Both companies are grappling with sliding sales at US department stores where their products have traditionally been sold.
Coach shares rose 4.6% in New York, while Kate Spade jumped 8.2%.
Image source Flickr
Coach was founded in 1941, while Kate Spade was established in 1993 by former journalist Kate Brosnahan Spade.
The handbag maker expanded quickly and its products stocked by upmarket retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.
Although Coach and Kate Spade sell shoes and clothing both are best-known for their handbags.
Kate Spade’s handbags have found favor with millennials due to their subtle logos and quirky and colorful designs, including bags shaped like cats and cars.
Coach CEO Victor Luis said the acquisition would allow his company to target “a new customer segment”.
Prices for a Kate Spade tote bag starts at about $150 and rise to around $450. A Coach equivalent begins at about $285 but can rise to as much as $2,500.
Victor Luis, who took over as chief executive in 2014, has been working to expand Coach’s lines and two years ago acquired shoe company Stuart Weitzman.
The Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in last year’s election has issued a rare formal demand for documents from President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.
Michael Flynn has failed to voluntarily co-operate with the investigation, the committee says.
The national security adviser was forced to resign in February after failing to disclose the content of his talks with Russian diplomats.
Meanwhile, the fallout continues over the firing of the FBI director.
The White House maintained that James Comey was removed on May 9 for his handling of the inquiry over Hillary Clinton’s emails.
However, senior Democrats said James Comey had recently asked the justice department for more resources for his Trump-Russia investigation.
The Senate Intelligence Committee said it issued a subpoena after Michael Flynn rejected its request on April 28 to submit documents relevant to the investigation.
Michael Flynn, a retired army lieutenant-general, misled the White House about discussing US sanctions against Russia with the country’s envoy, Sergei Kislyak, before President Trump’s inauguration in January.
Image source Wikimedia
His links to Russia are being scrutinized by the FBI and the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, as part of wider investigations into claims Moscow sought to tip the election in favor of Donald Trump, and into contacts between Russia and members of the president’s campaign team.
Reaction to James Comey’s firing continued on May 10, with a White House spokeswoman saying that President Trump had been considering sacking the FBI director since he was elected.
Howver, critics accuse President Trump of firing the nation’s top law enforcement official because he was leading the Russian inquiry.
The White House has rejected calls to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin over last year’s election.
The Senate Intelligence Committee invited James Comey to testify next week.
In a farewell letter to staff, James Comey said he would not “spend time on the decision or the way it was executed”.
“I have long believed that a President can fire an FBI Director for any reason, or for no reason at all,” he wrote.
“It is very hard to leave a group of people who are committed only to doing the right thing,” James Comey added.
“My hope is that you will continue to live our values and the mission of protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution.”
President Trump stood by his actions, saying James Comey was fired “because he was not doing a good job”.
On May 10, Democratic senators Dianne Feinstein and Richard Durbin told media that James Comey had asked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein – who wrote the memo on which President Trump says the sacking decision was based – for more resources for the FBI investigation.
Justice department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores called those reports “totally false”.
Either way, Republicans and Democrats vowed the House and Senate Intelligence Committees’ investigations into the Russia claims would continue.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said if President Trump believed replacing James Comey would halt the inquiries “he made a big mistake”.
Boeing has decided to temporarily suspend test flights of its new 737 MAX plane due to possible issues with the engine.
The stoppage came days before Boeing was due to make its first delivery of 737 MAX to a customer.
However, Boeing said it was sticking with plans to begin MAX deliveries this month, adding that production of the jets would continue.
American Airlines, Southwest, and China’s Shandong Airlines are among those who have placed orders.
Earlier this year Indian airline SpiceJet placed an order for 205 new planes from Boeing, in a deal valued around $22 billion. Boeing had said the first of the 737 MAX planes would be delivered to SpiceJet in 2018.
The MAX fleet is designed to be a more fuel-efficient version and replaces Boeing’s previous 737 model which has been a best-seller for the aerospace giant.
Boeing says it was notified last week of a potential issue involving turbine engine discs manufactured by a supplier to CFM International.
CFM is the joint venture between General Electric (GE) and French-based Safran – the companies making the engines for the 737 MAX fleet.
Boeing says it has not experienced any problems with the discs during more than 2,000 hours of testing.
The 737 MAX 8, the first version of the plane to be built, carries a list price of $110 million but airlines generally receive steep discounts.
The next model, the 737 MAX 9, has more seating capacity. That aircraft completed a successful maiden flight last month.
Sales and profits slipped at Boeing in 2016, mainly due to lower deliveries of its military aircraft.
Boeing celebrated its 100th year in business in 2016.
While the simplest way to keep pests away in a household is by good old fashion prevention measures, normal sanitation and regular maintenance, it sometimes occurs that you will be faced with a much more troublesome infestation of certain pests. In that case, you will want to call in the experts to handle it. Finding the best service for these situations is an endeavor in and of itself.
Similar to any other service, you will have to look for the best possible quality and for the best value for your money. Cost should not always be the singular factor when you determine the company itself. Competency will probably be your main concern. You will not want to invest a large sum of money into a service that will not only not solve your pest issue, but might also cause property and health damage.
There are a few things you need to take into consideration when contracting such a company.
Research the issue and a service
As soon as pests are detected, most people just want the issue to be removed immediately. However, chances are that this pest problem will not cause any immediate damage and you have time research it and a company to solve this issue. You can read through reviews and see if the company is highly regarded, you will have time to check out pricing and even contact them to describe your issue. You may want to consult multiple companies to see if they agree on the issue, most provide these consulting services for free.
Once you have more or less decided on the company you will want to solve your issue, consider doing some checking up on its history. See for how long have they been active and contact legal authorities to confirm that they are running a legal business. They might also provide any insight on complaints that might have been raised regarding them.
Besides the company itself, you will also want to look into the person who will be actually performing these services. They must be a licensed applicator of pesticides in order for them to safely handle the necessary equipment.
Other Points to take into Consideration
It is generally a good idea to make the home as tidy as possible to ensure that the applicator has ample space to work, and for your belongings to not be exposed to pesticides.
Besides this, you will also want to ensure that children and pets are kept safe away from the area where pesticides have been applied.
Toyota has suffered first profit fall for the first time in half a decade.
The Japanese auto maker said it sold more cars in the year to March 2017 than in the previous 12 months but that higher costs and currency fluctuations hit results.
The profit of 1.83 trillion yen ($16.1 billion) was down 21% from 2016-2017.
The company’s prediction is based on a forecast that the yen will average around 105 to the US dollar in the year through to March 2018, compared with 108 yen in the last financial year.
However, income from those sales was slightly down at 27.6 trillion yen.
Toyota has been struggling in the US, its biggest market. Sales fell in North America as the company battled to meet demand for bigger cars such as SUV’s, which have become more affordable to drive thanks to lower petrol prices.
Walt Disney profits jumped 11% in Q1 of 2017, bolstered by attendance at its theme parks and resorts.
Profits in the first quarter of the year were $2.4 billion. But the media giant’s revenue gains more muted, up 3% year-on-year to at $13.3 billion.
Walt Disney remains on track for modest growth, in spite of subscriber losses at its sports television network ESPN.
“We’re extremely pleased with our results,” said Disney CEO Robert Iger.
Disney’s business ranges widely, including movie studios such as Marvel and Pixar, theme parks, merchandise – even a cruise line.
Its TV networks, which include ABC, Disney and the sports-focused ESPN, are the biggest earners, together accounting for more than 40% of the company’s total revenue in the last financial year.
However, ESPN has struggled with millions of subscriber losses and advertising declines in recent years, as live sports services have begun to feel the pressure from online TV and viewer demands for cheaper cable packages.
Image source Flickr
This spring, ESPN laid off more than 100 people, including writers and on-air personalities.
Robert Iger said the company is confident of the demand for ESPN and pleased with the traction it is gaining on platforms such as TV streaming service Hulu.
Revenue in the media unit increased 3% year-on year.
Robert Iger said the company is focused on its mobile audience, aiming for an increasingly customized experience that allows fans to focus on news about their favorite teams.
The company plans to sell ESPN-branded streaming directly to viewers by the end of the calendar year, and that kind of personalization is also likely to be part of the package, he added.
“Consumers will be able to buy the sports they want, when they want,” he said.
Robert Iger asked analysts for “a little bit of credit” for being candid with its thinking as it grapples with the changes.
“We wanted to signal that we had our eyes wide open about what was going on,” he said.
Revenue at Disney’s studio operations declined 1% year-on-year, as strong audiences at Beauty and the Beast couldn’t match the company’s success in 2016 with films such as Zootopia and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Strong visitor numbers at Disney theme parks and its new Shanghai resort in China helped lift the results, Robert Iger said. The park is on track to welcome its 10 millionth guest as it nears its first anniversary, he said.
Complete happiness relies on health, amongst other things. It works the reverse way too, if we’re healthy we’re usually happy. That’s because health and happiness encompass so many different things. Sure, being healthy includes what we eat and how often we exercise. But it also includes our mental health. How social we are, how anxious, how happy. More and more studies are showing that the key to unlocking happiness is a healthy lifestyle and everything that entails. So if you’re looking to boost your happiness take into account your environments, at work and home, your social life, and your exercise and diet. How could you make them all more healthy?
Happiness is largely reliant on how healthy we are, in every aspect of our life. A healthy relationship, mental state, and physicality are far more likely to make us happy than money. Depression and anxiety are some of the largest deterrents to happiness. These feelings usually come about because we don’t have a healthy mental state. We could have low self-esteem or more severe mental illnesses which impede our happiness. The link between health and happiness is undeniable. But all too often we only think of health in relation to our bodies, rather than our mindset too.
So it’s clear that we need to be more healthy, both physically and mentally. If we are, we’ll be happier. We spend so much of our time at work and at home. Yet we often overlook how important these environments are to our mental health. They certainly do impact our mental health and we could be doing more to make that a positive thing rather than a negative one.
Take clutter, for example. Leading psychologists agree that clutter in our homes can cause stress. This upsets our mental state and makes us less happy. Instead happiness is replaced with feelings of stress, chaos, and anxiousness. Clutter and untidiness provide our brains with a stimuli overload. This leads to feelings of frustration, upset, and stress, as we concentrate on unnecessary stimuli. It makes it difficult for us to relax and encourages feelings of guilt and anxiety. The solution to clutter is simple, tidy it! You may have heard it said that the way we treat our environments reflects what’s going on inside our heads, and vice versa. By de-cluttering your home you will be able to relax and feel less stress and anxious. Not just that, but it should be a cathartic experience and feel like you’re de-cluttering your mind too. Start by getting rid of anything you don’t need. What’s left can be stowed away, out of eyesight, in storage boxes.
Living in poor housing conditions increases stress and reduces feelings of empowerment and control. Take control of your environment and replace clutter with stimuli that soothe and aid out mental health instead. Start, very simply, by putting on display items you love. Don’t go overboard, but do hang a painting, display an ornament, or throw down a rug. These pleasing visual stimuli look aesthetically pleasing and will engender feelings of positivity. Furthermore having artwork around the house can help us to feel more creative and motivated. Also, consider investing in some houseplants. Houseplants are an amazing way to increase ventilation in a room. Some researchers have found that houseplants even reduce stress! They make a great addition to a living room and will absorb toxins from the air and give out oxygen. Fresh flowers are another good touch. They work much like scented candles to release pleasing smells, which are positive stimuli and help us to relax. Kohl’s coupons will get you money off home furnishings and accessories like candles and plant pots. At work, you’ll need to find ways to stay healthy and happy too. Incorporate some of your home tips in the office too. A desk plant is a perfect way to create a more relaxing ambiance. Similarly, instead of a painting, display a family photo which will motivate and inspire you.
Having a healthy social life is a great way to make sure we’re looking after our general health and wellbeing. Regularly meeting up with friends and family helps us to feel less isolated and more connected. In turn, this helps us to feel increasingly valued and boosts our self-esteem. Both of which are great for staving off mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
Make time for what’s important and schedule catch ups with your friends. Surrounding yourself with supportive people who care about you is a great way to look after your mental health and be happy. Unfortunately, we all have, or had, people in our life who were toxic influences. Sometimes we may not even realize it but these people are impacting our mental health, and therefore our happiness. If somebody you know has the power to lower your self-esteem and causes you to lose your temper, it’s probably best to part ways with them. Over time small comments and put-downs can really affect us. Try talking to your friend or colleague about what they’re doing, but otherwise limit contact with them. This takes away their power to make us feel bad.
In your spare time plant to be as social as possible. Of course, we all need days spent binge-watching our favorite series or indulging in a duvet day! But do push yourself to do fun activities with your friends, you’ll be far healthy and happier for it.
This is what most of us immediately think of when we talk about health. Funnily enough physical health also affects our mental health. Doing exercise is actually a common aid to combatting depression. It forces us to motivate ourselves and take care of ourselves. Two things which can be incredibly challenging for those suffering from depression. Exercise also releases endorphins and endocannabinoids. These two chemicals make us feel good. Beyond that exercise forces us into the outside world, something which is good for those suffering from depression. It allows us to be a part of society and look after our mental health. It also helps with self-esteem. Most of us feel better when we’re doing something proactive to keep in shape. It could be about losing weight, or getting stronger, or increasing our stamina. Whatever it is, exercise allows us to set goals and achieve them. Increasing our self-esteem and happiness in the process.
Diet is a trickier one. Some of us do feel happy after eating burgers and pizzas even though it isn’t healthy. Ultimately, however, being healthy and free of illness will make us happy long-term. So this means avoiding processed foods. Heart failure, obesity, and even type-3 diabetes can be caused by eating the wrong types of food. Not only can they be caused by it, but some studies suggest cardiovascular diseases can even be reversed and cured by eating healthily. We’ve previously underestimated what a powerful tool our diet is in terms of our health and happiness. But there is increasing evidence that it is hugely important.
If you haven’t taken your exercise or diet seriously, start off small. Some long walks are an easy way to get started. As are some simple home workouts like lunges, ski-sits, planks, and sit-ups. One you feel ready, start to incorporate running into your exercise regime. In terms of diet try cutting out processed foods. Eat fresh wherever possible. This means eating more fruit and vegetables and buying less pre-prepared meals. Try cutting down on the amount of meat and fish you eat too. It’ll force you to view vegetables and the center of your dish and be more inventive.
President Donald Trump has decided to fire FBI Director James Comey over his handling of the inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s emails, the administration says.
The White House shocked Washington by announcing that James Comey “has been terminated and removed from office”.
However, Democrats said James Comey was fired because the FBI was investigating alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The move came as it emerged James Comey gave inaccurate information about Hillary Clinton’s emails to Congress last week.
James Comey, 56, was addressing FBI agents in Los Angeles when, according to media, he learned he had just been fired when he saw the news on TV.
He reportedly laughed, thinking it was a prank.
James Comey was three-and-a-half years into his 10-year term as FBI director.
Image source Wikipedia
The White House said the search for a successor would begin immediately. It is only the second time the head of the FBI has been fired.
President Trump wrote in a letter to James Comey that he agreed with US Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recommendation that “you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau”.
Jeff Sessions said the department of justice was “committed to a high level of discipline, integrity, and the rule of law”, and “a fresh start is needed”.
Many have expressed surprise that James Comey should be fired for his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server for sensitive government business, given that Donald Trump once praised the FBI director’s conduct in the matter.
In the final days of the presidential campaign, Donald Trump told a rally it “took guts” for James Comey to reopen the inquiry.
“What he did brought back his reputation,” Donald Trump said.
However, on May 9, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said he “cannot defend the director’s handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary [of State Hillary] Clinton’s emails, and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgement that he was mistaken”.
“Almost everyone agrees the director made serious mistakes; it is one of the few issues that unites people of diverse perspectives.”
Democrats swiftly suggested that President Trump had fired James Comey to influence the FBI inquiry into whether members of the Trump election campaign colluded with Russia.
The House of Representatives and Senate intelligence committees are looking into the same allegations.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference on May 9: “Were these investigations getting too close to home for the president?
“This does not seem to be a coincidence.”
President Trump responded on Twitter that Chuck Schumer had recently expressed his lack of confidence in the FBI chief.
Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted the Russia allegations are “fake news”.
Moon Jae-in has been sworn in as South Korea’s new leader following his decisive win in the presidential election.
He vowed to address the economy and relations with North Korea in his first speech as president.
Moon Jae-in, 64, said that he would even be willing to visit Pyongyang under the right circumstances.
He took his oath of office in Seoul’s National Assembly building a day after his victory.
The former human rights lawyer and son of North Korean refugees is known for his liberal views.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula remain high and recent weeks have seen the US and North Korea trade angry rhetoric as speculation about another nuclear test grows.
Moon Jae-in has also vowed to unify a divided country reeling from a corruption scandal which saw his predecessor, Park Geun-hye, impeached.
In his inauguration speech, Moon Jae-in said he would “do everything I can to build peace on the Korean peninsula”.
Image source Wikipedia
“If needed I will fly to Washington immediately,” he said.
“I will also go to Beijing and Tokyo and even Pyongyang in the right circumstances.”
Moon Jae-in added that he would have “serious negotiations” with the US and China over the controversial deployment of anti-missile system THAAD.
North Korea has yet to officially comment on Moon Jae-in’s victory and remarks. It had previously hinted that Moon Jae-in was its preferred candidate.
Moon Jae-in has been critical of the two previous conservative administrations, which took a hard-line stance against Pyongyang, for failing to stop North Korea’s weapons development.
Since the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953, there have only been two summits where the leaders of the two Koreas have met, both held in Pyongyang.
Moon Jae-in spearheaded preparations for the second meeting in 2007, when serving as a presidential aide.
The US, South Korea’s most important ally, has congratulated Moon Jae-in on his victory.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the US looked forward to continuing to “strengthen the alliance” and “deepen the enduring friendship and partnership”.
Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe said their countries faced common challenges “led by responses to the North Korean issue” but they could “further contribute to peace and prosperity of the region by working together”.
China’s President Xi Jinping said he “always attaches great importance to the relationship between China and South Korea”, and that he was “willing to diligently work with” with Moon Jae-in to ensure both countries benefit, reported Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham wants to launch an investigation into President Donald Trump’s business dealings for any potential links to Russia.
The Republican senator raised the issue a day after former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified before a Senate panel.
Lindsey Graham said it would be “helpful” to see Donald Trump’s tax returns.
“I want to know more about Trump’s business dealings,” he told CNN on May 9.
Photo Wikipedia
However, he added it was too soon to determine whether he would be willing to subpoena them from the White House.
During May 8 testimony, James Clapper was asked whether he had any concerns about President Trump’s business interests and a possible connection to Russia.
“Not in the course of the preparation of the intelligence communities assessment,” said James Clapper, who served under former President Barack Obama.
However, when Lindsey Graham pressed the former spy chief on whether he had ever discovered any Trump business ties to Moscow, James Clapper alluded to an ongoing FBI investigation.
“Senator Graham I can’t comment on that because that impacts an investigation,” he said.
President Trump took to Twitter to cast doubt on any questions surrounding James Clapper’s refusal to comment on May 8.
He wrote: “Director Clapper reiterated what everybody, including the fake media already knows- there is <<no evidence>> of collusion w/ Russia and Trump.”
President Trump later added: “The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?”
We are living in a world of rules and regulations. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we need to be accountable for our actions. We are required to conform to different guidelines set before us. Since we are in a law laden world, knowing when to defend our rights is really a must.
In defending us, lawyers definitely can do the work. An attorney, counselor, or solicitor is a licensed professional who advises and represents others with regards to legal matters.
Not all legal matters require hiring an attorney, e.g. you are caught violating traffic rules like speeding. Laws are vast and complicated and knowing when to get and not to get a lawyer will help you save effort, time, and resources.
What are the specific cases when you really need a lawyer?
Crime Involvement
When you are involved in a criminal offense, you should seek a lawyer to represent you. This area of law deals with offenses that interrupt the regulations of a locale, federal governments, or a state. In this kind of law, there are misdemeanors or just small offenses and felonies or belonging to more serious crimes. Get a lawyer as soon as possible to protect your rights or to defend you whether you are guilty or not. Prevention is better than cure, so get one before you land in jail.
Lawsuits
Being a lay man, it will be a struggle to beat deadlines and codes of behavior especially for filling and filing legal documents. You certainly need an assistance of a lawyer for this one. In suing and being sued, the penalties of a damage may result in the loss of a big deal of money or property. To avoid this, you need to get an experienced counselor.
Injuries and Damages
Whether you are the one who is injured or the one who injured, get a seasoned attorney. You are not aware of the laws of compensation rates for damages, so getting someone who knows will give you a breather. This way, you will be sure that every money that comes out of your pocket for paying the actual damages is a reasonable one.
Divorce, Wills, and Rights
Complicated cases of divorce, wills, and rights where issues of savings, support, property, and investments are quite a feat. Hiring an able attorney to untangle the mess is a must. You need all the help you can get in terms of legal matters since these kinds of cases are going to be emotionally taxing.
Declaring Bankruptcy
You cannot file for bankruptcy without a lawyer so you really need one. Never try to navigate all of the legal requirements alone. Get a competitive lawyer. Having an attorney by your side will help you in making important decisions about your business and what you will do if you have to close it down.
Takeaway
Spare yourself from all the problems that could come your way by tapping a lawyer. There are a lot of Corpus Christi lawyers out there who are ready to extend legal assistance. A good legal representation may come with a price but neglect it when you need one may be a more costly act. Armed with these, you now know when to get or not to get a lawyer.
A record turnout is predicted, with numbers boosted by younger voters, as South Koreans choose from 13 candidates.
Polls close at 20:00 local time, with the winner expected to be announced soon after. The new leader is likely to be sworn-in on May 10.
Heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula in recent weeks have made the perennial worries over the South’s volatile neighbor a key issue.
Moon Jae-in, of the Democratic Party of Korea, has advocated greater dialogue with North Korea while maintaining pressure and sanctions.
Both Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo have urged President Donald Trump to cool his rhetoric towards North Korea after his administration suggested it could take military action over Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
However, Hong Joon-pyo of the conservative governing Liberty Korea Party has attacked Moon Jae-in’s approach, saying last week that the election was a “war of regime choices”.
North Korea state media said it favored a return to an earlier era of communication and co-operation known as the Sunshine policy, seen as an endorsement of Moon Jae-in who was part of the previous South Korean government which promoted that policy.
All the candidates are promising to protect the fragile recovery in the country’s economy – the fourth largest in Asia – and to bring down youth unemployment, which remains stubbornly high.
There have been vows to reform the family-run conglomerates – chaebols – which dominate the domestic economy.
Whoever wins will have to tackle ties with China, which retaliated economically over the deployment of a US missile defense system in South Korea.
All candidates have been promising a break from the past as symbolized by the deeply unpopular Park Geun-hye.
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the outgoing governor of Indonesian capital Jakarta, has been sentenced to two years in prison for blasphemy and inciting violence.
The governor, also known as Ahok, is an ethnic Chinese and Christian. The case was seen as a test of Indonesia‘s religious tolerance.
He has denied blasphemy and plans to appeal. He was taken into custody after the verdict was read out.
His deputy Djarot Saiful Hidayat will take over his duties until his term ends in October.
The sentence is harsher than most observers had expected – prosecutors had called for a suspended one-year sentence.
Image source YouTube
Ahok was “found to have legitimately and convincingly conducted a criminal act of blasphemy, and because of that we have imposed two years of imprisonment,” the judge told the court.
He was accused of blasphemy for comments he made during a pre-election speech in September 2016.
Ahok implied that Islamic leaders were trying to trick voters by using a verse in the Koran to argue that Muslims should not vote for a non-Muslim leader.
The governor’s remarks, which were widely shared in an edited video, sparked outrage among religious hardliners.
They staged regular large rallies calling for him to face trial.
Throughout the trial, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama denied wrongdoing, but did apologize for his comments nonetheless.
Ahead of the verdict, protesters for and against Ahok had gathered outside the court demanding respectively his acquittal or a long prison sentence.
Disappointed with the eventual verdict, some protesters demanded Ahok to be hanged.
Around 15,000 security personnel from the police and military are providing security at the scene, with riot police and armored vehicles separating the rival groups.
Ahok became governor after his predecessor, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, was elected president in 2014.
As an ethnic Chinese Indonesian and Christian Ahok is a double minority, and was Jakarta’s first non-Muslim governor for 50 years.
His political success was also seen as a significant development given the violent anti-Chinese riots that occurred in the city in 1998.
Before the blasphemy allegations, Ahok had been widely hailed as a straight-talking politician with a strong anti-corruption stance.
However, the controversy overshadowed scheduled elections last month.
Despite Ahok’s enduring popularity with many in Jakarta for his efforts to improve living standards, he lost to conservative Muslim candidate Anies Rasyid Baswedan.
Indonesia is the world’s most-populous Muslim country. About 85% of Indonesia’s population are Muslim, but the country officially respects six religions.
Two doctors have been found dead in a luxury penthouse in Boston – reportedly tied up and with their throats slit.
A suspect, named Bampumim Teixeira, is in custody after police exchanged fire with him while responding to reports of an intruder at the high-rise flats on May 5.
The bodies of anesthetists Richard Field and Lina Bolanos, engaged to be married, were found inside.
The suspect was in hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
According to police, a suspect fired at officers who were responding to a report of a man with a gun at a luxury high-rise in South Boston.
The officers apprehended Bampumim Teixeira inside the penthouse flat before discovering Dr. Richard Field, 49, and Dr. Lina Bolanos, 36, who were already dead, the Boston Globe reported.
A message of retribution was apparently written on the wall, an official told the newspaper. Their hands were tied and throats cut, the paper said.
Dr. Richard Field – who is from London, according to his Facebook page – reportedly texted a friend in a plea for help.
The motive is still unclear but police believe the victims may have known the suspect due to the building’s tight security.
Bampumim Teixeira was recently released from prison after serving nine months for bank robbery.
He was due to appear in court for his arraignment on May 8, according to Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley.
Dr. Lina Bolanos was a pediatric anesthesiologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear while Dr. Richard Field worked at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
Akzo Nobel has rejected a third takeover offer by US rival PPG Industries, leaving the door open to a hostile bid.
The Dutch company said the 26.9 billion euro offer undervalued Akzo and showed a “lack of cultural understanding of the brand”.
Akzo Nobel, which claims its own plans for growth are superior, has been urged to reject a merger by the Dutch government and its own workers.
However, some Akzo investors favor a deal.
PPG said it was disappointed by Akzo Nobel’s decision and would “review” the company’s response.
It comes several weeks after PPG increased its offer to buy Akzo Nobel for the second time as it seeks to create an industry leader in the paints and coatings sector.
Image source Wikimedia
PPG suggested the bid was its last friendly attempt to merge with Akzo and has not ruled out putting the matter directly to shareholders.
Responding on May 8, Akzo CEO Ton Buchner said his team had conducted an “extensive review” of the bid and had again found it wanting.
“The PPG proposal undervalues AkzoNobel, contains significant risks and uncertainties, makes no substantive commitments to stakeholders and demonstrates a lack of cultural understanding,” he said.
Akzo says its own plans for the company – which involve spinning off its chemicals division into a separate business – would better serve shareholders.
It has promised to increase its dividend for 2017 by half and pay a 1 billion euro special cash dividend in November.
However, Akzo also faces mounting pressure from some of its biggest shareholders to consider a deal, having repeatedly refused to enter talks with PPG’s management.
Last month, the activist investor Elliot Investors also called for a vote to oust chairman Antony Burgmans – a proposal Akzo rejected.
In its favor, Akzo has won political support against a tie-up, with four provincial governments having warned of its impact on jobs.
Akzo also says that PPG would struggle to get the deal past Dutch competition regulators, which poses a risk to shareholders.
As part of its latest offer, PPG offered commitments on jobs and to pay a break fee in case the deal was rejected by officials.
Akzo Nobel shares fell more than 2% in morning trading in Amsterdam but have jumped about 30% this year.
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has been ordered by a US court to pay more than $110 million to a woman who says she developed ovarian cancer after using its talcum powder.
Lois Slemp, 62, from Virginia, Missouri said she developed the cancer after four decades of using talc products.
Experts say links with ovarian cancer are unproven. The pharmaceutical company says it will appeal.
The verdict in a St Louis state court is the largest so far to arise out of about 2,400 lawsuits against J&J over its talc-based products, Reuters reports.
Lois Slemp is currently undergoing chemotherapy after her ovarian cancer initially diagnosed in 2012 returned and spread to her liver.
Image source Flickr
She said the products she used included J&J’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Powder.
“Once again we’ve shown that these companies ignored the scientific evidence and continue to deny their responsibilities to the women of America,” said Ted Meadows, a lawyer for Lois Slemp.
The verdict included $5.4 million in compensatory damages and $105 million in punitive damages against J&J.
J&J said it planned to appeal and said in a statement: “We are preparing for additional trials this year and we continue to defend the safety of Johnson’s Baby Powder.
“We deeply sympathize with the women and families impacted by ovarian cancer.”
J&J lost three jury verdicts in 2016 in cases related to its talc-based products, but won its first trial in March, when a jury in Missouri sided with the company.
Montreal authorities have declared a state of emergency in the Canadian city due to flooding caused by torrential rains and melting snow.
The state of emergency was declared on May 7 and will remain in place for 48 hours, city officials said.
Across the province of Quebec, nearly 1,900 homes have already been flooded across 126 towns and cities, authorities say.
Some 1,200 troops have reportedly been deployed to help evacuate people.
Image source The Canadian Press
Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said: “Our troops are responding quickly and professionally and are already beginning to deliver critical support to Canadians affected by the flooding.”
The state of emergency was declared in Montreal after three dikes gave way in the city’s north.
The town of Rigaud, west of Montreal, has been particularly hard hit and a state of emergency has also been declared there.
Montreal Mayor Hans Gruenwald Jr. has ordered mandatory evacuations in flood zones.
“People had to be evacuated, and we put them in boats and they are crying like babies,” he said.
“I am sorry, they are at a point where now they are not in a position to decide anymore their own future.”
The flooding is not limited to Quebec, and unusually high rainfall has also caused flooding in the province of Ontario.
Lake Ontario has reached a water level not seen since 1993 in southern Ontario, the Canadian Press news agency says.
Warmer temperatures have also caused snow to melt in British Columbia in Canada’s west, combining with the rain to cause flooding and mudslides.
Emmanuel Macron will also become the first president from outside the two traditional main parties since the modern republic’s foundation in 1958.
He said that a new page was being turned in French history.
Emmanuel Macron said he had heard “the rage, anxiety and doubt that a lot of you have expressed” and vowed to spend his five years in office “fighting the forces of division that undermine France”.
He said he would “guarantee the unity of the nation and… defend and protect Europe”.
Image source Wikimedia
Thousands of Emmanuel Macron’s supporters gathered to celebrate outside the Louvre in central Paris. Emmanuel Macron has now arrived to join them.
Security remains tight in Paris and there were reports of police firing tear gas at several hundred anti-capitalist protesters near the Ménilmontant metro in the 20th arrondissement.
The Macron team said that the new president had had a “cordial” telephone conversation with Marine Le Pen.
In a speech Marine Le Pen thanked the 11 million people who had voted for her. She said the election had shown a division between “patriots and globalists” and called for the emergence of a new political force.
Marine Le Pen said her National Front party needed to renew itself and that she would start the “deep transformation of our movement”, vowing to lead it into upcoming parliamentary elections.
She also said she had wished Emmanuel Macron success in tackling the “huge challenges” facing him.
President François Hollande congratulated Emmanuel Macron and said the result showed the French people wanted to unite around the “values of the republic”.
Initial figures suggested the turnout was lower than the past two elections.
North Korea has announced it has detained US citizen Kim Hak-song on suspicion of “hostile acts” against the state.
Kim Hak-song worked at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) and was held on May 6, state-run news agency KCNA said.
Three other US citizens are currently held in North Korea, including Kim Sang-duck, who had taught at PUST.
The US has in the past accused North Korea of detaining its citizens to use them as pawns.
KCNA said that “a relevant institution” was “conducting [a] detailed investigation” into Kim Hak-song’s alleged crimes.
It gave no further details.
A State Department official said Washington was “aware of reports that a US citizen was detained in North Korea”, adding it would liaise with the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang, which helps look after US interests in North Korea.
Kim Hak-song had previously described himself as a Christian missionary who intended to start an experimental farm at PUST, Reuters reported, citing an online post by Kim Hak-song.
PUST is a university that mostly teaches the children of North Korea’s elite.
It was founded in 2010 by a Korean-American Christian entrepreneur, with much of the costs funded by US and South Korea Christian charities.
Several foreign lecturers are thought to teach at the university.
Pyongyang has threatened to carry out a new nuclear test – while the US has sent a warship to the region and vowed to stop the North from developing nuclear weapons.
On May 5, North Korea accused US and South Korean agents of plotting to kill its Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un.
The US and South Korean governments did not comment on the allegations, but experts were skeptical about the claim.
Kim Hak-song’s arrest makes him the fourth US citizen to be held by North Korea.
Polls opened in France, where voters are choosing their next president after an unpredictable campaign that has divided the country.
The second round contest pits centrist Emmanuel Macron, a 39-year-old former investment banker, against the 48-year-old far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen.
Citizens in some overseas territories and many French expats abroad have begun voting.
The polls opened in metropolitan France at 08:00 local time on May 7 and close at 19:00.
Polling stations will remain open in some big cities until 20:00 local time, with early estimates of the result due to be reported immediately after they close.
The two candidates, who topped a field of 11 presidential hopefuls in the first round election on April 23, have offered voters starkly different visions of France.
Emmanuel Macron, a liberal centrist, is pro-business and a strong supporter of the EU, while Marine Le Pen campaigned on a France-first, anti-immigration program.
Image source AFP
The National Front leader wants France to abandon the euro in the domestic economy, and hold a referendum on the country’s EU membership.
Emmanuel Macron is widely expected to win the vote, but analysts have said high abstention rates could damage his chances.
The run-off will be keenly watched across Europe, ahead of elections in Germany and the UK and as Britain negotiates its exit from the EU.
In whittling down a field of candidates to Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, French voters rejected the two big political parties – the Socialists and the Republicans – that have governed for decades.
The presidential campaign has been marked by its unpredictability, and in a final twist on May 5, soon before campaigning officially ended, Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche! political movement said it had been the victim of a “massive” hack, with a trove of documents released online.
The Macron team said real documents were mixed up with fake ones, and electoral authorities warned media and the public that spreading details of the attack would breach strict election rules and could bring criminal charges.
En Marche compared the hack to the leak of Democratic Party emails in last year’s US presidential election that was blamed on Russian hackers.
Emmanuel Macron has previously accused Moscow of targeting him with cyber attacks, which Russia strongly denied.
On May 6, President François Hollande promised to “respond” to the attack.
Management of the economy, security, immigration and France’s relationship with the EU have all been key issues in the campaign.
One of the overriding issues is unemployment, which stands at almost 10% and is the eighth highest among the 28 EU member states. One in four under-25s is unemployed.
The French economy has made a slow recovery from the 2008 financial crisis and both candidates say deep changes are needed.
Marine Le Pen wants the pension age cut to 60 and to “renationalize French debt”, which she argues is largely held by foreigners.
Emmanuel Macron wants to cut 120,000 public-sector jobs, reduce public spending by €60 billion ($65 billion), plough billions into investment and reduce unemployment to below 7%.
If voters opt for Emmanuel Macron, they will be backing a candidate who seeks EU reform as well as deeper European integration, in the form of a eurozone budget and eurozone finance ministers.
Marine Le Pen promises quite the opposite. She wants a Europe of nations to replace the EU.
They are similarly divided on other foreign policy issues. Emmanuel Macron opposes any rapprochement with Russia, while Marine Le Pen met Vladimir Putin in Moscow recently and has previously stated her approval of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
The presidential election will be followed by legislative elections on June 11 and 18. Emmanuel Macron, who quit the Socialist government of President Hollande to found his new political movement, has no lawmakers, and Marine Le Pen has only two.
Whoever wins the presidency will need to perform well in those crucial elections if they want to win a parliamentary majority to push through their proposals.
Boko Haram has released 82 schoolgirls from a group of 276 they abducted in north-eastern Nigeria three years ago, President Muhammadu Buhari’s office says.
The girls were handed over in exchange for Boko Haram suspects after negotiations.
They will be received by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on May 7, a statement said.
The abduction of the so-called “Chibok girls” triggered a global outcry and sparked a huge social media campaign.
Before the latest release, about 195 of the girls were still missing.
The number of Boko Haram suspects released by authorities remains undisclosed.
Christian pastor Enoch Mark, whose two daughters were among those kidnapped, told AFP: “This is good news to us. We have been waiting for this day. We hope the remaining girls will soon be released.”
It was unclear whether his daughters had been freed.
A statement from a spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari said he was deeply grateful to “security agencies, the military, the Government of Switzerland, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and local and international NGOs” for playing a role in the operation.
After the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno state, was raided in April 2014, more than 50 girls quickly escaped and Boko Haram then freed another 21 in October 2016, after negotiations with the Red Cross.
Last month, President Muhammadu Buhari said the Nigerian government remained “in constant touch through negotiations, through local intelligence to secure the release of the remaining girls and other abducted persons unharmed”.
Many of the Chibok girls were Christian, but were encouraged to convert to Islam and to marry their kidnappers during their time in captivity.
Made by state-owned company COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China), it has been in planning since 2008 but the flight was repeatedly pushed back.
For May 5 maiden flight, the C919 carried only its skeleton crew of five pilots and engineers and took off in front of a crowd of thousands of dignitaries, aviation workers and enthusiasts.
Image source COMAC
Ahead of the flight, state TV said the plane would fly at an altitude of only 3,000m (9,800 feet), some 7,000m lower than a regular trip, and reach a speed of around 300km/h (186mph).
The Chinese plane is designed to be a direct competitor to Boeing’s 737 and the Airbus A320.
In an interview carried out in March but released on Chinese TV shortly before the launch, test pilot Cai Jun said he had full confidence in the plane.
“A pilot knows clearly the condition of a plane. He knows very well whether it will work. So I’m not afraid at all, but focusing more on whether the plane is in its best shape now,” he said.
Cai Jun also described halting an earlier taxiing test in late 2016 because of a problem with the brakes.
“It’s just like driving a car. I put the brakes on, and the plane started to shake,” he said.
The pilot said he had had to argue with the plane’s engineers help refine the design.
“For the designers, the plane is their baby, which they believe is perfect. But our task is to tell them that their baby is not perfect, it has strengths and weaknesses, and they have to make improvements,” Cai Jun said.
The C919 still relies on a wide array of imported technology though, it is for instance powered by engines from French-US supplier CFM International.
Orders have already been placed for more than 500 of the planes, with commitments from 23 customers, say officials, mainly Chinese airlines. The main customer is China Eastern Airlines.
Europe’s aviation safety regulator has started the certification process for the C919 – a crucial step for the aircraft to be successful on the international market.
China has had ambitions to build its own civil aircraft industry since the 1970s, when leader Mao Zedong’s wife, Jiang Qing, personally backed a project.
However, the Y-10, built in the late 1970s, was impractical due to its heavy weight and only three of the aircraft were ever made.
It is estimated that the global aviation market will be worth $2 trillion over the next 20 years.
Stephen Colbert is to be investigated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over a joke about President Donald Trump.
The FCC chairman Ajit Pai said the commission received several complaints about the monologue, which some viewers branded homophobic.
It concerned references involving Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
On Twitter, angry users set hashtag #FireColbert trending worldwide.
Ajit Pai told radio host Rich Zeoli he had now had a chance to watch the controversial clip, which aired on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Showon May 1.
“We have received a number of complaints,” he said.
Image source Wikimedia
“We’ll follow the standard operating procedures, as we always do, and make sure we evaluate what the facts are and apply the law fairly and fully.”
CBS could be fined if the FCC decides that Stephen Colbert’s joke was indecent.
The FCC definition includes remarks that appeal to “an average person’s prurient interest and, taken as a whole, lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value”.
Despite demands for him to be fired over the alleged slur, Stephen Colbert said on May 3 that he would change “some of the words” in the monologue but did not regret it.
Stephen Colbert then offered an olive branch to the LGBT community, saying: “Anyone who expresses their love for another person in their own way is, to me, an American hero.”
One Trump supporter who took part in the movement #GaysForTrump, tweeted on May 3 that Stephen Colbert’s original rant was “homophobic” and “disgusting”, while others repeated calls for his sacking.
However, many defended the comedian.
Others noted that Donald Trump had himself been recorded using inappropriate language.
Former Republican Governor and presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee argued that Stephen Colbert should be protected by the First Amendment, which enshrines the right to free speech in the US.
Running a business comes with a lot of complexities. Not only do you need to be able to wear a bunch of different hats, you have to be able to excel in a range of different areas if you want succeed. Whether you choose to outsource some of the responsibility or take on some of the tasks yourself, you’ll often find that there are five key areas of business to focus on in order to grow your business and see it flourish. To harness your business’ potential power, here is where you should be channeling your efforts.
Customers
Your customers should always be your primary focus. Without them, you have no business. Whether you operate in B2B markets or a consumer based industry, without the people that are prepared to part with money for your product or service, you can not find success. So, you need to be able to focus on understanding your customer by doing your own research or using something like shopper lab and tailoring your marketing and sales efforts towards their needs.
Promotions
Your promotional activity can see you through hard times and help to grow your customer base. But, for your marketing to be successful, you need to be able to ensure it is both targeted and integrated. By making sure that your efforts are tailored to your customer market segment and consistent across all of your marketing channels, you’ll stand a better chance at not only targeting the right people but winning their business too.
Employees
Regardless of your business operations or industry, your employees will always be the backbone of your business. Not only do they make the day to day running possible, but they can often be responsible for some of your successes. Keeping your employees safe, content and nurtured is crucial in any business. If you want to do well, your employees need to be looked after. People work for people, and people make a business what it is. Focus on training, offer benefits and above all else, always be a fair boss.
Suppliers
Whether you offer a service or a product, your supplies will always hold a certain level of power. Even if you have a great relationship, you will always find that what they do is crucial to your operations. It’s in your best interest to channel efforts into keeping your suppliers happy. You might need to push down costs or ask for a higher quality of supply in the future, and without a strong relationship, they may not be inclined to help you out with that.
Profits
In business, your profits are everything. Without a profit, it’s not justifiable to be in business. So, alongside nurturing the four other key areas of your business, you need to be able to keep the idea of maximizing profits at the center of what you do. Whether that’s negotiating better overheads, running a killer promotion, or hiring a new member of staff – if it’s not going to improve your profits now or in the future, you may need to rethink taking any action.
