Question:
PRIME Minister Andrew Holness says his Administration is committed to bringing the homicide rate down, but argues that the high number of murders facing the country now did not happen overnight.

In his new year's message to the nation, he pointed out that in the 1980s there were 4,870 murders and that by the decade of the 1990s this increased to 7,621.

By the year 2000, even with the formation of various special squads and units, murders skyrocketed to 13,418 he outlined, adding that, “this past decade, 2010 to 2019, has seen a reduction in murders to 12,698”.

Up to December 28, there were 1,326 murders recorded for 2019, with 26 of them within a week, 3.4 per cent more than 2018. Other serious and violent crimes increased by 2.9 per cent in 2019, equating to 98 more such incidents over the previous year.

“The level of crime we are now experiencing is over and above the capacity of our existing security apparatus to manage. While the crime and murder numbers have grown over the past four decades, successive governments have not increased the national security budget apace, or kept abreast with technology, or increased the number of investigators and other critical capabilities commensurately, or effectively controlled corrupt activity in the force,” the prime minister said.

He said that it is only in this last decade that serious policy and legislative reforms have been undertaken and that “all Jamaicans should take hope that, with sound policy, programmes and plans we can reduce murders”.

However, he stressed that it will take a long-term concerted commitment to stick with the plan.

Furthermore, he said political disunity has not helped with the crime problem. “Gamesmanship over crime-fighting and national security policy have real effects on our lives,” he said, arguing that the lack of support from the Opposition for the continuation of the states of emergency had resulted in a break for the first four months of 2019, and an unusual spike in homicides in November.

At the same time, he expressed confidence in the Government's plan to secure the country.

“Jamaica is engaged in building a national security architecture fit for the times that will deal with domestic threats, but will also deal effectively with our air and maritime space and borders, in addition to securing our cyber domain which is becoming more important as the world becomes digital. All of this cannot be done overnight or even in two years. It takes a year and a half to procure equipment, at least two years in some cases to draft and pass legislation, several years to train up a seasoned investigator and other skilled law enforcement operators,” said the prime minister. He said much of this is now being done and the Government will be intensifying efforts to bring these reforms and investments more quickly to fruition.

In a December 30 statement, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, Jamaica Manufacturers' and Exporters Association, and Jamaica Chamber of Commerce reminded the political directorate that dealing with the issues related to the safety and right to life of our citizenry is non-negotiable. “We ask every Jamaican to join us in holding Government and Opposition accountable and demand the removal of partisan agendas on this topic,” the organisations stated.

Holness noted that in the new fiscal year the largest allocation of $5.28 billion will go towards equipping the police force with cutting-edge technology to enhance its ability to detect, record, respond and prevent crimes.

“The JCF [Jamaica Constabulary Force] will receive the first set of purpose-built police cars fitted with tracking devices and onboard computers,” he said, adding that the police's radio and communication system is being improved, and that the implementation of the long talked about electronic station diary will begin.

Along with administrative and operational improvements, already the country is seeing the impact on the number and quality of cases being brought before the court to secure convictions, he told the nation.

Meanwhile, Holness said “many great things” happened in 2019, including record low inflation, successful completion of the International Monetary Fund programme, record fall in debt to gross domestic product ratio, the removal of the minimum business tax, longest period of consecutive growth (19 quarters) reduced transfer tax, and more resources for the police and military.

He noted that there were also record tourism arrivals and earnings, launch of the tourism workers' pension fund, as well as major road and infrastructure development.

In addition, he pointed to the increased suite of benefits under the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education, and the merger of the HEART Trust, Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning, National Youth Service, and the Apprenticeship Board, to create a comprehensive and effective human capital development agency.

We happily welcome the clear vision of 2020, embracing this New Year for all; the potential and promise it holds and we give God thanks for sparing our lives to see yet another decade. We remember those who left us last year, like our former Prime Minister Edward Seaga and many other of our loved ones, heroes and benefactors.

We give God thanks for their lives and stand on their contribution to overcome the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities of the New Year.

It pains my heart that many of our brothers and sisters, and our children were deprived of seeing 2020 due to violence. This is a social epidemic and requires national consensus around the use of emergency powers to bring the disease under control.

My Government is committed to bringing the murder rate down. The target set in the Social Partnership approximates the regional average of 16 murders per hundred thousand of population within the near term.

Unfortunately, there are those among us that appear to accept the high level of crime and violence as normal. Political disunity and gamesmanship over crime fighting and national security policy have real effects on our lives. Lack of support from the Opposition resulted in a break in the SOEs for the first four months of 2019, and an unusual spike in homicides in November, which meant that we ended 2019 approximately 3.4% higher in homicides than 2018 when we saw a record decline of 22%.

While the SOEs have been very effective when and where we have been able to use them, we have used the space they create to build the capacity of our National Security apparatus to respond to the current level of crime and violence in the society. This Fiscal Year will see, the largest allocation of JA$5.28 Billion dollars to equip the police force with cutting-edge technology to enhance their ability to detect, record, respond and prevent crimes in the society. This year, the JCF will receive the first set of purpose-built police cars fitted with tracking devices and onboard computers. The JCF’s radio and communication system is being improved, the long talked about electronic station diary will start implementation, and police stations right across Jamaica are being refurbished, or built a new.

Several administrative and operational improvements are being undertaken internally, greater emphasis and resources are being targeted at the investigative and intelligence capacity of the Force. While these transformational actions are not yet mature, already we are seeing the impact on the number and quality of cases being brought before the court to secure convictions. The police have over 13 major gang cases in various stages to come before the courts. Using the space created by the SOEs, the JCF and MOCA continue the long, hard and tedious work of intelligence gathering and investigations as they build cases and make arrests using regular police powers and conventional methods.

Your Government recognizes the importance of social intervention in breaking the cycle of violence and crime, particularly at the community level and we intend to spend significantly on intervening in some of the social conditions underpinning crime and violence. After more than 20 years of experience with social intervention programmes, the lesson learnt is that such interventions have to occur in parallel and coordinated with security intervention. The Zones of Special Operations were designed to provide a security environment within which social intervention could be maximized. The Mount Salem and Denham Town pilot zones have been a success and this year we will have resources in place to declare other areas as Zones of Special Operations. Ultimately, we will take back Jamaica from the criminals, community by community.

Jamaica’s high homicide rate did not happen overnight. In the decade of the 80s; 4,870 murders were committed in Jamaica, by the decade of the 90s this increased to 7,621 murders, and by decade of the 2000s, even with the formation of various special squads and units, murders skyrocketed to 13,418. This past decade, 2010 to 2019 has seen a reduction in murders to 12,698.

The level of crime we are now experiencing is over and above the capacity of our existing security apparatus to manage. While the crime and murder numbers have grown over the past 4 decades:

* successive governments have not increased the national security budget apace,

* or kept abreast with technology,

* or increased the number of investigators and other critical capabilities commensurately,

* or effectively controlled corrupt activity in the force.

It is only in this last decade that any serious policy and legislative reforms have been undertaken and certainly within this term that serious budgetary, manpower and technological upgrades have been made. All Jamaicans should take hope that with sound policy, programmes and plans we can reduce murders, but it will take a long-term concerted and united commitment to stick with the plan.

I am confident in our plan to secure Jamaica. For the first time Jamaica is engaged in building a National Security architecture fit for the times, that will deal with domestic threats, but will also deal effectively with our air and maritime space and borders, in addition to securing our cyber domain which is becoming more important as the world becomes digital. All of this cannot be done overnight or even in two years, it takes a year and a half to procure equipment, at least two years in some cases to draft and pass legislation, several years to train up a seasoned investigator and other skilled law enforcement operators. Much of this is now being done behind the scenes, and we will be intensifying our efforts to bring these reforms and investments more quickly to fruition to save more lives.

The disorder on our roads and in public spaces is now a national concern. Billions have been invested in improving our road infrastructure, which will improve connectivity, efficiency and comfort, but some among us are determined to breach all the rules of the road, disregard other road users and purvey carnage and chaos on our streets. Aside from a general socio-emotional improvement in our respect for law and order which comes from our education system and how we bring up our children, increasing the detection of violations, increasing enforcement, and securing swift convictions through the courts must be the area of focus for government policy.

The JCF has already established the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch which is still in its infancy but has been impactful. To complement their work, the government has decided to invest heavily in traffic management and traffic violation detection technology, and this year the traffic ticketing system and the enabling regulations for the new Road Traffic Act should be complete. Many more traffic offenders will be caught and ticketed and there will be no more amnesty for the foreseeable future!

Ultimately however, enforcement and technology have limits; whether in crime fighting or traffic enforcement. Our lasting peace and abiding order depend on how responsibly we act individually and as a people. We will never be able to have cameras and traffic police on every road to arrest every driver who decides to overtake a line of traffic in rush hour or speed dangerously on local road.

However, if you decide to slow down and drive according to the rules of the road and wear your helmet, we can bring down the crashes for 2020, the life you save could be your own! We will never know where all the illegal guns are hidden, but someone knows and is afraid to speak. One day those guns could turn on you or your loved ones. Every Jamaican has a personal responsibility to obey the law, behave in an orderly manner and share information about the guns and criminals with the appropriate authorities or call Crime Stop. This can help to bring down the homicide rate, again the life you save could be your own.

Like our security infrastructure, there have been many decades of under investment in our health infrastructure. I have toured some of our hospitals and clinics and seen first-hand the discomfort of patients and the strain on staff, particularly when there is an upsurge in illnesses as is the case with dengue.

The government is now steadily increasing investments in our health infrastructure to better serve patients with over $10B of investments planned for health facilities and over $3B dedicated to rebuilding the Cornwall Regional Hospital. We have spent approximately $2B on dengue control through environmental clean-up programmes in communities, and various public health interventions including purchasing 40 new pickups which will be deployed island-wide to conduct more regular fogging. However, like security, our health requires our personal responsibility and action.

Dengue is transmitted by a mosquito that breeds in our domestic surroundings. While the government has increased the collection of bulky waste that breeds the mosquito, only you can check the flowers vase to see if it has mosquito larvae in it. Only you can bore holes in the containers you discard around your house, the government cannot come inside you house everyday to see to it that water you store is covered.

We can give you the information but you have to act and take responsibility. In 2020, I encourage all Jamaicans to take personal responsibility for your health and security and fulfil your role as good citizens by cooperating with the authorities to eradicate the pests that threaten your lives. Let us know if you have breeding site near your home, allow the public health workers to fog your community, don’t stone them, likewise tell us where the guns are, tell us what you know about the criminals and together we will make Jamaica safe, secure and healthy.

Many great things happened in 2019, which gives me great hope for 2020. Let me see how many I can cover in the remaining few minutes:

Finance

Lowest Unemployment rate in the history of Jamaica (7.8%)

Longest period of Consecutive Growth in our History (19 quarters)

Record fall in our Debt to GDP ratio (93%)

Record low inflation

Introduced Special Procurement Incentives for medium and small enterprises

Removed the Minimum Business Tax

Reduced Transfer Tax from 5 to 2 percent

1.5 million Tax break for all workers

Successfully completed IMF Programme

Health

Better Cancer care through new radiation facilities

Reduction in waiting times at DrugServe pharmacies

Security

New Helicopters

New maritime patrol aircraft for the JDF

New Radar System

Doubling of the National Security Budget

You can now renew your passport online

New motor cycles for the police

Major investments in forensics and DNA

Tourism

Record tourism arrivals (approximately 4.5 million)

Record US$3.8 billion in tourism earnings

Launch of the Tourism Workers Pension Fund

Transport

Launched the Drive Safe app

Commissioning of two new air traffic Control Towers

Implemented WiFi on buses

Completed the Pilot of LNG buses

Infrastructure

A record over 400 roads resurfaced and rehabilitated

Mandela Highway, Marcus Garvey Drive, Ferris to MackField, Barbican, Hagley Park, Constant Spring Road and Three Miles Roads – all completed

Junction Road; South Camp Road being repaired

South Coast Highway Improvement from Harbour View to Port Antonio and extension of the East West Highway from May Pen to Williamsfield.

Over 12 Major Bridges repaired or currently under construction

Morant Bay Town Centre underway

Water

Over 50 water facilities rehabilitated islandwide

Major upgrades and replacements of water and sewer mains within the corporate area

Reduced NWC water losses from over 60% to about 40% in the Corporate Area

A record 800 million dollars investment in rural water which

brought water to thousands of Jamaicans who never had it in parishes including Clarendon, St Elizabeth and St. Mary

Housing

A record over 27,000 new housing starts between the NHT and the HAJ

Local Government

16 new Fire units

43 new Garbage Trucks

Successfully completed the tyre removal pilot project from Riverton City and will shortly roll out the full project

Paid off the $9 billion dollar streetlights debt to JPS

Science and Technology

Free WiFi Hotspots across Major Towns

Wigton IPO – over 30,000 Jamaicans participated

Commissioned the largest solar plant in the Caribbean

New 194 Mega Watt JPS LNG plant in Old Harbour now commissioned

Environment

Banned single use Plastic bags

We have started planting 3 million trees

This month, we will be banning the use of styrofoam

Jamaica is a leader in the global fight against climate change

7% of Jamaica to be protected as part of the Cockpit Country

Education

Improved School Feeding from 3 to 5 days

Comprehensively increased the suite of benefits under PATH Increased Maintainance Grant for secondary level schools

269 school canteens upgraded

Successful launch of PEP

Certified over 100 early childhood institutions

Labour and Social Security

Increased Minimum Wage

Increase NIS Benefits to Pensioners

Significant increase in overseas employment figures.

Culture, Gender and Entertainment

3 Shelters being prepared for abused women

Sexual Harassment Bill Tabled

First Entertainment Zone being renovated

Reggae Inscribed on the UNESCO intangible Cultural Heritage List for Humanity

Blue and John Crow Mountains now World Heritage Sites

Port

Expansion of the Port of Kingston

New Cruise Shipping Terminal at Port Royal and the

Redevelopment of Port Royal has begun

Youth Engagement

Merger of HEART Trust, JFLL, NYS and the Apprenticeship Board to create a comprehensive and effective human capital development agency, the HEART Trust National Service and Training Agency.

Over 25,000 young people trained through HOPE

Over 3,000 trained through Jamaica National Service Corps under the JDF

And you get the picture…

So much done and so much more to do in 2020. ….

Jamaicans at home and abroad A Happy and Prosperous New Year

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haitian President Jovenel Moïse broke with tradition on Wednesday and celebrated the country’s independence day in the capital for security reasons following months of political turmoil.

Moïse, whose government has been accused of corruption, denounced graft during his speech at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince and urged Haiti’s elite to work with the government and help create employment.

“We’re still extremely poor,” he said. “Those who continue to get rich find it normal that they do not pay taxes, find it normal that there can be no competition, find it normal that they set prices for consumers, especially when this consumer is the state itself.”

Moïse also apologized for the country’s ongoing power outages and renewed his 2016 campaign pledge to provide electricity 24 hours a day, saying it was harder to accomplish than he imagined.

The speech that marked the 216th anniversary of the world’s first black republic was originally slated to take place in the northern coastal town of Gonaives, where Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared Haiti’s independence. But the town, like many others, was hit by violent protests that began in September amid anger over corruption, fuel shortages and dwindling food supplies as opposition leaders and supporters demanded the resignation of Moïse. More than 40 people have been killed and dozens injured.

Large-scale protests in Port-au-Prince have since dissipated, although smaller ones are still occurring elsewhere in the country. On Wednesday, opposition leaders and supporters gathered in Gonaives to attend the funeral of an anti-government protester and then carried his coffin through the streets as more protesters joined them.

Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sevilla train with full compliment ahead of Athletic Club clash LaLiga No injuries for Lopetegui

Julen Lopetegui had his entire first team squad available as Sevilla trained on Wednesday afternoon ahead of their match with Athletic Club on Sunday.

Nolito trained having missed the last three outings of 2019 with injury.

Sevilla president Jose Castro and sporting director Monchi were also at the club's training ground to support Lopetegui and his players.

The squad will hold an open training session at 11:30 CET on Thursday at the Estadio Roman Sanchez Pizjuan.

Away from the pitch, Monchi is looking into new signings in the January transfer window.

The Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN) at the second edition of its Business Network Breakfast Series (IBNBS) invited experts to explore how Nigeria can benefit from the African Continental Trade Agreement.

Fifty-four African countries recently ratified a continental trade treaty that will create an estimated $3.4 trillion market opportunity. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is built on a trade treaty that promises to liberalise trade among African countries and create a single market for goods and services on the continent.

The treaty is expected to raise Africa’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) to $6.7 trillion by 2030 and liberalise 90 percent of products manufactured in Africa. For Nigeria, given its sheer market size, foreign direct investments will increase because of companies that will want to set up factories in the country. This will also lead to technology transfer.

However, experts have raised concerns over Nigeria’s preparedness to reap the benefits arising from the trade agreement without making the economy a dumping ground for sub-standard products. To attain this, Africa’s biggest economy needs a robust quality assurance infrastructure to test products meant for export and those being imported from other countries into Nigeria.

“Quality assurance for made in Nigeria goods is critical if the country is to profitably participate in the continental trade agreement. As a country, we need to take our membership of the African Organisation of Standardisation (ARSO) seriously by ensuring strict compliance assessment standards. Quality sells,” said Osita Aboloma, director-general, the Standard Organisation Nigeria (SON), represented by Mojisola Kehinde, director, Laboratory Services at the SON.

The AfCFTA officially came into force on 30th May 2019 when the required number of ratifications – 22 – were obtained, making the agreement a binding international legal instrument. Negotiations are, however, on-going. After months of consultation and dilly-dallying, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari signed the AfCFTA in July 2019, seeking fair trade for Nigeria.

“This is a most auspicious time to organise our business breakfast network on this theme given that most companies are having strategy sessions now to plan for the year. We intend our deliberation today on this continent-wide trade agreement to help companies better position themselves to take advantage by showing the role of conformity assessments and calibration in the quality of goods,” Aliyu Abdullahi Angara, registrar and the chief executive officer of IPAN said.

To achieve accurate laboratory testing of products, experts say laboratories must have the necessary equipment to undertake the test it is required to carry out. Personnel must have adequate skills and competencies and laboratory equipment must be calibrated regularly. Laboratories are also encouraged to undertake inter-laboratory tests and proficiency testing.

“Nigeria’s micro, small and medium enterprises need access to single-digit credit facilities, infrastructure and an easier environment to do business if they are to compete favourably. The MSMEs have really been orphans,” Adebayo Olu-Adams, chairman Lagos chapter of the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) told BusinessDay in an exclusive interview.

DETROIT (WWJ) -- Detroit police are investigating after gun violence broke out across the city on New Year's Eve and early New Year's morning, leaving one person dead and at least eight others injured.

Authorities are investigating numerous unrelated cases, including a fatal shooting on the city's west side. Police discovered the body of an unidentified male with a fatal gunshot wound just before noon Wednesday in the 9100 block of Monica Street, in the area of Livernois and Joy Road.

Police believe the victim is in his early 20s, but circumstances surrounding his death were not clear and are still being investigated.

Anyone with information about the man's death is asked to call the Detroit Police Department's Homicide Unit at 313-596-2260 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800 Speak Up.

Authorities reported three shooting incidents that happened Tuesday night, including a 17-year-old male that shot himself in the leg in the 8900 block of Whitcomb, near Joy and Greenfield Roads. Police say they received the call about 8:40 p.m. and the victim said he found the gun on W. Chicago. The boy's condition was not disclosed.

Police responded to a shooting in the area of 7 Mile Road and Riopelle Street on the city's east side around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. According to authorities, a victim was attempting to sell a pair of gym shoes to an unknown suspect when the suspect allegedly pulled out a handgun and tried to rob the victim.

A struggle ensued, resulting in the weapon discharging and striking the victim. The suspect -- who police describe as about 5-foot-8 and wearing black gloves -- fled the location, while the victim was taken to the hospital and listed in stable condition. The circumstances surrounding this incident are still being investigated.

Around the same time in southwest Detroit, an unknown suspect allegedly fired multiple shots into a home in the 1200 block of Ethel Street, striking a 29-year-old man multiple times. The victim was taken to a hospital and listed in critical condition. Police are still investigating the incident.

While there were countless reports of "celebratory" gunfire as the calendar turned to 2020, Detroit police reported a number of other shooting incidents across the city that led to injuries.

A woman was driving on Strasburg Street near 7 Mile around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday when a a dark colored vehicle began driving towards her. She honked her horn in an attempt to avoid a crash and an unknown occupant in the vehicle pulled out a weapon and fired multiple shots, striking her.

While the suspects fled in an unknown direction, the woman was taken to a hospital, where she was listed in temporary serious condition. Police are still investigating the incident.

Police say another woman was shot just before 4 a.m. in the 13600 block of Grand River Avenue by an unknown suspect. The 22-year-old woman drove to a gas station in the 13500 block of Livernois and called for assistance. Her condition was not released.

At around 4:30 a.m. in the area of Puritan Avenue and Linwood, two men were stopped at a gas station when they were shot by an unknown suspect. The victims, ages 22 and 30, were listed in stable condition and police say they are searching for a suspect, described only as a black male.

Just before 5 a.m., a 24-year-old man was shot while walking on Puritan at an unknown cross street.

Detroit police are still investigating each incident and are asking anyone with any information to contact them. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

Barcelona have reportedly decided not to sell Arturo Vidal to Inter Milan in the January transfer window despite interest from the Serie A leaders.

The Catalan giants have decided against allowing the Chile international to move because they have already loaned Carles Alena to Real Betis and have Arthur out injured.

Cadena Cope report that despite Vidal’s complaint about unpaid bonuses and frustration at not being at starter the club want to keep him for the rest of the season.

Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti has made his club’s interest in Vidal pretty clear in the last few days saying he is a “player with great character and experience, so we’ll see what happens.”

However, Barca confirmed that Alena would spent the rest of the season on loan at Betis earlier in the week and also announced Arthur is out for another three weeks.

The Brazilian has not featured for Barcelona since the win over Atletico Madrid at the start of the month, and there seems to be some concern about when he will be back to his best.

The absence of the two players means that Barca are down to just Frenkie de Jong, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets and Vidal in midfield, although Sergi Roberto is also an option.

Instruction: Retrieve semantically similar text.


Question:
The self aclaimed ” super agent ” and money man Raiola said in a statement that he will never ever bring stars to Man Utd. He continued that Manchester will ruin Pele, Maradona & Maldini even when given to them at their old age.

He said this amid the ongoing transfer saga surrounding his client Paul Pogba and his future at Manchester United.

“Today I would no longer bring anyone there ( Manchester United ) ,”

“Paul needs a team and a club, one like the first Juventus.”

Is this the end of the love between Mino Raiola and Manchester United?

Paul Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola has promised to stop sending anymore of his players to Manchester United again amid transfer interest linking his client to Real Madrid and Juventus.

It would be recalled that Pogba has long been linked with a move away from Old Trafford in recent weeks and speculations claim he could leave in January.

Real Madrid were keen on the France World Cup winner last summer and were expected to reignite their interest in the winter window.

But Raiola has now vowed not to bring his clients to the Red Devils, adding that Pogba needs a club like Juventus.

He also claimed that the Old Trafford club in their current state, would even destroy the careers of some of football’s legends, Pele, Diego Maradona and Paolo Maldini.

“Today I would no longer bring anyone there [Manchester United],” Raiola told Italian outlet La Repubblica.

“They would also ruin [Diego] Maradona, Pele and [Paolo] Maldini.

“Paul needs a team and a club, one like the first Juventus.”

The drive up to David Hockney’s Los Angeles home in the Hollywood Hills is a narrow, winding route, full of hairpin turns. At the top of a hill, his compound is fortressed away behind an expanse of fence, hidden within a barely tamed jungle of palm trees and bird of paradise plants. Nearly every surface—the walls, the walkways connecting the buildings, the handrails and the roofs—has been painted brilliant colors: bubblegum pink, cerulean, canary yellow, sea green.

The color story continues inside Hockney’s studio, a cavernous...

web group AP19357604362795.jpg Tyrone Cefalu, right, Bobby Goldberg, left, and his sister Debbie Goldberg pose for a photo Dec. 20, 2019, in front of Bobby Goldberg's home in suburban Chicago. (AP/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago — One day in May of 1970, an 11-year-old boy and his disabled sister were sitting on the curb outside a Chicago tavern, waiting for their mother to come out. When a priest with crinkly eyes and a ready smile happened by and offered the family a ride home, they could not have been happier. The boy, Robert J. Goldberg, now 61, would pay dearly for the favor, enduring what he describes as years of psychological control and sexual abuse he suffered while working as a child valet for the late Fr. Donald McGuire. He remained in the Jesuit's thrall for nearly 40 years, even volunteering to testify on McGuire's behalf during criminal trials that ultimately resulted in a 25-year prison sentence for the priest.

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But today, Goldberg says he has finally broken the hold McGuire once had on him. And he has begun to tell his story, in interviews with The Associated Press and in a lawsuit he filed Dec. 30 in California state court in San Francisco. The lawsuit charges that McGuire, a globe-trotting Jesuit with ties to St. Teresa of Calcutta, abused Goldberg "more than 1,000 times, in multiple states and countries," during sojourns to spiritual retreats throughout the United States and Europe. On these trips, the lawsuit says, McGuire referred to Goldberg as his "protégé." All the while, the suit says, the boy carried his briefcase, ran errands and often endured daily abuse that included "sexual touching, oral copulation and anal penetration." The lawsuit filed Dec. 30 doesn't currently name any defendants, but Goldberg's attorneys say the defendants will include the Jesuit religious order in the United States and the order's top leader in Rome, among others. They also say that Goldberg's abuse occurred at a time when powerful church officials — including Mother Teresa, who was elevated to sainthood by Pope Francis three years ago — knew that McGuire had been repeatedly accused of sexually abusing boys. Church officials went to great lengths to cover up his crimes, the suit alleges. In the nearly two decades since the clergy abuse scandal erupted, thousands of survivors have stepped forward to tell their painful stories. Hundreds more revealed their abuse in lawsuits earlier this year, when the state of New York opened a one-year window that allows survivors to file child sex abuse lawsuits without regard to the statute of limitations. And hundreds more, including Goldberg, are expected to step forward as a similar window opens Jan. 1 in California.

"Everyone knows the Jesuits are smart and the Jesuits are sophisticated. And they often bring enormous sophistication to the abuse they perpetrate." — Terence McKiernan Tweet this

But many victims still suffer in silence, often taking decades to step forward, if they ever do. Advocates say that Catholic priests, as representatives of God and respected members of their communities, are often able to exert control over the children they target, especially when they are helping the child or their families overcome poverty or other obstacles. Terence McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks the abuse crisis and maintains a data base of accused priests, said abusers in the Jesuit religious order are well-equipped to exercise psychological control over their victims because of the order's reputation as administrators of dozens of colleges and high schools in the United States alone. "Everyone knows the Jesuits are smart and the Jesuits are sophisticated," he said. "And they often bring enormous sophistication to the abuse they perpetrate."

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Against all odds Goldberg's journey from supporter to accuser took years to complete. The final stretch began last fall, on a cold October night in the suburbs of Chicago. Tyrone Cefalu, another former assistant to McGuire, was watching TV at his home when he got an unexpected call from Goldberg and his sister. Cefalu and Goldberg had bonded over the years, discussing their time with McGuire and what they knew about the priest's dark side. Goldberg, a scruffy former dog breeder, and his older sister Debbie, who has Down syndrome, had been living in southwest Virginia's coal country. But they had fled their home because Bobby feared a Virginia social service agency was trying to take Debbie away from him. Now they were holed up at a nearby gas station, wondering if Cefalu could meet them and help them out. After some missed signals, Cefalu found the pair huddled under blankets in the back of a U-Haul cube truck, parked behind a church in Forest Park, Illinois — out of gas, out of money, and out of luck. For Goldberg, it could have been the end of the road. Years of hard living had left him with a variety of ailments, including tumors in his throat and the loss of several teeth, which made it difficult for him to speak. But that evening, against all odds, marked a new beginning. Goldberg and his sister followed Cefalu home, and Cefalu and his wife made beds for them in their living room. Over the next several weeks, the two one-time McGuire supporters explored their shared history, recalling McGuire as a messianic retreat leader able to instill loyalty in his victims and their families, many of them wealthy, devout Catholics.

web Goldberg AP19357604056626.jpg Bobby Goldberg walks in front of his home Dec. 20, 2019, in suburban Chicago. Goldberg has filed a lawsuit claiming he was abused more than 1,000 times in multiple states and countries by the late Donald McGuire, a prominent American Jesuit priest who had close ties to Mother Teresa. (AP/Nam Y. Huh)

"He was very controlling. I had no say whatsoever," Goldberg told the AP, recalling the years he spent working and living with McGuire. "Whatever he told my mother he wanted me to do, I had to do it." The key to Goldberg's slow transformation was Cefalu, who was once so devoted to McGuire that he spent six years working full time on the celebrated priest's defense, through two criminal trials and various appeals. His labors included scanning documents for McGuire's attorneys, drumming up witnesses, and investigating McGuire's accusers. "McGuire asked me to find the dirt on those guys, and I found the dirt," he told the AP. Like Goldberg, Cefalu met McGuire when he was a boy, but his circumstances were different. Goldberg was being raised by a single, Catholic mother of limited means — his Jewish father had recently died. Cefalu, by contrast, was part of a middle-class family and was headed for Loyola Academy, a prestigious Jesuit prep school where McGuire had been a teacher. McGuire was a family friend who frequently appeared at the family home for dinner, Cefalu said. His family attended weekly Mass to hear McGuire sermonize and took part in his spiritual retreats, events where McGuire began to acquire a cult-like following. "When he said Mass he would give a sermon that would go on for 45 minutes and everybody loved it," Cefalu recalled. "He'd been all over the world and could tell stories. He could sing. The guy was mesmerizing." McGuire also won supporters by doing favors. "He'd tutor poor kids and help them get into good schools and graduate from good schools," Cefalu said. "If your family had problems, he would be there for you, and almost every family had some kind of serious problem that he could deal with." During those years, Cefalu recalled, he began helping at his father's print shop, which produced McGuire's personal Christmas cards, a measure of his growing reach. "We started out printing 200 cards and that went up to 5,000," Cefalu said. "The guy had a following." Roving ministry After Goldberg and his family met McGuire that fateful day in 1970, the priest quickly ingratiated himself with Goldberg's mother, persuading her that Goldberg would be better off living under his supervision, according to the lawsuit. During this time, Goldberg would spend evenings at McGuire's living quarters and sometimes would return to his family's home with McGuire, who would sleep with him in his bed. Meanwhile, Goldberg's mother came to rely on the funds that McGuire paid Goldberg for working as his assistant, $300 to $500 a week. If Goldberg rebelled, by running off with his friends or refusing to have sex, McGuire punished him by locking him in a room for hours, Goldberg said.

"There's a lot of things I remember, and a lot of things I try not to remember." — Bobby Goldberg Tweet this

McGuire also used sex as a punishment, he added. He said that once, when he got into an accident with McGuire's car, the priest ordered him to make amends by performing a menu of sexual favors. Goldberg and his family followed along in 1976 when McGuire moved to San Francisco to assume a teaching assignment at the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit school, and promote a roving ministry in which he presided over religious retreats for wealthy Catholics, collecting large donations along the way. It was during this time that McGuire developed ties with Mother Teresa, becoming her spiritual adviser while vetting nuns seeking to join the religious order she founded, the Missionaries of Charity. In 1981, following new accusations of inappropriate relationships with boys — part of a series of accusations that had begun in the early 1960s — McGuire lost his teaching assignment and returned to Chicago. Once again, Goldberg and his family followed him, and Goldberg continued to give in to McGuire's sexual demands. In 1990, Goldberg's family moved to Virginia. Even after the move, Goldberg said, he continued to rely on McGuire for financial support, especially during a three-year prison term for a drug conviction. "There's a lot of things I remember, and a lot of things I try not to remember," he said. A predatory history Shortly after McGuire was ordained, in 1961, the Chicago Province of Jesuits (now part of the Midwest Jesuits) began hearing from church officials concerned about the young priest's relationships with boys. The complaints would keep coming for the next half century, continuing even after McGuire was defrocked and sentenced to prison. They started when McGuire was living in Europe, in the early '60s, when church officials in Germany and Austria sent alarming reports of McGuire's activities. One official in Austria wrote that McGuire had "much relations with young boys, particularly some boys who work in our kitchen and who used to go to his room." As a result, the Jesuits recalled McGuire from Europe but assigned him to a teaching position at Loyola Academy, where he molested students who would later file lawsuits and receive significant monetary settlements. Each time the Jesuits received complaints that McGuire was sexually abusing boys, they would move him to another post, where he would continue his predatory behavior. Even after a psychiatric evaluation showed McGuire was sexually attracted to underage boys, the Jesuits continued to insist he was a priest in good standing, in part due to the urging of Mother Teresa.

web mother teresa 20100820cnsbr02193.jpg Mother Teresa of Calcutta visits with men at a Missionaries of Charity shelter program in Gallup, New Mexico, in this photo from the late 1980s. (CNS/Nancy Wiechec)

In a letter dated Feb. 2, 1994, after McGuire had been released from a residential treatment center, the future saint wrote to the leader of the Chicago Jesuits, saying she had received a letter from McGuire and believed that the accusations lodged against him were untrue. "I have confidence and trust in Fr. McGuire and wish to see his vital ministry resume as soon as possible," she wrote. Mother Teresa got her wish, and McGuire continued his world-wide ministry, "openly traveling with young boys as his companions," according to Goldberg's lawsuit. In 2002, after yet another complaint, the Jesuits restricted McGuire's ministry to the Chicago Archdiocese. In 2003, the first of several lawsuits against McGuire and his Jesuit superiors were filed. Months later, a Wisconsin district attorney began investigating allegations that McGuire had abused two Loyola students during a trip in the late 1960s to the Lake Geneva resort area. The investigation led to a trial where nuns from Mother Teresa's religious order, wearing their distinctive white and blue habits, packed the courtroom. They wore buttons that said: "I support Fr. McGuire." Despite that outpouring, McGuire was convicted. And while he was free on appeal he was charged by federal authorities with molesting another boy on trips to Austria and Switzerland. Once again, McGuire was convicted while protesting his innocence, leading to his 25-year prison term. Officials in the Jesuits' Midwest Province could not be reached for comment Dec. 30. In 2012, the Chicago Jesuit official who received Mother Teresa's letter, Fr. Bradley Schaeffer, issued a statement apologizing for failing to rein McGuire in. "I deeply regret that my actions were not enough to prevent him from engaging in these horrific crimes,'' he said. Last year, when the Midwest Jesuits released a list naming 65 accused Jesuits, including McGuire, Provincial Brian Paulson issued a similar apology. "We are painfully aware that in earlier decades, some Midwest Jesuits were not removed from ministry quickly enough," he said. "We are deeply sorrowful."

"I deeply regret that my actions were not enough to prevent him [Donald McGuire] from engaging in these horrific crimes." — Fr. Bradley Schaeffer Tweet this

Too much to bear It was only after McGuire began serving his 25-year federal prison sentence, in 2009, that Cefalu began to doubt his innocence. The turning point, he said, came when he was sorting McGuire's belongings and discovered a color slide that captured him as a naked 13-year-old, changing into his underwear during a trip to Canada with McGuire and another young teen. "That really pissed me off," he said. When he confronted McGuire during a visit to the federal prison in Texas where he was serving his sentence and McGuire denied taking the photo, Cefalu said, he knew the priest was lying. Back home in suburban Chicago, as he pored over more than 40 boxes of McGuire's records, his skepticism only grew. Reading the documents was unsettling, Cefalu said, because he'd been one of McGuire's chief supporters, to the point where McGuire had appointed him to be his legal representative while in prison. In addition, Cefalu had known several of McGuire's victims while attending Loyola Academy, the Catholic prep school, during the late 1960s and early '70s. The experience made Cefalu rethink the "horse bites" McGuire would sometimes give him, pinching him hard on his upper thigh and then placing his hand over his groin, exclaiming, "Gotcha!" Cefalu provided details of his alleged abuse by McGuire and another Jesuit in a lawsuit he filed five years ago, without the help of an attorney, in Cook County Circuit Court. After reading the records McGuire had entrusted to him, Cefalu began reaching out to McGuire's other victims, hoping they might answer his many questions. And as McGuire's victims began filing lawsuits, they reached out to him. Goldberg also knew McGuire's victims, not as an alumnus of Loyola Academy, but through the years he'd spent working as McGuire's assistant. After the former priest was sent to prison, Cefalu and Goldberg occasionally talked on the phone and began to reassess their histories with the charismatic priest they had known. Their conversations continued after McGuire died behind bars in 2017, at age 86. But it wasn't until Goldberg's desperate call to Cefalu in October 2018 that Goldberg's decision to go public with his allegations against McGuire and the church began to take shape. Making peace After Cefalu found Goldberg and his sister huddled in the back of their U-Haul in late 2018, Goldberg began revealing more details of his abuse to Cefalu. Cefalu came to believe that Goldberg had been abused over a longer period than any of McGuire's other victims. Yet when Goldberg said he was ready to file a lawsuit, Cefalu hesitated. Since discovering the nude photograph of himself in McGuire's files, he has nursed a growing antipathy for the Jesuits and the role they played covering up McGuire's crimes.

web lawyer AP19357604881144.jpg Bobby Goldberg and his sister Debbie arrive Dec. 21, 2019, at the office of his lawyer, Melissa Anderson, in Bannockburn, Illinois. (AP/Nam Y. Huh)

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They can cause confusion for many drivers, and the road users of Cornwall are no different.

The county is awash with roundabouts, mini roundabouts and even double mini roundabouts, many of which have been in place for decades.

Unfortunately, there are several in Cornwall that are pointless, incredibly confusing or just annoying to navigate.

You have the Westcountry to thank for roundabouts, as they were invented in Bath back in 1768.

Whether you like them or not, you can't go very far without coming across a roundabout – in fact, there are more than 60,000 across the world, with the UK unsurprisingly having the most out of any country.

Here are some of the many roundabouts in Cornwall that grind your gears. And ours too.

CHIVERTON CROSS - A30

There's only one place to start. Everyone in Cornwall has heard of 'Chivvy'. It's by far Cornwall's most notorious roundabout, and the stats back it up - it is the county's number one accident blackspot.

CARLAND CROSS - A30

If you live or work in Truro , you'll know how much of a nightmare it is to turn eastbound towards Fraddon at Carland Cross. During busy periods, the queue comes all the way down the hill to the dip. Friday, 5pm, and you could easily be stuck there for 30 minutes.

To make matters worse, people either skip half of the queue and then try to sneak in, or worse, they'll drive all the way up the left lane and cut across on the actual roundabout.

TRELUSWELL - A39 NEAR PENRYN

The new roundabout on the A39 at Treluswell opened in 2017 , but many drivers say it's actually worse now.

Coming from the Falmouth direction there used to be a dedicated lane for traffic travelling right, but as both lanes now serve Truro, big queues build.

TRAFALGAR - TRURO

To pull out of Malpas Road and onto the roundabout is almost impossible at any time of day, or at least before 9pm.

Every motorist who attempts to dash across does so with only a few seconds to spare, before the plethora of cars come speeding around like there's no tomorrow.

When you see a gap, you have to go for it. Cornwall's 32nd worst accident blackpot. And to think, it was fine before the council messed around with it.

MORRISONS - NEWQUAY

One of Cornwall's worst 'blind' roundabouts. Cars coming from the main road hammer across because they have a perfect view of what's coming from the right, so if you're coming out of Morrisons you often can't see them until the last minute.

NEWTOWN - A30 LONG ROCK

Cars coming from Penzance and heading in the direction of Helston also use the left lane, which is designed for the A30 Redruth, often cutting up people who are in the correct lane. It also gets very congested.

Cornwall's eighth worst accident blackspot.

ARCH HILL - TRURO

The first 'double mini' roundabout on the list. If it's busy, it will take a while for those turning left towards Falmouth. And there's the double mini which messes with many minds.

PENWINNICK - ST AUSTELL

Another notorious double mini roundabout, which people HATE. It's at number 18 on the list of Cornwall's accident blackspots.

SPAR / TRESAWLS ROAD - TRURO

There's a ridiculous junction ON the roundabout. And people who've never used it would have no idea it is there. A nasty surprise.

FAIRMANTLE/TESCO - TRURO

Pulling out when coming from Tesco is almost impossible at times. The roundabout is Cornwall's second worst accident blackpot.

AVERS - REDRUTH

Just a very busy and disliked roundabout above the A30 at Redruth . Cornwall's 26th worst accident blackspot.

TRENANCE - NEWQUAY

Another double mini roundabout. Manic in the summer.

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Police in western Newfoundland say a woman arrested for refusing to stay at home after she returned from a trip outside the province is expected to make a court appearance today. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says the 53-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday in Corner Brook for violating public health emergency orders aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. Const. James Cadigan says officers responded to complaints alleging the woman was not self-isolating for 14 days, as required under the Public Health Protection and Promotion Act. Cadigan says officers spoke to the woman and arrested her for failing to comply with the law, which could lead to a fine between $500 and $2,500 and a jail sentence of up to six months. The police spokesman confirmed a public reporting system introduced on the weekend has received more than 400 complaints from people reporting suspected contraventions of health directives. Cadigan says police have resolved 27 complaints by contacting the person and educating them about the measures, but in the Corner Brook case the woman was not compliant and was held in a jail cell overnight.“If you’re going to put our community at risk, we will follow up on those measures,” Cadigan said. The woman was to appear in court via video link This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2020. The Canadian Press

(MENAFN - Saudi Press Agency) Riyadh, January 01, 2020, SPA -- Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, received at his office here today Ziauddin Saeed Bamakhrama, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Djiboutian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

During the meeting, they discussed regional and international developments in addition to means of enhancing bilateral cooperation.

--SPA

17:20 LOCAL TIME 14:20 GMT

0011

MENAFN0101202000780000ID1099495459

Instruction: Retrieve semantically similar text.


Question:
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US President Donald Trump has ordered some 750 American soldiers be deployed to the Middle East, with about 3,000 more prepared for possible deployment in the next several days following an attack on the US embassy compound in Iraq.

Mr Trump said that Iran was ‘fully responsible’ for the attack in which no US casualties or evacuations were reported.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Tuesday night that ‘in response to recent events’ in Iraq, and at Mr Trump’s direction, he had authorised the immediate deployment of the infantry battalion from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Mr Esper did not specify the soldiers’ destination, but a US official familiar with the decision said they will go to Kuwait.

‘This deployment is an appropriate and precautionary action taken in response to increased threat levels against US personnel and facilities, such as we witnessed in Baghdad today,’ Mr Esper said in a written statement.

A helicopter launched flares as a display of presence while moving troops in to deter protesters (Picture: AP)

The helicopter is an AH-64 Apache helicopter from 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 34th Combat Aviation Brigade (Picture: AP)

Hundreds of people gathered at the embassy yesterday (Picture: Rex Shutterstock)

Additional soldiers from the 82nd Airborne’s quick-deployment brigade, known officially as its Immediate Response Force, were prepared to deploy, Mr Esper said.

The US official, who provided unreleased details on condition of anonymity, said the full brigade of some 4,000 soldiers may deploy.

The breach of the embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday revealed growing strains between the US and Iran, raising questions about the future of Washington’s military mission there.

Mr Trump tweeted on Tuesday afternoon: ‘They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!’

American airstrikes on Sunday killed 25 fighters of an Iran-backed militia in Iraq, the Kataeb Hezbollah.

Map showing the size of the compound

The Green Zone in Iraq where the US Embassy is based

Tear gas was fired at protesters who made it into the US compound (Picture: AP)

The US said those strikes were in retaliation for last week’s killing of an American contractor and the wounding of American and Iraqi troops in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base that the US blamed on the militia.

The American strikes angered the Iraqi government, which called them an unjustified violation of its sovereignty.

‘Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many,’ Mr Trump tweeted from his estate in Florida.

‘We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!’

A fire was started at the US embassy in Baghdad after the compound came under attack (Picture: AP)

Mr Trump said that Iran was ‘fully responsible’ for the attack (Picture: AP)

Mr Esper did not specify the soldiers’ destination, but a source said they will go to Kuwait (Picture: Getty)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has ordered about 750 U.S. soldiers deployed to the Middle East with about 3,000 more preparing for possible deployment in the next several days.

The troop movement comes after Tuesday’s attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq by dozens of Iran-supported militiamen. U.S. Marines were immediately sent from Kuwait to reinforce the compound.

In announcing the new deployment, Defense Secretary Mark Esper didn’t specify where the infantry battalion from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, would be heading.

But a U.S. official tells The Associated Press they’ll go to Kuwait and a full brigade of about 4,000 soldiers may eventually be sent.

(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) More than 24,000 ex-military members benefit from Social Fund aid

Luanda, ANGOLA, January 1 - The Ministry of National Defence announced plan to launch a strategic and business plan to assist more than 24,000 former military personnel and their dependents.,

Ministry of Defence announced the implementation of the strategy through the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA)'s Social Fund.

The move is intended to make the FAA Social Security Fund less dependent on the State General Budget (OGE).

The objective is to increase the ability to generate extra income for families and employment for young dependents of former military personnel.

Angolan minister of National Defence, Salviano Sequeira, said Tuesday that the strategic plan, approved by the Economic Commission of the Cabinet Council, aims to attract domestic and foreign investors in areas such as agriculture, industry, tourism, real estate, health and renewable energy.

Speaking at year-end greeting ceremony, Salviano Sequeira said 9, 108 beneficiaries were integrated in FAA Social Security payments system in 2019, at a time the institution has a total of 72, 259 pensioners.

As for international commitments, the official stressed the actions to strengthen defence and security cooperation with neighbouring countries and Angola's strategic partners.

The minister also highlighted the FAA's involvement in the Humanitarian Aid Mission in Mozambique hit by Cyclone Idai, adding that the FAA mission was successfully accomplished.

In defence industries, he said that studies were carried out for the implementation of various projects, in order to provide logistical support to the defence and security agencies and to serve, in a first phase, the internal market.

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The governorship candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in the 2019 election in Oyo State, Sharafadeen Alli, on Wednesday accused Governor Seyi Makinde of abandoning his party after it helped him to win the election.

Mr Alli spoke through a statement he personally signed, a copy of which was made available to Premium Times in Ibadan, the state capital.

ZLP was one of the political parties that formed an alliance with Mr Makinde’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to defeat the candidate of the then ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adebayo Adelabu, in the March 9, 2019 election.

Other parties in the coalition were the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The coalition was coordinated by a former governor of the state, Rashidi Ladoja.

But, nine months after the agreement, Mr Alli accused the governor of failure to fulfil his promises to the ZLP.

He said the governor has denied the ZLP political patronage, in alleged repudiation of the agreement between them.

“A man’s word should also be his bond,” Mr Alli said.

“The governor should go into retrospect and review our 2019 political coalition agreement. Our party, the ZLP had been largely abandoned and relegated in the scheme of things, especially political patronage. The governor should seize this moment and do the needful. I wish him the best as he pilots the affairs of our state.”

While commending Mr Ladoja for being a father to all, Mr Alli also prayed that God grant all the traditional rulers in the state: the Alaafin of Oyo; Olubadan of Ibadan; Soun of Ogbomoso and others, more strength to guide their respective domains to continuous peaceful coexistence.

Olufemi Lanlehin, the ADC gubernatorial candidate, had in November accused the governor of failing to fulfil any of the promises made to him as contained in an agreement they reached.

Phone calls and text messages to Taiwo Adisa, the chief press secretary to Mr Makinde, were not responded to.

In this year’s Cyber Security Predictions, the WatchGuard Threat Lab has imagined the top cyber attacks we’ll see in 2020 and has provided tips for simplifying your approach to stopping them. Even though the threats coming at you won’t be any less intense, complicated, or difficult to manage, 2020 will be the year of simplified security.

1. Ransomware Targets the Cloud

Highlights:

Ransomware is a billion-dollar industry.

Overall volume of ransomware is down, but targeted ransomware against vertical industries is on the rise.

In 2020, targeted ransomware now tries to infect consolidated cloud assets, such as file stores, S3 buckets, and virtual environments.

Ransomware is now a billion-dollar industry for hackers, and over the last decade we’ve seen extremely virulent strains of this malware wreak havoc across every industry. As with any big-money industry, ransomware will continue to evolve in order to maximize profits. In 2020, we believe ransomware will focus on the cloud.

Recently, untargeted “shotgun blast” ransomware has plateaued with attackers showing preference for targeted attacks against industries whose businesses cannot function with any downtime. These include healthcare, state and local governments, and industrial control systems.

Despite its far-reaching damages and soaring revenues, ransomware has largely left the cloud untouched. As businesses of every size move both their servers and data to the cloud, it has become a one-stop shop for all of our most important data. In 2020, we expect to see this safe haven crumble as ransomware begins targeting cloud-based assets including file stores, S3 buckets, and virtual environments.

Security Tips: Do you have cloud security? Virtual or cloud UTM? Asking these questions is where to start. Use advanced malware protection to detect evasive malware. More importantly, consider new security paradigms that allow you to implement security controls, like advanced malware protection, in cloud use cases. Finally, the cloud can be secured, but it requires work. Make sure you’ve hardened your cloud workloads. For instance, investigate resources for properly securing S3 buckets.

2. GDPR Comes to the United States

Highlights:

California has passed the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

A national Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA will not pass in 2020).

In 2020, 10 or more states will pass laws like California’s CCPA.

Two years ago, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force, protecting the data and privacy rights of European Union citizens. As of yet, few places outside the EU have similar laws in place, but we expect to see the United States (U.S.) come closer to matching it in 2020.

GDPR boils down to placing restrictions on how organizations can process personal data, and what rights individuals have in limiting who may access that data, and it has already shown teeth. To date, companies have been fined millions of euros for GDPR violations, including massive €50 million and £99 million judgements in 2019 against Google and Marriott respectively. While the burden placed on companies can be intense, the protections provided to individuals are massively popular.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has suffered a social media privacy plague the last few years, with no real GDPR equivalent to protect local consumers. As organizations like Facebook leak more and more of our personal data, which bad actors have used in everything from targeted election manipulation to unethical bounty hunting, U.S. citizens are starting to clamor for privacy protections like those enjoyed by our European brothers and sisters. So far, only one state, California, has responded by passing their California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which goes in effect in early 2020.

Though the same senator who passed CCPA in California has proposed a Federal Consumer Data Privacy Act (CDPA) bill, we don’t think it will gain enough support to pass nationwide in 2020. However, we do expect more and more states to jump onto California’s bandwagon, and pass state-level consumer privacy acts of their own. In 2020, we anticipate that 10 or more states will enact similar laws to California’s CCPA.

Security Tips: There isn’t a specific security tip for this prediction, but you can still take action. Contact your local congressperson to share your opinion on regulations to protect your privacy. Meanwhile, consider the lack of regulation here when sharing your private information online and with social networks.

3. Voter Registration Systems Targeted During the 2020 Elections

Highlights:

Though voting machines are hackable, adversaries won’t spend much time targeting them.

However, external threat actors will go after state and local voter databases with the goal of creating voting havoc and triggering voter-fraud alerts during 2020 elections.

Election hacking has been a hot topic ever since the 2016 U.S. elections. Over the last four years, news cycles have covered everything from misinformation spread across social media to alleged breaches of state voter systems. During the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, we predict that external threat actors will target state and local voter databases with a goal of creating voting havoc and triggering voter fraud-alerts during the 2020 elections.

Security experts have already shown that many of the systems we rely on for voter registration and election day voting suffer from significant digital vulnerabilities. In fact, attackers even probed some of these weaknesses during the 2016 election, stealing voter registration data from various states. While these state-sponsored attackers seemed to draw the line by avoiding altering voting results, we suspect their previous success will embolden them during the 2020 election, and they will target and manipulate our voter registration systems to make it harder for legitimate voters to submit their votes, and to call into question the validity of vote counts.

Security Tips:

While there isn’t a specific cybersecurity tip for this prediction, we do have some voter preparedness tips in the event this prediction comes true. First, double-check the status of your voter registration a few days before the election. Also, monitor the news for any updates about voter registration database hacks, and be sure to contact your local state voter authority if you are concerned. Be sure to print out the result of a successful voter registration, and bring you ID on election day, even if technically unnecessary.

4. During 2020, 25% of All Breaches Will Happen Outside the Perimeter

Highlights:

While working remotely can increase productivity and reduce burnout, it comes with its own set of security risks.

A quarter of all network compromises or data breaches will involve off-network assets.

Mobile device usage and remote employees have been on the rise for several years now. A recent survey by WatchGuard and CITE Research found 90% of mid-market businesses have employees working half their week outside the office. While remote working can increase productivity and reduce burnout, it comes with its own set of security risks. Mobile employees often work without any network perimeter security, missing out on an important part of a layered security defense. Additionally, mobile devices can often mask telltale signs of phishing attacks and other security threats. We predict that in 2020, one quarter of all data breaches will involve telecommuters, mobile devices, and off-premises assets.

Security Tips: Make sure you’re as diligent implementing off-network protection for your employees as you are perimeter protection. Any laptop or device that leaves the office needs a full suite of security services, including a local firewall, advanced malware protection, DNS filtering, disk encryption, and multi-factor authentication, among other protections.

5. The Cybersecurity Skills Gap Widens

Highlights:

Universities and cybersecurity trade organizations are not graduating qualified candidates fast enough to fill the demand for new information security employees.

The cybersecurity skills gap grows by 15%.

Cybersecurity, or the lack of it, has gone mainstream. A day doesn’t seem to go by where the general public doesn’t hear of some new data breach, ransomware attack, company network compromise, or state-sponsored cyber attack. Meanwhile, consumers have also become intimately aware of how their own personal data privacy contributes to their own security (thanks, Facebook). As a result, it’s no surprise that the demand for cybersecurity expertise is at an all-time high.

The problem is, we don’t have the skilled professionals to fill this demand. According to the latest studies, almost three million cybersecurity jobs remained unfilled during 2018. Universities and cybersecurity trade organizations are not graduating qualified candidates fast enough to fill the demand for new information security employees. Three-fourths of companies claim this shortage in cybersecurity skills has affected them and lessened their security.

Unfortunately, we don’t see this cybersecurity skills gap lessening in 2020. Demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals keeps growing, yet we haven’t seen any recruiting and educational changes that will increase the supply. Whether it be from a lack of proper formal education courses on cybersecurity or an aversion to the often-thankless job of working on the front lines, we predict the cybersecurity skills gap to increase an additional 15% next year. Let’s hope this scarcity of expertise doesn’t result in an increase in successful attacks.

Security Tips: While the available cybersecurity workforce won’t appear immediately, you do have options to help create and manage a strong cyber defense. Taking a long-term view, you can work with your local educational institutes to identify future cybersecurity professionals so that you might fill your open roles first. In the short term, focus on solutions that provide layered security in one solution, or work with a managed services provider or managed security services provider to whom you can outsource your security needs.

6. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Becomes Standard for Mid-sized Companies

Highlights:

2020 will bring increased adoption of MFA among mid-sized companies.

We’ll also see wide-spread adoption among all service providers, and even privileged or admin accounts at all businesses.

We predict that multi-factor authentication (MFA) will become a standard security control for mid-market companies in 2020. Whether it’s due to billions of emails and passwords having leaked onto the dark web, or the many database and password compromises online businesses suffer each year, or the fact that users still use silly and insecure passwords, the industry has finally realized that we are terrible at validating online identities.

Previously, MFA solutions were too cumbersome for mid-market organizations, but recently three things have paved the way for pervasive MFA, both SMS one-time password (OTP) and app-based models, among even SMBs. First, MFA solutions have become much simpler with cloud-only options. Second, mobile phones have removed the expensive requirement of hardware tokens, which were cost-prohibitive for mid-market companies. And finally, the deluge of password problems has proven the absolute requirement for a better authentication solution. While SMS OTP is now falling out of favor for legitimate security concerns, app-based MFA is here to stay.

The ease of use both for the end user and the IT administrator managing these MFA tools will finally enable organizations of all sizes to recognize the security benefits of additional authentication factors. That’s why we believe enterprise-wide MFA will become a de-facto standard among all midsized companies next year.

Security Tips: This tip is simple – implement MFA throughout your organization. Everything from logging in to your laptop each day to accessing corporate cloud resources should have some sort of multi-factor authentication tied to it.

7. Attackers Will Find New Vulnerabilities in the 5G/Wi-Fi Handover to Access the Voice and/or Data of 5G Mobile Phones

Highlights:

Wireless carriers that manage 4G and 5G networks often hand off calls and data to Wi-Fi networks to save bandwidth, particularly in high-density areas.

In 2020, flaws in this cellular to Wi-Fi handover process will allow attackers to access the voice and/or data of 5G mobile phones.

The newest cellular standard, 5G, is rolling out across the world and promises big improvements in speed and reliability. Unknown to most people, in large public areas like hotels, shopping centers, and airports, your voice and data information of your cellular-enabled device is communicated to both cell towers and to Wi-Fi access points located throughout these public areas. Large mobile carriers do this to save network bandwidth in high-density areas. Your devices have intelligence built into them to automatically and silently switch between cellular and Wi-Fi. Security researches have exposed some flaws in this cellular-to-Wi-Fi handover process and it’s very likely that we will see a large 5G-to-Wi-Fi security vulnerability be exposed in 2020 that could allow attackers to access the voice and/or data of 5G mobile phones.

Security Tips:

Most mobile devices don’t allow the users to disable cellular to Wi-Fi handover (also known as Hotspot 2.0). Windows 10 currently does, however. If unsure, individuals should utilize a VPN on their cellular devices so that attackers who are eavesdropping on cellular to Wi-Fi connections won’t be able to access your data. For businesses looking to enable Hotspot 2.0, make sure your Wi-Fi access points (APs) have been tested independently to stop the six known Wi-Fi threat categories detailed at http://trustedwirelessenvironment.com. If the APs block these threats, attackers cannot eavesdrop on the cellular to Wi-Fi handoff.

Police attended the scene.

Police confirm Michael Og McKenna (19) victim of Co Londonderry New Year crash BelfastTelegraph.co.uk A 19-year-old man who died following an early-morning crash in Co Londonderry on New Year's Day has been named as Michael Og McKenna. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/police-confirm-michael-og-mckenna-19-victim-of-co-londonderry-new-year-crash-38826388.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/incoming/article38024162.ece/9194a/AUTOCROP/h342/Police%20tape%20night%20generic%20pic

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A 19-year-old man who died following an early-morning crash in Co Londonderry on New Year's Day has been named as Michael Og McKenna.

Mr McKenna, who was from the Maghera area, was the driver of a red Audi that was involved in a crash with a grey Audi shortly after 2.30am on the Moneysharvan Road between Maghera and Swatragh.

The female driver of the other car and two teenage passengers were taken to hospital for treatment for their injuries.

Sinn Fein MP Francie Molloy said the death had caused shock and sadness in the local community.

The Mid Ulster MP said: "Any death on our roads is a tragedy, particularly when someone so young loses their life.

"My thoughts are with the family and friends of this young man at this sad time.”

Police have appealed for anyone who may have witnessed the crash or who saw either of the cars prior to the collision to contact them on 101, quoting reference 460 of 01/01/20.

The Moneysharvan Road was closed for several hours while police carried out an investigation, but has since been reopened.

Belfast Telegraph Digital

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Welcome to the first adventure of Soy Boy, probably the last, in which he makes a video condemning the trending hashtag #itsokaytobewhite.

While I don’t think he meant it to be comedic, the video’s wild assumptions may give you a good laugh.

Honestly, it’s like this guy is saying because you like oranges, you must like bananas – because after all, they are both fruit.

Also, throw a pink elephant in the mix somehow too. It adds legitimacy to your argument.

Seriously, check it out.

I’m getting really tired of the self-deprecating white people This absolute soy boy is almost in tears over the #ItsOkayToBeWhite hashtag. pic.twitter.com/2YugLT9XP0 — Ashley StClair 🇺🇸 (@stclairashley) December 31, 2019

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Just remember white people, if you think it is okay to be white, then maybe you like the “power” of being white.

Therefore, you are obviously a “sh*tty person”.

I think my favorite part is the end, where he says “yes, it’s okay to be white.

It’s okay to be anything” but it’s not okay to be part of the problem.

As if the whole video WASN’T just about him ranting that people who think it’s okay to be white are part of the problem.

I wonder if he’s related to this lady?

Instruction: Retrieve semantically similar text.