Two Iraqi refugees in transit have been detained at John F. Kennedy airport following President Donald Trump’s immigration order.
Meanwhile, rights groups have filed a lawsuit in a New York court to demand their release.
According to the executive order signed on January 27, entry to the US for nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries has been stopped for 90 days. People fleeing Syria are banned until further notice.
The other countries affected are Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Image source Flickr
The two refugees detained in New York were in transit when the executive order was signed.
One of them, Haneed Khalid Darweesh, who had worked as a US Army interpreter, was released on January 28.
The other man, Haider Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshawi, remains in detention.
New York Representative Jerry Nadler tweeted that he and fellow Democratic Representative Nydia Velazquez were working to help 11 more refugees still being held.
Several rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), are involved in the lawsuit, filed on January 28.
Other Iraqi passengers and a Yemeni national were prevented from boarding a flight at Cairo airport bound for New York, despite holding valid visas for the US.
Google has announced it is recalling travelling staff members to the United States after an executive order from President Donald Trump restricting entry for nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries.
According to the order, Syrian refugees are banned from entry until further notice.
Nationals of six further countries, including Iran and Iraq, will be banned from entering the US for 90 days.
The entire US refugee admissions program is suspended for 120 days, and a lower cap on numbers introduced.
On January 28, several Iraqi passengers and a Yemeni national were prevented from boarding a flight at Cairo airport bound for New York, despite holding valid visas for the US.
The American Civil Liberties Union says it has filed a suit challenging the executive order. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) also says it will file a lawsuit.
The new restrictions will have a major impact on technology companies that hire skilled staff from all over the world on special H1-B visas.
There have been reports that “green card” holders, who are legal permanent residents of the US, being prevented from getting on flights. However, green cards are not specifically mentioned in the executive order, and so the status of green card holders remains unclear.
CAIR advised non-US citizens, including permanent residents, from the seven countries to plan to delay all international travel for at least 90 days.
President Trump said the measures detailed in his executive order would “keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the US”.
However, rights groups say there is no link between Syrian refugees in the US and terrorism.
Donald Trump signed the order on January 27, which was International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
His statement to mark that occasion, on the 72nd anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, made no mention of Jews or anti-Semitism.
The sudden and severe immigration restrictions imposed on passport holders from seven Muslim countries could seriously demonstrate the law of unintended consequences. The president wants to restrict some Muslims but the effect could be to damage America’s most important and profitable sector: technology.
Google has recalled around 100 of its affected staff from overseas. Microsoft has warned its shareholders that curbs on immigration could have a material impact on its business.
The technology sector relies heavily on highly skilled and well-paid workers from overseas on H1-B visas. If there’s a risk, however small, that that brainpower could be restricted in some way or scare off others who may feel unwelcome, the big tech companies may have to rethink where they place their key staff in future.
According to German prosecutors, former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn may have known the automaker was cheating on emissions tests earlier than he admitted.
He quit in September 2015 after VW admitted to using software to lower the emissions from its diesel vehicles during tests.
Martin Winterkorn has since denied knowing of the violations until late in August 2015, shortly before the board reported them.
However, German authorities said they were now investigating Martin Winterkorn for fraud.
Braunschweig prosecutors said they had searched 28 homes and offices this week in connection with the scandal.
As a result, the number of people accused of misconduct had risen from 21 to 37, including Martin Winterkorn.
German prosecutors said in a statement: “Sufficient indications have resulted from the investigation, particularly the questioning of witnesses and suspects as well as the analysis of seized data, that the accused [Martin Winterkorn] may have known about the manipulating software and its effects sooner than he has said publicly.”
Earlier this month, VW admitted to US prosecutors that about 40 employees had deleted thousands of documents in an effort to hide systematic emissions cheating from regulators.
VW was also fined $4.3 billion by US authorities and agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges.
In addition, VW has agreed to a $15 billion civil settlement with environmental authorities and car owners in the US.
The company is also facing 8.8 billion euros ($9.41 billion) in damage claims following the collapse of VW’s share price after the scandal broke.
VW shares slumped by a third in the immediate aftermath of the scandal and are still 7% below their September 2015 level.
Serena Williams has won her seventh Australian Open after beat sister Venus in straight sets.
The 35-year-old American won her 23rd Grand Slam singles title with 6-4 6-4 passing Steffi Graf in the all-time list of major winners since the Grand Slams accepted professional players in 1968.
Serena Williams regains the No 1 ranking from German Angelique Kerber.
Australia’s Margaret Court, with 24, is the only player still ahead of Serena in terms of Grand Slam singles titles.
Image source Getty Images
“Congratulations Serena on number 23,” said Venus Williams, who at 36 is the oldest Australian Open finalist in the Open era.
“I have been right there with you, some of them I lost right there against you. It’s been an awesome win.
“I’m enormously proud of you, you mean the world to me. I, God willing, would love to come back. Thank you for all the love.”
Serena Williams paid tribute to her sister, who was playing her first major final for eight years, saying: “There’s no way I would be at 23 without her. There’s no way I’d be at one without her. She’s my inspiration.
“She’s the only reason I’m standing here today. She’s the only reason the Williams sisters exist. Thank you for inspiring me. Every time you won this week, I felt like I got a win too.”
President Donald Trump has decided to suspend the refugee program and banned the entry of Syrian refugees into the US indefinitely.
Donald Trump has also halted the issuing of visas to the nationals of six other mainly Muslim countries, including Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, for three months.
The president said the measures were part of new measures to “keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the US”.
Rights groups have condemned the move, saying there is no link between Syrian refugees in the US and terrorism.
Under Donald Trump’s wide-ranging executive order, all refugee admissions have been suspended for four months.
President Trump signed the order at the Pentagon after a ceremony to swear in Gen. James Mattis as defense secretary.
During the ceremony, President Trump said: “I’m establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people.”
Image source Flickr
The text of the order was released several hours after it was signed. Among the measures are:
Suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days
A ban on refugees from Syria until “significant changes” are made
A 90-day suspension on anyone arriving from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, except certain visa categories such as diplomats
To prioritize future refugee applications from those persecuted for their religion – but only if the person is part of a minority religion in their home country
A cap of 50,000 refugees in 2017 – less than half of the upper limit under President Barack Obama
However, a mention of creating “safe zones” within Syria, seen in an earlier draft, was removed from the final order.
The executive order also said all immigration programs should include questions to “evaluate the applicant’s likelihood of becoming a positively contributing member of society.”
In a TV interview broadcast earlier on January 27, President Trump said Christians would be given priority among Syrians who apply for refugee status in the future.
Other measures include a broad review of the information required from all countries to approve a visa; a review of visa schemes between nations to ensure they are “truly reciprocal” for US citizens; and the immediate suspension of the Visa Interview Waiver Program.
However, the document says exceptions to most restrictions could be made on a case-by-case basis.
President Donald Trump also signed an executive order aimed at rebuilding the military by “developing a plan for new planes, new ships, new resources and new tools for our men and women in uniform”.
In 2016, Barack Obama’s administration admitted 10,000 Syrian refugees into the US. Neighboring Canada – whose population is a ninth of that of the US – took in 35,000.
During the election campaign, Donald Trump suggested a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on”.
However, he has made no mention of this since his victory last November.
The executive order has been met with criticism from rights organizations, Democrats and notable figures.
Democratic Senator Kamala Harris noted that the order had been signed on Holocaust Memorial Day.
“Make no mistake – this is a Muslim ban.
“During the Holocaust, we failed to let refugees like Anne Frank into our country. We can’t let history repeat itself,” she said.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was “profoundly saddened” and President Trump had sent “a shamefully different message” than the country’s founding beliefs.
Just as it is difficult to see the entire forest when you are lost in the trees, making sure every step of a sales relationship is followed and enforced can be difficult when you are struggling to keep up with day-to-day tasks.
Quote-to-cash processes can provide a trail of bedcrumbs that helps lead a sales team through the forest to the clearing—or goals—at the other end.
Quote-to-cash processes is a catch-all term for all of the business processes used in selling a product or service to a customer — from the opening offer to collecting the final payment.
Software systems, such as Kenandy, that automate quote-to-cash process typically include tools for configuring the initial offer, determining the price, offering a quote, handling the negotiating process, developing invoices, fulfilling orders, receiving payment and ensuring that appropriate renewal renegotiations take place. The technology behind quote-to-cash software is driving a $570-million-dollar industry, that has been demonstrating a 20 percent growth rate year over that is expected to continue until at least 2020.
Each of these steps are designed to help sales teams focus on their daily tasks without losing track of the bigger picture.
In this editorial from SupplyChainBrain, Rajat Bhargav and Dave Shidler of Oracle, cite increases in total revenue of up 10 to 15 percent, increase in sales per customer of 10 to 15 percent, increases in cross sales and up sales revenue by 20 to 35 percent, sales cycle times increasing by 25 to 50 percent, reductions in order processing errors of 20 to 30 percent, and a reduction in cycle time of roughly 10 percent for organizations that adopt quote-to-cash processes.
Here are five ways quote-to-cash solutions can help streamline your business processes:
Ensure Project Goals are Met – Often customer orders will require a business to ensure that many specific and often unique needs are met. Quote-to-cash systems can help with this challenge by giving the sales team a way to track each of these needs by giving them access to templates to make sure each promise made to the customer is tracked and enforced. This in turn helps to make sure that nothing critical slips through the cracks and helps improve customer satisfaction and overall approval.
Speed Up Proposals — Quote-to-cash tools also make it easy for companies to create proposal templates to ensure that sales teams are able to rapidly gain access to the appropriate product, pricing, and benefit information that can be then quickly assembled and provided to prospective buyers. This can help create faster turnaround times and reduce the time to final payout.
Improve Contract Negotiations — Many quote-to-cash systems give customers access to a library of contract templates containing approved language, usage guidelines, and even pre-approved alternative language that they can leverage for their contracts. Other features include intelligent wizards that will guide users through contract creation process and flag contracts that do not fit with approved guidelines. This guarantees that nothing gets lost in the contract-creation process and that all of the key provisions are contained in the final draft.
Dynamic Contract Adjustments — Quote-to-cash systems also allow users to automate the steps necessary to update contracts and ensure that as they are reaching their expiration date, sales teams are notified and can begin taking actions to ensure the relationship is maintained or renewed.
Settlement Processing — Resolving the transaction is just as important as any other phase in the quote-to-cash process. By giving users tools to create correct and accurate invoices, quote-to-cash systems can help companies improve the process of going from initial order to cash cycle and improve the overall customer experience. Additionally, quote-to-cash solutions can also help track key customer information to ensure that proper follow-ups are made to bring about new relationships with existing customers.
Long story short, quote to cash give companies an easy way to automate a large number of their most important processes to ensure that nothing critical gets lost among the ongoing challenges of driving a sales-focused operation. These solutions provide a powerful guide to keep you from losing your way as within the daily wilderness of modern business.
A suggestion that United States may impose a 20% tax on Mexican imports to pay for President Donald Trump’s planned border wall has been widely condemned in Mexico.
Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said such a tax would make imports more expensive for American consumers and they would end up paying for the wall.
Earlier, President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a visit to the United States over the row of who would pay for the wall.
The planned wall was one of Donald Trump’s key election campaign pledges.
At the beginning of this week, President Trump signed an executive order to create a wall along the 2,000-mile US-Mexico border.
Speaking on January 26, Luis Videgaray said: “A tax on Mexican imports to the United States is not a way to make Mexico pay for the wall, but to a way make the North American consumer pay for it through more expensive avocados, washing machines, televisions.”
The foreign minister also stressed that paying for Donald Trump’s wall “is not negotiable” for Mexico.
On January 26, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said a 20% tax could generate approximately $10 billion in tax revenue per year.
Image source Flickr
However, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus later said that the border tax is only one of several options being considered.
The rift between the neighbors and trade partners has deepened just days into Donald Trump’s presidency.
After President Enrique Pena Nieto pulled out of next week’s summit, President Trump said the meeting would have been “fruitless” if Mexico didn’t treat the US “with respect” and pay for the wall.
Earlier President Pena Nieto said he “lamented” the plans for the barrier.
In a TV address, the Mexican leader told the nation: “I’ve said time and again: Mexico won’t pay for any wall.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warned that US consumers may wind up bearing the cost of the proposed tax.
“Any tariff we can levy they can levy. Huge barrier to econ growth,” he wrote online.
“Build that wall” was one of Donald Trump’s campaign rally slogans.
His executive orders also called for hiring 10,000 immigration officials to help boost border patrol efforts.
Donald Trump said: “A nation without borders is not a nation.
“Beginning today the United States gets back control of its borders.”
Basketball player Akil Mitchell is doing pretty well after his eye popped out in the middle of a game, New Zealand media report.
Akil Mitchell, who plays for the New Zealand Breakers, was in Auckland for an Australian NBL game on January 26 when the incident happened.
The finger of an opposing player accidentally dislodged Akil Mitchell’s eyeball.
The 24-yar-old player from North Carolina fell to the ground holding his hands to his left eye and was rushed to hospital.
Image source Getty Images
“With the palm of my hand I felt my eyeball on the side of my face,” the player told New Zealand’s Radio Sport.
“I could still see out of the eye.”
“I remember thinking oh man… this is kinda bad, but I actually felt it kind of out of place and that’s when I kind of freaked out a little bit.”
Akil Mitchell said he remembered hearing the crowd and fellow players panicking and thought he would lose his sight and his career was over.
“Once I got in the ambulance they gave me a little pain medicine and some saline drops in my eye and I felt it slide back into place, which is also a really strange feeling.
“It felt so good to be able to blink again, which is insane.”
After being released from hospital on January 26, Akil Mitchell posted on Twitter that he was “seeing fine” and used the eyeballs emoji.
Akil Mitchell said he was expected to fully recover and could be playing again soon.
Toshiba has announced it will sell a slice of its smartphone memory chip unit.
The company needs to raise funds after revealing a heavy one-off loss at its US nuclear power business.
Toshiba will unveil the size of the write-down next month, but some estimate it could be around $6 billion.
It is widely reported that 20% of the chip business will be sold off, and Toshiba is expected to confirm this later.
Toshiba’s chip business is the second biggest in the world after Samsung’s, and has been valued at between $9 billion and $13 billion.
The company says it hopes to have struck a deal by the end of March.
Reports suggest Canon, Western Digital and the Development Bank of Japan could be potential buyers, though analysts expect Toshiba may be forced to accept a cut-price offer given its financial woes are well-publicized.
Shares in Toshiba have fallen more than 45% since late December, when it revealed the problems in its nuclear arm, linked to a deal done by US subsidiary, Westinghouse Electric.
Westinghouse bought a nuclear construction and services business from Chicago Bridge & Iron (CB&I) in 2015. But assets that it took on are likely to be worth less than initially thought, and there is also a dispute about payments that are due.
Toshiba has also reported “inefficiencies” in the labor force at CB&I, along with other factors driving up costs.
The damage to its finances threatens to undo efforts to recover from 2015 revelations that profits had been overstated for seven years. The accounting scandal led to the resignation of the company’s chief executive.
Since then, Toshiba has been trying to slim down the business, including selling its profitable medical devices operation to Canon in 2016.
Alibaba’s digital payments arm, Ant Financial, is buying US-based MoneyGram for $880 million.
MoneyGram has about 350,000 outlets in nearly 200 countries while Ant Financial has more than 630 million users.
The takeover will need regulatory approval from the US Committee on Foreign Investment.
The inter-agency committee reviews foreign acquisitions of domestic American assets on grounds of national security.
Ant Financial CEO Eric Jing said in a statement that the marriage of the two companies will “provide greater access, security and simplicity for people around the world to remit funds, especially in major economies such as the United States, China, India, Mexico and the Philippines”.
Ant Financial has a big market share in the online payments industry in China. The acquisition could help the company extend the lead as well as expand overseas, as competition is growing in China with rival Tencent’s WeChat payment system.
Moneygram’s shares rose by nearly 9% on the news. The takeover has been approved by MoneyGram’s board of directors.
Ant Financial’s shopping spree in the United States comes against a backdrop of rising tensions between China and the world’s biggest economy.
Before he took office, Donald Trump was questioning whether the US should continue its “One China” policy, sparking fury from Chinese state media. During his presidential campaign, he threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese imports.
However, Jack Ma, the founder and chairman of Alibaba, held a meeting with Donald Trump in December 2016.
While Donald Trump has been critical of China, he said he had a “great meeting” with Jack Ma, who chose to float Alibaba on the NYSE. The share sale in September 2014 was a record-breaker, as the e-commerce giant raised $25 billion in its initial public offering.
If the MoneyGram deal goes through, it will be Alibaba’s second acquisition in the United States. In 2016, Alibaba purchased EyeVerify in a $70 million deal.
EyeVerify is a start-up based in Missouri, which uses biometric authentication technology for securing user’s online data and transactions.
President Donald Trump is seeking a tax on goods imported from Mexico and use the revenue to build a border wall, White House spokesman Sean Spicer has said.
Donald Trump’s plan was announced just after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a visit to Washington, amid a row sparked by the question of who will pay for the wall.
On January 25, the president signed an executive order to create a wall on the US southern border with Mexico.
Making Mexico pay for it was one of Donald Trump’s key election campaign pledges.
However, President Enrique Pena Nieto has always insisted that will not happen and on January 26 he pulled out of next week’s White House meeting.
Hours later, Sean Spicer told reporters that President Trump had discussed the funding proposal with lawmakers, and that they are considering making it part of a tax reform package the US Congress is planning.
Image source Flickr
Sean Spicer said that a 20% tax could generate approximately $10 billion in tax revenue per year.
He said aboard Air Force One: “Right now our country’s policy is to tax exports and let imports flow freely in, which is ridiculous.”
He added that the tax will “easily pay for the wall”.
The plan is still being finalized, Sean Spicer explained, saying that the tax could ultimately be as low as 5%.
The rift between the neighbors and trade partners has deepened just days into Donald Trump’s presidency.
After President Pena Nieto pulled out of the summit, Donald Trump said the meeting would have been “fruitless” if Mexico didn’t treat the US “with respect” and pay for the wall.
Earlier the Mexican leader said he “lamented” the plans for the barrier.
In a TV address, Enrique Pena Nieto told the nation: “I’ve said time and again: Mexico won’t pay for any wall.”
Gambia’s newly-elected President Adama Barrow has returned to the country to assume power – days after his predecessor Yahya Jammeh left to go into exile.
Adama Barrow’s plane touched down at Banjul airport where jubilant crowds waited to welcome him. After landing, he tweeted: “I’m finally home #Gambia.”
The president, who has been in neighboring Senegal, won elections on December 1st.
However, a handover was stalled when Yahya Jammeh, Gambia’s leader of 22 years, refused to step aside.
Yahya Jammeh left for exile at the weekend after mediation by regional leaders and the threat of military intervention.
The new president, dressed in white robes and a cap, stepped off the plane in Banjul as heavily armed troops from Senegal and Nigeria stood by.
Overhead, a fighter jet from the West African force guaranteeing Adama Barrow’s security performed fly-pasts.
He told a reporter from the Associated Press in the crush at the airport: “I am a happy man today.”
He added: “I think the bad part is finished now.”
Adama Barrow said his priority was to appoint his cabinet and “then get the ball rolling”.
He was driven from the airport in a convoy of cars and waved to the crowds who lined the route.
The new president is staying at his own home while a security assessment is carried out at the official residence, State House.
AdamaBarrow was sworn in as president at the Gambian embassy in Senegal a week ago, but a public inauguration on home soil is planned soon, aides say.
The UN envoy for West Africa, Mohamed ibn Chambas, has said the UN will help guarantee security in The Gambia.
Several thousand West African soldiers remain in The Gambia amid reports that rogue pro-Jammeh elements are embedded in the country’s security forces.
President Adama Barrow has asked for the force to remain in The Gambia for six months.
His spokesman Halifa Sallah said an inauguration was being planned for the national stadium in Banjul.
Yahya Jammeh, who was a 29-year-old army lieutenant when he came to power in a 1994 coup, had refused to accept the results of the December election.
In other developments, parliament has canceled the state of emergency declared by Yahya Jammeh last week. It also revoked legislation that would have extended its life for a further 90 days.
In a recent interview, President Donald Trump has said he believes waterboarding works, saying “we have to fight fire with fire”.
He told ABC News he would consult Defense Secretary James Mattis and CIA director Mike Pompeo about what could be done legally to combat radicalism.
President Trump said while radical groups beheaded people in the Middle East “we’re not playing on an even field”.
However, ex-CIA director Leon Panetta said it would be a “serious mistake to take a backward step” on torture.
Donald Trump said he wanted to “keep our country safe”.
Image source Flickr
He said: “When they’re shooting, when they’re chopping off the heads of our people and other people, when they’re chopping off the heads of people because they happen to be a Christian in the Middle East, when ISIS is doing things that nobody has ever heard of since Medieval times, would I feel strongly about waterboarding?
“I have spoken with people at the highest level of intelligence and I asked them the question <<Does it work? Does torture work?>> and the answer was <<Yes, absolutely>>.”
Donald Trump continued: “They chop them off and they put them on camera and send them all over the world. So we have that and we’re not allowed to do anything?
“I will rely on Pompeo and Mattis and my group and if they don’t want to do it that’s fine. If they do want to do then I will work toward that end.
“I want to do everything within the bounds of what you’re allowed to do legally but do I feel it works? Absolutely I feel it works.”
Donald Trump indicated in a TV debate during the Republican presidential race that he might order troops to carry out waterboarding “and tougher” on terrorism suspects.
However, he later softened his stance, saying he would not order the military to break international law.
Waterboarding is the practice of pouring water over someone’s face to mimic drowning as an interrogation tactic.
It is widely considered as a form of torture and has been banned by the United States.
Brazil is facing its largest yellow fever outbreak since 2000 and the health ministry has ordered 11.5 million doses of vaccine.
Up to now, 70 cases – including 40 deaths – are confirmed, mostly in rural areas of the state of Minas Gerais. More than 300 cases are under investigation.
Vaccinations are being recommended for people travelling to Minas and other areas with confirmed cases.
Yellow fever is a potentially fatal disease transmitted by mosquitoes.
Most of the country is considered at risk from yellow fever but Brazil has only seen a handful of cases in recent years.
The governor of Minas Gerais has declared a 180-day state of emergency.
There have also been three confirmed cases in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s most populous state, and one each in Espiritu Santo and Bahia, which both neighbor Minas.
Around 5.5 million vaccine doses have already been sent to five states that have confirmed cases or are at risk. The other 6 million ordered will arrive soon.
It is not clear what has caused the rise in cases.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said that his country will not pay for Donald Trump’s border wall.
In a message to the nation, Enrique Pena Nieto said he “lamented” the plans for the barrier, adding that “Mexico doesn’t believe in walls”.
However, he made no mention of cancelling or postponing a trip to Washington on January 31 to meet President Donald Trump.
President Trump has signed an executive order for an “impassable physical barrier” and has insisted Mexico will reimburse the US for it.
Enrique Pena Nieto told the nation in a televised address: “I’ve said time and again; Mexico won’t pay for any wall.
“I regret and condemn the decision of the United States to continue construction of a wall that, for years, has divided us instead of uniting us.”
However, President Pena Nieto said his country offered “its friendship to the American people and its willingness to reach accords with their government”.
Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray – in Washington to lead a delegation that has held talks at the White House – told the Televisa network the president was still weighing January 31 visit but said “the meeting stands for now”.
Enrique Pena Nieto met Donald Trump – then a presidential candidate – in Mexico City in September and came under intense criticism at home and his current approval ratings are low.
Donald Trump said in an interview with ABC News that Mexico would “absolutely, 100%” reimburse the US for his wall.
However, Congress would have to approve funding for the structure, which is estimated to cost billions of dollars.
Building a 2,000 mile barrier along the Mexican border was one of Donald Trump’s key pledges in the election campaign.
The president spoke of a “crisis” on the southern US border as he signed the directives during a ceremony at the Department of Homeland Security on January 25.
The orders also called for hiring 10,000 immigration officials to help boost border patrol efforts.
“A nation without borders is not a nation,” Donald Trump said.
“Beginning today the United States gets back control of its borders.”
The executive orders are among a flurry expected on national and border security this week.
Donald Trump is next expected to announce immigration restrictions from seven countries with Muslim-majority populations in the Middle East and Africa. This could affect refugee programs.
These countries are believed to be Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has passed the 20,000 milestone for the first time on January 25.
The S&P 500 and tech-heavy NASDAQ were also at new highs, fuelled by hopes that President Donald Trump’s policies will boost the economy.
The Dow was up 0.8% at 20,074 points in afternoon trading.
Investors’ cash has poured into shares on hopes of tax cuts and higher growth.
Image source AP
Donald Trump’s senior adviser Kellyanne Conway was quick to comment on the news, tweeting that the landmark was down to “The Trump Effect”.
If the index stays above 20,000 by the time the day’s trading ends, then it would mean the 42-session rise from the first close above the 19,000 mark would be the second quickest 1,000 point rise of all time.
The Dow rose from 10,000 to 11,000 in only 24 trading days between March 29 and May 3, 1999, while the rise from 18,000 to 19,000 took 483 trading days (nearly two years).
Financial stocks have been a major factor in the gain – with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan accounting for around 20% of it.
This is because investors believe that some of Donald Trump’s policies will trigger inflation and produce a rise in interest rates.
According to new reports, Madonna has filed to adopt two more children in Malawi.
The singer appeared in court in the Malawian capital Lilongwe to make the application.
Madonna previously adopted two children from Malawi: David Banda in 2006 and Mercy James in 2009.
The 58-year-old star has two other children – Lourdes and Rocco – from previous relationships. Last year saw her involved in a custody dispute over Rocco with ex-husband Guy Ritchie.
Madonna eventually lost the case, with 16-year-old Rocco moving to London to live with his father.
Image source Instagram
She has yet to comment on her attempts to adopt two further children, but a government spokesman confirmed she had appeared in High Court on January 25.
Madonna flew to Malawi on January 24, fresh from the Women’s March in Washington.
Court spokesman Mlenga Mvula said the star would have to wait a week before hearing the court’s decision.
In 2013, Madonna explained her decision to become an adoptive parent in an article for Harper’s Bazaar: “I decided that I had an embarrassment of riches and that there were too many children in the world without parents or families to love them.
“I applied to an international adoption agency and went through all the bureaucracy, testing, and waiting that everyone else goes through when they adopt.”
However, Madonna was vilified in the press with some – including relatives of the adopted children – questioning her suitability as a parent.
The star called the furor “a real low point in my life”.
Madonna’s relationship with Malawi dates back to 2006, when she established the Raising Malawi foundation, with the goal of improving children’s lives.
She initially planned to build a $15 million girls’ academy, but later changed strategy, and used the money to fund a number of schools.
Raising Malawi also provides scholarships to female students, and is currently building the country’s first pediatric intensive care unit at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, in Blantyre.
Madonna visited the project last summer, and took David and Mercy to visit the orphanages where they lived before being adopted.
President Donald Trump has announced a “big day” on national security, including an announcement to build a wall on the border between the US and Mexico.
He is expected to sign several executive orders regarding immigration and border security over the next few days.
The executive orders are likely to include the “extreme vetting” of people coming from seven predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africa.
This would restrict refugee access.
Donald Trump tweeted on January 24: “Big day planned on national security tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!”
Image source Flickr
Building a 2,000-mile wall along the Mexican border was one of Donald Trump’s key proposals during the presidential election campaign.
There will also be measures that force so-called sanctuary cities in the US to co-operate with the authorities on deporting illegal immigrants.
“Sanctuary cities” are places that don’t arrest or detain immigrants living in the country illegally.
Later this week, Donald Trump is expected to announce immigration restrictions from seven African and Middle Eastern countries, including Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.
President Trump is also likely to halt access to the country for some refugees – until the vetting process can be made more rigorous.
He also took to Twitter to express his concern about the level of violence in Chicago.
Donald Trump threatened to “send in the Feds” – federal authorities – if the city did not “fix the horrible carnage” taking place.
Local media has said that more than 40 people have been murdered and 228 shot so far in 2017.
The UN has condemned Israeli plans to build more settlements in the occupied West Bank.
According to UN spokesman, “unilateral actions” were an obstacle to peace based on a two-state solution.
On January 24, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would build 2,500 more homes in Jewish settlements “in response to housing needs”.
It is the second such announcement by the Israeli authorities since President Donald Trump took office on January 20.
Palestinian officials said the plans undermined peace hopes by building on land they want for a future state.
Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, said: “For the secretary general there is no Plan B for the two-states solution.
“In this respect any unilateral decision that can be an obstacle to the two-state goal is of grave concern for the secretary general.
“There is a need for the two parties to engage in a bona fide negotiation to reach the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, two states for two people.”
Donald Trump has indicated that he will be more sympathetic to settlement construction than his predecessor, Barack Obama, and has appointed a staunch settlement supporter as his ambassador to Israel.
Image source Wikimedia
Last month, he criticized President Barack Obama for declining to veto a UN Security Council resolution which demanded Israel immediately cease all settlement activities and warned they were “dangerously imperiling the viability of a two-state solution”.
About 500,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel’s 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
Most of the new homes approved on January 24 will be built in existing West Bank settlement blocs, including 902 in Ariel and 652 in Givat Zeev.
One hundred will be constructed in Beit El, a settlement near Ramallah that reportedly has received funding from a foundation run by the family of Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner.
Following the announcement, Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Twitter: “We are building – and continuing to build.”
Benjamin Netanyahu says he still supports a two-state solution, but on January 22 he reportedly told ministers that he was lifting restrictions on construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as the city’s municipality approved permits for 566 new homes in the settlements of Pisgat Zeev, Ramat Shlomo and Ramot.
He also discussed the peace process with the Palestinians with President Trump in a telephone conversation, during which he was invited to a meeting in Washington in early February.
“The president emphasized that peace between Israel and the Palestinians can only be negotiated directly between the two parties, and that the United States will work closely with Israel to make progress towards that goal,” the White House said.
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi strongly denounced January 24 announcement.
She said in a statement: “Once again, the Israeli government has proved that it is more committed to land theft and colonialism than to the two-state solution and the requirements for peace and stability.
“Such a deliberate escalation of Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise constitutes a war crime and the flagrant violation of international law and conventions, in particular UN Security Council resolution 2334.”
Hanan Ashrawi called on the US and the rest of the international community to “undertake serious and concrete measures to bring about a full cessation of all settlement activities and to hold Israel to account for these disastrous plans with punitive measures and sanctions before it completes the destruction of the territorial and demographic contiguity of the West Bank”.
The White House has defended Donald Trump’s voter fraud claim, saying that the president believes that millions of people voted illegally in the US election based on “studies and evidence”.
Press secretary Sean Spicer said President Trump “does believe that”, but offered no evidence to support the claim when pressed by reporters.
Donald Trump has repeated his claim to explain why he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton.
However, any notion of widespread voter fraud has been widely rejected.
Sean Spicer told reporters on January 24: “He continues to maintain that belief based on studies and evidence that people have presented to him.”
The press secretary’s comments came after President Trump told congressional leaders behind closed doors on January 23 that three to five million undocumented immigrants had illegally voted in the election.
Donald Trump, who first made the claim in a late November tweet, has never provided any evidence.
Fact-checkers have rejected it as untrue and Republican election officials in key states have said they found no proof of fraudulent voting.
Image source CNBC
On January 24, the National Association of Secretaries of State said it had confidence in the “systemic integrity of our election process” and was not aware of any evidence related to Donald Trump’s claims.
Hillary Clinton received nearly three million votes more than Donald Trump, who won the presidency by prevailing in so-called swing states.
Republicans admonished Donald Trump and urged him to drop the matter a day after the closed doors meeting with congressional leaders.
Senator Lindsey Graham called the comments “inappropriate”, adding that Donald Trump should “knock this off”.
He continued that President Trump “seems to be obsessed with the idea that he could not have possibly lost the popular vote without cheating and fraud”.
House Speaker Paul Ryan also said there was no evidence to support Donald Trump’s claims.
Republican Pennsylvania Representative Charlie Dent also weighed in, saying Donald Trump needed to move on and “get to the serious business of governing”.
Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders said it was “nonsensical” and he feared Donald Trump was paving the way for Republican governors to “go forward with voter suppression”.
Modern musical romance La La Land has scored a record 14 nominations for this year’s Oscars.
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are up for best actor and actress for their roles in the movie.
La La Land is also one of nine movies up for the best picture award.
Arrival and coming-of-age drama Moonlight have eight nominations each, with the latter’s citations including a supporting actress nod for Naomie Harris.
Naomie Harris, who plays Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond movies, said she was “over the moon” and “couldn’t be more thrilled”.
La La Land‘s 14 nominations puts it on the same footing as All About Eve and Titanic, which both received 14 nominations in 1951 and 1998 respectively.
It is now the most nominated musical in Oscar history, having topped the 13 nods Mary Poppins received in 1965.
Damien Chazelle is nominated both for his direction and original screenplay, while his movie has two nominations in the best song category.
La La Land, which received 11 BAFTA nominations earlier this month, gets additional nods for its score, editing and cinematography.
It is also shortlisted for its costume and production design and for its sound editing and mixing.
Ben-Hur, Titanic and the third Lord of the Rings movie share the record for Oscar wins, having each won 11 awards.
Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, Lion and Manchester by the Sea join Arrival, La La Land and Moonlight on the best picture shortlist.
Meryl Streep gets her 20th Oscar nomination, in the best actress category, for her role in Florence Foster Jenkins.
Natalie Portman, Ruth Negga and Isabelle Huppert are also in contention for their roles in Jackie, Loving and Elle.
Previous Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Octavia Spencer also receive nominations for Lion and Hidden Figures.
Lion tells the true story of an Indian-born man who, having been adopted and raised in Tasmania, uses Google Earth to find the family he was parted from as a child.
In a statement, Nicole Kidman thanked AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) “for all of the acknowledgements you have given this heartfelt film”.
Moonlight‘s Mahershala Ali, Manchester by the Sea‘s Lucas Hedges and Hell or High Water‘s Jeff Bridges are also up for best supporting actor.
The line-up is completed by Michael Shannon, a surprise nominee for his role as a grizzled sheriff in Nocturnal Animals.
Many had expected Aaron Taylor-Johnson to be nominated following his triumph at the Golden Globes earlier this month.
If Damien Chazelle wins best director, he will be the youngest person ever to receive the award.
Mel Gibson is also up for the director prize, as is Arrival‘s Denis Villeneuve, Moonlight‘s Barry Jenkins and Manchester by the Sea‘s Kenneth Lonergan.
Non-white talent is well-represented in this year’s acting nominations, with at least one non-white actor included in each of the four categories.
This contrasts with 2015 and 2016’s nominations, which were criticized for having all-white line-ups in the acting categories.
Jimmy Kimmel will host this year’s Oscar ceremony on February 26.
Rex Tillerson has been narrowly approved as secretary of state, despite concerns about his business ties to Russia.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee split along party lines, with all 11 Republicans voting in favor and all 10 Democrats against. A full vote will now be held in the Republican-run Senate.
The move capped a busy day for Donald Trump’s administration.
Most notable was the US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), fulfilling a campaign pledge.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to pull out from the 12-nation trade deal that had been a linchpin of former President Barack Obama’s Asia policy.
He said: “Great thing for the American worker what we just did.”
Also on January 23, the Senate confirmed Mike Pompeo as Donald Trump’s CIA director.
Mike Pompeo’s immediate task, correspondents say, will be to establish an effective relationship between the spy agency and Donald Trump.
Image source Flickr
Donald Trump has been critical of the CIA for concluding that Russia had been actively working to influence the US presidential election in his favor.
In another development, new US Defense Secretary James Mattis said Washington had an “unshakeable commitment” to NATO, despite Donald Trump’s earlier description of the military alliance as “obsolete”.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Rex Tillerson after leading Republican Senator Marco Rubio dropped his opposition.
Marco Rubio sparred with Rex Tillerson during confirmation hearings earlier this month, accusing him of being soft on Russia.
The 64-year-old former head of Exxon Mobil knows Russian President Vladimir Putin through his business dealings.
However, Rex Tillerson has criticized Moscow for its annexation of Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula in 2014.
Marco Rubio said that although he had doubts over the choice, he believed a new president was entitled to deference in assembling his cabinet.
“Despite my reservations, I will support Mr. Tillerson’s nomination in committee and in the full Senate,” said Marco Rubio.
He had challenged Rex Tillerson over his refusal to call President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” over Russia’s air strikes in Syria and his failure to condemn strongly enough human rights violations in Saudi Arabia and the Philippines.
Marco Rubio was among the candidates who fought Donald Trump in the battle for the Republican presidential ticket.
The partisan split in the voting is unusual. Traditionally, nominees for secretary of state have been approved by overwhelming votes from both parties.
Senator Ben Cardin, the committee’s top Democrat, had said he would not vote for Rex Tillerson, also over his position on Russia as well as other issues.
He also suggested that Rex Tillerson’s “business orientation” could “compromise his ability as secretary of state to forcefully promote the values and ideals that have defined” America.
While critics raise concern about Rex Tillerson’s ability to trade in his corporate interest for a national one, some supporters suggest the former CEO’s background as a global dealmaker may bring fresh perspective to the nation’s top diplomatic post.
At a closed doors meeting on January 23, Donald Trump told congressional leaders he would have won the popular vote in the election if millions of undocumented immigrants had not voted illegally. He gave no evidence for the claim.
Hillary Clinton won nearly three million votes more than Donald Trump, who got more support in key swing states and won the Electoral College.
However, any notion of widespread voter fraud was widely rejected as untrue when Donald Trump made the same claim in November.
Previously top of their game in the car industry, US car giants, Ford reported something of a decline in interest over the past few years. With an optimised strategy, some seriously well structured marketing and heavy investment in technology, the brand has recently been invigorated and bounced back, fresher than ever.
Innovation led by nature
Once considered innovators, Ford have risen to the challenge of staying on top of innovation once again. With a dedicated centre in Silicon Valley, they have used biomimicry of the beloved gecko to inform development of the eco-friendly materials used to make the interior. Geckos hold strong to almost twice their bodyweight, making them a good model materials for the car industry. This technique of using nature to inform design was deployed also when Japan’s Shinkansen was developed, based on the speed of a kingfisher.
Tech uses in car
Ford’s unique AWD (All-wheel drive) of the newest Ford models was led by their impressive Ford Performance team, who are on the cutting edge of speed and agility in the automotive industry. There are tech features such as Traffic Sign Recognition and SYNC 2 connectivity which are noticeable in cars and point to a reinvigorated brand that oozes innovation. The EcoBoost Engine Technology and AWD demonstrate Ford’s innovation and companies such as Motorpoint have reported a rise in sales of recent Ford classics, which indicates a revival of Ford makes that Essentially, you can get a lot of the features in these recent and sporty models in cheaper models such as the Zetec S and the ST variations of the Focus.
Autonomous cars
For fans of David Hasselhoff’s Knightrider in the 80s, it’s exciting to think about the concept of autonomous cars actually driving themselves. Whilst this has not yet happened, Ford have a range of semi autonomous vehicles out on the road already, with no sign of stopping their innovation and production.
With tech leading their connectivity, design and innovation, Ford have embraced technologies such as Vines and other social media to improve their marketing, targeting a younger, millennial audience with a cohesive strategy that uses tech in all its forms.
2017 looks set to be Ford’s ‘year’ with regards to innovation and technology.
