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Mountain park becomes public bath amid Venezuela crisis

After generations of breathing life into Venezuela's crowded capital, the tree-covered slopes of El Avila mountain looming above Caracas are being transformed into a public bath amid worsening power failures that are disrupting life in the crisis-wracked country.

Every day, hundreds of people without running water hike up from the city on Avila's winding trails to bathe, wash clothes and collect water to carry home. To the dismay of environmental activists who fear the damage will be irreversible, people are littering its slopes and creeks with shampoo and water bottles, food wrappers, cardboard and old clothes.

Wildfires in recent weeks that charred swaths of the drought-stricken mountain have compounded the damage, threatening to leave long-term environmental scars on the land declared a national park six decades ago.

School bus driver Gorge Eglis Escalante and his teenage daughter dragged a pink basket of dirty clothes to a secluded spot recently. Spigots in their Chacaito neighborhood ran dry nearly a month earlier.

"I never would have imagined doing this here," Escalante said while soaking a shirt in a bucket of stream water and detergent after scrubbing it on a rock. "We have the government to thank for this."

Residents of Caracas have been crowding waterways in the park of 315 square miles (81,800 hectares) every day since Venezuela's power grid failed March 7, knocking out lights as well as the pumps that move water to homes.

The nationwide blackout, and others that have followed, comes as President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaidó struggle over power. The opposition, which blames Venezuela's economic collapse on mismanagement and damaging policies by the socialist government, is trying to oust Maduro with backing from the United States and some 50 other nations.

Officially given the indigenous name "Waraira Repano," or "Sierra Grande," the park is home to dozens of birds and other species, such as opossums, bats, squirrels, pumas, foxes, porcupines and deer.

The wildlife relies on its pristine brooks and creeks for water and the animals put their nests and burrows amid the vast stretch of trees and shrubs that is now being invaded by humans.

Liquor store clerk Jonathan Lopez said he began visiting Avila at dawn two weeks ago to bathe and collect water after his poor 23rd of January neighborhood lost electricity.

"It gives you the shivers," he said of his bath in the crystal-clear Chacaito stream, scooping water with his hands to rinse soap from his head and body while standing thigh-deep. "But you have to put up to get by."

Nearby, a thin man wearing jeans and a light blue sweat shirt filled plastic bottles with water. Then he unzipped his trousers and tried to urinate unnoticed in the stream.

Wildfires that have hit the park lately and the influx of people have put the mountain in a "high risk" situation, said José Manuel Silva, director of Venezuela Verde, a charity dedicated to environmental protection.

"It's having a big impact on Avila," Silva said.

But there is little that can be done to protect the park amid Venezuela's economic crunch, he said. He noted that state agencies have had to dramatically reduce numbers of park rangers and firefighters. And, he added, it's impossible to stop the influx of people searching for water — a basic human necessity.

Doing rounds at Avila, a National Parks Institute official said authorities are aware of the trash piling up and the environmental damage.

But the official, who insisted on speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to comment, said his work is now limited to guaranteeing that people who come to Avila for water "don't get out of hand."

Lopez, the liquor store clerk, conceded that he is also concerned about the treasured park's fate. Near his makeshift bath, somebody had left behind old clothes hanging on bushes.

Even the soap and laundry detergents he uses will take a toll, Lopez said. But he said he has few other options to get cleaned up.

"You don't truly appreciate the things you have until you've lost them," he said.

___

Fabiola Sanchez on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fisanchezn

Source: Fox News World

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Dirty dental utensils may have exposed Seattle schoolkids to risk of HIV, hepatitis B, C: reports

More than 1,000 students could be at risk for HIV and hepatitis B and C after getting dental care at 12 schools in and around Seattle, local reports said Tuesday.

The utensils, which were used to treat 1,250 kids at the schools’ dental clinics, weren’t properly sterilized, KING-TV reported.

HEALTH OFFICIALS ALARMED BY PARALYZING ILLNESS IN KIDS

The King County Department of Health said the risk was low, but recommended students who may have been exposed get tested, according to KING 5.

Neighborhood Care, which operates the clinics for low-income families, said in a statement in part, "We immediately re-trained all school-based dental staff in sterilization processes and policies. We will also reassure that all new and current dental assistants across the Neighborcare Health organization are following sterilization procedures.”

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The testing will be provided to the students at no cost.

Source: Fox News National

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Golf: Hole-in-one powers Kim to four-stroke lead in Texas

PGA: Valero Texas Open - Second Round
Apr 5, 2019; San Antonio, TX, USA; Kim Si-woo watches his drive on the 15th hole during the second round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament at TPC San Antonio - AT&T Oaks Course. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

April 6, 2019

(Reuters) – A jubilant Kim Si-woo aced the 16th hole to push his lead to four strokes after the second round of the Texas Open at San Antonio on Friday.

A group of six players, including headliners Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, were left in second place after the overnight leader’s hole-in-one.

Kim, who started the day with a one-stroke advantage, drove a nine iron to the green at the 167-yard par-three then watched the ball bounce into the hole.

The South Korean world number 61 tossed his club aside and thrust both arms into the air in celebration at his second career hole-in-one.

Kim, aiming for his third PGA Tour victory, ended the round at 12-under 132 thanks to four birdies and the ace in his second consecutive 66.

Spieth and Fowler, who both shot 68 for the second round in a row, shared second with fellow Americans Harold Varner (66) and Adam Schenk (66) as well as Canadian Corey Conners (67) and Kim’s compatriot Lee Kyoung-hoon (67).

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina, editing by Nick Mulvenney)

Source: OANN

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Florida woman shoots partner after alcohol-fueled argument over his snoring: deputies

Florida deputies say an alcohol-fueled argument over snoring resulted in a man being shot and wounded by his girlfriend.

The arrest affidavit in Brevard County court says Lorie Morin, 47, of Cocoa, Fla., was charged Friday with attempted murder and aggravated battery. She said the shooting was an accident.

Deputies found the victim Brett Allgood Wednesday night lying at the foot of the bed in a pool of blood, Brevard County deputy Randy Truitt said in the court papers. He was admitted to a hospital.

GIRL, 15, CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER IN SCHOOL STABBING

The court papers say Allgood showed up at Morin's home Wednesday with a bottle of rum, roses, candy and snoring strips.

Then as they were drinking the rum and playing cards, Allgood said they began arguing over Morin elbowing him the night before for snoring in bed.

MOM PROTECTING TEENS TAKES ARROW TO FACE, DRIVES SELF TO HOSPITAL; SUSPECT ARRESTED, POLICE SAY

“As Mr. Allgood was attempting to leave he heard a loud boom and woke up lying in a pool of blood with excruciating pain coming from his right armpit area,” Truitt wrote in the court filing.

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Morin was jailed without bail, ​​​Fox 35 Orlando reported Friday.

Source: Fox News National

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Idaho soldier assigned to Colorado Army post dies in Iraq

The U.S. military says an Idaho soldier assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado, has died in a noncombat incident in Iraq.

The Defense Department said Wednesday that 20-year-old Spc. Michael T. Osorio died Tuesday in Taji, Iraq. No details were released, and the military said an investigation was underway.

Osorio was from Horseshoe Bend, Idaho. He was an intelligence analyst in Fort Carson's 3rd Armored Brigade, part of the 4th Infantry Division.

He enlisted in the Army in July 2017 and was on his first deployment.

His decorations included the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal.

Source: Fox News National

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‘Evil attracts evil’: Judge gives mom life in teen murder

A woman who plotted the rape, torture and murder of her own teenage daughter pleaded guilty on Friday and was sentenced to life in prison for a crime so barbaric that prosecutors and the judge strained for superlatives to describe it.

One day after her co-conspirator boyfriend was sentenced to death, Sara Packer, 44, appeared in a suburban Philadelphia courthouse and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping, abuse of a corpse and 16 other offenses in the 2016 slaying of 14-year-old Grace Packer.

"Evil attracts evil. Evil recognizes evil. And in Jacob Sullivan, you found one of your own," Bucks County Judge Diane Gibbons, her voice dripping with contempt, told Packer in sentencing her to the maximum term.

"You like rape. You like murder. That's a fact," said Gibbons, decrying the "rot" and "warped depravity" on display in the case.

Packer, whose crimes were not eligible for Pennsylvania's death penalty, did not make a statement.

Prosecutors said Packer and her boyfriend, Jacob Sullivan, shared a rape-murder fantasy and spent months plotting Grace's slaying in a vacant house about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Philadelphia.

Sara Packer testified that the couple took her adoptive daughter to a sweltering attic and gave her what they intended to be a lethal overdose of medicine. Sullivan sexually assaulted her as Sara Packer watched. They bound her hands and feet with zip ties, stuffed a ball gag in her mouth and left her to die.

Grace eventually managed to escape some of her bindings. But she was unable to make it out of the house before Sullivan and Sara Packer returned overnight — some 12 hours later — and Sullivan strangled her while Sara Packer held her hand and watched her die.

Sara Packer and Sullivan stored Grace's body in cat litter for months, then dismembered it and dumped the remains in a remote, wooded area of northeastern Pennsylvania where hunters found it in October 2016.

Bucks County prosecutor Jennifer Schorn said in court Friday that Sara Packer — a former county adoptions supervisor who had fostered dozens of children over the years — saw Grace Packer as a source of government benefits and nothing more.

Schorn and the judge marveled at how someone who professed to be a mother could have been so cruel.

"It defies nature, what she did," Schorn said.

Sullivan, who pleaded guilty to first degree murder, was sentenced to death by a jury Thursday. Packer admitted in court during Sullivan's sentencing hearing that she hated Grace and "wanted her to go away."

Sara Packer lost her job at Northampton County's children and youth department in 2010 after her husband at the time, David Packer, was sent to prison for sexually assaulting Grace and another foster child. But child welfare authorities did not remove Grace from the home, despite evidence of abuse.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services launched an investigation after Grace's murder. Its report was sealed while Packer and Sullivan were being prosecuted, but is expected to be made public on Monday.

After the sentencing, District Attorney Matt Weintraub called on lawmakers to pass a child protection law called "Grace's Law."

"Grace's memory will no longer be bound to that of these two predators. She is free," Weintraub said.

Source: Fox News National

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Who's been charged by Mueller in the Russia probe so far?

Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, was sentenced by a federal judge on March 13 to an additional three and a half years in prison — the second sentencing the 69-year-old has received in recent days.

Previously, on March 7, Manafort was sentenced to 47 months in prison. He was convicted of eight bank and tax fraud charges last August, which made him the first campaign associate of Trump's to be found guilty by jury as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's long-running investigation.

The sentence on March 13 is on top of the roughly four-year prison sentence Manafort received on March 7 in a separate criminal case in Virginia.

Mueller is believed to be wrapping up his probe, which has been shrouded in secrecy, with a report to be finished sometime this year — although the exact time is open to speculation.

Dozens of people have been either indicted, convicted, or entered a guilty plea as part of the investigation, which began in May 2017. Several former Trump campaign associates – Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Richard Gates, Roger Stone and George Papadopoulos – are among the scalps via Mueller's team, while at least 25 are Russian officials.

Here's a closer look at those who have faced charges throughout Mueller's probe.

Roger Stone

Roger Stone, a longtime political adviser to Trump, was indicted on charges of obstruction, making false statements and witness tampering by Mueller's office.

Stone, 66, was arrested in Florida on Jan. 25, a spokesperson for Mueller's office confirmed. For months, Stone had warned he could be indicted, publicly saying he believed Mueller was investigating whether he had knowledge of WikiLeaks releasing hacked emails of Democrats during the 2016 campaign. Stone has repeatedly denied doing so, however.

The indictment alleges Stone worked to obstruct the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election by making false statements to the committee, denying he had records sought by the committee and persuading a witness to provide false testimony.

Michael Flynn

Michael Flynn, who served as Trump’s national security adviser for less than a month before resigning, pleaded guilty in December 2017 to making false statements to the FBI.

Flynn reportedly lied about his talks with Russia's ambassador to Washington. In late 2016, while former President Barack Obama was still in office, the two allegedly spoke about the U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia.

This raised concerns that Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, misled Trump officials about his conversations with Russian officials.

Paul Manafort

Paul Manafort turned himself in to authorities in October.

Paul Manafort turned himself in to authorities in October. (AP Photo)

The special counsel filed a 32-count indictment on Feb. 22, 2018, against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and aide Rick Gates, accusing the pair of tax evasion and bank fraud.

The indictment accused Manafort and Gates of doctoring documents to inflate the income of their businesses and then using those fraudulent documents to obtain loans. It also accused Manafort of evading taxes from 2010 through 2014 and, in some of the years, concealing his foreign bank accounts.

Manafort turned himself into federal authorities in the fall of 2018. The 69-year-old served as Trump’s campaign manager for a few months in 2016. Gates, Manafort's business associate, also turned himself in at the time.

On June 15, 2018, Manafort was jailed after a federal judge revoked his $10 million bail based on new witness tampering charges brought by Mueller.

Manafort was found guilty of eight financial crimes on Aug. 21, 2018, in the first trial victory of the special counsel investigation into the president's associates. He later pleaded guilty in a second case and agreed to cooperate with Mueller's team.

On March 7, he was sentenced to 47 months in prison. He was credited with the 9 months he had already spent in prison, so he will only have to serve 38 months or just more than 3 years.

Days later, on March 13, a federal judge sentenced Manafort to an additional three and a half years of prison. The sentence is on top of the roughly four-year prison sentence Manafort received last week in a separate criminal case in Virginia.

Richard Gates

Richard Gates pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Richard Gates pleaded not guilty to all charges. (The Associated Press)

Richard Gates was named alongside Manafort in the recent charges brought by the special counsel. He's accused of 11 counts related to filing false income tax returns and three counts of failure to report foreign bank and financial accounts.

Gates pleaded guilty in February 2018 to federal conspiracy and false-statements charges.

A superseding criminal complaint says Gates was charged with conspiracy against the United States between 2006 and 2017.

George Papadopoulos

George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to the charges against him. (Alexandria Sheriff's Office)

A former foreign policy adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign, George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty in 2017 to making false statements to the FBI regarding “the timing, extent and nature of his relationships and interactions with certain foreign nationals whom he understood to have close connections with senior Russian government officials,” according to court documents.

He also reportedly tried to set up meetings between Russian and Trump campaign officials on various occasions.

Papadopoulos was sentenced in September 2018 to 14 days in prison, 13 months supervised release, 200 hours community service and a $9,500 fine for lying to the FBI during the Russia probe.

“My entire life has been turned upside down, I hope to have a second chance to redeem myself,” he said during his sentencing.

Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on Dec. 12. 

Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on Dec. 12.  (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Formerly Trump's attorney, Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges that arose from two separate investigations – one by federal prosecutors in New York, and the other by Mueller.

Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress about a Trump real estate project in Moscow. He was sentenced on Dec. 12, 2018.

Alex van der Zwaan

Attorney Alex van der Zwaan pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his interactions with Gates.

Attorney Alex van der Zwaan pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his interactions with Gates. (Reuters/Yuri Gripas)

Mueller's team charged Dutch attorney Alex van der Zwaan for lying to federal investigators in the Russia probe in federal court in February 2018. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 days in prison and given a $20,000 fine in April.

Van der Zwaan was released from prison in June and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

According to charging documents, a law firm hired by the Ukraine Ministry of Justice in 2012 employed van der Zwaan. He admitted to lying about his interactions with Gates.

The charge against van der Zwaan did not involve election meddling or the Trump campaign's operations. It stemmed from the special counsel's investigation into a covert Washington lobbying campaign Manafort and Gates are accused of directing on behalf of pro-Russian Ukrainian interests.

Richard Pinedo

Richard Pinedo, a California man who sold bank accounts to Russians meddling in the election, pleaded guilty in February 2018 to using stolen identities to set up the accounts. He was sentenced in October to six months in prison, six months in home confinement and two years of supervised release.

The U.S. government said Pinedo did not know that he was dealing with Russians when he sold the accounts. Since his arrest, Pinedo has provided investigators with "significant assistance" in identity theft probes, prosecutors said.

During his sentencing, Pinedo told the judge he took "full responsibility" and understood "there needs to be consequences" for his actions. Federal sentencing guidelines called for Pinedo to serve between 12 and 18 months behind bars, but prosecutors did not recommend a particular sentence, noting his cooperation with officials.

13 Russian nationals

A grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies in February 2018 for allegedly interfering in the 2016 election. In the case, Mueller detailed a sophisticated plot to wage “information warfare” on the U.S.

The indictment was the first to be brought against Russian nationals in Mueller's investigation.

However, the Justice Department said the indictment does not allege that the interference changed the outcome of the election.

"There is no allegation in this indictment that any American was a knowing participant in this illegal activity," said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the special counsel probe.

12 Russian intelligence officers

The Justice Department in July 2018 announced that 12 Russian intelligence officers were indicted for allegedly hacking the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign during the 2016 election.

All 12 are members of GRU, the Russian intelligence agency.

Fox News' Ann Schmidt, Adam Shaw, Samuel Chamberlain, Jake Gibson, Alex Pappas, Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Source: Fox News Politics

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Avengers fans gather at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to attend the opening screening of
Avengers fans gather at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to attend the opening screening of “Avengers: Endgame” in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake

April 26, 2019

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Marvel Studios superhero spectacle “Avengers: Endgame” hauled in a record $60 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices during its Thursday night debut, distributor Walt Disney Co said.

Global ticket sales for the film about Iron Man, Hulk and other popular characters reached $305 million for the first two days, Disney said.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Funeral of journalist Lyra McKee in Belfast
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn attends the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland April 24, 2019. Brian Lawless/Pool via REUTERS

April 26, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – The leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Friday he had turned down an invitation to a state dinner which will be part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Britain in June.

“Theresa May should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit to honor a president who rips up vital international treaties, backs climate change denial and uses racist and misogynist rhetoric,” Corbyn said in a statement.

He said maintaining the relationship with the United States did not require “the pomp and ceremony of a state visit” and he said he would welcome a meeting with Trump “to discuss all matters of interest.”

(Reporting by Andy Bruce; Writing by William Schomberg)

Source: OANN

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Libyan Minister of Economy Ali Abdulaziz Issawi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tripoli
Libyan Minister of Economy Ali Abdulaziz Issawi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tripoli, Libya April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Hani Amara

April 26, 2019

By Ulf Laessing

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya’s U.N.-recognized government has budgeted up to 2 billion dinars ($1.43 billion) to cover costs of a three-week-old war for control of the capital, such as treatment for the wounded, to be funded without new borrowing, the economy minister said.

Ali Abdulaziz Issawi suggested the government hoped for business to continue more or less as usual despite the assault on Tripoli, in the country’s northwest, by forces tied to a parallel administration based in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Once Africa’s third largest producer of oil, Libya has been riven by factional conflict since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with the country now broadly split between eastern-based forces under Khalifa Haftar and the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, in the west, under Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

Still, with Haftar’s Libyan National Army forces unable so far to pierce defenses in Tripoli’s southern suburbs, normal life and business activities continue in much of the capital and western coastal towns.

Issawi, in an interview with Reuters in his Tripoli office, also said Libya’s commercial ports and wheat imports were still functioning normally, although some roads have been blocked.

He said the Serraj government estimates it will spend up to 2 billion dinars extra on medical treatment for wounded, aid for displaced people and other “emergency” war costs.

He said this was not military spending but analysts believe that the sum will also cover expenditures such as pay for allied armed groups or food for fighters.

“We could actually spend less,” he added, in comments that gave the first insight into the economic impact of the fighting.

Issawi said the Tripoli government, which controls little territory beyond the greater capital region, would not incur new debt to fund the war costs, sticking to a plan to post a 2019 budget without a deficit.

Tripoli derives revenue largely from oil and natural gas production, interest-free loans from local banks to the central bank, and a 183 percent surcharge on foreign exchange transactions conducted at official rates.

But with centralized tax collection greatly diminished, public debt has piled up – to 68 billion dinars in the west, including unpaid state obligations such as social insurance.

Some analysts expect Serraj’s government will be forced to raise new debt if the war for control of Tripoli drags on.

With much of Libya dominated by armed factions that also act as security forces, the public wage bill for both the western and eastern administrations has soared as fighters have been made public employees in efforts to buy their loyalty.

The east has sold bonds worth 35 billion dinars outside the official financial system as the Tripoli central bank does not fund the parallel government apart from some wages.

Despite its limited reach, the Tripoli government still runs an annual budget of around 46.8 billion dinars, mainly for public salaries and fuel subsidies.

“This year we cannot finance via debt…we will not borrow (by agreement with the central bank),” Issawi said.

According to International Monetary Fund data, Libya’s central government debt-to-GDP ratio is 143 percent, making it one of the most heavily indebted in the world on that measure.

Issawi declined to say what parts of the budget would be trimmed to support the extra outlay for war costs.

However, with some 70 percent of the budget allocated to public wages, fuel subsidies and other welfare benefits, a portion devoted to infrastructure is most likely to be axed.

Widespread lawlessness has meant there have been no major infrastructural projects since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi, leaving schools, hospitals and roads in acute need of restoration.

FOREX SURCHARGE

Issawi said the government planned to raise as much as 30 billion dinars by the end of 2019 from hard currency deals after imposing in September a 183 percent surcharge on commercial and private transactions done on the official rate of 1.4 to the U.S. dollar. That fee has effectively devalued the official rate to 3.9, much closer to the black market equivalent.

Some 17 billion dinars have been raised since then, with hard currency allocated for import credit letters now issued without delays, Issawi said. The forex fee has helped the government forecast a budget in the black for 2019.

Despite the narrowing spread between the two rates, the black market continues to thrive. Dozens of traders remained at their favorite spot behind the central bank headquarters in Tripoli when Reuters reporters visited it last week.

But traders said it could take time for the Serraj government to register the extra forex receipts as official banking channels were taking up to six months to approve import financing, keeping the black market in play for dealers.

Issawi said authorities planned to lower the forex fee from 183 percent, without saying when. The black market rate has dropped from 6 to around 4.1 since September but it has hardly moved of late as demand for black market cash remains high.

The Tripoli government has stopped subsidizing food and bread, which used to be cheaper than drinking water in Libya. Wheat imports are now being arranged by private traders and there are surplus stocks of flour at the moment, Issawi said.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing in Tripoli with additional reporting by Karin Strohecker in London; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., threatened possible jail time for White House officials refusing to comply with subpoenas to testify before the House Oversight Committee.

Connolly, a member of the House panel, made his comments during an interview on CNN on Thursday. He said that “if a subpoena is issued and you’re told you must testify, we will back that up.”

He added: “And we will use any and all power in our command to make sure it’s backed up — whether that’s a contempt citation, whether that’s going to court and getting that citation enforced, whether it’s fines, whether it’s possible incarceration.”

“We will go to the max to enforce the constitutional role of the legislative branch of government.”

His comments came after three officials have refused to comply with congressional requests to testify, CNN noted.

Trump told The Washington Post that his staff should not testify on Capitol Hill, explaining that the White House cooperated fully with special counsel Robert Mueller and “there is no reason to go any further, especially in Congress where it’s very partisan.”

Source: NewsMax Politics

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“Outdated laws” need fixing to deal with the surge in illegal immigrant families crossing the U.S. border with Mexico, a top Border Patrol official said Friday.

Migrant families face no consequences if apprehended trying to cross the border illegally under present law, Border Patrol chief of Operations Brian Hastings claimed during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”

“We need a change in the current outdated laws that we’re dealing with for this current demographic and this crisis that we have,” he said.

Hastings said as of Thursday there have been 440,000 apprehensions along the southwest border. There were 396,000 apprehensions all of last year.

SOUTHERN BORDER AT ‘BREAKING POINT’ AFTER MORE THAN 76,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TRIED CROSSING IN FEBRUARY, OFFICIALS SAY

And those numbers continue to rise, he said.

Historically 70 to 90 percent of apprehensions at the border were quickly returned to Mexico, Hastings said.

Now, 83 percent of those apprehended have come from the Central American northern triangle which includes Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, and of those 63 percent are “family units” and children who cannot be returned, he said.

“There are no consequences that we can apply to this group currently,” Hastings said. “We’re overwhelmed. If you look at agents there doing a tremendous job trying to deal with the flow.”

The law dictates children have to be released after 20 days of detention.

FLORIDA SHERIFF ON BORDER CRISIS AFTER MAJOR DRUG BUST: ‘IT MAKES ME ABSOLUTELY CRAZY’

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., says that has forced immigration officials to release entire families because “you don’t want to separate families.”

Recently, he said he is drafting legislation that would allow children to be detained for more than 20 days.

Hastings said agents are frustrated with the situation but are doing the best they can with the resources they have.

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“Up to 40 percent of our agents are processing at any given time,” he said. “That should say that in and of itself is pulling from those border security resources.”

Source: Fox News National

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