Now On Air

Liberty #MAGAOne Mix

Via MAGA One Mix

6:00 am 8:00 am


Upcoming shows
Real News

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Liberty #MAGAOne Mix

Via MAGA One Mix

6:00 am 8:00 am



Maga First News

Upcoming Shows

Join The MAGA Network on Discord

0 0

Duterte: few options in territorial disputes with China

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has described his dilemma in dealing with a more powerful China in territorial disputes in the South China Sea, saying he has few options other than to order troops to "prepare for suicide missions" if a Philippine-occupied island comes under threat.

Duterte reminded China in a speech Thursday of its closer ties with the Philippines under his leadership, but said if an island occupied by Filipinos in the disputed waters is threatened, "things would be different." Duterte has adopted a non-confrontational approach in territorial spats with China while seeking infrastructure funds and investment.

Duterte said in reference to the island, "If you touch that, that's a different story. I can tell my soldiers 'prepare for suicide missions.'"

Six governments claim territories in the South China Sea.

Source: Fox News World

0 0

Feds portray Avenatti as con man; he calls charges ‘bogus’

Federal prosecutors painted a picture of attorney Michael Avenatti on Thursday as a scheming operator who stole millions of dollars from clients, cheated on his taxes, lied to investigators and tried to hide money from debtors in bankruptcy proceedings.

A 36-count indictment returned late Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, California, offered the most damning and detailed account to date of Avenatti's apparent fall from grace a year after he seized the spotlight while crusading for porn actress Stormy Daniels in her legal battles against President Donald Trump.

Avenatti embezzled settlement funds and proceeds of other matters he handled from five clients and doled out small portions of what they were due to "lull" them into thinking they were getting what they were owed, prosecutors said.

"Money generated from one set of crimes was used to further other crimes," U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said at a news conference. "Typically in the form of payments designed to string along victims so as to prevent Mr. Avenatti's financial house of cards from collapsing."

Avenatti denied the charges on Twitter, saying he had made powerful enemies and would plead not guilty and fight the case.

"I look forward to the entire truth being known as opposed to a one-sided version meant to sideline me," he tweeted.

The new charges do not include a New York extortion case alleging Avenatti demanded millions to stay quiet about claims he planned to reveal about Nike paying high school players.

Avenatti, 48, was arrested March 25 in New York on the Nike charge and federal prosecutors at the time announced he also faced single counts of wire and bank fraud in Southern California, where he lives and practices law.

The 61-page Southern California indictment details charges that carry a potential prison sentence of 335 years, prosecutors said. Even if convicted of all counts, such a term is highly unlikely.

Avenatti faces 10 counts of wire fraud for stealing from a paraplegic man and four other clients he allegedly deceived by taking their money and using it to fund a lifestyle that included living in multimillion-dollar homes, flying in a private jet and sponsoring an auto racing team, authorities said.

He was also charged with 19 tax counts, including lying to an Internal Revenue Service officer, not paying personal income taxes since 2010, failing to pay taxes for his businesses, including two law firms, and pocketing payroll taxes from the Tully's Coffee chain that he owned, the indictment said.

Between September 2015 and January 2018, Global Baristas US, the company that operated Tully's, failed to pay the IRS $3.2 million in payroll taxes, including nearly $2.4 million withheld from employees, the indictment said.

When the IRS later put tax levies on coffee company bank accounts to collect more than $5 million, Avenatti had Tully's employees deposit cash receipts in a little-known account for his auto racing team, authorities said.

Avenatti was also charged with submitting phony tax returns to get more than $4 million in loans from The Peoples Bank in Biloxi, Mississippi, in 2014. The tax returns he presented to the bank were never filed to the IRS, prosecutors said.

The charges are the latest blow to a career that took off when Avenatti represented Daniels in her lawsuit to break a confidentiality agreement with Trump to stay mum about an affair they allegedly had.

Avenatti became one of Trump's leading adversaries, attacking him on cable news programs and Twitter. At one point, Avenatti even considered challenging Trump in 2020.

Back home, his business practices had come under scrutiny from the IRS and a former law partner who was owed $14 million by Avenatti and the Eagan Avenatti firm, which filed for bankruptcy.

The indictment said Avenatti made false statements in bankruptcy proceedings by submitting forms that under reported income such as a $1.3 million payment his firm received.

The most glaring example of deception and fraud was described in the indictment as scheming Avenatti allegedly did to deprive clients of money they were due from court settlements, legal negotiations or sales of stock and actions he took to cover his tracks.

Avenatti on Thursday called the allegation "bogus nonsense" on Twitter.

Prosecutors said in one case, Avenatti funneled a $2.75 million settlement into his bank accounts and spent $2.5 million on a private jet that he co-owned. The aircraft was seized Wednesday, authorities said.

Although Avenatti was due a portion of the more than $12 million he received for the five clients, the charges said he turned over only a fraction.

"It is Lawyer 101: do not steal your client's money," Hanna said.

Avenatti allegedly drained a $4 million settlement he negotiated in 2015 on behalf of Geoffrey Johnson, who was paralyzed after trying to kill himself in the Los Angeles County jail, the indictment said. Johnson was referred to as "Client 1" in the indictment, but was named at a recent court hearing involving the money Avenatti was ordered to pay his former partner.

Until last month, Avenatti had only provided $124,000 to Johnson, the indictment said.

Two years after the settlement was reached, Avenatti allegedly helped Johnson find a real estate agent to buy a house. But when Johnson was in escrow to purchase the property, Avenatti falsely said he had not received the settlement funds, the indictment said.

In November, when the Social Security Administration requested information to determine if Johnson should continue to receive disability benefits, Avenatti said he would respond, but didn't because he knew it could lead to the discovery of his embezzlement, the indictment said. The failure to respond led to Johnson's disability benefits being cut off in February.

After Avenatti was questioned about the alleged embezzlement during a judgment-debtor examination in federal court March 22, the indictment said he fabricated a defense for himself.

Avenatti had Johnson sign a document afterward saying he was satisfied with his representation, which the lawyer told him was necessary to get the settlement that had in fact been paid four years earlier, the indictment said.

Avenatti's tweet Thursday included a "client testimonial" bearing a signature purportedly from Johnson that said Avenatti is "an exceptional, honest and ethical attorney and I feel fortunate to have had him represent me."

Source: Fox News National

0 0

Cold case killings of Montana couple solved after 45 years using DNA evidence

Over four decades after a young couple was discovered dead in their Montana home, authorities revealed Monday they finally tracked down their killer with the help of a genealogy database.

The Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office announced that Linda and Clifford Bernhardt, both 24, were killed at their Billings-area home in 1973 by a former co-worker of Linda's.

"Today we can tell you that based on the evidence collected on the scene, which includes biological evidence and all the reasonable inferences taken from this evidence, we have determined that Cecil Stan Caldwell, a former coworker of Linda Bernhardt at Ryan's Inc. is the person responsible for the deaths of Linda and Clifford Bernhardt," Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder told reporters. Caldwell died in 2003.

ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS EVIDENCE TO BE RE-EXAMINED BY INVESTIGATORS

Clifford Bernhardt was a concrete worker and Vietnam veteran and his wife worked at a grocery distribution warehouse. They had been married several years and moved into a new house just weeks before they were killed.

Photos of Linda and Clifford Bernhardt, who were killed in 1973, are displayed at a press conference at the Yellowstone County administrative offices in Billings, Montana on Monday, March 25, 2019. Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder, pictured at right, says authorities have identified the couple's now-deceased killer.

Photos of Linda and Clifford Bernhardt, who were killed in 1973, are displayed at a press conference at the Yellowstone County administrative offices in Billings, Montana on Monday, March 25, 2019. Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder, pictured at right, says authorities have identified the couple's now-deceased killer. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

Linda Bernhardt had been bound and sexually assaulted before her death, and authorities used psychologists to try to build a profile of the suspect, according to the Billings Gazette.

Linder said that evidence collected at the scene of the home, including biological evidence, tied Caldwell to the killings, although he did not identify a motive. The sheriff, however, believed that Linda was targeted by Caldwell.

Caldwell had no criminal record and died in 2003 at the age of 59, according to his obituary in the Billings Gazette.

DNA, FORENSIC GENEALOGY LINK MAN WHO DIED IN 2017 TO 2 COLD CASE RAPES, KILLING

Authorities had conducted hundreds of interviews over the years, even bringing in a psychic at one point as part of their search for clues.

Investigators remained stymied until 2004, when DNA was discovered on evidence gathered at the crime scene, according to the sheriff. But comparing that DNA against an FBI database of known criminals yielded no results, leaving authorities frustrated yet again.

In 2012, the county formed a cold case unit, which made the murders a priority. Three years later, the unit enlisted a Reston, Virginia technology company, Parabon NanoLabs, to analyze the DNA by comparing it to genetic samples available through a public genealogy database.

Scott Goodwin, a volunteer with the cold case unit who helped with the investigation, told the Associated Press that he and others involved were unwilling to let it go.

"We were obsessed with it," Goodwin said. "These are two young people who didn't deserve what happened to them. They didn't do anything. They came home on a Tuesday night and they were murdered."

After running it through a public genealogy database, officials ultimately narrowed the list of suspects to Caldwell and his brother, who is still alive and living outside the area, according to Vince Wallis, a former detective captain with the sheriff's office who now works for the Billings Police Department.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

Wallis said that after DNA was obtained voluntarily from the brother, it was analyzed by the Montana State Crime Lab to eliminate him as a suspect. That left only Caldwell, Wallis said.

"It's the kind of police work that we are blessed to have in Montana every day," Montana Attorney General Tim Fox told reporters.

The families of the victims issued a statement at the news conference thanking the sheriff's office for its work, but made no further comment and asked for privacy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

0 0

Scott a not-so-slow starter on Masters first round

Adam Scott of Australia hits off the second tee during first round play of the 2019 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
Adam Scott of Australia hits off the second tee during first round play of the 2019 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, U.S., April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

April 11, 2019

By Amy Tennery

AUGUSTA, Ga. (Reuters) – Adam Scott grabbed a share of the clubhouse lead at the Masters on Thursday, finishing three under-par in his best first-round performance in five years at the tournament.

“I’m kind of a slow starter, certainly the last 10 years, I don’t jump out of the gates, it seems,” said Scott. “So I don’t know if this is jumping out of the gates, but it certainly is great.”

Scott recovered from a bogey on the 12th hole with three birdies in the final four holes of his round.

“That’s kind of what you have to do, get some momentum going, even though, over the last two holes, I feel like teeing off from this position tomorrow afternoon is a hell of a lot better than even par,” said Scott.

Despite the warm, sunny weather, Augusta National dealt competitors softer conditions due to the ample rain in the days leading up to the tournament.

Scott, who won the Masters in 2013, has achieved only one top-10 finish at Augusta since donning the Green Jacket.

“I know where and when my game is coming into really good shape and I can see it coming back and I think I got some good confirmation today with some solid ball striking,” said Scott.

(Reporting By Amy Tennery; Editing by Toby Davis)

Source: OANN

0 0

Couple that sought peace and simplicity on farm met with violent death

Friends and clients of a couple that fled a high-pressure lifestyle for a more simple one on a farm several years ago now wonder what signs they may have overlooked that might explain the violent way James and Lizette Eckert died last month.

The couple had three children – a biological daughter, 15, and two sons, ages 11 and 13, they adopted from Russia when the boys, who are brothers, were just 2 and 4.

James and Lizette Eckert were found by police in the New Hampshire farmhouse they lived in since moving from Maine in 2012, on the floor, bleeding. Lizette was dead, James was taking his last breaths. Both had been shot once in the head.

Police announced the arrest of an 11-year-old about two hours later, and have charged him with two counts of second-degree murder, according to a press release by state and local police. The release said the boy’s identity and other information are being withheld because he is a minor.

The Boston Globe, in an extensive story on the parents, said that two people who are knowledgeable about the investigation say the alleged killer is the Eckerts’ youngest son.

FLORIDA MAN GOES ON TRIAL FOR MURDER OF WIFE 26 YEARS AGO

Few details were offered about the youngest son, other than the observation by those who had been around the Eckerts that he was quiet and that, back in Maine, he cried a lot, according to the Globe.

The Eckerts ran their own chiropractic business in New Hampshire, drawing a broad base of devoted clients who described them as miracle workers and lived expensively. They seemed always to be renovating their large home, they had a Mercedes camper, a boat and timeshares, the Boston Globe reported.

They also went full-throttle into their business, dedicated to giving their patients relief from pain and taking a comprehensive approach to their health.

James Eckert, who was 48 when he died (Lizette was 50), wrote in a local newspaper several years ago: "I desire to help the newborn, the aged, and those without hope…I choose to care for the patient with the disease, not the disease…I wish to assist rather than intrude, to free rather than control.”

Their lavish lifestyle, the Globe reported, caught up with the Eckerts, who started missing mortgage payments on their Maine property and were hounded by bill collectors. They ran into trouble with the Internal Revenue Service, which assessed the couple more than $100,000.

Neighbors saw a change in the family as their financial downward spiral continued.

James stopped working, they had stopped maintaining their property, and the children seemed unsupervised.

Then one day, abruptly, they left Maine for the farmhouse in New Hampshire that Lizette’s father was said to have bought for the couple, the Globe reported.

The Eckerts voiced disgust with the court system and the government in general.

They homeschooled their children.

While some Maine neighbors said they had been standoffish, their New Hampshire ones said they were very engaged at church and in the community. They resumed chiropractic care and again built a following of satisfied patients.

One of them, Virginia Adams, wrote on the couple’s obituary page: “I would see Dr. Jim twice a week and was always greeted with a cheerful, ‘How's your day?’ His office was a social gathering, a place to see friends, get advice and share a story. I feel so sad. I can't imagine what the family is going through. Hopefully, their faith will bring some comfort.”

Those who interacted with them said they never betrayed any concern about any of their children.

Gertrude Hammond, director of religious education and youth ministry at St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Alton, told the Union Leader newspaper shortly after the murders: “They were here last weekend for our annual parish bingo. They were here for Mass. They were here for youth night. The boys are altar servers. They’re just an integral part of the parish."

The Globe noted that on her Facebook page, Lizette’s “likes” suggested an interest in the topic of kids who are traumatized.

She “liked” the television show "Disconnected Kids, Reconnected Families" and a page for parents of children who have experienced trauma and have problems connecting with others.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Police have not disclosed how the 11-year-old suspect got his hands on a gun or what may have compelled him to murder the Eckerts.

Meanwhile, Lizette’s mother, Diane Kennedy, has established a GoFundMe page to raise money for the Eckert children.

“The terrible impact of losing Lizette and Jim will be felt by their children for many years to come,” she wrote. “Because the story has been in the news, we are doing all we can to protect the children from excess attention, while still allowing the community that loves them so much and so well to help them in ways that will make a lasting impact.”

Source: Fox News National

0 0

Heat C Whiteside allegedly embezzled by Avenatti

FILE PHOTO: NBA: Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors
FILE PHOTO: Apr 7, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) tries to get around Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

April 22, 2019

Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside was allegedly embezzled out of $2.75 million by attorney Michael Avenatti 27 months ago, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Alexis Gardner, a former girlfriend of Whiteside, retained Avenatti to negotiate a potential lawsuit against Whiteside and Avenatti struck a $3 million deal.

Whiteside made an initial $2.75 million payment to Avenatti in January 2017 but none of the money was passed on to Gardner, according to the report.

Avenatti was entitled to just over $1 million in legal fees but hid the payment from Gardner, according to prosecutors, and took $2.5 million to buy a share of a private jet.

Avenatti was indicted on April 10 by a grand jury in Santa Ana, Calif. Gardner is one of five people who had money stolen from them by Avenatti, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Avenatti repeatedly told Gardner that Whiteside wasn’t making his payments. Eventually, Avenatti made 11 payments to Gardner over a 15-month period — always misrepresenting them as a payment from Whiteside — totaling $194,000 before stopping in June 2018.

On Sunday, Avenatti commented on this Twitter account, saying in part:

“I look forward to all the details coming out regarding Hassan Whiteside’s settlement, the money received by the client, the money deducted for fees and costs, etc. and the reason why he paid the money.”

The reason for a $3 million settlement isn’t publicly known and Whiteside offered no explanation in a joint statement provided to the Los Angeles Times.

“We entered into a mutually agreed upon settlement more than two years ago following the end of our relationship; a settlement that reflected Alexis’ investment of time and support over a number of years as Hassan pursued a career in the NBA,” Whiteside and Gardner said in a statement released by Whiteside’s agent.

“It is unfortunate that something that was meant to be kept private between us is now being publicly reported. We have both moved on amicably and wish nothing but the best for each other.”

Last month, Avenatti was charged with attempting to extort up to $25 million from Nike by threatening to expose misconduct by Nike employees involving payments to college basketball players. He mentioned former Arizona center Deandre Ayton and Oregon big man Bol Bol as players who received money from Nike as recruits.

About 10 days later, Avenatti said the mother of Duke star Zion Williamson was paid by Nike for “bogus consulting services” as part of the deal to get Williamson to choose the Blue Devils.

Avenatti jumped into the public eye when he was the attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels during her legal battles with President Donald Trump. He and Daniels parted ways earlier this year.

Whiteside, 29, just completed the third season of a four-year, $98 million contract. He averaged 12.3 points and 11.3 rebounds in 72 games (53 starts) this past season.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

0 0

Theresa May Is Betraying British Voters

The April 12 Brexit leave date has now passed, and Great Britain is still paying around £I billion a month to be a member of the European Union. Even this was a delay to the previous March 29 deadline, and now it has been moved again to October 31 – Halloween Day.

Read Full Article »

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Liberty #MAGAOne Mix

Via MAGA One Mix

6:00 am 8:00 am



Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond looks on during an interview with Reuters at the British Ambassador's residence in Beijing
Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond looks on during an interview with Reuters at the British Ambassador’s residence in Beijing, China April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Pool

April 26, 2019

BEIJING (Reuters) – British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Friday that he had a “very constructive meeting” with his counterpart in the opposition Labour Party before leaving for Beijing and that he was optimistic about finding common ground.

Hammond, speaking on the sidelines of a summit on China’s Belt and Road initiative in Beijing, said talks with Labour aimed at finding a way forward on Brexit had not stalled.

“I’m optimistic that we will find common ground,” he said. “Both sides have got clear positions and both sides will have to compromise in order to reach an agreement.”

Hammond added that he absolutely did not favor a no deal exit from the European Union.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; editing by Darren Schuettler)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
Police secure the area where the body of a woman was discovered near the village of Orounta
Police secure the area where the body of a woman was discovered near the village of Orounta, Cyprus, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Stefanos Kouratzis

April 26, 2019

NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cypriot police searched on Friday for more victims of a suspected serial killer, in a case which has shocked the Mediterranean island and exposed the authorities to charges of “criminal indifference” because the dead women were foreigners.

The main opposition party, the left-wing AKEL, called for the resignation of Cyprus’s justice minister and police chief.

Police were combing three different locations west of the capital Nicosia for victims of the suspected killer, a 35-year-old army officer who has been in detention for a week.

The bodies of three women, including two thought to be from the Philippines, have been recovered. Police sources said the suspect had indicated the location of the third body, found on Thursday, and had said the person was “either Indian or Nepali”.

Police said they were searching for a further four people, including two children, based on the suspect’s testimony.

“These women came here to earn a living, to help their families. They lived away from their families. And the earth swallowed them, nobody was interested,” AKEL lawmaker Irene Charalambides told Reuters.

“This killer will be judged by the court but the other big question is the criminal indifference shown by the others when the reports first surfaced. I believe, as does my party, that the justice minister and the police chief should resign. They are irrevocably exposed.”

Police have said they will investigate any perceived shortcomings in their handling of the case.

One person who did attempt to alert the authorities over the disappearances, a 70-year-old Cypriot citizen, said his motives were questioned by police.

The bodies of the two Filipino women reported missing in May and August 2018 were found in an abandoned mine shaft this month. Police discovered the body of the third woman at an army firing range about 14 km (9 miles) from the mine shaft.

Police are now searching for the six-year-old daughter of the first victim found, a Romanian mother who disappeared with her eight-year-old child in 2016, and a woman from the Phillipines who vanished in Dec. 2017.

The suspect has not been publicly named, in line with Cypriot legal practice.

A public vigil for the missing was planned later on Friday.

(Reporting By Michele Kambas; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
An employee looks up at goods at the Miniclipper Logistics warehouse in Leighton Buzzard
FILE PHOTO: An employee looks up at goods at the Miniclipper Logistics warehouse in Leighton Buzzard, Britain December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson

April 26, 2019

LONDON, April 26 – British factories stockpiled raw materials and goods ahead of Brexit at the fastest pace since records began in the 1950s, and they were increasingly downbeat about their prospects, a survey showed on Friday.

The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) quarterly survey of the manufacturing industry showed expectations for export orders in the next three months fell to their lowest level since mid-2009, when Britain was reeling from the global financial crisis.

The record pace of stockpiling recorded by the CBI was mirrored by the closely-watched IHS Markit/CIPS purchasing managers’ index published earlier this month.

(Reporting by Andy Bruce, editing by David Milliken)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks at the opening ceremony for the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks at the opening ceremony for the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Florence Lo

April 26, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Fewer than half of Malaysians approve of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, an opinion poll showed on Friday, as concerns over rising costs and racial matters plague his administration nearly a year after taking office.

The survey, conducted in March by independent pollster Merdeka Center, showed that only 46 percent of voters surveyed were satisfied with Mahathir, a sharp drop from the 71 percent approval rating he received in August 2018.

Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan coalition won a stunning election victory in May 2018, ending the previous government’s more than 60-year rule.

But his administration has since been criticized for failing to deliver on promised reforms and protecting the rights of majority ethnic Malay Muslims.

Of 1,204 survey respondents, 46 percent felt that the “country was headed in the wrong direction”, up from 24 percent in August 2018, the Merdeka Center said in a statement. Just 39 percent said they approved of the ruling government.

High living costs remained the top most concern among Malaysians, with just 40 percent satisfied with the government’s management of the economy, the survey showed.

It also showed mixed responses to Pakatan Harapan’s proposed reforms.

Some 69 percent opposed plans to abolish the death penalty, while respondents were sharply divided over proposals to lower the minimum voting age to 18, or to implement a sugar tax.

“In our opinion, the results appear to indicate a public that favors the status quo, and thus requires a robust and coordinated advocacy efforts in order to garner their acceptance of new measures,” Merdeka Center said.

The survey also found 23 percent of Malaysians were concerned over ethnic and religious matters.

Some groups representing Malays have expressed fear that affirmative-action policies favoring them in business, education and housing could be taken away and criticized the appointments of non-Muslims to key government posts.

Last November, the government reversed its pledge to ratify a UN convention against racial discrimination, after a backlash from Malay groups.

Earlier this month, Pakatan Harapan suffered its third successive loss in local elections since taking power, which has been seen as a further sign of waning public support.

Despite the decline, most Malaysians – 67 percent – agreed that Mahathir’s government should be given more time to fulfill its election promises, Merdeka Center said.

This included a majority of Malay voters who were largely more critical of the new administration, it added.

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
The German share price index DAX graph at the stock exchange in Frankfurt
The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Staff

April 26, 2019

By Medha Singh and Agamoni Ghosh

(Reuters) – European shares slipped on Friday after losses in heavyweight banks and Glencore outweighed gains in healthcare and auto stocks, while investors remained on the sidelines ahead of U.S. economic data for the first quarter.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.1 percent by 0935 GMT, eyeing a modest loss at the end of a holiday-shortened week. Banks-heavy Italian and Spanish indices were laggards.

The banking index fell for a fourth day, at the end of a heavy earnings week for lenders.

Britain’s Royal Bank of Scotland tumbled after posting lower first quarter profit, hurt by intensifying competition and Brexit uncertainty, while its investment bank also registered poor returns.

Weakness in investment banking also dented Deutsche Bank’s quarterly trading revenue and sent its shares lower a day after the German bank abandoned merger talks with smaller rival Commerzbank.

“The current interest rate environment makes it challenging for banks to make proper earnings because of their intermediary function,” said Teeuwe Mevissen, senior market economist eurozone, at Rabobank.

Since the start of April, all country indexes were on pace to rise between 1.8 percent and 3.4 percent, their fourth month of gains, while Germany was strongly outperforming with 6 percent growth.

“For now the current sentiment is very cautious as markets wait for the first estimates of the U.S. GDP growth which could see a surprise,” Mevissen said.

U.S. economic data for the first-quarter is due at 1230 GMT. Growth worries outside the United States resurfaced this week after South Korea’s economy unexpectedly contracted at the start of the year and weak German business sentiment data for April also disappointed.

Among the biggest drags on the benchmark index in Europe were the basic resources sector and the oil and gas sector, weighed down by Britain’s Glencore and France’s Total, respectively.

Glencore dropped after reports that U.S authorities were investigating whether the company and its subsidiaries violated certain provisions of the commodity exchange act.

Energy major Total said its net profit for the first three months of the year fell compared with a year ago due to volatile oil prices and debt costs.

Chip stocks in the region including Siltronic, Ams and STMicroelectronics lost more than 1 percent after Intel Corp reduced its full-year revenue forecast, adding to concerns that an industry-wide slowdown could persist until the end of 2019.

Meanwhile, healthcare, which is also seen as a defensive sector, was a bright spot. It was helped by French drugmaker Sanofi after it returned to growth with higher profits and revenues for the first-quarter.

Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES led media stocks higher after it maintained its full-year outlook on the back of the company’s Networks division.

Automakers in the region rose 0.4 percent, led by Valeo’s 6 percent jump as the French parts maker said its performance would improve in the second half of the year.

Continental AG advanced after it backed its outlook for the year despite reporting a fall in first-quarter earnings.

Renault rose more than 3 percent as it clung to full-year targets and pursues merger talks with its Japanese partner Nissan.

(Reporting by Medha Singh and Agamoni Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Gareth Jones and Elaine Hardcastle)

Source: OANN

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

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

Title

Artist