Toronto named world's best city to live: Economist magazine

Yahoo Canada News/Wikimedia Commons - Toronto skyline

If you ask any Torontonian, they’ll probably already tell you they live in the best city in the world, but thanks to a series of ego-inflating studies by The Economist, now there’s some validation.

The city was named the best overall place to live, after scoring highly on the U.K.-based magazine’s business environment, democracy, food security, safety and livability indices.

Montreal, the only other Canadian city in the rankings, clinched second in the shortlist of 25 cities. 

“Deciding where to live is a personal choice for many city residents. For some, safety will be paramount. Others will prioritise culture and creativity. Two neighbours may hold opposite views on democracy and the cost of living,” acknowledges the Economist’s Intelligence Unit in the report. “The average rankings for the 25 best-performing cities are set out below – Toronto in Canada is a consistent performer across the five other indexes, putting it top overall.”

While, Toronto placed fourth on both the Business Environment and Livability rankings, the city only scored eighth in the Safe Cities index, which was topped by Tokyo. Indicators include pedestrian friendliness, gun regulation and enforcement and drug use.

Toronto’s weakest ranking was in the cost of living category where it sat at 70, smack dab in the centre of 140 spots, behind cities like Tehran, Rio de Janeiro, Abu Dhabi and even San Francisco.

Surprisingly, Toronto’s bar-raising former mayor Rob Ford and billboard-dancing hip hop superstar Drake weren’t considered in the metrics.

Best overall place to live:

10. Chicago

9. Sydney

8. Washington, DC

7. Zurich

6. Melbourne

5. San Francisco

4. Amsterdam

3. Stockholm

2. Montreal

1. Toronto

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao met face-to-face at the Heat game

"Mayweather and Pacquiao attend the same basketball game" is the closest we've ever come to a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.

Frequent NBA attendee Floyd Mayweather is at Tuesday night's game between the Heat and the Bucks. Manny Pacquiao is also at Tuesday night's game between the Heat and the Bucks. The Heat decided to put them together on the big screen:

of course, the two boxers have been rumored as potential opponents for what seems like a decade, although it seems as if the possibility of a fight between the two is more real than ever.

This is the second time Mayweather has been reminded of his would-be rival at an NBA game -- when Mayweather attended a Clippers game last week, he was heckled by fans screaming "FIGHT PACQUIAO."

ISIS fighters in Iraq 'have contracted Ebola' : World Health Organisation

According to three media outlets an undisclosed number of militants displaying signs of the disease attended a hospital in the ISIS-held city of Mosul, 250 miles north of Baghdad, the Daily Mail reports.

While the reports, from Kurdish and pro-Iraqi sources, remain unconfirmed, WHO spokesman Christy Feig said the group are trying to reach out to officials in ISIS-held areas to offer help.

Feig said: “We have no official notification from [the Iraqi government] that it is Ebola.”

“UN workers are currently banned from entering ISIS-controlled areas in both Iraq and Syria so it is unlikely an operation in the region could be carried out,” according to the report.

According to a report in Iraq's pro-government newspaper, al Sabaah, the disease was brought to Mosul by 'terrorists' arriving 'from several countries' and Africa.

'Unruly' SA woman causes international flight diversion

Cape Town - A 30-year-old South African woman has been arrested for allegedly assaulting two Air Canada flight attendants, causing Flight 869 from London to Toronto to be temporarily diverted.

A CP24 report states Nomantangwa Angel Babhekile Johansson of Sandhurst, Sandton is facing three counts of assault on an aircraft, one count of assault with a weapon, one count of causing a disturbance and one count of endangering an aircraft under the Aeronautics Act.

The Chronicle Herald states Johansson's charges were based on the use of a "water bottle" during the assault as well as disturbance caused by "screaming and swearing". 

The Air Canada diversion to Halifax Stanfield International Airport was also confirmed in a tweet by the airport.

The plane was carrying 239 passengers on board and police confirmed nobody was hurt during the incident.  It continued to Toronto 40 minutes after the incident. 

Johansson, who will be staying with relatives in Oakville Ontario, and has since appeared in the Dartmouth Provincial Court after the arrest, has been released on R10 000 bail. She also agreed to surrender her SA passport and report in person or by phone to authorities every Friday, beginning December 26.

The matter is expected to return to court on January 22.

POLITICS - PDP Newcomer Jimi Agbaje Defeats Former Minister Obanikoro In Lagos PDP Governorship Primary

Peoples Democratic Party new entrant, Jimi Agbaje has defeated former minister of state for Defense, Musiliu Obanikoro at the the party’s governorship primary election held today in Lagos.

Mr. Agbaje scored 432 votes against Mr. Obanikoro's 343 votes from delegates across the state.

Nelson Mandela was a Satanist, a murderer and a piece of rubbish: Principal tells school children

Former President Nelson Mandela was a fool, a murderer and a piece of rubbish who lied about going to jail!

The ANC are a bunch of fools and blacks would still be living in caves and wearing skins if it was not for the Dutch!

This is what the principal and owner of Cosmo Primary School in Alberton, south of Johannesburg, allegedly told some pupils during lessons this year. These shocking titbits are contained in one of three letters written to the Gauteng Department of Education by some parents of the learners at the school.

Thabo Ramollo, the lawyer representing the school, declined to comment saying the matter was under investigation by the department. He said they would only make a statement once government has made public their findings.

Department spokeswoman, Phumla Sekhonyane confirmed that they were probing the allegations against the school.

"The department is aware of the matter and is extremely concerned about the alleged conduct of the school. The school is registered as a private school, but the district is now handling the matter and has initiated an investigation into the matter," she said.

"The department will await the outcome of the investigation before taking any action. We remain committed to creating school environments that are free from any form of racism and discrimination," she added.

One of the letters written by Nomsa Thela, whose brother is a pupil at the school, complained that principal Belinda Booi made a barrage of racist remarks in class this year.

"She had told the learners that Nelson Mandela was a murderer and a piece of rubbish who lied about ever going to jail. My brother would always come back from school confused and challenge what we had had taught him about the history of black South Africans. She also told them that no black South Africans had ever invented anything, suggesting that white is a superior race," reads the letter.

Thela claimed she confronted Booi about her alleged racist remarks, but said the principal refuted some of them.

"During our confrontation, she admitted to me that she believes Mandela never went to jail and was a murderer. I then challenged her to forward me proof or sources of where she got this information from. I have been waiting ever since. After the national elections, she told Busani (her brother) in front of the whole class that 'your sister obviously voted for the ANC, a bunch of fools'," reads the letter.

Thela said her dispute with the owner of the private school started when she forced Booi to allow her brother to write an exam he had missed due to illness.

"My brother is a Grade 6 pupil at Cosmo Primary School. It is his first year at the school. During the school's first term exams he got sick and couldn't write three exam papers. A doctor's note was submitted to the school, but Ms Booi rejected the note because she thought he was not sick, it was just anxiety because of the transition from a public to a private school.

"I then referred her to her school's code of conduct, which clearly states that upon presentation of a valid doctor's note a learner is eligible to write the missed exams. By this time she had already issued him a report with no marks allocated for the missed exams.

I then rejected that report and she made him write all the missed exams the following day and he subsequently failed," reads the letter.

In an exclusive interview, Thela confirmed that she wrote the letter to the department and said she was still awaiting a formal response.

"I'm removing my brother from that school. He is not comfortable going to that school," she said.

Thela said the last straw was when her brother complained to her recently that one of his schoolmates spat on him, and when he reported the matter to Booi, she told him that she would have done the same too.

"We went to the pupil's home and he and his parents apologised," she said.

Thela also said she is going to report the matter to the Human Rights Commission.

Another parent, Seloane Jantjies, said she was shocked when her child told her that Booi had told them that Mandela was a Satanist!

"Pupils in different Grades attended lessons in one classroom, so when Booi was teaching pupils in another Grade that Mandela was a Satanist, my child was listening," she said.

Another parent, Nkaiseng Makhetha also wrote a letter to the department complaining about racism at the school.

"My daughter, Amu, told us that they were told not to mention Mandela's name because he was a murderer and shall not be celebrated at all," she said.

Police Officers Responsible For 66 Rapes Between April And September

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) is investigating 66 cases of rape involving police officers between April and September this year. The revelation came to light in a document tabled by the directorate on Wednesday.

According to the document, of those 66 rapes, 25 were allegedly carried out by officers on duty.
Parliament’s police portfolio committee said it was shocked by the amount of cases involving police.
Freedom Front Plus MP Pieter Groenewald, also a member of the committee, said the amount of cases involving police had increased by 25%.
“This means that these rapists think they are above the law just because they are members of the police, and they are abusing their power granted to them due to their positions,” he added.
In a separate statement, committee chairperson Francois Beukman ordered South African Police Service (SAPS) management to “take an uncompromising or strict stance on the matter.”

Health - New Report Cites Multiple Violations at Clinic Where Joan Rivers Died

The clinic where Joan Rivers had a fatal routine surgery "failed to identify deteriorating vital signs and provide timely intervention," an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has revealed.

Yorkville Endoscopy also failed to properly document how much of the sedative Propofol was used, and the report confirms that people in the room photographed Joan with a cell phone while she was sedated, according to ABC News.

Rivers, 81, died on Sept. 4, one week after undergoing an outpatient throat procedure at the clinic to treat voice changes and acid reflux. During surgery, Rivers stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest. Last month, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner ruled Joan ultimately died of a lack of oxygen to her brain.

"The cause of Ms. Rivers's death is anoxic encephalopathy due to hypoxic arrest during laryngoscopy and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with Propofol sedation for evaluation of voice changes and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The manner of death is therapeutic complication," the OCME said in a statement. "The classification of a death as a therapeutic complication means that the death resulted from a predictable complication of medical therapy."

Following the comedian's death, the New York State Health Department launched a routine investigation of Yorkville Endoscopy, only to find lapses in four categories necessary for accreditation: governing body and management, surgical services, medical staff, and patient rights.

In a statement regarding Monday's findings, attorneys for Melissa Rivers said in a statement: “Our client, Melissa Rivers, is terribly disappointed to learn of the multiple failings on the part of the medical personnel and the clinic as evidenced by the CMS report. As any of us would be, Ms. Rivers is outraged by the misconduct and mismanagement now shown to have occurred before, during and after the procedure. Moving forward, Ms. Rivers will direct her efforts towards ensuring that what happened to her mother will not occur again with any other patient.”

Yorkville Endoscopy issued the following statement regarding the report as well:

"From the outset of the August 28th incident described in the CMS Report, Yorkville has been fully cooperative and collaborative with all regulatory and accreditation agencies. In response to the statement of deficiencies, Yorkville immediately submitted and implemented a plan of correction that addressed all issues raised. The regulatory agencies are currently reviewing the corrective plan of action and have been in regular contact with Yorkville. In addition, the physicians involved in the direct care and treatment referenced in the report no longer practice or provide services at Yorkville. Yorkville will continue its commitment to complying with all standards and accreditation requirements."

Cape Town - Police probing President Jacob Zuma for Nkandla corruption

President Jacob Zuma has already been charged in the police’s investigation of Nkandla or Minister of Police, Nkosinathi Nhleko, has misled Parliament, said Democratic Alliance (DA) Parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane.

On Monday, it was reported the South African Police Service (SAPS) had officially opened an investigation into the spending of R246 million in public funds on Zuma’s private residents in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal.

According to Maimane, Nhleko invoked the sub judice rule to avoid answering questions posed to him regarding the investigation.

“If it is true that the matter is sub judice, then this is a confirmation that the charges of corruption against President Zuma have advanced beyond initial Police investigation,” said Maimane.

“The Minister’s use of the sub judice rule therefore suggests that the National Prosecuting Authority is considering charging, or has already charged, Jacob Zuma on these Nkandla corruption charges.”

“However, if the matter is not actually sub judice, then Minister Nhleko has deliberately misled Parliament in order to avoid answering uncomfortable questions, and to protect President Zuma from accountability for Nkandla,” he added.

According to police’s Solomon Makgale, the investigation will focus on Zuma’s family’s links to the construction company Moneymine. The company pocketed more than R50m from the project.

SEOUL, South Korea - Grief, rage at 36-year sentence for ferry captain

Enraged parents wept and screamed as a judge sentenced a South Korean ferry captain to 36 years in prison Tuesday for negligence and abandoning passengers when his ship sank earlier this year, killing more than 300 people, mostly high school students.

The highly anticipated verdict came on the same day officials called off searches for the final nine victims and reflects the continuing grief and finger-pointing over one of the worst disasters in South Korean history. Victims' relatives immediately criticized the sentences for Capt. Lee Joon-seok and 14 other crew members as too lenient. Lee was acquitted of a homicide charge, which could have carried a death sentence, because the court said there wasn't proof that he knew his actions would cause such a massive loss of life.

"Do you know how many children are dead?" one relative shouted out during the sentencing, according to Kook Joung-don, a lawyer for the relatives. "This isn't right," another screamed.

The intense anger points to the lack of closure many here feel over the sinking. The tragedy shocked a country that had grown used to thinking of itself as an ultra-modern economic, diplomatic and cultural powerhouse — a country that had left behind a string of deadly, high-profile accidents blamed on failures of infrastructure and regulation as it rose from poverty, war and dictatorship.

More than half-a-year after the ferry sank, the country still grapples with recriminations over claims that authorities' incompetence during rescue efforts, along with the greed, corruption and lack of interest in safety of government regulators and the ship's owners and operators, doomed the victims.

Most of the ferry passengers were teenagers taking a school trip to a southern island, and many student survivors have said they were repeatedly ordered over a loudspeaker to stay on the sinking ship and that they didn't remember any evacuation order being given before they helped each other flee the vessel.

Lee has said he issued an evacuation order. But he told reporters days after his arrest that he withheld the evacuation order because rescuers had yet to arrive and he feared for the passengers' safety in the cold, swift waters.

The Gwangju District Court in southern South Korea concluded in its verdict that Lee had issued an evacuation order and that he left the ship after rescue boats arrived on the scene.

An official from the Justice Ministry, who requested anonymity because of office rules, said Lee, 69, will technically be eligible for parole after serving one-third of his prison sentence.

The court sentenced the ship's chief engineer to 30 years in prison, and 13 other crew members got sentences of between five years and 20 years in prison, the court statement said.

The engineer, Park Ki-ho, was convicted of homicide because he abandoned two injured colleagues, escaped the ferry and failed to tell rescuers about them, even though he knew they would die without help, the court said.

However, it cleared two other crew members of homicide charges for the same reasons it acquitted the captain. Those crew members got 15 and 20 years in prison, it said.

Prosecutors and the crew members have one week to appeal, according to the court. Relatives of the victims said in a statement they will ask prosecutors to appeal the ruling, but senior prosecutor Park Jae-eok said his office hasn't yet made a decision.

"We will do whatever it takes to make sure that the crew members who abandoned our children, escaped, ran away and thought only of their own lives pay for their crimes accordingly," said Ko Young-hee, the mother of a teenage victim.

The 15 crew members tasked with navigating the ferry Sewol have faced scathing public criticism because they escaped while many passengers were still trapped in the sinking ship. A total of 476 people were aboard the ship and only 172 were rescued in the April disaster.

Prosecutors accused the crew members of tacitly colluding to abandon the ship even though they knew that passengers would be trapped and killed after it sank. The defense in the trial denied any collusion among the crew members, saying they were confused, injured and panicked.

Nearly seven months after the sinking, 295 bodies have been recovered but nine are missing. Officials said Tuesday they've ended searches because there was only a remote chance of finding more bodies while worries have grown over the safety of divers. Two civilian divers have died after falling unconscious during searches.

Authorities blamed overloaded cargo, improper storage, untimely rescue efforts and corruption by the ship's owners that prevented enough spending on safety, along with the crew members' behavior, for the sinking.

The ship's billionaire owner was found dead about four months ago after fleeing arrest, and three of his relatives were sentenced last week to up to three years in prison for corruption. Last Friday, South Korean lawmakers approved plans to disband the coast guard and transfer its responsibilities.

South Korea has spent months debating public safety issues that critics say were largely ignored during the scramble to rebuild after the 1950-53 Korean War. But a series of smaller deadly accidents have occurred since the sinking. In mid-October, 16 people watching an outdoor pop concert fell to their deaths when a ventilation grate they were standing on collapsed.