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ECB rate-hike prospects before next downturn are fading: Reuters poll

Sign of the European central Bank (ECB) is seen ahead of the news conference on the outcome of the Governing Council meeting, outside the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt
Sign of the European central Bank (ECB) is seen ahead of the news conference on the outcome of the Governing Council meeting, outside the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

March 15, 2019

By Shrutee Sarkar

BENGALURU (Reuters) – The European Central Bank may have missed its opportunity to raise interest rates before the next downturn, according to a Reuters poll that shows a majority of central bank policy watchers aren’t confident they will.

In a poll taken after the ECB said it would offer new long-term loans to banks later this year, nearly 90 percent of economists who answered an extra question also said it would not conduct any more asset purchases until at least the end of 2020.

That comes even though the ECB cut its 2019 growth forecasts to their lowest since polling began for the period, more than two years ago, according to the poll of about 100 economists. Inflation is not expected to pick up to the ECB’s target until at least 2022.

The consensus forecast now is that the ECB will not raise rates until even later next year compared with last month’s poll. More than 60 percent of economists who answered an extra question said they were not confident the central bank will raise them before the next economic downturn.

“Definitely, the cycle has already reached the highest point and we are now already in the slowdown phase,” said Peter Vanden Houte, chief euro zone economist at ING.

“So, the ECB probably did miss the bus in increasing rates. But the situation remains that from conventional tools, there is no scope at all to do something more if the economy goes into a more severe downturn.”

(GRAPHIC: Reuters Poll: Confidence ECB hikes before downturn – https://tmsnrt.rs/2UAVycj)

The survey was conducted against a backdrop of a slowing global economy, an ongoing U.S.-China trade conflict, and an impasse in Britain over leaving the European Union, and it found economists trimming growth forecasts.

“We think the euro zone is a shock away from a recession,” noted Luigi Speranza, chief global economist at BNP Paribas. “Against this background, we think monetary policy normalization is now over. The ECB is likely to leave rates on hold in 2019 and 2020. The debate is soon likely to shift to how the ECB could ease monetary conditions if needed.”

A series of weak economic reports have confirmed a euro zone growth slowdown, including just 0.2 percent growth in the fourth quarter, a recession in Italy, the euro zone’s third-largest economy, and a near-miss for Germany, its biggest.

Quarterly growth is set to nudge up to 0.3 percent this quarter, according to the poll, but average economic growth for 2019 was cut to 1.2 percent from 1.3 in the previous poll.

Inflation is forecast to slip this year to 1.4 percent. It is expected to average 1.5 percent next year and 1.7 percent in 2021.

But the median probability of a euro zone recession in the next year and the next two years slipped to 20 percent and 30 percent from 25 percent and 35 percent in the previous poll.

Some economists pointed to the ECB’s offer of new targeted long-term refinancing operations (TLTROs) as one reason for trimming their recession probabilities.

“With negative shocks that we have seen over the past few quarters … banks will be a little more cautious in extending credit. Now, that risk has been to some extent tackled by the ECB with the new TLTROs,” said Elwin de Groot, head of macro strategy at Rabobank.

“The TLTROs may help prevent further weakening of the economy at best, but that wouldn’t really boost growth.”

Several others said the TLTROs will be more effective by keeping liquidity stable in the euro zone.

“With the TLTROs, most probably, the ECB will prevent a credit tightening, and I think it will be quite successful, given the fact that a number of banks will just be replacing the previous TLTROs coming to maturity (with) the new ones,” ING’s Vanden Houte saod.

(Additional reporting by Richa Rebello; polling by Sumanto Mondal and Manjul Paul; editing by Ross Finley, Larry King)

Source: OANN

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NHL roundup: Tkachuk posts five-point game as Flames rout Rangers

NHL: New York Rangers at Calgary Flames
Mar 15, 2019; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

March 16, 2019

Matthew Tkachuk collected two goals and a career-high five points — his second game of the week with at least four points — and the host Calgary Flames climbed back atop the Western Conference with a 5-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Friday night.

Goalie David Rittich stopped 24 shots for the Flames, who have racked up 20 goals during a three-game winning streak.

Tkachuk has been as hot as anybody through the winning spree, having netted six goals and 10 points in that span, and coming through at key times. Case in point was his game-winning goal three minutes into the second period.

With the score tied 1-1, Tkachuk deflected Mark Giordano’s waist-high point shot en route to his sixth four-point game of the campaign. Seventy seconds later, Tkachuk had a hand in Garnet Hathaway’s tally, feeding the puck to the front of the net for a nifty redirect for his 100th career assist.

Maple Leafs 7, Flyers 6

Jake Muzzin scored two goals and added an assist, Auston Matthews added another pair of goals and host Toronto rallied from a three-goal deficit to defeat Philadelphia.

Patrick Marleau, Zach Hyman and Martin Marincin each contributed one goal for the Maple Leafs, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Ron Hainsey, Nazem Kadri, William Nylander and Nikita Zaitsev each had two assists. Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped 23 of 29 shots on goal.

James van Riemsdyk paced the Flyers with a hat trick, while Jakub Voracek, Radko Gudas and Shayne Gostisbehere added one goal apiece.

Blue Jackets 3, Hurricanes 0

Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 46 saves for his sixth shutout of the season as host Columbus defeated Carolina.

Adam McQuaid, David Savard and Josh Anderson scored for Columbus, with two early goals providing the Blue Jackets with a cushion as the Hurricanes peppered Bobrovsky at times.

Bobrovsky stopped 22 second-period shots, as the Hurricanes held a 22-2 edge on shots but didn’t change the scoreboard.

Devils 3, Canucks 2

Damon Severson’s shootout goal gave visiting New Jersey a comeback victory over Vancouver.

Severson, New Jersey’s seventh shooter in the shootout, was falling down as he beat Vancouver goaltender Jacob Markstrom with a wrist shot from the doorstep. He decided the contest after Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson and Drew Stafford had exchanged shootout goals.

The Devils posted their second straight win following seven consecutive losses. The Canucks took their 14th loss in 19 games.

Golden Knights 2, Stars 1

Ryan Reaves scored the game-winner early in the third period, and Marc-Andre Fleury had 40 saves for his league-leading 35th victory as visiting Las Vegas defeated Dallas.

Max Pacioretty also scored for Vegas, which improved its lead over fourth-place Arizona to six points in the Pacific Division with its seventh win in its last eight games. Fleury extended his personal winning streak to six games, during which he has allowed a total of five goals.

Roope Hintz scored for Dallas, which lost for just the second time in eight games. The Stars, playing the second half of a back-to-back that started with a 4-1 win at Minnesota on Thursday night, didn’t land in Dallas until 2:30 in the morning.

Ducks 5, Avalanche 3

Corey Perry scored a tie-breaking power-play goal with 57 seconds left, Josh Gibson had 41 saves, and visiting Anaheim beat Colorado.

Perry finished with two goals, Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and two assists and Daniel Sprong had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who dealt a blow to Colorado’s playoff hopes.

Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, and Mikko Rantanen and Sven Andrighetto scored for the Avalanche. Colorado (30-29-12) is now five points behind Arizona for the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot with 11 games remaining for both teams.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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MIT cuts collaborations with Chinese tech firms Huawei, ZTE

The Logo of Huawei is seen at its showroom in Shenzhen, Guangdong province
The Logo of Huawei is seen at its showroom in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

April 4, 2019

(Reuters) – The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said on Wednesday it has cut collaborations with Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp over U.S. federal investigations of the Chinese technology companies’ alleged violations of sanctions.

“MIT is not accepting new engagements or renewing existing ones with Huawei and ZTE or their respective subsidiaries due to federal investigations regarding violations of sanction restrictions”, Maria Zuber, MIT’s vice president for research, said in a statement.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)

Source: OANN

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Three more women accuse Biden; Democrats target Trump’s taxes #MAGAFirstNews with @PeterBoykin

Three more women accuse Biden; Democrats target Trump's taxes #MAGAFirstNews with @PeterBoykin For more visit https://www.spreaker.com/user/peterboykin THREE MORE WOMEN ACCUSE BIDEN, SAY VIDEO ISN'T ENOUGH: If Joe Biden thought a video addressing the allegations of inappropriate behavior towards women would squash the scandal and enable him to focus on possibly launching his 2020 presidential campaign, he was mistaken ... Hours after he appeared on video to promise he'd be ... See More "more mindful" about others' personal space, three more women went public Wednesday to claim that the former vice president had touched them inappropriately. All three said Biden's video didn't go far enough. A previous Biden accuser, writer D.J. Hill, told Fox News' Shannon Bream on "Fox News @ Night" that she went public with her claim because she was inspired by other women who have come forward and the “cultural shift” that’s been “long overdue.”  A total of seven women have now accused Biden of inappropriate conduct. SHOWDOWN OVER TRUMP'S TAXES BREWING: A key Democrat who heads the powerful House Ways and Means Committee has formally requested the IRS provide six years of President Trump's personal and business tax returns and the president has responded, "Is that all? Usually it's 10" ... The request Wednesday by U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., who heads the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, is the first such demand for a sitting president's tax information in 45 years. The move sets up a virtually certain legal showdown with the White House as Trump has refused the request, saying he is under audit. AOC reminds Trump in tweet about tax return request: 'We didn't ask you' VIRGINIA LT. GOVERNOR RELEASES POLYGRAPH RESULTS: Embattled Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax on Wednesday released the results of a polygraph test he said he took in response to two accusations of sexual misconduct by two separate women ...“Today, I am providing the full report of my polygraph examinations to the media so that all Virginians can read the report themselves,” he said in a news conference held in his office, WTKR-TV of Norfolk reported. Fairfax again denied the accusations, saying, “they are incredibly hurtful to me and my family and my reputation, which I have spent a lifetime building.” Fairfax's two accusers, Vanessa Tyson and Meredith Watson, both spoke out in national interviews with Gayle King that aired on "CBS This Morning" earlier this week. STACEY ABRAMS STILL NOT CONCEDING DEFEAT: Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams questioned the legitimacy of her 2018 loss during an event in New York City on Wednesday, saying she refuses to concede the race to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, while accusing the GOP of stealing the election ... "Despite the final tally and the inauguration [of Gov. Brian Kemp] and the situation we find ourselves in, I do have a very affirmative statement to make: We won," she told the crowd at the annual convention of the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network. She lost to Kemp by more than 54,000 votes, but has repeatedly refused to concede the outcome.

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The Latest: Suspect identified in Seattle shootings

The Latest on a multiple shooting spree and carjacking in Seattle that left two people dead and two injured (all times local):

10:45 a.m.

Jail records have identified the man they arrested in an apparently random spree of shootings and a carjacking that left two people dead as Tad Michael Norman. Two people were also injured.

King County Jail records show the 33-year-old Norman was booked on investigation of homicide, robbery and assault Thursday after his release from a hospital where for treatment of what were characterized as minor injuries.

Police have said the suspect left his home Wednesday afternoon, shot and wounded a woman driving a car and a male bus driver, then shot and killed another man in a carjacking and got in a head-on crash with another vehicle, killing the man who was driving the other car.

It was not immediately clear if Norman has an attorney.

— This item corrects that jail records, not police, identified Norman.

___

8:30 a.m.

A Seattle bus driver hailed as a hero for steering the bus away from a gunman who opened fire on him and his passengers says he was just doing his job and is"glad to be alive."

Eric Stark was hit in the torso Wednesday afternoon by a bullet but authorities say he still managed to turn the bus around and drive away.

Officials say the gunman who opened fire on the bus while walking in a neighborhood Wednesday then opened fire on a motorist, killing him.

Stark told ABC's "Good Morning America" he did what "any other driver would be able to do if they were physically able."

Stark was hospitalized and spoke from his hospital room.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan says he "saved lives and took action even after being harmed."

Source: Fox News National

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Pro-Trump PAC attacks ‘Creepy Joe’ Biden in ad recalling Clinton campaign

A new ad from a pro-Trump political action committee has attacked former vice president and potential 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden over allegations of inappropriate behavior with women by revisiting a similar spot from Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

The 60-second spot from Great America PAC, entitled "Creepy Joe," shows images of children watching a CNN interview with former Nevada Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, who claimed last week that Biden approached her from behind, smelled her hair and kissed the back of her head in 2014.

"It happened all so suddenly, very unexpectedly, out of nowhere," Flores says in the ad. "I feel Joe Biden put his hands on my shoulders, get up very close to me from behind, lean in, smell my hair, and then plant a slow kiss on the top of my head. To have the vice president of the United States do that to me so unexpectedly and just kind of out of nowhere, it was just shocking. It was shocking because you don't expect that kind of intimate behavior, you don't expect that kind of intimacy from someone so powerful and someone who you just have no relationship whatsoever to, to touch you and to feel you and to be so close to you in that way."

BIDEN ALLEGATIONS REVIVE SCRUTINY OVER HISTORY OF 'UNCOMFORTABLE' INTERACTIONS WITH WOMEN

As Flores speaks, the ad displays a gauzy montage of infamous touchy-feely moments involving Biden. Prominently featured are Biden putting his hands on the shoulders of Stephanie Carter, the wife of then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter; leaning close and whispering something to Maggie Coons, the teenage daughter of Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.; and putting an arm around the waist of Alyson Gardner, the daughter of Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo.

The ad closes with the tagline "Our children are watching," a reference to the Clinton campaign's "Role Models" ad from 2016. That ad showed some of the same children watching some of Trump's most controversial moments on the campaign trail, including his apparent mocking of a disabled reporter and bragging that he could "stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"Our children are watching," the Clinton ad was captioned. "What example will we set for them?"

Sources told Fox News that the "Creepy Joe" ad will run on digital platforms as part of a six-figure ad buy unless Biden officially enters the presidential race. If that happens, the commercial will air on national TV.

Fox News' Sally Persons contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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On South America’s largest solar farm, Chinese power radiates

Guillermo Giralt, technical director of Cauchari Solar, stands next to solar panels at a solar farm, built on the back of funding and technology from China, in Salar de Cauchari
Guillermo Giralt, technical director of Cauchari Solar, stands next to solar panels at a solar farm, built on the back of funding and technology from China, in Salar de Cauchari, Argentina, April 3, 2019. Picture taken April 3, 2019. REUTERS/Miguel Lobianco

April 23, 2019

By Cassandra Garrison

JUJUY, Argentina (Reuters) – In an arid, lunar-like landscape in the sunny highlands of northern Argentina, South America’s largest solar farm is rising, powered by funding and technology from China.

Local officials said they had sought help at home, the United States and Europe without success. Potential lenders and partners, they said, were spooked by the project’s size and the fiscal woes of Jujuy province, one of the poorest in the country.

The Import-Export Bank of China saw it differently. The state-funded institution financed 85 percent of the project’s nearly $400-million pricetag. At 3 percent annual interest over 15 years, it is “cheap money” for Jujuy, a person familiar with the terms said. The catch: the province had to purchase nearly 80 percent of the materials from Chinese suppliers.

Those companies include Huawei Technologies, the Chinese telecom giant under fire from U.S. President Donald Trump. Some in his administration have concluded, without presenting evidence, that Huawei’s equipment provides the Chinese military with a “backdoor” to spy on users or cripple their networks. In Jujuy, the company is supplying inverters, technology that turns power from solar panels into useable current and serves as a critical gateway to the electrical grid.

The project, known as Cauchari, is a testament to the rising clout of Beijing as a backer of big projects in cash-strapped emerging markets. And it is helping China cement its standing as the world’s leader in clean-energy technology.

At a time when Trump is doubling down on fossil fuels and withdrawing the United States from global partnerships, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s sprawling “Belt and Road” initiative aims to put Chinese companies and innovation at the center of infrastructure development worldwide, including next-generation power sources.

“It is a way of expanding China’s growing global presence and dominant economic force, and it progressively reorients the world from the U.S. and European-centric view of the last fifty years,” said Tim Buckley, director for the U.S-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

(For a graphic on China’s solar strength, see https://tmsnrt.rs/2IBwZJD)

The trend is rattling Trump administration officials.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking April 12 in Santiago, Chile on a tour of South America, slammed China’s “predatory” lending practices, which critics say leave borrowers beholden to Beijing.

He warned repeatedly that Chinese technology, including equipment made by Huawei, poses a security risk that could affect information sharing by the United States.

“It is not okay to put technology systems in with latent capability to take information from citizens of Chile or any other country and transfer it back to President Xi’s government,” Pompeo said.

But in hardscrabble Jujuy province, home to around 750,000 people, officials are in no mood for a scolding. Argentina has set ambitious renewable energy targets. It is China, they say, not the United States, that is stepping up with money and technology to assist them.

“China…was the one that more generously opened its doors to finance this project,” Carlos Oehler, president of Jujuy’s energy agency JEMSE, told Reuters in an interview in the provincial capital of San Salvador.

Goodwill from the solar deal has led Jujuy to make purchases from other Chinese vendors, including a contract for surveillance equipment. Governor Gerardo Morales told Reuters that Jujuy and the southern Chinese province of Guizhou have established a “brotherhood” relationship that he is optimistic will lead to more tie-ups.

“We have received visits from many Chinese companies,” Morales said.

Huawei, the world’s biggest supplier of solar inverters, has repeatedly denied it poses any security risks. The company said in a statement it would continue to provide its customers with “innovative, trusted and secure solutions.”

POWERED BY CHINA

At more than 4,000 meters above sea level, Cauchari is one of the highest solar farms in the world. Reuters is among the few media outlets ever to see it. Rows of panels stretch toward the horizon, while boxes of still-packed equipment wait to be installed. Visitors check in at an on-site clinic to have their blood pressure and heart rates monitored because of the risk of altitude sickness.

Expected to begin sending current to the grid in August, the facility will generate up to 300 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 120,000 homes. A planned expansion to 500MW would boost that to 260,000 homes and bring the project’s total cost to $551 million, provincial officials said.

On the windy dirt track leading to the construction site, signs in Spanish and Mandarin proclaim the involvement of state-owned PowerChina construction company and equipment manufacturer Shanghai Electric.

It is yet another indicator of Beijing’s rising influence in the region. China is the top buyer of South American soybeans, iron ore and other commodities, while Chinese investors are snapping up stakes in key sectors such as energy.

In Argentina alone, China has financed hydroelectric dams and wind farms, and the government is in talks for a Beijing-bankrolled nuclear power project, potentially using China’s own Hualong One reactor design. China has invested some $5.7 billion in energy projects in Argentina since 2000, according to data compiled by the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University. 

Argentina’s U.S.-educated President Mauricio Macri attended China’s first Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in 2017, a signal of the tightening embrace between the two nations. A number of Latin American officials are expected to be at the second forum later this month in the Chinese capital.

China has spent more than $244 billion on energy projects worldwide since 2000, a quarter of that in Latin America, according to the Global Development Policy Center data. While the vast majority of that capital has flowed to oil, gas and coal assets, China has been the largest investor in clean energy globally for nine straight years, according to the Chinese embassy in Buenos Aires.

China is the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels and inverters, dominance that has seen European and U.S. producers struggle to compete. The Trump administration last year slapped steep tariffs on imported panels, citing unfair competition. But many renewable energy experts credit falling prices for speeding global adoption of solar.

So has China’s willingness to finance clean-energy projects in the developing world, opening doors for other Chinese firms. In Jujuy province, for example, the local government inked a deal with Chinese tech giant ZTE to supply it with fiber optic telecommunications systems and hundreds of surveillance cameras in the wake of the solar project.

“(Cauchari) paved the way – a highway – for all other projects,” a person familiar with the situation told Reuters.

Jujuy’s pivot to China underscores the challenge for the United States, whose warnings about the pitfalls of Chinese backing are no match for Beijing’s outreach and resources.

Jujuy Governor Morales recently traveled to China to discuss the Cauchari expansion with PowerChina and the Import-Export Bank of China, one of several trips local officials have made to the Asian nation over the past few years.

Jujuy, with its soon-to-be launched clean power and low seismic risk, is trying to position itself as an attractive location for companies to place their data centers. Morales said Chinese universities in Guizhou are helping Jujuy scale the learning curve, attention for which the long-ignored province is grateful.

“Suddenly Jujuy is recognized in China,” Morales said. “We have a path open there.”

(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Marla Dickerson)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen in front of a displayed Huawei and 5G network logo in this illustration picture
FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen in front of a displayed Huawei and 5G network logo in this illustration picture, March 30, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

April 26, 2019

By Charlotte Greenfield

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – China’s Huawei Technologies said Britain’s decision to allow the firm a restricted role in building parts of its next-generation telecoms network was the kind of solution it was hoping for in New Zealand, where it has been blocked from 5G plans.

Britain will ban Huawei from all core parts of 5G network but give it some access to non-core parts, sources have told Reuters, as it seeks a middle way in a bitter U.S.-China dispute stemming from American allegations that Huawei’s equipment could be used by Beijing for espionage.

Washington has also urged its allies to ban Huawei from building 5G networks, even as the Chinese company, the world’s top producer of telecoms equipment, has repeatedly said the spying concerns are unfounded.

In New Zealand, a member of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network that includes the United States, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) in November turned down an initial request from local telecommunication firm Spark to include Huawei equipment in its 5G network, but later gave the operator options to mitigate national security concerns.

“The proposed solution in the UK to restrict Huawei from bidding for the core is exactly the type of solution we have been looking at in New Zealand,” Andrew Bowater, deputy CEO of Huawei’s New Zealand arm, said in an emailed statement.

Spark said it has noted the developments in Britain and would raise it with the GCSB.

The reports “suggest the UK is following other European jurisdictions in taking a considered and balanced approach to managing supplier-related security risks in 5G”, Andrew Pirie, Spark’s corporate relations lead, said in an email.

“Our discussions with the GCSB are ongoing and we expect that the UK developments will be a further item of discussion between us,” Pirie added.

New Zealand’s minister for intelligence services, Andrew Little, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

British culture minister Jeremy Wright said on Thursday that he would report to parliament the conclusions of a government review of the 5G supply chain once they had been taken.

He added that the disclosure of confidential discussions on the role of Huawei was “unacceptable” and that he could not rule out a criminal investigation into the leak.

The decisions by Britain and Germany to use Huawei gear in non-core parts of 5G network makes it harder to prove Huawei should be kept out of New Zealand telecommunication networks, said Syed Faraz Hasan, an expert in communication engineering and networks at New Zealand’s Massey University

He pointed out Huawei gear was already part of the non-core 4G networks that 5G infrastructure would be built on.

“Unless there is a convincing argument against the Huawei devices … it is difficult to keep them away,” Hasan said.

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: The logo commodities trader Glencore is pictured in Baar
FILE PHOTO: The logo of commodities trader Glencore is pictured in front of the company’s headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, July 18, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Glencore shares plunged the most in nearly four months on Friday after news overnight that U.S. regulators were investigating whether the miner broke some rules through “corrupt practices”.

Shares of the FTSE 100 company fell as much as 4.2 percent in early deals, and were down 3.5 percent at 310.25 pence by 0728 GMT.

On Thursday, Glencore said the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating whether the company and its units have violated some provisions of the Commodity ExchangeAct and/or CFTC Regulations.

(Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru)

Source: OANN

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Well, Joe Biden didn’t exactly clear the field.

I don’t think it matters much that Biden waited until yesterday to become the 20th Democrat vying for the nomination, even though it exposed him to weeks of attacks while he seemed to be dithering on the sidelines.

A much greater warning sign, in my view, is the largely negative tone surrounding his debut. He is, after all, a former vice president, highly praised by Barack Obama, who has consistently led in the early primary polls, and beating President Trump in head-to-head matchups. Yet much of the press is acting like he’s an old codger and it’s just a matter of time before he keels over politically.

This is all the more remarkable in light of the fact that the vast majority of journalists and pundits know and like Joe Biden and his gregarious personality.

The reason is that Biden, after a half-century in politics, lacks excitement, and the press is magnetically attracted to novel and unorthodox types like Beto and Mayor Pete. You don’t see Biden on the cover of Vanity Fair, and a grind-it-out win by a conventional warrior doesn’t set journalistic hearts racing.

JOE BIDEN ANNOUNCES 2020 PRESIDENTIAL BID: 3 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT

For many in the media, Biden isn’t liberal enough, at least not for the post-Obama era. He doesn’t promise free college and free health care and has a history of working with Republicans, such as John McCain (whose daughter Meghan loves him, and Biden will hit “The View” today.)

What’s more, Biden’s campaign style — speak at rallies, rack up union endorsements — seems hopelessly old-fashioned when we measure popularity by Instagram followers. News outlets are predicting he’ll have trouble getting in the online fundraising game, leaving him reliant on big donors, which used to be standard practice.

And then there’s the age thing. Biden would be the oldest president to be inaugurated, at 78, and he looked a step slow in encounters with reporters yesterday and a few weeks ago.

But what if the journalists are in something of a Twitter bubble, and the actual Democratic Party is much more moderate? We saw that with the spate of allegations by women of unwanted touching, which dominated news coverage until polls showed that most Dem voters weren’t concerned. In that wider world, the Scranton guy’s connection to white, working-class voters could help him against Trump in the industrial Midwest.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF OF THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

Biden denounced the president’s term as an “aberrant moment” in his launch video, saying four more years would damage the country’s character and “I cannot stand by and watch that happen.”

But first, he’d have to win the nomination in the face of an unenthusiastic press corps.

A New York Times news story said Biden would be “marshaling his experience and global stature in a bid to lead a party increasingly defined by a younger generation that might be skeptical of his age and ideological moderation.”

The Washington Post quoted Democratic strategists as saying that Biden faces an “uphill battle” and “isn’t necessarily the heir apparent to Obama, despite being his No. 2 in the White House for eight years. They argue voters will judge Biden by the span of his decades-long career and are worried the veteran pol hasn’t yet found a winning formula for his own candidacy.”

The liberal Slate said the ex-veep’s rivals view him as a “paper tiger”:

“Biden is something more like a 2016 Jeb Bush: a weak establishment favorite whose time might be past … Biden’s biggest challenge in the primary will be a compromised past spanning nearly 50 years.”

“Compromised” suggests a history of scandal, yet what Slate means is political baggage, such as his backing of a Clinton-era crime bill unpopular with black voters today. Yet I think the rank and file isn’t as concerned about a vote back in 1994, or even the Anita Hill hearings, as the chattering classes.

BIDEN’S SENATE RECORD, ADVOCACY OF 1994 CRIME BILL WILL BE USED AGAINST HIM, EX-SANDERS STAFFER SAYS

One of the few left-leaning pundits to suggest the press is underestimating Biden is data guru Nate Silver at 538:

“Media coverage could nonetheless be a problem for Biden. Within the mainstream media, the story of Biden winning the nomination will be seen as boring and anticlimactic. That tends not to lead to favorable coverage. Meanwhile, some left-aligned media outlets may prefer candidates who are some combination of more leftist, more wonkish, more reflective of the party’s diversity, and more adept on social media.

“If Biden is framed as being out of touch with today’s Democratic Party and that narrative is repeated across a variety of outlets, it could begin to resonate with voters who don’t buy it initially. If he’s seen as a gaffe-prone candidate, then minor missteps on the campaign trail could be blown up into big fumbles.”

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Look, it’s entirely possible that Biden could stumble, get lapped in fundraising and just be outclassed by younger and savvier rivals. He was hardly a great candidate in 1987 and in 2008.

But if the former vice president finds his footing and the field narrows, the press will be forced to change its tune, and we’ll see a spate of stories about how Joe Biden has “grown.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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South Africa's 400m Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk looks on as he attends South African Championships in Germiston
South Africa’s 400m Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk looks on as he attends South African Championships in Germiston, South Africa, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

April 26, 2019

GERMISTON, South Africa (Reuters) – Olympic 400 meters champion Wayde van Niekerk has backed South African compatriot Caster Semenya in her battle with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which now appears to have taken a new twist.

Semenya, a double 800 meters Olympic gold medalist, is waiting for the outcome of her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to halt the introduction of new regulations by governing body IAAF that would require her to take medicine to limit her natural levels of testosterone.

The IAAF wants female athletes with differences of sexual development who run in events from 400 meters to a mile, to reduce their blood testosterone level to below five (5) nmol/L for a period of six months before they can compete, saying they have an unfair advantage.

“She’s fighting for something beyond just track and field, she’s fighting for woman in sports, in society and I respect her for that,” Van Niekerk told reporters.

“I will support her and with the hard work and talent that she’s been putting into the sport. With what she believes in and what she’s dreaming for, I’ve got a lot of respect for her.

“I really hope and pray that everything just goes from strength to strength for her.”

Semenya has sprung a surprise at the on-going South African Athletics Championships though, ditching the 800 meters and instead competing over 1,500 and 5,000-metres – the latter one would not require her to medically lower her testosterone level.

She stormed to victory in the 5,000-metres final in a modest time of 16:05.97, but looked to have lots left in the tank as she passed the finish line.

Semenya beat fellow Olympian and defending national 5,000m champion Dominique Scott in Thursday’s final but the latter admitted she is unsure whether the 800m specialist could be a serious Olympic contender over the longer distance.

“Honestly‚ I have no idea‚” Scott said. “Before today I probably would have said no. It’s hard to compare a 5,000 at altitude to a 5,000 at sea level.

“But I think she’s an amazing runner and I don’t think there’s any limit or ceiling on what she can do.”

Van Niekerk, the 400m world record holder, had to abort his comeback from a knee injury, that had sidelined him for 18 months, following a combination of cold weather and a wet track.

“We are trying to take the correct decisions now early in the year so as not to put myself in any harm,” he said.

“It was a bit chilly this entire week prepping and coming through here as well it was quite cold and it caused bit of tightness in my leg. We decided to not risk it.

“My recovery is going well and I would like to be back in competition this year, but will only do so if I can deliver a good performance.

“I am a competitor and respect my opponents, so I need to be at my best when I return.”

(Reporting by Nick Said, additional reporting by Siyabonga Sishi; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)

Source: OANN

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The suspected leader of the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka died in the Shangri-La hotel, one of six hotels and churches targeted in the attacks that killed at least 250 people, authorities said.

Police said Mohamed Zahran, leader of the National Towheed Jamaat militant group, had been killed in one of the bombings. The group’s second in command was also arrested, police said.

Zahran amassed an online following for his hate-filled sermons. Some were delivered before a banner depicting the Twin Towers.

Sri Lankan authorities said Friday that Islamic cleric Mohammed Zahran died in the blast at the Shangri-La hotel during the Easter Sunday atatcks that killed at least 250 people. 

Sri Lankan authorities said Friday that Islamic cleric Mohammed Zahran died in the blast at the Shangri-La hotel during the Easter Sunday atatcks that killed at least 250 people.  (YouTube)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that the attackers responsible for the bombings were supported by the Islamic State group. Around 140 people in Sri Lanka had connections to ISIS, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said.

“We will completely control this and create a free and peaceful environment for people to live,” he said.

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Investigators determined the attackers received military training from someone called “Army Mohideen.” They also received weapons training overseas and at some locations in Sri Lanka, according to authorities.

A copper factory operator arrested in connection with the bombings helped Mohideen make improvised explosive devices, police said. The bombings have led to increased security throughout the island nation as authorities warned of another attack.

Source: Fox News World

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