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After years of giving refuge, Ecuador suspends Assange’s citizenship

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen after was arrested by British police, outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen after was arrested by British police, outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Britain April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

April 12, 2019

By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador has suspended Julian Assange’s citizenship and accused him and people connected to his WikiLeaks group of collaborating in attempts to destabilize the Andean nation’s government, after years of offering him shelter.

A bearded and frail-looking Assange was arrested by British police on Thursday after Ecuador terminated his asylum at its London embassy, where he had lived since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over a sexual assault investigation.

Assange’s Ecuadorean citizenship was suspended on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Jose Valencia told reporters.

To some, Australian-born Assange is a hero for exposing what supporters cast as abuse of power and for championing free speech. To others, he is a dangerous figure who has undermined the security of the United States and has too many ties to Russia.

WikiLeaks angered Washington by publishing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables that laid bare often highly critical U.S. appraisals of world leaders, from Russian President Vladimir Putin to members of the Saudi royal family.

Assange’s lawyer in Quito, Carlos Poveda, told reporters asylum was terminated in reprisal for corruption allegations against President Lenin Moreno and that his life will be in danger if he is extradited to the United States.

Assange was offered refuge in 2012 by Ecuador’s then-president Rafael Correa, but his relationship with Ecuador has soured under Moreno, who has said Assange violated the terms of his asylum.

Assange received Ecuadorean citizenship in January 2018.

Moreno was angered after years-old private photographs of him and his family taken when they lived in Europe circulated on social media. His government said it believed the photos were shared by WikiLeaks.

Ecuador was not aware of any active extradition requests for Assange before it terminated his asylum, Valencia told the national assembly.

“At the time the decision to finalize his asylum was made, there was only a case in the United Kingdom for violating the conditions of his bail in 2012,” Valencia told lawmakers.

U.S. prosecutors unsealed an indictment against Assange on Thursday, accusing him of conspiring with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to gain access to a government computer as part of one of the largest compromises of classified information in U.S. history.

Assange faces up to five years in prison on the American charge, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

Assange and WikiLeaks have intervened in Ecuadorean affairs, Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo told reporters in Quito, and at least one Russian hacker involved with the organization is living in the country.

She would not confirm whether the hacker was involved in the creation of web pages that accuse Moreno of corruption, but said they had participated in the creation of a page later spread by WikiLeaks.

“We hope it will be the Ecuadorean justice system which will confirm the exact relationship,” Romo said.

Romo on Thursday night said Ecuador had detained a person “very close” to WikiLeaks who is associated with former Ecuadorean foreign minister Ricardo Patino.

“(The person) was detained this afternoon while attempting to travel to Japan,” said Romo, without providing the person’s name or nationality.

Earlier she had said that Patino, who was serving under Correa when Assange was granted asylum, was seeking to destabilize the government.

Patino denied the allegations.

Romo “just invented a story about a supposed relationship of mine with Russian hackers,” Patino said on Twitter. “The only thing left is for her to say where we left Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty.”

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Helen Murphy, Bill Rigby, Alistair Bell and Sandra Maler)

Source: OANN

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Stacey Abrams Nixes VP Spot: 'You Don't Run For Second Place'

Stacey Abrams, whose name has been mentioned as a potential running mate for Joe Biden should he enter the Democratic primary race, Wednesday threw cold water on that idea, saying she is "just as capable" of becoming president as anyone else running for the nomination.

The Georgia Democrat, who became national news during her failed bid in her state's governor's race, told "CBS This Morning" that she's held meetings with nearly everyone, including the former vice-president, but that talks about her being his running mate "were not the core issue."

Later in the morning, Abrams told ABC's "The View" that she's keeping her options open, and dismissed the reports that she'll be part of Biden's ticket.

"I think you don't run for second place," she said. "'If I'm going to enter a primary, then I'm going to enter a primary. And if I don't enter the primary my job is to make sure the best Democrat becomes the nominee and to make sure whoever we select gets elected president."

Abrams told CBS that she is "deeply appreciative" of people urging her to run for the White House or other offices, but she wants to be sure that she's running "for the right reasons and at the right time."

She had commented at the South By Southwest festival earlier this month that at one time she'd considered 2028 to be the earliest time she'd seek a presidential race, but later she tweeted that "2020 is definitely on the table."

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Police search for suspect, possible victim in hotel shooting

Massachusetts State Police are searching for a suspect in connection with a shooting at a hotel in suburban Boston.

Police say they initially responded to a reported "active shooter" situation at the Crown Plaza in Natick around 3 a.m. Tuesday.

The hotel was evacuated while authorities searched for possible suspects and victims.

Authorities say they are still looking for a possible gunshot victim who "is no longer at the scene." They were unable to find any victims at the hotel.

More information on what prompted the shooting was not immediately known.

Source: Fox News National

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Q&A: Federal Reserve likely to disappoint policy doves – Weeden strategist

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

March 19, 2019

By Michael Connor

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Dovish investors are going to be disappointed by the Federal Reserve’s policy-setting open market committee who are meeting now and should hedge against policy outcomes likely to rattle global markets, Weeden & Co. derivatives strategist Michael Purves said on Tuesday.

Purves told the Reuters Global Markets Forum chatroom that expectations for interest-rate levels between policymakers and markets were extraordinarily wide.

That gap carried the biggest risks of losses for investors betting the Fed will soon resume rate cuts and balance-sheet policies in place since 2008’s financial crisis, Purves said. The Fed will issue its decision and an accompanying statement on Wednesday.

Here are excerpts:

Question: What do you expect to hear from the Federal Reserve on Wednesday?

Answer: Most agree that we will see the Fed lower its rate-hike expectations and give some comforting language on the balance sheet. But my question is whether the (messages) will be skewed for the hawks or the doves? (Even) if the Fed lowered by two hikes from December, that would still be north of where the market is. So, to deliver a net dovish message, the Fed must really deliver two hikes lower than December, (and) a strong message on the balance sheet. …It seems a big ask.

Q: Why do you think the Fed may surprise on the hawkish side?

A: One key factor is the Fed pivot – the heightened market stress shown through VIX and higher credit spreads in Q4 – has largely reversed. Further, breakeven inflation rates and commodities have rallied substantially since the dark days of December. So, if you look at the 10-year yield, you can see its trajectory lower over the past several months has been solely defined by rates-hike expectations, while ignoring other factors such as inflation. Another factor is lower foreign sovereign yields.

Q: Where would the current 10-year yield of 2.60 percent be ordinarily?

A: We could easily be above 2.80 percent and perhaps trending towards 3.0 percent.

Q: What should investors do?

A: Buy some hedges for asset classes sensitive to a net hawkish message tomorrow. For example, EM (emerging markets), commodities, and even the overall market.

Q: Which things should investors watch Wednesday?

A: Fed funds and Eurodollars (money markets) are very volatile and kind of manic depressive. They can swing. Keep an eye on the 10-year Bund. It is extremely low. Be mindful of how EM assets trade; they may in fact fight through a net hawkish FOMC tomorrow.

((This interview was conducted in the Reuters Global Markets Forum, a chat room based on the Eikon platform.))

(Reporting By Michael Connor in New York; Editing by Susan Thomas)

Source: OANN

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Gosnell Predicted Northam’s Infanticide, “Comfort Care”

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Tennis: Osaka enjoys rollercoaster win in Miami

Tennis: Miami Open
Mar 22, 2019; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Naomi Osaka of Japan serves against Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium (not pictured) in the second round of the Miami Open at Miami Open Tennis Complex. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

March 22, 2019

By Steve Keating

MIAMI (Reuters) – World number one Naomi Osaka endured a rollercoaster start to the Miami Open on Friday advancing to the third round with a 6-0 6-7(3) 6-1 win over Belgian Yanina Wickmayer.

After facing eight-times Miami champion Serena Williams in her first match last year, Osaka might have expected an easier opener on Friday against the 141st-ranked Belgian qualifier.

Yet that was not the case as she needed more than two hours to dispose of her Belgian opponent, having dispatched the 23-times grand slam singles champion 6-3 6-2 a year earlier.

“It was really hard for me, I think, emotionally in the second set because I just started thinking about winning, not exactly the things I could do in order to win,” said Osaka. “I had a bit of a dip. She was also playing really well.”

The first match on Stadium Court the contest again looked like it might wrap up before the late arrivals had settled in but it turned into a head scratcher for Osaka that ebbed and flowed between dominance and despair.

The Japanese, who had been firing on all cylinders while Wickmayer sleepwalked through a one-sided opening set, suddenly began to sputter in the second as the Belgian woke from her slumber.

Letting her foot off the gas, the Australian and U.S. Open champion was left muttering to herself and flipping her racket as shots that had been finding their target minutes before were sprayed all over the temporary court allowing Wickmayer back into the match.

Yet just as quickly as Osaka lost her way the 21-year-old got back on track in the third set, securing the early break on her way to a 3-0 lead and a topsy-turvy victory.

Although South Florida is home for Osaka, the Miami stop has not been kind to the Japanese, who has never ventured past the third round.

Osaka will next face Taiwan’s 27th seed Hsieh Su-wei who was a 6-2 7-5 winner over American Alison Riske.

“I consider Miami a home,” said Osaka. “I definitely always want to do well here whenever I play.

“I haven’t really done well here compared to the other tournaments. It’s definitely been a really big goal of mine.”

After a dramatic comeback win in her opening match, Canadian teen sensation Bianca Andreescu took a more confident step towards the ‘Sunshine Double’, disposing of American 22nd seed Sofia Kenin 6-3 6-3 to reach the third round.

The youngest player to win Indian Wells since Serena Williams in 1999, Andreescu is bidding to become just the fourth woman to win both there and Miami back-to-back in the same year.

While Andreescu’s run continues, two other promising American teenagers saw their time in Miami come to an end.

After picking up her first career WTA Tour event win on Thursday, 15-year-old Cori Gauff fell to 14th-seeded Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-3 6-2 while 17-year-old Amanda Anisimova lost 6-3 1-6 6-4 to Estonian Anett Kontaveit.

(Editing by Toby Davis)

Source: OANN

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Texas infant’s body found in flower pot at cemetery, police says

A caretaker at a Texas cemetery made a grim discovery earlier this month, finding the body of a baby buried in a flowerpot, police said Wednesday.

The deceased girl was found at the Perry Cemetery on March 11 when the caretaker “emptied what he knew to be an out of place flowerpot,” according to a news release from the Carrollton Police Department.

He located the child’s body “beneath the pot’s soil,” police said.

MISSOURI MAN WHO TOPPLED MORE THAN 100 HEADSTONES AT JEWISH CEMETERY GETS PROBATION

The medical examiner found that the child weighed less than six pounds and was 34 weeks to full term, according to authorities. Her umbilical cord was “still attached,” police said.

Neither her race nor if she was born alive was immediately clear.

The flowerpot is believed to have arrived on the cemetery grounds between Feb. 27 and March 2, based on details from the caretaker, police said.

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The police department has taken its case to the public, asking for any information tied to their investigation.

“Among our immediate priorities is identifying the baby to ensure a proper burial,” police said.

Source: Fox News National

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Avengers fans gather at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to attend the opening screening of
Avengers fans gather at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to attend the opening screening of “Avengers: Endgame” in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake

April 26, 2019

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Marvel Studios superhero spectacle “Avengers: Endgame” hauled in a record $60 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices during its Thursday night debut, distributor Walt Disney Co said.

Global ticket sales for the film about Iron Man, Hulk and other popular characters reached $305 million for the first two days, Disney said.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Funeral of journalist Lyra McKee in Belfast
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn attends the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland April 24, 2019. Brian Lawless/Pool via REUTERS

April 26, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – The leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Friday he had turned down an invitation to a state dinner which will be part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Britain in June.

“Theresa May should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit to honor a president who rips up vital international treaties, backs climate change denial and uses racist and misogynist rhetoric,” Corbyn said in a statement.

He said maintaining the relationship with the United States did not require “the pomp and ceremony of a state visit” and he said he would welcome a meeting with Trump “to discuss all matters of interest.”

(Reporting by Andy Bruce; Writing by William Schomberg)

Source: OANN

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A bedridden 67-year-old woman and more than a dozen animals were rescued Thursday after a welfare check found that they were living in a home filled with trash, urine, and feces, Florida police said.

Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies said when they arrived at the home in Dunedin around 7:20 p.m. Thursday, they could smell the odor of rotting trash and animal feces as they walked up to the driveway.

“Inside the residence, the odor of feces and urine was so overwhelming that deputies had to don masks,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

FLORIDA SHERIFF ON BORDER CRISIS AFTER MAJOR DRUG BUST: ‘IT MAKES ME ABSOLUTELY CRAZY’

Walking throughout the residence, the deputies found 10 emaciated dogs and puppies living in bins filled with their own feces, five large Macaw birds flying freely, rats, bugs and overall squalor.

Puppies discovered living in their own feces inside a Florida home that was filled with trash, urine, and feces.

Puppies discovered living in their own feces inside a Florida home that was filled with trash, urine, and feces. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)

Deputies said due to the large amounts of trash in the home, they had to clear a path to reach the victim’s bedroom.

“None of the home’s toilets were working and all were found to be overflowing with feces,” deputies said. “The only working sink was located on the opposite end of the house from the victim’s bedroom.”

They said there was no food or water for the victim or the animals.

FLORIDA MAN IN EASTER BUNNY COSTUME CAUGHT IN VIRAL BRAWL IS WANTED IN NEW JERSEY, HAS HISTORY OF ARRESTS

The victim was transported to a local hospital for injuries that were non-life threatening, while the animals were transported to shelters.

The woman’s caretaker, Richard Lawrence Goodwin, 65, was arrested and charged with abuse and neglect of an elderly person, disabled person, and cruelty to animals.

Richard Goodwin, 69, was arrested for abuse and neglect of an elderly and disabled person after deputies found she was living in deplorable conditions.

Richard Goodwin, 69, was arrested for abuse and neglect of an elderly and disabled person after deputies found she was living in deplorable conditions. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)

The sheriff’s department said this was Goodwin’s second arrest for abuse and neglect of the same victim. He was previously arrested in May 2018.

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Neighbor Victoria Muenzerbeer told FOX 13 that Goodwin and the victim were hoarders and the conditions inside the home were horrible years ago when she visited once.

“I went in and it was absolutely, a human being couldn’t live there,” she said. “The kitchen wasn’t usable and part of the wall was falling in.”

Source: Fox News National

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Libyan Minister of Economy Ali Abdulaziz Issawi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tripoli
Libyan Minister of Economy Ali Abdulaziz Issawi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tripoli, Libya April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Hani Amara

April 26, 2019

By Ulf Laessing

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya’s U.N.-recognized government has budgeted up to 2 billion dinars ($1.43 billion) to cover costs of a three-week-old war for control of the capital, such as treatment for the wounded, to be funded without new borrowing, the economy minister said.

Ali Abdulaziz Issawi suggested the government hoped for business to continue more or less as usual despite the assault on Tripoli, in the country’s northwest, by forces tied to a parallel administration based in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Once Africa’s third largest producer of oil, Libya has been riven by factional conflict since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with the country now broadly split between eastern-based forces under Khalifa Haftar and the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, in the west, under Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

Still, with Haftar’s Libyan National Army forces unable so far to pierce defenses in Tripoli’s southern suburbs, normal life and business activities continue in much of the capital and western coastal towns.

Issawi, in an interview with Reuters in his Tripoli office, also said Libya’s commercial ports and wheat imports were still functioning normally, although some roads have been blocked.

He said the Serraj government estimates it will spend up to 2 billion dinars extra on medical treatment for wounded, aid for displaced people and other “emergency” war costs.

He said this was not military spending but analysts believe that the sum will also cover expenditures such as pay for allied armed groups or food for fighters.

“We could actually spend less,” he added, in comments that gave the first insight into the economic impact of the fighting.

Issawi said the Tripoli government, which controls little territory beyond the greater capital region, would not incur new debt to fund the war costs, sticking to a plan to post a 2019 budget without a deficit.

Tripoli derives revenue largely from oil and natural gas production, interest-free loans from local banks to the central bank, and a 183 percent surcharge on foreign exchange transactions conducted at official rates.

But with centralized tax collection greatly diminished, public debt has piled up – to 68 billion dinars in the west, including unpaid state obligations such as social insurance.

Some analysts expect Serraj’s government will be forced to raise new debt if the war for control of Tripoli drags on.

With much of Libya dominated by armed factions that also act as security forces, the public wage bill for both the western and eastern administrations has soared as fighters have been made public employees in efforts to buy their loyalty.

The east has sold bonds worth 35 billion dinars outside the official financial system as the Tripoli central bank does not fund the parallel government apart from some wages.

Despite its limited reach, the Tripoli government still runs an annual budget of around 46.8 billion dinars, mainly for public salaries and fuel subsidies.

“This year we cannot finance via debt…we will not borrow (by agreement with the central bank),” Issawi said.

According to International Monetary Fund data, Libya’s central government debt-to-GDP ratio is 143 percent, making it one of the most heavily indebted in the world on that measure.

Issawi declined to say what parts of the budget would be trimmed to support the extra outlay for war costs.

However, with some 70 percent of the budget allocated to public wages, fuel subsidies and other welfare benefits, a portion devoted to infrastructure is most likely to be axed.

Widespread lawlessness has meant there have been no major infrastructural projects since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi, leaving schools, hospitals and roads in acute need of restoration.

FOREX SURCHARGE

Issawi said the government planned to raise as much as 30 billion dinars by the end of 2019 from hard currency deals after imposing in September a 183 percent surcharge on commercial and private transactions done on the official rate of 1.4 to the U.S. dollar. That fee has effectively devalued the official rate to 3.9, much closer to the black market equivalent.

Some 17 billion dinars have been raised since then, with hard currency allocated for import credit letters now issued without delays, Issawi said. The forex fee has helped the government forecast a budget in the black for 2019.

Despite the narrowing spread between the two rates, the black market continues to thrive. Dozens of traders remained at their favorite spot behind the central bank headquarters in Tripoli when Reuters reporters visited it last week.

But traders said it could take time for the Serraj government to register the extra forex receipts as official banking channels were taking up to six months to approve import financing, keeping the black market in play for dealers.

Issawi said authorities planned to lower the forex fee from 183 percent, without saying when. The black market rate has dropped from 6 to around 4.1 since September but it has hardly moved of late as demand for black market cash remains high.

The Tripoli government has stopped subsidizing food and bread, which used to be cheaper than drinking water in Libya. Wheat imports are now being arranged by private traders and there are surplus stocks of flour at the moment, Issawi said.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing in Tripoli with additional reporting by Karin Strohecker in London; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., threatened possible jail time for White House officials refusing to comply with subpoenas to testify before the House Oversight Committee.

Connolly, a member of the House panel, made his comments during an interview on CNN on Thursday. He said that “if a subpoena is issued and you’re told you must testify, we will back that up.”

He added: “And we will use any and all power in our command to make sure it’s backed up — whether that’s a contempt citation, whether that’s going to court and getting that citation enforced, whether it’s fines, whether it’s possible incarceration.”

“We will go to the max to enforce the constitutional role of the legislative branch of government.”

His comments came after three officials have refused to comply with congressional requests to testify, CNN noted.

Trump told The Washington Post that his staff should not testify on Capitol Hill, explaining that the White House cooperated fully with special counsel Robert Mueller and “there is no reason to go any further, especially in Congress where it’s very partisan.”

Source: NewsMax Politics

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