Upcoming shows
Real News

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Real News with David Knight

9:00 am 12:00 pm



Maga First News

Upcoming Shows

Join The MAGA Network on Discord

0 0

Man who allegedly hid out in ex’s attic faces charges

A man who had allegedly been hiding out in the attic of his ex-girlfriend's Pittsburgh home is facing burglary charges.

Authorities say the woman found 31-year-old Cary Cocuzzi in her bedroom Saturday. They say she had a protection from abuse order against him.

Cocuzzi allegedly grabbed the woman and put a hand over her mouth. But she pushed him away and ran outside screaming, spurring several neighbors to call 911.

Police searched the house and found Cocuzzi hiding. They say he told officers he was homeless and had been sneaking in and out of the house for about two weeks.

The woman told authorities she had noticed odd details around her home, such as finding a blanket on the floor where she had not left it.

It's not known if Cocuzzi has retained an attorney.

Source: Fox News National

0 0

Spain’s Supreme Court upholds priest’s sex abuse conviction

Spain's Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a priest for the sexual abuse of two 12-year-old boys and confirmed a lower court's sentence of 17 years and seven months in prison.

A Supreme Court statement issued Wednesday said the judges also rejected an appeal by the Romanian parents of one of the boys. They lived with the priest, Jose Fernandez, and were found guilty of consenting to his abuse of their son and sentenced to four years in prison.

The other victim was an altar boy at the priest's church in Badajoz, in southwestern Spain.

The Supreme Court said it was proven that Fernandez committed the crimes in 2013 and 2014. A Badajoz court found the defendants guilty, but they appealed to the higher court.

Source: Fox News World

0 0

Finnish Imam’s Daughter, Son-in-Law Revealed as ISIS Jihadists

An investigative report by Finland’s national broadcaster Yle has found alleged links between an ISIS terrorist and a Finnish Islamic leader, who denies any radicalization among his flock, yet promises that any returnees will be “treated nicely” and rehabilitated.

A man who left Finland to join ISIS was the son-in-law and business partner of the imam of the Islamic Society of Northern Finland, headquartered in the city of Oulu, Yle reported.

As part of its investigation, Yle found that Finnish jihadists earned money through a variety of legal and illegal means ranging from running pizzerias to tax fraud.

One of them, Bangladeshi-born Taz Rahman, was found to have co-owned a business with Oulu imam and fellow Bangladeshi Abdul Mannan. According to leaked ISIS documents, Rahman joined the terrorists’ ranks in the summer of 2014. His wife and the imam’s daughter, with whom he had children, followed suit.

Before his departure, Rahman ran two companies in Finland. One was a pizzeria that still operates in Helsinki. Rahman’s second business was registered as a food kiosk at the address of the Oulu mosque in the city center.

ISIS announced Rahman’s death and in May 2017 published a photo of him, adding that he had worked as physical therapist; Mannan still runs the Oulu Islamic Society.


Paul Joseph Watson breaks down the story surrounding a woman who left the United Kingdom when she was 15 to marry a member of ISIS and join their Islamic caliphate revolution.

When confronted by Yle journalists, Mannan denied several times personally knowing anyone who had been radicalized, despite the fact that his own daughter and son-in-law had become jihadists.

“I know each and every person. We don’t have any extremists here,” Mannan assured. When asked about Rahman, he admitted “he’s a relative of mine, my daughter’s husband, that’s all.”

Mannan also claimed that he didn’t know where the couple was heading before they left. Mannan said he does not know whether his daughter is still in Syria, and claimed to have not heard from her in nearly two years and denied any responsibility.

“It’s the person, the individual case, who is responsible for this. So if someone takes some decision for his own and without consulting us, so he’s solely responsible for that,” he stressed.

(Photo by Paul Arps, Flickr)

Mannan said he had informed the police about the couple and ventured that there may be other Finnish nationals who have made the same choice.

“All of them are members of this society,” Mannan concluded. “So when they come back, they will be treated in a nice way. They will be rehabilitated and we will let them live a normal life. I hope it will work.”

Mannan previously served as a deputy city councilor for the Social Democratic Party from 2012 to 2017. Mannan moved to Oulu from Bangladesh in 1992 to study geology and earned a doctoral degree from the University of Oulu in 2002 before becoming an Islamic instructor.

Oulu has 200,000 residents and a 3,000-strong Islamic community. Some 1,000 people from more than 20 countries are said to attend events at the mosque.


Alex Jones gives his personal view on how the United States should intervene in South America with the collapsing socialist utopia known as Venezuela, and he urges President Trump to pay attention to the Chinese troops being deployed to help maintain Nicolás Maduro’s wrongful rule over his own people.

Source: InfoWars

0 0

Golf: Langer reckons a grey hair would look great in Augusta green

Bernhard Langer of Germany chips from the sand on the 10th hole during the second day of practice for the 2019 Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
Bernhard Langer of Germany chips from the sand on the 10th hole during the second day of practice for the 2019 Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, U.S., April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

April 10, 2019

By Andrew Both

AUGUSTA, Ga. (Reuters) – Thirty-three years since Jack Nicklaus won the Masters at age 46, he remains the oldest claimant of the Green Jacket and perhaps only Phil Mickelson among this year’s competitors is a realistic chance to break the Golden Bear’s mark.

But 61-year-old Bernhard Langer thinks that sooner or later a grey-haired older player will win a major, perhaps even the Masters.

Nicklaus showed what is possible not just by winning here in 1986 but by going close 12 years later in what would have been a victory of historic proportions.

He was in contention until the final few holes before eventually finishing equal sixth, four shots back of winner Mark O’Meara.

But for all the talk of the value of experience at Augusta National, it has been an exception rather than the rule for players over 50 to contend for the Green Jacket.

Spaniard Miguel Jimenez finished fourth in 2014, three months after his 50th birthday, while the performance of Langer that same year was also impressive as he finished equal eighth at age 56.

Langer, never a particularly long hitter even in his prime, says the length of Augusta National eventually catches up with him over 72 holes.

He thinks a longer hitter is more likely to crack the code, someone who can still almost match distance with the young bucks from the tee.

“It’s a lot harder for me now than 20-30 years ago,” 1985 and 1993 champion Langer told Reuters.

“The course has gotten longer. The last few years I’m wearing out my three and four-iron and two-hybrid into these par-fours, whereas these young guys are hitting eight-irons.

“It’s just hard to compete when you have that disadvantage.”

Langer gets a sobering baptism these days right off the bat at the par-four first, which now stretches to 445-yards.

When the hole plays into a cool north-westerly headwind, his drive invariably longs on the upslope, leaving him so far from the green that he has a blind second shot.

“I can’t even see the flag (sometimes),” he said.

Not even meticulous course management and a consistent putting stroke can make up for the 50 yards or more head start that he is giving younger players off the tee.

Even if his chances of winning are gone, Langer reckons someone of the ilk of 1992 champion Fred Couples or 2000 winner Vijay Singh stands a better chance of winning in his 50s.

Though he is not yet 50, Mickelson at age 48 and already a winner on the PGA Tour at Pebble Beach this year is a definite threat.

This week’s field will include seven players aged 50 or older.

“Someone who is 20 yards longer than me, I think they still have a chance,” Langer said.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

Source: OANN

0 0

Woman faces charges after allegedly destroying Playboy bunny backyard display

A New Jersey woman upset about a racy Playboy bunny display featuring five scantily clad mannequins outside her neighbor's home allegedly used garden shears on Tuesday to dismantle the exhibit.

Desiree Shepstone, 37, of Clifton, had been charged with third-degree criminal mischief for damage exceeding $2,000 for tearing down the arrangement.

The display is meant to celebrate Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who would have turned 93 on Tuesday. The mannequins were dressed in sexy lingerie, fishnet stockings with bunny ears and were holding Easter baskets surrounded by Easter eggs.

"I got a son," Shepstone told a WPIX-TV. "He's 16-years-old. He's a good boy you know. He doesn't need to see this every time I take him back from school."

Wayne Gangi, who practices out of his Clifton home and usually puts up the display around the holidays, told NJ.com he plans to press charges against Shepstone.

“She vandalized my property and for that I’ll see her in court,” he said. “I’m not going to let this type of thing happen by this type of person. She’s a troubled neighbor who happened to see Inside Edition here and wanted attention for herself."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Gangi said the mannequins drew many visitors last Halloween, prompting Clifton police to send two dozen officers for crowd control. He said he buys the mannequins online for up to $1,000 each, and plans to put the display back up Friday.

Source: Fox News National

0 0

Swiss set to back tighter gun controls, avoid EU clash: poll

FILE PHOTO: Participants fire their infantry and assault rifles during the traditional 'Ruetlischiessen' competition at the Ruetli meadow
FILE PHOTO: Participants fire their infantry and assault rifles during the traditional 'Ruetlischiessen' (Ruetli shooting) competition at the Ruetli meadow in central Switzerland November 6, 2013. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann//File Photo

April 12, 2019

ZURICH (Reuters) – Two of out three Swiss voters support tightening gun controls in line with changes to European Union rules, a poll released on Friday showed, potentially heading off a clash with Brussels.

The restrictions, which apply to non-EU member Switzerland because it is part of Europe’s Schengen open-border system, have raised hackles among Swiss shooting enthusiasts ahead of a binding referendum on May 19.

Failure to adopt the rules could force Switzerland to leave the passport-free Schengen zone and the Dublin joint system for handling asylum requests.

After militants killed scores in Paris and elsewhere in 2015, the EU in 2017 toughened laws against purchasing semi-automatic rifles like the ones used in those attacks, and made it easier to track weapons in national databases.

Friday’s gfs.bern poll for broadcaster SRF showed 66 percent of eligible voters questioned support tougher gun controls while 33 percent opposed the change. The margin of error was 2.9 percentage points.

The initial EU proposal provoked an outcry because it meant a ban on the long Swiss tradition of ex-soldiers keeping their assault rifles.

Swiss officials have negotiated concessions for gun enthusiasts who take part in the country’s numerous shooting clubs, but any restrictions imported from the EU go too far for right-wing activists concerned about Swiss sovereignty.

Gun rights proponents complain the rules could disarm law-abiding citizens and encroach on Switzerland’s heritage and national identity that includes a well-armed citizenry.

Switzerland has one of the highest rates of private gun ownership in Europe, with nearly 48 percent of households owning a gun.

But that harks back to a long tradition of self-defense and to the Swiss policy of near-universal conscription, and gun-related crime is low.

In a separate referendum also on May 19, voters will decide on a corporate tax overhaul whose passage the finance minister has described as “existential” for Switzerland as a business hub.

The gfs.bern poll showed 54 percent of voters support the revamp, a much tighter outcome than the comfortable majority predicted in a separate Tamedia survey this month.

(Reporting by Michael Shields; editing by John Stonestreet)

Source: OANN

0 0

Bust: Small Businesses Suffocating From Supreme Court Sales Tax Ruling

Small business owners are getting hounded by tax collectors from thousands of miles away after the Supreme Court approved online sales taxes for out-of-state purchases.

Conflicting tax codes never intended for uniformity across state lines are overwhelming small online retailers who are now forced to pay taxes to hundreds – and perhaps even thousands – of out-of-state municipalities.

This is a direct result of Wayfair v. South Dakota in which the Supreme Court ruled last June that states could collect sales taxes from online businesses far outside their state lines.

“It almost seems like I have another full time job dumped on me with this sales tax thing,” Chris Heitman, owner of Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies, told Reason.com. “It’s burning me out.”

For one thing, Heitman is having to learn the different rates of different states, and even when he does that, he has to worry about particular cities having their own taxes.

So, for example, if he has two customers out of thousands in one small town, he’s expected to know whether if the town charges sales tax and if so, at what rate.

Because the Supreme Court ruling is so new – and also so vague – there hasn’t been a lot of tax software developed yet to help small business owners navigate this maze of tax codes.

And the ruling may ultimately help large online retailers who can afford a team of employees to focus entirely on satisfying state and local taxes.

In response, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) may reintroduce a bill entitled the Online Sales Simplicity and Small Business Relief Act that would exempt small retailers with under $10 million in sales from paying out-of-state sales tax.

“Small business owners, in particular, have shared fears that they will be unable to bear the new compliance burdens and may have to shutter their businesses,” Sensenbrenner said. “I’ve heard from online sellers in Wisconsin and across the country who are concerned with the complexity of the post-Wayfair tax regime.”



Will Johnson joins Alex Jones live via Skype to break down the history of reparations in the United States.

Source: InfoWars

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Real News with David Knight

9:00 am 12:00 pm



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

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

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

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

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.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
FILE PHOTO: Cases of Pepsi are shown for sale at a store in Carlsbad
FILE PHOTO: Cases of Pepsi are shown for sale at a store in Carlsbad, California, U.S., April 22, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Amit Dave and Mayank Bhardwaj

AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – PepsiCo Inc has sued four Indian farmers for cultivating a potato variety that the snack food and drinks maker claims infringes its patent, the company and the growers said on Friday.

Pepsi has sued the farmers for cultivating the FC5 potato variety, exclusively grown for its popular Lay’s potato chips. The FC5 variety has a lower moisture content required to make snacks such as potato chips.

PepsiCo is seeking more than 10 million rupees ($142,840.82) each for alleged patent infringement.

The farmers grow potatoes in the western state of Gujarat, a leading producer of India’s most consumed vegetable.

“We have been growing potatoes for a long time and we didn’t face this problem ever, as we’ve mostly been using the seeds saved from one harvest to plant the next year’s crop,” said Bipin Patel, one of the four farmers sued by Pepsi.

Patel did not say how he came by the PepsiCo variety.

A court in Ahmedabad, the business hub of Gujarat, on Friday agreed to hear the case on June 12, said Anand Yagnik, the lawyer for the farmers.

“In this instance, we took judicial recourse against people who were illegally dealing in our registered variety,” A PepsiCo India spokesman said. “This was done to protect our rights and safeguard the larger interest of farmers that are engaged with us and who are using and benefiting from seeds of our registered variety.”

PepsiCo, which set up its first potato chips plant in India in 1989, supplies the FC5 potato variety to a group of farmers who in turn sell their produce to the company at a fixed price.

The All India Kisan Sabha, or All India Farmers’ Forum, has asked the Indian government to protect the farmers.

The farmers’ forum has also called for a boycott of PepsiCo’s Lay’s chips and the company’s other products.

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

PepsiCo is the second major U.S. company in India to face issues over patent infringement.

Stung by a long-standing intellectual property dispute, seed maker Monsanto, which is now owned by German drugmaker Bayer AG, withdrew from some businesses in India over a cotton-seed dispute with farmers, Reuters reported in 2017. (reut.rs/2ncBknn)

(Reporting by Amit Dave in AHMEDABAD and Mayank Bhardwaj in NEW DELHI; Editing by Martin Howell and Louise Heavens)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
FILE PHOTO: The Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM) logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the NYSE in New York
FILE PHOTO: The Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM) logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By P.J. Huffstutter and Shradha Singh

CHICAGO/BENGALURU (Reuters) – Archer Daniels Midland Co said on Friday it was considering spinning off its ethanol business after slim biofuel margins and Midwestern floods slammed the U.S. grains merchant’s profit, which tumbled 41 percent in the first quarter.

ADM said it was creating an ethanol subsidiary, which will include dry mills in Columbus, Nebraska; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Peoria, Illinois.

The ethanol subsidiary will report as an independent segment, the company said, allowing options “which may include, but are not limited to, a potential spin-off of the business to existing ADM shareholders.”

Results were hit by the “bomb cyclone” blizzards that devastated the Midwest and Great Plains this year, causing massive flooding across Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, washing out rail lines and wreaking havoc in the moving and processing of corn, soybeans and wheat. One-sixth of U.S. ethanol production was halted.

In March, ADM warned Wall Street that flooding and severe winter weather in the U.S. Midwest would reduce its first-quarter operating profit by $50 million to $60 million.

“The first quarter proved more challenging than initially expected,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Juan Luciano, with earnings down in its starches, sweeteners and bioproducts unit. Luciano said impacts of the severe weather ultimately “were on the high side of our initial estimates”.

Ongoing problems in the ethanol industry added to the problems and “limited margins and opportunities” for ADM, Luciano said.

The ethanol industry has been in the midst of a historic downswing due to the U.S.-China trade war, excess domestic supply and weak margins.

ADM, which had been an ethanol pioneer, signaled to Wall Street in 2016 that it was hunting for options and considering sales of its U.S. dry ethanol mills. Luciano told Reuters this year that offers ADM had received for the mills were too low.

In addition, ADM said it planned to repurpose its corn wet mill in Marshall, Minnesota, to produce higher volumes of food and industrial-grade starches.

Other major traders are alsy trying to distance themselves from struggling ethanol businesses. Louis Dreyfus Company BV spun off its Brazilian sugar and ethanol business Biosev in 2013. Rival Bunge sold its sugar book and has sought a buyer for its Brazilian mills since 2013.

ADM, which makes money trading, processing and transporting crops, such as corn, soybeans and wheat, has been looking to strengthen its core business. Last month it said it would seek voluntary early retirements of some North American employees and cut jobs as part of a restructuring effort.

The company expects to lower 2019 capital spending by 10 percent to between $800 million and $900 million.

Net earnings attributable to the company fell to $233 million, or 41 cents per share, in the three months ended March 31, from $393 million, or 70 cents per share, a year earlier.

Revenue fell to $15.30 billion from $15.53 billion. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 46 cents per share, while analysts on average had estimated 60 cents, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

(Reporting by Shradha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta, Chizu Nomiyama and David Gregorio)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
Current track

Title

Artist