General Motors hourly workers will receive bonuses of $12,000 after the company made a profit of $12 billion in North America.
The United Automobile Workers union negotiated a profit sharing deal in 2011.
The deal is worth up to $1,000 per $1 billion of profit the company makes in the continent.
However, net profit for the whole of GM dropped 2.7% in 2016 to $9.43 billion after foreign exchange losses.
Photo AP
A jump in sales in mid-size pick-up trucks and SUVs aided sales in the US. Chevrolet was GM’s fastest growing brand in the US in 2016, increasing its share of the US retail market by 0.5 percentage points.
A year earlier, payments of up to $11,000 were awarded to union workers after $11 billion of North American profits were posted. The award is based on working more than an average of 35 hours per week during the year.
In Europe, GM reported a narrower loss of $257 million, compared with $813 million in 2015, as sales rose.
GM sold a record 10 million vehicles in 2016, up 1.2% from 2015, with 3.04 million vehicles sold in the US.
In China, deliveries rose 7.1% to a record 3.87 million vehicles and in Europe, its Opel and Vauxhall marques posted a 4% sales increase.
GM said Q4 net profit fell partly because of $500 million in currency losses, mostly from the decline of the pound.
The company forecast profit per share in 2017 would be the same or slightly better than 2016.
BP’s profits double in Q4 of 2016 on the back of slightly higher oil prices and more cost-cutting.
Underlying replacement cost profit – BP’s preferred measure – was $400 million, up from $196 million a year earlier.
The oil giant took another charge of $799 million for the Deepwater Horizon disaster, bringing total charges to $62.6 billion.
BP CEO Bob Dudley said: “2016 was the year we made significant strides for future growth.
“We start this year with considerable momentum – and a sense of disciplined ambition. We have laid the foundations for BP to be back to growth.”
For the 2016 as a whole, underlying replacement cost profit – which strips out fluctuations in the value of oil stocks – fell to $2.58 billion, down from $5.90 billion in 2015.
However, the profit figures were below some analysts’ forecasts, and BP shares fell 2% at the start of trading in London.
In 2015, the company posted its biggest loss in at least 20 years, ravaged by Gulf of Mexico spill costs and tumbling oil prices, which caused the group to axe jobs and cut investments.
However, Bob Dudley said that the costs and liabilities from the fatal Deepwater Horizon oil platform disaster were “now substantially behind us. BP is fully focused on the future”.
BP said it would balance its books at an oil price of around $60 per barrel by the end of the year. Oil companies have been selling assets and cutting costs to adjust to lower prices. Brent crude, the international benchmark, averaged $44 a barrel in 2016, the lowest in 12 years.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been ordered to stand trial in an illegal campaign finance case.
Nicolas Sarkozy faces accusations that his party falsified accounts in order to hide 18 million euros ($20 million) of campaign spending in 2012.
The former president has repeatedly denied that he was aware of the overspending.
Nicolas Sarkozy lost the 2012 race to Francois Hollande, and failed in his bid to run again in this year’s upcoming presidential election.
The case is known as the Bygmalion scandal.
It centers on claims that Nicolas Sarkozy’s party, then known as the UMP, connived with a friendly PR company to hide the true cost of his 2012 presidential election campaign.
Photo Reuters
France sets limits on campaign spending, and it is alleged the firm Bygmalion invoiced Nicolas Sarkozy’s party rather than the campaign, allowing the UMP to exceed the limit.
Employees at Bygmalion have admitted knowledge of the ruse and several UMP members already face charges.
Nicolas Sarkozy’s court case is expected to focus on whether the ex-leader was aware of the alleged fraud.
Thirteen other people are also expected to be tried.
However, judicial sources say an appeal could be launched against the trial order, because it was only made by one of the two judges handling the case.
The development comes as other French politicians have faced questions over their financial dealings.
Francois Fillon, who beat Nicolas Sarkozy to become the center-right’s candidate for the presidential race, is accused of misusing public funds to employ his wife and two children.
Meanwhile, the European Parliament is demanding France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen return funds it says she has misspent, by paying an aide at the National Front party’s headquarters in Paris.
Nicolas Sarkozy is the second French president to be put on trial since 1958, when the current French republic was established.
Former President Jacques Chirac was given a two-year suspended prison sentence in 2011 for diverting public funds and abusing public trust.
The DoJ has defended President Donald Trump’s immigration ban and urged an appeals court to reinstate it in the interests of national security.
In a 15-page brief it argued it was a “lawful exercise of the president’s authority” and not a ban on Muslims.
President Trump’s executive order temporarily banned entry for all refugees and visitors from seven mainly Muslim countries.
A hearing has been set for today on whether to allow or reject the ban.
The filing was made to the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in response to the halting of Donald Trump’s order on February 3 by a federal judge in Washington state.
Image source Flickr
The judge had ruled the ban was unconstitutional and harmful to the state’s interests.
As a result, people from the seven countries – Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – with valid visas were able to travel to the US again.
The brief filed on February 6 said the Washington court had “erred in entering an injunction barring enforcement of the order”.
“But even if some relief were appropriate, the court’s sweeping nationwide injunction is vastly overbroad,” the DoJ added.
President Trump’s executive order issued on January 25 fulfilled his campaign promise to tighten restrictions on arrivals to the US.
It caused confusion at US and foreign airports when it came into force, and was widely condemned, although polls suggest that US public opinion is sharply divided on the policy.
The states of Washington and Minnesota have argued that as well as being unconstitutional, the travel ban is harmful to their residents, businesses and universities.
Attorneys general in 16 states have signed a letter condemning the ban, and lawsuits have been launched in 14 states.
Former secretaries of state John Kerry and Madeleine Albright and former CIA director Leon Panetta have joined others in drafting a letter which describes the travel ban as ineffective, dangerous and counterproductive.
Lawyers for tech giants including Apple and Google have also lodged arguments with the court, saying that the travel ban would harm their companies by making it more difficult to recruit employees.
Working in a biology lab can be exciting, interesting, and rewarding. It can also be dangerous if you are not alert and serious, and if you do not make sure that proper safety precautions are taken. You are the one responsible for making sure that the environment in the lab is safe, instructional, and enjoyable. This is because these things are everyone’s responsibility. Having practices that are unsafe can be a danger not just to you, but to everyone around you.
Sample Storage
It is a given that there will be samples in a bio lab. These samples will need to be stored. There are companies, such as Pacific BioStorage, that offer storage facilities for those samples. These storage facilities meet all regulatory requirements and offer built-in redundancy. They also have controlled access, so you can be sure that the samples will be stored safely. Since safety is always a concern, you need to ensure that the facility you choose to store your samples has safety measures in place, like Pacific Biostorage does.
You might recall, back in 2014, samples of dangerous substances such as the bacteria that causes plague, and ricin, were found to be improperly stored. This was in laboratories of the National Institute of Health. Because of improper storage, these samples were destroyed.
According to OSHA, there are more than half a million workers in the US employed by laboratories. They go on to say that laboratories can be a dangerous place to work. This is because the workers in laboratories are exposed to quite a few potential dangers that can include dangers that have to do with radioactivity, physical dangers, biological dangers, and even chemical dangers. This is all without mentioning the stresses to the musculoskeletal system. The safety of laboratories is overseen by quite a few regulations from the local, state and even federal level.
LAIs
LAIs, or Laboratory Associated Infections, first began to be reported at the beginning of the 20th century, according to a publication released by the CDC. By the year 1978, four different studies had been conducted by Pike and Sulkin and these studies found that between the years 1930 and 1978, there had been 4,079 laboratory associated infections and 168 of those infections resulted in death. This just goes to show you how critical safety measures are when it comes to biological laboratories.
Be Ready
Before you even enter a biolab, you need to be prepared for as well as knowledgeable about any of the exercises that are to be performed in the lab. This means that you need to know exactly what it is that you will be doing. Make sure that you have a thorough understanding of each of the procedures and purposes.
Organization
When you will be working in a biological lab, you need to ensure that your area is kept organized and neat. If there is a spill, you need to clean it up properly immediately and you might need to notify your supervisor, depending on what the spill consists of. Always remember that when you are finished with a given project, that your area is cleaned up properly and that you thoroughly wash your hands.
Wear the Right Clothing
Yes, accidents can and do happen in biolabs. Some of the chemicals that are used can cause damage to your clothing. Because of this, you need to ensure that you are wearing clothing that you can do without should it become damaged. It is always recommended that an apron or lab coat is worn at all times.
It is also recommended that proper shoes are worn. This would be shoes that can keep your feet protected in the event that something gets broken. Open toed shoes and or sandals are never recommended.
Chemicals
The very best way to ensure safety with chemicals is to always assume that the chemicals are hazardous. You need to know what type of chemicals you are handling and how they are supposed to be handled properly.
If there is ever a time when a chemical comes into contact with your skin, you need to immediately wash the area and inform your supervisor. You also need to always be wearing protective eye wear anytime you handle chemicals.
These are just a few of the safety precautions that you should take when working in a biolab. Can you list some others?
Car giant Volkswagen faces its first legal action in Germany from a big corporate client over the dieselgate scandal.
Deutsche See, which leases 500 vehicles from the German automaker, said it had been unable to reach an out-of-court settlement, Reuters reported.
VW is involved in numerous lawsuits from individual owners, regulators, states and dealers, many of them class-action cases in the US.
Deutsche See is one of Germany’s major fish and seafood producers.
The company promotes itself as environmentally friendly, and in 2010 won an award for being Germany’s “most sustainable company”.
It said in a statement: “Deutsche See only went into partnership with VW because VW promised the most environmentally friendly, sustainable mobility concept.”
According to German media, Deutsche See filed its complaint for “malicious deception” at the regional court in Braunschweig, near VW’s Wolfsburg headquarters.
On February 5, VW declined to comment on the reports.
It admitted in September 2015 that it had used software to cheat diesel-emissions tests in the US.
VW is now embroiled in investigations across the world, and will have to spend a huge amount of money to settle claims and put the engines right.
The cost of settlements and fines in the US alone are approaching $20 billion.
Thousands of supporters filled the streets outside a court in Barcelona on February 6 as the former Catalan president, Artur Mas, went on trial.
Artur Mas is accused of serious civil disobedience over Catalonia’s unofficial vote in November 2014 seeking independence from Spain.
The vote went ahead in defiance of an order from Spain’s constitutional court.
Prosecutors are calling for him to be disqualified from office for 10 years.
Artur Mas, his deputy Joana Ortega, and Catalan former education minister Irene Rigau face accusations ranging from disobedience and perverting the course of justice to misuse of public funds.
Large crowds appeared outside the court in Barcelona on February 6 chanting “you are not alone”, “democracy is not a crime” and “independence”.
The case is being used by pro-independence supporters to galvanize their campaign. The current government has promised to hold a new vote in September.
The November 9, 2014 vote, which was not binding, went ahead despite vehement opposition from the national government and it was outlawed by Spain’s constitutional court.
Catalan officials say more than 80% of those who voted backed independence. However, only two million voters out of an estimated 5.4 million who were eligible took part.
On February 5, Artur Mas told a news conference in Barcelona that the Catalan government was “determined to go forward”.
He said: “We did what had to be done in 2014 and we would do it again if the circumstances allow it.”
Current Catalan President Carles Puigdemont said the countdown had begun for an independent Spanish state in Catalonia.
Like other regions in Spain, Catalonia already has the power to run its educational and healthcare systems, as well as limited freedoms in the area of taxation.
Catalonia is one of Spain’s richest and most highly industrialized regions, and also one of the most independent-minded.
With a distinct history stretching back to the early Middle Ages, many Catalans think of themselves as a separate nation from the rest of Spain.
The New England Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime and claim a fifth Super Bowl title in the most dramatic of circumstances.
The Patriots trailed by 25 points in the third quarter but recovered to level at 28-28 and force the extra period – the first in Super Bowl history.
Quarterback Tom Brady, 39, led the recovery, finishing with a record 466 yards en route to being named the Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player for a fourth time.
The turnaround was completed when James White scored on a two-yard run – taking his personal haul for the game to 20 points.
The previous biggest deficit overcome by an eventual Super Bowl champion was 10 points, a record emphatically shattered by the Patriots on a quite incredible night at Houston’s NRG Stadium, which also featured a spectacular half-time show by Lady Gaga.
The singer opened her set with Woody Guthrie’s civil rights anthem This Land Is Your Land, “a gentle but pointed rebuke to the Trump administration”.
Tom Brady admitted afterwards that the outcome could have been very different had any part of the Patriots team not done its job.
A key moment came with the Patriots trailing 28-20 with 2:28 remaining in the final quarter when Julian Edelman made a miraculous catch for a first down, somehow grabbing the ball under pressure from three opponents after it was tipped into the air by Falcons cornerback Robert Alford.
According to data from the analysis firm, Forrester, the global cloud computing industry is expected to grow to nearly $191 billion by 2020, up from just $91 billion last year. Even though the cost of storage is halving every year, demand is racing ahead, and the industry continues to grow in overall size. Driving this is the sheer utility of the service, allowing companies to get access to cheap software that would usually have cost them a fortune, as well as affording them the opportunity to make multiple copies of their critical data.
However, with the rise of security issues surrounding the cloud, many companies are holding back on their adoption, despite the benefits. The Ponemon Institute recently did a survey encompassing more than 400 IT leaders asking them how exactly companies were using the cloud. The study uncovered some specific risks that business leaders face in this time of technological transition. Here’s what they had to say.
Risk #1: Theft Of Intellectual Property
Because the cloud is so convenient, more and more companies are using it to store their sensitive data. According to analysis firm Skyhigh, around 21 percent of all files uploaded to the cloud contain some type of data that the company would not want to be shared. Of course, the problem is that when a cloud service is breached, all those data are suddenly made available to criminals who can then
Governments are very keen to make sure that companies keep their customer data secure, even as they seek more surveillance powers themselves. As a result, private companies are subject to a range of regulations, like HIPAA for healthcare and FERPA for college student records. These rules stipulate the companies need to know where their data are, who can access them and the ways in which their data are being protected. According to some experts, BYOD can violate these tenets, putting some companies in breach of the law.
Risk #3: Loss Of Control Of End User Actions
Businesses who use the cloud can often be in the dark about who is using their cloud services and to what end. Most of the time, this is benign. But sometimes, it can lead to serious consequences. For instance, a disgruntled employee could access the cloud network, sabotage it and bring the business to its knees.
During their research, Skyhigh found a number of data extraction techniques being used by hackers to gain access to cloud systems. These involve using YouTube videos as a vehicle to encode sensitive company data. A similar technique has been used on various Twitter accounts. The evidence suggests that this is a way that hackers publicly share information about a company’s cloud network and then share this information so that they can better organize phishing attacks.
President Donald Trump has attacked Judge James Robart, who blocked his travel ban, saying Americans should blame the courts “if something happens”.
He also said he had instructed border officials to check people entering America “very carefully”.
The federal appeals court on February 4 rejected the Trump administration’s request to reinstate the ban.
The travel ban, affecting people from seven mainly-Muslim countries, was blocked by Seattle’s federal judge on February 3.
This means that President Trump’s directive will remain suspended and visa holders from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen will be allowed to enter the US until the full case has been heard.
Image source Fox2
The White House and two states challenging the ban have been given a deadline of February 6 to present more arguments.
On February 5, President Trump ramped up his criticism of Judge James Robart, who blocked the ban, and the country’s judiciary.
Donald Trump tweeted: “I have instructed Homeland Security to check people coming into our country VERY CAREFULLY. The courts are making the job very difficult!”
“Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!”
President Trump earlier called Judge James Robart’s ruling “ridiculous”, described him as a “so-called judge”.
The Trump administration’s request to reinstate a travel ban blocked by a federal judge on February 3 has been rejected by the US federal appeals court.
The late night ruling means the travel ban will remain suspended until the full case has been heard.
The court gave the White House and the states challenging it a deadline of February 6 to present more arguments.
Two states argued that the travel ban, affecting people from seven mainly-Muslim countries, was unconstitutional.
In its appeal, the DoJ said Judge James Robart had overreached by “second guessing” the president on a national security matter.
The DoJ also argued that only the president could decide who can enter or stay in the US.
Image source Getty Images
In February 3 case, the DoJ had argued that states did not have the authority to challenge a presidential executive order.
Lawyers for the states of Washington and Minnesota had argued that the ban was unconstitutional because it denied people with valid entry documents the right to travel without due process.
The executive order also violated freedom of religion rights by appearing to target Muslims, they said.
Iraq, one of the countries named in the ban, has praised the revocation of the travel ban as a “move in the right direction”, Reuters reported.
Iran has also responded to Judge James Robart’s ruling by saying it would allow a US wrestling team to compete in a World Cup event it is hosting later this month.
The American wrestlers were initially denied visas after Iran said it would ban US citizens in retaliation for President Trump’s order.
However, Donald Trump has called Judge James Robart’s ruling “ridiculous”, described him as a “so-called judge” and vowed to restore the ban.
Judge James Robart has served on the federal bench since 2004 after nomination by President George W. Bush.
February 3 ruling has also seen visa holders from the affected nations scramble to get flights to the US, fearing they have a slim window to enter.
The State Department has been reversing visa cancellations and US homeland security employees have been told by their department to comply with the ruling.
Customs officials told airlines that they could resume boarding banned travelers. Qatar Airways, Air France, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa and others said they would do so.
The ban caused confusion at US and foreign airports when it came into force.
It envisages a 90-day visa suspension for anyone arriving from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The executive order also suspends the US Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, and places an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees.
The DoJ has filed a court motion against the suspension of President Donald Trump’s travel ban on people from seven mainly Muslim nations.
The move seeks to reverse February 3 ruling by a federal judge in Washington.
Visa holders from the affected nations have been scrambling to get flights to the United States, fearing they have a slim window to enter America.
Donald Trump’s ban last week led to mass protests and confusion at US airports.
Some 60,000 visas have been revoked since President Trump’s executive order was issued.
However, Judge James Robart’s temporary restraining order halted it nationwide with immediate effect.
Judge Robart found that legal challenges launched by two states, Washington and Minnesota, were likely to succeed.
State lawyers had argued that the ban was unconstitutional because it denied people with valid entry documents the right to travel without due process.
Image source Flickr
It also violated freedom of religion rights by appearing to target Muslims, they said.
Donald Trump called Judge James Robart’s ruling “ridiculous”, vowing to restore the ban.
The ban envisages a 90-day visa suspension for anyone arriving from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The executive order also suspends the US Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, and places an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees.
The appeal against the suspension was formally filed by the Department of Justice on February 4.
Donald Trump is named as one of the appellants in his capacity as president, along with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
The administration argues that the travel ban is designed to protect the US, and it is seeking an emergency stay that would restore the restrictions.
Meanwhile, President Trump took to Twitter to rage against Judge James Robart, who has served on the federal bench since 2004 after nomination by President George W. Bush.
He tweeted: “The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!”
Donald Trump later added in another tweet: “What is our country coming to when a judge can halt a Homeland Security travel ban and anyone, even with bad intentions, can come into U.S.?”
He later predicted that the appeal would succeed.
“We’ll win. For the safety of the country, we’ll win,” Donald Trump told reporters.
The state department has said it is reversing visa cancelations and US homeland security employees have been told by their department to comply with the ruling.
Customs officials told airlines that they could resume boarding banned travelers. Qatar Airways, Air France, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa and others said they would do so.
Travelers from the affected countries have been trying to use the window of opportunity by boarding US-bound flights on February 4.
However, there were also reports that a number of travelers were not allowed to fly to America.
In Djibouti, east Africa, immigrants from all seven countries on the list were not allowed to fly, an immigration attorney was quoted as saying by AP.
Donald Trump has taken his first step to try to scale back financial services regulations.
The president signed an executive order to review the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial regulations, which some people on Wall Street say are overly-restrictive.
The law was brought in after the 2008-2009 financial crisis with the aim of avoiding another financial meltdown.
President Trump said earlier this week: “Dodd-Frank is a disaster.”
He added: “We’re going to be doing a big number on Dodd-Frank.”
Image source Flickr
Donald Trump made it a campaign pledge to repeal and replace the Dodd-Frank act, which also created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
This CFPB seeks to make sure banks, lenders, and other financial companies treat US consumers fairly.
Dodd-Frank, named after the Congressmen who campaigned for the legislation, was introduced to rein in banks’ risky practices by banks and other financial companies.
However, Trump administration officials have said Dodd-Frank did not achieve what it set out to do, and argue that is an example of government being overly-controlling.
News that a review was imminent sent banking shares higher on Wall Street and on the main stock markets in Europe. Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase rose 4% and 3% respectively.
Gary Cohn, an adviser to Donald Trump and a former Goldman Sachs executive, told the Wall Street Journal: “The banks are going to be able to price products more efficiently and more effectively to consumers.”
The executive order directs the Treasury secretary to consult members of different regulatory agencies and the Financial Stability Oversight Council, and report back on potential changes.
Black Sabbath have played their last concert Birmingham.
The band credited with inventing heavy metal music played 15 songs ending with their first hit, Paranoid, at the two-hour gig at the NEC Arena.
Ticker tape and balloons fell as singer Ozzy Osbourne thanked fans for nearly five decades of support.
Black Sabbath’s The End Tour began in the US in January 2016 and took in 81 dates across the world.
The tour schedule saw the band visit Australasia, Europe, North America and South America, finishing with two shows in Birmingham.
Black Sabbath were formed in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.
Image source Wikimedia
While Ozzy Osbourne quit in 1977 to be replaced by Rainbow’s Ronnie James Dio, the classic line-up made their way back in 1997.
Bill Ward has not played with the band since 2012 and Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler were joined on stage at the final shows by drummer Tommy Clufetos and keyboard player Adam Wakeman.
The final song was streamed live on the band’s Facebook page and fireworks went off as the band took their final bow, posing for a farewell photograph in front of the cheering crowd.
“Thank you, goodnight, thank you so much,” Ozzy Osbourne, 68, said as they left the stage.
Tony Iommi gave a thumbs-up as he waved goodbye.
Ozzy Osborne said Black Sabbath’s farewell tour was the definitive end, vowing: “This is definitely it. It’s run its course.”
The fans were having their portraits taken and memories recorded, as part of the Home of Metal project.
The project is asking them to contribute photos and memorabilia for an exhibition celebrating the legacy of Black Sabbath, which will tour internationally in 2018, followed by a summer season in Birmingham and the Black Country in 2019.
Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban on people from seven mainly Muslim countries has been rolled back after a judge suspended it.
The state department said it was reversing the cancelation of visas, 60,000 of which were revoked after the executive order.
Judge James Robart ruled there were legal grounds to challenge the ban.
President Trump reacted furiously, calling Judge Robart’s ruling “ridiculous” and vowing to restore his ban.
People affected by the ban treated news of the suspension warily as airlines began allowing them to board flights to America on February 4.
Judge James Robart’s temporary restraining order on February 3 halted the ban with immediate effect.
Image source Getty Images
Since then, the state department has said it is reversing visa cancellations and US homeland security employees have been told by their department to comply with the ruling.
Customs officials told airlines that they could resume boarding banned travelers. Qatar Airways, Air France, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa and others said they would do so.
The Trump administration argues that the travel ban is designed to protect the United States.
It has promised to seek “at the earliest possible time” an emergency stay that would restore the restrictions.
Meanwhile, the US president has raged against Judge James Robard on Twitter.
He tweeted: “The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!
“When a country is no longer able to say who can, and who cannot, come in & out, especially for reasons of safety & security – big trouble!”
The executive order which has now been suspended banned Syrian refugees indefinitely.
Anyone arriving from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan or Yemen faced a 90-day visa suspension.
Huge protests greeted the ban in the US, where demonstrators swamped airports to convey their message that America still welcomed refugees.
Seattle Judge James Robart has issued a temporary nationwide block on President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from seven mainly Muslim nations.
The federal judge ruled against government lawyers’ claims that US states did not have the standing to challenge Donald Trump’s executive order.
Last week’s order has led to protests and confusion at US airports.
Customs officials have told US airlines that they can resume boarding banned travelers while a legal case is heard.
Gulf carrier Qatar Airways told Reuters it would start accepting all passengers with valid travel documents.
Trump administration, however, could again block them if it were to win an emergency stay. The justice department says it will appeal against the Seattle ruling.
In a statement, the White House described Donald Trump’s directive as “lawful and appropriate”.
“The president’s order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people,” the statement said.
President Trump’s order suspended the US Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days.
There is also an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees. Anyone arriving from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan or Yemen faces a 90-day visa suspension.
The lawsuit against Donald Trump’s ban was initially filed by Washington State, with Minnesota joining later.
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson described the ban as unconstitutional.
Donald Trump has argued that his directive is aimed at protecting America. Critics respond by saying that most terror attacks in the US in recent years have been carried out by home-grown militants.
He said visas would once again be issued once “the most secure policies” were in place, and denied it was a ban on Muslims.
Courts in at least four other states – Virginia, New York, Massachusetts and Michigan – are hearing cases challenging President Trump’s executive order.
On February 3, a judge in Boston declined to extend a temporary ban that prohibited the detention or removal of foreigners legally authorized to come to America.
The ban – which only applied to Massachusetts – is due to expire on February 5.
A 29-year-old Egyptian man is believed to be the attacker at the Louvre museum on February 3, French authorities said.
Prosecutor Francois Molins said the man is thought to have traveled to Paris from Dubai on a tourist visa last month.
Police are trying to establish if the man acted alone or under instructions, he added.
Prosecutor Francois Molins stated the attacker, who was shot by the soldiers, sustained life-threatening injuries, though he is at a hospital. Molins added the man had no identifying documentation, but investigators used his cellphone to determine his resident in the UAE.
One of the soldiers received minor injuries when the man tried to enter the museum.
Louvre has topped the list of the most visited art museums of 2012
At the time of the incident, hundreds of visitors were inside the Louvre, which is home to numerous celebrated art works, including the Mona Lisa.
France’s President Francois Hollande praised the soldiers’ actions, saying “this operation prevented an attack whose terrorist nature leaves little doubt”.
The president told reporters at an EU summit in Malta on the day of attack that he expected the suspect to be questioned “when it is possible to do so”.
Prosecutor Francois Molins said the Egyptian man had no identity papers but mobile phone data showed he had arrived in Paris on January 26 after acquiring a one-month tourist visa in Dubai.
However, the prosecutor cautioned, the authorities have not yet formally established the suspect’s identity.
Egyptian security sources though say they have identified him, Reuters reports.
The man was believed to have been staying in Paris’ 8th district (arrondissement) which was searched in a police raid earlier on February 3.
There, he bought two machetes from a shop selling guns.
According to the prosecutor, the attacker, armed with the machetes, approached four soldiers guarding the entrance to crowded shops beneath the Louvre just before 10:00 local time.
When the soldiers challenged him, he attacked two of them while shouting in Arabic “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest”). One of them shot him at least three times, hitting him in the stomach.
“The attacker fell to the ground, seriously wounded. He has been taken to hospital and is fighting for his life,” Francois Molins said.
The attacker was carrying a backpack which contained paint spray cans – but no explosives.
The guards on patrol outside the museum were just some of the thousands of troops lining the streets as part of the stepped-up response to a series of attacks in France since 2015.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has complained in court about his conditions of custody in a US jail.
The Mexican drug lord is being held in a maximum security prison in New York after he was extradited last month.
El Chapo Guzman escaped twice from prison in Mexico, once in a laundry basket and most recently through a tunnel in his cell.
His lawyers say he has been denied marital visits and is largely kept in solitary confinement.
The claims arose at a federal court in Brooklyn at a hearing for El Chapo Guzman, who has pleaded not guilty to charges that he ran the world’s largest drug-trafficking organization during a decades-long career.
El Chapo Guzman faces life in prison if convicted.
His wife Emma Coronel, a 27-year-old former beauty queen and mother of his twins, flew from Mexico to attend the hearing.
El Chapo Guzman’s lawyers said it was first time Emma Coronel had seen her husband since his surprise extradition two weeks ago.
The 59-year-old is reportedly on 23-hour lockdown in a special unit of the Manhattan Correctional Center.
Michelle Gelernt, one of El Chapo Guzman’s court-appointed lawyers, said: “We understand the need for security but we think it has gone above and beyond.”
District Judge Brian Cogan pointed out that the “history of the defendant is somewhat unusual” – a reference to his past escapes – and said the Federal Bureau of Prisons should decide what conditions El Chapo Guzman faced and who he could see.
His Sinaloa cartel allegedly smuggled hundreds of tonnes of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamines to the US while waging war with other gangs.
The cartel is accused of carrying out thousands of murders and kidnappings, and bribing officials.
El Chapo Guzman is believed to have amassed a billion-dollar fortune through the drugs trade.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto had initially resisted extraditing the drug lord to the US, insisting that he should face justice at home.
However, after El Chapo Guzman was recaptured in January 2016, President Pena Nieto changed his mind on extradition and ordered officials to speed up the process.
Former Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has confirmed former first lady Marisa Leticia da Silva, who had been earlier pronounced brain-dead, died at the age of 66.
The funeral service will be held in Sao Paulo on February 4 and her body will then be cremated.
Marisa Leticia da Silva was taken to hospital last week with a brain hemorrhage. Doctors later said her condition was “irreversible”. Her organs will be donated.
Image source Wikimedia
Ex-President Lula’s spokesperson said in a statement: “Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his family are sad to confirm the death of Marisa Leticia Lula da Silva.
“The former Brazilian president’s wife of 43 years passed away peacefully this evening in Sao Paulo surrounded by her family.
“The whole family is absolutely devastated by Marisa’s untimely death and this is a sad day for many people across Brazil.”
Regional leaders have sent their condolences to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and there was a minute’s silence in Brazil’s Congress.
Marisa Leticia da Silva had helped her husband found the Worker’s Party, and the former president said in a Facebook message that she had made its first flag.
Once adored by many in Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ended his second term in 2011 with an 83% approval rating.
He had boosted Brazil’s global profile and overseen rapid economic growth during a commodities boom.
However, last year Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife became ensnared in a far-reaching corruption investigation involving the state oil company, Petrobras.
They said the accusations against them were politically motivated and designed to prevent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva standing for president again in 2018 elections.
US economy added 227,000 jobs in January 2017, which is way above economists’ forecasts of about 175,000.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the figure compares with December’s rise of 157,000, revised up slightly from last month’s first estimate.
However, average pay barely rose, and the number of people working part-time but looking for full-time work rose.
The jobs growth suggests that new president Donald Trump has inherited a stronger jobs market.
President Trump has promised to create 25 million jobs over 10 years to become “the greatest jobs president… ever”.
Photo Getty Images
President Barack Obama’s term from January 2009-2017 saw the number of people with jobs increase by 11.25 million.
The job gains in January 2017 occurred in retailing, construction, and financial activities.
The number of unemployed people at 7.6 million was little changed. The unemployment rate edged up slightly to 4.8% from 4.7% in December 2016, but this was due to more people looking for work.
The percentage of adults working or looking for jobs increased to its highest level since September.
As a US presidential candidate, Donald Trump frequently argued that the government’s jobs data exaggerated the health of the economy.
Donald Trump called the unemployment rate a “hoax” and said it declined after the recession under Barack Obama mainly because many Americans stopped working or looking for work.
Ivanka Trump’s clothing line was dropped by Nordstrom after poor sales, the retailer said
The move comes after campaigners called for a boycott on stores doing business with the president’s family.
However, Nordstrom blames the move on poor sales.
The company says it makes “buying decisions based on performance” and that cutting brands “is part of the regular rhythm of our business”.
“Like with everything we buy, we make decisions season by season. In this case, we’ve decided not to buy it,” Nordstrom said.
Ivanka Trump, who works as an adviser to President Trump, licenses her name to branded products including shoes, handbags and clothing.
Donald Trump’s daughter also designs and sells jewellery.
Image source Nordstrom
The #GrabYourWallet campaign urged customers to boycott companies which have supported the Trumps.
The campaign was started by two women angry about the president’s comments about women which came out in October.
Co-founder Shannon Coulter reacted on Twitter, saying: “Big news everyone. You did this. I am in awe #GrabYourWallet.
“Those who voted against Donald control $7 trillion in spending.
“Never forget it. Never forget our power. Together, we can change a lot.”
The campaign’s website lists companies it supports boycotting and reasons they’re linked to Donald Trump.
On the Nordstrom’s website on February 3, the only Ivanka Trump items available were four styles of shoe, all reduced.
Ivanka Trump first launched her footwear range in 2011.
That line was cancelled by Canadian retailer, Shoes.com, in November and Ivanka Trump’s designs have now been dropped by interior decor store Bellacor as well.
A man has been shot by a soldier guarding the Louvre in Paris after trying to attack a security patrol with a machete shouting “Allahu Akbar”, police say.
The suspected attacker, who tried to gain entry to the Louvre’s shopping center, was shot in the abdomen and seriously injured.
One soldier sustained a slight head injury.
French PM Bernard Cazeneuve said the attack was “terrorist in nature”. The Louvre is home to numerous celebrated art works, including the Mona Lisa.
The incident began at 10:00 local time in the Carrousel du Louvre shopping center at stairs leading to an entrance to the museum itself.
A patrol of four soldiers are reported to have tried to subdue the assailant using non-lethal force after he rushed at them.
Louvre has topped the list of the most visited art museums of 2012
When this failed and after one soldier was injured, five shots were fired. The suspected attacker was taken to hospital.
Two backpacks belonging to the suspect, who shouted “God is greatest” in Arabic, have been inspected but no explosives were found. A second person has been arrested.
Little is known about the main suspect, who is reported to be in his 30s and without identity papers.
Hundreds of visitors in the Louvre at the time were evacuated gradually after security checks.
As the attack unfolded, they were told by security staff to crouch on the floor.
France has been on a high state of alert since the Paris attacks of 2015. Thousands of troops on the streets form part of the stepped-up security response.
The Louvre was ranked as the world’s most visited museum in 2015 but there are doubts whether it still holds the top spot.
Defense Secretary James Mattis has said any use of nuclear weapons by North Korea would be met with an “effective and overwhelming” response.
He spoke in South Korea, where he had been reaffirming US support, before flying to Tokyo.
James Mattis also reconfirmed plans to deploy a US missile defense system in South Korea later this year.
North Korea’s repeated missile and nuclear tests and aggressive statements continue to alarm and anger the region.
Image source Wikimedia
The US has a considerable military presence in South Korea and Japan, as part of a post-war defense deal. There are just under 28,500 US troops in the country, for which Seoul pays about $900 million annually.
President Donald Trump has previously said he wants both South Korea and Japan to pay more towards maintaining that presence.
According to the Pentagon, James Mattis used his visit to reassure South Korea that the Trump administration “remains steadfast” in its “iron-clad” defense commitments to the region.
Speaking after talks at the defense ministry with his South Korean counterpart Han Min-koo, James Mattis told reporters that “any attack on the United States, or our allies, will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons would be met with a response that would be effective and overwhelming”.
North Korea conducted its fifth test of a nuclear device in 2016, and claims it is capable of carrying out a nuclear attack on the US, though experts are still unconvinced its technology has progressed that far.
After visiting South Korea, James Mattis flew to Japan, where there are a further 50,000 US soldiers plus their dependants and support staff in Japan. The US paid about $5.5 billion for its Japanese bases in 2016, with Japan paying a further $4 billion.
An Idaho startup says it can connect people who own smartphones with people who want amicable divorces.
Family law attorney Michelle Crosby founded Wevorce in 2012, and since then, the 15-employee company has facilitated almost 700 divorces, and only 2 percent of the couples resorted to litigation. Based on those results, and future prospects that include a partnership with the U.S. military, the company raised $3 million through Techstars. The app basically helps couples obtain a collaborative law divorce in any of the 50 states, through affiliations with over 600 legal and financial professionals. After completing five modules, the app helps couples prepare the paperwork.
Ms. Crosby says Wevorce has processed over $40 million in assets, and the typical divorce takes less than 90 days.
Collaborative Divorce
Today’s divorce apps, and there are many of them, are really more like lawyer referral services with a few added features, because it will be quite some time before even basic family law procedures move entirely online. For example, only one or two jurisdictions in the country currently allow papers to be served via social media, even though that is probably a better way to guarantee actual notice than publishing a newspaper ad, which is the preferred method. Nevertheless, there are a lot of people who feel that the family law system is either entirely inadequate or at least not well-suited for their particular needs. If that is the case, there are few or no complex legal issues, and there is broad agreement on most factual matters, collaborative law may be an option.
This method is one of the only true litigation alternatives, because if the collaborative process breaks down, the parties must begin the case totally anew with different counsel. Instead of court hearings, collaborative divorces feature meetings between the represented spouses where they work out possibly divisive issues like child custody and property division.
A collaborative law divorce, like the ones that Wevorce facilitates, may settle in as little as three or four meetings once a month, or it may take considerably longer.
Mediated Divorces
Only a handful of spouses opt for collaborative divorce, but nearly all litigants participate in either voluntary or court-ordered mediation.The success rate is about 70 percent for voluntary mediations and 60 percent for court-ordered ones. Mediation is part of the litigation process rather than a litigation alternative, making it ideal for cases that have a few complex legal issues, such as property commingling, that a judge probably needs to resolve. Moreover, if the parties agree on big-picture items but are far apart when it comes to the specifics, collaborative law will likely fail but mediation may succeed, because there is a neutral third party to facilitate settlement.
Private judges, like the one that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have apparently hired, may be an option as well. A retired judge is on hand to make legal decisions and there are almost no time delays. However, the price tag (as much as $1,000 an hour in some cases, and there are attorneys’ fees on top of that) makes this alternative cost prohibitive for most people.
According to Steven Fernandez, an attorney at Fernandez & Karney Divorce Lawyers, “Unlike private judges, mediation usually means significant cost savings, because mediations require less preparation time then trials and successful mediations may shave several months off the overall process.” Because it is private and informal, mediation usually takes the emotional conflict level down a few notches, and that is good if the couple has young children who still need both parents to get along at least reasonably well. Finally, if parties feel they have a stake in the outcome, “there may be more voluntary compliance later, which means less modification and enforcement litigation,” says Mr. Fernandez.
Because of all these benefits, and to reduce their trial dockets to the greatest extent possible, judges nearly always refer contested cases to mediation.
Agreed Divorces
Parties can settle any issues in any marriage dissolution proceedings at any time by mutual agreement. Formal premarital property division agreements cannot cover child support matters, so there must be a separate agreement. The California family code favors spousal agreements, and under the Uniform Premarital and Marital Agreements Act, judges usually enforce them unless they are excessively one-sided or there is evidence of coercion.
Agreed divorces basically combine the best of both mediated and collaborative divorces, because the parties control the outcome and the litigation process is available as a fallback.
