China`s Xi Jinping vows to support UN, boost living standards

China will play its part in defending the international order and combating climate change while working to raise living standards for its own people, President Xi Jinping pledged on Sunday in a New Year speech.

Xi said the nation was committed to economic reforms in 2018, the 40th anniversary of the transformation led by Deng Xiaoping, "as reform and opening-up is the path we must take to make progress in contemporary China and to realise the Chinese dream".

In a speech quoted by the state Xinhua news agency, Xi said that by 2020 all rural residents living below the current poverty line should have been lifted out of poverty.

It would be the first time in thousands of years of Chinese history that extreme poverty had been eliminated, he said.

"It is our solemn promise," Xi said.

The president also acknowledged shortfalls in the government`s work.

"That is why we should strengthen our sense of responsibility and do a good job of ensuring the people`s well-being," Xinhua quoted him as saying.

"The well-being of our people is the Party and the government`s greatest political achievement."

On international affairs, Xi said China "will resolutely uphold the authority of the United Nations", actively fulfil the nation`s international obligations and remain firmly committed to its pledges to tackle climate change.

His stance puts him at odds with US President Donald Trump, who has sharply criticised the UN and vowed to quit the 2015 Paris accord on combating climate change.

Ten Americans killed when plane crashes and burns in Costa Rica

Ten Americans flying from a vacation hotspot on Costa Rica`s tropical Pacific coast died Sunday when the small plane they had just boarded crashed and burst into flames shortly after take-off, officials in the country said.

Ten Americans flying from a vacation hotspot on Costa Rica`s tropical Pacific coast died Sunday when the small plane they had just boarded crashed and burst into flames shortly after take-off, officials in the country said.
A list of the passengers given by local media showed five shared the same last name, suggesting they were related.
"The government of Costa Rica profoundly regrets the deaths of 10 US passengers and two Costa Rican pilots in the air accident," which occurred in the country`s northwestern Guanacaste region, Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis said in a statement posted to social media.
A US State Department official said: "We confirm the deaths of multiple US citizens in an airplane crash in Costa Rica."
The official said "we express condolences to all those affected by this tragedy," as well as assistance to "affected US citizens, but that "out of respect for the families, we are not sharing additional information at this time."Costa Rican officials said the plane that came down belonged to Nature Air, a domestic airline that services routes across the country and which also provides aircraft for charter.
Guanacaste is a popular vacation destination, especially this time of year, when its pristine beaches and jungle provide a respite for tourists fleeing the northern hemisphere`s winter.
Americans are by far the biggest group of tourists visiting Costa Rica.
The plane that crashed was a single-engine turboprop Cessna 208 Caravan. Its debris was scattered across a wooded mountain close to the beach town of Punta Islita.
Images posted by the country`s public security ministry showed blackened wreckage, some in flames, with only part of the tail recognizable.
The cause of the crash was not known.
Solis said in his statement that his government "gives its commitment to do everything necessary to work with the relatives of the victims to give them what they need in this difficult moment."
He said emergency services launched into action when the alarm over the crash was given at 12:13 pm (1813 GMT). The process of recovering the bodies continued into the night in Costa Rica.
Early Monday "the investigations into the causes of the accident will begin," Solis said.The Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion gave the names of the 10 passengers as: Thibault Astruc, Amanda Geissler, Charles Palmer, Bruce Steinberg, Irene Steinberg, Matthew Steinberg, William Steinberg, Zachary Steinberg, Leslie Weiss and Sherry Wuu.
No ages were given.
The newspaper reported the plane had taken off from the capital San Jose at 11:37 am (1737 GMT) for the small sealed airstrip in Punta Islita, where the tourists boarded.
The passengers had paid $2,300 for their flight, it said.
The two pilots were identified as Juan Manuel Retana Chinchilla and Emma Ramos.
Former Costa Rican president Laura Chincilla -- Solis` predecessor -- said on Twitter that Retana, 52, was her cousin. 
"You will remain in our hearts, dear Juan Manuel Retana," she wrote.
This time of year is particularly busy in Costa Rica`s coastal resort areas as tourists and locals alike spend end-of-year holidays in the sun.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel declares Europe top priority for new government

Chancellor Angela Merkel will tell Germans that European co-operation is "the decisive question of the coming years" in a New Year's Eve broadcast on Sunday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel will tell Germans that European co-operation is "the decisive question of the coming years" in a New Year's Eve broadcast on Sunday, as her conservatives eye tricky coalition talks.

Merkel will say that "27 states in Europe must be persuaded more strongly than ever to hold together as a community," according to a scb ript of the annual televised address released by her office.

Britain is on course to leave the bloc in March 2019 after last year's referendum vote for Brexit -- leaving the European Union with 27 members.

As for Germany, its "future is bound indivisibly with the future of Europe," the chancellor will declare, recalling that Berlin hopes to work with France's pro-European President Emmanuel Macron to future-proof the EU.

"The question will be whether we Europeans can represent our values inwardly and outwardly, with self-confidence and with solidarity," she will add.

Brexit and fights over upholding democratic norms and sharing responsibility for refugees are weighing on continental cooperation.

Europe must be economically strong and fair, as well as able to "protect our external borders and the security of our citizens," according to the text.

Merkel and Macron vowed in mid-December to deliver a plan to reform the 19-nation euro single currency area.

Divisions persist among eurozone members, with wealthy northern countries such as Germany, Finland and the Netherlands loath to accept risk-sharing with states they see as less fiscally disciplined like France, Spain or Italy.

At home, Merkel is exploring a possible coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats in order to form a government after a tricky election in September.

She will promise in Sunday's speech "to form a stable new government for Germany quickly in the new year", backed by a majority of parliamentarians.

"The world is not waiting for us," the chancellor will say.

"We have to create the conditions now for Germany to do well in the coming 10 or 15 years."

One round of talks with the ecologist Greens and pro- business Free Democrats failed in November. That left Merkel the unappetising option of renewing a "grand coalition" between her centre-right CDU and the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Politicians and commentators expect it could be March before a new government is in place.

NASA's agenda for 2018: Celebrate 60th year and 'touch' the Sun

The Parker Solar Probe will perform its scientific investigations in a hazardous region of intense heat and solar radiation.

2018 will be a special year for American space agency NASA, owing to the fact that it will be turning 60-years-old.

While the space agency is certainly looking forward to the celebrations, it is also gearing up for the launch of a slew of important missions in the new year.

One of those missions is the Parker Solar Probe, which is scheduled for launch in 2018 to explore the Sun's outer atmosphere.

The probe will 'touch' the Sun by using Venus' gravity during seven flybys over nearly seven years to gradually bring its orbit closer to the Sun, according to a NASA statement.

The spacecraft will fly through the Sun's atmosphere as close as 6.2 million kilometers to our star's surface, well within the orbit of Mercury and closer than any spacecraft has gone before.

The Parker Solar Probe will perform its scientific investigations in a hazardous region of intense heat and solar radiation.

The primary science goals for the mission are to trace how energy and heat move through the solar corona and to explore what accelerates the solar wind as well as solar energetic particles.

In 2018, NASA will also add to its existing robotic fleet at the Red Planet with the InSight Mars lander designed to study the interior and subsurface of the planet .

The US space agency's first asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx, is scheduled to arrive at the near-Earth asteroid Bennu in August 2018, and will return a sample for study in 2023.

Launching no later than June 2018, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will search for planets outside our solar system by monitoring 200,000 bright, nearby stars.

To continue the long-term record of how Earth's ice sheets, sea level, and underground water reserves are changing, NASA will also launch the next generation of two missions – ICESat-2 and GRACE Follow-On – in 2018.

After Losing Mother To Brain Cancer, Artist Finds Peace In Surreal Photography

Kirsty Mitchell, a talented photographer based in the UK, creates mystical and dream-like surreal photographs that clearly communicate her intense, deep and personal connection to her artwork. When her mother died of brain cancer in 2008, photography became Mitchell’s only shelter from the pain of her loss.

“Photography became my only escape when I could no longer talk about how I felt. It became an utter fantasy that blocked out the real world, and a place where I could return to my memories of her, far away from those hospitals walls,” she writes on her website.

Rare Photos Of Titanic (20 Pics)

Photos of Titanic that you probably have never seen before.

The last image taken of The Titanic, 1912

Propellers of The Titanic c. 1912 

Gym aboard the Titanic, c. 1912

Titanic Prepares to Leave Port. 1912

The iceberg that sank the Titanic, 1912

Priest praying over Titanic victims before they are buried at sea

Olympic (left) and Titanic (right) at Belfast on March 6th, 1912

Surviving crew members of the Titanic, New York, 1912

Titanic ready for launch, 1911

One of Titanic’s Lifeboats Paddling Toward Rescue, the RMS Carpathia. April 15, 1912

The dining room on the Titanic, 1912

The Titanic in dry dock. Here you can see the scale of the person standing next to one of the propellers, 1912

Body of RMS Titanic victim aboard rescue vessel CS Minia being made ready for makhift coffin. 1912

Titanic lifeboat next to the Carpathia. April 15, 1912

Olympic and Titanic, under construction, side by side. Belfast 1910

People in Southampton checking the Titanic survivor list posted outside the White Star Line office. April, 1912

RMS Titanic as she leaves Southampton on her maiden voyage (April 10, 1912)

Body of RMS Titanic victim aboard rescue vessel CS Minia being made ready for makhift coffin. 1912

Titanic lifeboat D, awaiting rescue by the RMS Carpathia

Titanic 1912

10 Foods that Help Control Blood Sugar

Keeping your blood sugar levels in check may not sound super exciting, but even if you’re not diabetic or prediabetic, blood sugar levels matter. These are some foods that control blood sugar.

One evening when I was a kid, my family was waiting for a table at a Japanese restaurant. My mom was being pretty quiet, and the next thing we knew, she was on the floor. Her blood sugar had crashed, and she fainted. My mom isn’t diabetic or prediabetic, but low blood sugar does run in our family, and she waited too long to eat. On the upside, they seated us right away when she bounced back.

I was lucky enough to inherit this trait from my mom. If I put off eating or eat too many sweets, I get a case of the dizzies, just like she does. Eating foods that help control blood sugar, like the ones below, and practicing habits that support good blood sugar levelshave done wonders for me.

Of course, you can’t just do a vinegar shot once a day and check healthy blood sugar levels off of your list. But you can use these foods that control blood sugar to help balance you out, if you’re splurging on the occasional sweet treat.

FOODS THAT CONTROL BLOOD SUGAR

If you think you have a chronic condition, please talk to a doctor. The list below are foods that help control blood sugar. They aren’t a cure for diabetes, prediabetes or hypoglycemia, and they don’t cancel out an overall terrible diet. What they can do is help offset that rotten sugar-crash feeling you get from the occasional over-indulgence in sugar or refined carbs.

1. Vinegar

A tablespoon of vinegar seems to help reduce the impact on blood sugar and the spike in insulin that usually comes with eating something like a bagel or a sugary treat. It looks like taking a daily shot of vinegar can also help improve your cholesterol and triglyceride numbers.

2. Strawberries

Strawberries are low in sugar, high in fiber and packed with deliciousness. And they may just help control blood sugar levels. A study found that pairing strawberries with starchy foods helps prevent a spike in blood sugar. Strawberries contain antioxidants that support healthy blood sugar levels, and their low-sugar, high-fiber content is a real one-two punch when it comes to healthy blood sugar, as well.

3. Healthy Fats

Plant-based, high-fat foods like avocado, nuts and seeds are my go-to when it comes to controlling my blood sugar levels. There’s research supporting the idea that adding healthy fats to your diet can make a difference, so pass the cashews, please!

4. Cruciferous Vegetables

A diet rich in vegetables in general is good for your blood sugar levels, and cruciferous vegetables specifically contain a compound that supports healthy blood sugar levels. A preliminary study looked at very concentrated amounts of this compound to treat diabetes—the equivalent of eating 11 pounds of broccoli per day. More research is needed to see how lower doses impact blood sugar levels in prediabetic patients.

That’s a lot of broccoli, but the good news is, cruciferous veggies also deliver plenty of fiber, which slows sugar absorption, so eating your cruciferous veggies helps control blood sugar any way you slice it.

5. Ceylon Cinnamon

There’s evidence that one to two teaspoons of ceylon cinnamon can help control the blood sugar spike that you get when you’re taking a blood sugar test (the one where you drink that awful sweet syrup-water, then the doctor tests your blood sugar levels). What’s important, though, is to note that there are different types of cinnamon.

Ceylon cinnamon seems to be helpful in safely controlling blood sugar, but its cousin—cassia cinnamon—can harm your liver at high doses. Unfortunately, if your jar of cinnamon doesn’t specify that it’s ceylon, chances are it’s cassia cinnamon. Some stores do stock ceylon cinnamon, though, and you can find it online.

6. Dates

This one surprised me! Dates are delicious, but they’re also very high in sugar. A study found that dates are actually a low-glycemic food that benefitted participants with diabetes. Pairing dates with yogurt seemed to be even more beneficial. 

7. Vanadium-Rich Foods

There is only a little bit of research right now into this mineral—there isn’t even a Recommended Daily Allowance for it yet—but it looks like it may help regulate blood sugar levels. Foods rich in vanadium include: parsley, soy, corn, olive and olive oil, black pepper, dill, radishes and legumes.

8. Plant-Based Protein

Plant-based protein—like beans and nuts—help regulate blood sugar in two ways. Protein helps slow sugar absorption, which can prevent a crash. And unlike animal foods, plant proteins come with a side of fiber, which also supports healthy blood sugar levels. So have another helping of the musical fruit!

9. Ginger

There is some evidence that ginger and ginger extracts can help control blood sugar levels. More research is definitely needed in this area, but ginger just plain tastes good and comes with so many other potential health benefits, that it can’t hurt to add it to your day.

10. Turmeric

Add controlling glucose levels to turmeric’s many health benefits. Both turmeric and turmeric extract seem to be beneficial. If you want to combine the benefits of ginger and turmeric, fix yourself a turmeric latte! If coffee isn’t your thing, you can omit it, and you’re left with delicious golden milk.