Joni Sledge, who formed Sister Sledge with her three siblings in 1971, has died aged 60.
She was found unresponsive by a friend at her home in Phoenix, Arizona, her publicist said.
Joni Sledge had not been ill and the cause of death is unknown.
The singer, who was best-known for the disco anthem We Are Family, is survived by her adult son and last performed with the band in October.
Joni Sledge’s death was announced on social media on March 11 – a week before the group were due to perform in Los Angeles.
A statement released on Facebook read: “Yesterday, numbness fell upon our family.
“We are saddened to inform you that our dear sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin, Joni passed away yesterday.”
The statement added: “We miss her and hurt for her presence, her radiance, and the sincerity with which she loved and embraced life.”
Aside from the Grammy-nominated We Are Family, the hit which sold more than a million copies after it was released in 1978, Sister Sledge also was known for He’s the Greatest Dancer, Lost in the Music and a cover of the Motown classic My Guy.
However, when Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya arrived, Dutch authorities refused to allow her entry to the consulate, sparking a stream of angry tweets.
Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya was then taken to the German border by police, Dutch PM Mark Rutte confirmed on March 12.
In a Facebook post, Mark Rutte said attempts to find a “reasonable solution” to the countries’ differences had proved “impossible”, while dismissing Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya’s arrival in Rotterdam as “irresponsible”.
If successful, it would give sweeping new powers to the president, allowing them to appoint ministers, prepare the budget, choose the majority of senior judges and enact certain laws by decree.
What’s more, the president alone would be able to announce a state of emergency and dismiss parliament.
In order to get it passed, Recep Tayyip Erdogan needs to get the votes of both those citizens living in, and out, of Turkey.
There are 5.5 million Turks living outside the country, with 1.4 million eligible voters in Germany alone – and the Yes campaign are keen to get them on side.
So a number of rallies have been planned for countries where large numbers of voters currently live, including Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
Many of the countries have cited security concerns as the official reason the rallies have been banned or moved.
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said President Erdogan was not welcome to hold rallies as this could increase friction and hinder integration.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte said the Netherlands asked Turkey to desist as they feared “compromised public order and security”.
However, many European nations have also expressed deep disquiet about Turkey’s response to the July coup attempt and the country’s perceived slide towards authoritarianism under Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Germany in particular has been critical of the mass arrests and purges that followed – with nearly 100,000 civil servants removed from their posts.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at Germany and the Netherlands, denouncing the Dutch government as “Nazi remnants and fascists”, while accusing Germany of “Nazi practices”.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned the Nazi jibe as “unacceptable”, while Mark Rutte dismissed it as a “crazy remark”.
However, Recep Tayyip Erdogan escalated the rhetoric after the Netherlands banned his foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from entering the country by plane by threatening to block Dutch flights.
The Turkish president said: “Ban our foreign minister from flying however much you like, but from now on, let’s see how your flights will land in Turkey.”
Mevlut Cavusoglu also warned Turkey would impose heavy sanctions if his visit was blocked.
Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya ‘s arrival, by road, was seen as a further provocation by Turkey on the part of the Dutch – although Mark Rutte says his government remains “in favor” of speaking with President Erdogan and his colleagues to find a resolution.
New York federal prosecutor Preet Bharara, who refused to resign when he and 45 other prosecutors were asked to by the Trump administration, has been sacked.
Preet Bharara tweeted: “I did not resign. Moments ago I was fired.”
He was first asked to remain in his post by President Donald Trump, when they met after the election.
However, on March 10 Preet Bharara was included in a list of prosecutors appointed by former President Barack Obama who were asked by the DoJ to step down.
Preet Bharara continued on Twitter: “Being the US Attorney in SDNY [South District New York] will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life.”
Presidents often order appointees of the previous administration to resign but the decision to replace so many in one swoop raised eyebrows.
Preet Bharara’s inclusion in the list came as a particular surprise. He told reporters in November that he had been asked by Donald Trump to stay on, and had agreed.
He rose to prominence after pursuing high-profile corruption cases and cases against Wall Street bankers.
Image source Twitter
The prosecutor won a $1.8 billion insider-trading case against hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors, the largest in history. SAC was forced to close down.
Preet Bharara has also prosecuted both Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
Among his current cases was an investigation into fundraising by New York mayor Bill de Blasio, as well as a harassment case against Fox News by its employees.
After it was reported on March 11 that he had refused to resign, top New York Republican Brian Kolb tweeted: “Good for Preet, he is doing the job he was appointed to do!”
On March 11, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement: “President Trump’s abrupt and unexplained decision to summarily remove over 40 US attorneys has once again caused chaos in the federal government.
“Preet Bharara, like many of the US attorneys dismissed this week, served with honor and distinction.”
However, ex-Republican strategist Brian Walsh argued that the firing was “nothing new” as “US attorneys serve at the pleasure of the [president] – even Preet”.
Preet Bharara’s office and the DoJ refused to comment further, according to the Associated Press.
Analysts said the odds strengthened on March 10 after figures showed better than expected jobs growth in February.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers added 235,000 new jobs, exceeding economists’ forecasts.
Fed chair Janet Yellen said last week that the central bank could raise rates in March if employment and inflation figures met their expectations.
The central bank increased rates, which have been at near-historic lows since the financial crisis, to a range of 0.5% to 0.75% in December.
According to Bloomberg data, the futures market for the key Federal fund interest rate puts the likelihood of a rate rise at between 98% and 100%.
Traders also see better than even odds of two further rate rises this year, based on the price of Fed funds futures contracts traded at CME Group’s Chicago Board of Trade.
The Fed’s next meeting will conclude on March 15.
The Trump administration also welcomed the jobs figures, which covered the president’s first full month in office.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer tweeted that the figures were “great news for American workers… in first report for [President] Trump”.
Despite the ruling, Park Geun-hye remains inside the presidential compound.
Thousands turned out for rallies in Seoul on March 11, a day after three people involved in protests died there.
Many were calling for the impeached president’s arrest, although a smaller number of her supporters also gathered in nearby streets.
There are fears the two sides may clash and there is a heavy police presence.
A spokeswoman for the protesters supporting the court’s decision, Choi In-sook, told Reuters they were demanding the arrest of Park Geun-hye.
She has lost her presidential immunity and could face criminal charges.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s election commission announced a “free and fair” vote would be held by May 9 at the latest.
Currently, Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party is leading in the polls, with one survey putting him almost 22% ahead of his nearest rival, acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is loyal to Park Geun-hye.
Hwang Kyo-ahn has called for calm, saying the government should remain stable to prevent internal conflict from spreading.
However, police are bracing themselves for more violence following the deaths of two of Park Geun-hye’s supporters on March 10.
A third person, aged 74, is understood to have had a heart attack during March 10 protests, and died on the next day, according to Reuters.
Park Geun-hye’s office said she would not be leaving the Blue House, South Korea’s presidential palace, on March 10 nor making any statement.
It is understood Park Geun-hye will not leave until her own home in Seoul is repaired and cleaned.
Judge James Robart said lawyers needed to file more extensive documentation.
The revised 90-day ban on citizens of six mostly Muslim nations is due to come into effect on March 9 but has sparked legal action in a number of states.
In succeeding with the first ban, they argued the move was unconstitutional and damaging to businesses in Washington State.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on March 9 that the administration believed the new order would withstand legal scrutiny.
Several states have launched legal challenges:
Oregon – said the order hurts residents, employers, universities health care system and economy.
Minnesota – questioned the legality of the move, suggesting the Trump administration can’t override the initial ban with a fresh executive order.
Massachusetts – new ban “remains a discriminatory and unconstitutional attempt to make good on his campaign promise to implement a Muslim ban”.
Hawaii – argued it would harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students.
Washington – it has “same illegal motivations as the original” and harms residents, although fewer than the first ban.
New York – “a Muslim ban by another name”, said the attorney general.
The first order, which President Trump signed in January, sparked mass protests as well as confusion at airports.
Critics maintain the revised travel ban still discriminates against Muslims. Donald Trump supporters say the president is fulfilling his campaign promises to protect Americans.
Manfred Doess said the criminal acts occurred in both Germany and the United States.
Volkswagen admitted that vehicles were fitted with illegal software which allowed them to cheat emissions tests over a six-year period.
John Neal, an assistant US attorney, told the district court that the scheme “was a well thought-out, planned offensive that went to the top of the organization”.
Under the deal with the DoJ, VW agreed to major reforms and scrutiny by an independent monitor for three years after admitting to installing the secret software in 580,000 US vehicles.
The devices enabled VW’s diesel vehicles to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution.
Accepting VW’s guilty plea, district judge Sean Cox said: “This was a very, very serious crime.”
VW has agreed to change the way it operates in the United States and other countries as part of the settlement.
In January 2017, VW agreed to pay $4.3 billion in US civil and criminal fines.
A company spokeswoman said it “deeply regrets the behavior that gave rise to the diesel crisis”.
Since the emissions scandal broke in September 2015, VW has agreed to pay about $25 billion to address claims from owners, regulators, states and dealers in the US.
VW has come under pressure to pay compensation in other markets too.
Tata Motors, which is India’s largest automaker and owns Jaguar Land Rover, is also hoping to claw back domestic market share.
VW and Tata have signed a memorandum of understanding on a partnership they hope will potentially lead to Tata Motors launching new vehicles by 2019.
Tata Motors CEO Guenter Butschek has put in place a restructuring program to help build up the company’s lost sales for passenger and commercial vehicles by improving efficiencies, cutting production delays and building economies of scale.
Guenter Butschek said: “We strongly believe that both the companies, by working together, can leverage from each other’s strengths to create synergies and develop smart innovative solutions for the Indian and overseas market.”
VW is investing in self-drive vehicles and greener technology such as electric cars and would like greater familiarity with the Indian market.
Volkswagen AG CEO Matthias Müller said: “By offering the appropriate products, we intend to achieve sustainable and profitable growth in very different parts of the world.”
A previous attempt by VW to expand into emerging markets through an alliance with Suzuki Motor Corp ended in 2015, following bitter disagreements.
Automakers are attempting to win a greater share of expanding emerging markets through the sale of budget cars, which in turn increase familiarity of their brand.
President Park Geun-hye has become South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to be forced from office.
Judges unanimously upheld parliament’s decision to impeach Park Geun-hye over her role in a corruption scandal involving her close friend, Choi Soon-sil.
Choi Soon-sil is accused of using her presidential connections to pressure companies to give millions of dollars in donations to non-profit foundations she controlled.
Park Geun-hye is alleged to have been personally involved in this, and to have given Choi Soon-sil unacceptable levels of access to official documents.
Park Geun-hye had “concealed completely Choi Soon-sil’s meddling in state affairs and denied it whenever suspicions over the act emerged and even criticized those who raised the suspicions,” it said.
However, the judges dismissed some charges, including accusations Park Geun-hye had infringed on freedom of the press by creating a media blacklist of cultural figures, and criticism of her response during the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster.
According to the US report, Chinese civil society groups suffered “repression and coercion” and accused Beijing of curtailing freedoms in Hong Kong and Macau.
As well as sharp criticisms of American democracy, the Chinese report – which drew heavily on US media coverage – also highlighted cases of police violence and racism.
The report accused the US of “wielding <<the baton of human rights>>” while “paying no attention to its own terrible human rights problems”.
It added: “With the gunshots lingering in people’s ears behind the Statue of Liberty, worsening racial discrimination and the election farce dominated by money politics, the self-proclaimed human rights defender has exposed its human rights ‘myth’ with its own deeds.”
China strictly curtails freedom of speech and is frequently criticized for arbitrary detentions, official brutality, widespread corruption, a lack of transparency, a pliant judiciary and little in the way of democracy.
The country is also extremely sensitive to criticism and has cracked down on domestic critics.
Two people have died and two others injured after a highway bridge has collapsed near the north-east Italian city of Ancona, Italian officials say.
The victims were in a car below the bridge when it fell down onto the A14 road, which runs between Loreto and Ancona South.
Image source EPA
The bridge collapse involved a temporary structure which was supporting it, Autostrade, the Italian highways agency said.
Two Romanian workers were also injured, Italian media reported.
The two victims were a husband and wife, originally from the province of Ascoli Piceno, whose white Nissan Qashqai was crushed as the bridge came down, Ansa news agency reported.
The bridge had been closed to traffic for maintenance work, it said.
Ansa quoted a witness named Francesco as saying the collapse “happened suddenly” and a female driver in front of him braked and stopped just 33ft from the collapsed bridge.
The affected road is now closed in both directions.
Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, a 36-year-old Egyptian woman believed to be the world’s heaviest at 1,100lb, has undergone weight loss surgery at an Indian hospital.
A spokesperson at Mumbai’s Saifee Hospital said the patient had already lost 220lb since arriving in India in January.
The hospital said in a statement: “We are trying to get her fit enough to fly back to Egypt as soon as possible.”
Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty’s family said she had not left her house for 25 years until she came to Mumbai on a chartered plane.
Image source Twitter
The surgery was performed by a team of doctors led by bariatric surgeon, Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala.
Bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, is used as a last resort to treat people who are dangerously obese (having a BMI of 40 or above or 35 plus other obesity-related health conditions).
Eman Abd El Aty’s family says she weighed 11lb at birth and was diagnosed with elephantiasis, a condition in which body parts swell due to a parasitic infection.
By the time she was 11, her weight had risen sharply and she suffered a stroke which left her bedridden.
She is cared for by her mother and sister.
Bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, is used as a last resort to treat people who are dangerously obese and carrying an excessive amount of body fat.
These carried claims that the CIA had developed ways to listen in on smartphone and smart TV microphones.
The CIA, FBI and White House have declined to comment on the authenticity of the files leaked on March 7.
On March 8, CIA officials – who spoke on the condition of anonymity – told media that the criminal investigation was looking into how the files came into WikiLeaks’ possession.
The CIA has not confirmed whether the documents – said to date between 2013 to 2016 – are real.
Several of the tech companies whose products have been allegedly compromised by the CIA gave their first reactions on March 8.
Apple said it had already addressed some of the vulnerabilities.
“The technology built into today’s iPhone represents the best data security available to consumers, and we’re constantly working to keep it that way,” it said.
Samsung – whose F8000 series of TVs was reportedly compromised – said that “protecting consumers’ privacy and the security of our devices is a top priority at Samsung”.
“We are aware of the report and are looking into it,” a spokesman from Microsoft said.
Google has also reacted to claims that the CIA was able to “penetrate, infest and control” Android phones due to its discovery and acquisition of “zero day” bugs – previously unknown flaws in the operating system’s code.
“As we’ve reviewed the documents, we’re confident that security updates and protections in both Chrome and Android already shield users from many of these alleged vulnerabilities,” the company told the news site Recode.
“Our analysis is ongoing and we will implement any further necessary protections. We’ve always made security a top priority and we continue to invest in our defenses.”
The World Wide Web Foundation – which campaigns for internet privacy – said the US government needed to issue a detailed response.
Lee Jae-yong’s trial on a string of corruption charges including bribery and embezzlement has begun in South Korea.
The Samsung vice-president and heir apparent was not present at the preliminary hearing, but his lawyer denied all charges on his behalf.
The case is linked to a massive scandal that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.
Four other Samsung executives who are also facing trial have also denied wrongdoing.
The trial is expected to go on for several months.
Image source Reuters
Lee Jae-yong, professionally known as Jay Y. Lee, is currently vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics. But since his father, Lee Kun-hee, suffered a heart attack in 2014, he is considered de facto boss of the entire Samsung Group conglomerate.
He is accused of giving donations worth 41 billion won ($36 million) non-profit foundations operated by Choi Soon-sil, a friend of Park Geun-hye.
Prosecutors have alleged this was done to win government support for a big restructuring of Samsung that would help a smooth leadership transition in favor of Lee Jae-yong.
In a December parliamentary hearing, Samsung admitted giving a total of 20.4 billion won to two foundations, but denied seeking favors in return.
Lee Jae-yongalso confirmed the company gave a horse and money to help the equestrian career of Choi Soon-sil’s daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, something he said he now regrets.
They included revelations that the president had allowed her old friend – who holds no government role – to edit political speeches.
Politicians voted in December 2016 to impeach her over the scandal. South Korea’s constitutional court is expected to rule shortly on whether that decision will be upheld.
Until then, Park Geun-hye remains formally president but stripped of her powers.
Park Geun-hye denies wrongdoing but has apologized for the way she managed her relationship with Choi Soon-sil, who also denies committing criminal offences.
With more than 210 million people shopping online, having an ecommerce platform for your business is essential to keep your profits up. If you are starting from square one, professional services are the best way to get an ecommerce website up and running quickly. You can find sophisticated and easy-to-use ecommerce services on line. These services are not expensive and are suitable for a small business that is selling fewer than 25 products or a large business with 100K inventory.
How to Sell Online
To save time and money, it is recommended to use an ecommerce service package, so you do it right the first time. Most packages include a secure shopping cart, smartphone optimization, a domain name, payment and order processing, marketing and more. Here are some tips to make sure you have a good ecommerce solution.
Business Name
You need a good, original name for your business and, ideally, your business name will be your domain name. If your business name is not available, you should choose a URL that relates to your business that is easy to spell and say. For example, if your business is PaperFlowersDelight.com, but that has already been taken, you may use DelightfulPaperFlowers. Your website should be visually appealing and easy to navigate. Your service will offer customizable designs, templates and builder tools.
Business Structure
There are several options for business structure, including sole proprietor, LLC, partnership and corporation. The IRS will automatically consider you a sole proprietor or partnership if you do not register as an LLC or corporation. As a sole proprietor, your personal assets are at risk if your business does not have enough to cover its debts. Not only does an LLC separate your personal assets from your business, it provides other tax benefits.
Once the structure is set, you need to apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) in order to open a bank account and file business taxes. You will need an EIN even if you do not have employees yet. You will also need to apply for the business licenses and permit that any business needs whether brick and mortar or online.
Market Early
Even if your business is not officially functioning yet, you can still start marketing on social media and other places. You may put a Coming Soon page on your website with a place people can sign up for updates. You can do this while you stock inventory. It is always better to have too much inventory, but you need to watch your sales, so you can adjust the inventory to the sales.
Get the Right Software
A professional service will recommend the best software for your business. It will also provide other services such as Internet marketing services, call center services, Facebook stores and much more.
You can have an up-and-running ecommerce site in no time if you take advantage of professional services that understand the industry and can get you on the right track with the fewest possible obstacles.
The basic law of economics is supply and demand. When supplies are high and demand is low, so are prices. When supplies are low and demand is high, the price is too. With today’s algorithms it is now possible to determine the nature of the demand for a given item, as well as the potential supply, and set your pricing accordingly. This concept is known as demand pricing.
So, is dynamic pricing right for your ecommerce enterprise?
If you have a product everybody wants and they really can’t get it anywhere else, you can pretty much set your own price. Airlines routinely employ this strategy, which is why two passengers can be sitting side by side in a plane having paid two wildly different fares for their seats. In some cases, depending upon when they bought the ticket, a person enduring the indignities of a middle seat in coach can actually have paid more than someone blissfully sipping champagne in First Class on the exact same flight.
When you’re considering how to create an ecommerce site, dynamic pricing is one of the functionalities you’ll likely want to include. Highly successful retailers like Amazon and WalMart use it. In fact, Amazon’s prices fluctuate approximately every 10 minutes, while WalMart’s change some 50,000 times a month. In so doing, both companies have grown their sales by some 27 percent per annum.
The most commonly employed dynamic pricing strategies include:
Peak Pricing
While utility companies in particular are known for this, peak pricing can also be employed to take advantage of cultural shifts and events. Merchants can surf demand fluctuations, instituting higher prices when demand is up and lowering prices when demand wanes—or when their competitors have low inventory and raise their prices. When the Cubs won the World Series, demand for Cub-oriented merchandise was high. As the public’s attention shifted, Cubs gear became less popular. Retailers employing peak pricing strategies around these items lowered prices to clear out excess merchandise.
Time-Based Pricing
When an item is about to be superseded by a newer one, time-based pricing can be used to get rid of it. This is why the best time to buy a new car is at the end of its model year. When those shiny new 2018s roll out, the 2017s are suddenly less attractive. To get them to move, automakers will slap incentives on them to give consumers a reason to turn their heads away from the 2018s just long enough to clear the remaining stock of 2017s. This strategy can be employed by ecommerce merchants to, say, clear out last year’s flat-screens to make room for the new and improved models coming in this year.
Penetration Pricing
Got an all-new product for which demand has yet to be established? This is good time to employ a penetration pricing strategy to reward early adopters willing to give it a try. Once they’ve bought into it enough to create a buzz, you can then raise the price to whatever level the market will support. Executed well, this strategy can serve to undercut your competition and increase your market share.
Chief among the many advantages of dynamic pricing is the flexibility it gives you in terms of your pricing structure, while simultaneously allowing you to maintain control of the value of a brand. You can set a floor below which the price will never fall. This way, if you have a good with a certain cachet attached to its pricing you can still offer shoppers a deal without cheapening the product. Dynamic pricing also ensures competitors don’t undercut you. All in all, it’s a good way to go. You just have to make sure your platform will support implementation of the strategy.
One of Malta’s famous landmarks, the Azure Window rock arch, has collapsed into the sea after heavy storms.
Malta’s PM Joseph Muscat said the news was “heartbreaking”.
A study in 2013 said that while erosion was inevitable, the structure was not in imminent danger of collapsing, the Times of Malta reports.
Image source Wikimedia
The popular limestone arch on Gozo island was featured on the first episode of the HBO series Game of Thrones and several movies.
Officials had recently introduced signs and a fine to stop people from walking across the landmark but they were often ignored.
PM Joseph Muscat said on Twitter: “Reports commissioned over the years indicated that this landmark would be hard hit by unavoidable natural corrosion. That sad day arrived.”
Strong gale force winds hit Malta on March 7, leading the Gozo Channel ferry company to suspend its services.
Tourists have been filmed jumping off the Azure Window into the sea, dislodging clumps of rock in the process.
For those mourning the loss, there is a second, less well-known arch at nearby Wied il-Mielah.
A mystery video of Kim Jong-nam’s son has emerged amid investigation of the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s murder.
In the short and censored clip, the young man says: “My name is Kim Han-sol, from North Korea, part of the Kim family.”
Kim Jan-sol says he is with his mother and sister, but there are no details on the date or location. It’s the Kim family’s first public comment since Kim Jong-nam’s assassination in Malaysia.
Kim Jong-nam was killed in a Kuala Lumpur airport on February13 by attackers who smeared his face with VX nerve agent.
Officials at South Korea’s Unification Ministry and National Intelligence Service have confirmed that the man in the video is Kim Han-sol.
The 40-second clip features the man identified as Kim Han-sol sitting against a grey wall. In perfect, slightly accented English, he introduces himself and says: “My father has been killed a few days ago. I’m currently with my mother and my sister.”
Kim Han-sol shows what appears to be a North Korean diplomatic passport to confirm his identity, though the details have been blocked out, and says he is “grateful to…” before the audio and image are censored.
The man ends by saying: “We hope this gets better soon.”
Image source YouTube
As Kim Jong-nam was killed last month, it is unclear when and where the video was filmed, and what Kim Han-sol’s current whereabouts are.
The video was put online by a group called the Cheollima Civil Defense (CCD) – they have not previously been heard of, and appear to have registered a website and YouTube account only recently.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said the group presumably assists escaping North Koreans – there is a town south-west of Pyongyang named Cheollima. They sent the video link to the Malaysia correspondent for Channel News Asia.
A message in English on the CCD site said it had responded to a request for protection from “survivors of the family of Kim Jong-nam”.
“We have in the past addressed other urgent needs for protection. This will be the first and last statement on this particular matter, and the present whereabouts of this family will not be addressed.”
The group also thanked several countries for offering emergency humanitarian assistance, including the Netherlands, China and the US and “a fourth government to remain unnamed”, while giving particular thanks to the Netherlands ambassador in South Korea, AJA Embrechts.
Kim Han-sol is believed to be 21, and has lived a low-profile life since his father’s exile, growing up in Macau and China.
In 2012, Kim Han-sol appeared in a TV interview for Finnish TV from Bosnia, where he was studying, saying he had never met his powerful uncle or his grandfather, the late Kim Jong-il.
Kim Han-sol said he had “always dreamed that one day I would go back and make things better and make it easier for the people” of North Korea.
China has called on North Korea to suspend its tests of missile and nuclear technology to “defuse a looming crisis”.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that in exchange, the US and South Korea could halt annual joint military drills, which consistently infuriate North Korea.
In response, the US began rolling out a missile defense system in South Korea.
Speaking on the sidelines of China’s annual parliamentary meeting, Wang Yi said the Korean peninsula was like “two accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way”.
“Are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision?” he asked.
A mutual halt of military operations would be the first step towards easing tensions and reopening negotiations, he said.
Three of the North Korean missiles came down inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Monday, prompting Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe and President Donald Trump to say the region had entered “a new stage of threat”.
In a unanimous statement, the UN Security Council earlier strongly condemned the launch, calling it a grave violation of North Korea’s international obligations, which risked destabilizing the region.
The Un Security Council, which will meet on March 8, also threatened to “take further significant measures” against North Korea, which could imply efforts to introduce a fresh round of sanctions.
The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) is designed to protect South Korea, and US troops based there, from North Korean missile attacks. The first elements of it were moved into place on March 7, hours after North Korea’s latest launch.
Canadian town of Onoway, Alberta, has apologized after a water treatment plan turned the water supply pink.
Residents complained to the town office when taps began running pink water on March 6.
In a statement, Onoway Mayor Dale Krasnow said there was no public health risk but the town “could have done a better job communicating what was going on”.
Potassium permanganate is commonly used to remove iron and hydrogen sulphide from water, and the town office said it got into the reservoir when a valve malfunctioned during “normal line flushing and filter backwashing”.
“The reservoir was drained, however some of the chemical still made it into the distribution system.
“While it is alarming to see pink water coming from your taps, potassium permanganate is used in normal treatment processes to help remove iron and manganese and residents were never at risk.”
According to the WHO, potassium permanganate can cause skin irritation, but there were no reports of any adverse effects.
Mayor Dale Krasnow said: “This is a situation we can certainly learn from and develop a strategy for better response and communication should we ever face the same or similar situation in the future.”
Former Panamanian leader Manuel Antonio Noriega has undergone a second operation after suffering a hemorrhage following brain surgery.
General Manuel Antonio Noriega, 83, was critically ill and had been taken back to the operating theatre at the Santo Tomas hospital in Panama City, his daughter Thays said.
He was released from prison in January to allow him to prepare for the operation.
Manuel Noriega was jailed in Panama for murder, corruption and embezzlement.
Image source Wikimedia
Doctors were successful in halting the hemorrhage during the second operation, but the former leader remains in intensive care.
Manuel Noriega suffered from vascular ailments and has been reliant on a wheelchair.
Although he was never the actual president of Panama, General Manuel Noriega was the key figure from 1983 to 1989 – and a key US ally in Central America for four decades.
The former military ruler was jailed following the US invasion of Panama in 1989.
After serving 20 years in the US he was sent to France, where he was sentenced to seven years for money laundering.
Manuel Noriega was convicted in absentia of crimes carried out during his rule and extradited from France to Panama to serve his sentence in 2011.
Let’s start with a basic assertion; the forex market is one of the most volatile and changeable entities in the world. This is often attributed in part to its popular nature and exceptionally high trading volumes, although it was recently revealed that despite a recent increase in volatility the amount transacted each da has fallen from 5.3 million (in 2013) to $5.1 trillion as of April 2016.
Make no mistake; however, this market is still the most volatile available to traders and those who want to deal in currency must keep several considerations in mind. With this in mind, let’s take a look at three of the most important points to bear in mind when looking to trade currency or start a career in forex trading: –
1. Determinism is a Core Trading Attribute
Knowledge is considered to be king in the forex market, but while this remains exceptionally important it is also imperative that traders showcase a certain amount of determinism. This means that rather than trading emotively and responding to every single trend and market peak, traders comprehend the underlying laws that govern the sector and shape their investments accordingly. This can make the difference between good and bad trades, while also optimising the impact of your various strategies over time.
Image source Max Pixel
2. Trade Online and Through Your Mobile
Successful traders must also operate online in the modern age, as this enables them to access the market in real-time and make genuinely informed decisions. There is also the opportunity for traders to operate through their mobile device through a dedicated app at present, which is ideal for anyone looking to open and close short-term market conditions. This is why trading platforms such as Sucden Financial are so popular in the modern age, especially in a global marketplace that operates across three, separate trading sessions and 24-hour periods.
3. Forex is Great, But it Should be Part of a Diverse Portfolio
While the forex market is a liquid entity that is capable of delivering huge, margin-based returns, it should also be noted that investors can also lose far more than they initially commit. Not only this, but investing in a single marketplace makes it difficult to optimise your returns overtime, so it is important to look beyond currency and consider leveraging other asset classes to create a diverse portfolio. This way, you can combine forex with less volatile assets, ensuring that you are able to access both sizeable returns and more liable profits on a regular basis.
In order for your business to succeed, it’s vital that you’ve chosen the right location for it. However, this isn’t always as straightforward as it may seem, as there are a number of factors that come into play. You’ll want to choose something that’s in keeping with your budget but also provides convenient access for your suppliers, employees and customers.
When choosing your businesses location, here are a few things you should consider:
How Much Trade is Passing By?
The nature of your business will determine whether or not passing trade is a crucial factor. But if you’re reliant on customers coming to your business premises, you’ll want to make sure the location is ideal for your target customer base. If not, this could have a huge impact on your business.
When you’re doing your property search, many companies like GVA will be able to provide you with the demographics of customers within a particular area, allowing you to see whether a location is viable for your company or not.
Image source Wikipedia
Are There Competitors in the Area?
Your company’s sales could be impacted if there are too many competitive businesses within the locale. You’ll need to do thorough research to see how close competitors are and whether other businesses could encroach on your customers. Equally, being close to other non-competitive businesses will be a must for some organisations (e.g. clothes shops), as having a number of places to visit will attract more visitors to the area.
Does it Have Good Transport Links and Parking Facilities?
To make sure your business is accessible for customers and employees, you’ll need to ensure the premises is easily accessible for them. Check for great transport links (e.g. major motorways, buses, trains and airports) to make sure people and supplies can get to you easily, and make sure there are ample parking spaces for everyone.
What Business Rates and Council Charges are There?
It’s also important to consider what additional costs you may face, as different premises may come with varying costs for things such as waste collection. These can all add up on top of your existing monthly expenses, so be sure to calculate whether these ongoing costs are something your business can afford or whether there’s a cheaper alternative elsewhere. Again, a professional commercial property company will be able to help you with calculating these costs.
Details of what it is thought to be wide-ranging hacking tools used by the CIA have been published by WikiLeaks.
According to the documents, the alleged cyber-weapons are said to include malware that targets Windows, Android, iOS, OSX and Linux computers as well as internet routers.
Some of the software is reported to have been developed in-house, but the UK’s MI5 agency is said to have helped build a spyware attack for Samsung TVs.
A spokesman for the CIA would not confirm the details.
He said: “We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents.”
WikiLeaks said that its source had shared the details with it to prompt a debate into whether the CIA’s hacking capabilities had exceeded its mandated powers.
According to documents dated June 2014, the effort to compromise Samsung’s F8000 range of smart TVs was codenamed Weeping Angel.
They describe the creation of a “fake-off” mode, designed to fool users into believing that their screens had been switched off.
Image source Wikimedia
Instead, the documents indicate, infected sets were made to covertly record audio, which would later be transferred over the internet to CIA computer servers once the TVs were fully switched back on, allowing their Wi-Fi links to re-establish.
Under a “future work” section, it is suggested that video snapshots might also be taken and the Wi-Fi limitation be overcome.
Samsung has not commented on the allegations.
WikiLeaks also claims that as of 2016, the CIA has built up an arsenal of 24 Android “zero days” – the term given to previously unknown security flaws in code.
Some of these are said to have been discovered by the CIA, but others were allegedly obtained from the UK’s GCHQ agency as well as the NSA and unnamed third-parties.
Samsung, HTC and Sony devices, among others, were said to have been compromised as a result, allowing the CIA to read messages on Whatsapp, Signal, Telegram and Weibo among other chat services.
It is also claimed that a specialized CIA unit was set up to target iPhones and iPads, allowing the agency to see a target’s location, activate their device’s camera and microphone, and read text communications.
The CIA unit is also reported to have made use of further iOS “zero days” obtained from GCHQ, the NSA and FBI.
Other claims say the CIA:
was trying to find ways to infect vehicles’ computer control systems. WikiLeaks claims these might have been used for undetectable assassinations.
had found ways to infect “air-gapped” computers – machines that are not linked up to the internet or other insecure networks. Methods are said to have included hiding data in images or hidden parts of computer storage.
had developed attacks against popular anti-virus products
had built up a library of hacking techniques “stolen” from malware developed in Russia and elsewhere
WikiLeaks describes its release as the first in a series of planned leaks about the CIA’s cyber-activities, which it refers to as Vault 7.
The material had already circulated among hackers who used to work for the US government as well as contractors in an unauthorized manner.
