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Athens (AFP) – Greek unions are holding their second general strike in less than a month Thursday, this time against a planned social security overhaul that could enforce new pension cuts.

The labour ministry is working on a new system under which state-guaranteed pensions will be reportedly cut by half — to a minimum of 384 euros — and the rest will depend on a person’s income and years of social security payments.

The strike will shut down public services, trains and shipping while hospitals will operate with emergency staff.

Lawyers and teachers are also participating in the walkout. Journalists went on a solidarity strike on Wednesday.

The government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has already been weakened by its decision in July to accept a third EU bailout with strict austerity conditions in order to avoid a Greek exit from the euro.

Tsipras’ leftist-nationalist coalition in November saw its parliamentary majority whittled to 153 deputies in the 300-seat parliament after a divisive vote on home foreclosures, another measure demanded by its international creditors.

Another general strike was held November 12 against the bailout and accompanying tax hikes.

Over 20,000 people demonstrated in Athens at the time, and sporadic violence broke out between police and hooded youths who vandalised public property.

Despite his narrow parliamentary majority, Tsipras on Tuesday dismissed suggestions that his government is on its last legs.

“Dogs howl but the caravan goes on,” Tsipras told his lawmakers.

“We will endure and achieve our targets. The people will judge us at the end of our term…in the autumn of 2019,” the 41-year-old PM said.

He stressed that Syriza has won three successive ballots since 2014, not counting a referendum against austerity in July.

Officially, Tsipras’ Syriza party applauds strike action against the EU bailout, which the PM has called a “tactical retreat.”

Nikolaos Adamopoulos, head of the leading civil servants’ union Adedy, says opposition to the bailouts has already brought down three governments, suggesting a similar fate for Tsipras.

“There will be a rearrangement in the political scene. There may be a majority in parliament in favour of the bailout but this is not reflected in society,” Adamopoulos told AFP.

“The people do not trust parties, they showed it in the last election,” Adamopoulos said.

In the September election, nearly one in two eligible Greeks — 44 percent — did not turn up to vote.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country star Blake Shelton interrupted the lovefest on the CMT Artists of the Year show with a slightly profane mini-roast of his good friend Luke Bryan.

Both Shelton and Bryan picked up honors at the awards show aired live on CMT on Wednesday night in Nashville, Tennessee. But when it was Bryan’s turn to pick up his award, Shelton started in on Bryan about a scented candle named after the Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year.

“Man, I gotta get me some of these candles,” Shelton said, with the Luke Bryan candle in his hand. “They smell exactly like Luke. It’s like vanilla with a hint of deer urine.”

But Shelton got a jab back from country singer Trace Adkins, who joked about Shelton’s new relationship with his fellow “Voice” judge Gwen Stefani.

“There’s not a lot that he can’t do other than keep his love life private,” Adkins said.

Shelton, who divorced country star Miranda Lambert this summer after four years of marriage, noted that 2015 ended better than it started.

“This has been a crazy year from the way it started and how it’s ending, so awesome for me,” Shelton said. “So thank y’all. This a great way to end it.”

The show featured performances of the year’s biggest country hits, including Shelton’s “Neon Lights,” Bryan’s “Kick the Dust Up,” and a steamy duet between pop singers Adam Lambert and Leona Lewis on a cover of “Girl Crush,” by honorees Little Big Town.

“Girl Crush” had a little bit of controversy early on when the lyrics were misconstrued as describing a relationship between two women, but many in the country music world showed their support for the ballad, which went platinum.

“You changed the force of that song, because of you, and we are just so thankful,” said band member Phillip Sweet.

The stage turned somber for a moment, with band members Jimi Westbrook and Karen Fairchild absent from the awards show, because Westbrook’s sister, Joyce, had died on Sunday.

“Tonight, Joyce, this is for you,” band member Kimberly Schlapman said, holding the award up in the air to a standing ovation from the crowd.

Country legend Kenny Rogers was honored as the CMT Artist of a Lifetime after he announced earlier this year he would retire from the road after a worldwide tour next year.

“This all started with me when I was 12 year old and I went to see Ray Charles,” Rogers said. “I went home and told my mom, ‘That’s what I want to do.’ And so all of you guys that take the stage, just know that some 10 or 11 or 12 year old boy or girl is saying the same thing to their parents. You can change the world. “

Also picking up awards were male duo Florida Georgia Line and newcomer Sam Hunt. The cast of the ABC show “Nashville” was also given the international impact award.

Three-time CMA award winner Chris Stapleton received an award for breakout artist of the year and performed his song, “Nobody to Blame,” with his wife Morgane.

The soft-spoken but big-time vocalist still seemed overwhelmed by the accolades that the country music industry bestowed on him this year. His debut album, “Traveller,” went No. 1 on Billboard’s 200 chart for two week after the CMA Awards.

“Unbelievable,” Stapleton said. “I have to make more speeches, and I am terrible at it.”

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HONOLULU (AP) — A long-awaited Hawaii Supreme Court ruling Wednesday invalidating a construction permit for what would be one of the world’s largest telescopes represents a major setback for the $1.4 billion project on a mountain astronomers tout for having perfect star-gazing conditions.

The ruling is a victory for protesters who say they are fighting the project to curb development, preserve Native Hawaiian culture and protect the Big Island’s Mauna Kea, a mountain many consider sacred.

The court ruled that the state Board of Land and Natural Resources should not have issued a permit for the telescope before a hearings officer reviewed a petition by a group challenging the project’s approval.

“Quite simply, the board put the cart before the horse when it issued the permit before the request for a contested case hearing was resolved and the hearing was held,” the court’s 58-page opinion said. “Accordingly, the permit cannot stand.”

The ruling sends the matter back for a new contested case hearing.

“Today’s decision provides direction to a new land board and another opportunity for people to discuss Mauna Kea’s future,” state Attorney General Doug Chin said in a statement. “The attorney general’s office will be advising the land board regarding next steps.”

A group of universities in California and Canada plan to build the Thirty Meter Telescope with partners from China, India and Japan.

“We thank the Hawaii Supreme Court for the timely ruling and we respect their decision,” TMT International Observatory Board of Directors Chairman Henry Yang said in a statement. “TMT will follow the process set forth by the state, as we always have. We are assessing our next steps on the way forward.”

In 2013, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources issued a permit for the Thirty Meter Telescope, which allowed the project to proceed with construction on lands that are within the Mauna Kea conservation district. A group of opponents appealed, but a circuit court affirmed the land board’s decision.

Attorneys for the state and the University of Hawaii, which manages the land, argue that the permit was approved after extensive public input.

The University of Hawaii Board of Regents unanimously approved the plan to build the telescope in 2010, which cleared the way for applying for the conservation permit. At that meeting, seven members of the public testified in favor of the telescope. No opponents spoke, though critics had been vocal about their arguments against the telescope.

While the permit appeal was before the Intermediate Court of Appeals, the opponents asked to bypass the court and have the case go directly to the Hawaii Supreme Court. The high court agreed to hear the case.

Kealoha Pisciotta, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging the permit, said she hope the ruling leads to telescope officials dropping the project.

Opposition to the project became more vocal and visible when protesters blocked people from reaching an October 2014 groundbreaking ceremony. After that, the protests intensified.

Construction halted in April after 31 protesters were arrested for blocking construction. A second attempt to restart construction on June 24 ended with the arrests of 12 protesters and construction crews in vehicles retreating before reaching the site when they encountered large boulders in the road.

Protesters last month braced for another standoff when telescope officials said a crew would return for vehicle maintenance work sometime in November.

As protesters were gathering on Mauna Kea on Nov. 17, the state Supreme Court temporarily suspended the permit.

“I’m just very grateful to the heavens and the court and the people,” Pisciotta said. “The people took a stand and that’s significant. They did it without violence, peacefully. And that’s a blessing.”

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Frankfurt (AFP) – The European Central Bank is widely expected to step up efforts to kick start chronically low inflation in the euro area at a meeting Thursday, but analysts warn the measures could fall short of market expectations.

At the ECB’s last monetary policy meeting of the year, president Mario Draghi is set to announce a beefing up of the bank’s controversial bond purchase programme, known as QE, and a possible cut in key interest rates, already at historic lows, analysts say.

In a bid to bring eurozone inflation back up to levels conducive to healthy economic growth, the ECB has already unleashed an unprecedented series of easing measures.  

It has slashed borrowing costs, made vast amounts of cheap loans available to banks and most recently embarked on a programme to buy around 60 billion euros of sovereign bonds each month until at least September 2016. 

But area-wide inflation is still stubbornly low, standing at just 0.1 percent in November, far below the ECB’s target of just under 2.0 percent. 

– Done deal –

ECB watchers therefore believe a new round of action is a done deal.

Andrew Cates at the Royal Bank of Scotland said he was pencilling in a further reduction in the ECB’s deposit rate, already in negative territory at minus 0.2 percent and an increase and extension of the QE (quantitative easing) programme.

“We expect the ECB to deliver a deposit rate cut to minus 0.4 percent, the monthly asset purchase programme to rise to 85 billion euros and an extension of the programme to March 2017,” he said.

“Following a succession of dovish signals from ECB officials in recent weeks, and most notably from Draghi, we think anything less than this would risk disappointing market expectations,” he said. 

“Santa Mario is coming to Euroland,” said ING DiBa economist Carsten Brzeski.

“After six weeks of speculation and anticipation, we expect Draghi to present a package of rate cuts and additional QE, for the Euroland’s sake,” he said. 

But Berenberg Bank economist Holger Schmieding said the discussion within the governing council was likely to be contentious. 

Dissenters such as Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann have repeatedly warned against hastily boosting stimulus, insisting that the raft of steps taken so far should be allowed to do their work.

But Schmieding also said “experience tells us that the ECB council usually follows Draghi’s lead in such contentious discussions”.

“The very low level of inflation, the prospect that headline inflation will not get close to the ECB’s target before 2018 … gives the ECB the opportunity to scale up its stimulus,” he said.  

– ‘Last desperate attack?’ –

The ECB is also scheduled to publish its latest updated economic projections at the meeting, which analysts said would provide the necessary justification for the additional easing measures. 

Schmieding said he expected the ECB to lower its forecasts for economic growth next year and cut its inflation targets for both 2016 and 2017. 

“The ECB will likely emphasise that, on its new projections, it does not expect headline inflation to reach its target before mid-2018. The majority on the council will use this to explain the extension of the asset purchase programme,” Schmieding said. 

But other ECB analysts were not convinced that an additional rate cut would be all that effective.

With the deposit rate already negative — effectively charging banks to hold their cash with the ECB — the real economic effects of lowering it still further would be limited, said Commerzbank economist Michael Schubert.

“The biggest risk … would be if it gave markets the impression that the ECB is doing this because it now has doubts about the success of the asset purchase programme. This would give the overriding impression that the ECB had launched one final desperate attack,” Schubert said.

Cates at RBS said the markets had already priced in a cut in the deposit rate of at least 0.15 percentage points. At the same time, “extending the duration of the programme beyond next September seems all but inevitable. 

“But failure to meet these expectations risks generating a market response that would further compromise the ECB’s objectives,” Cates argued.

The so-called “doves” or those in favour of additional monetary easing would argue that acting aggressively now would be better than “a more muted approach that would necessitate even more aggression in the future and a heightened risk of failure,” the expert said.

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HONOLULU (AP) — The latest on the Hawaii Supreme court invalidating a permit for the construction of what would be the world’s largest telescope (all times local):

5:30 p.m.

The nonprofit company building the Thirty Meter Telescope on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea says it is “assessing our next steps” after the state Supreme Court invalidated its construction permit.

TMT International Observatory Board of Directors Chairman Henry Yang says in a statement that the group respects the court’s decision.

The high court on Wednesday ruled that the state land board should not have issued a permit for the telescope before it held a hearing to evaluate a petition by a group challenging the project’s approval.

The ruling sends the case back to the board for a new contested case hearing.

Construction near the summit of Mauna Kea has been suspended since April amid protests from those who consider Mauna Kea sacred.

___

3:45 p.m.

A longtime opponent of what would be one of the world’s largest telescopes is hopeful that a Hawaii Supreme Court ruling invalidating its construction permit will lead to project officials abandoning plans for the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope.

Kealoha Pisciotta says she’s grateful to the heavens, the court and the people for Wednesday’s ruling. The court says the state land board should not have issued a permit for the telescope before it held a hearing to evaluate a petition by a group challenging the project’s approval.

The ruling sends the case back to the board for a new hearing.

Construction near the summit of Mauna Kea has been suspended since April amid protests from those who consider Mauna Kea sacred.

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As details of the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, continue to emerge, Americans are again trying to make sense of a mass shooting.  

The attack in San Bernardino — which was the second mass shooting of the day, and the 355th this year — reignited a national debate on terrorism, gun control and public safety.

New York Times reporter Liam Stack joined the conversation Wednesday night, posing a simple question to users in light of the day’s events:

Within a few hours, Stack’s tweet attracted hundreds of responses that demonstrate a range of emotions and offer a glimpse into the mind of users across the country.

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NOW WATCH: Here’s why Obama won’t send troops into Syria to destroy ISIS

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Southampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp attempted to keep Divock Origi’s feet on the ground after the Belgium international opened his account for the club with a hat-trick at Southampton.

Origi, 20, had not scored in 10 previous appearances since joining up with Liverpool in the close season following his 2014 transfer from French side Lille, where he spent last season on loan.

He scored three times as Liverpool came from behind to demolish Southampton 6-1 on Wednesday, taking them into the League Cup semi-finals, but Klopp said that he was still some way from the finished article.

“It was really good from him, but he’s still young and has to learn,” said Klopp, whose side will play Stoke City over two legs in the last four.

“He has to be patient, that’s the truth. In 10, 15 years, when he looks back on his career, he’ll have no idea about the games he didn’t make (play) in this moment. He can take the time to train.”

Origi’s display eclipsed that of his strike partner Daniel Sturridge, who marked his first start under Klopp with a brace that sparked the game’s turnaround after Sadio Mane’s first-minute header for Southampton.

Sturridge applied smooth finishes to fine passes from midfielders Joe Allen and Emre Can in the 25th and 29th minutes, leaving him with a return of four goals from five appearances this term.

The England forward had not started a game since October 4 due to knee and foot problems, prompting Klopp to suggest he might be too sensitive to pain, but the German was thrilled to see him in full flow for the first time.

“I said to him after the game: ‘Now I know what everybody’s talking about,'” Klopp said.

After Origi had put Liverpool 3-1 up by applying a glancing touch to Alberto Moreno’s low drive on the brink of half-time, Southampton coach Ronald Koeman switched to a three-man defence.

Briefly, Southampton obtained a foothold, only for the visitors to strike three times in the final 22 minutes as Origi completed his hat-trick either side of a low drive from substitute Jordon Ibe.

It was Southampton’s heaviest home defeat since a 6-0 loss to Brentford in March 1959 and Koeman suggested that he would review his tactics ahead of Saturday’s meeting with the Premier League’s bottom club Aston Villa.

“We know we can play good football,” said the Dutchman, whose side have lost their last three games in all competitions.

“We can create, we can score, but the balance at the moment between attacking, defending is really poor. That’s my responsibility.

“Maybe we have to change the system. Maybe we have to play more defensively, more (sitting) back, waiting.

“I don’t like that because I’m a manager who likes to go forward, but we will speak about that tomorrow morning with the players, about what’s the best to do to prepare ourselves for Saturday.”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his season-high 31 points in the fourth quarter of his final game in Washington to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Wizards 108-104 on Wednesday night.

Julius Randle had 15 points and a career-best 19 rebounds for the Lakers (3-15), who snapped a seven-game losing streak. Jordan Clarkson added 18 points as Los Angeles finished a stretch of four games in five days.

Bryant played 36 minutes in his second game since announcing his plans to retire after this season, his 20th in the NBA. He left the Verizon Center floor to thunderous applause from what remained from a crowd of 20,356, Washington’s third sellout of the season.

The night before, Bryant opened the first leg of his farewell tour in his hometown of Philadelphia, where the Lakers lost to the previously winless 76ers. Bryant played nearly 32 minutes and scored 20 points on 7-of-26 shooting.

John Wall had 34 points and had 11 assists for Washington, which lost a day after beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road.

Marcin Gortat added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards, who have dropped four of five despite erasing an early 19-point deficit.

Bryant started 5 for 9 from the floor. Then he missed his next six shots before regaining his rhythm in the fourth quarter, each made shot drawing a louder roar from an even mix of Wizards and Lakers fans.

His 3-pointer over Gortat from the right wing made it 101-99 with just under a minute to play.

Gortat answered with a layup off Wall’s feed, but Bryant’s pull-up jumper over a badly fooled Bradley Beal made it 103-101 with 30.8 seconds remaining.

Wall at one point scored 12 straight fourth-quarter points for Washington, but on the next possession his errant pass was stolen by Lou Williams.

The Lakers hit five of their last six free throws to preserve the victory.

SALUTE TO KOBE

Midway through the first quarter, the Wizards honored Bryant with a message on the video board that read: “Thank you for an amazing 20 years.” Bryant raised his right arm as the crowd gave one of several loud ovations.

QUOTABLE

Lakers: “It seems like every day our world is getting crazier, for whatever reason. Life is not as precious to some people as it is for others. For us in general, being LA’s team, and myself in general, living in California, this is crazy.” — Los Angeles coach Byron Scott on Wednesday’s mass shooting in San Bernadino, California.

Wizards: “It was awful. . He still gives me nightmares. But it’s a pleasure to say that I was there every step of the way watching this kid grow into who he is today.” — Wizards coach Randy Wittman on preparing to face Bryant as a head or assistant coach throughout his stellar career.

TIP-INS

Lakers: Improved to 1-2 during a six-game stretch against Eastern Conference opponents. … Scored 22 points on 12 first-half turnovers. . G Nick Young did not play for the first time this season.

Wizards: C Nene (calf) missed his third consecutive game but G Gary Neal (groin) returned after missing two.

UP NEXT

Lakers: At the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.

Wizards: Host the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

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Los Angeles (AFP) – San Bernardino is prey to regular gang violence, but the California desert town has never seen carnage of the scale that left 14 dead on what had been just another Wednesday morning.

Paul George, a youth center leader, was around the block when the shooting erupted inside a packed conference room at the Inland Regional Center for the disabled.

“I was at the gas station and I heard gun shots. Over a dozen. The police started to pull out from everywhere locking down the perimeter.” 

The 28-year-old, who has spent most of his life in San Bernardino, was not frightened at first.

“I’m used to hearing gun shots,” said George. “There’s gang violence everywhere here, day and night.”

But this soon turned out to be violence on a different level entirely.

Wednesday’s attack was the country’s worst mass shooting since 2012 when 20 pupils and six adults were killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut by 20-year-old Adam Lanza.

It was certainly the deadliest such incident in this town — on the desert’s edge an hour east of Los Angeles — which made headlines in 2012 for declaring itself bankrupt in the wake of the Great Recession.

“I’ve been with the county police for 26 years I’ve never seen anything like that,” police spokeswoman Cindy Bachman told AFP, a few hundred meters from the crime scene.

Television footage of the entrance to the Inland Center showed wounded people laid out on the sidewalk, their clothes slit open on the spot to allow medics to tend to their injuries.

Some of the wounded, visibly shocked, were carried away on stretchers, while others were transported by hand — sometimes loaded into the back of a pick-up truck while waiting for an ambulance.

Several people lost their shoes in the panic.

– ‘Hug my daughter’ –

Olivia Navarro, 63, received the first call at 11:00 am from her daughter Jamille, a case manager at the hulking facility that provides services to disabled people across the region.

“She said there are shooters in the building, we’re gonna go in a room, lock the door and turn off the light,” Navarro said.

She headed straight to the site, beside a highway junction on the edge of an industrial area, where she spent a terrified hour waiting outside the police cordon for news.

“It was one hour until I learnt my daughter was OK,” she said. A text message finally arrived, letting her know her daughter was among those evacuated to safety at a nearby golf course.

“I’ll be able to hug my daughter tonight but I feel so sorry for the families who lost their loved ones,” Navarro said, her voice breaking.

Beside her, two women were holding hands and praying out loud, while people evacuated from the center were loaded onto a bus, their faces pale, many on their telephones.

– Manhunt –

Hours after the shooting that left 14 dead and 17 injured, dozens of police cars still cordoned off a huge area around the Inland Center, but also a few miles away in Loma Linda, where a shootout erupted as police tracked down three suspects — two of whom were killed. Another person was detained.

“Step back, there could be something going on from here,” warned officers wearing bullet-proof vests and helmets, toting machine guns as helicopters roared overhead.

The Republican Senator Jeff Stone, observing the scene near the Inland Center, wondered out aloud about the shooters’ motives.

“The three suspects seemed well organized,” he said. “Is it domestic terrorism? International terrorism like in France?”

Asked whether tougher gun control was the way to stem America’s plague of mass shootings, he was not convinced.

“The Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms,” he said. “If you prevent everyone to get them, it seems to be only the criminals who get the guns.”

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Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Thursday:

1. ATTACK LEAVES 14 DEAD AT CALIFORNIA SOCIAL SERVICES CENTER

The motive remains unclear for the carnage carried out by as many as three gunmen believed to be wearing military-style gear.

2. BRITISH LAWMAKERS VOTE TO LAUNCH AIRSTRIKES ON ISLAMIC STATE EXTREMISTS IN SYRIA

The decision to join the international military campaign comes after Prime Minister Cameron warns that Britain must strike the militants and not “sit back and wait for them to attack us.”

3. WHY HEALTH CARE SPENDING IS GROWING IN US

Last year’s increase — the most since Obama took office — is being attributed to expanded coverage under “Obamacare” and zooming prescription drug prices.

4. WHAT’S EMERGED AS MOST EFFECTIVE FIGHTING FORCE AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE GROUP

A U.S.-backed alliance called the Syrian Democratic Forces draws on thousands of combatants from Syria’s mix of religious and ethnic groups.

5. TRIAL OPENS FOR BALTIMORE OFFICER IN FREDDIE GRAY CASE

William Porter was among officers riding in a police van when the suspect, who prosecutors say was not restrained by a seat belt, suffered a fatal broken neck.

6. HOUSE VOTES TO REWRITE ‘NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND’

The bill, which now goes to the Senate, sharply scales back the federal role in American education.

7. WHY MOSCOW’S SPAT WITH ANKARA IS WORSENING

Russia’s top military brass accuses Turkey’s president and his family of personally profiting from oil trade with Islamic State militants.

8. TEXAS SUES FEDS TO BLOCK SYRIAN REFUGEES

The lawsuit comes after the announcement of a plan to place six refugees in Dallas over the objections of the state’s Republican governor.

9. AFTER DELAYS, NASA RESUMING COMMERCIAL SHIPMENTS TO SPACE STATION

The last successful U.S. supply run was in April — and the 250-mile-high pantry isn’t as full as it should be.

10. ‘CYBER MONDAY’ BIGGEST ONLINE SHOPPING DAY EVER

Shopping by phone, laptop or tablet jumped 21 percent to $3.11 billion, fueled by a surge in spending via mobile devices.

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