Three things Unai Emery must fix at Arsenal

Three things Unai Emery must fix at Arsenal source: AFP
SOURCE: AFP

AFP/File / CHRISTOPHE SIMON Unai Emery is Arsenal's first new manager in 22 years

Unai Emery was appointed as Arsenal's first new manager in 22 years on Wednesday. Here are three things the Spaniard must deal with to ensure a smooth transition from the Arsene Wenger era:

Solve the Ozil conundrum

Mesut Ozil's diffident personality and alarming habit of drifting to the periphery of matches proved a major problem for Wenger. Emery must decide whether he can drag more committed and consistent displays from the German playmaker. The 29-year-old signed a new £300,000 ($400,000) per-week three-year contract in January as Arsenal scrambled to hold on to one of their stars following Alexis Sanchez's move to Manchester United. But the former Real Madrid midfielder continued to provide only occasional glimpses of the talent that persuaded Wenger to pay £42 million for him in 2013. Early reports suggest Emery, having reviewed video of Arsenal this season, may not have much faith in Ozil, preferring to build around the more robust Aaron Ramsey instead. With the gifted Henrikh Mkhitaryan already in place at the Emirates Stadium, Ozil should be on notice that his performances must improve if the World Cup winner is to avoid being swept away by Arsenal's new broom.

Plug Arsenal's leaky defence

Wenger neglected Arsenal's defence in his final years at the Emirates and Emery inherits a ramshackle unit that crumbles at the first sign of pressure. They conceded 51 league goals this season -- more than any other side in the top seven and only five fewer than bottom of the table West Bromwich Albion. Although Arsenal's back four were let down by Wenger's failure to drill his midfielders to properly protect them, they still made enough mistakes of their own to leave the demanding Emery surely convinced that new recruits are the only solution. Renowned for providing players with video analysis of their own performances, Emery will have enough material to fill an entire hard drive as he surveys footage of the leaky Arsenal defence over the past 10 months. With Laurent Koscielny set to miss the start of the season after ankle surgery, Emery will not want to be left with error-prone pair Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding as his first-choice centre-backs. The Gunners have already been linked with Borussia Dortmund centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos, while inconsistent Arsenal full-backs Hector Bellerin, Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac could also do with a few of Emery's rigorous defensive tutorials.

Unite Aubameyang and Lacazette

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made a blistering start to life with Arsenal following his club record £56 million move from Dortmund in January as the Gabon forward netted 10 times in 13 league games. Aubameyang's impact was all the more striking given the travails of the man he usurped in the starting line-up. Although he scored 17 times in 39 appearances in all competitions, Alexandre Lacazette endured an underwhelming first season after his £46 million switch from Lyon. Where Aubameyang's pace, movement and predatory instincts made an instant impact on a moribund Arsenal team, France international Lacazette allowed himself to be bullied out of games far too often. Now Emery will have to chose whether he wants to start with both in his attack. If not, it seems certain Aubameyang would lead the line, consigning Lacazette to the bench. Lacazette can point to a slightly more potent finish to the season as a sign he is beginning to adapt to the physical nature of English football. But, significantly, Aubameyang already has a strong connection with former Dortmund team-mate Mkhitaryan, who is likely to be tasked with supplying the chances for Arsenal's strikers.

South African 'colossus' AB de Villiers retires

South African 'colossus' AB de Villiers retires
source: AFP

AFP/File / MARCO LONGARI South Africa's AB D Villiers, hailed as "one of the all-time greats", retires from international cricket

South Africa's star batsman AB de Villiers on Wednesday announced his surprise retirement from all international cricket after a glittering 14-year career playing for the Proteas.

De Villiers, 34, was famed for mixing traditional and unorthodox shots, as well as his fast scoring and ability to hit the ball to all parts of the ground.

He holds the world record for the fastest half-century (16 balls), hundred (31 balls) and 150 (64 balls) in ODIs, and is one of the few batsmen to top the Test and 50-over rankings at the same time.

"I have decided to retire from all international cricket with immediate effect," he said in a statement.

"After 114 Test matches, 228 ODIs and 78 T20 Internationals, it is time for others to take over. I have had my turn, and to be honest, I am tired."

The middle-order batsman said it had taken him a long time to make the "tough" decision and that he decided to quit while still playing "decent cricket".

"After the fantastic series wins against India and Australia, now feels like the right time to step aside," he said.

"It would not be right for me to pick and choose where, when and in what format I play for the Proteas. For me, in the green and gold, it must be everything or nothing."

He added he had no plans to play overseas but would continue in league competitions, saying: "It’s not about earning more somewhere else, it's about running out of gas and feeling that it is the right time to move on."

- 'Mister 360' -

De Villiers retired with a Test average of 50.66 and as the fourth-highest run-scorer for South Africa with 8765 runs, with 22 100s.

In limited overs, he finished as the number two ranked batsman in the world and as the second highest run-scorer behind Jacques Kallis with 9577 runs at an average of 53.50.

"AB is one of the all-time greats of South African cricket who has thrilled spectators around the world with his sheer brilliance, coupled to his ability to innovate and take modern day batting... to new levels," said Cricket South Africa (CSA) president Chris Nenzani.

"It goes without saying that he is going to be greatly missed wherever international cricket is played."

CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe said De Villiers' decision ahead of the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales was disappointing but respected.

"AB has been a colossus on the world stage for well over a decade,' he said.

"His ability to improvise has made him known as Mr. 360 degrees in white ball cricket and we will never ever forget those remarkable innings that earned him the fastest 50. 100 and 150 in ODI cricket."

Two sportscar-sized satellites in orbit to measure Earth's water

Two sportscar-sized satellites in orbit to measure Earth's water


 NASA/AFP / Bill INGALLS The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the GRACE twin satellites and five Iridium commercial communication satellites as seen in this NASA photo lifting off from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California

A SpaceX rocket Tuesday blasted off a duo of sports car-sized satellites built by the US and Germany to reveal changes in sea level rise, ice melt and drought on Earth.

"Three, two, one, liftoff!" said a SpaceX commentator as the Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 12:47 pm Pacific time (1947 GMT).

The $521 million payload, called the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on (GRACE-FO), was successfully deployed into its planned orbit some 310 miles (500 kilometers) above the Earth about 10 minutes after liftoff.

The mission picks up from GRACE, a satellite pair that launched in 2002 and tracked, among other things, precisely how much ice was lost each year in Greenland and Antarctica until 2017.

Groundwater, oceans, lakes, rivers and ice sheets will be monitored by the twin satellites, a joint mission between the US space agency and German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).

The pair will fly 137 miles (220 kilometers) apart, or about the distance from Los Angeles to San Diego.

- How they work -


AFP / Sophie RAMIS The US-German built Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On(GRACE-FO) twin satellites will study changes in sea level, ice melt and drought on Earth


According to the laws of physics, the slightest variation in mass on Earth modifies the pull of gravity on satellites.

When the lead satellite passes over a mountain, it will get slightly farther from its twin for a few instants because of the extra mass in this area and a slightly stronger pull of gravity.

These variations in distance will be constantly recorded by the spacecraft, because each shift signals a change in mass on the planet underneath.

The satellites use a monthly reference point, because unless there is an earthquake or other unusual event, only water has the capacity to change that fast.

Water always has mass, whether it is in the form of liquid, solid or gas.

When ice melts, the oceans' mass rises. When it rains a lot in a certain region, the volume of the aquifers mounts. The satellites will pick this up, and the data will show that the mass in a certain area was higher than it was in the prior month, or year.

That is how the GRACE-FO satellites will establish a map of the water on Earth, every 30 days, showing which areas have more and which have less, whether above or below ground.

They operate with a precision equivalent to a change of 0.4 inches (one centimeter) in water height across areas of about 211 miles (340 kilometers) in diameter.

- Other satellites to deploy -

After the SpaceX rocket sent off its first payload, GRACE-FO, its second stage continued its climb in order to deploy a series of commercial communications satellites for the Virginia-based company, Iridium.

The five Iridium NEXT satellites are "part of the company's campaign to replace the world's largest commercial satellite network," said a statement.

A total of 75 satellites for Iridium are being sent to orbit as part of the upgrade, taking place over eight launches with SpaceX.

"That is a clean sweep again for all the deployments today," said SpaceX commentator John Insprucker after the five satellites floated into orbit, one by one.

He said SpaceX had tried but failed to catch the payload fairing, a nose cone used to protect the rocket, as it plunged into the ocean.

The fairing recovery ship "came very close but not quite," he said on SpaceX's webcast.

SpaceX did not attempt to land the first stage of the rocket after launch.

Calls mount for US university president to resign over abuse scandal

Calls mount for US university president to resign over abuse scandal
source: AFP

 AFP/File / Robyn Beck Five women have filed lawsuits against the University of Southern California and gynecologist George Tyndall, with more expected to follow

Two hundred professors at one of California's top universities on Tuesday demanded the resignation of the school's president over a widening sexual abuse scandal involving a campus gynecologist.

The faculty members of the University of Southern California (USC) said they wanted to "express their outrage and disappointment over the mounting evidence of president (C.L. Max) Nikias's failure to protect our students, our staff and our colleagues from repeated and pervasive sexual harassment and misconduct."

In their letter to the board of trustees, the professors said Nikias had lost the "moral authority" to lead the private institution or to oversee an investigation into decades of alleged sexual abuse by George Tyndall, a gynecologist formerly employed at the school.

"USC kept a physician in a position of power and trust who abused that power and trust to sexually assault and degrade women students, targeting for abuse the most vulnerable international and minority students," the letter says.

"The university's conduct is as much at issue in this case as the physician's."

- Contain fallout -

USC has come under seething criticism as it tries to contain fallout from the growing scandal that erupted after the Los Angeles Times detailed how Tyndall was allowed to continue practicing for years despite complaints of misconduct going back as far as the year 2000.

The university's board of trustees -- which includes billionaires, real estate developers and Hollywood power players such as Steven Spielberg -- rejected calls for Nikias to step down, saying that while it was "troubled" by the scandal, it fully supported him.

"The executive committee of the board has full confidence in president Nikias's leadership, ethics and values, and is certain that he will successfully guide our community forward," a statement said.

So far, six women have filed lawsuits against the university and Tyndall, with more expected to follow.

One of the women alleges that Tyndall forced his entire hand and wrist into her vagina while examining her during an appointment in 2003 and made vulgar comments about her genitalia.

Another woman details how Tyndall, now 71, groped her breasts and leered at her on what was her first appointment with a gynecologist in 2008.

"Reportedly, USC was aware of Dr Tyndall's inappropriate conduct before I was even born," said one of his alleged victims, 21-year-old Daniella Mohaza.

The Filipina graduate student at USC told reporters that Tyndall performed a genital exam on her in 2016 without wearing gloves and made inappropriate comments about her ethnicity.

- 'Duck and cover' -

Tyndall allegedly often targeted minority students -- including many from the university's large Asian student population -- who were not fluent in English or unfamiliar with gynecological exams.

The lawsuits claim that the school only launched a probe in 2016 after a supervising nurse upset at USC's inaction reported him to the campus rape crisis center. He was then allowed to "quietly" resign in June of last year.

Hilary Schor, one of the professors who drafted the letter asking for Nikias's resignation, told AFP that she was appalled by the university's handling of the case.

"The culture of the university is one where the instinct is to duck and cover, to conceal, to make scandals disappear," said Schor, who teaches English, comparative literature and law.

She said the scandal was sure to affect the university's reputation and possibly enrolment, especially among international students who make up 25 percent of the 45,500 students.

"Nikias has shown no interest in stepping down but at a certain moment, I believe that if not morality, the monetary cost to the institution could be enough to provoke a change," she said.

The scandal comes on the heels of another similar case involving Michigan State University, which saw former university doctor Larry Nassar sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for abusing girls and women he treated.

Last week, MSU announced a $500 million settlement with victims of Nassar, who also was the doctor for the USA Gymnastics national team.

Lawyers familiar with the USC case said it could ultimately prove much bigger than Nassar's given the number of patients Tyndall came in contact with over almost three decades.

Tyndall could not immediately be reached for comment, but in previous interviews with the Times, he denied any wrongdoing and said he had "never had any sexual urges" toward patients.

Trump says Kim summit could be delayed

Trump says Kim summit could be delayed
source:AFP

AFP / SAUL LOEB Hosting South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House, Donald Trump did little to quell speculation about his historic first summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un

US President Donald Trump warned Tuesday his landmark summit with Kim Jong Un may be delayed, but insisted the North Korean leader is "serious" about denuclearization.

Hosting South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House, Trump did little to quell speculation about the wavering prospects of a historic first summit between US and North Korean leaders.

"It may not work out for June 12," Trump said of the Singapore meeting, adding in a now familiar non-committal riff: "if it does not happen, maybe it will happen later."

"There are certain conditions we want to happen. I think we'll get those conditions. And if we don't, we won't have the meeting," he said.

Politically, Trump has invested heavily in the success of the meeting, so most US officials, as well as outside observers, privately expect it will go ahead.

But as the date draws near, Trump's divergence from his top aides, the differences between the two sides and the astronomically high stakes are coming into sharp relief.

Success could lead to peace on the Korean peninsula and end the threat of a nuclear conflagration. Failure could all but destroy hopes of a peaceful solution to the crisis.

"You never know about deals," Trump said. "I've made a lot of deals. You never really know."

North Korea's willingness to denuclearize -- the very basis for the talks -- was recently plunged into doubt when the government denounced US demands for "unilateral nuclear abandonment."

Pyongyang also canceled at the last minute a high-level meeting with the South in protest over joint military drills between Seoul and Washington.

Despite the North's move, Trump said he believes Kim is willing to give up nukes. "I do think he is serious. I think he is absolutely very serious," the US president said.

He suggested that the North Korean leader's apparent about-face may have been at the behest of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"There was a difference when Kim Jong Un left China the second time," Trump said. "There was a different attitude after that meeting and I was a little surprised.

"And I think things changed after that meeting so I can't say that I am happy about it."

And Trump again raised the prospect of a windfall for Kim if he mothballs weapons programs. The North Korean leader "will be extremely happy" if the deal works out, Trump said. "He will be very happy."

- Rescue mission -

Moon's trip to the White House represented an effort to salvage the rare diplomatic opening.

The dovish Moon deployed a tactic frequently used by foreign leaders who meet this most mercurial of presidents: flattery.

"Thanks to your vision of achieving peace through strength as well as your strong leadership," Moon said in the Oval Office, "we find ourselves standing one step closer to the dream of achieving denuclearization on the Korean peninsula."

"All this was possible because of you, Mr President," Moon added, taking pains to stress the concrete results of diplomacy so far -- most notably the release of three US prisoners from North Korean jail.

Trump praised his guest, but also indicated that a separate, second round of high-level talks between Moon and Kim may also be on ice. "Right now, he doesn't know whether or not he has a meeting," Trump said of Moon.

South Korea -- deeply worried about Kim's bellicose weapons testing and Trump's similarly aggressive warnings about "fire and fury" -- was instrumental in convincing the two Cold War foes to sit down and talk.

Moon sent his own national security advisor to the White House in March, carrying an offer of talks and word that North Korea may be willing to abandon nuclear weapons, an enticing prospect.

Trump surprised his guests, his own aides and the world by summarily accepting the meeting, seeing an opportunity to "do a deal" and avoid military confrontation.

Analysts saw North Korea's perceived slow peddling as evidence of what they feared all along, that Pyongyang may have been playing for time -- hoping to ease sanctions and "maximum pressure," or of South Korea over torquing the prospects of a deal.

"The current episode of tension reflects a wide and dangerous expectation gap between the United States and North Korea," said Eric Gomez of the CATO Institute.

"Denuclearization is not off the table for the North, but it expects the United States to end the so-called 'hostile policy' as a precondition for denuclearization."

It is far from clear what that means concretely, but it could include the withdrawal of 30,000 US troops from the Korean peninsula.

Trump has been similarly unclear about his own policy.

He indicated the United States may not demand North Korea give up its nuclear program before getting sanctions relief -- a sequencing he said was a fatal flaw of the Iran nuclear deal he scrapped.

"It would certainly be better if it were all in one. Does it have to be? I don't think I'm going to totally commit myself," Trump said.

Pyongyang is on the verge of marrying nuclear and missile technology ,allowing it to hit the continental United States with a nuke, a capability Washington has said is wholly unacceptable.

Administration officials refused to speculate on when Trump would make a decision on the summit.

"We are prepared," said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying Trump had asked them to follow through with preparations.

"I'm not a betting man. I wouldn't care to predict whether it would happen, only to predict that we'll be ready in the event that it does."

The internet: a dangerous place for wild animals

The internet: a dangerous place for wild animals
source: AFP

 AFP/File / Manan VATSYAYANA The online market sells a range of body parts from elephant tusks and legs, like those belonging to this rescued elephant, pictured in 2018, who lost one of its legs in a hunting trap

From ivory baubles and leopard coats to rare turtles and live bears, the online market for protected wildlife is booming, according to an International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) investigation released Wednesday.

Experts from the NGO spent six weeks last year combing the Internet in four countries -- Russia, France, Germany and Britain -- for advertisements hawking endangered animals, whether dead or alive, in pieces or whole.

The haul was impressive: 11,772 individual articles or animals in 5,381 ads spread across 106 websites and social media platforms.

Total asking-price value? Just shy of $4 million (3.2 million euros).


DUMARAN-MPS/AFP/File / Handout In this handout photo released July 2017, a man holds a dead marine turtle, one of the animals most often sold on the black market, during a police seizure


More than four-fifths of the items were live animals, including a large share of marine and fresh-water turtles (45 percent), birds (24 percent) and mammals (5 percent), the report said.

And while it is possible to sell and buy certain endangered species with permits under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), 80-90 percent of the transactions proposed were probably illegal, said Celine Sissler-Bienvenu, IFAW's director for France and francophone Africa.

"The internet has transformed the global economy, and illegal wildlife trade has transformed with it," said Rikkert Reijnen, director for wildlife crime at the US-based NGO.

"All those who profit form wildlife crime have moved into the online space."

Besides turtles, other sought-after reptiles on the black market include snakes, lizards, and alligators. Owls, birds of prey, toucans, cranes and other protected bird species were also on the virtual bloc.


AFP/File / SAJJAD HUSSAIN An Indian worker holds up a leopard skin, one of the many items being sold illegally online, in 2014

The market for mammals is more varied, ranging from body parts -- rhino horns, cheetah and leopard furs, and a pair of coffee tables made from elephant legs -- to a menagerie of protected species, trapped in the wild or raised in captivity under doubtful conditions.

"Of the many threats to our planet's wildlife, the illegal trade of live animals and their body parts is one of the most inhumane," said Reijnen.

Most of the live animals were on sale in Russia, including big cats, monkeys, lemurs and at least one bear.

IFAW praised the "precious work" and commitment shown by major online peer-to-peer platforms such as e-Bay, which has trained its personnel to join in the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking.

But national regulations are lagging behind, especially for commerce on the internet, the reports said.

As a general rule, sellers -- often connected to criminal organisations -- know they are breaking the law, but buyers may be less aware.

"They just want some exotic animals," Sissler-Bienvenu said.

IFAW has forwarded their findings to national and international authorities. Similar reports from the NGO in the past have resulted in legal proceedings against both sellers and buyers.

Fourteen priests linked to Chile sex abuse stripped of duties

Fourteen priests linked to Chile sex abuse stripped of duties
source: AFP

AFP / CLAUDIO REYES Santiago's Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati (C), speaks at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Santiago on May 18, when thirty-four Chilean bishops announced their resignation over a child sex abuse scandal within the church

Fourteen priests involved in a sex abuse scandal in Chile -- which has rocked Pope Francis's papacy -- were defrocked on Tuesday.

"Fourteen priests no longer are allowed to carry out their duties... These priests have taken part in actions that may be civilian crimes as well as within the church," the bishop's office in the city of Rancagua said.

Nicknamed "the Family," the group of priestly offenders commited sex abuses with young people including minors, churchgoer Elisa Fernandez told Channel 13 last week.

A priest said in that report aired last week that the group formed a sex abuse ring a decade ago, and engaged in sex acts with no regard for whether were minors or of age.

In addition, offenders used social media to control their interactions with victims and used church money for trips abroad ans well as expensive car services with young friends, the report added.

Just Friday, 34 Chilean bishops announced their resignation over the child sex abuse scandal.

The striking announcement came after the pontiff summoned the bishops over the scandal.

Several members of the Chilean church hierarchy are accused by victims of ignoring and covering up child abuse by Chilean pedophile priest Fernando Karadima during the 1980s and 1990s.


AFP / Gal ROMA Factfile on major sex abuse allegations relating to the Catholic Church


On Thursday evening, Francis promised "changes" to the Chilean church to "restore justice" in a short declaration to the bishops, which was made public.

But in a confidential 10-page document leaked Friday by Chilean TV channel T13, the Argentine pope goes much further in his indictment of the Chilean Church.

The letter -- handed to the bishops at the start of their meetings with Francis -- evokes "crimes" and "painful and shameful sexual abuse of minors, abuses of power and conscience by ministers of the Church."

It qualifies the removal of certain prelates from their roles as necessary but "insufficient," calling for "the roots" that allowed such abuse within an "elitist and authoritarian" Chilean Church to be examined.

Some analysts note that Chile's long tradition of having the church not subject to civilian law lent itself to impunity and cover-ups.

The damning letter also outlines findings of an investigation, ordered by Pope Francis, into the abuse allegations.

It says the probe found senior church officials had destroyed proof in cases of sex abuse and that certain members of the clergy who had displayed immoral behavior had been transferred to other dioceses after attempts to "minimize" the gravity of their actions.

Grave accusations "were superficially qualified as improbable," the letter says, denouncing bishops for their "terrible negligence in protecting children."

In April 2002, Pope John Paul II summoned 13 American cardinals and bishops to Rome after a huge pedophilia scandal within the clergy.

Following another abuse scandal in Ireland in 2009, Pope Benedict XVI also organized a meeting of Irish prelates at the Vatican in February 2010.

Argentine-born Francis said it must not happen again on his watch.

Francis himself has gotten caught up in the tragedies when he defended Chilean bishop Juan Barros -- accused of covering up Fernando Karadima's abuses.

Francis has apologized to the victims, three of whom he recently received at the Vatican, and admitted he had made "grave mistakes" after reading the 2,300-page report on the abuse in Chile. Since 2000, about 80 Roman Catholic priests have been reported to authorities in Chile for alleged sexual abuse

Australian archbishop guilty of concealing child abuse steps down

Australian archbishop guilty of concealing child abuse steps down
source:AFP

AFP / Gal ROMA Child abuse scandals surrounding the Catholic church

An Australian archbishop who became one of the world's highest-ranked church officials found guilty of covering up child sex abuse announced Wednesday he will stand down from his official duties.

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson, 67, was accused of concealing abuse in the 1970s by notorious paedophile priest Jim Fletcher in New South Wales state by failing to report the allegations.

He denied the charges but was found guilty by a Newcastle court this week of concealing a serious indictable offence of another person.

Wilson, who faces up to two years in jail, said Wednesday he was stepping aside from his church duties while he weighs up the magistrate's verdict.

"I am still considering those reasons together with my legal advisors," he said in a statement.

"While I do so, it is appropriate that, in the light of some of his Honour’s findings, I stand aside from my duties as Archbishop."

Wilson's legal team had made four attempts to have the case thrown out, arguing his diagnosis of Alzheimer's should preclude him from trial -- even though it did not prevent him retaining his position in the church.

Sentencing will be at a later date and the archbishop on Wednesday left the door ajar for a formal resignation as the case unfolds.

"If at any point in time it becomes necessary or appropriate for me to take more formal steps, including by resigning as Archbishop, then I will do so," he said.

There was no dispute that paedophile Fletcher, who is now dead, sexually abused altar boy Peter Creigh, with the hearing focused on whether Wilson, then a junior priest, was told about it.

The magistrate did not accept Wilson's defence that he did not remember the conversation and found Creigh, who broke down in tears after the verdict, "had no motive or interest to deceive or make up the conversation".

Child abuse survivor advocates are hopeful the case will have wide-ranging implications for other jurisdictions to begin investigating those who may have been aware of child abuse but failed to report it.

Trump administration moves to lift ban on bear baiting in Alaska

Trump administration moves to lift ban on bear baiting in Alaska
source: AFP

AFP/File / SAUL LOEB In addition to baiting and use of spotlights, banned methods include hunting wolves and coyotes during their denning season, the use of dogs to hunt bears, and the killing of swimming caribou from motor boats

The Trump administration on Tuesday presented a plan to roll back Obama-era rules preventing hunters in some protected zones in Alaska from luring bears with bait including bacon and donuts, and using spotlights at den sites to hunt black bear cubs and sows.

Under former president Barack Obama the National Park Service (NPS) in 2015 had prohibited a number of practices -- considered cruel and harmful by animal protection groups -- on national preserves in Alaska.

In addition to baiting and use of spotlights, banned methods include hunting wolves and coyotes during their denning season, the use of dogs to hunt bears, and the killing of swimming caribou from motor boats.

The NPS in a statement said reversing the ban on those practices would "establish better consistency" within the state of Alaska, where such methods are allowed in areas not under federal protection.

"This proposed rule will reconsider NPS efforts in Alaska for improved alignment of hunting regulations on national preserves with State of Alaska regulations, and to enhance consistency with harvest regulations on surrounding non-federal lands and waters," the park agency's regional director Bert Frost said in the statement.

The proposed reversal, published Tuesday in the Federal Register, is open for public comment for two months, after which the NPS will make a final ruling.

The Republican Congress has already reversed some regulations adopted under a Democratic majority, including in April 2017 when it lifted a ban on hunting bears in Alaska from a helicopter or airplane.

The Trump administration has made a habit of sparking outrage among animal welfare organizations.

In November 2017 the US government controversially reauthorized American hunters to import lion and elephant safari trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia.

And in March 2018 Trump's new high-level council dubbed the "International Wildlife Conservation Council" met for the first time.

The panel -- created and chosen by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, a hunter himself -- is chaired by a coal mining tycoon known for his home jammed with stuffed big game animals.

The council is otherwise comprised of big game hunters and professional hunting guides.

Scientists discover how breast cancer hibernates: study

Scientists discover how breast cancer hibernates: study
source: AFP

AFP/File / ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT Some 90 percent of breast cancer deaths occur with metastasis, when the disease moves to other organs or parts of the body

Scientists have identified the mechanism that allows breast cancer cells to lie dormant in other parts of the body only to reemerge years later with lethal force, according to a study published Tuesday.

In experiments with human cells and live mice, researchers showed that disabling the mechanism -- with drugs or gene manipulation -- crippled the cancer cells and inhibited their capacity to spread.

The discovery, reported in the journal Nature Communications, provides a promising target for the development of breast cancer therapies, the study said.

Some 90 percent of breast cancer deaths occur with metastasis, when the disease moves to other organs or parts of the body.

Scientists have struggled to understand how cancer cells manage to remain hidden -- sometimes for decades -- and what, exactly, triggers their reawakening.

"Our results suggest that breast cancer cells can survive, undetected, in patients for long periods by using a cellular process known as autophagy," said co-author Kent Hunter, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Maryland.


 AFP / Adrian Leung Breast cancer


Autophagy occurs when any cell -- healthy or cancerous -- reshuffles internal components to survive in a stressful and nutrient-poor environment. This allows the cell to partially shut down, entering a state similar to hibernation.

The findings help explain why current treatments so often fail to root out breast cancer cells that remain after surgery and chemotherapy.

- Cells in hiding -

"Many of the traditional anti-cancer drugs are designed to target dividing cells," said Hunter.

"Dormant cells, however, are not actively or frequently dividing, and are therefore thought to be resistant to these types of drugs."

The fact that they are hiding elsewhere in the body also helps the cells escape localised treatments such as radiation.

In an experiment, researchers led by Hunter's colleague Laura Vera-Ramirez injected dormant breast cancer cells into mice.

Half the animals were given a drug that inhibits autophagy, while the others received a placebo or "dummy" drug.

In a second experiment, they altered a gene that controls autophagy.

Both approaches "significantly" decreased survival of the cancer cells and limited their spread, the study concluded.

Without recourse to autophagy, the cancer cells accumulated toxic matter and damage to their mitochondria, the energy-producing units of cells.

The road to a viable treatment will be long, said Hunter. A clinical trial will have to be performed to determine whether the treatment would work in human patients.

It is also unknown whether the findings apply to other types of cancer, he added.

Venezuela's Maduro expels US diplomats, rejects sanctions

Venezuela's Maduro expels US diplomats, rejects sanctions
source: AFP

AFP / Federico PARRA Maduro received his credentials for a second term, which would keep him in office until 2025, from the head of the election commission

Venezuela ordered the expulsion of the top two US diplomats in the country Tuesday, charging it was the victim of a "political and financial lynching" after Washington tightened sanctions over Nicolas Maduro's re-election.

Maduro announced the expulsions in a televised speech after being officially proclaimed the winner of Sunday's election in the South American nation mired in an acute economic crisis and facing growing international isolation.

The vote was boycotted by the main opposition parties and widely condemned by the international community, including the United States, which denounced it as a "sham."

The Venezuelan president declared US charge d'affaires Todd Robinson and deputy head of mission Brian Naranjo "personae non gratae."

"They must leave the country in 48 hours in protest and in defense of the dignity of the Venezuelan homeland... Enough of conspiracies!" he said.


AFP/File / Juan BARRETO Todd Robinson was ordered to leave Venezuela within 48 hours


The United States immediately threatened to retaliate.

A State Department official told AFP that Washington had "not received notification from the Venezuelan government through diplomatic channels," but that if the expulsions are confirmed, "the United States may take appropriate reciprocal action."

In anticipation that Venezuela's charge d'affaires in Washington, Carlos Ron, would be expulsed, he was appointed vice minister of foreign affairs for North America.

On Monday, President Donald Trump tightened sanctions against Caracas, making it harder for the Maduro regime to sell off state assets.

"I repudiate all the sanctions that are sought against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, because they harm it, they generate suffering for the people of Venezuela," Maduro said in the speech.

He promised to present "evidence" that both diplomats were engaged in a political, military and economic "conspiracy."

Robinson denied the allegations.

"We strongly reject the accusations against me and against" Naranjo, he told journalists in the western city of Merida, promising to return there even despite Maduro expulsing him.

- 'Threat to world peace' -

Washington and Caracas have not exchanged ambassadors since 2010, and relations between the two countries have been tense since the late leftist President Hugo Chavez, Maduro's mentor, assumed power in 1999.

The deeply unpopular Maduro was declared the winner with 68 percent of the vote, but with a record abstention rate.

Days before the elections, 11 soldiers were arrested for planning destabilizing actions against Maduro, and they were ordered to prison on Tuesday, the Foro Penal group said.

Venezuelans are reeling under an deepening crisis, with hyperinflation projected by the IMF to reach 13,800 percent this year and dire shortages of food and medicine.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled the country to escape the growing deprivation.

The foreign ministry earlier lashed out at the US sanctions, accusing Washington of intensifying a "criminal financial and economic blockade," which it called a crime against humanity for impeding "access to essential goods."

"We alert the international community to the threat to world peace represented by the supremacist, racist and interventionist regime that governs Washington today, inspired by the nefarious postulates of the Ku Klux Klan," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

It said US policy "promotes hatred, intolerance and political and financial lynching" of Venezuela.

Washington has previously slapped sanctions on the president and his senior aides, and banned US entities from buying any more debt from Caracas or state oil company PDVSA.

The European Union said it was also weighing new sanctions after the election was marred by "irregularities" and failed to meet international standards.

Caracas is facing increasing international isolation, with the United States, the European Union and the 14 countries of the Lima Group -- which includes Argentina, Brazil and Canada -- refusing to recognize the election result.

"Venezuela is beginning to suffer an economic boycott by the United States and its allies, and this is going to be fatal to the regime," political analyst Carlos Romero told AFP.

Maduro, a former bus driver, union leader and foreign minister, has insisted Venezuela is the victim of an "economic war" waged by the conservative opposition and external powers including the United States aimed at toppling him.

Most economists attribute the oil-rich country's economic collapse to years of mismanagement, corruption and a period of sharply lower oil prices.

Learning to nap in New York, city that never sleeps

Learning to nap in New York, city that never sleeps
source: AFP

 AFP / Hector RETAMAL Laura Li prepares to take a nap in YeloSpa, where New Yorkers can recharge their batteries during office hours without having to return home

New York is the city that never sleeps, but arduous commutes, hellish hours and ultra-competitive jobs mean even the most wired of party animals or dedicated employees have to recharge their batteries.

But instead of knocking back a coffee or quaffing an energy drink, a growing number of New Yorkers are opting for a quick nap during office hours.

With affluent Americans increasingly health conscious -- indulging in fads such as green juice, hot-house yoga and matcha tea -- a few pay-for-sleep businesses are now offering customers a little shut-eye on the QT.

Nap York is one. Opening three months ago in a three-story building near Penn Station, $12 buys patrons 30 minutes in a wooden sleep cabin, day or night.

"We wanted to accommodate all the exhausted New Yorkers," explains Stacy Veloric, the company's marketing director. "It's really hard to find peace and quiet within New York City."

The business opened with seven cabins, but demand quickly exceeded supply and they added 22 more. Soon there will also be hammocks on the roof, where half an hour's kick-back will cost $15.


 AFP / Hector RETAMAL A worker prepares a sleep cabin for a new client at Nap York, in New York


The US sleep deficit is real. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of Americans sleep less than they should.

Only 24 percent of New Yorkers get eight or more hours of sleep -- nearly half get six or less, according to a state-wide survey for Siena College.

Lack of sleep causes moodiness, low productivity and poor concentration. It also costs the US economy up to $411 billion and the equivalent of 1.23 million working days a year, according to a Rand Corporation study in 2016.

- 'I'm worth it' -

Laura Li, a 28-year-old copy editor for a travel company, is someone who prefers a 35-minute kip to a coffee. Each week she pops along to YeloSpa, a luxurious, spa-style Fifth Avenue fixture opposite Trump Tower.

Li steps into a hexagonal cockpit that looks straight out of a science fiction movie and lies on a bed suspended in a position of zero gravity, knees bent and feet elevated to lower the heart rate and induce sleep.

Thirty-five minutes later, she'll be woken by "a simulated sunrise," explains Maya Daskalova, YeloSpa manager.


AFP / Hector RETAMAL An "energy pod" at the company Thrive Global, where employees can check in for a nap

The price? A dollar a minute, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 40.

"I come here specially on days where I have a lot of work -- just to get more energy for the rest of the afternoon," says Li. "I don't drink coffee so if I feel tired there's nothing I can really do, other than sleeping."

She may not have told colleagues that she naps during lunch, but has confessed to friends, who are baffled by the concept of paying to sleep.

"They might think this is a waste of time or a waste of money," she admitted. "As long as I can afford it, then it's worth it. I just feel better afterward, that's enough."

Daskalova has seen her clientele grow gradually and believes that cultural attitudes in America are changing. "Resetting you for the rest of the day is much better than crashing in your desk in the middle of work," she says.

- Generational shift -

Who escapes to take a nap? Those who work long hours or live miles away and want time out before a night out. Pregnant women who are exhausted. Parents of babies suffering sleepless nights and party-goers who need a breather.

In 2004, Christopher Lindholst created MetroNaps, a company that designs super-modern "energy pods" for quick naps.


 AFP / Hector RETAMAL A view of hammocks at Nap York, in New York


He installed several in the Empire State Building until security requirements kicked them out, then focused sales on companies, universities, hospitals and airports. Google and NASA are among those who have bought his pods.

"People's attitudes changed dramatically in the last 15 years, there's much more awareness of the importance of sleep and the benefit," Lindholst says.

But in a city with the longest working day in the States, travel time included, he thinks it will take a full generation to erase old stigmas about laziness.

"We use the argument all the time that we are talking about a very short period of time, 10 to 20 minutes, essentially the same (as) a coffee break or in New York a smoke break," he explained.

One MetroNaps capsule lives in the SoHo offices of Thrive Global, a wellness startup founded by Arianna Huffington, author of bestselling 2016 tome "The Sleep Revolution" and a founder of The Huffington Post.

Her book calls for an end to "the delusion that we need to burn out to succeed."

"We're in the middle of a cultural shift, one in which more and more of us are taking steps to reclaim sleep," she writes.

World Cup fever causes sleepless nights for Bangladesh flagmakers

World Cup fever causes sleepless nights for Bangladesh flagmakers
source: AFP

 AFP / Munir UZ ZAMAN While it is traditionally a cricket country, Bangladesh -- whose national team is ranked 197th out of 202 in the world by FIFA -- goes World Cup crazy every four years

Flagmakers in Bangladesh are doing a roaring trade weeks ahead of the World Cup, but no-one is interested in the home nation's colours -- the money is all on pennants for Lionel Messi's Argentina and Neymar's Brazil.

Textile printer Kamal Hossain owns one of scores of small, hot, sweaty workshops in the Merajnagar district of capital Dhaka, working flat-out to produce flags and pennants for the local market ahead of the tournament in Russia.

"For the last two months I have been working non-stop," said Hossain.

"There are days when I do not even get two hours of sleep," added the 40-year-old, barely lifting his head from his screen-printing machine.

Bangladesh is traditionally cricket territory, but every four years the country of 160 million people -- whose national team is ranked 197th out of 202 in the world by FIFA -- goes World Cup crazy.

Flags in the colours of Argentina and Brazil take over the streets, and printers in Merajnagar are expecting to produce hundreds of thousands before the tournament starts in Moscow on June 14.

Homes have been converted into makeshift printing and sewing plants as orders pour in from across the country.

"Every day we're printing and making thousands of flags. Today we've already printed 11,000 Argentina pennants," said Hossain.

- Maradona to Messi -

Fans across Bangladesh hold flag-waving processions to honour their favourite team. Last week, a video of supporters marching with a 200 metre-long Argentina flag in the northwestern town of Madarganj went viral on social media.

The impoverished country first saw live World Cup matches in 1982.

But it was the 1986 tournament, when Diego Maradona single-handedly helped Argentina win the trophy, that cemented football into the Bangladesh psyche -- along with a new favourite team.



AFP / Munir UZ ZAMAN Argentina and Brazil are the two most followed teams in Bangladesh, though Germany, Spain and Portugal are also popular

"The craze for Argentina is still going strong, Maradona is gone but Messi is the new superstar," said Faruq Mia, a flag hawker who came from neighbouring Narayanganj district to stock up.

Mia bought 500 flags last week, made a big profit and so needs 500 more. He will be cheering for Argentina.

Factory owner Selim Howlader expects to sell several hundred thousand flags as "World Cup fever came early in the country, months before kickoff".

"In 2014, I sold more than 80,000 flags. Most of them were sold during the World Cup or just days before kickoff. Now I am selling 2,000-2,500 big flags and 10,000 pennants a day and the World Cup is still weeks away," said the happy 33-year-old businessman.

Howlader employs 25 workers and said about 2,000 people in all are working in Merajnagar's flag factories.

- Long hours -

Messi and Neymar's teams dominate by far Howlader's order list. "Argentina and Brazil are the two most popular teams in Bangladesh," he said.

"I have even got orders to make 50-foot long Argentine flags. These two teams have the most supporters in our country. Germany, Spain and Portugal are the other popular teams."



AFP / Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV Argentina superstar Lionel Messi is Bangladesh's new favourite

Some four million people work in Bangladesh's 4,500 apparel factories, who provide billions of dollars worth of clothes to top retailers around the world.

But experts and rights groups say that while there has been progress in improving conditions for garment workers in the country, they still often face long hours, dangerous working environments and dismally low pay.

The flag boom means extra income for poor workers like Nargis Akhter, 28, and her husband Mohammad Iqbal who work in Howlader's factory.

"On an average every day we make 3,000 taka ($35)," said Iqbal. An average garment factory pays about $70 for an entire month's work -- among the world's lowest wages for such a job.

"I wish the craze for flags would go on for many more months," said Akhter, with a smile.

World Cup fever causes sleepless nights for Bangladesh flagmakers

World Cup fever causes sleepless nights for Bangladesh flagmakers
source: AFP

AFP / Munir UZ ZAMAN While it is traditionally a cricket country, Bangladesh -- whose national team is ranked 197th out of 202 in the world by FIFA -- goes World Cup crazy every four years

Flagmakers in Bangladesh are doing a roaring trade weeks ahead of the World Cup, but no-one is interested in the home nation's colours -- the money is all on pennants for Lionel Messi's Argentina and Neymar's Brazil.

Textile printer Kamal Hossain owns one of scores of small, hot, sweaty workshops in the Merajnagar district of capital Dhaka, working flat-out to produce flags and pennants for the local market ahead of the tournament in Russia.

"For the last two months I have been working non-stop," said Hossain.

"There are days when I do not even get two hours of sleep," added the 40-year-old, barely lifting his head from his screen-printing machine.

Bangladesh is traditionally cricket territory, but every four years the country of 160 million people -- whose national team is ranked 197th out of 202 in the world by FIFA -- goes World Cup crazy.

Flags in the colours of Argentina and Brazil take over the streets, and printers in Merajnagar are expecting to produce hundreds of thousands before the tournament starts in Moscow on June 14.

Homes have been converted into makeshift printing and sewing plants as orders pour in from across the country.

"Every day we're printing and making thousands of flags. Today we've already printed 11,000 Argentina pennants," said Hossain.

- Maradona to Messi -

Fans across Bangladesh hold flag-waving processions to honour their favourite team. Last week, a video of supporters marching with a 200 metre-long Argentina flag in the northwestern town of Madarganj went viral on social media.

The impoverished country first saw live World Cup matches in 1982.

But it was the 1986 tournament, when Diego Maradona single-handedly helped Argentina win the trophy, that cemented football into the Bangladesh psyche -- along with a new favourite team.


 AFP / Munir UZ ZAMAN Argentina and Brazil are the two most followed teams in Bangladesh, though Germany, Spain and Portugal are also popular


"The craze for Argentina is still going strong, Maradona is gone but Messi is the new superstar," said Faruq Mia, a flag hawker who came from neighbouring Narayanganj district to stock up.

Mia bought 500 flags last week, made a big profit and so needs 500 more. He will be cheering for Argentina.

Factory owner Selim Howlader expects to sell several hundred thousand flags as "World Cup fever came early in the country, months before kickoff".

"In 2014, I sold more than 80,000 flags. Most of them were sold during the World Cup or just days before kickoff. Now I am selling 2,000-2,500 big flags and 10,000 pennants a day and the World Cup is still weeks away," said the happy 33-year-old businessman.

Howlader employs 25 workers and said about 2,000 people in all are working in Merajnagar's flag factories.

- Long hours -

Messi and Neymar's teams dominate by far Howlader's order list. "Argentina and Brazil are the two most popular teams in Bangladesh," he said.

"I have even got orders to make 50-foot long Argentine flags. These two teams have the most supporters in our country. Germany, Spain and Portugal are the other popular teams."


AFP / Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV Argentina superstar Lionel Messi is Bangladesh's new favourite

Some four million people work in Bangladesh's 4,500 apparel factories, who provide billions of dollars worth of clothes to top retailers around the world.

But experts and rights groups say that while there has been progress in improving conditions for garment workers in the country, they still often face long hours, dangerous working environments and dismally low pay.

The flag boom means extra income for poor workers like Nargis Akhter, 28, and her husband Mohammad Iqbal who work in Howlader's factory.

"On an average every day we make 3,000 taka ($35)," said Iqbal. An average garment factory pays about $70 for an entire month's work -- among the world's lowest wages for such a job.

"I wish the craze for flags would go on for many more months," said Akhter, with a smile.

American literary giant Philip Roth dead at 85

American literary giant Philip Roth dead at 85
source: AFP

 GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File / Frederick M. Brown US novelist Philip Roth won most top literary honors but the coveted Nobel Literature Prize eluded him

Prolific novelist Philip Roth, a dominant force in American literature throughout the latter half of the 20th century, has died at the age of 85.

Roth's death on Tuesday, first reported by the New Yorker and The New York Times, was later confirmed by Roth's literary agent Andrew Wylie. He said the cause was congestive heart failure.

Roth won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his acclaimed novel "American Pastoral."

"I'm in a state of shock. I'm stunned and speechless. He was a truth teller," Roth's friend Judith Thurman, also a writer, said.

A prolific essayist and critic, Roth was best known for mining the Jewish-American experience in his work.

He first achieved fame for his 1969 novel "Portnoy's Complaint," about a horny teenager named Alexander Portnoy.

His titanic stature on the post-World War II literary scene came from the universality of his message -- in his own words: "I don't write Jewish, I write American."

He long managed to sustain his literary output both in terms of quality as well as quantity, as exemplified by his widely admired political trilogy that included "American Pastoral", "I Married a Communist" (1998) and "The Human Stain" (2000).

The decorated author won most top literary honors, but the coveted Nobel Literature Prize eluded him.

Being snubbed for the Nobel every year had "become a joke" for the author, said his friend French writer Josyane Savigneau on Wednesday.

"Every year we talked about it, it became funny," Savigneau said, adding that great writers such as Marcel Proust and James Joyce had also missed out on the prize.

- 'Done with fiction' -


GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File / MARK WILSON Then US President Barack Obama presents the 2010 National Humanities Medal to Roth


Philip Milton Roth was born on March 19, 1933 in Newark, New Jersey, the grandson of European Jews who were part of the 19th-century wave of immigration to the United States.

In 2012, Roth said that his most recent book, "Nemesis," published two years earlier, would be his last, after having reread all his books.

"I decided that I was done with fiction," he said.

"I don't want to read any more of it, write any more of it, and I don't even want to talk about it anymore... It's enough. I no longer feel this dedication to write what I have experienced my whole life."

Thurman said that after he stopped writing Roth spent his free time reading and swimming, and meeting friends.

"He was such a driven perfectionist, so when he felt his power ebbing, he wanted to quit at the top of his game, and he did," she said.

Roth said he was worn out in an interview this year with The New York Times.

"I was by this time no longer in possession of the mental vitality or the physical fitness needed to mount and sustain a large creative attack of any duration," Roth said.

The newspaper remembered Roth as "a passionate student of American history and the American vernacular. And more than just about any other writer of his time he was tireless in his exploration of male sexuality."

Job Vacancy For Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) Recruitment for Mooring Master Trainees

Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) is one of the worlds leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries conducting business worldwide including Nigeria.

We hereby invite applications for employment, in the position specified below from qualified candidates:

Job Title: Mooring Master Trainee

Location: Delta (Escravos)

Critical Selection Criteria

• The Mooring Master acts as Chevron representative on Export Tankers. He is the point of contact with government representatives and officials during exports to ensure efficient, coordinated export activities are achieved. Perform export tanker arrival safety inspection and ensures compliance of Export Tankers, Masters, Officers and crew with Chevron requirements.
• Document performance and condition of export tankers, prepare reports for CVX Clearance and vetting system.
• Responsible for advising Export tanker Captain, officers and crew on safe activities with the following key activities:
  • Safe pilotage/Mooring operations and export tanker approach to berths
  • Conducting safe mooring and unmooring operations
  • Safe cargo hose connecton and disconnection
  • Hold back tug connection and disconnection
  • Pre-loading activities including all check lists
  • Communication between export tanker, Terminal and hold back tug
  • All Cargo/Ballast Handling operations
  • Export paperwork, including sampling and calculations of cargo volumes
• Responsible for export tanker safe position keeping once export tanker is safely moored at Chevron Terminals. Monitor mooring system and equipment while export tankers berthed at Terminals. Supervision of Mooring Technicians during all mooring operations and hose connecton and disconnection.
• Coordination with his Supervisor on export operations planning, including:
  • Export tanker scheduling
  • Export tanker operations
  • Inward and outward clearance
  • All aspects of government and agent liaison
  • Partner requirements
  • Cargo discrepancies
  • Operational issues resolution
• Support the implementation of the Chevron Operational Excellence Management System - OEMS processes, ensures all marine operations conducted at Chevron Terminals are completed safely and in compliance with the Company Safe Operating Procedures.
• Takes a proactive role in safety and environmental management consistent with Policy 530, API RP 14C/14J guidelines, ISGOTT, OCIMF guidelines, applicable maritime regulatory requirements and accepted industry standard for safety and environmental practices.
• Monitors and supports Field HES programs including safety training , compliance reviews, near-miss/incidents investigation and reporting emergency preparedness and response spill reporting and response, safety and communications meetings and process improvement initiatives. Complies with Chevron behavioral safety principles.
• Responsible for ensuring training of new recruits and trainee Mooring Masters/Loading Masters is conducted in a timely and professional manner.

The Mooring Master shall have:

•  An unlimited Class 1 Deck License with an appropriate dangerous cargo endorsement for crude oil.
• Served in a senior capacity on board tankers > 25.000 tonnes during their sea going career for at least 36 months.
• Skill in the shiphandling of large tankers. Offshore Marine Terminal operations.
• Served for a minimum of (10) years as a Mooring Master experienced with safe berthing of tankers at offshore terminal export facilities.
• An extensive knowledge of SPM type facilities including but not limited to export operations and maintenance of all equipment and systems.
• High quality communications skills and be able to coordinate activities remotely when operating outside of normal work locations.
• Core skills associated with Bridge Resource Management are essential all Mooring Masters must be able to understand personal limitations and assess operational risk in order to develop mitigation plans.
• Capability of working a 28/28 day rotational assignment in a remote location

Qualifications

• Unlimited Ocean-Going Master Mariner license with "Dangerous Cargo" (Oil & Gas) endorsement
• Experience: A minimum of ten (10) years' experience in marine transportation, offshore terminals, mooring and cargo transfer operations

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Job Vacancy For Attorney at Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL)

Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) is one of the worlds leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries conducting business worldwide including Nigeria.

We hereby invite applications for employment, in the position specified below from qualified candidates:

Job Title: Attorney

Location: Lagos, Nigeria

Job Overview and Description

• The successful candidate for this position will work in the Legal Department and provide day-to-day advice to clients on a broad range of legal and commercial matters, be involved in negotiations and legal drafting as well as support the litigation portfolio.

Key Responsibilities
Litigation Support:

• Receives and reviews judicial and arbitral processes on behalf of CNL and other Chevron entities in Nigeria.
• Develops the preliminary assessments on litigation and arbitration involving CNL and other Chevron entities in Nigeria, and, on the strength of these assessments, makes recommendations for assignment of the matters to outside counsel.
• Develops and refines the case plans for the defense of CNL and other Chevron entities in Nigeria and obtains the requisite approvals for these case plans, working with more senior attorneys, Upstream (Corp.) Litigation, external counsel and business owners.
• Identifies potential witnesses and works with the internal team, the witnesses and outside counsel, to develop witness statements, file witness depositions in court and conduct pre-trial conferences to prepare witnesses for trial testimony.
• Works with internal teams, external counsel and business owners to develop requisite court processes to be filed in court in defense of lawsuits involving CNL and other Chevron entities in Nigeria.
• Monitors case progress to conclusion.
• Receives, reviews and responds to claims and demand letters.

Negotiation and Review of Agreements:

• Provides legal support for the drafting, review and negotiation of various types of agreements and other legal documents including: crude handling and crude lifting agreements, farm out agreements, collateral responsibility agreements, agreements for the provision of security services, pipeline and facility surveillance program agreements, memoranda of understanding, waivers, indemnities, undertakings, confidentiality agreements, etc.

Legal Advisory Services and Legal Support:

• Reviews company publications, holding statements and other press releases and presentations to be made by various persons and departments within CNL and other CVX entities in Nigeria.
• Tracks and reviews legislative bills to identify areas of likely impact on Chevron’s operations and the oil and gas industry at large.
• Reviews environmental and other monitoring reports to ensure consistency with Corp. Guidelines and applicable local laws and regulations.
• Provides other ad hoc legal support as required.

Investigations:

• Participates, as a representative of NMA Law on multi-functional investigation teams set up to investigate alleged violations of company policies.

Litigation Reporting:

• Regularly prepares various reports for different internal and external audiences such as NMA Law Management, Upstream Litigation, other recipient CVX organizations, CNL’s JV partner (NNPC-NAPIMS), etc.

Critical Selection Criteria
Job Knowledge and Technical Proficiency:

• Ability to confer with subject matter experts, confidently engage decision makers on legal issues in routine and non-routine projects, assess risks, benefits, considerations, and proffer advice.
• Demonstrated negotiation skills.
• Basic understanding of project management

Transactional/Commercial Skills:

• Proficient in the application of principles of contract law and drafting.
• Ability to review and draft routine and non-routine agreements.
• Demonstrated expertise in a variety routine and non-routine projects

Litigation or Representation:

• Proficient in the application of principles of litigation and key legal issues relating to claims.
• Provide litigation support and manage litigation portfolio.

Leadership and Communication skills:

• Ability to serve in a leadership role in vendor/partner relationships, on industry committees etc.
• Capacity to work across organizational boundaries and is able to influence outcomes and get results.
• Proactively seeks opportunities and is able to effectively prioritize gaps.
• Possesses excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to engage, instruct and supervise outside counsel as necessary to facilitate the achievement of business objectives.

Teamwork:

• Fosters cooperation on work teams.
• Collaborates across organizational boundaries
• Willingly shares knowledge and seeks to learn from others.
• Ability to handle a variety of assignments for multiple customers.

Industry/Business Knowledge and Customer Relationships:

• Demonstrated sound understanding of oil and gas industry and Chevron businesses.
• Fosters client relationships to support client business objectives.
• Developed a fundamental understanding of technical principles within business unit operating environment and how to interface with supporting disciplines.

Educational Qualification

• Bachelor of Laws Degree (Ll.B) - Minimum of Second Class Honours, Upper Division.
• Barrister at Law (B.L.) from the Nigerian Law School - Minimum of Second Class Honours, Upper Division.
• Master’s Degree will be an added advantage.

Work Experience:

• Six (6) to 8 years post call to the Nigerian Bar

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Zuckerberg to face pressure on taxes in meeting with Macron

Zuckerberg to face pressure on taxes in meeting with Macron
source: AFP

AFP / JOHN THYS Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced often hostile questions from European lawmakers this week

Fresh from saying "sorry" to European lawmakers, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg holds talks with Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday where he will face renewed pressure over his company's tax policies.

Zuckerberg apologised to the European Parliament on Tuesday for the "harm" caused by a huge breach of users' data and by a failure to crack down on fake news.

And in a sign of the increasingly hostile environment for the social media giant in Europe, he is likely to face another grilling in France which has led efforts in the EU to force US tech giants to pay more tax.

Facebook, along with Google, Apple and Amazon, are in the sights of Macron and other EU leaders over their use of low-tax countries such as Ireland to reduce their corporate tax rate to nominal levels.

Macron "is looking to start a dialogue" with tech bosses "to have discussions that will sometimes be frank and direct, to talk about regulation and international governance," an aide said.

Zuckerberg has been invited along with around 60 other tech bosses including Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Uber's Dara Khosrowshahi, IBM's Ginni Rometty, SAP's Bill McDermott and Jimmy Wales from Wikimedia.

As well as talking tax regulation and the battle against fake news, which Macron has also vowed to tackle, the 40-year-old French president will be keen to stress his pro-business credentials at the "Tech for Good" summit.

The former investment banker is desperate to attract more foreign investment to France and has vowed to turn the country into a "start-up nation."

During a brief break from politics in 2014, he travelled to California on a research trip ahead of the launch of his own start-up, which he had planned in the online learning sector.

He abandoned the idea when given an opportunity to enter the then-Socialist government, but since taking power as president last May he has consistently championed the sector -- while insisting multinationals must pay tax.

Many of the companies attending are expected to make announcements to underline their commitment to corporate social responsibility, with some initiatives focused on Africa, French presidential aides say.

After their talks at the Elysee Palace on Wednesday, the tech bosses are set to attend workshops to discuss the future of work in the afternoon and the meeting will be concluded by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.

Many of them will attend a separate event called VivaTech in Paris on Thursday.

- 'I'm sorry' -


POOL/AFP / LUDOVIC MARIN Macron has vowed to turn France into a 'start-up' nation


Speaking in Brussels in front of European lawmakers on Tuesday, Zuckerberg faced often hostile questions, with Liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt asking if he wanted to be remembered as a "genius who created a digital monster".

Zuckerberg said that while Facebook has brought in new features to connect people, it had become clear in the last two years that they "haven't done enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm".

"And that goes for fake news, foreign interference in elections or developers misusing people's information. We didn't take a broad enough view of our responsibility," he said in his opening statement.

"That was a mistake, and I'm sorry for it."

His livestreamed testimony in Brussels was the latest stop on a tour of apology for a major data breach that saw him quizzed for ten hours in the US Congress in April, and will take him to Paris on Wednesday.

Despite Macron's efforts to push his European partners into creating a new tax system for multinational tech companies, talks have stalled due to resistance from EU members such as Ireland.

Rohingya militants massacred Hindus in last year's turmoil: Amnesty

Rohingya militants massacred Hindus in last year's turmoil: Amnesty
source: AFP

AFP/File / STR The UN says Myanmar's army crackdown amounted to "ethnic cleansing" of the Rohingya, with soldiers and vigilante mobs accused of killing civilians and burning down villages. But the Rohingya militants have also been accused of abuses

Rohingya militants massacred Hindu villagers during last year's uprising in Myanmar's Rakhine, Amnesty International said Wednesday in a report that sheds fresh light on the complex ethnic rivalries in the state.

The killings took place on August 25, 2017, the report said, the same day that the Rohingya insurgents staged coordinated deadly raids on police posts that tipped the state into crisis.

Myanmar's military responded to the insurgent raids with harsh reprisals that forced some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims out of the mainly Buddhist country where they have faced persecution for years.

The UN says the army crackdown amounted to "ethnic cleansing" of the Rohingya, with soldiers and vigilante mobs accused of killing civilians and burning down villages.

But the Rohingya militants have also been accused of abuses.

Those include the mass killing of Hindus in the far north of Rakhine, where the military took reporters -- including AFP -- to witness the exhumation of putrid bodies from a shallow grave in September.

The militants, known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), denied responsibility at the time.


AFP / A policeman stands guard near the dead bodies of Hindu victims at Ye Baw Kyaw village, in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state in September 2017


But Amnesty International said Wednesday that a new investigation had confirmed the group killed 53 Hindus "execution-style" -- mostly children -- in the Kha Maung Seik village cluster in northern Maungdaw.

"Accountability for these atrocities is every bit as crucial as it is for the crimes against humanity carried out by Myanmar's security forces in northern Rakhine state," said Tirana Hassan, crisis response director at Amnesty International.

- Victims rounded up -

Citing interviews with eight survivors, the rights group said dozens of people were rounded up, blindfolded and marched out of town by masked men and Rohingya villagers in plain clothes.

"They slaughtered the men. We were told not to look at them... They had knives. They also had some spades and iron rods," 18-year-old Raj Kumari told Amnesty.


AFP/File / A Myanmar border guard walks near a mass grave discovered in violence-wracked Rakhine state in September 2017

He said he hid in the bush and watched as his father, brother and uncle were killed.

The report said that in a separate village nearby called Ye Bauk Kyar, 46 Hindu men, women and children disappeared on the same day. It cited information from local Hindus who believe they were killed by ARSA.

While Rakhine was home mainly to Buddhists and Muslims before the crisis, it also has a small but longstanding Hindu minority -- many of whom were brought in by British colonisers looking for cheap labour -- as well as several other smaller ethnic groups.

"The killers fled to Bangladesh, there are many witnesses but we have not had any justice," Hindu community leader Ni Maul told AFP from Rakhine state.

"People have less interest in these killings," he added, compared to reporting on the atrocities against the Rohingya.

Myanmar has faced a flood of international condemnation for its persecution of the Rohingya, who are stateless and have been targeted by bouts of communal violence.

The government denies any widespread abuses and has accused rights groups of a pro-Rohingya bias, while highlighting the suffering of other ethnic groups swept up in the violence.

"It is important that the international pressure on Myanmar won't favour ARSA's actions," government spokesman Zaw Htay told AFP when asked about the Amnesty report.

But David Mathieson, an independent analyst, said the report should strengthen the argument for Myanmar to allow independent investigations into the crisis.

Authorities have severely restricted media access to the conflict zone and barred UN investigators from entering the country.

"Failing to grant access to humanitarian aid workers and researchers and journalists will continue the official culture of denial, which has zero credibility in the eyes of the world," he told AFP.

Morocco's women surfers ride out waves and harassment

Morocco's women surfers ride out waves and harassment
source: AFP

 AFP / FADEL SENNA Moroccan women surfers have become increasingly common but some still face prejudice or harassment back on land

Moroccan women surfers have become a common sight as they skim the waves off the coast of the capital, Rabat, but they still can face prejudice and harassment back on land.

"It's easier in the winter because the beaches are empty," said surfer Meriem, 29, who, like most of the women surfers, wears a wetsuit.

"In the summer we suffer a lot of harassment, that's why we pay attention to what we wear."

The engineer, who took up the sport four years ago, said she's lucky to have grown up in a "tolerant" family.

For many Moroccan women from conservative backgrounds, such activities are off limits.

"Some families are ashamed that their daughters practise water sports," said Jalal Medkouri, who runs the Rabat Surf Club on the capital's popular Udayas beach.

The gentle waves nearby are ideal for beginners, but nestled at the foot of the 12th century Kasbah and easily visible from the capital's bustling touristic heart, the beach is far from discreet.

Yet some club members say attitudes are changing.

- First international women's competition -

Rim Bechar, 28, said that when she began surfing four years ago, "it was a bit more difficult".

"At first, my father accompanied me whenever I wanted to surf," she said. But now, "people are used to seeing young women in the water, it's no longer a problem."


AFP / FADEL SENNA Rim Bechar, 28, said it had become easier to surf in Morocco as a woman now than when she started out four years ago


Today, she surfs alone, stays all day and goes home without problems, she said.

Surfers first took to the waves off Morocco's Atlantic Coast in the 1960s, at the popular seaside resort of Mehdia, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the capital.

Residents say soldiers at a nearby French-American military base were the first to practise the sport there.

A handful of enthusiasts, French and Moroccan, quickly nurtured the scene, travelling further south to the lesser-known beaches of Safi and Taghazout, which later gained popularity with surfers from around the world.

The sport gradually gained Moroccan enthusiasts, including women. In September 2016, the country held its first international women's surfing contest.

- 'Provocative' dress -

But mentalities differ from beach to beach.

Despite efforts to improve the status of women in the North African country, attitudes have been slow to change.


AFP / FADEL SENNA Mentalities differ from beach to beach in Morocco about women surfing, with some more conservative than others

A United Nations study in 2017 found that nearly 72 percent of men and 78 percent of women think "women who dress provocatively deserve to be harassed".

The harassment women surfers can face in Morocco ranges from looks and comments to unwanted attempts at flirtation and attention from men.

In Mehdia, however, surf instructor Mounir said it's "no problem" for girls to surf.

Last summer "we even saw girls in bikinis on the beach and the authorities didn't say anything", he said.

Back at Udayas beach, popular with young men playing football, attitudes are more conservative.

"Girls are often harassed by the boys," Bechar said.

"At first it wasn't easy, so I decided to join a club."

The Rabat Surf Club now has more than 40 surfers, half of whom are girls, Medkouri said.

"Parents encourage their children when they feel they are in good hands," he said.

Club surfing is particularly popular among girls because the group setting cuts harassment and eases the concerns of some families.

Ikram, who also surfs there, said she hopes "all girls who were prevented by their father or brother from doing what they want will follow this path".

"Surfing makes you dynamic," she said.

US staffer suffers brain injury after 'sound' incident in China

US staffer suffers brain injury after 'sound' incident in China
source: AFP

 POOL/AFP/File / FENG LI US and Chinese authorities are investigating the matter, an embassy spokeswoman said

The US embassy in China issued a health alert Wednesday after a US government employee experienced an "abnormal" sound and suffered a mild brain injury -- in an incident reminiscent of a mysterious illness that hit diplomats in Cuba.

US and Chinese authorities are investigating the matter after the employee, who was assigned to the southern city of Guangzhou, was diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), said embassy spokeswoman Jinnie Lee.

In an alert emailed to US citizens in China, the embassy said it does not know what caused the symptoms or of any similar situations in the country.

In Cuba last year, the US disclosed that 24 diplomats and their family members had fallen victim to an unsolved mysterious attack that left them with injuries resembling brain trauma. Ten Canadian diplomats and their relatives also suffered a strange illness.

"We cannot at this time connect it with what happened in Havana but we are investigating all possibilities," a US embassy official in Beijing told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

The embassy's health alert says the government employee "recently reported subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure".

"The US government is taking these reports seriously and has informed its official staff in China of this event," the message says.

"While in China, if you experience any unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises, do not attempt to locate their source. Instead, move to a location where the sounds are not present," it says, urging people with medical problems to consult a doctor.

Lee said the employee experienced "a variety of physical symptoms" between late 2017 through April 2018. The person was sent to the United States and diagnosed with MTBI on May 18.

"The (State) Department is taking this incident very seriously and is working to determine the cause and impact of the incident," Lee said.

"The Chinese government has assured us they are also investigating and taking appropriate measures."

The Chinese foreign ministry could not be immediately reached for comment.

- Cuban case -

In Cuba, the American victims had associated the onset of their symptoms with "unusual sounds or auditory sensations", a State Department physician told the US Senate in January.

Charles Rosenfarb, a doctor and director of the State Department bureau of medical services, said the symptoms were mixed but consistent with brain trauma.

The victims suffered headaches, hearing loss, disorientation and some loss of cognitive ability.

Initially officials suspected the Americans had been targeted by some sort of acoustic weapon, although in public senior officials were more cautious, speaking of "health attacks". Media reports have suggested that the FBI has not been able to verify any evidence to support the sonic weapon theory.

The US government has held Cuba responsible, arguing that Raul Castro's authoritarian state must have either carried out the assaults or at least known who was behind them.

The incident prompted the United States last year to withdraw more than half of its personnel at the embassy in Havana, which reopened in 2015 as the two nations re-established diplomatic relations that had ruptured in 1961.

Canada announced last month that it was bringing home the families of its diplomats in Cuba after a year-long investigation into the illness failed to reveal a cause.

"The cause (of their symptoms) remains unknown but could be human-made," the Canadian government concluded.

Canadian and US authorities had initially suspected a "sonic attack" or a "mass psychosomatic incident", but those are "now considered unlikely", a senior Canadian official said.

The symptoms included dizziness, headaches and a lack of ability to concentrate.

Unlike their American counterparts, however, no Canadian envoy reported hearing any suspicious sound prior to falling ill.

N. Korea preps nuclear site demolition despite US summit doubts

N. Korea preps nuclear site demolition despite US summit doubts
source: AFP

CNES/AFP / HO North Korea plans to destroy its nuclear test facility as a goodwill gesture

Invited foreign journalists began a long journey up North Korea's east coast Wednesday to witness the slated destruction of the reclusive regime's nuclear test site, a high profile gesture on the road to a summit with the US that Donald Trump now says might not happen.

In a surprise announcement Pyongyang said earlier this month that it planned to "completely" destroy the Punggye-ri facility in the country's northeast, a move welcomed by Washington and Seoul.

Punggye-ri has been the staging ground for all six of the North's nuclear tests, including its latest and by far most powerful one in September last year, which Pyongyang said was an H-bomb.

The demolition is due to take place sometime between Thursday and Friday, depending on the weather.

The North has portrayed the move as a goodwill gesture ahead of a planned June 12 summit between Kim and Trump in Singapore.


AFP / Gal ROMA North Korea missile and nuclear sites


But doubts have since been cast by both sides on whether that historic meeting will take place.

Last week Pyongyang threatened to pull out if Washington pressed for its unilateral nuclear disarmament. Trump also said the meeting could be delayed as he met with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in in Washington on Tuesday.

"There are certain conditions we want to happen. I think we'll get those conditions. And if we don't, we won't have the meeting," he told reporters, without elaborating on what those conditions might be.

- Sharp differences -

Politically, Trump has invested heavily in the success of the planned summit, and so privately most US officials, as well as outside observers, believe it will go ahead.

But as the date draws near, the differences between the two sides are coming into sharp relief.


AFP / STR A commemorative coin struck by the White House Communications Agency ahead of the June 12 summit

Washington has made it clear it wants to see the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" of the North.

Pyongyang has vowed it will never give up its nuclear deterrence until it feels safe from what it terms US aggression.

Observers will be watching this week's demolition ceremony closely for any clues to the North's intentions.

Experts are divided over whether the demolition will render the site useless. Sceptics say the site has already outlived its usefulness with six successful nuclear tests in the bag and can be quickly rebuilt if needed.

Previous similar gestures by the North were rapidly reversed when the international mood soured.

But others say the fact that North Korea agreed to destroy the site without preconditions or asking for something in return from Washington suggests Pyongyang's sincerity.

- 'Game of chicken' -

Go Myong-hyun, an analyst at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said both sides were playing "a game of chicken" in the run-up to the summit "to gain an upper hand in negotiations".

He said the destruction of the site would win Pyongyang international sympathy even if the summit collapses.


AFP / Ed JONES North Korea has said it will not give up its nuclear weapons until it feels safe from what it says is US aggression


"North Korea can say to the international community that it did its best to achieve denuclearisation through negotiations but was pressured by the United States and couldn't do it," he said.

A handful of foreign journalists from China, the US, Britain, Russia and South Korea were invited to attend the demolition ceremony.

They set off from the North Korean city of Wonsan on Wednesday around 0800 GMT, according to tweets from some of the journalists within the group.

They are expected to travel for some 20 hours by train, bus and finally a short hike to the remote test site -- a vivid illustration of the impoverished country's notoriously decrepit transport infrastructure.

The South Korean journalists were only allowed to attend at the last minute by Pyongyang on Wednesday.

Seoul scrambled a government passenger jet to ferry them to Wonsan -- a rare direct flight between the two countries.

Agence France-Presse is one of a number of major media organisations not invited to cover the demolition.

On Seoul's streets Wednesday, South Koreans were circumspect about whether they thought Pyongyang was genuine.

"I don't really have any faith," said Korean-American businessman Peter Chung. "But... I hope for the best."