Thursday, February 19, 2026
Newsletter
Home Blog Page 295

Israel: Two Palestinian Attackers Shot Dead in West Bank

Roy Siemens
-
0
Israel: Two Palestinian Attackers Shot Dead in West Bank

Two Palestinian attackers have been shot dead by Israeli forces after attempting to stab them at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, the military says.

The incident was reported at the Bekaot checkpoint in the northern West Bank. The soldiers were not injured.

The two men, aged 23 and 38, were reported to be from villages south of Jenin.

Tension between Palestinians and Israelis has risen in recent months with a series of violent incidents.

Those killed has been named by the Palestinian Wafa news agency as Ali Muhammad Aqqab Abu-Maryam and Said Judah Abu-al-Wafa. They had been shot “in cold blood”, according to the news agency.

The Israel Defense Forces said the soldiers had “thwarted the attack and shot the assailants”.

Relations between Israelis and Palestinians remain tense amid a wave of attacks on Israelis by Palestinians and some Israeli Arabs which have killed 22 Israelis since the beginning of October.

Photo AFP
Photo AFP

During that time 149 Palestinians – more than half said by Israel to be attackers – have been shot dead by security forces or their victims. Others have been killed in clashes with Israeli forces.

Overnight, Israeli forces demolished a home in the West Bank belonging to relatives of a Palestinian – Muhannad Halabi – shot dead in October after killing a rabbi in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Israel says home demolitions, which have come under international criticism, are a way of discouraging Palestinian attacks.

On January 8, an Israeli Arab wanted for shooting dead three people in Tel Aviv on January 1st was killed by security forces in northern Israel.

Nashat Melhem was followed to a mosque in his home town of Arara and died in a gun battle, police said.

Police said Nashat Melhem, 29, was the gunman who killed two Israelis at a bar, then the Israeli Arab driver of a taxi who picked him up after the attack.

Nashat Melhem’s father, Mohammed, had identified his son as the suspect and reported him to the police. Mohammed Melhem and several relatives have been arrested in connection with the case.

Police have not yet established a motive for the Tel Aviv killings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iUAv2xgyRM

Waroona Fire: At Least Three Missing in Yarloop Bushfire

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Waroona Fire: At Least Three Missing in Yarloop Bushfire

At least three people are missing in after a bushfire devastated the town of Yarloop in Western Australia, and continues to threaten others.

Yarloop, south of Perth, was worst hit, with at least 130 properties destroyed.

State Premier Colin Barnett has said the town will be rebuilt.

The blaze, covering some 70,000 hectares, is approaching Harvey.

Yarloop is being evacuated and emergency warnings remain in place for Waroona and other areas.

Winds of up to 37mph had fanned the blaze, known as the Waroona fire, to heights of 150ft.

Photo AFP
Photo AFP

The strong winds have now eased, but the fire, which began on January 6, remains unpredictable.

“We’re seeing conditions that we’ve not seen before on this type of fire, particularly when it went through Yarloop,” Western Australia Fire Commissioner Wayne Gregson said.

Some 250 firefighters are reported to be deployed, and reinforcements are being sent from New South Wales.

Premier Colin Barnett, visiting Yarloop residents at an evacuation centre, said the town would continue “but probably not a Yarloop of its previous size”.

It remains unclear how many of the town’s more than 500 residents will be able to return.

Four firefighters were injured battling the blaze in Yarloop and one fire truck was destroyed.

The loss of property in Yarloop is described as “significant” with the pub, bowling club and historic timber workshops destroyed.

The Western Australia bushfire comes less than a month after southern Victoria was struck by similar blazes.

More than 100 homes were destroyed by an outbreak on Christmas Day.

El Chapo Guzman Sent Back to Altiplano Prison

Diane A. Wade
-
0
El Chapo Guzman Sent Back to Altiplano Prison

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been sent back to the maximum-security prison he escaped from six months ago after his recapture on January 8.

The Mexican drug lord was paraded before cameras before being bundled into a helicopter to Altiplano prison in central Mexico.

El Chapo (Shorty) Guzman escaped from there in July through a tunnel dug in the showers.

He was arrested on January 8 in the city of Los Mochis in his home state of Sinaloa – which he had come to dominate through the drugs cartel he led.El Chapo Guzman Altiplano prison

During the early-morning raid, El Chapo Guzman managed to flee through a drain but was later caught by marines in a shootout.

Six people, including one marine, are reported to have been killed.

Part of the reason El Chapo Guzman was tracked down was because he contacted actors and producers in the hope of making a movie about his life, Mexico’s Attorney General Arely Gomez said.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto described Joaquin Guzman’s arrest as a “victory for the rule of law”.

The United States congratulated the Mexican government but did not indicate whether prosecutors would seek Joaquin Guzman’s extradition.

In a statement, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Joaquin Guzman had caused “significant violence, suffering and corruption on multiple continents”.

El Chapo Guzman’s July escape was his second – he was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and escaped from Puente Grande jail in 2001, reportedly in a laundry basket after bribing officials. He was on the run for 13 years before being held again in 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px9zMXKMX_M

Barack Obama Dog Kidnap Plot: Scott Stockert Arrested in Washington DC

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Barack Obama Dog Kidnap Plot: Scott Stockert Arrested in Washington DC

Scott Stockert, a North Dakota man who allegedly plotted to kidnap one of President Barack Obama’s two pet dogs, has been arrested in Washington DC.

Officials say Scott D. Stockert, 49, was planning to snatch one of the dogs, either Bo or Sunny.

Police in Washington DC found weapons in Scott Stockert’s car, including a shotgun, a rifle and a machete.Obama dog kidnap plot

Agents say the man made several outlandish claims during his arrest, including that he intended to run for president.

He also said he was the son of former President John F. Kennedy and actress Marilyn Monroe, according to court documents.

Scott Stockert has been charged with violating the District of Columbia’s gun laws.

The First Family acquired Bo in 2009, with Sunny, referred to by the family as Bo’s “little sister”, following in 2013.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt-vQkod0MU

VW Sales Fall for First Time in 11 Years following Emissions Scandal

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
VW Sales Fall for First Time in 11 Years following Emissions Scandal

Volkswagen has reported its first drop in VW brand sales in 11 years as the company continues to cope with its emissions scandal.

The VW brand sales fell 4.8% in 2015 to 5.82 million cars from 6.12 million a year earlier.

Falling demand in China and US added to the losses as orders fell in December.

VW has promised it will have a fix in the coming weeks for the millions of US cars with defeat devices that disguised emission levels in diesel cars.

Sales began declining after the emissions scandal came to light in September 2015. Deliveries fell 5.3% in October, 2.4% in November and 7.9% in December compared with those months the previous year.

The underperformance at VW’s largest division by sales and revenue pulled down annual group deliveries by 2% to 9.93 million cars, the first drop in 13 years, VW said.VW sales 2015

Speaking on January 6, Volkswagen chief executive Herbert Diess said he was “optimistic” the company would find a solution soon.

“We will bring a package together which satisfies our customers first and foremost and then also the regulators,” he said.

Regulators appear been less confident. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which uncovered the scandal, said on January 4 that VW had not yet “not produced an acceptable way forward”.

VW will meet the EPA in Washington next week to discuss its plan.

On January 4, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against VW for the use of the emissions devices, which involve computer software that can detect when cars are being tested.

The Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen said on January 8 that the company was not cooperating with the investigation.

VW has been withholding corporate emails between executive related to the emissions scandal, using German law as the basis for the refusal.

“I find it frustrating that, despite public statements professing cooperation and an expressed desire to resolve the various investigations that it faces following its calculated deception, Volkswagen is, in fact, resisting cooperation by citing German law,” George Jepsen said in a statement.

In 2015, a record 17.47 million cars were sold, according to Autodata. The car data company has been keeping records since 1980.

General Motors, one of the biggest US automakers, had an 8% increase in sales.

Mercedes-Benz USA had its most successful year since entering the country, with sales rising 3.8%.

El Chapo Guzman Arrested in Mexico Six Months after Jail Break

Diane A. Wade
-
0
El Chapo Guzman Arrested in Mexico Six Months after Jail Break

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been recaptured by Mexican authorities, six months after he escaped from a maximum-security jail.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto tweeted: “Mission accomplished: We got him.”

El Chapo (Shorty) Guzman, one of the world’s most-wanted drug lords, smuggled cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines to the US through the Sinaloa cartel he led.

He escaped from jail through a mile-long tunnel dug in the showers.

President Enrique Pena Nieto described Joaquin Guzman’s arrest as a “victory against impunity” and said it showed Mexicans could have confidence in the state’s ability to guarantee law and order.

“There is no group that it is impossible to confront,” he said.El Chapo Guzman arrest

El Chapo Guzman was apprehended following a shoot-out with Mexican marines in Los Mochis, a coastal city in his home state of Sinaloa, in north-west Mexico, the president said.

Five people are thought to have been killed in the raid, which involved the army and navy as well as police.

The US congratulated the Mexican government but did not indicate whether prosecutors would seek El Chapo Guzman’s extradition.

In a statement, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Joaquin Guzman had caused “significant violence, suffering and corruption on multiple continents”.

El Chapo Guzman’s July escape was his second – he was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and escaped from Puente Grande jail in 2001, reportedly in a laundry basket after bribing officials.

He was on the run for 13 years before being held again in 2014.

Authorities located him several days ago based on reports that he was in the Los Mochis area.

In October, Mexican officials said they had “broken up” and arrested the group responsible for helping him escape.

El Chapo Guzman’s wealth is estimated at $1 billion.

Despite being the leader of one of the world’s most powerful and violent drug cartels, El Chapo Guzman was seen by some in Sinaloa – where there are few job opportunities – as a modern-day Robin Hood figure who could offer more security to people than the government.

Following his escape, shopkeepers began selling souvenirs such as baseball caps branded with “El Chapo”.

Egypt Hotel Attack: At Least Two Tourists Injured at Bell Vista Hotel

Roy Siemens
-
0
Egypt Hotel Attack: At Least Two Tourists Injured at Bell Vista Hotel

Two foreign tourists have been injured in an attack at Bella Vista hotel in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

Egyptian state TV says local security forces repelled the attack and one assailant has been killed.

Reports vary as to the nationalities of the victims, and whether they were shot or stabbed.Bell Vista hotel attack Egypt

Egypt is battling Islamist militants based in the nearby Sinai Peninsula, including an Islamic State affiliate.

An attack on a bus at a hotel near the Giza pyramids on January 7 was claimed by ISIS, which said it was targeting “a tourist bus carrying Jews”.

Egyptian officials said no-one was hurt in the attack, near Cairo. Arab Israeli tourists were staying at the hotel, reports said.

Hurghada is on the Red Sea coast, across the water from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, from where the Russian passenger plane which crashed in the Sinai Peninsula took off on October 31.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MA1ASuuF-c

Pavel Gusev: Vladimir Putin Gets Angry Video from Blizzard Survivor

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Pavel Gusev: Vladimir Putin Gets Angry Video from Blizzard Survivor

President Vladimir Putin has received an angry video from a blizzard survivor after about 80 people waited 15 hours for rescuers in the Orenburg region of Russia.

A driver froze to death and many others suffered frostbite when their cars were trapped on a main road in the region, in the southern Ural mountains.

Russia sends aid abroad but “we cannot save our own people”, Pavel Gusev said.

Nearly half a million people have watched his video on YouTube.

“I appeal to you, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] – I ask you to deal with all this, help those who suffered severe frostbite… and sort out our emergency services ministry,” Pavel Gusev’s message said.Russia blizzard Orenburg

According to Pavel Gusev, some calls for help got the reply from rescue service staff: “You should have stayed at home, you had no business going out.”

Prosecutors in Russia’s Investigative Committee (SK) are now examining the emergency response on the night of January 3, when cars were buried in snow on the Orenburg-Orsk road.

Survivors say the blizzard was so bad there was virtually no visibility.

Russia’s Vesti TV news reports that a policeman who gave his workman’s jacket to a freezing woman and his gloves to a man during the rescue will get a medal from the regional interior ministry.

Danil Maskudov’s assistance is seen as a heroic gesture – he is now in hospital too, with severely frostbitten fingers.

Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, said worshippers should pray that others act as nobly as that policeman.

Maine Governor Paul LePage Apologizes for Racist Remarks

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Maine Governor Paul LePage Apologizes for Racist Remarks

Maine Governor Paul LePage has apologized after he said drug dealers with names like “D-Money” were impregnating “white girls”.

Paul LePage, who has a history of making controversial statements, made the remarks while speaking about the state’s heroin epidemic.

The governor’s spokesman had initially said Paul LePage, who is white, was not making a statement about race.

However, opponents said it was implied and called the remarks “fear mongering”.

“I was going impromptu and my brain didn’t catch up to my mouth,” Governor Paul LePage said on January 8.Paul LePage racist remarks

“Instead of Maine women, I said white women … If you go to Maine, you can see it’s 95% white.”

Paul LePage made his controversial comments at a town meeting in Bridgton, describing out-of-state dealers as “guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty” and said “half the time they impregnate a young white girl before leaving”.

“This is one of the most blatantly racist statements he’s ever made,” said Lance Dutson, a moderate Republican activist.

States, especially in the north-east, are dealing with a sharp rise in heroin use. How to treat addicts and curb lethal overdoses has become a major issue in the US presidential race.

Paul LePage’s spokesman, Peter Steele, had earlier said the governor was referring to the effect heroin addiction has on the state, not on issues of race.

“Race is irrelevant,” Peter Steele told the Associated Press.

“What is relevant is the cost to state taxpayers for welfare and the emotional costs for these kids who are born as a result of involvement with drug traffickers.”

Paul LePage is known for his blunt talk. In the past, he has told President Barack Obama “go to hell”, and members of a state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to “kiss my bu**”.

US Jobs Report: Economy Adds 292,000 Jobs in December 2015

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
US Jobs Report: Economy Adds 292,000 Jobs in December 2015

The US economy added 292,000 jobs in December 2015, beating expectations, the Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows.

The data also showed the jobless rate held at its seven-and-a-half year low of 5%.US jobs report December 2015

Professional and business services, construction, health care, and food services all saw job increases.

As well as the strong December jobs figures, US employment figures for October and November 2015 were revised up sharply to show 50,000 more jobs created than previously reported.

The robust figures come after the first US interest rate rise in nearly 10 years in December 2015.

The Federal Reserve raised overnight interest rates last month by a quarter of a percent to between 0.25% and 0.50%.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlFDzaeT8hk

Zhou Chengjian: Metersbonwe Billionaire Goes Missing in China

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Zhou Chengjian: Metersbonwe Billionaire Goes Missing in China

Chinese billionaire Zhou Chengjian has gone missing, his company confirmed.

Zhou Chengjian of one of China’s biggest fashion chains, Metersbonwe, is the latest in a string of high-profile businessmen in the country to temporarily disappear.

Metersbonwe suspended trading in its shares over his unaccounted absence.

Chinese media reports have speculated Zhou Chengjian has been picked up by the police as part of Beijing’s anti-corruption drive.Chinese billionaire Zhou Chengjian goes missing

Zhou Chengjian has been named as China’s 62nd richest person by wealth publisher Hurun, attributing a fortune of $4.1 billion to him.

Starting out as a tailor, he built Shanghai-based Metersbonwe into one of China’s biggest and best-known clothing companies.

A company statement said it could reach neither the chairman nor his secretary.

Metersbonwe also halted trading of its shares “to protect investors’ interests”.

Zhou Chengjian’s disappearance comes only weeks after Guo Guangchang, chairman of private sector conglomerate Fosun, temporarily went missing.

Fosun operates in sectors from steel and mining to pharmaceuticals. In 2015 it acquired the French vacation resort company Club Med.

Chinese media reports on links between the disappearance of businessmen and the authorities sweeping anti-corruption campaign remain unconfirmed.

In the case of Guo Guangchang, he reappeared after several days and according to his company had been “assisting in certain investigations carried out by judiciary authorities”.

Mao Zedong Statue Removed from China’s Countryside

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Mao Zedong Statue Removed from China’s Countryside

A gold-painted statue of Chairman Mao Zedong in China’s countryside has been removed, just days after it was erected, state media report.

A village official told the People’s Daily that the 120ft-construction had not been approved.

The giant statue of the late communist leader, on farmland in Henan’s Tongxu county, was said to have cost nearly 3 million yuan ($460,000).

It generated headlines around the world when it was completed a few days ago.Mao Zedong golden statue Henan

An official at Zhushigang village, where the statue was located, said it had not been registered and approved, and had now been removed, People’s Daily reported.

Land resource officials at Tongxu county also confirmed the removal of the statue to People’s Daily, but said they were not clear why it was removed.

A photo circulated on social media, which could not be independently verified, appearing to show the Mao statue being dismantled, with the legs removed and a black cloth covering the head.

The statue was reportedly paid for by local businessmen and villagers, and was built as a homage to Chairman Mao.

However, it also generated criticism online, with some arguing that it wasted resources and was located at an inappropriate location.

Henan province was the centre of a famine in the 1950s resulting from Mao Zedong’s policies.

Millions of people died in the famine, triggered by a campaign known as the Great Leap Forward.

Despite being responsible for so many deaths, Mao Zedong is revered by many in China, not least by President Xi Jinping, who praises him as a “great figure”.

Xi Jinping has also attempted to centralize power in China’s presidency, and has used Mao Zedong’s legacy to build support, while admitting the former leader made “mistakes”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlZnMlN6p6U

Infographic: The Impact Of Driverless Cars

James J. Williams
-
0
Infographic: The Impact Of Driverless Cars

Coverhound_the_impact_of_driverless_cars_

Image Source: http://coverhound.com

South Korea Resumes Loudspeaker Propaganda Broadcasts into North Korea

Diane A. Wade
-
0
South Korea Resumes Loudspeaker Propaganda Broadcasts into North Korea

South Korea has decided to resume loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts into North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb.

The move has led North Korea to begin similar broadcasts of its own, the South’s Yonhap News Agency said.

Meanwhile, the UN has agreed to draw up new measures against North Korea.

Although there is skepticism that North Korea carried out the test as claimed, its actions have been condemned internationally.

If the underground test is confirmed, it would be North Korea’s fourth nuclear test and its first of the H-bomb, which is more powerful than an atomic bomb.

South Korea turned the speakers back on at noon local time on January 8.

The loudspeakers – at 11 locations along the border – blast Korean pop, news and weather reports and criticisms of the North over the border.South Korea loudspeaker propaganda

The broadcasts irritate the authorities in Pyongyang, and North Korea has previously threatened to use force to stop them.

Seoul agreed to stop them last year in a deal with the North to resolve particularly high tensions after a border skirmish.

However, presidential security official Cho Tae-yong announced on January 7 that they would resume, saying North Korea’s test claim had been a “grave violation” of the deal.

On January 7, the US said President Barack Obama and the leaders of South Korea and Japan had “agreed to work together to forge a united and strong international response to North Korea’s reckless behavior”.

South Korea’s presidential office said the international community “must make sure that North Korea pays the corresponding price” for the nuclear test, reported Yonhap news agency.

South Korea has also begun limiting entry to the Kaesong industrial park in North Korea, which is jointly run by both countries. Only those directly involved in operations there will be allowed to enter from the South, said Seoul’s Unification Ministry.

Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe said the test was “a serious threat to our nation’s security and absolutely cannot be tolerated”.

He told parliament Japan would “deal with this situation in a firm manner through the co-operation with the United Nations Security Council”.

Shinzo Abe also added that Japan might take unilateral action, saying it is “considering measures unique to our nation”, without detailing what those measures might be.

Hydrogen bombs are more powerful and technologically advanced than atomic weapons, using fusion – the merging of atoms – to unleash massive amounts of energy.

Atomic bombs, like those that devastated two Japanese cities in World War Two, use fission, or the splitting of atoms.

Many experts, including those from South Korea and the US, say the estimated power of January 6 blast fell far short of what would be expected from a hydrogen bomb.

Some analysts have suggested it is possible Pyongyang tested a “boosted” atomic bomb, which uses some fusion fuel to increase the yield of the fission reaction.

The US and nearby countries including Japan are carrying out atmospheric sampling, hoping to find leaked radioactive material, which would give clues as to what kind of device was tested.

Correspondents say it took about 55 days after the last test to be able to determine the exact nature of it.

CES 2016: Chinese Hoverboard Booth Raided by US Marshals

Nancy Clayson
-
0
CES 2016: Chinese Hoverboard Booth Raided by US Marshals

A Chinese hoverboard-maker’s booth at the CES tech show in Las Vegas has been raided by US marshals.

The officials confiscated all the company’s one-wheeled vehicles and took down its signs after a Silicon Valley-based rival filed a patent infringement claim.

The case is set to return to court in a week’s time.

The Chinese company, Changzhou First International Trade, declined to comment.

Footage of the incident has been posted online by Bloomberg.

While there are many companies exhibiting hoverboards at CES, the Chinese company’s models – which it calls Surfing Electric Scooters – were unusual for having a single central wheel rather than one at each end.

This is similar to California-based Future Motion’s Onewheel vehicle, which uses sensors and computer controls to keep the board balanced.

Changzhou currently lists its device for $550 on the Alibaba shopping site, which is about a third of the price of the Onewheel.

Photo Alibaba
Photo Alibaba

There are two patents involved in the case: one for Onewheel design, which was only issued earlier this month; the other, setting out methods to make the skateboard self-stabilizing, which was filed in April 2014.

“Punitive measures could include a permanent injunction preventing Changzhou from selling the product in the US, monetary damages including lost profits we can prove due to infringing sales, and even attorney’s fees if the court decides it’s an exceptionally egregious case of willful patent infringement,” said Future Motion’s lawyer Shawn Kolitch.

He added that Future Motion had patents pending elsewhere including in China, which it hoped to obtain in order to stop Changzhou manufacturing the device.

This is not the first controversy hoverboards have faced at CES.

Ahead of the event starting, CES organizer announced that attendees were banned from using any type of the vehicles to get about its showfloors.

Dozens of universities and other institutions in the US had earlier banned their use and most of the country’s airlines have also refused to carry them.

The problem is two-fold.

They have been involved in incidents where people have been injured or killed when the rider lost control.

Some of the gadgets have burst into flames as a result of problems with their batteries, leading to concerns that some manufacturers are not following safety standards.

FIFA Election 2016: Michel Platini Withdraws from Presidential Race

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
FIFA Election 2016: Michel Platini Withdraws from Presidential Race

Michel Platini has announced he will not stand in the FIFA presidential election in February.

The 60-year-old suspended UEFA president, along with FIFA president Sepp Blatter, has been banned from soccer-related activities for eight years by world football’s governing body.

Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter were found guilty of breaches surrounding a 2 million euro “disloyal payment” made to Platini in 2011.

The two men are appealing against their bans, but Michel Platini says the timing of the February 26 election means he cannot run.

“I’m withdrawing from the race for the FIFA presidency,” Michel Platini told the Associated Press.

“The timing is not good for me. I don’t have the means to fight on equal terms with the other candidates.

“I have not been given the chance to play the game. Bye bye FIFA, bye bye FIFA presidency.” Michel Platini FIFA election 2016

Michel Platini, president of European soccer’s governing body since 2007, had submitted his candidacy for the FIFA presidential election but could not stand while suspended.

He and Sepp Blatter, 79, plan to take their cases to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“I’ve spent more time in hearing rooms than on football pitches speaking about 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 or football news,” added Michel Platini.

“I’m taking this philosophically. Let’s wait and see what happens. But injustice is revolting me and I’m trying to fight it.”

Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter claimed the payment was honoring an agreement made in 1998 for work carried out between 1998 and 2002, when Platini worked as a technical adviser for Blatter.

FIFA’s ethics committee said there was “not sufficient evidence” to establish the payment was a bribe, but both men demonstrated an “abusive execution” of their positions.

“I can’t have any regret in that story because things fell upon my head while I haven’t done anything wrong,” added Michel Platini.

“I’m struggling to understand what happened, unless there was a will somewhere to prevent me from bidding.”

There are five candidates to succeed Sepp Blatter, who has been FIFA president since 1998:

  • Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa – 50, Bahrain, president of Asian Football Confederation;
  • Tokyo Sexwale – 62, South Africa, politician, businessman and former political prisoner;
  • Prince Ali bin al-Hussein – 40, Jordan, a former FIFA vice-president and 2015 FIFA presidential candidate;
  • Gianni Infantino – 45, Switzerland, UEFA general secretary and a member of FIFA’s reform committee;
  • Jerome Champagne – 57, France, a former FIFA assistant general secretary and former French diplomat.

Voting will take place by secret ballot, with all FIFA’s 209 member states having a vote each.

Janet Jackson Throat Cancer Rumors Denied

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Janet Jackson Throat Cancer Rumors Denied

Janet Jackson has denied rumors she has throat cancer by using her own lyrics.

Concerns spread earlier this week, when RadarOnline reported “sources close to the singer” saying doctors had found a growth on her vocal cords.

Janet Jackson responded by quoting her song The Great Forever on social media: “Sources say but where ya gettin’ it? Don’t create the truth you like.”

In a statement, the singer added: “The rumors are untrue. I do not have cancer.”

Janet Jackson announced just before the new year she would postpone several 2016 dates on her Unbreakable world tour, telling fans she had been advised to have surgery.

“I need you to know, I learned today, from my doctors that I must have surgery soon,” the singer wrote.

“It breaks my heart to tell you that I am forced to postpone the Unbreakable tour until the spring.”

Janet Jackson, 49, did not elaborate on her condition at the time, saying: “There will be no further comment.”

Photo Getty Images
Photo Getty Images

The cancer rumor originated on RadarOnline website and was rapidly reported by media outlets. The unnamed source was quoted as saying Janet Jackson’s family were “terrified” as they awaited test results.

Janet Jackson’s response was preceded by a message from her publicists, which said: “It was Janet’s wish not to make any further comments about her health, however, because of the great concern from around the world, Janet will be releasing a personal message shortly.”

After denying the cancer rumor, Janet Jackson stated: “I’m recovering. My doctors have approved my concerts as scheduled in Europe, and as I promised, the postponed shows will be rescheduled. Thank you for your prayers and love.”

The song Janet Jackson quoted, The Great Forever, takes aim at the media’s coverage of her personal life and the Jackson family in general.

Its lyrics continue: “[You] don’t like seeing people happy / Is it jealousy or personal? / Cause I don’t see why loving someone / Or what I do seem so radical to you.”

The Great Forever is taken from Janet Jackson’s current album, Unbreakable, which reached No 1 in the US in October 2015.

Unbreakable is Janet Jackson’s first release since her brother, Michael, died in 2009, which prompted the singer to take a step back from the public eye.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Becomes Top-Earning Movie of All Time in North America

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Becomes Top-Earning Movie of All Time in North America

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has become the top-earning movie of all time in North America after unseating Avatar, Disney says.

According to Disney studio, the JJ Abrams movie has passed the $760.5 million taken by Avatar over its lifetime, but has yet to give official figures.

In December 2015, Star Wars: The Force Awakens became the fastest film to take $1 billion at the global box office.

However, Avatar, which was released in 2009, still holds the global record.

Avatar took $2.8 billion across the world, as compared to The Force Awakens worldwide earnings of $1.6 billion to date.Star Wars Force Awakens crushes Avatar

The Force Awakens is already the fourth highest-grossing global movie of all time after just three weeks in release, but analysts believe it will have to play well in China, where it opens on January 9, to beat the record set by Avatar.

Disney thanked its fans for helping it clinch the domestic record, saying that without them “there is no Star Wars.”

“There has indeed been an awakening – and it’s all thanks to you,” Disney said, in a statement released on January 6.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens returns the action to “a galaxy far, far away” some 30 years on from the action of 1983’s Return of the Jedi.

The movie, which reunites the original trilogy stars, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill alongside newcomers including Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, scored the biggest US Christmas Day box office takings in history with $49.3 million.

The Force Awakens also smashed the record for the biggest box office debut weekend globally – when it opened on December 16, in most countries – with ticket sales of $529 million.

Top 5 US Box Office Hits:

  1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
  2. Avatar (2009)
  3. Titanic (1997)
  4. Jurassic World (2015)
  5. Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlLZah38Jzw

Marc Bolland to Leave Marks and Spencer in April

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
Marc Bolland to Leave Marks and Spencer in April

Marks and Spencer CEO Marc Bolland will leave the company in April, the retailer said as it announced its Christmas results.

Marc Bolland will be succeeded by Steve Rowe, executive director of general merchandise.

Third-quarter sales of general merchandise were down by 5.8% for the thirteen weeks to December 26.

However, M&S said it had an “excellent quarter” for food, with record sales in the Christmas week.

Investors reacted positively, with Marks and Spencer shares rising more than 1% in morning trading in London.Marc Bolland to leave Marks and Spencer

There was no pressure on Marc Bolland to leave from shareholders or the board, Marks and Spencer chairman Robert Swannell said on a conference call with reporters.

Marc Bolland is retiring after six years in the role.

“There has been absolutely no pressure at all on Marc [to leave],” Robert Swannell said, adding that succession planning had been “rigorous”.

Planning Marc Bolland’s succession had not been done “quickly on the back of an envelope”, but instead had been a process that had gone on “for years”, Robert Swannell added.

He declined to discuss whether Marks and Spencer had considered external candidates, but said the company had used “external benchmarking” during a “thorough, rigorous process” to select candidates.

Marc Bolland had informed the board in the summer of 2015 of his intention to leave in mid-2016, he said.

Steve Rowe will receive a salary of £810,000 ($1.21 million) from April 2, 2016, as part of his chief executive remuneration package, the company said.

He has been employed by Marks and Spencer for more than 25 years, and has had roles including director of retail and e-commerce and positions in general merchandise.

Marks and Spencer’s third quarter general merchandise sales, which include clothing, were “disappointing”, the company said.

The 5.8% drop in sales was put down to “unseasonal conditions and availability”. Retailers such as Next also blamed unseasonably warm weather in December for disappointing sales.

However, food sales for Marks and Spencer were up 0.4% in Q3, and the retailer said it had record sales in the Christmas week, up 17%.

Online sales rose more than 20% in Q3, it added.

Marks and Spencer has had recurrent problems in general merchandise for a number of years.

North Korea Hydrogen Bomb: US, South Korea and Japan United in Response

Roy Siemens
-
0
North Korea Hydrogen Bomb: US, South Korea and Japan United in Response

South Korea, Japan and the United States have said they will be united in their response to North Korea’s claim to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.

North Korea said it carried out the test on January 6.

If confirmed it would be North Korea’s fourth nuclear test, and its first of the more powerful H-bomb.

The UN Security Council has also agreed to start drawing up new measures against North Korea.

However, skepticism remains over whether North Korea really did conduct such a test.

Experts have said the seismic activity generated by the blast was not large enough for it to have been a full thermonuclear explosion.

The White House said President Barack Obama had spoken separately to South Korea’s President Park Geun-Hye and Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe.

They “agreed to work together to forge a united and strong international response to North Korea’s latest reckless behavior”, it said in a statement.

PM Shinzo Abe told reporters: “We agreed that the provocative act by North Korea is unacceptable… We will deal with this situation in a firm manner through the cooperation with the United Nations Security Council.”Response to North Korea hydrogen bomb test

He added that Japan may take unilateral action, saying it is “considering measures unique to our nation”.

South Korea’s presidential office said in a statement that Presidents Geun-hye and Barack Obama had agreed to closely co-operate and that the international community “must make sure that North Korea pays the corresponding price” for the nuclear test, reported Yonhap news agency.

The UN Security Council held an emergency session on January 6 and condemned the test claim as “a clear threat to international peace and security.”

Japan’s ambassador to the UN, Motohide Yoshikawa, called for a swift and robust new UN resolution, insisting: “The authority and credibility of the Security Council will be put in question if it does not take these measures.”

However, the UN ambassador for Russia, which has been developing warmer relations with Pyongyang, said it would be going “too far” to say Moscow supported further sanctions.

Meanwhile, South Korea has begun limiting entry to the Kaesong industrial park in North Korea, jointly run by both countries. Only those directly involved in operations there will be allowed to enter from the South, said Seoul’s Unification Ministry.

South Korea has also said it will restart propaganda broadcasts across the border on January 8, an act which North Korea strongly opposes. The broadcasts were stopped in 2015 as part of a deal with North Korea to ease tensions that had escalated sharply in the summer.

The nuclear test came days before North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s 33rd birthday, which falls on January 8 and is expected to be marked by celebrations.

Hydrogen bombs are more powerful and technologically advanced than atomic weapons, using fusion – the merging of atoms – to unleash massive amounts of energy.

Atomic bombs, like those that devastated two Japanese cities in World War Two, use fission, or the splitting of atoms.

South Korea’s intelligence agency also told politicians that the estimated power of the blast fell far short of what would be expected from a hydrogen bomb.

Some analysts have suggested it is possible Pyongyang tested a “boosted” atomic bomb, which uses some fusion fuel to increase the yield of the fission reaction.

The United States and nearby countries are thought to be carrying out atmospheric sampling, hoping to find leaked radioactive material, which would give clues as to what kind of device was tested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZPFP6cSQk8

China Stocks Trading Suspended Second Time in a Week

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
China Stocks Trading Suspended Second Time in a Week

The Chinese share trading has been suspended again after shares fell more than 7% for the second time this week.

The “circuit-breaker” rule, introduced to stem volatility, was triggered in the first 30 minutes of trading, making it China’s shortest ever trading day.

Investors are nervous after China’s central bank moved to weaken the yuan.

This indicates that Beijing is looking to boost exports, as China’s economy may be slowing more than expected.

The CSI 300 index, which triggers the trading halt, fell 7.2% to 3,284.74. The index is a collection of blue-chip stocks from Shanghai and Shenzhen, and first sparked a 15-minute trading halt after it fell 5%.

The mainland benchmark Shanghai Composite index also fell 7.3% to 3,115.89, while the tech-heavy Shenzhen Composite lost 8.3% before trading was stopped entirely for the day.China stocks trading suspension January 2016

It was the shortest trading day in the 25-year history of China’s stock market.

After the trading suspension, the China Securities Regulatory Commission announced that major shareholders could not sell more than 1% of a company’s shares within three months as of January 9.

It comes as a previous six-month ban of stock sales by major shareholders is set to expire on January 8.

Recent moves by Beijing to depreciate the yuan have ignited fears that the world’s second-largest economy is slowing more than expected and could trigger another wave of competitive currency devaluation in the region.

China’s central bank set a weaker yuan guidance rate for the eighth day, pushing the offshore yuan to 6.5646 per US dollar – which is the lowest level since March 2011.

A weaker yuan makes the cost of exporting goods for Chinese companies cheaper, giving the slowing factory sector a boost.

After disappointing manufacturing data on January 4, the mainland benchmark index plunged 7%, triggering a global equities sell-off.

The negative sentiment spilled over the border to Hong Kong, where the Hang Seng index also lost 2.8% to 20,393.14 in afternoon trade.

Meanwhile, Brent crude prices hit new 11-year lows on oversupply concerns, also weighed on investors’ confidence.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index finished down 2.3% to 17,767.34, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index lost 2.2% to 5,010.30 as energy shares dragged down the market.

South Korea’s Kospi index ended lower by 1.1% to 1,904.33 points as geopolitical tensions rose after North Korea’s nuclear test on January 6.

Eitam Lachover: Israeli TV Reporter Stabbed While Testing Protective Vest

Roy Siemens
-
0
Eitam Lachover: Israeli TV Reporter Stabbed While Testing Protective Vest

Israeli journalist Eitam Lachover has been stabbed accidentally while demonstrating a protective vest for a TV report.

The Israel’s Channel 1 reporter was asked to don the supposedly knife-proof jacket and be stabbed several times in front of the camera.

But the knife penetrated the vest and Eitam Lachover suffered a slight cut to his back which required stitches.

Israeli soldiers are due to receive the same safety vest following a recent wave of stabbings by Palestinians.

Photo APTN
Photo APTN

Yaniv Montakyo, a vice president of the company that makes the vest, told Israel’s Channel 2 that he had stabbed Eitam Lachover in a section of the vest where there had been no protective material.

He said that an earlier recording had been successful and the reporter had not been harmed.

Linda Bar, a spokeswoman for Israel’s state broadcaster, said the report would be broadcast on January 6 despite the mishap.

Eitam Lachover said on Twitter that he was discharged from hospital after receiving the stitches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d-png8qHLo

LA Methane Leak: California Governor Declares State of Emergency

Diane A. Wade
-
0
LA Methane Leak: California Governor Declares State of Emergency

California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in a suburb of Los Angeles over the leaking of methane gas from an underground storage field.

The governor ordered “all necessary and viable actions” be taken to stop it.

More than 2,000 families have been moved from their homes and many people have reported feeling ill because of the leakage, which began in October.

It stems from a vast underground storage field in Porter Ranch, on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Gas is spewing into the atmosphere at a rate so fast that the well now accounts for about a quarter of the state’s total emissions of methane – an extremely potent greenhouse gas.

The well is situated in a mountainous area more than a mile away from residential areas, but residents have complained of health effects like headaches, nausea, vomiting and trouble breathing.Porter Ranch methane leak

Methane – the main component of natural gas – is a very strong greenhouse gas, capable of trapping solar radiation in the atmosphere.

It belongs to a category of gases called short-lived climate pollutants.

While methane and other short-lived pollutants remain in the atmosphere for a relatively short time compared to other gases, the California Air Resources Board says that “when measured in terms of how they heat the atmosphere, their impacts can be tens, hundreds, or even thousands of times greater than that of carbon dioxide”.

Residents have been complaining of nausea, headaches and other symptoms, but the utility company says that “scientists agree natural gas is not toxic and that its odorant is harmless at the minute levels at which it is added to natural gas”.

Health officials in the area have said the long-term effects of being exposed to the gas are unknown.

The utility company is providing temporary accommodation or funds for the displaced residents, and several thousand people in Porter Ranch have been relocated while the gas continues to leak and repairs take place.

Only 2,200 families have been relocated even though 6,500 have applied for help, CBS News reports.

“You have kids going to school outside their neighborhoods, families that are living in hotels,” says Paula Cracium, president of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council.

“The longer this goes on the more stress there is.”

North Korea H-Bomb: UN Security Council to Take New Measures

Roy Siemens
-
0
North Korea H-Bomb: UN Security Council to Take New Measures

The UN Security Council has announced it will begin work immediately on new measures against North Korea, after Pyongyang claimed it had tested a hydrogen bomb.

The council condemned the test, saying “a clear threat to international peace and security continues to exist”.

This is North Korea’s fourth nuclear test since 2006, but if confirmed would be the first of an H-bomb.

However, the US has joined nuclear experts in questioning whether the blast was large enough for such a test.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said “initial analysis was not consistent with North Korea’s claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test”.

Josh Earnest added: “Nothing that has occurred in the last 24 hours has caused the United States government to change our assessment of North Korea’s technical and military capabilities.”

The Security Council held an emergency session on January 6. It was called by the US, Japan and South Korea.

Uruguay’s UN Ambassador Elbio Rosselli, current president of the council, said: “The members… recalled that they have previously expressed their determination to take further significant measures in the event of another [North Korea] nuclear test.

“In line with this commitment and the gravity of this violation, [they] will begin to work immediately on such measures in a new Security Council resolution.”North Korea hydrogen bomb 2016

Josh Earnest said North Korea’s isolation had “deepened as they have sought to engage in increasingly provocative acts”.

Japan’s ambassador to the UN, Motohide Yoshikawa, called for a swift and robust new UN resolution.

Motohide Yoshikawa said: “The authority and credibility of the Security Council will be put in question if it does not take these measures.”

However, Motohide Yoshikawa and other members have not spelled out what they will be or when the resolution could be adopted.

Russia’s UN ambassador said it would be going “too far” to say Moscow supported further sanctions.

North Korea’s tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 triggered UN sanctions, with 20 entities and 12 individuals on a UN blacklist.

If an H-bomb test were confirmed, it would mark a major upgrade in North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.

Hydrogen bombs are more powerful and technologically advanced than atomic weapons, using fusion – the merging of atoms – to unleash massive amounts of energy.

Atomic bombs, like the kind that devastated two Japanese cities in World War Two, use fission, or the splitting of atoms.

A South Korean politician, Lee Cheol-woo, said he was briefed by the country’s intelligence agency that the blast “probably falls short” of a hydrogen detonation.

Suspicions that North Korea had carried out a nuclear test were raised when an earthquake was registered near the Punggye-ri nuclear site in North Korea at 10:00 Pyongyang time, with the tremors rattling Chinese border cities.

Hours later, in a surprise announcement, a newsreader on North Korean state TV said: “The republic’s first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00 am on January 6, 2016.”

A note signed by North Korea leader Kim Jong-un authorizing the test said 2016 should begin with the “stirring explosive sound” of a hydrogen bomb.

China and Japan are reported to have been trying to detect radiation.

Oil Price Falls to 11-Year Low

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
Oil Price Falls to 11-Year Low

Oil price has fallen below $35 a barrel for the first time in 11 years.

Brent crude sank by 4.2% to $34.88 a barrel, surpassing its late December fall, and taking the price to its lowest level since July 1, 2004.

The price of US crude dropped 3.3% to $34.77 a barrel.

The sharp falls followed a short-lived rally on January 4 after Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran.

Analysts said fears over the worsening relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had initially raised concerns about possible supply disruptions and boosted the oil price, had now been overtaken by pessimism over oil cartel OPEC ever agreeing on a production ceiling.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

Historically, OPEC has cut production to support prices. But led by Saudi Arabia, by far the group’s most powerful member, the group has resolutely refused to trim supply this time.

Rising tensions over Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr mean that any agreement is now deemed less likely than ever.

Since mid-2014, oil prices have slumped 70% mainly because of oversupply. This in turn is largely due to US shale oil flooding the market.

At the same time, demand has fallen because of a slowdown in economic growth in China and Europe.

Iranian oil exports are also expected to rise later this year once Western sanctions against Tehran for its nuclear program are lifted, increasing the oversupply of oil.

OPEC is hoping that refusing to cut production will help to drive US shale producers out of business, believing that they will fall victim to lower prices long before its own members, and has forecast that prices will recover to $70 a barrel by 2020.

Goldman Sachs has warned that oil prices could go as low as $20 a barrel, but most analysts are expecting the price to stabilize in the second half of the year as supply from non-OPEC nations slows and demand remains relatively robust.

1...294295296...1,243Page 295 of 1,243