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U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg attends oral argument after cancer bout

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg poses during group portrait at Supreme Court in Washington
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen during a group portrait session for the new full court at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Jim Young/File Photo

February 19, 2019

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Tuesday made her first appearance on the bench since lung cancer surgery in December as she attended an oral argument in a patent case.

Ginsburg, a liberal jurist who will turn 86 in March, was steady on her feet as she walked unassisted up the steps leading to the bench before sitting for the scheduled one-hour argument in a case involving the U.S. Postal Service.

Wearing one of her signature decorative collars, she stood with the other eight justices as the court marshal called the court to order, before taking her usual seat to the right of Chief Justice John Roberts.

Ginsburg, who joined the court in 1993, underwent a surgical procedure called a pulmonary lobectomy on Dec. 21 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York to remove two cancerous nodules in her left lung. She was released from the hospital on Dec. 25.

She returned to the court on Friday for the first time since the surgery to take part in the nine justices’ private conference. Last month, the court said Ginsburg’s recovery was on track and that there was no evidence of remaining disease.

Ginsburg missed oral arguments in January for the first time in her lengthy career on the court, fueling speculation about her ability to continue in the job. As the oldest justice, she is closely watched for any signs of deteriorating health.

She is one of four liberal justices on a court with a 5-4 conservative majority.

Though she worked from home during her absence from the court, Ginsburg attended a Feb. 4 concert in Washington titled “Notorious RBG in Song.” She is viewed as something of a cult figure by U.S. liberals, known by that nickname after the late rapper Notorious BIG.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: OANN

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O'Rourke: Being White Male Doesn't Put Me at Disadvantage

Presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke said Saturday that being a white man in a 2020 Democratic field that's so deeply diverse won't be a hindrance because his gender and race have given him inherent advantages for years.

While he'd spoken before about his gender and race, O'Rourke had largely dodged campaign-trail questions about whether his party would go for a white man in a year when a historic number of women and minorities are running to deny President Donald Trump a second term.

"I would never begin by saying that it's a disadvantage at all," O'Rourke told reporters in a parking lot in Waterloo, after giving a speech at the campaign kickoff for state Senate candidate Eric Giddens. "As a white man who has had privileges that others could not depend on or take for granted, I've clearly had advantages over the course of my life."

The former Texas congressman was making a series of stops in Iowa, the state that kicks off the presidential nominating process. Also campaigning Saturday were Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and former Vice President Joe Biden.

O'Rourke called recognizing and understand that and "doing everything I can to ensure that there is opportunity, and the possibility for advancement and advantage for everyone," a big part of the campaign he's running.

O'Rourke said he believes the Democrats seeking the White House in 2020 encompass "the best field that we've ever seen in the nominating process," praising its "diversity of background and experience" and expertise.

He had already said he'd stop making a joke he'd frequently repeated about how his wife, Amy, raising the couple's three young children "sometimes with my help." O'Rourke said that he'd discussed scrapping the joke with Amy and, while she said she understood he was trying to not that she was "taking on the lion's share" of parenting responsibilities, "it came off sounding a little flip."

Other highlights of Saturday's campaigning:

AMY KLOBUCHAR

Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar criticized Trump for his response to the deadly attack in a New Zealand mosque, telling voters in Iowa "it's our job to stand up against" white supremacism.

Trump played down the threat posed by white nationalism on Friday after the mosque massacre that left 49 people dead. The man accused of the shootings has described himself as a white nationalist who hates immigrants.

Klobuchar spoke about the shooting during a campaign stop in Waterloo, Iowa. The Minnesota senator referenced Trump's comments after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 when he said "both sides" were to blame for violence.

She said, "that other side was white supremacism."

On the policy front, Klobuchar said in Dubuque that as president she would put forward a major infrastructure program that would help address flooding that is hitting parts of the Midwest. Waterloo and Dubuque, both riverfront communities, were bracing for flooding from this year's heavy snowfall.

"We have not been investing like we should" in infrastructure," she said. One option to fund a plan, she said, would be raising the corporate tax rate, which was cut in Trump's 2017 tax bill.

JAY INSLEE

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee called on Republicans to stop following Trump on the issue of climate change.

He said until the GOP joins "the scientific world and the rest of humanity in defeating climate change," only one thing can be done: "Republicans must be defeated, and we should do that every chance we get. I'm totally committed to that."

Voters have "exactly one chance left to defeat climate change," Inslee said.

"And that's during the next administration," he said.

Inslee tied his climate change push to the current debate over whether to end the filibuster in the U.S. Senate.

"Anything that gets in the way of defeating climate change needs to go," he said.

Inslee also criticized Trump for his remarks after the New Zealand shootings, saying the president "uses exactly the same language of this monster who shot Muslims and talked about the invaders." He said the president "continually looks for dog whistles to spread hate rather than for looking for ways to search for the better angels of our nature."

KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand championed public service opportunities during a campaign stop in New Hampshire, saying the work could help treat some of the woes facing the country today.

The Democratic presidential hopeful said public service "changes your life."

"That's why I want national service," she said. "That's why I want to make it the cornerstone of my presidency."

The New York senator held a civic service round table in Manchester as she finishes a two-day swing through the first-in-the-nation primary state.

"I would like to tell anyone in America, if you're willing to do two years of public service, you can get your college degree paid for," she said. "So if you're willing to do a year and only a year, you can get two years paid for."

BETO O'ROURKE

A fluent Spanish speaker from El Paso, across the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, O'Rourke noted that he's the only 2020 candidate from the border "at a time that that dominates so much of our national conversation and legislative efforts and the things that the president talks about."

"There's one candidate whose there to talk about the profoundly positive impact that immigrants have had on our safety and our security, as well as our success and our strength," he said.

O'Rourke plans to campaign in the battleground state of Wisconsin on Sunday, then head to Michigan. His campaign ultimately hopes to drive east until it hits New Hampshire, home of the nation's first presidential primary.

JOE BIDEN

Joe Biden was the scheduled headliner at a Democratic Party dinner in Delaware, his home state, as the former vice president considers whether to make a third White House run.

Biden, 76, who served as President Barack Obama's closest adviser, is the only major contender still on the sidelines and has suggested he could remain there for several more weeks.

BERNIE SANDERS

About 200 people streamed into a sunny park in a suburb of Las Vegas to hear Sen. Bernie Sanders as he made his first appearance in Nevada, the state where he gave Hillary Clinton a surprisingly strong challenge in the 2016 caucuses before she edged out a win.

A group of about a dozen protesters carrying signs supportive of Trump or decrying Sanders as a socialist lined the road to greet supporters of the Vermont senator.

The self-described democratic socialist's rally in Henderson followed an announcement Friday that his presidential campaign staffers became the first in history to unionize. That was expected to bolster goodwill among labor unions who power Nevada Democrats, including the influential casino workers' Culinary Union.

Woodall reported from Exeter, New Hampshire. Associated Press writers Sara Burnett and Will Weissert in Waterloo, Iowa, and Michelle Price in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Man City sets up scheme to compensate sexual abuse victims

Manchester City has set up a scheme to compensate victims of child sexual abuse experienced at the club.

City says a "redress scheme for survivors" has been launched, while reiterating its "heartfelt sympathy to all victims for the unimaginably traumatic experiences that they endured."

The club said in a statement Tuesday it could not go into precise details about the scheme because of ongoing investigations into historic instances of sexual abuse that have uncovered allegations against John Broome, who worked as a youth coach in the 1960s. Broome is now dead.

Another former youth coach at City, Barry Bennell, was last year jailed for 30 years for abusing 12 young footballers after being convicted of 50 child sexual offenses committed between 1979 and 1991.

City says "all victims were entitled to expect full protection from the kind of harm they suffered as a result of their sexual abuse as children."

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Source: Fox News World

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NBA roundup: Nuggets survive Thunder, win 5th straight

NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets
Feb 26, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts after a play in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

February 27, 2019

Nikola Jokic had 36 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, Will Barton scored 23 points, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-112 on Tuesday night.

Jamal Murray added 20 points and Paul Millsap finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds to help Denver win its fifth straight. The Nuggets have won each of their first three matchups against Oklahoma City this season.

Russell Westbrook had 22 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, and Paul George added 25 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and six steals for Oklahoma City. Jerami Grant contributed 21 points for the Thunder, who have lost three of their past four.

The Nuggets held a 13-point lead early in the fourth quarter before Oklahoma City came storming back to take a three-point lead. Then Denver responded to the run with one of its own. Millsap hit two free throws, and Murray followed a Thunder miss with a corner 3-pointer to give the Nuggets the lead again. Millsap hit a layup and split two free throws to make it 105-101 with 4:19 left.

Raptors 118, Celtics 95

Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help Toronto defeat visiting Boston.

Kawhi Leonard added 21 points and six rebounds for the Raptors, who have won eight straight home games against the Celtics and eight of their past nine games overall.

Marcus Morris had 17 points and six rebounds for the Celtics, who have lost three in a row and five of their past seven.

Knicks 108, Magic 103

Emmanuel Mudiay scored 19 points to lead a big night from the reserves as New York overcame a 16-point deficit to record a victory over visiting Orlando.

The Knicks won consecutive games for the only time this season other than a three-game stretch in late November. They posted a second straight home victory after a team-record, 18-game home losing streak.

Rookie Allonzo Trier scored 12 of his 18 in the fourth while first-year center Mitchell Robinson finished with a career-best 17 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks and three steals for New York. Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic scored 26 points apiece for Orlando, which lost for the third time in its past 11 games.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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German politicians split over bankrolling Deutsche Bank merger

FILE PHOTO: The Reichstag building, the seat of the German lower house of parliament Bundestag is pictured at the Tiergarten park with autumnal trees in Berlin
FILE PHOTO: The Reichstag building, the seat of the German lower house of parliament Bundestag is pictured at the Tiergarten park with autumnal trees in Berlin, Germany, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo

March 22, 2019

By John O’Donnell and Michael Nienaber

BERLIN (Reuters) – A political rift has emerged in Berlin over whether Germany should put its financial muscle behind a merger of Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, politicians and officials said, complicating a bid to create Europe’s third-largest bank and fund it.

Germany’s two top banks have struggled to recover since the financial crisis and government officials, led by Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, are pushing for a merger to create a national banking champion and end questions over their future.

But a dispute is unfolding between the two political parties who govern Germany in coalition, a row that could reduce political momentum for a deal and derail any future agreement on whether or how Berlin should financially underpin a merged group.

One senior German official said that Scholz, a Social Democrat, had “gone it alone” in pushing for the deal without first securing the backing of Christian Democrats (CDU) in the coalition.

That official, who asked not to be named, said some Christian Democrats opposed Scholz’s drive because it could involve the state giving a guarantee on funding or contributing to a capital increase for a merged bank. That would mean Berlin, which already has a 15 percent stake in Commerzbank after a crisis-era bailout, would be on the hook again.

Scholz was the first to publicly reveal the merger talks earlier this month but he has since sought to distance himself from the process, insisting it is up to the companies to decide.

A spokesman said Scholz had “not voiced any position on the merger talks”, declining to comment on possible future government action.

But his stance and the idea of merging the banks have prompted criticism.

“The taxpayer cannot be made liable,” Eckhardt Rehberg, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats bloc, told Reuters. “I’m calling on finance minister Scholz to hold back.”

Within the Social Democrat (SPD) party, attempting to reposition itself closer to regular working Germans as its support dwindles, some oppose a tie-up that trade unions fear will result in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.

“It is not clear for me how putting two sick banks together will result in a healthy one,” Cansel Kiziltepe, a Social Democrat lawmaker, told Scholz in a closed-door meeting this week, she said.

50:50

Through its stake in Commerzbank, the German government would become a top shareholder in a merged group, playing a central role in any fusion.

Berlin, which pushed the merger talks in the first place, could pull the plug if it believes a deal would be politically unpalatable.

Germany’s continued support is important because it could be called on to contribute to a capital increase for a combined bank.

The bank may need more funds because a tie-up could legally trigger an adjustment in the value of Italian government bonds owned by Commerzbank, to reflect their depleted worth, a second German official has said.

With Berlin as a shareholder, the merged bank would be seen as having an implicit government guarantee of its creditworthiness, cutting its cost of funding.

However, in order for Germany to row in behind Deutsche Bank, there must be political agreement among the two parties, who are at loggerheads on a range of issues.

Gains by the far-left and far-right in Germany have undermined its traditionally consensus-driven politics, with the SPD and CDU now trying to establish a clear distinction between each other.

Regional elections in the coming months could heighten tensions in government further or even trigger a change of parties in charge, further complicating any future state support.

“The finance minister can not give political presents to promote a merger,” Otto Fricke, a parliamentarian from the pro-business FDP party that could become a junior partner in a future coalition government, told Reuters.

Merkel, who will have the final say in Berlin on whether the government should openly support a merger, has kept her cards close to the chest.

Her chief of staff has hinted at one potential hurdle, describing the prospect of thousands of job cuts in a recent interview as difficult.

Harald Christ, a director at the Wirtschaftsforum business lobby group, which has close links to the SPD, said he saw the chances of a merger at “50:50.”

(Additional reporting by Balazs Koranyi and Tom Sims in Frankfurt, Holger Hanson and Andreas Rinke in Berlin; writing By John O’Donnell. Editing by Carmel Crimmins)

Source: OANN

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Fmr. Notre Dame Chief Architect: Ancient Oak Doesn’t Burn Like That

A former chief architect and general inspector of French historical monuments has cast doubts on the official narrative that the Notre Dame fire was likely an electrical short that set the iconic cathedral ablaze.

Benjamin Mouton, who served as Chief Architect of Historic Monuments in France and oversaw restoration work of Notre Dame until 2013, says that it is highly unlikely an electrical short circuit took place, and that it would take an extraordinary effort to ignite the ancient oak of the cathedral.

“So, you’re telling us that this type of timber doesn’t burn like that?” Mouton was asked by an LCI host.

“Oak that is 800-years-old is very hard – try to burn it,” Mouton said. “Old oak, it is not easy at all. You would need a lot of kindling to succeed… It stupefies me.”

Asked to present an explanation for how the blaze spread so quickly and with such strength, Mouton asserted that there were no additional precautions that could have been taken to ensure such a “quick” incineration could be prevented.

“In the Nineties, we updated all the electrical wiring of Notre Dame,” Mouton said. “So there is no possibility of a short circuit. We updated to conform with the contemporary norms, even going very far – all the detection and protection systems against fire in the cathedral.”

Mouton also revealed that there are two watchmen on duty around the clock who monitor for any chance of fire, adding that the technical and security measures taken to protect monuments like Notre Dame are unprecedented.

More than a billion euros have been pledged to restore Notre Dame, which President Emmanuel Macron claims will be executed within five years.



Alex Jones presents video of Fox host Lou Dobbs warning his viewers of a “political” cover-up of the cause of the Notre Dame cathedral fire.

Dan Lyman:

Source: InfoWars

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Trump only ‘hurting himself’ with McCain attacks because they distract from strong economy: Marc Thiessen

President Trump’s approval ratings would be much higher if he didn’t go after respected Americans like the late Sen. John McCain, Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen argued Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, at an event in Ohio, Trump continued his attacks against McCain, the longtime senator and former prisoner of war who died of brain cancer last August at age 81. Trump lamented that no one said “thank you” to him for approving Washington-area funeral arrangements for McCain.

During Wednesday's "Special Report" All-Star” panel, Thiessen -- along with former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile and Washington Examiner chief congressional correspondent Susan Ferrechio -- weighed in on Trump’s handling of his constant attacks against the late senator.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL SHOW

Thiessen began by expressing he understands why Trump disliked McCain and there are “legitimate grievances,” but the president isn’t “hurting” the senator since he’s dead and that he’s only “hurting himself” because he’s “stepping on his own story” regarding the strong economy.

“There are millions of people in this country who are benefiting from the Trump economy who have jobs and opportunity and better lives because of this and they like Trump’s policies but they don’t like him because of things like this,” Thiessen said. “The reason why he’s in the low 40s approval instead of above 50 is persuadable voters look at this and say, ‘I don’t want to support a guy that goes after a dead war hero.’”

Ferrechio noted the “big back story” has shown that Trump and McCain have “not liked each other for a long time,” highlighting traded jabs during the 2016 election and McCain’s involvement in the Steele dossier that helped catapult the Russia investigation. She agreed with Thiessen, adding that because of the “complicated” back story, the general public just sees Trump going after a war hero.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Meanwhile, Brazile slammed Trump’s “tirade” against McCain, telling the panel that she learned as a child to “not speak ill of the dead.”

“John McCain leaves a legacy, a legacy of service, he leaves a legacy of sacrifice,” Brazile said. “John McCain should be honored for his service, but the criticism ... That’s beneath the office of the presidency.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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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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