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Rod Rosenstein says it’s ‘completely bizarre’ to say William Barr is ‘trying to mislead people’ on Mueller report

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein defended attorney general William Barr’s handling of the Mueller report, just days after Barr testified before a House appropriations subcommittee.

In his first interview since the Mueller investigation wrapped up, Rosenstein said that he believed it was strange to say the attorney general was misleading the public on the highly-anticipated report.

COMEY SCOFFS AT BARR TESTIMONY, CLAIMS ‘SURVEILLANCE’ IS NOT ‘SPYING’

“He’s being as forthcoming as he can, and so this notion that he’s trying to mislead people, I think is just completely bizarre,” Mr. Rosenstein told the Wall Street Journal.

“It would be one thing if you put out a letter and said, ‘I’m not going to give you the report,’” Rosenstein said. “What he said is, ‘Look, it’s going to take a while to process the report. In the meantime, people really want to know what’s in it. I’m going to give you the top-line conclusions.’ That’s all he was trying to do.”

The deputy attorney general called on the public to have “tremendous confidence” in Barr and declined to say how the review of the report was going.

MEDIA TAKE ISSUE WITH AG BARR FOR SAYING 'SPYING DID OCCUR' ON TRUMP CAMPAIGN

During hearings on Capitol Hill this week, Barr defended his decision to send a letter to Congress detailing Mueller’s principal conclusions because the public would not have tolerated waiting weeks for information. Mueller concluded his nearly two-year Russia investigation in late March and submitted the nearly 400-page confidential report to Barr.

The attorney general sent his four-page letter to Congress two days later.

Barr wrote in his letter that Mueller found no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion despite efforts by "Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign." He also said that Mueller had not exonerated President Trump on the issue of obstruction of justice.

Barr said on Tuesday a redacted version of Mueller’s report will be made public within a week.

Rosenstein, 54, told the Wall Street Journal he hopes to begin a new job toward the end of the summer. Earlier this year, Trump announced he will nominate Jeff Rosen to replace Rosenstein deputy attorney general. President Trump has threatened to fire Rosenstein, who said he stayed in his position at the Department of Justice “at Barr’s request” saying, “For me, it’s a real privilege.”

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Rosenstein’s comments come after Barr said in Capitol Hill testimony that “spying did occur” against the 2016 Trump campaign. Former FBI Director James Comey claimed he had no idea what the Justice Department leader was talking about.

“I have no idea what he’s talking about so it’s hard for me to comment,” Comey said. “When I hear that kind of language used, it’s concerning because the FBI and the Department of Justice conduct court-ordered electronic surveillance. I have never thought of that as spying.”

Fox News’ Gregg Re, Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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UK PM May to attend funeral of slain journalist Lyra McKee

Prime Minister Theresa May will attend the funeral of Lyra McKee, a journalist shot dead during rioting in Northern Ireland last week.

May's office says the prime minister will miss her weekly House of Commons question-and-answer session to attend Wednesday's service in Belfast.

McKee, who was 29, was killed Thursday as she reported on rioting in Londonderry. A small militant group, the New IRA, said it was responsible. The group apologized, saying McKee was shot "while standing beside enemy forces" — a reference to the police.

Police arrested two teenagers and a 57-year-old woman but released all three without charge.

The IRA and most other paramilitary groups have disarmed since Northern Ireland's 1998 peace accord. The New IRA has been formed from splinter groups opposed to the peace process.

Source: Fox News World

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Arizona police kick down door of parents who refused to take unvaccinated 2-year-old to hospital, body cam footage shows

Arizona police released bodycam footage Thursday that showed the moment authorities kicked in the door of two Chandler parents who allegedly refused to take their sick, unvaccinated child to the hospital.

Officers with the Chandler Police Department were dispatched to the 1600 block of West Marlboro Drive around 10:30 p.m. on February 25 to conduct a welfare check at the request of the Department of Child Safety, according to a press release.

Officials were concerned that a 2-year-old in the home was suffering from a “potentially life-threatening fever and illness.”

CALIFORNIA MAY TOUGHEN VACCINE EXEMPTION RULES TO BLOCK MEASLES

Sara Beck, the boy’s mother, had taken the child to naturopathic doctor after he developed a fever of 105, KKTV reported. The doctor, who practices alternative medicine, reportedly instructed Beck to take the boy to the emergency room, as he believed he was showing signs of meningitis.

According to the local station, Beck refused to take the boy, fearing that she would be reported to authorities because the child had not been vaccinated.

The doctor contacted DCS, which then contacted authorities.

KENTUCKY TEEN SUES HEALTH DEPARTMENT AFTER HE’S BARRED FROM BASKETBALL FOR REFUSAL TO GET CHICKEN POX VACCINE

Chandler police attempted to contact the parents, who refused all attempts. Eventually, police were able to reach the father by phone; he said the boy was fine and ordered them to leave but officers reported hearing a child cough inside.

The parents continued to ignore police, who eventually received a court order granting them the right to remove the child from the home. They gave one final warning and an opportunity to take the child to the hospital. but the parents refused.

Bodycam footage shows patrol officers breaching the front door, ordering the residents out.

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Two other children, ages 6 and 4, were also inside with similar symptoms including vomiting

DCS took temporary custody of the children and transported them to the hospital. The 2-year-old was later admitted, and the parents were later charged with child abuse.

Source: Fox News National

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Swiss court fines veteran for joining anti-IS militia

A military court in Switzerland has fined a former sergeant in the Alpine nation's army 500 Swiss francs ($500) for joining a foreign militia to fight the Islamic State group in Syria between 2013 and 2015.

The tribunal in Bellinzona on Friday found Johan Cosar guilty of weakening Swiss defense and jeopardizing Swiss neutrality, but acquitted him of recruiting others to join the Syriac Military Council, a Christian militia group.

Court spokesman Mario Camelin said Cosar also was ordered to pay 1,000 francs to cover costs and a criminal penalty of 4,500 francs. The financial penalty only will be imposed if he commits another infraction in the next three years.

A cousin of Corsar's, Gabriel Hobil, was acquitted of similar charges.

The rulings can be appealed.

Source: Fox News World

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REGISTER TO VOTE!!! https://magaoneradio.net LOVES and SUPPORTS all MAGA Candidates!! Good Luck During MidTerms!

REGISTER TO VOTE!!! https://magaoneradio.net LOVES and SUPPORTS all MAGA Candidates!! Good Luck During MidTerms! https://magaoneradio.net LOVES and SUPPORTS all MAGA Candidates!! Good Luck During MidTerms!   Reposted from https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote Register to Vote and Confirm or Change Registration Learn if you’re eligible to vote, how to register, check, or update your information. What’s on This Page Voting […]

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Eddie Gallagher case: Republicans call on Navy to review treatment of SEAL being held on war crimes charges

Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw and 17 other House Republicans sent a letter to the Secretary of the Navy this week urging him to review the pre-trial confinement of Eddie Gallagher amid concerns the decorated Navy SEAL has been receiving limited access to food, medical care and his legal team, Crenshaw's office exclusively told Fox News.

The message comes as Gallagher – accused of killing an injured ISIS prisoner of war in Iraq, amongst other charges – has passed the 6-month mark of detention at Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar in California. He is not expected to emerge until the start of his war crimes trial on May 28.

“Chief Gallagher is a decorated warfighter who, like all service members, is entitled to the presumption of innocence while awaiting court-martial,” the Republicans wrote in their letter to Richard Spencer. “We have received reports that Chief Gallagher’s access to counsel and access to food and medical care may have been restricted. As a result, we respectfully request that you review the Navy policies governing pretrial confinement for Chief Gallagher and other service members to ensure compliance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”

NAVY SEAL'S BROTHER, WIFE, SAY 'DIRTY GAMES' BY GOVERNMENT LED TO POSTPONEMENT OF GALLAGHER'S TRIAL

The letter was signed by Crenshaw, Mac Thornberry (Texas), Jim Jordan (Ohio), Kelly Armstrong (N. D.), Jim Banks (Ind.), Paul Cook (Calif.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Jody Hice (Ga.), French Hill (Ark.), Brian Mast (Fla.), Ralph Norman (S.C.), Pete Olson (Texas), Guy Reschenthaler (Pa.), Austin Scott (Ga.), Greg Steube (Fla.), Van Taylor (Texas) and Michael Waltz (Fla.).

A Navy spokesperson told Fox News he hadn’t heard of the letter, but the “Navy has nothing to add." The spokesperson previously has declined to comment on the case, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.

Gallagher, 39, is facing premeditated murder and aggravated assault charges stemming from the alleged killing of the ISIS prisoner and alleged instances of him intentionally firing sniper rounds at civilians.

During his 19 years of service, Gallagher earned the Bronze Star with V for Valor twice, a Meritorious Unit commendation, and a trio of Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals -- among other recognitions and decorations.

He fought in Iraq and Afghanistan several times, reaching the status of what his brother Sean described as a “modern-day war hero” in a past interview with "Fox & Friends." But it was during Gallagher’s last combat deployment in 2017 he lost his way, prosecutors say, and reportedly “decided to act like the monster the terrorists accuse us of being.”

The concerns in the Republicans’ letter echo statements made by Gallagher’s brother Sean in a February op-ed published by Fox News, in which he implores President Trump to “review Eddie’s case, reunite him with his family, and place him back on the front lines where he belongs."

Sean Gallagher wrote that his brother is “confined with a population of convicted sex offenders, routinely denied access to his lawyers, medical appointments, and visits with his fellow soldiers."

He added: “The brig where he’s confined begins to isolate him because of all the attention he’s getting."

The Republicans, in their letter, also say “Chief Gallagher and other pretrial service members are intermingled with convicts who have been tried at court-martial, found guilty and sentenced to confinement.”

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They conclude by asking Spencer to weigh whether Gallagher should be held at Miramar – or somewhere else.

“We therefore request that you review the underlying reasons for co-locating pretrial and post-trial confinees at Consolidated Brig Miramar and whether the current arrangement fundamentally disadvantages Chief Gallagher and other pre-trial service members,” they said. “Furthermore, we request that you consider whether other locations are more appropriate for pretrial confinement.”

Source: Fox News National

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FC Cincinnati back on the road, faces lowly New England

MLS: Portland Timbers at FC Cincinnati
Mar 17, 2019; Cincinnati, OH, USA; FC Cincinnati forward Darren Mattocks (11), midfielder Leonardo Bertone (6), defender Mathieu Deplagne (17), and forward Roland Lamah (7) celebrate after a goal against the Portland Timbers in the second half at Nippert Stadium in the inaugural home match for FCC. FCC defefated the Timbers 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

March 23, 2019

FC Cincinnati will look to keep its early-season roll going in its inaugural MLS campaign on Sunday when it hits the road again, traveling to New England take on the Revolution.

Game time is 4 p.m. EDT at Gillette Stadium.

For expansion Cincinnati, the early results have been solid. The club opened with a loss at Seattle, before rallying with a tie at defending champion Atlanta, then beating Portland 3-0 in its home opener in Week 3.

“It’s great to play at home and great to see what our fan base can do already for us as a group,” Cincinnati coach Alan Koch told reporters earlier this week. “But our jobs are between the white lines no matter where we play. We shouldn’t change the way we go about our work. We lose we shouldn’t change, we win, we shouldn’t change. Our preparation for every game is consistent.”

Defender Nick Hagglund feels that the quality of play Cincinnati has turned in early in the season has sent a message to the rest of the league.

“We are here,” Hagglund said. “We’re not just an expansion team that people are expecting to roll over. We are a team that’s ready to go. We’re hungry.”

New England, winless and holding just one point through three games, is coming off a 3-2 loss at Toronto. But the Revolution are confident as they return home.

“We know what we can do at home,” New England midfielder Diego Fagundez said. “We know what style of play we have and with the team we have, we can definitely win this game. We’re at home and we can definitely show them who’s going to be the boss here.”

Both sides will be missing some key pieces because of national team call-ups this weekend. New England will be without rookie forward Justin Rennicks, while Cincinnati will be missing Kendall Waston, Allan Cruz, Darren Mattocks and Alvas Powell.

–Field Level Media

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Members of The Cranberries, bassist Mike Hogan, drummer Fergal Lawler and guitarist Noel Hogan speak to Reuters during an interview in London
Members of The Cranberries, bassist Mike Hogan, drummer Fergal Lawler and guitarist Noel Hogan speak to Reuters during an interview in London, Britain, April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Gerhard Mey

April 26, 2019

By Hanna Rantala

LONDON (Reuters) – Irish rockers The Cranberries are saying goodbye with their final album released on Friday, a poignant tribute to lead singer Dolores O’Riordan who died last year.

“In the End” is the eighth studio album from the band that rose to fame in the early 1990s with hits likes “Zombie” and “Linger”, and includes the final recordings by O’Riordan, who drowned in a London hotel bath in January 2018 due to alcohol intoxication.

Work on the album began during a 2017 tour and by that winter, O’Riordan and guitarist Neil Hogan had penned and demoed 11 tracks.

With O’Riordan’s vocals recorded, Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler completed the album in tribute to her.

“When we realized how strong the songs were, that was the deciding factor really… There was no point… trying to ruin the legacy of the band,” Noel Hogan said in an interview.

“It was obvious that Dolores wanted this album done because when you hear the album, you hear the songs and how strong they are, and she was very, very excited to get in and record this.”

The Cranberries formed in Limerick in 1989 with another singer. O’Riordan replaced him a year later and the group went on to become Ireland’s best-selling rock band after U2, selling more than 40 million records.

O’Riordan, known for her strong distinctive voice singing about relationships or political violence, was 46 when she died.

“She was actually in quite a good place mentally. She was feeling quite content and strong and looking forward to a new phase of her life,” Lawler said.

“A lot of the lyrics in this album are about things ending… people might read into it differently but it was a phase of her personal life that she was talking about.”

The group previously announced their intention to split after the release of “In The End”.

“We are absolutely gutted we can’t play (the songs) live because that’s something that’s been a massive part of this band from day one,” Noel Hogan said.

“A few people have said to us about maybe even doing a one off where you have different vocalists… as kind of guests of ours. A year ago that’s definitely something we weren’t going to entertain but I don’t know, I think it’s something we need to go away and take time off for the summer and have a think about.”

Critics have generally given positive reviews of the album; NME described it as “(seeing) the band’s career go full-circle” while the Irish Times called it “an unexpected late career high and a remarkable swan song for O’Riordan”.

Their early songs still play on the radio. This week, “Dreams” was performed at the funeral of journalist Lyra McKee, who was shot dead in Londonderry last week as she watched Irish nationalist youths attack police following a raid.

“We wrote them as kids, as a hobby and 30 years later they are on radio and on TV, like all the time… That’s far more than any of us ever thought we would have,” Noel Hogan said.

“That would make Dolores really happy because she was very precious about those songs. Her babies, she called them and to have that hopefully long after we’re gone… that’s all any band can wish for.”

(Reporting by Hanna Rantala; additoinal reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Susan Fenton)

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2020 Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren participates in the She the People Presidential Forum in Houston
2020 Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren participates in the She the People Presidential Forum in Houston, Texas, U.S. April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

April 26, 2019

By Joshua Schneyer and M.B. Pell

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Senator Elizabeth Warren will introduce a bill Friday that offers new protections for U.S. military families facing unsafe housing, following a series of Reuters reports revealing squalid conditions in privately managed base homes.

The Reuters reports and later Congressional hearings detailed widespread hazards including lead paint exposure, vermin infestations, collapsing ceilings, mold and maintenance lapses in privatized base housing communities that serve some 700,000 U.S. military family members.

(View Warren’s military housing bill here. https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dy5aht)

(Read Reuters’ Ambushed at Home series on military housing here. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/section/usa-military)

The Massachusetts Democrat’s bill would mandate both regular and unannounced spot inspections of base homes by certified, independent inspectors, holding landlords accountable for quickly fixing hazards. The military’s privatization program for years allowed real estate firms to operate base housing with scant oversight, Reuters found, leaving some tenants in unsafe homes with little recourse against landlords.

The bill would also require the Department of Defense and its private housing operators to publish reports annually detailing housing conditions, tenant complaints, maintenance response times and the financial incentives companies receive at each base. The provisions aim to enhance transparency of housing deals whose finances and operations the military had allowed to remain largely confidential under a privatization program since the late 1990s.

The measure would also require private landlords to cover moving costs for at-risk families, and healthcare costs for people with medical conditions resulting from unsafe base housing, ensuring they receive continuing coverage even after they leave the homes or the military.

“This bill will eliminate the kind of corner-cutting and neglect the Defense Department should never have let these private housing partners get away with in the first place,” Warren said in a statement Friday.

The proposed legislation comes after February Senate hearings where Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2020 U.S. presidential election, slammed private real estate firms for endangering service families, and sought answers about why military branches weren’t providing more oversight.

Her legislation would direct the Defense Department to allow local housing code enforcers onto federal bases, following concerns they were sometimes denied access. Warren’s office said a companion bill in the House of Representatives would be introduced by Rep. Deb Haaland, Democrat of New Mexico.

In response to the housing crisis, military branches are developing a tenant bill of rights and hiring hundreds of new housing staff. The branches recently dispatched commanders to survey base housing worldwide for safety hazards, resulting in thousands of work orders and hundreds of tenants being moved. The Defense Department has pledged to renegotiate its 50-year contracts with private real estate firms.

Congress has been quick to take its own measures. Earlier legislation proposed by senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris of California, along with Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia, would compel base commanders to withhold rent payments and incentive fees from the private ventures if they allow home hazards to persist.

(Editing by Ronnie Greene)

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FILE PHOTO: Offices of Deloitte are seen in London
FILE PHOTO: Offices of Deloitte are seen in London, Britain, September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Noor Zainab Hussain and Tanishaa Nadkar

(Reuters) – Deloitte quit as Ferrexpo’s auditor on Friday, knocking its shares by more than 20 percent, days after saying it was unable to conclude whether the iron ore miner’s CEO controlled a charity being investigated over its use of company donations.

Blooming Land, which coordinates Ferrexpo’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, came under scrutiny after auditors found holes in the charity’s statements.

Ferrexpo on Tuesday said findings of an ongoing independent investigation launched in February indicated some Blooming Land funds could have been “misappropriated”. It did not provide any details or publish its findings.

Shares in Ferrexpo, the third largest exporter of pellets to the global steel industry, were 23.4 percent lower at 206.1 pence at 1022 GMT following news of Deloitte’s resignation.

“Ferrexpo’s shares are deeply discounted vs peers … following the resignation of Deloitte, we expect downside risks to dominate Ferrexpo’s shares near term.” JP Morgan analyst Dominic O’Kane said in a note on Friday.

Swiss-headquartered Ferrexpo did not provide a reason for the resignation of Deloitte, which declined to comment, while Blooming Land did not respond to a request for comment.

Funding for Blooming Land’s CSR activities is provided by one of Ferrexpo’s units in Ukraine and Khimreaktiv LLC, an entity ultimately controlled by Ferrexpo’s CEO and majority owner Kostyantin Zhevago, Ferrexpo said on Tuesday.

Ferrexpo’s board has found that Zhevago did not have significant influence or control over the charity, but Deloitte said it was unable reach a conclusion on this.

Reuters was not immediately able to contact Zhevago.

In a qualified opinion, a statement addressing an incomplete audit, Deloitte said it had been unable to conclude whether $33.5 million of CSR donations to Blooming Land between 2017 and 2018 was used for “legitimate business payments for charitable purposes”.

Deloitte said on Tuesday that total CSR payments made to Blooming Land by Ferrexpo since 2013 total about $110 million.

Ferrexpo, whose major mines are in Ukraine, has said that the investigation was ongoing and new evidence pointed to potential discrepancies.

Zhevago, 45, who ranked 1,511 on Forbes magazine’s list of billionaires for 2019 with a net worth of $1.4 billion, owns the FC Vorskla soccer club and has been a member of Ukraine’s parliament since 1998.

(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain and Tanishaa Nadkar in Bengaluru and additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kiev; editing by Gopakumar Warrier, Bernard Orr)

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Children walk past a damaged building in the aftermath of the Cyclone Kenneth in Pemba
Children walk past a damaged building in the aftermath of the Cyclone Kenneth in Pemba, Mozambique April 26, 2019 in this still image obtained from social media. SolidarMed via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

April 26, 2019

By Emma Rumney and Stephen Eisenhammer

JOHANNESBURG/LUANDA (Reuters) – Cyclone Kenneth killed at least one person and left a trail of destruction in northern Mozambique, destroying houses, ripping up trees and knocking out power, authorities said on Friday.

The cyclone brought storm surges and wind gusts of up to 280 km per hour (174 mph) when it made landfall on Thursday evening, after killing three people in the island nation of Comoros.

It was the most powerful storm on record to hit Mozambique’s northern coast and came just six weeks after Cyclone Idai battered the impoverished nation, causing devastating floods and killing more than 1,000 people across a swathe of southern Africa.

The World Food Programme warned that Kenneth could dump as much as 600 millimeters of rain on the region over the next 10 days – twice that brought by Cyclone Idai.

One woman in the port town of Pemba died after being hit by a falling tree, the Emergency Operations Committee for Cabo Delgado (COE) said in a statement, while another person was injured.

In rural areas outside Pemba, many homes are made of mud. In the main town on the island of Ibo, 90 percent of the houses were destroyed, officials said. Around 15,000 people were out in the open or in “overcrowded” shelters and there was a need for tents, food and water, they said.

There were also reports of a large number of homes and some infrastructure destroyed in Macomia district, a mainland district adjacent to Ibo.

A local group, the Friends of Pemba Association, had earlier reported that they could not reach people in Muidumbe, a district further inland.

Mark Lowcock, United Nations under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, warned the storm could require another major humanitarian operation in Mozambique.

“Cyclone Kenneth marks the first time two cyclones have made landfall in Mozambique during the same season, further stressing the government’s limited resources,” he said in a statement.

FLOOD WARNINGS

Shaquila Alberto, owner of the beach-front Messano Flower Lodge in Macomia, said there were many fallen trees there, and in rural areas people’s homes had been damaged. Some areas of nearby Pemba had no power.

“Even my workers, they said the roof and all the things fell down,” she said by phone.

Further south, in Pemba, Elton Ernesto, a receptionist at Raphael’s Hotel, said there were fallen trees but not too much damage. The hotel had power and water, he said, while phones rang in the background. “The rain has stopped,” he added.

However Michael Charles, an official for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said heavy rains over the next few days were likely to bring a “second wave of destruction” in the form of flooding.

“The houses are not all solid, and the topography is very sandy,” Charles said.

In the days after Cyclone Idai, heavy inland rains prompted rivers to burst their banks, submerging entire villages, cutting areas off from aid and ruining crops. There were concerns the same could happen again in northern Mozambique.

Before Kenneth hit, the government and aid workers moved around 30,000 people to safer buildings such as schools, however authorities said that around 680,000 people were in the path of the storm.

(Reporting by Emma Rumney and Stephen Eisenhammer; Writing by Emma Rumney; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Alexandra Zavis)

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A worker holds a nozzle to pump petrol into a vehicle at a fuel station in Mumbai
FILE PHOTO: A worker holds a nozzle to pump petrol into a vehicle at a fuel station in Mumbai, India, May 21, 2018. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

April 26, 2019

By Manoj Kumar and Nidhi Verma

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Surging global oil prices will pose a first big challenge to India’s new government, whoever wins an election now under way, especially as domestic prices have been allowed to lag, meaning consumers are in for a painful surge as they catch up.

For oil-import dependent India, higher global prices could lead to a weaker rupee, higher inflation, the ruling out of interest rate cuts and could further weigh on twin current account and budget deficits, economists warned.

But compounding the future pain, state-run fuel suppliers and retailers have held off passing on to consumers the higher prices during a staggered general election, which began on April 11 and ends on May 23, according to sources familiar with the situation.

That delay is expected to be unwound once the election is over. And there could be additional price increases to make up for losses or profits missed during the period of delayed increases, the sources said.

In some major Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, pump prices are adjusted periodically so they move largely in tandem with international crude prices.

That was what was supposed to happen in India but the election means there have been many days when pump prices have been unchanged.

In New Delhi, for example, while crude oil prices have gone up by nearly $9 a barrel, or about 12 percent, in the past six weeks, gasoline prices have only risen by 0.47 rupees a liter, or 0.6 percent.

State-controlled fuel suppliers and retailers declined to say why they had delayed price increases, or discuss whether there has been any pressure from the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A government spokesman declined to comment.

The opposition Congress party said Modi’s government was violating its own policy of daily price revision by advising the state oil companies to hold prices steady.

“The government should cut fuel taxes otherwise consumers will have to pay much higher oil prices once the elections are over,” said Akhilesh Pratap Singh, a senior leader of the Congress party.

(GRAPHIC: India Polls: Fuel price hike lags crude surge – https://tmsnrt.rs/2XLlxik)

Nitin Goyal, treasurer at the All India Petroleum Dealers Association, representing fuel stations in 25 states, said prices were similarly held down for 19 days in the southern state of Karnataka last year, when it held state assembly elections.

Only for them to surge after the vote.

“Consumers should be ready for a rude shock of a massive jump in retail prices, similar to the level we have seen in the Karnataka state election,” Goyal said.

‘CREDIT NEGATIVE’

Sri Paravaikkarasu, director for Asia oil at Singapore-based consultancy FGE, said retail prices of gasoline and gasoil prices would have been up to 6 percent, or about 4 rupee, higher if they had been allowed to rise in line with global prices.

“Indian pump prices have failed to keep up with the recent uptrend in crude prices,” Paravaikkarasu said.

“With the country’s general elections underway, the incumbent government has been keeping pump prices relatively unchanged.”

India had switched to a daily price revision in June 2017 from a revision every two weeks, as the government allowed retailers to set prices.

But the government faced protests last October when retailers raised prices by up to 10 rupees a liter after the crude oil price went above $80 a barrel, forcing it to cut fuel taxes.

Global prices rose to their highest level in 2019 on Thursday, days after the United States announced all Iran sanction waivers would end by May, pressuring importers including India to stop buying Tehran’s oil. [O/R]

Higher oil prices will mean Asia’s third largest economy is likely to see growth of less than 7 percent rate this fiscal year, economists said. Growth slowed to 6.6 percent in the October-December quarter, the slowest in five quarters.

Rating agency CARE has warned that a 10 percent rise in global oil prices could increase demand for dollars, putting pressure on the rupee and widening the current account deficit.

India’s oil import bill rose by nearly one-third in the fiscal year ending March 31 to $140.5 billion, against $108 billion the previous year.

“The increase in international oil prices is a credit negative for the Indian economy,” ICRA, the Indian arm of the Fitch rating agency, said in a note.

“Every $10/ bbl increase in crude oil prices increases the fiscal deficit by about 0.1 percent of GDP.”

Any big price rise would also build a case for the central bank to keep rates steady, or even raise them.

The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee, which cut the benchmark policy repo rate by 25 basis points this month, warned that rising oil and food prices could push up inflation.

Policymakers are worried that a sustained increase in the oil price in the range of $70-75/barrel or higher can move the rupee down by 3-4 percent on an annual basis.

The rupee has depreciated by 1.24 percent against the dollar since a year high in mid-March.

($1 = 70.1800 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar and Nidhi Verma; Editing by Martin Howell and Rob Birsel)

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