FLIGHT MH17 - Russia Accuses US Of Fabricating MH17 Evidence As US Reveals More "Evidence" Of Russian Military Involvement

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/24/2014 16:47 -0400

The farce of facts continues to grow as Ukraine's national security council head says US is wrong (in finding no link to Russia) and claims to have proof MH17 was shot down by Russians (from BBG)

• EXPERT PRELIM CONCLUSION IS MH17 SHOT BY RUSSIANS: PARUBIY
• EXPERT PRELIM VIEW IS RUSSIAN MILITARY, WEAPON DOWNED MH17
• UKRAINIAN NATL SECURITY COUNCIL HEAD PARUBIY POSTS ON TWITTER
• PARUBIY COMMENTS ON PRELIM CONCLUSIONS FROM `INTL EXPERTS'

and then the US State Department unleashes another statement of alleged 'proof' that Russia is sending rockets to separatists and firing on Ukraine's military from within Russia. Of course, while no 'evidence' has been offered, we are sure this is all backed by YouTube clips and Tweets that 'prove' it is fact.

• RUSSIA SENDING MULTIPLE ROCKET LAUNCHERS TO SEPARATISTS: HARF
• ARTILLERY FIRING FROM RUSSIA AT UKRAINE MILITARY FORCES: HARF
  

Here's the video proof that Russia is firing into Ukraine (allegedly) - click image for link

And then Russia hit back, blasting Washington's claims that pro-Russian rebels fired a missile that hit the plane on July 17 "mostly cited social networks" and did not correspond to reality.

Russia suggested on Thursday that the United States was trying to fabricate evidence that separatists in eastern Ukraine shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

Anatoly Antonov, deputy defence minister, said Washington's claims that pro-Russian rebels fired a missile that hit the plane on July 17 "mostly cited social networks" and did not correspond to reality.

Alexander Yakovenko, Russia's ambassador to Britain, also poured scorn on the widespread belief that Moscow is supplying the rebels, saying: "Russia doesn't supply weapons to local de facto (separatist) authorities in eastern Ukraine" and that "no evidence whatsoever has been presented that the Russian government has been doing this".

"So where is this evidence?" he asked on the Rossiya-24 channel. "Why is it not presented to the public? Is it, if I may say so, still being finished off?"

*  *  *

The US using fabricated social media as a pretext to start a war? Where have we seen this before? Oh yes, last summer, when the Obama administration brought the world to the edge of all out war over the Syrian "chemical attack", an attack which Seymor Hersh subsequently showed was nothing but a false flag provocation.

Source: http://www.zerohedge.com

KEKEJAMAN ISRAEL - Dr Mahathir serang Israel, gelar mereka lebih teruk daripada Nazi

The Malaysian Insider

Orang Yahudi lebih teruk daripada Nazi, kata Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, berhujah mengenai konflik terbaru Israel-Palestin dalam entri terbaru di blognya.

Dalam satu “serangan” panjang yang pedas terhadap bangsa Yahudi, bekas perdana menteri itu mengatakan orang Yahudi tidak belajar daripada kesilapan lalu.

"Bila orang Yahudi dianiayai oleh Nazi di Jerman, mereka memohon simpati dan sokongan dunia. Tetapi penderitaan mereka tidak mengajar mereka apa-apa, tidak membuat mereka lebih memahami erti penderitaan.

"Sebaliknya, sekarang mereka bertindak lebih teruk daripada Nazi, langsung tidak pedulikan kesengsaraan orang lain dan kematian yang mereka akibatkan," katanya dalam blognya chedet.cc.

Katanya, orang Yahudi sepatutnya marah kepada orang Jerman dan Eropah lain atas kekejaman yang dilakukan terhadap mereka masa lalu, sebaliknya mereka membunuh orang Arab sebab "ia lebih senang dan menyeronokkan."

Sebagai penyokong tegar Palestin, Dr Mahathir sering melepaskan kemarahannya terhadap Israel.

Negara Yahudi itu pada waktu ini sedang menyerang semenanjung sempit Gaza untuk menghentikan serangan roket Hamas berikutan penculikan dan pembunuhan tiga remaja Yahudi di Tebing Barat, dan penculikan dan pembunuhan seorang remaja Paletin dalam serangan balas.

Lebih 690 orang, termasuk wanita dan kanak-kanak, terkorban ketika serangan di Gaza masuk hari ke-16 hari ini.

Dalam menyenaraikan pelbagai pelanggaran dilakukan Israel dalam serangan mereka, Dr Mahathir berkata ia seakan menghantar isyarat yang negara Yahudi itu dan penduduknya adalah suci dan mereka menentang mereka mesti membayar harga yang mahal.

"Semua yang dilakukan Israel ini adalah bertentangan dengan undang-undang antarabangsa, moral dan hak asasi manusia. Mereka adalah penjenayah di sisi setiap undang-undang dunia bertamadun.

"Tetapi, Yahudi Israel sewenang-wenangnya melakukan semua ini. Mereka ada Amerika dan Eropah di belakang mereka. Mereka insan yang dipilih Tuhan, mereka tidak terikat dengan mana-mana undang-undang, kod etika, atau nilai kemanusiaan," kata Dr Mahathir.

Bekas perdana menteri itu kemudiannya menyalahkan Eropah dan Amerika kerana mencipta “raksasa” ini dan menuduh mereka memejam sebelah mata terhadap kekejaman dilakukan Israel.

"Mereka akan terus menyokong Israel walaupun kalau Israel lakukan pembunuhan beramai-ramai atau bunuh semua orang Arab. Ini cara mereka menebus semua layanan mereka terhadap Yahudi masa lalu," katanya. – 24 Julai, 2014.

Source: https://my.news.yahoo.com

FLIGHT MH17 - Victim’s credit cards used after crash, says report

The Malaysian Insider

The wife of a Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 victim was stunned when she saw that her husband's credit cards were being used after the  plane crashed in Ukraine last week, the Daily Mail reported.

Cameron Dalziel's wife Reine has since cancelled her husband's credit cards upon noticing activity in his account, her brother told CNN.

Cameron was a South African travelling on a British passport, who had moved with his wife and two children to Malaysia recently.

The report said that the "heartless" rebels, who allegedly shot the plane down, had been using victims' credit cards, answering their phones and looting their belongings, including jewellery, from the crash site.

Reine's brother, Shane Hattingh, told CNN that, "People are abusing it in the Ukraine. They have no respect for each other, look what they're doing. It's no surprise that they were treating the remains of people like that. It made me angry beyond words".

This only added weight to reports that the pro-Russian rebels have looted the MH17 crash site to sabotage the investigation into the disaster and to cash in on it, the Daily Mail reported.

It was previously reported that relatives of victims of the crash hadcalled their mobile phones only to have them picked up by people with "eastern European-sounding voices".

They then proceeded to instruct the mobile phone companies to shut down the accounts.

The report said that a picture of a rebel taking a ring from a body at the disaster site has also surfaced.

"After terrorists looters stole all the cash, jewellery, mobile phones and credit cards of passengers of ill-fated Boeing – they took up their favourite deal – gathering of scrap metal. Aluminium from which the plane is made is expensive," Ukrainian government adviser Anton Gerashchenko was quoted as saying.

Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council spokesman Andrei Lysenko, was also reported as saying previously that there were no limits to the "cynicism of these gangsters".

"According to our information, apart from picking up valuable personal belongings of the passengers, terrorists are using credit cards of the victims," he said.

UK intelligence officials claim there was new evidence which showed that the separatists had planned to sabotage the probe into the crash by contaminating the area with parts from other planes, the report said.

The rebels, they were reported as saying by Sky News, had discussed removing bodies from the crash site and sending the black box data recorders to Moscow.

The Daily Mail also reported that rebel commander Igor Strelkov had issued a decree, ordering the jewellery, watches and other valuables taken from the victims of the crash to be handed in to fund their insurgency.

However, the decree could not be verified, it was reported. But the order said that the loot must be brought in to the headquarters of the Donetsk People's Republic army for its "Defence Fund" by 8pm yesterday.

The Boeing 777 was en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam when it was shot down in eastern Ukraine last Thursday, killing all 298 people on board.

Those responsible for downing the aircraft have yet to be identified, with Russian and Ukrainian authorities blaming each other and pro-Russian separatists for the disaster.

The MH17 crash comes just four months after MH370, along with its 239 passengers and crew, disappeared on March 8. Its whereabouts remain unknown.

The tragedies have led to the loss of 537 lives, the highest death toll suffered by any airline over such a short time span. – July 24, 2014.

Source: https://my.news.yahoo.com

FLIGHT MH17 - MH17 crash compensation may cost Malaysian Airlines upto 1 bln dollars

By ANI | ANI

Johannesburg, July 25 (ANI): A top aviation lawyer has reportedly said that Malaysian Airlines may be liable to pay compensation up to one billion dollars over the MH17 disaster.

According to News.com.au, the victims' families have strong legal grounds on which they can seek damages, said International aviation accident attorney Floyd Wisner.

The lawyer said that Malaysian Airlines would find it difficult to deny its negligence over MH17 unless it proves that it took all necessary steps to avoid the accident, which would be difficult because the aircraft was flying over a dangerous area held by rebels in conflict-torn Ukraine.

The report quoted Wisner as saying that each victim's family is likely to receive 750,000 dollars approximately and if combined with the loss of the plane, the liability could reach one billion dollars.

The crash claimed the lives of all 298 people on board and was the second accident within a year for the airline. Earlier, flight MH370 disappeared on March 8 with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board and has not been located yet. (ANI)

Source: https://my.news.yahoo.com

AIRCRAFT CRASH - French warplanes search Mali desert for crashed Air Algerie plane

By By Hamid Ould Ahmed | Reuters

By Hamid Ould Ahmed

ALGIERS (Reuters) - French warplanes and U.N. helicopters scoured the north of Mali on Thursday for the wreckage of an Air Algerie flight after it crashed carrying 110 passengers, nearly half of them French, from Burkina Faso to Algiers.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said authorities believed flight AH5017 may have encountered bad weather after the pilot requested to change direction shortly after takeoff due to a storm. However, he said no hypothesis had been excluded.

Officials in Mali and Burkina Faso gave conflicting accounts of locating the crash.

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said wreckage of the flight had been spotted in his country's far north, toward the Algerian border between the towns of Aguelhoc and Kidal.

However, General Gilbert Diendere, a member of the crisis unit in Burkina Faso, said his team had found remains in southern Mali, 50 km (30 miles) from the Burkinabe border. Local authorities in the nearby town of Gossi also told Reuters the wreckage had been located here.

In Paris, Fabius said the flight, carrying 51 French nationals, had probably crashed but he said two French Mirage warplanes searching the vast desert area around the northern Malian city of Gao had spotted no wreckage.

"Despite intensive search efforts, no trace of the aircraft has yet been found," Fabius told journalists.

An Algerian official, who asked not to be identified, confirmed the flight had crashed but provided no other details.

French President Francois Hollande cancelled a planned visit to overseas territories and said France -- which has some 1,700 troops stationed in Mali -- would use all military means on the ground to locate the aircraft.

"The search will take as long as needed," Hollande told reporters. "Everything must be done to find this plane. We cannot identify the causes of what happened."

The searchers mission is complicated by the vast scale and daunting terrain of Mali. The area where the flight is suspected to have crashed is a sparsely inhabited region of scrubland and desert dunes stretching to the foothills of the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains.

    Much of it lies in the hands of Tuareg separatist rebels, who rose up against the government in early 2012, triggering an Islamist revolt that briefly seized control of northern Mali.

    The Malian government has only a weak presence in the region and relies on French and U.N. peacekeepers for aircraft and logistical support.

Another plane crash is likely to add to nerves over flying after a Malaysia Airlines plane was downed over Ukraine last week, a TransAsia Airways crashed off Taiwan during a thunderstorm on Wednesday and airlines temporarily cancelled flights into Tel Aviv due to the conflict in Gaza.

FRENCH PASSENGERS Algeria's state news agency APS said authorities lost contact with flight AH5017 an hour after it took off from Burkina Faso, but other officials gave differing accounts of the times of contact.

Swiftair, the private Spanish company that owns the plane, confirmed it had lost contact with the MD-83 operated by Air Algerie, which it said was carrying 110 passengers and six crew.

A spokeswoman for SEPLA, Spain's pilots union, said the six crew were from Spain. She could not give any further details.

It said it took off from Burkina Faso at 0117 GMT and was due to land at 0510 GMT but never reached its destination.

An Algerian aviation official said the last contact Algerian authorities had with the missing Air Algerie aircraft was at 0155 GMT when it was flying over Gao, Mali. Burkina Faso officials said the flight asked the control center in Niamey, Niger, to change route at 0138 GMT because of a storm in the Sahara.

Burkina Faso authorities said the passenger list comprised 27 Burkinabe, 51 French, eight Lebanese, six Algerians, two from Luxembourg, five Canadians, four Germans, one Cameroonian, one Belgian, one Egyptian, one Ukranian, one Swiss, one Nigerian and one Malian.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Abidjan estimated the number of Lebanese citizens on the flight was at least 20. Some of these may have dual nationality.

"We don't know anything yet. We have just heard from the news that the plane went missing," said Amina Daher, whose sister-in-line Randa was traveling on the plane with her three children, returning to Beirut to celebrate the Muslim religious festival of Eid El-Fitr with her family.

RELATIVELY CLEAN RECORD

The MD-83 is part of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 family of twin-engined jets that entered service in 1980. A total of 265 of the MD-83 model were delivered before McDonnell Douglas, by then part of Boeing, halted production in 1999.

"Boeing is aware of the report. We are awaiting additional information," a spokesman for the U.S. planemaker said.

According to the Ascend Fleets database held by British-based Flightglobal, there are 187 MD-83s still in operation, of which 80 percent are being flown in the United States.

The aircraft's two engines are made by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies.

Swiftair has a relatively clean safety record, with five accidents since 1977, two of which caused a total of eight deaths, according to the Washington-based Flight Safety Foundation.

Air Algerie's last major accident was in 2003 when one of its planes crashed shortly after take-off from the southern city of Tamanrasset, killing 102 people. In February this year, 77 people died when an Algerian military transport plane crashed into a mountain in eastern Algeria.

(Additional reporting by Patrick Markey, Daniel Flynn, David Lewis, Mathieu Bonkoungou, Emma Farge, Julien Toyer, Tracy Rucinski, Laila Bassam, Marine Pennetier, John Irish and Tim Hepher; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Alison Williams and Sonya Hepinstall)

Source: https://my.news.yahoo.com

FLIGHT MH17 - Ukraine's PM resigns, complicating MH17 probe

By Dario Thuburn with Hui Min Neo in Kiev | AFP News

Ukraine's prime minister resigned after his governing coalition collapsed, plunging the former Soviet state into political limbo as it struggles to quell a deadly rebellion in the east.

The shock announcement Thursday added to an already chaotic situation in the rebel-controlled east, where international experts are carrying out a complex investigation into last week's downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that left 298 dead.

And the gravity of the situation facing the country was underscored by allegations from Washington that the US has evidence Russian troops are firing artillery on Ukrainian military positions from Russian soil.

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said he was stepping down over the "dissolution of the parliamentary coalition and the blocking of government initiatives" after several parties walked out on the ruling group.

The collapse of the ruling coalition paves the way for early elections to be called by President Petro Poroshenko within 30 days.

Although a truce has been declared by both rebels and government forces in the immediate vicinity of the vast crash site, heavy shelling was ongoing nearby including around Donetsk, just 60 kilometres (40 miles) from the scene.

Ukraine's army reported four soldiers killed over the last 24 hours in its offensive to retake the eastern industrial heartland from pro-Russian insurgents.

Countries which lost 298 citizens in the disaster are looking to deploy armed police to secure the impact zone, with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announcing the Netherlands was sending 40 unarmed police to the crash site.

"On the site it is still clear that nothing is happening without the approval of the armed rebels who brought the plane down in the first place," said Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, whose country lost 28 citizens in the crash.

"There has still not been anything like a thorough professional search of the area where the plane went down, and there can't be while the site is controlled by armed men with vested interest in the outcome of the investigation."

Abbott has placed 50 Australian officers on stand-by in London.

- 'Rockets from Russia' -

The Ukrainian military said rockets were on Thursday being fired "from the Russian side", hitting locations close to Lugansk airport and in several areas in the Donetsk region.

Mortar shells also rained down on Avdiyika in the Donetsk region, the army said, without giving details of casualties.

An AFP crew heading to one of these combat hotspots Wednesday was turned back by rebels, who fired shots at their car.

Kiev said two fighter jets that were downed on Wednesday were hit by missiles launched from Russian territory, and that while the pilots ejected safely, there was no information about their whereabouts.

Meanwhile, the Red Cross warned both sides to abide by the Geneva Conventions, declaring that it considered Ukraine to be in a state of civil war.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf warned that Moscow was planning to deliver "heavier and more powerful multiple rocket launchers" to the pro-Russian separatist forces in Ukraine.

"They're firing artillery from within Russia to attack Ukrainian military," Harf told reporters.

- EU to put more under sanctions -

The EU, which accuses Russia of fanning the rebellion in Ukraine's east by arming the separatists, will add 15 Ukrainian and Russian individuals and 18 entities to its sanctions list, said a source from the bloc.

The move came just a week after the EU unveiled a round of toughened embargoes against Moscow, which is widely expected to sink into recession this year.

In the debate over more sanctions, Britain ruffled feathers in neighbouring France over its push for an EU arms embargo, as Paris is keen to go ahead with its sale of two warships to Russia.

On Thursday, Poroshenko said he was "very disappointed" at France's insistence on the deal, saying: "It's not a question of money, industry or jobs. It's a question of values."

US intelligence officials have said they believe the rebels mistakenly shot down the Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with a surface-to-air missile provided by Russia.

Moscow has denied the charges and Putin has pledged to "do everything" to influence the separatists and ensure a full probe into the crash.

Russia has continued a troop build-up near the Ukraine border and kept up deliveries of arms and equipment to separatists since the downing of the Malaysian airliner, US defence officials told AFP, without confirming that Russian troops were firing on Ukrainian positions.

The first bodies from the crash arrived in the Netherlands on Wednesday to a solemn ceremony. Dozens more were flown there on Thursday to undergo an identification process that Rutte has warned could take months.

Dutch police have also been visiting bereaved relatives of the victims to retrieve DNA samples from items such as hairbrushes, and obtain details of tattoos and fingerprints, as well as consulting medical and dental records to help with the identification.

Canada meanwhile revealed details of previously announced sanctions targeting Russia's arms, financial and energy sectors.

The list includes 10 Russian companies, including Gazprombank, Kalashnikov Concern, and Vnesheconombank.

And Human Rights Watch urged Kiev to stop using unguided Grad rockets which it said have killed at least 16 civilians in four recent attacks, warning that firing such weapons at populated areas could amount to war crimes.

The rights group said that both government forces and pro-Russian rebels have used Grads -- unguided rockets fired in salvos and sprayed across a wide area.

Source: https://my.news.yahoo.com

LOSE WEIGHT - Hidden reasons why you can’t lose weight

By Jacqueline Silvestri Banks 

Published May 27, 2014

If you’ve tried everything to lose weight – from logging miles on the treadmill to cutting carbs and counting calories – and still haven’t made a dent, it might be time to dig for the root cause of your weight plateau. Here are some common reasons why you may be hitting a wall – and how to make the right changes to shed pounds.

If you’re focusing solely on counting calories and not thinking about the nutrition you’re getting from your food, your body may think it is starving. Your body needs vitamins, minerals and healthy fats to function properly and to keep you healthy. When you forgo nutrition for low-calorie, processed foods you are sabotaging your health and your weight loss efforts. Instead focus on nutrient-dense foods that provide your body with what it needs and you’ll naturally begin to feel fuller sooner, which provides effortless calorie control.

Blood sugar imbalances can often make it difficult to lose weight. Your body converts carbohydrates – whether it’s a carrot or a slice of cake – to glucose, which creates a rise in blood sugar. If the body is flooded with too much blood sugar, the excess glucose is turned into fat. Maintaining a healthy blood sugar balance is important for regulating hormones, fostering a healthy metabolism and helping you lose extra weight.

Refined carbohydrates found in white sugar and white flour break down more quickly than complex carbohydrates (vegetables, whole grains and legumes) and can cause a spike in blood sugar, followed by a cravings-inducing crash. The only way to break this vicious cycle is to eliminate simple carbohydrates and make sure to eat plenty of protein. Many people eat carbohydrate-rich meals instead of focusing on protein. Instead, focus on consuming adequate amounts of protein to help stabilize blood sugar and help you get rid of extra fat. Research has also shown that as little as one gram of cinnamon a day can help improve blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, making it a perfect addition to a high protein diet.  

Hormone conditions, such as hypothyroidism or polycystic ovarian syndrome, are commonly overlooked and can make it very difficult to lose weight. Chronic stress, whether physical, emotional, also leads the body to produce excess cortisol. Prolonged levels of excess cortisol can lead to a sluggish metabolism and excess fat around the belly. 

Estrogen and testosterone imbalances can also lead to an increase in weight and can make it almost impossible to lose weight even if you’re doing everything right. If you suspect hormones might be a culprit in your weight loss battle, bring it up to your doctor and ask for your levels to be checked. In the meantime, eliminating refined carbohydrates and increasing high quality proteins and healthy fats in your diet can help ease, but not fix, some of these conditions.

If you’re skimping on sleep to wake up extra early and squeeze in a workout, you may be doing your body more harm than good. A study published in Sleep Medicine Reviews showed that even partial sleep loss leads to a deregulation of appetite control and can even increase your risk for obesity and diabetes. 

The Journal of Sleep Research also found that sleep deprivation affects leptin and ghrelin levels. Leptin tells your body to stop eating and ghrelin, which is produced in the stomach, stimulates hunger; inadequate levels of these hormones not only make it difficult to lose weight, but can also cause weight gain. Since exercise is an important part of the weight loss equation, make an extra effort to go to sleep a few hours earlier if early mornings are the only time you have to work out.

Jacqueline Banks is a certified holistic health counselor and busy mother.  Her focus is on helping other busy moms in all stages of motherhood keep themselves and their little ones healthy and happy.  She uses natural and organic solutions to solve individual health problems and promote clean living. Check out her website at www.jbholistic.com. 

Source: http://www.foxnews.com

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT - Employees May Be Staying Put — But Most Are Dissatisfied

Employees May Be Staying Put — But Most Are Dissatisfied

A recent survey lets the sun shine onto otherwise gloomy employee satisfaction numbers. So, what’s a talent manager to do?

Despite widespread job dissatisfaction, a majority of executives plan to stay at their current job.

This is the somewhat counterintuitive finding from a recent survey of 3,900 executives in more than 30 countries conducted by management consultancy Accenture.

According to the results, more than half of both the women and men surveyed (57 percent and 59 percent) expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs. Still, despite the discontent, more than two-thirds (69 percent) said they do not plan to leave their current employers.

The Accenture study conflicts with a study of 1,500 workers conducted by executive search firm FPC, which found that four in five American workers want to change jobs. Workers cited lack of opportunity and poor treatment during the recession as reasons to explore greener pastures. The Accenture findings, grim as they may be, provide talent managers with a bit of daylight.

“Despite current challenges, employees are still striving for success — and energized, engaged employees remain a competitive advantage,” said Adrian Lajtha, Accenture's chief leadership officer. “Since the majority of today’s professionals are not job hunting, leading companies must capitalize on this moment in time to equip their people with clearly defined career paths that include innovative training, leadership development and opportunities for advancement.”

The full report from Accenture — titled “The Path Forward” and timed to be released as part of International Women’s Day on March 8 — provided further details. When asked about the greatest barrier to career advancement, respondents cited a lack of opportunity or a clear career path twice as often as they cited family responsibilities (42 percent vs. 20 percent). Approximately one-third (32 percent) cited no barriers to their advancement.

The report indicated employees are taking a stronger hand in steering their own careers. Most respondents said they are taking a variety of steps including accepting a different role or responsibility (cited by 58 percent of respondents), receiving more education or training (46 percent) and working longer hours (36 percent).

Get to Know Your Employees

Simply talking to employees and taking the time to understand their goals and priorities may be the best response to rising dissatisfaction and career paths obstructed by the recent recession.

“At some point, we’re all dissatisfied with a particular role, a particular person we work for [or] a particular location we have to work in,” said Jill Smart, Accenture’s chief human resource officer. “What’s really important and what does keep people from staying even if they’re dissatisfied with their current role is knowing what the other opportunities are.”

Start by identifying whether or not someone is satisfied and if not, what in particular is driving dissatisfaction, Smart said. To aid that process, Accenture developed a simple measurement tool employees use to rank the importance of factors such as career opportunity, training and development, rewards, and co-workers and teams, and then rate their satisfaction with each.

The results can be eye-opening, Smart said, and employers can use that information to make sure employees know what opportunities are available to them to grow as a professional, whether it’s a promotion or a lateral move.

Every employee at Accenture is also assigned a career counselor tasked with helping define his or her career path and identifying potential problems before it’s too late. The company is also developing an interactive career mapping tool pre-populated with employee data, such as their current job role and competencies, so employees can plot out potential career moves. That tool has the added benefit of being available to employees at the time of need.

“Employees don’t necessarily need to understand all the career paths available all the time,” Smart said. “I really am only interested in it when it’s my turn to start thinking about a change. I have to easily be able to find that information.”

Smart said employees’ active management of their careers is happening across genders and different age and demographic groups, but in particular is important for up-and-coming leaders. It’s rare that a young employee will spend more than 30 years at the same company like Smart has.

“We’re looking at a new normal in the workplace,” said Nellie Borrero, inclusion and diversity lead at Accenture. “Employees are defining success in a variety of ways, customizing their own approaches and balancing personal demands with their desire to succeed. The challenge for employers is to help employees fully integrate the whole spectrum of work and life needs over the course of their careers.”

Source: http://humancapitalmedia.com

CRUEL ISRAEL - Israeli shell hits UN-run school used to shelter hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Gaza, killing 15 and injuring at least 200

Israeli shell hits UN-run school used to shelter hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Gaza, killing 15 and injuring at least 200

• Although the Israeli army had reportedly been given the school's co-ordinates, the shells landed on the school
• One child has been killed in Gaza every hour for the past two days, the United Nations said in their latest report
• Withdrawal of Israeli ground forces is unlikely before next week, an Israeli cabinet minister says 
• Three UN relief staff working as teachers have been killed in Gaza
• U.S. aviation authority lifts ban on flights to Israel but European airlines have extended their cancellations 
• Foreign Secretary plans to tell Israel's PM that the West is becoming less sympathetic to his country's cause
• Israeli Broadcasting Authority banned human rights organisation ad which lists names of children killed in Gaza 
• The 16-day conflict has claimed the lives of 718 Palestinians while Israel has lost 32 soldiers, all since July 17
• 
  

By JILL REILLY

PUBLISHED: 10:03 GMT, 24 July 2014 | UPDATED: 00:19 GMT, 25 July 2014

An Israeli shell has hit a UN-run school in Gaza, killing 15 Palestinians and injuring at least 200 who were seeking shelter from fierce clashes on the streets outside.

Pools of blood soiled the school courtyard, which was packed with mainly woman and children, and there is a large scorch mark in the courtyard marking the place where one of the tank shells hit.

Although the UN said they had given the Israeli army the co-ordinates of the school to prevent such an incident, the shells landed on the school where families had gathered in the courtyard expecting to be evacuated shortly in a Red Cross convoy.

Scroll down for video 

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An Israeli shell has hit a UN-run school used to shelter hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Gaza, killing 15 and injuring at least 200 who were seeking shelter from fierce clashes on the streets outside

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Pools of blood soiled the school courtyard, amid scattered books and belongings and there was a large scorch mark in the courtyard marking the place where one of the tank shells hit. Right, a young boy is treated for critical injuries 

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Although the Israeli army had reportedly been given the co-ordinates of the school to prevent such an incident, the shells landed on the school where families had gathered in the courtyard expecting to be evacuated shortly in a Red Cross convoy

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Palestinian children, wounded in the Israeli strike on the U.N. school cry as they lay on the floor at the emergency room of the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya

Laila Al-Shinbari, a mother whose son was killed at the school said: 'All of us sat in one place when suddenly four shells landed on our heads ... Bodies were on the ground, (there was) blood and screams. My son is dead and all my relatives are wounded including my other kids.'

The director of a local hospital said various medical centres around Beit Hanoun were receiving the wounded. 

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'Such a massacre requires more than one hospital to deal with it,' said Ayman Hamdan, director of the Beit Hanoun hospital

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Two young boys injured at the school receive treatment. Chris Gunness, spokesman for the main U.N. agency in Gaza UNRWA, confirmed the strike and criticised Israel

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A disabled Palestinian lies on seats after being evacuated from the U.N-run school following the shelling 

'Such a massacre requires more than one hospital to deal with it,' said Ayman Hamdan, director of the Beit Hanoun hospital.  

Chris Gunness, spokesman for the main U.N. agency in Gaza UNRWA, confirmed the strike and criticised Israel.

'Precise co-ordinates of the UNRWA shelter in Beit Hanoun had been formally given to the Israeli army ... Over the course of the day UNRWA tried to coordinate with the Israeli Army a window for civilians to leave and it was never granted,' Gunness said on his Twitter page.

Earlier on Thursday, Gunness said that Israeli forces had bombed U.N. shelters on three separate occasions since Monday, in incidents which did not cause injuries.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident, saying that rockets launched by Hamas had landed in the Beit Hanoun area during fighting with its forces, and that those rockets may be responsible for the deaths. 

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A Palestinian girl, who medics said was wounded in Israeli shelling, receives treatment at a hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip Israel

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One child has been killed in Gaza every hour for the past two days, the United Nations said in their latest report into the civilian casualties of the ongoing conflict

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A truce remained elusive despite intensive mediation efforts. Israel says it needs more time to eradicate rocket stocks and cross-border tunnels in the Gaza Strip

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Palestinian civilians carry a wounded man following an Israeli military strike in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Seven Palestinians were killed in a series of strikes today in a flashpoint area near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, the emergency services said

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Palestinians gather around the bodies of five members of the Abu Daqqa family, who were killed following an Israeli air strike on their home

Israel insists it does its utmost to prevent civilian casualties but says Hamas puts Palestinians in danger by hiding arms and fighters in civilian areas. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum condemned the violence, saying Israel was targeting displaced people and 'committing massacres.'

Earlier today British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warned the Israeli Prime Minister that the West is becoming 'less and less sympathetic to Israel' as the number of Palestinians killed in the conflict continues to rise. 

Today Israeli tanks and warplanes have bombarded the Gaza Strip, as Hamas militants stuck to their demand for the lifting of an Israeli and Egyptian blockade in the face of US efforts to reach a ceasefire. 

Appearing at a press conference today with visiting Mr Philip Hammond, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made no reference to the ceasefire efforts in underscoring his determination to neutralize the rocket and tunnel threats.

'We started this operation to return peace and quiet to Israel,' Netanyahu said in Jerusalem. 'And we shall return it.' 

But Mr Hammond who appeared with Mr Netanyahu at a press conference told Sky News that he plans to warn the Israeli PM that he risks the West becoming less sympathetic to his country's cause.

  

U.N. chief appalled at attack on U.N. school in Gaza

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Israeli soldiers watch over Hamas militants arrested by IDF who were forced to remove their clothes and put thier hands behind their heads

'As this campaign goes on and the civilian casualties in Gaza mount, western opinion is becoming more and more concerned and less and less sympathetic to Israel,' he said. 

'That's simply a fact and I have to tell that to my Israeli counterparts.' 

The 16-day conflict has claimed the lives of 718 Palestinians, most of them civilians, while Israel has lost 32 soldiers, and two Israeli civilians all since July 17, when it widened its air campaign into a full-scale ground operation aimed at halting rocket fire from Gaza and destroying a sophisticated network of cross-border tunnels. 

Underscoring the challenges he faces, the leader of Hamas insisted the Islamic militants would not relent until their main demand of lifting an Egyptian-Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip is met.

'When it comes to the balance of power in this crisis between us and Israel, they are the executioners, the aggressors, the occupiers, the settlers, and we are the true owners of the land,' Khaled Mashaal said in a televised speech from his home-in-exile in Doha, Qatar. 

  

Israeli shelling kills at least 15 in UN Gaza shelter

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Palestinians search for victims under the rubble of a house which witnesses said was destroyed by an Israeli air strike during an Israeli ground offensive east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip 

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Hamas yesterday rejected a ceasefire to end 16 days of deadly fighting with Israel unless the blockade on the Gaza Strip is lifted, its chief Khaled Meshaal said in Doha

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A Palestinian man looks through a window scarred with shrapnel from a neighbouring building that police said was hit by an overnight Israeli air strike, in Jabaliya

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A heavily damaged car is seen in an alley next to a mosque that was destroyed following an Israeli military strike in the Jabalia district in the northern Gaza Strip

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Palestinians gather around a house which witnesses said was damaged in an Israeli air strike that killed two children, in the northern Gaza Strip 

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An injured Palestinian girl is carried by a relative as families leave their neighborhood to a safer location

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Israeli troops fired tank shells that reached parts of the Bureij and Maghazi refugee camps.Clashes also erupted between Palestinian fighters and Israeli troops in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, and the sound of explosions was audible across the town, Batniji said

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A Palestinian woman holds a white flag as she flees her house with her daughter from Israeli shelling

NAMES OF DEAD GAZA CHILDREN BANNED ON ISRAELI RADIO

The names of children killed in Gaza have been banned from being read out on Israeli radio.

They formed part of an advert by human rights organisation B'Tselem.

But the Israeli Broadcasting Authority banned the radio advertisement saying the ad's content was 'politically controversial'. 

In its appeal, B'Tselem demanded to know what was controversial about the item. 'Is it controversial that the children [aren't] alive? That they're children? That those are their names? These are facts that we wish to bring to the public's knowledge.'

It intends to petition Israel's supreme court on Sunday in an effort to get the ban overturned.

'We will not accept anything but the end of the siege.'

But an Israeli cabinet minister said a truce involving the withdrawal of Israeli ground forces from Gaza is unlikely before next week. 

Science Minister Yaakov Peri told the Walla news agency the troops needed more time to destroy the network of tunnels used by Hamas militants.

'I do not see a ceasefire in the coming days where the IDF leave.

'I can say authoritatively that two or three days will not be enough to finish tackling the tunnels.' 

Israel imposed the blockade in 2006 after Hamas and other militants abducted an Israeli soldier in a deadly cross-border raid. It tightened the siege in 2007 after Hamas seized power from forces loyal to Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, but had eased some of the restrictions in recent years.

Egypt tightened its own restrictions last year after the overthrow of a Hamas-friendly government in Cairo and has destroyed many of the cross-border smuggling tunnels that sustained Gaza's economy, and which were also used by Hamas to bring in arms. 

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Israel Wednesday on an Air Force jet, despite a ban imposed a day earlier by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on commercial flights into Ben-Gurion Airport because of Hamas rocket fire.

The FAA dropped the ban just before midnight, but European airlines have extended their cancellations through Thursday.

'We certainly have made steps forward,' Kerry said in Jerusalem Wednesday, without elaborating. 'There's still work to be done.'

Meanwhile today heavy fighting was reported along the border of central Gaza, according to Gaza police spokesman Ayman Batniji.  

  

Israeli troops fire artillery at Gaza

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Israeli soldiers shoot tear gas towards Palestinian protesters against the Israeli military action in Gaza, during a demonstration at Hawara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus

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A Palestinian protester against the Israeli military action in Gaza runs from tear gas thrown by Israeli soldiers, during a demonstration at Hawara checkpoint

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Israeli soldiers shoot tear gas towards Palestinian protesters against the Israeli military action in Gaza

Israeli troops fired tank shells that reached parts of the Bureij and Maghazi refugee camps.Clashes also erupted between Palestinian fighters and Israeli troops in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, and the sound of explosions was audible across the town, Batniji said.

Israeli naval vessels meanwhile fired more than 100 shells along the coast of Gaza City and northern Gaza, the spokesman said.

Rescue teams were prevented from operating in the area because of the heavy fire, he added. 

Today three UN relief staff working as teachers have been killed in Gaza, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said. 

Gaza police and health officials say six members of the same family and an 18-month-old infant boy were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit the Jebaliya refugee camp early Thursday. 

Twenty others were injured in the strike, they say, and rescue officials were digging through the rubble of flattened homes, looking for survivors. 

One child has been killed in Gaza every hour for the past two days, the United Nations said in their latest report into the civilian casualties of the ongoing conflict. 

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Israeli tanks move near the Israel and Gaza border as Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded the Gaza Strip today

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An Israeli helicopter lands to take a wounded soldier near the Israel and Gaza border

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Israel soldiers clean the muzzle of their Merkava battle tank at an unspecified location at the border between Gaza and Israel

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An Israel Merkava battle tanks pulls out from the Gaza Strip to a position at an unspecified location

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A road sign reading in Arabic and Hebrew 'Gaza 2 Kilometers' stand at a road blocked by an Israeli army APCs (Armored Personnel Carrier)

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Israel soldiers stand together for a prayer at their base located next to the Israeli border

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Khaled Meshaal said Hamas would not agree to a ceasefire until the terms had been negotiated and the Gaza blockade lifted 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk