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Syria’s Assad: Last man standing amid new Arab uprisings

It's Arab Spring, season II, and he's one of the few holdovers. The last man standing among a crop of Arab autocrats, after a new wave of protests forced the removal of the Algerian and Sudanese leaders from the posts they held for decades.

Syria's President Bashar Assad has survived an uprising, a years-long ruinous war and an Islamic "caliphate" established over parts of his broken country. As the Syrian conflict enters its ninth year, the 53-year-old leader appears more secure and confident than at any time since the revolt against his rule began in 2011.

But the war for Syria is not over yet, and the path ahead is strewn with difficulties.

The back-to-back ouster of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika after two decades of rule and Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir after three, has been dubbed a "second Arab Spring," after the 2011 wave of protests that shook the Middle East and deposed longtime dictators in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

Social media has been filled with pictures of leaders at past Arab summits, noting almost all of them were now deposed except for Assad. Some pointed out ironically that al-Bashir's last trip outside of Sudan in December was to Damascus, where he met with the Syrian leader.

In most countries of the Arab Spring, the faces of the old order were removed, but either the ruling elite that had been behind them stayed in place or chaos ensued.

In Syria, Assad and his inner circle have kept their lock on power and managed to survive eight bloody years of chaos. That resilience may keep him in power for years to come even with a multitude of challenges, including a rapidly degenerating economy and a persisting insurgency in the northwest.

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WHAT IS ASSAD'S STAYING POWER?

Assad has survived through a mix of factors unique to him. His is a minority rule, and he has benefited from a strong support base and the unwavering loyalty of his Alawite sect, which fears for its future should he be deposed.

That support stretched beyond his base to other minority sects in Syria and some middle- and upper-class Sunnis who regard his family rule as a bulwark of stability in the face of Islamic radicals. Despite significant defections early in the conflict, the security services and military have not shown significant cracks. Loyal militias grew and became a power of their own.

Even as vast parts of his country fell from his control or turned into killing fields, Assad kept his core regime in place.

Perhaps Assad's largest asset is Syria's position as a geographic linchpin on the Mediterranean and in the heart of the Arab world. That attracted foreign intervention, particularly from Russia and Iran, whose crucial political and military assistance propped up Assad and turned the tide of the war in his favor.

The unwavering backing from powerful friends is in sharp contrast to the muddled response by the U.S. administration, and something none of the other Arab leaders benefited from in their own struggle against their opponents.

Is he completely out of the woods?

For now, Assad appears to be secure. With the help of Russia and Iran, he has restored control over key parts of the country, and the world appears to have accepted his continued rule, at least until presidential elections scheduled for 2021.

Gulf countries reopened embassies after years of boycott. Delegations from Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan have visited in recent months, discussing restarting trade, resuming commercial agreements and releasing prisoners. Although the Arab League said it was not yet time to restore Syria's membership to the 22-member organization, the issue was discussed at their annual summit for the first time since the country was deprived of its seat eight years ago.

Much of what happens next depends on Assad's ability to keep a lid on rising discontent as living standards deteriorate, and whether he is able to preserve Russia and Iran's support.

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AN ECONOMY IN SHAMBLES

After years of war and ever-tightening U.S. sanctions, Syria's economic pinch is becoming more painful. The government's coffers are reeling from lack of resources, and the U.N. estimates that eight out 10 people live below poverty line.

Gas and fuel shortages were rampant in Damascus, Latakia and Aleppo this winter. Social media groups held competitions over which city had the longest lines at gas stations, forcing the issue to be debated in parliament.

This week, the government imposed gas rationing, limiting motorists to 20 liters every 48 hours. The crisis was worsened when reports spread about an impending price hike, prompting lines of hundreds of cars to stretch for miles outside gas stations. Oil Minister Ali Ghanem denied plans for a hike, warning of a "war of rumors that is more severe than the political war."

The government's inability to cope with rising needs has fueled criticism and anger even among its support base. Still, it's unlikely the discontent will set off another wave of protests. Most Syrians by now will put up with anything to avoid another slide back to violence.

Still, the United Nations describes the level of need in the country as "staggering," with 11.7 million Syrians requiring assistance, nearly 65 percent of the estimated 18 million people who remain in the country, millions of whom are displaced from their homes. Another more than 5 million fled abroad during the war.

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GOING FULL CIRCLE?

Demonstrations reminiscent of the early years of the conflict have resurfaced.

In Daraa, where the revolt started, hundreds took to the streets recently, offended by the government's plan to erect a statue of the president's father, the late Hafez Assad. Further protests took place in some former opposition areas recaptured by the government after authorities moved to enforce military conscription there despite promises to hold off.

Arrests and detentions continue to be reported in recaptured areas, fueling fear that so-called reconciliation deals between authorities and residents of former opposition areas are only facades for continued repression and exclusion.

In eastern Ghouta, which the government recaptured last year after a siege, the government has been arresting former protest leaders and anti-government groups despite reconciliation deals, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Militarily, the defeat of the Islamic State group's "caliphate" last month closed one brutal chapter of the war but opens the door to an array of potential other conflicts. The militant group's defeat sets the stage for President Donald Trump to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from northern Syria, a drawdown that's expected to set off a race to fill the vacuum.

The focus also pivots to Idlib, the last remaining rebel bastion in Syria where an estimated 3 million people live, under control of al-Qaida-linked militants.

Source: Fox News World

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China March services activity quickens to 14-month high in further sign of recovery: Caixin PMI

Hostesses rest during the Auto China 2016 auto show in Beijing
Hostesses rest during the Auto China 2016 auto show in Beijing, China, April 29, 2016. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo

April 3, 2019

BEIJING, (Reuters) – Activity in China’s services sector picked up to a 14-month high in March as demand improved at home and abroad, a private business survey showed on Wednesday, adding to signs that government stimulus policies are gradually kicking in.

But analysts cautioned it is too early to tell if China’s economy has turned the corner, with many businesses cautious on whether there will be much improvement in a year’s time.

The Caixin/Markit services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to 54.4, the highest since January 2018 and up from February’s 51.1, a fourth-month low. The 50-mark separates growth from contraction.

Survey respondents said activity was being buoyed by stronger demand, new state policies and improved access to financing.

The findings were largely in line with those of an official gauge on the non-manufacturing sector released on Sunday, which showed services activity picked up in March as new orders rose more quickly. Construction, in particular, showed strength, likely reflecting government efforts to fast-track more infrastructure projects to kindle domestic demand.

Also, both official and private manufacturing surveys unexpectedly returned to growth in March, fueling hopes that China’s downturn may be bottoming out.

“In general, China’s economic fundamentals recovered in March, with domestic and external demand as well as manufacturing employment improving,” Zhengsheng Zhong, Director of Macroeconomic Analysis at CEBM Group, said in a commentary released alongside the Caixin data.

“However, business sentiment has remained cautious, and inflation was subdued … More evidence is needed to determine whether the Chinese economy has stabilized,” Zhang said.

China has been banking on the services sector to cushion the slowdown in manufacturing, which is being hit by rising labor costs and the year-long U.S.-China trade war. But consumers have in recent months turned more cautious about spending on big-ticket items like cars and appliances as income growth slows amid the broader economic slowdown.

The private services survey showed total orders rose to 14-month high, with solid growth in export sales for Chinese service providers.

But growth in operating costs continued to outpace prices charged by services firms, indicating persistent pressure on their profit margin.

Business confidence edged up, but remained weaker than longer-term trends. Only 18 percent of respondents anticipated business activity will be higher in a year.

Perhaps reflecting that lingering caution, job creation in the services sector also eased to only a marginal pace.

Caixin’s composite manufacturing and services PMI, also released on Wednesday, picked up to a nine-month high of 52.9 in March from 50.7 in February.

Since late last year, Bejing has implemented a flurry of tax and fee cuts to reduce the cost burdens on individuals and companies, while the central bank has guided borrowing costs lower.

“The current economic slowdown in China is mainly due to insufficient domestic demand,” Liu Xueliang, Associate Research Fellow at state think tank Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted as saying on Tuesday by the 21st Centry Business Herald.

More policy support measures are expected in coming months,

though some relief for businesses might be in the offing if Beijing and Washington reach a deal to end their bruising trade war. Both sides have reported progress in the latest round of talks, although U.S. President Donald Trump cautioned that he would not accept anything less than a “great deal”.

(Reporting by Yawen Chen and Ryan Woo; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Source: OANN

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Authorities investigate ‘suspicious’ fires at black churches

Authorities in southern Louisiana are investigating a string of "suspicious" fires at three African American churches in recent days.

During a news conference Thursday, Fire Marshal H. "Butch" Browning said it wasn't clear whether the fires in St. Landry Parish are connected but described them as "suspicious."

Browning's spokeswoman, Ashley Rodrigue, says all three churches have African American congregations.

Browning says the ATF and the FBI are also involved in the investigation.

The first fire occurred March 26 at the St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre, and the second happened April 2 when the Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas caught fire.

Then Thursday morning the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas caught fire.

The churches were vacant at the time of the fires, and no one was injured.

Source: Fox News National

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Nissan files criminal complaint against jailed ex-Chairman Ghosn

FILE PHOTO: The Nissan logo is seen at Nissan Motor's global headquarters building in Yokohama
FILE PHOTO: The Nissan logo is seen at Nissan Motor's global headquarters building in Yokohama, Japan, Dec. 17, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

April 22, 2019

TOKYO (Reuters) – Nissan Motor said on Monday it had filed a criminal complaint against former Chairman Carlos Ghosn related to an aggravated breach of trust under Japan’s Companies Act.

The Japanese automaker said it had filed the complaint after determining payments made by Nissan to an overseas vehicle sales company through a subsidiary had been directed by Ghosn for his personal enrichment.

“Such misconduct is completely unacceptable, and Nissan is requesting appropriately strict penalties,” Nissan said in a statement posted on its website.

Ghosn is expected to be indicted by Tokyo prosecutors on Monday for aggravated breach of trust. It would be the fourth charge against him since he was arrested in November on suspicion of financial misconduct. He has denied all allegations against him.

(Reporting by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Source: OANN

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Hyundai Motor says to lift auto operating margin to 7 percent by 2022

The logo of Hyundai Motor is seen during the 2017 Seoul Motor Show in Goyang
The logo of Hyundai Motor is seen during the 2017 Seoul Motor Show in Goyang, South Korea, March 31, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

February 27, 2019

SEOUL (Reuters) – Hyundai Motor Co said on Wednesday it plans to boost the core automotive businesses’ operating profit margin to 7 percent by 2022, compared with 2.1 percent in 2018, as part of its mid- to long-term plan.

The automaker said it also plans to invest 45.3 trillion won ($40.48 billion) over the next five years in research and development, capital expenditure and future growth areas such as autonomous driving technologies, vehicle electrification and mobility services.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Source: OANN

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Americans don’t support Elizabeth Warren’s plan to break up tech giants: poll

Americans disagree with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., when it comes to her proposal to break up large tech companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook, a new NBC/WSJ poll reveals.

Warren, a 2020 presidential hopeful, has been vocal about her opposition to corporate giants, and her plan would break up tech companies with global assets of $25 billion or more, CNBC reported.

ELIZABETH WARREN PITCHES POLICIES TOTALING $100 TRILLION AT TOWN HALL: ESTIMATES

A slight majority of those polled, 50 percent to 47 percent, said that companies like Google should not be broken up by the government, and a much larger majority, 68 percent to 28 percent, said the free market, not government, should make those decisions. However, only 36 percent said they were satisfied with the amount of congressional oversight and regulation of tech companies.

The survey also showed Facebook is still facing serious PR problems: Only six percent of respondents said they trust the company, versus 23 and 19 percent for Amazon and Google respectively. Ninety-three percent of respondents said they don’t trust Facebook with their personal information.

A majority, 61 percent, of participants agreed that the use of smartphones and social media in communication is a step in the right direction.

The results were mostly split along party lines.

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The survey of 1,000 people was conducted over the phone between March 23 and 27 and has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.

Source: Fox News Politics

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CBS TV Show Advocates Using Political Violence

A promo clip for the CBS legal drama show The Good Fight openly advocates using violence to silence political opinions.

The video features an African-American man walking through the scene of what appears to be a violent demonstration or a riot.

The man says that he previously did not advocate violence, but then saw a video of alt-right leader Richard Spencer being punched in the face and changed his mind.

“Some speech requires a more visceral response,” he states, adding that the Overton Window (the frame of acceptable opinions) is only maintained by “some enforcement”.

“So yeah, this is enforcement. It’s time to punch a few Nazis,” he adds.

The clip then cuts to demonstrators being violent while another man with a baseball bat jumps on top of a vehicle.

Given that many on the far-left think that literally everyone who disagrees with their warped view of the world is a “Nazi,” the term has lost all meaning.

This is merely a dog whistle for fringe extremist Antifa groups who have engaged in political violence against Trump supporters, people carrying American flags, and all manner of other innocent targets who were not “Nazis”.

The clip is also clearly a violation of Twitter’s rules, which state, “You may not make specific threats of violence or wish for the serious physical harm, death, or disease of an individual or group of people.”

Don’t expect it to be removed any time soon.

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Source: InfoWars

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FILE PHOTO: The Credit Suisse logo is pictured on a bank in Geneva
FILE PHOTO: The Credit Suisse logo is pictured on a bank in Geneva, Switzerland, October 17, 2017. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

April 26, 2019

ZURICH (Reuters) – Shareholders approved Credit Suisse’s 2018 compensation report with an 82 percent majority on Friday, overriding frustrations expressed at its annual general meeting over jumps in executive pay during a year its share price plummeted.

Three shareholder advisers had recommended investors vote against Switzerland’s second-biggest bank’s remuneration report, while a fourth backed the report but expressed reservations about whether management pay matched performance.

The approval marked a slight increase over the 80.8 percent support garnered for the bank’s 2017 compensation report.

(Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi; Editing by Michael Shields)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the trading floor of Barclays Bank at Canary Wharf in London
FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the trading floor of Barclays Bank at Canary Wharf in London, Britain December 7, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Simon Jessop and Sinead Cruise

LONDON (Reuters) – Activist investor Edward Bramson is likely to fail in his attempt to get a board seat at Barclays’ annual meeting next week, even though shareholders are dissatisfied with performance of the group’s investment bank.

New York-based Bramson’s Sherborne Investors and the board of the British bank have been sparring for months over Barclays’ strategy.

Bramson wants to scale back Barclays’ investment bank to reduce risk and boost shareholder returns. Barclays Chief Executive Jes Staley remains staunchly committed to growing the business out of trouble.

After failing to persuade Staley to change course since he began building a 5.5 percent stake in the bank in March last year, Bramson hopes a board seat will rachet up the pressure.

Both sides have written to shareholders pitching their case and Bramson has courted investors in one-on-one meetings, although none have publicly backed him yet.

Interviews by Reuters with five institutional investors in Barclays suggest Bramson has failed to persuade them.

Sherborne declined to comment.

Mirza Baig, head of investment stewardship at top-40 shareholder Aviva Investors, said Bramson was welcome on the bank’s register but the boardroom was a step too far.

“He has created a lot of value at other businesses, but, generally, when he has come in as executive chair and taken full control. This would be a different case where he would just be one lone voice on the board,” he said.

A second Barclays shareholder said he backed Bramson’s goal of improving returns but via an “evolutionary” approach.

“If you look at banks that have tried to restructure their operations in investment banking – you look at Natwest Markets, Deutsche Bank – I struggle to think of an example where a roughshod restructuring has been accretive to shareholder value.”

A third, top-30 investor said he had been impressed by incoming Chairman Nigel Higgins’ grasp of the challenge in hand, and felt investors would give him time.

“Management know they have to execute and deliver improved returns… [Higgins] will continue to re-shape the board but obviously he didn’t feel that having someone with a diametrically opposed view on it would be helpful.”

A fourth, top-30 investor agreed: “We voted for the chairman to come in and it would be crazy to allow an activist to join the board (at this time).”

Jupiter Fund Management, the 24th largest investor, said it also planned to vote against Bramson.

Barclays has nearly 500 institutional shareholders, Refinitiv data showed.

Since Staley joined Barclays in 2015, the investment bank returns relative to capital invested have increased but are still underperforming the overall business.

Barclays’ first-quarter figures showed the investment bank posted a 6 percent drop in income from its markets business and a 17 percent fall in banking advisory fees.

Returns in the investment bank fell to 9.5 percent from 13.2 percent a year ago.

Famed for successful campaigns against smaller British companies in sectors from chemicals to advertising, Bramson’s board seat pitch has been rebuffed by shareholder advisory firms.

Institutional Shareholder Services, the world’s biggest, said Bramson’s proposal “falls short of what can reasonably be expected from a shareholder trying to address issues at a 28 billion pounds, systemically important bank”.

Glass Lewis also flagged concern about Bramson’s lack of banking experience and “questionable” shareholding structure, referring to Sherborne’s use of derivative contracts to hedge losses should its strategy fail.

Critics said the arrangement meant his interests are not truly aligned with those of other long-term shareholders.

British advisory firm Pirc, however, said it recommended that investors abstain in the vote on Bramson’s proposal as a challenge to the board to do better in the year ahead – or face a similar contest in 2020.

(Editing by Jane Merriman)

Source: OANN

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https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2019/04/918/516/02_2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

After an over 15-month pregnancy, “Akuti,” a 7-year-old Greater One Horned Indian Rhinoceros, gave birth as a result of induced ovulation and artificial insemination at Zoo Miami, April 23, 2019.

Ron Magill/Zoo Miami

https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2019/04/918/516/02_2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

Source: Fox News World

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FILE PHOTO: File photo of a Chevron gas station sign in Del Mar, California
FILE PHOTO: A Chevron gas station sign is seen in Del Mar, California, in this April 25, 2013 file photo. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – U.S. oil and natural gas producer Chevron Corp reported a 27 percent fall in quarterly earnings on Friday, hit by lower crude prices and weaker margins in its refining and chemicals businesses.

Net income attributable to the company fell to $2.65 billion, or $1.39 per share, for the first quarter ended March 31, from $3.64 billion, or $1.90 per share, a year earlier.

Earlier in the day, larger rival Exxon Mobil Corp reported earnings well below analysts’ estimates, as margins in its refining business were hurt by higher Canadian prices and heavy scheduled maintenance.

(Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: Ford logo is seen at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan
FILE PHOTO: The Ford logo is seen at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Ford Motor Co said on Friday the U.S. Department of Justice had opened a criminal investigation into the automaker’s emissions certification process in the United States.

The potential concern does not involve the use of defeat devices, the company said in a regulatory filing. (https://bit.ly/2VqjHpl)

Ford had voluntarily disclosed the matter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board in February.

(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by James Emmanuel)

Source: OANN

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