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Murray confident that Sharapova will play at Wimbledon | Maria Sharapova is still waiting to hear if she can play at the French Open later this month but men's world number one Andy Murray expects her to be at Wimbledon in July.
Sharapova returned last month from a doping ban to reach the semi-finals at the Stuttgart Open, but did not earn enough points to qualify for Roland Garros and is reliant on a wildcard for the qualifying tournament.
The French Tennis Federation will announce their decision on May 16.
Murray, however, said he expected the five-times grand slam champion would be on the grasscourts of south-west London.
"I think there's a good chance Wimbledon would give her one (a wild card) to get into qualifying," Murray told reporters at an event for June's Aegon Championships tournament at the Queen's Club in London.
"I think we've got to wait and see what happens because there might not even be a decision to be made because she might be in the main draw after Madrid or Rome, so there's a good chance she can get in by right."
The Russian can qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon by reaching the semi-final of either the Madrid or Rome tournaments.
The rankings deadline for Wimbledon qualification is May 29.
Murray, who sustained an injury in March, returned to action at the Barcelona Open last month and said he was feeling good as he looked ahead to Roland Garros.
"I feel much better than I did three or four weeks ago," he added.
"I feel like physically I am getting back to where I need to be and I feel like I am able to put in the work I need to, to be able to play my best tennis."
(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru) |
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BRIEF-Imperial Brands Disposes Range Of Other Tobacco Products In USA | March 20 (Reuters) - Imperial Brands Plc:
* SALE OF OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS IN USA
* DISPOSAL OF A RANGE OF OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS INCLUDING ROLL YOUR OWN BRANDS, TUBES, TIPS, CIGARETTE PAPERS AND OTHER ACCESSORIES IN USA Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: |
UPDATE 1-Kakao to hold shareholder vote on move to S.Korea's main stock board | * Firm says shareholders requested move to Kospi
* Kakao second-largest on Kosdaq by market cap (Adds Kakao comments, context)
SEOUL May 2 South Korean messaging app operator Kakao Corp said on Tuesday it will hold an extraordinary shareholder meeting on June 14 to vote on moving its shares to the country's main stock board.
A Kakao spokesman told Reuters the firm called for the vote to reflect requests from some shareholders about making the switch. The firm in April said it was considering such a move.
The company, which operates South Korea's dominant messaging app KakaoTalk, is the second-most valuable firm listed on Kosdaq with a market capitalisation of 6.3 trillion won ($5.58 billion). Should it move to the main Kospi, it would be the 43rd most valuable there based on Tuesday's closing price.
The Kakao spokesman declined to comment further on the rationale of the move but analysts said the firm could command a better valuation on the Kospi and attract more foreign and institutional investors.
"Kakao will likely be included in the Kospi 200 index once it migrates, so that will boost demand for the stock," said Baro Investment analyst Lee Kyung-il.
($1 = 1,128.8500 won) (Reporting by Se Young Lee; Editing by Randy Fabi and Christopher Cushing) |
Nuclear plan backer denies Inauguration Day text with top Trump aide | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A company promoting a plan for the United States and Russia to jointly build nuclear reactors in the Middle East denied in a letter made public on Monday that its director received an Inauguration Day text message from incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn saying the project was “good to go.”
FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn departs after a plea hearing at U.S. District Court, in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Citing a confidential informant, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives’ Oversight and Government Reform Committee last week said Flynn and Alex Copson, managing director of ACU Strategic Partners, communicated during President Donald Trump’s inaugural address about the project, which would have required lifting U.S. sanctions on Moscow.
Thomas Cochran, a business partner of Copson, wrote in a letter to the lawmaker, Representative Elijah Cummings, that the informant’s allegations are “patently false and unfounded.”
Reuters was unable to identify the confidential informant or independently confirm the informant’s information that was provided by Cummings.
Copson has not responded to numerous requests for comment in recent months.
Cochran attached to the letter records for Copson’s cell phone which, he said, show that he exchanged three text messages on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, none of them with Flynn.
“Since Mr. Copson did not receive a text message from General Flynn during the Inauguration, other allegations of the ‘whistleblower’ are equally false and unfounded,” wrote Cochran, who is ACU Strategic Partners’ senior scientist. Flynn is a retired Army general.
Reuters and other news organizations have reported that Flynn continued to promote a version of the nuclear project after he began work at the White House.
As part of his investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, special counsel Robert Mueller is looking at whether Flynn or other Trump aides tried to influence U.S. policy to improve relations with Russia.
Proponents of the reactors project argued it would provide nuclear energy in the Middle East without the threat of weapons proliferation, improve U.S.-Russia relations and revive the U.S. nuclear industry.
Flynn served just 24 days as Trump’s national security adviser before being fired for misleading Vice President Michael Pence about whether he discussed U.S. sanctions with Russia’s ambassador to Washington.
He pleaded guilty on Dec. 1 to lying to the FBI about his Russia contacts.
Reuters reported that day that documents it had reviewed showed that ACU Strategic Partners bragged after Trump’s Nov. 8, 2016, election that it had Flynn’s backing.
Cummings wrote back to Copson on Monday, requesting that he participate in a transcribed interview “so that our staff attorneys could ask you questions about your relationship and communications with General Flynn.”
“It remains unclear why your colleague sent this letter rather than you,” he wrote.
Cummings’ office released Cochran’s letter but not the attached phone records. |
La Liga Summaries | Awkward moment Married At First Sight's John's first bride says she was 'after someone from the Polynesian islands' at their wedding is revisited in trailer as he returns to try again |
Ashley James flaunts her svelte figure in a sheer dress | She had a blink and you'll miss it stint on Made In Chelsea in 2012.
But Ashley James made sure to stay in the spotlight as she attended the Tinie Tempah show at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire in London on Tuesday night.
The radio host, 29, showcased her incredibly svelte figure in a daringly sheer dress which she gave an off-beat twist thanks to some heavy-duty Doc Martens.
Scroll down for video
Dare to bare: Ashley James made sure to stay in the spotlight as she attended the Tinie Tempah show at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire in London on Tuesday night
The blonde beauty seemed a fan of the underwear as outerwear trend as she covered her modesty in a black bondage bra and high-waisted pants.
Adding a dose of femininity to the look, Ashley's dress featured a delicate floral embroidery that snaked down one side.
She wore her golden tresses in a dramatic side-parting, weaving a pretty French plait into one half.
Sheer beauty: The blonde beauty seemed a fan of the underwear as outerwear trend as she covered her modesty in a black bondage bra and high-waisted pants
Budding beauty: Adding a dose of femininity to the look, Ashley's dress featured a delicate floral embroidery that snaked down one side
Mane attraction: She wore her golden tresses in a dramatic side-parting, weaving a pretty French plait into one half
Glam: The blogger framed her blue eyes with a smokey bronze shadow and plumped her pout with an understated nude lipstick
The blogger framed her blue eyes with a smokey bronze shadow and plumped her pout with an understated nude lipstick.
Ashley was joined by a host of celebrities at the gig as part of War Child BRITs Week, together with O2, to support children affected by war.
She soared to fame on the E4 show in 2012 before departing just a year later.
Out of this world: Made In Chelsea star Rosie Fortescue wore a star-print wrap dress
Legs for days: The reality star highlighted her lean limbs with thigh-high suede boots
She then went on to forge a successful career in lifestyle and fashion blogging.
Meanwhile, Ashley recently revealed she was going to 'hold back' more with other people after admitting she was left 'feeling disappointed' by some.
'I’m naturally a very caring person, and I trust and love people pretty much the moment I meet them,' she wrote on her blog. 'Be this friends or men.
Simply stylish: Singer Ella Eyre wore a black oversized T-shirt dress with fishnet tights
Double trouble: Ella was joined by actress Jorgie Porter, who rocked a denim jacket
Flashing the flesh: Presenter Charlotte de Carle wore a sheer top with leather trousers
'I always think of things I can do, people I can put them in touch with etc, and sometimes I am left feeling disappointed that people don’t give me the same level of effort.
'Sometimes I even end up falling out with people because I feel taken advantage of.
'Therefore, this year, I’m going to hold back a little and I know that as a result I will feel happier, which in turn will make me a nicer person to others anyway.'
Here they come: Former Pussycat DollKimberly Wyatt wore a red wrap skirt, while ex-Hollyoaks star Carley Stenson kept it casual with a grey embellished top and leggings
Cute couple: Former MIC star Proudlock cosied up to his model girlfriend Emma Connolly
Looking dapper: Strictly Come Dancing star Danny Mac wore a flamingo print shirt teamed with a suede bomber jacket
Energetic: Tinie Tempah got the crowds going during his concert on Tuesday night |
Froome calls on skeptical fans to let him ride Tour in... | SAINT-MARS-LA-REORTHE, France (AP) - Chris Froome has asked Tour de France fans to let him race in peace, even if they doubt the recent ruling that cleared him of doping allegations.
The British cyclist has been targeted by spectators in the past. During the 2015 Tour, he said a man threw a cup of urine at him while yelling "doper".
With the latest edition beginning on Saturday, five days after the International Cycling Union finally ruled Froome had won last year's Spanish Vuelta cleanly, the four-time Tour winner offered an alternative way for skeptical fans to show their distrust.
Four-time Tour de France cycling race winner Chris Froome of Britain answers questions during a TV interview after a press conference in Saint-Mars-la-Reorthe, Vendee region, France, Wednesday, July 4, 2018, ahead of upcoming Saturday's start of the race. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena )
"Support the race in a positive way, don't bring negativity," he said on Wednesday in western France. "In terms of safety I obviously would encourage fans of the sport to come watch the race, and if you are not necessarily a Chris Froome fan or a Sky fan, come to the race and put a jersey on of another team you do support. That would be my advice."
A cloud hung over Froome after a urine sample taken during the Vuelta in September showed a concentration of the asthma drug salbutamol that was twice the permitted level.
After months of silence, the UCI said Froome's result did not represent an adverse finding, which could have led him to be stripped of his Vuelta victory, and a suspension.
The UCI's ruling ensured he could compete at the Tour after race organizer ASO had informed Team Sky it would forbid Froome from entering until the doping case was decided.
His use of asthma medication has been well documented and he often uses inhalers during races. World Anti-Doping Agency rules state an athlete can be cleared for excessive salbutamol use if he proves it was due to an appropriate therapeutic dosage.
Froome said he understands it may take time for fans to believe he is not a cheat.
"But that data is available, and I would like to think that as people understand that more, they will understand my decision to keep on racing knowing I have certainly done nothing wrong," Froome said. "Of course it has been damaging. As it is right now I'm just happy to draw a line in the sand and move on and focus on bike racing."
UCI president David Lappartient has also issued a call for calm.
"(Froome) has the right to operate in a safe environment. I have heard calls, sometimes completely irrational, to violence on the Tour de France," Lappartient said. "I cannot accept that and I call on all spectators to protect all the athletes and to respect the judicial decision so that Chris Froome can compete in a safe and serene environment."
Teammate Geraint Thomas said Froome has shown poise even when fans are at their worst.
"I've always been impressed by the way he is off the bike," Thomas said. "But the last nine months have been the most impressive, really, how he was able to still perform and train and commit to all that while everything else was going on."
Thomas, however, said possible run-ins with the public are part of riding down roads lined by people, most of who are there to cheer on the athletes.
"It's not like football - it's not in just a closed stadium when you can check everyone," he said. "So there is that element of risk so to speak."
Froome is aiming to join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as the only riders to win the Tour five times.
___
More Tour de France coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/TourdeFrance
___
AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed to this report.
French police keep watch as four-time Tour de France cycling race winner Chris Froome of Britain, center rear, answers questions during a TV interview after a press conference in Saint-Mars-la-Reorthe, Vendee region, France, Wednesday, July 4, 2018, ahead of upcoming Saturday's start of the race. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena ) |
Asia wagers global cheer will outlive Fed tightening | SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian shares were trying to string together a fourth session of gains on Tuesday as optimism about global growth looked set to outlast an almost certain hike in U.S. borrowing costs this week.
A pedestrian stands to look at an electronic board showing the stock market indices of various countries outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan, February 26, 2016. REUTERS/Yuya Shino
The latest upbeat news came from China where banks doled out a surprisingly generous dose of credit in November, which could bode well for a pick up in retail sales and industrial output due later in the week.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS inched up 0.06 percent, having rallied for three days in a row.
Australian stocks added 0.2 percent and Nikkei futures NKc1 pointed to a steady start after the index scored its highest close in 25 years on Monday.
Wall Street had been led higher by technology and energy stocks, with Apple Inc (AAPL.O) making the biggest contribution. The Dow .DJI rose 0.23 percent, while the S&P 500 .SPX added 0.32 percent and the Nasdaq .IXIC 0.51 percent.
There was no lasting market impact from an explosion in New York’s busy Port Authority commuter hub which New York Mayor Bill de Blasio described as an “attempted terrorist attack.”
Investors continued their policy vigil with the Federal Reserve set to end its two-day meeting on Wednesday, while the European Central Bank meets on Thursday.
JPMorgan Economist David Hensley suspects the Fed will revise up its growth forecast while trimming the outlook for the unemployment rate, potentially adding upside risk to the “dot plot” forecasts on interest rates.
“The dot plot previously called for three hikes in 2018; it is a close call whether this moves to four hikes,” he warned, a shift that would likely boost the dollar but could bludgeon bonds.
“For its part, the European Central Bank (ECB)is likely to emphasize its low-for-long stance and continue to distance itself from the Fed,” he added. “The staff is likely to revise up its 2018 growth forecast, while we think the core inflation forecast will reveal an even slower recovery than before.”
RATES NOT EVERYTHING
The divergence in Fed and ECB policy was supposed to be bullish for the dollar, given it had widened the premium offered by U.S. two-year yields US2YT=RR over German yields DE2YT=RR to 256 basis points from 188 basis points this time last year.
The last time the spread was that plump was in 1999.
Yet the euro is currently up 12 percent on the dollar this year, while the dollar is down 8 percent on a basket of currencies .DXY - which just goes to prove that interest rate differentials aren’t everything in forex.
Early on Tuesday the euro was steady at $1.1775 EUR= having failed to clear resistance around $1.1812 overnight. The dollar was idling at 113.54 yen JPY=, just off a one-month top of 113.69.
Dealers at Citi noted interbank volumes in the forex market had been 35 percent below average overnight and another thin session was likely on Tuesday.
There was rather more action in bitcoin, which touched a record peak of $17,270 on the Bitstamp exchange BTC=BTSP as its newly minted futures contract <0#XBT:> stretched as far as $18,850.
In commodity markets, gold remained out of favor at $1,242.78 an ounce XAU= having suffered its biggest weekly drop since May last week.
Oil prices were firm on news of a temporary shutdown of a pipeline that carries the biggest volume of the five North Sea crude oil streams.
Brent crude futures LCOc1 stood at $64.75 a barrel, after jumping $1.35 on Monday. U.S. crude futures CLc1 were off 2 cents in early trade at $57.97 a barrel. |
BRIEF-Liaoning Wellhope Agri-Tech invests in Indonesia firm | UPDATE 3-Nestle takes food price rises in its stride
ZURICH, Aug 9 Nestle expects pressure from the rising price of ingredients for its products such as chocolate bars, coffee and soup to ease, helping it meet its target for increasing sales despite tough markets. |
Alexander Hamilton comes to Wichita, for a day and a night | If you are not headed to New York for the Broadway play "Hamilton" anytime soon, this may be your next best bet in learning more about Alexander Hamilton. The Museum of World Treasures in Old Town is presenting two events this week focusing on Hamilton as a statesman and founding father of the United States.
Start the conversation, or Read more at The Wichita Eagle. |
Unpopular Jeremy Corbyn stays away from Copeland | Jeremy Corbyn, pictured, is not expected to visit the Copeland by-election campaign again after fears he is putting off voters backing the Labour candidate
Jeremy Corbyn is not expected to visit the Copeland by-election campaign again after fears he is putting off voters backing the Labour candidate.
Polls suggest the Tories are set to win the previously safe Labour seat for the first time since 1924.
But instead of sending the leader to woo voters, Mr Corbyn's unpopularity means Labour campaigners in the Cumbria seat want him to stay away.
In stark contrast, Theresa May will visit Copeland today as the Tories become increasingly confident of winning the seat in what would become the first governing party to win a by-election since the early 1980s.
Mr Corbyn has already been barred from visiting the other by-election campaign in Stoke, according to insiders, who say the veteran left-wing socialist is 'not a plus on the doorstep'.
Aides have confirmed the Labour leader will not visit Copeland again ahead of the February 23 by-election.
Last week a YouGov survey revealed Mr Corbyn had negative approval ratings among all demographics - including among Labour's traditional working class base, northern voters, women and young people.
There are also tensions between local Labour campaigners in the seat and Mr Corbyn over his anti-nuclear views. Around 20,000 jobs rely on the Sellafield nuclear plant in the constituency.
Tories said his absence from the seat proved Mr Corbyn had 'given up' on Copeland.
The Labour leadership is bracing itself for disaster next week as they face the humiliating prospect of losing both the Copeland and Stoke by-elections.
In the Stoke-on-Trent constituency - which Labour has held since the 1950s - Ukip leader Paul Nuttall is neck-and-neck with Labour candidate Gareth Snell, who was embroiled in a sexism row this week after offensive Twitter posts were unearthed from his past.
Jeremy Corbyn has lost support of men, women, Labour voters, every age group, region and social class, a new poll has revealed
In stark contrast to Mr Corbyn, Theresa May, pictured, is visiting the Copeland constituency today as Tories become increasingly hopeful of scoring the first victory by a governing party since the early 1980s
But Mr Nuttall also faced humiliation after he was forced into making the humiliating confession on live radio yesterday that he had not lost 'close personal friends' at the disaster after appearing to be surprised at the words published under his own name on his official website.
In Copeland three in ten Labour voters from 2015 have deserted the party, which only held the seat two years ago by 2,500 seats.
Losing both seats could spell the end for Mr Corbyn, who was last week forced to make the fourth reshuffle of his 18-month leadership after four shadow cabinet ministers quit in protest at his support for Brexit.
Yesterday a UK-wide poll put Labour in third place among working class voters for the first time.
A YouGov survey suggested the party has the support of just 20 per cent of working-class voters – behind the Tories, on 39 per cent, and Ukip on 23 per cent.
Another dire poll showed Labour was set for a complete wipe-out in May's local elections in Scotland.
Just 14 per cent of Scots say they will vote Labour - nearly half the number saying they will back the Tories. |
Which? Elderly Care | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
Interest rate angst trips up U.S. equity bull market | By David Randall
NEW YORK, Feb 2 (Reuters) - For nearly nine years, the global hunt for yield sent you to one place: the U.S. stock market.
On Friday, stocks took their biggest pounding since September 2016, before U.S. President Donald Trump was elected, after the U.S. government's monthly payrolls report showed the biggest wage gains for workers since 2009. That convinced investors the threat of inflation, long tame since the 2007-2009 recession, is growing larger, sending bond yields soaring.
With central banks having taken extraordinary measures to combat the financial crisis, driving interest rates to record lows and making safe assets like U.S. Treasuries a scarcity, investors of all stripes were forced to turn to equities.
But when what had been a stealth increase in U.S. rates over several months suddenly broke out into the open in the last week, investors were jolted awake to a new reality: stocks are no longer the only solution for finding yield.
"One of the key mantras of the bull market has been stocks are inexpensive relative to bonds, and bonds are getting cheaper, especially at these highs," said Michael O'Rourke, chief market strategist at JonesTrading in Greenwich, Connecticut. "So people are taking profits and they probably should be."
With the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note on pace to top 3.5 percent this year for the first time since April of 2011, risk-free bonds are becoming an increasingly attractive place for yield-focused investors.
At the current forward price-earnings ratio of 18.2, according to Thomson Reuters proprietary research, the S&P 500 index's earnings yield is 5.5 percent, well below the historic norm of around 6.7 percent. With bond yields rising across the spectrum, the 5.5 cents of profit that underpins every $1 in share prices on average begins to look thin by comparison.
"We don't have a line in the sand but 10-year Treasuries near 3 percent are starting to look a lot more attractive," said Mike Dowdall, a portfolio manager with BMO Global Asset Management.
That rise in yields prompted a broad sell-off in stocks on Friday, as investors reacted to data from the U.S. Labor Department showing wages last month recorded their largest annual gain in more than 8-1/2 years.
Equities continued a five-day downward trend, with the S&P 500 sliding more than 2 percent for its largest one-day decline since September 2016. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than 2.5 percent.
Meanwhile, a sell-off in bonds that has gathered pace this year intensified, with yields on 10-year Treasuries hitting a four-year peak.
That dynamic is putting pressure on areas of the market that had served as bond proxies. As a result, fund managers are rediscovering the risk of rising rates, selling out of assets ranging from high-yield "junk" bonds to utility stocks and pushing the broad S&P 500 lower.
Warning signs for equities have been long discussed, as the market hit almost daily fresh highs. On Friday, Merrill Lynch's bull-bear indicator, which has accurately predicted 11 out of 11 U.S. stock market corrections since 2002, hit a "sell" signal.
The rise in bond yields is "certainly beginning to concern the markets," said Nicholas Colas, co-founder at DataTrek Research in New York. "Rates have risen fairly quickly this year and the speed of the advance is worrying."
The yield on the 10-year Treasury has risen to 2.84 percent from 2.46 percent at the start of the year, the swiftest rise since November 2016.
Earlier this week, the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged but said it anticipated inflation likely would rise in 2018, bolstering expectations borrowing costs will continue to climb. The Fed currently projects three rate hikes for this year.
Stocks have so far proven largely immune to rising rates, with the S&P 500 jumping nearly 20 percent in 2017. Stocks have not fallen by 10 percent or more since the start of 2016, leaving recent declines as buying opportunities.
A stock market correction could pose a political problem for President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans ahead of congressional elections later this year. Trump has trumpeted the sharp gains in U.S. equities since he took office as proof that his economic policies were working.
SECTOR DECLINES
There already are signs investors are moving into actively managed stock funds in order to sidestep the impact of rising rates. U.S.-based active stock mutual funds, which lost $7.2 billion in outflows as investors moved toward "passive" stock exchange traded funds (ETFs), attracted $2.4 billion in new assets during the week that ended Wednesday, according to data from Lipper.
At the same time, the lowest end of the credit spectrum has been facing cash withdrawals as rising rates increase the cost of refinancing debt. In the week ended Wednesday, U.S.-based high-yield "junk" bond funds posted outflows of $1.8 billion, their third consecutive week of cash withdrawals, according to Lipper. The four-week moving average for the sector is negative $825 million, the largest such figure since early December.
Still, some have piled in even as risks rose. U.S. fund investors cashed out of cash funds and stocked up on stocks in the latest week, Lipper data showed.
Earlier in the week, positioning data showed hedge funds and other big speculative investors to have their largest net long exposure to the S&P 500 since September. Weekly commitments of traders data released Friday by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed that as of Jan. 30, so-called noncommercial investors had modestly raised their net long positions for a third straight week.
Stocks sensitive to rates are leading the market lower for the year. Real estate stocks in the S&P 500 are down 3.7 percent over the last month, while utilities are down 4.6 percent over the same time.
Consumer discretionary stocks, which tend to outperform during periods of inflation due to rising wages, are up 8 percent over the same time.
Fund managers say they expect that other growth-oriented sectors such as technology and financials will continue to outperform, thanks in part to a pickup in inflation and the Republican-led tax overhaul that slashed corporate rates.
Overall, 78.1 percent of companies in the S&P 500 have reported fourth-quarter earnings above analyst expectations, compared with an average of 72 percent over the last year, according to Thomson Reuters data.
"You're getting a pickup in economic growth and in wages, so that makes the growth sectors still the place to be," said Margaret Patel, a senior portfolio manager at Wells Fargo Funds who runs a portfolio of both equities and fixed income. "Even Treasury yields of 3 percent have never been an impediment to the stock market doing better." (Reporting by David Randall, Jennifer Ablan, Trevor Hunnicutt, Caroline Valetkevich, Megan Davies and Dan Burns; Editing by Megan Davies, Paul Simao and Chris Reese) |
Lower Farm Care Home with Nursing | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
Haudricourt: Spring results can be misleading | Haudricourt: Spring results can be misleading Brewers reliever Jacob Barnes was trying different things in exhibition play and the results often were ugly. Check out this story on greenbaypressgazette.com: https://jsonl.in/2oeC7FU CINCINNATI - It's perhaps the most repeated phrase of any and every spring training, especially among pitchers who aren't faring well in exhibition games.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Door Reminder. |
Britain´s `secret scandal´ of 2.5m children of alcoholic parents | Britain is facing a “secret scandal” over failings in the care of the country’s 2.5 million children of alcoholic parents, a group of MPs and peers have warned.
The all-parliamentary group, supported by the Archbishop of Canterbury, said their research uncovered a “shocking picture of support for children of alcoholics”, including an apparent absence of strategies to deal with the issue and a dearth of funding in many areas.
They demanded the Government to take urgent action to protect Britain’s “innocent victims of drink” as they launched a manifesto at the House of Commons.
Led by Labour MP Liam Byrne, whose father fought addiction to alcohol, the group said it was time to break the “cycle of alcoholism cascading down the generations”.
The first ever manifesto for children of alcoholics https://t.co/uZELCDrXBv — Liam Byrne (@LiamByrneMP) February 14, 2017
“We have to break the cycle of this terrible disease - and that starts by breaking the silence around Britain’s biggest secret scandal,” the manifesto states.
One in five children in the UK lives with a parent who drinks too much, equalling over 2.5 million children, according to the group.
These young victims are twice as likely to experience difficulties at school, three times more likely to consider suicide and five times more likely to develop eating disorders, the group said.
However they warned the most troubling statistics showed children of alcoholics are also four times more likely to become alcoholics themselves.
.@LiamByrneMP highlights key stats from our new 15 year Helpline Review to speak out for those 'suffering in silence'. #COAWeek2017 pic.twitter.com/zoUtQydKPg — Nacoa (@NacoaUK) February 15, 2017
The group, which includes Tory MP Fiona Bruce, Labour MP Caroline Flint and crossbench peers Baroness Hollins and the Earl of Listowel, has issued 10 demands for Government action on the issue:
:: Take responsibility for children of alcoholics
:: Properly fund local support for children of alcoholics
:: Boost education and awareness for children
:: Develop a plan to change public attitudes
Wine-filled glasses
:: Curtail the promotion of alcohol - especially to children
The Most Rev Justin Welby, who has spoken publicly about living with a parent dependent on drinking, said that alcohol abuse prevented children from having vital healthy relationships.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
He said: “We all know that having a parent who abuses alcohol is one of the most disruptive experiences for any child and leads frequently to long-term effects in one’s self confidence, one’s capacity to relate, and even for some people in their own relation to alcohol itself.
“My experience, whether easier or more difficult than that of others, was fairly difficult … One of the things I most missed was the company of others who understood the issue.” |
French conservatives, Socialists say will back Macron for president | Benoit Hamon, French Socialist party 2017 presidential candidate, reacts as he delivers a speech at La Mutalite meeting hall in Paris after early results in the first round of 2017 French presidential election, France, April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler
Benoit Hamon, French Socialist party 2017 presidential candidate, delivers a speech at La Mutalite meeting hall in Paris after early results in the first round of 2017 French presidential election, France, April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler
PARIS Senior French conservatives and Socialist presidential candidate Benoit Hamon said on Sunday that they would back centrist Emmanuel Macron in a May 7 runoff against far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
After initial projections indicated Macron and Le Pen had qualified for the second round, Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon told supporters his party had suffered an "historic blow" from its voter base and called on voters to back Macron and reject Le Pen in "the strongest possible way".
On the other side of the traditional political spectrum, former prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a member of defeated candidate Francois Fillon's The Republicans party, said: "Without hesitation, as far as I'm concerned we've got to rally behind Emmanuel Macron."
(Reporting by Ingrid Melander, Michel Rose, Bate Felix, John Irish; writing by Leigh Thomas, editing by Andrew Callus) |
Russia's Rosneft asks to freeze some of Sistema's assets-RIA | MOSCOW, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Russian oil major Rosneft is seeking a freezing injunction in respect of some of Sistema’s assets under its second legal claim against the conglomerate, the RIA news agency quoted a Rosneft spokesman as saying on Tuesday.
State-controlled Rosneft and its subsidiary Bashneft filed a second, 131.6-billion-rouble lawsuit against Sistema last week. (Reporting by Katya Golubkova; writing by Maria Kiselyova; editing by Dmitry Solovyov) |
Army helicopter crashes into golf course; 1 dead, 2 injured | LEONARDTOWN, Md. (AP) - A Black Hawk helicopter crashed onto a golf course in Maryland during a routine training flight, killing one crew member and injuring the two others on board, the U.S. Army said.
The cause of the Monday crash is under investigation, the Army Military District of Washington said in a statement. One witness described pieces falling from the aircraft and another said it was spinning before it went down.
"We are deeply saddened by this loss within our community," said Maj. Gen. Bradley A. Becker, commanding general of the Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington. "Our condolences go out to the families and friends affected by this tragedy, and our team is focused on supporting them during this difficult time."
Investigators examine debris that fell on the Breton Bay Golf and Country Club after an Army UH-60 helicopter from Fort Belvoir, Va., crashed, Monday, April 17, 2017, in Leonardtown, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Three crew members were aboard the UH-60 Black Hawk for what the Army said was a training exercise when it crashed in Leonardtown, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Washington, D.C., around 1:40 p.m. They were not identified, pending notification of relatives.
One person is in serious condition and one is in critical condition, the statement said. They were being treated at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.
The aircraft was from the 12th Aviation Battalion, stationed at Davison Airfield in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Kevin Bowen, who works in the pro shop of the Breton Bay Golf and Country Club, said he saw the helicopter "flying kind of low" and then "saw it spinning" before it went down between the third and fourth holes of the course.
Dorothy Harper, who lives across the street from the golf course, said she saw the helicopter just before it crashed.
"I was outside in my front yard when I saw the helicopter come over right across the street from my house. I saw pieces actually falling off the helicopter," she said.
Harper said she didn't see smoke or flames, "just pieces falling out of the sky."
Shortly after, emergency vehicles started rolling in, she said.
Army investigators were driving around the course in golf carts Monday evening, placing evidence markers near pieces of debris.
A team from the Army Combat Readiness Center, in Fort Rucker, Alabama, will be on site Tuesday to conduct the investigation, the Army's statement said.
Black Hawks are mainly used for transporting troops, supplies and equipment, according to the Army. But other missions include training and support of disaster relief.
The incident comes less than two weeks after a military jet crashed in a wooded area just outside a suburban Washington neighborhood. The pilot, who was on a training mission, ditched his jet. He was treated for minor injuries, and no one else was injured in that incident.
People examine an Army UH-60 helicopter from Fort Belvoir, Va., after it crashed at the Breton Bay Golf and Country Club after Monday, April 17, 2017, in Leonardtown, Md. (Rebecca Updegrave Cline via AP)
Investigators examine debris that fell on the Breton Bay Golf and Country Club golf course after an Army UH-60 helicopter from Fort Belvoir, Va., crashed, Monday, April 17, 2017, in Leonardtown, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A St. Mary's County sheriff's deputy stops non-residents from entering the area after an Army UH-60 helicopter from Fort Belvoir, Va., crashed on the Breton Bay Golf and Country Club, Monday, April 17, 2017, in Leonardtown, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) |
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UPDATE 1-Danish economy seen expanding further after strong end to 2016 | (Adds details, comments from economists)
By Teis Jensen
COPENHAGEN, March 31 The Danish economy picked up pace at the end of last year, prompting several economists to raise their forecasts for 2017 with the proviso that labour shortages risked putting a brake on expansion.
The national statistics office on Friday adjusted fourth-quarter economic growth upwards to 2.3 percent year-on-year from an earlier reading of 1.9 percent, primarily due to stronger than expected exports. Denmark primarily exports food, pharmaceuticals and machinery.
The latest figures took growth for 2016 overall to 1.3 percent and make it feasible that Denmark's gross domestic product could grow by two percent or more in the current year, Danske Bank's chief economist Las Olsen wrote.
Sydbank may also revisit its 1.6 percent growth forecast, economist Soren Kristensen said.
"It definitely can't be ruled out that we'll see two percent growth again in 2017, which would be the first time since the financial crisis, and the highest growth in 11 years," he said.
There is growing concern in Denmark however that the upswing could be dampened by a shortage of labour, particularly in the construction industry. The government has said it will address this issue with urgent reforms.
New unemployment figures on Friday indicated that a growing number of newly arrived immigrants had been deemed ready to join the workforce, which may help to ease the problem, Sydbank's Kristensen said.
"Unfortunately, though, it is far from certain that it will make the bottlenecks disappear as it is not certain the new members of the work force have the skills the companies are looking for," Kristensen added. (Reporting by Teis Jensen; Editing by Julie Astrid Thomsen/Keith Weir) |
China's popular first lady takes the stage in Xi's U.S. visit | * Peng Liyuan to join husband Xi Jinping on U.S. trip
* Accomplished Peng acts as cultural ambassador on state visits
* Glamorous former singing star with PLA, Peng popular at home
By Christian Shepherd
BEIJING, March 31 Glamorous, popular and passionate about fighting AIDS, Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan is Beijing's diplomatic not-so-secret weapon spreading Chinese soft power around the world.
A former singing star in the People's Liberation Army, "Mother Peng", as she is affectionately known in China, will be at President Xi Jinping's side as he meets U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida next week.
Details of her programme have been largely kept under wraps, but she and Xi will dine with Trump and his wife Melania next Thursday.
With hot-button issues including North Korea and trade in focus and Trump promising a "very difficult" meeting, China will be hoping the accomplished Peng can help smooth relations between the leaders of the world's two biggest economies.
"If the two first ladies meet, and the atmosphere is good, then at the very least it will raise the whole atmosphere of the leaders meeting," said Shi Yinhong, who heads the Centre for American Studies at Beijing's Renmin University and has advised the government on diplomacy.
China's most powerful first lady since Mao Zedong's wife Jiang Qing, Peng has become a regular feature of China's global outreach since her husband took the reins of state in 2013.
With a smile on her face, dressed in a simple black peacoat and carrying an elegant unbranded bag, Peng stepped into the international limelight in Russia in March 2013 on Xi's first foreign trip as president, becoming an instant internet sensation and style trendsetter back home.
Since then, she has named pandas with then-U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, made friends with orphans in Zimbabwe and sat with Costa Rican children on her lap.
For the last decade, Peng has advocated for those living with AIDS and tuberculosis, and was recognised with a UN award in January for her role in combating the stigma attached to those with HIV and AIDS.
"Since 2006, I have been to high risk places, villages, hospitals, patients' homes, community centres, schools and universities," Peng said, speaking in slightly halting English, a language she has worked hard to master since her husband took power. "I have seen pain and fear in children's eyes."
STAR POWER
Peng's career as a darling of China's military choir made her a household name in China long before her husband, with appearances on the state-broadcaster's New Year Gala and other popular TV shows propelling her to stardom in the 1980s and 1990s.
Peng retains the rank of Major General in the People's Liberation Army and is dean of the army's Arts Academy.
In the eyes of many Chinese, Peng embodies a broadly-appealing patriotism blended with China's classical virtues, thanks to her army career and her pedigree musical training.
Peng has accompanied Xi on a number of diplomatic events since last summer, including a tour of Poland, Serbia and Uzbekistan.
Former model Melania Trump, by contrast, has been mostly absent since her husband took office on Jan. 20, spending much of her time in New York, caring for the couple's 11-year-old son.
On past state visits, Peng has played the role of China's cultural ambassador, teaching foreigners the art of ink-and-brush calligraphy or the finicky wrapping of boiled dumplings.
While her public life has been largely free of scandal, she drew criticism from rights activists after images appearing to show her serenading army troops shortly after the 1989 pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square surfaced briefly online in 2013 before being scrubbed from the internet in China.
There was also a moment of drama in 2014 when Russian President Vladimir Putin draped a coat around Peng's shoulders at an outdoor event on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit, images also fast removed from the Chinese internet, apparently due to fears it showed the two flirting.
At the same summit, a video of Peng appearing to shoot Xi a meaningful glance reminding him to join other leaders in waving to the crowd sparked speculation about her ability to influence her husband, especially when it comes to his public appearance.
Melania Trump, when asked on CBS television network's 60 Minutes in November 2016 if her husband took her advice, replied: "Sometimes he listens, sometimes he doesn't. I think he hears me. But he will do what he wants to do in the end." (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Lincoln Feast) |
WTO losing trade focus, too easy on some developing nations: U.S. | BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade chief said on Monday that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is losing its focus on trade negotiations in favor of litigation, and was going too easy on wealthier developing countries such as China.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Ireland's Minister of State for Trade Pat Breen talk at the 11th World Trade Organization's ministerial conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci
With Trump’s “America First” trade agenda casting a cloud over the WTO’s 11th ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires, representatives of other major members criticized protectionism and advocated a stronger multilateral trading system, while acknowledging the WTO’s shortcomings.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who has said he does not want major agreements out of the meeting, voiced concern that the WTO was becoming a litigation-centered organization.
“Too often members seem to believe they can gain concessions through lawsuits that they could never get at the negotiating table,” he said. “We have to ask ourselves whether this is good for the institution and whether the current litigation structure makes sense.”
Too many countries were not following WTO rules, he complained, and too many wealthier members had been given unfair exemptions as developing countries.
“We need to clarify our understanding of development within the WTO. We cannot sustain a situation in which new rules can only apply to a few and that others will be given a pass in the name of self-proclaimed development status,” Lighthizer told the conference’s opening session.
He said five of the six richest countries claim developing country status at the WTO, without providing evidence to back up the assertion. Of the countries with the six largest economies by Gross Domestic Product, according to the World Bank, only China claims developing market status.
Ahead of the meeting, the United States blocked efforts to draft a joint statement emphasizing the “centrality” of the global trade system and the need to aid development. Its opposition has raised concerns that the WTO will not be able to accomplish even modest goals, such as addressing fishing and agricultural subsidies, at the conference.
Susana Malcorra, Chair of the 11th World Trade Organization's ministerial conference, talks to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, alongside Swiss Economy Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann, before the plenary in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci
“We need to have a clear objective in mind,” European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said. “For the European Union, this is clear: to preserve and to strengthen the rules-based multilateral trading system.”
SWIPES AT CHINA
Slideshow (2 Images)
Trump has indicated his preference for bilateral deals over the multilateral system embodied by the WTO. The United States has vetoed new judges for trade disputes, pushing the organization into a crisis.
On Monday, Lighthizer said it was impossible to negotiate new rules when many of the current ones were not being followed, and added that too many members viewed exemptions from WTO rules as a path to faster growth.
In a thinly veiled swipe at China’s trade practices, Lighthizer said the United States was leading negotiations to “correct the sad performance of many members in notification and transparency.”
The United States is backing the EU in its resistance to recognizing China as a market economy, arguing the government unfairly intervenes in the economy. The case, currently before the WTO, could lead to dramatically lower tariffs on imports of Chinese goods.
Chinese Commerce Minister Zhong Shan said on Monday that while trade protection was rising, no country would be able to succeed in isolation and that WTO rules were critical to protecting globalization.
“Let us join hands and take real action to uphold the authority and efficacy of the WTO,” Zhong said. |
BRIEF-U.S. Silica Holdings Signs $75 mln Deal | March 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Silica Holdings Inc:
* U.S. SILICA HOLDINGS INC - DEAL FOR $75 MILLION
* U.S. SILICA HOLDINGS - TO SELL THREE TRANSLOADS LOCATED IN PERMIAN, EAGLE FORD AND APPALACHIAN BASINS TO CIG LOGISTICS Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: |
Scotland prop Welsh returns to banish 2015 World Cup nightmares | EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scotland’s Jon Welsh returns to test rugby on Saturday for the first time since being at the centre of a controversial refereeing decision that cost his country a rare win at Twickenham and a place in the semi-finals of the last World Cup.
The prop is refusing to dwell on a horror call against him when he gave away a penalty for being offside in the last minute of the 2015 quarter-final against Australia, who booted over the subsequent kick to win the game by a single point.
“It is what it is. I’ve hardly been asked about that until recent months,” said Welsh in the build-up to Scotland’s opening Six Nations clash against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, where he wins his first cap since the ill-fated incident.
”The worst thing you can do as a professional, in rugby or any sport, is to dwell on mistakes. We train hard on the rugby pitch to not make mistakes but they are going to happen.
“It’s something I don’t look back on at all. Obviously it’s unfortunate, nobody wanted it to happen. But it did and it was on to the next thing for me.”
The decision by South African referee Craig Joubert was later labelled wrong by World Rugby but Welsh took a conciliatory tone as he reflected on the heart-breaking 35-34 defeat.
INSTINCTIVELY GRABBED
Joubert adjudged Welsh to have been offside as he instinctively grabbed at the ball after it looked to have been knocked-on off the shoulder of teammate Josh Strauss. But it was Wallaby scrumhalf Nick Phipps who made contact with the ball last before Welsh, who then should not have been deemed offside.
“He made the call. In the game of rugby you respect the ref’s call. Has anybody tried to referee a game before? There are a thousand things going on. Obviously if he had gone to the TMO he would have seen it came off Phipps. It is tough for a referee. He didn’t get the call right there.”
Welsh went immediately off to join Newcastle in the English Premiership after the World Cup and lost his place in the Scotland side.
”I’d never abandoned hope that I’d get back into the Scotland side. I’ve always been in training squads or at least called back into them. I don’t think the desire ever goes away to play for Scotland. I just kept training away and I’ve been lucky enough to be given another shot.”
Saturday’s match will be a 12th cap for the 31-year-old, profiting from an injury crisis among the Scotland front rowers. |
Asia stocks bounce, euro pulls off lows as Italy anxiety ebbs | TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian stocks rebounded from a two-month trough on Thursday, while the euro enjoyed a respite after sinking to its lowest in 10 months as political turmoil in Italy that had roiled global financial markets showed signs of easing.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 21, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS tacked on 0.3 percent having slumped to its weakest since the start of April on Wednesday.
South Korea's KOSPI .KS11 added 0.6 percent and Japan's Nikkei .N225 advanced 0.5 percent.
Overnight, the Dow .DJI rose 1.25 percent and the S&P 500 .SPX climbed 1.27 percent.
Global stocks were battered, safe-haven government bond yields fell sharply and the euro tumbled earlier in the week after Italy’s two anti-establishment parties scrapped plans to form a coalition, stoking fears of a general election that could be a referendum on the country’s euro membership.
A degree of calm, however, returned, with the two anti-establishment parties renewing efforts to form a coalition government rather than force Italy into holding elections for the second time this year.
Italy’s successful auction of five- and 10-year government bonds also assuaged concerns about its ability to finance itself after turbulence in its debt market resulted in the biggest one-day surge for two-year yields in 26 years.
“The financial markets had been able to assess and digest the situation in Italy over the past few days and it is now time for a bit of reprieve from the turbulence,” said Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management in Tokyo.
“The reprieve will allow the market to return their focus back on fundamentals, such as Friday’s U.S. non-farm jobs report.”
The euro stood little changed at $1.1669 EUR= after rallying 1 percent the previous day. The currency had sunk to $1.1510 on Tuesday, its lowest since late July 2017.
The dollar index against a basket of six major currencies .DXY dipped 0.1 percent to 94.061 after surging to a near seven-month peak of 95.025 on Tuesday.
The U.S. currency traded at 108.730 yen JPY=, off a low of 108.115 brushed on Tuesday when risk aversion in the broader markets increased investor demand for its Japanese peer, which is often sought in times of market unrest.
The dollar received some support as signs of easing Italian political concerns pulled U.S. Treasury yields up from multi-week lows.
The 10-year Treasury note yield US10YT=RR stood at 2.847 percent after sliding on Tuesday to 2.759 percent, its lowest since April 11.
Oil prices were elevated after rallying overnight as Russia’s central bank expressed caution on plans to boost oil supply.
U.S. crude futures CLc1 inched down 0.2 percent to $68.07 a barrel after gaining 2.2 percent on Wednesday. Prices had fallen to a six-week low of $65.80 a barrel on Tuesday amid concerns that Saudi Arabia and Russia could increase output.
Brent crude LCOc1 dipped 0.25 percent to $77.31 a barrel after jumping 2.8 percent on Wednesday. |
JGB yields steady, BOJ buying caps losses | TOKYO, April 25 (Reuters) - Japanese government bond yields were little changed on Wednesday, firmly capped as the Bank of Japan’s debt-purchasing operations offset upward pressure from the ongoing spike in U.S. Treasury yields.
The two-year JGB yield was flat at minus 0.140 percent. The five-year yield inched up 0.5 basis point to minus 0.100 percent and the 10-year yield was unchanged at 0.050 percent.
The BOJ on Wednesday offered to buy 1.34 trillion yen ($12.3 billion) of five- to 40-year JGBs as a part of its regular debt-purchasing scheme.
In addition to tightening supply, Wednesday’s JGB-purchasing operations by the BOJ provided some relief for bond investors as the central bank refrained from trimming the amount of debt it had offered to buy.
The U.S. 10-year Treasury note yield extended its overnight rise and touched 3.009 percent on Wednesday, its highest since early 2014. |
Information and advice support service for unpaid Carers | About Information and advice support service for unpaid Carers
Information, support and advice for unpaid carers looking after someone who lives in Westminster or Hammersmith & Fulham, and who because of long term illness, disability, addiction or mental health problems would not be able to manage without the Carer's support. Carers Network provide Carers Assessments, emotional support, signposting and referrals to other services, advocacy, support groups, events, access to grants and trips out. They also help carers apply for the Carers Emergency Card scheme. |
UN peacekeeper in S. Sudan accused of inappropriate... | JUBA, South Sudan (AP) - The United Nations says a Nepalese peacekeeper in South Sudan has been accused of inappropriately touching a teenage girl in exchange for money.
The allegation in the town of Aweil comes two months after 46 Ghanaian peacekeepers were recalled when some members allegedly paid local women living in a protection camp in the town of Wau for sex.
A U.N. statement says an investigation into the latest allegation is underway.
Multiple U.N. peacekeeping missions have faced allegations of sexual abuse or exploitation in recent years, with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling it a "global menace" that must end.
The U.N. has about 15,000 peacekeepers in South Sudan, whose civil war is well into a fifth year. |
Volkswagen to announce $340 million Tennessee investment to build new SUV: source | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) will announce on Monday that it plans to invest $340 million to build a new sport utility vehicle at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant in the United States as demand surges for larger vehicles, according to a person briefed on the announcement.
FILE PHOTO - The Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee November 4, 2015. REUTERS/Tami Chappell
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is set to be at VW’s plant in Chattanooga for a 2:30 p.m (1800 GMT) announcement for a new project, his office said, without elaborating on what that project would be.
In 2017, VW Group of America Chief Executive Officer Hinrich Woebcken told reporters at the New York auto show that the automaker planned to build a five-seat SUV in Tennessee, but he declined to say when production would begin.
Slideshow (2 Images)
Automakers are bracing for the impact of new steel and aluminum tariffs on metal produced outside North America. Haslam told reporters last week the tariffs could add costs to manufacturers, especially automakers, that could be “very harmful.”
VW said in February that 54 percent of its total own-brand volume sales were SUVs. In addition to the new Atlas, VW also unveiled an all-new 2018 Tiguan SUV last year.
The German automaker is still working to improve its image in the United States after it admitted to cheating on diesel emissions tests in 2015, sparking the biggest business crisis in its history. |
MSCO: Woman escapes inmate processing center | Marion County warrant teams are actively searching for a woman who officials say escaped custody from the inmate processing center in downtown Indianapolis Sunday night.
Start the conversation, or Read more at TheIndyChannel. |
Panel discusses sale of slaves in Louisiana by university in 1838 | In this June 30, 2016 photo, Georgetown University president John J. DeGioia, second from left, talks with, from left, Doris Ventress Watson, Johnny Harris, Ella Richardson, Maxine Crump, Walter Johnson and Brenda Cunningham, during his visit with Cornelius "Neely" Hawkins' descendants and family members, near Hawkins' gravesite in Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Cemetery in Maringouin, La. Hawkins was of one of the slaves in the university's 1838 slave sale.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Texarkana Gazette. |
BRIEF-AON Reports Q4 Adj. Earnings $2.35/Shr From Continuing Operations | Feb 2 (Reuters) - AON Plc:
* AON REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2017 RESULTS
* Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE $0.04 FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS
* Q4 REVENUE ROSE 10 PERCENT TO $2.9 BILLION
* Q4 ADJUSTED EARNINGS PER SHARE $2.35 FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS
* Q4 ADJUSTED EARNINGS PER SHARE $6.52
* SEES FY 2018 ADJUSTED EARNINGS PER SHARE MORE THAN $7.97
* Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE $1.53
* RESTRUCTURING EXPENSES WERE $96 MILLION IN Q4, PRIMARILY DRIVEN BY WORKFORCE REDUCTIONS AND OTHER GENERAL INITIATIVES
* WE BELIEVE WE ARE ON TRACK TO EXCEED $7.97 OF ADJUSTED EARNINGS PER SHARE IN 2018
* BELIEVE ON TRACK TO DELIVER DOUBLE-DIGIT FREE CASH FLOW GROWTH OVER LONG-TERM
* INCREASED ITS ESTIMATED INVESTMENT FROM $900 MILLION TO $1,175 MILLION IN TOTAL CASH OVER A THREE-YEAR PERIOD
* QTRLY TOTAL ORGANIC REVENUE INCREASED 6% COMPARED TO PRIOR YEAR PERIOD
* AON - BEFORE POTENTIAL SAVINGS REINVESTMENT, RESTRUCTURING, OTHER INITIATIVES NOW EXPECTED TO DELIVER RUN-RATE SAVINGS OF $450 MILLION ANNUALLY IN 2019
* TO DATE, COMPANY HAS INCURRED $497 MILLION, OR 48% OF TOTAL ESTIMATED RESTRUCTURING CHARGES
* CO EXPECTS THAT U.S. TAX REFORM WILL HAVE MODEST UPWARD PRESSURE ON ITS EFFECTIVE TAX RATE
* UPON EVALUATING PROGRESS OF RESTRUCTURING PROGRAM, CO INCREASED ESTIMATED INVESTMENT TO $1,175 MILLION IN TOTAL CASH OVER 3-YEAR PERIOD
* RESTRUCTURING SAVINGS IN Q4 RELATED TO RESTRUCTURING, OTHER OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVES WERE $56 MILLION, BEFORE POTENTIAL REINVESTMENT
* Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $2.35, REVENUE VIEW $2.83 BILLION -- THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S
* FY2018 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $8.02 -- THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S
* EFFECTIVE TAX RATE USED IN Q4 U.S. GAAP FINANCIALS INCLUDED $345 MILLION OF ADDITIONAL TAX EXPENSE Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: |
BRIEF-Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Q1 EPS $0.41 | French oil services firm CGG files for bankruptcy
PARIS, June 14 French oil services firm CGG said on Wednesday it had filed for bankruptcy in France and the United States as part of financial restructuring to reduce its debt burden. |
BRIEF-Nanjing Huamai Technology plans to buy stake in Jiangsu Daokang for 180 mln yuan | Dec 10 (Reuters) - Nanjing Huamai Technology Co Ltd :
* SAYS IT SIGNS LETTER OF INTENT TO BUY 60 PERCENT STAKE OF JIANGSU DAOKANG GENERATOR SET CO FOR 180 MILLION YUAN ($27.19 million) Source text in Chinese: bit.ly/2AHjWQ1 Further company coverage: ($1 = 6.6199 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Hong Kong newsroom) |
BRIEF-T-Bull No. Of Games Downloads In Nov. At 5.7 Million | Dec 11 (Reuters) - T-BULL SA:
* NO. OF CO‘S GAMES DOWNLOADS IN NOV. AT 5.7 MILLION Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom) |
Shahs Of Sunset's Asa Soltan loses baby weight in 8 days | Forget the struggle to shed the baby weight - Asa Soltan Rahmati claims it took her just eight days to get regain her pre-baby figure.
In fact, the new mother claims, at eight months postpartum she weighs 10lbs less than she did before getting pregnant,
Taking to Instagram to flaunt her slender figure and flat stomach, the Shahs Of Sunset star boasted that she only gained 18lbs during her gestation.
'I lost my pregnancy weight in 8 days!' Shahs Of Sunset's Asa Soltan Rahmati flaunts post-baby figure on Instagram this week... and boasts she's 10lbs less than before
'I lost my pregnancy weight in 8 days but I had only gained 18 pounds which was mostly just my Baby, extra fluids etc,' Rahmati explained.
'I weigh 10 pounds less now than I did when I first got pregnant. Yea I was shocked too.'
The reality star said she didn't expect to be back to her pre-baby self so quickly.
'I seriously was sure I would get big and never lose the weight. And y'all know I don't diet. Lol.'
Oh baby! Asa is seen when she was nine months pregnant, back in January
Rahmati and her longterm love Jermaine Jackson II welcomed their baby Soltan Jackson in January.
The two have been together for more than six years, but did not live together when Asa welcomed their child.
Asa, 41, has said on her reality show that she has frozen embryos should she decide to have another child.
However she insists she got pregnant naturally. |
In New Year's greeting to Iranians, Trump slams Tehran government | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump sent greetings on Monday to Iranians celebrating the New Year’s holiday known as Nowruz, but used the message to attack Iran’s government, particularly its powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the U.S. opioid crisis, at Manchester Community College in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S. March 19, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
“I wish a beautiful and blessed Nowruz to the millions of people around the world who are celebrating the arrival of spring,” Trump said. He added, however, that the Iranian people were burdened by “rulers who serve themselves instead of serving the people.”
Trump, who has threatened to pull Washington out of a multilateral deal with Tehran to curb its nuclear program, called the Revolutionary Guard “a hostile army that brutalizes and steals from the Iranian people to fund terrorism abroad.”
Trump said in the statement the Guard had spent more than $16 billion to prop up Syria’s government and support militants and terrorists in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
He also accused the group of impoverishing Iran’s people, damaging its environment and suppressing civil rights.
The harsh language contrasted with Trump’s Nowruz statement last year, which made no mention of politics.
In January, Trump delivered an ultimatum to the European signatories of the 2015 nuclear accord, which aimed to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for lifting various trade and economic sanctions.
The Republican president said they must agree to “fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal,” which was agreed to under his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, or he would refuse to extend U.S. sanctions relief on Iran. U.S. sanctions will resume unless Trump issues new “waivers” to suspend them on May 12.
Iran has said that if Washington pulls out of the deal, it will no longer abide by its terms.
In a bid to persuade Washington to remain in the nuclear accord, France urged the European Union on Monday to consider new sanctions on Iran over its involvement in Syria’s civil war and its ballistic missile program.
Nowruz is Iran’s most important national event and is celebrated with family gatherings, vacations and gift-giving. It is also celebrated by millions around the world, including in Turkey, Iraq and parts of South and Central Asia. |
BRIEF-Nephros appoints Andrew Astor as CFO | UPDATE 2-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Feb 15
Feb 15 Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening up 26 points at 7294 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures up 0.35 percent ahead of the cash market open. |
U.N. panel urges end to detention of would-be immigrants in U.S. | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrest an immigrant in San Clemente, California, May 11, 2017.
GENEVA (Reuters) - A U.N. human rights panel urged the United States on Monday to end widespread detention of would-be immigrants including asylum-seekers, saying the practice has "grown exponentially" and violates international law.
The holding of migrants and would-be refugees in custody is often "punitive, unreasonably long, unnecessary and costly" and should be used only as a last resort, the panel said in a 23-page report to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Each year, an estimated 352,850 people are detained across the United States pending the outcome of their immigration proceedings at a cost of about $2 billion, it said.
The independent experts, who form the U.N. working group on arbitrary detention, were reporting on their mission last October at the invitation of the Obama administration.
"The Working Group is of the view that all administrative detention, in particular of immigrants in an irregular situation, should be in accordance with international human rights law; and that such detention is to be a measure of last resort, necessary and proportionate and be not punitive in nature, and that alternatives to detention are to be sought whenever possible," the report said.
In Washington, a White House spokeswoman said "That's a question for the U.N." when asked to comment on the panel's findings. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Donald Trump has backed legislation to crack down on illegal immigrants, describing it as vital to protect American lives.
The U.N. experts interviewed 280 detainees during their visits to nine prisons in Texas, California and Illinois. Some were remote locations with limited access to legal services.
They reported seeing immigrants and asylum seekers held in "punitive conditions" comparable to those of convicted criminals despite their right to seek asylum under international law.
In some cases, the length of detention pending immigration proceedings was "unreasonable", lasting from six months to more than one year without resolution.
The experts voiced concern at Trump's executive order in January and an implementing memorandum that "lay the groundwork for expanding the existing detention system by increasing the number of individuals subject to immigration detention".
"Under the order, apprehended individuals may be detained 'on suspicion' of violating federal or state law, which includes unauthorized entry," they said.
They received information in March that the Department of Homeland Security was considering separating children from parents caught crossing the border, "in an attempt to deter illegal immigration from Mexico," they said.
"This is particularly serious given the increasing trend of unaccompanied children migrating to escape violence and reunite with family members." |
Kyle Court Nursing Home | Kyle Court is a purpose-built home offering dementia, nursing and end of life care in Paisley, Renfrewshire, not far from the M8. Residents can pursue their hobbies and socialise with friends and family in the activity room and the caf? area where they also have computer and internet access. There_s a GP service and a hairdressing salon, and organised activities include arts and crafts, baking and performances from local school children, and the home has its own minibus. Many bedrooms have en suite facilities and all are wheelchair friendly, with TV aerial points and a nurse call system. Green-fingered enthusiasts can help to keep the vegetable and herb garden looking good as part of the mature garden.
We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
BRIEF-Sabaf is interested in M&As - conf call | Feb 14 Sabaf SpA:
* Wants to keeps on strengthening its core business, on a geographical and income level, and also in areas close to gas cooking
* Says there were "first contacts" with some entrepreneurs
* Says M&A is a delicate topic, there is willingness on Sabaf's side but there is also the need to find occasions which offer synergies at a reasonable price
Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom) |
Carer Support Group Armagh | About Carer Support Group Armagh
The peer support group gives people the opportunity to meet with others who understand some of what they are going through. Run by a facilitator, the sessions offer a chance to ask questions, get information and share experiences in a safe and supportive environment. |
Cartref Ael Y Bryn | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
U.S. not granting loan relief to defrauded students: inspector general | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Education Department under President Donald Trump and Secretary Betsy DeVos has stopped cancelling the student-loan debt of people defrauded by failed for-profit schools and those borrowers face mounting interest and other burdens, its inspector general said on Monday.
DeVos is seeking to redo the process for cancelling the debts of people who attended Corinthian Colleges, which collapsed in 2015 amid government investigations into its post-graduation rates, and other failed schools.
In the final days of his administration, President Barack Obama approved rules speeding up the debt cancellations. DeVos has delayed implementing those rules, saying they would create significant costs for taxpayers.
According to a report by the inspector general, DeVos also brought the existing cancellation process to a crawl.
Since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, the department has received 25,991 claims for discharging loans. It has denied two requests and approved none, the inspector general, an independent auditor within the agency, found.
That is in contrast to Obama’s final months in office. From July 1, 2016, through inauguration, the department received 46,274 claims and approved 27,986. It denied none.
Caught in limbo, borrowers are seeing interest and fees accrue and their credit damaged, the inspector general’s report showed. Borrowers could ultimately owe more on a denied discharge than if they had not asked for cancellation and simply continued making payments, the inspector said.
Some state attorneys general have pushed the department to cancel the loans, saying students cannot afford to repay the often-large amounts because the schools did not give them adequate training or a diploma.
The inspector general also found the department did not have a sufficient information system and had to manually retrieve claims data.
“Hundreds of thousands of students were defrauded and cheated by predatory colleges that broke the law, but today’s report confirms Secretary DeVos tried to shirk her responsibility to these students and shut down the borrower-defense program, leaving them with nowhere to turn,” said Senator Patty Murray, the senior Democrat on the Education Committee.
In a memo to the inspector general, A. Wayne Johnson, chief operating officer of the federal student aid program, said the department has “authorized an interest credit” for long-outstanding claims, will resume reviewing some claims and will soon approve claims for 11,000 Corinthian students. |
German stocks - Factors to watch on December 11 | BERLIN, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The following are some of the factors that may move German stocks on Monday:
BAYER
EU antitrust regulators are set to warn Bayer its planned purchase of U.S. seed maker Monsanto may hurt competition, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, a move that would force Bayer to offer concessions to address the concerns.
CONTINENTAL
The automotive supplier could cooperate with cities on projects such as optimising traffic flows and improving the efficiency of transportation systems, daily Rheinische Post quoted Chief Executive Elmar Degenhart as saying.
DEUTSCHE BANK
Deutsche Bank is able to cope with the stricter capital rules on banks that were agreed this week, its finance chief told a German paper.
LUFTHANSA
Nov traffic figures due at 1200 GMT.
RWE
Germany’s biggest power producer is looking for opportunities to buy power plants, the head of RWE’s generation unit RWE Power, Matthias Hartung, told German daily Rheinische Post.
Hartung also said that the group expected to have completed 900 of a planned 2,300 job cuts by the end of this year.
SIEMENS
Germany’s Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries has invited Siemens’ management and the economy ministers of the states affected by job cuts to discuss on Monday the future of Siemens plants in Germany.
THYSSENKRUPP
Thyssenkrupp has offered workers commitments on jobs and investments to get union backing for its deal with Tata Steel to merge their European steel operations, several people close to labour union IG Metall said.
VOLKSWAGEN
Volkswagen executive Oliver Schmidt, convicted in the United States last week for his role in the German carmaker’s emissions scandal, may ask to serve his prison sentence in Germany, German weekly Welt am Sonntag reported, citing sources close to Schmidt.
Separately, Chief Executive Matthias Mueller called for subsidies for diesel vehicles to be shifted gradually to incentives for green cars, such as electric vehicles, according to an interview published by Handelsblatt on Monday.
STEINHOFF
The retailer said it had appointed a new board subcommittee to strengthen independent governance and that trading in its businesses was continuing in the pre-Christmas period.
It said on Sunday it had appointed two advisory firms ahead of a meeting with lenders on Dec. 19.
QIAGEN
Qiagen is looking at concrete acquisition targets, with a focus on small and medium-sized takeovers in molecular diagnostics, finance chief Roland Sackers told Boersen-Zeitung in an interview.
Separately, the group said it was moving its U.S. listing to the New York Stock Exchange from the NASDAQ Global Market, effective around Jan. 10.
BVB
Borussia Dortmund sacked coach Peter Bosz on Sunday and immediately replaced him with Peter Stoeger, who himself was fired by Cologne one week earlier after failing to win a league match this season.
GRAMMER
The group expects to win its first Chinese customers next years, helped by shareholder Ningbo Jifeng, as it tries to make up for orders lost this year amid a dispute with Bosnian investor Hastor, Chief Executive Hartmut Mueller told Automobilwoche magazine.
ANALYSTS’ VIEWS
ALLIANZ - Barclays raises to “equal weight” from “underweight”, raises target price to 204 from 178 euros
SIEMENS - Morgan Stanley raises to “overweight” from “equal weight”, raises target price to 134 from 120 euros
HANNOVER RE - Barclays cuts to “underweight” from “equal weight”, cuts target price to 107.7 from 109.1 euros
OVERSEAS STOCK MARKETS
Dow Jones +0.5 pct, S&P 500 +0.6 pct, Nasdaq +0.4 pct at close.
Nikkei +0.6 pct, Shanghai stocks +0.7 pct.
Time: 6.08 GMT.
GERMAN ECONOMIC DATA
No economic data scheduled.
EUROPEAN FACTORS TO WATCH
DIARIES
REUTERS TOP NEWS (Reporting by Victoria Bryan and Maria Sheahan) |
Philippines 'apologizes' to Kuwait after rescuing domestic workers | MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines apologized on Tuesday for what Kuwait viewed as violation of its sovereignty after the Southeast Asian nation’s embassy “rescued” several domestic workers from their employers’ homes amid reports of abuse.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said the embassy was forced to “assist” Filipino workers who sought help because some situations were a matter of life and death.
“We respect Kuwaiti sovereignty and laws, but the welfare of Filipino workers is also very important,” he said, adding that domestic helpers account for more than 65 percent of the more than 260,000 Filipinos in Kuwait.
Cayetano said Kuwait had accepted the Philippines’ explanation after the Kuwaiti ambassador met Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and held talks with Cayetano.
“We’re sending a note now to my counterpart, and we are apologizing for certain incidents that Kuwait views as violation of their sovereignty,” Cayetano told reporters.
Duterte last month ordered workers in Kuwait to return over reports of abuse following the discovery of a domestic worker’s body in a freezer in an abandoned home.
In Saturday’s operation, the workers were taken to shelter houses ran by the embassy and would soon be repatriated, diplomats in Manila said.
“The workers voluntarily went with embassy staff who waited outside the homes of the domestic helpers’ employers,” said a diplomat. The employers did not hand over their passports.
Some workers were persuaded to leave their employers, he said.
The operation was captured on video and posted on social media. “It was not a clandestine operation,” said Elmer Cato, assistant secretary for public diplomacy.
Kuwait had summoned the Philippine ambassador to demand an explanation.
There are 600 Filipino workers in embassy-run halfway houses in Kuwait, Cayetano said, with about 120 more who have sought rescue from employers due abuse and tough working conditions.
Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque said part of an agreement with Kuwait was to seek assurance it would to bring those who abused Filipino workers to justice.
“The secretary conveyed our request for Kuwait’s kind understanding of the sworn duty of the government to protect Filipino nationals anywhere in the world,” Roque said in a statement.
Workers in many Gulf states are employed under a sponsorship system that gives employers the right to keep their passports and exercise full control over their stay.
Rights groups say the system leaves millions of workers in the region open to exploitation. |
Tel Aviv distillery to sell off Israel's first single malt whiskey | TEL AVIV (Reuters) - In an unassuming building in the heart of hip and gritty south Tel Aviv, a young distillery is hours away from auctioning off a batch of what it calls the first Israeli-made single malt whiskey.
And of course it's kosher.
Slideshow (11 Images)
The distillery is unloading its first "experimental series" of the spirit, aged only three years, by offering 100 bottles in an online auction and another 291 bottles are being sold locally.
All this seems a bit atypical for Israel, where wineries dominate the market, attracting foreign customers for decades, and microbreweries have now taken off.
But the start-up, called Milk & Honey, is hoping to capitalize on a global renaissance among whiskey aficionados.
"There is a huge demand now for a store, for a different kind of products from different locations and climates," said company CEO Eitan Attir.
And though all this is a first for Israel, Attir said nature had presented Israel with some advantages.
The country, for example, has a hot and humid climate which he said speeds up the whiskey's maturation. It matures as much as two and half times faster than Scotch, the company says. |
Soccer-Regal Ronaldo puts Real on verge of Champions League final | * Real Madrid crushed rivals Atletico 3-0
* Cristiano Ronaldo hit a brilliant hat-trick
* He netted the first after 10 minutes with a header
* The Portuguese volleyed home the second and tapped in the third
* The second leg takes place at the Vicente Calderon on May 10
By Rik Sharma
REAL MADRID 3 ATLETICO MADRID 0
MADRID, May 2 Cristiano Ronaldo struck a brilliant hat-trick as Real Madrid crushed rivals Atletico Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.
The Portuguese forward put his team on the verge of their third final in four years and took his tally to 103 goals in the competition as he helped Madrid vanquish their city rivals at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ronaldo headed home in the 10th minute after Casemiro’s bouncing cross caught out Atletico’s defence, as Madrid dominated the first half.
Karim Benzema set him up to smash home his second on the half-volley in the 73rd minute and he finished from close range with four minutes remaining as Atletico offered little resistance. (Editing by Toby Davis) |
Kirsten Dunst drapes baby bump in loose-fitting red dress as she runs errands with wet hair in LA | She's heavily pregnant with her first child and getting ready for the birth.
And on Tuesday Kirsten Dunst was clearly a mom-to-be on the go as she ran errands with her hair still wet.
The pretty actress, 35, who is expecting a baby with fiance Jesse Plemons, opted for comfort in a loose short-sleeved red dress that fell softly over her burgeoning belly.
Expecting: She's heavily pregnant with her first child. And on Tuesday Kirsten Dunst was clearly a mom-to-be on the go as she ran errands with her hair still wet
The former Spider-Man star was bare-legged in a pair of low-heeled yellow slingbacks.
She also appeared make-up free as she stepped out wearing sunglasses and carrying a shoulder purse in the Burbank neighborhood of LA.
Kirsten confirmed her pregnancy in January but has not made public when she is due to welcome her little bundle of joy.
Keeping it real: The actress, 35, also appeared make-up free as she stepped out wearing sunglasses in the Burbank neighborhood of LA
Maternity chic: Kirsten opted for comfort in a loose short-sleeved red dress that fell softly over her burgeoning belly. She was bare-legged in a pair of low-heeled yellow slingbacks
First time mom: The pretty actress is expecting a baby with fiance Jesse Plemons. She confirmed her pregnancy in January but has not publicly revealed her due date
Over the weekend, the actress shared to Instagram a throwback snap of her younger self looking heavily pregnant in a publicity shot for the 1998 Lifetime movie Fifteen And Pregnant.
She captioned the photo: 'Art imitates life.'
Kirsten and baby daddy Jesse, 29, met on the set of the FX series Fargo.
'Art imitates life': On Friday, Dunst shared a photo to Instagram from the time she played a pregnant teenager in the 1998 Lifetime movie Fifteen And Pregnant
Kirsten, whose credits include the movies Bring It On, Hidden Figures and The Beguiled, revealed last year that she was finally ready to be a mother.
'I wasn’t one of those 'I need a baby!"' people until my goddaughter was born,' she explained in an interview for the July 2017 issue of Marie Claire UK.
'I love her so much. That love is just like… you can’t experience that unless you have a kid,' she said. 'I put her to bed last night and she woke up this morning and said to her mom, 'Where’s Kiki?' I just love that love. That’s what I want.' |
DFI Cinema launches edge-of-the-seat thrillers | The Doha Film Institute Cinema is launching a new thematic series that will present film enthusiasts with an eclectic selection of edge-of-the-seat thrillers. Aptly titled 'Creators of Horror,' the new series will be screened from April 20 to 24, 2017, at the Museum of Islamic Art Auditorium.
Start the conversation, or Read more at The Peninsula. |
Chaseley Care Home | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
The birth of Manchester United's Busby Babes | Des Green says he will never forget how the opposition's 17-year-old captain scored a penalty in front of 3,000 spectators.
'Mark Jones stepped up, bounced the ball a couple of times, put it down and without any backlift — and they were heavy balls then — hammered it into the net.'
Green, 82, takes a wistful moment to summarise the events on that red letter day almost a lifetime ago: 'It was men against boys really. They were faster, stronger and more skilful than us.'
The two teams that competed in the game at Cae Mawr in Wales, with Manchester United on the right of the photo
As the 60th anniversary of the Munich air crash approaches, the story of the destruction of perhaps the most concentrated flowering of talent English football has seen — the Manchester United side known as the 'Busby Babes' — will be told again and again.
Eight players and three backroom staff were among those who died in the tragedy. Others were maimed beyond repair. The record shows that their last game took place on February 5, 1958, the day before the crash: a European Cup quarter-final against Red Star in Belgrade, from which they were flying home, triumphant.
A dream died in the slush on that Munich runway. But when did the Babes begin to emerge? One date and location is as unexpected as it is compelling.
Today the upper Rhondda valley in South Wales is a place of peace and beauty. The coal mines that once dominated the landscape are long closed, their spoil heaps merged into the surrounding mountains. But people there don't forget their heritage.
One relic from that time of grinding heavy industry is the football pitch at Cae Mawr, in the former pit community of Treorchy. In recent years the markings have been turned through 90 degrees to accommodate a new Co-op supermarket. But this week the field is as waterlogged and muddy as it was that day when United came to town on May 15, 1951.
United's first great post-war manager, Sir Matt Busby, did not care for the term 'Busby Babes'. He knew it detracted from the pivotal roles of others, none more so than his faithful righthand man Jimmy Murphy, a coach of genius who identified and nurtured the boys who could step up to Busby's first team and drive it to glory.
(Left to right) Manchester United coach Jimmy Murphy, Bobby Charlton, manager Sir Matt Busby and Jack Crompton
Murphy came from Pentre, the next village down the valley from Treorchy. His father had emigrated from Ireland to work in the collieries. Murphy was not destined for the pits. His school reports describe him as an excellent student who 'talks too much'. The boy also played the piano well. But what Murphy really excelled at was football. A wiry, tough wing half, he turned professional with West Bromwich Albion and played in the 1935 FA Cup final.
Then the war came. Murphy spent years in the North African desert and southern Italy with the Royal Artillery. While his army service effectively ended his playing career, it led to a chance meeting which would change not only his life but the future of English football.
Sgt Major Matt Busby came across the Welshman giving a pep talk to soldiers before an exhibition match in Bari. He was so impressed that upon his appointment to manage United later that year, Busby made Murphy his chief coach — 'the first and most important signing I ever made'.
Murphy pictured with his sons — the assistant coach was called Busby's most important signing by the manager himself
For the first 10 years of their partnership, Murphy did not deal with the first team. His task was to develop the juniors. And so it was that the local-boy-made-good brought his unheralded prodigies to the upper Rhondda to play a Pentre Boys Club select XI.
Thousands flocked to Cae Mawr. Some of them even imagined the well-regarded Pentre team could give the boys from Manchester a close match. And why not? This was the Babes a little way from the cusp of greatness. Before they were even known as the Babes.
United had yet to win a post-war championship. The inaugural FA Youth Cup, a competition which Murphy's teams would dominate for the first five seasons, would take place the following year. Duncan Edwards and Bobby Charlton, the two greatest Babes, were still at school. The cataclysm of Munich was almost seven years away. Yet the nucleus was there.
At his home in suburban Stockport, Jimmy Murphy Jnr keeps an archive of material related to his father. Among the papers he has a copy of the Pentre match programme — price threepence — and the team photograph from that day, taken from a local newspaper cutting.
Given what was to befall a number of those present, these souvenirs have come to possess a tremendous poignancy. But they also confirm Murphy Snr's ability to assemble and develop a brilliant cadre of youth.
Times have changed. Of today's United squad, only Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford are regulars who came through the ranks.
In contrast, all but one of the 11 teenagers Murphy took to South Wales in 1951 — the centre forward 'T Richie' who destroyed Pentre that day is the exception — would go on to play for the United first team or had already done so.
Jimmy Murphy Jnr shared his memories of that era of Manchester United with Sportsmail from his home in Stockport
The match squad amassed more than 1700 senior appearances between them, seven of them winning championship medals in 1955-56. One would help lift the European Cup 17 years later. There are two more sobering statistics you cannot ignore: six of the boys you see in the photograph above — Jones, Jackie Blanchflower, Ray Wood, Geoff Bent, Dennis Viollet and Bill Foulkes — would be on the plane at Munich. So too was the trainer Bert Whalley. Of these, three would be killed and another would never play again.
But in 1951 the idea of United flying to play a competitive match abroad was the stuff of dreams.
Des Green was a reserve that day. That he and three other Pentre players missed out was the cause of some discord among the Welsh lads before the game. United had asked for a quartet of promising local boys from other parts of South Wales to be allowed to turn out for Pentre. The pragmatist and talent scout supreme Murphy wanted to run the rule over them.
The souvenir programme is more diplomatic. It reads: 'Much good-humoured argument and banter regarding the quality of local footballers and those of Manchester have resulted in this visit of Jimmy's prodigies. We are sure that if there is a close game, Jimmy will be as proud as the rest of us.' Only the game wasn't remotely close. United's youngsters ran out 9-1 winners.
A photograph of the programme for the game between Manchester United Juniors and Pentre Boys' Club in 1951
Handwritten notes on Jimmy Jnr's archive programme suggest Richie scored five, Blanchflower got two. Jones got his penalty and Viollet the other. Even the Pentre reply was a United own goal, scored by Foulkes, himself a part-time collier. 'The pitch then, and now, was always heavy and muddy, but it didn't make any difference to United,' recalls Green. 'They were in a different class but there was no shame in that.'
Afterwards, the Rhondda Leader reported a 'handsome dinner' was prepared and served at the Boys Club back in Pentre by the ladies' committee. That night the Green family gave bedspace to Wood, Jones and Viollet.
The next day United went home, leaving as a gift some of the leather footballs they'd brought from Manchester. Pentre skipper Ken Poole was offered a trial at Old Trafford. Murphy Jnr used to holiday every summer in Pentre, where a blue plaque was unveiled at his father's childhood home in 2009.
The Murphy home in Manchester in the 1950s was a semi-detached in College Road, Whalley Range, walking distance from Old Trafford. Most United staff lived in modest circumstances in suburban south Manchester rather than the Cheshire palaces of today.
Coach Jimmy Murphy's childhood home — he took his United Juniors side to the waterlogged pitch at Cae Mawr in 1951
A blue plaque on Murphy's home, which was been put up to honour the former Wales captain and manager
'Our house was owned by the club,' Jimmy recalls. 'If the roof leaked you phoned United and they sent someone round to fix it.
'Every few years they'd redecorate it for you. It wasn't bad but it wasn't luxury. There were six children and a tiny kitchen.'
It was also the hub of a new footballing universe.
Visitors to College Road included future first-team stars Bobby Charlton and Wilf McGuinness — who would also manage United — John Doherty and Freddie Goodwin, who was a member of the '56 and '57 championship-winning sides.
Jeff Whitefoot, who played against Pentre, stayed with the Murphy family the night before his record-breaking United first-team debut, aged 16 years and 105 days.
Des Green of Pentre boys club in Rhondda, who was on the bench in 1951, also spoke to Sportsmail about the game
'Dad was tough and decisive. It took him five minutes to decide whether someone was good enough. His notes were written on cigarette packets and he had no time for coaching badges,' says Murphy Jnr. 'But his young players were considered to be part of our family and he was a father figure to so many of them.'
His father was not on the plane at Munich because he was also the manager of Wales, who had a World Cup qualifying play-off against Israel at Ninian Park, Cardiff, on the day of the Belgrade game.
Murphy Snr only heard about the crash from his weeping secretary when he arrived back at Old Trafford, elated from the Welsh victory. His son recalls: 'I was 15, just home from school and in the kitchen with my mother when the news came on the radio. Mum shouted, instinctively, 'Oh God, your father!' and I said, 'No Mum, he's with the Welsh team'.'
His father flew out to Munich where he met the survivors in hospital. Among them was the grievously injured Edwards, the team's 21-year-old colossus and the only player who made Charlton feel 'inadequate'. Emerging from a semi-coma, Edwards turned to Murphy and asked: 'What time is kick-off, Jimmy?' He died 15 days after the crash.
The pitch at Cae Mawr has been re-marked due to a development but is still as waterlogged as it was on that day
All three United juniors who stayed at Green's house in Pentre were on the plane. Wood and Viollet survived but Jones, the Yorkshire miner's son with the hammer-blow penalty style, was killed.
Another member of United's Pentre team, full back Bent, also died, as did the trainer and great friend of Murphy, Bert Whalley.
Blanchflower survived, but was too seriously injured to play again. Foulkes climbed from the wreckage to become one of the cornerstones upon which Busby and Murphy built a new United, winning the European Cup alongside fellow survivor Charlton in 1968.
Murphy retired in 1971, when United took another team back to Pentre, but continued to scout for the club until his death in 1989. His son maintains close links with the club. Aged 75, he doesn't often go to Old Trafford, preferring to watch United's youth and reserve teams play in the less crowded Carrington training centre, where the Jimmy Murphy Centre was opened in 2012.
The United team formed primarily of the Busby Babes — many of them tragically passed away in the Munich air disaster
Ask Murphy about Edwards and he would start to cry
There is a plaque there bearing a quote from Sir Bobby which says: 'I learnt a lot from Matt Busby and Alf Ramsey but everything I ever achieved in football I owed to one man only, Jimmy Murphy — he got to my guts, he was simply sensational.'
Murphy Jnr says: 'Sometimes someone of a certain age will call out as I pass, 'Hey Jimmy, get stuck in!' because that's what my dad used to shout to his players.
'He would have loved Paul Scholes because he put a foot in. But his favourite player, without a shadow of a doubt, was Duncan Edwards. Dad would not talk about Munich with us. But if you asked him about Edwards he would start to cry. That is what Dad felt about him.'
Jimmy and Pamela, his wife of 52 years, will be at the Huddersfield game on Saturday when the Munich anniversary is officially marked.
Asking about the talented Duncan Edwards would make Murphy Snr cry — he refused to speak about Munich
Last Tuesday he and United's assistant academy director Tony Whelan visited Yorkshire to pay their respects at the graves of the three Babes killed at Munich who hailed from the other side of the Pennines: Tommy Taylor, Jones and David Pegg. Next Sunday he will be present at the unveiling of a blue plaque at the former home in Stretford of United trainer Tom Curry, another Munich victim.
Jimmy was invited to Carrington on Friday to give a talk about his dad to the academy players and staff. His main message was: 'Work hard and make the most of this wonderful opportunity, you never know what's around the corner.'
He mentions Alick Jeffrey, a Doncaster Rovers starlet whom his father likened to Pele and was set to join United when he suffered a serious leg break in 1956 playing for an England youth side. 'Don't weep for me, think of those lads in Munich,' Jeffrey said later. 'If I hadn't broken my leg, I'd probably have been on that plane.'
Another 'what if' was Bobby Noble, the young United full back who won a championship medal alongside Charlton, Law and Best, only to have his career ended at 21 by a car crash.
But dwarfing all these individual examples of promise unfulfilled is that of the Babes. By Munich the team had already achieved great feats, but there could have been so many more. A waterlogged pitch in the upper Rhondda is where some of them took their first giant strides towards immortality.
Additional reporting: Simon Trump |
PRECIOUS-Gold at 1-month low as dollar climbs, Fed holds rates | * Fed says inflation "running close" to target
* Silver at near 4-month low
* Platinum at lowest level for 2017 (Rewrites throughout to add Fed statement, updates prices; adds comment, second byline, NEW YORK dateline)
By Marcy Nicholson and Zandi Shabalala
NEW YORK/LONDON, May 3 Gold fell to a one-month low as the dollar firmed on Wednesday, after the U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged as expected and the market reduced expectations of a surprise win by France's far-right presidential candidate.
The Fed concluded its two-day meeting with a bullish statement that downplayed weak first-quarter economic growth, said inflation has been "running close" to its target, and emphasized the strength of the labor market, in a sign it could tighten monetary policy as early as June.
Spot gold was down 0.8 percent at $1,246.76 an ounce by 2:58 p.m. EDT (1858 GMT), after falling below the 50-day and 200-day moving averages and touching its lowest since April 5 at $1,244.93.
U.S. gold futures settled down 0.7 percent at $1,248.50.
"The Fed's apparent comfort with the first-quarter slowdown and its sanguine outlook has pressured gold back to day's lows as the narrative of two more rate hikes this year remains robust," said Tai Wong, director of base and precious metals trading for BMO Capital Markets in New York.
"Gold breaking down below the 50- and 200-day moving averages today suggests that further short term losses may be likely."
As well as reducing demand for non-interest bearing gold, higher rates would make the dollar-denominated metal more expensive for buyers paying with other currencies.
Traders are pricing in a 70 percent chance of a June rate increase, according to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool.
"Attention will now turn to Friday's payrolls to get the ball rolling on that front," said Royce Mendes, director and senior economist at CIBC Capital Markets in Toronto.
The dollar index firmed 0.3 percent.
In the French elections, centrist Emmanuel Macron said French voters should expect verbal "hand-to-hand" combat when he and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen face off in a televised debate on Wednesday evening.
Fears that Le Pen could sweep to a surprise victory had buoyed gold in recent sessions due to its safe-haven appeal.
"There is a clear lead by Macron ... so there is less need to hold gold," said Quantitative Commodity Research analyst Peter Fertig.
In other precious metals, spot silver was on track for its most technically oversold level on the 14-day relative strength index since November 2014. It was down 1.4 percent at $16.567 per ounce, after touching the lowest since January 11 at $16.48.
Platinum sank to $896.35, the lowest in 2017, before moderating to trade 2.1 percent lower at $903.25.
Palladium slipped 1.9 percent to $799.25. (Additional reporting By Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru, editing by David Evans and Chizu Nomiyama) |
Kosmos Energy to plug offshore Mauritania well | Dec 12 (Reuters) - Kosmos Energy Ltd said it would plug one of its exploration wells offshore Mauritania after it failed to find significant amount of oil and gas.
Evaluation of logs and samples collected during drilling and wireline operations suggests the Campanian reservoir objective was water-bearing with some residual hydrocarbons, Kosmos said.
“We are still in the early stages of exploring this newly emerging basin and our forward drilling program remains unchanged given the independent nature of the prospects,” Chief Executive Andrew Inglis said in a statement. (Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier) |
Tough British retail market hits Card Factory's... | May 31 (Reuters) - Card Factory Plc reported a 0.4 percent fall in first-quarter like for like sales, marking a reverse from the growth enjoyed in the previous 12 months, as the weak demand on the British high street took a toll.
Card Factory, which had reported full-year comparable sales growth of 2.9 percent in April, said it had suffered in the three months to April 30 as fewer customers went shopping in general.
"We have had a solid start to the year with further sales growth despite an ongoing sector trend of subdued footfall, which impacted the like-for-like performance," Chief Executive Karen Hubbard said.
The company had said in April that it attracted more customers to its high-street stores. But many retailers were affected in March by bad weather which kept shoppers at home.
Card Factory left its full-year outlook unchanged and said it was on track to open about 50 stores in the full year.
The company said overall sales rose 3 percent helped by Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, adding that it opened 10 new stores during the quarter.
Card Factory said revenues at Cardfactory.co.uk, which sells cards for special occasions from 99 pence, is growing strongly.
In its annual report, Card Factory said sales for everyday occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries contributed nearly 54 percent of its overall revenue while the rest came from small gifts like soft toys and party products.
Gettingpersonal.com, its smaller online business that sells personalised gifts ranging from mugs and frames to even wine, has been hurt by steep discounting and the higher cost of attracting customers.
"Trading performance at Getting Personal has continued to be disappointing", the company said. (Reporting by Sangameswaran S in Bengaluru; editing by Kate Holton) |
Dallas Stars Projected Surprisingly High In 2018 Stanley Cup Odds | After the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched the Stanley Cup on Sunday night, Las Vegas released the updated odds for the 2018 Stanley Cup. The Dallas Stars are a lot higher on the list than you might expect.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Blackout Dallas. |
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Julianne Hough flaunts toned torso in red sports bra and black leggings after workout in LA | She's a professional dancer who is known for her impressive physique.
And Julianne Hough showed off her toned figure on Wednesday as she left the gym in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The 29-year-old multihyphenate's toned torso was visible between her red sports bra and black leggings.
Julianne Hough showed off her toned figure on Wednesday as she left the gym in Studio City
Julianne wore a sheer white jacket on top of her workout attire that was ideal for a day that would climb into the 80s.
She completed her athletic look with a pair of black running shoes and looked slender.
Carrying a blue thermos in one hand, Julianne was all smiles as she headed to her vehicle.
She pulled on a pair of dark aviators and twirled her red-kissed tresses into a high bun.
All smiles: The 29-year-old multihyphenate's toned torso was visible between her red sports bra and black leggings
Hitting the gym: Julianne wore a sheer white jacket on top of her workout attire that was ideal for a day that would climb into the 80s
Work it out: She completed her athletic look with a pair of black running shoes and looked slender
It looked to be a solo gym session for the two-time Dancing with the Stars champion, since she was not scene with her husband Brooks Laich, 35.
On Tuesday, the couple shared a workout session together, and the Will You Dance With Me singer took to Instagram to share a hilarious video of what happened.
In the clip, the professional hockey player, dressed in typical gym wear, worked out his leg muscles by squatting a 135 pound bar.
While he's doing that, his blonde bombshell wife is seen dancing in the background.
She also shakes her booty and playfully slaps her beau's backside while he's focusing on his workout.
Dance yourself clean: It looked to be a solo gym session for the two-time Dancing with the Stars champion, since she was not scene with her husband Brooks Laich, 35
Stronger: On Tuesday, the couple shared a workout session together, and the Will You Dance With Me singer took to Instagram to share a hilarious video of what happened
Julianne and Brooks started dating in February 2014, following her breakup with the Ryan Seacrest.
The couple announced their engagement in August of 2015.
They got married in July of last year, and will be celebrating their first anniversary on July 8. |
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Fundraising shortfall leads United Way to cut programs | The United Way of Amarillo &Canyon announced a 31 percent cut, across the board, this week for 2016-2017 community allocations. New programs that applied for funding had to be turned away, and existing programs dropped from 33 to 26. All of this is the effect of a drop in community donations, by as much as $300,000, for United Way's annual campaign and an increase in specified donations.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Amarillo.com. |
U.S. Treasury official says no decisions on formal China talks | BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury’s top economic diplomat said on Sunday that China’s move away from market liberalization was an increasing concern for G20 economies but reversed an earlier statement that the United States had ended formal economic dialogue talks with Beijing.
David Malpass, Under Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, gestures during the 2018 G20 Conference entitled "The G20 Agenda Under the Argentine Presidency", in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 18, 2018. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian
David Malpass, Undersecretary for International Affairs, told reporters that there had been no decisions made about the future of the “Comprehensive Economic Dialogue” after meetings between U.S. and Chinese officials in July 2017 had “stalled.”
Malpass, a former Bear Stearns chief economist, said he misspoke when he told an Institute of International Finance meeting earlier on Sunday that the United States had discontinued the CED “because there wasn’t a path back toward market orientation.”
He said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin continues to engage senior Chinese officials in private, personal discussions “in order to try to bring the focus back to market liberalization.”
The conflicting statements over the future of U.S.-China economic relations comes ahead of a tense Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors’ meeting in Buenos Aires, where the frustrations over U.S. President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs and a potential U.S.-China trade war threaten to dominate discussions.
The Trump administration is also said to be preparing punitive tariffs against up to $60 billion worth of Chinese information technology, telecoms and consumer products to try to force changes in Beijing’s intellectual property and investment practices.
However, Malpass did not specifically mention the Trump administration’s “Section 301” investigation into China’s intellectual property practices, including investment policies that effectively require technology transfers to Chinese joint venture partners.
But at the IIF conference, he did criticize China’s investment rules that restrict access for foreign firms, saying this “makes it very hard for the world to invest in China” in ways that are compatible with the investor country’s laws.
Malpass also told the conference that an increasing amount of state control over China’s economy, coupled with the end of term limits for President Xi Jinping, was “worrisome to the world.”
He said “having such a big economy in the world move away from markets has not been good for us and the world and will continue to cause difficulty.”
“Our invitation is for the world to recognize this and also for China to recognize this commercially and move toward freedom and market orientation,” he told the IIF conference that coincides with the G20 meeting on Monday and Tuesday.
“This is completely an unworkable and non-reciprocal arrangement,” he said.
Regarding currencies, Malpass said that relative stability, partly brought about by broad global growth, had lessened the need for intensive discussions on the matter.
“One of the things we have is synchronized global growth and the currencies are relatively stable, so that is part of good policies in many countries around the world and that encourages growth and investment,” Malpass said. “So I think we have a context where there’s less criticality to the discussion of the exchange rates.” |
Rathfriland Manor | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
The Oaks Private Residential Home | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
BRIEF-Banca Generali names Tommaso Di Russo head of CFO & strategy area | Uber's open COO job in the spotlight amid leadership void
SAN FRANCISCO, June 14 With Chief Executive Travis Kalanick taking a leave of absence from Uber Technologies Inc, the vacant job of chief operating officer takes on a lot more importance as the company frames the position as key to solving its woes. |
Attwood's Manor Care Home | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
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RBS's Williams & Glyn management quit as EU probes alternative to sell-off | FILE PHOTO: A flag flies above the head office of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in St Andrew Square in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, September 11, 2014. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo
LONDON Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) announced on Wednesday that the team managing its Williams & Glyn division of branches are leaving after the bank abandoned its seven-year-old plan to sell it to meet regulatory obligations.
Jim Brown, the chief executive of the Williams & Glyn division for the last two years, will step down next month, according to an internal memo sent to staff.
Other senior managers at Williams & Glyn including its Chief Financial Officer Leigh Bartlett, Chief Operating Officer Chris Davis and Chief Risk Officer Rick Hunkin, are also leaving.
Paul Fox, the managing director of retail and business banking at Williams & Glyn, will step up to head the remaining team, the memo said.
The British government earlier this year asked the European Commission to free RBS from its obligation to create a challenger bank for small businesses, one of the conditions set by the EU for approving its state rescue in 2008, and instead proposed alternative measures to meet its obligations.
"Jim Brown and the senior team that supported him were brought in to create a standalone challenger bank," RBS said in a statement. "As this is no longer happening, Jim and some members of the existing executive team will be leaving."
European regulators originally ordered the sale of the unit to prevent RBS from having an unfair advantage after receiving the world's biggest bank bailout at the height the 2007-2009 global financial crisis.
(Reporting By Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Greg Mahlich) |
MOVES-First State Investments hires head of high yield fixed income team | April 10 Asset management company First State Investments has hired Matt Philo to lead its newly launched high yield team as part of its plan to expand its global fixed income business.
Philo, who will be based in New York, will head a team of five investment professionals and collaborate with the company's fixed income teams across the United States, Asia and EMEA.
Previously Philo was executive managing director/head of high yield at MacKay Shields LLC, with responsibility for over $22 billion in group assets. (Reporting by Laharee Chatterjee in Bengaluru) |
BRIEF-Nextera Energy Partners Preliminary Qtrly Total Operating Revenues $212 Mln Vs $198 Mln | April 24 (Reuters) - Nextera Energy Inc:
* NEXTERA ENERGY PARTNERS LP - PRELIMINARY Q1 2018 EARNINGS PER COMMON UNIT ATTRIBUTABLE TO NEXTERA ENERGY PARTNERS LP OF $1.21
* NEXTERA ENERGY PARTNERS LP - PRELIMINARY QTRLY TOTAL OPERATING REVENUES $212 MILLION VERSUS $198 MILLION
* NEXTERA ENERGY PARTNERS LP - SEES ANNUALIZED RATE OF Q4 2018 DISTRIBUTION TO BE IN A RANGE OF $1.81 TO $1.86 PER COMMON UNIT
* NEXTERA ENERGY PARTNERS - NOW EXPECTS 12-15 PERCENT/YEAR GROWTH IN LIMITED PARTNER DISTRIBUTIONS AS “REASONABLE RANGE OF EXPECTATIONS” THROUGH AT LEAST 2023 Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: |
Sir Winton Turnbull: Changi prisoner who became Mallee MP | MEMBER for Mallee Andrew Broad has paid tribute to the first man to represent the electorate Sir Winton Turnbull on the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore. Sir Winton was captured by the Japanese during the fall of Singapore and spent three and a half years as a prisoner of war at Changi before returning home to eventually become the first federal Member for Mallee.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Wimmera Mail-Times. |
Fitch Affirms Aflac's Ratings; Revises IFS Outlook to Stable | (The following statement was released by the rating agency) CHICAGO, May 02 (Fitch) Fitch Ratings has affirmed Aflac Inc.'s (Aflac) primary life insurance subsidiaries' Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) ratings at 'A+' and revised the Outlook to Stable from Negative. Fitch has affirmed Aflac's Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'A' and senior debt ratings at 'A-'. The Rating Outlook is Stable. A full list of rating actions follows at the end of this release. KEY RATING DRIVERS Today's actions follow Fitch's affirmation of Japan's Long-Term IDR at 'A' and the revision of its Outlook to Stable (see 'Fitch Revises Outlook on Japan to Stable; Affirms at 'A'', dated April 27, 2017, at www.fitchratings.com). Fitch views Aflac's ratings as partially constrained by Fitch's sovereign rating for Japan and does not envision Aflac's ratings at levels more than one notch higher than the Japanese sovereign. The constraint reflects Aflac's exposure to the Japanese economy. Aflac Japan comprises more than two-thirds of Aflac's assets, capital and profitability. While Aflac benefits from strong global diversification from its U.S. operations, the company is exposed to continued weak macroeconomic conditions. Exposure to Japan also considers the company's investment concentration in Japan government bonds, which are susceptible to further downgrade in the Japan sovereign rating. The affirmation of Aflac's ratings reflect the company's extremely strong competitive position in the supplemental accident and health insurance markets in Japan and the U.S., extremely strong earnings profile and very strong capitalization. The ratings also consider operating challenges associated with the ongoing low interest rate environment and exposure to the Japan economy. RATING SENSITIVITIES Key rating triggers that could result in a downgrade include: --A downgrade of Japan's sovereign rating (local currency) to 'A-' or lower (currently 'A'/Outlook Stable); --Significant investment impairments or losses in Aflac's capital position; --A decline in Aflac's run-rate pre-tax operating margin below 17% in Japan or 15% in U.S.; --A significant increase in either operating (greater than 16x) or financial leverage (greater than 30%); --NAIC RBC less than 400%, a Prism capital model score below 'Extremely Strong' or SMR sustained below 800%. An upgrade of Aflac's ratings could result from an upgrade of Japan's Long-Term Local Currency IDR to 'A+' or higher. FULL LIST OF RATING ACTIONS Fitch has affirmed the following ratings and revised the Outlook to Stable from Negative: Aflac Inc. --Long-Term IDR at 'A'; --2.4% USD550 million senior notes due March 16, 2020 at 'A-' --4% USD350 million senior notes due Feb. 15, 2022 at 'A-'; --3.625% USD700 million senior notes due June 2023 at 'A-'; --3.625% USD750 million senior notes due Nov. 15, 2024 at 'A-'; --3.25% USD450 million senior notes due March 17, 2025 at 'A-'; --2.875% USD300 million senior notes due Oct. 15, 2026 at 'A-'; --0.932% JPY60 billion senior unsecured notes due 2027 at 'A-' --6.9% USD400 million senior notes due Dec. 17, 2039 at 'A-'; --6.45% USD450 million senior notes due Aug. 15, 2040 at 'A-'; --4.00% USD400 million senior notes due Oct. 15, 2046 at 'A-'; --5.5% USD500 million junior subordinated debentures due Sept. 15, 2052 at 'BBB'. Fitch has affirmed the following ratings with a Stable Outlook: American Family Life Assurance Co. of Columbus American Family Life Assurance Co. of New York Aflac Japan --IFS at 'A+'. Contacts: Primary Analyst Dafina M. Dunmore, CFA Director +1-312-368-3136 Fitch Ratings, Inc. 70 W. Madison Street Chicago, IL 60602 Secondary Analyst Nelson Ma, CFA Director +1-212-908-0273 Tertiary Analyst Teruki Morinaga Director +81 3 3288 2781 Committee Chairperson Keith M. Buckley, CFA Managing Director +1-312-368-3211 Media Relations: Hannah James, New York, Tel: + 1 646 582 4947, Email: hannah.james@fitchratings.com. Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com Applicable Criteria Insurance Rating Methodology (pub. 26 Apr 2017) here Additional Disclosures Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form here Solicitation Status here#solicitation Endorsement Policy here ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. 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Civic campaign expert: Anticorruption protests are too ambitious | Smer will not permit serious personnel changes simply due to students' protests, according to expert on civic campaigns, Juraj Rizman. Students organising protests against corruption did not choose the best possible strategy, according to expert on civic campaigns, Juraj Rizman of Via Iuris NGO.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Slovak Spectator. |
Redick, Sixers close out Heat | JJ Redick scored 27 points to lift the Philadelphia 76ers past the visiting Miami Heat 104-91 to clinch the teams' first-round playoff series in five games Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Redick scored 20 or more points in consecutive playoff games for the first time in his career as the Sixers advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2012.
Joel Embiid scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Ben Simmons had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Marco Belinelli chipped in with 11 points and Robert Covington had 10.
Kelly Olynyk led the Heat with 18 points, Tyler Johnson added 16 and Goran Dragic had 15. Justise Winslow scored 12 points and Dwyane Wade had 11.
Redick hit a long 3-pointer as the Sixers surged ahead 85-69 with 10:17 remaining. On Philadelphia's next possession, Embiid sank a jumper from the wing, and the lead was 87-69.
Despite playing with a sore thumb, Johnson gave the Heat a bit of a spark with a 3-pointer to close Miami within 87-72. Yet the Heat still trailed by 15 with 8:50 left.
Another trey by Johnson from the baseline cut the deficit to 87-75. A layup by Wade capped a 10-0 run and sliced the advantage to 87-79.
Johnson fouled out with 4:53 left when he hit Belinelli across the arm.
After the Sixers went up 11, Wayne Ellington hit a 3-pointer to get Miami back within 95-87. Redick's triple with 2:07 left secured the win as the Sixers pulled out to a 100-89 advantage.
The Sixers picked up the pace and outscored Miami 34-20 in the third quarter to take an 80-66 lead.
The Heat tied the game at 46 just before halftime when Dragic knocked down a 15-foot jumper. Dragic led Miami with 10 first-half points.
Embiid, who was making his home debut in the playoffs, paced the Sixers with 11 points and seven rebounds before halftime.
--Field Level Media |
U.S. Air Force extends F-16 fighter's service life | April 12 The U.S. Air Force will extend the service life of its F-16 fighter jet to 12,000 Equivalent Flight Hours, much more than the aircraft's original service life of 8,000 hours.
Validation of the extended flight hour limit will help extend the service life of up to 300 F-16C/D Block 40-52 aircraft, Lockheed Martin Corp, which makes the F-16, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Following the extension, the U.S. Air Force could safely operate Block 40-52 aircraft to 2048 and beyond.
The F-16 service extension comes as the U.S. looks to save costs on its key weapons program, including the F-35 fighter jet. (Reporting by Rachit Vats in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila) |
BRIEF-General Mills says Kendall Powell's FY 2017 total compensation was $9.2 mln | Aug 14 (Reuters) - General Mills Inc
* Says Kendall J. Powell's FY 2017 total compensation was $9.2 million versus about $11 million in FY 2016 - SEC filing
* Jeffrey Harmening, who replaced Powell as CEO as of June 1, 2017, earned $4.6 million in 2017 as COO
* Powell is currently Chairman of co Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: |
BRIEF-Oxley Holdings posts qtrly revenue of S$386.5 mln | Divide over listing location slows Aramco IPO - WSJ
June 14 Saudi Aramco's planned 2018 public share offering is being slowed down by a divide between Saudi Arabia's ruling family and executives of the kingdom's state oil company over where to list its shares, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. |
BRIEF-Medine reports HY pre-tax profit 126.2 mln rupees | BRIEF-Automotive Solutions Group updates on FY17 outlook
* ASG's prospectus forecast is for FY17 revenue to increase by 7% to $42.7 million |
New Indian land laws to expedite projects hurt farmers, activists say | New Indian land laws to expedite projects hurt farmers, activists say
By Rina Chandran
MUMBAI, Jan 2 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Farmers and activists are protesting legislative efforts in two south Indian states that would make it easier to acquire land for infrastructure projects, as the battle for scarce land in the country becomes more contentious.
Andhra Pradesh state will introduce a law to accelerate land acquisitions for "public purposes", Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said over the weekend.
Neighbouring Telangana state last week passed a law that drops the federal requirements for public consensus and a social impact study for land acquired for infrastructure projects.
"Telangana's new law shuts the doors on farmers and other vulnerable communities who depend on the land for their livelihood," said Kiran Kumar Vissa at Rythu Swarajya Vedika, an umbrella organisation of non-profits focused on agriculture.
"It puts all the power in the hands of the state and wealthy land owners. The state will become nothing but a real estate agent for corporations."
His organisation has held protests in Telangana's capital Hyderabad, and plans a statewide campaign against the law, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao defended the new law, saying India's 2013 Land Acquisition Act had slowed Telangana's development projects.
"It is not possible to do development projects without taking land. We have a right to amend the act," Rao said.
Land-related conflict is the main reason behind stalled industrial and development projects in India, affecting millions of people and putting billions of dollars of investment at risk, according to a recent report.
Federal law requires consensus to buy land, a social impact assessment, rehabilitation for those displaced, and compensation up to four times the market value.
States including Rajasthan and Gujarat have introduced laws that dilute some of the federal law's provisions.
Activists say states' ability to bypass these requirements sets a dangerous precedent, dismantling vital checks and balances.
The All India Kisan Sabha, a union fighting for peasants' and farmers' rights, has also held protests.
India has introduced several land laws in the past decade to give the vulnerable more rights, but many of these laws are diluted and do not protect poor farmers enough, activists say.
In Telangana, protests had erupted over the state's plan to acquire land for a reservoir with its controversial GO123 order that diluted several conditions of the federal law.
Andhra Pradesh recently introduced a land pooling scheme for its capital city Amaravati that activists say puts pressure on owners to give up their land.
The proposed new law gives the state even greater power, said E.A.S. Sarma, a land rights activist.
"In the name of expediting infrastructure projects, the new law does away with key safeguards," he said.
"The proposed amendments are highly regressive, anti-farmer and facilitate human rights violations. You can expect to see more protests." |
Busloads of migrants from 'caravan' arrive at U.S.-Mexico border | TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - Dozens of Central American migrants from about 600 traveling in a “caravan” through Mexico arrived at the border city of Tijuana late on Tuesday despite warnings it would be futile to try to cross to claim asylum in the United States.
A group of Central American migrants, moving in a caravan through Mexico, get on a microbus to get to the office of Mexico's National Institute of Migration to start the legal process and get temporary residence status for humanitarian reasons, in Hermosillo, Sonora state, Mexico April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
By evening, two busloads of men, women and children arrived in Tijuana, a city that grazes southern California.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered officials to repel them.
The arrivals spilled into the streets and gazed toward San Diego, visible at spots through a rusty barrier or across a pedestrian bridge, exhausted after their trek that began a month ago near Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala.
A group of Central American migrants, moving in a caravan through Mexico, ask for money to get on a microbus to the office of Mexico's National Institute of Migration to start the legal process and get temporary residence status for humanitarian reasons, in Hermosillo, Sonora state, Mexico April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
Another four busloads were making their way north from Hermosillo, a city 432 miles south of the border, where the migrants had been stalled for days.
Many who fled their homes in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras because of what they described as lethal threats or political persecution have clung to the hope of receiving asylum in the United States. But their prospects dimmed after U.S. authorities released statements on Monday saying they would driven back.
Slideshow (5 Images)
Rodrigo Abeja, a coordinator from immigrant rights group Pueblo Sin Fronteras that has been organizing similar caravans for several years, said the caravan planned to regroup before making any decisions.
“They will wait for all those seeking asylum to be together,” Abeja said.
A third group, resigned to staying in Mexico, awaited processing for year-long visas by immigration authorities in Hermosillo.
Traveling as a group for safety, their numbers were down from a peak of about 1,500 people, dwindling under the twin pressures of waiting for transportation and attacks by Trump, who began lashing out at the caravan on Twitter in early April.
After Trump’s comments, Mexican authorities stalled the caravan in a southern town and began handing out temporary visas that gave them legal status to travel to the border. |
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United Airlines CEO forgoes 2017 bonus, board chairman to step down | NEW YORK (Reuters) - United Airlines’ (UAL.N) chief executive decided to do without his 2017 annual bonus and the carrier’s board chairman will step down, United said in a regulatory filing on Monday, amid ongoing fallout surrounding its customer-service failures.
FILE PHOTO: A United Airlines Boeing 737-900ER plane takes off from Los Angeles International airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California, U.S. March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
United Chief Executive Officer Oscar Munoz requested that he not be given his performance-based 2017 bonus payment, the company said. The airline also slashed other executive bonuses by 20 to 30 percent as part of an incentive program designed to tie executive compensation more directly to improved customer satisfaction.
“I felt it was important to send a message about the culture of accountability and integrity that we are building here as a United team,” Munoz said in a letter to employees on Monday.
“We had some incredible successes in 2017 but also some setbacks.”
Oscar Munoz, CEO of United Airlines, discusses his vision for the company, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski
United, the third-largest U.S. carrier by passenger traffic, suffered a public-relations debacle last year when a video of a passenger being violently dragged from his flight went viral. The April 2017 incident sparked widespread consumer outrage and prompted intervention by the U.S. Congress. [L1N1HZ25Y]
In response to the episode, Munoz’s employment agreement was amended last year to reverse his planned 2018 appointment to board chairman, instead leaving “future determinations related to the Chairman position to the discretion of the Board.”
In the months since, the airline has struggled to regain consumer and investor trust, as missteps continued into the new year.
Last month, the death of a puppy in the overhead bin of one of its flights renewed public criticism of the airline and attracted the unwanted attention of federal regulators, including the introduction of a bill in Congress to regulate more tightly in-flight storage of animals.
In the Monday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, United said two board members, Chairman Robert Milton and director Laurence Simmons, would step down.
United gave no reason for the moves, and a company representative declined to elaborate.
The board will elect a new independent chairman, but will not replace the head count, reducing the size of the group to 14 directors from 16.
In 2017, Munoz’s total compensation was $9.56 million, including a base salary of $1.25 million and $7.84 million in stock awards.
Shares of United Continental Holdings Inc were down 3.6 percent at $67.77 on Tuesday afternoon. |
Orioles Pitcher Chris Tillman Out for Opening Day | It's WJZ Maryland's News Station. Click here for WJZ news stories Contact us with your tips, questions, comments & concerns! WJZ-TV anchors and reporters Send us your weather and news photos Find out what is on WJZ-TV! Address: WJZ-TV 3725 Malden Avenue Baltimore, Maryland [...] 105.7 The Fan VISIT THE 105.7 THE FAN HOMEPAGE Welcome to 105.7 The FAN on CBSBaltimore.com.105.7 along with WJZ-TV and CBS Sports Radio 1300 give you the best Baltimore has to offer.
Start the conversation, or Read more at CBS Local. |
Young boy launches into rant against Colombian team during match | A seven-year-old boy has launched into an hilarious rant at Colombia players aggressive tactics towards the England team last night.
Hunter Sampson Rasmussen, 7, declared that he would not be watching the rest of the game citing that it was 'unfair' that the players were allowed off with yellow cards rather than 'getting red ones' or 'being disqualified.'
Little Hunter was venting his frustration to his mother Carly, 38, in their living room in Eastbourne while she was engaged in a group chat with her mother and sister.
The family members were messaging each other throughout the tense match when Carly caught the hilarious footage.
Teary-eyed, Hunter can be seen crouched behind the sofa during his tirade.
'If they want to win, punching people, then I am not watching, they got a yellow card instead of a red card, that's not fair!' he proclaims.
'One of them should be going off the pitch and staying off the pitch.
'Get a red card card or just be disqualified!'
In last night's match, Colombia got six yellow cards against England in the last 16 match, the most any team has received in the tournament so far.
Many England fans – including Hunter – were furious when Wilmar Barrios was only given a yellow card for apparently headbutting Jordan Henderson
At one point, Colombian player Juan Cuadrado apparently head-butted Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, infuriating the England midfielder in a spat that would rumble on throughout and infuriate England fans.
Carly said: I recorded him as I have a group chat with my family, including my Nan who is a massive football fan.
'We were both messaging with my sister throughout that game, and as Hunter had already been expressing his upset, I knew my Nan would love to see how passionately he was about it.
'Hunter’s Dad Michael is passionate football fan, always played football, and is a lifelong fan, and former season ticket holding of Ipswich Town FC.
Little Hunter, 7, told his mother Carly that he wouldn't be watching the rest of the match because of the aggressive tactics against Three Lions
'Michael is Danish, but has always been an Anglophile, and followed English football and plays football locally twice a week.'
Speaking about her passionate child, she said that Hunter is a funny, charming, caring, boy, and smart young man, with 'loads of empathy.'
'He’s always been able to articulate his feelings and emotions with clarity, in particular he’s always been passionate about what is right and fair. So his reaction was of no surprise to us.
'He watched until about halfway through the second half, but was becoming a bit too upset and stressed out by it.
The footage shows Hunter crouched behind the couch and crying to his mother, pictured left with Hunter, that the Colombian players should have got red cards or got 'disqualified'
'Plus he was getting tired, so we put him to bed, but he made us promise to tell him if we won. Though at the end of the game, I tried to wake him to tell him we won, but he was in such a deep sleep I couldn’t wake him. So Michael told him this morning.
'He’s just really gotten into the World Cup and he’s watched all of the England and Denmark games. But has definitely shown the most interest in England, obviously.
'He’s really admired Harry Kane in particular and always points him out, and cheers for him.' |
Australia to see first same-sex couple divorce under laws | Two women are set to become the first couple in Australia to file for a same-sex divorce under new laws.
The couple married in 2015 at a consulate in Perth under the laws of a European country, where same-sex marriage was already legal.
However, the marriage broke down and the pair separated, before finding it difficult to divorce under Australia's former marriage laws.
Two Perth women are set to become the first couple in Australia to file for a same-sex divorce under new laws after marrying at a European consulate in 2015 (Pictured is a mock ceremony in Victoria following a Marriage Equality rally)
One of the woman drafted solicitor Maria Loukas and barrister Teresa Farmer to find out her options and whether it was possible at all.
'The difficulty for this particular couple was having married under legislation of a European country, they couldn't access the divorce system in that country because they weren't residents in that country - neither of them were,' Ms Farmer told the ABC.
Ms Loukas said her client had reportedly been caused a great deal of anxiety and stress because of the situation as she was not 'able to move on with her life'.
'It's been about not being able to tidy up the end of something to be able to start fresh somewhere else...She's been held back in many ways,' she said.
One of the woman drafted solicitor Maria Loukas (left) and barrister Teresa Farmer (right) to find out her options and whether it was possible at all
Amendments to legislation now means the Perth couple's union is recognised in their home country - as is their eligibility to file for divorce
Australia's new same-sex marriage act came into effect on Saturday, with thousands of gay couples heading to registry offices around the country to file their intention to marry.
Amendments to the legislation now mean the Perth couple's union is recognised in their home country - as is their eligibility to file for divorce.
Ms Farmer said the pair are now 'no different to any other married couple'.
It comes after the United Nations found Australia violated international human rights by not allowing same-sex couples wed overseas to divorce.
The decision handed down in August concerned an Australian woman who married in Canada in 2004 and was unable to be legally divorced from her partner.
Australia's new same-sex marriage act came into effect on Saturday, with thousands of gay couples heading to registry offices around the country to file their intention to marry (Pictured are MP's celebrating the bill's passing in parliament) |
BRIEF-Bell FY sales up 20.3 pct to CHF 3.39 bln | Germany working to ensure Opel plants remain open-labour minister
BERLIN, Feb 15 The German government is holding talks with General Motors and Peugeot to ensure that Opel's three plants in Germany remain open should the U.S. carmaker succeed in selling its European unit to the French company, Labour Minister Andrea Nahles said on Wednesday. |
Supreme Court hears plea for Vande Mataram 'equal status' | Cinema audiences do not need to stand when the National Anthem is played as part of the storyline of a film, newsreel or documentary, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday.
It comes after a row broke out over an order in November last year making it mandatory for cinema-goers across the country to stand up for the National Anthem.
And the court's clarification was made as it accepted a plea by Supreme Court lawyer Sanjeev Bhatnagar which said 'equal respect and status' should be given to India's National Anthem as well as the national song Vande Mataram.
Clarification was made as the court accepted a plea asking for 'equal respect and status' to be shown to India's national song Vande Mataram
The plea was one of several intervention applications filed by people following the order calling on the public to show respect by standing up in cinemas.
One of the petitions even termed the order 'popcorn nationalism'.
Agreeing to hear all the pleas together on April 18, Justice Misra made it categorical to Bhatnagar that he will not be allowed to delve too much into history and should restrict himself only to legal debate on the issue.
There has been some concern that people could be targeted for not 'respecting' the anthem.
An earlier hearing heard from physically challenged or handicapped people who felt unable to go to the cinema as they couldn't stand during the National Anthem
'We cannot get into all that. Yes, you have made some good research. But there is a lot of difference between intellectual curiosity and legal debate. You have to draw a distinction between the two. Remember, we have only one National Anthem and do not propagate theories here,' SC told Bhatnagar.
This was after Bhatnagar argued that a decision on equal respect to anthem and National Song required an intervention by the SC because 'clearly the role of Vande Mataram has been referred by the Constituent Assembly as it has played a historic part in the struggle in the Indian Freedom'.
'The author Tagore conceded in his own letters written in 1937 he gave his composition Bharat Bhagya Vidhata to then Congress officials in 1911 and his composition was dedicated to the almighty (Brahmo Samaj).
'If the song was for almighty (Brahmo Samaj) then how it can be regarded patriotic is not understandable. In fact it appears that we are following blindly and have completely misconceived of the contents and spirit of the Bengali song Bharat Bhagya Vidhata,' he argued. |
Smartphone ratings place Samsung Galaxy S8 family first | In the battle of the smartphones, Samsung reigns supreme.
Consumer Reports has released its smartphone ratings analysis, which had found Galaxy S8+ is the best handset on the market, followed shortly after by its smaller counterpart, the Galaxy S8.
The report cited the devices' 'stunning camera, long battery life, and gorgeous display' as what brought them to the top and beating its rival Apple's iPhone 7 Plus, which placed fifth.
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Consumer Reports has released its smartphone ratings analysis, which had found Galaxy S8+ (left) best handset on the market, followed shortly after by its smaller counterpart, the Galaxy S8 (right)
TOP 5 SMARTPHONES 1. Samsung Galaxy S8+ 2. Samsung Galaxy S8 3. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 4. LG G6 5. iPhone 7 Plus
The findings from Consumer Reports shows the Samsung Galaxy S8+ ranked as the top smartphone, closely followed by the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S7 Edge and LG G6.
Samsung had released its long-awaited Galaxy S8 family a few months following its unforgettable Note 7 fiasco – hoping the smartphones would repair its tarnished name.
And it seems that the Galaxy S8 and S8+ were in fact the South Korean firm's saving grace, as the release from Consumer Reports deemed them 'top dog' in the industry.
'If you want a stunning camera, long battery life, and gorgeous display in a water-resistant package, one of these could be the right phone for you,' Jerry Beilinson withConsumer Reports shared.
'You just have to be willing to spend the rent money on it: The S8+ starts at about $840, and the S8 at around $720.'
Although it may be hard for some users to believe Samsung was able to take the top spot, Beilinson has attributed the victory to the smartphone's overhauled design.
The Galaxy S8 duo are without bezels on the side - the each have thin ones located at the top and bottom.
The Consumer Reports Lab had conducted an analysis on the batteries and found the Galaxy S8+ hit 26 hours, and the S8 (pictured) reached 23 hours of talk-time. The team also deemed the smartphones to have the best cameras
And although Samsung has been able to create a minimalist look, it is believed to still support a modern and elegant feel.
Another important addition was increasing the size of the screen, but keeping sticking with the same-size device as previous models.
The S8 and S8+ were also designed to be taller and narrower when held in portrait than previous variants – allowing for an easier hold when snapping a selfie.
While typical smartphones have an aspect ratio of 16:9, the new Samsung handsets have an aspect ratio of 18.5:9.
SAMSUNG IRIS SCANNER HACK Using 'a good digital with 200mm-lens' at about 16 feet (5m) from the phone owner, the team snapped the picture and then printed it out with a laser print that so was also manufactured by Samsung. But to make it look more realistic, the hackers thought of adding a contact lens on top of the print out – this 'emulated the curvature of a real eye's surface'. And when he held up the photo in front of the iris scanner, the Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone instantly unlocked.
'Those numbers may not sound terribly different, but when you hold either phone in your hand, it feels novel: easy to grasp even if you have a small grip, but with lots of screen real estate,' explained Beilinson.
'The S8 is 5.8 inches diagonally (that's the way screens are measured), while the S8+ is 6.2 inches.'
'Those are huge numbers by phone standards.'
However, because of the larger sizes, users will find that they may need to hold the devices with two hands.
'Even on the smaller model, it will be hard for most users to reach the upper regions of the screen with their thumb,' said lead phone tester Richard Fisco.
The iPhone 7 Plus (pictured) was recognized for its top-end dual rear-facing camera, although it placed fifth in the Consumer Reports smartphone ratings
Although the repositioning of the fingerprint scanner to the back made room for the edge-to-edge screen, some users have found that the rear-camera is being constantly smudged, as you have to 'poke around to locate it'.
The Samsung Note 7 blunder had been blamed on the smartphone's faulty batteries and the firm was set on showing the world it had learned its lesson – which seems to have worked.
Beilinson had noted that the batteries used in the Galaxy S8 and S8+ seemed to have been spared and were actually found to increase the life of the device.
The Consumer Reports Lab had conducted an analysis on the batteries and found the Galaxy S8+ hit 26 hours, and the S8 reached 23 hours of talk-time.
In a test of battery life while the phone is receiving and transmitting data over an LTE network, the S8+ lasted 17.5 hours, and the smaller phone lasted 14.5 hours.
'If battery life is really the most important thing to you, bigger phones are generally better,' Fisco said.
'But of course they also tend to weigh more. It's a tradeoff.'
The cameras in both the Samsung handsets were also deemed to be the best, as the 'colors are rich and the low-light performance is admirable', Beilinson noted.
However, the iPhone 7 Plus was recognized for its top-end dual rear-facing camera, along with the LG G6. |
Pickett, Magyar exchange wedding vows | Read more: The Delaware Gazette
Jenna Pickett Stephen Magyar, both of Delaware, were united in matrimony at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Delaware.
Start the conversation, or Read more at The Delaware Gazette. |
Carer Support Group | About Carer Support Group
The peer support group gives people the opportunity to meet with others who understand some of what they are going through. Run by a facilitator, the sessions offer a chance to ask questions, get information and share experiences in a safe and supportive environment. |
Hammerstein Museum & Theatre Education Center to Hold Star-Studded NYC Benefit | The Oscar Hammerstein Museum & Theater Education Center, a recognized 501 3 announces their inaugural fundraising event at The Player's Club, NYC on Monday, March 13. The event comes on the heels of an agreement allowing Highland Farm in Doylestown, PA, where world-renowned lyricist and humanitarian Oscar Hammerstein lived and worked, to be used for museum activities. It was at Highland Farm that the iconic Rodgers and Hammerstein partnership was formed and where Hammerstein penned lyrics to musicals such as Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, The Sound of Music, and more.
Start the conversation, or Read more at BroadwayWorld.com. |
The Hyde Care Home | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
Terry to leave Chelsea at end of season | LONDON, April 17 (Reuters) - Chelsea defender John Terry will leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, the Premier League club said on Monday.
The 36-year-old former England international played over 700 games for Chelsea and has been their most successful captain.
"John has given us more than two decades of dedicated and exceptional service," Chelsea said in a statement.
"In that time he has displayed the utmost pride at wearing the Chelsea shirt."
Terry is Chelsea´s third highest all-time appearance-maker and has captained them a record 578 times. (Reporting by Ed Osmond, editing by Pritha Sarkar) |
BRIEF-Tianjin Guifaxiang 18th Street Mahua Food to pay 2.5 yuan for every 10 share as FY 2016 dividend | UPDATE 3-Nestle takes food price rises in its stride
ZURICH, Aug 9 Nestle expects pressure from the rising price of ingredients for its products such as chocolate bars, coffee and soup to ease, helping it meet its target for increasing sales despite tough markets. |
BRIEF-Imint signs three-year license agreement with new customer | Turkish foreign minister heads to Kuwait in Qatar crisis - sources
ISTANBUL, June 14 Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was to travel to Kuwait on Wednesday evening after completing a visit to Qatar, foreign ministry sources said, in his quest to broker an end to a dispute betweeen the Gulf state and other Arab countries. |
BRIEF-Panoro Energy says has resolved to buyback 1 mln shares | Aug 11 (Reuters) - Panoro Energy Asa
* Panoro Energy Asa says has resolved to buy back 1 million shares as set out in offer Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: |
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