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Greek police use safe driving to stop migrant-smuggling

Police in northern Greece have adopted a new tactic for disrupting gangs that smuggle people into the country from across the land border with Turkey, an increasingly popular route: stopping drivers who work for the gangs and charging them with traffic violations before they can pick up their human cargo.

The drivers can't be charged with smuggling if they don't have migrants with them. But they can face prison terms of several months and stiff fines for violations such as driving without a license, and their cars can be impounded.

The strategy is much less dangerous than policing the border by having patrol cars chase old vehicles crammed with people who just entered Greece. Smugglers sometimes use teenagers with minimal driving experience to transport migrants from the border to other destinations, risking horrific losses of life if they panic and crash during a police pursuit.

In October, a car smuggling migrants collided with a truck and burst into flames near the city of Kavala in northeastern Greece, killing all 11 people who somehow were squeezed inside.

Accidents in northeastern Greece involving vehicles driven by smugglers killed 30 migrants last year — including the 11 killed near Kavala — and injured another 95, according to police data.

"In the serious accidents with refugee and migrant victims, most of the drivers who survived and were immigrants from Asian countries, didn't have driving licenses," said Major-General Nikolaos Menexidis, the police chief for Greece's border region of Thrace and adjoining Eastern Macedonia. "The vehicles were in bad condition, many had worn tires, because the gangs are looking for cheap ways to do their business."

Typically, smuggling gangs charge 1,500-2,000 euros ($1,700-$2,260) per person to sneak migrants from Turkey across the land border to Greece's second-largest city, Thessaloniki.

Police started focusing on vehicles without passengers as a smuggling deterrent in September. From then through February, 125 people suspected of working for smuggling rings were arrested for traffic violations while driving toward the Thrace border region. They had been recruited from among migrants already living in Greece, and none had a drivers' license.

"We want to send smuggling gangs the message that they can't get past us, or at least not easily," Menexidis said.

While main highways extending from Greece's 200-kilometer-long (124-mile-long) border with Turkey along the Evros River already were heavily policed, traffic roadblocks were expanded to cover small country roads as part of the effort to catch drivers heading to the border to meet arriving migrants. Although smugglers tend to prefer small roads to avoid detection, they also are easier for police to control since the traffic is lighter.

The preferred route into Greece continues to be the relatively short sea crossing from the Turkish coast to Greek islands in the eastern Aegean Sea, but the share of people opting to cross at the land border has been increasing. It doubled from 18 percent in 2017 to 36 percent last year.

The growing popularity of the overland route is due to a 2016 agreement between the European Union and Turkey under which people who reach the Greek islands illegally are held in camps and prevented from moving on to the Greek mainland while facing potential deportation, The sea route from Turkey also carries a high risk of drowning: 187 people died trying to cross the eastern Mediterranean last year.

The EU-Turkey deal applies only to the islands, where the camps have become notoriously overcrowded and poor living conditions slammed by human rights groups. The agreement has been largely credited with stemming huge flows of refugees and migrants to Europe like the more than one million people fleeing violence who arrived in 2015, four-fifths of them crossing the water from Turkey to Greece.

According to the United Nations refugee agency, about 50,000 of the 141,500 migrants who reached Europe last year arrived through Greece, 32,500 by sea and 18,000 by land. In 2017, 29,718 came to Greece by sea and 6,582 entered the country by land. Most don't intend to stay in Greece, but plan to pay gangs to spirit them on through the Balkans to Germany or other prosperous EU countries.

Menexidis says targeting drivers working for smugglers has already helped reduce arrivals, as well as lowered the number of migrants dying in traffic accidents.

"These large flows have stopped," he said. "Last year, we had accidents that we don't have this year, so we can argue that the road checks have helped with that too."

___

Follow Kantouris at http://www.twitter.com/CostasKantouris

Source: Fox News World

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India’s SpiceJet in talks with lessors to induct aircraft

Man looks out through a window with an advertisement of SpiceJet Airline, on a commercial building in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad
A man looks out through a window with an advertisement of SpiceJet Airline, on a commercial building in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad February 14, 2014. REUTERS/Amit Dave

March 22, 2019

(Reuters) – India’s SpiceJet Ltd said on Friday it was in talks will lessors globally to induct aircraft, in an effort to fill a gap after the grounding of its MAX fleet.

The airline was forced to ground its 12 Boeing Co 737 MAX 8 planes by India’s aviation watchdog due to safety concerns after an Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that killed 157 people earlier this month.

The low-cost carrier could also benefit from cash-strapped Jet Airways being forced to ground planes, and is in talks with lessors to lease some of those aircraft, a person with direct knowledge of the matter had told Reuters earlier this week.

(Reporting by Tanvi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

Source: OANN

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Dems Worry Bernie Sanders Will Be Their Trump

Democrats on Tuesday shared their concerns Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., could hijack the party's presidential nomination the same way President Donald Trump won the Republican nomination in 2016, The New York Times reports.

The newspaper notes that Sanders, like Trump, is a candidate over the age of 70 who came from outside the party structure, cannot be intimidated or incentivized, and has a strong hold over his base of support. Some Democrats have begun to wonder how they can fight Sanders' campaign without lending credence to his claim the Washington establishment is "out to get me."

Sanders has already outraised his primary opponents by several million, and has topped several polls on potential Democratic nominees.

"There's a growing realization that Sanders could end up winning this thing, or certainly that he stays in so long that he damages the actual winner," said David Brock, a longtime political operative and the co-founder of Media Matters for America.

"One thing we have now that we didn't in '16 is the uniting force of Trump," former Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. "There will be tremendous pressure on Bernie and his followers to fall in line because of what Trump represents."

"If he is consistently raising $6 million more than his next closest opponent, he's going to have a massive financial advantage," said Rufus Gifford, who was former President Barack Obama's finance director in 2012. He added he is dismayed by the lack of action from major Democratic donors, saying, "I feel like everything we are doing is playing into his hands."

Source: NewsMax America

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NHL roundup: Islanders down Sabres, clinch playoff spot

NHL: Buffalo Sabres at New York Islanders
Mar 30, 2019; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Islanders left wing Anthony Beauvillier (18) celebrates his goal against the Buffalo Sabres during the second period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

March 31, 2019

Anthony Beauvillier scored twice Saturday night for the New York Islanders, who capped one of the most remarkable stories of the NHL regular season by clinching a playoff berth with a 5-1 win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres.

Jordan Eberle, Michael Dal Colle and Ryan Pulock also scored for the Islanders (46-26-7), who will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 thanks to a raucous victory in a building they thought they’d left in the spring of 2015.

The Islanders moved from Nassau Coliseum to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center following the 2014-15 season but began splitting their home schedule between the two arenas this season as they wait for construction to begin on a proposed hockey-only building at the Nassau/Queens border.

The Islanders are 12-6-2 at the Coliseum and will close out their home schedule there Monday. They will be hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs and former teammate John Tavares in the home finale. All first-round home games will be played at the Coliseum. Should New York advance, it will head back to Barclays Center for home games in subsequent rounds.

Hurricanes 5, Flyers 2

Carolina scored twice on power plays in a victory in Raleigh, N.C., which eliminated Philadelphia from playoff contention.

Teuvo Teravainen, Dougie Hamilton, Justin Faulk, Jaccob Slavin and Brock McGinn scored for the Hurricanes, who strengthened their hold on the top Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

The Hurricanes scored two goals in a 21-second span in the first period to wipe out a one-goal deficit and later added two empty-net goals.

Blue Jackets 5, Predators 2

Cam Atkinson scored twice to tie the franchise record for goals in a season, and Artemi Panarin collected four assists to set a team record for points in a campaign as visiting Columbus beat Nashville to remain in a playoff spot.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 23 shots for the Blue Jackets (44-30-4, 92 points), who have won four straight and are one point back of the Hurricanes for the first wild-card spot. Columbus is tied with the Montreal Canadiens, but holds the second wild-card spot with the tiebreaker.

Nashville’s two-game winning streak was snapped on a night the Predators (44-29-6, 94 points) failed to take advantage of an opportunity to claim the top spot in the Central Division.

Canadiens 3, Jets 1

Joel Armia, Jeff Petry and Jordan Weal all scored as visiting Montreal held on to claim a win over Winnipeg that was crucial to their playoff hopes.

Montreal goalie Carey Price stopped 23 shots in a victory that keeps his team in the thick of the playoff race, along with fellow wild-card candidates Carolina and Columbus.

Montreal (42-29-8, 92 points) is on a 5-1-1 roll, though the Canadiens have one fewer game remaining than the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets.

Senators 4, Maple Leafs 2

Anthony Duclair scored twice, including an empty-netter, as Ottawa defeated visiting Toronto, which missed a chance to clinch a playoff berth.

Craig Anderson made 42 saves for the last-place Senators, who improved to 6-7-1 under interim coach Marc Crawford.

Magnus Paajarvi and Cody Ceci also scored for Ottawa, which took a 2-0 lead into the third period before the Maple Leafs tied it with goals 27 seconds apart. Brady Tkachuk and Colin White each had two assists for the Senators.

Capitals 6, Lightning 3

Alex Ovechkin scored twice to eclipse the 50-goal mark, and Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie each had two goals and an assist as visiting Washington beat Tampa Bay.

Ovechkin scored from the low slot at 14:35 of the third period, marking the eighth time he has reached the 50-goal milestone, and his 51st came less than two minutes later on the power play. Only Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy, each with nine, have more 50-goal seasons.

Goaltender Braden Holtby stopped 25 shots to win his 31st game for the Capitals, who have won 14 of their last 19 and salvaged the final meeting in the three-game season series (1-1-1) over 15 days against Tampa Bay.

Sharks 4, Golden Knights 3 (OT)

Brent Burns’ power-play goal 22 seconds into overtime lifted San Jose over visiting Vegas, ending a season-worst losing streak at seven games.

Burns one-timed a pass on the Sharks’ first possession in the offensive zone in overtime. San Jose held a 4-on-3 advantage after Colin’s Miller’s hooking penalty on Evander Kane with less than a minute to play in regulation.

Tomas Hertl, Kane and Marc-Edouard Vlasic tallied goals, while Logan Couture had two assists for the Sharks, who split the four-game season series against Vegas. Martin Jones made 23 saves to win for the first time in seven decisions.

Blues 3, Devils 2 (OT)

Defenseman Vince Dunn scored 4:56 into overtime as visiting St. Louis recorded its 11th straight victory over New Jersey, in Newark, N.J.

With time winding down in overtime, Dunn skated into the offensive zone and tucked the puck between the pads of Cory Schneider for his fifth career game-winning goal and his fourth this season.

Tyler Bozak scored to record his 400th career point, and rookie Robert Thomas also tallied for the Blues (42-28-8), who have won five of their last six games. Jake Allen finished with 25 saves to improve to 7-0-0 in his career against New Jersey.

Ducks 5, Oilers 1

Rickard Rakell notched a natural hat trick in the second period, and visiting Anaheim all but eliminated Edmonton from the playoffs for the 12th time in 13 seasons.

Goalie John Gibson made 30 saves for the Ducks (33-37-10, 76 points), who have long been eliminated from the playoff picture.

The chances of Edmonton (34-35-9, 77 points) reaching the postseason were on life support, but the loss essentially sealed the club’s fate. The Oilers are eight points out of a playoff position with four games remaining.

Canucks 3, Stars 2 (SO)

Markus Granlund’s goal in the eighth round of the shootout gave Vancouver a home-ice win over Dallas.

Granlund slipped the puck through Dallas goaltender Anton Khudobin’s legs. Granlund was the lone scorer in the shootout.

The Canucks (34-35-10, 78 points) won their second straight game, but the victory was moot because they were eliminated from NHL playoff contention on Friday. The Stars (41-31-7, 89 points) missed a chance to clinch a postseason berth, as they suffered their first loss in four games and their first road setback in eight games.

Kings 3, Blackhawks 2 (OT)

Drew Doughty scored with 12 seconds remaining in overtime as Los Angeles dealt a major blow to visiting Chicago’s fading playoff chances.

Playing with a one-man advantage after a late penalty by the Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews, Doughty powered in his game-winner from the top of the right circle and through Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford. It was Doughty’s seventh goal of the season.

Austin Wagner and Michael Amadio also scored for the Kings. Amadio’s goal with just over four minutes remaining in regulation sent the game into overtime.

Panthers 4, Bruins 1

Boston’s 12-game home-ice win streak was snapped by visiting Florida.

The Bruins’ streak was their longest since 2008-2009. It was the first Bruins home loss since Jan. 31.

Riley Sheahan and Troy Brouwer scored once, and Evgenii Dadonov scored twice, including an empty-netter, for the Panthers. Roberto Luongo earned the win by making 30 saves.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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Germany Extends Ban on Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia

Germany has extended its current ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia for six more months, ending on September 30, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Thursday.

During that period, no new contracts will be approved, Seibert said. The decision came after Merkel met with members of her cabinet to review the policy.

The German government had placed a temporary ban on weapons sales to Saudi Arabia in October 2018, following the controversial killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

At the time, Merkel said that no new exports to the country would be allowed until the circumstances of Khashoggi’s death had been established. But more recently, the chancellor indicated that Germany needed to be more flexible.

Graph showing German arms exports to Saudi Arabia

Criticism From the UK and France

The ban has divided Merkel’s governing coalition, but it has also drawn criticism from France and Britain. Both countries have decried the fact that the Saudi weapons freeze also bars sales of arms manufactured in different countries that happen to have German components in them.

France’s Ambassador to Germany, Anne-Marie Descotes, said this week that Germany’s arms export policy and cumbersome licensing rules threatened future bilateral defense projects.

Descotes warned that this debate would leave companies preferring “German-free arms products” — in other words, weapons systems that did not include German components.

She also admonished Germans for treating the debate as if weapons exports were a domestic policy matter, when in fact “it has serious consequences for our bilateral cooperation in the field of defense, and for the strengthening of European sovereignty.”


Mohammed bin Salman was behind the Yemen War that has claimed the lives of over 13,000 including 3,000 children. Will the gruesome beating, murder & dismemberment of a journalist — reportedly captured by his Apple Watch — cause even establishment neocons to stop supporting the brutal Saudi regime?

Effective Measures?

In an attempt to quell these concerns, the German government agreed to extend export licenses that have already been granted for nine months, in an effort to spare these companies the costly and time-consuming process of applying for a new license.

Germany also called on France and Britain to ensure that its weapons systems deliveries to Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates would not be used in the Yemen conflict.

There is also evidence that Germany’s arms export controls are ineffectual, despite France’s insistence: in February investigations by DW and others revealed that German weapons are being used in Yemen, despite Germany’s export controls.

“The re-start of arms exports to Saudi Arabia would be a fatal foreign policy signal and would contribute to the continued destabilization of the Middle East,” Green party spokesman Omid Nouripour told DW. “We need a common European arms export policy that excludes exports into war zones.”

Global Trade

According to a report released this month by the Sweden-based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), arms sales to the Middle East almost doubled in the 2014-2018 period compared with 2009-2013.

Saudi Arabia received nearly 1 in 4 US weapons that were sold in the most recent period. It also imported more weapons than any other country, raking in 12 percent of global imports.

Germany increased its international arms sales by 13 percent, with German-built submarines enjoying particularly strong demand abroad.


Alex Jones gives his personal view on how the United States should intervene in South America.

Source: InfoWars

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Democrats 'lied to the American people' over Mueller probe, now have to answer to American people: Chaffetz

Leading Democrats repeatedly lied about President Trump colluding with Russia and now have to answer to the American people, according to former House Oversight Committee Jason Chaffetz.

Chaffetz savaged Democrats during an interview on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning, in the wake of Attorney General William Barr released the "principal conclusions" of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's completed Russia probe in a bombshell four-page letter to Capitol Hill lawmakers.

The letter stated definitively that Mueller did not establish evidence that President Trump's team or any associates of the Trump campaign had conspired with Russia to sway the 2016 election -- "despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign."

WATCH FOX NEWS' LIVE COVERAGE AFTER THE RELEASE OF AG BARR'S LETTER OF 'PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS' FROM MUELLER'S RUSSIA PROBE

Not only did the president not collude… it is so totally polar opposite of what Nadler and other Democrats said

— Jason Chaffetz on "Fox & Friends"

“The president is stronger politically than he has ever been right now. It was a cloud, it gave a talking point to every Democrat… now people can go back and look at it and say, ‘you all lied to us for two years’,” Chaffetz said.

“The team that Mueller put together, these weren’t friends of the president, they were friends of the president -- you had people from the Clinton camp on the team. If they were going to get him, they would have.”

The ex-Utah congressman then singled out House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and  House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., for criticism.

READ THE MUELLER REPORT FINDINGS

“Adam Schiff has essentially just lied to the American people time and time again... under the guise he had supposed classified information,” he said.

“Not only did the president not collude… it is so totally polar opposite of what Nadler and other Democrats said.

“They said they were going to fully accept the conclusions of Mueller, over and over again, and now there aren’t.”

WHITE HOUSE CELEBRATES RELEASE OF MUELLER REPORT SUMMARY: 'NO COLLUSION!'

Chaffetz’s comments came after President Trump told reporters Sunday that the release of a summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe findings represented a "complete and total exoneration," calling it "an illegal takedown that failed."

"So after a long look, after a long investigation, after so many people have been so badly hurt, after not looking at the other side, where a lot of bad things happened, a lot of horrible things happened, lot of very bad things happened for our country, it was just announced there was no collusion with Russia, the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Trump said as he prepared to board Air Force One to return to Washington from his Mar-A-Lago estate in Florida.

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Trump's legal team, led by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Jay Sekulow said in a statement that the report's findings were "a complete and total vindication of the President."

Source: Fox News Politics

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Barbara Fialho Wins Day With Racy Lingerie Throwback Shot

Barbara Fialho absolutely won the day Friday when she shared a jaw-dropping throwback lingerie shot from her appearance in the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

The 31-year-old Victoria’s Secret model looked incredible strutting down the catwalk at the annual show wearing a metallic silver bra, matching underwear set and robe. (SLIDESHOW: 142 Times Josephine Skriver Barely Wore Anything)

She didn’t explain very much about the great picture and only captioned it, “I woke up like this today! @VictoriasSecret” (RELATED: Take A Look Back At Adriana Lima’s Career With Victoria’s Secret)

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A post shared by BARBARA FIALHO (@barbara) on

The lingerie model’s social media account is always pure fire with some incredible snaps she’s shared from her past fashion photo shoots to her swimsuit-clad trips around the world. (RELATED: Celebrate National Selfie Day With The Hottest Selfies On Instagram [SLIDESHOW])

Here are a few that really stood out, including one clip of her rocking a black bikini on the runway and looking terrific. (SLIDESHOW: These Women On Instagram Hate Wearing Clothes)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BARBARA FIALHO (@barbara) on

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BARBARA FIALHO (@barbara) on

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A post shared by BARBARA FIALHO (@barbara) on

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A post shared by BARBARA FIALHO (@barbara) on

Not to mention, a handful she’s posted from her stunning appearances in the annual underwear show.

View this post on Instagram

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A post shared by BARBARA FIALHO (@barbara) on

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A post shared by BARBARA FIALHO (@barbara) on

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Source: The Daily Caller

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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.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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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