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2020-01-29 00:00:00

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The co-head of Faegre Baker Daniels’ employment litigation practice group has jumped to Littler Mendelson, just days before her former firm’s Feb. 1 merger with Drinker Biddle & Reath. Littler, the largest U.S.-based law firm focused exclusively on labor and employment, announced Jacqueline Mrachek’s hire as a Minneapolis-based shareholder in a statement on Tuesday. To read the full story on WestlawNext Practitioner Insights, click here: bit.ly/2t7thkT

2016-11-03

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If you're looking to toast the holiday season with a little eggnog, you'll have a few more options this year. Almond Breeze, the almond milk brand owned by Blue Diamond Almonds, has put its own spin on the holiday beverage, creating its first-ever eggnog in two flavors — classic and vanilla chai spice. Almond Breeze isn't the only almond milk brand to offer an eggnog substitute. Rival Silk, which is owned by WhiteWave, also sells a version of the holiday beverage. Adding a new flavor profile to Almond Breeze's lineup, especially for the holidays, could help boost sales for the company. Limited time-only flavors, like a holiday blend, generate buzz for food companies in the same way that limited-time menu items drive traffic at fast food chains. Almond milk has been a trendy beverage for lactose-intolerant customers or those who adhere to a vegan or paleo diet. Sales of almond milk jumped 4.2 percent last year, nearing $1 billion, according to IRI research, the Chicago Tribune reported. Technavio, a market research company, predicts that the global almond milk market will grow 15 percent between 2016 and 2020, driven by growing numbers of people with lactose intolerance or a desire for a vegan diet. Almond milk also is seen as having health benefits and a premium positioning. No doubt, consumers can expect to see more flavor variations of non-dairy milks in the future.

2017-06-07

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Bauer's Intelligent Transportation, the operator of shuttle buses that companies use to pick up and drop off employees, received a permit for testing autonomous vehicles from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. As of Friday, Bauer's was one of 31 companies with permits from the DMV, and it's an unusual addition to the list. Since California began doling out permits in 2014, the permits have gone to automakers like Ford and Tesla as well as technology companies including Alphabet, Apple and Baidu and ride-hailing leader Uber. Box, Twitter and Zynga are among the companies that have used Bauer's Wi-Fi equipped shuttle buses to transport employees. Alphabet subsidiary Waymo has been piloting self-driving cars for the past few years, and BuzzFeed reported last week that the Google parent also started testing a self-driving truck. Uber created a self-driving car program in 2015, and it became active in truck testing last year through its acquisition of Otto. Bauer's, based in San Francisco, doesn't have any cars or drivers listed under its permit yet, the DMV said in an e-mail. Bauer's did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In addition to operating corporate buses, Bauer's also transports people for special events. Vehicles that companies test on public roads under the DMV permit must have a way for a human driver to take control when necessary, and companies are required to file reports about those instances of disengagement.

2020-01-30 00:00:00

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LONDON (Reuters) - It’s 2023. Britain’s brightest and best drug researchers are packing their bags as clinical trials start to dwindle, leaving a nation renowned as a global leader in pharmaceutical development to face a future in the slow lane. This is a worst-case scenario outlined by some scientists and industry experts in the wake of Brexit, which they say could deprive the country of its role as Europe’s leader in early-stage drug research, designing and hosting pan-EU trials. Pamela Kearns, professor of pediatric oncology at the University of Birmingham, worries that over time Britain will in particular lose out in the field of medicines that treat rare diseases and childhood cancers, where trials often need to collaborate and recruit across Europe to find enough patients. “It would be a real disadvantage to children in this country if we were not part of those networks,” she told Reuters. “It will disadvantage us massively.” Kearns’s university sponsored the BEACON Neuroblastoma trial, held up as a model of cooperation, and the type of project that could be in jeopardy after Britain’s EU exit on Friday and a transition period that runs until the end of 2020. The British designed clinical trial is testing a combination of drugs to tackle a rare aggressive cancer that affects children. It is partly funded by European groups, and is being trialled on patients across the continent. Kearns said her team, among their Brexit contingency plans, had selected a legal representative within the EU - in Dublin - that could enable them to continue playing a key role in trials, as well as an EU distributor to supply drugs for patients. It has also added new legal provisions to contracts should Britain no longer be covered by the bloc’s GDPR laws for exchanging data. Yet all these steps may only help in the long term if the UK stays closely aligned to EU research regulations. Brussels is launching a new portal and database that will help co-ordinate the design, data collection and oversight of pan-EU trials, a system that Britain is likely to be excluded from after it fully leaves the bloc at the end of 2020. Some company executives argue that fears of Britain losing ground are overly pessimistic though, and the country could in fact thrive under a nimbler drug development and approval system unshackled from 27 EU states. “If you’re a single approver versus one with 28 people sitting around the table you can probably do things a little bit faster,” said Hugo Fry, UK boss of French drugmaker Sanofi. Whether to diverge or align encapsulates the fundamental tension underlying Brexit: can Britain differentiate itself enough to make a success of the historic break, and does the freedom to innovate trump being part of a larger group? Kearns’ concerns are echoed by UK pharmaceutical industry body the ABPI, which warns of a brain drain from a sector that contributes about 2.7 billion pounds ($3.55 billion) to the economy and around 47,500 jobs. “Without the ability to influence the design of research programs, leading researchers are likely to move out of, or not move into, the UK and this loss of globally recognized and highly skilled researchers will drastically undermine the UK’s research base,” it said. It is not only the United Kingdom that faces risks though; the European Union stands to lose the expertise of a country that has accounted for an average of 28% of EU clinical trial applications over the past 10 years. Britain leads Europe in early-stage - phase I and II - trials, with particular strength in cancer research. Industry experts, from academics to executives, say the best way to limit potential damage on both sides is for Britain to remain closely aligned to EU rules so researchers can maintain collaborations and prevent the duplication of costs and paperwork from having two separate regulatory systems. But the nation’s decision to leave the bloc was driven by a desire to forge its own path, set its own rules and strike its own deals. Britain has previously said it will seek to align with the EU on clinical trials “where possible”. “After Brexit, clinical trials will continue to be approved at a national level, working to international standards and we are determined to maintain the UK’s position as one of the best locations globally to run clinical trials,” the government said. Britain’s leading role in developing drugs is underpinned by its research clusters that bring together publicly funded hospitals, top universities like Oxford and Cambridge and companies such as AstraZeneca and GSK. However domestic expertise is often not enough. A look at the work of leading charity Cancer Research UK illustrates how closely Britain is entwined with the continent; nearly a third of the roughly 200 trials currently being funded by the organization involves European collaboration. Emlyn Samuel, its head of policy development, said the emergence of drugs that target tumors according to their genetic make-up rather than cancer type meant more trials would need to cast a wide net to find suitable patients. “If we’re outside we might be able to move more quickly in some areas but I don’t think that outweighs the benefits of being part of a broader regulatory system,” he said. Denmark’s Novo Nordisk, a leader in diabetes drugs, has opened a research center in Britain. While fully committed to the country, it has concerns about the broad impact of Brexit. “If there are processes that mean it becomes more complex then companies will look twice at, ‘Is this the first place to come and do clinical trials, or is it easier to recruit patients elsewhere?’” its UK boss Pinder Sahota told Reuters. Britain’s Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is however looking at how being independent of the EU could give it a freer hand to improve its systems, company sources say. It could, for example, cut the time it takes to approve a trial design or complete the early phases. But some are wary in a testing industry with little room for divergence and risk. By the time Britain has fully left the EU after the transition period, researchers on the BEACON trial will hope to be embarking on phase III testing. Kearns has already had to reassure European partners it can continue to lead such trials. But she does fear for the future. “We’ve got fantastic investigators in the UK ... we’ve got a brilliant set of statisticians and trial methodologists and the expertise, so we’re very much the trusted partner to lead,” she said.     “We could find ourselves in the position of going back to just following.” Reporting by Kate Holton and Paul Sandle; Editing by Pravin Char

2019-07-16 00:00:00

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three U.S. senators who have been frequent critics of U.S. tech giants wrote a letter to the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday to criticize its reported settlement with Facebook Inc. U.S. Senators Edward Markey, Richard Blumenthal, who are Democrats, and Josh Hawley, a Republican, told the agency that a $5 billion settlement, which was reported on Friday, “is woefully inadequate.” Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Susan Thomas

2018-07-09

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MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Tens of thousands of low-cost homes are lying empty across India even as officials race to meet a deadline to provide housing for everyone by 2022, which analysts say highlights critical shortcomings in government policy. About 164,000 low-cost homes built under previous schemes are vacant, according to a housing ministry official. “There is a process to allot them, and that takes time,” said the official, who asked not be named, as he is not authorized to speak to the media. “We have been pushing state governments to allot these homes at the earliest, and we are focused on meeting the mission target.” The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Housing For All Mission in 2015, with a deadline of 2022. It aims to build 20 million urban housing units and 30 million rural homes. More than 800,000 units have been completed, with about 2.8 million homes in various stages of construction, according to housing ministry data. But activists say the program, which also offers subsidized loans, bypasses homeless people who cannot afford the mortgage payments. “Those who really need these homes cannot afford them, and those who can afford them don’t want them,” said Harsh Mander, Director of the Center for Equity Studies. “So the program doesn’t serve its purpose. A far more effective solution would be affordable rental housing,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. A quarter of India’s urban population lives in informal housing including slums, according to social consultancy FSG. That number is set to rise as thousands of people leave their villages every day to seek better prospects in cities. An affordable home is typically about 250 square feet (23 square meters) in size, and can cost up to 1.2 million rupees ($17,500). It is usually located in the outskirts of the city where land is cheaper. “A significant number of them are in areas which lack the necessary support infrastructure - most importantly transport,” said Anuj Puri, chairman of Anarock Property Consultants. “One way to ensure these homes are occupied is to rapidly deploy the support infrastructure in these areas. These homes will deteriorate if they lie unoccupied much longer,” he said. Freeing up surplus land owned by government agencies for affordable housing can also help, experts say. Earlier this year, India’s top court said authorities should consider converting empty government properties in the cities into homeless shelters. India is not the only country confronting this issue: thousands of homeless people in the Philippines have moved into empty government housing. Reporting by Rina Chandran @rinachandran, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories.

2018-01-10 07:49:06

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A top U.S. lawmaker, Republican Sen. John Thune, has penned a letter to Apple with further questions about slowing older models of the iPhone via Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS. Senator Thune, Chair of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, asked how Apple came to the conclusion to replace batteries for $29 or if the company ever considered making battery replacements free. He also questioned if Apple considered the idea of offering rebates to customers who had already paid full price for a replacement battery. But Thune’s biggest concern seems to be transparency. “However, even if Apple’s actions were indeed only intended to avoid unexpected shutdowns on older phones, the large volume of consumer criticism leveled against the company in light of its admission suggests that there should have been better transparency with respect to these practices,” Sen. Thune wrote in the letter. Reuters, which obtained a copy of the letter, reports that it asks Apple if the company notified customers of the throttling feature in software updates or if this feature was used in earlier models, such as the iPhone 5 or iPhone 5S. This all started in December after users on Reddit complained of slowing iPhones and Primate Labs’ John Poole ran benchmark tests on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 over time, across various iOS updates. The test seemed to show that Apple was indeed slowing down older models, and Apple promptly responded with an apology and an explanation for why this was happening. Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components. Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future. To be fair, Apple did release this feature publicly last year, announcing that they saw an 80 percent reduction in unexpected shutdowns by releasing a power management fix in iOS 10.2.1. However, it wasn’t entirely clear this power management feature would slow down older models of the iPhone with each update. Reasons aside, Apple wasn’t completely transparent with users and is now dealing with the consequences. Senator Thune wants answers from Apple by January 23.

2016-12-01

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PARIS (Reuters) - Francois Hollande staked his political fate on a promise to bring down unemployment, and it was his failure to turn around the economy that made him France’s most unpopular president ever. In a glum address from the Elysee Palace on Thursday, Hollande became the first modern French head of state not to seek re-election, acknowledging he lacked the support to win. As his five years in power draw to a close, the 62-year-old Socialist stands accused of disappointing, even betraying, many of those who bought into his 2012 campaign promises to take on the bankers, shorten the dole queues and shift more of the tax burden to the rich and ultra-rich. His main failing in the eyes of many former supporters is his inability to live up to promises that he would spare France the kind of spending cuts many other countries were undergoing, and above all bring down a jobless rate of 10 percent. The economy is only now, and slowly, starting to emerge from years of near-stagnation. The jobless rate remains stubbornly higher than the European average - even if Hollande maintains that monthly figures show the trend now pointing downwards. A warm and witty person in private, he was often stiff in public and derided as a ditherer by his peers. Some of his political rivals nicknamed him Flanby, in a reference to the brand name of a quivering baked-egg dessert. On the foreign policy front he was no waverer, however. Less than a year after winning the May 2012 election, he sent troops into the former French colony of Mali to help thwart the seizure of power by Islamist rebels as they descended from the north on the capital Bamako. Hollande was not well known outside France when he was elected after 30 years working in local government and negotiating the internal politics of a faction-fraught Socialist Party. He never held a ministerial post. Thrust to the forefront after Socialist front-runner Dominique Strauss-Kahn self-destructed in a sex scandal, Hollande marketed himself as a “Mr Normal” who would end the brash “bling-bling” style of his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy. Many attribute his victory in 2012 to “Sarkozy fatigue” more than to voter enthusiasm for his flat speaking style and relatively classic Socialist tax-and-spend program. As well as failing to deliver prosperity, he lost trust among many core voters by adopting a more business-friendly strategy half-way through his term. It included a series of costly tax-credit incentives for business that, whatever their merits, contrasted starkly with the anti-bank rhetoric of his campaign. When the 75 percent tax he slapped on the super-rich was quickly phased out, Hollande stood accused of betraying Socialist ideals at home and challenged to dispel his anti-business reputation abroad. The switch was symbolized by a change at the economy ministry, where leftist firebrand economy minister Arnaud Montebourg resigned to be replaced by the smooth former investment banker Emmanuel Macron. Both men now are now candidates to replace him in next year’s presidential battle. Hollande was widely credited with a dignified and statesmanlike response to Islamist militant attacks that killed 17 people at the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper and a Jewish supermarket in January 2015. But then came two more mass killings where more than 200 more people were killed in Paris and the Riviera city of Nice. French jets have since been bombing bases of the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq on his orders. On the home front, a hallmark of his tenure will likely be the legalization of gay marriage in 2012. That was a promise he saw through despite waves of street protests by traditionalists opposed to a major social change in this historically Roman Catholic country. Hollande’s personal life also provided ammunition to his critics. His relationship with partner Valerie Trierweiler broke up acrimoniously when it emerged he occasionally slipped out of the Elysee Palace in disguise at night and rode by motor scooter to visit a new flame, actress Julie Gayet. Despite a broad consensus among the French that the private lives of politicians are irrelevant, the breakup prompted countless stories about the extent to which the man in charge of the country was distracted by personal affairs. Before Trierweiler and Gayet, Hollande spent a quarter of a century and had four children with Segolene Royal, who lost a bid for the presidency to Sarkozy in 2007. Royal announced her split with Hollande weeks after her defeat but has remained close to him politically, currently as environment minister in his government. Reporting by Brian Love; Editing by Andrew Callus and Tom Heneghan

2018-11-07 16:00:39

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Obtaining a banking license and then launching an actual new retail bank requires capital. A lot of capital. Enter Zopa, the U.K. peer-to-peer lending company that wants to become a bank, which today is announcing that it has closed £60 million in further funding. Only £16 million is actually new new money, having already disclosed £44 million in August, so this is effectively an extension of that earlier fund-raise. The purpose remains the same, however: Zopa says it will use the latest round of investment toward the capital needs for its yet-to-launch “next generation bank.” The company began applying for a bank license with the U.K. regulators in 2016. The new funding also comes off the back of what the fintech claims is its sustainable and profitable peer-to-peer business, having achieved full-year profitability in 2017 for the first time since 2012. An early mover in the space — launching all the way back in 2005 — Zopa says it has served nearly half a million customers, either through loans or investing in peer-to-peer loans. It has lent more than £3.7 billion in unsecured personal loans to customers in the U.K. The next phase of Zopa is all about becoming a new digital bank, alongside its peer-to-peer business, in order to be able to offer “a unique and broader set of products to customers.” “Our bank will allow us to give more people a better experience with their finances by introducing more simple, fair products — like savings accounts and credit cards,” a company spokesperson tells me. At launch this will include offering FSCS-protected savings accounts, and P2P investments (including IFISAs for investors), and personal loans, car finance and credit cards for people looking to borrow. “Our money management app will offer our customers a more personalised approach to managing their money,” adds the spokesperson. Cue Jaidev Janardana, Zopa CEO (pictured above): “This new funding takes us a step closer to realising our vision of being the best place for money in the U.K. Having served half a million customers to date, Zopa is set to redefine the finance industry once again through our next generation bank to meet a broader set of U.K. customers’ financial needs.”

2017-05-05

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(Adds details on contract, statement by mine president, context) SANTIAGO, May 5 (Reuters) - Workers at the Collahuasi copper mine in Chile, owned by Anglo American and Glencore , have sealed a new contract with management that runs until 2020, the two parties said in a statement released on Friday. Under the terms of the agreement, workers in Collahuasi’s main 1,485-member union will receive no wage raise, but each will score a significant one-time bonus of 11 million pesos ($16,400). The workers, 70 percent of whom voted in favor of the agreement, will also be offered a three-million-peso loan at zero interest. The deal “reflects the willingness of all of us who are part of Collahuasi to reach mutually beneficial agreements, with a focus on security, productivity and sustainability,” Jorge Gomez, the president of the Collahuasi mine, said in the statement. The agreement at Collahuasi, which starts when the current contract expires at the end of October and will last for three years, may help assuage fears of prolonged strikes at a number of Chile’s copper mines in the coming years. In February, workers at BHP Billiton’s Escondida copper mine in Chile, the world’s largest, walked off the job for a month and a half, putting a dent in Chile’s economy and sending global prices for the red metal soaring. Slumping copper prices have led mining companies to approach workers with offers that are seen as more austere than in years past. In 2013, Collahuasi’s workers signed a wage agreement that included a bonus and no-interest loan package of a whopping $38,000 per worker. Collahuasi produced 506,500 tonnes of copper in 2016, making it one of Chile’s largest mines in terms of output. That represented an uptick from years past, as the mine has been able to overcome several technical and labor-related issues. ($1=671.80 Chilean pesos) (Reporting by Fabian Cambero, writing by Gram Slattery; editing by Chris Reese, G Crosse)

2017-04-05

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JOHANNESBURG, April 5 (Reuters) - South Africa’s top court has dismissed an appeal by the department of environmental affairs to keep a moratorium on the domestic trade in rhino horn, according to court documents seen by Reuters on Wednesday. Pelham Jones, chairman of South Africa’s Private Rhino Owners Association which was one of the respondents in the case, told Reuters this meant that the sale of rhino horns was legal in South Africa. A global ban in the horn trade, which is regulated by a U.N. convention, remains in place. (Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by James Macharia)

2020-03-12 00:00:00

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TIKTOK OWNER BYTEDANCE TO REACH GLOBAL HEADCOUNT OF 100,000 BY THE END OF 2020

2017-01-05

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Russia hacked our election and got what it wanted: The spies believed to have stolen and leaked thousands of emails from the Democratic National Committee last year injected chaos and distraction into Hillary Clinton’s campaign and doubt into the minds of American voters about the legitimacy of the US electoral process. And the victory of Putin’s preferred presidential candidate means the Kremlin’s information warfare tactics will only get more aggressive. “They’re weaponizing information for the purposes of influencing elections,” says Dmitri Alperovitch, CTO of security firm Crowdstrike, which was the first to link the Russian government to the DNC hack, months before US intelligence agencies confirmed Russia’s involvement. “They’re going to absolutely attempt to do it again.” Unlike in that other cold war, the security world has yet to settle on a form of mutual deterrence. So expect escalation: not only outright hacking and social media disinformation in countries like Germany, France, and the Netherlands that have approaching elections, but also subtler data sabotage and maybe even attacks on physical infrastructure. (The mayhem of a few leaked emails looks tame in comparison to the kind of hacker-­induced shutdown that hit a Ukrainian power plant in late 2015.) The Obama administration promised to keep Russia in check. Donald Trump’s friendly approach to Putin and dismissal of promises to defend NATO allies have practically dared Russia to press its luck.

2018-05-25

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Best Buy is expanding its tech support options with an eye toward keeping its older customers healthy. On the retailer's earnings call this week, company executives said that they see opportunities to make money in the health space. "We already assort a variety of health-related products and technology products designed for seniors like specially designed phones and medical alert systems," CEO Hubert Joly said. "We're also testing a service called Assured Living to help the aging population stay healthy at home with assistance from technology products and services." While consumers may associate Best Buy with gadgets, the company told investors its strategy is to address "key human needs in areas such as entertainment, productivity, communication, food preparation, security, and health and wellness." Health is becoming a hot market for all sorts of companies, including Best Buy suppliers. Apple, for example, has expanded the health functions on the Apple Watch, and Amazon is also exploring health care in a myriad of ways. "One of the things we've talked about is how technology can help people stay in their home for longer and there's a lot of excitement around helping people do that," Joly said. Technology "improves people's health and wellness and reduce[s] health care costs for the country." On Thursday, Best Buy reported profit that topped estimates, but disappointed investors with lukewarm online sales growth and by not updating its outlook. But Joly said that when it comes to new initiatives like health technology, the retailer plans to keep refining its approach and focus on innovative technologies. "We're not trying to increase the profitability, because we are trying to position the company for the future," he said. "The return for the winners in this space are going to be outsized because there's going to be greater and greater differentiation between winners and losers. And so this is the time clearly to invest."

2018-11-14 05:56:41

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Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet approved a draft agreement on Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union during an emergency meeting on Wednesday, a crucial and perilous step, as the time left to strike a final deal runs short. Cabinet support relieves some of the pressure on Mrs. May, who has struggled for months to meet competing demands over the withdrawal, commonly known as Brexit, which is scheduled to occur on March 29. “The choices before us were difficult, particularly in relation to northern Ireland backstop, but the collective decision of Cabinet was that government should agree the draft withdrawal agreement and the outline political declaration,” she said in a short statement. “This is a decisive step.” Before the meeting Wednesday, hard-line advocates of Brexit had tried to persuade the full cabinet to reject the draft agreement, or to resign in protest. Either outcome would have been devastating for Mrs. May. • There are still several steps before the agreement could take effect. The deal needs the approval of the British Parliament, which is far from a certainty. The European Parliament and the bloc’s 27 other member states would also have to approve it. • A key sticking point is the Irish border. Negotiators are trying to find a way to allow people and goods to pass through without the imposition of border controls. Even before the cabinet met, the backlash was well underway, with hard-line Conservatives and members of opposition parties alike condemning the plan in statements, television interviews and debate in Parliament. Critics on both left and right argue that the deal would leave Britain subject to European Union rules, but without any say in making those rules. They are also alarmed that Britain would not have a unilateral right to quit the temporary customs union. On the floor of Parliament, Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party leader, traded barbs with Prime Minister Theresa May, but she refused to be drawn into offering any details of the agreement. “From what we know the government’s deal is a failure in its own terms,” Mr. Corbyn said. “It doesn’t deliver a Brexit for the whole country. It breaches the prime minister’s own red lines.” Mrs. May retorted that the Labour Party had “only one intention, and that is to frustrate Brexit and betray the vote of the British people.” Mrs. May’s former Brexit secretary, David Davis, described the deal on Twitter as “EU domination, imprisonment in the customs union and 2nd class status,” adding that “Cabinet and all Conservative MPs should stand up, be counted and say no to this capitulation.” Jacob Rees-Mogg, a hard-core Brexit supporter, told the BBC that the proposed deal was “a failure of the government’s negotiating position and a failure to deliver.” Mr. Corbyn, along with the leaders of the Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Welsh party Plaid Cymru, released a letter demanding that Parliament not only vote on the deal, but that it also be allowed to consider amendments. An up-or-down vote on the negotiated agreement, Mr. Corbyn said, would be “a false choice before Parliament between her botched deal and no deal.” — STEPHEN CASTLE and RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA The prime minister’s Conservative Party does not have a majority in Parliament, so her government relies on Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, which voiced opposition to the deal even before it was made public. The D.U.P.’s leader, Arlene Foster, made clear in her statement late Tuesday that she was not happy with the emerging deal. Jeffrey Donaldson, a senior D.U.P lawmaker, went further, telling the BBC on Wednesday that what he had heard of the draft Brexit deal “undermines the constitutional and economic integrity” of the United Kingdom, and warning that he was not afraid of precipitating a general election by opposing the plan. The most delicate aspect of the plan is the so-called backstop to prevent physical checks on the border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and Ireland, which will remain in the European Union. From what is known of the draft, Britain would stay temporarily in a customs union with the European Union until a long-term trade deal is negotiated. But the obligations on Northern Ireland would be deeper, particularly in obeying standards laid down by the European Union’s single market, leading to increased regulatory checks on goods flowing from Britain to Northern Ireland. That is seen as an almost existential threat by the D.U.P., which wants to remain part of the United Kingdom. For the D.U.P., voting against Mrs. May’s deal risks precipitating a general election that could bring Jeremy Corbyn, the opposition Labour Party leader, to power. Mr. Corbyn has a history of strong ties to Sinn Fein, which promotes a united Ireland. — STEPHEN CASTLE Rest in peace, “no deal is better than a bad deal.” Long live compromise. Mrs. May is not generally seen as a stealthy political operator, but Wednesday signaled a sharp reversal of the pledge that has been her Brexit mantra. For nearly two years, she has repeatedly assured the country that “no deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain.” This promise — that she would walk away rather than compromise Britain’s interests — helped her keep the allegiance of hard-line Brexiteers in her own party, while conveying to Brussels that it should give a little, to prevent a chaotic exit. It projected such confidence that the pound rose sharply in the hours after she first articulated it. But on Wednesday, it appeared that Mrs. May’s message had been a bluff. It has been replaced by the opposite logic, conveyed in the most urgent terms: A compromise with the European Union — a package of wins and losses — is better than no deal. Economists and business leaders have warned that an abrupt, “cliff edge” Brexit, without an agreement to take the place of membership, could have disastrous consequences for Britain, including shortages of food and other goods and sudden price increases. Moderate voices have long urged compromise as the only sensible solution. But by adopting the language of her party’s euroskeptic right wing for so long, Mrs. May ran the risk of a last-minute explosion. For Brexiteers, this deal has less to do with practical consequences than with passion and principle. Mrs. May’s adamant words made them bolder. If they feel they have been tricked, she could pay the price. — ELLEN BARRY Corporate Britain has so far shown a mixed response to the Brexit plan. Business leaders want a stable, predictable environment, and are divided on whether the proposed deal can provide it. “Businesses that crave certainty and detail will have heard very little in recent days to make them feel they can now relax,” James Stewart, the head of Brexit at the consulting firm KPMG, told Bloomberg News. Helen Dickinson, the chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said in an emailed statement: “This is a welcome step towards a deal, as retailers urgently need certainty as we approach the date of the U.K.’s departure from the E.U.” The Financial Times reported that some business leaders were invited to Downing Street on Tuesday, as Mrs. May briefed her cabinet on the proposed deal. “It looks to me this is the only deal in town,” Jürgen Maier, the chief executive of Siemens U.K., told Reuters. “I think it is better to get behind it, maybe fine tune it a little bit and make it work.” — JAMIE CONDLIFFE The morning news shows were full of lawmakers promising that the draft deal was dead on arrival, but one indicator to the contrary came from an unlikely quarter. Sarah Vine, who writes a column in The Daily Mail, responded to the bluster with a sardonic eye-roll, remarking on Twitter: “On the whole quite a lot of willy waving going on this morning #Brexitdeal.” To understand why Ms. Vine’s throwaway line matters, one must understand the incestuous nature of British politics in general, and the Brexit drama in particular. [Read about the clubby, old-school world of Britain’s Conservative upper echelons.] Aside from being a columnist for a powerful pro-Brexit tabloid, Ms. Vine is married to Michael Gove, a leading Brexiteer and member of Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet, and her remark seemed like confirmation that he would support the deal, propelling it toward a Parliament vote. It was another reminder that family ties — and conflicts — are a central organizing principle of Britain’s elite. Last week, Jo Johnson, who opposed Brexit, resigned from the cabinet rather than back the compromise deal, which he warned would lead to “vassalage.” His older brother, Boris Johnson, left the cabinet over the compromise deal, but for the opposite reason: He is a standard-bearer of the Conservatives’ hard Brexit faction. Their sister Rachel Johnson, a Daily Mail columnist, left the Conservative Party in 2017 because she opposed Brexit. Their brother Leo Johnson opposes Brexit and supports a second referendum. After a complicated flurry of intra-family retweeting, Ms. Johnson remarked, “Maybe way to settle this matter once and for all is to spare the country another one and simply have a referendum in the Johnson family.” — ELLEN BARRY Brussels was tracking events in London nervously, concerned about whether Mrs. May can get the deal through her cabinet and the Parliament — and what would follow if she could not. In European Union offices, there is a general but unfocused hope that somehow Britain will reverse itself and remain in the European fold, presumably through a second referendum. But there is also deep fatigue, even annoyance, with the whole issue, which other member nations believe has diverted attention from pressing problems like migration, conflict with Russia, potential trade war with the United States, populist dissension within the bloc, and European elections next spring. As the British cabinet met Wednesday afternoon, ambassadors of the other 27 nations of the European Union were also be briefed on the draft deal. The agreement would have to be ratified by the leaders of the member nations, and by the European Parliament. The hope is that the European Union can hold a special Brexit summit meeting before the end of November to win approval for the agreement and the accompanying nonbinding political declaration. Britain is scheduled to leave the union on March 29. Leaks about the draft agreement have concentrated on the issue of the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The resolution reportedly means Britain must adhere to European Union rules while no longer having a vote on them, an arrangement that critics have called “vassalage.” But from the point of view of the bloc — a creature of rules, laws and regulations — anything that undercuts the single market is unacceptable, including competition on tariffs and regulations from a nonmember, as Britain soon may be. If the agreement wins final approval in Britain, the two sides must still negotiate a long-term deal on their future trading relationship. — STEVEN ERLANGER Beyond breaking Britain away from the rest of the European Union, Brexit also poses a growing risk of breaking up the country. Voters in Scotland rejected independence in a bitterly contested 2014 referendum, but separatism remains a potent force in Scottish politics. In 2016, Scotland voted by a wide margin, 62 percent to 38 percent, to remain in the European Union, while Britain as a whole voted to leave, 52 percent to 48 percent. So when word leaked that Mrs. May’s Brexit deal would allow Northern Ireland to maintain a close relationship to the European market, at least temporarily, Scottish nationalists saw an opening. If Northern Ireland gets a separate deal, they asked, why shouldn’t Scotland? Ian Blackford, the leader of the Scottish National Party, tore into the deal in Parliament on Wednesday. “To protect jobs in Scotland, we must stay in the single market and the customs union,” he said. “The prime minister will not drag Scotland out against its will. If there is a deal to protect the economy in Northern Ireland, why not Scotland?” — BENJAMIN MUELLER

2019-06-03

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Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIFGIF: Apple (YouTube)Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference keynote is a time for company execs to stand on a big stage and shout a bunch of new features and changes to a bunch of clapping geeks. While many of these changes are expected refreshes of Apple operating systems, one announcement is a major milestone for the company in terms of making its products much more accessible.At WWDC on Monday, Apple announced Voice Control, a new assistive technology feature that lets users control MacOS, iOS, and iPadOS entirely through voice commands. The feature uses Siri speech recognition technology that is baked into the device, according to a press release from Apple. The company also claims that the feature “ensures personal data is kept private.”Voice Control works “with virtually any app,” according to Apple, and allows users to tap, swipe, and scroll using their voice. The feature affords individuals with motor impairments a way to more fully and autonomously navigate Apple’s phones, computers, and tablets. It’s a refreshing announcement among more iterative or predictable changes, and one that highlights technology’s capacity to be a great equalizer for millions of people. The feature will reportedly be available in the fall.

2019-06-10

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A leadership contest has kicked off in the U.K. after the resignation of beleaguered Prime Minister Theresa May and it looks like former Foreign Secretary and London Mayor Boris Johnson – a politician known for having a sharp wit as much as for his gaffes – could be the next leader of the country. Monday was the deadline for nominations of those standing in the ruling Conservative Party's leadership race and although there are 10 candidates on the final list, some names are more well-known than others including Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt (the current foreign minister), Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Michael Gove, the environment minister. To be able to run as a candidate, Tory members of parliament (MPs) had to have the backing of eight colleagues. Now the final list of 10 candidates are known, a series of votes will take place to whittle the number down to two candidates who will face the wider Tory party membership who then pick their preferred candidate and decide on the party's – and country's – next leader. The final winner will be announced on July 22. One frontrunner, Michael Gove, has seen his leadership bid hit by revelations about past cocaine use, leading to increased scrutiny on all the candidates, with some admitting to recreational drug use during their university years. Boris Johnson, meanwhile, has attracted some criticism for his promise of an income tax cut for those who earn over £50,000 a year (around $63,000). British Prime Minister Theresa May stood down as the leader of the Conservative Party last Friday and will act as an interim prime minister until a leadership contest is complete. Conservative MPs will have their first vote on Thursday this week and that will see the least popular candidate eliminated from the leadership race (if they get less than a certain amount of votes). The race to succeed her has put Brexit, by now something of a torturous parliamentary wrangle over the departure from European Union, both at the forefront of the political debate and on the backburner, because dealing with Brexit has been delayed by the leadership contest. Boris Johnson, who is widely expected to become Tory party leader according to polls, has said that he would try to renegotiate the Brexit deal that May hammered out with Brussels, claiming that he would withhold paying a £39 billion divorce bill that was previously agreed would be paid when the U.K. leaves the bloc. After three years of Brexit negotiations since the Brexit referendum in June 2016, the potential prospect of talks being re-opened under Boris Johnson will send a long sigh of exasperation through the political establishment in Brussels. Officials there have already said the deal on offer will not change making the possibility of a "no deal" departure from the union more like come October, even though the majority of lawmakers in the British Parliament have voted against such a scenario. Philip Hammond, Britain's chancellor of the exchequer, told CNBC on Saturday that the probability of a no deal departure is "very small." Teneo Intelligence's macro research team warned Monday that "expectations about renegotiations and no-deal will be raised by most contenders," and warned of more volatility in the meantime. "But once the new PM has taken over, the reality of political polarization will once more constrain their ability to make good on their promises. The result will be increased volatility in the run-up to the 31 October extension deadline," the team said in a note Monday. In the meantime, the U.K. economy appears shaky as continuing uncertainty over the country's future relationship with the EU, its biggest trading partner, continues to dampen business and investor confidence. The U.K. economy contracted by a bigger-than-expected 0.4% in April after a 0.1% decline in March, the Office for National Statistics said Monday. In terms of quarterly performance, growth slowed to 0.3% in the three months to April following a 0.5% expansion in the first quarter. The pound fell almost 0.6% against the dollar after the data, to 1.2651. The monthly GDP decline was attributed mainly to the "dramatic fall" car production which was seen to have fallen 24% in April from the previous month - the biggest decline since records began in 1995. Analysts said that the economic boost provided by stockpiling by manufacturers in the lead up to the original Brexit date of March 29 had now reversed. Commenting on the figures the ONS' Head of GDP Rob Kent-Smith said "there was also widespread weakness across manufacturing in April, as the boost from the early completion of orders ahead of the U.K..'s original EU departure date has faded." Commenting on the latest growth data, which encompassed a fall in manufacturing and industrial output and flat services output, James McCormick, head of Desk Strategy at NatWest Markets, told CNBC Monday that the U.K. was looking increasingly fragile. "They're not good numbers ... and if you look at the U.K. economy it looks to me that you had a major inventory stocking ahead of the original March Brexit date and we're now seeing the flip-side of that," he told CNBC's Street Signs. "The U.K. is now struggling with political uncertainty and economic uncertainty and my guess is that that is going to be the case for the next couple of quarters, at least." McCormick said there could be another similar stockpiling situation heading into the new October 31st Brexit deadline. "The longer we continue with the Brexit discussion, the more the long-term implications start to take hold. Capital investment has struggled for a while and will continue to struggle because who's going to want to invest in this economy with so much uncertainty?," he said. Subscribe to CNBC International on YouTube. Correction: The story has been updated to reflect the correct day for the first vote by MPs for the U.K. leadership race.

2017-09-08

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BEIJING, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Chinese corn futures fell nearly 2 percent on Friday, their biggest one-day drop in more than three months, as some speculators pulled out of the market ahead of a bumper harvest. The most active futures contracts on the Dalian Commodity Exchange fell 1.92 percent to 1,699 yuan ($263.13) per tonne on Friday, its biggest drop since April. “Investors who were long in corn had to go as seasonal pressure kicks in with the new harvest,” said Meng Jinhui, an analyst at Shengda Futures. Corn grown by the world’s No. 2 producer usually hits market in mid-September. Prices had rallied after China slashed its 2017/18 corn output estimates on concerns that drought earlier in the year may have forced some farmers to switch to other crops like soybeans. But a government think tank increased its forecast for 2017/18 corn output on Friday following good weather in major production areas during the maturing period of the new crop, sparking the price drop, analysts said. China National Grain and Oils Information Center put its 2017/18 corn output forecast at 212.5 million tonnes, up 1 million tonnes from a previous forecast in August. Ample rains in August in major production areas brought relief to parched fields hit by drought earlier and as good weather is forecast to continue in September, output is likely to grow, the government grains centre said in a report. “Some speculators bullish on corn have left the market as corn gradually gets back to its supply-demand fundamentals. There are high stocks at the ports. Imports of barley and sorghum are high,” said a futures trader, who did not want to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media. Chinese corn starch futures on Dalian Commodity Exchange also fell on Friday, dropping 1.11 percent to 1,953 yuan per tonne. $1 = 6.4570 Chinese yuan Reporting by Hallie Gu and Dominique Patton; Editing by Tom Hogue

2016-09-20

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Welcome to the Hearthstone Meta Update, where you’ll find a review of one of the most powerful or exciting decks in competitive play. Today, we’re looking at Yogg-Saron Token Druid. Learn how to build and play this deck, and be a little more prepared to climb the ladder.  Nature will bend to your will with this potent collection of cards. Whether you feel like one with the spirit of the trees or you just like loads of options in how you dismantle opponents, this is a build worth checking out.  Token Druid has been one of the top-performing decks in the meta since the very first wing of Karazhan. The goal is to use some signature Druid cards to amass an insurmountable board presence. A few of the newly released cards have given this game style a huge boost in both power and popularity, making it a very common sight on all rungs of the standard Hearthstone ladder. There’s another variant that you may see on ladder centered on the increased spell damage of Malygos, but ironically enough, the Yogg-Saron version seems to have more consistency in securing wins. Besides, there’s no replacement for the surreal moments Yogg can create. Praise Yogg.  Spell synergy is the name of this game. Several of the minions the Token Druid needs are first summoned through spells, and then further buffed by spells. The deck runs a few critical cards to take advantage. The inclusion of Yogg-Saron is most obvious, but the Violet Teacher and Arcane Giant are also must-haves.  Enable those minions to do their best work with cheap Druid spells such as Innervate and Wild Growth. Wrath, Mulch, Swipe, Feral Rage and Moonglade Portal, which boost the spell-synergy minions while providing removal options. Living Roots, Power of the Wild and Raven Idol have the flexibility to adapt to whatever situation you’re in. Nourish can ramp to a big swing or refill your hand. And keep things interesting in your board state with Soul of the Forest and Wisps of the Old Gods. Tweak your exact spell set as you climb the ladder; just be sure to maintain a steady mana curve as you make tech choices to adjust to the meta.  Round out your mid-game with a Fandral Staghelm, Mire Keeper and Azure Drake. If your build runs several direct damage spells, a Bloodmage Thalnos can also be a good inclusion. Joining Yogg on the higher mana cost, your closing cards might include Cenarius, Malygos or Onyxia. You get instant board presence with the Onyxia or spell damage from Malygos, while Cenarius’ choice mechanic can be especially potent when you’ve got Fandral already in play.  If your collection is short on legendaries, the Ancient of War or even the Ironbark Protector can also fill the late-game spots. The big taunt minions are especially helpful if you’re facing lots of aggro.  The Druid’s ramping mechanics are one of the strongest tools available to that class. Push to find those cards in the mulligan stage; they’ll get you ahead of any deck your opponent might be playing.  As you face each turn, try to first use the cards that will be least flexible in future situations. From there, it may take some practice to identify the optimal play when you have so many options to choose from. As you face each turn, try to first use the cards that will be least flexible in future situations. Just remember that your focus should be building and maintaining a board advantage over your opponent. Holding too many resources in your hand hoping for a wombo-combo four turns later usually cedes the edge.   Also, learn to identify the biggest potential threat in your enemy’s board. It isn’t necessarily the card with the highest attack value. A mere 2/2 Knife Juggler can be deadly if coupled with Unleash the Hounds or Forbidden Ritual. You’ll want to take out those serious problem minions as quickly as possible to keep your own board healthy.  As with so many decks, Aggro Shaman is often the Achilles’ heel, but it’s not the only one that can stand up against Malfurion. Zoolock or any other very fast and furious build can potentially rush down a victory before the Druid is able to build its momentum. Anna Washenko is a freelance writer covering digital entertainment, social media, science, and tech. Her work has appeared on USA Today, Mashable, Yahoo and Digital Trends. Follow her @Ann...More

2016-04-26 00:00:00

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Primary turnout is way up this year compared with 2012. According to a recent Pew study, it's on pace to rival 2008's record of 30.4 percent. Still, less than a third of Americans will take part in the process. That doesn't mean they don't want to show off their participation. There's evidence on social media that voters denied their ubiquitous "I voted" sticker were none too pleased. Take a look at some of the reactions from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware:

2018-03-07

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President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump pushes back on recent polling data, says internal numbers are 'strongest we've had so far' Illinois state lawmaker apologizes for photos depicting mock assassination of Trump Scaramucci assembling team of former Cabinet members to speak out against Trump MORE reportedly considered firing White House counsel Don McGahn if he didn’t deny a report that he threatened to resign after Trump ordered him to fire special counsel Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) Swan MuellerTrump calls for probe of Obama book deal Democrats express private disappointment with Mueller testimony Kellyanne Conway: 'I'd like to know' if Mueller read his own report MORE, according to The New York Times. In January, the Times reported that Trump ordered Mueller to be fired last year, but was stopped after McGahn threatened to resign rather than carry out Trump’s order. In the days after the Times published its report, former White House staff secretary Rob Porter reportedly told McGahn that Trump wanted him to release a statement denying that Trump wanted Mueller to be fired and that McGahn threatened to resign over the order. According to the Times, Porter told McGahn that Trump had suggested he might “get rid of” McGahn if he didn’t issue the statement. Trump later confronted McGahn in the Oval Office after he didn’t release a statement denying the Times report. During the meeting, which chief of staff John KellyJohn Francis KellyMORE also attended, Trump told McGahn he had not ordered him to fire Mueller, people familiar with the meeting told the newspaper. The Times reports McGahn told Trump he was wrong, and that he did ask McGahn to see that Mueller was removed from his post. Trump reportedly said he did not remember the conversation that way. Trump’s conversation with McGahn was one of two conservations Trump had with witnesses interviewed by Mueller, according to the Times. Trump also asked former chief of staff Reince PriebusReinhold (Reince) Richard PriebusTrump blasts Scaramucci as 'incapable' Trump taps Sean Spicer to join Naval Academy board of visitors Trump's no racist — he's an equal opportunity offender MORE about his interview with Mueller’s investigators and whether they had been “nice.” Mueller found out about Trump’s attempt to have him fired as his team began interviewing top current and former Trump officials, the Times reported in January. McGahn interviewed with Mueller’s team in December as part of the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

2016-01-29

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DES MOINES — In the end, it’s all about turnout. With Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonLewandowski on potential NH Senate run: If I run, 'I'm going to win' Fighter pilot vs. astronaut match-up in Arizona could determine control of Senate Progressive Democrats' turnout plans simply don't add up MORE maintaining a paper-thin lead in Iowa over her rival Bernie SandersBernie SandersJoe Biden faces an uncertain path Bernie Sanders vows to go to 'war with white nationalism and racism' as president Biden: 'There's an awful lot of really good Republicans out there' MORE, the Democratic candidates are spending the final days before the Iowa caucuses trying to increase the number of their supporters who will participate across the state.  Polls suggest that a heavy turnout will benefit Sanders, who beats Clinton in polls among those who have never caucused before.  If turnout is low, however, the edge goes to Clinton.  “If the turnout is not large, we’re going to be struggling,” the Vermont senator said at a Bloomberg Politics breakfast on Thursday.  He also acknowledged the difficulty in getting first-time voters to the caucuses, even if they are enthusiastic at rallies for his campaign.  “It’s easier to bring people out to town meetings and rallies than to necessarily get them to caucus,” he said.  A NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll out on Thursday shows that Clinton has a small edge over Sanders, 48 percent to 45 percent. The poll also reveals that, among past caucusgoers, the former secretary of State leads 52 percent to 40 percent.  Sanders, however, leads Clinton with those who have never caucused before, 56 percent to 41 percent.  Tad Devine, a senior adviser for the Sanders campaign, said they feel confident in their organization with its 27 field offices around the state and 100 paid staff on the ground — augmented by other staffers who are working the caucuses even though they are not primarily based in Iowa.  The campaign also has 15,000 volunteers on the ground. By Monday, Sanders himself will have been in front of 58,000 people in the state, Devine said.  “When you think of all those people, all those events, you are already talking about a mass of people who can get you in a position to achieve victory,” Devine said in an interview with The Hill. “We think we have identified enough voters to win the caucuses. But I’m sure if you talked to the Clinton campaign, they would say the same thing too,” he said. Clinton allies with knowledge of the Democratic front-runner’s ground game in Iowa say they believe the results will be close but they think they’ll come out on top.  “I do think we’ll win, maybe by not much but we will,” said one Democratic strategist.  Some agree with that notion.  “I’m still not convinced that Sanders supporters are prepared to follow through with their pledge and engage in the caucus process,” said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist who served as a spokesman for then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).   Still, Manley added that Sanders has managed to ride “a groundswell of anger” on some issues, just as Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz  (R-Texas) have done on the Republican side. “From my years in the Senate, I knew he was awfully passionate about the issues but I for one am surprised that he’s doing as well as he is,” he said. Steffen Schmidt, a professor of political science at Iowa State University, said he believes Sanders can convert campaign attendees to caucusgoers and that they will come out in droves. “Why wouldn’t they?” he said. “They turned out for Barack Obama. And [Sanders] is getting bigger crowds than Obama.  “It’s real,” he continued. “You have the same feel as Obama rallies and I went to those.” In Iowa, he said, a state that prides itself on voting from the heart, “young voters seem to be on fire and have the burn for Bernie … I think it’s going to be a large turnout.” Both sides concede there are outside factors that could take a toll on turnout.  Weather is the biggest one. As of Friday the forecast in Iowa for Monday, the day of the caucuses, was mostly cloudy with a high of 39. But there’s a chance of a looming snowstorm the following day. If the snow comes early, turnout could suffer.  But, weather aside, Pat Rynard, the founder of the popular Democratic news site IowaStartingLine.com predicted Sanders would win. While he predicted that fewer caucusgoers would come out than in 2008, he said the number of participants will still be significant.  “I think he just barely pulls it out,” he said. “It’s going to be very close but I would rather have enthusiastic supporters than experienced supporters and a large operation for caucus night.” View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

2017-03-29 00:00:00

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NFL star T.J. McDonald just got hit with an 8 game suspension from an arrest last year when the stud safety allegedly hit a parked car. TMZ Sports broke the story ... McDonald was arrested for DUI in May after getting into a car accident in L.A. Prosecutors dropped the DUI charge ... but McDonald pled no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to 36 months probation, 200 hours of community service, and 3 months in an alcohol program. T.J. -- who spent 4 seasons with the Rams -- is currently an unsigned free agent, and is considered one of the best remaining available players.

2016-03-17 00:18:21

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Sports Briefing | Basketball The former Michigan State star Mateen Cleaves was arraigned on sexual assault charges in Flint, Mich., a day after he was charged with assaulting a woman at a motel last summer after a charity golf event. The prosecutor Kym Worthy criticized Judge M. Cathy Dowd, saying Cleaves’s arraignment was handled “clandestinely.” No cameras were allowed.

2020-03-20 00:00:00

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ROME (Reuters) - Italian Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri said on Friday that European Union bonds are needed to fight the coronavirus emergency hobbling the bloc’s economies. “We should foresee the issue of European securities that can be used by each country under the same conditions and must be related to the fight against coronavirus and its economic consequences,” Gualtieri told Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera. “We are facing a symmetrical shock that affects everyone and therefore we need to use the tools we have in an innovative way.” In a bid to stop a pandemic-induced financial rout from shredding the euro zone’s economy, the European Central Bank launched on Wednesday a 750-billion-euro bond buying program. Gualtieri praised the ECB’s move but said monetary policy alone was not enough. “We must have the courage to put in place a common and coordinated budgetary policy capable of supporting the effort of our health systems,” Gualtieri said. Italy’s death toll from coronavirus overtook that of China, where the virus emerged, on Thursday as hospitals said they were being overwhelmed and the government prepared to prolong emergency lockdown measures. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a separate interview on Friday that the European Union must use “the full firepower” of its 500 billion euro ($534 billion) rescue fund to confront Europe’s economic crisis during the coronavirus outbreak. Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni; Editing by Kevin Liffey

2016-10-20 00:00:00

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Oct 20 (Reuters) - Speedcast International Ltd * entered into a service agreement to provide field engineering and support services * deal to provide field engineering and support services to a leading global energy services company across europe, africa, and asia. * will provide field engineering services to support and maintain remote communications services over fibre, wireless,satellite networks Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:

2017-10-30

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Oct 30 (Reuters) - MILLENNIUM & COPTHORNE HOTELS PLC : * MILLENNIUM & COPTHORNE HOTELS PLC - ‍NINE MONTHS AND Q3 RESULTS TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2017​ * MILLENNIUM & COPTHORNE HOTELS PLC - Q3 ‍REVPAR £89.75 VERSUS £85.78​ LAST YEAR * MILLENNIUM & COPTHORNE HOTELS PLC - ‍Q3 REVENUE TOTAL £263M VERSUS £247M​ LAST YEAR * MILLENNIUM & COPTHORNE HOTELS PLC - ‍Q3 REVENUE - HOTEL £231M VERSUS £221M​ LAST YEAR * MILLENNIUM & COPTHORNE HOTELS PLC - Q3 ‍PROFIT BEFORE TAX £55M VERSUS £46M​ LAST YEAR * MILLENNIUM & COPTHORNE HOTELS PLC - ‍ON A CONSTANT CURRENCY BASIS, GROUP REVPAR WAS UP BY 1.8% FOR THREE WEEKS ENDED 21 OCTOBER 2017​ * MILLENNIUM & COPTHORNE - ‍ON A LIKE-FOR-LIKE BASIS, THREE-WEEKS TO OCT 21, GROUP REVPAR INCREASED BY 0.7%, NEW YORK UP BY 3.3%, AUSTRALASIA UP BY 8.0%​ Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Bengaluru Newsroom)

2017-03-22 00:00:00

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Trump administration officials are seriously considering whether to make substantive last minute changes to the House Obamacare replacement bill to convince Freedom Caucus members to vote for it. Two sources with direct knowledge — working on the side pushing the bill — tell me that the White House is debating making some changes to how the House bill trims Obamacare's insurance regulations and its "essential benefit" requirements before putting the bill on the floor. One source said failure was not an option. In one source's view it's not realistic to think that the bill can be kicked into next week and that something might miraculously change. Freedom Caucus leader Mark Meadows has made it clear he can't vote for the current bill and won't unless more is done to lower premiums. He's demanded the House bill repeals more Obamacare insurance rules. Why it matters: Republicans are still looking for votes. In the White House meeting today the team pushing the bill suggested to the Freedom Caucus that they could get changes made in the Senate version. But the Freedom Caucus folks made it clear they don't trust the Senate. Leadership's view is that the changes aren't possible under the rules for the budget "reconciliation" bill that's being used for repeal, since everything in it has to affect spending or revenues. But there appears to be growing openness within the White House to testing that proposition.

2019-08-05

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Resource-rich Uzbekistan is on a push to attract foreign investment, hoping a raft of government reforms will help revolutionize its economic model. The former Soviet state gained independence from Moscow in 1991, and in recent years the Central Asian nation has been claiming it wants to move away from its state-led economy to that of a market-oriented set up. The Uzbek government's case has focused particularly on the diversification of agricultural production as well as the development of mineral and petroleum exports, capacity and manufacturing. Uzbekistan has the fourth-largest gold deposits in the world and is also rich in copper and uranium. The energy industry has a heavy presence in the country, claiming there are significant untapped reserves of both oil and gas. Cotton production also remains a key contributor, although the nation's main cash crop industry has been subject to global boycott orders over its use of forced labor. Shavkat Mirziyoyev has served as President of Uzbekistan since 2016 and has been the main driver behind recent attempts to open up the economy. The Uzbek government's reform roadmap for 2019 to 2021, announced in November 2018, outlines five policy goals: to maintain macroeconomic stability; to accelerate the transition from state-led economy into a market-driven system; to improve social services; to strengthen the government's role in the market economy; and to preserve environmental stability. Mirziyoyev's administration has also set about refocusing the judicial system from prosecution to protection of human rights, tackling corruption, liberalizing financial markets and creating a favorable environment for domestic and overseas investors. Ipek de Vilder, analyst at frontier markets-focused brokerage Auerbach Grayson, told CNBC that such reforms would help render Uzbekistan "comparable to Poland in the early 1990s and Romania in 2000, where market driven reforms with strong GDP growth and good pipelines increased the investment opportunities for foreigners." The government has its sights set on large-scale privatizations of state-owned enterprises. Auerbach Grayson's domestic broker partner, Avesta Investment Group, has flagged the likes of Qyzylqumsement, a 3.5 million ton capacity cement plant, as an example of the liquid stocks piquing interest from investors. The company is 86% state-owned, with 35% up for privatization. Uzbekistan's GDP growth for 2018 was 5.1% and has remained steady into 2019, coming in at 5.3% for the first quarter. But while there are macro factors which work in Uzbekistan's favor, including its location, its youthful demographics, natural resources, large foreign exchange reserves and low government and private sector debt, its attempt to catapult itself to the vanguard of frontier markets still faces a number of headwinds. A recent $1 billion bond offering was relatively well received by investors, but not many of the plans outlined in the government's development strategies have been fully implemented, according to Agathe Demarais, global forecasting director at the Economist Intelligence Unit. "More realistically, a transition to a market-oriented economy remains a distant prospect, given a systemic reliance on the state to drive economic growth," Demarais told CNBC. "There is also a risk of reform fatigue—Mr Mirziyoyev has pushed through many economic reforms in a short period of time, which could be difficult to implement effectively, owing to their large scale and scope." She also explained that Uzbekistan's society is far from being a free-market one, given that the legacy of the Soviet era is still "very much palpable, and it will take decades to move away from the current mindset." Under Mirziyoyev's predecessor, Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan was a tightly controlled society, but questions remain over whether the new regime's shift in rhetoric will produce tangible results. Uzbekistan is still ranked 156th out of 167 countries on the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2018 Democracy Index — below that of Sudan. Demarais projected that despite attempts to reform the economic environment, it is unlikely that Mirziyoyev will introduce political reforms to advance democracy, which is unlikely to aid the government's quest to lure foreign investors. "Although the president has freed some political prisoners, it is unlikely that there will be remarkable changes towards freedom of speech, despite some cosmetic alterations and positive rhetoric from the president that is unlikely to translate to actual change," she added, suggesting that this will continue to weigh on investor sentiment. William Jackson, chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, told CNBC that significant progress had been made in terms of institutional improvement, which "bodes well for long-term prospects and should make investors more confident." However, he pointed out that Uzbekistan relies heavily on trade with Russia, "where potential growth is extremely weak," and faces some further near-term headwinds. "Uzbekistan has had a credit boom recently, which caused imports to rise sharply and its current account deficit to widen, so it's now very dependent on foreign capital inflows," he added.

2017-11-29 00:00:00

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Over the past few years, pimple popping has very well become a celebrated art form all its own. Searches for the spine-tingling video trend continue to skyrocket with each new one uploaded online — no matter how gory or downright disgusting they may seem. Everyone from amateurs to medical professionals alike have taken interest, and honestly, the fan base for this particular pastime sport isn't showing any signs of stopping soon. Out-topping 2016, this year's lineup has featured more blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pustules, nodules, and cysts than ever, which helps prove that our "addiction" is just as multifaceted as the skin concerns we seek to remove. Dr. Sandra Lee, a.k.a Dr. Pimple Popper, leads the pack with over 2.6 million Instagram followers and 3 million YouTube subscribers who tune in just to watch her zap zits. Talk about impressive! If you consider yourself a fan and are looking for the absolute best pimple-popping videos on the web, we've taken it upon ourselves to do the dirty work and compiled a list of 10 top picks (pun intended). Ahead, indulge in the most extreme extractions worth your while.

2019-03-21

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(CNN)For our readers, real life doesn't have a Hollywood nickname like "Operation Varsity Blues" and the scandal, as it continues to unfold, isn't an abstraction. "It's a slap in the face to the American dream and to the other kids in the Chicago Public School system," said Christian Badillo, the first student from his high school to be admitted to Stanford University, where he is now a senior. It's a reminder that, as graduating high school senior Mick Hashimoto put it, "We are frustrated with what America has become." Hashimoto, like so many of his peers across the country, is waiting this week and beyond for the results of his own college applications. "The best lesson I learned there," wrote Liza Lockard of her time as a graduate student at Yale University, was that those "who come from extraordinary privilege" were "no smarter, or no more talented than I was." And "because of what it took for me to get there" -- Lockard, now a professor in Hawaii, had battled addiction and homelessness -- "I knew was much stronger than they were." For Celeste A., the university admissions process is too narrowly focused on standardized tests -- and courting the kind of privilege that breeds self-doubt in too many other hard-working kids. Her daughter has been accepted to prestigious universities, but still questions whether she is "smart enough." Chris H., who worked his way through an Ivy League school in his 20s, now says that degree "has been worth very little." For artist Aimee Manion, college felt like a bait-and-switch for which she was unprepared; on the far side of it, "student loan debt shaped the course of my life." Badillo, Hashimoto, Lockard, Celeste, Chris and Manion are six of the hundreds of CNN Opinion readers who shared their stories in response to a question we posed as part of an op-ed by David Perry, a longtime scholar and journalist with expertise on disability issues. Perry deemed the scandal "just the tip of the iceberg" in terms of the gross inequalities perpetuated by the systems of higher education in America. He also noted the potentially devastating rebound effects of the scandal on students with disabilities in particular; "alleged criminals like these" risk making "disability accommodation" into "a battle between student and suspicious professor, rather than a process of community building and inclusion." The college admissions scheme hits many of us -- parents, students, teachers, citizens -- in places where we are vulnerable. For some, it's because you believe in fair play or have been made to feel less than at school or at work. For others, it's that you have been or have raised the kid who went sleepless to earn those extra points on an assignment. Or you just grew up watching "Full House" or "Desperate Housewives" and can't look at Lori Loughlin or Felicity Huffman the same way on your screens, or -- like reader Hosniya Zarabi -- still remember the moment you got the "big envelope" from the college of your dreams and now wonder what it all meant. Whatever your perspective, a lot of illusions died last week. The full toll of the charges of fraud and bribery and the further events and revelations they have touched off won't be known for a long time to come. Thank you to all the readers who weighed in. Here is a sampling of your responses. Some have been lightly edited for clarity and flow. Stanford senior: This is a slap in the face to the American dream Like many other working-class families around the country, my parents told me that if I worked hard in high school, I could gain access to opportunities that were unavailable to all previous generations of our family. College was a foreign concept to them, but I truly believed what they told me. I worked hard, applied to Stanford University my senior year, and got in despite no one in my high school getting in before. I was lucky enough that out of the stack of admissions applications they received, they chose mine out of the pile. Many other people worked just as hard or harder than I had with less opportunities, and it felt bitter sweet to be chosen. I am now a senior at Stanford and have seen the disparities between those who had opportunities and those who didn't. These differences manifest themselves in many ways and it is disappointing to say the least. But what's even more disappointing is knowing that among my peers are those who cut in line; those who prevented other first-generation, low-income students who worked just as hard or harder than I had from getting in, just because they had money. It's a slap in the face to the American dream and to the other kids in the Chicago Public School system who believed what their parents told them. It makes me question the value of the degree I will receive this June, and it hurts me to my core that other parents who worked hard like mine to see their kids go to a school like Stanford won't be in attendance. Christian Badillo, Palo Alto, CA High school senior: We are frustrated with what America has become I am currently a senior in high school, I and all my peers await on college decisions as March rolls by us. The last four years of work and dedication for some of us means that we will be attending higher education. As early decisions have already come out, a lot of being crushed by getting rejected by our dream schools. We ask ourselves whether or not the decisions we have made in the last four years were correct or not. We ask whether there were times when we could've worked a little harder. We begin to question the meaning of it all under the devastation of not getting to a dream we have all dreamed of. It's the current societal pressure in part that forces all of us to look through college rankings and make sure to get into the big-name schools. In the midst of the depressive states of some of our peers though, many are delighted to hear that the college of our dreams accepted us. But once again, societal greed shows that for some, it wasn't the hard work that has gotten us into the schools. It's the bribery and fraud. Again, we question whether or not the decisions we made were the correct decisions. I was born into a middle-class family like many Americans but am fortunate to be able to go to a well-funded public school. The American education system needs reform. American teachers are not paid enough. Some schools only open for four days because they don't have enough funding. We categorize all these schools as public so all Americans can be educated, but the education we receive is not all the same. In the midst of that, the top 1% cheat the system to avoid the poorly funded schools. They cheat to get into the schools we worked hard to get into. What I get from this news is that I like many others am frustrated with the system. We are frustrated with greed that clouds the American future. We are frustrated with what America has become. All I ask is for justice to be brought forth. Mick Hashimoto, Denver area, Colorado I still remember the "big envelope" -- and how hard it was to get it Reminiscing about the day I received my early acceptance to Stanford. My dad handed me "the big envelope" when I came home, and though it had the word "congratulations" written on it in bold letters, I still hesitated about its contents and ran to my room to open it in private. It was one of the happiest moments of my and my family's life, a moment made even sweeter given the sheer time and effort I'd dedicated to this goal growing up. Looking back, I frequently slept little in high school, juggling numerous extracurriculars, AP classes, and independent projects, as I did during my intern year in neurosurgery residency. Growing up in the Bay Area with many driven peers (most of whom were immigrants like myself or children of immigrants), the competition was stiff, and despite our efforts, near perfect SAT scores and 4.5+ GPAs, there was no guarantee any of us would get a coveted spot at a top-tier institution. The news [of the admissions scam] is frustrating in that it highlights a system that many hard-working students are already familiar with -- a system where privilege, legacy, family donations and connections can easily trump a perfect application and the years and efforts it takes to build such a thing. The same is also true for graduate and medical school admissions, where spots are sometimes even tougher to come by. But I am also hopeful that this incident will encourage those students who've earned their way, especially those dealing with imposter syndrome, to feel more confident about the fact that they do indeed belong at these institutions. Hosniya Zarabi, San Francisco area, California My daughter's self-doubt makes me the angriest I was born without privilege in North Philadelphia back in 1972, when many African-American families were just beginning to make a better life. My dad did just that, finishing an apprenticeship as an architect. We "moved on up" like the intro to "The Jeffersons" said and life was much better. My parents' sacrifices paved the way for me to attend a four-year college and graduate with a STEM degree. I now own a small IT business and live a comfortable life. I raised both of my children with similar values, which brings me to my daughter who is waiting anxiously for her college acceptance letters this month. She is graduating with a 4.3 and a 1340 SAT score, a score which she worked so hard to get -- $3500 worth of tutors which I could barely afford and many nights on Khan Academy to improve her score from 1150 to 1340. This kid has worked her butt off taking a very rigorous course load, running several clubs, Girl Scouts, public relations coordinator for the Maryland state class council ... you name it, she's doing it or trying to do it to show how "well-rounded" she is and what an asset she will be for any school. She's scared that her SAT score wasn't good enough, but then a couple of acceptances came in: UNC Chapel Hill, UMD-College Park and Georgia Tech. Then the self-doubt starts. She asks me, "Am I smart enough for these schools, Mom?" "Why?" I ask. She tells me that all her friends stress about the SAT score and remark about how her score isn't that high, so how did a girl like her get into a school like Georgia Tech. Random folks on social media ask her to share her SAT score and GPA. Is it because she is black? We wonder, and it eats at us. We don't want to be the affirmative action quota. EVERYTHING is about that damned test. Our lives hang in the balance on that score. And the values that I have worked so hard to instill in my children don't matter. What matters is that SAT score. And now to find out the level of cheating going on -- it really pisses me off. I had heard rumors before this, that parents were paying tens of thousands of dollars to cheat their way into a great SAT score. So I am not surprised, but I am still pissed. Why should your acceptance to a college depend on one test taken on one day of your 12-grade career as a student? Life is so stacked against people like my daughter. We play the game and follow the rules, only to find out again that the rules are only for people like us. Celeste A., Washington, DC area I need the accommodations that others have abused. What happens to people like me now? I have a learning disability: ADHD and a low form of Aspergers. When I was diagnosed when I was 12 years old, I was afforded every accommodation in order to get through school. I was struggling even then, but with hard work and some of the best teachers who taught me the skills I needed to succeed, I was able to get through my struggles and make it in the real world. I'm now a successful computer engineer in NYC. When I took my SATs, I didn't get above 900 the first time and the second time I got 1000. Both times I used my accommodation of double time to take the exam because I cannot take tests. My fellow peers and others who have the same situation as me are now going to have a harder time getting the time they need to get those SAT scores to get into schools, perhaps trying to get into a top-flight school if they have the grades to prove it. I am afforded this accommodation in my adult life when I have to take tests and other things that are timed because I need it in order to succeed. I would not be where I am today or where I want to go in the future without this accommodation. I feel like it's now going to be harder to prove that I need it in the wake of the scandal. This hurts me to the core of my soul. Shane F., Brooklyn, New York The best lesson I ever learned at Yale was about myself I was the unlikeliest of candidates to attend college: I was kicked out of my home in my teens, graduated from high school in the bottom quintile of my class, subsequently became addicted to drugs and found myself homeless for a spell. However, nine years later I was accepted into a master's program at any Ivy League school with a half-tuition scholarship. That had never been an explicit goal for me, but my dismal circumstances drove me to forge a better life for myself -- even more so than had I come from a supportive upbringing. I worked hard to turn my life around, and against overwhelming odds, got accepted to Yale and Columbia. I ultimately chose to attend Yale. I did not have any connections or money, nor could I brag of an illustrious academic history or exceptional accomplishments. But I never hid my dismal past in my application either; I, in fact, owned it, because it was what made me unique apart from everyone else. I was proud to have overcome the formidable obstacles in my path, because if nothing else, I possessed incredible tenacity, perseverance and resilience. The first few days at Yale, I admit, were terrifying. I found out that I was the only student in my program who had ever waited on tables to earn a living; most of my classmates had never had to work before. There seemed to be a collective fascination with exotic classmates who hailed from wealthy faraway countries; I, on the other hand, had much more admiration for students who came from places like Paramus, New Jersey or Chicago's South Side. I witnessed what life was like for those who come from extraordinary privilege, and despite my early intimidation, eventually came to discover that they were no smarter, or no more talented than I was. But because of what it took for me to get there, I knew I was much stronger than they were. Best lesson I ever learned there. Liza Lockard, Honolulu, Hawaii Student loan debt shaped the course of my life. Kids need to know what this system can do to them I graduated from high school in 2001 in a really incredible school district in the suburbs of southwestern Pennsylvania. Most of my classmates lived in expensive new homes in gated communities. Out of 1,500 students, there were only three kids who weren't white. And everyone went to college. Everyone. It was just what you were supposed to do after graduation. Well, my family was middle-class, so my parents couldn't afford to pay our tuition. But my dad was an engineer and above the threshold for me to get any financial aid. So I took out several high interest loans to finance my education myself. The amount of debt I accumulated was overwhelming. I went into severe depression for many years because of the daunting amount of debt I owed. I had no idea what I was getting into when I was 18 and making these huge financial life decisions ... I've basically been paying a high-interest mortgage for twelve years, with eight more to go. Student loan debt shaped the course of my life. Because of my debt, I couldn't do normal things like buy a car or a house, go on vacation or generate savings. I was living check to check, in hopeless depression. I'm 35 now and finally just bought a house. I am married, but I don't plan on ever having kids. How could I afford kids when I still have my student loans and a mortgage to pay?! I'll be 43 years old when my student loans are finally paid, and I don't want to become a mother in my mid-40s. My degrees are in fine art and biological anthropology. While I loved school and love learning, the degrees themselves are pretty useless to me. I am currently a professional artist and a bartender -- both jobs I could do without a degree. I always say that I should have majored in business, because as an artist I am an entrepreneur. My biggest gripe about my situation is the lack of education I received about student loans, debt, and college. Why don't they teach you these things in high school? We need a class to teach young kids about money -- loans, interest, taxes, credit scores, how to buy a car or home, all of these big important things we will face once we become adults. Why are we letting ignorant young kids make huge financial decisions that will affect the rest of their lives? Education is becoming more expensive, and college is not necessary for success. It's not for everyone. If I knew the amount of debt I was accumulating and knew how much interest I would pay over time, I never would have gone to college. We are doing a disservice to young students, and it's affecting our economy in the long run. My entire generation has postponed buying houses and having kids -- instead of putting our money into the economy, we are putting it into the pockets of private banks. We are becoming indentured servants to a system we didn't understand when we were forced to make these financial decisions. Things need to change. Aimee Manion, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania My son is the first to attend college and I know he understands true success My grandparents didn't attend college, my parents didn't attend college, my brothers and I, no college. So it was such a proud moment the day my only son began his college career! Learning of these despicable people and practices makes me even more angry when I remember how upset my son was at being denied entrance to his first choices. Looks like all those spots were bought, not earned. It's disheartening for these kids that they have helicopter parents who never believe in their abilities, have no faith in them and will buy their futures. They're buying their failure. And they've taken away from so many others to feed their selfish needs. I'm proud that my son earns every grade, feels every achievement, and knows how to rebound from a loss. That's true success. Heather B., Noblesville, Indiana My Ivy League degree let me down My Ivy League degree has been worth very little. It has led me to observe that most opportunities afforded to persons with elite degrees depends on who you know, and who you know depends on how much money you're born with. My education was interrupted in my 20s after both of my parents died. I had to stop going to school and start working for a living. I was fortunate enough to eventually secure a job at an Ivy League university located in the heart of a major city. Among the benefits is a generous tuition benefit package that permitted me, over the span of seven years, to complete my B. A. in 2013. My attempts at using my degree to further my career has been an eye-opener. After I left employment with the school I earned my degree from and moved to a different city, I was only able to secure a job that paid $20,000 a year less -- despite the prestige carried by my diploma and an uninterrupted 17-year work history of promotion to positions of increasing responsibility. I returned to my former employer after four years -- to a position that paid scarcely more than the one I left, even after negotiation. My experience of job prospects as an experienced adult in the workplace with an Ivy League degree differs sharply from the paths of the younger, wealthier students who shared the same classrooms with me. They were armed with the latest top-end MacBook Pro computers, sometimes carried in Kenneth Cole or Michael Kors bags, and the talk among them was of which of their father's friend's firms they were going to intern at during the summer. It is perfectly obvious to me that socioeconomic background is the biggest factor in educational and post-education outcomes after more than 20 years as a higher education professional and seven as a recent student. Chris H., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania My acceptance was built, not bought As someone who is busy applying for scholarships and pitching myself to high net worth individuals so I can afford the tuition at Cornell University-Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, this struck a nerve. Initially I had a pity party: "Poor me, too poor to go to an Ivy League school and I have to beg for money." Then I realized, that I have secured my place all on my own merit, me, a girl from Africa who was raised by a single father. I had earned a place in a very selective LLM (masters of law) program that is at the cutting edge of technology and entrepreneurship -- then I felt sorry for the parents and the children. I don't want to be like them, but they want to be like me -- to be in my position and they would do anything. Yet, what they don't see and embrace is what I went through to become this person. When I was 13 I lost my mother, two brothers and our nanny when they were murdered by my uncle -- this was on September 13, 2001. This masters degree is another building block in my life. When I was 26, I started my legal consulting firm and I was homeless for almost a year as I put the business together. These challenges have given me something that money cannot buy -- which is empathy -- and through my education and entrepreneurship my desire is to share the little bit of privilege I have with others that are often overlooked. I have started non profit organizations to help early stage entrepreneurs with actionable advice and practical tool, a social enterprise to expose women and children in mining communities to digital skills. My acceptance into Cornell has been built, not bought. I owe it to all my traumas and the single father that raised me -- in what I thought was a laissez-faire manner, because he didn't helicopter me. He provided an environment for me to discover my interests, he paid for everything I needed so I could do what I want and he was constantly there to listen, love and guide from the periphery. Although it seems terrible that the scheme has been exposed, it could be an opportunity to develop character, something too many have discounted for so long. The parents have not modeled leadership well for their children up to this point. Tiyani Majoko, Johannesburg, South Africa Maybe my son will get a fairer shake now that this scandal is national news My son is a junior and attends an all-boys private Catholic high school for which I have worked up to three jobs at a time to pay for. I have always told him that he has to work hard and can't slack off like some of his classmates can because whether they do well or not their parents can and will buy them into schools and jobs. This kind of behavior is very well known to the less privileged and especially those of us in the African American community. I and others are not surprised by this, I'm more surprised that a bunch of the wealthy and entitled got caught. My son is about to start applying to colleges ... maybe he'll actually get a fair shake now that this behavior has come to the national spotlight. One can hope. Shannon Faulk, Newark, Delaware These people have no idea what it is to struggle to get an education I am 40-year-old immigrant, a single mother, and a survivor of domestic violence. For many years, I paid for my classes out of my pocket because I was undocumented and I could not apply for financial aid. It has been a long journey. I am a government major at Suffolk University in Boston. Finally, I graduate in May. Suffolk first put my application on hold and asked me to go to a community college because they were afraid that I would not handle the workload of a full time student. I graduated from Bunker Hill Community College with a 3.8 GPA. I transferred to Suffolk and I showed them that I was capable. My current GPA is 3.5. My GPA dropped in the semester I lost my father, otherwise it would be higher than that. I work extremely hard. I study hours into the night and weekends. In order to attend school full time, I work two days as a housekeeper making just enough money to eat and barely pay my bills. One night, after returning from school, I found my apartment dark. The electricity was disconnected. I had been saving all my money to pay rent. My daughter asked me why we did not have electricity. Quickly, a statement I read in a T.D. Jakes' book came to mind. He said that he had been in the same situation and he told his kids that that night was a tent night and to grab the flash lights and have some fun. That was my answer to my daughter and she loved it. That night, I cried myself to sleep, but I told myself: "It's better to sleep without lights than sleep without a roof over my head." The struggle goes on and on, but I never give up. My child needs an educated mother. I am heading to law school next year. We Latinos and single parents do have a chance to be admitted to an Ivy League school, but our chances could be stripped away by students who are cheating the system. If I -- a person who barely has time to study -- can get good grades, why couldn't they? They have money to attend private schools their whole life and hire all types of tutors. Why are they cheating the system? These people have no idea what it is to struggle to access a higher education. Luciana Silva, Arlington, MA Their stories of privilege make me laugh. I know it can all be gone in a moment I actually have a unique story, because I grew up in an upper middle class family, only to have my world come crashing down when I was in college after my father was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. When he died my junior year, he left a wife and four kids behind, and I had no idea how I was going to afford the private school I was attending. My academic scholarship, in addition to a specialized anonymous grant (specific to kids who lose their parents and persevere to graduation) were what allowed me to graduate, although I was not emotionally or mentally fully present the following year and a half. Since graduation, I have had to fully support myself while my other peers (who come from my wealthy community back home) get to travel, live in fancy apartments and have extra money to buy nice things with the help from their parents. At 25, I remind myself that my journey is not like theirs, so it doesn't bother me until I think about my future and how my plans are becoming increasingly harder to achieve due to lack of privilege and my setbacks. I dream of going back to school to become an art therapist for children with cancer. I cannot fathom adding to my loans, going back to college to pause my decently small paycheck for no paycheck, or being able to afford to live in a new city with more possibility than mine. I hear these stories of wealth and I laugh because I know firsthand that you can lose it all in a heartbeat and our American systems fail to appreciate the value of hard work and perseverance over privilege. Still, I am hopeful that someday it will all work out for me and for many others who work hard to make ends meet and keep their dreams alive despite all the setbacks. Erika Krenn, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania A first generation college graduate's journey I am a first generation college graduate. My journey towards higher education is a story of service, community development and environmental conservation. It all began when I was 22 years old, after I enrolled in a partnership program between the California Conservation Corps (CCC) and AmeriCorps, service learning programs developed to serve communities and develop youth. I worked on conservation and trail building projects across California. Both of these programs provided scholarships based on the amount of hours I completed within my program. I used these scholarships to enroll in a community college. I began by taking remedial math and English classes. These classes are no longer required since placement tests traditionally used by colleges tend to "under-place" a significant portion of students. After earning enough credits and obtaining an associates degree in transfer studies, I transferred to Humboldt State University and completed my BA in geography with a minor in natural resources and planning. During this time, I worked seasonally for the US Forest Service and as a research assistant for a professor on climate change studies and bark beetle migration. After completing my degree, I was accepted into the US Peace Corps to serve as a community based natural resource manager. After completing my Peace Corps service, I received a fellowship and continued my education by earning a masters degree in sustainable development at the School for International training. Alysia Ballinger, Willits, California I'm a mother and an SAT tutor. Colleges need to face reality My son worked every day for years to get into MIT. He decided in 9th grade, when he visited the university. It was his decision. He gave up having fun and friends. He gave up every weekend, holiday and vacation for four years to earn the right qualifications. He entered and won academic contests. As a student athlete he gave up all his free time to be good enough for consideration. I was in awe of my son and his discipline and effort, and I supported every step but never ran the show or suggested any illegal or immoral actions. The actions of these parents cheapens my son's real efforts. As a tutor for the SAT and ACT, I see people all the time with false ideas and hopes about what it takes to be in the top 1% of students nationwide. It is a calling and a full time job. It is a huge struggle, a grinding commitment, and for the parents, an expensive, heart-wrenching gamble to fund the effort. These institutions that are seeing mediocre students get in, then not fail out, certainly must be systematically supporting them in some way. My son learned how truly elite a student must be to rightfully earn a place at a top tier university, and it is unbelievably difficult. It is also wearing out young people and creating the atmosphere we live in today. This kind of competition is not healthy for anyone, let alone a young person. University admissions teams must do more to work together to stop this kind of crime, that cheapens everyone around them. But they also should take a hard look at the ridiculous standards they are holding young persons to, and place a cap on admissions expectations or young people will continue to exhaust themselves and cheaters will continue to cheat. I work with young hopefuls every day. Let me tell you, the damage to the mental health of our young people is a major contributing factor to the downfall of our country. Cynthia Chazen, Demarest, New Jersey Paola Nagovitch contributed to this story.

2018-12-14

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Buyer, beware — that last-minute stocking stuffer from Amazon may not have earned its five-star rating legitimately. Amid the explosion of e-commerce, shoppers are turning to online reviews instead of ads to decide what to buy. Fifty-five percent of people always use online ratings and reviews to inform their purchase decisions, according to a Better Business Bureau and Nielsen survey. But sometimes those reviews are bought and paid for, just like advertising. "The reality is with certain categories of product, buying out fake reviews is actually considered a marketing expense," said Renee DiResta, director of research for cybersecurity firm New Knowledge. The dominant e-commerce platform remains Amazon, which sells hundreds of millions of products, with more than half of items sold coming from third-party sellers. Shares of the e-commerce giant are up 40 percent this year, and the company's market valuation briefly reached $1 trillion in September. Top-rated products show up higher in search results on Amazon's website and Google, which can mean a significant boost in sales for a seller with a top-rated listing. Some merchants have turned to paying for positive reviews, especially ahead of major shopping days for Amazon, like Black Friday. And Amazon has struggled to catch them as they grow increasingly sophisticated in evading notice from the website and customers. DiResta's research found that the most likely offenders are sellers of generic products from no-name companies. Amazon fans can look to websites like ReviewMeta or FakeSpot for estimates on how trustworthy a product's reviews are. Both have their own Google Chrome extensions to make checking reviews even easier. FakeSpot gives Amazon products a grade based on how trustworthy its reviews appear to an algorithm. The website also grades reviews from TripAdvisor, Yelp and Walmart. ReviewMeta takes a different approach. Running an Amazon URL through the website generates a report with an overall grade, as well as an adjusted rating that removes reviews it deems "unnatural." A low grade from ReviewMeta or FakeSpot does not necessarily mean that the program captured every fake review. In some cases, legitimate reviews may be flagged or fake reviews could be missed. To combat the problem, Amazon deletes reviews, products and even the accounts of suspect sellers and fake reviewers. "We take this responsibility very seriously and defend the integrity of reviews by taking aggressive action to prevent abuse and protect customers from dishonest parties who are abusing the reviews system," Amazon said in a statement to CNBC. "Customers can report suspicious reviews 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and we investigate each claim." In some cases, the e-commerce giant has used the legal system to curb the problem. It sued more than 1,000 people who used the freelancing platform Fiverr to find sellers willing to compensate them for reviews. Amazon has also filed suits against several third-party sellers. DiResta discovered that sellers search for reviewers looking for free products and even extra cash in Facebook groups and Reddit posts. Merchants usually request to see the reviewer's Amazon profile to make sure it appears legitimate, which usually means a profile picture and experience writing reviews spread out over a long span of time. To avoid fraud detection, sellers would send DiResta a photo of their product, leaving her to track it down on Amazon. Some might even ask reviewers to leave the item on their wish list for a day or two to remain under the radar, she said. Sellers also provide a discount code to reviewers, allowing them to purchase the product without paying. Because they bought it through Amazon, their post about the product will appear with a badge that says "verified purchase," adding a sense of legitimacy to the review. DiResta also noted that many sellers requested reviewers to post photos of the product with the review. ReviewMeta and FakeSpot still recommend reading over the reviews — with a few tips in mind. One sign that potential buyers should look for is overly positive language that praises the company, FakeSpot CEO Saoud Khalifah said. Khalifah also suggests looking at the dates of a product's reviews. A large number in a few days is a red flag. Another warning signal is multiple posts from a reviewer for different products in a single day, he said. Tommy Noonan, who operates ReviewMeta, says when you believe you have been fooled, you should message the seller and Amazon and consider returning the product. Noonan warns that nobody can tell definitively what a fake review is, and even a listing with inauthentic reviews might still sell a product that works. "Any seller that has any long-term goals in mind is going to try to provide a quality product and quality customer service," he said.

2018-02-27 11:34:02

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In “The Fire Next Time,” James Baldwin wrote that “to accept one’s past — one’s history — is not the same thing as drowning in it.” He knew that the superstitious fear of being swallowed up, the dread of giving up a fantasy of innocence, is precisely what keeps so many white Americans from confronting the uglier aspects of the nation’s legacy. Travis Wilkerson, a documentary filmmaker whose roots are in small-town Alabama, attempts just such a reckoning in “Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?” The movie, a scorching and rigorous essay on memory and accountability, is neither a profession of guilt nor a performance of virtue. Though his inquiry is intensely, at times painfully personal, Mr. Wilkerson is above all concerned with unpacking the mechanisms of racial domination. The procedure is akin to performing surgery on a half-conscious subject, or digging up a buried land mine that has lost little of its explosive power. The focus of his excavation is a killing that took place in Dothan, Ala., in 1946, when S.E. Branch, a white shopkeeper, shot Bill Spann, a black man who was in his store. Branch, Mr. Wilkerson’s great-grandfather, was charged with first-degree murder, but no trial was ever held, and the crime faded from memory. Or rather, the memory of it was quietly and systematically suppressed. All that remains are a short newspaper article and a few photographs and home movies of the killer. “Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?” proceeds on several parallel tracks. Mr. Wilkerson returns to Alabama and tries to discover both how Bill Spann died and how he was forgotten. His investigation, accompanied by haunting images of Southern back roads and quiet houses, is punctuated by reminders that Bill Spann’s death is hardly a unique or anomalous event. The names of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and other recent victims of racist violence appear onscreen, and two songs of protest loop into the soundtrack: Janelle Monáe’s “Hell You Talmbout” and Phil Ochs’s “William Moore.” That song, about a white postal worker and civil rights activist murdered on an Alabama highway in 1963, is the source of the film’s title and a part of its wider cultural context. “Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?” is a passionately political film, aflame with rage in spite of its director’s measured, ruminative tone of voice. It is also a horror movie, full of specters and silences and a terror that is pervasive, intimate and elusive. Mr. Wilkerson, whose previous films include “An Injury to One” and “Far From Afghanistan,” dispenses with many of the usual techniques of historical documentary. There are a few on-camera interviews, with neighbors and relatives, but more frequently Mr. Wilkerson narrates encounters that took place off camera. And his sleuthing often leads not to moments of revelation but to dead ends and deeper mysteries. The insertion of clips from “To Kill a Mockingbird” provides a chilling and ironic counterpoint to the grim story this movie is telling. S.E. Branch is the opposite of Gregory Peck’s brave and decent Atticus Finch, and the truth about what happened to Bill Spann resists the kind of redemptive, healing conclusion that remains a cornerstone of American racial fantasy. Instead of consolation, Mr. Wilkerson offers commitment. Instead of idealism, honesty. He doesn’t suppose that his film will solve anything, but there is nonetheless something profoundly useful about the way he confronts past and present manifestations of white supremacy. He links his great-grandfather’s crime to the contemporaneous gang rape of Recy Taylor (the subject of an excellent recent documentary by Nancy Buirski), and uncovers patterns of abuse within his family. He corresponds with a relative who is part of a white nationalist, “Southern secessionist” group. He notes the way racial injustice dwells in apparently mundane facts. The killer is immortalized in pictures and a well-kept tombstone. His victim has been almost entirely erased from memory, a kind of second death beyond the reach of redress or revenge. The bitterness of “Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?” is hard to swallow, but also bracing, like a shot of strong liquor that leaves you with a clearer head and sharper senses. The movie is an antidote to the lethal innocence that, as Baldwin and others have pointed out, allows the crimes of racism to remain unpunished and often unacknowledged.

2016-03-08 06:00:00

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Major News: Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced he will not run for president. In a statement published on Bloomberg View on Monday, the billionaire businessman said he did not see a way to win the presidency. The 74-year-old has been a member of both the Democratic and Republican parties, and was considering running as an Independent candidate in 2016. (Read More) Here At Home: Uber responded to claims of rape & sexual assault in customer service reports. Earlier this week, BuzzFeed News published several years' worth of leaked internal data from Uber's customer service tickets, revealing that the term "sexual assault" was linked to a shocking 6,160 tickets and "rape" to 5,827 tickets between December 2012 and August 2015. Within hours, the ride-sharing giant responded to the claims with a letter, and stated that the leaked numbers were "significantly overstated." (Read More) Talking Points: Fans are angry with J.K. Rowling's portrayal of Native Americans in her new Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling is releasing a new set of Harry Potter stories that focus on magic in North America, but her portrayal of Native Americans is angering some who say she is perpetuating stereotypes and positioning fact as fiction. (Read More) In-The-Know: Dating app Happn released a campaign to raise awareness for female survivors of physical & sexual abuse. In response to the chilling statistic that one in three women worldwide have been abused, Happn and Equality Now are launching the One In Three campaign to remind Happn users in over 20 cities around the world just how disturbingly prevalent these crimes are. (Read More) Recall Alert: Perdue is recalling Applegate chicken nuggets that have pieces of plastic in them. Perdue is recalling the chicken nuggets because the product "may be contaminated with extraneous plastic materials," the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement. The problem was discovered when consumers complained to Perdue Foods LLC about "small, solid, clear plastic inside the Applegate Naturals Chicken Nuggets." (Read More) Longread: Four designers shared the hardest (& best) parts of being women in fashion. Fashion is a female-fueled business. Many glossies have mastheads filled with women; there are tons of female designers; public relations, a key cog in the fashion-industry machine, is two-thirds women. Yet gender inequality is still a legitimate issue in the field — very few European design houses are helmed by female talent. (Read More) Geek Out: NASA & the San Francisco Exploratorium will both livestream tonight's total solar eclipse. On the morning of March 9, the moment of totality will occur in Indonesia. No, we're not talking about something from The Twilight Zone (although it will probably look like twilight outside, despite the fact that it's daytime). We're referring to the total solar eclipse that's set to take place from March 9 to 8 (yes, you read that right: time zones trip up the dates a bit). (Read More) Feminism FTW: Want to find your famous bday twin? We put together a birthday calendar of over 365 badass women. March is Women's History Month. But, as we all know, one month is hardly enough to sum up all of the achievements women have made through the years. There's the pioneering scientific discoveries, the world-record-breaking athletic moments, not to mention groundbreaking contributions to all different industries. (Read More)

2018-01-05

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Voting rights advocates have good reason to celebrate the demise of President Donald Trump’s controversial Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which he shut down on Wednesday amid mounting legal challenges. “Despite substantial evidence of voter fraud,” he said, incorrectly, “many states have refused to provide the [commission] with basic information relevant to its inquiry.” He also cited “endless legal battles at taxpayer expense.” But the biggest threat posed by the commission—that the administration will seek to match state voter rolls with federal databases to justify a massive voter purge—looms larger than ever. Trump’s decision to shift the commission’s work over to the Department of Homeland Security, where it will draw less public scrutiny, is “very dangerous,” warns Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, a Democrat on the commission who won a partial court victory after suing the panel for keeping him in the dark about its activities. And the conservative anti-fraud activists who dominated the commission, including its vice chair and de facto head, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, aren’t about to stop making mischief. Kobach has said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will now quickly start matching federal databases identifying noncitizens with state voter rolls. The Justice Department, moreover, shows no sign of backing down from its demand that states hand over evidence of following voter registration laws—widely seen as precursor to federal lawsuits that will pressure states to purge their voter rolls. Voter purges may well be the new face of voter suppression, as J. Christian Adams, a commission member and anti-fraud activist, signaled last month at a gathering of the American Legislative Exchange Council. Adams told ALEC that voter ID is “yesterday’s fight,” and that the bigger threat to the election system is foreign interference by “aliens who are getting on the rolls and aliens who are voting.” Adams heads a group that’s been threatening state officials with claims that their voter rolls are inaccurate and demands to inspect them. Voting rights advocates call the move a voter purge campaign. Kobach’s Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program, which he created in 2005 and purports to enhance accuracy by allowing states to compare their voter rolls, has been debunked by experts who say it misidentifies 200 legitimate voters as double-registered for every one improperly registered voter. Yet 30 states participate in Crosscheck, and have wiped thousands of voters from the rolls as a result. An Ohio law that triggers the purge process for voters who have failed to cast ballots in a single election cycle faces a constitutional challenge that will be heard by the Supreme Court on January 10. During the Obama administration, the Justice Department had initially sided with voting rights advocates challenging the law, but under Trump, it has reversed course to defend the Ohio statute. States have not slowed down their campaign to enact new restrictions on voting and registration, which accelerated with the Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder to strike a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Voting rights advocates have scored some victories in the courts, but they can no longer count the Justice Department as an ally. Just this week, a federal circuit court in Missouri rejected a civil rights challenge alleging that the state’s voter ID law was designed to disenfranchise minority voters. In a new twist, a GOP-authored bill moving through the New Hampshire legislature would effectively bar college students from voting. The bill would require any voter to be a “resident” of the state, as opposed to simply “domiciled” there, in order to register—meaning that any voter would have to obtain a New Hampshire driver’s license and vehicle registration at a cost of $100 or more. State Democrats say the bill perpetuates the GOP myth that voter fraud is widespread there—a fallacy that Kobach hyped when he stated in a Breitbart commentary last year, with zero evidence, that New Hampshire’s Senate race was “stolen by voter fraud.” That was one of dozens of cringe-worthy moments for Kobach’s “integrity” commission, which was discredited from the outset by Trump’s wild contention that three to five million fraudulent votes cost him a popular-vote victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016. The commission’s legal violations and missteps have been well-documented, from its sweeping demand that states turn over voters’ sensitive personal information, to its chaotic, rambling public meetings, to Dunlap’s extraordinary move to sue his own commission. The commission’s end is a victory, but its unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud will be harder to kill off. Eliza Newlin Carney is a Washington writer and columnist for The American Prospect.

2016-06-26

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An online U.K. petition demanding a re-vote of the referendum that removed the country from the European Union has garnered more than 3 million votes since it was first circulated on Friday. The petitioners are calling on the government to "implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60 percent based a turnout less than 75 percent there should be another referendum." The petition only asked for 100,000 signatures, and far exceeded the number required to get an official government response, it said. It was unclear, however, whether the participants were people who voted in favor of Brexit and changed their minds, or were comprised of voters who voted "remain" in the first place—or were even people eligible to vote in the U.K. The "leave" camp won the divisive vote with 52 percent on a turnout of 72 percent, which was still the highest turnout in more than 20 years. The reverberations claimed the job of Tory Prime Minister David Cameron, and set off a wave of resignations among the opposition Labor Party leadership, which also backed the "remain" camp. The Brexit vote has laid bare deep generational and geographic fissures, as older voters overwhelmingly chose to quit the 28-member bloc while younger voters opted to remain. The results also pit regions of the kingdom against one another, as Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain, while Wales voted in favor of exit. Scottish officials have vowed to hold another referendum on independence from the U.K., a development that threatens to fracture the already divided kingdom. Correction: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized Wales' vote.

2016-11-11

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Facebook will no longer allow advertisers to target or exclude different races in ads related to housing, employment and credit, the company said Friday.  "Since concerns about our ethnic affinity marketing were raised, Facebook has been meeting with stakeholders to listen to their feedback and ideas about how Facebook can better support its existing efforts to combat wrongful discrimination," a Facebook spokesperson said. "We take these issues seriously. Discriminatory advertising has no place on Facebook."  Facebook's tool allowing advertisers to target or exclude groups based on "ethnic affinity" came under scrutiny last month when ProPublica published a report detailing how the tool allowed the news organization to post an ad for a housing event that excluded African-Americans. That type of exclusion is illegal under federal law in ads related to housing and employment, although Facebook claimed its "ethnic affinity" category only grouped users by interest in a certain race, and not by users' race itself.  Facebook will not stop the practice of "ethnic affinity" marketing entirely.  Instead, Facebook said Friday that it would build tools to disable ethnic affinity marketing for ads for housing, employment and credit, clarify its advertising policies and "provide more education" for businesses and other advertisers. Facebook will also move the "ethnic affinity" category from its "demographics" section to a "behavior" section seen by advertisers.  Facebook said that to arrive at these changes it met with politicians and civil rights groups including New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the National Fair Housing Alliance.  At the time of ProPublica's report, Facebook strongly defended its use of "ethnic affinity" marketing and emphasized that the ad the news organization purchased was for an event related to renters' concerns, not for housing itself — a gray area in federal law.  "We are making these changes to deter discrimination and strengthen our ability to enforce our policies," Facebook Vice President of U.S. Public Policy Erin Egan wrote in a blog post. "We look forward to finding additional ways to combat discrimination, while increasing opportunity, and to continuing our dialogue with policymakers and civil rights leaders about these important issues."

2020-02-06 00:00:00

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OSLO (Reuters) - Norway’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund will be able to invest again in British power firm Drax Group as the firm has cut its use of coal in producing electricity, the central bank said on Thursday. Drax had been excluded from the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund after Norway passed a law in 2015 banning the fund from investing in companies that derive more than 30% of their revenues or activities from coal. “The company has undergone significant restructuring, with a transition from coal to biomass as fuel,” the central bank said in a statement. “Our estimates now indicate that the company’s coal power capacity is less than 30% of the total power capacity by a good margin, and thus that the company bases less than 30% of its operations on coal.” The wealth fund is managed by a unit of the Norwegian central bank. It was the first major fund to ban coal companies and those divestments in 2015 prompted other long-term investors to set similar guidelines, including German insurer Allianz later that year. The rules were tightened last year and, in addition, the fund can no longer invest in companies that mine more than 20 million tonnes of coal annually or generate more than 10 gigawatts (GW) of power from coal. Drax welcomed the move. “It’s great news that the Norwegian oil fund has recognized the pioneering transformation at Drax,” the company said in a statement. “Converting Drax from coal to sustainable biomass has reduced emissions at Drax by over 80% since 2013, making us the largest renewable power generator in the UK and the biggest decarbonization project in Europe.” Drax has converted four of its six coal power units to using biomass, with the remaining units set to close by 2024 at the latest under Britain’s plans to phase out coal-power generation. It has set a goal to become carbon negative by 2030, claiming it would be the first company worldwide to do so. Reporting by Gwladys Fouche; Additional reporting by Susanna Twidale in London; Editing by Terje Solsvik and Susan Fenton

2017-10-28 14:30:26

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Opinion PITTSBURGH — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I have breast cancer. The country is fully pinked out in support of breast cancer screening and research, and though I know all the pink is meant to make me feel good, to tell me that the entire country has my back, I actually find it profoundly alienating. Pink is not a serious color, though cancer is a very serious disease. Pink is about femininity; cancer is about staying alive. I am lucky, if one can say that, within the context of possible cancer diagnoses. My breast cancer is small, has the tumor markers most favorable for treatment (estrogen- and progesterone-positive, HER2-negative) and is very slow-growing. A friend of mine, a doctor, trying to allay his anxiety and mine, joked that based on these results, I didn’t really even have breast cancer. But breast cancer, even when one has a good prognosis, always raises the possibility of mastectomy, a surgery that removes the patient’s disease but is also said to disfigure her in a way that can compromise her femininity. The question that looms, reinforced by the ubiquitous pink, is whether a woman who has lost her breasts to mastectomy will still be a whole woman. I have to say, speaking as a breast cancer patient, that the question never crossed my mind. I am not worried about losing my femininity to breast cancer surgery; I’m worried about losing my future to the disease. The real worry with breast cancer is metastasis: spread. And even though my present prognosis is good, there are reasons prophylactic double mastectomy would not be an unreasonable choice for me. However, after genetic testing and an M.R.I., I chose lumpectomy, with radiation, instead of mastectomy. Avoiding major surgery made the most sense in my specific situation; that mastectomy would threaten my womanliness did not factor in. It’s interesting, that contrast between the frivolousness implied by femininity and the solemnity that marks a diagnosis of cancer. I’m an oncology nurse turned hospice nurse, and though I’ve seen many cancer patients return home to live their lives, I’ve seen more than a few of them die of their disease. It is not an abstraction, nor an exaggeration, to describe cancer as a killer. And it’s that fear of cancer’s potential deadliness that overwhelmingly preoccupies all the breast cancer patients I’ve heard from since I received my diagnosis in mid-September. A colleague who has had a couple of biopsies since her treatment, but no new disease, wrote eloquently to me about how tai chi and dark chocolate help tamp down her fear that her cancer will return. A friend reminded me that her mother has outlived her diagnosis by over 20 years. And a friend of friends, who chose to have a double mastectomy, spoke of the enormous peace of mind the operation gave her and her sister, who also had breast cancer. What resonates in each of these stories is two words: I lived. These women survived their cancer and keep on living. In my own work in oncology, I primarily took care of patients with what we call liquid tumors: leukemia, lymphoma. We say in oncology that bad diseases require bad treatments, meaning savage and harsh, and treatments for acute leukemia are very bad. The chemotherapy causes patients to lose their hair, develop terrible mouth sores, suffer gastrointestinal distress and see their immune systems compromised. I never, though, had a patient whose worry about those side effects came close to her worry about the disease. Being preoccupied with saving one’s life produces a myopia, in which other worries unrelated to one’s possibly imminent death fall away. I did ask my husband, “If I lose my breasts, will you love me the same way?” I was half-joking, but the question was also ridiculous because I knew the answer. Knew it: “Yes.” Still. I feel that my asking it resulted from a kind of primordial sexism that, despite my best efforts, continues to infect my thoughts. The association of femininity and breast cancer is pernicious, because it genders the disease, meaning that a diagnosis of breast cancer marks patients as women first, people second. It implies that our womanliness is diseased, not our bodies. “Be more than pink,” the Susan G. Komen website says, with links to information about supporting breast cancer research. The phrase suggests that pink doesn’t tell the whole story of breast cancer. I would take that statement further, arguing that it insults breast cancer patients to conjoin our femininity and this frightening disease. My cancer was diagnosed via screening, a callback after my yearly mammogram. The tech finished the follow-up ultrasound, and then the radiologist, after a wait, came in. She stood a long time, saying nothing, and I realized belatedly that her silence resulted from concern. Because then she said, “We see a mass here at 9 o’clock.” I cried in the screening room while the tech held me, as tightly as if I were her own child, and I didn’t fear for some ephemeral sense of girlishness or sexiness, but rather for my life.

2016-06-28 23:10:26

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OMAHA — In the warm-down area before his 200-meter butterfly semifinal on Tuesday, Michael Phelps spotted a trend. It has been out with the old and in with the new at these Olympic trials. In eight of the first 10 finals, the winner has been a first-time Olympian. Phelps, who turns 31 on Thursday, was the oldest competitor in the 200 butterfly, and he carried the old guard by posting the fastest time in the semifinals. His time of 1 minute 55.17 seconds gave him a comfortable margin over Pace Clark (1:56.27) and Tom Shields (1:56.35) heading into Wednesday’s final. A two-time gold medalist in the event, Phelps owns the four fastest swims in its history, with times ranging from 1:51.51 to 1:52.20. “My stroke didn’t feel that good,” Phelps said. “Honestly, I didn’t feel that good in the whole race.” He felt better than many of his national team members. Missy Franklin and Matt Grevers, the reigning Olympic gold medalists in the women’s and men’s 100-meter backstrokes, both failed to make the team in those events. The average age of the four winners Tuesday – Townley Haas in the men’s 200 freestyle, Olivia Smoliga in the women’s 100 backstroke, Ryan Murphy in the men’s 100 backstroke and Lilly King in the women’s 100 breaststroke — was 19.8. “I was like, ‘I see a lot of new faces on this team,’” Phelps said. He added: “I think it’s interesting and also exciting just to have new faces, people who are really pumped to come up in the sport. I think that’s something that for me is a good thing to see as I’m on my way out.”

2020-02-24 13:58:43

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A bar in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam recently banned Chinese customers, saying the ban was to "protect the health of our guests." A representative for the bar said on Tuesday that it was no longer banning Chinese customers, and instead asking customers to wear masks and wash their hands. Other business in Vietnam, as well as South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong have also refused to allow Chinese customers to enter. Vietnam's economy is expected to lose billions of dollars due to the coronavirus outbreak, with the country's tourism department saying that it expects to see $3 billion to $4 billion in direct damage.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — A bar in Ho Chi Minh City banned Chinese customers, as Vietnam attempts to stem the spread of coronavirus. "To protect the health of our guests Chaos Lounge would not serve Chinese," read a sign on the door of Chaos Lounge, spotted by Business Insider last week. "Thanks for your cooperation!" On Tuesday, following the original publication of this article, Chaos Lounge told Business Insider that it was no longer banning Chinese customers. According to a representative, the sign had been put up due to concerns that Chinese people were fleeing to Vietnam in an attempt to escape the spread of COVID-19.The representative said that the  Vietnamese government is now controlling the situation. The Chaos Lounge is additionally checking customers' temperatures, as well as asking them to wash their hands and wear masks, according to the representative. Around the world, Asian people have reported incidents of racist harassment and assault as the COVID-19 outbreak has spread. As of Monday, there have been more than 79,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, including 16 in Vietnam.  Chaos Lounge is not the only business in Vietnam to ban Chinese customers. A nail bar in Phu Quoc and a hotel in Danang have also posted signs banning Chinese customers, The New York Post reports. Outside of Vietnam, restaurants in South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong have refused to allow Chinese customers to enter. A representative for the press center of Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Business Insider that the country would never encourage private businesses to bar Chinese people."Vietnam's government never supports or encourages any business in Vietnam to ban Chinese customers," former Vietnamese government adviser Le Dang Doanh said in an email. "Vietnam's government works consistently to treat all customers from all countries, including China, equally."Doanh, who served as a member of the UN Committee for Development Policy from 2016 to 2018, said that the Vietnam provincial authorities in Danang and elsewhere have intervened to lift these bans, which he said were sparked by coronavirus fears. The Vietnamese government is attempting to contain the coronavirus without sacrificing international trade and tourism. Last week, Vietnam reopened one of its borders with China to allow for some trade between the two countries.  However, it seems inevitable that Vietnam will take an economic hit from COVID-19. Vietnam's department of tourism is estimating the outbreak will cause $3 billion to $4 billion in direct damage to the country's tourism industry."The government still keeps the growth target unchanged," said Doanh. "But I think the GDP growth rate of Vietnam's economy in 2020 should be reduced by ca. 1 [percentage point] from the 6.9% target, maybe to around 6.0-5.9%." window._taboola = window._taboola || []; window._taboola = window._taboola || [];

2019-02-15 00:00:00

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SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics is pouring resources into its telecom network equipment business, aiming to capitalize on the security fears hobbling China’s Huawei, according to company officials and other industry executives. Those efforts include moving high-performing managers and numerous employees to the network division from its handset unit, two Samsung sources said. Potential customers are taking notice of Samsung’s efforts to reinvent itself as a top-tier supplier for 5G wireless networks and bridge a big gap with market leader Huawei and industry heavyweights Ericsson and Nokia. French carrier Orange’s chief technology officer, Mari-Noëlle Jégo-Laveissière, visited Japan last year and was impressed with the pace of 5G preparations using alternative equipment makers including Samsung, a company representative told Reuters. Orange, which operates in 27 markets and counts Huawei as its top equipment supplier, will run its first French 5G tests with Samsung this year. “Samsung is doing a big push in Europe at the moment,” one industry source said, declining to be identified. Underscoring the growing importance of the business, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon visited Samsung’s network division in January. In a closed-door meeting during that visit, Samsung heir Jay Y. Lee asked for government help with recruiting high-level engineers. Huawei is battling allegations by the United States and some other Western countries that its equipment could enable Chinese spying and should not be used in 5G networks, which will offer higher speeds and a host of new services. Australia and New Zealand have joined the United States in effectively barring Huawei from 5G, and many other countries, especially in Europe, are considering a ban. Huawei denies that its gear presents any security risk. Its woes have presented Samsung with a rare opportunity. Telecom firms would ordinarily stick with their 4G providers for 5G upgrades as they can use existing gear to minimize costs, but many firms may now be under political pressure to switch. “We’re bolstering our network business to seize market opportunities arising at a time when Huawei is the subject of warnings about security,” said one of the Samsung sources. The sources, who did not disclose specific figures for the employee moves, declined to be identified as they were not authorized to speak on the matter. Keen to seek new growth, particularly as sales of its mainstay chips and smartphones have begun to drop, Samsung plans to invest $22 billion in 5G mobile technology and other fields over three years. It declined to break down how much will go to 5G and the other areas - artificial intelligence, biopharma and automotive electronic parts. “Samsung is focused on building trust with our partners and leading the global 5G markets, regardless of other companies,” it said in an emailed statement to Reuters. Asked about Samsung’s big push into network equipment, Huawei said in a statement that it welcomed competition in the market. In India, Samsung is now in talks with Reliance Jio to upgrade its network to 5G, looking to build on what has perhaps been its biggest network success - becoming the key supplier for the upstart carrier. “We don’t think 5G is far away in India,” a Samsung official with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. He declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. Samsung’s clients include U.S. firms AT&T Inc, Verizon Communications Inc and Sprint Corp and it has 5G network contracts with all three, though it was not clear how extensive those contracts are. It also sells to South Korean carriers and has partnered with Japanese mobile carriers to test its 5G equipment. In many cases, Samsung supplies only small pieces of networks. According to market tracker Dell’Oro Group, the South Korean firm holds just 3 percent of the global telecom infrastructure market compared with 28 percent for Huawei. Its network business made 870 billion won ($775 million) in operating profit last year, according to Eugene Investment & Securities. Filings show Nokia’s network business made about 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) while Ericsson’s network operations made 19.4 billion Swedish crowns ($2.1 billion). Figures for Huawei were not available. One major hurdle for Samsung will be attracting talent amid a dearth of software engineers in South Korea. “We need more software engineers and want to work with the government to find that talent,” Lee was quoted as saying by government officials at his meeting with the prime minister. Samsung’s network business unit employs roughly 5,000 people, according to a government official in the southern city of Gumi where Samsung operates its manufacturing plants. Kim Young-woo, an analyst at SK Securities, expects Samsung to hire 1,000-1,500 people for 5G network equipment this year. Samsung declined to comment on network employee levels and hiring plans. But Samsung’s bet remains risky as the long-term nature of telecom network investment means change comes slowly. Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia, which acquired the remnants of once-powerful network equipment companies Alcatel-Lucent and Nortel, have as yet seen little sales growth from Huawei’s problems, company executives said. Both are in cost-cutting mode, even in the face of the 5G opportunity and the problems confronting their biggest rival. Indeed, some network operators in Europe are warning that a Huawei ban - now under consideration in France, the UK, Germany and other countries - could push back deployment of 5G by as much as three years. Others warn Samsung may struggle to develop a global sales and support organization. “The way telcos purchase products and services from their suppliers demand a lot of time and resources, which is why Ericsson and Nokia have around 100,000 employees and Huawei almost twice as many,” said Bengt Nordstrom, CEO of telecom consultancy Northstream. But Samsung is taking the long view. In December, it agreed to extend its Olympic partnership with the International Olympic Committee through to 2028 and expand its sponsorship to 5G technology. The company did not want to leave its sponsorship spot open to Chinese rivals, a separate source with knowledge of the matter said. “If Samsung dropped the top mobile sponsorship for the Olympic games beyond 2020, then who would have taken that spot? It would only have been China, Huawei.” ($1 = 1,122.8000 won) Reporting by Ju-min Park and Heekyong Yang; Additional reporting by Gwenaelle Barzic in PARIS, Sijia Jiang in HONG KONG, Olof Swahnberg in STOCKHOLM, Soyoung Kim in DAVOS and Hyunjoo Jin in SEOUL; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Edwina Gibbs

2017-10-24

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SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea will impose fresh mortgage curbs for owners of multiple homes to put a brake on binge borrowing, amid concerns a build-up in household debt could leave the economy exposed to a crash, the government said on Tuesday. Starting 2018, borrowers applying for mortgages on second homes will see tightened loan limits, with lenders required to include principal balance of the borrowers’ existing debt in measuring their credit worthiness for new loans. Currently, debt repayment is limited to 40 percent of home buyers’ annual income in Seoul and its outskirts, and banks’ measure of debt obligations only include interest payments and not the principal balance. The new rules will aim to better assess borrowers’ debt obligations from the first home to prevent binge borrowing, at a time when the nation’s household debt is expanding at a double-digit pace and crimping private consumption. “Excessive household debt expansion leads to increasing debt repayment burdens and restrains private consumption and economic growth,” the finance ministry and regulator said in a joint statement. The sum of home loans, credit purchases and other household borrowing totaled 1,388.3 trillion won ($1.23 trillion) as of the second quarter this year, up 10.4 percent from a year earlier. The new rules follow the Bank of Korea’s policy meeting last week, at which it held interest rates at a record low but at which a dissenting board member called for a rate hike amid a stronger outlook for growth. The dissenting vote prompted some economists to bring forward the timing of a rate hike at the BOK to the Nov. 30 meeting. As of the end of 2016, South Korea’s household debt-to-gross domestic product stood at 95.6 percent, above the average of 70 percent for the members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. High-speed household debt growth is a concern especially as economists expect the Bank of Korea to increase policy rates in the coming months, which may raise debt repayment burdens for vulnerable homes. Twelve out of 20 economists polled by Reuters on Oct. 17 saw the BOK hiking key interest rates during the first half of 2018, ending an easing cycle that began in 2011. Reporting by Cynthia Kim; Editing by Sam Holmes

2019-08-27

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Joe Biden’s campaign convened a dozen or so black reporters from major media outlets Tuesday for what was offered as a private, off-the-record sit-down with the Democratic front-runner. But Biden opened the discussion allowing himself to be quoted. And then he started talking, he talked some more, and before everyone knew it, the former vice president had held forth for 90 minutes. That's an extraordinary amount of time for a major presidential candidate to meet the media in a single sitting. Donning a blue suit and white shirt with no tie, Biden greeted each reporter and took a question — in some cases, multiple questions — from each one. He then darted off to catch a flight to Richmond, Va., where he was scheduled to hold a fundraiser before heading to South Carolina for a campaign swing on Wednesday. Biden didn't make big news, but he offered his insights on an array of interesting topics and kept the group's attention during the marathon session. Here are some of the highlights. Biden said it’s important to choose a No. 2 who reflects the nation’s growing diversity, indicating he would choose a running mate who is either a woman or person of color, if not both. “But I’m not making that commitment until I know the person I’m dealing with, I can completely, thoroughly trust, is authentic and is on the same page,” he said. Biden said that the presidency “is too big for any one person,” insisting a president needs a vice president he or she can trust to offload big tasks. He recalled the trust former President Barack Obama had in selecting him as his running mate in 2008. Obama knew then, he said, they had the same “value set” and “political disposition.” “That’s what I most want in whomever I pick,” Biden said. “They’ve got to be simpatico with what I stand for and what I want to get done.” Biden expressed a preference for a smaller debate stage, arguing that it’s difficult for candidates to have an actual debate with so many people crowded onto a single stage. “It’s taken me, and I assume others, some time to figure out how to engage in a nondebate debate, because there’s no debate,” Biden said. He acknowledged his “mistake” in saying “my time is up” during a previous debate instead of talking over his allotted speaking time. “Turns out that’s a big mistake.” Biden said he likes debating on a national stage. He isn't crazy about candidates piling on to him — as the debate format has almost encouraged — but he gets why it's happening. As the front-runner, Biden stands center stage and is often the target of lower-polling candidates seeking a breakout moment. “I understand why there’s a target on my back. I get it,” he said. “It makes sense. I’m ahead — in most polls, way ahead. So what do you do? You want to get the chance to, you know, raise your profile and take down Biden.” But all that does, he warned, is help Trump. Plus, “those who’ve made the most direct attacks on one another haven’t really benefited much by it at the end of the day. So maybe there’s going to be a recognition … that maybe we should be talking about the future, what are we for, what are we going to do,” he said. “But it’s really hard. It’s hard for everybody.” In poll after poll, black voters prefer Biden over anyone else. But why him over, say, Kamala Harris or Cory Booker, both of whom are African American? Biden said he doesn’t know. But he framed his lengthy record as both good news and bad news. “People know me, or at least they think they know me,” Biden said. “I think after all this time, they think they have a sense of what my character is and who I am — warts and all.” He said it’s tough to explain why black voters prefer him in such high numbers over his opponents but noted he’s never felt uncomfortable being in a black community. “By the way, that doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way,” he added. “You can go back and look: When Barack clobbered me in the campaign, you know, I had more black support in South Carolina than anybody, including him. I got blown out in Iowa and all of a sudden everything changed. Same thing could happen.” Biden broadly referenced some of the “really talented people seeking the nomination” but suggested that candidates who believe they can’t work with Republicans to get things done “cash it in, man.” “How you gonna get anything done without abusing power?” he asked. “’When I get elected, I’m going to issue an executive order,’" he said in a booming voice, eerily similar to the voice Trump deploys to mock people. “You have no constitutional authority to issue that executive order, the ones they’re talking about. ‘I’m going to eliminate assault weapons’ — can’t do it by executive order any more than Trump can do the things he’s saying he can do by executive order.” He praised the late Arizona Sen. John McCain for his willingness to buck the president and his party when his beliefs called for it, lamenting that there aren’t enough Republicans like him nowadays. Working across the aisle will be tough, Biden said. But he assured reporters he could pass health care legislation through Congress and a bill fundamentally changing how drug research is funded. “If I’m wrong, we’re in real trouble,” he warned of his bipartisan approach to politics. “And I don’t know how we do it if we don’t try.” With the exception of Bernie Sanders, Biden is the oldest Democrat in the primary. Oftentimes, so are his tales on the trail. “One of the things I do think I have to be more aware of is most of you don’t know much about the ‘70s and the ‘80s,” Biden told the room of reporters. “Understandably. Some of you weren’t even born.” He cited the 1994 crime bill as an example. Biden said the black community overwhelmingly supported the legislation at the time, but critics of the legislation now say it contributed to mass incarceration of people of color. “It’s hard,” Biden said of consistently adding decades-old context. “I’m not being critical. I’m just saying I’ve got to be aware that when things are said by me or about something I did or said in 1970 or 1980, people don’t understand the context, and it really is a frightening thing.” Biden conceded he was wrong earlier this summer when he recalled fondly working with segregationists in the Senate to pass legislation despite their ideological differences. In retrospect, he said, he never should have invoked the lawmakers without adding the proper context. “I’m not using those examples anymore,” he said.

2019-05-16 00:00:00

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Sen. Cory Booker's deputy presidential campaign manager announced on Twitter on Wednesday night that she donated to the campaign of 2020 candidate Kirsten Gillibrand, urging others to do the same to ensure Gillibrand qualifies for next month's Democratic primary debate. "I just donated to ensure @SenGillibrand’s important perspective is on the debate stage. Join me!" Jenna Lowenstein, Booker's deputy campaign manager, wrote on Twitter. The show of support between opponents comes after from the enactment of a law in Alabama on Wednesday that effectively outlawed abortion in the state. Gov. Kay Ivey signed the legislation, which is certain to face a slew of legal challenges and was crafted to serve as a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that codified abortion rights nationwide. The 2020 Democratic candidates were quick to condemn the bill, with Gillibrand leading the pack. The New York senator has sought to position herself as a leader on the issue among 2020 hopefuls. Earlier this month, she announced that as president, she would impose a litmus test on all judicial nominees, appointing only those who would uphold Roe. She will travel to Georgia Thursday to hold roundtables on that state’s recently passed abortion bill, which would ban the procedure as soon as a fetal heartbeat can be detected — before most women know they’re pregnant. On Wednesday, Gillibrand assailed the Alabama law as an ”attack on women's basic human rights and civil rights” and pledged to “fight like hell” to protect reproductive rights. But, Gillibrand's campaign manager wrote on Twitter Wednesday night, “it is not a given that abortion will come up at the 2020 primary debates." "It is not a given that every candidate will defend reproductive rights as fiercely as @SenGillibrand. We need her on that stage. If you agree, make sure her spot is guaranteed,” Lowenstein continued, soliciting donations to the senator's presidential campaign. The scramble to entice donors is the result of new rules the Democratic National Committee unveiled this year that put an emphasis on grassroots fundraising. Candidates now have two paths to reach the stage for next month’s debates: Breaking 1 percent in three polls from pollsters approved by the DNC or tallying 65,000 unique campaign donors, with at least 200 donors in 20 different states. But with 23 major candidates in the race as of Thursday and only 20 spots on the debate stage, the DNC’s tiebreaker will first prioritize candidates who have met both the polling and donor thresholds, something Gillibrand has not publicly announced she’s done, unlike Booker.

2018-06-26 00:00:00

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Although the tiny state of Rhode Island is not technically an island, it does have some pretty great beach towns. Famous for its historic mansions and rich sailing history, Newport is one of the most beautiful and well-known spots on the list. I mean, JFK and Jackie O wouldn't choose just any old town for their charming New England wedding, right? If you are lucky enough to spend a couple vacation days in Newport this summer, make sure to factor in some food time between your morning walks along the Cliff Walk mansions and afternoons spent sipping Del's frozen lemonade on Easton's Beach. After all, somebody has to decide which seafood joint actually has the best clam chowder (that's "chowdah" if you're a local). Scroll ahead to see our picks for the best places to grab a bite this summer as you escape in the charm of Newport.

2017-02-27

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The South Korean special prosecutor's office said on Monday it will not be able to question President Park Geun-hye in person as part of its investigation into an influence-peddling scandal that threatens to topple Park. Prosecution spokesman Lee Kyu-chul said it was regrettable prosecutors would not be able to question her in person. He said Park's office had refused a demand by prosecutors for a video or audio recording of any questioning. Final decisions on indictments for all suspects embroiled in the scandal, including executives from Samsung Group, South Korea's largest conglomerate, would be made by Tuesday. Follow CNBC International on and Facebook.

2017-08-08

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Aug 8 (Reuters) - Construction materials supplier SIG Plc said revenue rose 8.6 percent in the first half of the year, helped by growth in mainland Europe, slightly above its trading update issued last month. The company, which supplies insulation and roofing products, said on Tuesday group like-for-like sales rose 2.8 percent in the six months ended June 30. Revenue rose to 1.38 billion pounds ($1.80 billion) from 1.27 billion pounds a year earlier. ($1 = 0.7672 pounds) (Reporting By Justin George Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)

2016-06-04

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Allies of Ben Carson will launch a super-PAC later this month with the aim of turning out evangelical voters for Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpPossible GOP challenger says Trump doesn't doesn't deserve reelection, but would vote for him over Democrat O'Rourke: Trump driving global, U.S. economy into recession Manchin: Trump has 'golden opportunity' on gun reforms MORE and down-ballot Republicans.  The group, led by Bill Millis, a North Carolina businessman and former top fundraiser for Carson, is also forming an ambitious network of nonprofit advocacy groups aimed at affecting conservative social change.  The burgeoning organizations, one of which will be called We Serve USA, could go live as soon asJune 20 – a day before Trump plans to meet with hundreds of national faith leaders at a closed-door meeting in New York City.  Trump frequently boasts about having captured more evangelical voters than his GOP rivals, but he has struggled nonetheless to convince many leading Christian activists that he can be a trusted advocate on matters like religious liberty and abortion.  The new super-PAC and advocacy groups could help on that front.  The groups have obtained the rights to a database and email list started by televangelist and Liberty University founder Jerry Falwell, and later maintained by Carl Townsend, who founded the influential Christian ministries group InService USA.  “It’s the largest existing database in the world that can send messages to churches, pastors, evangelicals, and Christians of all kinds,” said Sam Casey, a conservative lawyer who is acting as general counsel to the groups.  The launch is the culmination of months of private meetings at Millis’s home in High Point, N.C., and the Houston, Texas, home of attorney and businessman Terry Giles, who briefly managed Carson’s campaign. Carson, who is advising the Trump campaign, has not been involved in the meetings.  Several other well-heeled investors and “former military leaders” are also said to be on board, although organizers did not provide names.  Those involved have so far declined to detail their initial investments, fundraising or spending goals, and were not yet ready to reveal the division of responsibilities between the network of groups.  But in addition to the super-PAC, which will support GOP candidates from Trump on down, there will be several nonprofit groups that plan to promote a broad range of conservative policies.  The focus will extend beyond the current election cycle.  The groups are plotting a public education campaign on the issues that Carson made the cornerstones of his presidential run, such as religious liberty, the sanctity of life and warning about the dangers of the welfare state.  The groups will also look for new ways to reach Hispanics and African-Americans, and plan to spend “millions” helping disabled veterans through assistance centers meant to shore-up deficiencies in the Veterans Administration system.  “The people who were mobilized and intrigued and energized by Dr. Carson’s vision for the country didn’t go away when he left the presidential race,” Casey said.  “We see a group of 80 to 100 million evangelicals in the U.S who have not felt unified and haven’t been spoken to in 15 or 20 years. We have an obligation to find out what those people want to know, why they want to know it, and to tell them the truth about things. We’re prepared to invest what it takes to get that job done.”  But it’s the group’s short-term efforts that will get the most attention.  “We’ll be getting behind Donald Trump and the Republican Senate candidates and will do whatever we can to influence this election,” Millis said.  That’s despite the apparent qualms that some in the group have about the likely GOP nominee.  “Trump makes me nervous,” Giles said. “He could be the best president we ever have or the worst. But as a conservative, I know that as a nation we can’t afford another four years of a Democrat in the White House.”  By targeting evangelical voters, the group could help Trump shore-up a key portion of the conservative base that is deeply skeptical about his commitment to their core values. Many Christian conservatives are bothered by Trump’s past as a Manhattan playboy. They’re concerned that although he’s recently taken positions that they agree with – for instance, he says he opposes abortion now – that he doesn’t understand why conservatives hold these positions.  Trump will have the opportunity to address those concerns on June 21 at a high-stakes meeting with faith leaders in New York City that has been arranged by Carson, Trump senior adviser Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Christian luminaries like Focus on the Family Founder James Dobson and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins.  According to a description of the event from the Carson-aligned My Faith Votes group, the meeting will enable faith leaders to “better understand [Trump] as a person,” while helping Trump to “better appreciate” the views of Christian conservatives. Trump will meet privately with about 20 of the faith leaders, including Dobson, Perkins and Southern Baptist Convention president Ronnie Floyd, among others, before holding court with a group of about 200 or more.  The gathering will be closed to the media.  “We’ve all heard his speeches,” Floyd said. “This will give us the opportunity to sit down and actually have a conversation about all of the things we’ve heard him say and to talk to him about the issues that matter the most to evangelicals.”  For most of those in attendance, Trump will not have been their first choice.  “These are not people who are on the Trump bandwagon,” said Penny Nance, CEO and president of Concerned Women for America, which promotes Biblical family values. “These are solid principled conservatives grappling with their consciences and trying to decide their role going forward.”  “I don’t expect a blanket endorsement coming out of this,” Nance added. “It’s just an opportunity for people to hear him and ask him questions.”  Trump has made some inroads with evangelicals recently.  Many were thrilled by the list of judges Trump said he’d choose from to replace deceased Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.  And last month, Trump’s hiring of pro-life advocate John Mashburn to be his top policy adviser was widely praised by the Christian community.  Many socially conservative groups also have an in with Trump through Huckabee Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, although the campaign has yet to designate an official faith outreach leader.  Trump will need to leverage the entirety of that evangelical network to maximize conservative turnout on election day.  “You can’t win an election without that base, especially because if independents and moderates see those voters fleeing, they’ll start to have their own doubts,” said American Principles Project executive director Terry Schilling. “Pro-lifers make-up between 70 to 80 percent of Republicans, maybe more.  It’s important to assure these voters and get them on board.” View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

2016-01-12 00:00:00

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Jan 11 (Reuters) - An Ashford Hospitality Trust Inc activist shareholder is agitating for changes at the lodging industry-focused real estate investment trust (REIT), calling for a share buyback among its demands, according to a letter obtained by Reuters. Rambleside Holdings, which owns less than 1 percent of the company, complained on Monday in a letter sent to Ashford Hospitality Trust’s Chairman and CEO Monty Bennett that the company’s stock was trading at a 52-week low and at half its peak value. The hedge fund, which focuses on the hotel industry, said Ashford Hospitality Trust, which invests in high-end hotels, should use its nearly $200 million in cash to buy back a chunk of its stock. Ashford Hospitality Trust shares ended trading at $5.48 on Monday, giving it a market value of $523 million. They have lost 43 percent of their value in the last 12 months, compared to a 6 percent drop in the SPX 500 Index. In its letter, Rambleside also said the company should remove an advisory fee tied to its relationship to the external manager of its assets, Ashford Inc, which was spun out of Ashford Hospitality Trust to focus on managing real estate, hospitality, and securities platforms. If the advisory agreement is terminated due to a change in control, Ashford Hospitality Trust must pay a termination fee to Ashford Inc, an agreement that Rambleside believes prevents the company from courting takeover suitors that would be willing to pay a premium. Rambleside called such a termination fee agreement “outrageous” in its letter. A spokesman for Dallas-based Ashford Hospitality Trust declined to comment. Ashford Hospitality Prime, another REIT which was spun off Ashford Hospitality Trust in 2013, is itself the subject of an activist campaign. Hedge fund Sessa Capital, which owns 8.2 percent Ashford Hospitality Prime, has demanded that the company speeds up its strategic review. (Reporting by Michael Flaherty in New York; Editing by Sandra Maler)

2016-07-26 00:00:00

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(Adds background) July 26 (Reuters) - Top consumer China’s net gold imports via main conduit Hong Kong fell 38.5 percent in June, a month after hitting its highest for the year, data showed on Tuesday. Net gold imports fell to 70.886 tonnes in June, down from 115.29 tonnes in May, according to data emailed to Reuters by the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department. Total imports fell to 83.042 tonnes from 121.71 tonnes in May. Gold prices rose about 9 percent in June, buoyed by the demand for safe haven assets in the wake of economic and political uncertainties following Great Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. The yellow metal has risen about 25 percent so far this year and has been one of the top-performing commodities. China does not provide trade data on gold and the Hong Kong figures serve as a proxy for flows to the mainland. The Hong Kong data, however, might not provide a full picture of Chinese purchases because gold is also imported via Shanghai and Beijing. (Reporting by Koustav Samanta and Apeksha Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

2019-11-21 01:33:21

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The internet has had plenty to say about the developments of the impeachment probe, from the moment that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the inquiry at the end of September to the public hearings.Here are some of the best memes from the impeachment inquiry so far.Visit Business Insider&aposs homepage for more stories.The impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump has the whole world watching. It doubles as a political showdown that will surely go down in the history books, memorialized not only by the transcripts and televised public hearings, but also the memes.A number of witnesses have now testified publicly before Congress about allegations that Trump used $400 million in military aid to Ukraine as leverage for his own political and personal gain.Though some have dismissed the hearings as boring, the internet has had plenty to say about the developments of the impeachment probe — from the moment that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the inquiry at the end of September, to this week&aposs bombshell hearings.Here are some of the best memes from the impeachment inquiry so far:The simple word of "impeachment" made its way into funny puns, including one by singer Lizzo.—Feelin Good As Hell (@lizzo) September 24, 2019  WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME WHAT MY FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR IS. (PS - maybe not mint but I’ll eat it if it helps) #peach #mint #impeachment #finally #libraseason #cominginhot A post shared by August Honey (@augusthoneymusic) on Sep 25, 2019 at 5:41am PDTSep 25, 2019 at 5:41am PDT  People made Pelosi into a meme when she first announced the impeachment inquiry.—The Sixth Spence (@Todd_Spence) September 24, 2019—Travis Helwig (@travishelwig) September 24, 2019Some memes showed how people planned on keeping up with the inquiry.—Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) September 24, 2019 Here we go A post shared by Bryan Kett (@bryankett) on Sep 25, 2019 at 6:49am PDTSep 25, 2019 at 6:49am PDT —Ava DuVernay (@ava) September 24, 2019Amid the stunt of Republicans storming the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) while House Democrats conducted closed-door hearings in relation to the impeachment inquiry, one woman in blue stood out from the crowd.—Allie Peck (@apeck422) October 23, 2019—Daniel José Older (@djolder) October 23, 2019—Maggie Seymour (@maggie_mae_mour) October 23, 2019George Kent, a senior State Department official, and Bill Taylor, the top US diplomat in Ukraine, testified on the first day of public impeachment hearings, and people were shocked with what they had to say.—Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) November 13, 2019—Nicole Perez (@nicole_perez1) November 13, 2019Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman testified in the second public hearing, but people noticed a reporter chugging her coffee as Vindman delivered his testimony.—Greg Grunberg (@greggrunberg) November 19, 2019—Dr. Sarah Hanisko (@anothermommess) November 19, 2019—Michael Gravesande (@OldBlackHack) November 19, 2019—Patrick Ward (@Spaz696969) November 19, 2019Gordon Sondland, US Ambassador to the European Union, testified on Nov. 20 in the third day of public hearings, delivering one of the most damning testimonies of the impeachment probe — all with a smile on his face.—Kelly A. Beal (@bealdesigns) November 20, 2019—Adam Serwer🍝 (@AdamSerwer) November 20, 2019 —Pathikrit Sen Gupta (@pathikrit2sen) November 20, 2019—Hillary (@HillaryHutton) November 20, 2019—Established_1990 (@1990Established) November 20, 2019—Ashley Alese Edwards (@AshleyAlese) November 20, 2019After Sondland&aposs testimony, Trump spoke to reporters with speaking notes in hand. The memo, written in Sharpie, prompted the internet to meme-ify it.—Ben Hartman (@Benhartman) November 20, 2019—John Moe (@johnmoe) November 20, 2019—Rachel Saya Jacobson (@RachelSayaJ) November 20, 2019Overall, these memes serve as a daily reminder that the US is living in quite a historic time.—consuelo (@consuelohylton) September 24, 2019 Read more:Here&aposs who&aposs scheduled to testify in this week&aposs impeachment inquiry hearingsThink Trump will get impeached? Gambling sites say the odds are in your favorTrump could be impeached and removed from office but still win reelection in 2020Over half of the House of Representatives support the impeachment inquiry against Trump — see all of them hereEverything you need to know about Trump&aposs impeachment process: What&aposs happened, who the players are, and what comes next

2016-06-01

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(Reuters) - U.S. stocks fluctuated before closing slightly higher on Wednesday as investors processed data on global manufacturing, U.S. auto sales and inflation for clues about the Federal Reserve’s next interest rate hike. The Nasdaq eked out a gain to close higher for a sixth straight session. Global manufacturing activity remained stuck in a rut last month with factory output from Asia, Europe and the Americas barely improving, surveys released on Wednesday showed. But major U.S. stock indexes recovered from declines during the session after a report showed U.S. manufacturing grew for a third straight month in May. Stocks also improved as oil prices pared losses. A fuller picture of the economy will come with Thursday’s ADP employment report and Friday’s payrolls data. “There’s an abundance of economic data this week that investors are confused on how to digest,” said Jonathan Corpina, senior managing partner for Meridian Equity Partners in New York. The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 2.47 points, or 0.01 percent, to 17,789.67, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 2.37 points, or 0.11 percent, to 2,099.33 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 4.20 points, or 0.08 percent, to 4,952.25. Seven of 10 S&P sectors ended higher, while telecoms .SPLRCL were the worst performers. The healthcare sector .SPXHC tallied its sixth straight day of gains. U.S. auto sales weakened in May, with General Motors (GM.N), Ford Motor (F.N) and other manufacturers reporting lower U.S. sales. GM shares fell 3.4 percent while Ford dropped 2.8 percent. Inflation pressures grew slightly across most of the United States from April to mid-May, the Fed said in an anecdotal report. The report could make the central bank more comfortable that inflation is on track to rise back to the Fed’s 2-percent target. The Fed caught investors off guard last month when it signaled its next rate hike could be just weeks away. It next meets on June 14-15. The S&P 500 is coming off a third straight month of gains, its first such streak in two years. The benchmark index is up more than 2 percent in 2016 after a rough start to the year amid jitters about the global economy and a volatile oil market. On Wednesday, shares of Michael Kors KORS.N rose 6.6 percent, to $45.55 after the luxury accessories maker posted its strongest quarterly sales growth in a year. Demandware DWRE.N soared 55.9 percent to $74.81. Salesforce.com (CRM.N) agreed to buy the company in a $2.8 billion deal. Salesforce fell 0.3 percent. About 6.5 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges, below the roughly 7 billion daily average for the past 20 trading days, according to Thomson Reuters data. NYSE advancing issues outnumbered decliners 1,985 to 1,012, for a 1.96-to-1 ratio on the upside; on the Nasdaq, 1,763 issues rose and 1,063 fell for a 1.66-to-1 ratio favoring advancers. The S&P 500 posted 21 new 52-week highs and 1 new low; the Nasdaq recorded 70 new highs and 25 new lows. Additional reporting by Tanya Agrawal in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler

2018-09-27 00:00:00

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Uber announced Wednesday that it's funneling $10 million over three years into a new "fund for sustainable mobility" to help address congestion, aid urban design, boost electrification and bicycle transit, and more. Why it matters: The move arrives as some analysts and policymakers fear that the growth of ride-hailing is worsening urban traffic — and hence boosting emissions — and could be cannibalizing mass transit. The details: Some goals for the Uber fund, the company says, include: Advocating for congestion pricing in cities. "We’re ready to do our part to help cities that want to put in place smart policies to tackle congestion—even if that means paying money out of our own pocket to pass a tax on our core business," CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says in the announcement. $250,000 will go to the nonprofit transportation data organization SharedStreets. They're also contributing to alternatives to car use, including a donation to the group PeopleForBikes. TechCruch has a good rundown of the initiatives here. The big picture: Fast Company's piece on the new efforts takes stock of Uber's wider evolution. Eillie Anzilotti writes: Separately, SharedStreets announced that it's collaborating with Uber, Lyft and Ford. Via a joint statement, the companies say: Go deeper: How Uber is making traffic even worse.

2019-12-04 00:00:00

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NEW DELHI/GUWAHATI (Reuters) - India’s cabinet approved a bill on Wednesday to give citizenship to religious minorities persecuted in neighboring Muslim countries, the first time that the country is seeking to grant nationality on the basis of religion. Last month, Amit Shah, India’s federal home (interior) minister, told parliament that non-Muslim minorities - Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Christians, Sikhs and Parsis - who fled from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan would be given Indian citizenship under the proposed law. The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was first introduced in 2016 by the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi but was withdrawn after an alliance partner withdrew support and protests flared in India’s remote and ethnically diverse northeastern region. Giving Indian citizenship to “Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs escaping persecution” was part of the manifesto of Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of a general election in May 2019 that the nationalist leader swept. Critics have called the proposed law anti-Muslim, and some opposition parties have also pushed back, arguing citizenship cannot be granted on the basis of religion. The passage of the bill, which could be introduced in parliament this week, will also be a test for the BJP, since it enjoys a majority in the lower house but is short of numbers in India’s upper house. Any bill needs to be ratified by both houses of India’s parliament to become law. In Assam, a northeastern state that was the epicenter of protests, some students groups said they were still opposed to the law, fearing that tens of thousands of Hindu migrants from neighboring Bangladesh would gain citizenship. “We do not support CAB and shall launch a vigorous mass agitation across Assam and the Northeast,” All Assam Students’ Union Advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya told Reuters. Assam’s Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma said that there would be amendments in the bill to help ease regional concerns. “But since CAB is for the whole of India, there cannot be a separate bill for the Northeast,” he said. However he did not give details. Reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal in NEW DELHI and Zarir Hussain in GUWAHATI; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan

2016-06-28 17:44:00

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Straight edge vegan hardcore supergroups are hard to come by these days, so we thought we'd brighten your day with the worldwide debut of Sect, a brand-new project cooked up by a bunch of extremely well-seasoned dudes (one of whom is also the culinary hustler behind Vegan Magic products). Said dude—Chris Colohan, who you may also remember from the legendary likes of Cursed and Burning Love—got in touch with Noisey to spill the details on Sect, his new endeavor with members of Earth Crisis, Catharsis, and Fall Out Boy. We're stoked to be premiering three tracks from the bands upcoming self-titled debut below, too. Comprised of Colohan on vocals, James Chang and Scott Crouse on guitar, Ian Edwards on bass, and drummer Andrew Hurley, Sect rips and roars, chugs and stomps, and generally just fucking shreds. Colohan's caustic vocals are instantly recognizable, all sneer and snarl, and the unexpected shards of melody studding the otherwise cutthroat template of tracks like "Sinking" add a darker, moodier dimension to the short, sharp hardcore shocks of songs like "Scourge of Empire" and "Death Dealer." The album was recorded at Roost Frequency by Wes Gillespie, mixed/produced by Scott Crouse and James Chang, and mastered by Alan Douches at Westwestside, and is due out August 5. Sect will be self-released in North America (distributed by Deathwish), and available worldwide from a variety of labels: Reflections in Europe, Alliance Trax in Japan, Caustic in Brazil, and Cactus in Malaysia. Stream a trio of tracks below, and preorder the album here!

2017-12-18

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Dec 18 (Reuters) - Radnet Inc: * RADNET, INC. AND MEMORIALCARE ANNOUNCE A JOINT VENTURE, CREATING THE LARGEST, MOST ACCESSIBLE IMAGING NETWORK SERVING ORANGE AND LOS ANGELES COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA * RADNET - UNDER JV, CO WILL CONTRIBUTE 24 EXISTING OUTPATIENT IMAGING CENTERS IN ORANGE COUNTY, LONG BEACH, SOUTH BAY AND OTHER ANGELES COUNTY CITIES * RADNET INC - UPON COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS, RADNET WILL BE MAJORITY OWNER OF JOINT VENTURE * RADNET INC - UNDER JOINT VENTURE MEMORIALCARE WILL CONTRIBUTE 10 OUTPATIENT IMAGING FACILITIES IN MANY OF THOSE MARKETS Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:

2016-12-27 00:00:00

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Three Chinese citizens have been criminally charged in the United States with trading on confidential corporate information obtained by hacking into networks and servers of law firms working on mergers, U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday. Iat Hong of Macau, Bo Zheng of Changsha, China, and Chin Hung of Macau were charged in an indictment filed in Manhattan federal court with conspiracy, insider trading, wire fraud and computer intrusion. Prosecutors said the men made more than $4 million by placing trades in at least five company stocks based on inside information from unnamed law firms, including about deals involving Intel Corp and Pitney Bowes Inc. The men listed themselves in brokerage records as working at information technology companies, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said in a related civil lawsuit. Hong, 26, was arrested on Sunday in Hong Kong, while Hung, 50, and Zheng, 30, are not in custody, prosecutors said. Defense lawyers could not be immediately identified. The case is the latest U.S. insider trading prosecution to involve hacking, and follows warnings by U.S. officials that law firms could become prime targets for hackers. “This case of cyber meets securities fraud should serve as a wake-up call for law firms around the world: you are and will be targets of cyber hacking, because you have information valuable to would-be criminals,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan said. Prosecutors said that beginning in April 2014, the trio obtained inside information by hacking two U.S. law firms and targeting the email accounts of law firm partners working on mergers and acquisitions. Prosecutors did not identify the two law firms, or five others they said the defendants targeted. But one matched the description of New York-based Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, which represented Pitney Bowes in its 2015 acquisition of Borderfree Inc, one of the mergers in question. The indictment said that by using a law firm employee’s credentials, the defendants installed malware on the firm’s servers to access emails from lawyers, including a partner responsible for the Pitney deal. Cravath declined to comment. In March, Cravath confirmed discovering a “limited breach” of its systems in 2015. Prosecutors also accused the defendants of trading on information stolen from a law firm representing Intel on the chipmaker’s acquisition of Altera Inc in 2015. Intel’s merger counsel on the deal was New York-based Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. The law firm declined to comment. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she was aware of the reports about the case but knew nothing about it. The case is U.S. v. Hong et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 16-cr-360. Reporting by Nate Raymond; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Richard Chang

2019-03-22 16:54:29

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SAN FRANCISCO — Pinterest is preparing for its debut on Wall Street with a claim that few other “unicorn” start-ups can make: It is not a financial sinkhole. While the company is unprofitable, according to an offering prospectus made public on Friday, its losses are nowhere near as high as those of other well-known start-ups like Uber and Lyft, which are also getting ready to list their shares. That makes Pinterest — which lets people create digital “pin boards” — one of the rarer unicorns, a term applied to start-ups valued at more than $1 billion by private market investors. The deep losses afflicting many high-profile start-ups have cast investor doubts on the herd of companies that are stampeding toward the public market. Lyft recently revealed that it lost $911.3 million last year. Uber previously disclosed that it lost $842 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 alone. PagerDuty, a software start-up valued at $1.3 billion that also filed to go public this week, said in its prospectus that it was losing money. Only Zoom, a video conferencing company last valued at $1 billion, showed that it was making money, in an offering prospectus it filed on Friday. Pinterest’s filing reported that the company had lost $63 million in 2018. But that was much narrower than a year earlier, when it lost $138 million. At the same time, Pinterest is growing quickly. The company’s revenue, which came from advertising, totaled $756 million last year, up 60 percent from a year earlier. It listed a cash stockpile of $628 million. Pinterest also said in the filing that it had 265 million monthly active users in the fourth quarter of 2018, compared with 216 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. Its number of users has grown steadily over the last two years, particularly as people outside the United States have begun to gravitate to its service. In its prospectus, Pinterest called itself “a productivity tool for planning your dreams.” The San Francisco company emphasized the visual, image-driven nature of its product, as well as its ability to capture people’s intent to buy things related to their pins. It said its mission was to “bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love.” The document provides the first detailed look at Pinterest’s balance sheet. The company confidentially filed to go public in February, with Goldman Sachs, J. P. Morgan and Allen & Company underwriting the offering. It plans to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PINS. The filing did not say how much money Pinterest hopes to raise in the offering and did not specify potential share prices. Private market investors, who have poured around $1.5 billion into the company, last valued it at $12 billion. Its largest shareholders include Bessemer Venture Partners, FirstMark Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity Investments and Valiant Capital Management, according to the filing. In a move that has become common among tech firms, Pinterest plans to divide its stock into two classes, giving its founders, top executives, employees and directors 20 votes per share. New investors will get one vote per share. Because Pinterest makes money from online advertising, it is a competitor to Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, Google, Twitter and Snap. In its prospectus, Pinterest listed those companies as competitors, as well as Allrecipes, a recipe website; Houzz, a home-improvement website; and Tastemade, a cooking content company. Some rivals are not increasing their revenue as quickly as Pinterest, said Kathleen Smith, a principal at Renaissance Capital, a manager of exchange-traded funds for I.P.O.s. “Like Snap, Pinterest is in the cross hairs of Facebook, and Facebook has always fought a nasty battle against Snap by copying everything it did,” she said, adding that anyone evaluating Pinterest’s stock should consider that competitive threat. Pinterest was started in Silicon Valley by Ben Silbermann, the company’s chief executive; Evan Sharp; and Paul Sciarra. Mr. Silbermann, 36, previously worked at Google. Pinterest grew out of Cold Brew Labs, a tech incubator founded by the three men in 2008. Although many unicorns made rapid growth their top priority, Mr. Silbermann favored what he calls “quality growth.” That meant he tried to build Pinterest slowly and steadily, even as its growth started to soar in 2011. “Pinners,” as users are known, essentially used Pinterest to create collagelike mood boards that expressed their aspirations. Today, pinners pin activities such as what they wear or what they are making for dinner, as well as ideas for remodeling a home or their wedding, or passions like bookmarking and other craft projects. Mr. Silbermann also deliberately took several years before turning Pinterest into a moneymaking enterprise. In 2014, the company began selling ads. For a spell, its growth appeared to be slowing and it lost executives, until Mr. Silbermann brought in a new chief operating officer, Francoise Brougher, and a new head of sales, Jon Kaplan, both formerly of Google. Unlike many of its social media peers, Pinterest has mostly avoided the proliferation of conspiracy theory and extremist content on its platform, moving quickly to tamp down on such content when it has bubbled up. In February, Pinterest began removing search results for anything related to vaccines in an attempt to stop anti-vaccination memes from spreading across the site. In contrast to many hard-charging and brash tech chief executives, Mr. Silbermann has kept a low profile. He rarely sat for glossy magazine covers or showed up at tech industry conferences. At one point, Pinterest was called an “anti-unicorn” because of how it shied from the spotlight. The timing of the unveiling of its prospectus — late on a Friday afternoon — was also in keeping with Mr. Silbermann’s style. Despite Mr. Silbermann’s low profile, the I.P.O. is expected to generate lots of attention from investors and market observers. “Significant revenue growth and popularity among users is going to be a pretty good recipe for — at a minimum — creating significant buzz around an IPO,” said Barrett Daniels, a partner at Deloitte who focuses on I.P.O. advisory work. Mr. Silbermann also avoided another trapping of tech founders with the prospectus: He did not publish a founder’s letter on Friday to carry on about his company’s mission and history, something that had become de rigueur among other entrepreneurs.

2019-06-18 00:00:00

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President TrumpDonald John TrumpFacebook releases audit on conservative bias claims Harry Reid: 'Decriminalizing border crossings is not something that should be at the top of the list' Recessions happen when presidents overlook key problems MORE has cut into former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHarry Reid: 'Decriminalizing border crossings is not something that should be at the top of the list' Warren offers plan to repeal 1994 crime law authored by Biden Panel: Jill Biden's campaign message MORE's lead in Wisconsin and the two are in a statistical dead heat in Michigan and Pennsylvania, according to a new poll of the 2020 race. But the latest survey from Firehouse-Optimus also finds Trump’s approval rating is underwater in all three battleground states, which are the linchpins of his reelection strategy. If the 2016 map stays the same but Democrats are able to win back Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, they will win the Electoral College and take the White House back from Trump. The polls come as Trump is set to launch his reelection drive with a campaign rally in Florida later on Tuesday, with more than 20 Democrats vying to oust him from the White House in 2020. The president is polling the weakest in Wisconsin, although his approval rating and his standing against Biden have improved some in recent months. Biden leads Trump 46 percent to 40 percent in the Badger State. Biden had a 12-point lead over Trump in the same survey from March. Trump’s approval rating in the state has ticked up from 41 percent positive and 54 percent negative in March to 44 positive and 51 negative in June. Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersHarry Reid: 'Decriminalizing border crossings is not something that should be at the top of the list' The exhaustion of Democrats' anti-Trump delusions Warren offers plan to repeal 1994 crime law authored by Biden MORE (I-Vt.) takes 47 percent against Trump’s 40 percent in Wisconsin. Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth Ann WarrenHarry Reid: 'Decriminalizing border crossings is not something that should be at the top of the list' Warren offers plan to repeal 1994 crime law authored by Biden Panel: Jill Biden's campaign message MORE (D-Mass.) and Trump are tied at 41 percent in a head-to-head match-up, while Trump edges out South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPeter (Pete) Paul ButtigiegSanders leads Democratic field in Colorado poll Poll: Trump trails three Democrats by 10 points in Colorado Castro qualifies for next Democratic primary debates MORE 41 percent to 39 percent. The race is much closer in Michigan. There, Biden leads Trump 46 percent to 43 percent, within the margin of error, but Trump and Sanders are tied at 44 percent support each. The survey found the president with a 2-point lead over Warren in Michigan, and he leads Buttigieg by 4 points. Trump’s approval rating in the Wolverine State is at 45 percent positive and 50 percent negative. And Pennsylvania is a toss-up, according to the survey, with Biden at 43 percent and Trump at 42. Trump leads Sanders there 44 percent to 41 percent. The president has an 11-point advantage over Warren and he leads Buttigieg by 13 points. Trump’s approval rating is at 46 percent positive and 49 percent negative in Pennsylvania. Polls have generally shown Trump trailing in key battleground states. Recently leaked internal polls from the Trump campaign showed the president trailing Biden in several key states back in March, but the president has disavowed those polls and severed ties with some of the pollsters after the data leaked.  A majority of voters in all three states oppose an impeachment inquiry for Trump. The Firehouse-Optimus surveys were conducted June 11-13. The survey of 587 likely voters in Michigan has a 4.2 percentage point margin of error. The survey of 565 Pennsylvania voters has a 4.2 percentage point margin of error. The survey of 535 Wisconsin voters has a 4.3 percentage point margin of error. View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

2019-04-10 00:00:00

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Twitter has disabled a movie trailer–style video that was shared from President TrumpDonald John TrumpFacebook releases audit on conservative bias claims Harry Reid: 'Decriminalizing border crossings is not something that should be at the top of the list' Recessions happen when presidents overlook key problems MORE’s account featuring footage of some of his work as president set to the score of "The Dark Knight" trilogy of films. The social media giant said the media was disabled in “response to a report by the copyright owner.” MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/diXWQHuyGj Warner Bros. said on Tuesday that it would be filing a copyright infringement complaint in an effort to have the video Trump shared taken down. “The use of Warner Bros.’ score from The Dark Knight Rises in the campaign video was unauthorized. We are working through the appropriate legal channels to have it removed," a Warner Bros. spokesperson told The Hill.  Trump shared the two-minute clip earlier Tuesday with the caption: "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"  The video began with the message: "First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they call you racist." It also featured an image of a Trump campaign logo and "2020.”  The clip also featured a number of prominent figures who have criticized the president, including former President Obama, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonThe exhaustion of Democrats' anti-Trump delusions Poll: Trump trails three Democrats by 10 points in Colorado Soft levels of support mark this year's Democratic primary MORE, former President Bill ClintonWilliam (Bill) Jefferson ClintonBen Shapiro: No prominent GOP figure ever questioned Obama's legitimacy The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump tries to reassure voters on economy 3 real problems Republicans need to address to win in 2020 MORE, comedians Amy Schumer and Rosie O’Donnell, and actor Bryan Cranston.  It remains unclear who created the clip. The White House did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill. View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

2019-11-20 00:00:00

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(Adds details from statement, background on sector) Nov 20 (Reuters) - British water supplier United Utilities Group Plc reported a 6.5% rise in first-half underlying earnings on Wednesday, driven by target-based incentives from regulator Ofwat and lower infrastructure-related costs. The region’s largest listed water company said underlying operating profit rose to 391.7 million pounds ($505.84 million) for the six months ended Sept. 30, compared with 367.8 million pounds a year earlier. UK water regulator Ofwat pays incentives to utilities for meeting or exceeding targets like project completions and standards of customer service, which are set as per multi-year business plans. United Utilities said it has exceeded its earlier expectations for net outperformance delivery incentives (ODIs), recording 21.4 million pounds so far in the 2015-2020 regulatory period, adding that it would rake in net ODIs of around 50 million pounds by next year, which will in turn boost the company’s earnings. The company’s shares were up 1% at the top of FTSE 100 index, extending a 19% rise so far this year, while its main rival Severn Trent rose 0.6% and outperformed a wider fall across UK shares. The blue-chip utility, which services 3.2 million homes and 200,000 businesses, now faces an increased risk from the re-nationalisation plan, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson won parliamentary approval for a December election. The utilities could be re-nationalised at a significant discount to their market value in case the Labour Party wins a surprise majority. United Utilities and Severn Trent have earlier expressed their concerns about the plan. On Wednesday, the company reiterated that uncertainties remain on that front, under its risk factors. $1 = 0.7744 pounds Reporting by Safia Infant, additional reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V

2020-01-21 07:19:00

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Governments need to take into account the climate crisis when considering the deportation of asylum seekers, the United Nations Human Rights Committee said in a landmark ruling.The ruling came after a Pacific Islander brought a case against New Zealand in 2016 after authorities denied his claim of asylum as a climate refugee.The man claimed the effects of climate change and a rising sea level had forced him to migrate.The UN ruling is not binding but could open the door for future climate change asylum seekers, asylum advocates said.Visit Insider&aposs homepage for more stories. WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Governments need to take into account the climate crisis when considering the deportation of asylum seekers, the United Nations said in a landmark ruling that could pave the way for future climate refugees.The ruling by the U.N. Human Rights Committee was given in the case of Ioane Teitiota, from the Pacific nation of Kiribati, who brought a case against New Zealand in 2016 after authorities denied his claim of asylum as a climate refugee.Teitiota migrated to New Zealand in 2007 and applied for refugee status after his visa expired in 2010. He claimed the effects of climate change and a rising sea level had forced him to migrate. He was deported to Kiribati in September 2015.The committee upheld New Zealand&aposs decision to deport Teitiota, saying he did not face an immediate risk if returned, but it agreed that environmental degradation and climate change are some of the most pressing threats to the right to life."Without robust national and international efforts, the effects of climate change in receiving states may expose individuals to a violation of their rights," the committee said in a statement released earlier this month.This would trigger non-refoulement obligations which forbid a country form returning asylum seekers to a country in which they would likely be in danger.The committee added that the risk of an entire country becoming submerged under water was so extreme that a life with dignity may not be possible even before this happened.Teitiota&aposs lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The low-lying South Pacific island nation of Kiribati has a population of more than 110,000, but its average height of 2 metres (6-1/2 ft) above sea level makes it one of the countries most vulnerable to rising seawater and other climate change effects.New Zealand and Australia, the two most developed countries in the South Pacific, have resisted calls to change immigration rules in favour of Pacific people displaced by climate change.The U.N. ruling is not binding but could open the door for future climate change asylum seekers, asylum advocates said."The decision sets a global precedent," said Kate Schuetze, Pacific Researcher at Amnesty International."It says a state will be in breach of its human rights obligations if it returns someone to a country where – due to the climate crisis – their life is at risk, or in danger of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment," she said in a statement.(Reporting by Praveen Menon, editing by Richard Pullin) Read the original article on Reuters. Copyright 2020. Follow Reuters on Twitter. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; window._taboola = window._taboola || [];

2019-10-28 00:00:00

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Google's parent company Alphabet Inc. has made an offer to buy wearable device maker Fitbit Inc., according to Reuters. Why it matters: Google has yet to develop any wearable smart devices like its competitors Apple and Samsung Electronics, but it could get a piece of the crowded market with Fitbit. Yes, but: "There is no certainty that the negotiations between Google and Fitbit will lead to any deal," per Reuters. The exact price that Google has offered for Fitbit is unknown. The big picture: Fitbit has reportedly been exploring the possibility of a sale since September as it struggles to maintain a strong presence in the fitness tracker market. Go deeper: Fitbit will move production out of China amid trade war

2016-07-21 00:00:00

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Nigeria's missing Chibok schoolgirls are the most well-known among the captives of the Boko Haram militant group, but the Nigerian Islamist insurgency has kidnapped thousands during its seven-year-long reign of terror. Today, Nigeria's military claimed a success in its effort to reduce that number, after it reportedly freed 80 women and children from a far-flung village in the country's northeast. The 42 women and 38 children were rescued on Tuesday after soldiers infiltrated a Boko Haram meeting in Gangere village, Army spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman told the Associated Press. More than 40 militants were killed in the operation. Thursday's operation is just the latest military effort to root out the radical Muslim group entrenched in northern Nigeria, forcing more than 2 million people to flee their homes. In the last two years, a ramped-up military campaign has succeeded in pushing Boko Haram from its strongholds, but fighters remain active in Borno state, as well as neighboring countries like Cameroon. So far this year, the militants have carried out a string of suicide attacks, including at refugee camps, and deadly village raids. Nigeria has claimed to have saved thousands of captives from the group, but often these figures are impossible to verify and critics have accused the military of exaggerating its successes. Nigeria's missing Chibok schoolgirls are the most well-known among the captives of the Boko Haram militant group, but the Nigerian Islamist insurgency has kidnapped thousands during its seven-year-long reign of terror. Today, Nigeria's military claimed a success in its effort to reduce that number, after it reportedly freed 80 women and children from a far-flung village in the country's northeast. The 42 women and 38 children were rescued on Tuesday after soldiers infiltrated a Boko Haram meeting in Gangere village, Army spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman told the Associated Press. More than 40 militants were killed in the operation. Thursday's operation is just the latest military effort to root out the radical Muslim group entrenched in northern Nigeria, forcing more than 2 million people to flee their homes. In the last two years, a ramped-up military campaign has succeeded in pushing Boko Haram from its strongholds, but fighters remain active in Borno state, as well as neighboring countries like Cameroon. So far this year, the militants have carried out a string of suicide attacks, including at refugee camps, and deadly village raids. Nigeria has claimed to have saved thousands of captives from the group, but often these figures are impossible to verify and critics have accused the military of exaggerating its successes. More than two years after Boko Haram abducted 200 girls from Chibok school in Borno state in 2014, the military managed to rescue two of the teenage students this spring. The government also secured video footage of the abducted girls, showing proof of life for the first time since they were captured. Boko Haram's campaign in northern Nigeria has had serious impacts on local communities, with children bearing the brunt of the effects. According to the latest figures from UNICEF, released this week, the lives of almost 250,000 children are at risk due to severe malnutrition. The largest number of starving children is in Borno state, which has been hit the hardest by the insurgency.

2019-03-24 00:00:00

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At the end of January, Cory Booker was emphatic in his defense of the filibuster. “We should not be doing anything to mess” with it, he said. By springtime, the New Jersey Democrat had softened his stance considerably: “That door is not closed.” As some of his 2020 competitors warm to dramatic reforms like eliminating the Senate’s 60-vote threshold and adding justices to the Supreme Court, the White House hopeful from Newark is plainly wrestling with whether to follow suit. In an interview, Booker laid bare what he is grappling with: He’s been in the minority most of the time he’s been in the Senate and seen the power of the filibuster block the conservative agenda. And he’s worried that if Democrats make changes to the fabric of the Supreme Court, it will be exploited to potentially greater effect by Republicans in the future. “You have to understand that a lot of these that are talked about: If we do it when we have the control to do it, they can do it again. What we need to find is real solutions that are sustainable regardless of who is president,” Booker said. “We should be careful about the traditions in this country and how we honor them.” But his institutional loyalties are being tested by an activist base lurching left and a need to break out of the sprawling Democratic field where he registers in the low- to mid-single digits. His ambivalence toward such explosive changes reflects Booker’s broader positioning in the 2020 race and within the Senate Democratic Caucus. The 49-year-old senator has a reliably liberal record, though he’s clearly to the right of Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and has worked closely with some Republicans to advance his priorities. It’s a profile that could ultimately help him stand out among his 2020 counterparts — if his bipartisan leanings and campaign of “love” can connect with primary voters eager to take down President Donald Trump. In just the latest example of the party’s rapid shift, Booker — long a pro-Israel stalwart — is attending the AIPAC conference in Washington this weekend but only to meet with New Jersey constituents. Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Sanders (I-Vt.) are staying away entirely. And in an appearance with Pod Save America last week, Booker expressed new openness to killing the filibuster and admitted the progressive podcast fires “a lot of people up” on the kinds of process reforms once discussed only on the fringes. He’s also sounding increasingly open to changes to the Supreme Court, like imposing term limits on justices. Yet in the interview with POLITICO, Booker deemed the tit-for-tat among Democrats and Republicans that eliminated the filibuster on all nominations over the past few years as a “race to the bottom.” “Are we going to turn the United States Senate into a majoritarian body like the House? Because I think if that’s the case there would be regret among 100 senators, regardless of the party,” Booker said. “Is there a way to get back to creating a body that deals by comity and serves the American purpose?” The party’s energy is clearly concentrated among younger, more progressive activists. But more than 60 percent of the Democratic electorate most likely to vote in primaries is 40 and older, a statistical reality that potentially benefits a candidate who is viewed as more in the middle and focused on pursuing bipartisanship. Though Booker brandishes a progressive form of politics and is eager to seize the spotlight at committee hearings, he’s also developed surprisingly close relationships with conservative Republicans like Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Tim Scott of South Carolina. He often cites those friendships on the campaign trail as evidence that he is the candidate able to heal a divided nation. At the same time, Booker says that Republicans are “clearly” playing by a different set of rules than Democrats. And he seemed particularly miffed that the “blue slip” tradition of allowing home state senators veto power over appellate court nominees has officially been abandoned by the GOP. “That just creates a certain sense with the Democrats: When we are in power, we’re going to double down and do the same thing at least,” Booker said, deliberating as he spoke. “That doesn’t mean … that we should somehow not try to balance the scales.” Liberal groups argue their party’s most ambitious proposals — not to mention counterbalancing the Supreme Court seat stolen from Barack Obama — are impossible under current Senate norms and rules. Activists say Booker is listening to them, even as he refuses to embrace their strategies just yet. For instance, Booker argues a Democratic Senate majority could use budget reconciliation to repeal the GOP tax cuts without gutting the 60-vote threshold for legislation. People close to Booker say he’s unlikely to be the first to explicitly endorse killing the filibuster or expanding the Supreme Court. His stances track neatly with a record that leans left, with an occasional tack toward the center. He routinely votes against Trump’s nominees, endorses the “Green New Deal” and “Medicare for All” and said he’d risk expulsion in his fight against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. But he also took weeks before declaring his eventual support for Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, drew flak for opposing a measure aimed at importing drugs from Canada and made liberals squirm way back in the 2012 presidential campaign when he called attacks on Mitt Romney’s old firm Bain Capital “nauseating.” In the previous Congress, Booker worked closely with Trump aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner to reform criminal justice laws, while teaming with Grassley and Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham to try and protect special counsel Robert Mueller from being fired by the president. No one would call Booker a moderate, but in the spectrum of the Democratic primary he falls somewhere in the middle. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who plays basketball against the former Stanford tight end, described Booker and his politics this way: A “smart son of a B.” Jim Demers, a Democratic strategist and longtime New Hampshire activist backing Booker, called the senator a “pragmatic progressive.” “Voters are frustrated, and they’re frustrated because the country is so divided,” Demers said. “He’s walking a fine line of espousing positions that are very progressive but also recognizing that when this election is over, a president has to get things done.” Simply by virtue of how many Democrats are in the primary, there’s also a decent chance that Booker falls short and remains a senator for decades. For that reason, his GOP colleagues say he’s unlikely to be the candidate trashing the Senate as a campaign tactic. “He’s a positive person who looks for the best in situations. And he is critical when necessary. But not critical as a way of simply attracting folks to a conversation,” Scott, the Republican senator, said of Booker. It’s also not clear whether process reforms resonate with voters, anyway. “In Iowa, how many people are going to vote on your position on the Supreme Court? … It’s probably a mistake to overhype the power of some of those process litmus tests,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who is close friends with Booker. “Cory probably has a legitimate interest in trying to find a long term way for Republicans and Democrats to work together.” There’s also some evidence that primary voters are leery of candidates who are moving too far to the left. In a recent Iowa poll where both Vice President Joe Biden and Sanders dominated the field, 44 percent of those surveyed said Sanders’ political views were too liberal. Meanwhile, 70 percent of the Iowa Democrats polled said Biden’s views were “about right.” The same poll showed 42 percent believed Booker’s views were “just right,” with only 9 percent seeing him as “too liberal.” “My sense is he is trying to distinguish himself,” said Brady Quirk-Garvan, former chairman of the Charleston County Democrats in South Carolina, who has endorsed Booker. “Booker is now saying: Here’s what is different and unique about me. Here’s what makes me uniquely qualified to be the nominee.”

2017-12-11

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Dec 11 (Reuters) - Charm Engineering Co Ltd : * Says it signed a 4.09 billion won contract with Century Technology (Shenzhen) Corporation Limited to provide FPD equipments in China Source text in Korean: goo.gl/iy1wyT Further company coverage: (Beijing Headline News)

2017-02-14 00:00:00

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It's Valentine's Day, which means chocolates, flowers and, if you're Natalie Tran, your boyfriend ignoring you for a fully-rigged driving sim. YouTube user Natalie Tran, aka Community Channel, demonstrated her distress over losing her boyfriend by silently serenading various heartbreaking songs, unbeknownst to her distracted boyfriend.  Air New Zealand's cheeky new safety video gets real meta — oh, and the All Blacks are back Stephen Colbert uses the perfect 'Scooby-Doo' parody to explain the Democratic debates Robert De Niro and Al Pacino play the mob game in Martin Scorsese's 'The Irishman' Daniel Radcliffe plays ridiculously filthy innuendo game, can't stop giggling

2017-08-23

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U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said he would be willing to let the government shut down if his border wall isn't funded. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 87.80 points to close at 21,812.09, with Boeing and Johnson & Johnson contributing the most to the losses. Shares of Wal-Mart rose earlier in the session after the company announced a partnership with Google to offer voice shopping. The fell 0.35 percent to 2,444.04, with consumer discretionary and industrials leading decliners. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.3 percent to end at 6,278.41 as big tech stocks like Amazon and Facebook pulled back. At a rally in Arizona Tuesday night, Trump said: "If we have to close down our government, we're building that wall. " President Trump also expressed doubts whether the United States can reach a deal to renegotiate the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement, adding that the government will "probably" terminate the trade agreement. "With so many uncertainties weighing on US equities due to their overvalued levels, these two threats are ones investors could have done without," said Komal Sri-Kumar, president of Sri-Kumar Global Strategies, in an email to CNBC. The Mexican peso dropped 0.2 percent against the dollar after the president's comments on trade and the border wall. The price of gold futures for December delivery rose $3.70 to settle at $1,294.70 per ounce after the president's shutdown comments. Stocks climbed off their lows in the afternoon after House Speaker Paul Ryan praised Republicans' tax reform plan. Ryan characterized the plan as critical to simplifying the current tax code and allowing the U.S. economy to grow even faster. Wednesday's decline follows the Dow's best day in four months. The index posted a gain of 196 points on Tuesday, rebounding from a spell of investor caution on bolstered hopes of federal tax reform. Some traders said the market's pullback Wednesday had little to do with the president's comments. "Most of us don't pay any attention to Donald Trump anymore," said Tower Bridge Advisors President Maris Ogg. "Yesterday's rally had something to do with speculation on the future of tax reform." "I think this is a reversal of yesterday's enthusiasm," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank. "This is all about legislation. The problem with that is The New York Times reported Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell aren't on speaking terms, " Ablin said. "Tax reform still seems pretty remote, but luckily that's not fully priced into the market." The stock market has roared higher this year, with the S&P 500 up 9.5 percent for 2017 and the Dow sitting near its all-time high of around 22,000. However, Jeff Zipper, managing director of investments at the Private Client Reserve of US Bank, said there are some pockets of weakness in the market, including small-cap stocks and transports. The Russell 2000 and the Dow 20 Transports are up just 0.9 percent and 0.8 percent for the year, respectively. "In the short-term, we're vulnerable. But in the long-term, I think the bull market is still intact," Zipper said. "We're still on a buy-the-dip mode and believe we'll keep grinding higher into year end." On the data front, new home sales fell 9.4 percent in July and hit a seven-month low. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders exchange-traded fund (XHB) fell 0.93 percent after the data were released. Wall Street also is fixated with a meeting this week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where a coalition of central bankers are gathered for the Federal Reserve's annual Economic Policy Symposium. Both Fed Chair Janet Yellen and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi are set to speak on Friday. Yellen will likely discuss weak inflation and the Fed's plan to rein in its balance sheet. Strategists doubt that the Fed will initiate any major policy changes or increase rates with inflation making slow gains over the past few months. Market expectations for a rate hike in December are just 36 percent, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool.

2020-03-15 00:00:00

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The Trump administration and grocery industry leaders say the U.S. food supply chain is holding up despite heavy strain amid worries over the coronavirus outbreak, which has cleared out shelves of nonperishable foods, household cleaners and essentials. On Sunday, President Donald Trump held a phone call with food industry executives to discuss how they’re managing the growing crisis. Grocers have been reducing hours, deep-cleaning their stores and offering disinfectant wipes to shoppers. They are also limiting purchases per customer of hand sanitizers, toilet paper and other high-demand products. During a news conference Sunday evening, Trump said grocery firms had urged him to communicate the message to consumers to avoid panic-buying. “You don’t have to buy so much,” he said. “There’s no need for anybody in the country to hoard essential food supplies.” He claimed there are “no shortages” at stores but people are “buying three-to-five times what they normally buy.” On the call with top grocers, food manufacturers and agribusinesses, Trump said stores can help Americans “feel calm and safe when shelves are stocked with the items they need” amid the outbreak, according to a readout provided by the White House. Leslie Sarasin, president of FMI, the food industry association formerly known as the Food Marketing Institute, said the administration and industry are on the same page about making sure that “stores can stay open and stocked." Kroger, the country’s largest supermarket chain, said it is working with suppliers to more quickly replenish scarce items. Texas-based chain H-E-B is limiting purchases of food items from canned soup and beans to milk, eggs and chicken. Whole Foods is suspending its food sampling. Giant is urging customers to bring their own shopping bags because of the strain on its own supplies. Sarasin added that retailers are also “seeking to be sensitive to the needs of all our customers and partners, including our WIC and SNAP shoppers and the food banks our stores support,” referring to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. Greg Ferrara, president of the National Grocers Association, assured the public that its members have dealt with emergencies, namely natural disasters. “While local, independent grocers are currently experiencing an unprecedented demand in store traffic and for product and goods, we continue to work closely with the president and our federal, state and local officials nationwide to ensure the resilience of both the food supply chain and our local economies,” Ferrara said. Still, shoppers across the country have encountered long lines and empty shelves in recent weeks as the outbreak has spread throughout the U.S. Food retailers have taken largely similar steps to overhaul their operations, like reducing store hours to give workers more time to restock products overnight. Walmart is changing its store hours to open 6 a.m. and close at 11 p.m., other than stores that already had more limited hours. Kroger is scaling back hours at specific locations. “We activated our preparedness plan several weeks ago, and we continue to monitor the rapidly evolving situation,” Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said in a statement, noting that the company has been limiting purchases of certain medicines and cleaners since the beginning of March. A Kroger spokesperson said McMullen has been in touch with White House staff throughout the week, including with the National Economic Council. H-E-B stores starting Sunday are opening at 8 a.m. and closing at 8 p.m. “We encourage preparedness but there’s no need to overbuy,” H-E-B said in a statement. “H-E-B has plenty of product and it arrives daily.” Publix, a Southeastern grocery chain, is also closing its stores at 8 p.m., as well as suspending food demonstrations and offering grocery delivery and curbside pick-up options. Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon, said it’s expanding its two-hour grocery delivery services for Amazon Prime members.

2016-07-25

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LONDON (Reuters) - Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said on Monday she would start preparatory work on splitting Scotland from the rest of Britain in order to keep the option of independence available following the June 23 vote to leave the European Union. Although Britain voted to end its EU membership at the referendum, Scottish voters overwhelmingly backed remaining inside the bloc, reigniting the debate over Scotland’s future as a constituent nation of the United Kingdom. Sturgeon renewed her position that a fresh independence bid, only two years after the country voted against it, should remain an option, depending on the shape of Britain’s future ties with the bloc and how well they worked for Scotland. “If we find that our interests can’t be protected in a UK context, independence must be one of those options that Scotland must have the right to consider,” Sturgeon said in a speech. “That’s why we’ll take the preparatory steps to ensure that it’s an option open to the Scottish parliament if the Scottish parliament considers it necessary.” Sturgeon did not say what form the preparatory work would take, but stressed that the unprecedented nature of Britain’s exit meant all options for future ties with the EU and the rest of the United Kingdom should be considered. “The UK that we voted to stay part of in 2014, a UK within the EU, is fundamentally changing. The outlook for the UK is uncertainty, upheaval and unpredictability,” she said. “In these circumstances it may well be that the option that offers us the greatest certainty, stability, and maximum control over our own destiny is that of independence.” An opinion poll late last month showed that Scots do not think there should be a second independence referendum, with 44.7 percent against a fresh vote and 41.9 percent in favor. New British Prime Minister Theresa May has previously stressed the need for the exit from the EU to work for all regions of the country, and a desire to engage with Scotland on the Brexit process. However, responding to Sturgeon’s comments, a spokeswoman for May said the decision to leave the EU must be respected. Sturgeon also said she did not think a prolonged period of negotiations with the EU over how to leave the bloc would be in anyone’s interests, and she feared the terms of Britain’s exit could be unfavorable for Scotland. “If we can read anything from the early signs, whether from government appointments, or from initial pronouncements - I hope I’m wrong about this - (it’s) that the UK is heading toward a hard rather than a soft Brexit,” she said. “A future outside the single market with only limited access and significant restrictions on free movement.” Reporting by William James and Giles Elgood; editing by Stephen Addison

2017-08-02

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Aug 2 (Reuters) - Gladstone Capital Corp * Gladstone Capital Corporation reports financial results for its third quarter ended June 30, 2017 * Gladstone Capital Corp - net investment income for quarter ending June 30, 2017 was $5.4 million, or $0.21 per share Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:

2019-03-29 00:00:00

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No one does spring fever quite like runners. As soon as the weather is mild enough to exercise outside, people jump at the opportunity to get out of the gym and ditch the winter jacket they've been hibernating in all winter. But although the calendar claims it's time to shed some layers and debut your spring athleisure looks, you still need to stay warm and protected from the unpredictable spring elements. Enter, the long sleeve workout shirt. To some, the thought of exercising in any shirt with sleeves sounds like a recipe for pit stains and discomfort. But many are made with sweat-wicking fabric and breathable panels that help cool you down. Still not sold? Long sleeve shirts can be layered under workout jackets, or thrown on top of your favorite workout crop top. So, whether you're headed outside for your first outdoor workout this year, want some new spring workout clothes, or are sick of your over air-conditioned gym, these are the tops to cop now and wear year round. At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team, but if you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

2017-11-01 00:00:00

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Toddlers are essentially drunk 24 hours out the day. They're still getting a hang of their motor skills, it's difficult to tell what they're saying most of the time, and they're constantly having their minds blown by life’s many wonders. Brad Cook, uploaded a video yesterday on youtube of a toddler stumbling around after Halloween, that perfectly illustrates the parallels toddlers and the inebriated. This little guy could be on sugar rush for all we know especially if he just hauled in tons of candy after trick or treating. Either way toddlers are always high on life and drunk on excitement.   Those are like the golden years of your life everyday is like getting a gift because you don’t know anything, which is equally frightening and amazing. At the end of the day, it's funny to imagine kids as little boozers. 'Queer Eye' stars share the disgusting incident that made Antoni literally pee himself laughing Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe go mad together in 'The Lighthouse' trailer Jeff Goldblum does intense rap battle with James Corden and things get brutal, fast Melissa McCarthy's story of her worst date ever starts awkwardly, escalates rapidly

2017-04-18 05:33:04

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(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: • Tax overhaul bogs down. President Trump’s promise to overhaul the tax code is in serious jeopardy, and his refusal to release his tax returns is emerging as a central hurdle. Democrats have pledged not to cooperate on a new plan unless they know how it might benefit the president and his family, and a growing number of Republicans are also calling for him to share his tax forms. On the brighter side, Mr. Trump presided over his first White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday. • Surprise announcement in Britain. Prime Minister Theresa May said today that she would call an early election, placing a bet that voters would give her a stronger mandate as her government negotiates Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union. The election would occur on June 8. Mrs. May took power in July; her predecessor, David Cameron, resigned after the “Brexit” referendum. • “He’s not a dictator. He’s a democrat.” Supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey like the idea of a strong leader standing against external aggression. In a phone call on Monday, President Trump congratulated Mr. Erdogan after his victory in a referendum that expands the power of the presidency, but whose results the opposition has contested. The vote makes it less likely that Turkey will be able to join the European Union. • Online killing incites outrage. A man who posted a video to Facebook that showed him shooting dead a random passer-by in Cleveland is being sought by the authorities. The social media network, which is grappling with its role in policing content, is facing widespread criticism for having taken more than two hours to remove the video. • And then there were nine. For the first time in more than a year, a full Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday. Justice Neil Gorsuch, his confirmation fight behind him, had many questions. • Courts halt Arkansas executions. The state was forced to abandon its plan to put an inmate to death after a pair of rulings, one by the U.S. Supreme Court. • Alternative facts in France. The first round of the French presidential election is on Sunday, and critics are worried that Russia is churning out “fake news” and meddling with the process just as it did in the U.S. last year. • “The Daily,” your audio news report. On today’s show, our Supreme Court correspondent discusses Justice Neil Gorsuch’s first day on the job. Listen on a computer, an iOS device or an Android device. • President Trump is expected to sign an executive order today aimed at making it harder for technology companies to recruit low-wage workers from abroad. • A pet project by Steven Ballmer, the former chief executive of Microsoft, lets you track how the government spends tax dollars. • As if southern Europe didn’t have enough problems: Low birthrates could weaken economic growth in the future. • U.S. stocks were up on Monday. Here’s a snapshot of global markets. • If the effects of exercise could be put in a pill and prescribed, it would be hailed as an almost miraculous cure. • Confused about quinoa and nutrition? You’re not alone. • Recipe of the day: If you can make a ragù, you can make this chicken curry. • Dinner with a dung beetle. In today’s 360 video, get a close look at how a dung beetle in Kenya prepares a meal. • Partisan writing you shouldn’t miss. Read about how the other side thinks: From Ann Coulter’s critical take on President Trump’s actions in Syria to Masha Gessen on similarities between the U.S. and Russian leaders. • How Prince concealed his addiction. At the time of the musician’s death after an opioid overdose last year, his home contained “a sizable amount” of painkillers for which he didn’t have prescriptions, according to court documents. • A Boston Marathon record. In 1967, a runner registered as K. V. Switzer ran the all-male race, becoming the first woman to complete it as an official entrant. On Monday, Kathrine Switzer ran it again. • Politicians we have known. A new book of paintings by former President George W. Bush reveals an adept artist who is doing penance for the Iraq War, our critic writes. And “Shattered,” an account of the 2016 election, depicts Hillary Clinton’s campaign as dysfunctional and outlines its many mistakes. Our chief book critic reviewed it. • A star is born (and born and born). “Groundhog Day” adapts a beloved movie to the musical stage with feverish imagination — and a magnetic Andy Karl shooing away the shadow of Bill Murray, our theater critic writes. • Best of late-night TV. On his former show, Stephen Colbert portrayed a right-wing talk show host. On Monday’s “Late Show,” he got into character imitating another: Alex Jones. When the U.S. recently sent a team of warships to the Korean Peninsula, we wondered about the namesake of the aircraft carrier leading the group — the Carl Vinson — and the broader question of how Navy ships are named. Carl Vinson was a long-serving Georgia congressman whose zeal for military expansion led him to be called the “Father of the Two-Ocean Navy.” Launched in 1980, a year before Mr. Vinson’s death, the carrier was one of the first major Navy ships to have been named after a living person since the 1800s. In 1862, Congress specified that ships, depending on their class, should be named after states, rivers or “principal cities and towns.” But naval expansion soon exhausted geographical names. Some names have been divisive. The Clinton administration took heat for naming a destroyer after a British citizen, Winston Churchill, and traditionalists objected to plans to name a ship after Harvey Milk, the slain gay rights leader. Mr. Vinson was a segregationist. And sometimes the name just doesn’t fit. A cargo ship was named after the civil rights activist Cesar Chavez. A proponent of nonviolence, he once said his time in the Navy had been “the two worst years of my life.” Charles McDermid contributed reporting. _____ Photographs may appear out of order for some readers. Viewing this version of the briefing should help. Your Morning Briefing is published weekdays at 6 a.m. Eastern and updated on the web all morning. What would you like to see here? Contact us at briefing@nytimes.com. You can sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox.

2018-01-17

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.@kilmeade asks @EricTrump about @realDonaldTrump's racist remarksEric: "My father sees one color: Green. That is all he cares about." pic.twitter.com/qPrhSJCfEy Eric TrumpEric Frederick TrumpHouse chairman warns foreign governments to 'cease and desist' spending money at Trump properties Trump Jr. dismisses conflicts of interest, touts projects in Indonesia New York judge allows portion of lawsuit against Trump and his children to proceed MORE on Wednesday said his father is not racist, saying all President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump pushes back on recent polling data, says internal numbers are 'strongest we've had so far' Illinois state lawmaker apologizes for photos depicting mock assassination of Trump Scaramucci assembling team of former Cabinet members to speak out against Trump MORE cares about is "the economy." "My father sees one color: green," Trump said during an interview on "Fox & Friends" "He cares about the economy." "He does not see race. He's the least racist person I have ever met in my entire life. It's total nonsense." President Trump has faced accusations of racism in recent days after reports he referred to Haiti, El Salvador and African nations as "shithole countries" and asked why the U.S. should take in immigrants from those places. The president this past weekend pushed back against accusations of racism, calling himself the "least racist person you will ever interview." On Tuesday, he said he wants immigrants from "everywhere." “I want them to come in from everywhere. Everywhere,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about his comments. His reported comments have helped derail talks on spending and immigration legislation ahead of a Jan. 19 funding deadline to prevent a government shutdown. View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

2016-04-28

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April 28 (Reuters) - Safe Orthopaedics SA : * FY net loss of 6.6 million euro versus loss 4.9 million euro ($5.6 million) a year ago * FY current operating loss 7.2 million euro versus loss of 5.6 million euro a year ago * Q1 revenue of 660,000 euro versus 703,000 euro a year ago Source text: bit.ly/1TyJIt8 Further company coverage: ($1 = 0.8822 euros) (Gdynia Newsroom)

2016-11-09

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* Healthcare, financials lead indexes higher * Fear gauge on track for biggest drop since late June * Indexes up: Dow 1.54 pct, S&P 1.24 pct, Nasdaq 1.00 pct (Adds details on stock moves, comment) By Noel Randewich NEW YORK, Nov 9 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose sharply on Wednesday in a dramatic turnaround from deep overnight losses as Wall Street digested the upset presidential election victory of Republican Donald Trump. After warning for months that a Trump White House would create uncertainty and damage sentiment, investors poured money into sectors that may benefit from the former reality show star’s victory. That was a steep reversal from the night before, when financial markets reacted violently as Democrat Hillary Clinton’s path to victory narrowed and S&P futures dropped 5 percent before a trading limit kicked in. “The stock market is acting like a teenager. It makes a lot of demands but it doesn’t know what it wants,” said Jake Dollarhide, chief executive officer of Longbow Asset Management in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gains of 3 percent each in the heavily weighted healthcare and financials sectors pushed the S&P 500 and Dow Jones industrial average up over 1 percent. The real estate sector fell 2.48 percent and utilities lost 3.52 percent. Both sectors are proxies for bonds, which also fell. “When you look at Trump’s plans, they are actually pro-market,” said Nadia Lovell, U.S. Equity Strategist at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in New York. “Increased fiscal spending, that’s great for infrastructure and defense names, less regulations that help banks, less involvement in healthcare - things that worried the market before.” A curb on drug pricing was a key campaign theme for Clinton, while Trump has called for repealing the Affordable Care Act and loosening restrictions on banks enacted after the financial crisis. At 3:05 pm ET, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 1.54 percent to 18,614.99 points and the S&P 500 had gained 1.24 percent to 2,166.09. The Nasdaq Composite had added 1 percent to 5,245.54. Republicans maintained their majorities in both chambers of the U.S. Congress, potentially enabling the party to reshape Washington with two years of “unified” government. “Regardless of the fact you had a Republican sweep, there are still checks and balances in place,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in New York. “So you are going to have some of your more fiscally conservative Republicans that will certainly slow (Trump) down from doing anything crazy in terms of policy changes.” Wall Street is typically seen as preferring gridlock, or shared control of the White House and Congress, than a sweep of both chambers of Congress and the presidency. The CBOE Volatility index, a gauge of investor anxiety, fell 20 percent and was on track for its biggest daily drop since late June. Big pharmaceutical shares gained, with Pfizer jumping 8.3 percent, the biggest driver of the S&P 500’s gains. The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF surged 8.7 percent and was on track for its biggest daily percentage gain in eight years. Among financials, JPMorgan Chase surged 5.7 percent, on pace for its best day in nine months, while Wells Fargo rose 6.06 percent. Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 1.27-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 2.47-to-1 ratio favored advancers. The S&P 500 posted 58 new 52-week highs and 14 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 179 new highs and 94 new lows. (Additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos, Chuck Mikolajczak, Tanya Agrawal and Yashaswini Swamynathan; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

2018-09-22 17:36:16

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There’s an episode in the latest season of the Hulu original series Casual, where the main character, Alex, tries his hand at dating in virtual reality. He quickly meets a woman and develops a big, adrenaline-inducing crush only to realize she’s a scammer out for his credit card information. The season takes place around 2021 or 2022, when technological advances have made dating in VR both possible and socially acceptable. We’re not there yet, and we probably won’t be there as soon as the writers of the show think, but it’s time to imagine and plan for a future when entire relationships exist in and as a result of virtual reality. Sextech entrepreneur and advocate Bryony Cole has built a career around the assumption that a full pivot to VR will happen in our lifetimes. She’s the chief executive officer of Future of Sex, a podcast-turned-media company and sextech accelerator. Future of Sex has just released its inaugural report on virtual intimacy and plans to produce content on other topics at the intersection of technology and sex. Today, most people are more interested in Magic Leap’s new Angry Birds VR game than the ways in which VR can aid struggling relationships, but the report is full of interesting nuggets on how tech, like teledildonics (Internet-connected sex toys), is transforming intimacy. There’s a whole class of startups named in the report embracing the notion that human experiences can be improved when powered by apps and devices. No, they aren’t advocating for you to bring your smartphone to the bedroom, but rather claiming that customizable tech can heighten the senses or create new avenues for exploration. Kissenger, for example, has a mobile app that lets you exchange a kiss over the Internet. Fleshlight and Lovense sell Bluetooth-connected vibrators. And CamasutraVR streams virtual versions of real-life porn stars. VR, Cole says, is a the forefront of the sextech industry’s transformation and if used correctly, can bolster relationships. “It’s a new way for couples or thruples, or whatever relationship you’re in, to bond,” Cole told TechCrunch. “The ability to empathize with another person is enriched in this context, which is great, especially for understanding a lover.” VR can facilitate more meaningful interactions for couples in long-distance relationships. If used right, it can fill the “intimacy gap,” or the space between a couple’s shared happiness and an individual’s personal happiness that, when too big, leads to many couples’ demise. As a safe space for experimentation, two people can explore fantasies, engage with educational content and even visit a couple’s therapist in VR. The release of the report is hot off the heels of Future of Sex’s fourth sextech hackathon. In New York, the company asked participants to create tech-enabled solutions to reinvent sex education for teenage boys, among other prompts. Future of Sex partnered with porn site YouPorn to co-host the event and asked hackers to come up with ways to leverage YouPorn’s content, which includes VR porn, to improve the sex lives of viewers. VR porn is not a new phenomenon and while it can allow for more personal sexual experiences, researchers have warned that blurring the line between the real and the virtual could lead to ethical issues. How, for example, do you give consent in VR? Women, who are often exploited for the purposes of sexual entertainment, need to be at the table while this content and other sextech are in development. Fortunately, Cole says, women are entering the sextech community in droves. “[It’s] exploding at the moment and more and more women entrepreneurs are having a go at building a company,” she said. “It’s Important to highlight why women are getting involved in sextech especially in the current climate of #MeToo.” Unbound makes pleasure fashionable On stage at TechCrunch Disrupt SF this year, Unbound, which makes fashion-forward vibrators and other sex toys for women, took home the second-place prize. “Our dream at Unbound is for female sexual health to be viewed through the same lens as male sexuality — as a part of our overall health that deserves a conversation, platform, and shopping experience that doesn’t feel like a flaming pile of garbage,” Unbound founder Polly Rodriguez told TechCrunch’s John Biggs. Rodriguez is a close friend of Cole’s — the community is still small — and she’s appeared on the Future of Sex podcast. The podcast, hackathons and the 12-week accelerator program for sextech startups are part of Cole’s effort to expand the dialogue around VR & sextech, invite new voices into the movement and remove the stigma around having open and honest conversations about sex and intimacy. “There has to be a way to invite more people into this conversation,” she said. “If we can normalize the conversation, we can raise the standards around talking about sex.”

2019-08-16

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(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Celgene Corp’s Inrebic to treat certain rare forms of bone marrow cancer called myelofibrosis, making it the second approved drug to treat the disease. Inrebic belongs to a class of drugs known as JAK inhibitors that work by blocking inflammation-causing Janus kinases enzymes. It will compete with Incyte Corp’s Jakafi, also a JAK inhibitor, which was approved in 2011 for treating the same condition. However, Inrebic’s approval comes with a boxed warning, the drug regulator’s harshest, that flags concerns such as serious and fatal brain damage. Analysts said Inrebic’s approval does not pose a meaningful threat to Jakafi, which generated $1.4 billion in revenue for Incyte in 2018. RBC Capital Markets analyst Brian Abrahams said that though Inrebic’s label is broad it comes with a black box warning, and given Jakafi’s significant clinical experience and survival benefits, he does not expect the drug to disrupt Incyte’s core Jakafi franchise. The approval comes at a time when Celgene is in the process of being acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co in the largest pharmaceutical industry merger ever. In June, Bristol offered to divest Celgene’s psoriasis treatment Otezla to allay concerns raised by U.S. antitrust regulators, and pushed back the closing of the $74 billion deal. Inrebic was approved based on results from a trial of 289 patients with myelofibrosis where the drug was tested against a placebo. Celgene shares were up 1.3% at $94.56, while those of Bristol rose 2.3% to $46.82 in afternoon trading. Reporting by Aakash Jagadeesh Babu in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Sriraj Kalluvila

2019-12-09 00:00:00

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former British spy who was a source for the FBI in its probe of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had an extended friendship with Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, a source familiar with the friendship said on Monday. A friendship between Christopher Steele, a former officer of British foreign intelligence agency MI6, and an unspecified Trump family member was laid out in a report by the U.S. Justice Department’s Inspector General published on Monday. The report looked into elements of how the FBI handled its investigation into whether Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign had colluded with Russia. The FBI used Steele’s work as part of its investigation. In a chapter of the report reviewing the history of Steele’s relationship with the FBI as a “confidential human source,” Steele says that allegations that he was biased against Trump from the start of his investigation into the presidential candidate were “ridiculous.” According to the Inspector General’s account, Steele told investigators that, if anything, he was “favorably disposed” toward the Trump family, since he had visited a Trump family member at New York’s Trump Tower and “been friendly” with the family member for “some years.” A person familiar with the friendship said that Ivanka Trump was the unnamed family member mentioned in the report. The White House declined comment and Steele did not respond to an email requesting comment. In its report, the Justice Department watchdog found no evidence of political bias by the FBI but said mistakes were made. Trump has harshly criticized the FBI probe as biased. The FBI investigation, opened in the summer of 2016 ahead of the November election pitting Trump against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, was taken over in May 2017 by former FBI chief Robert Mueller. Mueller’s 22-month special counsel investigation detailed a Russian campaign of hacking and propaganda to sow discord in the United States, harm Clinton and boost Trump. Mueller documented numerous contacts between Trump campaign figures and Moscow but found insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy. According to the Inspector General report, Steele described his relationship with the unnamed Trump family member as “personal” and added that he once provided that person with a gift in the form of a Steele family tartan from Scotland. The friendship between Steele and Ivanka Trump was reported earlier on Monday by ABC News. Reporting By Mark Hosenball, editing by Peter Henderson and Rosalba O'Brien

2017-02-24

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hedge funds and money managers boosted their bullish wagers on U.S. crude oil to a record high, data showed on Friday, as prices rallied on OPEC’s optimism for greater compliance with its deal with other top global producers to curb output. The speculator group raised its combined futures and options position in two major NYMEX and ICE markets by 21,777 contracts to 443,703 in the week to Feb. 21, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data showed. Gross short, or bearish, futures and options positions among money managers fell to the lowest since mid-2014. That brought the net long U.S. crude futures and options positions to the highest on record, based on publicly available data going back to at least 2009, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said on Friday. “The buying is supportive but the new record long exposure leaves the market increasingly overbought,” Tim Evans, Citi Futures’ energy futures specialist, said in a note. U.S. oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange rallied by about 1.6 percent and averaged $53.43 per barrel during the shortened trading week. Monday was a holiday for U.S. markets for Presidents Day. OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo told an industry conference in London that January data showed conformity from participating OPEC nations with output curbs had been above 90 percent and oil inventories would decline further this year. “All countries involved remain resolute in the determination to achieve a higher level of conformity,” Barkindo said. Since, the joint OPEC and non-OPEC technical committee reported 86 percent compliance with oil cuts for OPEC and non-OPEC combined for January, according three OPEC sources. However, swelling U.S. inventories and signs of increased resurgent drilling activity have capped prices. [RIG/U] Crude inventories rose 564,000 barrels in the week to Feb. 17, its seventh straight week of increases, compared with analysts’ expectations for an increase of 3.5 million barrels, the EIA said. [EIA/S] Among refined products, speculators slashed net long futures and options in U.S. gasoline to the lowest in two months. “With the group still net long at 40,969 contracts, there’s potential for this bearish flow to continue,” Evans said. Gasoline inventories have soared in recent weeks as the market grapples with oversupply and demand softened. In Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD), money managers boosted their net long positions slightly to 32,955 contracts. Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in New York; editing by David Gregorio

2020-03-02 00:00:00

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* New PM must be backed by the street - protesters * Allawi accused political parties of obstructing him * Parties saw Allawi as threat to their control - analyst * Iraq’s long list of problems now includes coronavirus By Ulf Laessing and Ahmed Aboulenein BAGHDAD, March 2 (Reuters) - A power vacuum has deepened in Iraq after plans for a new prime minister collapsed, further complicating the country’s faltering efforts to deal with mass unrest, a reawakening Islamic State and a spreading coronavirus infection. Analysts fear Islamic State’s ultra hardline militants could exploit the political paralysis of the oil producer’s leadership, which has been unable to agree on a government after months of protests against the ruling elite. Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi withdrew his candidacy for the post on Sunday, accusing political parties of obstructing him. The search is on for an alternative, but proposing the name of an establishment-backed candidate would spell more trouble. Protesters who say the elite is corrupt and subservient to neighbouring Iran had rejected even Allawi, and vowed on Monday to oppose any replacement lined up by the parties. “We hope that the President will nominate an acceptable candidate whom everyone on the streets of Iraq can agree on,” said a young man who gave his name as Mu’mmar at Baghdad’s central Tahrir square. “The Iraqi street is angry. The candidate should not come through the will of parties, the corrupt parties which we want to remove,” he added. He was standing next to other protesters, some wearing surgical masks to protect against both the coronavirus and the tear gas cannisters frequently launched by security forces. A power vacuum could prove challenging for the region, given that a struggle for influence between the United States and its longtime foe Iran plays out regularly on the streets of Iraq. Thousands of U.S. troops are stationed in the country in positions not far from those of Iran-allied Shi’ite militias. Demonstrators began protests on Oct. 1, demanding the removal of all politicians, free elections and an end to economic mismanagement. Nearly 500 people have been killed in the unrest, with both security forces and unidentified gunmen shooting people dead. The leaderless movement is an unprecedented challenge to Iraq’s Shi’ite Muslim-dominated and largely Iran-backed ruling elite, which emerged after a U.S.-led invasion toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. Allawi had been the man designated to lead Iraq out of the crisis. He was to replace Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who was pushed out by the protests, but quit after majority Shi’ite and Sunni and Kurdish lawmakers failed to approve his cabinet. Iraq’s disarray would deepen if Abdul Mahdi also abandons his role as caretaker on Monday, which he has previously threatened to do. According to the constitution, that would put President Barham Salih in charge as acting premier. Analysts say Iraq’s political parties and allied militias have prolonged the crisis by being unwilling to lose the funds and jobs provided by patronage - unfairness that galvanizes protesters angry about lack of services such as electricity. “In Iraq the political parties are still governing the country even without formal posts and positions. Allawi’s failure was obvious from the start,” said Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House. “The parties have considerable power over and stake in the system. They saw an existential threat and they came together,” he added. Hisham al-Hashimi, an analyst and expert on extremist groups, said Iraq was struggling to contain the coronavirus outbreak, which was spreading thanks to close ties with Iran, the country with most cases outside China. “The state can also not deal with the economic crisis and the threat of a return of Islamic State,” he said. Islamic State, also known as Daesh, has started to regroup since the loss of its Mosul stronghold in 2017, driven by local Sunni complaints of neglect by Shi’ite-led authorities. Under the constitution President Salih, a Kurd, has 15 days to designate a new candidate but this seems unlikely as parties remain divided on ethnic and sectarian lines. Several names circulated on Monday with little prospect of success, among them the governor of Basra province, Asaad al-Eidani, who was touted before Allawi and rejected by protesters. “Allawi was a sideshow and now we are back to where we were,” said Mansour. “He tried to go against parties and proved the parties call the shots, the next person will be someone the parties would want.” Analysts said the constitution is undermined as parties continue to miss deadlines and ignore its provisions. “The system is an elite pact of political parties making backroom deals,” said Mansour, adding the parties “don’t mind working outside of constitution, it is there to make things look nice. But if it goes against their interest they have proven time and time again it’s just piece of paper.” (Reporting by Ulf Laessing, Maher Nazeh and Hayder Kadhim in Baghdad and Ahmed Aboulenein in Cairo Editing by William Maclean)

2019-10-04 00:00:00

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(CNN)The top US diplomat in Ukraine expressed serious misgivings about foreign policy moves being tied to political motives, calling a potential quid pro quo over military assistance to Ukraine "crazy" and suggested he would quit if that assistance was not released, according to text messages released by the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight Committees on Thursday night. Those texts -- given to the committees by former US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker as part of his deposition Thursday -- show Ambassador William "Bill" Taylor, the charge d'affaires at the US Embassy in Kiev, repeatedly questioning the decision to stall hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine as a potential quid pro quo and raising concerns about the impact on broader regional policy. "The message to the Ukrainians (and Russians) we send with the decision on security assistance is key. With the hold, we have already shaken their faith in us. Thus my nightmare scenario," Taylor wrote on September 9. Russia has made repeated illegal incursions into Ukraine. "As I said on the phone, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign," he added. The texts also show Volker linking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's desire to meet with President Donald Trump with a bid for Ukraine to investigate the 2016 US election and Burisma -- the Ukrainian company that hired Hunter Biden to be on its board. The text messages do not explicitly mention the Bidens. Trump's private lawyer Rudy Giuliani was an impelling force behind the desire for such investigations. Taylor's reservations about Ukrainian foreign policy being politicized were frequently answered by US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland. The differences in responses between Taylor -- an experienced diplomat who served as US Ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009 -- and Sondland -- a former hotelier who donated to Trump's inauguration committee through four of his limited liability companies -- are notable. Taylor has been the top diplomat at the US Embassy in Kiev since June. He took on the role after Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was abruptly recalled from her post in May. Sondland has been the ambassador to the European Union since late June 2018. He is scheduled to give a deposition to the committees next week. Sondland seemed to downplay the concerns raised by his counterpart in Kiev. "Gordon, one thing Kurt and I talked about yesterday was Sasha Danyliuk's point that President Zelenskyy is sensitive about Ukraine being taken seriously, not merely as an instrument in Washington domestic, reelection politics," Taylor wrote on July 21. Sondland replied, "Absolutely, but we need to get the conversation started and the relationship built, irrespective of the pretext." On September 1, Taylor raised a question about the conditions upon which the aid was stalled and a White House visit by Zelensky would be predicated. "Are we now saying that security assistance and WH meeting conditioned on investigations?" Taylor asked. "Call me," Sondland replied. On September 8 and 9, Taylor suggested the continued delay in security aid was benefiting Russia, referring to potential "nightmare" situations on both days. On September 8 he alluded to quitting in protest. "The nightmare is they give the interview and don't get the security assistance. The Russians love it (And I quit.)," he wrote on September 8. Sondland, in response to Taylor's suggestion on September 9 that the assistance was being withheld "for help with a political campaign," said that the diplomat was "incorrect about President Trump's intentions." "The President has been crystal clear no quid pro quo's of any kind. The President is trying to evaluate whether Ukraine is truly going to adopt the transparency and reforms that President Zelensky promised during his campaign," Sondland wrote. He suggested Taylor contact Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or his executive secretary to discuss it further. Sondland's extensive involvement in Ukraine -- given that he is EU ambassador -- has raised questions. Sondland told UATV in July, "President Trump has not only honored me with the job of being the US ambassador to the EU, but he's also given me other special assignments, including Ukraine." "We have what are called the three amigos, and the three amigos are Secretary Perry, Ambassador Volker and myself. And we've been tasked with sort of overseeing the Ukraine-US relationship between our contacts at the highest levels of the US government, and now the highest levels of the Ukrainian government," Sondland said in that interview. On Friday, Trump sought to downplay his involvement in the ambassador's exchanges, saying, "I don't even know most of these ambassadors. I didn't even know their names." However, the President immediately went on to praise Sondland for declaring there had not been any quid pro quo. "The text message that I saw from Ambassador Sondland -- who's highly respected -- was: There's 'no quid pro quo.' He said that," Trump said. Sondland, a political appointee, came to the diplomatic world from the business one. According to his State Department biography, he was "the Founder and CEO of Provenance Hotels, a national owner and operator of full-service boutique 'lifestyle' hotels. He is a longtime Republican donor. Taylor has held a variety of diplomatic roles. In addition to earlier serving as ambassador to Ukraine, Taylor oversaw assistance and support to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria at the State Department during the Arab Spring, "served in Jerusalem as the U.S. Government's representative to the Mideast Quartet," "oversaw reconstruction in Iraq from 2004 to 2005, and served in Kabul as coordinator of international and U.S. assistance to Afghanistan from 2002 to 2003," according to his State Department biography. He was most recently the Executive Vice President of the US Institute of Peace. The US Embassy in Kiev referred questions about the texts to the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, which did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Sondland's spokesperson referred inquiries to the White House, which also did not immediately reply. CORRECTION: This article has been corrected to state that Gordon Sondland donated to Trump's inauguration committee through four of his limited liability companies.

2016-06-29

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FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Carmaker Daimler (DAIGn.DE) on Wednesday topped up its German pension scheme by transferring a stake in Renault SA (RENA.PA) and Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) worth about 1.8 billion euros ($2 billion) to the fund. Companies are having to look for ways to cope with pension liabilities which have ballooned because low central bank interest rates have cut investment returns, creating funding gaps in many pension schemes. “With this contribution we are again reinforcing our pension assets,” Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said. “Our aim in this is to safeguard our employees’ pension benefits for the long term. “Regardless of the share transfer we will continue the successful strategic alliance with the Renault/Nissan Alliance.” Daimler said the transfer would result in a one-time positive impact to its 2016 earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of about 0.5 billon euros. The German carmaker has already topped up its German pension fund to help to meet long-term payout obligations. It made a 1 billion euros contribution in December 2015, and a 2.5 billion euros payment in 2014. Daimler acquired 3.1 percent in the share capital of Renault and Nissan in 2010 as part of a reciprocal investment to accompany a strategic partnership for sharing engines, platforms and manufacturing facilities between Renault Nissan and Daimler. Earlier this year, Daimler expressed concerns about the French government’s attempts to increase its voting rights in the French carmaker because of a divergence from the “one share one vote principle.” The French government, which recently increased its stake in Renault, proposed introducing a law to grant double voting rights to long term-shareholders. Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Harro ten Wolde and Jane Merriman

2017-08-28

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(CNN)It wasn't just wind and rain that caused damage when Hurricane Harvey blasted through the Texas coast. Fires did their share too. A family in Robstown, just west of Corpus Christi, lost their homes to a fire just as Harvey was hitting the area. The Rojas family had evacuated their three houses on property they own. They returned to a distressing sight: all three houses destroyed by fire. But they also found something in the ashes that they say gave them hope -- an intact statue of the Virgin Mary. "Some may blame God and some may blame the hurricane but the only thing standing were holy things," Natali Rojas told CNN affiliate KRIS. "As you can see this statue is the only thing that survived. I dug in there for things and all I found is a Virgin Mary." The family said the Robstown Fire Department battled the flames even as the hurricane raged. "I wanna thank the Fire Department of Robstown for courage to show up in the storm while the tremendous power, the wind, the rain were going and they were still out here trying their best. It was incredible," said Jesus Rojas, Natali Rojas' father. How to help Harvey victims The family is taking the statue's survival as a sign that they can make it, too. "Appreciate what you have, listen to the warnings, hug your children and thank God for today and yesterday, and pray for a better tomorrow," Natali Rojas said.

2018-10-02

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Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to donate $20 million this week to the Democrats’ top Senate super PAC in the high-stakes battle for the Senate majority, according to The Washington Post. Bloomberg, who’s considering a 2020 presidential run, is giving the high-dollar contribution to Senate Majority PAC (SMP) — a major player in the Senate races — about five weeks out from the midterm elections. The former billionaire mayor has already pledged to spend $80 million to boost Democratic candidates, with most of that being used to help the party take back the House and specifically targeting suburban districts. After the emotional, high drama hearing where Kavanaugh and one of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, testified about the allegations, Bloomberg believes Democratic voters are more motivated and can connect with female and swing voters. “Mike was extraordinary disappointed in the Republican leadership in the Senate and feels increasingly passionate about changing it,” Bloomberg adviser Kevin Sheekey told the Post on Tuesday. “And he’s already enthusiastic about the impact he’s having on House races and increasingly confident that he can contribute to a Democratic takeover.” Bloomberg, a political independent, has also said that he plans to donate more money to support female candidates “than any individual ever.” At an event late last month, he praised the woman behind the “Me Too” movement, saying that more women need to be elected to build on that progress. "The fact is: empowering women also requires electing women to office," Bloomberg said at a recent event for EMILY's List. "We're here today because we want not just to nominate, but to elect a record number of women to Congress.” While Democrats are more confident about making big gains in the House, the party has been feeling more bullish about their chances in the Senate. Republicans have a narrow 51-49 seat majority and have a favorable map since 10 Democratic incumbents are running for reelection in states that President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump pushes back on recent polling data, says internal numbers are 'strongest we've had so far' Illinois state lawmaker apologizes for photos depicting mock assassination of Trump Scaramucci assembling team of former Cabinet members to speak out against Trump MORE won in 2016. But a number of those marquee Senate races are too close to call. Senate Majority PAC has reserved $80 million on TV advertising in nine top Senate races—six where Democrats are on defense and three that they view as the party’s best pickup opportunities. View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

2016-01-09 00:00:00

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A North Texas woman has given birth to her own granddaughter after serving as a surrogate for her daughter. At age 54, Tracey Thompson of Plano delivered a 6-pound 11-ounce girl after serving as surrogate for her 28-year-old daughter, Kelley McKissack. Posted by Kelley McKissack on Saturday, January 9, 2016 Doctors at The Medical Center of Plano say McKissack and her husband, Aaron McKissack, had undergone multiple infertility treatments only to suffer three miscarriages. According to a hospital statement released Thursday, the Wylie, Texas, couple had four fertilized embryos left, so Tracey Thompson offered to be a surrogate, despite being seven years past menopause. The embryos were implanted in Thompson's womb last April. The McKissacks named the child Kelcey, a combination of the mother's and grandmother's names. Grandmother and child are doing well.

2018-03-10

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If you're reading this, chances are you aren't sleeping very well at night, and one of the biggest reasons why may be right in the palm of your hand. A raft of recent data suggest Americans aren't getting much rest, which is a bigger problem than many realize: A 2016 study from the Rand Corporation found the effects of sleep deprivation costs the U.S. up to $411 billion a year, and individuals that don't get enough rest show an elevated chance of dying early. Amid what scientists have discovered is a strong correlation between sleep disruption and a decline in cognitive thinking, a recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study showed 35 percent of adults aren't getting sufficient rest. A technology saturated lifestyle — where smart device owners feel compelled to email, message and post to social media with reckless abandon, and often at all hours of the day or night — is taking much of the blame. In response, a cottage industry has cropped up encouraging people to unplug and get some sleep, with people like high-powered media mogul Arianna Huffington leading the charge. Technology makers are also coming up with a slew of new applications and functions designed to make phones less disruptive to sleep patterns. Yet the current landscape raises an interesting question: Can consumers rely on tech-based solutions to address a problem experts largely attribute to…technology? Some observers say the answer is both yes and no — if only because the problem itself is greater than society's addiction to gadgets and social media. "I'm not sure technology is totally responsible for this epidemic," said Elliott Alpher, the director of the Alpher Center for Sleep Disorders and Jaw Pain in Washington D.C. Comparing sleep disorders to other ailments like surging obesity rates, Alpher told CNBC that lack of sleep is "a worldwide type of problem, [and] technology plays a part where our lives are very complicated." Those problems include long work hours, daily commutes, and a litany of family obligations, Alpher added. Taken together, all of those factors "don't leave much time for sleep." Meanwhile, "the available technology monitors how you're sleeping but it doesn't literally help you sleep, the only thing that helps you sleep is if you turn off the technology." Alpher's sentiment is shared by the founder of Huffington Post, who has been on something of a crusade against persistent cellphone use. Speaking to CNBC last month, the founder and CEO of Thrive Global discussed her new app, Thrive, which is designed to help people detach from their phones and turn off distractions from social media. Huffington acknowledged the paradox of consumers using something that "basically using technology to help us re-calibrate our relationship with technology," Huffington said. However, some technology makers insist the problem isn't really technology, but the way people use it to alleviate their stress. "There's a link between technology and stress, but stress is bigger than technology," said Randall Redfield, co-founder and CEO of Dreampad – a "smart" pillow that plays ambient music to help people relax and fall asleep. Like Alpher, he attributed the issue to the pressures of demanding lifestyles. "With or without tech, we have a great deal of stress during the day, and we don't have a way during the day of relieving," those problems, he told CNBC in a recent interview. The average person is "in a hyped up mode during the day, and it's tough to let that go." The Dreampad was originally conceived as a way to help relax autistic children, but took on a new dimension after an academic study showed the device was helpful in helping adults induce sleep. The pillow — which got a segment on "Shark Tank" but didn't land a deal — is used by sleep clinics at Harvard, Duke and Stanford. Unlike apps that monitor sleep or need active engagement, "by design the Dreampad is relatively low tech," Redford explained, adding that it's for people who want to manage stress. "That's the real target for this." As a result of growing stress levels, America is suffering from poor "sleep hygiene," according to Alpher, with many consumers in need of a deep cleaning of sorts. "You want a technology-free bedroom: turn off all technology in your room," he said, and suggested sleepers do a "brain dump: Write a journal and keep notes of all thing you need to do," he added, so they don't consume your thoughts before bed. Among other things, alcohol, caffeine and spicy foods should also be strictly regulated before bedtime, Alpher told CNBC. "The bedroom is strictly for sleeping, you don't want to do anything else. You need to have peace and quiet: If your partner snores, that's like secondhand smoke," the doctor said. "It is linked to potential heart issues, high blood pressure, and emotional disorders. You're very tired, not getting the biochemical changes necessary to wake up and relax. It's a slippery slope." So does technology have a legitimate role to play in fixing America's sleep crisis? Alpher voiced skepticism, and even suggested the growing list of sleep aides and trackers might even compound the problem. "One of the big dangers we face is people will play around with all these gadgets thinking they can fix serious sleep disorders or to find out whether they have a sleep disorder," he told CNBC. --CNBC's Hadley Gamble, Natasha Turak and Erin Barry contributed to this article.

2018-02-15

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Feb 15 (Reuters) - Spectral Medical Inc: * SPECTRAL ANNOUNCES HEALTH CANADA APPROVAL OF ITS PROPRIETARY STAND-ALONE PUMP FOR CRRT AND HEMOPERFUSION Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:

2019-09-12 16:20:00

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Kim Kardashian West isn’t quite cut-out for ranch life. Kanye West recently bought a sprawling ranch in Wyoming for his family, but a source tells PEOPLE that the SKIMS shapewear designer has no plans to relocate to the Cowboy State. “Kim is definitely not moving and living full-time in Wyoming right now. Kim likes visiting Wyoming, but she sees it more like a vacation place,” the source explains. “It’s very quiet and private.” The source notes the Kardashian West isn’t a fan of the rustic living conditions. “Every time they go, they enjoy it. But they are usually comfortable in luxury housing,” the source says. “The ranch only has simple housing. It’s mostly cabins with no amenities at all. Kim just isn’t a fan of the cabins.” Continues the source: “There are many things that need to happen before she and the kids can spend more time there. Kim has a whole list of things. They would need to build a house so everyone can be comfortable. And now, when everyone knows Kanye bought the ranch, there needs to be an elaborate security system put in.” While the ranch is updated and remodeled to Kardashian West’s standards, she’s more than happy to stay in Los Angeles with the rest of her famous family. “Kim much prefers to live in L.A. full-time,” the source says. “The kids are in private school in L.A. and are happy. Kim wants them to continue to go to school in L.A. and to be around their cousins as much as possible.” An insider told PEOPLE earlier this week that West has been visiting Cody, Wyoming, and “bought a ranch and is touring local elementary schools.” The insider said the property was previously known as “Monster Lake Ranch,” features panoramic views of the surrounding Rocky Mountains and comes in at just over 4,500 acres. The massive chunk of land cost him $14 million, according to TMZ. “Kim is very supportive of Kanye buying the ranch,” says the first source. “Whatever makes him happy, makes her happy.” During an appearance on The Tonight Show on Wednesday, she confirmed her husband’s “dream and his vision” is to move to Wyoming. “We love Wyoming, it’s always been such an amazing place,” she said. In fact, she recalled roughing it during a recent trip. “We go up to this cabin at the top, no electricity, iPads died,” she said. “I’m peeing in a bottle because there’s no bathroom. I’m just like, losing my mind.” “[Kanye] wanted a romantic night for us,” she said. “I’m like ‘That’s not my vision of romance, babe.’ “ For now, Kardashian West said sees the new property as a second home for herself, West and their four children: Psalm, almost 4 months, Chicago, 19 months, Saint, 3½, and North, 6. “I love L.A., so I envision summers, I envision some weekends [in Wyoming],” she said. “But yeah, we love it. It’s like, the prettiest place you’ve seen in your entire life. Even my sisters, everyone, we’ve had this dream of getting a ranch and just spending our summers there and getting away.” In 10 years, though, she could see the brood settling down there and escaping the spotligh “I see us living on a ranch in Wyoming, occasionally going to Palm Springs and our home in Los Angeles — and becoming a lawyer,” she told West in the September cover story for Vogue Arabia.

2020-01-07 00:00:00

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A 6.4-magnitude earthquake followed by strong aftershocks struck Puerto Rico early on Tuesday, killing at least one person, knocking out power and causing significant damage, authorities and media reported. Governor Wanda Vazquez activated security measures on the island and said all public sector offices except for emergency services would remain closed on Tuesday while emergency plans were implemented. The island has been rocked by a series of quakes in recent days, including a 5.8-magnitude temblor on Monday that damaged a few homes on the southern coast. The U.S. territory is still recovering from a pair of devastating 2017 hurricanes that killed about 3,000 people and destroyed significant infrastructure across an island working its way through a bankruptcy process to restructure about $120 billion of debt and pension obligations. Vazquez, who assumed office in August after Ricardo Rossello stepped down in the face of massive street protests, tweeted pleas for people to remain calm. "We want everyone to be safe. That is why all work in the public sectors has been suspended today, so that you can be with your family, implementing your emergency plans," Vazquez tweeted. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported a small tsunami measuring around 20 centimeters (7.9 inches). The first and biggest quake on Tuesday, of magnitude 6.4, struck at a depth of 10.0 km (six miles) at 4:24 am (0824 GMT) near Ponce on the island's southern coast, the U.S. Geological Survey said. A 73-year-old died there after a wall fell on him, newspaper El Nuevo Dia reported. Witnesses on social media described the quake as "super strong" and lasting up to 30 seconds. It was followed by a number of hefty aftershocks including one measuring 5.8. The impact along the country's southern coast appeared significant. Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Chief Executive Jose Ortiz said its Central Costa Sur power plant was damaged, and the utility was checking other substations on the island. PREPA had cut off power on safety grounds and hoped to reconnect supplies as soon as possible, it said on Twitter. In the town of Guanica, several buildings collapsed. Further east in Maunabo, video on social media showed people evacuating to higher ground following the tsunami warning. "Persons along coastal areas near the earthquake should be observant and exercise normal caution, otherwise no action is required," the PTWC said in its warning. Monday's quake off southern Puerto Rico knocked several houses off their supporting pillars in Guanica and Guayanilla, crushing vehicles beneath them. That quake also destroyed the Window of the Caribbean, a rock formation on a beach that had been a tourist attraction, but there were no reports of injuries.

2019-09-26 00:00:00

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Mexico City (CNN)Their faces have become emblematic in a country where violence seems to win over the rule of law. Mystery still shrouds their whereabouts and what happened on the day they vanished. But five years later, their families and Mexicans across the country remain determined to uncover the truth. Forty-three students from a teachers' college in the town of Ayotzinapa, in Guerrero State suddenly disappeared on September 26, 2014. Surviving students and witnesses testified that they were attacked by local police, and according to Mexico's then-Attorney General, Jesús Murillo Karam, the Ayotzinapa students were kidnapped in a scheme that allegedly involved local officials, and then later handed over to the criminal group Guerreros Unidos, which operates throughout Mexico's southwestern region. For the past five years, their parents have been demanding answers as to their whereabouts -- just a small part of the more than 40,000 people registered missing in Mexico, according to the Mexican government. No one has ever been convicted in connection to their disappearance. The original investigation conducted by the administration of former President Enrique Peña Nieto has been widely criticized as ineffective and full of discrepancies, and now must be reviewed for failures of due process, according to Mexico's undersecretary of Human Rights Alejandro Encinas. Murillo Karam defended his handling of the case in an Aristegui Noticias interview this week with Carmen Aristegui, an anchor for CNN en Español. He maintained that the original investigation was carried out properly and offering to assist in any further investigation. Government prosecutors and investigators originally concluded that the group burned their bodies in a landfill and tossed their remains in a nearby river. But an examination by Argentine forensic experts contradicted the investigation by Mexican authorities. Information they gathered did not, "back up the hypothesis that there was a fire on the morning of September 27, 2014, of the required magnitude and duration that would've resulted in the massive incineration of the 43 missing students," the forensic team said. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights also disagreed that that there was evidence to suggest their bodies had been burned. Who is responsible? Of the more than 140 people originally detained in connection to the case, 77 were released after a judge dismissed cases due to insufficient evidence or reports that many of the detained were tortured. The rest have cases pending. During a press conference early this month, Encinas warned that others might also be released because of similar irregularities in the case. The most notable release is that of Gildardo López Astudillo, better known as "El Gil," who was accused of ordering the disappearance of the 43 students. A judge in Tamaulipas had absolved López Astudillo after concluding that there was insufficient proof of a crime. Dozens of pieces of evidence were tossed because of the torture allegations. López Astudillo has maintained his innocence. In an interview with CNN, Mexican Senator Lupita Murguia, who led the special commission investigating the case of the missing students for Mexico's lower chamber of congress where she then served, called the release of suspects grave, noting that those freed cannot be retried for the same charges in a later investigation. A new investigation For many who have closely followed the case, the need for a new, transparent investigation is fundamental. Mexico's current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has created a new commission to reopen the investigations from scratch, looking into judges and officials as well to see where there might have been violations of due process. During one of his daily press conferences this month, López Obrador said this would heal "a wound that affects us all." He called on anyone who might have "intervened" during the incident with the students to step forward and to "count on the protection of the government." On Tuesday, the Mexican government announced it would question former Guerrero Governor Angel Aguirre Rivero, the state's former prosecutor Iñaki Blanco, and the state's then-Secretary of Public Safety Leonardo Vasquez Perez in the new investigation spearheaded by the López Obrador administration. None of them have been formally accused. "Five years after the forced disappearance of the 43 young students at Ayotzinapa, the Mexican authorities still owe a great outstanding debt to the victims, their families and society in terms of guaranteeing their rights to the truth, justice and reparation for the harm done," executive director of Amnesty International Mexico, Tania Reneaum Panszi, said this week in a statement. The Washington Office on Latin America, WOLA, a human rights advocacy group, also released a statement saying that Peña Nieto's administration handling of the Ayotzinapa investigation had "heightened public support for much-needed reforms." "We want them back alive!" The move towards a new investigation has renewed hope for answers from many relatives of the missing students. "We have hope in the commission led by Encinas and we hope that soon there will be real information for us as well," the spokesman of the parents of the missing, Felipe de la Cruz, told CNN en Español on Monday. Not knowing where their children are "eats at their soul," de la Cruz said on his Facebook page Wednesday. "They had us full of lies," said Cristina Bautista, referring to the previous government. The mother of one of the missing 43 was sitting on a panel at the University Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico City Monday. "We, the parents, are cleaning up their lies and now it's different," said Bautista. "We're moving slowly but we have hope that we will get to the truth and we only hope that it won't take so long, that it can be fast." On Thursday, a Catholic mass and procession took place in Mexico City to honor the students on the fifth anniversary of their disappearance. While many questions remain, their relatives are clear on one thing, as they take to the streets with the familiar chant they have been repeating since their disappearance: "They were taken alive, we want them back alive!" CNN's Flora Charner contributed to this report. Claudia Dominguez reported and wrote from Atlanta, Natalie Gallón wrote and reported from Mexico City.

2016-04-21 05:00:05

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As Akai Gurley left his girlfriend’s apartment in a Brooklyn housing project one November night two years ago, he tried to take an elevator to the street, but found that it was broken. Had it been working, Mr. Gurley might never have set foot into the stairwell where he died. It was the kind of freakish detail that pervaded the case of his killer, the former New York City police officer Peter Liang. Not only was the elevator broken, but the lights in the stairwell were out. And Mr. Liang was a rookie, not even a year out of the Police Academy. Moreover, the shot he fired glanced off a wall, caromed randomly and struck Mr. Gurley in the heart. The accidental nature of the killing was noted by many on Tuesday when Mr. Liang was sentenced to probation in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, avoiding a prison term in one of the most divisive police misconduct cases in recent city history. Paul Shechtman, a lawyer for Mr. Liang, argued in court that there had never been a manslaughter case in New York in which the allegations were less egregious and the conduct less blameworthy. Ruling that the shooting had been unintentional, Justice Danny K. Chun, who presided over the case, went so far as to reduce the jury’s verdict from manslaughter — based on recklessness — to the less severe criminally negligent homicide. But if the killing of Mr. Gurley was a kind of crime of chance, what of the conditions that preceded and permitted it? Would a private building on the Upper East Side have had an elevator persistently out of service as was the case at the Louis H. Pink Houses in East New York? Would the stairwell lights in such a building have been broken? Would armed officers — one of them with his gun drawn — have been on patrol inside? Now that the case has ended, barring an appeal, a larger question has emerged: If the fatal shooting of Mr. Gurley was indeed an accident embedded in a web of troubling circumstance, what can the city do to prevent something similar from happening again? In past police misconduct cases, measures have been taken. After Abner Louima was attacked by police officers with a broomstick in a Brooklyn station house in 1997 — an act that the police then tried to cover up — his lawyers successfully sued to end the so-called 48-hour rule, which gave officers two full days before they had to speak with investigators. A few years later, after Amadou Diallo was fatally shot outside his Bronx building, the police disbanded the Street Crime Unit, the aggressive plainclothes troop whose officers committed the killing. In an article published on Wednesday in The Daily News, Ken Thompson, the Brooklyn district attorney whose office prosecuted Mr. Liang, wrote that he embraced “the nation’s urgent conversation” about the criminal-justice system that Mr. Gurley’s death had helped to spur. The city, Mr. Thompson added, should “strengthen police-community relations” and examine how offenders were “brought into the system” to begin with. Some police reform advocates had more specific suggestions. Robert Gangi, director of the Police Reform Organizing Project, said that searches of housing project stairwells, known as vertical patrols, should be ended or restricted absent actual suspicion that a crime was being committed. Mr. Gangi also said that a prison sentence for Mr. Liang would have sent a message that the city “considers these incidents to be serious and unacceptable.” Alex S. Vitale, a professor of sociology at Brooklyn College, said that he would take a literal approach to the “broken windows” theory of policing, a favorite strategy of the police commissioner, William J. Bratton. “For too long, the department’s emphasis has been on making communities safer through zero-tolerance policing,” Mr. Vitale said, “but they don’t actually fix any broken windows. The physical dynamic in the Pink Houses was a major contributing factor to what happened. And if the city was really focused on making the place better, it wouldn’t just criminalize behavior, it would fix elevators and lights, and think of ways to empower people to better manage their environments.” There has been one corrective step in the wake of the Gurley case. After Mr. Liang and his partner, Officer Shaun Landau, testified that they failed to help Mr. Gurley because they had been poorly trained in CPR, the department stripped their academy instructor of her badge. And though it preceded Mr. Liang’s indictment, a federal lawsuit filed in Manhattan in 2010 is slowly forcing changes in the way that police officers interact with housing-project residents during the vertical patrols. But a frustrating truth about the Gurley case is that many of its underlying problems are problems of inequity and race that are difficult to solve with city policy. While the shooting was not a racial crime per se — Mr. Liang did not confront or even see his victim — it was racially inflected, if only because black New Yorkers are much more likely than white ones to live in rundown buildings patrolled by police officers in heightened states of anxiety and fear. “It’s on the government to build trust when there have been constant incidents like this,” said Johnetta Elzie, a founder of Campaign Zero, an advocacy group that focuses on ending police violence. “There needs to be accountability, but I don’t know what accountability looks like when police are getting probation for killing people. It’s a mess — it’s definitely a mess.” video

2019-03-13

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President Trump is slated to receive a briefing Wednesday afternoon on the status of drug trafficking at the U.S.-Mexico border. The White House event is scheduled to begin at 1:45 p.m. EDT. Watch the live video above. View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

2019-06-07 09:12:34

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California Today Good morning. (Here’s the sign-up, if you don’t already get California Today by email.) A couple of days after Los Angeles officials announced that the region’s population of people without homes had grown, newly released data reflects that housing continues to be a top source of anxiety for Californians across the state. More than half of adults polled by the Public Policy Institute of California last month said their housing costs caused a financial strain. The highest percentage, 58 percent, was in the Orange County and San Diego area. “There’s this very pervasive sense that something’s broken when it comes to housing and homelessness,” Mark Baldassare, the institute’s president and chief executive, told me. And he said he expected the frustration to have an effect not just on the Legislature and governor, but also on House races and the presidential primaries. As for possible fixes, a large majority of adults, 62 percent, said they were in favor of mandating that local governments change their zoning laws to allow denser development near transit centers and job hubs. (That, you may recall, is about what the controversial Senate Bill 50 would have done had it not died in the Legislature this year.) However, Californians were less likely to see changing the California Environmental Quality Act, which has been criticized for slowing down construction, as a helpful solution: 47 percent supported changing the act to make development easier. The survey also found that 78 percent of Californians are worried that the cost of wildfires caused by utility equipment — like the Camp Fire, caused by Pacific Gas & Electric’s equipment — will be passed onto ratepayers. Views on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s handling of PG&E’s bankruptcy were more mixed. About a third of adults surveyed said they approved of the work he’s doing on that front. “What this tells me is that it’s complicated, but that they have in the back of their minds some concern about what the impact is going to be on them, and what they might need to confront later on,” Mr. Baldassare said. (We often link to sites that limit access for nonsubscribers. We appreciate your reading Times coverage, but we also encourage you to support local news if you can.) • The U.S. and Mexico have gotten closer to an agreement that would avert President Trump’s tariffs on Mexican imports. The changes under consideration would give the U.S. more ability to reject requests for entry from migrants fleeing violence. [The New York Times] • Democrats are lining up to challenge Representative Devin Nunes. That includes Andrew Janz, who got within five points of beating Mr. Nunes last year, and now, a Latino businessman from Fresno, Phil Arballo. [Politico] • Federal law enforcement officials announced a crackdown on the Aryan Brotherhood in California prisons. A yearslong investigation tied the gang to at least five inmate slayings. [The Sacramento Bee] • A long-awaited mural memorializing Oscar Grant III, who was shot by an officer at the Fruitvale BART station, will be unveiled there this weekend. “When someone enters that space, they’ll see a physical manifestation of a government and a community trying to heal.” [The San Francisco Chronicle] • In San Clemente, a video of rats at a homeless encampment — which some believe were store-bought and planted there — may be the latest attempt to either run homeless people out of town, or to get the city to do it. [LAist/KPCC] • Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, has joined forces with Consumer Reports, a lion of public service journalism, to expand its coverage of the tech industry. Craigslist drained the classified advertising revenue that once was the lifeblood of American newspapers. [The New York Times] • What appeared to be a rain cloud, 80 miles by 80 miles, over San Diego County this week was actually ladybugs. [The Los Angeles Times] • Get ready for the Women’s World Cup, which kicks off in France today. The U.S., featuring the Californian Alex Morgan, is going to be good. [The New York Times] • Wakamatsu Farm, the first Japanese settlement in the U.S., will commemorate its 150th anniversary. Read about its history. [The Sacramento Bee] • A woman said she was raped in the L.A. strip club where she worked. She told the club’s management and she told detectives. Nothing happened. So she painted a billboard. Here’s a long read about everything that happened. [California Sunday] • Read a tale of two nuns who worked at a Catholic school in Torrance. They liked going to Vegas and one was apparently very good at poker. Then they got fired because school administrators said they’d stolen a lot of money from the school. Cue gossip. [GQ] Yesterday, we introduced our new California Soundtrack and asked for your favorite California songs. And we got hundreds of responses. On Twitter, in our inbox, on Facebook. We’re so grateful to anyone who shared a tune or a story — and we’re still going through them. We’ve added a couple dozen of your suggestions to this playlist, and we’ll add more as the weeks go by. Right off the bat, some songs seemed to jump to mind more often. “Hotel California,” by the Eagles was a big one. Tupac’s “California Love,” many people said, is a timeless unifier. “Lyrically, it captures the different experiences of living in California, all of them underscored by the pursuit of fame and fortune,” wrote Xavier Bishop of San Diego. “At 63, I’m a reluctant rap fan. Even so, it’s difficult not to pat your feet, clap your hands or get up and dance when you hear the song’s ethereal intro.” And of course, “California Dreamin’” makes Californians feel feelings — no matter where they are. Robert Smyth of Coronado said he moved around a lot while he was growing up. “On a dripping winter day in 1966 I ducked into a record store in a cold downtown London, and in a listening booth I put on a record by an American quartet,” he wrote. “Suddenly I was back in the sunshine.” But while almost everyone recommended the 1966 classic by the Mamas and the Papas, Gina of San Francisco wrote that she prefers Queen Latifah’s 2004 rendition: “Her version evokes longing and hope for me in a way the original recording does not.” California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here. Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, went to school at U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter, @jillcowan. California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.

2019-04-01

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A group of Catholic priests in Poland have reportedly burned books they deem sacrilegious, including those from the popular Harry Potter series. The BBC reports that an evangelical group called SMS from Heaven Foundation posted pictures on its Facebook page showing Harry Potter books atop a burning fire pit, along with an elephant figure and a tribal mask. A caption in Polish quotes scripture from the Bible and says, “We obey the Word.” “Many of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver,” reads a caption, from the Book of Acts, posted by the group. Another excerpt, from the Book of Deuteronomy, reads: "Burn the images of their gods. Don't desire the silver or the gold that is on them and take it for yourself, or you will be trapped by it. That is detestable to the Lord your God." The organization’s name is a reference to its mission, which centers around sending Christian-themed messages to people through texts. The seven installments of the Harry Potter series focus on a world of magic and wizardry that some Christian groups have boycotted over its perceived sacrilegious content. The series, written by J.K. Rowling, is among the most popular and best-selling fiction works of all time. View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

2017-07-09

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Elon Musk said that the first production unit of the ultra-anticipated Tesla Model 3 would be coming this week, and here it is. The Tesla CEO posted two photos of the vehicle to Twitter late on Saturday night. Musk has said that the first 30 Model 3 customers will receive their cars at a party on the 28th. Production is expected to grow to 100 cars in August, more than 1,500 by September, and then 20,000 by December. It looks like this car is heading straight to Musk's garage. Tesla board member Ira Ehrenpreis was the first to put down his deposit, but apparently gave the rights for the first production vehicle to Musk as a 46th birthday present. First Production Model 3 pic.twitter.com/TCa2NSUNI3

2016-06-27

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June 27 (Reuters) - Harbin Gong Da High-tech Enterprise Development Co Ltd : * Says it plans to divest 100 percent stake in its sub-unit, a shopping mall operation firm, for 10 million yuan Source text in Chinese: me2.do/F1J7gNUr Further company coverage: (Beijing Headline News)

2019-06-27 00:00:00

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TL;DR: The well-reviewed Winix Air Cleaner can nix allergens in your home for $149.99, saving you $100 off the retail price. Ah, there's nothing like warm summer air. The scent of sweat, bonfires, and hot trash (looking at you, NYC) are all going up your nose — and that's not even mentioning summer allergies. Give yourself peace of mind with what you're breathing in every day with an air purifier. The Winix 5500-2 Air Cleaner is one of the best-rated devices out there, and it's $100 off at Walmart. (Walmart boosted the original price by $10, so it's regularly $249.99.) Even if you haven't been particularly picky with these things in the past, an air purifier is still a pretty important purchase in 2019 — according to the EPA, air quality in the U.S. has gotten significantly worse in the past two years. Using smart sensors and PlasmaWave technology, the Winix Air Cleaner continually scans your air and captures dust, pollen, smoke, and mold spores. A special carbon filter also works to rid your home of odors from things like cooking or litter boxes. And, with an Energy Star rating, you can feel safe letting it run on set-and-forget-mode. Though animal shedding seasons typically fall in spring and autumn, having pets is a constant battle with fur. Many vacuums for pet hair already have HEPA filters in them, but if your zoo needs something more heavy-duty, the Winix cleaner can cleanse 360 square feet of pet dander and allergens. Regularly $249.99 on Winix's website, you can save $100 and get it for $149.99 with free delivery from Walmart. Save $100 on the Winix 5500-2 Air Cleaner — $149.99 See Details