Elon Musk shares a video of The Boring Company’s first finished tunnel

2016%2f09%2f16%2f63%2fhttpsd2mhye01h4nj2n.cloudfront.netmediazgkymde1lza2.c97cf

By Adam Rosenberg2018-11-17 15:46:43 UTC

There’s light at both ends of The Boring Company’s first tunnel.

Elon Musk celebrated his tunneling company’s success on Friday night as a key phase in one of two ongoing Los Angeles projects came to an end. Just before 8:00 p.m. PT, Musk shared a video of a mammoth boring machine breaking through an opening to mark the end of the company’s Hawthorne tunnel.

Work on The Boring Company’s first “Hawthorne test tunnel” began in mid-2017. It runs the SpaceX headquarters (another Musk-founded company) and follows Hawthorne’s 120th St. for about two miles.

An opening ceremony is planned for Dec. 10, at which point the public will be able to check out the tunnel for the first time. It’s worth noting that The Boring Company’s website describes the soon-to-be-completed bit that will open on Dec. 10 as only the “first section” of what will presumably be a longer Hawthorne tunnel.

There are other projects in development as well. Also in L.A. is the “Dugout Loop,” which will give the residents of Los Felix, East Hollywood, and Rampart Village easier access to Dodger Stadium. Outside of California, The Boring Company is also working on a “Chicago Express Loop” for easier access to the city’s O’Hare Airport and an “East Coast Loop” that will connect Washington, D.C. and Maryland.

The Hawthorne tunnel is the smallest of those projects, and can accurately be characterized as The Boring Company’s proof-of-concept tunnel. Still, with the Dec. 10 opening now less than a month away, opening up the other end of the tunnel — which workers have been sealing off behind the boring machine — is a major step forward.

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Dozens of bodies found after attack on CAR refugee mission

More than 40 people have been killed and dozens wounded in Central African Republic (CAR), in an attack on a Catholic mission sheltering 20,000 refugees, according to a regional legislator.

The violence in the town of Alindao, some 300km east of the capital, Bangui, began on Thursday when Christian militiamen known as “Anti-balaka” killed Muslims, prompting revenge attacks.

A church was burned, forcing “thousands” of people to flee, the United Nations‘ peacekeeping mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) said.

“We have counted 42 bodies so far, but we are still searching for others. The camp has been burned to the ground and people fled into the bush and to other IDP (internally displaced person) camps in the city,” Etienne Godenaha, Alindao legislator, told the Reuters news agency on Saturday.

A humanitarian source also said that more than 40 people were killed, according to Reuters. The UN on Friday said 37 deaths had been confirmed in Alindao, including that of a priest.

On Saturday, the Catholic Church said that the remains of a second priest were recovered in Alindao.

“We found his charred body,” Father Mathieu Bondobo, the vicar-general of the main cathedral in Bangui, told the AFP news agency.

The violence came just weeks about 10,000 people ran to a hospital in Batangafo, some 400km north of Bangui, after armed groups looted and burned thousands of homes, three camps hosting 27,000 displaced and a market in the city.

In a statement on Saturday, MINUSCA condemned the latest violence that “resulted in the loss of life, mass displacement of internally displaced people and the destruction of property”.

It also said it had implemented “security measures” to protect civilians who sought refuge near the mission’s military outposts.

➨Over 642,000 people are internally displaced in #CARcrisis

➨Persistent violence results in recurring displacements #NotATarget

➨Over 27,000 IDPs in Batangafo town have been brought to their knees after a site was burned #SaveLives

➨@rochdi_najat listens to their plight pic.twitter.com/STZE4SOX4B

— OCHA CAR (@OCHA_CAR) November 16, 2018

One of the world’s poorest nations despite a rich supply of diamonds and uranium, the CAR has struggled to recover from a 2013 civil war that erupted when President Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.

In response, Christians, who account for about 80 percent of the population, organised vigilante units dubbed “Anti-balaka”.

The conflict has killed thousands of people and caused the displacement of a fifth of the country’s 4.5 million population. More than 642,000 have been internally displaced, according to the UN.

Despite electing a new leader – President Faustin-Archange Touadera – in 2016, the country has continued to face political instability and tit-for-tat inter-communal violence.

The Norwegian Refugee Council said last year that the conflict in the CAR topped its list of the world’s most neglected displacement crises.

The UN has about 12,500 personnel deployed in the CAR as part of its MINUSCA mission, one of the world body’s largest peacekeeping forces.

The UN Security Council voted on Thursday to temporarily renew the mandate of the mission until December, amid heated debates about its ability to stem the unrest.

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Tech gifts that are only for rich people

Disclosure

Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work.

No proles allowed! Ha ha ha ha ha!

Image: Getty Images

By Rachel Kraus2018-11-17 15:01:00 UTC

Oh, hello! I didn’t see you there, amongst my many possessions.

You’re looking for some guidance, you say, for this year’s holiday season? Just a little, trinket? I see…

Well, for the well-to-do lady or gentleman, nothing expresses love like a thoughtful gift. Cashmere, say. Or perhaps a little villa in the Riviera? A new cabana boy? That chalet in the Alps?

But, I have an alternative… suggestion… if you will. Now listen, chap — you are a citizen of the world! You are on the cutting edge, my boy! Why settle for a mere object when you can present an item with a brain all its own?! Technology is the thing!

But not just any item, of course. You see, son, while… others… may have their little iPhones, their so-called smart homes, we desire technological mates that match our taste and breeding. Thankfully, there is plenty out there for the truly discerning. That is, if you know where to look.

Come inside, let’s begin.

1. The Brikk Lux iPhone XS and XS Max Collections

Gold or platinum? Really, it's just a matter of taste. — Gold or platinum? Really, it’s just a matter of taste.

Quite right, our mobiles are extensions of ourselves. And for your loved ones, I think this item may be just the thing. Never mind that it’s made from 24k gold or platinum and covered in diamonds. What will really make this special is the craftsmanship and thoughtfulness of the design. And it does away with that gauche case, of course. Excuse my frankness, but who needs a case when you’ve got diamonds?

Price: $9,950 – $64,995.00 on Brikk

2. The Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 P2P

This special edition Hublot can only be purchased with Bitcoin.

I know, I know, a watch is just so… expected. And, a Hublot?

Classic, yes. But, exciting? Innovative? Actually, you might be surprised by this new offering.

This watch may have something others do not: it is elusive. See, the Big Bang celebrates the 10-year anniversary of something the people call “Bitcoin.” Now, it is an automatic watch case made out of microblasted and polished black ceramic with a skeleton dial. But inside you’ll see an homage to this new form of “money,” they say. And, the best part? You can only buy it with Bitcoin. That’s right, you get it! Your old man would probably have no idea how to acquire this item! And isn’t that itself worth its weight in, well, whatever it is you use to pay for this?

Price: unannounced

3. Lelo Inez 24k gold vibrator

Pleasure is a foundational experience of life, is it not? So tell me, and don’t be shy: why should we ever deign to give and receive pleasure with anything but the very best? This fine curves of this gold vibrator evoke the warmth of a St. Barthes beach; its shape, the shaft of your yacht as it plunges through the waves. The motto of the company behind this magnificent device is “Lust Objectified.” Tempting, tempting.

Price: $15,000 on Lelo

4. Mirror

This smart mirror is called 'Mirror.' — This smart mirror is called ‘Mirror.’

Of course, what is pleasure without pain? What is beauty without sweat? This mirror, called ‘Mirror,’ allows you to stream an exercise course from your home gym, while never taking your eyes off of yourself. Yes, the mirror itself is the teacher, and you are her only pupil. She’ll give you feedback based on your performance to sculpt a body deserving of your worthy soul within.

Price: $1,495 from Mirror

5. Aero Bulldog HD Bluetooth Speaker

The Aero french bulldog may be playful, but his bark is nothing short of aural luxury.

Image: Neimanmarcus.com

Now now, this may seem a Koonsian gimmick. But it is so, so important that we keep our many responsibilities from leeching the joy from our burdensome lives. Don’t you agree? One delightful way to remind us to play is with this delightful gentleman, the bulldog speaker, the life-like size of a frenchie, in neon pink. He’s also more than just a pretty face. The little sir is an AeroSystems speaker. So you’ll be able to blast “Who let the dogs out” in Great Hall to great effect! Perhaps he is not as refined as some might like. But I tend to think it is always nice to show a different side of oneself. Think of him as the bon bon on top of your many other holiday treats.

Price: $4,499.00 on NeimanMarcus.com

6. Serenity Solar Yacht

The Serenity Solar Yacht is 74 feet and outfitted with 1,100 solar panels!

It is so, so important to give back, especially around the holidays. Which is why, for the sake of the planet, I recommend that you purchase the Serenity Solar Yacht fitted with solar panels. As you take a much-needed break after the travails of the holiday season, you could sail down the coast or even just take a quick trip to Barbados — all while helping the environment!

And, I know you’ll have your people handle payment. But I would be remiss not to mention that the Serenity is made possible by my colleagues at Neiman Marcus, who have so generously chosen to donate $50,000 out of the $7.1 million cost of the vessel to charity. Bravo! Consider this yacht one of your many good deeds for the year.

Price: $7,100,000.00 from Neiman Marcus

Now, I must show you out. I hope that your visit has helped with the challenge that is holiday shopping. And, as you know, we are so much more than our worldly possessions. Who truly needs money or “objects,” really?!

But, you and I, we work so hard. And with all of your foundations, and good works, you are just always thinking of others! So, perhaps, young man, think of yourself. Just this one, itty bitty time… indulge.

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Here’s how to better support people who are suicidal

I remember whispers, silence, and shame. When I was growing up in the 1960s and 70s, an older cousin violently ended his life. It was never openly discussed, leaving questions and grief surrounding his death to reverberate for years.

Decades later, suicide continues to create quiet circles of despair, a circle that grows ever wider in this country: The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers show a 25.4 percent jump in the national suicide rate from 1999 to 2016, when nearly 45,000 people ages 10 or older completed suicide. For every life lost, there are even more stories – from family, friends, and colleagues – that must be heard to eradicate the deep-seated stigma and the silence that contribute to this crisis.

National Survivors of Suicide Day on Nov. 17 brings much-needed attention to the crisis and allows survivors a special time and place for solace and community. I am a member of that community. But we can do so much more to prevent these tragedies all year round so that more people actually survive suicidal thoughts or attempts to complete suicide.

My own personal experiences of witnessing the suffering of mental illness and substance abuse inspired me to help create an accessible system of mental health support and resources where none existed.

As the first lady of New York City, I lead ThriveNYC, a city-wide mental health effort launched in 2015 that encompasses dozens of initiatives. We are bringing mental health resources to places where they are needed and teaching New Yorkers to take care of one another. We have now logged over 400,000 contacts to our helpline, 1-888-NYC-WELL, where you can talk, chat, or text with trained counselors.

One of the pillars of our program is Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), a course first developed in Australia to teach ordinary people to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and other distress. To date, we have trained 75,000 people and plan to train 250,000 by 2021. People who have taken the course know, for instance, that you don’t increase the risk for suicide by asking someone if they are thinking of hurting themselves.

Mavis Flowers, who took the training in the last year or so, discovered that her best friend planned to kill herself by overdosing on pills, only after Mavis took her to the hospital for what seemed like a panic attack.

“If I didn’t have the Mental Health First Aid training, I wouldn’t have known she needed to go to the hospital,” Flowers said. “And I would never been able to ask her if she still had a plan, after leaving the hospital.”

“The training has helped me have conversations with her about going to a therapist and having a support system,” said Flowers, a 52-year-old mother and health care consultant from the Bronx. “It has helped me find ways to support her — I’ll say ‘OK, we have to talk about this to your therapist.’” Flowers herself has been certified to conduct MHFA trainings.

After taking the MHFA course and learning from other Thrive resources, a Staten Island family was able to understand the bipolar disorder of a young relative. He had been labeled “bad” for years, bullied by peers, and abandoned by his mother. He has since received proper medication and is college-bound.

When it comes to suicide, we need many ways to break the cycle of pain.

When it comes to suicide, we need many ways to break the cycle of pain for many populations, from schoolchildren to seniors, as well as people with serious mental illness or those facing unexpected crisis.

For example, in our schools, staff members can take advantage of training to identify children in emotional distress. A “health promotion game” called Age-tastic is used in senior centers, allowing licensed clinicians at the centers to assess mental health in a fun way as seniors take stock of their finances and physical health.

A Thrive team for veterans hands out information cards, pens, and refrigerator magnets at police precincts, community centers, and on the streets to guide veterans to free counseling.

With the connections and resources of 12 major national African-American service organizations, we created Brothers Thrive and Sisters Thrive to reach underserved African-American communities through therapeutic “Listening Sessions” and MHFA trainings. We just started a similar effort called Latinx Thrive, with the help of elected officials and others, to serve Latinos and Latinas.

Because of historic and continuing inequity and discrimination, those communities of color need special assistance. Compared to white communities, they too often experience worse mental health outcomes, less access to care, and fewer culturally competent caregivers.

Yonghwa and Katie Ha, who are Korean-American, created the Esther Ha Foundation in Queens to increase mental health understanding in the Korean community. They did so to honor their daughter, Esther Ha. Esther lived with depression and died by suicide at age 21. Through ThriveNYC, the foundation has now trained more than 400 staff and community members in MHFA.

As the first to hear what is really going on in the people’s lives, many faith and community leaders have joined the movement to educate and eradicate stigma by hosting MHFA trainings in their houses of worship and community centers. Those leaders report more people talk openly about everything from marital woes to suicide.

Since 2016 a growing number have participated in a dedicated weekend each May to explicitly address mental health. That effort began in New York. This year, 2,500 houses of worship — representing every major religion — did so in all 50 states.

It is on all of us — individuals, government leaders, and educators — to prevent suicide. As voters, we can demand a public health approach to mental health and vote for candidates who vow to make mental health services a priority. Teachers can help children learn to name and manage their emotions to build emotional resilience. We can all improve our mental health literacy and support one another in navigating life’s inevitable challenges.

As the founder of the Cities Thrive Coalition, which has brought together nearly 200 mayors and thought partners in all 50 states to share best practices and advocate for federal support, I support a more integrated behavioral health system for all Americans. Instead of just bemoaning the suicide rate, leaders in every sector in every city can explicitly acknowledge that people cannot be healthy without good mental health. City governments, in particular, can make a commitment to ensure that their policies take mental health into consideration.

Mental health is the ultimate intersectional issue, affecting how we learn, love, and use our skills and talents. There is no ONE solution to preventing suicide — there are MANY. Tell your story and the stories of loved ones. Hold elected officials accountable. Fight for our lives.

As first lady of New York City, Chirlane McCray fights for underserved communities and created ThriveNYC, the most comprehensive mental health plan of any city or state in the nation. She also spearheads the Cities Thrive Coalition, with more than 200 mayors and thought leaders from all 50 states, advocating for a more integrated and better-funded behavioral health system.

If you want to talk to someone or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Here is a list of international resources.

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De’Aaron Fox Is the Leader the Sacramento Kings Have Been Waiting For

SACRAMENTO, CA - NOVEMBER 12: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings reacts against the San Antonio Spurs on November 12, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Bleacher Report

SACRAMENTO—De’Aaron Fox has grown immensely in his second NBA season, seizing unquestioned, organizationally endorsed control of a leadership role for the Sacramento Kings at age 20.

But it’d be wrong to say he’s changed.

We do this all the time when a young player assumes a position of outsized importance early in his career. We fawn over how he’s learned to speak up or lead by example ahead of schedule. We marvel at how difficult that metamorphosis must be, how unusual it is for someone so young to take ownership of a team.

For Fox, who’s leading a Kings squad with the league’s longest active playoff drought to a pleasantly surprising 8-7 start, what’s happening now isn’t unusual. That portion of his rookie year in 2017-18 when he wasn’t the unquestioned alpha? That was the weird part.

“I’ve always been [the guy],” Fox told Bleacher Report. “Coming off the bench last year was kind of different, but I had other guys, other veterans, guys who’d proven themselves playing in front of me. I wasn’t mad about it.”

Dues paid, Fox is now playing the only role he’s ever known. The one for which his style, skill and demeanor are practically purpose-built.

Notably, Fox is also built for speed.

Justin Jett @JustinJett_

De’Aaron Fox’s quick twitch moves may be the best in the league. He is just so damn fast #Kings https://t.co/boz0TYERWY

“It’s unbelievable,” Kings general manager Vlade Divac, who selected Fox fifth overall in the 2017 draft, said of Fox’s end-to-end sprints. “I’ve been in the league almost 30 years. I’ve never seen somebody…”

Divac pauses, searching.

“Westbrook is there, but…” he concludes, trailing off in a way that seems to suggest you can decide whether Fox or Russell Westbrook has more zip. The implication is that it’s too close to call.

“That’s the whole idea, the identity for this team: We’ve got to push,” Divac explained. “We have young legs. And he’s a perfect fit for that. If you don’t have him, it’s hard to execute.”

Sacramento plays at the second-fastest pace in the league, up from dead last a year ago.

There are plenty of burners in the league, but playing fast without a plan can lead to disorganization and disaster. And even if Fox didn’t have to change temperamentally to take on his new (familiar) role as a leader, he did have to learn the value of slowing down.

“Coming off pick-and-rolls last year, it felt like everything was moving fast,” Fox explained. “The roller was moving fast, the guy who was gonna tag the roller was moving fast. And now, once I see someone make one false step somewhere, I feel like I know exactly where to put the ball. As a rookie, that’s one of the hard things to see. On offense, all you need is one guy on defense to mess up, and then you can pick things apart.”

Point guards this young aren’t supposed to invert the hunter-prey paradigm so quickly, but Fox’s probing forays into the lane show he’s crossed that divide. And speed isn’t his only weapon. Watch as he calmly slips into a thicket of defenders, surveys his options and makes the right play—all at a measured pace.

B/R

“He’s made a huge jump on making reads during the game,” veteran teammate Iman Shumpert said. “Controlling the pace and tempo of the game. He’s growing a lot.”

Last year, Fox ranked in the 27th percentile of scoring efficiency in pick-and-rolls.

Now, he’s climbed into the 52nd, and DeMar DeRozan is the only high-volume pick-and-roll ball-handler who draws a higher percentage of shooting fouls on such plays.

Let’s not forget about that raw open-floor burst, though. That’s important, too.

On defense:

B/R

And offense:

B/R

Among players who’ve used at least 40 transition possessions, only Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Fox’s teammate Buddy Hield average more points per play. Remarkably, Fox is only turning the ball over on 4.7 percent of these open-floor attacks. Just for reference, Giannis Antetokounmpo coughs it up in transition nearly six times as frequently. Curry loses possession almost three times as often.

It’s hard to find a better example of how Fox has married his blinding speed with necessary caution.

Fox’s ascent is inseparable from the broader culture reset in Sacramento. All involved seem to agree things are just different this year. Fox is entrenched as his team’s key figure, and that has an organizing effect on the entire roster.

Teammate Willie Cauley-Stein, who’s thrived with Fox leading the offense, laid out the differences in plain terms.

“I’ve been here for four years, and this is the first time everybody is on one page, everybody likes playing with each other, everybody really cares if you do well. In the past it was like, ‘These two dudes need to get their numbers and we might win. And if we win, it’s cool.’ Now it’s like we’re playing for everybody else.”

Things don’t fall into place just because a team identifies and empowers a star. That star also has to fit the team’s vision and embrace his status as a driver of success.

Divac tells a story of the time over the summer when he jokingly suggested to Fox that perhaps the team had put too much on his shoulders.

“If you’re not ready, we’ll take it off,” Divac said at the the time, smirking in the retelling. He did this knowing Fox would bristle at the idea.

“No, no, no!” Fox responded.

“OK,” Divac said. “Show us.”

So far, Fox is showing more than anyone outside the organization could have imagined. A 30.7 percent shooter from deep last year, Fox is drilling 41.7 percent on higher volume in 2018-19. His averages of 19 points, 7.3 assists and 4.4 rebounds dwarf last year’s 11.6 points, 4.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds. His usage rate is up along with his effective field-goal percentage. He’s drawing fouls twice as often as he did in 2017-18.

Most importantly, Fox has filled a void that has existed in Sacramento for years. He’s become the embraceable, unifying star DeMarcus Cousins never was. He is the foundational piece around which the Kings are building a team and an identity. That Sacramento is also 8-7 almost seems secondary. This is bigger than a hot start—one that’ll surely cool as a brutal late-November schedule approaches.

“I feel like it’s happened pretty fast for me, you know?” Fox said. “Coming to your second year, trying to make that jump. But I felt like I needed to make that jump and just help my team succeed, help my team win.”

No leap of this magnitude is easy, but Fox has made his transition to stardom seem that way. Maybe that’s because there’s nothing about “fast” that makes him uncomfortable. Or maybe it’s because he’s now occupying the role he was born to play.

“Last year, we always talked about consistency,” Divac said. “This year, he’s taking this team to another level. The sky’s the limit for him.”

Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise indicated. Accurate through games played Monday, Nov. 12.

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Watch Bei Bei the panda roll around in this season’s first snowfall

By Xavier Piedra2018-11-17 14:00:00 UTC

This is One Good Thing, a weekly column where we tell you about one of the few nice things that happened this week.

If you don’t live on the East Coast, then you avoided a pretty powerful snowstorm on Thursday that caused major headaches for commuters on Thursday and Friday. While some of us humans might not be feeling the frost, there are other creatures out there who were absolutely thriving.

Take for example Bei Bei, the three-year-old giant panda who lives at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC. Bei Bei was pretty happy to see snow flying all around, and even got to play in it.

Lucky for us, the zookeepers recorded a video of Bei Bei enjoying the fresh poweder.

Bei Bei’s tumbling in the snow got plenty of recognition on social media. People took to Twitter to express the deep admiration and happiness they felt when they saw his excitement for this season’s first snowfall.

Bei Bei will be very happy to know that there’s going to be plenty of more snow coming his way.

Keep on tumbling buddy.

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Ibrahim Mohamed Solih sworn in as new Maldives president

Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has taken the oath of office before thousands of people and hundreds of foreign dignitaries, vowing to end systematic corruption and investigate alleged human rights abuses under his predecessor, Abdulla Yameen.

Solih received a 21-gun salute after being sworn in on Saturday as the Indian Ocean island nation’s seventh president at a special parliamentary assembly at the national football stadium in the capital, Male.

Addressing the crowd of 12,000 people, the 54-year-old pledged to see through his promises to establish justice and equality, as well as “eradicate corruption and theft”.

“We need to focus on moving ahead, to take back the rights we have been denied, and save our nation from its dismal condition,” he said.

Solih is expected to appoint a 19-member cabinet and name the attorney general later on Saturday.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the more than 300 foreign dignitaries at the ceremony in Male[Mohamed Sharuhaan/ AP]

‘Justice for those abused’

Solih won a contentious election in September promising to restore democracy after a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent during Yameen’s five-year term.

The former president had jailed or forced into exile nearly all opposition leaders, banned protests, detained Supreme Court judges and suspended parliament for long periods of time.

Most politicians who were sentenced during Yameen’s tenure were released following Solih’s shock win on September 23.

WATCH: Maldives opposition claims presidential election victory (2:27)

“We need to help seek justice for those subject to abuse and unfair treatment. The treasury needs to be strengthened. Unaccountable deaths and disappearances need to be investigated and findings disclosed,” Solih said on Saturday.

“For us to move ahead as one nation, such grave matters need to be addressed immediately.”

India‘s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the more than 300 foreign dignitaries at the ceremony in Male.

The visit is Modi’s first to the Maldives after years of tense relations between the two countries because of Yameen’s embrace of China during his tenure.

Beijing reportedly loaned more than $1.5bn to fund a massive infrastructure boom under the former president.

In an apparent reference to the Chinese debt, Solih, who has promised an “India first” policy, said the Maldives was “in a precarious financial situation” because of “reckless mega development projects undertaken purely for political gain”, and appealed for help from foreign countries and international organisations to address the issue.

Modi, on a Facebook post on Friday, has already pledged India’s help to the Maldives “in the areas of infrastructure, health care, connectivity and human resource development”.

Meanwhile, Yameen, who lost a court challenge to overturn his September 23 poll defeat, did not attend the ceremony, nor did several legislators from his party. On Friday, the former president said justice had not been served in his dismissed complaint over alleged election fraud.

Mohamed Nasheed and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, two former presidents who were jailed during Yameen’s time in office following trials that were widely condemned as politically motivated, were both present at the oath taking ceremony.

Solih, who was fielded as a common candidate by a coalition led by Nasheed and Gayoom, said reforming the judiciary so that judges can be free from external influence was “the highest priority areas” for his government.

Reporting by Zaheena Rasheed

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10 books by women who are changing the world

Just a few of the female activists who have recently shared their stories in tell-all memoirs.

Image: MASHABLE COMPOSITE: CROWN PUBLISHING GROUP/ ATRIA BOOKS/LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY

By Victoria Rodriguez2018-11-17 12:00:00 UTC

If you keep up with Oprah’s Book Club — or at the very least, have been online recently — then you know Michelle Obama finally released her memoir, Becoming, on Nov. 13.

In it, the former first lady opens up in ways she never has before, revealing intimate details about marriage counseling, her miscarriage, and the reason why she’ll “never forgive” Donald Trump. Obama will undoubtedly continue these candid conversations in the coming weeks, as she travels across the country for her book tour.

She’s not the only woman trailblazer to share her story. In 2018 alone, we’ve heard from the cofounder of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Cullors; journalist Asha Bandele; Sarah McBride, the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign; and Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first U.S. Olympian to wear a hijab while competing.

Whether you’re looking for life lessons, life inspiration, or an inside look into the lives of your favorite icons, consider reading these books by and about badass women:

Michelle Obama gets candid in her memoir, Becoming.

Former first Lady Michelle Obama has accomplished so much in the White House and beyond. Now she’s giving readers a play-by-play on how she got it all done. Take notes! Even after you close the book, you can expect to hear more from Obama. “So I’m still becoming, and this is the story of my journey,” she told Oprah.

Read about women and nonbinary people changing the world.

The history books don’t always get it right. In fact, they often skip, ignore, or suppress the accomplishments of women and nonbinary people. This collection of profiles helps give a fuller picture, sharing the stories of 70 leaders who are making the world a better place.

Ibtihaj Muhammad is known for being the first Muslim woman from the U.S. to compete in the Olympics with a hijab.

In 2016, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad made history when she became the first Muslim woman from the U.S. to compete in the Olympics in a hijab. In her book, she describes the many obstacles she had to overcome to get to that moment.

Trans right activist Janet Mock opens up about her twenties.

Janet Mock’s twenties involved going to the University of Hawaii as a first-generation college student and learning how to navigate school, love, being away from home, and figuring out her next steps — just like so many of us. The trans rights activist talks about it all in her inspiring book.

Meet Cecile Richards, who served as the president of Planned Parenthood for many years.

For years, Cecile Richards was the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Her career in activism actually started way back when she was in just seventh grade. In this book, she shares the ups and downs of her life as an activist.

Activist Sarah McBride opens up about love, loss, and the fight for trans equality.

Although it’s devastating to hear all the ways the Trump administration has attacked trans people’s rights, there’s also plenty of reason to have hope. Activist Sarah McBride is one of those reasons.

Hear directly from Patrisse Khan-Cullors, one of the cofounders of the Black Lives Matter movement.

This is the story of why Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi co-founded Black Lives Matter, and how the original hashtag #BlackLivesMatter turned into the movement we know today.

Jazz Jennings opens up about her journey as a transgender teen and activist.

Whether you’ve seen her on YouTube or her TLC reality show, I Am Jazz, chances are, you’ve heard of teen activist Jazz Jennings. She is one of the youngest voices advocating for transgender equality. In this book, you’ll learn about her personal and very public journeys.

Gloria Steinem shares stories from her life on the road.

Gloria Steinem does it all. She’s a writer, speaker, and an activist for women’s rights. She also co-founded New York magazine and Ms. magazine, and she currently serves as an advisor to TIME’S UP. As the title suggests, her book explores critical moments on the road that shaped her life and the women’s liberation movement.

Malala Yousefazai, the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize, shares her journey in this memoir.

Malala Yousafzai has fearlessly advocated for girls’ education for years, even after she was shot by the Taliban. Read her story and you’ll understand why she became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

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‘A crucial moment’: Yemen’s warring sides to attend peace talks

The UN envoy for Yemen has said the country’s warring parties have agreed to attend negotiations in Sweden aimed at ending more than three years of brutal war.

Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council on Friday that the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels had shown a “renewed commitment” to work on a political solution to end a war that has driven millions to the brink of famine.

“I have received firm assurances from the leadership of the Yemeni parties – the government of Yemen, of course, first, and the Houthis – that they are committed to attending these consultations,” he said.

“I expect them to appear for those consultations and indeed so do the Yemeni people, who are desperate for a political solution to a war in which they are the main victims.”

Griffiths said he planned to travel to the rebel-held capital Sanaa next week to finalise arrangements and even offered to travel with the Houthi delegation to Sweden “if that’s what is needed.”

No date for the talks was announced.

One little child – I remember his little feet were sticking out of the blanket, and it was kind of cute, and I went and tickled the little feet thinking I’d get a little smile, and it was like tickling a ghost. Nothing there.

David Beasley, head of the UN World Food Programme

The new round of peace talks to end the war, which has killed more than 56,000 people according to a recent estimate, were initially scheduled to take place in November but had been pushed back to late December.

Griffiths said the Saudi-UAE military alliance had agreed to “logistical arrangements” to pave the way for talks including medical evacuations out of Sanaa.

He added that he was close to reaching a deal on an exchange of prisoners and detainees, in a further confidence-building measure ahead of planned talks.

“This is a crucial moment for Yemen,” he said, warning that a flare-up of fighting on the ground could derail the peace effort.

‘We are tired of the blood and the killing’

A number of countries have recently called for a cessation of hostilities between the Saudi-UAE military alliance and Houthi rebels, among them the US, Britain and France.

On Monday, the UK is expected to present a draft resolution to the Security Council to address the conflict, Ambassador Karen Pierce said.

The UK and the US have sold more than $12bn worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia since Riyadh intervened in the war in 2015.

Earlier this week, pro-government forces suspended an offensive on the rebel-held port of Hodeidah, a major entry point for humanitarian aid and vital goods to Yemen.

The UN envoy said he would also travel to Hodeidah next week to discuss plans for the UN to take over control of the port and oversee the arrival of aid deliveries and supplies.

This would address concerns from the Saudi-UAE alliance that weapons were being smuggled into Yemen for the Houthis through the port.

In the capital Sanaa, Yemenis pleaded with the international community to help broker a settlement.

“We are tired of the war, the blood and the killing,” Hassan Abdel Kareem, a father of seven, told AFP news agency.

“We’ve had enough. It is time to start rebuilding Yemen, and Yemen will need every person in it to be rebuilt.”

Back from a recent visit to Yemen, the head of the UN World Food Programme warned that the country faced a full-blown famine in around six months.

“What I have seen in Yemen this week is the stuff of nightmares, of horror, of deprivation, of misery,” David Beasley told the council. “Children are already dying.”

Eight million people are affected by severe food shortages, according to UN officials, who warn that up to 14 million – or half of Yemen’s population – are at risk of famine.

“One little child, I remember his little feet were sticking out of the blanket, and it was kind of cute, and I went and tickled the little feet thinking I’d get a little smile, and it was like tickling a ghost. Nothing there,” he added.

Years of war

The conflict in Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, began when the Yemeni government slashed fuel subsidies in the summer of 2014, prompting massive protests in Sanaa.

The Houthis seized the opportunity and marched south from their stronghold of Saada province to the capital, where they toppled Hadi’s government.

Concerned by the rise of the Houthis, a US-backed, Saudi-led military coalition intervened in 2015 with a massive air campaign aimed at reinstalling Hadi’s government.

Since then, data collected by Al Jazeera and the Yemen Data Project has found that more than 18,000 air attacks have been carried out in Yemen, with almost one-third of all bombing missions striking non-military sites.

Weddings, funerals, schools and hospitals, as well as water and electricity plants, have been hit, killing and wounding thousands.

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RIP, California GOP: Republicans lash out after midterm election debacle

Then- Rep. Mimi Walters knocks on doors in her district before the midterms — Rep. Mimi Walters, R-Calif., hands out a campaign flyer during an election eve stop in Irvine, Calif. | Chris Carlson/AP Photo

ELECTIONS

‘There is no message. There is no messenger. There is no money. And there is no infrastructure,’ says one top Republican.

LOS ANGELES — In the wake of a near-political annihilation in California that has left even longtime conservative stronghold Orange County bereft of a single Republican in the House of Representatives, a growing chorus of GOP loyalists here say there’s only one hope for reviving the flatlining party: Blow it up and start again from scratch.

That harsh assessment comes as Republicans survey the damage from the devastation of a “blue tsunami” in California which wiped out five GOP-held House seats — with more still threatened — while handing every statewide seat and a supermajority to the Democrats in both houses of the state legislature this week.

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The latest blow came Thursday, when Democrat Katie Porter, an UC Irvine professor, defeated Republican Rep. Mimi Walters in a district which represents the beating political heart of Orange County.

“I believe that the party has to die before it can be rebuilt. And by die — I mean, completely decimated. And I think Tuesday night was a big step,’’ says veteran California GOP political consultant Mike Madrid. “There is no message. There is no messenger. There is no money. And there is no infrastructure.”

Republicans like Madrid also mourned another low point this week: the defeat of Southern California Assemblyman Dante Acosta, marking the demise of the last GOP Latino legislator — in a state where Latinos comprise the fastest-growing electorate.

“The California Republican Party isn’t salvageable at this time. The Grand Old Party is dead,” wrote former state GOP Assembly leader Kristin Olsen, who startled fellow Republicans with a brutally frank op-ed this week saying Republicans must acknowledge their “serious problem” in California, particularly the effects of toxicity of President Trump.

GOP strategist John Weaver, who has worked California races and also has represented the presidential campaign of Ohio governor John Kasich, seconded Olsen’s view, tweeting that the effects of the Trump presidency have doomed any chance of resurrection. “In one fell swoop Trump & Republicans who willingly handcuffed themselves to him have turned Orange County into a GOP wasteland,’’ he tweeted this week. “You want to see the future? Look no further than the demographic death spiral in the place once considered a cornerstone of the party.”

Madrid argues that many California Republican leaders remain in complete denial of the fact that their continued support of Trump presidency has sealed the fate of the GOP — and last week’s midterm elections revealed the true extent of the GOP’s rot in California, where the state party has now shrunken to third party status.

“Now, it’s just open warfare. The barbarians have broken through the gates. The army is in full retreat,’’ said Madrid, who adds there’s no hope left for a party that for years has been on a path toward destruction. “Burn it to the ground. I want to reconstitute.’’

Republicans looking at the ashes of the midterm results say they must envision what a new party will look like — after the current structure and its leadership has been entirely disassembled.

“That’s the question: how do you start over?,’’ said Joel Fox, a longtime GOP strategist who publishes the “Fox & Hounds Daily” commentary site. He says the answer will be more wide-ranging than finding “one dynamic leader” — celebrity or billionaire — to rescue their cause.

“The rise of the Republican Party may really depend on the Democratic Party,’’ Fox said, and how it handles the heady times of having a $14 billion surplus and a supermajority under the leadership of the incoming Governor-elect Gavin Newsom. If progressives try to push their agenda too far, and land too many pro-tax ballot measures in front of the voters in future ballots — including revisions of the landmark property tax measure Prop. 13, soda taxes and oil taxes — it’s possible they will create an opening for the GOP to return to viability.

Not everyone agrees that Trump is the cause for the party’s bottoming out. This week, former state GOP chair Shawn Steele, a member of the Republican National Committee, argued in an op-ed published in the Washington Examiner that “it’s not Trump” who lost Orange County dominance for the party. He laid the blame on millions of dollars in “dark money” raised by Democrats, who he said were aided by better organization and help from the tech industry in Silicon Valley. And — without any substantiation — Steele also claimed Democratic voter registration drives produced “borderline fraudulent turnout rates” in some key districts.

Already, a leading pro-Trump Republican voice — former gubernatorial candidate Assemblyman Travis Allen, a far-right conservative who fully supports the president’s wall and immigration policies — has kicked off his campaign to head the state GOP, announcing that it’s time to “take back California.”

But a growing number of Republicans in the party’s #NeverTrump wing — which includes prominent strategists like Rob Stutzman and Luis Alvarado — insist that a new beginning will rely heavily on a full-throated repudiation of Trump’s caustic divisiveness. They believe the rebuilding process could require years, if not generations, to rid the state GOP of the taint of a president who is blamed for ramping up anti-immigrant sentiment in a state that is home to more immigrants than any other in the country.

This isn’t the first time the dilapidated Republican Party in California has faced a dire outlook — or debated the notion that it must be completely overhauled. In 2007, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was lambasted by Republicans when he delivered an address to their state convention warning that the GOP was “dying at the box office’’ because they lacked inclusive messaging and policies, particularly to minorities who now dominate the state’s demographics.

And in assuming the leadership of the party in 2013, former state Sen. Jim Brulte predicted it would take at least six years to rebuild the structure and fundraising strength of Republican in California. He warned then that Republicans would need to “either stop the bleeding and/or start turning it around” in 2014 — or the party will be in the pits “for the rest of the decade.”

None of that altered the party’s downward trajectory, however, or caused a wholesale rethinking among some leading candidates and party leaders. Madrid cites the recent gubernatorial contest in which Republican nominee John Cox, who described himself repeatedly as a “Jack Kemp” Republican, pushed for Trump policies that are abhorrent to many Californians.

“It is completely unfathomable…for a Republican nominee to run on building a wall,’’ said Madrid, a nationally recognized expert on Latino voting trends who noted that the party has spent 20 years trying to extricate itself from the damage done by Prop. 187, the anti-illegal immigration ballot measure that eviscerated Latino support in the state. “And everyone acts like it’s normal…Cox was running on that, in California. Are you out of your mind?”

Madrid, who most recently advised the gubernatorial campaign of former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat, said the party needs to stop looking for silver bullets — like a gas tax repeal — and confront the disintegration of some of the state GOP’s once most reliable electorates, especially college-educated voters and women.

“We hemorrhaged college-educated Republican voters on Tuesday night. The ‘diploma divide’ is a very real thing,” he said. “The smaller it gets, the more monolithic is gets. The whiter it gets. The more populist-nationalist it gets. What you’re seeing in the Republican Party is that it’s the party of white identity politics.”

Democratic political strategist Darry Sragow says if the party continues on its current path, its complete disintegration is entirely predictable.

“They’re down to 24 percent registration. And the reason is that they have a huge deficit with Latinos, with African Americans…and with Asian Americans. And they now have a deficit with whites,’’ he said. “You’re talking about a party where 77 percent of Republican likely voters in California are white. And the population that’s white here is 39 percent.”

His advice: “They have to take down the ‘whites only’ sign from the clubhouse door,’’ Sragow says. “And if they’re willing to allow people who aren’t white into the club, they may be able to recover.’’

“I think that the GOP is capable of turning itself around, because it’s a well-established brand,’’ he said. “The problem is, the people who manage the party are going to have to be willing to do that. And by definition, they are the opposite of that. They have no interest in that.”

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