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Sri Lankan authorities publicly destroy 770kg of cocaine

Sri Lanka authorities have publicly destroyed 770 kilograms (1,700 pounds) of cocaine in a bid to deter smugglers from using the Indian Ocean island nation as a transit point for drug distribution in the region.

Police officers first liquefied the cocaine, which was packed in more than two dozen sacks in front of two magistrates at a warehouse outside the capital Colombo. It was then taken to be disposed in a cement kiln north of the capital.

The cocaine was seized by police and custom officials in 2016 and 2017.

Monday's event came as Sri Lanka's president pledged to end a 43-year moratorium on capital punishment and execute condemned drug traffickers.

Source: Fox News World

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Curry on Morant: Ja ready to rule NBA

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-First Round- Marquette vs Murray State
Mar 21, 2019; Hartford, CT, USA; Murray State Racers guard Ja Morant (12) drives to the basket against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the second half of a game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

March 22, 2019

Ja Morant stole the show in Hartford on Thursday, but the Murray State flash opened eyes nationwide with his triple-double performance that led his 12th-seeded Racers into the second round in a blowout of Marquette.

Among the observers wowed by the sophomore point guard was another former NCAA Tournament darling, former Davidson dynamo Steph Curry.

“What he did on Thursday, it shows you he’s ready for whatever,” Curry told Yahoo Sports. “That transition to the NBA isn’t going to be difficult at all for him.”

Morant posted 17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds, becoming just the eighth player to post a triple-double in an NCAA Tournament game and the first since Draymond Green at Michigan State. Green was paying attention, too, telling Yahoo: “That was my first time watching him play and he’s for real.”

Curry was a sophomore in 2008 when he carried Davidson to the Elite Eight, scoring 30 or more in all four tourney games. He sees stardom in Morant.

“From what I’ve seen, he’s a beast,” Curry told Yahoo Sports. “He’s athletic, knows how to play, he’s fearless and he shows up for big games even though everybody knows he’s coming. That speaks volumes about his game.”

Morant averaged 24.6 points, 10 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game this season at Murray State.

He’s in the discussion to be a top-five draft pick, and Thursday’s big show did nothing to raise doubts about his readiness despite the relatively humble college surroundings in the Ohio Valley Conference.

“I don’t know if they played some heavy hitters, but it doesn’t even matter. If you can play, you can play,” Curry said. “Damian Lillard at Weber State was like that as well.

“I’m sure the tournament is the first time most people get to see Ja. There’s no preparation for it because in the tournament, everybody wants to play in it, but it hits you in the face with the attention and the adrenaline rush. It’s a small window where everybody’s eyeballs are all on you and you can surprise a lot of people. But the biggest thing for me is I had the confidence going in and it sets you up to be ready for that moment.”

As Marquette, the fifth seed in Hartford, bowed out of the tournament on Thursday, former Duke guard and current Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski had some high praise for Morant.

“Ja Morant makes a lot of plans look bad. I mean, I’ve been in this for a while. He’s as good as any guard that I’ve coached against, or played against, and I’ve coached against and played against some outstanding ones,” he said. .”.. The best thing about that kid is his decision-making. I mean, you’re talking about an elite, elite decision-maker, who’s got elite athleticism. And, you know, when you’re talking about a point guard, you should always start with decision-making. And he made great, great decisions, and he makes everyone around him better.”

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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Hillary Clinton: Anyone other than Trump would have been indicted for obstruction

Hillary Clinton said Tuesday she believes Donald Trump would have been indicted in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe if he weren't president, though stopped short of calling for his impeachment.

Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president in 2016, argued during a Q&A session in New York that Mueller’s report “could not be clearer” in making the case Trump tried to obstruct the Russia investigation -- even though Mueller did not come to an explicit conclusion on that question.

REP SAYS MUELLER REPORT SHOWS STEELE DOSSIER ‘FALSE AND FAKE,’ CHALLENGING ORIGINS OF FBI PROBE

“I think there’s enough there that any other person who had engaged in those acts would certainly have been indicted,” Clinton said at the “Time 100 Summit.” “But because of the rule in the Justice Department that you can’t indict a sitting president, the whole matter of obstruction was very directly sent to the Congress.”

Clinton, who was defeated by Trump in the election, said it’s too early to call for Trump’s impeachment. She said she supports Congress investigating Mueller’s findings “based on evidence” and without a “preordained conclusion.”

After a thorough examination in Congress, Clinton said, “If at that point they believe high crimes and misdemeanors have been committed, then I think it is the obligation of the Congress to put forward articles of impeachment.”

“I’m really of the mind that the Mueller report is part of the beginning,” Clinton said. “It’s not the end.”

Earlier Tuesday, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner ripped into the Russia investigations, saying the probes have been “way more harmful” than Russia’s election meddling.

KUSHNER: RUSSIA INVESTIGATION HAD ‘HARSHER IMPACT’ ON US THAN ELECTION MEDDLING

Jared Kushner, Senior Adviser to President Donald Trump, speaks during the TIME 100 Summit, in New York, Tuesday, April 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Jared Kushner, Senior Adviser to President Donald Trump, speaks during the TIME 100 Summit, in New York, Tuesday, April 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The comments were made in the wake of Mueller’s report saying investigators found no evidence the Trump campaign illegally conspired with Russia in election meddling.

“When you look at what Russia did, buying some Facebook ads and trying to sow dissent, it's a terrible thing,” Kushner said at the Time event. “But I think the investigations and all of the speculation that's happened for the last two years has a much harsher impact on our democracy than a couple Facebook ads.”

Fox News’ Tamara Gitt contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Trump to speak at annual NRA convention in Indiana on Friday

President Trump will address members and leaders of the National Rifle Association on Friday at the group's annual convention in Indiana.

Around 80,000 gun enthusiasts and more than 800 exhibitors are expected to pack the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis for the three-day event, the Indianapolis Star reported. It will mark the third straight year that Trump will deliver the keynote address, where he is expected to champion the rights of gun owners.

“Donald Trump is the most enthusiastic supporter of the Second Amendment to occupy the Oval Office in our lifetimes," Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action (ILA), said in a statement. “President Trump’s Supreme Court appointments ensure that the Second Amendment will be respected for generations to come. Our members are excited to hear him speak and thank him for his support for our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.”

"Donald Trump is the most enthusiastic supporter of the Second Amendment to occupy the Oval Office in our lifetimes."

— Chris Cox, executive director, NRA's Institute for Legislative Action

COLORADO ENACTS 'RED FLAG' LAW TO SEIZE GUNS FROM THOSE DEEMED DANGEROUS, PROMPTING BACKLASH

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association annual convention in Dallas last year. (Associated Press)

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association annual convention in Dallas last year. (Associated Press)

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke at last year’s convention in Dallas. During his speech, Trump assured gun owners that he would protect their Second Amendment rights, according to the paper.

"Your Second Amendment rights are under siege," Trump told the cheering audience in Dallas. "But they will never, ever be under siege as long as I am your president."

Trump has supported some gun control measures in the past. Last year, his administration imposed a ban on bump stocks, attachments that enable semiautomatic rifles to fire in rapid bursts. Although, he most recently threatened to veto two Democratic gun control bills.

This year's convention comes as the NRA faces outside pressure and internal problems. The group has seen its legislative agenda stall amid a series of mass shootings -- including a massacre at a Parkland, Fla., high school in February 2018 that left 17 dead and launched a youth movement against gun violence.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

It's also grappling with infighting in its ranks, money problems and investigations into whether Russian agents courted officials and funneled money through the group.

"I've never seen the NRA this vulnerable," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control measure.

The convention will run through the weekend and conclude Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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U.S. ‘will not be bought off’ by China soy deal in trade talks: Perdue

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue speaks during an event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue speaks during an event hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump with workers on "Cutting the Red Tape, Unleashing Economic Freedom" in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

February 25, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States will keep pressing China for intellectual property safeguards in trade talks, regardless of Beijing’s pledge to purchase 10 million tonnes of U.S. soybeans in the near term, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Monday.

“Still, the structural core issues of intellectual property transfer have to be dealt with,” Perdue told reporters after a speech in Washington. “We will not be bought off as a country over purchases without eliminating some of these non-trade barriers in China.”

Asked about the time frame of the 10 million-tonne purchase, Perdue said: “That is near term. The impression I had, it is imminent.”

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: OANN

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Indiana teachers hit with plastic pellets during active shooter drill: ‘It hurt so bad’

Indiana elementary school teachers participating in an active shooter training drill said they were shot with plastic pellets which left them with bruises and welts.

The White County Sheriff office conducted the training exercise at Meadowlawn Elementary in Monticello, Ind. in January.

IndyStar reported two elementary school teachers testified before state lawmakers this week that they participated in a drill where teachers were asked by local law enforcement to kneel down against a classroom wall before being hit with plastic pellets without warning.

“They told us, ‘This is what happens if you just cower and do nothing,’” one of the two teachers who did not want to be identified told IndyStar.  “They shot all of us across our backs. I was hit four times. It hurt so bad.”

The Indiana State Teachers Association tweeted: "During active shooter drill, four teachers at a time were taken into a room, told to crouch down and were shot execution style with some sort of projectiles - resulting in injuries to the extent that welts appeared, and blood was drawn."

The ISTA is now lobbying lawmakers to add language prohibiting teachers from being shot with any kind of ammunition to a school safety bill, House Bill 1004, which is working its way through the Statehouse.

HORRIFYING DETAILS RELEASED IN INVESTIGATION OF 'EXTREMIST MUSLIM' COMPOUND THAT ALLEGEDLY CONDUCTED SCHOOL-SHOOTING TRAINING

According to House Bill 1004, all schools must conduct an active-shooter drill at least once a year but, it does not mandate any specific type of training program.

The White County Sheriff, Bill Brooks, told Fox News, about four officers went to Meadowlawn Elementary School in January to conduct an active shooter training exercise called ALICE, which he said typically involves the use of an air-powered device called airsoft guns.

Thousands of schools across the country, including many in Indiana, are using ALICE for training exercises, according to IndyStar.

TEEN SUSPECT KILLED HIMSELF INSIDE INDIANA MIDDLE SCHOOL AFTER FIRING AT OFFICERS, POLICE SAY

Brooks said the plastic pellets are more than 6 mm in diameter compared to a BB, which is metal and is about 4 mm in diameter.

“It’s a larger plastic projectile compared to a metal, much smaller projectile,” Sheriff Brooks told Fox News. He said the plastic projectile is much softer.

“It was 100% voluntary,” Brooks told Fox News “Most teachers volunteered, a few did not and were allowed to observe.”

He said the teachers were told they would be shot with the airsoft guns as part of the training and still volunteered.

Brooks said he was at the elementary school for part of the January training, but was not present when the airsoft gun was used.

Both Meadowlawn teachers who spoke to IndyStar said they were not warned by the officers before the drill that anyone would be shot.

One of the teachers said she was waiting in the library with other teachers as the first small group went into a classroom for the January training session.

“The firsts group went in and we heard them scream and yell,” she said. “We thought, ‘What is going on?’”

The teacher described what happened when it was her turn to participate, “it was like a quick spew of those pellets.”

“Most of us got hit several times in our backs,” said the teacher.

She said the pellets left welts and a spot where it broke her skin.

“Our children’s safety is still our highest priority and we will continue active shooter training exercises however teachers will no longer be involved.”

— Bill Brooks, White County Sheriff

Juli Topp, vice president of member representation for Twin Lakes Classroom Teachers Organization, told IndyStar she met with the Meadowlawn teachers last week and heard similar stories from more than a dozen different teachers.

“They voluntarily signed up for this training, however, they had no idea they were going to be shot,” Topp said. 

In a statement released Thursday, Michael Galvin, Superintendent for Twin Lakes Schools said the school district is committed to providing a safe environment for its students and employees.

"...Twin Lakes partners with the White County Sheriff’s Department for public safety guidance and to train Twin Lakes staff, which includes ALICE training," said Galvin. "Recently the Twin Lakes Classroom Teachers Organization voiced questions regarding how the Sheriff’s Department conducted ALICE training, and Twin Lakes facilitated a meeting with the Association and the Sheriff’s Department to collaboratively discuss these matters."

Brooks told Fox News teachers will no longer be asked to participate in any training at all and airsoft guns will only be used in active shooter training drills when only officers are involved.

“This is the first incident or complaint we ever received. We did not receive any complaints that day. In fact, the opposite, they loved the training and we are still receiving numerous calls of support from teachers and the public,” Brooks told Fox News. “Our children’s safety is still our highest priority and we will continue active shooter training exercises however teachers will no longer be involved.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

House Bill 1004 is scheduled to be up for amendments in the Senate’s education committee next week.

Source: Fox News National

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Shadow margin loans make a sly return as China stocks sizzle

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: An investor looks at an electronic board showing stock information at a brokerage house in Shanghai
FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: An investor looks at an electronic board showing stock information at a brokerage house in Shanghai, China September 7, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo/File Photo

March 22, 2019

By Shu Zhang and Samuel Shen

SINGAPORE/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – On a cloudy March morning in Shanghai’s glitzy financial district of Lujiazui, Ye Lixia was knocking on the doors of potential clients, offering loans to bet on a surging stock market.

“We provide money to investors who need quick funding to capitalize on the market rally,” Ye told Reuters.

Ye, in her 30s and a general director at Bo Ying Asset Management, is one of the thousands of gray market lenders operating in the shadows of China’s colossal capital markets.

A stock market that shot up 25 percent in the last three months has revived the undercover margin lending business that was notoriously responsible for China’s 2015 boom-bust market volatility.

In defiance of warnings from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), shadow lenders pitch their business via cold telephone calls and social media advertisements, dangling the prospects of a reversal of fortune.

“In China, speculators adopt very aggressive trading strategies, gaming the rules… and pushing policy-makers’ tolerance to the limit,” said Stephen Huang, vice president of Shanghai See Truth Investment Management Co.

The Shanghai index’s swift recovery from last year’s heavy losses has been primarily driven by signs of an end to the long-running Sino-U.S. trade war.

Beijing’s efforts to lower the cost of lending in a slowing economy, and foreign investment inflows after the inclusion of Chinese A-shares in global equity benchmarks encouraged the rally.

Shenzhen’s start-up board ChiNext, traditionally a hotbed for speculation, has surged more than 30 percent this year.

In the official margin financing market, in which stock investors borrow money from brokerages, outstanding loans have jumped nearly 30 percent since the end of January to 911.6 billion yuan ($136.08 billion). That is just a third of the 2.27 trillion yuan record hit in June 2015.

But unofficial margin financing, in which small investors borrow from grey market lenders, is thriving.

Hui Ju Ying, a margin lending platform, lures clients with suggestions of “returns of 100 percent.” Another platform, www.zfpz.com, says: “young people shouldn’t resign to mediocrity; margin financing can change your fate.”

The CSRC said in late February that it was closely monitoring the situation. But regulators have so far taken a soft approach towards such lending.

“Last year, the government was talking about reducing leverage. Now, the government is talking about steadying leverage, which is good for us,” said Ye, whose company borrows money from banks and lends it to investors.

NO DEJA VU?

Managers at five margin lenders said they began aggressively marketing loans over the past few weeks to investors eager to make outsized stock market bets.

Such lending helped the Shanghai stock index double between 2014 and mid-2015, forcing the authorities to crack down on shadow lending and causing a 40 percent decline in stocks over six months.

Some of the lenders this time around are newcomers. Others are survivors of the last crackdown, emboldened by the belief that regulators, focused on enabling funding for struggling private firms, will look the other way.

“The loans we make are deals between us and investors and are none of brokerages’ business,” said Xiao Xiao, a saleswoman at shadow financing platform xianniuwang.com.

The financing has been a boon to risk takers like Zhang, who more than doubled his investment capital via shadow margin loans through leveraged bets on 5G-related China tech stocks.

With 50,000 yuan in hand, Zhang, who was willing to disclose only his family name, borrowed 500,000 yuan from a gray-market lender named Gu Zhang Gui six months ago. He has earned 56,000 yuan in net returns so far, he told Reuters.

Zhang pays a daily interest rate of 0.06 percent, which translates to an annualized cost of funding of 22 to 24 percent.

“Stocks are rallying so we investors are making money. And then we want to make even more money, so we are turning to those lenders who can leverage our funding,” he said.

Individual investors account for about 80 percent of total stock market turnover. Many are day-traders, frequently churning their holdings for quick returns.

Regular broker financing is regulated and limited at 1:1 leverage – the maximum amount they can borrow is equal to their principal. Shadow margin loans allow for a leverage of up to 10 times the capital the investor provides, and lenders do not dictate what stocks investors can buy.

“No qualification is needed,” said an executive who used to work for Beijing-based Yueda Investment, a gray-market lender. “Investors just come to our office to take a look and then we sign loan contracts.”

Operating in the shadows carries risks, he said, notably that they cannot use the courts to recover losses.

A director at another Shanghai-based margin lender said his company charges interest of 11.5 to 15.5 percent on money that cost them about 9.5 percent.

(For a graphic on ‘China margin lending rises sharply as market jumps’ click https://tmsnrt.rs/2HD8Jqa)

BANK INVOLVEMENTTwo of the gray-market margin financiers interviewed by Reuters said their initial funding came from banks. Banks are prohibited from directly financing stock market investment but use complex product structures to bypass regulations.

Both declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter. The names of banks lending to trust companies are never revealed on shadow margin loan contracts.

On March 15, the Taizhou branch of China’s banking watchdog fined two lenders for allowing bank money to flow illegally into the stock market. The Guangdong branch of the CSRC has banned brokerages from cooperating with shadow lenders.

That caused a 4 percent drop in China stocks, their worst day in five months.

Domestic brokerage Shenwan Hongyuan Securities estimated there were about 10,000 grey market lenders running 1-1.5 trillion yuan in margin financing in 2015. Volumes are much lower this time, which is why analysts expect regulators look away for a while longer.

“I think regulators want to see more active trading… Investors or speculators are all welcome,” said a senior manager at domestic brokerage Industrial Securities.

(Reporting By Shu Zhang in SINGAPORE and Samuel Shen in SHANGHAI; Editing by Vidya Ranganathan and Gerry Doyle)

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.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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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