Upcoming shows
Real News

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Story Time

1:00 am 6:00 am



Maga First News

Upcoming Shows

Join The MAGA Network on Discord

0 0

US labels elite Iran force a foreign terrorist organization

The United States on Monday designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organization, an unprecedented declaration against a foreign government that may prompt retaliation and make it harder for American diplomats and military officers to work with allies in the region.

It is the first time that the U.S. has designated an entity of another government as a terrorist organization, placing a group with vast economic resources that answers only to Iran's supreme leader in the same category as al-Qaida and the Islamic State.

"This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a state sponsor of terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft," President Donald Trump said in announcing the measure.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the designation is intended to increase pressure on Iran, isolating it further and diverting some of the financial resources it uses to fund terrorism and militant activity in the Middle East and beyond. But, in addition to the potential for Iranian retaliation, it complicates a delicate balance for U.S. personnel in at least two key countries.

Pompeo said the move is part of an effort to put "maximum pressure" on Iran to end its support for terrorist plots and militant activity that destabilizes the Middle East. Speaking to reporters, he rattled off a list of attacks dating to the 1980s for which the U.S. holds Iran and the IRGC responsible, beginning with the attacks on the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983.

No waivers or exceptions to the sanctions were announced, meaning U.S. troops and diplomats could be barred from speaking with Iraqi or Lebanese authorities who have dealings with Guard officials or surrogates. Such contact occurs now between U.S. officials in Iraq who deal with Iranian-affiliated Shiite militias and in Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement is in parliament and the government.

The Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies had raised concerns about the impact of the designation if the move did not allow contact with other foreign officials who may have met with or communicated with Guard personnel. Those concerns have in part dissuaded previous administrations from taking the step, which has been considered for more than a decade.

The Justice Department said Monday it would prosecute violations but officials declined to say how broadly they would interpret the provision barring "material support" to the IRGC. A strict interpretation would leave hundreds of European companies and executives at risk for U.S. travel bans or criminal penalties in addition to limiting American officials' ability to deal with foreign counterparts who have links to the guard.

The designation "raises the question of whether a non-U.S. company or individual could be prosecuted for engaging in commercial transactions with an Iranian company controlled by the IRGC," said Anthony Rapa, an international trade and national security attorney with Kirkland and Ellis.

Critics of the hardline policy also see it as a prelude to conflict.

"This move closes yet another potential door for peacefully resolving tensions with Iran," said Trita Parsi, the founder of the National Iranian American Council. "Once all doors are closed, and diplomacy is rendered impossible, war will essentially become inevitable."

National Security Action, a group made up of mainly former Obama administration officials, said it would put U.S. troops at risk while jeopardizing the 2015 nuclear accord with which Iran is still complying.

"We need to call out today's move for what it is: another dangerous and self-defeating tactic that endangers our troops and serves nothing but the Trump administration's goal of destroying the Iran deal," it said.

The designation could also open hundreds of foreign companies and business executives to U.S. travel bans and possible prosecution for sanctions violations.

The IRGC is a paramilitary organization formed in the wake of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution to defend the government. The force answers only to Iran's supreme leader, operates independently of the regular military and has vast economic interests across the country. The U.S. estimates it may control or have a significant influence over up to 50% of the Iranian economy, including non-military sectors like banking and shipping.

Iran has long been designated a "state sponsor of terrorism" by the U.S. and the State Department currently designates more than 60 organizations as "foreign terrorist organizations." But none of them is a state-run military.

Iran immediately responded to the designation with its Supreme National Security Council designating the U.S. Central Command, also known as CENTCOM, and all its forces as terrorist, and labeling the U.S. a "supporter of terrorism."

The Council denounced the U.S. decision as "illegal and dangerous" and said the U.S. government would be responsible for all "dangerous repercussions" of its decision. It defended the IRGC, which has fought Islamic State fighters, as being a force against terrorism.

American military commanders were planning to warn U.S. troops remaining in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the region of the possibility of retaliation. Aside from Iraq, where some 5,200 American troops are stationed, and Syria, where some U.S. 2,000 troops remain, the U.S. 5th Fleet, which operates in the Persian Gulf from its base in Bahrain, and the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, are potentially at risk.

The U.S. special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, and the State Department's counterterrorism coordinator, Nathan Sales, said the decision was reached after consultation with agencies throughout the government but would not say in a news conference if the military or intelligence concerns had been addressed.

"Doing this will not impede our diplomacy," Hook said, without elaborating. He noted that the U.S. has at various times had contact or even formal negotiations with members of groups that are subject to sanctions.

Reaction from those who favor tougher engagement with Iran was quick and welcoming.

"Thank you, my dear friend, US President Donald Trump," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a tweet, a day before what could be a close election. "Thank you for answering another of my important requests that serves the interests of our countries and of countries in the region."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called the action an "overdue" but essential step that should be followed by additional sanctions.

Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the designation "ends the facade that the IRGC is part of a normal military."

And, the Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, called it "an imperative for Middle East security, peace, and stability, and an urgent and necessary step to end war and terrorism throughout the region and the world."

___

Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran and Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

0 0

China makes major U.S. pork purchase despite steep import tariffs, as hog virus takes toll

FILE PHOTO: Workers cut pork at Park Packing -- one of the Chicago's few remaining slaughterhouses -- in Chicago
FILE PHOTO: Workers cut pork at Park Packing -- one of the Chicago's few remaining slaughterhouses -- in Chicago, Illinois July 18, 2015. REUTERS/Karl Plume

March 14, 2019

By Tom Polansek

CHICAGO (Reuters) – China made its biggest purchases of U.S. pork in nearly two years last week, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed on Thursday, as Chinese hog prices surged after an outbreak of a deadly swine disease.

Buyers in the world’s biggest hog producer and pork consumer struck deals for the meat despite import tariffs of 62 percent imposed by China on U.S. pork as a consequence of the trade war between the two countries.

The duties had slashed China’s imports of U.S. pork from companies such as WH Group Ltd’s Smithfield Foods since last summer.

The sale of 23,846 tonnes of U.S pork in the week ended March 7 comes after a months-long outbreak of African swine fever in China that has spread to 111 confirmed cases in 28 provinces and regions across the country since August 2018.

There is no cure and no vaccine for the disease, which does not affect humans but is highly contagious and fatal to pigs. About 1 million pigs have been reportedly culled so far in an effort to try to contain the disease.

“They are going to need pork and lots of it,” Dennis Smith, a commodity broker for Archer Financial Services in Chicago, said about China.

The sales were the biggest to China since April 2017 and the third largest since the USDA began tracking pork export sales in 2013.

The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment about pork sales to China. Officials have previously said China may be underreporting hog deaths from African swine fever.

China also recently resumed purchases of other U.S. farm products, including soybeans and sorghum, that face retaliatory import tariffs.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States was doing well in trade talks with China, but that he could not say whether a final deal would be reached.

Bob Brown, an independent U.S. livestock analyst, said U.S. pork prices have declined enough to offset Beijing’s tariffs.

“If they needed the stuff, we were the cheapest by far,” he said.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange May hog futures fell to a contract low last month. On Thursday, the contract reached its highest price in more than two months, supported by increasing concerns about African swine fever in China.

Chinese hog prices reached their highest in 14 months on Monday.

“Certainly there’s been a lot of focus on what hog prices are doing in China,” said Altin Kalo, agricultural economist for New Hampshire-based Steiner Consulting.

(Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

Source: OANN

0 0

Swalwell: Trump Would Want Report Out if it Exonerates Him

President Donald Trump would welcome an unredacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report to be released if he is "truly exonerated" in it, Rep. Eric Swalwell, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday.

"The public should see it, and Republicans voted in a bipartisan fashion a few weeks ago. 420-0, that they wanted to see the full report," the California Democrat told Fox News' "Outnumbered Overtime." "We should do it quickly."

There are ways to guard against leaks from the document, including sensitive rooms where materials can't be removed, in the event the document is released in full to members of Congress, Swalwell said.

"Most importantly, we should get this to the public as soon as possible," said Swalwell. "The public interest outweighs any other interest, other than ongoing investigations, sources, and methods. I still think there's a lot we need to see. If we are going to guard against future interference by Russia...we want to know whatever vulnerabilities there are."

The investigation involved the president, he added, and the public paid for it and should see the report, not just the short summary from Attorney General William Barr.

Meanwhile, Swalwell said he has made a decision about running for president, and he plans to announce it shortly. However, he did tell show anchor Harris Faulkner about his experience in Congress, saying that he knows what the threats to the nation are and how to protect against them.

Source: NewsMax Politics

0 0

3 inmates charged in beating death at West Virginia jail

West Virginia authorities say they have charged three Southern Region Jail inmates with murder in the beating death of a fourth inmate.

Senior State Trooper E.W. Boothe told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph that Kevin Whittaker of Princeton was found unresponsive in his cell Saturday night and he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Boothe said he was "beaten pretty severely" and an investigation led to the arrest on Monday of 21-year-old Dallas Allen Lauschin of Princeton, 33-year-old Thomas Antwan Jones of Princeton, and 41-year-old Anthony Lee Johnson of Oceana.

Boothe said all of the men had been incarcerated on misdemeanor charges and there's no indication they knew each other outside jail.

___

Information from: Bluefield Daily Telegraph, http://www.bdtonline.com

Source: Fox News National

0 0

In Florida Panhandle, school closures likely following post-Hurricane Michael enrollment drop

SPRINGFIELD, Fla.— Rutherford High School Senior D’Vante Sims is getting used to a new normal.

After a month off school due to damage from Hurricane Michael, he returned November 13 to a restructured high school—portables consumed the fields behind the school, not only accommodating ninth through 12th grade, but also holding classes for sixth through eighth after a local middle school was wiped away during the storm.

School days were split to be able to accommodate all the students throughout the day. Most elementary school times have been adjusted to begin at 8 a.m. to avoid transportation conflicts, while the older kids’ classes begin later in the day.

Most schools had between 10 and 14 minutes added to their schedule each day to make up for lost instructional time in the aftermath of the storm, particularly important for 11th and 12th graders in the process of applying to college.

Many of their friends moved away with their families after the storm, leaving hallways filled with mostly unfamiliar faces.

"Some have been trying to come back but they just don't know when or how because their house was destroyed," Sims said. "A hurricane happened and although it happened months ago, we're still traumatized to this day…Hurricane Michael came in took half of our senior year away."

HURRICANE MICHAEL DEVASTATION IN PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA SEEN IN DRONE VIDEO, PHOTOS

When Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle four months ago, it left damage across an 80-mile swath, leveling homes and schools. The school board now has tough decisions to make for the hundreds of students who stayed.

For Rutherford High School Principal Coy Pilson, school might be back in session after the third-most powerful hurricane to strike the U.S., but life is far from normal.

“We've lost about 200 students. We've lost close to 20 percent of our population,” Pilson said. “Our challenge is trying to have school when you're doing construction.”

English teacher Pamela Darrow can attest to that.

“The roof of the library was gone, the roof of our building was gone…I finally got to see my classroom…there were tubs and hoses drawing things out,” she said.

The Category 4 storm with 155 mph sustained winds, just 1 mph below the threshold for a Category 5 designation, left an estimated $25 billion in damage and 75 dead.

The school district was also hit hard.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Bay District school enrollment dropped nearly 15 percent, with elementary schools hit the hardest, down 25 percent. Over 180 employees left the area and the federal government now classifies 4,500 students as homeless because their houses were uninhabitable after the storm.

“It's catastrophic on a scale none of us ever saw coming,” said Bay District Schools Superintendent Bill Husfelt.

An estimated $350 million worth of damage led the superintendent to recommend several school closures, mergers, rezoning and mothballing—a term used when a school is closed but still maintained so it can be reopened whenever practical.

“Having a school at 60 percent capacity is not really wise…we need to utilize the facilities we have at maximum capacity," he said, "it's very selfish, we’re as selfish as we’ve ever been right now, we want to rebuild.”

With school closures come the concern of employee layoffs.

Husfelt said he is putting his trust in the state legislature to avoid job loss, but if it doesn’t approve funding, the district will have no choice but to consider layoffs. The legislative session begins on March 5.

“My goal is not to fire anybody or lay anybody off, but if we don't tighten our own belts it'll be done for us. So we probably won't hire any teachers or administrators coming up,” he said.

“We probably have 30 schools that are going to have  to  have the  roofs  totally replaced, we've  got  many  buildings that were just  totally  destroyed...we had  two  gymnasiums  that  basically just blew  the  roof  off  of  them  and  collapsed," detailed Superintendent Bill Husfelt of the damage to Bay District Schools from Hurricane Michael.

“We probably have 30 schools that are going to have  to  have the  roofs  totally replaced, we've  got  many  buildings that were just  totally  destroyed...we had  two  gymnasiums  that  basically just blew  the  roof  off  of  them  and  collapsed," detailed Superintendent Bill Husfelt of the damage to Bay District Schools from Hurricane Michael.

Another concern is the mental health of students and staff that are living in the traumatic aftermath of the storm. Bay District Schools officials sent a letter to Commissioner Richard Corcoran with the Florida Department of Education requesting that the graduation requirement of some be waived and that the state set aside $2 million for a long-term mental health plan.

It also asks the department to take the storm’s impact into consideration when it comes to students’ standardized testing this year.

“The kids are still reeling from what they've been through, so it's been kind of hard to get them back into the swing of things,” Darrow said.

Cleanup and recovery from Hurricane Michael has been slow, costly and ongoing. As donations to the area stall and media coverage fades, some residents of the “Forgotten Coast” fear the area is living up to its name.

“We're not making the news anymore,” said Darrow. “There are people now who almost have panic attacks every time the wind starts blowing…people are scared to death because it happened. You never think it will.”

The school board will advertise the recommended closings before taking a final vote in a March 12 meeting. If approved, the closures will take effect next school year and remain until the community is rebuilt and students return to the area.

In the meantime, the district plans on continuing its work with FEMA to repair and remodel schools that currently are out of commission.

Source: Fox News National

0 0

From skateboards to spying, Assange arrest followed drawn-out dispute with Ecuador

Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno explains in a tweeted video why his country revoked WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's asylum
Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno explains in a tweeted video why his country revoked WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's asylum, in Quito, Ecuador April 11, 2019 in this still image taken from video. @lenin/via REUTERS

April 12, 2019

By Alexandra Valencia and Mark Hosenball

QUITO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ecuador’s decision to abruptly end Julian Assange’s seven-year asylum in its London embassy on Thursday followed a long deterioration in relations, driven in part by suspicions he was secretly fuelling corruption allegations against President Lenin Moreno.

British police on Thursday arrested the WikiLeaks founder, who sought asylum in the Andean nation’s diplomatic mission during the government of former Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa – who saw Assange as a hero for leaking secret U.S. documents.

By contrast, Moreno took a dim view of Assange when he took office in 2017, ordering the Australian hacker to cut back his online political commentary, stop riding his skateboard in the halls of the embassy and clean up after his pet cat.

Moreno’s government accused WikiLeaks of being behind an anonymous website that said Moreno’s brother had created offshore companies that his family used to fund a luxurious lifestyle in Europe while Moreno was a delegate to a U.N. agency.

Moreno denies wrongdoing.

The leaked materials, dubbed the “INA Papers,” contained private photographs of Moreno and his family. After the release of the materials, Moreno said that Assange had no right to “hack private accounts and phones,” without directly accusing him.

WikiLeaks tweeted about the reports but, in messages and statements to Reuters, strongly denied that Assange was responsible for the leaks or had anything to do with their initial publication.

EMBASSY BEHAVIOR

Ecuadorean government figures on Thursday publicly described what they called Assange’s unacceptable and ungrateful behavior in the embassy. The government said it had spent $6.2 million on his upkeep and security between 2012 and 2018.

Foreign Minister Jose Valencia said Assange had been using a mobile phone that was not registered with the embassy and had warned the ambassador in January that he had installed panic buttons that he would activate if he considered his life at risk.

“It’s strange that Mr. Assange has insisted on being the victim,” Valencia told Ecuador’s National Assembly.

The interior minister, Maria Paula Romo, told reporters on Thursday that Assange had been “allowed to do things like put feces on the walls of the embassy and other behaviors of that nature.”

Valencia told the congress that embassy cleaning staff described “improper hygienic conduct” throughout Assange’s stay, adding that a lawyer representing Assange had attributed the issue to “stomach problems.”

Lawyers for Assange did not respond to requests for comment. Vaughan Smith, a friend and founder of London’s press Frontline Club who visited Assange late last week, told Reuters he believed the feces allegation was false.

“Julian has been under stress but seemed in a balanced frame of mind every time I have seen him. It doesn’t seem in character,” Smith said.

STAFFING CHANGE

Friends of Assange who visited him inside the embassy over the last several months say that since Moreno became president, almost the entire embassy staff was replaced.

The foreign ministry named a new ambassador after Moreno took office and fired one official, Fidel Narvaez, seen as close to Assange.

While embassy staffers were friendly to Assange during Correa’s presidency, Moreno’s new diplomats were polite to visitors but hostile to Assange, his friends said.

In early February, according to Ecuadorean government memos released by Assange’s supporters, Ecuador complained to Assange that he had deliberately pointed a studio lamp at a security camera the embassy had installed in a room where Assange was receiving visitors.

Later that month, the ambassador sent Assange a memo complaining that he had “shown once again an unacceptable behavior” by playing a radio loudly while meeting visitors. “This action disturbed the work being carried out by the embassy,” the ambassador said.

Assange had taken refuge in the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over a sexual assault investigation that was later dropped.

U.S. officials announced after his arrest on Thursday that he had been charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, paving the way for his extradition.

Correa, in an interview with Reuters in Brussels, said Moreno had given Assange “to his executioners.”

Asked whether he had worked with Wikileaks to leak the INA documents, he did not directly respond. He said the documents showed the “rottenness” within Moreno’s family.

“I apologize on behalf of the Ecuadorean people. A government like that – such a treacherous, treacherous president – does not represent us,” Correa said.

Valencia declined to comment on criticisms of Moreno.

Correa is embroiled in a legal battle with prosecutors pursuing a case involving the kidnapping in 2012 of an opposition lawmaker. An court in Ecuador last year ordered him to be imprisoned pending a trial and issued an international arrest warrant. Correa denies the charge.

(Reporting by Alexandria Valencia in Quito and Mark Hosenball in Washington, Additional reporting by Bart Biesemans in Brussels and Carlos Vargas and Helen Murphy in Bogota; Writing by Angus Berwick and Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Rosalba O’Brien)

Source: OANN

0 0

Trump’s Fed nominee says central bank should cut rates: NYT

FILE PHOTO: Federal Reserve Board building on Constitution Avenue is pictured in Washington
FILE PHOTO: Federal Reserve Board building on Constitution Avenue is pictured in Washington, U.S., March 19, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo

March 27, 2019

(Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s expected nominee for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Stephen Moore, said the U.S. central bank should immediately cut interest rates by half a percentage point, according to an interview with the New York Times on Tuesday.

He also told the Times he is not a “sycophant for Trump” or “a dove” on monetary policy, a reference to policymakers who put less emphasis on using rate hikes to stunt inflation.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in New York and Ann Saphir in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Source: OANN

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Story Time

1:00 am 6:00 am



Multiple people died Thursday when a semitrailer plowed into stationary traffic that resulted in explosions and flames on a Colorado freeway, authorities said.

The incident occurred just before 5 p.m. in the Denver suburb of Lakewood when a truck driver lost control while traveling east on Interstate 70, according to a preliminary investigation. The collision started a chain reaction and a diesel fuel spill, Lakewood police spokesman Ty Countryman told the Denver Post.

“This is looking to be one of the worst accidents we’ve had here in Lakewood,” he said.

The driver of the runaway truck survived. At least one truck was carrying lumber, another was hauling gravel and the third may have been carrying mattresses, KDVR-TV reported.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Lakewood police tweeted there were multiple fatalities but did not give a specific number. Six people were taken to a hospital. Their conditions were not released, according to the paper.

Lanes in both directions were closed and expected to remain so into Friday morning.

Source: Fox News National

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

President Trump will address members and leaders of the National Rifle Association on Friday at the group’s annual convention in Indiana.

Around 80,000 gun enthusiasts and more than 800 exhibitors are expected to pack the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis for the three-day event, the Indianapolis Star reported. It will mark the third straight year that Trump will deliver the keynote address, where he is expected to champion the rights of gun owners.

“Donald Trump is the most enthusiastic supporter of the Second Amendment to occupy the Oval Office in our lifetimes,” Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action (ILA), said in a statement. “President Trump’s Supreme Court appointments ensure that the Second Amendment will be respected for generations to come. Our members are excited to hear him speak and thank him for his support for our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.”

“Donald Trump is the most enthusiastic supporter of the Second Amendment to occupy the Oval Office in our lifetimes.”

— Chris Cox, executive director, NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action

COLORADO ENACTS ‘RED FLAG’ LAW TO SEIZE GUNS FROM THOSE DEEMED DANGEROUS, PROMPTING BACKLASH

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association annual convention in Dallas last year. (Associated Press)

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association annual convention in Dallas last year. (Associated Press)

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke at last year’s convention in Dallas. During his speech, Trump assured gun owners that he would protect their Second Amendment rights, according to the paper.

“Your Second Amendment rights are under siege,” Trump told the cheering audience in Dallas. “But they will never, ever be under siege as long as I am your president.”

Trump has supported some gun control measures in the past. Last year, his administration imposed a ban on bump stocks, attachments that enable semiautomatic rifles to fire in rapid bursts. Although, he most recently threatened to veto two Democratic gun control bills.

This year’s convention comes as the NRA faces outside pressure and internal problems. The group has seen its legislative agenda stall amid a series of mass shootings — including a massacre at a Parkland, Fla., high school in February 2018 that left 17 dead and launched a youth movement against gun violence.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

It’s also grappling with infighting in its ranks, money problems and investigations into whether Russian agents courted officials and funneled money through the group.

“I’ve never seen the NRA this vulnerable,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control measure.

The convention will run through the weekend and conclude Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
FILE PHOTO: Shoppers walk past the Debenhams department store on Oxford Street in London
FILE PHOTO: Shoppers walk past the Debenhams department store on Oxford Street in London, Britain December 15, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Ailing British retailer Debenhams said two proposed company voluntary arrangements (CVA) could see all its stores remaining open during 2019, with 22 closures planned for next year, putting about 1,200 jobs at risk.

Debenhams’ lenders took control of the retailer earlier this month in a process designed to keep its shops open at the expense of shareholders.

(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; editing by Gopakumar Warrier)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
FILE PHOTO: Xiaomi branding is seen on a carrier bag at a UK launch event in London
FILE PHOTO: Xiaomi branding is seen on a carrier bag at a UK launch event in London, Britain, November 8, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville

April 26, 2019

BENGALURU (Reuters) – Chinese brands controlled a record 66 percent of Indian smartphone market in the first quarter, led by Xiaomi Corp, a report showed, with volumes rising 20 percent on the back of popularity for brands like Vivo, RealMe and Oppo.

Xiaomi’s India shipments fell by 2 percent over last year, but the Beijing-based company was still the biggest smartphone brand in the country, followed by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, according to Hong-Kong based Counterpoint Research.

Shipment volumes for Vivo jumped 119 percent, while those of Oppo rose 28 percent.

“Vivo’s expanding portfolio in the mid-tier range ($100 to $180) drove its growth along with aggressive Indian Premier League cricket campaign,” Counterpoint analysts said.

India is the world’s fastest growing market for smartphones, where affordable pricing coupled with features like “selfie” cameras and big screens have popularized Chinese brands.

Video streaming services like Netflix Inc and Hotstar, as well as heavy usage of messaging apps like Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp have further spurred demand.

“Data consumption is on the rise and users are upgrading their phones faster as compared to other regions,” Counterpoint’s Tarun Pathak said.

“As a result of this, the premium specs are now diffusing faster into the mid-tier price brands. We estimate this trend to continue leading to a competitive mid-tier segment in coming quarters.”

(Reporting By Arnab Paul in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

The Dalai Lama has returned to his headquarters in the north Indian hill town of Dharmsala after a brief stay in a hospital in the capital for treatment of a chest infection.

Hundreds of exiled Tibetans lined the streets of Dharmsala carrying ceremonial scarves and incense sticks to welcome the Dalai Lama on Friday.

The 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader told reporters that he had fully recovered, but that the illness had been “a little bit serious.” He did not give any details.

The Dalai Lama usually spends several months a year traveling the world to teach Buddhism and highlight Tibetans’ struggle for greater freedom in China. But he has cut down on his travels in the past year to take care of his health.

Source: Fox News World

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
Current track

Title

Artist