A rare snowstorm has hit Jerusalem area and parts of the occupied West Bank, choking off the city and stranding hundreds in vehicles on impassable roads.
Israeli authorities said at least 20 inches of snow had fallen since Thursday and more was forecast.
A rare snowstorm has hit Jerusalem area and parts of the occupied West Bank
“In my 54 years I don’t remember a sight like this, such an amount I cannot recall,” said Nir Barkat, mayor of Jerusalem.
The Israeli military helped police rescue hundreds of people stranded in vehicles on highways near the city.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s uncle, Jang Sung-taek, has been executed after being purged for “acts of treachery”, state media say.
Jang Sung-taek was dramatically removed from a Communist Party session by armed guards earlier this week.
It was the biggest upheaval since Kim Jong-un succeeded his father two years ago.
State news agency KCNA said Jang Sung-taek had admitted at a military trial on Thursday to attempting to overthrow the state, and was executed immediately.
Jang Sung-taek, who is thought to have mentored his nephew during the leadership transition from Kim Jong-il to his son Kim Jong-un in 2011, was “worse than a dog”, said the agency.
He had admitted abusing his positions of responsibility to form a faction against the state and to harboring his own political ambitions, it said in a lengthy and detailed report.
The White House said it could not independently verify the reports but had “no reason to doubt” them.
“If confirmed, this is another example of the extreme brutality of the North Korean regime. We are following developments in North Korea closely and consulting with our allies and partners in the region,” it said in a statement.
Jang Sung-taek – married to the elder Kim Jong-il’s sister – had held senior posts in the ruling party and the National Defense Commission, the North’s top military body.
He was frequently pictured alongside his nephew and seen by some observers as the power behind the throne.
But in early December, it emerged that he had been removed from his senior military position and that two of his aides had been executed.
Then on Monday, KCNA broadcast footage of him being removed from a party session by uniformed guards.
Jang Sung-taek has been executed after being purged for acts of treachery
In a long report on Friday, KCNA described Jang Sung-taek as a “traitor” and “human scum”.
It said: “Chang dreamed such a foolish dream that once he seizes power by a base method, his despicable true colors as <<reformist>> known to the outside world would help his <<new government>> get <<recognized>> by foreign countries in a short span of time.”
KCNA also said Jang Sung-taek:
Attempted to “overthrow the state”
Transformed his department into “a ‘little kingdom'” and attempted to “trigger off discontent” within the army to mobilize a coup
Took control of the “major economic fields of the country” and “schemed to drive the economy of the country and people’s living into an uncontrollable catastrophe”
Committed corruption by transferring construction units to his contacts
Committed irregularities related to a joint economic zone with China, Rason
Was responsible for unpopular currency reforms in 2009. In December 2009 Pyongyang’s reported redenomination of the won knocked two zeros off the nominal value of each banknote.
Jang Sung-taek admitted his “crimes” in court and a death sentence was “immediately executed”, KCNA said.
Analysts say his fall from grace could be seen as the latest in a series of carefully calibrated moves to demonstrate Kim Jong-un’s authority and an assertion of his independence.
In August 2012, Jang Sung-taek made a high profile trip to China, where he met then-President Hu Jintao. The two sides later signed a raft of economic deals, including the development of two special economic zones: Rason, on North Korea’s east coast, and Hwanggumphyong, on the border with China.
As news of the purge emerged earlier this week, South Korean President Park Geun-hye warned the North was “carrying out a reign of terror” to reinforce Kim Jong-il’s position.
She said the volatile relationship between the two countries was likely to become “more unstable” as a result.
On Friday, South Korea’s military said it had tightened surveillance on Pyongyang, news agency Yonhap reported.
Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Eyi-do said the government had “deep concerns” about the latest developments and was “watching the situation closely”.
Meanwhile, Japan’s top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said: “We will calmly monitor the situation while communicating with other countries and collect relevant information.”
Chinese state media reported on Jang Sung-taek’s execution, but there has been no official government response so far.
Who is Jang Sung-taek:
Born 1946, he married Kim Jong-il’s sister in 1972
Joined Korean Workers’ Party administrative ranks in 1970s
Elected to Central Committee in 1992
Sidelined in 2004, but rehabilitated in 2006
2011: Got top military post under Kim Jong-un
November 2013: Dismissed from his position
December 2013: Executed as a “traitor”[youtube rsiqP8eIA9o 650]
Bangladeshi Islamist leader Abdul Kader Mullah, who was convicted of atrocities committed during the 1971 war of independence with Pakistan, has been executed in Dhaka.
Abdul Kader Mullah is the first person convicted by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) to be executed.
The ICT was set up in 2010 to investigate abuses committed during the 1971 conflict.
Abdul Kader Mullah was a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party.
At his trial earlier this year, Abdul Kader Mullah was described by prosecutors as the “Butcher of Mirpur”, a suburb of Dhaka where he is alleged to have carried out his crimes. These included the massacre of unarmed civilians and the killing of intellectuals who supported independence from Pakistan.
Abdul Kader Mullah always denied the charges.
Four other leading figures in Jamaat-e-Islami have also been convicted by the ICT and face the death penalty.
The execution of Abdul Kader Mullah took place at Dhaka Central Jail at 22:01 local time on Thursday evening, officials announced.
His family were allowed a final meeting with the 65-year-old and found him “calm”.
Abdul Kader Mullah was convicted of atrocities committed during the 1971 war of independence with Pakistan
“He told us that he is proud to be a martyr for the cause of the Islamic movement in the country,” Abdul Kader Mullah’s son, Hasan Jamil, told the AFP after the meeting.
Hundreds of people gathered in central Dhaka to celebrate the news of his death.
But Jamaat-e-Islami – which has warned it will avenge his death – called for a general strike on Sunday.
Security has been tightened in Dhaka and around the country amid fears the execution is likely to inflame tensions.
At least three people are reported to have died on Thursday in sporadic clashes between Jamaat-e-Islami supporters and security forces.
Bangladesh broke away from Pakistan 42 years ago after a war which saw killings on a mass scale, the exodus of more than 10 million refugees and military intervention by neighboring India.
The government set up the special court to deal with those accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces who attempted to stop East Pakistan, as Bangladesh was then, from becoming an independent country. The two wings of Pakistan were held together mostly by a shared religion.
While many Bangladeshis have welcomed the work of the ICT, Jamaat supporters say it is a politically-motivated attempt to eradicate its leaders.
UN human rights commissioner Navi Pillay had written to the Bangladeshi authorities urging them to stay the execution of Abdul Kader Mullah, saying the trial had not met the international standards required for the death penalty.
Abdul Kader Mullah had been scheduled to be hanged on Tuesday, before gaining a reprieve pending a last-minute appeal against his death sentence.His appeal was dismissed earlier on Thursday by the Bangladeshi Supreme Court.
Weinstein brothers, Bob and Harvey, are suing Warner Bros over its decision to divide The Hobbit into three films, which will mean they receive no payment from the second and third installments.
Miramax, founded by Weinstein brothers, sold its rights to The Hobbit to New Line, part of the Warner group, in 1998.
New Line agreed to make payments for the “first motion picture” only.
Bob and Harvey Weinstein claim the studio adapted the book into three films “solely to deprive plaintiffs” of agreed revenue.
Weinstein brothers are suing Warner Bros over its decision to divide The Hobbit into three films
“This case is about greed and ingratitude,” said the Weinsteins and Miramax, in a complaint filed on Tuesday in New York State Supreme Court.
The film producers are suing Time Warner Inc for at least $75 million, alleging Warner Bros’ decision to create a trilogy of films from JRR Tolkien’s standalone novel was a pretext to deprive them of 5% of the gross receipts from the last two films.
A spokesman for Warner Bros accused the Weinsteins of “one of the great blunders in movie history”.
“Fifteen years ago Miramax, run by the Weinstein brothers, sold its rights in The Hobbit to New Line. No amount of trying to rewrite history can change that fact,” said Paul McGuire.
“They agreed to be paid only on the first motion picture based on The Hobbit. And that’s all they’re owed.”
The second instalment of The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug, directed by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, is due to be released worldwide on Friday.
The first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, was released in 2012 and grossed more than $1 billion.
The price list at Le Petite Syrah cafe in Nice, France, suggests that being polite could cut the price for a cup of coffee.
Ordering simply “a coffee” at the Le Petite Syrah cafe will cost you 7 euros ($9.5) according to the prices on the chalkboard menu.
However, if you add “please”, the price drops to 4.25 euros ($6).
Going for the full, “Good morning, a coffee, please,” the politeness discount gets even steeper, 1.4 euros ($2).
Price list at Le Petite Syrah cafe in Nice
Le Petite Syrah cafe owner Fabrice Pepino said: “We’re just a tiny restaurant with my wife and I’m also the wine waiter in the wine shop.”
“We started to notice at lunchtime people are a bit more rude and stressed and were sometimes rude to us when they ordered a coffee.”
The sign, inspired by those he saw in Italy and France, started as a joke – Fabrice Pepino never charged more than 1.4 euros for a coffee.
“I don’t even think it’s legal,” he said. But it has made his customers act differently.
“They started at the beginning to say, <<Hello, your highness, will you serve me one of your beautiful coffees>>, exaggerating it even more polite than the sign to try and get free coffee.”
Mostly though, it has amused customers and helped them relax.
“The sign reminds us that we are still human beings. It doesn’t matter if the guest is the president,” Fabrice Pepino said.
Fabrice Pepino was bemused that the photo of the sign, which he put up in the summer, went viral after a French journalist passing through tweeted a photo of it. French TV stations started calling him up right away wanting to descend on his shop.
Google has announced that it will only charge advertisers for ads that have been seen by users.
More than half of all ads bought online are not seen by anyone, because they appear too far down the page, or for other factors.
Google says an ad is considered “viewed” only if 50% or more of it is visible for more than one second on the page.
It is the first major digital ad network to announce such a move.
Google has announced that it will only charge advertisers for ads that have been seen by users
“Even the jingliest, jolliest ad of the season can’t work its magic unless it gets seen,” wrote Google in a blog post announcing the change.
“Today, we’re taking an important step towards this goal by making it possible to buy based on viewability – in real time – across the more than two million sites in the Google Display Network…
“In other words, you can now choose to pay for only those impressions where your ad has a chance to be seen.”
Google accounted for 32.84% of all digital ad spending worldwide in 2013, according to eMarketeer. That translates to more than $38 billion of the estimated $117.6 billion global digital advertising market.
South Africa’s Deputy Disability Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu says the government is investigating how interpreter Thamsanqa Jantjie, who faked sign language at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was given security clearance.
Thamsanqa Jantjie, who stood alongside world leaders at the event, has denied being a fraud, and said he panicked when he began hallucinating.
The sign interpreter said he had schizophrenia, which had in the past made him act violently.
The agency that employed him, SA Interpreters, has reportedly vanished.
Thamsanqa Jantjie, who stood alongside world leaders at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service, has denied being a fraud
The African National Congress (ANC) said it had used Thamsanqa Jantjie as an interpreter several times before, and “had not been aware of any of complaints regarding the quality of services, qualifications or reported illnesses” of the interpreter.
Tuesday’s memorial at a stadium in Johannesburg was organized by the state, not the ANC, so the ruling party could not comment on security arrangements.
The South African Translators’ Institute said earlier there had been complaints over Thamsanqa Jantjie’s work before, but that the ANC had taken no action.
The ANC said it would “follow up the reported correspondence that has supposedly been sent to us in this regard and where necessary act on it”.
During the memorial, Thamsanqa Jantjie stood on the stage next to key speakers including President Barack Obama, South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma and Nelson Mandela’s grandchildren, translating their eulogies.
Thamsanqa Jantjie ‘s performance was watched on television by millions of people worldwide and angered the South African deaf community. Pressure has been mounting on the government to explain why he was hired for such an important event.
Deputy Disability Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu told a news conference on Thursday: “Firstly, I don’t think South Africa as a country would put at risk anybody’s security, especially those of heads of state.
“Secondly, when somebody provides a service of a sign language interpreter, I don’t think… somebody would say: <<Is your head ok? Do you have any mental disability?>> I think the focus was on: <<Are you able to sign? Can you provide the services?>>”
But she said: “In terms of security clearance that is in a process, we are requesting to check his vetting.”
Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu apologized to the deaf community but said there was no reason for South Africa to be embarrassed.
Spain’s government has vowed to block plans by parties in Catalonia to hold a referendum on independence on November 9, 2014.
“The poll will not be held,” Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon told journalists moments after Catalonia’s President, Artur Mas, announced a deal.
Artur Mas said agreement had been reached on the date and on two questions.
Spain’s government has vowed to block plans by parties in Catalonia to hold a referendum on independence on November 9, 2014
Voters would be asked if they wanted Catalonia to be a state and if they wanted it to be an independent state.
Artur Mas announced that an agreement had been reached in principle and had still to be approved formally by the parties internally.
Both Spain’s ruling conservatives, the Popular Party of PM Mariano Rajoy, and the Socialist opposition have long made clear they oppose a referendum.
Catalonia is one of Spain’s most developed regions, with a population of 7.5 million.
The region already has a wide degree of autonomy but the recent economic crisis has fuelled Catalan nationalism.
Opinion polls suggest Catalans are evenly split over independence.
The EU and NATO have warned that Catalonia would be excluded if it broke away from Spain.
Romanian actor Radu Beligan has been named the world’s oldest active professional theatre actor by the Guinness World Records.
Radu Beligan was born on December 14, 1918, and at 94 years and 350 days old is still performing at the National Theatre Bucharest, Romania, as verified on 29 November 2013.
The actor has performed in many roles in an acting career spanning from 1937 to the present day receiving numerous accolades including the Ordre National de la Legion D’Honneur from the President of France for his artistic work.
At 95 years old, Radu Beligan is still performing at the National Theatre Bucharest
Radu Beligan headed the Comedy Theatre of Bucharest between 1961 and 1969 and the National Theatre of Bucharest from 1969 to 1990. He was also a profession of the Theatre and Film Institute (1950-1965) and was elected as honorary member of the Romanian Academy in 2004, as recognition of his artistic career.
He was also awarded many medals: Grand Officer of the “Faithful Service” Order, the golden star and collar of the Order of the Yugoslav Flag.
Radu Beligan is also a Doctor Honoris Causa of the “I. L. Caragiale” National University of Theatrical and Cinematographic Art of Bucharest.
Duck Dynasty stars returned to TV for a Christmas special and proved themselves to be a triple threat when they showed off their acting skills at their church’s nativity play.
“Considering the talent involved, it’s borderline miraculous [we pulled off the play],” Jase Robertson said.
Even the Robertson’s youngest brother Jep, who has terrible stage fright, managed to remember his one line.
However, Uncle Si Robertson, who played one of the wise men, insisted on calling frankincense “franken scents.”
“Everybody knows that <<franken>> is a prefix,” Si Robertson explained.
“Like <<franken stein>> and <<frank and beans>>.”
While the nativity play, which featured the entire family, went on fairly smoothly, the episode focused on what the Robertson family does best: hunting.
“Well every Christmas, it seems like my house is invaded by yuppies,” said Phil Robertson as he prepared to go hunting for the family’s Christmas dinner.
Duck Dynasty stars showed off their acting skills at their church’s nativity play
“All they do all day long is decorate and talk.”
Before Phil Robertson could head out to hunt, Miss Kay and Jessica insisted he take them hog hunting.
“In the spirit of Christmas and in the spirit of the American West, we say y’all get your camo on,” he told them before quickly regretting his decision to let the women join him.
“If the yapping keeps up there won’t be a hog coming within a mile of us,” Phil Robertson complained. Failing to get Jessica and Miss Kay to stay quiet, Phil devised a plan to trick them into acting foolish.
He told them to scream for the pigs to come while walking in a circle and bending close to the ground. After several minutes of this Phil couldn’t hold back his laughter and the jig was up.
But there was no harm done as Phil soon after shot a pig for their Christmas dinner. He enlisted the help of Jessica who was not too happy to help her father-in-law drag the pig back to the truck.
“I’m a better pioneer woman [than Jessica],” Miss Kay said.
“I’ve been helping cleaning and carrying hogs since I could carry and clean hogs.”
Meanwhile, Willie Robertson was searching for the perfect present to get his wife Korie after she admitted he was not the best gift giver. In previous years she received a Snuggie and a bedazzled clutch.
Determined to make this year different, Willie Robertson took the advice of younger brother Jep and had a family portrait framed.
Satisfied his gift would make an impression on his wife, Willie Robertson was disappointed when brother Jase turned up with the same gift for his wife Missy.
Despite the minor setback, both wives loved their gifts and Willie was happy to save the “camo pajamas” he bought Korie for her birthday.
Alan Robertson also made an appearance on last night’s episode sporting some new scruff. The former minister led the family and the church in a prayer after the nativity play.
The company which supplied a “fake” sign language interpreter to the Mandela memorial service has vanished, a South African minister has said.
Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu apologized to the deaf community for the poor quality of interpretation given by Thamsanqa Jantjie from SA Interpreters.
“He is Xhosa speaking. The English was a bit too much for him,” she said.
Thamsanqa Jantjie himself has blamed his flawed interpretation on a schizophrenic episode.
He also admitted he has been violent in the past.
Thamsanqa Jantjie has blamed his flawed interpretation on a schizophrenic episode
During the memorial, Thamsanqa Jantjie was employed to stand on the stage next to key speakers such as President Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela’s grandchildren, translating their eulogies.
But the minister denied there was a security issue, saying the interpreter had been properly accredited.
Nelson Mandela died last week at the age of 95, and will be buried on Sunday, December 15.
Ever since Tuesday’s event, pressure has been mounting on the government to explain why Thamsanqa Jantjie was hired for such an important event.
During a press conference, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, the deputy minister for women, children and people with disabilities, admitted that a mistake had been made but said there was no reason for the country to be embarrassed.
“There are as many as a hundred sign language dialects,” Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu said, to explain the difficulties he faced.
“He started well and later he became tired. Guidelines say we must switch interpreters every 20 minutes.”
Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu did not rule out employing him in some circumstances again.
But she accused Thamsanqa Jantjie’s employers, SA Interpreters, of being cheats, and said the company’s directors had now vanished into thin air.
His performance was watched on television by millions of people worldwide.
Thamsanqa Jantjie said that during the event, he had lost concentration because of voices in his head.
He had started hallucinating, and saw angels coming into the stadium.
Thamsanqa Jantjie also indicated that his past behavior had sometimes been unpredictable, telling the Associated Press news agency that “sometimes I will react violent on this place, sometimes I will see things chasing me”.
A fight between majority and opposition erupted in the Georgian parliament over plans to support the Ukrainian opposition for European integration.
Video footage taken inside the Georgian parliament shows deputies throwing documents in the air and brawling with one another following the opposition’s suggestions.
A fight between majority and opposition erupted in the Georgian parliament over plans to support the Ukrainian opposition for European integration
Opposition deputy Giorgi Baramidze wanted to encourage supporters of Ukraine’s European integration with a special resolution.
Giorgi Baramidze also condemned violence inflicted on participants of peaceful rallies in Kiev.
No one was seriously injured in the incident, but opposition representatives have demanded a public apology from the parliamentary majority before they will participate in any more plenary meetings.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has announced that Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych intends to sign a deal on closer EU ties after all.
Baroness Catherine Ashton was speaking as pro-EU protesters continued to paralyze the centre of Kiev over Viktor Yanokovych’s decision not to sign the EU association agreement.
The president’s U-turn late last month followed pressure from Russia.
Catherine Ashton said Viktor Yanukovych had assured her when they met that his aim was to sign the agreement.
The baroness did not give an indication of when she expected this to happen.
She said his concern during their talks was the “short term economic issues” that Ukraine faced.
Catherine Ashton met President Viktor Yanukovych in Kiev
Viktor Yanukovych pulled out of the deal last month, explaining that Kiev could not afford to sacrifice trade with Russia. While adding that he still aimed to sign the deal, Viktor Yanukovych said Ukraine would need at least 20 billion euros ($27 billion) a year to upgrade its economy.
Catherine Ashton said on Thursday: “It is my view that those challenges, which are real, can be addressed by the support that not only comes from the European Union institutions, but actually by showing that he has a serious economic plan in signing the association agreement also will help to bring in the kind of investment that he needs.”
The Ukrainian government’s handling of the pro-EU protests in Independence Square in Kiev has met with a stern response from both the European Union and the US.
Police moved into the main protest camp in the early hours of Wednesday, prompting US Secretary of State John Kerry to express “disgust” at the government’s treatment of a peaceful protest.
At least nine people were detained and there were some reports of police using violence. The state department said later it was considering a range of responses including sanctions.
After her meeting with Viktor Yanukovych on Thursday, Catherine Ashton said she had insisted on the release of anyone arrested because of the protests and that the Ukrainian president had assured her that would happen.
Moscow is concerned the EU free trade deal with Kiev would flood the Russian market and wants Ukraine to sign up to a customs union that includes Belarus and Kazakhstan.
In his annual address to the Russian parliament on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said he hoped a solution to Ukraine’s crisis could be found and insisted the customs union would not be forced on Kiev.
The death sentence of Bangladeshi Islamist leader Abdul Kader Mullah has been upheld by the Supreme Court.
The judge dismissed his appeal, saying it paves the way for his execution.
Abdul Kader Mullah had been scheduled to be executed on Tuesday, before gaining a reprieve. No new date has been set.
He was convicted in February of crimes against humanity during the country’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. The senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party denies the charges.
Jamaat-e-Islami says that the trial is politically motivated.
“There is now no legal bar to execute him,” Attorney-General Mahbubey Alam told AFP news agency in the court, amid applause by pro-government lawyers.
Mahbubey Alam said that Mullah had exhausted all avenues of appeal. But Abdul Kader Mullah’s lawyers have disputed his conclusions. His final hope would rest with a presidential pardon.
Abdul Kader Mullah was convicted of crimes against humanity during the country’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan
Abdul Kader Mullah’s trial earlier this year sparked protests from Jamaat supporters. They accuse the government of pursuing a political vendetta which has resulted in the imprisonment of several of the party’s senior leaders.
Security was stepped up in Dhaka in advance of Thursday’s ruling.
Abdul Kader Mullah is one of five Islamist leaders condemned to death by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), set up in 2010 to investigate atrocities committed during the 1971 conflict, in which some estimates say that as many as three million people died.
So far none of those convicted has been executed.
Abdul Kader Mullah – who is assistant secretary-general of Jamaat -was initially sentenced to life imprisonment for killing unarmed civilians and intellectuals in the Mirpur suburb of the capital Dhaka.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets demanding the death penalty, a move that prompted parliament to amend a law allowing the state to appeal against any verdict reached by the war crimes tribunal.
The Supreme Court then passed a death sentence.
Bangladesh set up the special court to deal with those accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces who attempted to stop East Pakistan, as Bangladesh was then, from becoming an independent country.
However, human rights groups have said the tribunal falls short of international standards and that he should have another opportunity to appeal.
Jamaat is barred from contesting elections scheduled for January 5, 2014, but plays a key role in the opposition movement led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Air Canada has ordered 61 Boeing 737 MAX planes worth $6.5 billion at list prices, a big win for the aircraft maker over its rival, Airbus.
Boeing 737 MAX planes will replace Air Canada’s current fleet of Airbus narrow-body aircraft.
Air Canada said the new planes will help it cut fuel and maintenance costs on a per-seat basis by more than 20%.
Airlines have been keen to upgrade their fleets to more fuel-efficient aircraft amid high fuel prices and falling profit margins.
Air Canada has ordered 61 Boeing 737 MAX planes worth $6.5 billion at list prices
“Renewal of our North American narrow-body fleet with more fuel efficient aircraft is a key element of our ongoing cost transformation programme,” Calin Rovinescu, chief executive of Air Canada, said in a statement.
The rising demand for fuel-efficient aircraft has triggered competition among planemakers as they fight for a bigger share of the growing market.
The 100-200 seat narrow-body – or single-aisle – aircraft market is forecast to generate $20 trillion over the next 20 years.
The sector is currently dominated by Airbus’s A320 and Boeing’s 737 aircraft.
Air Canada’s order includes options and rights to purchase 48 additional Boeing planes.
The airline said it was also evaluating the potential replacement of its Embraer E190 fleet with “more cost efficient, larger narrow-body aircraft that are better suited to its current and future network strategy”.
Analysts said that Air Canada’s decision to opt for Boeing planes to replace the existing Airbus fleet was a major endorsement for the American company.
Former Thailand’s PM Abhisit Vejjajiva has been formally charged with murder in connection with a crackdown on demonstrators in 2010.
More than 90 people died in clashes during the 2010 protests.
Abhisit Vejjajiva, who leads the opposition Democrat Party, denied the charges and was granted bail.
The indictment came as protests against current PM Yingluck Shinawatra continued, and protesters briefly entered Government House.
Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who was Abhisit Vejjajiva’s deputy in 2010, also faces charges but has asked the court to postpone his hearing.
Abhisit Vejjajiva and Suthep Thaugsuban were in power when thousands of supporters of ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra occupied parts of Bangkok. They authorized the army to clear the protesters.
Abhisit Vejjajiva has been formally charged with murder in connection with a crackdown on demonstrators in 2010
The charges relate to the shooting deaths of a 43-year-old taxi driver and a 14-year-old during the crackdown.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, protesters briefly broke into Government House, and later cut off the office’s power supply, reports said.
Anti-government protesters want Yingluck Shinawatra to resign and for her government to be replaced with an unelected “People’s Council”.
They say that Thaksin Shinawatra, who is also Yingluck Shinawatra’s brother, controls the ruling Pheu Thai party.
Abhisit Vejjajiva and other Democrat Party lawmakers resigned from parliament on Sunday so that they could join the protesters.
On Monday, Yingluck Shinawatra dissolved parliament and announced general elections for February 2nd, 2014, as 150,000 protesters surrounded Government House.
However, she has refused to resign before the elections.
Yingluck Shinwatra’s Pheu Thai party has a majority in parliament, and draws significant support from Thailand’s rural areas. The party is seen as well-placed to win February’s election.
However, protesters accuse it of using public funds irresponsibly to secure votes, including on a controversial rice subsidy scheme which hurt Thailand’s exports.
Thaksin Shinwatra is in self-imposed exile after he was overthrown in a military coup in 2006 and convicted of corruption.
Kanye West halted his show in Phoenix to share his disappointment with fans after his album Yeezus failed to grab a nod in Grammys 2014 Album of the Year nominations, suggesting the oversight is racially charged.
The rapper said: “I’m 36-years old and I have 21 Grammys. That’s the most Grammys of any 36 year old. Out of all of those 21 Grammys, I’ve never won a Grammy against a white artist. So when the Grammy nominations come out, and Yeezus is the top one or two album on every single list (poll of the year), but only gets two nominations from the Grammys, what are they trying to say? Do they think that I wouldn’t notice?”
Kanye West halted his show in Phoenix to share his disappointment with fans after his album Yeezus failed to grab a nod in Grammys 2014 Album of the Year nominations
“Do they think that, someway, that I don’t have the power to completely diminish all of their credibility at this moment?
“When you see me talking about what people are doing when I say <<marginalized>>, when I say <<boxed in>>, when I say <<hold back>>, when I say <<people are afraid of the truth>>, that’s one example right there in front of you.”
Kanye West admits he’s not impressed with his two Grammy nods for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song for New Slaves, adding: “People come to me and congratulate me on those two nominations. F**k those nominations!”
Thamsanqa Jantjie – the South African sign language interpreter accused of gesticulating gibberish during Nelson Mandela’s memorial service – defended his “champion” performance Thursday, but said he may have suffered a schizophrenic episode while on stage.
Thamsanqa Jantjie, 34, told Johannesburg’s Star newspaper he started hearing voices in his head and hallucinating, resulting in gestures that made no sense to outraged deaf people around the world.
“There was nothing I could do. I was alone in a very dangerous situation. I tried to control myself and not show the world what was going on. I am very sorry. It’s the situation I found myself in,” Thamsanqa Jantjie told the paper.
He did not know what triggered the attack, saying he took medication for his schizophrenia.
Thamsanqa Jantjie said he may have suffered a schizophrenic episode while on stage at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service
Millions of TV viewers saw Thamsanqa Jantjie interpreting Tuesday at Nelson Mandela’s memorial attended by leaders from around the world, but South Africa’s leading deaf association on Wednesday denounced him as a fake, saying he was inventing signs.
However, in a radio interview, Thamsanqa Jantjie said he was happy with his performance at the memorial.
“Absolutely, absolutely. I think that I’ve been a champion of sign language,” he told Talk Radio 702.
The controversy has overshadowed South Africa’s 10-day farewell to Nelson Mandela, whose remains were lying in state for a second day Thursday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where he was sworn in as the nation’s first black president in 1994.
Revelations about Thamsanqa Jantjie’s unconventional gestures – experts said he did not know even basic signs such as “thank you” or “Mandela” – sparked a hunt for the mystery signer on Wednesday.
The government, which was in charge of the mass memorial, said it had no idea who he was, as did the ruling African National Congress (ANC), even though footage from two large ANC events last year showed him signing on stage next to President Jacob Zuma.
Thamsanqa Jantjie said he worked for a company called SA Interpreters, which had been hired by the ANC for Tuesday’s ceremony at Johannesburg’s 95,000-seat Soccer City stadium.
Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon have been hit by a fierce winter storm, the UN say.
There has been snow, rain, high winds and freezing temperatures in the north of the country and the Bekaa Valley, home to more than 200 informal camps.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was “working harder than ever” to protect the more than 800,000 Syrians sheltering in Lebanon.
The Lebanese army is helping distribute emergency kits, including blankets.
“We are worried, because it is really cold in the Bekaa region, and we’re extremely worried about the refugees living in makeshift shelters, because many are really substandard,” UNHCR spokeswomen Lisa Abou Khaled told the AFP news agency.
At least 80,000 refugees will have to spend the winter in tents. Many others are living in unfinished or unheated buildings with only slightly more protection.
Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon have been hit by a fierce winter storm
Lisa Abou Khaled said the UNHCR had stockpiles of items to help refugees whose shelters might be damaged or destroyed, including plastic sheeting, floor mats, blankets and mattresses. Supplies have also been given to local councils.
“The Syrian refugees here are shivering with cold, especially the ones in tents,” said Wafiq Khalaf, a councilor in Arsal, a town in the northern Bekaa Valley that has seen 20,000 people arrive in the past few months.
“Water has come into the tents from the roofs, and from the ground where there is flooding,” he told AFP.
“At the moment there is more than 10cm [3.9in] of snow on the ground, but more is expected.”
Forecasters are predicting between 7.6cm and 13cm of snow in total.
The latest warning comes after the UNHCR announced on Tuesday that it would be airlifting food and other aid items into northern Syria from Iraq for the first time.
Twelve planeloads of supplies will be flown in over the next few days, ahead of what the UN fears will be the region’s harshest winter in a century.
The decision was made after land convoys were shot at, harassed, and detained at check points, officials said.
Almost 2.3 million Syrians have fled into neighboring countries since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011, according to the UN. There are also an estimated 6.5 million internelly displaced people (IDP’s) inside Syria, and many more in need of aid.
Mexico’s Senate has approved a measure to open the state-run oil fields to foreign investment for the first time in 75 years.
The measure would let private firms explore and extract oil and gas with state-run firm Pemex, and take a share of the profits.
It now moves to the lower house to be voted on, where it is expected to pass.
President Enrique Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter that it was “a significant decision for Mexico”.
Mexico’s Senate has approved a measure to open the state-run oil fields to foreign investment for the first time in 75 years
Enrique Pena Nieto said it was necessary to modernize Mexico’s energy sector and increase oil production, which has dropped from 3.4 million barrels per day in 2004 to the current rate of 2.5 million barrels per day.
However, the left-wing Democratic Revolution Party said it was a submission to US oil companies, and protestors set up camp outside the Senate.
They say the move strikes at the heart of Mexico’s identity.
In 1938, then-president Lazaro Cardenas nationalized the oil industry, which had been operated by foreigners up to that point, asserting that Mexico had a right to its mineral wealth.
If the measure passes Mexico’s Congress, it must then be approved by 17 of the country’s 32 federal entities.
Passengers aboard two WestJet flights from southern Ontario to Calgary in November got their holiday gift wishes granted as they flew across Canada.
Before boarding, passengers were invited scan their boarding passes that allowed them to talk with a virtual Santa who asked them what they wanted for Christmas. Hidden cameras recorded their gift requests.
Passengers aboard two WestJet flights from southern Ontario to Calgary in November got their holiday gift wishes granted as they flew across Canada
Items on lists included trains and dolls from the kids, but some passengers asked for things such as a snowboard, a big-screen TV –even a Samsung Galaxy phone.
While the plane was in the air, over 150 “merry WestJetters” acted as Santa’s elves, rushing out to stores and nabbing the items on the passengers’ lists, according to a release from the Canadian-based WestJet.
By the time the flights landed four hours later, the 250 unsuspecting passengers were greeted by a festive display at baggage claim and were handed gifts they had asked for.
President Barack Obama was caught smiling and taking a selfie with his seat-mates, Denmark’s PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Britain’s David Cameron during Nelson Mandela’s massive memorial service in Johannesburg.
As the three of them smile for the camera, a stern-looking Michelle Obama can be seen staring straight ahead, hands clasped.
Michelle Obama’s reaction – not just to the “selfie” but to her husband’s chatting and joking with the young Danish prime minister – was priceless. In one picture, Michelle Obama could be seen glaring over at Barack Obama while he put his hand on Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s shoulder.
In another, it appeared the first lady and the president switched seats, putting Michelle Obama squarely between him and Helle Thorning-Schmidt.
Barack Obama was caught smiling and taking a selfie with Helle Thorning-Schmidt and David Cameron during Nelson Mandela’s massive memorial service
The photographer behind the “selfie” pic of the three dignitaries, though, later claimed that the first lady herself was “joking with those around her” a few seconds earlier.
“The stern look was captured by chance,” he wrote.
After the images surged through social media, the White House on Wednesday released its own set of photos of Barack Obama’s South Africa visit and among them was a picture of Obama, the first lady and the Danish prime minister.
But in this one, Barack Obama was talking to his wife, while Helle Thorning-Schmidt seemed preoccupied with her phone.
The “selfie” incident was the second unexpected controversy stirred up by the president in South Africa. Earlier, Cuban-American lawmakers publicly objected after Barack Obama – on his way to deliver his tribute to Nelson Mandela – shook the hand of Cuba’s President Raul Castro.
