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California judge rules son of twin gay couple is American citizen

A federal judge in California ruled Thursday that a twin son of a gay married couple has been an American citizen since birth, handing a defeat to the U.S. government, which had only granted the status to his brother.

The State Department was wrong to deny citizenship to 2-year-old Ethan Dvash-Banks because U.S. law does not require a child to show a biological relationship with their parents if their parents were married at the time of their birth, District Judge John F. Walter found.

A lawsuit filed by the boys' parents, Andrew and Elad Dvash-Banks, sought the same rights for Ethan that his brother, Aiden, has as a citizen.

Each boy was conceived with donor eggs and the sperm from a different father — one an American, the other an Israeli citizen — but born by the same surrogate mother minutes apart.

The government had only granted citizenship to Aiden, who DNA tests showed was the biological son of Andrew, a U.S. citizen. Ethan was conceived from the sperm of Elad Dvash-Banks, an Israeli citizen.

The suit was one of two filed last year by an LGBTQ immigrant rights group that said the State Department is discriminating against same-sex binational couples by denying their children citizenship at birth. The cases filed in Los Angeles and Washington by Immigration Equality said the children of a U.S. citizen who marries abroad are entitled to U.S. citizenship at birth no matter where they are born, even if the other parent is a foreigner. Only the Los Angeles case was decided Thursday.

The State Department did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the ruling. Previously the department pointed to guidance on its website that said there must be a biological connection to a U.S. citizen to become a citizen at birth.

"This family was shocked and appalled and angry when they were told their family wasn't legal," said Aaron Morris, executive director of Immigration Equality. "They wanted their twin boys to be treated exactly the same."

Morris said the government wrongly applied a policy for children born out of wedlock to married same-sex couples.

Walter agreed, writing that the State Department statute does not contain language "requiring a 'blood relationship between the person and the father' in order for citizenship to be acquired at birth."

"This is justice! We are hopeful that no other family will ever have to go through this again. It's like a giant rock has been removed from our hearts," Andrew and Elad Dvash-Banks said in a statement provided by Immigration Equality.

Andrew Dvash-Banks was studying in Israel when he met his future husband, Elad, an Israeli citizen. Because they couldn't marry at the time in the U.S. or in Israel, they moved to Canada, where they wed in 2010. The children were born by a surrogate in September 2016.

Everything seemed fine until the couple brought their cranky infants to the American consulate in Toronto a few months later to apply for citizenship and the woman at the counter began asking probing questions they found shocking and humiliating.

The consular official told them she had discretion to require a DNA test to show who the biological father was of each boy and without those tests neither son would get citizenship. The men knew that Andrew was Aiden's biological father and Elad was Ethan's but they had kept it a secret and hadn't planned on telling anyone.

After submitting the DNA test results that proved who fathered each boy, the couple received a large and small envelope from the U.S. on March 2. The big one included Aiden's passport. The other was a letter notifying Andrew that Ethan's application had been denied.

The family has since moved to Los Angeles to be closer to Andrew Dvash-Banks' family.

The other case involves two women, one from the U.S., and one from Italy, who met in New York, wed in London and each gave birth to a son. The State Department didn't recognize the couple's marriage, the lawsuit said, and only granted citizenship to the boy whose biological mother was born and raised in the U.S.

Source: Fox News National

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UK PM May will not set preconditions in talks with Corbyn: Brexit minister

British opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in London
British opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in London, Britain, April 3, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

April 3, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Theresa May will not set preconditions when she begins talks aimed at breaking the Brexit deadlock with opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn on Wednesday, her Brexit minister Stephen Barclay said.

May said on Tuesday she would seek another Brexit delay to agree an EU divorce deal with Corbyn, a last-ditch attempt to break an impasse over Britain’s departure that enraged many in her party.

“We are not setting preconditions but nor is it a blank cheque,” Barclay told BBC radio.

“What we are saying is let’s sit down, in the national interest, businesses up and down the country are saying we need to end this uncertainty, we need to respect the referendum result,” Barclay said.

The minister added that he did not personally think a customs union was desirable.

(Reporting by James Davey; editing by Elisabeth O’Leary)

Source: OANN

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What we know about the coaches, administrator accused of taking bribes in college admissions scandal

A total of nine college coaches and one high-ranking athletics administrator were indicted by the Justice Department on Tuesday in connection with a nationwide scheme in which wealthy parents allegedly spent big to place their children in top universities.

The coaches, who represent the University of Southern California, Georgetown, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, Wake Forest and Yale, have led a variety of what are termed "non-revenue" sports, which is to say, sports that are dependent on the largesse provided by their university's football and basketball programs. They have won conference and national championships; with USC men's and women's water polo, Jovan Vavic was named their conference's "Coach of the Century."

All the coaches and administrators are charged with racketeering conspiracy unless otherwise indicated. Here's what we know about them.

University of Southern California

Jovan Vavic: A native of the former Yugoslavia, Vavic led the women's water polo program at USC since its inception in 1995 and took the helm of the men's program in 1999. Since then, the two programs have won a total of 16 national championships (10 for the men's team and six for the women's team) and Vavic has been named the National Coach of the Year 15 times. In 2015, the Pac-12 Network named Vavic Men's Water Polo Coach of the Century as part of its celebration of the conference's 100th anniversary.

Joran Vavic

Joran Vavic (USC Athletics)

According to the indictment, Vavic accepted bribes totaling more than $250,000 to designate two prospective students as recruits, thereby smoothing the path for their admission to USC. The university announced Tuesday afternoon that Vavic had been fired.

Ali Khosroshahin: Khosroshahin was head coach of the USC women's soccer team for seven seasons before he was fired following the 2013 season. He led the Trojans to the national championship in 2007, his first season on the job, and made the NCAA tournament in four of his seven seasons. According to his LinkedIn page, Khosroshahin is currently the owner of the amateur United Premier Soccer League's Newport Futbol Club

Ali Khosroshahin

Ali Khosroshahin (USC Athletics)

Laura Janke: A former player and assistant coach under Khosroshahin at Cal State Fullerton, Janke followed him to USC as an assistant working primarily with defenders and goalkeepers. Janke lost her job along with Khosroshahin following the 2013 season and is currently listed as the Physical Education Department chair and educator at the Geffen Academy, a sixth-through-12th-grade school affiliated with UCLA.

Laura Janke 

Laura Janke  (USC Athletics)

The indictment alleges that the two accepted $350,000 in exchange for designating four prospective students as recruits.

Donna Heinel: Heinel, a senior associate athletic director and one of the highest-ranking members of USC's athletic department, was fired Tuesday in the wake of her indictment. Prosecutors allege that she received more than $1.3 million to help smooth the way for more than two dozen students to enter USC between 2014 and 2018. In December 2017, Heimel allegedly received $50,000 from actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannullo, whose daughters were recruited to the USC women's crew team despite having no rowing experience.

"It is immensely disappointing that individuals would abuse their position at the university in this way," USC Interim President Wanda Austin wrote in a letter to employees. "As our work on culture and values continues, we must take the appropriate action when we become aware of behavior that is contrary to our values ... We will continue to cooperate fully with all law enforcement and regulatory investigations."

Georgetown University

Former men's tennis coach Gordon Ernst is named in the indictment. He allegedly received $2.7 million in bribes, which were labeled "consulting fees" from charitable accounts set up by admissions consultant Rick Singer, who prosecutors say was the central figure in the scheme.

Gordon Ernst

Gordon Ernst (University of Rhode Island)

In a statement, Georgetown spokeswoman Meghan Dubyak said Ernst had not coached the men's tennis team since December 2017 "following an internal investigation that found he had violated university rules concerning admissions." Dubyak added that the university had "cooperated fully with the government’s investigation" and was "deeply disappointed" in Ernst's alleged actions, which she described as "an unprecedented breach of trust."

Ernst was hired to coach the women's tennis team at the University of Rhode Island in August 2018. A university statement said that Ernst had been placed on administrative leave and noted that he " has not been involved in the recruitment of any current players nor in the signing of any new recruits."

Stanford University

Stanford head sailing coach John Vandemoer pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston Tuesday, admitting that he conspired with Singer to pretend two prospective students were competitive sailors in exchange for payments to the Stanford sailing program. Neither student ended up attending Stanford.

Former Stanford sailing coach John Vandemoer arrives at federal court in Boston Tuesday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Former Stanford sailing coach John Vandemoer arrives at federal court in Boston Tuesday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The university confirmed in a statement that Vandemoer, who has coached sailing at Standford since 2009 and previously held the head job at the U.S. Naval Academy, has been fired, saying that his "alleged behavior runs completely counter to Stanford’s values.

"Based on the Department of Justice investigation to date, we have no evidence that the alleged conduct involves anyone else at Stanford or is associated with any other team," the statement went on. "However, we will be undertaking an internal review to confirm that."

University of Texas

Michael Center

Michael Center (University of Texas)

Longtime Longhorns men's tennis coach Michael Center was placed on administrative leave after he was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest-services mail fraud. Center, who has been at the university since 2000, allegedly accepted a $100,000 bribe in exchange for designating a prospective student as a tennis recruit. The student was admitted to the university on a partial scholarship in the spring of 2015 and was added to the tennis team's roster. Shortly after beginning classes that fall, the student withdrew from the tennis team and renounced his scholarship, but remained at the university.

University spokesperson J.B. Bird said Center's alleged actions "run counter to the university’s values," and added, "Based on what we know at present, we believe this was an isolated incident in 2015 that involved one coach and no other university employees or officers."

Center's teams have reached the NCAA tennis championship tournament in all 18 years of his tenure and made the final four three times: in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

University of California, Los Angeles

UCLA men's soccer coach Jorge Salcedo was placed on leave after the indictment was announced. He is accused of accepting $200,000 to help get one female student and one male student admitted to the university in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Prosecutors say at least one of the payments was directed to a sports marking company Salcedo controlled.

Jorge Salcedo

Jorge Salcedo (UCLA)

"The conduct alleged in the filings revealed today is deeply disturbing and in contrast with the expectations we have of our coaches to lead their teams with honesty and integrity," UCLA said in a statement. "If the facts alleged are true, they represent a grave departure from the ethical standards we set for ourselves and the people who work here."

A former Major League Soccer player, Salcedo was hired as head coach of the Bruins in 2004. His teams have made the NCAA tournament in 13 of the last 14 seasons, reaching the championship game twice (2006 and 2014). In addition, 38 Bruins have been drafted by Major League Soccer (MLS) during Salcedo's tenure, boosting the program's attractiveness to recruits.

Wake Forest University

Women's volleyball coach Bill Ferguson is accused of accepting $100,000 from Singer to help a prospective female student get into Wake Forest after she had been put on a waitlist. Wake Forest said Ferguson had been placed on administrative leave.

Bill Ferguson

Bill Ferguson (Wake Forest University)

Ferguson was hired by Wake Forest in 2016 after spending a decade coaching men's volleyball at USC, during which time he led that program to three NCAA volleyball Final Fours. He'd had less success as the head coach of the Demon Deacons, compiling a 32-61 record over his three seasons in Winston-Salem.

"The alleged conduct is in direct conflict with the values and integrity of Wake Forest and its athletics program," University President Nathan Hatch said in a letter to the university's students, faculty and staff.

Yale University

Tuesday's indictments were an inglorious coda to the 24-year coaching career of Rudolph "Rudy" Meredith, who resigned as women's soccer coach at the Ivy League institution this past November after 24 seasons in the job.

Rudolph "Rudy" Meredith

Rudolph "Rudy" Meredith (Yale University)

Prosecutors say Meredith received $400,000 in early 2018 after falsely designating a prospective Yale student as a women's soccer recruit. Ivy League schools like Yale do not give athletic scholarships, but its member universities have increased the amount of financial aid to admitted students in recent years, making it easier to recruit athletes who previously would not have attended those schools.

According to the indictment, Singer sent the student's resume and personal statement -- which included an art portfolio -- to Meredith in November 2017 and promised to "'revise' the materials to 'soccer.'"

In the spring of 2018, prosecutors say, Meredith met with the father of another prospective student in a Boston hotel room and agreed to designate the man's daughter as a women's soccer recruit in exchange for $450,000. The father agreed and gave Meredith $2,000 in cash as a down payment. The meeting was recorded by FBI agents.

Meredith's charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest-services wire fraud.

"As the federal charging document makes clear, the Department of Justice believes that Yale’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions has been the victim of a crime perpetrated by its women’s soccer coach, who is no longer at the university," the university said in a statement. " ... The Office of Undergraduate Admissions relies on varsity coaches to provide honest and expert evaluations of individual applicants’ athletic accomplishments and potential to contribute to a varsity team. The Admissions Committee considers these evaluations alongside the other components of an applicant’s file, but only students whose applications demonstrate their ability to succeed in the academic and residential components of the Yale experience are admitted."

Source: Fox News National

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IMF managing director says economy is at ‘delicate moment’

The head of the 189-nation International Monetary Fund said Tuesday the global economy is at a "delicate moment" with a hoped-for rebound in growth later this year being threatened by a variety of factors such as rising trade tensions between the world's two biggest economies.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said the IMF does not forecast a recession in its updated economic outlook to be released next week, but she called the current situation "precarious" and vulnerable to policy mistakes.

She said a hoped-for rebound later this year had been helped by the actions of central banks including the announcement of the Federal Reserve earlier this year that because of the economic slowdown, it was putting future interest rate hikes on hold.

"To be clear, we do not see a recession in the near term," Lagarde said in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "In fact, we expect some pickup in growth in the second half of 2019 and into 2020."

The IMF next Tuesday will release an updated World Economic Outlook. In January, it had trimmed its forecast for global growth to around 3.5% for this year and next year, based on the headwinds caused by rising trade tensions, the uncertainty surrounding Britain's planned exit from the European Union and tighter financial conditions, including the Fed's four rate hikes last year.

Lagarde said that all of those factors had resulted in a dramatic reversal in prospects for many countries. Just two years ago, she said, 75% of the global economy was experiencing an upswing in growth. But this year, the IMF is forecasting that about 70% of the global economy will be experiencing a slowdown in growth.

Many private economists believe that the United States, the world's largest economy, will see growth slow from an annual gain of 2.9% in 2018 to just above 2% in 2019 as the stimulus from tax cuts and higher government spending begins to fade.

Lagarde said new IMF research shows that an increase in tariffs of 25 percentage points on all goods traded between the United States and China would reduce growth in the United States by up to 0.6% and trim growth in China by as much as 1.6%.

"Nobody wins a trade war," Lagarde said. "That is why we need to work together to reduce trade barriers and modernize the global trade system so that we all win."

Negotiators from the United States and China were scheduled to meet in Washington this week in an effort to resolve differences and avoid further penalty tariffs being imposed by both nations.

Lagarde's address was a preview of the issues expected to be addressed during the spring meetings of the IMF and its sister lending organization, the World Bank, taking place in Washington next week.

Source: Fox News National

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Rome moves Roma families from housing project after protests

Rome city authorities have begun moving several Roma families out of a public housing project in a Rome suburb after violent protests by neo-fascist groups threatened their safety.

Far-right protesters from the neo-fascist party Forza Nuova screamed insults and threw objects at a van that removed several people late Wednesday. Some did a raised-arm fascist gesture known as the "Roman salute" and sang the Italian national anthem. Some neighbors turned out and applauded the Roma families' departure.

Mayor Virginia Raggi described a "very heavy climate of hatred" during a Tuesday evening protest allegedly incited by two far-right groups, Casa Pound and Forza Nuova, against the arrival of the Roma families on the outskirts of Rome.

Raggi said the families, including 33 children, were being placed elsewhere in the meantime.

Source: Fox News World

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Exclusive: Citgo, Valero try to return Venezuelan oil following sanctions: document

FILE PHOTO: Crude oil tankers are docked at Isla Oil Refinery PDVSA terminal in Willemstad on the island of Curacao
FILE PHOTO: Crude oil tankers are docked at Isla Oil Refinery PDVSA terminal in Willemstad on the island of Curacao, February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Romero

March 11, 2019

By Marianna Parraga

(Reuters) – The top U.S. buyers of Venezuelan oil are in the unusual position of trying to return millions of barrels of crude they need but cannot accept because of U.S. sanctions on the South American nation and its state-run energy firm PDVSA.

PDVSA’s U.S. refining subsidiary Citgo Petroleum Corp and Valero Energy are proposing to return 2 million barrels of crude loaded before sanctions, while a third U.S. oil company, Chevron Corp, has sought so far unsuccessfully to legally pay for 4.3 million barrels, according to an internal PDVSA document seen by Reuters.

In effect, more than 6 million barrels of Venezuelan crude remain in limbo as a result of U.S. sanctions imposed on Jan. 28 by Washington in an effort to oust President Nicolas Maduro. The United States and dozens of other nations recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the nation’s legitimate leader.

To comply with U.S. sanctions, Valero, Citgo and others are not allowed to pay PDVSA. Guaido’s administration has yet to establish its own bank accounts to receive proceeds from oil sales to U.S. customers, leaving those shipments stranded.

Overall oil exports from the OPEC member state dropped by about 40 percent in the first full month of sanctions, as the U.S. sought to cut oil revenue to Maduro, who presides over a nation beset by a years-long economic crisis, with millions fleeing for a lack of food and medicine.

PDVSA, Citgo and Valero did not reply to requests for comment. Chevron does not comment on supply and trade matters, a spokesman said.

STRANDED TANKERS

The standoff has stranded some 6.4 million barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude onboard 11 tankers originally destined for the United States, as they have not been authorized to set sail. The vessels fell into limbo because PDVSA demanded prepayment for the cargos after sanctions were imposed, which U.S. firms cannot do.

Chevron, the second-largest U.S. oil firm by market value, wanted to take the oil shipments in lieu of loans and dividends stemming from joint ventures with PDVSA, a person close to the matter said. The cargoes were loaded at Venezuelan ports ahead of sanctions, but they remain undelivered, according to the document, and it is unclear if PDVSA would accept that offer.

Valero proposed to pay PDVSA for 1.05 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, but that request was rejected by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which oversees sanctions, the documents said.

The Houston-based Citgo cut ties with its parent company in compliance with U.S. measures that halted its purchases of PDVSA’s oil, the documents said.

A U.S. Treasury spokesperson declined to comment on the requests to pay PDVSA for the cargoes.

As of March 8, the 11 loaded vessels remained anchored off ports in Venezuela. Two other Chevron-chartered cargoes were stuck off the U.S. Gulf Coast and a third was returned to Venezuela’s Amuay terminal, according to Refinitiv Eikon vessel-tracking data.

PDVSA does not expect Citgo or Valero to accept the cargos and intends to “commercially reallocate the volumes onboard so tankers can be freed,” a Feb. 21 trade and supply document showed. The same document expressed worry over demurrage fees – the daily cost for storing the oil on tankers – which have been accumulating for over a month.

PDVSA SCRAMBLES TO AVOID EXPORT SHORTFALL

Separately, a days-long blackout across the country has halted exports from Jose port, the nation’s primary crude export terminal. PDVSA on Monday was trying to restart operations.

The Venezuelan company has been forced to redesign its production and export logistics in recent weeks to avoid halting operations, including formulating new crude blends, swapping a large portion of its oil for imported fuel, selling through intermediaries and finding new customers.

But the efforts have not been enough to avoid an export decline. The OPEC-member country’s oil shipments fell to some 920,000 barrels per day (bpd) in February according to Refinitiv Eikon data.

PDVSA exports could fall further due to a lack of imported naphtha, a light distillate, needed to dilute its extra heavy oil as the company has been able to secure only two 500,000-barrel cargoes versus 2-3 million barrels per month needed, according to the document.

If it cannot import enough naphtha to formulate its oil for export, PDVSA plans to start mixing other domestic fuels to ready oil for export.

Lack of maritime crews to take PDVSA tankers idled due to unpaid shipping fees is also hampering oil deliveries between domestic ports and to the Caribbean, where PDVSA stores and ships much of its export barrels.

Some shipping firms’ reluctance to work in Venezuela after sanctions have stopped PDVSA from using leased tankers to ease storage bottlenecks at its Orinoco Belt’s joint ventures. The ones willing to work with PDVSA are charging high prices and extra fees, the document added.

On March 4, PDVSA completely shut output at its Corocoro oilfield, which was producing some 12,000 bpd, due to lack of storage capacity. Its Pedernales oilfield could follow due to similar issues, according to the report. The four Orinoco upgraders were working at minimum on Monday.

(GRAPHIC: Venezuelan crude exports to U.S. refiners link: https://tmsnrt.rs/2t4ullS).

(Graphic: Top importers of Venezuelan crude link: https://tmsnrt.rs/2RYGk2E).

(Reporting by Marianna Parraga; additional reporting by Leslie Wroughton in Washington and Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

Source: OANN

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Soc Gen board recommends renewing CEO Oudea for new four-year term

Frederic Oudea, CEO of French bank Societe Generale, attends a news conference to present the bank's 2017 annual results in Paris
FILE PHOTO: Frederic Oudea, Chief Executive Officer of French bank Societe Generale, attends a news conference to present the bank's 2017 annual results in Paris, France, February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

March 18, 2019

PARIS (Reuters) – Societe Generale board said on Monday it will ask shareholders to renew Chief Executive Frederic Oudea for a new four-year term at the next annual assembly to be held on May 21.

The board will also propose the renewal of Oudea’s four deputies, Severin Cabannes, Philippe Aymerich, Philippe Heim and Diony Lebot.

The board also wants shareholders to renew two independent board members Kyra Hazou and Gerard Mestrallet for a four-year term.

Frederic Oudea has held the top job at France’s third largest listed bank since 2009 and has led the lender through a series of set-backs, including the eurozone sovereign debt crisis in 2012 and a 4.9 billion euro loss incurred by rogue trader Jerome Kerviel in 2008.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro; editing by Richard Lough)

Source: OANN

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Representatives of Russian Transneft, Ukranian Ukrtransnafta, Polish Pern and Belarusian Belneftekhim gather to hold talks on fixing tainted oil supplies to Europe, in Minsk
Representatives of Russian Transneft, Ukranian Ukrtransnafta, Polish Pern and Belarusian Belneftekhim gather to hold talks on fixing tainted oil supplies to Europe, in Minsk, Belarus April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

April 26, 2019

By Katya Golubkova and Andrei Makhovsky

MOSCOW/MINSK (Reuters) – Russia is confident it can soon resolve a problem of polluted Russian oil contaminating a major pipeline serving Europe and affecting supplies as far west as Germany, a senior official said on Friday at talks with importers about the issue.

Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin did not give a precise timeframe but Moscow has previously said it would pump clean oil to the border with Belarus from April 29, seeking to end a crisis hitting the world’s second-largest crude exporter.

Sorokin was speaking at talks with officials from Belarus, Poland and Ukraine in Minsk on the issue. Belarus said the issue had cost it $100 million, while analysts say alternative supply routes for refiners cannot fully fill the gap.

Poland, Germany, Ukraine and Slovakia have suspended imports of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline. Halting those supplies has knock-on effects further along the network.

The problem arose last week when an unidentified Russian producer contaminated oil with high levels of organic chloride used to boost oil output but which must be separated before shipment as it can destroy refining equipment.

Russia’s Energy Ministry said pipeline monopoly Transneft and other Russian companies had a plan to mitigate the effects of the contaminated oil. It did not give details.

Russian officials have said contaminated oil has already been pumped into storage in Russia and Friday’s talks would focus on how to partially withdraw the tainted crude from the Druzhba pipeline running via other countries.

The suspension cuts off a major supply route for Polish refineries owned by Poland’s PKN Orlen and Grupa Lotos, as well as plants in Germany owned by Total, Shell, Eni and Rosneft.

Some refiners have outlined plans for alternative supplies, but analysts say other routes cannot meet the shortfall.

OIL PRICES

Ukraine’s Ukrtransnafta suspended the transit of oil through the pipeline on Thursday, closing supplies via Druzhba’s southern route to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The pipeline issue, which has supported global oil prices, lifted Russian Urals crude differentials to an all-time high on Thursday.

With pipeline supplies to Europe shut, Russia faces a challenge of how to divert about 1 million barrels per day (bpd) that was meant to be shipped through the network to other destinations at the time when export capacity is at its limits.

State-run Russian Railways held talks with energy firms on using up to 5,000 rail tankers to transport crude, RIA news agency reported on Friday.

Concerns about the quality of Urals crude also caused delays in loadings at the Baltic port of Ust-Luga, when buyers refused to lift cargoes, resulting in a brief shutdown of the port on Wednesday and Thursday. An Ust-Luga official and traders said on Friday loadings had resumed.

Russian loading plans indicate it aims to boost Urals exports in May before the expiry of a deal on output cuts agreed with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, Reuters calculations and Energy Ministry data show.

The provisional loading plan for Russia’s Baltic Sea ports and Novorossiisk in May show exports rising to 10.7 million tonnes, the highest level in half a decade.

Minsk estimated its loss from lower oil product exports due to contaminated Russian oil at around $100 million, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, citing Belarusian state oil company Belneftekhim.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, in charge of government energy policy, said this week that those found responsible for contaminating the oil could be fined. He did not provide names.

(Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko in WARSAW, Sandor Peto in BUDAPEST, Jason Hovet in PRAGUE, Matthias Williams and Natalia Zinets in KIEV, Katya Golubkova, Olesya Astakhova, Gleb Gorodyankin, Olga Yagova and Maxim Rodionov in MOSCOW, Andrei Makhovsky in MINSK; writing by Katya Golubkova; editing by Michael Perry and Edmund Blair)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO - A worker sits on a ship carrying containers at Mundra Port in the western Indian state of Gujarat
FILE PHOTO: A worker sits on a ship carrying containers at Mundra Port in the western Indian state of Gujarat April 1, 2014. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – India has once again delayed the implementation of higher tariffs on some goods imported from the United States to May 15, a government official said on Friday.

The new tariff structure was to come into force from May 2, the spokeswoman said without citing reasons for the delay.

Angered by Washington’s refusal to exempt it from new steel and aluminum tariffs, New Delhi decided in June last year to raise the import tax from Aug. 4 on some U.S. products including almonds, walnuts and apples.

But since then, New Delhi has repeatedly delayed the implementation of the new tariff.

Trade friction between India and the U.S. has escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans earlier this year to end preferential trade treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for up to $5.6 billion worth of its exports to the United States.

In a further blow, U.S. on Monday demanded buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May or face sanctions, ending six months of waivers which allowed Iran’s eight biggest buyers including India to continue importing limited volumes.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar in New Delhi and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva and Raissa Kasolowsky)

Source: OANN

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One of Joe Biden’s newly-hired senior advisers has seemingly had a very recent change of heart.

Symone Sanders, a prominent Democratic strategist and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., staffer in 2016, was announced as one of the big-name members of Team Biden on Thursday.

But Sanders, who has also served as a CNN contributor, is seen in resurfaced footage from November 2016 expressing her opposition to a white person leading her party after Donald Trump’s election.

“In my opinion, we don’t need white people leading the Democratic party right now,” Sanders told host Brianna Keilar during a discussion on Howard Dean potentially becoming DNC chairman.

BIDEN HIRES FORMER BERNIE SANDERS’ SPOKESPERSON AS SENIOR ADVISER

“The Democratic party is diverse, and it should be reflected as so in leadership and throughout the staff, at the highest levels. From the vice chairs to the secretaries all the way down to the people working in the offices at the DNC,” she said.

Sanders wrapped up her remarks by saying: “I want to hear more from everybody. I want to hear from the millennials and the brown folks.”

Footage of the interview was resurfaced by RealClearPolitics.

After news of her hiring broke on Thursday, Sanders backed her new boss on Twitter.

TRUMP ASSESSES 2020 DEMS; TAKES SWIPES AT BIDEN, SANDERS; DISMISSES HARRIS, O’ROURKE; SAYS HE’S ROOTING FOR BUTTIGIEG

“@JoeBiden & @DrBiden are a class act. Over the course of this campaign, Vice President Biden is going to make his case to the American ppl. He won’t always be perfect, but I believe he will get it right,” she wrote.

The hiring of Sanders has been viewed as another indication of the expected tough fight that Biden and Sanders are in for as the two frontrunners battle a deep Democratic field.

While Sanders himself didn’t torch Biden as he jumped into the race, it’s clear that many of his progressive supporters view the former vice president as a threat.

Biden’s entry into the race – at least in the early going – sets up a battle between himself and Sanders, who thanks to his fierce fight with eventual nominee Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic nomination, enjoys name ID on the level of the former vice president.

BIDEN VOWS THAT ‘AMERICA IS COMING BACK,’ SPARKING ‘MAGA’ COMPARISONS

Justice Democrats — who also called Biden “out-of-touch” – is an increasingly influential group among the left of the party. They’ve championed progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York as well as Sanders. The group was founded by members of Sanders 2016 presidential campaign.

Biden has pushed back against the perception that he’s a moderate in a party that’s increasingly moving to the left. Earlier this month he described himself as an “Obama-Biden Democrat.”

And Biden said he’d stack his record against “anybody who has run or who is running now or who will run.”

Former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile – a Fox News contributor – highlighted that “Joe Biden can occupy his own lane in large part because he’s earned it. He’s earned the right to call himself whatever.”

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But she emphasized that “elections are not about the past, they’re about the future…I do believe he has the right ingredients. The question is can he find enough people to help him stir the pot.”

Fox News Andrew O’Reilly contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who is facing increased calls for her immediate resignation, remains in poor health and is not “lucid” enough to decide whether to step down, her attorney told reporters late Thursday.

Steve Silverman, speaking outside one of Pugh’s residences which was raided by the FBI and IRS earlier in the day, said the embattled city leader could make a decision as early as next week.

“She is leaning toward making the best decision in the best interest in the citizens of Baltimore City,” he said, adding that Pugh has “several options” to consider.

“She just needs to be physically and mentally sound and lucid enough to make appropriate decisions.”

BALTIMORE MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH, ON LEAVE AMID BOOK PROBE, HAS HOMES AND CITY HALL OFFICE RAIDED BY FEDS

Silverman said Pugh met with a doctor at home Thursday and plans to do so again Friday, the Baltimore Sun reported.

In the latest image-tarnishing scandal for struggling Baltimore, the first-term Democratic mayor faces accusations that she used children’s book deals to cover up kickbacks for favorable treatment as a state lawmaker and city leader that earned her roughly $800,000 over several years.

BALTIMORE’S ACTING MAYOR SAYS HE ‘WOULD HATE TO SEE’ EMBATTLED MAYOR RETURN AFTER BOOK SCANDALS

As a state senator, 69-year-old Pugh sold $500,000 worth of her self-published “Healthy Holly” illustrated paperbacks to the University of Maryland Medical System, a major state employer whose board she sat on for nearly 20 years.

Baltimore police officers stand outside the house of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Pugh and also in City Hall. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Baltimore police officers stand outside the house of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Pugh and also in City Hall. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

UMMS reportedly paid Pugh for 100,000 copies of her books between 2011 and 2018 with the stated intention of distributing the books to schools and day care centers. But some 50,000 copies remain unaccounted for and officials are probing if they were even printed.

Pugh also made $300,000 in bulk sales to other customers including health carriers that did business with the city of Baltimore.

BALTIMORE CITY COUNCIL CALLS ON EMBATTLED MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH TO RESIGN IMMEDIATELY

The politically isolated Pugh slipped out of sight on April 1 after a hastily organized press conference where she called her no-contract book deals a “regrettable mistake.” That same day, Maryland’s governor called on the state prosecutor to investigate allegations of “self-dealing.”

Pugh took an indefinite leave of absence, citing her health deteriorating intensely after a bout with pneumonia.

Federal agents arrive at the Maryland Center for Adult Training in Baltimore. MD, Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall, as well as the office of her lawyer and the home of a top aide.

Federal agents arrive at the Maryland Center for Adult Training in Baltimore. MD, Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall, as well as the office of her lawyer and the home of a top aide. (Loyd Fox/Baltimore Sun via AP)

On Thursday morning, agents with the FBI and IRS searched her two Baltimore homes, her City Hall offices, and a nonprofit organization she once led. The home of at least one of Pugh’s aides was also scoured.

Silverman said federal agents also served a subpoena at his law firm, retrieving Pugh’s original financial records. They did not seek any attorney-client privileged communications, he said.

Pugh’s attorney said she was “emotionally extremely distraught” following the searches by FBI and IRS agents.

“There was nothing incriminating that came out of her home,” Silverman said.

UMMS spokesman Michael Schwartzberg told reporters that the medical system received a grand jury witness subpoena seeking documents and information related to Pugh.

Other probes against Pugh include a review by the city ethics board and the Maryland Insurance Administration.

BALTIMORE MAYOR’S $500G DEAL FOR ‘HEALTHY HOLLY’ CHILDREN’S BOOKS DRAWS SCRUTINY

In recent weeks, the calls for Pugh’s resignation have intensified with the strongest voice coming from Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who did not mince words after Thursday’s early morning raids.

“Now more than ever, Baltimore City needs strong and responsible leadership. Mayor Pugh has lost the public trust,” he said. “She is clearly not fit to lead. For the good of the city, Mayor Pugh must resign.”

Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service agents search the home of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall.

Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service agents search the home of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun via AP)

Many of her fellow Democrats, including those on Baltimore’s demoralized City Council and state lawmakers, are also insisting that Pugh put the citizens’ interests above any attempt to preserve her political career.

City Council member Brandon Scott called the Thursday raids “an embarrassment to the city.”

However, only a conviction can trigger a mayor’s removal from office, according to the city solicitor. Baltimore’s mayor-friendly City Charter currently provides no options for ousting its executive.

Six of Pugh’s staffers joined her on paid leave earlier this month; three of them were fired this week by the acting mayor.

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Pugh came to office in late 2016 after edging out ex-Mayor Sheila Dixon, who had spent much of her tenure fighting corruption charges before being forced to depart office in 2010 as part of a plea deal connected to the misappropriation of about $500 in gift cards meant for needy families.

She would certainly face a bruising 2020 Democratic primary if she were to return and run for reelection. Veteran City Council leader Bernard “Jack” Young, who is serving as acting mayor, said as she went on leave that he would merely be a placeholder. But this week, before the raids, he said “it could be devastating for her” if she tried to return.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations has blasted the United State and the European Union for imposing sanctions on his country, describing them as “economic terrorism.”

Bashar Ja’afari made his comments Friday in the Kazakh capital of Astana where Russia, Turkey and Iran held a new round of talks with the Syrian government and the opposition on steps to bring peace to the country.

His comments came as government-held parts of Syria are witnessing widespread fuel shortages that are largely the result of Western sanctions on Syria and its key ally Iran.

Ja’afari says: “This is economic terrorism that is escalating through unilateral economic measures.”

A final statement issued at the end of Astana’s 12th round rejected President Donald Trump’s formal recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over Syria’s occupied Golan Heights.

Source: Fox News World

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