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2017 Golden Globes Nominations: La La Land Leads with Seven Nods

La La Land took seven nominations in the 74th Golden Globe Awards.

The musical comedy is up for best musical or comedy film, while there are acting nominations for its stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.

Damien Chazelle is up for best film director and it is also nominated for original screenplay, score and song.

Coming-of-age drama Moonlight is close behind with six nominations, including best drama film.

Naomie Harris is up for best supporting actress for her role as a drug addict in the movie.

Manchester by the Sea, about a caretaker who finds himself taking in his teenage nephew, has five nods – best drama film, original screenplay, director for Kenneth Lonergan, actor for Casey Affleck and supporting actress for Michelle Williams.Golden Globes 2017

The other best drama actor nominees are Joel Edgerton for Loving, Andrew Garfield for Hacksaw Ridge, Viggo Mortensen for Captain Fantastic and Denzel Washington for Fences.

Natalie Portman is favorite for the best drama actress award for playing Jacqueline Kennedy in the biopic Jackie.

The actress will face competition from Arrival‘s Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain for Miss Sloane, Isabelle Huppert for Elle and Ruth Negga for Loving.

World War II biopic Hacksaw Ridge, Texan family drama Hell or High Water and Indian/Australian coming-of-age movie Lion are also up for best drama film.

OJ Simpson v The People is also recognized, with acting nominations for John Travolta, Sterling K. Brown and Sarah Paulson alongside Vance. The drama is also up for best limited series.

In the movie categories, Disney’s Zootopia and Moana are among those up for best animated feature film, alongside Kubo and the Strings, My Life as A Zucchini and Sing.

Florence Foster Jenkins, based on the true story of a New York heiress who dreams of being an opera star, has four nominations, including a 30th Golden Globe nod for Meryl Streep and one for Hugh Grant.

The 74th Golden Globe Awards will be handed out in Los Angeles on January 8 at a ceremony hosted by Jimmy Fallon.

Venezuela Closes Colombian Border to Combat Smuggling Gangs

Venezuela has decided to close its border with Colombia for 72 hours in the latest measure to combat smuggling gangs.

According to President Nicolas Maduro, the “mafia” operating in border areas is causing huge damage to the economy.

Many items subsidized by Venezuela’s socialist government, including diesel and petrol, are sold at a huge profit over the border in Colombia.

On December 11, Nicolas Maduro announced that Venezuela’s highest denomination bank note, 100-bolivar, would be taken out of circulation.

He said the move would stop gangs hoarding the currency.

“Let’s destroy the mafia before the mafias destroy our country and our economy,” Nicolas Maduro said on national TV.venezuela-pulls-100-bolivares-notes

“This measure was inevitable, it was necessary,” he added.

“The mafias will go bust.”

Venezuela last closed most border crossings with Colombia in August 2015 and it was partially reopened a year later.

In 2015, Colombia complained that it had not been consulted or informed.

However, both sides eventually reached an agreement to cooperate on tackling crime and smuggling along the 1,370 miles border.

The measure caused huge disruption for the people who live and work in border cities.

This time, Nicolas Maduro said the border would be reopened after 72 hours, once the 100-bolivar notes ceased to be valid.

Venezuela’s central bank data suggests there are more than six billion 100-bolivar notes in circulation, making up almost half of all currency.

Venezuelans will then have 10 days to exchange the notes for coins and new, higher-value bills, but only at the Central Bank.

President Nicolas Maduro said the gangs held more than 300 billion bolivares worth of currency, most of it in 100-bolivar notes.

He said there were “entire warehouses full of 100-bolivar notes in the [Colombian cities of] Cucuta, Cartagena, Maicao and Buaramanga”.

On December 11, he said: “I have given the orders to close all land, maritime and air possibilities so those bills taken out can’t be returned and they’re stuck with their fraud abroad.”

Nicolas Maduro’s critics have predicted chaos and doubt that the facilities will be in place for people to exchange all their 100-bolivar notes.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles tweeted: “When ineptitude governs! Who would possibly think of doing something like this in December amid all our problems?”

Cuba and Google Sign Internet Access Deal

Google and Cuba’s state-run telecommunications company ETECSA have signed a deal that will enable faster access to content from the tech giant.

Under the deal, Google will install servers in Cuba to improve connectivity speeds to its services, including Gmail and YouTube.

ETECSA and Google have reached their agreement in the final weeks of Barack Obama’s presidency.

It is not clear whether Donald Trump will change US policies towards Cuba.

A high-speed fibre-optic cable connecting Cuba to the global internet appears to have finally been activated

Barack Obama restored relations with Cuba earlier this year, after more than five decades of hostility between the two former Cold War rivals.

President-elect Donald Trump has made arguments both for and against improved ties with Cuba since being elected last month.

Even though most Cubans are likely to see the deal with Google as a step forward, it will do little to change the overall online accessibility on the communist island.

Cuba still has one of the lowest online connectivity rates in the world.

The majority of the population is not allowed access to the internet from home and must rely, instead, on expensive Wi-Fi points to get online.

Google said in a statement: “This deal allows Etecsa to use our technology to reduce latency by caching some of our most popular high bandwidth content like YouTube videos at a local level.”

The agreement was signed in Havana by Alphabet Inc chairman Eric Schmidt and ETECSA president Mayra Arevich Marin.

Republicans to Support Russian Hacking Investigation

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Top Republicans Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell have said they will support further investigation of findings that Russian hackers meddled in the November election.

The House speaker and Senate majority leader said any foreign intervention in the polls was unacceptable.

Donald Trump has repeatedly poured scorn on the claims, made by the CIA.

The CIA concluded on December 9 that Russia’s motive was to help Donald Trump.

Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan said their respective intelligence committees would investigate the allegations.

Photo AP
Photo AP

“Any foreign breach of our cyber-security measures is disturbing and I strongly condemn any such efforts,” Senator Mitch McConnell told reporters, adding that “the Russians are not our friends”.

Paul Ryan echoed these remarks, but warned against exploiting the work of the intelligence community for “partisan purposes”.

The remarks came amid suggestions by Donald Trump that the claims were politically motivated.

On December 11, the president-elect told Fox News the Democrats were disseminating the “ridiculous” hacking reports because they lost the election.

Then on the next day Donald Trump tweeted: “Can you imagine if the election results were the opposite and WE tried to play the Russia/CIA card. It would be called conspiracy theory!

“Unless you catch <<hackers>> in the act, it is very hard to determine who was doing the hacking. Why wasn’t this brought up before election?”

The FBI said two month ago that it believed Russia was behind the Democratic Party hacks, but on December 9 the CIA went further by concluding Russia’s motive was to help Donald Trump.

On December 12, the Hillary Clinton campaign, which lost to Donald Trump in last month’s election, said it was supporting an effort by a handful of members of the electoral college to request an intelligence briefing on the latest hacking allegations.

The Electoral College meets next week to ratify the results of the election.

Last week, President Barack Obama has ordered a complete review of the hacks, which targeted emails at the Democratic Party and John Podesta’s emails.

The contents of the emails, passed to WikiLeaks and posted online, were embarrassing to the Democrats and shook up the presidential campaign.

Bidoung Challenge: Cameroon’s Sports Minister Greeting Goes Viral

The image of Cameroon’s Sports Minister Pierre Ismael Bidoung Mpkatt bowing and shaking the hand of President Paul Biya went viral.bidoung-challenge-cameroon

The hashtags #BidoungChallenge and #CourberdosChallenge meaning to bend the back, have been included in 11,000 tweets.

People in Cameroon have been recreating the image as well photoshopping the original on social media.

One user on Twitter added some geometry to illustrate the angle and distance of the bow to the subject.

Recount 2016: Judge Paul Diamond Rejects Bid for Pennsylvania Vote Recount

A federal judge has blocked Jill Stein’s attempt to force a recount in Pennsylvania of votes cast in last month’s presidential election.

The Green Party’s candidate has sought a recount there, as well as in Michigan and Wisconsin. Donald Trump narrowly beat Hillary Clinton in all three states.

Last week a judge halted a recount in Michigan after three days.

Image source Flickr
Image source Flickr

Wisconsin’s is expected to finish on December 12. At issue are fears that voting machines are vulnerable to hacking.

In Pennsylvania, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton by about 44,000 votes out of 6 million cast – less than 1%.

Announcing his ruling on December 12, US District Judge Paul Diamond said: “There is no credible evidence that any <<hack>> occurred, and compelling evidence that Pennsylvania’s voting system was not in any way compromised.”

Correspondents say that none of the recounts were likely to change the final result.

Hillary Clinton has kept silent on the matter, but her campaign has said it will co-operate with Jill Stein’s recount efforts.

Unlike Wisconsin and Michigan, most of Pennsylvania’s voting machines leave no paper trail. This would have made a recount there a cumbersome process.

Requests would have had to be filed for each individual precinct.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgfRHTmFg4E

Christine Lagarde Goes on Trial In France

IMF managing director Christine Lagarde has gone on trial in France for negligence over a compensation payment made by a state-owned bank to Bernard Tapie in 2008.

As finance minister of then-President Nicolas Sarkozy, Christine Lagarde approved an award of €404 million ($429 million) to Bernard Tapie for the disputed sale of a company.

Bernard Tapie had supported Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential election.

Christine Lagarde, 60, is accused of allowing the misuse of public funds, rather than corruption. She denies wrongdoing.

The case originates in the early 1990s, when Bernard Tapie was a majority shareholder in sports goods company Adidas.

Photo Getty Images
Photo Getty Images

After launching a political career and becoming a cabinet minister in Francois Mitterrand’s Socialist government in 1992, Bernard Tapie had to sell the company.

In 1993, Tapie sued Credit Lyonnais, a state-owned bank that handled the sale, alleging that the bank had defrauded him by deliberately undervaluing the firm.

By 2007, the long-running case was referred by Christine Lagarde to binding arbitration. A three-member panel awarded the compensation a year later, causing a public outcry.

In 2015, after eight more years of legal wrangling, a French court ruled that Bernard Tapie had not been entitled to compensation and should repay the €404 million.

Christine Lagarde is now facing the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) on charges of “negligence by a person in position of public authority”.

The court, composed mostly of politicians rather than judges, handles allegations of crimes committed by cabinet ministers. If convicted, she could face one year in prison.

Christine Lagarde replaced Dominique Strauss-Kahn as IMF managing director in 2011.

DSK – also a former French finance minister – resigned following his arrest in New York on charges of assault that were later dropped.

Gingerbread House Day 2016

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The National Gingerbread House Day is observed annually on December 12.

It celebrates the tradition of making houses and architectural models out of gingerbread cookies. The tradition can be traced back to the 1600s.

Image source Flickr
Image source Flickr

The idea of a gingerbread house originated in Brothers Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel tail. German gingerbread guilds made the idea of gingerbread houses more festive.

A favorite food of an Armenian monk, Gregory of Nicopolis, brought gingerbread to Europe around 992 AD and taught French Christians to bake it. Gingerbread was often used in religious ceremonies and was baked to be sturdy as it was often molded into images of saints.

According the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s largest gingerbread house was made in 2013 by the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas. The house was 60 ft long and 10.1 ft tall.

Oil Prices Surge After Non-OPEC Countries Agreed to Cut Output

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Oil prices have jumped after oil producing countries that are not OPEC members agreed to cut output.

Brent crude oil price surged to $57.89 a barrel – the highest since July 2015 – before falling back to $56.55, although that was still a gain of 4.1% on the day.Oil price March 2016

On December 10, non-OPEC countries agreed to cut their output by 558,000 barrels a day in a deal designed to reduce oversupply and boost prices.

OPEC announced last month that it would be cutting its own production.

It committed to halting the supply of 1.2 million barrels a day, starting from January.

The new deal is the first global pact in 15 years.

Saudi Arabia has also signaled it could cut its output more than first suggested – something that could further lift prices.

But some expressed doubts about the deal’s long-term chances of success.

Those taking part in December 10 deal included Russia – which will provide the lion’s share of the cut – as well as Mexico and Bahrain among others.

The move comes after more than two years of depressed oil prices, which have more than halved since 2014 due to a supply glut on the market.

Besiktas Bomb Attacks: 235 People Arrested for Acting on Behalf of PKK

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Over two hundreds people have been arrested in Turkey for acting on behalf of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the interior ministry says.

Among those 235  arrested are officials from the main Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP).

The arrests come two days after twin bomb attacks near Istanbul’s Besiktas stadium which killed 44 people.

Meanwhile, Austria says that talks with Turkey over membership of the EU should be suspended.

Image source RT
Image source RT

A statement from the interior ministry says the operation covered 11 provinces across Turkey from the northwest to the southeast, and targeted people suspected of “spreading terror group propaganda”.

It is not clear whether December 12 arrests were directly related to the bomb attacks.

Speaking in parliament, Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag said most of the 44 people killed on December 10 were policemen.

The Kurdish militant group TAK, an offshoot of the PKK, said in a statement it had carried out the attack.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on December 11 that Turkey would fight “the scourge of terrorism to the end”, and promised that the attackers would pay a “heavy price”.

Last month, 10 HDP lawmakers – including co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag – were arrested, causing international alarm.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said that Europe could no longer ignore President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on the opposition.

Venezuela to Replace 100-Bolivar Banknotes with Coins

Venezuela will replace its 100-bolivar banknotes with coins within 72 hours.

The government hopes swapping the country’s highest denomination notes will help to stop smuggling and tackle shortages of food and other items.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro says gangs operating in border areas will not have time to repatriate the notes.

Nicolas Maduro’s critics dismissed the move as the latest desperate attempt by the president to tackle the economic crisis.venezuela-pulls-100-bolivares-notes

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles tweeted: “When ineptitude governs! Who would possibly think of doing something like this in December amid all our problems?”

Others argued it would be impossible to swap all the 100-bolivar notes in circulation in the time allotted.

The 100-bolivar note has lost most of its value over the past few years and is now worth about 2 US cents.

Venezuela, which is facing a serious economic and political crisis, has one of the world’s highest inflation rates.

President Nicolas Maduro said on TV: “I have given the orders to close all land, maritime and air possibilities so those bills taken out can’t be returned and they’re stuck with their fraud abroad.”

Earlier this month, Venezuela’s central bank said that six new bills ranging from 500 to 20,000 bolivars would come into circulation on December 15.

The government last published figures for inflation in December 2015, putting it at 180%, but the IMF estimates that next year’s prices will rise by more than 2,000%.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5aZoDcCH-k

Bill English Becomes New Zealand’s Prime Minister

Bill English has become New Zealand’s prime minister after John Key unexpectedly resigned from office last week.

The former finance minister and deputy prime minister for the ruling National Party was sworn in at Government House in Wellington.

Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett has been named as deputy prime minister.

The appointments were confirmed after a meeting of the National Party’s caucus.

Image source Wikipedia
Image source Wikipedia

In his first speech following his election, Bill English said he would lead a strong team of lawmakers, full of ideas.

He described Paula Bennett as “smart, accomplished and energetic”.

National Party’s President Peter Goodfellow said Bill English and Paula Bennett would be “outstanding leaders” who would “provide a good mixture of experience and fresh thinking” .

Bill English joined parliament in 1990 and has held several ministerial posts in education, health and finance.

John Key said last week his decision to stand down was for family reasons and “the hardest decision I’ve ever made”.

He said he would not be seeking a fourth term in the 2017 election.

John Key tweeted soon after December 12 announcement: “Congratulations to my good friend @honbillenglish on becoming the new leader of the @nznationalparty and the next Prime Minister of NZ.”

Australia’s PM Malcolm Turnbull also congratulated Bill English in a phone call.

Vladimir Putin Declines Japan’s Offer of Akita Dog as Gift

Vladimir Putin has declined to accept Japan’s offer of an Akita dog as a gift, according to a Japanese lawmaker.

Koichi Hagiuda did not give a reason as to why the gift had been rejected.

Japan gave the Russian president a female Akita called Yume in 2012. This dog was intended as a companion for her.

Image source Flickr
Image source Flickr

Koichi Hagiuda wrote in a blog post: “Unfortunately, we heard from our counterparts, and our hope to present a bridegroom was dashed.”

If accepted, the gift would have been presented to Vladimir Putin at a summit with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in Japan next week.

Akita dogs originate from northern Japan.

Vladimir Putin also owns a male Bulgarian Shepherd called Buffy, which was given to him by the Bulgarian prime minister in 2010.

His Labrador, Konni, given to him as a gift by Sergey Shoigu, currently Russian defense minister, died in 2014.

Vladimir Putin once brought Konni to a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is scared of dogs. Some press reports at the time said he had done so to intimidate her. But earlier this year, he told a German newspaper that he did not know about Angela Merkel’s fear.

Vladimir Putin said: “When I learned that she does not like dogs, I apologized, of course.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeS3Eq4e8Qs

Representatives Use Infographics to Convey Complex Content to the Public

Over the last few years, infographics have become extremely popular. They are especially useful for helping people stay engaged while reviewing information that otherwise might be very difficult to digest. Recently, representatives from federal agencies are have become increasingly reliant on these kinds of graphics to communicate information about public health. When certain factors are kept in mind during the process of designing an infographic, it is more likely the result will be maximally effective.

Infographics Are Often Shared Through Social Media

Even though infographics undoubtedly make content easier to understand for most people who see them, that’s not the only benefit they offer. Infographics are also excellent for helping information reach large amounts of people quickly. That’s probably why some officials frequently post infographics on respective social media pages and hope viewers will share them.

Image result for Infographics

Some Infographics Are Printed For Future Reference

There may be instances where people are so interested in what an infographic discusses they want to print out the material and refer to it later. That’s especially common if an infographic is used to explain a step-by-step process, such as how to choose a good online learning program. People who are interested in taking courses through the internet can print the infographic and post it in easily viewable places during their course research process.

People Might Look at Infographics With Their Phones or Tablets

We live in an increasingly tech-savvy society, and many people can barely get through an hour without using their smartphones or tablets. It makes sense then that since people commonly use these gadgets to shop, check the weather, and get up to date on news, they’ll eagerly look at infographics through the devices too.

Infographics Demonstrate Authority

People and organizations also depend on infographics when trying to showcase authority on particular topics. Going back to the example about online courses, a person interested in taking earning an online Master of Public Administration diploma from USC might be curious about the kinds of things that are taught in the degree program.

If a USC representative publishes a well-made infographic that details how communication methods have changed and brought people closer than ever to public figures, the potential online learner would not only get the impression that communication principles would be taught, but that USC is an authoritative educational option. This is just one way a university might display competitiveness by creating relevant content.

Infographics Highlight Key Concepts

Some people may want to learn more about very in-depth topics, but have no idea how to get started or even what’s most important for them to know. An infographic works well for condensing information about broad subjects and giving people good jumping-off points for furthering their knowledge. The USC Gould School of Law did that in a helpful way by making an infographic that helped people learn more about white-collar crime.

The above examples should clarify why many representatives are choosing to dispense information to the masses by using infographics. For best results, infographics should be readily accessible and not too large, since people may be viewing them on small screens or printing them out.

Donald Trump Rejects as Ridiculous CIA Report of Russian Hacking

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Donald Trump has rejected as “ridiculous” a CIA assessment that Russian hackers tried to sway the US election in his favor.

The president-elect told Fox News the Democrats were putting out the reports because they were embarrassed at the scale of the election defeat.

On December 9, CIA officials told media they had concluded that Russians hackers were trying to help Donald Trump.

Russian officials have repeatedly denied the hacking accusations.

Donald Trump said it might have been Russia but it was impossible to know.

“They have no idea if it’s Russia or China or somebody sitting in a bed some place,” he said.Donald Trump hails Brexit referendum result

President Barack Obama has ordered a complete review of the hacks, which targeted emails at the DNC and the emails of John Podesta, a key aide to presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

The contents of the emails, passed to WikiLeaks and posted online, were embarrassing to the Democrats and shook up the presidential campaign.

Senior Republicans have now joined Democrats in calling for a full investigation.

Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a joint statement on December 11 with top Democrats that the CIA’s report “should alarm every American”.

John McCain said in an interview that the congressional investigation should be more thorough than the one ordered by the White House.

In October, US government officials pointed the finger at Russia, accusing it of meddling in the campaign to undermine the electoral process.

On December 9, the intelligence community went further when media reports said the CIA had “high confidence” that Russians were trying to influence the election in Donald Trump’s favor.

Russians had hacked the Republican Party but chose not to reveal the contents of what they found, the reports said.

Donald Trump told Fox News on December 11: “I think it’s ridiculous. I think it’s just another excuse. I don’t believe it.”

The president-elect said the Democrats were behind the news reports, not the CIA, because they suffered such a big defeat.

While backing the Obama review, Donald Trump warned that it should not pin the blame solely on Russia but on other countries or individuals too.

GOP spokesman Sean Spicer said the party had not been hacked and the intelligence report was wrong.

Donald Trump also said in the interview he did not need daily intelligence briefings.

“I’m a smart person, I don’t need to be told the same thing in the same way for eight years.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjadEonrXWA

Gambia: Yahya Jammeh to Launch Legal Challenge to Contest Election Defeat

Gambian incumbent President Yahya Jammeh says he will launch a legal challenge to contest an election defeat that will bring an end to his 22-year rule.

Yahya Jammeh initially conceded after rival Adama Barrow won last week’s vote, but then backtracked on December 9, saying he “totally” rejected the result.Yahya Jammeh returns to Gambia after coup plot

The United Nations Security Council has demanded Yahya Jammeh accepts defeat.

The streets remain calm despite a heavy army presence in the capital Banjul.

Yahya Jammeh’s Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction party announced on December 10 that a petition will be filed to The Gambia’s Supreme Court.

By law, election results can be contested up to 10 days after the vote.

President-elect Adama Barrow said on December 11 that he feared for his safety. He had previously accused his rival of damaging democracy by refusing to agree to hand over power.

Yahya Jammeh, who took power in a coup in 1994, has cited “abnormalities” in the vote and wants a re-run.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de1cdoDM3KA

Donald Trump Questions Whether US Should Continue One China Policy

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Donald Trump has questioned whether the United States should continue its “One China” policy.

The 1979 policy has respected China’s stance on Taiwan, which it sees as a breakaway province.

However, the president-elect said that without concessions from Beijing on trade and other issues, he did not see why that should continue.

The US relations with China became strained when Donald Trump took a phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Donald Trump went on to post a series of tweets criticizing China for its exchange rate policy and its operations in the South China Sea.

Image source Flickr
Image source Flickr

Speaking in an interview with Fox News broadcast on December 11, Donald Trump said: “I don’t know why we have to be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade.”

He also said China was not co-operating with the United States on its handling of its currency, on North Korea, or on tensions in the South China Sea.

In the same interview, Donald Trump said he “doesn’t believe” a CIA assessment that Russian hackers tried to sway the presidential election in his favor.

Donald Trump’s decision to take a phone call from the Taiwanese president earlier this month was a break with US diplomatic tradition and prompted a formal protest from China.

No US president or president-elect had spoken directly to a Taiwanese leader for decades.

In the Fox interview, Donald Trump said it was not up to Beijing to decide whether he should take a call from Taiwan’s leader.

“I don’t want China dictating to me and this was a call put into me,” he said.

“It was a very nice call. Short. And why should some other nation be able to say I can’t take a call?

“I think it actually would’ve been very disrespectful, to be honest with you, not taking it.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73zUcTCBmkE

Paolo Gentiloni Appointed Italian Prime Minister

Paolo Gentiloni has been appointed Italy’s new prime minister after Matteo Renzi’s resignation.

Matteo Renzi resigned after losing a referendum on constitutional reform last week.

The 62-year-old former foreign minister is a loyalist from Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party.

Correspondents say that if Gentiloni is successful in rallying support a government could be formed in days.

Image source Wikipedia
Image source Wikipedia

In a brief acceptance speech, Paolo Gentiloni said he realized the urgency of forming the government to reassure the country.

The new prime minister said he would work within the framework of the previous administration, making it likely that he will reappoint several ministers.

Paolo Gentiloni faces a banking crisis and a rise in popular support for anti-establishment and eurosceptic parties.

Opposition parties have ruled out joining a national unity government, with the populist Five Star Movement saying it will boycott a parliamentary approval vote, due to take place on December 14, because it would have not legitimacy.

The party has called for immediate elections, currently due to be held in May 2018.

However, President Sergio Mattarella has said the current electoral rules must be revised so both houses of parliament are synchronized.

The law was changed to the so-called “Italicum” system last year to give the leading party a parliamentary majority through bonus seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies. But there has been no such change in the Senate, which is elected by proportional representation.

Senate reforms formed part of the package of reforms put to Italian voters on December 4, while the legitimacy of the system for the Chamber of Deputies is to be ruled on in January.

Matteo Renzi’s plans for constitutional reform were rejected by a margin of 59% to 41%, prompting his decision to stand down.

Besiktas Stadium Twin Bomb Attack Kills At Least 38 in Istanbul

At least 38 people have been killed and many more injured in a twin bomb attack on police officers outside Besiktas stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

A car bomb hit a police car and a suicide bomber detonated a suicide vest in quick succession on December 10.

The explosions occurred near the stadium of the top-division team, two hours after a match. Ten arrests were made.

Image source RT
Image source RT

Turkish government says initial findings point towards Kurdish militants, who have targeted police in the past.

Deputy PM Numan Kurtulmus told CNN Turk news channel that “arrows point” to the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK).

According to officials, 30 of those killed in the attack were police officers.

A further 155 people were being treated in hospital, 14 of them in intensive care, health officials say.

Images posted on Instagram after the explosion showed helmets strewn on a road and damaged cars.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the explosions “aimed to maximize casualties”.

The blasts came two hours after the end of the match between top teams Bursaspor at Besiktas at the Vodafone Arena.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFsIHALdM9c

Rex Tillerson Tipped as Donald Trump’s Secretary of State

Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson is being tipped as Donald Trump’s secretary of state.

Rex Tillerson, 64, has met the president-elect amid growing speculation that he is being considered for secretary of state.

NBC News quotes sources close to Donald Trump as saying that Rex Tillerson is likely to be named next week.

Former UN ambassador John Bolton will serve as his deputy, NBC adds.

Image source Flickr
Image source Flickr

The news comes as Donald Trump’s team challenged the accuracy of intelligence reports that Russia intervened to boost his election prospects.

Veteran Republican Mitt Romney is among others who have also been linked to the role of secretary of state.

NYC ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani withdrew himself from consideration for the post last week. Rudy Giuliani’s foreign business dealings had raised questions over his suitability.

Rex Tillerson has extensive experience in international negotiations and a business relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He has been a critic of the international sanctions against Russia for annexing Crimea.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s presidential transition team took issue with CIA assessments that said Russia had attempted to assist Trump during the November election by releasing hacked emails harmful to Hillary Clinton.

In a statement, Donald Trump’s transition team said the officials making the assessment were “the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction”.

Spokesman Sean Spicer said there were “people within these agencies who are upset with the outcome of the election”.

Park Geun-hye Impeachment Celebrated on Seoul Streets

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Tens of thousands of South Koreans have marched in Seoul to celebrate the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye and demanding her full removal.

Park Geun-hye is suspended while the top court considers whether to uphold December 9 parliamentary vote to impeach her.

She is accused of allowing a close friend to profit from her connections with the presidency.

According to correspondents, the gathering, estimated at 200,000 by organizers, was smaller than in recent weeks.

Meanwhile PM Hwang Kyo-ahn, who became acting president after yesterday’s vote, sought to calm concerns over national security and to reassure markets

He said on December 10: “So far, financial and foreign exchange markets have been relatively stable and there are no signs of unusual movements by the North [Koreans], but all public servants should bear vigilance in mind.”

Image source Wikimedia
Image source Wikimedia

The motion to impeach Park Geun-hye passed by 234 votes to 56, meaning many members of her Saenuri party voted in favor.

Park Geun-hye’s supporters held a Seoul rally that drew an estimated 15,000 people on December 10. Waving national flags, they carried banners that read: “President Park, Don’t Cry” and “Nullify impeachment”.

At the heart of the case is Park Geun-hye’s relationship with long-time friend Choi Soon-sil, who faces charges of coercion and abuse of power.

It is alleged that after Park Geun-hye became president in 2013, Choi Soon-sil, 60, used their friendship to pressure powerful corporations into donating to foundations she controlled and then siphoned off funds for her personal use.

Prosecutors say Park  Geun-hye had a “considerable” role in the alleged corruption, which she has denied.

The Constitutional Court has 180 days to make a final ruling.

If at least six of the court’s nine judges rule against Park Geun-hye, she will become the first sitting South Korean president to be deposed in the country’s democratic era and a new presidential election will be held within 60 days.

Celebrity Apprentice: Donald Trump Denies He Will Continue to Produce Show after Taking Office

President-elect Donald Trump has denied that he will work on the new series of Celebrity Apprentice after taking office.

It had been reported that Donald Trump would continue to be an executive producer of the reality show he helped create.

Donald Trump tweeted on December 10 that he would “devote zero time” to the new series, which will be hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

However, the president-elect did reaffirm that he has a “big stake” in the show.

Donald Trump fronted Celebrity Apprentice, which is owned by MGM and aired by NBC, until 2015, when his political career took over.

There have been concerns about a conflict of interest because of The Apprentice‘s advertising deals and because NBC also runs various news productions.

Donald Trump tweeted, referring to the Apprentice‘s creator, TV producer Mark Burnett: “I have NOTHING to do with The Apprentice except for fact that I conceived it with Mark B & have a big stake in it. Will devote ZERO TIME!”

Image source NBC
Image source NBC

He described the reports that he would be working on the show during his presidency as “fake news”.

Donald Trump will be sworn in as the United States president on January 20, 18 days after the new series begins.

Variety magazine, which first reported the story, had claimed Donald Trump would be paid at least “in the low five-figures” per episode. MGM declined to comment on the financial arrangements.

Some observers have questioned whether the connection could affect the reporting on Donald Trump by NBC’s news division.

In June 2015, NBC said it had ended its business relationship with Donald Trump because of “derogatory statements” he made about immigrants during his presidential campaign.

However, The Apprentice new series was recorded in February, before NBC severed its ties with Donald Trump and before his election.

His supporters have defended him, comparing his Apprentice credit to royalties received by President Barack Obama from his books.

Donald Trump is due to hold a news conference next week outlining how he plans to leave his business “in total in order to fully focus on running the country”.

The new series of Celebrity Apprentice features stars including Boy George, Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIzPlWIzaVs

Venezuela Seizes 4 Million Christmas Toys

Almost four million Christmas toys have been seized in Venezuela after authorities arrested two executives at toy distributor Kreisel.

According to officials, the toys will be distributed to the poor.

They accused the company of hoarding toys and hiking prices in the run-up to Christmas.

Last week, the government issued an order to retailers to reduce prices on a range of goods by 30%.

Business owners say the order is a populist political move, and pushing them towards bankruptcy.

According to Venezuela’s consumer protection agency, Sundde, Kreisel had stockpiled the goods and was reselling them at a margin of up to 50,000%.

Image source Twitter
Image source Twitter

“Our children are sacred, we will not let them rob you of Christmas,” Sundde said in a tweet, along with photos and video of thousands of boxes of toys.

In total, 3,821,926 toys were seized from two warehouses, and would be sold at low prices, it said.

Sundde director William Contreras said Kreisel had claimed the toys were old or discontinued. The agency also posted photos of the two executives being marched from the premises by a squad of heavily armed soldiers.

This is not the first time Venezuela has ordered price cuts on retailers, or mobilized armed units to enforce it.

In 2013, Venezuela introduced laws allowing the government to fix prices and dictate profit margins.

The same legislation limited profits to 30% – the amount often discounted in the compulsory “adjustments” enforced by Sundde at hundreds of retailers in the past week.

The same measures have been used to fix the prices of basic products such as flour, meat and bread – but supply is limited in a country where many people go hungry.

A jar of Nutella – a luxury item – can cost half the monthly minimum wage.

Venezuela’s government is becoming increasingly unpopular as the country’s economic crisis grows.

The country is rich in oil, but international oil prices have fallen in recent years.

The IMF estimates that Venezuela’s inflation – the rate at which prices go up – will hit 2,000% in 2017.

CIA: Russia Acted to Boost Donald Trump in Election Race

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According to new reports, US intelligence agencies believe Russia acted covertly to boost Donald Trump in the election race.

The New York Times and the Washington Post reports say the agencies had “high confidence” about Russian involvement in hacking.

However, Donald Trump’s team dismissed the CIA line, saying: “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.”

Russian officials have repeatedly denied the hacking accusations.

On December 9, President Barack Obama ordered an investigation into a series of cyber-attacks, blamed on Russia, during the US election season.

Image source Flickr
Image source Flickr

The hacks targeted emails at the Democratic Party and John Podesta, a key aide to presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

In October, US government officials pointed the finger at Russia, accusing it of meddling in the campaign.

Now, senior administration officials quoted by the New York Times say they are confident that Russian hackers also infiltrated the Republican National Committee’s computer systems as well as those of the Democratic Party, but did not release information gleaned from the Republican networks.

According to intelligence agencies, the Russians passed on the Democrats’ documents to WikiLeaks, the Times reported.

Democrats reacted furiously when email accounts of the DNC and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, were hacked.

John Podesta’s emails were revealed by WikiLeaks and posted online.

Quoting an unnamed “senior US official”, the Washington Post said “intelligence agencies” had “identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others, including Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman”.

At one point in the campaign, Donald Trump publicly encouraged Russia to “find” Hillary Clinton’s emails, although he later said he was being sarcastic.

Democrats claimed the hacks were a deliberate attempt to undermine Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said President Barack Obama wanted the investigation carried out on his watch “because he takes it very seriously”.

Yahya Jammeh Rejects Gambia Election Results After Admitting Defeat

Gambia’s incumbent President Yahya Jammeh has rejected the result of the presidential election held earlier this month, a week after admitting defeat.

Yahya Jammeh, who took power in a coup in 1994, cited “abnormalities” in the vote and called for fresh elections.

He was defeated by Adama Barrow, who won more than 43% of this month’s vote.

Adama Barrow accused Yahya Jammeh of damaging democracy by refusing to accept the result. His transition team said the president-elect was safe.

The results were revised by the country’s electoral commission on December 5, when it emerged that the ballots for one area were added incorrectly, swelling Adama Barrow’s vote.

The error, which also added votes to the other candidates, “has not changed the status quo” of the result, the commission said.Yahya Jammeh returns to Gambia after coup plot

However, it narrowed Adama Barrow’s margin of victory from 9% to 4%.

Yahya Jammeh said that he now rejected the results of the election “in totality”.

“After a thorough investigation, I have decided to reject the outcome of the recent election,” he said.

“I lament serious and unacceptable abnormalities which have reportedly transpired during the electoral process.

“I recommend fresh and transparent elections which will be officiated by a God-fearing and independent electoral commission.”

Adama Barrow’s spokesperson said the head of the army, General Ousman Badjie, supported the president-elect, having pledged his allegiance after the initial result.

The US has “strongly condemned” Yahya Jammeh’s rejection of the result.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said: “This action is a reprehensible and unacceptable breach of faith with the people of The Gambia and an egregious attempt to undermine a credible election process and remain in power illegitimately.”

The streets of the capital, Banjul, were reported to be calm on December 9 although soldiers were seen placing sandbags in strategic locations across the city, AFP news agency reports.

Only last week, Yahya Jammeh was shown on state TV calling Adama Barrow to wish him well.

“You are the elected president of The Gambia, and I wish you all the best. I have no ill will,” he said at the time.

Adama Barrow, a property developer, is due to take office in late January.

The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, with a population of fewer than two million.

In his 22 years in power, Yahya Jammeh acquired a reputation as a ruthless leader.