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At least 293 people dead in Mozambique after cyclone: U.N.

Survivors move to high ground at Peacock growth point in Chimanimani
Survivors move to high ground at Peacock growth point in Chimanimani, near the Mozambique border, Zimbabwe, March 22, 2019. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

March 23, 2019

BEIRA (Reuters) – At least 293 people have died in Mozambique after a cyclone that led to catastrophic flooding, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Saturday.

“We’re going to have to wait until the flood waters recede until we know the full expanse of the toll on the people of Mozambique,” OCHA coordinator Sebastian Rhodes Stampa said.

(Reporting by Emma Rumney; Writing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by Alexander Smith)

Source: OANN

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ATP roundup: Schwartzman survives opener in Barcelona

FILE PHOTO: ATP 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - ATP 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte-Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 15, 2019 Argentina's Diego Schwartzman in action during his first round match against Great Britain's Kyle Edmund REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/File Photo

April 22, 2019

Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman overcame 53 unforced errors to defeat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round Monday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in Barcelona, Spain.

Nishioka struggled with cramps during the 2-hour, 19-minute match. Schwartzman, ranked No. 25 in the world, was playing his third match in Barcelona after having to qualify because he forgot to sign up before the tournament deadline.

Schwartzman will face third-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria in the second round. Thiem is 3-2 in their head-to-head series, but Schwartzman has won the last two meetings — including a three-setter at the Argentina Open in February.

Elsewhere on Monday, Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer outlasted Romania’s Marius Copil 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-5 and will face top seed and 11-time champion Rafael Nadal.

Two other former champions are in the draw, with 2010 winner Fernando Verdasco defeating Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-3 in an all-Spanish battle. Japan’s Kei Nishikori, the 2014 Barcelona champ and fourth seed this year, will face Taylor Fritz in the second round after Fritz’s 6-3, 6-4 win against fellow American Reilly Opelka.

Other winners Monday included Mackenzie McDonald, Spain’s Jaume Munar, Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, Chile’s Nicolas Jarry and Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.

Hungarian Open

Italy’s Matteo Berrettini fired 11 aces in a 6-4, 6-4 upset of seventh-seeded Mikhail Kukushkin of Kasakhstan in first-round action in Budapest.

In the second round, Berrettini will face Slovenian Aljaz Bedene, who was down a double break in the first set but rallied for a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory against Australia’s Bernard Tomic.

Eighth-seeded Radu Albot of Moldova opened with a 7-5, 6-4 win against Sergiy Stakhovsky, breaking the Ukrainian twice in each set and closing it out on his fourth match point in 1 hour, 41 minutes.

Albot will face qualifier Filip Krajinovic of Serbia, who dropped five match points in the second set but recovered to beat Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-2, 6-7 (3), 7-5.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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Ruddy to MSNBC: Accusations Against Trump 'Wild, Unfair'

Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy on Tuesday hammered MSNBC for "wild accusations" of President Donald Trump being "a Russian mole" and a "Russian asset."

In an interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell, Ruddy, a longtime friend of the president, chastised the liberal-leaning network for "so many misleading statements that are constantly made."

"For example, somebody earlier said that the president was an intelligence asset of the Russians," Ruddy pointed out.

Ruddy said these accusations, the basis of first the FBI investigation into the president and later the one by special counsel Robert Mueller, was precipitated by the so-called "dossier" which was paid for the by DNC during the 2016 election.

"Why accuse the president of being a Russian mole, a Russian asset, you know, and I keep hearing this on your network?" he asked. "I'm not saying you do it. I think you're a fair journalist. But I keep hearing it,and it's very frustrating.

"I'm a friend of the president but I criticize the president."

Ruddy asserted "there's no proof that the president or his campaign worked with the Russians," and decried "this insinuation that the [former acting] FBI Director [Andrew] McCabe felt that the firing of [Director James] Comey was the cause of another investigation into the president."

"The president has never tried to stop the Russia probe," Ruddy declared. "There's no evidence he ever tried . . . In fact, rather than exercising his rights as president not to allow interviews and document transfers, he turned everything over to the special counsel, which probably was a mistake, but he did it because he's been acting in a way, I think anybody that looks at this fairly— and I know it's probably a shock to some of your viewers to hear this point of view — but it's vexing to, I'm sure, him and certainly people like myself when we don't have a balance in the media on some of the accusation, that are the wild accusations, that are being made."

Ruddy added that at one time, it was the Democrats who pilloried Comey because he reopened the FBI's Hillary Clinton email probe just days before the 2016 election.

"But now the president is the bad guy for firing him," he said. "And everybody is insinuating this and that, but there's never any evidence that [Trump] did anything wrong or that it was inappropriate."

Rudy also explained his Monday night remarks to CNN there might be a "change of leadership" ahead for Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.

Ruddy told Mitchell although he spoke to Trump last weekend, "We didn't talk about this particular issue."

"I cited on CNN several White House sources and people in the national security arena, current and former, who are telling me there's a widespread view that the Director of National Intelligence overstepped his bounds and really undercut the president with his testimony," he said.

"I'll tell you a conversation we had this weekend. He talked about prescription drug programs. He's outraged that Canada pays 50 percent less for prescription drugs from the same drug companies, for the same drugs that Americans have to pay."

Trump has a "great detailed knowledge" about the policy implications of prescription pricing," Ruddy said. "This is the type of thing the president is concerned about. He's about making America stronger, better, and protecting our taxpayers and consumers."

Source: NewsMax America

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May the shopping be with you: French supermarket tests robot delivery

A woman does her shopping at a store using an autonomous robot, shaped and inspired by Star Wars R2D2, in a test for the delivery of groceries by Franprix supermarket chain in the 13th district of Paris
A woman does her shopping at a store using an autonomous robot, shaped and inspired by Star Wars R2D2, in a test for the delivery of groceries by Franprix supermarket chain in the 13th district of Paris, France, April 17, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

April 18, 2019

By Dominique Vidalon

PARIS (Reuters) – Four decades after R2-D2 delivered a vital message from Princess Leia in the hit movie “Star Wars”, a French supermarket group plans to use robots inspired by the drum-shaped droid to transport food to customers in Paris.

Stepping up the race for automated deliveries with online retailers such as Amazon, Casino’s Franprix chain will test the delivery robots on the streets of Paris’s 13th arrondissement for a year.

In the French capital, where Amazon has been running its Amazon Prime Now express delivery service since 2016, the speedy and convenient delivery of food has become a battleground among retailers.

“This droid will facilitate the life of city dwellers. The last mile delivery is crucial. This is what builds the relationship with customers,” Franprix Managing Director Jean-Pierre Mochet said of the service, which will be free.

“We are going to test three droids in this store. If the test is successful, we may extend it to other Franprix stores.”

Franprix and its partner, French start-up TwinswHeel which developed the as yet unnamed robot, are running the test after the city’s authorities approved the southeastern arrondissement for the experiment.

The electric vehicles have two large wheels, a suitcase of either 30 or 40 litres and can run for 25km (15 miles).

In the initial trial, Franprix will use the robot in store to carry purchases for customers – mainly people with reduced mobility or the elderly – and take the goods to their homes.

Using a “Follow Me” button on the machine, the robot is paired with customers through visual recognition, so it can follow them in store and on the street.

R2-D2 CALLING

Initially, the robot will not go on the streets on its own, but will be followed by an operator because Franprix does not have permission for the machine to travel solo yet.

For that, legislation needs to be changed, Mochet said, adding he hoped that would happen soon.

In future, Franprix and TwinswHeel hope customers will be able to order goods online or in store, and the droid will take them to shoppers’ homes and announce its arrival by text.

The message will include a code so customers can unlock the robot’s suitcase and unpack the goods.

Larger robots could also be used by store staff to re-stock shelves.

Franprix, which made 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) of sales last year from its network of 900 stores, is not alone with its experiment.

Last year, U.S. grocery giant Kroger launched an automated delivery trial in partnership with driverless delivery firm Nuro. Having completed the first phase in Scottsdale, Arizona, it recently announced plans to transfer the program to Houston, Texas.

In Britain, Tesco and Co-op are testing a six-wheeled delivery robot in Milton Keynes with Starship Technologies.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Additional reporting by Lisa Baertlein and James Davey; Editing by Luke Baker and Mark Potter)

Source: OANN

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U.S. says North Korea diplomacy ‘very much alive,’ but watching rocket site

A satellite image of North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launching Station
A satellite image of North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launching Station (Tongchang-ri) which Washington-based Stimson Center's 38 North says, "Rebuilding continues at the engine test stand" is seen in this image released from Washington, DC, U.S., March 7, 2019. Courtesy Airbus Defence & Space and 38 North, Pleiades © CNES 2019, Distribution Airbus DS/Handout via REUTERS

March 11, 2019

By David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The chief U.S. envoy for North Korea said on Monday that “diplomacy is still very much alive” with Pyongyang despite a failed summit last month, but cautioned that Washington was closely watching activity at a North Korean rocket site and did not know if it might be planning a new launch.

Stephen Biegun told a conference in Washington that although U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un parted on good terms after their Feb. 27-28 summit in Hanoi, big gaps remained between the two sides and North Korea needed to show it was fully committed to giving up its nuclear weapons.

Biegun stressed that U.S.-led sanctions, which Pyongyang wants dropped, would remain in place until North Korea completed the process of denuclearization.

As Biegun spoke at the Carnegie Nuclear Conference, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank issued a new report on activity at North Korea’s Sohae rocket launch site, in which satellite images from Friday showed possible preparations for a launch.

In the course of a nearly a year of diplomatic engagement with the United States, North Korea has maintained a freeze on missile and nuclear tests and space rocket launches in place since 2017 and Trump has repeatedly stressed this as a positive outcome of the diplomacy.

Biegun said Washington did not know what the activity spotted in North Korea meant. He said the Trump administration took it “very seriously” but cautioned against drawing any snap conclusions.

“What Kim Jong will ultimately decide to do may very much be his decision and his decision alone,” Biegun said, adding that Trump had made clear last week he would be “very disappointed” if North Korea were to resume testing.

An authoritative U.S. government source familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments said they did not conclude that a launch was imminent, given North Korea’s apparent desire to keep negotiations going with the United States. However, the source said Pyongyang appeared to want to make clear it retained the capability to resume launches at any moment.

“Diplomacy is still very much alive,” Biegun said, although he offered no specifics on when new talks might be held and did not say whether any talks had taken place since the summit, which collapsed over differences on U.S. demands for Pyongyang’s denuclearization and North Korea’s demand for sanctions relief.

ENGAGEMENT

“It’s certainly our expectation that we will be able to continue our close engagement,” Biegun said.

The State Department has declined say whether there has been any direct engagement between the two sides since the summit.

Trump has said he remains open to more talks with Kim and the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson told the conference she thought there would be another summit, but no date has been set.

Asked if there would be a third meeting, she said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump had “been very clear that they remain open to the dialogue. They haven’t got a date on the calendar but our teams continue to work toward that.”

Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, said on Sunday that the president was open to another summit but more time may be needed.

Thompson said it was “incredibly important” that all countries continued to maintain United Nations sanctions on North Korea until it gave up its nuclear weapons.

“We are not letting the foot off the gas. We are going to continue with the pressure campaign.” she said. “We are going to continue to hold those sanctions and we are going to continue to work with the team abroad to make sure those stay in place.”

Trump on Friday stressed again his belief in his personal rapport with Kim.

The CSIS report said commercial satellite images acquired last Wednesday and Friday showed North Korea had continued preparations on the launch pad at its Sohae launch facility and at the engine testing stand there.

“Based on past practices, these activities could be consistent with preparations for the delivery of a rocket to the launch pad or engine to the test stand; or they could be North Korean coercive bargain tactics,” it said.

Trump said after his first summit with Kim in Singapore last June that Kim had promised to dismantle the test stand, a pledge the North Korean leader reiterated and expanded on at a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in September.

Pyongyang has used Sohae to launch satellites into space since 2011, and Washington says its work there has helped develop missile technology. A satellite launch in April 2012 killed off an Obama administration deal for a freeze in North Korean nuclear and missile testing reached weeks earlier.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Mark Hosenball, Matt Spetalnick and Arshad Mohammed; editing by Grant McCool)

Source: OANN

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Patriots owner Kraft wants jury trial in Florida prostitution case

FILE PHOTO: New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft attends a conference at the Cannes Lions Festival in Cannes
FILE PHOTO: New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft attends a conference at the Cannes Lions Festival in Cannes, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

March 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Attorneys for New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Tuesday filed court papers requesting a jury trial on solicitation of prostitution charges stemming from a sting operation at a Florida massage parlor.

The documents also formally waive Kraft’s right to an arraignment hearing and reiterate the not guilty plea he entered last month.

Kraft, 77, was charged in February with soliciting prostitution after police said he was captured on hidden camera footage engaging in sex acts with a worker at Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida.

The billionaire businessman apologized for his actions in a written statement issued earlier this week.

“Throughout my life, I have always tried to do the right thing. The last thing I would ever want to do is disrespect another human being. I have extraordinary respect for women; my morals and my soul were shaped by the most wonderful woman, the love of my life, who I was blessed to have as my partner for 50 years,” Kraft said in the statement.

Kraft’s wife, Myra, died of ovarian cancer in 2011 at age 68, shortly after their 48th wedding anniversary.

The NFL franchise owner was among some two dozen men charged as part of a law enforcement operation to stop human trafficking in South Florida.

Kraft and the other men accused in the case were offered the opportunity to have their charges dropped if they performed 100 hours of community service, took a class on the dangers of prostitution, were tested for sexually transmitted diseases and paid a fine.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Tom Brown)

Source: OANN

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NBA: Retired Nowitzki could see himself as coach in a few years

FILE PHOTO: NBA: Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs
FILE PHOTO: Apr 10, 2019; San Antonio, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) high fives the fans while leaving the court after the game against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center. Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

April 16, 2019

BERLIN (Reuters) – Retired NBA champion Dirk Nowitzki, who spent 21 seasons at the Dallas Mavericks, could see himself returning to basketball as coach or manager in a few years time, the German said.

The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer ended his sparkling career last week after more than two decades at the Mavericks with whom he was crowned NBA champion in 2011 and was a 14-time All Star.

“After one or two years I can see myself being happy… as a coach or a manager,” Nowitzki told Germany’s Die Zeit newspaper in an interview to be published on Wednesday.

“I would like to be a mentor for a young player and… accompany them through their career in my very own way.”

For now, Nowitzki is content to put his feet up and enjoy a glass of wine and a slice of cake, something he could not do for years as a professional player.

“In the past week I had some cake and I also had my first glass of wine after 10 years of abstinence,” he said. “I was really warm inside after only a few sips. That felt good.”

Nowitzki holds the record for having played the most seasons for the same club and is sixth in the all-time scorers list of the NBA.

Nagging injuries, however, took their toll on his body and continuing his career past the current season was impossible.

“What I did not want to happen under any circumstance was to say goodbye and be sitting at home, thinking ‘damn, you would really like to play now. Why did you do this’,” he said.

“But my body was not good. To be honest my foot where I had surgery last year was not well throughout the year. I knew it would not be getting any better.”

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

Source: OANN

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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during the inauguration of the newly-elected parliament in Kabul
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during the inauguration of the newly-elected parliament in Kabul, Afghanistan April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

April 26, 2019

By Rupam Jain and Hameed Farzad

KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani encouraged newly-elected lawmakers to participate in the peace process with the Taliban as he opened on Friday the first session of parliament since a controversial election.

Ghani has invited thousands of politicians, religious scholars and rights activists to an assembly known as a loya jirga next week to discuss ways to end the 17-year war.

Several opposition leaders have said they will boycott the four-day assembly in Kabul, saying it was pulled together without their input and is being used by Ghani as he seeks a second term in a September presidential election.

“We have presented the peace plan on a regular basis and we are committed to it,” Ghani said in the first session since parliamentary elections marred by technical problems, militant attacks and accusations of voting fraud last year.

“Based on this plan, there will be no peace deal and negotiation that does not have the green card of the parliament,” he added.

Officials from the United States and the Taliban have held several rounds of talks to end the Afghan war.

U.S. negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, has reported some progress toward an accord on a U.S. troop withdrawal and on how the Taliban would prevent extremists from using Afghanistan to launch attacks as al Qaeda did on Sept. 11, 2001.

The insurgents have so far rejected U.S. demands for a ceasefire and talks on the country’s political future that would include Afghan government officials.

The loya jirga, a centuries-old institution used to build consensus among competing tribes, factions and ethnic groups, is an attempt by Ghani to influence the peace talks and cement his position for a second term, Afghan politicians and Western diplomats say.

Amid growing political divisions in Kabul, opposition politicians have demanded that Ghani step down when his mandate ends next month, and give way to an interim government to oversee peace talks with the Taliban. Ghani has ruled that out.

The country’s top court said last week Ghani can stay in office until the presidential election in September.

(Reporting by Hameed Farzad, Rupam Jain, Editing by Darren Schuettler)

Source: OANN

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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Thursday defended special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation while slamming former President Barack Obama’s administration for being slow to take action on Russian interference in U.S. elections and ex-FBI Director James Comey for telling Congress the agency was investigating collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

“Our nation is safer, elections are more secure, and citizens are better informed about covert foreign influence schemes,” Rosenstein said in a speech to the Armenian Bar Association, marking his first public remarks after the Mueller report was released, reports CBS News.

He also pointed out that the investigation revealed a pattern of computer hacking and the use of social media to undermine elections as “only the tip of the iceberg of a comprehensive Russian strategy to influence elections, promote social discord, and undermine America, just like they do in many other countries,” reports The Wall Street Journal.

The Obama administration also made “critical decisions,” including choosing not to publicize the full story about Russian hackers and social media trolling, “and how they relate to a broader strategy to undermine America,” said Rosenstein.

He noted that the Mueller probe began after Comey disclosed during a hearing before Congress that President Donald Trump “pressured him to close the investigation and the president denied that the conversation occurred.”

Rosenstein said two years ago, when he was confirmed, he was told by a Republican senator that he would be in charge of the probe and that he’d report the results to the American people.

However, he said he didn’t promise to do that, because it is “not our job to render conclusive factual findings. We just decide whether it is appropriate to file criminal charges.”

Source: NewsMax Politics

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FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is pictured outside its Huawei's factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province
FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is pictured outside its Huawei’s factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China, March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) – Britain must get to the bottom of the leak of confidential discussions during a top-level security meeting about the role of China’s Huawei Technologies in 5G network supply chains, British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Friday.

News that Britain’s National Security Council, attended by senior ministers and spy chiefs, had agreed on Tuesday to bar Huawei from all core parts of the country’s 5G network and restrict its access to non-core elements was leaked to a national newspaper.

The leak of secret discussions has sparked anger in parliament and amongst Britain’s intelligence community. Britain’s most senior civil servant Mark Sedwill has launched an inquiry and written to ministers who were at the meeting.

“My understanding from London (is) that an investigation has been announced into apparent leaks from the NSC meeting earlier this week,” said Hammond, speaking on the sidelines of a summit on China’s Belt and Road initiative in Beijing.

“To my knowledge there has never been a leak from a National Security Council meeting before and therefore I think it is very important that we get to the bottom of what happened here,” he told Reuters in a pooled interview.

British culture minister Jeremy Wright said on Thursday he could not rule out a criminal investigation. The majority of the ministers at the NSC meeting have said they were not involved, according to media reports.

Hammond said he was unaware of any previous leak from a meeting of the NSC.

“It’s not about the substance of what was apparently leaked. It’s not earth-shattering information. But it is important that we protect the principle that nothing that goes on in national security council meetings must ever be repeated outside the room.”

Allowing Huawei a reduced role in building its 5G network puts Britain at odds with the United States which has told allies not to use its technology at all because of fears it could be a vehicle for Chinese spying. Huawei has categorically denied this.

There have been concerns that the NSC’s conclusion, which sources confirmed to Reuters, could upset other allies in the world’s leading intelligence-sharing network – the Five Eyes alliance of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

However, British ministers and intelligence officials have said any final decision on 5G would not put critical national infrastructure at risk. Ciaran Martin, head of the cyber center of Britain’s main eavesdropping agency, GCHQ, played down any threat of a rift in the Five Eyes alliance.

(Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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President Trump on Friday said “no money” was paid to North Korea for Otto Warmbier, after reports that the U.S. received a $2 million hospital bill from Pyongyang for the late American prisoner’s care.

“No money was paid to North Korea for Otto Warmbier, not two Million Dollars, not anything else. This is not the Obama Administration that paid 1.8 Billion Dollars for four hostages, or gave five terroist[sic] hostages plus, who soon went back to battle, for traitor Sgt. Bergdahl!” Trump tweeted Friday.

NORTH KOREA GAVE US $2M HOSPITAL BILL OVER CARE OF AMERICAN OTTO WARMBIER, SOURCES SAY

The Washington Post first reported that North Korean authorities insisted the U.S. envoy sent to retrieve Warmbier, 21, who was a student of the University of Virginia, sign a pledge to pay the bill before allowing Warmbier’s comatose body to return to the United States. Sources confirmed the bill and the amount to Fox News on Thursday.

Sources told the post that the envoy signed an agreement to pay the medical bill on instructions from the president, but a source told Fox News that the U.S. did not ever pay money to North Korea.

The White House declined to comment when asked on the bill, with Press Secretary Sarah Sanders saying in a statement that: “We do not comment on hostage negotiations, which is why they have been so successful during this administration.”

Meanwhile, the president added: “’President[sic] Donald J. Trump is the greatest hostage negotiator that I know of in the history of the United States. 20 hostages, many in impossible circumstances, have been released in last two years. No money was paid.’ Cheif[sic] Hostage Negotiator, USA!”

Warmbier was on tour in North Korea when he allegedly stole a propaganda sign from a hotel. He was arrested in January 2016 and sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor in March 2016. Warmbier, for unknown reasons, fell into a coma while in custody and was held in that condition for an additional 17 months.

North Korean officials did not tell American officials until June 2017 that Warmbier had been unconscious the entire time. He died less than a week after he returned to the U.S. North Korean officials, though, have repeatedly denied accusations that Warmbier was tortured, instead claiming that he had suffered from botulism and then slipped into a coma after taking a sleeping pill.

AMERICAN PRISONERS HELD IN NORTH KOREA ON THEIR WAY HOME AFTER POMPEO VISIT, TRUMP SAYS

Fred and Cindy Warmbier sued North Korea over their son’s death and in December were awarded $501 million in damages – money that the Hermit Kingdom will probably never pay.

While the Warmbiers blamed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump has said he believes Kim’s claims that he did not know about the student’s treatment.

Trump and Kim have met in two separate summits. The most recent, held in February, ended without an agreement on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, told Fox News: “Otto Warmbier was mistreated by North Korea in so many ways, including his wrongful conviction and harsh sentence, and the fact that for 16 months they refused to tell his family or our country about his dire condition they caused.  No, the United States owes them nothing. They owe the Warmbier family everything.”

Last year, the Trump administration was also able to save three American prisoners held by North Korea. Kim Dong Chul, Tony Kim, and Kim Hak Song were all detained in North Korea. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brought the three Americans home last May, and said they were all in “good health.”

Fox News’ John Roberts, Rich Edson, Nicholas Kalman, and Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Park Yoo-chun, a K-pop idol singer, arrives at the Suwon district court in Suwon
Park Yoo-chun, a K-pop idol singer, arrives at the Suwon district court in Suwon, South Korea, April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

April 26, 2019

SEOUL (Reuters) – K-pop and drama star Park Yu-chun was arrested on Friday on charges of buying and using illegal drugs, a court said, the latest in a series of scandals to hit the South Korean entertainment business.

Suwon District Court approved the arrest warrant for Park, 32, due to concerns over possible destruction of evidence and flight risk, a court spokesman told Reuters.

Park is suspected of having bought about 1.5 grams of methamphetamine with his former girlfriend earlier this year and using the drug around five times, an official at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said.

Park has denied wrongdoing, saying he had never taken drugs, and he again denied the charges in court, Yonhap news agency said.

Park’s contract with his management agency had been canceled and he would leave the entertainment industry, Park’s management agency, C-JeS Entertainment, said on Wednesday.

Park was a member of boyband TVXQ between 2003 and 2009 before leaving the group with two other members, forming the group JYJ.

A scandal involving sex tapes, prostitutes and secret chat about rape led at least four other K-pop stars to quit the industry earlier this year.

The cases sparked a nationwide drugs bust and investigations into tax evasion and police collusion at night clubs and other nightlife spots.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: OANN

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