UK’s magazine The Spectator has offered a prize to the author of the most offensive poem about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is suing German comedian Jan Boehmermann over a satirical verse.
The magazine is offering £1,000 ($1,450), donated by a reader.
It comes after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Jan Boehmermann could be prosecuted over a TV broadcast.
Jan Boehmermann had recited a satirical poem on the TV channel ZDF which made inappropriate references to Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The comedian is now under police protection and Angela Merkel’s government has approved a criminal inquiry, under a little-used law concerning insults against foreign heads of state.
Angela Merkel stressed that the courts would have the final word, and it was now up to prosecutors to decide whether to press charges.
Announcing the competition, commentator Douglas Murray wrote: “The fact such a trial could even be contemplated demonstrates that Germany is becoming little more than a satrapy [province] of Erdogan’s.”
“I’m a free-born British man… In honor of this fact I have spent the weekend writing rude limericks about Mr. Erdogan.
“And I would hereby like to invite all readers to join me in a grand Erdogan limerick competition.”
Since Recep Tayyip Erdogan became president of Turkey in 2014, almost 2,000 cases of insulting him have been opened.
Jan Boehmermann case has opened a debate about free speech in Germany.
Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors shares have fallen more than 15% after it said an unspecified number of its cars had failed fuel tests.
Mitsubishi will hold a news conference in Tokyo at 5pm local time about the issue.
The company’s president, Tetsuro Aikawa, will attend the briefing.
Mitsubishi shares closed down 131 yen at 733 yen in Tokyo – their biggest one-day fall in nearly 12 years.
NHK said the faulty tests could affect about 600,000 Mitsubishi-produced cars, including some vehicles it makes for rival Nissan.
Mitsubishi sold more than one million vehicles in 2015.
“One of our models was found to have failed part of a fuel economy test,” a company spokesman said.
In 2014 South Korean auto makers Hyundai and its affiliate, Kia, agreed to pay $350 million in US penalties for overstating their vehicles’ fuel economy ratings. They also resolved claims from car owners.
The Mitsubishi revelation follows last year’s emissions scandal at Volkswagen in which the German automaker was found to have installed devices in some models that fooled tests.
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has won the New York primary while Hillary Clinton has triumphed in the Democratic race.
With the majority of votes counted, Donald Trump looks set to extend his lead over rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich.
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, a former senator for New York, is on course for a victory over Brooklyn-born Bernie Sanders.
Wins will put Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton closer to securing their nominations.
With more than 98% of the results in, Donald Trump is leading with just over 60% of the vote while Hillary Clinton has just under 58%.
Speaking at Trump Tower in Manhattan, Donald Trump said: “I have to say to the people that know me the best – the people of New York – when they give us this kind of a vote it’s just incredible.”
Photo LA Times
The billionaire businessman said he was going to get more delegates than “anyone projected even in their wildest imaginations”.
The big question is whether Donald Trump will make a clean sweep of all 95 Republican delegates at stake in New York by earning the majority of votes.
This would reduce the chances of a contested nomination at the GOP convention in July.
Claiming her win, Hillary Clinton told supporters her campaign for the nomination was “in the home stretch and victory is in sight”.
“New Yorkers, you’ve always had my back and I’ve always tried to have yours,” she said.
“Today together we did it again and I am deeply, deeply grateful.”
It has been a fierce campaign in the state, with the leading candidates using their local ties to attract voters.
The Democratic campaign has turned increasingly negative, with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders trading barbs about their qualifications.
Following the latest result in the race for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton said there was “much more that unites us than divides us”.
The two front-runners for both parties cast their own votes in New York on April 19.
Donald Trump cast his ballot at Central Synagogue in Manhattan in the morning, while Hillary Clinton voted with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, near their home in the suburb of Chappaqua.
They are the last presidential candidates to vote in the primary contest. Bernie Sanders voted in his home state of Vermont in March, while Republican challengers Ted Cruz and John Kasich went to the polls in Texas and Ohio.
The voting in New York was marred by widespread complaints of irregularities, including more than 125,000 people missing from New York City voter rolls. The city’s chief auditing officer, Scott Stringer, ordered a review of the city’s Board of Elections (BOE) over what he called “chaotic and inefficient” organization.
Although Donald Trump was sweeping to victory across most of the state, Ohio Governor John Kasich, otherwise in a distant second place, was leading in his home borough of Manhattan.
Something regularly asked by business owners is when the best time to schedule meetings is. The day and time a meeting is held does dramatically affect how it turns out. It is much easier to schedule meetings with people across the world thanks to Blue Jeans and other online conferencing software, but the question still remains. This quick guide should give you some idea of when to schedule your meetings so that you can get the most out of them.
Local or International?
The first factor to consider when scheduling your meetings is who will be attending. If it is a local meeting or the only attendees are people in your same country or time zone then it won’t be too difficult. If, however, you need to talk with people in different time zones, sometimes multiple time zones, then it can create a problem. Compromises may have to be made, but the important thing is to ensure that nobody will be attending the meeting in the middle of the night. Depending on the different time zones you need to reach, accept that some of you may need to start your day earlier or stay a little later to make this possible. If you are pitching to an important overseas client then work the meeting around a time which is best for them. If some people don’t need to attend the meeting immediately, record it using online conferencing software then e-mail it for them to watch when it is convenient for them.
Photo Flickr
Time of Day
This is probably the main problem that people argue over. What time of day is best to hold a meeting? There is no easy answer as different people work better at different times of the day. You also don’t want to take people away from their work too much during their peak production hours. Many people agree that the best time is mid-morning. People will have had their morning coffee and caught up on their important tasks but their blood sugar levels won’t have dropped too low and they won’t be too sluggish immediately after eating a big meal. Other sources including Lifehacker argue that 3pm is the best time as people are more likely to respond to invites at this time. Lunch meetings should definitely be avoided for online meetings as the sound of people eating through headsets is incredibly off-putting and against all online conferencing etiquette. Again, don’t forget to record the meeting and e-mail it out to anybody in a different time zone who either couldn’t make the meeting or wasn’t at their most alert during the meeting.
Day of the Week
Along with the time of day, this is another key consideration. Many businesses schedule regular Monday and Friday meetings, but business expert Andrew Jensen argues against this. These are the days when employees often take holidays, and Mondays are often when public holidays are held. People will also be less productive on Monday and too eager to go home on Friday. Therefore, the middle of the week, particularly Tuesday, is the best time to hold important meetings. This doesn’t mean that you should never have meetings on Monday or Friday; just don’t expect them to be your most productive meetings.
Preparation Time
Both you and your colleagues will need some time to prepare for a meeting, which again affects when you should schedule them. If you announce the meeting at the end of the day for the next morning, that doesn’t give anyone enough time to prepare effectively. If you announce a Monday morning meeting on Friday afternoon, that means your colleague’s weekend plans are gone down the drain. Unless it is completely unavoidable, schedule each meeting with enough time for everybody to prepare within work hours, without impacting on their regular work load. This is another good reason to schedule meetings for mid-morning or the middle of the week, as it gives people ample time to go over their notes and make any adjustments beforehand.
Meeting Length
Another important thing to consider when making up your schedule is how long you expect the meeting to last. It is advisable to keep meetings as brief as possible as people still need to get on with their regular work and other commitments. This may mean starting a lengthy meeting earlier in the day. If the meeting is going to go on for a long time be sure to schedule regular breaks and put the most important items at the top of the agenda.
While there is no definite right or wrong time to hold a meeting and different time zones make it a little more complicated, using the above guide when putting together your meeting schedule should make it easier. Not everything works for everyone, but you can still schedule meetings that will be productive, well prepared, and even enjoyable for everybody who attends.
A new study has shown that a fifth of people with advanced melanoma have no sign of tumors in their body after treatment with a pair of immunotherapy drugs.
The first survival data on using ipilimumab and nivolumab in combination showed 69% of patients, in a trial on 142, were still alive after two years.
Both drugs were developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb.
UK doctors leading the trial said the results were “very encouraging”.
More studies on the emerging field of immunotherapy will be presented later.
Photo Flickr
The immune system is a powerful defense against infection. However, there are many “brakes” built in to stop it attacking our own tissues.
Cancer – which is a corrupted version of healthy tissue – can take advantage of those brakes to evade assault.
Ipilimumab and nivolumab are designed to cut the brakes.
Both have become standard therapies in melanoma, but most researchers believe combination therapy will be essential.
The trial showed the survival rate after two years for ipilimumab alone was 53% and no patient’s tumors had completely disappeared.
The equivalent figures for combination therapy were 69% and 22%.
However, more than half of patients had severe to life-threatening side effects which stopped their treatment.
A much larger trial involving nearly 1,000 patients has already started releasing data, but has not run for long enough to produce survival figures.
Everybody Loves Raymond actress Doris Roberts has died at the age of 90.
Doris Roberts played Marie Barone in the sitcom.
A family spokeswoman said Doris Roberts died in Los Angeles overnight on April 17 in her sleep. She added the actress had been healthy and active.
Doris Roberts won four Emmys for her role in Everybody Loves Raymond, which ran from 1996 to 2005.
Her on-screen son Ray Romano paid tribute saying she “had an energy and a spirit that amazed me”.
“She never stopped,” he told Entertainment Tonight.
“Whether working professionally or with her many charities, or just nurturing and mentoring a green young comic trying to make it as an actor, she did everything with such a grand love for life and people and I will miss her dearly.”
Patricia Heaton, who played Marie’s daughter-in-law Debra, said it was “truly the end of an era”.
Pearl Jam have canceled a concert in North Carolina in protest against the state’s new law on LGBT rights.
The law, known as HB2, requires people to use public toilets that correspond to the gender listed on their birth certificates.
It invalidated several local anti-discrimination measures that protected gay and transgender people.
Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr have also scrapped their shows in protest.
In a statement, Pearl Jam said they “must take a stand against prejudice”.
The law “is a despicable piece of legislation that encourages discrimination against an entire group of American citizens,” the statement on the band’s website said.
“The practical implications are expansive and its negative impact upon basic human rights is profound.”
Pearl Jam concert had been due to go ahead at the 20,000-capacity PNC Arena in Raleigh on April 19.
On April 18, Boston also canceled three shows scheduled for late April in North Carolina.
The law’s implementation has drawn ire from anti-discrimination campaigners, as well as companies including PayPal, Apple and Facebook.
North Carolina governor Pat McCrory is now seeking to roll back some of the measures included in the bill he signed, to protect LGBT rights, but not those relating to public toilets in schools and government buildings.
Last week, the singer Cyndi Lauper said she would not cancel her concert, and would instead turn it into “an entire day to build public support” to repeal the law.
Cyndi Lauper will be donating all profits from the show on June 4 to Equality North Carolina’s efforts to have the law reversed.
The death toll in Ecuador’s most powerful earthquake in decades has risen to about 350, the government has said.
Teams from Switzerland, Spain and several Latin American countries have arrived to join the local search effort.
More than 2,000 people were injured in the quake.
Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa warned that the death toll was likely to rise, and said there were still people alive under the rubble of collapsed buildings. He said it was the biggest tragedy to hit Ecuador in the past seven decades.
The president visited some of the people affected by the disaster after cutting short a visit to Italy to return to his home country.
“I fear that figure will go up because we keep on removing rubble,” Rafael Correa said in a TV address.
“There are signs of life in the rubble, and that is being prioritized.”
Rafael Correa warned that the quake will cost Ecuador billions of dollars. It comes at a time when the oil-producing country is already reeling from the slump in global crude prices.
Correspondents say that while Ecuador’s energy industry survived the quake mostly intact – the main refinery of Esmeraldas was closed as a precaution – exports of bananas, flowers, cocoa beans and fish could be delayed because of impassable roads and hold-ups at ports.
Foreign Minister Guillaume Long praised those nations which had contributed to the rescue effort.
Guillaume Long tweeted that as many as 120 mobile rescue teams would be on the ground by Tuesday morning.
The magnitude-7.8 quake struck on April 16. Coastal areas in the north-west were closest to the epicenter. There have been about 230 aftershocks across the country.
A state of emergency has been declared and some 10,000 troops and 3,500 police have been deployed in the affected areas.
In Pedernales, close to the epicenter, as many as 400 people are feared dead. Mayor Gabriel Alcivar said the “entire town” had been flattened.
“Pedernales is devastated. Buildings have fallen down, especially hotels where there are lots of tourists staying. There are lots of dead bodies,” he told local media.
“We’re trying to do the most we can but there’s almost nothing we can do,” Gabriel Alcivar added, warning that looting had broken out.
More than 600 people have been treated for injuries at tents in the town’s football stadium, with many others taken by ambulance or helicopter to regional hospitals. The stadium also served as a makeshift morgue, Reuters reported, with at least 90 bodies taken there.
Many residents of the town are due to spend the night sleeping outside on mattresses in muggy and tropical conditions and afraid of more aftershocks.
Firefighters conducted rescue operations in destroyed buildings, demanding silence so they could listen for cries for help.
Meanwhile, queues for essential supplies such as bottled water, blankets and food formed around the stadium’s walls, as residents complained that electricity shortages were preventing them from using mobile phones to contact loved ones.
More than 1,000 policemen are patrolling the streets of Pedernales ahead of an expected visit by the president.
The quake cut power supplies along the coast. With too few emergency shelters, many residents have spent two nights out in the open.
In Portoviejo, where looting was reported, about 400 residents gathered at the city’s former airport to queue for water and other supplies.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake struck at a fairly shallow depth of 11.9 miles, about 16 miles from Muisne in a sparsely populated area.
The quake was also felt in neighboring Colombia.
Scientists say there is no connection between the quake in Ecuador and a severe tremor in southern Japan, which also occurred on April 16.
Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry will host a dinner for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on April 22, Kensington Palace has announced.
Photo Getty Images
“Their Royal Highnesses are very much looking forward to welcoming President and Mrs. Obama to Kensington Palace,” a statement from Kensington Palace said.
The Obamas will visit Kensington after joining the Queen for lunch at Windsor Castle – the day after her 90th birthday celebrations.
The US president will also stage a press conference with UK’s PM David Cameron.
Barack Obama’s UK stay is part of a tour including Saudi Arabia and Germany.
If you thought there’s only a handful of window solutions on the market, you’re in for a major surprise. We have investigated into the actual offers of the various manufacturers, and the results are a tad overwhelming. However, if we are to pick the treatment befitting a children’s room décor that also acts as a practical choice, other aspects may come into the equation. This include the kids’ age, level of activity and perhaps a medical condition. Let’s go through them one by one.
Total blackout
With instalment of blackout shades or blinds you can completely oust the unnecessary light from the nursery, natural or man-made alike. It is proven that kids’ sleeping cycle requires total darkness for production of melatonin and normal overnight rest. Leave just a patch of window uncovered for easier check-ups.
Bamboo made
These are commonly called bamboo shades or matchstick blinds, and they’re basically woven wood structure. This type can vary in thickness for different degrees of ray filtration, so we have more privacy-proof or open coverings. Bamboo shades are a great choice for eco enthusiast that want to add a touch of wildlife experience to their younglings’ room.
Classic blinds
When we say blinds, most of people think of the popular Venetian variety. They are functional and versatile in terms of decoration, providing a clean, modern look. Now, they are usually the most cost-effective type of blinds, but their cords might not be suitable for small children, unless the windows are not floor-long.
Honeycomb or cellular
This rightfully beloved model of window treatment is a doubly efficient option pertaining to custom blinds and shades offer. Honeycomb model is constructed so it can capture the air and generate an insulating layer that saves energy in both the cold and hot weather. A unique trait of the cellular blinds is that cords are inaccessible to kids and cord holes are not in plain sight.
Faux-wooden design
This design could be an investment into the future of your kids, and can be an equally great solution for boys’ or girls’ space. Faux-wood blinds feature high resistance to moisture and humidity, a good call if your house is prone to such issues. These warp-proof covers come in an array of tints, from light wood for neutral settings to darker choices for the big boys.
Genuine wood
Blinds made of real wood are also flexible design-wise, and work splendidly for numerous nursery themes. Again, this is another natural option, just make sure the sellers have certificates for green manufacture. What separates these blinds from other models is its surprisingly light-weight character (lighter than its faux-wood alternative). Their easy maintenance agrees well with kids’ health. The only downside is that these will deteriorate more quickly in damp areas.
Pleated style
If the room is positioned in such a way that sun doesn’t burden it for a large portion of the day, a milder protection could be introduced. The soft, ambience light pleated coverings produce is essential for kids’ daily naps as they instil a calming and gentle illumination. The fabrics and shape these come in are innumerable, so that’s another bonus.
Roller blinds
Rolling model is a great one-piece that eliminates the potential breakage of separate parts other types have. With these, it all boils down to material opacity, and they’re perfect for UV blocking too.
Roman variety
If you opt for roman shades, you’ll be getting a ton of possibilities for your children’s room decoration. Roman blinds have a specific folding mechanism, and they’re also a non-compartmentalised option.
Go vertical
Although vertical shades and blinds are superbly elegant and simple, they are best-suited for the kids in their teens and rooms with large windows.
Quick tips on the go
Don’t take the measurements yourself as the sellers won’t be held liable for mistakes and miscalculations
Cordless options are a must-have for children under the age of 5
Three main characteristics to consider are their function and design, as well as your budget
With so many treatments available, we advise you to make a list your concrete requirements and see what type fits neatly into your youngsters’ room. With the help of our tips and a local, renowned firm, you’ll have an ideal covering installed in no time.
For many people, opening a restaurant is their ultimate business dream. Perhaps they just want to open one for themselves. Or perhaps they want to start a family business that will be passed down through generations. Whatever the reason, you need to be prepared for a lot of hard work. And you need to remember that that hard work can pay off in big, big ways.
Do you have an inkling that you might want to start a restaurant? Many do, but haven’t turned the idea around in their heads enough to get a solid plan going. Here are some tips that will help your brain get into gear and you into action.
Decide what food you will specialise in
This should be the first thing you think of. For many people, they have a litany of great recipes that they want to share with the world. If those recipes already largely fall under a common food category, then this step will be much easier. If you have recipes from several different cuisine “genres”, then you might have to narrow it down to better target to certain customers.
So what will it be? Do you want to specialise in a specific ethnic cuisine? Examples of this would include Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese or Indian. There are obviously many kinds, but these tend to be the most popular. Perhaps you want to open a seafood place or a steakhouse. Or maybe you want something simpler, like a coffee shop or a bakery. Why not a mix of both? Whatever it is, ensure you have a strong food concept in mind.
What kind of property will you acquire?
There are a few ways you can go about this. Perhaps you’ve got your eye on a place available for rent that’s already a restaurant. But what if it’s not in the location you want? Maybe you’d prefer it to be in a busier part of the city. But maybe the only available property there would require a complete conversion into a restaurant.
You will have to do a lot of research for this. The ideal solution, of course, would be to find a property that has already been established as a restaurant. If you can find this in the area you desire, then that’s the kind of place you want. But even though it’s more difficult, you shouldn’t be scared away from the idea of converting a property into a restaurant. After all, location is ultimately the most important factor, here. The biggest challenge is building a suitable kitchen from scratch. But as long as you’re in touch with the best building contractors and stud welding services, it’s achievable.
Find out how much it will cost you
This is the scary bit! You can’t really put off cost estimates for too long. But how do you go about getting the most accurate cost estimate?
The truth is that you’re probably only going to get a ballpark figure this early in the process. If possible, see if you can speak to local business owners – especially restaurant owners. They will be able to inform you about the costs of rent, insurance, permits and utilities. Remember that you probably won’t be doing things the same way that they do, though, so the cost will just be a rough estimate. You’ll also need to find out how much it will cost to acquire a property in the area you want. You can then find out what financial arrangements you need to make to get started.
Oil prices have dropped sharply after a meeting of oil producers in Qatar failed to agree a cap on output.
Brent crude fell 7% at one point, but then recovered slightly to stand down $1.87, or 4.3%, at $41.23 a barrel.
The meeting was attended by most members of oil producers’ group OPEC, including Saudi Arabia, but not Iran.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest exporter, had been prepared to freeze output if all OPEC members had agreed.
However, Iran is continuing to increase output following the lifting of sanctions against it.
Photo Reuters
“As we’re not going to sign anything, and as we’re not part of the decision to freeze output, we ultimately decided it was not necessary to send a representative,” the Iranian government said.
After hours of talks in Qatar, energy minister Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada said that the oil producers needed “more time”.
Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada told reporters after the meeting: “We of course respect [Iran’s] position… The freeze could be more effective definitely if major producers, be it from OPEC members like Iran and others, as well as non-OPEC members, are included in the freeze.”
As well as the fall in Brent, the price of US crude oil fell nearly 7% before recovering some ground to stand $1.88 lower at $38.48 a barrel.
The meeting in Qatar was not formally an OPEC event, though most of the group’s members were represented.
OPEC has been slow to respond to the sharp fall in oil prices, which are still less than half the peak of $115 a barrel seen in June 2014.
Oil prices had risen in recent weeks, largely due to speculation that some major exporters would limit supply.
Johnny Depp’s wife Amber Heard has avoided a conviction for illegally taking her dogs into Australia.
Amber Heard had pleaded guilty in court to making a false statement on her immigration card about the couple’s Yorkshire terriers.
However, the Queensland judge gave her a one-month good behavior bond with no conviction recorded. If she breaks the bond she must pay A$1,000 ($770).
The authorities also released an unusual video apology from the couple.
In the video, which was shown in court and made public by the Department of Agriculture, the couple expressed remorse and advised travelers to respect Australian quarantine laws.
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp both attended Southport Magistrate’s Court in Queensland state, amid a media scrum.
The actress’ guilty plea meant Johnny Depp was excused from giving evidence to the court.
Two illegal importation charges against her were dropped earlier.
They had carried a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail or fines of up to A$265,000.
Amber Heard, 29, brought the dogs, Pistol and Boo, to Queensland in a private jet in May 2015 to visit Johnny Depp, who was filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
The dogs’ presence in Australia was noticed after a local dog groomer posted a photo of them on social media.
Amber Heard had pleaded guilty to declaring “No” on her immigration card under the section asking if she was bringing anything, including animals, into Australia.
Her lawyer argued that the actress had done so because she thought Johnny Depp’s assistants had already sorted out the dogs’ travel documents.
The dogs were quickly taken out of Australia and Amber Heard vowed never to return to Australia.
Australia’s tough quarantine laws are designed to keep disease at bay. Dogs entering from the US must spend 10 days in quarantine.
Brazil’s lower house, Chamber of Deputies, has voted to start impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff.
Dilma Rousseff is accused of manipulating government accounts.
The “yes” camp comfortably won the required two-thirds majority, after a lengthy session in the capital.
The motion will now go to the upper house, the Senate, which is expected to suspend Dilma Rousseff next month while it carries out a formal trial.
The 68-year-old president denies tampering with the accounts to help secure her re-election in 2014.
Her ruling Workers’ Party has promised to continue its fight to defend her “in the streets and in the Senate”.
Dilma Rousseff’s opponents secured 367 votes in the lower house – exceeding the 342-vote mark needed to send the motion to the Senate.
The “no” camp secured 167 votes, while seven other deputies abstained. Two deputies were not present during the voting.
Voting began after passionate statements from lawmakers and party leaders in a session broadcast live on television as well as on large screens in city centers.
If the Senate votes for impeachment, Dilma Rousseff will be put on trial in the upper chamber and will be removed from office permanently if found guilty. She has two opportunities to appeal during the whole process.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters watched the voting marathon on huge TV screens in cities across the country – Dilma Rousseff’s supporters wearing red and her opponents wearing the green and yellow of the Brazilian flag.
Some 25,000 protesters from both sides were outside the Congress building – separated by a makeshift 6.5ft high metal wall, that stretches for 0.6 miles.
The “yes” camp burst into celebrations even before the two-thirds of the votes had been secured.
The atmosphere has so far been peaceful and almost festive with music, fancy dress and people blowing trumpets and vuvuzelas.
Dilma Rousseff has vigorously denied any wrongdoing, and on April 16 wrote in one newspaper her opponents wanted to “convict an innocent woman and save the corrupt”.
Axl Rose will replace AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson for the remainder of their latest tour, the band has confirmed.
They postponed the Rock or Bust tour in March after Brian Johnson, who joined AC/DC after Bon Scott’s death in 1980, was told he was at risk of going deaf.
Axl Rose will join their European and postponed North American dates, before returning to his band in the summer.
In a statement, AC/DC said they were “fortunate” to have Rose’s “support”.
“As much as we want this tour to end as it started, we understand, respect and support Brian’s decision to stop touring and save his hearing,” they said.
“We are dedicated to fulfilling the remainder of our touring commitments to everyone that has supported us over the years.”
They added thanks to Gateshead-born Johnson “for his contributions and dedication to the band throughout the years”.
Axl Rose recently reunited with guitarist Slash and bass player Duff McKagan for their first Guns N’ Roses gigs together in 23 years.
The Guns N’ Roses singer broke his foot following the show and has since performed seated on the throne used by Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl after he broke his leg on stage.
The band headlined the Coachella festival in California on April 16 and were joined on stage by AC/DC guitarist Angus Young for renditions of the Australian band’s classic songs Whole Lotta Rosie and Riff Raff.
AC/DC have suffered a number of setback in recent months, with former drummer Phil Rudd being convicted in 2015 of drug possession and making threats to kill and sentenced to house arrest last year and guitarist Malcolm Young, the brother of Angus, being diagnosed with dementia.
At least 77 people have been killed and more than 500 injured after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Ecuador, Vice-President Jorge Glas says.
The tremor struck at 18:58 local time on April 16 near the northern coastal town of Muisne.
Widespread severe damage is reported, with a bridge destroyed as far south as Guayaquil about 190 miles away.
A state of emergency has been declared in six provinces and the National Guard has been mobilized.
The earthquake, Ecuador’s largest since 1979, also shook buildings in the capital, Quito.
President Rafael Correa is cutting short his trip to Italy to return home. He called for calm, saying on Twitter: “Our infinite love to the families of the dead.”
VP Jorge Glas said that at least 77 people had died and 588 had been injured, adding that the figures could rise as a number of affected areas had not yet been reached.
He called for calm, particularly in the city of Portoviejo, amid reports of a “lack of public order”.
Gabriel Alcivar, mayor of the town of Pedernale, which is close to the epicenter, said: “We’re trying to do the most we can but there’s almost nothing we can do.”
He said dozens of buildings had been flattened and looting had broken out.
“This wasn’t just a house that collapsed, it was an entire town,” he added.
Serious damage was also reported in the city of Manta, with an airport tower among the buildings destroyed.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at a fairly shallow depth of 11.9 miles, about 18 miles from Muisne in a sparsely populated area.
There have been a number of aftershocks, the biggest at 5.4.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has now issued a message saying that the threat of a tsunami has now mostly passed and that any remaining risk should be evaluated by local authorities.
However, it earlier said tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to one meter above the tide level were possible for some coasts of Ecuador. Any damage that had occurred might not be visible until daylight.
Parts of the capital were left without electricity for some time.
Reports say a big oil refinery has been temporarily shut as a precautionary measure.
Neighboring Peru had also issued a tsunami alert for its northern coastline.
The quake was felt in Colombia, where patients in a clinic in the city of Cali were evacuated from the building as a precautionary measure.
Ecuador is prone to earthquakes. It is located along the so-called Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped, seismically turbulent area of the Pacific Ocean.
Ted Cruz has won all 14 delegates in contention at a state party convention in Wyoming.
The delegates were chosen by Republican members rather than ordinary voters.
Ted Cruz’s rival Donald Trump – who did not actively campaign in the state – remains the Republican front-runner overall.
However, Donald Trump could fall short of the number of delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination for the November presidential election.
Photo Getty Images
That would mean a contested convention where voting for candidates starts again from scratch.
Donald Trump is concentrating on New York, which holds a key primary on April 19.
A number of senior Republican leaders have backed Ted Cruz, a Conservative Texas senator, fearing that Donald Trump’s controversial comments make him a weak candidate in the November election.
The result from the Wyoming contest brings Ted Cruz’s tally from 545 to 559 delegates. Donald Trump has 743.
In his victory speech on April 16, Ted Cruz said: “If you don’t want to see Donald Trump as the nominee, if you don’t want to hand the general (election) to Hillary Clinton, which is what a Trump nomination does, then I ask you to please support the men and women on this slate.”
In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton is still ahead of her only remaining rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Twelve Syrian refugees have been taken to the Vatican by Pope Francis after visiting a camp on the Greek island of Lesbos.
The three families, including six children, are all Muslim and had their homes bombed during the Syrian war.
According to a Vatican statement, Pope Francis wanted to “make a gesture of welcome” to the refugees.
Thousands of migrants are now stuck on Lesbos after last month’s EU-Turkey deal to try to ease the flow.
All of those leaving with Pope Francis were already living on Lesbos before the deal was implemented, the Vatican said.
They were reportedly selected from lots drawn, and will be looked after initially by the Sant’Egidio community, known for their charity work.
Under the EU-Turkey agreement, refugees arriving illegally on the Greek islands from Turkey after March will be deported unless they successfully claim for asylum.
In return, for every Syrian returned to Turkey, the EU will take another Syrian directly from Turkey.
Pope Francis earlier told migrants living in the Moria camp – some of whom are facing being sent back – “you are not alone”.
About 3,000 people are being held in the camp on Lesbos, some of whom lined the streets with banners pleading for help as Pope Francis arrived.
Some wept, others threw themselves at his feet or chanted “freedom”.
In his speech, Pope Francis acknowledged “the great sacrifice” the people in the camp had made, saying he wanted to “draw the attention of the world to this grave humanitarian crisis”.
The pontiff told the camp’s residents: “Do not lose hope. The greatest gift we can offer to one another is love.”
Greek PM Alexis Tsipras, who also met Pope Francis, said the visit “sends a message that surpasses Greece’s and Europe’s borders”.
The Vatican has stressed the Pope’s visit was purely humanitarian and religious in nature and should not be seen as a criticism of the deportations.
In September, Pope Francis made space in the Vatican apartments for two refugee families, urging Catholics across Europe to play their part to resolve the crisis.
NBA teams will be allowed to sell advertising space on their playing shirts for the first time starting from the 2017-2018 season.
The teams could place a 2.5in square sponsor’s logo, the NBA says.
Until now, they have been unable to exploit this lucrative commercial option enjoyed by many other sports.
Experts predict the deals will generate more than $4 million a year for clubs.
The NBA, which is the first major North American sports league to announce plans to put ads on shirts, said a small patch would appear on the front left of match jerseys as part of a three-year pilot program.
“Jersey sponsorships provide deeper engagement with partners looking to build a unique association with our teams, and the additional investment will help grow the game in exciting new ways,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Featuring their brand logo on jerseys will give advertisers more opportunity to be seen by fans watching on TV.
David Carter from the USC Marshall Sports Business Institute said the pilot initiative was part of the NBA’s march towards “aggressively featuring corporate brands” on team shirts.
In June, the NBA signed a $1 billion sponsorship deal with Nike that places the company’s “swoosh” logo on the right shoulder of all the NBA teams shirts.
The NBA’s 30 teams will be responsible for making their own deals with sponsors for this new patch space.
“Anything that makes the individual franchise more viable will pay a positive dividend to the league itself,” said David Carter.
The concern for NBA teams and players will be how any new deal interacts with existing sponsorship agreements. A player, for example, that is endorsed by Pepsi may not be so keen to wear a Coke logo on their shirt.
Company sponsorship is a huge revenue stream for sport globally.
According to Price Waterhouse Coopers, global sport sponsorship revenue was worth $45.3 billion in 2015.
The NBA is the first of the four big US sports to allow on shirt brand sponsorship.
Leagues have been reluctant to put advertising on shirts for fear it will turn off fans.
The new sponsor patch will not appear on the retail version on the shirts sold at team or NBA stores, but the advertisers will be allowed to sell branded shirts at their own stores.
Former Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina and his vice-president, Roxana Baldetti, took at least $25 million in bribes from Spanish port company TCB, an anti-corruption commission alleges.
TCB (Terminal de Contenedores Barcelona) won a contract to operate a new container terminal on Guatemala’s Pacific coast for 25 years.
Otto Perez Molina was arrested in September after standing down amid anti-corruption protests.
The former leader is due to appear in court next week. He and Roxana Baldetti deny wrongdoing.
Attorney General Thelma Aldana said Otto Perez Molina started the approval process for the $225 million project immediately after his election in November 2011. There were no competing bids.
Otto Perez Molina and Roxana Baldetti “formed a criminal group”, Thelma Aldana added.
Thelma Aldana made the announcement alongside the head of the UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), Ivan Velasquez, who headed the investigation.
The commission was set in 2006 to help Guatemala reform its justice system and confront criminal gangs that had infiltrated the state.
The Spanish executive in charge of the local branch of TCB, Juan Jose Suarez, has been arrested.
Juan Jose Suarez said he had no idea why he had been detained, EFE news agency reported.
Otto Perez Molina resigned on September 2 and was arrested a day later. He said the contract offered the best deal for the country.
Anti-corruption protests had forced Roxana Baldetti to stand down in May.
In a separate scandal, Otto Perez Molina and Roxana Baldetti were accused of running a bribery scheme at Guatemala’s customs, which became known as La Linea, or The Line.
German comedian Jan Boehmermann could be prosecuted for insulting Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the Turkish president filed a complaint.
Jan Boehmermann had recited a satirical poem on television which made sexual references to Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Under German law, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government had to approve a criminal inquiry.
Angela Merkel stressed that the courts would have the final word, and it was now up to prosecutors to decide whether to press charges.
The chancellor added that her government would move to repeal the controversial and little-used Article 103 of the penal code, which concerns insults against foreign heads of state, by 2018.
Photo AFP
Jan Boehmermann is a satirist and TV presenter well-known for pushing the boundaries of German humor. He was given police protection earlier this week.
Some experts say the comedian has a strong defense against potential charges, because his poem could be seen as part of a wider piece of satire about free speech, rather than a deliberate insult.
An earlier remark by Angela Merkel that the poem was “deliberately offensive” had led to accusations in Germany that she was not standing up for free speech.
The poem was broadcast on ZDF TV two weeks ago. The public TV channel has decided not to broadcast Boehmermann’s weekly satire program this week because of the furor surrounding him.
Before announcing that Jan Boehmermann could be prosecuted, Angela Merkel stressed her government expected Turkey to comply with EU democratic norms in the areas of free speech and judicial independence.
“In a state under the rule of law, it is not a matter for the government but rather for state prosecutors and courts to weigh personal rights issues and other concerns affecting press and artistic freedom,” the chancellor said.
“The presumption of innocence applies,” Angela Merkel added, explaining that she was not making any prejudgement about Jan Boehmermann.
In her statement in Berlin, Angela Merkel said that the approval of the federal government was a legal precondition for the prosecution of this specific offence.
“The foreign office, the justice ministry, the interior ministry and the chancellery took part in this review,” she said.
“There were diverging opinions between the coalition partners… The result is that in the present case the federal government will grant its approval.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has drawn much criticism in Turkey and internationally for attacking opponents, including harassment of journalists. Many accuse him of authoritarian methods, stifling legitimate dissent and promoting an Islamist agenda.
Some Germans worry that Angela Merkel is compromising on freedom of expression in order to ensure Turkey’s continued co-operation to stem the influx of refugees into the EU.
Belgian transport minister Jacqueline Galant has stepped down over accusations she ignored lapses in security at Brussels airport before the attacks of March 22.
A confidential document shows security lapses at Belgium’s airports were identified by EU inspectors in 2015.
Jacqueline Galant had denied having seen the report, which was leaked by opposition parties.
ISIS attacks on Zaventem airport and a Brussels metro station left 32 people dead.
Belgian PM Charles Michel had previously defended Jacqueline Galant, and he had told parliament that her office had not seen the critical EU report.
However, on April 15, following the publication of further documents on April 14, Charles Michel said that “contrary to what was communicated to me” the report had been discussed, according to public broadcaster RTBF.
Charles Michel said he had met Jacqueline Galant on April 15 and following the meeting the minister submitted her resignation to the king.
Jacqueline Galant wrote in her resignation letter that “the orchestrated and theatrical confusion of the last 48 hours prevents me from continuing in the performance of my duties”.
The minister’s resignation followed that of Belgian federal transport agency chief Laurent Ledoux on April 14.
Laurent Ledoux had complained of a lack of funding from Jacqueline Galant and said that the minister herself should “take responsibility and step aside”.
Jacqueline Galant said on April 15 that she was shocked by the way Laurent Ledoux had resigned, and said he was carrying out a “media crusade”.
The 2015 European Commission report, published by public broadcaster RTBF, cited “serious deficiencies” and said airport security programs, air carriers and suppliers were “not adequately monitored”.
The two suicide bombers who attacked Brussels airport blew themselves up in the departures area and would not normally have faced any security checks.
The bomb attacks on the airport and Maelbeek metro station occurred just four days after Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam was caught near his home in Molenbeek. He had been on the run for four months.
Belgium’s parliament is to hold an inquiry into how the attacks were handled.
The interior and justice ministers both offered to resign in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, following revelations that Turkey had warned Belgian authorities about one of the attackers when it deported him back to Belgium, but the prime minister asked them to stay on.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized for erroneously claiming that German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung was owned by Goldman Sachs.
Vladimir Putin made the remark in his annual televised question-and-answer session with the public on April 14.
It concerned who was responsible for the publication of the so-called Panama Papers, which were leaked to Sueddeutsche Zeitung and revealed massive international tax evasion.
In an apology issued by the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin said he was misinformed by aides.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “It is more the error of those who prepared the briefing documents, my error.”
“There was information there that had not been checked and rechecked again and we gave it to the president. We have apologized [to the bank] and we will also apologize to the publication.”
The Panama Papers, which contained the names of people allegedly involved in tax evasion schemes, revealed a number of offshore companies owned by close associates of Vladimir Putin.
Vladimir Putin has denied “any element of corruption” over the schemes, saying his opponents are trying to destabilize Russia.
Sueddeutsche Zeitung shared the documents with a large group of newspapers and publishers.
The Brazilian Supreme Court has upheld the result of an impeachment vote against President Dilma Rousseff.
Dilma Rousseff, who says her opponents are plotting a “coup”, faces claims she manipulated government accounts.
The president has vowed to fight to “the last minute” despite the desertion of three allied parties ahead of Sunday’s vote in the lower house of parliament.
The Supreme Court made its decision in an extraordinary session.
The impeachment debate in the lower house of parliament is due to start today and continue until April 17 vote. If two-thirds of lawmakers vote for impeachment, the motion will pass to the Senate.
An impeachment vote would pave the way for Dilma Rousseff to be removed from office.
Yesterday’s injunction to suspend the vote was filed by Attorney General Jose Eduardo Cardozo who claimed that alleged procedural failings had violated the president’s right to a defense.
Seven of 10 justices voted to reject the motion even before the Supreme Court session had finished.
The Progressive Party (PP), which quit the coalition on April 12, says most of its 47 lawmakers would vote for the impeachment, and the Republican Party (PRB) said its 22 members had been told to vote in favor.
The move comes weeks after the PMDB, the largest party in the lower house, voted to leave the coalition. The PMDB’s leader in the lower house, Leonardo Picciani, said on April 14 that 90% of the party’s members would vote to impeach Dilma Rousseff.
Lawmakers from Dilma Rousseff’s own Workers’ Party are said to be increasingly despondent about April 17 vote.
The allegations, which Dilma Rousseff denies, are that she juggled the accounts to make her government’s economic performance appear better than it was, ahead of her election campaign two years ago.
Dilma Rousseff’s supporters say the issue is not valid grounds for impeachment.
On April 12, the president seemed to suggest that her Vice-President, Michel Temer, was one of the ringleaders of the “coup” attempt against her.
Dilma Rousseff said a widely distributed audio message of Michel Temer appearing to accept replacing her as president was evidence of the conspiracy. However, she did not identify him by name.
Brazil is “living in strange times”, she said, “times of a coup, of farce and betrayal”.
Lawmakers are due to start debating on April 15, with voting beginning on April 17 at about 14:00. The result should be known later in the evening.
Security is expected to be stepped up around the Congress building in Brasilia as the vote takes place.
A North Korean missile test was conducted off the country’s east coast on April 15.
However, the launch appears to have failed, the US and South Korean officials say.
The rocket has not yet been identified but is suspected to have been a previously untested “Musudan” medium-range ballistic missile.
The launch coincided with the birthday of North Korea’s founding leader, Kim Il-sung.
It also comes amid particularly high tension on the Korean peninsula.
South Korea’s Yonhap national news agency quoted government sources as saying that the missile was a type of intermediate-range ballistic missile known as a Musudan, also called the BM-25.
North Korean forces were seen recently moving two such missiles.
According to the Yonhap report , it would be North Korea’s first Musudan test, and that it may have at least 50 more.
The Musudan is named after the village in North Korea’s northeast where a launch pad is sited.
The rocket has a range of about 1,800 miles, which extends to the US Army base on the Pacific island of Guam, but not as far as the mainland US.
The US said it had tracked the latest launch, but could also not confirm details.
“We call again on North Korea to refrain from actions and rhetoric that further raise tensions in the region and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its international commitments and obligations,” a State Department official said.
China also criticized what it called “the latest in a string of saber-rattling that, if unchecked, will lead the country to nowhere,” according to the official Xinhua news agency.
North Korea has made a series of threats against the South and the US since the UN imposed some of its toughest ever sanctions on the country.
The move was a response to North Korea’s fourth nuclear test in January and its launching of a satellite in February, both of which broke existing sanctions.
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