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Nigeria pushes to legalise illicit refineries in restive Delta oil region | ABUJA, April 6 Nigeria aims to legalise illicit oil refineries in the turbulent Niger Delta region, the vice-president's office said on Thursday, hoping to bring peace to the production heartland for the crude on which the country relies.
If the refineries are legalised, it could help soothe tensions in the Delta states, where an uneasy peace is now being kept as the government holds talks with local communities, including militants whose attacks cut oil production by as much as a third last year.
Nigeria's government depends on oil sales for around two-thirds of its revenue.
"Under the plan that is being developed, communities would come together working with their respective state governments, the federal government and private sector operators to work out a template for the establishment of modular refineries in the communities," said the statement from the vice-presidency.
The legalised refineries must be structured "in a way that works for business or structure it in a way that is realistic and works, otherwise it would not last ... it is a business proposition first and foremost, it must make sense," said Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, according to the statement.
The bush refineries, which support tens of thousands of people locally, are makeshift, blackened structures of pipes and metal tanks hidden in oil-soaked clearings, processing stolen crude from oil company pipelines.
Their legalisation is one of the main demands of community leaders in talks with the government.
A security crackdown has risked driving hundreds of young men from the refineries into the militant groups that have been attacking legitimate oil facilities in an attempt to force the government to allocate more money to the impoverished region.
"We are saying there is a way out of violent agitation, but it is by creating opportunities and the environment where the people in the communities can benefit," Osinbajo said, according to the statement.
(Reporting by Felix Onuah; Writing by Paul Carsten, editing by David Evans) |
Officials: 2 bodies found in Deer Creek near Delphi | UPDATE 2:18 P.M.: Officials have announced at a press conference that two bodies were found a mile east of Delphi, in Deer Creek. The bodies have not been positively identified yet, officials said.
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Sucden offers sugar bulls, some, succour as price hit 15-month low | The commodities trading house - which in March pegged the world sugar production surplus in 2017-18, and last month raised the estimate again to "about" 3m tonnes - on Wednesday forecast a figure of 3.5m tonnes. The revision reflected a small downgrade, to "almost" 180m tonnes, in the estimate for world consumption over the season, although that represents a rise of 2.5m tonnes year on year, an acceleration after a "temporary 2016-17 slowdown in India and China" in 2016-17.
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Nepal, China begin first-ever joint military exercises | The 10-day drill in Kathmandu, dubbed "Sagarmatha Friendship 2017" referring to the Nepali name for Mount Everest, will focus on counter-terrorism, according to Nepal's army. The drills will likely be watched closely by India.
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Arkansas House approves ban on 'sex-selection' abortions | LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas House voted Tuesday to impose fines and prison time on doctors who perform abortions that are based solely on whether the mother wants to have a boy or girl, moving the state closer toward adopting a "sex-selection" ban that opponents say is unconstitutional.
The prohibition adopted by the majority-Republican House on a 79-3 vote is the latest among a series of abortion restrictions advancing months after Republicans expanded their majorities. The bill now heads to the majority-GOP Senate.
"The bottom line is it's just the right thing to do to have this in the law," Republican Rep. Charlie Collins told lawmakers before the vote.
Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and South Dakota already ban such abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research center that supports abortion rights. An Indiana law that also covers race selection and genetic anomalies has been put on hold pending a court challenge.
Doctors who violate the ban could face up to a year in prison and up to a $2,500 fine under the measure, as well as civil penalties. The woman who receives or attempts to receive an abortion basely solely on the sex of the fetus would not face any criminal charges or civil damages under the measure, which would take effect in 2018.
Under the Arkansas measure, a doctor performing an abortion would ask the patient if she knows the sex of the child. If she does, the doctor lets her know that is illegal to have an abortion based solely on gender. Would-be parents can usually find out the sex of the child at the mother's 20-week checkup. A 2013 state law prohibits abortions 20 weeks into a woman's pregnancy.
"This bill intrudes on the doctor/patient relationship by requiring doctors to become investigators and patients their suspects, and it does nothing to address the root causes of gender discrimination and bias," said Ashley Wright, public policy manager for Planned Parenthood Great Plains. "This bill simply takes away a women's constitutional right to make personal medical decisions that are best for her and her family."
Jerry Cox, the head of the Arkansas Family Council, which has pushed for the sex-selection ban, said he didn't know of any documented cases in the state where a woman has terminated a pregnancy because she wanted a boy or girl.
"Really it's impossible to know the answer to that, but I think most people would agree we should never allow our society to slip into a point where we favor boys over girls or girls over boys in a way that we would systematically eliminate one sex or the other," Cox said.
The measure is among several abortion restrictions advancing their way through the Legislature after Republican expanded their majorities in the House and Senate in November. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson last month signed into law a ban on a common second-trimester abortion procedure, and the House on Monday approved a measure requiring the state to suspend or revoke an abortion facility's license for any law or rule violation.
___
Follow Andrew DeMillo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ademillo |
Broxburn Nursing Home | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
BRIEF-Charles Schwab reports monthly activity highlights | Feb 14 Charles Schwab Corp
* Schwab reports monthly activity highlights
* Net new assets brought to company by new and existing clients in January 2017 totaled $11.1 billion
* Charles Schwab -total client assets were a record $2.83 trillion as of month-end January, up 17% from January 2016 and up 2% compared to december 2016
* Charles Schwab Corp - client assets receiving ongoing advisory services were a $1.43 trillion as of month-end January, up 17% from January 2016 Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: |
The Bungalow Retirement Home | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
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Federal prosecutor responsible for bringing down James Whitey Bulger reveals the threats against him | The man responsible for bringing down some of Boston's most powerful gangsters has revealed the horrifying threats made against him during his 30-year career.
Federal prosecutor Fred Wyshak, 65, is credited with exposing the FBI's links to organised crime syndicates in New England and putting away dozens of high-profile criminals - including James 'Whitey' Bulger.
After taking up office as the assistant U.S. attorney in 1989, Wyshak was subjected to threats which put state troopers outside his house for weeks at a time and even forced him to park in the courthouse garage.
And his own neighbors eyed him skeptically when they heard his name in the same breath as mobsters and corrupt agents when Judge Mark Wolf held hearings in 1998.
Federal prosecutor Fred Wyshak is responsible for taking down some of Boston's most notorious criminals
James 'Whitey' Bulger, one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted fugitives, was captured in Santa Monica, Calif., after 16 years on the run thanks to Wyshak
'People read the newspapers and don't really understand what's going on. All they know is that the FBI and the government is corrupt and they're in bed with these mob guys, and Fred Wyshak has the case and he must be in trouble, too,' he told AP.
Wyshak arrived at Boston's U.S. attorney's office 1989 after pursuing mobsters in New Jersey and was recruited by state police investigators to help do what no one else seemed willing to: go after notorious gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger and his Winter Hill Gang.
It was Wyshak and his colleagues' impending racketeering indictment against Bulger, Salemme and Stephen 'The Rifleman' Flemmi in 1995 that caused Bulger to disappear for the next 16 years, thanks to a tip from corrupt FBI agent John Connolly.
Wyshak spent the next three decades securing convictions against Flemmi, Connolly and finally Bulger, who was captured in California at age 81 in 2011. All three men are likely to die behind bars.
Francis 'Cadillac Frank' Salemme (left and right) was found guilty of killing a nightclub owner to keep him from ratting out the mobster to authorities in 1993
And last month, Wyshak took down the last man standing from organized crime's heyday in Boston and its environs when a jury convicted 84-year-old Salemme, once the head of the New England family of La Cosa Nostra, of killing nightclub owner Steven DiSarro in 1993.
'It has been, to some extent, dogged persistence to get where we needed to get to bring these organized crime groups to the end,' Wyshak said.
After Salemme's conviction in June, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling declared it the end of a 'long and dark chapter' in Boston history.
But Wyshak is hesitant to say he's sure it's really the end. More remains are out there in secret graves, he said. And he thought the saga was over before, and was proven wrong.
'He has steamrolled organized crime, the Italian and the Irish mob — with help, but he was the centrifugal force,' said Dick Lehr, a former Boston Globe reporter and co-author of 'Black Mass,' which inspired the movie with the same name. 'Who knows if not for him what it would look like today, the landscape.' |
Keith Kellogg is Trump's new national security advisor. Here's what he did ea... | Editor's note: Retired Lt. Gen. Joseph " Keith" Kellogg became President Donald Trump 's acting national security advisor following the resignation of Michael Flynn on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017.
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Phoenix considers $9M tax break for high-rises while lawsuit hinders similar ... | Phoenix is weighing an estimated $9 million tax break for developers of a massive high-rise project near downtown's Roosevelt Row, even as a lawsuit over a similar incentive has stalled construction on another residential tower nearby. Phoenix considers $9M tax break for high-rises while lawsuit hinders similar project PHOENIX -- Phoenix is weighing an estimated $9 million tax break for developers of a massive high-rise project near downtown's Roosevelt Row, even as a lawsuit over a similar incentive has stalled construction on another residential tower nearby.
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BRIEF-Gosun Holding's owner plans to increase holdings in the company | April 20 Gosun Holding Co Ltd
* Says company owner plans to increase by up to 1.0 billion yuan ($145.22 million) worth of company shares, or by up to 50 million shares in the company, within 12 months
Source text in Chinese:bit.ly/2pE7EVD
Further company coverage: ($1 = 6.8860 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Hong Kong newsroom) |
Dementia Support Centre Orpington | About Dementia Support Centre Orpington
People with dementia can spend the day engaging in activities and social groups. The centre provides: excellent staffing ratios to meet individual client needs with experienced and qualified staff; stimulating activities to encourage daily living skills and social interaction in a safe, relaxed, professional environment; meals; accessible premises with indoor and outdoor facilities and sensory spaces. Activities include: reminiscence and storytelling; music, dance and singing; activity in indoor and outdoor spaces; arts and crafts groups; exercise relevant to individual capabilities; food preparation; celebrations of popular events; visits to community places of interest. |
As a Christian, I didn't realize why my Muslim classmates needed a prayer spa... | In all my years as a student, I have never had a prayer room in my school or on my campus. Not in grade school, high school or in college.
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Queen's lament at noise of jets flying over one's garden | The Queen has bemoaned the noise from the Heathrow flight path over her beloved Frogmore Gardens
In Queen Victoria’s day royal retreat the Frogmore Gardens were a silent and tranquil haven.
But for the present-day queen the roaring of planes overhead means they are slightly less so.
In a message to gardeners the Queen has bemoaned the noise from the Heathrow flight path, which passes over the Windsor garden.
‘I very much hope you have enjoyed visiting Frogmore House and Gardens, which holds a special place in my family’s affections,’ she said in a message for Radio 4 programme Gardeners’ Question Time.
‘Indeed, I would echo the sentiments of Queen Victoria who, 150 years ago, wrote of this dear lovely garden where “all is peace and you only hear the hum of bees, the singing of the birds”.
‘These days there is more noise from the air than in 1867, but Frogmore remains a wonderfully relaxing environment.’
During the programme a recording made outside in the garden by John Anderson, the keeper of the gardens, is played, and the sound of planes roaring overhead can clearly be heard.
But the 91-year-old monarch did speak of her affection for the garden.
Mr Anderson added that she took a keen interest in the garden’s development and that she ‘knows her stuff’.
The fascinating insights into a hitherto unknown aspect of the Queen’s life come in a special edition recorded for the show’s 70th anniversary, a week before Her Majesty and Prince Philip mark their own platinum anniversary.
In the pre-recorded address she added: ‘I have an early memory of my mother Queen Elizabeth being a hands-on gardener, a tradition that has been followed by other members of my family.
‘I’m not any sort of expert on gardening, but plants, trees and flowers have been a source of pleasure throughout my life.’ She also thanked the programme for the a daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’, a fragrant winter-flowering shrub from Nepal, which will be planted in the garden as a wedding anniversary gift to Her Majesty and Prince Philip.
Frogmore is a historic royal retreat rarely open to the public, and a garden the Queen Mother was also fond of, having spend her honeymoon there in 1923.
In Queen Victoria’s day royal retreat the Frogmore Gardens were a silent and tranquil haven
It was bought in 1792 by George III for his wife Queen Charlotte, who used it for herself and her unmarried daughters as a country retreat.
The Queen takes a huge interest in the gardens, which were created by Queen Charlotte, who had a passionate interest in botany.
In the 1790s the Queen introduced over 4,000 trees and shrubs to create a model ‘picturesque’ landscape, which in the last century was restored by Queen Mary and enhanced for the present Queen’s Silver Jubilee.
The keeper of the gardens, John Anderson, reveals much about the monarch’s tastes in an interview with Gardeners’ Question Time’s host Peter Gibbs.
Asked whether she likes any particular colours, he says: ‘The Queen wears bright colours and that’s reflected in the garden. She has a very wide palate of colours which she enjoys.
‘The queen will let us know if she likes the idea and if she likes the idea we will get on with it.
‘When it comes to Frogmore, because it is such a special garden, I will often have a meeting with Her Majesty, take a walk around the gardens, put ideas out of things I hope she will like. And if she approves we then get on and do the work. And hopefully she will enjoy it. ‘
Asked about the Queen’s knowledge of gardening, Mr Anderson said: ‘The Queen certainly knows her stuff, she certainly know what she likes.
‘And this is a very special garden to her. And we make that very special for her. She is very keen on enjoying this garden both as a picturesque, beautiful garden, and as something with colour and interest for the time she spends in it.
‘She certainly knows a lot about gardening and plants and knows what she likes.’
The gardener revealed that the Queen particularly loves spring at Frogmore, when the cherry trees are in full bloom and banks are filled with primroses and daffodils.
But asked whether the Queen would get her hands dirty, Mr Anderson said tactfully: ‘She would leave that role to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.’
Queen Victoria added a gothic Tea House and white-marble Indian Kiosk to the garden, and used the Gothic Ruin as a breakfast and reading room.
Although it is no longer a royal residence, Frogmore House is frequently used by the Royal Family for entertaining.
It was used as the reception venue for the wedding of The Queen’s eldest grandson, Peter Phillips, to Autumn Kelly in May 2008. |
Two Koreas court peace in first basketball friendly in years | SEOUL (Reuters) - North and South Korea joined forces for their first basketball friendly in 15 years on Wednesday amid a warming of relations since the Winter Olympics in the South and easing tensions over the North’s nuclear and missile programs.
Prosperity and Peace teams formed with a mixture of North and South Korean women players arrive at a gym in Pyongyang, North Korea, July 4, 2018. Korea Pool/Yonhap via REUTERS
Women athletes from the traditional foes put political differences aside to form two joint North-South teams, “Peace” and “Prosperity”, in the friendly in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, the packed crowd shouting and waving balloons in what turned out to be a thriller - Prosperity won 103 to 102.
Two men’s teams were playing later in the day.
“I am proud that sport has stood at the forefront of opening this great path to reconciliation, peace and prosperity between North and South Korea,” North Korean Vice-Minister of Sports Won Kil U told the South Koreans on arrival on Tuesday.
Prosperity team formed with a mixture of North and South Korean women players arrive at a gym in Pyongyang, North Korea, July 4, 2018. Korea Pool/Yonhap via REUTERS
The South Koreans will return on Friday after two more games on Thursday, this time with teams divided by country - but no flags being shown.
North Korean leader and basketball fan Kim Jong Un was not spotted in the crowd on Wednesday but the chairman of the North’s National Sports Guidance Committee, Choe Hwi, who also visited South Korea for the Winter Olympics, was sitting next to the South’s Unification Minister, Cho Myong-gyon, clapping hands.
Kim had suggested the friendlies to South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April when the two held their first summit at the border village of Panmunjom straddling the two Koreas.
It was the fourth time the two sides, technically still at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty, have played together, the last match taking place in 2003.
Kim has in the past invited former U.S. NBA players to Pyongyang to play with North Korean players. He also struck up a friendship with former U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman.
Slideshow (8 Images)
Rodman, a basketball Hall of Famer and five-time NBA champ, has traveled to North Korea multiple times, prompting ridicule and criticism from some U.S. politicians and activists that his visits served as fodder for North Korean propaganda.
Relations between the two Koreas have been warming since North Korea sent athletes and a high-ranking delegation to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in February following a year of tension and bellicose rhetoric from both sides over North Korea’s weapons programs.
Last month, Kim held a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, a meeting that would have been unthinkable just weeks earlier.
Trump said on Tuesday that talks with North Korea were “going well” as U.S. officials seek to reach an agreement with Pyongyang over a denuclearization plan.
This will not be the two Koreas’ last opportunity to play sport together. They have agreed to march together under a unified peninsula flag at the Aug. 18 Asian Games ceremony in Indonesia and field combined teams in some events. |
Bekker named Denton public libraries director | Jennifer Bekker has been promoted as the city's new director of libraries. She previously served as the manager of the North Branch Library.
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Community Helpers | About Community Helpers
Community Helpers can help connect people to social groups and activities. Age UK Sutton can help people to feel part of their community again and to meet with others who have similar interests and hobbies. |
Col Faulkner refuses to sell house to coal-mining company | A single man stands in the path of a multi-million dollar mining giant.
Col Faulkner had been living in the sleepy village of Collar for nearly 30 years when American energy company Peabody arrived and started digging for coal.
'She's quiet,' is how he describes the shrinking township in the rural central-west of New South Wales.
'It's a nice climate, you get to see four seasons. There's a good swimming hole in the hot weather and plenty of firewood in the winter.'
But Mr Faulkner's little slice of paradise is one of the few things in the way of Peabody's proposed expansion to the Wilpinjong mine: a 12-year-old, 2800 hectare quarry that was recently approved for its seventh upgrade.
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Col Faulkner (pictured) is one of the only things standing in the way of a coalmine expansion in regional New South Wales
'They've been coming around trying to buy me out ever since the mine started,' Mr Faulkner told ABC's 7.30.
'But I always told them: 'not for sale'.'
His is one of only four properties in Collar that hasn't been bought up by the energy company, in an aggressive expansion that's sent shock waves through the tiny regional community.
Mr Faulkner remembers a time when the dust in the gutters was brown, rather than black, and says the drinking water that comes off the roof has a different taste to what it used to.
But the proud village resident is digging his heels in nonetheless, claiming that Peabody's 'Yankee' attitude of 'throw enough money at 'em and they'll go away' rubbed him the wrong way from the beginning.
'Why should I move?' he says. 'Bugger 'em.'
The Wilpinjong mine (pictured) is a 12-year-old, 2800 hectare quarry that was recently approved for its seventh upgrade
Mr Faulkner isn't the only standing up to the mining giant, either.
Bev Smiles, head of the Wollar Progress Association, is also barracking against the expansion of Wilpinjong.
Ms Smiles' theory is that Peabody aims to buy all the homes in the village so there's no one left to oppose them.
But despite offers from American mining giant Peabody, Mr Faulkner refuses to sell his 40-year home - insisting that it's 'not for sale'
Following the approval of the mine's latest expansion in 2017, Ms Smiles and fellow Collar resident Bruce Hughes were arrested for protesting at the gates of the quarry and face a jail sentence of seven years.
The charges were dropped after 14 months.
'The Government is basically treating me and Bev and the others here like roadkill,' said Mr Hughes.
'They haven't been listening to us.'
While the Wilpinjong mine was previously set to close in 2027, the proposed expansion would see it operating longer. |
Australia, Indonesia making joint effort to protect WW2 wreck | SYDNEY Australia and Indonesia are sending divers to inspect the wreck of a warship torpedoed off the coast of Java during World War Two next month to determine how best to protect the site from looters who have stripped numerous other WW2 wrecks.
The Australian cruiser HMAS Perth was sunk by Japanese forces in 1942 off the northwest tip of Java during the Battle of Sunda Strait. Of the 681 crew on board, 353 perished.
During the same battle, the USS Houston was sunk. Only 368 of its 1,061 crew survived.
"A physical dive on the site with archeologists will be the only way to gain a clear picture of what remains of Perth," said Kevin Sumption, director of the Australian National Maritime Museum.
Divers discovered in November that the wrecks of two Dutch warships sunk in the Battle of the Java Sea, which the Perth had also participated in, had been completely stripped by marine salvagers, who have ransacked many other wrecks lying in Indonesian waters.
"We are very aware that there are concerns in the community and we are doing everything we can, working in close partnership with our Indonesian colleagues, to secure formal protection of the site," Sumption said.
Australia, Indonesia and the United States are yet to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, introduced in 2001.
David Steinberg, the president of the Australasian Institute of Maritime Archaeology, said the case of the Perth and other wartime wrecks showed the importance of ratifying the convention.
A joint dive with Indonesia's National Research Centre of Archaeology originally set for October had to be postponed due to the early onset of the monsoon season. A subsequent attempt at a sonar survey was inconclusive, Sumption said. The results of the March dive will likely take experts several months to analyze.
(Reporting by Aaron Bunch; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) |
Peer support group | About Peer support group
The peer support group gives people the opportunity to meet with others who understand some of what they are going through. Run by a facilitator, the sessions offer a chance to ask questions, get information and share experiences in a safe and supportive environment. |
Grace Gummer 'is dating' keyboardist Tay Strathairn | Mr. Robot star Grace Gummer is reportedly romancing keyboardist Tay Strathairn after having met on the 1993 set of their parents Meryl Streep and David Strathairn's film The River Wild.
According to Us Weekly, the new couple canoodled at Thursday's Speilberg premiere and reminisced about Curtis Hanson's water-rafting flick, in which the Silkwood stars played husband and wife.
The 31-year-old actress is one of four children (Henry, 37; Mamie, 34; and Louisa, 26) the 68-year-old acting legend had with her husband of 39 years, sculptor Don Gummer.
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Met at age 7 and 13: Mr. Robot star Grace Gummer is reportedly romancing keyboardist Tay Strathairn after having met on the 1993 set of their parents Meryl Streep and David Strathairn's film The River Wild
Wet and wild! The new couple canoodled at Thursday's Speilberg premiere and reminisced about Curtis Hanson's water-rafting flick, in which the Silkwood stars played husband and wife
The nepotistically-privileged New Yorkers weren't photographed at the NY Film Festival bash, but Grace did pose with the three-time Oscar winner rocking a Michelle Obama bag.
Earlier that day, Gummer confessed to having the hots for fellow Vassar grad and celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain.
'I actually met Anthony Bourdain today and I almost threw myself on him and peed in my pants at the same time,' the Good Girls Revolt gushed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Family portrait 2004: The 31-year-old actress is one of four children (Henry, 37; Mamie, 34; and Louisa, 26) the 68-year-old acting legend had with her husband sculptor Don Gummer
FLOTUS fashion: The New Yorkers weren't photographed at the NY Film Festival bash, but Grace did pose with the three-time Oscar winner rocking a Michelle Obama bag
'I almost threw myself on him and peed in my pants at the same time': Earlier that day, Gummer confessed to having the hots for fellow Vassar grad and celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain
The Good Girls Revolt gushed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: 'He just has that...yeah he does it for me. I don't know. He's so cool. Yes! He has the best job ever and he's so good at it. And he has that voice'
'He just has that...yeah he does it for me. I don't know. He's so cool. Yes! He has the best job ever and he's so good at it. And he has that voice.'
The twice-divorced Emmy winner, 61; has been romancing Italian actress Asia Argento, 42; ever since she appeared on a Rome-set episode of his CNN series Parts Unknown in December.
The Planned Parenthood activist resumes her role as FBI field agent Dominique DiPierro in the third season of the hit 'hacktivist' drama, which premieres Wednesday on the USA Network.
19-year age difference: The twice-divorced Emmy winner, 61; has been romancing Italian actress Asia Argento, 42; ever since she appeared on a Rome-set episode of his CNN series Parts Unknown in December
Premieres Wednesday! The Planned Parenthood activist resumes her role as FBI field agent Dominique DiPierro in the third season of USA Network's 'hacktivist' drama
Meanwhile, 36-year-old Tay is one of two sons (including Ebberly, 30) of the 68-year-old Oscar nominee and his wife of 37 years, nurse Logan Goodman.
It's unclear what the Things Happen actor and Poughkeepsie contractor has been doing careerwise since splitting with his band Dawes two years ago 'due to musical differences.'
Pictured in 2008: Meanwhile, 36-year-old Tay is one of two sons (including Ebberly, 30) of the 68-year-old Oscar nominee and his wife of 37 years, nurse Logan Goodman |
Anna Faris seen for first time since Chris Pratt split | Anna Faris has been pictured for the first time since announcing her split from husband Chris Pratt after eight years of marriage.
The actress, 40, cut a decidedly glum figure as she was seen driving through Los Angeles on Monday morning.
Wearing her blonde locks pulled back from her face in a ponytail, the House Bunny star sheltered her face with a pair of large sunglasses as she went about her day.
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Moving on: Anna Faris has been pictured for the first time since announcing her split from husband Chris Pratt after eight years of marriage
The ex factor: Anna's appearance comes just one week after announcing the couple - who raise son Jack, four, together - had parted ways
Anna's appearance comes just one week after announcing the couple - who raise son Jack, four, together - had parted ways.
Chris, 38, was seen taking the pair's son to church in Los Angeles on Sunday, before putting in a high-profile public appearance at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards at the University of Southern California's Galen Center later that night.
Accepting the Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actor prize for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the star joked that he had built his Hollywood career on lies.
The speech, which was an attempt at self-deprecation, saw Chris detail how his career in the industry began.
Feeling blue? The actress, 40, cut a decidedly glum figure as she was seen driving through Los Angeles on Monday morning
Carrying on as normal: Wearing her blonde locks pulled back from her face in a ponytail, the House Bunny star sheltered her face with a pair of large sunglasses as she went about her day
'When I came to Los Angeles,' Pratt said, 'I came from Hawaii and I had all of this blond hair and I was tan and I met an agent because I really wanted to be an actor and get an agent.'
He then said that the agent asked, '"Wow. Bro you must surf?" And I said "Yeah" and that was the first of many lies I told to get where I am today. Thank you.'
While he did not thank his soon to be ex wife, he did leave on a religious note: 'I would not be here with the ease and grace I have in my heart without my lord and savior, Jesus Christ.'
The actor also confirmed he would be coming back for a third Guardians film.
First sighting: The mother-of-one hasn't been seen since news of the Hollywood couple's split emerged last week
Chris , 38, and Anna, 40, shocked the world when they announced their separation last week.
The couple met on the set of Take Me Home Tonight in early 2007.
They got engaged the following year and tied the knot in a small ceremony in Bali, Indonesia, in July 2009.
Sources have since claimed that Chris' movie star status and skyrocketing fame might have contributed to the demise of the couple's eight-year marriage.
'Chris became this huge movie star and Anna wasn't getting any big jobs. She was the more famous and sexy one at the start of their relationship and then things took a turn,' a source told Us Weekly.
When the couple first started dating, Chris was just starting his stint on NBC's Parks and Recreation and had virtually no star power.
Out and about: Chris, 38, put in a high-profile public appearance at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards at the University of Southern California's Galen Center on Sunday night
Winner: Accepting the Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actor prize for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the star joked that he had built his Hollywood career on lies
Anna, on the other hand, was starting to bonafide comedic actress with leading roles in House Bunny, Take Me Home Tonight and What's Your Number.
Friends say the situation has since reversed itself and Chris has gone on to become a major A-list star, while Anna has had a hard time finding big jobs.
The source added that the pair have always been a little competitive with each other.
'When they're in a big group, they each want to be the one telling the funniest joke,' the source told the magazine.
Ironically, Anna blamed her last divorce on the same issue.
The actress was married to actor Ben Indra, but got divorced in 2007 and blamed her career successes.
Happier times: When the couple first started dating in 2009, Chris was just starting his stint on NBC's Parks and Recreation and had virtually no star power (pictured in 2012)
'That kind of destroyed my marriage,' she told Marie Claire in a 2011 cover story. 'The divide became too great.'
Anna and Chris announced their separation on Sunday evening following eight years of marriage, with other sources telling TMZ that their different family values were to blame.
A source told the site that Anna wanted to have more children, but Chris 'can't juggle a growing family with his career', which sees him shoot movies all over the world, leaving home for months at a time.
The couple share four-year-old son Jack, and were keen to stress in their split statement that they 'love him very much'.
It's all over! Anna and Chris announced their separation last week following eight years of marriage, with other sources telling TMZ that their different family values were to blame
The website reports that as well as Chris not wanting to have more children in the foreseeable future there are 'other personal reasons for the split, but the way they see family in the long-term was a big factor in their decision.'
Following the shock announcement Jennifer Lawrence also found herself in the middle of reports.
As the couple confirmed their separation, fans flocked to social media to bizarrely blame the actress, 26 - who starred in Passengers with Chris in 2016 - for the split.
Taking to Twitter, one wrote: 'I can't believe Chris Pratt and Anna Faris are splitting up this is all Jennifer Lawrence's fault.' |
Serena favourite if she survives three rounds - Courier | By Martyn Herman
PARIS, May 30 (Reuters) - Serena Williams will be favourite for a fourth French Open title if she survives into the second week, former men's champion Jim Courier believes.
The 36-year-old is playing her first Grand Slam tournament since giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia last September and has played only a handful of matches this year.
But the 23-times major champion looked reasonably assured in her opening win against Czech Kristina Pliskova and fellow American Courier thinks she can only get better.
"Look, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone betting against Serena doing the unexpected because she's done it so often in her career," Courier, commentating for British broadcaster ITV, told Reuters.
"She needs match play for sure but if she gets through the first three rounds and feels good physically and develops a little bit of confidence then she is probably the favourite, because she is Serena."
Williams is 451st on the WTA rankings and while playing under a protected ranking she was not seeded for the French. Which means she is up against Australian 17th seed Ashleigh Barty in the second round.
"She will not want to leave early because she loves Paris," Courier, winner in 1991 and 1992, said.
"It's hard to say where she is. But she will be ready to fight for it. The draw is tricky but that can play a positive role for Serena because she can't necessarily just work her way into the tournament the way she could if she had an easy draw."
If she beats Barty, 11th seed Julia Goerges could be next, and then there is the possibility of a fourth-round clash with twice former champion Maria Sharapova.
"Barty is a tough Aussie and there are a lot of landmines on her road but none of the others will want to come up against her," Courier said. (Reporting by Martyn Herman Editing by David Holmes) |
BRIEF-Australian Department Of Home Affairs Signs Multi-Year Contract With Unisys | March 19 (Reuters) - Unisys Corp:
* AUSTRALIAN DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS HAS SIGNED A MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT WITH UNISYS AUSTRALIA TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT NEW EBIS SYSTEM
* ESTIMATED VALUE OF CONTRACT IS UP TO AU$44 MILLION Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: |
Plas Cwmcynfelin Limited | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
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Lorde admits she 'sucks at being famous' | She found international fame at the tender age of 16 thanks to the unprecedented commercial success of her debut single, the US and UK number one hit Royals.
But four years on and as she prepares for the long-awaited release of second album Melodrama, Lorde admits she struggled to adapt to the spotlight after being whisked from her native New Zealand and placed on the world stage.
She told NME: ‘When it was happening, I was quite overwhelmed by it. But that was a long time ago. If anything, I’ve slowly been getting less famous since Royals was really big. Which is totally cool for me… I suck at being famous. And that’s fine.
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Looking back: As she prepares for the long-awaited release of second album Melodrama, Lorde admits she struggled to adapt to the spotlight after being whisked from her native New Zealand and placed on the world stage at the tender age of 16
The 20-year old has slowly adjusted to her own celebrity status, but she still bristles at the scrutiny she faced after Royal's claimed the number one spot in the United Kingdom, United States, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.
'It rocked my foundations and could have f**ked me, you know?' she reflected. 'I remember being made aware of my looks and my body in a way that I had never been,' she said.
'I remember all these kids online, I think I beat their favourite people to Number One, and they were like, "F**k her, she’s got really far-apart eyes."
'I remember being like, "Whoa! How did I get all this way without knowing I had far-apart eyes?" Just weird s**t like that. But I was able to return to my family and shelter against that and get to where I am now. I feel so comfortable in myself.'
She told NME : ‘When it was happening, I was quite overwhelmed by it. But that was a long time ago. If anything, I’ve slowly been getting less famous since Royals was really big'
With age comes maturity, and the singer - real name Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor - believes her forthcoming album has a newfound emotional honesty that reflects her life-changing four years in the industry.
Citing standout track Writer In The Dark as an example of her lyrical growth, Lorde admits it was inspired by a lost relationship.
'I think that when you do this, you have to find a way to live with yourself, because it’s not making no one feel anything.
'But it was important for me to say. And I don’t think that song is apologising for it. It’s more like, what did you think was going to happen? I was doing this before I met you and I’ll be doing this after you’re gone… I felt quite empowered.
Reflective: The 20-year old has slowly adjusted to her own celebrity status, but she still bristles at the scrutiny she faced after Royal's claimed the number one spot in the United Kingdom, United States, Italy, Australia and New Zealand
'It was weird, I woke up in the middle of the night and was lying next to someone. And I wrote it down on my phone and I was like, "Oh God, I feel so naughty writing this!" While somebody’s sleeping, like an evil witch.
'But I really love that song. I feel like it’s such a cool, painful moment in the record.'
Melodrama is released on June 16 2017. |
BRIEF-Promate Electronic to pay cash dividend of T$2.3 per share for 2016 | Fitch Rates Intel's $600MM 7-Year Senior Notes Offering 'A+'
(The following statement was released by the rating agency) CHICAGO, June 14 (Fitch) Fitch Ratings has assigned an 'A+' rating to Intel Corporation's (Intel) $600 million seven-year senior notes offering. Intel will use net proceeds for general corporate purposes, ahead of the company's pending acquisition of Mobileye N.V. (Mobileye). Intel just received U.S. regulatory approval for the acquisition and Fitch believes the transaction should close before the end of calendar year 2017. Pro forma fo |
West Windsor Arts Council combines wine and sculpture in upcoming program | Pouring wine and pouring metal for sculpture casting couldn't be more different, but the West Windsor Arts Council will combine the two on Saturday, June 24 at the West Windsor Arts Center.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Trenton Downtowner. |
Heatherdene Residential Care Home | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
BRIEF-Grammer FY revenue up at 1.7 billion euros | March 29 Grammer AG:
* Dividend up 71 percent to 1.30 euros per share
* Outlook for 2017: further growth accompanied by rising profitability
* FY revenue of 1.696 billion euros ($1.83 billion)(2015: 1.426 billion euros)
* FY consolidated net profit after tax almost doubled to 45.2 million euros (2015: 23.8 million euros)
* FY earnings per share also climbed significantly to 4.01 euros (2015: 2.10 euros)
* FY earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) rose by a disproportionately strong 71 percent to 73.0 million euros (2015: 42.7 million euros) thanks to positive effects from systematic implementation of cost- and process-optimization measures
* Looking forward to 2017, it projects moderate growth in its core business and, provided that exchange rates remain stable, is expecting revenues of more than 1.75 billion euros
* Operating EBIT in 2017 should exceed figure for 2016, with EBIT margin set to rise again to around 5 percent Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: ($1 = 0.9247 euros) (Gdynia Newsroom) |
TREASURIES-U.S. yields hit session highs after consumer sentiment data | NEW YORK, April 13 U.S. Treasury yields hit session highs on Thursday, pulling further from near five-month lows, in the wake of a University of Michigan survey that showed U.S. consumer sentiment unexpectedly improved in early April.
The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes was 2.264 percent, down 3 basis points from late on Wednesday. It touched 2.218 percent earlier Thursday, which was the lowest since Nov. 17. (Reporting by Richard Leong; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) |
Which? Elderly Care | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
China's Fosun CEO steps down, reshuffle to impact conglomerate | Fosun International Ltd services are displayed at a news conference in Hong Kong, China March 29, 2017. REUTERS/Bobby Yip
HONG KONG Fosun International Ltd (0656.HK), one of China's most aggressively acquisitive conglomerates, said its chief executive and vice president stepped down in a surprise reshuffle that has raised concerns over the group's strategy.
The resignation of co-founder and Chief Executive Liang Xinjun and Senior Vice President Ding Guoqi will have some impact on the leisure-to-insurance group, one of China's largest privately held firms, said chairman and fellow co-founder Guo Guangchang.
"The departure of Ding Guoqi and Xinjun, in particular that of Xinjun due to health reasons, will have an impact on Fosun in the short-term," Guo told reporters and analysts in Hong Kong, without elaborating.
"But we have to turn bad things into good news. As you all see today, the new management team, Fosun is full of talents."
Liang, who was Fosun's public face, was replaced by fellow co-founder and billionaire Wang Qunbin, said the company, whose businesses include French leisure group Club Med and entertainment company Cirque du Soleil.
Wang, a genetic engineer by training who owns 11 percent of Fosun International Holdings, has kept a lower-profile than the firm's other co-founders.
Fosun has been the posterchild for China's decade-long outbound push, which saw Chinese bidders spend a record $105 billion on assets ranging from movie studios to football clubs in 2016.
But over the past year Beijing has begun reining-in outbound deals in a bid to curb outflows - estimated to be more than $725 billion last year - and shore-up the weakening yuan which fell to eight-year lows in December.
Guo and Chief Financial Officer Robin Wang reassured investors regarding the impact of Beijing's capital restrictions, saying they were a "challenge" for the group but that it continued to have several means of raising capital offshore, which could actually offer Fosun more opportunities to compete for assets.
These included offshore bonds and also using the group's 20 billion euros' worth of insurance assets.
Guo emphasized the group's strategy to contain funding costs while investing heavily in new technologies, including artificial intelligence and automation.
Along with its reshuffle announcement, Fosun reported a net profit jump of 28 percent to a record high of over 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) in 2016, led by gains from its investments in finance, healthcare and tourism-related businesses.
GROWING TENSIONS
Several sources close to Fosun said there had been growing tensions between Guo and Liang.
On Wednesday, Guo said he had been especially "hard and demanding" on Liang but said he, Liang and Wang - college mates who went on to work together for 25 years - remained as close as ever.
"Xinjun, Wang Qunbin and myself have never abandoned each other, we are like brothers. Xinjun has made a great contribution to Fosun's development today," Guo said.
Liang and Ding, who stepped down due to family commitments, will have no honorary positions in the company.
Liang, who owns 24 percent of the group and has a personal fortune worth $2.2 billion according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List, was instrumental in driving Fosun's acquisition strategy.
He took on a more prominent role when Guo became embroiled in an investigation on the Chinese mainland in late 2015. (reut.rs/2mP2Psb)
The company's shares opened up initially but then quickly steadied on Wednesday. Its bonds traded slightly lower on fears the departure of two key executives could hurt its acquisition strategy, analysts said.
"With the latest announcement, one more founder together with another key personnel have left," said Annisa Lee, a Nomura credit analyst.
"This may raise concerns on the company's business and financial strategy going forward and that's why bonds are trading lower."
($1 = 6.8779 Chinese yuan renminbi)
(Additional reporting by Elzio Barreto, Umesh Desai, Sijia Jiang, and Michelle Price in Hong Kong; Writing by Michelle Price; Editing by Stephen Coates and Randy Fabi) |
Jesinta Campbell rocks 80s-inspired off-the-shoulder | She's made some bold fashion choices this year.
And Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) has done it again, this time wearing an 1980s-inspired off-the-shoulder top with incredibly puffy sleeves.
The 26-year-old was joined by her AFL star husband Lance 'Buddy' Franklin as they left their Rose Bay on Friday en route to the Skilton Medal awards.
Sleeve it to her! Jesinta Franklin has done made a fashion statement wearing an 80s inspired twist on the off-the-shoulder top with incredibly puffy sleeves
Her billowy and voluptuous sleeves also featured a cropped, ruched corset that showcased a hint of her cleavage.
In keeping with the flared out aesthetic of her ensemble, the bare-shouldered beauty matched the look with a pair of bell bottom pants.
Peeking from underneath the wide legs of her black trousers was a pair of pointy stiletto heels.
Off to the red carpet! The 26-year-old was joined by her AFL star husband Lance 'Buddy' Franklin as they left their Rose Bay on Friday en route to the Skilton Medal awards
Making a statement: The former pageant queen opted for a vampy, evening makeup look with bold red lips, smoky eye shadow, strong brows and lashings of mascara, and styled hair in a low bun
For makeup the former pageant queen opted for a vampy, evening look with bold red lips, smoky eye shadow, strong brows and lashings of mascara, and styled hair in a low bun.
Jesinta kept her accessories to minimum with an Hermès H bangle and her diamond engagement ring from Buddy, worth an estimated at $100,000.
The Sydney Swans star looked dapper in his tailor black suit with a white dress shirt and red neck tie, the colour of his team.
Busting out: Her billowy and voluptuous sleeves also featured a cropped, ruched corset that showcased a hint of her cleavage
Risky look: In keeping with the flared out aesthetic of her ensemble, the bare-shouldered beauty matched the look with a pair of bell bottom trousers
Buddy just missed out on being awarded the Bob Skilton Medal at the event with Luke Parker taking out the title.
Jesinta recently gushed over meeting with pop superstar Selena Gomez at the opening of a new Coach store in New York during fashion week on The Morning Show.
'It's nice to see someone at that level still has interest in someone like me,' she giggled. |
EMERGING MARKETS-Trade tensions keep emerging equity markets jittery, yuan strong | LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Trade war anxiety ruffled emerging equity markets on Wednesday but currencies found some support from a weaker dollar, with China’s yuan strengthening for a second straight day after a central bank move to calm investors.
MSCI’s emerging equity index slipped 0.3 percent with Asian shares nursing some of the biggest falls. Major indexes in mainland China dropped around 1 percent.
Worried about the impact of a full scale trade war between the United States and China, investors have been nervous ahead of Friday’s deadline for Washington to levy tariffs on imports from China. Beijing has vowed to match any moves with tariffs on U.S. products.
However, China’s yuan - which had its worst month on record in June - strengthened sharply against the dollar in a second day of gains after the central bank pledged on Tuesday that it would keep the currency stable.
“The (central bank) may have been wary of a repeat of an August 2015 situation when the market just collapsed after the PBOC allowed a depreciation of about 2.5 percent in a single day,” said Cristian Maggio, head of EM strategy at TD Securities.
“So the move today is a subtle signal that that’s not what’s going to happen, and the market seems to have taken this signal - at least on the currency side - as a positive, risk-on move.”
Meanwhile Turkey’s lira weakened nearly 1 percent to its lowest in more than a week with markets still digesting Tuesday’s data that showed June inflation was nearly double analysts’ forecasts, ramping up pressure on the central bank to raise interest rates.
Markets are concerned about the central bank’s ability to rein in inflation with President Tayyip Erdogan - a self-described “enemy” of higher interest rates - calling for lower rates and saying in May that he would exert more pressure on the central bank after June 24 elections.
“The inflation print yesterday was atrocious...and the worst part of the story is that this isn’t the end of the up move part of the inflation cycle in Turkey,” said Maggio.
“Bad inflation translates into a negative lira reaction, which translates into faster inflation, and that becomes a self-reinforcing loop.”
Currencies elsewhere failed to make much headway despite the dollar treading water with South Africa’s rand and Russia’s rouble weakening 0.2 percent.
In central and eastern Europe, currencies traded steady to slightly stronger against the euro.
In Romania, the central bank holds its rate-setting meeting, with a majority of economists polled by Reuters expecting the bank to hike the key interest rate further by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent.
For GRAPHIC on emerging market FX performance 2018, see tmsnrt.rs/2e7eoml For GRAPHIC on MSCI emerging index performance 2018, see tmsnrt.rs/2dZbdP5
For TOP NEWS across emerging markets
For CENTRAL EUROPE market report, see
For TURKISH market report, see
For RUSSIAN market report, see |
CORRECTED-UPDATE 1-Soccer-Finnish championship results and standings | Soccer-Capello targets survival and cup run for new club Jiangsu
HONG KONG, June 15 Fabio Capello has set his sights on steering new employers Jiangsu Suning away from the Chinese Super League (CSL) relegation zone and success in the Chinese FA Cup as the Italian prepares for the latest chapter of his long coaching career. |
German economy grew 0.6 percent in Q2 on strong domestic demand | BERLIN, Aug 15 (Reuters) - The German economy grew by less than expected in the second quarter as net trade dampened an overall expansion which was driven by strong household spending and rising state expenditure, the Federal Statistics Office said on Tuesday.
Seasonally and calender adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) in Europe's biggest economy rose by 0.6 percent on the quarter, the data showed. This was slightly weaker than the consensus forecast of 0.7 percent in a Reuters poll.
But the growth rate for the first quarter was revised up to 0.7 percent on the quarter from 0.6 percent.
Unadjusted data showed the economy grew by 0.8 percent on the year in the second quarter. This compared with a consensus forecast of 1.9 percent. Adjusted for calendar affects, the yearly growth rate was 2.1 percent in the April-June period. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Madeline Chambers) |
BRIEF-Paypal Holdings CEO Daniel Schulman's FY 2016 total compensation was $18.9 mln vs $14.4 mln in FY 2015 | PRESS DIGEST- New York Times business news - June 15
June 15 The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. |
Groundhog Day mishap adds suspense to packed Broadway season | The $17.5 million musical adaptation of the 1993 movie Groundhog Day opens tonight at the August Wilson Theatre, three days after lead actor Andy Karl tweaked his knee during a preview that interrupted the show for 15 minutes. He finished the performance with the aid of a cane.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Crain's New York Business. |
Foreign insurers gain in China amid scrutiny of riskier local products | HONG KONG (Reuters) - When Zhang Xixi, a 25-year-old staffer at an online financial company in China’s southern province of Guangdong, decided last year to buy personal insurance for the first time, he was swamped with options.
Local insurers rushed to offer him products with attractive financial returns. In the end, he decided on a simpler, “more reliable” product sold by the unit of a U.S. life insurer.
Customers like Zhang are helping foreign insurers quickly gain market share in China, aided by a regulatory crackdown on short-term investments packaged as insurance that has hurt many of their local rivals.
The growth of China’s middle class and their rising wages have meant more people are looking for insurance, said Asia-focused AIA’s regional chief executive, John Cai, who leads the company in China and some Southeast Asian markets.
“We have the differentiated strategy by focussing on selling protection products ... and we reaped the benefit of that,” he said, referring to a 60 percent jump last year in the Hong Kong-based company’s value of new business in China, up from a growth rate of 54 percent in 2016.
Foreign insurers, including AIA Group, Aviva and Prudential have been in China for decades, but their collective market share is still below 10 percent as a result of regulatory restrictions and limited awareness about insurance as coverage rather than an investment.
Current rules limit foreign holdings in Chinese insurance joint ventures to 50 percent. AIA is the only wholly owned foreign insurance firm in China as its operations were set up before the restrictions were introduced.
Beijing said last year it planned to lift the ownership cap to 51 percent for foreign insurance joint ventures in 2020 and remove the limit completely two years later, which would allow for further expansion.
Both Prudential and Aviva saw new business profit in China, a key measure of long-term profitability, more than double last year on the back of higher demand for traditional protection products.
Many foreign insurance companies are strengthening their presence in smaller cities, where insurance penetration - measured in terms of the value of premiums underwritten as a percentage of gross domestic product - is lower than the 3 percent of GDP figure for the country as a whole.
Insurance ownership in the United States runs at 7 percent of GDP and is at 10 percent in Britain and Japan. China’s relatively low rate and strong economic outlook is the biggest draw for foreign insurers.
That has led to a hiring binge: leading foreign insurers are looking to bring on up to 40 percent more front-line sales agents in China this year - twice the rate of recent years, executives and consultants said.
AIA, for example, had close to 35,000 agents at the end of last year compared with 15,000 in 2014, and Cai expects a similar hiring growth rate as the company expands into second- and third-tier cities.
The sector regulator in China is also likely to make it easier for foreign insurers to expand into new provinces, said a Beijing-based lawyer who works with the China Insurance Regulatory Commission.
LOCAL COMPETITION
Top Chinese firms such as China Life Insurance and Ping An Insurance Group remain dominant players on their home turf, collectively holding about 90 percent of the life insurance market.
But their industry is in the midst of a massive regulator-driven clean-up of the life insurance sector, the world’s No. 3 market, to limit risk to the financial system.
Last month, Beijing took control of Anbang after keeping it under the microscope over the past year or so for risky behavior.
As a result of those measures, Chinese insurance firms saw their net operating cash flow slump 65 percent in 2017, Reuters reported in January, citing data in a government memo. Assets held in universal life insurance funds dropped 50 percent.
Rating agency Fitch expects premium growth to remain low in 2018 as Chinese life insurers shift from short-term investment products to more complicated products with protection features favored by the regulator.
“We have traditionally focused on that business, certainly in the last three or four years, on health and protection products versus competing for savings or bank-type products,” said Prudential Group’s chief executive Mike Wells.
Enthused by a surge in demand, growing awareness and rising wealth in smaller Chinese cities such as Foshan, Taizhou and Xuzhou, insurers such as AIA and Prudential are stepping up their presence in those markets, executives said.
“From the growth rate you can tell the opportunity is there, the market is even less penetrated. However, the wealth effect and the average income is rising,” AIA’s Cai said, referring to the smaller Chinese cities. “So we do see similar success will be coming there.”
($1 = 6.3109 Chinese yuan renminbi) |
Majority of SC immigration arrests last week were made in Beaufort County | The majority of arrests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in South Carolina last week were made in Beaufort County, according to a ICE press release issued Tuesday morning. According to the release, 190 unlawfully present aliens were arrested in ICE's southern region of South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia by the department's Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Start the conversation, or Read more at The Island Packet. |
Leafs Links: Toronto linked to Brian Boyle and undrafted CHL prospect ... | Elliotte Friedman connects the Leafs with pending UFA center Brian Boyle as well as undrafted Gatineau forward Zack MacEwen, Mike Babcock takes ownership for slow starts, and more in the links. Friedman: Leafs linked to pending UFA Brian Boyle Another UFA to watch is Tampa Bay's Brian Boyle.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove. |
UPDATE 3-Soccer-English premier league summaries | Soccer-Manchester United complete Lindelof signing
LONDON, June 14 Manchester United have completed the signing of Sweden defender Victor Lindelof from Portuguese champions Benfica on a four-year contract with the option of extending it by another year, the Premier League club said on Wednesday. |
BRIEF-Gilead presents new phase 2 data on Bictegravir | Feb 13 Gilead Sciences Inc :
* Gilead presents new phase 2 data on Bictegravir, an investigational integrase strand transfer inhibitor for the treatment of HIV
* Bictegravir in combination with FTC/TAF showed 97 percent rates of virologic suppression in phase 2 study
* Gilead Sciences - phase 3 studies evaluating a single tablet HIV regimen of Bictegravir and FTC/TAF now fully enrolled; data expected later this year Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: |
Waffle House hero James Shaw Jr is hailed by the Tennessee House of Representatives | Waffle House hero James Shaw has told Tennessee lawmakers he faced 'the true test of a man' when he wrestled an AR-15 off a crazed and naked gunman during Sunday's mass shooting.
Speaking on the floor of the state's House of Representatives on Tuesday, James Shaw Jr, 29, insisted he acted to save his own life when he rushed gunman Travis Reinking, before grabbing his weapon and pushing him out of the door.
'I never thought I'd be in a room with all the eyes on me, but you know, I'm very grateful to be here,' Shaw told House members, who passed a resolution praising him for saving numerous lives.
Speaking on the floor of the state's House of Representatives on Tuesday, James Shaw Jr, 29, insisted he acted to save his own life when he rushed gunman Travis Reinking
Brennan McMurray, who was dining with Shaw, his best friend, at the restaurant, also spoke on the floor of the House.
He told representatives that Shaw 'sometimes doesn't listen to me', before turning to his friend and adding, 'and this, by far, is the best time you haven't listened to me'.
The resolution passed by the house read: 'No matter his motivations, Mr. Shaw is indeed a hero; his actions on that fateful morning are unfathomable to most, indescribable by even the chief of police, and very poignant to the citizens of Nashville, who are deeply grateful for his brave actions in the face of extreme adversity that saved many lives.'
Shaw, the father of a four-year-old girl, initially hid in the toilet but Reinking shot through the door, grazing his forearm, and the father-of-one decided it was time to fight back.
'I acted in a blink of a second. When he reloaded his clip, which felt like 30 minutes. I looked at him, and he wasn't looking at me. He just had the barrel down. It was like, 'Do it now. Go now.' I just took off,' he told the New York Times.
'I hit him with the door and the gun was kind of jammed up. I grabbed it from him and I threw it over the counter top.'
'I never thought I'd be in a room with all the eyes on me, but you know, I'm very grateful to be here,' Shaw told House members. He is pictured waving to legislators with the hand he injured during the attack
A member of the Tennessee House of Representatives pats Shaw on the back as the house passed a resolution calling him a 'hero'
Shaw then chased the killer out of the diner while the fleeing man hurled abuse at him for intervening. 'I just wanted to live, and he was, like, astonished, that I wanted to live,' he recalled.
Shaw said he has since gone to see some of the shooting victims in the hospital and they all remembered him from the day. He apologized to the people whose loved ones died in the attack.
On Monday, Shaw attended a memorial service at Mount Zion Church, three miles from the Waffle House in Nashville where the shooting took place.
Shaw was grazed by a bullet and got second degree burns on his hand from where he grabbed the gun barrel and wrestled the rifle from the gunman
He joined more than a hundred mourners for four minutes of silence to remember the four victims: Joe Perez, 20; Akilah Dasilva, 23; Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29; and Deebony Groves, 21.
At a press conference that same day, Shaw insisted he was 'just a regular guy', adding: 'It feels selfish. I was just trying to get myself out. I saw the opportunity and pretty much took it.
'I'd rather you regard me as James, you know, just a regular person. Because I feel like everybody can do pretty much what I did.'
The Tennessee State Senate also honored Shaw on Tuesday.
Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall said Tuesday that Reinking has been 'compliant' and 'cooperative' since he was transferred to the jail late Monday after he was captured near the apartment where he lived.
Reinking is wearing a vest known informally as a 'suicide smock' and will remain under close observation at a maximum-security facility in Nashville.
Also on Tuesday, General Sessions Judge Michael Mondelli revoked the suspect's $2 million bond after an outcry from the local community.
Technically, Reinking could have walked out of jail if his family had posted 10 percent or $200,000 with a bonding company - although this would have almost certainly led to the bond immediately being increased to prevent this.
Reinking, suspected of killing four people in a late-night shooting at a Waffle House restaurant, is escorted into the Hill Detention Center in Nashville on Monday
A worker vacuums up shattered glass outside the Waffle House restaurant in Nashville where the shooting happened on Sunday
Reinking is charged with four counts of criminal homicide. Police say he opened fire outside the restaurant with an AR-15 rifle and then stormed the restaurant, wearing only a green jacket. Four other people were wounded in the shooting.
Reinking escaped on foot from the restaurant and shed his only item of clothing.
By the time he was captured in the woods nearby, police had searched his apartment, and found the key fob to a stolen BMW they had recovered in the parking lot days earlier. The BMW theft had not initially been tied to Reinking.
Nashville Police Department Lt. Carlos Lara told reporters Reinking was arrested Monday after detectives were tipped to the suspect's presence by some construction workers.
He carried a black backpack with a silver semi-automatic weapon and .45-caliber ammunition.
The arrest ended a 24-hour manhunt involving more than 160 law enforcement officers, but it left troubling unanswered questions about official responses to months of bizarre behavior before the restaurant attack, including encounters with police in Illinois and Colorado and an arrest at the White House that raised red flags.
Deebony Groves, 21, and Akilah Dasilva, 23, were also killed when the gunman stormed in and opened fire with an assault rifle
Restaurant worker Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29, and 20-year-old customer Joe R. Perez were among the four shot dead by a gunman at a Nashville Waffle House on Sunday
Police in Colorado say the co-owner of a business where Reinking worked described him as appearing paranoid and delusional at times.
A co-worker told a detective the man was infatuated with Taylor Swift and claimed to be a sovereign citizen who is not subject to any government laws.
Back in Illinois last June, Reinking barged into a community swimming pool and jumped in wearing only underwear and a pink woman's coat.
That same day, an employee at his family's business, J&J Cranes, said he emerged from an apartment above the office wearing a pink dress, clutching a rifle and yelling profanities.
That same month, Reinking was arrested by the U.S. Secret Service after he entered a restricted area near the White House and refused to leave, saying he wanted to meet President Donald Trump.
The suspect told Washington, D.C., police he was a sovereign citizen and had a right to inspect the grounds, according to an incident report.
On Monday, Shaw attended a memorial service at Mount Zion Church, three miles from the Waffle House in Nashville where the shooting took place
Reinking was not armed at the time, but at the FBI's request, Illinois police revoked his state firearms card.
Four guns, including the AR-15 used in the shootings, were transferred to his father, a procedure allowed under Illinois law.
Tazewell County Sheriff Robert Huston said Jeffrey Reinking pledged he would 'keep the weapons secure and out of the possession of Travis.'
Don Aaron, a Nashville Police spokesman, said Reinking's father 'has now acknowledged giving them back' to his son.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special Agent Marcus Watson said Monday that his father's action is 'potentially a violation of federal law.' |
Cenbank chief Carstens confident Mexico to keep credit rating | MEXICO CITY, April 27 Mexican central bank governor Agustin Carstens said on Thursday he was confident Mexico would maintain its credit rating, and said the peso currency was undervalued.
"I'm confident the rating will be maintained, and hope not many years will have to pass before it improves," Carstens said at an event on the outskirts of the Mexican capital.
Earlier on Thursday, rating agency Moody's confirmed Mexico's 'A3' issuer rating and kept its outlook for the country negative, as Latin America's no. 2 economy faces the prospect of tough trade negotiations with the United States. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito) |
Rouhani says U.S. has not thought about consequences of Iran oil ban: IRNA | LONDON (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Tehran will stand firm against U.S. threats to cut Iranian oil sales, and warned that Washington had not thought about the consequences of such a decision.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani attends a news conference at the Chancellery in Vienna, Austria July 4, 2018. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
“The Americans say they want to reduce Iranian oil exports to zero. They have talked without thinking carefully. It shows they have not thought about its consequences,” Rouhani was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA on an official visit to Vienna. |
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U.S., South Korea reaffirm existing pact on THAAD deployment cost - South Korea | SEOUL South Korea said on Sunday U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser reaffirmed the two countries' pre-existing agreement on the expenditure for the deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system.
In a telephone call on Sunday, H.R. McMaster reassured his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, that the United States' alliance with South Korea was its top priority in the Asia-Pacific region, South Korea's presidential office said.
Trump said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday that he wanted South Korea to pay for the THAAD deployment, but South Korean officials responded that the cost was for Washington to bear, under the bilateral agreement.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) |
BRIEF-U.S. Energy Corp files for non-timely 10-K | March 31 U.S. Energy Corp:
* U.S. Energy Corp files for non-timely 10-K
* U.S. Energy - expects to report revenues for year ended Dec.31, 2016 of about $5.7 million versus $10.2 million for the year ended Dec. 31, 2015
* U.S. Energy - expects to report net loss of about $14.3 million for year ended Dec 31, 2016 versus net loss of $92.8 million for year ended Dec. 31, 2015
* U.S. Energy - reasons for changes in revenue, net loss include over 42pct reduction in co's oil production, 13pct decrease in gas production Source text: (bit.ly/2nquV99) Further company coverage: |
Luck offers no timetable for return from shoulder surgery | INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Andrew Luck was eager to get back to work Monday but he's still not sure when he'll be start throwing passes.
Three months after undergoing shoulder surgery, the Indianapolis Colts quarterback showed up for opening day of offseason workouts looking fit, trim and minus the sling he'd been wearing to protect his right arm.
"I am where the physical therapists, trainers and doctors say I am. I'm not going to worry about it," Luck said, declining to provide a timetable for his expected return. "I have full trust in the guys helping me out."
FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2016, file photo, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck speaks to the media following an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, in Minneapolis. Luck isn't sure when he'll start throwing again and won't set a timetable for his return from shoulder surgery. Players and coaches held their first official team activities Monday, April 17, 2017, at the team complex, and for the first time Luck acknowledged that his injury problems began during a Week 3 contest at Tennessee in 2015.(AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King, File)
Team officials have already said they don't expect Luck to participate in much - if any - on-field drills between now and the end of June's three-day mini-camp.
The hope is Luck will be healthy enough to return to action for the start of training camp. And there's little doubt the Colts will be patient after watching their franchise player endure two straight injury-plagued seasons.
Luck acknowledged Monday for the first time that his physical woes began at Tennessee in Week 3 of the 2015 season. Luck led the Colts to a come-from-behind win that day to avoid a 0-3 start, but the most indelible image from the game was the sideline video of then backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck tapping Luck on the chest. Luck winced in pain.
Over the next four weeks, Luck downplayed the injury, though he had the first two missed games of his career.
He wound up missing nine games that season, the last seven with a lacerated kidney, before opting for rehab over surgery.
Last year, the Colts thought they could keep Luck on the field with extra time off during the week. At times it helped, but the pain eventually returned and the continued ailments prompted Luck to choose surgery after last season.
"It was my decision, ultimately," Luck said. "The team gave me all the resources I felt like I needed to make the best decision, and I have no regrets about having surgery." |
Russell Hume staff face jail over steak and meat scandal | Eexecutives of the company at the centre of the latest food safety scare could face up to two years in jail if they are found to have breached hygiene rules.
Investigators at the Food Standards Agency are expected to interview key staff at Russell Hume under caution as part of a criminal inquiry. Anyone implicated could also face unlimited fines in court.
The firm’s six plants have been closed for six weeks after a spot-check at its Birmingham site uncovered concerns over hygiene and discrepancies in ‘use by’ dates, leading to suspect meat being impounded.
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Eexecutives of Russell Hume, the company at the centre of the latest food safety scare, could face up to two years in jail if they are found to have breached hygiene rules
The company supplied steaks and other meats to pub and restaurant chains including Wetherspoons and Jamie’s Italian.
The Foods Standards Agency said it was involved in an ‘intensifying investigation’ against Russell Hume but declined to comment further, saying: ‘We don’t want to jeopardise it.’
However, FSA chief executive Jason Feeney has admitted the investigation is probing ‘serious and widespread problems’.
Investigators at the Food Standards Agency are expected to interview key staff at Russell Hume under caution as part of a criminal inquiry. The firm supplied steak and other meats to the likes of Jamie's Italian
Wetherspoon pubs sourced sirloin steak from the Birmingham company
According to Unison, which represents meat inspectors, the last check at Russell Hume was a year ago.
Union official Heather Wakefield said: ‘The amount of unfit meat that could have been released into the human food chain during this time doesn’t bear thinking about.
There must be a permanent inspection presence in meat-cutting plants to protect the public and avoid the endless cycle of scandals.’
There is no evidence that anyone became ill after eating meat supplied by the firm.
When asked about individuals being questioned under caution, Russell Hume gave no comment.
After the scare in Birmingham, the firm’s sites in Liverpool, London, Exeter, Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire and Inverkeithing in Fife were inspected and then shut down. |
2,500-year-old jars give clues on Earth's magnetic field | Readings made from ancient clay jar handles from the Middle Eastern kingdom of Judah suggest that Earth's magnetic field won't collapse any time soon.
Researchers have previously warned that the planet's magnetic field intensity is in sharp decline.
They claim this could flip weather patterns and cause a chaotic disruption of Earth's communication systems.
But the researchers from Tel Aviv University have used ancient clay pottery to reveal that the current dip in Earth's magnetic field is likely just part of its natural cycle.
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Ancient clay jar handles (pictured) from Judah, now modern-day Jerusalem, are giving scientists fresh insights into Earth's ever-changing magnetic field
Earth's magnetic field has shifted throughout history and these changes are encoded into human artefacts such as clay pottery.
Clay contains the mineral magnetite, which fired in a kiln transforms into a permanent record of the alignment and intensity of Earth's magnetic field at the time.
A research team led by Dr Erez Ben-Yosef of Tel Aviv University used samples from clay jars dating back to between the eighth and second centuries BC.
The team used the jars to takes measurements of the Earth's magnetic field around the Levant over 2,000 years ago.
Their findings suggest that Earth's magnetic field has undergone natural spikes and dips throughout the planet's history.
Earth's magnetic field extends from the centre of the planet to around 40,000 miles (65,000km) above its surface.
The field protects the planet from dangerous radiation by forming the 'magnetosphere'.
The magnetosphere is a large area around the Earth that stops charged solar wind particles from crossing the magnetic field lines.
The dangerous radiation is instead deflected around the Earth.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF OUR MAGNETOSPHERE WEAKENS? The magnetosphere protects the Earth from solar radiation, but it fluctuates. If it weakens dramatically, radiation at ground level would increase, with estimates suggesting that overall exposure to cosmic radiation would double causing more deaths from cancer. The electric grid collapse from severe solar storms is a major risk. As the magnetic field continues to weaken, scientists are highlighting the importance off-the grid energy systems using renewable energy sources to protect us from a black out. The Earth's climate could also change. A recent Danish study has found that the earth's weather has been significantly affected by the planet's magnetic field. They claimed that fluctuations in the number of cosmic rays hitting the atmosphere directly alter the amount of cloud covering the planet.
Ancient Judeans would mark their jars with stamps specific to the ruling powers of the area (pictured). These stamps allowed the research team to accurately date the pottery, and hence date changes to the magnetic field
The pottery was made in ancient Judah, an Iron Age kingdom based around modern day Israel and Palestine established in the 8th century BC
Experts have previously warned that Earth's magnetic field has weakened by 15 per cent over the last 200 years.
This could be a sign that the planet's poles are about to flip.
If this happens, solar winds could punch holes into the Earth's ozone layer.
This would damage power grids, warp weather patterns and boost cancer rates.
But the ancient Judean pottery suggests that the current dip in magnetic intensity is a part of a natural cycle.
The Tel Aviv team were able to make accurate magnetic measurements because Ancient Judeans marked their jars with stamps specific to the ruling powers of the area.
When a ruler changed, so too did the inscriptions on the Judean's pottery.
Clay contains the mineral magnetite, which when put under the intense heat of a kiln transforms into a permanent record of the alignment and intensity of Earth's magnetic field at the time
'The typology of the stamp impressions, which corresponds to changes in the political entities ruling this area, provides excellent age constraints for the firing event of these artifacts,' the researchers write in their paper.
The results provide an 'unparalleled record of the geomagnetic field intensity,' the team says.
Changes to the magnetic field today are measured easily using magnetic compasses and a few simple calculations.
But this technology did not exist 2,000 years ago.
Measuring the ancient variations in Earth's magnetic field is know as archaeomagnetism, a practice confounded by difficulties in accurately measuring the age of the artifacts used.
But the Judean artefacts could be accurately dated because of their stamps.
The stamps date each piece of pottery to a short period ranging from 50-100 years.
Combining the dated stamps with readings of the pottery's ancient magnetite provides an 'unparalleled record of the geomagnetic field intensity,' the researchers say
This gave the team an acute time frame for the magnetic field measurements they took.
The data they collected showed a decline in the planet's magnetic field intensity over a 600-year period.
But the team also found a sharp upward lift in the eighth century BC.
The findings support theories that there have been two upward spikes in Earth's magnetic field intensity, known as the Levantine Iron Age 'geomagnetic spikes.'
The researchers' findings confirm the second of these proposed spikes and also reveal that the magnetic field around the Middle East dipped after 732 BC, dropping 27 per cent in just three decades.
'Age constraints from archaeological contexts and stamped jar handles during the second half of the eighth century BCE southern Levant are exceptionally tight,' the researchers report.
'The region was influenced by Assyrian interventions that resulted in excellent chronological markers in the archaeological record.'
The results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. |
Martin Lawrence says 'never say never' to sitcom revival | The sitcom Martin ended its run more than two decades ago.
But its stars Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell-Martin and Tichina Arnold were seen laughing together on Thursday outside a Burbank Morton's Steakhouse.
Emerging from the restaurant, the trio chatted with TMZ, and when the possibility of reviving the show came up, Martin, 52, said: 'Never say never.'
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Maybe?: Martin stars Martin Lawrence (top left), Tisha Campbell-Martin (top right) and Tichina Arnold (bottom) chatted to TMZ, and he replied: 'Never say never,' of a possible revival of the show
He clarified that 'we don't know nothing right now, but never say never.'
When they were pressed further, 48-year-old Tichina offered the vague: 'Well, within life, there's always new beginnings, and there's always change, and there's always new plateaus where we have to reach, so we'll see what's happening.'
Tisha, 49, vamped to the camera: 'We can't tell y'all s***.'
Laughing, Tichina said: 'See, I was gonna put it a little more eloquently.'
Throwback: During their interview with TMZ, the three of them mulled aloud what a potential revival of Martin - which originally ran from 1992 to 1997 - could look like
Before the original series came to an end in 1997, it had been beset with scandal, with Tisha suing her leading man.
Tisha accused Martin of sexual harassment and abuse and left the show, returning with the proviso that she and he would not have scenes together.
Yet Martin - who denied the allegations at the time - and Tisha seem to have patched their friendship up, and appeared in cheerful spirits with Tichina this Thursday.
During their interview with TMZ, the three of them mulled aloud what a potential revival of Martin - which originally ran from 1992 to 1997 - could look like.
'Well, I don't think we have to do it the same way': Said Martin: 'I just think we have to be funny and we have to be entertaining and give people heartfelt stories'
'Well, I don't think we have to do it the same way,' said Martin. 'I just think we have to be funny and we have to be entertaining and give people heartfelt stories.'
'And the truth,' added Tisha.
Asked what the truth is, Tisha specified: 'I think, evolution. Evolution, you know? It's still gonna be fun,' she said, turning to Martin with a smile.
'Yeah,' said Martin, grinning back.
'But it's gonna be an evolution,' said Tisha, to which Martin concurred: 'That's right.'
'It's still gonna be fun': Tisha added that a hypothetical new version of Martin would offer 'the truth,' which is to say 'Evolution'
When the interviewer prodded them about whether a revived version of the sitcom would have a political angle, Tisha got a laugh by demanding: 'Why are you asking all this - didn't we just tell you, what - that we don't know?'
'We would definitely wanna be current,' said Tichina. 'You know, we're not trying to relive anything. We wanna give credence to the past, and to show how the past has evolved, and made us who we are.'
She pointed out: 'We're blessed, because the '90s were a great time, and we would love to recreate it, just bring it back alive and give credence to it, and kinda tap into a place where people - '
'We ain't telling y'all s***!' Tisha lightheartedly snapped at the camera.
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps: Martin himself has clarified that 'we don't know nothing right now, but never say never' |
Sterling hits 8-week high versus euro on French election worries | By Jemima Kelly
LONDON, April 18 (Reuters) - Sterling strengthened broadly on Tuesday, hitting its strongest in eight weeks against the euro, as investor nerves shifted from Britain's exit from the European Union toward France's elections and the U.S. economy.
With less than a week to go before the first round of a French presidential election in which the top four candidates are polling neck-and-neck, the single currency was struggling broadly and fell to as low as 84.51 pence, the weakest since late Feb. 24.
Opinion polls suggest the election will come down to a final battle between independent centrist Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, head of the anti-European Union and anti-immigrant National Front.
But the race has tightened in the past two weeks, with a surge by far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon - who wants to renegotiate France's position in the EU - sparking worries that voters could be left with a choice between the hard-left and hard-right in the second round on May 7.
Against the dollar, the pound hit a three-week high of $1.2608, as the greenback weakened broadly on doubts that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration would push through the fiscal stimulus that had supported the currency in the aftermath of his victory in November.
That left sterling up 1.5 percent in the past month, but still over 15 percent weaker than before last June's vote for Brexit.
"A lot of the bad news for the pound on the UK side is priced in (and) the lack of fresh catalysts for further pound weakness is supportive," said MUFG currency strategist Lee Hardman.
"On the U.S. side, a lot of good news is priced in (but) the U.S. economy has started the year on a weaker-than-expected footing and there's a dampening of expectations that the Trump administration will be able to put in place the plans for fiscal stimulus going forward."
Data released on Friday showed that despite few fresh developments in Brexit negotiations, speculators added to their bets against the pound in the week up to last Tuesday, with net short positions rising close to a record high.
"Sterling short positioning remains close to this year´s extremes, irrespective of spot trading near the upper end of the last few months´ trading range," wrote Credit Agricole strategists in a note to clients.
"Unless this week's data, such as retail sales, makes a case of rising central bank easing expectations, additional upside risks cannot be excluded. From a broader angle we expect rallies to remain a sell although better levels may be reached for this."
(Editing by Tom Heneghan) |
PRECIOUS-Gold set for best quarter in a year on political uncertainty | * Spot gold on track for best quarter since Jan-March 2016 * Silver off highs hit in previous session * Platinum heads for worst month since August 2016 * Palladium has risen over 16 percent this quarter * GRAPHIC-2017 asset returns: tmsnrt.rs/2jvdmXl (Updates prices, adds details) By Arpan Varghese March 31 Gold remained steady on Friday with global political uncertainty, the upcoming elections in Europe in particular, seen supporting prices of the yellow metal, driving the metal to its best quarter in a year. Spot gold was little changed at $1,242.90 per ounce at 0716 GMT. It was on track to finish March down about 0.5 percent, its first monthly decline this year. However, spot prices were set for their best quarter since the quarter ended March last year, gaining about 8 percent. "In the short term, factors including a strengthening dollar could pull prices down to around the $1,230 an ounce range," said Yuichi Ikemizu, head of commodity trading at Standard Bank in Tokyo. "However, the fundamentals are still bullish for gold, especially with the upcoming elections in France and elsewhere in Europe. So prices are not really expected to go much lower from here" U.S. gold futures fell 0.2 percent to $1,242. Spot gold may fall into the range of $1,235-$1,236 per ounce, as suggested by its wave pattern and a Fibonacci ratio analysis, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao. The dollar index was up 0.1 percent at 100.51, near a two-week high hit earlier in the session, supported by solid U.S. economic data. U.S. economic growth slowed less than previously reported in the fourth quarter as robust consumer spending provided a boost that was partially offset by the largest gain in imports in two years. The greenback was further supported by comments from New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley on Thursday that reinforced the notion that core U.S. central bankers are confidently on the road to tighter monetary policy after having hiked interest rates twice in three months. Meanwhile, holdings of SPDR Gold Trust , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, which is seen as a gauge of investment sentiment, reported an outflow of 1.2 tonnes on Thursday. However, the potential for the rise of the far right in European elections this year, along with British Prime Minister Theresa May formally triggering divorce proceedings from the EU on Wednesday is seen enhancing gold's appeal as a safe-haven investment. Spot silver rose 0.1 percent to $18.09 per ounce, having touched $18.29, in the previous session, its highest in four weeks. Platinum rose 0.3 percent to $945.80 per ounce, after hitting its lowest in just over two weeks at $941 earlier in the session. The metal was also set to end the month about 7.6 percent lower, which would mark its worst monthly performance since August 2016. Palladium eased 0.2 percent to $792.43 an ounce and has risen over 16 percent this quarter. (Reporting by Arpan Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Pullin and Amrutha Gayathri) |
BRIEF-Rizal Resources clarifies technical disclosure | Goldman Sachs raises $7 bln for new private equity fund -sources
June 14 Goldman Sachs Group Inc has raised around $7 billion for its new private equity fund, near the top of its targeted goal, according to two people familiar with the matter. |
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Construction Starts on The Eddy, a Shipping Container Park in Downtown Reno | Other than operating as a bar during the evening, The Eddy will be built out of temporary structures to hold outdoor venues and events throughout the day. Kurt Stitser, the co-owner of The Eddy said, "It is open to the general public, all ages so it is a family friendly venue that will create a gathering space in downtown."
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Gucci craze keeps sales at luxury firm Kering booming | PARIS, April 24 (Reuters) - Booming sales growth at French luxury group Kering got even faster in the first quarter, as red-hot demand for its Gucci clothing and handbags was joined by other labels such as Balenciaga.
A recovery in spending by Chinese shoppers over the past 18 months has underpinned a sales bounce for many top luxury players, especially conglomerates like Kering and Paris-based rival LVMH with range of brands.
That momentum has carried on for some, with Kering's star label Gucci continuing to defy expectations of a slowdown. Instead its revenue growth accelerated in the first quarter, as sales in the United States also took off.
The brand's three-year revamp with a flamboyant new style sparked a sales frenzy, but comparison bases against a stellar performance in 2017 are growing tougher.
"Throughout the year there should be a progressive normalisation," Chief Finance Officer Jean-Marc Duplaix told journalists on Tuesday, adding the pace of sales growth at Gucci would nevertheless remain very high.
It reached 49 percent year on year in the first quarter on a comparable basis, which strips out currency swings, while at Kering as a whole like-for-like sales grew 36.5 percent, trumping analyst forecasts of around 24 percent.
Gucci overhauled its product range and store designs as part of its reboot - measures other brands like Britain's Burberry are bringing in as they pursue growth - and the Italian label is set to update investors on its targets in early June.
Analysts have also questioned whether consumers might tire of Gucci's distinct look, though Duplaix said Gucci's growth was sustainable and the brand was not just reliant on notoriously fad-led younger buyers.
The European luxury sector is still grappling with headwinds, including a strong euro that hurts sales when converted into the currency, as well as brewing U.S.-China trade tensions, which risk rattling Chinese buyers.
Not all brands have managed to ride the luxury rebound, meanwhile, as some struggle to catch the attention of younger shoppers.
Sales at Kering's Bottega Veneta, which is bringing in new handbag designs, grew just 0.7 percent on a comparable basis in the first quarter, less than expected.
Kering's sales figures no longer include sportswear firm Puma, which it is set to spin off to its shareholders by mid May as the group focuses purely on luxury.
Stella McCartney and skate clothing firm Volcom, at varying stages of parting ways with the group, were also excluded.
(Reporting by Sarah White and Pascale Denis; Editing by Mark Potter) |
BRIEF-Keyyo Q4 revenue down 5.3 pct to 5.8 million euros | Abu Dhabi bourse suspends trading in TAQA, Qatar's Ooredoo
DUBAI, Feb 15 The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange said on Wednesday it had temporarily suspended trading in shares of Abu Dhabi National Energy Co because the company had not yet released its annual financial statement. |
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Skye Wheatley flaunts her waist in a crop-top and leggings | She has rebranded herself from a fun-loving Big Brother contestant to one of Australia's most glamorous Instagram models.
And Skye Wheatley, 23, maintained her reputation on Tuesday when she took to the photo-sharing app with yet another busty snap of herself peddling protein.
Posing in a two-piece crop-top and leggings set, the blonde starlet showcased her whittled waist and busty assets as she posed with the product in clear view.
What she does best! Skye Wheatley, 23, maintained her reputation as a glamorous Instagram model on Tuesday when she took to Instagram with yet another busty snap of herself peddling protein
'Feeding the bod that protein,' she wrote in the caption.
The former Big Brother star has openly admitted to altering her appearance by undergoing numerous cosmetic enhancement procedures.
Skye recently revealed her desperation to remain youthful-looking, having even resorted to anti-ageing routines at the age of 23.
My, how you've changed! The former 2014 Big Brother star has openly admitted to altering her appearance by undergoing numerous cosmetic enhancement procedures, including having her breast, nose and lips cosmetically altered
Earlier this month, Skye took to YouTube to reveal her 10-step anti-ageing routine she uses to combat concerns with 'fine lines and wrinkles', 'elasticity' and 'ageing.'
The reality star's features have changed significantly since appearing on Big Brother in 2014, having had her breasts, nose an lips surgically altered.
In the latest clip uploaded by the blogger, she claims 'nobody wants to get old', after sharing tips to 'stay youthful and beautiful for as long as you possibly can.'
'As I had gotten older I just felt like I needed more steps': At 23, Skye is already concerned about her ageing appearance, claiming she's been using her anti-ageing routine for the past year
'I don't want to age. I'm f***ing so terrified of ageing!'... I'm goign to keep my skin in check!' Skye says as she snorts from laughter.
The bubbly blonde admits early in the video: 'As I had gotten older I just felt like I needed more steps in my skin regime to kind of help the things that I'm getting concerned about as I get older.'
Her first three steps include removing all makeup from the skin, using a gel cleanser that 'bloody refreshes' and applying a collagen mask once a week.
'This is pretty much like getting botox': Skye reveals she used a collagen mask once a week to 'plump and hydrate' her skin, likening it to the cosmetic procedure of 'botox'
Skye says the mask is used to 'plump and hydrate the skin', and added: 'This is pretty much like getting botox. It is that fricken good.'
From within her bathroom, the camera focuses in on her freshed-face look as she continued through her lengthy skincare routine.
Her next step was a micro cream deep scrub, which she praises as being 'like an at-home microdermabrasion.'
'Concerned about fine lines and wrinkles or ageing': Her last three products help her target her areas of 'concern', as she uses a light moisturizer, an eye cream and a collagen cream
New job title: She has rebranded herself from a fun-loving Big Brother contestant to one of Australia's most glamorous Instagram models
It's followed by a hydration spritz and two serums.
Her last three products help her target her areas of 'concern', as she uses a light moisturizer, which is great for 'fine lines and wrinkles' and 'plumping up the skin.'
An eye cream is then used by the Instagram star as it 'helps with dark circles... and fine lines and wrinkles as you start to lose elasticity in your skin.'
Finishing her 10-step routine with another collagen product, she adds: 'I recommend this to anyone who is concerned about fine lines and wrinkles or ageing.'
Makeup free! From within her bathroom, the camera focuses on the bubbly blonde's freshed-face look as she continued through her lengthy 10-step skincare routine
At the end of the video Skye busts into an impromptu singing performance asking viewers to subscribe to her fan club.
Fans quickly commented on the video to show their appreciation for her weird antics, singing and beauty blogging.
'Your skin always looks flawless' and 'you are too pretty', some of her fans wrote. |
Davislea Home For The Elderly | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
Which? Elderly Care | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
BRIEF-Hugo Games buys game studio and restructuring organization | March 31 HUGO GAMES A/S
* ACQUISITION OF GAME STUDIO AND RESTRUCTURING ORGANIZATION
* ENTERED INTO A SHARE SALE AND PURCHASE AGREEMENT WITH FUZZY FROG LTD, LOCATED IN NOTTINGHAM, UK ("FUZZY FROG")
* ACQUISITION OF 52.6 PERCENT OF ALL ISSUED SHARES IN FUZZY FROG
* TRANSACTION WILL, UPON COMPLETION, REPRESENT AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 5% OF REVENUE/ASSETS OF HUGO GAMES
* SELLING SHAREHOLDERS IN FUZZY FROG WILL EXCHANGE 52.6% OF THE SHARES IN FUZZY FROG AGAINST 4,452,543 SHARES (THE “CONSIDERATION SHARES”) IN HUGO GAMES
* HUGO GAMES A/S - TRANSACTION IMPLIES A VALUE OF ABOUT GBP 1.0 MILLION (100%) OF FUZZY FROG BASED ON THE HUGO GAMES SHARE PRICE AS OF 10 DAYS´AVARAGE LISTING PRICE ENDING 30TH MARCH 2017 Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom) |
Michelle and Barack Obama Warm Cold, Dead Hearts On Valentine's Day | Read more: She Knows
Christina is a reporter based in Boise, Idaho. She's a veteran vegetarian, a political junkie and a huge grammar snob.
Start the conversation, or Read more at She Knows. |
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Carders Court Care Home | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
TREASURIES-Yields rise on Brexit deal, potential for more hawkish ECB | * Britain, EU reach deal on Brexit transition
* ECB seen adopting more hawkish path
* Fed meeting in focus this week
By Karen Brettell
NEW YORK, March 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury yields rose on Monday in line with higher European bond yields after the European Union and Britain reached a deal on a Brexit transition and after a report that the European Central Bank is shifting its debate on the expected path of interest rates.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s Brexit negotiator, told reporters on Monday that Britain and the bloc have reached a transition deal after a weekend of late-night negotiations.
Reuters also reported that the debate on rates among policymakers at the European Central Bank (ECB) is shifting as even some of its most dovish rate setters accept that bond buys should end this year.
“We had the Brexit item to start and then we added an extra layer,” said Jim Vogel, an interest rate strategist at FTN Financial in Memphis, Tennessee, noting that the ECB report indicates that “even the doves are feeling the pressure to go ahead and start thinking about when rates might be raised.”
Benchmark 10-year notes fell 7/32 in price to yield 2.872 percent, from 2.848 percent on Friday.
This week’s two-day Federal Reserve meeting concluding on Wednesday, when the U.S. central bank is widely expected to raise interest rates, is the next major catalyst for markets.
Investors will be watching to see if Jerome Powell adopts a more hawkish tone in his first meeting as Fed chairman, if Fed officials change their projections for future inflation and for any indications that four rate increases this year are likely.
“People will be sensitive to any nuance that suggests that four rate hikes are possible in calendar year 2018,” said Vogel.
A jump in consumer prices in January increased expectations that inflation was rising, which could spur a more hawkish Fed, though February’s consumer price index last week showed prices cooled in the month. (Editing by Steve Orlofsky) ) |
BRIEF-Ryder Q1 GAAP EPS $0.64 From Continuing Operations | April 24 (Reuters) - Ryder System Inc:
* RYDER REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2018 RESULTS
* Q1 GAAP EARNINGS PER SHARE $0.64 FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS
* Q1 REVENUE $1.9 BILLION VERSUS I/B/E/S VIEW $1.89 BILLION
* Q1 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $0.87 — THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S
* SEES Q2 2018 GAAP EARNINGS PER SHARE $0.62 TO $0.72
* SEES Q2 2018 NON-GAAP EARNINGS PER SHARE $1.20 TO $1.30 FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS
* SEES FY 2018 NON-GAAP EARNINGS PER SHARE $5.45 TO $5.70 FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS
* Q1 COMPARABLE EPS FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS $0.91
* 2018 GAAP EPS FORECAST INCLUDES A ONE-TIME TRANSITION TAX ADJUSTMENT OF $0.57
* COMPANY IS INCREASING ITS FORECAST FOR 2018 GROSS CAPITAL EXPENDITURES FROM $2.9 BILLION TO $3.0 BILLION
* COMPANY IS ALSO REVISING ITS FORECAST FOR 2018 NET CAPITAL EXPENDITURES TO GO FROM $2.5 BILLION TO $2.6 BILLION
* “EXPECT Q1 USED VEHICLE PRICING CHALLENGES TO CONTINUE THROUGHOUT YEAR”
* NOW EXPECT “RECORD” FULL-YEAR CHOICELEASE FLEET GROWTH OF 7,500 VEHICLES, UP BY 1,000 UNITS FROM PRIOR FORECAST
* FY2018 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $5.54 — THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S
* Q2 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $1.33 — THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S
* COMPANY’S FULL-YEAR 2018 FORECAST FOR OPERATING CASH FLOW REMAINS UNCHANGED AT APPROXIMATELY $1.8 BILLION
* COMPANY IS REVISING FULL-YEAR FREE CASH FLOW FORECAST FROM NEGATIVE $600 MILLION TO NEGATIVE $750 MILLION Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: |
Australia shares finish firmer for fourth straight session; NZ flat | (Updates to close)
Dec 12 (Reuters) - Australian shares closed firmer for a fourth straight session on Tuesday, tracking a strong lead from Wall Street and its robust by technology and energy stocks, with local material stocks gaining on higher metals prices.
The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.3 percent or 14.900 points to 6,013.200 at the close of trade. The benchmark added 0.07 percent on Monday.
The Australian metals and mining index rose 0.8 percent, supported by an overnight rise in steel and copper prices.
Mining giant BHP rose 1.7 percent, accounting for most of the gains on the benchmark, while its peer Rio Tinto Ltd rose 1.1 percent.
Meanwhile, energy stocks were the best performers as they extended gains on higher oil prices.
Brent crude oil prices jumped above $65 per barrel for the first time since 2015 after the shutdown of the Forties North Sea pipeline knocked out significant supply from a market that was already tightening due to OPEC-led production cuts.
Oil and gas producer Woodside Petroleum Ltd climbed 1.7 percent to its highest in over a month, registering a fourth consecutive session of gains.
Real estate stocks also finished the day higher, with Scentre Group posting a near 6-month high as it surged 4.1 percent, a record percentage gain for the shares.
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd led the rally in financial stocks as it rose to its highest close since November 27.
Zurich Insurance has agreed to buy Australia and New Zealand Banking Group’s life insurance arm for A$2.85 billion ($2.15 billion),its biggest foray into Australia and its third in the last two years.
In New Zealand, the market closed effectively flat, with the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index up 3.30 points or 0.04 percent at 8,280.81.
Fletcher Building Ltd accounted for most of the gains as it climbed 1.4 percent to a near 1-1/2 month high. |
Powell's Fed to show policy caution, shun political friction | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jerome Powell heads for his first interest rate increase as Federal Reserve Chairman this week with an unanswered question looming above others: could his optimism about the U.S. economy lead to more hikes than markets have prepared for?
Powell’s public comments and Reuters conversations with his Fed colleagues since January, when he was confirmed as chairman, suggest such fears are overblown: Powell, the consensus-builder, may make some tweaks to reflect changing economic conditions but is as committed to gradual, moderate rate increases as his predecessor Janet Yellen who adopted that approach.
The new chairman’s overriding concern will be to sustain one of the longest U.S. recoveries for as long as possible, according to conversations with Fed officials and analysts. But given signs that the economy’s potential has strengthened, that might mean a policy-tightening cycle that lasts longer, with rates going a bit higher than earlier thought.
Powell was widely seen as a choice of continuity when President Donald Trump picked him. He served as one of the Fed governors during the central bank’s transition from crisis-era stimulus to a more balanced approach that led to three rate increases last year in response to steady growth and falling unemployment.
Yet uncertainty over how the 65-year old lawyer and former investment banker would steer the Fed was on full display last month when global stocks sold off briefly after Powell’s first congressional testimony.
Investors initially took his upbeat assessment of the U.S. economy as a sign he was more of a policy “hawk” than Yellen, and that four rate hikes might be in store for this year rather than the three previously telegraphed by the Fed.
This might still turn out to be the case. Even the dovish Fed Governor Lael Brainard noted recently that the economy’s “headwinds are shifting to tailwinds.”
But a stronger economy does not necessarily mean the Fed is abandoning its balanced assessment of risks to growth and price stability. Rather, it can give Powell wiggle room in balancing nudging inflation up after more than five years below target, and guarding against the risk of runaway prices as some $1.8 trillion in tax cuts and new government spending take hold.
Under Yellen, the central bank was still more guarded about the economic impact of such fiscal stimulus that could overheat an economy already near full capacity, but also boost business confidence and productivity, giving the rates more room to rise.
One hint whether the Powell Fed now sees more policy leeway will come on Wednesday when the central bank will publish its new median estimate of the so-called neutral rate of interest - the level that neither stimulates nor chills the economy.
This rate has drifted down to a 2.75 percent median, from 4 percent in 2013. A rise to, say 3 percent, could signal the fiscal stimulus and recent data like the blockbuster February jobs report have begun convincing Powell and others that the gradual rate-hike cycle could go on for another couple years or more, allowing extra room to cut rates in the next recession.
FILE PHOTO: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell delivers the semi-annual Monetary Policy Report to the House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, U.S., February 27, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
IF IT AIN’T BROKE
The Fed is expected to lift its policy rate to a range of 1.5 to 1.75 percent at the end of its two-day meeting on Wednesday and also update its assessment of the economy. (Fed's hawks and doves: tmsnrt.rs/1N6BwRs)
Months of synchronized global growth, some signs of U.S. price pressures and fears Trump's protectionist steps could escalate into a trade war have fanned concerns within the Fed that inflation, now a bit below its 2-percent target, could accelerate. (Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/1N6BwRs)
Some policymakers also worry the tax cuts could stoke risky investments that could tip the economy into another downturn.
But the Powell Fed is likely to take extreme care not to over-react to stronger economic data, according to a series of public statements by policymakers and minutes of their January meeting.
Investors can also take comfort from what those who have worked with Powell describe as his “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” approach, which ultimately helped him land his job.
While Powell has shown little appetite for sweeping changes, such as revamping an inflation-targeting regime as advocated by some of his colleagues, the new Fed chief has already begun setting his own tone.
He is “careful and practical but definitely open to new approaches,” said Narayana Kocherlakota, former Minneapolis Fed president who worked with the then-Fed Governor Powell between 2013 and 2015.
For one, Powell, a Republican former Treasury official who enjoys his regular private meetings with lawmakers of both parties, emphasizes a warmer relationship with Congress and avoids venturing outside of the Fed’s strict policy remit.
During his first appearance on Capitol Hill as Fed chief, when asked what he was willing to do to ensure economic growth benefits all Americans and not just elites, Powell stuck to the script saying the Fed simply lacked the tools to do that.
That marks a contrast to the era when Yellen and her predecessor Ben Bernanke were in charge.
Their years in office were dominated by innovation and experimentation in the face of crisis, an overhaul of how the Fed sets and communicates policy, and sometimes free-form public discussions about social issues like inequality that put Yellen in particular at odds with the Republicans who control Congress.
So far Powell has dropped no hints of immediate changes to press conferences or other means of communication. His reluctance to take unnecessary risks may convince him that any change could confuse the public, do little to improve policy, and draw unnecessary political fire. |
Nabil Bentaleb set to seal move from Tottenham to Schalke | Tottenham midfielder Nabil Bentaleb is close to triggering a £16million permanent move to Schalke.
The 21-year-old is on a season-long loan at the Bundesliga club and his 20th appearance for them, due to be against Cologne on Sunday, would trigger a clause in the deal to make the move permanent.
Bentaleb has scored four goals for Schalke this season.
Tottenham midfielder Nabil Bentaleb is close to triggering a £16m permanent move to Schalke
The 21-year-old midfielder is on a season-long loan at the Bundesliga club
Bentaleb was a regular under previous boss Tim Sherwood and still has more than three years of his contract to run.
But he has not started a Premier League game since August 2015 and does not figure in Mauricio Pochettino's plans.
Bentaleb has scored four goals and provided four assists this season for Schalke.
The midfielder, who has scored four goals in 21 caps for Algeria, moved to Tottenham in 2013 and has made 66 appearances for the club. |
Blast in Baghdad's Sadr City kills at least 16 | A car bomb attack in a busy square in Baghdad has killed at least 17 people.
The blast happened in the sprawling Sadr City district this morning and also wounded more than 40 people.
Many of the victims were daily labourers waiting for jobs at an intersection.
A car bomb attack in a busy square in Baghdad has killed at least 17 people. It comes days after another bomb blast in the Iraqi capital, pictured
Pictures posted on social media shortly after the explosion showed a huge plume of black smoke billowing into the sky and seriously injured people being evacuated.
There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but ISIS regularly targets civilian areas in the heavily fortified capital, even after losing most of the northern and western territory it seized in 2014.
The attack also comes as ISIS rained down on Iraqi military positions north of the capital and killed 16 pro-government fighters dead.
Meanwhile, three bombs killed 29 people across Baghdad on Saturday, and an attack near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday left seven policemen dead.
U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push ISIS, the Sunni Muslim militant group, from the northern city of Mosul, the fighters' last major stronghold in the country, but are facing fierce resistance.
The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for the jihadi's self-styled caliphate, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.
U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push ISIS, the Sunni Muslim militant group, from the northern city of Mosul, pictured
Since the offensive began on October 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of Mosul in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said the group would be driven out of the country by April.
As clashes continued in and around Mosul on Monday, ISIS also targeted military positions away from the main battlefield.
Militants attacked an army barracks near Baiji, north of Baghdad, killing four soldiers and wounding 12 people, including Sunni tribal fighters, army and police sources said.
Since the offensive began on October 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of Mosul in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein (file picture)
They seized weapons there and launched mortars at nearby Shirqat, forcing security forces to impose a curfew and close schools and offices in the town, according to local officials and security sources.
Shirqat mayor Ali Dodah said ISIS seized three checkpoints on the main road linking Baiji to Shirqat following the attacks. Shelling in Shirqat had killed at least two children, he told Reuters by phone.
In a separate incident, gunmen broke into a village near Udhaim, where they executed nine Sunni tribal fighters with shots to the head, police and medical sources said. |
Crookston Care Home | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
Which? Elderly Care | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
New Inn Nursing Home | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
Trump and Cuba should start dialogue - Mississippi governor says | Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (C), looks on at a meeting with Cuba's Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Rodrigo Malmierca (not pictured) in Havana, Cuba, April 19, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
HAVANA The Trump administration and the Cuban government need to start a dialogue, the Republican governor of Mississippi said on Wednesday during a trip to the Communist-led island to scout trade opportunities for his state.
"That's the first step: trying to get that dialogue going in a very positive manner," Phil Bryant said in an interview, adding that he had found his trip "encouraging."
Cuba watchers are looking closely for signs of how President Donald Trump will deal with the country, given he threatened during his campaign to roll back the fragile detente between the Untied States and Cuba, former Cold War foes.
The White House is undertaking a "full review" of America's foreign policy towards Cuba, press secretary Sean Spicer said in February.
The governor, who had just met with Cuba's trade minister, said it was key "not let too much of the political conditions in the United States become overwhelming."
"Sometimes people have a narrative of Mississippi as if it's 1960s, and it's not, and it's not the 1960s in Cuba," he said, citing changes like growth of private businesses.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro stunned the world in December 2014 when they announced the United States and Cuba would restore diplomatic ties after more than half a century of hostility.
Even with a U.S. embargo preventing most trade with Cuba, Mississippi already exports authorized products to the island such as frozen poultry and healthcare products, according to the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council.
There was room to increase that trade and as establish exchanges in healthcare and research, including perhaps bringing Cuban doctors to the Mississippi Delta, said Bryant.
(Reporting by Sarah Marsh) |
Toronto van attack suspect due in court on Tuesday | TORONTO (Reuters) - The driver suspected of killing 10 people and injuring 15 others when he plowed a rental van into pedestrians in Toronto will make his first court appearance on Tuesday when details of a motive for the attack were expected to emerge.
While the worst mass killing in Canada in decades has the hallmarks of other deadly vehicle assaults by Islamic State supporters in the United States and Europe, officials said it did not represent a threat to national security.
Alex Minassian, 25, identified by police as the suspect, will appear in a Toronto court at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT), Toronto police said. Charges will be made public at that time.
“All Canadians stand united with Toronto today,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an address outside of parliament in Ottawa.
“We cannot as Canadians choose to live in fear every single day as we go about our daily business. We need to focus on doing what we can and we must to keep Canadians safe while we stay true to the freedoms and values that we all as Canadians hold dear,” Trudeau said.
The prime minister said that, while it would take time before the motives of the attacker were understood, the incident had not changed the country’s threat level or security preparations for a G7 summit in Quebec in June.
People left flowers at a makeshift memorial, which grew as commuters returned to work on Tuesday morning. Blank white posters left against a stone wall were covered with messages.
The Canadian flag was lowered to half-staff at parliament and at Toronto city hall.
Minassian, who was not previously known to authorities, attended a high school program where one classmate remembered him as “absolutely harmless.”
Related Coverage Canada's Trudeau says security unchanged after Toronto van attack
The officer who apprehended Minassian was praised for making a peaceful arrest even as the suspect shouted “Kill me” and claimed to have a gun.
Canadians mourned as the victims began to be identified on Tuesday.
“We are a peaceful, tolerant, free society. The horrific violence on Toronto’s Yonge Street will strengthen rather than undermine these truths,” columnist John Ibbitson wrote in the Globe and Mail national newspaper.
The attack shook the usually peaceful streets of Toronto, a multicultural city with a population of 2.8 million. The city recorded 61 murders last year.
Downtown Toronto’s iconic CN Tower, which is normally lit up in the evening, went dark on Monday evening.
The drama started at lunchtime on a warm spring day, when the driver drove his vehicle into the crowds. The street was soon covered in blood, empty shoes and bodies.
Canada is still recovering from the shock of a highway crash in Saskatchewan earlier this month that killed 16 people on a bus carrying a junior hockey team.
A damaged van seized by police is seen after multiple people were struck at a major intersection northern Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Saul Porto
Last October, eight people died in New York when a man driving a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path. |
Appvion Inc. CFO Tom Ferree to Retire, Luke Kelly Named to Succeed Him | Appvion Inc. , Appleton, Wis., announced that Tom Ferree, the company's chief financial officer for the past 10 years, will retire from Appvion on June 30. As part of the planned transition, Luke Kelly will succeed Ferree and serve as vice president of finance and chief financial officer. Kelly, who is currently Appvion's corporate controller, will report to Kevin Gilligan, Appvion's CEO.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Business Forms Labels & Systems. |
Fire at Cypress Creek Cafe in Wimberley Square | In only two days, $23,000 has been raised for a Wimberley cafe that was burned down earlier this week. Those raising the funds say all of that money is going straight to the 54 Cypress Creek Cafe employees who are now out of a job.
Start the conversation, or Read more at KXAN-TV Austin. |
Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera exhibit on diplay at the Heard Museum | PanARMENIAN.Net - Heard Museum visitors have a rare opportunity to see masterpieces by legendary 20th Century Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera now that the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibit has opened in Phoenix. This is the only North American stop on a limited world tour that began in October at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, Art Daily said.
Start the conversation, or Read more at PanArmenian Network. |
Drought, wildfires force ranchers to scramble for feed | OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Ongoing drought and wildfires have cattle ranchers in at least five Southwestern U.S. states scrambling for hay or pastureland, while others are selling off some of their herds.
Extreme drought conditions have contributed to wildfires in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, delaying the growth of or destroying grass and wheat used to feed cattle in spring.
Rancher Darrel Shepherd of Custer, Oklahoma, says finding hay in northwest Oklahoma is nearly impossible and two wildfires that burned about 545 square miles (1412 sq. kilometers) have destroyed pastures.
Cattle are herded into a sale arena at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, April 24, 2018. Ranchers in the Southwest are already running short on food for their cattle as range conditions have deteriorated and warm-season grasses have yet to start growing due to drought. Some ranchers are searching for available pastures and others are considering downsizing their herds. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Federal agriculture officials in New Mexico say ranchers may not have feed to maintain their herd sizes and that some are already trimming their herds, while farmers along the Rio Grande are bracing for less water to irrigate their crops
___
Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque contributed to this report.
Cattle are herded into a sale arena at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, April 24, 2018. Ranchers in the Southwest are already running short on food for their cattle as range conditions have deteriorated and warm-season grasses have yet to start growing due to drought. Some ranchers are searching for available pastures and others are considering downsizing their herds. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) |
Lakers will attract ALOT of attention for Lou Williams | Lou Williams has been the subject of many many trade targets from both fans and the media, and for a rightful reason. Yes, we couldn't have won much games without him.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Silver Screen and Roll. |
2017 and the West Virginia Legislature - The Year of the Employer | The 2017 regular session of the West Virginia Legislature saw several changes in laws relevant to employers. Changes of interest to employers include the West Virginia Safer Workplace Act, Second Chance for Employment Act, West Virginia Workplace Freedom Act, West Virginia Medical Cannabis Act, striking employees and unemployment benefits, Physicians Freedom of Practice Act, and bonds for wages and benefits.
Start the conversation, or Read more at JD Supra. |
Which? Elderly Care | We always recommend that before selecting or making any important decisions about a care home you take the time to check that it is right for your or your relative's particular circumstances. Any description and indication of services and facilities on this page have been provided to us by the relevant care home and we cannot take any responsibility for any errors or other inaccuracies. However, please email us on the address you will find on our About us page if you think any of the information on this page is missing and / or incorrect. |
Dementia Support at Basildon Memory Clinic | Cookies at Which? We use cookies to help improve our sites. If you continue, we'll assume that you're happy to accept our cookies. Find out more about cookies
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St Herbert's D-caf Community | About St Herbert's D-caf Community
The Dementia Cafe provides information about living with dementia and other services available locally in an informal and comfortable environment. A Dementia Cafe is also a place to relax, socialise and meet other people with dementia and their carers. |
Venezuela seeks to cool outrage over court power grab | Julio Borges (C), President of the National Assembly and deputy of the Venezuelan coalition of opposition parties, tears a copy of a sentence of the Venezuela's Supreme Court during a news conference in Caracas. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (C) attends to a meeting with ministers and other Venezuelan authorities at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela April 1, 2017. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (L) and Venezuela's Supreme Court President Maikel Moreno shake hands during a meeting at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela March 31, 2017. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (C) speaks during a meeting with ministers and other Venezuelan authorities at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela April 1, 2017. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (C) attends to a meeting with ministers and other Venezuelan authorities at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela April 1, 2017. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS
Opposition supporters hold placards depicting Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro reading: 'No more dictatorship. Out Maduro' and 'No more dictatorship', during a rally against Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela April 1, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Veron
Opposition supporters gather near an anti-riot barricade during a rally against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela April 1, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
Opposition supporters clash with national guards during a rally against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela April 1, 2017 REUTERS/Marco Bello
Gaby Arellano, deputy of the Venezuelan coalition of opposition parties (MUD), reacts after she was dosed with pepper spray during a rally against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela April 1, 2017. REUTERS/Marco Bello
Gaby Arellano, deputy of the Venezuelan coalition of opposition parties (MUD), clashes with national guards during a rally against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela April 1, 2017 REUTERS/Marco Bello
CARACAS Venezuela's pro-government Supreme Court revoked its takeover of the opposition-led Congress on Saturday after it drew international condemnation and protests against socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
"This controversy is over," Maduro said just after midnight at a specially convened state security committee.
The committee ordered the top court to reconsider Wednesday's court ruling, which effectively nullified the legislature and brought accusations the ruling Socialist Party was creating a dictatorship.
The tribunal duly erased two controversial judgments and its president, Maikel Moreno, met with both foreign envoys and journalists to explain the decision, insisting there had never been any intention to strip the National Assembly of its powers.
Maduro, 54, who had faced dissent even within government ranks over the Supreme Court's move, sought to cast developments as the achievement of a statesman resolving a power conflict beneath him. But foes said it was a hypocritical row-back by an unpopular government that overplayed its hand in a power grab.
"You can't pretend to just normalize the nation after carrying out a 'coup,'" said Julio Borges, leader of the legislature.
Borges publicly tore up the court rulings this week and refused to attend the overnight security committee, whose members include the heads of major institutions.
He led an open-air meeting of the National Assembly in a Caracas square on Saturday.
Having already shot down most congressional measures since the opposition won control in 2015, the Supreme Court went further with its Wednesday decision. It said it was taking over the legislature's role because it was in "contempt" of the law.
TEAR GAS AND PEPPER SPRAY
Although scores of dissidents have been detained during Maduro's four-year rule and the National Assembly stripped of power anyway in practice, the court's move was arguably the most explicitly anti-democratic measure.
It galvanized Venezuela's demoralized and divided opposition coalition and sparked international condemnation and concern from the United Nations and European Union, as well as the United States and many neighboring countries.
The Supreme Court's flip-flop may take the edge off protests but Maduro's opponents at home and abroad will seek to maintain the pressure. They are furious that authorities thwarted a push for a referendum to recall Maduro last year and postponed local elections scheduled for 2016.
Now they are calling for next year's presidential election to be brought forward and the delayed local polls to be held, confident the ruling Socialist Party would lose.
Hundreds of opposition supporters marched in Caracas on Saturday. Police dispersed some with tear gas as residents banged pots and pans to support the demonstrators.
One opposition lawmaker said he was attacked three times by police using pepper spray. "Their violence does not stop us," said Miguel Pizarro, of the Justice First party.
In western San Cristobal, a hotbed of opposition support, about 80 people also marched with whistles and banners reading "Down with the dictatorship!"
"The Supreme Court is controlled by idiots. What they did is a crime, there was no justification, and now Nicolas Maduro backs off like a child," said pensioner Libia Zambrano, 77.
Also on Saturday, South America's MERCOSUR bloc met in Argentina with most of its members unhappy at Venezuela.
The hemispheric Organization of American States had a special session scheduled for Monday in Washington.
MADURO DECRIES "LYNCHING"
Maduro accuses the United States of orchestrating a campaign to oust him and said he had been subject this week to a "political, media and diplomatic lynching."
Some criticism even came from within government, with Attorney General Luisa Ortega rebuking the court in an extremely rare show of dissent from a senior official.
"It constitutes a rupture of the constitutional order," she said in a speech on state television on Friday.
Given past failures of opposition street protests, it is unlikely there will be mass support for a new wave.
Rather, opposition activists have said they hope ramped-up foreign pressure or a nudge from the powerful military may force Maduro's hand into bringing forward a presidential vote.
"Venezuela's grave situation remains the same," opposition leader Henrique Capriles said, calling on the government to free jailed activists, allow humanitarian aid into Venezuela, call elections and restore autonomy to congress.
Maduro, a former bus driver, foreign minister and self-declared "son" of late president and populist firebrand Hugo Chavez, was narrowly elected president in 2013. His ratings have plummeted as Venezuelans struggle with an unprecedented economic crisis, including food and medicine shortages and the world's highest inflation.
Critics blame a failing socialist system, whereas the government says its enemies are waging an "economic war." The fall in oil prices since mid-2014 has exacerbated the crisis.
The Supreme Court's move this week may have been partly motivated by financial conditions. The wording about taking over Assembly functions came in a ruling allowing Maduro to create joint oil ventures without congress' approval.
The OPEC nation urgently needs to raise money from oil partners to pay $3 billion in bond maturities due this month, analysts and sources say.
(Additional reporting by Diego Ore, Eyanir Chinea and Deisy Buitrago in Caracas, Anggy Polanco in San Cristobal; Editing by Bill Trott and Tom Brown) |
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