December 11, 2019

Eruption Fears Halt Plans To Get Bodies Off Zealand Volcano

December 11, 2019 4:26 pm

Fears of another eruption at the New Zealand volcano believed to have killed 15 people made it too dangerous for emergency teams to recover bodies, police said Wednesday, as doctors fought to save survivors who suffered horrific burns.

The official death toll after Monday’s explosion on White Island stands at six, with police listing another nine as missing, up from the previous figure of eight.

Their bodies are thought to be on the island, but it remains too hazardous for rescuers to travel there, and for forensic pathologists, odontologists and other victim identification experts to begin their work.

AFP /
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As Strike Drags On, French Gov To Unveil Pension Plan

December 11, 2019 4:26 pm

The French government will unveil the details of a pension reform plan Wednesday that has already seen workers down tools in anticipation, crippling transport for a week as hundreds of thousands took to the streets in protest.

A speedy resolution appears unlikely, with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe warning Tuesday — the sixth day of an open-ended transport strike — of a lengthy battle ahead as unions vowed not to yield.

The industrial action has paralysed public transport in Paris and disrupted national rail services and grounded many planes.

It is the biggest show of union force since President Emmanuel Macron …

Foster Vows To Restore All Black Aura After Taking Top Job

December 11, 2019 4:26 pm

Ian Foster pledged to restore the All Blacks’ aura of invincibility on Wednesday as the former assistant coach was promoted to the top job, tasked with rebuilding the three-time world champions after a disappointing World Cup.

New Zealand Rugby opted for continuity in naming Foster, who was the preferred candidate of illustrious departing coach Steve Hansen, under whom he worked for eight years.

He beat main rival Scott Robertson to the job, despite the Crusaders mentor winning three straight Super Rugby titles, with NZR saying the 54-year-old offered “fresh energy”.

“He brings world-class international experience to the role, an incredibly …

Bougainville Voters Back Independence By Landslide

December 11, 2019 4:25 pm

Voters backing Bougainville’s independence from Papua New Guinea have won a landslide referendum victory, according to results released Wednesday — a major step toward the troubled isles becoming the world’s newest nation.

Chairman of the Bougainville Referendum Commission Bertie Ahern declared 176,928 people — around 98 percent of voters — had backed independence with just 3,043 supporting the option of remaining part of Papua New Guinea with more autonomy.

The announcement prompted loud cheers, applause and tears as dignitaries soon burst into song, with strains of the islands’ anthem “My Bougainville” ringing out.

“Happy is an understatement” nursing graduate Alexia …

Trump Pays $2mn In Damages To Charities After Court Ruling

December 11, 2019 4:25 pm

Donald Trump on Tuesday paid $2 million in damages as part of a settlement over use of his former charity to further his political and business interests — the latest item on the US president’s list of legal woes.

Trump had been accused of using foundation funds to settle lawsuits, promote his Trump-branded hotels, and for personal spending, including the purchase of a portrait of himself to display at one of his golf clubs.

The $2 million was paid equally to eight different charities, including the Children’s Aid Society, the United Negro College Fund and the US Holocaust Memorial …

Heavy security As Pakistan Host First Cricket Since Attack

December 11, 2019 4:12 pm

Tight security ringed Rawalpindi cricket stadium on Wednesday as Pakistan hosted their first Test match since a deadly attack on Sri Lanka’s team ushered in a decade of sporting isolation.

Despite being targeted in the 2009 guns-and-rocket assault, Sri Lanka have returned for two Tests in Rawalpindi and Karachi which Pakistan hope will help convince other teams to visit.

Eight people were killed and several players and officials were wounded when militants attacked a convoy of buses headed for Lahore’s Gadaffi Stadium for the second Test in March 2009.

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat on Wednesday, …

China Biggest Jailer Of Journalists – Press

December 11, 2019 4:12 pm

At least 250 journalists are jailed around the world, with the largest number held in China, amid a growing crackdown by authoritarian regimes on independent media, a press watchdog group said Wednesday.

Many of those imprisoned face “anti-state” charges or are accused of producing “false news,” according to the report by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists which also cited Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Eritrea, Vietnam, and Iran for their jailing of journalists.

The press freedom watchdog said it counted at least 48 journalists jailed in China, one more than in 2018, as President Xi Jinping ramps up …

Saudi Aramco Shares Rocket On Debut After Record IPO

December 11, 2019 4:12 pm

Saudi Aramco’s shares soared on their debut on the domestic stock exchange Wednesday, becoming the world’s biggest listed company worth $1.88 trillion after a record-breaking IPO.

Aramco had priced the initial public offering at 32 riyals ($8.53) per share, raising $25.6 billion and narrowly eclipsing Alibaba’s IPO of 2014 to become the world’s largest.

Aramco shares climbed the maximum permitted 10 percent to 35.2 riyals just seconds after the opening bell on Riyadh’s Tadawul exchange and stayed there until trading stopped.

That gives Aramco a market valuation of $1.88 trillion, making it the world’s most valuable company as it closes

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Workers

France PM Makes Concessions To Striking Workers

December 11, 2019 4:11 pm

France’s Prime Minister insisted Wednesday that the government would push ahead with reforms to the country’s fragmented pension system but offered concessions to unions as a crippling strike entered its seventh day.

Public transport networks in Paris and other main cities have been paralysed by the walkout, which began last Thursday and left shops, hotels and restaurants fearing for the impact on their bottom line.

In a televised address, Edouard Philippe said the highly-contested pension changes would be implemented in phases, “without brutality”, and would not affect workers born before 1975.

There would be a guaranteed minimum pension of 1,000 …

Boeing

US Aviation Chief Says Boeing 737 MAX Won’t Be Re-Certified

December 11, 2019 4:10 pm

The top US air transport regulator on Wednesday doused Boeing’s hopes that its 737 MAX will return to the skies this year while lawmakers probed why the agency did not ground the plane after the first of two crashes.

In an interview just ahead of a congressional hearing on the crashes, Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson told CNBC the aircraft will not be cleared to fly before 2020.

The process for approving the MAX’s return to the skies still has 10 or 11 milestones left to complete, including a certification flight and a public comment period on pilot training …

Britain Heads Into Charged Brexit Election

December 11, 2019 3:51 pm

Britain’s feuding party leaders criss-crossed the country on Wednesday in a frantic push for votes on the eve of a highly-charged general election aimed at finally settling the Brexit crisis.

Polls open on Thursday for the third time in four years in what is widely seen as a re-run of the 2016 referendum in which a narrow majority opted to pull Britain out of the European Union.

 

AFP / Oli SCARFFCorbyn is a veteran leftist campaigner who confounded pollsters by coming within a whisker of winning the last election in 2017

Parliament’s splintered parties — some seeking broader

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Kosovo Declares Nobel Laureate Handke ‘Persona Non Grata’

December 11, 2019 3:50 pm

Kosovo declared Peter Handke a ‘persona non grata’ on Wednesday in the latest protest against his induction as a Nobel literature laureate, barring the Austrian writer from a place he has visited numerous times.

The Swedish Academy’s pick for the 2019 prize has reopened old wounds in the Balkans, where many see Handke as an apologist for Serb atrocities during Yugoslavia’s bloody collapse.

One Nobel committee member resigned over the choice, while Tuesday’s award ceremony was boycotted by representatives of the embassies of Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Turkey.

“Today I have decided to declare Peter Handke as …

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