Until recently, he was the favorite to win the elections in April and May.
However, the former prime minister has now slipped behind far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron.
Image source Wikimedia
On March 14, Francois Fillon, 63, was personally placed under formal investigation over suspicions that he arranged for his wife Penelope to be paid public money for work as his parliamentary assistant which she did not actually carry out.
Francois Fillon is also being investigated over payments to his two children Marie and Charles when he was a senator. He has said his children were paid as lawyers, for specific tasks. But neither was a qualified lawyer at the time.
A magistrate had already been investigating the case, but until now the inquiry did not mention directly Francois Fillon.
The embarrassment is acute because this is the same Francois Fillon who before the campaign said it would be inconceivable for someone to remain as a candidate if placed in this legal situation, our correspondent adds.
In a separate development on March 14, French media report that Marine Le Pen is now suspected by the country’s tax authorities of undervaluing her share of two properties jointly owned with her father Jean Marie Le Pen.
Marine Le Pen has made no public comment on the issue.
President Donald Trump will donate his $400,000 salary to charity at the end of 2017, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has confirmed.
In an unexpected twist, the president wants the White House press corps to decide where it should go.
Before taking office, Donald Trump told CBS’s 60 Minutes that he would not claim his presidential salary.
It was confirmed that it would be donated after multiple media outlets asked if he was keeping that pledge.
Sean Spicer told a press briefing: “The President’s intention right now is to donate his salary at the end of the year, and he has kindly asked that you all determine where that goes.”
Image source Wikipedia
He joked that letting the media choose a beneficiary would be “a way to avoid scrutiny”.
“In all seriousness, I think his view is he made a pledge to the American people he wants to donate it to charity and he’d love your help to determine where it should go,” Sean Spicer told the press.
President Trump’s salary has been fixed at $400,000 a year since 2001. Donald Trump had previously said he would take only $1 a year, because the president is required by law to receive a salary.
It is unclear which organization the press corps will choose to support.
Suggestions have included setting up a fund for journalism scholarships via the White House Correspondents’ Association.
Donald Trump is not the first president to forego a salary. Herbert Hoover, who made his fortune in mining before taking office, and John F. Kennedy, who inherited his wealth, both donated their pay to charity.
A 24-hour blizzard warning was issued by the National Weather Service from midnight for New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.
Image source Flickr
Storm warnings were also posted from southern Maine to Virginia.
“During its height we could see snowfall rates of 1-3 inches (2.5-7.6cm), even up to four inches per hour,” said Alan Dunham, a meteorologist based in Taunton, Massachusetts.
More than 6,500 flights have been canceled, tracking service FlightAware reported, with airports in New York, Washington, Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia worst hit.
Schools will be closed on March 14 in New York, Providence, Rhode Island and in some towns across Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Declaring a state of emergency, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said people should expect road closures, delays and cancelations.
He said in a statement: “I strongly urge everyone to limit unnecessary travel on Tuesday and if you must drive, please plan ahead, be careful, and stay safe.”
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also declared a state of emergency and ordered all state employees not involved in the response to stay at home.
Angela Merkel’s visit was planned for March 14 and has been rescheduled for March 17.
Winter Storm Stella follows a spell of unusually mild weather in the north-east, with last month being the second warmest February since record-keeping began in 1895.
President Donald Trump’s claims that he was wiretapped by former President Barack Obama were not meant literally, White House press secretary Sean Spicer says.
He said President Trump had broadly meant “surveillance and other activities” when he made the allegation in a tweet earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the DoJ has asked for more time to provide information about the allegations.
A congressional committee had set a March 13 deadline for the department to provide any evidence of President Trump’s claims but a spokeswoman said it needed “additional time… to determine what if any responsive documents may exist”.
Image source Wikipedia
The House Intelligence Committee said it would give the department until March 20 to comply with its request.
In his tweet President Trump said: “Just found out that Obama had my <<wires tapped>> in Trump Tower just before the victory.”
He added: “Is it legal for a sitting President to be <<wire tapping>> a race for president?”
The White House has instead asked Congress to examine the allegation as part of an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in last year’s election.
Earlier, Senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said she did not have any evidence to back up the wiretapping claim but said there were “many ways to survey each other now”.
“You can survey someone through their phones, certainly through their television sets – any number of ways… microwaves that turn into cameras. We know this is a fact of modern life,” Kellyanne Conway told New Jersey’s Bergen County Record.
Around 14 million more people would lose health insurance coverage in 2018 under the new Republican healthcare plan, according to a budget analysis.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan group of budget analysts and economists, released its assessment on the long-awaited Republican bill.
The CBO said the number of extra uninsured would jump to 24 million by 2026.
The bill would also reduce the federal deficits by $337 billion over the 10-year period, according to the CBO.
Those savings could help House Republicans sell the legislation to some conservatives who remain skeptical about costs.
Republicans have said the goal of the American Health Care Act is to lower costs and that coverage statistics are misleading due to the high out-of-pocket costs under President Barack Obama’s signature health law.
House Speaker Paul Ryan highlighted the CBO analysis’ conclusions on deficit reduction and decreased premiums.
He said: “I recognize and appreciate concerns about making sure people have access to coverage.
“[O]ur plan is not about forcing people to buy expensive, one-size-fits-all coverage. It is about giving people more choices and better access to a plan they want and can afford.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said the administration “strenuously disagreed” with the report’s findings on the number of people who would lose coverage.
He said after the assessment was released: “Right now, current law, we’ve got individuals who have health coverage but no healthcare.”
Tom Price contended the new plan would cover more individuals at a lower cost.
California Representative Adam Schiff tweeted that the numbers in it were “appalling” while Virginia Representative Don Beyer called it a “disaster”.
He tweeted: “Now we know why @Speaker Ryan rushed to pass his repeal bill; CBO says it kicks 24 million off their healthcare in next 10 years. Appalling.”
The CBO, along with the Joint Committee on Taxation, also found that five million fewer people would be covered under Medicaid, which covers low-income people, by 2018.
An estimated 14 million fewer people would enroll in the Medicaid program by 2026.
The report found that by 2026, an estimated 52 million people would be uninsured, compared with the 28 million who would not be covered that year under the current law.
On March 13, the Dutch foreign ministry issued a new travel warning, urging its citizens in Turkey to take care and noting the new “diplomatic tensions”.
The warning to “avoid gatherings and crowded places” came as Turkey’s foreign ministry lodged a formal protest with the Dutch envoy.
Meanwhile, Dutch deputy PM Lodewijk Asscher said that “to be called Nazis by a regime which is walking backwards in regards to human rights is just disgusting”.
The row spilled over into the campaign for March 15 general election in the Netherlands, with PM Mark Rutte defending in a live TV debate his decision to stop Turkish ministers addressing Dutch Turks.
His opponent, Geert Wilders of the far-right, anti-Islam Freedom Party, said the real problem was that Turks waving Turkish flags on a Dutch street had shown where their loyalties lay.
European Union leaders called for calm.
The proposed rallies aimed to encourage a large number of Turks living in Europe to vote Yes in a referendum on April 16 on expanding the president’s powers. The plans were criticized by senior EU officials on March 13.
In Germany, for example, there are more than three million people of Turkish origin, of whom an estimated 1.4 million are eligible to vote in Turkish elections. In effect, the diaspora is Turkey’s fourth-largest electoral district.
Planned rallies in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands were blocked after officials cited security concerns or said the rallies could stoke tensions.
A gathering in France went ahead, however, after officials said it did not pose a threat.
Two Turkish ministers were barred from addressing rallies in Rotterdam, with one of them escorted to the German border.
Police used dogs and water cannon against protesters waving Turkish flags in Rotterdam.
“I have said that I had thought that Nazism was over, but I was wrong,” he said.
He later lashed out at the German chancellor.
“Mrs. Merkel, why are you hiding terrorists in your country? Why are you not doing anything?” he said, in comments quoted by AFP.
“Mrs. Merkel, you are supporting terrorists.”
Turkey has previously accused Germany of harboring Kurdish militants and suspects wanted over the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016.
Turkey’s EU affairs minister, Omer Celik, said Ankara would retaliate against the Netherlands. He later suggested reconsidering part of a deal with the EU aimed at curbing an influx of migrants, namely Turkey’s efforts to prevent them crossing by land to Greece and Bulgaria.
On March 13, the Dutch charge d’affaires in Ankara was summoned for the third time in three days in protest against the treatment of the minister escorted to Germany and the treatment of protesters in Rotterdam.
Mark Rutte said President Erdogan’s comment that the Dutch were “Nazi remnants” was “unacceptable”, and demanded an apology.
Responding to Turkish calls for sanctions, he said the Netherlands would “never negotiate under threat”.
“This rejection is also valid for our allies. These comparisons are completely misguided… particularly in the Netherlands that endured so much agony through the National Socialists,” she said.
“That’s why the Netherlands can count on my complete support and solidarity in this.”
Danish PM Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he had postponed a meeting later this month with his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim because “with the current Turkish attacks on Holland the meeting cannot be seen separated from that”.
Shree Chauhan, an American citizen of Indian descent, has accused White House press secretary Sean Spicer of racism after an exchange in an Apple store in Washington.
The 33-year-old woman challenged Sean Spicer as he was shopping, asking: “How does it feel to work for a fascist?” – referring to President Donald Trump.
Sean Spicer replied: “It’s such a great country that allows you to be here.”
Shree Chauhan recorded the encounter and posted it online, drawing 300,000 views since March 11.
She has been attacked online since posting the video, with critics branding her “vile” and accusing her of harassment.
Image source Wikimedia
When asked by reporters about the encounter, Sean Spicer said: “I interact with individuals all day long. Ninety-nine percent of them are pleasant, even with people who may not agree with our philosophy or programs, whatever.”
“It’s a free country and people can act how they want, no matter how that’s interpreted.
“And as long as they stay on the right side of the First Amendment, we’re good.”
The footage shows Sean Spicer responding to the initial barb, about working for a fascist, by smiling and saying: “We have a great country.”
Shree Chauhan, the founder of an education start-up, then asks him: “Have you helped with the Russia stuff – are you a criminal as well? Have you committed treason, too, just like the president?”
“What can you tell me about Russia, Mr. Secretary?” the questioner persists.
Sean Spicer then walks away saying: “Thank you very much,” while Shree Chauhan repeats: “You know you work for a fascist, right?”
In a blog post, Shree Chauhan wrote that she is an American citizen who was born and raised in the United States.
She said she was “stunned” by the press secretary’s comment, writing: “That is racism and it is an implied threat.”
Shree Chauhan, who is the daughter of immigrants, acknowledged that she was “impolite” in her comments to the Trump aide.
She said she wanted to seize the “enormous opportunity… to get answers without the protections normally given to Mr. Spicer”.
Shree Chauhan hit back at her online critics, writing on Twitter: “I have clear feelings for the man who is a fascist’s spokesperson. Nazis weren’t stopped with niceties.”
It has been claimed that Sean Spicer’s remark – “it’s such a great country that allows you to be here” – may have meant it’s great that Americans can approach presidential aides even while they are out shopping.
Shree Chauhan has rejected that interpretation, saying that Sean Spicer should have said “it’s such a great country that allows dissent” if that was what he meant.
A house on the shore of Lake Ontario was completely encased in ice after cold weather hit New York State.
The home was captured by a local photographer after being battered by water whipped up from the lake by freezing winds.
John Kucko said many people on social media refused to believe the images were genuine.
Photo John Kucko
The photographer said he was “amazed at how many people think I sprayed foam on the place” and posted video footage as proof.
John Kucko said he found the house after being “tipped off” by a local and “was on a mission to find the place before sunrise.”
A frigid windstorm last week in New York was strong enough to knock out power to tens of thousands of people. Many were still without power days later.
The state remains subject to a blizzard warning from the US National Weather Service, with 12 to 20 inches of snow expected in New York City and surrounding areas on March 13 and 14.
Our health is incredibly important- after all, we only get one body and one life. And to live the best one possible we need to stay strong and healthy. But with such busy lives and schedules, how many of us can really get in an hour at the gym before work- and with so little time are you really going to get chance to cook healthy food from scratch each evening? Actually, living well doesn’t have to be difficult, and there’s plenty of hassle free things you can do for better health. Here are just a few of them.
Find An Activity You Love
Exercise is hard work, but it shouldn’t feel like punishment. If it takes everything you have to drag yourself to the gym or to go outside and run, then it’s probably not going to be a long-term thing. The trick is to find something you enjoy. It could be swimming, a spin class, martial arts- anything you life. If you can rope some friends into coming along, you get the social element as well as exercise, so you effectively kill two birds with one stone.
You could find out more information about why this is beneficial on livescience.com. Either way, it’s perfect when you lead a busy life.
Swapping one thing out for another takes very little effort, but could do your body a huge favour. Instead of smoking, you could try vaping, this doesn’t burn tobacco, so you get a hit of nicotine without any of the toxic chemicals in cigarettes. You can find more info and buy the equipment on sites like lizardjuice.com. Instead of eating white bread, pasta and rice which sends your blood sugar soaring and lacks in fibre, you could switch to wholemeal instead. These are good for your heart and digestive system, keep you fuller longer and your blood sugar stable. Eating organic instead of regular produce is another easy switch. A good rule of thumb is if you eat the skin (apples, grapes, tomatoes) go organic. If you don’t (melons, bananas, oranges) you don’t need to. By doing this, you avoid harmful pesticides which are linked to all kinds of cancers and diseases such as dementia.
Batch Cook
Healthy food generally requires prepping and cooking. Unlike convenience food which is all ready to heat up and go (but at the cost of added salt, sugar, oils and chemicals) when you’re making things yourself it does involve effort. One way you can get around this is to batch cook meals. Make a huge portion and then divide it into individual Tupperware containers and pop in the freezer. This way you have your own, healthy home cooked meals and know exactly what’s gone into them. Stews, bolognese, curry and chilli all freeze well- sites such as jamieoliver.com have more ideas. You could spend one day a week making a couple of different meals, then you have dinners for ages with no additional cooking or hassle.
Would you try any of these hassle-free tips for better health?
Carlos the Jackal, who was behind a series of attacks in France in the 1970s and 80s, is on trial again over a deadly shopping center attack in Paris.
The Venezuelan man, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, is already serving two life terms for several killings in the name of Palestinian and communist causes.
Two people were killed and 34 others were injured in the attack.
Ilich Ramirez Sanchez has pleaded not guilty and his lawyer, Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, said the trial was a waste of time and money.
“What exactly is the point of having a trial so long after the events?” she said.
However, Georges Holleaux, a lawyer representing the victims, said the families relished the chance to see him in court.
“The victims have been waiting so long for Ramirez to be judged and convicted. Their wounds have never healed,” he said.
In a newspaper interview which he later disavowed, Carlos the Jackal allegedly said he had carried out the attack in a bid to persuade France to release a Japanese communist militant.
Ilich Ramirez Sanchez was dubbed Carlos the Jackal by the press, named after the fictional terrorist in the 1971 Frederick Forsyth novel, The Day of the Jackal, which was turned into a popular movie.
Born in Venezuela, Carlos the Jackal was considered one of the most notorious political terrorists of the 1970s and 80s.
By the age of 24, he had joined the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and began his training as a militant revolutionary.
A few years later, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez launched his first attack – on Joseph Edward Sieff, the then president of the Marks and Spencers retail chain in London. Sieff, a prominent Jewish figure, survived a gunshot wound to the head.
The self-professed “professional revolutionary” has since been found guilty of four bomb attacks in Paris and Marseille in 1982 and 1983, which killed 11 people and injured 150.
Carlos the Jackal was first convicted by a French court 20 years ago, and again in 2011 and 2013. If convicted of first degree murder charges, he could get a third life sentence.
Ilich Ramirez Sanchez was arrested in the Sudanese capital in 1994 by elite French police, 20 years after the first attack for which he was accused.
Congressman Steve King has sparked a backlash on social media after tweeting his support for the Dutch anti-Islam politician, Geert Wilders.
The senior Republican tweeted on March 12: “Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny.”
“We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies,” he added.
The Republican Representative of Iowa is a strong advocate of putting a stop to birthright citizenship.
All children born in the United States currently get citizenship under the constitution, including the children of families living in America illegally.
Image source Flickr
Steve King has pushed for radical reform of the interpretation of the 14th amendment of the US constitution so that it no longer gives the children of undocumented migrants the right to a US passport.
His comments led to accusations that he was “openly peddling white nationalism”.
Geert Wilders, whose populist Freedom Party is expected to do well in Dutch parliamentary elections on March 15, has been under 24-hour police protection for more than a decade due to death threats.
The anti-Islam politician was found guilty of hate speech over his promise to reduce the number of Moroccans in the Netherlands in 2016, but no penalty was imposed.
A crush at a large open-air rock concert in Argentina killed two people and injuring several others.
Saturday night’s concert in Olavarria turned dangerous after the crowd rushed towards the stage at the end of the performance.
According to organizers, over 250,000 fans attended the concert by popular performer Indio Solari and his band – many more than initially expected.
The local mayor said the situation “got out of hand” due to the high numbers.
Indio Solari stopped performing several times, and urged security to help fans who had fallen.
At one point, the singer said: “Has someone fainted? What is going on there? There are people on the floor, please! Security! Get up, please, get them out of here.”
Joni Sledge, who formed Sister Sledge with her three siblings in 1971, has died aged 60.
She was found unresponsive by a friend at her home in Phoenix, Arizona, her publicist said.
Joni Sledge had not been ill and the cause of death is unknown.
The singer, who was best-known for the disco anthem We Are Family, is survived by her adult son and last performed with the band in October.
Joni Sledge’s death was announced on social media on March 11 – a week before the group were due to perform in Los Angeles.
A statement released on Facebook read: “Yesterday, numbness fell upon our family.
“We are saddened to inform you that our dear sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin, Joni passed away yesterday.”
The statement added: “We miss her and hurt for her presence, her radiance, and the sincerity with which she loved and embraced life.”
Aside from the Grammy-nominated We Are Family, the hit which sold more than a million copies after it was released in 1978, Sister Sledge also was known for He’s the Greatest Dancer, Lost in the Music and a cover of the Motown classic My Guy.
However, when Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya arrived, Dutch authorities refused to allow her entry to the consulate, sparking a stream of angry tweets.
Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya was then taken to the German border by police, Dutch PM Mark Rutte confirmed on March 12.
In a Facebook post, Mark Rutte said attempts to find a “reasonable solution” to the countries’ differences had proved “impossible”, while dismissing Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya’s arrival in Rotterdam as “irresponsible”.
If successful, it would give sweeping new powers to the president, allowing them to appoint ministers, prepare the budget, choose the majority of senior judges and enact certain laws by decree.
What’s more, the president alone would be able to announce a state of emergency and dismiss parliament.
In order to get it passed, Recep Tayyip Erdogan needs to get the votes of both those citizens living in, and out, of Turkey.
There are 5.5 million Turks living outside the country, with 1.4 million eligible voters in Germany alone – and the Yes campaign are keen to get them on side.
So a number of rallies have been planned for countries where large numbers of voters currently live, including Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
Many of the countries have cited security concerns as the official reason the rallies have been banned or moved.
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said President Erdogan was not welcome to hold rallies as this could increase friction and hinder integration.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte said the Netherlands asked Turkey to desist as they feared “compromised public order and security”.
However, many European nations have also expressed deep disquiet about Turkey’s response to the July coup attempt and the country’s perceived slide towards authoritarianism under Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Germany in particular has been critical of the mass arrests and purges that followed – with nearly 100,000 civil servants removed from their posts.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at Germany and the Netherlands, denouncing the Dutch government as “Nazi remnants and fascists”, while accusing Germany of “Nazi practices”.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned the Nazi jibe as “unacceptable”, while Mark Rutte dismissed it as a “crazy remark”.
However, Recep Tayyip Erdogan escalated the rhetoric after the Netherlands banned his foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from entering the country by plane by threatening to block Dutch flights.
The Turkish president said: “Ban our foreign minister from flying however much you like, but from now on, let’s see how your flights will land in Turkey.”
Mevlut Cavusoglu also warned Turkey would impose heavy sanctions if his visit was blocked.
Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya ‘s arrival, by road, was seen as a further provocation by Turkey on the part of the Dutch – although Mark Rutte says his government remains “in favor” of speaking with President Erdogan and his colleagues to find a resolution.
New York federal prosecutor Preet Bharara, who refused to resign when he and 45 other prosecutors were asked to by the Trump administration, has been sacked.
Preet Bharara tweeted: “I did not resign. Moments ago I was fired.”
He was first asked to remain in his post by President Donald Trump, when they met after the election.
However, on March 10 Preet Bharara was included in a list of prosecutors appointed by former President Barack Obama who were asked by the DoJ to step down.
Preet Bharara continued on Twitter: “Being the US Attorney in SDNY [South District New York] will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life.”
Presidents often order appointees of the previous administration to resign but the decision to replace so many in one swoop raised eyebrows.
Preet Bharara’s inclusion in the list came as a particular surprise. He told reporters in November that he had been asked by Donald Trump to stay on, and had agreed.
He rose to prominence after pursuing high-profile corruption cases and cases against Wall Street bankers.
Image source Twitter
The prosecutor won a $1.8 billion insider-trading case against hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors, the largest in history. SAC was forced to close down.
Preet Bharara has also prosecuted both Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
Among his current cases was an investigation into fundraising by New York mayor Bill de Blasio, as well as a harassment case against Fox News by its employees.
After it was reported on March 11 that he had refused to resign, top New York Republican Brian Kolb tweeted: “Good for Preet, he is doing the job he was appointed to do!”
On March 11, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement: “President Trump’s abrupt and unexplained decision to summarily remove over 40 US attorneys has once again caused chaos in the federal government.
“Preet Bharara, like many of the US attorneys dismissed this week, served with honor and distinction.”
However, ex-Republican strategist Brian Walsh argued that the firing was “nothing new” as “US attorneys serve at the pleasure of the [president] – even Preet”.
Preet Bharara’s office and the DoJ refused to comment further, according to the Associated Press.
Analysts said the odds strengthened on March 10 after figures showed better than expected jobs growth in February.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers added 235,000 new jobs, exceeding economists’ forecasts.
Fed chair Janet Yellen said last week that the central bank could raise rates in March if employment and inflation figures met their expectations.
The central bank increased rates, which have been at near-historic lows since the financial crisis, to a range of 0.5% to 0.75% in December.
According to Bloomberg data, the futures market for the key Federal fund interest rate puts the likelihood of a rate rise at between 98% and 100%.
Traders also see better than even odds of two further rate rises this year, based on the price of Fed funds futures contracts traded at CME Group’s Chicago Board of Trade.
The Fed’s next meeting will conclude on March 15.
The Trump administration also welcomed the jobs figures, which covered the president’s first full month in office.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer tweeted that the figures were “great news for American workers… in first report for [President] Trump”.
Despite the ruling, Park Geun-hye remains inside the presidential compound.
Thousands turned out for rallies in Seoul on March 11, a day after three people involved in protests died there.
Many were calling for the impeached president’s arrest, although a smaller number of her supporters also gathered in nearby streets.
There are fears the two sides may clash and there is a heavy police presence.
A spokeswoman for the protesters supporting the court’s decision, Choi In-sook, told Reuters they were demanding the arrest of Park Geun-hye.
She has lost her presidential immunity and could face criminal charges.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s election commission announced a “free and fair” vote would be held by May 9 at the latest.
Currently, Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party is leading in the polls, with one survey putting him almost 22% ahead of his nearest rival, acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is loyal to Park Geun-hye.
Hwang Kyo-ahn has called for calm, saying the government should remain stable to prevent internal conflict from spreading.
However, police are bracing themselves for more violence following the deaths of two of Park Geun-hye’s supporters on March 10.
A third person, aged 74, is understood to have had a heart attack during March 10 protests, and died on the next day, according to Reuters.
Park Geun-hye’s office said she would not be leaving the Blue House, South Korea’s presidential palace, on March 10 nor making any statement.
It is understood Park Geun-hye will not leave until her own home in Seoul is repaired and cleaned.
Judge James Robart said lawyers needed to file more extensive documentation.
The revised 90-day ban on citizens of six mostly Muslim nations is due to come into effect on March 9 but has sparked legal action in a number of states.
In succeeding with the first ban, they argued the move was unconstitutional and damaging to businesses in Washington State.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on March 9 that the administration believed the new order would withstand legal scrutiny.
Several states have launched legal challenges:
Oregon – said the order hurts residents, employers, universities health care system and economy.
Minnesota – questioned the legality of the move, suggesting the Trump administration can’t override the initial ban with a fresh executive order.
Massachusetts – new ban “remains a discriminatory and unconstitutional attempt to make good on his campaign promise to implement a Muslim ban”.
Hawaii – argued it would harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students.
Washington – it has “same illegal motivations as the original” and harms residents, although fewer than the first ban.
New York – “a Muslim ban by another name”, said the attorney general.
The first order, which President Trump signed in January, sparked mass protests as well as confusion at airports.
Critics maintain the revised travel ban still discriminates against Muslims. Donald Trump supporters say the president is fulfilling his campaign promises to protect Americans.
Manfred Doess said the criminal acts occurred in both Germany and the United States.
Volkswagen admitted that vehicles were fitted with illegal software which allowed them to cheat emissions tests over a six-year period.
John Neal, an assistant US attorney, told the district court that the scheme “was a well thought-out, planned offensive that went to the top of the organization”.
Under the deal with the DoJ, VW agreed to major reforms and scrutiny by an independent monitor for three years after admitting to installing the secret software in 580,000 US vehicles.
The devices enabled VW’s diesel vehicles to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution.
Accepting VW’s guilty plea, district judge Sean Cox said: “This was a very, very serious crime.”
VW has agreed to change the way it operates in the United States and other countries as part of the settlement.
In January 2017, VW agreed to pay $4.3 billion in US civil and criminal fines.
A company spokeswoman said it “deeply regrets the behavior that gave rise to the diesel crisis”.
Since the emissions scandal broke in September 2015, VW has agreed to pay about $25 billion to address claims from owners, regulators, states and dealers in the US.
VW has come under pressure to pay compensation in other markets too.
Tata Motors, which is India’s largest automaker and owns Jaguar Land Rover, is also hoping to claw back domestic market share.
VW and Tata have signed a memorandum of understanding on a partnership they hope will potentially lead to Tata Motors launching new vehicles by 2019.
Tata Motors CEO Guenter Butschek has put in place a restructuring program to help build up the company’s lost sales for passenger and commercial vehicles by improving efficiencies, cutting production delays and building economies of scale.
Guenter Butschek said: “We strongly believe that both the companies, by working together, can leverage from each other’s strengths to create synergies and develop smart innovative solutions for the Indian and overseas market.”
VW is investing in self-drive vehicles and greener technology such as electric cars and would like greater familiarity with the Indian market.
Volkswagen AG CEO Matthias Müller said: “By offering the appropriate products, we intend to achieve sustainable and profitable growth in very different parts of the world.”
A previous attempt by VW to expand into emerging markets through an alliance with Suzuki Motor Corp ended in 2015, following bitter disagreements.
Automakers are attempting to win a greater share of expanding emerging markets through the sale of budget cars, which in turn increase familiarity of their brand.
President Park Geun-hye has become South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to be forced from office.
Judges unanimously upheld parliament’s decision to impeach Park Geun-hye over her role in a corruption scandal involving her close friend, Choi Soon-sil.
Choi Soon-sil is accused of using her presidential connections to pressure companies to give millions of dollars in donations to non-profit foundations she controlled.
Park Geun-hye is alleged to have been personally involved in this, and to have given Choi Soon-sil unacceptable levels of access to official documents.
Park Geun-hye had “concealed completely Choi Soon-sil’s meddling in state affairs and denied it whenever suspicions over the act emerged and even criticized those who raised the suspicions,” it said.
However, the judges dismissed some charges, including accusations Park Geun-hye had infringed on freedom of the press by creating a media blacklist of cultural figures, and criticism of her response during the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster.
According to the US report, Chinese civil society groups suffered “repression and coercion” and accused Beijing of curtailing freedoms in Hong Kong and Macau.
As well as sharp criticisms of American democracy, the Chinese report – which drew heavily on US media coverage – also highlighted cases of police violence and racism.
The report accused the US of “wielding <<the baton of human rights>>” while “paying no attention to its own terrible human rights problems”.
It added: “With the gunshots lingering in people’s ears behind the Statue of Liberty, worsening racial discrimination and the election farce dominated by money politics, the self-proclaimed human rights defender has exposed its human rights ‘myth’ with its own deeds.”
China strictly curtails freedom of speech and is frequently criticized for arbitrary detentions, official brutality, widespread corruption, a lack of transparency, a pliant judiciary and little in the way of democracy.
The country is also extremely sensitive to criticism and has cracked down on domestic critics.
Two people have died and two others injured after a highway bridge has collapsed near the north-east Italian city of Ancona, Italian officials say.
The victims were in a car below the bridge when it fell down onto the A14 road, which runs between Loreto and Ancona South.
Image source EPA
The bridge collapse involved a temporary structure which was supporting it, Autostrade, the Italian highways agency said.
Two Romanian workers were also injured, Italian media reported.
The two victims were a husband and wife, originally from the province of Ascoli Piceno, whose white Nissan Qashqai was crushed as the bridge came down, Ansa news agency reported.
The bridge had been closed to traffic for maintenance work, it said.
Ansa quoted a witness named Francesco as saying the collapse “happened suddenly” and a female driver in front of him braked and stopped just 33ft from the collapsed bridge.
The affected road is now closed in both directions.
