Day: December 28, 2016

The Latest: East Jerusalem housing vote delayed

The Latest on the aftermath of the U.S. allowing an anti-settlement resolution to pass through the U.N. security council : A Jerusalem city councilman says a municipal committee has delayed a vote on roughly 500 new homes in Jewish areas of east Jerusalem following a request from Israel’s prime minister. Council member Hanan Rubin told The Associated Press that Benjamin Netanyahu asked to delay Wednesday’s vote so as not to antagonize relations with the U.S. Rubin says the council did not want U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to mention the building in his anticipated policy speech on Wednesday, turning it into a “political issue.”

The Latest: East Jerusalem housing vote delayed

The Latest on the aftermath of the U.S. allowing an anti-settlement resolution to pass through the U.N. security council : A Jerusalem city councilman says a municipal committee has delayed a vote on roughly 500 new homes in Jewish areas of east Jerusalem following a request from Israel’s prime minister. Council member Hanan Rubin told The Associated Press that Benjamin Netanyahu asked to delay Wednesday’s vote so as not to antagonize relations with the U.S. Rubin says the council did not want U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to mention the building in his anticipated policy speech on Wednesday, turning it into a “political issue.”

Philippines Hunts for Crew of Ship Sunk by Typhoon Nock-Ten; AIR Comments

The Philippine coast guard pressed its search Tuesday for 18 crewmen from a cargo ship that sank at the height of Typhoon Nock-Ten, which struck the country on Christmas Day. Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said 14 other crewmen have been rescued and one died after the M/V Starlite Atlantic sank off Mabini town in Batangas province, where the powerful typhoon passed Monday on its way out of the country into the South China Sea.

Philippines Hunts for Crew of Ship Sunk by Typhoon Nock-Ten; AIR Comments

The Philippine coast guard pressed its search Tuesday for 18 crewmen from a cargo ship that sank at the height of Typhoon Nock-Ten, which struck the country on Christmas Day. Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said 14 other crewmen have been rescued and one died after the M/V Starlite Atlantic sank off Mabini town in Batangas province, where the powerful typhoon passed Monday on its way out of the country into the South China Sea.

One in five Swedish men are ‘risky drinkers’

Almost one in five Swedish men are at risk of suffering harmful consequences from drinking too much alcohol, compared to one in eight Swedish women, according to national health statistics. The figures come from Sweden’s Public Health Agency’s national health survey, which interviewed people aged 16-84 in 2013-2016 about their health, and were reported by news agency Siren.

One in five Swedish men are ‘risky drinkers’

Almost one in five Swedish men are at risk of suffering harmful consequences from drinking too much alcohol, compared to one in eight Swedish women, according to national health statistics. The figures come from Sweden’s Public Health Agency’s national health survey, which interviewed people aged 16-84 in 2013-2016 about their health, and were reported by news agency Siren.

Rebels deny Russian claims of regime talks

Syrian youths collect wood from rubble to be used for heating and cooking, on December 27, 2016, in the Damascus rebel-held eastern suburb of Zamalka. / AFP / AMER ALMOHIBANY A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on December 28, 2016, on page 1.

Pivots Instead of Policies in International Affairs

Recently, we see the “pivot” as a mechanism of foreign policy that is growing in significance. The pivot has become the swift adjustment of foreign policy priorities and alignments by individual countries within the context of the dominant multilateral approach of the post-WWII world.

Vernon Philander: Lead of 80-plus will put SA in good stead vs SL in 1st Test

“We knew it was going to be tough scoring here – it’s always tough in PE,” said Vernon Philander A Getty Images South African all-rounder Vernon Philander on Tuesday said that ensuring Sri Lanka ‘s final three wickets to fall in a matter of just 25 runs would prove to be fruitful for the hosts, as they could possible take a good advantage and a healthy lead against the visitors. “A lead of 80-plus will put us in good stead.

Dinesh Chandimal: SL gave away easy wickets to SA in 1st Test

Dinesh Chandimal defended the aggressive approach by Sri Lankans, by saying that it wasn’t pre-planned to play aggressive, but it was the way it happened A Getty Images With Sri Lankan batsmen in the form of Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis, all being dismissed on a similar occasion for aiming to be aggressive and playing ambitious strokes, against hosts South Africa in the first of the three-Test series at the St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth, Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal defended it by saying that it wasn’t pre-planned to play aggressive, but it was the way it happened. The opening three wickets was a cause of consternation.

Report: Kerry and Erekat orchestrated UN anti-settlement resolution

Egyptian news website Al-Youm al-Saba’a, which is considered to be Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s mouth piece, published a supposed protocol on Tuesday of a meeting that was held in Washington on December 12 between US Secretary of State John Kerry and US National Security Advisor Susan Rice and a Palestinian delegation headed by senior Palestinian Liberation Organization member Saeb Erekat. The protocol states that Kerry and Rice told the Palestinian delegation that the current US administration under President Barack Obama would be willing to cooperate with them in the UN Security Council given that the resolution would be a balanced one.

Kerry to lay out vision for Israeli-Palestinian peace

US Secretary of State John Kerry will lay out his vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a speech on Wednesday, days after the United States cleared the way for a UN resolution calling for an end to settlement construction while simultaneously declaring them illegal. The speech, less than a month before President Barack Obama leaves office, is expected to be the administration’s last word on a decades-old dispute that Kerry had hoped to resolve during his four years as America’s top diplomat.

LeEco breaks ground on 12 billion yuan Deqing car assembly

Cash-starved company says it’s on schedule to produce as many as 400,000 electric vehicles a year by 2018 LeEco, the cash-starved video streaming service and TV maker founded by Jia Yueting, has broken ground on a 12 billion yuan car factory in China, with assurances that it’s on schedule to produce as many as 400,000 electric vehicles a year by 2018. ) county of Zhejiang province, close to the tourist destinations of Moganshan and Hangzhou, will commence construction after more than four months’ of preparation work, said Zhang Hailiang, chief executive of LeSupercar, the LeEco unit that’s producing the vehicles.

Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images

Philippines authorities have made the biggest drug seizure in the country’s history, confiscating 2,000 pounds and 1,110 liters of liquid methamphetamine worth about $120 million in a series of raids this month. “It is not only the biggest haul for this year, but so far the biggest in history,” Philippines Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre told reporters at a news conference in Manila on Tuesday.

Highway and bridge projects could benefit from ABS issues. Photo: Xinhua

Mainland regulators will for the first time let public private partnership projects raise funds through asset-backed securities within just two years, which market players believe can attract more private capital into the government-led infrastructure projects. Private companies now can exit PPP projects as early as two years into their operations, compared with the wait of more than a decade previously.

Ranji Trophy: Gigantic knock was triple centurion Samit Gohel’s sole goal

Gujarat opener carries his bat through for a record 359 against Odisha in Ranji Trophy quarters yesterday to better Surrey’s Bobby Abel’s 357 in 1899 Gujarat opener Samit Gohel at Jaipur airport after his record-breaking triple hundred against Odisha in Ranji Trophy quarter-final yesterday Triple hundreds are the flavour of the season. After Karun Nair’s record-breaking triple against England in Chennai recently, 26-year-old Samit Gohel, from the dairy hub Anand district in Gujarat, scored an unbeaten 359 in their Ranji Trophy quarter-final win over Odisha in Jaipur yesterday.

Injured Bangladesh keeper Mushfiqur Rahim misses remaining ODIs in New Zealand

Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim is helped from the field after injuring his leg during the one-day international cricket match between New Zealand and Bangladesh at Hagley Park in Christchurch on December 26, 2016. AFP PHOTO / Marty Melville The first-choice stumper, also a key middle order batsman, suffered the injury during his team’s defeat by 77 runs in the Boxing Day match at Christchurch.

Hanukkah candelabrum lit up at Prague centre

Lights on a nine-branched candelabrum were lit up to celebrate the eight-day Jewish holiday Hanukkah in the Prague centre Tuesday evening. The participants in the ceremony paid respects to the victims of the latest terrorist attack in Berlin last week, which claimed 12 lives, including that of one Czech woman.

Poll: One-third of Czechs plan to make New Year’s resolution

Roughly one-third of Czechs, mainly young people under 29, plan to make New Year’s resolutions that most often concern a healthy lifestyle, according to a STEM/MARK poll conducted for the Naturhouse chain of diet advisory centres and released to CTK. More than a half of the polled have ever made a New Year’s resolution.

Survey: Czechs want to know their roots

Most Czechs consider it important to know their roots, but only less than a half seek information about their ancestors, according to a survey conducted by NMS Market Research for the Post Bellum organisation dealing with the 20th-century history and released to CTK on Tuesday. More than a half of Czechs consider their family destiny during the communist regime and under WWII as well as relations of their ancestors the most important topics from Czech history, the poll shows.

Court quashes verdict in Nagyova’s intelligence abuse case

A Czech court of appeal has again quashed the verdict acquitting Jana Necasova, former prime minister’s close aide and current wife, and several other suspects of military intelligence abuse, Czech Television reported on Tuesday. Necasova, still under her former name Nagyova, is suspected of abusing the VZ to gain information about the life of Radka Necasova, former wife of prime minister Petr Necas in 2012 in order to speed up his divorce.

KDU-CSL and TOP 09 heads have problems to crack

The chairmen of the Czech junior government Christian Democrats and the opposition rightist TOP 09, Pavel Belobradek and Miroslav Kalousek, respectively, had no reason to rejoice during the Christmas holidays, Lukas Jelinek wrote in daily Pravo on Tuesday. Belobradek, 40, who has led the party since 2010, may be faced with a serious rival in the election of the chairperson next year.