from Kuwait. Some wanted allied troops to push on to Baghdad and topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. But Bush said no. "The president's decision was we are not going on to Baghdad," the late diplomat Lawrence Eagleburger recalled. "If we do, we will have violated the agreement we have with our allies, which was to bring Saddam out of Kuwait. It was not to bring Saddam down. And in addition, it will tie us into an area where we cannot be sure how soon we can withdraw." Enlarge this image toggle caption Ron Edmonds/AP Ron Edmonds/AP Bush's son George W. would revisit that decision a dozen years later, with costly results. The first Gulf War was a clear victory for U.S. forces. As commander in chief, George H.W. Bush saw his approval ratings soar to nearly 90 percent. His lock on a second term seemed so solid that many national Democrats opted to sit out the 1992 election, leaving it to the governor of a small Southern state to challenge him. Bill Clinton of Arkansas had one big advantage, though: the economy, stupid. As the country sank into recession, Bush's popularity sank with it. There was no parachute or soft landing this time. He lost a three-way race in the November election, carrying just 38 percent of the vote. More than two decades later, George W. Bush, who experienced his own roller-coaster ride in the polls, wrote an affectionate portrait of his father, titled 41. "I want people to better appreciate George Bush, as not only a great person but a very successful president," the younger Bush said. Bush was also the linchpin of a political dynasty that now spans four generations — including a second son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who ran for the White House and lost in the 2016 Republican primaries as Donald Trump became the dominant force in a GOP that had evolved far from where it was when the 41st president was in office. Whatever the senior Bush's political shortcomings, hindsight has cast his presidency in a kinder, gentler light. President Trump praised George H.W. Bush on Twitter as someone who "led a long, successful and beautiful life." Author Interviews From 2014: George W. Bush On His Common Enemy With His Father, Saddam Hussein Bush 41 And 43 Share Common Enemy: Saddam Hussein Listen · 7:22 7:22 "Whenever I was with him I saw his absolute joy for life and true pride in his family," Trump tweeted. "His accomplishments were great from beginning to end. He was a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all!" The White House also issued a statement saying, "Melania and I join with a grieving Nation to mourn the loss of former President George H.W. Bush, who passed away last night." The statement also referenced George H.W. Bush as a president who "guided our nation, and the world, to a peaceful and victorious conclusion of the Cold War." Bush was the definition of establishment success: Yale graduate. Prosperous business career. Forty-first president of the United States. But to one admittedly biased observer, the elder Bush has always been shortchanged. "As a result of him being a one-term president, historians hadn't paid much attention to him," George W. Bush told NPR in a 2014 interview. He called his father "one of the greatest one-term presidents in the nation's history."[SEP]HOUSTON — George H.W. Bush, a patrician New Englander whose presidency soared with the coalition victory over Iraq in Kuwait, but then plummeted in the throes of a weak economy that led voters to turn him out of office after a single term, has died. He was 94. Bush, the 41st president of the United States and the father of the 43rd, was a steadfast force on the international stage for decades, from his stint as an envoy to Beijing to his eight years as vice president and his one term as commander in chief from 1989 to 1993. The last veteran of World War II to serve as president, he was a consummate public servant and a statesman who helped guide the nation and the world out of a four-decade Cold War that had carried the threat of nuclear annihilation. His death marks the passing of an era. Although Mr. Bush served as president three decades ago, his values and ethic seem centuries removed from today’s acrid political culture. His currency of personal connection was the handwritten letter — not the social media blast. He had a competitive nature and considerable ambition that were not easy to discern under the sheen of his New England politesse and his earnest generosity. He was capable of running hard-edge political campaigns, and took the nation to war. But his principal achievements were produced at negotiating tables. “When the word moderation becomes a dirty word, we have some soul searching to do,” he wrote a friend in 1964, after losing his first bid for elective office. Despite his grace, Mr. Bush was an easy subject for caricature. He was an honors graduate of Yale University who was often at a loss for words in public, especially when it came to talking about himself. Though he was tested in combat when he was barely out of adolescence, he was branded “a wimp” by those who doubted whether he had essential convictions. This paradox in the public image of Mr. Bush dogged him, as did domestic events. His lack of sure-footedness in the face of a faltering economy produced a nosedive in the soaring popularity he enjoyed after the triumph of the Persian Gulf War. In 1992, he lost his bid for a second term as president. “It’s a mixed achievement,” said presidential historian Robert Dallek. “Circumstances and his ability to manage them did not stand up to what the electorate wanted.” His death was announced in a tweet by Jim McGrath, his spokesman. The cause of his death was not immediately available. In 2012, he announced that he had vascular Parkinsonism, a condition that limited his mobility. His wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush, died on April 17. The afternoon before his wife’s service, the frail, wheelchair-bound former president summoned the strength to sit for 20 minutes before her flower-laden coffin and accept condolences from some of the 6,000 people who lined up to pay their respects at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston. Mr. Bush came to the Oval Office under the towering, sharply defined shadow of Ronald Reagan, a onetime rival for whom he had served as vice president. No president before had arrived with his breadth of experience: decorated Navy pilot, successful oil executive, congressman, United Nations delegate, Republican Party chairman, envoy to Beijing, director of Central Intelligence. Over the course of a single term that began on Jan. 20, 1989, Mr. Bush found himself at the helm of the world’s only remaining superpower. The Berlin Wall fell; the Soviet Union ceased to exist; the communist bloc in Eastern Europe broke up; the Cold War ended. His firm, restrained diplomatic sense helped assure the harmony and peace with which these world-shaking events played out, one after the other. In 1990, Mr. Bush went so far as to proclaim a “new world order” that would be “free from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice and more secure in the quest for peace — a world in which nations recognize the shared responsibility for freedom and justice. A world where the strong respect the rights of the weak.” Mr. Bush’s presidency was not all plowshares. He ordered an attack on Panama in 1989 to overthrow strongman Manuel Antonio Noriega. After Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in the summer of 1990, Mr. Bush put together a 30-nation coalition — backed by a U.N. mandate and including the Soviet Union and several Arab countries — that routed the Iraqi forces with unexpected ease in a ground war that lasted only 100 hours. However, Mr. Bush decided to leave Hussein in power, setting up the worst and most fateful decision of his son’s presidency a dozen years later. In the wake of that 1991 victory, Mr. Bush’s approval at home approached 90 percent. It seemed the country had finally achieved the catharsis it needed after Vietnam. A year-and-a-half later, only 29 percent of those polled gave Mr. Bush a favorable rating, and just 16 percent thought the country was headed in the right direction. The conservative wing of his party would not forgive him for breaking an ill-advised and cocky pledge: “Read my lips: No new taxes.” What cost him among voters at large, however, was his inability to express a connection to and engagement with the struggles of ordinary Americans or a strategy for turning the economy around. That he was perceived as lacking in grit was another irony in the life of Mr. Bush. His was a character that had been forged by trial. He was an exemplary story of a generation whose youth was cut short by the Great Depression and World War II. George Herbert Walker Bush was born in Milton, Mass., on June 12, 1924. He grew up in tony Greenwich, Conn., the second of five children of Prescott Bush and the former Dorothy Walker. His father was an Ohio native and business executive who became a Wall Street banker and a senator from Connecticut, setting a course for the next two generations of Bush men to follow. His mother, a Maine native, was the daughter of a wealthy investment banker. Mr. Bush’s early years were hard ones for the country, although his family — which had a cook, a maid and a chauffeur — felt none of it. He attended the private Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. The close-knit Bushes spent summers at the family house at Walker’s Point, Maine, and Christmases at his grandfather’s shooting lodge in South Carolina. At a prep school party during the 1941 Christmas season, he spotted a girl in a red-and-green dress. He asked another boy to introduce him to Barbara Pierce, whose father was head of the McCall’s publishing empire. “I thought he was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on. I couldn’t even breathe when he was in the room,” Barbara Bush would later say, adding, “I married the first man I ever kissed.” Prescott Bush wanted his son to go right to Yale upon graduation from Andover. But Mr. Bush said his father had also insisted that privilege carried a responsibility to “put something back in, do something, help others.” His own time to serve came on his 18th birthday, when he enlisted in the Navy; within a year, he received his wings and became one of the youngest pilots in the service. Sent to the Pacific, he flew torpedo bombers off the aircraft carrier San Jacinto. On Sept. 2, 1944, his plane was hit by Japanese ground fire during a bombing run on Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands in the western Pacific. He pressed his attack even though his plane was aflame. Mr. Bush bailed out over the ocean and was rescued by a submarine. His two crewmen were killed. The future president was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, he went to Yale, where he was a member of Skull and Bones, the university’s storied secret society, and captain of the baseball team. Barbara took their baby son, George W., to the games. In 1948, following his graduation, he was rejected for a post he wanted with Procter & Gamble. So he moved to Texas to go into the oil business, snagging an entry-level job through a family connection. Mr. Bush began his political career as chairman of the Harris County Republican Party at a time when being a Republican in Texas was as much an electoral liability as having Northeastern roots. In 1964, he ran for the U.S. Senate and was defeated by Democrat Ralph Yarborough. In 1966, after selling his interest in his oil company, Mr. Bush was elected to the first of two terms in Congress from a House district in Houston. In 1970, at the request of President Richard M. Nixon, who wanted to shore up Republican fortunes in Texas and elsewhere in the Sun Belt, he made a second run for the Senate and lost to Democrat Lloyd Bentsen. Mr. Bush recruited his longtime friend James A. Baker III — a nominal Democrat with little interest in politics — to run that campaign, in part to help Baker get through his bereavement after the death of his wife. Baker switched parties, and their friendship became an alliance that would help shape policy and politics for decades. After Mr. Bush’s 1970 Senate defeat, there came a rapid progression of high-profile jobs that began when Nixon named him ambassador to the United Nations. In 1973 and 1974, Mr. Bush served as chairman of the Republican National Committee during the waning days of the Watergate scandal that would result in Nixon’s resignation. He was disappointed when Nixon’s successor, Gerald R. Ford (R), chose Nelson Rockefeller, rather than him, as vice president in 1974. In 1974 and 1975, Mr. Bush was the chief U.S. envoy to China. In early 1976, he became head of the CIA. He was well regarded but left no great mark in any of those jobs. Nor did he commit any major blunders. After former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter (D) defeated Ford in the 1976 presidential election, Mr. Bush returned to private life and began preparing for his most audacious move yet: a run for president. During the 1980 primaries, Mr. Bush positioned himself as a moderate, pragmatic alternative to Reagan, and he derided as “voodoo economics” the former California governor’s vow to simultaneously cut taxes, boost defense spending and balance the budget. Mr. Bush pulled off a surprise win in the Iowa caucuses and declared he had “big mo’ ” that would carry him to the nomination. Ultimately, he proved no match for Reagan and the conservative forces that had come to dominate the party. Yet he found another opening at the Republican National Convention that year, when he emerged as the consensus choice to be Reagan’s running mate, after party elders botched an effort to put together a Reagan-Ford ticket. It took no small amount of adjustment for Mr. Bush to remold himself according to Reagan’s brand of conservatism. Among other things, he changed to Reagan’s positions on abortion and supply-side economics. The cartoon “Doonesbury” later described him as having put “his political manhood in a blind trust.” The ticket won in back-to-back landslides in 1980 and 1984. Once elected, Mr. Bush maintained a relatively low-profile role as vice president — chairing a number of task forces, offering counsel on foreign policy — while sharpening his bona fides and his political organization to make another run for the presidency. Mr. Bush was barely brushed by Iran-contra, the major scandal of the Reagan presidency. He said he had been “out of the loop” when decisions were made to sell military equipment to Tehran to gain the release of U.S. citizens held hostage by pro-Iranian terrorists in Lebanon. This was contrary to Reagan’s declared policy of never dealing with terrorists. The profits from the sales were used to provide aid to the anti-communist contra rebels in Nicaragua, which was a violation of U.S. law. Never fully accepted into the Reagan inner circle, Mr. Bush established some distance from his former boss in his 1988 Republican National Convention speech, when he promised a “kinder, gentler nation.” Reagan’s wife, Nancy, was widely reported to have bristled, asking: “Kinder and gentler than whom?” In the 1988 election, Mr. Bush’s Democratic opponent was Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, who captured his party’s nomination largely on the strength of the “Massachusetts Miracle,” a surge of technology-driven economic growth. The Bush campaign turned Dukakis into an object of scorn, raising questions about his patriotism, his competence, his environmental and fiscal records and, most damaging, his attitude toward criminals. Dukakis had supported a program that allowed convicted murderers in Massachusetts prisons to earn furloughs for good behavior. One who did so was Willie Horton, who, while on furlough, went to Maryland and raped a woman after beating and knifing her fiance. Dukakis was appalled and promptly shut the program down. To Lee Atwater, Mr. Bush’s chief campaign adviser, Horton was an irresistible opportunity. Horton was black, and his elevation into a national figure by Bush supporters was widely denounced as a crude appeal to racism. Atwater himself expressed regrets about the 1988 campaign before he died of cancer, at 40, in 1991. Mr. Bush won the election with 53 percent of the vote. He carried 40 states and received 426 electoral votes. He was the first sitting vice president elected to the nation’s highest office since Martin Van Buren succeeded Andrew Jackson in 1837. As president, Mr. Bush worked long hours and had a penchant for detail. Fred Malek, his campaign manager in 1992, described him as “a guy who wanted to do everything well.” But in stark contrast to his predecessor, Mr. Bush failed to articulate an overarching view of the principles by which he governed. “The vision thing,” as he called it, eluded him. “Some wanted me to deliver fireside chats to explain things, as Franklin D. Roosevelt had done,” he confided to his diary. “I am not good at that.” He was, he said, a “practical man,” who preferred “what’s real,” not “the airy and abstract.” Mr. Bush espoused generally conservative economic and social programs: lower taxes, regulatory reform, more support for commercial development and access to foreign markets. He negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, a measure that was ratified by the Senate in President Bill Clinton’s first term. Mr. Bush supported voluntary prayer in public schools and adoption rather than abortion. He also supported gun owners’ rights. “Let’s not take away the guns from innocent citizens,” he said in a speech. “Let’s get tougher on the criminals.” Faced with Democratic control of both houses of Congress, Mr. Bush followed what became known as his “veto strategy.” In all, he vetoed 44 bills. Ten of them were intended to ease restrictions on abortions. The others concerned various regulatory, tax and spending measures. All but one of his vetoes — of a bill to regulate the cable television industry — were sustained. But Mr. Bush could not allay suspicions in some quarters that he lacked core beliefs. To critics, particularly in the right wing of the GOP, he seemed willing to say whatever was necessary to get elected. His was a team of seasoned advisers who forged an active but pragmatic foreign policy and set a less divisive and less ideological course on domestic matters. Mr. Bush placed a high value on loyalty and on cultivating relationships that became part of the through line of his career. Chief among them was Baker, who at various points served as Mr. Bush’s campaign manager, secretary of state and White House chief of staff. Baker also did stints as Reagan’s chief of staff and treasury secretary, and in the messy aftermath of the 2000 presidential election, led the Republican team monitoring the Florida recount that put Mr. Bush’s eldest son, George W. Bush, over the finish line. Other relationships would also link the two Bush presidencies. After his first choice for defense secretary, Sen. John G. Tower (R-Tex.), failed to be confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Bush tapped another old friend, Richard B. Cheney, a conservative Republican congressman from Wyoming, for the job. For chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he picked Gen. Colin L. Powell, who had been national security adviser in the Reagan White House. Baker, Cheney and Powell played central roles in U.S. interventions in Panama and the Persian Gulf during Mr. Bush’s presidency. Cheney and Powell went on to hold high office in George W. Bush’s administration: Cheney as vice president and Powell as secretary of state. One of Mr. Bush’s more impulsive selections was his choice of Dan Quayle, the junior senator from Indiana, to be his running mate in 1988. Mr. Bush made the move without consulting even his closest aides, leaving his campaign unprepared for what followed. There were immediate questions about Quayle’s service in the Indiana National Guard during the Vietnam War. He also attended law school at Indiana University during that period. Critics noted that he had never practiced law and suggested that he had used the Guard to avoid the draft. Quayle never fully laid to rest those questions or the broader doubts about his qualifications for stepping into the presidency. While the vice president earned high marks as the administration’s emissary to conservatives, Mr. Bush wrote in his diary that he “blew” the decision on Quayle in 1988. But in 1992, he refused to replace him on the ticket. Mr. Bush made two nominations to the Supreme Court. The first was David H. Souter, a federal appeals court judge, who was confirmed without difficulty. The second was Clarence Thomas, an African American who was a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Thomas was appointed to succeed Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the high court. Anita Hill, a former aide to Thomas, accused him of sexual harassment. After rancorous hearings by the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991, the full Senate confirmed him by a vote of 52 to 48, the closest margin since the 19th century. It is not possible to appreciate the signature foreign policy achievements that occurred on Mr. Bush’s watch without viewing them in the context of the four decades that preceded them. In the era after World War II, the United States sought to contain Soviet influence around the world. The nation fought divisive and demoralizing wars in Korea and Vietnam, headed the NATO alliance that stood against Warsaw Pact forces in Europe and engaged in a global nuclear standoff with the Soviet Union that infused the era with existential dread. Within a year of Mr. Bush’s inauguration, the international situation changed almost beyond recognition. What Reagan had called “the evil empire” was collapsing, and the Soviet Union was lurching toward dissolution. Mr. Bush approached the changing world with a view that was pragmatic rather than ideological. He had little faith in the so-called Star Wars anti-ballistic missile system that Reagan believed would protect the nation from nuclear attack, so he signed two nuclear disarmament agreements with Moscow. As Reagan had, Mr. Bush saw an ally and a kindred spirit in Mikhail S. Gorbachev, the leader who tried to reform the Soviet system through “glasnost” (openness) and “perestroika” (economic reform). Mr. Bush said that he “could sit down and just talk. I thought I had a feel for his heartbeat. Openness and candor replaced the automatic suspicions of the past.” In June 1989, Gorbachev announced that he would not enforce the Brezhnev Doctrine, under which Moscow reserved the right to intervene in satellite countries. Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia were escaping Soviet domination; the Baltic states were moving toward independence. Hungary opened its frontier with Austria. Thousands of East Germans used this route to defect to the West. On Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall, a symbol of communist oppression, was breached. East Germany collapsed. Two years later, the Soviet Union voted itself out of existence. Mr. Bush played a quiet role as Gorbachev and Chancellor Helmut Kohl of West Germany settled terms for the reunification of Germany. The deal was sealed when Kohl agreed to pay billions of dollars to shore up the Soviet economy and cover the cost of removing Soviet forces. Mr. Bush helped convince Kohl that a reunited Germany should stay in NATO. Similarly, he agreed with French President François Mitterrand that German reunification was a matter for the Germans to decide and that only a “united Europe” could keep Germany in check. Prodded by former president Nixon, Mr. Bush gave economic aid to Moscow. He was always mindful of Russian sensibilities. When the Berlin Wall came down, he told reporters that he did not “think any single event is the end of what you might call the Iron Curtain.” Mr. Bush also put a high premium on stability, as evidenced by his measured — critics said inadequate — reaction to the Chinese crackdown on demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in June 1989. He suspended military sales and contacts with China but sent national security adviser Brent Scowcroft and Lawrence Eagleburger, the undersecretary of state, to Beijing to discuss the situation with Chinese leaders. “What I certainly did not want to do was completely break the relationship we had worked so hard to build since 1972,” when Nixon opened relations with China, Mr. Bush wrote in his memoirs. “We had to remain involved, engaged with the Chinese government, if we were to have any influence or leverage to work for restraint and cooperation. While angry rhetoric might be temporarily satisfying to some, I believed it would deeply hurt our efforts in the long term.” In Latin America, Mr. Bush ended U.S. support for the contra guerrillas in Nicaragua. In exchange for economic aid, the leftist Sandinista government agreed to free elections. A year later, the Sandinistas were voted out of power. Reagan’s preoccupation with communism in Central America had been a major factor in the Iran-contra scandal. As Mr. Bush left office, he issued pardons for Caspar W. Weinberger, Reagan’s secretary of defense, and five other officials who had faced charges for their Iran-contra roles. Although he had an affinity for diplomacy, Mr. Bush’s legacy will also be defined by his decisions to go to war. In Panama, Noriega had once been a valued anti-communist asset of the United States, and for several years he was on the CIA payroll. As his power grew, he enriched himself at the expense of the Panamanian public, and he became a kingpin in the drug trade. In 1988, he was indicted on drug charges by a U.S. grand jury. On May 7, 1989, Noriega overturned an election in which his slate was defeated. Three days later, the opposition staged a protest. The Bush administration moved to protect the Panama Canal and U.S. civilian and military personnel living in the canal zone. In October, a Panamanian major staged an anti-Noriega coup. It was immediately suppressed. Tensions between the United States and Panama escalated, as U.S. forces in the canal zone were beefed up. On Dec. 16, 1989, one day after Panama passed a resolution saying a state of war existed between the two countries, a U.S. Marine officer was killed by Panama Defense Force troops as he and three other officers drove away from a PDF roadblock. A Navy officer and his wife who witnessed the incident were taken into custody, interrogated and threatened with death before being released. On Dec. 17, 1989, Mr. Bush ordered U.S. forces to invade. The action began Dec. 20 with air attacks and a spectacular nighttime parachute assault. The fighting was over in a matter of hours. On Christmas Eve, Noriega took refuge in the residence of the papal nuncio, where he remained for 10 days, during which time U.S. forces surrounded the Vatican Embassy and blasted it with ultra-loud rock music. Noriega surrendered Jan. 3, 1990. He was flown to Miami, tried and convicted of an array of drug offenses. Mr. Bush met his greatest international challenge in the Persian Gulf, where U.S. policy was driven by an insatiable need for oil. In 1990, about a quarter of U.S. oil imports came from the gulf states. A quarter of that total came from Iraq. With stability in the region a paramount concern, Iran was regarded as the primary threat to U.S. interests after the revolution that overthrew the shah and brought the Ayatollah Khomeini to power in the late 1970s. The United States turned to Iraq as a counterweight to Tehran and supported it throughout an eight-year war with Iran. The Bush administration continued the pro-Iraqi policy, and in 1989 the United States provided $500 million in agricultural credits to the Baghdad regime, with plans for more. The aid continued despite increasingly hostile statements directed toward Israel by Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator. Hussein had long coveted Kuwait, Iraq’s tiny neighbor to the south, which held 10 percent of the world’s known oil reserves. In the summer of 1990, Hussein massed troops on the Kuwaiti border, and in August he invaded. The United States was caught by surprise, but the response of the Bush administration was quick. Comparing Hussein to Hitler, the president vowed that the invasion would not stand. Working the telephones and relying on his personal contacts, he organized the 30-nation Desert Shield coalition. He obtained a mandate from the United Nations and another from a divided Congress that was haunted by the role it had played in getting the United States into Vietnam. The resolution supporting the war passed the Senate by five votes, with all but 10 Democrats voting against it. Israel was persuaded to stay on the sidelines for fear of offending the Arabs. On Jan. 17, 1991, U.S. and allied planes struck Iraqi targets, and Desert Shield became Desert Storm. The ground war commenced Feb. 24, and Iraqi forces were quickly routed. Mr. Bush ordered a cease-fire 100 hours after the fighting began. He had the support of Cheney, the defense secretary; Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the allied commander; and Powell, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Iraq agreed not to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and U.N. inspectors were to monitor compliance. Schwarzkopf let the Iraqis keep their armed helicopters. In the eyes of the American public and its military, the seemingly effortless victory marked the turning of a page from the national mortification endured in Vietnam. But Hussein remained in power. He still had at his disposal the formidable Republican Guard, which had not been involved in the fighting. When Shiite Muslims in southern Iraq and Kurds in the north revolted, the guard used the helicopters to crush them. The fighting had scarcely ended when Mr. Bush came under criticism for not pushing on to Baghdad and deposing Hussein. It was also said that he had urged the Iraqis to revolt and then abandoned the Shiites and the Kurds to a brutal fate. The president’s answer was that the U.N. mandate called for expelling Iraq from Kuwait, not for invading Iraq or eliminating Hussein. “Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an occupation of Iraq,” Mr. Bush wrote in his memoirs, “would have violated our guideline about not changing objectives in midstream, engaging in ‘mission creep,’ and would have incurred incalculable human and political costs.” Ultimately, it was Mr. Bush’s son who achieved Hussein’s removal from power, with a war that he launched in 2003, on what turned out to be inaccurate information that the Iraqi dictator had weapons of mass destruction. The second Iraq conflict was part of what the younger Bush called the “war on terror,” launched in the wake of attacks on New York and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. It led to prolonged military engagements in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Foreign policy experts say the effort had the unintended consequence of further destabilizing the Muslim world, leading to the growth of new terrorist movements. Mr. Bush bristled at the often-made suggestion that one of his son’s motivations was taking care of the family’s unfinished business. The elder Mr. Bush told Time magazine in 2003 that whether to go to war is a lonely call for any commander in chief: “It is the toughest decision a president has to make, to send the sons and daughters of Americans into harm’s way.” The Gulf War was not the end of Mr. Bush’s foreign policy legacy. He subsequently sponsored talks in Madrid between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization that formed the basis of a decade-long effort to forge peace in the Middle East. In his last days in office, he ordered U.S. troops to Somalia, an African country in political chaos, to deal with devastating famine. As the 1992 presidential election approached, the attention of the American public was turning homeward, and Mr. Bush’s political standing came crashing to earth. Eighteen months after his triumph in Iraq, his approval rating plummeted, and only 16 percent of those polled thought that the country was headed in the right direction. Mr. Bush had promised a “kinder, gentler” America. He signed into law the Americans With Disabilities Act, a broad civil rights measure that prohibited discrimination in employment, public services and public accommodations on the basis of physical or mental disability. Among his other accomplishments were far-reaching amendments to the Clean Air Act that had been stalled in Congress for years. But he also was confronted with threats on the economic front, one of which was a menacing budget deficit, which grew from the Reagan years and clouded every aspect of the Bush presidency, domestic and foreign. The president acknowledged as much in his inaugural address when he told the nation, “We have more will than wallet.” Another major economic problem inherited from the Reagan era was a savings-and-loan industry crisis, which threatened the stability of the banking system. (It was also a source of embarrassment to the president because of his son Neil’s connection to a Denver S&L that failed.) Mr. Bush quickly organized a rescue package. The deficit proved a greater challenge. Holding the line on taxes was a basic tenet of the conservative wing of the Republican Party, and Mr. Bush made it the centerpiece of his 1988 campaign. Although he feared that it might tie his hands as president, he made a pledge to cheering delegates at the GOP nominating convention: “The Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I’ll say no, and they’ll push, and I’ll say no, and they’ll push again. All I can say to them is: Read my lips. No new taxes.” But the nation’s accounts continued to hemorrhage red ink, and Mr. Bush decided he had to act. In 1990, he made a budget deal with the Democratic-controlled Congress, which raised taxes. When he ran for reelection in 1992, Mr. Bush said the 1990 budget had been “a mistake,” but the damage was done. Conservatives never forgave him. Meanwhile, as recession ravaged the economy, the president’s efforts to connect with the struggles of average Americans came off as hollow and sometimes laughable. During the Christmas season of 1991, his White House staged an infamous photo op of the president buying four pairs of socks at J.C. Penney and exhorting Americans to shop their way out of bad times. At one point, he told a town hall meeting in hard-hit New Hampshire: “Message: I care.” In November 1992, Mr. Bush was defeated by a relative newcomer to the national scene, then-Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas, whose campaign took as its major theme, “It’s the economy, stupid.” In a three-way race that included independent candidate H. Ross Perot, Clinton received 43 percent of the vote, to Mr. Bush’s 38 percent and Perot’s 19 percent. Eight years after Mr. Bush moved out of the White House, however, he and Clinton were on a platform together at a presidential inauguration at the U.S. Capitol — this time at the swearing-in of Mr. Bush’s eldest son, George Walker Bush, as Clinton’s successor. Only once before had the offspring of a president been so elevated, when John Quincy Adams, the son of John Adams, took office in 1825. The inauguration of the younger Bush was a triumphant and moving occasion for members of one of the nation’s most prominent political families. Mr. Bush’s second son, Jeb Bush, served as governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Jeb Bush was considered an early front-runner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He lost to New York billionaire Donald Trump, who then defeated another dynastic candidate, Democratic nominee and former first lady Hillary Clinton, to be elected the nation’s 45th president. The elder Bush did not publicly support Trump and was reported to have voted for Clinton. A spokesman declined to confirm those reports, saying that Mr. Bush’s ballot was a private matter. In 1988, Mr. Bush gave a list of the qualities he most cherished to Peggy Noonan, who wrote his speech accepting that year’s Republican presidential nomination. They were: “family, kids, grandkids, love, decency, honor, pride, tolerance, hope, kindness, loyalty, freedom, caring, heart, faith, service to country, fair (fair play), strength, healing, excellence.” Mr. Bush viewed his family as part of his legacy. He was intensely proud of the sons who followed him into public service. One of his greatest assets was his earthy and blunt first lady. Barbara Bush’s openness and wit made good copy for the media. Answering a question about her matronly appearance, she said, “My mail tells me a lot of fat, white-haired, wrinkled ladies are tickled pink.” Mr. Bush enjoyed the perquisites of the presidency: Marine helicopters and Air Force One, Camp David, the Oval Office with its view of the Rose Garden in summer and blazing logs in the fireplace in winter. He was also a hunter, fisherman and dedicated jogger, who was known to run between holes on the golf course for extra exercise. He loved barbecue, horseshoes and country music. He told reporters that he had never liked broccoli and that because he was president, he did not have to eat it. Colleagues often commented on his charm and natural decorum. A friend remarked that as vice president, he had conducted himself with a “deferential Episcopalian tilt.” He possessed a legendary Rolodex and called aides and colleagues at all hours of the day and night. He wrote thousands of notes to world leaders, friends, reporters and ordinary citizens. The Bushes had six children. In addition to George W. Bush and Jeb Bush, their offspring included Neil Bush, Marvin Bush and Dorothy Bush Koch. A daughter, Pauline Robinson “Robin” Bush, died of leukemia in 1953, two months before her 4th birthday. Her parents considered her death the greatest sorrow they ever experienced. “There was about her a certain softness,” Mr. Bush wrote to his mother. “Her peace made me feel strong, and so very important. . . . But she is still with us. We need her and yet we have her. We can’t touch her, and yet we can feel her.” In the years after the White House, Mr. Bush wrote his memoirs and divided his time between Houston and the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, where he was a vestryman of St. Ann’s Episcopal Church. He chose College Station, the home of Texas A&M University, as the site of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum. After the earthquake and tsunami that devastated African and Asian nations in 2005, Mr. Bush collaborated with Bill Clinton, his former adversary, to lead private relief efforts that raised nearly $2 billion in the United States. So close did the unlikely friendship of the 41st and 42nd presidents become, that the 43rd joked: “My mother calls him my fourth brother.” In 1997, Mr. Bush made a parachute jump for the first time since bailing out over the Pacific. He did it again in 2000 to mark his 75th birthday — and still again for his 80th, 85th and 90th ones. “Old guys can do neat things,” he said. J.Y. Smith, a former Washington Post staff writer who died in 2006, contributed to this report.[SEP]Former President George H.W. Bush has died at the age of 94. Spokesman Jim McGrath confirmed his passing on Twitter with a statement from his son, former president George W. Bush, that read: "Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died. George H. W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41's life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens." He is preceded in death by Barbara Pierce Bush, his wife of 73 years. Mr. Bush was elected president on Nov. 8, 1988, sworn in on Jan. 20, 1989, and served until Jan. 20, 1993. During his term in office, a revolution of human liberty swept the globe, emancipating tens of millions of people and unleashing a series of transformative events: Freedom prevailed in the Cold War as the Soviet Union imploded; The Berlin Wall “fell,” and Germany united within NATO following 45 years of postwar division. From Eastern Europe to the Baltic States to Latin America to the former Soviet republics, many liberal democracies supplanted totalitarian regimes. During this “historic period of cooperation” as he called it, President Bush worked with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and other key global figures to end the Cold War peacefully and usher in a new geopolitical era marked by political self-determination, the spread of market capitalism, and the opening of closed economies. In August of 1990, after Iraqi troops under Dictator Saddam Hussein invaded neighboring Kuwait, President Bush forged a coalition of 32 disparate nations to restore Kuwaiti sovereignty and uphold international law. He subsequently convened the Madrid Peace Conference in the Fall of 1991, bringing Israel and her Arab neighbors together in face-to-face discussions for the first time in history. President Bush also drastically reduced the threat of nuclear attack by signing two Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties in 1991 and 1993, and negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1992 – which President Clinton later signed into law. He ordered military operations in Panama in December of 1989 to restore democracy and bring an international drug trafficker to justice, and in Somalia in December of 1992 to re-open food supply lines shut by feuding warlords that had precipitated a famine. Mr. Bush was the first sitting vice president elected to the presidency since Martin van Buren in 1837, and only the second American president elected to serve a full term without party control in either chamber of Congress. Nevertheless, on July 26, 1990, President Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act, which among other accomplishment eliminated the barriers to employment, public accommodations, and transportation services for some 43 million citizens with disabilities. Later that same year, he signed the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, which guided America’s environmental policy for more than two decades. The education summit Mr. Bush hosted in 1989 with all 50 U.S. governors helped to spur a national reform movement. The 1990 budget agreement he signed codified into law real caps on discretionary spending by Congress while cutting the budget deficit by historic levels. As president, Mr. Bush launched his “Points of Light” initiative to promote volunteerism and community service across America, but long before he entered the political arena he demonstrated his belief that “there could be no definition of a successful life that does not include service to others.” In 1953, for example, he helped establish the YMCA in Midland, Texas, and served as chairman of the founding board. The Bushes also started the Bright Star Foundation to support cancer research following the death of their 3-year-old daughter, Robin, from leukemia on Oct. 12, 1953. After leaving the White House, President Bush chaired the Board of Visitors at the University of Texas’ M.D. Anderson Cancer Center from 2001 to 2003, as well as the National Constitution Center from 2006 to 2008. Together with his wife, Mr. Bush served as honorary co-chair of C-Change – a collaborative group of key cancer leaders from government, business, and nonprofit sectors who are committed to eliminate cancer as a major public health problem. He also served as honorary chair of the Points of Light Foundation and the World Golf Foundation’s First Tee program. Of special note was his partnership with his successor, President Bill Clinton, to spearhead public awareness and relief efforts for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, and Hurricane Ike in 2008. In 2005, President Bush accepted an appointment from United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan as Special Envoy for the South Asian Earthquake Disaster following an earthquake in Pakistan. On Nov. 6, 1997, the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum opened on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, followed that same year by the adjoining George Bush School of Government and Public Service. Both institutions thrived with the active involvement of President and Mrs. Bush, who kept an apartment on campus and were regular fixtures at “Aggie” athletic events. Outside his family, President Bush considered the Bush School, which educates principled leaders in public service and international affairs, his most important legacy. In 1998, President Bush and his former national security advisor, Gen. Brent Scowcroft, co-authored A World Transformed about the Bush administration’s foreign policy. In 1999, President Bush released “All The Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings,” a collection of letters written throughout his life. President Bush received numerous honorary degrees and, after leaving the presidency, was awarded high honors from such nations as Kuwait, the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Nicaragua, Poland, the Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia. The CIA headquarters in northern Virginia, Intercontinental Airport in Houston, and several elementary and high schools were named for the former president. He made seven post-presidential parachute jumps, the most recent of which took place on June 12, 2014, near his seaside home in Maine to mark his 90th birthday. George Bush’s career in public service began in February of 1963, when he was elected chairman of the Harris County Republican Party. After losing his first campaign for the United States Senate in 1964, he was elected in 1966 to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas’ 7th Congressional District and served two terms. Mr. Bush accepted a series of senior-level appointments following a second unsuccessful try for the Senate in 1970: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1971); Chairman of the Republican National Committee (1973); Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in China (1974); and Director of Central Intelligence (1976). “There were always doubts at the beginning whether he (Bush) was up to these jobs,” New York Times columnist Scotty Reston opined in 1979, reflecting on this flurry of presidential appointments, “but applause for his record at the end.” In 1980, Mr. Bush lost his first bid for the Republican presidential nomination to former California Governor Ronald Reagan, but accepted a spot on the GOP national ticket and served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. In that position, Mr. Bush managed federal deregulation and anti-drug efforts, and headed the Reagan administrations’ effort to combat terrorism. In foreign policy, President Reagan dispatched him at a pivotal and contentious time to help manage negotiations with key NATO allies leading to the deployment of Pershing II missiles in West Germany – a critical turning point in the Cold War. In 1988, Vice President Bush won the Republican nomination for president and, with Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running mate, defeated Democrats Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts and Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas in the general election. That year, the Bush-Quayle ticket claimed over 53 percent of the popular vote en route to winning 40 states and 426 electoral votes. Born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Mass., George Bush admired his parents, Prescott and Dorothy, and credited them for the enduring lessons that shaped his life. “My parents were my most important role models,” he later confided. “My dad stood for something and believed in giving back. My mother taught us fundamental things: ‘Don’t brag.’ ‘Think of the other guy.’ ‘Be kind to people.’ The things they taught me served me in good stead all the way through my presidency.” Early in life he was nicknamed “Poppy” after his maternal grandfather, George Herbert Walker, whose sobriquet was “Pop.” George Bush attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, Secretary of War Henry Stimson encouraged the graduating class at Phillips to enter college. Young George, instead, enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 18th birthday and flew torpedo bombers off the USS San Jacinto in the Pacific. He was shot down on September 2, 1944 while completing a mission over Chi Chi Jima Island and, tragically, lost his two crewmen William “Ted” White and John Delaney. By the time he was honorably discharged in September of 1945, Lieutenant Junior Grade Bush had logged 1,228 hours of flight time, 126 carrier landings and 58 combat missions. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the U.S. Navy Air Medal with two gold stars. Mr. Bush later credited his Navy service with “making a man out of a scared little kid,” introducing him to shipmates from all walks of life, and later informing his decision-making as commander-in-chief. After becoming secretly engaged in 1943 to the “first girl I ever kissed,” the returning war veteran married Barbara Pierce in Rye, New York on Jan. 6, 1945. The newlyweds welcomed their first child, George Walker Bush, in July of 1946 while the elder George attended Yale University. There, he also played baseball in the first two College World Series and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in economics. In June of 1948, the young Bush family moved to West Texas where Mr. Bush began making his way in the oil business. One of his companies, Zapata, eventually became the Pennzoil Corporation, but long beforehand Mr. Bush launched a subsidiary, Zapata Off-shore Co., that pioneered in offshore drilling with operations in the Gulf of Mexico, Brunei, Venezuela, the Sea of Japan and the Persian Gulf. After moving to Houston in August of 1959, the Bushes joined St. Martin’s Episcopal Church where Mr. Bush served as a vestryman from 1965 to 1968. Together, President and Mrs. Bush had six children – George W., Robin, John “Jeb,” Neil, Marvin, Dorothy “Doro” – 17 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Their oldest son, George W., served as the 46th Texas Governor from 1995 to 2000 and as the 43rd President of the United States of America from 2001 to 2009. Their son Jeb, meanwhile, served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. President Bush, or “41” as he was informally known after George W. was elected president, loved nothing more than fishing with his family and grandchildren in the coastal waters of Maine – where he also reveled in driving his motorboat at high speeds and entertaining an endless procession of guests. He considered Houston, Texas his home – and Walker’s Point, the family home where he spent a part of every summer except 1944 (when he was serving in World War II), as his “anchor to windward.” “Now that my political days are over,” he said the day his presidential library was opened in 1997, “I can honestly say that the three most rewarding titles bestowed upon me are the three that I’ve got left: a husband, a father and a granddad.” George Herbert Walker Bush prized loyalty and duty, and was devoted to his faith, the wife and family he loved, his countless friends, and the country he served always to the best of his ability. Despite the rancor and cynicism that occasionally engulfed politics during his lifetime, he considered public service a noble calling. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University at http://bush.tamu.edu. Individuals who wish to dedicate a day to serving others may find guidance and local opportunities at www.pointsoflight.org.[SEP]Former US President George H.W. Bush has died at age 94 in Houston, according to his spokesperson Jim McGrath. This is a breaking story and will be updated.[SEP]DALLAS – Former President George H.W. Bush has died at the age of 94. Family spokesman Jim McGrath says Bush died shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. The nation’s 41st president served from 1989 to 1993, and eight years later watched his son George W. became the 43rd president. The elder Bush saw his popularity swell with the United States’ success in the Gulf War in 1991, only to watch it evaporate in a brief but deep recession. The Republican was defeated in his bid for a second term by Democrat Bill Clinton. Bush had also been a World War II hero, Texas congressman, CIA director and Ronald Reagan’s vice president. Only one other U.S. president, John Adams, had a son who also became president. More: John McCain is remembered as hero, fighter and wiseacre More: Meghan McCain’s eulogy: ‘America was always great’[SEP]Former President George Herbert Walker Bush died Friday at the age of 94 and Jim McGrath, Bush’s spokesman, announced his death late yesterday. Bush had served as the 41st president from 1989 to 1993, subsequent to two terms as vice president under Ronald Reagan. “Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died,” former President George W. Bush, his son, said in a family statement. “George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for,” he continued. “The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41′s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens.” George H.W. Bush’s extensive public service record also included stints as director of the CIA, chairman of the Republican National Committee, ambassador to the United Nations and envoy to China, as well as a two-term member of the House of Representatives for a Houston-area district. He was a decorated World War II veteran.[SEP]Former US President George HW Bush dies at 94 Former US President George HW Bush has died at the age of 94, a family spokesperson has announced. Bush Senior died on Friday, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. “Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died,” his son, former president George W Bush, said in a statement released on Twitter by a family spokesman. “George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for.” US President Donald Trump hailed his “sound judgement, common sense and unflappable leadership” in a statement posted on Twitter on Saturday. The 41st president on the United States, Bush served from 1989 to 1993, with the successful campaign to drive Saddam Hussein from Kuwait his most significant accomplishment. The one-term president lost the 1992 election to Democrat Bill Clinton, but he went on to see his son, George W, win the White House in 2001. Another son, Jeb, made a presidential run in 2016 but dropped out in the primaries. The son of a wealthy Republican US Senator, Bush served in the second World War and was elected to two terms in the US Congress in the 1960’s. President Richard Nixon became Bush’s mentor, appointing him Ambassador to the United Nations in 1970. While Nixon later resigned in disgrace, Bush, a savvy political survivor, became head of the CIA in 1976. He served as Ronald Reagan’s vice president for eight years, before he entered the white house in 1989 after a campaign marked by negativity. Less than a year after taking office, Bush sent troops to invade Panama and overthrow Manuel Noriega, a corrupt military ruler who had turned against the US. The defining moment of Bush’s presidency came in August 1990, when Iraqi tanks rolled into Kuwait. He ordered a massive military buildup, consulted with allies and worked closely with the United Nations. American forces flooded into Saudi Arabia and established bases- a development that later future was cited by Osama Bin Laden to justify attacks against the US. Once underway, the war did not last long as Iraqi forces fled Kuwait. But Bush refused to order an advance towards Baghdad, opting not to topple Saddam. In the aftermath of the war, Bush’s popularity quickly began to fade and he lost the 1992 election amid criticism of his handling of domestic affairs. – Reuters.[SEP]George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, died Friday, his family announced. He was 94. His death came six months after the passing of his wife of 73 years, former first lady Barbara Bush. “Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died,” his son, former President George W. Bush, said in a statement. “George H. W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. “The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens.” The 41st president was in ill health in recent years and had been hospitalized a number of time over the past several months. In May, he was hospitalized in Maine with low blood pressure and fatigue. Bush used a motorized scooter or wheelchair since at least 2012 after being diagnosed with vascular parkinsonism, a form of Parkinson’s disease. He also sustained a severe neck injury in 2015. After serving as vice president from 1981 to 1989 he was elected president in 1988, defeating Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, the first sitting vice president to be elevated to the presidency since Martin Van Buren in 1837. He also was the first Republican president since Herbert Hoover to lose a re-election campaign, to candidate Bill Clinton, in 1992. His term as president saw him as a “pragmatic caretaker,” with no unified long-term theme, but he led the country during the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany; the overthrow, with the help of U.S. troops, of the Manuel Noriega regime in Panama; the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War; and the first Gulf War against Iraq in defense of Kuwait. The Bush administration, left with the Reagan administration’s strong economy, left a relatively weak legacy in domestic affairs — Passage of the Clean Air Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act were achievements of his domestic agenda — and largely concentrated on foreign policy issues. The success of the 1990 Gulf War was the highlight of Bush’s presidency. After Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, and with fears he would continue with the invasion of the world’s largest producer of oil, neighboring Saudi Arabia, Bush mobilized an unprecedented offensive. Some 415,000 U.S. troops, and 118,000 more from coalition countries backed by the United Nations, arrived in Kuwait, as did an extraordinary amount of military supplies. After several weeks of aerial attacks, the ground operation referred to as Operation Desert Storm defeated Saddam’s army in about 100 hours. The coalition quickly withdrew, with Bush choosing not to risk getting bogged down in a ground war in invading Iraq and attempting to topple Saddam’s regime. The decision left Iraq’s Kurdish forces, fighting the Iraqi army with expectations of coalition support, alone and victims of Saddam’s revenge. Prior to the defense of Kuwait on Sept. 11, 1990, Bush outlined a plan in an address to Congress which included an Iraqi withdrawal, the restoration of Kuwait’s government, and “a new world order … freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice and more secure in the quest for peace.” That new world order was never achieved. An uninspiring 1992 presidential campaign, and the presence of third-party candidate Ross Perot, doomed Bush’s attempt at a second term. After trouncing Dukakis in 1988 by 426 electoral votes to 111, Clinton defeated Bush by 370 electoral votes to 168, with Perot receiving none. Among the issues confounding Bush during the 1992 race was an increase in taxes during his administration to deal with a soaring budget deficit; it violated his famous pledge, “Read my lips, no new taxes,” made at the 1988 Republican National Convention. George Herbert Walker Bush was born in Milton, Mass., on June 12, 1924, the son of Prescott Bush, a Wall Street executive and later senator from Connecticut, 1952-63. After attending Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., he joined the Navy on his 18th birthday and as the Navy’s youngest pilot flew 58 combat missions in World War II. He was shot down over the Pacific Ocean on one mission and was rescued by a submarine. He was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action. After returning home he married Barbara Pierce in 1945, with whom he had six children. His oldest son, George W. Bush, was the 43rd president of the United States and his third-oldest child, Jeb Bush, served as governor of Florida and ran for president in 2016. Sons Neil Bush and Marvin Bush are businessmen, and daughter Dorothy Bush Koch is an author and philanthropist. The Bushes’ first daughter, Robin, died at age 3. He received Phi Beta Kappa honors and captained the baseball team while studying at Yale University, and began a career in the oil industry in Texas, forming Bush-Overbey Oil Development, Inc., organizing Zapata Petroleum Corp., and serving as first president of Zapata Off-Shore Co., all in Midland, Texas, in the early 1950s. Entering politics, he served two terms in the House of Representatives and unsuccessfully ran for the Senate. The executive appointments that followed gave him the reputation of the person with “the best resume in Washington.” He was U.S ambassador to the United Nations; chairman of the Republican National Committee; chief U.S. liaison officer to the People’s Republic of China; and director of the Central Intelligence Agency. After his unsuccessful candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980, he was elected vice president on the Republican ticket with Ronald Reagan, then president in 1988. More so than most contemporary presidents, his approval ratings rocked significantly during his administration. He entered and left the presidency with about a 50 percent approval rating; it spiked to 90 percent after Operation Desert Storm, then fell to about 30 percent by the middle of 1992. Despite popularity stemming from the rout of the Iraqi army, Bush, in the 1991 presidential campaign, contended with a faltering economy, rising urban violence and deficit spending continued from the Reagan administration. Each was a factor in his loss to Clinton. A book, 41, written by his son, George W. Bush and published in 2014, dwelled on the character of the elder Bush. “He’s an extraordinary person, not only because of his accomplishments but because of his character. I understand how history works. It takes a long time for people to get to know him, get to know somebody and then analyze their decisions. But I wanted to be one of the first people out in the evaluation of George H.W. Bush,” the younger Bush said after its publication. The book preceded a 2015 biography, Jon Meacham’s Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, in which Bush was critical of his son’s vice president, Dick Cheney, saying he “had his own empire there (in the White House) and marched to his own drummer. It just showed me that you cannot do it that way. The president should not have that worry.” Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld also “served the president badly. I don’t like what he did, and I think it hurt the president having his iron-ass view of everything.” Copyright 2018 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent. This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology. , out of based on rating[SEP]Updated at 12:15 a.m. ET George H.W. Bush was the definition of establishment success: Yale graduate. Prosperous business career. Forty-first president of the United States. But to one admittedly biased observer, the elder Bush has always been shortchanged. "As a result of him being a one-term president, historians hadn't paid much attention to him," George W. Bush told NPR in a 2014 interview. He called his father "one of the greatest one-term presidents in the nation's history." George Herbert Walker Bush died Friday at the age of 94. George W. Bush released a statement, saying for himself and his siblings, "Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died." "George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for," he said. "The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41's life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens." There were fears that after his wife, Barbara, died in April, Bush might die, too. He was admitted to the hospital with a blood infection on April 23, one day after the funeral for the former first lady, and remained there for 13 days. He also spent time in the hospital in May and June, but lived to be the first former president to reach the age of 94. Bush was the patriarch of a political dynasty that included one son who served as president, another as a governor and a grandson who currently holds statewide office in Texas. The senior Bush had a lifetime of public service before he became president — as a young Navy pilot in World War II, Texas congressman, CIA director and faithful vice president to Ronald Reagan. "His loyalty to Ronald Reagan was legendary," said biographer Timothy Naftali. "He did not always agree with Ronald Reagan. And he was so secretive about those moments where he disagreed, we don't even have good documentation — at least not available yet — on when he disagreed." Bush famously disagreed with Reagan when he ran against him in the Republican primary of 1980. Bush branded Reagan's supply-side faith that government could slash tax rates without losing revenue as "voodoo economic policy." History would prove that assessment right. Reagan later had to reverse some of his tax cuts in the face of mounting deficits. But by the time Bush ran to succeed Reagan, he knew what it took to win the confidence of conservative Republicans. "Read my lips," Bush pledged at the 1988 GOP convention. "No new taxes." Bush trounced Democrat Michael Dukakis that year to win the White House. But he ultimately backtracked on his lip-reading promise. During 1990 budget negotiations with Democratic congressional leaders, Bush, like Reagan before him, agreed to a tax increase. His press secretary, Marlin Fitzwater, recalled a budget meeting where the deal was presented. "The minute I saw it, I looked around the table and the Democrats looked like the cat who ate the canary," Fitzwater said. "They knew they had negotiated a winner." The tax hike cut the deficit, but it cost Bush dearly with conservatives. Years later, he would receive a Profile in Courage award from John F. Kennedy's grandson, who said, "America's gain was President Bush's loss." Bush's most notable accomplishments in the White House came in the area of foreign policy. While Reagan is often credited with winning the Cold War, it was Bush who successfully navigated the aftermath. His low-key approach avoided inflaming communist hard-liners and allowed for the peaceful breakup of the Soviet Union. "The soft landing that occurred, which was not inevitable, is in large measure due to George H.W. Bush's diplomacy," said Naftali. Bush, who served as U.S. envoy to China as well as a globe-trotting vice president, had a thick Rolodex and plenty of experience working the phones. His lifetime of foreign contacts also came in handy when Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait in 1990. Bush methodically assembled an international coalition to push them back. A five-week bombing campaign was followed by a 100-hour ground assault that routed the Iraqis from Kuwait. Some wanted allied troops to push on to Baghdad and topple Saddam Hussein. But Bush said no. "The president's decision was we are not going on to Baghdad," the late diplomat Lawrence Eagleburger recalled. "If we do, we will have violated the agreement we have with our allies, which was to bring Saddam out of Kuwait. It was not to bring Saddam down. And in addition, it will tie us into an area where we cannot be sure how soon we can withdraw." Bush's son George W. would revisit that decision a dozen years later, with costly results. The first Gulf War was a clear victory for U.S. forces. As commander in chief, George H.W. Bush saw his approval ratings soar to nearly 90 percent. His lock on a second term seemed so solid, many national Democrats opted to sit out the 1992 election, leaving it to the governor of a small Southern state to challenge him. Bill Clinton had one big advantage, though: the economy, stupid. As the country sank into recession, Bush's popularity sank with it. There was no parachute or soft landing this time. He lost a three-way race in the November election, carrying just 38 percent of the vote. More than two decades later, George W. Bush, who experienced his own roller coaster ride in the polls, wrote an affectionate portrait of his father, titled 41. "I want people to better appreciate George Bush, as not only a great person but a very successful president," the younger Bush said. Bush was also the linchpin of a political dynasty that now spans four generations — including a second son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who ran for the White House and lost in the 2016 Republican primaries as Donald Trump became the dominant force in a GOP that had evolved far from where it was when the 41st president was in office. Whatever the senior Bush's political shortcomings, hindsight has cast his presidency in a kinder, gentler light.

Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush dies of Parkinsonism at the age of 94, at about 10:10 p.m. CST.

LOS ANGELES: A powerful earthquake rocked Anchorage on Friday (Nov 30), violently shaking homes and businesses, sending scared residents into the streets and damaging buildings in Alaska's largest city. The 7.0-magnitude quake struck at 8.29am local time (Saturday 1.29am, Singapore time), in the middle of the school run and as workers were heading out for the day. The US Geological Survey said the epicentre was about 13km north of Anchorage at a depth of 40km. Police in the city of around 300,000 said it had caused "major infrastructure damage." "Many homes and buildings are damaged," the police department said in a statement. "Many roads and bridges are closed. Stay off the roads if you don't need to drive." There were no immediate reports of significant injuries. A tsunami warning was issued for the Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula following the massive quake but was quickly lifted. Residents posted pictures and videos on Twitter of damage to their homes and stores - belongings knocked off of shelves, broken windows and pictures scattered on the floor. Local CBS affiliate KTVA posted a video of a room shaking back and forth with panels falling from the ceiling and lights flickering on and off as people hid under desks. "Everyone just sprinted out of the coffee shop I was at in Anchorage in the middle of a huge earthquake," Nat Herz, a reporter with Alaska's Energy Desk, posted on Twitter. "Car alarms going off, etc. But not seeing any serious damage here aside from random stuff falling over. People going back to computers, meetings," he added. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said the authorities were worried about access to power following the quake. "It's winter. It's cold. It's dark. And we're not sure what the power situation is," Murkowski said. "We're worried about breaks in gas lines." ENSTAR Natural Gas company warned residents to beware of gas leaks while the main water company said there had been water main breaks. Municipal Light & Power warned of possible downed power lines and said it was seeking to restore electricity to affected customers. About two-and-a-half hours after the quake, Municipal Light & Power said 7,000 to 10,000 customers were still without power. The company said there was no damage to electricity generation infrastructure. The University of Alaska announced it was closing for the day. "All non-essential personnel should go home," it said in a tweet. Anchorage airport temporarily halted incoming and outgoing flights after the air control tower was evacuated. In an audio recording posted online, an air traffic controller could be heard telling a FedEx cargo plane to go around - abort its landing - as the quake hit. A video posted to Twitter showed a buckled road on a highway exit ramp leading to the airport and a stranded car. The Anchorage School District told parents to come pick up their children "when you feel it is safe to do so." The Trans Alaska Pipeline, one of the longest crude oil pipelines in the world, was shut down as a precautionary measure so crews could inspect the system. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said President Donald Trump had been briefed about the quake and was monitoring damage reports. "To the Great people of Alaska. You have been hit hard by a 'big one,'" Trump tweeted. "Your Federal Government will spare no expense. God Bless you ALL!" Alaska was hit by a 9.2-magnitude earthquake in March 1964, the strongest ever recorded in North America, which left 139 people dead.[SEP]ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.7 shattered highways and rocked buildings Friday in Anchorage and the surrounding area, sending people running into the streets and briefly triggering a tsunami warning for islands and coastal areas south of the city. No tsunami arrived and there were no immediate reports of deaths or serious injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said the first and more powerful quake was centered about 7 miles (12 kilometers) north of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, with a population of about 300,000. People ran from their offices or took cover under desks. The 5.7 aftershock arrived within minutes, followed by a series of smaller quakes. "We just hung onto each other. You couldn't even stand," said Sheila Bailey, who was working at a high school cafeteria in Palmer when the quake struck. "It sounded and felt like the school was breaking apart." A large section of an off-ramp near the Anchorage airport collapsed, marooning a car on a narrow island of pavement surrounded by deep chasms in the concrete. Several cars crashed at a major intersection in Wasilla, north of Anchorage, during the shaking. Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll said he had been told that parts of Glenn Highway, a scenic route that runs northeast out of the city past farms, mountains and glaciers, had "completely disappeared." Traffic in the three lanes heading out of the city was bumper-to-bumper and all but stopped Friday afternoon as emergency vehicles passed on the shoulder. The quake broke store windows, knocked items off shelves, opened cracks in a two-story, downtown building, disrupted electrical service and disabled traffic lights, snarling traffic. It also threw a full-grown man out of his bathtub. Flights at the airport were suspended for hours after the quake knocked out telephones and forced the evacuation of the control tower. And the 800-mile Alaska oil pipeline was shut down while crews were sent to inspect it for damage. Anchorage's school system canceled classes and asked parents to pick up their children while it examined buildings for gas leaks or other damage. Fifteen-year-old Sadie Blake and other members of the Homer High School wrestling team were at an Anchorage school gymnasium for a tournament when the bleachers started rocking and the lights went out. People started running down the bleachers in the dark, trying to get out. "It was a gym full of screams," said team chaperone Ginny Grimes. When it was over, Sadie said, there was only one thing she could do: "I started crying." Jonathan Lettow was waiting with his 5-year-old daughter and other children for a school bus near their home in Wasilla when the quake struck. The children got on the ground while Lettow tried to keep them calm. "It's one of those things where in your head, you think, 'OK, it's going to stop,' and you say that to yourself so many times in your head that finally you think, 'OK, maybe this isn't going to stop,'" he said. Soon after the shaking ended, the school bus pulled up and the children boarded, but the driver stopped at a bridge and refused to go across because of deep cracks in the road, Lettow said. At Chugiak High School, acting principal Allison Susel said ceiling tiles came down, books and other items fell from shelves, and water line breaks caused damage. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin tweeted that her home was damaged: "Our family is intact — house is not. I imagine that's the case for many, many others." She posted a video of the inside of her parents' home, with broken dishes littering the kitchen floor. A large set of antlers appeared to have fallen off a wall of the living room. Gov. Bill Walker issued a disaster declaration. He was in an elevator in a high-rise Anchorage office building and said it was a "rough ride" coming down. He described the quake as a 7.2, though it was unclear why his figure differed from that of the USGS. Walker says it will take more than a week or two to repair roads damaged by the earthquake. "This is much more significant than that," he told reporters at a news conference. Walker leaves office on Monday, and he said members of Gov.-elect Mike Dunleavy's staff had been involved with the earthquake response to ensure a smooth transition. "This isn't a time to do anything other than take care of Alaskans, and that's what we're doing," he said. In Kenai, southwest of Anchorage, Brandon Slaton was home alone and soaking in his bathtub when the earthquake struck. Slaton, who weighs 209 pounds, said it created a powerful back-and-forth sloshing that threw him out of the tub. His 120-pound mastiff panicked and tried to run down the stairs, but the house was swaying so much that the dog was thrown into a wall and tumbled down the stairs, Slaton said. Slaton ran into his son's room after the shaking stopped. The boy's fish was on the floor, gasping, its tank shattered. Slaton put the fish in a bowl. "It was anarchy," he said. "There's no pictures left on the walls, there's no power, there's no fish tank left. Everything that's not tied down is broke." Alaska was the site of the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the U.S. The 9.2-magnitude quake on March 27, 1964, was centered about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Anchorage. It and the tsunami it triggered claimed about 130 lives. The state averages 40,000 earthquakes a year, with more large quakes than the 49 other states combined. Southern Alaska has a high risk of earthquakes because the Earth's plates slide past each other under the region. Alaska has been hit by a number of powerful quakes over 7.0 in recent decades, including a 7.9 last January southeast of Kodiak Island. But it is rare for a quake this big to strike so close to such a heavily populated area. David Harper was getting coffee at a store when the low rumble began and intensified into something that sounded "like the building was just going to fall apart." He ran for the exit with other patrons. "People who were outside were actively hugging each other," he said. "You could tell that it was a bad one." Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage; Jennifer Kelleher in Honolulu; Gene Johnson in Seattle; Gillian Flaccus in Portland, Oregon; Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington; and John Antczak in Los Angeles contributed to this report.[SEP]ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A powerful earthquake shook southern Alaska on Friday morning, buckling roads, disrupting traffic and jamming telephone lines in and around Anchorage, the state’s largest city, but there were no reports of injuries. The 7.0 magnitude quake struck about 8 miles (13 km) north of Anchorage, a city of 300,000 residents accounting for about 40 percent of Alaska’s population, and was followed by dozens of aftershocks. Roads and bridges appeared to have been hardest hit, but Anchorage was otherwise largely spared from major structural damage, authorities said. Power outages and disruption of phone service was widespread. “We did have a couple of reports of buildings collapses,” Fire Chief Jodie Hettrick told reporters about three hours after the quake, adding that three structure fires also were reported, though details were not immediately available. “The fact that we went through something this significant with this minimal amount of damage says that we’re a very well prepared community, that our building codes and our building professionals have done a terrific job,” Mayor Ethan Berkowitz said. The initial quake produced strong shaking within a 30-mile (50 km) radius of its epicenter, with ground movement felt as far away as Fairbanks, 250 miles to the north as the crow flies, and Kodiak, roughly the same distance to the south, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). “Thought the house was going to come apart,” Anchorage-based climatologist Brian Brettschneider wrote on Twitter, posting a photo showing his kitchen floor scattered with items that tumbled out of cupboards. A tsunami warning was issued for Cook Inlet, linking Anchorage with the Gulf of Alaska, but was later canceled. The Trans Alaska Pipeline, which carries crude oil 800 miles (1,300 km) from Alaska’s North Slope to the marine terminal at Valdez, was shut down for about seven hours as a precaution, but no damage to the system was detected, said a spokeswoman for the operator, Aleyska Pipeline Service Co. The quake occurred nearly 27 miles (43 km) beneath the surface, apparently on an unnamed fault line, or fissure, inside a portion of the Earth’s crust known as Pacific plate where it bends underneath the North American plate, USGS geophysicist Brian Kilgore told Reuters. “This is kind of an odd quake,” he said, adding that only 15 or 16 quakes of magnitude 6 or greater have been recorded during the past century in the same region of Alaska. Morning rush-hour traffic in Anchorage came to a standstill and jammed up heading out of town after the quake struck at around 8:30 a.m. (1230 EST/1730 GMT). “We have been through earthquakes in the past. This one was different. This was very, very scary, damage that we don’t fully understand,” Walker said in a video statement from outside a National Guard armory command center. President Donald Trump declared a federal emergency, ordering U.S. government assistance in the earthquake response and authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts, the White House said. Strong earthquakes are not uncommon in seismically active Alaska but tend to occur in remote, sparsely populated regions. Alaska has recorded earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 7 to 8 at least once a year on average since 1900, according to the state government website. Southern Alaska was hit by a devastating 9.2 tremor in 1964, the second most powerful earthquake on record. A photo posted by a reporter at television station KTVA showed a deserted newsroom, with scattered debris and a partially collapsed ceiling. CNN reported that TV station KTUU, an NBC affiliate, also was knocked off the air. KTUU’s website featured a photo of a snow-covered highway that had buckled, with a car sitting between two deep fissures crossing the highway. The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport remained open, but arrivals and departure ramps were closed and there were reports of road damage, the airport said on Twitter. The city’s schools were evacuated and parents were notified to pick up their children.[SEP]A 6.6 magnitude earthquake has rocked buildings in the US state of Alaska and caused lamp posts and trees to sway, prompting people to run out of offices and seek shelter under office desks. A 6.6 magnitude earthquake has rocked buildings in the US state of Alaska and caused lamp posts and trees to sway, prompting people to run out of offices and seek shelter under office desks. The US Geological Survey said the earthquake was centred about seven miles north of Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage. An Associated Press reporter working in Anchorage saw cracks in a two-storey building after the quake. It was unclear whether there were injuries. People went back inside buildings after the earthquake but a smaller aftershock a short time later sent them running back into the streets again. Shortly after the quake, a tsunami warning was issued for the southern Alaska coastal areas of Cook’s Inlet and part of the Kenai peninsula. The US Geological Survey initially said it was a 6.7 magnitude earthquake and then reduced the magnitude to 6.6.[SEP]More than 230 small earthquakes have hit parts of Alaska since Friday, when a 7.0-magnitude quake knocked out power, ripped open roads and splintered buildings near Anchorage, the US Geological Survey said. Still, local officials said life was returning to normal even as four to eight inches of snow were expected on Sunday. “This is the second largest earthquake we’ve had since 1964, which was a very significant earthquake,” Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz told reporters Saturday, referring a historic magnitude-9.2 quake that was the most powerful recorded temblor in US history. “But in terms of a disaster, I think it says more about who we are than what we suffered. I would characterize this as a demonstration that Anchorage is prepared for these kind of emergencies.” Despite damage to roads and buildings, no fatalities or serious injuries were reported, officials said. In Alaska’s largest city — with a population of about 300,000 — airports, hospitals, emergency services and most businesses were operating. “The bottom line on the utility structure is that the power is up, the heat is on, the communication lines are opening,” said Anchorage Municipal Manager Bill Falsey. Most of the smaller earthquakes since Friday’s big one were not felt. More than a dozen were higher than magnitude 4 and a handful greater than magnitude 5, Falsey said. But a magnitude-5.2 aftershock about 11 p.m. Friday was the second-biggest event since a magnitude-5.7 temblor hit minutes after the main quake, according to Gavin Hayes, a research geophysicist with the USGS. “That would have given people a shake and probably a bit of a scare given what they went through yesterday,” he told CNN on Saturday. The magnitude-7.0 earthquake sent residents scurrying for cover when it hit about 8:30 a.m. Friday local time. The quake was centered 10 miles northeast of Anchorage, the state’s largest city. “The most striking thing about this event was that it was so close to Anchorage,” Hayes said. “That’s why it has caused the damage that we’re seeing. Had it been a little further away from Anchorage I don’t think it would be getting very much attention. It’s not an unusual earthquake in the perspective of the tectonics of the region.” Roads buckled under passing cars and grocery store products tumbled from shelves. In court, panicked attorneys scurried under tables as a room rocked from side to side. “It was very loud when it came,” Berkowitz said Friday. “It was very clear that this was something bigger than what we normally experience. We live in earthquake country … but this was a big one.” Palmer resident Kristin Dossett described the initial jolt as “absolutely terrifying.” It was the biggest quake she has felt in her 37 years in a region where temblors are common, Dossett said. One aftershock moved her piano a foot and half from the wall. “It shook like I have never felt anything shake before,” she said. “It just didn’t stop. It kept going and got louder and louder, and things just fell everywhere — everything off my dressers, off my bookcases, my kitchen cupboard. Just broken glass everywhere.” Authorities don’t have firm figures on damage yet. Helicopters and drones were assessing infrastructure across the region. The Anchorage School District canceled classes Monday and Tuesday to assess facility damage. Philip Peterson was in a multistory building in downtown Anchorage as the structure swayed and coffee mugs fell from tables and tiles from the ceiling. “I just jumped under my desk and had to ride it out,” Peterson said. The 7.0 earthquake was felt up to 400 miles outside of Anchorage, said Michael West, the Alaska state seismologist. He called it the most significant earthquake in Anchorage since 1964. “I think it’s safe to say that, not measured in magnitude or location but in terms of how strong the ground itself shook during the earthquake,” he said during a question-and-answer session at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Two of the city’s main hospitals — Alaska Regional and Providence Alaska Medical Center — sustained damage but emergency rooms were open, according to hospital officials. The Anchorage Police Department reported “major infrastructure damage” across the city. Blair Braverman said she was staying in a hotel with her husband when the quake hit. She grew up in California and was familiar with earthquakes “but this was next-level,” she said. “My husband sort of crawled across the room and threw himself on top of me and we crawled to the bathroom together and waited it out in the doorway and waited out the aftershocks.”[SEP]The huge tremor was recorded at 5.29pm GMT (8.29am local time), rattling buildings and terrifying residents. This was followed by a magnitude 5.8 earthquake aftershock shortly afterwards. One person located just over 12 miles (20km) away from the epicentre wrote on EMSC’s testimonies website: “Very bad. It’s ugly.” Another witness wrote: “Building was shaking and had to run out for safety!” Terrifying footage showed a highway split into several cracks and the interior of buildings with collapsed ceilings. In a video shared online, school students could be seen hiding under their desks after the earthquake hit. Where was the earthquake? The earthquake’s epicentre was 122km north of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city in the south-central part of the state on the Cook Islet in the United States. The city is home to nearly 300,000 people. There are no known fatalities or injuries at the moment. A tsunami warning is in effect for the Cook Inlet area and Southern Kenai Peninsula, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center. People are being warned to stay away from the beach and to seek higher ground inland immediately if the tide starts to go out. The warning adds people in an evacuation zone should leave immediately with family members and pets without packing belongings. Official advice is to reach ground at least 30m (100ft) above sea level or an area at least two miles inland. Anchorage is further north than Helsinki in Finland. The city is known for its cultural heritage and is home to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Although it is a mainly residential area, it is also home to nearby national parks and 1,500 moose.[SEP]Aisoli Lealasola prepares to clean up fallen cases of beer in a cooler at a liquor store, Value Liquor, after an earthquake on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, in Anchorage, Alaska. Owner Mary Funner says beer, wine and other bottled alcohol was strewn throughout store aisles after the quake. She considered closing Friday until customers began lining up. They were allowed to come in in small groups. "We're still in business, but we're only open only a little bit at a time," she said. (AP Photo/Dan Joling) (AP)[SEP]ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.7 shattered highways and rocked buildings Friday in Anchorage, sending people running into the streets and briefly triggering a warning to residents in Kodiak to flee to higher ground for fear of a tsunami. The warning was lifted without incident a short time later. There were no immediate reports of any deaths or serious injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said the first and more powerful quake was centered about 7 miles (12 kilometers) north of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, with a population of about 300,000. People ran from their offices or took cover under desks. "We just hung onto each other. You couldn't even stand," said Sheila Bailey, who was working at a high school cafeteria in Palmer when the quake struck. "It sounded and felt like the school was breaking apart." A large section of an off-ramp near the Anchorage airport collapsed, marooning a car on a narrow island of pavement surrounded by deep chasms in the concrete. Several cars crashed at a major intersection in Wasilla, north of Anchorage, during the shaking. Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll said he had been told that parts of Glenn Highway, a scenic route that runs northeast out of the city past farms, mountains and glaciers, had "completely disappeared." The quake broke store windows, opened cracks in a two-story building downtown, disrupted electrical service and disabled traffic lights, snarling traffic. It also threw a full-grown man out of his bathtub. All flights in and out of the airport were suspended for hours after the quake knocked out telephones and forced the evacuation of the control tower. And the 800-mile Alaska oil pipeline was shut down while crews were sent to inspect it for damage. Anchorage's school system canceled classes and asked parents to pick up their children while it examined buildings for gas leaks or other damage. Fifteen-year-old Sadie Blake and other members of the Homer High School wrestling team were at an Anchorage school gymnasium waiting for a tournament to start when the bleachers started rocking "like crazy" and the lights went out. People started running down the bleachers in the dark, trying to get out. "It was a gym full of screams," said team chaperone Ginny Grimes. When it was over, Sadie said, there was only one thing she could do: "I started crying." Jonathan Lettow was waiting with his 5-year-old daughter and other children for a school bus near their home in Wasilla when the quake struck. The children got on the ground while Lettow tried to keep them calm. "It's one of those things where in your head, you think, 'OK, it's going to stop,' and you say that to yourself so many times in your head that finally you think, 'OK, maybe this isn't going to stop,'" he said. Soon after the shaking stopped, the school bus pulled up and children boarded, but the driver stopped at a bridge and refused to go across because of deep cracks in the road, Lettow said. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin tweeted that her home was damaged: "Our family is intact - house is not. I imagine that's the case for many, many others." She posted a video of the inside of her parents' home, with broken dishes littering the kitchen floor. A large set of antlers appeared to have fallen off a wall of the living room. Officials opened an Anchorage convention center as an emergency shelter. Gov. Bill Walker issued a disaster declaration. He said he was in an office building elevator when the earthquake hit. Lights on the control board were blinking and things were falling from the ceiling, but the elevator did not stop, he said. Cereal boxes and packages of batteries littered the floor of a grocery store, and picture frames and mirrors were knocked from living room walls. People went back inside after the first earthquake struck, but the 5.7 aftershock about five minutes later sent them running back into the streets. A series of smaller aftershocks followed. A tsunami warning was issued along Alaska's southern coast. Police in Kodiak, a city of 6,100 people on Kodiak Island, 250 miles (400 kilometers) south of Anchorage). People were told to evacuate to higher ground immediately because a wave could hit within about 10 minutes. Michael Burgy, a senior technician with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, said the warning was automatically generated based on the quake's size and proximity to shore. Scientists monitored gauges to see if the quake generated big waves. Because there were none, they canceled the warning within about an hour and a half. In Kenai, southwest of Anchorage, Brandon Slaton was alone at home and soaking in the bathtub when the earthquake struck. Slaton, who weighs 209 pounds, said it created a powerful back-and-forth sloshing that threw him out of the tub. His 120-pound mastiff panicked and tried to run down the stairs, but the house was swaying so much that the dog was thrown off its feet and into a wall and tumbled to the base of the stairs, Slaton said. Slaton ran into his son's room after the shaking stopped and found his fish tank shattered and the fish on the floor, gasping. He grabbed it and put it in another bowl. "It was anarchy," he said. "There's no pictures left on the walls, there's no power, there's no fish tank left. Everything that's not tied down is broke." Alaska was the site of the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the U.S. The 9.2-magnitude quake on March 27, 1964, was centered about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Anchorage. It and the tsunami it triggered claimed about 130 lives. The state averages 40,000 earthquakes a year, with more large quakes than the 49 other states combined. Southern Alaska has a high risk of earthquakes because the Earth's plates slide past each other under the region. Alaska has been hit by a number of powerful quakes over 7.0 in recent decades, including a 7.9 last January southeast of Kodiak Island. But it is rare for a quake this big to strike so close to such a heavily populated area. David Harper was getting some coffee at a store when the low rumble began and intensified into something that sounded "like the building was just going to fall apart." He ran for the exit with other patrons. "People who were outside were actively hugging each other," he said. "You could tell that it was a bad one."[SEP]ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.8 rocked buildings and shattered roads Friday morning in Anchorage, sending people running into the streets and briefly triggering a warning to residents in Kodiak to flee to higher ground for fear of a tsunami. The warning was lifted a short time later. There were no immediate reports of any deaths or serious injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said the first and more powerful quake was centered about 7 miles (12 kilometers) north of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, with a population of about 300,000. People ran from their offices or took cover under desks. Cracks could be seen in a two-story downtown Anchorage building, and photographs posted to social media showed fractured roads and collapsed ceiling tiles at an Anchorage high school. One image showed a car stranded on an island of pavement, surrounded by cavernous cracks where the earthquake split the road. Cereal boxes and packages of batteries littered the floor of a grocery store, and picture frames and mirrors were knocked from living room walls. People went back inside after the first earthquake struck, but the 5.8 aftershock about five minutes later sent them running back into the streets. A tsunami warning was issued for the southern Alaska coastal areas of Cook's Inlet and part of the Kenai peninsula. Kodiak police on Kodiak Island warned people in the city of 6,100 to "evacuate to higher ground immediately" because of "wave estimated 10 minutes." In Kenai, north of Anchorage, Brandon Slaton was alone at home and soaking in the bathtub when the earthquake struck. Slaton, who weighs 209 pounds, said it created a powerful bath-and-forth sloshing in the bath, and before he knew it, he was thrown out of the tub by the waves. His 120-pound mastiff panicked and tried to run down the stairs, but the house was swaying so much that the dog was thrown off its feet and into a wall and tumbled to the base of the stairs, Slaton said. Slaton ran into his son's room after the shaking stopped and found his fish tank shattered and the fish on the floor, gasping for breath. He grabbed it and put it in another bowl. "It was anarchy," he said. "There's no pictures left on the walls, there's no power, there's no fish tank left. Everything that's not tied down is broke." Alaska averages 40,000 earthquakes per year, with more large quakes than the 49 other states combined. Southern Alaska has a high risk of earthquakes because of tectonic plates sliding past each other under the region. David Harper was getting some coffee at a store when the low rumble began and intensified into something that sounded "like the building was just going to fall apart." Harper ran to the exit with other patrons there. "The main thought that was going through my head as I was trying to get out the door was, 'I want this to stop,'" he said. Harper said the quake was "significant enough that the people who were outside were actively hugging each other. You could tell that it was a bad one." On March 27, 1964, Alaska was hit by a magnitude 9.2 earthquake, the strongest recorded in U.S. history, centered about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Anchorage. The quake, which lasted about 4½ minutes, and the tsunami it triggered claimed about 130 lives.[SEP]A 6.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked buildings in Anchorage, the U.S. Geological Survey says ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A 6.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked buildings in Anchorage, the U.S. Geological Survey says.

More than 1,000 aftershocks shake Alaska after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake knocked out power, ripped open roads and splintered buildings in Anchorage.

Leaders of the Group of 20 agreed Saturday to fix the world trading system after difficult, all-night talks in the Argentine capital, but only 19 of them agreed to support the Paris accord on fighting climate change with the United States the lone holdout. The official summit statement acknowledges flaws in global commerce and calls for reforming the World Trade Organization. It doesn’t mention the word “protectionism,” however, after negotiators said that had met resistance from the United States. Applause broke out in the summit hall as the leaders, including US president Donald Trump, signed off on a final statement at the end of a two-day summit. The non-binding agreement was reached after talks by diplomats stretched overnight and into daylight on Saturday, amid deep divisions between member nations. European Union officials said the United States was the main holdout on nearly every issue. Trump has criticized the WTO and taken aggressive trade policies targeting China and the EU. But China also pushed back in talks on steel, South Africa objected to language on trade, Australia didn’t want the statement to be too soft on migration and Turkey worried it would push too far on climate change, according to the officials. Read: India to host first G20 summit in 2022, to coincide with 75th year of Independence A senior White House official said the joint statement meets many US objectives and stressed that it includes language about WTO reform. The official also noted other elements such as language on workforce development and women’s economic development and a commitment by China to doing infrastructure financing on “transparent terms.” According to the official, the language on climate was necessary for Washington to sign on, and Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Russia had appeared sympathetic to the US position but ultimately stayed with the other countries. With trade tensions between the US and China dominated the summit, the Europeans sought to play mediator. They also scaled back their expectations, cutting out mention of rising protectionism — mainly aimed at Trump. The final language of the statement says, regarding climate, that 19 nations that are signatories to the Paris accord reiterate their commitment to it while the US reiterates its decision to withdraw. It also notes a recent UN report that warned damage from global warming will be much worse than previously feared, and expresses support for an upcoming UN climate meeting in Poland meant to nail down how countries will meet promises made in the Paris accord. On global commerce, the statement says the 20 countries support multilateral trade but acknowledge that the current system doesn’t work and needs fixing, via “the necessary reform of the WTO to improve its functioning.” On migration, European officials said the US negotiator said too much talk about it would have been a “deal-breaker” for Trump. So they came up with “minimalist” language that acknowledges growing migrant flows and the importance of shared efforts to support refugees and solve the problems that drive them to flee. The statement also shows a commitment to a “rules-based international order,” despite Trump’s rejection of many of those rules. “There were moments when we thought all was lost,” one European official said, “moments when we spent two hours on one sentence.” The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations. Thomas Bernes of the Canada-based Centre for International Governance Innovation, who has held leading roles with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Canadian government, said the G-20 had “veered all over the road” at the summit and failed to truly fix trade. The US was out of step on migration and climate change and blocked meaningful agreement on those issues, he added. “Instead, leaders buried their differences in obscure language and dropped language to fight protectionism, which had been included in every G-20 communique since the leaders’ first summit,” he added. “This is clearly a retrograde step forced by United States intransigence.” “The question is whether we are burying the G-20 in the process,” Bernes added. “Certainly this is a big hit to the credibility of the G-20 to provide resolute leadership in addressing global problems.” Perhaps surprisingly, one country that was seen as particularly constructive was Russia, the EU officials said. Despite tensions over its military actions on Ukraine and political interference abroad, Russia supports international efforts on trade and climate. Read: A high-five from Vladimir Putin and that awkward photograph - Saudi prince’s G20 summit While a statement isn’t legally enforceable, the Europeans see it as proof that the G-20 is still relevant and that multilateralism still works. “Everyone agrees that the WTO should be reformed,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. “This is an important agreement.” “We will send a clear signal — in any case, most of us” — for the success of global climate talks starting in Poland on Sunday, Merkel added. Merkel’s spokesman said that during a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, she also voiced concern about rising tensions in the Kerch Strait off Crimea and pushed for “freedom of shipping into the Sea of Azov.” Last weekend, Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in an incident escalating a tug-of-war that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and supported separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. Germany and France have sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, and spokesman Steffen Seibert said Merkel and Putin agreed that the four countries should hold further talks at the “adviser level.” Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping were due to meet later Saturday after the summit’s close. Their countries have been embroiled in an escalating trade war with new US tariffs on China goods set to take effect a month from now. “The trade war between the United States and China does not favour international commerce. ... A fight between two big players does not benefit,” said Dante Sica, Argentina’s minister of production and labour. “If they are able to begin to agree, it would be a good signal that would reduce the impacts on international commerce.” In closing remarks, summit host and Argentine president Mauricio Macri said the countries had overcome “a number of challenges” to reach the agreement. “We have agreed on a statement that reflects the necessity of revitalizing trade, of revitalizing the WTO. .. “We ratify the concern of everyone over climate change,” Macri said. The next G-20 summit is to be held in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019.[SEP]BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The United States and China reached a 90-day ceasefire in a trade dispute that has rattled financial markets and threatened world economic growth. The breakthrough came after a dinner meeting Saturday between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires. Trump agreed to hold off on plans to raise tariffs Jan. 1 on $200 billion in Chinese goods. The Chinese agreed to buy a "not yet agreed upon, but very substantial amount of agricultural, energy, industrial" and other products from the United States to reduce America's huge trade deficit with China, the White House said. The truce buys time for the two countries to work out their differences in a dispute over Beijing's aggressive drive to supplant U.S. technological dominance. In another long-sought concession to the U.S., China agreed to label fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid responsible for tens of thousands of American drug deaths annually, as a controlled substance. The White House announcement framed a victory for Trump and his unflinching negotiating tactics, securing a commitment from China to engage in talks on key U.S. economic priorities, with little obvious concession by the U.S. Notably, however, the White House appears to be reversing course on its previous threats to tie trade discussions to security concerns, like China's attempted territorial expansion in the South China Sea. "It's great the two sides took advantage of this opportunity to call a truce," said Andy Rothman, investment strategist at Matthews Asia. "The two sides appear to have had a major change of heart to move away from confrontation toward engagement. This changes the tone and direction of the bilateral conversation." The Trump-Xi meeting was the marquee event of Trump's whirlwind two-day trip to Argentina for the G-20 summit after the president canceled a sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin over mounting tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Trump also canceled a Saturday news conference, citing respect for the Bush family following the death of former President George H.W. Bush. Trump said Bush's death put a "damper" on what he described as a "very important meeting" with Xi. The United States and China are locked in a dispute over their trade imbalance and Beijing's tech policies. Washington accuses China of deploying predatory tactics in its tech drive, including stealing trade secrets and forcing American firms to hand over technology in exchange for access to the Chinese market. Trump has imposed import taxes on $250 billion in Chinese products — 25 percent on $50 billion worth and 10 percent on the other $200 billion. Trump had planned to raise the tariffs on the $200 billion to 25 percent if he couldn't get a deal with Xi. China has already slapped tariffs on $110 billion in U.S. goods. Under the agreement reached in Buenos Aires, the two countries have 90 days to resolve their differences over Beijing's tech policies. If they can't, the U.S. tariff increases will go into effect on the $200 billion in Chinese imports. U.S. officials insist that the American economy is more resilient to the tumult than China's, but they remain anxious of the economic effects of a prolonged showdown — as Trump has made economic growth the benchmark by which he wants his administration judged. A full-blown resolution was not expected to be reached in Buenos Aires; the issues that divide them are just too difficult. Growing concerns that the trade war will increasingly hurt corporate earnings and the U.S. economy are a key reason why U.S. stock prices have been sinking this fall. Joining other forecasters, economists at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development last week downgraded their outlook for global economic growth next year to 3.5 percent from a previous 3.7 percent. In doing so, they cited the trade conflict as well as political uncertainty. The two countries also made progress on the regulation of fentanyl, which is 50 times more powerful than heroin. U.S. officials for years have been pressing the Chinese government to take a tougher stance against fentanyl, and most U.S. supply of the drug is manufactured in China. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says China's decision to label the drug as a controlled substance means that "people selling Fentanyl to the United States will be subject to China's maximum penalty under the law." Trump met Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a rare trilateral meeting. The symbolism ahead of the Xi meeting was clear: The Trump administration has looked to find common cause with both nations in countering China's regional hegemony. Earlier that day, Trump signed a revamped three-way trade deal with Canada and Mexico, fulfilling a long-standing pledge, though the agreement could face headwinds in Congress. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]President Donald Trump left for the G20 summit Thursday and meetings including President Xi Jinping of China as he debated whether or not to do a trade deal with China or keep tariffs. “I think we’re very close to doing something with China, but I don’t know that I want to do it,” Trump told reporters before boarding Marine One on the White House South Lawn. “what we have right now is billions and billions of dollars coming into the United States in the form of tariffs or taxes. So I really don’t know.” “I will tell you that I think China wants to make a deal. I’m open to making a deal. But frankly I like the deal that we have right now,” said the president. Earlier in the day the president pointed to billions of dollars coming to the U.S. due to tariffs on Chinese goods: “Billions of Dollars are pouring into the coffers of the U.S.A. because of the Tariffs being charged to China, and there is a long way to go,” said Trump. “If companies don’t want to pay Tariffs, build in the U.S.A. Otherwise, lets just make our Country richer than ever before!” U.S.-China trade talks led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been on-again, off-again several times, but Trump is slated to talk trade with Xi himself at the Argentina G20. President Trump has imposed wave upon wave of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods and China has retaliated with targeted tariffs of its own on U.S. goods. China has aimed tariffs at industries perceived to extract the greatest impact on industries that tend to favor Trump. This week Trump posed the possibility of raising tariffs on China’s auto imports to the U.S. He has issued tariffs of $200 billion in Chinese goods with another $300 billion in abeyance. Trump has warned the 10 percent tariff on the $200 billion in goods could also raise to a 25 percent tariff. National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow previewed the Trump-Xi talks this week. The talks will include Trump trade advisors with the two presidents. Kudlow carefully expressed optimism that there is a deal to be done between the two trading giants, but tempered the optimism with a warning that if China refuses to meet basic requirements that the U.S. has repeatedly set forth then President Trump will happily stand on the U.S. current approach toward China of imposing tariffs. He told reporters Tuesday, “If things don’t work out in this U.S.-China summit meeting, [President Trump] will invoke another 267 some-odd billion dollars in tariffs.” Trump and his trade team have made clear to China the U.S. will not relent on tariffs until China halts unfair trading practices including intellectual property theft, a massive trade deficit between the two nations. Michelle Moons is a White House Correspondent for Breitbart News — follow on Twitter @MichelleDiana and Facebook[SEP]Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Trump (front right) met Mr Xi (front left) after the G20 summit in Buenos Aires US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have agreed to halt new trade tariffs for 90 days to allow for talks, the US says. At a post-G20 summit meeting in Buenos Aires, Mr Trump agreed not to boost tariffs on $200bn (£157bn) of Chinese goods from 10% to 25% on 1 January. China will buy a "very substantial" amount of agricultural, industrial and energy products, the US says. Meanwhile, Beijing says the two sides agreed to open up their markets. It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since a trade war erupted earlier this year. The dispute broke out after Mr Trump complained China was doing nothing to cut its large surplus in bilateral trade. At the summit in Argentina's capital earlier on Saturday, the G20 leaders agreed a joint declaration that notes divisions over trade but does not criticise protectionism. What are the details of the US-China accord? Mr Trump and Mr Xi held a "highly successful meeting", the White House says in a statement. It says the US tariffs on Chinese goods will remain unchanged for 90 days, but warns: "If at the end of this period of time, the parties are unable to reach an agreement, the 10 percent tariffs will be raised to 25 percent." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The US is the biggest export market for Chinese goods The US says China agreed to "purchase a not yet agreed upon, but very substantial, amount of agricultural, energy, industrial, and other products from the United States to reduce the trade imbalance between our two countries". Both sides also pledged to "immediately begin negotiations on structural changes with respect to forced technology transfer, intellectual property protection, non-tariff barriers, cyber intrusions and cyber theft", the White House says. President Trump said earlier this year he wanted to stop the "unfair transfers of American technology and intellectual property to China". According to the US, China has also signalled it will allow a tie-up between two major semiconductor manufacturers which Chinese regulators have been blocking. The White House statement said China was "open to approving the previously unapproved Qualcomm-NXP deal". Qualcomm - the world's biggest chipmaker - had abandoned its $44bn bid for Dutch rival NXP Semiconductors after Chinese opposition. The US also says Beijing agreed to designate Fentanyl as a controlled substance. The opioid - much of it thought to be made in China - is driving a huge rise in drug addiction in the US. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters after the talks that "the principal agreement has effectively prevented further expansion of economic friction between the two countries". He hailed "new space for win-win co-operation", while Chinese state TV said negotiations would continue. What's the background to the trade war? Both sides have imposed tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of goods. The US has hit $250bn of Chinese goods with tariffs since July, and China has retaliated by imposing duties on $110bn of US products. Mr Trump had also said that if talks in Argentina were unsuccessful, he would carry out a threat to hit the remaining $267bn of annual Chinese exports to the US with tariffs of between 10 and 25%. US-China trade divisions meant an Asian economic summit earlier this month was unable to agree a formal leaders' statement for the first time in its history. How did Trump sum up the talks? Returning from the G20 summit on Air Force One, Mr Trump told reporters "it's an incredible deal" that would have an "incredibly positive impact on farming". "What I'd be doing is holding back on tariffs. China will be opening up. China will be getting rid of tariffs," Mr Trump said. Analysis Stephen McDonell, BBC China correspondent in Beijing China has pretty much given up nothing in this deal because the future tariffs threatened from the Beijing side were retaliatory in nature and only to be applied if the United State escalated. For this it has gained a 90-day reprieve, during which time both sides have pledged to ramp up talks. When China's Foreign Minster Wang Yi spoke to reporters after the meeting he said the two leaders had agreed to open up each other's markets and that this process could lead to the resolution of "legitimate" US concerns. This was either an acknowledgment that Washington does have legitimate concerns or a way of differentiating those American concerns which are reasonable from those which are not actually "legitimate". This is not a suspension of the trade war but a suspension of the escalation of the trade war. Big questions remain about the preparedness of Beijing to allow international access to this enormous market to a level that would satisfy the Trump administration prompting a complete halt in the trade war. On other issues, the US president announced he would be "formally terminating Nafta [the North American Free Trade Agreement] shortly". Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Trump (C) earlier signed a new trade agreement on Friday with his Mexican and Canadian counterparts This would give lawmakers six months, he said, to approve a new trade deal agreed with his Mexican and Canadian counterparts on Friday or revert to trade rules from before 1994, when Nafta took effect. He also said he was likely to meet North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un in January or February and three locations for their second meeting were being considered. Mr Trump added that he would also invite Mr Kim, with whom he has "a good relationship", to the US at some point. What else happened in Buenos Aires? French leader Emmanuel Macron told reporters that the World Trade Organization, the body that regulates trade disputes, needed to be modernised. A senior US official told Reuters that it was the first time that the G20 had recognised that the WTO was "currently falling short of meeting its objectives" and needed reform. On Friday Mr Trump briefly met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20, a Russian official told Reuters. Earlier the US president said he had postponed a planned press conference "out of respect for the Bush family", following the death of former President George HW Bush, at the age of 94. Earlier on in the summit, emerging economies denounced protectionism.[SEP]Trump agrees to temporarily halt U.S. trade war with China In exchange for pause in tariff increase, China will buy "very substantial amount" of American goods and make the opioid fentanyl a controlled substance.[SEP]Angela Charlton, Peter Orsi and Luis Andres Henao, The Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Leaders of the Group of 20 agreed Saturday to fix the world trading system after difficult, all-night talks in the Argentine capital, but only 19 of them agreed to support the Paris accord on fighting climate change with the United States the lone holdout. The official summit statement acknowledges flaws in global commerce and calls for reforming the World Trade Organization. It doesn't mention the word “protectionism,” however, after negotiators said that had met resistance from the United States. Applause broke out in the summit hall as the leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, signed off on a final statement at the end of a two-day summit. The non-binding agreement was reached after talks by diplomats stretched overnight and into daylight on Saturday, amid deep divisions between member nations. European Union officials said the United States was the main holdout on nearly every issue. Trump has criticized the WTO and taken aggressive trade policies targeting China and the EU. But China also pushed back in talks on steel, South Africa objected to language on trade, Australia didn't want the statement to be too soft on migration and Turkey worried it would push too far on climate change, according to the officials. A senior White House official said the joint statement meets many U.S. objectives and stressed that it includes language about WTO reform. The official also noted other elements such as language on workforce development and women's economic development and a commitment by China to doing infrastructure financing on “transparent terms.” According to the official, the language on climate was necessary for Washington to sign on, and Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Russia had appeared sympathetic to the U.S. position but ultimately stayed with the other countries. With trade tensions between the U.S and China dominating the summit, the Europeans sought to play mediator. They also scaled back their expectations, cutting out mention of rising protectionism - mainly aimed at Trump. The final language of the statement says, regarding climate, that 19 nations that are signatories to the Paris accord reiterate their commitment to it while the U.S. reiterates its decision to withdraw. It also notes a recent U.N. report that warned damage from global warming will be much worse than previously feared, and expresses support for an upcoming U.N. climate meeting in Poland meant to nail down how countries will meet promises made in the Paris accord. On global commerce, the statement says the 20 countries support multilateral trade but acknowledge that the current system doesn't work and needs fixing, via “the necessary reform of the WTO to improve its functioning.” On migration, European officials said the U.S. negotiator said too much talk about it would have been a “deal-breaker” for Trump. So they came up with “minimalist” language that acknowledges growing migrant flows and the importance of shared efforts to support refugees and solve the problems that drive them to flee. The statement also shows a commitment to a “rules-based international order,” despite Trump's rejection of many of those rules. “There were moments when we thought all was lost,” one European official said, “moments when we spent two hours on one sentence.” The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations. Thomas Bernes of the Canada-based Centre for International Governance Innovation, who has held leading roles with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Canadian government, said the G-20 had “veered all over the road” at the summit and failed to truly fix trade. The U.S. was out of step on migration and climate change and blocked meaningful agreement on those issues, he added. “Instead, leaders buried their differences in obscure language and dropped language to fight protectionism, which had been included in every G-20 communique since the leaders' first summit,” he added. “This is clearly a retrograde step forced by United States intransigence.” “The question is whether we are burying the G-20 in the process,” Bernes added. “Certainly this is a big hit to the credibility of the G-20 to provide resolute leadership in addressing global problems.” Perhaps surprisingly, one country that was seen as particularly constructive was Russia, the EU officials said. Despite tensions over its military actions on Ukraine and political interference abroad, Russia supports international efforts on trade and climate. While a statement isn't legally enforceable, the Europeans see it as proof that the G-20 is still relevant and that multilateralism still works. “Everyone agrees that the WTO should be reformed,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. “This is an important agreement.” “We will send a clear signal - in any case, most of us” - for the success of global climate talks starting in Poland on Sunday, Merkel added. Merkel's spokesman said that during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, she also voiced concern about rising tensions in the Kerch Strait off Crimea and pushed for “freedom of shipping into the Sea of Azov.” Last weekend, Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in an incident escalating a tug-of-war that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and supported separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. Germany and France have sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, and spokesman Steffen Seibert said Merkel and Putin agreed that the four countries should hold further talks at the “adviser level.” Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were due to meet later Saturday after the summit's close. Their countries have been embroiled in an escalating trade war with new U.S. tariffs on China goods set to take effect a month from now. “The trade war between the United States and China does not favour international commerce. ... A fight between two big players does not benefit,” said Dante Sica, Argentina's minister of production and labour. “If they are able to begin to agree, it would be a good signal that would reduce the impacts on international commerce.” In closing remarks, summit host and Argentine President Mauricio Macri said the countries had overcome “a number of challenges” to reach the agreement. “We have agreed on a statement that reflects the necessity of revitalizing trade, of revitalizing the WTO. .. ”We ratify the concern of everyone over climate change,“ Macri said. The next G-20 summit is to be held in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019. Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey and Almudena Calatrava in Buenos Aires contributed to this report.[SEP]BUENOS AIRES, Dec 1 (Reuters) - China and the United States have agreed to halt new tariffs as both nations engage in trade talks with the goal of reaching an agreement within 90 days, the White House said on Saturday after U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held high-stakes talks in Argentina. Trump agreed not to boost tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods to 25 percent on Jan. 1 as previously announced, as China agreed to buy an unspecified but “very substantial” amount of agricultural, energy, industrial and other products, the White House said. The White House also said China “is open to approving the previously unapproved Qualcomm Inc NXP deal should it again be presented.” The White House said that if agreement on trade issues including technology transfer, intellectual property, non-tariff barriers, cyber theft and agriculture have not been reached with China in 90 days that both parties agree that the 10 percent tariffs will be raised to 25 percent.[SEP]BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - China and the United States have agreed to halt additional tariffs as both nations engage in new trade negotiations with the goal of reaching an agreement within 90 days, the White House said on Saturday after President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held high-stakes talks in Argentina. Trump agreed not to boost tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods to 25 percent on Jan. 1 as previously announced, while Beijing agreed to buy an unspecified but “very substantial” amount of agricultural, energy, industrial and other products, the White House said in a statement. China “is open to approving the previously unapproved” deal for U.S. company Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) to acquire Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors (NXPI.O) “should it again be presented.” In July, Qualcomm - world’s biggest smartphone-chip maker - walked away from a $44 billion deal to buy NXP Semiconductors after failing to secure Chinese regulatory approval, becoming a high-profile victim of the Sino-U.S. trade dispute. The White House said that if agreement on trade issues including technology transfer, intellectual property, non-tariff barriers, cyber theft and agriculture has not been reached with China in 90 days that both parties agree that the 10 percent tariffs will be raised to 25 percent. Trump slapped 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods in September. China responded by imposing its own round of tariffs. Trump has also threatened to add tariffs on another $267 billion of Chinese imports. Xi agreed to designate the drug fentanyl as a controlled substance, the White House said. For more than a year, Trump has raised concerns about the synthetic opioid being sent from China to the United States, which is facing an epidemic of opioid-related deaths. China also agreed to start purchasing agricultural products from U.S. farmers immediately, the White House said. U.S. companies and consumers are bearing part of the cost of the U.S. tariffs on China by paying higher prices for goods, and many companies have hiked prices on imported goods. At the same time, U.S. farmers have been hurt by reduced Chinese imports of soybeans and other products.[SEP]White House: Trump and China's Xi reach 90-day ceasefire agreement on new tariffs to allow trade negotiations.[SEP]White House: Trump and China's Xi reach 90-day ceasefire agreement on new tariffs to allow trade negotiations BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — White House: Trump and China's Xi reach 90-day ceasefire agreement on new tariffs to allow trade negotiations.

The White House announces that the United States and China agree to halt new trade tariffs for 90 days to allow for talks.

MEXICO CITY — Andrés Manuel López Obrador took the reins of governance here on Saturday, becoming the most left-wing president Mexico has had in its modern history — and assuming office at a time of growing frustration among Mexicans and high expectations for change. In his first speech to Congress, Lopez Obrador pledged “a peaceful and orderly transition, but one that is deep and radical ... because we will end the corruption and impunity that prevent Mexico’s rebirth.” Tired of the rampant corruption that plagues all levels of government, as well as sky-high violence, Mexicans voted overwhelmingly for AMLO, as López Obrador is known, giving him a landslide victory. During his campaign, López Obrador vowed to crack down on corruption, called for economic austerity and pledged to slash his own salary — ditching the presidential jet is also in his plans — and cap other public officials’ pay. López Obrador, 64, a former Mexico City mayor, criticized his opponents during the campaign, calling them “the mafia in power.” Some have even compared López Obrador to Donald Trump for insisting on putting national concerns first. Mexico is Latin America’s second-largest economy and a major trading partner of the U.S. Many Mexicans have high expectations for López Obrador, who is limited to one six-year term, with no shot at re-election. A recent poll by the newspaper El Financiero indicated he has a 66 percent approval rating, while outgoing President Enrique Peña Nieto has only 26 percent. “His supporters are looking for him to be the president of a new era in Mexico," said Jason Marczak, director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. "He will also face the challenge of having to deliver quick wind for supporters who are incredibly anxious and eager of what his presidency might be." Many crimes committed go unpunished in Mexico, where the murder rate is at a record high. Corruption and crime are not new, but AMLO capitalized on it as a left-leaning populist, campaigning on curbing violence by tackling poverty and inequality, which he vowed to uphold in his speech on Saturday. In Mexico, even those who did not vote for him are expressing hope that he will bring positive change. Graciela Romero, a business owner in a middle-class Mexico City neighborhood, is a supporter of the center-right PAN party. Her top issue is the economy, and she's upset that she has had to increase the price of the fruits and vegetables she sells to counter rising fuel prices. “We are a rich country, yet we pay so much for gasoline,” she said. López Obrador plans to revive Mexico’s oil industry by building a new refinery. Nearly all of Mexico’s massive fuel imports come from the U.S. The refinery is also part of his agenda to focus on projects in the county’s more impoverished and underdeveloped region in the southeast, including his home state of Tabasco. Jesús Hernández Tolentino, 48, a taxi driver from Mexico City, rents the car he uses for work at $15 a day. After paying for gas, his daily income is around $11. He said the price of gasoline was going up under the government of Peña Nieto. “López Obrador has mentioned he is going to build a refinery and that the price of gasoline is going to decrease, and that is what we are hoping for,” Tolentino said. He has supported López Obrador’s political party since it was founded in 2014 and voted for him in all three elections he ran in. Nervous investors have watched López Obrador’s transition period closely. Weeks before taking office, markets were rattled by announcements that the incoming administration would cancel a partially built $13 billion airport and impose limits on bank commissions. AMLO tried to assuage those worries in his inaugural address. “I promise, and I’m a man of my word, that the investments of foreign and international investors will be safe, and we will even create conditions that will allow them to get good returns,” he said, “because in Mexico there will be honesty, rule of law, clear rules, economic growth and confidence.” But he made clear his agenda trying to narrow the nation's inequality. “We are going to govern for everyone, but we are going to give preference to the most impoverished and vulnerable,” Lopez Obrador said. “For the good of all, the poor come first.’” The rise of López Obrador comes at a time when Latin America has been moving towards right-wing leaders. López Obrador campaigned for over 15 years as a leftist, defending the poor and was elected under his own political party. Traditionally Mexican politics were dominated by three parties: the centrist PRI, the conservative PAN, and the leftist PRD. But it was the MORENA party that won Lopez Obrador a landslide victory. His MORENA party also won a majority in Congress, allowing him more freedom to change policy. “He has enormous power,” said Eric Olson, a director at the Seattle International Foundation and advisor to the Woodrow Wilson Center. “Hopefully, he will use it for the good. But those are always risky situations as well.” A key move to help combat corruption would be to have an independent attorney general, said Olson. “That proposal has been on the table for a long time. But it’s not clear yet whether he will accept that the attorney general will be independent of the president,” he said. A new NAFTA deal signed on Friday at the G20 meeting — called United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) — cleared a major obstacle for López Obrador, allowing him to focus on his domestic agenda. López Obrador had been a critic of the 1994 NAFTA, saying it had not done enough to improve the lives of Mexican workers. But recognizing the importance of economic and financial-market stability, he praised the renegotiated USMCA deal. The first foreign dignitaries that Lopez Obrador greeted as he took office were U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump. “I want to say that since July 1, the day I was elected, I have received respectful treatment from President Donald Trump”, Lopez Obrador said. How López Obrador handles relations with Trump, who has sparred with Mexico over calls for a border wall, will be closely watched. The recent migrant caravan, that has resulted in over 5,000 Central Americans camped out in a sports complex in Tijuana, recently presented López Obrador with a difficult task — appease Trump while upholding his position of defending the poor. AMLO signaled on Tuesday he would be willing to house the migrants on Mexican soil while they apply for asylum in the U.S. — something Trump has demanded. He also called on Trump to contribute to development projects to help create jobs in Central America to help stem the flow of migrants. If Central American migrants continue to make their way to Mexico in large numbers for years to come, it could erupt into a political crisis for López Obrador. But for the majority of Mexicans, Central American migrants are not top of mind. Vanessa Calderón, 22, a third-year medical school student, has already decided she does not want to have children as she weighs what she sees around her and what she thinks is coming. “There is going to be more insecurity, more unemployment, and I think more violence and intolerance,” said Calderón. She did not vote for López Obrador, though most of her family did. Yet, she is still hopeful. “With him, we hope there is change," she said. "I, as a young person, do not expect anything from the Mexican government because each time, we go from bad to worse.” Olson said López Obrador “has created enormous expectations by talking about his government as the ‘fourth great era in Mexican history.’ When you talk in that kind of grandiose way, you worry that expectations are too high.” Christopher Alvarez reported from Mexico City, and Carmen Sesín from Miami. The Associated Press contributed to this report[SEP]Mexico City — Andrés Manuel López Obrador takes the reins of governance on Saturday, becoming the most left-wing president Mexico has had in modern history. This comes at a time of growing frustration among Mexicans and high expectations for change. Tired of the rampant corruption that plagues all levels of government as well as sky-high violence, Mexicans voted overwhelmingly for AMLO, as he is known, who won in a landslide. During his campaign, López Obrador vowed to crack down on corruption. He called for austerity and pledged to slash his own salary and cap other public officials’ pay. Ditching the presidential jet is also in the plans of the 64-year-old former Mexico City mayor. He criticized his opponents, calling them “the mafia in power.” Some have even compared López Obrador to Donald Trump for insisting to put national concerns first. López Obrador will serve a six-year term, without possibility of reelection. Mexico is Latin America’s second largest economy and a major trading partner of the U.S. Many Mexicans have high expectations for the new president. A recent poll by the newspaper El Financiero indicated López Obrador has a 66 percent approval rating, while outgoing President Enrique Peña Nieto has only 26 percent. “His supporters are looking for him to be the president of a new era in Mexico. He will also face the challenge of having to deliver quick wind for supporters who are incredibly anxious and eager of what his presidency might be,” said Jason Marczak, director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. Many crimes committed go unpunished in this country with a record high murder rate. Corruption and crime are not new to Mexico, but AMLO capitalized on it as a left-leaning populist, campaigning on curbing violence by tackling poverty and inequality. In Mexico, even those who did not vote for him are expressing hope he will bring positive change. Graciela Romero, a business owner in a middle-class Mexico City neighborhood, is a supporter of the center-right PAN party. Her top issue is the economy. She's upset she's had to increase the price of the fruits and vegetables she sells to counter more expensive fuel prices. “We are a rich country, yet we pay so much for gasoline,” she said. López Obrador plans to revive Mexico’s oil industry by building a new oil refinery. Nearly all of Mexico’s massive fuel imports come from the U.S. The refinery is also part of his agenda to focus on projects in the county’s more impoverished and underdeveloped region in the southeast, including his home state of Tabasco. Jesús Hernández Tolentino, 48, a taxi driver from Mexico City, rents the car he uses for work at $15 a day. After paying for gas, his daily income is around $11. He said the price of gasoline was going up under the government of Peña Nieto. “López Obrador has mentioned he is going to build a refinery and that the price of gasoline is going to decrease and that is what we are hoping for,” Tolentino said. He has supported López Obrador’s political party since it was founded in 2014 and voted for him in all three elections he ran in. Nervous investors have watched López Obrador’s transition period closely. Weeks before taking office, markets were rattled by announcements that the incoming administration would cancel a partially-built $13 billion airport and impose limits on bank commissions. The rise of López Obrador comes at a time when Latin America has been moving towards right-wing leaders. López Obrador campaigned for over 15 years as a leftist, defending the poor and was elected under his own political party. Traditionally Mexican politics were dominated by three parties: the centrist PRI, the conservative PAN, and the leftist PRD. But it was the MORENA party that won Lopez Obrador a landslide victory. His MORENA party also won a majority in Congress, allowing him more freedom to change policy. “He has enormous power,” said Eric Olson, a director at the Seattle International Foundation and advisor to the Woodrow Wilson Center. “Hopefully, he will use it for the good. But those are always risky situations as well.” A key move to help combat corruption would be to have an independent attorney general, said Olson. “That proposal has been on the table for a long time. But it’s not clear yet whether he will accept that the attorney general will be independent of the president,” he said. A new NAFTA deal — called United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) — reached in October cleared a major obstacle for López Obrador, allowing him to focus on his domestic agenda. López Obrador had been a critic of the 1994 NAFTA, saying it had not done enough to improve the lives of Mexican workers. But recognizing the importance of economic and financial-market stability, he praised the renegotiated USMCA deal. How López Obrador handles relations with Trump, who has sparred with Mexico over calls for a border wall, will be closely watched. The recent migrant caravan, that has resulted in over 5,000 Central Americans camped out in a sports complex in Tijuana, recently presented López Obrador with a difficult task — appease Trump while upholding his position of defending the poor. AMLO signaled on Tuesday he would be willing to house the migrants on Mexican soil while they apply for asylum in the U.S. — something Trump has demanded. He also called on Trump to contribute to development projects to help create jobs in Central America to help stem the flow of migrants. If Central American migrants continue to make their way to Mexico in large numbers for years to come, it could erupt into a political crisis for López Obrador. But for the majority of Mexicans, Central American migrants are not top of mind. Vanessa Calderón, 22, a third-year medical school student, has already decided she does not want to have children as she weighs what she sees around her and what she thinks is coming. “There is going to be more insecurity, more unemployment, and I think more violence and intolerance,” said Calderón. She did not vote for López Obrador, though most of her family did. Yet, she is still hopeful. “With him, we hope there is change," she said. "I, as a young person, do not expect anything from the Mexican government because each time, we go from bad to worse.” Olson said López Obrador “has created enormous expectations by talking about his government as the ‘fourth great era in Mexican history.’ When you talk in that kind of grandiose way, you worry that expectations are too high.” Christopher Alvarez reported from Mexico and Carmen Sesín reported from Miami.[SEP]Leftwinger to be sworn in on wave of hope that he can fix poverty, corruption and crime on behalf of ordinary Mexicans This article is more than 9 months old This article is more than 9 months old Mexico’s president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador will take power on Saturday on a wave of hope that he can transform the country on behalf of the poor and marginalized – and suspicions that he will not be able to fulfill such great expectations. The silver-haired 64-year-old, who counts Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as a close friend, won a historic victory in July, bringing the Mexican left to power after 30 years of dashed expectations. 'It's a comfy plane': Mexico's Amlo seeks buyer for presidential jet Read more Figures from around the world have been invited to the inauguration, including US vice-president Mike Pence, first daughter Ivanka Trump, Corbyn and – to the disgust of López Obrador’s domestic critics – Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro. The man known as Amlo takes office as international attention focuses on a caravan of Central American migrants camped out at the US-Mexico border – the first foreign policy challenge of his administration. Pundits had warned Amlo’s election would unleash a wave of latent anti-Americanism in response to Donald Trump’s racist provocations – but Mexicans seem more preoccupied with the domestic problems such as rampant corruption, persistent poverty and a militarized drug war that has left 200,000 dead. Quick guide Mexico's war on drugs Show Hide Why did Mexico launch its war on drugs? On 10 December 2006, Felipe Calderón launched Mexico’s war on drugs by sending 6,500 troops into his home state of Michoacán, where rival cartels were engaged in tit-for-tat massacres. Calderón declared war eight days after taking power – a move widely seen as an attempt to boost his own legitimacy after a bitterly contested election victory. Within two months, around 20,000 troops were involved in operations. What has the war cost so far? The US has donated at least $1.5bn through the Merida Initiative since 2008, while Mexico spent at least $54bn on security and defence between 2007 and 2016. Critics say that this influx of cash has helped create an opaque security industry open to corruption. But the biggest costs have been human: since 2007, over 250,000 people have been murdered, more than 40,000 reported as disappeared and 26,000 unidentified bodies in morgues across the country. Human rights groups have also detailed a vast rise in human rights abuses including torture, extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances by state security forces. Peña Nieto claimed to have killed or detained 110 of 122 of his government's most wanted narcos. But his biggest victory – and most embarrassing blunder – was the recapture, escape, another recapture and extradition of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa cartel. Mexico’s decade-long war on drugs would never have been possible without the injection of American cash and military cooperation under the Merida Initiative. The funds have continued to flow despite indisputable evidence of human rights violations. Under new president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, murder rates are up and a new security force, the Civil Guard, is being deployed onto the streets despite campaign promises to end the drug war. What has been achieved? Improved collaboration between the US and Mexico has resulted in numerous high-profile arrests and drug busts. Officials say 25 of the 37 drug traffickers on Calderón’s most-wanted list have been jailed, extradited to the US or killed, although not all of these actions have been independently corroborated. The biggest victory – and most embarrassing blunder – under Peña Nieto’s leadership was the recapture, escape and another recapture of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa cartel. While the crackdown and capture of kingpins has won praise from the media and US, it has done little to reduce the violence. Photograph: Pedro Pardo/AFP “We don’t like Trump, but we also understand that he’s a danger for the country – so if you can mollify the danger, so much the better,” said Federico Estévez, political science professor at ITAM, a private university. With Amlo, “it’s about being Mexico-first, not being anti-gringo”, he added. Amlo has promised to rule with frugality, selling the presidential plane, swapping limousines for a Volkswagen Jetta and taking a 60% pay cut – forcing other politicians and public servants to follow suit. He takes power amid astronomical expectations from ordinary Mexicans. “We need a change, to do what’s never been done before,” said Erik Yniesta, 44, an addictions counsellor. “He took on the system and beat it. He was the only valid option,” said Eleonora Montes, a sales representative in Tijuana. “All our politicians steal. In a country that’s so poor, they come to power as a way to get rich.” Such opinions reflect widespread disgust with the country’s mainstream politicians: outgoing president Enrique Peña Nieto leaves office with historically low approval ratings. Peña Nieto was initially feted by international commentators for structural reforms – Time magazine featured him on a cover emblazoned with the words “Saving Mexico” – but his administration quickly became bogged down in corruption scandals and growing anger over the dismal economy. Meanwhile, the country raced past a series of grim milestones with record numbers of homicides, but the president seemed uninterested in tackling the violence and corruption which beset ordinary Mexicans. “He simply didn’t know how to deal with the problems his government faced,” said Javier Garza, an editor in the northern city of Torreón. Amlo promises clean government and has argued that previously corrupt politicians will fall into line if the president sets a proper example. Mexican president-elect's new plan to fight crime looks like the old plan Read more But last week, he stunned the country by saying he wouldn’t pursue past cases of corruption, preferring instead to turn the page. He further dismayed supporters by unveiling a plans for a new militarized national guard under military command – despite mounting evidence that Mexico’s armed forces have committed widespread human rights abuses in the name of the war on organized crimes. Meanwhile, he has held a string of plebiscites before even taking office – overturning a proposed new airport in Mexico city and rubber-stamping a series of pet projects, including a new refinery in his home state and a “tourist” train to the Mayan ruins of Palenque. All of the proposals were overwhelmingly approved – but on a turnout in single figures. “These last few months have made it evident [his] project isn’t very clear,” said Diego Petersen Farah, a columnist with the Guadalajara newspaper El Informador. “There is a lot of improvisation and less intelligence than is necessary.”[SEP](CNN) — Mexico swore in leftist leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, Saturday before a crowd that included world leaders and a strong majority in both houses of Congress. López Obrador won a landslide victory in the July 1 presidential election and began his his six-year term promising to carry out a strong fight against corruption, insisting that the issue has been Mexico’s worst nightmare. “Nothing has harmed Mexico more that the dishonesty of the rulers,” he said. During his swearing-in, López Obrador reaffirmed his intentions to sell Mexico’s official presidential plane, to not live in the presidential palace and to cut his presidential salary by 40%. In an extraordinary move, López Obrador also announced his intention to promote a recall referendum during his administration, adding the promise that he “will never seek reelection.” Promises also came with criticisms Saturday. López Obrador criticized the neoliberal model that has governed the Mexican economy in recent decades, saying that such policy “has been a disaster.” López Obrador also criticized his unpopular predecessor, Enrique Peña Nieto, for introducing “harmful” economic strategies and announced immediate public investment to rescue state oil and electricity industries while proposing the creation of a special economic zone with lower taxes along Mexico’s border with the United States. The leftist leader thanked the United States for sending Vice President Mike Pence and first daughter Ivanka Trump to his inauguration, stating that since winning the presidential election, he has been treated respectfully by President Donald Trump. López Obrador also thanked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stating he would like to reach an agreement with both Canada and the United States to tackle immigration issues. At one point, the ceremony turned disruptive after López Obrador acknowledged Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro causing loud protests from a group of legislators holding a banner with the inscription “Maduro, you are not welcome” while chanting “dictator, dictator.” The feud lasted for a couple of minutes, even as López Obrador continued saluting other dignitaries.[SEP]Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took the oath of office Saturday as Mexico's first leftist president in over 70 years, marking a turning point in one of the world's most radical experiments in opening markets and privatization.In his first speech to Congress, Lopez Obrador pledged "a peaceful and orderly transition, but one that is deep and radical ... because we will end the corruption and impunity that prevent Mexico's rebirth."Mexico long had a closed, state-dominated economy, but since entering the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs in 1986, it has signed more free trade agreements than almost any other country, and privatized almost every corner of the economy except oil and electricity.Now, though, Lopez Obrador talks a talk not heard in Mexico since the 1960s: He wants to build more state-owned oil refineries and encourages Mexicans to "not to buy abroad, but to produce in Mexico what we consume."Even so, Lopez Obrador has tried to send conciliatory gestures to financial markets, which have been roiled in the weeks before he took office."I promise, and I'm a man of my word, that the investments of foreign and international investors will be safe, and we will even create conditions that will allow them to get good returns," he said, "because in Mexico there will be honesty, rule of law, clear rules, economic growth and confidence."But he also harkened back to his hero, President Lazaro Cardenas, who nationalized the oil industry and redistributed land during his 1934-40 administration."We are going to govern for everyone, but we are going to give preference to the most impoverished and vulnerable," Lopez Obrador said. "For the good of all, the poor come first.'"The first foreign dignitaries that Lopez Obrador greeted were U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump."I want to say that since July 1, the day I was elected, I have received respectful treatment from President Donald Trump", Lopez Obrador said.But he faces a challenge with a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants camped out on the border, which Trump had threatened to close to keep them out.Lopez Obrador said he wanted to reach an agreement with the governments and companies in the U.S. and Canada to develop Central America and southern Mexico, so people wouldn't have to migrate - "to address in that way, and not with coercive measures, the migration phenomenon."That appeared to be an acknowledgment that Mexico is prepared to house migrants waiting to make asylum claims in the United States in exchange for U.S. development aid."The only person he (Lopez Obrador) can't afford to get in a fight with is Trump, because he knows he could derail his plan," said author and columnist Raymundo Riva Palacio. "He is willing to do the dirty work for them."Lopez Obrador was clear in blaming extreme market-oriented policies he calls neoliberalism for Mexico's problems."Mexico's crisis originated not only with the failure of the neoliberal policies applied over the last 36 years," he said in his inaugural speech, "but also in the prevalence of the filthiest corruption."Mexico's richest man, telecom magnate Carlos Slim, appeared to welcome the new president's pledge to rein in wasteful spending and fight corruption, saying: "Everybody wants spending to be efficiently managed."The rowdiest response from Congress came when Lopez Obrador pledged "not to persecute officials of past administrations," saying "revenge is not my strong suit."Legislators responded by counting loudly to 43 - the number of students kidnapped and disappeared in September 2014 - to remind Lopez Obrador of his promise to establish a truth commission to find out what happened to the students. He repeated that pledge Saturday. Prosecutors have said the students were kidnapped by corrupt police and turned over to a drug gang that killed them and burned their bodies.Lopez Obrador pledged to personally oversee daily 6 a.m. security briefings to confront the rising tide of violence in Mexico, and pledged to ban both oil and gas fracking and genetically modified crops.Combined with a deep sense of nationalism and his own place in history, Lopez Obrador's inauguration is the most home-grown, populist handover of power in decades.He was formally anointed leader by indigenous groups at a ceremony later in the day at Mexico City's main square. Mexico has more than 70 indigenous communities, and Lopez Obrador has pledged to end centuries of poverty and marginalization for them.Traditional healers brushed Lopez Obrador with bunches of herbs and blew incense smoke over him to purify him. They then invoked the spirits of their ancestors and the land to liberate him from any bad influences, turning to the four cardinal points with individual prayers.Activist Carmen Santiago Alonso then handed him a ceremonial wooden staff denoting leadership. It was the first time a Mexican president had ever taken part in this kind of ceremonial inauguration by indigenous groups."What we want, what we desire is to purify public life in Mexico," Lopez Obrador said. "I repeat my commitment: I will not lie, I will not steal or betray the people of Mexico."The country's 65-year-old new leader is moving the presidential office fully back to the centuries-old National Palace that lines one side of the square, while refusing to live at the luxurious, heavily guarded presidential residence 6 miles (9 kilometers) to the west. He will reside instead at his private home.Closed to the public since the first parts were built in the 1930s, the compound will now be used for public events and it was thrown open to the public Saturday.Gabriela Barrientos, a retired secretary, and Jesus Basilio, a market vendor, were among the first to line up at the gate to enter what Basilio called "the house of the people, an emblematic place we will be able to enter for the first time."Yaneth Fierro, a housewife from Acapulco, expressed amazement at the luxury of the compound - there was a small cinema in the basement of one building - but disappointment at completely emptied rooms. "We wanted to see the furniture, but the 'Gaviota' (the nickname of former first lady Angelica Rivera) took them all."The handover of power began at midnight when new Cabinet secretaries were sworn in for key security posts - a tradition meant to ensure there's always someone at the helm of the army, navy and Interior Department, the country's top domestic security agency.New Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Cordero said in a post-midnight ceremony that the new government will "listen to everybody, the majority and the minorities, because in a democracy all opinions can be expressed."Lopez Obrador gained prominence as a leftist politician leading protests against oil pollution in his swampy native state of Tabasco, though he hasn't given any indication that he will cancel private oil exploration contracts or pull out of Mexico's free trade agreements with 44 countries.Lopez Obrador won a crushing victory in the July 1 elections after two previous, unsuccessful runs for the presidency and he is the country's first president since the Mexican Revolution to rise to prominence as a protest leader. He sees his inauguration as a historic "fourth transformation" of Mexico, following independence from Spain, the liberal reforms that broke the church's dominance in the 1850s and the 1910-1917 revolution.Lopez Obrador's predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto, leaves office with a historically low approval rating, which in several polls ranged from 20 percent to 24 percent. Pena Nieto failed to rein in Mexico's rising homicide rate or deal with thousands of Central American migrants camped out on the border, leaving both intractable issues as the biggest immediate challenges facing Lopez Obrador.[SEP]MEXICO CITY — Mexicans line up outside a red and white house in this city’s Roma neighborhood to deliver petitions, proposals and pleas for interventions to the country’s president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador – who officially takes office on Saturday. David Galvan, 54, brought his résumé, hoping to find work as a construction engineer on one of the many megaprojects López Obrador has proposed in his “project for the nation.” He also hoped López Obrador – commonly called “AMLO” – would implement an ambitious change agenda, which AMLO’s promoted as the “fourth transformation” in Mexican history. “We’re looking for change,” said Galvan, who expressed some bitterness at being underemployed – something attributed to graft in a government project he was supposed to work on. “Eliminating corruption is the most important thing because it’s eating away at the country in every way imaginable.” López Obrador overwhelming won Mexico’s presidential election July 1 in a landslide, claiming 53 percent of the vote and majorities in both houses of Congress. As a left-leaning and populist, he campaigned on curtailing corruption and bringing about change. It’s been a familiar theme in Mexican politics over the past 25 years, but an elusive one given Mexico’s longstanding political culture of patronage and graft even with the onset of multi-party elections. A three-time presidential candidate, the 64-year-old López Obrador has cut a controversial path through Mexican politics for decades. He’s a self-styled anti-system politician, who condemns his opponents as “the mafia in power” – yet he’s funded his political activities with the generous public pesos bestowed on political parties. Mostly, though, he capitalized on discontent over corruption scandals that consumed the outgoing president Enrique Peña Nieto’s six years in office. It caused anger in a country where 43 percent of the population is considered poor and politics is seen as the road to riches. López Obrador has promised to increase social spending and cut poverty. He’s also made austerity his calling card: he takes commercial flights, is chauffeured in a Volkswagen Jetta and promises to take a 40 percent pay cut — meaning he’ll earn 108,000 pesos per month ($5,300 a month). New laws mean no public servant can earn more than him. “You can’t have a rich government and poor people,” he often quips. Andrés Manuel López Obrador: López Obrador has pushed his populism further with a series of “consultations,” hastily called referendums organized by his transition team. The consultations have attracted less than one percent of the population (mostly loyalists) to the polls – and prompted critics to condemn the process as rigged to induce the president-elect’s preferred outcomes. One such consultation in late October led to López Obrador canceling construction of a new $13 billion airport for Mexico City. Another consultation with even less participation saw his plans for megaprojects – building railways through Yucatán Peninsula and across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a refinery in his home state of Tabasco and planting a million hectares of trees across southern Mexico – all approved with roughly 90 percent support. López Obrador’s consultations and willingness to cancel existing projects – and his hostility to private sector participation in Mexico’s previously nationalized oil industry – have spooked investors. The peso has plunged to levels not seen since President Donald Trump’s 2016 election and bond yields have increased. A proposal from his partisans in Congress to cut bank commissions sent the stock market sliding. “The airport decision has made every investor question the validity of his statements, coupled with (his allies’) initiatives,” said Horacio Coutiño, an economic analyst. Analysts say López Obrador cleaves to a vision of Mexico from previous decades, when state planning was paramount and the private sector was subservient to the president – something that’s shifted as Mexico abandoned a closed economy for free and open trade. Still, López Obrador promises not to raise taxes and to respect central bank independence. He also signed onto the new North American Free Trade Agreement (United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement or USMCA), though he’s complained about slow growth and stagnant salaries since Mexico embraced free trade. He’s also promised no expropriations. Many on the Mexican left express disquiet with his transition, too, especially his plans to combat drug cartels and rising crime with a militarized police – after previously pledging to get soldiers off the streets. His comments on corruption also confused the country. He said he wouldn’t go after politicians accused of pilfering the public purse, preferring instead to turn the page and positing that others will follow his austere example after he takes office. “Revenge isn’t my strong suit,” he told reporters recently. “I don’t think it’s good for the country that we get bogged down pursuing accusations of corruption.” While investors and pundits express worry, the public has shown optimism for the incoming administration. A survey from the newspaper El Financiero found that López Obrador had a 66 percent approval rating compared to just 26 percent for Peña Nieto. Some 70 percent of Mexicans expect the economy to improve and poverty to drop under López Obrador; 67 percent think security will improve. “(López Obrador) Achilles heel is the excessive demands of his voters,” Viridiana Ríos, a political analyst, wrote in El País, Spain’s biggest newspaper. At the same time, AMLO’s opponents fail to understand their crushing election defeat and “continue asking themselves why people aren’t disillusioned with López Obrador without realizing the biggest disillusionment is with the status quo,” wrote Rios. López Obrador is expected to return Mexico to its traditional foreign policy not criticizing or opining on the internal affairs of other countries, but expecting similar treatment in return. He’s promised “respect” for the United States and Trump. And Trump has spoken well of the incoming Mexican president. Trump will be in Argentina over the weekend for the Group of 20 Nations summit, but Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s daughter and presidential adviser Ivanka Trump will attend AMLO’s inauguration. López Obrador oddly draws comparisons to Trump: both bash media outlets they dislike, speak of conspiracies and act like elites and “the deep state is out to get them,” said Jeffrey Weldon a professor at ITAM, a private university. He promised in the campaign that he wouldn’t “do the dirty work of foreign governments,” when speaking of Central American migrants transiting Mexico. But he’s not repeated that pledge and appears willing to do a deal with Trump on migrants and developing Central America. Trump has deployed military troops to the border and sought to tighten asylum rules to secure the southern border. “López Obrador is about a Mexico-first platform not an anti-US platform,” said Federico Estévez, an ITAM professor. “Why would he choose to play a losing hand (and confront Trump) for another two years?”[SEP]Anti-establishment leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will be sworn in as Mexico's next president on Saturday -- a dramatic change in direction for a country fed up with corruption, poverty and crime. ALSO READ: China optimistic on US talks at G20 summit The man widely known as "AMLO" is promising a sweeping "transformation" after 89 years of government by the same two parties. And he appears to have the mandate he needs to deliver it: he won a landslide victory in the July 1 elections, together with strong majorities in both houses of Congress for his coalition -- led by the party he founded just four years ago, Morena. It was the biggest win for any president, and the first for a leftist, since Mexico transitioned to a multi-party democracy in 2000. But the sharp-tongued, silver-haired leader inherits a sticky set of problems from his unpopular predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto. They include endemic corruption, gruesome violence fueled by the war on drug cartels, and the caravan of 6,000 Central American migrants camped at the US-Mexican border -- not to mention the minefield that diplomacy with Mexico's giant northern neighbor has become under President Donald Trump. Your opinion is valuable. Take this quick survey to help us improve the website and content Lopez Obrador, a 65-year-old former protest leader and Mexico City mayor, has been short on specifics regarding his plans for all of the above. Critics accuse him of being an authoritarian radical. ALSO READ: Trump criticizes GM for making cars in China And despite his promises of fiscal responsibility and business-friendly policies, the markets are fearful for the future of Latin America's second-largest economy: Mexican stocks and the peso have plunged in recent weeks. Dismissing such fears, Lopez Obrador is promising a presidency like no other in Mexican history. Vowing to lead his anti-corruption, pro-austerity drive by example, he plans to forego the presidential residence and live in his modest home, sell the presidential jet and fly commercial instead, cut his own salary by 60 percent, and eliminate the presidential security detail. - Change in style - After taking the oath of office, Lopez Obrador will head to Mexico City's central square, the Zocalo, to receive a chieftain's staff and give a speech -- it's the same place where he celebrated his election victory in July 2018, as seen here. [AFP/File / PEDRO PARDO] His inauguration will also look different from that of any previous president. After taking the oath of office and slipping on the presidential sash before Congress -- the usual ceremony -- Lopez Obrador plans to go to Mexico City's central square, the Zocalo, to receive a chieftain's staff, in a colorful new take on a traditional indigenous ceremony. A massive crowd of supporters is expected at the square where, in between a series of concerts by famous musicians, Lopez Obrador will give a second speech from the National Palace. That long-disused seat of power is where the new president plans to install his offices -- sending a message on the kind of change he represents. With a history that dates back to Aztec times and walls covered in murals by iconic painter and communist Diego Rivera, the palace is a far cry from the current presidential headquarters, Los Pinos -- a sprawling complex that sits in a leafy park, isolated from the bustle of the capital. The guest list includes a host of regional presidents -- one of whom, to the chagrin of Mexico's conservative opposition, is crisis-torn Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro -- King Felipe VI of Spain, and US Vice President Mike Pence, accompanied by his boss's daughter and adviser, Ivanka Trump. Map of the US-Mexico border -- Donald Trump is pressuring new Mexican leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to accept a deal to keep asylum-seeking migrants in Mexico while their claims are processed in the United States. [AFP/File / AFP] President Trump, who is at the G20 summit in Argentina, has struck up a surprisingly warm relationship with Lopez Obrador so far -- though the migrant caravan threatens to interrupt that honeymoon. The American president is pressuring Lopez Obrador to accept a deal to keep asylum-seeking migrants in Mexico while their claims are processed in the United States. Lopez Obrador's foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, is due in Washington on Sunday for talks on the issue with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. ALSO READ: US to sign free trade deal in Argentina[SEP]Andrés Manuel López Obrador showed a sneak preview of his ruling style during a busy transition period, one filled with broken promises and big changes. MEXICO CITY — Five months after winning in a landslide victory that set off a wave of euphoria in the country and engaging in a flurry of activity on par with that of a sitting head of state, Andrés Manuel López Obrador will finally be sworn into office Saturday as the 63rd president of Mexico. López Obrador, a headstrong leftist who traveled the length of the country painting himself as a father figure for Mexico with his message in favor of the disenfranchised during two previous failed presidential runs, wasted no time attempting to set Mexico on track with his vision even before taking the reins. “This is the busiest transition we’ve ever had,” said Hernán Gómez Bruera, a political analyst. “It’s totally unique and that has pros and cons.” If recent months are any indication of how he will govern, López Obrador can be expected to backpedal on key campaign promises made to his base — including vows to crack down on corruption and pull the military off the streets — in order to focus on other parts of an ambitious domestic agenda that the incoming president has described as a "transformation" on par with the Mexican Revolution and independence from Spain. On Monday, a poll by El Universal newspaper revealed that López Obrador’s approval had fallen by 9 points, from 65% to 56%, during the previous three months. Another survey by El Financiero, also published Monday, set his approval rating at 66%, compared to outgoing president Enrique Peña Nieto’s 26% approval. “There is a certain level of disenchantment,” said Carlos Luis Sánchez y Sánchez, an expert in public opinion at Mexico’s National Autonomous University. “He has spent the honeymoon that most presidents get during the first hundred days in office even before starting his mandate.” That mandate will be unprecedented: The party that López Obrador founded, Morena, will hold a majority over both houses of Congress, as well as the majority of state-level legislatures. Some critics view this as a blank check for López Obrador to make controversial — and potentially divisive — decisions when confronting the challenges his administration will face, including a growing murder epidemic, widespread poverty, a shaky currency and fear among foreign investors, and a deepening immigration crisis that could set him on a collision course with Trump. Despite this, López Obrador has said he wants the people’s will to govern his decision-making. To make that happen, he has announced he will be holding “public consultations” throughout his six-year term. But based on the two referendums his team has carried out in recent months, the practice could erode his administration’s legitimacy. On Nov. 12, López Obrador traveled to Mérida, in Yucatán state, to meet with the governors of the states through which one of his signature projects, a 900-mile railway line connecting tourist destinations in southern Mexico, would pass. That day, the group announced that construction for the project would begin in December, despite concerns from academics and environmentalists. The plebiscite for the train was still almost two weeks away, making the vote something of a moot point. His first referendum, on whether to continue building the new Mexico City airport, was plagued with procedural errors and tiny participation (barely 1% of the electorate took part in the exercise, and people reported voting numerous times in different polling stations). Still, the president-elect slashed the project, deepening investors’ previous fears about López Obrador’s interactions with businesses and causing the peso to tumble. While he has sought to bring his signature projects to life at all costs, López Obrador has at the same time reversed his position on several campaign promises. Despite vowing to end graft as a pillar of his campaign, he announced this month that rather than prosecute politicians who committed acts of corruption before Dec. 1, he will issue a pardon for them. (He gave no details on what that would look like.) And while he ran on the catchy motto of “hugs, not bullets” and vowed to remove Mexico’s military from the streets, López Obrador said this month that he will propose amending the constitution to allow for the creation of a national guard, a force of 50,000 military and federal police under the command of the army, tasked with pacifying the country. Experts say the national guard marks a continuation, and perhaps a deepening, of his predecessors’ failed military strategy against drug cartels. Perhaps, security analyst Alejandro Hope told BuzzFeed News, López Obrador is already feeling the pressure and looking for the quickest way out. “It unsettles him to know that the number of homicide victims will start piling up on December 1st,” said Hope. López Obrador, who proved himself intractable during his time as mayor of Mexico City and after his first failed presidential run, began to show an incipient flexibility during his last campaign, embracing a more inclusive discourse. Signs that the trait could become a permanent part of his personality emerged during the transition too. For months, López Obrador said he would forgo security because “the people would protect” him. After a lengthy campaign by his wife, Beatriz Gutiérrez, to convince him to accept a security detail, López Obrador at last gave in. This recent conciliatory streak could come in handy when dealing with one of his biggest challenges: Trump. While he once referred to Trump as “arrogant” and a “show off,” López Obrador has managed to forge a cordial, even friendly relationship with his US counterpart. In a July letter to Trump, López Obrador said they should seek a “common path” and urged him to conclude the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The US, Mexico, and Canada signed off on the new deal Friday — but it still needs to get approval from the US Congress. Throughout the transition period, López Obrador’s team has already been forging ties with Trump’s team. After the migrant caravan arrived in Tijuana in early November, BuzzFeed News reported that the Trump administration was holding talks with the Mexican government on a proposal that would force people to wait in Mexico for their immigration cases to be processed. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has already met with incoming foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard twice — once on Oct. 19 and then again the following month. Trump has asked Mexico to stop the caravans; López Obrador has promised to offer jobs and visas to Central Americans who flee rampant poverty and widespread insecurity in their countries. “He won’t fight with Trump unless it’s absolutely necessary,” said Bruera. “If the tone changes, it will be Trump’s fault, not López Obrador’s.”[SEP]MEXICO CITY — When Andrés Manuel López Obrador takes the reins of governance on Saturday, he will be the most left-wing president Mexico has had in its modern history — and at a time of growing frustration among Mexicans and high expectations for change. Tired of the rampant corruption that plagues all levels of government, as well as sky-high violence, Mexicans voted overwhelmingly for AMLO, as López Obrador is known, giving him a landslide victory. During his campaign, López Obrador vowed to crack down on corruption, called for economic austerity and pledged to slash his own salary — ditching the presidential jet is also in his plans — and cap other public officials’ pay. López Obrador, 64, a former Mexico City mayor, criticized his opponents during the campaign, calling them “the mafia in power.” Some have even compared López Obrador to Donald Trump for insisting on putting national concerns first. Mexico is Latin America’s second-largest economy and a major trading partner of the U.S. Many Mexicans have high expectations for López Obrador, who is limited to one six-year term, with no shot at re-election. A recent poll by the newspaper El Financiero indicated he has a 66 percent approval rating, while outgoing President Enrique Peña Nieto has only 26 percent. “His supporters are looking for him to be the president of a new era in Mexico," said Jason Marczak, director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. "He will also face the challenge of having to deliver quick wind for supporters who are incredibly anxious and eager of what his presidency might be." Many crimes committed go unpunished in Mexico, where the murder rate is at a record high. Corruption and crime are not new, but AMLO capitalized on it as a left-leaning populist, campaigning on curbing violence by tackling poverty and inequality. In Mexico, even those who did not vote for him are expressing hope that he will bring positive change. Graciela Romero, a business owner in a middle-class Mexico City neighborhood, is a supporter of the center-right PAN party. Her top issue is the economy, and she's upset that she has had to increase the price of the fruits and vegetables she sells to counter rising fuel prices. “We are a rich country, yet we pay so much for gasoline,” she said. López Obrador plans to revive Mexico’s oil industry by building a new refinery. Nearly all of Mexico’s massive fuel imports come from the U.S. The refinery is also part of his agenda to focus on projects in the county’s more impoverished and underdeveloped region in the southeast, including his home state of Tabasco. Jesús Hernández Tolentino, 48, a taxi driver from Mexico City, rents the car he uses for work at $15 a day. After paying for gas, his daily income is around $11. He said the price of gasoline was going up under the government of Peña Nieto. “López Obrador has mentioned he is going to build a refinery and that the price of gasoline is going to decrease, and that is what we are hoping for,” Tolentino said. He has supported López Obrador’s political party since it was founded in 2014 and voted for him in all three elections he ran in. Nervous investors have watched López Obrador’s transition period closely. Weeks before taking office, markets were rattled by announcements that the incoming administration would cancel a partially built $13 billion airport and impose limits on bank commissions. The rise of López Obrador comes at a time when Latin America has been moving towards right-wing leaders. López Obrador campaigned for over 15 years as a leftist, defending the poor and was elected under his own political party. Traditionally Mexican politics were dominated by three parties: the centrist PRI, the conservative PAN, and the leftist PRD. But it was the MORENA party that won Lopez Obrador a landslide victory. His MORENA party also won a majority in Congress, allowing him more freedom to change policy. “He has enormous power,” said Eric Olson, a director at the Seattle International Foundation and advisor to the Woodrow Wilson Center. “Hopefully, he will use it for the good. But those are always risky situations as well.” A key move to help combat corruption would be to have an independent attorney general, said Olson. “That proposal has been on the table for a long time. But it’s not clear yet whether he will accept that the attorney general will be independent of the president,” he said. A new NAFTA deal — called United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) — reached in October cleared a major obstacle for López Obrador, allowing him to focus on his domestic agenda. López Obrador had been a critic of the 1994 NAFTA, saying it had not done enough to improve the lives of Mexican workers. But recognizing the importance of economic and financial-market stability, he praised the renegotiated USMCA deal. How López Obrador handles relations with Trump, who has sparred with Mexico over calls for a border wall, will be closely watched. The recent migrant caravan, that has resulted in over 5,000 Central Americans camped out in a sports complex in Tijuana, recently presented López Obrador with a difficult task — appease Trump while upholding his position of defending the poor. AMLO signaled on Tuesday he would be willing to house the migrants on Mexican soil while they apply for asylum in the U.S. — something Trump has demanded. He also called on Trump to contribute to development projects to help create jobs in Central America to help stem the flow of migrants. If Central American migrants continue to make their way to Mexico in large numbers for years to come, it could erupt into a political crisis for López Obrador. But for the majority of Mexicans, Central American migrants are not top of mind. Vanessa Calderón, 22, a third-year medical school student, has already decided she does not want to have children as she weighs what she sees around her and what she thinks is coming. “There is going to be more insecurity, more unemployment, and I think more violence and intolerance,” said Calderón. She did not vote for López Obrador, though most of her family did. Yet, she is still hopeful. “With him, we hope there is change," she said. "I, as a young person, do not expect anything from the Mexican government because each time, we go from bad to worse.” Olson said López Obrador “has created enormous expectations by talking about his government as the ‘fourth great era in Mexican history.’ When you talk in that kind of grandiose way, you worry that expectations are too high.” Christopher Alvarez reported from Mexico City, and Carmen Sesín from Miami.[SEP]Mexico City — Andrés Manuel López Obrador takes the reins of governance on Saturday, becoming the most left-wing president Mexico has had in modern history. This comes at a time of growing frustration among Mexicans and high expectations for change. Tired of the rampant corruption that plagues all levels of government as well as sky-high violence, Mexicans voted overwhelmingly for AMLO, as he is known, who won in a landslide. During his campaign, López Obrador vowed to crack down on corruption. He called for austerity and pledged to slash his own salary and cap other public officials’ pay. Ditching the presidential jet is also in the plans of the 64-year-old former Mexico City mayor. He criticized his opponents, calling them “the mafia in power.” Some have even compared López Obrador to Donald Trump for insisting to put national concerns first. López Obrador will serve a six-year term, without possibility of reelection. Mexico is Latin America’s second largest economy and a major trading partner of the U.S. Many Mexicans have high expectations for the new president. A recent poll by the newspaper El Financiero indicated López Obrador has a 66 percent approval rating, while outgoing President Enrique Peña Nieto has only 26 percent. “His supporters are looking for him to be the president of a new era in Mexico. He will also face the challenge of having to deliver quick wind for supporters who are incredibly anxious and eager of what his presidency might be,” said Jason Marczak, director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. Many crimes committed go unpunished in this country with a record high murder rate. Corruption and crime are not new to Mexico, but AMLO capitalized on it as a left-leaning populist, campaigning on curbing violence by tackling poverty and inequality. In Mexico, even those who did not vote for him are expressing hope he will bring positive change. Graciela Romero, a business owner in a middle-class Mexico City neighborhood, is a supporter of the center-right PAN party. Her top issue is the economy. She's upset she's had to increase the price of the fruits and vegetables she sells to counter more expensive fuel prices. “We are a rich country, yet we pay so much for gasoline,” she said. López Obrador plans to revive Mexico’s oil industry by building a new oil refinery. Nearly all of Mexico’s massive fuel imports come from the U.S. The refinery is also part of his agenda to focus on projects in the county’s more impoverished and underdeveloped region in the southeast, including his home state of Tabasco. Jesús Hernández Tolentino, 48, a taxi driver from Mexico City, rents the car he uses for work at $15 a day. After paying for gas, his daily income is around $11. He said the price of gasoline was going up under the government of Peña Nieto. “López Obrador has mentioned he is going to build a refinery and that the price of gasoline is going to decrease and that is what we are hoping for,” Tolentino said. He has supported López Obrador’s political party since it was founded in 2014 and voted for him in all three elections he ran in. Nervous investors have watched López Obrador’s transition period closely. Weeks before taking office, markets were rattled by announcements that the incoming administration would cancel a partially-built $13 billion airport and impose limits on bank commissions. The rise of López Obrador comes at a time when Latin America has been moving towards right-wing leaders. López Obrador campaigned for over 15 years as a leftist, defending the poor and was elected under his own political party. Traditionally Mexican politics were dominated by three parties: the centrist PRI, the conservative PAN, and the leftist PRD. But it was the MORENA party that won Lopez Obrador a landslide victory. His MORENA party also won a majority in Congress, allowing him more freedom to change policy. “He has enormous power,” said Eric Olson, a director at the Seattle International Foundation and advisor to the Woodrow Wilson Center. “Hopefully, he will use it for the good. But those are always risky situations as well.” A key move to help combat corruption would be to have an independent attorney general, said Olson. “That proposal has been on the table for a long time. But it’s not clear yet whether he will accept that the attorney general will be independent of the president,” he said. A new NAFTA deal — called United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) — reached in October cleared a major obstacle for López Obrador, allowing him to focus on his domestic agenda. López Obrador had been a critic of the 1994 NAFTA, saying it had not done enough to improve the lives of Mexican workers. But recognizing the importance of economic and financial-market stability, he praised the renegotiated USMCA deal. How López Obrador handles relations with Trump, who has sparred with Mexico over calls for a border wall, will be closely watched. The recent migrant caravan, that has resulted in over 5,000 Central Americans camped out in a sports complex in Tijuana, recently presented López Obrador with a difficult task — appease Trump while upholding his position of defending the poor. AMLO signaled on Tuesday he would be willing to house the migrants on Mexican soil while they apply for asylum in the U.S. — something Trump has demanded. He also called on Trump to contribute to development projects to help create jobs in Central America to help stem the flow of migrants. If Central American migrants continue to make their way to Mexico in large numbers for years to come, it could erupt into a political crisis for López Obrador. But for the majority of Mexicans, Central American migrants are not top of mind. Vanessa Calderón, 22, a third-year medical school student, has already decided she does not want to have children as she weighs what she sees around her and what she thinks is coming. “There is going to be more insecurity, more unemployment, and I think more violence and intolerance,” said Calderón. She did not vote for López Obrador, though most of her family did. Yet, she is still hopeful. “With him, we hope there is change," she said. "I, as a young person, do not expect anything from the Mexican government because each time, we go from bad to worse.” Olson said López Obrador “has created enormous expectations by talking about his government as the ‘fourth great era in Mexican history.’ When you talk in that kind of grandiose way, you worry that expectations are too high.” Christopher Alvarez reported from Mexico and Carmen Sesín reported from Miami.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador is sworn in as the 58th President of Mexico.

PARIS (Reuters) - Rioters ran amok across central Paris on Saturday, torching cars and buildings, looting shops, smashing windows and clashing with police in the worst unrest in more than a decade, posing a dire challenge to Emmanuel Macron’s presidency. The authorities were caught off guard by the escalation in violence after two weeks of nationwide protests against fuel taxes and living costs, known as the “yellow vest” movement after fluorescent jackets kept in all vehicles in France. In Paris, police said they had arrested almost 300 people while 110 were injured, including 20 members of the security forces. Police fired stun grenades, tear gas and water cannon at protesters at the top of the Champs-Elysees boulevard, at the Tuilleries Garden near the Louvre museum and other sites. In some areas there was virtually no police presence at all, as groups of masked men roamed in the shadows of the capital’s fabled landmarks and through its fanciest shopping districts, smashing the windows of designer boutiques. Macron, in Argentina for a G20 summit, said he would convene ministers to discuss the crisis upon his return on Sunday. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe canceled a trip to Poland. “We are in a state of insurrection, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Jeanne d’Hauteserre, the mayor of Paris’ 8th district, near the Arc de Triomphe. The popular rebellion erupted out of nowhere on Nov. 17 and has spread quickly via social media, with protesters blocking roads across France and impeding access to shopping malls, factories and some fuel depots. On Saturday, some targeted the Arc de Triomphe, chanting “Macron Resign” and scrawling on the facade of the towering 19th-century arch: “The yellow vests will triumph.” Addressing a news conference in Buenos Aires, Macron said no cause justified the looting of stores, attacks on the security forces or torching of property. The violence, he said, had nothing to do with the peaceful expression of legitimate grievances. “I will always respect differences. I will always listen to opposition, but I will never accept violence,” Macron said. Protesters smashed the windows of a newly opened flagship Apple Store (AAPL.O) and luxury boutiques of Chanel and Dior, where they daubed the slogan “Merry Mayhem” on a wooden board. Close to the Place Vendome, Christmas trees decorating the streets were upended, piled in the middle of an avenue and set ablaze, prompting chanting from scores of protesters. Order appeared to have been restored late in the evening, although small groups were still at odds with police near the Champs Elysees. Authorities said violent far-right and far-left groups had infiltrated the yellow vests movement. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said most of those arrested were regular protesters who had been egged on by the fringe groups. The protests began as a backlash against Macron’s fuel tax hikes, but have tapped into a vein of deep dissatisfaction felt toward the 40-year-old’s economic reforms, which many voters feel favor the wealthy and big business. Unrest erupted in several towns and cities across France, from Charleville Mezieres in the northeast to Marseille in the south. In the Riviera city of Nice trucks blocked access to the airport, and in the central town of Puy-en-Velay the police headquarters was set on fire. French riot police stand guard in a street near the Place de l'Etoile during clashes with protesters wearing yellow vests, a symbol of a French drivers' protest against higher diesel taxes, in Paris, France, December 1, 2018. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe The protests are taking a toll on the economy. Parts of central Paris that should have been packed with tourists and Christmas shoppers resembled battle zones, as smoke and tear gas hung in the air and debris littered the ground. Hotels and department stores in the capital stand to lose millions, and shelves have run empty in some supermarkets. MACRON STANDS FIRM The protests have caught Macron off-guard just as he was trying to counter a fall in his popularity rating to 20 percent. His unyielding response has exposed him to charges of being out of touch with ordinary people, particularly in rural villages and the provincial hinterlands. Some peaceful protesters held up a slogan reading, “Macron, stop treating us like idiots!” Macron on Tuesday said he understood the anger of voters outside France’s big cities over the squeeze fuel prices have put on households. But he insisted he would not be bounced into changing policy by “thugs”. Despite the unrest that has accompanied the protests, the “yellow vests” have widespread public support, even in cities. “I am totally behind the ‘Gilets Jaunes’,” said George DuPont, a resident in Paris’ upscale 16th arrondissement. “The state has stolen money from the French people. It’s time to give it back.” Assistant teacher Sandrine Lemoussu, 45, who traveled from Burgundy to protest peacefully, said people were fed up with Macron. “The people are in revolt,” she said. “The anger is rising more and more, and the president despises the French. We aren’t here to smash things, but the people have had enough.” Slideshow (25 Images) Many on the outskirts of smaller provincial towns and villages have expressed anger, underlining the gap between metropolitan elites and working class voters that has boosted anti-establishment politics across the Western world. “Mr Macron wrote a book called Revolution. He was prophetic because it is what he has managed to launch, but not the revolution he sought,” Far-left La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Melenchon told reporters ahead of a protest in Marseille.[SEP]A French protest against rising taxes and the high cost of living turned into a riot Saturday in Paris as police fired tear gas and water cannon in street battles with activists wearing the fluorescent yellow vests of a new movement.Police said at least 80 people, including 16 police officers, were injured in violent protests in the French capital, and 183 others were arrested. Thousands of police were deployed in Paris to try to contain the protests.It was the third straight weekend of clashes in Paris, and the scene contrasted sharply with protests Saturday in other French regions, where demonstrations and road blockades were largely peaceful.The clashes started early Saturday near the Arc de Triomphe monument and continued in the afternoon down several streets in the French capital's most popular tourist area. Pockets of demonstrators built makeshift barricades in the middle of Paris streets, lit fires, sprayed graffiti on the Arc de Triomphe and threw rocks at officers. They also set fire to cars and trash cans.Some demonstrators removed the barriers protecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I under the Arc de Triomphe monument, to pose near its eternal flame and sing the national anthem. They were then dispersed by police.Graffiti sprayed onto the Arc de Triomphe wrote: "yellow jackets will triumph."Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted her "indignation" and "deep sadness," saying that violence is "not acceptable."In addition to rising taxes, demonstrators are furious about President Emmanuel Macron's leadership, saying his government does not care about ordinary people. The grassroots protests began with motorists upset over a fuel tax hike, but now involve a broad range of demands related to France's high cost of living. Some of the protests appear to have been hijacked by more radical far-right or far-left groups.French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said some protesters attacked police "with a rarely seen violence," leading to the arrests.French authorities said they counted 36,000 protesters across the country, including 5,500 in Paris.Earlier Saturday, several hundreds of peaceful protesters in Paris passed through police checkpoints to reach the Champs-Elysees. They marched on the famed avenue behind a big banner writing "Macron, stop taking us for stupid people."Access to the Champs-Elysees was closed to cars and strictly monitored by police with identity checks and bag inspections. All subway stations in and around the avenue were closed for security reasons."It's difficult to reach the end of the month. People work and pay a lot of taxes and we are fed up," said Rabah Mendez, a protester who came from a southern suburb to march peacefully in Paris."Our purchasing power is severely diminishing every day. And then: taxes, taxes and taxes," said Paris resident Hedwige Lebrun. "The state is asking us to tighten our belts, but they at the contrary live totally above all standards with our money."Since the yellow jacket movement kicked off on Nov. 17, two people have been killed and hundreds injured in accidents stemming from the protests.[SEP]PARIS -- Protesters angry about rising taxes clashed with French police for a third straight weekend and dozens were arrested after pockets of demonstrators built barricades in the middle of streets in central Paris, lit fires and threw rocks at officers Saturday. Protesters, including some wearing black hoodies, piled up large plywood planks and other material in the middle of a street near the Arc de Triomphe, and set the debris on fire. Police fired tear gas and used water cannons to try to push back the protesters who gathered around the Arc de Triomphe. Some demonstrators responded by throwing large rocks. Others removed the barriers protecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I, under the monument, to pose near its eternal flame and sing the national anthem. They were then dispersed by police. French Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that 3,000 "troublemakers" were around the Champs-Elysees avenue, outside a perimeter secured by police. Paris police said at least 81 people have been arrested at midday. Nunez said 5,000 police were deployed in Paris to try to contain the protests. Meanwhile, several hundreds of peaceful protesters, called "yellow jackets" for the fluorescent vests they wear, passed through police checkpoints to reach the Champs-Elysees. They marched on the famed avenue behind a big banner writing "Macron, stop taking us for stupid people." In addition to rising taxes, demonstrators are furious about President Emmanuel Macron's leadership. A demonstration last weekend in Paris also turned violent. Access to the Champs-Elysee was closed to cars and strictly monitored by police with identity checks and bag inspections. The clashes in Paris contrasted Saturday with protests in other French regions, where demonstrations and road blockades were largely peaceful. The protests, which began with motorists demonstrating against a fuel tax hike, now involve a broad range of demands related to the country's high cost of living. Shopkeepers on the Champs-Elysees prepared for possible new violence, bringing in workers to barricade boutique windows with boards. Decorative iron grates, used last week in barricades, were removed from around trees and outdoor terraces dismantled. All subway stations in and around the famous avenue were closed for security reasons, Paris public transport company RATP said. Last week, French authorities said 8,000 people demonstrated on the Champs-Elysees. Some of the protesters torched barriers and plywood boards. Police fired tear gas and water cannons to push back angry demonstrators. Since the protests kicked off Nov. 17, two people were killed and hundreds injured in accidents stemming from the protests since they kicked off Nov. 17, and hundreds of protesters and police have been injured. Meanwhile, hundreds of roads blockades were also held quietly across the country.[SEP]PARIS (AP) — Protesters angry about rising taxes clashed with French police for a third straight weekend and more than 100 were arrested Saturday. Pockets of demonstrators built makeshift barricades in the middle of streets in central Paris, lit fires, sprayed graffiti on the Arc de Triomphe and threw rocks at officers. Protesters, including some wearing black hoods, piled up large plywood planks and other material in the middle of a street near the Arc de Triomphe, and set the debris ablaze. Police fired tear gas and used water cannons to try to push back the protesters who gathered around the Arc de Triomphe. Some demonstrators responded by throwing large rocks. Others removed the barriers protecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I, under the monument, to pose near its eternal flame and sing the national anthem. They were then dispersed by police. Graffiti sprayed onto the Arc de Triomphe wrote: “yellow jackets will triumph,” in reference to the fluorescent vests protesters wear. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said some protesters attacked police forces “with a rarely seen violence,” leading to the arrest of at least 107 people. Speaking at Paris police headquarters, Philippe said over 5,000 protesters were on and around the Champs-Elysees avenue. Authorities said 5,000 police were deployed in Paris to try to contain the protests. Several hundreds of peaceful protesters passed through police checkpoints to reach the Champs-Elysees. They marched on the famed avenue behind a big banner writing “Macron, stop taking us for stupid people.” Access to the Champs-Elysees was closed to cars and strictly monitored by police with identity checks and bag inspections. In addition to rising taxes, demonstrators are furious about President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership. Rabah Mendez, a protester who came from a southern suburb to march peacefully in Paris, said “people say it’s difficult to reach the end of the month. People work and pay a lot of taxes and we are fed up.” Paris resident Hedwige Lebrun said “the purchasing power is severely diminishing every day. And then: taxes, taxes and taxes. And the state is asking us to tighten our belts, but they at the contrary live totally above all standard with our money.” All subway stations in and around the famous avenue were closed for security reasons, Paris public transport company RATP said. The clashes in Paris contrasted Saturday with protests in other French regions, where demonstrations and road blockades were largely peaceful. The protests, which began with motorists demonstrating against a fuel tax hike, now involve a broad range of demands related to the country’s high cost of living. Last week, French authorities said 8,000 people demonstrated on the Champs-Elysees. Some of the protesters torched barriers and plywood boards. Police fired tear gas and water cannons to push back angry demonstrators. Since the movement kicked off Nov. 17, two people were killed and hundreds injured in accidents stemming from the protests, and hundreds of protesters and police have been injured. Meanwhile, hundreds of roads blockades were also held quietly across the country. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]Paris: Protesters angry about rising taxes clashed with French police for a third straight weekend and more than 200 were arrested on Saturday. Pockets of demonstrators built makeshift barricades in the middle of streets in central Paris, lit fires, sprayed graffiti on the Arc de Triomphe and threw rocks at officers. Protesters, including some wearing black hoods, piled up large plywood planks and other material in the middle of a street near the Arc de Triomphe, and set the debris ablaze. Police fired tear gas and used water cannons to try to push back the protesters who gathered around the Arc de Triomphe. Some demonstrators responded by throwing large rocks. Others removed the barriers protecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I, under the monument, to pose near its eternal flame and sing the national anthem. They were then dispersed by police.[SEP]At least 80 people have been injured and more than 180 arrested in central Paris after violent clashes between police and protesters, in a third weekend of nationwide demonstrations against high living costs. Police have fired tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons in battles with protesters around the Arc de Triomphe near the Champs-Elysees avenue. Clashes were reported elsewhere across the city centre on Saturday, as well as in other towns across the country. The Galeries Lafayette and Printemps department stores in central Paris closed their doors amid the violence, two spokeswomen told Reuters, while firemen were seen putting out a blaze at a building near the Champs-Elysees. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted her "indignation" and "deep sadness", saying that violence is "not acceptable". Police said they had arrested 183 people amid concerns that violent far-right and far-left groups were infiltrating the "gilets jaunes" (yellow vests) movement, a spontaneous grassroots rebellion against the struggle many French face to make ends meet. For three weeks, protesters have blocked roads across the country, posing one of the largest and most sustained challenges French President Emmanuel Macron has faced in his 18-month-old presidency. At least 80 people, including 11 members of the security forces, have been injured in the capital, Paris police said. The skirmishes in Paris broke out early on Saturday, with rioters and peaceful protesters mixed together after authorities cordoned off the Champs-Elysees, forcing them into adjacent streets. Demonstrators put up barricades in the surrounding areas, smashed some car windows and set alight dozens of vehicles, including a police car. A restaurant in the vicinity was also set ablaze. Several hundred yellow vests, who have no leader and have largely organised themselves online, sat down around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe, singing La Marseillaise, France's national anthem, and chanting, "Macron Resign!" On the facade of the towering 19th-century arch, protesters scrawled in big black letters: "The yellow vests will triumph". The yellow vests, who enjoy widespread public support, get their name from the high-visibility jackets all motorists in France must carry in their vehicles.[SEP]PARIS (Reuters) - More than 200 people have been arrested after a day of clashes between protesters and police in central Paris, local authorities said. The Paris police department said 205 people had been arrested including militants from the far-right and far-left.[SEP]Scuffles have broken out between police and some French protesters angry over rising taxes for a third straight weekend, after small pockets of demonstrators built barricades in the streets of central Paris and lit fires. Thousands of police were deployed to try to contain the protests on and around the famed Champs-Elysees avenue. Most of the protesters, called “yellow jackets” after the fluorescent vests they wear, were peaceful. But others mixed in with them wore black hoodies and piled up construction materials, including large plywood planks, in the middle of a street near the Arc de Triomphe, and set the debris on fire. Police responded by firing bursts from a water cannon with back-up from riot officers, who used tear gas on the protesters. In addition to rising taxes, demonstrators are furious about President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership. A demonstration last weekend in Paris also turned violent. Earlier on Saturday, hundreds of people gathered at the top of the Champs-Elysees. Access to the avenue was closed to cars and strictly monitored by police with identity checks and bag inspections. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowds as some tried to force their way through. The protests, which began with motorists demonstrating against a fuel tax hike, now involve a broad range of demands related to the country’s high cost of living. Shopkeepers on the Champs-Elysees prepared for possible new violence, bringing in workers to barricade boutique windows with boards. Decorative iron grates, used last week in barricades, were removed from around trees and outdoor terraces were dismantled. All subway stations in and around the famous avenue were closed for security reasons, Paris public transport company RATP said. Last week, French authorities said 8,000 people demonstrated on the Champs-Elysees avenue. Some of the protesters torched barriers and plywood boards. Police fired tear gas and water cannon to push back angry demonstrators. Since the protests kicked off on November 17, two people were killed and hundreds have been injured in accidents stemming from the protests, and hundreds of protesters and police have also been injured. Meanwhile, hundreds of road blockades were also held across the country.[SEP]PARIS (AP) — Paris police say that at least 65 people including 11 police officers have been injured in violent protests in the French capital. Police also say that 140 people have been arrested. Some protesters in France have set cars and trash cans on fire in central Paris after police pushed them away from the Arc de Triomphe monument following violent clashes. Sporadic scuffles with police were breaking out Saturday afternoon in Paris city center as some protesters tried to build makeshift barricades using plywood planks and other material. Meanwhile, other protesters, called “yellow jackets” because of the fluorescent vests they wear, were marching peacefully elsewhere in Paris.[SEP]More than 90 people have been injured in the French capital after police used teargas and stun grenades on thousands of protesters who converged on the Champs Élysées, in the latest eruption of anti-government sentiment. The gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protests are posing one of the most sustained challenges yet to Emmanuel Macron’s leadership

Protesters clash with police in Paris.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Two leaders of Catalonia's separatist movement who have spent the last year in prison started a hunger strike on Saturday to protest what they claim is the unfair treatment by Spanish courts. Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull, regional lawmakers in northeastern Catalonia, said in a statement distributed by the Catalan government that "we will never give up on our right to a fair trial." Spain's government responded by saying that they and other separatist leaders will be treated just like any other citizens brought before the law. The government led by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a statement that "like all citizens who are subject to and protected by the rule of law, the separatist leaders will receive a fair trial." Sanchez and Turull are two of nine separatist leaders who are in pre-trial custody for their role in an illegal secession attempt by Catalonia's leaders last year. Spain's state prosecutors will pursue charges of rebellion against both, asking for sentences of 17 years for Sanchez and 16 years for Turull. Sanchez and Turull are being held in a prison near Barcelona, the largest city in the Catalonia region. They have been kept behind bars with authorities saying they pose a risk of continuing to push for secession and fleeing Spain like other separatist leaders, including former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. The trial is expected to start in the coming months. Catalonia's current separatist leaders insist they won't desist in their effort to break away from the rest of Spain. Election results and polls show that the 7.5 million resident of the wealthy Catalonia region are roughly equally divided by the secession issue.[SEP]BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Two leaders of Catalonia's separatist movement who have spent the last year in prison started a hunger strike on Saturday to protest what they claim is the unfair treatment by Spanish courts. Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull, regional lawmakers in northeastern Catalonia, said in a statement distributed by the Catalan government that "we will never give up on our right to a fair trial." Spain's government responded by saying that they and other separatist leaders will be treated just like any other citizens brought before the law. The government led by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a statement that "like all citizens who are subject to and protected by the rule of law, the separatist leaders will receive a fair trial." Sanchez and Turull are two of nine separatist leaders who are in pre-trial custody for their role in an illegal secession attempt by Catalonia's leaders last year. Spain's state prosecutors will pursue charges of rebellion against both, asking for sentences of 17 years for Sanchez and 16 years for Turull. Sanchez and Turull are being held in a prison near Barcelona, the largest city in the Catalonia region. They have been kept behind bars with authorities saying they pose a risk of continuing to push for secession and fleeing Spain like other separatist leaders, including former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. The trial is expected to start in the coming months. Catalonia's current separatist leaders insist they won't desist in their effort to break away from the rest of Spain. Election results and polls show that the 7.5 million resident of the wealthy Catalonia region are roughly equally divided by the secession issue.[SEP]Two jailed Catalan separatist leaders awaiting trial over their role in Catalonia's failed bid to secede from Spain last year began a hunger strike Saturday, their lawyer said. Jordi Sanchez, the former head of the influential grassroots ANC independence movement, and Jordi Turull, a former minister in the Catalan regional government, were both refusing food, lawyer Jordi Pina told a Barcelona news conference. They wanted to highlight what they see as their unfair treatment by Spain's justice system, he said. "I did not recommend this action," he added. "It is a decision of my clients and they have my full support." The two men accused Spain's Constitutional Court of preventing their appeals from making it to the European Court of Human Rights, in a statement read by their lawyer. "We will never give up on our right to a fair trial. We do not ask the Constitutional Court for any treatment of favor. But we do not passively accept any discrimination or unwanted delays," they said. Pina said he did not know if the five other Catalan separatist leaders jailed in the Lledoners penitentiary some 70 kilometers (43 miles) north of Barcelona would join the hunger strike. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the hunger strike "was obviously not good news" and was not justified because the rights of the jailed Catalan separatist leaders were being respected. "I think it is important to stress that they will have a fair trial because we live in a society based on the rule of law and the judiciary is independent," he told reporters at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. Spain's Supreme Court in October ordered a total of 18 former Catalan separatist leaders to stand trial over last year's declaration of independence. Prosecutors are seeking jail terms of up to 25 years on charges of rebellion or misuse of public funds over the failed secession bid. They are asking for sentences of 17 years for Sanchez and 16 years for Turull. The sensitive trial is expected to start in early 2019 and will focus on the attempt by Catalan leaders to break away from Spain in October 2017 by staging a referendum despite a court ban and subsequently proclaiming independence. Nine separatists in all are in pre-trial detention. The seven at Lledoners prison have been held for between eight and 13 months without trial. In a statement, Catalan regional president Quim Torra expressed his "solidarity" with the two hunger-striking prisoners. "This dramatic and drastic measure is being taken because of what we find to be the complete violation of citizens' rights, civil and political rights, and of respect for the legal process. It's my personal view that criminal law is being used for vengeance," he added. The announcement of the hunger strike comes a day after the first photo of the seven jailed Catalan leaders at the Lledoners prison was released by grassroots pro-independence organization Omnium Cultural. The picture -- splashed across the cover of Catalan newspapers on Saturday -- shows the seven men smiling and wearing casual clothes in one of the courtyards of the prison. Omnium Cultural said it released the picture to send a message of "unity" ahead of the start of their trial. Sanchez told Reuters in an interview last week that he was convinced he would not get a fair trial in Spain, but believed he and other separatist leaders would be acquitted by the European Court of Human Rights. Tensions with Madrid have cooled since last year but the Catalan government continues to advocate for a referendum on leaving Spain, something the Spanish government has said it will not accept. Election results and polls show that the 7.5 million resident of the wealthy Catalonia region are roughly equally divided by the secession issue.[SEP][SEP]BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Two leaders of Catalonia's separatist movement who have spent the last year in prison started a hunger strike on Saturday to protest what they claim is the unfair treatment by Spanish courts. Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull, regional lawmakers in northeastern Catalonia, said in a statement distributed by the Catalan government that "we will never give up on our right to a fair trial." Spain's government responded by saying that they and other separatist leaders will be treated just like any other citizens brought before the law. The government led by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a statement that "like all citizens who are subject to and protected by the rule of law, the separatist leaders will receive a fair trial." Sanchez and Turull are two of nine separatist leaders who are in pre-trial custody for their role in an illegal secession attempt by Catalonia's leaders last year. Spain's state prosecutors will pursue charges of rebellion against both, asking for sentences of 17 years for Sanchez and 16 years for Turull. Sanchez and Turull are being held in a prison near Barcelona, the largest city in the Catalonia region. They have been kept behind bars with authorities saying they pose a risk of continuing to push for secession and fleeing Spain like other separatist leaders, including former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. The trial is expected to start in the coming months. Catalonia's current separatist leaders insist they won't desist in their effort to break away from the rest of Spain. Election results and polls show that the 7.5 million resident of the wealthy Catalonia region are roughly equally divided by the secession issue.[SEP]BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Two leaders of Catalonia's separatist movement who have spent the last year in prison started a hunger strike on Saturday to protest what they claim is the unfair treatment by Spanish courts. Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull, regional lawmakers in northeastern Catalonia, said in a statement distributed by the Catalan government that "we will never give up on our right to a fair trial." Spain's government responded by saying that they and other separatist leaders will be treated just like any other citizens brought before the law. The government led by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a statement that "like all citizens who are subject to and protected by the rule of law, the separatist leaders will receive a fair trial." Sanchez and Turull are two of nine separatist leaders who are in pre-trial custody for their role in an illegal secession attempt by Catalonia's leaders last year. Spain's state prosecutors will pursue charges of rebellion against both, asking for sentences of 17 years for Sanchez and 16 years for Turull. Sanchez and Turull are being held in a prison near Barcelona, the largest city in the Catalonia region. They have been kept behind bars with authorities saying they pose a risk of continuing to push for secession and fleeing Spain like other separatist leaders, including former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. The trial is expected to start in the coming months. Catalonia's current separatist leaders insist they won't desist in their effort to break away from the rest of Spain. Election results and polls show that the 7.5 million resident of the wealthy Catalonia region are roughly equally divided by the secession issue.[SEP]BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Two leaders of Catalonia's separatist movement who have spent the last year in prison started a hunger strike on Saturday to protest what they claim is the unfair treatment by Spanish courts. Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull, regional lawmakers in northeastern Catalonia, said in a statement distributed by the Catalan government that "we will never give up on our right to a fair trial." Spain's government responded by saying that they and other separatist leaders will be treated just like any other citizens brought before the law. The government led by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a statement that "like all citizens who are subject to and protected by the rule of law, the separatist leaders will receive a fair trial." Sanchez and Turull are two of nine separatist leaders who are in pre-trial custody for their role in an illegal secession attempt by Catalonia's leaders last year. Spain's state prosecutors will pursue charges of rebellion against both, asking for sentences of 17 years for Sanchez and 16 years for Turull. Sanchez and Turull are being held in a prison near Barcelona, the largest city in the Catalonia region. They have been kept behind bars with authorities saying they pose a risk of continuing to push for secession and fleeing Spain like other separatist leaders, including former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. The trial is expected to start in the coming months. Catalonia's current separatist leaders insist they won't desist in their effort to break away from the rest of Spain. Election results and polls show that the 7.5 million resident of the wealthy Catalonia region are roughly equally divided by the secession issue.[SEP]MADRID: Two jailed Catalan separatist leaders awaiting trial in a Spanish jail over their role in last year’s failed independence bid began a hunger strike on Saturday, their lawyer said. Jordi Sanchez, the former head of the influential grassroots ANC independence movement, and Jordi Turull, a former minister in the Catalan regional government, are taking this step to “raise awareness” of their unfair treatment by Spain’s justice system, lawyer Jordi Pina told a news conference in Barcelona. “I did not recommend this action, it is a decision of my clients and they have my full support,” he added. In a statement read by Pina, the two men accused Spain’s Constitutional Court of blocking their appeals against their imprisonment from reaching the European Court of Human Rights. Pina said he did not know if the five other Catalan separatist leaders jailed in the Lledoners penitentiary located some 70 kilometres (43 miles) north of Barcelona would later join the hunger strike. Spain’s Supreme Court in October ordered a total of 18 former Catalan separatist leaders to stand trial over last year’s declaration of independence. Prosecutors are seeking jail terms of up to 25 years on charges of rebellion or misuse of public funds over the failed secession bid. The sensitive trial is expected to start in early 2019 and will focus on the attempt by Catalan leaders to break away from Spain in October 2017 by staging a referendum despite a court ban and subsequently proclaiming independence. Nine of the separatists remain in pre-trial detention, including the seven at the Lledoners prison who have been in jail for the last eight to 13 months without trial. The announcement of the hunger strike comes a day after the first photo of the seven jailed Catalan leaders at the Lledoners prison was released by grassroots pro-independence organisation Omnium Cultural. The picture — which was splashed on the cover of Catalan newspapers on Saturday — shows the seven men smiling and wearing casual clothes in one of the courtyards of the prison. Omnium Cultural said it released the picture to send a message of “unity” ahead of the start of their trial. In a statement, Catalan regional president Quim Torra expressed his “solidarity” with the two prisoners who began a hunger strike. “This dramatic and drastic measure is being taken because of what we find to be the complete violation of citizens’ rights, civil and political rights, and of respect for the legal process. It’s my personal view that penal law is being used for vengeance,” he added.[SEP]BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Two leaders of Catalonia's separatist movement who have spent the last year in prison started a hunger strike on Saturday to protest what they claim is the unfair treatment by Spanish courts. Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull, regional lawmakers in northeastern Catalonia, said in a statement distributed by the Catalan government that "we will never give up on our right to a fair trial." Spain's government responded by saying that they and other separatist leaders will be treated just like any other citizens brought before the law. The government led by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a statement that "like all citizens who are subject to and protected by the rule of law, the separatist leaders will receive a fair trial." Sanchez and Turull are two of nine separatist leaders who are in pre-trial custody for their role in an illegal secession attempt by Catalonia's leaders last year. Spain's state prosecutors will pursue charges of rebellion against both, asking for sentences of 17 years for Sanchez and 16 years for Turull. Sanchez and Turull are being held in a prison near Barcelona, the largest city in the Catalonia region. They have been kept behind bars with authorities saying they pose a risk of continuing to push for secession and fleeing Spain like other separatist leaders, including former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. The trial is expected to start in the coming months. Catalonia's current separatist leaders insist they won't desist in their effort to break away from the rest of Spain. Election results and polls show that the 7.5 million resident of the wealthy Catalonia region are roughly equally divided by the secession issue.[SEP]BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Two leaders of Catalonia's separatist movement who have spent the last year in prison started a hunger strike on Saturday to protest what they claim is the unfair treatment by Spanish courts. Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull, regional lawmakers in northeastern Catalonia, said in a statement distributed by the Catalan government that "we will never give up on our right to a fair trial." Spain's government responded by saying that they and other separatist leaders will be treated just like any other citizens brought before the law. The government led by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a statement that "like all citizens who are subject to and protected by the rule of law, the separatist leaders will receive a fair trial." Sanchez and Turull are two of nine separatist leaders who are in pre-trial custody for their role in an illegal secession attempt by Catalonia's leaders last year. Spain's state prosecutors will pursue charges of rebellion against both, asking for sentences of 17 years for Sanchez and 16 years for Turull. Sanchez and Turull are being held in a prison near Barcelona, the largest city in the Catalonia region. They have been kept behind bars with authorities saying they pose a risk of continuing to push for secession and fleeing Spain like other separatist leaders, including former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. The trial is expected to start in the coming months. Catalonia's current separatist leaders insist they won't desist in their effort to break away from the rest of Spain. Election results and polls show that the 7.5 million resident of the wealthy Catalonia region are roughly equally divided by the secession issue.

Jordi Turull and Jordi Sànchez, jailed Catalan separatist leaders accused of rebellion, start a hunger strike.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Security has been stepped up in the aftermath of the killing of Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund One of the Taliban's most senior commanders has been killed in a US airstrike in Afghanistan. Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund was the Taliban's "governor" and military chief for the southern Helmand province. He was killed in the Nawzad district of Helmand on Saturday night, provincial officials said. The Taliban said his death was a "major loss" but it would not deter them in their efforts to take back control of Afghanistan. But Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told the AFP news agency his death was a major blow to the Taliban and would "lower the morale" of its fighters in southern Afghanistan. Helmand is where British troops were based for eight years before ground troops were withdrawn in 2014. Large parts of the province are now back under Taliban control. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC was given rare access to see life under the Taliban in 2017 BBC research earlier this year showed Taliban insurgents control more territory in the country than at any time since 2014. It is estimated that about 15 million people - half the population - are living in areas that are either controlled by the Taliban or where its fighters are openly present and regularly mount attacks. However, there have been intense efforts to persuade the Taliban to begin peace talks to end the fighting. It sent delegates to a meeting in Russia last month to discuss the issue, but has refused to hold direct talks with the Afghan government. Who are the Taliban? A hardline Islamic movement which swept to power in Afghanistan in 1996 after the civil war which followed the Soviet-Afghan war They ruled Afghanistan until they were ousted by the US-led invasion five years later In power, they imposed a brutal version of Sharia law, such as public executions and amputations, and banned women from public life Men had to grow beards and women to wear the all-covering burka; television, music and cinema were banned[SEP]A top commander of the Afghan Taliban has been killed in the southern province of Helmand. Provincial Governor Mohammad Yasin Khan told RFE/RL that Mullah Abdulmanan was killed along with four other militants in an air strike in the Nawzad district on December 1. Mullah Abdulmanan was in charge of Helmand Province for the militants group. His death was confirmed by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid and by the U.S. military. "They're going to have trouble intensifying the fight when their fighters and leaders are under constant assault,” Colonel Dave Butler, spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, said in an e-mailed statement. Talks to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan are “the only solution," Butler added. Mullah Abdulmanan "was the most senior Taliban commander in the south and his death will have an overall impact on security," a senior security official in Kabul was quoted as saying. Taliban fighters increased their control over Helmand Province in the years following the withdrawal of most NATO combat troops in 2014. Last month, U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad held talks with the Taliban in Qatar as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump stepped up efforts to settle the Afghan conflict. The militants have long refused U.S. demands to directly negotiate with the Western-backed government in Kabul, which has struggled to counter attacks from the militant group since 2014.[SEP]A top commander of the Taliban has been killed in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand in a joint operation by Afghan and U.S. Special Forces, Afghan officials and Taliban members said on Sunday. Abdul Manan, who was in charge of Helmand province for the insurgent group, was killed along with 29 others by an air strike on Saturday while he was meeting local commanders and fighters in the Nawzad district, Helmand provincial governor Mohammad Yasin Khan said. His death was confirmed by Taliban members in Helmand and neighbouring Kandahar province but there was no initial confirmation from the U.S. military, which said it was looking into the incident. The death of Mullah Manan, who commanded Taliban fighters as they steadily increased their control over Helmand in the years following the end of most international combat missions in 2014, was seen as a major success by Afghan officials. "He was the most senior Taliban commander in the south and his death will have an overall impact on security," one senior security official in Kabul said. The report of Manan's death comes as both the Western-backed security forces and the Taliban have pushed to gain the momentum at the same time as efforts have stepped up to find a peaceful settlement to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan. Although contacts have started between U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives, there has been no let up in the fighting, with both sides aiming to build a favourable position in advance of any peace talks.[SEP]A senior Taliban commander has been killed in Afghanistan by a US drone strike in what the terror group has described as a "big loss". Mullah Abdul Manan was killed with 32 others by an airstrike on Saturday as he met local commanders and fighters in Nawzad district in Helmand province, provincial governor Mohammad Yasin Khan said. He was the "shadow governor" of Helmand province - the largest supplier of Afghanistan's opium crop - for the insurgent group and headed up the Taliban's southern Afghanistan command. His death was confirmed by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid who said it was a "big loss" for the group. The US military also confirmed his death, adding that Afghan forces had gone on the offensive with US support. They had used precision airstrikes to push the Taliban to accept engaging in peace talks, he added. Colonel Dave Butler, spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said: "They're going to have trouble intensifying the fight when their fighters and leaders are under constant assault. Pictures claiming to be of Manan's body were being circulated on social media. His death is being seen by Afghan officials as a major success because Manan commanded Taliban fighters while they steadily increased control over Helmand in the years following the end of most international combat missions in 2014. "He was the most senior Taliban commander in the south and his death will have an overall impact on security," one senior security official in Kabul said. Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish, added: "His death will lower the morale of the enemy, and result in (the) improvement of security in Helmand and other southern provinces." Manan was on a blacklist unveiled in mid-October by the Riyadh-based Terrorist Financing Targeting Centre, which imposed financial sanctions on nine individuals, including six Taliban members. The commander's death comes as the Western-backed security forces and the Taliban are pushing to gain momentum, with efforts stepped up to find a peaceful settlement to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan.[SEP]LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A top commander of the Taliban was killed in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand in a joint operation by Afghan and U.S. Special Forces, Afghan officials and Taliban members said on Sunday. Abdul Manan, who was in charge of Helmand province for the insurgent group, was killed along with 29 others by an air strike on Saturday while he was meeting local commanders and fighters in the Nawzad district, Helmand provincial governor Mohammad Yasin Khan said. His death was confirmed by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid and by the U.S. military, which said Afghan forces had gone on the offensive with U.S. support, notably through precision air strikes to push the Taliban to accept peace talks. “They’re going to have trouble intensifying the fight when their fighters and leaders are under constant assault. Peace talks are the only solution,” Col Dave Butler, spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, said in an emailed statement. The death of Mullah Manan, who commanded Taliban fighters as they steadily increased their control over Helmand in the years following the end of most international combat missions in 2014, was seen as a major success by Afghan officials. “He was the most senior Taliban commander in the south and his death will have an overall impact on security,” one senior security official in Kabul said. The report of Manan’s death comes as both the Western-backed security forces and the Taliban have pushed to gain the momentum at the same time as efforts have stepped up to find a peaceful settlement to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan. Although contacts have started between U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives, there has been no let up in the fighting, with both sides aiming to build a favourable position in advance of any peace talks.[SEP]KABUL: A senior Taliban military commander has been killed in a US airstrike in Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday. Abdul Manan, who was the Taliban´s ´shadow governor´ in the southern Helmand province, died of wounds sustained during an airstrike late on Saturday said Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the official governor of the province. Manan´s death was also confirmed by the Taliban who in a statement described it as a "big loss" for the group but vowed that it will not affect their military operations. As a senior Taliban leader, Abdul Manan had led the insurgency group´s expansion as it expanded control over the opium-rich province in recent years. Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said Manan was the militants´ top military leader in southern Afghanistan and his death as a major blow to the Taliban. "His death will lower the morale of the enemy, and result in (the) improvement of security in Helmand and other southern provinces," Najib Danish told AFP. Danish said that 32 other Taliban fighters were also killed in the airstrike. A US force spokesman in Afghanistan confirmed the airstrike had killed the Taliban shadow governor. "The Taliban should consider intensifying peace talks, not the fight. They´re going to have trouble intensifying the fight when their fighters and leaders are under constant assault," Col. Dave Butler said in a statement. Abdul Manan was on the blacklist unveiled mid-October by the Riyadh-based Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), which imposed financial sanctions on nine individuals, including six Taliban members.[SEP]A top Taliban leader was killed in what is believed to have been a United States airstrike in Afghanistan, according to Taliban officials, just as Washington was in delicate peace talks with the insurgent movement, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report made available to EFE on Sunday. Abdul Manan was the Taliban "shadow governor" for Helmand province in the south, a key territory for the group, which also gave him control over a large part of the group's finances.[SEP]A key Taliban commander in Afghanistan was killed in a U.S. airstrike on Saturday night, local government officials and the Taliban said. Mohammad Yasin, governor of restive southern Helmand province, told Anadolu Agency that Mullah Abdul Manan was targeted along with his guards in the Nauzaad district late on Saturday. He added that the notorious Taliban commander involved in nationwide terrorist attacks succumbed to his wounds on Sunday. According to the local Khama Press, Mullah Abdulu Rahim alias Mullah Abdul Manan -- who was the group's shadow governor for Helmand -- was killed with his four comrades and two of his security guards. Manan's death was also confirmed by the Taliban who in a statement described it as a "big loss" for the group but vowed that it will not affect their military operations. Helmand -- the region that supplies the largest share of Afghanistan's opium crop -- has been the scene of bitter fighting for years with 10 out of 14 districts of the province either controlled or contested by the Taliban. As a senior Taliban leader, Abdul Manan had led the insurgency group's expansion as it expanded control over the opium-rich province in recent years. Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said Manan was the militants' top military leader in southern Afghanistan and his death as a major blow to the Taliban. "His death will lower the morale of the enemy, and result in (the) improvement of security in Helmand and other southern provinces," Najib Danish told AFP. Danish said that 32 other Taliban fighters were also killed in the airstrike. A U.S. force spokesman in Afghanistan confirmed the airstrike had killed the Taliban shadow governor. "The Taliban should consider intensifying peace talks, not the fight. They're going to have trouble intensifying the fight when their fighters and leaders are under constant assault," Col. Dave Butler said in a statement. Abdul Manan was on the blacklist unveiled mid-October by the Riyadh-based Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), which imposed financial sanctions on nine individuals, including six Taliban members. The killing of the Taliban military leader comes despite increased efforts by the Afghan government and its Western backers to put an end to the 17-year war. U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad recently expressed hopes that a peace deal to end the war could be struck before the Afghan presidential election, scheduled for April. At an international conference on Afghanistan in Geneva last Monday, Afghan president Ashraf Ghani said a 12-person negotiating team has been prepared for peace talks. But the Taliban have rejected Ghani's overtures, calling the government in Kabul "impotent" and a "waste of time." Ghani said the Afghan military has lost 28,529 soldiers in conflicts with the Taliban since 2015, when Afghan forces took over responsibility for national security from NATO. The Taliban gained power in Afghanistan in 1996 after the civil war which followed the Soviet-Afghan war. They ruled Afghanistan for five years until the U.S.-led invasion that started in 2001.[SEP]The Taliban shadow governor for southern Helmand province was killed in an air raid on Saturday night. The provincial media office in a statement confirmed on Sunday that Mullah Abdul Rahim also known as Mullah Abdul Manan was killed along with his two spokesmen – identified as Hafiz Rashid and Mullah Jawid – and his two guards. According to the statement, Mullah Abdul Rahim was also a military in charge of the Taliban in the province. The Taliban Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid in a statement confirmed the incident. Helmand has been among the restive provinces of Afghanistan in the south, where the militant groups including the Taliban are actively operating in its number of remote districts.[SEP]ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—A top Taliban leader was killed Saturday in what is believed to have been a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan, according to Taliban officials, just as Washington is in delicate peace talks with the insurgent movement. Abdul Manan was the Taliban “shadow governor” for Helmand province in the south, a key territory for the group, which also gave him control over a large part of the group’s finances. Helmand is the center of the country’s drug trade, and the Taliban tax the drugs business.

A senior Taliban commander, Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund, is killed in a U.S. air strike in Afghanistan.

The West Papua Liberation Army is claiming responsibility for the killings of at least 24 Indonesian construction workers in Papua. Photo: Supplied The claims confirmed initial blame placed on the separatist group by Indonesian authorities, and marked a deadly escalation of conflict in the restive region unseen in recent years. Indonesian media reported on Tuesday that around 150 Indonesian armed forces were in pursuit of the gunmen, after President Joko Widodo ordered military and police chiefs to check in on the situation. Witness reports described to RNZ Pacific by officials painted a grim picture of a civilian massacre which took place atop a hilltop in Tolikara regency on Sunday. On Saturday, as members of the Liberation Army held a ceremony in neighbouring Nduga to commemorate Papua's independence from Dutch colonial rule on December 1st, 1961, a construction worker nearby snapped a photo of the scene. The employees of the state-owned company Istaka Karya were building bridges and roads in Papua, where Jakarta has been undertaking an infrastructure drive. But the Liberation Army, which claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday, described the workers as armed members of Indonesia's military, or TNI, disguised as civilians. The presence of a camera prompted a violent reaction from the group of around 50 Liberation Army fighters, who rounded up dozens of workers, bound their hands and marched them North, to Lanny Jaya regency, said TNI spokesperson Mohammed Aidi. On Sunday morning, the workers were taken to the top of a hill and forced to march in formation, while they were shot at by Liberation Army soldiers, who killed at least 19 people. Eleven employees managed to survive the massacre by pretending they were dead, said Mr Aidi. But when they ran, the group was pursued by the Liberation Army and 5 more were killed with bow and arrows and spears. Survivors took refuge at a TNI outpost, where soldiers returned fire at the Liberation Army. One soldier died in the shootout. Four workers were evacuated by police and military on Tuesday, along with eight local health centre staff and teachers employed by TNI, said Mr Aidi. Three workers have been hospitalised with gunshot wounds, while another two who escaped remained missing. President Widodo said on Tuesday he would visit Papua once more information on the incident became available. Photo: AFP "We realize that even though the development in Papua is indeed very difficult to carry out and can still be hindered by incidents such as the reported one, the development in Papua should continue," he said. In February, the Liberation Army made a fresh declaration of war against the TNI, which it called "the invaders". Since then, the group has been involved in a spate of skirmishes in Papua, including a series of deadly gunfire exchanges in the Highlands regencies of Puncak Jaya, Nduga, Timika and Lanny Jaya. Two Liberation Army members were killed by TNI in November when they exchanged gunfire in Lanny Jaya. Five others were killed in Puncak Jaya in October by the Indonesian military, it said. In late October, Indonesian media reported that a group of 15 school teachers and medical workers were held hostages by the Liberation Army in Nduga for two weeks, and that one teacher was raped.[SEP]About 300 West Papuan demonstrators calling for independence for the restive Indonesian region faced off with counterprotesters Saturday in the country's second-largest city. The demonstrators in Surabaya chanted "Freedom Papua" and held banners demanding a referendum for independence to mark Dec. 1, which many West Papuans consider the anniversary of what they say should have been their independence. "We are demanding the truth of our history," a speaker shouted at the crowd at the rally, which was organized by the Papua Students Alliance. "Referendum for independence is the right solution for the people of Papua." The crowd, including many wearing headbands with the morning star flag as a separatist group symbol, was blocked from marching to the city center by scores of counterprotesters from several youth organizations in Surabaya, the capital of East Java province. Some confronted the pro-independence protesters with sharpened bamboos. "You may rally to voice your aspiration, but don't bring the separatist issue," said a speaker from the rival group. "Papua is a part of Indonesia forever, and we are willing to die to defend the unitary state of Indonesia." Members of the two camps pushed each other, but several hundred anti-riot police prevented the two groups from clashing, said East Java police spokesman Frans Barung Mangera. The protest ended after about two hours. No one was detained by police, Mangera said. The Free Papua Movement, a separatist group in Indonesia's restive Papua province, declared independence from Dutch rule on Dec. 1, 1961. That was rejected by the Dutch and later by Indonesia. Papua, a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea, was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot that was seen as a sham by many. A small, poorly armed separatist group has been battling for independence since then. For years, a low-level insurgency has plagued the mineral-rich region, which is ethnically and culturally distinct from much of Indonesia. Indonesia's government, which for decades had a policy of sending Javanese and other Indonesians to settle in Papua, is now also trying to spur economic development to dampen the separatist movement.[SEP]SURABAYA, Indonesia (AP) - About 300 West Papuan demonstrators calling for independence for the restive Indonesian region faced off with counterprotesters Saturday in the country's second-largest city. The demonstrators in Surabaya chanted "Freedom Papua" and held banners demanding a referendum for independence to mark Dec. 1, which many West Papuans consider the anniversary of what they say should have been their independence. "We are demanding the truth of our history," a speaker shouted at the crowd at the rally, which was organized by the Papua Students Alliance. "Referendum for independence is the right solution for the people of Papua." The crowd, including many wearing headbands with the morning star flag as a separatist group symbol, was blocked from marching to the city center by scores of counterprotesters from several youth organizations in Surabaya, the capital of East Java province. Some confronted the pro-independence protesters with sharpened bamboos. "You may rally to voice your aspiration, but don't bring the separatist issue," said a speaker from the rival group. "Papua is a part of Indonesia forever, and we are willing to die to defend the unitary state of Indonesia." Members of the two camps pushed each other, but several hundred anti-riot police prevented the two groups from clashing, said East Java police spokesman Frans Barung Mangera. A Papuan activist with his forehead painted with banned separatist flag the "Morning Star" marches with others during a rally commemorating the 57th anniversary of the failed efforts by Papuan tribal chiefs to declare independence from Dutch colonial rule, in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Indonesia took over West Papua from Dutch colonial rule in 1963 and formalized its sovereignty over the region in 1969 through a vote by about 1,000 community leaders, which critics dismissed as a sham. A separatist group called the "Free Papua Movement" has battled Indonesian rule ever since. (AP Photo/Trisnadi) The protest ended after about two hours. No one was detained by police, Mangera said. The Free Papua Movement, a separatist group in Indonesia's restive Papua province, declared independence from Dutch rule on Dec. 1, 1961. That was rejected by the Dutch and later by Indonesia. Papua, a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea, was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot that was seen as a sham by many. A small, poorly armed separatist group has been battling for independence since then. For years, a low-level insurgency has plagued the mineral-rich region, which is ethnically and culturally distinct from much of Indonesia. Indonesia's government, which for decades had a policy of sending Javanese and other Indonesians to settle in Papua, is now also trying to spur economic development to dampen the separatist movement. Papuan activists with face painted with banned separatist flag the "Morning Star" shout slogans during a rally commemorating the 57th anniversary of the failed efforts by Papuan tribal chiefs to declare independence from Dutch colonial rule, in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Indonesia took over West Papua from Dutch colonial rule in 1963 and formalized its sovereignty over the region in 1969 through a vote by about 1,000 community leaders, which critics dismissed as a sham. A separatist group called the "Free Papua Movement" has battled Indonesian rule ever since. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)[SEP]SURABAYA, Indonesia (AP) - About 300 West Papuans have faced off with counterprotesters in Indonesia's second largest city in a rally calling for the restive region's independence. The rally was organized by the Papua Students Alliance. The demonstrators chanted "Freedom Papua" in Surabaya city to mark Dec. 1, which many West Papuans consider as the anniversary of what should have been their independence. The crowd, many of whom wearing headbands of a separatist flag, was blocked from marching to the city center by scores of counterprotesters from several youth organizations. They confronted the pro-independence protesters with sharpened bamboos. Several hundred members of anti-riot police prevented the two rival groups from clashing. The protest ended after about two hours. A Papuan activist with his forehead painted with banned separatist flag the "Morning Star" marches with others during a rally commemorating the 57th anniversary of the failed efforts by Papuan tribal chiefs to declare independence from Dutch colonial rule, in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Indonesia took over West Papua from Dutch colonial rule in 1963 and formalized its sovereignty over the region in 1969 through a vote by about 1,000 community leaders, which critics dismissed as a sham. A separatist group called the "Free Papua Movement" has battled Indonesian rule ever since. (AP Photo/Trisnadi) Papuan activists with face painted with banned separatist flag the "Morning Star" shout slogans during a rally commemorating the 57th anniversary of the failed efforts by Papuan tribal chiefs to declare independence from Dutch colonial rule, in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Indonesia took over West Papua from Dutch colonial rule in 1963 and formalized its sovereignty over the region in 1969 through a vote by about 1,000 community leaders, which critics dismissed as a sham. A separatist group called the "Free Papua Movement" has battled Indonesian rule ever since. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)

At least 19 people are killed as armed group linked to West Papua Liberation Organization attacks construction workers at Trans Papua road project in Nduga Regency, Papua, Indonesia.

TV presenter and national treasure David Attenborough has issued a stark warning to the world about the risks of climate change. Speaking at the opening ceremony of an international summit on climate change, Sir David warned civilisation collapse and extinction of much of the natural world is 'on the horizon'. Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, who also gave a speech, said the world is 'way off course' to prevent catastrophic climate change and that 'we are in trouble, deep trouble'. The wildlife ambassador called for urgent action against global warming and called it a man-made disaster that poses 'our greatest threat in thousands of years'. He was speaking in Katowice, Poland, calling for leaders and decision-makers to take charge on driving down greenhouse gas emissions. Sir David said: 'Greatest threat in thousands of years: climate change'. 'If we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.' And he said: 'The world's people have spoken, their message is clear, time is running out, they want you, the decision-makers, to act now. Sir David was speaking on behalf of the UN's 'People's Seat' initiative to give ordinary people a voice at the international talks by gathering their thoughts, ideas and concerns through social media and polling in the past two weeks. 'They're supporting you in making tough decisions but they're also willing to make sacrifices in their daily lives.' The UN has launched an 'ActNow.bot' which helps people discover simple everyday actions they can take to tackle climate change. Sir David said: 'The people have spoken: leaders of the world, you must lead, the continuation of our civilisations and the natural world upon which we depend are in your hands.' United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned negotiators at the meeting that the world was 'in deep trouble' with climate change. 'Climate change is running faster than we are and we must catch up sooner rather than later, before it's too late. 'For many people, regions and even countries, this is already a matter of life and death.' 'A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH': UN-SECRETARY GENERAL WARNS WORLD IS 'WAY OFF COURSE' ON CLIMATE CHANGE Antonio Guterres (pictured) is UN Secretary-General and he said this period of time is 'a matter of life and death' for countries around the world Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, said this period of time is 'a matter of life and death' for countries around the world. He was speaking at an international summit on climate change in Katowice, Poland. He said the world is 'way off course' to prevent catastrophic climate change and that 'we are in trouble, deep trouble'. Mr Guterres called climate change 'the single most important issue we face', speaking on Monday at the ceremonial opening of a UN summit in Katowice, Poland. The UN chief chided countries, particularly those most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, for failing to do enough to meet the goals of the Paris climate accord. Mr Guterres urged countries to aim for net zero emissions by 2050 saying we are currently 'way off course'. He said countries should radically reduce the use of fossil fuels such as coal, commenting that we are already 'in trouble, deep trouble'. He also said that 'climate action is not just the right thing to do, it makes social and economic sense', pointing to how action to cut emissions will curb air pollution deaths and generate millions of jobs and trillions of dollars. The speeches come after four former presidents of the annual UN climate talks warned the 'world is at a crossroads' and decisive action in the next two years would be crucial to tackle the threat of climate change. In a joint statement, France's Laurent Fabius, Frank Bainimarama, from Fiji, Salaheddine Mezouar, from Morocco, and Peru's Manuel Pulgar Vidal said: 'The challenges are there, as are the solutions. 'We require deep transformations of our economies and societies to build a better world for all. This must be powered by multilateral co-operation.' They called for ambitious decisions which are sufficiently detailed and comprehensive to enable the effective operation of the Paris Agreement, secured three years ago in the French capital to curb global warming. A process to enable countries to announce efforts by 2020 to ramp up their domestic ambition on cutting greenhouse gas emissions must be launched, they said, as current efforts are not enough to prevent dangerous temperature rises. And there needs to be progress on the goal of mobilising 100 billion US dollars (£78 billion) a year for poorer countries to drive clean growth, they urged. The World Bank has announced it is doubling investments in climate action with 200 billion US dollars (£157 billion) for 2021-2025, including 50 billion US dollars (£39 billion) towards helping countries adapt to the impacts of global warming. Negotiators at the talks will hear details of a global review on climate change-tackling efforts, and the pressure is on to work towards increasing commitments from countries by 2020. The talks in Poland also aim to draw up the rulebook for making the Paris deal operational, and poorer countries will be looking for a boost to the finance being made available to help them develop cleanly.[SEP]Leaders of the Group of 20 agreed Saturday to fix the world trading system after difficult, all-night talks in the Argentine capital, but only 19 of them agreed to support the Paris accord on fighting climate change with the United States the lone holdout. The official summit statement acknowledges flaws in global commerce and calls for reforming the World Trade Organization. It doesn't mention the word "protectionism," however, after negotiators said that had met resistance from the United States. Applause broke out in the summit hall as the leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, signed off on a final statement at the end of a two-day summit. The non-binding agreement was reached after talks by diplomats stretched overnight and into daylight on Saturday, amid deep divisions between member nations. European Union officials said the United States was the main holdout on nearly every issue. Trump has criticized the WTO and taken aggressive trade policies targeting China and the EU. But China also pushed back in talks on steel, South Africa objected to language on trade, Australia didn't want the statement to be too soft on migration and Turkey worried it would push too far on climate change, according to the officials. A senior White House official said the joint statement meets many U.S. objectives and stressed that it includes language about WTO reform. The official also noted other elements such as language on workforce development and women's economic development and a commitment by China to doing infrastructure financing on "transparent terms." According to the official, the language on climate was necessary for Washington to sign on, and Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Russia had appeared sympathetic to the U.S. position but ultimately stayed with the other countries. With trade tensions between the U.S and China dominating the summit, the Europeans sought to play mediator. They also scaled back their expectations, cutting out mention of rising protectionism — mainly aimed at Trump. The final language of the statement says, regarding climate, that 19 nations that are signatories to the Paris accord reiterate their commitment to it while the U.S. reiterates its decision to withdraw. It also notes a recent U.N. report that warned damage from global warming will be much worse than previously feared, and expresses support for an upcoming U.N. climate meeting in Poland meant to nail down how countries will meet promises made in the Paris accord. On global commerce, the statement says the 20 countries support multilateral trade but acknowledge that the current system doesn't work and needs fixing, via "the necessary reform of the WTO to improve its functioning." On migration, European officials said the U.S. negotiator said too much talk about it would have been a "deal-breaker" for Trump. So they came up with "minimalist" language that acknowledges growing migrant flows and the importance of shared efforts to support refugees and solve the problems that drive them to flee. The statement also shows a commitment to a "rules-based international order," despite Trump's rejection of many of those rules. "There were moments when we thought all was lost," one European official said, "moments when we spent two hours on one sentence." The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations. Thomas Bernes of the Canada-based Centre for International Governance Innovation, who has held leading roles with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Canadian government, said the G-20 had "veered all over the road" at the summit and failed to truly fix trade. The U.S. was out of step on migration and climate change and blocked meaningful agreement on those issues, he added. "Instead, leaders buried their differences in obscure language and dropped language to fight protectionism, which had been included in every G-20 communique since the leaders' first summit," he added. "This is clearly a retrograde step forced by United States intransigence." "The question is whether we are burying the G-20 in the process," Bernes added. "Certainly this is a big hit to the credibility of the G-20 to provide resolute leadership in addressing global problems." Perhaps surprisingly, one country that was seen as particularly constructive was Russia, the EU officials said. Despite tensions over its military actions on Ukraine and political interference abroad, Russia supports international efforts on trade and climate. While a statement isn't legally enforceable, the Europeans see it as proof that the G-20 is still relevant and that multilateralism still works. "Everyone agrees that the WTO should be reformed," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. "This is an important agreement." "We will send a clear signal — in any case, most of us" — for the success of global climate talks starting in Poland on Sunday, Merkel added. Merkel's spokesman said that during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, she also voiced concern about rising tensions in the Kerch Strait off Crimea and pushed for "freedom of shipping into the Sea of Azov." Last weekend, Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in an incident escalating a tug-of-war that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and supported separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. Germany and France have sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, and spokesman Steffen Seibert said Merkel and Putin agreed that the four countries should hold further talks at the "adviser level." Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were due to meet later Saturday after the summit's close. Their countries have been embroiled in an escalating trade war with new U.S. tariffs on China goods set to take effect a month from now. "The trade war between the United States and China does not favor international commerce. ... A fight between two big players does not benefit," said Dante Sica, Argentina's minister of production and labor. "If they are able to begin to agree, it would be a good signal that would reduce the impacts on international commerce." In closing remarks, summit host and Argentine President Mauricio Macri said the countries had overcome "a number of challenges" to reach the agreement. "We have agreed on a statement that reflects the necessity of revitalizing trade, of revitalizing the WTO. .. "We ratify the concern of everyone over climate change," Macri said. The next G-20 summit is to be held in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Sir David Attenborough addressing the climate change conference in Poland. The naturalist Sir David Attenborough has said climate change is humanity's greatest threat in thousands of years. The broadcaster said it could lead to the collapse of civilisations and the extinction of "much of the natural world". He was speaking at the opening ceremony of United Nations-sponsored climate talks in Katowice, Poland. The meeting is the most critical on climate change since the 2015 Paris agreement. Sir David said: "Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale. Our greatest threat in thousands of years. Climate change. "If we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon." The naturalist is taking up the "People's Seat" at the conference, called COP24. He is supposed to act as a link between the public and policy-makers at the meeting. "The world's people have spoken. Their message is clear. Time is running out. They want you, the decision-makers, to act now," he said. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, said climate change was already "a matter of life and death" for many countries. He explained that the world is "nowhere near where it needs to be" on the transition to a low-carbon economy. But the UN Secretary-General said the conference was an effort to "right the ship" and he would convene a climate summit next year to discuss next steps. Meanwhile, the World Bank has announced $200bn in funding over five years to support countries taking action against climate change. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Climate activist: 'It's high time that Poland phased out coal' What's so different about this meeting? This Conference of the Parties (COP) is the first to be held since the landmark Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C came out in October. The IPCC stated that to keep to the 1.5C goal, governments would have to slash emissions of greenhouse gases by 45% by 2030. But a recent study showed that CO2 emissions are on the rise again after stalling for four years. In an unprecedented move, four former UN climate talks presidents issued a statement on Sunday, calling for urgent action. They say "decisive action in the next two years will be crucial". Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Climate change: How 1.5C could change the world Meanwhile, the gap between what countries say they are doing and what needs to be done has never been wider. So urgent is the task that some negotiators began their meetings on Sunday, a day before the official start. Will global leaders be attending? Yes, some 29 heads of state and government are due to give statements at the opening of the meeting. The number is way down on the stellar cast that turned up in Paris in 2015, which perhaps indicates that many are seeing this as more a technical stage on the road to tackling climate change than a big bang moment. But for the likes of China and the EU, the meeting is critical. They will want to show that international co-operation can still work even in the age of President Trump. How years compare with the 20th Century average 2019 is on course to be in the top three warmest years 10 warmest years 10 coldest years 20th Century average Hotter Colder Months J F M A M J J A S O N D Source: NOAA Replay So will cutting carbon be the main focus of the meeting? Rather than spending all their time working on how to increase ambitions to cut carbon, conference delegates are likely to focus on trying to finalise the technical rules of how the Paris agreement will work. Image copyright FABRICE COFFRINI Image caption A collage of children's drawing about climate change laid out on a glacier in Switzerland While the agreement was ratified in record time by more than 180 countries in 2016, it doesn't become operational until 2020. Before then, delegates must sort out common rules on measuring, reporting and verifying (checking to avoid the misreporting of) greenhouse gas emissions, and on how climate finance is going to be provided. "The rulebook is the thing that will absorb most of the negotiators' capacity at this year's COP," said Camilla Born, from the climate change think tank, E3G. "It's no surprise, as agreeing the Paris rules is both technically and politically a complicated task - but it is worth it!" Right now, that rule book runs to several hundred pages with thousands of brackets, indicating areas of dispute. But what about limiting emissions? Under the Paris agreement, each country decides for itself the actions it will take when it comes to cutting carbon. Some observers believe that the changed mood and the urgency of the science will prompt action. "We are hoping that at COP24, countries will make declarations of how they will raise their ambitions by 2020. This is a very important moment," said Fernanda Carvalho with campaign group WWF. "Two years is a short time span for that to happen. Countries need to act fast." Why is the UN process slow-moving? There is much frustration with the snail-like pace, especially among some campaigners who feel that the scale of the threat posed by rising temperatures hasn't been fully grasped by politicians. Image copyright HANNA FRANZEN Image caption Greta Thunberg, who has refused to go to school in Sweden in protest over climate change, will be attending COP24 "Governments across the world have completely failed to protect their citizens," said a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion, the social movement that pushes for radical change on climate issues. "Instead, they have pursued quick profit and big business. We need this to change. At COP24, we want to ensure that the focus is not just on getting the technical Paris rulebook as robust as possible, but also that governments do not lose sight of the bigger picture." Others involved in the UN process say that real progress is being made in tackling one of the most complex problems ever faced by the world. "We have a $300bn renewable energy economy at work today - it's not peanuts; it's an energy revolution that has unfolded on the back of, yes, a sometimes sticky climate negotiation process," said Achim Steiner, who heads the United Nations Development Programme. How much of a role will money play in making progress in Poland? Many developing countries see progress on issues around finance to be critical to moving forward. They have been promised $100bn every year from 2020 as part of the Paris agreement. Some are sceptical about what they see as foot-dragging and obfuscation by richer countries when it comes to handing over the cash. Negotiators say that moving forward on finance is the lynchpin of progress in this meeting. "A key finding of the recent IPCC report, and one that has often been overlooked, is that without a dramatic increase in the provision of climate finance, the possibility of limiting warming to 2C (to say nothing of the safer 1.5C goal) will irretrievably slip away," said Amjad Abdulla, chief negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States. Are there concerns the meeting is in a country reliant on coal? Yes - among government negotiators and observers alike. The fact that the conference is taking place in a strong coal region, in a city that is home to the biggest coal company in the EU, is troubling to many. The Polish government says that it is sticking with the fuel, and has announced that it is planning to invest next year in the construction of a new coal mine in Silesia. This bullish approach has drawn condemnation from some. "Unfortunately, this week's announcement by the [meeting's] Polish presidency that it will include coal companies as sponsors of the COP sends a very worrisome signal before the conference even begins," said Sébastien Duyck, a senior attorney at the Centre for International Environmental Law. Will President Trump and the US feature at all? Although the US has withdrawn from the Paris agreement, it cannot leave until 2020, so its negotiators have been taking part in meetings and have not obstructed the process. America is expected to participate in COP24. However, given the President's well known love of coal, it has been reported that the White House will once again organise a side event promoting fossil fuels. A similar event at the last COP provoked outrage from many delegates. UN climate conference 03 Dec- 14 Dec 2018 The summit comes three years after the 2015 Paris accord on climate change, at which all countries agreed a plan to limit carbon emissions. Now is the moment governments must start deciding what to do to make sure that plan is put into effect.[SEP]Leaders of the Group of 20 agreed Saturday to fix the world trading system after difficult, all-night talks in the Argentine capital, but only 19 of them agreed to support the Paris accord on fighting climate change with the United States the lone holdout. The official summit statement acknowledges flaws in global commerce and calls for reforming the World Trade Organization. It doesn't mention the word "protectionism," however, after negotiators said that had met resistance from the United States. Applause broke out in the summit hall as the leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, signed off on a final statement at the end of a two-day summit. The non-binding agreement was reached after talks by diplomats stretched overnight and into daylight on Saturday, amid deep divisions between member nations. European Union officials said the United States was the main holdout on nearly every issue. Trump has criticized the WTO and taken aggressive trade policies targeting China and the EU. But China also pushed back in talks on steel, South Africa objected to language on trade, Australia didn't want the statement to be too soft on migration and Turkey worried it would push too far on climate change, according to the officials. A senior White House official said the joint statement meets many U.S. objectives and stressed that it includes language about WTO reform. The official also noted other elements such as language on workforce development and women's economic development and a commitment by China to doing infrastructure financing on "transparent terms." According to the official, the language on climate was necessary for Washington to sign on, and Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Russia had appeared sympathetic to the U.S. position but ultimately stayed with the other countries. With trade tensions between the U.S and China dominating the summit, the Europeans sought to play mediator. They also scaled back their expectations, cutting out mention of rising protectionism — mainly aimed at Trump. The final language of the statement says, regarding climate, that 19 nations that are signatories to the Paris accord reiterate their commitment to it while the U.S. reiterates its decision to withdraw. It also notes a recent U.N. report that warned damage from global warming will be much worse than previously feared, and expresses support for an upcoming U.N. climate meeting in Poland meant to nail down how countries will meet promises made in the Paris accord. On global commerce, the statement says the 20 countries support multilateral trade but acknowledge that the current system doesn't work and needs fixing, via "the necessary reform of the WTO to improve its functioning." On migration, European officials said the U.S. negotiator said too much talk about it would have been a "deal-breaker" for Trump. So they came up with "minimalist" language that acknowledges growing migrant flows and the importance of shared efforts to support refugees and solve the problems that drive them to flee. The statement also shows a commitment to a "rules-based international order," despite Trump's rejection of many of those rules. "There were moments when we thought all was lost," one European official said, "moments when we spent two hours on one sentence." The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations. Thomas Bernes of the Canada-based Centre for International Governance Innovation, who has held leading roles with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Canadian government, said the G-20 had "veered all over the road" at the summit and failed to truly fix trade. The U.S. was out of step on migration and climate change and blocked meaningful agreement on those issues, he added. "Instead, leaders buried their differences in obscure language and dropped language to fight protectionism, which had been included in every G-20 communique since the leaders' first summit," he added. "This is clearly a retrograde step forced by United States intransigence." "The question is whether we are burying the G-20 in the process," Bernes added. "Certainly this is a big hit to the credibility of the G-20 to provide resolute leadership in addressing global problems." Perhaps surprisingly, one country that was seen as particularly constructive was Russia, the EU officials said. Despite tensions over its military actions on Ukraine and political interference abroad, Russia supports international efforts on trade and climate. While a statement isn't legally enforceable, the Europeans see it as proof that the G-20 is still relevant and that multilateralism still works. "Everyone agrees that the WTO should be reformed," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. "This is an important agreement." "We will send a clear signal — in any case, most of us" — for the success of global climate talks starting in Poland on Sunday, Merkel added. Merkel's spokesman said that during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, she also voiced concern about rising tensions in the Kerch Strait off Crimea and pushed for "freedom of shipping into the Sea of Azov." Last weekend, Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in an incident escalating a tug-of-war that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and supported separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. Germany and France have sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, and spokesman Steffen Seibert said Merkel and Putin agreed that the four countries should hold further talks at the "adviser level." Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were due to meet later Saturday after the summit's close. Their countries have been embroiled in an escalating trade war with new U.S. tariffs on China goods set to take effect a month from now. "The trade war between the United States and China does not favor international commerce. ... A fight between two big players does not benefit," said Dante Sica, Argentina's minister of production and labor. "If they are able to begin to agree, it would be a good signal that would reduce the impacts on international commerce." In closing remarks, summit host and Argentine President Mauricio Macri said the countries had overcome "a number of challenges" to reach the agreement. "We have agreed on a statement that reflects the necessity of revitalizing trade, of revitalizing the WTO. .. "We ratify the concern of everyone over climate change," Macri said. The next G-20 summit is to be held in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]By ANGELA CHARLTON, LUIS ANDRES HENAO and PETER ORSI, Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Leaders of the Group of 20 agreed Saturday to fix the world trading system after difficult, all-night talks in the Argentine capital, but only 19 of them agreed to support the Paris accord on fighting climate change with the United States the lone holdout. The official summit statement acknowledges flaws in global commerce and calls for reforming the World Trade Organization. It doesn’t mention the word “protectionism,” however, after negotiators said that had met resistance from the United States. Applause broke out in the summit hall as the leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, signed off on a final statement at the end of a two-day summit. The non-binding agreement was reached after talks by diplomats stretched overnight and into daylight on Saturday, amid deep divisions between member nations. European Union officials said the United States was the main holdout on nearly every issue. Trump has criticized the WTO and taken aggressive trade policies targeting China and the EU. But China also pushed back in talks on steel, South Africa objected to language on trade, Australia didn’t want the statement to be too soft on migration and Turkey worried it would push too far on climate change, according to the officials. A senior White House official said the joint statement meets many U.S. objectives and stressed that it includes language about WTO reform. The official also noted other elements such as language on workforce development and women’s economic development and a commitment by China to doing infrastructure financing on “transparent terms.” According to the official, the language on climate was necessary for Washington to sign on, and Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Russia had appeared sympathetic to the U.S. position but ultimately stayed with the other countries. With trade tensions between the U.S and China dominating the summit, the Europeans sought to play mediator. They also scaled back their expectations, cutting out mention of rising protectionism — mainly aimed at Trump. The final language of the statement says, regarding climate, that 19 nations that are signatories to the Paris accord reiterate their commitment to it while the U.S. reiterates its decision to withdraw. It also notes a recent U.N. report that warned damage from global warming will be much worse than previously feared, and expresses support for an upcoming U.N. climate meeting in Poland meant to nail down how countries will meet promises made in the Paris accord. On global commerce, the statement says the 20 countries support multilateral trade but acknowledge that the current system doesn’t work and needs fixing, via “the necessary reform of the WTO to improve its functioning.” On migration, European officials said the U.S. negotiator said too much talk about it would have been a “deal-breaker” for Trump. So they came up with “minimalist” language that acknowledges growing migrant flows and the importance of shared efforts to support refugees and solve the problems that drive them to flee. The statement also shows a commitment to a “rules-based international order,” despite Trump’s rejection of many of those rules. “There were moments when we thought all was lost,” one European official said, “moments when we spent two hours on one sentence.” The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations. Thomas Bernes of the Canada-based Centre for International Governance Innovation, who has held leading roles with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Canadian government, said the G-20 had “veered all over the road” at the summit and failed to truly fix trade. The U.S. was out of step on migration and climate change and blocked meaningful agreement on those issues, he added. “Instead, leaders buried their differences in obscure language and dropped language to fight protectionism, which had been included in every G-20 communique since the leaders’ first summit,” he said. “This is clearly a retrograde step forced by United States intransigence.” “The question is whether we are burying the G-20 in the process,” Bernes added. “Certainly this is a big hit to the credibility of the G-20 to provide resolute leadership in addressing global problems.” Perhaps surprisingly, one country that was seen as particularly constructive was Russia, the EU officials said. Despite tensions over its military actions on Ukraine and political interference abroad, Russia supports international efforts on trade and climate. While a statement isn’t legally enforceable, the Europeans see it as proof that the G-20 is still relevant and that multilateralism still works. “Everyone agrees that the WTO should be reformed,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. “This is an important agreement.” “We will send a clear signal — in any case, most of us” — for the success of global climate talks starting in Poland on Sunday, Merkel added. Merkel’s spokesman said that during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, she also voiced concern about rising tensions in the Kerch Strait off Crimea and pushed for “freedom of shipping into the Sea of Azov.” Last weekend, Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in an incident escalating a tug-of-war that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and supported separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. Germany and France have sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, and Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said she and Putin agreed that the four countries should hold further talks at the “adviser level.” Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were due to meet later Saturday after the summit’s close. Their countries have been embroiled in an escalating trade war with new U.S. tariffs on China goods set to take effect a month from now. “The trade war between the United States and China does not favor international commerce. … A fight between two big players does not benefit,” said Dante Sica, Argentina’s minister of production and labor. “If they are able to begin to agree, it would be a good signal that would reduce the impacts on international commerce.” In closing remarks, summit host and Argentine President Mauricio Macri said the countries had overcome “a number of challenges.” “We have agreed on a statement that reflects the necessity of revitalizing trade, of revitalizing the WTO. … “We ratify the concern of everyone over climate change,” Macri said. The next G-20 summit is to be held in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019. ___ Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey and Almudena Calatrava in Buenos Aires and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.[SEP]Leaders of the Group of 20 agreed Saturday to fix the world trading system after difficult, all-night talks in the Argentine capital, but only 19 of them agreed to support the Paris accord on fighting climate change with the United States the lone holdout.The official summit statement acknowledges flaws in global commerce and calls for reforming the World Trade Organization. It doesn't mention the word "protectionism," however, after negotiators said that had met resistance from the United Unite States.Applause broke out in the summit hall as the leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump , signed off on a final statement at the end of a two-day summit.The non-binding agreement was reached after talks by diplomats stretched overnight and into daylight on Saturday, amid deep divisions between member nations. European Union officials said the United States was the main holdout on nearly every issue. Trump has criticized the WTO and taken aggressive trade policies targeting China and the EU.But China also pushed back in talks on steel, South Africa objected to language on trade, Australia didn't want the statement to be too soft on migration and Turkey worried it would push too far on climate change, according to the officials.With trade tensions between the U.S and China dominating the summit, the Europeans sought to play mediator.They also scaled back their expectations, cutting out mention of rising protectionism - mainly aimed at Trump.The final language of the statement says, regarding climate, that 19 nations that are signatories to the Paris accord reiterate their commitment to it while the U.S. reiterates its decision to withdraw. It also notes a recent U.N. report that warned damage from global warming will be much worse than previously feared, and expresses support for an upcoming U.N. climate meeting in Poland meant to nail down how countries will meet promises made in the Paris accord.On global commerce, the statement says the 20 countries support multilateral trade, but acknowledge that the current system doesn't work and needs fixing, via "the necessary reform of the WTO to improve its functioning."On migration, the U.S. negotiator said too much talk about migration would have been a "deal-breaker" for Trump, the European officials said. So they came up with "minimalist" language that acknowledges growing migrant flows and the importance of shared efforts to support refugees and solve the problems that drive them to flee.The statement also shows a commitment to a "rules-based international order," despite Trump's rejection of many of those rules."There were moments when we thought all was lost," one European official said, "moments when we spent two hours on one sentence."The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door discussions.Perhaps surprisingly, one country that was seen as particularly constructive was Russia, the officials said. Despite tensions over its military actions on Ukraine and political interference abroad, Russia supports international efforts on trade and climate.While a statement isn't legally enforceable, the Europeans see it as proof that the G-20 is still relevant and that multilateralism still works."Everyone agrees that the WTO should be reformed," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. "This is an important agreement.""We will send a clear signal - in any case, most of us" - for the success of global climate talks starting in Poland on Sunday, Merkel added.Merkel's spokesman said that during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin , she also voiced concern about rising tensions in the Kerch Strait off Crimea and pushed for "freedom of shipping into the Sea of Azov."Last weekend, Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in an incident escalating a tug-of-war that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and supported separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.Germany and France have sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, and spokesman Steffen Seibert said Merkel and Putin agreed that the four countries should hold further talks at the "adviser level."Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were due to meet later Saturday after the summit's close. Their countries have been embroiled in an escalating trade war with new U.S. tariffs on China goods set to take effect a month from now."The trade war between the United States and China does not favor international commerce. ... A fight between two big players does not benefit," said Dante Sica, Argentina's minister of production and labor. "If they are able to begin to agree, it would be a good signal that would reduce the impacts on international commerce."The divisions among the world's leading economies were evident from the moment Argentina's president opened the summit Friday with a call for international cooperation to solve the planet's problems.In closing remarks, summit host and Argentine President Mauricio Macri said the countries had overcome "a number of challenges" to reach the agreement."We have agreed on a statement that reflects the necessity of revitalizing trade, of revitalizing the WTO. .. "We ratify the concern of everyone over climate change," Macri said.The next G-20 summit is to be held in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019.[SEP]Sir David Attenborough has issued a stark warning that the collapse of civilisations and extinction of much of the natural world is “on the horizon” without action to tackle climate change. The naturalist and TV presenter delivered a message from people around the world to United Nations climate talks in Katowice, Poland, calling for leaders and decision-makers to take charge on driving down greenhouse gas emissions. Sir David was speaking on behalf of the UN’s “People’s Seat” initiative to give ordinary people a voice at the international talks by gathering their thoughts, ideas and concerns through social media and polling in the past two weeks. He said the world is facing its “greatest threat in thousands of years: climate change”. “If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.” And he said: “The world’s people have spoken, their message is clear, time is running out, they want you, the decision-makers, to act now. “They’re supporting you in making tough decisions but they’re also willing to make sacrifices in their daily lives.” The UN has launched an “ActNow.bot” which helps people discover simple everyday actions they can take to tackle climate change. Sir David said: “The people have spoken: leaders of the world, you must lead, the continuation of our civilisations and the natural world upon which we depend are in your hands.” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned negotiators at the meeting that the world was “in deep trouble” with climate change. “Climate change is running faster than we are and we must catch up sooner rather than later, before it’s too late. “For many people, regions and even countries, this is already a matter of life and death.” He also said that “climate action is not just the right thing to do, it makes social and economic sense”, pointing to how action to cut emissions will curb air pollution deaths and generate millions of jobs and trillions of dollars. The speeches come after four former presidents of the annual UN climate talks warned the “world is at a crossroads” and decisive action in the next two years would be crucial to tackle the threat of climate change. In a joint statement, France’s Laurent Fabius, Frank Bainimarama, from Fiji, Salaheddine Mezouar, from Morocco, and Peru’s Manuel Pulgar Vidal said: “The challenges are there, as are the solutions. “We require deep transformations of our economies and societies to build a better world for all. This must be powered by multilateral co-operation.” They called for ambitious decisions which are sufficiently detailed and comprehensive to enable the effective operation of the Paris Agreement, secured three years ago in the French capital to curb global warming. A process to enable countries to announce efforts by 2020 to ramp up their domestic ambition on cutting greenhouse gas emissions must be launched, they said, as current efforts are not enough to prevent dangerous temperature rises. And there needs to be progress on the goal of mobilising 100 billion US dollars (£78 billion) a year for poorer countries to drive clean growth, they urged. The World Bank has announced it is doubling investments in climate action with 200 billion US dollars (£157 billion) for 2021-2025, including 50 billion US dollars (£39 billion) towards helping countries adapt to the impacts of global warming. Negotiators at the talks will hear details of a global review on climate change-tackling efforts, and the pressure is on to work towards increasing commitments from countries by 2020. The talks in Poland also aim to draw up the rulebook for making the Paris deal operational, and poorer countries will be looking for a boost to the finance being made available to help them develop cleanly.[SEP]In a bid to lay out a road map for solving climate change, international leaders from around the world - and public figures including Sir David Attenborough - convened in Katowice, Poland, today to begin the UN's COP24 summit This week, national leaders, delegates and business representatives are convening in Poland’s Katowice for COP24 – the 24th Conference of the Parties summit. In the most seminal international gathering of its kind since 2015’s Paris Agreement, the talks set to take place over the coming days at the conference aim to catalogue the last three years’ progress, facilitate new climate actions and lay out a road map for a sustainable future. Poland’s president Andrzej Duda, speaking at the opening ceremony, said: “Dynamic climate changes are affecting all corners of the globe, from the island states in the Pacific Ocean to those located all across Europe. “It constitutes one of the gravest threats of our time. We are witnessing dynamic or extreme weather conditions that include more frequent rainfall and heavy heatwaves and droughts. “For example, here in Poland during the summer, a drought caused losses estimated at about 830m euros (£740m), affecting 130,000 farms while destroying 3.5 million hectares of crops. “Therefore, it’s crucially important that in the face of the challenges presented by climate change, we must work together in the best possible coalition of governments, international organisations, civil society and businesses.” Also known as the Katowice Climate Change Conference, COP24 is an international convention aimed at finalising the practical implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement, lasting from 2nd December to 14th December 2018. It is an integral part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and is the 24th summit in a series dating back to 2005. In attendance today at the opening ceremony was the World Bank – a global partnership seeking to mitigate global poverty using sustainable solutions. CEO Kristalina Georgieva said: “By the time my eight-year-old granddaughter is 20, climate change will push 100 million people into poverty. “By the time she’s 40, as many as 143 million people could become climate migrants, just in three regions of the world. “And if she lives to be 90, the planet will be hot and barely liveable, unless we act.” Ms Georgieva told the audience that World Bank has doubled its climate finance since 2015 from $10bn (£7.9bn) to $20bn (£15.7bn), and plans to do so again by 2020. It has also set a target to finance $200bn (£157bn) for helping countries implement various climate actions agendas. What is Just Transition? Preserving jobs in fossil fuel industries During his address, Poland’s president Andrzej Duda explained the Just Transition declaration, which will be implemented into the Paris Agreement. It is aimed at ensuring job safety for those in the fossil fuel industry as the world moves towards a low-carbon economy. He said: “Just Transition should be understood as a tool to support climate policy, not as an alternative to it. “The declaration complements the Paris Agreement by adding an important social aspect to it. “The transition towards low carbon offers a number of economic, social and health benefits, but regions that are traditionally reliant of fossil fuels are set to incur costs. “For example, places where coal mining is vital, providing fuel to the surrounding region and offering stable jobs. “So our process of transition needs to be a benefit to these places as well, providing stable energy careers, meaning countries need to strike the right balance so as not to pose threats to their economies and societies. “Public policies aimed at reducing emissions often face social resistance, especially if they’re not accompanied by safety programmes for the workers whose jobs will be transformed. “Just Transition is supposed to ensure life in a healthy and clean environment while also guaranteeing job safety and economic stability.” What did Sir David Attenborough say? Sir David Attenborough also attended the summit, arguing climate change is the biggest threat to face the planet in thousands of years. The acclaimed natural historian and broadcaster, closing the summit’s opening ceremony, said: “Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale, our greatest threat in thousands of years – climate change. “If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon. “The UN provides a unique platform that can unite the whole world, and, as the Paris Agreement proved, together, we can make real change happen.” “The people have spoken. Leaders of the world – you must lead. “The continuation of our civilisations and the natural world upon which we depend is in your hands.”[SEP]President Muhammadu Buhari left Abuja on Saturday for Poland to attend the 24th session of the Climate Change Conference known as the Parties (COP24). Mr. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity), said in a statement on Friday that COP24, under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), would hold from December 2-4, 2018 in the Polish city of Katowice.. The COP24 Summit, taking place at the International Conference Centre (MCK) and the adjacent Spodek Arena in Katowice, is being convened under the Presidency of Poland. According to the organisers, the conference is expected to finalise the rules for implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change under the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP) – the rule book for implementation. During the Leaders’ Summit at COP24, President Buhari will deliver a national statement highlighting Nigeria’s commitment to addressing climate change by implementing the goals set out in its National Determined Contributions, Adesina said. The president would also use the occasion to accentuate Nigeria’s willingness to work with international partners to reverse the negative effects of climate change in Africa and the world over. He said President Buhari would be expecting that developed nations scale up their emission reduction activities in order to limit the increase in average global temperatures to well below 2 degrees centigrade between now and 2020. The Leaders’ Summit is expected to adopt a ‘‘Declaration on Solidarity and Just Transition Silesia,’’ – named after the region of Poland where this year’s climate conference is taking place, he said. As a member of the Committee of the African Heads of State on Climate Change – a group of 10 African countries that meets and takes positions concerning issues of climate change on behalf of the continent – Nigeria has been at the forefront of advancing policies and initiatives. It is aimed at addressing significant challenges occasioned by climate change such as reviving the Lake Chad, halting and reversing desertification, flooding, ocean surge and oil spillage. President Buhari will continue to champion these pressing issues at COP24 in Katowice, among others, as well as reiterate Nigeria’s position on the need for African countries to access financial resources, especially the Green Climate Fund to draw up climate change adaptation policies and actions for implementation. The Nigerian delegation will also showcase the policy measures and actions of the Federal Government at ensuring environmental sustainability and effectively combating climate change through several side events within the Nigerian pavilion. While in Poland, President Buhari will hold an interactive session with the Nigerian community in that country. The Nigerian leader is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the President of Poland Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The President was accompanied by Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Yahaya Bello of Kogi and Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger. Others on his entourage were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, and the Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibrin.[SEP]Global warming may be off the agenda at the G20 summit. If it is, we know exactly whom to thank. According to the green publication Clean Technica, in an article headlined “G20 Nations Reportedly Set to Kowtow to Trump on Climate Change”: A reported draft version of a communique being formulated by leaders of the G20 in advance of the 13th meeting of Group of Twenty to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, starting Friday, fails to back the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and makes no mention of the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C which warned that “Limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.” Further, the draft nods in the direction of those countries intent on defending their continued use of coal, saying that there are “varied” energy choices and “different possible national pathways.” Further highlighting the weakening stance of G20 nations’ willingness to stand up to climate obstructionists like the United States and Australia, there is no mention of the IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C which was published earlier this year and which warned that “Limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.” There is also no mention of the upcoming COP24 climate talks to be held in Katowice, Poland, starting a day after the G20 meeting ends on Saturday. There was some hint of the possibility of a weakening of the G20’s stance on climate change earlier this month, when Argentina’s G20 sherpa (emissary) Pedro Villagra Delgado spoke to the media, saying that the drafting of this communique, and the section referencing the Paris Climate Agreement, was proving to be the “most complicated” aspect. “Of course, we want the Paris Agreement to be mentioned, but we want it to be mentioned, encompassing everyone, albeit in an ambiguous way,” he said. “The United States does not say that nothing should be done [about climate change], but that they do not want to have neither the obligations nor the goals imposed by the Paris Agreement.” “The more assertive mentions are made, the more likely it is that the United States will stay away from it,” he concluded. It helps, of course, that President Donald Trump now has a major ally in the G20. President-elect Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil is not attending the summit, but the very fact of his election means that, for the first time, there are two avowedly climate-skeptical nations in the G20. Bolsonaro, who sees himself as South America’s answer to Trump, recently appointed a foreign minister — Ernesto Araújo — who believes that “climate change” is a plot by “cultural Marxists” to stifle the economies of the West and promote the growth of China. Brazil was supposed to be hosting the COP25 climate talks next year, but since Bolsonaro’s election, it has announced that it is no longer interested “due to the transition in government and budget restrictions.” This marks a highly significant and symbolic turnaround in global warming geopolitics. It was nearly thirty years ago in Brazil — at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 — that the great global warming scare really began to take off when the leaders of over 100 nations flew to Rio de Janeiro and established the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This, in turn, led to the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement and all those annual COP meetings like the one that Brazil has just decided it no longer wants to host. Sure, this is not the end of the global climate change scam. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

The 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change convenes in Katowice, Poland.

Tens of thousands of marchers took to the streets of Brussels on Sunday to mark the start of the UN climate summit in Poland. Organisers said the event was the biggest climate march ever in Belgium, with 65,000 protesters braving steady drizzle, according to police. The well-mannered crowd was filled with activists and many families, with children holding placards asking politicians to fight harder to assure a greener future. Speaking through a blow-horn, activist Evert Nicolai of Oxfam Action urged leaders to do what was needed towards fighting climate change. "Politicians where are you? You have to be with us, the people. There is no planet B," Nicolai said. The march, dubbed Claim The Climate, ended with speeches and performances at the Parc Cinquantenaire that overlooks the European Union institutions. Public transport throughout the city was free on Sunday for the occasion and the SNCB national train service offered a cut-rate ticket of five euros. Trains from other Belgian cities were packed with protesters, with many complaints on social media that the SNCB had not adequately anticipated the surge in travellers. The protest was timed for the launch of the COP24, the UN climate summit where officials from 200 nations will aim to boost efforts to avert runaway climate change.[SEP]Around 65,000 people braved rain and wind to take part in the "Claim the Climate" demonstration through central Brussels on Sunday, Belgian police said. The climate rally, which organizers called the biggest in Belgium's history, followed similar weekend marches in Berlin and Cologne. Holding banners with slogans including "There is no planet B" and "Climate First, Politics Second," the protesters urged delegates meeting at the COP24 climate conference in Katowice, Poland, to set more ambitious targets to limit carbon emissions. Read more: Opinion: The brave optimism at COP24 Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are attending the two-week long United Nations summit, which aims to flesh out a rule book for implementing the 2015 Paris climate agreement. The pact set the goal of limiting global warming to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. Scientists say sticking to that target will involve a dramatic shift away from fossil fuels such as coal. The burning of coal, oil and natural gas emits a large share of greenhouse gases causing climate change. Read more: Crunch time for the climate at the COP24 global warming conference Not far from the COP24 venue in Katowice, Polish anti-coal campaigners held their own, smaller protest on Sunday. Meanwhile, in neighboring Slovakia, a court ordered 12 Greenpeace activists to be held in pre-trial detention after they displayed protest banners on a tower at a coal mine in the western town of Novaky. The protesters, who are from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Finland and Belgium, could face prison terms of up to five years if convicted, Greenpeace said. Read more: Africans expect real action on climate change at COP24 Every evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.[SEP]Tens of thousands of demonstrators have marched in Brussels on Sunday under the banner "Claim the Climate" to urge the Belgian government to honor its commitments to combat climate change prior to world leaders meeting in Poland to discuss the future of the 2015 Paris climate accord. The march took place in the aftermath of violent clashes in Paris where the so-called yellow vest protest against a rise in fuel prices left a toll of more than 100 people injured and over 400 under arrest.[SEP]Police said that 65,000 people marched through Brussels, Belgium, on December 2, demanding action on climate change. The march was to mark the start of the 24th United Nations Climate Change Convention in Poland. The conference was to have a special focus on carbon neutrality. Credit: Phil Meert via Storyful[SEP]Police said that 65,000 people marched through Brussels, Belgium, on December 2, demanding action on climate change. The march was to mark the start of the 24th United Nations Climate Change Convention in Poland. The conference was to have a special focus on carbon neutrality. Credit: En finir avec les poignées d’amour via Storyful[SEP]BRUSSELS (AP) — Police and hundreds of yellow jacket protesters upset over high taxes and living costs clashed Friday in Brussels. Dozens were detained as the grassroots movement that started in France two weeks ago gained traction in Belgium. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons on protesters, who threw rocks and paving stones after they were blocked from approaching government buildings and offices in Brussels. "Our officers started to use water cannons after they began throwing objects. They were throwing pool balls," said Brussels city police spokeswoman Ilse Van De Keere, estimating that over 300 people were involved in the clashes. A riot police cordon charged protesters after they attacked two police vehicles, overturning one and setting both alight. Road signs were uprooted and traffic lights smashed. Around 60 people were charged with disturbing public order. Many were carrying objects that police considered to be dangerous, including razor blades, tire levers and pepper spray, she said. Some were detained for having gas, ski and diving masks. The Brussels prosecutors' office said one person was detained for carrying a weapon and a second for willfully causing damage, while a third was being questioned by police over alleged drug offenses. It said an investigation has been opened into the torching of the police vehicles. Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted: "all my support to forces of law and order which ensure our safety and guarantee our freedom. No impunity for the inadmissible violence in Brussels. Thugs and pillagers should be punished." His interior minister, Jan Jambon, lamented in a tweet what he described as "incomprehensible violence toward the police, which does its best to protect citizens and society. Scandalous." Earlier, dozens of protesters wearing the movement's high visibility vests blocked city streets, sometimes with pieces of scaffolding, causing traffic chaos along major roads. Some handed out vests to bystanders and people stuck in cars. As they marched, some protesters chanted "We are the people!" and held up placards marked: "Union is Strength" and "Shame on the Police." Michel has said he is willing to talk with some of their leaders, but it was not immediately clear whether any meeting had taken place. Protest roadblocks were also in place near the city of Charleroi, 60 kilometers (38 miles) south of Brussels. It's unclear exactly who the protesters are. Small rallies and roadblocks have been going on in the French-speaking south of Belgium for about two weeks. Some appeared linked to high fuel prices, seen as the cause of the protest movement in neighboring France. Belgian media say many are out in the streets over high taxes and food prices, low wages and pensions, but some question whether the movement is being exploited by far-left and far-right groups.[SEP]BRUSSELS (AP) — Police and hundreds of yellow jacket protesters upset over high taxes and living costs clashed Friday in Brussels. Dozens were detained as the grassroots movement that started in France two weeks ago gained traction in Belgium. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons on protesters, who threw rocks and paving stones after they were blocked from approaching government buildings and offices in Brussels. "Our officers started to use water cannons after they began throwing objects. They were throwing pool balls," said Brussels city police spokeswoman Ilse Van De Keere, estimating that over 300 people were involved in the clashes. A riot police cordon charged protesters after they attacked two police vehicles, overturning one and setting both alight. Road signs were uprooted and traffic lights smashed. Around 60 people were charged with disturbing public order. Many were carrying objects that police considered to be dangerous, including razor blades, tire levers and pepper spray, she said. Some were detained for having gas, ski and diving masks. The Brussels prosecutors' office said one person was detained for carrying a weapon and a second for willfully causing damage, while a third was being questioned by police over alleged drug offenses. It said an investigation has been opened into the torching of the police vehicles. Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted: "all my support to forces of law and order which ensure our safety and guarantee our freedom. No impunity for the inadmissible violence in Brussels. Thugs and pillagers should be punished." His interior minister, Jan Jambon, lamented in a tweet what he described as "incomprehensible violence toward the police, which does its best to protect citizens and society. Scandalous." Earlier, dozens of protesters wearing the movement's high visibility vests blocked city streets, sometimes with pieces of scaffolding, causing traffic chaos along major roads. Some handed out vests to bystanders and people stuck in cars. As they marched, some protesters chanted "We are the people!" and held up placards marked: "Union is Strength" and "Shame on the Police." Michel has said he is willing to talk with some of their leaders, but it was not immediately clear whether any meeting had taken place. Protest roadblocks were also in place near the city of Charleroi, 60 kilometers (38 miles) south of Brussels. It's unclear exactly who the protesters are. Small rallies and roadblocks have been going on in the French-speaking south of Belgium for about two weeks. Some appeared linked to high fuel prices, seen as the cause of the protest movement in neighboring France. Belgian media say many are out in the streets over high taxes and food prices, low wages and pensions, but some question whether the movement is being exploited by far-left and far-right groups.[SEP]BRUSSELS (AP) — Police and hundreds of yellow jacket protesters upset over high taxes and living costs clashed Friday in Brussels. Dozens were detained as the grassroots movement that started in France two weeks ago gained traction in Belgium. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons on protesters, who threw rocks and paving stones after they were blocked from approaching government buildings and offices in Brussels. "Our officers started to use water cannons after they began throwing objects. They were throwing pool balls," said Brussels city police spokeswoman Ilse Van De Keere, estimating that over 300 people were involved in the clashes. A riot police cordon charged protesters after they attacked two police vehicles, overturning one and setting both alight. Road signs were uprooted and traffic lights smashed. Around 60 people were charged with disturbing public order. Many were carrying objects that police considered to be dangerous, including razor blades, tire levers and pepper spray, she said. Some were detained for having gas, ski and diving masks. The Brussels prosecutors' office said one person was detained for carrying a weapon and a second for willfully causing damage, while a third was being questioned by police over alleged drug offenses. It said an investigation has been opened into the torching of the police vehicles. Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted: "all my support to forces of law and order which ensure our safety and guarantee our freedom. No impunity for the inadmissible violence in Brussels. Thugs and pillagers should be punished." His interior minister, Jan Jambon, lamented in a tweet what he described as "incomprehensible violence toward the police, which does its best to protect citizens and society. Scandalous." Earlier, dozens of protesters wearing the movement's high visibility vests blocked city streets, sometimes with pieces of scaffolding, causing traffic chaos along major roads. Some handed out vests to bystanders and people stuck in cars. As they marched, some protesters chanted "We are the people!" and held up placards marked: "Union is Strength" and "Shame on the Police." Michel has said he is willing to talk with some of their leaders, but it was not immediately clear whether any meeting had taken place. Protest roadblocks were also in place near the city of Charleroi, 60 kilometers (38 miles) south of Brussels. It's unclear exactly who the protesters are. Small rallies and roadblocks have been going on in the French-speaking south of Belgium for about two weeks. Some appeared linked to high fuel prices, seen as the cause of the protest movement in neighboring France. Belgian media say many are out in the streets over high taxes and food prices, low wages and pensions, but some question whether the movement is being exploited by far-left and far-right groups.[SEP]BRUSSELS (AP) — Police and hundreds of yellow jacket protesters upset over high taxes and living costs clashed Friday in Brussels. Dozens were detained as the grassroots movement that started in France two weeks ago gained traction in Belgium. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons on protesters, who threw rocks and paving stones after they were blocked from approaching government buildings and offices in Brussels. "Our officers started to use water cannons after they began throwing objects. They were throwing pool balls," said Brussels city police spokeswoman Ilse Van De Keere, estimating that over 300 people were involved in the clashes. A riot police cordon charged protesters after they attacked two police vehicles, overturning one and setting both alight. Road signs were uprooted and traffic lights smashed. Around 60 people were charged with disturbing public order. Many were carrying objects that police considered to be dangerous, including razor blades, tire levers and pepper spray, she said. Some were detained for having gas, ski and diving masks. The Brussels prosecutors' office said one person was detained for carrying a weapon and a second for willfully causing damage, while a third was being questioned by police over alleged drug offenses. It said an investigation has been opened into the torching of the police vehicles. Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted: "all my support to forces of law and order which ensure our safety and guarantee our freedom. No impunity for the inadmissible violence in Brussels. Thugs and pillagers should be punished." His interior minister, Jan Jambon, lamented in a tweet what he described as "incomprehensible violence toward the police, which does its best to protect citizens and society. Scandalous." Earlier, dozens of protesters wearing the movement's high visibility vests blocked city streets, sometimes with pieces of scaffolding, causing traffic chaos along major roads. Some handed out vests to bystanders and people stuck in cars. As they marched, some protesters chanted "We are the people!" and held up placards marked: "Union is Strength" and "Shame on the Police." Michel has said he is willing to talk with some of their leaders, but it was not immediately clear whether any meeting had taken place. Protest roadblocks were also in place near the city of Charleroi, 60 kilometers (38 miles) south of Brussels. It's unclear exactly who the protesters are. Small rallies and roadblocks have been going on in the French-speaking south of Belgium for about two weeks. Some appeared linked to high fuel prices, seen as the cause of the protest movement in neighboring France. Belgian media say many are out in the streets over high taxes and food prices, low wages and pensions, but some question whether the movement is being exploited by far-left and far-right groups.[SEP]BRUSSELS (AP) — Police and hundreds of yellow jacket protesters upset over high taxes and living costs clashed Friday in Brussels. Dozens were detained as the grassroots movement that started in France two weeks ago gained traction in Belgium. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons on protesters, who threw rocks and paving stones after they were blocked from approaching government buildings and offices in Brussels. "Our officers started to use water cannons after they began throwing objects. They were throwing pool balls," said Brussels city police spokeswoman Ilse Van De Keere, estimating that over 300 people were involved in the clashes. A riot police cordon charged protesters after they attacked two police vehicles, overturning one and setting both alight. Road signs were uprooted and traffic lights smashed. Around 60 people were charged with disturbing public order. Many were carrying objects that police considered to be dangerous, including razor blades, tire levers and pepper spray, she said. Some were detained for having gas, ski and diving masks. The Brussels prosecutors' office said one person was detained for carrying a weapon and a second for willfully causing damage, while a third was being questioned by police over alleged drug offenses. It said an investigation has been opened into the torching of the police vehicles. Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted: "all my support to forces of law and order which ensure our safety and guarantee our freedom. No impunity for the inadmissible violence in Brussels. Thugs and pillagers should be punished." His interior minister, Jan Jambon, lamented in a tweet what he described as "incomprehensible violence toward the police, which does its best to protect citizens and society. Scandalous." Earlier, dozens of protesters wearing the movement's high visibility vests blocked city streets, sometimes with pieces of scaffolding, causing traffic chaos along major roads. Some handed out vests to bystanders and people stuck in cars. As they marched, some protesters chanted "We are the people!" and held up placards marked: "Union is Strength" and "Shame on the Police." Michel has said he is willing to talk with some of their leaders, but it was not immediately clear whether any meeting had taken place. Protest roadblocks were also in place near the city of Charleroi, 60 kilometers (38 miles) south of Brussels. It's unclear exactly who the protesters are. Small rallies and roadblocks have been going on in the French-speaking south of Belgium for about two weeks. Some appeared linked to high fuel prices, seen as the cause of the protest movement in neighboring France. Belgian media say many are out in the streets over high taxes and food prices, low wages and pensions, but some question whether the movement is being exploited by far-left and far-right groups.

At least 65,000 people gather in Brussels, Belgium, in a march for more action on protecting the climate.

Vuelco electoral. Resultado histórico. Andalucía pasa página. La derecha puede gobernar en Andalucía y romper por primera vez con cuatro décadas de gobiernos ininterrumpidos del PSOE, que ha estado al mando de la autonomía andaluza desde las primeras elecciones. El indiscutible batacazo de Susana Díaz, que sufre un castigo inesperado en su virulencia (pierde de una tacada 14 diputados y casi 7,5 puntos porcentuales) y sobre todo la irrupción inusitada de Vox en el Parlamento andaluz podrían hacer posible el cambio que se resistía en Andalucía convocatoria tras convocatoria, con una contumacia que ha sido objeto de sesudos análisis dentro y fuera de la comunidad. La derecha puede gobernar en Andalucía y presumiblemente lo va a hacer la próxima legislatura gracias a los diputados de Vox, el partido de la ultraderecha que ha reactivado a los votantes conservadores que se habían refugiado en las últimas convocatorias en la abstención. El mensaje radical del partido que lidera Santiago Abascal ha cautivado a cerca del 11% de los votantes andaluces, lo que puede significar que, en contra de lo que cabía esperar, ha arrastrado tras de sí no solo a antiguos seguidores del PP sino incluso a votantes de la izquierda o al menos del centroizquierda. Elecciones Andalucía 2018 Esperando resultados Resultados Andalucía Ver resultados completos Pactómetro Provincias Provincias Mapa de resultado por provincia Córdoba Sevilla Jaén Granada Huelva Almería Málaga Cádiz Así se desprende del hecho de que el severo castigo sufrido por el PSOE no se haya traducido en un aumento del voto para Adelante Andalucía, la coalición formada por Podemos e Izquierda Unida, la otra gran perdedora de la noche; sino que las fugas se habrían producido hacia la abstención -que ha sido muy significativa en los bastiones de la izquierda- y también hacia el bloque de la derecha. Juanma Moreno se postula como presidente El vuelco electoral podría darle la Presidencia de la Junta de Andalucía a Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, el candidato del PP que partía con el peor de los pronósticos y que tampoco ha sabido taponar la sangría de votos, habiendo perdido 7 escaños en el Parlamento andaluz, y colocándose, con 26 diputados, en la misma cifra que obtuvo en 1990 Gabino Puche, un resultado que entonces se antojaba irrelevante frente a la abultadísima mayoría absoluta de Manuel Chaves. En lo que a Ciudadanos respecta, no solo no se ha producido el sorpasso que vaticinaban algunas sondeos, sino que su indiscutible ascenso en los resultados (más del doble de escaños) ha sabido a poco a quienes esperaban que estas elecciones supusieran para la formación naranja el despegue definitivo para convertirse en alternativa real de gobierno y no una mera muleta en la configuración de mayorías. Su candidato, Juan Marín, celebraba anoche los resultados junto a los líderes del partido, Albert Rivera e Inés Arrimadas, que se habían desplazado a Sevilla a saborear su vaticinado éxito electoral. Pero en su ánimo no era difícil hallar el rastro de la decepción por las expectativas frustradas de alguna manera. Marín anunciaba anoche su intención de presentar su candidatura a la investidura como presidente de la Junta de Andalucía, pero su ascenso no parece ser suficiente para cuestionar a Juan Manuel Moreno al frente del pacto a tres que se barrunta ya en el Parlamento andaluz. Vox, la revelación Si los mensajes del PP y Ciudadanos durante la campaña permiten vaticinar que el pacto entre ambos será relativamente fácil, algo más complicada podría ser la relación con Vox, el partido revelación de estas elecciones con el juez Francisco Serrano de candidato. «Adiós, Susanita, adiós», cantaban ayer los seguidores de Vox en el hotel Ayre de Sevilla, en mitad del discurso de su líder, Santiago Abascal, quien se arroga el mérito de haber acabado «con 36 años de corrupción». La formación radical -que ha desplegado durante la campaña un potente discurso sobre la unidad de España y contra los separatismos, contra la «invasión» de la inmigración ilegal o por la recuperación del Peñón de Gibraltar- obtuvo en 2015 un exiguo 0,46% de los votos. En cuatro años se ha aupado a los 12 escaños, con casi el 11% de los votos. El votante andaluz desencantado parece haber encontrado en Vox el desahogo que andaba buscando en los tiempos convulsos azotados por la crisis económica, las tensiones nacionalistas y la presión migratoria. El mitin de Vistalegre le demostró que ya no estaba solo y el CIS pudo accionar el efecto vagón que describen los sociólogos hasta disparar sus opciones. Susana Díaz, la gran perdedora En sentido contrario, una de las decepciones de la noche ha sido para Teresa Rodríguez, candidata de la confluencia de Podemos e Izquierda Unida, que se presentaba bajo las siglas de Adelante Andalucía, convencida de que podía incluso colocarse en segunda posición. Pero la desmovilización de la izquierda ha frustrado sus aspiraciones hasta tal punto de perder incluso 3 de los 20 escaños que los partidos confluyentes habían conseguido por separado. Con todo, la gran perdedora de la noche, sin duda, fue Susana Díaz, a la que estos resultados convierten en responsable histórica de haber dinamitado en un tiempo récord la herencia recibida y haber perdido el control de la comunidad autónoma precisamente ahora que el PSOE vuelve a gobernar en La Moncloa. Con los peores resultados de la historia de la autonomía andaluza, el PSOE sigue siendo, sin embargo, el partido más votado, con el 28 por 100 de los votos y 33 escaños. Pero la victoria es sin duda la más amarga de las vividas por Susana Díaz en su trayectoria política, una trayectoria que parecía imparable cuando se convirtió en la elegida por José Antonio Griñán en 2013 para sucederle en la Presidencia de la Junta y desplegó en el partido y en las instituciones su recién descubiertas dotes para el encantamiento político. Su estilo cercano y populista la convirtieron pronto en un personaje inevitable en todos los foros políticos, codeándose con la Familia Real y las empresas del Ibex con la misma soltura con la que despacha con sus vecinas de Triana, a las que cita con frecuencia en sus discursos. Esa facilidad para introducirse en los cenáculos y su inestimable ambición política fueron fundamentales para que Susana Díaz creyera firmemente que podía hacerse con el control del partido, aun a costa de provocar una crisis inaudita en el seno de la organización. Pero se equivocó midiendo sus fuerzas y se equivocó sobre todo midiendo las posibilidades de Pedro Sánchez, que la acabó derrotando de forma incontestable en las primarias de mayo de 2017. Díaz retornó entonces a sus cuarteles de invierno para hacerse fuerte en Andalucía, allí donde los socialistas no la cuestionaban y donde gobernaba con cierta comodidad de la mano de sus socios parlamentarios de Ciudadanos. El juego del adelanto electoral A su regreso, descubrió sin embargo que el Gobierno andaluz había perdido el pulso de la calle, que se levantaba en protestas todas las semanas por los severos recortes en la sanidad. Una extensa crisis de gobierno y la renovación de sus promesas electorales le sirvieron para convencerse de haber enderezado el rumbo de la legislatura. Después, llegaría el vuelco en La Moncloa y la decisión de Ciudadanos de romper su pacto con el PSOE, culpando a Susana Díaz de haber incumplido sus compromisos. Cuando Susana Díaz decidió disolver el Parlamento y adelantar tres meses la convocatoria electoral buscaba supuestamente más estabilidad para la comunidad autónoma. «Para que en enero podamos estar ya trabajando en un nuevo presupuesto y ahorrarles a los andaluces seis meses de incertidumbre», dijo entonces la presidenta en la comparecencia con la que justificaba su decisión. Hoy esa decisión se revela totalmente equivocada. De hecho, entonces, su gobierno ni siquiera sufría un contexto de inestabilidad insostenible pues, aunque es cierto que Ciudadanos había resuelto retirarle su apoyo, Susana Díaz ni siquiera había presentado aún sus presupuestos ni había explorado otras vías de negociación alternativas, por ejemplo con Podemos, que se había ofrecido a ello. En ese momento, las relaciones diplomáticas entre el PSOE y Podemos eran inexistentes, como lo habían sido durante toda la legislatura pero, de haber querido agotar todas las opciones, Díaz podría haber planteado la negociación para aprobar las cuentas de 2019 y llegar a marzo con un marco presupuestario que diera estabilidad a la comunidad, pasara lo que pasara en las elecciones. Pero el objetivo de Díaz nunca fue llegar a marzo sino convocar las elecciones en solitario y evitar medirse en unas generales conjuntas con Pedro Sánchez. Si con el adelanto electoral Díaz quiso amarrar el poder institucional, el resultado ha sido que ha perdido absolutamente el mando sobre Andalucía y malogrado, al menos durante un tiempo, su capital político.[SEP]A far-right party on Sunday won seats in a Spanish regional parliament for the first time since the country returned to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, results in Andalusia's election showed. With 93 percent of the votes counted, the small Vox party took 12 seats, handing a majority to right-wing parties in the southern Spanish region governed by the Socialists for the last 36 years. The result means that Vox, which opposes illegal immigration and Catalan independence, has exceeded even the most optimistic poll predictions which had forecast a possible five seat win. The Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) scored the worst result in its history winning 33 seats so far. Its potential ally on the left Adelante Andalusia (Forward Andalusia) picked up only 17 seats, depriving the left of a majority, while the conservative Popular Party (PP) won 26 seats and the Ciudadanos liberals took 21 seats. The poll had been seen as the first of a series of tests for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. It was Sanchez's first electoral test since taking office in June after winning a surprise vote of no-confidence in parliament against the previous PP government of Mariano Rajoy over a corruption scandal. His Socialists had ruled Andalusia since 1982. The vote, however, is a mere foretaste of the coming 'super election year': 2019 will see municipal, regional and European elections and perhaps even an early general election to coincide with the other May polls. All eyes will now be on Vox which can try to use Andalusia as a springboard in next year's elections. If it did win a seat in the next general election, it would be the first time a far-right party had had a presence in Spain's lower house of parliament since 1982. In all, 6.5 million were eligible to vote in the ballot in Andalusia, the country's most populous region and among its poorest. The PSOE's Susana Diaz -- who last year unsuccessfully challenged Sanchez for the party leadership -- had been seeking to retain the regional presidency while also giving Sanchez and the national party a fillip. But Vox sought to throw a spoke in their wheels by adding its voice to traditional conservative forces led by the PP and market-friendly Ciudadanos, which has in recent years challenged the PP for the mantle of Spain's dominant liberal force. "These elections are key as a first step in the removal of Pedro Sanchez" and the PSOE from the government, PP leader Pablo Casado told Radio COPE on Friday. Casado said a defeat in its traditional southern fiefdom would render the PSOE's attempt to retain power nationally "unsustainable." The Socialists are already walking a tightrope given they hold just 84 seats in the 350-seat national assembly. Both the PP and Ciudadanos had said during the campaign that if rightwing forces together won a majority of seats they would not rule out accepting support in the regional chamber from Vox. Vox's campaigning had mainly been against illegal immigration and any decentralisation of powers from Madrid. "Vox is going to back whichever option entails throwing out Susana Diaz and the Socialist Party" from the regional administration, party deputy-leader Javier Ortega Smith said Saturday. Diaz meanwhile called for "stability" as she ended her campaign, warning voters against forces of the right and far-right that "want to take us backwards". Turnout by 1700 GMT was 46.4 percent, the regional government said -- five points down on the last election in 2015.[SEP]Kennedy meets its match in SoCal regional game, loses at Garfield

The Socialist and current regional President Susana Díaz wins the election, but loses 14 seats.

Madrid (CNN) A far-right party in Spain broke new political ground Sunday after winning 12 seats in a regional election for the first time since the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. In another sign that the far-right is gaining momentum in Europe, the Vox party gained its success in Andalucia, an area in the south of the country which has suffered with high unemployment and is one of the flashpoints for the country's battle with illegal immigration. Its success was lauded by French far-right politician Marine Le Pen, who tweeted : "Strong and warm congratulations to my friends from Vox, who tonight in Spain scored a meaningful result for such a young and dynamic movement." Vox has attracted voters with its hard line stance on illegal immigration, its opposition to Catalan independence and its calls for Gibraltar to be returned to Spain. It could now find itself in a position as kingmaker with the ruling Socialist party failing to secure enough seats to command a majority. Vox candidate for Andalusian regional Presidency, magistrate Francisco Serrano (C), reacts during an election night party in Seville/. Read More[SEP]MADRID — Spain’s governing Socialist party suffered an unexpected election setback on Sunday as right-wing parties won enough votes to oust the Socialists from power in the nation’s largest region for the first time since the country returned to democracy. The result in Andalusia was a blow to Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s Socialist prime minister, who has been in office since June and could now be forced into a snap general election next year. The Socialists won just 33 of the 109 seats in the regional parliament, according to provisional results released late Sunday, with 94 percent of the votes counted. It was the party’s worst result in Andalusia since 1982, when the region held its first election after Spain adopted a new Constitution. The biggest change for Spain’s political landscape on Sunday was the emergence of Vox, a far-right party that had never previously made any significant election inroads. The party won 12 seats, according to the provisional results.[SEP]A far-right party has won seats in a Spanish regional parliament for the first time since the country returned to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. With 99% of the votes counted in Andalucía, the small Vox party took 12 seats in the 109-member regional parliament. The Socialists won the election, but saw their support plummet to just 33 seats, compared to 47 in 2015 – far from the majority of 55 seats needed to govern. The result means that Vox, which opposes illegal immigration and Catalan independence, has exceeded even the most optimistic poll predictions which had forecast a possible five seat win. The party’s platform includes restricting abortion and rolling back domestic violence laws. Vox had not previously held any seats in any legislative body in Spain since its founding four years ago, and now it has the key to forming a government in the nation’s most populated region. “Now is the moment to say loud and clear who we are and that we have come to stay,” Vox candidate Francisco Serrano told a crowd of supporters who chanted: “Spain! Spain! Spain!” Andalucía has been a Socialist bastion for 36 years, but the party could lose control of the government if parties on the right join forces to oust regional leader Susana Diaz, though that would require that they join forces with Vox. “Despite winning the election it is a sad night for the Socialist Party,” Diaz said. “There has been a real loss of ground for the Left. But the worst thing is that the extreme right, a phenomenon that has appeared in the rest of Europe, has arrived here.” Diaz said she would call on other parties to “build a firewall against the extreme right in Spain.” “Each party must decide if they are against the extreme right or if they will rely on their support to enter into government,” she said. The Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) scored the worst result in its history winning 33 seats so far. Its potential ally on the left Adelante Andalusia (Forward Andalusia) picked up only 17 seats, depriving the left of a majority, while the conservative Popular Party (PP) won 26 seats and the Ciudadanos liberals took 21 seats. The poll had been seen as the first of a series of tests for Socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez. It was Sanchez’s first electoral test since taking office in June after winning a surprise vote of no-confidence in parliament against the previous PP government of Mariano Rajoy over a corruption scandal. His Socialists had ruled Andalusia since 1982. The vote is a mere foretaste of the coming “super election year”: 2019 will see municipal, regional and European elections and perhaps even an early general election to coincide with the other May polls. All eyes will now be on Vox, which could try to use Andalusia as a springboard in next year’s elections. Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report[SEP]A far-right party has won seats in a Spanish regional election for the first time in decades. The Vox party took 12 parliamentary seats in Andalusia on Sunday, beating expectations that it would win five. But who are Spain's far-right party?[SEP]The populist tide that has brought the far-Right into mainstream politics across Europe has so far largely failed to materialise in Spain. But that could be about to change on Sunday as the anti-immigration and Eurosceptic Vox party hopes to make its first gains as it takes advantage of the rising number of asylum seekers crossing from North Africa. If Vox picks up the two seats predicted in Andalucia's regional elections, it would mark the first parliamentary representation on any level in Spain since democracy replaced General Franco. Among the ultra-conservative Catholic party's radical policies are a wall to keep immigrants out of the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla that border Morocco,...[SEP]A far-right party has gained its first electoral success in Spain since the country's return to democracy in the late 1970s. The ruling Socialists suffered a setback in the regional elections in Andalusia, with the anti-immigrant, extreme right Vox party claiming 12 seats in the 109-member regional parliament. It was the first electoral test for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s party since he took power in June. Vox had not previously held any seats in any legislative body in Spain since its founding four years ago, and now it has the key to forming a government in Spain’s most populated region. Spain only transitioned to democracy upon the death of former military dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. “Now is the moment to say loud and clear who we are and that we have come to stay,” a Vox candidate told a crowd of supporters who chanted “Spain! Spain! Spain!” Andalusia has been a Socialist bastion for 36 years, but the party could lose control of the government if parties on the right join forces to oust regional leader Susana Diaz, though that would require that they join forces with Vox. With 99% of the votes counted, the Socialists won the election, but saw their support plummet to just 33 seats, compared to 47 in 2015. That left the Socialists far from the majority of 55 seats needed to govern, even if they can get the backing of the far-left party Adelante Andalucia, which took 17 seats. “Despite winning the election it is a sad night for the Socialist Party,” Ms Diaz said. “There has been a real loss of ground for the Left. But the worst thing is that the extreme right, a phenomenon that has appeared in the rest of Europe, has arrived here.” The conservative Popular Party and centre-right Citizens party held 47 seats between them. That gives them fewer than the Socialists and Adelante Andalucia, so they would need the votes of Vox to reach the absolute majority. Ms Diaz said she would call on other parties to “build a firewall against the extreme right in Spain”. “Each party must decide if they are against the extreme right or if they will rely on their support to enter into government,” she said. Vox’s platform includes a crackdown on immigration, a defence of Spain’s unity against Catalonia secessionists, restricting abortion and rolling back domestic violence laws. Two members of Vox shouted insults at Ms Diaz when she submitted her ballot early on Sunday in Seville. Vox said both people had been removed from their positions as voting monitors due to “inappropriate behaviour”. Mr Sanchez leads a minority government in Spain since he toppled former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who lost a no-confidence vote. There is speculation Mr Sanchez may call early elections if he cannot pass a national budget this year instead of serving out the legislative term that runs until 2020.[SEP]An anti-immigrant, Eurosceptic far-right party has won its first ever seats in a legislative body in Spain. With more than 96 percent of the votes counted in Andalusian regional elections Sunday, the VOX party claimed 12 seats, giving a majority to the conservative bloc. The vote was seen as a first electoral test for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist party since he took power in June. The Socialists won just 33 seats in the Andalusia legislature, compared to 47 in 2015. The center-left party could lose control of Spain's most populated region for the first time in 36 years if the parties on the right can agree to form a government. It was the worst showing in the history of the Socialist Workers' Party, which has ruled Andalusia for the last 36 years. Spain has so far avoided the rise of the far-right that has taken over the politics across Europe. But now VOX appears to have taken advantage of the anti-immigrant sentiment sweeping Europe as migrants and asylum seekers flood into Europe from North Africa.[SEP]In this Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018 photo, Spain's far-right Vox Party President Santiago Abascal, centre, with the general secretary, Javier Ortega, left, and regional candidate Francisco Serrano take part in a rally during regional elections in Andalusia, in Seville, Spain. The Socialists won just 33 seats in the Andalusia legislature, compared to 47 in 2015. The party could lose control of Spain's most populated region for the first time in 36 years if parties on the right can agree to form a government. The anti-immigrant, extreme right Vox party won 12 seats - its first in any Spanish legislative body. (AP Photo/Gogo Lobato) (AP)[SEP]A far-right party won seats in a Spanish regional parliament for the first time since the country returned to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, results in Andalusia's election showed. With more than 99 percent of the votes counted late Sunday, the small Vox party took 12 seats, handing a majority to right-wing parties in the southern Spanish region governed by the Socialists for more than three decades. The result means that Vox, which opposes illegal immigration and Catalan independence, has exceeded even the most optimistic poll predictions which had forecast a possible five seat win. "The Andalusians have made history... and got rid of 36 years of socialist rule," said Vox leader Santiago Abascal. The Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) scored the worst result in its history winning 33 seats. Its potential ally on the left Adelante Andalusia (Forward Andalusia) picked up only 17 seats, depriving the left of a majority, while the conservative Popular Party (PP) won 26 seats and the Ciudadanos liberals took 21 seats. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen sent "warm congratulations" in a tweet to her "Vox friends". The poll had been seen as the first of a series of tests for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. It was Sanchez's first electoral test since taking office in June after winning a surprise vote of no-confidence in parliament against the previous PP government of Mariano Rajoy over a corruption scandal. His Socialists had ruled Andalusia since 1982. The vote, however, is a mere foretaste of the coming 'super election year': 2019 will see municipal, regional and European elections and perhaps even an early general election to coincide with the other May polls. All eyes will now be on Vox which can try to use Andalusia as a springboard in next year's elections. If it did win a seat in the next general election, it would be the first time a far-right party had had a presence in Spain's lower house of parliament since 1982. In all, 6.5 million were eligible to vote in the ballot in Andalusia, the country's most populous region and among its poorest. The PSOE's Susana Diaz -- who last year unsuccessfully challenged Sanchez for the party leadership -- had been seeking to retain the regional presidency while also giving Sanchez and the national party a fillip. But Vox sought to throw a spoke in their wheels by adding its voice to traditional conservative forces led by the PP and market-friendly Ciudadanos, which has in recent years challenged the PP for the mantle of Spain's dominant liberal force. "These elections are key as a first step in the removal of Pedro Sanchez" and the PSOE from the government, PP leader Pablo Casado told Radio COPE on Friday. Casado said a defeat in its traditional southern fiefdom would render the PSOE's attempt to retain power nationally "unsustainable." The Socialists are already walking a tightrope given they hold just 84 seats in the 350-seat national assembly. Both the PP and Ciudadanos had said during the campaign that if rightwing forces together won a majority of seats they would not rule out accepting support in the regional chamber from Vox. Vox's campaigning had mainly been against illegal immigration and any decentralisation of powers from Madrid. Pablo Iglesias, leader of the far-left Podemos party, called on all leftist groups to mobilise "to defend liberties, social justice, fraternity and ultimately democracy". Diaz meanwhile called for "stability" as she ended her campaign, warning voters against forces of the right and far-right that "want to take us backwards".[SEP]Spanish politics shaken by awakening of the far-right MADRID (AP) — Spain's Socialist prime minister says he will defend the constitution and democracy against fear following a major setback to his party in a regional election that marked an awakening of the far-right. Pedro Sanchez tweeted Monday that "my government will continue working on a regenerating and pro-European project for Spain." The anti-migrant, euroskeptic Vox party won 12 seats in the 109-member regional parliament of Andalusia, in southern Spain on Sunday. Sanchez added that the result will "strengthen our pledge to defend the Constitution and Democracy against fear." The Socialists won an election marked by a low participation, but face losing the regional government for the first time in 36 years if the center-right, conservative and extreme right opposition strike a deal to assemble a 59-seat majority.

The far-right and anti-immigration Vox enters a legislative chamber after winning 12 seats, for the first time in the history of Spanish democracy.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin confirmed the news after their meeting in Dublin A third European club competition with the working title 'Europa League 2' will be introduced from 2021. One English team will enter the play-offs of the new tournament, while Scottish sides may miss out on Europa League places in a reshuffle. As part of Uefa's 2021-2024 cycle, the Europa League will cut in size to 32 teams with an extra play-off round between the group stage and last 16. The new tournament will be played on Thursdays alongside the Europa League. Every country's champions will still enter the Champions League, but only teams from the 15 top-ranked countries will go into the Europa League group stages or qualifiers. That means teams from leagues below that level - which at the moment would include Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, excluding their champions - would go straight into 'UEL2' qualifying rounds. The new competition and Europa League will have the same format - eight groups of four teams with the winners going into the last 16. There will be a play-off before that round for the teams who finish second in the group and sides who finish third in the groups of the higher tournament. The winners of the tournament will qualify for the following season's Europa League. The Champions League format does not change. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said: "The new competition makes Uefa's club competitions more inclusive than ever before. There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages. "This competition was born out of ongoing dialogue with clubs through the European Club Association." At least 34 countries will have teams in a group stage, compared to 26 at the moment.[SEP]European football's governing body approved the creation of a third-tier UEFA club competition on Sunday, a tournament which will mirror the current Champions League and Europa League format from 2021. REUTERS: European football's governing body approved the creation of a third-tier UEFA club competition on Sunday, a tournament which will mirror the current Champions League and Europa League format from 2021. At their meeting in Dublin, UEFA's Executive Committee finalised plans to introduce the event, with the working title 'UEL2', in the 2021 to 2014 competition cycle. It will ensure that at least 34 countries will be represented in UEFA club competitions, compared to today's total of 26. "The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA's club competitions more inclusive than ever before," UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said. "There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages. This competition was borne out of ongoing dialogue with clubs through the European Club Association." The format will see eight groups of four teams, followed by the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. Like the Europa League, matches will be played on Thursday. An additional knockout round will be played before the round of 16 between teams ranked second in their groups and the third-ranked teams in the groups of the Europa League, which will run concurrently. The new competition will feature 141 matches over 15 match weeks, exactly like the Europa League. The winner of the new competition will be entitled to participate in the Europa League in the following season.[SEP]DUBLIN — European soccer is launching a third club competition as UEFA seeks to get more countries involved in continent-wide matches. Provisionally called UEL2, the competition will sit below the Champions League and Europa League from 2021. The plans were approved by the UEFA executive committee on Sunday, three years after the initial discussions were first revealed by The Associated Press. UEL2 games will be played on Thursday nights — like the Europa League — with the intention of giving more countries the chance to be represented in European club competitions. There will be eight groups each featuring four teams, with only the winners advancing automatically. The Europa League will mirror the new competition, so the group stage will be streamlined from 48 to 32 teams. After the group stage, there will be a knockout round for UEL2 runners-up and the third-placed finishers in the Europa League to determine who advances to the round of 16. A new-style knockout round will replace the round of 32 in the Europa League. Third-placed teams in the Champions League will take on Europa League group runners-up. “The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA’s club competitions more inclusive than ever before,” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said. “There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages.” UEFA is guaranteeing that at least 34 of its 55 countries — up from 26 — will be represented in the group stage of its competitions as the result of the introduction of UEL2. “There was a widespread demand by all clubs to increase their chances of participating more regularly in European competition,” Ceferin said. “This has been achieved with a strategic approach, and in accordance with UEFA’s objective of having both more quality and more inclusivity in our club competitions.”[SEP]A new competition in which the winner will qualify for the Europa League will start from 2021, UEFA has revealed. UEFA has announced details of a new European club competition to be launched in 2021. The creation of the tournament, which has the working title of UEL2, was approved following a meeting in Dublin, with the governing body saying its inception will ensure at least 34 countries will be represented in the group stages of UEFA club competitions. Running alongside the Champions League and Europa League, the competition will feature 32 teams in the group stage, with games to be played on Thursdays. Before the last 16 an additional knockout round will be played between the second-place finishers in the group stage and the sides who finish third in their respective Europa League groups. The winner of the competition will qualify for the subsequent season’s Europa League. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: “The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA’s club competitions more inclusive than ever before. There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages. “This competition was borne out of ongoing dialogue with clubs through the European Club Association. “There was a widespread demand by all clubs to increase their chances of participating more regularly in European competition. “This has been achieved with a strategic approach, and in accordance with UEFA’s objective of having both more quality and more inclusivity in our club competitions.”[SEP]A new 32-team European club competition will be launched in 2021, governing body UEFA has announced. The new-look Europa League II opens the door for another Premier League club to get into Europe. They will run the new competition from 2021 and one English team will be offered a place with the eventual winners getting a place in the Europa League the following season. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: “The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA’s club competitions more inclusive than ever before. “There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages. This competition was borne out of ongoing dialogue with clubs through the European Club Association.” The governing body have confirmed a new third competition, known as UEL2. It will see 32 teams in eight groups of four, with third-placed teams in Europa League groups joining. The competition is set to take place on Thursdays with some 3.30pm kick-offs. UEFA said the third tournament has a working title of 'UEL2' would mirror those two tournaments, with 32 teams split into eight groups of four breaking into a last 16, eight, four and then two. Quarter-finals and semi-finals will then follow, before a 141st game, the final. Ceferin added: "There was a widespread demand by all clubs to increase their chances of participating more regularly in European competition. "This has been achieved with a strategic approach, and in accordance with UEFA's objective of having both more quality and more inclusivity in our club competitions." UEFA added that the fixtures will be played on a Thursday, the same day as the Europa League, with some games in a new time slot of 4:30pm CET. The governing body will leave it to individual associations to decide the criteria for earning a place, be it through league placing or cup. ECA chairman Andrea Agnelli welcomed the news, saying: "I am delighted that the UEFA Executive Committee has agreed to the changes ECA member clubs have been calling for. "We believe that this outcome ensures that the UEFA club competitions continue to develop in a manner which is fair and balanced, meeting the demands and requirements necessary to ensure that football remains the number one sport globally. "I would like to add that this whole process is testimony to the strong collaborative efforts of both ECA and UEFA at all levels."[SEP]European soccer's governing body approved the creation of a third-tier UEFA club competition on Sunday, a tournament which will mirror the current Champions League and Europa League format from 2021. At their meeting in Dublin, UEFA's Executive Committee finalised plans to introduce the event, with the working title 'UEL2' and featuring 32 teams in the group stage, in the 2021 to 2024 competition cycle. The Europa League group stage, meanwhile, will be reduced from 48 teams to 32. UEFA said that the Champions League would remain unaltered, meaning that the four top-ranked leagues -- currently Spain, England, Germany and Italy -- would each keep four guaranteed places in the group stage.[SEP]UEFA approves creation of third club competition from 2021 Dublin, Dec 3 (AFP) UEFA confirmed the creation of a third European club competition from the 2021/22 season designed to offer more clubs and associations the chance to play European football. After approval from UEFA's Executive Committee on Sunday in Dublin, the Europa League will be cut from its current 48-team group stage so that all three competitions feature 32 teams in eight groups of four. The seventh-placed teams in Europe's top four leagues will qualify for the new competition, and they will be joined by a host of clubs from smaller associations. While the structure to UEFA's landmark competition the Champions League remains untouched, Europa League winners will now progress automatically to the last 16 of the competition. Teams that finish second in their Europa League group and third-placed teams from the eight Champions League groups will playoff to join the eight group winners in the last 16. That process in repeated in the UEL2 with the eight second-placed teams from the group stage meeting the eight third-placed teams in the Europa League for a place in the last 16. "There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages," said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin. "This competition was borne out of ongoing dialogue with clubs through the European Club Association. "There was a widespread demand by all clubs to increase their chances of participating more regularly in European competition." UEFA has been under increasing pressure to reform its club competitions by the threat of a breakaway super league formed by top clubs in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France. However, the new competition is designed to appease those further down the food chain unhappy at changes to guarantee English, Spanish, German and Italian clubs 16 of the 32 places available in the Champions League. Matches in the UEL2 will be played like Europa League games on Thursday nights to ensure the Champions League's prime Tuesday and Wednesday night TV slots are untouched. All three European finals will take place in the same week with the new competition played on the Wednesday, Europa League final a day later and Champions League final on Saturday[SEP]Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin (left), and President of Ireland Michael D Higgins, pose with the Henri Delaunay Trophy in Dublin Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin (left), and President of Ireland Michael D Higgins, pose with the Henri Delaunay Trophy in Dublin UEFA HAVE ANNOUNCED details of a new European club competition to be launched in 2021. The creation of the tournament, which has the working title of UEL2, was approved following a meeting in Dublin, with the governing body saying its inception will ensure at least 34 countries will be represented in the group stages of Uefa club competitions. Running alongside the Champions League and Europa League, the competition will feature 32 teams in the group stage, with games to be played on Thursdays. Before the last 16 an additional knockout round will be played between the second-place finishers in the group stage and the sides who finish third in their respective Europa League groups. The winner of the competition will qualify for the following season’s Europa League. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said: “The new Uefa club competition makes Uefa’s club competitions more inclusive than ever before. “There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages. “This has been achieved with a strategic approach, and in accordance with Uefa’s objective of having both more quality and more inclusivity in our club competitions.” Subscribe to our new podcast, Heineken Rugby Weekly on The42, here:[SEP]New 32-team European competition to be launched in 2021 A new 32-team European club competition will be launched in 2021. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said a "widespread demand" for participation at European level had led to the formation of the new tournament, which will sit under the Champions and Europa Leagues. With a working title of 'UEL2', the 32-team competition will start at the beginning of the new UEFA cycle, which runs from 2021-2024. Eight groups of four will be whittled down to a round of 16, following a play-off between the second-placed teams and those who finish third in the Europa League. Quarter-finals and semi-finals will then follow, before a 141st game, the final. "The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA's club competitions more inclusive than ever before," Ceferin said after the executive meeting in Dublin on Sunday. "There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages. This competition was borne out of ongoing dialogue with clubs through the European Club Association (ECA). "There was a widespread demand by all clubs to increase their chances of participating more regularly in European competition. "This has been achieved with a strategic approach, and in accordance with UEFA's objective of having both more quality and more inclusivity in our club competitions." The winner of the new tournament will then earn a place in the Europa League. UEFA added that the fixtures will be played on a Thursday, the same day as the Europa League, with some games in a new time slot of 4.30pm (Central European Time). The governing body will leave it to individual associations to decide the criteria for earning a place, be it through league placing or cup. ECA chairman Andrea Agnelli welcomed the news, saying: "I am delighted that the UEFA Executive Committee has agreed to the changes ECA member clubs have been calling for. "We believe that this outcome ensures that the UEFA club competitions continue to develop in a manner which is fair and balanced, meeting the demands and requirements necessary to ensure that football remains the number one sport globally. "I would like to add that this whole process is testimony to the strong collaborative efforts of both ECA and UEFA at all levels."[SEP]The new tournament, which has been given the working title of Europa League Two, will mirror the existing Champions League and Europa League tournaments and feature 32 teams in a group stage. It will be played on Thursdays alongside the current Europa League with eight groups of four, followed by a round of 16, quarter finals, semi-finals and final. UEFA say its introduction will guarantee at least 34 countries will be represented in the group stage of a European club competition, as opposed to 26 in the current format. "The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA’s club competitions more inclusive than ever before,” President Aleksander Čeferin said. There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages. This competition was borne out of ongoing dialogue with clubs through the European Club Association. Just like the current Europa League, the competition will feature 141 matches spread over 15 weeks. The winner will then be entitled to play in the original Europa League the following season. "There was a widespread demand by all clubs to increase their chances of participating more regularly in European competition,” Čeferin added. “This has been achieved with a strategic approach, and in accordance with UEFA’s objective of having both more quality and more inclusivity in our club competitions." The Champions League will not be affected by the changes, but the Europa League will be “streamlined” with an additional knock-out round played before the round of 16 between teams ranked second in their groups and the third-ranked teams of the Champions League groups. A similar round will take place in the new tournament, between teams ranked second in their groups and the third-ranked teams of the Europa League groups. Elsewhere, earlier today the qualifying draw was completed for UEFA Euro 2020. World champions France have been drawn in Group H alongside Iceland, Turkey, Albania, Moldova and Andorra. Croatia are in Group E with Wales, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan, while Belgium, who finished third in the World Cup earlier this year, are in Group I with Russia, Scotland, Cyprus, Kazakhstan and San Marino.

UEFA confirms that a new annual European football club competition called UEFA Europa League 2 will be introduced in 2021.

Country to leave cartel in January 2019, but will take part in this week’s meeting Qatar is to pull out of Opec after nearly 60 years of membership of the oil cartel, but will attend a meeting this week that will discuss cutting output. Saad al-Kaabi, the country’s energy minister, told a news conference: “Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership from Opec effective January 2019 and this decision was communicated to Opec this morning.” He said the decision was not linked to a political and economic boycott of Qatar imposed in June 2017 by Saudi Arabia, Opec’s largest member and its de facto leader, and three other Arab states – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt. They imposed a trade and travel embargo on Qatar over allegations that it supports terrorism. Doha denies the charges. Qatar is one of the cartel’s smallest oil producers, but is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. Al-Kaabi said the gulf state had reviewed ways to enhance its role internationally, including focusing on its gas industry. Qatar wants to ramp up liquefied natural gas production from 77m to 110m tonnes a year. He added that Qatar would still attend the Opec meeting in Vienna that starts on Thursday and will set oil policy for next year. Opec members are widely expected to cut production, after the oil price tumbled this autumn. Brent crude slid to below $60 a barrel last week, from $86 in October, while US crude fell below $50 a barrel. However, oil prices surged on Monday after the US and China agreed a 90-day truce in their trade war at a weekend meeting of the G20 nations in Argentina. Q&A What is Opec? Show Hide Founded in 1960, the cartel of the world’s biggest oil producers emerged as a political and economic force with the 1973-74 US oil embargo, which caused oil prices to spike. The club consists of 13 countries, with Saudi Arabia the biggest producer, followed by Iraq and Iran. In response to the 2014-16 oil price slump, Opec partnered with Russia in December 2016 to agree a cut in production of 1.8m barrels a day. That curb, the first of its kind in 15 years, drove up the price of oil. In May 2017, the cuts were extended until the end of March 2018. Opec's official members are: Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. Indonesia and Qatar's membership has lapsed. The Opec+ group, sometimes known as ‘Vienna Group’, adds 10 non-member nations, including Russia, Mexico and Kazakhstan. Between them these nations supply 55 percent of oil production and hold 90 percent of the planet's oil reserves. The price of Brent crude jumped 4.7% to $62.24 in early trading, while US crude was also up about 5%. BP’s share price rose 4% and Shell was up 3.5%. Mining stocks are also surging. Qatar’s energy minister said the decision to withdraw had not been easy after 57 years of Opec membership, but noted that the country’s impact on the cartel’s production decisions was small. He stressed that Doha would abide by its global commitments like any other non-Opec oil producer. Qatar pumps about 600,000 barrels a day, while Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest exporter, produces 11m barrels. The emirate’s withdrawal comes as other non-Opec countries such as Russia have gained more clout alongside Saudi Arabia in setting oil policy. Sign up to the daily Business Today email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk Al-Kaabi stressed the move was a “strategy decision”. “We will make a big splash in the oil and gas business soon,” he said. Doha plans to build the largest ethane cracker in the Middle East. Ethane crackers break gas down into ethylene, the main chemical used in plastics, resins, adhesives and synthetic products. Naeem Aslam, an analyst at online broker ThinkMarkets, said: “Qatar leaving Opec isn’t great news for the oil market and the market participants haven’t digested the full impact of this news. Basically, Qataris have brought the biggest weapon out and it only means more instability between the Qatari and Saudi relationship. “In fact, we would not be surprised if other counties start to follow the same path and then we have no control over supply or demand as each individual country could just do what they like. Yes, for now, there is optimism that Saudi Arabia and Russia are committed to keep the supply under control. This has jolted the price of oil higher especially the fact that Canada’s largest oil-producing province is curbing the output.”[SEP]DOHA: Qatar is withdrawing from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries ( Opec ) as of January 2019, Saad al-Kaabi, the country's energy minister said on Monday.The decision came after Qatar, one of Opec’s smallest producers but the world’s largest liquefied natural gas exporter, reviewed ways to enhance its role internationally and plan long-term strategy, including focusing on its gas industry, he said.“Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership form OPEC effective January 2019 and this decision was communicated to Opec this morning,” he told a news conference, adding that Qatar would still attend an OPEC meeting in Vienna this week.The announcement comes ahead of the meeting by Opec and its allies including Russia on December 6-7 to discuss cutting supply.The minister said the decision was not easy as Qatar has been in Opec for 57 years, but that the country’s impact on Opec production decisions was small.He stressed that Doha would continue to abide by all its commitments like any other non-Opec oil producer.The withdrawal decision reflects Qatar’s intent to focus its efforts on developing its natural gas industry, the minister said, as the Gulf Arab state moves to increase LNG production from 77 million to 110 million tonnes annually.He said the decision was not linked to a political and economic boycott of Qatar imposed since June 2017 by Opec’s de facto leader Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states.Qatar's oil production is only around 600,000 bpd, while it is the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG).Outside OPEC, Russian oil output stood at 11.37 million bpd in November, down from a post-Soviet record of 11.41 million bpd it reached in October, energy ministry data showed on Sunday.Meanwhile, oil producers in the United States continue to churn out record amounts of oil, with crude output at an unprecedented level of more than 11.5 million bpd.With drilling activity still high, most analysts expect US oil production to rise further in 2019.[SEP]Qatar has announced its decision to leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) from January next year and focus more on the production of natural gas. Qatar’s new energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi announced the decision on Monday. Qatar has plans to increase its annual exports of liquified natural gas, LPG from 77 million tons of gas per year to 110 million tons, the minister added. Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of LPG. Al-Kaabi said, Qatar also wants to raise its oil production from 4.8 million barrels of oil equivalent a day to 6.5 million barrels.[SEP]Qatar is to leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) next month, the Gulf emirate's new Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi announced on Monday. "Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership from OPEC effective January 2019," Kaabi said at a press conference in Doha. According to the minister, the emirate will no longer remain committed to OPEC agreements. "The withdrawal decision reflects Qatar's desire to focus its efforts on plans to develop and increase its natural gas production from 77 million tons per year to 110 million tons in the coming years," Kaabi said. "Qatar is proud in its international standing at the forefront of natural gas producers, and as the biggest exporter of [the liquid natural gas] LNG — the cleanest fossil fuel, which has given Qatar a strong and resilient economy." He added that OPEC was told of the decision on Monday ahead of the announcement. Qatar, a country of 2.6 million people, discovered the offshore North Field in 1971, the same year it became independent. It took years for engineers to discover the gas field's vast reserves, which shot Qatar to No. 3 in world rankings, behind Russia and Iran, with which it shares the North Field.[SEP]The minister said in a news conference that the decision came after Qatar, an OPEC member since 1961, reviewed ways to improve its role internationally and focus on its natural gas industry for its long-term strategy, according to international media. Qatar, the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter annually for almost a decade, produced 609,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil in October, compared to OPEC's 32.9 million bpd, or 1.8 percent of the cartel, according to OPEC's Monthly Oil Market Report in November. With OPEC Announcing Supply Cuts, Oil Prices Recover OPEC Trying to Sustain Market Confidence Amidst Global Uncertainties The decision comes at a critical time when OPEC is expected to cut its production at its much-awaited meeting on Thursday in order to increase the falling prices. Although the minister called the decision a "technical and strategic" change, Qatar has been under pressure by its neighbors since June 2017 with a political and economic boycott. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed a trade and travel embargo on Qatar for over a year, alleging that the country supports terrorism. Qatar, meanwhile, has spent around $200 billion on infrastructure in order to open new trade routes for its economy. It has also spent $50 billion from its sovereign wealth fund into its banking sector. By focusing on natural gas production, Qatar is expected to support its economy through LNG exports, which is estimated to increase from 77 million tonnes to 110 million tonnes per annum. Natural gas has made Qatar one of the world’s fastest-growing and highest per-capita income countries with a $167.6 billion gross domestic product (GDP), giving its small 2.6 million population $63.500 GDP per capita, according to the World Bank. According to OPEC's official website, Qatar is the smallest OPEC member country in terms of area and population covering an area of around 12 thousand square kilometers. The country's proven crude oil reserves are 25.2 billion barrels at the end of 2017, according to BP's Statistical Review of World Energy 2018 report.[SEP](CNN) — OPEC is losing one of its members. The small, gas-rich state of Qatar said Monday that it will leave the oil cartel on January 1 after nearly 60 years of membership. The country’s state oil company, Qatar Petroleum, made the announcement in a series of tweets. “The withdrawal decision reflects Qatar’s desire to focus its efforts on plans to develop and increase its natural gas production,” Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the country’s minister of state for energy affairs, was cited as saying in one of the tweets. Qatar is the world’s leading exporter of liquified natural gas, accounting for about 30% of global demand. For a year and a half, Qatar has been under an economic embargo by some of its neighbors including OPEC’s de facto leader, Saudi Arabia. In response, Qatar increased its gas production, the mainstay of its economy, last year. It will be the first Middle Eastern country to pull out of OPEC, which only deals with crude oil production. Qatar’s contribution has been marginal compared to some of the cartel’s biggest producers like Saudi Arabia and Iraq. It pumps about 600,000 barrels a day of the almost 25 million barrels a day from all OPEC members. “Qatar is a fairly small producer … it was not making very much so it’s not that significant in itself,” said Robin Mills, CEO of Qamar Energy, a consultancy firm based in Dubai. “But it’s a disappointment for OPEC because they’ve been trying to attract members.” OPEC has been expanding in Africa, with Congo and Equatorial Guinea joining recently. “If you add those up, [the production] is equal to Qatar’s so it’s kind of lost the equivalent [output] of those new members,” Mills added. OPEC members collectively supply about 44% of the world’s crude oil. The cartel aims to monitor the market and decide to raise or lower oil production in order to maintain stable prices and supply. Qatar has been a member of OPEC since 1961. It said the organization was aware of its decision to withdraw.[SEP]Gas production remains the top the priority for Qatar, which is the world's the biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas DOHA, Qatar – Qatar will leave OPEC next month in order to focus on gas production, the Gulf state's new Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi announced in a surprise move on Monday, December 3. Qatar has been a member of OPEC since 1961, and the decision to pull out after all these decades comes at a turbulent time in Gulf politics, with Doha under a boycott by former neighboring allies including Saudi Arabia for 18 months. "Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership from OPEC effective January 2019 and this decision was communicated to OPEC this morning," Kaabi told a Doha press conference. Kaabi, who also heads state-owned Qatar Petroleum, denied however that the move was linked to the feud with Saudi Arabia and its allies. The decision was "technical and strategic" and had "nothing to do with the blockade", he said. Qatar's still-influential former prime minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani subsequently tweeted that OPEC was of "little use" and being "used only for aims that undermine our national interest". Qatar will continue to produce oil and seek deals in countries including Latin America's top oil producer Brazil, said Kaabi. Some analysts saw Qatar's withdrawal as a "political decision to oppose Saudi Arabia", which alongside the United States and Russia is the biggest producer in OPEC. "So is it really worth it to someone like Qatar to go to Vienna to meet with someone who will lead the meeting and who is your enemy?" asked Thierry Bros, a researcher with the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. "In the end, perhaps you can do without it." Kaabi said gas production would remain the top priority for Qatar, which is the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). "We don't have great potential (in oil), we are very realistic," said Kaabi, who described himself as "Mr Gas" during the conference. "Our potential is gas." "I think it's inefficient to focus on something that's not your core business and something that's not going to benefit you long-term." In September, Qatar announced it plans to boost gas production to 110 million tons per year by 2024. Qatar's oil production is around 600,000 barrels per day, making the world's 17th largest producer of crude, according to the specialist website, world data.info. It also only holds around two percent of the world's global oil reserves, according to the CIA World Factbook. Kaabi said that would still attend OPEC's Vienna meeting later this week, his "first and last" as energy minister. That meeting is expected to set a policy for 2019 and despite Qatar's announcement, oil prices soared on Monday after Russia and Saudi Arabia renewed a pact to cap output on the sidelines of a G20 summit. While there was no announcement on how much would be cut and for how long, the pact was cheered by oil traders, with Brent jumping $2.60 to $62.06 and West Texas Intermediate up $2.42 to $53.35. Although Qatar's sudden move came out of the blue, analysts say it will have limited impact on the global market. Fiona Cincotta, a senior market analyst at UK-based City Index, said Qatar had "surprised the market" but added it was another sign that "some major production decisions will be taken outside of OPEC" following the G20 summit that closed Saturday in Buenos Aires. Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst for Energy Aspects consultants, argued the move would have limited impact. "Quitting OPEC is largely symbolic for Qatar," he told Bloomberg. "Its oil production has been steady with limited prospects for increases." OPEC is dominated by oil-rich Saudi, which along with its allies has had no ties with Qatar since June 2017. Relations between Riyadh and Doha are at an all-time low as a result of the crisis, which has seen Saudi-led countries accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism and being too close to Iran. Qatar refutes the allegations and claims rivals want to overthrow its government. But researcher Bros argued that Qatar's departure would weaken OPEC at a moment when Riyadh is battling an international outcry over the murder of journalist critic Jamal Khashoggi. "This shows that it will become more complicated to run things (at OPEC). Those that remain are not great friends, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia," said Bros. Kaabi meanwhile announced Qatar would "make a big splash in the oil and gas business soon," adding Doha would also build the Middle East's biggest ethane cracker, an industrial facility which converts gas to by-products, such as adhesives and ethylene for plastics. – Rappler.com[SEP]Qatar said on Monday it was quitting OPEC from January 2019 but would attend the oil exporter group’s meeting this week, saying the decision meant Doha could focus on cementing its position as the world’s top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter. Doha, one of the smallest oil producers in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, is locked in a diplomatic dispute with the group’s de facto leader Saudi Arabia but said the move to leave OPEC was not driven by politics. Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad al-Kaabi told a news conference that Qatar, which he said been a member of OPEC for 57 years, would still attend the group’s meeting on Thursday and Friday this week, and would abide by its commitments. “Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership from OPEC effective January 2019 and this decision was communicated to OPEC this morning,” the minister said. “For me to put efforts and resources and time in an organisation that we are a very small player in and I don’t have a say in what happens ... practically it does not work, so for us it’s better to focus on our big growth potential,” he said. One OPEC source told Reuters the decision was more symbolic than anything else. “They are not a big producer, but have played a big part in it’s (OPEC) history,” the source said. Qatar has oil output of only 600,000 barrels per day (bpd), compared with the 11 million bpd produced by Saudi Arabia, the group’s biggest oil producer and world’s biggest exporter. But Doha is an influential player in the global LNG market with annual production of 77 million tonnes per year, based on its huge reserves of the fuel in the Gulf. Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at consultancy Energy Aspects, said Qatar’s withdrawal “doesn’t affect OPEC’s ability to influence as Qatar was a very small player.” OPEC and its allies, including Russia, are expected to agree on a supply cut at this week’s meeting in a bid to support crude prices that have slid almost 30 percent since October. Oil prices surged about 5 percent on Monday after the United States and China agreed to a 90-day truce in their trade war, but Brent crude is still trading at around $62 a barrel, well below October’s peak of more than $86. Al-Kaabi, who is heading Qatar’s OPEC delegation, said the decision was not political but related to the country’s long-term strategy and plans to develop its gas industry and increase LNG output to 110 million tonnes by 2024. OPEC members, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and fellow Arab states Bahrain and Egypt, have imposed a political and economic boycott on Qatar since June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charges and says the boycott aims to impinge on its sovereignty. “A lot of people will politicise it,” Al-Kaabi said. “I assure you this purely was a decision on what’s right for Qatar long term. It’s a strategy decision.” “We will make a big splash in the oil and gas business soon,” he said. He said Qatar Petroleum planned to raise its production capability from 4.8 million barrels oil equivalent per day to 6.5 million barrels in the next decade. Doha also plans to build the largest ethane cracker in the Middle East.[SEP]Doha: Qatar will leave OPEC next month in order to focus on gas production, the Gulf state's new Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi announced in a surprise move on Monday. Qatar has been a member of OPEC since 1961, and the decision to pull out after all these decades comes at a turbulent time in Gulf politics, with Doha under a boycott by former neighbouring allies including Saudi Arabia for 18 months. "Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership from OPEC effective January 2019 and this decision was communicated to OPEC this morning," Kaabi told a Doha press conference. Kaabi, who also heads state-owned Qatar Petroleum, denied however that the move was linked to the feud with Saudi Arabia and its allies. The decision was "technical and strategic" and had "nothing to do with the blockade", he said. Qatar's still-influential former prime minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani subsequently tweeted that OPEC was of "little use" and being "used only for aims that undermine our national interest". Qatar will continue to produce oil and seek deals in countries including Latin America's top oil producer Brazil, said Kaabi. Some analysts saw Qatar's withdrawal as a "political decision to oppose Saudi Arabia", which alongside the United States and Russia is the biggest producer in OPEC. "So is it really worth it to someone like Qatar to go to Vienna to meet with someone who will lead the meeting and who is your enemy?" asked Thierry Bros, a researcher with the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. "In the end, perhaps you can do without it." Kaabi said gas production would remain the top priority for Qatar, which is the world's the biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). "We don't have great potential (in oil), we are very realistic," said Kaabi, who described himself as "Mr Gas" during the conference. "Our potential is gas." "I think it's inefficient to focus on something that's not your core business and something that's not going to benefit you long-term." In September, Qatar announced it plans to boost gas production to 110 million tonnes per year by 2024. Qatar's oil production is around 600,000 barrels per day, making the world's 17th largest producer of crude, according to the specialist website, world data.info. It also only holds around two percent of the world's global oil reserves, according to the CIA World Factbook. Kaabi said that would still attend OPEC's Vienna meeting later this week, his "first and last" as energy minister. That meeting is expected to set a policy for 2019 and despite Qatar's announcement, oil prices soared on Monday after Russia and Saudi Arabia renewed a pact to cap output on the sidelines of a G20 summit. While there was no announcement on how much would be cut and for how long, the pact was cheered by oil traders, with Brent jumping $2.60 to $62.06 and West Texas Intermediate up $2.42 to $53.35. Although Qatar's sudden move came out of the blue, analysts say it will have limited impact on the global market. Fiona Cincotta, a senior market analyst at UK-based City Index, said Qatar had "surprised the market" but added it was another sign that "some major production decisions will be taken outside of OPEC" following the G20 summit that closed Saturday in Buenos Aires. Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst for Energy Aspects consultants, argued the move would have limited impact. "Quitting OPEC is largely symbolic for Qatar," he told Bloomberg. "Its oil production has been steady with limited prospects for increases." OPEC is dominated by oil-rich Saudi, which along with its allies has had no ties with Qatar since June 2017.[SEP]DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar is withdrawing from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as of January 2019, Saad al-Kaabi, the country’s energy minister said on Monday. The decision to withdraw from OPEC came after Qatar reviewed ways to enhance its role internationally and plan its long-term strategy, al-Kaabi told a news conference.

Qatar announces that it is withdrawing from OPEC in January 2019, after almost 60 years of membership, to focus on natural gas production.

[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] The mayor of Atlantic City made headlines last month when he was involved in a fight outside a casino that was captured on video. The mayor, Frank Gilliam, was not charged. But Mr. Gilliam may be facing more serious trouble. Early Monday, federal officials raided his home, removing computer equipment and boxes in an operation that represents another setback for this struggling seaside city. “The F.B.I. was at the mayor’s home in Atlantic City in an official capacity executing a search warrant,” said Doreen Holder, a spokeswoman for the F.B.I.’s office in Newark. Ms. Holder said the I.R.S. was also involved in the search, but she declined to offer any other details.[SEP]The FBI on Monday morning raided the New Jersey home of Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam, according to reports. “We can confirm that our agents were executing search warrant at the home of Mayor Frank Gilliam,” Doreen Holder, a public affairs specialist with the FBI’s Newark office told NJ.com, declining to comment further on the reason behind the raid. A source told the news outlet that about a dozen FBI agents were seen entering the Ohio Avenue home and several agents were still there as of 8:30 a.m. The FBI search comes after it was revealed that Gilliam and Atlantic City Councilman Jeffree Fauntleroy II were involved in a brawl outside the Haven nightclub at Golden Nugget Atlantic City on Nov. 11. The incident was captured on surveillance footage. People involved in the fight allege the elected officials assaulted them and chased them with a car, according to NJ.com. No criminal charges are being pursued against either Gilliam or Fauntleroy, but both still face citizens’ complaints filed against them from the fracas, the news outlet reported. They both have a court appearance in North Wildwood on Dec. 11. Last month, Gilliam insisted to The Press of Atlantic City that there was “no incident” and that “nothing happened,” but later acknowledged there was a physical confrontation. Fauntleroy told the news outlet that the incident was merely a “loud argument” and nothing more.[SEP]FBI agents raided the home of Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam just before 8 a.m. Monday morning, the agency confirmed to NJ Advance Media. "We can confirm that our agents were executing search warrant at the home of Mayor Frank Gilliam," said Doreen Holder, a public affairs specialist with the FBI's Newark office, declining to comment on the reasons for the possible seizure of documents. A source who spoke to NJ Advance Media said that roughly a dozen agents were seen entering the home, and that as of 8:30 a.m. several were still milling about the mayor’s residence on Ohio Avenue. Gilliam, a Democrat elected in November 2017, was also recently served with municipal criminal summons from a mid-November brawl at the Haven nightclub. Democrats want Atlantic City mayor, councilman out of office without pay A photo tweeted by local news site BreakingAC.com shows at least eight FBI agents and two black SUVs parked outside the mayor’s home on Monday. Gilliam and Councilman Jeffree Fauntleroy II were involved in a fight outside the Haven Nightclub at Golden Nugget Nov. 11 around 2:22 a.m. People involved allege the elected officials assaulted them and chased them with a car. Last week, the Cape May Prosecutor’s Office said it would not press charges against either Gilliam or Fauntleroy. The two will still face citizens' complaints filed against them from the incident. They are currently scheduled to appear in a courtroom in North Wildwood Dec. 11.[SEP]ATLANTIC CITY (CBS) — Officials are searching the home of Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam. Federal Agents were seen entering Gilliam’s home on the 1400 block of North Ohio Avenue on Monday morning. Federal agents are searching the home of Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam. The purpose of the search has not been confirmed. The search comes on the heels of prosecutors declaring that criminal charges against Gilliam and Atlantic City Councilman Jeffree Fauntleroy won’t be charged. An investigation had reviewed a brawl outside the Golden Nugget Casino in November. Although the pair are not facing criminal charges at this time, they still have citizen’s complaints filed against them. Those concerns will be addressed in Municipal Court in North Wildwood on Dec. 11. However, Atlantic City Democratic Committee has called for the resignations of the two Democratic lawmakers. “This alleged conduct is disgraceful and extremely disturbing and should not go without reproach,” the committee said in a statement. The resolution asks the governor or lieutenant governor to use “executive power” to suspend and remove them from office. Stay with CBSPhilly.com as this story develops.[SEP]The Latest: Atlantic City mayor mum after FBI raid at home ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The Latest on an FBI raid on the home of Atlantic City N.J. mayor Frank Gilliam Jr. (all times local): Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam Jr. has left his home after FBI and IRS agents appeared to have finished searching his house. The first-term Democratic mayor did not respond to shouted questions from reporters Monday as he got into his sport utility vehicle and drove away. The FBI would only say that it was executing a search warrant, declining further comment. It remained unclear Monday afternoon what prompted the search. Gilliam and several others were recently involved in an early morning fight outside an Atlantic City casino but local prosecutors announced last week they wouldn't file criminal charges. In April, a judge threw out a criminal complaint against Gilliam over the alleged theft of a $10,000 check from the Atlantic City Democratic Committee. FBI agents are searching the home of Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam. The FBI's Newark division confirms agents are at Gilliam's house Monday executing a search warrant. It wasn't immediately known what prompted the search. Gilliam is in his first year as mayor. The former two-term city councilman defeated incumbent Don Guardian last November in a contentious election marked by allegations of voter fraud by Guardian. Gilliam and several others were recently involved in an early morning fight outside an Atlantic City casino but local prosecutors announced last week they wouldn't file criminal charges. In April, a judge threw out a criminal complaint against Gilliam over the alleged theft of a $10,000 check from the Atlantic City Democratic Committee.[SEP]Federal officials raided the home of Mayor Frank Gilliam of Atlantic City early Monday, removing computer equipment and boxes in an operation that represents the latest setback for this struggling seaside city. “The F.B.I. was at the mayor’s home in Atlantic City in an official capacity executing a search warrant,” Doreen Holder, a spokeswoman for the F.B.I.’s office in Newark, said. Ms. Holder declined to offer any other details about the investigation. Video posted on social media showed about a dozen agents going in and out of the home on Ohio Avenue.[SEP]The Latest: Atlantic City mayor mum after FBI raid at home ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam Jr. has left his home after FBI and IRS agents appeared to have finished searching his house. The first-term Democratic mayor did not respond to shouted questions from reporters Monday as he got into his sport utility vehicle and drove away. The FBI would only say that it was executing a search warrant, declining further comment. It remained unclear Monday afternoon what prompted the search. Gilliam and several others were recently involved in an early morning fight outside an Atlantic City casino but local prosecutors announced last week they wouldn’t file criminal charges. In April, a judge threw out a criminal complaint against Gilliam over the alleged theft of a $10,000 check from the Atlantic City Democratic Committee.[SEP]ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — FBI agents are searching the home of Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam Jr. The FBI’s Newark division confirms agents are searching Gilliam’s house Monday. It wasn’t immediately known what prompted the search. The Democrat is in his first year as mayor. The former two-term city councilman defeated Republican incumbent Don Guardian in November 2017 in a contentious election marked by allegations of voter fraud by Guardian. Gilliam and several others were involved in an early morning fight last month outside an Atlantic City casino, but local prosecutors announced last week they wouldn’t file criminal charges. In April, a judge threw out a criminal complaint against Gilliam over the alleged theft of a $10,000 check from the Atlantic City Democratic Committee. A phone message was left with Gilliam seeking comment on the investigation.[SEP]Federal authorities are executing a search warrant at the home of Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam. NBC10's Ted Greenberg was there as FBI and IRS agents removed computer equipment from the home. It was unclear what exactly authorities are looking for. Neither Gilliam or his spokespeople replied to requests for comment. This story is developing and will be updated.[SEP]ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Federal agents searched the home of Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam Jr. on Monday, but authorities and the mayor himself were tight-lipped about what prompted the raid. Agents in dark blue FBI windbreakers carried white cardboard boxes out of the house, which is about a mile from Atlantic City’s casinos. Earlier they removed a computer and a printer, stashing the items in dark sport utility vehicles. Outside the home, FBI agent Jessica Weisman said, “We are here in an official capacity, executing a search warrant. That’s all we can say.” Gilliam emerged from the home shortly after 12:30, ignoring shouted questions from reporters. He then got into his personal sport utility vehicle and drove away. A spokeswoman for the mayor’s office said it remained open Monday, though Gilliam was not there. IRS agents also were on the scene, a spokesman for the service’s criminal investigations unit said Monday. Phone and text messages left with Gilliam seeking comment on the investigation were not returned. It was not immediately clear whether he had hired an attorney. A man driving a car with the Atlantic City logo on its sides drove slowly past Gilliam’s home, extending his middle finger to reporters gathered outside. Gilliam, a Democrat, is in his first year as mayor. The former two-term city councilman defeated Republican incumbent Don Guardian in November 2017 in a contentious election in which Guardian alleged voter fraud by Gilliam’s campaign. In April, a judge threw out a criminal complaint against Gilliam over the alleged theft of a $10,000 check from the Atlantic City Democratic Committee. The committee had accused Gilliam and a former campaign manager of unlawful taking when Gilliam deposited the committee’s $10,000 check into his campaign account. Gilliam said it was a mistake and later returned the money. Last month, Gilliam and several other people were involved in an early morning fight outside an Atlantic City casino that was caught on surveillance video. Local prosecutors announced last week they wouldn’t file criminal charges, though citizen’s complaints filed against Gilliam and Councilman Jeffree Fauntleroy were pending in municipal court.

The FBI raids the house of Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam.

After "Hail to Chief" and a 21-gun salute rang out, the casket of President George H.W. Bush was carried up the steps of the U.S. Capitol as the setting sun cast a pastel sky over Washington in a final nod to one of America's great public servants. Interested in George H.W. Bush? Add George H.W. Bush as an interest to stay up to date on the latest George H.W. Bush news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest The late president's son, former President George W. Bush, held his hand over his heart and held back tears as he watched pallbearers carry his father into the Capitol while the U.S. Army Band, “Pershing’s Own,” played the hymns, "Fairest Lord Jesus" and "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." The Bush family and members of Bush's cabinet solemnly followed the casket into the Capitol Rotunda led by Maj. Gen. Michael L. Howard. Bush's casket was draped with the American flag and placed underneath the marble dome of the Rotunda. Surrounded by family, members of his administration, the current White House, Supreme Court justices and members of Congress, Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan paid tribute to Bush. "Thirty years ago, on the west front of this capitol, George Herbert Walker Bush addressed the nation for the first time as our president," McConnell said in his tribute on the rotunda floor. "He said, 'We meet on democracy's front porch. A good place to talk as neighbors and as friends.' The words of a humble servant who loved his fellow citizens and of a principled leader who knew America not only guards our own future but also safeguards democracy for the world. Today, this hero has returned to the capitol a final time." During his tribute, Ryan said he campaigned for Bush in high school. "He was the first president I had the chance to vote for. And he was the first president to teach me and many of us that in a democracy, sometimes you fall short. And that how you handle that, that is just as important as how you win," Ryan said. The remarks paid tribute to a man known for his kindness and humility. "When President George H.W. Bush left office, he left America and the world more peaceful, prosperous and secure," Pence said. "He was a great leader who made a great difference in the life of this nation. But he also was a good man who was devoted to his wife, his family and his friends." Pence shared a personal story of Bush writing to his son after he earned his Wings of Gold and made his first tailhook landing as a Marine aviator on the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush. "I asked him to sign a picture of the flight deck that I could give to my son. We were told by the staff that the president had long since ended the practice of signing autographs and we understood that. But little to my surprise, just in time for my son's winging, there came not only a signed photograph but, of course, a letter. Hand-signed as well," Pence said. "In that letter President Bush wrote to my son, 'Congratulations on receiving your wings of gold. I know how proud you and your family are at this moment.' And then in words that assured us that the letter came directly from him, he wrote, 'Though we have not met, I share the pride your father has for you during this momentous occasion and I wish you many C.A.V.U. days ahead. All the best, G. Bush,'" Pence said. C.A.V.U. stands for clear skies and visibility unlimited and was one of Bush's favorite terms from his time in the Navy. "Ceiling and visibility unlimited. That may well describe the essence of this man," Pence said. "And it may well have been his vision. The vision he had for his life, for his children, his children's children and his country. No barriers, no boundaries, no limits." The plane -- referred to as Air Force One when the president is on board -- was given the name "Special Air Mission 41" on Monday and Wednesday for when the late president and his family traveled between Joint Base Andrews and Houston. When the plane landed at Andrews Monday under clear skies, it marked the start of a four-day tribute in the nation's capital to the 41st president. A hearse waited as the plane taxied to its place. Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters Members of the CIA, for which Bush once served as director, and sailors from the carrier USS George H.W. Bush stood at attention. More than a dozen members of the Bush family descended from the Boeing 747 and then watched as military members carried the casket through a cordon and placed it in the hearse. The late president's longtime friend, former chief of staff and Secretary of State James Baker accompanied the Bush family, as did Sully, the 2-year-old service dog that stayed by the president's side through the last few months of his life. Eric Gay/AP As during the departure ceremony at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston, the former president and World War II Navy pilot was honored with a 21-gun salute. After the ceremony, the hearse left for the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, where Navy captains and admirals will serve as pallbearers and bring the late president's casket up the Capitol steps. AP The official ceremonies honoring the late president began Monday morning as his family watched members of the U.S. Secret Service carry his casket from a funeral chapel in Houston to a waiting hearse. The motorcade then headed to Ellington Field about 45 minutes away. Bush, who was famous for having socks for every occasion, will be buried in a pair that pays tribute to his time in the Navy, according to family spokesperson Jim McGrath. The former president flew 58 combat missions in the Pacific as a torpedo bomber pilot and was shot down by the Japanese in 1944. The 41st President will be carried to his final rest wearing socks that pay tribute to his lifetime of service, starting as an 18 year-old naval aviator in war. That legacy is now being carried, in part, by the brave, selfless men and women aboard @CVN77_GHWB. #Remembering41 pic.twitter.com/OabtK756fO — Jim McGrath (@jgm41) December 3, 2018 Over the last few months, the Bush family shared photos of him wearing socks with former President Bill Clinton's face on them, as well as a pair featuring a yellow lab that looked like his service dog, Sully. David J. Phillip/AP As the departure ceremony was taking place, President Donald Trump tweeted that he would see the Bush family soon. "Looking forward to being with the Bush Family to pay my respects to President George H.W. Bush," he wrote. The president doesn't yet have any public events scheduled with the family ahead of Wednesday's state funeral. Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to make remarks at the U.S. Capitol, where the president's casket will be taken after an arrival ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The Clintons and the Obamas are expected to attend the funeral service, as well as former President Jimmy Carter. At age 94, the same age at which Bush died, Carter is now the oldest living president. The official schedule for ceremonies honoring the late George H.W. Bush was released on Saturday. The four-day tribute includes lying in state at the U.S. Capitol for parts of three days, a funeral at the Washington National Cathedral and eventual burial at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum back in Texas. Bush's casket will lie in state through Wednesday morning. An honor guard will be in attendance and the public will be allowed into the Capitol from 7:30 p.m. Monday until 8:45 a.m. Wednesday. Sen. John McCain, a war hero like Bush, is the last person to lie in state at the Capitol following his death in August. Bush called McCain "a patriot of the highest order" following his death. There will be a departure ceremony for Bush at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday at 10 a.m. and his casket will arrive at the Washington National Cathedral five miles away at 11 a.m. The funeral at the Washington National Cathedral, set to be attended by a wide array of former presidents and politicians, including Trump, will last 90 minutes. Following the funeral, Bush's casket will return to Joint Base Andrews at 1:15 p.m. for the flight back to Houston. His arrival at Ellington Field is expected at 4:30 p.m. Central time on Wednesday. Bush will then lie in repose at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, where first lady Barbara Bush's funeral was held in April. AP The president's casket will depart by railroad on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. Central time and arrive at Texas A&M; University in College Station, home to the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, at 3:45 p.m. Bush, an admirer of trains, has had a special one with a glass viewing car designed to carry his remains to internment. Bush will be interred next to his wife and daughter Robin at 4:15 p.m.[SEP]WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on events related to late former President George H.W. Bush (all times local): President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have paid their respects to former President George H.W. Bush at the U.S. Capitol. The nation's 41st president is lying in state at the Capitol Rotunda. The Trumps stood in front of the casket Monday evening with their eyes closed for a few moments. After Trump saluted the casket, the pair walked out. Trump skipped an earlier service at the Capitol, where Bush was eulogized by Vice President Mike Pence, among others. Trump has a fractured relationship with the Bush family, whom he has repeatedly criticized. But he has praised Bush since his passing as "just a high-quality man who truly loved his family" and a "terrific guy" who will be missed. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have arrived at the U.S. Capitol to pay their respects to former President George H.W. Bush. The body of the nation's 41st president is lying in state at the U.S. Capitol until Wednesday morning. Trump skipped an earlier service at the Capitol, where Bush was eulogized by Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan, among others. Trump is not expected to speak at the service and has a fractured relationship with the Bush family. But he has praised Bush since his passing as "just a high-quality man who truly loved his family" and a "terrific guy" who will be missed. Bush died Friday at his home in Houston. He was 94. Several hundred people have gathered in downtown Houston for a memorial to former President George H.W. Bush, a beloved figure in his adopted hometown. The ceremony Monday night took place in front of Houston's City Hall, bathed in lights of red, white, and blue. City organizers encouraged Houston residents to wear their boldest socks in a nod to Bush's well-known sartorial tradition. Michael Meaux (moh), who worked in the U.S. State Department for Bush's son, former President George W. Bush, wore a pair of hot-pink socks that he laughingly said he had owned for a long time but had never worn before. The Houston resident called Bush "the last gentleman president that we've had." Vice President Mike Pence has offered the nation's condolences to the family of the late former President George H.W. Bush. He also thanked Bush's family for sharing "this special man" with the country and the world. The vice president says Bush left America and the world "more peaceful, prosperous and secure." He spoke of first meeting Bush as a 29-year-old entering politics and of a letter his son, an enlisted Marine, received from Bush. Pence's son had just completed a landing on the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier and Pence wrote to Bush. Bush sent a signed photograph and letter. Pence spoke at a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, where Bush will lie in state through Wednesday. Bush died Friday at his home in Houston. He was 94. Vice President Mike Pence says former President George H.W. Bush's example will always inspire and his lifetime of public service will be enshrined in the hearts of the American people. Pence says Bush never failed to answer the call to serve his country. Pence is speaking in the Capitol Rotunda as lawmakers, Supreme Court justices and former members of his administration pay their respects to the nation's 41st president. Bush also served as vice president for two terms under President Ronald Reagan. Pence says Bush joked there was "nothing substantive to do at all" going into that job. But Pence says Bush set the standard as "a sound counselor and loyal adviser to an outsider who came to Washington, D.C., to shake things up, cut taxes, rebuild the military, and together they did just that." House Speaker Paul Ryan praised George H.W. Bush as a "great patriot," and the first president he had been able to cast a ballot for as a young man. The Wisconsin Republican was delivering remarks during a ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda where Bush will lie in state, an honor reserved for few. The former president died Friday. Ryan says Bush's character was "second to none." He says Bush lived his life with "a fundamental decency that resonates across generations." Ryan says Bush's presidential campaign in 1988 first drew him to politics. He said Bush showed other political leaders that "how we live is as important as what we achieve." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is comparing the "steady hand" with which President George H.W. Bush kept his bomber under control when it was shot down during World War II with the way he guided the country. McConnell says Bush "kept us on course" as the Kentucky Republican delivered a eulogy for the late president at a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday. Bush's flag-covered casket lay in state as McConnell spoke. Bush's aircraft was shot down in 1944 over the Pacific. He completed his bombing mission before bailing out. McConnell says Bush "kept us flying high and challenged us to fly higher still" as he steered the U.S. through the end of the Cold War and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. The casket carrying the remains of George H.W. Bush has arrived at the U.S. Capitol for the nation to begin its formal farewell to the 41st president. His remains arrived Monday afternoon at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington aboard an aircraft that often serves as Air Force One. Former President George W. Bush, the eldest of the four Bush sons, and his wife, Laura, along with brother Neil Bush and his family, were aboard the plane for the trip from Houston. Following a short service Monday afternoon, the president's remains will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda until Wednesday morning. Bush died Friday in Houston at age 94. An invitation-only funeral service is set for Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral. President Donald Trump is among the dignitaries who plan to attend. The body of former President George H.W. Bush is heading toward the U.S. Capitol following a brief ceremony at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. Bush's flag-draped casket was unloaded from the presidential plane and brought to a hearse by an honor guard as a military band played "Hail to the Chief." Bush's son, former President George W. Bush, descended from the plane with his wife, Laura, and other family members. Others including Jeb Bush were already waiting on the tarmac. Bush will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda for a ceremony and public visitation from Monday through Wednesday. An invitation-only funeral service will follow at Washington National Cathedral before his casket returns to Houston for burial. A military aircraft carrying the remains of former President George H.W. Bush has arrived at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, as the nation's capital prepares to honor the 41st president. A formation of Navy sailors and Air Force personnel stood at attention as the plane touched down. The sailors assembled were from the USS George H. W. Bush, the Navy's newest aircraft carrier. A group of about 100 civilian dignitaries and well-wishers also were on hand. Bush will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda for a ceremony and public visitation from Monday through Wednesday. An invitation-only funeral service will follow at Washington National Cathedral before his casket returns to Houston for burial. President Donald Trump, who will attend the funeral service in Washington, has ordered the federal government closed Wednesday for a national day of mourning. A military aircraft carrying the remains of former President George H.W. Bush has taken off and is flying from Houston to Washington for official mourning ceremonies, including a state funeral. Pallbearers carried Bush's casket from a hearse across the tarmac to a presidential plane commonly known as Air Force One. For the task of transporting Bush's body on Monday, the plane has been renamed Special Air Mission 41, the number being a reference to Bush's place in the roster of America's presidents. A military band played "Hail to the Chief." An American flag and one with the presidential seal flew nearby. Bush's son former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, were among those relatives and Bush friends who walked to the aircraft shortly after the body was loaded aboard. George H.W. Bush's remains have made the journey from a Houston funeral home to Ellington Field, where a presidential aircraft will carry them to Washington for a state funeral. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, one of George H.W. Bush's grandsons, was among more than 100 invited guests seeing off Bush's remains on Monday. The guests are set to witness a ceremony including a military band and a 21-gun salute. Angela Savage one of the people who stood outside the funeral home to watch the passing of the hearse carrying Bush's casket as it headed to Ellington Field. She called it "a once-in-a-lifetime kind of event." Savage describes what she saw as "amazing and very respectful," adding, "I feel like that's what he deserves." More than 100 invited guests have gathered at Houston's Ellington Field for a ceremony to send off the casket of former President George H.W. Bush to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The guests stood next to the tarmac at Ellington Field on Monday and awaited the arrival of the hearse with Bush's casket. The guests and Bush family members are to attend a ceremony that will include a military band and a 21-gun salute. The guests stood near the U.S. military plane that's more commonly known as Air Force One. For the task of transporting Bush's body, the plane has been renamed Special Air Mission 41, the number being a reference to Bush's place in the roster of America's presidents. Bush died Friday in Houston at age 94. An invitation-only funeral service is set for Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral. A hearse carrying the casket of former President George H.W. Bush has left a Houston funeral home. The casket was draped in an American flag and was carried by six pallbearers on Monday morning. It was placed into a hearse headed to Houston's Ellington Field, where a presidential aircraft waited to carry Bush's body to Washington for a state funeral. The hearse was part of a motorcade escorted by Houston police officers on motorcycles. A spokeswoman confirms former President Jimmy Carter plans to attend the state funeral for former President George H.W. Bush. Rosalynn Carter will not attend. The 91-year-old former first lady has limited her travels in recent months. With Bush's death, Jimmy Carter becomes the oldest living former president, at age 94. Both men were born in 1924, Bush on June 12, Carter on Oct. 1. Bush served as CIA director when Carter first ran for president 1976. Carter replaced Bush with Stansfield Turner. Four years later, Bush joined the Ronald Reagan Republican ticket that routed Carter in the 1980 presidential election. Bush died Friday in Houston at age 94. An invitation-only funeral service is set for Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral. Secret Service personnel who had been assigned to protecting George H.W. Bush are serving as honorary pallbearers as his remains begin making their way from Houston to a state funeral in Washington. The former president's spokesman, Jim McGrath, tweeted Monday that for "this first movement in Houston" members of "the current @SecretService Bush Protective Division will serve as honorary pallbearers." Bush died at his Houston home on Friday at age 94. His remains are scheduled to arrive at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Monday afternoon and later will begin lying in state at the U.S. Capitol. On Wednesday morning, a motorcade will take the remains to a state funeral at the National Cathedral. Houston is honoring George H.W. Bush with a City Hall tribute and urging people who attend to dress in colorful socks, a nod to one of the former president's favorite fashion accessories. Mayor Sylvester Turner is hosting Monday evening's event featuring music and community leaders in front of City Hall. Turner tweeted that those in attendance should "wear their own colorful socks." Bush often sported bright socks, sometimes with loud, unusual patterns. He died Friday at his Houston home at age 94, and his body is heading to Washington for a state funeral. Spokesman Jim McGrath tweeted Monday that Bush "will be carried to his final rest" wearing gray socks saluting the Armed Forces and paying "tribute to his lifetime of service," starting as an 18-year-old "naval aviator in war." George H.W. Bush is set to embark on his final tour of Washington as a nation prepares to bid farewell to its 41st president. His remains will arrive in Washington on Monday, and he will lie in state at the Capitol through Wednesday. An invitation-only funeral service is set for Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral, to be attended by President Donald Trump and other dignitaries. Bush will then be returned to Houston for burial Thursday at his presidential library at Texas A&M University. He will be laid to rest alongside Barbara Bush, his wife of 73 years who died in April, and Robin Bush, the daughter who died of leukemia at age 3. Bush was president from 1989 to 1993. He died Friday in Houston at age 94.[SEP]HOUSTON (AP) — Former President George H.W. Bush will be honored during several public and private events in Houston and Washington before his burial Thursday in Texas. Four days of events for Bush, who died Friday at age 94, include a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral, a private service at his longtime church in Houston and public viewings in both cities. He will be buried next to his wife Barbara and their daughter Robin who died in 1953. Here are details about the events: Bush’s body was transported by a motorcade Monday morning from a Houston funeral home to Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, a Texas Air National Guard base. The casket was loaded onto a plane during a departure ceremony and flown to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Relatives accompanying the casket included his sons, former President George W. Bush and Neil Bush, along with members of their immediate families. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the rest of the Bush family met the party when the body arrived at Joint Base Andrews. Houston hosted a public tribute to Bush on Monday night. Mayor Sylvester Turner had urged attendees to wear colorful socks, a nod to the former president’s fondness for sporting loud socks often emblazoned with unusual patterns during public events. Family spokesman Jim McGrath tweeted Monday that Bush will be laid to rest wearing gray socks honoring his days as a naval aviator. In Washington, Bush is lying in state in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol until 8:45 a.m. EST Wednesday. His casket will be transported by motorcade Wednesday morning to the National Cathedral, where a state funeral will be held at 11 a.m. EST. President Donald Trump, who ordered federal offices closed on Wednesday for a national day of mourning, is to attend with first lady Melania Trump. Following the service at the National Cathedral, Bush will be flown to Houston on Wednesday with a scheduled arrival of around 4:30 p.m. CST. His body will be transported by motorcade to St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, where he and his wife regularly worshipped. A public viewing of Bush’s casket will be held at the church from 6:45 p.m. CST on Wednesday until 6 a.m. CST on Thursday. On Thursday, a private funeral service with about 1,200 invited guests will be held at the church starting at 10 a.m. CST. After the hour-long service, a motorcade will transport Bush’s casket to a train station north of Houston, near the international airport named after Bush. A ceremony will be held at the train station as Bush’s casket is loaded onto a Union Pacific train. The train will take about 2½ hours to travel roughly 70 miles (113 kilometers) to the city of College Station, home to Bush’s presidential library at Texas A&M University. The locomotive has been painted the colors of the Air Force One plane used during Bush’s presidency and bears the number “4141” in honor of the 41st president. The casket will be in a car with Plexiglas windows to allow people to see it during the trip, according to McGrath, the family spokesman. The train is scheduled to arrive in College Station on Thursday around 3:45 p.m. CST. Bush’s casket will then be transported by motorcade to the presidential library, where he will be buried at the gated family plot near his wife and their daughter Robin, who died of leukemia at age 3. Barbara Bush died on April 17 at their Houston home. The couple was married for 73 years , longer than any other U.S. presidential couple. Ceremonies at the presidential library will include a missing man formation flyover. The casket will then be rolled along a path through woods, over a bridge and over a creek for burial during a private graveside service with Bush’s family. See AP’s complete coverage of George H.W. Bush here: https://www.apnews.com/GeorgeHWBush[SEP]HOUSTON (AP) — Former President George H.W. Bush will be honored during several public and private events in Houston and Washington before his burial Thursday in Texas. Four days of events for Bush, who died Friday at age 94, include a state funeral at Washington's National Cathedral, a private service at his longtime church in Houston and public viewings in both cities. He will be buried next to his wife Barbara and their daughter Robin who died in 1953. Here are details about the events: Bush's body was transported by a motorcade Monday morning from a Houston funeral home to Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, a Texas Air National Guard base. The casket was loaded onto a plane during a departure ceremony and flown to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Relatives accompanying the casket included his sons, former President George W. Bush and Neil Bush, along with members of their immediate families. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the rest of the Bush family met the party when the body arrived at Joint Base Andrews. Houston hosted a public tribute to Bush on Monday night. Mayor Sylvester Turner had urged attendees to wear colorful socks, a nod to the former president's fondness for sporting loud socks often emblazoned with unusual patterns during public events. Family spokesman Jim McGrath tweeted Monday that Bush will be laid to rest wearing gray socks honoring his days as a naval aviator. In Washington, Bush is lying in state in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol until 8:45 a.m. EST Wednesday. His casket will be transported by motorcade Wednesday morning to the National Cathedral, where a state funeral will be held at 11 a.m. EST. President Donald Trump, who ordered federal offices closed on Wednesday for a national day of mourning, is to attend with first lady Melania Trump. Following the service at the National Cathedral, Bush will be flown to Houston on Wednesday with a scheduled arrival of around 4:30 p.m. CST. His body will be transported by motorcade to St. Martin's Episcopal Church, where he and his wife regularly worshipped. A public viewing of Bush's casket will be held at the church from 6:45 p.m. CST on Wednesday until 6 a.m. CST on Thursday. On Thursday, a private funeral service with about 1,200 invited guests will be held at the church starting at 10 a.m. CST. After the hour-long service, a motorcade will transport Bush's casket to a train station north of Houston, near the international airport named after Bush. A ceremony will be held at the train station as Bush's casket is loaded onto a Union Pacific train. The train will take about 2½ hours to travel roughly 70 miles (113 kilometers) to the city of College Station, home to Bush's presidential library at Texas A&M University. The locomotive has been painted the colors of the Air Force One plane used during Bush's presidency and bears the number "4141" in honor of the 41st president. The casket will be in a car with Plexiglas windows to allow people to see it during the trip, according to McGrath, the family spokesman. The train is scheduled to arrive in College Station on Thursday around 3:45 p.m. CST. Bush's casket will then be transported by motorcade to the presidential library, where he will be buried at the gated family plot near his wife and their daughter Robin, who died of leukemia at age 3. Barbara Bush died on April 17 at their Houston home. The couple was married for 73 years , longer than any other U.S. presidential couple. Ceremonies at the presidential library will include a missing man formation flyover. The casket will then be rolled along a path through woods, over a bridge and over a creek for burial during a private graveside service with Bush's family. See AP's complete coverage of George H.W. Bush here: https://www.apnews.com/GeorgeHWBush[SEP]Plane carrying casket of former President George HW Bush arrives at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, DC WASHINGTON (AP) — Plane carrying casket of former President George HW Bush arrives at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, DC.[SEP]WASHINGTON — Plane carrying casket of former President George HW Bush arrives at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, DC. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]George H.W. Bush came back to Washington for a final time Monday, heading for the Capitol to lie in state as the nation paid tribute to the 41st president for a lifetime of service that began in the Navy during World War II, ended with four years as president and was characterized throughout by what admirers say was decency, generosity and kindness.Sent off from his beloved Texas with a 21-gun salute, Bush's casket was carried to Andrews Air Force Base outside the capital city aboard an aircraft that often serves as Air Force One.Former President George W. Bush, the eldest of the four Bush sons, and his wife, Laura, along with brother Neil Bush and his family, boarded the plane for the cross-country trip to Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.On Sunday, students, staff and visitors had flocked to Bush's presidential library on the campus of Texas A&M University, with thousands of mourners paying their respects at a weekend candlelight vigil at a nearby pond and others contributing to growing flower memorials at Bush statues at both the library and a park in downtown Houston."I think he was one of the kindest, most generous men," said Marge Frazier, who visited the downtown statue on Sunday while showing friends from California around.A similar outpouring is anticipated in Washington this week during the state funeral for Bush, who died late Friday at his home in Houston. He was 94.Bush, who was president from 1989 to 1993, will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda for a ceremony and public visitation from Monday through Wednesday. An invitation-only funeral service is set for Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are to attend. Bush's family has not said who will speak at the service. Former President Jimmy Carter also will be there.Afterward, Bush will be returned to Houston to lie in repose at St. Martin's Episcopal Church before burial Thursday at his family plot on the library grounds. His final resting place will be alongside Barbara Bush, his wife of 73 years who died in April, and Robin Bush, the daughter they lost to leukemia in 1953 at age 3.Bush's casket was to arrive in Washington on Monday afternoon aboard the U.S. military airplane. The crew was tasked by Trump with carrying out "Special Air Mission 41," a reference to Bush's place in the roster of America's presidents.media ID="4816003"[SEP]Former President George H.W. Bush received a 21-gun-salute both when the casket carrying his body departed from Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston and when it arrived at Joint Air Force Base Andrews outside Washington, D.C. on Monday afternoon. Bush, the nation’s 41st president, died late Friday at the age of 94. Air Force One, re-designated Special Air Mission 41, landed at Andrews at approximately 3:30 p.m. Eastern carrying the remains of the former commander-in-chief. The Associated Press reported that among those on-board for the flight were Bush’s sons, former President George W. Bush with his wife Laura, and Neil Bush, a Houston-based businessman. “A formation of Navy sailors and Air Force personnel stood at attention as the plane touched down. The sailors assembled were from the USS George H. W. Bush, the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier. A group of about 100 civilian dignitaries and well-wishers also were on hand,” according to the AP. TRENDING: Election Decided by 1 Vote After Going To Recount A military band played “Hail to the Chief” as Bush’s flag-draped casket was moved from the presidential plane to a waiting hearse, which transported the casket to the U.S. Capitol, approximately 14 miles to the northwest. Bush will lie in state at the Capitol from Monday evening until Wednesday, when his casket will be removed for a funeral at National Cathedral in Washington. Fox News reported that George W. Bush will be among four who will deliver eulogies at the ceremony. Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who also eulogized Bush’s predecessor Ronald Reagan, will speak too, as well as former Wyoming Republican senator and friend Alan Simpson and presidential historian Jon Meacham. Meacham, author of “Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush” (2015), also spoke at former first lady Barbara Bush’s funeral in Houston in June. RELATED: George HW Bush Was the Last President To Serve in Combat, World War II In an Op-Ed for The New York Times published on Saturday, Meacham wrote, “George Herbert Walker Bush, who died Friday night, at 94, was the last president of the Greatest Generation, a gentleman who came of age in an ever-uglier arena, the embodiment of a postwar era of consensus that, in our time, seems as remote as Agincourt. “He deserves our praise, but he also repays closer historical consideration, for his life offers an object lesson in the best that politics, which is inherently imperfect, can be.” President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump plan to attend Wednesday’s funeral, though the president is not slated to speak. Trump has declared Wednesday a national day of mourning for Bush and directed that all executive departments and agencies be closed. He has also ordered the flag to be flown at half-staff for 30 days, starting from the date of Bush’s death. Following the Wednesday funeral in Washington, Bush’s casket will be flown back to Houston for a service at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, where Barbara Bush was memorialized in June. Following that service, Bush’s body will be taken by train to the campus of Texas A&M in College Station, where the 41st president will be laid to rest next to Barbara and their daughter Robin at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.[SEP]WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on events related to late former President George H.W. Bush (all times local): President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have paid their respects to former President George H.W. Bush at the U.S. Capitol. The nation's 41st president is lying in state at the Capitol Rotunda. The Trumps stood in front of the casket Monday evening with their eyes closed for a few moments. After Trump saluted the casket, the pair walked out. Trump skipped an earlier service at the Capitol, where Bush was eulogized by Vice President Mike Pence, among others. Trump has a fractured relationship with the Bush family, whom he has repeatedly criticized. But he has praised Bush since his passing as "just a high-quality man who truly loved his family" and a "terrific guy" who will be missed. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have arrived at the U.S. Capitol to pay their respects to former President George H.W. Bush. The body of the nation's 41st president is lying in state at the U.S. Capitol until Wednesday morning. Trump skipped an earlier service at the Capitol, where Bush was eulogized by Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan, among others. Trump is not expected to speak at the service and has a fractured relationship with the Bush family. But he has praised Bush since his passing as "just a high-quality man who truly loved his family" and a "terrific guy" who will be missed. Bush died Friday at his home in Houston. He was 94. Several hundred people have gathered in downtown Houston for a memorial to former President George H.W. Bush, a beloved figure in his adopted hometown. The ceremony Monday night took place in front of Houston's City Hall, bathed in lights of red, white, and blue. City organizers encouraged Houston residents to wear their boldest socks in a nod to Bush's well-known sartorial tradition. Michael Meaux (moh), who worked in the U.S. State Department for Bush's son, former President George W. Bush, wore a pair of hot-pink socks that he laughingly said he had owned for a long time but had never worn before. The Houston resident called Bush "the last gentleman president that we've had." Vice President Mike Pence has offered the nation's condolences to the family of the late former President George H.W. Bush. He also thanked Bush's family for sharing "this special man" with the country and the world. The vice president says Bush left America and the world "more peaceful, prosperous and secure." He spoke of first meeting Bush as a 29-year-old entering politics and of a letter his son, an enlisted Marine, received from Bush. Pence's son had just completed a landing on the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier and Pence wrote to Bush. Bush sent a signed photograph and letter. Pence spoke at a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, where Bush will lie in state through Wednesday. Bush died Friday at his home in Houston. He was 94. Vice President Mike Pence says former President George H.W. Bush's example will always inspire and his lifetime of public service will be enshrined in the hearts of the American people. Pence says Bush never failed to answer the call to serve his country. Pence is speaking in the Capitol Rotunda as lawmakers, Supreme Court justices and former members of his administration pay their respects to the nation's 41st president. Bush also served as vice president for two terms under President Ronald Reagan. Pence says Bush joked there was "nothing substantive to do at all" going into that job. But Pence says Bush set the standard as "a sound counselor and loyal adviser to an outsider who came to Washington, D.C., to shake things up, cut taxes, rebuild the military, and together they did just that." House Speaker Paul Ryan praised George H.W. Bush as a "great patriot," and the first president he had been able to cast a ballot for as a young man. The Wisconsin Republican was delivering remarks during a ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda where Bush will lie in state, an honor reserved for few. The former president died Friday. Ryan says Bush's character was "second to none." He says Bush lived his life with "a fundamental decency that resonates across generations." Ryan says Bush's presidential campaign in 1988 first drew him to politics. He said Bush showed other political leaders that "how we live is as important as what we achieve." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is comparing the "steady hand" with which President George H.W. Bush kept his bomber under control when it was shot down during World War II with the way he guided the country. McConnell says Bush "kept us on course" as the Kentucky Republican delivered a eulogy for the late president at a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday. Bush's flag-covered casket lay in state as McConnell spoke. Bush's aircraft was shot down in 1944 over the Pacific. He completed his bombing mission before bailing out. McConnell says Bush "kept us flying high and challenged us to fly higher still" as he steered the U.S. through the end of the Cold War and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. The casket carrying the remains of George H.W. Bush has arrived at the U.S. Capitol for the nation to begin its formal farewell to the 41st president. His remains arrived Monday afternoon at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington aboard an aircraft that often serves as Air Force One. Former President George W. Bush, the eldest of the four Bush sons, and his wife, Laura, along with brother Neil Bush and his family, were aboard the plane for the trip from Houston. Following a short service Monday afternoon, the president's remains will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda until Wednesday morning. Bush died Friday in Houston at age 94. An invitation-only funeral service is set for Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral. President Donald Trump is among the dignitaries who plan to attend. The body of former President George H.W. Bush is heading toward the U.S. Capitol following a brief ceremony at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. Bush's flag-draped casket was unloaded from the presidential plane and brought to a hearse by an honor guard as a military band played "Hail to the Chief." Bush's son, former President George W. Bush, descended from the plane with his wife, Laura, and other family members. Others including Jeb Bush were already waiting on the tarmac. Bush will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda for a ceremony and public visitation from Monday through Wednesday. An invitation-only funeral service will follow at Washington National Cathedral before his casket returns to Houston for burial. A military aircraft carrying the remains of former President George H.W. Bush has arrived at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, as the nation's capital prepares to honor the 41st president. A formation of Navy sailors and Air Force personnel stood at attention as the plane touched down. The sailors assembled were from the USS George H. W. Bush, the Navy's newest aircraft carrier. A group of about 100 civilian dignitaries and well-wishers also were on hand. Bush will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda for a ceremony and public visitation from Monday through Wednesday. An invitation-only funeral service will follow at Washington National Cathedral before his casket returns to Houston for burial. President Donald Trump, who will attend the funeral service in Washington, has ordered the federal government closed Wednesday for a national day of mourning. A military aircraft carrying the remains of former President George H.W. Bush has taken off and is flying from Houston to Washington for official mourning ceremonies, including a state funeral. Pallbearers carried Bush's casket from a hearse across the tarmac to a presidential plane commonly known as Air Force One. For the task of transporting Bush's body on Monday, the plane has been renamed Special Air Mission 41, the number being a reference to Bush's place in the roster of America's presidents. A military band played "Hail to the Chief." An American flag and one with the presidential seal flew nearby. Bush's son former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, were among those relatives and Bush friends who walked to the aircraft shortly after the body was loaded aboard. George H.W. Bush's remains have made the journey from a Houston funeral home to Ellington Field, where a presidential aircraft will carry them to Washington for a state funeral. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, one of George H.W. Bush's grandsons, was among more than 100 invited guests seeing off Bush's remains on Monday. The guests are set to witness a ceremony including a military band and a 21-gun salute. Angela Savage one of the people who stood outside the funeral home to watch the passing of the hearse carrying Bush's casket as it headed to Ellington Field. She called it "a once-in-a-lifetime kind of event." Savage describes what she saw as "amazing and very respectful," adding, "I feel like that's what he deserves." More than 100 invited guests have gathered at Houston's Ellington Field for a ceremony to send off the casket of former President George H.W. Bush to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The guests stood next to the tarmac at Ellington Field on Monday and awaited the arrival of the hearse with Bush's casket. The guests and Bush family members are to attend a ceremony that will include a military band and a 21-gun salute. The guests stood near the U.S. military plane that's more commonly known as Air Force One. For the task of transporting Bush's body, the plane has been renamed Special Air Mission 41, the number being a reference to Bush's place in the roster of America's presidents. Bush died Friday in Houston at age 94. An invitation-only funeral service is set for Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral. A hearse carrying the casket of former President George H.W. Bush has left a Houston funeral home. The casket was draped in an American flag and was carried by six pallbearers on Monday morning. It was placed into a hearse headed to Houston's Ellington Field, where a presidential aircraft waited to carry Bush's body to Washington for a state funeral. The hearse was part of a motorcade escorted by Houston police officers on motorcycles. A spokeswoman confirms former President Jimmy Carter plans to attend the state funeral for former President George H.W. Bush. Rosalynn Carter will not attend. The 91-year-old former first lady has limited her travels in recent months. With Bush's death, Jimmy Carter becomes the oldest living former president, at age 94. Both men were born in 1924, Bush on June 12, Carter on Oct. 1. Bush served as CIA director when Carter first ran for president 1976. Carter replaced Bush with Stansfield Turner. Four years later, Bush joined the Ronald Reagan Republican ticket that routed Carter in the 1980 presidential election. Bush died Friday in Houston at age 94. An invitation-only funeral service is set for Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral. Secret Service personnel who had been assigned to protecting George H.W. Bush are serving as honorary pallbearers as his remains begin making their way from Houston to a state funeral in Washington. The former president's spokesman, Jim McGrath, tweeted Monday that for "this first movement in Houston" members of "the current @SecretService Bush Protective Division will serve as honorary pallbearers." Bush died at his Houston home on Friday at age 94. His remains are scheduled to arrive at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Monday afternoon and later will begin lying in state at the U.S. Capitol. On Wednesday morning, a motorcade will take the remains to a state funeral at the National Cathedral. Houston is honoring George H.W. Bush with a City Hall tribute and urging people who attend to dress in colorful socks, a nod to one of the former president's favorite fashion accessories. Mayor Sylvester Turner is hosting Monday evening's event featuring music and community leaders in front of City Hall. Turner tweeted that those in attendance should "wear their own colorful socks." Bush often sported bright socks, sometimes with loud, unusual patterns. He died Friday at his Houston home at age 94, and his body is heading to Washington for a state funeral. Spokesman Jim McGrath tweeted Monday that Bush "will be carried to his final rest" wearing gray socks saluting the Armed Forces and paying "tribute to his lifetime of service," starting as an 18-year-old "naval aviator in war." George H.W. Bush is set to embark on his final tour of Washington as a nation prepares to bid farewell to its 41st president. His remains will arrive in Washington on Monday, and he will lie in state at the Capitol through Wednesday. An invitation-only funeral service is set for Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral, to be attended by President Donald Trump and other dignitaries. Bush will then be returned to Houston for burial Thursday at his presidential library at Texas A&M University. He will be laid to rest alongside Barbara Bush, his wife of 73 years who died in April, and Robin Bush, the daughter who died of leukemia at age 3. Bush was president from 1989 to 1993. He died Friday in Houston at age 94.[SEP]Plane carrying casket of former President George HW Bush arrives at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, DC WASHINGTON (AP) — Plane carrying casket of former President George HW Bush arrives at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, DC.

The body of former President George H. W. Bush arrives on Special Air Mission from Houston to Washington, DC at the Joint Base Andrews.

The U.S. Postal Service is suspending regular mail delivery Wednesday in tribute to former President George H.W. Bush. President Donald Trump issued an executive order proclaiming Dec. 5 a national day of mourning in honor of Bush, who died Friday night at the age of 94, ordering most government offices and agencies to close. "Out of respect for the 41st President of the United States and to honor his vast contributions to our country during his lifetime, and consistent with the Presidential Proclamation, the United States Postal Service will suspend regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity on Dec. 5," the Postal Service said in a statement. Post offices will close and regular mail deliveries will be suspended, but officials said some packages will still be delivered. "We will provide limited package delivery service on that day to ensure that our network remains fluid and we do not experience any impacts to our package delivery operations that might negatively affect our customers or business partners during the remainder of our busy holiday season, " the Postal Service said. >> Related: Trump orders federal gov’t to close on Dec. 5 in tribute to George H.W. Bush Bush is lying in state at the Capitol until Wednesday morning, followed by a memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral. His body arrives back in Texas on Wednesday afternoon, followed by more services, and finally his internment Thursday next to his wife, Barbara Bush, at his presidential library at Texas A&M University in College Station. • Police find several pairs of handcuffs in car of man accused of trying to meet teens for sex • The Cheesecake Factory to give away 40k slices for free[SEP]The United States Postal Service will honor the life and legacy of former President George H.W. Bush by observing the national day of mourning declared on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, by President Donald Trump. All US Post Office locations will be closed. There will be no regular mail delivery. Package delivery will be limited. Bush, who died Friday, Nov. 30, at age 94 will be buried Thursday on the grounds of his presidential library at Texas A&M University. He will be laid to rest next to his wife Barbara, who died in April at age 92, and their daughter Robin, who died of leukemia at age 3 in 1958.[SEP]The US Postal Service announced it will “suspend regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity” on Wednesday for the national day of mourning honoring the late former President George H.W. Bush. The White House said Saturday that President Donald Trump would declare Wednesday a national day of mourning for the country’s 41st president. On Wednesday, family and friends will gather at the National Cathedral in Washington for an 11 a.m ET memorial service. Trump and former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter are expected to attend the service, according to sources familiar with the planning of the funeral. “Out of respect for the 41st President of the United States and to honor his vast contributions to our country during his lifetime, and consistent with the Presidential Proclamation,” a statement on the USPS website reads, “the United States Postal Service will suspend regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity on Dec. 5.” “We will provide limited package delivery service on that day to ensure that our network remains fluid and we do not experience any impacts to our package delivery operations that might negatively affect our customers or business partners during the remainder of our busy holiday season,” the statement continues. US financial markets will also be closed on Wednesday to honor Bush, and the US Supreme Court postponed arguments.[SEP]The United States Postal Service will honor the life and legacy of former President George H.W. Bush by observing the national day of mourning declared on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, by President Donald Trump. All US Post Office locations will be closed. There will be no regular mail delivery. Package delivery will be limited. Bush, who died Friday, Nov. 30, at age 94 will be buried Thursday on the grounds of his presidential library at Texas A&M University. He will be laid to rest next to his wife Barbara, who died in April at age 92, and their daughter Robin, who died of leukemia at age 3 in 1958.[SEP]KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The US Postal Service announced it will “suspend regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity” on Wednesday for the national day of mourning honoring the late former President George H.W. Bush. The White House said Saturday that President Donald Trump would declare Wednesday a national day of mourning for the country’s 41st president. On Wednesday, family and friends will gather at the National Cathedral in Washington for a 10 a.m memorial service. Trump and former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter are expected to attend the service, according to sources familiar with the planning of the funeral. “Out of respect for the 41st President of the United States and to honor his vast contributions to our country during his lifetime, and consistent with the Presidential Proclamation,” a statement on the USPS website reads, “the United States Postal Service will suspend regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity on Dec. 5.” “We will provide limited package delivery service on that day to ensure that our network remains fluid and we do not experience any impacts to our package delivery operations that might negatively affect our customers or business partners during the remainder of our busy holiday season,” the statement continues. US financial markets will also be closed on Wednesday to honor Bush, and the US Supreme Court postponed arguments.[SEP]The former president died last Friday at the age of 94. As millions mourn the loss of former President George H.W. Bush, a number of services will be suspended to honor the 41st president as his memorial service takes place at the National Cathedral on Wednesday, December 5, which President Donald Trump declared a National Day of Mourning. According to the Detroit Free Press, the United States Postal Service announced on Monday that in accordance with President Trump’s proclamation, it would be suspending most of it’s services tomorrow to pay it’s respects to the late President, who passed away at the age of 94 at his home in Houston, Texas last Friday, November 30. “Out of respect for the 41st President of the United States and to honor his vast contributions to our country during this lifetime, and consistent with the Presidential Proclamation, the United States Postal Service will suspend regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity on Dec. 5,” USPS said in a statement on it’s website. Limited package delivery will still take place, the announcement clarified, so as to keep the network “fluid” and to avoid any negative affects the suspension may have on customers and business partners during the busy holiday season. USPS is not the only service taking the day off to pay it’s respects to the former president, who served from 1989 to 1993. The Supreme Court has postponed all arguments on Wednesday, by the order of Chief Justice John Roberts, and the U.S. stock market will refrain from activity as well. In a statement from the New York Stock Exchange’s Group President Stacey Cunningham, the late president will be remembered “for his decades of service to the nation and the world, and it is appropriate that the New York Stock Exchange closes on Wednesday, the National Day of Mourning, to honor President Bush’s enduring legacy.” The N.Y.S.E. observed a moment of silence for Bush at 9:20 a.m. on Monday morning, as did Nasdaq, who also announced it’s closure for Wednesday and displayed a message on honoring the ex-POTUS on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square. A number of non-governmental activity has also been halted to honor the former president. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Recording Academy has postponed it’s announcement of the 61st Annual Grammy Award nominations, which will now take place on Friday, December 7. Additionally, Michelle Obama announced the cancellation of two European stops of her “Becoming” book tour in order to be in attendance of George H.W.’s funeral. “It’s important to me to join the Bush family in celebrating President George H.W. Bush’s exemplary life,” she wrote on her Twitter account on Sunday.[SEP](CNN) -- The US Postal Service announced it will "suspend regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity" on Wednesday for the national day of mourning honoring the late former President George H.W. Bush. The White House said Saturday that President Donald Trump would declare Wednesday a national day of mourning for the country's 41st president. On Wednesday, family and friends will gather at the National Cathedral in Washington for an 11 a.m ET memorial service. Trump and former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter are expected to attend the service, according to sources familiar with the planning of the funeral. "Out of respect for the 41st President of the United States and to honor his vast contributions to our country during his lifetime, and consistent with the Presidential Proclamation," a statement on the USPS website reads, "the United States Postal Service will suspend regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity on Dec. 5." "We will provide limited package delivery service on that day to ensure that our network remains fluid and we do not experience any impacts to our package delivery operations that might negatively affect our customers or business partners during the remainder of our busy holiday season," the statement continues. US financial markets will also be closed on Wednesday to honor Bush, and the US Supreme Court postponed arguments.[SEP]Why is the post office going to be closed on a Wednesday? The United States Postal Service is suspending mail delivery for the day as part of the national day of mourning for former president George H.W. Bush. The postal service said in a statement that it would suspend regular mail activities, retail services and administrative office activity, "out of respect for the 41st President of the United States and to honor his vast contributions to our country during his lifetime." It said it would continue limited package delivery to avoid negative impacts to customers during the holiday season. President Donald Trump declared Dec. 5 as a national day of mourning after the former president died on Friday. There will be a state funeral for Bush on Wednesday morning at the National Cathedral beginning at 11 a.m., USA Today reported. There will be a memorial service for Bush on Thursday in Texas. George H.W. Bush taken to U.S. Capitol; day of mourning details George H.W. Bush was no stranger to Delaware[SEP]The United States Postal Service will honor the life and legacy of former President George H.W. Bush by observing the national day of mourning declared on Wednesday, Dec. 5, by President Donald Trump. All US Post Office locations will be closed. There will be no regular mail delivery. Package delivery will be limited. Bush, who died Friday, Nov. 30, at age 94 will be buried Thursday on the grounds of his presidential library at Texas A&M University. He will be laid to rest next to his wife Barbara, who died in April at age 92, and their daughter Robin, who died of leukemia at age 3 in 1958.[SEP]The former president died last Friday at the age of 94. As millions mourn the loss of former President George H.W. Bush, a number of services will be suspended to honor the 41st president as his memorial service takes place. Said service will take place at the National Cathedral on Wednesday, December 5, which President Donald Trump has declared a National Day of Mourning. According to the Detroit Free Press, the United States Postal Service announced on Monday that, in accordance with President Trump’s proclamation, it would be suspending most of its services tomorrow to pay its respects to the late President. Bush passed away at the age of 94 at his home in Houston, Texas, last Friday, November 30. “Out of respect for the 41st President of the United States and to honor his vast contributions to our country during this lifetime, and consistent with the Presidential Proclamation, the United States Postal Service will suspend regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity on Dec. 5,” USPS said in a statement on its website. Limited package delivery will still take place, the announcement clarified, so as to keep the network “fluid” and to avoid any negative affects the suspension may have on customers and business partners during the busy holiday season. USPS is not the only service taking the day off to pay respects to the former president, who served from 1989 to 1993. The Supreme Court has postponed all arguments on Wednesday, by the order of Chief Justice John Roberts, and the U.S. stock market will refrain from activity as well. In a statement from the New York Stock Exchange’s Group President Stacey Cunningham, per Business Insider, the late president will be remembered “for his decades of service to the nation and the world, and it is appropriate that the New York Stock Exchange closes on Wednesday, the National Day of Mourning, to honor President Bush’s enduring legacy.” The N.Y.S.E. observed a moment of silence for Bush at 9:20 a.m. on Monday morning, as did the Nasdaq, which also announced its closure for Wednesday — and displayed a message honoring the former president on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square. A number of non-governmental activities have also been halted to honor the former president. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Recording Academy has postponed its announcement of the 61st Annual Grammy Award nominations, which will now take place on Friday, December 7. Additionally, Michelle Obama announced the cancellation of two European stops of her Becoming book tour in order to be in attendance of Bush’s funeral. “It’s important to me to join the Bush family in celebrating President George H.W. Bush’s exemplary life,” she wrote on her Twitter account on Sunday.

The United States Postal Service announces it will suspend regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity on December 5 as part of President Trump's declared national day of mourning.

FILE PHOTO: Jordi Turull, a Catalan separatist leader, walks with his wife Blanca Bragulat after leaving Spain's Supreme Court in Madrid where he testified for an investigation into his role in Catalonia's bid for independence, March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo MADRID (Reuters) - Two more jailed Catalan separatist leaders awaiting trial for their role in the region’s failed bid to secede from Spain joined a hunger strike started two days ago by two of their companions to protest against their treatment by Spanish courts. After Catalonia declared independence last year, Madrid took direct control of the region and brought charges including misuse of public funds and rebellion against Catalan leaders, nine of whom are in jail awaiting trial. Two of the leaders in custody, Josep Rull and Joaquim Forn, released a statement saying they would join the hunger strike started on Saturday by Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull. “We also voluntarily renounce food intake as of 8:00 p.m. on Monday,” the men said in a statement. The men said they were fasting to support Sanchez and Turull’s protest against the failure of Spanish courts to process numerous appeals in relation to their cases.[SEP]Two more jailed Catalan separatist leaders awaiting trial for their role in the region's failed bid to secede from Spain joined a hunger strike started two days ago by two of their companions to protest against their treatment by Spanish courts. After Catalonia declared independence last year, Madrid took direct control of the region and brought charges including misuse of public funds and rebellion against Catalan leaders, nine of whom are in jail awaiting trial. Two of the leaders in custody, Josep Rull and Joaquim Forn, released a statement saying they would join the hunger strike started on Saturday by Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull. "We also voluntarily renounce food intake as of 8:00 p.m. on Monday," the men said in a statement. The men said they were fasting to support Sanchez and Turull's protest against the failure of Spanish courts to process numerous appeals in relation to their cases[SEP]Four of the Catalan leaders facing trial over last year’s failed push for regional independence have gone on a hunger strike, claiming they are being treated unfairly by the Spanish justice system. On Saturday, Jordi Sànchez, the former head of the powerful grassroots group Catalan National Assembly, and Jordi Turull, a former Catalan government spokesman, announced that they were embarking on the strike at Lledoners prison. The pair accuse Spain’s constitutional court of deliberately blocking their numerous appeals to prevent their cases progressing to the European Court of Human Rights. “We ask for an impartial and diligent constitutional court, which should not impede the exercise of our rights,” they said in a statement. “We do not ask the constitutional court for any special treatment. But we do not passively accept any discrimination or unwarranted procrastination.” On Monday two other imprisoned Catalan leaders – former infrastructure minister Josep Rull and ex-interior minister Joaquim Forn – said they were joining the hunger strike to protest against the constitutional court’s “unjust and arbitrary behaviour”. Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said that while the hunger strike “was obviously not good news”, the imprisoned leaders were being treated in accordance with the law. “I think it is important to stress that they will have a fair trial because we live in a society based on the rule of law and the judiciary is independent,” he said over the weekend. However the Catalan president, Quim Torra, has described the Spanish judicial system’s treatment of the prisoners as “one of the worst outrages seen in Europe” in recent years. “This dramatic and drastic measure being taken is because of what we find to be the complete violation of citizens’ rights, civil and political rights, and of respect for the legal processes of the Spanish state itself,” he said. “It’s my view that penal law is being used for vengeance, establishing a makeshift legality in order to attack political dissidence. Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart, the head of the Omnium cultural group, have been in pre-trial detention since October 2017, while the former Catalan vice-president, Oriol Junqueras, has been in custody for more than a year. The former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who led efforts to secede from Spain, fled the country and is now in Belgium. At the beginning of November, the attorney general of Spain’s supreme court charged Junqueras and eight ministers and senior officials with rebellion, demanding a 25-year sentence for the former vice-president and up to 17 years for the others. Tensions in Catalonia are likely to rise again early next year when the trials begin. – Guardian[SEP]Two jailed Catalan separatist leaders said Monday they would join a hunger strike their colleagues have already started as they await trial over Catalonia's failed independence bid, bringing the total refusing food to four. Josep Rull, once in charge of infrastructure in the Spanish region's separatist executive, and former regional interior minister Joaquim Forn, were all set to refuse food in Catalonia's Lledoners prison, they said in a statement. "We announce that we are joining the peaceful protest that our colleagues, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull, have already started," the statement read. Sanchez, the former head of the influential grassroots ANC independence association, and Turull, a former regional minister, started their hunger strike on Saturday. They accuse Spain's Constitutional Court of dragging its feet on their appeals against their situation, impeding them from going to the European Court of Human Rights. The European court rules that a person has to have exhausted all possible appeals at home before taking his or her case to Strasbourg, where it is based. "Neither our protest nor that of our colleagues is a hunger strike to ask for any treatment of favour or positive discrimination," Rull and Forn said in their statement. "It is, simply, the only alternative we have here in jail to make the discrimination and violation of our fundamental rights more visible." Spain's Supreme Court in October ordered a total of 18 former Catalan separatist leaders to stand trial over last year's declaration of independence. Prosecutors are seeking jail terms of up to 25 years on charges of rebellion or misuse of public funds over the failed secession bid. The sensitive trial is expected to start in early 2019 and will focus on the attempt by Catalan leaders to break away from Spain in October 2017 by staging a referendum despite a court ban and subsequently proclaiming independence. Nine separatists in all are in pre-trial detention. The seven at Lledoners prison have been held for between eight and 13 months without trial.[SEP]Two jailed Catalan separatist leaders awaiting trial for their role in the region’s failed bid to secede from Spain said yesterday they were starting a hunger strike to protest over their treatment by Spanish courts. After Catalonia declared independence last year, Madrid took direct control of the region and brought charges including misuse of public funds and rebellion against Catalan leaders, nine of whom are in jail awaiting trial. Two of the leaders in custody - Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull - announced in a joint statement that they had started refusing food to protest at the failure of Spanish courts to process numerous appeals in relation to their cases. “We are not asking the court for special treatment. But we will not passively accept discrimination or unwarranted delays,” the two men said in the statement. Sanchez told Reuters in an interview last week that he was convinced he would not get a fair trial in Spain, but believed he and other separatist leaders would be acquitted by the European Court of Human Rights. A Spanish government spokesperson said the jailed separatists would get a fair trial. “Only the judiciary is responsible for sentencing,” the spokesperson added. Tensions with Madrid have cooled since last year but the Catalan government continues to advocate for a referendum on leaving Spain, something the Spanish government has said it will not accept.[SEP]MADRID — Two imprisoned members of the Catalonia region’s previous government have joined two secessionist colleagues in a hunger strike to protest what they say is unfair treatment by Spanish courts. Former Catalan infrastructure minister Josep Rull and Joaquim Forn, the ex-interior minister, said in a statement Monday that Spain’s constitutional Court has blocked their appeals of being held in pre-trial custody for more than year. They say that has prevented them taking their case to the European Court of Human Rights, which can only happen when all Spanish appeals are exhausted. Five other separatist leaders face trial on sedition and other charges for their roles in an illegal secession attempt by Catalonia’s leaders last year.

Jailed Catalan independentists leaders Joaquim Forn and Josep Rull joins Sànchez and Turull in the hunger strike.

Even small asteroids can strike with the force of several nuclear bombs, and only a third of such ‘near-earth’ objects have been discovered. According to a June 2018 White House report, this means there are tens of thousands of asteroids big enough to wipe out a city that we’re not even aware of yet. The same report concludes that even with current and planned capabilities, less than half of such space rocks will be located by 2033. Retired astronaut Russell Schweickart has demanded that NASA launch a Near-Earth Object Camera - a small infrared observatory - and quickly, if we want to avoid a cataclysmic impact event. Mr Schweickart, an aerospace engineer retired astronaut who flew on the Apollo 9 mission, told Business Insider: “It's a critical discovery telescope to protect life on Earth, and it's ready to go. "For God's sake, fund it as a mainline program. Don't put it in yet another competition with science. “NASA has a responsibility to do it, and it's not happening. “It needs to be put into the NASA budget both by NASA and by the Congress." The developers of the space camera have pitched to NASA three times - and three times they were rejected. The NASA competition it was a part of, Discovery, values scientific firsts — not ensuring humanity's safety — and thus did not grant the nearly $450 million to develop the spacecraft and a rocket with which to launch it. In 2013, a 70 foot-wide asteroid was seen streaking across the sky over Russia before landing near the town of Chelyabinsk. The force of the impact was estimated to be over 30 times that of the nuclear detonation at Hiroshima and shattered windows injuring 1500 people. In 1908, an asteroid exploded in the remote Tunguska area of Russia, flattening trees over an area nearly twice the size of New York City.[SEP]Launched two years ago, NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft pulled alongside the asteroid Bennu on Monday. Its mission is to survey the asteroid ahead of retrieving pristine bits of the solar system from the rock’s surface and then bringing them back to Earth in the years ahead. With a short engine burn, the spacecraft matched the speed and direction of Bennu. A few minutes after noon, Javier Cerna, a communications systems engineer at Lockheed Martin, which built and operates the spacecraft, announced, “We have arrived.” What does NASA mean by “arrive?” Osiris-Rex’s arrival at Bennu was not like the landing of NASA’s InSight spacecraft in one piece on the surface of Mars last Monday. (Happily, it landed flawlessly.) By contrast, Osiris-Rex pulled in at a modest speed, and the moment of arrival was somewhat arbitrary. The spacecraft started the approach phase of its mission in August when it was 1.2 million miles from Bennu. On Monday, it was just 12 miles away, although still too far away to orbit the asteroid.[SEP]NASA is honoring its fallen astronauts with a special day of remembrance Wednesday, the 29th anniversary of the Challenger space shuttle tragedy. Space agency officials are conducting ceremonies at several different sites around the country during the annual event, to pay tribute to the three crewmembers killed in 1967's Apollo 1 fire, the seven astronauts lost when Challenger exploded in 1986 and the seven crewmembers who died when the shuttle Columbia broke apart upon re-entry to Earth's atmosphere in 2003. "NASA's Day of Remembrance honors members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery," agency officials said in a statement. "NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and other agency senior officials will hold an observance and wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia from 9 to 10:30 a.m. [ET] Wednesday." [NASA's Fallen Astronauts: A Photo Memorial] Various NASA centers are also hosting their own observances, officials added. The deputy director of Kennedy Space Center in Florida, for example, will lead a brief ceremony at the facility's visitor center at 10:30 a.m. ET, and Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama will hold a candle-lighting ceremony at 10 a.m. local time (11 a.m. ET). The Apollo 1 fire, NASA's first mission-related tragedy, occurred on Jan. 27, 1967. Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee were inside their crew capsule at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, conducting a test of the vehicle, which was scheduled to launch on an orbital mission less than a month later. A fire broke out, and all three crewmembers were killed. The next spaceflight disaster came 19 years and one day later. On Jan. 28, 1986, Challenger disintegrated just 73 seconds after blasting off, killing Francis "Dick" Scobee, Ronald McNair, Mike Smith, Ellison Onizuka, Judy Resnik, Greg Jarvis and Connecticut teacher Christa McAuliffe, who was supposed to be the first teacher in space. The accident investigation revealed that an O-ring in one of the orbiter's two solid rocket boosters failed on that cold morning, allowing hot gas to escape and causing the shuttle's huge external fuel tank to explode. NASA grounded the space shuttle for nearly three years in the wake of the Challenger tragedy, returning the vehicle to flight in September 1988 with the STS-26 mission of the shuttle Discovery.The shuttle fleet flew without any serious incidents for another decade and a half. Then, on Feb. 1, 2003, Columbia broke apart as it was gliding back to Earth after a 16-day space mission. All seven astronauts aboard were killed: Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, David Brown, Michael Anderson and Ilan Ramon, who was Israel's first astronaut. Investigators later determined that Columbia sustained damage during launch, when a piece of foam insulation broke off the external fuel tank and careened into the orbiter's left wing. The impact breached Columbia's heat shield in that spot, allowing hot atmospheric gases to infiltrate the wing during re-entry. Another lengthy pause in shuttle operations followed this disaster. The next return-to-flight mission, also flown by Discovery, came in July 2005. The space shuttle was grounded for good in July 2011, after flying 135 orbital missions over the course of 30 years. NASA currently relies on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get its astronauts to and from the International Space Station but is encouraging the development of private American spaceships to take over this role. Astronaut taxis being built by SpaceX and Boeing should be ready to start flying crews by 2017, representatives of both companies say. NASA officials aren't the only people who are pausing Wednesday to reflect on the risks involved with human spaceflight and to honor the memories of those who gave their lives for the cause. For example, European Space Agency astronaut Sam Cristoforetti sent out this note Tuesday to her 293,000 Twitter followers: "May the memory of such a dark time in our past enlighten the future with wisdom and compassion. ?#RemembranceDay"[SEP]Here's what's in store for the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft over the next few weeks. NASA’s first asteroid-sampling mission, the OSIRIS-REx, has finally arrived at its destination — a diamond-shaped space rock that floats some 76 million miles from Earth and goes by the name of Bennu. To get there, OSIRIS-REx has chased Bennu for a little more than two years, traveling 1.24 billion miles through space to catch up with the 1,650-foot-wide asteroid, NASA announced earlier today. Today’s triumph comes exactly one week after the space agency successfully landed a spacecraft on Mars — the first one to touch down on Martian ground in six years and the eighth to ever make it to the red planet. “Achievement unlocked: ‘We have arrived!'” NASA wrote on Twitter a few hours ago. The much-awaited rendezvous with the near-Earth asteroid occurred at around 12 p.m. ET, after the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft fired its thrusters for a small burn and pulled within 12 miles of Bennu’s surface. According to Phys.org, due to the vast distance between Earth and the OSIRIS-REx, it took seven minutes for flight controllers at Lockheed Martin — which built the spacecraft — to receive confirmation that the intrepid probe arrived at Bennu. What’s Next For The OSIRIS-REx Mission Short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was sent to collect regolith samples from asteroid Bennu. The spacecraft is slated to bring back least 60 grams (equal to about 30 sugar packets) of dust and gravel from the space rock’s boulder-strewn surface. Now that it has finally reached its target, the OSIRIS-REx is currently flying along the space rock, waiting to enter its orbit. During the next few weeks, the probe will perform five flybys of the asteroid’s poles and equator before it finally slides into Bennu’s orbit on December 31. As the Inquisitr previously reported, these upcoming flybys will bring OSIRIS-REx as close as 4.3 miles of the asteroid’s rugged terrain, so that the probe can map the space rock and gather fresh data on Bennu’s mass and rotation. “The spacecraft will spend almost a year surveying the asteroid with five scientific instruments with the goal of selecting a location that is safe and scientifically interesting to collect the sample,” NASA officials explained in a statement. The approach to Bennu has enabled OSIRIS-REx to take a new series of photos of the near-Earth asteroid. The images — 36 in total — were taken from a distance of around 50 miles over a period of four hours and 18 minutes. The new frames capture the asteroid’s full rotation and were put together in a GIF, released on Twitter after the probe’s arrival at Bennu. Today’s milestone kicks the mission into full gear, marking the beginning of science operations. However, OSIRIS-REx won’t swoop down to Bennu’s surface until July 2020, when the spacecraft will make a brief contact with the asteroid to snag the regolith samples. The probe won’t actually land on the asteroid, but rather descend to its surface to blast it with nitrogen gas and vacuum dislodged fragments for collection. If everything goes as planned, OSIRIS-REx will head back home in March 2021 and deliver the precious samples in September 2023. Bennu is a carbon-rich asteroid estimated to be around 45-billion-years-old. The space rock dates back to the beginning of our solar system and likely took shape some 10 million years after our planets were formed. “Bennu is a time capsule from the early solar system, having been preserved in the vacuum of space,” states NASA. Because the asteroid is so old, scientists believe that Bennu could contain organic molecules similar to those which ignited the spark of life on Earth. Studying this ancient relic could help us unravel our cosmic past and reveal more clues on the origin of life. When NASA chose to send its first-asteroid sampling mission to Bennu, the space agency was looking at the space rock’s size, age, composition, and proximity to our planet. The asteroid measures just 492 meters across — “which is a bit larger than the height of the Empire State Building in New York City,” notes NASA — and has a rotational period of 4.3 hours. This means that Bennu is big enough to move relatively slowly and retain regolith as it spins around its axis. Although the asteroid is currently drifting through space between the orbits or Earth and Mars, Bennu actually originated further out in the solar system. The space rock was likely forged in the Asteroid Belt that stretches between Mars and Jupiter and is believed to have broken off from a larger asteroid around 700 million to 2 billion years ago. This massive collision pushed Bennu closer to our neck of the woods, which explains the asteroid’s current location. Come December 31, Bennu will become the smallest celestial body to ever be orbited by a manmade spacecraft.[SEP]Today is history in the making for NASA. The spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is reaching the Asteroid Bennu in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The craft began its journey in September 2016, and this simply marks a monumental next step. The craft won’t actually ever land on Bennu, but it will hover close enough to the surface to gather samples. Read on to find out exactly what time the craft will reach the asteroid. OSIRIS-REx will reach Bennu at approximately 12 p.m. Eastern (however, NASA’s live stream of the event begins at 11:45 a.m. Eastern, so you’ll want to tune in around that time to make sure you don’t miss it.) This means that OSIRIS-REx is arriving in the following time zones (approximately): The time in various cities includes: See more time zones here. Remember, this is an approximate time. The actual arrival could be earlier, which is why NASA’s live stream is starting 15 minutes earlier than this time (and its pre-show is starting 45 minutes early.) You can watch the live stream below. NASA will have other programming airing on the stream below before the OSIRIS-REx program starts: Remember: OSIRIS-REx is not landing on the asteroid today. It’s simply arriving, and then the craft will spend a few weeks surveying the asteroid with low flyovers. It will enter the asteroid’s orbit on New Year’s Eve, NASA currently plans. The craft will never actually touch the asteroid’s surface, but instead will hover over the surface close enough to get a sample. This part will be done around mid-2020. OSIRIS-REx will then depart Bennu in 2021. OSIRIS-REx will return the sample to Earth in September 2023. The sample will be returned to Earth through a freefall method from space. Once it’s at an altitude of about 20.8 miles, it will deploy the first of two parachutes for a landing in Utah. Are you excited about the craft’s arrival? Many people are talking about it on Twitter already. Other exciting things are happening in space news this week too: Will you be watching the OSIRIS-REx arrival?[SEP]NASA has had a busy few months already but its OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe isn’t waiting for anyone. The spacecraft, which has spent the last two years traveling to the space rock known as Bennu, will finally meet its target today, and NASA will be live streaming the event so we can all enjoy their excitement. The OSIRIS-REx mission is an important one for NASA because it aims to help researchers learn more about near-Earth asteroids, including those that could one day pose a threat to Earth. With two years of flying already under its belt, expectations are high for the probe, but first NASA has to make sure it arrives safe and sound, and that’s what today is all about. The actual arrival of the spacecraft won’t be a touchdown or landing on the asteroid. OSIRIS-REx will actually need to spend a good deal of time hanging out in orbit around Bennu before it makes its move, so today is just confirmation of the probe’s arrival. After today, OSIRIS-REx will spend nearly a year examining Bennu and sending back highly detailed images of its surface. As NASA studies these images the OSIRIS-REx team will decide on the best possible place to land. Upon landing, it’ll take samples of the asteroid’s surface and then return back to Earth to deliver that material to eager scientists. Today’s NASA stream will begin at approximately 11:45 a.m. EST and will last for around a half hour. We’ll get to hear commentary from NASA staff explaining exactly what is going on with the spacecraft, and we’ll learn its status updates in real time along with the folks in mission control. Expect to hear lots of cheering when confirmation comes that OSIRIS-REx finally found its new home around Bennu.[SEP]NASA’s space probe is expected to arrive at its distant target today at around 5pm GMT (12pm EST). The mission will be briefly streamed live across YouTube, Facebook Live, Ustream and NASA’s website. You can watch it unfold live in the embedded live stream below, courtesy of NASA. The asteroid approach will be broadcast online from 4.45pm to 5.15pm GMT (11.45am to 12.15pm EST). What is the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu? Today’s broadcast marks the end of an 815-day-long venture through space towards the large asteroid. NASA’s goal with the OSIRIS-REx mission is to collect rocky samples from a so-called Near Earth Asteroid for study back on Earth. Asteroid Bennu was specifically chosen for this mission because scientists believe it is one of the oldest, closest and most well-preserved asteroids in the solar system. Studying Bennu’s composition could hold the keys to unlocking the earliest secrets of the universe and how life started on Earth. NASA said: “We know from having studied Bennu through Earth- and space-based telescopes that it is a carbonaceous, or carbon-rich, asteroid. Carbon is the hinge upon which organic molecules hang. READ MORE: Asteroid Bennu: How deadly is NASA’s killer asteroid threat heading for Earth? “Bennu is likely rich in organic molecules, which are made of chains of carbon bonded with atoms of oxygen, hydrogen, and other elements in a chemical recipe that makes all known living things. “Besides carbon, Bennu also might have another component important to life: water, which is trapped in the minerals that make up the asteroid.” The space rock has an estimated diameter of 1,614ft (492m) and spins around its orbit in the same way the Earth does. Spinning asteroids are incredibly tricky to land on but Bennu’s size makes it an easier target for landing – it revolves once every 4.3 hours. READ MORE: Asteroid Bennu path: Where is Asteroid 2135? When will asteroid hit Earth? – NASA warning OSIRIS-REx blasted off towards the asteroid on September 8, 2016, and has already covered billions of miles on its lonesome voyage. But the space probe will not touch down on Bennu until next year, when it dips down to collect regolith rock dust samples. NASA said: “Going to an asteroid – especially a small one that has never been visited before – is different than going to a planet like Mars. “When OSIRIS-REx arrives on Monday, the spacecraft won’t land or go into orbit around Bennu yet. “It will execute a small engine burn marking the end of its journey toward Bennu and setting it up to operate around the asteroid.” NASA hopes to collect its samples sometime around mid-2020. The space probe will then return to Earth in 2023 and drop its samples for collection in a capsule.[SEP]After traveling through space for more than two years and over two billion kilometers, NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft arrived at its destination, asteroid Bennu, on Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. The spacecraft will spend almost a year surveying the asteroid with five scientific instruments with the goal of selecting a location that is safe and scientifically interesting to collect the sample. OSIRIS-REx will return the sample to Earth in September 2023.[SEP]What does NASA mean by "arrive?" What happens next? What can you tell me about Bennu? What are scientists hoping to learn from Bennu? How will Osiris-Rex grab a piece of Bennu? Why does it take so long to collect a sample and return to Earth? Haven't other spacecraft explored asteroids already? What's so special about Osiris-Rex? Is this the most contorted name of a NASA mission ever? The spacecraft now begins a close study of the primitive space rock, seeking clues to the early solar system. Launched two years ago , NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft pulled alongside the asteroid Bennu on Monday. Its mission is to survey the asteroid ahead of retrieving pristine bits of the solar system from the rock's surface and then bringing them back to Earth in the years ahead.With a short engine burn, the spacecraft matched the speed and direction of Bennu.A few minutes after noon, Javier Cerna, a communications systems engineer at Lockheed Martin, which built and operates the spacecraft, announced, "We have arrived."Osiris-Rex's arrival at Bennu was not like the landing of NASA's InSight spacecraft in one piece on the surface of Mars last Monday. (Happily, i t landed flawlessly .)There was no drama, just a smooth transition to the next phase of the mission.Osiris-Rex will make a series of passes over the asteroid at a range of 4.3 miles for an initial survey to better determine its mass, rate of spin and shape.By studying a primitive asteroid, scientists hope to get a better idea of what was around in the solar system's earliest days. Dante Lauretta , the principal investigator of Osiris-Rex, said he was particularly interested in gleaning information about organic molecules like amino acids, the building blocks of proteins found on Earth that are also known to exist in interstellar space.The goal is to collect at least a couple of ounces of material and possibly as much as 4.4 pounds. The spacecraft carries enough nitrogen to attempt to extract material three times if necessary.A quicker mission would have required a larger spacecraft carrying more fuel - more expensive than the $800 million cost of Osiris-Rex. Instead, the spacecraft took a more efficient but longer trajectory, taking advantage of a flyby of Earth last year to fling it on a path to intersect Bennu. Scientists also want to study Bennu is as much detail as they can before heading back to Earth.After departing Bennu in 2021, Osiris-Rex will pass by Earth in September 2023, dropping off a capsule with the samples that will land via parachute in a Utah desert.Quite a few spacecraft have made flybys of asteroids, beginning with NASA's Galileo spacecraft, which passed within 1,000 miles of the asteroid Gaspra in 1991 en route to Jupiter. NASA's NEAR Shoemaker (NEAR is short for Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) went into orbit around the near-Earth asteroid Eros in 2000. Even though it was not designed to land on the asteroid, NEAR Shoemaker did just that in 2001 and continued operating for two weeks from the surface of Eros.The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa collected some dust samples from an asteroid and returned them in Earth in 2005. A follow-up mission, Hayabusa2 is, like Osiris-Rex, headed to a carbon-rich asteroid and is scheduled to bring its samples back to Earth in 2020 However, not all asteroids are alike, and Osiris-Rex is expected to bring much more rock and dirt back than the Japanese missions. Comparing data from different asteroids will create a fuller picture of what the early solar system was like.Perhaps. Dr. Lauretta said that as he jotted some themes of the scientific objectives - origins, spectroscopy, resources and security - he had most of the letters of Osiris, the Egyptian god who was the lord of the underworld but who also represented the seeds of regeneration to new life."It was the dual nature of the Osiris myth," Dr. Lauretta said a couple of years ago before launch. "I had to buy a couple of vowels."With some finagling, he came up with Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer.Kenneth Chang has been at The Times since 2000, writing about physics, geology, chemistry, and the planets. Before becoming a science writer, he was a graduate student whose research involved the control of chaos. @kchangnyt[SEP]Update: NASA has released stunning visuals of OSIRIS-REx's approach to the asteroid Bennu. Take a look: NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was launched in 2016, but today it will begin to orbit its destination: the asteroid Bennu. When it does, Bennu will break the record for the smallest object ever orbited by a man-made spacecraft. NASA will begin a process of learning more about the small asteroids that reside in our part of the solar system. You can watch the livestream of the arrival here: OSIRIS-REx is designed to do something that only one other spacecraft has ever done before: collect a sample and return it to Earth. The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa managed that feat in the early 2000s, but its target was the large asteroid Itokawa. Bennu is much smaller, which makes it both a trickier target to rendezvous with and more difficult to land on. That landing is pretty important, since the sample return is the whole point of the mission, but there is a whole list of factors that make it extremely difficult for NASA to pull off. The agency is actually not sure what exactly Bennu is made of, which is a problem for a spacecraft looking to touch down. Bennu could have a hard, rocky surface or a soft one, and if NASA guesses wrong it could screw up the entire landing. That’s why NASA is opting to avoid the landing altogether. Instead, OSIRIS-REx will perform something of a drive-by sample collection. The spacecraft will touch the surface with its sample-collection arm for only a few seconds, hoovering up some rock samples before taking off again. This is something no one has ever done before, so it’ll be exciting to see how it works. After the arrival at Bennu today, OSIRIS-REx will spend the next year surveying the asteroid and trying to find a good location to collect its samples. Then, it will begin that sample-collection process—NASA will get several tries to pull it off—and is expected to return to Earth sometime in 2023. Then, scientists can use those samples to learn more about Bennu and other asteroids that orbit in the vicinity of Earth.

NASA's space probe OSIRIS-REx arrives at the asteroid Bennu.

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) — Three astronauts who were launched into space aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft Monday entered the International Space Station nearly eight hours later, a relief to relatives and scientists months after a rocket failure aborted another mission. The hatch of the capsule carrying NASA astronaut Anne McClain, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Oleg Kononenko of Russian space agency Roscosmos was opened while the station was flying over the southern coast of Yemen. The three were greeted upon arrival Monday by the station's current crew members, who had waited outside the hatch after the astronauts' capsule docked and underwent safety checks. Their Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft launched from the Russian-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday at 5:31 p.m. (1131 GMT; 6:31 a.m. EST) then entered a designated orbit just under nine minutes later. The spacecraft made four orbits over six hours as it chased down the space station for the docking. The astronauts were the first sent to be sent to the space station since a crewed Soyuz launch was aborted in October after a booster rocket failed to separate properly, crippling the rocket. The families of the crew, other astronauts and space officials from several nations breathed a sigh of relief after observing the flawless launch. NASA and Roscosmos said all onboard systems operated normally and the astronauts felt fine during the six-hour trip the space station. After two hours waiting in their capsule to confirm their ship was firmly docked to the station, they exited the capsule to join three astronauts already aboard the orbiting outpost at 1:37 a.m. (1940 GMT; 2:40 p.m. EST.) The station's current crew of NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor, Russian Sergei Prokopyev and German Alexander Gerst were waiting to greet the newcomers. They are scheduled to return to Earth on Dec. 20. McClain, Saint-Jacques and Kononenko will spend more than six months at the space station doing research and experiments in biology, Earth science, physical sciences and technology. A Soyuz-FG rocket carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos' Alexei Ovchinin failed two minutes into its flight on Oct. 11, activating an automatic rescue system that sent their capsule into a steep ride back to Earth. They managed to emerge safely despite the harrowing ordeal. A Russian investigation attributed the failure to a sensor that was damaged during the rocket's final assembly. NASA announced Monday that Hague and Ovchinin will now launch to the space station on Feb. 28, along with NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch. The Soyuz accident in October was the first aborted crew launch for the Russian space program since 1983, when two Soviet cosmonauts safely jettisoned after a launch pad explosion. Russian space officials took measures to prevent the repeat of such a rocket failure. Since the October mishap, four successful unmanned Soyuz satellite launches have been conducted to clear the path for the crew's launch on Monday. After Monday's successful launch, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted his thanks to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Rogozin and to NASA and Roscosmos space teams "for their dedication to making this launch a success." The Soyuz spacecraft is currently the only vehicle that can ferry crews to the space station, but Russia stands to lose that monopoly in the coming years with the arrival of SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's Starliner crew capsules. Vladimir Isachenkov and Matthew Bodner in Moscow contributed to this report.[SEP]Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques and two international colleagues joined the crew at the International Space Station on Monday following a successful launch aboard a Soyuz rocket earlier in the day. Saint-Jacques, 48, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and American astronaut Anne McClain are on a mission that is scheduled to last 6½​ months. Chris Hadfield explains what happens when fellow Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques and Russian astronaut Oleg Kononenko and American astronaut Anne McClain are launched into space aboard a Soyuz rocket, en route to the International Space Station. 12:10 The trio entered the International Space Station after spending nearly eight hours in their tiny capsule. They were greeted upon arrival Monday by the station's current crew members, NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor, Russian Sergei Prokopyev and German Alexander Gerst, who were waiting outside the capsule's hatch when it opened at 1:37 a.m. (2:40 p.m. ET) while the station was flying over the southern coast of Yemen. Aunon-Chancellor, Prokopyev and Gerst are scheduled to return to Earth on Dec. 20. During a brief conversation with family members on the ground at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch site in Kazakhstan, Saint-Jacques said he was completely astounded by everything he had seen. Speaking in French, he described his first sunrise seen from space as "breathtaking" and said it's just the beginning of the discoveries ahead of him. Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques lifts off with two other crew members bound for the International Space Station on Monday. 0:54 Saint-Jacques, Kononenko and McClain launched into space from the Russian-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday at 5:31 p.m. (6:31 a.m. ET). They docked with the station at 11:33 p.m. (12:33 p.m. ET). The families of the crew, other astronauts and space officials from several nations breathed a sigh of relief after observing the flawless launch, with October's Soyuz rocket failure still on the minds of many. It was the first manned Russian rocket launch since a dramatic aborted Soyuz failure in October, when the two astronauts aboard were forced to make an emergency landing. Russia suspended all manned space launches pending an investigation before giving the green light to resume them on Nov. 1. It's the first time a Canadian has been in space since 2013, when Chris Hadfield gained immense popularity around the world by providing glimpses — and the occasional musical performance — into daily life on board the orbiting laboratory. The Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft carrying the crew formed of David Saint-Jacques of Canada, Oleg Kononenko of Russia and Anne McClain of the U.S. blasts off to the International Space Station (ISS) from the launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on Monday. (Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters) Saint-Jacques — a doctor who also holds degrees in engineering and astrophysics as well as a commercial pilot's licence — was initially scheduled to head to the ISS later this month, on Dec. 20. However, his launch was moved up after the Soyuz malfunction in October. He'll spend his time at the ISS conducting experiments, operating Canadarm2 (the Canadian-built robotic arm aboard the ISS) and testing new technologies, the Canadian Space Agency says. Some of the experiments will focus on the physical effects of the weak gravity astronauts experience in orbit, as well as how to provide remote medical care. The crowd on hand to watch the launch included members of Saint-Jacques' family as well as Governor General Julie Payette, herself a former astronaut. This could be the last time a Canadian launches on board a Soyuz: NASA is preparing to return human launches to U.S. soil beginning in 2019, with two new crew capsules provided by SpaceX and Boeing.[SEP]BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) — Three astronauts who were launched into space aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft Monday entered the International Space Station nearly eight hours later, a relief to relatives and scientists months after a rocket failure aborted another mission. The hatch of the capsule carrying NASA astronaut Anne McClain, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Oleg Kononenko of Russian space agency Roscosmos was opened while the station was flying over the southern coast of Yemen. The three were greeted upon arrival Monday by the station's current crew members, who had waited outside the hatch after the astronauts' capsule docked and underwent safety checks. Their Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft launched from the Russian-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday at 5:31 p.m. (1131 GMT; 6:31 a.m. EST) then entered a designated orbit just under nine minutes later. The spacecraft made four orbits over six hours as it chased down the space station for the docking. The astronauts were the first sent to be sent to the space station since a crewed Soyuz launch was aborted in October after a booster rocket failed to separate properly, crippling the rocket. The families of the crew, other astronauts and space officials from several nations breathed a sigh of relief after observing the flawless launch. NASA and Roscosmos said all onboard systems operated normally and the astronauts felt fine during the six-hour trip the space station. After two hours waiting in their capsule to confirm their ship was firmly docked to the station, they exited the capsule to join three astronauts already aboard the orbiting outpost at 1:37 a.m. (1940 GMT; 2:40 p.m. EST.) The station's current crew of NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor, Russian Sergei Prokopyev and German Alexander Gerst were waiting to greet the newcomers. They are scheduled to return to Earth on Dec. 20. McClain, Saint-Jacques and Kononenko will spend more than six months at the space station doing research and experiments in biology, Earth science, physical sciences and technology. A Soyuz-FG rocket carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos' Alexei Ovchinin failed two minutes into its flight on Oct. 11, activating an automatic rescue system that sent their capsule into a steep ride back to Earth. They managed to emerge safely despite the harrowing ordeal. A Russian investigation attributed the failure to a sensor that was damaged during the rocket's final assembly. NASA announced Monday that Hague and Ovchinin will now launch to the space station on Feb. 28, along with NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch. The Soyuz accident in October was the first aborted crew launch for the Russian space program since 1983, when two Soviet cosmonauts safely jettisoned after a launch pad explosion. Russian space officials took measures to prevent the repeat of such a rocket failure. Since the October mishap, four successful unmanned Soyuz satellite launches have been conducted to clear the path for the crew's launch on Monday. After Monday's successful launch, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted his thanks to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Rogozin and to NASA and Roscosmos space teams "for their dedication to making this launch a success." The Soyuz spacecraft is currently the only vehicle that can ferry crews to the space station, but Russia stands to lose that monopoly in the coming years with the arrival of SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's Starliner crew capsules. Vladimir Isachenkov and Matthew Bodner in Moscow contributed to this report.[SEP]LONGUEUIL, Que. — Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques boarded the International Space Station Monday afternoon, declaring himself “astounded” by the journey and excited for the discoveries ahead of him. After the hatch opened at 2:37 p.m. Eastern, Saint-Jacques and his two crewmates floated in from the docked Soyuz capsule, embracing the astronauts who have been at the space station since June. “I am completely astounded by everything I have seen,” Saint-Jacques said during a brief conversation with family members on the ground at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch site in Kazakhstan. Speaking in French, he described his first sunrise seen from space as “breathtaking.” He said “it’s just the beginning” of the discoveries ahead of him. Canadian Space Agency president Sylvain Laporte told the crew members there was “a lot of relief” when the astronauts entered the space station about two hours after docking. “Although we knew that you were safe and sound, there was nothing like seeing you come through the hatch,” Laporte said. Gov. Gen. Julie Payette, herself a former astronaut, was also among those watching the launch in Kazakhstan. She offered Saint-Jacques a “Bravo, bravo, bravo” and told the space station crew they were an inspiration for humanity. “The teamwork that you demonstrate today is exactly what we should replicate on Earth more often,” she said. “As the African proverb says, if we choose to go alone, we might go fast, but if we go together we go farther.” The launch of the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft carrying Saint-Jacques, Anne McClain of NASA and Oleg Kononenko of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, appeared to go exactly as planned, lifting off at precisely 6:31 a.m. Eastern. “We have liftoff,” a NASA television commentator said as the rocket roared into the sky under 930 pounds of thrust and at a speed of 1,770 kilometres per hour. “Everything looking good, vehicle is stable — good first stage performance.” The crew reported that all went well in the critical initial minutes after liftoff. Back on Canadian soil, a crowd monitored the launch from the Canadian Space Agency in Longueuil, Que., as the rocket began its trip to the space station. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains praised the successful takeoff and said the mission offers an exciting opportunity for scientific research and developments that could have broad applications, in such things as robotics and aging. “Space represents a lot of opportunities for a lot of Canadians,” he said at the agency office. “It really is inspirational what David represents…today is an incredible day in space.” Astronaut Jenni Sidey-Gibbons echoed the message, saying Saint-Jacques was a special role model for her and other young people who may be considering a future in space. “That was particularly important for me when I was growing up and I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Canada’s early space program and, kind of, the heroes that pushed that forward,” she said. “It’s incredible.” It was the first manned Russian launch since a Soyuz rocket carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos’ Alexei Ovchinin failed two minutes into its flight on Oct. 11. They managed to emerge safely despite a harrowing descent back to Earth. A Russian investigation attributed the failure to a sensor that was damaged during the rocket’s final assembly. On Monday, NASA announced Hague and Ovchinin will now launch to the space station on Feb. 28, along with NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch. Saint-Jacques, 48, has spent years training for the six-month mission, which was originally scheduled for Dec. 20 but was moved up after the aborted Soyuz launch. Aboard the station, he will conduct a number of science experiments, with some focusing on the physical effects of the weak gravity astronauts experience in orbit. • Anxious crowd watches on at Canadian Space Agency as David Saint-Jacques successfully blasts into space • Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques lifts off on Russian rocket to International Space Station • Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques set to blast off to space on Monday Former astronaut Robert Thirsk said the schedule will be especially busy for the trio. “Every five-minute increment of our life is scheduled, and that will be the same for David also,” he said at the space agency office. “The challenge for him will be to pace himself to accomplish the work that’s expected of him.” The arrival of the three astronauts restores the space station’s crew to six as they join Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA, Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos, who are scheduled to remain aboard until Dec. 20. The last Canadian astronaut to visit the space station was Chris Hadfield, who was on a five-month mission that ended in May 2013. — With files from The Associated Press[SEP]WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Three crew members are adjusting to life on the International Space Station after a successful launch and docking of their Russian Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft Monday. The Soyuz carrying Anne McClain of NASA, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency, and Oleg Konenenko of Roscosmos launched at 6:31 a.m. EST (5:31 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. McClain, Saint-Jacques and Konenenko docked to the space station's Poisk module at 12:33 p.m. after a four-orbit, six-hour journey, and opened the hatch between the two spacecraft at 2:37 p.m. The arrival briefly restores the station's crew complement to six as they join Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA, Expedition 57 Commander Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) and Sergey Prokopyev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos. Auñón-Chancellor, Gerst and Prokopyev are scheduled to remain aboard the station until Dec. 20. Expedition 58 officially begins once the three departing spacefarers undock from the space station. McClain, Saint-Jacques and Konenenko will spend more than six months conducting hundreds of science investigations in fields such as biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development, providing the foundation for continuing human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. Some of the investigations they will conduct are sponsored by the U.S. National Laboratory on the space station, which Congress designated in 2005 to maximize its use for improving quality of life on Earth. Highlights of upcoming investigations include experiments in forest observation, robotic refueling, and satellite deployment. The crew is scheduled to be onboard during the first test flights of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which will return human spaceflight launches to U.S. soil. In March, the station will again return to a full complement of six crew members when they are joined for Expedition 59 by NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos. This is the first spaceflight for both McClain and Saint-Jacques and the fourth trip to the space station for Konenenko. McClain, a native of Spokane, Washington, is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. As a senior army aviator, she has logged more than 2,000 hours in 20 different rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. She earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical and aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Bath, England, and a master's degree in international relations from the University of Bristol, also in England. For more than 18 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration to the Moon and Mars. A global endeavor, more than 200 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 2,500 research investigations from researchers in 106 countries. Follow McClain on her space mission at: Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on social media at:[SEP]The hatch of the capsule carrying NASA astronaut Anne McClain, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Oleg Kononenko of Russian space agency Roscosmos was opened while the station was flying over the southern coast of Yemen. The three were greeted upon arrival Monday by the station's current crew members, who had waited outside the hatch after the astronauts' capsule docked and underwent safety checks. Their Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft launched from the Russian-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday at 5:31 p.m. (1131 GMT; 6:31 a.m. EST) then entered a designated orbit just under nine minutes later. The spacecraft made four orbits over six hours as it chased down the space station for the docking. The astronauts were the first sent to be sent to the space station since a crewed Soyuz launch was aborted in October after a booster rocket failed to separate properly, crippling the rocket. The families of the crew, other astronauts and space officials from several nations breathed a sigh of relief after observing the flawless launch. NASA and Roscosmos said all onboard systems operated normally and the astronauts felt fine during the six-hour trip the space station. After two hours waiting in their capsule to confirm their ship was firmly docked to the station, they exited the capsule to join three astronauts already aboard the orbiting outpost at 1:37 a.m. (1940 GMT; 2:40 p.m. EST.) The station's current crew of NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor, Russian Sergei Prokopyev and German Alexander Gerst were waiting to greet the newcomers. They are scheduled to return to Earth on Dec. 20. McClain, Saint-Jacques and Kononenko will spend more than six months at the space station doing research and experiments in biology, Earth science, physical sciences and technology. A Soyuz-FG rocket carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos' Alexei Ovchinin failed two minutes into its flight on Oct. 11, activating an automatic rescue system that sent their capsule into a steep ride back to Earth. They managed to emerge safely despite the harrowing ordeal. A Russian investigation attributed the failure to a sensor that was damaged during the rocket's final assembly. NASA announced Monday that Hague and Ovchinin will now launch to the space station on Feb. 28, along with NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch. The Soyuz accident in October was the first aborted crew launch for the Russian space program since 1983, when two Soviet cosmonauts safely jettisoned after a launch pad explosion. Russian space officials took measures to prevent the repeat of such a rocket failure. Since the October mishap, four successful unmanned Soyuz satellite launches have been conducted to clear the path for the crew's launch on Monday. After Monday's successful launch, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted his thanks to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Rogozin and to NASA and Roscosmos space teams "for their dedication to making this launch a success." The Soyuz spacecraft is currently the only vehicle that can ferry crews to the space station, but Russia stands to lose that monopoly in the coming years with the arrival of SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's Starliner crew capsules. The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz MS-11 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. The Russian rocket carries U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, Russian cosmonaut Оleg Kononenko‎ and CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz MS-11 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. The Russian rocket carries U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko‎ and CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz MS-11 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. The Russian rocket carries U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko‎ and CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, left, Russian cosmonaut Оleg Kononenko‎, centre, and CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques, members of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), report to members of the State Committee prior to the launch of Soyuz MS-11 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, Pool) U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), speaks with her relatives through a safety glass prior to the launch of Soyuz MS-11 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, Pool) Russian Space Agency experts help CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), during the inspection of his space suit prior the launch of Soyuz MS-11 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques, member of the main crew to the International Space Station (ISS), interacts with his children from a bus prior to the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, Pool) U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), gestures prior to the launch of Soyuz MS-11 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), during an inspection of his space suit prior to the launch of Soyuz MS-11 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques, member of the main crew to the International Space Station (ISS), interacts with his children from a bus prior to the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, Pool) CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), speaks with his relatives through a safety glass prior to the launch of Soyuz MS-11 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, Pool) U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, crew member of the mission to the International Space Station, ISS, waves as she boards to the rocket prior to the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Shamil Zhumatov, Pool) U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, member of the main crew to the International Space Station (ISS), interacts with her family from a bus prior to the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, Pool) U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, crew member of the mission to the International Space Station, ISS, waves as she boards to the rocket prior to the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Shamil Zhumatov, Pool) U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, left, Russian cosmonaut Оleg Kononenko‎, centre, and CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques, members of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), report to head or Russian space agency Dmitry Rogozin prior to the launch of Soyuz MS-11 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, Pool) CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques, crew members of the mission to the International Space Station, ISS, walks to the rocket prior to the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Shamil Zhumatov, Pool) The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz MS-11 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, flies in the sky at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. The Russian rocket carries U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, and CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) In this photo provided by NASA the Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz MS-11 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, launches from at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. The Russian rocket carries U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, and CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques. (Aubrey Gemignani/NASA via AP) A police APC drives prior to the launch of Soyuz MS-11 space ship with U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, Russian cosmonaut Оleg Kononenko‎ and CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques, members of the mission to the International Space Station at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz MS-11 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. The Russian rocket carries U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, Russian cosmonaut Оleg Kononenko‎ and CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz MS-11 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. The Russian rocket carries U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, Russian cosmonaut Оleg Kononenko‎ and CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz MS-11 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. The Russian rocket carries U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko‎ and CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Expedition 58 Flight Engineer David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), top, Flight Engineer Anne McClain of NASA, center, and Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos, bottom, wave farewell prior to boarding the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft for launch, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Kononenko. McClain, and Saint-Jacques will spend the next six and a half months onboard the International Space Station. (Aubrey Gemignani/NASA via AP) Explore further: Three astronauts blast off to International Space Station[SEP]The last Canadian astronaut to visit the space station was Chris Hadfield, who was on a five-month mission that ended in May 2013 The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz MS-11 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. The Russian rocket carries U.S. astronaut Anne McClain, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko‚Äé and CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques blasted through the skies over Kazakhstan early Monday in what appeared to be a seamless launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket bound for the International Space Station. The 48-year-old doctor and astronaut lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with Anne McClain of NASA and Oleg Kononenko of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos. The launch of the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft appeared to go exactly as planned at the precise liftoff time of 6:31 a.m. Eastern. “We have liftoff,” a commentator said on NASA television as the rocket roared into the sky under 930 pounds of thrust and a speed of 1,770 kilometres per hour. “Everything looking good, vehicle is stable — good first stage performance.” The crew reported that all went well in those critical initial minutes after liftoff and were safely in orbit. Back on Canadian soil, a crowd monitored the launch from the Canadian Space Agency in Longueuil, Que., as the rocket began its roughly six-hour transit to the space station. RELATED: US, Russian astronauts safe after emergency landing in October Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains praised the successful takeoff and said the mission offers an exciting opportunity for scientific research and developments that could have broad applications, in such things as robotics and aging. “Space represents a lot of opportunities for a lot of Canadians,” he said at the agency office. “It really is inspirational what David represents…today is an incredible day in space.” Astronaut Jenni Sidey-Gibbons echoed the message, saying Saint-Jacques was a special role model for her and other young people who may be considering a future in space. “That was particularly important for me when I was growing up and I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Canada’s early space program and, kind of, the heroes that pushed that forward,” she said. “It’s incredible.” It was the first manned Russian rocket launch since a dramatic aborted Soyuz failure in October. RELATED: Canadian astronaut who flew to space but faced biggest challenges on solid ground On Oct. 11, a rocket failure forced a Soyuz capsule carrying two astronauts to abort and make an emergency landing. Russia suspended all manned space launches pending an investigation before giving the green light Nov. 1. Saint-Jacques has spent years training for the six-month mission, which was originally scheduled for Dec. 20 but was moved up after the aborted Soyuz launch. Aboard the station, he will conduct a number of science experiments, with some focusing on the physical effects of the weak gravity astronauts experience in orbit as well as how to provide remote medical care. Former astronaut Robert Thirsk said the schedule will be especially busy for the trio. “Every five-minute increment of our life is scheduled, and that will be the same for David also,” he said at the space agency office. “The challenge for him will be to pace himself to accomplish the work that’s expected of him.” It was expected the crowd on the ground watching the liftoff in Kazakhstan would include members of Saint-Jacques’ family as well as Gov. Gen. Julie Payette, herself a former astronaut. Payette, who completed missions to the space station in 1999 and 2009, had said the most dangerous moments come immediately following the launch as the rocket passes through several “critical zones” on its way into space. The last Canadian astronaut to visit the space station was Chris Hadfield, who was on a five-month mission that ended in May 2013. 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Back on Canadian soil, a crowd monitored the launch from the Canadian Space Agency in Longueuil, Que., as the rocket began its roughly trip to the space station. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains praised the successful takeoff and said the mission offers an exciting opportunity for scientific research and developments that could have broad applications, in such things as robotics and aging. "Space represents a lot of opportunities for a lot of Canadians," he said at the agency office. "It really is inspirational what David represents...today is an incredible day in space." Astronaut Jenni Sidey-Gibbons echoed the message, saying Saint-Jacques was a special role model for her and other young people who may be considering a future in space. "That was particularly important for me when I was growing up and I certainly wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for Canada's early space program and, kind of, the heroes that pushed that forward," she said. "It's incredible." It was the first manned Russian rocket launch since a dramatic aborted Soyuz failure in October. On Oct. 11, a rocket failure forced a Soyuz capsule carrying two astronauts to abort and make an emergency landing. Russia suspended all manned space launches pending an investigation before giving the green light Nov. 1. Saint-Jacques, 48, has spent years training for the six-month mission, which was originally scheduled for Dec. 20 but was moved up after the aborted Soyuz launch. Aboard the station, he will conduct a number of science experiments, with some focusing on the physical effects of the weak gravity astronauts experience in orbit as well as how to provide remote medical care. Former astronaut Robert Thirsk said the schedule will be especially busy for the trio. "Every five-minute increment of our life is scheduled, and that will be the same for David also," he said at the space agency office. "The challenge for him will be to pace himself to accomplish the work that's expected of him." The arrival of the three astronauts restores the space station's crew to six as they join Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA, Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos, who are scheduled to remain aboard until Dec. 20. The crowd on the ground watching the liftoff in Kazakhstan was expected to include members of Saint-Jacques' family as well as Gov. Gen. Julie Payette, herself a former astronaut. Payette, who completed missions to the space station in 1999 and 2009, had said the most dangerous moments come immediately following the launch as the rocket passes through several "critical zones" on its way into space. The last Canadian astronaut to visit the space station was Chris Hadfield, who was on a five-month mission that ended in May 2013.[SEP]BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan — Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques blasted off from Kazakhstan this morning aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket bound for the International Space Station. The 48-year-old doctor and astronaut lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with Anne McClain of NASA and Oleg Kononenko of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos. The launch appeared to go smoothly from Kazakhstan at the precise liftoff time of 6:31 a.m. eastern time. The crew was reporting that all was going well in the critical initial minutes after liftoff and were safely in orbit. It was the first manned Russian rocket launch since a dramatic aborted Soyuz failure in October. On Oct. 11, a rocket failure forced a Soyuz capsule carrying two astronauts to abort and make an emergency landing. Russia suspended all manned space launches pending an investigation before giving the green light Nov. 1. Saint-Jacques has spent years training for the six-month mission, which was originally scheduled for Dec. 20 but was moved up after the aborted Soyuz launch. Aboard the station, he will conduct a number of science experiments, with some focusing on the physical effects of the weak gravity astronauts experience in orbit as well as how to provide remote medical care. It was expected the crowd on the ground watching the liftoff in Kazakhstan would include members of Saint-Jacques’ family as well as Gov. Gen. Julie Payette, herself a former astronaut. Payette, who completed missions to the space station in 1999 and 2009, says the most dangerous moments come immediately following the launch as the rocket passes through several “critical zones” on its way into space. The last Canadian astronaut to visit the space station was Chris Hadfield, who was on a five-month mission that ended in May 2013.[SEP]BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) — The Latest on the launch of crews to the International Space Station (all times local): Three astronauts who launched into space aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft have entered the International Space Station after spending nearly eight hours in their tiny capsule. NASA astronaut Anne McClain, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Oleg Kononenko of Russian space agency Roscosmos were greeted upon arrival Monday by the station's current crew members, who had waited outside the capsule's hatch. The hatch was opened at 1:37 a.m. (1940 GMT; 2:40 p.m. EST) while the station was flying over the southern coast of Yemen. The three launched into space from the Russian-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday at 5:31 p.m. (1131 GMT; 6:31 a.m. EST.) They docked with the station at 11:33 p.m. (17:33 GMT; 12:33 p.m. EST.) The astronauts were the first sent to be sent to the space station since a crewed Soyuz launch was aborted in October after a booster rocket failed to separate properly, crippling the rocket. A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying three astronauts has successfully docked with the International Space Station following a launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan six hours earlier. NASA astronaut Anne McClain, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Oleg Kononenko of Russian space agency Roscosmos docked with the station at 11:33 p.m. (1723 GMT; 12:33 p.m. EST) Monday. The crew must wait up to two hours while the latches and seals of the docking port are checked and ground controllers confirm it is safe to open the spacecraft's hatch and join the astronauts already aboard the station. Stakes were high for Monday's launch, the first to carry a crew since a previous mission to the space station in October was aborted two minutes into the flight after a booster failed to properly separate from the rocket. Three astronauts have successfully blasted off to the International Space Station from Kazakhstan, a perfect launch that follows October's aborted mission. NASA astronaut Anne McClain, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Oleg Kononenko of the Russian space agency Roscosmos lifted off as scheduled at 5:31 p.m. (1131 GMT; 6:31 a.m. EST) Monday from the Russian-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Their Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft entered a designated orbit just under nine minutes after the launch and is set to dock at the space outpost in about six hours. NASA and Roscosmos said that all onboard systems were operating normally and the crew was feeling fine. Space officials breathed a sigh of relief after observing the flawless launch, with October's rocket failure still on the minds of many.

Soyuz MS-11 successfully launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan carrying Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, NASA astronaut Anne McClain, and CSA astronaut David Saint-Jacques for Expedition 58 to the International Space Station.

PARIS — Luka Modric ended the long reign of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d’Or for the first time on Monday, while another first saw Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg win the inaugural women’s trophy. Messi and Ronaldo had won every Ballon d’Or since 2008, and usually fought only each other for the greatest recognition among soccer’s elite. Women’s fight for recognition on the biggest stage took a big step with Hegerberg’s award. Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and then guided Croatia to the World Cup final in July. The midfielder was voted player of the tournament. “As a kid we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big club and win important trophies,” Modric said. “The Ballon d’Or was more than just a dream for me and it is really an honor and a privilege to hold this trophy.” Ronaldo was second in the polling followed by France forward Antoine Griezmann. France’s teen star, Kylian Mbappe, was fourth. Brazil star Neymar was third last year but only 12th this time. Messi was fifth in the voting, having been runner-up to Ronaldo the past two years and in the top three every year since 2007. Modric had never previously been in the top three. “2018 is a dream year for me,” the 33-year-old Modric said. “Throughout my career I realized hard work, persistence and belief in yourself in difficult moments are the foundations of success.” Modric’s father was shown on the big screen wiping away tears during the ceremony at the imperious Grand Palais in Paris. Ronaldo missed out on a record sixth award, which would have moved him one ahead of Messi. The last player to win it before those two started dominating world soccer awards was Brazil midfielder Kaka with AC Milan in 2007. Ronaldo also won the Champions League last season with Modric, before leaving to join Juventus. He scored a hat trick against Spain at the World Cup but he failed to make an impression when Portugal lost to Uruguay in the round of 16. Mbappe and Griezmann scored in the 4-2 World Cup final win against Croatia. Mbappe earned a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain. Griezmann also scored twice for Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final win against Marseille. France coach Didier Deschamps said a France player should have won the award. “They deserve it because of what they did with the national team at the World Cup and also because of the trophies they won with their clubs,” Deschamps said. The 19-year-old Mbappe – the youngest player to score in a World Cup final – won the Raymond Kopa Trophy awarded to the best young player. France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d’Or since 1956, and created a women’s award for the first time this year. Hegerberg is a three-time Women’s Champions League winner with French side Lyon and scored a tournament-record 15 times last season. “I want to say thanks to France Football. It’s a huge step for women’s football,” Hegerberg said. “I want to end this speech with a message to all young girls in the world. Believe in yourselves.” The outspoken 23-year-old Hegerberg said she won’t play for Norway at the Women’s World Cup in France next June. Taking a stand against what she describes as a lack of respect for female players in Norway, she hasn’t played for the national team since 2017 when it crashed out of the group stage of the Women’s European Championship without scoring a goal. Speaking in an interview shortly before collecting her Ballon d’Or, Hegerberg told The Associated Press on Monday she has no plans to reconsider her decision taken to preserve her “authenticity and my values, as a person, as a footballer.” “A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football,” she said. “It’s all about how we respect women’s football. I don’t think the respect has been there. “Sometimes you have to take tough decisions to stay true to yourself. I let them know, quite clearly, what I found wasn’t working.”[SEP]PARIS (AP) — Luka Modric ended the long reign of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d'Or for the first time on Monday, while another first saw Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg win the inaugural women's trophy. Messi and Ronaldo had won every Ballon d'Or since 2008, and usually fought only each other for the greatest recognition among soccer's elite. Women's fight for recognition on the biggest stage took a big step with Hegerberg's award. Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and then guided Croatia to the World Cup final in July. The midfielder was voted player of the tournament. "As a kid we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big club and win important trophies," Modric said. "The Ballon d'Or was more than just a dream for me and it is really an honor and a privilege to hold this trophy." Ronaldo was second in the polling followed by France forward Antoine Griezmann. France's teen star, Kylian Mbappe, was fourth. Brazil star Neymar was third last year but only 12th this time. Messi was fifth in the voting, having been runner-up to Ronaldo the past two years and in the top three every year since 2007. Modric had never previously been in the top three. "2018 is a dream year for me," the 33-year-old Modric said. "Throughout my career I realized hard work, persistence and belief in yourself in difficult moments are the foundations of success." Modric's father was shown on the big screen wiping away tears during the ceremony at the imperious Grand Palais in Paris. Ronaldo missed out on a record sixth award, which would have moved him one ahead of Messi. The last player to win it before those two started dominating world soccer awards was Brazil midfielder Kaka with AC Milan in 2007. Ronaldo also won the Champions League last season with Modric, before leaving to join Juventus. He scored a hat trick against Spain at the World Cup but he failed to make an impression when Portugal lost to Uruguay in the round of 16. Mbappe and Griezmann scored in the 4-2 World Cup final win against Croatia. Mbappe earned a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain. Griezmann also scored twice for Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final win against Marseille. France coach Didier Deschamps said a France player should have won the award. "They deserve it because of what they did with the national team at the World Cup and also because of the trophies they won with their clubs," Deschamps said. The 19-year-old Mbappe — the youngest player to score in a World Cup final — won the Raymond Kopa Trophy awarded to the best young player. France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d'Or since 1956, and created a women's award for the first time this year. Hegerberg is a three-time Women's Champions League winner with French side Lyon and scored a tournament-record 15 times last season. "I want to say thanks to France Football. It's a huge step for women's football," Hegerberg said. "I want to end this speech with a message to all young girls in the world. Believe in yourselves." The outspoken 23-year-old Hegerberg said she won't play for Norway at the Women's World Cup in France next June. Taking a stand against what she describes as a lack of respect for female players in Norway, she hasn't played for the national team since 2017 when it crashed out of the group stage of the Women's European Championship without scoring a goal. Speaking in an interview shortly before collecting her Ballon d'Or, Hegerberg told The Associated Press on Monday she has no plans to reconsider her decision taken to preserve her "authenticity and my values, as a person, as a footballer." "A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football," she said. "It's all about how we respect women's football. I don't think the respect has been there. "Sometimes you have to take tough decisions to stay true to yourself. I let them know, quite clearly, what I found wasn't working."[SEP]PARIS (AP) — Luka Modric ended the long reign of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d'Or for the first time on Monday, while another first saw Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg win the inaugural women's trophy. Messi and Ronaldo had won every Ballon d'Or since 2008, and usually fought only each other for the greatest recognition among soccer's elite. Women's fight for recognition on the biggest stage took a big step with Hegerberg's award. Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and then guided Croatia to the World Cup final in July. The midfielder was voted player of the tournament. "As a kid we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big club and win important trophies," Modric said. "The Ballon d'Or was more than just a dream for me and it is really an honor and a privilege to hold this trophy." Ronaldo was second in the polling followed by France forward Antoine Griezmann. France's teen star, Kylian Mbappe, was fourth. Brazil star Neymar was third last year but only 12th this time. Messi was fifth in the voting, having been runner-up to Ronaldo the past two years and in the top three every year since 2007. Modric had never previously been in the top three. "2018 is a dream year for me," the 33-year-old Modric said. "Throughout my career I realized hard work, persistence and belief in yourself in difficult moments are the foundations of success." Modric's father was shown on the big screen wiping away tears during the ceremony at the imperious Grand Palais in Paris. Ronaldo missed out on a record sixth award, which would have moved him one ahead of Messi. The last player to win it before those two started dominating world soccer awards was Brazil midfielder Kaka with AC Milan in 2007. Ronaldo also won the Champions League last season with Modric, before leaving to join Juventus. He scored a hat trick against Spain at the World Cup but he failed to make an impression when Portugal lost to Uruguay in the round of 16. Mbappe and Griezmann scored in the 4-2 World Cup final win against Croatia. Mbappe earned a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain. Griezmann also scored twice for Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final win against Marseille. France coach Didier Deschamps said a France player should have won the award. "They deserve it because of what they did with the national team at the World Cup and also because of the trophies they won with their clubs," Deschamps said. The 19-year-old Mbappe — the youngest player to score in a World Cup final — won the Raymond Kopa Trophy awarded to the best young player. France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d'Or since 1956, and created a women's award for the first time this year. Hegerberg is a three-time Women's Champions League winner with French side Lyon and scored a tournament-record 15 times last season. "I want to say thanks to France Football. It's a huge step for women's football," Hegerberg said. "I want to end this speech with a message to all young girls in the world. Believe in yourselves." The outspoken 23-year-old Hegerberg said she won't play for Norway at the Women's World Cup in France next June. Taking a stand against what she describes as a lack of respect for female players in Norway, she hasn't played for the national team since 2017 when it crashed out of the group stage of the Women's European Championship without scoring a goal. Speaking in an interview shortly before collecting her Ballon d'Or, Hegerberg told The Associated Press on Monday she has no plans to reconsider her decision taken to preserve her "authenticity and my values, as a person, as a footballer." "A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football," she said. "It's all about how we respect women's football. I don't think the respect has been there. "Sometimes you have to take tough decisions to stay true to yourself. I let them know, quite clearly, what I found wasn't working."[SEP]PARIS (AP) — Luka Modric ended the long reign of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d'Or for the first time on Monday, while another first saw Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg win the inaugural women's trophy. Messi and Ronaldo had won every Ballon d'Or since 2008, and usually fought only each other for the greatest recognition among soccer's elite. Women's fight for recognition on the biggest stage took a big step with Hegerberg's award. Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and then guided Croatia to the World Cup final in July. The midfielder was voted player of the tournament. "As a kid we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big club and win important trophies," Modric said. "The Ballon d'Or was more than just a dream for me and it is really an honor and a privilege to hold this trophy." Ronaldo was second in the polling followed by France forward Antoine Griezmann. France's teen star, Kylian Mbappe, was fourth. Brazil star Neymar was third last year but only 12th this time. Messi was fifth in the voting, having been runner-up to Ronaldo the past two years and in the top three every year since 2007. Modric had never previously been in the top three. "2018 is a dream year for me," the 33-year-old Modric said. "Throughout my career I realized hard work, persistence and belief in yourself in difficult moments are the foundations of success." Modric's father was shown on the big screen wiping away tears during the ceremony at the imperious Grand Palais in Paris. Ronaldo missed out on a record sixth award, which would have moved him one ahead of Messi. The last player to win it before those two started dominating world soccer awards was Brazil midfielder Kaka with AC Milan in 2007. Ronaldo also won the Champions League last season with Modric, before leaving to join Juventus. He scored a hat trick against Spain at the World Cup but he failed to make an impression when Portugal lost to Uruguay in the round of 16. Mbappe and Griezmann scored in the 4-2 World Cup final win against Croatia. Mbappe earned a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain. Griezmann also scored twice for Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final win against Marseille. France coach Didier Deschamps said a France player should have won the award. "They deserve it because of what they did with the national team at the World Cup and also because of the trophies they won with their clubs," Deschamps said. The 19-year-old Mbappe — the youngest player to score in a World Cup final — won the Raymond Kopa Trophy awarded to the best young player. France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d'Or since 1956, and created a women's award for the first time this year. Hegerberg is a three-time Women's Champions League winner with French side Lyon and scored a tournament-record 15 times last season. "I want to say thanks to France Football. It's a huge step for women's football," Hegerberg said. "I want to end this speech with a message to all young girls in the world. Believe in yourselves." The outspoken 23-year-old Hegerberg said she won't play for Norway at the Women's World Cup in France next June. Taking a stand against what she describes as a lack of respect for female players in Norway, she hasn't played for the national team since 2017 when it crashed out of the group stage of the Women's European Championship without scoring a goal. Speaking in an interview shortly before collecting her Ballon d'Or, Hegerberg told The Associated Press on Monday she has no plans to reconsider her decision taken to preserve her "authenticity and my values, as a person, as a footballer." "A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football," she said. "It's all about how we respect women's football. I don't think the respect has been there. "Sometimes you have to take tough decisions to stay true to yourself. I let them know, quite clearly, what I found wasn't working."[SEP]Soccer Football - 63rd Ballon d'Or - The Grand Palais, Paris, France - December 3, 2018 Real Madrid's Luka Modric with the Ballon d'Or award REUTERS/Benoit Tessier PARIS (Reuters) - Real Madrid’s Croatia midfielder Luka Modric was named winner of the 2018 Ballon d’Or on Monday, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s and Lionel Messi’s decade-long hold on the prestigious award. Modric, 33, helped Real Madrid win a third successive Champions League title in May and also captained Croatia to their first World Cup final, being named player of the tournament despite his side losing 4-2 to France. “It’s a unique feeling. I’m happy proud and honored, I have a lot of emotions right now, it’s hard to describe in words,” said Modric, wearing a tuxedo as he collected the award from presenter and former France forward David Ginola after a glamorous ceremony at the Grand Palais in Paris. The award, voted for by journalists and organized by French magazine France Football, has been dominated by Barcelona’s Messi and Ronaldo, first when he was at Manchester United and subsequently with Real Madrid, since 2008. The last player to lift the award apart from the Argentine and Portuguese, who have won it a joint-record five times each, was Kaka in 2007 when the Brazilian played for AC Milan. Juventus forward and 2017 winner Ronaldo came second, while Atletico Madrid and France striker Antoine Griezmann came third. Paris St Germain’s France forward Kylian Mbappe, who also collected the Kopa award for the best under-21 player, came fourth, with Barca forward Messi finishing fifth. Olympique Lyonnais’ Norway forward Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural Ballon d’Or for women’s football, having led her side to the Women’s Champions League title, scoring in extra time in the 4-1 win over Vfl Wolfsburg in the final. The Ballon d’Or was first awarded in 1956 and was partnered with soccer’s world governing body FIFA under the title ‘The Best’ from 2010 to 2015, until becoming its own entity again.[SEP]PARIS (AP) — Luka Modric ended the long reign of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d'Or for the first time on Monday, while another first saw Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg win the inaugural women's trophy. Messi and Ronaldo had won every Ballon d'Or since 2008, and usually fought only each other for the greatest recognition among soccer's elite. Women's fight for recognition on the biggest stage took a big step with Hegerberg's award. Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and then guided Croatia to the World Cup final in July. The midfielder was voted player of the tournament. "As a kid we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big club and win important trophies," Modric said. "The Ballon d'Or was more than just a dream for me and it is really an honor and a privilege to hold this trophy." Ronaldo was second in the polling followed by France forward Antoine Griezmann. France's teen star, Kylian Mbappe, was fourth. Brazil star Neymar was third last year but only 12th this time. Messi was fifth in the voting, having been runner-up to Ronaldo the past two years and in the top three every year since 2007. Modric had never previously been in the top three. "2018 is a dream year for me," the 33-year-old Modric said. "Throughout my career I realized hard work, persistence and belief in yourself in difficult moments are the foundations of success." Modric's father was shown on the big screen wiping away tears during the ceremony at the imperious Grand Palais in Paris. Ronaldo missed out on a record sixth award, which would have moved him one ahead of Messi. The last player to win it before those two started dominating world soccer awards was Brazil midfielder Kaka with AC Milan in 2007. Ronaldo also won the Champions League last season with Modric, before leaving to join Juventus. He scored a hat trick against Spain at the World Cup but he failed to make an impression when Portugal lost to Uruguay in the round of 16. Mbappe and Griezmann scored in the 4-2 World Cup final win against Croatia. Mbappe earned a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain. Griezmann also scored twice for Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final win against Marseille. France coach Didier Deschamps said a France player should have won the award. "They deserve it because of what they did with the national team at the World Cup and also because of the trophies they won with their clubs," Deschamps said. The 19-year-old Mbappe — the youngest player to score in a World Cup final — won the Raymond Kopa Trophy awarded to the best young player. France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d'Or since 1956, and created a women's award for the first time this year. Hegerberg is a three-time Women's Champions League winner with French side Lyon and scored a tournament-record 15 times last season. "I want to say thanks to France Football. It's a huge step for women's football," Hegerberg said. "I want to end this speech with a message to all young girls in the world. Believe in yourselves." The outspoken 23-year-old Hegerberg said she won't play for Norway at the Women's World Cup in France next June. Taking a stand against what she describes as a lack of respect for female players in Norway, she hasn't played for the national team since 2017 when it crashed out of the group stage of the Women's European Championship without scoring a goal. Speaking in an interview shortly before collecting her Ballon d'Or, Hegerberg told The Associated Press on Monday she has no plans to reconsider her decision taken to preserve her "authenticity and my values, as a person, as a footballer." "A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football," she said. "It's all about how we respect women's football. I don't think the respect has been there. "Sometimes you have to take tough decisions to stay true to yourself. I let them know, quite clearly, what I found wasn't working."[SEP]Ada Hegerberg put French musician Martin Solveig firmly in his place in a cringe-inducing moment after winning the inaugural Women’s Ballon d’Or award. The Lyon and Norway striker had a remarkable 12 months for club and country and was rewarded at Monday evening’s ceremony in Paris, where Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric also lifted the men’s prize. Hegerberg scored in this year’s Champions League final and seven of her Lyon team-mates were also among the nominees. French DJ Martin Solveig – Nope, us neither – almost ruined Hegerberg’s night with an inexplicably sexist remark shortly after the forward collected her award. Solveig stunned viewers by asking a visibly embarrassed Hegerberg if she wanted to twerk in celebration. Thankfully, Hegerberg shut him down in style with a blunt response. The Norwegian forward beat Denmark striker Pernille Harder and Germany midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsan to the prize who finished second and third respectively. Lucy Bronze was the highest-placed England player and finished sixth in the ranking. ‘I want to say thanks to my team-mates because this would not have been possible without them, my coach or our president Jean-Michel Aulas,’ Hegerberg said after lifting the award. ‘I also want to thank France Football. This is a huge step for women’s football.’ MORE: Luka Modric wins 2018 Ballon d’Or to end Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominance[SEP]Sixty-two years after Stanley Matthews won the first Ballon d'Or the women's game has received its inaugural winner: not Australia's Sam Kerr but trailblazing Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg. The three-time Women's Champions League winner with French side Lyon was named the world's best female player of 2018 at a gala in Paris on Monday. Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, meanwhile, whose heroics inspired Croatia's run to the World Cup final, was named men's player of the year, breaking a decade of dominance by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. A jury of 45 journalists picked the 23-year-old Hegerberg from among 15 nominees, including Matildas star striker Kerr who was fifth in the voting.[SEP]PARIS (AP) — Luka Modric ended the long reign of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d'Or for the first time on Monday, while another first saw Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg win the inaugural's women's trophy. Messi and Ronaldo had won every Ballon d'Or since 2008, and usually fought only each other for the greatest recognition among soccer's elite. Women's fight for recognition on the biggest stage took a big step with Hegerberg's award. Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and then guided Croatia to the World Cup final in July. The midfielder was voted player of the tournament. "As a kid we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big club and win important trophies," Modric said. "The Ballon d'Or was more than just a dream for me and it is really an honor and a privilege to hold this trophy." Ronaldo was second in the polling followed by France forward Antoine Griezmann. France's teen star, Kylian Mbappe, was fourth. Brazil star Neymar was third last year but only 12th this time. Messi was fifth in the voting, having been runner-up to Ronaldo the past two years and in the top three every year since 2007. Modric had never previously been in the top three. "2018 is a dream year for me," the 33-year-old Modric said. "Throughout my career I realized hard work, persistence and belief in yourself in difficult moments are the foundations of success." Modric's father was shown on the big screen wiping away tears during the ceremony at the imperious Grand Palais in Paris. Ronaldo missed out on a record sixth award, which would have moved him one ahead of Messi. The last player to win it before those two started dominating world soccer awards was Brazil midfielder Kaka with AC Milan in 2007. Ronaldo also won the Champions League last season with Modric, before leaving to join Juventus. He scored a hat trick against Spain at the World Cup but he failed to make an impression when Portugal lost to Uruguay in the round of 16. Mbappe and Griezmann scored in the 4-2 World Cup final win against Croatia. Mbappe earned a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain. Griezmann also scored twice for Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final win against Marseille. France coach Didier Deschamps said a France player should have won the award. "They deserve it because of what they did with the national team at the World Cup and also because of the trophies they won with their clubs," Deschamps said. The 19-year-old Mbappe — the youngest player to score in a World Cup final — won the Raymond Kopa Trophy awarded to the best young player. France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d'Or since 1956, and created a women's award for the first time this year. Hegerberg is a three-time Women's Champions League winner with French side Lyon and scored a tournament-record 15 times last season. "I want to say thanks to France Football. It's a huge step for women's football," Hegerberg said. "I want to end this speech with a message to all young girls in the world. Believe in yourselves." The outspoken 23-year-old Hegerberg said she won't play for Norway at the Women's World Cup in France next June. Taking a stand against what she describes as a lack of respect for female players in Norway, she hasn't played for the national team since 2017 when it crashed out of the group stage of the Women's European Championship without scoring a goal. After collecting her Ballon d'Or, Hegerberg told The Associated Press she has no plans to reconsider her decision taken to preserve her "authenticity and my values, as a person, as a footballer." "A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football," she said. "It's all about how we respect women's football. I don't think the respect has been there. "Sometimes you have to take tough decisions to stay true to yourself. I let them know, quite clearly, what I found wasn't working."[SEP]The Ballon d’Or 2018 marked precisely 10 years since Cristiano Ronaldo first scooped up the award in 2008, and for the next decade, the price was either taken by Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo himself. They both share five Ballons d’Or apiece but now that both players weren’t up to the mark during the World cup, It was expected that there will be a new champion. Back in 2007, It was Kaka who was the last player to win the award other than Messi or Ronaldo. Thus Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric won the 2018 Ballon d’Or, becoming the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the award in more than a decade. Modric, 33, won his third successive Champions League in May before helping Croatia to a first World Cup final. Lionel Messi has failed to make the top three of the Ballon d’Or for the first time since 2007, finishing fifth in this year’s final vote. As per the results, Ronaldo finished second this year. Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann finished third, a position ahead of his France team-mate Kylian Mbappe. Messi, who won a league and Copa del Rey double with Barcelona, ranked fifth.

In association football, Croatian midfielder Luka Modrić wins the Ballon d'Or and becomes the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award since Kaká in 2007.

• Host DJ Martin Solveig has since apologised for his comment • Luka Modric won men’s award to break Ronaldo-Messi duopoly • The 100 best female footballers in the world 2018: part one Luka Modric ended a decade of dominance by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Ballon d’Or but the Croatian’s win was overshadowed when the inaugural winner of the women’s award, Ada Hegerberg, was asked to twerk live on stage by the host DJ, Martin Solveig. The 100 best female footballers in the world 2018 Read more Hegerberg, who helped Lyon to the French title and Champions League, scoring in the final, pipped Denmark’s Pernille Harder to the prize but appeared embarrassed when asked by Solveig if she wanted to dance in celebration and “knew how to twerk”. The 23-year-old said “no” and seemed to attempt to leave the stage, before reluctantly agreeing to dance to another song with Solveig. Solveig tweeted shortly after the ceremony, saying he had apologised to Hegerberg for the remark. “I explained to [Ada] and she told me she understood it was a joke,” Solveig wrote. “Nevertheless, my apologies to anyone who may have been offended. Most importantly, congratulations to Ada.” The Norwegian forward said: “He came to me afterwards and was really sad that it went that way. I didn’t really consider it sexual harassment or anything in the moment. I was just happy to do the dance and win the Ballon d’Or.” Play Video 1:01 Ada Hegerberg's Ballon d'Or triumph and fight for equality in football – video profile Hegerberg added she was extremely proud to be named the first female winner. “It’s incredible,” she said. “This is a great motivation to continue working hard and we will continue to work together to win more titles. I wanted to end with some words for young girls around the world: believe in yourselves.” Andy Murray was among those on social media who criticised Solveig’s comment, calling it “another example of the ridiculous sexism in sport.” “What questions did they ask Mbappé and Modric?” the British tennis player added on Instagram. “I’d imagine something to do with football. And to everyone who thinks I’m overreacting and it was just a joke ... it wasn’t. I’ve been involved in sport my whole life and the level of sexism is unreal.” Ada Hegerberg stepped forward for women’s football, but sexism kicked her back | Suzanne Wrack Read more Modric won a third straight Champions League title and inspired his country to reach the World Cup final, and there are few who will begrudge his victory, with Ronaldo in second. Lionel Messi only came fifth, finishing behind France duo Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé – the first time since 2006 that the Argentina forward has not finished in the top three. There had been a clue that there would be a new winner in the 63rd edition of this award – Blackpool’s Stanley Matthews was the first in 1956 – when neither Ronaldo nor Messi were present at the Grand Palais in Paris, although in typically humble fashion Modric admitted he had been pleasantly surprised to be recognised after being congratulated on his victory by Croatia president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. Play Video 0:49 Luka Modric 'honoured' after winning men's 2018 Ballon d'Or – video Having become the first teenager to score in a World Cup final since Pelé in 1958 as France won their second title in Russia, Paris Saint-Germain’s forward Mbappé was the runaway winner of the inaugural Kopa Trophy for the best player under the age of 21, ahead of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold. Mohamed Salah finished in sixth place in the men’s award in recognition of his fantastic debut season at Anfield, in which he scored 32 Premier League goals and helped the team reach the Champions League final. Quick guide Ballon d'Or: Full results Show Hide Men's award – top five 1) Luka Modric (Croatia and Real Madrid) 2) Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal and Juventus) 3) Antoine Griezmann (France and Atlético Madrid) 4) Kylian Mbappé (France and PSG) 5) Lionel Messi (Argentina and Barcelona) England's Harry Kane was 10th, Wales's Gareth Bale joint 17th Women's award – top five 1) Ada Hegerberg (Norway and Lyon) 2) Pernille Harder (Denmark and Wolfsburg) 3) Dzsenifer Maroszan (Germany and Lyon) 4) Marta (Brazil and Orlando Pride) 5) Sam Kerr (Australia and Chicago Red Stars) England's Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby finished sixth and 14th Kopa award for best young player The inaugural award for the best under-21 player in the world was won by France and PSG forward Kylian Mbappé. The men's award: how the rest finished 6 Mohamed Salah 7 Raphaël Varane 8 Eden Hazard 9 Kevin De Bruyne 10 Harry Kane 11 N'Golo Kanté 12 Neymar 13 Luis Suárez 14 Thibaut Courtois 15 Paul Pogba 16 Sergio Agüero =17 Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale =19 Roberto Firmino, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Ramos =22 Marcelo, Edinson Cavani, Sadio Mané =25 Alisson, Jan Oblak, Mario Mandzukic 28 Diego Godín =29 Isco, Hugo Lloris. Photograph: Aurélien Meunier/Getty Images Europe Salah was the highest-ranked player from the Premier League, with Chelsea’s Eden Hazard eighth, Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City ninth and Tottenham’s Harry Kane – who won the Golden Boot in Russia – 10th.[SEP]French DJ Martin Solveig has been accused of sexism after asking Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg if she could twerk just moments after she won the inaugural women's Ballon d'Or award. The 23-year-old - who scored 15 goals for Lyon during a triumphant Champions League campaign last season - was encouraged to perform the provocative dance move as she gave her acceptance speech. She replied "no" and turned away from the podium as Solveig laughed off her answer, as other footballers in the audience looked on in bemusement. The bizarre incident has sparked outrage among fans online, with Solveig - who has apologised for causing offence - coming under heavy criticism for his "sexist", "disrespectful" and "disgusting" request. One viewer, Sean Walker, tweeted: "Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg, first female Ballon D'Or winner after scoring over 250 career goals at the age 23, asked to twerk on stage in front of footballing giants and the public watching. "Disgusting and really ruined her moment she deserved. Poor." Football journalist Siavoush Fallahi added: "What kind of question is this? And why are these guys laughing? This is disgusting, I'm so sorry for Ada Hegerberg." Responding to the criticism, Solveig tweeted: "Sincere apologies to the one I may have offended. "My point was: I don't invite women to twerk but dance on a Sinatra song. Watch the full sequence. People who have followed me for 20 years know how respectful I am especially with women. "I explained to @AdaStolsmo the buzz and she told me she understood it was a joke. Nevertheless my apologies to anyone who may have been offended. Most importantly congratulations to Ada." Hegerburg claimed the award - voted for by journalists - after seeing off Wolfsburg and Denmark forward Pernille Harder, German midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsan, and England and Lyon defender Lucy Bronze. It recognises her as the best female footballer in the world. In her acceptance speech at the ceremony in Paris, she said: "I want to say thanks to my teammates because this would not have been possible without them, my coach or our president Jean-Michel Aulas. "I also want to thank France Football. This is a huge step for women's football. "And to young girls all over the world, please, believe in yourself." France Football has handed out a men's Ballon d'Or every year since 1956 and the 2018 edition marked the first time in a decade that it had been won by someone other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Luka Modric won the award after helping Real Madrid to another Champions League trophy, before inspiring Croatia to an unlikely appearance in the World Cup final. Cristiano Ronaldo came second and Antoine Griezmann - who was part of the France team that beat Croatia to the biggest prize in football - came third. His countryman Kylian Mbappe won the inaugural Kopa Trophy for the best male player aged 21 and under.[SEP]Olympique Lyonnais and Norway forward Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural Ballon d'Or award for the best player in women's football on Monday (local time) but the moment was tarnished when DJ Martin Solveig asked her to 'twerk' after receiving the prize. Hegerberg, who helped lead Lyon win the Women's Champions League last season, looked embarrassed and answered "no" after Solveig asked her in French to do the provocative dance. "You've seen that I prepared a little celebration for (France forward) Kylian (Mbappe) so we said we're going to do something similar. Do you know how to twerk?" said French DJ Solveig who co-hosted the awards with David Ginola. Solveig was the subject of criticism on social media following his exchange with 23-year-old Hegerberg and quickly apologised for his comments with a video posted on Twitter. "I'm a little amazed and astonished with what I'm reading on the internet, of course I didn't want to offend anyone," he said. "This was a joke probably a bad one, I want to apologise to the one I offended, sorry about that." "He (Solveig) came to me afterwards and was really sad that it went that way. I didn't really think about it at the time to be honest. I didn't really consider it a sexual harassment or anything in the moment," she told the BBC. Arsenal centre-back and Ireland international Louise Quinn told Reuters: "It just shows that people just come out with these questions or comments without giving it a second thought, and it must change. "Women's football is taking huge strides and questions and comments like this take away from those strides we have taken. Instead of the attention going to a world-class player for her talent it will all be about Solveig's question." Hegerberg earlier spoke of her pride in winning the award and said she hoped it would motivate young female players. "Being historical and the first woman to win the Ballon d'Or is a huge moment in my life," she added. "It is a fantastic day for women's football... it is important to show young girls that they can believe in themselves and I hope they are inspired by this. They are the future." Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric was named the best men's player of 2018 at the prestigious awards organised by France Football magazine. They have existed since 1956 but had not previously had a women's football category.[SEP]Lyon and Norway striker Ada Hegerberg has won the inaugural Women’s Ballon d’Or award, according to BBC reports. The 23-year-old scored in this year’s Champions League final as French side Lyon beat Wolfsburg 4-1 in Kiev. Wolfsburg and Denmark striker Pernille Harder was second, Germany midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsan third and England and Lyon defender Lucy Bronze sixth. The award – voted for by journalists – recognises the best player in the world. Co-host Martin Solveig, a French DJ, was widely criticised on social media after asking Hegerberg during the presentation: “Do you know how to twerk?” Solveig later apologised, and Hegerberg played down suggestions it had marred her win. Hegerberg was one of seven players from the all-conquering Lyon side to feature among the 15 nominees. She was the leading scorer with 15 goals as the French side won the Champions League for the third year running. The Ballon d’Or has been awarded to a men’s player by France Football every year since 1956, but this is the first year there has been a women’s award.[SEP]NORWEGIAN STRIKER ADA Hegerberg was rewarded for her prolific form with Champions League winners Lyon as she took the first ever women’s Ballon d’Or prize at a ceremony in Paris on Monday. The 23-year-old saw off competition from players like Danish star Pernille Harder, of German club VfL Wolfsburg, and Brazil’s Marta — winner of FIFA’s best player prize — to take the prize organised by France Football magazine following a vote by journalists from around the world. Hegerberg was one of seven players from the all-conquering Lyon side to feature among the 15 nominees, but she won out thanks to her prolific form in front of goal. She was the top scorer with 15 goals as the French side won the Champions League for the third year running. One of her goals came in the final in Kiev in May, as Lyon came from behind to beat Wolfsburg 4-1 after extra time and retain the trophy. Harder had put the Germans in front in that game. Ada Hegerberg alongside her mother Gerd Hegerberg and her sister, Paris Saint-Germain's Andrine Hegerberg at the ceremony. Source: AP/PA Images “I want to say thanks to my teammates because this would not have been possible without them, my coach or our president Jean-Michel Aulas,” Hegerberg said at the ceremony at the Grand Palais, just off the Champs Elysees. “I also want to thank France Football. This is a huge step for women’s football.” Lyon also won the French title for the 12th season in succession, with Hegerberg top-scoring with 31 goals, and she continues to bang in the goals for her team who are top of the table again this season. Hegerberg, whose elder sister Andrine plays for Lyon’s biggest rivals in France, Paris Saint-Germain, is a Norwegian international but has not played for her country since their disappointing showing at Euro 2017 in the Netherlands. Subscribe to our new podcast, Heineken Rugby Weekly on The42, here:[SEP]Sixty-two years after Stanley Matthews won the first Ballon d’Or the women’s game received its inaugural winner: it wasn’t Australia’s Sam Kerr but trailblazing Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg. The three-time Women’s Champions League winner with French side Lyon was named the world’s best female player of 2018 at a gala in Paris. A jury of 45 journalists picked the 23-year-old Hegerberg from among 15 nominees, including Matildas star striker Kerr who was fifth in the voting. “For the first time a woman will win football’s highest honour. So even if I don’t win, we will,” Kerr posted on Instagram before the awards ceremony. Kerr had another outstanding 2018 winning the NWSL golden boot, the PFA Women’s Footballer of the Year and ESPY Award for Best International Women’s Soccer Player. Dane Pernille Harder and German Dzsenifer Marozsan rounding out the top three while Brazilian Marta was fourth. Hegerberg called the award “a huge step for women’s football” and said she feels “very proud” to be the first Ballon d’Or-winning woman. She scored a tournament-record 15 goals for Lyon in the Women’s Champions League last season. Hegerberg also expressed frustration about living “in such a man’s world” and said the award will not make her reconsider her refusal to play for Norway, including at next June’s Women’s World Cup, because of her unhappiness over perceived inequality. “A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football,” she said. “It’s all about how we respect women’s football. I don’t think the respect has been there. “I wish the national team the best, though. We just follow two different paths at the moment.” France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d’Or - until now only to men - since 1956, when Matthews was the first winner.[SEP]Lyon's Ada Hegerberg has been crowned the first winner of the women's Ballon d'Or. The Norwegian striker, 23, helped Lyon claim the French league title and Champions League trophy, scoring in the final as they beat Wolfsburg 4-1 in Kiev. "I want to say thanks to my team-mates because this would not have been possible without them, my coach or our president Jean-Michel Aulas," Hegerberg said. "I also want to thank France Football. This is a huge step for women's football. "I want to end this speech with a message to all young girls in the world. Believe in yourselves" England duo Lucy Bronze and Frank Kirby were also ranked among the top 20 in the world, finishing sixth and 14th respectively. Hegerberg and Bronze were two of seven Lyon players shortlisted for the award. However, there was controversy surrounding the ceremony in Paris after Hegerberg was asked if she knew how to twerk when she collected her award on stage by host Martin Solveig, a French DJ. The comment sparked outrage on social media, with many users calling the remarks "sexist", and Solveig released an apology on Twitter shortly after. "Sincere apologies to the one I may have offended," he said. "My point was: I don't invite women to twerk but dance on a Sinatra song. Watch the full sequence, people who have followed me for 20 years know how respectful I am especially with women."[SEP]Matildas star Sam Kerr has finished fifth in the inaugural Women’s Ballon D’Or. Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg won the award, with Pernille Harder, Dzsenifer Maroszan, Marta and Kerr rounding out the top five. Kerr had a sensational year for club — at Chicago Red Stars and Perth Glory — and country, for the Matildas, but it was not enough to secure the award. The 25-year-old scored 16 goals in 20 games for the Red Stars this year, to go with eight goals for her country. That came off the back of 13 for the Glory. Meanwhile Hegerberg scored 10 goals in as many league games for Olympique Lyonnais, while she scored 15 in nine Champions League appearances in 2017/18 as the club won its third consecutive trophy. An emotional Hegerberg used her speech to tell young girls all over the world to “please, believe in yourself.” A jury of 45 journalists picked the 23-year-old Hegerberg from among 15 nominees, including Matildas star striker Kerr who was fifth in the voting. “For the first time a woman will win football’s highest honour. So even if I don’t win, we will,” Kerr posted on Instagram before the awards ceremony on Monday. Kerr had another outstanding 2018 winning the NWSL golden boot, the PFA Women’s Footballer of the Year and ESPY Award for Best International Women’s Soccer Player. Dane Pernille Harder and German Dzsenifer Marozsan rounding out the top three while Brazilian Marta was fourth. Hegerberg called the award “a huge step for women’s football” and also told The Associated Press she feels “very proud” to be the first Ballon d’Or-winning woman. She scored a tournament-record 15 goals for Lyon in the Women’s Champions League last season.[SEP]Olympique Lyonnais and Norway forward Ada Hegerberg made history on Monday when she won the inaugural Ballon d’Or award for the best player in women’s football. Hegerberg, who helped lead Lyon win the Women’s Champions League last season, said she hoped it would motivate young female players. “Being historical and the first woman to win the Ballon d’Or is a huge moment in my life,” she added. It is a fantastic day for women’s football... it is important to show young girls that they can believe in themselves and I hope they are inspired by this. They are the future. “It is a fantastic day for women’s football… it is important to show young girls that they can believe in themselves and I hope they are inspired by this. They are the future.” Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric was named the best men’s player of 2018 at the prestigious awards organised by France Football magazine. The awards have existed since 1956 but had not previously had a women’s football category.[SEP]At last night's ceremony in Paris, Ronaldo came in second place, with France and Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann completing the podium. French World Cup star and Paris Saint-Germain teenage striker Kylian Mbappe came fourth, leaving Messi in fifth position. Mbappe, who will turn 20 later this month, picked up the consolation prize of the Kopa Trophy for the best young player. Last night's ceremony also saw a women's Ballon d'Or named for the first time, with Lyon's prolific Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg taking that award.

Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg wins the inaugural Women's Ballon d'Or.

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday launched an operation to destroy a number of cross-border attack tunnels that it says were dug by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group into northern Israel from Lebanon. Announcing the launch of Operation Northern Shield, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said “a number of tunnels” had penetrated Israeli territory and forces were working on the Israeli side of the frontier to destroy them. “We see Hezbollah’s actions as a flagrant and blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty,” he said. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up The military said it believed these tunnels were for offensive purposes, unlike the tunnels and underground bunkers used by Hezbollah during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, which were primarily used for its defensive strategies. Conricus said the tunnels “are not yet operationally ready” and therefore did not pose an “immediate threat.” The operation came as tensions on Israel’s northern border have ramped up in recent days, and hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Brussels for a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss Iran and security challenges on Israel’s northern border, likely referring to Hezbollah. Israeli security chiefs were holding security assessments throughout the day on Tuesday in order to predict Hezbollah’s reaction to the IDF operation. The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson called on Hezbollah members and Lebanese citizens to keep away from the tunnels. “You’ve been warned,” he wrote on Twitter. Israel has long said that Hezbollah planned to conduct cross-border raids in any future conflict, with the specific goal of attacking and conquering a civilian town near the border. Northern residents have raised fears in recent years of attack tunnels being dug under the border, spurring the IDF to launch a task force to investigate the concerns in 2014. “[Hezbollah’s] main goal is to kill as many people as they can in [Israeli] villages and army bases,” a senior officer IDF officer said earlier this year, in a briefing to reporters on the Lebanese border. The IDF operation began in the predawn hours of Tuesday morning. The military declared the area around the community of Metulla a closed military zone, but gave no other special instructions to Israeli civilians in the area. The army said the operation was expected to expand to other locations along the Israeli-Lebanese border in the coming days. A spokesman said the operation might last weeks. Additional troops were deployed to northern Israel as a precaution against potential attacks by Hezbollah, but no reservists were called up. Conricus would not comment on whether additional air defenses were deployed to the area as a precautionary measure as well, but military sources said the IAF and IDF special forces were braced for any eventuality. Hezbollah is believed to have an arsenal of over 100,000 rockets and missiles. Last Friday, the Lebanese terror group issued a warning video to Israel apparently filled with satellite images and precise map locations of strategic sites in the Jewish state, with a message: “Attack and you will regret it.” The video was posted after an alleged Israeli airstrike on Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria the night before. The video, with Hebrew subtitles, opened with scenes of Hezbollah fighters preparing to launch rockets and leader Hassan Nasrallah warning that the Lebanese terror group would respond to any attack on Lebanon. Attack tunnels were long rumored to have been dug from southern Lebanon into Israeli territory by the Iran-backed terror group, but in recent years Israeli defense officials repeatedly either denied their existence or refused to discuss the matter. The IDF spokesperson accused Iran of providing the funding and support for Hezbollah’s tunnel program. “We’ll be dealing with that in the next few days too,” the army said. According to the Israeli military, the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group also provided Hezbollah with technical assistance, based on its extensive experience digging attack tunnels from the Strip into southern Israel. Conricus also accused the Lebanese government of failing to prevent Hezbollah from establishing a military presence in southern Lebanon, despite this being a violation of United Nations Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War and called for all armed groups besides the Lebanese military to remain north of the country’s Litani River. A spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL, which is meant to enforce UN Resolution 1701, told The Times of Israel that it was aware of the reports that the IDF was launching Operation Northern Shield and was maintaining contact with “all relevant interlocutors to ensure that the parties use the UNIFIL liaison and coordination mechanisms to maintain the continued calm and stability.” “The situation in UNIFIL’s area of operation remains calm,” the UNIFIL spokesperson said. Conricus said he could not elaborate on the number of tunnels or how deeply they penetrated into Israel, but said such information may be provided in the future. The IDF spokesperson would not comment on how the military sought to destroy the alleged Hezbollah tunnels, but said it would use some of the techniques and technologies it employs in countering the attack tunnels dug into Israel from the Gaza Strip. “It will take time to neutralize and expose all the tunnels,” the IDF spokesperson said. The spokesperson said units from the IDF Northern Command, Military Intelligence, Combat Engineering Corps and Ministry of Defense will lead Operation Northern Shield. The project to find these alleged Hezbollah tunnels began in 2013 when residents of northern Israel reported hearing the sounds of underground construction, but the initial checks turned up no evidence of tunnels. “Every complaint was checked with the technologies and capabilities available at that time. We could not substantiate those complaints,” IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis told the Kan broadcaster on Tuesday morning. In October 2014, following the Gaza war earlier that summer in which Hamas attack tunnels played a key role, the IDF established a new task force, made up of intelligence and technology units, with the aim of “detecting and exposing Hezbollah’s offensive tunnel program,” the IDF spokesperson said. In recent years, the Israeli military and Defense Ministry have been bolstering defenses along the Israeli-Lebanese border: setting up berms, clearing vegetation, creating artificial cliffs and building nine-meter-tall concrete walls. The barriers are designed to serve two main functions: protect Israeli civilians and soldiers from sniper attacks, and prevent infiltration into Israel by Hezbollah operatives. According to the IDF senior officer, approximately seven years ago, Hezbollah created a special forces unit — known as the Radwan Unit — specifically tasked with crossing into Israel and causing as much mayhem and destruction as possible both for the sake of the destruction itself and for the “symbolism” of having troops carry out attacks inside Israel. Israel fought a punishing war with Hezbollah in 2006, which has since given way to relative quiet along the frontier. However, Israeli officials have raised alarms over Iran arming Hezbollah, via Syria or directly into Lebanon, with precision missile technology. On Monday, Netanyahu was reportedly slated to request that Pompeo pass a message to Beirut that Israel would act militarily if it did not crack down on Hezbollah. Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.[SEP]The Israeli military launched an operation on Tuesday to "expose and thwart" tunnels built by the Hezbollah group that it says stretch from Lebanon into northern Israel. The tunnels are not operational, the military said, adding that its work to find and neutralize them was taking place inside Israeli territory. But the operation could send tensions soaring between Israel and its Iranian-backed foe, who have both been preoccupied with other conflicts since their last conflagration more than a decade ago. "We see Hezbollah's activities as a flagrant and blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty" and of U.N. resolutions, said Lt. Col Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman. "This activity is another example of the negative effects of Iranian entrenchment in the region." The military did not disclose how many tunnels snake into Israeli territory from Lebanon or what tools it was using to deal with the threat, although it said the operation could last for weeks. Israel has spent years attempting to tackle a network of tunnels from the Gaza Strip into Israel and has used a variety of methods to destroy tunnels and prevent them from being rebuilt. A Lebanese military official told The Associated Press that Lebanese troops and military intelligence agents, along with U.N. peacekeepers deployed in southern Lebanon, were observing the border on Tuesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, had no further details. Israel has been using earthmovers and other large machinery to build a massive wall along its northern border, saying the barrier is needed to protect civilians from Hezbollah attacks. While the construction has prompted complaints from the Lebanese army, Hezbollah has not responded, an indication it could remain restrained amid the new operation. Israel, meanwhile, gave no special orders to residents of northern Israel, signaling that it too was not expecting an immediate response from Hezbollah. The existence of the tunnels did not appear to have surprised Israel. Conricus said that Hezbollah has been developing an offensive plan against Israel that would "shift the battleground into Israel." The group would use firepower and ground units and "the surprise component of that plan was supposed to be tunnels that would allow infiltrators into Israel." He added that Israel has investigated the possibility of underground Hezbollah tunnels since 2013 and launched a task force which has been working for the last two years to search for them. He did not explain why the operation was launched now. Bulldozers and military vehicles were seen operating near the Israeli pastoral town of Metula on Tuesday. Residents of the area told Israeli media they had been hearing digging noises for years and had reported their suspicions to the military. Israel and Hezbollah fought a monthlong war in 2006 that ended in a stalemate. Israel's border with Lebanon has been relatively quiet in the years since, but Israel has continued to identify the Shiite militant group and its expanding weapons cache of tens of thousands of rockets as a major threat. The Israeli operation began hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a snap trip to Brussels to meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in which the two discussed "ways to halt together Iranian aggression in the region," including in Lebanon. Israel has long voiced concern about Iran's growing military presence along its northern border, warning of an Iranian corridor that could assist in the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah. Israel has generally refrained from engaging in Syria's civil war, though it has carried out scores of airstrikes against what Israel says were Iranian shipments of advanced weapons bound for Hezbollah. The operation comes weeks after Netanyahu faced a major crisis in his governing coalition over the handling of a cease-fire with Gaza militants. Amid the crisis he took on the defense portfolio from his resigning minister and promised to pursue a hard line against Israel's enemies during what he described as a "complex" security situation. Although its attention has been diverted to violent protests along its border with Gaza in recent months, Israel's main security concerns lie to the north, along the border with Lebanon. Israeli officials have long warned the threat posed by Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Gaza pales in comparison to that of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah — a heavily-armed mini-army with valuable combat experience and an arsenal of some 150,000 rockets that can reach nearly every part of Israel. Hezbollah meanwhile has also been distracted by the war in Syria, where it has fought fiercely alongside Assad regime troops. With Syria's civil war winding down, Hezbollah is now free to re-establish itself back home in Lebanon and refocus on Israel. Neither side appears interested quite yet in another full-fledged confrontation like the 2006 war, but any skirmish could spark an all-out conflict along the tense border.[SEP]The Israeli military launched an operation Monday night to destroy cross-border tunnels constructed by Hezbollah, crossing the Lebanon border into Israel. The Israel Defense Force announced the discovery of the tunnels on Tuesday morning, and has started destroying them, dubbing the operation Northern Shield. The military said it has been aware since 2006 that Hezbollah was trying to construct attack tunnels stretching from Lebanon into Israel at several points along the border. Since then, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has spoken of a plan to take over parts of the Galilee, in northern Israel, in a future conflict. >> Battle between Israel and Iran shifting from Syria to Lebanon | Analysis ■ Netanyahu's meeting with Pompeo is a warning to Iran and Lebanon - before Israel takes military action | Analysis The IDF is currently assessing the situation to gauge Hezbollah's reaction to the destruction of the tunnels. The IDF expects changes in the current situation. At this stage, farmers have been warned not to approach the border. In 2013, the military discovered that Hezbollah was attempting to begin construction of the tunnels but could not locate any. In 2014, the military formed a special team to locate these tunnels, and in 2015 the military began a project to build a barrier along the Lebanese border. During this time, the military developed technology to locate the tunnels. The IDF Spokesperson Ronen Manelis said, "the fact that Hezbollah has tunnels crossing the border into Israeli territory is proof of a flagrant violation of Israeli sovreignty. We see this as a very serious situation that hurts Lebanon and the citizens of Lebanon, and we hold the Lebanese government accountable. We have indisputable proof that the Lebanese government is not in control of their border. Iranian money is behind these tunnels." According to Manelis, the IDF troops along the border have been reinforced, "We are in full control of the situation and are determined to remove the underground Hezbollah threat from the northern border. The tunnels do cross into Israeli territory, but the work on them was not complete." Over the last few years authorities in the north have reported hearing noises from under the ground, yet the Israeli army maintained that there were no tunnels under the northern border. The army has long been aware of Hezbollah's intention to build tunnels, yet it is unclear at what point they discovered the tunnels that are currently being destroyed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels, Belgium on Monday. The two discussed ways to "work together to block Iranian agression in the region - in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon." The head of the Mossad, the head of the National Security Council and the military secretary also attended the meeting.[SEP]JERUSALEM — The Israeli military launched an operation on Tuesday to "expose and thwart" tunnels built by the Hezbollah militant group that it says stretch from Lebanon into northern Israel. The tunnels are not operational, the military said, adding that its work to find and neutralize them was taking place inside Israeli territory. But the operation could send tensions soaring between Israel and its Iranian-backed foe, who have both been preoccupied with other conflicts since their last conflagration more than a decade ago. "We see Hezbollah's activities as a flagrant and blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty," said Lt. Col Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman. "This activity is another example of the negative effects of Iranian entrenchment in the region." The military did not disclose how many tunnels snake into Israeli territory from Lebanon, how long the operation would last nor what tools it was using to deal with the threat. It has spent years attempting to tackle a network of tunnels snaking from the Gaza Strip into Israel and has used a variety of methods to destroy tunnels and prevent them from being rebuilt. Conricus said that Hezbollah has been developing an offensive plan against Israel that would "shift the battleground into Israel." The group would use firepower and ground units and "the surprise component of that plan was supposed to be tunnels that would allow infiltrators into Israel." He added that Israel has investigated the possibility of underground Hezbollah tunnels since 2013 and launched a task force which has been working for the last two years to search for them. He did not explain why the operation was launched now. Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006 that ended in a stalemate. Israel's border with Lebanon has been relatively quiet in the years since, but Israel has continued to identify the Shiite militant group and its expanding weapons cache of tens of thousands of rockets as a major threat. The Israeli operation began hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a snap trip to Brussels to meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in which the two discussed "ways to halt together Iranian aggression in the region," including in Lebanon. Although its attention has been diverted to violent protests along its border with Gaza in recent months, Israel's main security concerns lie to the north, along the border with Lebanon. Israeli officials have long warned the threat posed by Gaza's Hamas rulers pales in comparison to that of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah — a heavily-armed mini-army with valuable combat experience and an arsenal of some 150,000 rockets that can reach nearly every part of Israel. Hezbollah meanwhile has also been distracted by the war in Syria, where it has fought fiercely alongside President Bashar al-Assad's troops. With Syria's civil war winding down, Hezbollah is now free to re-establish itself back home in Lebanon and refocus on Israel. Neither side appears interested quite yet in another full-fledged confrontation like the war in 2006, but any skirmish could spark an all-out conflict along the tense border.[SEP]Israel said on Tuesday it had launched an operation to “expose and thwart” cross-border attack tunnels from Lebanon dug by the Iran-backed Lebanese movement Hezbollah. The army said the operation was for now confined to Israel and did not extend into Lebanon, where the tunnels originated. The broader frontier appeared calm in the hours after the announcement, despite fear that it could lead to confrontation.Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah, World, News, Israel hezbollah, israel fighting, attack tunnels, hezbollah tunnels There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. A Lebanese army source said the situation was calm on its side of the border, as did U.N. peacekeepers operating there. READ MORE: Calls for Netanyahu to resign after Israeli police recommend indictment on bribery charges Israel released video footage of digging and pile-driving equipment at work in unidentified locations, carrying out what it said were “tactical preparations to expose Hezbollah’s offensive cross-border tunnel project.” It later published a photograph of a tunnel that it said it had uncovered. Israel said the tunnel originated under a house around the Lebanese village of Kfar Kela and crossed the border near Israel’s northernmost town, Metula. Reuters could not immediately verify the photo or the footage. Israel and Hezbollah have avoided any major conflict across the Lebanese-Israeli border since their last war in 2006, though Israel has mounted attacks in Syria targeting what it said were advanced weapon deliveries to the Shi’ite Muslim group. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels to update him on the imminent tunnel operation. “Whoever tries to harm Israel will pay a heavy price,” Netanyahu said in a statement after returning to Israel early in the morning. READ MORE: Anti-Semitism on the rise in Europe, CNN poll shows The military said the tunnels were not yet operational but posed “an imminent threat” to Israeli civilians, and constituted “a flagrant and severe violation of Israeli sovereignty.” It said the army had boosted its presence and readiness and was prepared for “various scenarios.” The operation could take weeks, an Israeli military source said. Its Arabic media spokesman posted a message on Twitter warning the Lebanese army and Hezbollah to stay away, saying: “Your lives are in danger, you have been warned.” In September, Netanyahu identified three locations in Lebanon where, he said, Hezbollah was converting “inaccurate projectiles” into precision-guided missiles. Last month he also hinted at an upcoming Israeli offensive during a televised address, but did not give details. READ MORE: Airbnb’s removal of listings from West Bank prompts criticism from Israel Last year, Hezbollah’s leader said any future conflict with Israel could take place inside Israeli territory, and there would be “no place that is out of reach of the rockets of the resistance or the boots of the resistance fighters.” Israel’s vulnerability to tunnels was laid bare during its war with Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza in 2014 when Palestinian militants used dozens of secret passages dug from Gaza into Israel to launch surprise attacks.[SEP]METULA, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military launched an operation Tuesday to "expose and thwart" tunnels it says were built by the Hezbollah militant group that stretch from Lebanon into northern Israel. The military said the tunnels were not currently being used by militants and that its work to find and neutralize them was taking place inside Israeli territory. However, the Israeli operation could send tensions soaring between Israel and its Iranian-backed foe, which have both been preoccupied with other conflicts since their last conflagration more than a decade ago. "We see Hezbollah's activities as a flagrant and blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty" and U.N. resolutions, said Lt. Col Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman. "This activity is another example of the negative effects of Iranian entrenchment in the region." The military did not disclose how many tunnels snake into Israeli territory from Lebanon, nor reveal details of the operation that could last for weeks, it said. Troops were reinforced along the border and later Tuesday, the military announced the first tunnel had been uncovered and would be demolished. Conricus said the tunnel, outfitted with electricity, a ventilation pipe and a communication cable, was about 200 meters (220 yards) long, at a depth of 25 meters (80 feet) and was about 2 meters (6 feet) high. The tunnel's exit point was found in a patch of farmland southwest of the pastoral Israeli border town of Metula, the military said. Lebanese troops and military intelligence agents, along with U.N. peacekeepers deployed in southern Lebanon, were observing the border Tuesday, a Lebanese military official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Israel has spent years attempting to tackle a network of tunnels from the Gaza Strip into Israel and has used several methods to destroy tunnels and prevent them from being rebuilt, from using earthmovers and other large machinery to building a massive wall along its northern border. The barrier, Israel says, is needed to protect civilians from Hezbollah attacks. While the construction has prompted complaints from the Lebanese army, Hezbollah has not responded — an indication it could remain restrained amid the new operation. Israel, meanwhile, gave no special orders to residents of northern Israel, signaling that it too was not expecting an immediate response from Hezbollah. Israel has tracked the tunnels' development for years. Conricus said that Hezbollah has been developing an offensive plan that would "shift the battleground into Israel," using firepower and ground units. "The surprise component of that plan was supposed to be tunnels that would allow infiltrators into Israel," he said. He added that Israel has investigated the possibility of underground Hezbollah tunnels since 2013 and that a task force established in 2014 has been searching for them for more than two years. He did not explain why the operation to uncover the tunnels started now. Near Metula, bulldozers and military vehicles were seen working and residents of the area told Israeli media they had been hearing digging noises for years and had reported their suspicions to the military. The Israeli operation began hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a snap trip to Brussels to meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in which the two discussed "ways to halt together Iranian aggression in the region," including in Lebanon. Netanyahu's office said Tuesday the Israeli leader updated Pompeo on the operation. "Whoever tries to attack the state of Israel will pay a heavy price," he said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. Its Al-Manar TV quoted Israeli media reports on the operation. An official from the so-called "Axis of Resistance" — a grouping led by Iran and made up of Syrian officials, Iraq Shiite militias, Hezbollah and other groups — said Hezbollah fighters were "on high alert to confront any possible Israeli aggression." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the group's military activities with the media. Malene Jensen, spokeswoman for the U.N. force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL, said the situation in the peacekeepers' "area of operation remains calm" and that they are in touch with all relevant parties to make sure calm and stability is maintained. Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006 that ended in a stalemate. Israel's border with Lebanon has been relatively quiet in the years since, but Israel has continued to identify the Shiite militant group and its expanding weapons cache of tens of thousands of rockets as a major threat. Israel has long voiced concern about Iran's growing military presence along its northern border, warning of an Iranian corridor that could assist in the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah. Israel has generally refrained from engaging in Syria's civil war, though it has carried out scores of airstrikes against what Israel says were Iranian shipments of advanced weapons bound for Hezbollah. The operation comes weeks after Netanyahu faced a major crisis in his governing coalition over the handling of a cease-fire with Gaza militants. Amid the crisis he took on the defense portfolio from his resigning minister and promised to pursue a hard line against Israel's enemies during what he described as a "complex" security situation. Although its attention has been diverted to violent protests along its border with Gaza in recent months, Israel's main security concerns lie to the north, along the border with Lebanon. Israeli officials have long warned the threat posed by Gaza's Hamas rulers pales in comparison to that of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah — a heavily-armed mini-army with valuable combat experience and an arsenal of some 150,000 rockets that can reach nearly every part of Israel. Hezbollah meanwhile has also been distracted by the war in Syria, where it has fought fiercely alongside Assad's troops. With Syria's civil war winding down, Hezbollah is now free to re-establish itself back home in Lebanon and refocus on Israel. Neither side appears interested quite yet in another full-fledged confrontation like the 2006 war, but any skirmish could spark an all-out conflict along the tense border. Goldenberg reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.[SEP]The Israeli military has launched an operation meant to “expose and thwart” tunnels built by the Hezbollah militant group and stretching from Lebanon into northern Israel. The Israeli military has launched an operation meant to “expose and thwart” tunnels built by the Hezbollah militant group and stretching from Lebanon into northern Israel. The military says the tunnels are not operational and that its work to expose them, which began on Tuesday, was taking place in Israeli territory. Officers did not disclose how many tunnels snake into Israeli territory from Lebanon or how long the operation would last. Israel views the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its vast weapons cache as a major threat. The two fought an inconclusive, month-long war in 2006. The Israeli operation comes hours after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a last-minute trip to Brussels to meet US secretary of state Mike Pompeo. Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said: “We see Hezbollah’s activities as a flagrant and blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty” and of UN resolutions. “This activity is another example of the negative effects of Iranian entrenchment in the region.” Israel has spent years attempting to tackle a network of tunnels from the Gaza Strip into Israel and has used a variety of methods to destroy tunnels and prevent them from being rebuilt. A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops and military intelligence agents, along with UN peacekeepers deployed in southern Lebanon, were observing the border on Tuesday. Israel has been using bulldozers and other large machinery to build a massive wall along its northern border, saying the barrier is needed to protect civilians from Hezbollah attacks. While the construction has prompted complaints from the Lebanese army, Hezbollah has not responded, an indication it could remain restrained amid the new operation. Israel, meanwhile, gave no special orders to residents of northern Israel, signalling that it was not expecting an immediate response from Hezbollah. The existence of the tunnels did not appear to have surprised Israel. Lt Col Conricus said Hezbollah has been developing an offensive plan against Israel that would “shift the battleground into Israel”. The group would use firepower and ground units and “the surprise component of that plan was supposed to be tunnels that would allow infiltrators into Israel”. He added that Israel has investigated the possibility of underground Hezbollah tunnels since 2013 and launched a task force which has been working for the last two years searching for them. Israel has long voiced concern about Iran’s growing military presence along its northern border, warning of an Iranian corridor that could assist in the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah. Israel has generally refrained from engaging in Syria’s civil war, though it has carried out scores of air strikes against what Israel says were Iranian shipments of advanced weapons bound for Hezbollah. The operation comes weeks after Mr Netanyahu faced a major crisis in his governing coalition over the handling of a ceasefire with Gaza militants. Amid the crisis he took on the defence portfolio from his resigning minister and promised to pursue a hard line against Israel’s enemies during what he described as a “complex” security situation.[SEP]Israel's Army Says It Found Tunnels Dug By Hezbollah Beneath Border With Lebanon Israel has launched a military operation intended to "expose and destroy" a series of tunnels it says Hezbollah dug into Israel from Lebanon, where the militant group is based. The Israel Defense Forces embarked on Operation Northern Shield on Tuesday, surprising observers on both sides of the border. "Army officials won't say how many tunnels they found, but that Hezbollah has dug them to cross into Israel and carry out attacks," NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Jerusalem. He adds that military officials are urging people to go about their business as normal, saying the tunnels are not in use. "The activity of Hezbollah, building those attack tunnels from Lebanon to Israel, is a blatant violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701," Israeli Foreign Minister Emmanuel Nahshon said on Tuesday, referring to the United Nations resolution that brought an end to Israel's month-long conflict with the Shiite militant group in 2006. The Israel Defense Forces says it's now working to destroy the tunnels. After discovering the secret underground routes, the army live-streamed a video feed from the site, with IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus speaking in front of Israel's "blue line" border wall. The tunnels were dug "from within civilian houses in Lebanon into Israel," Conricus said, calling it a tactic that was born out of the end of the 2006 war. The tunnels are proof, he added, that bolsters Israel's long-held opinion that Hezbollah's military strategy includes using civilian infrastructure. In response to the operation, Hezbollah said it would not change its behavior in southern Lebanon, according to Ynet News. Citing the Shehab News Agency, the Israeli news site quoted a senior Hezbollah official as saying, "We are closely monitoring the enemy's activities in the area. The resistance is capable of retaliating to any Israeli aggression, and cause Israel severe damage." The IDF's very public unveiling of Operation Northern Shield comes after four years of monitoring Hezbollah's activities, Conricus said. "This is the first day of the operation," he added. "We assume that it will take quite a long time to expose and destroy all of these tunnels. We will continue to do so until all of the tunnels are destroyed." As NPR's Estrin reports, "All this comes hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels and discussed Iran's involvement in the region. Iran backs Hezbollah, which Israel says has amassed thousands of rockets since 2006." Operation Northern Shield "is not expected to spark an escalation" between the IDF and Hezbollah, according to Haaretz, which adds, "The question is how Iran will respond." Suggesting the military operation had been long-planned, the newspaper also said military censors had recently imposed "heavy restrictions" that limited its ability to report on the IDF's plan to destroy the tunnels. Both Hezbollah and Hamas have used tunnels as part of a clandestine supply chain and to aid attacks on targets in Israel. In 2014, Israel's military mounted a campaign to find and destroy tunnels from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Hamas has also used tunnels between Gaza and Egypt to amass guns and other weapons.[SEP]The Israeli military has launched an operation meant to “expose and thwart” tunnels built by the Hezbollah militant group and stretching from Lebanon into northern Israel. The military says the tunnels are not operational and that its work to expose them, which began on Tuesday, was taking place in Israeli territory. The military did not disclose how many tunnels snake into Israeli territory from Lebanon or how long the operation would last. Israeli soldiers patrol at the village of Maroun el-Rass on the Lebanon-Israel border (AP) Israel views the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its vast weapons cache as a major threat. The two fought an inconclusive, month-long war in 2006. The Israeli operation comes hours after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a last-minute trip to Brussels to meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.[SEP]Hours after announcing the operation, Israel’s military said it had begun work to neutralize such a tunnel near the Israeli town of Metula, which sits right along the border. The military said the tunnel began in a civilian house in the Lebanese village of Kafr Kela, immediately west of Metula. CNN crews witnessed excavators and heavy machinery operating on the Israeli side of the border wall between the two locations. The tunnel entered Israeli territory, the military said, but it did not pose an immediate threat to Israeli civilians. Its cross-sectional dimensions were two meters by two meters, IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said in a conference call with reporters, making it taller and wider than tunnels dug by Hamas under the Israel-Gaza border. The tunnel’s length was estimated to be 200 meters long, Conricus said. “This is the first of what are sure to be many cross-border attack tunnels dug from Lebanon by Hezbollah into Israel,” Conricus added. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement called the tunnels a “gross violation of Israeli sovereignty and of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701,” a reference to the resolution that ended the last war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-funded militant group and political party, in 2006. A statement from the Foreign Ministry, which is led by Netanyahu, said it held the Lebanese government responsible for all activities conducted inside Lebanese territory. Netanyahu said he had discussed Operation Northern Shield with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying, “there is a need to end Iranian aggression in Syria, in Iraq, in Lebanon, and in other places.” He added, “Whoever tries to harm the state of Israel will pay a heavy price.” The Israeli military says that “Northern Shield” is part of a bigger defense effort intended to secure Israel’s border. in the past few years, Israel has built a defense wall along sensitive portions of the border, created cliffs, and cleared vegetation. Netanyahu has often targeted Hezbollah in recent speeches, including at the United Nations General Assembly in September, when he accused Hezbollah of placing missile facilities near residential neighborhoods in the Lebanese capital Beirut, a charge Hezbollah and the Lebanese government denied. A senior Hezbollah official told CNN that the group was “surprised” by the operation, adding that they had observed Israeli movements on the other side of the border, with Israeli forces using dogs and sensors in what appeared to be an attempt to search for tunnels. “They’re worried we’re digging tunnels,” the official said, without confirming or denying whether they were. Hezbollah-owned Al Manar TV proceeded with regular programming, even airing a report about traffic problems in Lebanon while news of Israel’s operation broke. A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the operations were taking place inside Israeli sovereign territory. Residents in northern Israel have been told they do not need to take precautions, but can get on with their daily lives. A number of areas adjacent to the northern Israel security fence have been declared “closed military zones.” US National Security Advisor John Bolton said he supported the Israeli operation and criticized what he described as Iran’s “regional aggression.” “The US strongly supports Israel’s efforts to defend its sovereignty, and we call on Hezbollah to stop its tunneling into Israel and to refrain from escalation and violence,” Bolton said Tuesday. “More broadly, we call on Iran and all of its agents to stop their regional aggression and provocation, which pose an unacceptable threat to Israeli and regional security.” The United Nations peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon, UNIFIL, told CNN it was “aware of the reports.” “UNIFIL is liaising with all relevant interlocutors to ensure that the parties use the UNIFIL liaison and coordination mechanisms to maintain the continued calm and stability. The situation in UNIFIL’s area of operation remains calm,” said UNIFIL spokesperson Malene Jensen. Lebanon’s army said it was monitoring the situation. “There is nothing going on our side … we are monitoring the situation and working with UNIFIL,” Lebanese army spokesperson Colonel Fadi Abou Eid told CNN.

Israel announces an operation to clear Hezbollah tunnels from Lebanon-Israeli border.

MOSCOW, December 5. /TASS/. According to results of a nationwide vote that ended on Tuesday, Moscow’s two major airports, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo, will be named after 19th century poet Alexander Pushkin and 18th century scientist and polymath Mikhail Lomonosov, respectively. The results of the all-Russian vote to rename airports all across Russia, headlined Russia’s Great Names, were announced late on Tuesday on the Rossiya-1 TV channel. "The Sheremetyevo airport will be named after Alexander Pushkin, Domodedovo will be named after Mikhail Lomonosov," TV presenter Yevgeny Popov said. According to information on the official portal of the vote, more than 40,000 people voted for Pushkin and over 188,000 - for Lomonosov. A decision on whether a runoff is required to select a new name for the Russian capital’s third airport, Vnukovo, will be made over the next few days. The nationwide vote to name 47 Russian airports after historic figures was held on October 11-30. In total, over 5.52 million people took part in the vote. According to the expert council’s decision, the runoff vote will be required for airports in Arkhangelsk, Nizhnevartovsk and St. Petersburg and will take place on December 10-21. The expert council will also decide on whether a runoff was necessary to decide on names for airports in Penza, Mineralnye Vody and Gorno-Altaisk in the coming days.[SEP]Moscow's main Sheremetyevo airport will bear the name of Russia's greatest poet Alexander Pushkin, according to results of a nation-wide vote announced on Tuesday. A vote had been under way across the country to rename airports in dozens of cities. The results were announced on national television. Pushkin's name will be added to the name of the Soviet-era airport, Sheremetyevo said in a statement. Authorities are expected to sign off on proposed changes at a later date. "We will support this decision," Sheremetyevo spokeswoman Anna Zakharenkova told AFP. Domodedovo Airport, Moscow's showcase transport hub, will bear the name of 18th century scientist and polymath Mikhail Lomonosov. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport on Sakhalin Island north of Japan will be named after celebrated playwright and author Anton Chekhov. Murmansk Airport in northwest Russia will bear the name of Tsar Nicolas II who was executed with his family by the Bolsheviks in 1918.[SEP]Russians participating in a nationwide online poll have chosen to rename Moscow's gateway international airport after the beloved 19th-century poet Aleksandr Pushkin. Rossiya-1 TV announced on December 5 that a majority of participants chose to swap the airport's current name Sheremyetovo for the poet whose writings have been adored and memorized by millions of Russians over the decades. In all, 47 airports were up for renaming under the contest, which was conducted online over several weeks in November as part of the Great Names of Russia project. The project was a joint effort by a consortium of state-connected organizations, including the Public Chamber, the Russian Geographical Society, and the Russian Military-Historical Society. Organizers said the goal to promote national unity and patriotism. Moscow's second main airport, Domodedovo, will be named after the 18th century scientist Mikhail Lomonosov. The leading choice for Vnukovo, Moscow's third airport, was the father of the Soviet space program, Sergei Korolyov. However, poll organizers said a final decision had not been made yet. Other airports getting new names are Voronezh (Peter the Great); Krasnodar (Catherine the Great); Magadan (Soviet bard poet Vladimir Vysotsky); Mineralnye Vody (19th century writer Mikhail Lermontov); and Petropavlovsk-Kamachatsky (Danish explorer Vitus Bering).

Russians vote to rename the two main airports of Moscow, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo, after poet Alexander Pushkin and scientist Mikhail Lomonosov, respectively.

Palermo’s anti-mafia unit has arrested who they suspect is the new head of the Sicilian mafia group Cosa Nostra along with 45 other alleged mobsters. Settimo Mineo, an 80-year-old jeweller who was allegedly promoted to lead the criminal organisation following the death of former boss Salvatore ‘Toto’ Riina in 2017, was among those arrested on Tuesday. Mineo had been previously sentenced to five years in jail for mafia-related crimes in a trial related to the death of anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone. He was arrested again in 2006 and spent 11 years in jail. Italian deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio wrote in an Instagram post: "The arrests ... represent one of the biggest blows inflicted on the mafia by the state. Mineo had been elected 'heir' of Toto Riina after his death." "There is no more room for this type of scum in Italy," he added. A police source told Reuters that Mineo was elected as the new boss during a gathering of mob families last May. The first one to take place in more than 25 years. The meeting of the Cosa Nostra cupola (hierarchy) was believed to be a sign that the group was trying to rebuild. "With an extraordinary operation in the Palermo province, the police have dismantled Cosa Nostra's new 'cupola'," wrote Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Twitter. The suspects are accused of being “associated with the mafia and aggravated extortion”[SEP]Italian police have arrested new Cosa Nostra boss Settimino Mineo and dozens of other suspects in a major operation, officials said today. Police arrested 80-year-old Mineo in Palermo, Sicily just before he was due to be officially anointed at a reconvened Mafia Commission, or Cupola, police said. 45 other suspects are being held on charges of extortion, illegal gun possession, arson, Mafia association and other crimes, investigators said. Settimino Mineo being escorted by carabinieri as he left a police station today. Photo: Alessandro Fucarini/AFP The Sicilian Mafia had managed to rebuild the Cupola after it had not met for years, Italian media reported – which was taken as a sign that the Sicilian clans had chosen to return to the structure of the past. The Cupola was to appoint Mineo the official heir to notorious Mafia boss Toto Riina, who died in prison last year. Mineo, officially a jeweller, was well known to police as a career criminal who had already been given a five-year sentence by the murdered anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone. He was arrested again 12 years ago but then released after serving an 11-year-term. A carabinieri video shared by Italian media showed the scale of yesterday’s anti-mafia operation. "Police in Palermo have arrested 46 members of the mafia. They had replaced Totò Riina with Settimo Mineo to revive Cosa Nostra, but the state won. They will never give up – us neither!" wrote Nicola Morra, president of the Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission, on Twitter. Meanwhile, Palermo’s local government decided yesterday to rename roads, streets and squares in honour of 48 victims of mafia on the island. • Italy's 'Ndrangheta mafia 'on all continents' and still growing[SEP]Italian police have arrested the new head of the Sicilian mafia - just before he was due to be anointed the head of the feared Cosa Nostra. Pictures show officers leading 80-year-old jeweller Settimo Mineo away after he was detained in the Italian island's capital, Palermo, this morning. A further 45 other alleged mobsters were also rounded up in a powerful blow to organised crime on the Mediterranean island, Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Tuesday, adding that there was 'no more room for this type of scum in Italy'. Police say Mineo was already head of the Cosa Nostra (Our Thing) mafia in the Palermo region but was also just about to be officially anointed the overall 'boss of bosses' at a reconvened Mafia Commission or Cupola. Police also arrested three other Cupola members in the swoop. The four senior Mafia leaders had all recently served prison time for their activities. The previous boss of bosses, Salvatore 'Toto' Riina, died in prison last year after spending almost a quarter of century behind bars for ordering dozens of murders, including those of two of Italy's most famous anti-mob magistrates. Dubbed The Beast, he was one of the most feared godfathers in the history of the Sicilian Mafia. He was buried in November last year in his hometown of Corleone, the real-life mafia hotbed made famous by the 'Godfather' films and book. Riina had been serving 26 life sentences when he succumbed to cancer aged 87. His death fuelled speculation that it was the end for the Sicilian Mafia. But a resurgent Cosa Nostra managed to rebuild the Cupola which met earlier this year for the first time since 1993 and was due to appoint Mineo official heir to the notorious mobster. A police source said Mineo was elected boss at a meeting of provincial leaders of the Sicilian mafia on May 29. Once all-powerful on Sicily, the world's most famous crime gang has been squeezed over the past two decades, with many bosses put behind bars, businesses sequestered and locals increasingly ready to defy it. 'With an extraordinary operation in the Palermo province, the police have dismantled Cosa Nostra's new 'cupola',' Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Twitter. Mineo was sentenced to five years in jail for mafia-related crimes at the so-called 'maxi-trial' that ran from 1986-1992 and was spearheaded by prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. Both Falcone and Borsellino were murdered in 1992 on Riina's orders after verdicts were delivered. Following their deaths, the state poured resources into the fight against the mob and ground down Cosa Nostra. One prominent mafioso the police have been unable to capture is Matteo Messina Denaro, nicknamed 'Diabolik', who has been on the run since 1993 and comes from the province of Trapani in western Sicily. It was not clear if he attended the May meeting 'The arrests ... represent one of the biggest blows inflicted on the mafia by the state. 'Mineo had been elected "heir" of Toto Riina after his death. There is no more room for this type of scum in Italy,' Di Maio wrote on Instagram. The suspects are accused of extortion, illegal gun possession, arson, Mafia association and other crimes, investigators said. Police are due to release more details about their operation later in the day. Cosa Nostra: How the 'octopus' reached into all areas of society during bloody reign of terror With Mafia king Toto Riina's death last year many speculated that it was game over for Sicily's once all-powerful Cosa Nostra. But a meeting in May of the organisation's cupola, or hierarchy, was seen by investigators as a sign the feared mobsters were looking to rebuild. 'Boss of bosses' Riina, who was nicknamed 'The Beast' because of his cruelty, led a reign of terror including the brutal daylight assassinations of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. He died a year ago aged 87, just months after being caught on wiretaps in jail boasting afresh about his bloody crimes. 'Riina will go down in history as the man who destroyed Cosa Nostra,' Mafia expert Attilio Bolzoni said. 'With his strategy of bloody massacres in Sicily and across Italy... he turned an invisible Mafia visible, with hundreds, thousands of murders, carried out first with Kalashnikovs, then bombs.' Salvatore 'Toto' Riina in court during a preliminary hearing in Palermo, Sicily, Italy in 1993 'For the first time in history, the state reacted mercilessly,' Bolzoni said, with the arrest of hundreds of bosses and the introduction of harsh anti-mafia laws that saw imprisoned gangsters held in utter isolation. Caught and jailed in 1993 after nearly a quarter of a decade as a fugitive, his revenge was swift: Cosa Nostra launched a series of bombings in Rome, Milan and Florence that killed 10 people. But he was unable to stop the decimation of the crime group - once nicknamed 'the octopus' for its tentacled reach into all areas of society - which was gradually supplanted by the Camorra in Naples and 'Ndrangheta in Calabria. Multi-murderer playboy Messina Denaro, one of the world's most-wanted men, was seen last year by many as Riina's natural heir but has been on the run since 1993. And police now believe 80-year-old jeweller Settimo Mineo, arrested this morning in Palermo, was set to step into that role. Italy's high court caused outrage in 2017 when they ruled that Riina 'deserved to die with dignity' in his own home as he fought terminal cancer Last year prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who spent 20 years in the DDA organisation of anti-mafia prosecutors, warned the days of shootouts and car bombs may be gone, but Cosa Nostra has been growing fat instead on political deals. 'We have greatly weakened the military apparatus of the Mafia, the massacres are over, murders are rare. But the Mafia has undergone a genetic modification,' Cartosio told AFP in 2017. 'The political sector has lent itself greatly to... (organised crime's) infiltration of the social fabric' and, as a consequence, 'the Mafia presence in the political sphere is much greater than before,' he said. And the battle is not only against 'the octopus' but also the 'Stidda', a rival group formed by former Cosa Nostra members during the Second Mafia War of the early 1980s. 'The Mafia is less military, less bloody than before, but it's very efficient,' he said.[SEP]Italian police have arrested the new head of the Sicilian mafia - just before he was due to be officially anointed the 'boss of bosses' of the feared Cosa Nostra. Pictures show 80-year-old jeweller Settimo Mineo being away after he was detained in the Italian island's capital, Palermo, this morning. A further 45 other alleged mobsters were also rounded up in a powerful blow to organised crime on the Mediterranean island, Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Tuesday, adding that there was 'no more room for this type of scum in Italy'. Police say Mineo was already head of the Cosa Nostra (Our Thing) mafia in the Palermo region but was also just about to be anointed the overall 'boss of bosses' at a reconvened Mafia Commission or Cupola. Police also arrested three other Cupola members in the swoop. The four senior Mafia leaders had all recently served prison time for their activities. The previous godfather, Salvatore 'Toto' Riina, died in prison last year after spending almost a quarter of century behind bars for ordering dozens of murders, including those of two of Italy's most famous anti-mob magistrates. Dubbed The Beast, he was one of the most feared leaders in the history of the Sicilian Mafia. He was buried in November last year in his hometown of Corleone, the real-life mafia hotbed made famous by the 'Godfather' films and book. Riina had been serving 26 life sentences when he succumbed to cancer aged 87. His death fuelled speculation that it was the end for the Sicilian Mafia. But a resurgent Cosa Nostra managed to rebuild the Cupola which met earlier this year for the first time since 1993 and was due to appoint Mineo official heir to the notorious mobster. A police source said Mineo was elected boss at a meeting of provincial leaders of the Sicilian mafia on May 29. Italian media reported that police obtained crucial information by tapping the phone of one of the senior arrested members, Francesco Colletti. He reportedly told his driver about details of the Cupola meeting, describing it as 'a beautiful meeting, very serious, with country people, old people.' Palermo prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi told journalists that the Cupola meeting was identified thanks to phone taps and that the main topic at the meeting had been 'rules'. 'The need to reestablish certain rules that Cosa Nostra had lost along the way, they were applied less because of the organisation's overall disorganisation,' Lo Voi said. 'We deduced that it was a Cupola meeting because important Cosa Nostra members... were not allowed to take part,' he said. 'These people, despite being heads of families, were kept outside because only regional bosses could take part.' It is not known where the Cupola meeting took place, but Colletti's conversation with his driver implicated Mineo and others. Colletti reportedly rejoiced in the resurrected Cupola, which was to be an improvement on Riina's 'tyranny'. 'We all got up and kissed,' Colletti reportedly said of the end of the meeting. Once all-powerful on Sicily, the world's most famous crime gang has been squeezed over the past two decades, with many bosses put behind bars, businesses sequestered and locals increasingly ready to defy it. 'With an extraordinary operation in the Palermo province, the police have dismantled Cosa Nostra's new 'cupola',' Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Twitter. Mineo was sentenced to five years in jail for mafia-related crimes at the so-called 'maxi-trial' that ran from 1986-1992 and was spearheaded by prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. Both Falcone and Borsellino were murdered in 1992 on Riina's orders after verdicts were delivered. Following their deaths, the state poured resources into the fight against the mob and ground down Cosa Nostra. Mineo survived a 1992 ambush that killed his brother Giuseppe, around six months after another brother, Antonino, was murdered outside the family jewellery shop. Italian police in March arrested 11 suspected gangsters accused of aiding and abetting senior mob fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro. Hunted by police since 1993, Denaro, 56, was also considered to be a successor to Riina and fellow boss Bernardo Provenzano, who himself died recently in prison. A former Cosa Nostra hitman, Denaro, nicknamed 'Diabolik', has been sentenced in absentia to life in prison for multiple murders. The only photo of him dates back to the beginning of the 1990s. Over the past two decades Italian police have increased arrests and seizures targeting his entourage, in a bid to isolate the notorious boss. In 2015, police discovered that Denaro had abandoned modern methods of communication and was giving orders to his men via traditional 'pizzini': small bits of paper containing encoded messages. Italian media reported that Mineo was a preferable new Mafia leader because he was not in hiding. 'The arrests ... represent one of the biggest blows inflicted on the mafia by the state. 'Mineo had been elected "heir" of Toto Riina after his death. There is no more room for this type of scum in Italy,' Di Maio wrote on Instagram. The suspects are accused of extortion, illegal gun possession, arson, Mafia association and other crimes, investigators said. Police are due to release more details about their operation later in the day. Cosa Nostra: How the 'octopus' reached into all areas of society during bloody reign of terror With Mafia king Toto Riina's death last year many speculated that it was game over for Sicily's once all-powerful Cosa Nostra. But a meeting in May of the organisation's cupola, or hierarchy, was seen by investigators as a sign the feared mobsters were looking to rebuild. 'Boss of bosses' Riina, who was nicknamed 'The Beast' because of his cruelty, led a reign of terror including the brutal daylight assassinations of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. He died a year ago aged 87, just months after being caught on wiretaps in jail boasting afresh about his bloody crimes. 'Riina will go down in history as the man who destroyed Cosa Nostra,' Mafia expert Attilio Bolzoni said. 'With his strategy of bloody massacres in Sicily and across Italy... he turned an invisible Mafia visible, with hundreds, thousands of murders, carried out first with Kalashnikovs, then bombs.' Salvatore 'Toto' Riina in court during a preliminary hearing in Palermo, Sicily, Italy in 1993 'For the first time in history, the state reacted mercilessly,' Bolzoni said, with the arrest of hundreds of bosses and the introduction of harsh anti-mafia laws that saw imprisoned gangsters held in utter isolation. Caught and jailed in 1993 after nearly a quarter of a decade as a fugitive, his revenge was swift: Cosa Nostra launched a series of bombings in Rome, Milan and Florence that killed 10 people. But he was unable to stop the decimation of the crime group - once nicknamed 'the octopus' for its tentacled reach into all areas of society - which was gradually supplanted by the Camorra in Naples and 'Ndrangheta in Calabria. Multi-murderer playboy Messina Denaro, one of the world's most-wanted men, was seen last year by many as Riina's natural heir but has been on the run since 1993. And police now believe 80-year-old jeweller Settimo Mineo, arrested this morning in Palermo, was set to step into that role. Italy's high court caused outrage in 2017 when they ruled that Riina 'deserved to die with dignity' in his own home as he fought terminal cancer Last year prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who spent 20 years in the DDA organisation of anti-mafia prosecutors, warned the days of shootouts and car bombs may be gone, but Cosa Nostra has been growing fat instead on political deals. 'We have greatly weakened the military apparatus of the Mafia, the massacres are over, murders are rare. But the Mafia has undergone a genetic modification,' Cartosio told AFP in 2017. 'The political sector has lent itself greatly to... (organised crime's) infiltration of the social fabric' and, as a consequence, 'the Mafia presence in the political sphere is much greater than before,' he said. And the battle is not only against 'the octopus' but also the 'Stidda', a rival group formed by former Cosa Nostra members during the Second Mafia War of the early 1980s. 'The Mafia is less military, less bloody than before, but it's very efficient,' he said.[SEP]ROME (Reuters) - Italian police have arrested the new head of the Sicilian mafia and 45 other alleged mobsters in a powerful blow to organized crime on the Mediterranean island, Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Tuesday. The previous boss of bosses, Salvatore "Toto" Riina, died in prison last year after spending almost a quarter of century behind bars for ordering dozens of murders, including those of two of Italy's most famous anti-mob magistrates. Police said that among those arrested on Tuesday was Settimo Mineo, head of the local mafia families in the Sicilian capital Palermo. Officials said he had recently been named the overall head of the island's mafia, known as 'Cosa Nostra' (Our Thing). "The arrests ... represent one of the biggest blows inflicted on the mafia by the state. Mineo had been elected 'heir' of Toto Riina after his death. There is no more room for this type of scum in Italy," Di Maio wrote on Instagram. Police are due to release more details about their operation later in the day.[SEP]Italian police on Tuesday arrested new Mafia boss Settimino Mineo and dozens of other suspects in a major swoop against a resurgent Cosa Nostra. Police arrested jeweller Mineo, 80, and at least 45 others in Sicily just before he was due to be officially anointed at a reconvened Mafia Commission or Cupola, the police said. The suspects are accused of extortion, illegal gun possession, arson, Mafia association and other crimes, investigators said. The Sicilian Mafia managed to rebuild the Cupola after it had not met for years, Italian media reported. The Cupola met in May for the first time since 1993 and was due to appoint Mineo official heir to notorious Mafia boss Toto Riina who died in prison last year. Police also arrested three other Cupola members in the swoop. The four senior Mafia leaders had all recently served prison time for their activities. Italian media reported that police obtained crucial information by tapping the phone of one of the senior arrested members, Francesco Colletti. He reportedly told his driver about details of the May 29 Cupola meeting, describing it as "a beautiful meeting, very serious, with country people, old people." Palermo prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi told journalists that the Cupola meeting was identified thanks to phone taps and that the main topic at the meeting had been "rules". "The need to reestablish certain rules that Cosa Nostra had lost along the way, they were applied less because of the organisation's overall disorganisation," Lo Voi said. "We deduced that it was a Cupola meeting because important Cosa Nostra members... were not allowed to take part," he said. "These people, despite being heads of families, were kept outside because only regional bosses could take part." It is not known where the Cupola meeting took place, but Colletti's conversation with his driver implicated Mineo and others. Colletti reportedly rejoiced in the resurrected Cupola, which was to be an improvement on Riina's "tyranny". "We all got up and kissed," Colletti reportedly said of the end of the meeting. "Forty-six arrests and one in particular, that of Settimo Mineo, represents one of the toughest blows inflicted by the State on the Mafia," said deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio. "Mineo was indeed elected 'heir' to Toto Riina after his death. There is no longer room for this scum in Italy," Di Maio wrote on Facebook. Lifelong Mafia member Mineo was arrested as part of investigations by judge and prosecutor Giovanni Falcone in 1984 and imprisoned for five years. Falcone was murdered in a massive car bombing in 1992. Mineo was rearrested in 2006 and imprisoned for another 11 years. Mineo survived a 1992 ambush that killed his brother Giuseppe, around six months after another brother, Antonino, was murdered outside the family jewellery shop. Italian police in March arrested 11 suspected gangsters accused of aiding and abetting senior mob fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro. Hunted by police since 1993, Denaro, 56, was also considered to be a successor to Riina and fellow boss Bernardo Provenzano, who himself died recently in prison. A former Cosa Nostra hitman, Denaro has been sentenced in absentia to life in prison for multiple murders. The only photo of him dates back to the beginning of the 1990s. Over the past two decades Italian police have increased arrests and seizures targeting his entourage, in a bid to isolate the notorious boss. In 2015, police discovered that Denaro had abandoned modern methods of communication and was giving orders to his men via traditional "pizzini": small bits of paper containing encoded messages. Italian media reported that Mineo was a preferable new Mafia leader because he was not in hiding.[SEP]Palermo: Italian police have arrested the suspected new head of the Sicilian mafia and 45 other alleged mobsters in a major blow to organised crime on the Mediterranean island, the government said on Tuesday. "There is no more room for this type of scum in Italy," Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio wrote on Instagram. The previous boss of bosses, Salvatore "Toto" Riina, died in prison last year after spending almost a quarter of a century behind bars for ordering dozens of murders, including those of two of Italy's most celebrated anti-mob prosecutors. Among those arrested on Tuesday was Settimo Mineo, an 80-year-old jeweller suspected of heading local mafia families in the Sicilian capital Palermo and of being promoted to lead the whole crime group in May, police said.[SEP](ROME) — Italian authorities said Tuesday they had dismantled the rebuilt upper echelons of the Mafia in the Sicilian capital by arresting 46 people, including the man presumed to have taken over as provincial kingpin after the death of “boss of bosses” Salvatore “Toto” Riina. Based on wiretaps, police determined that Settimo Mineo was elected head of a reconstructed “cupola,” or provincial mob commission, during a May 29 meeting of clan leaders in Palermo. It was the first time clan leaders had gathered in such a forum for years, and followed Riina’s November 2017 death, prosecutors said. Italy’s chief anti-Mafia prosecutor, Federico Cafiero de Raho, said the election of Mineo, 80, was significant because it showed that the center of power of Cosa Nostra had shifted to Palermo. Under Riina, its longtime base was Corleone, the Sicilian town made famous by writer Mario Puzo when he used Corleone as the main character’s name in his 1969 novel “The Godfather.” Police recalled that the “provincial commission” structure was created in the 1950s as the decision-making forum for Sicilian and U.S. Mafia families. During the 1980s, it became less collegial under Riina’s domination and effectively ceased to function after his 1993 arrest. Prosecutors say Mineo effectively tried to resurrect the structure in the province of Palermo and return to the rules governing territory and communication that had previously dictated dealings among mob clans. Palermo prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi said Mineo had already served a lengthy prison sentence for Mafia association and other crimes after he was swept up in the maxi-trials against the Sicilian Mafia in the 1980s and ’90s. As the eldest of the local clan leaders, he enjoyed particular respect, he said. “This is a sign that Cosa Nostra doesn’t abandon its rules,” Lo Voi told a press conference. “And that despite the convictions, despite the trials, important people can take over the most important roles once they’re back in play.” Those arrested are suspected of mafia association, extortion, weapons violations and other charges, police said. After Riina’s 1993 arrest, the Sicilian Mafia saw a degree of marginalization compared with the Calabrian-based ‘ndrangheta organized crime syndicate or the Neapolitan Camorra. But Italian officials said it nevertheless continued increasing its financial and business activities, and even started doing deals with the other southern syndicates. “This is what emerges from the other investigations, that apparently facing this kind of situation, Palermo could not stay behind and not share with all the bosses what was to be the plan,” Cafiero De Raho said. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini called the sweep in Palermo an “extraordinary operation.” Salvini said in a tweet that it had “dismantled the new ‘cupola’ of Cosa Nostra.”[SEP]Police arrested dozens of suspected mobsters in Europe and South America on Wednesday in a huge international swoop targeting Italy’s notorious ’Ndrangheta mafia clan, officials said. More than 80 people, including high-ranking members of the powerful organised crime syndicate, accused of drug trafficking and money laundering, were arrested in coordinated raids in six countries, EU justice agency Eurojust said. The “unprecedented” crackdown on the group based in Calabria, southern Italy, came just a day after Italian police arrested the new boss of the separate Sicilian mafia. Hundreds of police took part in Wednesday’s operation, seizing four tonnes of cocaine, 120 kilos of ecstasy and two million euros (dollars) in cash across Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Suriname. “Today, we send a clear message to organised crime groups across Europe,” Filippo Spiezia, vice-president of the EU’s judicial agency Eurojust, told reporters in The Hague. “They are not the only ones able to operate across borders; so are Europe’s judiciary and law enforcement communities.” He said the “unprecedented and extraordinary result”, the fruit of a two-year operation, targeted “dangerous members of the ‘Ndrangheta family deeply involved in drug trafficking and money laundering”. The ’Ndrangheta — which derives its meaning from the Greek word for heroism — is made up of numerous village and family-based clans in Calabria, the rural, mountainous and under-developed “toe” of Italy’s boot. Despite intense police attention and frequent arrests, the organisation has continued to extend its reach. It has surpassed Sicily’s Cosa Nostra and the Naples-based Camorra in influence thanks to control of the cocaine trade and is the sole mafia organisation to operate on all continents, according to anti-mafia prosecutors. Officials hailed Wednesday’s operation — dubbed “Operation Pollina” — as a serious blow to the group. In total, 41 people were arrested in Italy, 21 in Germany, 14 in Belgium, five in the Netherlands and two in Luxembourg, with operations still underway, Eurojust said. Italian police said the sweep targeted the ’Ndrangheta and its “projections across South America”. Italian anti-mafia prosecutor Federico Cafiero De Raho said the operations would affect the ‘Ndrangheta’s drug trafficking operations around the world, including Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil. But he warned that it was “just a first step”, saying the arrests were “nothing for the ’Ndrangheta, there are thousands of people who should be arrested and billions that should be seized”. In Germany, Wednesday’s operation focused on restaurants, offices and apartments, mainly in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria region. Dutch prosecutors said the investigation began after they noticed money laundering at two Italian restaurants in the southern Netherlands that showed criminal links with Germany and Calabria, home of the ’Ndrangheta. Using an often family-based network spread out around Europe, drugs would come into the Dutch port of Rotterdam and the Belgian port of Antwerp before being moved around the continent. Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said they had also probed ice cream parlours, adding that together with restaurants “the suspicion is that the mafia organisation is laundering money through these establishments and they are used as a cover for their criminal organisations”. He also confirmed that there had been raids in Suriname, a small South American country that was once a Dutch colony. Dutch NOS television said the ’Ndrangheta were mainly active in the Netherlands in drug smuggling through the country’s huge flower export market. The Belgian operations were concentrated on the Limburg area, home to many people of Italian descent who moved there after World War II to work in coal mines, Belgian prosecutors said. The European police agency Europol said it was a “decisive hit against one of the most powerful Italian criminal networks in the world”. European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, who is Italian, sent “congratulations” to the police forces involved, adding: “Europe fights ‘Ndrangheta criminal groups”. On Tuesday, Italian police arrested new Cosa Nostra boss Settimino Mineo and dozens of other suspects in Sicily in a major swoop. Jeweller Mineo, 80, was detained with at least 45 others just before he was due to be appointed official heir to notorious mafia boss Toto Riina, who died in prison last year.[SEP]Italian police arrest mafia's alleged new mob boss and 45 others in crackdown on organised crime Italian police have arrested the suspected new head of the Sicilian mafia and 45 other alleged mobsters in a major blow to organised crime on the Mediterranean island, the Government said. "There is no more room for this type of scum in Italy," Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio wrote on Instagram. The previous boss of bosses, Salvatore "Toto" Riina, died in prison last year after spending almost a quarter of a century behind bars for ordering dozens of murders, including those of two of Italy's most celebrated anti-mob prosecutors. Among those arrested was Settimo Mineo, an 80-year-old jeweller suspected of heading local mafia families in the Sicilian capital Palermo and of being promoted to lead the whole crime group in May, police said. "The arrests … represent one of the biggest blows inflicted on the mafia by the state. Mineo had been elected 'heir' of Toto Riina after his death," Mr Di Maio added. A police source said Mr Mineo was elected boss at a meeting of provincial leaders of the Sicilian mafia, known as the Cosa Nostra, on May 29. It was believed to be the first such gathering of mob families for more than 25 years. Once all-powerful in Sicily, the world's most famous crime gang has been squeezed over the past two decades, with many bosses put behind bars, businesses sequestered and locals increasingly ready to defy it. The meeting in May of the Cosa Nostra cupola, or hierarchy, was seen by investigators as a sign the group was looking to rebuild. "With an extraordinary operation in the Palermo province, the police have dismantled Cosa Nostra's new cupola," Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Twitter. Mineo was sentenced to five years in jail for mafia-related crimes at the so-called "maxi-trial" that ran from 1986 to 1992 and was spearheaded by prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. Both Mr Falcone and Mr Borsellino were murdered in 1992 on Riina's orders after verdicts were delivered. Following their deaths, the state poured resources into the fight against the mob.

The alleged boss of the Cosa Nostra mafia clan is arrested along with 45 suspected accomplices in the province of Palermo, Italy. They are accused of aggravated extortion.

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The suspension was in response to weeks of sometimes violent protests, marking the first major U-turn by Macron’s administration in 18 months in office.[SEP]The following content is sourced from external partners. We cannot guarantee that it is suitable for the visually or hearing impaired. This content was published on December 5, 2018 8:13 AM PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has taken another swipe on Twitter at his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron prompted by Macron's woes over violent protests against fuel taxes. "I am glad that my friend @EmmanuelMacron and the protestors in Paris have agreed with the conclusion I reached two years ago," Trump tweeted late on Tuesday. "The Paris Agreement is fatally flawed because it raises the price of energy for responsible countries while whitewashing some of the worst polluters," said Trump, referring to a global deal on the environment drafted in Paris in late 2015. Earlier this week, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe decided to suspend planned increases to fuel taxes for at least six months in response to weeks of sometimes violent protests, marking the first major U-turn by Macron's administration in 18 months in office. Form for signing up for free newsletter. Sign up for our free newsletters and get the top stories delivered to your inbox.[SEP]French riots over proposed fuel taxes and higher living costs have killed three people since the protests began more than two weeks ago, according to police. Hundreds of thousands of people across France began protesting gas tax hikes and the increasing cost of living, largely because of French President Emmanuel Macron’s environmental agenda, around mid-November. Protesters, called “yellow vests” after the neon yellow traffic vests they wear, began blocking streets and highways across the country. Thousands have traveled to Paris to rally in the nation’s capital city. The protesters have clashed with police dressed in riot gear and operating fire engines to spray back crowds of yellow vests. Police arrested hundreds of rioters. At least 110 people were injured in protests Saturday, including 20 police officers. One person was killed during the riots over the weekend. French Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet has promised to use the full force of the law against violent protesters and to discourage illegal actions, the BBC reports. “It’s difficult to reach the end of the month. People work and pay a lot of taxes and we are fed up,” Rabah Mendez, a yellow vest in Paris from French suburbs, told The Associated Press. The yellow vests are a mix of right and left-wing protesters. The vast majority are working class people fed up with high taxes and stagnant wages that are making each paycheck worth less. Many are running out of money with more than a week left to go until the next payday. French President Emmanuel Macron returned to his country roiled by protests Sunday after a trip to Argentina. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe had planned to attend the United Nations’ climate summit in Poland this week, but canceled the trip to focus on the domestic unrest. In the face of the protests, Macron has not backed off a proposal to raise gas taxes even higher to combat global warming. The government’s lack of action to answer the protesters demands has riled yellow vests even more. “Their response has poisoned the situation even more,” a French protester told The New York Times. “The citizens have asked for lower taxes, and they’re saying, ‘Ecology,’” the protester said, referencing a speech last week where Macron outlined plans to transition France from fossil fuel to renewable energy. A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.[SEP]Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced rollbacks on fuel taxes and electricity price increases in a rare televised address after France was rocked by intense street clashes and vandalism in Paris over the weekend. PARIS: The French government on Tuesday (Dec 4) backed down on planned fuel tax hikes in a bid to draw the heat out of fierce protests that have escalated into the deepest crisis of Emmanuel Macron's presidency. The concessions, coming after an earlier €500-million (US$570 million) relief package for poorer households, mark the first time 40-year-old Macron has given ground in the face of public opposition. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced rollbacks on fuel taxes and electricity price increases in a rare televised address after France was rocked by intense street clashes and vandalism in Paris over the weekend. "This anger, you would have to be deaf and blind not to see it, nor hear it," Philippe said after more than a fortnight of demonstrations by so-called "yellow vest" protesters. "No tax merits putting the unity of the nation in danger," he said. Planned tax increases on petrol and diesel on Jan 1 will be suspended for six months, while hikes in regulated electricity and gas prices will be frozen during the winter. Pressure has been mounting on the government after protests degenerated into the worst street clashes in central Paris in decades. Across France, four people have been killed in accidents linked to the demonstrations and road blockades, and hundreds injured. For weeks Macron held his ground on the fuel taxes, which are meant to finance anti-pollution policies but which critics say unfairly weigh on drivers in rural and small-town France. Rescinding the January increase - three euro cents for unleaded and six cents for diesel - was a core demand of the demonstrators, alongside a higher minimum wage and the return of a wealth tax on high-earners which Macron abolished. Two groups blockading petrol depots in Brittany said they would stand down following the announcement of the measures, which will cost public coffers some €2 billion (US$2.3 billion). Yet many others said they had no intention of stopping the demonstrations. "They hope we'll now go home but we're not going to move," said Lionel Rambeaux, a 41-year-old welder manning a fuel depot blockade outside Le Mans in western France. "We want Macron and his entire government to resign." The government is hoping to stave off another day of running riots and burning cars like on Saturday, when more than 400 people were arrested in the capital. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said extra police would be deployed next Saturday on top of the 65,000 out in force last weekend, urging "reasonable" members of the movement to stay at home. Paris Saint-Germain's home Ligue 1 football game against Montpellier has already been called off next Saturday, as has an electro music festival in the city centre. Mass protests have repeatedly forced French presidents into U-turns, something Macron had vowed to avoid in his quest to "transform" the French economy and state. A new poll by the Ifop-Fiducial survey group on Tuesday showed the former investment banker's approval rating at a record low of 23 per cent. "Eventually he backed down, which is going to divide the (yellow vest) movement, but it also risks dividing his own political base," said Jerome Sainte-Marie of the PollingVox survey group. Macron's office said he would not speak publicly about the violence "for the time being", though he met briefly with a protester at his office Tuesday. He also visited local government offices in the central town of Puy-en-Velay which were torched during a protest last weekend - and was booed upon leaving. The "yellow vest" movement, named after the high-visibility jackets worn by supporters, emerged on social media in October after months of swelling anger over rising fuel prices. It quickly grew into wider protests against Macron, whom many accuse of representing a Parisian elite with little understanding of their monthly struggle to make ends meet. Macron was elected in May 2017 on a pro-business platform that included measures inciting companies to invest to create jobs. Immediately after coming to power, he pushed through tax cuts for entrepreneurs and high-earners - an "original sin" for his critics. The "yellow vest" protests have blocked highways and fuel depots around the country, causing headaches for businesses and fuel shortages in some regions. The protests have spread to dozens of schools nationwide, which were still partially or totally blocked on Tuesday by teenagers voicing frustration over university entrance reforms.[SEP]French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announces suspension of planned price increases for electricity and gas PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announces suspension of planned price increases for electricity and gas.[SEP]The French government caved in after the worst riots in decades and delayed an increase in energy taxes Tuesday — but it was seen as "too little, too late" by many protesters whose anger seems increasingly focused on embattled President Emmanuel Macron. Demonstrators were back in the streets wearing their signature yellow vests. They blocked several fuel depots and, on a highway near the southern city of Aubagne, commandeered a toll booth to let motorists pass for free near a sign reading "Macron dictator." The protests began Nov. 17 with motorists upset over the fuel tax increase, but have grown to encompass a range of complaints — the stagnant economy, social injustice and France' tax system, one of the highest in Europe — and some now call for the government to resign. Last weekend, more than 130 people were injured and 412 arrested in rioting in the French capital. Shops were looted and cars torched in plush neighborhoods around the famed Champs-Elysees Avenue. The Arc de Triomphe was sprayed with graffiti and vandalized. Four people have been killed, officials said, and more protests are planned for this weekend. One unifying complaint among the leaderless protesters, who come from across the political and social spectrum, has been the anger at Macron and the perceived elitism of France's aloof ruling class. Since returning from the G20 summit in Argentina, Macron has either remained in his palace residence or else shied away from speaking publicly about the protests that have created his biggest political crisis since taking office last May. It was Prime Minister Edouard Philippe who announced a six-month delay in the fuel tax increase that was to have begun in January. Just three weeks ago, Philippe had insisted the government would be steadfast in the tax plans aimed at weaning French consumers off fossil fuels. He also announced a freeze in electricity and natural gas prices until May. "No tax is worth putting the nation's unity in danger," Philippe said in a live televised address. Macron, for his part, visited a regional government headquarters that was torched by protesters, but he did not speak to reporters. The government U-turn appeared to appease few of the protesters, who wear the yellow vests that France requires motorists to have in their vehicles in case of roadside emergencies. "It's a first step, but we will not settle for crumbs," said Benjamin Cauchy, a self-proclaimed protest leader. Another self-proclaimed leader Thierry Paul Valette told The Associated Press that protesters now are unhappy not just about the price of fuel but general discontent with economic inequality. "It's coming too late. ... I'm calling this government to resign," Valette said. Damien Abad, a lawmaker from the center-right Les Republicains party, also called it "too little, too late." "If your only response, Mr. Prime Minister, is the suspension of Macron's fuel taxes, then you still haven't realized the gravity of the situation," Abad said. "What we are asking of you Mr. Prime Minister, is not a postponement. It's a change of course." Protest and street violence has been a central part of France's political culture — from the Revolution in the late 1700s to the student riots in 1968 — and the yellow vest movement reflects this tradition. In the port city of Marseille, students clashed with police outside a high school — one of about 100 high schools around France that were blocked or otherwise disrupted by student protests, according to the Education Ministry. Many are protesting a new university application system. Philippe held crisis talks with representatives of major political parties on Monday, and met with Macron, who canceled a two-day trip to Serbia. "This violence must end," Philippe said. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen tweeted that the delay in price increases was "obviously not up to the expectations of the French people struggling with precariousness," and noted sarcastically that it is "surely a coincidence" that the rise in prices will take effect a few days after European Union elections.[SEP]PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announces suspension of planned price increases for electricity and gas.[SEP]PARIS - The French government on Tuesday backed down on planned fuel tax hikes in a bid to draw the heat out of fierce protests that have escalated into the deepest crisis of Emmanuel Macron's presidency. The concessions, coming after an earlier 500-million-euro ($570 million) relief package for poorer households, mark the first time 40-year-old Macron has given ground in the face of public opposition. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced rollbacks on fuel taxes and electricity price increases in a rare televised address after France was rocked by intense street clashes and vandalism in Paris over the weekend. "This anger, you would have to be deaf and blind not to see it, nor hear it," Philippe said after more than a fortnight of demonstrations by so-called "yellow vest" protesters. "No tax merits putting the unity of the nation in danger," he said. Planned tax increases on petrol and diesel on January 1 will be suspended for six months, he said, while hikes in regulated electricity and gas prices will also be frozen during the winter. Pressure has been mounting on the government after protests degenerated into the worst street clashes in central Paris in decades, leading to scores of injuries and arrests. For weeks Macron held his ground on the fuel taxes, which finance anti-pollution policies but which critics say unfairly weigh on drivers in rural and small-town France. Rescinding the January increase - three euro cents for unleaded and six cents for diesel - was a core demand of the demonstrators, alongside a higher minimum wage and the return of a wealth tax on high-earners which was abolished last year. Yet many said after Philippe's speech that they had no intention of calling off their protests and it remains to be seen if the government's proposals are enough to stem the protests. "Six months is nothing: They hope we'll now go home but we're not going to move," said Lionel Rambeaux, 41, a welder at a blockade halting access to a fuel depot outside Le Mans in western France. "We want Macron and his entire government to resign." The government is hoping to stave off another day of running riots and burning cars like on Saturday, when more than 400 people were arrested in the capital. "If there is another day of protests, it must be declared in advance and must take place calmly," Philippe said Tuesday. Mass street protests have repeatedly forced French presidents into U-turns, something that Macron had vowed to avoid in his quest to "transform" the French economy and state. The concessions on Tuesday could have implications for other planned reforms, including changes to the civil service and a major and highly controversial shake-up of the pensions system. A new poll by the Ifop-Fiducial survey group on Tuesday showed the former investment banker's approval rating at a record low of 23 percent. "Eventually he backed down, which is going to divide the (yellow vest) movement, but it also risks dividing his own political base," said Jerome Sainte-Marie of the PollingVox survey group. Macron has not spoken publicly about Saturday's destruction in Paris since his return from a G20 summit in Argentina on Sunday, and his office said Tuesday he would not comment "for the time being". The "yellow vest" movement, named after the high-visibility jackets worn by supporters, emerged on social media in October after months of swelling anger over rising fuel prices. It quickly grew into wider protests against Macron, whom many accuse of representing a Parisian elite with little understanding of their monthly struggle to make ends meet. A centrist, Macron was elected in May 2017 on a pro-business platform that included measures inciting companies to invest to create jobs. Immediately after coming to power, he pushed through tax cuts for entrepreneurs and high-earners - an "original sin" for his critics. The "yellow vest" protests have blocked highways and fuel depots around the country, causing headaches for businesses and fuel shortages in some regions. The protests have spread to around a hundred schools nationwide, which were still partially or totally blocked Tuesday by teenagers voicing frustration over university entrance reforms. Four people have been killed during the protests, including an 80-year-old woman who died in hospital on Sunday after being hit by a tear gas canister in Marseille. The so-called 'yellow vests' protests first erupted over fuel tax hikes President Emmanuel Macron has faced growing pressure after the protests degenerated into street clashes and looting in Paris Running riots with police in Paris over the weekend left cars burned out and shops vandalised "Out of service" signs at a service station in Montpellier, southern France. Fuel depot blockades by "yellow vest" protesters have led to shortages in several regions.[SEP]French President Emmanuel Macron scrapped a fuel tax rise Wednesday amid fears of new violence, after weeks of nationwide protests and the worst rioting in Paris in decades. Protesters celebrated the victory, but some said Macron's surrender came too late and is no longer enough to quell the mounting anger at the president, whom they consider out of touch with the problems of ordinary people. Macron decided Wednesday to "get rid" of the tax planned for next year, an official in the president's office told The Associated Press. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told lawmakers the tax is no longer included in the 2019 budget. The decision has ramifications beyond France, since the fuel tax rise was part of Macron's efforts to wean France off fossil fuels in order to reduce greenhouse gases and help slow climate change. Its withdrawal is both a blow to broader efforts to fight climate change and a warning to other world leaders trying to do the same thing. The "yellow vest" protests began Nov. 17 over the government plan to raise taxes on diesel and gasoline, but by the time Macron bowed to three weeks of violence and abandoned the new fuel tax, protesters were demanding much more. Many workers in France are angry over the combination of low wages, high taxes and high unemployment that have left many people struggling financially. On Tuesday, the government agreed to suspend the fuel tax rise for six months. But instead of appeasing the protesters, it spurred other groups to join in, hoping for concessions of their own. The protests took on an even bigger dimension Wednesday with trade unions and farmers vowing to join the fray. Police warned of potential violence during demonstrations in Paris on Saturday, with one small security forces union threatening a strike. So after nightfall Wednesday, as parliament debated the 2019 budget, Macron's government suddenly gave in. "I have no problem with admitting that on such or such question we could have done differently, that if there is such a level of anger ... it's because we still have a lot of things to improve," the prime minister told legislators. Philippe said "the tax is now abandoned" in the 2019 budget, and the government is "ready for dialogue." The budget can be renegotiated through the year, but given the scale of the recent protests, Macron is unlikely to revive the added fuel tax idea anytime soon. Jacline Mouraud, one of the self-proclaimed spokespeople for the disparate yellow vest movement, told the AP that Macron's concession "comes much too late, unfortunately." "It's on the right path, but in my opinion it will not fundamentally change the movement," she said. Three weeks of protests have caused four deaths, injured hundreds and littered central Paris with burned cars and shattered windows. The sweep of the protests and their wide support by citizens of all political stripes has shocked Macron's government. In the last few days, Paris saw the worst anti-government riot since 1968, French students set fires outside high schools to protest a new university application system, small business owners blocked roads to protest high taxes, and retirees marched to protest the president's perceived elitism. Macron's popularity has slumped to a new low since the demonstrations began. The former investment banker, who has pushed pro-business economic reforms to make France more competitive globally, is accused of being the "president of the rich" and of being estranged from the working classes. On Wednesday, France's largest farmers union said it will launch anti-government protests next week, after trucking unions called for a rolling strike. Trade unions so far have not played a role in the yellow vest protest movement but are now trying to capitalize on growing public anger. A joint statement from the CGT and the FO trucking unions called for action Sunday night to protest a cut in overtime rates. The FNSEA farmers union said it would fight to help French farmers earn a better income but would not officially be joining forces with the "yellow vests" — protesters wearing the high-visibility vests that motorists are required to keep in their cars. French police have cleared most of the fuel depots that protesters blocked earlier in the week, but fuel shortages still hit parts of France on Wednesday, affecting hundreds of gas stations. Demonstrators also blocked toll booths, letting drivers pass without paying, to press demands that ranged from higher incomes and pensions to the dissolution of the National Assembly, France's parliament. At Tolbiac University in downtown Paris, students took over a school building and classes were canceled. "We need taxes, but they are not properly redistributed," protester Thomas Tricottet told BFM television. The high school students' FIDL union called for "massive" protests Thursday and urged France's education minister to step down. One student was injured during protests at a high school in Saint-Jean-de-Braye in north-central France. BFM said he was shot in the head with a rubber bullet. Julien Guiller, a spokesman for the regional school administration, told the AP that the student was expected to survive. Until he scrapped the fuel tax rise, Macron's actions after returning from the G-20 summit in Argentina had done little to persuade protesters that he was listening to their concerns. He has refrained from speaking publicly about the protests and has largely remained in his palace. On Tuesday night, he was jeered as he traveled to a regional government headquarters that was torched by protesters over the weekend. One activist said Wednesday that he fears more deaths if Saturday's yellow vest demonstration in Paris goes ahead and urged Macron to speak out and calm the nation. "If not there will be chaos," said Christophe Chalencon. Chalencon, a 52-year-old blacksmith from southern France, told the AP the French public needs Macron to "admit he made a mistake, with simple words ... that touch the guts and heart of the French." In a disparaging tweet, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Macron's decision Tuesday to delay the gas tax hike showed that the French leader doesn't believe in the 2015 Paris global climate accord.

Following large protests against French President Emmanuel Macron's planned increases on fuel taxes, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announces that these plans will be suspended for at least six months.

London (CNN) Theresa May suffered the worst day in parliament for a British government in 40 years, losing three crucial votes as lawmakers moved to seize control of the faltering Brexit process. The Prime Minister's authority was left hanging by a thread after Members of Parliament found her government in contempt for failing to publish the full legal advice underpinning her Brexit plan. In a further and potentially more important defeat, lawmakers approved an amendment that aims to give Parliament greater say if May's Brexit deal is rejected next week. Parliament could then insist on a "softer" Brexit -- where the UK would remain in or closely aligned with the EU's customs union and single market, or even demand a second Brexit referendum. MPs had already rejected a government compromise on the legal advice, under which the issue would have been kicked to a parliamentary committee. No British government has suffered a worse day at the hands of MPs for 40 years. May's minority administration -- notionally propped up by the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland -- was left in turmoil as it became clear it could not win support for crucial votes in the House of Commons. Read More[SEP]Lawmakers in the United Kingdom on Tuesday debated a motion alleging the government was acting in contempt of Parliament by failing to publish in full the legal advice it had received concerning on the ongoing Brexit negotiations. Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary who represents the opposition Labour Party, has accused Geoffrey Cox, a Conservative Member of Parliament and current Attorney General, of failing to honor a House of Commons vote last month demanding that Prime Minister Theresa May's government publish, in full, the advice it received for its proposed agreement on the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.[SEP]Theresa May has been plunged into a historic constitutional row after her government was found in contempt of parliament for failing to release its full legal advice on the Brexit deal. In a crunch decision on Tuesday afternoon, parliament voted 311–293 in favour of a motion brought by the opposition parties to find ministers in contempt. Responding to the defeat, Commons leader Andrea Leadsom confirmed the government will now publish the legal advice on the Brexit deal in full. Today’s motion was tabled after the government refused to disclose the advice shown to the cabinet, despite parliament ordering it to do so last month. BuzzFeed News previously revealed that the private advice gave a "very stark" assessment of the deal. The attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, yesterday released a legal position paper summarising his advice but insisted it was not “in the national interest” to release it in full. Labour, the DUP, and other opposition parties had argued that the government did not contest last month’s vote and so was in contempt for refusing to abide by a binding motion of the House. Today’s vote leaves the PM facing the unprecedented situation of having a member of her government found in contempt of parliament. One of May's senior ministers, most likely Cox or her de facto deputy David Lidington, could be sanctioned. Being held in contempt means the minister has been found to have obstructed or impeded the work of parliament. Potential punishments include the minister being suspended from the House of Commons. Labour's shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, said: “Today’s finding of contempt is a badge of shame for this government. It is of huge constitutional and political significance. “Never before has the House of Commons found ministers in contempt of parliament. It is highly regrettable that the government has let it come to this, but ministers left the opposition with no option but to bring forward these proceedings." This is a breaking story. Check back for updates and follow @BuzzFeedUKPol for more.[SEP]In dramatic scenes at Westminster, the Mrs May’s Democratic Unionist Party allies joined Labour and other opposition parties to inflict defeat on the Government by 311 votes to 293. The humiliating division came shortly before the Prime Minister was due to open a five-day debate on her deal, amid widespread expectations that her proposals are set for rejection by MPs. It is the first time in modern history that a Government has been found in contempt of Parliament. Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said that the finding of contempt was "a badge of shame" for the Government, with "huge constitutional and political significance". Sir Keith said: "It is highly regrettable that the Government has let it come to this, but ministers left the opposition with no option but to bring forward these proceedings. "By treating Parliament with contempt, the Government has proved it has lost its majority and the respect of the House. "The Prime Minister can't keep pushing Parliament away or avoiding responsible scrutiny." READ MORE: BREXIT LIVE: May suffers THREE HUGE DEFEATS in 'worst hour for government in DECADES' Theresa May's Government is to release its legal advice on the Brexit deal on Wednesday. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox insisted the Government has "gone out of its way" to satisfy the terms of the humble address to the Queen passed by Parliament on November 13 which demanded the release of the legal advice in full. Speaking in the Commons after the vote, Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom said: "We've tested the opinion of the House twice on this very serious subject. "We've listened carefully and in light of the expressed will of the House we will publish the final and full advice provided by the Attorney General to Cabinet." Mrs Leadsom has written to the Committee of Privileges watchdog, calling for an inquiry into the use of the humble address procedure, which had fallen out of use since the 19th century but has been revived by Labour to inflict a number of binding defeats on the Government. READ MORE: Pound plunges: Sterling TUMBLES to lowest level in 18 months after Brexit DEFEAT Only hours before the vote, Mrs May had told Cabinet that "candid" legal advice given to ministers must remain confidential, despite a motion passed by the Commons last month demanding the release of the "final and full" papers. Minutes after the historic contempt vote, Theresa May was dealt another blow as MPs backed a move which could put Parliament in the driving seat if the Brexit deal is rejected on December 11. If Mrs May's deal falls in the "meaningful vote" next week, the Prime Minister has 21 calendar days to set out a statement on her next steps. Former attorney general Dominic Grieve's amendment will make any such statement itself amendable, meaning that MPs can effectively direct the Government on how to respond to the defeat of Mrs May's plans. READ MORE: NO DEAL DEAD: MPs vote to APPROVE Dominic Grieve's SHOCK amendment to Withdrawal Act This could open the door for the Commons to throw its weight behind a Norway-style soft Brexit, or even a second EU referendum, though prominent Leave-backing MPs questioned whether any such vote would be binding on ministers. Twenty-five Conservative MPs rebelled to support Mr Grieve's amendment according to the division list. Among those that voted in favour of the amendment, which could effectively block the chance of a no deal Brexit, were Damian Green, Justine Greening, Nicky Morgan and Anna Soubry. Starting Parliament’s debate on her Brexit deal Theresa May told MPs to accept that compromise is necessary to "bring the country together". Mrs May said: ”I know there are some in this House and in the country who would prefer a closer relationship with the European Union than the one I'm proposing, indeed who would prefer the relationship that we currently have and want another referendum.[SEP]Theresa May has been forced to publish the full legal advice on Brexit after MPs found her ministers in contempt of Parliament. The ‘final and full’ advice will be released tomorrow. A motion tabled by Labour, the SNP, other opposition parties and the DUP which argued ministers were in contempt due to their failure to fully publish advice given by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox was approved by 311 votes to 293, majority 18. It also ordered the ‘immediate publication’ of the legal advice. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said: ‘We’ve tested the opinion of the House twice on this very serious subject. ‘We’ve listened carefully and in light of the expressed will of the House we will publish the final and full advice provided by the Attorney General to Cabinet but recognising the very serious constitutional issues this raises I have referred the matter to the privileges committee to consider the implications of the humble address.’ The government suffered a third Commons defeat of the day after MPs approved an amendment from Tory Dominic Grieve which aims to give them a greater say should the Brexit deal be defeated on December 11. Brexiteer MP Jacob Rees-Mogg claimed the situation was so farcical that ‘panto season’ had arrived in Westminster. Labour Party Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said the contempt finding was ‘unprecedented,’ and the government said it would now publish the advice. The vote has little direct impact on the Brexit debate, but reflects mounting tension between the government and Parliament over the next steps in Brexit. Parliament is set to begin debating the divorce deal agreed between the government and the European Union, before a vote on December 11.[SEP]The Government tonight caved to pressure to publish the full legal advice on the Brexit deal after suffering an historic and humiliating defeat. The Commons voted by 311 to 293 to hold ministers in contempt of Parliament for the first time in history after they refused to publish the full advice. Labour joined with the DUP, SNP and Lib Dems to pass the motion in what Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said was an ‘unprecedented’ act. In a torrid night for Theresa May, she suffered another major defeat as MPs voted for an amendment which gives the Commons a greater say if the Brexit deal is defeated on December 11. Number Ten ran the risk that ministers - including attorney General Geoffrey Cox - could be suspended from the Commons if they continued to refuse to publish the legal advice. Seconds after the vote was announced in the packed Commons chamber, the Government said it will publish the full legal advice tomorrow. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom told MPs: 'We have tested the opinion of the House twice on this very serious subject...We will publish the final and full advice provided by the Attorney General to Cabinet.' But she said she is so alarmed at the use of arcane parliamentary procedure to force ministers to publish secret information, she is asking a committee of MPs to investigate. The defeat comes exactly one week before Mrs May faces the biggest political test of her career when MPs will vote on her Brexit deal in the Commons. A slew of MPs had condemned ministers for refusing to release the full Brexit deal legal advice in a fiery Commons showdown today. It had pitted Mrs May's authority and support against the accumulated strength of her opposition - which spanned both Brexiteers and Remainers. The dramatic row erupted after the Government refused to publish the full legal advice despite losing a vote in the Commons last month requiring them to. Instead they said published a 'full reasoned position' laying out a summary of the legal advice. But critics accused ministers of keeping secret the most explosive parts of Mr Cox's advice. Sir Keir warned that ministers were committing contempt of Parliament and used the arcane parliamentary tactics to heap pressure on No10. Ir Mrs May had still refused to publish the legal advice then MPs would have debated how to enforce their contempt motion in a debate tomorrow. They could have voted to hold specific named minsters responsible and to mete out punishments to them - including suspending them from Parliament. Cabinet Minister Mrs Leadsom had fiercely defended the Government over the refusal to publish the legal advice. She said the Government was defending an important principle that legal advice should stay confidential. She also insisted MPs should not take it on themselves to rule on whether there had been a contempt - arguing that ministers should have 'due process' of an investigation by the Privileges Committee. A government-backed amendment to kill off the attempt to hold Mr Cox in contempt by sending the matter to the Privileges Committee was defeated by 311 votes to 307. Kicking off the constitutional clash in the the chamber this afternoon, Sir Keir accused ministers of ignoring a 'binding motion' passed by the Commons. 'That is contempt,' he said. The standoff between the House and the government is thought to be unprecedented in modern times. Ministers insist legal confidentiality is an important point of principle and revealing the material would hurt the national interest. Instead they published a 40-plus page assessment of the package thrashed out with Brussels. But if the motion is passed today, the pressure to issue the full advice could become unbearable. The PM's spokesman said she told Cabinet 'there is a long-standing convention that neither the fact nor the content of law officers' advice is shared outside Government without their consent'. Mrs Leadsom has written to the Privileges Committee to ask them to investigate the use of arcane parliamentary procedures to force ministers to divulge secret information. Mrs May said that was set out in both Parliament's Erskine May rulebook and the Ministerial Code. She added 'it is an essential part of the functioning of government that Cabinet ministers can have access to candid legal advice' without the fear of it being published. The motion being moved by Labour today states: 'That this House finds ministers in contempt for their failure to comply with the requirements of the motion for return passed on 13 November 2018, to publish the final and full legal advice provided by the Attorney General to the Cabinet concerning the EU withdrawal agreement and the framework for the future relationship, and orders its immediate publication.' Mrs Leadsom, responding for the government, said Mr Cox had done nothing but treat the House with the 'utmost respect' and said he should be given the 'due process' of scrutiny by the Privileges Committee. 'I appeal to all those honourable members across the House that if they seek to pass this motion they should refer it to the committee,' she said. Tory MP Simon Hoare accused critics of Mrs May's deal of engaging in 'parlour games' rather than focusing on the Brext deal. He said: 'They clearly had no interest in what Geoffrey Cox had to say yesterday.' Mr Rees-Mogg told the Commons he would support the Government, although he did not agree with the dismissal of 'ancient procedures' like the humble address being used to hold it to account. He said: 'I think it's right that a committee looks at this issue in broad terms because it may be right that the House wishes to take a self-denying ordinance on the extent of humble addresses. 'It may be right we would like to say specifically they would be deemed disorderly and therefore not brought forward if they related to matters concerning the security services.' But fellow Tory Brexiteer Peter Bone suggested he would support the contempt motion as it would ensure the Government would come forward with a compromise. He said: 'Unless something very dramatically changes between now and the end of the debate - and I do have to leave the chamber as the Chief Whip would like to have a word with me - I do think that if the House votes for the contempt, a compromise will happen and we will get hopefully properly redacted information before we vote next Tuesday.' In extraordinary scenes last night, Speaker John Bercow agreed there was an 'arguable case that a contempt has been committed' after Tory Eurosceptics, Labour, the DUP, the SNP and Lib Dems joined forces. The MPs complained that the summary legal advice released by Mr Cox did not comply with a Commons resolution agreed last month. Mr Cox, who is the Government's chief legal adviser, had staunchly defended the decision to withhold the advice in a marathon appearance in the House - telling MPs 'there is nothing to see here'. He said that he 'fully accepts' MPs may impose a sanction against him or the Government for contempt of Parliament over Brexit legal advice. He said: 'The House has at its disposal the means by which to enforce its will. 'It can bring a motion of contempt and seek to have that motion passed and seek to impose through the committee, or whichever way it is appropriately done, to impose a sanction. I fully accept that. 'I don't set myself up contrary to the House, I simply say that I cannot compromise the public interest.' Mr Cox had asked MPs to suppose the advice included details on relationships with foreign states and arguments that might be deployed in the future, noting: 'Would it be right for the Attorney General, regardless of the harm to the public interest, to divulge his opinion. Mr Cox said it would be difficult to ensure information would be redacted, adding: 'I cannot take a step that I firmly and truly believe would be contrary to the public interest'. He went on: 'I ask the House to understand that it is only that consideration that is motivating me and this Government in declining at this stage to break the convention that applies to both sides of the House when they are in government. 'There is nothing to see here.' In his statement to MPs, Mr Cox insisted the backstop part of the divorce was 'expressly agreed not to be intended to establish a permanent relationship but to be temporary'. He said the Article 50 process did not provide a legal basis for a permanent arrangement. But 'if the protocol were to come into force, it would continue to apply in international law unless and until it was superseded by the intended subsequent agreement' which met the goals of avoiding a hard border and protecting the Good Friday Agreement. 'There is therefore no unilateral right for either party to terminate this arrangement. 'This means that if no superseding agreement can be reached within the implementation period, the protocol would be activated and in international law would subsist, even if negotiations had broken down. 'How likely that is to happen is a political question, to which the answer will no doubt depend partly on the extent to which it is in either party's interests to remain indefinitely within its arrangements.' The legal paper gives a more detailed explanation of the 'best endeavours' provision in the Withdrawal Agreement. The deal sets out that if the backstop were to come into force, there will be a review process for the UK to break out. The summary argues that the 'obligation to negotiate in good faith with a view to concluding agreements is a well-recognised concept in international law'. 'Relevant precedents indicate that such obligations require the parties to conduct negotiations in a meaningful way, contemplate modifications to their respective positions and pay reasonable regard to each other's interests,' it says. But the document adds: 'A tribunal would only find a breach of the duty of good faith if there was a clear basis for doing so.' Earlier yesterday, Mrs May's chief Brexit adviser told MPs that the Northern Ireland border backstop was a 'slightly uncomfortable necessity' for both the UK and the European Union. The UK faces making additional payments to Brussels if the Brexit implementation period is extended, the Government's Brexit legal advice also said. Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, it is due to run until the end of December 2020 but can be extended by up to two years if both sides agree. The advice says that discussions on any extension would involve 'reaching further agreement on the UK's financial contribution'. Ministers chose not to oppose the motion - tabled by Labour under an arcane procedure known as the humble address - as they feared a damaging Commons defeat. Mr Cox is said to have warned the UK could be tied to the EU customs union 'indefinitely' through the Northern Ireland 'backstop'. The Sunday Times said in a letter sent last month to Cabinet ministers, he advised the only way out of the backstop - designed to prevent the return of a hard border with the Republic - once it was invoked was to sign a new trade deal, a process which could take years. 'The protocol would endure indefinitely,' he apparently wrote. The letter was said to be so sensitive that ministers were given numbered copies to read which they were not allowed to take from the room afterwards. Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab - who quit last month over the withdrawal agreement - said the legal position was clear. 'The backstop will last indefinitely until it is superseded by the treaty setting out our future relationship, unless the EU allows us to exit,' he told The Sunday Times. 'The EU has a clear veto, even if the future negotiations stretch on for many years, or even if they break down and there is no realistic likelihood of us reaching agreement. 'That's my view as a former international lawyer, but it is consistent if not identical with all of the formal advice I received.'[SEP] • Downing Street has published the legal advice it was given on Theresa May’s Brexit deal by the government’s top law officer, Attorney General Geoffrey Cox. • The government tried to prevent the full legal advice being published, and MPs found the government in contempt of parliament for refusing a demand to do so. • Here’s everything you need to know about the legal advice the government tried to withhold. LONDON – The government has published the full legal advice it was given on Theresa May’s Brexit plan after MPs found the government to be in contempt of parliament for refusing to do so. The advice, from Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, the country’s top law officer, examines the legal effect of the so-called backstop arrangement, or Northern Ireland protocol, which is an emergency measure within May’s proposals designed to maintain an invisible border in Ireland. The measure is deeply unpopular among Brexit-supporting MPs because would keep the UK in the customs union and Northern Ireland even more closely aligned to the EU, as well as requiring checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Here’s what you need to know about Cox’s legal advice: • Cox warns that the backstop arrangement contained within the withdrawal agreement would “endure indefinitely,” a phrase which has enraged Brexiteers who say it would represent an incomplete Brexit. • It confirms the government does not have the right to withdraw from the backstop unilaterally, something Brexiteers have advocated. • There is a legal risk that UK could become stuck in “protracted and repeating rounds of negotiations” with Brussels. • The date on the Attorney General’s advice is 13 November, the same day MPs asked for the advice to be published. This could mean that the government had not actually received any formal legal advice on the Withdrawal Agreement before, despite May publishing her formal Brexit plan weeks earlier. Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer said: “Having reviewed the Attorney General’s legal advice, it’s obvious why this needed to be placed in the public domain. “All week we have heard from Government ministers that releasing this information. could harm the national interest. Nothing of the sort. All this advice reveals is the central weaknesses in the Government’s deal. “It is unthinkable that the Government tried to keep this information from Parliament – and indeed the public – before next week’s vote.” The government had refused previous requests to publish the advice, just a week before MPs vote on the deal itself, saying it would set a dangerous precedent if the Attorney General could not provide the Prime Minister with honest, confidential legal advice without fear of it being made public. Cox instead published a 48-page legal commentary outlining the advice he had provided on the Brexit plan and was grilled by MPs in the Commons for two hours on the subject on Monday. But MPs voted 311 to 293 to find May’s government in contempt on Tuesday afternoon, forcing Downing Street to publish the advice in full. It was the first time in British parliamentary history the government has been found in contempt by MPs.[SEP]Refusal to publish Brexit deal triggers contempt of Parliament debate in Commons The UK government may have broken Parliamentary rules by not publishing Brexit legal advice, the Commons Speaker has said. John Bercow said there was an “arguable case” that a contempt of Parliament has been committed. It means MPs will debate and vote on the issue on Tuesday. This is likely to delay the start of the debate on Theresa May's Brexit deal. Mr Bercow was responding to a call from senior MPs in six parties - Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, the Democratic Unionist Party, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party - for contempt proceedings to be launched. They say the government has gone back on a binding vote to release “any legal advice in full”. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox - the government's chief legal adviser - earlier published an overview of his legal advice on Theresa May's Brexit deal, and answered MPs' questions on it. He argued that it would not be “in the national interest” to publish his advice in full, as it would break a longstanding convention that law officers' advice to ministers is confidential. He insisted there was no cover-up, telling MPs: “There is nothing to see here.” The MPs are also demanding the immediate publication of his final and full legal advice. MPs are due to vote on Mrs May's deal on 11 December. Labor's shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: “This is not about party politics. ”It's about parliamentary democracy and guaranteeing that MPs have the information they need to know - precisely what the government has negotiated with the European Union. “Even at this 11th hour, I would urge ministers to step back from the brink and to not go down in history as the first government to be found in contempt.” However, the government has tabled an amendment to have the issue referred to MPs on the Privileges Committee to investigate whether its response fulfils all its obligations, taking into account any relevant past cases. Lib Dem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake, who campaigns for a further EU referendum, said: “Parliament is finally taking back control from this chaotic government. ”The attorney general put on a good show, but the House did not want TV drama. MPs expect the publication of the full legal Brexit advice before the debates on the withdrawal deal begin. “The government must not be allowed to use this chaotic situation to take focus away from the mess they are making of Brexit.” During a stormy debate in the Commons. Labour claimed Mr Cox was “hiding” his full legal advice “for fear of the political consequences”. Mr Cox told MPs to “get real and grow up” - and his legal advice had no bearing on the political reality of the Brexit deal. He conceded that the UK would be “indefinitely committed” to EU customs rules if Brexit trade talks broke down, under the terms of the withdrawal agreement hammered out in Brussels by Theresa May.[SEP]Theresa May was accused of “misleading the House of Commons” by the SNP over the Irish backstop after the full Brexit legal advice was published. The party’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford made the allegation during heated and hostile exchanges during Prime Minister’s Questions. He said Mrs May had been “concealing the facts on her Brexit deal”, saying the Withdrawal Agreement would allow Northern Ireland to remain in the EU’s single market - while Scotland could not. Mr Blackford mocked the PM for having lost three votes on Tuesday and being found in contempt of Parliament, saying: “We were promised strong and stable - what we’ve got is a Government in crisis.” The MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber then asked: “Is it time that the Prime Minister took responsibility for concealing the facts on her Brexit deal from members in this House and the public? Mrs May rejected the claim, and said the full legal advice they were forced to publish contained the same arguments as the shortened version the Government made available earlier this week. Mr Blackford called that an “incredibly disappointing response”, and suggested the release of the full legal advice showed that: “Since the Prime Minister returned from Brussels she has been misleading the house, inadvertently or otherwise.” This led to a prolonged period of shouting across the chamber, with Tory MPs calling for him to withdraw the comment. Commons Speaker John Bercow rebuked Mr Blackford, saying there could be no “ambiguity” in comments to suggest that the PM had purposefully misled the House. This led Mr Blackford to alter his wording to say she had done it “perhaps inadvertently”. But this failed to dampen the jeers from the Tory benches and Mr Bercow asked to him to again “rephrase” his argument. However, he continued in the same vein. In response, Mrs May said the copy of the full legal advice he was holding was “no different” to the statement the Attorney General Geoffrey Cox made on Monday. She added: “I have myself said on the floor of this House that there is indeed no unilateral right to pull out of the backstop. “What I have also said is that it is not the intention of either party that a) the backstop should be used in the first place, or ... b) that if it is used, should be anything other than temporary.”[SEP]Theresa May has been warned she is on course for a "historic constitutional row" unless the Government releases its full legal advice on the Brexit deal. Labour said it is ready to combine with other opposition parties to start proceedings for contempt of Parliament unless the legal opinion of Attorney General Geoffrey Cox is published in full. The DUP - which props up the Conservative government in the Commons - was said to be ready to sign a joint letter with other parties to Speaker John Bercow on Monday unless ministers back down. It potentially represents another hurdle for Theresa May to overcome as she struggles to win backing for her deal in the crucial commons vote on December 11. MPs across Parliament have angrily accused ministers of ignoring the will of the House after they said only that they would release a "full reasoned political statement" on the legal position. It follows a binding Commons vote last month requiring the Government to lay before Parliament "any legal advice in full" - including that given by the Attorney General - relating to the Withdrawal Agreement. Ministers chose not to oppose the motion - tabled by Labour under an arcane procedure known as the humble address - as they feared a damaging Commons defeat. The latest row erupted row erupted as it was reported Mr Cox - who is due to make a statement to the Commons on Monday - had warned the UK could be tied to the EU customs union "indefinitely" through the Northern Ireland "backstop". The Sunday Times said in a letter sent last month to Cabinet ministers, he advised the only way out of the backstop - designed to prevent the return of a hard border with the Republic - once it was invoked was to sign a new trade deal, a process which could take years. "The protocol would endure indefinitely," he is reported to have written. The letter was said to be so sensitive that ministers were given numbered copies to read which they were not allowed to take from the room afterwards. Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab - who quit last month over the withdrawal agreement - said the legal position was clear. "The backstop will last indefinitely until it is superseded by the treaty setting out our future relationship, unless the EU allows us to exit," he told The Sunday Times. "The EU has a clear veto, even if the future negotiations stretch on for many years, or even if they break down and there is no realistic likelihood of us reaching agreement. "That's my view as a former international lawyer, but it is consistent if not identical with all of the formal advice I received." Ministers have argued the legal advice is privileged, in the same way as any advice given by a lawyer to their client, and that government cannot function if it is required to release such confidential material. However, writing in The Sunday Telegraph, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said it was essential MPs understood the "full legal implications" before they voted on the agreement. "If the full legal advice is not forthcoming, we will have no alternative but to start proceedings for contempt of Parliament - and we will work with all parties to take this forward," he said. "If ministers stubbornly refuse to obey the order of MPs then they risk triggering a historic constitutional row that puts Parliament in direct conflict with the executive. "Although I accept the long-standing convention that Cabinet legal advice should be kept confidential, it's well-established that in exceptional circumstances that convention does not apply. And these are exceptional circumstances." Labour sources said that Sir Keir was ready to sign a joint letter with the DUP's Westminster leader Nigel Dodds, Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake and SNP Europe spokesman Stephen Gethins, asking Mr Bercow to allow a motion "that the Government has held Parliament in contempt". Under Commons rules, if the Speaker allows the motion to go before the House and the vote is carried, it would then be referred to the Committee of Privileges which would rule on whether a contempt of Parliament had taken place. If it is decided that a contempt had occurred, the committee can recommend a suitable punishment which is then put back to MPs to agree. In theory, the most severe penalty is expulsion from the House, although the prospects of that happening would appear remote. However any finding against the Government would be potentially highly damaging for Mrs May at a time when she is at her most vulnerable politically.

The Government of the United Kingdom is found to be in contempt of parliament for the first time in history. The motion, which passed by 311 to 293 votes in the House of Commons, was triggered by Theresa May's government failing to publish its legal advice on its Brexit withdrawal plan.

CLOSE A banking executive and former highway commissioner won Tuesday's runoff for Little Rock mayor, becoming the first African-American elected to lead Arkansas' capital. Frank Scott, 35, defeated Baker Kurrus in a runoff election. (Dec. 5) AP This combination of file photos shows candidates for mayor of Little Rock, Ark., from left, Frank Scott and Baker Kurrus, who were running in the Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, runoff election for the nonpartisan, open seat. (Photo: AP) LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A banking executive and former highway commissioner won Tuesday's runoff for Little Rock mayor, becoming the first African-American elected to lead Arkansas' capital six decades after it was the center of a school desegregation crisis. Frank Scott, 35, defeated Baker Kurrus in the runoff election for the nonpartisan, open seat. He'll succeed outgoing Mayor Mark Stodola, who announced earlier this year he wouldn't seek re-election. Scott served as an adviser to former Gov. Mike Beebe and on the state Highway Commission, and he assembled a coalition that crossed racial and political lines. His supporters included Democratic state legislators from the area and prominent Republicans such as Will Rockefeller, grandson of Arkansas' first Republican governor since Reconstruction. He also was endorsed by New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat who's considering running for president in 2020. Scott had said he wasn't running to be Little Rock's first elected black mayor , but had sought to bridge some of the city's biggest divides: race, income and geography. "If you believe it's time to unify this city, let's do it," Scott told supporters Tuesday night. Little Rock has had two black mayors, but they were elected city directors chosen for the job by fellow board members and not by voters. Some voters Tuesday said they hoped electing Scott would send a message about Little Rock. "I just thought maybe it would help race relations in our town, which is not very good right now," said Mary Leckie, a 73-year-old white retiree who voted for Scott. Scott's election comes as race remains a dividing line in Little Rock, long after nine black students were escorted past an angry white mob into Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The city's police department has faced questions about its tactics, including its use of "no-knock" warrants . The state took over the Little Rock School District three years ago, and community leaders have compared the takeover to Gov. Orval Faubus' efforts to block integration. Kurrus, a 64-year-old attorney and businessman, had been appointed superintendent of the district after the takeover. His contract wasn't renewed after he opposed the expansion of charter schools in the district, a move that rallied Democratic lawmakers and community leaders to his defense. Kurrus, who is white, had also called unifying the city one of his goals in the campaign. "Let's don't give in to the things that divide us. Let's get together, work hard and make this a better place," Kurrus told supporters after conceding the race. Scott's election makes him the highest-profile black official in a state that hasn't elected an African-American to Congress or statewide office since Reconstruction. Blacks make up about 42 percent of the city's population, compared to nearly 16 percent statewide. Scott and Kurrus advanced to a runoff last month after Scott won a plurality of votes in a five-person race but a few percentage points shy of the 40 percent needed to win outright. Both Scott and Kurrus ran on a promise of change. Stodola, the outgoing mayor, was first elected mayor in 2006. "It's not a black or white thing with me," said Lula Binns, a 75-year-old black retiree who voted for Scott. "It's just time for some younger blood." Scott's election comes after a year where African-Americans have made gains elsewhere in Arkansas. Pulaski County, where Little Rock is located, this year elected its first black sheriff and clerk. Several other Arkansas cities have also elected their first black mayors this year. ___ Follow Andrew DeMillo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ademillo Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/12/05/little-rock-arkansas-elects-frank-scott-first-black-mayor/2212383002/[SEP]Frank Scott Jr. has been elected Little Rock’s next mayor. At that time, unofficial results from the Pulaski County Election Commission showed Scott with 9,590 votes and Kurrus, with 5,025 votes. Only early and absentee votes had been counted. With all precincts counted, unofficial results at 9:42 p.m. were: Scott, an adviser to former Gov. Mike Beebe who served on the state Highway Commission, becomes the first African American elected mayor of Little Rock, where divisions linger long after nine black students were escorted past an angry white mob into Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The city has had two black mayors, but both were elected city directors later chosen for the post by fellow board members. Scott spoke to a crowd of cheering supporters at his watch party at Cajun's Wharf. "We started this journey making certain we were going to directly engage each and every voter," he said. "So I thank every volunteer, every team member, every donor, every voter, anybody that shot up a prayer or a positive vibe, we just want to say thank you." Scott thanked his parents, his supporters, Kurrus and anyone who cast a ballot in the race "whether you voted for me or not." "For the voters that did not vote for us, I want to earn your support," he said. "Because our mission and vision started on September the 12th, 2017. People thought it was funny, but we wanted to talk about unifying our city." Kurrus is a 64-year-old attorney and businessman who was superintendent of Little Rock schools after the district was taken over by the state. Kurrus' contract with the school district wasn't renewed after he opposed the expansion of charter schools in the district, a move that rallied Democratic lawmakers and community leaders to his defense. Kurrus had also called unifying the city one of his goals in the campaign. "Let's don't give in to the things that divide us. Let's get together, work hard and make this a better place," Kurrus told supporters after conceding the race. Scott and Kurrus advanced to the runoff from the general election, where five candidates vied for the position. Scott will succeed Mayor Mark Stodola, who didn’t seek reelection.[SEP]Frank Scott Jr., a banker and associate pastor raised south of an interstate that divides Little Rock by race and economic status, was elected mayor of Arkansas' capital city Tuesday. His win marks the first time Little Rock has popularly elected a black mayor. Scott's competition in the runoff election for the city's top political office was attorney and business consultant Baker Kurrus, after the Nov. 6 general election narrowed the field of five candidates to two. On Tuesday, Scott took a sizable lead early on, and Kurrus conceded about 8:30 p.m., shortly after early votes and absentee ballots were counted. Election day voters narrowed the margin, but Scott's victory was clear. With all precincts reporting, the unofficial vote totals were: Scott, 35, has served on the state Highway Commission and was a senior adviser to former Gov. Mike Beebe. During his campaign, Scott stressed unifying what many see as a divided city and creating more job opportunities. He grew up and still lives in southwest Little Rock, which encompasses some of the city's poorest areas. Addressing a cheering crowd at his watch party at Cajun's Wharf, Scott thanked voters and volunteers. "I thank you. For every text message and phone call, I thank you," he said. "And for the voters who did not vote for us, I want to earn your support." Scott is the third black candidate to be elected to a high-profile office in Pulaski County this year. Eric Higgins was elected county sheriff in May, becoming the county's first black sheriff, and Terri Hollingsworth was elected circuit/county clerk in November. Little Rock has had two black mayors before, both of whom were elected city directors who later were chosen for the post by fellow board members. The city of nearly 200,000 is approximately 42 percent black. Kurrus, the former state-appointed superintendent of the Little Rock School District, did not return a phone call seeking comment on the election. Social media posts from his campaign thanked his volunteers, supporters and staff. This year's election drew national attention, with Scott gaining endorsements from Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and activist Shaun King. Current Mayor Mark Stodola announced in May that he would not seek a fourth term. Stodola, 69, will leave the office he has held for nearly 12 years in January. Scott was the top vote-getter in the general election, but he fell about 3 percentage points shy of the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff in accordance with state law. Kurrus, 64, pulled about 29 percent of the vote in November. He outraised and outspent Scott during the campaign, reports filed with the Pulaski County clerk show. Both raised additional sums of more than $100,000 in the weeks leading up to the runoff. In a recent interview, Scott said the race spoke to the importance of a "people-powered campaign" with an emphasis on getting people to the polls and gathering support from every ZIP code in the city. The message of change resonated early on in the campaign, Scott said in his victory speech. The 2018 mayoral race also marked the first without an incumbent since the city strengthened the office. In 2007, voters approved an ordinance giving the once-ceremonial position additional powers. The passage of ordinance No. 19761 made the mayor a full-time position with authority over issues including preparation of the city budget, as well as veto power. The ordinance states that the mayor "shall be compensated with a salary and benefit package comparable to the highest ranking municipal official." The current salary is $160,000; it was $36,000 in 2006. The mayor presides over city Board of Directors meetings but votes only in the event of a tie. If the mayor does not break the tie, the resolution in question fails. Little Rock's current form of government of seven city ward representatives, three at-large board seats, a directly elected mayor and a city manager was approved by voters in 1993. Scott will preside over a board that is on the whole older than him -- the youngest current member is 50 -- and has years of government experience. All incumbent board members whose terms were up in November won their bids for re-election. Of the 10 members, seven have served for more than a decade. Three have been on the board for more than 20 years. Kathy Webb, the vice mayor and Ward 3 representative who was first elected to her seat in 2014, congratulated Scott on Twitter shortly after 9 p.m. "The long campaign is over; it's time to work together to move this city we love forward," Webb wrote. Among the first issues facing the city in the coming year are the hiring of a new police chief, managing a tight budget and studying the city's form of government. At the end of his election night speech, Scott said he was reminded of a verse from the Book of Esther. The Old Testament story tells of an adoptee in the king's palace who enjoyed the pleasant surroundings but found she had a job to do, he said. "You shall not remain silent for such a time as this," the future mayor quoted. "So if you believe it's time to unify Little Rock, let's join this movement. It. Is. Time."[SEP]Frank Scott, a banking executive and former highway commissioner, won Tuesday’s runoff election for mayor of Little Rock. Scott emerged victorious despite the city’s powerful police union’s decision to endorse his opponent, Baker Kurrus. Though the city has had two black mayors, both were appointed, which means Scott is the first elected black mayor in Little Rock history. In October, I published my investigation into the Little Rock Police Department’s use of explosives and no-knock warrants to violently serve drug warrants. The police were also using an informant who routinely lied about conducting drug buys. There’s good evidence that some of the officers misled in their testimony as well. It’s also now clear that nearly all the no-knock warrants served by the LRPD’s narcotics unit over the past several years were illegal. The warrant affidavits did not include information specific to each suspect as to why no-knock entry was necessary. Instead, they included word-for-word boilerplate about the dangerousness of drug dealers, a practice the Supreme Court has said violates the Fourth Amendment. That investigation came up at the last mayoral debate before the general election. After Scott and Kurrus were forced into a runoff, Scott called for a federal investigation, while Kurrus advocated letting the LRPD look into the allegations internally. My year-long investigation of LRPD -- which looked at more systemic, long-running problems -- ran on the Friday before the general election. Scott again called for a federal investigation. The issue then reentered the race a few weeks ago when Roderick Talley, the man whose surveillance video and open-records requests sparked my initial investigation into the drug raids, was arrested after fleeing an arrest. Talley was due for trial on an (also dubious) forgery charge, and was ordered arrested by the judge when, due to inclement weather, he showed up about a half hour late. He fled the courthouse to his car, and drove away. The police initially claimed that Talley had struck an officer with his car as he fled. When he turned himself in a couple days later, he was charged with aggravated assault of a police officer, and a slew of other crimes. The Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police used the Talley incident against Scott. (The FOP has long been seen by black Little Rock officers as a “good ol' boy” network that’s much more aggressive protecting the rights of white cops than black ones, particularly in interracial disputes. Black officers started their own union in the late 1970s and have maintained it ever since.) The FOP posted a Facebook photo of Scott praying with Talley taken after the news conference announcing Talley’s lawsuit for the raid on his home. The Facebook post also included incendiary, racially loaded language about how Little Rock mayoral candidates who “align themselves with fleeing felons fail the qualifications for any public office." The FOP eventually took the post down. Both candidates denounced the post, but at the last debate before the runoff, Scott asked Kurrus to reject the FOP endorsement outright. Kurrus refused. Scott will face challenges. Shortly after my longer LRPD piece was published, Chief Kenton Buckner accepted an offer to become police chief in Syracuse, N.Y. Currently, the police chief is chosen and hired by the the Little Rock city manager. Scott wants to change that, putting the decision in the mayor’s hands and, in theory, in the hands of someone more directly answerable to the electorate. But he’ll need cooperation from the city’s board of directors to make that happen. Scott will also face a hostile FOP. He’ll get a lot of resistance that promises to make reform difficult, particularly in a city police department that’s still understaffed. One big issue that lots of people cited when I asked about the problems at LRPD was that most of the white police officers live outside the city. It’s important that cops feel as if they’re a part of the communities they serve -- and it’s just as important that those communities see police officers in the same way. But I don’t know how you go from a city where most of the white officers live outside the city to one where most live in Little Rock. You can’t force people to move. It’ll be a long process. Finally, some good news about Talley. He’s out on bail, and the most serious charge against him -- aggravated assault on a police officer -- has been reduced to a misdemeanor. Talley has always maintained that he didn’t hit the officer with his car. Instead, he says the officer jumped on the hood of his car in an effort to prevent him from leaving, then slid off. It has also been known to all parties since the incident occurred that there is security camera footage that should determine who is telling the truth. That footage hasn’t yet been released, but the decision to drop the felony charge certainly suggests that it’s favorable to Talley. If it is exonerating, that makes the decision of the Cross County sheriff (amplified by police agencies all over the state) to put out an APB indicating that Talley was dangerous pretty inexcusable. That warning likely put Talley’s life at risk. Talley’s trial on the forgery charge has been set for March. How Little Rock’s illegal police raids validate the Exclusionary Rule Little Rock man who exposed illegal police raids faces felony charges after fleeing arrest Read Radley Balko’s yearlong investigation of the LRPD: 'If you don’t get at that rot, you just get more officers like Josh Hastings’[SEP]LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A banking executive and former highway commissioner won Tuesday’s runoff for Little Rock mayor, becoming the first African-American elected to lead Arkansas’ capital six decades after it was the center of a school desegregation crisis. Frank Scott, 35, defeated Baker Kurrus in the runoff election for the nonpartisan, open seat. He’ll succeed outgoing Mayor Mark Stodola, who announced earlier this year he wouldn’t seek re-election. Scott served as an adviser to former Gov. Mike Beebe and on the state Highway Commission, and he assembled a coalition that crossed racial and political lines. His supporters included Democratic state legislators from the area and prominent Republicans such as Will Rockefeller, grandson of Arkansas’ first Republican governor since Reconstruction. He also was endorsed by New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat who’s considering running for president in 2020. Scott had said he wasn’t running to be Little Rock’s first elected black mayor , but had sought to bridge some of the city’s biggest divides: race, income and geography. “If you believe it’s time to unify this city, let’s do it,” Scott told supporters Tuesday night. Little Rock has had two black mayors, but they were elected city directors chosen for the job by fellow board members and not by voters. Some voters Tuesday said they hoped electing Scott would send a message about Little Rock. “I just thought maybe it would help race relations in our town, which is not very good right now,” said Mary Leckie, a 73-year-old white retiree who voted for Scott. Scott’s election comes as race remains a dividing line in Little Rock, long after nine black students were escorted past an angry white mob into Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The city’s police department has faced questions about its tactics, including its use of “no-knock” warrants . The state took over the Little Rock School District three years ago, and community leaders have compared the takeover to Gov. Orval Faubus’ efforts to block integration. Kurrus had been appointed superintendent of the district after the takeover. His contract wasn’t renewed after he opposed the expansion of charter schools in the district, a move that rallied Democratic lawmakers and community leaders to his defense. Kurrus had also called unifying the city one of his goals in the campaign. “Let’s don’t give in to the things that divide us. Let’s get together, work hard and make this a better place,” Kurrus told supporters after conceding the race. Scott’s election makes him the highest-profile black official in a state that hasn’t elected an African-American to Congress or statewide office since Reconstruction. Blacks make up about 42 percent of the city’s population, compared to nearly 16 percent statewide. Scott and Kurrus advanced to a runoff last month after Scott won a plurality of votes in a five-person race but a few percentage points shy of the 40 percent needed to win outright. Both Scott and Kurrus ran on a promise of change. Stodola, the outgoing mayor, was first elected mayor in 2006. “It’s not a black or white thing with me,” said Lula Binns, a 75-year-old black retiree who voted for Scott. “It’s just time for some younger blood.” Scott’s election comes after a year where African-Americans have made gains elsewhere in Arkansas. Pulaski County, where Little Rock is located, this year elected its first black sheriff and clerk. Several other Arkansas cities have also elected their first black mayors this year.[SEP]LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Voters are casting ballots in an election that could result in Little Rock's first popularly elected black mayor , six decades after Arkansas' capital city was the center of a school desegregation fight. Frank Scott and Baker Kurrus are in Tuesday's runoff for the nonpartisan, open seat. If Scott wins, he would be the first African American elected mayor of Little Rock, where divisions linger long after nine black students were escorted past an angry white mob into Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The city has had two black mayors, but both were elected city directors later chosen for the post by fellow board members. The 35-year-old Scott was an adviser to former Gov. Mike Beebe and served on the state Highway Commission. Kurrus is a 64-year-old attorney and businessman who was superintendent of Little Rock schools after the district was taken over by the state. FILE - This combination of file photos shows candidates for mayor of Little Rock, Ark., from left, Frank Scott and Baker Kurrus, who are running in the Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, runoff election for the nonpartisan, open seat. (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP\, File)[SEP]LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Voters are casting ballots in a runoff election that could result in Little Rock’s first popularly elected black mayor , six decades after Arkansas’ capital city was the centre of a school desegregation fight. Frank Scott and Baker Kurrus are running in Tuesday’s runoff election for the nonpartisan, open seat. If Scott wins the race, he would be the first African American elected mayor of Little Rock. The city has had two black mayors, but both were elected city directors who were later chosen for the post by fellow board members. The 35-year-old Scott is a former adviser to former Gov. Mike Beebe. He also served on the state Highway Commission. Kurrus is a 64-year-old attorney and businessman who was the superintendent of Little Rock schools after the district was taken over by the state.[SEP]LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A banking executive and former highway commissioner has become the first African-American elected to lead Arkansas’ capital, six decades after it was the center of a school desegregation crisis. Frank Scott defeated Baker Kurrus in Tuesday’s runoff for Little Rock mayor. The 35-year-old Scott is a former adviser to former Gov. Mike Beebe and served on the state’s Highway Commission. The 64-year-old Kurrus, who is white, is an attorney and businessman. Scott is the first African-American elected mayor of Little Rock, where divisions linger long after nine black students were escorted past an angry white mob into Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The city has had two black mayors, but they were elected city directors chosen for the job by fellow board members. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[SEP]LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A banking executive and former highway commissioner is poised to become the first African-American elected to lead Arkansas’ capital, six decades after it was the center of a school desegregation crisis. Frank Scott took an early lead in results in Tuesday’s runoff for Little Rock mayor, and rival Baker Kurrus conceded to Scott an hour after polls closed. The 35-year-old Scott is a former adviser to former Gov. Mike Beebe and served on the state’s Highway Commission. The 64-year-old Kurrus, who is white, is an attorney and businessman. Scott would be the first African-American elected mayor of Little Rock, where divisions linger long after nine black students were escorted past an angry white mob into Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The city has had two black mayors, but they were elected city directors chosen for the job by fellow board members.[SEP]LITTLE ROCK — Voters are casting ballots in a runoff election that will determine who will be Little Rock's next mayor. Frank Scott and Baker Kurrus are each vying for the nonpartisan, open seat. If Scott wins, he would be the first African American elected mayor of Little Rock, where divisions linger long after nine black students were escorted past an angry white mob into Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The city has had two black mayors, but both were elected city directors later chosen for the post by fellow board members. The 35-year-old Scott was an adviser to former Gov. Mike Beebe and served on the state Highway Commission. Kurrus is a 64-year-old attorney and businessman who was superintendent of Little Rock schools after the district was taken over by the state.

Frank Scott Jr. is elected Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas, defeating Baker Kurrus in the runoff. Scott will become the city's first African-American mayor.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announces that Seattle has been awarded a new franchise that will begin play in the 2021-22 season. (0:27) SEA ISLAND, Ga. -- The NHL will add a franchise in Seattle, the league announced Tuesday after a unanimous vote by the board of governors. The NHL's 32nd franchise will enter the league for the 2021-22 season as a member of the Pacific Division. That will trigger a realignment that will send the Arizona Coyotes to the Central Division. The cost for league entry will be $650 million, up 30 percent from the $500 million paid by the Vegas Golden Knights to enter the NHL last season. Congratulations, @NHLSeattle_! 👏🏼 The NHL's 32nd franchise will begin play in the 2021-22 season!!! pic.twitter.com/bekbMiwZos — NHL (@NHL) December 4, 2018 Seattle's ownership group had expressed a desire to enter the league in 2020, but the league had reservations about whether that might rush the renovation to KeyArena and, instead, pushed the entry date a year later. Those renovations have now reached a price tag of $800 million, Seattle CEO Tod Leiweke said. The initial projections were $600 million. "When you include the cost of reimagining and building Seattle Center Arena, this is a transaction with a value of approximately $1.4 billion," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. "Which shows incredible commitment by everyone involved -- commitment not just to the NHL but also to the city of Seattle." Seattle, the 18th-largest city in the United States, has not had a winter sports team since the NBA's SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008. The Sonics also played in KeyArena. The WNBA's Seattle Storm are one of the current tenants of the arena, but will temporarily relocate for the 2019 and 2020 seasons as the building undergoes renovations. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was excited to hear the news that the city was getting another professional sports team. Seattle's ownership group sent a strong contingent to Georgia for the board of governors meetings, including majority owner David Bonderman, Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and CEO Tod Leiweke, who most recently worked as the NFL's chief operating officer before he resigned in March. "Today is an exciting and historic day for our league as we expand to one of North America's most innovative, beautiful and fastest-growing cities," Bettman said. "And we are thrilled that Seattle, a city with a proud hockey history that includes being the home for the first American team ever to win the Stanley Cup, is finally joining the NHL." The Seattle Metropolitans played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and won the Stanley Cup in 1917. The franchise folded in 1924. Tuesday's vote ended what had become a monthslong inevitability. In March, the Seattle ownership group launched a season-ticket drive and said it reached 25,000 deposits within the first hour. That exceeds the goal of 10,000 deposits -- which was reached in the first 12 minutes. For context, the Golden Knights ran a season-ticket drive in 2015 and received 5,000 deposits in the first two days. In October, the Seattle ownership group and Mayor Jenny Durkan made a two-hour presentation to the NHL executive committee in New York. The committee voted 9-0 to recommend and forward the bid to the league's full board of governors. The Seattle group already has paid a $10 million deposit to the league along with its official application. The new NHL expansion team in Seattle will begin play in the 2021-22 season, with home games taking place at KeyArena after a $800 million renovation. AP Photo/Elaine Thompson Leiweke said there is no timeframe for announcing a team name. "We're going to take our time," Leiweke said. "There's a group of owners involved. We're going to listen to our fans and we're going to do it right and we're not going to have a time pressure, but it's something we're working on each and every day." Added Bruckheimer: "It's exciting and daunting and scary. ... You just want to do right for Seattle and bring great players and hopefully pick a name where we won't get too many people mad at us." Bettman said several times that a Seattle franchise will benefit from the same expansion-draft rules used by the Golden Knights. Even after Vegas made a surprising run to the Stanley Cup Final during its inaugural season, Bettman said in May that he had received "no pushback whatsoever" from other league owners about repeating the same process for Seattle. "I think clubs have learned a lot," Bettman said at a news conference before the Stanley Cup Final began in Las Vegas. "We needed to make the team more competitive. ... This was the first expansion in the salary-cap era as we afford all of our clubs an opportunity to be competitive; it wouldn't make any sense to not have the expansion team the same way." The Golden Knights had hoped to become the first expansion team in the NHL, MLB, NBA or NFL since the 1950 Cleveland Browns to win a championship in its inaugural season. The Washington Capitals won the series 4-1. The Seattle ownership group felt a sense of relief Tuesday. Various ownership groups had tried to both renovate KeyArena and make a bid for a franchise, to no avail. "I never felt it was preordained," Leiweke said. "And, by the way, if it was, it would have happened a long time ago. This has been a real journey that's had challenges and it's not been for the faint of heart. My brother [Tim] deserves enormous credit for saying a building that others gave up on for dead [could be saved]. And now we can look at that building -- and it does have a soul -- and say its best days are in front of it. "It's not just about hockey. It's about all the other events that'll come. Today is a day of hope, promise ... and we got a lot of hard work in front of us." The addition of Seattle likely ends the NHL's expansion for the short-term future. However, some cities, including Houston, remain as possible relocation sites.[SEP]National Hockey League owners unanimously approve Seattle as 32nd franchise, will begin play in 2021 SEA ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — National Hockey League owners unanimously approve Seattle as 32nd franchise, will begin play in 2021.[SEP]It's official. The National Hockey League will be adding its 32nd franchise in Seattle, with the team starting play in the fall of 2021. On Tuesday in Sea Island, Georgia, commissioner Gary Bettman announced the unanimous approval of the league's board of governors to accept the expansion bid for the city of Seattle at a fee of $650 million — a premium of 30 percent over the $500 million entry fee that Bill Foley paid to earn admission for his Vegas Golden Knights in June of 2016. "Seattle, the NHL is thrilled to welcome you," said Bettman as he led off the league's press conference. Ownership group representatives David Bonderman, an investment banker, movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Seattle Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer, a minority investor, as well as NHL Seattle CEO Tod Leiweke, were all onsite in Georgia for the meetings and subsequent announcement. Back in the Emerald City, the NHL Seattle group hosted an announcement part at Henry's Tavern in South Lake Union on Tuesday morning. Though the Seattle group and mayor Jenny Durkan had been lobbying hard for a start date of 2020, the league has rubber-stamped the team to begin play for the 2021-22 season. The longer timeline will give the group more time to complete its now-projected to be $800-million privately financed redevelopment of the Seattle Center arena, which will be completely redesigned beneath its historic roof. The project is scheduled to break ground on Wednesday with an estimated completion in the spring of 2021, in time for the season of the arena's other anchor tenant, the WNBA's Seattle Storm. The new timeline will also allow the still-unnamed Seattle NHL team to hold its expansion draft at the arena in June of 20201 and give the team the opportunity to prepare for its inaugural season at its new headquarters and training center, which will be the centerpiece of a redevelopment project at the city's Northgate Mall. "It's rarified air to be part of the NHL," said Leiweke on Monday. "This is not only a hockey team, but it's going to solve an arena situation that has gone on way too long." Tuesday's announcement marks the end of a long road. The NHL has been eager to expand to Seattle for years. Now America's fastest-growing big city, it's filled with passionate sports fans who strongly support their teams — as demonstrated when 32,000 fans put down deposits in a 24-hour period during the hockey team's season-ticket drive last March. "That's when we knew this was the right idea," said Leiweke. Seattle also fits a geographic need for the NHL, bringing the league's two conferences into alignment and setting up a natural rivalry with the Vancouver Canucks, just 140 miles to the north. Seattle's hockey history dates back more than 100 years. As part of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, the Seattle Metropolitans became the first American team ever to win the Stanley Cup when they defeated the Montreal Canadiens for the trophy in 1917. To make room for the Seattle team in the Pacific Division, the Arizona Coyotes will relocate to the Central Division starting in the fall of 2021. After Monday's meeting, Bettman offered updates on several other noteworthy items of league business: • The initial projection for the 2019-20 salary-cap ceiling is estimated at $83 million. The final number won't be determined until next June but should be within about $1 million, Bettman said. The ceiling this season is $79.5 million, which marked an increase of $4.5 million from 2017-18. Seattle's expansion fee is not included in the hockey-related revenue that determines the salary-cap number. • Bettman told reporters that the NHL would get involved in a potential arena development project in Ottawa if it is invited to do so, citing the league's involvement in successfully helping the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins secure arenas.. "I think [a downtown arena in Ottawa] would be for a whole host of reasons nice, but (Senators owner) Mr. Melnyk has said if he has to make Canadian Tire Centre work, he can do that," Bettman said, referring to the news that a potential redevelopment opportunity for the LeBreton Flats area in downtown Ottawa seemed to have fallen apart following to a disagreement between Melnyk and his partners. "But again, let's not draw any conclusions yet. This is a complicated situation." • No official talks have yet taken place regarding the NHL's current labor situation. Both the league and the NHL Players' Association have the right to re-open the current collective bargaining agreement on September 15, 2019, potentially triggering a work stoppage one year later. Setting a 2021 start date for the Seattle team moves that event out of the way of a possible strike or lockout. • The league is also looking for labour certainty before setting its schedule for future editions of the World Cup of Hockey. Bettman says that in order to plan a World Cup for the fall of 2020, the league needs a commitment from the players' association no later than All-Star weekend in late January of 2019. Since the league and the players' association would split revenue from another World Cup event, the league is angling to use the event as a bargaining chip in the next labour negotiation.[SEP]It's official—Seattle is getting a hockey team. The National Hockey League's Board of Governors unanimously approved expanding to Seattle, starting in the 2021–2022 season, on Tuesday morning. The announcement leaves the Oak View Group, which is privately funding the project, to demolish and begin construction on the new stadium immediately, according to a press release Tuesday. “Today is an exciting and historic day for our league as we expand to one of North America’s most innovative, beautiful and fastest-growing cities,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. After years of controversy over the Supersonics' exit from Seattle, and the city's next move to attract a National Basketball Association team, Seattle officials moved ahead with renovating KeyArena at the Seattle Center rather than building a new sports stadium in SoDo. Elected officials promised a $700 million renovation plan to KeyArena would attract an NHL team to the city first, and possibly an NBA team. The Seattle City Council approved the plan in September, which is privately funded by the Oak View Group. While the original timeline set a goal of bringing a hockey team into Seattle by October 2020, the announcement delays the expansion by another year to give time for KeyArena's construction. "This is an awesome day for Seattle and Seattle sports fans," said mayor Jenny Durkan in a statement. "Seattle is one of North American's great sports towns, and we're about to become one of its great hockey towns."[SEP]The National Hockey League is expanding to Seattle. The NHL Board of Governors unanimously approved adding Seattle as the league's 32nd franchise on Tuesday. Play will begin in 2021 to allow enough time for arena renovations. The as-yet unnamed franchise will be the Emerald City's first major winter sports team since the NBA's SuperSonics left town in 2008. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said at a watch party in Seattle: "I got a call from a mole in the room and it was a unanimous vote. We're getting hockey." The decision was widely expected after the Seattle Hockey Partners group impressed the board's executive committee in October and had all the ingredients the NHL was looking for. Strong ownership led by billionaire David Bonderman and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, a downtown arena in a sports-crazed city and a season-ticket drive that drummed up 10,000 orders in 12 minutes all cleared the way for the NHL to add another team less than three years after approving a franchise in Las Vegas. The owners will pay a $650 million expansion fee, up from the $500 million the Vegas Golden Knights paid to join the league.[SEP]Mets, Ironmen, the famous Totems: Seattle's hockey history is richer than you think Seattle has long had hockey teams, some more notable than most remember Seattle on Tuesday finally got its long-awaited wish for a National Hockey League expansion team, a move precipitated by plans to remodel KeyArena into a venue designed with such a team in mind. But it's hardly the first time Seattle has had serious hockey around town, and not even the first time the city has flirted with an NHL expansion team. RELATED: 'A historic moment': NHL approves expansion in Seattle, team to start play in 2021 It was 103 years ago that Seattle got its very first professional hockey team, the Seattle Metropolitans, an expansion team formed by the owners of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. The Mets would prove the first Seattle team to take home a national championship. In 1917, the season before the NHL was even formed, the Mets won the Stanley Cup against the Montreal Canadiens. Seattle was the very first American team to win the Stanley Cup, a full 11 years before the New York Rangers would win it as an NHL franchise. The Mets played in Seattle's first public ice arena, the Seattle Ice Arena, a 4,000-seat venue built for a whopping $100,000 at Fifth Avenue and Seneca Street, where the IBM building now stands. After winning the Cup in 1917, the team would go on to appear in the championship game in 1919 (a series Seattle might have won had it not been canceled partway through due to a flu epidemic) and in 1920. But at the close of the 1923-24 season, with game attendance dwindling to about 1,000 per home game, the team folded, as did its league. In 1928, the newly finished Civic Ice Arena, constructed on what would later become Seattle Center grounds, opened, and with it a new Seattle team, the Seattle Eskimos. RELATED: The best, worst prospective names for a Seattle NHL franchise The Eskimos came as part of a new league, the Pacific Coast Hockey League, that would fold in 1931 and take the team with it. The league name would resurface later, but not the team. One member of the Eskimos, Henry Harris -- brother to a former Metropolitan, Wilfred 'Smokey' Harris -- was known throughout the league for his rough play, and in the 1928-29 season, he held the record for the most penalty minutes. Two years would go by before the Northwest Hockey League was formed and a new Seattle team, the Sea Hawks, in 1933. The Sea Hawks had a mixed record, but in 1936 took the NWHL championship, the first championship since the 1920 Mets season. In 1940, the team was sold and then renamed the Olympics for one more season before the league itself folded and took its teams with it. Seattle was left with no professional hockey for the next seven years, but in 1944, the Pacific Coast Hockey League was revived as an amateur league and Seattle got another new team, the Ironmen. The Ironmen would play as an amateur team until 1948, when the league became professional. In 1952, the league became the Western Hockey League and the Ironmen changed its name to the Bombers, going 52-74-15 during the two years it played in that uniform. With attendance low and the team's owner in trouble, the organization took a one-year hiatus during the 1954-55 season and returned under new ownership as the Seattle Americans for the 1955-56 season. Again in 1958, the team underwent yet another name change to the Seattle Totems, a team that would prove competitive if not legendary. During the following 10 years, the Totems would appear in five WHL finals, winning three championships. As SeattleHockey.net puts it, it was a golden age for Seattle hockey. The Totems were the first American professional team to compete with a Soviet national team when the two squared off in 1972. Two years later came the first time Seattle danced with the possibility of an NHL team. In April 1974, the NHL announced that two expansion teams had been awarded, one to Seattle and one to Denver. The Seattle deal was awarded to a group headed by Vince Abbey, a part owner of the Totems. The announcement triggered the folding of the WHL and the Totems moved to the Central Hockey League for the following season while awaiting finalization of the NHL deal that was expected to bring the team with it. But Abbey had trouble coming up with all the financing necessary to finalize the deal, and, after failed attempts at buying other teams and moving them, the NHL withdrew the expansion for both Seattle and Denver. The Totems, saddled with more than $2 million in losses, had to be folded in 1975 and with that, professional hockey in Seattle was over. Another two years went by before a Canadian team moved to Seattle under a new name, the Seattle Breakers. The Breakers, formerly the Kamloops Chiefs, were a junior hockey team in the Western Canada Hockey League, with players aged 14-20. The league was renamed the Western Hockey League (the second league by that name) with the start of the 1978-79 season and continues today with two regional teams. The Breakers competed at the Seattle Center Ice Arena (the Civic Arena, later known as the Mercer Arena) and didn't exactly make waves (pun intended) throughout their eight seasons under the name. After the 1984-85 season, the team was sold and renamed the Thunderbirds, a team that continues today. The T-Birds would eventually move to KeyArena, a venue not designed strictly with hockey in mind, before moving to Kent's ShoWare Center in 2009, where the team plays today. Information for this article came from SeattleHockey.net, MOHAI and Seattle P-I archival stories.[SEP]SEA ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — The National Hockey League is expanding to Seattle. The NHL Board of Governors unanimously approved adding Seattle as the league's 32nd franchise today, with play set to begin in 2021 to allow enough time for arena renovations. The as-yet unnamed franchise will be the Emerald City's first major winter sports team since the NBA's SuperSonics left town in 2008. "Today is an exciting and historic day for our league as we expand to one of North America's most innovative, beautiful and fastest-growing cities," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "And we are thrilled that Seattle, a city with a proud hockey history that includes being the home for the first American team ever to win the Stanley Cup, is finally joining the NHL." The announcement came a few moments after Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan let the news slip at a watch party in Seattle, prompting cheers: "I got a call from a mole in the room and it was a unanimous vote. We're getting hockey." The decision was widely expected after the Seattle Hockey Partners group impressed the board's executive committee in October with a plan that had all the ingredients the NHL was looking for.[SEP]SEA ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Seattle is getting a National Hockey League team. It will just have to wait a little bit longer to drop the puck. The NHL Board of Governors unanimously approved adding Seattle as the league's 32nd franchise on Tuesday, with play set to begin in 2021 instead of 2020 to allow enough time for arena renovations. The as-yet unnamed franchise will be the Emerald City's first major winter sports team since the NBA's SuperSonics left town in 2008. "Today is a day for celebration in a great city that adores and avidly supports its sports teams and for our 101-year-old sports league," Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "Expanding to Seattle makes the National Hockey League more balanced, even more whole and even more vibrant. A team in Seattle evens the number of teams in our two conferences, brings our geographic footprint into greater equilibrium and creates instant new rivalries out west, particularly between Seattle and Vancouver." The announcement came a few moments after Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan let the news slip at a watch party in Seattle, prompting cheers: "I got a call from a mole in the room and it was a unanimous vote. We're getting hockey." The decision was widely expected after the Seattle Hockey Partners group impressed the board's executive committee in October with a plan that had all the ingredients the NHL was looking for. Strong ownership led by billionaire David Bonderman and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, a downtown arena in a sports-crazed city and a season-ticket drive that drummed up 10,000 orders in 12 minutes all cleared the way for the NHL to add another team less than three years after approving a franchise in Las Vegas. Seattle Hockey President and CEO Tod Leiweke joked that he'd have to throw out some Seattle 2020 business cards because of the pushed-back timing. But all sides agreed 2021 was the best time to start. "They've always felt that we should have a little more time to build the arena right," Bruckheimer said. "We wanted to bring it to 2020-21 because we want to get going right away, but it's not fair to the fans or to the players to not have a 100 percent finished arena when we start." The owners will pay a $650 million expansion fee, up from the $500 million the Vegas Golden Knights paid to join the league just two years ago. Leiweke said arena renovations will cost $800 million and the addition of a state-of-the-art practice facility makes it a total investment of over $1.5 billion. "(That's) a few bits of change which aren't around anymore," Bonderman said of the spending. "Seattle is one of my favorite cities and it's a pleasure to be here. If it was someplace else, I wouldn't have done it." The NHL will also realign its two divisions in the West for the 2021-22 season: Seattle will play the Pacific, home to its closest geographic rivals like Vancouver, Calgary and San Jose, and the Arizona Coyotes will move to the Central Division. "It was at the end of the day the simplest, most logical and least disruptive option we had available to us and I think it'll work well for the Coyotes," Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said. The remarkable debut by Vegas in 2017, which included a run to the Stanley Cup Final, gave the league more confidence about moving forward so quickly. Seattle will benefit from the same expansion draft rules Vegas had. Its front office is expected to be led by Dave Tippett, a former coach who would lead the search for the club's first general manager and staff. Tippett signed on to the project because of a connection to Leiweke, a major force in delivering an NHL team to Seattle. Leiweke got his start in hockey with the Minnesota Wild. He also worked in Vancouver and most recently helped build Tampa Bay into a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. Leiweke left the Lightning in 2015 to become the COO of the NFL and didn't have any interest in leaving the league office until the project in Seattle began to gain traction. Leiweke's job will be to capitalize on a market whose demographics have changed significantly since he left the NFL's Seahawks in 2010 after being largely responsible for the team hiring coach Pete Carroll. Seattle is the largest market in the country without a winter pro sports franchise and has seen an influx of wealth in recent years. Even when he was running the Seahawks, Leiweke believed Seattle was ripe for the NHL and the response to the season-ticket drive only strengthened that belief. "I woke up today thinking about the fans," Leiweke said. "What did they feel on March 1 when they put down deposits without knowing anything? No team name, an ownership group they didn't know very well, a building plan that was back then somewhat defined but fairly vague. Today is a great day for the fans and we owe them so much. That's why today happened." The NHL's launch in Seattle will show how starved fans are for another team. Basketball is embedded in the DNA of the region thanks to 41 years of the SuperSonics and a lengthy history of producing NBA talent. When the rain of the fall and winter drive young athletes inside, they grab a basketball and head for the nearest gym to play pickup games. Basketball courts and coffee shops seem to be on every corner, but ice rinks are scarce. A lot about Seattle is different from 2008, when the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City. The skyline is filled with construction cranes. Amazon has taken over an entire section of the city, joined nearby by satellite offices of Google and Facebook. The amount of wealth now in the Seattle market is part of the reason Tim Leiweke, Tod's older brother and the CEO of event facilities giant Oak View Group, has regularly calls the city one of the most enticing expansion opportunities in pro sports history. Seattle has become a city of transplants due to the booming local economy. A hockey franchise would provide those newcomers a team to rally around, much like what happened when the Sounders of Major League Soccer arrived in 2009 — the last team added to the city's sport landscape. The Sonics were the first, joining the NBA in 1967, followed by the arrival of the Seahawks in 1976 and Mariners in 1977 after construction of the Kingdome. There have been several attempts at solving Seattle's arena issues and landing either an NHL or NBA team in the years since the Sonics left, but none had the support of the city or the private money attached until now. Asked Tuesday about possibly adding an NBA team, Bonderman responded: "One miracle at a time." While Seattle basks in the news, it's not clear the NHL will be satisfied at 32 teams even with the new team providing balance between the conferences and a natural, cross-border rival for the Vancouver Canucks. Daly said recently that there's no magic number, even though no major North American sports league has ever grown beyond 32 teams. Houston, Quebec City and Toronto have all been touted as possible new homes someday, but they'll also have to wait. "We're not looking right now and I think for the foreseeable future at any further expansion," Bettman said.[SEP]SEA ISLAND, Ga. — The National Hockey League is expanding to Seattle. The NHL Board of Governors unanimously approved adding Seattle as the league’s 32nd franchise on Tuesday, with play set to begin in 2021 to allow enough time for arena renovations. The as-yet unnamed franchise will be the Emerald City’s first major winter sports team since the NBA’s SuperSonics left town in 2008. “Today is an exciting and historic day for our league as we expand to one of North America’s most innovative, beautiful and fastest-growing cities,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “And we are thrilled that Seattle, a city with a proud hockey history that includes being the home for the first American team ever to win the Stanley Cup, is finally joining the NHL.” The announcement came a few moments after Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan let the news slip at a watch party in Seattle, prompting cheers: “I got a call from a mole in the room and it was a unanimous vote. We’re getting hockey.” The decision was widely expected after the Seattle Hockey Partners group impressed the board’s executive committee in October with a plan that had all the ingredients the NHL was looking for. Strong ownership led by billionaire David Bonderman and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, a downtown arena in a sports-crazed city and a season-ticket drive that drummed up 10,000 orders in 12 minutes all cleared the way for the NHL to add another team less than three years after approving a franchise in Las Vegas. The owners will pay a $650 million expansion fee, up from the $500 million the Vegas Golden Knights paid to join the league. The NHL will also realign its two divisions in the West for the 2021-22 season: Seattle will play the Pacific, home to its closest geographic rivals like Vancouver, Calgary and San Jose, and the Arizona Coyotes will move to the Central Division. The remarkable debut by Vegas in 2017, which included a run to the Stanley Cup Final, gave the league more confidence about moving forward so quickly. Seattle will benefit from the same expansion draft rules Vegas had. Its front office is expected to be led by Dave Tippett, a former coach who would lead the search for the club’s first general manager and staff. Tippett signed on to the project because of a connection to president and CEO Tod Leiweke, a major force in delivering an NHL team to Seattle. Leiweke got his start in hockey with the Minnesota Wild. He also worked in Vancouver and most recently helped build Tampa Bay into a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. Leiweke left the Lightning in 2015 to become the COO of the NFL and didn’t have any interest in leaving the league office until the project in Seattle began to gain traction. Leiweke’s job will be to capitalize on a market whose demographics have changed significantly since he left the NFL’s Seahawks in 2010 after being largely responsible for the team hiring coach Pete Carroll. Seattle is the largest market in the country without a winter pro sports franchise and has seen an influx of wealth in recent years. Even when he was running the Seahawks, Leiweke believed Seattle was ripe for the NHL and the response to the season-ticket drive only strengthened that belief. The NHL’s launch in Seattle will show how starved fans are for another team. Basketball is embedded in the DNA of the region thanks to 41 years of the SuperSonics and a lengthy history of producing NBA talent. When the rain of the fall and winter drive young athletes inside, they grab a basketball and head for the nearest gym to play pickup games. Basketball courts and coffee shops seem to be on every corner, but ice rinks are scarce. A lot about Seattle is different from 2008, when the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City. The skyline is filled with construction cranes. Amazon has taken over an entire section of the city, joined nearby by satellite offices of Google and Facebook. The amount of wealth now in the Seattle market is part of the reason Tim Leiweke, Tod’s older brother and the CEO of event facilities giant Oak View Group, has regularly called the city “a brilliant marketplace” and one of the most enticing expansion opportunities in pro sports history. Seattle has become a city of transplants due to the booming local economy. A hockey franchise would provide those newcomers a team to rally around, much like what happened when the Sounders of Major League Soccer arrived in 2009 — the last team added to the city’s sport landscape. The Sonics were the first, joining the NBA in 1967, followed by the arrival of the Seahawks in 1976 and Mariners in 1977 after construction of the Kingdome. There have been several attempts at solving Seattle’s arena issues and landing either an NHL or NBA team in the years since the Sonics left, but none had the support of the city or the private money attached until now. While Seattle basks in the news, it’s not clear the NHL will be satisfied at 32 teams even with the new team providing balance between the Eastern and Western conferences and a natural, cross-border rival for the Vancouver Canucks. Deputy NHL Commissioner Bill Daly said recently that there’s no magic number, even though no major North American sports league has ever grown beyond 32 teams. He said simply that expansion is appropriate when it adds value to the league. Houston, Quebec City and Toronto have all been touted as possible new homes someday.[SEP]The National Hockey League is coming to Seattle. The league's board of governors voted unanimously Tuesday to award its 32nd franchise to Seattle, beginning in the 2021-22 season. Seattle has long been a sought-after venue for an NHL franchise, but after numerous starts and stops, the process gathered a full head of steam when the city agreed last December to renovate KeyArena. "Today is an exciting and historic day for our league as we expand to one of North America's most innovative, beautiful and fastest-growing cities,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters. "And we are thrilled that Seattle, a city with a proud hockey history that includes being the home for the first American team ever to win the Stanley Cup, is finally joining the NHL." The Seattle ownership group, which includes David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer, will pay a $650 million expansion fee for the rights to the franchise. The team will have an expansion draft in June 2021. The NHL will follow the same expansion rules it used for the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Knights began play in 2017 and have had instant success, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season before losing to the Washington Capitals. Las Vegas' success both as a market and on the ice has led to optimism the NHL could strike gold in the Seattle market, which has been starved for a winter sports franchise since the Seattle SuperSonics departed a decade ago. "I think clubs have learned a lot," Bettman told reporters at the Stanley Cup Final of his outlook on expansion franchises. "We needed to make the team more competitive. ... This was the first expansion in the salary-cap era as we afford all of our clubs an opportunity to be competitive, it wouldn't make any sense to not have the expansion team the same way."

In ice hockey, the National Hockey League announces that its board of governors unanimously approved a new franchise for Seattle. The new team will start play in the 2021–22 season, bringing the league's membership to 32 teams.

A view of an entrance of Sweden's central bank in Stockholm, Sweden, August 12, 2016. Picture taken August 12, 2016. REUTERS/Violette Goarant LONDON (Reuters) - Sweden is likely to become cashless within the next five years, the deputy governor of the country’s central bank, Cecilia Skingsley, predicted on Tuesday. The use of notes and coins has been declining in Sweden for years and instant mobile phone payments and other new technologies means it is has now dwindled to almost insignificant levels. “Sweden will probably become cashless in 3-5 years,” Riksbank deputy Skingsley said at a London banking conference. Physical cash would not be banned, but so few people and firms were likely to need to use it beyond that timeframe that it would become practically useless. Central banks themselves will also need to evolve to adapt to what will be a much changed landscape. They many introduce their own digital currencies — something the Riksbank is looking into — and continue doing what they have been doing for best part of the last 200-300 years. Alternatively they may develop into something that regulates and controls “privately created” money by firms looking to dominate global payment markets. “If we don’t do anything we are looking at a future where money will be spontaneously privatized,” Skingsley said. “The upside of becoming the Google of money creation or payments is very attractive and is something all of us (in the central bank/regulatory sphere) think we have to be very firm on the boundaries of.”[SEP]Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha on Monday said that his embattled Deputy, Eze Madumere remains impeached until the determination of the Appeal against the High Court judgment that nullified his impeachment. The Imo governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, stated that, “until the appeal is decided, Madumere remains impeached. And recognizing him as the Deputy-Governor of the State with the appeal pending would mean jeopardizing the appeal”. Okorocha was reacting to a statement credited to Madumere where he lampooned the governor for not recognising him (Madumere) during a recent event in the state. According to the statement, “we have read a report in the media credited to the Former Deputy Governor of the State, Prince Eze Madumere quoting him to have said that he had appealed to Senator Osita Izunaso to forgive “Governor Rochas Okorocha’s embarrassing attitude during the mother’s funeral rites. “According to the report, what Madumere referred to as “the embarrassing attitude” of the governor was his non-recognition by the governor as the Deputy Governor of the State during the governor’s speech at the burial service of the mother of Senator Izunaso last weekend. “As a matter of fact, the failure or inability of the governor to recognize Madumere as the Deputy-Governor of the State at that event was not an oversight. That was the proper thing to do because there is an existing appeal at the Appeal Court against the High Court Judgement that quashed the impeachment of Madumere by the State House of Assembly. “So until the appeal is decided, Madumere remains impeached. And recognizing him as the Deputy-Governor of the State with the appeal pending would mean jeopardizing the appeal. He should have known this fact and if he had asked his lawyer, he would have told him that the governor acted rightly in the circumstance”. It continued that, “Madumere declared war against his benefactor or mentor because he wanted to be governor, using the issue of zoning as his bet. Today, Madumere is not the governorship Candidate of any Political Party nor the deputy governorship Candidate. He has no option than to support Hope Uzodinma, the APC Candidate who is from Orlu zone. “Those who had encouraged Madumere to fight the man who made him somebody, on the ground that they would make him governor have gone their ways and the Prince is not only on his own, but now staggering, thinking about which leg to put forward first. “It is left for the Public to ask Madumere why he is still keen in working with Governor Okorocha as his deputy after he had tried in vain to paint the same man black. “To us, Madumere remains impeached as Deputy-Governor until the appeal against the Judgement of the High Court that is in his favour is decided. He has acquired maggot infested firewood and by so doing has invited Agama Lizard to both breakfast, lunch and dinner. He does not have our sympathy again”. – Thisday.[SEP]Baku. 25 July. REPORT.AZ/ Rouhani’s cabinet on Wednesday gave Abdolnasser Hemmati a vote of confidence to replace Valiollah Seif as the governor of the Central Bank of Iran. Report informs citing the Iranian media. Hemmati had previously served as the president of Central Insurance of Iran and CEO of Iran’s Bank Melli.

The deputy governor of Sweden's central bank, the Riksbank, says that the country is likely to become a cashless society within the next three to five years.

Manca ancora l'ufficialità, attraverso l'esame del Dna che è in corso, ma da quanto trapela i carabinieri di Rieti avrebbero identificato la seconda vittima. A quanto ha appreso l'ANSA da fonti giudiziarie, il corpo carbonizzato, trovato vicino al distributore, potrebbe essere quello di Andrea Maggi, 38 anni, di Montelibretti (Roma). I militari hanno già effettuato il prelievo del Dna dal fratello del 38enne e il responso dell'esame è atteso a breve. Salaria resterà ancora chiusa La statale Salaria rimarrà ancora chiusa, in entrambe le direzioni, per facilitare le operazioni di bonifica dell'area colpita dall'esplosione. Il comune di Fara Sabina ha fatto sapere, inoltre, rispetto a quanto riferito in mattinata, che il traffico rimarrà vietato temporaneamente anche sulla Salaria Vecchia. Invariate le indicazioni riguardanti la viabilità provvisoria. In particolare per chi proviene da Roma percorrendo la via Salaria o la strada Ss4Dir è prevista una diramazione a Passo Corese, area semaforica; per chi proviene da Rieti è prevista diramazione su strada Farense SP41, altezza Corese Terra, direzione Canneto; per Poggio Mirteto è prevista diramazione per strada SR313; è consentito il traffico, sulla Vecchia Salaria, solo dei mezzi pesanti (sopra le 3,5t) e dei mezzi di soccorso. Attesa informativa, sequestrata area Attende in giornata una prima informativa la Procura di Rieti. Il PM Lorenzo Francia ha compiuto ieri un sopralluogo nell'area del disastro, ora sequestrata. La Procura ha nominato già un consulente, al lavoro da questa mattina, e sta acquisendo le immagini registrate dalle telecamere di cui è dotata l'area di servizio, ma anche quelle postate sui social network dagli automobilisti che si trovavano nella zona. Nell'inchiesta al momento ipotizza l'omicidio colposo e dovrà chiarire cosa ha causato l'incendio e le successive esplosioni della cisterna che stava scaricando gpl nel distributore. Lo svuotamento cisterne Nell'area di servizio Ip di Borgo Quinzio, è in corso lo svuotamento delle cisterne del distributore. Da questa mattina sono state effettuate le operazioni di bonifica dell'intera area interessata dall'esplosione. La tragedia Due morti e 23 feriti è il bilancio di una tremenda esplosione (IL VIDEO) in un’area di servizio sulla via Salaria a Borgo Quinzio, in provincia di Rieti. Tra le vittime un vigile del fuoco e un uomo che, al momento dello scoppio, si trovava vicino al distributore. Tra i feriti ci sono altri sette pompieri, giunti sul posto prima del boato dai distaccamenti di Poggio Mirteto e Montelibretti proprio per provare a sedare le fiamme, e alcuni soccorritori del 118 rimasti ustionati al volto. Sei feriti sono gravi e sono stati trasportati dal 118 in diversi ospedali con ustioni e traumi. La procura della Repubblica di Rieti ha aperto un'inchiesta. Il fascicolo è stato assegnato al PM Cusano e ai sostituti Maruotti e Francia. Regione: "23 feriti nell'esplosione" "Il totale dei feriti coinvolti nella forte esplosione avvenuta ieri pomeriggio in un distributore sulla via Salaria e giunti nei pronto soccorso è complessivamente di 23 persone. Di queste cinque sono giunte autonomamente con mezzi privati e 18 con i mezzi di soccorso intervenuti prontamente. Attualmente risultano ricoverate 16 persone mentre le restanti sono state dimesse". Lo ha dichiarato in una nota l'Assessore alla Sanità e l'Integrazione Sociosanitaria della Regione Lazio, Alessio D'Amato. "I 16 feriti sono distribuiti - ha spiegato - presso il Sant'Andrea (4 feriti), il Policlinico Gemelli (2 in dimissione) e il De Lellis a Rieti (3 feriti); i feriti più gravi si trovano presso il Centro Grandi Ustioni del Sant'Eugenio (7 di cui 2 donne e 5 uomini) con ustioni tra il 25% e il 50% del corpo. Sono tutti in prognosi riservata e stabili. L'equipe del Centro Grandi Ustioni ha lavorato continuativamente tutta la notte per assicurare la massima assistenza ai pazienti e nei prossimi giorni, seguendo l'evolversi del quadro clinico, saranno in grado di effettuare i trapianti di pelle. La rete dell'emergenza e presa in carico dei feriti ha risposto positivamente e in ogni struttura ospedaliera del Sistema sanitario regionale stanno prestando le cure appropriate". Data ultima modifica 06 dicembre 2018 ore 17:40[SEP]Two people died and 15 others were injured Wednesday after a fuel tanker exploded at a gas station in central Italy, according to the country's firefighting service. The incident happened at around 2.30 pm local time in the province of Rieti, Lazio region, when a fuel tanker resupplying a gas station exploded, provoking an enormous fireball.[SEP]Two people have died in a huge explosion at a gas station in Italy. Among the victims was a firefighter, the fire brigade in the town of Fara in Sabina near Rome tweeted on Wednesday. At least 17 people have been injured, according to news agency ANSA. A tanker caught fire for unknown reasons. The force of the resulting explosion had catapulted a tanker and a vehicle from the fire brigade several meters, the newspaper La Repubblica reported. The site of the explosion is located about 50 kilometres north-east of Rome in the province of Rieti. "The situation is under control," Fara in Sabina Mayor Davide Basilicata wrote in the early evening on Facebook. The site of the accident was still inaccessible and traffic was being redirected.[SEP]A fire sparked while a tank truck was unloading gas at a petrol station located at the 39th kilometre on the busy Via Salaria, near Borgo Quinzio, in the province of Rieti, some 80 kilometres from Rome. In less than half an hour, at approximately 1pm GMT, the vehicle exploded, injurying passersby and members of the fire brigades who were trying to put down the blaze. One of the two victims was a 50-year-old fireman, Stefano Colasanti, who was not a member of the brigades called to assist but selflessly stopped to help his colleagues evacuate the area while he was passing through. Upon confirming his death, the Italian fire service spoke of the "endless pain" they were suffering from the loss. The other casualty is a man who was hit by the blast after he stopped to check what was going on. The 17 injured, including some of the emergency responders, were taken to five different hospitals by helicopter to avoid the traffic that started piling up as soon as part of the SS4 Via Salaria, a stretch of the Italian state highway linking Rome to the Adriatic sea, was closed and cordoned by police. Davide Basilicata, mayor of the surrounding municipality of Fara in Sabina, said: "We are monitoring the situation, we have diverted the traffic and no one is allowed to go near the area of the blast. "The situation is serious, firefighters keeps working at the scene. "The whole area has been declared a red zone and remains off limits for now." Among the injured, three are deemed seriusly harmed. And all of them have suffered blast shocks and burns. Antonio Mannoni, police commissioner of Rieti, explained what happened to Italian news agency Ansa, saying: "I can confirm the outcome of the tragedy is heavy. "The blast sparked from a tanker which was unloading gas at the petrol station. "A first blaze had started earlier, and while firefighters were tackling it a second violent explosion took place. "At the moment firefighters are cooling down the tanker to make sure it will no longer be a threat." Blood-chilling pictures show firefighters and police officers still working inside the cordoned area. The explosion was "like an earthquake", according to witnesses who spoke to local media. Residents living nearby described to Italian daily Repubblica the blast, saying: "An enormous roar, never heard something like that, it sounded like an earthquake." Italy's deputy prime ministers Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini both offered their condolensces to the relatives of those who died.

Two people died while 18 others are injured when a tank truck caught fire and exploded in the city of Rieti, Italy.

There are reports of houses being damaged and destroyed on a remote island in Vanuatu's south, after several tsunami waves hit coastal areas yesterday afternoon, following a magnitude-7.5 earthquake. The US National Tsunami Centre said the quake struck at a depth of around 10 kilometres just after 3:00pm (local time), about 168 kilometres east of the nearest population centre, Tadine, on New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands. There are no reported casualties, but people in both Vanuatu and New Caledonia are this morning assessing the damage. Residents on Aneityum, the southern-most inhabited island in Vanuatu, told Pacific Beat there had been as many as four waves hitting the island, and at least five homes had been destroyed. Photos posted to social media showed debris strewn across beaches, and water marks metres inland. Resident Joseph Yasifu, who is a tour operator based in Aneityum, said people did not hear a warning in his village of Umej, and only started running to higher ground when the first wave hit. In New Caledonia, Deputy Director-General of the Pacific Community Cameron Diver, said there was ample warning for people in Noumea to evacuate, and alert sirens went off in the Loyalty Islands. But he said areas were hit by waves of up to 2 metres, and he expected "significant coastal erosion".[SEP]Tsunami warnings for New Caledonia, Vanuatu after magnitude-7.5 earthquake Tsunami waves have been seen after a magnitude-7.5 earthquake struck off the coast of New Caledonia. The US National Tsunami Centre said the quake struck at a shallow depth of around 10 kilometres just after 3:00pm (local time) about 168 kilometres east of the nearest populated city, Tadine, on New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands. "Hazardous tsunami waves" were forecast for Vanuatu and New Caledonia by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC). PTWC said waves 1 to 3 metres above the tide level could hit New Caledonia and Vanuatu and confirmed "tsunami waves have been observed" at about 3:45pm (AEST). Vanuatu's government released a statement saying it was not expecting a "destructive tsunami". The earthquake's epicentre was about 310 kilometres away from New Caledonia's capital, Noumea. "That is pretty far away," USGS's Rafael Abreu said. "We wouldn't expect to see any significant damage from that far away from the ground-shaking related to this event." According to PTWC, any waves that hit Australia as a result of the tremor would be less than 30 centimetres tall. At least five aftershocks also hit, ranging in magnitude from 5.6 to 6. New Caledonia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" — the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes and volcanic activity occur.[SEP]A tsunami warning has been issued for all of the Pacific island of New Caledonia, after a shallow 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the country’s coast, prompting warnings that hazardous tsunami waves up to three metres high could reach New Caledonia and Vanuatu. The earthquake was a shallow 10km (6 miles) deep and occurred about 155km (95 miles) southeast of the Loyalty Islands, which are part of New Caledonia, a French territory, on Wednesday afternoon local time. “Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters, hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1,000km of the earthquake epicenter,” warned the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), saying waves could reach between one and three metres high. Earthquakes are generally more destructive when the epicenter is near the surface. The New Caledonian high commission issued a tsunami warning for all of New Caledonia, ordering the “immediate evacuation” of people to refuge areas and the “application of safety instructions”. “If you don’t have time to prepare your evacuation, get more than 300m away from the coast and/or get to a height of more than 12m,” warned the Directorate for Civil Protection and Risk Management of New Caledonia (DSCGR). The PTWC issued tsunami wave warnings for Anatom Island and Esperitu Santo in Vanuatu and Noumea in New Caledonia. They said initial tsunami waves could arrive between 4:42pm UTC and 5:39pm UTC but warned that the actual arrival time of the wave could differ from this and warned that “a tsunami is a series of waves and the time between waves can be five minutes to one hour” and that the initial wave may not be the largest and most dangerous in the series. Waves reaching 0.3m to 1m above tide level could reach some coasts of Fiji, warned the PTWC and tsunami waves of less than 0.3m could reach many countries across the Pacific and south-east Asia, including Australia. The PTWC said government agencies should inform coastal populations who are at risk, in line with their procedures and told people located in threatened coastal areas to “stay alert for information”. A spokesman for French mining and metals group Eramet , which operates the Doniambo nickel plant in the main harbour of Noumea, said it had enacted its tsunami alert process. “The procedure is to ask people who work near the sea to move higher up,” he said, adding that he had felt the quake, describing it a strong but not long-lasting shaking. This is a developing story … please check back for updates[SEP]Tsunami waves have been observed after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake shook the south Pacific in the early hours Wednesday. According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Hawaii, waves one to three meters (3 - 10 feet) above the tide level could strike the coasts of New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Smaller waves up to one meter may reach Fiji and ripples of no more than a foot could travel all the way to South and Central America, Hawaii, China, Japan and just about any nation with Pacific coastline in the southern hemisphere. Waves have been observed already at buoys off New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Evacuations have been ordered for vulnerable areas of New Caledonia, but the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department posted the following on its website: "Based on all available and historical data, a destructive Tsunami is not expected within Vanuatu. This will be the only statement for this event unless additional data are received." "A tsunami is a series of waves and the time between waves can be five minutes to one hour," reads the PTWC alert. The waves were triggered by a shallow earthquake centered southeast of the Loyalty Islands, which are part of New Caledonia. Several aftershocks of at least 5.0 magnitude have been recorded since the initial earthquake just after 4 a.m. UTC.[SEP]New Caledonia has been rocked by a massive magnitude 7.6 earthquake on Wednesday, sparking a tsunami alert and evacuations. Authorities have urged residents to move more than 984 feet away from the shore and head to high ground if possible. High ground, say officials, is anything taller than 39 ft above sea level. Despite the massive quake on Wednesday afternoon local time, New Caledonia officials have reported no injuries. Oliver Ciry, a spokesman for New Caledonia's directorate for civil protection and risk management said: "The good news is, we have had no injuries or damage.” He added that they had spotted abnormal movements of the sea off the east coast before the earthquake. Read More: New Caledonia earthquake: Where did HUGE magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit? The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) warned that tsunami waves of 3-10 feet (1-3 meters) were possible along the coasts of New Caledonia and Vanuatu and could be take a while to form. The PTWC warned: “A tsunami is a series of waves and the time between waves can be five minutes to one hour.” Residents were alerted via an urgent text message which ordered “immediate evacuation” to refuge areas and the “application of safety instructions”. The Directorate for Civil Protection and Risk Management of New Caledonia (DSCGR) warned: “If you don’t have time to prepare your evacuation, get more than 300m away from the coast and/or get to a height of more than 12m.” New Caledonia is a French territory which lies north of New Zealand, in the South Pacific Ocean. The earthquake itself struck just 10 km (6 miles) deep and about 155 km (95 miles) east-southeast of the Loyalty Islands, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre. The epicentre of the quake was around 300 km (186.4 miles) east of the New Caledonia capital Noumea, but it was so strong that experts said small tsunami waves may be seen as far away as Antarctica and Russia. New Caledonia is comprised of dozens of islands in the South Pacific and is known for its white sandy beaches and rich marine life.[SEP]The earthquake struck at 4.18am UTC (3.18pm local time) and registered at magnitude 7.6. It struck about 95 miles southeast of the Loyalty Islands, part of the French Territory New Caledonia. At a depth of six miles, this shadow earthquake could pose a major hazard to land. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said tsunami waves of between one and three meters were possible along some coasts of New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Waves of up to one metre were possible in Fiji, the agency warned. People on the east coast have been told to retreat at least 300m from the shore by the New Caledonia civil defence, and try to get to ground of at least 12m in altitude. Those living on the west coast have been urged to remain vigilant. At least five aftershocks were registered after the initial quake, ranging in magnitude from 5.6 to 6.0. READ MORE: WATCH as tsunami warning issued after HUGE quake – VIDEO New Caledonia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where most of the world's earthquakes and volcanic activity occur. Is it safe to travel? The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for the region following the earthquake. The advice is as follows for all regions: “Anyone on low lying coastal areas should be prepared to move to higher ground. Please follow the advice of the local authorities and monitor media channels.” If you have plans to travel to the region, you should check with your travel provider for any updates on safety or access. However, there were no immediate reports of damage from the initial earthquake, and according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), minimal loss of life is expected. Basile Citre, a municipal official on the Loyalty Island of Mare, said the situation there was so far under control. He told AFP: “I was in a meeting at the town hall and we felt a small tremor then a bigger one.[SEP]The islands of New Caledonia have been subject to tsunami warnings this morning, after an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude struck oceans close by. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre have warned people to retreat 300m away from shorelines, and get to 12m above sea level if possible. Despite the region experiencing regular earthquakes, tsunami warnings are more rare. But where is the island, and what is the current threat level. The French territory, made up of a number of islands in the Pacific, is around 1,500 miles north of New Zealand. The archipelago is part of the Melanesia subregion, and has a land area of 7,172 sqare miles and population of almost 270,000. In New Caledonia, the main islands include Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield Islands, the Belep archipelago, and the Isle of Pines. Natives of the territory are called the Kanak people, but inhabitants also include Europeans, Polynesians, and Asians. It sits on something called the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, on a series of seismic faults. As a result of this, it’s been the location of a number of extreme weather events. The current weather situation means tsunami waves of between 3ft and 10ft may be possible along some coasts of New Caledonia and Vanuatu, while waves of up to 3ft were possible in Fiji. According to the US Geological Survey, the original earthquake struck about 104 miles east of Tadine in New Caledonia at a shallow depth of six miles. Earthquakes that hit shallow depths are usually more dangerous, which prompted fears about tsunami waves possibly hitting nearby islands. The island of Vanuatu, however, only saw waves travelling a few metres beyond normal tides, which may mean New Caledonia will also be safe. At this point the threat is still in place, though, despite the islanders stating there has been no damage so far. MORE: Runner who ran route in record time admits he got a lift MORE: Thousands of shooting stars set to scorch through the sky as the Geminids meteor shower begins[SEP]The shallow earthquake struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands today around 4.18am GMT (UTC). Preliminary tests show the tremors occurred at a depth of mourned six miles (10km). Two aftershocks were later recorded at 5.9 magnitude and 5.7 magnitude north of the island. The tsunami threat has now passed but officials expect sea fluctuations to affect coastal areas. TSUNAMI WAVES seen after two HUGE earthquakes strike off New Caledonia Residents of New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji are urged to “remain alert” and cautious when near the sea. The update comes after the PTWC warned of tsunami waves up 9.8ft (3m) tall along the coasts of New Caledonia and Vanuatu. At 7.09am GMT the PTWC said: “The tsunami threat from the 7.6 magnitude earthquake southeast of the Loyalty Islands has now largely passed. “Minor sea level fluctuations up to 0.3m may continue over the next few hours.”[SEP]A massive earthquake has struck beneath the waters of the South Pacific, and dangerously powerful waves may soon follow. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center is cautioning that the magnitude 7.6 quake, which struck Wednesday afternoon local time, could pose risks for Vanuatu and the nearby island chain of New Caledonia. "Hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1000 km [roughly 620 miles] of the earthquake epicenter," the service said. The epicenter was recorded just over 100 miles southeast of Tadine, a town on the Loyalty Islands, which are part of New Caledonia. The region's high commission ordered residents to immediately evacuate to high ground and refuge areas, according to The Guardian. New Caledonia, a French overseas territory, has a population of about 259,000. Meanwhile Vanuatu, an independent archipelago nation, also faces the risk of a tsunami. The PTWC warned that the country's Anatom and Epertu islands both could see dangerous waves within an hour or two of the earthquake's strike. New Zealand, for its part, quickly announced that its residents would face "no tsunami threat."[SEP]WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A powerful earthquake that struck in the southern Pacific Ocean on Wednesday sent jitters around the region after authorities warned of possible tsunamis, but there were no initial reports of destructive waves or major damage. The magnitude 7.5 quake hit in the afternoon near the French territory of New Caledonia at a shallow depth, where earthquakes are generally more damaging. It was felt as far away as Vanuatu, about 630 kilometres away Tsunami sirens blared across New Caledonia minutes after the quake. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves of between 1 and 3 metres were possible along some coasts of New Caledonia and Vanuatu, before later lifting the warning. Local authorities in New Caledonia ordered residents to evacuate coastal zones on the eastern edge of the archipelago, including the Loyalty Islands and the island of Ile des Pins. The evacuation order from the regional police said western islands didn’t need to evacuate but should remain vigilant. While residents of the region are familiar with tsunami warnings and evacuations, the quake startled tourists, including communications consultant Eugenie Kerleau, 30, vacationing on the island of Lifou from her home in mainland France. “It was really surprising, I had a feeling of vertigo, the curtains were moving. We were immediately evacuated from the hotel to a calmer point at higher altitude,” she told The Associated Press. No damage was immediately reported, according to Vincent Lepley, crisis co-ordinator for the Red Cross in New Caledonia. Judith Rostain, a freelance journalist based in New Caledonia’s capital, Noumea, said there was no damage to the city. She said the situation remained unclear on the east coast and scattered outer islands. In Vanuatu, Dan McGarry said he heard only of three small wave surges hitting the southern island of Aneityum. McGarry, the media director at the Vanuatu Daily Post, said the waves travelled only a couple of meters beyond the normal tidal waves, and that everybody was fine on the island. McGarry said he felt the quake where he is based in Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, as a mild shaking. “We get a lot of earthquakes every year,” he said. “The tsunami warning was what was different this time, though.” The warning centre said there was no tsunami threat to Hawaii. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck about 168 kilometres east of Tadine in New Caledonia at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres. At least six aftershocks also hit, ranging in magnitude from 5.6 to 6.6. The populations of Vanuatu and New Caledonia are similar, with just over 280,000 people living in each archipelago. Last month, voters in New Caledonia elected to remain a territory of France rather than becoming independent. Both New Caledonia and Vanuatu sit on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic activity occur. Charlotte Antoine in Paris and Moussa Moussa in Sydney contributed to this report.

Tsunami waves reportedly strike parts of New Caledonia and northern Vanuatu following a magnitude 7.5 earthquake centered near the Loyalty Islands.

Rescuers are searching for five of seven crew members believed to have been on board two US Marine planes that collided mid-air off the coast of Japan in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defense and the US Marine Corps. The KC-130 and F/A-18 collided at 1:42 a.m. local time, according to a Japanese Defense Ministry statement. According to a statement from the US Marine Corps, the crash happened during an aerial refueling that was part of a routine training. The primary mission of a KC-130 is airborne refueling. It is believed five crew were on board the KC-130 and two on the F/A-18 at the time of the crash, two US defense officials told CNN. One Marine was rescued by a helicopter from Japan’s Self Defense Force at 5:43 a.m. local time (6 p.m. ET), according to Japanese and US officials. First Lieutenant Josh Hayes, a public affairs officer with the 3rd Marines Expeditionary Forces based out of Okinawa, told CNN the Marine was in “fair condition.” A second US Marine was found by a Japanese military ship at 12:13 p.m. local (12:00 a.m. ET) and was being transferred to a mainland medical facility, according to Japanese defense spokesperson Norio Harada. The condition of the second Marine is currently unknown. Japan has dispatched 10 aircraft and three ships from its Self Defense Force and Coast Guard to help with the search for five people still believed to be missing. The US 7th Fleet said in a statement that it was supporting ongoing search and rescue efforts with a Navy P-8A Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft flying out of Kadena Air Force Base. Rescue teams are battling bad weather which has passed through the area in the last 24 hours or so, bringing showers, storms and sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph. “The weather is definitely going to play a factor,” said Hayes. “It’s a full team effort between us and the Japanese defense force. And we’re hoping to get our Marines back.” The crash happened approximately 200 miles (321 kilometers) off the coast of Iwakuni, Japan, a US Marine Corps official told CNN. The planes “had launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and were conducting regularly scheduled training when the mishap occurred,” according to a statement from the US Marine Corps. Wednesday’s incident comes on the same day that the Marines released a report on a crash in July 2017, also involving a KC-130 variant that killed 15 Marines and one sailor. That KC-130T crash took place in Leflore County, Mississippi, and the “investigation determined that the aircraft’s propeller did not receive proper depot-level maintenance during its last overhaul … in September 2011, which missed corrosion that may have contributed to the propeller blade” coming loose during the flight and going into the aircraft’s fuselage, according to a Marine Corps statement on the investigation.[SEP]One of two crew members recovered after two US warplanes collided and crashed off Japan’s coast early is dead and five others remain missing, the US military said. The Marine Corps said the other recovered crew member was in fair condition. It said an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet and a KC-130 Hercules refuelling aircraft collided during training after taking off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima. The seven crew members included two in the F/A-18 and five in the KC-130. The Marines said in a statement that the two planes were involved in routine training, including aerial refuelling, but that it was still investigating what was happening when the accident occurred. The crash took place 200 miles off the coast, according to the US military. Japanese officials said it occurred closer to the coast, about 60 miles, and that is where the search and rescue mission found the two crew members. Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force, which dispatched aircraft and vessels to join in the search operation, said Japanese rescuers found one of the crew from the fighter jet in stable condition. The Marines said the crew member was taken to a hospital on the base in Iwakuni and was in fair condition, but did not provide any other details. President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday that his thoughts and prayers are with the Marine Corps crew members involved in the collision. He thanked the US Forces in Japan for their “immediate response and rescue efforts” and said “Whatever you need, we are here for you”. The crash is the latest in recent series of accidents involving the US military deployed to and near Japan. Last month, a US Navy F/A-18 Hornet from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan crashed into the sea southwest of Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, though its two pilots were rescued safely. In mid-October, a MH-60 Seahawk also belonging to the Ronald Reagan crashed off the Philippine Sea shortly after takeoff, causing non-fatal injuries to a dozen sailors. More than 50,000 US troops are based in Japan under a bilateral security pact.[SEP]In this aerial photo, Japan's Coast Guard ship is seen at sea during a search operation for U.S. Marine refueling plane and fighter jet off Muroto, Kochi prefecture, southwestern Japan, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. A Marine refueling plane and a fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and rescuers found one of the seven crew members in stable condition while searching for the others, officials said. The U.S. Marine Corps said that the 2 a.m. crash involved an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft during regular training after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima in western Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)[SEP]Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Giannetti/U.S. Marine Corps(WASHINGTON) — Search and rescue operations are underway off the coast of Japan for a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130 refueling tanker and an F/A-18 fighter jet involved in a mishap, according to the Marines. Two people have been found by Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces, which is leading search and rescue efforts with both surface ships and aircraft, a spokesperson for III Marine Expeditionary Force in Japan. The first person was in good condition, while the second person’s condition was unclear and they were taken to a local medical facility for evaluation. There were five personnel on board the KC-130 and two on board the F/A-18 at the time of the incident, a Marine official told ABC News. “The aircraft involved in the mishap had launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and were conducting regularly scheduled training when the mishap occurred,” according to a Marine Corps Base Camp Butler statement on Wednesday. The incident occurred about 200 miles off the coast of Iwakuni at 2 a.m. on Thursday, or about noon Wednesday, Eastern Standard Time. The circumstances of the mishap were under investigation and no other information was available, according to the statement. The last major U.S. military aircraft incident occurred in May when an Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane crashed outside Savannah, killing all nine personnel on board. A recent investigation determined that crash was due in part to pilot error.[SEP]The Latest: Japan finds 2nd US Marine crew after crash TOKYO (AP) — The Latest on the midair collision of two U.S. warplanes off Japan (all times local): Japan's Defense Ministry says a second crew member has been found in the waters off the Japanese coast where two U.S. Marine Corps warplanes collided and crashed. Five others are still missing. The Maritime Self-Defense Force said Thursday that the second person was found about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Muroto Cape on Shikoku island in southwestern Japan. The crew's condition is unknown. The Marines say an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft collided and crashed during training around 2 a.m. after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima. The seven crew members included two in the F/A-18 and five in the KC-130. One crew from the fighter jet was rescued in stable condition earlier Thursday. Japanese and U.S. officials say two American warplanes crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and search and rescue operations are underway. The U.S. Marine Corps said Thursday an FA-18 fighter and a KC-130 tanker aircraft were involved "a mishap" off the Japanese coast early Thursday. It said in a statement that the accident is under investigation and gave no further details. Japan's Defense Ministry said the two aircraft carrying seven crew members altogether had collided midair and crashed into the sea about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the Muroto cape on the Shikoku main island. They said Japanese rescuers found one of the crew members in stable condition. Japanese officials said two crew members were on FA-18, and five others on KC-130.[SEP]The U.S. Marine Corps reports that two of its aircraft were involved in a “mishap” off the coast of Japan around 2 a.m. local time on Wednesday. A Marine spokesman released a statement saying one of the personnel from the planes “is being evaluated by competent medical authorities.” Searchers are trying to find six missing Marines. “The aircraft involved in the mishap, a KC-130 and an F/A-18, had launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and were conducting regularly scheduled training when the mishap occurred. “Japanese search and rescue aircraft immediately responded to aid in recovery. “The circumstances of the mishap are currently under investigation.” This breaking story will be updated as new information becomes available.[SEP]In this aerial photo, Japan's Coast Guard ship is seen at sea during a search operation for U.S. Marine refueling plane and fighter jet off Muroto, Kochi prefecture, southwestern Japan, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. A Marine refueling plane and a fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and rescuers found one of the seven crew members in stable condition while searching for the others, officials said. The U.S. Marine Corps said that the 2 a.m. crash involved an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft during regular training after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima in western Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)[SEP]The Latest: Japan finds 2nd US Marine crew after crash TOKYO (AP) — The Latest on the midair collision of two U.S. warplanes off Japan (all times local): Japan's Defense Ministry says a second crew member has been found in the waters off the Japanese coast where two U.S. Marine Corps warplanes collided and crashed. Five others are still missing. The Maritime Self-Defense Force said Thursday that the second person was found about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Muroto Cape on Shikoku island in southwestern Japan. The crew's condition is unknown. The Marines say an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft collided and crashed during training around 2 a.m. after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima. The seven crew members included two in the F/A-18 and five in the KC-130. One crew from the fighter jet was rescued in stable condition earlier Thursday. Japanese and U.S. officials say two American warplanes crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and search and rescue operations are underway. The U.S. Marine Corps said Thursday an FA-18 fighter and a KC-130 tanker aircraft were involved "a mishap" off the Japanese coast early Thursday. It said in a statement that the accident is under investigation and gave no further details. Japan's Defense Ministry said the two aircraft carrying seven crew members altogether had collided midair and crashed into the sea about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the Muroto cape on the Shikoku main island. They said Japanese rescuers found one of the crew members in stable condition. Japanese officials said two crew members were on FA-18, and five others on KC-130.[SEP]In this aerial photo, Japan's Coast Guard ship is seen at sea during a search operation for U.S. Marine refueling plane and fighter jet off Muroto, Kochi prefecture, southwestern Japan, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. A Marine refueling plane and a fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and rescuers found one of the seven crew members in stable condition while searching for the others, officials said. The U.S. Marine Corps said that the 2 a.m. crash involved an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft during regular training after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima in western Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)[SEP]The Latest: Japan finds 2nd US Marine crew after crash TOKYO (AP) — The Latest on the midair collision of two U.S. warplanes off Japan (all times local): Japan's Defense Ministry says a second crew member has been found in the waters off the Japanese coast where two U.S. Marine Corps warplanes collided and crashed. Five others are still missing. The Maritime Self-Defense Force said Thursday that the second person was found about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Muroto Cape on Shikoku island in southwestern Japan. The crew's condition is unknown. The Marines say an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft collided and crashed during training around 2 a.m. after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima. The seven crew members included two in the F/A-18 and five in the KC-130. One crew from the fighter jet was rescued in stable condition earlier Thursday. Japanese and U.S. officials say two American warplanes crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and search and rescue operations are underway. The U.S. Marine Corps said Thursday an FA-18 fighter and a KC-130 tanker aircraft were involved "a mishap" off the Japanese coast early Thursday. It said in a statement that the accident is under investigation and gave no further details. Japan's Defense Ministry said the two aircraft carrying seven crew members altogether had collided midair and crashed into the sea about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the Muroto cape on the Shikoku main island. They said Japanese rescuers found one of the crew members in stable condition. Japanese officials said two crew members were on FA-18, and five others on KC-130.

A search and rescue operation is underway for 7 servicemen after an incident involving a US Marine Corp F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft off the coast of Japan.