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AP source: MLB hopes for Yanks-Red Sox in London in 2019 | NEW YORK (AP) — A person familiar with the plans tells The Associated Press that Major League Baseball is working to finalize a two-game series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at London's Olympic Stadium on June 29-30 in 2019, the sport's first regular-season games in Europe.
The Red Sox have the option of having both games be Boston home games, the person familiar with the planning said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because no announcement had been made.
Baseball officials have long hoped for games on London and settled last year on Olympic Stadium, which is in its second season as home of West Ham of the Premier League. Because it originally was built for a 400-meter track, it is wider than other large stadiums in the London area and can best accommodate the dimensions of a baseball field.
MLB chose the June window because it is after the Premier League season and before the stadium must be made available for summer track and field events. MLB hopes to make an announcement within the next two months.
Each player would get $60,000 for participating in the games, according to the collective bargaining agreement.
MLB is playing regular-season games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Monterrey, Mexico, this year.
Baseball opened its season at Monterrey in 1999 (Colorado vs. San Diego); the Tokyo Dome in 2000 (Chicago Cubs-New York Mets), 2004 (Tampa Bay-Yankees), 2008 (Boston-Oakland) and 2012 (Seattle-Oakland); and at Sydney, Australia in 2014 (Los Angeles Dodgers-Arizona). The collective bargaining agreement had a provision for a 2019 opener in Toyko.
Additional regular-season games were played at Monterrey in 1996 (San Diego-Mets); and at San Juan in 2001 (Toronto-Texas), 2003-04 (a total of 43 Montreal home games) and 2010 (Mets-Florida Marlins).
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-03-20 06:28:00 | AP source: MLB hopes for Yanks-Red Sox in London in 2019 | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3385849 | |
GOP aide: No lawmakers injured in accident involving train carrying members of Congress to Republican meeting | WASHINGTON (AP) — GOP aide: No lawmakers injured in accident involving train carrying members of Congress to Republican meeting . | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-01 00:51:00 | GOP aide: No lawmakers injured in accident involving train carrying members of Congress to Republican meeting | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354861 | |
The Latest: Authorities locate bodies of all 4 fire victims | CLEVELAND (AP) — The Latest on the fatal house fire in Cleveland that killed two children and two adults (all times local):
9 p.m.
Authorities have located the bodies of all four victims of a house fire in Cleveland.
Fire officials and family members say a 3-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, the boy's 46-year-old father and the man's 44-year-old nephew were in the house when the blaze broke out overnight Tuesday and were unable to escape.
Crews needed heavy equipment to take apart and stabilize the heavily damaged home before it was safe to go inside and search for the victims.
By late Tuesday night, officials had announced that all four victims had been found.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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5:05 p.m.
Fire investigators have recovered the bodies of three people who died in a Cleveland house fire and are continuing to search for a fourth victim.
The city's fire chief says the search has been hampered by heavy damage to the home that first made it unsafe for firefighters to look for the victims.
Investigators and family members say a 3-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, the boy's 46-year-old father and the man's 44-year-old nephew were in the house when the fire started overnight Tuesday.
Firefighters say the mother of one of the children escaped by jumping from a second-floor window.
A fire department spokesman tells Cleveland.com that the woman said she and her husband tried but couldn't get to the children.
A cause of the fire hasn't been released.
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1:30 p.m.
Fire investigators say a heavily damaged home where two children and two adults are missing after an overnight fire in Cleveland is too dangerous to search.
A fire department spokesman says construction equipment will be used to take apart the home and make it safe for firefighters to search inside.
He says search crews will be careful not to disturb any potential evidence that could help determine what caused the fire.
Firefighters say a woman believed to be the children's mother escaped by jumping from a second floor window early Tuesday morning.
Investigators say a 4-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, their father and another man are missing.
The fire department spokesman tells Cleveland.com that the woman who survived said she tried but couldn't get to her children.
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11 a.m.
Investigators are using cadaver dogs to search through a Cleveland home where two children and two adults are missing after an overnight house fire.
Firefighters say a woman believed to be the children's mother escaped the fire early Tuesday morning by jumping from the home on the city's east side. She was taken to a hospital, and information about her condition wasn't immediately released.
Investigators say a 4-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, their father and another man are missing.
There was no immediate word on what caused the fire.
A relative of a man who was in the house says investigators told her they are checking for signs of arson.
Firefighters say the blaze caused severe damage, hindering their ability to search the charred home.
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6:45 a.m.
Authorities say two children and two adults are unaccounted for after an overnight house fire in Cleveland.
Firefighters say a woman believed to be the children's mother escaped the fire early Tuesday morning by jumping from the home on the city's east side. She was taken to a hospital, and information about her condition wasn't immediately released.
Investigators say a 4-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, their father and another man are missing.
Firefighters say the blaze caused severe damage, hindering their ability to search the charred home.
There was no immediate word on what caused the fire. The state fire marshal's office will help investigate. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-31 10:05:00 | The Latest: Authorities locate bodies of all 4 fire victims | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354555 | |
Jim Onorato Joins Johnson & Quin as National Sales Director | NILES, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2018--Johnson & Quin, a recognized name in full-service direct mail production and mailing services, announced that Jim Onorato has joined the company as National Sales Director. Onorato will be responsible for new business development and fostering relationships with accounts in a variety of vertical markets throughout the country. Onorato has extensive experience working with corporate clients in a variety of industries to develop strategic marketing plans for printing and direct mail programs. He has developed practical, cost-effective marketing solutions that meet client response and financial objectives.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530006472/en/
Jim Onorato (Photo: Business Wire)
Onorato has worked with many leading marketing services and technology companies including Vision Integrated Graphics Group, SG360° (a Segerdahl Company), RT Associates, Inc. and others throughout his extensive career in print and direct mail. He has been responsible for customer acquisition and retention, as well as sales leadership and strategic business development.
“Jim brings extensive knowledge in digital print technologies, direct mail and multi-channel marketing services to provide our clients with innovative marketing and communications solutions. Our sales team looks forward to working with Jim to identify new business opportunities and develop solutions here at Johnson & Quin. We have made significant investments in high speed color inkjet, color digital printing and high-speed production equipment. Jim will focus on presenting these exciting technologies and our secure, quality processes to clients and prospects,” said Andrew Henkel, Vice President of Sales at Johnson & Quin. “We are very excited to welcome Jim to the company.”
About Johnson & Quin
Johnson & Quin offers the latest production technologies including high-speed full color inkjet printing in combination with postal and mailing services to achieve the lowest postage and delivery costs. Johnson & Quin offers data services, other digital personalization and printing options, and certified data security. Johnson & Quin excels at high volume complex projects requiring personalized and variable data printing. For more information see www.j-quin.com, or find Johnson & Quin on Twitter or Facebook.
View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530006472/en/
CONTACT: Johnson & Quin, Inc.
Kay Wilt, 847-588-4549
Director Marketing
Kwilt@j-quin.com
KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA ILLINOIS
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMMUNICATIONS MARKETING OTHER COMMUNICATIONS
SOURCE: Johnson & Quin
Copyright Business Wire 2018.
PUB: 05/30/2018 04:52 PM/DISC: 05/30/2018 04:52 PM
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530006472/en | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-05-31 04:52:00 | Jim Onorato Joins Johnson & Quin as National Sales Director | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3444554 | |
Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd to join Northampton | Super Rugby-winning coach Chris Boyd will leave the Wellington-based Hurricanes at the end of the tournament to join England club Northampton as its director of rugby.
Boyd, who is also a former coach of the New Zealand Under-20s, was seen as a possible future All Blacks coach but has chosen to join an exodus of top New Zealand coaching talent to overseas clubs.
He follows Dave Rennie, who won two Super Rugby titles with the Chiefs and is now coaching in Scotland, and Jamie Joseph, who guided the Highlanders to a maiden Super Rugby title, and is now coaching Japan.
Boyd said it was tough to leave the Hurricanes after four seasons "but the opportunity at Northampton presented an exciting new challenge that was too good to pass up." | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-30 05:23:00 | Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd to join Northampton | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3353937 | |
AP News Guide: Michigan's 2018 candidate filing deadline | LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's 2018 elections will come into clearer focus Tuesday, the deadline for candidates to file for top offices such as governor, Congress and the Legislature.
Next is a 3½-month slog to the August primary, followed by the general election in November.
For Democrats, 2018 is make or break — a chance to take back power from Republicans who fully control the governments in Lansing and Washington, D.C. For the GOP, it is an opportunity to defy historical and cyclical trends that suggest trouble for the president's party in midterm elections despite Donald Trump's surprise Michigan victory in 2016.
A look at the key races:
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GOVERNOR
Second-term Gov. Rick Snyder's impending departure under term limits has led four Republicans and three Democrats into a battle to follow him. The GOP field includes three candidates with elective experience — state Attorney General Bill Schuette, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley and state Sen. Patrick Colbeck — and one newcomer, Dr. Jim Hines. Calley is running on Michigan's economic turnaround under Snyder's watch, while rival Schuette is touting a proposed income tax cut and his support from President Donald Trump. The conservative Colbeck bills himself as an anti-special interest candidate with "principled solutions," while Hines is the non-politician outsider.
The Democratic side features former Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer and two candidates who have never held elective office: businessman Shri Thanedar and ex-Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed. Whitmer says her legislative experience is needed to fix roads and schools neglected by Republicans. Thanedar is spending millions of his own money as Snyder did and hopes his rags-to-riches immigrant story resonates. El-Sayed, a young doctor and public health expert who would be the country's first Muslim governor, is refusing corporate campaign money and touting liberal issues such as Medicare for all and a $15-an-hour minimum wage.
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SENATE
Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow is up for re-election after coasting to victory in her two previous re-election campaigns. Her Republican opponent will be John James, an African-American Iraq War veteran and executive in his family's logistics business, or Sandy Pensler, a business turnaround expert whose investment group owns four manufacturing plants. Pensler has given $5 million to his campaign and said unlike the GOP nominees who lost to Stabenow in 2012 and 2006, "I haven't been in politics before." He says that he has the money to hold Stabenow "to her record, which is not a good one for Michigan." James said he can broaden the party to include millennial and minority voters. "This seat will not be bought. It must be earned," he said. Outside spending will depend on the national battle for control of the Senate, where the map favors Republicans but the national climate favors Democrats.
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HOUSE
Democrats need to pick up at least 24 seats to take control of the House for the last two years of Trump's first term, and some key targets are in Michigan. They include the GOP-leaning 11th District in suburban Detroit, where Rep. Dave Trott is retiring. At least five Republicans and three Democrats had filed as of noon. Another competitive seat is the 8th, which stretches between the northern Detroit suburbs and Lansing and is represented by Republican Rep. Mike Bishop. Democrat Elissa Slotkin, who had U.S. intelligence, national security and defense roles during the Obama and Bush administrations, must first win a primary against progressive Michigan State University professor Chris Smith to advance.
Former Rep. John Conyers' resignation and the approaching retirement of Rep. Sandy Levin have sparked a number of Democrats — including their sons — to jump into primaries that will decide the long-time lawmakers' successors, given they are Democratic-heavy seats. In the 9th District in suburban Detroit, Levin's son Andy will face two other Democrats. In the 13th, which includes parts of Detroit and western Wayne County, candidates include Conyers' son John and state Sen. Coleman Young II — the son of the former Detroit mayor. Many more were expected to file by day's end.
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Online:
List of who has filed: http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/candlist/2018PRI_CANDLIST.html
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Follow David Eggert on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/David%20Eggert | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-25 02:42:00 | AP News Guide: Michigan's 2018 candidate filing deadline | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413419 | |
Russia says its athletes want to compete at the Olympics | MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian Olympic Committee says its athletes are overwhelmingly in favor of competing at the upcoming Pyeongchang Olympics.
Sofia Velikaya says the ROC athletes' commission, which she chairs, has heard from "all the athletes in all sports" on the Olympic program, with a majority in favor of competing.
Velikaya says no athletes have told the ROC they would rather boycott and adds "at the current moment, everyone's training and everyone's hoping to take part in the Olympics."
The International Olympic Committee last week barred the Russian team from the Olympics because of doping offenses at the 2014 Sochi Games, but is allowing Russians to compete under a neutral flag as "Olympic Athletes from Russia." | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-12-11 17:32:00 | Russia says its athletes want to compete at the Olympics | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3317893 | |
Guatemala ups number of missing to 332 in volcano eruption | GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Authorities in Guatemala have raised by more than 130 the number of people officially missing from last month's deadly eruption of the Volcano of Fire.
The country's disaster agency says in a statement that the new figure is 332, up from 197 previously.
It said Wednesday that the revision followed a review of nearly 200,000 records and verifying lists of people living in shelters.
The Volcano of Fire is one of the region's most active, located to the southwest of Guatemala City.
Authorities have confirmed at least 113 deaths from the June 3 eruption, which sent superheated flows raging through small villages. Eighty-five of those bodies have been identified. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-07-05 01:57:00 | Guatemala ups number of missing to 332 in volcano eruption | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3474380 | |
Ozuna HR starts comeback as Marlins beat A's 11-6 | MIAMI (AP) — Marcell Ozuna homered to start the Miami Marlins' comeback from an early four-run deficit, and they beat the Oakland Athletics 11-6 Wednesday to complete a two-game sweep.
Ozuna hit his 17th home run to start the second inning, added a double and had three RBIs. Tyler Moore hit his fifth homer and scored three times to help the Marlins overcome a wobbly outing by Edinson Volquez, who had a no-hitter in his most recent home start.
Ichiro Suzuki had a pinch-hit single in the fifth for his 365th interleague hit, breaking Derek Jeter's major league record.
Ryon Healy hit a three-run homer for the Athletics (27-38), who fell to 11 games below .500 for the first time. They went 1-5 on their trip and lost their ninth consecutive road series, their longest such streak since 1986.
Oakland lost after leading by three or more runs three times on the trip. Daniel Gossett (0-1) couldn't hold a 4-0 lead in his major league debut after being called up from Triple-A Nashville, and allowed seven runs, six earned, in 3 1-3 innings.
Volquez lasted only four innings and gave up four hits, four walks and five runs, four earned.
Kyle Barraclough (2-1), the first of six Miami relievers, pitched a scoreless fifth.
PITCHER HITTING
Gossett reached in the fourth on an infield single, his first major league hit and the first by Athletics pitchers in their past 27 at-bats over two seasons. He then scored on Jed Lowrie's double to put Oakland ahead 5-4.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Oakland: RF Matt Joyce left in the third, one inning after he cut his chin colliding with first baseman Yonder Alonso pursuing a popup, which Alonso caught.
Miami: LHP Braxton Garrett, the Marlins' top prospect, will receive a second opinion on his sore left elbow next week from specialist Dr. James Andrews. Garrett has been diagnosed with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament and could require Tommy John surgery.
ROSTER MOVE
To make room on the roster for Gossett, 1B-OF Matt Olson was optioned to Nashville.
DRAFT PICK
The Marlins took the brother of Chicago Bears tight end Dion Sims in the 14th round of the draft. Demetrius Sims is a shortstop at Bethune-Cookman.
UP NEXT
Miami: The Marlins hit the road after winning for the 10th time in their past 12 home games. They begin a three-game series at Atlanta on Friday, when RHP Dan Straily (4-4, 3.89) will pitch against LHP Sean Newcomb (0-1, 0.00).
Oakland: The A's return home for a four-game series against the Yankees beginning Thursday, when RHP Sonny Gray (2-2, 4.37) will face LHP Jordan Montgomery (4-4, 3.55).
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-06-15 03:54:00 | Ozuna HR starts comeback as Marlins beat A's 11-6 | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3188116 | http://tnimage.taiwannews.com.tw/photos/shares/AP/20170614/2daa0ba1cc1a4fd8a4a8ce081b87ee63.jpg |
All eyes on Team Canada in figure skating at Olympics | The figure skating contingent from Canada, at 17 strong the largest of any nation, intends to lead its country into the Winter Olympics next week in ways both literal and figurative.
The literal: Two-time ice dance medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, one of the favorites to win gold, will carry the maple leaf flag into Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony.
The figurative: With three ice dance couples, three pairs, three women and two men, the Canadians are podium threats in all four disciplines, not to mention heavy favorites in the team event.
"I'm so impressed by the depth of this team," said Isabelle Charest, the Canadian chef de mission and a three-time Olympic medalist in speed skating. "There are so many strong contenders and we have tremendous hope for them heading into the games."
The hope is grounded in some accomplished resumes.
Virtue and Moir, the reigning world champions, are a good place to start. The eight-time national champions were unbeaten all of last season and have put up huge marks to their Rolling Stones-inspired short program and their equally mesmerizing free dance set to music from "Moulin Rouge!"
They'll be joined in the ice dance competition by the teams of Piper Gilles-Paul Poirier and Kaitlyn Weaver-Andrew Poje, the latter two-time world championship medalists.
"We've grown up together," Moir said, "and it's going to be a special moment to take the ice with them and go for gold. We're looking forward to embracing the Olympic spirit."
Two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, who took silver at last year's Four Continents on the same Olympic ice, give the Canadians a medal contender in the pairs event. The teams of Julianne Sequin-Charlie Bilodeau and Kirsten Moore-Towers-Michael Marino also will compete.
While all eyes in the women's event will be on Russian stars Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova, Canadians Kaetlyn Osmond and Gabrielle Daleman are nearly as formidable. They finished second and third behind Medvedeva at last year's worlds in Finland.
And rising star Larkyn Austman will have her first Olympic experience.
"In 2014, Canada didn't have any medal contenders at the Olympics," Osmond said, "and you almost forget that Gabby and I finished second and third (at worlds) last year. "It's exciting that we're able to send three women to the Olympics, especially because we haven't done it in many years."
Olympic silver medalist Patrick Chan, a three-time world champion and two-time Grand Prix final champ, will be joined by Keegan Messing in a wide-open men's event.
"I feel really good about my confidence for the whole team," Chan said. "After seeing how my teammates have done during the Grand Prix season, talking to Eric and Scott, it's been great. We have really great team energy."
Figure skating historically has been an individual sport, even with the inclusion of a team event at the 2014 Sochi Olympics — where the Canadians finished second to Russia. But there is a strong sense of camaraderie within Team Canada, a close-knit feeling where everyone roots for everyone else.
Even if they happen to be skating against them.
Perhaps their nation's somewhat puzzling Olympic pedigree plays into it. Canada has won 25 medals in figure skating, one behind Russia for second most (the U.S. has 49). But only four of those have been gold, including the pairs medal that Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were forced to share with the Russian team after a scoring controversy at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
Virtue and Moir have two of Canada's three ice dance medals, Barbara Ann Scott won its only ladies gold at the 1948 St. Moritz Games and the men have won five silver and four bronze but no gold.
Chan was the latest, finishing behind Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu in Sochi.
This could be Canada's big chance, though. Its sizeable stable, deep experience and the fact that it has contenders in every event could make "O Canada!" the soundtrack of the Olympics.
It could also make its flag quite popular — especially after Virtue and Moir carry it for the opening ceremony.
"The figure skating team is something else," Virtue said, "but Team Canada across the board is something fierce. It's great to be part of that." | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-31 06:59:00 | All eyes on Team Canada in figure skating at Olympics | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354519 | |
Pistons acquire Griffin from Clippers in blockbuster deal | The Detroit Pistons shook up their struggling roster in dramatic fashion, acquiring star forward Blake Griffin in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Pistons announced the deal early Tuesday morning. Detroit sent forward Tobias Harris, guard Avery Bradley and center Boban Marjanovic to Los Angeles, with the Clippers also receiving draft picks. Detroit also acquired forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed in the deal.
"We are serious about winning, and this is a major move to improve our team," Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. "Blake Griffin is one of the NBA's elite players, and when you get an opportunity to add that kind of talent, you take it."
Griffin is averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 33 games this season, but the Clippers have been plagued by injuries and are ninth in the Western Conference standings.
Detroit is scuffling as well. The Pistons have lost eight straight heading into Tuesday night's game against Cleveland.
The 28-year-old Griffin has been the face of the Clippers, and last July, he agreed to a $171 million, five-year deal, ending a brief flirtation with free agency. He told his teammates, coach Doc Rivers and owner Steve Ballmer, "I want my legacy to be a Clipper."
The deal didn't include a no-trade clause.
The addition of Griffin gives Detroit's frontcourt another standout alongside Andre Drummond, but it also represents a clear change in course from the roster the Pistons had assembled. Detroit acquired Bradley in a trade with Boston last offseason, but he's in the final season of his contract. Harris has been impressive for the Pistons this season, shooting a career-best 41 percent from 3-point range.
"The move is not without risk. We gave up a lot to get him, including Tobias Harris — one of the hardest-working, highest-character players I know — and two high-quality young men in Avery Bradley and Boban Marjanovic," Gores said. "But we are very excited to bring Blake Griffin to Detroit. He is a great fit for our team and will bring a combination of toughness and athleticism that will elevate our team and excite our fans."
Detroit's season was looking promising until a late-December injury to point guard Reggie Jackson. The Pistons have stumbled while he's been out with a sprained right ankle, and the team is facing the prospect of missing the playoffs in its first season at its new downtown arena.
Detroit's next six games are at home, so the Pistons will have a chance to turn this season around — and an opportunity to build for a future with both Griffin and Drummond.
"His presence will help us offensively and his size gives us another rebounder and weapon in the paint," said Stan Van Gundy, Detroit's coach and team president. "Willie Reed and Brice Johnson are two young players that give us size and depth."
For the Clippers, moving Griffin continues a makeover of a franchise that has never made it past the second round of the playoffs.
The Clippers traded All-Star point guard Chris Paul to Houston last summer. He had been credited with bringing respectability to the team that was once the laughingstock of the league. Without Paul, Los Angeles won its first four games to open the season, and then lost nine of its next 11. The team is one game above .500 going into Tuesday night's game against Portland.
Paul's replacement, Patrick Beverley, has missed the entire season after right knee surgery. Also missing time have been DeAndre Jordan, Danilo Gallinari, Austin Rivers and Milos Teodosic.
Los Angeles receives a protected first-round draft choice and a second-round pick from the Pistons.
The Clippers drafted Griffin first overall out of Oklahoma in 2009. However, he missed the 2009-10 season after surgery on his broken left kneecap, the first of several injuries that have marred his career.
Griffin missed 21 games last season and 47 in 2015-16 because of injuries.
As a rookie, he was an All-Star, won the slam dunk contest and was named NBA Rookie of the Year.
He has averaged 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in his career.
Even before the Pistons announced the deal, there was plenty of reaction on social media Monday night. Harris had a message on his accounts thanking Detroit for its support. Griffin's Twitter account had its own message with no words — just an image of actor Will Smith with a surprised expression on his face.
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More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball
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Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister
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AP Sports Writer Beth Harris contributed to this report. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-23 00:00:00 | Pistons acquire Griffin from Clippers in blockbuster deal | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354064 | |
US steps up pressure on Hamas with new terror designation | TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The U.S. has added the leader of Hamas to its list of international terrorists, ratcheting up pressure on the Islamic militant group.
State Department counterterror official Nathan A. Sales told a Tel Aviv conference that Ismail Haniyeh is now considered a "specially designated global terrorist." The designation freezes any assets Haniyeh may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bars Americans from any financial transactions with him.
The U.S. already considers Hamas a terrorist organization. Wednesday's announcement steps up U.S. opposition to the group, which has killed hundreds of Israelis and has fought three wars with Israel since taking over the Gaza Strip in 2007.
Hamas says the designation will not deter it from opposing Israel. Other Hamas officials, including the group's Gaza leader, are also on the list. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-01 01:49:00 | US steps up pressure on Hamas with new terror designation | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354897 | |
Goffin defeats Granollers in 2nd round of Barcelona Open | BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — David Goffin saved a match point to defeat Marcel Granollers of Spain 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 Tuesday in the second round of the Barcelona Open.
Goffin was down 5-1 in the second set before recovering to reach the third round for the second consecutive year in Barcelona.
The fourth-seeded Belgian will play either Leonardo Mayer of Argentina or Karen Khachanov of Russia.
Ecuador Open champion Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain defeated Andreas Haider-Maurer of Austria 6-2, 6-4 to set up a second-round encounter with 10-time champion Rafael Nadal.
Sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic will play his second-round match against Slovak Martin Klizan, who defeated Argentine Federico Delbonis 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4.
Tour veteran Feliciano Lopez of Spain defeated Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in a second-round match, while Malek Jaziri of Tunisia beat American Ernesto Escobedo 6-4, 6-3. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-25 01:08:00 | Goffin defeats Granollers in 2nd round of Barcelona Open | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413382 | |
Comedy Central's Klepper gathers with gun activists | NEW YORK (AP) — Comedy Central's Jordan Klepper is planning a slumber party for young activists pushing for action on gun control
Klepper plans to host Thursday's episode of his show, "The Opposition," from a bedroom of a private home in Bethesda, Maryland. That's where young people are gathering in preparation for Saturday's March For Our Lives on Washington to oppose gun violence.
Klepper took special interest in the issue even before he began hosting the show last fall. He did several stories on gun control when he was part of "The Daily Show."
He plans to stay in character, as a right-wing conspiracy theorist, as he interviews the activists. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-03-20 04:13:00 | Comedy Central's Klepper gathers with gun activists | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3385791 | |
People in Taiwan's small town help a street person seen eating leftovers | TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—A person in a small town in northern Taiwan saw a street person dredging up foods from a dirty kitchen leftovers bin on the street and his strong sympathy for the street person had prompted a wave of support from netizens and police. Now the street person surnamed Chan has been brought home by his family after they were alerted by the story on social media.
A man of Tongsiao Township, Miaoli County surnamed Yang said he saw a street person dredging up foods from a leftovers bin on the street to eat in cold weather on December 8. As he couldn’t bear to see somebody living in such a wretched condition as eating dirty leftovers, he went to buy a box of braised pork rice, miso soup and soybean drink and gave the foods to him for free, hoping him not to eat leftovers again.
Yang even went as far as to take it to Tongsiao townspeople’s Facebook fan club to urge townspeople to give the street person a helping hand if they see him on the street. Yang’s post has gone so viral that thousands of people clicked the Like button and that some people brought over noodles, bread and drinks they bought and gave the foods to Chan in relay fashion so he could have three meals a day.
Bakery owner Wu Chieh-hung (吳杰紘) said that he saw the post on the internet and learned that Chan seemed to be physically handicapped and was also not good at expressing himself, so he sent Chan bread and cakes the store made so he could have something to eat at any time.
Tongsiao police chief Chou Kuo-ping (周國平) said on Monday that besides the crowdsourcing, police officers were worried about him living on the street, so they went to look for him and brought him back to the police station. It happened that Chan’s family were alerted by the messages on Facebook, so they came from Changhua and brought him back home, Chou added.
Chan’s family told police that Chan was unsociable and ran away very often, which made the family members very concerned about him. However, Chan’s family expressed their hearty thanks to Tongsiao’s police and people for their great help.
The local police chief praised the help of the internet as well as the warm local community, saying that in less than 36 hours, Chan not only got great help from sympathetic townspeople but also went home safely. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-12-11 21:22:00 | A person in a small town in northern Taiwan saw a street person dredging up foods from a dirty kitchen leftovers bin on the street, and his strong sympathy for the street person has prompted a wave of support from netizens and police. | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3318027 | |
Taipei archbishop dismisses speculation about China-Vatican ties | Taipei, Feb. 3 (CNA) Dialogue between the Holy See and China, especially regarding the appointment of Chinese bishops, does not mean that the two countries will establish diplomatic ties, Archbishop of Taipei John Hung Shan-chuan said Saturday, commenting on media reports of a significant breakthrough in China-Vatican ties.
Reuters reported Thursday that a framework accord between the two countries on the appointment of bishops in China was ready and "could be signed in a few months," citing an unnamed senior Vatican source.
The report said that even a partial resolution of that contentious issue could open the way for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Vatican and China.
Speaking with CNA on Saturday, however, Hung dismissed those claims, saying that the potential for Beijing and the Vatican to establish diplomatic relations make headlines every year but never end up being true.
Hung said the Holy See maintains diplomatic ties with countries based solely on shared values of freedom, democracy, and human rights, and Taiwan has been proactive in championing all those values.
Taiwan has put in a lot of effort and money into the humanitarian initiatives spearheaded by the Vatican, and Pope Francis has reciprocated by showing similar care for Taiwan, Hung said.
He said the Church would know if in fact something happening regarding the diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the Holy See, but currently there is no such information within the Church.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday that the recent China-Vatican talks had nothing to do with politics, and that the Taiwan government would continue to strengthen its ties with the Vatican and monitor the situation in Beijing.
China does not allow its diplomatic allies to maintain formal ties with Taiwan, which means that if the Vatican decides to switch sides, it would have to sever its diplomatic relations with Taiwan. (By Lee Ming-zong and Kuan-lin Liu) | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-03 17:50:00 | Despite talks, the Vatican is not about to establish official diplomatic ties with China and abandon Taiwan, the archbishop of Taipei says. | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354357 | |
Israel vows to retain West Bank control in any peace deal | JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said Israel will retain security control over the Palestinians as part of any future peace deal, deepening Palestinian fears that Israel and the Trump administration are colluding on a proposal that will fall far short of their dreams of independence.
Netanyahu's statement exposed a deepening rift that has emerged between the U.S. and Israel on one hand, and the Palestinians and the Europeans on the other, ahead of an expected peace push by the Trump administration. Those disagreements could complicate things for the U.S. team.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has distanced himself somewhat from the two-state solution — the outcome favored by the international community, including Trump's predecessors, for the past two decades.
Instead, he has said he would support Palestinian independence only if Israel agrees. The European Union, meanwhile, along with the rest of the international community, remains committed to the two-state solution.
These differences were evident at a meeting Wednesday between Netanyahu and the German foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel.
In an awkward exchange, Gabriel said his country is "very much in favor" of the two-state solution.
"I was very thankful to hear that of course also the government of Israel wants to have two states, but (with secure) borders," he said.
Netanyahu broke in with a clarification.
He said Israel's "first condition," would be to control security west of the Jordan River, an area that includes all of the West Bank, the heartland of the Palestinians' hoped-for state.
"Whether or not it is defined as a state when we have the military control is another matter," he said. "I'd rather not discuss labels, but substance."
That suggests Israel would prefer something most observers would more likely define as autonomy than independence — an arrangement that would have few if any equivalents in the world.
The Palestinians claim all of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, areas captured by Israel in 1967, for their state. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but it has settled over 600,000 people in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, making it increasingly difficult to partition the land.
Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Palestinians would not accept the presence of "one Israeli soldier" on sovereign Palestinian lands.
"Either there will be full Palestinian sovereignty or there will be no security, no peace and no stability," he said.
Advocates of the two-state solution, including Israel's opposition parties, have long argued that the establishment of a Palestinian state is essential for Israel's own survival. Without a Palestinian state, they say that the number of Jews and Arabs under Israeli control will be roughly equal.
Israel would then have to choose between granting millions of Palestinians citizenship, threatening the country's status as a Jewish-majority democracy, or turning into an apartheid-like state where Jews and Palestinians have different sets of rights.
It is far from certain that Netanyahu's envisioned solution would ease international concerns over Israel's half-century occupation over the Palestinians.
The Palestinians have long been suspicious of Trump's Mideast team, led by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, due to their deep connections to Israel and years of support to the West Bank settlement movement.
Those suspicions deepened after Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital last month. The Palestinians accused Trump of siding with Israel and said they would no longer accept the U.S. as a mediator.
Palestinian officials now claim that Trump's team is working with Israel on a plan that would give them a mini-state in roughly half of the West Bank, with Israel retaining overall security control, as well as control over Jerusalem and its holy sites. Final borders and the fate of Israel's dozens of settlements would be decided later. The officials say a third country with close ties to the U.S. recently presented details of the proposal.
When they tried to negotiate improvements, they say they were told it was a "take it or leave it" plan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a classified diplomatic issue.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Officials have said recently that the White House is still working on its proposal, and have refused to say when it might be unveiled.
On Wednesday, European officials urged the administration not to go it alone.
"Any framework for negotiations must be multilateral and must involve all players," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in Brussels. "Nothing without the United States, nothing with the United States alone."
At an academic conference in Tel Aviv, Gabriel, the German foreign minister, expressed grave concern for Israel's future, saying the government's ambivalence toward a Palestinian state showed a lack of direction and suggesting that Trump's unflinching support wasn't necessarily in Israel's best interest.
Gabriel said that in Europe "there is clearly growing frustration with Israel's actions," and asked Israelis: "How do you want Israel's future to look like? Are you prepared to pay the price of perpetual occupation?" | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-01 02:08:00 | Israel vows to retain West Bank control in any peace deal | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354893 | |
Wednesday's Major League Linescores | AMERICAN LEAGUE Toronto 000 002 002—4 6 1 Boston 001 012 02x—6 11 1
Gaviglio, Oh (7), Tepera (8) and Maile; Rodriguez, Barnes (7), B.Johnson (9), Kimbrel (9) and C.Vazquez. W_Rodriguez 6-1. L_Gaviglio 2-1. Sv_Kimbrel (18). HRs_Toronto, Hernandez (8). Boston, Nunez (4), Martinez (18).
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Chicago 000 000 001—1 5 2 Cleveland 205 200 00x—9 13 0
Lopez, Volstad (3), Avilan (4), Rondon (5), Fry (6), N.Jones (7), Soria (8) and Narvaez; Kluber, Beliveau (7), Marshall (8), B.Taylor (9) and Gomes. W_Kluber 8-2. L_Lopez 1-4. HRs_Chicago, Sanchez (3). Cleveland, Ramirez (17), Encarnacion (13).
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Houston 000 020 001—3 7 0 New York 100 022 00x—5 8 1
Keuchel, McHugh (6) and Stassi; L.Severino, Dav.Robertson (8), A.Chapman (9) and Romine. W_L.Severino 8-1. L_Keuchel 3-7. Sv_A.Chapman (12). HRs_Houston, Stassi (5).
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Los Angeles 001 000 000—1 7 0 Detroit 100 005 00x—6 9 0
Ohtani, Bedrosian (6), J.Johnson (6), Morris (8) and Maldonado; Fiers, Jimenez (8), Greene (9) and Greiner. W_Coleman 2-0. L_Bedrosian 1-1.
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Minnesota 001 124 000— 8 11 0 Kansas City 270 000 11x—11 16 0
Romero, Slegers (2), Pressly (8) and B.Wilson; Keller, Oaks (4), B.Smith (5), Flynn (6), McCarthy (7), Hill (8), K.Herrera (9) and S.Perez. W_McCarthy 4-2. L_Romero 2-2. Sv_K.Herrera (12). HRs_Minnesota, Dozier (8), Adrianza (1). Kansas City, Moustakas (12), Soler (8), Dozier (1).
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Tampa Bay 013 000 020—6 10 0 Oakland 000 000 000—0 1 4
Eovaldi, Font (7), Nuno (9) and Sucre; Manaea, Ramirez (6), Coulombe (8), Hatcher (9) and Lucroy. W_Eovaldi 1-0. L_Manaea 5-6. HRs_Tampa Bay, Refsnyder (2), Field (5).
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INTERLEAGUE Washington 001 000 100—2 7 0 Baltimore 000 000 000—0 4 0
Scherzer, Doolittle (9) and P.Severino; Hess, M.Castro (7), Hart (8), Wright Jr. (9) and Sisco. W_Scherzer 9-1. L_Hess 2-2. Sv_Doolittle (13). HRs_Washington, Harper (18).
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NATIONAL LEAGUE St. Louis 000 000 200—2 8 1 Milwaukee 000 010 20x—3 10 1
A.Reyes, Gant (5), Lyons (7), Tuivailala (7) and Kelly; Guerra, Jeffress (7), Hader (8), Knebel (9) and Kratz, Pina. W_Jeffress 5-0. L_Tuivailala 1-1. Sv_Knebel (5). HRs_St. Louis, Bader (5). Milwaukee, Yelich (7).
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Cincinnati 000 402 001—7 12 0 Arizona 301 000 000—4 13 1
Romano, W.Peralta (6), Hughes (7), Garrett (7), R.Iglesias (8) and Barnhart; Corbin, Salas (7), Chafin (8), McFarland (9) and Murphy. W_Romano 3-6. L_Corbin 5-2. Sv_R.Iglesias (9). HRs_Cincinnati, Schebler (6), Duvall (10). Arizona, Goldschmidt (7), Murphy (7).
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Chicago 100 000 000—1 9 1 Pittsburgh 110 000 00x—2 9 0
Hendricks, R.Rosario (6), Mazzoni (7), J.Wilson (7) and Contreras; Musgrove, Crick (8), F.Vazquez (9) and Cervelli. W_Musgrove 2-0. L_Hendricks 4-4. Sv_F.Vazquez (10). HRs_Pittsburgh, Harrison (2).
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New York 000 100 111—4 9 1 Atlanta 000 000 100—1 5 0
Vargas, T.Peterson (6), Familia (8), Gsellman (9) and Plawecki; Teheran, Carle (8), S.Freeman (8), Socolovich (9) and Suzuki. W_Vargas 2-3. L_Teheran 4-3. Sv_Gsellman (2). HRs_Atlanta, Camargo (4).
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San Francisco 020 220 010—7 11 0 Colorado 310 000 000—4 11 0
Holland, Moronta (6), Watson (7), S.Dyson (8), Strickland (9) and Posey; Gray, Musgrave (4), Oberg (6), McGee (8), Rusin (9) and Wolters. W_Holland 3-6. L_Musgrave 0-1. Sv_Strickland (11). HRs_Colorado, Arenado (11).
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Miami 000 200 000—2 4 1 San Diego 000 100 002—3 6 0
Urena, Steckenrider (7), Barraclough (8), Ziegler (9) and Realmuto; Richard, Strahm (8) and Lopez. W_Strahm 1-2. L_Ziegler 0-5. HRs_Miami, Castro (3). San Diego, Reyes (4).
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Philadelphia 000 000 101—2 8 1 Los Angeles 103 120 01x—8 13 0
Eflin, Arano (5), Hutchison (7) and Alfaro; Stripling, Garcia (8), Venditte (9) and Grandal. W_Stripling 3-1. L_Eflin 1-2. HRs_Philadelphia, Williams (6). Los Angeles, Muncy (7), Kemp (7). | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-05-31 13:25:00 | Wednesday's Major League Linescores | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3444863 | |
China fines Emirates after plane flew at wrong height | BEIJING (AP) — China's civil aviation authority says it has fined Dubai-based airline Emirates and barred it from adding new routes in China over the next six months after two of its flights were cited for unsafe operations.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement Wednesday that the flights occurred on April 17 and May 18 over the city of Urumqi in China's western Xinjiang region.
It said in the first instance an Emirates plane flew at the wrong height, and in the second a plane temporarily lost contact with air traffic control.
It has imposed a fine of 29,000 RMB ($4,300) on the Middle East's largest airline.
Emirates didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-06-15 10:50:00 | China fines Emirates after plane flew at wrong height | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3188296 | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/images/category/580888eb17740.jpg |
Army vet shot by police at VA clinic faces charges | SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An Army veteran who was shot during a confrontation inside a Veterans Affairs clinic in Oregon where he went to seek help for mental problems was in jail Tuesday, charged with attempted assault, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing and other crimes.
Gilbert "Matt" Negrete allegedly displayed a knife Thursday after arriving at the clinic in White City, where he had an appointment. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office said VA police tried "less-lethal force options" to disarm Negrete before one of the officers fired, hitting him in the chest. Negrete, 34, was flown to a hospital in nearby Medford. No one else was injured.
Negrete was released from the hospital Saturday and is in the county jail with bail set at $250,000, Deputy District Attorney Laura Cromwell told The Associated Press. Negrete was arraigned Monday via a video hookup from jail, Cromwell said. He is being provided with a public defender.
Authorities will convene a grand jury later this week which will determine whether to indict Negrete, Cromwell said in a telephone interview. She anticipates that his attorney will urge the grand jury to take Negrete's military history into account. At least five of seven jurors must concur for the case to move forward.
The grand jury will also review the police officer's actions. A grand jury is convened every time there is an officer-involved shooting in the county, Cromwell said.
Negrete's service record, obtained by The AP from the U.S. Army Human Resources Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky, shows that Negrete served in Iraq for one year starting in October 2008 and then in Afghanistan from October 2010 to August 2011. He was awarded the Army Achievement Medal, which the government says is issued for a soldier who "distinguished himself or herself by meritorious service or achievement ... while serving in a non-combat area," as well as more routine medals and ribbons.
He was in the Army from February 2008 to December 2011 and the Army Reserve from September 2012 until February 2016, and reached the rank of private first class, the service record said.
Negrete's wife, Alyss Maio, from whom he is estranged, told the Mail Tribune newspaper of Medford that he was a helicopter electrician, diagnostician and technician with the 10th Mountain Division and received an honorable discharge. She said she first noticed Negrete's mental health problems after he returned from Iraq.
"He wasn't like this before he deployed," she said. "Within 30 days of his coming home, it was very clear he had changed."
Negrete's father, Gilbert, said he drove his son to the VA clinic to get treatment for paranoid delusions that led him to believe he was being monitored and watched, the Mail Tribune reported.
"We've been trying to get him in there forever," the father said. "I didn't take him there to get shot."
He described his son's knife as a paring knife.
"It's a tiny little knife, but I'm sure to them it looked huge," he said.
The sheriff's office said Negrete had a run-in with the law days before he was shot.
Police arrested Negrete on Jan. 23 on charges of driving under the influence of a controlled substance and attempting to elude police. He was released from jail the following day due to overcrowding. The sheriff's office said a man believed to be Negrete then tried to get his car from an impound lot and allegedly threatened an employee with a knife.
The next day he came for his appointment at the VA clinic.
___
AP investigative researcher Randy Herschaft in New York contributed to this story.
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Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-31 04:48:00 | Army vet shot by police at VA clinic faces charges | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354456 | |
Lighting Science Partners with Target Holdings UK Ltd. to Bring Human-Centric Lighting to the United Kingdom | WEST WARWICK, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--Lighting Science ®, the global leader in human-centric lighting solutions, announced today the launch of the international versions of its GoodDay ® A19, GoodNight ® A19, and Sleepy Baby ® LED bulbs, and the offering of these products in the UK market. These popular LED lighting products will be available for both consumer and commercial sale beginning in May 2018, through a partnership with the premier UK distributor, Target Holdings UK Ltd.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005656/en/
For 30 years, Lighting Science has been pioneering human-centric LED solutions for varying environments, from residential and educational, to workplace and healthcare. Target Holding’s recognition and understanding of the existing LED market in the UK, and of the increased demand for healthy lighting in all channels and verticals of this market, has led to a natural partnership with Lighting Science. This partnership combines the technology and products of Lighting Science with the channel knowledge of Target Holdings to engage a market that is poised to embrace healthy lighting.
“As wellness trends become more popular in the UK, Europe and globally, we are committed to bringing our products to end-users in these geographies,” said Khim Lee, President of Lighting Science. “We are excited to team up with Target Holdings, whose focus is on educating the consumer about the science behind our top-performing human-centric products. This partnership confirms the growing traction that Lighting Science products are gaining worldwide.”
Lighting Science’s team of experts were the first to develop patented technologies in collaboration with NASA to support the circadian rhythms of astronauts on the International Space Station. Using these proprietary engineered spectrum technologies, the GoodDay ® A19, GoodNight ® A19, and Sleepy Baby ® bulbs promote increased productivity, performance and focus during the day and a more restful sleep at night. These products will be available online for immediate delivery across Europe through three channels - via Lighting Science at www.amazon.com.uk, through Target Holdings UK at www.targetholdings.co.uk, and through the Optoguard label at www.optoguard.co.uk.
“We are excited to team up with Lighting Science to bring their healthy LED lighting solutions to our commercial and residential customers in the United Kingdom,” said Simon Parslow, Sales and Marketing Director of Target Holdings Limited. “We are looking forward to addressing the rapidly growing human-centric lighting market in Europe.”
Following the online launch in May, Lighting Science products will be available through large-scale consumer retail channels in the UK and, over time, across Europe.
About Lighting Science
Lighting Science is a global leader in innovative LED lighting solutions that designs, manufactures and brings to market advanced, intelligent products for consumer and commercial applications. Lighting Science is creating biological, horticultural and urban lighting solutions with products such as GoodNight ®, GoodDay ®, and Sleepy Baby ® LED bulbs and the groundbreaking horticulture light, the GroBar ™. Lighting Science has won numerous awards, including several Business Intelligence Group (BIG) Sustainability Awards, Edison Awards, Sapphire Awards, and an IES Illumination Award. For their patented technology products, Lighting Science won Popular Science Magazine’s 2016 Best of What New Award, Architect’s Newspaper Best Products of 2016, and Architectural Record 2016 Product of the Year. They have more than 400 patents to date, and are experimenting with new uses for LEDs ranging from air purification to enhancing vision. Lighting Science is headquartered in Rhode Island, with research and development facilities in Florida. Learn more at www.lsgc.com and join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the Lighting Science Blog.
About Target Holdings
Formally known as Clarity Vision Limited, Target Holdings (UK) Limited has been born out of a management buyout in January of 2013. Combining the strengths of the existing management team, and bringing former members back into the fold, Target Holdings is well placed to offer a complete product supply solution. The company offers product development and sourcing, warehouse and logistics, sales and distribution and disposal stock planning. Customers of Target Holdings can work with selected divisions or take advantage of a complete turnkey supply chain solution. Learn more at www.targetholdings.co.uk.
View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005656/en/
CONTACT: Lighting Science
Alexandra Polier,alex@whatisyourdna.com
Rachel Frank,rachel@whatisyourdna.com
917-693-2768
KEYWORD: UNITED KINGDOM UNITED STATES EUROPE NORTH AMERICA RHODE ISLAND
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BUILDING SYSTEMS HOME GOODS INTERIOR DESIGN RETAIL CONSTRUCTION & PROPERTY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING & REAL ESTATE
SOURCE: Lighting Science
Copyright Business Wire 2018.
PUB: 04/24/2018 06:00 AM/DISC: 04/24/2018 06:01 AM
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005656/en | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-24 18:01:00 | Lighting Science Partners with Target Holdings UK Ltd. to Bring Human-Centric Lighting to the United Kingdom | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413630 | |
Canaan hurt but Suns stop skid with 102-88 win over Mavs | PHOENIX (AP) — Rookie forward Josh Jackson matched his career best with 21 points, T.J. Warren added 20 and the Phoenix Suns snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Dallas 102-88 on Wednesday night, handing the Mavericks their fifth loss in a row and eighth in nine games.
Phoenix backup point guard Isaiah Canaan broke his left ankle in a gruesome injury late in the first quarter.
Marquese Chriss added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who beat Dallas for the fourth time in a row dating to last season.
After missing Monday night's game in Memphis with bruised ribs, Devin Booker was back starting at point guard for Phoenix and scored 15 points.
Dennis Smith Jr. scored 17, Harrison Barnes 15 and Dirk Nowitzki 14 for the Mavericks, who shot just 36 percent.
Booker opened the game with a 3-pointer and Phoenix never relinquished the lead.
Danuel House made two 3s and Canaan and Jared Dudley one apiece in a 12-2 run that put the Suns up 35-14 with 23 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Mavericks cut it to single digits twice, once to eight points and once to nine, in the second quarter and were down 57-46 at halftime.
Phoenix dominated the third period, leading 81-58 after Troy Daniels' 3-pointer with 2:20 left.
The Mavericks cut it to 91-84 on Smith's 3-pointer with 3:17 to go but Booker responded with a three-point play to put Phoenix up 94-84. Dallas never got it to single digits again.
Canaan was driving to the basket when he was fouled by Wesley Matthews with three seconds left in the first quarter. Canaan's ankle gave way on a hard, awkward landing, and his left foot was pointing in the wrong direction as his body tumbled to the floor.
As trainers rushed to Canaan, there were groans from the crowd and looks of shock from his Phoenix teammates, some of whom covered their eyes or looked away.
He was sitting up as he was rolled out of the arena on a stretcher.
Canaan, in his fifth NBA season, was signed Dec. 13 after being waived by Houston in October.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Matthews shot 2 of 17. ... Nowitzki played 27 minutes and is 32 shy of becoming the sixth player in NBA history to play 50,000 minutes in the regular season. ... Nowitzki's 1,462 career points in 70 regular-season games against Phoenix are fifth-most by any player against the Suns in their history.
Suns: The 88 points scored by Dallas matched a season low for a Phoenix opponent. ... The four-game winning streak over Dallas is the Suns' longest against the Mavs since winning nine in a row from 1997-99. ... Chriss missed the previous game with a sprained ankle. ... The Suns set the NBA record on Monday in Memphis with a 3-pointer in their 1,109th consecutive game and made it 1,110 on Wednesday. Dallas previously held the record of 1,108.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: At the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.
Suns: Host the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
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More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-01 14:34:00 | Canaan hurt but Suns stop skid with 102-88 win over Mavs | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3355197 | |
SpaceX launching recycled rocket, supply capsule for NASA | CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Space Age hand-me-downs are soaring to a whole new level.
On Tuesday, SpaceX plans to launch its first rocket for NASA. The unmanned Falcon 9 — last used in June — will carry up a Dragon capsule that's also flown on a previous space station supply run.
NASA's International Space Station manager, Kirk Shireman, says the risk of launching a recycled rocket is about the same as for a brand new one. He says he'll be just as anxious as he always is at every launch.
As before, the first-stage booster will attempt to land back at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
This will be the first launch in more than a year from Launch Complex 40. The pad was ruined when a SpaceX rocket exploded during testing in September 2016. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-12-12 02:21:00 | SpaceX launching recycled rocket, supply capsule for NASA | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3318177 | |
EnvisionTEC Now Offers Highest Resolution Large-Frame 3D Printer | DEARBORN, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2018--EnvisionTEC, a leading global manufacturer of desktop and full-production 3D printers and materials, today revealed a hardware update to its family of large-frame 3D printers that allows them to deliver best-in-class resolution.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005316/en/
At RAPID + TCT, the premier event for 3D printing in North America, EnvisionTEC will be showcasing the potential of its 3SP family of 3D printers. A new hardware upgrade allows the large frame models to deliver XY resolution of 25 microns, a precision level equivalent to about half the cross-section of a human hair. (Photo: Business Wire)
EnvisionTEC will now offer XY resolution of 25 microns ― equivalent to about half the cross-section of a human hair — in two of its largest 3D printers:
The Vector UHD 3SP, with a build area of 300 x 200 x 275 mm (11.8 x 7.9 x 10.8 in.) The Xede UHD 3SP, with a build area of 457 x 457 x 457 mm (18 x 18 x 18 in.)
The improved performance is made possible with a new FPGA (field-programmable gate array) control that allows EnvisionTEC to turn its laser on and off in the Y scanning direction with lightning-fast speed.
“With this hardware upgrade, EnvisionTEC can now offer the same level of resolution in our 3SP family that we are known for with our Perfactory printer family,” said CEO Al Siblani.
A demonstration board 3D printed on a Vector UHD 3SP will be on display this week in Fort Worth, Texas, at Rapid + TCT, the premier event for 3D manufacturing in North America. EnvisionTEC will also be showcasing other new 3D printer and material innovations in Booth 1304.
The recent hardware upgrade makes 3SP printers an ideal choice for applications requiring high accuracy, fine detail or ultra-smooth surfaces, such as medical devices, parts with fluidic chambers, tooling for molds, large investment casting patterns and detailed prototypes.
About 3SP Technology
Launched in 2013, EnvisionTEC’s patented 3SP (Scan, Spin and Selectively Photocure) technology uses a unique laser-based process to cure photopolymers in a large vat.
While conventional SLA systems use an expensive solid state laser to draw out parts layer by layer, often reflecting the beam off galvo mirrors in a large build area, the 3SP approach is simple and efficient.
A multi cavity diode laser is reflected off a spinning mirrored drum that can efficiently scan across a very large vat to cure material. Essentially, the laser draws in straight lines in the Y direction, with the beam simply turning on or off to cure the necessary shape as the complete laser assembly moves in the X direction.
A white paper detailing how 3SP is superior to SLA for manufacturing and production can be found at EnvisionTEC.com/learn3SP.
Adoption of 3SP continues to grow as knowledge about the technology and portfolio of materials expands. The 3SP line is popular among dental laboratories printing large volumes of dental models, but users also include manufacturers in a variety of industries, including medical devices, automotive, aerospace, consumer goods and more.
About EnvisionTEC
EnvisionTEC is a leading global provider of professional-grade 3D printers and materials. Founded in 2002 with its pioneering commercial DLP printing technology, EnvisionTEC now sells 3D printers based on six distinct technologies that build objects from digital design files. The company’s premium 3D printers serve a variety of medical, professional and industrial markets, and are valued for accuracy, surface quality, functionality and speed. EnvisionTEC’s intellectual property includes more than 140 pending and granted patents. Learn more at EnvisionTEC.com.
View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005316/en/
CONTACT: EnvisionTEC
Sarah A. Webster, +1-313-888-4460
swebster@envisiontec.com
KEYWORD: AUSTRIA UNITED STATES EUROPE ASIA PACIFIC NORTH AMERICA CANADA MICHIGAN GERMANY SWITZERLAND
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY CONSUMER ELECTRONICS ELECTRONIC DESIGN AUTOMATION HARDWARE OTHER TECHNOLOGY HEALTH DENTAL MANUFACTURING AEROSPACE AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING CHEMICALS/PLASTICS ENGINEERING OTHER MANUFACTURING
SOURCE: EnvisionTEC
Copyright Business Wire 2018.
PUB: 04/23/2018 08:00 AM/DISC: 04/23/2018 08:01 AM
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005316/en | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-23 20:01:00 | EnvisionTEC Now Offers Highest Resolution Large-Frame 3D Printer | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413472 | |
Former congressman from Hawaii quits GOP, citing Trump | HONOLULU (AP) — A former congressman from Hawaii says he's leaving the Republican Party because of President Donald Trump and the failure of fellow party members to stand up to him.
Charles Djou (duh-JOO') represented Honolulu in the U.S. House from 2010 to 2011.
He wrote in an opinion piece published in Civil Beat on Monday he's disturbed that the Republican Party under Trump has become hostile to immigration.
Djou lamented Trump's desire to launch a trade war, treatment of veterans like Sen. John McCain and recitation of conspiracy theories.
Djou says he's most disappointed by "the failure of the GOP to clearly and consistently condemn Trump's childish behavior." He says this leads to an "implicit ratification by the GOP of Trump's undisciplined, uninformed and unfocused leadership."
The White House didn't immediately comment. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-03-20 05:16:00 | Former congressman from Hawaii quits GOP, citing Trump | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3385820 | |
Qualifier King upsets Tomic in first round of Memphis Open | MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Darian King, a qualifier from Barbados, knocked off No. 5 seed Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday in the first round of the Memphis Open.
King, ranked 140th in the world, dropped just 12 points in 10 service games and never faced a break-point situation against the 32nd-ranked Tomic.
Other first-round winners Tuesday included No. 7 seed Steve Darcis of Belgium, Ryan Harrison of the United States and Matthew Ebden of Australia.
Harrison won 6-3. 7-5 over Russia's Konstantin Kravchuk to advance to a second-round matchup with No. 3 seed Sam Querrey. Darcis won 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 over Radu Albot of Moldova.
Ebden rallied from a break down in each of the last two sets to beat Canada's Peter Polansky 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-1 in a matchup between two qualifiers. Ebden won the last six games of a match that featured a total of 14 service breaks. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-02-15 09:02:00 | Qualifier King upsets Tomic in first round of Memphis Open | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3095193 | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/images/category/580888eb17740.jpg |
Mercury to dip below 10 degrees Celsius in Taiwan over the coming weekend | TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Temperatures are set to dip below 10 degrees Celsius in Taiwan after Friday as the island will be struck by the strongest cold snap of this winter so far, according to meteorologist Wu Der-rong's (吳德榮) weather forecast.
A bitter cold snap will grip the country all week due to a cold air mass coming in from the north, following a sunny Sunday. The temperature is forecast to plummet to 11 degrees Celsius in Taipei City and to 9 degrees Celsius in wide open spaces in northern and central Taiwan, reaching the level of a strong continental cold air mass.
A stronger cold air mass is expected to follow over the next weekend, which may send mercury down to 10 degrees Celsius or lower, Wu added.
According to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB), the temperature on Tuesday is expected to hover between 14-18 degrees Celsius in northern Taiwan, 14-20 degrees in the central region, 16-18 degrees in Yilan, 17-23 degrees in the eastern region, and 15-23 degrees in the south.
The CWB weatherman Lee Meng-shuan indicated that the temperature in northern Taiwan will likely hover between 14-16 throughout the week until Friday, with occasional precipitation on the windward side of the island, expected in the northern and central regions. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-12-11 15:18:00 | TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Temperatures are set to dip below 10 degrees Celsius in Taiwan after Friday as the island will be affected by the strongest cold snap of this winter so far, according to meteorologist Wu Der-rong’s (吳德榮) weather forecast. | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3317748 | |
The Latest: Paper says Mueller probe looking at obstruction | WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on probes into possible contacts between Trump campaign associates and Russia (all times local):
8:35 p.m.
The Washington Post is reporting that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election is now examining whether President Donald Trump tried to obstruct justice.
Accusations of obstruction arose when last month when Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. Comey testified in a Senate hearing last week that he believed he was fired "because of the Russia investigation."
Comey also testified he had told Trump he was not under investigation.
The Post report Wednesday cites anonymous sources who were briefed on requests made by investigators.
Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trump's personal lawyer, responded Wednesday evening to the Post report by saying, "The FBI leak of information regarding the president is outrageous, inexcusable and illegal."
___
4:15 p.m.
The special counsel appointed to investigate Russian influence in the 2016 presidential campaign has met with a Senate committee probing the same matter.
The leaders of the Senate intelligence committee say In a statement issued Wednesday that they "look forward to future engagements" with Robert Mueller.
North Carolina Republican Richard Burr and Virginia Democrat Mark Warner aren't providing any other details regarding the meeting.
It comes a day after lawmakers questioned Justice Department officials about the probe and Mueller's independence.
Those questions were prompted after a friend of President Donald Trump said the White House was considering firing Mueller.
But Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller last month, testified Tuesday he has seen no evidence of good cause to fire Mueller. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-06-15 08:53:00 | The Latest: Paper says Mueller probe looking at obstruction | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3188216 | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/images/category/580888eb17740.jpg |
Group seeks probe of prosecutor's office over Weinstein case | NEW YORK (AP) — An initiative started by Hollywood industry women is calling for New York's governor to investigate the Manhattan district attorney's office over a decision in 2015 not to prosecute a sex abuse case against Harvey Weinstein.
Time's Up says a report in New York magazine is disturbing because it suggests the district attorney's office may have been improperly influenced by Weinstein and sought to intimidate an Italian model who accused the disgraced media mogul of groping her.
She secretly recorded him in a police sting. The district attorney's office decided there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute.
Time's Up says an investigation is necessary to protect the integrity of the office.
Neither the district attorney's office nor the governor's office immediately commented.
Weinstein's attorneys have said he denies any non-consensual contact. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-03-20 01:25:00 | Group seeks probe of prosecutor's office over Weinstein case | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3385721 | |
Africa's leaders choose diplomacy to Trump's toilet remarks | ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The 55-nation African Union appears to have decided to react diplomatically and strategically to President Donald Trump's alleged vulgar remarks about the continent.
Rather than issuing an angry condemnation of Trump's reported comments in which he likened Africa to a filthy toilet, the African Union may decide to follow the advice of its new chairman, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, to deal with the U.S. president as the leader of a country elected by his people.
Kagame made the remarks Monday as the annual summit, which was attended by more than 40 African leaders, drew to a close. Kagame spoke at the African Union after meeting Trump last Friday in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum.
"I've met the President of the United States . but the President of the United States is Trump," Kagame told reporters in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. "For me the most value is to meet the President of the United States. When the United States decides to give us Trump as their president, we will deal with that president."
Many African leaders were outraged by Trump's alleged rude comment about the continent. Trump has said he didn't use such language, while others present say he did.
But the fury appears to have been muted by a letter sent by Trump to African leaders in the past week in which he said he "deeply respects" the people of Africa. Trump also pledged that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will make an "extended visit" to the continent in March, his first in that role.
"President Trump wrote a letter through the (AU) Commission and to the Chairperson addressing the heads of state of Africa wishing them every success and stating how he is ready to collaborate with Africa," said Kagame.
Trump called Kagame a "friend" when they met at the World Economic Forum.
Many in Africa were taken aback by Trump's rude toilet comment after nearly a year of little attention to Africa by the U.S. president's administration.
U.S. diplomats have scrambled for days to address the shock and condemnation after the reports of Trump's remarks. Trump's letter and Kagame's careful response seem to have calmed things down. Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, toned down his stance in a press conference with journalists on Monday. The previous week he said "Africa cannot keep quiet" about Trump's "shocking" remarks. But Monday he would only say African leaders had received a "letter of correspondence" from Trump and "we've taken due note of it."
Another controversy at the African Union summit was over the report in the French newspaper, Le Monde, that China spied on the organization's headquarters from 2012 to 1017. Chinese officials quickly rejected the report.
"It's a sensational and total preposterous accusation. It's so absurd," said Kuang Weilin, China's representative to the African Union, who said he suspects the report was intended to harm China's relations with Africa.
The African Union's headquarter in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, was built as a gift by China to Africa at a cost of more than $200 million. The main building is 100 metres (328 feet) high and is currently the tallest building in Addis Ababa.
Also at the African Union summit, it was announced the organization has launched a new aviation deregulation scheme. The plan calls for a full liberalization of air market access between African states and the elimination of restrictions on ownership of airlines and full liberalization of air frequencies. The move is intended to promote cheaper air travel between African countries. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-30 09:54:00 | Africa's leaders choose diplomacy to Trump's toilet remarks | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354024 | |
Inter signs Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez from Racing | MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan has signed Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez from Racing.
The Serie A club paid a reported 22 million euros ($25.7 million) for Martinez, with the player penning a five-year contract.
The 20-year-old Martinez turned down an offer from Real Madrid in order to get more playing time at Inter, according to his agent.
On Wednesday, Martinez said: "I expect to adapt quickly to a new type of football. It's very different from Argentine football, but I think Serie A will be very important for me to continue improving and will add other qualities to my game."
Martinez is one of his country's top talents and scored 18 goals in 28 appearances last season.
He was included in Argentina's preliminary list for the World Cup but did not make the final squad. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-07-05 02:00:00 | Inter signs Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez from Racing | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3474373 | |
Guillermo del Toro's 'The Shape of Water' leads Golden Globes nominations with 7 nods | NEW YORK (AP) — Guillermo del Toro's 'The Shape of Water' leads Golden Globes nominations with 7 nods . | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-12-11 21:48:00 | Guillermo del Toro's 'The Shape of Water' leads Golden Globes nominations with 7 nods | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3318061 | |
The Latest: Schiff says Russia memo doesn't vindicate Trump | WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on investigations into contacts between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. (all times local):
9:31 a.m.
Rep. Adam Schiff, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, says there is nothing in a classified Republican memo on the Russia investigation that vindicates President Donald Trump.
He says Rep. Devin Nunes of California, the committee chairman, is pushing a "misleading narrative" to undermine the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump's campaign was involved.
Schiff says, "This is not about the facts."
He says Trump also incorrectly claimed to be vindicated last year when Nunes shared evidence with the White House of a "vast unmasking conspiracy" that allegedly involved Obama officials inappropriately making requests to uncover the identities of Trump campaign officials in intelligence reports.
Schiff spoke at an event sponsored by the news site Axios.
____
9:10 a.m.
A White House spokeswoman says she is not aware that President Donald Trump has seen a classified memo on the Russia investigation that he favors releasing.
Trump was overheard Tuesday night telling a Republican lawmaker he is "100 percent" in favor of releasing the memo. He spoke on the House floor after his first State of the Union address.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on CNN Wednesday morning that she was not aware Trump had seen the memo, adding that he had not "prior to and immediately after" the address.
Sanders said a legal and national security review into the memo continues.
The memo purports to show improper use of surveillance by the FBI and Justice Department in the Russia investigation. It has sparked a political fight pitting Republicans against the FBI and the Justice Department.
__
2:02 a.m.
The White House says it will give a controversial memo connected to the Russia election meddling probe a legal and national security check before President Donald Trump decides whether to release it.
Yet Trump was overhead at Tuesday night's State of the Union address telling a Republican lawmaker that he is "100 percent" in favor of releasing the memo. Television cameras captured the exchange as Trump was leaving the House chamber.
Republicans say the memo reveals improper use of surveillance by the FBI and the Justice Department, a description Democrats dispute.
The memo arrived at the White House on Monday after the House intelligence committee brushed aside opposition from the Justice Department and voted to release it. Under committee rules, the president has five days to object to its release. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-31 22:39:00 | The Latest: Schiff says Russia memo doesn't vindicate Trump | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354821 | |
SONIC’s New Cookie Jar Shakes Blend America’s Favorite Cookies into a Sippable Sensation | OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2018--Cookie lovers rejoice – SONIC ® Drive-In (NASDAQ: SONC) is blending the classic all-American combination of creamy ice cream and decadent cookies into one delicious Shake. Part of SONIC’s favorite Summer Nights event, guests can now savor SONIC’s new Cookie Jar Shakes ™ for half-price after 8 p.m. every night.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005237/en/
SONIC’s new Cookie Jar Shakes are blending the classic all-American combination of creamy ice cream and decadent cookies. (Photo: Business Wire)
Perfectly blended with SONIC’s famous Real Ice Cream, there is a Cookie Jar Shake to satisfy any sweet tooth. Making every chocoholic’s dream come true, the Chips Ahoy ® Choco Chunky Chocolate Shake blends crumbled Chips Ahoy Choco Chunk Cookies with rich chocolate syrup. The Oreo ® Caramel Shake takes the classic Oreo cookie up a notch with the addition of irresistible caramel syrup. The Nutter Butter ® Banana Shake elevates the childhood favorite combination of peanut butter and banana to dessert perfection, blending Nutter Butter cookie pieces with fresh banana. All SONIC Shakes are finished with an inviting swirl of whipped topping and a cherry.
“What’s better than adding sweet, crunchy, classic cookies onto creamy, delightful ice cream? Hand-mixing those cookies with our Real Ice Cream for an all new flavor experience,” said Scott Uehlein, vice president of product innovation and development for SONIC. “We reached into the cookie jar to come up with these Shakes, punching up the flavor of these classic cookies – Chips Ahoy, Oreo and Nutter Butter – with the addition of rich chocolate, sweet caramel and fresh banana to give our guests something that is both familiar and distinct at the same time.”
SONIC’s Cookie Jar Shakes are available for a limited time only **, so guests will need to hurry over to their local drive-ins to enjoy this delicious treat any time of day, or half-price after 8 p.m. every night during the SONIC Summer Nights event.
**For a limited time only at participating SONIC® Drive-Ins. See menu for details.
About SONIC, America's Drive-In
SONIC, America's Drive-In is the nation's largest drive-in restaurant chain serving approximately 3 million customers every day. Nearly 94 percent of SONIC's 3,500 drive-in locations are owned and operated by local business men and women. For 65 years, SONIC has delighted guests with signature menu items, 1.3 million drink combinations and friendly service by iconic Carhops. Since the 2009 launch of SONIC's Limeades for Learning philanthropic campaign in partnership with DonorsChoose.org, SONIC has donated $9.5 million to public school teachers nationwide to fund essential learning materials and innovative teaching resources to inspire creativity and learning in their students. To learn more about Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ/NM: SONC), please visit sonicdrivein.com and please visit or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. To learn more about SONIC's Limeades for Learning initiative, please visit LimeadesforLearning.com.
SONC-M
View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005237/en/
CONTACT: For SONIC Drive-In
Rebeka Mora, 512-542-2804
Rebeka.Mora@Cohnwolfe.com
KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA OKLAHOMA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RESTAURANT/BAR RETAIL FOOD/BEVERAGE
SOURCE: SONIC Drive-In
Copyright Business Wire 2018.
PUB: 04/23/2018 07:55 AM/DISC: 04/23/2018 07:55 AM
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005237/en | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-23 19:55:00 | SONIC’s New Cookie Jar Shakes Blend America’s Favorite Cookies into a Sippable Sensation | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413509 | |
Red Sox manager Alex Cora brings youthful eye to new job | BOSTON (AP) — Dave Dombrowski wanted to make sure he and Alex Cora were on the same page, so the Red Sox boss sent off an email for his new manager's approval.
The response: A thumbs-up emoji.
Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland never did that.
"He's a good emoji texter," Dombrowski said with a laugh this month as the team turned its thoughts toward spring training. "He's very good with the thumbs-up. My children, they help me out at times."
A native of Puerto Rico, Cora is already a pioneer as the first minority manager in the history of a franchise that was the last to field a black player. But he's also a new kind of Red Sox dugout boss: One of the youngest managers in franchise history, giving him a unique chance to connect with his players.
"He's not too far removed from actually playing the game. He's played — actually, personally — with some of my teammates now," Boston outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. said. "I think it's going to be a great combination of old school and new school. He's learned from the past, and he's going to be able to put his own twist on things."
Still just 42 and in his first major league managerial job, Cora is no newbie.
His shaved head shows the stubble of a receded hairline, with some gray around the temples picked up during a 14-year career spent with six big-league teams. As a member of the Red Sox from 2005-08, he was a part of the franchise's 2007 World Series title and was teammates with current second baseman Dustin Pedroia. (He also overlapped with first baseman Mitch Moreland for about five days with the Rangers in 2010.)
It's this that made him an intriguing choice to replace John Farrell, who was fired last fall at the age of 55 despite leading Boston to the first back-to-back AL East titles in franchise history. Farrell's predecessor, Bobby Valentine, was 62 for his lone season in Boston; you'd have to go back to Kevin Kennedy, who was 41 when he was hired in 1995, to find a younger Red Sox skipper.
"I'm 42. I'm young," Cora said at the team's Christmas festival in December. "You'll see me around with my backpack and sneakers and jeans. I'm going to live my life. ... Nothing has changed. I went home and (it was) shorts, sandals and a T-shirt."
Speaking to reporters before the awards dinner for the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America this month, Cora seemed completely at home in a knit hoodie and low-top Converse All-Stars. He mingled cheerfully with his players, then looked equally at home at the dinner in a sport coat and tie.
"He has the ability to communicate with the younger players, just the ability to talk to them," said Dombrowski, who was the youngest general manager in the game when he took over the Montreal Expos at the age of 31 — three decades ago.
"He has that respect," Dombrowski said. "He knows how to handle them. He's been in the game a long time, and he's done everything in the game."
Cora has been retired as a player less than six years, after failing to make the St. Louis Cardinals in spring training in 2012. He remained in the game, working as an analyst for ESPN, and spending two years managing his hometown team, Caguas, in the Puerto Rican winter league. He has also served as the club's general manager for five years.
In winter ball, Cora said, "For some reason, I wasn't the manager I wanted to be. I was very serious, very strict with the guys. I don't think they had fun with me, and I didn't have fun myself.
"I promised myself," he said, "when the opportunity came, I was going to enjoy it."
As a bench coach for the Houston Astros last season, Cora was reminded how much fun baseball — especially winning baseball — can be. While the franchise was on the way to its first World Series title, Cora interviewed for and landed the Red Sox job.
"We play a sport that a lot of people feel is a grind. I was one of them when I played," he said. "But last year I went through it, and it was fun. It wasn't a grind. It's a good atmosphere to work. That starts from the inside out."
But it can't all be fun and friendships.
Though not as young as Cora when he was on the Boston bench, Terry Francona prized his ability to communicate with his players and manage the clubhouse personalities as well as the game. He won two World Series with the Red Sox — including the cathartic 2004 title with the fun-loving "idiots" like Johnny Damon, Kevin Millar and "Manny being Manny."
But the nature of the team had changed by 2011, with high-priced free agents retreating to the clubhouse during games for fried chicken and beer. Francona lost his team — and, after an unprecedented September collapse, his job.
"Obviously, there's a line. They need to understand that I'm the manager, they're players," Cora said. "But at the end of the day, we're human beings. During the day, there's probably more conversations about life than baseball. ... To connect with players is very important."
Dombrowski has hired his share of old-timers, like Buck Rodgers and Leyland (twice). He brought La Russa, a Hall of Fame manager, in as a special assistant, and Ron Roenicke, who has 27 years of coaching experience, in as a bench coach.
Dombrowski expects their experience to balance out Cora's youth.
"You can be young and not be communicative," he said. "But I think in Alex's case he's a very good communicator. There are only pluses."
And if Cora gives the players some slack, outfielder Andrew Benintendi said, he won't regret it.
"I think we all hold ourselves accountable and know when it's time to buckle down," said Benintendi, who is 23 and coming off a season in which he placed second in the AL rookie of the year voting. "Obviously, he's the manager. He makes the call. But I think he'll still keep it light, keep it fun."
Less than a month before spring training, Cora was still figuring out what he would say to his new team and how the clubhouse would be run. But there's one rule he plans to drop on his players: Don't call him "Skip" — Alex or A.C. would be better.
That doesn't mean he's not flexible.
Since becoming a bench coach with the Astros, Cora has replaced the usual fortysomething music on his phone with songs his players might be listening to.
"Just to connect is the thing," Cora said, "so that I'm speaking the same language as them." | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-29 15:54:00 | Red Sox manager Alex Cora brings youthful eye to new job | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3353845 | |
Russia-made submarine signaling missiles on Poland's beaches | WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A spokesman for Poland's Navy says that three Russian-made submarine signaling missiles have been found in recent days at different locations on Poland's Baltic Sea beaches.
Speaking from a from a Navy base in Gdynia, Cmdr. Radoslaw Pioch said Wednesday the missiles came from a submarine type Kilo, made in Russia. They were found at two locations on the Hel Peninsula and on the Sobieszewska Island, within the Bay of Gdansk area that borders Russia's Kaliningrad region with its military port.
Sappers have removed two of them and are searching for the third one. It was not clear when they got to the beaches but could be a remainder from exercise, Pioch said.
Signaling missiles are fired by emerging submarines when they want to mark their location. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-05-31 05:32:00 | Russia-made submarine signaling missiles on Poland's beaches | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3444574 | |
'Day Zero': Water shut-off looms in South Africa's Cape Town | CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Long lines of South Africans collect water daily from a natural spring pipeline in an upscale suburb of Cape Town, illustrating the harsh impact of a drought that authorities say could force the closure of most taps in the country's second largest city in just over two months, an occasion ominously known as "Day Zero."
The prospect that large sections of South Africa's showcase city, famously perched near two oceans, might go without running water has induced anxiety as well as resolve among its nearly 4 million residents. It has attracted scrutiny from scientists and city managers worldwide who also face the dual challenge of ballooning populations and shrinking resources. This would be the world's first major city to go dry.
"There are a lot of people who have been in denial and now they suddenly realize this is for real," said Shirley Curry, who waited to fill a plastic container with spring water from one of several taps outside a South African Breweries facility in the Newlands suburb.
Security guards made sure people took only an allotted amount (25 liters maximum in one line and 15 liters in another "express" line). However, things were more freewheeling at a nearby spring water source with no oversight. Mayor Patricia de Lille this month threatened to fine those who use too much water and said the city can no longer ask people to comply: "We must force them."
The spectacle of people scrounging for water could become more common as "Day Zero" approaches in Cape Town, whose natural beauty has made it a coveted spot for international visitors. While the city urges people to restrict water usage, many living in poor areas already have limited access to water. They use communal taps in gritty neighborhoods such as Blue Downs on the Cape Flats, where people washed clothes outside and carried buckets of water to shack dwellings on a recent afternoon.
Cape Town's leaders have instructed residents to use only 50 liters of water daily from Feb. 1, down from the current 87-liter limit. "Day Zero" is projected to arrive on April 12 but some fear it could come sooner, while others hope it won't happen if rationing works and rains eventually come.
If "Day Zero" arrives, many people would have to go to collection points for a daily ration of 25 liters. Taps would continue to run in hospitals and provisions would be made for schools, some of which can pump water from boreholes. Communal taps in poor areas known as informal settlements likely would run to avoid the threat of disease. Some central and downtown areas could be exempt from the cut-off for the sake of tourism and business.
While tourists are still welcome, tourism authorities urge them to flush the toilet as little as possible and "take a dip in the ocean instead of swimming pools, and maybe even spare yourself a shower."
The water crisis is propelling Cape Town into the unknown, but the causes have been brewing for a while. Since around the end of white minority rule in 1994, the population has soared by about 80 percent, straining municipal infrastructure. Meanwhile, the region has endured several years of drought. Scientists at the University of Cape Town say man-made global warming may have contributed to the severe weather, and that similar droughts could be more common in the future.
The average level of reservoirs that are Cape Town's main water source is currently about 27 percent, but the final 10 percent is considered unusable because of mud, weeds and debris at the bottom. Some residents are already complaining that silt in tap water makes it undrinkable. The city says it would have to turn off most taps if the average reservoir level falls below 13.5 percent.
Theewaterskloof Dam, whose reservoir was once the city's biggest provider, is a startling sight. Large areas consist of sand and cracked earth. Boats used to moor against tires embedded in a wall near a yacht club, but now the water line is so low that the clubhouse is far from the dwindling lake.
"This is a natural disaster of immense proportions," said Mmusi Maimane, leader of the Democratic Alliance, an opposition party that runs Cape Town and the surrounding Western Cape province.
The party says the national government, run by the ruling African National Congress party, has failed to deliver water to all municipalities as required by law. Nomvula Mokonyane, the water and sanitation minister, counters that the city should do more to crack down on people using too much water.
For now, Cape Town residents are advised to limit showers to fewer than 90 seconds and use a bucket to collect the runoff and flush the toilet.
Noel Borman, a resident collecting water, was asked about "Day Zero," if it comes.
"I don't even want to be here," he said.
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Follow Christopher Torchia on Twitter at www.twitter.com/torchiachris | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-03 15:00:00 | 'Day Zero': Water shut-off looms in South Africa's Cape Town | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3353749 | |
Aubameyang, Bartra, Gomez; Dortmund busy with transfers | BERLIN (AP) — Borussia Dortmund is dominating the end of the transfer window in Germany with Spanish defender Marc Bartra leaving, promising winger Sergio Gomez joining and striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang expected to go.
Aubameyang was expected to complete his move to Arsenal on Wednesday for a reported 64.5 million euros ($80 million) once Dortmund had finalized a replacement.
Kicker magazine reported that that was likely to be Belgium forward Michy Batshuayi from Chelsea on a loan deal to the end of the season, with talks ongoing regarding a possible option to buy. Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud, who Dortmund had in mind initially, was expected to move to Chelsea to complete the three-way deal.
Dortmund said it had made a "big concession" on the transfer fee to allow Bartra to go to Real Betis after a tumultuous Bundesliga spell.
Bartra was injured after being hit with shrapnel in the bomb attack on Dortmund's team bus before a Champions League game last April. The 27-year-old Spaniard said he had feared for his life.
Bartra played 49 competitive games for Dortmund after joining from Barcelona in 2016, but the club's signing of Swiss defender Manuel Akanji from FC Basel increased the competition for a starting place.
Fellow defender Neven Subotic left the club for French team Saint-Etienne last week, while Danish attacking midfielder Jacob Bruun Larsen joined Stuttgart on loan for the rest of the season.
Dortmund said Tuesday that the 17-year-old Gomez, an attacking midfielder, was joining from Barcelona. He will play for Dortmund's under-19 team until the end of the season, then join the senior team in July. Gomez was voted the second best player at the Under-17 World Cup in India in October.
"Gomez is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world for his age group," Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said.
Wolfsburg boosted its goal-threat by signing Swiss attacking midfielder Admir Mehmedi from Bayer Leverkusen.
"Mehmedi fits perfectly with our needs," said Wolfsburg sporting director Olaf Rebbe, whose team has only four Bundesliga wins in 20 games.
Schalke reinforced its defense with the return of Abdul Rahman Baba on loan for 1½ seasons from Chelsea. The club had already secured the signing of Croatian forward Marko Pjaca from Juventus.
Bayern Munich also moved early in the transfer window, signing Sandro Wagner from Hoffenheim as a back-up to forward Robert Lewandowski. Wagner scored his first Bayern goal last weekend in a rout of his former club.
Japan midfielder Genki Haraguchi joined second-division club Fortuna Duesseldorf on loan from Hertha Berlin, while Mainz boosted its ranks by signing Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong from Galatasaray and Nigerian striker Anthony Ujah from Chinese club Liaoning Whowin.
The transfer window in Germany was open until 6 p.m. local time. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-03 00:00:00 | Aubameyang, Bartra, Gomez; Dortmund busy with transfers | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354746 | |
BC-US--Coffee, US | New York (AP) — Coffee futures trading on the IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) Monday:
(37,500 lbs.; cents per lb.) | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-03-20 03:17:00 | BC-US--Coffee, US | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3385768 | |
Trump wants more traffickers put to death. Can he do that? | WASHINGTON (AP) — A wide-ranging White House plan to combat America's opioid crisis contains a striking element: It calls on the Justice Department to seek the death penalty for some drug traffickers. Opponents call that a return to failed drug-war tactics, and some legal experts question its constitutionality and effectiveness.
A look at President Donald Trump's proposal:
WHAT IS THE PLAN?
The push for greater use of the death penalty is just part of a sweeping plan that includes stiffer penalties for drug peddlers as well as expanding access to treatment and recovery efforts. It's in keeping with the Trump administration's tough-on-crime approach to the opioid abuse epidemic that claimed a record 42,000 people in the U.S. in 2016. Trump, who mused openly that countries like Singapore have fewer issues with addiction because they harshly punish drug dealers, said he wants the Justice Department to seek the "ultimate penalty" when possible.
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CAN HE DO THAT?
Maybe. Trump isn't proposing a new law, but is encouraging the Justice Department to enforce existing laws more vigorously.
The Federal Drug Kingpin Act allows federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in cases when someone is intentionally killed during a drug deal or in furtherance of a drug enterprise.
There are other federal laws that could potentially allow death penalty prosecutions of "kingpins" when large amounts of money and drugs are involved, even if there has not been a killing. But no administration, Democratic or Republican, has ever pursued and secured a death sentence under those laws.
It's not clear that death sentences for drug dealers, even for those whose product causes multiple deaths, would be constitutional, said Doug Berman, a law professor at Ohio State University. He predicted the issue would be litigated extensively and ultimately settled by the U.S. Supreme Court.
"The death penalty is uncertain as a constitutionally permissible punishment without that connection to an intentional killing," Berman said.
Trump's attorney general, Jeff Sessions, vowed to seek the death penalty under federal law "whenever appropriate" against drug dealers who "show no respect of human dignity and put their own greed ahead of the safety and even the lives of others."
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HAVE ANY DRUG TRAFFICKERS EVER BEEN SENTENCED TO DEATH?
The Death Penalty Information Center lists 14 federal death row prisoners awaiting execution for drug-related crimes. They include Azibo Aquart, who was sentenced to death in 2012 for planning and participating in the deaths of a rival and two people living with her. There is also Orlando Hall, who was sentenced in 2007 for a drug-related kidnapping that ended in death. Dustin Honken was sentenced to die in 2004 for the killings of two children in a drug-related conspiracy in which three other people were also killed.
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WILL MORE FEDERAL DEATH SENTENCES EASE THE DRUG EPIDEMIC?
Trump believes so, but others are skeptical.
Cornell Law School Professor John H. Blume said enforcement of the Federal Drug Kingpin Act tends to net poor minorities considered low- to mid-level drug dealers rather than kingpins whose products are fueling the drug crisis. Opponents said the approach resembles the drug war of the 1970s and '80s, when there was bipartisan agreement in Washington that the best way to fight crime was with long, mandatory prison sentences. That approach is now questioned by some conservatives as well as liberals.
"I don't think there's any reason to believe that attempting to revive this policy and use it more effectively will be any more successful," Blume said, adding that death sentences are hard to win. Too few drug traffickers will be sentenced to death and executed to have a real deterrent effect, he said. "I don't think people out there who sell drugs are worried about, am I going to get the death penalty?" | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-03-20 04:54:00 | Trump wants more traffickers put to death. Can he do that? | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3385809 | |
2 women found shot dead in Philadelphia home | PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police say two women, including one in a wheelchair, have been found dead with gunshot wounds to their heads inside a Philadelphia home.
Police say they were met by a person at the door of the home late Monday night.
A 66-year-old woman in the wheelchair was found on the first floor, and a 44-year-old woman was found on the second floor. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The person who let officers into the home is being questioned as a witness.
No names have been released. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-30 20:51:00 | 2 women found shot dead in Philadelphia home | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354214 | |
Consumer confidence rebounds in April | WASHINGTON (AP) — American consumers saw their confidence rebound in April to a level close to the 18-year high it had reached two months ago.
The Conference Board says its consider confidence index rose to 128.7 in April, up from a March level of 127.0. The March level was just below the 130.0 hit in February, which had been the highest since November 2000.
The business research group's index measures consumers' assessment of current conditions and their outlook for the next six months. Economists believe the strength in confidence reflects a strong labor market, with unemployment at a 17-year low, as well as the impact of the $1.5 trillion in tax cuts approved in December, which began showing up in workers' paychecks earlier this year. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-24 22:21:00 | Consumer confidence rebounds in April | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413313 | |
Aubameyang deal set to headline final day of transfer window | LONDON (AP) — Will Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave Borussia Dortmund for Arsenal? Will Riyad Mahrez move to Manchester City?
It's the final day of Europe's transfer window and there are potentially some big deals to be finalized, especially in the Premier League, where clubs have already spent a record amount in January.
The most significant transfer could see Aubameyang join Arsenal for a reported 64.5 million euros ($80 million) in a move that would have a domino effect, with Dortmund needing a replacement and Arsenal looking to offload striker Oliver Giroud.
Man City broke its transfer record to sign Aymeric Laporte for $80 million on Tuesday and could surpass that a day later if the Premier League leaders succeed in bringing in Mahrez from Leicester.
No major signings are expected in Spain or France. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-03 00:00:00 | Aubameyang deal set to headline final day of transfer window | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354760 | |
Holocaust law: Poland, Israel reconcile in German media | Poland and Israel have used full-page ads in German newspapers, including the conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, to praise their countries' ties and comment on Poland's controversial Holocaust law.
The so-called "joint declaration" begins by stating that "for 30 years, relations between our countries and peoples have been built on a solid foundation of trust and understanding" and goes on to say both nations are united by a "deep, long-lasting friendship" marked by "mutual respect for the identity and historical sensitivity of our tragic past." The ad was published in the name of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki.
Poland's divisive Holocaust law
The ad signals a warming of ties after tension had arisen between both countries over Poland's controversial Holocaust law. Passed in early 2018, the law instantly drew condemnation from Israel, the United States and Ukraine.
It stipulated fines and jail sentences of up to three years for individuals who "publicly and in denial of the facts" blame Poles or the Polish state for carrying full or partial responsibility for crimes committed by Nazi Germany.
Read more: Auschwitz: Evolution of a death camp and Holocaust memorial
Critics feared the law would prevent Holocaust survivors and historians from researching the role that some Poles played in Germany's genocide against the Jews.
Relations between Poland and Israel were so fraught that Netanyahu accused Poland of trying to rewrite history and possibly even deny the Holocaust.
Six months later, at Morawiecki's behest, Poland revised the law and cut any reference to possible jail sentences.
Why publish in the German press?
That Poland and Israel would buy such an ad in the German press may, at first glance, appear surprising. But it isn't really, according to Manuel Sarrazin, a member of Germany's Green party who chairs the German-Polish parliament group.
"It is important for Germany that Poland and Israel are on good terms," he said, adding that the ad indicates both sides have resumed friendly relations.
He welcomed efforts from Poland and Israel to intensify their dialogue over their shared history.
"In Germany, we need to realize that Poland's domestic debate [regarding the Holocaust] is also partly due to German media, which failed to distance itself from its own, revisionist portrayals of history," he said. German media has occasionally mistakenly referred to Nazi concentration camps in occupied Poland as "Polish death camps."
The Polish-Israeli ad states that it is "clear the Holocaust represents an unprecedented crime committed by Nazi Germany against the Jews and all Poles of Jewish descent" and adds that Poland "has always shown it fully understands the significance of the Holocaust."
But the ad also concedes: "We recognize that there were horrific acts committed by Poles against Jews during World War II, and we condemn every one of these."
At the same time, the ad highlights the "heroic actions of many Poles," who risked their own lives to save Jews. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-07-05 06:02:00 | With relations frayed over a controversial Polish law regarding the Holocaust, Poland and Israel wanted to show ties are solid. But why did they choose to do it in German? | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3474433 | |
Trump warns Iran that restarting nuclear program will yield 'bigger problems' than ever before | WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump warns Iran that restarting nuclear program will yield 'bigger problems' than ever before. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-24 22:39:00 | Trump warns Iran that restarting nuclear program will yield 'bigger problems' than ever before | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413324 | |
EPA chief doesn't recall 2016 statements slamming Trump | WASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt is distancing himself from his 2016 statements that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump is a "bully" who, if elected, would abuse the Constitution.
Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island sought to use Pruitt's own words against him Tuesday during an oversight hearing, having an aide hold the quotes up on large signs.
Pruitt made the comments in February 2016 while appearing on a conservative talk radio program in Oklahoma, where he served as the state's Republican attorney general. At the time, Pruitt supported Jeb Bush for the GOP nomination.
Pruitt said he appeared on the show several times but did not recall making those specific comments, which he said he would not agree with now that he is serving in the Trump administration. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-03 00:00:00 | EPA chief doesn't recall 2016 statements slamming Trump | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354333 | |
Liz Weston: The right way to give your teen an allowance | Here's an idea: Hand your teenagers hundreds of dollars in one lump sum and leave it up to them to manage the money for the next, say, six to 12 months.
Anyone who's ever had or been a teenager may quail at the thought, but experts say this approach actually can work much better than a weekly allowance in teaching older kids about personal finance.
"It gives them that all-important experience of managing their money," says Janet Bodnar, former editor of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and author of "Raising Money Smart Kids." ''The key is that kids have responsibility to go along with the money."
The problem with weekly or even monthly allowances is that the cash simply comes too often. If your kid blows hers, she just has to wait a little while to get more. Less frequent lump sums, on the other hand, can teach teenagers how to plan and save for future expenses — two crucial habits they'll need to get ahead financially.
Adults who plan ahead for large, irregular expenses are 10 times more likely to be financially healthy than those who don't, according to a study by the nonprofit Center for Financial Services Innovation. Those who have a regular savings habit are four times more likely to be financially healthy.
Lump sums can teach teens the skills needed to develop those habits, says Ron Lieber, a personal finance columnist for The New York Times and author of the book "The Opposite of Spoiled."
Lump sums "train and test teens in self-restraint, in anticipating medium-term needs, in telling the difference between wants and needs, and in setting goals and priorities," Lieber says. "If you don't have more money coming for a while but a larger-than-usual pile in front of you, there will just be that many more and bigger tests of your will."
We switched to the lump sum approach two years ago, when our daughter was still in middle school. I totted up what we'd spent on clothes for her in the previous year, added in a 10 percent fudge factor and plunked the money into her savings account just in time for back-to-school shopping. We told her the money needed to cover her clothing purchases for the next year, and that it was up to her to make sure it lasted.
Which she did. She discovered her money went a lot farther at thrift and consignment stores than it did at the mall. She felt the pain of wasted money when an impulse purchase went unworn. She wrestled with whether to spend a huge chunk of her budget on Dr. Martens. (She eventually asked for them as her birthday present.)
The keys to making this work:
MAKE THE LUMP SUM BIG ENOUGH — BUT NOT TOO BIG. Skimping on the amount won't leave teens enough room to make choices, but giving too much means they won't face hard trade-offs. It's also important that the money be intended for necessities rather than "fun money." When our kids gets out in the real world, most of their paychecks won't be discretionary as they pay for rent, food, transportation, taxes and other needs.
KEEP TALKING. The real value in any kind of allowance is the opportunity it gives you to talk about money. Our daughter had to ask us when she wanted some of the clothing money transferred from savings to her checking account or prepaid card. That gave us a chance to talk about what she was learning, the challenges and choices she faced and our own experiences learning to handle money.
DON'T BAIL THEM OUT. What if they blow all their money in the first week, or outgrow their last pair of sneakers when their account is on fumes? Let them figure out a solution, such as getting a job or earning money doing extra chores, Bodnar advises.
"You need to stick to your guns, which is hard as a parent," she says.
If parents ride to the rescue, all the teenager learns is to look for the quick fix that avoids short-term pain. That kind of thinking leads to credit card debt, payday loans and repeated requests for bailouts even when they're adults. Better to take a hard line now than watch them fail later.
"Teens will flunk these tests regularly, and we should cheer, internally at least, when they do," Lieber says. "The more they mess up while they still live with us and the consequences are relatively mild, the better."
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This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet .
Liz Weston is a columnist at NerdWallet, a certified financial planner and author of "Your Credit Score." Email: lweston@nerdwallet.com . Twitter: @lizweston.
RELATED LINK:
NerdWallet: Are you financially healthy? https://nerd.me/financial-health-quiz | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-29 22:58:00 | Liz Weston: The right way to give your teen an allowance | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3353873 | |
French president calls for more cybersecurity for election | PARIS (AP) — French President Francois Hollande is calling for new security measures around the country's presidential race, notably to protect against hacking.
Hollande's order came after the campaign of centrist Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of trying to sway the April 23-May 7 election.
Hollande asked top security officials Wednesday to present electoral security measures next week "including in the cyber domain."
Mounir Mahjoubi, head of digital campaigning for Macron, told The Associated Press that his team identified thousands of hacking attempts originating from Ukraine in recent weeks.
Mahjoubi says the attempts coincided with what he called a fake news operation targeting Macron in Russia-sponsored media in France.
Macron's leading rivals, Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen, want to lift sanctions against Russia, while Macron has been less friendly toward Moscow. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-02-15 22:47:00 | French president calls for more cybersecurity for election | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3095838 | http://tnimage.taiwannews.com.tw/photos/shares/AP/20170215/2b305159e81e4e55b5bdbca984135e15.jpg |
National Hockey League | All Times EST EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 50 34 13 3 71 176 128 Boston 48 29 11 8 66 157 119 Toronto 51 28 18 5 61 162 146 Florida 48 20 22 6 46 136 159 Detroit 48 19 21 8 46 126 146 Montreal 50 20 24 6 46 130 159 Ottawa 48 15 24 9 39 125 168 Buffalo 50 14 27 9 37 115 166 Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Washington 49 29 15 5 63 150 138 Pittsburgh 52 28 21 3 59 156 155 New Jersey 49 25 16 8 58 147 147 Columbus 50 27 19 4 58 133 140 Philadelphia 49 24 17 8 56 141 141 N.Y. Rangers 50 25 20 5 55 153 151 N.Y. Islanders 51 25 21 5 55 173 184 Carolina 50 23 19 8 54 139 155 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Winnipeg 51 30 13 8 68 167 137 Nashville 48 29 12 7 65 146 125 St. Louis 52 31 18 3 65 151 131 Dallas 50 28 18 4 60 155 134 Minnesota 50 27 18 5 59 147 142 Colorado 48 27 18 3 57 157 139 Chicago 50 24 19 7 55 148 137 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Vegas 48 32 12 4 68 164 128 San Jose 49 26 16 7 59 145 138 Anaheim 51 25 17 9 59 144 142 Calgary 49 25 16 8 58 137 135 Los Angeles 49 26 18 5 57 139 121 Edmonton 49 22 24 3 47 135 157 Vancouver 49 19 24 6 44 127 159 Arizona 50 12 29 9 33 118 172
NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.
Monday's Games No games scheduled
Tuesday's Games
Minnesota 3, Columbus 2, SO
Pittsburgh 5, San Jose 2
Florida 4, N.Y. Islanders 1
Anaheim 3, Boston 1
Carolina 2, Ottawa 1
New Jersey 3, Buffalo 1
Winnipeg 3, Tampa Bay 1
St. Louis 3, Montreal 1
Chicago 2, Nashville 1
Los Angeles at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Vegas at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Colorado at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Wednesday's Games
N.Y. Islanders at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
San Jose at Detroit, 8 p.m.
Philadelphia at Washington, 8 p.m.
Thursday's Games
Toronto at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.
Montreal at Carolina, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Boston, 7 p.m.
Florida at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Anaheim at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Vegas at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles at Nashville, 8:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Dallas at Arizona, 9 p.m.
Colorado at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Chicago at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Friday's Games
Washington at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Carolina, 7 p.m.
San Jose at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Vegas at Minnesota, 8 p.m. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-31 11:44:00 | National Hockey League | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354630 | |
Not Real News: Alabama Senate race spurs false reports | BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — As Alabama's high-profile Senate race heads toward a Tuesday vote, supporters and opponents of GOP candidate Roy Moore are bending the truth — or shattering it to pieces — in the campaign's final stretch.
One website falsely proclaimed that one of the women who accused Moore of sexual misconduct had recanted. Another erroneously reported that a Moore accuser "forged" his yearbook inscription to her. On the other side, Moore's detractors took to social media to assert, erroneously, that Moore had written in a 2011 textbook that women shouldn't hold elected office.
The Associated Press checked these out; here are the real facts:
NOT REAL: BREAKING: Roy Moore's Lying Accuser Admits He Didn't Ever Touch Her
THE FACTS: None of the women who accused the Alabama Republican Senate candidate of sexual misconduct, including two women who said Moore molested them, have backed off their initial claims. This fake headline is from a website, Reagan Was Right, which promotes hoaxes and satire. The woman featured in a photograph accompanying the story shows a British reality TV star, not any of the eight women who have accused Moore of sexual misconduct.
NOT REAL: Claims that Roy Moore authored a textbook in 2011 that says women shouldn't run for office
THE FACTS: Moore is in fact a co-author of a "textbook" which serves as a study guide for a series of Bible-based video and audio lectures on U.S. law and public policy. The course packaging also identifies him as a "featured speaker." Despite claims spread on the web this week, however, Moore did not author the specific section or deliver the lecture that argues that women should not hold elected office. That talk was given by William Einwechter, an elder at Immanuel Free Reformed Church in Pennsylvania. Moore's office says he does not believe that women are unqualified for public office.
NOT REAL: BREAKING: ROY MOORE ACCUSER ADMITS SHE FORGED PART OF YEARBOOK INSCRIPTION!!!
THE FACTS: Moore supporters celebrated misleading news that Beverly Nelson, one of his accusers, admitted forging a 1977 yearbook inscription that was considered key evidence against the Alabama Republican. The inscription reads, "To a sweeter more beautiful girl I could not say, 'Merry Christmas.'" It is followed by the signature "Roy Moore D.A." and the notation "12-22-77 Olde Hickory House." Nelson's attorney, Gloria Allred, said Friday that Nelson had added the date and restaurant name to the inscription. However, Allred also said that a handwriting expert found Moore's signature in the yearbook to be authentic.
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Associated Press writer Michael Rubinkam contributed to this report.
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This is part of The Associated Press' ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.
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Find all AP Fact Checks here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/APFactCheck | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-12-11 00:00:00 | Not Real News: Alabama Senate race spurs false reports | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3318054 | |
UAE cyber firm DarkMatter slowly steps out of the shadows | ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — DarkMatter, a growing cybersecurity company in the United Arab Emirates that's recruited Western intelligence analysts, is stepping out of the shadows amid concerns by activists about its power and potential targets.
The company's founder and CEO, Faisal al-Bannai, says DarkMatter takes part in no hacking, although he acknowledges the firm's close business ties to the Emirati government, as well as its hiring of former CIA and National Security Agency analysts.
Activists warn such expertise could be used to target human rights campaigners, some of whom already have been jailed in the UAE, a major U.S. ally in the Mideast.
Al-Bannai told The Associated Press his company carefully chooses its clients, while leaving the ethical decisions about privacy and surveillance in wielding its powerful technology to its governmental customers, which include the Dubai police.
"Ignoring that use, in my view, would be silly," he said. "I think tackling that issue and saying, 'What is the right balance,' is the right question and the one I think everyone is trying to figure out."
Surveillance is prolific across the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula. Flashing cameras capture license plates of vehicles pulling into gas stations. At Dubai's Mall of the Emirates, home to an indoor ski slope, shoppers can use a kiosk to find their cars via the mall's surveillance system.
Authorities say surveillance keeps the UAE safe. Surveillance footage helped authorities quickly identify the woman who stabbed an American school teacher to death at an Abu Dhabi mall in 2014.
It also aided Dubai police in identifying members of what it described as an Israeli hit squad that killed an operative with the Palestinian militant Hamas group in 2010, an attack never acknowledged by Israel.
For al-Bannai, whose father is a retired major general with the Dubai police, cybersecurity seemed like a good bet after he found success with his mobile phone reselling firm Axiom Telecom. He formed DarkMatter in 2015 and today, he said the company has some 650 employees. Most work out of its headquarters in the disc-shaped Aldar building along a major highway connecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The firm also has research-and-development centers in China, Finland and Toronto, he said.
"The only country in the region that's strong in cybersecurity is Israel," al-Bannai told foreign journalists who visited DarkMatter on Tuesday. "Other than that, it's blank."
He described DarkMatter as entirely privately held, with a customer base that is 80 percent government agencies and 20 percent commercial. He declined to name specific clients, but many suspect they include the Signals Intelligence Agency, the Emirati version of the NSA. The agency is also registered as having offices in the Aldar building.
"Frankly, it's an alignment of the stars," al-Bannai said of DarkMatter's government contracts. "It is a pure commercial transaction with them."
Since its inception, rumors have swirled around DarkMatter.
Some hackers described receiving aggressive, repeated job offers by the firm. An Italian hacker wrote a blog post in 2016 alleging that DarkMatter tried to hire him through a third-party recruiter who described the company as setting up a vast domestic spying infrastructure, something denied by al-Bannai.
However, human rights activists and others have been targeted by hacks suspected to be directed, if not carried out, by the Emirati government.
Emirati activist Ahmed Mansoor became famous in August 2016 when he worked with security experts to reveal three previously undisclosed weaknesses in Apple's mobile operating system after he was allegedly targeted with a phishing text message he didn't open.
Mansoor and others believed the United Arab Emirates was behind the attack, as it involved so-called "zero day" exploits — flaws in programming that hackers can use to potentially install spyware or gain control of a system — that can be worth over a million dollars each. Mansoor was arrested by UAE authorities last March for his online posts. Authorities later said he was being held at Abu Dhabi's central prison and had "the freedom to hire a lawyer" and receive family visits.
Another hacking campaign targeting Mansoor and others, dubbed "Stealth Falcon," also appeared to be coordinated by the government, said Bill Marczak, a research fellow at Citizen Lab. DarkMatter's close work with the Emirati government, and the experience of its staff, raised flags about the company, Marczak said.
"When you're talking about human rights activists like Ahmed Mansoor ... there's nothing he can do and the government gets access to him and his contacts and then can take further actions against his contacts," he said. "It's one thing to use them against people you may think are committing terrorist acts or criminal acts, but using them against someone who is just kind of sitting around their living room tweeting, it seems kind of disproportionate."
Al-Bannai said DarkMatter had no depository of "zero day" exploits, nor did it take part in so-called "offensive hacking." He pointed to one of the company's signature products, a secure mobile phone called "Katim," or "silence" in Arabic, as showing the firm's interest in defensive technology.
He added that DarkMatter hired CIA, NSA and other ex-government employees for their experience.
"If you think an NSA guy is a spooky guy, the NSA guy is the one protecting you in the U.S.," al-Bannai said. "These are not the bad guys."
He did, however, acknowledge that questions remain about how much information authorities should have and be able to use.
Pegasus, a DarkMatter subsidiary, now has a "big data" contract with Dubai police. An example offered by al-Bannai suggested police could be able to pool hours of surveillance video to track anyone in the emirate.
"My team knows what they're building," he said. "If they thought they were building funny stuff, they wouldn't be here."
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Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap. His work can be found at http://apne.ws/2galNpz. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-03 00:00:00 | UAE cyber firm DarkMatter slowly steps out of the shadows | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3355210 | |
Native Americans: Benching Wahoo step in right direction | Cleveland native Josh Hunt is not a fan of baseball. But he's showed up at Progressive Field where the Indians play for the past couple of years to protest the team name and its mascot, Chief Wahoo — confronted with fans in headdresses and face paint, some playing small drums.
"Being Native American myself, it's a reminder that our city and our society doesn't see me as a human being," he said. "It would prefer to portray me as a racist stereotype, a bloodthirsty savage."
The protests have been happening since at least the 1970s, and this week marked what American Indians say is a small but substantial change in professional sports. The players won't don Chief Wahoo on their uniforms starting in the 2019 season, when Cleveland will host the All-Star game, though the red-faced cartoon with a big-toothed grin and feather headband won't disappear from merchandise.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and team owner Paul Dolan said the change was about diversity and inclusion. Manfred met with the National Congress of American Indians last April, after the club already reduced Wahoo's visibility and introduced a block "C'' as the club's primary insignia. The NCAI's executive director, Jacqueline Pata, said she knew the All-Star game was putting pressure on the team, and she further impressed in the meeting that change would equate respect.
"Once you make this big step and the public understands, it makes a statement in itself," said Pata, of the Tlingit Tribe of Alaska. "I continue to say an informed public will make decisions about what they buy and how they want to be associated with the sports teams."
The group has kept a list of schools and sports teams that use indigenous imagery, mascots and names generally associated with Native Americans, once a common tradition throughout the U.S. Change has come: Savages to Blue Hawks at Dickson State University. Indians to Big Green at Dartmouth College. Warriors to Golden Eagles at Marquette University. Minnesota and Wisconsin have banned Native American mascots at school districts for decades.
Pata said about 1,000 names still are targeted, including the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, the MLB's Atlanta Braves and the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks.
The issue stretches beyond the United States.
Brazil's Chapecoense, a soccer team that lost 19 of its players in a November 2016 air crash, has a mascot named for a 19th century leader of the Kaingang Tribe. Locals in Chapeco, a majority white city, say using the mascot is hypocritical and racist considering the last surviving Kaingangs have been pushed to the edges of the city and beyond.
Most of the efforts for change in the United States are at the high school level. But the biggest push nationally is against the NFL's Washington Redskins, a name team owner Dan Synder is intent on keeping. The U.S. Justice Department recently gave up a legal fight over the name it said is disparaging because of a Supreme Court decision that favored an Asian-American band calling itself the Slants. Justice officials said that means the Redskins would prevail in a legal battle to cancel the team's trademarks.
Pata sees public sentiment being the main tool in challenging the names and logos. Activists have used the courts, protested, burned mascots in effigy, advertised and had forums on imagery in sports to explain the disparities it creates for Native youth and the misconceptions about contemporary Native Americans.
Hunt said those discussions are most productive when he meets people one on one, away from the Cleveland stadium he calls "regressive field," and is hopeful enough momentum has been built for further change.
"While it seems bleak, it really has shocked people into at least waking up a little and paying attention to things like this, racist imagery, to our country's history, how we've treated Native Americans and African Americans," said Hunt, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.
Charlene Teters was among a group of people arrested in 1998 outside the Cleveland stadium for burning an effigy of Chief Wahoo she likened to Little Black Sambo — a character from an 1899 children's book widely considered to be racist. It was a way for Native Americans, who make up about 2 percent of the U.S. population, to be heard after years of holding signs, she said. The movement now is being led by a younger generation of Native Americans who see how imagery affects them, she said.
"That says to me it's over because our young people get it, and they're taking up that challenge and doing it their own way," said Teters, a Spokane tribal member and academic dean at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
For some Cleveland fans, Chief Wahoo has been a beloved part of the team since 1947 and they don't want to see the players without him. They've seen Wahoo as a sign of hope, as a symbol of Cleveland's renaissance in the 1990s when the team's fortunes turned on the field — urging through signs and T-shirts to keep him.
"That's the way it is, I guess," said Jeremiah Baker of North Ridgeville, Ohio, wearing one of the team's blue caps with a red "C." ''I know people get offended about just about everything nowadays. It's disappointing."
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Associated Press writers Tom Withers in Cleveland and Mauricio Savarese in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-03 00:00:00 | Native Americans: Benching Wahoo step in right direction | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354427 | |
Ousted coach says he didn't resign from Glasgow club Rangers | GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Mark Warburton has asked Rangers to explain why it said he resigned as manager of the Glasgow club.
Rangers announced last week that it had accepted the resignation of Warburton and two of his backroom staff, but they say "at no stage did we resign from our positions."
They added in a statement that "despite its detailed public statements, the club has not answered key questions put to it by the LMA (League Managers Association) ... requesting an explanation of why it suggested that we resigned."
Rangers is third in the Scottish league — 27 points behind leader Celtic — in its first season back in the top division after being forced to start again in the bottom tier in 2012 after a financial meltdown. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-02-15 20:21:00 | Ousted coach says he didn't resign from Glasgow club Rangers | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3095738 | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/images/category/580888eb17740.jpg |
Ex-Yahoo paying $35M to settle SEC charges over 2014 hack | WASHINGTON (AP) — The company formerly known as Yahoo is paying a $35 million fine to resolve federal regulators' charges that the online pioneer deceived investors by failing to disclose one of the biggest data breaches in internet history.
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the action Tuesday against the company, which is now called Altaba after its most valuable parts were sold to Verizon Communications for $4.48 billion last year. The Sunnyvale, California-based company neither admitted nor denied the allegations but did agree to refrain from further violations of securities laws.
Personal data was stolen from hundreds of millions of Yahoo users in the December 2014 breach attributed to Russian hackers. The SEC alleged that, although Yahoo senior managers and attorneys were told about the breach, the company failed to fully investigate. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-25 02:11:00 | Ex-Yahoo paying $35M to settle SEC charges over 2014 hack | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413410 | |
The Latest: Trump weighs in on cancellation of 'Roseanne' | NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on Roseanne Barr (all times local):
11:50 a.m.
President Donald Trump has broken his silence on the cancellation of "Roseanne."
In a tweet, Trump noted that Robert Iger, who is chief executive of ABC's parent Walt Disney Co., called Valerie Jarrett to say the network wouldn't tolerate Roseanne Barr's racist tweet about the former Obama adviser.
Trump wrote that Iger never called him to apologize for "the HORRIBLE statements" that have been said about him on ABC. Tweeted Trump: "Maybe I just didn't get the call."
The president reveled in the show's success this spring, especially after Barr's character came out as a supporter of his policies.
2 a.m.
Roseanne Barr shows no signs she will remain quiet about her firing from her popular ABC series and has highlighted supporters' tweets criticizing the network.
Barr engaged in a series of tweets Tuesday night, hours after ABC announced it was canceling the rebooted "Roseanne" over a racist tweet by the comedian attacking Valerie Jarrett, an adviser to former President Barack Obama.
Barr's post-firing tweets included an apology to those who lost their jobs because of her words, but her choice of retweets struck a defiant tone. They included one post that juxtaposed an image of Jarrett with an image of a "Planet of the Apes" actor — a comparison that led to her firing.
She later tweeted that people should not defend her. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-05-30 00:00:00 | The Latest: Trump weighs in on cancellation of 'Roseanne' | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3444430 | |
Pakistani officials: Suspected US drone kills militants | DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani intelligence officials say a suspected U.S. drone strike killed a militant commander and his associate near the Afghan border.
Two intelligence officials say the drone targeted the commander, Qari Abdullah Dawar, as he was walking with his associate near their mountain hideout in the Tor Tangai area of North Waziristan on Wednesday.
North Waziristan has long been a sanctuary for Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. Pakistan's military says it has eradicated most militant safe havens in operations there.
They say the slain militants were from the Gul Bahadur group, which has carried out attacks inside Afghanistan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Pakistani Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan last month. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-07-04 23:19:00 | Pakistani officials: Suspected US drone kills militants | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3474341 | |
Pence touts tax cuts, slams Manchin in West Virginia | WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence has paid a visit to a truck dealership in southern West Virginia, touting the tax cuts enacted by the Republican-controlled Congress while slamming the state's Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who voted against the plan.
Manchin faces re-election this year.
Pence says Manchin "has voted 'no' time and again on the policies that West Virginia needs."
Manchin has responded with a statement saying, "The Vice President's comments are exactly why Washington Sucks."
Pence, speaking at Worldwide Equipment Inc., says cuts in taxes and federal regulations prompted CEO Terry Dotson to give bonuses to all the company's 1,100 employees and move ahead with a new dealership in Charleston, South Carolina.
The $300 bonuses were paid in December when the tax bill was signed. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-03 00:00:00 | Pence touts tax cuts, slams Manchin in West Virginia | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3355062 | |
Egypt's leader serves opposition parties with stern warning | CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's president has given a thinly veiled but stern warning to opposition politicians calling for a boycott of presidential elections in March, saying he would die first before allowing anyone to mess with the country's security.
A clearly furious Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a general-turned-president, spoke Wednesday a day after a coalition of opposition parties and public figures called for a boycott of the March 26-28 vote, which they described as a farce.
El-Sissi is virtually certain of winning a second four-year term in office.
Without directly mentioning the boycott call or the March vote, el-Sissi said he would take "measures" against anyone who disrupts Egypt's stability.
He says: "You seem not to know me well enough, but by God, the price of Egypt's security is my life and the life of the army." | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-31 18:55:00 | Egypt's leader serves opposition parties with stern warning | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354748 | |
The Latest: Immigrant freed from detention sees targeting | NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on Ravi Ragbir, an immigrant activist facing deportation who was ordered freed from detention (all times local):
12:15 p.m.
An immigrant activist freed from detention by a judge's order says immigration officials are engaging in "psychological warfare" by targeting him and other activists for detention and deportation.
Ravi Ragbir (RAH'-vee RAHG'-beer) says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is trying to send a message to the immigrant community by taking high-profile activists into custody.
ICE refutes that contention and says it doesn't target anyone "based on advocacy positions they hold or in retaliation for critical comments they make."
Ragbir was released from detention in New York on Monday following a judge's ruling. He had been detained since mid-January and has been fighting deportation.
He's trying to attend the State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday, where immigration will almost certainly come up.
___
12:02 a.m.
A federal judge who ordered a detained immigration rights activist facing deportation to be immediately released is raising "grave concern" over the argument that he had been targeted because of his political activities.
U.S. District Judge Katherine B. Forrest ruled that Ravi Ragbir be freed after a hearing on Monday in Manhattan federal court. The activist had been detained since Jan. 11. He's been fighting deportation following a wire fraud conviction and is executive director a coalition of faith-based groups.
Concern over activism-based targeting by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also has been expressed in recent weeks by immigrants and their advocates over Ragbir's and others' cases.
ICE says it doesn't target anyone "based on advocacy positions they hold or in retaliation for critical comments they make." | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-03 00:00:00 | The Latest: Immigrant freed from detention sees targeting | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354367 | |
McConaughey fears March for Our Lives will get 'hijacked' | LAS VEGAS (AP) — A month after speaking at the March for Our Lives in his hometown of Austin, Texas, Matthew McConaughey says he supports some gun control but fears the youth-led movement could be "hijacked" by those hoping to eliminate all guns in the United States.
McConaughey spoke about his support for the marchers in Las Vegas on Monday, where he was promoting his upcoming film, "White Boy Rick," at the CinemaCon theater-owners convention.
He called gun violence "an epidemic in our country." But he says there are responsible gun owners and some want to ban all guns, and he worries the March for Our Lives will be overtaken by that faction.
He says he hopes there's room for agreement between anti-gun activists and the National Rifle Association. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-25 00:52:00 | McConaughey fears March for Our Lives will get 'hijacked' | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413377 | |
Leaked report: UK economy will be worse off after Brexit | LONDON (AP) — A forecast prepared for the British government reportedly says the economy will be worse off after the country leaves the European Union whatever trade deal is struck with the bloc.
The leaked assessment published Monday by news website BuzzFeed says if Britain reaches a free trade deal with the EU, growth will be 5 percent lower than current forecasts over 15 years.
The document, dated this month, says if there is no deal and Britain resorts to World Trade Organization terms, growth will fall 8 percent. If Britain remains in the EU single market but as a non-bloc member, the decline will be 2 percent.
The government maintains that Britain will be able to strike new trade deals around the world after Brexit to replace any decline with the EU.
The leaked analysis says new trade deals with the U.S., China, India and other countries would boost growth, but not enough to make up for the lost revenue from the EU, currently Britain's biggest trading partner.
The government did not challenge the authenticity of the document, but said Monday it would not comment on its internal Brexit analysis.
The report is the latest in a string of economists' predictions that leaving the EU will harm the U.K. economy. Supporters of Brexit point out that many such forecasts have so far not come to pass.
The document is likely to further inflame feuding within Britain's Conservative government, between those who back a clean break with the bloc and those who want to keep Britain's economy as closely aligned with the EU's as possible after Brexit in March 2019. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-30 09:49:00 | Leaked report: UK economy will be worse off after Brexit | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354015 | |
Town accused of targeting Jews settles lawsuit over boundary | MAHWAH, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey town accused of discriminating against Orthodox Jews from nearby New York state approved a settlement Tuesday with a group that sued over a religious boundary built with white plastic piping on utility poles.
Mahwah Township's council voted 5-2 Tuesday to settle the suit from the Bergen Rockland Eruv Association after two hours of private legal discussion, the Record reports . The settlement will remain confidential pending approval from the group, says Mahwah Township Attorney Brian Chewcaskie.
The lawsuit was sparked by a now-reversed township ordinance that would have effectively banned the building of an eruv, a religious boundary that some Orthodox Jews rely on to perform tasks on the Sabbath including carrying bags and pushing strollers.
The eruv ban and a separate ordinance that would have restricted parks and playgrounds to local residents were reversed in December after Mahwah was sued by the state attorney general.
The ban was prompted by some town residents' complaints about overcrowding at the parks and their use by Orthodox Jewish families coming from towns across the nearby New York border.
The Bergen Rockland Eruv Association alleged the ban was an attempt to keep Orthodox Jews from New York out of Mahwah. The eruv association received licenses from the utility company Orange & Rockland before installing the pipes, according to group's attorneys.
Many Mahwah residents voiced concerns during the legal fight that the expanded eruv meant an influx of Orthodox Jews along with overcrowding and a stressed school system similar to Lakewood. Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker labeled the opposition as anti-Semitic.
Council President Robert Hermansen, who has denied the measures were motivated by anti-Semitism, said that the settlement was the best option for the township.
"This is a good town with good people, and we're making this decision for good people," said Hermansen.
Council members Janet Ariemma and James Wysocki voted against the settlement. Some residents who attended Tuesday's meeting called on the council members to fight against the eruv all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if needed.
"I know the judge and the New Jersey attorney general are trying to force you to resolve this matter immediately. Do not bow to their attempts to coerce action," said resident Ralph Fusco. "You have an army of people ready to support you."
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Information from: The Record (Woodland Park, N.J.), http://www.northjersey.com | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-31 22:50:00 | Town accused of targeting Jews settles lawsuit over boundary | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354822 | |
Appeals court refuses to toss Aaron Schock charges | CHICAGO (AP) — An appeals court has refused to toss corruption charges against former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, saying it can't assess whether his prosecution violated constitutional separation-of-powers clauses until after he goes to trial.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago says in its unanimous ruling Wednesday that it doesn't believe appellate courts have the authority to address such questions until after a verdict. No date has been set for the 36-year-old Schock's trial on 22 corruption counts.
The Republican from the central Illinois city of Peoria was indicted in 2016 on charges of misusing funds. He resigned in 2015 amid scrutiny of his spending, including to redecorate his Capitol Hill office in the style of the TV show "Downton Abbey."
A Schock spokesman didn't have an immediate comment. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-05-31 02:00:00 | Appeals court refuses to toss Aaron Schock charges | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3444473 | |
New Zealand wildfires prompt hundreds of evacuations | WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Hundreds of homes in the New Zealand city of Christchurch have been evacuated as wildfires threaten some suburbs.
Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton tells The Associated Press he's planning to declare a state of emergency, as was the mayor of adjacent Christchurch. He says changing winds have made the fires unpredictable.
Displaced residents are staying at evacuation centers or with relatives.
A helicopter pilot died in a crash Tuesday while fighting the blaze.
The New Zealand military on Wednesday revealed the pilot, Corporal David Steven Askin, was a soldier who had won one of the country's top awards for bravery in Afghanistan. A member of the elite Special Air Service, Askin's identity was kept secret at the time he won the Gallantry Star medal. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-02-15 13:02:00 | New Zealand wildfires prompt hundreds of evacuations | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3095356 | http://tnimage.taiwannews.com.tw/photos/shares/AP/20170214/81d637fc524647dfb6b821454c9e9cb7.jpg |
Former pro BMX rider Kevin 'K-Rob' Robinson dies at age 45 | PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A former professional BMX rider from who set a world record for the longest power-assisted bicycle backflip has died.
The wife of Rhode Island native Kevin "K-Rob" Robinson tells The Providence Journal her husband suffered an apparent stroke Saturday. He was 45.
Robin Adams Robinson says the death was unexpected.
Kevin Robinson earned gold medals in the X Games and retired from competition in 2013.
He jumped 84 feet in Providence last year, setting a world record.
The East Providence native created the nonprofit K-Rob Foundation to improve children's lives in his hometown and surrounding communities. He built East Providence's first free public skate park.
Robinson visited schools to talk about perseverance and created a protective clothing line for children.
He lived in Barrington with his wife and three children. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-12-12 00:40:00 | Former pro BMX rider Kevin 'K-Rob' Robinson dies at age 45 | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3318140 | |
HBO, 'Big Little Lies' lead Globes in TV nods | NEW YORK (AP) — The actors from HBO's limited series "Big Little Lies" will have quite an internal competition at the Golden Globes next month.
Powerhouse actresses Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon are both nominated for best actress for a limited TV series, while colleagues Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley and Alexander Skarsgard are up for supporting awards. The Globes announced their television nominations on Monday, and the HBO series led the way with six nods.
The Globes offered 32 nominations for programs from cable networks, led by HBO's dozen. Streaming services had 15 nominations, with Netflix on top with nine. The only broadcast networks with nominations were NBC, with five, and ABC, with three.
CBS, the most-watched network on television, was shut out.
While the Fox network also came up empty, its cable cousin FX was second only to HBO among the cable networks with eight nominations. They include Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon, stars of "Feud: Bette and Joan."
Netflix's "The Crown" and "Stranger Things" are both up for best drama series. HBO's "Game of Thrones" and Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" are also up for best drama, with NBC's "This is Us" carrying the flag for broadcast television.
"The Good Doctor," ABC's series about an autistic doctor and the biggest new broadcast hit, didn't land in the top five, although lead actor Freddie Highmore will compete for best drama actor.
"Veep" and star Julia Louis-Dreyfus are used to picking up fistfuls of Emmy awards, but they can stay home on Golden Globes night — one of the most notable snubs in the comedy category.
In a retro touch, NBC's reboot of "Will & Grace" was nominated for best comedy or musical, with star Eric McCormack earning a nod for best actor. ABC's "black-ish" and star Anthony Anderson will be among the competition.
Netflix's "Master of None" and Showtime's "Smilf" will also compete for best comedy, along with one relative surprise contender in Amazon's "The Amazing Mrs. Maisel," about a housewife turned comic from "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. Globe voters may be looking to lift the series from obscurity, since "Maisel" star Rachel Brosnahan was also nominated.
Along with Highmore, best drama actor nominees include Jason Bateman of "Ozark," Sterling K. Brown of "This is Us," Bob Odenkirk of "Better Call Saul" and Liev Schreiber of "Ray Donovan."
New series are emphasized in the best actress category, where the nominees include Caitriona Balfe of "Outlander," Claire Foy of "The Crown," Maggie Gyllenhaal of "The Deuce," Katherine Langford of "13 Reasons Why" and Elisabeth Moss of "The Handmaid's Tale."
Two prominent shows where actors were recently written out due to sexual misconduct allegations — "House of Cards" (Kevin Spacey) and "Transparent" (Jeffrey Tambor) — were both shut out of nominations. It's unknown whether the controversy had any impact; the Globes tend to favor new work and both these series are no longer novelties. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-12-12 06:18:00 | HBO, 'Big Little Lies' lead Globes in TV nods | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3318226 | |
BC-US--Sugar, US | New York (AP) — Sugar futures trading on the IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) Monday:
(112,000 lbs.; cents per lb.) | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-12-12 04:18:00 | BC-US--Sugar, US | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3318199 | |
Abortion impasse could shut down effort to reduce premiums | WASHINGTON (AP) — The polarizing politics of abortion have burst into the congressional budget debate, overwhelming bipartisan efforts to help millions of consumers who buy their own health insurance policies get relief from soaring premiums.
On Monday, Senate and House Republicans released their latest plan to stabilize the Affordable Care Act's insurance markets. It provides new federal money to offset the cost of treating the sickest patients and restores insurer subsidies that President Donald Trump terminated last year.
That's clearly a big shift from last year, when repealing "Obamacare" was the GOP's demand. But the fine print of the GOP offer includes restrictions on abortion funding that Democrats have already rejected, a "poison pill" to abortion rights supporters. They say the proposal could block abortion coverage by some health insurance plans consumers purchase with their own money.
Lawmakers of both parties have been negotiating over a health insurance stabilization bill for months, and some experts estimate such legislation could reduce premiums by 20 percent to 40 percent, after two years of relentless increases.
The office of one of the leading Democratic negotiators, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, Monday called the Republican offer "partisan," saying in a statement it came as a surprise.
In an interview last Friday, Murray said that her GOP counterparts have only recently started raising the issue of abortion restrictions.
"To me that is just unacceptable," Murray said. "Why would they add it on at the last minute?" She complained that some Republicans were taking the stabilization bill "hostage."
The impasse over abortion restrictions on health insurance is just one of several divisive social issues complicating prospects for the $1.3 trillion spending bill that would keep the government open and provide funding increases for military and domestic programs.
Others include a Republican demand for stronger "conscience" protections for clinicians who object to abortions and assisted suicide, and a Democratic maneuver to protect family planning money for Planned Parenthood clinics, which provide birth control for many low-income women.
Federal funding for abortion has long been restricted by a series of laws known as the Hyde amendment, which prohibit taxpayer funds from being used to pay for abortions, expect in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman's life is endangered.
Abortion remains a legal medical procedure in the United States, covered by many employer plans. However, the abortion rate has dropped significantly, from about 29 per 1,000 women of reproductive age in 1980 to about 15 in 2014. Better contraception, fewer unintended pregnancies and state restrictions may have played a role, according to a recent scientific report.
Former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act attempted a compromise over abortion.
Passed with only Democratic votes, the health law allowed plans sold through HealthCare.gov to cover abortion, provided they didn't tap taxpayer subsidies that help low- to moderate-income people pay premiums. Instead the plans would have to collect a separate premium solely for abortion coverage, and keep the accounts strictly separate.
The ACA also allowed states to prohibit abortion coverage in their insurance markets, and about half have done so.
But abortion opponents decried Obama's compromise as a bookkeeping exercise. They wanted the Hyde amendment applied to plans sold to individuals through HealthCare.gov and state insurance markets.
The new GOP bill would apply the Hyde restrictions to two streams of federal money.
One is restored subsidies that compensate insurers for required discounts on copays and deductibles for low-income people.
The second funding stream would stabilize insurance markets by helping cover costs for the sickest patients.
Abortion rights supporters say that the second prohibition could result in abortion restrictions for health insurance that consumers buy with their own money outside of HealthCare.gov. That's because a fund to help with the costs of the sickest patients would help reduce premiums across all plans in a given state.
Sen. Murray is hoping Republicans will change their minds.
But Republicans say they've already come a long way, by signing onto legislation that would address some of the problems with "Obamacare."
"I'm willing to ensure payments are there to bring premiums down," said Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. "But we don't want to be complicit in taking the lives of unborn children." | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-03-20 03:39:00 | Abortion impasse could shut down effort to reduce premiums | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3385778 | |
Senate confirms new director of National Security Agency | WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump's pick to lead the National Security Agency and the U.S. Cyber Command.
Paul Nakasone was confirmed Tuesday. The Senate also approved of his military promotion to general.
He replaces the current director, Mike Rogers, who is retiring.
Nakasone is a longtime member of the cryptologic community.
He's had several top-level intelligence posts. He commanded the U.S. Army Cyber Command and held military intelligence positions in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Republic of Korea. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-25 04:36:00 | Senate confirms new director of National Security Agency | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413467 | |
Neymar urged to stop acting, win titles to get FIFA award | MOSCOW (AP) — After a decade of duopoly, the FIFA-run vote to crown soccer's best player finally seems open to third parties after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo left the World Cup early.
Neymar must help Brazil lift the trophy next week if he wants to join the greats, according to the World Cup winner who first took home FIFA's top individual award.
Cutting out the play-acting would also help Neymar win votes, 1990 World Cup winner Lothar Matthaeus said Wednesday.
"We need players like Neymar," said the former West Germany captain, who won the inaugural FIFA world player award in 1991. "But not with this acting what he was doing now in each game."
A debate about Neymar faking injury and overreacting to tackles is polarizing opinion between European outrage and Brazilian defense.
Former England forward Alan Shearer called Neymar's behavior "absolutely pathetic" in a British broadcast Monday. Neymar's theatrics distracted from Brazil's 2-0 win over Mexico that took the five-time champion into the quarterfinals.
"The criticism is nonsense," Brazil great Ronaldo told reporters Wednesday. "I am against all these opinions you mentioned. I don't think referees have been protecting him enough."
Ronaldo, a three-time winner of FIFA's best player award, and Matthaeus spoke at a briefing about the individual accolade that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won five times each in the past decade.
With Portugal and Argentina both leaving Russia in the round of 16, the award seems open for a new winner to emerge.
"Sure, Neymar — when he will win the World Cup," said Matthaeus. "You have to win titles with your team."
Ronaldo and Messi arrived in Russia after Real Madrid won a third straight Champions League title and Barcelona won La Liga. Neymar's absence since February with a foot injury was barely a blip for Paris Saint-Germain's procession to win the French league.
"It's easy to win the title in France," Matthaeus said. "For me, Neymar this season, he did not show until now he can be the best."
The German great picked out another PSG star, Kylian Mbappe of France, England captain Harry Kane and Croatia captain Luka Modric as potential candidates for the FIFA award when voting opens July 23.
The winner announced in London on Sept. 24 is judged by a vote by national team coaches and captains, plus media from FIFA's 211 member countries, and fans voting online. It is separate from the Golden Ball given to the World Cup's best player.
Ronaldo singled out Neymar as a potential winner — noting that he himself won the FIFA award after an injury-hit season that peaked with Brazil's World Cup title. Ronaldo's eight goals in Japan and South Korea included both in the final, a 2-0 win over Germany.
"The results for Neymar with the national team are incredible and he's still not at his best," Ronaldo said.
Matthaeus suggested an 11th year of Messi-Ronaldo dominance is likely.
"I give them maybe one or two years more," he said, "then there will come a change for this award."
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More AP World Cup coverage: www.apnews.com/tag/WorldCup | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-07-02 00:00:00 | Neymar urged to stop acting, win titles to get FIFA award | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3474263 | |
Parliament in peril: UK lawmakers debate leaving aging home | LONDON (AP) — This is not a metaphor: Britain's Parliament is a mess.
The 19th-century London building is crumbling, leaky, infested with vermin and riddled with asbestos. Fixing it will take years and cost billions, but experts say the alternative could be catastrophic.
After years of dithering, lawmakers are set to vote Wednesday on what to do — but there's a good chance they will opt for more delay.
Experts warn the Victorian Gothic building is at risk of a flood or fire that could leave it uninhabitable. A 2016 report urged politicians to move out for six years for renovations costing 3.5 billion pounds ($5 billion).
On Wednesday lawmakers will vote on several options, from agreeing to leave the building so work can begin to deferring a decision for several more years. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-31 20:37:00 | Parliament in peril: UK lawmakers debate leaving aging home | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354782 | |
Lawyers: Suspects in school fire intellectually disabled | CASCO, Maine (AP) — Lawyers for two men facing arson charges in a fire that destroyed a historic Maine schoolhouse say the men are intellectually disabled.
The Portland Press Herald reports an attorney for 22-year-old Devin Richardson-Gurney told a judge Monday that the man has autism. An attorney for 20-year-old Edward Scott says the man receives services from an organization that helps the intellectually disabled.
Prosecutors say the two men set the Friends School House in Casco on fire Sunday.
Members of the Raymond-Casco Historical Society say they may never recover from the loss. The school house was built in 1849, and the historical society says they've lost historic books and maps dating to the 1700s.
The judge set bail for Richardson-Gurney and Scott at $1,500 each.
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Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-24 21:16:00 | Lawyers: Suspects in school fire intellectually disabled | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413261 | |
Dutch intelligence agency warns of child jihadists | THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands' main intelligence service says it is treating a small group of Dutch children in conflict zones in Iraq and Syria as "Jihadist travelers" since they may have received military training.
In a report published Wednesday, the General Intelligence and Security Service says at least 80 Dutch children are in those areas, either having been born there or taken there by one or both parents. It says fewer than 20 percent of the children are age 9 or older.
The report says that because children in territory controlled by the so-called Islamic State group "sometimes receive weapons and combat training from as young as nine years old," intelligence officials consider them jihadi travelers.
Dutch authorities routinely detain people caught returning from Syria if they are suspected of extremist links. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-02-15 22:20:00 | Dutch intelligence agency warns of child jihadists | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3095821 | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/images/category/580888eb17740.jpg |
Defense arguments start in German neo-Nazi murder trial | BERLIN (AP) — Lawyers for the main defendant in a high-profile neo-Nazi murder trial in Germany have begun their closing arguments — five years after proceedings opened.
Beate Zschaepe, the only known survivor of the far-right National Socialist Underground group, is accused of taking part in 10 killings, two bomb attacks and several bank robberies.
The 43-year-old's lawyers told the Munich regional court Tuesday that their client didn't have an equal role in the killings committed by two deceased members of the group.
Prosecutors want life imprisonment for Zschaepe and lesser sentences for four defendants accused of helping the group. They, and lawyers representing some of the victims, finished their closing arguments in February.
The trial, which was drawn out by regular delaying motions by the defendants, is expected to conclude within weeks. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-24 21:10:00 | Defense arguments start in German neo-Nazi murder trial | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413248 | |
BC-US--Cotton, US | New York (AP) — Cotton No. 2 Futures on the IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) Monday:
(50,000 lbs.; cents per lb.) | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-03-20 04:03:00 | BC-US--Cotton, US | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3385780 | |
Yet another House chairman giving up a coveted post | WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers spend their careers eying coveted committee chairmanships, angling for the chance at the perks and power that came with the top spot.
New Jersey Republican Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen is bowing out after one term.
Frelinghuysen's announcement Monday that he would not seek re-election, giving up the chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee, punctuated the dwindling prestige and influence of the positions once consider an apex of power on Capitol Hill. Term limits, legislative dysfunction and gridlock-inducing polarization have gradually tarnished the very chairmanships that are so prized.
"Before the farm bill and my tenure as chairman, I had neither grey hair nor did I take hypertension medicine. I now have both for the rest of my life," said former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla. "Right now you have to deal with a situation where you have the extreme demands of the left on one side of the room and the extreme demands of the right on the other side."
Frelinghuysen is the eighth House committee chair to head for the exits, and a striking case study for the dynamics at play.
The New Jersey Republican became chairman of the Appropriations Committee last year after serving for several years as chairman of its defense subcommittee.
But Frelinghuysen's year in charge of the panel has been frustrating. In theory, he manages the process of doling out one-third the federal budget. But he's had scant success on that front. Although he helped successfully negotiate a catchall spending bill last spring, the appropriations process for the ongoing budget year has been hamstrung by delays in the Senate and faces the very real danger of running aground completely amid an unrelated months-long battle over immigration.
"Serving as chairman of the Appropriations Committee is a difficult and sometimes thankless job," said Rep. Nita Lowey of New York, the panel's top Democrat.
There have been fewer thank-yous since a series of GOP reforms changed the rules. In a push to curb corruption in 2010, Republicans officially banned "earmarks," severally limiting lawmakers' capacity to direct tens or even hundreds of millions to one's district or state for "earmarked" pet projects. The earmarks were a prerogative of the chairman, both to bolster his political standing at home and to court votes with fellow lawmakers of either party.
House GOP rules mean chairmen cycle through six-year terms, which also counts time as ranking minority member. Chairmen are selected by a leadership panel that takes factors such as fundraising and conservative litmus tests into consideration.
Old-timers such as former Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., say the system centralizes legislative authority with party leaders, who are often less versed in the nuts and bolts of legislation and have little appreciation for the committee's bipartisan traditions.
"I often would laugh, express frustration together with Rosa DeLauro, who's as liberal as she can be," Kingston recalled of one of his Democratic counterparts on Appropriations until he left Congress in 2015. "We said if leadership of both parties would get the heck out of the way, we could get something done."
Other chairmen, such as Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, of Financial Services and Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., of Judiciary are leaving after being forced to yield their gavels next year under term limit rules. They were denied signature wins under President Barack Obama — but they have not managed such wins under President Donald Trump, at least so far. They'd rather leave Congress than return to the rank and file.
A moderate Republican in both his politics and temperament, Frelinghuysen was first elected in the 1994 GOP wave that put Republicans in control of both chambers. He hails from a New Jersey political dynasty that dates to the late 1700s. His father, Peter Frelinghuysen, served in the House for two decades.
Unlike several other GOP chairmen to announce their retirements after running up against GOP term limit rules for panel heads, Frelinghuysen had years to go as Appropriations chair — assuming Republicans retain control of the House in the 2018 midterm elections. But he angered some conservative lawmakers over votes against the GOP tax overhaul measure last year and his opposition to an initial version of the party's effort to repeal Obama's health care law.
Trump's sagging popularity is weighing on once-safe Republicans in educated, wealthier suburban districts such as Frelinghuysen's, where some residents could be negatively affected by provisions in the new tax law that went into effect this year.
Still, Frelinghuysen's vote against the GOP's tax law was highly unusual and was seen as a signal of his political vulnerability. And it was unheard of for such a high-ranking chairman to buck the leadership line on such a major vote.
Among the leading Democrats for Frelinghuysen's seat is former federal prosecutor and former Navy helicopter pilot Mikie Sherrill. She raised more than $1.2 million through Dec. 31 and has the backing of local party leaders.
Republican insiders say Frelinghuysen's decision wasn't entirely a surprise. They say several potential candidates could build viable campaigns quickly.
Among the possible GOP candidates are three state lawmakers: Assemblyman Jay Webber, Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco and Sen. Joe Pennacchio. Another prominent name mentioned is attorney Rosemary Becchi.
Frelinghuysen's district had long leaned Republican but was carried only narrowly by Trump in 2016. Nonpartisan analysts say Democrats have a good chance to grab it in this year's midterms.
Frelinghuysen took the lead in the House in a difficult 2013 effort to provide about $60 billion to help New Jersey and other northeastern states recovery from Superstorm Sandy.
"Public service is an incredible way to turn your convictions into something that serves the greater good and to do it alongside people from every walk of life and background," Frelinghuysen said.
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Associated Press writer Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-30 13:24:00 | Yet another House chairman giving up a coveted post | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354066 | |
Arkansas GOP lawmakers work on transgender 'bathroom bill' | LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers said Tuesday they're working on a "bathroom bill" targeting transgender people, despite warnings from the Republican governor that such a measure isn't needed and could harm the state.
A one-sentence bill was filed by two GOP state senators stating only that it addresses "gender identity and bathroom privileges" without any specifics. But co-sponsor Republican Sen. Gary Stubblefield said it'll require people to use public bathrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificate.
"If they were born a male, that's where they've got to use the bathroom," Stubblefield said.
A similar law in North Carolina has drawn widespread criticism and boycotts from businesses, and prompted the NBA to pull this weekend's All-Star Game out of Charlotte. The state's Democratic governor on Tuesday proposed a compromise to repeal the measure. A bathroom bill being considered in Texas has also prompted a backlash, with the NFL suggesting that Texas could be passed over for future Super Bowl sites if the proposal becomes law.
Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson repeated his opposition to pursuing a similar measure in Arkansas.
"I have consistently said that there is no need for a North Carolina type bathroom bill in Arkansas," Hutchinson said in a statement. "It is unclear as to the specifics of the proposed legislation but if it similar to North Carolina's, I view the bill as unnecessary and potentially harmful."
The nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights group also urged lawmakers to drop the proposal.
"Proponents of anti-trans legislation are invoking a boogeyman that simply does not exist - the reality is that transgender people just want to simply live their everyday lives," Kendra Johnson, Arkansas director for the Human Rights Campaign. "Arkansas should not make the mistake North Carolina made."
Stubblefield and GOP Sen. Greg Standridge, who also sponsored the measure, said they weren't concerned about a backlash from businesses. They also said they expect more proposals from other lawmakers in the majority-Republican Legislature.
"It's a definite thing that there's going to be a bathroom bill pursued," Standridge said. "We just don't know if it's going to be our bill or someone else's bill."
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Follow Andrew DeMillo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ademillo | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-02-15 07:48:00 | Arkansas GOP lawmakers work on transgender 'bathroom bill' | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3095157 | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/images/category/580888eb17740.jpg |
Alberto's last gasp: Mudslides and flooding in Appalachia | As remnants of Subtropical Storm Alberto spread into the Great Lakes region, people are keeping a weary watch on dams and hillsides as rains from the storms have triggered floods and mudslides in the Appalachians of the Southeast.
So far, four dams being closely watched by a state team of special engineers were holding up, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday.
But Cooper went ahead and declared a state of emergency for his hard-hit mountain counties, saying the forecast for the rest of the week calls for isolated heavy rain storms that could instantly cause flooding in areas that have had 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain in the past 15 days.
"This storm isn't yet over. I'm urging people to keep a close eye on forecasts," Cooper said.
Alberto, while still spinning like a classic tropical storm, has managed to make its way since a Memorial Day landfall in the Florida Panhandle to just outside of Chicago. Forecasters said it would still bring rain and gusty winds to the Great Lakes this week.
Alberto's heavy rains have been widespread. Scattered flooding was reported in several states from Alabama through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, the Carolinas and Virginia and West Virginia.
In Hopkinsville, Kentucky, high winds and heavy rains gave Sherry Key a fitful night's sleep.
"I have dogs and they're terribly afraid of storms, so they were on top on top me all night," said Key, an airport office manager.
The worst of the flooding was in the Appalachian Mountains. Up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain caused flooding in Helen, a mountain town in Georgia, the National Weather Service said.
Atlanta station WAGA-TV reported that several roads near the downtown area of that German-styled tourist destination were shut down because of the rising water. No injuries or structural damage have been reported.
Two deaths had been reported during the storm's passage. A television news anchor and a photojournalist were killed Monday in North Carolina while covering the weather, when a tree became uprooted from rain-soaked ground and toppled onto their SUV, authorities said. WYFF-TV of Greenville, South Carolina, said news anchor Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer died.
In the mountains of North Carolina, two Department of Transportation workers survived a close call when their dump truck was swept away by a mudslide in McDowell County while trying to clean debris from an earlier slide. The men were able to climb from the overturned truck and stand on its side in the Catawba River until they were rescued, Gov. Cooper said.
Authorities in Cuba say Alberto left four people dead there as the storm drenched the island in heavy rain. Interior Minister Julio Cesar Gandarilla said late Tuesday they died as a result of "recklessness" during the storm. He gave no details. The deaths occurred as authorities worked to contain an oil spill in central Cuba's Cienfuegos Bay that followed the flooding of nearby oil refinery.
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Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press Reporter Jack Jones, also in Columbia, contributed to this story. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-05-31 09:00:00 | Alberto's last gasp: Mudslides and flooding in Appalachia | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3444771 | |
Charles Manson's remains cremated following court battle | LOS ANGELES (AP) — Charles Manson's cremated remains have been scattered nearly four months after the cult leader died in prison. A funeral was held Saturday following a court battle for the 83-year-old's remains.
Pastor Mark Pitcher of the Church of the Nazarene in Porterville, California, says 20 to 25 people attended the funeral.
Among them were Manson's grandson, Jason Freeman, and Freeman's wife, Audrey.
Freeman prevailed last week in a months-long court fight for custody of Manson's remains.
His grandfather was cremated after the service and his ashes scattered.
Pitcher said Monday he agreed to lead the service because Freeman and his wife are Christians.
Manson was sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and eight others.
He died in November. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-03-20 05:12:00 | Charles Manson's remains cremated following court battle | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3385814 | |
The Latest: UK anti-terror police join probe into substance | AMESBURY, England (AP) — The Latest on the major incident near Salisbury, England, in which two people have been left in a critical condition (all times local):
12:20 p.m.
British police say counterterrorism officers are working with local detectives after two people were sickened by an unknown substance in southwest England.
The Metropolitan Police says "officers from the counter terrorism network are working jointly with colleagues from Wiltshire Police" on the incident in Amesbury.
Police say a man and a woman in their 40s were hospitalized after being found unconscious at a residential building in Amesbury. The town is eight miles (13 kilometers) from Salisbury, where ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with a nerve agent on March 4.
Police say they are keeping an open mind and do not yet know whether a crime has been committed.
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6 a.m.
British police declared a "major incident" Wednesday after two people were left in critical condition from exposure to an unknown substance a few miles from where a former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent.
The Wiltshire Police force said a man and a woman in their 40s were hospitalized after being found unconscious at a residential building in Amesbury, eight miles (13 kilometers) from Salisbury, where Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned on March 4.
Police cordoned off the building and other places the two people visited before falling ill, but health officials said there was not believed to be a wider risk.
The man and woman were hospitalized Saturday at Salisbury District Hospital, where authorities initially believed they might have taken a contaminated batch of heroin or crack cocaine.
"However, further testing is now ongoing to establish the substance which led to these patients becoming ill and we are keeping an open mind as to the circumstances surrounding this incident," police said. "At this stage, it is not yet clear if a crime has been committed." | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-07-04 19:25:00 | The Latest: UK anti-terror police join probe into substance | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3474185 | |
US Rep. Jordan denies claims he knew of Ohio State sex abuse | FREMONT, Ohio (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan says he never knew of sexual abuse by a now-dead doctor who examined wrestlers Jordan helped coach decades ago at Ohio State University.
Ex-wrestlers Mike DiSabato and Dunyasha Yetts say the powerful Republican congressman from Ohio knew back then that Richard Strauss was groping male wrestlers.
Jordan spoke to reporters at a July Fourth rally in Fremont and said he knew Strauss but wasn't aware of abuse by him. Jordan says if he'd learned of such allegations he would have reported them.
Ohio State male athletes from 14 sports have alleged sexual misconduct by Strauss, who was on the faculty and medical staff. An independent investigation is underway.
Jordan says he's willing to talk with investigators. He says if abuse occurred victims deserve justice. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-07-05 05:09:00 | US Rep. Jordan denies claims he knew of Ohio State sex abuse | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3474422 | |
Many in NHL just fine with vague injury descriptions | Veteran coach Ken Hitchcock struck a nerve earlier this season when he decried the longstanding NHL practice of describing injuries in the vaguest terms possible.
An injury can be upper-body, lower-body or undisclosed, except Hitchcock and the Dallas Stars prefer to be more forthright. Defenseman Marc Methot had a knee injury, Martin Hanzal had a hamstring injury and Stephen Johns was dealing with concussion symptoms.
"Rather than go through the dance and play the big game, we just decided let's get it out there so they can print it, move on and let's get on with the subject of what's going on on the team," Hitchcock said.
This is a far cry from the world of the NFL, where teams must reveal specific injuries. Coaches and NHL officials point to gambling and fantasy football as driving forces behind those detailed NFL injury reports, noting hockey has far less of that; one NHL player even joked that it would be foolish for anyone to bet on the sport.
Yet more people are. Westgate sports book vice president Jay Kornegay said the addition and success of the Vegas Golden Knights has at least tripled the amount of bets placed on NHL games this season. He said the gambling public isn't affected much by the information or lack thereof about injuries.
"There's information out there if you really want to dissect the injury," Kornegay said. "There's only maybe a handful of guys that might make a major impact, like (Connor) McDavid or (Auston) Matthews or someone like that. Could make maybe a 15-cent impact in the line, which is very minimal. Almost everybody else is like zero impact or maybe five cents impact. ... It wouldn't be like (Tom) Brady being out."
The NHL represents less than 5 percent of the total amount bet at the Westgate, and less than 6 percent for online sports book Bovada.
League executives and coaches have little to no appetite to change things.
"I would ask the question, 'Why is it important that you know everything?'" Los Angeles Kings coach John Stevens said. "I think sometimes it protects the player. Sometimes a player's working through an injury. If he's coming back, opponents might know. If it's a knee injury, they might try to take advantage of it."
The collective bargaining agreement doesn't require any specificity be included in injury announcements. And that means they vary dramatically among the 31 teams.
NHL Injury Viz , which tracks information about player injuries and illnesses, ranks teams on an "evasiveness index" based on how many injuries are called upper- or lower-body, undisclosed or soreness. Through Jan. 20 games, the Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyers were labeled the most evasive, while the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Wild were the most open.
When Washington Capitals winger Andre Burakovsky underwent surgery to repair a broken left thumb in October, the team announced it as such. Upon his return, Burakovsky wore extra padding and worried little about opponents hacking at his thumb to try to reinjure it.
"When I'm playing, I'm playing," Burakovsky said. "I don't really focus on if they're going to go after my thumb or whatever it is."
The central debate over disclosure comes down to whether revealing specific injuries puts players in danger of being targeted. Hitchcock said "there's too much respect in the league" for that, but Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik disagreed.
"I wouldn't say there's a lot of guys, but there's definitely more than a handful of (players) in the league that would target guys if they knew where they were hurt," Orpik said. "I don't really see what you gain by releasing it."
Hitchcock's comments generated chatter around the league and a variety of opinions, but don't expect the current system to change any time soon.
"At the end of the day, I'm not sure it's really anybody's right to know exactly what's ailing a player," deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "Perhaps there's kind of fan interest in how long he'll be gone, when he can be back to the lineup, etc., etc., but what the precise nature of the injury is I'm not sure is really appropriate for public consumption."
Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said he generally agrees with Hitchcock and doesn't mind disclosing injuries, except he doesn't like talking about head injuries. Jets coach Paul Maurice went the other way, saying teams have a "responsibility" to show the NHL is handling concussions the right way but cited privacy concerns in the larger discussion about revealing specific injuries.
Then there's Carolina Hurricanes coach Bill Peters, who wouldn't mind an NFL-like policy.
"It'd be nice if the NHL just said, hey, make it full disclosure. I'd have no problem with that — as long as it's consistent across the board," Peters said.
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Follow Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno
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For more NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-04 02:00:00 | Many in NHL just fine with vague injury descriptions | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3355212 | |
Israel summons Irish ambassador over settlement goods bill | JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has summoned Ireland's ambassador over a bill seeking to ban the import of West Bank settlement products.
The bill must pass several hurdles to become law. If it does, Ireland would become the first European country to ban settlement goods.
Israel's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that the ambassador noted the Irish government opposes the bill, as well as an international movement known as BDS, which advocates boycotts against Israel.
The European Union in 2015 approved guidelines to label settlement products. It said the move was meant to differentiate between Israel, a close trade partner, and the settlements, which it considers illegal.
The Irish bill also makes a distinction between Israel and the settlements. Israel opposes boycotts of any territories it controls, saying they bolster the BDS movement. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-01 01:11:00 | Israel summons Irish ambassador over settlement goods bill | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354872 | |
BC-BBA--Top Ten | BC-BBA--Top Ten
BASEBALL'S TOP TEN By The Associated Press AMERICAN LEAGUE G AB R H Pct. Betts Bos 68 260 66 88 .338 Segura Sea 79 329 60 110 .334 Altuve Hou 87 341 55 114 .334 JMartinez Bos 83 318 60 104 .327 Simmons LAA 75 277 42 88 .318 MDuffy TB 70 277 26 87 .314 Rosario Min 81 324 57 101 .312 MMachado Bal 83 322 42 100 .311 Trout LAA 86 297 66 92 .310 Castellanos Det 84 340 46 105 .309 Home Runs
JMartinez, Boston, 26; Trout, Los Angeles, 24; JoRamirez, Cleveland, 24; Judge, New York, 24; Lindor, Cleveland, 23; Cruz, Seattle, 22; Stanton, New York, 21; Betts, Boston, 21; MMachado, Baltimore, 21; 3 tied at 20.
Runs Batted In
JMartinez, Boston, 71; Haniger, Seattle, 62; Lowrie, Oakland, 59; MMachado, Baltimore, 59; Encarnacion, Cleveland, 57; Judge, New York, 57; Gattis, Houston, 56; KDavis, Oakland, 56; JoRamirez, Cleveland, 56; 2 tied at 55.
Pitching
Severino, New York, 13-2; Kluber, Cleveland, 12-4; Snell, Tampa Bay, 11-4; Morton, Houston, 10-2; Porcello, Boston, 10-3; Rodriguez, Boston, 10-3; Happ, Toronto, 10-4; GCole, Houston, 9-2; McCullers, Houston, 9-3; Verlander, Houston, 9-4. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-07-05 04:30:00 | BC-BBA--Top Ten | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3474418 | |
EU warns Britain it can have no say during Brexit transition | BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Monday warned Britain that it cannot expect to have a say in EU decision-making once it leaves, including during a transition period from next year meant to help smooth the departure.
The warning came as European affairs ministers adopted — in a matter of minutes — new orders for the bloc's Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, laying out the terms of the transition, which would run from the end of March 2019 until Dec. 31, 2020, when the bloc's current long-term budget ends.
Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva, who chaired the meeting, said the ministers gave "a clear mandate" on their requirements for the transition period. She said EU law would apply in Britain during that time and that the country would have "no participation in the EU institutions and decision-making."
Barnier's deputy tweeted that the negotiating guidelines were endorsed in Brussels within two minutes, although ambassadors had spent weeks drafting them. Zaharieva said: "We hope an agreement on this with the U.K. can also be closed swiftly."
In London, Brexit Secretary David Davis played down the impact on Britain's status during the 21-month transition, saying that it's "not exactly the same as membership — but it's very, very similar."
"The existing regulatory structure will exist, the existing court structure will exist," Davis told a British parliamentary committee.
He underlined that Britain would, however, be free during the bridging period to negotiate new trade deals with the wider world, which it is barred from doing while it is an EU member.
Barnier noted that "no accord with third countries engaging the United Kingdom can enter force without the agreement of the 27" EU countries. In a sign of potential tension over the issue, Davis warned that "there will be an argument about the right to negotiate free trade arrangements."
In the orders, the EU insists that Britain should also abide by any new rules that are introduced during the transition.
This has already raised concern in Britain, and Davis demanded last week "a way of resolving concerns if laws are deemed to run contrary to our interests and we have not had our say."
"It's very, very important," he said, that "if there are new laws that affect us, we have the means to resolve any issues during that period."
But Irish European Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said Monday that "what we cannot have is a position where the integrity of the single market, the customs union, is in any way undermined."
"When the U.K. leave the European Union they will not be a voice around the table," she said.
Swedish EU Affairs and Trade Minister Ann Linde agreed.
"When you have left the European Union, you have left, and this is just a transition to a new arrangement," she said.
Any disputes would be handled by the European Court of Justice. This, too, will not sit well with Brexit supporters, who want to escape the grip they say Europe's top court has on British sovereignty.
Britain is impatient to launch talks on future ties with the EU and in particular on trade, but more guidelines will have to be adopted at a summit of European leaders in March for that to happen, based on progress made by then.
Monday's guidelines include a demand for clarity on what future relations should look like.
"The sooner the Brits are clear about the future, the better for everybody," said Italy's EU affairs representative Sandro Gozi. "We have to use our time and energy not in shaping the transition, but in shaping the future relationship."
Barnier also underlined that all elements of any Brexit deal, including the divorce bill and citizens' rights, must be translated into a legally binding text. Separate talks on the thorny issue of keeping open the border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and EU member state Ireland will continue this year.
"Without an agreement on all parts of the withdrawal there can be no transition," Barnier told reporters after the meeting.
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Lawless reported from London. Raf Casert in Brussels also contributed. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-30 01:11:00 | EU warns Britain it can have no say during Brexit transition | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3353876 | |
Obscure politician is face-saving challenger in Egypt vote | CAIRO (AP) — A little-known Egyptian politician who is a staunch supporter of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi submitted his candidacy documents to the election commission on Monday, becoming a last-minute challenger to the incumbent.
El-Sissi is virtually certain of winning a second, four-year term in the March 26-28 vote. But after a string of would-be challengers were arrested, forced out or quit the race, the prospect of a one-candidate election has proven embarrassing for the government.
Pro-government media and public figures loyal to el-Sissi had pressured one of Egypt's oldest political parties, the Wafd, to field a candidate. But after two days of marathon deliberations, the party decided Saturday not to field a candidate and instead to renew its support for a second term for the president.
El-Sissi's campaign said the president should not be blamed for the withdrawal of candidates or the reluctance of others to enter the race.
"The presidential hopeful (el-Sissi) is not responsible for the reluctance of politicians to effectively participate in politics," campaign spokesman Mohammed Abu Shaqah told a news conference on Monday. He also said el-Sissi should not be blamed for the failure of would-be candidates to secure one of the key constitutional requirements to run: Support of 20 elected lawmakers or "recommendations" from 25,000 voters.
Moussa Mustafa Moussa of the Ghad, or Tomorrow, party, was the subject of intense speculation over the weekend, with many predicting he would step forward as a face-saving candidate. On Monday, one of his top aides submitted documents to the election commission on his behalf.
Monday at 2 p.m. (1200 GMT) was the deadline for submitting candidacy documents.
Moussa, whose party does not have a single member in parliament, insisted his candidacy was serious. He argued that his party, which supports el-Sissi, had long prepared to field a challenger, but changed its mind when former prime minister and air force general Ahmed Shafiq said he would run.
Addressing a news conference Monday at the party's headquarters in downtown Cairo, Moussa said Shafiq's withdrawal from the race changed that.
"A very large question mark loomed over the whole affair," he said, alluding to the absence of challengers. "But we are not running as a courtesy to anyone and we don't expect anyone to do us any favors. We are in this for a real competition."
Besides Shafiq, would-be challengers who are no longer in the race include a former military chief of staff, a prominent rights lawyer and a former lawmaker. They were unlikely to win the race, but their participation would have attracted protest votes against el-Sissi, including from Egyptians hit hard by the president's austerity measures and other economic reforms.
A previous leader of the Ghad Party, Ayman Nour, ran against Egypt's long-ruling President Hosni Mubarak in 2005, in the country's first multi-candidate election. Nour lost by a huge margin amid widespread allegations of vote-rigging and was jailed in December of that year.
Nour had fired Moussa before he was jailed, but Moussa returned and defeated him in a leadership battle in 2011, the same year Mubarak was overthrown in a popular uprising. Nour is now a harsh critic of el-Sissi's rule and lives in exile abroad.
El-Sissi led the 2013 ouster of a freely elected but divisive president, the Islamist Mohammed Morsi, and has since overseen what is perhaps the largest crackdown on dissent in the country's living memory. Thousands of Morsi supporters have been jailed, along with secular activists. Most critics in the media have been silenced, human rights groups have been heavily restricted and scores of online news sites have been blocked.
Five opposition figures, including a 2012 presidential candidate and two top campaign aides for now-arrested presidential hopeful Sami Annan, called for a boycott of the vote, saying it has lost all credibility.
In a statement Sunday, they also called on Egyptians not to recognize the presidential vote's outcome if it goes ahead.
The statement was a bold move that could be perceived as an attempt to derail the electoral process by authorities that have shown little tolerance for dissent. It is also likely to encourage more expressions of discontent over what critics see as the president's increasingly authoritarian traits.
Earlier on Monday, prosecutors said they have detained three men over the assault on the country's former top auditor, Hesham Genena. Sacked by el-Sissi after alleging widespread corruption, Genena had come out in support of Anan, a former military chief of staff who was seen as a potentially strong challenger before his arrest. The prosecutors said the suspects were ordered detained for four days, pending investigation. They face charges of armed robbery.
Annan was arrested by the military last Tuesday on several charges, including incitement against the armed forces and forgery. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-02-03 00:00:00 | Obscure politician is face-saving challenger in Egypt vote | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3353908 | |
Crews help rescue student, staff members from freezing water | BREWSTER, Mass. (AP) — Fire officials in Massachusetts have rescued three people from freezing waters off of Breakwater Beach.
The Cape Cod Times reports that a dive team responded to an emergency call in Brewster around 6:40 p.m. Sunday. Brewster Fire Chief Robert Moran says two staff members at the Latham School went after a female student who had swam away from shore.
Moran says the dive team and firefighters worked together to rescue all three individuals. They were all taken to Cape Cod Hospital with unspecified injuries.
The Latham School treats children and young adults with developmental disorders.
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Information from: Cape Cod (Mass.) Times, http://www.capecodtimes.com | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-29 23:45:00 | Crews help rescue student, staff members from freezing water | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3353900 | |
D-backs ace Greinke won't start opener, gets time to recover | Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke will start this season in the dugout.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Monday that Greinke won't pitch on opening day because of what's perceived to be a minor health issue.
Greinke exited his latest start after one inning because of tightness in his groin. He's scheduled to pitch again in spring training Wednesday.
The Diamondbacks don't want to push him to be ready for their first game March 29 at home against Colorado. Without this wrinkle, Lovullo said Greinke would've started the opener for the third straight year.
"Every staff has a No. 1 and he fit the bill perfectly," Lovullo said. "He won 17 games last year. He was our staff ace."
Lovullo said he wasn't ready to say who would start against the Rockies. The likely candidate is Robbie Ray, who went 15-5 with a 2.89 ERA last year.
"There's a strategy," Lovullo said. "We don't just look at opening day. We look at opening day and then beyond, so probably five or six days beyond that day. And we want to make sure that we hit things just right to get it to the point where we have good matchups all the way through."
ELSEWHERE AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUES
RED SOX 6, PHILLIES 5
Boston ace Chris Sale gave up four runs on five hits and three walks in five innings. He also struck out six. Mookie Betts hit two doubles and Xavier Bogaerts homered for the Red Sox. Aaron Altherr homered for Philadelphia.
MARLINS 9, NATIONALS 1
Washington ace Max Scherzer was tagged for three homers and six runs in six innings. Adam Eaton and Anthony Rendon each had two hits for the Nationals. Miami starter Trevor Richards worked four innings and allowed one run.
ASTROS 2, METS 0
Justin Verlander pitched seven shutout innings and Carlos Correa homered for Houston. Steven Matz struck out nine in six innings for New York.
ORIOLES 4, TIGERS 2
Baltimore starter Chris Tillman allowed one run in five innings. Detroit starter Michael Fulmer struck out five in five innings and gave up two runs. Dixon Machado doubled twice for the Tigers.
PIRATES 11, TWINS 8
Miguel Sano, who had three hits, and Brian Dozier homered for Minnesota. Josh Bell, Jose Osuna and Christopher Bostick connected for Pittsburgh.
BRAVES 6, BLUE JAYS 0
Julio Teheran pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings, striking out five and allowing four hits. The Atlanta ace has an 0.87 ERA this spring. Toronto starter Aaron Sanchez allowed two hits over 6 1/3 innings.
INDIANS 5, GIANTS 4
Yonder Alonso hit two home runs off San Francisco starter Johnny Cueto. Alonso had three hits and drove in four runs. Cueto allowed four runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. Cleveland starter Josh Tomlin gave up three runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. University of Virginia alum Jarrett Parker, dogged by retriever jokes from his teammates after his Cavaliers were ousted from the NCAA tournament by the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers, hit his third spring training home run in his bid to make the 25-man roster.
The Indians released outfielder Melvin Upton Jr., who hit .189 in 18 spring games. The 33-year-old spent last year in the minors, seeing limited action for the Giants' Triple-A team while slowed by injuries.
WHITE SOX 15, DIAMONDBACKS 2
Matt Davidson, who homered, and Adam Engel each had three hits for Chicago and leadoff man Yoan Moncada got two hits and drove in three runs. Carson Fulmer pitched four hitless innings for the White Sox. Arizona relievers Neftali Feliz and Kris Medlen both got roughed up. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-03-20 00:00:00 | D-backs ace Greinke won't start opener, gets time to recover | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3385866 | |
Helicopter pilot beaten during French criminal's escape | PARIS (AP) — The helicopter pilot who was taken hostage in the escape of one of France's most notorious criminals said the convict's accomplices beat and threatened him during his kidnapping.
Stephane Buy told RTL radio on Wednesday that two men at a flying club near Paris on Sunday "forced me (to take off) and warned me my family was in danger."
First, they made him touch down in a field so others on the breakout team could get onboard. At that point, the engine of the helicopter from the 1960s didn't restart.
Buy said the men hit him on the head and he briefly fell unconscious.
After several attempts, the engine restarted and they headed to Reau Prison to hustle Redoine Faid to freedom.
Buy was later released north of Paris. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-07-04 16:40:00 | Helicopter pilot beaten during French criminal's escape | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3474015 | |
Expanded Conference Glance | All Times EDT EASTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF GA Home Away Div Tampa Bay 72 49 19 4 102 260 202 26-8-2 23-11-2 15-7-2 Boston 71 45 17 9 99 239 184 25-7-5 20-10-4 15-5-2 Toronto 72 43 22 7 93 243 204 25-8-2 18-14-5 13-6-3 Washington 72 41 24 7 89 225 214 25-9-2 16-15-5 13-7-3 Pittsburgh 72 41 26 5 87 237 218 26-8-1 15-18-4 15-6-1 Columbus 73 40 28 5 85 205 203 24-11-2 16-17-3 13-10-3 Philadelphia 73 37 25 11 85 218 215 18-13-6 19-12-5 11-7-5 New Jersey 72 37 27 8 82 217 215 18-14-3 19-13-5 12-9-1 Florida 69 35 27 7 77 210 216 22-11-3 13-16-4 12-6-2 Carolina 72 31 30 11 73 194 225 16-14-6 15-16-5 9-10-5 N.Y. Rangers 72 32 32 8 72 208 231 20-13-4 12-19-4 9-8-3 N.Y. Islanders 72 30 32 10 70 231 262 16-14-4 14-18-6 10-12-2 Montreal 72 26 34 12 64 182 230 17-11-8 9-23-4 10-8-5 Ottawa 71 26 34 11 63 197 244 15-14-6 11-20-5 8-11-4 Detroit 72 26 35 11 63 184 224 13-14-8 13-21-3 6-13-4 Buffalo 72 23 37 12 58 172 236 11-21-5 12-16-7 10-8-3 WESTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF GA Home Away Div Nashville 72 48 14 10 106 236 178 25-7-4 23-7-6 17-4-2 Vegas 72 46 21 5 97 244 199 25-9-2 21-12-3 17-3-2 Winnipeg 72 43 19 10 96 240 189 26-7-2 17-12-8 13-8-2 Minnesota 72 41 24 7 89 224 206 24-6-6 17-18-1 11-11-0 San Jose 72 40 23 9 89 219 199 21-11-3 19-12-6 19-4-3 Colorado 72 39 25 8 86 231 209 25-9-2 14-16-6 10-10-3 Anaheim 73 37 24 12 86 206 197 22-10-5 15-14-7 11-6-7 Los Angeles 72 39 27 6 84 207 181 19-14-3 20-13-3 11-10-4 Dallas 73 38 27 8 84 209 197 24-10-3 14-17-5 11-13-0 St. Louis 72 39 28 5 83 201 193 21-15-0 18-13-5 10-10-3 Calgary 73 35 28 10 80 202 217 15-17-4 20-11-6 10-9-3 Chicago 73 30 34 9 69 208 223 17-15-4 13-19-5 7-10-3 Edmonton 72 31 36 5 67 201 231 16-17-3 15-19-2 13-9-1 Vancouver 72 25 38 9 59 186 236 12-18-6 13-20-3 6-16-1 Arizona 71 23 37 11 57 170 228 14-20-4 9-17-7 7-10-6
NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.
Sunday's Games
Colorado 5, Detroit 1
Vegas 4, Calgary 0
Tampa Bay 3, Edmonton 1
Carolina 4, N.Y. Islanders 3
Philadelphia 6, Washington 3
Winnipeg 4, Dallas 2
St. Louis 5, Chicago 4, OT
Anaheim 4, New Jersey 2
Monday's Games
Columbus 5, Boston 4, OT
Nashville 4, Buffalo 0
Florida at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Los Angeles at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Calgary at Arizona, 10 p.m.
Tuesday's Games
Columbus at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.
Dallas at Washington, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Florida at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.
Philadelphia at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Toronto at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Los Angeles at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Colorado at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Vancouver at Vegas, 10 p.m.
New Jersey at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
Wednesday's Games
Montreal at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Arizona at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Boston at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Anaheim at Calgary, 9:30 p.m.
Thursday's Games
N.Y. Rangers at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Arizona at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Florida at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.
Washington at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Edmonton at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.
Toronto at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Vancouver at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Vegas at San Jose, 10 p.m. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-03-20 09:49:00 | Expanded Conference Glance | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3385913 | |
Samsung launches 2nd appliance line at S. Carolina facility | NEWBERRY, S.C. (AP) — South Korean-based appliance manufacturer Samsung announced the expansion of its production footprint in South Carolina on Monday, making progress on a plan to create nearly 1,000 jobs in the state by 2020.
The company officially launched a new line of top-loading washing machines at its facility in Newberry. That's in addition to a line of front-loading washing machines that the South Korean electronics company began making at the plant earlier this year.
The expansion comes less than a year after Samsung's June announcement that it would invest $380 million in South Carolina to manufacture home appliances, creating an estimated 950 jobs by 2020. So far, company officials say that they've hired about 650 employees who are now working on the two washing machine lines at a 450,000-square-foot plant.
Samsung took over property that had belonged to Caterpillar, which announced in April 2016 that it was closing its electric generator packaging facility. The closure left more 300 people out of work, but Samsung said that about 10 percent of the 650 full-time employees currently working at the Newberry plant are former Caterpillar employees.
Samsung has also hired some of the 6,000 workers left jobless following the scuttling of a reactor construction project at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville, about 21 miles (34 km) away.
Some retrofitting was needed to get Caterpillar's existing buildings in line with Samsung's designs, but Samsung plant manager Tony Fraley said that not having to start from scratch enabled Samsung to get two lines up and running in under a year. Much of the plant's production is focused on robotics, with robots ferrying specially designed trays of parts around the green- and orange-colored plant, and other robots retrieving the pieces and putting them together.
The process can be slower than at other manufacturing facilities, Fraley said, but more mechanization means higher productivity and also fewer scratches that can come along with human handling.
"Everything has automation built into it," Fraley told The Associated Press during a recent tour of the manufacturing plant and new production line.
About 100 Samsung employees from South Korea are currently on-site helping get the new facility up and running, even able to write computer codes on the spot to help the plant run more smoothly. Eventually, Fraley said they will return to the company's headquarters, after training South Carolina employees on all of the technology needed to run the facility's high-tech machines.
"If something goes awry, they show us how to fix it," Fraley said. "They show us how to troubleshoot it."
By this summer, Fraley said he expected the plant to be running at full capacity. Last year, Samsung announced a collaboration with the University of South Carolina and Clemson University in an effort to make the plant a center for customer service and research and development.
Without giving specifics, Samsung Electronics North America's President and CEO Tim Baxter told AP that the company hopes to add more production lines in the future, as well as establish a supply chain in the state so that Samsung doesn't have to import as many supplies.
"Clearly the plan is to build an eco-system," Baxter said in a recent interview. "Obviously that doesn't happen overnight."
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Follow Meg Kinnard on Twitter and see more of her work on apnews.com. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-03-19 02:00:00 | Samsung launches 2nd appliance line at S. Carolina facility | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3385724 | |
Education Department urged to resume loan cancellations | WASHINGTON (AP) — A government watchdog is urging the Education Department to resume the process of forgiving student loans for tens of thousands Americans who were defrauded by for-profit colleges.
In a report published Monday, the Office of Inspector General, an independent body within the education agency, recommends that the department restart "review, approval, and discharge process" for defrauded students.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has come under criticism for stalling the review of over 95,000 claims for loan cancellations. The agency has not approved a single claim during her time in office and DeVos' critics charge that she is looking out for industry interests.
The AP reported in October that the department is considering abandoning the Obama-era practice of full loan forgiveness in favor of partial relief.
The department did not immediately comment. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-12-12 06:26:00 | Education Department urged to resume loan cancellations | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3318236 | |
Owner of crashed Sydney seaplane says route not authorized | CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The owner of a seaplane that crashed near Sydney during a New Year's Eve joy flight, killing the Canadian pilot and his five British passengers, says that flight path was not authorized.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Wednesday released a preliminary report on its investigation into the cause of the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver crash into the Hawkesbury River.
Sydney Seaplanes chief executive Aaron Shaw said in response to the report that its key question was why the plane was flying in a bay surrounded by steep terrain that had no exit.
Shaw said in a statement Sydney Seaplanes had not authorized the route and "the plane simply should not have been where it was."
The report rules out potential causes but does not suggest any likely cause. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-31 09:51:00 | Owner of crashed Sydney seaplane says route not authorized | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3354558 | |
Sabres sign Olofsson, who led Swedish league with 27 goals | BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres have signed Victor Olofsson to a two-year contract after he scored a Swedish Hockey League-leading 27 goals last season.
Olofsson was selected by the Sabres in the seventh round of the 2014 draft. The forward has spent the past three seasons in the SHL, collecting 50 goals and 49 assists in 150 regular-season games. Overall, Olofsson had 60 goals and 117 points in 200 games.
He is coming off a career-best season in which he finished with 43 points in 50 games during his second year with Frolunda HC.
The 22-year-old is listed at 5-foot-11 and 173 pounds.
The Sabres announced the agreement on Tuesday.
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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-25 05:20:00 | Sabres sign Olofsson, who led Swedish league with 27 goals | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413510 | |
60 migrants refused by Italy and Malta arrive in Barcelona | BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A rescue ship carrying 60 migrants has arrived in a Spanish port after being refused entry by Italy and Malta, the second time in a month that a humanitarian group has been forced to travel for days to unload people rescued in the central Mediterranean.
The Open Arms ship docked Wednesday in the northeastern port of Barcelona, where the group — including 5 women, a 9-year-old toddler and four teenagers — will be going through health checks and identification procedures.
The Spanish aid group Proactiva Open Arms said the migrants come from 14 countries and are in good health.
Doctors Without Borders says more than 500 people have died in the Mediterranean since the Aquarius, another rescue ship, was blocked from ports in Italy and Malta in June. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-07-03 00:00:00 | 60 migrants refused by Italy and Malta arrive in Barcelona | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3474036 | |
Detained by US, Mexican journalist fears death if deported | HOUSTON (AP) — Advocates for a Mexican journalist detained in a remote West Texas facility asked the U.S. government on Monday to grant him asylum instead of deporting him to a country where he believes he'll be killed.
Emilio Gutierrez Soto fled to the United States a decade ago after articles he wrote alleging corruption in the Mexican military caused his name to end up on a hit list. Mexico is one of the world's most dangerous places for journalism, likened to countries such as Syria and Iraq. At least 11 journalists have been killed in Mexico this year.
After coming within hours of possible deportation, Gutierrez, 54, is now appealing that denial. The National Press Club and other press freedom advocates held an event Monday highlighting Gutierrez's case and those of other reporters whose lives were in danger.
Speaking by phone from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Sierra Blanca, Texas, Gutierrez accused Mexican leaders of being complicit in the violence of drug cartels and the murders of journalists, though he did not make specific allegations.
"The biggest criminal organization is the government," Gutierrez said. "I'm afraid to take one step into Mexico."
The U.S. government historically rejects most asylum claims. Over a five-year period ending in September 2016, the U.S. received about 267,000 asylum claims and granted 46,000.
It has granted asylum in recent years to a number of Mexican journalists. But Eduardo Beckett, Gutierrez's lawyer, accused the U.S. of turning a blind eye to corruption and violence in Mexico, and blamed the Trump administration for changing how it deals with asylum seekers.
"There is no more humanity," Beckett said. "The new tactic is, we'll pressure you, we'll keep you detained, in hopes you'll give up."
Another Mexican journalist did just that earlier this year. After spending nearly four months in an immigration facility, reporter Martin Mendez Pineda returned to Mexico and went into hiding.
Mexico has created a federal protection program for journalists, with about 600 enrollees nationwide. But one reporter in the program was killed earlier this year, and others question whether the federal government has the power or the will to protect them. Meanwhile, high-profile killings have continued, including the death of Javier Valdez, a legendary reporter who covered drug trafficking in Sinaloa state.
Gutierrez worked for El Diario del Noroeste, a newspaper in the state of Chihuahua. He said his problems began after he wrote articles that alleged military forces were robbing and extorting local people in Chihuahua, which borders New Mexico and part of West Texas.
After receiving what his advocates called veiled threats, Gutierrez discovered his name had been placed on a hit list. So he fled north with his teenage son and entered the U.S. in 2008, seeking asylum.
He spent seven months in detention before his release in January 2009, while his application for asylum remained pending.
Beckett said that Gutierrez was no longer working in journalism while living in the West Texas border city of El Paso. Instead, he supported himself by operating a food truck, Beckett said. His son, now 24, works in a restaurant. But while in the United States, Gutierrez heard from people back in Mexico that if he returned, he would end up like other journalists who were killed.
After nine years, a judge denied his asylum request in July, and the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed his appeal in November.
His advocates say he came close to being sent back to Mexico before the appeals board on Thursday issued a stay of his deportation.
The U.S. Department of Justice and the Mexican foreign affairs ministry did not return messages seeking comment Monday. ICE said in a statement that Gutierrez remains in the agency's custody "pending disposition of his immigration case."
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Follow Nomaan Merchant on Twitter at @nomaanmerchant. Associated Press reporter Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.
___
Sign up for the AP's weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: —http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-12-12 00:00:00 | Detained by US, Mexican journalist fears death if deported | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3318258 | |
Ameresco’s Woodland Meadows Landfill State-of-the-Art Gas to Energy Facility Now Open | FRAMINGHAM, Mass. & WAYNE, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2018--Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, today announced that the landfill gas to renewable natural gas facility at Waste Management’s, Woodland Meadows Landfill has achieved EPA approval and is now in operation.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005931/en/
Ameresco designed, built, owns and operates the biogas-to-renewable natural gas (RNG) facility that converts approximately 6,600 SCFM of landfill gas to approximately 3,500 dekatherms of RNG every day. The state-of-the-art facility was commissioned in November 2017.
“The project, one of the largest of its kind in the US, is unique both technically and commercially,” said Michael T. Bakas, Executive Vice President of Ameresco. “We are very proud of the focus and hard work our staff invested to bring this renewable energy project to fruition. Working with Waste Management and GAIN Clean Fuel to develop this facility has been a very rewarding experience. We look forward to a long-term partnership on this flagship project with these two incredible organizations.”
“Waste Management is proud to partner with Ameresco to recover valuable resources and create clean, renewable energy from the landfill,” said John Myers, Director, Operations, Waste Management. “It is gratifying to be involved in using disposed materials and transitioning them into tremendous environmental benefits.”
The renewable natural gas facility operates continuously. Blower stations draw the gas from the raw landfill gas to produce pipeline-quality gas for distribution in the local gas distribution system. Gas is then injected into the natural gas pipeline, where it is eventually utilized in the vehicle fuel market.
GAIN Clean Fuel, in partnership with Ameresco, takes ownership of the RNG upon delivery to the natural gas distribution system and transports it for use within the transportation sector.
“RNG is one of the few alternative fuels that creates air quality improvements during the fuel production process and when used for actual transportation,” said Bryan Nudelbacher, Director of Business Development, GAIN Clean Fuel. “This truly positions companies using renewable natural gas for sustainability success.”
Traditionally, landfill gas is flared onsite, but current technologies allow for the harnessing of this gas and its conversion into a cleaner renewable transportation fuel.
About Waste Management Waste Management partners with customers and communities to manage and reduce waste from collection to disposal while recovering valuable resources and creating clean, renewable energy. Their Woodland Meadows Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF) in Wayne, MI is a regional facility that provides safe and convenient disposal services for communities, businesses and industries serving the Detroit Metro and surrounding areas.
About U.S. Gain U.S. Gain, a division of U.S. Venture, Inc., is a leading supplier of renewable (RNG) and compressed (CNG) natural gas—environmentally-friendly and cost-effective alternatives to diesel. GAIN Clean Fuel stations strategically located throughout the United States and Canada feature easy-access for all-natural gas vehicles, 99% site uptime, fast-fill capabilities and premium fuel quality.
About U.S. Venture For more than 65 years, U.S. Venture, Inc. has been recognized as an innovative leader in the distribution of petroleum and renewable energy products, lubricants, and tires and parts for the automotive aftermarket. Guided by its company vision, “To be the very best value-adding distributor of products that vehicles consume in North America,” they deliver unconventional, creative solutions that give their customers a competitive edge. Headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, the company’s business divisions are U.S. Oil, U.S. AutoForce®, U.S. Lubricants and U.S. Gain.
About Ameresco, Inc. Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) is a leading independent provider of comprehensive services, energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and renewable energy solutions for businesses and organizations throughout North America and Europe. Ameresco’s sustainability services include upgrades to a facility’s energy infrastructure and the development, construction and operation of renewable energy plants. Ameresco has successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible projects with Federal, state and local governments, healthcare and educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has more than 1,000 employees providing local expertise in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.
The announcement of our entry into a renewable natural gas purchase and sale agreement is not necessarily indicative of the timing or amount of revenue from such contract, of the company’s overall revenue for any particular period or of trends in the company’s overall total assets in development and operation. This project was reported in assets in development as of December 31, 2017.
View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005931/en/
CONTACT: Ameresco:
CarolAnn Hibbard, 508-661-2264
news@ameresco.com
or
U.S. Venture, Inc.:
Alison Mayer, 920-915-4389
amayer@usventure.com
or
GAIN Clean Fuel:
Stephanie Lowney, 920-730-7134
slowney@usgain.com
or
Waste Management:
Tanisha A. Sanders, 248-596-3519
tsander4@wm.com
KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA MASSACHUSETTS MICHIGAN
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ENERGY ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OIL/GAS UTILITIES ENVIRONMENT
SOURCE: Ameresco, Inc.
Copyright Business Wire 2018.
PUB: 04/23/2018 11:07 AM/DISC: 04/23/2018 11:07 AM
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005931/en | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-04-23 23:07:00 | Ameresco’s Woodland Meadows Landfill State-of-the-Art Gas to Energy Facility Now Open | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3413573 | |
Cahill to play for Millwall to help prepare for World Cup | LONDON (AP) — Tim Cahill signed a short-term deal with English second-tier club Millwall on Monday in a move designed to help Australia's all-time record scorer prepare for the World Cup in Russia.
The 38-year-old forward returns to a team for whom he scored 57 goals in 251 appearances from 1998-2004. He will stay at Millwall until the end of the English season, which finishes about a month before the World Cup.
"The romance of the story is definitely not lost on me," Cahill said. "I've always said that if I came back to England, I'd come home. Millwall is where I learnt my trade and it was the most important learning period of my life."
Cahill left Millwall for Everton in 2004, then joined New York Red Bulls in 2012. He went on to have a spell in China before returning to Australia to join Melbourne City in 2016.
With the help of Cahill, Australia qualified for the World Cup by beating Honduras in an intercontinental playoff over two legs in November. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-01-30 05:58:00 | Cahill to play for Millwall to help prepare for World Cup | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3353957 | |
The Latest: Workers rush repairs at dam as storm approaches | OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on problems with an emergency spillway at the nation's tallest dam (all times local):
7:25 a.m.
The Oroville Reservoir is continuing to drain as state water officials scrambled to reduce the lake's level ahead of impending storms.
The Los Angeles Times reports (http://lat.ms/2lKMK5I) that the reservoir was down 20 feet since it reached capacity on Sunday when it overflowed and sparked an evacuation order for nearly 200,000 people south of the dam.
Officials say the lake is draining at 100,000 cubic feet per second, reducing the reservoir about a foot every three hours. The Department of Water Resources wants to drop the reservoir's level 50 feet overall by Sunday.
Forecasts call for 2-4 inches of rain and snow in the foothills and mountains starting Wednesday night or early Thursday. But the storm was looking colder than initially projected, meaning less rain and less runoff than last week's storms.
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12:30 a.m.
The stress of evacuation and an uncertain future were enough for Donald Azevedo and his family to opt to stay a few more nights in an emergency shelter rather than risk having to do it all again.
The family was among the nearly 200,000 Californians who live downstream from the country's tallest dam who were told they could return home but warned they may have to flee again if repairs made to the battered Oroville Dam spillways don't hold.
The fixes could be put to their first test later this week with the first of a series of small storms forecast for the region expected to reach the area Wednesday night. | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2017-02-15 00:00:00 | The Latest: Workers rush repairs at dam as storm approaches | http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3095865 | http://tnimage.taiwannews.com.tw/photos/shares/AP/20170215/afec43f92de7413188688952413848f1.jpg |
US to keep Persian Gulf waterway open despite Iran threats | DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military is reiterating a promise to keep Persian Gulf waterways open to oil tankers as Iran renewed threats to close off the region.
Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. military's Central Command, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that American sailors and its regional allies "stand ready to ensure the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce wherever international law allows."
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday suggested Iran could halt regional exports if it is stopped from exporting oil after America pulled out of the nuclear deal with world powers.
Meanwhile, Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani reportedly sent a letter to Rouhani applauding his stance.
Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard's expeditionary Quds Force, said his forces were "ready for any policy." | www.taiwannews.com.tw | 2018-07-04 21:17:00 | US to keep Persian Gulf waterway open despite Iran threats | https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3474264 |