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Fire at government-run airshow in India destroys hundreds of cars

Smoke billows past a row of parked planes after a fire broke out in a parking lot during the Aero India show at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru
Smoke billows past a row of parked planes after a fire broke out in a parking lot during the Aero India show at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru, India, February 23, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer

February 23, 2019

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – A fire at an airshow in India destroyed three hundred cars on Saturday, a senior fire official said, the latest accident to mar the government-run event.

The most likely cause was a “dry grass fire aided by heavy winds”, said M.N. Reddi, a fire official in the southern city of Bengaluru where the show is taking place. There were no reports of casualties, he added in a tweet.

Footage from Reuters partner ANI showed rows of burnt-out cars and huge flames and plumes of black smoke.

The Aero India show, run by the country’s defence ministry, aims to become one of the world’s premier aerospace events, but has been troubled by accidents this year.

On Tuesday, two Indian Air Force planes collided in mid-air while rehearsing an aerobatic show, killing one pilot and injuring two others.

A spokesman for India’s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

Source: OANN

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Officials say bad vent may have spread Bangkok mall fire

Officials in Thailand's capital say that a small but deadly fire at one of the city's biggest shopping malls may have started in a basement room before spreading to an eighth-floor document room because of a bad vent.

City officials said at a news conference Thursday that the investigation was still in its early stages and what caused the basement fire was not yet clear. They said smoke and burning matter from that blaze that was supposed to vent though a chimney may have backed up and started the upstairs fire.

Two people were killed in Wednesday's fire and 20 were injured.

The CentralWorld mall was closed Thursday for a cleanup but due to reopen Friday.

The mall complex also includes a hotel, convention center and an office tower.

Source: Fox News World

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Virginia’s Jerome enters NBA draft

FILE PHOTO: NCAA Basketball: Final Four-National Championship-Virginia vs Texas Tech
FILE PHOTO: Apr 8, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome reacts to fans after cutting the net and defeating the Texas Tech Red Raiders in overtime in the championship game of the 2019 men's Final Four at US Bank Stadium. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

April 15, 2019

Virginia guard Ty Jerome is entering the NBA draft one week after helping guide the Cavaliers to a national championship in Minneapolis.

The 6-foot-5 junior announced his decision via Instagram.

“I came to Virginia to win a national championship and to be able to do that with my brothers is a dream come true,” Jerome wrote. “I have had a basketball in my hand basically since the day I was born. My dream has always been to play in the NBA. Therefore, after speaking with my family and coaches and giving it a lot of thought, I know it’s the right time to announce that I will be entering the NBA draft and signing with an agent.”

Jerome knows it’s the right time because he’s “as ready as I’m going to be,” he said in a subsequent interview with Sports Illustrated.

Jerome averaged 13.6 points, 5.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game last season. He was Virginia’s primary ballhandler but was technically the starting 2-guard for the Cavaliers. He said he patterns his game after a combination of Steve Nash and Klay Thompson.

The Cavaliers are bracing to lose Jerome and sophomore forward De’Andre Hunter from a team that lost only three games last season.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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New Jersey jury clears J&J of liability in latest talc cancer trial

Bottles of Johnson & Johnson baby powder line a drugstore shelf in New York
FILE PHOTO: Bottles of Johnson & Johnson baby powder line a drugstore shelf in New York October 15, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

March 27, 2019

(Reuters) – A New Jersey jury has cleared Johnson & Johnson of liability in a lawsuit by a man who alleged the company’s talc-based products, including baby powder, caused his mesothelioma.

The unanimous jury decision came down in Middlesex County Superior Court in New Brunswick in the case of plaintiff Ricardo Rimondi.

(Reporting by Tina Bellon in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

Source: OANN

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Rosenstein: My Time is Coming to an End

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“My time as a law enforcement official is coming to an end, a lot later than I expected,” the top law enforcement official said, according to The Hill. “People joke about the revolving door between government and the private sector. The door never revolved for me. It was one way in, and one way out.”

Rosenstein’s remarks come as several news outlets reported this week that the Justice Department’s number two is expected to leave his post in mid-March.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced he intends to nominate Jeffrey Rosen, a seasoned litigator and deputy transportation secretary, to replace Rosenstein. The announcement came hours after newly-confirmed Attorney General William Barr selected Rosen for the post.

Rosenstein’s relationship with the president has been rocky throughout his tenure as deputy attorney general. He has overseen special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 presidential election.

Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the probe due to his involvement in the Trump campaign.

President Trump slammed Rosenstein after FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe after he told CBS News’ 60 Minutes that the Justice Department proposed lobbying cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to oust the president.

“He and Rod Rosenstein, who was hired by Jeff Sessions (another beauty), look like they were planning a very illegal act, and got caught,” the president tweeted on Monday.

McCabe made the remarks in a sit-down with CBS News’ Pelley to promote his soon-to-be-released-book The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump.

“[McCabe] is the very first person involved in these meetings who has come out and spoken publicly,” Pelly told CBS This Morning. “They were counting noses, they were not asking cabinet members whether they would vote for or against removing the president, but they were speculating ‘This person would be with us. That person would not be…’ and they were counting noses in that effort. … This was not perceived to be a joke.”

In a statement through the Justice Department last week, Rosenstein rejected allegations made by McCabe, saying “As to the specific portions of this interview provided to the Department of Justice by 60 Minutes in advance, the Deputy Attorney General again rejects Mr. McCabe’s recitation of events as inaccurate and factually incorrect.”

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Sudanese army refuses to extradite president wanted for war crimes

The Sudanese army will not extradite deposed President Omar al-Bashir but will put him on trial at home, before the nation, the military said Friday as it defended its ouster of the longtime ruler, saying it was in response to the demands of the people.

"This was not a coup," Col. Gen. Omar Zein Abedeen told reporters in the capital, Khartoum, but a "tool of change."

Al-Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court, faces charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide for his deadly campaign against insurgents in Darfur, where up to 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million driven from their homes by militias he backed.

To hand over al-Bashir would be "an ugly mark on Sudan ... even rebels carrying weapons, we won't extradite them," said Zein Abedeen, who has been tasked by the military to lead a political dialogue.

SUDANESE LEADER OUSTED AFTER THREE DECADES

Speaking at a press conference in Khartoum that was broadcast on state TV and flanked by other officers also in uniform, he left open the possibility that a future civilian government in Sudan could extradite al-Bashir to the court in The Hague, Netherlands.

The 75-year-old al-Bashir is in custody, Zein Abedeen said, but declined to provide more details or say where the president of 30 years is being held. He also confirmed that top government members, including the vice president and al-Bashir's associates, are under arrest but didn't give any names.

Sudanese forces celebrate on Thursday after officials said the military had forced longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir to step down after 30 years in power.

Sudanese forces celebrate on Thursday after officials said the military had forced longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir to step down after 30 years in power.

Zein Abedeen, who is on the military transitional council which took over after overthrowing al-Bashir on Thursday, also insisted the army has no ambition to hold the reins of power for long.

"We came ... to guide the country forward," Zein Abedeen said, apparently trying to reassure Sudanese protesters holding a sit-in outside the military headquarters. The protesters have defied the military, which imposed a state of emergency and a nighttime curfew after it arrested al-Bashir.

He pledged the military would stay on only as long as it's needed, or for a maximum of two years.

Meanwhile, the pro-democracy protesters who spent four months on the streets rallying against al-Bashir, pressed on with their campaign for a civilian government.

Thousands kept up their sit-in outside the Khartoum military headquarters overnight and into the morning, despite the curfew. Organizers said they would keep up the campaign and that they disagree with the army's plans to rule the country for the next two years.

Zein Abedeen did not indicate at the press conference that the army would move against the protesters, but made vague remarks how he would "come out ... sit on the grass" and talk with the demonstrators.

The mood among the crowd appeared festive Friday, with protesters playing music and chanting, "Down again" — a reference to Defense Minister Awad Mohammed Ibn Ouf who announced al-Bashir's ouster on Thursday on Sudanese state TV.

Ibn Ouf, who is on a U.S. sanctions list for genocide in Darfur, was sworn in as head of the new military transitional council, which also includes Zein Abedeen.

The rest of the council is yet to be announced. The Sudanese official news agency SUNA reported that Ibn Ouf postponed this step, pending "further consultations." SUNA said Ibn Ouf would meet with political factions and leaders of the protest movement later in the day.

The U.S. State Department has called on the Sudanese military to "follow the will of the people" and "commit to the speedy handover to civilian rule."

On Friday, the commander of Sudan's feared Rapid Support Force, a paramilitary force, said it would not "accept any solutions rejected by the Sudanese people" and for "opening the door for dialogue" with the protest movement.

The force draws its origins from the Janjaweed militias that were implicated in the Darfur genocide. Mohammed Hamadati, the commander, said talks are needed so Sudan would "avoid slipping into chaos."

In his televised announcement Thursday, Ibn Ouf said also that the military had suspended the constitution, dissolved the government, declared a three-month state of emergency and closed the country's borders and airspace.

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Sudan analyst and researcher Eric Reeves described the military's ouster of the longtime president as a "palace coup with al-Bashir as scapegoat."

"The three-month state of emergency is a clear indication that they intend to crush the uprising in this time," he said of the Sudanese military.

Source: Fox News World

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NBA roundup: Pistons nail down final East playoff spot

NBA: Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks
Apr 10, 2019; New York, NY, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Luke Kennard (5) shoots over New York Knicks forward Isaiah Hicks (4) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

April 11, 2019

Luke Kennard scored 27 points off the bench and the postseason-bound Detroit Pistons closed out their regular season finale by walloping the host New York Knicks 115-89 on Wednesday.

The Pistons (41-41) qualified for the Eastern Conference playoffs for just the second time since the 2009-10 season. They were swept by Cleveland in the opening round of the 2015-16 playoffs.

Detroit will be the No. 8 seed and face top-seeded Milwaukee in the first round.

Kennard’s point total was one shy of his career high. Reggie Jackson had 21 points and Andre Drummond supplied 20 points and 18 rebounds for Detroit. Wayne Ellington tossed in 12 points, all on 3-point makes.

Heat 113, Nets 94

Dwyane Wade ended his storied career with a triple-double of 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as visiting Miami was dealt a loss to Brooklyn, which clinched sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

The Nets honored Wade with a video tribute in pregame introductions by highlighting some of his notable shots against them over the course of a 16-year career while the text on the screen read “Thanks for the Memories.”

With longtime friends LeBron James, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony sitting courtside, Wade recorded his fifth career triple-double in his 1,054th regular-season game since entering the league as the fifth overall pick out of Marquette in 2003.

Spurs 105, Mavericks 94

LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 34 points and totaled 16 rebounds to help propel San Antonio to a resounding win over visiting Dallas in the regular-season finale for both teams.

It was also the final game in the 21-year career of Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki, who led Dallas with 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in 31 minutes of play before leaving the court for the final time with 47 seconds remaining.

The win was San Antonio’s third straight and — combined with Oklahoma City’s win over Milwaukee — earned the Spurs the seventh seed in the NBA playoffs, where they will face the Denver Nuggets. Dallas, playing the second game of an emotional home-road back-to-back, had a two-game winning streak snapped and they will miss the postseason for the third straight season.

Trail Blazers 136, Kings 131

Rookie Anfernee Simons scored a season-high 37 points to lift Portland to a come-from-behind victory over visiting Sacramento.

Skal Labissiere added 29 points and 15 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who trailed by as many as 28 points in the first half.

Jake Layman, Meyers Leonard and Gary Trent Jr. scored 19 points apiece for Portland (53-29), which gained the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and will face No. 6 Oklahoma City (49-33) in the first round of the playoffs.

Nuggets 99, Timberwolves 95

Jamal Murray hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 31.5 seconds left, and host Denver scored the final 15 points of the game to beat Minnesota to earn the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Nikola Jokic finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds and Murray scored 17 for Denver. The Nuggets (54-28) will play the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.

Andrew Wiggins scored 25 points, Gorgui Dieng had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Cameron Reynolds added 19 points off the bench for the short-handed Timberwolves (36-46).

Clippers 143, Jazz 137 (OT)

With their respective playoff spots locked, Los Angeles and Utah ended their regular seasons in overtime, where the Clippers won to end a three-game losing streak.

Montrezl Harrell scored 24 points to lead the Clippers. Ivica Zubac added 22 points and 11 rebounds and Lou Williams scored 15 off the bench.

Utah rookie Grayson Allen scored a career-high 40 points and Georges Niang scored a career-best 24 off the bench.

Thunder 127, Bucks 116

Dennis Schroder scored 32 points to help Oklahoma City earn the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with a win at Milwaukee.

The Bucks, who had already sealed the top seed in the Eastern Conference coming into the game, sat three starters — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez — to rest them for the playoffs.

Milwaukee (60-22) will start the playoffs against the eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons (41-41). The Thunder (49-33) will open the playoffs against the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers (53-29).

Pacers 135, Hawks 134

Edmond Sumner made three free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining to lift Indiana to a road win over Atlanta in the final regular-season game for both teams.

Atlanta finished the season with a 29-53 record while Indiana (48-34) heads into the playoffs winners of only four of its last 13 games.

The fifth-place Pacers will oppose the fourth-place Boston Celtics (49-33) in the first round of the Eastern Conference postseason.

Magic 122, Hornets 114

Terrence Ross came off the bench to score a season-high 35 points, and playoff-bound Orlando ended Charlotte’s season.

Ross scored 19 of his points in the first half, when the Magic led by as many as 13. He finished 12 of 19 from the field and 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Ross’ performance overshadowed a 43-point explosion by Charlotte’s Kemba Walker in the defeat.

The Magic (42-40) remained the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with the victory, and will face second-seeded Toronto in the first round of the playoffs.

Grizzlies 132, Warriors 117

Memphis dizzied visiting Golden State in the regular-season finale for both teams, parlaying a remarkable 86-point first half into a shocking win.

The loss had no bearing on the playoff seeding for the Warriors (57-25). The two-time defending champions enter the postseason as the top seed in the Western Conference and they will open the playoffs against the No. 8 seed, the Los Angeles Clippers, who defeated the Utah Jazz, 143-137, in overtime Wednesday.

The win allowed the Grizzlies (33-49) to avoid what would have been a second straight season of at least 50 losses. Rookie Jevon Carter scored 19 of his career-high 32 points in the first half, when the Grizzlies ran off to an 86-68 lead.

76ers 125, Bulls 109

Jonathon Simmons scored 20 points and Boban Marjanovic added 18 to lift host Philadelphia over Chicago.

T.J. McConnell tied his career-high with 18, Zhaire Smith contributed 17 and Greg Monroe had 14 for the Sixers, who completed their regular season with a 51-31 record and the No. 3 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers finished 31-10 at home.

The Sixers were extremely short-handed as numerous key players were held out for precautionary reasons as the playoffs are about to begin. All-Star center Joel Embiid, All-Star guard Ben Simmons, guard JJ Redick, forward Jimmy Butler and forward Tobias Harris were all held out.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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Avengers fans gather at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to attend the opening screening of
Avengers fans gather at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to attend the opening screening of “Avengers: Endgame” in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake

April 26, 2019

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Marvel Studios superhero spectacle “Avengers: Endgame” hauled in a record $60 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices during its Thursday night debut, distributor Walt Disney Co said.

Global ticket sales for the film about Iron Man, Hulk and other popular characters reached $305 million for the first two days, Disney said.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Funeral of journalist Lyra McKee in Belfast
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn attends the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland April 24, 2019. Brian Lawless/Pool via REUTERS

April 26, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – The leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Friday he had turned down an invitation to a state dinner which will be part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Britain in June.

“Theresa May should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit to honor a president who rips up vital international treaties, backs climate change denial and uses racist and misogynist rhetoric,” Corbyn said in a statement.

He said maintaining the relationship with the United States did not require “the pomp and ceremony of a state visit” and he said he would welcome a meeting with Trump “to discuss all matters of interest.”

(Reporting by Andy Bruce; Writing by William Schomberg)

Source: OANN

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A bedridden 67-year-old woman and more than a dozen animals were rescued Thursday after a welfare check found that they were living in a home filled with trash, urine, and feces, Florida police said.

Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies said when they arrived at the home in Dunedin around 7:20 p.m. Thursday, they could smell the odor of rotting trash and animal feces as they walked up to the driveway.

“Inside the residence, the odor of feces and urine was so overwhelming that deputies had to don masks,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

FLORIDA SHERIFF ON BORDER CRISIS AFTER MAJOR DRUG BUST: ‘IT MAKES ME ABSOLUTELY CRAZY’

Walking throughout the residence, the deputies found 10 emaciated dogs and puppies living in bins filled with their own feces, five large Macaw birds flying freely, rats, bugs and overall squalor.

Puppies discovered living in their own feces inside a Florida home that was filled with trash, urine, and feces.

Puppies discovered living in their own feces inside a Florida home that was filled with trash, urine, and feces. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)

Deputies said due to the large amounts of trash in the home, they had to clear a path to reach the victim’s bedroom.

“None of the home’s toilets were working and all were found to be overflowing with feces,” deputies said. “The only working sink was located on the opposite end of the house from the victim’s bedroom.”

They said there was no food or water for the victim or the animals.

FLORIDA MAN IN EASTER BUNNY COSTUME CAUGHT IN VIRAL BRAWL IS WANTED IN NEW JERSEY, HAS HISTORY OF ARRESTS

The victim was transported to a local hospital for injuries that were non-life threatening, while the animals were transported to shelters.

The woman’s caretaker, Richard Lawrence Goodwin, 65, was arrested and charged with abuse and neglect of an elderly person, disabled person, and cruelty to animals.

Richard Goodwin, 69, was arrested for abuse and neglect of an elderly and disabled person after deputies found she was living in deplorable conditions.

Richard Goodwin, 69, was arrested for abuse and neglect of an elderly and disabled person after deputies found she was living in deplorable conditions. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)

The sheriff’s department said this was Goodwin’s second arrest for abuse and neglect of the same victim. He was previously arrested in May 2018.

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Neighbor Victoria Muenzerbeer told FOX 13 that Goodwin and the victim were hoarders and the conditions inside the home were horrible years ago when she visited once.

“I went in and it was absolutely, a human being couldn’t live there,” she said. “The kitchen wasn’t usable and part of the wall was falling in.”

Source: Fox News National

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Libyan Minister of Economy Ali Abdulaziz Issawi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tripoli
Libyan Minister of Economy Ali Abdulaziz Issawi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tripoli, Libya April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Hani Amara

April 26, 2019

By Ulf Laessing

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya’s U.N.-recognized government has budgeted up to 2 billion dinars ($1.43 billion) to cover costs of a three-week-old war for control of the capital, such as treatment for the wounded, to be funded without new borrowing, the economy minister said.

Ali Abdulaziz Issawi suggested the government hoped for business to continue more or less as usual despite the assault on Tripoli, in the country’s northwest, by forces tied to a parallel administration based in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Once Africa’s third largest producer of oil, Libya has been riven by factional conflict since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with the country now broadly split between eastern-based forces under Khalifa Haftar and the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, in the west, under Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

Still, with Haftar’s Libyan National Army forces unable so far to pierce defenses in Tripoli’s southern suburbs, normal life and business activities continue in much of the capital and western coastal towns.

Issawi, in an interview with Reuters in his Tripoli office, also said Libya’s commercial ports and wheat imports were still functioning normally, although some roads have been blocked.

He said the Serraj government estimates it will spend up to 2 billion dinars extra on medical treatment for wounded, aid for displaced people and other “emergency” war costs.

He said this was not military spending but analysts believe that the sum will also cover expenditures such as pay for allied armed groups or food for fighters.

“We could actually spend less,” he added, in comments that gave the first insight into the economic impact of the fighting.

Issawi said the Tripoli government, which controls little territory beyond the greater capital region, would not incur new debt to fund the war costs, sticking to a plan to post a 2019 budget without a deficit.

Tripoli derives revenue largely from oil and natural gas production, interest-free loans from local banks to the central bank, and a 183 percent surcharge on foreign exchange transactions conducted at official rates.

But with centralized tax collection greatly diminished, public debt has piled up – to 68 billion dinars in the west, including unpaid state obligations such as social insurance.

Some analysts expect Serraj’s government will be forced to raise new debt if the war for control of Tripoli drags on.

With much of Libya dominated by armed factions that also act as security forces, the public wage bill for both the western and eastern administrations has soared as fighters have been made public employees in efforts to buy their loyalty.

The east has sold bonds worth 35 billion dinars outside the official financial system as the Tripoli central bank does not fund the parallel government apart from some wages.

Despite its limited reach, the Tripoli government still runs an annual budget of around 46.8 billion dinars, mainly for public salaries and fuel subsidies.

“This year we cannot finance via debt…we will not borrow (by agreement with the central bank),” Issawi said.

According to International Monetary Fund data, Libya’s central government debt-to-GDP ratio is 143 percent, making it one of the most heavily indebted in the world on that measure.

Issawi declined to say what parts of the budget would be trimmed to support the extra outlay for war costs.

However, with some 70 percent of the budget allocated to public wages, fuel subsidies and other welfare benefits, a portion devoted to infrastructure is most likely to be axed.

Widespread lawlessness has meant there have been no major infrastructural projects since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi, leaving schools, hospitals and roads in acute need of restoration.

FOREX SURCHARGE

Issawi said the government planned to raise as much as 30 billion dinars by the end of 2019 from hard currency deals after imposing in September a 183 percent surcharge on commercial and private transactions done on the official rate of 1.4 to the U.S. dollar. That fee has effectively devalued the official rate to 3.9, much closer to the black market equivalent.

Some 17 billion dinars have been raised since then, with hard currency allocated for import credit letters now issued without delays, Issawi said. The forex fee has helped the government forecast a budget in the black for 2019.

Despite the narrowing spread between the two rates, the black market continues to thrive. Dozens of traders remained at their favorite spot behind the central bank headquarters in Tripoli when Reuters reporters visited it last week.

But traders said it could take time for the Serraj government to register the extra forex receipts as official banking channels were taking up to six months to approve import financing, keeping the black market in play for dealers.

Issawi said authorities planned to lower the forex fee from 183 percent, without saying when. The black market rate has dropped from 6 to around 4.1 since September but it has hardly moved of late as demand for black market cash remains high.

The Tripoli government has stopped subsidizing food and bread, which used to be cheaper than drinking water in Libya. Wheat imports are now being arranged by private traders and there are surplus stocks of flour at the moment, Issawi said.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing in Tripoli with additional reporting by Karin Strohecker in London; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., threatened possible jail time for White House officials refusing to comply with subpoenas to testify before the House Oversight Committee.

Connolly, a member of the House panel, made his comments during an interview on CNN on Thursday. He said that “if a subpoena is issued and you’re told you must testify, we will back that up.”

He added: “And we will use any and all power in our command to make sure it’s backed up — whether that’s a contempt citation, whether that’s going to court and getting that citation enforced, whether it’s fines, whether it’s possible incarceration.”

“We will go to the max to enforce the constitutional role of the legislative branch of government.”

His comments came after three officials have refused to comply with congressional requests to testify, CNN noted.

Trump told The Washington Post that his staff should not testify on Capitol Hill, explaining that the White House cooperated fully with special counsel Robert Mueller and “there is no reason to go any further, especially in Congress where it’s very partisan.”

Source: NewsMax Politics

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