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GOP Praise Trump: ‘Most Accessible President’

President Donald Trump’s sudden focus on healthcare has Republicans concerned, but GOP legislators still praise Trump for being “the most accessible president” they’ve ever seen.

"There is a lot of angst about this whole healthcare bills -- we are dealing with," said a Republican legislator who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity. "But you aren't going to hear members say 'WTF Mr. President, what the hell did you do that for?'"

Multiple Republicans in Congress told CNN that Trump is more accessible than past presidents, frequently making calls and talking with rank-and-file members of the GOP.

"President Trump is the most accessible president that I have ever seen," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who said that a few months ago he wanted to talk to Trump on a Sunday, only to hear from the president 30 minutes later.

"The first thing he said before I said anything was 'let's talk about you serving another 20 years,'" he said. "I said Mr. President, I am sorry, I called to tell you I'm not going to run for re-election."

"Even people who don't like him, when they are with him, are impressed with how easily he works a room,” Alexander continued. “I think he likes people. He lives in the moment. He's not thinking of the next day or even the next hour or the next person ... he's that kind of personality."

"He calls members frequently and he is completely available to us when we call him," said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., referring to Trump. "I am very fortunate to have that relationship with the President."

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Iran’s parliament labels US troops in Mideast as terrorist

Iran's lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill labeling U.S. forces in the Middle East as terrorist, a day after the U.S. terrorism designation for Iran's Revolutionary Guard formally took effect, state TV reported.

Defense Minister Gen. Amir Hatami introduced the bill authorizing the government to act firmly in response to "terrorist actions" by U.S. forces. It demands authorities use "legal, political and diplomatic" measures to neutralize the American move, without elaborating.

The U.S. move aims at "thwarting Iran's influence," and shows that America's longstanding sanctions against Iran have become ineffective, Hatami told lawmakers.

During the debate, some hard-liner lawmakers had demanded listing the entire U.S. army and security forces as terrorist.

The TV report said 204 lawmakers approved the bill, out of 207 present at the session in the 290-seat chamber. Two lawmakers voted against the bill and one abstained.

However, it remains unclear how the bill's passage in parliament would affect the Gourd's activities in the Persian Gulf, where the U.S. Navy has in the past accused Iranian patrol boats of harassing American warships.

The Revolutionary Guard has forces and wields influence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, and is in charge of Iranian missiles that have U.S. bases in their range.

The Guard's designation — the first-ever for an entire division of another government — adds another layer of sanctions to the powerful paramilitary force and makes it a crime under U.S. jurisdiction to provide it with material support.

Depending on how broadly "material support" is interpreted, the designation may complicate U.S. diplomatic and military cooperation with certain third-country officials, notably in Iraq and Lebanon, who deal with the Guard.

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the designation with great fanfare last week.

Source: Fox News National

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Sharpton emerges as kingmaker as 2020 Dems compete for his approval

The Rev. Al Sharpton has emerged as a kingmaker in the crowded 2020 Democratic field, as the party's White House hopefuls lined up this week to pitch their vision of America to him in hopes of receiving blessing.

All of the top Democratic contenders were in New York City this week, attending Sharpton's National Action Network convention and discussing the issue of racism in America. More speeches were scheduled for Friday.

Among the attendees: former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Amy Klobuchar.

Such mainstream influence is a stark change for Sharpton, whose early years of activism put him on the fringes of politics. His explosive comments drew swift criticism, as he was accused of inciting violence and riots against Jews in New York in the early 1990s and reportedly used anti-Semitic descriptions such as “bloodsucking Jews” and “diamond merchants.”

BETO BACKS OFF OPPOSITION TO REPARATIONS AT SHARPTON EVENT, PLEDGES HE’D SIGN BILL TO STUDY IT

Fast forward to today, Sharpton is seen as a prominent progressive MSNBC pundit who acts as a kind of middleman between the Democratic candidates and Black America.

Comments about Trump

Unlike many other leaders in the black community, Sharpton also speaks directly to the anti-Trump segments of the country, even as the Trump administration passes a criminal justice reform embraced by many black leaders.

In 2017, Sharpton said during a Politico podcast that Trump “has empowered anti-Semites and racists” and “brought them from the shadows into the mainstream.”

A year later, he said Trump’s Young Black Leadership Summit was "shameful," and he accused the president of "using" young African-American conservatives as "props."

“I don’t think I am a different type of leader, I think these are different times,” Sharpton told the Los Angeles Times about him becoming acceptable in the mainstream. “It is more the evolution of Sharpton than the changing of Sharpton.”

“I don’t think I am a different type of leader, I think these are different times. It is more the evolution of Sharpton than the changing of Sharpton.”

— The Rev. Al Sharpton

AL SHARPTON SELLS HIS LIFE STORY RIGHTS FOR $531G — TO HIS OWN CHARITY

For Democrats, who are heavily relying on people’s negativity toward Trump rather than their personal popularity coming into 2020, Sharpton is an especially important figure.

After Harris announced her run for president earlier this year, one of the first meetings she took was with Sharpton in New York, surrounded by multiple cameras and reporters.

Biden's regrets

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who hasn’t yet officially joined the race, made a speech at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event that was organized by Sharpton, where the former veep said he regretted backing a tough-on-crime bill in the 1990s.

Sharpton remains cautious about which candidate he will effectively back, pointing out that he didn’t endorse anyone in the 2016 election. Yet the competition for his support is clearly moving the Democratic presidential field leftward.

Thanks to Sharpton’s convincing tone – or a candidate’s lack of backbone – he pressured O’Rourke earlier this week into backing off from his opposition to slavery reparations, with him coming out on the record saying he now supports a bill in Congress to study and consider the payments.

Buttigieg, the rising star of the primary, meanwhile, apologized Thursday during the appearance at the Sharpton event for using the “all lives matter” phrase in the past. He praised the Black Lives Matter movement and said that “it should enhance — not diminish — the value of a good police department when we assert what should go without saying, but in these times must be said clearly and again and again: that black lives matter.”

Stand on reparations

At least five other candidates are backing the idea of reparations – Harris, Warren, former San Antonio Mayor and Obama Cabinet member Julian Castro, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard – though this may change after the events with Sharpton.

But for the time being, Sharpton says he merely wants candidates to propose a vision to address racism in America.

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“I want to hear substance. I don’t want to hear sound bites. Like, yes, we need to alter the criminal justice system. How? What would you do about the mandatory sentencing laws? What would you do about police reform? Would you reinstitute consent decrees?” Sharpton told the Hill.

He added: “I want to hear in terms of the economy, how do you close the race gap in employment? Yes, black unemployment is lower than it’s ever been, but it’s still double that of whites. How do you close the race gap in terms of health care? I want to hear specifics. Where’s the meat? Not just giving us the dessert.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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Beto O'Rourke makes 2020 White House bid official with wee-hours announcement

Beto's in for 2020.

Three-term Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, noted for his meandering video from a dentist's office, Jack Kerouac-style road trips and stream-of-consciousness ramblings and an oh-so-close bid to topple Texas Sen. Ted Cruz last year, announced a White House bid in a video he sent to supporters sometime in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

"Amy and I are happy to share with you that I’m running to serve you as the next president of the United States of America," O'Rourke said. "This is a defining moment of truth for this country and for every single one of us. The challenges we face right now, the interconnected crises in our democracy, and our climate have never been greater.”

The congressman from El Paso grabbed national attention last summer and autumn, as he challenged Republican Cruz in the 2018 midterm elections. O’Rourke raked in an eye-popping $80 million during his campaign, thanks in part to his uplifting message and his mastery of social media.

He quickly became a Democratic rock star. And like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, another darling of the party’s progressive base, O’Rourke quickly reached celebrity status, being referenced only by his first name.

O’Rourke narrowly lost to Cruz - by just over 200,000 votes out of more than eight million cast. After his better-than-expected performance against the GOP incumbent, there were immediate calls by some Democrats for O’Rourke to run for president.

After saying days after the November elections that "I will not be a candidate for president in 2020,” O’Rourke quickly changed his tune, explaining that "I haven't made any decisions about anything yet.”

By mid-December, he acknowledged at a town hall that was considering a White House run.

Two national groups urging O’Rourke to launch a campaign sprung up just weeks after the 2018 midterms. In the ensuing months the groups held house parties and other events in the early voting primary and caucus states as they built up lists of O’Rourke supporters.

In early January, with Beto mania at a fever pitch, O’Rourke live-streamed a visit to his dentist, which while going viral was also greeted with plenty of derision on social media.

Days later, as the Democratic presidential contenders were busy building organizations and making frequent stops in the early voting states, O’Rourke tried to find clarity. So he embarked on a solo road trip across the country, posting frequent travel log dispatches on Medium, the on-line publishing platform.

In a much anticipated early February interview with Oprah Winfrey, O’Rourke said he’d make a 2020 decisions “really soon… before the end of this month.”

That deadline came and went.

Two weeks ago came word that O’Rourke had ruled out a 2020 Senate challenge against Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and would announce his decision on a presidential bid “soon.”

O'Rourke told reporters that he had made a decision, but remained mum on what he had decided.

"I want to make the announcement to everyone at the same time," O'Rourke explained. "I want to do it the right way."

This past weekend the apparent O’Rourke tease continued, as he attended the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas for the premiere of a documentary about his 2018 Senate campaign.

He avoided revealing or detailing his 2020 intentions.

“I want to make sure I do it the right way and I tell everyone at the same time, so I’ll be doing that,” he once again told reporters when questioned about the delay in any announcement. “I’ve got to be on the timeline that works for my family and for the country.

As O’Rourke was in Austin, his deputy campaign manager from his 2018 Senate run sent an email to supporters inviting them “to be first to hear Beto’s big announcement.”

“I’m ready for us to bring our movement to the rest of the country,” Cynthia Cano added.

On Monday night, a video from O’Rourke on Twitter indicated that he would head this upcoming weekend to the state that votes first in the presidential caucus and primary calendar, to lend a hand to a Democratic state senate candidate running in a special election. The news came as O’Rourke reportedly had started staffing up in the Hawkeye state.

As O’Rourke’s delayed making an announcement on launching a campaign, some have wondered if he missed his moment. A new national poll from Monmouth University indicated a slight deterioration in his popularity. O’Rourke enjoyed a 41%-9% favorable/unfavorable rating in January, when Beto fever was at its peak. Monmouth’s latest survey, released on Monday indicated O’Rourke at 38%-12% favorable/unfavorable.

But other political analysts point to a lack of a breakout candidate so far in the large field of Democratic presidential contenders. They argue that a  campaign launch by O’Rourke could shake things up.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Alcohol eyed after underage college student collapses, dies at frat event: report

Authorities in South Carolina are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a 20-year-old Furman University student who collapsed and died during a frat event on Friday, reports said.

The off-campus event was approved by the university, WYFF reported. The student was identified as Caroline Smith. She reportedly told her boyfriend at some point during the party that she didn't feel well.

The history and communication studies major fell to the ground and was unresponsive, the report said. Her boyfriend performed CPR until EMS arrived at the scene, The Island Packet reported. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

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“The Sheriff’s Office is investigating circumstances surrounding her death and whether alcohol was obtained by underage persons,” Maj. Bob Bromage said, according to the paper. An autopsy was performed on Monday and the “manner of death is pending” further analysis.

Source: Fox News National

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Trump wields first presidential veto to nix border emergency rebuff

President Trump on Friday used the first veto of his administration to reject a bipartisan resolution that sought to block his declaration of a national emergency at the border, a move almost certain to kill the measure.

SENATE VOTES TO BLOCK TRUMP'S BORDER EMERGENCY DECLARATION, IN BIPARTISAN REBUKE TEEING UP VETO

Trump’s veto came a day after 12 Senate Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the resolution, despite last-minute efforts between the White House and GOP lawmakers to keep the Republican Party united. The measure ultimately passed 59-41, and Trump immediately vowed to veto.

While the original passage marked a stinging rebuke from members of Trump's own party, his veto is likely the last word as lawmakers are unlikely to muster the two-thirds majority required to override.

Trump originally declared a national emergency on the border last month after Congress granted only a fraction of the $5.7 billion he requested for a wall on the border. Declaring a national emergency allows Trump to steer an extra $3.6 billion to the wall.

Senate Democrats, who have consistently opposed many of Trump’s hardline immigration policies, were joined by Republicans who expressed support for Trump’s calls to build a wall -- but cited concern about the expansion of presidential power. The resolution had previously passed the Democrat-controlled House.

SENATE VOTES TO END US SUPPORT FOR SAUDI FORCES IN YEMEN

“This is a constitutional question, it’s a question of the balance of power that is core to our constitution,” Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, told reporters. “This is not about the president or border security, in fact I support border security, I support a barrier.”

The other Republicans who voted to oppose the declaration were Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah; Rob Portman, R-Ohio; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; Rand Paul, R-Ky.; Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Jerry Moran, R-Kan.; and Pat Toomey, R-Pa.

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Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., had said he would oppose the declaration but reversed course on the Senate floor, saying that he was "sympathetic" to Trump's push to deal with the crisis at the border.

Lee, meanwhile, had introduced a bill that would end future emergency declarations after 30 days, in an effort to allow Republicans to vote against the resolution. But after Trump said he opposed that legislation, Lee eventually backed the measure to rebuff Trump.

Fox News' Kelly Phares contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Spain’s former PM Rajoy testifies in Catalan trial

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy takes his seat at Parliament before the vote of a no confidence motion in Madrid
FILE PHOTO - Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy takes his seat at Parliament before the vote of a no confidence motion in Madrid, Spain, June 1, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

February 27, 2019

MADRID (Reuters) – Former Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy will appear in court on Wednesday as a witness, for the second time in less than two years, to give evidence in the trial of twelve Catalan separatist leaders.

Rajoy, who was kicked out of office last June in a no confidence motion by the Socialists, will be questioned about the circumstances surrounding a failed independence attempt by Catalonia in the autumn of 2017.

Rajoy’s center-right government sent thousands of anti-riot police to Catalonia, who used batons and rubber bullets to stop an independence referendum on Oct. 1, 2017.

Weeks later, Rajoy imposed direct rule on the wealthy northeastern region and shortly afterwards called a regional election hoping the independence drive would lose steam. In the end, pro-independence parties retained a slim majority in the regional assembly.

Rajoy’s had already become Spain’s first sitting prime minister to give evidence in court, in the summer of 2017, over a long-running graft scandal that tainted his conservative People’s Party and ultimately ended his political career.

It will be only the second time a former prime minister testifies in Spain’s highest court; former Socialist leader Felipe Gonzalez gave evidence in 1998 in a trial of para-police groups against Basque separatists, or ETA.

Under a unique Spanish practice, Rajoy will be questioned by a representative from the far right Vox party, which in this case will act as the prosecution in the defense of the public interest.

In December, Vox became the first far-right party in Spain in more than four decades to score an electoral victory, in a local ballot in the region of Andalusia. The movement draws a lot of support for its strong stance against independence for Spain’s regions.

Rajoy is one of 500 witnesses in the trial against 12 former Catalan leaders, nine of whom have been jailed and charged with rebellion. The former prime minister’s deputy, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, will also appear.

The trial enters a new stage on Wednesday after it concluded questioning of the 12 defendants on Tuesday.

Former Catalan deputy leader Oriol Junqueras, the most high-profile defendant in the trial, has said he is a political prisoner and insists his region has the right to secede from Spain.

(Reporting by Jose Elias Rodriguez; Editing by Axel Bugge and Andrew Heavens)

Source: OANN

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A Chinese woman adjusts a Chinese national flag next to U.S. national flags before a Strategic Dialogue expanded meeting, part of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) in Beijing
A Chinese woman adjusts a Chinese national flag next to U.S. national flags before a Strategic Dialogue expanded meeting, part of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, July 10, 2014. REUTERS/Ng Han Guan/Pool (CHINA – Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS)

April 26, 2019

By April Joyner

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Even as the lift from optimism over prospects for U.S.-China trade detente shows signs of wearing off for the wider U.S. stock market, upbeat sentiment around China’s economy could bolster shares of materials companies.

Shares of S&P 500 industrial and technology companies, which were buffeted by last year’s tit-for-tat tariffs as well as slowing global demand, have been very responsive to progress in U.S.-China trade relations and a strengthening Chinese economy. This year, those sectors have outpaced the ascent in the S&P 500, which reached a record closing high on Tuesday.

Materials stocks have not been as sensitive, however, even though they also stand to benefit as a stronger Chinese economy lifts global consumption and industrial output. As China has taken measures to stimulate its economy, its economic data have turned more upbeat. That in turn could aid global growth, which has flagged as a result of China’s cooldown.

“What we’re seeing is China spending more on stimulus: fiscal stimulus and monetary stimulus,” said Kristina Hooper, chief global market strategist at Invesco in New York. “That’s likely to be a positive for materials.”

The People’s Bank of China has cut banks’ reserve requirement ratio five times over the past year and is widely expected to ease policy further to spur lending and reduce borrowing costs. The stimulus appears to have boosted Chinese economic data, with factory activity growing in March for the first time in four months.

Yet so far in 2019, the S&P 500 materials index has underperformed the S&P 500 at large, rising just 11.9% compared with 16.7% for the benchmark index. Moreover, it is among the biggest decliners in the period since the S&P’s previous record closing level on Sept. 20. The materials index has fallen 7% over those seven months, versus a 5.2% gain for technology and a 3% loss for industrials. Only the energy index has dropped more over that period.

A trade agreement could serve as a catalyst for a bump in materials shares as a drag on China’s economy is lifted, some market strategists say. Some commodity prices, including those for copper and oil, have ascended this year as the prospects for the global economy have somewhat brightened.

“It all goes back to the global growth outlook,” said Andrea DiCenso, portfolio manager for alpha strategies at Loomis Sayles in Boston. “With the front run in hard data, we’re beginning to see a pretty significant rally.”

Additionally, a trade agreement is expected to include commitments from China to purchase higher quantities of U.S. products such as soybeans, which could benefit companies that make agricultural chemicals, including DowDuPont Inc and CF Industries Holdings Inc.

CF Industries is scheduled to report quarterly results after the bell on Wednesday, and DowDuPont is scheduled to report before the market open on Thursday.

To be sure, even with a trade agreement, some materials companies could face price pressures. Shares of Freeport-McMoRan Inc fell 10.1% on Thursday after the copper mining company posted a lower-than-expected profit as its production slipped and its costs rose.

A rollback of tariffs on Chinese imports, particularly aluminum and steel, would likely prompt a fall in some commodity prices, which could hurt prospects for certain materials companies, said Gene Goldman, chief investment officer at Cetera Investment Management in El Segundo, California.

Even so, those drawbacks may be outweighed by the support for global demand fostered by a U.S.-China trade agreement.

“You could see a number of companies with lowered expectations bring them back up as they talk favorably about the impact that a trade deal would have on them,” said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment strategist at Inverness Counsel in New York.

(Reporting by April Joyner; additional reporting by Sinéad Carew; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Source: OANN

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Cyprus police on Friday widened their search for more victims of a suspected serial killer after the 35-year-old national guard captain told investigators he killed four more people that he previously admitted to on the small Mediterranean nation.

The count now has climbed to seven.

CYPRUS FEARS POSSIBLE SERIAL KILLER AFTER BODIES OF TWO WOMEN ARE DISCOVERED IN MINESHAFT

Authorities said they are focusing on a military firing range, a man-made lake and an abandoned mine about 20 miles west of the capital Nicosia.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades expressed “deep sorrow and concern” at the slayings and said he shared the public’s revulsion at “murders that appear to have selectively targeted foreign women who are in our country to work.”

“Such instincts are contrary to our culture’s traditions and values,” he said in a statement from China, where he was on an official visit. He urged calm so police can complete their investigation.

The scale of the alleged crimes by a Cypriot National Guard captain has horrified the small nation of over a million people, where multiple killings are rare. Five British law enforcement officials — including a coroner, a psychiatrist and investigators who specialize in multiple homicides — have been dispatched to help with the investigation.

On Thursday, the 35-year-old suspect, who can’t yet be named because he hasn’t been formally charged, told investigators that he had killed four more people than he had previously admitted to. Police said the suspect will appear in court Saturday for another custody hearing.

Cypriot investigators and police officers search a flooded mineshaft where two female bodies were found, outside of Mitsero village, near the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, April 22, 2019. Police on the east Mediterranean island nation, along with the help of the fire service, are conducting the search Monday in the wake of last week's discovery of the bodies in the abandoned mineshaft and the disappearance of the six-year-old daughter of one of the victims. 

Cypriot investigators and police officers search a flooded mineshaft where two female bodies were found, outside of Mitsero village, near the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, April 22, 2019. Police on the east Mediterranean island nation, along with the help of the fire service, are conducting the search Monday in the wake of last week’s discovery of the bodies in the abandoned mineshaft and the disappearance of the six-year-old daughter of one of the victims.  (AP)

The victims — all foreigners— include Marry Rose Tiburcio, 38, from the Philippines, whose bound body was found April 14 in a flooded mineshaft. She and her six-year-old daughter had been missing since May of last year.

The girl remains missing and authorities believe she was also slain by the suspect. Divers have entered the reservoir to search for her but have not found her body yet.

CYPRUS: GROUND NOT YET READY FOR PEACE TALKS RESUMPTION 

Authorities tracked down the officer last week by scouring Tiburcio’s online messages.

Six days later, police discovered another body April 20 in the same mineshaft, identified by Cypriot media as 28-year-old Arian Palanas Lozano, also from the Philippines.

A third alleged victim, also of Filipino descent, is 31-year-old Maricar Valtez Arquiola, who had been missing since December 2017. The suspect initially denied killing Arquiola but reversed himself after a court hearing Thursday, a police official said.

The suspect on Thursday also pointed investigators to a military firing range, where they discovered another unidentified body, which according to the suspect belongs to a woman of either Nepalese or Indian descent.

SERIAL KILLER WHO MAY HAVE COMMITTED 90 MURDERS IS LINKED TO YET ANOTHER KILLING 

Cypriot police are also looking for a Romanian mother and daughter. Cypriot media identified them as Livia Florentina Bunea, 36, and eight-year-old Elena Natalia Bunea, who are believed to have been missing since September 2016.

The man-made lake remains off-limits to a manned search because of high levels of toxic heavy metals from the copper pyrite mine, Fire Service Chief Marcos Trangolas said, adding that authorities will use other means to scour the lake.

Chief of Cypriot police Zacharias Chrysostomou, center, walks with Cypriot investigators and police officers at a flooded mineshaft where two female bodies were found, outside of Mitsero village, near the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, April 22, 2019.

Chief of Cypriot police Zacharias Chrysostomou, center, walks with Cypriot investigators and police officers at a flooded mineshaft where two female bodies were found, outside of Mitsero village, near the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, April 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Cyprus police have faced criticism from immigrant activists who said they didn’t act fast enough to investigate the whereabouts of some of the victims, many of them domestic workers. The island nation has 80 unsolved missing persons cases, going back to 1990.

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Police chief Zacharias Chrysostomou said a three-member panel has been assigned to probe whether police followed all the correct protocol in recent missing persons cases.

According to the state-run Cyprus News Agency, an investigator had told the court at an earlier hearing that the suspect admitted to killing one woman he met online after having sex with her.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Source: Fox News World

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Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro is seen delivering a speech at a forum on human rights in Caracas
Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro is seen delivering a speech at a forum on human rights in Caracas, Venezuela June 12, 2018 in this still image taken from a video. REUTERS TV/ via REUTERS

April 26, 2019

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s opposition-run National Assembly said on Friday that opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro was detained, which it described in a Twitter post as a violation of diplomatic immunity.

Caro had previously spend a year and a half in jail, before being freed in June 2018. The arrest comes as Juan Guaido, the National Assembly’s leader, mounts a challenge to President Nicolas Maduro, arguing his 2018 re-election was illegitimate. Guaido in January invoked the country’s constitution to assume an interim presidency.

(Reporting by Caracas newsroom; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: Customers shop in a Sainsbury's store in Redhill
FILE PHOTO: Customers shop in a Sainsbury’s store in Redhill, Britain, March 27, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By James Davey

LONDON (Reuters) – With Sainsbury’s dream of creating Britain’s biggest supermarket group in tatters, its chastened CEO Mike Coupe needs to reassure investors he has the plan to arrest a sales decline when he presents annual results next week.

Britain’s competition regulator blocked Sainsbury’s 7.3 billion pound ($9.4 billion) takeover of Walmart’s Asda on Thursday, saying the deal would increase prices. Sainsbury’s shares fell 5 percent and are down 22 percent over the last three months.

For Sainsbury’s fourth quarter to March 9 analysts are on average forecasting a 1.6 percent fall in like-for-like sales, which would follow 1.1 percent decline over the Christmas period.

Monthly industry data from researcher Kantar has also shown Sainsbury’s as the weakest performer of the big four grocers this year and this month it lost its status as Britain’s No. 2 supermarket group by market share to Asda.

While Sainsbury’s has struggled, market leader Tesco has gained momentum, this month reporting a 34 percent jump in full year profit.

Prohibition of the deal was a major blow to Coupe, its architect and Sainsbury’s boss since 2014.

Martin Scicluna became Sainsbury’s chairman last month and when bedded-in may decide that if the group needs a major shake-up it is best carried out by a new leader.

Much will depend on the attitude of 22 percent shareholder the Qatar Investment Authority, which has so far declined to comment, as well as Coupe’s own appetite to continue after 15 years at the group.

THE RIGHT STRATEGY?

Coupe said on Thursday he was confident Sainsbury’s was pursuing the right strategy.

That was a clear indication that Wednesday’s results statement will not include radical changes to the group’s plans, such as a big margin reset — sacrificing profit to drive sales.

However, sources connected to Sainsbury’s said Coupe would likely acknowledge that more needs to be done on prices, so the supermarket business can better compete with its big four rivals – Tesco, Asda and No. 4 Morrisons – as well as German-owned discounters Aldi and Lidl.

Coupe’s strategy is based on differentiating Sainsbury’s food offer, growing its general merchandise, clothing business and bank, while investing in convenience and online channels.

Some analysts believe major change is needed.

HSBC analyst David McCarthy reckons Sainsbury’s needs a margin reset, should allocate more space for core lines and needs to drive better store standards. He said Sainsbury’s might consider closing down space in some of its larger stores and reducing its non-food offer.

For the full 2018-19 year analysts are on average forecasting a pretax profit of 626 million pounds, up from 589 million pounds in 2017-18 – a second straight year of profit growth. A full year dividend of 10.5 pence per share is forecast versus 10.2 pence last time.

Bank and lawyer fees related to the proposed combination with Asda were 17 million pounds in the first half and have reportedly jumped to around 50 million pounds.

(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Keith Weir)

Source: OANN

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Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey rejected demands from a secular group to remove posts on social media where he sent Easter greetings and cited a Bible verse, offering to provide copies of the Constitution to his critics.

Ducey, who’s a practicing Catholic, has been bombarded with calls from Secular Communities for Arizona to remove the post, which included a cross, a Bible verse, and the phrase, “He is risen.”

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The group argued the posts crossed a line into government sponsorship of religious messages and was unconstitutional.

The governor fired back at the group, saying in a tweet that he will never remove the posts or other religious ones.

“We won’t be removing this post. Ever. Nor will we be removing our posts for Christmas, Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, Palm Sunday, Passover or any other religious holiday,” he tweeted. “We support the First Amendment, and are happy to provide copies of the Constitution to anyone who hasn’t read it.”

Dianne Post, an attorney for the secular group, told the Arizona Republic “elected officials should not use their government position and government property to promote their religious views.”

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She added the courts have repeatedly “struck down symbolism that unites government with religion,” adding that Ducey’s office must “represent and protect the rights of all residents of Arizona, including those who do not believe in a monotheistic God or any gods at all.”

Many congratulated Ducey for not backing down amid the pressure, though some Facebook users sided with the secular group and criticized the governor on his original post.

“Why do you use a government platform to bring up your personal religion?” asked one person. “Are there no citizens in your jurisdiction that believe differently from you?”

Another stipulated that the post was somewhat discriminatory. “Great sensitivity, Doug. That’s the last time this Jew votes for you,” one person wrote.

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Ducey wished in a statement Arizonans last week a “blessed and joyful Easter and Passover weekend.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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