Monday, 16 January 2017
Shakira calls for more early childhood education
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The latest on the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort of Davos (all times local):
12:15 a.m.
Shakira is suggesting an antidote for violent conflict and divisive populism: Get more kids in pre-school.
The Colombian singer is using her distinctive voice to lobby the world's rich and powerful at the World Economic Forum in Davos for more spending on early childhood education.
Asked if she had a message for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, she urged solid education policies that instill "inclusiveness and tolerance" for future generations.
Recalling a childhood in Colombia marred by war, she said: "If we really want peace, we need to invest in education."
Shakira and actor Forest Whitaker were given special awards at Davos on Wednesday for their humanitarian work.Whitaker noted that his charity work in societies emerging from conflict requires coordination with governments of different stripes, and he stressed the importance of grassroots activity.
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7:45 p.m.
There's no chance that Klaus Schwab, the founder of the elite political and business gathering in Davos, will undersell the importance of the World Economic Forum.
Addressing delegates Monday in the Swiss ski resort, Schwab said this year's 47th WEF is taking place at an "extraordinary moment of history," when a "sometimes-disruptive transformation" partly related to technological advances is hitting businesses and societies.
Acknowledging a growing pessimism around the world, Schwab urged delegates to look to the future in a "self-confident way," to repair deficiencies in the capitalist system and to think in the long term.
Schwab also noted that one-third of those at this year's meeting are from the emerging world, including the largest-ever delegations from China and India.
The forum officially starts Tuesday. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived Monday by train to a red carpet welcome.
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7:15 p.m.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says his "prayer" is that the incoming Trump administration will continue to support the fight against cancer, which kept Biden from running for president after it took the life of his son, Beau.
Biden was speaking Monday before the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos to promote his "Cancer Moonshot" initiative. He hailed bipartisan support in Congress for a bill that brought in $1.8 billion for additional research at the National Cancer Institute.
Biden said he had spoken with Vice President-elect Mike Pence about his willingness to work with the new Trump administration to help it be as "committed and enthusiastic as we are in the goal of ending cancer."He urged other countries to also invest in the fight against cancer and called for greater collaboration among researchers, health care providers and drug firms.
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6:30 p.m.
CEOs are increasingly confident about the near-term prospects of their companies despite an array of worries that includes mounting concerns over a lurch toward trade protectionism.
That's the finding from an annual survey of CEOs by global accounting and consulting firm PwC ahead of the World Economic Forum.
The survey found that 38 percent of CEOs are very confident about their company's growth prospects in the next 12 months, against 35 percent last year. Meanwhile, 29 percent of respondents believe global economic growth will pick up in 2017, up from 27 percent last year.
Bob Moritz, PwC's chairman, says one worry that has swelled over the past few months is protectionism. Fears that the era of globalization may go into reverse have been stoked by Britain's vote to leave the European Union and Donald Trump's election as U.S. president.
PwC's survey was based on 1,379 interviews across 79 countries between Sept. 26 and Dec. 5, with the majority conducted online.
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5:45 p.m.
The chairman of global accounting and consulting firm PwC doubts that many companies will leave Britain after the country exits the European Union.
Speaking to The Associated Press in the Swiss ski resort of Davos ahead of Tuesday's official start to the World Economic Forum, Bob Moritz said he hadn't seen any institutions leave and that he doesn't expect them to do so "anytime soon."
Eugene Cernan, last man to walk on moon, dead at 82
US astronaut Eugene Cernan, the last man to set foot on the moon, died Monday at age 82, NASA and his family announced.
Cernan was the spacecraft commander of Apollo 17 -- his third space flight and the last scheduled US manned mission to the moon -- in December 1972.
"We are saddened by the loss of retired NASA astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon," the US space agency said on Twitter.
According to a family statement released by NASA, Cernan, a retired naval officer, died following ongoing health issues.
"It is with very deep sadness that we share the loss of our beloved husband and father," the family said."Our family is heartbroken, of course, and we truly appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers. Gene, as he was known by so many, was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend," the statement added.
"Even at the age of 82, Gene was passionate about sharing his desire to see the continued human exploration of space and encouraged our nation's leaders and young people to not let him remain the last man to walk on the moon."
- 'Ad Astra' -
The space community quickly took to Twitter to pay tribute to Cernan and honor his legacy.
"Saddened by the loss of pioneer, fellow naval aviator, astronaut and friend Gene Cernan #RIP #lastmanonthemoon," said retired American astronaut Scott Kelly.
"Ad Astra, Gene," tweeted NASA's Kennedy Space Center, using a Latin phrase meaning "to the stars."
"We mourn the loss of our friend Gene Cernan, the Last Man on the Moon and a hero for the ages," said the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Godspeed the Commander of Apollo 17."
On what would be the last manned mission to the lunar surface, Cernan's second to the moon, the crew captured the iconic image of a full view of the planet Earth dubbed "Blue Marble."
"Everything's three dimension when you look back at the Earth in all its splendor, in all its glory, multicolors of the blues of the oceans and whites of the snow and the clouds," the astronaut said of his final mission, in a 2007 interview with NASA.
The footprints Cernan left on the moon's surface remain visible more than four decades later.
"I'd just like to record that America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow," he said as he left the moon for the final time'Bold ambitions' -
Born in Chicago in 1934, Cernan received a degree in electrical engineering from Indiana's Purdue University in 1956.
He went on to earn a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the US Naval Postgraduate School in California.
Cernan was one of a class of 14 astronauts chosen to join NASA in 1963, and went on to serve on both Gemini and Apollo missions.
He has spent 566 hours and 15 minutes in space -- logging more than 73 hours on the moon's surface.
Cernan retired from the Navy and NASA in 1976. He later entered the private business sector and provided television commentary during early space shuttle flights.
"The Last Man on the Moon" -- a documentary about his life -- was released in 2016.
The moonwalker's death comes one month after that of another space legend -- John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth.In December, Glenn was the last of the first seven US astronauts who led the nascent 1959 US space program to pass away.
Cernan's death marks the latest from a generation of space pioneers whose ranks are dwindling.
"Truly, America has lost a patriot and pioneer who helped shape our country's bold ambitions to do things that humankind has never before achieved," said NASA administrator Charles Bolden of Cernan's death.
Cernan is survived by his wife Jan, one daughter, two step-daughters and nine grandchildren, the family said.AFP
FBI arrests widow of Orlando nightclub shooter
WASHINGTON (AP) — The wife of the Orlando nightclub shooter, who was extensively questioned by federal agents in the days after the massacre, has been arrested by the FBI in connection with the attack, authorities said Monday.
Noor Salman was taken into custody Monday morning in the San Francisco Bay area and is facing charges in Florida including obstruction of justice. A Twitter post from the United States attorney's office in Orlando said Salman will make her initial court appearance Tuesday morning in Oakland, California.
Noor Salman moved to California after her husband, Omar Mateen, was killed in a shootout with SWAT team members during the June 12massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
FBI agents repeatedly questioned Salman in the aftermath of the shooting about whether she had advance knowledge of her husband's plans. Salman told The New York Times in an interview published last fall that she knew her husband had watched jihadist videos but that she was "unaware of everything" regarding his intent to shoot up the club. She also said he had physically abused her.
"Noor Salman had no foreknowledge nor could she predict what Omar Mateen intended to do that tragic night," her attorney, Linda Moreno, said in a statement.
"Noor has told her story of abuse at his hands. We believe it is misguided and wrong to prosecute her and that it dishonors the memories of the victims to punish an innocent person," Moreno said.
Mateen was the only shooter, and by the time a three-hour standoff with law enforcement had ended, 49 patrons were killed and another 53 people required hospitalization.
Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in a 911 call to emergency officials during the standoff. He also made a series of Facebook posts and searches before and during the attack.Salman, who grew up northeast of San Francisco, wed Mateen in 2011 after the two met online. They lived in Fort Pierce, Florida, at the time of the shooting. Last month, Salman filed a petition in a California court to change the name of the son she had with Mateen.
"We said from the beginning, we were going to look at every aspect of this, of every aspect of this shooter's life to determine not just why did he take these actions — but who else knew about them? Was anyone else involved?" Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in an MSNBC interview on Monday.
The Times first reported on the arrest.
Orlando Police Chief John Mina said in a statement that Salman was facing accusations of obstruction of justice and "aiding and abetting by providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization."
"Nothing can erase the pain we all feel about the senseless and brutal murders of 49 of our neighbors, friends, family members and loved ones," Mina said. "But today, there is some relief in knowing that someone will be held accountable for that horrific crime."Florida Gov. Rick Scott said he hoped the arrest "provides some comfort to the families who are mourning their loved ones," he added.
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Wednesday, 4 January 2017
Trump doubtful as Trump doubtful as US spy chiefs to testify on Russian hackingUS spy chiefs to testify on Russian hacking of fresh bitcoins. The currency was always meant to have a finite number created, and more than three quarters of the planned 21 million bitcoins have already been 'mined'. Encrypted digital coins are created by supercomputers and then traded online or exchanged for goods and services. Vinny Lingham, a bitcoin expert and CEO of US digital identity protection startup Civic, cited the strengthening dollar and uncertainty in emerging markets around US President-elect Donald Trump as boosting the currency's value. He has predicted bitcoin will be worth about $3,000 by the end of 2017. "Bitcoin is reacting as a safe haven," he said. Bitcoin now has a total market capitalisation of about $18 billion -- far more than other so-called "crypto-currencies" although a fraction of the value of other globally traded commodities.
Top US spy chiefs will testify in Congress Thursday on alleged Russian interference in the US election as President-elect Donald Trump continued to question intelligence that Moscow was behind the hacking of Democratic party computers.
The American public could get a better idea of the strength of the evidence on the alleged hacking as the Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing led by strong Russia critic John McCain, who on Wednesday called Moscow's actions to subvert the US presidential vote an "act of war."
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers are due to testify amid a heated rift between Trump and the intelligence bodies he will rely upon for crucial advice when he become president on January 20.
In tweets this week, Trump ridiculed the CIA and FBI conclusions, which are supported by outgoing President Barack Obama, that hackers working at the bidding of the Russian government stole embarrassing Democratic Party documents from the party's computers and leaked the via WikiLeaks to undermine the presidential campaign of Trump rival Hillary Clinton.Referring to a planned presentation to him by intelligence chiefs, Trump tweeted: "The 'Intelligence' briefing on so-called 'Russian hacking' was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!"
He then added to the insult by citing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his dismissal of the findings of multiple US agencies that Russia was behind the hacking.
"Julian Assange said 'a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta' - why was DNC so careless?" Trump said, referring to the thousands of emails and documents robbed from the computers of the Democratic National Committee and from Clinton campaign chief John Podesta.
- Intel agency shakeup looming? -Trump's taunts have boosted pressure on the White House, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Director of National Intelligence to back up their claims last month that the Russian government was behind the hacking, intentionally divulging the documents via WikiLeaks to disrupt the election and help Trump.
The intelligence chiefs and Obama have pointed the finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying no such operation could go on in Moscow without the highest level of approval.
On December 29, Obama retaliated, expelling 35 Russian "intelligence operatives," placing sanctions on Russian government officials and intelligence services, and alleged hackers.
But the evidence made public by the agencies remains thin, allowing Trump, who has made clear he wants to improve fraught relations with Russia, to mount a challenge to the US intelligence establishment.
The Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday that Trump is already working on a plan to restructure the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which Trump believes "has become bloated and politicized," the Journal reported, citing people official with the planning.The plan could also include revamping the CIA, cutting back its headquarters staff while boosting deployment of agents in the field, the Journal said.
- Trump rebuffed -
Trump will be briefed Friday by the heads of the CIA, FBI and DNI on the evidence behind their conclusion on Russia election interference. And a declassified version of a White House report on the case is expected to be released next week.
But he meanwhile rankled officials in both political parties and angered the intelligence community by his choice of Assange as a reference for his views.
In a radio interview Wednesday, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan branded Assange "a sycophant for Russia."
"He leaks, he steals data, and compromises national security."
Democratic Senator Mark Warner said Trump showed "frankly flabbergasting" disrespect for the intelligence officials.I think the most important thing the intelligence community can always do is speak truth to power," he told MSNBC.
"And it seems like perhaps the president-elect doesn't want hear that truths AFP,
Bitcoin nears record high as it becomes 'safe haven' asset
Bitcoin neared record highs Thursday with the surging digital currency tipped to become a new safe haven asset as the world grapples with growing economic uncertainty.
The unit broke the $1,100 barrier on the Bitcoin Price Index, an average of major exchanges, to continue a dizzying rise that made it the best performing currency of 2016.
It has fluctuated wildly since it was created in 2009 and lost three quarters of its value when it plummeted from its previous BPI high of $1,165.89 in 2013.
And news of a major bitcoin theft by hackers in August sent its price plunging by more than 20 percent.
But analysts say its volatility will ease as volumes grow and point to a strengthening US dollar and tightening currency and capital controls, as well as the rise of the digital economy, as major factors.
The chaotic withdrawal of high value bills in India and restrictions on buying foreign currency in China as the yuan slides against the dollar have also stoked demand, analysts say.Exacerbating the rocketing demand is a tightening supply of fresh bitcoins.
The currency was always meant to have a finite number created, and more than three quarters of the planned 21 million bitcoins have already been 'mined'.
Encrypted digital coins are created by supercomputers and then traded online or exchanged for goods and services.
Vinny Lingham, a bitcoin expert and CEO of US digital identity protection startup Civic, cited the strengthening dollar and uncertainty in emerging markets around US President-elect Donald Trump as boosting the currency's value. He has predicted bitcoin will be worth about $3,000 by the end of 2017.
"Bitcoin is reacting as a safe haven," he said.
Bitcoin now has a total market capitalisation of about $18 billion -- far more than other so-called "crypto-currencies" although a fraction of the value of other globally traded commodities.AFP
Looting erupts amid protests over Mexico gas price hike
Mexicans have blocked service stations, disrupted highway traffic and held protests since the government increased fuel prices by 20.1 percent on January 1
Looting broke out at several stores in Mexico on the sidelines of protests against a gasoline price increase as authorities detained dozens of people.
Mexicans have blocked service stations, disrupted highway traffic and held protests since the government increased fuel prices by 20.1 percent on January 1.
But acts of vandalism and looting erupted, prompting Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong to instruct the National Security Commission to support local authorities.
The government of the State of Mexico, which surrounds the capital, said in a statement that 161 people were detained for "various acts of vandalism and thefts at shops" in six municipalities.
The statement said "some groups of people have seized on the situation to commit thefts and acts of vandalism under the pretext of protesting the liberalization of the price of gasoline."
In Mexico City, around 20 people were detained after some shops were looted, the local government's secretary general, Patricia Mercado, told Radio Formula.Some shops closed in the afternoon, though Mercado said "there's no need for that" as she vowed to police would prevent further vandalism.
Federal police reported around 20 new protests and roadblocks in various parts of the country on Wednesday.
President Enrique Pena Nieto defended the price increase, saying it was necessary due to a rise in global oil prices.
"I understand the irritation and anger among the population in general," he said, arguing that not increasing the prices would have been more painful for the economy.
The government says the increase is a necessary first step before prices go down when it lets the market dictate how much drivers will pay in March as part of a sweeping energy reform. AFP
Tuesday, 3 January 2017
With tourists scarce, Egypt struggles to maintain heritage
With a shaky economy following years of unrest and a huge drop in tourists, Egypt is struggling to preserve its fabled archaeological heritage.
From Alexandria on the Mediterranean to the Great Pyramid of Giza -- the last of the Seven Wonders of the World -- and Aswan to the south, the North African country is home to impressive ancient monuments.
For years, the sites were able to rely on a steady stream of ticket sales to finance their upkeep.
But since Egypt's 2011 revolution, the number of tourists visiting the country has dwindled, leaving authorities scrambling to make up for lost revenues.Since January 2011, our revenues have fallen sharply, which had a strong effect on the state of Egyptian monuments," Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany told AFP.
From more than 15 million in 2010, the number of tourists visiting Egypt dropped to 6.3 million in 2015.
Years of political tumult after the 2011 uprising that unseated strongman Hosni Mubarak and a jihadist insurgency following the army's 2013 overthrow of his Islamist successor Mohamed Morsi have discouraged many from visiting.
Revenue from entrance tickets to historical sites dropped to about $38 million in 2015, from about $220 million in 2010.
"It's catastrophic," said Fayza Haikal, an Egyptologist and professor at the American University of Cairo.
Zahi Hawass, an archeologist and former antiquities minister, said the country's heritage has suffered as a result.
"With the lack of funding, you cannot restore anything. Look at the Cairo museum. It's dark," he said, referring to the famed Egyptian Museum in the capital's Tahrir Square.
- 'Antiquities deteriorating' -
"And you cannot ask the government to support you because the economy is not that good. And antiquities are deteriorating everywhere," he said.
Administering the country's antiquities takes about 38,000 employees, including on-site workers, technicians, Egyptologists and inspectors, the ministry says.The government has relied on foreign handouts since Morsi's overthrow, and finally decided to float the pound last year as part of an economic reform program connected to a loan from the International Monetary Fund.
An important part of an economic revival would include the return of tourism, a main hard currency earner for Egypt.
Until then, Enany is trying to limit the damage.
"I try to do extra activities to increase revenue," he said.
For example, the Egyptian Museum, home to the golden mask of Tutankhamun and mummies of pharaohs, now stays open into the night, he said.
Annual passes are also available to encourage Egyptians to visit the sites.Patrons and archaeological missions still contribute to the preservation of Egypt's ancient heritage, but the funds cannot cover everything.
"Priority is given to restoration," said Haikal. "But there are excavations that have been stopped due to lack of funding."
The excavations "have waited for 5,000 years and can wait," she said, but important restoration work has also been delayed.
"At the very least we identify what needs restoration, and we do the minimum to keep them in a proper state."
Enany is also pushing for granting public access to more sites, as was done with the recently opened tombs of Nefertari and Seti I in Luxor.
The Malawi museum in the southern province of Minya has also been reopened, after a mob looted it during the bloody unrest following Morsi's overthrow.
The Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza pyramids should also be opened, at least partially, in 2018.
On some projects, the ministry can get special funds, such as for recent work done on the synagogue of Alexandria and the Abu Mena church, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Hawass, who advises Enany, says the minister needs more support and also for authorities to think beyond Egypt by undertaking exhibitions abroad.Why leave Tutankhamun in the Cairo museum, in a dark area. No one sees it," he said. "Tutankhamun can bring money! AFP
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