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What’s in a name? Japan debates meaning of new ‘Reiwa’ imperial era

An employee of Todan Co. Ltd. produces calendars with the new era name 'Reiwa' in Yoshiwara
An employee of Japan's calendar maker Todan Co. Ltd. produces calendars with the new era name 'Reiwa' after the government's announcement in Yoshiwara, Ibaraki Prefecture Japan, April 1, 2019. REUTERS/Masashi Kato

April 2, 2019

By Malcolm Foster

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese printers rushed to make calendars emblazoned with the new imperial era name on Tuesday as the public tried to make sense of the meaning of “Reiwa” a day after its unveiling gripped the nation.

The new era begins on May 1 when Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne a day after his father Emperor Akihito abdicates, ending his 31-year Heisei era.

The name, or “gengo”, is a part of daily life, used on coins, drivers’ licenses and official paperwork, as well as to count years, although Japanese also use the Western calendar.

But Reiwa’s meaning has generated confusion and controversy.

The first character, “rei,” is often used to mean “command” or “order,” which has an authoritarian nuance that offends some people. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his government prefer “good” or “beautiful”, a lesser known meaning of the character.

The second character, “wa,” is defined as “peace” or “harmony”, so together the two characters mean “beautiful harmony,” Japan’s consulate in New York said in a bid to clear up any confusion.

“It does not mean ‘order and harmony’ as has been reported in the press,” the consulate said in a statement.

The gengo is chosen by the cabinet — not the emperor — from a short list of candidates proposed by scholars.

While many Japanese were positive about the new name, to some, particularly younger people, it sounded harsh.

“Do they mean ‘give in to orders?’ They probably want another militarist era,” one Twitter user said.

FORCEFUL NUANCE

The mixed response may reflect a generation gap or a decline in knowledge about kanji, the Chinese characters used in Japanese and in gengo, said Masaharu Mizukami, a professor of Chinese philosophy at Chuo University in Tokyo.

“To those who don’t know the ‘good’ meaning, it can come across as negative,” he said.

Still, Mizukami said his initial impression of Reiwa wasn’t very positive because of the forceful nuance of “rei.”

In fact, “rei” was rejected in the 1860s, toward the end of the Tokugawa shogun’s rule over Japan, because the “command” meaning implied the emperor had power over the military rulers, Mizukami said.

Abe added to the confusion with a convoluted explanation of Reiwa’s meaning on Monday, saying it meant “a culture nurtured by people bringing their hearts together in a beautiful manner.”

By comparison, today’s Heisei era means “achieving peace”.

Abe stressed that for the first time the name’s source was a Japanese classic, a 1,300-year-old poem, not a Chinese text as was the case in past era names.

That Japanese origin may have been more important to Abe and other authorities than the meaning of the era name, which appeared to have been “slapped on,” said Mizukami.

INTO ACTION

While Japanese debated Reiwa’s meaning, bureaucrats on Tuesday busily updated computer software and documents which almost exclusively use the era name to get ready for May 1.

Printing shops also leapt into action.

Hours after the name was unveiled on Monday, a factory in Yoshiwara, north of Tokyo, began printing new Reiwa calendars.

Sales had dropped off since Emperor Akihito announced his desire to abdicate about two years ago, said Junichi Ishii, manager at the Todan Co. factory.

“I’m relieved that the new name was finally announced,” he said, raising his voice above the din of printing machines.

Ishii said he was sad the Heisei era was drawing to a close, but he hoped in the new era “Japan will be a place where everyone can live peacefully.”

(Reporting and writing by Malcolm Foster; additional reporting by Elaine Lies, Masashi Kato, Kwiyeon Ha and Aina Tanaka; editing by Darren Schuettler)

Source: OANN

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US Ships Again Provoke Beijing by Sailing Through Strait of Taiwan

Beijing is already threatening retaliation over Washington’s expected sale of dozens of F-16s and tanks to Taiwan.

But as if ties between the world’s two largest economies hadn’t already been sufficiently strained, the Navy and Coast Guard again provoked the Chinese leadership on Sunday when they sailed two ships – identified as the Navy destroyer Curtis Wilbur and the Coast Guard cutter Bertholf – through the Strait of Taiwan.

According to Reuters, the gesture, which is part of a redoubled US effort to flex its muscles near Chinese waters, should be interpreted – like other ‘freedom of navigation’ operations before it – as a sign of support for Taiwan, which is struggling with an increasingly threatening Beijing.

The Chinese military has been holding more military drills and missions around the island, as President Xi has made bringing the wayward province back under Beijing’s thumb a top priority for his rule.


Jack Posobiec joins Alex via Skype to discuss the Chinese agenda to steal American technology and what that could mean in the global conflict for freedom.

Sunday’s mission coincided with a trip abroad by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who will stop in Hawaii later this week following a tour of the Pacific.

The US was unrepentant about the mission, saying it was intended to demonstrate that the Indo-Pacific remains free and open.

“The ships’ transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the statement said.

“The U.S. will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows,” it added.

(Photo by tingyaoh / pixabay / CC0 Creative Commons)

Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry said it had paid “close attention” to the meeting:

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing that China had already lodged “representations” with the United States, and that it had paid “close attention” to the U.S. ships.

China urges the United States to “cautiously and appropriately handle the Taiwan issue to avoid harming Sino-U.S. relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan strait,” Geng said.

Beijing has been ratcheting up the pressure on Taiwan, convincing several central American countries to switch their allegiance from Taipei to Beijing, and taking other steps to isolate the island diplomatically. However, Tsai has insisted that the Taiwanese would never accept a “one country, two systems” arrangement with Beijing like that of Hong Kong.

Yet, Beijing has warned that any country that interferes with its relationship with Taiwan could face the wrath of the Chinese military.


Google has been exposed for assisting the Chinese government with their efforts to censor information on the internet. Alex breaks down how this has been on the globalists’ agenda for decades.

Source: InfoWars

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NBA roundup: Turner’s triple-double leads Blazers

NBA: Portland Trail Blazers at Minnesota Timberwolves
Apr 1, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Rodney Hood (5) shoots the ball over Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the third quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

April 2, 2019

Rodney Hood scored 21 points, and Evan Turner came off the bench for a triple-double as the Portland Trail Blazers pulled away for a 132-122 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night in Minneapolis.

Turner went 5-for-5 from the field while collecting 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in only 24 minutes for the Trail Blazers, who have won 10 of their past 12 contests.

Enes Kanter contributed 20 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots, and Seth Curry scored 19 points for Portland, which shot 54.9 percent from the field and made 15 of 30 3-point attempts.

Andrew Wiggins had 21 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 17 points with 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have lost eight of their past 10. Tyus Jones had 14 points and 10 assists.

Bucks 131, Nets 121

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points, 14 of them in the fourth quarter, to lead Milwaukee to a win over Brooklyn in New York.

With the win, the Bucks’ magic number for clinching home-court advantage throughout the playoffs is one. The Toronto Raptors kept pace with the Bucks in the race for the best record in the league by beating the Orlando Magic.

The Nets remained a half-game ahead of the Pistons in seventh place in the Eastern Conference as Detroit lost to Indiana. All five Bucks starters scored in double figures, led by Eric Bledsoe with 29 points. D’Angelo Russell paced the Nets with 28 points.

Raptors 121, Magic 109

Danny Green scored a season-best 29 points and added five rebounds to help Toronto defeat visiting Orlando, which had won seven of its eight previous games.

The Raptors gained a split in the four-game season series with the Magic, who are still trying to get into the playoffs. Orlando remains a half-game back of the Miami Heat, who also lost Monday, for the final spot in the East.

Kawhi Leonard added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Raptors. Serge Ibaka scored 15 points. Evan Fournier scored 21 points for the Magic, and Nikola Vucevic had 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Celtics 110, Heat 105

Al Horford’s second career triple-double led host Boston over Miami in the opener of a home-and-home as the Heat narrowly held onto the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

Horford had 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his first triple-double since 2015. Kyrie Irving added 25 points and eight rebounds, Jayson Tatum scored 19, and Marcus Smart had 16 points as the Celtics maintained a share of fourth place in the Eastern Conference, along with Indiana.

Goran Dragic scored 30 to lead the Heat, while Bam Adebayo had 19 points and 14 rebounds and Dwyane Wade chipped in 17 points in his last regular-season game in Boston.

Jazz 111, Hornets 102

Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points to lead a balanced attack that propelled Utah over Charlotte Hornets in Salt Lake City despite a 47-point night from the Hornets’ Kemba Walker.

Rudy Gobert added 18 points and 18 rebounds for the Jazz while Ricky Rubio chipped in 20 points and 13 assists. Five players scored in double figures to help the Jazz win for the 10th time in 11 games.

Jeremy Lamb added 23 for Charlotte, which dropped their third straight game on their current four-game road trip.

Mavericks 122, 76ers 102

Justin Jackson scored 24 points to carry host Dallas past Philadelphia. Trey Burke added 16 points for Dallas while Salah Mejri contributed 16 points to go along with a season-best 14 rebounds.

Dwight Powell scored 14 points and rookie Jalen Brunson had 13 for the Mavericks, who won handily despite the fact that Luka Doncic wasn’t available because of a thigh injury.

JJ Redick led the Sixers with 26 points while Tobias Harris added 25. Ben Simmons scored 17. The Sixers, who played without center Joel Embiid (load management) and guard Jimmy Butler (back), had their brief two-game winning streak snapped. Philadelphia is 7-8 without Embiid this season.

Pacers 111, Pistons 102

Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic led a balanced attack with 19 points apiece and host Indiana topped Detroit in Indianapolis.

Young also had nine rebounds and five assists, while Bogdanovic racked up seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. Domantas Sabonis delivered 18 points and 12 rebounds off the bench before fouling out.

Wayne Ellington led the Pistons with a season-best 26 points. Reggie Jackson supplied 22 points, six rebounds and four assists while Andre Drummond contributed 18 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Thon Maker added 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks.

Knicks 113, Bulls 105

Luke Kornet scored a career-high 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting, and New York pulled away for a win over visiting Chicago. Kornet hit 5 of 7 shots from beyond the 3-point arc, pulled down six rebounds and blocked three shots as part of one of the best performances of his two-year career.

His previous high was 23 points, which he reached once as a rookie and twice this season. New York snapped a six-game losing streak and won for only the second time in its past 16 games. The Knicks’ most recent victory had been March 17 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Robin Lopez scored a game-high 29 points for Chicago, which lost its fifth game in a row. JaKarr Sampson added 22 points off the bench in his Bulls debut after appearing in 169 games with three teams over parts of the past four seasons.

Suns 122, Cavaliers 113

Devin Booker, who scored 25 points and handed out 13 assists, was one of four Phoenix players with double-doubles as the Suns ended a six-game losing streak by beating visiting Cleveland.

Josh Jackson came off the Phoenix bench for 19 points, 10 rebounds, a career-high five blocks and four assists. Richaun Holmes had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Dragan Bender contributed 12 points and 10 boards.

Collin Sexton led the Cavaliers with 21 points, one more than Jordan Clarkson. Tristan Thompson and Ante Zizic each scored 15, and Brandon Knight had 10 as Cleveland lost its sixth game in a row.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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Homeland Security’s acting deputy secretary offered resignation to Trump: Nielsen

FILE PHOTO - Interior ministers of G7 nations gather in Paris
FILE PHOTO - U.S. Homeland Security official Claire Grady attends a news conference during a meeting of the Interior ministers of G7 nations in Paris, France, April 5, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

April 9, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said on Tuesday that Claire Grady, the acting deputy secretary of the department, had offered her resignation to President Donald Trump, potentially further destabilizing the agency tasked with managing immigration and the country’s borders.

The departure of Grady, who was legally supposed to take over from Nielsen after Nielsen’s own ouster earlier this week, was expected after Trump picked U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan to become the acting head of the Homeland Security Department.

Nielsen’s resignation at the department is effective on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by David Alexander)

Source: OANN

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Pence: Mueller findings 'should be welcomed by every American who cherishes the truth'

Vice President Mike Pence said that Sunday was "a great day for America" after it was revealed Special Counsel Robert Mueller determined the Trump campaign did not collude with Russia to influence the 2016 election.

"After two years of investigation, and reckless accusations by many Democrats and members of the media, the Special Counsel has confirmed what President Trump said along; there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election," Pence said in a statement.

READ THE MUELLER FINDINGS

He said that Attorney General William Barr — who released a four-page summary on Sunday of Mueller's investigation, that was submitted to the Justice Department on Friday — "confirmed that there was no obstruction of justice."

"This total vindication of the President of the United States and our campaign should be welcomed by every American who cherishes the truth and the integrity of our elections."

Pence said that Americans "can be confident" that the Trump administration will "continue to focus" on what's most important to the U.S., and added: "We can only hope that Democrats, who have spent so much time on these discredited allegations, will join us to advance an agenda that will make our nation even more prosperous and more secure for every American."

Barr's summary said that Mueller's investigation "did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated" with Russians involved in hacking efforts attempting to sway the 2016 election "despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The investigation, according to the attorney general's letter, also found that Mueller's office had insufficient evidence to conclude whether Trump obstructed justice related to the probe, but handed over the responsibility of making that determination over to the attorney general's office.

The report found that on the issue of obstruction, "while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."

Fox News' Matt Leach contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Gabbard pushes back on calls to nix Electoral College, filibuster

She may have been a top supporter of firebrand Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, but Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is on the fence these days when it comes to a series of far-reaching and controversial proposals being embraced by her 2020 Democratic rivals.

The four-term Hawaii Democrat, national guard officer and Iraq War veteran appeared to push back both on calls to eliminate the Electoral College and scrap the Senate’s filibuster rule – two longstanding political traditions and institutions – in an interview Friday.

TULSI GABBARD JUMPS INTO 2020 WHITE HOUSE RACE

At the same time, Gabbard highlighted her support for reparations for descendants of slaves.

Asked about the Electoral College, Gabbard said “there are reforms that need to take place to make it so that our votes are being cast and counted and represented in the outcome of our elections. I think there are pro and cons to the existing Electoral College and to getting rid of it. What I would think would be important is for us to have a conversation about how we can best move forward.”

But Gabbard seemed to jab at fellow Democrats, saying, “I think it’s unfortunate that too often these calls for changes come about by the side that has lost or suffered as a result of the Electoral College.”

An increasing number of Gabbard’s rivals for the nomination have been supportive of scrapping the Electoral College and having the national popular vote determine the winner of presidential elections.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton topped then-Republican nominee Donald Trump by nearly 3 million votes in the 2016 election, but Trump won the presidency thanks to his convincing margin in the Electoral College.

2020 DEMOCRATS TAKE AIM AT THE SENATE FILIBUSTER

Gabbard also is not sold on scrapping the filibuster, the longstanding Senate tradition requiring 60 votes in the 100-member chamber to advance a bill, effectively allowing the minority party to block legislation.

“This is a conversation I think that’s important for the American people to have,” she said.

Gabbard added that it’s “important for us to look at how we solve this or make changes that are not based on partisanship. Often it is the party that is in the minority that is calling for bringing about those changes and then once they get into the majority, they say ‘no, absolutely not. We’re not going to change this.’”

At the moment, the filibuster is actually helping Senate Democrats, enabling its members to slow or stall legislation that the GOP Senate majority and Trump White House might support. The president himself has called for an end to the filibuster, only to be met with opposition from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Democrats hoping to pass a sweeping progressive agenda if they win back the White House are concerned their proposals could get bottlenecked in the Senate, where the Democrats have a shot at winning back control -- but have little chance of grabbing a 60-member, filibuster-proof majority.

While Gabbard has reservations about eliminating the Electoral College and the Senate’s filibuster, she’s on board with another controversial idea being pushed by some primary rivals -- financial reparations for descendants of slaves.

“I’ve actually co-sponsored a bill – HR40 in the House of Representatives – that would put together a commission that would look at the damage that has occurred because of our country’s dark history with slavery and to figure out what is the best way to bring about those reparations,” she told Fox News. “I think we need to bring about reparations, it’s really a question of what is the right way and how.”

Gabbard was interviewed during a jam-packed three-day swing through New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary in the race for the White House.

The Granite State was Sanders country in the 2016 Democratic primary. The independent senator from neighboring Vermont crushed Hillary Clinton in the state’s primary, launching him into a marathon battle with the eventual Democratic presidential nominee.

Asked how she could compete in New Hampshire for Sanders supporters, Gabbard quickly answered that “this is about something ... much bigger than just one person.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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Killer French farm chickens gang-up to kill fox that sneaked into henhouse

A fox in a henhouse got way more than it bargained for when a group of killer chickens turned the tables on their traditional foe and pecked it to death.

‘ZOMBIE DEER’ DISEASE KEEPS SPREADING ACROSS COUNTRY, HUNTERS FEAR IT COULD IMPACT INDUSTRY

The henhouse was located at an agricultural school in France and the fox likely entered the coop at dusk last week and got trapped inside as hatch doors close when the sun goes down, AFP reported.

The body of the fox was discovered the following morning by students at Le Gros Chêne school in Brittany when making a routine check on the creatures.

NEW JERSEY POLICE SHOOT, KILL BULL ATTACKING OWNER AFTER IT POUNCED ON PATROL VEHICLE: REPORT

“There, in the corner, we found this dead fox,” Pascal Daniel, the head of farming at the school, told AFP. “There was a herd instinct and they attacked him with their beaks.”

The organic farm said the chicken coop is open all day and the hens typically spend most of the day outdoors, except when they are laying eggs.

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Source: Fox News World

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Members of The Cranberries, bassist Mike Hogan, drummer Fergal Lawler and guitarist Noel Hogan speak to Reuters during an interview in London
Members of The Cranberries, bassist Mike Hogan, drummer Fergal Lawler and guitarist Noel Hogan speak to Reuters during an interview in London, Britain, April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Gerhard Mey

April 26, 2019

By Hanna Rantala

LONDON (Reuters) – Irish rockers The Cranberries are saying goodbye with their final album released on Friday, a poignant tribute to lead singer Dolores O’Riordan who died last year.

“In the End” is the eighth studio album from the band that rose to fame in the early 1990s with hits likes “Zombie” and “Linger”, and includes the final recordings by O’Riordan, who drowned in a London hotel bath in January 2018 due to alcohol intoxication.

Work on the album began during a 2017 tour and by that winter, O’Riordan and guitarist Neil Hogan had penned and demoed 11 tracks.

With O’Riordan’s vocals recorded, Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler completed the album in tribute to her.

“When we realized how strong the songs were, that was the deciding factor really… There was no point… trying to ruin the legacy of the band,” Noel Hogan said in an interview.

“It was obvious that Dolores wanted this album done because when you hear the album, you hear the songs and how strong they are, and she was very, very excited to get in and record this.”

The Cranberries formed in Limerick in 1989 with another singer. O’Riordan replaced him a year later and the group went on to become Ireland’s best-selling rock band after U2, selling more than 40 million records.

O’Riordan, known for her strong distinctive voice singing about relationships or political violence, was 46 when she died.

“She was actually in quite a good place mentally. She was feeling quite content and strong and looking forward to a new phase of her life,” Lawler said.

“A lot of the lyrics in this album are about things ending… people might read into it differently but it was a phase of her personal life that she was talking about.”

The group previously announced their intention to split after the release of “In The End”.

“We are absolutely gutted we can’t play (the songs) live because that’s something that’s been a massive part of this band from day one,” Noel Hogan said.

“A few people have said to us about maybe even doing a one off where you have different vocalists… as kind of guests of ours. A year ago that’s definitely something we weren’t going to entertain but I don’t know, I think it’s something we need to go away and take time off for the summer and have a think about.”

Critics have generally given positive reviews of the album; NME described it as “(seeing) the band’s career go full-circle” while the Irish Times called it “an unexpected late career high and a remarkable swan song for O’Riordan”.

Their early songs still play on the radio. This week, “Dreams” was performed at the funeral of journalist Lyra McKee, who was shot dead in Londonderry last week as she watched Irish nationalist youths attack police following a raid.

“We wrote them as kids, as a hobby and 30 years later they are on radio and on TV, like all the time… That’s far more than any of us ever thought we would have,” Noel Hogan said.

“That would make Dolores really happy because she was very precious about those songs. Her babies, she called them and to have that hopefully long after we’re gone… that’s all any band can wish for.”

(Reporting by Hanna Rantala; additoinal reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Susan Fenton)

Source: OANN

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2020 Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren participates in the She the People Presidential Forum in Houston
2020 Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren participates in the She the People Presidential Forum in Houston, Texas, U.S. April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

April 26, 2019

By Joshua Schneyer and M.B. Pell

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Senator Elizabeth Warren will introduce a bill Friday that offers new protections for U.S. military families facing unsafe housing, following a series of Reuters reports revealing squalid conditions in privately managed base homes.

The Reuters reports and later Congressional hearings detailed widespread hazards including lead paint exposure, vermin infestations, collapsing ceilings, mold and maintenance lapses in privatized base housing communities that serve some 700,000 U.S. military family members.

(View Warren’s military housing bill here. https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dy5aht)

(Read Reuters’ Ambushed at Home series on military housing here. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/section/usa-military)

The Massachusetts Democrat’s bill would mandate both regular and unannounced spot inspections of base homes by certified, independent inspectors, holding landlords accountable for quickly fixing hazards. The military’s privatization program for years allowed real estate firms to operate base housing with scant oversight, Reuters found, leaving some tenants in unsafe homes with little recourse against landlords.

The bill would also require the Department of Defense and its private housing operators to publish reports annually detailing housing conditions, tenant complaints, maintenance response times and the financial incentives companies receive at each base. The provisions aim to enhance transparency of housing deals whose finances and operations the military had allowed to remain largely confidential under a privatization program since the late 1990s.

The measure would also require private landlords to cover moving costs for at-risk families, and healthcare costs for people with medical conditions resulting from unsafe base housing, ensuring they receive continuing coverage even after they leave the homes or the military.

“This bill will eliminate the kind of corner-cutting and neglect the Defense Department should never have let these private housing partners get away with in the first place,” Warren said in a statement Friday.

The proposed legislation comes after February Senate hearings where Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2020 U.S. presidential election, slammed private real estate firms for endangering service families, and sought answers about why military branches weren’t providing more oversight.

Her legislation would direct the Defense Department to allow local housing code enforcers onto federal bases, following concerns they were sometimes denied access. Warren’s office said a companion bill in the House of Representatives would be introduced by Rep. Deb Haaland, Democrat of New Mexico.

In response to the housing crisis, military branches are developing a tenant bill of rights and hiring hundreds of new housing staff. The branches recently dispatched commanders to survey base housing worldwide for safety hazards, resulting in thousands of work orders and hundreds of tenants being moved. The Defense Department has pledged to renegotiate its 50-year contracts with private real estate firms.

Congress has been quick to take its own measures. Earlier legislation proposed by senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris of California, along with Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia, would compel base commanders to withhold rent payments and incentive fees from the private ventures if they allow home hazards to persist.

(Editing by Ronnie Greene)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: Offices of Deloitte are seen in London
FILE PHOTO: Offices of Deloitte are seen in London, Britain, September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Noor Zainab Hussain and Tanishaa Nadkar

(Reuters) – Deloitte quit as Ferrexpo’s auditor on Friday, knocking its shares by more than 20 percent, days after saying it was unable to conclude whether the iron ore miner’s CEO controlled a charity being investigated over its use of company donations.

Blooming Land, which coordinates Ferrexpo’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, came under scrutiny after auditors found holes in the charity’s statements.

Ferrexpo on Tuesday said findings of an ongoing independent investigation launched in February indicated some Blooming Land funds could have been “misappropriated”. It did not provide any details or publish its findings.

Shares in Ferrexpo, the third largest exporter of pellets to the global steel industry, were 23.4 percent lower at 206.1 pence at 1022 GMT following news of Deloitte’s resignation.

“Ferrexpo’s shares are deeply discounted vs peers … following the resignation of Deloitte, we expect downside risks to dominate Ferrexpo’s shares near term.” JP Morgan analyst Dominic O’Kane said in a note on Friday.

Swiss-headquartered Ferrexpo did not provide a reason for the resignation of Deloitte, which declined to comment, while Blooming Land did not respond to a request for comment.

Funding for Blooming Land’s CSR activities is provided by one of Ferrexpo’s units in Ukraine and Khimreaktiv LLC, an entity ultimately controlled by Ferrexpo’s CEO and majority owner Kostyantin Zhevago, Ferrexpo said on Tuesday.

Ferrexpo’s board has found that Zhevago did not have significant influence or control over the charity, but Deloitte said it was unable reach a conclusion on this.

Reuters was not immediately able to contact Zhevago.

In a qualified opinion, a statement addressing an incomplete audit, Deloitte said it had been unable to conclude whether $33.5 million of CSR donations to Blooming Land between 2017 and 2018 was used for “legitimate business payments for charitable purposes”.

Deloitte said on Tuesday that total CSR payments made to Blooming Land by Ferrexpo since 2013 total about $110 million.

Ferrexpo, whose major mines are in Ukraine, has said that the investigation was ongoing and new evidence pointed to potential discrepancies.

Zhevago, 45, who ranked 1,511 on Forbes magazine’s list of billionaires for 2019 with a net worth of $1.4 billion, owns the FC Vorskla soccer club and has been a member of Ukraine’s parliament since 1998.

(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain and Tanishaa Nadkar in Bengaluru and additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kiev; editing by Gopakumar Warrier, Bernard Orr)

Source: OANN

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Children walk past a damaged building in the aftermath of the Cyclone Kenneth in Pemba
Children walk past a damaged building in the aftermath of the Cyclone Kenneth in Pemba, Mozambique April 26, 2019 in this still image obtained from social media. SolidarMed via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

April 26, 2019

By Emma Rumney and Stephen Eisenhammer

JOHANNESBURG/LUANDA (Reuters) – Cyclone Kenneth killed at least one person and left a trail of destruction in northern Mozambique, destroying houses, ripping up trees and knocking out power, authorities said on Friday.

The cyclone brought storm surges and wind gusts of up to 280 km per hour (174 mph) when it made landfall on Thursday evening, after killing three people in the island nation of Comoros.

It was the most powerful storm on record to hit Mozambique’s northern coast and came just six weeks after Cyclone Idai battered the impoverished nation, causing devastating floods and killing more than 1,000 people across a swathe of southern Africa.

The World Food Programme warned that Kenneth could dump as much as 600 millimeters of rain on the region over the next 10 days – twice that brought by Cyclone Idai.

One woman in the port town of Pemba died after being hit by a falling tree, the Emergency Operations Committee for Cabo Delgado (COE) said in a statement, while another person was injured.

In rural areas outside Pemba, many homes are made of mud. In the main town on the island of Ibo, 90 percent of the houses were destroyed, officials said. Around 15,000 people were out in the open or in “overcrowded” shelters and there was a need for tents, food and water, they said.

There were also reports of a large number of homes and some infrastructure destroyed in Macomia district, a mainland district adjacent to Ibo.

A local group, the Friends of Pemba Association, had earlier reported that they could not reach people in Muidumbe, a district further inland.

Mark Lowcock, United Nations under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, warned the storm could require another major humanitarian operation in Mozambique.

“Cyclone Kenneth marks the first time two cyclones have made landfall in Mozambique during the same season, further stressing the government’s limited resources,” he said in a statement.

FLOOD WARNINGS

Shaquila Alberto, owner of the beach-front Messano Flower Lodge in Macomia, said there were many fallen trees there, and in rural areas people’s homes had been damaged. Some areas of nearby Pemba had no power.

“Even my workers, they said the roof and all the things fell down,” she said by phone.

Further south, in Pemba, Elton Ernesto, a receptionist at Raphael’s Hotel, said there were fallen trees but not too much damage. The hotel had power and water, he said, while phones rang in the background. “The rain has stopped,” he added.

However Michael Charles, an official for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said heavy rains over the next few days were likely to bring a “second wave of destruction” in the form of flooding.

“The houses are not all solid, and the topography is very sandy,” Charles said.

In the days after Cyclone Idai, heavy inland rains prompted rivers to burst their banks, submerging entire villages, cutting areas off from aid and ruining crops. There were concerns the same could happen again in northern Mozambique.

Before Kenneth hit, the government and aid workers moved around 30,000 people to safer buildings such as schools, however authorities said that around 680,000 people were in the path of the storm.

(Reporting by Emma Rumney and Stephen Eisenhammer; Writing by Emma Rumney; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Alexandra Zavis)

Source: OANN

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A worker holds a nozzle to pump petrol into a vehicle at a fuel station in Mumbai
FILE PHOTO: A worker holds a nozzle to pump petrol into a vehicle at a fuel station in Mumbai, India, May 21, 2018. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

April 26, 2019

By Manoj Kumar and Nidhi Verma

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Surging global oil prices will pose a first big challenge to India’s new government, whoever wins an election now under way, especially as domestic prices have been allowed to lag, meaning consumers are in for a painful surge as they catch up.

For oil-import dependent India, higher global prices could lead to a weaker rupee, higher inflation, the ruling out of interest rate cuts and could further weigh on twin current account and budget deficits, economists warned.

But compounding the future pain, state-run fuel suppliers and retailers have held off passing on to consumers the higher prices during a staggered general election, which began on April 11 and ends on May 23, according to sources familiar with the situation.

That delay is expected to be unwound once the election is over. And there could be additional price increases to make up for losses or profits missed during the period of delayed increases, the sources said.

In some major Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, pump prices are adjusted periodically so they move largely in tandem with international crude prices.

That was what was supposed to happen in India but the election means there have been many days when pump prices have been unchanged.

In New Delhi, for example, while crude oil prices have gone up by nearly $9 a barrel, or about 12 percent, in the past six weeks, gasoline prices have only risen by 0.47 rupees a liter, or 0.6 percent.

State-controlled fuel suppliers and retailers declined to say why they had delayed price increases, or discuss whether there has been any pressure from the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A government spokesman declined to comment.

The opposition Congress party said Modi’s government was violating its own policy of daily price revision by advising the state oil companies to hold prices steady.

“The government should cut fuel taxes otherwise consumers will have to pay much higher oil prices once the elections are over,” said Akhilesh Pratap Singh, a senior leader of the Congress party.

(GRAPHIC: India Polls: Fuel price hike lags crude surge – https://tmsnrt.rs/2XLlxik)

Nitin Goyal, treasurer at the All India Petroleum Dealers Association, representing fuel stations in 25 states, said prices were similarly held down for 19 days in the southern state of Karnataka last year, when it held state assembly elections.

Only for them to surge after the vote.

“Consumers should be ready for a rude shock of a massive jump in retail prices, similar to the level we have seen in the Karnataka state election,” Goyal said.

‘CREDIT NEGATIVE’

Sri Paravaikkarasu, director for Asia oil at Singapore-based consultancy FGE, said retail prices of gasoline and gasoil prices would have been up to 6 percent, or about 4 rupee, higher if they had been allowed to rise in line with global prices.

“Indian pump prices have failed to keep up with the recent uptrend in crude prices,” Paravaikkarasu said.

“With the country’s general elections underway, the incumbent government has been keeping pump prices relatively unchanged.”

India had switched to a daily price revision in June 2017 from a revision every two weeks, as the government allowed retailers to set prices.

But the government faced protests last October when retailers raised prices by up to 10 rupees a liter after the crude oil price went above $80 a barrel, forcing it to cut fuel taxes.

Global prices rose to their highest level in 2019 on Thursday, days after the United States announced all Iran sanction waivers would end by May, pressuring importers including India to stop buying Tehran’s oil. [O/R]

Higher oil prices will mean Asia’s third largest economy is likely to see growth of less than 7 percent rate this fiscal year, economists said. Growth slowed to 6.6 percent in the October-December quarter, the slowest in five quarters.

Rating agency CARE has warned that a 10 percent rise in global oil prices could increase demand for dollars, putting pressure on the rupee and widening the current account deficit.

India’s oil import bill rose by nearly one-third in the fiscal year ending March 31 to $140.5 billion, against $108 billion the previous year.

“The increase in international oil prices is a credit negative for the Indian economy,” ICRA, the Indian arm of the Fitch rating agency, said in a note.

“Every $10/ bbl increase in crude oil prices increases the fiscal deficit by about 0.1 percent of GDP.”

Any big price rise would also build a case for the central bank to keep rates steady, or even raise them.

The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee, which cut the benchmark policy repo rate by 25 basis points this month, warned that rising oil and food prices could push up inflation.

Policymakers are worried that a sustained increase in the oil price in the range of $70-75/barrel or higher can move the rupee down by 3-4 percent on an annual basis.

The rupee has depreciated by 1.24 percent against the dollar since a year high in mid-March.

($1 = 70.1800 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar and Nidhi Verma; Editing by Martin Howell and Rob Birsel)

Source: OANN

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