Now On Air

Liberty #MAGAOne Mix

Via MAGA One Mix

6:00 am 8:00 am


Upcoming shows
Real News

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Liberty #MAGAOne Mix

Via MAGA One Mix

6:00 am 8:00 am



Maga First News

Upcoming Shows

Join The MAGA Network on Discord

0 0

Pentagon eyeing 5G solutions with Huawei rivals Ericsson and Nokia: official

FILE PHOTO: People walk past a sign board of Huawei at CES Asia 2016 in Shanghai
FILE PHOTO: People walk past a sign board of Huawei at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) Asia 2016 in Shanghai, China May 12, 2016. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo

March 25, 2019

By Mike Stone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – As the U.S. further pushes to separate itself from Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies, the Pentagon is laying the groundwork to use technology from rivals Nokia and Ericsson in its 5G development plans, a Pentagon official said on Monday.

“I am not sure we are going to have a total U.S. solution,” Ellen Lord, the Department of Defense’s under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment said. “We are talking to Ericsson, we are talking to Nokia quite a bit.”

Simultaneously, the U.S. is laying the groundwork to develop its own technology to support 5G enabled communications, said Lord, who is the Pentagon’s chief weapon’s buyer.

The United States has lobbied Europe to shut out Huawei, saying its equipment could be used by the Chinese government for espionage. But the European Commission is expected to ignore U.S. calls to ban Huawei Technologies.

Huawei has strongly rejected the allegations and earlier this month sued the U.S. government over the issue.

At the same time, Lord said that military to military discussions about future 5G networks were going well for the United States. On the military side, “there is actually a huge dialog going on about what is the path forward,” Lord said. “We have frankly seen a lot of our European allies leaning forward to work with us on that.”

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Chris Reese)

Source: OANN

0 0

Comedian set to win first round of Ukraine presidential vote

FILE PHOTO: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukrainian comic actor and candidate in the upcoming presidential election, takes part in a production process of Servant of the People series in Kiev
FILE PHOTO: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukrainian comic actor and candidate in the upcoming presidential election, takes part in a production of the Servant of the People television series in Kiev, Ukraine March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo

March 27, 2019

By Matthias Williams and Margaryta Chornokondratenko

KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainians exhausted by five years of war and decades of official corruption look set to send a comedian with no political experience into a second round run-off against the incumbent when they vote in Sunday’s presidential election.

The favorite in Sunday’s first round vote is Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a political novice who plays a fictitious Ukrainian president in a popular TV series and who, in real life, has tapped into an anti-establishment mood among voters.

Many opinion polls put the serving president, Petro Poroshenko, in second place, a result that would set up a run-off between him and Zelenskiy next month, with a hard-to-predict final outcome.

(For a graphic on ‘Ukraine presidential election’ click, https://tmsnrt.rs/2EEQ22R)

Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is also in the running and could scrape into the second round at Poroshenko’s expense.

“Zelenskiy will probably be in the second round, up against either Poroshenko or Tymoshenko, which means that it’s going to be a contest between the new and the old,” said Robert Brinkley, chair of the think tank Chatham House’s Ukraine Forum.

Ukrainians must then decide whether they are so fed up with the existing politicians “that they’ll vote in a complete novice and outsider, or will their cautious instincts … reassert themselves and they’ll say we had better go with the devil we know rather than somebody completely unknown,” he said.

With Zelenskiy’s insurgent run for the presidency, Ukraine is surfing a wave of popular anger similar to the ones that brought the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement to power in Italy and U.S. President Donald Trump to office.

Just 9 percent of Ukrainians have confidence in their national government, the lowest of any electorate in the world, a Gallup poll published in March showed. The global average was 56 percent in 2018. Just 12 percent of Ukrainian adults have confidence in the honesty of elections, while 91 percent believe corruption in their government is widespread.

“None of the three candidates suits me. And the other candidates simply will not manage to get through,” said Kiev resident Yevheniya Shmelkova. “Therefore, we are indecisive in general – should we go to the polls, or not go. No, of course, you need to go, but the result will be unpredictable.”

Western governments have much at stake in the election because they took Ukraine’s side in its conflict with Russia and have invested money — and considerable political capital — in keeping Kiev on a path of integrating with the West.

Whoever is the ultimate winner, they are unlikely to move back into Russia’s orbit, but Western officials and investors say they worry about the unpredictability that a Zelenskiy presidency is liable to bring.

Poroshenko was elected president in 2014, soon after Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region, and an armed uprising by Russian-backed separatists in east Ukraine that has killed 13,000 people and still rumbles on.

A frequent visitor to the front line wearing camouflage gear, Poroshenko has been credited with containing the conflict and standing up to Russia.

But many voters say he has failed to get to grips with corruption and poverty and that his own entourage is tainted by sleaze. An increase in gas prices pushed through under pressure from Western donors caused anger among consumers unhappy at their higher bills.

LIFE IMITATES ART

Tymoshenko has described the gas hike as “genocide”, promising to lift pensions and emphasizing her past as a revolutionary martyr imprisoned by two presidents.

Zelenskiy has promised that, if elected, he will usher in anti-corruption and other reforms and breathe new life into moribund peace talks over the fate of eastern Ukraine, now de facto controlled by separatists with Moscow’s support.

In a case of life imitating art, his campaign has been helped by the character he plays in his TV show: an everyman who becomes president accidentally, then cuts through graft and bureaucracy with plain-talking honesty. Zelenskiy has said he would introduce a bill to strip the president, lawmakers and judges of immunity from prosecution if elected.

Addressing investor fears about his inexperience, he told Reuters in an interview last month he would not allow Ukraine to default on its debt commitments to the International Monetary Fund, which has propped up the country with billions of dollars in loans in return for reforms.

(Reporting by Matthias Williams, Pavel Polityuk, Natalia Zinets, Sergei Karazy, Margaryta Chornokondratenko; Writing by Andrew Osborn and Christian Lowe; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Source: OANN

0 0

U.S. pilot program allows online grocery shopping with food stamps

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Amazon is seen on the door of an Amazon Books retail store in New York
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Amazon is seen on the door of an Amazon Books retail store in New York City, U.S., February 14, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

April 18, 2019

By Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday said it has launched a pilot program in New York that allows consumers dependant on food stamps to use them to buy groceries online, a move that is likely to boost sales at retailers like Walmart Inc and Amazon.com Inc.

Both companies are participating in the initial pilot launch with Wakefern Food Corp’s ShopRite supermarket chain expected to join the program early next week, the USDA said. Walmart will offer the service in upstate New York, while ShopRite and Amazon will service the New York City area.

Food stamps are part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which provides free food to some 40 million Americans, or about 12 percent of the total U.S. population.

“People who receive SNAP benefits should have the opportunity to shop for food the same way more and more Americans shop for food – by ordering and paying for groceries online,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a statement.

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, already has 40 stores in other parts of the country that allow shoppers to pay for groceries ordered online using food stamps.

The new program will expand to Alabama, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington, and additional retailers are expected to take part, the USDA said.

Walmart spokeswoman Molly Blakeman said the company has nearly 275 stores that offer grocery pickup in the nine states eligible for the pilot.

Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, in a blog post on Thursday said New York customers can shop on AmazonFresh and Prime Pantry without requiring a membership fee.

“Amazon believes the program will dramatically increase access to food for more remote customers and help to mitigate the public health crisis of food deserts,” the retailer said.

The pilot program will involve the use of electronic benefit (EBT) cards issued by New York to allow for the online purchases.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

Source: OANN

0 0

Your Money: Cash is king with millennials, but delays adulting

FILE PHOTO: U.S. dollar bills blow in this photo illustration near the Andalusian capital of Seville
FILE PHOTO: U.S. dollar bills blow near the Andalusian capital of Seville in this photo illustration taken on November 16, 2014. REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo/File Photo

April 11, 2019

By Beth Pinsker

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Cash is king with young people, but it is not helping them build a credit history or boost their credit scores.

Among millennials aged 18 to 29, those with a college degree are the savviest about using credit cards, according to a survey released Wednesday conducted by Sallie Mae and Ipsos. As a result, more than 70 percent had decent credit scores above 650, with 40 percent in the excellent range of 750 to 800.

By contrast, college students and those who never finished a degree used credit cards much less frequently and had lower credit scores. Among students, just 20 percent boasted excellent credit while the non-completers had just 8 percent, according to the survey.

“Overall, they more frequently use a debit card. They are more comfortable,” said Marie O’Malley, senior director of consumer research at Sallie Mae.

While many young people use cash to keep themselves from building up debt, they also are putting off some aspects of adulting. You need a credit history to get mortgages or car loans, qualify for apartment rentals and get some jobs. Credit scores even factor into dating conversations.

Although debit cards can have credit card functions, they do not get reported to the credit bureaus and, therefore, have no impact on your credit score, said Amy Thomann, head of consumer credit education at TransUnion, one of the three main credit reporting bureaus.

Here is how millennials can build a credit history:

* Get a credit card

Many of the young people in Sallie Mae’s survey did not have a credit card because they thought they would not qualify, but most probably would. Young people can start building a credit history by being an authorized user on a parent’s credit card.

They can also pretty easily get a secured credit card, which are offered by most major carriers, said Matt Schulz, chief industry analyst for CompareCards.com, a division of LendingTree Inc. These cards function akin to pre-paid debit cards. You put down a deposit that functions as your credit limit, but you do not have to reload after each billing cycle.

Most young people who have any kind of job will also qualify for a regular, unsecured credit card.

If you are unsure, Schulz said there is no harm in applying for a card and seeing if you are approved.

Keep in mind that the average interest rate for credit card balances are over 17 percent, and late fees can be up to $35.

“It might not have great terms, so keep your expectations low, but if you have income, chances are you’ll be able to find a card,” Schulz said.

* Risk for reward

Most credit cards also come with cash back or travel rewards, which you can pick depending on your preference.

You get more fraud protection if your card is compromised than with a debit card. And you usually get things like rental car coverage, which can save you the fee for the collision damage waiver, which could be $10 or more a day.

Most of all, credit cards do not have overdraft fees, which can be $35 a pop on debit cards. Americans paid $34.3 billion in overdraft fees in 2017, according to research firm Moebs Services.

* The caveats

Credit cards are a smart move for people who will pay off their bills each month. Schulz recommends getting started by charging a recurring subscription, like Netflix or Spotify, and then paying in full each month. Automate the payment from your bank for an even more foolproof approach.

TransUnion’s Thomann did this herself when she was first starting out. While her company has a new product that will help walk young people through building their credit as part of a $24.95 monthly subscription, she also recommends making use of the free annual credit report available to all Americans (http://annualcreditreport.com) to get your baseline.

(Editing by Lauren Young and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: OANN

0 0

Seven children from same family killed in Canadian house fire

A house where an early morning fatal fire killed seven children from the same family in the community of Spryfield is seen in Halifax
A house where an early morning fatal fire killed seven children from the same family in the community of Spryfield is seen in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, February 19, 2019. REUTERS/Ted Pritchard

February 20, 2019

TORONTO (Reuters) – A house fire in the eastern Canadian city of Halifax has killed seven children from the same family, Halifax police said on Tuesday.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp identified the family as Syrian refugees and said the children ranged from three months to 17 years old.

A man and a woman were injured and being treated in a hospital. Police and fire officials have not yet determined the cause of the fire.

Neighbor Danielle Burt who lived next to the family told CTV News she heard a loud noise shortly after 12:30 a.m. EST (0530 GMT) and saw a woman and man fleeing the home.

“The mother was on the grass, praying I guess, bowing her hands down, and pulling on my husband’s arm to call 911,” Burt said.

Halifax Mayor Mike Savage tweeted, “As we wait for more details on this morning’s tragic fire in Spryfield, our entire municipality is heartbroken and our thoughts are with the loved ones of the family.” Spryfield is an unincorporated community in Halifax.

(Reporting by Tyler Choi; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Source: OANN

0 0

EU insurance watchdog seeks to avoid Brexit no-deal disruption

FILE PHOTO: The Union Jack flag is adjusted before a meeting between British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Parliament President Antonio Tajani at the EU parliament headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 7, 2019.
FILE PHOTO: The Union Jack flag is adjusted before a meeting between British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Parliament President Antonio Tajani at the EU parliament headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

February 19, 2019

By Huw Jones

LONDON (Reuters) – Policies bought by European Union customers from British insurers would still be valid if the UK crashes out of the bloc next month with no deal, the EU’s insurance watchdog said on Tuesday.

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) published recommendations for national insurance watchdogs on how to treat policies that EU customers have bought from UK-based insurers.

The Bank of England has warned that “contract continuity” problems could arise, such as it becoming illegal to pay out on a claim, if the EU made no contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit.

With fewer than 40 days to go, Britain has no deal with the EU to ensure a smooth exit and avoid a rupture in business ties until new trading terms are agreed.

EIOPA said that in principle, insurance contracts concluded before March 30 by British insurance companies in the EU27 remain valid after that date.

“However, the insurance undertakings would not any more be authorized to carry out insurance activities with regard to these cross-border insurance contracts,” EIOPA said in a statement.

The guidance goes some way to reciprocating steps already being taken by Britain, whose “temporary permissions” regime would allow EU27 insurers to continue serving UK customers in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

“Besides the fact that UK insurance undertakings have taken appropriate measures for most of the cross-border insurance into the EU27, there is a residual amount of business that would become unauthorized when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union,” said EIOPA chair Gabriel Bernardino.

This residual business is worth 7.4 billion euros ($8.4 billion) and centered on a handful of UK insurers, EIOPA said in November.

Huw Evans, director general of the Association of British Insurers, said the guidance helps reduce legal uncertainty over paying some insurance contracts post-Brexit.

“Allowing contracts signed before Brexit to run off and extra time for insurers to transfer portfolios into the EU27 are also pragmatic decisions which we welcome,” Evans added.

Aviva, Britain’s second largest insurer, said on Tuesday it had obtained court approval to transfer around 9 billion pounds in assets to a new Irish company at 2259 GMT on March 29.

Several insurers are transferring policies of EU based customers to new hubs in the bloc, though Lloyd’s of London won’t complete the transfer of business to its new Brussels subsidiary before March 29.

The EIOPA guidance said that provided a transfer of a portfolio to the EU was begun before Brexit, national regulators in the bloc should allow it to be finalised.

(Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by David Holmes)

Source: OANN

0 0

Mahindra takes second crack at U.S. auto market with ‘India tough’ off-roader

Mahindra Automotive North America quality control workers inspect ROXOR off-road vehicles at the MANA assembly plant in Auburn Hills
Mahindra Automotive North America quality control workers inspect ROXOR off-road vehicles at the MANA Plant in Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S., January 30, 2019. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

March 14, 2019

By Nick Carey and Ben Klayman

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (Reuters) – “Warning: Don’t do anything stupid!” reads the sign to the right of Rick Haas’ office computer.

It is the same tongue-in-cheek warning affixed to the dashboard of every off-road Mahindra Roxor vehicle that Indian automaker Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd assembles in a suburb north of Detroit.

The motto might also apply to the Indian automaker’s latest attempt to enter the U.S. auto market – an effort Haas, a former executive at Ford Motor Co and Tesla Inc, is leading.

(GRAPHIC: Mahindra eyes U.S. auto market as new car sales are poised to stall – https://tmsnrt.rs/2F5aj1u)

A decade ago, Mahindra tried to break in to the U.S. market with a low-cost pickup truck. The foray ended in failure and a lawsuit from dealers demanding their franchise fees back.

Haas, the automaker’s North American chief executive, says this time Mahindra has a more cautious “pay-as-you-go strategy.” Instead of starting with a truck or passenger car, Mahindra is reintroducing its brand with the Roxor, a vehicle that looks like a vintage Jeep.

Mahindra has built around 3,000 off-road Roxors and is using the model, which starts at around $15,000, to demonstrate to American consumers and dealers “acutely aware of our previous experience” here that the Indian automaker can build a reliable product before it launches mainstream models for use on American roads, Haas told Reuters.

“Getting burned makes you cautious,” Haas said.

RICH PROSPECTS, BIG RISKS

Mahindra is one of a handful of European and Asian automakers gearing up to enter the U.S. market in hopes of gaining sales as well as credibility that can boost their brands at home.

France’s PSA and China’s Zotye and GAC all have outlined plans for establishing beachheads in the world’s second-largest market by sales, which offers rich pickings in segments including pickup trucks, SUVs and crossovers.

But the United States is a mature market that most industry executives say is heading for a downturn, and it is already crowded with over 40 automotive brands and 300-plus models on sale.

See graphic on annual U.S. new car sales https://tmsnrt.rs/2F5aj1u

“There’s not a line waiting out the front door of every potential newcomer to North America of people saying ‘I cannot wait for a new car to show up here today,'” said Larry Dominique, North American head of PSA, which has also taken a cautious approach to relaunching here.

PSA announced last month the Peugeot brand will lead its U.S. return – the same brand that crashed out of this market less than three decades ago.

Analysts and auto executives say new entrants must stand out in a crowd to crack the U.S. market, as Tesla Inc has with electric vehicles.

Just offering a cheap car may not be enough, said Mark Wakefield, head of the North American automotive practice for consultancy AlixPartners. The higher quality of used vehicles presents a challenge, while delivering the expensive safety features American consumers and regulators demand.

“If you fail to deliver on that then you’re a pariah in the market,” he said.

Prospective U.S. entrants might look to the example of South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co, the last foreign automaker to successfully enter the U.S. car market.

The Korean carmaker launched cheap models in the United States in 1986, as Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co Ltd had done before. Hyundai scored early successes, but quality problems set the brand back, and forced a relaunch. Now, it is overhauling its U.S. strategy, shifting from sedans to SUVs.

The problem for prospective entrants is that if they do find an untapped niche, consultants and analysts expect other automakers to rush to fill it themselves.

A NEW STRATEGY

Mahindra’s first foray into the U.S. auto market was a disaster, as plans to launch a low-cost pickup with high fuel efficiency never came to fruition, in part because it failed to meet federal emissions standards. Angry dealers who had signed on to sell the Scorpio pickup sued Mahindra.

Mahindra regrouped. Haas set up Mahindra’s U.S. office in 2013 with just a handful of people, and that has risen to 450.

The company decided not to go into direct competition with major automakers, but to enter the much smaller and less heavily regulated market for off-road recreational vehicles sold mainly in rural America.

The Roxor stands out because it looks like a World War II Jeep. Mahindra has had a license since the end of that war to make such vehicles in India. Municipalities, mining and construction companies, and many others seeking rugged off-road vehicles have shown interest, Haas said.

The Roxor also has caught the eye of the owner of the Jeep brand, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) NV, a potential competitor whose U.S. headquarters is just up the road from Mahindra’s. Last August, FCA asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to block Roxor sales because the model is too similar to its own Jeep.

The commision has ruled FCA can pursue its intellectual property claims against the Roxor, but on Feb. 21 Mahindra asked the agency to review that ruling.

Mahindra has signed up a network of 390 powersports dealers all over the country to sell the Roxor. Haas said around a third of powersports dealers also own car dealerships so the Roxor allows him to establish the brand, then build relationships with car dealers.

“I can’t say what our plans are, but the smoke is going to clear out of the air in the next year to 18 months,” Haas said.

Among the vehicles under consideration for the U.S. market is the new Marazzo, a minivan designed by Mahindra’s Michigan engineers for sale in India that has scored well in international crash safety tests and features Apple CarPlay.

Instead of low prices, Mahindra plans to focus on its image of building rugged, durable vehicles for India’s roads.

“We’re India tough,” Haas said. “That’s a value that resonates with a chunk of the population here.”

The speed of Mahindra’s U.S. rollout will depend not only on retail consumers but the U.S. Postal Service, Haas said. The Postal Service is searching for its next generation of delivery vehicles and Mahindra is one of five finalists for the $6 billion project, which may be decided this year.

“That contract would make a fast (U.S.) entry easier, as you might imagine,” Haas said. “If it doesn’t happen, then we have to decide what we’re doing here.”

(Reporting By Nick Carey and Ben Klayman; Edited by Joseph B. White and Julie Marquis)

Source: OANN

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Liberty #MAGAOne Mix

Via MAGA One Mix

6:00 am 8:00 am



Police secure the area where the body of a woman was discovered near the village of Orounta
Police secure the area where the body of a woman was discovered near the village of Orounta, Cyprus, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Stefanos Kouratzis

April 26, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Reporting By Michele Kambas; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Source: OANN

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

April 26, 2019

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

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

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

(Reporting by Andy Bruce, editing by David Milliken)

Source: OANN

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

April 26, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: OANN

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

April 26, 2019

By Medha Singh and Agamoni Ghosh

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up to his audience as he hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

April 26, 2019

By Jan Wolfe and Richard Cowan

(Reuters) – The “i word” – impeachment – is swirling around the U.S. Congress since the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted Russia report, which painted a picture of lies, threats and confusion in Donald Trump’s White House.

Some Democrats say trying to remove Trump from office would be a waste of time because his fellow Republicans still have majority control of the Senate. Other Democrats argue they have a moral obligation at least to try to impeach, even though Mueller did not charge Trump with conspiring with Russia in the 2016 U.S. election or with obstruction of justice.

Whether or not the Democrats decide to go down this risky path, here is how the impeachment process works.

WHAT ARE GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHMENT?

The U.S. Constitution says the president can be removed from office by Congress for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” Exactly what that means is unclear.

Before he became president in 1974, replacing Republican Richard Nixon who resigned over the Watergate scandal, Gerald Ford said: “An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history.”

Frank Bowman, a University of Missouri law professor and author of a forthcoming book on the history of impeachment, said Congress could look beyond criminal laws in defining “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Historically, it can encompass corruption and other abuses, including trying to obstruct judicial proceedings.

HOW DOES IMPEACHMENT PLAY OUT?

The term impeachment is often interpreted as simply removing a president from office, but that is not strictly accurate.

Impeachment technically refers to the 435-member House of Representatives approving formal charges against a president.

The House effectively acts as accuser – voting on whether to bring specific charges. An impeachment resolution, known as “articles of impeachment,” is like an indictment in a criminal case. A simple majority vote is needed in the House to impeach.

The Senate then conducts a trial. House members act as the prosecutors, with senators as the jurors. The chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court presides over the trial. A two-thirds majority vote is required in the 100-member Senate to convict and remove a president from office.

No president has ever been removed from office as a direct result of an impeachment and conviction by Congress.

Nixon quit in 1974 rather than face impeachment. Presidents Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998 were impeached by the House, but both stayed in office after the Senate acquitted them.

Obstruction of justice was one charge against Clinton, who faced allegations of lying under oath about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Obstruction was also included in the articles of impeachment against Nixon.

CAN THE SUPREME COURT OVERTURN?

No.

Trump said on Twitter on Wednesday that he would ask the Supreme Court to intervene if Democrats tried to impeach him. But America’s founders explicitly rejected making a Senate conviction appealable to the federal judiciary, Bowman said.

“They quite plainly decided this is a political process and it is ultimately a political judgment,” Bowman said.

“So when Trump suggests there is any judicial remedy for impeachment, he is just wrong.”

PROOF OF WRONGDOING?

In a typical criminal court case, jurors are told to convict only if there is “proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” a fairly stringent standard.

Impeachment proceedings are different. The House and Senate “can decide on whatever burden of proof they want,” Bowman said. “There is no agreement on what the burden should be.”

PARTY BREAKDOWN IN CONGRESS?

Right now, there are 235 Democrats, 197 Republicans and three vacancies in the House. As a result, the Democratic majority could vote to impeach Trump without any Republican votes.

In 1998, when Republicans had a House majority, the chamber voted largely along party lines to impeach Clinton, a Democrat.

The Senate now has 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents who usually vote with Democrats. Conviction and removal of a president would requires 67 votes. So that means for Trump to be impeached, at least 20 Republicans and all the Democrats and independents would have to vote against him.

WHO BECOMES PRESIDENT IF TRUMP IS REMOVED?

A Senate conviction removing Trump from office would elevate Vice President Mike Pence to the presidency to fill out Trump’s term, which ends on Jan. 20, 2021.

(Reporting by Jan Wolfe and Richard Cowan; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Peter Cooney)

Source: OANN

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

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

Title

Artist