MACON, Ga. A tool shed caught on fire in Lizella on Thursday night.

According to Captain Ron Smith with the Macon-Bibb Fire Department, a call came in just before 8 p.m. about a shed on fire.

It happened in the 5600 block of Fulton Mill Road. Smith says there was a heavy fire when crews got there.

No one was inside the shed during the fire and no one was hurt.

Smith says the fire is under investigation and investigators will know more information once they comb through the scene Friday morning.

The fire got put out. So, there are no injuries," Smith said. "We consider that a win."

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Tool shed fire breaks out in Lizella - 13WMAZ.com

The House Judiciary Committee held its first day of impeachment hearings on Wednesday, led by Chairman Jerry Nadler, who represents the West Side of Manhattan and a slice of South Brooklyn.

Four constitutional scholars answered the committees questions regarding whether President Donald Trump made impeachable offenses by attempting to pressure Ukraine into investigating his political opponent.

Some observers expressed concern over how Nadler would handle the committees impeachment hearings after Corey Lewandowskis combative hearing in September, over which Nadler presided, was regarded as a disaster. But Nadler, who normally avoids the use of expletives, said that he wouldnt take any shit alluding to any possible Republican shenanigans that might arise during a closed-door prep meeting with Democrats ahead of the days hearings, according to Politico. And it appears that he kept his word.

There were a few instances in which Republicans on the Judiciary Committee's panel attempted to disrupt the hearing and some of the panels members got heated while taking their allotted five minutes to question the legal scholars present, but Nadler held strong, assertively banging his gavel to keep the days hearings on track.

I think this has actually been a smoother transition than a lot of people thought, Rep. Ted Deutch, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, told Politico.

On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requested that Nadler, along with the chairmen of other committees to begin drafting articles of impeachment against Trump.

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Rep. Jerry Nadler sheds the ghost of trials past - City & State

The study, published inScience Advances, results from the collaboration between a UB team led by Cedric Boeckx, ICREA professor from the Section of General Linguistics at the Department of Catalan Philology and General Linguistics, and member of the Institute of Complex Systems of the UB (UBICS), and researchers from the team led by Giuseppe Testa, lecturer at the University of Milan and the European Institute of Oncology.

An evolutionary process similar to animal domestication

The idea of human self-domestication dates back to the 19th century. It is the claim that anatomical and cognitive-behavioral hallmarks of modern humans, such as docility or a gracile physiognomy, could result from an evolutionary process bearing significant similarities to the domestication of animals.

The key role of neural crest cells

Earlier research by the team of Cedric Boeckx had found genetic similarities between humans and domesticated animals in genes. The aim of the present study was to take a step further and deliver empirical evidence focusing on neural crest cells. This is a population of migratory and pluripotent cells - able to form all the cell types in a body - that form during the development of vertebrates with great importance in development. "A mild deficit of neural crest cells has already been hypothesized to be the factor underlying animal domestication. Could it be that humans got a more prosocial cognition and a retracted face relative to other extinct humans in the course of our evolution as a result of changes affecting neural crest cells?" asks Alejandro Andirk, PhD students at the Department of Catalan Philology and General Linguistics of the UB, who took part in the study.

To test this relationship, researchers focused on Williams Syndrome disorder, a specific human neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by both craniofacial and cognitive-behavioral traits relevant to domestication. The syndrome is a neurocristopathy: a deficit of a specific cell type during embryogenesis. In this case, neural crest cells.

In this study, researchers from the team led by Giuseppe Testa used in vitro models of Williams syndrome with stem cells derived from the skin. Results showed that the BAZ1B gene -which lies in the region of the genome causing Williams Syndrome- controls neural crest cell behavior: lower levels of BAZ1B resulted in reduced neural-crest migration, and higher levels produced greater neural-crest migration.

Comparing modern human and Neanderthal genomesResearchers examined this gene in archaic and modern human genomes. "We wanted to understand if neural crest cell genetic networks were affected in human evolution compared to the Neanderthal genomes", Cedric Boeckx said.

Results showed that that BAZ1B affects a significant number of genes accumulating mutations in high frequency in all living human populations that are not found in archaic genomes currently available. "We take this to mean that BAZ1B genetic network is an important reason our face is so different when compared with our extinct relatives, the Neanderthals," Boeckx said. "In the big picture, it provides for the first time experimental validation of the neural crest-based self-domestication hypothesis," continues.An empirical way to test evolutionary claims

These results open the road to studies tackling the role of neural crest cells in prosociality and other cognitive domains but is also one of the first examples of a potential subfield to test evolutionary claims. "This research constitutes one of the first studies that uses cutting-edge empirical technologies in a clinical setting to understand how humans have evolved since the split with Neanderthals, and establishes Williams Syndrome in particular as a unique atypical neurodevelopmental window onto the evolution of our species," Boeckx concludes.

Reference: Zanella et al. 2019.Dosage analysis of the 7q11.23 Williams region identifies BAZ1B as a major human gene patterning the modern human face and underlying self-domestication. Science Advances.DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw7908.

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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A Genetic Network Sheds Light on the Evolution of the Modern Human Face - Technology Networks

Both Sony and Microsoft have been slowly trickling out official details about the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett, but there have also been several major leaks in recent weeks that have potentially spoiled some unannounced surprises. Kotakus news editor Jason Schreier contributed a leak of his own this Wednesday, citing sources who believe that a cheaper, disc-less Xbox will arrive in 2020 alongside Scarlett. Then, shortly after his story was published, he shared even more details hes heard about the next-gen consoles on Twitter.

According to Schreier, the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will both be very powerful and will have similar specs. This lines up with several other rumors which have suggested the hardware itself will be virtually interchangeable when it comes to the new consoles. He also says that Sony has been more communicative with developers than Microsoft has, and revealed in his article that PS5 devkits have been much easier to come by (which might explain all of the leaks). He also says that this probably wont make any difference by the time the consoles are released:

He also says that Sonys strategy is for the PS5 to be as accessible as possible, citing the lack of load times as one of the pillars of this strategy. Its unclear if hes suggesting that Microsoft is less concerned with accessibility, or if this is simply another case of Microsoft having failed to communicate its goals.

These arent bombshells from Schreier, nor are they very specific, but the dots are slowly being connected ahead of the inevitable reveal events next year. Although he doesnt seem to think Microsofts lack of communication will be a problem in the long-term, its hard to ignore any red flags, even small ones, when the Xbox brand took such a huge step back for much of the last generation while PlayStation reigned supreme.

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New leak sheds light on PS5 and Xbox Scarletts very powerful specs - BGR

The Pillow Project in NOW:PLAYING. (Photo: Jonathan Aryeh Wayne)

By Steve SucatoPittsburgh Current Dance Writerinfo@pittsburghcurrent.com

The Pillow Projects name comes from the creative state found in dreams. The influential local dance troupe founded in 2004 by Pearlann Porter has since dreamed up a number of cutting edge experimental dance and music works incorporating technology, innovative lighting and Porters signature Postmodern-Jazz movement method. They include the critically-acclaimed Paper Memory, The Green Swan, Itch of the Key and Luminography. Building on the lighting innovations developed in those prior works comes Porters latest dance-theater experience, NOW: PLAYING, performed by the Pillow Project, December 7 & 8 at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater.

The world premiere production features a unique approach to theatrical lighting not seen before utilizes video projected fields of moving light aimedacrossa darkened stage from the sides to illuminate the works performers who seemingly instantly appear from nowhere and likewise disappear back into darkness.

Says Porter, The dancers are only being lit by video from the projectors so the lighting can have motion to it, it can vibrate, scroll up from the floor, particle and disappear. This has opened up a completely new dimension of choreographing.

The effect Porter says is like watching a live-action music video unfold before you. With that however, Porter says the learning curve and the amount of time consumed in taking this new approach has been so intense that it may be the hardest thing she has undertaken as a dance-maker.

More than anything I wanted to make a piece that would be absolutely fun to watch and do, says Porter. I have never created a full-length work for a proscenium theater space and one that has storyline. It will be a one-of-a-kind experience.

Directed by Porter and John Lambert, the hour-long NOW: PLAYING is performed by 5-dancers (each in different footwear) to an original score by longtime company collaborator PJ Roduta.

It begins from nothing and ends from nothing and in the most postmodern way possible I deconstruct the theater and make it raw, says Porter. I want the audience not to be quite sure when the work starts or ends.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Movement artist Ru Emmons and interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker and writer join forces for Street Light, an experience of queer time travel, where the two performers embody their past, present, and future selves says Emmons. The in-progress performance, part of KSTs Freshworks Residency program, will take place Friday, December 6 at KST Alloy Studios.

In the collaborative 30-minute work set to varied collection of songs, poems and text, the two artists incorporate movement, sound, and video to investigate the process of personal and collective transformation.

Conceived, written, directed and performed by the pair, with Street Light the pair want you to go home, look in the mirror, and talk nicer to yourself (all of your selves), says Emmons. At its core, both of our work centers on social commentary and healing which will always be relevant. Healing, in turn, always proves itself to be cyclical. In this current climate, there is this idea of separation, the other, the outcast, exclusion rather than inclusion. This work is meant to reclaim space, and empower us all to look inward.

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DANCE THIS WEEKEND: The Pillow Project's NOW: PLAYING Sheds New Light on Dance, while Ru Emmons and Corrine Jasmin present a journey of queer time...

PARKERSBURG, WV (WOAY) After being born without a leg in May 2014, Keating was rescued by Mark and Nancy Miller, owners of Miller Prosthetics and Orthotics in the Mid-Ohio Valley, with the mission to continue making prosthetic legs for Keating as he grew. Keating became a therapy dog in 2016 and currently has the job of bringing smiles to those in need.

Keating recently brought smiles to the WVU Parkersburg Entrepreneur Center staff and local youth during the Teen 3D Printing Academy in July. His purpose, to show students a real-life example of how 3D printing technologies, and users, can change lives.

Entrepreneur Center Coordinator Logan Mace worked with the Millers to create a 3D printed prosthetic limb for Keating. Nancy brought in a 3D scan of Keatings leg without a prosthetic, which Mace then imported into CAD software, Fusion 360 and Meshmixer, to design the prosthetic socket and foot sections (from a hand-drawn sketch of Nancys), make adjustments and fine-tune the alignment for comfortability and functionality.

If it doesnt fit and feel good to Keating, he wont use it, Nancy said.

3D printing the prosthetic limb was a trial and error process tweaks, adjustments and reprints had to be made. The first leg created for Keating was too small, the second was too thin and not aligned correctly, however, the next is in the works of being perfect. The prosthetic limb was made of a NinjaTek material, called Armadillo, in their most recent trial.

Makerspaces really have the potential to be ground zero for real-world problem solving by individuals who may not have access to large amounts of capital or manufacturing equipment, Mace said. Nancy has waited five years for a 3D printed prosthetic, and for this to be happening in our facility is exciting for me, from a makers perspective, and I am proud to be a part of the process.

The Entrepreneur Center is an amazing community resource, Nancy said. WVU Parkersburg offers great equipment and personalized instruction.

The Millers always envisioned Keating helping others, and as he has become important to them, he has also become important to their business. Nancy explained that when patients are in pain, and there are no calming words left to say, Keating plays a comforting role in the patients journey to healing.

Another part of Keatings job is to aid children in coming to terms with a family member who has a prosthetic limb. Kids are able to feel Keatings leg, giving them comfort, Nancy explained.

Keating has even brought joy to conferences of over 700 amputees. After taking Keating to a National Amputee Coalition Conference, the Millers decided to share him with the community. He currently takes weekly trips to visit Belpre Landing residents along with surrounding hospitals and even Mineral Wells Elementary School.

Hes added a whole new dimension to our life and became a celebrity in the Mid-Ohio Valley, Nancy said, Hes even learned to pose for pictures and has his own business cards.

Follow Keatings journey on Facebook at Miller Prosthetics & Orthotics (@MarkMillerCPO). For more information about the Entrepreneur Center, contact Logan Mace atwed@wvup.eduor 304-424-8383.

About WVU Parkersburg

Established in 1961, West Virginia University at Parkersburg is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Academic credits earned at WVU Parkersburg are transferable to any institution in the West Virginia higher education state system as well as other accredited institutions throughout the country. WVU Parkersburg is the only public community college in West Virginia accredited to offer baccalaureate degrees.

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Local amputee therapy dog sheds light on the future of 3D printing prosthetics at WVU Parkersburg - WOAY NEWSWATCH

(EDITORS NOTE: This is the second of a three-part, in-depth series on the events leading up to the death of Milledgeville resident Eurie Lee Martin on July 7, 2017 in neighboring Washington County. The third and final part of the series will examine conclusions of law as mentioned in the last weeks ruling by Dublin Judicial Circuit Senior Superior Court Judge H. Gibbs Flanders Jr.)

SANDERSVILLE, Ga. - When Eurie Lee Martin was told to stop walking, place his hands behind his back and get on the ground or he would be tased, Martin refused, according to recently released details of what actually happened before the Milledgeville mans death on July 7, 2017 in Washington County.

Mr. Martin does not comply and Sergeant (Henry) Copeland tases him, according to testimony and body cam video and audio from deputies at the scene.

The 58-year-old Martin, who was standing along the roadside at the time was heard shouting, My God, whats goin on?

All of a sudden, Martin falls to the ground and begins pulling a taser prong from one of his arms.

Meanwhile, another deputy from the Washington County Sheriffs Office, Deputy Michael Howell, begins to approach Martin in an attempt to handcuff him. As it turned out, Howell decided to stand back when Martin pulled the taser prong from his arm.

In an attempt to gain control of Martin, Sgt. Copeland pulled his taser trigger four times with a total of 28 seconds of electrical discharge, according to the findings of fact following a motion hearing back in October in Washington County Superior Court in Sandersville. It is unclear how long Mr. Martin actually received an electrical discharge, but the cell phone video taken on Mr. Tillmans phone camera clearly shows that Mr. Martin experienced an electrical shock that momentarily brought him to the ground.

Tillman happened to be traveling along the roadway at the time and videoed on his phone what he witnessed.

Those were the words used by Dublin Judicial Circuit Senior Superior Court Judge H. Gibbs Flanders Jr. during a ruling last week regarding the case of three former deputies later indicted by a grand jury on murder and other criminal charges in connection with Martins death.

Although grand jurors returned an eight-count criminal indictment against Copeland, Howell and Rhett Scott in connection with the death of Martin, Flanders since has ruled in favor of the defendants and said all three men are immune from prosecution, based on a self-defense motion filed by defense attorneys.

All three men were scheduled to go to trial in the murder case in a couple of weeks.

The judges ruling has prompted Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney Hayward Altman to file an immediate appeal with the Supreme Court of Georgia in Atlanta.

Before the former deputies were ever indicted, they were terminated by their late boss, Sheriff Thomas H. Smith, who died back in October. Smith contended the trio violated sheriffs office policies and procedures.

The indictments followed an independent investigation into the death of Martin by agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations office in Eastman. Smith called for such an investigation immediately after Martins death near the small community of Deepstep.

The tasing of Martin did not succeed in subduing Martin long enough for Copeland and Howell to place him into handcuffs.

During cross-examination by an assistant district attorney at the October hearing, Howell answered several questions related to the incident.

When that one (taser barb) went in, we, (Howell and Copeland) tried to handcuff him (Martin) and thats when he got, yes, got up again, according to testimony from Howell.

The assistant district attorney then asked Howell so there was a moment when he was still laying on the ground, and that was actually you seen going and kneeling down to him?

Howell replied he was going to try to handcuff Martin at the time.

When I knelt down and he ripped that barb out, I was like this is not for me, Howell said. Because if a grown man can take and rip it out of his arm, I aint fixing to fight with him.

The assistant prosecutor then asked Howell if he allowed Martin to get up, and Howell replied, Yes.

The length of that particular encounter was approximately a minute, according to court records.

As the two officers continue to follow Mr. Martin, Deputy Howell sends a radio message to Deputy Scott saying, Step up.

Howell also indicated to Scott that Martin had been tased, but he's still fighting.

During the time, Copeland and Howell waited for assistance from Scott, the two deputies continued to command Martin to stop, and to get on the ground or he would be tased.

Martin again reportedly ignores those commands and continues walking at a more rapid tempo.

Mr. Martins audible responses are in rapid, loud speech, most of which is not understandable on the dash cam video, according to court records. There is one instance when Sgt. Copeland is close to Mr. Martin and he turns toward Sgt. Copeland and swings at him in an unsuccessful attempt to strike Sgt. Copeland.

Martin, who was still followed closely by the two deputies at that point, continues to walk until he and the deputies all stop in a yard near the highway.

When Deputy Scott got to the scene, Copeland and Howell were seen facing Martin. At that time, Martin was standing with his hands resting on his hips.

Deputy Howells dash cam provides a good video record of second tasing episode, which from the time Deputy Scott gets out of his car until Mr. Martin is handcuffed spans approximately three minutes and 12 seconds.

A second camera video from the phone of Tillman, meanwhile, which lasts only 24 seconds, captures the initial tasing by Scott, and Martin going to the ground. The video shows all three of the men, known as lawmen at the time, trying to restrain Martin.

When Scott got out of his patrol car, it appeared that Martin along with Copeland and Howell were at at what was described as a stand-off.

There is no overt aggression occurring, although Mr. Martin is clearly agitated and tense, Sgt. Copeland is holding his taser, and Deputy Howells left hand is resting on his holster, according to court records. As Deputy Scott approaches, Deputy Howell tells him Mr. Martin had been teased once and it didnt phase him.

The deputies continued to command that Martin get on the ground, but again he would not comply.

Martin then became encircled by the three deputies. At the time, Martin was not acting in a physically aggressive manner, and his arms remained down by his side. But Martin still resisted the deputies commands for him to get on the ground.

While standing behind Mr. Martin, Deputy Scott tases him from a close distance in his lower back, court records show. Mr. Martin spins toward Deputy Scott with his arms flailing in an attempt to dislodge the taser probes, and possibly to hit Deputy Scott. Mr. Martin goes to the ground and the officers converge upon him, repeatedly commanding him (Martin) to roll over and to show his hands.

Scott became entangled in the wires as he and his fellow deputies attempt to bring Martin under control.

The struggle continues with sounds of tasing interspersed with commands that if he (Martin) will roll over, it will stop, court records show.

Once Martins right hand was placed into handcuffs, the deputies all testified that they felt for everyones safety that it was imperative that Martins left hand be handcuffed, too, because they considered a loose handcuffed arm to be potentially a lethal threat.

During that time, Martin reportedly was hiding his left arm and uncured hand under his body close to the ground, and the officers continued tasing with drive stuns in an effort to dislodge Martins left arm in order that he be completely handcuffed and restrained.

The struggle and intermittent tasing ended by using an asp baton as fulcrum to pry Mr. Martins arm from beneath his body and completing the handcuffing, according to court records. Once Mr. Martins left arm was cuffed, the tasing ceased.

Court records indicate that the struggle from the initial tasing by Scott to the final handcuffing of Martin lasted for a period of about three minutes.

During this time, Deputy Scotts taser was activated eight times with a total electrical charge duration of 25 seconds, according to court records. It is impossible to know how much of the electrical charge was transmitted to Mr. Martin, but it is clear based upon his reactions that part of the charges found their mark.

In his order, Judge Flanders said taken in the entirety that the evidence shows Martin, by his physical strength and his reaction to being tased, was exceptionally difficult to bring under control throughout the events as they unfolded.

The foregoing completes the description of events relevant to the defendants immunity motion, Flanders said. After Mr. Martin was handcuffed, he remained on the ground and was monitored by the officers and a first responder, who came to the scene while awaiting the arrival of EMS. When it was determined that Mr. Martin had no pulse, and had stopped breathing, the first responder started life support measures, and continued until EMS arrived. Thereafter, Mr. Martin was pronounced dead at the scene.

At that time, the late sheriff was notified of what had happened and immediately called the GBI to come to the scene to begin an independent investigation.

Copeland, Howell and Scott were all indicted by a grand jury on Aug. 9, 2018.

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In Eurie Lee Martin case: Court ruling sheds more light on what happened - The Union-Recorder

If anything, 'Godfather of Harlem' was unpredictable. The gangster drama had its own share of surprises that it threw in every episode. The finale ensured this factor was set a few notches up when it saw Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch) leave the Nation of Islam, Elise (Antoinette- Crowe Legacy) save Bumpy (Forest Whitaker) and the death of Teddy Greene (Kelvin Harrison Jr).

For series creator, Chris Brancato, this was an attempt to certainly try to make it feel that way and "try to turn expectation". In an exclusive with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), Brancato explained the idea behind every episode was to twist the expectations of the audience.

"We know as writers that the audience especially if they like gangster shows have seen virtually every version of the gangster show you could imagine," he explained. "So what we're always looking to do is figure ways to filter it through this prism of crime and civil rights, and then also to do things that hopefully you're not going to expect. I really hope you feel that way after you watch the final episode of the Season 1. I think there's a lot of unexpected stuff in that episode," he opined.

And that there was. 'Chickens Come Home To Roost' was a fitting end to what has been 10 weeks of great storytelling. The show started off as an ambitious, rich project and is definitely one of the top mob-genre series that's made in the recent past. Chin gives up on his plans to kill Teddy for the sake of his daughter and while that doesn't end up as planned, it still goes on to show that he was a man with a heart despite his wily, cruel demeanor.

(To lend an easy-to-read experience for our readers, the original interview has been split into multiple stories. Stay with us as we update our site with more of Brancato's valuable insights on 'Godfather of Harlem')

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EXCLUSIVE | 'Godfather of Harlem': Series creator Chris Brancato sheds light on unpredictability factor of gan - MEAWW

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban addresses the inaugural session of the second International Conference on Christian Persecution in Budapest, Hungary, Nov. 26, 2019. (CNS photo/Anto Akkara)

By Anto Akkara Catholic News Service Posted December 5, 2019

BUDAPEST, Hungary (CNS) Speakers at the second International Conference on Christian Persecution called upon governments to shed the fear of working with the churches.

Setting the tone for the Nov. 26-28 conference, Tristan Azbej, secretary of the Hungarian governments Aid for Persecuted Christians program, called for collaboration in responding to the plight of Christians whose religious rights are eroding worldwide.

We are here because Christianity has a culture of action. It is time for action by working together with all for a historic change in fighting persecution, Azbej said.

Attendees, including government officials, Catholic clergy and Christian leaders, also heard from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who criticized the wariness of political leaders to work with churches to help end Christian persecution.

Assistance must be taken directly to communities in distress, not provided to agencies, but directly to communities in distress, Orban told the delegates. Therefore, we make contact with church leaders there, because we know that they take full responsibility for their communities and we know they preserve in the most appalling circumstances.

The Hungarian leader said his government is convinced that the problems facing Christianity in Europe and the persecution of Christians in Africa and the Middle East cannot be separated.

Rejecting migration as a solution to persecution, Orban cautioned against demographic changes in individual European nations and warned that members of the Islamic State group were infiltrating migrant communities.

People must be encouraged to live and flourish in the lands in which their ancestors have lived for centuries. What we must help them to do is not to move away, but to stay in their homes, Orban said.

Chaldean Archbishop Najib Mikhael Moussa of Mosul, Iraq, said a way to help persecuted Christians is to teach them how to resist and defend their faith, their life, not by destructive weapons but by the art of using pencil and education to rebuild true human construction.

The archbishop called for support for Christians who have begun returning to their native communities in northern Iraq years after they fled Islamic State forces in the region.

We want to stay over there forever, he told the conference.

Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk endorsed Archbishop Moussas plea, saying, We have never heard from the leaders of the Middle Eastern churches any call to leave homeland. On the contrary, they say unanimously that Christians ought to remain in their homeland.

The world community need to hear the voices of Christian countries and clergy in defense of African Christians who are being exterminated before our eyes, he added.

Emphasizing the need for interreligious approach to end persecution, Metropolitan Hilarion suggested a normal future for Christians is not possible without the development of relations with other religions.

Citing a series of diplomatic engagements by some of the European nations to counter perceptions since 2010, the Metropolitan noted that if all these countries were to unite their efforts, it would be possible to achieve greater result.

Andrew Walther, vice president for communications and strategic planning with the Knights of Columbus, told the conference on its final day that persecuted Christians could be assisted first by providing direct humanitarian assistance or policy changes that help them, and second, by revealing and thus discrediting the horrific nature of ideologies that persecute.

Not only must those concerned about Christian persecution speak the truth, but we also must be well-enough informed to defend the truth from the biases or misunderstandings of those in our own countries, Walther said.

In a message read by an American official to the conference, U.S. President Donald Trump noted that the conference served as a reminder to safeguard religious freedom.

The message said the U.S. is spearheading the International Religious Freedom Alliance as part of our ongoing efforts to confront religious persecution around the world.

Originally posted here:
Governments urged to shed fear of working with churches on persecution - CatholicPhilly.com

It's turning out to be one of the worst years ever for auto workers across the globe amid shrinking demand and a tectonic shift in vehicle technology, with Daimler AG and Audi announcing almost 20,000 job cuts in just the past week.

All told, carmakers are eliminating more than 80,000 jobs during the coming years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News. Although the cuts are concentrated in Germany, the U.S. and the U.K., faster-growing economies haven't been immune and are seeing automakers scale back operations there.

The German companies joined General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. in massive retrenchments put in motion over the past year. The industry is sputtering as trade tensions and tariffs raise costs and stifle investment, and as manufacturers reassess their workforce in an era of electrification, autonomous driving and ride-on-demand services.

The global auto industry will produce 88.8 million cars and light trucks this year, an almost 6% drop from a year ago, according to researcher IHS Markit. German auto-industry lobby VDA on Wednesday, Dec. 4, predicted that the decline will continue next year, forecasting global deliveries of 78.9 million vehicles, the lowest level since 2015.

The pace of job cuts in the home of Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and BMW is expected to be "more pronounced in 2020," VDA president Bernhard Mattes said at a press conference in Berlin, adding that the technology shift alone could lead to the loss of 70,000 jobs over the next decade.

"A fundamental structural change with enormously high investments at a time of deteriorating market dynamics. The tension is being felt at many companies," said Mattes.

Cuts are also being carried out in China, which employs the largest number of people in the industry and has been mired in a sales slump. Electric-vehicle startup NIO Inc., which has lost billions of dollars and watched its New York-listed shares plummet, dismissed about 20% of its workforce by the end of September, shedding more than 2,000 jobs.

"The persistent slowdown in global markets will continue to dent automakers' margins and earnings, which have already been hurt by increased R&D spending for autonomous-driving technology," said Gillian Davis, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. "Many automakers are now focused on cost-saving plans to prevent margin erosion."

Being an early leader in electrification hasn't spared Nissan, which has been in turmoil since the arrest of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn a year ago.

With profits plumbing decade lows, the Japanese automaker is shedding 12,500 positions in the coming years, mostly at factories across the globe, to reduce costs as it rushes to refresh an aging model lineup. A redesigned version of the battery-powered Leaf, which debuted later than planned because of the loss of the company's longtime leader, isn't giving the company much of a boost this year.

Factory-floor workers have been rising up against the retrenching. GM's more than 46,000 U.S. hourly workers staged a 40-day-long strike this fall the longest against the company in almost half a century but managed to coax the company into keeping open only one of the four American factories it made plans to shutter a year ago.

On Nov. 22, about 15,000 people marched in the streets to protest job cuts and factory closures in Stuttgart, the German city that's home to the global headquarters of Daimler, Porsche and major parts supplier Robert Bosch GmbH.

Protesters in the historic downtown square of Schlossplatz wore red scarfs, blew whistles and waved red flags in support of Germany's powerful labor union IG Metall, which organized the demonstrations. Top union officials who represent workers at Mercedes-Benz, Audi and many parts makers claim the companies are using the shift toward EVs as an excuse to push through deeper cuts and boost profits.

"We don't let our jobs be taken away just because some managers haven't done their homework," Roman Zitzelsberger, the regional head of IG Metall in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg and the worker representative on Daimler's supervisory board, told the crowd.

The job concerns proved to be justified. Audi announced a week later it will eliminate as many as 9,500 positions in Germany through 2025 as parent Volkswagen AG prepares for a costly transition to electric vehicles. Daimler announced plans to shed more than 10,000 worldwide.

If it were a country, the auto industry would be the world's sixth-largest economy, according to Fircroft, a technical job-placement firm. In Germany alone, when including local operations of foreign manufacturers, about 150,000 jobs might be at risk in coming years, according to estimates by the Center of Automotive Management, near Cologne.

The clouds started to form for U.S. carmakers last year, when Ford revealed plans for a years-long, $11 billion restructuring. The company has made a series of piecemeal announcements since then, slashing roughly 10% of its global salaried ranks and shutting six plants: three in Russia and one apiece in the U.S., U.K. and France. Of roughly 17,000 jobs Ford is eliminating, 12,000 will be in Europe.

The state of car-factory jobs in the U.S. is less clear, mainly thanks to the new contracts Detroit-area automakers have been negotiating for the next four years.

The prospects looked somewhat bleak for the United Auto Workers union when talks began this summer. With vehicle demand slowing, production shifts were being pared back across the country by Nissan at its truck-and-van plant in Mississippi, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV at its Jeep Cherokee SUV factory in Illinois and Honda at an Ohio plant that mostly makes Accord sedans. Workers fear plug-in cars, which have fewer parts and require less labor to build, will doom auto jobs.

In the end, the UAW has announced commitments by GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler to invest almost $23 billion in U.S. facilities over the course of the next four years, and to add or retain more than 25,000 jobs. While that sounds like a lot, it remains to be seen whether the spending will actually boost production. It costs the companies billions to convert or retool existing factories for them to make new cars and powertrains.

The union also didn't emerge without some bruising losses, with the most notably being its lost battle to save GM's spacious car plant in Lordstown, Ohio. The factory, opened in 1966, became a political football when the company announced production of Chevrolet Cruze sedans would end in March. President Donald Trump told supporters a year and a half earlier not to sell their homes, assuring them his administration would bring jobs back. GM sold the complex to cash-strapped electric-truck startup Lordstown Motors Corp. last month.

For Scott Brubaker, GM's offloading of the Lordstown plant could be a one-way ticket out of the auto industry. The automaker transferred him to its Corvette sports-car plant in Bowling Green, Ky., which meant leaving an Ohio farm his family has owned for four generations.

The idling of the factory left him with two options: live in his camper trailer in Bowling Green and commute home on weekends, or take a $75,000 severance check from GM and find a new job near Lordstown. He has an offer to work for a company clearing land for developers, but it pays $5 an hour less than GM, and he says it would cost him his pension. Lordstown Motors is still raising money for its electric trucks, and Brubaker has his doubts it will succeed.

"I went to GM for good pay and benefits," Brubaker said. "What we did in the plant we did successfully, and GM still pawned us off."

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Automakers shed jobs as electric shift upends the industry - Crain's Cleveland Business