German police clashed with hundreds of left-wing demonstrators trying to block the access of participants at a far-right party conference in Stuttgart.
At least 400 protesters have been arrested by riot police.
The right-wing populist Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party is expected to re-brand itself as openly anti-Islamic during the meeting.
Police, who surrounded several hundred protesters, fired pepper spray at crowds. Close to 1,000 officers were deployed.
The AfD wants to ban the burqa and outlaw minarets in Germany.
Despite the protest, the AfD conference began as planned on April 30.
Nearly 2,000 members of the AfD are registered to attend the conference. The party achieved gains in all three states taking part in regional elections in March, claiming almost a quarter of the vote in the relatively poor eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
The AfD had campaigned against what it called Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “catastrophic” decision to accept a million migrants and refugees in 2015.
In today’s conference, the party must agree a manifesto ahead of next year’s general election.
Proposals include withdrawal from the euro and the reintroduction of conscription, but there are splits within the party, including between its less hardline wing and the leadership.
Before the conference, police encircled groups of demonstrators in a technique known as kettling. Some protesters were seen being dragged away, with others chanting “Shame on you” at officers.
Dozens of people are feared trapped after the collapse of a seven-storey building in heavy rain in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, rescuers say.
Footages from the scene showed a crowd gathering at the Huruma residential estate as rescuers dug for survivors.
At least seven people are known to have died.
The Red Cross criticized “chaotic scenes” as rescuers arrived.
At least 121 people had been rescued, police told Kenya’s KTN network .
It is unclear how many people are trapped beneath seven floors of concrete.
The rainfall in addition has caused landslides, washed away houses and flooded roads.
Fourteen people died in the Nairobi rains, including those in the collapse, police told KTN. Another four died when a wall toppled over, officials said.
The Huruma neighborhood is a poor district on the outskirts of Nairobi made up of narrow streets, meaning firefighters struggled to get to the scene and were delayed by large crowds.
After some time, the army took charge of the rescue – with the help of the Kenyan Red Cross.
Residents said that the building shook violently in the rain before collapsing.
Poor building standards are a fact of life in Kenya, correspondents say. A survey carried out last year found that more than half the buildings in the capital were unfit for habitation.
The high demand for housing in Nairobi has led to some property developers bypassing building regulations to reduce costs and increase profits.
There has however been some good news for the rescuers who extracted a number of children from the wreckage.
In 2015, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered an audit of all the buildings in Kenya after a spate of collapses.
Donald Trump’s speech in Burlingame, California, has been delayed after hundreds of protesters broke through barricades and threw eggs at police outside a hotel where the GOP front-runner was due to address the state’s Republican convention.
Because of the protest, Donald Trump had to enter the hotel via a rear entrance.
His rallies have been dogged by violence.
On April 28, a police car had its windows smashed as Donald Trump spoke inside a hall in the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Some 20 arrests were made.
The Trump campaign had to cancel several rallies in March after hundreds of protesters threatened to disrupt events in Chicago and St Louis.
Before his speech on April 29, news helicopters showed Donald Trump and his security detail crossing a motorway before entering the hotel via a side door.
On stage, Donald Trump joked about the protesters, saying “that was not the easiest entrance I ever made.”
“I felt like I was crossing the border,” he said, and that he walked through “dirt and mud” to get to the building outside of San Francisco.
Many of the protesters outside Donald Trump’s speech were arguing against his positions on immigration. The billionaire has advocated building a border wall with Mexico which he says Mexico would pay for.
Donald Trump has also referred to Mexicans as “rapists” and criminals responsible for bringing illegal drugs into the US.
The New York businessman is extremely unpopular among Latino voters and California has a large Mexican-American population.
Protests are expected to continue until the California primary is held on June 7.
Donald Trump has called himself the Republican “presumptive nominee” after a string of primary wins.
In terms of delegate support, Donald Trump is far ahead of his nearest rivals, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and John Kasich, the governor of Ohio.
Roaming charges across the European Union are being capped starting with April 30, 2016.
Thanks to the new roaming rules, the cost of making and receiving calls when abroad in the EU is now substantially cheaper than in 2007, when the EU first started to tackle excessive roaming charges.
From June 2017, roaming charges in the EU will be abolished completely.
Those making calls, downloading data or texting would save millions of euros in charges following the latest changes.
Consumers pay roaming charges whenever they connect to an operator based abroad. The charges are in addition to the cost of the call itself, and for short calls they can make up a large proportion of the overall fee.
The biggest reductions will be for people downloading data – such as emails, pictures or social media – where the roaming charge will be cut by about 75%.
Charges for outgoing phone calls will be cut by a similar amount. The charge for texting will be reduced by about 66%.
From April 30, 2016, onwards, the roaming fee equal to domestic price + €0.05 may not exceed €0.19 for voice and €0.20 for data. The roaming fee equal to domestic price + €0.02 may not exceed €0.06 for SMS.
These price caps are the maximum permissible prices. Operators are free to offer cheaper rates, so be on the lookout for better deals.
Member States’ national telecoms regulators must ensure that mobile phone operators comply with the new rules on data roaming and the lower prices of voice calls. Consumers can contact the national regulator in the Member State where their mobile operator is based if they have any problems or questions about the new limits.
Audio recording is a standard practice done by several insurance companies and health care professionals to make important inputs about insurance claims and patient data respectively. These recorded statements carry a lot of relevant information and can even serve as a piece of evidence in a court of law. They cannot be taken lightly, which is why several insurance firms, hospitals and even independent physicians resort to engage audio transcription services to transform raw data into standardized documents.
Firms offering transcription services have a team of highly trained transcriptionists who ensure timely delivery of highly accurate transcribed files. However, the accuracy and effectiveness of audio transcription is determined by the quality of the audio recording. Eyered, a leading provider of high quality and cost-effective medical transcription services recommend the following best practices for efficient audio recording.
Try restricting background noises
When recording statement of an individual in person or over a speaking phone or self-recording an audio file make sure that there is minimal sound in the background. It’s best to perform any job related to audio recording in an empty room, however sometimes that’s impossible. Therefore, alert others present in the room when you are recording a statement. Remember that even background noises such as the sound of the printer, typing, telephone ringing can blur information. Also, make sure that all phones within the vicinity of the room are put on silent mode prior to recording.
Photo Flickr Ak-i
Use noise cancellation headsets
If you are recording statement over a phone call, make sure that you use a noise cancellation headset with a microphone that will help you focus on the job and enable you to hear the person on the other side of the phone better.
Seek consent from the participant or participants
It is always recommended to inform the participant or participants that their statements or interview is being recorded. The consent is taken so as to avoid any kind of legal complication. Some suggest that recording patient consultation by doctors is violation of HIPPA compliance, but it’s actually not if you take consent from the patient in advance.
Record time, date and name of participants
In order to maintain chronology of the data, make sure that you speak into the microphone or recorder the time and date of the recording. Mentioning the names of the participant(s) is also recommended for further streamlining of data.
Use good quality equipment’s
The quality of recording devices such as digital recorders, microphone can impact the quality of your recording. Thus, use only high quality equipment’s for all recording purposes.
Avoid the usage of abbreviations and acronyms
As a rule avoid the use of abbreviations. And if at all you use an acronym, do mention its full form a better understanding of the audio recording. Avoid using fillers such as “umm”, “ahh”, “like” etc.
Speak into the microphone or the recorder
While recording the statement, ensure that your voice is captured properly. Speak directly into the microphone. In case you are recording the statement of the participant, remind them to speak into the microphone. Clear speech is important for a well-recorded audio piece.
Speak coherently
While speaking, we tend to use a lot of connecting words like “but”, “and”, “so”, in order to make a point. Speaking in such a tone while recording an observation can sound incoherent, therefore try avoiding that. Instead speak in short sentences, good grammar and clear sound.
In conclusion we can say that besides ensuring highly accurate transcripts, adhering to the aforementioned practice will reduce the time and cost of audio transcription service. Often due to lack of clarity and recording of complete information you send the transcribed files again to the transcription agency to review or re-do work. However, this back and forth cycle will break, if the recording is done in a clean and precise manner.
Wayne State University professor Matthew Seeger, a crisis communications expert, predicts the Snyder Administration’s actions in Flint, Michigan, will long serve as a cautionary tale in university courses.
Photo Flintwaterstudy.org
In one notable case, Harvey Hollins III, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s director of Urban and Metropolitan Initiatives, was told in March 2015 about an increase in Legionnaire’s disease in Genesee County that appeared to correspond with the state’s decision to switch to the Flint River as a source of water for Flint, but didn’t tell Snyder.
Lynn Wooten, an associate dean at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and an expert on crisis leadership, said Governor Rick Snyder and other state officials should have been more open to the data of outside researchers, such as Dr. Mona Hanna-Atisha who found increased rates of lead poisoning in Flint children, and Virginia Tech’s Marc Edwards, who found dangerous levels of lead in the drinking water.
Thirteen people have been killed in a helicopter crash near the Norwegian city of Bergen, rescuers say.
Eleven of those on board were Norwegians, one was Italian and one Briton. No survivors have been found.
A major rescue operation was launched but ended within hours of the crash.
Meanwhile, Norway’s civil aviation authority has imposed a flight ban on the type of helicopter that crashed – the Eurocopter (EC) 225L Super Puma. Reports say it was “totally destroyed”.
Civil aviation officials told Norwegian newspaper VG that servicing for the helicopter which crashed had been delayed twice in 2015, for a total of 200 flying hours.
Photo ITV.com
The aircraft was flying from the Gullfaks oil field to Bergen, a centre for the North Sea oil and gas industry.
Eleven bodies have been found, and two other people are still missing.
Norwegian PM Erna Solberg said news of the crash was “horrible”.
King Harald and Queen Sonja cancelled a trip to Sweden, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported.
Oil company Statoil said the helicopter was “on assignment”. All the passengers were Statoil employees.
Both Statoil and the UK energy company BP have suspended use of the Super Puma.
Statoil has also suspended oil production at the Gullfaks B platform “so that we can take care of the staff in the best way possible”, company vice-president Arne Sigve Nylund told journalists.
The aircraft came down near the small island of Turoy, just west of the village of Solsvik.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the helicopter’s rotor blade come loose and shear off.
Photos from the scene showed thick smoke coming from an area of rocky islets.
Local media said the helicopter dropped 2,200ft in the last 10 seconds before it crashed. Some wreckage was found on the rocks, and parts of the fuselage are in the sea.
Indiana Governor Mike Pence has backed Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, four days before the state’s GOP primary.
Campaigning on April 29, Ted Cruz praised the governor, saying he would enthusiastically welcome his support.
Indiana’s primary on May 3 is Ted Cruz’s best chance to stem the momentum of Republican front-runner Donald Trump.
Donald Trump has won a string of states, taking him closer to being the nominee.
However, if Donald Trump does not win 1,237 delegates, there will be a contested Republican convention in July.
This would mean the delegates – local party activists and senior GOP officials – being free to pick an alternative candidate like Ted Cruz or the third candidate John Kasich.
It has been an eventful week for Ted Cruz, taking a beating in five state primaries, picking Carly Fiorina as his running mate and then being called “Lucifer” by ex-House Speaker John Boehner.
Governor Mike Pence made his announcement on radio on April 29, saying the Texas senator was the best conservative among “three good men”.
The key for successful business owners is making sure they run their business well. You need to make sure you do important things like looking after your staff and their interests. If you can run an ethically sound business people are going to notice and you will thrive as a result. So, you need to make sure you do what you can to be a success and keep everything above board. Here are a few of the best things you can do to achieve that.
It’s important to make sure everything is done properly and above board. And the way to do this is to ensure you don’t cut corners. You have to carry out all your business practices properly. Cutting corners can lead to problems and difficulties further down the line. And, it also raises questions about how you run the company. Never cut corners, and always make sure you follow the right way of doing things. It’s important to have morals and good ethics when you’re trying to run a business.
Protect Yourself Legally
You also have to take steps to ensure that you protect yourself and the company legally. There are so many ways in which the business might be at risk. You are vulnerable from legal action on all sides. So it’s vital to ensure that everyone and everything is protected in a legal sense. In order to achieve this, you need to make sure you get in touch with law firms. You need to hire business attorneys so you always have legal advice to help your company. This is a sensible and practical step to take in the process.
Be Fair and Ethical
It’s crucial that you make sure you are fair and ethical as an employer. That means you have to consider your staff in all the decisions you make. Try to do what is best for them, and figure out how you can improve their working lives. The basic way of doing this is to try to make sure you are a fair and sound boss. You need to adhere to employment law regulations as well as making sure everyone is treated fairly. Try to be as compassionate and understanding towards your employees as you can.
If you really want your business to stand out in the modern world you should make yourself an equal opportunities employer. This means you give opportunities for employment to people from all different backgrounds. You need to try to make sure you have a diverse and varied staff base. This means giving everybody a chance irrespective of their background, orientation, religion or gender. It might also be good to try to have a diverse pool of international employees in the company. This will also help when you are trying to look for ways to take your business global.
As a small business owner, you have to make sure your company is well run. That means you need to iron out creases and make sure everything is above board. Running a sound and successful company is the best way to cement your legacy as a great business owner. So, you need to do what you can to ensure this happens.
Ford has reported a record profit in Q1 of 2016 following strong sales in Europe and moving more pick-up trucks and SUVs in North America.
The automaker’s profits for Q1 rose to $3.8 billion, compared with $2.1 billion for the same period in 2015.
The stronger performance in Europe helped Ford to outpace Detroit rival General Motors.
Ford CEO Mark Fields said the company had an “absolutely terrific start to the year”.
Shares rose 3.2% in New York, but are still 11% lower than this time last year.
The company’s European business made a pretax profit of $434 million in Q1 2016 – higher than the total for all of last year – and substantially better than a $42m loss for the same period in 2015.
By comparison GM made a $6 million loss in Europe during the first quarter of 2016, better than the $239 million loss in 2015.
Ford remained the region’s best-selling commercial vehicle brand, reflecting the popularity of the Transit and Ranger lineups.
In North America, the automaker’s F-150 trucks and SUVs were a major contributor to the company’s profit growth.
Pretax profit in North America rose to $3.1 billion, outpacing GM’s $2.3 billion and more than double the $1.5 billion for Q1 of 2015.
Earlier this month the automaker said it had set up a new subsidiary, Ford Smart Mobility, in a bid to combat growing competition from the technology sector.
Ford has been investing in driverless cars and earlier this year tested a self-driving vehicle in the snow.
Amazon’s profit surged to $513 million in Q1 of 2016, helped by a 28% jump in sales.
The company’s sales hit $29.1 billion for Q1 of 2016, helped by rising sales of its Kindle reading devices and Fire tablet computers.
Both sales and profits were higher than analysts had been expecting and Amazon shares jumped in after hours trading.
Amazon reported strong growth in customers for its Prime service, which includes free delivery and TV shows.
The results were a positive sign for investors who had been rattled by disappointing earnings from Apple and Microsoft.
Amazon’s cloud services unit was an important source of sales growth.
The cloud business rents data storage space and software services to companies, and is Amazon’s fastest growing unit.
Amazon’s revenue rose 64% year-over-year, reaching $2.5 billion.
Investors have been watching Amazon’s cloud operation closely, particularly after one of its biggest customers, Apple, announced it would be moving some of its business elsewhere.
Since the start of 2016 Amazon has added new televisions shows and films to its Prime service, which helped to attract new users.
In April, the company introduced options to pay monthly for the service.
The plan is part of an effort to compete with video streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.
Amazon also attributed the increased number of Prime members to the expanded list of products eligible for free two-day shipping.
It did not detail sales of devices like the Kindle and Fire table, but did say that the division has seen growth.
“Amazon devices are the top selling products on Amazon, and customers purchased more than twice as many Fire tablets than first quarter last year,” CEO Jeff Bezos said.
The Giants Club is holding its inaugural summit in Laikipia, Kenya, from April 29 to April 30, to discuss how to save Africa’s elephants from extinction.
The exclusive forum brings together African Heads of State, global business leaders and elephant protection experts to secure Africa’s remaining elephant populations and the landscapes they depend on.
The summit will be led by the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
As well as heads of state, the conservation group will bring together business leaders and scientists.
The Giants Club was founded by President Uhuru Kenyatta with the presidents of Botswana, Gabon, Kenya and Uganda, with support from Space for Giants and its patron, Evgeny Lebedev, the owner of The Independent and London Evening Standard newspapers. The body was formed to combat the poaching crisis by bringing together visionary leaders who can work together to provide the political will, financial resources and technical capacity required to protect Africa’s remaining elephant populations.
The summit is to be staged at Mount Kenya Safari Club. Delegates will also be invited to visit local conservation projects to see practical examples of Kenya’s leadership in the area of wildlife protection. Attendance is by invitation only.
According to experts, Africa’s elephant population has fallen by 90% over the past century. They warn that the animal could be extinct within decades.
After the summit, Kenya will set fire to nearly its entire confiscated stock of ivory, 105 tonnes, equivalent to the tusks of more than 6,700 elephants.
The ivory has been piled into a dozen giant pyres, which will be lit by dignitaries at the summit.
The mass burning on April 30 will be seven times the size of any stockpile destruction so far, and represents about 5% of global ivory stores.
Some 1.35 tonnes of rhino horn will also be burned.
The street value of the ivory destroyed is estimated at more than $100 million, and the rhino horn at $80 million.
Kitili Mbathi, director general of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), said: “We don’t believe there is any intrinsic value in ivory, and therefore we’re going to burn all our stockpiles and demonstrate to the world that ivory is only valuable on elephants.”
Africa is home to between 450,000 to 500,000 elephants, but more than 30,000 are killed every year for their tusks.
Kim Dong-chul, a 62-year-old naturalized US citizen born in South Korea, was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in April 2016 for spying.
Otto Frederick Warmbier, a US student who was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in March 2016 for trying to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel and “crimes against the state”.
Hyeon Soo Lim, a Canadian Christian pastor of South Korean origin, was sentenced to a life term of hard labor in December 2015, also for “crimes against the state”.
Sandra Suh, an American aid worker, was arrested then expelled in April 2015, accused of gathering and producing anti-North Korea propaganda.
Matthew Todd Miller, an American citizen who was sentenced to 6 years of hard labor in September 2014 for what North Korean state media described as “hostile acts”, but was released in November 2014.
Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American Evangelical Christian Missionary who was arrested in November 2012 and accused of using his tourism business to form groups to overthrow the North Korean government. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in May 2013 but was released along with Matthew Todd Miller.
Jeffrey Edward Fowle, an American citizen was detained for five months and charged with “anti-state” crimes. He was released in October 2014.
Merrill Newman, a Korean War veteran who was held in October 2013 on charges of “hostile acts”. He was released in December 2013.
US citizen Kim Dong-chul has been sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in North Korea.
Kim Dong-chul, who was born in South Korea, was arrested in October 2015 after being accused of spying.
In March, the 62-year-old had made an apparent confession in Pyongyang in front of reporters, saying he was paid by South Korean intelligence officers.
The US has previously accused North Korea of using its citizens as pawns in a diplomatic game. The North Korean government denies the accusations.
Last month, US student Otto Frederick Warmbier was jailed for 15 years for stealing a propaganda sign and “crimes against the state”.
North Korea has previously said Kim Dong-chul had a USB stick containing military and nuclear secrets on him when he was arrested in the special economic zone of Rason.
Kim Dong-chul, who used to live in Virginia, had said he was introduced to South Korean spies by US intelligence officers.
Forced public confessions by foreign prisoners are common in North Korea.
Kim Dong-chul’s imprisonment comes amid a period of high tensions. North Korea has recently conducted a series of missile tests following its fourth nuclear test in January, both of which break UN sanctions.
Pyongyang attempted to launch two mid-range ballistic missiles on April 28 which crashed shortly after their launches, prompting an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
It is believed North Korea will attempt a fifth nuclear test soon.
The recent burst in activity is thought to be a ramp-up to a rare party congress due to be held on May 6, where leader Kim Jong-un is expected to consolidate power.
According to new figures, the US economic growth slowed to an annual pace of 0.5% in Q1 of 2016.
That was a sharp fall from the 1.4% rate of growth in Q4 of 2015 and the slowest pace in two years.
The slowdown, which was bigger than most economists forecast, has been blamed on a fall in domestic demand and a strong dollar that has put a brake on exports.
Photo Getty Images
With shoppers buying less, businesses have been reluctant to order new stock.
Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the US economy, increased at a rate of 1.9%, down from 2.4% in the previous quarter.
Business investment fell by 5.9% – the biggest quarterly decline since the depths of the financial crisis in 2009.
Oil and gas exploration fell by a record 86% as energy companies cut back on spending following the dramatic slide in oil prices.
Although cheaper oil has given consumers more spare cash, it has also cut the profits of businesses dependent on the oil industry.
Despite the economy slowing, unemployment fell below 5% in January, and April 29 jobs report is expected to show steady growth in employment numbers.
On April 28, the Federal Reserve said that “labor market conditions have improved further even as growth in economic activity appears to have slowed”.
Lego has admitted its decision to reject Ai Weiwei’s request for a bulk order of its bricks in 2015 was a “mistake”.
Vice-Chairman Kirk Kristiansen told The Wall Street Journal an employee had misinterpreted the company’s policy on political neutrality.
In October 2015, the Chinese artist said his request was declined because Lego considered his planned exhibition to be too political.
Ai Weiwei is known for criticism of the Chinese government.
“It was an internal mistake,” Kirk Kristiansen said.
He said the decision had been made “very low in the organization by our consumer service department”, and that Lego’s board had not been involved at the time.
Kirk Kristiansen’s son and successor Thomas added: “It is a typical example of what can go wrong in a big company.”
Lego’s refusal to provide bricks for Ai Weiwei’s artwork on political dissidents prompted people around the world to donate bricks at “Lego collection points” set up in different cities.
Ai Weiwei ended up making a new series of artworks based on the incident as a commentary on freedom of speech and political art.
In January 2016, Lego decided to stop asking bulk customers what they wanted to do with the bricks.
It said such customers should instead make clear that Lego does not endorse works shown in public.
The artist said Lego’s U-turn was a victory for freedom of speech.
Ai Weiwei also appeared to react to Lego’s decision by posting a picture on Instagram of a young boy sticking bricks onto his face, accompanied by a grinning emoji caption.
Minnesota authorities investigating Prince’s death are requesting assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Police found prescription painkillers in Prince’s possession following his sudden death in Minneapolis on April 21, NBC News reported.
Officials have yet to say what role, if any, those drugs may have played.
Photo Instagram
Last week’s autopsy discounted suicide – but a medical examiner said full results could take several weeks.
Prince Nelson Rogers, 57, was found dead in a lift on his Paisley Park estate.
Sheriff Jim Olson said there was no sign of trauma on Prince’s body, suggesting the singer had died alone.
The DEA will be working to “determine such things as where the medications came from, and what prescriptions Prince had obtained,” NBC reported.
There have been suggestions Prince was addicted to the painkiller Percocet, which he had been taking since 2009 to relieve hip pain.
The singers former percussionist, Sheila E, told the news agency Prince had suffered the effects of years of jumping off speakers on stage while wearing high heels.
However, claims of drug dependency have been refuted by Prince’s long-time lawyer, L Londell McMillan.
Although he admitted that Prince may have taken pills to manage pain, the lawyer said the musician was “not on any drugs that would be any cause for concern”.
Japan stock market traded low as the yen surged after the Bank of Japan decided against any extra monetary easing.
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) kept interest rates unchanged despite coming under pressure to take further action.
The central bank had introduced negative rates in January but this failed to provide a much needed boost for the economy.
The Nikkei 225 index finished 3.6% lower at 16,666.05. New economic data also showed a slip back into deflation while industrial production expanded.
Japan has for years been trying to boost its economy and end a period of stifling deflation.
One way to try to achieve this is by monetary policy, which is one of PM Shinzo Abe’s three key “Abenomics” policies to turn around the economy.
However, even negative rates – meaning commercial banks will be charged if they deposit money with the central bank – have not trickled down to get banks to lend more and companies and people to invest or spend more.
Inflation is still far off the 2% target.
The BoJ’s decision to hold rates also sent the yen currency soaring, which is likely to have a negative effect on the crucial export sector.
The yen rose nearly 2% against the dollar, with one dollar worth 109.33 yen.
In this day and age, competition for jobs is fierce. It’s never been more important to stand out from the crowd. If you’re looking for a new job, or you’re hoping to secure a promotion, here are some tips to set you apart.
Your CV, or resume, is incredibly important. This short summary is often the first opportunity you get to impress a potential employer. It could make the difference between getting an interview or having your application thrown on the ‘no’ pile. When creating your resume, it’s essential to sell yourself to the best of your ability. List your achievements. Include all the information, which may distinguish you from other candidates. In the employment section, mention only relevant roles. You don’t need to note down every job you’ve ever had. Try and be original, but don’t stray too far from tried and tested formulas. For ideas of how to format your resume, check out http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mkl45eejl/tips-for-creating-the-best-possible-resume/.
Selling yourself
Often, when you apply for a job, you’ll be competing against people with the same qualifications, so it’s vital to show off other skills. Encourage your employer to invest in your potential and show off your passion. Use your experience and training to demonstrate your capability and your ability to learn. In the modern age, it’s beneficial to look to the future and keep ahead of the crowd. Tailor your application to suit the role. If you’re looking for a job in business development, for example, showcase your talents in this field. Training in areas such as digital marketing and cloud computing may be particularly appealing. Are you interested in expanding your skill set to make your application more enticing to prospective recruiters? If so, check out sites like http://www.simplilearn.com/virtualization-and-cloud-computing/exin-cloud-computing-certification-training.
Interview tips
An interview is a fantastic opportunity to show off your personality. This is your chance to try and convince potential employers that you are the best candidate for the job. Always make sure you prepare for an interview. Read up on the company, and learn about the role. Note down some questions to ask the panel and try and predict what they may ask you. If you’re doing a presentation, rehearse it several times, and make sure you have all the facts and figures nailed down. Speak clearly and confidently, and maintain eye contact.
It is essential to create a positive first impression when you go for an interview. Dress smartly, and ensure you feel comfortable. Make an effort to wash and style your hair, and pay attention to detail. Polish your shoes, and iron your outfit the night before. Make sure you arrive in plenty of time to give you chance to go through your presentation, and get yourself mentally prepared. Most of us feel nervous before an interview or an important meeting. Try and stay as calm as possible, and take deep breaths. Take your time when you are speaking, and think about your answers before you respond to questions.
In 2016, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd. If you’re applying for jobs, take these tips on board. Hopefully, you’ll catch an employer’s attention and ensure that they remember you for all the right reasons.
SpaceX’s Elon Musk has announced he is planning to send his Dragon spacecraft to Mars by 2018.
The billionaire has long targeted a trip to Mars and has previously said he can get humans to the red planet by 2026.
SpaceX is planning “Red Dragon” missions to Mars to test technology for bigger missions.
In a tweet, Elon Musk said that its Dragon 2 spacecraft is “designed to be able to land anywhere in the solar system”.
Photo PANews
However, Elon Musk “wouldn’t recommend transporting astronauts beyond Earth-moon region” as the internal area of the spacecraft is only the size of a large car.
“Wouldn’t be fun for longer journeys,” he said in a tweet.
SpaceX has been developing rockets and has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to supply the International Space Station (ISS).
On April 27, the company won an $83 million contract from the US Air Force to launch a satellite for GPS navigation services.
It is a significant win for SpaceX as, for the last decade, Lockheed Martin and Boeing have been supplying space launches for the military.
In December 2015, SpaceX had another breakthrough, landing its Falcon-9 unmanned rocket upright.
That was an important development in its plan to cut the cost of space launches by re-using rockets.
Facebook has posted a 195% jump in profit in Q1 of 2016 as the company continued to generate new advertising income.
The social network reported $1.5 billion in earnings for Q1 2016, compared to $512 million in Q1 2015.
As well as enticing advertisers to new products like live video, Facebook boosted sales on existing services.
The company also proposed a new class of shares, which will allow founder Mark Zuckergerg to sell his shares without losing control of Facebook.
It said the move will “encourage Mr. Zuckerberg to remain in an active leadership role at Facebook”.
Photo Facebook
Facebook shares rose over 9% in after-hours trading.
Sales for Q1 2016 reached $5.3 billion up from $3.5 billion in Q1 of 2015.
Mobile advertising made up 82% of Facebook’s overall advertising revenue, up from 73% at the same time last year.
Total monthly active users (MAU) increased 15% from a year earlier to 1.65 billion, which was ahead of analysts expectations.
On a call with investors, the social network said it intended to continue buying other companies, but only those offering services that could be “ubiquitous”.
Facebook has invested heavily in other companies – in 2012 it paid $1 billion for the photo-sharing site Instagram.
However, it is hard for investors to judge the success of such deals, as Facebook has not detailed earnings from acquired companies.
The announcement of the new share structure comes four months after Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan announced they would give away 99% of their wealth.
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan made the announcement after the birth of their daughter Max in December.
Greece handed over the Olympic flame to the Brazilian authorities during a ceremony in Athens.
The Olympic torch will arrive in Brazil next week and then will travel around the country ahead of the games in August.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes says the Olympic park is almost ready but there are concerns about delays to some projects.
The impeachment proceedings against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff mean there is uncertainty as to who will be in power during the Olympic Games.
Photo Yahoo News
Brazil’s unemployment has also risen to about 10% as the economy has contracted for the second year in a row.
Rights group Amnesty International has also criticized the number of killings by police in the city’s shantytowns, known as favelas, where residents were “living in terror”.
Officers have killed 11 people in the favelas so far this month, Amnesty said, and were behind 307 such deaths last year.
Nevertheless, the head of Rio’s organizing committee Carlos Nuzman said the city was “ready to make history” as the flame was handed over to the Brazilians.
The Olympic torch will arrive on May 3 in the capital Brasilia after a short stopover in Switzerland.
Ted Cruz has named Carly Fiorina as his running mate, in the event he becomes the GOP nominee at a campaign event in Indianapolis on April 27.
He called Carly Fiorina a “consistent, courageous fighter”.
The former presidential candidate is the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard.
Carly Fiorina dropped out of the presidential race after a poor showing at the New Hampshire primary.
She has been an active supporter for Texas Senator Ted Cruz on the campaign trail.
The early announcement is unusual because vice-presidential picks are not normally decided until after a candidate secures the nomination.
Photo AP
“Over and over again, Carly has shattered glass ceilings,” Ted Cruz said.
Carly Fiorina could help Ted Cruz in his battle against front-runner Donald Trump, who has made disparaging comments about women – including her.
“Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?” he said.
Carly Fiorina responded: “I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.”
Ted Cruz alluded to this exchange in introducing Carly Fiorina in Indiana, saying she handled it with “grace and class”.
While at Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina laid off 30,000 people and was fired by the company’s board, though she has argued that her leadership “saved” the company.
Carly Fiorina also had a failed bid for a California Senate seat.
Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump called the move desperate.
While addressing the crowd, Carly Fiorina broke into song.
She sang about Ted Cruz’s daughters and their times together on the Cruz campaign bus.
“Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are two sides of the same coin,” Carly Fiorina said, and Ted Cruz’s presidential bid is not over yet, despite what “the media says”.
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has detailed his foreign policy just one day after winning in five primaries.
In a speech in Washington on April 27, Donald Trump said he would pursue an “America First” policy.
The New York businessman called the foreign policy of President Barack Obama’s administration “a complete and total disaster”.
On April 26, Donald Trump called himself the Republican “presumptive nominee” after his primary wins.
He claimed victories in Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Before the speech, Donald Trump promised it would not be a “Trump doctrine”, and that he would retain some flexibility to make changes if elected.
Photo Getty Images
Much of his speech focused on what he called the “weakness, confusion and disarray” of the Obama administration, and his hope of reversing it.
Before the audience in Washington, he vowed to “shake the rust off America’s foreign policy”.
Donald Trump said that, under his administration “their days are numbered – I won’t tell them when, and I won’t tell them how”.
He had previously said he would weaken ISIS by cutting off their access to oil, and supported waterboarding and other strong interrogation methods against them. He did not return to these proposals on today’s speech.
“Containing the spread of radical Islam must be a major foreign policy goal of the United States and indeed, the world,” Donald Trump said, adding that he would work closely with US allies in the Middle East to combat extremism.
He also said that new talks would be sought with the US’ allies in NATO to try and reshape the organization’s structure and discuss a “rebalancing” of US financing towards it.
Donald Trump said he would also aim to hold talks with Russia to seek common ground, possibly over Islamist extremism.
“Some say the Russians can’t be reasonable,” he said.
“I intend to find out.”
Donald Trump said China “respects strength, and by letting them take advantage of us economically like they are doing, we are losing all their respect”. He said he would seek to “fix our relations with China” but did not suggest how.
On US allies, he said: “The countries we defend must pay for the cost of this defense.
“If not, the US must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves. We have no choice.”
Speaking to the New York Times last month about the US-Japan relationship, Donald Trump said: “If we’re attacked, they do not have to come to our defense, if they’re attacked, we have to come totally to their defense. And that is a, that’s a real problem.”
Donald Trump once said he was his own best foreign policy adviser, but, in recent months, has expanded his backroom team. Some of his appointments have proved controversial.
His team is led by Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama.
Another member, retired Gen. Joseph Schmitz, resigned from the military in 2005 amid accusations of misconduct. However, Joseph Schmitz was never charged with wrongdoing.
Another adviser, Walid Phares, was criticized when he was named as part of Mitt Romney’s foreign policy team in 2011.
Muslim advocacy groups took issue with Walid Phares’s close ties to right-wing Christian militia groups during the Lebanese civil war.
Turkey’s new constitution will feature the principle of secularism, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has announced.
Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey’s secular and democratic character was “not up for debate”.
The prime minister’s comments came a day after parliamentary speaker Ismail Kahraman – a key member of the ruling AK party (AKP) – called for secularism to be taken out of the constitution.
Ismail Kahraman, who is overseeing the draft charter, said Turkey was a Muslim country and should have a religious constitution.
Turkey is a NATO member and aspires to join the European Union, which has traditionally regarded the country as a model of secular democracy in the Islamic world.
However, critics of the government fear the modern state’s secular foundations are being eroded.
Photo Reuters
Opposition parties also fear the new constitution could concentrate too much power in the hands of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who wants an executive presidency to replace the current parliamentary system.
In a speech on April 27, Ahmet Davutoglu said: “Secularism will feature in the new constitution we draft as a principle that guarantees citizens’ freedom of religion and faith and that ensures the state is an equal distance from all faith group.”
Ismail Kahraman said on April 25: “We are a Muslim country… Secularism cannot feature in the new constitution.”
He later said his comments were “personal views”.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of Turkey’s main CHP opposition party, condemned Ismail Kahraman’s comments, tweeting: “The chaos that reigns in the Middle East is the product of ways of thinking that, like you, make religion an instrument of politics.”
The AKP, which has Islamist roots, has been pushing to replace the existing constitution, which dates back to a 1980 military coup and does not promote any religion.
Over the past two years, the Turkish government has lifted bans on women and girls wearing headscarves in schools and civil service. It also limited alcohol sales and made efforts to ban mixed dorms at state universities.
The government has pledged that European standards on human rights will form the basis of the new text.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP holds 317 of the 550 seats in parliament. To submit its draft constitution to a referendum, it would need 330 votes , so it will need to win over lawmakers from other parties.
