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U.S. job openings hit 11-month low; quits rate stagnates

FILE PHOTO: A line worker installs the front seats on the flex line at Nissan Motor Co's automobile manufacturing plant in Smyrna Tennessee
FILE PHOTO: A line worker installs the front seats on the flex line at Nissan Motor Co's automobile manufacturing plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, U.S., August 23, 2018. REUTERS/William DeShazer/File Photo

April 9, 2019

By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. job openings dropped to an 11-month low in February and hiring decreased, which could partially explain a sharp slowdown in job growth during that month.

Still, the labor market remains a pillar of support for the economy amid signs that activity was easing because of the fading boost from a $1.5 trillion tax cut package and the effects of interest rate increases over the last few years. The economy is also facing headwinds from slowing global growth and the United States’ trade war with China.

“The February job openings data reinforced that the labor market weakened in February but there isn’t any cause for concern,” said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Job openings, a measure of labor demand, tumbled by 538,000 to a seasonally adjusted 7.1 million, the Labor Department said in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, report on Tuesday. The drop was the biggest since August 2015. The level was the lowest since March 2018.

Vacancies in the accommodation and food services industry fell by 103,000 jobs in February. There were 72,000 fewer job openings in the real estate and rental and leasing sector. Job openings in the transportation, warehousing and utilities sector dropped by 66,000.

Nonfarm payrolls increased by only 33,000 jobs in February, the fewest since September 2017. The near-stall in job gains was partially blamed on colder weather and also viewed as payback after robust increases in December and January.

Job growth picked up in March, with the economy creating 196,000 positions, the government reported last Friday.

WORKERS STILL SCARCE

The drop in job openings in February likely does not change the theme of labor shortages in the economy. A survey of small businesses published on Tuesday found that just over a fifth of owners reported difficulties finding qualified workers as their “single most important business problem” in March.

According to the survey from the NFIB, 39 percent of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in March. Thirty-three percent said they had openings for skilled workers and 14 percent have vacancies for unskilled labor.

Economists expect monthly job growth to average roughly 150,000 this year, stepping down from 223,000 in 2018.

“There are still millions of help wanted signs out there in the country so we hesitate to revise our outlook for the labor market overall,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG in New York.

The dive in job openings in February pushed down the vacancies rate to 4.5 percent from 4.8 percent in January. Hiring fell to 5.7 million in February from 5.8 million in the prior month. The decrease in hiring was led by the construction sector, where hiring fell by 73,000.

Hiring in the nondurable goods manufacturing industry dropped by 33,000 in February. Hiring by state and local government education departments fell 22,000.

The number of workers voluntarily quitting their jobs was little changed at 3.5 million in February, keeping the quits rate at 2.3 percent for a ninth straight month.

The quits rate is viewed by policymakers and economists as a measure of job market confidence. The worker reluctance to switch jobs is despite the tight labor market conditions that are steadily driving up wages.

“This is not as many quits as you would expect in such a tight labor market, when workers are in higher demand,” said Nick Bunker, an economist at Indeed Hiring Lab. “Though perhaps this isn’t surprising in the short term given that the ratio of unemployed workers to job openings has been rising.”

Layoffs increased in February, lifting the layoffs rate to 1.2 percent from 1.1 percent in January. There were increases in layoffs in the professional and businesses services, and healthcare and social assistance sectors in February.

(Reporting By Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Andrea Ricci)

Source: OANN

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Dershowitz praises Barr’s testimony before Congress, says he’s working hard to ‘depoliticize’ DOJ

Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz told Fox News Wednesday that Attorney General William Barr struck the right chord and "depoliticized" the Mueller report during his testimony before Congress on Tuesday.

"He very much wants to depoliticize the Department of Justice and bring it back to its origins as a non-partisan law enforcement agency," Dershowitz said. "He wants to have credibility. He wants to produce the report according to the law. He's not going to be pressured by the president, he's not going to be pressured by the Democrats, he's not going to be pressured by the Republicans. He's going to do it the right way. That's the projected image that he wants to convey."

Barr told lawmakers he expects to release his redacted version of the special counsel's Trump-Russia report within a week. Democrats hammered him for hours on the report, criticized his handling of the document and demanded it be turned over without redactions.

SEAN HANNITY: BARR WILL HOLD THE DEEP STATE ACTORS ACCOUNTABLE AND CRIMINAL INDICTMENTS ARE COMING

Barr also told lawmakers that "the work of the special counsel was not a mystery to the people at the Department of Justice."

He added that "there was some inkling into the thinking of the special counsel," referring to an early March meeting with Mueller at the DOJ where the special counsel laid out his preliminary conclusions.

BARR REVEALS HE IS REVIEWING 'CONDUCT' OF FBI'S ORIGINAL RUSSIA PROBE

Dershowitz says it was important for Barr to say that because "you don't want to fall into the situation where you have to make an important decision within 48 hours without having some advance knowledge."

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"I'm sure that Barr knew from Mueller what the thrust of the report was going to be," he said. "He had time to think about it, talk to his aides about it and time to make the kind of decision the attorney general is supposed to make. ...The special counsel works for the attorney general. It's the attorney general who is ultimately responsible for deciding how much of the report to release, how to act on it."

Source: Fox News Politics

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Aurora shooting victims included plant manager, intern

The victims of an employee who started shooting after hearing he was being fired at a suburban Chicago industrial warehouse were co-workers that included a plant manager whose wife says he texted her "I love you, I've been shot at work," and an intern in his first day on the job. A look at the victims:

JOSH PINKARD

Terra Pinkard says it all started with a text from her husband, Josh: "I love you, I've been shot at work."

The Chicago Tribune reported that she later learned he was among the five victims of Friday's shooting at Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora.

She wrote in a Facebook post Sunday that she read the text message several times before it "hit me that it was for real." She called Josh's phone, texted him and FaceTimed him, but got no response.

She called Henry Pratt, where he had been plant manager since the spring of 2018, and a woman answered and said she was "barricaded in her room with police everywhere."

"Of course my heart dropped," Terra Pinkard wrote.

She loaded her and Josh's three children into her car and drove toward the plant. When an officer stopped her at a street that had been closed and couldn't provide information, she headed to two of the nearest hospitals.

Hours later, police told her about a staging area for victims' families. An officer there read Josh's name among the fatalities.

"I want to shout from the rooftops about how amazing Josh was! He was brilliant! The smartest person I've ever met! My best friend! The man I would have leaned on during devastation like this who would tell me it's ok Terra, it is all going to be fine," she wrote in the Facebook post. "The man who was dying and found the clarity of mind for just a second to send me one last text to let me know he would always love me."

Josh Pinkard, 37, had attended the meeting where the gunman was fired.

A native of Alabama, Josh joined the parent company 13 years ago at its Albertville, Alabama, facility.

He earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Mississippi State University and a master's degree from the University of Arkansas, according to his LinkedIn account.

TREVOR WEHNER

The 21-year-old Northern Illinois University student was on his first day as an intern in human resources at Henry Pratt and also was at the fateful meeting.

Jay Wehner said his nephew grew up about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Aurora in Sheridan and was expected to graduate from Northern Illinois University in May with a degree in human resource management. He was on the dean's list at NIU's business college.

"He always, always was happy," Jay Wehner said. "I have no bad words for him. He was a wonderful person. You can't say anything but nice things about him."

RUSS BEYER

Ted Beyer said his son had a "big heart" and tried his best to make his office a better place. He told the Chicago Sun-Times that's why the 20-year mold operator and union chairman sat in on Gary Martin's termination meeting Friday afternoon. Ted Beyer said his son had helped Martin win back his job months earlier.

Russ Beyer was shot outside the meeting.

"He was a hard worker, just like I was," Ted Beyer, 71, said of his son. "I loved him ... We were close. He was my first kid."

Russ Beyer had followed in the footsteps of his father, a previous union chairman who worked at Henry Pratt for four decades. Ted and his 46-year-old son enjoyed camping, fishing and swimming together, usually at Taylorville Lake in central Illinois.

They also shared one more connection: Ted Beyer had also previously vouched for Martin in grievance meetings with management. Beyer remembered Martin as a kind, caring man who brought him coffee and walked with him following back surgery.

But, Beyer said, that doesn't take away the pain of losing Russ, the oldest of three children, who also had two adult children of his own.

"Anybody who knew him knew he had a big heart," Ted Beyer said of his son. "I just recently lost my sister and now this and, you know, it hurts. It's just like somebody reached in there and took your heart out."

CLAYTON PARKS

The 32-year-old from Elgin, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Aurora, had joined Henry Pratt in November 2018 as HR manager responsible for operations in Aurora, Illinois; Hammond, Indiana; and Denver, the company said. He also was in the meeting where the gunman was being fired.

Parks was married and had an infant son Axel, according to a Facebook post by his wife Abby.

"Every time I've closed my eyes over the last twelve hours, I've opened them hoping to wake from a terrible dream, but that's not the case," Abby posted. "I'm living my worst nightmare. My husband, my love, my best friend."

Parks was a 2014 graduate of the Northern Illinois University College of Business.

VICENTE JUAREZ

Neighbors remembered Vicente Juarez as a hardworking grandfather and rock of his tight-knit family.

Juarez was shot outside the meeting where the gunman was being fired. Juarez had been employed at Henry Pratt since 2006 and was a member of the shipping and warehouse team in Aurora. He had held several other jobs previously in the warehouse, the company said.

The Chicago Tribune reported that Juarez lived with his wife, adult daughter and four grandchildren in a subdivision in Oswego, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) south of Aurora.

Relatives declined comment, saying they appreciate the support but are still dealing with the shock. Neighbor Julie Zigman called Juarez "the patriarch of the family" and said "everyone looked to him."

Neighbor Joven Ang said anytime he was working outside Juarez asked him if he needed help. "That's the kind of person he was," Ang said.

Source: Fox News National

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Women cleared of defamation in French sexual misconduct case

A French court cleared of defamation charges six women who accused a former French lawmaker of sexual misconduct and the journalists who reported the allegations.

The court ordered Friday the former lawmaker, Denis Baupin, to pay 1,000 euros ($1,120) in damages to each of the 12 persons he sued.

In May 2016, investigative website Mediapart and radio station France Inter published and broadcast accounts from 14 women who alleged Baupin had groped, sexted and otherwise harassed them.

The prominent Green Party member then resigned as vice president of the lower House of Parliament. He denied wrongdoing and launched a defamation lawsuit against the six women who were identified in the reports, some witnesses and journalists.

The case had been under particular scrutiny in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

Source: Fox News World

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Iran’s Zarif warns U.S. of ‘consequences’ over oil sanctions, Strait of Hormuz

FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Alhakim, in Baghdad
FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Alhakim, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo

April 24, 2019

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Iran will continue to find buyers for its oil and use the Strait of Hormuz to transport it, the country’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday, warning that if the United States tries to stop Tehran then it should “be prepared for the consequences.”

“We believe that Iran will continue to sell its oil. We will continue to find buyers for our oil and we will continue to use the Strait of Hormuz as a safe transit passage for the sale of our oil,” Zarif also told event at the Asia Society in New York.

“If the United States takes the crazy measure of trying to prevent us from doing that then it should be prepared for the consequences,” he said.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Report: House Oversight Panel Seeks Trump Financial Records

The Democrat-led House Oversight and Reform Committee wants to pour over 10 years of President Donald Trump’s financial records — and the panel’s top Republicans are furious, Politico reported.

According to Trump allies GOP Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mark Meadows of North Carolina, the committee asked tax and accounting firm Mazars USA for documents, particularly looking for those related to Trump’s 2014 effort to bid on the Buffalo Bills, Politico reported.

Former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen told the panel last month Trump inflated his personal net worth by $4 billion as he looked into the purchase of the NFL team — a deal that never materialized.

Jordan and Meadows fired off a letter to panel chair, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., alleging the request “appears to depart from responsible and legitimate oversight,” and is intended “solely to embarrass President Trump and to advance the relentless Democrat attacks upon the Trump administration.”

“We should not waste our limited resources and energies on matters that do not improve the operations of the federal government or better the lives of our constituents,” Jordan and Meadows wrote, calling Cummings’ investigation “an ill-conceived inquiry into the finances of President Trump when he was a private citizen.”

According to Politico, the lawmakers sent a separate letter to Victor Wahba, the chairman and chief executive officer of Mazars USA, asserting Cummings didn’t consult with the GOP side of the panel committee before asking for the documents.

“They complain about everything I do,” a dismissive Cummings told Politico. “We’re just seeking the truth.”

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Britain’s markets watchdog to review post-Brexit rules

FILE PHOTO: Bank of England press conference
FILE PHOTO: Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority Andrew Bailey speaks at a press conference at the Bank of England in London, Britain February 25, 2019. Kirsty O'Connor/Pool via REUTERS

April 17, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s markets watchdog will review its rules as the country readies to leave the European Union, the source of its financial regulation for decades.

“Post-Brexit, we need to consider the future of regulation to ensure the regulatory landscape is fit for the challenge it faces,” the Financial Conduct Authority said in its new annual business plan published on Wednesday.

The watchdog’s chief executive, Andrew Bailey, said Brexit will be the most immediate challenge its faces.

“In order to ensure we are a regulator that continues to serve the public interest, we need to adapt to the ever-changing environment,” Bailey said.

The debate is likely to be heated.

Backers of Brexit say that leaving the EU gives Britain an opportunity to ease what they see as burdensome rules from the bloc, to maintain London as a competitive global financial center.

Others, however, want Britain to stay aligned to the bloc, the biggest customer of Britain’s financial sector.

Britain’s finance ministry and parliament’s Treasury Select Committee (TSC) have already announced plans to review financial regulation.

The FCA said the review would look at issues such a as the cost of rules, and equivalence, the EU’s system of granting market access to non-EU financial firms.

Equivalence largely rests on staying aligned to the bloc’s rules, but the FCA and the Bank of England have warned against Britain becoming a “rule taker” or having to continually copy EU rules.

Britain has cut and pasted the EU’s equivalence regime into national law.

TSC Chair Nicky Morgan has said that the debate over the future of regulation could take decades to decide given deep philosophical divisions.

The FCA also said it will provide guidance to the finance ministry on extending the watchdog’s enforcement powers in the cryptocurrency sector, including its oversight of security tokens which resemble shares or debt, and utility tokens, which allow access to products or services without giving holders any rights.

(Reporting by Huw Jones, editing by Louise Heavens)

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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