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Ted Cruz: Donald Trump Is a Pathological Liar

Diane A. Wade
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Ted Cruz: Donald Trump Is a Pathological Liar

Ted Cruz has warned that America would “plunge into an abyss” if it elected Donald Trump.

The Texas senator spoke after Donald Trump suggested his father was connected to the man who killed President John F. Kennedy.

Donald Trump is poised to deliver a crushing blow to Ted Cruz as Indiana votes in the latest primary.

Ted Cruz’s advisers had targeted Indiana as the senator’s best hope of halting Donald Trump’s march to the nomination.

However, polls show Donald Trump with a sizeable lead in the mid-western state.

Ted Cruz attacked Donald Trump on May 3, calling the New York billionaire “totally amoral,” “a pathological liar” and “a serial philanderer”.

Responding, Donald Trump said “Ted Cruz is a desperate candidate trying to save his failing campaign.

Photo AP
Photo AP

“It is no surprise he has resorted to his usual tactics of over-the-top rhetoric that nobody believes.”

Ted Cruz and fellow candidate John Kasich are hoping to force a contested convention where party officials, not voters, choose the nominee.

If Donald Trump wins Indiana, he will likely reach the required 1,237 delegates to secure the nomination and avoid such a scenario.

Meanwhile in the Democratic battle, polls show Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders locked in a tight race in Indiana.

However, a Bernie Sanders win in Indiana would do little to erase Hillary Clinton’s commanding lead.

The Clinton campaign has shifted its focus to other states, opting not to actively campaign or spend money in Indiana.

Donald Trump told supporters on May 3 that he is eager turn his attention to the general election.

“You know if we win it’s over, and then I can focus,” he said at a campaign rally in the state.

Ted Cruz cannot get enough delegates to win the nomination outright, but hopes he can still deprive Donald Trump of a majority.

The third Republican candidate, John Kasich, is no longer campaigning in Indiana.

John Kasich and Ted Cruz reached a deal last month to coordinate their strategies against Donald Trump, a move which prompted Trump to label them “desperate”.

Rio 2016: Brazil Welcomes Olympic Flame

Clyde K. Valle
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Rio 2016: Brazil Welcomes Olympic Flame

Brazil has welcomed the Olympic flame for the start of a torch relay that will culminate with the opening of the Olympic Games in Rio in August.

The flame was flown inside a small lantern on a special flight from the Swiss city of Geneva to Brasilia.

Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff lit the Olympic torch which will be carried around Brazil by 12,000 runners.

It could be one of Dilma Rousseff’s last public acts ahead of a possible impeachment trial.

The Senate is expected to vote next week on whether proceedings against the president should go ahead.Olympic torch Brazil 2016

If a simple majority votes in favor, Dilma Rousseff will be suspended from office for up to 180 days and Vice-President Michel Temer will take over.

Dilma Rousseff is accused of manipulating government accounts ahead of her re-election in 2014.

The Olympic torch will pass through more than 300 towns and cities from the Amazon to Brazil’s southern border, arriving at the Maracana Stadium in Rio on August 5.

Among the first torchbearers will be a Syrian refugee who now lives in Brazil.

The first torchbearer was Fabiana Claudino, who led Brazil to Olympic gold medals in women’s volleyball in the 2008 and 2012 games, and is team captain this time.

Brazilian mathematician Artur Avila Cordeiro de Melo ran the second leg.

HSBC Reports Sharp Drop in Profit in Q1 2016

Clyde K. Valle
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HSBC Reports Sharp Drop in Profit in Q1 2016

HSBC has posted a 14% drop in profits for Q1 of 2016 following “extreme levels of volatility” in financial markets at the start of the year.

The banking giant’s profit before tax came in at $6.1 billion for Q1, down from $7.1 billion a year ago.

However, analysts had expected a far steeper fall in profits.

HSBC CEO Stuart Gulliver said the bank had been “resilient in tough market conditions”.

Adjusted pre-tax profits, including currency effects and one-off items, fell 18% to $5.4 billion.HSBC job cut 2015

HSBC cut almost a thousand jobs worldwide in Q1, leaving it with 254,212 full-time staff across 71 countries and territories.

Stuart Gulliver said HSBC was confident of hitting its $5 billion cost-cutting target by the end of 2017.

HSBC’s adjusted revenue for Q1 amounted to $13.9 billion, a 4% drop from the same time last year.

The bank also said the development of its Asian business was gaining momentum, “despite a challenging environment with key increases in market share in debt capital markets, China M&A and syndicated lending”.

Ahead of the results, analysts had warned HSBC might signal an end to its highly-valued progressive dividend, which delivers ever-increasing payouts.

However, HSBC maintained the progressive target and left its dividend unchanged from the same period last year at $0.10.

HSBC also announced that the $5.2 billion sale of its Brazil unit to banking giant Banco Bradesco received preliminary approval from competition regulators.

Are You a Homeowner? Here is Why You Need to Have Home Insurance

Dana R
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Are You a Homeowner? Here is Why You Need to Have Home Insurance

There are many reasons why you get insurance for things. It might be for a beloved pet that you want to be able to take care of, should they need it. It might even be for something like your smartphone or tablet, just incase anything happens to them. The idea of insurance is that we spend a little over time, to help us avoid spending a lot. In the worst case scenario, vet bills, hospital bills or even a new tablet, can cost a lot of money.

When you are a homeowner, there is nothing more important than getting home insurance. The cost of a new phone or a vet bill will be nothing compared to the cost of fire damage restoration if your home catches on fire. There are other things that could happen too, that you can’t plan for. What if a neighbor’s tree falls on your house? What if the lake near where you live floods, and your first floor gets soaked? There are a lot of possibilities, and you want to be covered in case of emergency. This is one of the best reasons why you should get home insurance.

Calculator, Calculation, Insurance, Finance, Accounting

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If you have home insurance, you will also have your possessions covered. Can you imagine having someone rob your home and then you have to pay again, for everything that was taken? Another laptop, expensive watch, TV. All would need to be bought again at your expense. It is so handy to have insurance to cover the cost of these things. You get the actual cash value of the items or a replacement in most cases too. So if your TV was quite old, you might get a replacement that is even better. Another winning reason to have home insurance!

Buying a home is a big investment. It can cost a lot of money. A lot of people want to make sure that if, and when they sell, they get a lot of money back from their investment. One way that they choose to do this is by making changes to the home. It might be a loft conversion or a new kitchen or bathroom. Can you imagine having a floor fall through as you are having a new bathroom installed? An accident like that is covered using home insurance. Can you imagine if you had a child that spilled paint all over your brand new carpet? In most cases, home insurance would cover accidental damage like this too. So having home insurance helps to protect your investment. You would just be losing money if you were paying out for damages all the time.

If nothing else, having home insurance helps to provide you with peace of mind. Fingers crossed that you will never be someone that has a home in the path of a tornado. But just in case you ever were, home insurance is the best thing to have. Have you ever had any experiences of this? It would be interesting to hear your thoughts.

Prince Love Child: Minnesota Man Comes Forward to Claim Inheritance

Lisa.Felice
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Prince Love Child: Minnesota Man Comes Forward to Claim Inheritance

According to new reports, an alleged love child of late star Prince has come forward to claim his inheritance.

The un-named man has enlisted Heir Hunters International to help back his claim that Prince fathered him in the 1980s.

Prince had relations with hundreds of women around the world and now a man from Prince’s home state of Minnesota claims to be his son.

The man has contacted the genealogical and research firm in a bid to net his supposed father’s wealth.

Photo Instagram
Photo Instagram

Heir Hunters International claims to have handled cases in 30 countries and to have handled cases totaling well over one hundred million dollars.

The team is now working round the clock to pin down the genealogy of Prince’s alleged love child, the Daily Mail reported.

If the man’s bid is successful it’s believed he will take all of Prince’s $300 million fortune.However, if the man’s claim is found to be false, it’s believed the money could go to Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson.

Heir Hunters are also dealing with a claim from a man who says he shares the same father as the late star and therefore is his half brother.

The company admits that they have been swamped with “hundreds” of similar claims, however, these are the only two they believe to be potentially legitimate.

“We have received hundreds of calls, emails and letters from people claiming to be either a child of Prince’s or offspring of Prince’s father,” it said.

“Obviously they all can’t be genuine claims, but we have established that at least two seem to be legitimate and will need further investigatio.”

J&J Talc-Powder Case: Gloria Ristesund to Receive $55 Million in Compensation

Kathryn R. Bown
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J&J Talc-Powder Case: Gloria Ristesund to Receive $55 Million in Compensation

J&J has been ordered to pay more than $55 million in compensation to Gloria Ristesund, who says the company’s talcum powder caused her ovarian cancer.

Gloria Ristesund, 62, said she used Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based powder products for decades.

J&J – which faces about 1,200 similar claims – insists its products are safe and says it will appeal.

Researchers say links with ovarian cancer are unproven.

In February, the pharmaceutical company paid $72 million in a similar case.Talc powder ovarian cancer

Gloria Ristesund was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2011 and had to undergo a hysterectomy and related surgeries. Her cancer is now in remission.

Following a three-week trial in a Missouri state court, Gloria Ristesund was awarded $5 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages.

Gloria Ristesund’s lawyer, Jere Beasley, said his client was gratified with the verdict. The jury’s decision should “end the litigation”, he said, and force J&J to settle the remaining cases.

J&J spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said the verdict contradicted 30 years of research supporting the safety of cosmetic talc.

She said the company intends to appeal and will keep defending its products’ safety.

The case follows another one in February, in which J&J was ordered to pay $72 million to the family of a woman who claimed her death was linked to use of the company’s Baby Powder talc.

Jackie Fox from Birmingham, Alabama, who died of ovarian cancer in 2015 at the age of 62, had used the talc for decades.

Her family argued that J&J knew of talc risks and failed to warn users.

The company is appealing against that verdict, which sparked renewed interest in talc-powder lawsuits.

Lawyers accuse J&J of failing to warn that talc was linked to an increased risk for ovarian cancer – a claim the company denies. There are 1,200 other cases pending.

J&J shares were down 18 cents in after-hours trading to $112.57.

Solar Impulse Ends 10th Leg of Global Flight in Phoenix

James J. Williams
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Solar Impulse Ends 10th Leg of Global Flight in Phoenix

Solar Impulse has landed in Phoenix, Arizona, after ending the first leg across the continental United States in its attempt to fly around the world.

It the zero-fuel aeroplane left Mountain View, California, at dawn on May 2 and landed 16 hours later in Goodyear, a suburb of Phoenix.

Solar Impulse was the 10th leg of its round the world quest.

Andre Borschberg was at the controls, having taken over from Bertrand Piccard.

Bertrand Piccard flew Solar Impulse to the West Coast of the US from Hawaii just over a week ago.Solar Impulse lands in Phoenix

The latest stint was relatively short – 1,113 kilometers.

Solar Impulse’s take-off from the famous Moffett Airfield occurred at 05:03 PDT on May 2 and the plane landed in Phoenix at 20:55 PDT.

The team has traversed America before, in 2013. That crossing was undertaken in the prototype predecessor to the current aircraft.

Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg are aiming to get to New York by the start of June, to begin preparations for the big Atlantic crossing.

Solar Impulse started its circumnavigation of the globe in March of last year in Abu Dhabi.

The solar-powered plane flew over Oman, India, Myanmar and China before flying to Japan, from where it made a 5,545-mile passage to Hawaii.

That five-day and five-night journey set a record for the longest duration, non-stop, solo aeroplane flight.

It also resulted in damage to the plane’s batteries, forcing the team into some lengthy repairs.

Only when the days started stretching out again in the Northern Hemisphere could the team think about getting back in the air.

With 17,000 photovoltaic cells on its top surfaces, Solar Impulse gets all its energy from the sun.

Winter Games 2018: South Korea Olympic Chair Cho Yang-ho Resigns

Clyde K. Valle
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Winter Games 2018: South Korea Olympic Chair Cho Yang-ho Resigns

The head of South Korea’s 2018 Winter Olympics organizing committee, Cho Yang-ho, has resigned.

Cho Yang-ho said he wanted to focus on “urgent matters” with his business group, which includes the struggling Hanjin Shipping carrier, the Yonhap news agency reports.

Hanjin Shipping, South Korea’s largest shipper by assets, is facing severe financial difficulties and Cho Yang-ho needed to focus his efforts on restructuring and stabilizing the company.

Photo LA Times
Photo LA Times

Cho Yang-ho is the chairman of the Hanjin conglomerate, which also controls the nation’s flag carrier Korean Air, a corporate sponsor of the 2018 Games.

According to reports, Cho Yang-ho, who took on the role in 2014, was nearing the end of his two-year term.

The Winter Games are due to take place in Pyeongchang in February 2018.

In March, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it was confident South Korea’s preparations were “moving in the right direction”.

Cho Yang-ho said he had “truly put forward my very best efforts to work with every member of the organizing committee to prepare a successful Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018.”

He said he would “continue to support Pyeongchang through to the Games in 2018”.

In April, Hanjin Shipping said it would ask creditor banks to restructure its debt. It had debt of 5.6 trillion won ($4.92 billion) and a debt-to-equity ratio of nearly 850 percent as at the end of 2015, according to the company.

Brazil Opposition Leader Aecio Neves to Be Investigated for Corruption

Diane A. Wade
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Brazil Opposition Leader Aecio Neves to Be Investigated for Corruption

Brazil’s Supreme Court has been asked by Attorney General Rodrigo Janot to authorize the start of corruption investigations against prominent opposition leader Aecio Neves.

Senator Aecio Neves, who narrowly lost the 2014 election to President Dilma Rousseff, was previously included in a list of some 50 politicians thought to have taken bribes originating from state-run companies, including electricity company Furnas.

The case is linked to the huge corruption scandal that has rocked Brazilian politics over the past year.

Aecio Neves denies any wrongdoing.Aecio Neves corruption investigation

If the Supreme Court agrees to open an investigation, the senator will be called to testify within 90 days, Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper reported.

The case is based on allegations made by Senator Delcidio Amaral as part of a plea bargain.

A former leader of the Workers’ Party in the Senate, Delcidio Amaral was arrested in November.

Senator Delcidio Amaral had been secretly recorded allegedly discussing plans to help a detained official flee Brazil in return for not implicating him in a major corruption scandal at Petrobras.

He was released in February after he agreed to testify against other suspects.

Delcidio Amaral said that Aecio Neves had received bribes from officials at Furnas.

He said the scheme was similar to that operated at Petrobras: Brazil’s top construction companies paid bribes to politicians, political parties and senior executives at the company in order to secure lucrative overpriced contracts.

Aecio Neves’s office rejected the allegations, with an aide telling reporters: “References to Senator Aecio’s name are all based on hearsay. There is no proof or evidence of any irregularity.

“These are old questions that have already been the subject of previous investigations, which were thrown out, or questions that have no relation to the senator.”

Rodrigo Janot has also requested the opening of a corruption probe against other senior politicians and officials, the Speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, and President Dilma Rousseff’s press secretary Edinho Silva.

Prince Death: Family Begins Process of Dividing Sizeable Assets

Sonia Pantiss
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Prince Death: Family Begins Process of Dividing Sizeable Assets

Prince’s family has begun the process of dividing up the singer’s sizeable assets.

The iconic musician left no known will and his assets are estimated to be worth about $100 million.

Prince died at his Paisley Park compound outside Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 21.

The singer’s sister, Tyka Nelson, and half-siblings are the apparent heirs to his estate, authorities have said.

Tyka Nelson and Prince’s half-sibling Alfred Jackson attended a hearing on May 2 at the Carver County courthouse in Minnesota, where lawyers began surveying the singer’s estate.

If no will is found, the state will determine how the money is divided up.

Photo Getty Images
Photo Getty Images

During the short hearing, Judge Kevin Eide formally appointed Bremer Trust National Association as the special administration to oversee Prince’s probate case.

One attorney said there was an “ongoing search” for a will.

Investigators are still determining how Prince died at the age of 57.

Prescription painkillers were in Prince’s possession when he died. However, it is unclear what role, if any, those drugs may have played.

A law enforcement official confirmed to the Associated Press that investigators were looking into whether Prince died from a drug overdose and whether a doctor was prescribing him drugs in the weeks before his death.

According to ABC News, a vault containing unreleased Prince’s songs was found at his estate and will be drilled open by the company with temporary authority over his estate.

Prince told The View about his unreleased music in 2012.

Enough music was apparently left behind to release an album a year for the next century.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6keGQs1F6Nk

Donald Trump Criticizes China’s Trade Policy

Diane A. Wade
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Donald Trump Criticizes China’s Trade Policy

Donald Trump has accused China of “raping” the United States, in renewed criticism of the Asian country’s trade policy.

The Republican presidential front-runner told a rally in Indiana that China was responsible for “the greatest theft in the history of the world”.

Donald Trump has long accused China of manipulating its currency to make its exports more competitive globally.

This, the New York billionaire says, has badly damaged US businesses and workers.Donald Trump RNC conspiracy

On May 1, Donald Trump told the campaign rally: “We can’t continue to allow China to rape our country, and that’s what we’re doing.

“We’re going to turn it around, and we have the cards, don’t forget it,” he added. “We have a lot of power with China.”

Chinese PM Li Keqiang has said the US election “has been lively and has caught the eye”, but many in his country see it as more than that.

They consider Donald Trump an inspiration rather than an antagonist.

In his America First campaign manifesto, Donald Trump pledges to “cut a better deal with China that helps American businesses and workers compete”.

Donald Trump sets out four goals that include immediately declaring China “a currency manipulator” and putting “an end to China’s illegal export subsidies and lax labor and environmental standards”.

According to latest figures, the US trade deficit with China reached an all-time high of $365.7 billion in 2015. By February 2016 the trade deficit had already reached $57 billion.

This is the first time Donald Trump has used the word “rape” in the context of China and trade, but his campaign has been punctuated by inflammatory comments.

ASX Closes Lower as Disappointing Earnings Weigh Heavily on Westpac

Clyde K. Valle
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ASX Closes Lower as Disappointing Earnings Weigh Heavily on Westpac

Australia stock market traded low on May 2 with the benchmark S&P ASX 200 finishing lower by 0.18% at 5,243 points.

Shares in Australia’s third largest lender, Westpac, closed down 3.54% on the Sydney stock market, after having lost as much as 5.7% earlier in the session.

Westpac reported a 3% rise in profits for the six months to March 2016.Australia Stock Exchange 2016

Earnings rose to A$3.9 billion ($2.96 billion), however industry analysts were expecting the figure to come in just above A$4 billion.

Westpac has attributed the shortfall to higher debt charges.

Also in Australia, the country’s Treasurer Scott Morrison will deliver the federal budget for 2016-2017 on May 3. According to local media, there will be tax cuts for business in the budget.

However, ahead of the budget, the country’s central bank – The Reserve Bank of Australia – will hold its annual meeting on interest rates.

The key lending rate in Australia is at a record low of 2%.

Craig Wright Reveals Himself as Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto

Nancy Clayson
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Craig Wright Reveals Himself as Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto

Craig Wright has publicly identified himself as digital cash system Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto.

The Australian entrepreneur’s admission ends years of speculation about who came up with the original ideas underlying the virtual currency.

Craig Wright has provided technical proof to back up his claim using coins known to be owned by Bitcoin’s creator.

Prominent members of the Bitcoin community and its core development team have also confirmed Craig Wright’s claim.

He has revealed his identity to three media organizations – The Economist, the BBC and GQ magazine.

During a London proof session, Craig Wright digitally signed messages using cryptographic keys created during the early days of Bitcoin’s development, the BBC reported.Craig Wright Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto

The keys are inextricably linked to blocks of Bitcoins known to have been created or “mined” by Satoshi Nakamoto.

Renowned cryptographer Hal Finney was one of the engineers who helped turn Craig Wright’s ideas into the Bitcoin protocol, he said.

Craig Wright said he planned to release information that would allow others to cryptographically verify that he is Satoshi Nakamoto.

Jon Matonis, an economist and one of the founding directors of the Bitcoin Foundation, said he was convinced that Craig Wright was who he claimed to be.

By going public, Craig Wright hopes to put an end to press speculation about the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. Newsweek, The New Yorker, Fast Company and many other media organizations have all conducted long investigations seeking Bitcoin’s creator and named many different people as candidates.

In December 2015, two magazines, Gizmodo and Wired, named Craig Wright as a candidate after receiving documents believed to be stolen from him that revealed his involvement with the project.

Soon after these stories were published, authorities in Australia raided the home of Craig Wright. The Australian Taxation Office said the raid was linked to a long-running investigation into tax payments rather than Bitcoin.

The stories in December have led to many more journalists and others pursuing him and people he knows, Craig Wright said.

Bitcoins are now accepted as payment for a vast variety of goods and services.

There are currently about 15.5 million Bitcoins in circulation. Each one is worth about $449.

Satoshi Nakamoto is believed to amassed about one million Bitcoins which would give him a net worth, if all were converted to cash, of about $450 million.

Japan Stock Market Trades Low as Yen Strengthens

Clyde K. Valle
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Japan Stock Market Trades Low as Yen Strengthens

Japan stock market has started the week with sharp falls, as a surge in the yen hurt shares in big exporting companies.

The Nikkei 225 index ended 3.1% lower at 16,174 – higher than its low point for the trading session, but still the lowest close since April 12.

Photo Wikipedia
Photo Wikipedia

Toyota shares closed down 3.8%, Nissan Motor dropped 5% and Honda Motor shed 4%.

The yen shot up after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) decided not to launch fresh economic stimulus last week.

On April 29, the yen was at about 108 yen against the dollar. It strengthened a little on May 2 to around 106.31 yen.

In South Korea the Kospi ended May 2 session lower, by 0.8% at 1,978.15 points. And that is also a three-week low.

Markets in China and Hong Kong are shut on May 2 for the Labor Day holiday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUkl36ZUt0k

Halliburton and Baker Hughes Call Off Proposed Merger

Clyde K. Valle
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Halliburton and Baker Hughes Call Off Proposed Merger

Halliburton and Baker Hughes have abandoned their proposed merger after resistance from regulators in the US and Europe.

The deal would have seen a $34.6 billion takeover by Halliburton of Baker Hughes, creating a powerful rival to global leader Schlumberger.

The US companies are the second and third biggest oil services companies.Halliburton and Baker Hughes merger called off

That raised concerns about higher prices and reduced competition.

Baker Hughes stands to receive a $3.5 billion break-up fee as a result of the deal falling through.

Failure to satisfy regulatory concerns was not the only reason for abandoning the merger.

The fall in the oil price since the proposal was announced in 2014 changed the financial attractiveness of the cash and shares deal.

The DoJ filed a lawsuit to stop the merger in April, arguing it would leave only two dominant suppliers in the well drilling and oil construction services industry.

The European Commission also expressed concerns that the deal might reduce competition and innovation.

Halliburton and Baker Hughes have been hit by a fall in business as oil and gas giants rein back on projects and investments.

Last week, Baker Hughes reported a bigger-than-expected loss for Q1 of 2016.

In April, Halliburton announced 6,000 job cuts.

Puerto Rico Default: $422 Million Debt Payment Suspended as Talks Fail

Clyde K. Valle
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Puerto Rico Default: $422 Million Debt Payment Suspended as Talks Fail

Puerto Rico has suspended a $422 million debt payment due on May 2 after talks to ease the state’s crisis ended without a deal, Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla has announced.

In a TV address, the governor said he had issued an executive order suspending payments.

Alejandro Garcia Padilla described it as a “painful decision”, but had been warning since last year that the island’s public debt of more than $70 billion was unpayable.

The US Congress has tried without success to agree a solution.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

The governor said: “Let me be very clear, this was a painful decision.

“We would have preferred to have had a legal framework to restructure our debts in an orderly manner.”

Alejandro Garcia Padilla acknowledged before the weekend that if the payment was not made, it was likely to spark legal action from creditors. A further debt payment of $1.9 billion is due in July.

Puerto Rico officials have held talks with groups holding some of its $4 billion in bonds to try to restructure the debt.

Some creditors have argued that the territory has exaggerated its crisis and that economic reforms would improve the island’s finances.

Congress is in recess until the week of May 9.

“If Congress fails to authorize a mechanism to restructure our debt, the 3.5 million American citizens who live in Puerto Rico will continue to suffer,” Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said.

Turkey: Gaziantep Police Station Explosion Kills at Least One Person

Roy Siemens
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Turkey: Gaziantep Police Station Explosion Kills at Least One Person

Thirteen people have been injured and at least one person died in a car bomb blast near the main police station in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, officials say.

The explosion hit Gaziantep, 6 miles from the Syrian border, at about 09:30 local time.

CNN Turk said the explosion was heard several miles away.Gaziantep police station explosion

Turkey has been hit by a series of deadly blasts over the past year, linked either to Kurdish militants or ISIS.

Ankara, Istanbul and Bursa are among cities that have been targeted by suicide bombings.

According to Gaziantep’s regional governor, nine of the injured were police officers.

Some reports said gunfire was heard after the blast. There was no immediate word on who is behind the latest blast.

Gaziantep is known to have several ISIS cells.

Kate Middleton Lands Vogue Cover to Mark Magazine’s Centenary

Lisa.Felice
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Kate Middleton Lands Vogue Cover to Mark Magazine’s Centenary

Kate Middleton will feature on the cover of British Vogue to mark the magazine’s centenary.

Seven photographs taken in the Norfolk countryside by photographer Josh Olins will appear in the June edition.Kate Middleton labor 2015

The shoot was in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery, where two images are being displayed in the Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition.

The Duchess of Cambridge, who has a keen interest in photography, has been patron of the National Portrait Gallery since 2012.

Other royal portraits to have featured in Vogue include Princess Diana – who graced the cover four times – and Princess Anne.

Kate Middleton will visit the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery on May 4, Kensington Palace said.

Venezuela Reverses Half-Hour Time Change to Save Energy

Diane A. Wade
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Venezuela Reverses Half-Hour Time Change to Save Energy

Venezuela has reversed a half-hour time change that was one of the signature measures of former president Hugo Chávez’s idiosyncratic 14-year rule starting with May 1.

The former leader turned Venezuela’s clocks back 30 minutes in 2007 so that children could wake up for school in daylight.

However, President Nicolás Maduro has decided to return to the previous system, four hours behind GMT, to ensure more daylight in the evening when energy consumption peaks.

The government already ordered rolling blackouts and reduced the working week for public sector workers to two days.

Nicolas Maduro has blamed the energy crisis on a severe drought.Venezuela stores working hours

He says the drought has drained the country’s hydroelectric dams and its capacity to generate power. His critics say the crisis is due to mismanagement of the energy sector.

The government has also ordered schools to close on Fridays and shopping malls to open only half time and generate their own energy.

When he announced the time change, Science and Technology Minister Jorge Arreaza said the night-time use of lighting and air conditioning was especially draining for the national power grid.

Oil-rich Venezuela is in the middle of a deep economic crisis caused by a drop in global oil prices. The country is suffering from a shortage of basic goods and food.

Nicolas Maduro has said the situation has been caused by an “economic war” against his socialist government driven by Venezuela’s business elite and the United States.

The opposition in Congress which took over the legislature in December has accused Nicolas Maduro and his government of economic mismanagement and incompetence.

They have sworn to drive Nicolas Maduro from office and have begun gathering the signatures needed to begin organizing a referendum to remove him from the presidency.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s economic crisis has claimed another victim as the country’s largest brewer, Polar, suspended its operations.

Polar, the largest private company in Venezuela, brews about 70% of the country’s beer and Venezuela is one of the highest consumers of the beverage in Latin America.

Polar has argued that the government has not released enough dollars to allow it to import malted barley, which Venezuela does not produce.

Orthodox Christians Celebrate Easter Sunday

James J. Williams
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Orthodox Christians Celebrate Easter Sunday

Orthodox Christians around the world are celebrating Easter Sunday.

While the majority of Christians celebrated Easter on March 27 based on the Gregorian calendar, for Orthodox followers who use the Julian calendar the date fell six weeks later this year.

Orthodox Easter also commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and shares similarities with Western Christian celebrations.

Unique traditions from colorful eggs to palm fronds mark the holiday, which some refer to as Pascha from the Greek transliteration.Orthodox Easter 2016

The large celebrations and prayers take place across Orthodox churches after the end of Lent to mark the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven.

There are approximately 200 million to 300 million Orthodox Christians around the world, with large followings in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Thousands of people visit Jerusalem every year to take part in Holy Week ceremonies and processions from Palm Sunday until Easter. It is traditional for palm fronds or willow branches to be given out and blessed at church services on Palm Sunday.

In 2017, the Gregorian and Julian calendars align and Easter will fall on April 16 for both Orthodox and Western Christian churches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn7gfQBewGQ

ExxonMobil Profit Hit by Low Oil Prices in Q1 2016

Clyde K. Valle
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ExxonMobil Profit Hit by Low Oil Prices in Q1 2016

Low crude oil prices and weak refining margins have hit ExxonMobil and rival Chevron’s profits in Q1 of 2016.

ExxonMobil reported a profit of $1.8 billion, a sharp decline from $4.94 billion for the same period in 2015 and its lowest quarterly profit since 1999.

Revenue dropped 28% to $48.7 billion, but it had strong results from its petrochemicals division.

Chevron has reported a quarterly net loss of $725 million.

That compared with a net profit of $2.57 billion for the same period in 2015 and was worse than analysts had expected.

Chevron CEO John Watson said: “We are controlling our spend and getting key projects under construction online, which will boost revenue.”

ExxonMobil shares rose 1.4% in New York on April 29, while Chevron fell 0.6%.Oil prices fall below 28

Meanwhile, oil prices hit their highest levels of the year on April 29, driven up by lower US production and a weak dollar.

Brent crude was up 12 cents at $48.26 a barrel in afternoon trading, while US oil rose 57 cents to $46.60.

US oil production has continued to fall in recent months, easing concerns about oversupply, while the dollar has lost almost 2% of its value against other global currencies in the past week.

A weaker US dollar typically contributes to a rise in oil prices, because oil is priced in dollars. When the dollar weakens against other currencies, oil becomes cheaper to buy, pushing up demand.

However, the latest rise in oil prices may be limited by a future increase in Middle East production, according to a note released by Deutsche Bank.

Iraq and the UAE are likely to raise production after maintenance issues are resolved, Deutsche indicated, and Saudi Arabia may also increase production significantly.

However, this may be tempered by events in Latin America, where Venezuela is struggling to maintain its crude output, according to a report from Eurasia Group.

Eurasia Group reported that low oil prices over the past two years have meant Venezuela’s government is running out of cash to keep its state-owned oil pumps operational.

Iraq Parliament Stormed by Hundreds of Shia Protesters

Roy Siemens
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Iraq Parliament Stormed by Hundreds of Shia Protesters

Iraq’s parliament has been stormed by hundreds of Shia Muslim in protest against ongoing deadlock in approving a new cabinet.

Supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr broke through barricades of the protected Green Zone in Baghdad after lawmakers again failed to convene for a vote.

A state of emergency has been declared in Baghdad, but not a curfew.

Security forces near the US embassy later fired tear gas to stop more protesters entering the Green Zone.

Moqtada al-Sadr wants PM Haider al-Abadi to commit to a plan to replace ministers with non-partisan technocrats.

Powerful parties in parliament have refused to approve the change for several weeks.

Earlier this week, hundreds of thousands of people marched towards the Green Zone, the most secure part of Baghdad that houses embassies and government buildings, to protest against the political deadlock.

A new protest outside the zone escalated after parliament again failed to reach a quorum on April 30.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

Groups marched on the district soon after the end of a televised appearance by Moqtada al-Sadr, although he did not call for the storming of parliament.

The protesters tried to topped lawmakers attempting to flee the building.

They are reported to have begun ransacking parliament buildings. UN and embassy staff were on lockdown inside their compounds, Reuters reported.

Iraq’s system of sharing government jobs has long been criticized for promoting unqualified candidates and encouraging corruption.

PM Haider al-Abadi, who came to power in 2014, has promised to stamp out corruption and ease sectarian tensions, but he has failed to far to introduce a new technocratic cabinet.

A survey by the Pew Research Centre in 2011 found that 51% of Iraqi Muslims identified themselves as Shia, compared with 42% Sunni.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, a car bomb targeted a group of Shia Muslim pilgrims on April 30, killing at least 21 people.

The Shia cleric and his militia group, the Mehdi Army, gained prominence after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. galvanizing anti-US sentiment.

Moqtada al-Sadr’s followers clashed repeatedly with US forces, whose withdrawal the cleric consistently demanded.

An arrest warrant was issued for Moqtada Sadr in 2004 in connection with the murder of a rival cleric.

Moqtada al-Sadr’s militia was also blamed for the torture and killing of thousands of Sunnis in the sectarian carnage of 2006 and 2007.

Giants Club Summit 2016: Kenya Burns Huge Ivory Stockpile

James J. Williams
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Giants Club Summit 2016: Kenya Burns Huge Ivory Stockpile

On the last day of the first Giants Club summit, President Uhuru Kenyatta has set fire to a huge stockpile of ivory in an effort to show Kenya’s commitment to saving Africa’s elephants.

More than 100 tonnes of ivory was stacked up in pyres in Nairobi National Park where it is expected to burn for several days.

The ivory represents nearly the entire stock confiscated by Kenya, amounting to the tusks of about 6,700 elephants.

Some disagree with Kenya’s approach, saying it can encourage poaching.

Photo AP
Photo AP

Before igniting the first pyre, President Uhuru Kenyatta said: “The height of the pile of ivory before us marks the strength of our resolve.

“No-one, and I repeat no-one, has any business in trading in ivory, for this trade means death of our elephants and death of our natural heritage.”

The burning comes after African leaders meeting in Kenya urged an end to illegal trade in ivory.

Experts have warned Africa’s elephants could be extinct within decades.

However, some conservationists have expressed opposition to the ivory burn in Kenya, the biggest in history.

They say destroying so much of a rare commodity could increase its value and encourage more poaching rather than less.

Botswana, which is home to about half of Africa’s elephants, is opposed to the burn and its president did not attend the event in Nairobi.

Demand for ivory comes largely from Asia, with the main trafficking route being through the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

Africa is home to between 450,000 and 500,000 elephants but more than 30,000 are killed every year for their tusks. Tanzania has lost 65% of its elephant population in the past five years.

The Kenyan ivory pyres are seven times the size of any stockpile destruction so far, and represent about 5% of global ivory stores.

Some 1.35 tonnes of rhino horn will also be burned.

The street value of the ivory to be destroyed is estimated at more than $100 million, and the rhino horn at $80 million.

Cambodia Passenger Train Services Restarted after 14 Years

Nancy Clayson
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Cambodia Passenger Train Services Restarted after 14 Years

Cambodia’s passenger train services have been restarted on one route after a gap of 14 years.

The first service set out on April 30 from the capital Phnom Penh for the tourist areas of the south-west coast.

The train service, which will run only on weekends, had a VIP on board – veteran PM Hun Sen.Cambodia train service restarted 2016

He wrote on Facebook: “The train and railway were almost totally destroyed by war more than 40 years ago.

“Because our country is now at peace, we have the opportunity to rebuild our transport infrastructure.”

The journey from Phnom Penh costs around $7 and takes eight hours. It will run to and from the coast once a day from Fridays to Sundays.

The country’s cargo services restarted three years ago, along small stretches of track.

Cambodia has hundreds of miles of track, but very little is open, after decades of neglect.

Dutch Study: Worsening Depression Could Indicate Early Signs of Dementia

Kathryn R. Bown
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Dutch Study: Worsening Depression Could Indicate Early Signs of Dementia

A new study has found that symptoms of depression that steadily increase over time in older age could indicate early signs of dementia.

According to Dutch scientists, other patterns of symptoms, such as chronic depression, appear not to be linked.

Researchers looked at different ways depression in older adults progressed over time and how this related to any risk.

They concluded worsening depression may signal dementia is taking hold.Arginine supplements and dementia

The research, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, followed more than 3,000 adults aged 55 and over living in the Netherlands.

All had depression but no symptoms of dementia at the start of the study.

Dr. M. Arfan Ikram of the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam said depressive symptoms that gradually increase over time appear to be a better predictor of dementia later in life than other paths of depression.

“There are a number of potential explanations, including that depression and dementia may both be symptoms of a common underlying cause, or that increasing depressive symptoms are on the starting end of a dementia continuum in older adults,” he said.

Only the group whose symptoms of depression increased over time were found to be at increased risk of dementia – about one in five of people (55 out of 255) in this group developed dementia.

Others who had symptoms that waxed and waned or stayed the same were not at increased risk.

For example, in those who experienced low but stable levels of depression, around 10% went on to develop dementia.

However, the exact nature of depression on dementia risk remains unknown.

They often occur together, but the Dutch study is among the first to look at different patterns of depression symptoms.

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