Sen. Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamGraham warned Pentagon chief about consequences of Africa policy: report Senate braces for fight over impeachment whistleblower testimony US defense chief says Taliban deal ‘looks very promising’ but not without risk MORE (R-S.C.) told Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperGraham warned Pentagon chief about consequences of Africa policy: report Lawmakers push back at Trump’s Pentagon funding grab for wall Peace deal with US to be signed by months’ end, Taliban says MORE he could “make your life hell” if the Pentagon chief pulled U.S. troops from West Africa, according to NBC News.

The interaction reportedly happened at the 2020 Munich Security Conference last week. Graham attended the conference with a bipartisan group of senators from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including Sen. Christopher CoonsChristopher (Chris) Andrew CoonsGraham warned Pentagon chief about consequences of Africa policy: report Democrats fear rule of law crumbling under Trump McConnell displays mastery of Senate with impeachment victory MORE (D-Del.), as well as House lawmakers.

The senators reportedly made their case to Esper “forcefully” that the U.S. should hold a presence in Africa to counter Chinese and Russian influence on the continent, in addition to terrorist groups. Graham reportedly told Esper it was possible to find $50 million among the more than $700 billion defense budget for fiscal 2020 to fund the deployments. 

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Graham, however, denied making the comments.

“I never said that to Secretary Esper,” Graham said in a statement obtained by The Hill on Tuesday. “I have a lot of respect for him. Secretary Esper knows my view that for the time being these forces are leveraging the French presence which is vital to our counterterrorism mission in Africa and I also support the Defense Secretary’s ongoing overall review of U.S. deployed forces.”

Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah also  denied the exchange took place.

“I was in the room and that was never said,” she told NBC. “The secretary had a productive conversation with bipartisan, bicameral members of Congress on the future of U.S. force presence in West Africa.”

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Hill. 

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Last month, Graham and Coons were among those who penned a letter pressuring Esper to keep troops in Africa. The Trump administration’s push to shrink its military presence abroad comes as the race for the White House heats up and as President TrumpDonald John TrumpCensus Bureau spends millions on ad campaign to mitigate fears on excluded citizenship question Bloomberg campaign: Primary is two-way race with Sanders Democratic senator meets with Iranian foreign minister MORE has fallen short on his promise to pull U.S. troops from “endless” wars.

“While we agree there is a need to regularly review our force posture overseas to ensure efficiency and effectiveness, we strongly urge that any overall drawdown plans at Africa Command maintain robust support for our counterterrorism and host nation capacity building,” the bipartisan group of lawmakers wrote in their letter.

–This report was updated at 12:29 p.m.

Employees at crowdfunding company Kickstarter voted to unionize on Tuesday, becoming the first big-name technology company to do so.

The staff members voted 47 to 36 to affiliate with the Office and Professional Employees International Union, which represents more than 100,000 white collar workers. 

“We support and respect this decision, and we are proud of the fair and democratic process that got us here. We’ve worked hard over the last decade to build a different kind of company, one that measures its success by how well it achieves its mission: helping to bring creative projects to life. Our mission has been common ground for everyone here during this process, and it will continue to guide us as we enter this new phase together,” Kickstarter’s CEO Aziz Hasan said in a statement.

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Workers at the company have been organizing as Kickstarter United (KRSU) for over a year, pushing for equal pay, transparency from management and more inclusive hiring.

“We believe unionizing provides a path toward furthering all of our goals,” Oriana Leckert, a KSRU spokeswoman and senior journalism outreach leader at Kickstarter, said in a statement.

“It was truly an honor to get to have deep conversations with so many of my colleagues around these issues. Utilizing our collective power to improve our workplace and our professional lives will increase Kickstarter’s ability to have a radical, positive impact on society by allowing us all to advocate for workers’ rights, which is a core pillar of the fight against inequality,” Leckert said.

Tuesday’s vote comes amid rising worker activism at technology companies.

Ninety Google contractors in Pittsburgh and more than 2,000 Google cafeteria staff in the Bay Area voted to unionize last year.

Workers at several other companies, including Amazon and Microsoft, have organized to press leadership into dropping controversial contracts.

The President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani won a second term leading the country, an independent election commission announced Tuesday.

However, Ghani’s opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, also claimed victory, which could threaten the country’s stability and the planned peace negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban, The Associated Press and The New York Times reported.  

The contested election, conducted on Sept. 28, found Ghani earned 50.64 percent, narrowly winning the race, while Abdullah had 39.5 percent support, according to the news outlets.

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After the election results were announced, Ghani emphasized to a group of supporters in the capital the importance of negotiations with the Taliban.

“It’s time to make Afghanistan united,” he said, according to the AP.

But Abdullah and his supporters contest the results, citing various issues with the election and alleging it was plagued by fraud. 

“I asked those who believe in democracy, in a healthy future for this country, in citizens’ rights to stand up to fraud and to not accept this fraudulent result,” Abdullah said, according to the Times. “We are the winners based on clean votes, and we declare our victory. We will form the inclusive government.”

The Taliban also disputed Ghani’s win, calling the election a “fraud” and the Afghan government a “puppet” of the U.S.

“After the end of the invasion the Muslim people of Afghanistan will decide about their internal issues and will adopt their political faith,” a statement from the Taliban said, according to the AP.

The election disagreement comes weeks ahead of when the Taliban and U.S. are supposed to sign a more permanent peace deal, potentially leading to troops returning home and the end of the longest war in U.S. history. 

Both leaders also claimed they won in 2014, and the U.S. assisted in developing a unity government.

I’m going to report on the next six months of fashion in five separate posts instead of one extremely long and overwhelming one. That way the info is easier to digest and we can focus our conversations in the comments section. Let the trendy games begin.

I’ve seen many of the Ready-to-Wear collections for Spring 2020. Every season, a set of cohesive and interesting themes emerge through the chaos and drama that struts down the runway. Some of these themes have staying power for years, and sometimes even decades. Unfortunately, the lack of diversity across the body type and age of the runway models was disappointing, and looks dated. I am forever hopeful that this will change.

Here are seven trends that stood out.

1. Sustainability

Many designers used fabrics, trims, and accessories from past collections to minimize waste and promote the idea of upscaling, recycling, repurposing and repeating. Many designers made a point of using ethically sourced materials and manufacturing plants. Some designers pushed for a plant-based collection that was void of all animal products. These actions form part of an extremely important message about the question of sustainability and style.

Achieving sustainability is extremely complex. There are no easy solutions, and many compromises. But we have to think about sustainability because the problems won’t go away unless action is taken. Every small action counts, even if it’s just to ease your conscience. So these days, you have to think long and hard about what sustainability means for you and your style, and be vigilant about the sustainable actions that you can manage regularly. Sustainability means different things for different people, and some can manage it more easily than others. It’s not a contest, so by all means compare, but do not despair. As long as you’re making a point of being sustainable your way, it’s a good thing.

2. Do Your Own Thing (DYOT)

There is no one way to be stylish. Fashion is a melting pot of sartorial choices, and increasing diversity in fashion with each passing year means that there is something for everyone. Trends are no longer seasonal and fads no longer exist. Trends are becoming harder to define, and at some point they will be irrelevant. That’s why creating a signature style and evolving it over time is one of the most important and relevant trends of them all. Wear the trends, don’t wear them, remix them, repeat them, reinvent them — it’s all good. Do your own thing!

3. Practical Comfort

Our fast-paced world expects us to travel at the drop of a hat, multitask, and work long hours. This modern way of life demands comfort. That’s why it’s trendy to wear fashion or athletic sneakers with anything, and to throw on leggings with a blazer, dressy bag, and glam jewellery. Unstructured clothing, elastic waists, fabrics with stretch, machine-washable workwear, clothing with hidden pockets, dressy flats, trendy puffer coats, and the oh-so-popular juxtaposition of remixing casual with dressy pieces continues to make a strong statement in today’s fashion.

4. Celebrating Classics and Icons

Designers and retailers are making a point of giving modern classics and iconic items their fashionable moment. They are remixing them in new ways to prevent boredom and showcase versatility. Wear a dressy trench coat with joggers and sneakers. Throw on a blazer and Dr. Martens with anything. A baseball cap and Chucks can work with a ball dress, and a pencil skirt can be worn with your varsity sweatshirt. The trend is promoting sustainability because wearing an old item in a new way can be better than buying something new.

5. Happy Tension

The tension between opposing trends is more apparent than ever. Outfit Maximalism shakes hands with minimal looks. Oversized slouch, surrendered waistlines and architectural volume can live happily with busloads of structure, body-con and waist definition. Dressy pieces and uber-casual items are equally on-trend, and by all means remix them into one outfit. Neutrals and earth tones are as popular as brights and jewel tones. Pointy toes are as important as square toes, and stilettos look just as fab as block heels.

This type of happy trend tension creates fashion diversity and reinforces doing your own thing. It gives looks a higher longevity factor, making it harder and harder to call an item “dated”. It supports sustainability, and our need to be as diverse in fashion as we can be.

6. The ‘90s

With respect to silhouettes and outfit combinations, you’ll see a strong flashback to the ‘90s. The early ‘90s were a meaningful nod to the ’80s, and the mid ‘90s had lots of ‘70s appeal, so I see it as more of a flashback to three decades instead of one. This is another nod to sustainability, because it’s hip and fashionable to thrift and wear items that are several decades old instead of passing them on as dated looks.

7. Personal Slogans

Designers and retailers continue to use their influential platforms to make statements that are important to them and their brand. Many of the messages are political, but sometimes they’re light-hearted, funny, and take the mickey out of the ridiculous fashion industry. YLF is not a political blog, so the specifics of the messages are not the point. But the trend is something we can incorporate into our own styles by wearing slogans and outfit combinations that showcase a personal message. It can be subtle or bold, and executed your way.

It’s important to remember that despite what’s happening on the runways or in trend forecasts, retailers will continue to supply the market with items that they sell well at retail. Items will stick around for as long as consumers will buy them. Designers do not have the power to control trends as much as we do collectively as consumers. We are the ones in control.

The Brazilian has been stuck on the sidelines recently, much to his own despair

Neymar has revealed Paris Saint-Germain have been too afraid to play him in recent weeks, despite the attacker wanting to get back on to the pitch. 

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The 28-year-old wasn’t selected for PSG’s past three Ligue 1 matches due to injury and was a doubt for Tuesday’s Champions League round of 16 clash agaisnt Borussia Dortmund in Germany.

Neymar did however start that match and despite himself scoring in the second half, couldn’t help his side avoid a 2-1 first-leg defeat . 

La lune de miel a commencé pour George Clooney et sa toute nouvelle épouse, Amal Alamuddin. Le couple s’est passé la bague au doigt hier soir à Venise, devant une centaine d’invités. Ils rejoignaient ce matin l’Hôtel Cipriani pour un déjeuner avec leurs amis et leurs familles.

Du glamour, du bonheur et du romantisme: c’est ce qu’ils étaient venus chercher à Venise pour leur mariage. George Clooney et Amal Alamuddin se sont dit « oui » hier, dans la Cité des Doges, entourés de leurs intimes. Amoureux depuis un peu plus d’un an, les tourtereaux avaient décidé d’unir leurs destins en avril dernier.

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Depuis le début du week-end, les paparazzi du monde entier les guettent, et essayent de voler suffisamment de clichés pour apaiser la curiosité du grand public. De fait, leur première ballade sur le Grand Canal n’a échappé à personne. Mari et femme, George et Amal Clooney se sont promenés en bateau, tout sourire, avant de rejoindre leurs invités à l’hôtel Cipriani pour déjeuner. Lui portait un élégant costume gris, tandis qu’elle avait revêtu une magnifique robe blanche cousue de fleurs rouge et rose, signée Giambattista Valli.

Tous les deux ont salué la foule d’admirateurs qui s’était amassée autour d’eux. Une rencontre bienheureuse qui a permis aux photographes de capturer enfin quelques clichés de leurs alliances, assorties, et en platine. Félicitations aux jeunes mariés!

Il semble que leurs récentes escapades à Paris ont fini de convaincre Jay Z et Beyoncé de la nécessité d’y vivre. Le couple a été aperçu dans la capitale française, apparemment à la recherche d’un appartement…

Définitivement conquis par le charme parisien ? Il y a à peine un mois, Beyoncé et Jay Z ont fait vibrer le Stade de France au rythme de leurs sons endiablés et ont profité pour s’accorder quelques plaisirs bien de chez nous, entre la gastronomie de Jean Imbert et la beauté de la cathédrale Notre-Dame. Cette semaine, ils sont revenus afin d’assister à la rencontre PSG-BARCA au Parc des Princes, avec notamment l’ancien président Nicolas Sarkozy et David Beckham. Une attirance indéniable pour la capitale française qui pourrait pousser les Carter-Knowles à s’y installer. Selon les informations du New York Post, la chanteuse et son rappeur de mari ont été vus dans le huitième arrondissement, à quelques pas du Palais de l’Élysée, visitant des appartements.

C’est à se demander s’il s’agit juste d’un désir de pied-à-terre ou alors d’une envie de quitter la mégalopole de New York pour la ville-lumière. Beyoncé en tout cas semble apprécier les moments avec sa petite Blue Ivy, elle-même déjà clientes des marques françaises. Sur son site personnel Beyonce.com, l’interprète de Drunk In Love ne cesse de poster des clichés de sa famille dans Paris : devant la Tour Eiffel, au Musée du Quai Branly, au Parc des Princes… Une chose est sûre, s’ils décident d’emménager de ce côté de l’Atlantique, leur fortune colossale ne pourra faire que du bien à l’économie hexagonale. Bee et Jay, vous êtes déjà les bienvenus !

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Crédits photos : Lester Cohen

Ma belle-mère, mon ex et moi est de retour sur les planches de la Comédie Caumartin depuis le 24 septembre. Gala vous en dit plus.

A peine la lumière s’est-elle éteinte que les lèvres esquissent un premier sourire, complètement épanoui quand quelques secondes plus tard le rideau s’ouvre enfin. Nicolas Vitiello, 32 ans, joue Yoann, et il ne lui faut pas plus de trois minutes pour s’attirer la sympathie du public et déclencher les premiers rires. Dévoué corps et âme à son patron, Julien, il rythme la pièce de son énergie débordante et maladroite, et génère ainsi l’hilarité à chaque réplique.

Pour donner le change, une belle surprise. Attendu au tournant à chaque apparition depuis qu’il s’est lancé dans la comédie, Frank Leboeuf, 46 ans, s’est affranchi avec succès de son passé de glorieux footballeur. Dans la peau de Julien, animateur vedette qui purge son chagrin en multipliant les conquêtes, il tempère la folie ambiante dans un jeu juste qui fait osciller son personnage entre machisme et tendresse.

Tout au long de la pièce, Julien et Yoann unissent leurs forces pour contrer les plans de Solange (Katia Tchenko), la diabolique et délirante mère de Zoé, campée par l’excellente Christine Lemler, dernièrement dans Revenir un jour. Zoé et Julien se sont aimés, puis séparés, mais l’amour… L’amour qu’ils continuent de nourrir l’un pour l’autre va être utilisé pour tenter d’assouvir la cupidité de cette belle-mère pour le moins particulière.

Ma belle-mère, mon ex et moi est un vrai bonheur. Une pièce dynamique, légère, vraiment bien jouée par des comédiens qui ne boudent pas leur plaisir d’être sur scène, on comprend pourquoi 60 dates ont été reprogrammées à Paris. Attention toutefois: les spectateurs fragiles des zygomatiques pourraient bien repartir avec quelques contractures!

© Steve Bouteiller

Le procès Pistorius touchera bientôt à sa fin. Hier, au cours de la troisième journée d’audience, l’athlète n’a pu retenir ses larmes face à la cousine de sa victime.

La troisième journée du procès d’Oscar Pistorius a débuté hier à la Haute Cour de Pretoria. Après deux audiences dédiées aux intervenants de la défense, le procureur Gerrie Nel a pu présenter son premier témoin, hier, en début d’après-midi. Le magistrat a fait appel à Kim Martin, la cousine de Reeva Steenkamp. Son passage à la barre a été chargé en émotions.

Les yeux rougis la Sud-africaine de 43 ans s’est présentée à la barre pour dresser un portrait de sa cousine disparue. D’anecdote en anecdote, Kim a décrit une jeune femme aimante, prête à travailler dur mais toujours très sensible à la souffrance des autres. Elle a également raconté comment Reeva permettait à ses parents de boucler les fins de mois difficiles à l’aide de ses premiers cachets. “Cette affaire a détruit notre famille a-t-elle lancé au procureur. Elle a détruit Barry et June (les parents de Reeva, ndlr). Reeva était tout pour eux.”

Durant sa déposition le père de la victime, Barry Steenkamp, n’a pu retenir ses larmes. Tête baissée, il fixait le sol pendant que sa femme, elle aussi très émue, lui caressait le crâne. De son côté Oscar Pistorius a également pleuré en écoutant la cousine de son ex-petite amie. « Je pense qu’il faut envoyer un message à la société et dire que l’on ne peut pas se sortir indemne d’un crime pareil, a alors indiqué Kim Martin. Ma famille ne cherche pas à se venger, mais il a tiré sur une personne désarmée et inoffensive, à travers une porte. Il doit payer pour ce qu’il a fait ». Avant de quitter la barre, Kim Martin a précisé qu’elle ne croyait pas une seconde aux excuses du coureur.

Gerrie Nel a jusqu’à vendredi pour faire témoigner ses intervenants. La juge Thokozile Masipa devra ensuite décider de la peine à appliquer à Oscar Pistorius. S’il est condamné à de la prison ferme, l’athlète paralympique rejoindra le système carcéral sud-africain. Une fois derrière les barreaux, il pourrait courir de gros risques. En effet, « le Général », leader de l’un des gangs les plus violent d’Afrique du Sud, a déclaré au journal local The Citizen que la fortune de Pistorius ne suffirait pas à le sauver. « Il sera éliminé », a assuré ce célèbre gangster enfermé depuis 33 ans dans les prisons du pays. La route vers la sérénité est encore longue pour Oscar Pistorius.

Crédits photos : Themba Hadebe/AP/SIPA

Les récentes nouvelles de Michael Schumacher le disaient effectivement sur la voie du réveil. Maintenant sorti de son coma le pilote va lentement réapprendre à vivre.

Il faut rester prudent mais continuer à y croire. Le cas, un temps désespéré, de Michael Schumacher est en train de défier tous les mauvais pronostics. Le docteur Jean-François Payen qui s’est occupé du champion de Formule 1 lors de son hospitalisation au CHU de Grenoble, annonce dans les colonnes du Parisien de bonnes nouvelles.

Le Français qui continue à voir Michael Schumacher à son domicile suisse de Gland, assure que le champion “n’est plus dans le coma”. Tenu au secret professionnel il ne peut en dire plus et respecte le fait que “Michael Schumacher est quelqu’un de très pudique, comme sa famille”.

Jean-François Payen estime qu’il faut “être patient” et que la convalescence du sportif “va de un à trois ans”. Pour le docteur, Michael Schumacher “se trouve dans des conditions très favorables pour faciliter sa récupération”. Corinna son épouse est “en tout point extraordinaire” selon le médecin qui salue également sa rapidité à comprendre le “long chemin qu’elle a parcourir avec lui”. Depuis, elle donne tout “pour que son conjoint puisse avancer”.

Michael Schumacher à encore “une longue marche” a faire auprès des siens pour espérer retrouver un semblant de vie normal. Un jour peut-être ira-t-il remercier les gens qui l’ont en parti sauvé au CHU de Grenoble “comme n’importe quel autre patient” le ferait.

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