I-EFF ifuna kubhekwe ukudla okudayiselwa abafundi ezikoleni ngenxa yeListeriosis

Johannesburg – I-Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) inxuse uMnyango weMfundo eyisiSekelo ukuba uqinisekise ukuthi ukudla okudayiselwa abafundi akunazo izithako ezifana nopholoni, ngemuva kokumenyezelwa kokuthi ungumsuka wesifo i-listeriosis.

UNgqongqoshe wezeMpilo uDkt Aaron Motsoaledi ngeSonto uthe kutholakale ukuthi lesi sifo sisuka efemeni yakwa-Enterprise esePolokwane, ekhiqiza imikhiqizo efana nopholoni.

"Sinxusa nokuba izigungu ezengamele izikole kanye namalungu emikhandlu emele abafundi ukuba bafake izindlela eziqinile zokulawula izinto ezidayiselwa abafundi emagcekeni esikole nasezitolo eziseduzane,” kusho okhulumela i-EFF uMbuyiseni Ndlozi.

OLUNYE UDABA: Usutholakele umsuka wesifo i-Listeriosis

UNdlozi uthe kumele kusolwe i-Enterprise Food neRainbow Chicken ngemuva kokuba uMotsoaledi ethe lesi sifo siqubuke kulezi zinkampani.

"Kuzomele baphendule ngokubhebhethekisa isifo nangokubulala abantu,” kusho uNdlozi.

Lesi sifo sesibulale abantu ababalelwa kwabangu-180 eNingizimu Afrika selokhu siqubuke ngonyaka ophelile.

DoJ, FBI open investigations into Charlottesville violence

 

   Militia members face off against counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Va. on Saturday. Photo by      Virginia State Police

   

The U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI said they would launch investigations into the Charlottesville, Va., demonstrations during which one anti-racism protester, opposed to the white nationalist gatherings, was killed.

In the deadly incident amid larger protests, a car plowed into a crowd of protesters opposed to white nationalist rallies being held in the Va. city. Authorities identified the victim as 32-year-old Heather Heyer, a paralegal from Greene County.

"The violence and deaths in Charlottesville strike at the heart of American law and justice. When such actions arise from racial bigotry and hatred, they betray our core values and cannot be tolerated. I have talked with FBI Director Chris Wray, FBI agents on the scene and law enforcement officials for the state of Virginia," Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote in a statement on Saturday. "The FBI has been supporting state and local authorities throughout the day. U.S. Attorney Rock Mountcastle has commenced a federal investigation and will have the full support of the Department of Justice. Justice will prevail."

Cellphone video of Saturday's attack showed the vehicle, a gray Dodge Challenger, driving at high speed into a narrow street crowded with protesters opposing the white nationalists who flooded Charlottesville for one of the movement's largest rallies in years.

After entering the crowd, the car reversed back down the street striking additional pedestrians, revealing severe front-end damage and a smashed windshield.
Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas called the incident "premeditated violence" and said it "is being treated as a criminal homicide investigation."

Thomas said the male driver was arrested shortly after the incident. The vehicle's license plate is visible in the video and The Washington Post reported it is registered to James Alex Fields, 20, of Maumee, Ohio, near Toledo. Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail Superintendent Martin Kumer confirmed to the newspaper Fields was booked on several charges, including suspicion of second-degree murder. He is being held without bail.

"The Richmond FBI Field Office, the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia have opened a civil rights investigation into the circumstances of the deadly vehicular incident that occurred earlier Saturday morning," the FBI said in a statement on Saturday. "The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence, and as this is an ongoing investigation we are not able to comment further at this time."

The University of Virginia Medical Center said 19 people were also injured in the car-ramming incident, while 15 others were wounded in events associated with the scheduled protest.

Two Virginia State Patrol troopers -- identified as pilot Lt. H. Jay Cullen, 48, and Trooper Berke M.M. Bates, who would have turned 41 on Sunday -- also died when a helicopter crashed near Charlottesville after monitoring the incidents on Saturday.

Iran's parliament votes to increase spending on missile program

Iran's parliament has voted to funnel more funds to the nation's ballistic missile program. During Sunday's voting session, 240 out of 244 legislators approved the missile spending bill.

This legislation was described as an effort to "counter America's terrorist and adventurist actions in the region" and heralded as a justified response to new sanctions adopted by the United States earlier this summer.

In July, Iran launched a satellite-capable rocket into space. The launch did not violate the terms of the 2015 nuclear treaty between the United States, Iran and Western nations, but the move was strongly criticized by the U.S. and other Western allies.

In response to the launch, President Trump signed a bill outlining new sanctions against several Iranian groups, freezing funds and outlawing U.S. citizens from doing businesses with the targets.

With the newly passed funding bill, Iran's parliament offered a rebuke of the U.S. sanctions.

"The Americans should know that this was our first action," speaker Ali Larijani said after announcing the voting results -- according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

The bill still needs to pass a second vote before it is delivered to a clerical body for review and passage into law. The legislation would divide 20 trillion rials, or $609 million, between the missile program and the Quds Force, a special forces unit of the nation's Revolutionary Guards.

What’s happening inside the ANC, not parliament, is key to why Zuma prevails

What matters inside the African National Congress, the party that governs South Africa, is not necessarily what matters outside it. This obvious point is missed by much of the commentary on the latest unsuccessful motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma – and in much discussion of South African politics.

One result of ignoring this reality is the claim that the vote seriously weakened Zuma because several dozen ANC members of parliament supported the motion or abstained.

This was the first time some ANC MPs supported a motion of no confidence in an ANC president. But, while Zuma came within 21 votes of losing in parliament, he was probably backed by 80% or more of the ANC caucus. Most of the votes against him were cast by opposition MPs, who do not have a say in who is ANC president, not ANC members, who do.

Unless parliament passes a motion of no confidence in him, which is not on the cards any time soon, his future depends on whether he was weakened in the ANC, not parliament.

Within the ANC, Zuma’s future is not the absorbing fixation it is outside it.

Loyalty amid factionalism

For many outside the ANC, politicians are defined by whether they want Zuma to go. Inside it, the key reality is a battle between two factions: Zuma’s is accused by its opponents, whose likeliest presidential candidate is deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, of using public office to advance private interests. While Zuma is supported by one and opposed by the other, both know he does not shape what the ANC and government do on his own – he acts as part of a faction. If he goes and the faction wins, nothing changes and so for both sides, winning the factional battle is far more important than Zuma’s fate.

The contest is centred on winning the leadership elections at the ANC’s December national elective conference. What both sides do, they do with that in mind – Zuma’s fate is a product of this battle.

Key figures in the factions also want to run an ANC in good shape to win the next election and so they worry about splitting or damaging the organisation. If doing what matters to people outside the ANC risks harming it, they will not do it.

There is no evidence yet that the vote weakened Zuma’s faction. Because the vote was secret, we don’t know which MPs voted for him to go. But common sense suggests that they are not pro-Zuma faction members who changed sides but staunch members of the group which wants him gone. So the anti-Zuma group has not grown because some of its members expressed themselves more forcefully.

Nor does it show that the tide within the ANC is moving against Zuma. What matters inside the ANC, but not outside it, is loyalty to the organisation. For many years it was banned and under constant attack – this produced a culture in which the default position is to close ranks in the face of what it sees as outside attack. This made the dissent by ANC MPs a huge step for them. But there is no reason why their view should be shared by others – given the premium on loyalty, their decision could help the pro-Zuma faction by discrediting its opposition.

This misfit between the logic of ANC politics and that outside it explains other aspects of the no confidence vote which have caused confusion. One is that figures such as secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and chief whip Jackson Mthembu worked to get ANC MPs to defeat the motion although they oppose Zuma’s faction; the SA Communist Party, which has called on Zuma to go, did not ask its members to support the motion.

They did this not because they have switched sides but because they believed Zuma’s defeat in a no confidence vote was unlikely – and would not help them if it happened. The opposing faction would still be there, as strong as before. They might be strong enough to replace Zuma with another member of the faction, changing nothing. Or, more likely, the deadlock between the factions would tear the ANC apart and might allow the opposition to elect a president by default. So they preferred to feign loyalty and to work to take over the ANC in December.

Balance of power

This means that the overwhelming ANC caucus vote against the motion does not tell us that the faction to which Zuma belongs is winning and will control the ANC after December. Many MPs who voted against the anti-Zuma motion may be part of the faction which wants him gone: they may have voted as they did because the leaders of their faction told them that strategy made this necessary. So the balance of power in the ANC, which decided who will lead it next year, may not have been affected either way by the no confidence vote.

What is happening inside the ANC may not be morally uplifting. But nor is it about foolishness or hypocrisy. It stems from decisions which are entirely logical if what matters inside the ANC matters to you. If everyone outside the ANC wants to grasp what is happening and where it might lead, they need to understand what matters inside the ANC.

De Blasio wants richest New Yorkers to pay for subway repairs

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will propose a surcharge for the city's wealthiest residents to pay for improvements to the city's deteriorating subway system, officials said Sunday

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will propose a tax increase on the city's most wealthy residents to pay for repairs to the subway and bus systems.

The surcharge on the city's highest tax rate would increase the rate from 3.3 percent to 4.9 percent -- and would raise $695 million in 2018 and $820 million in 2019, the mayor's spokesman said Sunday.

The increase would affect about 32,000 New Yorkers, whom officials identified as the top 1 percent of all taxpayers in the city. That funding would be dedicated to repairing the city's deteriorating transit system, which has seen accidents and delays in recent months, as well as an increase in the cost of fares.

"Rather than sending the bill to working families and subway and bus riders already feeling the pressure of rising fares and bad service, we are asking the wealthiest in our city to chip in a little extra to help move our transit system into the 21st century," de Blasio said Sunday in a statement.

A tax increase will require approval of state legislators. With Republicans in control the New York Senate, the proposed surcharge could face opposition -- but the magnitude of the problem has captured the attention of both parties in Albany, The New York Times reported Monday.

The proposal comes as de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both Democrats, publicly argue over who should pay for improvements to the city's aging transportation system. While the state controls the transportation authority, Cuomo has called on de Blasio to help find funding.

The worsening system is hurting Cuomo's approval ratings among New York City voters, and de Blasio is blamed for the problem by the city subway workers' union.

Pope Francis replaces powerful Cardinal Mueller

Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Mueller attends the Canonization Mass of six new Saints at Saint Peter's square in Vatican City on November 23, 2014. Pope Francis chose not to ask Mueller to serve a second five-year term in the post of prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican announced Saturday. Photo by Fabio Frustaci/EPA

Pope Francis has replaced Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, who was Vatican's doctrinal chief who handled sex abuse cases, with the cardinal's deputy.

On Saturday, Francis named Archbishop Luis Ladaria, 73, to succeed conservative Mueller as the Vatican's doctrine chief with Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

On Thursday, the pope granted another conservative, Cardinal George Pell, a leave of absence to return to his native Australia to face trial on sexual assault charges.
The Vatican statement said the pope thanked Mueller "at the end of his quinquennial mandate as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, the Pontifical Biblical Commission and the International Theological Commission."

Mueller and Pell were among the most powerful in the Vatican under the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI had named Mueller, a fellow German countryman, to lead the Doctrine of the Faith in 2012. Mueller previously served for 10 years as the bishop of the southeastern German diocese of Regensburg.

The five-year term of Mueller, who turned 70 in December, ends this weekend. The normal retirement age for bishops is 75.

During Mueller's tenure, the sex abuse caseload has piled up. Last year, Francis confirmed the backlog was 2,000 cases.

Mueller opposed Francis' 2016 document on family life, "The Joy of Love," in which he was open to letting divorced and civilly remarried Catholics receive Communion.

Mueller didn't join a campaign by four conservative cardinals attacking the pope's document as vague and confusing and publicly requesting Francis clarify it. Mueller defended the document, saying it actually doesn't allows Communion for these Catholics because church tradition simply could not permit it.

But in an interview in May with EWTN when asked about the matter, the cardinal stated: "We don't accept polygamy."

Mueller also said that it is "not possible" for women to be ordained to the diaconate and that female deacons "will not come."

Ladaria, a Spanish Jesuit, was appointed to lead a commission to study whether women could be deacons in the church. Benedict named Ladaria as secretary in the congregation in 2008, the second-highest position in the congregation.

Berlin crash suspect released; Islamic State claims credit

BERLIN, (UPI) -- German authorities said Tuesday they've released a man initially suspected in the truck crash that killed 12 people at a holiday market in Berlin -- an event officials are investigating as an act of terrorism.

Berlin police said their investigation has determined a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum-seeker they arrested appears to be above suspicion -- based partly on the fact that he had no blood on his clothing at the time of his arrest, shortly after the crash. He was detained leaving the scene.

Police said the driver of the delivery truck almost certainly would have had blood on his clothing, because it was everywhere inside the truck's cab.

"The investigations so far did not result in an urgent grounds for suspicion," prosecutors said in a statement. "The criminal investigations carried out so far have not been able to prove a presence of the accused during the incident in the truck."

Officials said the driver is likely still at large, and they continue to acknowledge the possibility that the event was carried out by a migrant.

The stolen truck, loaded with steel beams and belonging to a Polish company, drove through a festive holiday market in Berlin's west flank on Monday. At least 48 people were injured, 18 seriously.

The company that owned the truck said it lost contact with its driver prior to the attack, leading police to suspect it had been hijacked somewhere along its route.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday said the incident is being treated by police as a terrorist attack.

"I know it would be especially hard to bear for all of us if it should be confirmed that the person who committed this act sought protection and asylum in Germany," she said. "This would be especially despicable toward the many, many Germans who are daily engaged in helping refugees, and toward the many, many people who truly need this protection and strive to integrate themselves into our country."

Tuesday Dec 23, through its Amaq news agency, the Islamic State claimed credit for the Berlin truck crash,  saying, one of its “soldiers” as responsible.

"The executor of the operation in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and he executed the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries," the statement said.

Authorities will likely be at least somewhat skeptical of the claim, however, as the terror group has previously demonstrated its willingness to take responsibility for acts of violence in which it is not directly involved.

The group claimed credit for a knife attack in October that killed a teenage boy. Investigators doubted the claim, though, saying it didn't align with evidence in the case.

German authorities still aren't sure yet whether Monday's crash was a deliberate act.

While the number of refugees entering Germany dropped in 2016, Merkel's  open-door-policy has polarized voters. 

The Berlin incident threatens to undermine her domestic policy as Germany heads to an election year, and could lead to more support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany Party, known as AfD.

"Germany is no longer safe," AfD co-chairwoman Frauke Petry said. "We must be under no illusions. The breeding ground in which such acts can flourish has been negligently and systematically imported over the past year and a half."

How did the Sahara Desert get so dry?

"It has been something of a mystery to understand how the tropical rain belt moved so far north of the equator," researcher Robert Korty said.

Some 6,000 years ago, the Sahara Desert was regularly drowned by tropical rains. It wasn't a desert at all, but vast grasslands. Today, the Sahara features some of driest acreage on Earth.

Recently, a pair of researchers from Texas A&M University and Yale University set out to explain how such a vast climatic transformation can happen in such a short amount of time. In order to do so, the researchers built a model to contrast rain patterns of the Holocene era with those of today.

Their analysis offers new insights into the nature of the Hadley circulation, the cycle of warm air rising near the equator and descending in the subtropics. The Hadley circulation influences everything from the trade winds and tropical rain belts to jet streams and hurricanes.

"The framework we developed helps us understand why the heaviest tropical rain belts set up where they do," Robert Korty, associate professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M, said in a news release. "Tropical rain belts are tied to what happens elsewhere in the world through the Hadley circulation, but it won't predict changes elsewhere directly, as the chain of events is very complex. But it is a step toward that goal."

Over time, the rain belt that once provided the Sahara with moderate rainfall has slowly moved northward toward the Mediterranean.

"It has been something of a mystery to understand how the tropical rain belt moved so far north of the equator," Korty said. "Our findings show that that large migrations in rainfall can occur in one part of the globe even while the belt doesn't move much elsewhere."

Korty and colleague William Boos of Yale argue the shifting rain belt alone fails to explain the transformation of the Sahara. Instead, falling precipitation totals likely created a sort of climatological feedback loop that triggered more drastic change in the soil and atmosphere.

"We were able to conclude that the variations in Earth's orbit that shifted rainfall north in Africa 6,000 years ago were by themselves insufficient to sustain the amount of rain that geologic evidence shows fell over what is now the Sahara Desert," Korty explained. "Feedbacks between the shifts in rain and the vegetation that could exist with it are needed to get heavy rains into the Sahara."

The pair of scientists hope their findings -- published  in the journal Nature Geoscience -- will improve models designed to predict the impacts of climate change on regional weather patterns.

Israel and Hezbollah’s Golan calculations

When Hezbollah went to war with Israel in 2006, estimates suggest it had ap­proximately 13,000 short-range rockets. Now it could have more than 100,000, includ­ing weapons with greater accuracy, range and payloads.

Hezbollah has acquired the Rus­sian-made SA-17 "Buk," a medium-range air defense missile originally sold to Syria that has a range of 31 miles and can target aircraft flying at altitudes of 78,000 feet.

The SA-17, which Israel went to great lengths to prevent Hezbol­lah from acquiring, represents the Lebanese group's most potent air defense weapon and puts all Israeli aircraft within reach.

Israel also says Hezbollah is con­structing bases in Syria to store mis­siles — possibly Iranian Shabab-1, Shabab-2 and Fateh-110 ballistic missiles, which puts Israel fully within striking range.

These developments represent a growing strategic threat for Israel. Add to it the possibility of Hezbol­lah establishing a presence in the Golan and the situation becomes especially troubling.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 during the Six-Day War and has occupied it since, effectively annexing it in 1981. In­ternational law officially recognizes the territory as Syrian, as do Israel's closest allies such as the United States, Britain and France.

There has always been a belief that Israel would return the Golan to Syria — with which it technically re­mains at war — in return for a peace deal and normalization of relations, similar to Israeli peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan.

During U.S.-brokered peace talks in 1999, Israel offered to return most of the Golan to Syria. How­ever, there has never been genuine approval among the Israeli public or its political and military leaderships to withdraw from the Golan.

In the buildup to the Geneva talks over Syria, Syrian President  Bashar-al-Assad again signaled a demand for discussions on the Golan but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanya­hu declared: "Israel will never leave the Golan Heights."

Years earlier, Israeli leader  Yitzhak Rabin suggested that withdrawal from the Golan was "unthinkable, even in times of peace," saying it would be tantamount to "abandon­ing Israel's security."

With elevations of 6,000 feet in its north and covering 695 square miles, the Golan Heights is of great strategic importance. It extends like a finger to overlook northern Israel, north­ern Jordan, southern Lebanon and southern Syria.

The Golan is also a vital fresh water source — the headwaters of the Jordan River lie within it and it feeds the Sea of Galilee and Yarmuk River. The 1999 Israeli-Syrian peace talks failed because Israel was un­prepared to withdraw to pre-1967 borders, which would give Syria control up to the Sea of Galilee, which is considered by Israel as its most important fresh water source.

Israeli-occupied Golan, however, has become more important than just a heavily fortified buffer zone with Syria. It has more than 20,000 Israelis living in dozens of illegal settlements scattered around its southern approaches.

Before being seized by Israel in 1967, the Golan was populated by 130,000 Syrians. Israeli studies es­timate the territory could accom­modate 1 million people if properly developed. More than 40 percent of wines Israel exports are produced in the Golan, as are up to half of certain vegetables and fruit feeding Israel. With its climate and natural beauty, the Golan has developed an impor­tant local tourism industry.

The Syrian civil war has brought the Golan back into focus as the small Syrian-controlled side be­came a ground for clashes between the Assad regime and rebel groups such as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham — the rebranded al-Nusra Front. The Golan is from where Israel has been treating anti-Assad fighters, includ­ing JFS and al-Qaida, so they can return and fight Hezbollah, thereby creating a buffer.

Hezbollah wants to assist the As­sad regime in retaking restive areas south of Damascus from opposition fighters, which Israel aids. U.N. forc­es have observed people and cargo transfers across the Golan cease-­fire line as well as Israeli military interactions with Syrian fighters. Hezbollah also says Israel is prod­ding JFS to infiltrate the Lebanese border toward its strongholds in the south.

Hezbollah and Iran are mainly concerned with clearing the Golan — just 37 miles south of Damascus, providing a vantage point for moni­toring movements — of anti-Assad fighters.

If Hezbollah can develop an effec­tive front in Israeli-occupied Golan with its evolving capabilities and tactics, just its psychological effects would generate economic and so­cial repercussions.

The Israel-Hezbollah battle in Syria has been far from indirect — Israeli jets have conducted dozens of strikes against Hezbollah supply lines and high-value targets.

In January 2015, an Israel Strike Killed an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Brig. Gen. Mohammad Ali Allahdadi and Hezbollah commanders Moham­mad Issa and Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of slain Hezbollah commander  Imad Mughniyeh

A retaliatory Hezbollah operation on an Israeli patrol killed two sol­diers. Skirmishes have continued since and, in July, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naghdi — head of Iranian Basij – visited the Golan.

The dichotomy is that anti-Assad fighters in the Golan both provide a temporary buffer for Israel against Hezbollah but also grant Hezbol­lah an excuse and opportunity to establish an operating base. It is becoming clear that, as Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah declared, the Golan and southern Lebanon have effectively become a single front moving forward.

Norwegian oil production 5 percent higher than expected

STAVANGER, Norway, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Total production of crude oil, natural gas and other similar products increased about 37,000 barrels per day from October, the Norwegian government said.

Norway is among the leading oil and natural gas suppliers to the European economy apart from Russia. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate reported preliminary data for November show an average production of 2.15 million barrels of oil, natural gas liquid and an ultra-light product called condensate, which is about 2% higher  than figures from October.

Average daily production of oil from Norway was 1.74 million barrels, about 9 percent higher than the NPD reported last year and 11 percent higher than expected.

"The oil production is about 5 percent above the prognosis so far this year," the NPD said

Norwegian energy company Statoil, which is part owned by the government,  reported this week that its Troll field in the North Sea reached its 1 billionth barrel. The company said Troll production has been relatively flat over the past few years, but another eight to 10 years of production is left in the field.

In October, the NPD said Statoil uncovered oil near an existing field in the southern waters of the Norwegian Sea while drilling a wildcat well, a well tapping into an area not previously known to contain hydrocarbons.

The Norwegian energy major recently submitted a plan  for development to Petroleum Minister Tord Lien for the Trestakk discovery, which holds about 76 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent, and most of that exists as oil.

The figures add to a lingering market scenario of oversupply. Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed to a production ceiling of around 32.5 million bpd in an effort to pull the market back into balance. That level would amount to a cut in OPEC production and the arrangement hinges on non-member states to be effective.

The Queen to hand over patronages of over 20 national organisations

The Queen is cutting her workload – stepping down as patron of more than 20 national organisations at the end of the year, Buckingham Palace has said. 

Her Majesty, who turned 90 in April, will relinquish her association with the groups – just as the Duke of Edinburgh broke formal ties with some of his patronages when he turned 90 in 2011. 

The move is likely to be seen as a common sense decision that acknowledges the Queen’s advancing years, but Buckingham Palace stressed she was still patron of more than 600 organisations. 

The patronages of organisations including Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Barnardo’s and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club will be taken on by other members of the royal family. 

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “At the end of the Queen’s 90th birthday year, Her Majesty will step down as patron from a number of national organisations. The patronages will be passed on to other members of the royal family in the coming months. 

“Her Majesty is currently patron of more than 600 organisations and has enjoyed a close and active association with a great number of them throughout her reign. Her Majesty will continue to serve as patron to hundreds of charities and institutions but will now share this work with her family. Many of the organisations listed below already have other members of the royal family as vice-patrons or presidents, which will ensure a smooth transition. 

“This decision follows the example set by the Duke of Edinburgh who resigned from a number of patronages on the occasion of his 90th birthday in 2011.”

Patronages the Queen will pass on include: 

·       Holocaust Day Memorial Trust

·       Wildfowl and WetlandsTrust 

·       Battersea Dogs Home 

·       Barnardo’s

·       Royal African Society

·       All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club Wimbledon

·       Rugby Football Union

·       Edinburgh International Festival

·       British Cycling Federation 

·       NSPCC

Obamas Will Live in a Baller Mansion After the White House

It won’t be long before the U-Haul will be backing up to the White House to move the Obamas out and make way for a new (or old) first family.

Malia Obama will already be out there in the world finding herself during the gap year she’s taking before heading off to Harvard. But President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and younger daughter Sasha are going to need a place to live, and you know they’re not going from the White House to some weak house. We also knew that they were staying in Washington, D.C., for at least a little while. The president told reporters in March, “We’re going to have to stay a couple of years so Sasha can finish [high school].”

Now the New York Times is reporting that the Obamas have found their new home and it’s a nine-bedroom, eight-and-a-half bathroom mansion in D.C.’s upscale Kalorama neighborhood that’s only about two miles from the White House. The home is worth about $5.6 million according to Zillow, although the Times’ sources say they Obamas will be renting it from the current owners, Joe Lockhart, a former senior adviser to Bill Clinton, and his wife Giovanna Gray Lockhar, an editor at Glamour.

Here are some photos of the 8,200-square-foot spread via Redfin, including the baller living room, baller kitchen and baller back yard (no pool, though).

North Korea commends workers, soldiers loyal to Kim Jong Un regime

The awards were described as prizes that could give the "greatest glory" to recipients for the rest of their lives.

North Korea’s annual commendation ceremony was held Monday to recognize loyalty among citizens who "contributed to the spread of socialist Korea’s sanctity and dignity." File Photo 

On Dec. 20 -- North Korea held a national commendation ceremony to recognize citizens who played a part in supporting the regime, according to state media.

Pyongyang's Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported Tuesday a ceremony that honored "the workers and soldiers who contributed to the spread of socialist Korea's sanctity and dignity under the whole sky" was held Monday in Mansudae Assembly Hall.

The newspaper did not mention whether  Kim Jong Un was in attendance.

A medal named after North Korea founder Kim Il Sung went to Cho Byung Sik, and the Kim Jong Il medal was awarded to Ri Taek Ho, according to the report.

Merits for "effort" went to eight people including Kang Yong Sok. Others were recognized with the Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il commendation watch or the Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il youth spirit award.

A citation named after current leader Kim Jong Un was also included in the ceremony.

"Award panelists commented even the tiniest result was given the highest honor, and [awardees] were given the greatest glory to cherish for the rest of their lives."

State media also noted 2017 is the year marking the 105th birthday of "Comrade Kim Il Sung" and the 75th birthday of "Comrade Kim Jong Il."

"A resolution was adopted to mark the [upcoming] year of proud victory," the newspaper stated.

North Korea recently observed the fifth anniversary of Kim Jong Il's death.

According to South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh, residents of Pyongyang observed a three-minute silence and traffic was stopped near Kim Il Sung Square on Saturday.

Kim Jong Un attended a ceremony at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun as top official Choe Ryong Hae called on North Koreans to "defend Comrade [Kim] to the death."

Applying for an UNDEF project grant

The United Nations Democracy Fund invites civil society organizations to apply for project funding. Project proposals may be submitted on-line between 18 November 2016 and 18 December 2016 at www.un.org/democracyfund

 
UNDEF supports projects that strengthen the voice of civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes.

The large majority of UNDEF funds go to local civil society organizations. In this way, UNDEF plays a distinct role in complementing the UN's other work -- the work with Governments -- to strengthen democratic governance around the world.

This is the Eleventh Round to be launched by UNDEF, which provides grants of up to US$300,000 per project. UNDEF has supported almost 700 projects in over 100 countries at a total amount of almost US$170 million. Proposals are subject to a highly rigorous selection process, with fewer than two per cent of proposals chosen for funding. All projects are two years long only.

UNDEF invites project proposals covering one or more of seven main areas:

• Women’s rights and empowerment / Gender equality
• Community activism
• Rule of law and human rights
• Youth engagement
• Strengthening civil society capacity for interaction with Government
• Media and freedom of information
• Tools for knowledge

In this Round, UNDEF particularly welcomes projects promoting pluralism, diversity, and inclusion.

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Nigerian Journalist Kidnapped

THE Benue Police Command said Iyuadoo Tor-Agbidye, a radio journalist, had been kidnapped on Friday, December 2, in her house in Makurdi, capital of Benue State.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the kidnapped journalist is married to Achim Tor-Agbidye, a Zonal Manager with First City Monument Bank, FCMB, Makurdi.

Bashir Makama, commissioner of Police, confirmed the incident to the NAN on Friday in Makurdi.

Makama said the police had already swung into action by setting up a network for the arrest of the suspects and appealed to the public to volunteer information that would lead to their arrests.

“We have already visited the site; we are constructing our narrative with the purpose of narrowing down possible suspects before effecting arrests.

“The police cannot provide security for each person so, what we do is to improve the general security of the people by taking proactive steps to curb crime in the state,” he said. — NAN