Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Wonder Woman dropped from UN ambassador role after protests
Wonder Woman has been dropped from her role as an honorary ambassador for the UN working on behalf of women and girls.
The decision to drop the scantily clad, curvaceous comic book superhero within two months of her appointment came after nearly 45,000 people signed an online petition in protest at her appointment.
The petition asked UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to reconsider her selection as a way to help the fight for equality for women and girls worldwide during 2017.
The petition said: "Although the original creators may have intended Wonder Woman to represent a strong and independent 'warrior' woman with a feminist message, the reality is that the character's current iteration is that of a large breasted, white woman of impossible proportions."
A UN spokesman, who explained campaigns using fictional characters often went on for a few months only, said the character's role at the 193-member state organisation will now end on Friday.
Her tenure looked uncertain even on the day of her appointment in October when dozens of UN employees protested against it at the UN Headquarters in New York.
DC Entertainment, which publishes DC Comics, said it was pleased that the UN had wanted to use Wonder Woman as a way of trying to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls by 2030.
"Wonder Woman stands for peace, justice and equality, and for 75 years she has been a motivating force for many and will continue to be long after the conclusion of her UN Honorary Ambassadorship," said Courtney Simmons, from DC Entertainment.
Wonder Woman first appeared in DC Comics in 1941 as a heroine fighting villains, rescuing victims and unearthing evil plots.
A full-length Wonder Woman film, unconnected with the UN campaign, is due out next year, with Israeli actress Gal Gadot in the starring role.
Russian hackers 'probably swayed Brexit vote', says Ben Bradshaw MP
Russian hackers "probably" swayed the EU referendum vote in favour of Brexit, a former Labour minister has claimed in the Commons.
Leading Remain campaigner Ben Bradshaw questioned the validity of the result in June, claiming people were underestimating the extent of cyber warfare by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
His extraordinary claim came in an emergency Commons debate on the latest developments in Syria, where President Bashar Assad's Russian-backed forces have been storming the city of Aleppo.
But his allegation was given short shrift by Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman, who responded: "I have not come across any evidence that Russian cyber warfare was used to influence the referendum."
Mr Bradshaw, dismissed as a "Remoaner" by Leave campaigners, told MPs: "I don't think we have even begun to wake up to what Russia is doing when it comes to cyber warfare.
"Not only their interference, now proven, in the American presidential campaign, probably in our own referendum last year."
He added: "We don't have the evidence for that yet, but I think it's highly probable.
"Certainly in the French presidential election, they will be involved, and there are already serious concerns in the German secret service that Russia is already interfering in the elections coming up.
"We've got to wake up to this."
Earlier this week, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said there was "a disturbing pattern" of allegations against Russia around cyber warfare.
He pointed to examples in Bulgaria, the referendum in the Netherlands and its continuing pressure on the Baltic states.
But Mrs May's spokesman said on Mr Bradshaw's claim: "The referendum was run in this country, it was a very clear vote and we are now getting on with delivering on the will of the people to take Britain out of the European Union."
Leading Remain campaigner Ben Bradshaw questioned the validity of the result in June, claiming people were underestimating the extent of cyber warfare by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
His extraordinary claim came in an emergency Commons debate on the latest developments in Syria, where President Bashar Assad's Russian-backed forces have been storming the city of Aleppo.
But his allegation was given short shrift by Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman, who responded: "I have not come across any evidence that Russian cyber warfare was used to influence the referendum."
Mr Bradshaw, dismissed as a "Remoaner" by Leave campaigners, told MPs: "I don't think we have even begun to wake up to what Russia is doing when it comes to cyber warfare.
"Not only their interference, now proven, in the American presidential campaign, probably in our own referendum last year."
He added: "We don't have the evidence for that yet, but I think it's highly probable.
"Certainly in the French presidential election, they will be involved, and there are already serious concerns in the German secret service that Russia is already interfering in the elections coming up.
"We've got to wake up to this."
Earlier this week, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said there was "a disturbing pattern" of allegations against Russia around cyber warfare.
He pointed to examples in Bulgaria, the referendum in the Netherlands and its continuing pressure on the Baltic states.
But Mrs May's spokesman said on Mr Bradshaw's claim: "The referendum was run in this country, it was a very clear vote and we are now getting on with delivering on the will of the people to take Britain out of the European Union."
Pro-Assad forces execute dozens of civilians in sweep through rebel-held Aleppo, says U.N.
BEIRUT — Dozens of people were executed by Syrian government loyalists sweeping through the remaining opposition-held districts of Aleppo, where rebels are battling for survival after being pushed into a last sliver of territory, the United Nations said Tuesday.
Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. human rights council, said his office in Geneva received reports that pro-government forces had killed at least 82 civilians, entering homes and killing people “on the spot.”
Others were reportedly shot as they fled. A list of names provided to the U.N. included 11 women and 13 children, he said.
The reports of civilian executions and apparent house-by-house rampages by Syrian forces reflected the chaos gripping the strategic northern city as Syrian forces and allies — including Iranian-backed militias — have steadily pushed rebels into a corner over the past week.
“A complete meltdown of humanity in Aleppo,” said Jens Laerke, the U.N. humanitarian spokesman, citing reports from a Syrian volunteer relief group known as the White Helmets.
“It’s hell,” added Laerke.
A full rebel defeat in Aleppo would be a significant blow to factions that have fought the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the more than five-year conflict. Aleppo’s fall would not likely end the fighting in Syria, but it would hand a major battlefield prize to Assad and his backers, including Russian military forces that have come to his aid.
[Cries from embattled Aleppo: “No place now to go”]
International aid agencies urged government forces to refrain from acts of revenge against people who either escape rebel-held areas or are captured there.
“Thousands of civilians lives are in danger as front lines close in around them,” said a statement from the International Committee of the Red Cross.
A deepening humanitarian catastrophe and further loss of life can be averted only if the basic rules of warfare — and of humanity — are applied.”
When rebel forces seized Aleppo’s eastern districts in 2012, they envisaged the area as a seat of power to rival the capital, Damascus. Its loss, now inevitable, will deal a crushing blow from which the armed groups will be unable to recover.
Almost a month after pro-Assad troops launched a final push to take back the city, the rebels’ collapse came swiftly. By late afternoon Monday, their final districts were falling like dominoes, sparking jubilation in the streets of some government-held areas.
Rebel forces have regularly shelled west Aleppo, and the presence of an al-Qaeda-linked group in Syria’s armed rebellion has led many government supporters to view all militants as terrorists.
Thousands of civilians have escaped the last handful of neighborhoods still controlled by the rebels. In fierce fighting overnight, the remaining rebels managed to stave off further government advances.
Syrian state television showed thousands of people streaming into the government-held part of the city clutching possessions and bags.
But when the sun rose Tuesday, the fighting appeared to have slowed as rain and thunderstorms made it difficult for warplanes to fly.
In a video posted to the livestreaming site Periscope, Abdulkafi al-Hamdo, an English teacher, addressed viewers from an empty street. “Now it is raining. Bombs a little bit calmer,” he said. “We wanted freedom. We didn’t want anything else but freedom. You know, this world doesn’t like freedom it seems.”
Thousands more were still trapped in the rebel held areas, refusing to leave because they fear for their safety at the hands of government troops, said Zouhir al-Shimale, an activist who is still living under rebel control.
“We’re in a very tiny area and there are so many families stuck here,” he said. “Either they can’t leave because they are wanted by the government or they don’t want to leave because this is their home.”
Friends who escaped to the east have told him that men who leave are being separated from the others who are fleeing and taken to serve in the depleted Syrian army, one of the reasons he is not leaving the enclave.
In Berlin, French President Francois Hollande repeated Western appeals for Russia to help create a humanitarian aid for civilians trapped in Aleppo.
Hollande, after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Aleppo’s “humanitarian situation ... is unacceptable.”
Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.
Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. human rights council, said his office in Geneva received reports that pro-government forces had killed at least 82 civilians, entering homes and killing people “on the spot.”
Others were reportedly shot as they fled. A list of names provided to the U.N. included 11 women and 13 children, he said.
The reports of civilian executions and apparent house-by-house rampages by Syrian forces reflected the chaos gripping the strategic northern city as Syrian forces and allies — including Iranian-backed militias — have steadily pushed rebels into a corner over the past week.
“A complete meltdown of humanity in Aleppo,” said Jens Laerke, the U.N. humanitarian spokesman, citing reports from a Syrian volunteer relief group known as the White Helmets.
“It’s hell,” added Laerke.
A full rebel defeat in Aleppo would be a significant blow to factions that have fought the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the more than five-year conflict. Aleppo’s fall would not likely end the fighting in Syria, but it would hand a major battlefield prize to Assad and his backers, including Russian military forces that have come to his aid.
[Cries from embattled Aleppo: “No place now to go”]
International aid agencies urged government forces to refrain from acts of revenge against people who either escape rebel-held areas or are captured there.
“Thousands of civilians lives are in danger as front lines close in around them,” said a statement from the International Committee of the Red Cross.
A deepening humanitarian catastrophe and further loss of life can be averted only if the basic rules of warfare — and of humanity — are applied.”
When rebel forces seized Aleppo’s eastern districts in 2012, they envisaged the area as a seat of power to rival the capital, Damascus. Its loss, now inevitable, will deal a crushing blow from which the armed groups will be unable to recover.
Almost a month after pro-Assad troops launched a final push to take back the city, the rebels’ collapse came swiftly. By late afternoon Monday, their final districts were falling like dominoes, sparking jubilation in the streets of some government-held areas.
Rebel forces have regularly shelled west Aleppo, and the presence of an al-Qaeda-linked group in Syria’s armed rebellion has led many government supporters to view all militants as terrorists.
Thousands of civilians have escaped the last handful of neighborhoods still controlled by the rebels. In fierce fighting overnight, the remaining rebels managed to stave off further government advances.
Syrian state television showed thousands of people streaming into the government-held part of the city clutching possessions and bags.
But when the sun rose Tuesday, the fighting appeared to have slowed as rain and thunderstorms made it difficult for warplanes to fly.
In a video posted to the livestreaming site Periscope, Abdulkafi al-Hamdo, an English teacher, addressed viewers from an empty street. “Now it is raining. Bombs a little bit calmer,” he said. “We wanted freedom. We didn’t want anything else but freedom. You know, this world doesn’t like freedom it seems.”
Thousands more were still trapped in the rebel held areas, refusing to leave because they fear for their safety at the hands of government troops, said Zouhir al-Shimale, an activist who is still living under rebel control.
“We’re in a very tiny area and there are so many families stuck here,” he said. “Either they can’t leave because they are wanted by the government or they don’t want to leave because this is their home.”
Friends who escaped to the east have told him that men who leave are being separated from the others who are fleeing and taken to serve in the depleted Syrian army, one of the reasons he is not leaving the enclave.
In Berlin, French President Francois Hollande repeated Western appeals for Russia to help create a humanitarian aid for civilians trapped in Aleppo.
Hollande, after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Aleppo’s “humanitarian situation ... is unacceptable.”
Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.
Trump chooses oil boss Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State
Donald Trump has chosen oil boss Rex Tillerson as his Secretary of State.
The ExxonMobil chairman and chief executive was described as "one of the truly great business leaders of the world" by the US President-elect in a tweet announcing his decision.
Mr Trump's office said Mr Tillerson would be a "forceful and clear-eyed advocate for America's vital national interests, and help reverse years of misguided foreign policies and actions that have weakened America's security and standing in the world".
Mr Tillerson, 64, has held the top jobs at ExxonMobil since 2006 and was due to retire in March under the company's policy, which sees employees retire at 65.
The Texan trained as an engineer and has never worked in government so, while he may be experienced at reaching business deals with other nations, he has no experience working with them as a diplomat.
:: Who else will be in Donald Trump's cabinet?
He is also likely to face a tough confirmation process before the Senate, with issues likely to include his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his views on climate change.
He first met Mr Putin in the 1990s while supervising an Exxon project on the Russian island of Sakhalin and they became closer after Mr Putin took over from Boris Yeltsin in December 1999.
In 2011, a deal was signed between ExxonMobil and Russia's public energy giant Rosneft to explore and drill in the Arctic and Siberia, a deal that could generate hundreds of billions of pounds.
But after Russia's 2014 incursion into Crimea, US sanctions forced ExxonMobil to scrap some projects and put the Rosneft deal on hold.
During a shareholders' meeting that year, Mr Tillerson voiced his frustration, saying: "We always encourage the people who are making those decisions to consider the very broad collateral damage of who are they really harming with sanctions."
Mr Tillerson has previously acknowledged that the Earth's climate is changing, the average temperature is rising and greenhouse gases are increasing.
But he has also said that climate remains a complex area of scientific study and, despite an increase in energy production from fracking in the US, he has resisted cutting investment in the search for new oil wells.
In 2011, he warned that, should the US step back, a "large consuming country" such as China could "step into that void".
ExxonMobil's scientists recognised climate change as early as the 1970s, according to recently leaked internal documents, and some US states are suing the oil company for allegedly deceiving the public about the role of fossil fuels in global warming.
Mr Tillerson's views on foreign policy are not well known, apart from his support for free trade and American engagement in the Middle East, neither of which fit with Mr Trump's campaign pitches.
After the Iraq War, ExxonMobil agreed to develop a large project in southern Iraq on terms less favourable to the company than most of its other deals.
Mr Tillerson was paid $27.3m (£21.5m) last year and has approximately $160m (£126m) in Exxon stock and $149m (£117m) in uninvested stock options, according to a statement filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Holding these shares could pose a conflict of interest because decisions he might make as Secretary of State - dropping sanctions against Russia, for example - would likely influence that share price.
Mr Tillerson has beat eight or nine contenders for the secretary of state role, including former CIA director David Petraeus, former UN ambassador John Bolton, Senate Foreign Relations chairman Bob Corker and one-time Trump critic and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
The ExxonMobil chairman and chief executive was described as "one of the truly great business leaders of the world" by the US President-elect in a tweet announcing his decision.
Mr Trump's office said Mr Tillerson would be a "forceful and clear-eyed advocate for America's vital national interests, and help reverse years of misguided foreign policies and actions that have weakened America's security and standing in the world".
Mr Tillerson, 64, has held the top jobs at ExxonMobil since 2006 and was due to retire in March under the company's policy, which sees employees retire at 65.
The Texan trained as an engineer and has never worked in government so, while he may be experienced at reaching business deals with other nations, he has no experience working with them as a diplomat.
:: Who else will be in Donald Trump's cabinet?
He is also likely to face a tough confirmation process before the Senate, with issues likely to include his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his views on climate change.
He first met Mr Putin in the 1990s while supervising an Exxon project on the Russian island of Sakhalin and they became closer after Mr Putin took over from Boris Yeltsin in December 1999.
In 2011, a deal was signed between ExxonMobil and Russia's public energy giant Rosneft to explore and drill in the Arctic and Siberia, a deal that could generate hundreds of billions of pounds.
But after Russia's 2014 incursion into Crimea, US sanctions forced ExxonMobil to scrap some projects and put the Rosneft deal on hold.
During a shareholders' meeting that year, Mr Tillerson voiced his frustration, saying: "We always encourage the people who are making those decisions to consider the very broad collateral damage of who are they really harming with sanctions."
Mr Tillerson has previously acknowledged that the Earth's climate is changing, the average temperature is rising and greenhouse gases are increasing.
But he has also said that climate remains a complex area of scientific study and, despite an increase in energy production from fracking in the US, he has resisted cutting investment in the search for new oil wells.
In 2011, he warned that, should the US step back, a "large consuming country" such as China could "step into that void".
ExxonMobil's scientists recognised climate change as early as the 1970s, according to recently leaked internal documents, and some US states are suing the oil company for allegedly deceiving the public about the role of fossil fuels in global warming.
Mr Tillerson's views on foreign policy are not well known, apart from his support for free trade and American engagement in the Middle East, neither of which fit with Mr Trump's campaign pitches.
After the Iraq War, ExxonMobil agreed to develop a large project in southern Iraq on terms less favourable to the company than most of its other deals.
Mr Tillerson was paid $27.3m (£21.5m) last year and has approximately $160m (£126m) in Exxon stock and $149m (£117m) in uninvested stock options, according to a statement filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Holding these shares could pose a conflict of interest because decisions he might make as Secretary of State - dropping sanctions against Russia, for example - would likely influence that share price.
Mr Tillerson has beat eight or nine contenders for the secretary of state role, including former CIA director David Petraeus, former UN ambassador John Bolton, Senate Foreign Relations chairman Bob Corker and one-time Trump critic and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
Argos drivers' strike threatens 'mayhem' days before Christmas
Drivers who deliver goods for Argos are set to go on strike just days before Christmas in a dispute over pay.
The union said the three-day walkout from next Tuesday threatened "mayhem" for Christmas deliveries.
Argos said it had contingency plans in place and was working to prevent deliveries from being disrupted.
Members of Unite employed by Wincanton - a separate company - at a national distribution centre in Staffordshire are engaged in a dispute over holiday back pay.
Unite regional officer Rick Coyle said: "This strike by our members will cause havoc and mayhem to deliveries to Argos shoppers in the run-up to Christmas.
"There will be a lot of very unhappy Argos customers, if they don't receive the iPhones, TVs and white goods that they have ordered as presents for relatives this Christmas."
He said strike dates were only being announced as a last resort and that "Unite's door is open 24/7 to try and settle this long-standing dispute".
Argos said: "We would encourage both sides to keep talking with the aim of coming to a swift resolution.
"We also have contingency plans in place and can reassure customers we're working hard to ensure this will not impact our deliveries this Christmas."
The strike adds to the industrial chaos in the run-up to 25 December with hundreds of thousands of passengers being hit by action on the Southern rail network and Post Office workers planning a walkout next week.
Unite said the dispute centred on how holiday pay is calculated after legal cases established that overtime and extra shift payments should be taken into account.
It said managers at Wincanton had offered to backdate additional pay to April, while it maintains this should go back at least two years, and that each driver is owed an average £700.
Wincanton said: "We are disappointed with Unite's announcement given that at Unite's request we already have a meeting scheduled tomorrow morning with ACAS to resolve the issue."
It said it had already agreed to change holiday pay calculations in a way that exceeds its obligations in line with recent rulings and guidance.
The company added that it was committed to ongoing dialogue with the union.
Donald Trump delays decision over running of business empire
Donald Trump has postponed a long-awaited announcement on plans for his business interests when he becomes US President.
The President-elect has been under pressure to step away from his sprawling property and licensing empire to avoid possible conflicts of interest.
He had been due to detail his plans on Thursday - in what would have been his first news conference since winning the White House on 8 November.
Mr Trump hinted at his intentions last month when he tweeted: "While I am not mandated to do this under the law, I feel it is visually important, as President, to in no way have a conflict of interest with my various businesses.
"Hence, legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. The Presidency is a far more important task."
In a TV interview on Sunday he repeated an earlier suggestion that he will hand day-to-day control of the Trump Organisation to his three older children.
He told Fox News Sunday: "Essentially, I'm not going to have anything to do with the management.
"When I ran, everybody knew I was a very big owner of real estate all over the world.
"I mean, I'm not going to have anything to do with the management of the company. I'm not going to be doing deals at all."
Mr Trump has faced questions over his holdings, which include hotels, golf courses, a business licensing the Trump name for use around the world and royalties from the television show The Apprentice.
No new date has been given for the news conference, but it is due to take place at some point in January.
Spokesman Sean Spicer said the announcement was being delayed so the President-elect could focus on recruiting his Cabinet.
He said: "With so many iconic properties and successful entities, moving the announcement to January ensures the proper protocols are put in place so his sole focus will remain on the country and achieving his ambitious agenda."
Meanwhile, Mr Trump tweeted that he would finally be naming his choice for secretary of state on Tuesday - with ExxonMobil boss Rex Tillerson tipped to replace John Kerry as America's top diplomat.
Mr Tillerson - who has worked closely with Vladimir Putin on oil and gas exploration - could be a controversial nominee at a time when US intelligence sources are accusing Russian hackers of intervening on Mr Trump's behalf during the election campaign.
The top two Republicans in congress - Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan - have risked the President-elect's wrath by backing calls for investigations into the alleged attacks.
The President-elect has been under pressure to step away from his sprawling property and licensing empire to avoid possible conflicts of interest.
He had been due to detail his plans on Thursday - in what would have been his first news conference since winning the White House on 8 November.
Mr Trump hinted at his intentions last month when he tweeted: "While I am not mandated to do this under the law, I feel it is visually important, as President, to in no way have a conflict of interest with my various businesses.
"Hence, legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. The Presidency is a far more important task."
In a TV interview on Sunday he repeated an earlier suggestion that he will hand day-to-day control of the Trump Organisation to his three older children.
He told Fox News Sunday: "Essentially, I'm not going to have anything to do with the management.
"When I ran, everybody knew I was a very big owner of real estate all over the world.
"I mean, I'm not going to have anything to do with the management of the company. I'm not going to be doing deals at all."
Mr Trump has faced questions over his holdings, which include hotels, golf courses, a business licensing the Trump name for use around the world and royalties from the television show The Apprentice.
No new date has been given for the news conference, but it is due to take place at some point in January.
Spokesman Sean Spicer said the announcement was being delayed so the President-elect could focus on recruiting his Cabinet.
He said: "With so many iconic properties and successful entities, moving the announcement to January ensures the proper protocols are put in place so his sole focus will remain on the country and achieving his ambitious agenda."
Meanwhile, Mr Trump tweeted that he would finally be naming his choice for secretary of state on Tuesday - with ExxonMobil boss Rex Tillerson tipped to replace John Kerry as America's top diplomat.
Mr Tillerson - who has worked closely with Vladimir Putin on oil and gas exploration - could be a controversial nominee at a time when US intelligence sources are accusing Russian hackers of intervening on Mr Trump's behalf during the election campaign.
The top two Republicans in congress - Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan - have risked the President-elect's wrath by backing calls for investigations into the alleged attacks.
Brexit may take longer than two years to finalise, Hammond warns
Philip Hammond says the UK's future relationship with the EU may not be fully determined by the deadline for Brexit.
The Chancellor told MPs there is an "emerging view" among businesses, regulators and some politicians that the two-year timeframe after Article 50 is triggered may not be long enough to reach a "clear and firm end state".
Giving evidence at the Treasury Select Committee, he suggested a transitional deal may be required to prevent a sudden "cliff edge" change in trade arrangements which could cause financial instability both in the UK and across the continent.
"Having a longer period to manage the adjustment between where we are now as full members of the European Union and where we get to in the future as a result of the negotiations that we will be conducting would be generally helpful, would tend towards a smoother transition and would run less risks of disruption," Mr Hammond said.
Article 50 is the formal process for leaving the EU, and Theresa May has promised to invoke it by the end of March 2017 - sparking a strict two-year countdown for the UK to negotiate a settlement with the trading bloc.
The business sector and the City in particular have expressed concern about what would happen if this deadline was missed, especially if the UK also quits the single market.
Mr Hammond's remarks follow a leaked memo that suggested Brexit Secretary David Davis was "not really interested" in a transitional deal.
A spokesman for the Department for Exiting the EU insisted the document did not "properly reflect" his views or Government policy, and added that Mr Davis was "looking at all options" to deliver a smooth and orderly departure from the European Union.
Stephen Kinnock, a Labour MP who supports the Open Britain group campaigning for a "soft Brexit" deal, described the Chancellor's acknowledgment that a transitional deal may be required as "encouraging".
He added: "There is a growing consensus that agreeing a new trading relationship between Britain and Europe may take much longer than the two years specified by Article 50.
"Not signing a transitional arrangement would mean punishing tariffs which would hit British businesses and raise prices in the shops."
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