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Thursday, January 5, 2017

Dele Alli could be Real Madrid"s next Galactico

Königliche Reise mit dem BVB! | Real Madrid - BVB
Shaka Hislop and Alexis Nunes bite into the days juiciest transfer rumours. The FC crew discuss how a Tottenham win over Chelsea Wednesday could impact the title race in the Premier League.

A report in Tuesday"s Daily Mirror claims Real Madrid want to sign Tottenham Hotspur"s Dele Alli next summer. ESPN FC assesses Alli"s chances of becoming the next British Galactico.

Reasons for

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has backed Alli to become one of the best players in Europe in the next decade -- and Real Madrid want the best players. In May, Alli was named as the most-marketable footballer in the Premier League by SportsPro, and this will also appeal to Real from a non-football perspective.

When the Spanish giants come calling, there is nothing much anyone -- even a master-negotiator like Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy -- can do. Spurs are a big club but Real are an empire, and they could offer Alli the biggest stage in football and treble his salary without a second thought.

Real have previous form here too, having already prized Luka Modric and Gareth Bale away from Tottenham. Spurs do not want to lose Alli but, if he wants a move, Levy would rather sell to real than a Premier League rival like Manchester United or Chelsea.

If the chairman can extract a huge fee, north of 60 million, for Alli and sign a replacement like Everton"s Ross Barkley for half of that, he may consider it sensible business while Spurs continue to fund their new stadium.

There is something about Alli reminiscent of Zinedine Zidane and it"s easy to imagine that the current Real Madrid head coach admires the 20-year-old"s style.

Real Madrid are reportedly interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur"s Dele Alli next summer.

Reasons against

Real Madrid only tend to buy the Premier League"s very best players and Alli, for all his talent, is not there yet. His start to this season has been patchy and he has only recently hit form with consecutive doubles at Southampton and Watford.

Real found World Cup-winner Mesut Ozil inconsistent, so they will not have much patience with Alli, who is just 20 and still learning. Los Blancos already have Isco and James Rodriguez -- four and five years Alli"s senior, respectively -- who are struggling to make Zidane"s XI, so adding another to the mix seems unlikely.

What"s more, Spurs don"t want to sell Alli and, although Pochettino recently said that he is worth 50m, Levy extracted 85m from Madrid for Bale. In today"s market, he could reasonably ask for a similar fee, which would definitely deter even the Champions League winners.

There is also the issue of Alli"s temperament: he was involved in a number of incidents last season, including a punch on Claudio Yacob which earned him a three-match ban, and he has been criticised for diving this term. Real may want to wait to see if he grows out of such behaviour, which could prove costly in the biggest games, before making a move.

The player himself only signed a new six-year contract with Spurs in September and he recently said he is happy at White Hart Lane after links to French giants Paris Saint-Germain. He is mature and level-headed enough to realise that there is no better place for him than at Tottenham.

Verdict

There are reasons to think that Alli is a good fit for Real Madrid but next summer would be too soon for him to join Real. If the England international continues his upward trajectory and establishes himself as one of the top two or three players in England, he has the technique and attitude to succeed at the Bernabeu.

For now, though, he would be better to stay at Spurs and continue his development under Pochettino, who is one of the best managers in the game at improving young English talent.

Dan is ESPN FC"s Tottenham correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @Dan_KP.

Source: http://www.espnfc.us/blog/soccer-usa/3/post/3031372/dele-alli-could-be-real-madrid-next-galactico-but-development-must-continue-at-spurs

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Donald Trump uses Julian Assange to cast doubt on US intelligence case on hacking

1/3/2017 Julian Assange proves Obama and Clinton are lying -Please share with a friend

WASHINGTON --

President-elect Donald Trump appeared to side with controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over U.S. intelligence officials Wednesday, citing the activist"s assertion that Russia did not provide his organization with the hacked Democratic emails that roiled the 2016 election.

Trump"s latest challenges to the intelligence community - which has assessed that Russia interfered in the election on the Republican"s behalf - comes as the government rushes to finished a highly anticipated report on the hacking. The president-elect is expected to be briefed on the report Friday by CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

Clapper is also testifying on Capitol Hill Thursday. But he could be limited in what he can say about the report"s conclusions given that Trump - and perhaps President Barack Obama, who ordered the report - will not have been briefed by the time he steps before lawmakers.

The gulf between the intelligence community"s assessment and the public information available to support that assessment has given Trump an opening to question whether Russia was behind hacking of the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, a top aide to campaign rival Hillary Clinton. Trump"s resistance has put him at odds with Obama and lawmakers in both parties, raising questions about why an incoming American president appears to believe Russia"s denials over the intelligence agencies he will soon oversee.

Trump"s posture has appeared to stem in part from concerns that the allegations of Russian election interference delegitimized his victory. But Trump aides have argued Trump"s position isn"t personal, but based on what he sees as incomplete or inconclusive information.

Spokesman Sean Spicer said Wednesday that Trump has received "raw data" on the hacking during daily intelligence briefings. But he said the president-elect was "more skeptical of the conclusions that are drawn."

The nature of the presidency gives the commander in chief discretion to decide how to respond to intelligence assessments. But any skepticism about the agencies" conclusions usually plays out privately in the Situation Room and Oval Office, not on Twitter - Trump"s main forum for challenging the intelligence community and others.

On Wednesday morning, Trump tweeted about a Fox News interview in which Assange denied Russia provided WikiLeaks with Podesta"s emails. WikiLeaks released thousands of Podesta"s files throughout the final weeks of the presidential election.

"julian assange said "a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta" - why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info!" Trump wrote.

It was remarkable for the incoming president to give credibility to Assange, whose organization has been under criminal investigation for its role in classified information leaks. Assange has said his source for the hacked emails WikiLeaks published during the campaign was not a government, but his assertion has left open the possibility they came from a third party.

On Tuesday night, Trump cast more doubt on U.S. intelligence agencies by saying his briefing on the hacking report has been delayed. "Perhaps more time needed to build a case," he wrote.

Trump"s tweets caused confusion among intelligence officials, who said there was no delay in the briefing schedule.

The fresh clash came as Trump took further steps to fill his Cabinet and key White House positions, with his attention shifting toward the challenges of governing.

He announced that he wants Wall Street lawyer Jay Clayton to be chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, saying in a statement that his pick is "a highly talented expert on many aspects of financial and regulatory law."

Trump has repeatedly said he wants to undo many regulations that he says have "stifled investment" in Americans" businesses. Clayton, in a statement, said he"ll "carefully monitor" the financial sector and set policies that encourages companies to create jobs.

Clayton is the latest Trump pick with deep ties to Wall Street - having represented Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Barclays Capital Inc.

On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, Vice President-elect Mike Pence told Republicans that Trump has signaled that "it"s time to get to work" and plans to have a shorter-than-usual 90-minute Inaugural parade on Jan. 20 and then go straight to the Oval Office to begin signing executive orders repealing some of President Obama"s actions. Pence did not specify the topics of the potential executive orders.

Trump also promised to hold his first formal news conference since his Nov. 8 election victory next week in New York. He has already waited longer than any other president-elect in the modern era to hold his first exchange with journalists. Most have held such events within days of their elections.

Transition officials said Wednesday that Trump would address his business during a wide-ranging press conference but it was not clear if he would fully outline how he plans to avoid potential conflicts of interest involving the Trump Organization after taking office.

Trump was supposed to detail the business arrangements at a mid-December news conference, but postponed the event.

Source: http://abc7ny.com/politics/trump-uses-julian-assange-to-cast-doubt-on-hacking-case/1685473/

Donald Trump takes another shot at US intelligence, promoting Julian Assange"s version of events

Secret World of US Election: Julian Assange talks to John Pilger (FULL INTERVIEW)

President-elect Donald Trump lodged another unprecedented assault on U.S. intelligence agencies Wednesday, promoting the credibility of WikiLeaks founderand editor Julian Assangeat their expense.

Trump has been highly critical of the government"s assessmentthat Russia intervened in the November election, using WikiLeaks to release hacked Democratic emails.

On Twitter on Wednesday, Trump cited Assange"sassertions mocking the intelligence community"s conclusions that Russians were responsible for stealing the emails of top Hillary Clinton advisor John Podesta.

Assange gave an interview to Fox News host Sean Hannity, who has in the past called for trying him on espionage charges, echoing other Republicans and many in the intelligence communitywho say his airing of sensitive documents has put U.S. lives and strategic interests at risk. U.S.officials have said Assange is under criminal investigation.

Assange"sbackers, including some on the far left, have praised him at times for scrutinizing U.S.actions abroad and in the war on terrorism.

Hannity, Trump"s biggest supporter in the media, has praised Assange since Trump began complaining that the conclusion about Russian meddling in the election was wrong. He flew to London to interview Assange in the Ecuadorianembassy, airing their conversation Tuesday. Assange has lived in the the embassy for more than four years, fleeing sexual assault accusations in Sweden.

Trump also quoted Assange"s criticism of the media as dishonest, amplifying that critique in his own words.

The praise for Assangeon Wednesday came less than a day after Trump ridiculed U.S. intelligence.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-donald-trump-takes-another-huge-shot-at-1483543012-htmlstory.html

LIRR train derails at Atlantic Terminal, NYPD says

Passenger describes LIRR accident in Brooklyn

A Long Island Rail Road train hit a bumping block and derailed at Brooklyn"s Atlantic Terminal during the morning rush hour on Wednesday, injuring at least 103 people, authorities said.

The Far Rockawaytrain was carrying about 430 passengers when it crashed through the final bumper on Track 6 atthe busy transit hub around 8:20 a.m.,causing two of the six train cars to derail, the FDNY and MTA said.

The train hitthe wall of a waiting area, and a rail pierced the train, FDNY assistant chief Daniel F. Donaghue said.

None of the injuries were life-threatening, the FDNY said. It"s not clear if all of the people hurt were passengers inside the train, fire officials said.

The injured were taken to Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York Methodist Hospital and Kings County Hospital.

MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast said it was not immediately known how fast the train was going when it entered the terminal, but that theengineer was probably responsible for failing to stop the train before it hit the bumper.

"At that speed, it"s pretty much the locomotive engineer"s responsibility to stop the train," Prendergast said.

The MTA is investigating what went wrong and why the operator did not stop the train before the bumping block.The Federal Railroad Administration has been notified and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, the MTA said.

The LIRRsaid on Twitter that service was operating "on or close to schedule" at Atlantic Terminal at about 11:30 a.m. No delays are expected during the evening commute.

Daniela Roth, of Valley Stream, said she was sitting in the first car of the train when it derailed."We started feeling the train jump the rail," she said. "Then we heard the metal screeching, and it felt like it was forever. And then we saw the smoke."

Roth said passengers "were catapulted," which caused anyone standing to fall. The front of the train appeared crushed, she said.

Another passenger,Wendy Gerzog, 57 of Lawrence, said "there was smoke all over," but she didn"t know where it was coming from.

Gerzog suffered some contusions, but said she was OK.

"We"re New Yorkers," she said. "We manage."

Gov. Andrew Cuomopraised the "fantastic" emergency response to the incident and said the accident was"minor" compared to the NJ Transit derailment in Hoboken, New Jersey, back in September, which killed one person and injured more than 100.

Less than three months ago, on oct. 8, alirr passenger train hit a work train and then derailed near Long Island"s New Hyde Park neighborhood, injuring 33 people and prompting days of service disruptions.

With Ivan Pereira and Lauren Cook

Source: http://www.amny.com/transit/lirr-train-derails-at-atlantic-terminal-nypd-says-1.12861181

19-year-old B.C. inventor makes 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 list | CTV ...

Inside The FORBES Under 30 Summit

CTVNews.ca Staff Published Tuesday, January 3, 2017 9:34PM EST Last Updated Wednesday, January 4, 2017 7:40AM EST

A 19-year-old Canadian inventor has been honoured in the forbes 30 under 30 list for creating a flashlight powered by the heat of the human hand and a mug that can charge a phone battery via hot coffee.

Ann Makosinski, a second-year student at the University of British Columbia, has already received numerous accolades for her work, including being named in Times 30 Under 30 list in 2013 and winning first place in her age group at the 2013 Google Science Fair.

But on a personal level, she says making Forbes list was special.

Its been a little goal of mine for a while, so it was great to finally get there, Makosinski told CTV News Channel on Tuesday.

Makosinski said she knew she was nominated, but didnt learn the news until she woke up to congratulatory text messages from friends. Other honourees in the Energy category include a 14-year-old who created a piezoelectric leaf device that harvests energy from sun, wind and rain and a 23-year-old who worked as an electrical engineer on the first airplane to circle the world with solar energy.

Makosinski is best known for two inventions. The Hollow Flashlight, a device that converts body heat into electricity to power an LED lightbulb, was developed after she learned of a friend living in the Philippines who fell behind in school because she didnt have light to study at night.

She later developed the e-Drink, a mug that uses thermoelectric generators to harness excess heat from coffee to power a phone or music device. The invention landed her a guest appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she showed off her creation.

It was a really fun experience, she said.

Both inventions have yet to hit the market, but Makosinski says shes in talks to lock down a licensing deal for the flashlight.

Originally from Victoria, B.C., Makosinski credits her passion for invention with her childhood ingenuity.

I wasnt given many toys, so Id have to take garbage from around the house and piece together inventions of course they never worked but the idea of creating things with the resources around me was always there from the start. And then I did 10 science fairs from Grade 6 to Grade 12, so I was just making things constantly.

She recalled the moment she learned she made Times 30 Under 30 list -- an honour that, at first, went over her head.

To be honest, I didnt even know what Times 30 Under 30 was until someone told me, and then I was like, Oh, this is kind of cool. So it was a big surprise for me and also a wonderful thing to add to my resume.

Source: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/19-year-old-b-c-inventor-makes-2017-forbes-30-under-30-list-1.3226569

Ford squeaks out 0.3% December sales gain

Pinoy Boyband Superstar Live Shows: Ford Valencia - “Angel’s Cry”

2016 Ford F-150 Limited.(Photo: Ford Motor Company)

Ford, largely powered by F-Series pickup sales,said it sold just slightly more cars and trucks in December and for the full year than it did in 2015 in the U.S.

In December, Ford said it sold 239,854 cars and trucks, or 0.3% more than the same month a year ago.

For the full year, Ford sold 2.61 million cars and trucks, a 0.1% increase compared with 2015.

While Ford only slighly exceeded its 2015 sales the gain is still a stellar year for the Dearborn automaker and reflects what automakers now say will be a record sales year for the industry as well.

General Motors said early today it expects U.S. industry sales will exceed 17.5 million cars and trucks in the U.S., exceeding the 2015 total of 17.47 million.

Ford also is celebrating a major milestone as F-Series now reigns as the top-selling truck in the country for 40 consecutive years and best-selling vehicle for 35 years.

Ford sold 87,512 F-Series pickups in December, a 2.7% increase compared to the same month a year ago, and sold 820,799 F-Series pickups, a 5.2% increase for the year.

December marked Fords best retail performance since 2004, with average transaction prices increasing $1,600 for the month $1,000 more than the industry average, Mark laneve, ford"s vice president of sales and marketing said in a statement. "Thanks to strong customer demand for F-Series, Transit and an all-new lineup of heavy trucks, Ford capped 2016 as Americas best-selling truck brand.

Sales of Ford"s cars fell 11.7% in December and 13% for the year as American consumer preferencescontinued to shift to crossovers, SUVs and pickups.

Sales of Ford"s SUVs increased 5.4% in December and 4.9% for the year.

Despite the industry"s record sales, all automakers will likely see sales level off this year, said Edmunds Senior Analyst Jeremy Acevedo.

"Demand will start to level off from the record-setting pace the automotive industry has enjoyed the last two years," he said. "However the fact that automotive sales will still be over 17 million indicates the market is healthy. While the last few years have been defined by breakneck growth, 2017 will be a year of stability."

Contact Brent Snavely: 313-222-6512 or bsnavely@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrentSnavely.

Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/2hSFQYX

Source: http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2017/01/04/ford-sales-december-year-end/96147780/

Suspects in Ulster-Kingston police chase drove 3 miles in wrong ...

IXL Classroom Spotlight: Spring Valley Elementary School

KINGSTON >> The two men in an SUV who led police on a chase in the town of Ulster and city of Kingston drove about 3 miles in the wrong direction on the divided section of U.S. Route 209 before being captured, the Ulster County Sheriffs Office said Wednesday.

The suspects, Darryl Dixon Jr., 30, and Devada Hines, 29, both of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., were charged with numerous felonies, misdemeanors and traffic violations after being taken into custody Tuesday afternoon near the Bank of America building at Washington and Hurley avenues in Uptown Kingston, the Sheriffs Office said.

Hines, who was seen being taken from the bank parking lot on a stretcher, was unintentionally and accidentally struck by an Ulster County Sheriffs Office vehicle in that lot, the Sheriffs Office said in a press release Wednesday evening. The release said Hines was taken first to HealthAlliance Hospitals Broadway Campus in Kingston and then Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla with injuries that were not life-threatening.

The Sheriffs Office said the SUV was rented and had stolen license plates on it.

PHOTOS: Car chase ends in Kingston

The all points bulletin that resulted in the chase was initiated by state police in Rhinebeck after troopers received a vehicle description from a patron at the ixl health & fitness Club on state Route 9G in Rhinebeck, state police said Wednesday.

Trooper Melissa McMorris said the IXL patron described the gray SUV that ultimately was pulled over in Kingston.

The IXL parking lot was the site of several vehicle break-ins on Nov. 8 and 16. McMorris declined to speculate about whether the men arrested after the chase are linked to break-ins. Some of those break-ins, she said, included windows being broken, while in others, the cars had been left unlocked.

The Ulster County Sheriffs Office said Wednesday that the SUV, a gray 2016 Ford Explorer, was a suspect vehicle in a grand larceny case that occurred in Dutchess County. It did not elaborate.

The Sheriffs Office said the situation unfolded about 3:10 p.m. Tuesday when deputies tried to stop the SUV in the area of U.S. Route 9W and state Route 199 in the town of Ulster. The vehicle took off onto Route 209 south (the extension of Route 199), got off at Enterprise Drive and then got back onto Route 209, driving south in the northbound lanes for about 3 miles, the Sheriffs Office said.

The SUV got off Route 209 at the Route 28 exit, drove east in the westbound lanes of Route 28, struck a parked vehicle in front of Kingston Nissan and continued onto Washington Avenue in Kingston, with a flat tire, before eventually being stopped near the bank, according to the Sheriffs Office.

Dixon, who was driving, was taken into custody immediately, while Hines fled on foot between the bank and an adjacent building, the Sheriffs Office said. It was at that point, the office said, that a sheriffs vehicle struck Hines.

The large police presence where the chase ended backed up traffic on Washington Avenue for more than an hour.

The Sheriffs Office said Dixon was charged with the felonies of reckless endangerment, criminal possession of stolen property and tampering with physical evidence; the misdemeanors of unlawfully fleeing a police officer, resisting arrest, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and reckless driving; and leaving the scene of a property-damage auto accident and multiple traffic violations.

The Sheriffs Office said Hines was charged with the felonies of tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of stolen property and the misdemeanor of resisting arrest.

Additional charges are likely, the Sheriffs Office said.

Wednesday afternoon, the Sheriffs Office said it was seeking information from drivers who witnessed the chase about whether they saw any items being thrown from the SUV or whether they found a womans purse near the Washington Avenue bridge over the Esopus Creek at the Ulster-Kingston line. Witnesses were asked to call the Sheriffs Office at (845) 338-3640.

After the two suspects were arrested, a plainclothes officer in the Bank of America parking lot counted cash laid out on a turquoise hoodie. There was no word Wednesday about whether that cash was connected to the purse being sought by the Sheriffs Office.