ROTTERDAM, December 28 -- In the latest troubling study regarding how the climate crisis is affecting the world's iciest regions, a new report by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) found that the second-largest ice sheet in the world is currently melting even in winter. The study follows a report released earlier this month showing that Greenland's ice melt rate is currently faster than it's been in about 7,000 years. The island's 650,000 cubic miles of ice is melting 50 percent faster than it did in pre-industrial times. "Greenland is a bit like a sleeping giant that is awakening," says Edward Hanna, a climate scientist at the University of Lincoln. "Who knows how it will respond to a couple of more degrees of warming? It could lose a lot of mass very quickly." The ice sheet's persistent melting even in winter has come about because huge waves below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, created by unusually strong winter winds, are pushing warm water up to Greenland—creating an environment that's hostile for the country's icy ecosystem, explains SAMS.
These "coastally trapped internal waves" are "pushing warm water into the fjord and towards the glacier, causing melting hundreds of metres below the ocean surface," says Dr. Neil Fraser, an ocean physicist who led the study. Greenland's huge ice sheet also makes it a huge contributor to rising sea levels, SAMS noted, accounting for more than 20 percent of the annual increase in sea levels. Accelerating, year-round run-off that persists even in the coldest months of the year is "the greatest contributor to sea level rise," says Sarah Das, a researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
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LONDON, December 28 -- Angelina Jolie has not ruled out a move into politics — and has joked that she might be tough enough to take the rough and tumble that comes with it. The American actress and U.N. envoy told BBC radio she "can take a lot on the chin" — a possible reference to her bitter divorce from Brad Pitt. When asked if she is moving in the direction of politics, the 43-year-old Oscar winner said, "I honestly will do whatever I think can really make change." Jolie is a special envoy for the U.N. refugee agency. She used her slot as a "guest editor" on the BBC to highlight refugee issues in the Middle East. She also included Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege on the show. Besides, both sides will hold a series of activities at the state and local level to accelerate the development of bilateral ties, said Hua. Chinese assistant foreign minister Zhang Hanhui met Russian deputy foreign minister Igor Morgulov on December 21. The two exchanged views on the arrangements for high-level exchanges between the two countries next year.
TOKYO, December 28 -- The benchmark Nikkei stock index has fallen on its final trading day of 2018. Other Asian stocks have ended the day in positive territory. Japan's Nikkei index edged down on its final trading day of the year. The benchmark index lost 0.3 percent after gaining nearly 4 percent on Thursday. Negative factors such as Donald Trump's trade spat with China and his criticism of the US central bank weighed on the market. As did investors cashing in after Thursday's rises. "It's inevitable that selling emerges after sharp rises like yesterday's," said market analyst Makoto Sengoku. Most other Asian markets gained ground on Friday. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.35 percent, Australian stocks increased 1 percent and South Korea's KOSPI climbed 0.5 percent. European stocks Volatility reigned supreme across global markets this week due to investor concern about slowing global growth, trade wars, Brexit and a US government shutdown. Wall Street, which staged its best rally in nine years on Wednesday, finished higher after Thursday's a surge in late-session trading. Markets in Europe have suffered declines, however. Frankfurt has dropped about 20 percent since the start of the year. London has declined more than 14 percent and Paris more than 13 percent. Where stocks head from here is "anyone's guess," Ben Emons, managing director at Medley Global Advisors, told Bloomberg. Stephen Innes, head of APAC trading at OANDA, warned: "This rollercoaster ride is unlikely to stop anytime soon as investors continue to wear emotions on their sleeve." STOCKHOLM, December 28 -- The state broadcaster SVT’s coverage of the double murder of 24-year-old Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and 28-year-old Maren Ueland by Islamists in Morocco has sparked a fury of criticism. Besides running an article that the savage murder of the two Scandinavian girls “had nothing to do with Islam”, they also pushed the narrative that sharing of the graphic video of the murder is illegal, warning Swedes not to share the video as that is punishable with up to four years imprisonment. Scores of viewers complained that SVT was more concerned by people sharing the video of the killing, than they were with the horrific murders, themselves. As well, they failed to mention the ISIS style execution by beheading, instead reported the murder from “neck wounds”.
Some who made the decision to watch the video admitted it was a poor choice, regretting having seen it. Svenska Dagbladet columnist Ivar Arpi stated on his Facebook page: ”Happened to watch the movie clip that is being circulated. The one where one of them gets her head cut off. I wish I could unsee it. I’ve seen many horrible things. For a while I felt a responsibility as a journalist to see the movie clips that Daesh released. Still, this was much worse. It is the worst I have ever seen. It will haunt me”, he also referred to the murderers as “beasts”. MOSCOW, December 28 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of a “good dynamic” in Russia’s relationship with Armenia as he met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in Moscow.
The two men discussed what the Kremlin described as “key topics of the bilateral agenda.” Those most probably included a new agreement on the price of Russian natural gas supplied to Armenia and the thorny issue of who should be the new secretary general of the Russian-led Collective Security Organization (CSTO). Neither leader made any public statements immediately after the talks held in the presence of other senior Russian and Armenian officials. Nor did their aides or press offices report any agreements reached by them. Armenia pays $150 per thousand cubic meters of Russian gas under a bilateral deal that runs until the end of this month. The Armenian government hoped in the run-up to Thursday’s talks that the Russians will at least not raise this price. But some officials in Yerevan did not rule out the possibility of a price rise. Armenia also hoped for Russian support in its dispute with Belarus over the vacant post of CSTO secretary general which was held by a retired Armenian army general, Yuri Khachaturov, until last month. Khachaturov was sacked after being controversially charged by Armenian authorities in connection with the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan. Moscow strongly criticized the charges. Pashinian has been trying to ensure that another representative of Armenia is allowed to complete Khachaturov’s three-year tenure which was due to expire in 2020. However, at least four other CSTO member states -- Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan -- want a Belarusian nominee, Stanislav Zas, to become the next secretary general. A CSTO spokesman said earlier this week that Putin also supports Zas’s candidacy. Moscow did not confirm that claim, however. Putin began his latest meeting with Pashinian by congratulating the latter on his My Step alliance’s “convincing victory” in the December 9 parliamentary elections. “I want to wish you success in the realization of all objectives which you set for yourself and your team to the benefit of Armenia and the Armenian people,” he said. Putin has still not congratulated Pashinian in writing, fuelling Armenian media speculation about his discontent with the new authorities in Yerevan. In his opening remarks publicized by the Kremlin, Putin also praised “truly allied relations” between the two nations and growing trade between them. “I think that the dynamic is good,” he said. “It must be maintained.” “We will do everything in our power to maintain this level of our relations not only in this sphere but also in other directions,” he added, referring to the CSTO and the Eurasian Economic Union. “We intend to deepen our relations in all directions,” Pashinian said, for his part. He invited Putin to pay an official visit to Armenia next year. BERLIN, December 27 -- German politicians are considering a controversial “mosque tax” – supposedly to draw the country’s Muslims away from “foreign influence.” The proposal from Thorstein Frei, deputy leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is apparently aimed at helping “Islam in Germany free itself from the influence of foreign states and get a stronger domestic orientation.” Many German mosques are funded privately and state intelligence services say they fear the influence of extremist Salafist groups linked to Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The number of Islamists in Germany has reached the record high of 11,000, according to a 2017 report by Hans-Georg Maassen, the then head of national security agency the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV). Authorities also reportedly fear the influence of the extremist Muslim Brotherhood, alleging that it seeks to establish a monopoly on mosques in Saxony. Mr Maassen has since been sacked as BfV chief after dismissing video footage of racist violence in Chemnitz and following a scandal over his closeness to the far-right Alternative for Germany party. Christians in Germany are required to pay a so-called church tax, a levy which comes directly out of their wage packet and accounts for around 70 per cent of church revenue. Under Mr Frei’s proposals, a similar tax would be paid by all practising Muslims in Germany and then redistributed among all officially registered Islamic religious institutions. The Christian Social Union, the CDU’s even more right-wing sister party in Bavaria, called for greater transparency, included forcing mosques to post their imams’ sermons online, while Social Democratic Party MP Burkhard Lischka said Mr Frei’s suggestion was “worthy of discussion.” Although the Interior Ministry said the proposal “can be a solution,” it believes any such law would require the support of grassroots Muslim organisations. KIEV, December 28 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced that martial law, which was enacted due to Russian attack in the Kerch Strait, had been discontinued in regions of the country. “Now at 14:00 martial law has stopped. This is ultimately my decision. It is based on all the components of the current security situation in the government,” said Poroshenko during a meeting of the Council of National Security and Defense of Ukraine. On November 25th Russian border guards attacked and seized two ships and tugboat of the Ukrainian Navy, which were on their way from Odessa to Mariupol. As a result, several Ukrainians were injured. All 24 sailors were arrested for allegedly “illegally crossing the Russian state border.” On November 26th, the Rada voted to impose martial law for a period of 30 days in 10 regions, as well as in the internal waters of Ukraine in the Azov Sea. Martial law was enacted on November 28th. CUCUTA, December 27 -- The Colombian border city of Cucuta is virtual chaos - as "Rail-thin women cradle their tiny babies, and beg along the trash-strewn gutters. Teens hawk everything from cigarettes to sweets and water for small change." The young, the old and the disabled cluster around the lone Western Union office – recently established to deal with the Venezuelan influx – in the hopes of receiving or sending a few dollars to send home. Without passports or work permits, the Venezuelans – many with university degrees or decent jobs in what was once the wealthiest nation in Latin America – are now resorting to whatever it takes to survive. Men buying hair approach groups of women with their young children, offering them enough to feed their families for a short while. Local wigmakers in Colombia will pay between $10 - $30, depending on length and quality. Other Venezuelan women - including girls as young as 14, resort to sex work on the streets of Cucuta - earning around seven dollars per john. Both men and women are exposed to sex trafficking along the route from Venezuela to Colombia. According to several walkers, some women “chose” prostitution as a means to make money and earn rides along the way. And some heterosexual men “sell themselves on the gay market” for a little money. Other women are manipulated or forced into giving “pimp types” their documents and identification cards, and are subsequently drawn into prostitution rings. That's particularly the case in border areas, where many rebel and drug-trafficking groups operate. Back home in Venezuela, the situation is dire - as the socialist country suffers from starvation, disease, a lack of health care and extreme violence. Children have been dying from hepatitis and malaria. "There is a human catastrophe in Venezuela. There is a resurgence of illnesses that were eradicated decades ago. Hundreds have died from measles and diphtheria. Last year, more than 400,000 Venezuelans presented malaria symptoms. Up to now, there are over 10,000 sick people from tuberculosis," said Caracas mayor and former political prisoner Antonio Ledezma, adding: "People have been doomed to death. More than 55,000 cancer patients don’t have access to chemotherapy. Every three hours a woman dies due to breast cancer." Caterine Martinez, an attorney, and director of the Prepara Familias (Ready Families) organization in Venezuela – which endeavors to support hospitalized children and their families and caregivers – concurred that the public health care issue in the country is nothing short of “severe.” “Currently there are no broad-spectrum antibiotics, not even basic antibiotics to treat basic pathogens from children and present chronic illnesses,” she said. “We don’t have x-rays working, they haven’t for a long time. We don’t have a CAT scanner or an MRI scanner. Many other vital medical instruments don’t work. The municipal blood banks don’t have reagents, therefore we have kids who are getting blood transfusions and are getting infected with hepatitis C and could even be injected with HIV.” BANGKOK, December 27 -- A new pro-junta political party in Thailand threw a lavish fund raising banquet in Bangkok on Dec. 19, raking in about 650 million baht ($20 million) overnight. The fund raiser was organized by the Palang Pracharat Party, or People's State Power Party, to finance its campaign for the general election expected for February. The party, formed earlier this year, is believed to be rapidly attracting the nation's rich and powerful, including military officers, bureaucrats and business tycoons of leading conglomerates. Four incumbent cabinet members hold key party posts, including party head. The opulent event demonstrated the group's ability to quickly build up a massive war chest. With an avalanche of support from the nation's movers and shakers, Palang Pracharat stands out among the many pro-junta political groups that have recently emerged, making it the most formidable opponent facing other parties, such as the Pheu Thai Party and Democratic Party.
"I was invited to the party by a person linked to Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan," said Adul Daoreung, a 50-year-old politician from Ayuthaya Province. The deputy prime minister is known as one of the junta's heavy hitters. "I decided to switch parties because [Palang Pracharat] promised to nominate me as its official candidate," said the former Democratic Party member, who lost to a Pheu Thai candidate in the previous election. The banquet organizer had forecast a huge turnout. Two hundred tables, each seating 10 people, were set up in a 2,000-sq.-meter banquet hall. Entrance to the event was similarly large, with attendees forking over at least 300,000 baht ($9,200) each. Some donated more, as the banquet raised nearly 10% more than the target figure of 600 million baht, according to local media -- a record for a Thai fundraiser. Just before the start, party bigwigs -- including the head of the party, Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana -- arrived to greet guests in traditional Thai fashion, bowing slightly with palms pressed together in front of the chest. Uttama is expected to lead the charge into the election with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a retired army general, seeking to retain his current post. Guests were treated to a full-course dinner of smoked salmon, oven-grilled fish and more while being entertained by famous Thai singers, one who sang "One Moment in Time," a hit by the late Whitney Houston. The track was likely chosen to fire up the crowd with its stirring lyrics: "I want one moment in time, when I'm more than I thought I could be, when all of my dreams are a heartbeat away." Other Democratic Party defectors could also be found, such as Siriphan Hemsut from the northeastern province of Amnat Charoen. The current government is "trying to help the people," the 37-year-old said. "I hope that Palang Pracharat will win to allow Prayuth to remain in power." Despite Palang Pracharat's image as a pro-business political force, many of its supporters praise the government's efforts to help low-income earners. BEIING, December 27 -- China's ex-intelligence chief Ma Jian has been sentenced to life in prison for crimes including taking bribes and insider trading, a court says. Ma had been put under investigation in 2015 and expelled from the Communist Party one year later. He pleaded guilty and would not appeal, a court in the north-eastern Liaoning province said. Many high-ranking officials have been toppled as part of President Xi Jinping's vast anti-corruption drive.Ma Jian was vice-minister in the powerful ministry of state security, which oversees foreign and counterintelligence operations. His case is linked to that of one of China's most-wanted fugitives, exiled property tycoon Guo Wengui, who has published a series of allegations of corruptionamong top members of the Communist Party. Ma used his position to help Guo Wengui, who now lives in New York, further his business interests, the Dalian Intermediate People's Court said in a statement. He took more than 100m yuan (£11.4m; $14.5m) in bribes and profited by trading stocks based on insider information, it added. "The defendant Ma Jian's bribery amount was extremely large, and the national and people's interests suffered a particularly heavy loss, which seriously infringed on the integrity of civil servants."
Ma Jian and Guo Wengui could not be reached for comment. BAGHDAD, December 27 -- After his recent decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, Donald Trump visited a military base in Iraq. Surprisingly enough, attention of the US media was largely focused on the trivia, including an "awkward" kiss between the Trumps, as well as Melania's fashion choice. Donald and Melania Trump made a holiday trip to the Iraq-based Al Asad Air Base on Wednesday — the president's first visit to troops stationed in a conflict zone during his two years in office.
The POTUS made it clear that he doesn't want his country to remain "the policeman of the world" and described the US' worldwide military presence as "ridiculous". However, it was not only his political statements that stirred hot debate in the United States: another Boxing Day newsmaker was the First Lady, specifically her footwear choice and her kiss with the hubby, which some observers called "ridiculous". "A public display of affection between Trump and Melania is a rare event and this cheek kiss looks awkward and lacking in symmetry", said body language expert Judi James. "Again their approaches are different, with Trump clutching his wife's upper arm tightly enough to make his knuckles whiten while Melania appears to barely lay her splayed hand on his bicep with no sign of holding or clutching. Melania appears to keep their torsos apart as they kiss, stretching her neck in to achieve face-closeness instead", she went on, claiming that this kissing style would be a norm for a greeting or farewell kiss between colleagues or friends, rather than spouses. Intimacy aside, Melania was widely mocked on social media for trading her usual high heels for Timberland boots while visiting the troops — something that her critics deemed inappropriate. BANGKOK, December 27 -- The bodies have been found of two South Korean men who drowned after their golfing buggy collided with one driven by their wives in northern Thailand. The group were on a ferry on Wednesday preparing to cross the river that runs through the course in Phitsanulok province when the men were accidentally rammed by their wives in another. The impact threw them all into the muddy waters of the Nan river, said Lieutenant Colonel Suwat Suawatmontri of the district police. The women were promptly rescued by nearby fishermen. More than 50 rescue workers from the military and police were involved in the search for the missing men: Jun Yong Sung, 68, and Jaeoong Ha, 76. One body was found on Wednesday night about 1.2 miles from the accident site, while the other was discovered by villagers on Thursday morning “floating near a temple”, Suwat said. “Their wives said both were able to swim but I think the cause of drowning was the strong undercurrent.” The two couples arrived in Thailand on Christmas Eve for a holiday. Thailand typically draws more than 35 million visitors each year. But tourism took a hit in 2018 after a ferry carrying Chinese tourists in southern Thailand sank in July, with 47 people killed. The accident highlighted lax safety rules in the tourism sector and caused an immediate drop in visitor numbers. Thai authorities have been scrambling to remake the country’s image since then, reacting swiftly to any issues facing tourists, especially those from China. NEW YORK, December 26 -- US stocks staged a dramatic rebound on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average surging more than 1,000 points for the first time eve. This on short-covering activity following reports of strong holiday-season sales in the world’s largest economy. Technical factors also contributed to the rally, with equities perceived to have been oversold in recent weeks, including in a brutal pre-Christmas selloff. In a dramatic session that also saw the benchmark S&P 500 come close to dropping into bear market territory, oil prices surged, boosting sentiment for risk assets, Reuters reports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 1,086.25 points, or 4.98 percent, at 22,878.45, notching its best single-session points gain in history.
The previous record point gain for the Dow was 936.42 on Oct. 13, 2008, during a period when markets were whipsawed almost daily by developments in the financial crisis, Reuters noted. The S&P 500 index gained 116.6 points, or 4.96 percent, to 2,467.7, while the Nasdaq Composite added 361.44 points, or 5.84 percent, to 6,554.36. A report that holiday sales were the strongest in years helped mollify concerns about the health of the economy. US holiday sales this year were up 5.1 percent from a year ago at over US$850 billion, the strongest gain in six years, according to a Mastercard report. The S&P 500 retailing index jumped 7.4 percent. Shares online retailer Amazon, which touted a “record-breaking” season, climbed 9.4 percent. “The market is extremely oversold where we left it” on Monday, Brett Ewing, chief market strategist at First Franklin Financial Services. “You cannot make the assumption that this correction is over, but today’s action is definitely a very positive signal.” Concerns about the economic growth outlook, the US-China trade dispute and rising interest rates have dogged stocks since the end of summer, and the major indexes are still down more than 10 percent this month alone, with three more trading days left in the year. The head of the US Federal Reserve faces no risk of losing his job and President Donald Trump is happy with his Treasury secretary, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said in an apparent attempt to calm Wall Street nerves. On Wednesday, short-covering was feverish, with the Thomson Reuters United States Most Shorted Index enjoying its best percentage rise in its six-year history. “The move you see is just everybody trying to get out of these super, super bearish positions that they have been in, that have been easy to make money in. … This is a short-covering rally,” said Michael Antonelli, managing director of institutional sales trading at Robert W. Baird. “These kind of moves, as fun, as exciting as they are, you just don’t see this kind of stuff in healthy, normal markets,” Antonelli told Reuters. All 11 major S&P 500 sectors ended in positive territory, with the technology sector after being beaten up during the recent pullback, rising 6.1 percent. The S&P broke a four-session streak of declines. But despite Wednesday’s surge, it remained on pace for its biggest monthly percentage drop since February 2009, Reuters noted. “Given the two months we’ve been through, it’s hard to look at one day and say it’s all over,” said Christopher Smart, head of macroeconomic and geopolitical research at Barings. Even so, Smart said, “If you look at simple valuations in this market, it’s clearly much more attractive than it was over the summer and I think it means that it’s hard to see a lot more downside from here.” |
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