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Egypt to hold referendum on extending Sisi’s rule on April 20-22: election commission

Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen during a news conference at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan
Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen during a news conference at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon/File Photo

April 17, 2019

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s election commission said on Wednesday that a referendum on constitutional amendments – including potentially allowing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to stay in office until 2030 – will take place on April 20-22.

A second amendment would provide for setting up an upper parliamentary chamber.

(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba and Nadine Awadalla, writing by Sami Aboudi; editing by John Stonestreet)

Source: OANN

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Researchers Swapping Gut Bacteria to Conquer Aging Brains

A study in mice has indicated that the make-up of bacteria in the gut is linked with learning abilities and memory, providing a potential avenue of research into how to maintain cognitive functioning as we age.

It’s part of a field of research looking at the link between gut bacteria and aging to help people live healthier lives in old age. The proportion of the EU population aged 80 or over is predicted to more than double between 2017 and 2080, with those aged 65-plus rising from 20 to almost 30%.

However, the connection between the make-up of microbiota in the gut, brain functions and aging has been unclear – with cause and effect difficult to establish.

Dr. Damien Rei, a postdoctoral researcher into neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases at the Pasteur Institute in France, decided to examine the different types of microbiome that appear in younger and older mice to understand better what might happen in people too.

He found that when he transferred gut bacteria in older mice to young adult mice, there was a strong effect on reducing learning and memory. And when the opposite was done, with older mice receiving microbiota from younger mice, their cognitive abilities returned to normal. The older mice were aged about a year and a half – equivalent to about 60-plus human years.

‘Despite being aged animals, their learning abilities were almost indistinguishable from those of young adult mice after the microbiota transfer,’ said Dr. Rei – adding that this indicated strong communication between the gut and brain. ‘When I saw the data, I couldn’t believe it. I had to redo the experiment at least a couple of times.’

Furthermore, by seeing what was happening to the neuronal pathways of communication between the gut and brain when the aged microbiota was transferred to the younger mice, they were then able to manipulate these pathways. By doing this, he says they could block or mimic the effects of the aged microbiota.

Dr. Rei’s study, which was carried out as part of a project called Microbiota and Aging, has not yet been published, but he hopes this could happen by the end of the summer. He is also looking into human gut microbiota in older people and those with Alzheimer’s disease, but said it is too early to reveal further details about this research.

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Translating

However, Dr. Rei pointed out that there is a big challenge in translating results in mice to people, not only because of the significant ethical barriers, but also the differences in physiology. ‘The immune system of a mouse is very different to one of a human. The gut microbiota is also very different because mice eat very different things to what we do,’ he said.

Research is still a long way off from making real inroads into using this type of research to combat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, says Dr. Rei. Indeed, he says, there is no convincing evidence yet that looking at the gut microbiota is the way to go. But he believes the mouse study opens doors to further investigation into mechanisms behind age-related changes.

‘The data on the mice was really the first stepping stone, and it was a way for us to understand the potential of manipulating the gut microbiota,’ said Dr. Rei.

Pinning down the link between gut bacteria and aging is not straightforward, according to Dr. Thorsten Brach, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

‘It’s known that aging is a multifactorial process and it’s hard, especially when it comes to the microbiome, to separate the effects of aging specifically from all other aspects,’ he said.

He worked on a project called Gut-InflammAge, which looked at the link between gut microbes, inflammation and aging, led by associate professor Manimozhiyan Arumugam.

(Photo by Pixabay / ColiN00B / CC0 Creative Commons)

As part of their work, the team investigated the effects of mild periodic calorie restriction in mice to explore the potential impact of healthy-aging diets involving fasting. Unexpectedly, calorie-restricted mice accumulated more body fat – which the researchers speculate may have been down to overeating between these periods – but also saw a mild ‘rejuvenation’ of their blood profile so it more closely resembled that of younger mice.

The researchers did observe a difference between the microbiota composition in the different groups, but overall in the study the differences found were not big enough to suggest more than healthy variability between individuals. The study therefore supported the view that diet and lifestyle are more critical than age and gender in shaping the microbiota, said the researchers – though Prof. Arumugam said it would be more revealing to follow changes in individual people’s microbiomes over time.

The studies carried out so far indicate there is still a long way to go in painting an accurate picture of the link between microbiota and the aging process. Prof. Arumugam also pointed out that microbiome analysis is lagging behind technologically compared with genetics research, with disease cause and effect harder to establish than with genes.

But research is gradually improving our understanding. Prof. Arumugam said that though his team’s study did not achieve a ‘breakthrough’, it helped give more insight into this area and raised questions over previous assumptions.

And research in this area could ultimately change how we view aging, says Dr. Rei, seeing it as more fluid than just ‘a totally one-way road with no turning back, except in the movies like Benjamin Button.’

Alex Jones calls to set the record straight on the leading rumors involving the Deep State’s coup against Trump.

Source: InfoWars

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Mike Gravel ponders presidential run as Twitter fans help him try to go viral

Democratic former Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska, 88, is considering a run for president — and some fans say they're doing what they can to boost his Twitter cred.

On Tuesday night, tweets appeared in his name referencing the 2020 race and his call to push the Democrats further to the left.

First was the tweet: “#Gravel2020.”

Then the next: “I am considering running in the 2020 Democratic primary,” the announcement read. “The goal will not be to win, but to bring a critique of American imperialism to the Democratic debate stage. The website (mikegravel.org) is under construction. Official announcement will be in the coming days.”

Later, in a bid to go viral, “Folks, let's try to get this baby trending #GRAVEL2020 #GRAVEL2020 #GRAVEL2020”

Gravel has not run for president since 2008, and he hasn’t been a senator since 1981.

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Henry Williams, who helped take over the account, told Fox News via email: “The account is real, the senator supports it, it is run by young staffers including myself (I am a student at Columbia University), and we are hugely proud of the massive rise in following it has received in the past 24 hours.”

Henry Williams, 18, helped take over the account of former Democratic U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska, 88, to consider a run for president. (Henry Williams)

Henry Williams, 18, helped take over the account of former Democratic U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska, 88, to consider a run for president. (Henry Williams)

The 18-year-old who is studying physics, computer science and philosophy, but undecided on a major, said the Twitter account grew from around 3,000 followers to almost 21,000 followers within 24 hours with no promoted posts at all.

The kids liked his message from the past, albeit in the margins, and felt it was time to push him to the center.

Williams added: “I did this because I'm disturbed with our politics and think that the Democratic Party needs a voice on the left shifting the dialogue around democracy, justice, and American interventionism. Gravel is a brilliant man with strong convictions who has spent decades crusading for a just society, a truly democratic system, and an end to endless wars.”

They feel his foreign policy views truly challenge the American plutocracy.

The pinned tweet reads: “This is a campaign to remake the Democratic Party, expand the Overton Window, and push other candidates leftward. And for that, we need your donations to qualify for the debates. Not right now, but SOON. So please follow + please get everyone you know to follow. #GravelGang”

Williams said: “After contacting him and getting to know him, he got behind an exploratory committee and gave us the reins to use his social media presence to present his positions and convictions in a way the Internet would respond to. I’m hopeful that his candidacy can push the conversation in the Democratic Party to the left and force other candidates to face harsh criticism for their records and positions.”

An exploratory committee, as Politico reported, already has been formed — a statement of organization was filed to the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday.

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Williams told Rolling Stone that he and the other creators are planning on taking a trip to California to meet with Gravel.

In the meanwhile, Gravel will tweet through his young fans to his thousands of followers.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Report: AI Tool Matches Photos to Relatives From Civil War

A new artificial intelligence tool called Photo Sleuth is connecting modern-day individuals to their distant relatives who fought in the U.S. Civil War, Fox News reported.

"Seeing my distant relative staring back at me was like traveling through time," Virginia Tech assistant professor Kurt Luther, the program developer, said in a statement. "Historical photos can tell us a lot about not only our own familial history, but also inform the historical record of the time more broadly than just reading about the event in a history book."

Users upload photos which are connected to profiles of 15,000 Civil War soldiers, some from the U.S. Military History Institute, in the Photo Sleuth database.

"Typically, crowd sourced research such as this is challenging for novices if users don't have specific knowledge of the subject area," Luther's statement read. "The step-by-step process of tagging visual clues and applying search filters linked to military service records makes this detective work more accessible, even for those that may not have a deeper knowledge of Civil War military history."

In the first month after the August 2018 launch, more than 600 users uploaded more than 2,000 photos from the Civil War to the database, according to Virginia Tech.

The May 4 grand opening of the expanded American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia, will feature a demonstration of the Photo Sleuth, according to the report.

Source: NewsMax America

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Congo president turned down predecessor’s PM pick: sources

FILE PHOTO: Democratic Republic of Congo's outgoing President Joseph Kabila (r) sits next to his successor Felix Tshisekedi at the latter's inauguration ceremony in Kinshasa
FILE PHOTO: Democratic Republic of Congo's outgoing President Joseph Kabila (R) sits next to his successor Felix Tshisekedi at the latter's inauguration ceremony in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo January 24, 2019. REUTERS/ Olivia Acland/File Photo

April 9, 2019

By Stanis Bujakera and Giulia Paravicini

KINSHASA/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila wanted his successor, Felix Tshisekedi, to appoint Albert Yuma, a Kabila ally and chairman of state mining company Gecamines, as prime minister, but Tshisekedi refused, sources familiar with the matter said.

Yuma backed a new mining code adopted last year under Kabila that raised taxes on companies operating in Democratic Republic of Congo, the world’s leading cobalt miner and Africa’s top copper producer.

The companies, which include Glencore and Barrick, have been lobbying the government to reconsider the law. Tshisekedi’s administration, which took office in January, has said the law will remain in place but that it is open to dialogue with the companies.

Tshisekedi has yet to name a prime minister. Under Congo’s constitution, his choice must come from the ranks of the parliamentary majority, Kabila’s Common Front for Congo (FCC), following consultations with the FCC.

Kabila proposed Yuma several weeks ago, but Tshisekedi cited Yuma’s checkered international reputation in turning him down, according to a source close to the presidency, two sources from Tshisekedi’s CACH coalition and one from FCC.

“The president told Kabila that Yuma was not an option, as he is compromised,” the source close to the presidency said. “The president, however, clarified that this did not mean the end of their coalition,” the source said, referring to an agreement between the FCC and CACH to govern together.

Two foreign diplomats based in Kinshasa said the United States and European Union urged Tshisekedi not to nominate Yuma.

Under Yuma’s leadership, Gecamines has faced repeated allegations of corruption by local and international watchdogs, including the misappropriation of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Yuma has always denied the accusations and says he is being targeted because of his hard line against foreign investors. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

The three CACH and FCC sources said Kabila has since proposed three names to Tshisekedi: Yuma, Finance Minister Henri Yav and Jean Mbuyu, Kabila’s national security advisor.

Tshisekedi’s office said the selection process was continuing and declined to comment on specific candidates.

EMERGING TENSIONS

Kabila’s coalition won parliamentary majorities in December’s elections, even though then-opposition leader Tshisekedi defeated Kabila’s hand-picked candidate, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, leading to Congo’s first transfer of power via the ballot box.

The runner-up in the election, Martin Fayulu, alleges that Kabila struck a deal with Tshisekedi to rig the vote in Tshisekedi’s favor and deny victory to Fayulu, who was considered more hostile to Kabila’s interests.

Kabila and Tshisekedi’s camps deny they struck any deal before the results were announced.

Since then, they have said they intend to govern as a coalition, although signs of tension have emerged.

In public comments during a visit last week to the United States, Tshisekedi said he intended to “kick out the dictatorial system that was in place”.

The FCC responded in a statement on Monday, accusing Tshisekedi of launching “gratuitous attacks and unfounded allegations”.

(Additional reporting and writing by Aaron Ross, editing by Larry King)

Source: OANN

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Labour’s Corbyn invites UK lawmakers to help break Brexit impasse

Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks to the media outside New Zealand House in London
Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks to the media outside New Zealand House, following Christchurch mosque attack in New Zealand, in London, Britain March 15, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

March 17, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has written to lawmakers from across Britain’s parliament to discuss ways to break the Brexit impasse, just days before the prime minister is expected to put her deal to another vote.

In a letter written to lawmakers from all parties in parliament, Corbyn invited them to meet with him and his Brexit policy chief Keir Starmer to discuss how to “break the Brexit impasse”, and use as a starting point Labour’s alternative plan and its support for a vote to prevent a “damaging Brexit”.

“It must now be incumbent on us all as parliamentarians to do our best to work together and find a compromise and a solution that ends the needless uncertainty and worry that the government’s failed Brexit negotiations have caused,” Corbyn said in his letter.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Toby Chopra)

Source: OANN

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Instant View: Steady Fed sees no more hikes in 2019

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Powell holds news conference following two-day policy meeting in Washington
U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell holds a news conference following the two-day Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy meeting in Washington, U.S., March 20, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

March 20, 2019

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday and its policymakers abandoned projections for further rate hikes this year as the U.S. central bank flagged an expected slowdown in the economy.

In a major shift in its perspective, the Fed also now expects to raise borrowing costs only once more through 2021, and no longer anticipates the need to guard against inflation with restrictive monetary policy.

Market reaction:

Stocks: The S&P 500 reversed losses to turn 0.3 percent higher. The Dow turned 0.1 percent higher. Bonds: The 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield fell to 2.5405 percent and the 2-year yield fell to 2.4003 percent.

Forex: The dollar index reversed slight gains and was off 0.63 percent.

Comments:

Brian Jacobsen, senior investment strategist, Wells Fargo Asset Management, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

“I didn’t think they’d do it, but they came across as more dovish than what was expected. Wrapping up the balance sheet run-off by the end of September rather than the end of December was the biggest surprise. Beginning in October they will keep allowing the MBSs to run-off, but replace them with Treasuries. There was also more consensus on ‘no hikes for 2019’ than I thought there would be.

“While the ECB’s dovish tilt was taken as a bearish omen for the Eurozone economy, the Fed’s dovish tilt is viewed as much more bullish. The key difference was in the messaging. The ECB’s was couched in terms of weakness. The Fed’s is couched in terms of caution.”

Danielle Hale, chief economist, Realtor.com, Washington

“It’s no surprise that the Fed decided to hold rates steady today, given its January pledge of taking a patient approach to reviewing data and making interest rate decisions. But today’s meeting also gives us clues about the road ahead for mortgage rates, which are influenced by both short-term rates and the longer-term economic outlook. Despite current short term rate increases, recent economic forecasts have been less certain, which has caused mortgage rates to slip recently.

“With today’s downgrade of the forecast for 2019 and 2020 from the Fed and lowered expectations for the median Fed Funds rate in this time, we expect this trend to continue with steadiness or even further potential declines in mortgage rates. While a plus for home buyers, if concerns about the economic outlook rattle consumer and home buyer confidence, it could offset the benefit of lower mortgage rates.”

Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser, Allianz, Newport Beach, California

“The Federal Reserve continued its move to a significantly more dovish policy stance, delivering to bullish investors exactly what they were hoping and betting for in terms of the outlook for interest rates and balance sheet.”

Doug Ramsey, chief investment officer, Leuthold Group, Minneapolis, Minnesota

“It sounded like to me as if I were listening to the (European Central Bank.) I had to read the Fed statement twice. It was a surprise. I think we are on the cusp of that – Does the Fed know something we don’t? What I found most interesting is more of the change in tone than substance by the Fed at this point. We are cautious on the stock market and moderately bullish on the bond market. We continue to forecast an economic slowdown. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a rate cut later this year – around the fourth quarter. And I wouldn’t necessarily take that as a bullish thing.”  

Peter Cardillo, chief market economist, Spartan Capital Securities, New York

“It’s very dovish, obviously. They talked about the balance sheet (reductions)… and it does appear now they have abandoned raising rates for the remainder of the year. But that came also with lower economic activity, not by much, but they lowered some of their forecasts. Basically, this should be positive for stocks and hard assets as well.

“If rates go down, it’s less of a headwind for stocks. It doesn’t mean we’ll turn into a super bull market.”

Andre Bakhos, managing director, New Vines Capital LLC, Bernardsville, New Jersey

“The markets are viewing the fact that there will be no more rate hikes this year positively and it creates a risk-on scenario and if we can get a trade deal done in this stabilizing environment it could set up very nicely down the line.

“The markets have rallied very strongly on the news and that type of strong move is indicative of a sigh of relief and what one would deem as the best case scenario. In other words, a slowing economy is good as it keeps rates low, it shows that we can have growth even though the economy is slowing down and that helps markets.”

“This is going to create a good trading environment, and net-on-net this is a sigh of relief for traders and something the markets could focus on in the nearer term while we wait for a better visibility in China.”

Leslie Falconio, senior strategist, UBS Global Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Office, New York

“We anticipated the Fed removing one dot in 2019 and leaving one dot. They’ve removed both hikes in 2019. They’ve removed two hikes in 2020, leaving only one hike. That’s a bit dovish which is pushing yields down.

“They came out a bit more dovish than what the market was anticipating and what we were anticipating. The yield curve is therefore steepening. The long end is underperforming a little in Treasuries. When it comes to the balance sheet, although we were anticipating for the balance sheet (runoff) to cease we needed confirmation for exactly when they’d do that.”

“The market had already priced that the fed wouldn’t raise this year. That’s why you’re not getting as big a move. The market was right. It was pricing out two hikes this year and from what the Fed gave us the market was correct.”

Luke Tilley, chief economist, Wilmington Trust, Wilmington, Delaware

“The Fed moved in a much more dovish direction than anticipated on the rate hikes. That should be pretty supportive to the market. The action on the balance sheet is also supportive of markets.”

“We are not concerned that the Fed has downgraded its GDP forecast. Our forecast has been about 2 percent growth for 2019 for quite some time, so the Fed is coming down closer to our expectation. The dovishness on rates is less about anticipated growth and more about the fact that we simply don’t have any signs of inflation picking up.”

Chuck tomes, associate portfolio manager, Manulife Asset Management, Boston

“Overall it seems the Fed was able to solidify their dovish view as there are no rate hikes priced in for this year and only one rate hike for 2020. That was more dovish than people were expecting at the margin, even though the market was looking for a dovish Fed today.

“The dollar has come under pressure against a large number of currencies around the world.”   

Josh Bivens, director of research, the Economic Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.

“This is a welcome pause from the too-regular increases of the past couple of years. It is also a pause warranted by the economic data. There are clear signs that past rate increases are slowing spending growth through traditional transmission channels – slower residential investment growth and lower net exports – and 2019 will see the fiscal boost from tax cuts and higher spending levels fade rapidly. While wage growth is clearly healthier in recent years, productivity has also staged what looks increasingly like a durable, if unspectacular, rebound. This productivity rebound has helped keep price inflation firmly within – or even under – the Fed’s long-run targets. At this point, the key challenge facing the Fed in coming years is likely not going to be how to keep inflation in check, instead it will be how to keep the recovery going as long as possible to let workers finally eke out some significant gains. Indications that the Fed is unlikely to raise rates this year suggest they realize this.” 

Gennadiy Goldberg, interest rate strategist, TD Securities, New York

“It’s fairly dovish I’d say, given that there were 11 dots going to zero hikes in 2019, which is certainly quite a move lower. The fact that they’ve announced balance sheet runoff ending I think is certainly quite dovish as well. In a sense I think this is quite a bit more dovish than the market was priced for and that’s why you’re seeing Treasuries rally and equities rally as well. I think the expectation in the markets was a lowering to one dot. I think that was really the consensus and the fact that we’ve had 11 at zero, so effectively no hikes this year, sends a pretty dovish signal to the market.”

Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst, Western Union Business Solutions, Washington

“The Fed exceeded markets’ dovish expectations which took a toll on the greenback. The Fed did a big about-face on policy. The fact that the Fed threw in the towel on a 2019 rate hike was particularly dovish. Still, with the Fed erring more on supporting growth, it could reduce the chance of a rate cut in the months ahead. As for the timing on the end of balance sheet normalization, September is the early side of expectations.”

Evan Brown, head of macro asset allocation strategy, UBS Asset Management, New York

“It definitely skewed on the dovish side of expectations. The main surprise is that the Fed projects zero hikes in 2019. Whereas our broad expectation, and the expectation of consensus, was for them to leave in at least one hike in 2019. So, they’re effectively saying they’re done for the year.

“There’s one hike projected for 2020 but there’s a long time between now and then and so the market is effectively taking the view that the Fed is done tightening.  

“The balance sheet rolloff information is coming in in line with expectations. The main surprise is having no hikes in 2019 for the median dot projection – and there was a surprisingly high number of FOMC members who were in favor of that.”

Walter Todd, chief investment officer, Greenwood Capital, Greenwood, South Carolina

“The market had already priced in no hikes for 2019, but the Fed kind of validated that with the dots. That’s somewhat significant. The clarification on when they are going to end the balance sheet, maybe that was sooner than people anticipated, end of September. That’s the two things that the market is maybe reacting to at this point.”

(Americas Economics and Markets Desk; +1-646 223-6300)

Source: OANN

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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during the inauguration of the newly-elected parliament in Kabul
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during the inauguration of the newly-elected parliament in Kabul, Afghanistan April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

April 26, 2019

By Rupam Jain and Hameed Farzad

KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani encouraged newly-elected lawmakers to participate in the peace process with the Taliban as he opened on Friday the first session of parliament since a controversial election.

Ghani has invited thousands of politicians, religious scholars and rights activists to an assembly known as a loya jirga next week to discuss ways to end the 17-year war.

Several opposition leaders have said they will boycott the four-day assembly in Kabul, saying it was pulled together without their input and is being used by Ghani as he seeks a second term in a September presidential election.

“We have presented the peace plan on a regular basis and we are committed to it,” Ghani said in the first session since parliamentary elections marred by technical problems, militant attacks and accusations of voting fraud last year.

“Based on this plan, there will be no peace deal and negotiation that does not have the green card of the parliament,” he added.

Officials from the United States and the Taliban have held several rounds of talks to end the Afghan war.

U.S. negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, has reported some progress toward an accord on a U.S. troop withdrawal and on how the Taliban would prevent extremists from using Afghanistan to launch attacks as al Qaeda did on Sept. 11, 2001.

The insurgents have so far rejected U.S. demands for a ceasefire and talks on the country’s political future that would include Afghan government officials.

The loya jirga, a centuries-old institution used to build consensus among competing tribes, factions and ethnic groups, is an attempt by Ghani to influence the peace talks and cement his position for a second term, Afghan politicians and Western diplomats say.

Amid growing political divisions in Kabul, opposition politicians have demanded that Ghani step down when his mandate ends next month, and give way to an interim government to oversee peace talks with the Taliban. Ghani has ruled that out.

The country’s top court said last week Ghani can stay in office until the presidential election in September.

(Reporting by Hameed Farzad, Rupam Jain, Editing by Darren Schuettler)

Source: OANN

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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Thursday defended special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation while slamming former President Barack Obama’s administration for being slow to take action on Russian interference in U.S. elections and ex-FBI Director James Comey for telling Congress the agency was investigating collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

“Our nation is safer, elections are more secure, and citizens are better informed about covert foreign influence schemes,” Rosenstein said in a speech to the Armenian Bar Association, marking his first public remarks after the Mueller report was released, reports CBS News.

He also pointed out that the investigation revealed a pattern of computer hacking and the use of social media to undermine elections as “only the tip of the iceberg of a comprehensive Russian strategy to influence elections, promote social discord, and undermine America, just like they do in many other countries,” reports The Wall Street Journal.

The Obama administration also made “critical decisions,” including choosing not to publicize the full story about Russian hackers and social media trolling, “and how they relate to a broader strategy to undermine America,” said Rosenstein.

He noted that the Mueller probe began after Comey disclosed during a hearing before Congress that President Donald Trump “pressured him to close the investigation and the president denied that the conversation occurred.”

Rosenstein said two years ago, when he was confirmed, he was told by a Republican senator that he would be in charge of the probe and that he’d report the results to the American people.

However, he said he didn’t promise to do that, because it is “not our job to render conclusive factual findings. We just decide whether it is appropriate to file criminal charges.”

Source: NewsMax Politics

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FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is pictured outside its Huawei's factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province
FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is pictured outside its Huawei’s factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China, March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) – Britain must get to the bottom of the leak of confidential discussions during a top-level security meeting about the role of China’s Huawei Technologies in 5G network supply chains, British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Friday.

News that Britain’s National Security Council, attended by senior ministers and spy chiefs, had agreed on Tuesday to bar Huawei from all core parts of the country’s 5G network and restrict its access to non-core elements was leaked to a national newspaper.

The leak of secret discussions has sparked anger in parliament and amongst Britain’s intelligence community. Britain’s most senior civil servant Mark Sedwill has launched an inquiry and written to ministers who were at the meeting.

“My understanding from London (is) that an investigation has been announced into apparent leaks from the NSC meeting earlier this week,” said Hammond, speaking on the sidelines of a summit on China’s Belt and Road initiative in Beijing.

“To my knowledge there has never been a leak from a National Security Council meeting before and therefore I think it is very important that we get to the bottom of what happened here,” he told Reuters in a pooled interview.

British culture minister Jeremy Wright said on Thursday he could not rule out a criminal investigation. The majority of the ministers at the NSC meeting have said they were not involved, according to media reports.

Hammond said he was unaware of any previous leak from a meeting of the NSC.

“It’s not about the substance of what was apparently leaked. It’s not earth-shattering information. But it is important that we protect the principle that nothing that goes on in national security council meetings must ever be repeated outside the room.”

Allowing Huawei a reduced role in building its 5G network puts Britain at odds with the United States which has told allies not to use its technology at all because of fears it could be a vehicle for Chinese spying. Huawei has categorically denied this.

There have been concerns that the NSC’s conclusion, which sources confirmed to Reuters, could upset other allies in the world’s leading intelligence-sharing network – the Five Eyes alliance of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

However, British ministers and intelligence officials have said any final decision on 5G would not put critical national infrastructure at risk. Ciaran Martin, head of the cyber center of Britain’s main eavesdropping agency, GCHQ, played down any threat of a rift in the Five Eyes alliance.

(Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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President Trump on Friday said “no money” was paid to North Korea for Otto Warmbier, after reports that the U.S. received a $2 million hospital bill from Pyongyang for the late American prisoner’s care.

“No money was paid to North Korea for Otto Warmbier, not two Million Dollars, not anything else. This is not the Obama Administration that paid 1.8 Billion Dollars for four hostages, or gave five terroist[sic] hostages plus, who soon went back to battle, for traitor Sgt. Bergdahl!” Trump tweeted Friday.

NORTH KOREA GAVE US $2M HOSPITAL BILL OVER CARE OF AMERICAN OTTO WARMBIER, SOURCES SAY

The Washington Post first reported that North Korean authorities insisted the U.S. envoy sent to retrieve Warmbier, 21, who was a student of the University of Virginia, sign a pledge to pay the bill before allowing Warmbier’s comatose body to return to the United States. Sources confirmed the bill and the amount to Fox News on Thursday.

Sources told the post that the envoy signed an agreement to pay the medical bill on instructions from the president, but a source told Fox News that the U.S. did not ever pay money to North Korea.

The White House declined to comment when asked on the bill, with Press Secretary Sarah Sanders saying in a statement that: “We do not comment on hostage negotiations, which is why they have been so successful during this administration.”

Meanwhile, the president added: “’President[sic] Donald J. Trump is the greatest hostage negotiator that I know of in the history of the United States. 20 hostages, many in impossible circumstances, have been released in last two years. No money was paid.’ Cheif[sic] Hostage Negotiator, USA!”

Warmbier was on tour in North Korea when he allegedly stole a propaganda sign from a hotel. He was arrested in January 2016 and sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor in March 2016. Warmbier, for unknown reasons, fell into a coma while in custody and was held in that condition for an additional 17 months.

North Korean officials did not tell American officials until June 2017 that Warmbier had been unconscious the entire time. He died less than a week after he returned to the U.S. North Korean officials, though, have repeatedly denied accusations that Warmbier was tortured, instead claiming that he had suffered from botulism and then slipped into a coma after taking a sleeping pill.

AMERICAN PRISONERS HELD IN NORTH KOREA ON THEIR WAY HOME AFTER POMPEO VISIT, TRUMP SAYS

Fred and Cindy Warmbier sued North Korea over their son’s death and in December were awarded $501 million in damages – money that the Hermit Kingdom will probably never pay.

While the Warmbiers blamed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump has said he believes Kim’s claims that he did not know about the student’s treatment.

Trump and Kim have met in two separate summits. The most recent, held in February, ended without an agreement on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, told Fox News: “Otto Warmbier was mistreated by North Korea in so many ways, including his wrongful conviction and harsh sentence, and the fact that for 16 months they refused to tell his family or our country about his dire condition they caused.  No, the United States owes them nothing. They owe the Warmbier family everything.”

Last year, the Trump administration was also able to save three American prisoners held by North Korea. Kim Dong Chul, Tony Kim, and Kim Hak Song were all detained in North Korea. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brought the three Americans home last May, and said they were all in “good health.”

Fox News’ John Roberts, Rich Edson, Nicholas Kalman, and Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Park Yoo-chun, a K-pop idol singer, arrives at the Suwon district court in Suwon
Park Yoo-chun, a K-pop idol singer, arrives at the Suwon district court in Suwon, South Korea, April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

April 26, 2019

SEOUL (Reuters) – K-pop and drama star Park Yu-chun was arrested on Friday on charges of buying and using illegal drugs, a court said, the latest in a series of scandals to hit the South Korean entertainment business.

Suwon District Court approved the arrest warrant for Park, 32, due to concerns over possible destruction of evidence and flight risk, a court spokesman told Reuters.

Park is suspected of having bought about 1.5 grams of methamphetamine with his former girlfriend earlier this year and using the drug around five times, an official at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said.

Park has denied wrongdoing, saying he had never taken drugs, and he again denied the charges in court, Yonhap news agency said.

Park’s contract with his management agency had been canceled and he would leave the entertainment industry, Park’s management agency, C-JeS Entertainment, said on Wednesday.

Park was a member of boyband TVXQ between 2003 and 2009 before leaving the group with two other members, forming the group JYJ.

A scandal involving sex tapes, prostitutes and secret chat about rape led at least four other K-pop stars to quit the industry earlier this year.

The cases sparked a nationwide drugs bust and investigations into tax evasion and police collusion at night clubs and other nightlife spots.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: OANN

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