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PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Welcomed by a military band and a guard of honor, Chinese President Xi Jinping began a state visit to South Africa on Wednesday, part of China’s effort to strengthen economic ties with Africa.

The Chinese government became Africa’s largest international trading partner in 2009, according to the South African Institute of International Affairs. Trade was valued at over $201 billion last year, a sharp rise from just $10.6 billion in 2000. This is Xi’s second visit to the country — the first was in 2013 when the Chinese president toured several African states.

Xi met his South African counterpart President Jacob Zuma in an official ceremony in the capital Pretoria. After the red carpet procession, each president was flanked by row of cabinet ministers, who were part of the talks on issues such as financial cooperation and infrastructure projects. Xi’s visit comes ahead of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, a meeting that brings together African and Chinese leaders every three years.

The two leaders watched as cabinet ministers and industry leaders signed 26 bilateral agreements worth about $6.5 billion, that include a $500 million loan to Eskom, South Africa’s struggling national power supplier, according to a statement released by the South African government.

Xi’s visit to South Africa comes a day after meeting Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe in Harare, where the Chinese leader signed deals worth more than $4 billion, according to Zimbabwean newspapers. In addition to China’s mining interests in cash-strapped Zimbabwe, the 12 agreements cover industries such as power and transport, and prevent double taxation for investors, according to the Herald, a state-owned Zimbabwean newspaper.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is travelling to South Africa this week, where he will also meet Xi, his office said in a statement. The two leaders are to discuss a coastal railway project in Nigeria, which Buhari’s government hopes will be financed by a $12 billion Chinese loan, the statement said.

China’s economic downturn has had a knock-on effect on African countries that export raw materials to China’s once-booming industries.

“I think that we’re all in the same boat if you’re a producer in the global economy,” said South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies. “The demand is lower so the prices are lower.”

Xi may have to spend some time on this trip reassuring African leaders that trade relations will remain strong, said Aubrey Hruby, a Washington D.C.-based economist. The Chinese government is unrivalled in its willingness to fund big infrastructure projects in Africa, although American companies still provide the highest foreign direct investment to African countries, she said.

“It’s a mutually beneficial perspective,” said Hruby. “There are not a lot of entities in the world that would fund African infrastructure the way China has.”

While Beijing has traditionally maintained a policy of non-interference, staying out of Africa’s political affairs, its decision to establish a permanent representative at the African Union’s headquarters in Ethiopia may signal stronger political interaction, the South African Institute of International Affairs said.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Internet searchers had celebrities on the mind this year: Famous names made up eight of the top 10 searches on Yahoo in 2015.

The Internet company said that the late Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of late singer Whitney Houston, was the year’s most searched term. Brown died at age 22 in July, about six months after she was found unresponsive in a bathtub.

Yahoo released its list Wednesday ahead of those of its much bigger search engine rivals Google and Microsoft’s Bing.

The second most searched term on Yahoo was iPhone, the company said, likely because Apple released a new version of the smartphone in September. It sold 13 million of them in the first three days of its release.

Caitlyn Jenner, who publicly transitioned to a woman this year, was third on the list. She was followed by daughter Kendall Jenner, a model and star of reality TV show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”

The two Jenners surpassed the only other member of the Kardashian clan to make the list: Kim Kardashian, who came in at No. 7.

Yahoo users also looked up video game “Minecraft,” former “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston, singer Katy Perry and Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Ronda Rousey. “Teen Mom” star Farrah Abraham bottomed out the top 10.

Ebola, last year’s most searched term, didn’t make the list in 2015.

Yahoo said it excluded directions and adult searches, including porn, when compiling its list.

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Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is a close friend and supporter of Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. But he also thinks it’s her job to stand up for the company and to be held accountable for the overall business.

During an interview with Bloomberg’s Stephanie Ruhle on Tuesday, Benioff said Mayer needs to be “willing to be in the fire” as the CEO of a public company.

“I don’t think you can be critical or judgmental enough of somebody who is going to be a public company CEO. You have to be willing to be in the fire. That’s what you’re standing up for. That’s also why CEOs get paid a little bit more,” Benioff said.

He added, “[Mayer] has a great pay package, she has to be held accountable and that’s where she is right now.”

That doesn’t mean Benioff thinks Mayer is not the right person for the job. He reiterated his admiration for Mayer, noting she’s one of the most “thorough and incredible” people he knows in the business. “I have a lot of confidence in her ability to create a great Yahoo,” he said.

But Benioff later added that, as tough as it is to be a public company CEO, their compensation should be directly linked to the company’s performance.

“If the stock goes up, the CEO should be rewarded, because he’s performing for all shareholders, and all stakeholders. If the stock does not deliver, then the CEO should be removed,” Benioff said.

Benioff’s comments come at a critical time for Yahoo and Mayer. Just yesterday, it was reported that Yahoo’s board was mulling a potential sale of its core internet business, as investors have increasingly grown impatient with Mayer’s performance. Yahoo shares have lost nearly 30% of its value over the past 12 months, though the stock is still trading at more than double its price when Mayer took the reins in 2012.

If anyone deserves to comment on stock price and CEO performance, Benioff does. His company Salesforce has been consistently beating earnings forecasts and its shares are trading at record-high levels, adding nearly 40% in value over the past year.

It’s also worth noting Benioff and Mayer are close friends and strong supporters of each other. The two are part of a monthly dinner that invites startup entrepreneurs, and Mayer has been previously invited to Dreamforce, Salesforce’s big annual conference too. Benioff, in fact, said he’s so confident in Mayer’s ability that he’d hire her in a heartbeat if she left Yahoo.

“She’s amazing. She’s completely magical,” he said.

SEE ALSO: Yahoo’s board will consider selling its core internet business

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Real-estate mogul Donald Trump participated in an unusual media interview on Wednesday: “The Alex Jones Show.”

Alex Jones is a radio host famous for promoting conspiracy theories, including that the September 11, 2001, terror attacks were an “inside job.”

In his very first question to Trump, Jones asked about the attacks.

Jones declared that Trump has been repeatedly “vindicated” in his widely disputed claim that thousands Muslims in New Jersey celebrated as the World Trade Center buildings fell.

“I knew it happened and I held my line. People wanted me to apologize, and we can’t do that. People like you and me can’t do that so easily,” Trump told Jones from his Trump Tower office in New York.

Jones’ show is an atypical place for a front-running presidential candidate to appear. There was an advertisement between interview segments that touted a “Brain Force” supplement that supposedly fights back against “toxic weapons in the food and water supply.”

Unsurprisingly, Jones had some atypical questions for Trump, including how the Chinese government was able to amass such a large supply of rare-earth minerals.

“How did we just give them the global market in that?” Jones said of the minerals. “That’s crazy.”

Trump responded by lamenting that China is buying all of the minerals from Afghanistan. 

“We go into Afghanistan. We’re fighting — you know, tremendous mountains and ridges — we’re fighting on one side. And you know who’s got their excavators on the other side? China, taking out all of the materials. Afghanistan — nobody knew this — Afghanistan is rich with minerals.”

Trump added that China was also ripping off the US in oil. 

“China is taking out the minerals,” he said. “They’re the buyers, the big buyers, at very, very low prices of — as you know — of the oil in Iraq and probably in Syria.” 

Later in the 30-minute interview, Jones asked, “Is it not time for impeachment proceedings against Obama?”

“The best thing that we have going with Obama is he’s got a year left, OK? Because by the time you do the hearings and everything,” Trump replied.

“So don’t make him a martyr?” Jones interjected. 

“In a way you’ll make him a martyr. But I don’t even say that,” Trump said, launching into a spiel against Republicans who go to Washington but never fulfill their campaign promises. “There’s so many things to do, Alex,” he added. “We will do such a good job. There’s so many fronts.”

SEE ALSO: Matt Drudge gave a rare interview about ‘Hillary’s lovers’ and the ‘travesty’ of the media industry

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For most of Volvo’s 88-year history, the Swedish automaker offered its loyal legions of customers well-built, safe, and practical transportation with a certain Scandinavian flair. Now, the company’s diving head on into the world of luxury cars. 

On the heels of the hugely successful introduction of the XC90 luxury SUV, Volvo is ready to introduce its new flagship luxury sedan — the S90. The new S90 will replace the company’s S80 sedan. Although still a nice car, the current S80 has been on sale with minimal revision for nearly a decade. It is certainly showing its age. Furthermore, the conservatively styled S80 hasn’t been able to drum up the big sales figures Volvo would like to see from the model. 

As we await the arrival of Volvo’s new S90 luxury sedan, have a look back at the company’s flagship four-door sedans. Although they may not have always been overly luxurious, Volvo has always offered a big executive ride for those who sought the experience. 

SEE ALSO: The $400,000 Rolls-Royce Wraith is a car with no rivals

Although Volvo’s foray into the car business started in the mid 1920s, its first offering with a luxury tilt was the PV 654 in 1933. It featured an upgraded, plush interior, twin spare tires and a reversing light. It was powered by an 80-84 horsepower 3.67-liter, 6-cylinder engine.

In 1935, Volvo followed up with the sleek PV36 “Carioca.” In addition to the aerodynamic body, the Carioca featured advanced independent front suspension and room for six.

Volvo built a total of 501 Cariocas, powered by the same 3.6- liter, 6-cylinder found in the PV654. Volvo claimed a top speed of 75 mph.

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I just booked a flight to Las Vegas for next month’s CES, the big tech conference, and I tried to find the cheapest flight I could using services like Expedia and Travelocity — but I walked away, tickets in hand, feeling like I still got burned.

So when Oliver Dlouhý and Lucie Brešová told me their startup, Skypicker, helps people find flights that cost as much as 90% lower than those booked via a regular flight ticket, I was skeptical, but definitely interested.

If you’re like me, you probably use a flight aggregation service to buy your plane tickets — for example, a website like Travelocity. Or maybe you just buy your tickets right from the airline. Either way, you’re missing out on cheap flights that don’t get shown to customers.

Skypicker, a three-year-old startup from the Czech Republic, wants to help unearth these flights so you can fly as cheaply as you want to — and for the first time since its 2012 launch, it’s serving customers in the US.

Oliver Dlouhý, Skypicker’s CEO, first got the idea for his company a few years ago, when he and his girlfriend were trying to book flights from Prague to Portugal. They were students, and they had a hard time justifying paying $500 each for plane tickets. So as broke college kids are wont to do, they got creative, spending six days cobbling together a bunch of random, connecting flights to take them from Prague, to a random European city, to Porto, Portugal.

They only spent $80 on the tickets, but it was a hassle to book them. Plus, if something goes wrong with your first flight — it gets delayed, for example — you’ll miss your connecting flight you so meticulously booked, and you’ll fork out a ton of cash just to get home.

Dlouhý figured there had to be an easier way to find plane tickets using this method, so in May 2012 he founded Skypicker. The startup, which Dlouhý says has been profitable for the better part of the past year, has an algorithm that helps find the lowest-price flights to where you need to go. Often, this is a series of cheap, connecting flights. And if you miss one, don’t worry — the company’s Skypicker Guarantee lets you rebook a missed flight, completely free.

When Dlouhý started the company, he was scraping flight data from other websites using a search engine he built himself. Soon after, Skypicker acquired Tripomatic, a small search-engine startup, for half a million dollars. Now, Skypicker has 300 employees and is doing €500,000 — about $530,000 — in sales every day. 

Since its launch, Skypicker has provided flights for European airlines, though it has offered its services to US customers, letting them pay in US dollars and offering English translations of its website. But last month, Skypicker expanded to start catering to North American travelers, letting them book flights through major and low-fare carriers. 

Here’s what Skypicker’s website looks like if you’re using it in Europe:

And here’s what it’s like to find a flight in the US on Skypicker:

SEE ALSO: I just spent a day hanging out with teenagers — here are the apps they say are cool now

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PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — Two men, called “cowards” by a sheriff, stole a cellphone from a suburban Detroit man with cerebral palsy, beat him, recorded the assault on his cellphone and posted it to his Facebook page, authorities said.

Nikey Dashone Walker and Shadeed Dontae Bey were arrested following the Sunday morning attack in a stairwell at the 23-year-old victim’s apartment complex in Pontiac, the Oakland County sheriff’s department said.

“Preying on those in our community who suffer from disabilities will not be tolerated and furthermore, to have the audacity to post their actions on the victim’s page is beyond belief,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement. Police have released video of the attack.

Authorities have not released the name of the victim, but Frankie Santana, a resident at the complex, told WJBK-TV that he was the man who was assaulted.

“Why would they do that and put it on Facebook? That’s how you are going to get caught real quickly,” Santana said.

Bouchard credited the work of his investigators for bringing “these two cowards to justice.”

The 20-year-old suspects were arraigned Tuesday on charges including assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, and ordered held on $25,000 bond ahead of a Dec. 8 court date. If convicted, they could be sent to prison for 10 years.

The men didn’t yet have lawyers on record to comment on the case, according to a check of 50th District Court records on Wednesday.

Santana said the men spit and stomped on him, injuring an eye, but that “nothing is broke.” Investigators believe they followed someone to get inside the building and then walked into the victim’s unlocked apartment.

“I crawled through the hallway and knocked on someone’s door and that’s how I got help,” Santana told the TV station.

Investigators responding to a report of the assault said they were told the suspects also posted the video to their own Facebook pages. The victim’s phone, which was taken while he was inside his apartment, was found at the home of one of the suspects, the department said.

Cerebral palsy is a brain disorder that can affect movement, posture and muscle coordination.

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The headline on the story at AL.com read: “Will Florida be able to score vs. Alabama in Atlanta?”

The 18th-ranked Gators are 17 1/2-point underdogs in the Southeastern Conference championship on Saturday against the No. 2 Crimson Tide. In the minds of many, their chances are even worse than that.

But let’s just say Florida wins.

The most significant fallout would be to the SEC and the College Football Playoff. Alabama would most certainly be out after losing to a team that lost last week 27-2 at home to Florida State and needed overtime to get by FAU the week before. Did we mention that 9-7 home victory against Vanderbilt?

As SEC champions, the Gators would play in the Sugar Bowl. Bad news for Mississippi. The Rebels are in the clubhouse at No. 13 in the playoff rankings and in good shape to get to the Sugar Bowl as the highest-ranked team after Alabama, assuming the Tide wins the SEC and makes the playoff.

How far would Alabama fall with a loss? Maybe all the way out of the New Year’s Six games. The Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl have three at-large spots available, with a fourth reserved for the best Group of Five conference champion (most likely the American Athletic Conference winner).

Barring upsets, the loser of the Big Ten title game between Iowa and Michigan State, and Ohio State will fill the Rose Bowl and one at-large spot.

Notre Dame at No. 8 and Florida State at No. 9 are primed to get the other two at-large bids.

Alabama could either bump the Big Ten loser, Notre Dame or Florida State out of a New Year’s Six game or pack for Florida and a trip to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando on Jan. 1.

The picks:

ACC championship

No. 1 Clemson (minus 5) vs. No. 8 North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina

Last two meetings: Tigers 109, Tar Heels 73, both Clemson wins … CLEMSON 38-31.

SEC championship

No. 2 Alabama (minus 17 1/2) vs. No. 18 Florida at Atlanta

Derrick Henry makes last Heisman statement against a very good Gators defense … ALABAMA 27-7.

Big Ten championship

No. 4 Iowa (plus 3 1/2) vs. No. 5 Michigan State at Indianapolis

Who has it better than Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, watching his teams play into the playoff … MICHIGAN STATE 28-23.

Pac-12 championship

No. 7 Stanford (minus 4 1/2) vs. No. 24 Southern California at Santa Clara, California

Cardinal still have playoff hopes and RB Christian McCaffrey is in the Heisman Trophy conversation … STANFORD 31-28.

American Athletic Conference championship

No. 20 Temple (plus 6 1/2) at No. 17 Houston

Winner is Peach Bowl-bound … HOUSTON 42-28.

Conference USA championship

Southern Miss (plus 7 1/2) at Western Kentucky

Golden Eagles closed with six straight wins, averaging 48.2 points per game … UPSET SPECIAL, SOUTHERN MISS 48-42.

Mountain West championship

Air Force (plus 4) at San Diego State

Falcons bidding for first conference championship since 1998; Aztecs looking for first outright title since winning the WAC in 1986 … AIR FORCE 24-21.

Mid-American Conference

Bowling Green (minus 12 1/2) vs. Northern Illinois at Detroit

Third straight year the Falcons and Huskies have met in the MAC title game; split the first two … BOWLING GREEN 42-27.

Texas (plus 20 1/2) at No. 12 Baylor

Bears need a victory to lock up a Sugar Bowl bid … BAYLOR 45-20.

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Picks

Last week’s record: 16-6 straight; 9-11 vs. spread.

Overall: 202-72; 133-129-3.

Upset specials: 4-10.

Best bets: 5-7.

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With Kobe Bryant announcing on Sunday that he plans to retire after the season, many NBA players have spoken out praising both the talent and competitiveness that has come to define Bryant over the years.

One such player was LeBron James, who spoke at length about Bryant, citing numerous stats and individual moments from Bryant’s illustrious career.

Either James or Bryant has appeared in every NBA Finals since 2007, and James even jokingly apologized for not holding up his end of the bargain in 2009, when the Cavs won a franchise-high 66 games but failed to reach the Finals, where they would have met Bryant and the Lakers. 

But of the many anecdotes James shared about Bryant, one in particular best illustrates Bryant’s competitive spirit.

At the 2008 Olympics, Team USA played rival Spain in a preliminary group game, and just a few possessions into the game, Bryant ran straight through his Lakers teammate Pau Gasol on a pick, sending the 7-foot Spaniard to the ground and earning Bryant a flagrant. 

Here’s how James remembered it, via Cleveland.com:

“The first play of the game he ran through the chest of Pau Gasol and got a flagrant. And Pau Gasol was his teammate with the Lakers. I was like, ‘Yeah, this guy is on another level.’

“I loved it. I mean, [Gasol] wasn’t my teammate, but I was like, you guys can find that clip and you’ll see what I’m talking about. It was one of the first plays of the game. I was like, ‘This guy’s all about winning and whoever he’s playing for or who he’s playing with at that point in time. He really forgot Pau was his teammate. Like he really forgot that he was about to see him in like three weeks in L.A. I swear. It was crazy.”

Here’s the play:

James also recalled another play from the same Olympics, also against Spain but in the Gold Medal game. The teams were trading baskets down the stretch when Bryant completely took over. He scored 20 points in total, but it was a key four-point play that effectively sealed the Gold for the U.S.

Here’s James on the game:

“I would say our Gold Medal game in ’08 against Spain was probably one of the most memorable games I’ve ever played with him … That was a really tough game for our team. It was our Redeem Team and late in the game it was a very close game. Rudy Fernandez had just come down and made a really big bucket. They went zone on us and we needed to make a big bucket. We swung it around the horn, Kobe caught it on the left wing and shot a three with no thought about it. Got fouled, four-point play and we put the game away from that point on. That was pretty cool.”

Here’s footage from that play, too:

 One more look:

Doug Collins summed it up perfectly on the television broadcast immediately after he hit the shot: “Is there anybody in the NBA who loves these moments more than Kobe Bryant?” 

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The Federal Reserve will release its latest Beige Book at 2:00 p.m. ET. 

The Beige Book is a compilation of anecdotes on the economies in the Fed’s 12 districts, spanning various industries including manufacturing, real estate, and consumer spending.

It’s worth paying attention to because it’s usually published two weeks ahead of the Fed’s policy meeting, and informs the FOMC’s assessment of the economy when it makes its policy decision.

Later this month, the Fed is widely expected to raise interest rates. And in a speech earlier on Wednesday, Fed chair Janet Yellen confirmed that she is support of a rate hike.

Yellen acknowledged progress in the labor market, and said that if the Fed delayed raising rates, it could have to suddenly hike later on — disrupting markets and possibly causing a recession.

We’ll have the details and full text of the Beige Book at the the top of the hour; refresh this page for updates.

SEE ALSO: These 4 sentences make it clear the Fed will raise rates in 2 weeks

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