Brazil’s ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been convicted of corruption charges and sentenced to nine and a half years in jail.
The judge ruled Lula da Silva could remain free pending an appeal.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has rejected claims that he received an apartment as a bribe in a corruption scandal linked to state oil company Petrobras.
The former leader says the trial is politically motivated and has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
The case is the first of five charges against Lula da Silva.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva served eight years as president until 2011 and has expressed interest in running again in the 2018 elections for the left-wing Workers’ Party.
Image source Wikimedia
On July 12, a judge found the former president guilty of accepting bribes from engineering company OAS in the form of a beachfront apartment in return for his help in winning contracts with the state oil company.
In a statement, his lawyers insisted he was innocent and said they would appeal.
“For more than three years Lula has been subject to a politically motivated investigation. No credible evidence of guilt has been produced, and overwhelming proof of his innocence blatantly ignored,” they wrote.
Gleisi Hoffmann said the party would protest against the decision.
In theory, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is free to run in the presidential election until the legal process ends.
The charges he faces relate to the Car Wash scandal, the nickname for Brazil’s biggest ever corruption probe.
Operation Car Wash was launched three years ago amid escalating public anger over political corruption.
The investigation centers on companies that were allegedly offered deals with Petrobras in exchange for bribes, which were funneled into politicians’ pockets and party slush funds.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a former steel worker turned union leader, came to office as the first left-wing leader in Brazil in nearly half a century.
He was Brazil’s most popular president during his tenure – former President Barack Obama labeled him the most popular politician on Earth.
Unable to stand for a third consecutive term, he was succeeded by close ally Dilma Rousseff, who was later impeached.
Brazil’s current President Michel Temer also faces corruption allegations and is resisting calls for him to step down.
Are you thinking about joining the medical profession during the next few years? Would you like to make sure you have what it takes? Then you’ve come to the right place today. In this article, we’re going to highlight some essential skills that all professionals require. If you don’t have these traits at the moment, you’ll just have to work on them. Thankfully, it can take up to five years to get qualified. So, you have more than enough time.
Leadership Skills
There might come a time during your career where you have to take the lead and manage a situation. For that reason, you need to work hard to ensure you have excellent leadership skills. You also need to learn to make logical decisions under pressure.
Communication Skills
The way in which you talk to your patients and staff is critical. If you don’t have excellent communication skills, you might create misunderstandings. That is not acceptable in the medical world where mistakes can cost lives.
Analytical Skills
New laws and regulations appear in the health care field every single day. New devices and technology also appear on the market often. For that reason, all medical professionals require advanced analytical skills. That will also assist you when it comes to making diagnoses, etc.
Now you know about some of the most valuable skills, you can work hard to ensure you refine your approach. At the end of the day, working in a medical job is a noble decision. It means you want to help people and give something back. However, you still need to take the job seriously.
November 22, 2015. Arkansas. Victor Collins, a 47-year-old father of five, is found dead in a hot tub. He was strangled and drowned. A man – the owner of the property on which the body was found – has been arrested, but hard evidence seems to be lacking. It would later transpire that the police were looking to a nearby Amazon Echo is help solve the case.
This doesn’t that the authorities turned to the device and said “Alexa, could you help solve this murder?”, by the way. It means that the police believe that the device may have picked up on some key audio evidence. After all, as long as the Amazon Echo is plugged in, it’s listening to what’s happening – and it would appear that Amazon are keeping recordings of all the Echo hears. This is why the police continued to put pressure on Amazon to share the relevant data, something Amazon only eventually agreed to do in March of this year.
Amazon appears to have spent some time fighting the affidavit that law enforcement sent out in an attempt to retrieve the data they felt may provide crucial evidence to solving the crime. Such resistance may be understandable from a business and data privacy perspective. After all, the Echo wasn’t built to record people’s conversations and actions just so Amazon would have data to use against their customers. (Presumably.) Sharing such data may indeed be a violation of the trust between Amazon and their customers. In any case, the company relented in March, allowing authorities access to the data.
It’s highly unlikely that the homicide defense attorney in this case will have ever dealt with “testimony” from an Amazon Echo before now. Still, it’s entirely possible that there is nothing of particular use to the authorities in Amazon’s data logs.
A case similar to this also had the tech world in its grip throughout last year. In December 2015, the San Bernardino shooting attack took place. A court order was sent to Apple; the FBI wanted access to the data on the iPhone of one of the shooters, demanding that Apple comply and hand over the information. Apple resisted, claiming that it was in their customer’s best interests that the company didn’t simply hand over data – which they assure their customers is not shared with anyone – to the authorities. This drama eventually ended when an unidentified third party unlocked the phone.
All of this raises important questions about the nature of data privacy and tech companies’ responsibilities to their customers. While many of us will be able to see how the release of such data can help put bad eggs behind bars, there’s simply no denying that police pressure to release private information about citizens should concern all of us. Representatives at Amazon and Apple have said in both cases that the information gathered by these devices are protected by the free speech protection of the First Amendment. Amazon explicitly argued that the police should have to hop through several legal hoops before customer data is released.
Be careful with what devices you’re using, and what information you’re sharing on them. Oh, and try not to commit any murders in their presence.
Online retail sales have experienced a massive boom in the last few years especially, exceeding £130 billion in the UK in 2016. It is a highly lucrative market with plenty of opportunities for growth, though one that is seemingly dominated by the big names such as Amazon, eBay and more. Any ecommerce website hoping to challenge them or prosper in their own niche needs to avoid the following mistakes.
Image source Flickr
Slack Security
Problem: Having a secure website is of upmost importance for any ecommerce business. There are two main areas at risk with a security breach; the finances of the business and sensitive data. Information about customers, clients and employees can be accessed if slack security is in place, losing customer confidence and creating a risky environment.
Solution: To best avoid the chances of a network or application attack, Nettitude penetration testing can reduce the risk. This identifies vulnerabilities and provides context around them, so that your ecommerce business can fix any such problems. This means you should have the best security measures in place to prevent any such security breach.
Poor Presentation
Problem: If an ecommerce site is hard to navigate then it will instantly put off potential customers. Likewise, poor presentation in terms of the layout of text, images and buy buttons will do the same. Small or no product descriptions and poor quality images further add to the problem.
Solution: Look at the competition and see what they are doing well. Think about what you like when you go to buy something online, what makes it an easy process and draws you in to buy products. This could be having plenty of images, descriptive product descriptions and an easy to understand layout.
Lack of Marketing
Problem: Nobody’s visiting your ecommerce website! This really is a problem, as you need customers to make sales and keep the business ticking over. One of the main reasons for this could be a lack of marketing for your ecommerce business, as potential customers may not be aware of it.
Solution: There are many proven ecommerce marketing strategies, from digital marketing to Google Ads. Some of the simple tasks to improve your online marketing and presence are to create and utilise social media accounts, implement an SEO plan and more.
Avoid these three mistakes and use the solutions to ensure your ecommerce business prospers.
Donald Trump Jr. has said he did not tell his father about a meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya who said she could help his election campaign.
President Trump’s son told Fox News the meeting was “just a nothing” but he should have handled it differently.
He released emails showing he had welcomed an offer to meet Natalia Veselnitskaya, who allegedly had Kremlin ties and material damaging to Hillary Clinton.
US officials are investigating alleged Russian meddling in the US election.
Since he was elected, Donald Trump has been dogged by allegations that Russia tried to sabotage Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
President Trump has denied any knowledge of this and Russia has also repeatedly denied interfering.
Image source Wikipedia
Asked by Fox News’ Sean Hannity if he had told his father about last year’s meeting, Donald Trump Jr. said: “No. It was such a nothing. There was nothing to tell.
“I mean, I wouldn’t have even remembered it until you started scouring through this stuff. It was literally just a wasted 20 minutes, which was a shame.”
Donald Trump Jr., his brother-in-law Jared Kushner and Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort met Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower in New York in June 2016.
Donald Trump’s son received an email from an intermediary, British music publicist Rob Goldstone, promising documents from Russia that would incriminate Hillary Clinton.
At that time, Donald Trump was the presumptive Republican nominee and heading towards an election fight against his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
The meeting was reportedly arranged by Russian businessman Aras Agalarov and his son Emin, a pop star who was managed for a time by Rob Goldstone.
One email from Rob Goldstone said the information they had been promised was “obviously very high-level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump”.
Donald Trump Jr.’s response to it was: “If it’s what you say I love it.”
The meeting took place, but Donald Trump Jr. told Fox News Natalia Veselnitskaya had provided them with nothing of use and it only lasted 20 minutes.
German police have raided homes and made arrests in Berlin over an audacious night-time heist which saw the Big Maple Leaf solid-gold coin stolen from the Bode Museum.
The raids took place and a car was seized in the district of Neukolln, German news agency DPA reports.
The suspected robbers are believed to have used a ladder to get into the museum and a wheelbarrow to carry the 21in-coin away in March.
Last week, police released CCTV footage of suspects at a local train station.
The Canadian “Big Maple Leaf” is made of 220lb of pure 24-carat gold – which means it is worth about $4.2 million, despite a lower nominal face value.
The giant coin has not been found and investigators say they believe it may have been melted down and sold.
They are said to be at a loss as to how the thieves broke bullet-proof glass inside the building and evaded burglar alarms.
As well as making the arrests on July 12, police seized a car where a balaclava and knife were found.
Sources inside the investigation say the suspects come from a “large Arab family” with alleged links to organized crime.
The Big Maple Leaf coin was minted by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007, and certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest gold coin. Five coins were made at the time.
The giant coin is 3cm (1.18in) thick, 53cm in diameter, and with likeness of Queen Elizabeth II on one side, as Canada’s head of state. The other side shows the Canadian national symbol, the maple leaf.
Canadian Mint says: “Why did the Royal Canadian Mint make the world’s purest and largest gold bullion coin? Because we can.”
The giant coin was held in a coin cabinet at the Bode Museum as one of more than 540,000 objects, but German media report only the “Big Maple Leaf” was stolen.
President Donald Trump has been sued by seven people for blocking them on Twitter.
The president is an avid Twitter user, a social media platform where he deploys to praise allies and lambast critics.
The lawsuit was filed by the Knight First Amendment Institute, a free speech group at Columbia University.
The seven Twitter users involved claim their accounts were blocked by President Trump, or his aides, after they replied to his tweets with mocking or critical comments.
People on Twitter are unable to see or respond to tweets from accounts that block them.
Knight First Amendment Institute Executive Director Jameel Jaffer said the president’s love of Twitter means it has become “an important source of news and information about the government”.
“The First Amendment applies to this digital forum in the same way it applies to town halls and open school board meetings,” Jameel Jaffer said.
“The White House acts unlawfully when it excludes people from this forum simply because they’ve disagreed with the president.”
According to the institute, the account’s blocking habit should be a concern for everyone.
“Why? Because even if they can read the president’s tweets, what they see has been consciously cleansed of criticism.“
Donald Trump has been party to an eye-watering 4,000 lawsuits over the last 30 years.
Donald Trump Jr. has released an email chain showing he was offered “sensitive” information on Hillary Clinton by a Russian national.
Here’s a statement by Donald Trump Jr. published on July 11, 2017:
“To everyone, in order to be totally transparent, I am releasing the entire email chain of my emails with Rob Goldstone about the meeting on June 9, 2016. The first email on June 3, 2016 was from Rob, who was relating a request from Emin, a person I knew from 2013 Ms. Universe Pageant near Moscow. Emin and his father have a very highly respected company in Moscow. The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was Political Opposition Research. I first wanted to just have phone call but when that didn’t work out, they said the woman would be in new York and asked if I would meet. I decided to take the meeting. The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official. And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act. To put this in context, this occurred before the current Russian fever was in vogue. As Rob Goldstone said just today in the press, the entire meeting was <<the most inane nonsense I ever heard. And I was actually agitated by it>>.”
Rob Goldstone is a publicist, Emin Agalarov is an Azerbaijani businessman and singer-songwriter. Aras Agalarov is Emin’s father and an Azerbaijani-Russian businessman and public figure.
Below is the full text of the exchange in chronological order and also a statement released by President Trump’s son:
On June 3, 2016, at 10:36, Rob Goldstone wrote:
Good morning
Emin just called and asked me to contact you with something very interesting.
The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and be very useful to your father.
This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump – helped along by Aras and Emin.
What do you think is the best way to handle this information and would you be able to speak to Emin about it directly?
I can also send this info to your father via Rhona, but it is ultra sensitive so wanted to send to you first.
Best
Rob Goldstone
On June 3, 2016, at 10:53, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
Thanks Rob I appreciate that,. I am on the road at the moment but perhaps I just speak to Emin first. Seems we have some time and if it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summers. Could we do a call first thing next week when I am back?
Best,
Don
On June 6, 2016, at 12:40, Rob Goldstone wrote:
Hi Don
Let me know when you are free to talk with Emin by phone about this Hillary info – you had mentioned early this week so wanted to try to schedule a time and day Best to you and family Rob Goldstone
On June 6, 2016, at 15:03, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
Rob could we speak now?
d
On June 6, 2016, at 15:37, Rob Goldstone wrote:
Let me track him down in Moscow
What number he could call?
On June 6, 2016, at 15:38, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
My cell thanks
On June 6, 2016, at 15:43, Rob Goldstone wrote:
OK he’s on stage in Moscow but should be off within 20 minutes so I am sure can call Rob
On June 6, 2016, at 16:38, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
Rob thanks for the help.
D.
On June 7, 2016, at 16:20, Rob Goldstone wrote:
Don
Hope all is well
Emin asked that I schedule a meeting with you and The Russian government attorney who is flying over from Moscow for this Thursday.
I believe you are aware of the meeting – and so wondered if 3pm or later on Thursday works for you?
I assume it would be at your office.
Best
Rob Goldstone
On June 7, 2016, at 17:16, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
How about 3 at our offices? Thanks rob appreciate you helping set it up.
D
On June 7, 2016, at 17:19, Rob Goldstone wrote:
Perfect… I won’t sit in on the meeting, but will bring them at 3pm and introduce you etc.
I will send the names of the two people with you for security when I have them later today.
best
Rob
On June 7, 2016, at 18:14, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
Great. It will likely be Paul Manafort (campaign boss) my brother in law [Jared Kushner] and me. 725 Fifth Ave 25th floor.
On June 8, 2016, at 10:34, Rob Goldstone wrote:
Good morning
Would it be possible to move tomorrow meeting at 4pm as the Russian attorney is in court until 3 i was just informed.
Best
Rob
On June 8, 2016, at 11:15, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
Yes Rob I could do that unless they wanted to do 3 today instead… just let me know and ill lock it in either way.
d
On June 8, 2016, at 11:18, Rob Goldstone wrote:
They can’t do today as she hasn’t landed yet from Moscow 4pm is great tomorrow.
Best
Rob
On June 8, 2016 at 12:03, Donald Trump Jr. wrote to Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort:
Donald Trump Jr. has released an email chain showing he was keen to accept “sensitive” information on Hillary Clinton from a Russian national.
Publicist Rob Goldstone tells Donald Trump Jr. that there is information that is “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump”.
Donald Trump’s son replies: “If it’s what you say, I love it.”
The emails led to a meeting in New York with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.
It appears to be the first confirmation that a Trump associate attended a meeting in the expectation of being handed sensitive information from Russian officials.
US officials are currently investigating alleged Russian meddling in the US election.
President Donald Trump issued a brief statement in support of his son, describing him as “a high-quality person” and applauding his transparency.
Image source Wikimedia
The emails to Donald Trump Jr., which he released on Twitter, say “the crown prosecutor of Russia” (a role that does not exist) had “offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father”.
The email chain was also forwarded to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and campaign manager Paul Manafort.
All three later met Natalia Veselnitskaya at New York’s Trump Tower.
Since he was elected, Donald Trump has been dogged by allegations that Russia tried to sabotage Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The president has denied any knowledge of this and Russia has also repeatedly denied interfering.
In May, the DoJ appointed ex-FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to look into the Russian matter.
The New York Times first reported on July 8 that a meeting had taken place on June 9, 2016, between Natalia Veselnitskaya and the Trump team.
It later reported that Donald Trump Jr. had earlier been offered alleged damaging information on Hillary Clinton.
The Times had been expected to publish emails connected to the meeting, but Donald Trump Jr. pre-empted this by posting the email chain on Twitter.
He had earlier admitted meeting Natalia Veselnitskaya but insisted she had provided “no meaningful information”. He said she had wanted to talk about adoptions.
Natalia Veselnitskaya, who has been linked to the Russian government, has insisted she was never in possession of information that could have damaged Hillary Clinton.
The Russian lawyer said Donald Trump’s son and two senior campaign aides may have met her last summer because they were “longing” for such information. She has denied any connection with the Kremlin.
The email chain released by Donald Trump Jr. shows that:
On June 3, 2016, he received an email from intermediary Rob Goldstone promising documents from Russia that would incriminate Hillary Clinton and her supposed dealings with Russia;
One email from Rob Goldstone said the information they had been promised was “obviously very high-level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump”;
The person who was to meet Donald Trump Jr. in New York was described as “a Russian government attorney who is flying over from Moscow”;
Within the week, a meeting had been arranged which included Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort.
Donald Trump Jr. also posted a statement saying he was releasing the email chain “to be totally transparent” and reiterated that the Russian lawyer had “no information to provide”.
Rob Goldstone has previously denied any knowledge of involvement in the election by the Russian government.
Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s See You Again overtook Psy’s Gangnam Style as the most-watched video on YouTube.
The South Korean megahit had been the site’s most-played clip for the last five years.
The surreal video became so popular that it “broke” YouTube’s play counter, exceeding the maximum possible number of views (2,147,483,647), and forcing the company to rewrite its code.
Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s See You Again, a heart-wrenching ballad, has now been streamed 2,897,632,968 times; beating Psy’s current count of 2,895,111,556 views.
Adding it up, that means See You Again has been streamed for a total of 21,759 years. If one person was to listen to each of those streams consecutively, they’d have to have started during the glacial peak of the last Ice Age.
Image source YouTube
Charlie Puth wrote on Twitter: “I joined YouTube in 2007 hoping to make a video that would reach 10,000 views.
“Just heard about See You Again… Wow.”
See You Again was written for Furious 7, playing over the closing credits in tribute to Paul Walker, who died in a car accident before the movie was completed.
It was the best-selling song worldwide in 2015, and received best song nominations at both the Grammys and the Oscars.
The music video features the final scene of Furious 7, in which the two main characters Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’Conner (Cody Walker, filling in for his brother, Paul), drive side-by-side, sharing a smile for the last time before they pull onto separate roads and drive into the sunset.
As the camera pans up into the sky, a title card reads “For Paul” and the video ends.
The video reached 1 billion views in six months, and hit 2 billion in September 2016. However, its reign as YouTube’s most-watched clip may be short-lived.
Luis Fonsi’s summer smash Despacito has racked up 2.5 billion views in just six months, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Meanwhile, 47 of the top 50 clips on YouTube are music videos, proving the importance of the streaming site to the music industry – despite the fact the two sides are locked in a battle over royalty payments.
According to analysis by Midia Research, every stream on YouTube generates $0.001 for the music industry.
That means Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s See You Again has earned $2.9 million from YouTube – roughly the same amount it has made from 665 million plays on Spotify.
Russia is threatening to expel about 30 US diplomats and seize US state property in retaliation for Washington’s sanctions, local officials confirm.
The threat came from Russian foreign ministry sources, quoted by the daily Izvestia. Other Russian officials have made similar statements recently.
In December 2016, the Obama administration expelled 35 Russian diplomats and shut down two intelligence compounds.
The measures were a response to alleged Russian meddling in the US election.
Russia was already under US sanctions.
Former President Barack Obama acted against Russia after US intelligence sources had accused Russian state agents of hacking into Democratic Party computers to undermine Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
President Vladimir Putin raised the issue of the Obama sanctions with President Donald Trump when they met in Hamburg last week, Izvestia reported.
Meanwhile, the Trump team is under investigation over alleged Russian collusion during last year’s presidential campaign. Russia has strongly denied interfering in the election.
In addition to expelling 35 Russian diplomats from Washington and San Francisco, the Obama administration imposed sanctions on nine entities and individuals including Russia’s GRU and FSB intelligence agencies. The US closed Russian intelligence compounds in New York and Maryland.
President Putin refrained from tit-for-tat retaliation – unlike in previous diplomatic spats.
Russia says President Donald Trump presented “no plan to resolve the crisis” when the issue was raised in Hamburg.
An unnamed Russian diplomat told Izvestia that in retaliation Russia could seize a US government dacha (country villa) at Serebryany Bor, to the northwest of Moscow, and a US warehouse in the city itself.
However, the US ambassador’s Spaso House residence and the Anglo-American School in St Petersburg would not be affected.
Russia would carry out the threat if no compromise was reached at a St Petersburg meeting later this month between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and US Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon, Izvestia reported.
The US and its Western allies have also imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Russia because of Moscow’s role in the Ukraine conflict.
Russia blocked most imported Western food and drink in retaliation.
US President Donald Trump vowed on Sunday to “move forward in working constructively with Russia”, including mentions of forming a cybersecurity unit staffed by the two countries. This statement follows Russian President Vladimir Putin denying any kind of interference in the 2016 US Presidential Election.
Trump’s commitment to partner with Putin on cybersecurity has drawn stern criticism from officials of both the main parties, some of whom have described the president as dangerously naïve for trusting his Russian counterpart in this way. Trump tweeted that he “strongly pressed” Putin twice about Russia meddling in the election during their meeting in Germany on Friday, and that Putin “vehemently denied it”.
American intelligence agencies have concluded definitively that there were attempts by Russian authorities to influence the election in Mr Trump’s favor, through illegal hacking, propaganda, and other insidious activities. However, Trump’s public statements on the issue haven’t been defensive in the least, and have varied from vague complacency to outright doubt over Russia’s role in the election.
Following the meeting at the G20 Summit earlier this month, Trump didn’t say whether he believed Putin’s denial or not, only stating “I’ve already given my opinion” at the end of his tweet. Both Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have claimed that Trump believed Putin’s assurances that Russia hadn’t meddled in the election.
However, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus disputed Putin and Lavrov’s version of events. Though Priebus wasn’t present at the meeting between the two world leaders, he said “It’s not true” on Fox News Sunday and that Trump “absolutely did not believe the denial of President Putin”.
However, the Chief of Staff later showed varying certainty over the issue, saying that president Trump “believes that Russia probably committed all of these acts that we’ve been told of. But he also believes that other countries also participated in this activity.”
Trump’s statements have all come in the form of tweets, following his three-day visit to Hamburg, where he met Putin and other world leaders. In these tweets, Trump repeated his accusation that Obama and did “nothing” after learning about Russia’s involvement in hacking Democrat email servers to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.
As more and more of the election hacking scandal has come to light, there’s been increasing talk about what can be done to protect future elections. One arm of this is new biometric technology, from companies such as Smartmatic. If integrated, this extra layer will ensure that the person voting really is who they say they are.
While there’s no evidence as of yet that ballot counting or voting was affected directly in last year’s election, many American officials are concerned that Russian saboteurs may have gained some knowledge that could help them influence elections in the future, including the 2018 mid-terms.
Both Democrat and Republican secretaries of state, who are responsible for conducting elections in many American states, have complained about a lack of information from federal intelligence officials regarding Russian interference in the last presidential election.
In just over two weeks, another 100,000 people have been infected – an increase the ICRC’s Middle East regional director Roberto Mardini called “disturbing”.
On July 8, the WHO said that 297,438 cases had been recorded, but the agency was still analyzing the latest figures from the Yemeni health ministry on Monday.
The outbreak has affected all but one of Yemen’s 23 provinces. The four most affected provinces – Sanaa, Hudaydah, Hajja and Amran – have reported almost half of the cases.
UN agencies say the outbreak is the direct consequence of the civil war, with 14.5 million people cut off from regular access to clean water and sanitation.
More than half of health facilities are no longer functioning, with almost 300 having been damaged or destroyed, and some 30,000 local health workers who are key to dealing with the outbreak have not been paid for 10 months.
Rising rates of malnutrition have weakened the health of vulnerable people – above all children under the age of 15 and the elderly – and made them more vulnerable to the disease.
Last week, the UN’s humanitarian co-ordinator in Yemen warned that humanitarian organizations had been forced to divert resources away from combating malnutrition to deal with the cholera outbreak, raising the risk of a famine.
Whether it is a fender-bender or major collision it is enough to leave you shaken, especially if there is damage to your property — or worse yet, injury to you. If you are going to report an accident to an insurance company, there is a process to help things go smoothly.
Do I report an accident?
Sometimes the most difficult part of making an insurance claim is deciding whether you even want to make one. There are times when it is more economical to take care of the damages on your own than to make a claim. There are two types of insurance claims that you can file: a first-party claim and a third-party claim.
When you file a first-party claim, you report the accident directly to your own insurance carrier. When making a third-party claim, you contact the insurance company of the other motorist involved in the accident. A third-party claim is made when the other driver was “at-fault.” If you are at fault and the damages to your car or the other car are minimal, it is best to consider how much it will increase your premiums to report the accident versus how much it would cost to fix the damages. If there are injuries involved or the accident was substantial, then it is always best to get the insurance company involved.
Report the car insurance claim
Although you may be a little shaken, it is important to report the accident immediately to the proper insurance carrier. If you are filing a first-party claim, then you will want to call your insurance carrier and should have their contact info either online or on the back of your insurance card. If you are filing a third-party claim, then you will have to get the information about the insurance company from the other motorist. Other things you will likely need when making a third party claim are:
The policy number
The insured person’s full name
The time and date of the accident
The license plate numbers for all parties involved
The police report number
A general description of the accident
The insurance company will be responsible for investigating your claim and arranging a time for you to have your car inspected for damages. They will typically have someone come out to assess the damage, unless the accident was severe enough that the car was totaled.
Each carrier will have their own timeline for filing a claim, which is why it is imperative that you call immediately to file.
What not to say when you call
There are certain questions that the insurance carrier is going to ask you. Because the call will be recorded, it is important that you not say anything that might jeopardize the case. There are many things that you will want not to talk about with the other insurance company, like:
Giving a report of your injury – Although you should tell them you are injured, do not give any more specifics about how you were injured or the extent of your injuries when you’re first filing a claim. Any statements about self-diagnosing can come back to bite you.
Submitting a written statement – Never give any written statements related to the accident unless you know exactly why you are providing them. And it is always a good idea to have Los Angeles auto accident lawyers look over any written statements before you send them.
Answer any specific questions – Avoid answering any specific questions about the accident. Don’t offer any conclusions of your own or give more details than are asked.
Tell the truth – It is imperative to tell the truth. Even if you are worried that it might put you at fault, if you are caught telling the insurance company something that isn’t true, that is technically fraud.
Agree to any settlements – Before you accept any settlement money, it is important to have your case assessed by a personal injury lawyer to ensure that you are being fairly compensated. Once you accept money then the case is over, and you aren’t eligible to collect for anything that may creep up in the future.
If you are in an accident where there is either damage or injuries, it is always best to get the help of a personal injury lawyer who specializes in auto accidents before you discuss any specifics of the case or agree to any settlements made by an insurance company.
It is thought to be the first confirmed private meeting between a Russian national and members of Donald Trump’s inner circle.
After the New York Times first reported the meeting on July 8, Donald Trump Jr. released a statement which confirmed that it had taken place but did not mention whether it was related to the presidential campaign.
However, another Times report, on the next day, said Donald Trump Jr. had agreed to the meeting after being offered information that would potentially prove detrimental to Hillary Clinton.
The newspaper cited three White House advisers briefed on the meeting, and two others with knowledge for it, as its sources.
Image source Wikimedia
Donald Trump Jr. said that an acquaintance he had known from the 2013 Miss Universe pageant had set up the meeting. The Washington Post confirmed that figure to be music publicist Rob Goldstone, who has links to the Russian music industry.
In a statement on July 9, Donald Trump Jr. said he had been asked to meet “an individual who I was told might have information helpful to the campaign”.
“I was not told her name prior to the meeting. I asked Jared [Kushner] and Paul [Manafort] to attend, but told them nothing of the substance.”
Donald Trump Jr.’s statement continues: “After pleasantries were exchanged, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Mrs. Clinton.
“Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information.
“She then changed subjects and began discussing the adoption of Russian children and mentioned the Magnitsky Act.
“It became clear to me that this was the true agenda all along and that the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting.”
Natalia Veselnitskaya said on July 8 that “nothing at all was discussed about the presidential campaign” and insisted she had “never acted on behalf of the Russian government and have never discussed any of these matters with any representative of the Russian government”.
The Magnitsky Act was adopted by Congress in 2012 and allows the US to withhold visas and freeze financial assets of Russian officials thought to have been involved in human rights violations.
The law so incensed President Vladimir Putin that he suspended a program allowing Americans to adopt Russian children.
Natalia Veselnitskaya is a lawyer whose clients include companies and individuals said to be close to the Kremlin and her main role has been campaigning against the Magnitsky Act.
President Donald Trump has backtracked on a proposal to work with Russia to create an “impenetrable” cyber security unit to prevent election hacking.
Hours after promoting the idea on July 9, Donald Trump said that he did not think it could actually happen.
The idea of a partnership with Russia was ridiculed by senior Republicans.
It comes after President Trump’s first face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany on July 7, in which the pair discussed the issue.
President Trump described the outcome of the talks as positive and suggested closer co-operation between the two nations.
“Putin and I discussed forming an impenetrable cyber security unit so that election hacking, and many other negative things, will be guarded and safe,” he said.
The initial proposal immediately prompted derision from Democrats, as well as some Republicans who questioned why the US would work with Russia after the Kremlin’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US election.
President Trump shifted his position on the next day, saying on Twitter: “The fact that President Putin and I discussed a cyber security unit doesn’t mean I think it can happen. It can’t.”
However, the president stressed that another issue discussed in his talks with Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire in south-western Syria, had come into effect.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin had sought to defend the proposed cyber unit after President Trump’s initial announcement.
Speaking on ABC’s This Week, Steve Mnuchin described it as a “significant accomplishment” for President Trump.
“What we want to make sure is that we co-ordinate with Russia,” he added.
However, Republican Senator Marco Rubio suggested that such an initiative would be like partnering with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on chemical weapons.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said: “It’s not the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard, but it’s pretty close.”
A special prosecutor is investigating whether Trump associates colluded with alleged Russian efforts to influence the 2016 US election.
Both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin said the allegations had been discussed.
However, the two sides described the content of the meeting differently.
President Trump said he “strongly pressed” the issue with Vladimir Putin, who had “vehemently denied” interfering in the US election.
The president also said it was time to work more “constructively” with Russia.
Vladimir Putin said he believed President Trump had accepted his assurances that Moscow had not interfered in the vote.
However, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said interference in the 2016 election remained an impediment to better relations with Russia, while the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the US “can’t trust Russia” and “won’t ever trust Russia”.
The US laptop ban has been lifted on Kuwait Airways and Royal Jordanian.
They have become the latest Middle Eastern airlines to let passengers take laptops in the cabin on US-bound flights.
Both carriers said they had worked with US officials to tighten security checks on flights from Kuwait and Jordan.
The ban was imposed in March on direct flights to the US from eight mainly Muslim countries to address fears that bombs could be concealed in the devices.
Etihad, Turkish Airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways became exempt last week.
Royal Jordanian, which flies to three US cities from Amman lifted the ban after new security measures were implemented for US-bound flights, airline president Stefan Pichler said.
Image source Public Domain Pictures
State-owned Kuwait Airways, which flies from Kuwait to New York via Ireland, said the ban was lifted after US officials inspected security measures on its flights.
Last month, the US Department of Homeland Security announced measures requiring additional time to screen passengers and electronic devices on US-bound flights from 105 countries.
Airlines expressed hopes at the time that the changes would pave the way for the lifting of the electronics ban.
The four-door Model 3 will then be available to the public, with a base price of $35,000, almost half that of the Tesla’s next-cheapest model.
Tesla’s share price more than doubled between December and late June as investors backed Elon Musk’s strategy to transform the low-volume luxury electric car maker into a producer for the crowded mass-market, but has since fallen back.
Registrations for new Tesla cars in California, its largest market, were down 24% in April compared with April 2016, according to IHS Markit data. Tesla responded by calling the figure “cherry-picked” data.
Image source Twitter
Tesla reported that first-half 2017 global deliveries for all its models rose to 47,100. That was at the lower end of its predicted sales range of 47,000 to 50,000.
In its last full financial year results, Tesla made a loss of $889 million.
Elon Musk’s tweeted images follow news last week that Volvo would become the first traditional vehicle manufacturer to phase out the petrol and diesel powered combustion engine, in a move toward hybrid and electric car production.
Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has surprisingly praised opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez’s jail release.
Leopoldo Lopez, one of Venezuela’s main opposition leaders, has been moved to house arrest after more than three years in jail.
He left a prison near Caracas and was reunited with his family on July 8.
Leopoldo Lopez Mendoza was serving a 14-year sentence for inciting violence during anti-government protests in 2014, a charge he has always denied. The Supreme Court said he was released on health grounds.
President Maduro said he “respected” and “supported” the Supreme Court’s decision but called for “a message of peace and rectification” in Venezuela.
Hours after being freed, Leopoldo Lopez urged supporters to continue protesting in the streets against Nicolas Maduro.
Venezuela’s opposition and international powers have long pressed for Lopez’s freedom. The head of the Organization of American States regional bloc, Luis Almagro, said the court’s decision offered an opportunity for national reconciliation.
Image source Flickr
Former opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles stressed “he must be given his full liberty together with all political prisoners”, Reuters reported.
Giving a glimpse of his son’s life behind bars, Leopoldo Lopez’s father told Spanish radio “a few days ago they had punished him with solitary confinement without light or water for three days”.
He said his son was now wearing an electronic tag so that the authorities could keep abreast of his movements.
Leopoldo Lopez’s wife had complained that she had not been allowed to see him for more than a month, but on July 7 she tweeted she had been allowed an hour-long meeting.
In May, a government lawmaker published a video of Leopoldo Lopez in his cell following rumors that he had been poisoned and taken to hospital.
In the video, Leopoldo Lopez – a Harvard-educated former mayor who has been prevented by the government from standing for public office – said he was well and did not know why he was being asked to prove he was still alive.
Venezuela has been experiencing a wave of anti-government protests similar to those over which Leopoldo Lopez was jailed.
The opposition is calling for early elections and the release of opposition politicians jailed in recent years, saying the socialist governments of President Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, have mismanaged the economy since coming to power in 1999.
The Vatican has ruled that bread used to celebrate the Eucharist during Roman Catholic Mass must not be gluten-free – although it may be made from genetically modified organisms.
In a letter to bishops, Cardinal Robert Sarah said the bread can be low-gluten.
However, the cardinal said there must be enough protein in the wheat to make it without additives.
Image source Wikimedia
The new Vatican rules are needed because the bread is now sold in supermarkets and on the internet, the cardinal said.
Roman Catholics believe bread and wine served at the Eucharist are converted into the body and blood of Christ through a process known as transubstantiation.
Cardinal Robert Sarah of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said the wine used must also be “natural, from the fruit of the grape, pure and incorrupt, not mixed with other substances”.
The Vatican letter said that the ruling was issued at the request of Pope Francis.
There are about 1.2 billion Roman Catholics around the world.
Nelsan Ellis, best known for starring Lafayette Reynolds in the popular HBO series True Blood, has died at the age of 39, his manager confirmed.
The actor died after complications from heart failure.
“He was a great talent, and his words and presence will be forever missed,” his manager Emily Gerson Saines told the Hollywood Reporter.
Nelsan Ellis appeared in True Blood from 2008 until the series ended in 2014.
Image source Wikimedia
HBO said in a statement on July 8: “We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis.
“Nelsan was a long-time member of the HBO family whose groundbreaking portrayal of Lafayette will be remembered fondly.”
Nelsan Ellis appeared regularly throughout the series of True Blood after first appearing as the cook at a local restaurant in 2008. He played the role of Lafayette Reynolds, a charismatic gay medium who was able to contact ghosts.
The actor also featured alongside Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer in the film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s novel The Help in 2011.
Nelsan Ellis is survived by his grandmother Alex Brown, his father Tommie Lee Thompson and his son Breon, along with seven siblings.
Leaders of 19 nations at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, have renewed their pledge to implement the Paris deal on climate change, despite the US pulling out.
Deadlock over the issue had held up the last day of talks in Hamburg but a final agreement was eventually reached.
The final agreement acknowledges President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement without undermining the commitment of other countries.
The compromise comes after violent protests in the host city.
The joint summit statement released on July 8 said: “We take note of the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.”
However, the leaders of the other G20 members agreed the accord was “irreversible”.
The statement also said the US would “endeavor to work closely with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently”.
President Trump has pledged to help the US coal industry make a comeback and has previously characterized the Paris agreement as aiming to disadvantage his country’s workers.
In press conference as the two-day summit drew to a close, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she still deplored President Trump’s position on the Paris accord but she was “gratified” the other 19 nations opposed its renegotiation.
As well as insisting on the inclusion of separate America-only paragraphs in the final text, Donald Trump canceled his own scheduled news conference on July 8, reinforcing the image of the G20 as the G19 + 1.
“I think it’s very clear that we could not reach consensus, but the differences were not papered over, they were clearly stated,” Angela Merkel told reporters.
Angela Merkel said she did not share the view of UK Prime Minister Theresa May that Washington could decide to return to the climate agreement.
However, Theresa May reiterated her belief that the US could rejoin the accord in her news conference on July 8.
French President Emmanuel Macron also remained hopeful of persuading President Trump to change his mind, saying: “I never despair of convincing him because I think it’s my duty.”
Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris would host another summit on December 12 to make further progress on the climate agreement and to address financing.
There have been large protests in the city, with demonstrators and armed police clashing into the early hours of Saturday.
Demonstrators – who were protesting against the presence of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, climate change and global wealth inequalities – set fire to vehicles and barricades, threw rocks at officers and looted shops.
At one point, police chased protesters across rooftops while officers on the streets used water cannon on protesters.
Nearly 200 police officers were injured during the protests. Dozens of protesters have been detained.
According to Japanese officials, the death toll from flooding caused by recent heavy rain in the country’s southern region has risen to at least 15.
Rescue teams are searching for another 15 people who are missing.
Rivers burst their banks, destroying buildings and roads after more than 20in of rain fell on parts of Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost island, over a 12-hour period on July 5.
Image source Wikimedia
Emergency teams are working through thick mud to try to reach stranded survivors. Hundreds have already been evacuated.
Footage has emerged showing that Venus Williams was driving lawfully during a car crash that led to the death of 78-year-old Jerome Barson, police say.
According to a surveillance video obtained by Palm Beach Gardens police in Florida, Venus Williams’ car entered the intersection on a green traffic signal.
An earlier police report had said Venus Williams, 37, was at fault and “violated the right of way of [the other driver]”.
Venus Williams’ lawyer said the fatal crash on June 9 was an accident.
Jerome Barson’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the tennis star.
New video evidence has revealed that Venus Williams had the right of way as she entered the intersection of Northlake Boulevard in the city of Palm Beach Gardens, according to the police report.
However as she proceeded, the report says, Venus Williams was forced to brake to avoid a collision with an oncoming vehicle, which delayed her from clearing the junction.
Image source Flickr
As the tennis star then began to move forwards, a second vehicle – traveling in a different direction – entered the intersection on a green traffic signal, and the two cars collided.
“This updated information, based upon new evidence, is still under investigation,” the police statement said.
Jerome Barson had been travelling with his wife who was driving their vehicle at the time. He was taken to hospital but died two weeks later from his injuries.
The wife was also taken to hospital but survived.
The initial police report said that no other factors such as drugs, alcohol or mobile phone distractions were being investigated.
Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, reportedly told police she did not see the couple’s car and she was driving slowly. She was not arrested in connection with the crash.
On July 3, when questioned by reporters about the crash, Venus Williams broke down in tears, and said: “There are no words to describe how devastating [it is]. I’m completely speechless.”
Venus Williams’ lawyer Malcolm Cunningham told CNN in a statement: “Ms. Williams entered the intersection on a green light. The police report estimates that Ms. Williams was travelling at 5mph when Mrs. Barson crashed into her.
“Authorities did not issue Ms Williams with any citations or traffic violations. This is an unfortunate accident and Venus expresses her deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one.”
Venus Williams is currently playing her 20th Wimbledon tournament in London, where she is seeded 10th.
