The first comprehensive guide for Sri Lankan exporters to the European Union (EU) under the GSP+ scheme has been released.

By KARIN LAUB and ILAN BEN ZION

The Associated Press
JERUSALEM  — Large crowds of worshippers across the Muslim world staged anti-U.S. marches Friday, some stomping on posters of Donald Trump or burning American flags in the largest outpouring of anger yet at the U.S. president’s recognition of bitterly contested Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

In the holy city itself, prayers at Islam’s third-holiest site dispersed largely without incident, but Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops in several dozen West Bank hotspots and on the border with the Gaza Strip.

Israeli warplanes struck Hamas military targets in the Gaza Strip Friday in response to a rocket fired from the zone that Israel’s military said was intercepted by its Iron Dome missile-defense system.

The Palestinian health ministry said at least 15 people were injured in Friday’s air strikes.

Earlier, a 30-year-old Gaza man was killed by Israeli gunfire, the first death of a protester since Trump’s dramatic midweek announcement. Two Palestinians were seriously wounded, health officials said.

Dozens of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza were hit by live rounds or rubber-coated steel or inhaled tear gas, the officials said.

Trump’s pivot on Jerusalem triggered warnings from America’s friends and foes alike that he is needlessly stirring more conflict in an already volatile region.

The religious and political dispute over Jerusalem forms the emotional core of the Israeli-Arab conflict. The ancient city is home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian shrines and looms large in the competing national narratives of Israelis and Palestinians.

Trump’s decision on Jerusalem is widely seen in the region as a blatant expression of pro-Israel bias, but it was unclear if protests and confrontations would maintain momentum after Friday. More extensive violence has erupted in the Palestinian areas in the past, including deadly bloodshed triggered by disputes over Jerusalem.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement and other groups had called for three “days of rage” this week. However, Abbas remains an opponent of violence, saying it’s counterproductive and that he might at some point order his security forces to contain protests.

Separately, Fatah’s rival, the Gaza-based Islamic militant Hamas, called this week for a third uprising against Israel, but such appeals have fizzled as Palestinians become more disillusioned with their leaders.

On Friday, demonstrators in the West Bank torched heaps of tires, sending columns of thick black smoke rising over the cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem. Palestinian stone-throwers traded volleys in the streets with soldiers firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Along the Gaza-Israel border fence, Israeli troops fired at stone-throwers.

Across the region — from Asia’s Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan to North Africa’s Algeria and Lebanon in the Levant — thousands of worshippers poured into the streets after midday prayers to voice their anger. Some protesters burned U.S. and Israeli flags or stomped Trump posters that showed the president alongside a Nazi swastika.

In Jordan’s capital of Amman, thousands marched through the center of town, chanting “America is the head of the snake.”

Pro-Western Jordan is a crucial U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic extremists, but King Abdullah II cannot afford to be seen as soft on Jerusalem. His Hashemite dynasty derives its legitimacy from its role as guardian of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Islam’s third-holiest site.

Trump’s decision has also strained U.S. foreign relations.

U.N. Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov told an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council on Friday that Trump’s announcement created a “serious risk” of a chain of unilateral actions that would push the goal of peace further away.

Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour warned of the danger of “a never-ending religious war that will only be exploited by extremists, fueling more radicalism, violence and strife in the region and elsewhere.”

Even traditional U.S. allies sharply criticized Trump’s decision.

Sweden’s U.N. Ambassador Olof Skoog said the U.S. action “contradicts international law and Security Council resolutions.” Britain’s Ambassador Matthew Rycroft called the U.S. decision “unhelpful to peace,” the French envoy expressed regret and Italy’s Sebastiano Cardi warned of “the risk of unrest and tensions in the region.”

The U.S. ambassador, Nikki Haley, told the council that the Trump administration is more committed to peace “than we’ve ever been before — and we believe we might be closer to that goal than ever before.” Haley did not explain.

In Europe, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday played down the impact of Trump’s policy shift, which also included a pledge to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Tillerson said it will likely take years for the U.S. to open an embassy in Jerusalem.

In a news conference with the French foreign minister, Tillerson said Trump’s recognition of the city as Israel’s capital “did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem.”

The United States is making clear that Jerusalem’s borders will be left to Israelis and Palestinians to “negotiate and decide,” he said.

Most countries around the world have not recognized Israel’s 1967 annexation of east Jerusalem and maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv. Under a longstanding international consensus, the fate of the city is to be determined in negotiations.

Trump’s announcement delivered a blow to Abbas, a supporter of the idea of reaching Palestinian statehood through U.S.-led negotiations with Israel. In siding with Israel on Jerusalem, he has said, the Trump administration effectively disqualified itself as a mediator.

However, Abbas has not decided how to move forward, including whether he will rule out future U.S.-brokered negotiations. Trump has said he still intends to propose a Mideast peace deal.

More than two decades of intermittent Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have failed to bring the Palestinians closer to statehood. Some in Abbas’ inner circle say the old paradigm, with the U.S. serving as mediator, is no longer relevant.

On Thursday, a senior Fatah official said the Palestinians would not receive Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the West Bank later this month, but it was not immediately clear if the official spoke for Abbas.

The Arab League, an umbrella group of close to two dozen states, is to meet Saturday to try to forge a joint position, followed next week by a gathering in Turkey of the 57-state Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Turkish officials said Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Turkey next week for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Jerusalem’s status and other issues.

___

Laub reported from Jericho, West Bank. Associated Press writers Fares Akram in Gaza City, Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, Alice Su in Amman, Jordan, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations also contributed to this report.

Expect to see Vicki Gunvalson, known for her recurring role in the Bravo reality television series “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” assume the starring role as the opening-night grand marshal at the beloved community event, Newport Beach Boat Parade.

Festivities kick off on Wednesday, Dec. 13, beginning with a special firework display at 6:15 p.m. from Balboa Pier. The parade will begin at approximately 6:30 p.m. each evening through Dec. 17 and end at 9 p.m. at the tip of Lido Isle, which is a new starting point for the parade this year.

Hosted by The Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, the boat parade is seen by an estimated 1 million people annually and has become one of the longest-running holiday traditions in the country, celebrating 109 years.

Locals and visitors alike can enjoy the spectacle from a variety of public viewing locations, including numerous waterfront restaurants and the new 10.5-acre Marina Park on Newport Peninsula.

The park is geared for families to watch the parade, especially on opening night with festivities that include an appearance by the Charger Girls (5-6 p.m.), a Los Angeles Charger football toss area, photo opportunities with Rudolf and Frosty, a performance by MONTAGE!, caricature artists, face painters and a variety of food vendors. The parade should pass Marina Park just after 6:45 p.m. each evening. On opening and closing nights, spectators will have an ample view of the fireworks from the park.

Apart from opening night, the grand marshal lineup also features:

*Thursday, Dec. 14, Newport Beach will celebrate hometown heroes including the elected Fireperson of the Year, Seasonal Lifeguard of the Year, Lifeguard Supervisor of the Year and Police Officer of the Year.

*Friday, Dec. 15 will welcome Orange County School of the Arts vocal and dance troupe MONTAGE!

*Saturday, Dec. 16, the Los Angeles Charger Cheerleaders Charger Girls will return with their high-energy entertainment.

* Sunday, Dec. 17 the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band and song girls will conclude the festival, and will be accompanied by a fireworks show finale at 9 p.m.

For more information about the 109th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade or to enter your boat, go to http://www.christmasboatparade.com.

Due to smoke from the Creek and Skirball fires, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has extended its smoke advisory for the San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles County coastal areas.

Both direct smoke and unhealthy air in general is impacting all people in those areas, said Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, LA County’s interim health officer.

People in the affected areas, or any area where there is visible smoke or the odor of smoke, should aim to limit physical activity — both indoors and out — and avoid being outdoors as much as possible.

The danger posed by smoke and ash is heightened for the elderly, and those with asthma and other respiratory and heart conditions, Gunzenhauser said.

“We ask all individuals to be aware of their immediate environment and to take actions to safeguard their health,” he said.

The worst areas are in the San Fernando Valley, especially Lake View Terrace and Sylmar, as well as Malibu and Santa Monica, Gunzenhauser said in a news release.

LA County is asking schools and sports programs in the areas affected by fire to halt outdoor sports and other physical activity until the air quality improves.

Indoor activities are OK only if the space is air-conditioned in such a way that air is not drawn in from outside and windows remain closed.

The use of HEPA filters can also reduce the risk, the county said.

Residents in the affected areas are also encouraged to avoid leaving their pets outside until the air quality improves.

It was a two-for-one deal — in some cases three-for-one — as members of the Saddleback Mothers of Multiples Club dropped by South Coast Plaza on Friday, Dec. 8 for photos with Santa.

In all, 45 families brought their kids down for the holiday tradition.

Saddleback Mothers of Multiples, a nonprofit group founded in 1970, is part of the national Multiples of America organization, with more than 200 active members from throughout Orange County. The club offers support, education and playtime programs for families of multiples.

“Everyone loves their kids, but we’re just so proud of having multiples,” said Danielle Foster, president of the Saddleback club and the mom of 3-year-old twins — a boy and a girl. “I think most of the kids did good. It’s a really good Santa. He’s just such an experienced Santa — he doesn’t just keep a straight face and keep smiling, he goes with the flow.”

The club meets the third Wednesday of every month at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods.

“There’s all kinds of things that we do to support people,” Foster said. “We have a preemie club because it’s really hard to find teeny-tiny clothes. We have breast-feeding support, a birth year group.”

For information, go to smomc.org or visit the Saddleback Mothers of Multiples Club Facebook page.

Health permits are suspended for major violations. Restaurants must remain closed until inspectors determine problems have been fixed.

• Calico Cake Shop, 7321 Orangethorpe Ave., Buena Park; rodent infestation; closed Dec. 7, reopened Dec. 7.
• Rancho Las Lomas, 19191 Lawrence Canyon, Silverado; failure to comply with notice of violation (insufficient hot water); closed Dec. 7, reopened Dec. 7.
• Rockin Crawfish, 9777 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove; insufficient hot water; closed Dec. 7, reopened Dec. 8.
• Sur La Table at Irvine Spectrum Center, 701 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine; insufficient hot water/plumbing in disrepair, permit downgraded to prepackaged foods only; closed Dec. 6.
• Mayur, 2931 E. Coast Highway, Newport Beach; cockroach infestation; closed Dec. 5, reopened Dec. 7.
• Moctezuma Restaurant, 809 N. Fairview St., Santa Ana; rodent infestation; closed Dec. 5, reopened Dec. 5.
• Blackboard Bistro, 1198 Pacific Coast Highway, Seal Beach; cockroach infestation; closed Dec. 5, reopened Dec. 6.
• Domino’s, 1913 N. Placentia Ave., Placentia; employee restrooms nonfunctioning; closed Dec. 5, reopened Dec. 5.
• Gomen, 7147 Katella Ave., Stanton; rodent infestation; closed Dec. 4, reopened Dec. 5.
• Santa Buffet & Grill, 2321 S. Bristol St., Santa Ana; sewage overflow; closed Dec. 4, reopened Dec. 5.
• Cafeteria at Mercury Insurance Group, 1700 Greenbriar Lane, Brea; cockroach infestation; closed Dec. 4.
• Romano’s Macaroni Grill, 7901 Edinger Blvd., Huntington Beach; cockroach infestation; closed Dec. 4, reopened Dec. 5.
• Smashburger, 1003 Shops At Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo; plumbing in disrepair; closed Dec. 4, reopened Dec. 7.
• Pho Banh Mi Che Cali Bakery & Restaurant, 1000 S. Harbor Blvd., Fullerton; cockroach infestation; closed Dec. 1, reopened Dec. 2.

This list is published online every Friday with closures from the previous seven days and is not usually updated. See the OC Health Care Agency’s database for an updated list of closures and reopenings.

HONG KONG — “Let me say, I think I’m a good dressmaker, but I’m not a very good talker,” said Yohji Yamomoto.
The Japanese designer was in Hong Kong at the Design for Asia gala dinner Friday night to accept a lifetime achievement award. Dressed in all black, he tipped his signature hat onstage as he collected the accolade, given to a figure who has demonstrated “visionary shaping designs across a variety of fields, and who uses design to educate and promote wider use of design in society.”
Although the 74-year-old designer has been a celebrated figure for many years — best known for his dark and avant-garde tailoring — he shared that the night held extra special meaning for him.
“In my long career, in design, architecture, [I’ve been to] so many parties, this is the very first time that I have such a warm feeling, I really appreciate this. Please let me become your family,” he said.
In 2011, Yamamoto received the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, the highest honor in arts and culture in France, where he has shown his collections since 1981.
The night also honored hotelier Adrian Zecha, the founder of the Aman resorts and a new affordable luxury hotel

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FESTIVE SPIRIT: It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas as guests flowed into Yannick Alléno’s three-star restaurant, the Pavillon Ledoyen, on Thursday night Numéro editor in chief Babeth Djian’s annual dinner for Rwandan children, with proceeds going to Les Amis des Enfants du Monde (Friends of the Children of the World).
Designers including Olivier Rousteing, Alber Elbaz, Alexandre Vauthier, Jean Paul Gaultier and Christan Louboutin — who took Djian for a spin on the dance floor — got into the festive spirit.
Sparkle and black was the dress code with outfits ranging from Karidja Touré’s peak-shouldered silver and black jacket by Mugler to the matching, jewelry-loaded, black and gold Saint Laurent ensembles sported by rising rock star brother-sister duo Natalie and Elliot Bergman of Wild Belle who had been flown in by the house for the event. “I love bells,” deadpanned Elliot Bergman, whipping out his phone to share a photo of a set of bronze bells he has on display in a Paris gallery. The group is recording their third album, “a back-to-roots affair,” between Chicago and Los Angeles.
Dressed in a sheer gold leaf-embroidered black gown layered over a T-shirt by Louis Vuitton, French actress Ana Girardot, who has

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GROUP EFFORT: British designer Patrick Grant is lending a hand to emerging London talents with a pop-up shop called Basement at his E. Tautz flagship on Duke Street.
He tapped Topman’s creative director Gordon Richardson to curate the offer, which includes selections of labels including Lou Dalton, Mathew Miller, Alex Mullins and Louise Gray, who has done clothing and artwork for the space.
Grant said he wanted to set aside a dedicated space for his fellow designer friends who don’t have bricks-and-mortar stores of their own and added that he’s happy to welcome other brands.
“All the designers in here, I know personally very well. As designers we’ve all grown up together. We’ve shown together, we’ve done showrooms together. We have all grown up through the BFC’s [British Fashion Council’s] pipeline of New Gen. We’ve taken the last train home from Paris — we have all got drunk together. We are all really good-pals, so it made sense that we might sell together. And its great to have the support of Gordon, who has been mentor and friend to all of us.”
Prices range from 20 pounds for a Community Clothing T-shirt to 1,000 pounds for a Matthew Miller leather jacket. Both Gray and

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The 12-day island-hopping package will whisk guests across four islands for the ultimate taste of Hawaii.