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Trump will be impeached — plus nine other headlines you’ll read in 2019

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Hark! Breaking news …

To those who view the next 12 months with unspeakable horror, O ye of little faith.

In 2019, U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence could move into the spotlight, Tony Burman writes.
In 2019, U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence could move into the spotlight, Tony Burman writes.  (DOUG MILLS / NYT)

I have some good news to impart.

Having stared into the abyss for two years since Donald Trump’s election, at least part of the world seems on the verge of scampering back to safety.

As proof, here is an early peek at the top 10 international headlines of 2019.

1. Mueller declares Trump illegitimate

America’s great constitutional crisis over Trump’s presidency finally unfolds. In spite of Trump’s attacks, special counsel Robert Mueller is able to issue his report, which is a scathing condemnation of the president and his family for committing a multitude of crimes. He concludes that Trump is an illegitimate president acting more like the boss of a crime family in the pocket of the Russian mafia than the duly elected head of the world’s oldest democracy. Mueller reveals that Trump conspired with the Russian government to steal the 2016 election and worked tirelessly after that to cover it up.

2. Impeachment of a president

Even though Trump’s actions have long been alleged and suspected, Mueller’s report has an explosive impact on American public opinion. Trump’s approval rating immediately plunges to less than 20 per cent. Even the Republican party becomes bitterly divided. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives swiftly responds by voting to impeach the president, which means that a Senate trial will determine whether Trump will be removed from office.

3. Trump resigns to avoid jail

Even if Trump survives in the Republican-controlled Senate, it becomes clear he could never be re-elected in 2020 and he realizes he may end up in jail. Once out of office, Trump would face criminal charges that have already sent his former aides to jail. Just as the Senate trial is to begin, Trump denounces the process as being “rigged” and does what Richard Nixon did in 1974: he resigns and ensures that the new president — in Trump’s case, Vice-President Mike Pence — “pardons” him. (For those terrified at the prospect of a “President Pence,” remember that Gerald Ford was brutally punished for pardoning Nixon in the presidential election that followed, when he lost to Jimmy Carter.)

4. Brexit reversed in second vote

Anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray poses outside the Houses of Parliament.
Anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray poses outside the Houses of Parliament.  (OLI SCARFF)

In 2016, the U.K. voted narrowly to withdraw from the European Union in a highly controversial referendum. The campaign to “Leave” the EU made false promises to further the cause. More recently, the proposed exit deal worked out by Prime Minister Theresa May in December with the EU also proved to be unpopular. As a last resort, the U.K. Parliament decides to organize a second referendum — asking voters to choose either May’s draft agreement or the status quo of Britain still inside the EU. The “Remain” side this time wins a clear victory.

5. North Korea goes nuclear

It was only six months ago that Donald Trump met North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in Singapore and announced there was “no longer a Nuclear threat” from Kim’s regime. What has happened since? Not much, except that North Korea has continued to expand its nuclear program in spite of Trump’s empty assurances. Events in 2019 will only confirm what most observers suspected in Singapore: in their “historic” negotiation, Kim took Trump to the cleaners. North Korea will keep increasing its nuclear threat.

6. China, America in a new cold war

The rivalry between the U.S. and an emerging China may be this century’s most important dynamic, and events in the months ahead will show why. The U.S. government no longer sees China as a “strategic partner” as previous governments have, but as a major “adversary” that needs to be confronted. Donald Trump’s complaint during the presidential campaign that China has been “raping” America is becoming a dangerous motivator of U.S. policy toward the Asian superpower. This is evident not only in America’s provocative trade war with China, but also its determination to hit back aggressively on all fronts.

7. Global economy nosedives

It was 10 years ago that the world was plunged into its worst crisis since the Great Depression. Banks collapsed, housing prices fell, unemployment spiked and millions of people in North America and Europe lost their homes. Few analysts are predicting that the history is about to repeat itself — although the 2008 recession caught most people by surprise — but there is worry that a deep recession will take hold in late 2019 or during 2020. The outlook is that a decade-long burst of global economic growth, including in the U.S., is coming to an end.

8. Europe’s far right advances

The next ideological battleground in Europe will be in May with the election for the European Parliament. Europe’s anti-immigrant, pro-nationalist far-right parties are positioned to make significant gains as more moderate parties have floundered in recent national elections. Steve Bannon, an architect of Trump’s victory in the U.S., is launching a Europe-wide “project” to bolster the extremist vote. The right-wing parties in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and even Sweden will make breakthroughs in the European Parliament. and their strength will weaken the European Union as a whole.

9. U.S. abortion rights overturned

With the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh, the U.S. Supreme Court became the most conservative in generations, and its impact will be enormous. That ultimately may be Trump’s most lasting legacy. Kavanaugh replaced Anthony Kennedy as the perpetual “swing vote” and the court’s conservative majority will have several key issues in front of it in 2019. One will be the historic Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973 that declared abortion a constitutional right. There is an expectation that Kavanaugh’s swing vote will overturn it.

10. Emergence of a pariah state

Amid international concern about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, some 200 protesters gathered in central Tunis in November to protest the Saudi crown prince's arrival for talks with the Tunisian president.
Amid international concern about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, some 200 protesters gathered in central Tunis in November to protest the Saudi crown prince’s arrival for talks with the Tunisian president.  (Hassene Dridi)

Saudi Arabia’s killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is changing everything in the Middle East. A year ago, the U.S. government had high hopes for the region with a plan drawn up by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. It counted on Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to lead an anti-Iran, pro-Israel coalition that would reshape the region in a radical way. But all of that is in shambles as efforts to whitewash Prince Mohammed’s responsibility for Khashoggi’s murder collapse.

My track record

In the past two years, I have made 20 predictions for 2017 and 2018. Using my own self-serving process of scoring, I gave myself a passing grade on 15 of those 20 predictions.

In 2017, I was right on an eye-popping nine out of 10 predictions, but, sadly, this was not to last. Did a Trump-like hubris infect my bloodstream? For this current year, I was correct, more or less, on only six out of 10 predictions, covering the U.S., China, Iran and the Middle East.

And I was certainly wrong — or premature — in forecasting the “collapse” of the British government this year over the Brexit issue.

But maybe a half-point is given for being ahead of the curve? (No, I didn’t think so.)

Happy new year.

Tony Burman, formerly head of CBC News and Al Jazeera English, is a freelance contributor for the Star. He is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyBurman

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Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

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Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline. 

Starburst Visuals and Symbols

The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors. 

Starburst XXXTreme Features

Players get to alternate on three features which are Starburst Wilds, XXXtreme Spins, and Random Wilds. The first appears on reels 2,3, or 4. When these land, they expand to cover all positions while also calculating the wins. They are also locked for a respin. If a new one hits, it also becomes locked while awarding another respin. Starburst XXXtreme offers a choice between two scenarios for a higher stake. In one scenario with a ten times stake, the Starburst Wild is set on random on reels 2,3, or 4, and a multiplier starts the respin. The second scenario, which has a 95 times stake, starts with two guaranteed starburst wilds on reels 2,3, or 4. it also plays out using respin game sequence and features. The game also increases the potential with the Random Wilds feature to add Starburst Wilds to a vacant reel at the end of a spin. Every Starburst Wild gives a random multiplier with potential wins of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, or even x150.

The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity. 

What We Think About The Game

The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement. 

That is characterized by the potential win cap of 200,000 times the bet. Starburst XXXtreme does not just give betting alternatives for players that want to go big. The increase of multipliers also provides a great experience. If the respins in the previous version were great, knowing that multipliers can go hundreds of times overtakes the game to a new level. 

Players should get excited about this offering. All of the features can be triggered within a single spin. Whether one plays the standard game or takes the XXXtreme spin route, it is possible to activate all of the features. Of course, the potential 200,000 times potential is a huge carrot. However, the bet size is probably going to be restricted and vary depending on the casino. It is also worth pointing out that a malfunction during the gameplay will void all of the payouts and progress. Overall, the game itself has been designed to provide a capped win of 200,000 times the original bet. 

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Anglais

‘We’re back’: Montreal festival promoters happy to return but looking to next year

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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.

In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.

Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.

With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.

Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”

“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.

The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.

When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”

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MELS new major movie studio to be built in Montreal

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MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.

MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.

The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.

The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.

Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.

STUDIO SHORTAGE

The film industry is cramped in Montreal.

According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.

With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.

Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »

« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.

She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.

« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.

There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.

« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.

Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.

For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.

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