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Officer says partner fired before he could analyze threat

The partner of a Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed woman testified Thursday that he didn't fire his own weapon because he hadn't fully analyzed the possible threat, agreeing with a prosecutor's characterization that it would have been "premature" to use deadly force.

Officer Matthew Harrity is a key witness in the trial of Mohamed Noor, who fired a single shot at Justine Ruszczyk Damond as she approached the officers' squad car on July 15, 2017.

Damond had placed two 911 calls that night to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home. Struck in the abdomen, the 40-year-old dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia bled to death in an incident that sparked anger and disbelief in both countries.

Prosecutors questioned Harrity on some key points, including why he didn't fire his own weapon and why he didn't tell investigators at the scene about a supposed thump on the squad car that he said startled the officers.

Harrity, dressed in full uniform and crying at one point during his testimony, said as he and Noor responded to Damond's 911 call, they drove down the alley with their headlights off, using a spotlight to search for any evidence of a woman in trouble. Harrity, who was driving, had the safety hood off his holster, ready to pull his gun if needed.

The pair was in the alley for less than two minutes. Finding nothing, they stopped at the end of the alley and planned to go to another call.

Harrity testified that he then had a "weird feeling" to his left but couldn't make out what it was.

"At this time, I hear something hit the car and I also hear some sort of murmur," he said. He said he was startled by the thump and his mind went straight to a possible ambush.

He immediately drew his gun and held it to his ribs pointing downward, he said. Under cross-examination from defense attorney Peter Wold, Harrity admitted he was scared.

Harrity said that as he tried to make sense of what was happening, he heard a pop, saw a flash, and looked over to see Noor had fired his gun. Noor had fired across Harrity and through the driver's side window.

Prosecutor Amy Sweasy seized on Harrity's restraint, asking him about his training in the reasonable use of deadly force. Noor is charged with murder and manslaughter and prosecutors need to prove that he acted unreasonably when he shot Damond.

Under questioning from Sweasy, Harrity said that he would need to identify a threat and a target before firing his weapon. Harrity conceded that an officer would not point a gun unless he intended to use it, and said deadly force can be used only under reasonable circumstances.

"Use of deadly force, from your viewpoint at this point, would have been premature," Sweasy said of the situation. "Yes, with what I had," Harrity replied.

Harrity also faced tough questions about what he told investigators in the moments right after the shooting. Prosecutors have questioned the defense narrative of a thump on the squad car, saying investigators found no forensic evidence that Damond touched it.

Harrity acknowledged Thursday that he didn't mention the thump to anyone that night, but said that was because only a brief statement was required and he knew he would be making a full statement in coming days.

Noor never talked to investigators and it isn't clear whether he will testify.

Harrity said he worked well with Noor, adding that he trusted him and felt Noor always had his back.

"I loved working with Officer Noor," he said.

Harrity grew emotional during his testimony when he talked about his own mindset in the days after the shooting.

Neither officer had their body cameras running when Damond was shot, something Harrity blamed on what he called a vague policy that didn't require it.

Sweasy questioned Harrity about that repeatedly, at one point asking, "It was more important to get your gun ready than your body-worn camera?" Harrity said it was, after repeatedly testifying that he didn't know what he would encounter.

Both men switched their cameras on afterward, and both videos were played on Thursday.

The body camera videos show efforts by the two men to save Damond with CPR, and they show the last moments of her life. In the videos, Damond struggles to breathe, and Harrity says repeatedly, "Stay with me, stay with me, stay breathing." He also is heard addressing his partner: "Noor, breathe, just breathe."

At one point, Harrity tells Noor to continue CPR and Harrity gets medical supplies for Damond's wound. Harrity cautions Noor to slow down the CPR, and reassures Noor that an ambulance is coming.

A medical examiner testified earlier that Damond was hit in a key artery and lost so much blood so quickly that even faster medical care might not have saved her.

When other officers arrive on the scene, both Harrity and Noor tell them that Damond was shot by police, according to the videos.

Damond was white. Noor , 33, is a Somali American whose hire two years before the shooting was celebrated by Minneapolis leaders as a sign of a diversifying police force in a city with a large population of Somali immigrants.

Much of the prosecution's early case focused on the handling of the crime scene by police and state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents, including possible missteps. They also highlighted officers turning their body cameras on and off repeatedly after the shooting.

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This story has been corrected to show that the prosecutor's last name is Sweasy, not Sweazy.

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Follow Amy Forliti on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/amyforliti

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Check out the AP's complete coverage of Mohamed Noor's trial.

Source: Fox News National

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Kings fire coach Joerger after three seasons

NBA: Houston Rockets at Sacramento Kings
FILE PHOTO: Feb 6, 2019; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger looks on from the sideline during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

April 11, 2019

Sacramento Kings coach Dave Joerger was fired Thursday after three seasons, the team announced.

“After evaluating the season, I determined that we need to move in a different direction in order to take us to the next level,” general manager Vlade Divac said. “On behalf of the entire Kings organization, I want to thank Dave for his contributions to our team and I wish him all the best.”

Joerger led the Kings to a 39-43 record this season, good for ninth place in the NBA’s Western Conference. It was their best record since 2005-06 — the last time they qualified for the playoffs.

The Kings started this season at 30-26 and were in the playoff hunt until a 9-17 finish left them nine games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the final spot.

Joerger, 45, has six years of NBA head coaching experience, the first three with Memphis (2013-16) and the next three in Sacramento. His overall coaching record is 245-247 and 98-148 with the Kings.

His dismissal came on the same day that Divac and the Kings agreed to a four-year contract through the 2022-23 season, according to The Athletic.

Divac, who became GM in early 2015, has built a nucleus of promising young players that includes Marvin Bagley III, Buddy Hield, De’Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Divac, 51, played 16 seasons in the NBA for the Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets. He will be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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Estonia election winner downplays chance of becoming prime minister

Reform Party Chairwoman, Kaja Kallas, attendsÊthe opening session of newly elected Estonian Parliament in Tallinn
Reform Party Chairwoman, Kaja Kallas, attendsÊthe opening session of newly elected Estonian Parliament in Tallinn, Estonia April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

April 5, 2019

By Tarmo Virki

TALLINN (Reuters) – The leader of Estonia’s largest political party received a formal request from the president on Friday to form a government, but quickly she downplayed her prospects of becoming prime minister.

Kaja Kallas, head of the center-right Reform, pulled off a surprise win over the center-left government in a March 3 vote for parliament, but fell short of a majority.

While she won backing in coalition talks with the Social Democrats, she failed to also win support from the Fatherland party in Estonia’s fragmented 101-member assembly.

“I recognize I might not have enough support in parliament,” Kallas said in a statement.

Centre Party Prime Minister Juri Ratas on March 11 invited the far-right EKRE to coalition talks, reversing a promise to block the anti-immigration party from the cabinet, and is expected to announce his own three-party coalition this weekend.

Still, Kallas said Reform and the Social Democrats, which together have 44 seats in parliament, would seek support from individual members of the Centre and the Fatherland parties, some of whom oppose Ratas’ plan to tie up with the far right.

Kallas now has two weeks to present a plan for forming a cabinet. If she fails, President Kersti Kaljulaid can turn to Ratas who has worked for weeks on his alternative.

Populist parties have won ground across Europe ahead of elections in May to the European Parliament.

EKRE, whose fiercely anti-immigrant message lifted its support during the European migration crisis in 2015, got 19 seats in the March 3 vote, more than double the number from the previous election, winning broad support in rural areas.

Its leaders have promised street unrest if they were left out of the cabinet.

    Reform won 34 seats in the 101-seat parliament, while left-leaning Centre got 26 seats, the conservative Fatherland party got 12 seats and the Social Democrats 10.

(Editing by Terje Solsvik and Angus MacSwan)

Source: OANN

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‘Just one more push’ to get Brexit, Britain’s May urges EU

Prime Minister Theresa May speaks on Brexit ahead of next week's vote in Parliament on her revised Brexit deal in Grimsby
British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech during her visit in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, Britain March 8, 2019. Christopher Furlong/Pool via REUTERS

March 11, 2019

By Elizabeth Piper

GRIMSBY, England (Reuters) – Prime Minister Theresa May urged the European Union on Friday to make “just one more push” to break the Brexit deadlock but proposals from the bloc’s chief negotiator fell short of anything that would win over the British parliament.

Three weeks before Britain is due to leave the EU, May has failed so far to secure the changes to her divorce deal that she believes would gain the support of lawmakers, who handed the government a defeat of record proportions in January.

At the heart of the dispute is the so-called Northern Irish backstop, an insurance policy to prevent a return of border controls between the British province and EU member Ireland that Britain wants to change to ease fears in parliament.

But that dispute looked far from being resolved after EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier’s proposals were dismissed as a return to “old ideas” already rejected in talks.

A government source summed up the feeling in London by saying it was “not impressed”.

With no changes to offer parliament, May looks set to lose her second attempt on Tuesday to get lawmakers’ approval of her deal and smooth Britain’s exit from the EU, the country’s biggest shift in trade and foreign policy in more than 40 years.

In a last-ditch appeal to the EU and to lawmakers at home, May said in a speech on Friday it was time to end the uncertainty over Brexit by approving the deal. Otherwise, Britain faced a “moment of crisis”.

The Brexit effort “needs just one more push to address the final, specific concerns of our parliament,” she said in the northern English port of Grimsby, where 70 percent voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.

“So let’s not hold back. Let’s do what is necessary for MPs (members of parliament) to back the deal on Tuesday.”

After she spoke, Barnier announced he was ready to give Britain the unilateral right to leave the EU customs union.

But he said London would need to honor its commitment to keep the Irish border free of controls, potentially leaving Northern Ireland subject to EU rules, with a “border” in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the island of Britain.

That requirement has been rejected previously by London and would be particularly unpalatable to Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, which props up May’s government in parliament and opposes any proposals for Northern Ireland to have different rules from the rest of the United Kingdom.

Stephen Barclay, Britain’s Brexit minister, said it was “not the time to rerun old arguments. The UK has put forward clear new proposals. We now need to agree a balanced solution that can work for both sides”.

The DUP was equally unimpressed, with Nigel Dodds, its deputy leader, calling the proposal “neither realistic nor sensible”.

‘SIGN OF DESPERATION’

But despite the war of words, both sides say talks are continuing over the weekend, just days before May will face parliament once again after resoundingly losing the first vote in parliament on Jan. 15.

In Grimsby, she again said that if lawmakers wanted to end the uncertainty that has forced many businesses to put off investment decisions, they should vote for her deal and move on.

Otherwise, she said, Brexit might never happen and voters would be betrayed. Or, she added, Britain could leave without a deal to soften the shock, a nightmare scenario for many companies.

Those arguments largely restated her well-worn line and have yet to convince lawmakers, especially eurosceptics who say her agreement does not offer a clean break with the EU, as well as EU supporters who want to maintain closer ties.

Britons voted 52-48 percent in 2016 to leave the EU and the country remains deeply polarized over the move.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said the appeal was “more like a sign of desperation”.

“These are very serious times. We don’t need any more delays and dithering by the government,” he told Sky News. “They’ve got to recognize her deal isn’t going to work, it doesn’t get support, and will not get through parliament.”

It was the first time that May had turned directly to the EU, showing signs of frustration that talks to secure changes to the backstop this week had as yet produced no breakthrough.

That frustration was matched on the EU side. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the British, not the EU, had to compromise, and the decision to leave the bloc had been “a problem of their own creation”.

One EU diplomat said May was preparing the ground for “a blame game” if she loses the vote on Tuesday.

If that happens, lawmakers will be able to vote on Wednesday and Thursday on whether they want to leave the bloc without a deal, or ask for a delay to Brexit beyond March 29 – all but wresting control of Brexit from the government.

In a last-minute flurry of diplomatic activity, May was due to speak to EU leaders by telephone over the weekend and a European Commission spokesman said “intensive work” was going on between London and Brussels.

And foreign minister Jeremy Hunt held out some hope that a deal was “entirely possible” in time for the vote.

(Additional reporting by Alistair Smout, James Davey and Joe Green in London, Conor Humprhies in Dublin and Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels; Writing by Elizabeth Piper and William Schomberg; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Frances Kerry/Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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UK’s Hammond says possible EU will insist on long Brexit delay

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond leaves number 11 Downing St in London
Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond leaves number 11 Downing St in London, Britain, March 13, 2019. REUTERS/Phil Noble

March 14, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – British finance minister Philip Hammond said the European Union might insist on a long delay to Brexit if the UK government requests an extension to the process.

On Wednesday, Britain’s parliament rejected leaving the EU without a deal, further weakening Prime Minister Theresa May and paving the way for a vote that could delay Brexit until at least the end of June.

“This is not in our control and the European Union is signaling that only if we have a deal is it likely to be willing to grant a short technical extension to get the legislation through,” Hammond told Sky News on Thursday.

“If we don’t have a deal, and if we’re still discussing among ourselves what is the right way to go forward, then it’s quite possible that the EU may insist on a significantly longer period,” he said.

(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by William Schomberg)

Source: OANN

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Man guilty of killing wife after son finds body years later

A Florida man has been convicted of the 1993 murder of his wife, which was witnessed by their then-toddler son who found his mother's buried body 21 years later.

The Florida Times-Union reports that a jury found Michael Haim guilty of second-degree murder Friday for killing 23-year-old Bonnie Haim.

Their 3-year-old son Aaron told police his father had shot his missing mother, but no body was found and Michael Haim was not charged.

Now known as Aaron Fraser after his adopted family, he later won a wrongful death lawsuit against his 53-year-old biological father and got his home.

Fraser was removing the pool in 2014 when he found his mother's remains. Haim was soon arrested.

Haim could get seven years, but prosecutors want a life sentence at next month's hearing.

Source: Fox News National

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Closing time? Japan convenience stores pressed to end 24-7 model amid labor crunch

FILE PHOTO: A woman looks at scarves on sale at a department store in Tokyo
FILE PHOTO: A woman looks at scarves on sale at a department store in Tokyo March 30, 2012. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

March 20, 2019

By Ritsuko Ando

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s 24-hour convenience stores are struggling to stay open around the clock as an industry that has continually expanded now finds itself at the sharp end of a labor shortage.

Franchise owners, some of whom were forced to work amid massive snowstorms or in the wake of a family death, have launched a campaign to persuade industry leader 7-Eleven to allow stores to close earlier.

Although the debate has focused on their plight, it has also raised doubts over the future of a $100 billion industry that faces an aging population, slow economic growth and new competitors such as Amazon Prime.

“The question is, how much demand is there for 24-hour service in an age when online shopping is expanding?” said Takayuki Kurabayashi, a Nomura Research Institute partner who specializes in consulting for the retail industry.

Japanese convenience stores began expanding in the 1970s as their 24-hour accessibility proved a perfect match with the country’s dense population and late-night work culture.

The brightly lit stores, which locals call “combini,” are ubiquitous and an essential part of modern Japanese life, offering everything from neckties to packaged “bento” lunches for city workers.

Rural Japanese rely on the stores for parcel and ATM services, or even as lifelines during disasters such as earthquakes.

The franchise system promoted a nationwide expansion that took the total number of stores to roughly 58,000 last year, a majority operated by the big three: 7-Eleven, originating in the U.S. but now Japanese-owned; FamilyMart, UNY Holdings’ convenience store arm; and Lawson, a subsidiary of trading house Mitsubishi Corp.

For years, the franchise model shielded operations from the direct effects of Japan’s labor crunch. But now, the tightest labor market more than 40 years is hurting store owners, who pay salaries after handing over royalty fees.

A union of convenience store owners said they were finding it increasingly hard to hire enough employees. Many owners said they worked long hours themselves to keep stores open 24 hours – a requirement in most franchise contracts.

“At the time of the agreement, we could not foresee the current labor shortage or spike in minimum wages,” said Mitoshi Matsumoto, a union member who owns a 7-Eleven store in Osaka, referring to the deal he and his wife signed with the company.

Struggling to keep the store running after his wife’s death last year, he began closing it for a few hours at night, and was threatened with a fine.

His pleas to management and lawmakers drew widespread sympathy in a country in which “work-life balance” has become a buzzword and employers have come under fire for cases of death by overwork.

Even the pro-business Nikkei newspaper wrote an editorial saying stores should be allowed reasonable working hours even if consumers suffer slight inconveniences.

Amid such pressure, the company said that on Thursday, it would begin testing shorter hours at 10 of its more than 20,700 stores. It emphasized that the change was experimental and that it was not yet altering its 24-7 format.

SATURATION AND INNOVATION

Roy Larke, who analyses Japan’s retail industry as editor of JapanConsuming.com, said he sees the sector as saturated and consolidation inevitable.

“We do have too many convenience stores now, sometimes literally next door to each other. There are probably around 10 percent too many,” he said.

Katsuhiko Shimizu, spokesman for Seven & i Holdings which owns 7-Eleven and general merchandise chain Ito-Yokado, disagreed.

“There’s room for innovation,” he said, citing the company’s efforts to incorporate more automation and artificial intelligence in processes ranging from stocking to check-out.

Chains are also testing new formats such as outlets that combine drugstores, dry cleaners and even gyms. FamilyMart has opened some such stores with the country’s largest discount chain, Don Quijote, to inject excitement.

Analysts warn against underestimating a sector known for maintaining high margins and rarely discounting, helped by constant product renewals and staples like 100-yen (90-cent) coffees.

They also say it’s too early to predict the outcome of Japan’s online grocery delivery race, which is only getting started.

Although Amazon’s grocery and same-day delivery services are considered threats, convenience stores are also launching online platforms; their affiliations with traditional supermarkets and logistics networks are seen as advantages.

“It’s not clear-cut whether Amazon will be overwhelmingly powerful here,” said Larke. “Especially in food, it doesn’t have the game to itself.”

Convenience stores, like other Japanese businesses, have also been expanding abroad. But Nomura Research’s Kurabayashi warned that those foreign markets, including China, were also aging.

“What’s happening in Japan is eventually going to happen elsewhere in Asia,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time.”

(Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Gerry Doyle)

Source: OANN

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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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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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FILE PHOTO: An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight taxis after landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington
FILE PHOTO: An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight from Los Angeles taxis after landing at Reagan National Airport shortly after an announcement was made by the FAA that the planes were being grounded by the United States over safety issues in Washington, U.S. March 13, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – American Airlines Group Inc cut its 2019 profit forecast on Friday, saying it expected to take a $350 million hit from the grounding of Boeing’s 737 MAX planes after cancelling 1,200 flights in the first quarter.

The company said it now expects its 2019 adjusted profit to be between $4.00 per share and $6.00 per share.

Analysts on average had expected 2019 earnings of $5.63 per share, according to Refinitiv data.

The No. 1 U.S. airline by passenger traffic said net income rose to $185 million, or 41 cents per share, in the first quarter ended March 31, from $159 million, or 34 cents per share, a year earlier.

Total operating revenue rose 2 percent to $10.58 billion.

(Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru)

Source: OANN

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2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa
2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., April 16, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage

April 26, 2019

By James Oliphant

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (Reuters) – Four years ago, Donald Trump campaigned in small towns like Marshalltown, Iowa, vowing to restore economic prosperity to the U.S. heartland.

In his bid to replace Trump in the White House, Pete Buttigieg is taking a similar tack. The difference, he says, is that he can point to a model of success: South Bend, Indiana, the revitalized city where he has been mayor since 2012.

The Democratic presidential contender has vaulted to the congested field’s top tier in recent weeks, drawing media and donor attention for his youth, history-making status as the first openly gay major presidential candidate and a resume that includes military service in Afghanistan.

But Buttigieg’s main argument for his candidacy is that he is a turnaround artist in the mold of Trump, although the Democrat does not expressly invoke the comparison with the Republican president.

“I’m not going around saying we’ve fixed every problem we’ve got,” Buttigieg, 37, said after a house party with voters in Marshalltown. “But I’m proud of what we have done together, and I think it’s a very powerful story.”

Critics argue improving the fortunes of a Midwestern city of 100,000 people does not qualify Buttigieg, who has never held national office, for the presidency of a country of 330 million. Others say South Bend still has pockets of despair and that minorities, in particular, have failed to benefit from its growth.

Buttigieg has told crowds in Iowa and elsewhere that his experience in reviving a struggling Rust Belt community allows him to make a case to voters that other Democratic candidates cannot. That may give him the means to win back some of the disaffected Democratic voters who turned their backs on Hillary Clinton in 2016 to vote for Trump.

Watching Buttigieg at a union hall in Des Moines last week, Rick Ryan, 45, a member of the United Steelworkers, lamented how many of his fellow union workers voted for Trump. The president turned in the best performance by a Republican among union households since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Ryan said he hoped someone like Buttigieg could return them to the Democratic fold.

“He’s aware of the decline in the labor force in America, not just in Indiana or Des Moines or anywhere else,” Ryan said. “Jobs are going overseas. We need a find to way to bring that back.”

Randy Tucker, 56, of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said Trump appealed to union members “desperate for somebody to reach out to them, to help them, to listen to their voice.”

Buttigieg could do the same, he said. “In my heart right now, he’s No. 1.”

PAST VS. FUTURE

Buttigieg stresses a key difference in his and Trump’s approaches.

Trump, he tells crowds, is mired in the past, promising to rebuild the 20th century industrial economy. Buttigieg argues the pledge is misleading and unrealistic.

Buttigieg says his focus is on the future, and he often talks about what the country might look like decades from now.

“The only way that we can cultivate what makes America great is to look to the future and not be afraid of it,” Buttigieg said in Marshalltown.

Buttigieg knows his sexual preference may be a barrier to winning some blue-collar voters. But he notes that after he came out as gay in 2015, he won a second term as mayor with 80 percent of the vote in conservative Indiana.

Earlier this month, he announced his presidential bid at the hulking plant in South Bend that stopped making Studebaker autos more than 50 years ago. After lying dormant for decades, the building is being transformed into a high-tech hub after Buttigieg and other city leaders realized it would never again attract a large-scale industrial company.

“That building sat as a powerful reminder. We hoped we would get back that major employer that would fix our economy,” said Jeff Rea, president of the regional Chamber of Commerce.

Buttigieg is praised locally for spurring more than $100 million in downtown investment. During his two terms, unemployment has fallen to 4.1 percent from 11.8 percent.

But a study released in 2017 by the nonprofit group Prosperity Now said not all of the city’s residents had shared in its rebound. The median income for African-Americans remained half that of whites, while the unemployment rate for blacks was double.

Regina Williams-Preston, a city councilor running to replace Buttigieg as mayor, credits him for the revitalized downtown. But she said he had a “blind spot” when it came to focusing on troubled neighborhoods like the one she represents and only grew more engaged after community pressure.

“He understands it now,” she said. “The next step is figuring out how to open the doors of opportunity for everyone.”

‘ONE OF US’

Trump touts the fact that the United States added almost 300,000 manufacturing jobs last year as evidence he made good on his promise to restore the industrial sector. But that growth still left the country with fewer manufacturing jobs than in 2008.

The robust U.S. economy is likely the president’s greatest asset in his re-election bid, particularly in states he carried in 2016 such as Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. He won Buttigieg’s home state by 19 points over Clinton in 2016.

Sean Bagniewski, chairman of the Democratic Party in Polk County, Iowa, said Buttigieg would be well positioned to compete with Trump in the Midwest.

“People love the fact that he’s a mayor,” said Bagniewski, who has not endorsed a candidate in the nominating contest. “If you can talk about a positive future, and if you actually have experience that can do it, that’s a compelling vision in Iowa.”

Nan Whaley, the mayor of Dayton, Ohio, which faces many of the same challenges as South Bend, agreed.

“He’s one of us,” Whaley said. “That helps.”

(Reporting by James Oliphant; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Peter Cooney)

Source: OANN

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A man looks out at a flooded residential area in Gatineau
A man looks out at a flooded residential area in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

April 26, 2019

MONTREAL/OTTAWA (Reuters) – Rising waters were prompting further evacuations in central Canada on Thursday, with the mayor of the country’s capital, Ottawa, declaring a state of emergency and Quebec authorities warning that a hydroelectric dam was at risk of breaking.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared the emergency in response to rising water levels along the Ottawa River and weather forecasts that called for significant rainfall on Friday.

In a statement on Twitter, Watson asked for help from the Ontario provincial government and the country’s military.

He warned that “flood levels are currently forecasted to exceed the levels that caused significant damage to numerous properties in the city of Ottawa in 2017.”

Spring flooding had killed one person and forced more than 900 people from their homes in Canada’s Quebec province as of 1 p.m. on Thursday, according to a government website.

Ottawa has received 80 requests for service related to potential flooding such as sandbagging, a city spokeswoman said.

The prospect of more rain over the next 24 to 48 hours triggered concerns on Thursday that the hydroelectric dam at Bell Falls in the western part of Quebec could be at risk of failing because of rising water levels.

Quebec’s provincial police said 250 people were protectively removed from homes in the area as of late afternoon in case the dam on the Rouge River breaks.

The dam is now at its full flow capacity of 980 cubic meters per second of water, said Francis Labbé, a spokesman for the province’s state-owned utility, Hydro Quebec. He said Hydro Quebec expected the flow could rise to 1,200 cubic meters per second of water over the next two days.

“We have to take the worst-case scenario into consideration, since we`re already at the maximum capacity,” Labbé said by phone.

The dam is part of a power station that no longer produces electricity, but is regularly inspected by Hydro Quebec, he said.

(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal and David Ljunggren and Julie Gordon in Ottawa; Editing by James Dalgleish and Peter Cooney)

Source: OANN

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