Month: January 2023

Mastermind of Banksy Removal Could Face Years in Jail, Ukraine Says

Posted on by SeeEU

The suspected mastermind behind the removal of a Banksy mural in a Ukrainian town could face up to 12 years in prison if found guilty, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said Monday.

The artwork, depicting a woman in a gas mask and a dressing gown holding a fire extinguisher, was taken off a wall in the town of Hostomel on December 2, according to officials.

The ministry announced on its website that the man it believes orchestrated the operation had been handed a “suspicion notice.”

The artwork by the renowned British artist had been valued at $243,900, the ministry statement said.

“The criminals tried to transport this graffiti with the help of wooden boards and polyethylene,” it said.

“Thanks to the concern of citizens, the police and other security forces managed to arrest the criminals.”

The mural was retrieved.

Banksy confirmed he had painted the mural and six others in places that were hit by heavy fighting after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. 

 
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Alpine Slopes Face Snow Shortage in Unseasonably Warm Winter

Posted on by SeeEU

Much of the Alps just don’t look right for this time of year. Sparse snowfall with unseasonably warm winter weather in much of Europe is allowing grass to blanket mountaintops across the region where snow might normally be, causing headaches for ski slope operators and aficionados of Alpine white.

Patches of grass, rock and dirt were visible Monday in some of Europe’s skiing meccas — including Innsbruck in Austria, Villars-sur-Ollon and Crans-Montana in Switzerland, Germany’s Lenggries and far beyond. The dearth of snow has revived concerns about temperature upheaval linked to climate change.

On a swath stretching from France to Poland, but with the Alps at the center, many parts of Europe have been enjoying short-sleeve weather. A weather map showed Poland racking up daily highs in the double digits Celsius — or more than 50 Fahrenheit — in recent days.

It’s a sharp contrast to the frigid weather and blizzards in parts of the United States late last month.

Swiss state forecaster MeteoSuisse pointed to some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded this time of year. A weather station in Delemont, in the Jura range on the French border, already hit a record average daily temperature of 18.1 degrees Celsius (nearly 65 Fahrenheit) on the first day of the year, over 2 1/2 degrees Celsius higher than the previous record high for January. Other cities and towns followed suit with records.

MeteoSuisse quipped on its blog: “this turn of the new year could almost make you forget that it’s the height of winter.”

The start to 2023 picked up where many countries had already left off: Last year was the hottest on record in both Switzerland and France. More broadly, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization says the past eight years are on track to be the eight warmest on record. Its final tally on global temperatures for 2022 will be released in mid-January.

Next door in France, national weather agency Meteo France said 2022 ended with some of the warmest weather the country has ever experienced at this time of year — capping an exceptionally warm year that saw temperature records broken and rampant forest fires and drought conditions.

Meteo France says the southern Alps and, in the northern Alps, slopes above 2,200 meters, have seen close to normal snowfalls. But snow is notably lacking at lower altitudes in the northern Alps and across the Pyrenees, it said.

Germany too has seen unusually springlike temperatures, with temperatures as high as 16 degrees Celsius (61 Fahrenheit) in parts of the country on Monday. New Year’s Eve is believed to have been the warmest December 31 since reliable records began. The German Weather Service reported readings of 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) and just above at four weather stations in southern Germany, news agency dpa reported. 
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Democrat Katie Hobbs Takes Office as Arizona Governor

Posted on by SeeUS

Katie Hobbs took the oath of office Monday to become Arizona’s 24th governor and the first Democrat to hold the office since 2009.

Hobbs was sworn in during a private ceremony at the state Capitol as she formally took over from Republican Doug Ducey. A public inauguration for the governor and others taking statewide offices is scheduled for Thursday.

Hobbs was surrounded by her parents, husband and two children as she took the oath of office in the lobby of the governor’s office on the ninth floor of the executive tower on the Capitol grounds, according to a livestream of the event, which was not open to the public or media. Her mother’s joyous tears distracted the incoming governor, who paused to joke, “stop it, Mom!”

Afterward, she posed for photos with her family and signed a certificate.

Hobbs is the outgoing secretary of state and was previously a state legislator who rose to be the top Democrat in the Senate. As governor, she’ll have to work with a House and Senate narrowly controlled by Republicans. The new Legislature convenes for the first time next week.

Hobbs assumes control of a state with a strong economy and a solid financial position, with a large budget surplus forecast for the next fiscal year.

But there are headwinds on the horizon. Phoenix has some of the nation’s highest inflation levels and housing costs have soared as rapid population growth has outpaced home construction, belying the state’s reputation for affordability. And the water supply is constrained by drought.

Hobbs narrowly defeated Republican Kari Lake, a former television anchor who was backed by former President Donald Trump. She excited conservatives with her staunch backing of Trump, including his claims about the 2020 election, and her strong criticism of mask mandates and business closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But she struggled to connect with Arizona’s general electorate, which has repeatedly eschewed Republicans closely aligned with Trump going back to the 2018 midterms.

Hobbs is the fifth woman to be Arizona governor. The last Democratic governor was Janet Napolitano, who resigned in January 2009 to be U.S. Homeland Security secretary under President Barack Obama. She was replaced by Republican Governor Jan Brewer.

The Arizona Constitution says state officers take their position on the first Monday in January. While Hobbs took office on schedule, the public ceremony was delayed because Monday is the observed New Year holiday.

Also formally taking office Monday were Democrats Adrian Fontes as secretary of state and Kris Mayes as attorney general, both of whom defeated Trump-backed Republicans who refused to concede and unsuccessfully challenged their losses in court. Mayes’s 280-vote victory was among the closest statewide races in Arizona history.

Kimberly Yee was sworn in for her second term as state treasurer and Tom Horne as superintendent of public instruction, a role he filled for two terms beginning in 2003. Paul Marsh was sworn in as mine inspector. Yee, Horne and Marsh are Republicans.

For Hobbs, the oath of office was administered by Roopali Desai, a recently confirmed judge of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who previously represented Democrats in election cases and Hobbs as secretary of state.

Chief Justice Robert Brutinel swore in the other state officers. 

 
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Looted Ancient Sarcophagus Returned to Egypt From US

Posted on by SeeAF

An ancient wooden sarcophagus that was featured at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences was returned to Egypt after U.S. authorities determined it was looted years ago, Egyptian officials said Monday.

The repatriation is part of Egyptian government efforts to stop the trafficking of its stolen antiquities. In 2021, authorities in Cairo succeeded in getting 5,300 stolen artifacts returned to Egypt from across the world.

Mostafa Waziri, the top official at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the sarcophagus dates back to the Late Dynastic Period of ancient Egypt, an era that spanned the last of the Pharaonic rulers from 664 B.C. until Alexander the Great’s campaign in 332 B.C.

The sarcophagus, almost 3 meters (9.5 feet) tall with a brightly painted top surface, may have belonged to an ancient priest named Ankhenmaat, though some of the inscription on it has been erased, Waziri said.

It was symbolically handed over at a ceremony Monday in Cairo by Daniel Rubinstein, the U.S. charge d’affaires in Egypt.

The handover came more than three months after the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office determined the sarcophagus was looted from Abu Sir Necropolis, north of Cairo. It was smuggled through Germany into the United States in 2008, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg.

“This stunning coffin was trafficked by a well-organized network that has looted countless antiquities from the region,” Bragg said at the time. “We are pleased that this object will be returned to Egypt, where it rightfully belongs.”

Bragg said the same network had smuggled a gilded coffin out of Egypt that was featured at New York’s Metropolitan Museum. Met bought the piece from a Paris art dealer in 2017 for about $4 million. It was returned to Egypt in 2019.
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Cameroon Separatists Enforce Curfew After President Says Troops Crushing Rebellion

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Cameroon’s military says it deployed scores of troops to Oku, Kumbo and Kakiri districts Monday in the central African state’s English-speaking Northwest region.

The military says armed gangs over the weekend sealed markets, chased people and vehicles from the streets and abducted scores of civilians who did not comply with their orders.

Motorcycle taxi driver Lukong Genesis, 54, said armed men seized his motorcycle. He said the separatists, who call themselves Ambazonians or Amba, pointed guns at him and demanded he go home.

“The situation in Kumbo for the past two days has been very, very precarious,” he said. There has been serious gun firing between the Amba and the state forces and today being Monday, the ghost town has been reinforced and the streets are dry. No movement of vehicles and people. Everybody is indoors.”

Lukong said battles between troops and rebels intensified after President Paul Biya’s New Year’s Eve speech.

Biya said many rebel groups have been crushed and the threat from separatists has been significantly reduced.

He praised the central African state’s military for protecting civilians and property during the six-year conflict and said peace would pave the way for the region’s reconstruction.

The rebels say they want to carve out an English-speaking state they call Ambazonia from Cameroon and its French-speaking majority.

Capo Daniel is self-declared deputy defense chief of the Ambazonia Defense Forces, one of the rebel groups. He dismissed the allegation that their forces have been significantly reduced.

“That Paul Biya mentioned that peace is returning is laughable. Ambazonia-controlled areas have largely increased. Nineteen Cameroon military men were targeted in Bui and some of them were airlifted for treatment. There have been some arson attacks by the Cameroon military in Bui as well as in Oku. Ambazonia will not give up their fight until we have achieved our goal of independence,” said Daniel.

Civilian people

Cameroon’s military admits that troops have been in running bottles with rebels in several western towns and villages but says their forces did not suffer any casualties.

The military says it killed at least 11 separatists in battles in Kumbo and Oku, a claim which VOA could not independently confirm.

Bernard Okalia Bilai, the governor of the English-speaking Southwest region said civilians should denounce members of armed gangs and hoodlums causing havoc in the community to the military and government officials. Bilai said armed gangs are harassing people, stealing, and abducting civilians for ransom claiming it is a fight for freedom and liberation.

The separatists deny their fighters are abducting and harassing civilians.

Rebels on social media posts Monday said their fighters were enforcing the curfew to counter Biya’s claim that fighters were being defeated.

Separatists in English-speaking western Cameroon launched their rebellion in 2017 after what they said was years of discrimination by the country’s French-speaking majority.

Biya says Cameroon is indivisible and anyone attempting it will be crushed.

The U.N. says the conflict has killed more than 3,500 people and displaced more 750,000.
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 Pope Emeritus Last Word Revealed  

Posted on by SeeEU

“Lord, I love you,” are reported to be the last words Pope Emeritus Benedict uttered shortly before his death, according to a report on The Vatican News website.

The retired pope’s personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, said a nurse was the only person with Benedict at the time.

“I was not there at the moment, but the nurse told me about it shortly afterwards,” Ganswein said. “These were his last comprehensible words, because afterwards he was no longer able to express himself.”

Benedict’s remains will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica from Monday to Wednesday and his funeral will be Thursday.

Benedict, born Joseph Ratzinger, was the first pope in 600 years to step down from his Vatican post. The retired pope lived behind the Vatican’s walls for almost 10 years.

He was 95 at the time of his death.
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Biden Widely Trusted Abroad While Confidence in Putin Plummets

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Surveys by the Pew Research Center show U.S. President Joe Biden is widely trusted and viewed as a strong leader in most countries polled, while confidence in Russian President Vladimir Putin has plummeted since his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine last year. VOA’s Cindy Saine reports from Washington.
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A Consequential Year for the US Supreme Court 

Posted on by SeeUS

In January, 83-year-old liberal Justice Stephen Breyer announced he was stepping down from the U.S. Supreme Court at the end of the term.

The announcement paved the way for President Joe Biden to deliver on a long-touted campaign promise to put the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court.

Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Harvard-educated federal judge who once clerked for Breyer, was confirmed by the Senate in April. At 52, she could help shape the court for decades to come.

But Jackson’s trailblazing elevation to the Supreme Court did not change its ideological balance. Through three appointments by former President Donald Trump, the nine-member high court remains dominated by six Republican-appointed justices who often vote as a bloc on hot-button issues such as abortion and gun rights.

From ending the constitutional right to abortion in June to weighing an end to affirmative action in college admissions in October, 2022 has been a consequential — and controversial — year for the court. The year straddled the end of one term and the beginning of another.

Although the court sometimes returns to a period of relative quiet following a term of big cases, this has not been the case this year.

In a string of 6-3 decisions during the term that ended in June, the court ended the constitutional right to abortion, limited the government’s ability to fight climate change and expanded gun rights.

Abortion

In a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, justices overturned nearly half a century of Supreme Court precedent.

For many conservatives, the decision came down to whether the right to abortion constitutes an “unenumerated right,” meaning a right that is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution but has nonetheless been recognized by the Supreme Court.

Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said unenumerated rights are those that are “deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and tradition,” and that the right to abortion is not among them.

The Dobbs ruling represented the culmination of a decadeslong conservative campaign against the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe decision.

“I would resist the characterization of the decisions as ideologically based as opposed to jurisprudentially based,” said Joel Alicea, an assistant professor of law at the Catholic University of America and a nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.

“I think that at the end of the last term and going into this term, we are seeing a significant shift in the direction the court is taking in its approach to constitutional adjudication. And that shift is more toward history and tradition and text-based approaches to constitutional adjudication and away from judge-empowering balancing tests in a lot of different areas of law,” Alicea said.

But liberal constitutional scholars say the conservative wing’s approach to jurisprudence makes its rulings in Dobbs and other high-profile cases no less radical.

“What they’re saying is they’re justifying their radical departures by suggesting that they’re based in something other than precedent, stare decisis, and a long-standing understanding of what our Constitution has meant,” said Caroline Fredrickson, a visiting professor at Georgetown Law Center and a senior fellow at the left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice. “I think especially once you start adding the word ‘tradition,’ it becomes extremely malleable.”

In Dobbs, Fredrickson noted, Alito cites 13th-century English cleric Henry de Bracton on “whether women in the United States of America in the 21st century should have the right to control their bodies.”

“That’s radical, and I don’t know where a 13th-century theologian sits in terms of our constitutional understandings, but it’s not part of the original understanding,” Fredrickson said.

The abortion decision has sparked concerns that the high court could undo other protections such as the right to same-sex marriage.

Upcoming rulings

While no one expects the Supreme Court to overturn its 2015 ruling on same-sex marriage anytime soon, observers expect the justices to strike down other precedents.

In the two months since the term started in October, the justices have heard oral arguments on affirmative action, congressional redistricting, the intersection between gay rights and free speech, and a constitutional interpretation known as the independent legislature theory.

The affirmative action dispute before the court involves lawsuits brought against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina by a group called Students for Fair Admission.

The lawsuit against Harvard claims the university’s admissions policy discriminates against Asian American applicants, while the UNC complaint makes a similar claim on behalf of white students.

The Supreme Court has previously ruled that colleges and universities can use race as a factor in their admissions decision-making as part of an effort to build a diverse student body. But during oral arguments in late October, the court’s six conservative justices questioned the court’s precedents on affirmative action, suggesting they’re inclined to vote down the practice.

Another case that is likely to lead to a conservative outcome pits a Colorado web designer against the state.

Lorie Smith, a devout Christian, says she wants to build wedding websites but only for opposite-sex couples and wants an exemption from Colorado’s anti-discrimination law that mandates equal treatment for all people in public accommodations.

Allowing her an exemption, Colorado argued, could lead to other forms of discrimination.

But the court’s conservative wing appeared unconvinced, suggesting that forcing the web designer to build websites for gay couples would violate her First Amendment right to free speech.

Not all conservative causes are likely to receive the court’s imprimatur. One case is centered on the so-called independent legislature theory.

The theory holds that the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures nearly unfettered power to regulate federal elections without any oversight from state courts.

During oral arguments earlier this month, however, a majority of the justices appeared unwilling to embrace the theory, despite some support from several conservatives on the bench.

Reshaping the law

The high court’s conservative rulings have led some critics on the left to disparage it as the “radical Trump court.”

But when it comes to the litigious former president, the court has exhibited a degree of independence.

In October, it rejected a request by Trump that an independent auditor be allowed to review classified documents seized by the FBI from his Mar-A-Lago estate. And in November, the court rejected an attempt by Trump to prevent Congress from obtaining his tax records as part of an investigation.

“I think any suggestion that they are beholden in some way to the former president is clearly wrong and without any foundation,” Alicea said.

Fredrickson said the court’s rejection of Trump’s requests suggests they are “more independent than they are” perceived to be.

“I think they are, however, embarked on this project to radically reshape our law, and it really is irrelevant whether they support Trump or not,” Fredrickson said.
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The Faithful Pay Their Respects to Pope Benedict

Posted on by SeeEU

The faithful are lining up at St. Peter’s Basilica Monday to pay their respects to Pope Benedict where he is lying in state.  

Some had been waiting for hours when the doors were finally opened.  

The 95-year-old retired pontiff died Saturday morning. Benedict was the first pope in 600 years to step down from his Vatican post.  

Filippo Tuccio, 35, told The Associated Press that he came from Venice on an overnight train to view Benedict’s body. 

“He was very important for me: for what I am, my way of thinking, my values. This is why I wanted to say goodbye today,” Tuccio said.  

Benedict’s body, dressed in traditional red liturgical garments with a miter, will lie in state until Wednesday. 

On Thursday, “Pope Francis will become the first pope in modern history to preside as Pope at the funeral of his predecessor,” according to Vatican News website. 

“Lord, I love you,” are reported to be the last words Benedict uttered shortly before his death, Vatican News reported. 

The retired pope’s personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, said a nurse was the only person with Benedict at the time.  

“I was not there at the moment, but the nurse told me about it shortly afterwards,” Gänswein said. “These were his last comprehensible words, because afterwards he was no longer able to express himself.” 

Benedict, born Joseph Ratzinger, was 95 at the time of his death.  

Some information in this report came from Reuters. 
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Germany Cautions Iranian Critics Against Traveling to Iran

Posted on by SeeEU

Germany has warned Iranians living in the country who have been critical of the Iranian government to be careful about traveling to Iran. 

Thomas Haldenwang, head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, told the Germany Press Agency that for some years the Iranian government has worked to identify critics, and that those people could face serious consequences if they go to Iran. 

Haldenwang also said friends or family members of Iran’s critics face the same threats. 

He highlighted protests in Germany, such as those that brought tens of thousands of people demonstrating against the Iranian government in Berlin in October, as a possible source for Iranian government agencies to try to identify critics. 
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Pope Hails ‘Beloved’ Benedict as Vatican Releases Photos of Body

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Pope Francis hailed the “beloved” Benedict XVI in New Year’s Day services on Sunday as the Vatican released the first pictures of the former pontiff following his death at the age of 95.

Official photos showed the German theologian’s body on a catafalque in the chapel of the monastery in the Vatican grounds where he spent the last decade of his life.

As previous popes, he is dressed in red vestments with a gold-edged mitre on his head, his clasped hands holding a rosary, while behind him is a crucifix, a Christmas tree, candles and a nativity scene.

But he is not wearing the pallium, a vestment reserved for sitting popes.

Benedict, a conservative intellectual who in 2013 became the first pontiff in six centuries to resign, died on Saturday after years of declining health.

His body will be moved on Monday morning to St. Peter’s Basilica, where for three days the public will be able to pay their respects before a funeral on Thursday overseen by Pope Francis.

Francis, 86, paid tribute to his predecessor at a New Year’s Eve service on Saturday and again on Sunday.

“Today we entrust the beloved pope emeritus Benedict XVI to the most holy mother (the Virgin Mary), to accompany him in his passage from this world to God,” he said at a mass for peace at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Later, delivering his Sunday Angelus prayer in front of thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square, the pope bowed his head in a moment of silence in memory of the late pontiff.

“Let us all join together, with one heart and one soul, in thanking God for the gift of this faithful servant of the gospel and of the church,” he said.

Benedict’s funeral will be “solemn but simple,” the Vatican has said, after which he will be buried in the papal tombs under St. Peter’s Basilica.

The last papal funeral, of John Paul II in 2005, drew a million faithful and heads of state from around the world, although Benedict was a more divisive figure.

A brilliant theologian, he alienated many Catholics with his staunch defense of traditional values and as pope struggled to impose his authority on the church as it battled a string of crises, including over clerical sex abuse.

Most of those gathered at the Vatican on Sunday were on long-planned holidays, but many nevertheless welcomed the opportunity to pay tribute to Benedict.

Paola Filippa, a 58-year-old Italian teacher visiting Rome for Christmas, praised “a simple, humble and great man. Great in faith, life, simplicity and love.”

Tributes to the ex-pontiff have poured in from around the world, from Catholic U.S. President Joe Biden, who praised Benedict’s “devotion to the Church,” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed him as a “defender of traditional Christian values.”

Benedict’s death brought to an end an unprecedented situation in which two “men in white” — Benedict and Francis — had co-existed within the walls of the tiny city-state.

Benedict had almost entirely withdrawn from public view, although his occasional public statements were closely followed by Catholic conservatives who dislike the more liberal approach of Francis.

Francis has raised the prospect that he might follow Benedict’s example and step down if he became unable to carry out his duties.

In July, suffering knee problems that have forced him to rely on a wheelchair, he admitted he needed to slow down or think about stepping aside.

And earlier in December, the Argentine revealed he had signed a resignation letter when he took office should poor health prevent him from carrying out his duties.

Born on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, in Bavaria, Benedict was 78 when he became the first German pope of the modern era — an election he later said felt “like the guillotine.”

Unlike his successor, a Jesuit who delights in being among his flock, Benedict was more at home with his books, a cat-lover who delighted in study and playing the piano.

He was dubbed “God’s Rottweiler” in a previous post as chief doctrinal enforcer, and fiercely defended traditional Catholic teaching on abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage.

But as pope he struggled to contain numerous scandals in the church.

Benedict was the first pope to meet with victims of clerical child sex abuse, but critics said he did not go far enough in addressing the problem and decades of cover-ups.
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Havasupai Tribe Will Get US Federal ‘Flood Damage’ Aid

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President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration made by the Havasupai Tribe in northern Arizona, freeing up funds for flood damage as it prepares to reopen for tourists after nearly three years.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed Sunday that federal emergency aid will be given to supplement the tribe’s own recovery efforts from severe flooding last October.

The funds will be for the tribe and certain nonprofits to share costs for emergency work and repairs from flood damage.

It comes as the Havasupai Indian Reservation, which lies deep in a gorge off the Grand Canyon, is preparing to open its majestic blue-green waterfalls for visitors for the first time since March 2020. The tribe had closed to protect its members from the pandemic. Tribal officials decided to extend the closure through the 2022 tourism season.

In an update about tourism posted on their website last week, the tribe described how flooding had destroyed several bridges and left downed trees on trails needed for tourists and transporting goods and services into Supai Village.

The tribe, however, also said they are eager to welcome back tourists in February to see “flourishing flora and fauna and new waterfall flows.”
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Singer Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters Dies at Age 74

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Anita Pointer, one of four sibling singers who earned pop success and critical acclaim as The Pointer Sisters, died Saturday at the age of 74, her publicist announced.

The Grammy winner died while she was with family members, publicist Roger Neal said in a statement. A cause of death was not immediately revealed.

“While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted in knowing she is now with her daughter Jada and her sisters June & Bonnie and at peace. She was the one that kept all of us close and together for so long,” her sister Ruth, brothers Aaron and Fritz and granddaughter Roxie McKain Pointer said in the statement.

Anita Pointer’s only daughter, Jada Pointer, died in 2003.

Anita, Ruth, Bonnie and June Pointer, born the daughters of a minister, grew up singing in their father’s church in Oakland, California.

The group’s 1973 self-titled debut album included the breakout hit, “Yes We Can Can.” Known for hit songs including “I’m So Excited,” “Slow Hand,” “Neutron Dance” and “Jump (For My Love),” the singers gained a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.

The 1983 album “Break Out” went triple platinum and garnered two American Music Awards. The group won three Grammy Awards and had 13 U.S. top 20 hit songs between 1973 and 1985, Neal said.

The Pointer Sisters also was the first African American group to perform on the Grand Ole Opry program and the first contemporary act to perform at the San Francisco Opera House, Neal said.

Bonnie Pointer left the group in 1977, signing a solo deal with Motown Records but enjoying only modest success. “We were devastated,” Anita Pointer said of the departure in 1990. “We did a show the night she left, but after that, we just stopped. We thought it wasn’t going to work without Bonnie.”

The group, in various lineups including younger family members, continued recording through 1993.

June Pointer died of cancer at the age of 52 in 2006.

Anita Pointer announced Bonnie Pointer’s death resulting from cardiac arrest at the age of 69 in 2020. “The Pointer Sisters would never have happened had it not been for Bonnie,” she said in a statement. 
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Climate Group Extinction Rebellion Suspends ‘Public Disruption’ Tactics

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Environmental group Extinction Rebellion said Sunday it would no longer stage its infamous blockades of U.K. transport networks and will instead hold a major demonstration against government policy in April.

The activist network, formed in the U.K. in 2018, has regularly used civil disobedience to protest what it calls government inaction on climate change.

Activists gained notoriety for blockading train lines, airports and roads, causing chaos for commuters. At the end of August, they blockaded London’s iconic Tower Bridge.

“As we ring in the new year, we make a controversial resolution to temporarily shift away from public disruption as a primary tactic,” the group said in a statement. 

“This year, we prioritize attendance over arrest and relationships over roadblocks, as we stand together and become impossible to ignore,” it added.

While recognizing “the power of disruption to raise the alarm,” the activists said the group would now focus on disrupting “the abuse of power and imbalance” by demanding politicians end fossil-fuel use. 

It is calling for 100,000 people to demonstrate outside the U.K. parliament in London April 21.

The group’s actions have infuriated large sections of the public, the Conservative government and much of the media. 

Many activists have been arrested, and the government is pursuing plans to further outlaw its protest tactics.

But in its latest statement, the group argued: “The latest draconian attempt by the government to shut down and criminalize effective protest is only increasing public sympathy toward brave activists using their voices to stand up for justice and the loving protection of all humanity.”

Extinction Rebellion has been overtaken by even more radical groups such as Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain, whose activists sprayed soup on Van Gogh’s masterpiece “The Sunflowers” at the National Gallery in London in October.
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Libya: 18 Bodies Found in Mass Grave in Ex-IS Stronghold

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Libyan authorities said Sunday they have found 18 bodies buried in a mass grave in a former stronghold of the Islamic State group along the conflict-stricken North African nation’s coast.

The Missing Persons Authority said in a statement the bodies were unearthed in the Sabaa area of Sirte, a city in central Libya. The bodies were taken to a hospital, it added.

Sirte, the birthplace of former longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, fell under the control of Islamic State militants between 2015 and 2016. The militants, along with al-Qaida, gained a foothold in oil-rich Libya amid the chaos that engulfed the country after the 2011 uprising and a NATO intervention in the conflict.

The militants were eventually driven out of the city in December 2016 by Libyan forces supported by the U.S. and allied with the U.N.-backed government in the capital Tripoli. Hundreds of alleged former Islamic State fighters remain incarcerated in Libyan prisons, many of whom are awaiting trial.

Since Gadhafi’s overthrow and killing, Libya has been split between rival authorities. Sirte is now controlled by forces loyal to military leader Khalifa Haftar based in the country’s east.  

In its statement, the Missing Persons Authority said they collected samples of the dead bones in an effort to identify the bodies. Further details on the cause of death for those found were not provided.

Several mass graves have been uncovered across Libya recently. In October, officials said they found 42 bodies in a mass grave at a school site in Sirte.

In December 2018, the bodies of more than 30 men were discovered near Sirte, believed to be the corpses of a group of Ethiopian Christians whom Islamic State fighters executed in a video the group published years earlier.

In the western town of Tarhuna, hundreds of corpses have been uncovered across several graves after militia fighters loyal to Haftar retreated from the area in June 2020.
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‘Avatar’ Sequel Again Dominates Box Office

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Avatar: The Way of Water” is the box office king for a third straight week and shows no sign of slowing down.

James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel to the first “Avatar” film brought in an estimated $63 million over the holiday weekend, roughly the same as the previous week, and now has made more than $400 million domestically and more than $1.3 billion globally. “The Way of Water” is already the 15th highest global release ever, just behind the first “Black Panther.”

Numbers released Sunday by Comscore showed “Avatar” far ahead of the runner-up, Universal’s “Shrek” spinoff “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” which made an estimated $16 million, and Disney’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which brought in around $4.8 million.

The Sony biopic “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody” made $4.2 million in its second week of release. “Babylon,” the epic of early Hollywood starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, continued to fare badly despite its five Golden Globe nominations. The Paramount release earned just $2.7 million in its second week, a 24% drop, and averaged just $815 per location. By comparison, the new “Avatar,” a 20th Century Studios film, averaged more than $15,000.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

  1. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” $63 million.

  2. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” $16 million.

  3. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” $4.8 million.

  4. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” $4.2 million.

  5. “Babylon,” $2.7 million.

  6. “Violent Night,” $2.1 million.

  7. “The Whale,” $1.3 million.

  8. “The Fabelmans,” $1.1 million.

  9. “The Menu,” $1.1 million.

  10. “Strange World,” $538,000.
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20 People Killed in Clashes in Somaliland

Posted on by SeeAF

At least 20 people have been killed in Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland in clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces over several days, according to a doctor at a public hospital.

For more than a week police and the military have been battling the protesters in Laascaanood, a town in Somaliland’s east which is disputed between Somaliland and neighboring Puntland, one of Somalia’s semi-autonomous regions.

Mohamed Farah, a doctor at Laascaanood Hospital, a public facility in Laascaanood, told Reuters at least 20 people had been killed and dozens injured. He said he had seen the bodies of victims brought into the facility.

Protesters are demanding that Somaliland cede control of the town to Puntland and also accuse security forces of failing to end insecurity in the town.

“Somaliland forcefully occupied Laascaanood and failed to secure it. We are demanding that they leave,” Adaan Jaamac Oogle, the spokesperson of the protesters told Reuters.

“We cannot tolerate continuing bloodshed of civilians.”

The police did not immediately respond to a call from Reuters requesting comment.

Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition for its independence. The region has been mostly peaceful while Somalia has grappled with three decades of civil war.

Puntland’s Vice President, Ahmed Elmi Osman Karash, accused the security forces of violence.

“What is being done by the Somaliland army is a massacre of civilians,” he told Reuters by phone.

Mahad Ambaashe Elmi, a senior commander in the Somaliland army, did not return a Reuters call requesting comment.

Somaliland’s Minister of Information, Saleebaan Cali Koore, appealed to the protesters in a statement Saturday to stop their demonstrations and begin negotiations with the government. 
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Benedict’s Death Paves Way for Protocols for Future Popes

Posted on by SeeEU

There was no tolling of the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica, no solemn announcement by a Vatican monsignor to the faithful in the square. A fisherman’s ring did not get smashed and the diplomatic corps were not mobilized to send official delegations to Rome.

The death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed in an entirely un-papal-like manner Saturday, with a two-sentence announcement from the Vatican press office, making clear once and for all that Benedict stopped being pope a decade ago. The rituals of his passing were less like the ones of a pontiff, monarch or Vicar of Christ on Earth and more akin to those of a retired bishop, even if he will be buried in the red vestments of a pope.

In a way it was fitting, and drove home that the new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church that Benedict began writing in 2013 when he became the first pope in 600 years to resign had ended, and that it’s now up to Pope Francis to follow up with how future popes might retire.

Will Francis issue new protocols to regulate the office of a retired pope, after Benedict largely winged it on the fly? Will he feel freer to consider his own retirement, now that the main impediment to resignation — having two emeritus popes at the same time — has been removed? How does a reigning pope celebrate the funeral of a retired one?

“I think that his death will open problems, not close problems,” said Massimo Franco, the author of “The Monastery,” a book about Benedict’s revolutionary retirement.

According to preliminary information released by the Vatican, Benedict’s funeral Thursday in St. Peter’s Square seems designed to be low-key, in keeping with his wishes for “simplicity” but also making clear that his status as an emeritus does not merit a pomp-filled papal send-off.

When John Paul II died in 2005, presidents, prime ministers and kings from more than 100 countries attended the funeral presided over by none other than Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would become Benedict XVI after his election as pope 10 days later.

For Benedict’s funeral, the Vatican only invited Italy and Germany to send official delegations and advised foreign embassies that any other leaders who wished to attend could do so but only in their “private capacity.”

Benedict’s body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica starting Monday, but the three-day window for the faithful to pay their respects suggests a limited outpouring is expected. After John Paul’s death, an estimated 2 million people lined up for four days and nights to say a final farewell, with some camping out on the cobblestones.

Italian security officials estimate some 60,000 people could attend the funeral, a fraction of the 300,000 who packed the piazza and surrounding streets in 2005.

Francis, for his part, offered a first word of tribute Saturday during his New Year’s Eve homily, after having paid his respects Saturday morning immediately after Benedict died with a visit to the converted monastery where his predecessor lived. Francis praised Benedict’s nobility and faithful prayers in his final years, but otherwise stuck to a previously prepared homily about the need for kindness and dialogue in today’s world.

Francis will have the final word Thursday, when he eulogizes Benedict, whom he has praised for his courage in “opening the door” to letting other popes retire.

But Francis himself has said protocols are needed to guide future papal retirements, saying the situation had worked out well enough in Benedict’s case because he was “saintly and discreet.” The death of Benedict now removes the key obstacle to any new law or procedures that could never be promulgated while he was still alive.

While a future pope could change any decree Francis issues, canonists, cardinals and even rank-and-file Catholics have argued new norms are needed because Benedict’s decisions in retirement impacted his successor from the very start.

From the title he chose (pope emeritus) to the cassock he wore (white) to the occasional public comments he made (on sex abuse and priestly celibacy), even Benedict’s supporters felt his choices left too much doubt about who was really in charge, especially for those Catholics nostalgic for his doctrinaire papacy.

Throughout Benedict’s 10-year retirement, many traditionalists continued to consider Benedict a point of reference, and some even refused to respect the legitimacy of Francis as pope.

“I am convinced that the most appropriate ways will be found so as not to engender confusion in the people of God, even though this doesn’t seem to me to be the right time for proclamations and clarifications,” Geraldina Boni, a professor of canon law at the University of Bologna, said.

Thanks to Benedict’s “meekness and discretion,” and Francis’ “strong and affable temperament,” any possible rivalry was avoided, she said. But that may not be the case in the future.

The work to clarify how things would work the next time there is both a sitting and a retired pope has already started. A team of canon lawyers launched a crowdsourcing initiative in 2021 to craft a new church law to govern how a retired pope lives out his final years.

The project, explained at progettocanonicosederomana.com, includes proposals on everything from his title to his dress, pension and activities to make sure they “don’t interfere directly or indirectly” with his successor’s governance.

According to the draft proposals, which were the subject of an academic conference in October, a future retired pope should be referred to as the “bishop emeritus of Rome” not a “pope emeritus.” While he could still wear the white cassock of the papacy, his fisherman’s ring must be destroyed, as Benedict’s was in 2013, and his insignia must remove “all symbols of his Petrine jurisdiction.”

He should promote the unity of the church but cannot participate in any meetings of bishops or cardinals and should consult the reigning pope before publishing anything on the doctrine and life of the church, social questions “or anything that can be considered as competing opinions with the pontifical magisterium.”

“There was a time when we were accused of having imprudently chosen a theme that was too controversial,” given Benedict was still alive, said Boni, who spearheaded the initiative. “On the contrary, the need for norms covering a pope who resigned has been affirmed repeatedly by high-level church figures.”

While it’s unclear if the proposals will be taken up by the Vatican, Francis regardless will find it easier to resign himself and to regulate the process for future popes since Benedict took the first step.

“We have to get used to the idea that popes will live long lives and that, in the end just like my grandfather or your grandfather and everyone’s grandfathers, they can’t continue,” Luis Badilla, who runs the popular Vatican blog Il Sismografo, said. “But they are still part of the family, and this is something beautiful. It gives us a normal church, not a Martian or other-worldly one.”
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Blinken Discusses US-China Relationship in Call With China’s Qin

Posted on by SeeUS

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with incoming Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang over the phone Sunday, Blinken said on Twitter, after China last week appointed its ambassador to the United States to be its new foreign minister.

Blinken said he discussed the U.S.-China relationship and maintaining open lines of communication in his phone call with Qin.

China on Friday appointed Qin, its ambassador to the United States and a trusted aide of President Xi Jinping, to be its new foreign minister, as Beijing and Washington seek to stabilize rocky relations.

Qin, 56, replaces Wang Yi, who had been foreign minister for the past decade. Wang, 69, was promoted to the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in October and is expected to play a bigger role in Chinese foreign policy.

Though Qin sounded optimistic about U.S.-China relations during his relatively brief, 17-month stint as ambassador in Washington – his predecessor had held the post for eight years – his tenure nonetheless coincided with deteriorating ties between the two superpowers.

Wang’s stint as foreign minister saw a sharp rise in tensions between Beijing and Washington on a wide range of issues ranging from trade to Taiwan.
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Man with Machete Attacks 3 New York Police Officers in Times Square

Posted on by SeeUS

A man with a machete attacked three police officers amid New Year’s festivities Saturday night in New York City.

The 19-year-old man struck two of the officers and attempted to strike the third. One of the officers managed to shoot the attacker in the shoulder during the incident near Times Square.

All three officers were hospitalized and are reported to be in stable condition. The New York Times reported that one of the officers who had just graduated Friday from the police academy suffered a skull fracture and a large laceration.  The other officer also has a laceration.
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Grim Start to 2023, Sirens Wail Over Ukraine 

Posted on by SeeEU

Russia launched new airstrikes across Ukraine on New Year’s Day, but Ukrainians cheered from their balconies in Kyiv as their forces shot down dozens of incoming Russian missiles and drones as the clock ticked into 2023.

Ukraine’s Air Force command said it had destroyed 45 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight, 13 late Saturday and another 32 in the first hours of the new year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed a renewed fight against Ukraine in a war that is now in its 11th month, with 31 missile attacks and 12 airstrikes across the country at the year’s end.

As sirens blared in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, some people shouted from their balconies, “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to heroes!”

In a New Year’s Eve address, a stern-faced Putin told a group of military officials in Moscow, “The main thing is the fate of Russia. Defense of the fatherland is our sacred duty to our ancestors and descendants. Moral, historical righteousness is on our side.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered his own address in near darkness, in front of a fluttering Ukrainian flag. He cast the past year as a time of Ukrainian resolve.

“We were told: you have no other option but to surrender,” Zelenskyy said. “We say: We have no other option than to win. This year has struck our hearts. We’ve cried out all the tears. We’ve shouted all the prayers.

“We fight and will continue to fight,” he declared. “For the sake of the key word: ‘victory.’”

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said there was minimal damage from the latest attack on the capital, and no one was wounded or killed. One person was killed and another 20 injured in the Saturday attacks on residential buildings and a hotel.

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said on Twitter: “Russia coldly and cowardly attacked Ukraine in the early hours of the new year. But Putin still does not seem to understand that Ukrainians are made of iron.”

For weeks now, Russia has focused its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, trying to destroy the country’s power grid and water supplies, inflicting pain on Ukrainians in the winter months. Russia has claimed to illegally annex about a fifth of Ukrainian territory but retreated from more regions it first captured during the fighting after Ukraine’s forces fought back with the assistance of Western-supplied weaponry, munitions and air defense systems.

The fighting for weeks has been centered in eastern Ukraine with something of a stalemate and seemingly no immediate chance for peace talks.

Western leaders have vowed to continue their support for Ukraine in the new year, with U.S. President Joe Biden recently welcoming Zelenskyy to Washington and the Ukrainian leader making an address before cheering lawmakers in Congress.

In a New Year’s Eve address, French President Emmanuel Macron said, “In the year that is starting, we will stand by you without fail.”

Some material for this article came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
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‘Atmospheric River’ Dumps Heavy Rain, Snow Across California

Posted on by SeeUS

A powerful storm brought drenching rain or heavy snowfall to much of California on Saturday, snarling traffic and closing highways as the state prepared to usher in a new year.

In the high Sierra Nevada, as much as 2 feet (0.6 meters) of snow could accumulate into early Sunday. The National Weather Service in Sacramento warned about hazardous driving conditions and posted photos on Twitter showing traffic on snow-covered mountain passes, where vehicles were required to have chains or four-wheel drive.

The so-called atmospheric river storm was pulling in a long and wide plume of moisture from the Pacific Ocean. Flooding and rock slides closed portions of roads across Northern California.

A Sacramento Municipal Utility District online map showed more than 153,000 customers were affected by power outages on Saturday. “SMUD crews are responding to outages across the region during this powerful winter storm,” the utility said in a Twitter message, adding that it was preparing additional resources while working to restore power.

“Too many road closures to count at this point,” the weather agency in Sacramento said in an afternoon tweet. Sacramento County urged residents in the unincorporated community of Wilton to evacuate, warning that flooded roadways could “cut off access to leave the area.”

Rainfall in downtown San Francisco on Saturday topped 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) at midafternoon, making it the second-wettest day on record, behind a November 1994 deluge. With rain continuing to fall, it could threaten the nearly three-decade old record.

The California Highway Patrol said a section of U.S. 101 — one of the state’s main traffic arteries — was closed indefinitely south of San Francisco because of flooding. Videos on Twitter showed mud-colored water streaming along San Francisco streets, and a staircase in Oakland turned into a veritable waterfall by heavy rains.

Weather service meteorologist Courtney Carpenter said the storm could drop over an inch of rain in the Sacramento area before moving south. One ski resort south of Lake Tahoe closed chair lifts because of flooding and operational problems, and posted a photo on Twitter showing one lift tower and its empty chairs surrounded by water.

“We’re seeing a lot of flooding,” Carpenter said.

The Sacramento agency released a map of 24-hour precipitation through Saturday morning, showing a wide range of totals in the region, from less than an inch (2.54 centimeters) in some areas to more than 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) in the Sierra foothills.

The Mammoth Mountain Ski Area reported numerous lift closings, citing high winds, low visibility and ice.

The Stockton Police Department posted photos of a flooded railroad underpass and a car that appeared stalled in more than a foot (30 centimeters) of water.

The rain was welcomed in drought-parched California, but much more precipitation is needed to make a significant difference. The past three years have been California’s driest on record.

A winter storm warning was in effect into Sunday for the upper elevations of the Sierra from south of Yosemite National Park to north of Lake Tahoe, where as much as 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow is possible atop the mountains, the National Weather Service said in Reno, Nevada.

A flood watch was in effect across much of Northern California through New Year’s Eve. Officials warned that rivers and streams could overflow and urged residents to get sandbags ready.

Some rainfall totals in the San Francisco Bay Area topped 4 inches (10 centimeters).

The state transportation agency reported numerous road closures, including Highway 70 east of Chico, which was partially closed by a slide, and the northbound side of Highway 49, east of Sacramento, which was closed because of flooding. In El Dorado County, east of Sacramento, a stretch of Highway 50 was closed because of flooding.

Humboldt County, where a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck on Dec. 20, also saw roadways begin to flood, according to the National Weather Service’s Eureka office. A bridge that was temporarily closed last week due to earthquake damage may be closed again if the Eel River, which it crosses, gets too high, officials said.

It was the first of several storms expected to roll across California over the next week. The current system is expected to be warmer and wetter, while next week’s storms will be colder, said Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

The Sacramento region could receive a total of 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 centimeters) of rain over the span of the week, Chandler-Cooley said.

“Strong winds could cause tree damage and lead to power outages and high waves on Lake Tahoe may capsize small vessels,” the weather service in Reno said.

Avalanche warnings were issued in the backcountry around Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Lakes south of Yosemite.

On the Sierra’s eastern front, flood watches and warnings were issued into the weekend north and south of Reno, Nevada, where minor to moderate flooding was forecast along some rivers and streams.

In Southern California, moderate-to-heavy rain was falling Saturday. The region will begin drying out on New Year’s Day, with no rainfall expected during Monday’s Rose Parade in Pasadena.

Another round of heavy showers was forecast for Tuesday or Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Oxnard said.
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Children Among 9 Dead in Uganda New Year Stampede 

Posted on by SeeAF

At least nine people died, most aged between 10 and 20, in a shopping mall crush as revelers rang in the New Year in Uganda’s capital, police said on Sunday.

After fireworks outside the Freedom City mall in Kampala, “a stampede ensued, resulting in the instant deaths of five people and injuries to several others,” national police spokesman Luke Owoyesigyire said.

Four others died on their way to hospital “largely due to suffocation.”

“Emergency responders arrived on the scene and transported the injured individuals to the hospital, where nine were confirmed dead,” said Owoyesigyire.

“Rash” acts and “negligence” led to the tragedy, he added.

The celebrations to welcome in 2023 were the first in the east African country in three years, after restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic and security issues.

“Most of the dead were juveniles, ages 10, 11 14 and 20,” Kampala police spokesman Patrick Onyango told AFP.

“There are several injured and our team of investigators are following up to get the exact number.”

One of the survivors, businesswoman Sylvia Nakalema, said the stampede started “when we went to view the fireworks on the platform and while returning downstairs.”

“There was a huge crowd. People begun pushing each other for space leading some to fall and the stampede ensued,” she said.

“Children were crying and there was chaos.

“I survived because I was pushed in a corner by the crowd,” said the 27-year-old.

“I felt losing breath but I stayed put since I had no exit until the situation calmed down but some people were already lying down gasping for breath.”

Uganda’s NTV channel broadcast images of relatives of the dead gathered outside a morgue in the Ugandan capital on Sunday.

In 2009, one person died and three were injured in a stampede at Kampala’s Kansanga amusement park.
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Record 45,000 Migrants Made Channel Crossing to UK Last Year

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More than 45,000 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK from mainland Europe in 2022, surpassing the previous year’s record by more than 17,000, according to government figures released Sunday.

The issue has become a huge political problem for the Conservative government, which has promised to bring down illegal immigration and break the smuggling gangs that carry out the crossings.

In total, 45,756 people made the dangerous small-boat crossing of one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes last year, compared with 28,526 in 2021.

Four people died last month when a small boat packed with migrants capsized in freezing temperatures in the Channel.

A fishing boat in the area plucked 43 people from the frigid waters.

That incident occurred just over a year after at least 27 people drowned when their dinghy capsized, a disaster that sparked soul-searching on both sides of the Channel.

2022 also saw the highest ever single-day total of migrants making the crossing, with 1,295 making the journey on August 22.

 
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