The trial of Choi Soon-sil has got under way in South Korea.
Choi Soon-sil, a close friend of President Park Geun-hye, is at the center of an influence-peddling scandal involving the South Korean president.
She is charged with abuse of power and attempted fraud.
Separately, the Constitutional Court began considering President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment over the scandal.
That trial, where the court must ratify or overturn a parliamentary impeachment vote, began despite Park Geun-hye’s absence.
Proceedings opened on January 3 but were curtailed because Park Geun-hye did not attend.
On January 5, the court went ahead anyway.
Image source Getty Images
Park Geun-hye’s lawyer has previously said she will not be in court “unless there are special circumstances”, Yonhap news agency reported.
Both cases center on allegations President Park Geun-hye gave Choi Soon-sil unauthorized access to government decisions and allowed her to exploit their close relationship to solicit money from corporations for foundations from which she benefitted.
Both women have apologized but deny committing criminal offences.
The scandal has rocked South Korea, sparking several huge demonstrations.
While the impeachment process continues, Park Geun-hye remains formally president but with most of her powers handed to the prime minister, a role that normally has little executive authority.
Separately, Yonhap news agency reports that South Korea has sent a formal extradition request to Denmark for Choi Soon-sil’s daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, several days after saying they were working on it.
Chung Yoo-ra, a former national equestrian rider, was arrested in Denmark on January 8 and later appeared in court accused of overstaying her visa.
Part of the investigation into Choi Soon-sil’s activities relates to a gift horse from South Korean conglomerate Samsung allegedly for Chung Yoo-ra’s training.
The prestigious Ewha Women’s University in Seoul is also accused of giving Chung Yoo-ra a place – she has since left – because of her mother’s connections.
According to a recent study, people who live near major roads have higher rates of dementia.
The study, published in the Lancet, suggests that as many as 11% of dementia cases in people living within 50m of a major road could be down to traffic.
The researchers, who followed nearly 2 million people in Ontario, Canada, over 11 years (from 2001 to 2012), say air pollution or noisy traffic could be contributing to the brain’s decline.
There were 243,611 cases of dementia diagnosed during that time, but the risk was greatest in those living closest to major roads.
The study findings show that compared with those living 300m away from a major road the risk was: 7% higher within 50m; 4% higher between 50-100m; 2% higher between 101-200m.
The analysis suggests 7-11% of dementia cases within 50m of a major road could be caused by traffic.
The researchers adjusted the data to account for other risk factors like poverty, obesity, education levels and smoking so these are unlikely to explain the link.
One of the study authors, Dr. Hong Chen, from Public Health Ontario, said: “Increasing population growth and urbanization have placed many people close to heavy traffic, and with widespread exposure to traffic and growing rates of dementia, even a modest effect from near-road exposure could pose a large public health burden.
“More research to understand this link is needed, particularly into the effects of different aspects of traffic, such as air pollutants and noise.”
The researchers suggest noise, ultrafine particles, nitrogen oxides and particles from tire-wear may be involved.
However, the study looks only at where people diagnosed with dementia live. It cannot prove that the roads are causing the disease.
Nearly 50 million people around the world are diagnosed with dementia.
However, the causes of the disease, that robs people of their memories and brain power, are not understood.
The best advice to reduce the risk of dementia is to do the things that we know are healthy for the rest of the body – stop smoking, exercise and eat healthily.
Donald Trump has backed Julian Assange in casting doubt on intelligence alleging Russian hacking the US election.
The WikiLeaks founder said Russia was not the source for the site’s mass leak of emails from the Democratic Party.
The president-elect has now backed that view in a tweet, writting: “Assange… said Russians did not give him the info!”
Donald Trump has repeatedly refused to accept the conclusions of the US intelligence community.
Several US agencies including the FBI and the CIA believe Russia directed hacks against the Democratic Party and the campaign of its presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
The information, released through WikiLeaks and other outlets, was intended to help Donald Trump win the election, say the FBI and CIA.
Image source RT
On January 3, Donald Trump said an intelligence briefing he was due to receive on the issue had been delayed.
“Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!” he wrote.
However, intelligence officials insisted there had been no delay in the briefing schedule.
In an interview with Fox News, Julian Assange repeated his claim that Russia was not behind the leak.
He also said a 14-year-old boy could have carried out one of the hacks, on the email account of Hillary Clinton’s aide, John Podesta.
In 2010, several leading Republican figures were calling for Julian Assange to be imprisoned after his website published thousands of embarrassing diplomatic cables leaked by former Army Pte. Chelsea Manning.
Donald Trump tweeted twice on January 4 in support of what Julian Assange said on Fox News.
However, the president-elect has previously been critical of the WikiLeaks organization.
When asked by a Fox News reporter in 2010 to comment on leaks, Donald Trump responded: “I think it’s disgraceful, I think there should be like death penalty or something.”
Israeli soldier Elor Azaria, who was filmed shooting dead a wounded Palestinian attacker after he had been disarmed of a knife, has been convicted of manslaughter.
Sgt. Elor Azaria, 20, shot Abdul Fatah al-Sharif, 21, in the head while he was lying immobile on a road.
The incident happened in Hebron in the occupied West Bank in March 2016, after another soldier was stabbed.
Sgt. Elor Azaria said he thought Abdul Fatah al-Sharif might have an explosive vest, but prosecutors said his motive was revenge.
The high-profile trial has proven extremely divisive in Israel.
There have been rallies to support the soldier and some senior politicians backed Sgt. Elor Azaria. However, top military figures were quick to say that his actions did not reflect the values of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
In the incident on March 24, Abdul Fatah al-Sharif and another 21-year-old Palestinian, Ramzi Aziz al-Qasrawi, stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier before troops opened fire on them, wounding Sharif and killing Qasrawi.
Image source Times of Israel
Footage of the scene several minutes later, filmed by a Palestinian and released by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, shows Abdul Fatah al-Sharif alive.
A soldier, identified as Sgt. Elor Azaria, is then seen cocking his rifle and fatally shooting Abdul Fatah al-Sharif from several meters away.
In their indictment, prosecutors said Sgt. Elor Azaria “violated the rules of engagement without operational justification as the terrorist was lying on the ground wounded and represented no immediate threat for the accused or others who were present”.
Delivering the verdict on January 4, the panel of three military judges rejected Sgt. Elor Azaria’s defense that he shot Abdul Fatah al-Sharif because he continued to pose a threat.
Elor Azaria had told the court that he believed there might be a suicide belt under the Palestinian’s jacket.
The judges, who took two-and-a-half hours to deliver their verdict, noted that Sgt. Elor Azaria’s commanders had testified that he did not mention the same concerns when they questioned him immediately after the shooting incident.
The judges also said there was no dispute regarding the veracity of the statements made by another soldier, who testified to military investigators that Sgt. Elor Azaria had told him during the incident: “They stabbed my friend and tried to kill him – he deserves to die.”
Elor Azaria told the court that he did not recall having any such conversation, but the head of the judging panel, Col. Maya Heller, described him as an “unreliable witness”.
She said: “His motive for shooting was that he felt the terrorist deserved to die.”
Prosecutor Lt. Col. Nadav Weissman said: “This is not a happy day for us. We would have preferred that this didn’t happen. But the deed was done, and the offence was severe.”
A spokesman for Sgt. Elor Azaria’s family said evidence proving his innocence had been ignored. “It was like the court was detached from the fact that this was the area of an attack,” he said.
His mother, Oshra Azaria, shouted at the judges: “You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
The defense team has said it will appeal against the verdict. Sentencing is expected in the next few weeks. Manslaughter in Israel carries a maximum 20-year term.
Abdul Fatah al-Sharif’s father Yusri was quoted as saying Sgt. Elor Azaria deserved a life sentence. Andul Fatah al-Sharif’s uncle, Fathi, told Haaretz that the decision to try him for manslaughter rather than murder was “a perversion of justice and of the court”.
A right-wing member of the governing coalition, Naftali Bennett, has called for an immediate pardon for the soldier.
The final decision lies with President Reuven Rivlin, who said in a statement that he would only deal with the issue once the judicial process had run its course.
Ellen DeGeneres has decided to cancel Kim Burrell’s appearance on her show after the gospel singer made anti-gay comments.
During a sermon at a church in Houston, Texas, Kim Burrell referred to “the perverted homosexual spirit”.
The gospel singer had been due to sing with Pharrell Williams on The Ellen DeGeneres Show later this week.
However, Ellen, who is a well-known advocate of gay rights, tweeted: “For those asking, Kim Burrell will not be appearing on my show.”
Image source Vimeo
The show host had been asked by fans to cancel Kim Burrell’s planned appearance and an online petition was launched.
In a video published after the sermon, Kim Burrell said she made “no excuses or apologies” for her comments.
She added: “I love you and God loves you but God hates the sin in you and me.
“I never said all gays were going to hell. I never said <<LGBT>>… I said <<SIN>>.
“To every person who is dealing with the homosexual spirit, that has it, I love you and God loves you but God hates the sin in you and me. Anything that is against the nature of God.”
Kim Burrell added “enemies” had posted only a portion of her original speech.
Pharrell Williams and Kim Burrell had been due to sing their track I See Victory from the soundtrack of the movie Hidden Figures on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on January 5.
The gunman who carried out Istanbul’s Reina club attack on New Year’s Eve has been identified, Turkey’s foreign minister says.
However, Mevlut Cavusoglu did not name the attacker.
He gave no further details about the inquiry into the murder of 39 people at the Reina club.
ISIS has said it was behind the nightclub attack in which dozens more were hurt.
Meanwhile, a number of suspects have been arrested in the western city of Izmir.
The police operation on January 4 was said to have targeted families who had recently traveled to Izmir from Konya, a central city where the main suspect was said to have stayed for several weeks before the attack.
Turkish authorities released images of the main suspect on January 3 but later discounted reports that he was a 28-year-old Kyrgyz national who had flown home from Istanbul.
The country is under growing pressure while the gunman remains on the loose. Checkpoints were set up in Istanbul on January 4 as officers checked cars and taxis. Police arrested 12 people in raids in Istanbul on January 3.
Turkish media have run images of a suspect, saying the pictures were handed out by the police. But the police have given no official details.
A video posted on social media showed a man being physically attacked on the Asian side of Istanbul on January 4 as people shouted: “It’s him” and “it’s the Reina attacker”. The man was punched, knocked to the ground and taken to a local police station before being released.
EU affairs minister Omer Celik said the gunman had clearly had training in the Middle East, and had managed to evade police by not using technology and steering clear of “all modern intelligence techniques”.
In his first public comments about the attack, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that the jihadist would not succeed in dividing Turks, saying: “In Turkey, no-one’s way of life is under any threat. Those who claim this have to prove it. It is my duty to protect everyone’s rights.”
The Reina club, which sits on the banks of the Bosphorus, is one of Istanbul’s most fashionable venues – popular with foreigners and often frequented by singers and sports stars.
The attacker is said to have arrived by taxi before rushing through the entrance with a long-barreled gun he had taken from the boot of the car.
He fired randomly at people in an assault lasting seven minutes, and then fled during the chaos.
On January 3, Turkey extended its state of emergency for another three months. It was implemented following the July failed coup which was blamed on a movement loyal to US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.
However, Turkey’s big cities have also been targeted by ISIS and by Kurdish militants.
ISIS was blamed for an attack last June on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, in which more than 40 people were killed. Police are investigating whether the nightclub suspect belongs to the same cell.
Turkey’s Deputy PM Numan Kurtulmus said on January 2 that Reina club attack was a “message” against Turkey’s operations in Syria but that they would not be affected.
Turkey launched a military operation in Syria in August to push back ISIS and Kurdish forces.
Driving can be one of the most fantastic things in a person’s life. It can represent freedom and independence and opens a huge amount of opportunities for getting out into the world and taking control of your life. That being said, it can also be an extremely stressful experience. Plenty of people actually find driving to be seriously unpleasant and will go to any lengths to avoid it. The problem is that these days, there’s not much that you can really do without driving. We drive to work, to pick up our kids and to see our friends. You can find ways to avoid driving if you really try, but for the vast majority of people, if you want to get around, you’ll probably have to get behind the wheel of a car. If driving is something that you really don’t enjoy and is the cause of a lot of stress, then the best thing that you can do is be prepared for some of the most common problems that you might some up against while on the road. That way you’re going to be much more able to deal with these problems when they actually happen. With that in mind, here are just a few of the worst things about driving.
Let’s start with the big one, shall we? A crash is probably the number one thing on a lot of people’s lists of fears when it comes to driving. A car accident can be one of the most unpleasant things that will ever happen in your life. Not only does it put you in a position of possibly having to be without your car for an extended period, but that’s just about the best case scenario! There’s also a major risk of some serious injury as well. Plenty of people are injured, or worse every year in accidents and, even if they are physically unharmed, a crash can have some extremely damaging, long-term psychological effects. It can make you never want to get behind the wheel of the car again as well as resulting in possible PTSD. The best thing that you can do to avoid a crash is to adjust the way that you’re driving. If you adopt a style of defensive driving, then you minimize the risks around you. This means that you drive in a way that consciously predicts hazards that might come along. There are plenty of courses that you can go on in order to learn to drive in this way, and it really is a fantastic method of avoiding any unwanted accidents. If you do end up in an accident then you should make sure that you have a company like Peterson Law Office to support you in the event of any claims that you need to make.
Reckless drivers
Most of the time there’s one really common cause of an accident, and that’s other people driving recklessly. Despite the obvious dangers that come with getting behind the wheel of a car, plenty of people seem to drive as if they’re totally invincible. Ignoring speed limits and traffic signals, overtaking on a single lane road and Lord knows how many other dangerous types of behavior. If you’re on the road and you end up close to someone who’s driving in this manner, it can be a terrifying experience. If they do something particularly reckless and cause an accident, it can feel like you’re going to end up smack dab in the middle of it. The ideal thing to do in this situation is to find somewhere to pull up and wait until they’re well out of sight. If the way that they’re driving is causing a serious risk, then it might also be a good idea to try to take a note of their license plate and report them to the police. It might not seem like the sort of thing that the police would be interested in, but it’s far better to report that kind of driving before anything happens than after someone ends up getting hurt.
If you’re a careful driver, then being behind the wheel will probably take up a fair amount of your concentration. That’s what makes it all the more frustrating when you have passengers who are dedicated to distracting you as much as possible. This is particularly bad when you have kids who don’t quite understand how difficult driving a car can be when someone is yelling in your ear. Make sure that you set out some ground rules before anyone gets in your car so that you never find yourself halfway through a journey with someone who won’t stop talking while you’re trying to navigate a busy road
Nobody wants to think about what might happen if they suffer a personal injury. You might have to take a few weeks off work, and that means you could struggle to pay your bills. You might also have to spend time in the hospital recovering from the incident. Unfortunately, we don’t have a free health care system in the US, and so those medical bills can become expensive. With that in mind, we wanted to spend some time highlighting the procedure you need to follow. When all’s said and done, you need the most compensation possible for your accident. So, you’ll have to conduct a lot of research and source the right information.
Evidence is the primary factor used to determine the level of compensation you receive. So, it makes sense to gather as much of it as possible. That means you might have to gain access to CCTV recordings or obtain medical reports from your doctor. You should also take photographs of any injuries you sustained. Ask for copies of x-rays, and always keep them safe. At some point, you will have to submit all that evidence to a specialist who will use it to fight your case. Without evidence, the chances of you receiving the level of compensation for which you are entitled are slim.
Taking a look at similar cases is also a sensible move if you want to increase your compensation rate. Judges will have a hard time awarding $5000 for an incident in which other people received more. If you have some case studies to hand, you can always appeal any decisions and get better outcomes. At the end of the day, you need to understand how much cash you stand to make before starting the process. You might discover that pushing ahead with your personal injury claim doesn’t make sense. You might also discover that you’re likely to get a small fortune. All that information will help you to make the right decisions during the early stages.
If you want to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit, there is lots of expert assistance available. You will have to pay for the aid, but it’s worth every dime. People working in that industry understand how claims progress through the court system. So, they are the best ones to ensure you get the money you deserve promptly. They will give advice on anything you can do to speed the process. They should also manage to get things sorted much more quickly than you could alone. Best of all? Some companies won’t expect you to pay their invoices until your claim is complete. That means you don’t need thousands of dollars in the bank to get things underway.
We hope you found that information useful, and that it will help you to get things right. You might get lucky and never have to deal with such an instance. However, statistics show that most people will find themselves entitled to compensation at some point in their lives. So, it’s better to prepare now and ensure you always take the appropriate action.
Donald Trump has made a fresh assault on America’s intelligence community.
The president-elect tweeted that an intelligence briefing he was due to receive on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election – which is said to have benefited Donald Trump – had been delayed.
He wrote: “Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!”
However, intelligence officials insisted there had been no delay in the briefing schedule.
Image NBC News
Several intelligence agencies including the FBI and the CIA believe Russia directed hacks against the Democratic Party and the campaign of its presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, releasing embarrassing information through WikiLeaks and other outlets to help Donald Trump win the election.
The president-elect initially dismissed the claims as “ridiculous” but subsequently said he would meet US intelligence chiefs to be “updated on the facts of this situation”.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said once again on January 3 that Russia was not the source for the site’s mass leak of emails from the Democratic Party in the run-up to the US presidential election.
Meanwhile, Rex Tillerson has agreed he will cut all ties with Exxon Mobil and comply with conflict-of-interest requirements.
In his New Year’s resolution, Mark Zuckerberg has announced plans to spend 2017 touring the US.
The Facebook founder posted that this year’s personal challenge is to “have visited and met people in every state in the US”.
Mark Zuckerberg, 32, added that he needs to travel to about 30 states to fulfill the pledge.
His previous New Year challenges have included running 365 miles, reading 25 books and learning Mandarin.
Photo Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg’s US tour plan comes amid speculation that a future personal challenge could include running for president of the United States.
He said in a Facebook post: “After a tumultuous last year, my hope for this challenge is to get out and talk to more people about how they’re living, working and thinking about the future.
“For decades, technology and globalization have made us more productive and connected.
“This has created many benefits, but for a lot of people it has also made life more challenging. This has contributed to a greater sense of division than I have felt in my lifetime. We need to find a way to change the game so it works for everyone.”
Mark Zuckerberg added that the road trips would help him to make “the most positive impact as the world enters an important new period”.
He said: “My trips this year will take different forms – road trips with [wife] Priscilla, stops in small towns and universities, visits to our offices across the country, meetings with teachers and scientists, and trips to fun places you recommend along the way.”
In 2016, there was speculation that Mark Zuckerberg could one day launch a bid for the White House.
That was fuelled by documents showing the Facebook founder has made provisions to keep control of the company if he works for the government.
Mark Zuckerberg also said last week that he was no longer an atheist.
He posted a Christmas message, prompting someone to ask: “Aren’t you an atheist?”
Mark Zuckerberg replied: “No. I was raised Jewish and then I went through a period where I questioned things, but now I believe religion is very important.”
Hillary and Bill Clinton have confirmed they will attend Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony on January 20.
Meanwhile, former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura have also announced plans to turn up, saying they want to “witness the peaceful transfer of power”.
Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th US president on Capitol Hill.
He defeated Hillary Clinton in November’s election and castigated George W. Bush over the Iraq war and 9/11.
Before January 3 announcement, Jimmy Carter was the only former president to have said he would attend the nation’s 58th inauguration.
Another former White House incumbent, 92-year-old George H.W. Bush has already said he will not attend the event, citing his age.
Despite Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote by nearly three million ballots, Donald Trump succeeded in getting the all-important Electoral College votes required to win.
During the election campaign, Donald Trump ridiculed George W. Bush’s claim to have kept Americans safe, pointing out the 9/11 attacks happened on his watch.
The New York billionaire had also accused the 43rd president of lying about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Donald Trump pummeled another member of the Bush clan, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, calling his primary season rival “low-energy”.
The now president-elect had also savaged his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, labeling her “Crooked Hillary”.
Republicans have dropped a plan to weaken Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) – an independent body that investigates political misconduct after a backlash.
The lawmakers’ surprise vote to strip the OCE of its independence prompted public uproar and a dressing down from Donald Trump.
President-elect Donald Trump said: “Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance!”
The secretive move, which overshadowed the first day of the 115th Congress, was reversed in an emergency meeting.
The OCE was set up in 2008 following a slew of scandals that resulted in several House lawmakers being jailed.
Donald Trump made cleaning up corruption in Washington a key theme of his campaign, and he ended his tweet with “#DTS”, an acronym for “drain the swamp”.
Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan had argued unsuccessfully against the rule change, which was adopted on January 2 in a closed-door meeting, but he defended the proposal on January 3.
Paul Ryan said: “I want to make clear that this House will hold its members to the highest ethical standards and the Office will continue to operate independently to provide public accountability to Congress.”
According to Google Trends, as the news spread, internet searches for “who is my representative” rocketed.
House Republicans called an emergency meeting and abruptly voted to undo the change.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham took a shot at his party colleagues’ decision to neuter the OCE, telling Fox News radio it was “the dumbest fricking thing I’ve ever heard”.
Paul Ryan – who was re-elected by fellow congressional Republicans on January 3 as House Speaker – had urged his party to seek bipartisan support and to wait to push for the change later.
However, Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte submitted the proposal against the advice of his party leaders.
Megyn Kelly is leaving Fox News after 12 years to join NBC, her publicist has confirmed.
The anchor will host her own daytime news and discussion program at NBC, as well as presenting an in-depth Sunday night news show.
The move deprives Fox News of its second most-popular host after Bill O’Reilly.
Megyn Kelly’s contract with Fox was due to end later this year.
She was pushed into the international spotlight in 2015 when she accused Donald Trump of misogyny during a Republican presidential debate.
Megyn Kelly later said that she would “not apologize for doing good journalism”, following criticism from Donald Trump’s supporters.
NBC News chairman Andrew Lack called Megyn Kelly “an exceptional journalist” who has “demonstrated tremendous skill and poise”.
“We’re lucky to have her,” Andrew Lack said.
Further details of Megyn Kelly’s news programs will be unveiled by NBC in the coming months, the company said in a statement on January 3.
Megyn Kelly, a lawyer-turned-journalist, joined Fox News’ Washington bureau as a correspondent before being given her own prime-time show, the Kelly File.
The New York mother-of-three began her career as a local news reporter in 2003, after nine years in law.
During the election campaign, Megyn Kelly challenged Donald Trump on his statements about women.
Megyn Kelly’s accusation of misogyny against Donald Trump made her a target for his supporters and the subject of attacks from the billionaire himself.
Donald Trump accused Megyn Kelly of having “blood coming out of her wherever”, later denying he was referring to menstruation.
In a move described by Fox News as “unprecedented”, Donald Trump later refused to participate in shows hosted by Megyn Kelly.
Ford Motors has announced it will cancel a $1.6 billion facility it planned to build in Mexico and instead extend operations at its factory in Michigan.
The company will spend $700 million on expanding the plant at Flat Rock.
The car giant said it needed to re-organize to use existing facilities more efficiently amid falling sales of its smaller cars.
Donald Trump has criticized both Ford and its rival General Motors over production of models in Mexico.
Earlier, the president-elect tweeted his disapproval of GM’s production of the Chevy Cruze in Mexico.
Ford CEO Mark Fields said the decision to cancel was in part related to the need to “fully utilize capacity at existing facilities” as sales of small and medium sized cars, such as the Focus and Fusion, fall – but he also said the decision was a vote of confidence in the business environment Donald Trump was creating.
However, the automaker is not abandoning production completely in Mexico, but is switching production of its Focus model to its existing plant in Hermosillo there to improve profitability.
Ford makes the current version at its plant in Wayne in Michigan. Production at that facility will switch to two new models, which it says will safeguard 3,500 US jobs.
The planned $1.6 billion facility in Mexico was to be built in San Luis Potosi, but Ford said it would now invest some of that sum in Flat Rock, creating 700 jobs building a range of electric cars.
On January 3, Donald Trump criticized GM on Twitter for making cars built in Mexico and made available tax-free in the US.
He tweeted: “General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to US car dealers-tax free across border. Make in U.S.A. or pay big border tax!”
However, General Motors said most of its Chevy Cruze cars were made in the US.
A spokesman said only the hatchback model, which forms a small percentage of sales, was made in Mexico.
He added that the car was built there for global production and said that although some Cruze sedans were made in Mexico for a while last year, all the ones now sold in the US were manufactured in Ohio.
Glenn Johnson, president of a union at the Lordstown factory in Ohio, said there had been no protest about the move of sedan production across the border.
Responding to Donald Trump’s tweet, he said: “It makes for news, that’s all.”
Donald Trump has criticized other US industry titans since his election win and has vowed to make good on campaign promises to bring jobs back to America by, as he puts it, leveling the playing field.
However, some commentators have expressed concern that restricting imports could damage the US economy.
In November, General Motors said it would lay off around 1,250 workers at Lordstown and around 800 at its plant in Michigan from the middle of January, although some may find work at other factories.
For the first year in more than half a century, Volvo was not Sweden’s best-selling car in 2016.
Surprisingly the Volkswagen Golf topped sales, according to Sweden’s automakers’ association, although Volvo still had the largest share of the country’s car market overall.
VW Golf made up 5.9% of new cars bought in Sweden, while Volvo’s V70, S90 and V90 took 5.7% together.
Volvo was last knocked off top spot in 1962 by a Volkswagen Beetle.
Image source Wikimedia
Despite Volvo’s car business now being owned by a Chinese firm, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, it is still viewed as an iconic Swedish brand.
Volvo still sells the most cars in Sweden, with more than one in five cars (21.5%) on the country’s roads, compared with VW’s 15.7%.
However, Volvo’s V70, the most popular car in Sweden for the past two decades, has ceased production in favor of the newer V90 model.
Sweden is Volvo’s second-biggest market after China.
The Swedish automakers’ association said 2016 saw record car sales with 372,000 new registrations, up by 8% on the 2015 figure, helped by a strong economy, while truck sales were up by more than 15%.
Republicans in the House have voted to weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), the body that investigates claims of misconduct against members of Congress.
Under the change, the independent OCE would come under the control of the House Ethics Committee.
Republican leaders in the House had opposed the change. The newly elected Congress meets later and the full House will vote on the proposed new rules.
However, Democrats reacted angrily to the vote.
The proposals, tabled in an amendment to House rules by Congressman Bob Goodlatte, would weaken the OCE’s oversight of matters such as conflicts of interests and financial impropriety.
If the new rules package is voted in – as is likely as the Republicans have a clear majority – the OCE would be renamed the Office of Congressional Complaint Review.
Under the proposals the new body would no longer be able to receive anonymous tip-offs, nor have a spokesperson, and would be under the supervision of the House Ethics Committee. Accusations against lawmakers would not be made public, as they are currently.
Any referral to law enforcement agencies would have to be approved by members of the committee.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House, said the amendment to the rules would effectively destroy the OCE.
She said in a statement: “Republicans claim they want to <<drain the swamp>>, but the night before the new Congress gets sworn in, the House GOP [Republican Party] has eliminated the only independent ethics oversight of their actions.
“Evidently, ethics are the first casualty of the new Republican Congress.”
During his election campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly vowed to “drain the swamp” of Washington politics, claiming the federal government was corrupt and dysfunctional. He has not commented on the proposals for the ethics body.
While House Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy were reportedly opposed to the amendment, Rep. Bob Goodlatte – chair of a House committee – introduced it anyway.
Rank and file members voted to support it in a closed session of the House Republican Conference.
There was no advance notice of the move, which came late on a federal public holiday.
The Office of Congressional Ethics was created in 2008 after a series of embarrassing scandals, including one involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff who was jailed for conspiracy and fraud.
Some felt that the House Ethics Committee had previously been held back from investigating wrongdoing by fellow members of the House of Representatives.
Nancy Pelosi – then leader of a Democrat-controlled House – spearheaded the efforts to reform oversight of Congress and shed light on the often murky world of Washington lobbying after the Abramoff scandal.
After their success in November’s elections, Republicans will control both houses in the new session of the US Congress.
Once Donald Trump is inaugurated on January 20, the GOP will control both Congress and the presidency for the first time since 2007.
According to the US constitution, “each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings”, so at the start of each new Congress, the House of Representatives has to approve its own rules and regulations.
President-elect Donald Trump has dismissed North Korea’s claim to be developing missiles capable of striking America.
In a tweet, Donald Trump derided Kim Jong-un’s claims that preparations were in the final stage, saying: “It won’t happen.”
It was not clear if Donald Trump was expressing doubts about North Korea’s nuclear capabilities or was planning preventative action.
Donald Trump also berated China for failing to help rein in its ally North Korea.
Image source YouTube
He tweeted: “China has been taking out massive amounts of money & wealth from the U.S. in totally one-sided trade, but won’t help with North Korea. Nice!”
A spokesman for China’s foreign affairs ministry said Beijing’s efforts on Korean peninsula denuclearization were “perfectly obvious”.
China had “proactively participated” in UN discussions and jointly passed several resolutions, the spokesman pointed out.
In his New Year message on January 1, Kim Jong-un said North Korea was close to testing long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Kim Jong-un said North Korea was now a “military power of the East that cannot be touched by even the strongest enemy”.
North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests over 2016, raising fears that it has made significant nuclear advances.
However, it has never successfully test-fired long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Experts estimate it might take less than five years. UN resolutions call for an end to North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has failed to attend a constitutional court hearing on her impeachment.
The session was closed after nine minutes and postponed to January 5 because of her absence.
On December 9, the parliament voted to impeach Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal.
Park Geun-hye’s close friend Choi Soon-sil has been charged with abuse of power. The president is alleged to have been involved as well, which she denies.
Her impeachment case is being heard in a court by nine judges. They have 180 days to decide whether Park Geun-hye, who has been suspended from duties, should go or stay.
Though the court has requested her presence, Park Geun-hye’s lawyer has said she will not attend “unless there are special circumstances”, Yonhap news agency reported. If Park Geun-hye fails to appear for a second time on January 5, the hearing can proceed without her.
Image source Wikimedia
According to the Korea Times, the justices will be assessing whether she abused her power, took part in bribery and violated the rule of law, among other issues.
Park Geun-hye met reporters on January 1 to strongly deny allegations from prosecutors that she was involved in Choi Soon-sil’s dealings, calling them “distorted and false” suspicions.
Choi Soon-sil is said to have used her close relationship with Park Geun-hye to pressure companies into donating to two foundations which she controlled, and then siphoned off funds for her personal use.
The scandal has rocked South Korea, which has seen multiple mass protests calling for Park Geun-hye to step down and apologize.
The president has admitted giving Choi Soon-sil inappropriate access to government decisions and has publically apologized for this several times.
Separately, South Korean authorities said on January 3 they were proceeding with the extradition of Choi Soon-sil’s daughter, Chung Yoo-ra.
Chung Yoo-ra, a former national equestrian, was arrested in Denmark on January 1 for staying in the country illegally.
Part of the investigation into Choi Soon-sil’s activities relates to a gift horse from Samsung to her, allegedly for Chung Yoo-ra’s training.
Academics from the prestigious Ewha Women’s University in Seoul are also being investigated for admitting Chung Yoo-ra and allegedly giving her preferential treatment.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been questioned as part of an investigation into corruption allegations.
Ahead of police arrival at his residence, Benjamin Netanyahu again denied any wrongdoing.
Benjamin Netanyahu told the media and political rivals to “hold off partying”, adding: “Nothing will happen, because there is nothing.”
Israeli media have reported allegations that the prime minister has received significant gifts or “favors” from businessmen.
Investigators questioned Benjamin Netanyahu at his central Jerusalem residence for about three hours, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Benjamin Netanyahu told his Likud party legislators on January 2: “We hear all the media reports. We see and hear the festive spirit and atmosphere in television studios and in the corridors of the opposition.
“I want to tell them to wait for the celebrations. Do not rush. I told you and I repeat: There will be nothing because there is nothing. You will continue to inflate hot air balloons and we will continue to lead the state of Israel.”
Image source Wikimedia
However, Ynet quoted the leader of the Zionist Union, Isaac Herzog, as saying: “This isn’t a happy day. This is a hard day for the state of Israel. We are not gloating.”
Opponents of Benjamin Netanyahu have called for an investigation into his affairs following a series of scandals in recent months – none of which have resulted in charges.
Last month, an investigation was opened into the purchase of new submarines from Germany, after it was claimed that Benjamin Netanyahu’s lawyer represented the company during negotiations.
Earlier this year, convicted French fraudster Arnaud Mimran claimed he had donated hundreds of thousands of euros to Benjamin Netanyahu’s 2009 election campaign – something the prime minister denies.
Benjamin Netanyahu has also been accused of wasting public money, including $127,000 on a customized private bedroom on a single flight to the UK.
Similar allegations have followed the Israeli prime minister since his original term in office two decades ago.
In 2000, Israeli police recommended that criminal charges be brought against Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, after an eight-month investigation into whether he had kept official gifts that should have been handed over to the state after he left office.
At the same time, Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu were also accused of charging the government for the services of a contractor who did private work for them.
All those charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Mariah Carey came under fire after her televised New Year’s Eve performance went wrong.
The singer’s live appearance in New York’s Times Square was beset by problems as she complained of sound difficulties and struggled to sing.
Mariah Carey’s representative told Billboard the producers “set her up to fail”.
However, Dick Clark Productions (DCP) said any suggestion it would “compromise the success of any artist is defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd”.
Mariah Carey was live on ABC just before midnight and began with Auld Lang Syne, but hit trouble during her 1991 hit Emotions.
Complaining that she could not hear, Mariah Carey did not sing for much of the track and her dancers led her through an awkward stage routine.
Photo Getty Images
The pop star told the crowd: “I want a holiday, too. Can I not have one? I’m trying to be a good sport here.”
The problems continued during her next song, the 2005 hit We Belong Together. Mariah Carey lowered her microphone but could still be heard singing on a pre-recorded track.
“It just don’t get any better,” the singer said at the end of the song.
Mariah Carey’s spokesperson Nicole Perna told Billboard: “She was not <<winging>> this moment and took it very seriously. A shame that production set her up to fail.”
The singer told the production crew that her earpiece was not working in advance, Nicole Perna said.
“They told her it would be fine once she was on stage,” she explained.
“However, that was not the case and they were again told that her earpiece was not working. Instead of endeavoring to fix the issue so that Mariah could perform, they went live.”
Mariah Carey went on stage but was “flying blind”, Nicole Perna said. Referring to the backing vocal track, she said: “It is not uncommon for artists to sing to track during certain live performances.”
Nicole Perna added: “Any allegations that she planned to lip sync are just adding insult to injury.”
However, DCP said: “As the premier producer of live television events for nearly 50 years, we pride ourselves on our reputation and long-standing relationships with artists.
“To suggest that DCP, as producer of music shows including the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and Academy of Country Music Awards, would ever intentionally compromise the success of any artist is defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd.”
DCP said technical errors could occur with live TV in “very rare instances” but that an initial investigation indicated it had no involvement in the problems during Mariah Carey’s performance.
“We want to be clear that we have the utmost respect for Ms Carey as an artist and acknowledge her tremendous accomplishments in the industry,” the production company added.
At least 60 inmates have been killed during a riot in an overcrowded Brazilian prison, officials say.
The unrest in Manaus, in Amazonas state, started on January 1 after a fight between rival gangs, police said.
The violence ended 17 hours later, when the inmates surrendered their weapons and freed unharmed the last of 12 guards they had taken hostage.
Brazil has the world’s fourth largest prison population.
There are some 600,000 inmates in Brazil, and overcrowding is a serious problem. Reports said the capacity of the Anisio Jobim Penitentiary Centre, the biggest in Amazonas, was for 454 inmates, but it had 1,224 men.
Image source AP
When the riot began, six headless bodies were thrown over the perimeter fence of the prison. Pictures showed bloodied and burned bodies stacked in a concrete prison yard and piled in carts.
The state public security secretary, Sergio Fontes, said rival gangs operating inside and outside the prison had been fighting for control over drug trafficking.
According to Sergio Fontes, the violence appeared to be a message from Family of the North (FDN), a powerful local gang, to rivals from the First Capital Command (PCC), one of Brazil’s largest gangs, whose base is in Sao Paulo, in the south-east.
He called it “the biggest massacre” ever committed at a prison in Amazonas.
The inmates got weapons through a hole in a prison wall, he added. Several firearms were found in the post-riot search by police, as well as several tunnels.
Prisoners at a second jail unit nearby also rioted and many escaped, Sergio Fontes said. Some 40 inmates had been recaptured, he added. It was unclear how many remained at large.
Fights between rival gangs often result in dozens of inmates being killed and sometimes dismembered.
The gang members behind the deadly riots are often from violent inner-city areas of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo who have been transferred to prisons in remote states in order to break up their gangs.
However, the number of deadly riots in these states would seem to indicate that this strategy has not worked according to plan, correspondents say.
This was the deadliest prison riot in Brazil since 1992, when a rebellion at the Carandiru prison in Sao Paulo saw 111 inmates killed, nearly all of them by police as they retook the jail.
ISIS has claimed it was behind the New Year attack on Istanbul’s Reina club that killed 39 people in Turkey.
The Islamist group said in a statement it was carried out by “a heroic soldier”.
At least 600 revelers were celebrating in the early hours of January 1 at Reina club when the gunman began firing indiscriminately.
ISIS has been blamed for recent attacks in Turkey, which is taking military action against the group in neighboring Syria.
The group has already been linked to at least two attacks in Turkey in 2016.
Photo Getty Images
The ISIS statement accused Turkey of shedding the blood of Muslims through “its air strikes and mortar attacks” in Syria.
More details of the nightclub attack have been emerging. The attacker, who fired up to 180 bullets, arrived by taxi before rushing through the entrance with a long-barreled gun he had taken from the boot of the car.
The gunman fired randomly at people in an assault lasting seven minutes, starting with a security guard and a travel agent near the entrance. Both were killed.
The attacker is reported to have removed his overcoat before fleeing during the chaos.
Turkish media reports quote police sources as saying he may have been from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.
A manhunt is under way, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu confirmed, saying: “We hope the attacker will be captured soon.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused groups such as ISIS of trying “to create chaos”.
“They are trying to… demoralize our people and destabilize our country,” he said.
Turkey suffered a bloody 2016 with a series of attacks, some carried out by Kurdish militants.
However, a day before the ISIS claim, the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was quick to distance itself from Reina club attack, saying it would “never target innocent civilians”.
At least 25 of those killed were foreign, according to local media, among them citizens from Israel, Russia, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, Belgium, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Security guard Fatih Cakmak was among the first to die.
At least 69 people are being treated in hospital, officials said, with three in a serious condition.
Reina club, which sits on the banks of the Bosphorus, is one of Istanbul’s most fashionable venues – popular with foreigners and often frequented by singers and sports stars.
The daughter of Choi Soon-sil, who is at the center of a presidential scandal in South Korea has been arrested in Denmark, South Korean police say.
Chung Yoo-ra, 20, is accused of staying in Denmark illegally, police said.
Choi Soon-sil is accused of using her friendship with South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye for personal gain, including getting her daughter into a top Korean university.
After weeks of protest, parliament voted on December 9 to impeach President Park Geun-hye.
Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil have apologized while denying the accusations.
Image source Yonhap
South Korean authorities had asked for Interpol’s help in tracing Chung Yoo-ra after she failed to return to answer questions about her role in the scandal.
They are reportedly planning to extradite Chung Yoo-ra, a former national equestrian rider.
Choi Soon-sil is in detention having returned from abroad to face questioning.
She has been charged with various offences, including abuse of authority, coercion, attempted coercion and attempted fraud.
South Korea’s constitutional court has six months to uphold or overturn the impeachment vote against President Park Geun-hye.
Until then Park Geun-hye remains formally president but stripped of her powers, which have been handed to the prime minister, a presidential appointee.
Turkish authorities are hunting for a gunman who opened fire at Istanbul’s well-known nightclub Reina, killing at least 39 people and injuring other 69.
The club attack happened on January 1, as hundreds of revelers marked the New Year.
According to Turkish officials, at least 15 foreigners were killed, including citizens from Israel, Belgium, Lebanon, Jordan, France, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
The gunman left his gun before “taking advantage of the chaos” and fleeing the scene, Turkey’s PM Binali Yildirim said.
The prime minister also confirmed the gunman was not dressed as Santa Claus, contradicting earlier reports.
Image source European Pressphoto
The attack unfolded some 75 minutes into the New Year as around 700 people gathered in the waterside Reina club, one of Istanbul’s most upmarket venues.
The gunman shot dead a police officer and a security guard at the entrance before heading into the club, which is popular with celebrities and foreigners.
Eyewitnesses described seeing dozens of bodies lying on the floor. Some revelers reportedly threw themselves into the Bosphorus to escape the carnage.
At least 69 people are being treated in hospital, officials said, with four in a serious condition.
The attack reason is not clear, but suspicion has fallen on ISIS.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed terror groups “trying to create chaos”.
He said: “They are trying to… demoralize our people and destabilize our country.”
Earlier, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu confirmed a “manhunt for the terrorist is under way. Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon.”
Turkish police believed there was only one gunman, although some eyewitness reports mentioned multiple attackers.
Details of those who died are starting to emerge.
The security guard at the entrance to the club has been identified as Fatih Cakmak.
His brother said he narrowly escaped a double bombing three weeks ago, having been on duty when Kurdish militants launched an attack near Besiktas stadium, killing at least 44 people, mostly police.
