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Bryan Adams Cancels Show over Mississippi Religious Liberty Law

Entertainment

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Apr 11, 2016

Bryan Adams Cancels Show over Mississippi Religious Liberty Law

Bryan Adams has decided to cancel a concert in Mississippi over the state’s new controversial religious liberty law.

The law, which allows some private businesses and religious groups to refuse service to gay people, was passed last week.

Bryan Adams issued a statement saying he could not “in good conscience” perform in Mississippi.

The singer added he found it “incomprehensible that LGBT citizens are being discriminated against”.

Bryan Adams was due to play the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi on April 14.

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed HB1523 into law on April 5 amid opposition from equal rights groups and businesses.

The law offers protection for Christians who adhere to traditional views of marriage and gender roles, which Governor Phil Bryant said “protects sincerely held religious beliefs and moral convictions”.

The new law will take effect from July 1.

Bryan Adams said he was using his voice to “stand in solidarity with all my LGBT friends to repeal this extremely discriminatory bill”.

“Hopefully Mississippi will right itself and I can come back and perform for all of my many fans. I look forward to that day.”

Bryan Adams’s cancelation comes after Bruce Springsteen canceled a show in North Carolina last week because of a new law in that state.

Bruce Springsteen joined business groups in condemning the law which rolls back local anti-discrimination measures that protected gay and transgender people.

The Boss Tops US Box Office in Its Opening Weekend

Entertainment

Sonia Pantiss

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Apr 11, 2016

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The Boss Tops US Box Office in Its Opening Weekend

The Boss has unseated Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice from the top of the North American box office.

Melissa McCarthy’s new comedy, in which she plays an eccentric tycoon, took an estimated $23.5 million on its debut weekend.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was knocked to second place in its third week, pulling in an estimated $23.4 million.

The margin between the top two films is one of the closest in recent years, according to industry analysts.

Dawn of Justice has defied poor reviews, having taken almost $300 million in the US.

The movie, in which Ben Affleck plays Batman and Henry Cavill takes the role of Superman, now ranks as the third highest-grossing DC Comics release to date in the US, according to Box Office Mojo.

Dawn of Justice’s box office haul has now surpassed 2013’s Man of Steel, also starring Henry Cavill, which took $291 million. However, Dawn of Justice‘s takings has dropped by 54% since its first week of release.

The Boss was co-written by Melissa McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone.

Critics had not expected it to perform well, but the movie has done better than Melissa McCarthy’s 2014 comedy Tammy.

In third place came Disney’s Zootopia with $14.4 million, slipping one spot from last week.

Now in its sixth weekend of release, the animated movie featuring the voices of Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin has made a US total of $296 million.

Comedy sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 was at No 4, making $6.4 million.

North American box office top 4:

The Boss – $23.5 million
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – $23.4 million
Zootopia – $14.4 million
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 – $6.4 million

Melinda Rose Woodward: Tom Jones’ Wife Dies After Fierce Battle with Cancer

Entertainment

Sonia Pantiss

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Apr 11, 2016

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Melinda Rose Woodward: Tom Jones’ Wife Dies After Fierce Battle with Cancer

Tom Jones’ wife, Melinda Rose Woodward, has died after a “short but fierce battle with cancer”.

Melinda Rose Woodward – known as Linda – who was married to Tom Jones for 59 years, died on April 10 at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.

According to a statement on the 75-year-old musician’s website, she died “surrounded by her husband and loved ones”.

Tom Jones recently cancelled concerts due to a “serious illness” in his family.

The singer, famous for hits including Delilah and It’s Not Unusual, had been due to perform at a number of his tour dates in Japan, Thailand, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, but apologized to fans after pulling out.

Tom Jones met his wife, his childhood sweetheart, when they were both 12 and growing up together in Treforest, Pontypridd.

They started dating at 15 and married when they were 16 in 1957.

They had one son Mark, 59, who is also Tom Jones’ manager.

In his 2015 autobiography titled Over The Top And Back, Tom Jones revealed they wanted more children, but a miscarriage had left Melinda infertile.

Speaking ahead of the book’s release, Tom Jones told the Sunday Times Magazine while he enjoyed life in the spotlight, his wife had always preferred being at home and had become increasingly reclusive in recent years, rarely leaving their Beverley Hills home.

Tom Jones said of his wife: “She is an unbelievable woman. She’s the most important thing in my life. All the rest is just fun and games.”

John Kerry Becomes First US Secretary of State to Visit Hiroshima Memorial

Asia News

Diane A. Wade

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Apr 11, 2016

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John Kerry Becomes First US Secretary of State to Visit Hiroshima Memorial

John Kerry has become the most senior US official to visit the Hiroshima memorial in Japan, which commemorates the world’s first atomic bombing.

Around 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima when the US dropped its atomic bomb in 1945.

John Kerry was joined by foreign ministers from the G7 group of nations who are holding talks in the city.

They laid wreaths at the memorial and observed a minute of silence.

The ministers also visited the Bomb Dome, over which the A-bomb exploded, and the nearby Hiroshima museum, which tells the personal stories of people who died.

John Kerry wrote in the museum guestbook that it was “a stark, harsh, compelling reminder not only of our obligation to end the threat of nuclear weapons, but to rededicate all our effort to avoid war itself”.

At 08:10 local time on August 6, 1945, the US B-29 bomber the Enola Gay dropped a uranium bomb nicknamed “Little Boy” on Hiroshima.

The bomb exploded 1,800ft above what is now the Hiroshima Peace Dome.

About 70,000 people died immediately. At least 140,000 people had died by the end of the year through injury and the effects of radiation.

The bombing, and a second bomb dropped on Nagasaki three days later, forced Japan to surrender, initiating the end of World War Two.

In 2008, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Hiroshima, but US diplomats have largely avoided official visits.

Many in the US believe the bombing was necessary to end the war, and do not want their leaders to take any action which might be seen as an apology.

John Kerry previously said his time in Hiroshima would “revisit the past and honor those who perished” but stressed that his trip was “about the present and the future”.

It also comes amid efforts to strengthen the relationship between the US and Japan, particularly with growing concern about China’s assertiveness in territorial disputes in Asia, affecting Japan and other US allies.

President Barack Obama is attending a G7 leaders’ summit elsewhere in Japan in May, and there are reports he is considering a stop in Hiroshima.

If it happens, it will be the first time a sitting US president visits Hiroshima.

Senior North Korean Spy Defects to South Korea

Asia News

Diane A. Wade

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Apr 11, 2016

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Senior North Korean Spy Defects to South Korea

A senior North Korean spy has defected to South Korea, South Korean officials confirm.

The officer has not been named, but the defense ministry in Seoul said he was a senior colonel in the Reconnaissance General Bureau and left in 2015.

Announcement of defection follows revelation that 13 North Koreans believed to have been working in China had also fled to South Korea. It was the largest group defection since North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, took power in late 2011. South Korean media reported that the restaurant is located in the eastern city of Ningbo.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted a source as saying the colonel was seen as an elite among other defectors.

The colonel worked for the North Korean military’s general reconnaissance bureau before defecting, according to Seoul’s defense ministry and unification ministry. Both ministries refused to provide further details including a motive for the defection.

The reconnaissance agency was believed to be behind two deadly attacks blamed on Pyongyang that killed 50 South Koreans in 2010.

There have been occasional reports of lower-level North Korean soldiers defecting but it is unusual for a colonel to flee to South Korea.

More than 29,000 people have fled North Korea since the end of the Korean War, but high level defections are rare.

Some more senior figures have also fled while working overseas.

Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said South Korea could not release further information on the colonel.

One unnamed official told Yonhap the man was the highest-level military official ever to have defected.

“He is believed to have stated details about the bureau’s operations against South Korea to the authorities here,” said the official.

The Reconnaissance General Bureau handles intelligence gathering and spying operations, as well as cyber warfare, said Yonhap.

The highest-level North Korean who took asylum in South Korea has been Hwang Jang-yop, a senior ruling Workers’ party official who once tutored Kim’s late dictator father, Kim Jong-il. His 1997 defection was hailed as a coup by many South Koreans and a clear sign that North Korea’s political system was inferior to the South’s.

Hwang Jang-yop died in 2010.

Afghanistan Earthquake Shakes India and Pakistan

Asia News

Nancy Clayson

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Apr 10, 2016

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Afghanistan Earthquake Shakes India and Pakistan

A 6.6-earthquake has struck Afghanistan shaking a number of major cities across south-west Asia.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake struck close to Afghanistan’s border with Tajikistan at 10:28 GMT.

The tremor was felt in Kabul, Islamabad, Lahore and Delhi, forcing residents to leave their homes.

In October 2015, a magnitude-7.5 quake in the same border area killed close to 300 people.

The latest quake, in the sparsely-populated Hindu Kush mountains, struck at a depth of 210km, the USGS reported. It was the same depth as the 2015 quake.

At least one person died in Pakistan’s Swat region, with another 30 injured, emergency officials said.

There were no reports of significant damage, but a spokesman for Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority said there was a high risk of landslides.

The USGS says the earthquake took place in “one of the most seismically hazardous regions on earth”.

The Hindu Kush mountains sit on the corner of the Indian plate, rather than being at the front line of the continental collision, where the Himalayas are thrust upwards as India disappears beneath Eurasia at a rate of 2ins per year.

It is in this rugged region that the sideways slip between India and Afghanistan meets the head-on impact of the Himalayan fault line. There are many small, interacting faults and forces pushing in different directions.

Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported on April 9 that the region had been shaken by a series of strong quakes centered on Hindu Kush in recent days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9huGbliH_0

Kerala Fire: At Least 100 People Killed in Hindu Temple Fireworks Explosion

Diane A. Wade

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Apr 10, 2016

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Kerala Fire: At Least 100 People Killed in Hindu Temple Fireworks Explosion

At least 100 people have been killed after fireworks sparked an explosion and blaze at a Hindu temple in the Indian state of Kerala, police say.

The fireworks, which were to be used to celebrate a local new year festival, exploded about 03:30 AM local time, local media say.

A building at the temple then collapsed, causing many of the deaths. More than 200 people were injured.

Indian fficials said permits for the display had been refused after safety fears.

PM Narendra Modi is traveling to the scene, in the coastal town of Paravur.

He tweeted that the incident was “heart-rending and shocking beyond words”.

As morning broke, hundreds of people arrived at the temple in search of relatives and friends while emergency teams used bulldozers to clear the area looking for survivors.

A team of specialist doctors was being sent from Delhi amid reports of horrific burns suffered by those injured. Many are said to be in a critical condition in several hospitals.

Many of the dead were charred beyond recognition and would have to be identified by DNA tests, Kerala police chief TP Senkumar said.

Thousands were at the temple complex for the festivities when the explosion happened.

TV footages showed big clouds of smoke as fireworks went off in the night sky.

The fireworks had been stored ready for celebrations of Vishu, a Keralan festival marking the Hindu new year.

The local district magistrate had denied permission for the display to be held this year because of safety concerns and complaints from residents.

The Kerala government has ordered an investigation, and the police are planning to take action against the temple administration and the contractors who were putting on the display.

“There was no permission to even store the fireworks,” Kerala’s Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said.

Fireworks and firecrackers are commonly used at temple festivals and other public events and accidents are not uncommon.

Kerala is in the midst of an election for a new state assembly but political parties have called off campaigning as a mark of respect for the victims.

White House 2016: Bernie Sanders Wins Wyoming Primary

Diane A. Wade

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Apr 10, 2016

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White House 2016: Bernie Sanders Wins Wyoming Primary

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has won the Wyoming primaries after beating rival Hillary Clinton.

The state’s 14 delegates will be awarded proportionally. Bernie Sanders has won seven of the latest eight states.

However, Hillary Clinton maintains a clear lead in the overall race. Both are concentrating their efforts on the key New York primary later this month.

In the Republican race, Ted Cruz hopes to pick up more delegates in Colorado.

In state assemblies which culminated on April 8, Ted Cruz won 21 delegates to just two for Donald Trump, who still has a comfortable lead in the overall nomination race for the Republicans.

On April, a further 13 delegates are at stake at the Colorado Republican Convention.

Ted Cruz has 520 Republican delegates to 743 for Donald Trump. Ted Cruz is hoping to win at least enough votes to block an outright win for Donald Trump and force a decision at the party’s convention in July.

The next big prize for both parties is the New York primaries on April 19: 291 delegates are at stake for the Democrats and 95 for Republicans.

Despite April 9 win in the Wyoming caucuses, Bernie Sanders still has only 1,061 delegates to 1,749 for Hillary Clinton, when the latter’s 469 superdelegates are added to the tally. To win, a candidate needs 2,383.

The presidential election itself, on November 8, will see America vote for a successor to Barack Obama, a Democratic president standing down after two terms in office which have seen the Republicans take control of both houses of Congress.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMvZ35oL5cE

Mohamed Abrini Identifies Himself as Man in Hat at Brussels Airport

Roy Siemens

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Apr 9, 2016

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Mohamed Abrini Identifies Himself as Man in Hat at Brussels Airport

Mohamed Abrini, who was arrested in Belgium on April 8, has admitted being the “man in the hat” seen with the suicide bombers at Brussels airport, prosecutors say.

Belgian prosecutors say Mohamed Abrini told investigators that he was at the scene of the March 22 bombings.

Mohamed Abrini, 31, is also wanted in connection with the attacks in Paris that killed 130 people last November.

He is one of six men arrested in Brussels on April 8. Four have been charged with terror offences.

The attacks at Zaventem airport and a metro station in Brussels left 32 people dead.

Officials believe those who carried out the Brussels and the Paris attacks were part of the same network backed by ISIS.

Mohamed Abrini was placed in detention by the Belgian judge in charge on the investigation into the Paris attacks. His fingerprints and DNA were found in two “safe houses” in Brussels, as well as in a car used during the Paris attacks, investigators say.

Have You Been Making These Car Insurance Comparison Mistakes?

U.S. News

James J. Williams

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Apr 9, 2016

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Have You Been Making These Car Insurance Comparison Mistakes?

You’re a smart and savvy consumer, always looking for a way to save money while still getting the best service. Because of this, you’ve probably done a lot of car insurance comparison shopping. It’s great to take charge, but the road to best and most affordable car insurance isn’t without pitfalls.

Below are some of the most common car insurance comparison mistakes and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Not Shopping Around

You have to start somewhere, and by far one of the biggest mistakes you can make is purchasing the first insurance package you come across. How can you possibly find the coverage that best suits your needs and budget if you don’t compare?

Mistake #2: Not Providing Accurate Information

When you’re using car insurance comparison sites like CoverHound, you are directed to fill out an online form. This form asks you several questions in order to gain information used to generate a quote. If you enter details that are incorrect about your car, or give inaccurate answers to questions about your driving record, you’re not helping yourself. If you have traffic violations or previous accidents on your driving record, your car insurance package will reflect it. The only way to get an accurate quote is to provide all the necessary and correct information to the best of your ability.

Mistake #3: Misunderstanding Coverage

If you don’t do your research before shopping around, you may fall into the trap of buying coverage you don’t really need—or worse—not buying enough! Understanding the type of car insurance your state requires motorists to carry is essential to finding a package that works for you. This is a big help when comparison-shopping for auto insurance, because if you know precisely what your needs are, you can whittle down the competition and find an insurance package you need at a price you can afford.

Mistake #4: Failing to Consider the Extras

You may think that you only need to buy the minimum amount of insurance required by your state, hoping to save money by not getting the extra add-ons insurance companies provide. For example, you may have coverage to repair your vehicle if an accident should occur, but what will you drive in the meantime? Unless you have an extra car, you should consider whether or not you need a policy that will cover a rental car while yours is in the shop.

A good strategy is to familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of any car insurance policy you’re thinking of buying while weighing the extra add-ons that may come in handy.

Mistake #5: Concentrating on Cost Alone

One of the misconceptions about shopping for car insurance revolves around the idea that the less money you pay, the better the deal. What you really should be looking at is what you’re getting for the price of the policy. Make sure you examine all of the things included in the policy; this is the only way to truly compare different policies. Just because a company offers a good deal on minimum coverage doesn’t mean that they’ll offer a better deal on higher coverage policies.

In the End

When you finally make the choice toward an insurance plan, you want to rest easy knowing you’re not only getting your money’s worth, but also the coverage you need in case of an accident. Use the knowledge you’ve gained here to go out and get the right coverage for the right price!

Adolf Hitler’s Birth Home to Be Seized by Austrian Government

Europe News

James J. Williams

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Apr 9, 2016

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Adolf Hitler’s Birth Home to Be Seized by Austrian Government

Austria is planning to seize the house where Adolf Hitler was born to stop it being a focal point for Nazi sympathizers.

Government officials say the decision was taken after several years of discussion about how to prevent neo-Nazi interest.

Adolf Hitler was born in the house in the town of Braunau am Inn in April, 1889.

The property has been leased from its owner by the government since 1972, and it was used for many years as a center for people with disabilities.

He house fell empty in 2011 following a dispute between the government and the owner, Gerlinde Pommer, who refused to grant permission for renovation.

The new plan would include an offer of compensation from the state to Gerlinde Pommer, interior ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck told AFP news agency.

“We are currently examining the creation of a law, which would force a change of ownership and pass the property to the Republic of Austria.

“We have come to the conclusion over the past few years that expropriation is the only way to avoid the building being used for the purposes of Nazi [sympathizers].”

Karl-Heinz Grundboeck did not say what the government might then do with the property.

The house is unmarked and the only link to its past is a stone outside inscribed with the words: “Never again Fascism. In memory of millions of dead.”

Adolf Hitler’s name does not appear.

Various proposals have been put forward about how to use the house, including turning it into flats, a centre for adult education, a museum or a centre designed to confront the Nazi past.

There have also been calls for its demolition, with one Russian lawmaker offering to buy the house and blow it up.

Adolf Hitler went on to rule Nazi Germany from 1933 until his death at the end of World War Two in 1945.

The Nazi regime, which triggered the war with the invasion of Poland in 1939, killed millions of people, mainly Jews, in the Holocaust.

Dennis Hastert Faces Six-Month Jail Sentence for Covering up Abuse

U.S. News

Nancy Clayson

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Apr 9, 2016

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Dennis Hastert Faces Six-Month Jail Sentence for Covering up Abuse

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is facing a six-month jail sentence after allegedly paying hush money to cover up an abuse.

According to court documents, Dennis Hastert agreed to pay $3.5 million to a person he abused when the victim was aged 14 and Hastert was working as a teacher and wrestling coach.

Prosecutors allege he abused five boys.

Dennis Hastert, 74, has admitted lying and breaking financial laws.

The plea represents a dramatic fall for the former senior Republican politician, who has had his portrait removed from the House of Representatives in the US Congress.

The alleged abuse happened while Dennis Hastert was working in Yorkville, a suburb of Chicago, between 1965 and 1981. Three of the victims were wrestlers on a team he coached.

He cannot be charged with abuse as the statute of limitations has expired in the cases.

One of the victims – referred to in court documents as Individual A – said Dennis Hastert had stayed with him in a motel room on the way back from a trip to a wrestling camp and touched him inappropriately.

Two of the others, aged 14 and 17, said Dennis Hastert abused them in the locker room at the high school in Yorkville.

All the victims “struggled and are still struggling” with what Dennis Hastert did to them, prosecutors argue. He made them feel “alone, ashamed, guilty and devoid of dignity”, they say.

Dennis Hastert, who retired in 2007 after serving as House Speaker for eight years, will be sentenced later this month for concealing the large sums of money he paid to Individual A to buy his silence.

Between 2010 and 2012 Dennis Hastert withdrew $750,000 in lump sums of $50,000 before learning of rules requiring banks to report large transactions.

After that he withdrew a further $952,000 in lump sums of less than $10,000 between 2012 and 2014.

Dennis Hastert was able to pay Individual A $1.7 million in payments of $100,000 before being questioned by the FBI in 2014 about his withdrawals.

One of the reasons he gave for the large withdrawals was that he was being blackmailed by someone making a false claim of abuse.

He agreed to let investigators record phone conversations he had with Individual A, but prosecutors said the “tone and comments” of Individual A in the conversations were “inconsistent with someone committing extortion”.

In a deal with prosecutors, Dennis Hastert admitted the charge of “structuring and assisting in structuring currency transactions” by removing small sums of money to avoid the transactions being reported.

However, the charge of lying to FBI investigators is set to be dropped.

Defense lawyers want Dennis Hastert to be spared jail because they say he is suffering from ill health.

Dennis Hastert is due to be sentenced on April 27.

North Korea Successfully Tests Missile Engine

Asia News

Roy Siemens

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Apr 9, 2016

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North Korea Successfully Tests Missile Engine

North Korea has announced that it successfully tested an engine designed for an intercontinental ballistic missile.

According to the KCNA news agency, the new type of engine would “guarantee” the ability to launch a nuclear strike on the US mainland.

The test was conducted at North Korea’s long-range missile launch site near its west coast.

It is the latest in a series of tests and launches carried out by North Korea.

Kim Jong-un supervised the test, state media report, during which “the engine spewed out huge flames with a deafening boom”.

North Korea would now be able to “keep any cesspool of evils in the earth including the US mainland within our striking range,” the country’s leader was quoted as saying.

In response to the latest announcement, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said North Korea should “refrain from actions and rhetoric that further destabilize the region and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its commitments and international obligations”.

In March, North Korea said it had developed nuclear warheads small enough to fit on ballistic missiles.

However, experts cast doubt on the claims.

Last month also saw North Korea threaten “indiscriminate” nuclear strikes on the US and South Korea as they held big joint military drills, which the north sees as a rehearsal for an eventual invasion.

Meanwhile, the US imposed new sanctions on North Korea following a nuclear test in January and a satellite launch in February, widely seen as a test of banned missile technology.

Red Sea Bridge to Connect Saudi Arabia and Egypt

Middle East News

Diane A. Wade

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Apr 9, 2016

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Red Sea Bridge to Connect Saudi Arabia and Egypt

A bridge linking Saudi Arabia to Egypt will be built over the Red Sea, King Salman has announced.

In a statement, King Salman of Saudi Arabia says the bridge would boost commerce between the two allies.

The royal made the announcement on April 8 during the second day of his visit to Cairo.

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have supported Egypt with billions of dollars since President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2013 following mass street protests.

Saudi Arabia regards Egypt as a crucial partner in efforts to build a bloc of friendly Sunni Muslim states as a bulwark against growing regional influence of Shia-led Iran.

King Salman’s visit comes amid recent strains in the relationship, with Abdul Fattah al-Sisi taking a less hard-line stance against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Riyadh seeking more support from Cairo for its war against rebels in Yemen.

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said the bridge would be named after the Saudi king.

“I agreed with my brother his Excellency President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to build a bridge connecting the two countries” King Salman said.

“This historic step to connect the two continents, Africa and Asia, is a qualitative transformation that will increase trade between the two continents to unprecedented levels” he added.

President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said it marked “a new chapter on the road of Arab joint action”.

A Red Sea bridge linking Saudi Arabia and Egypt has been proposed several times before but has failed to become a reality.

Previous estimates for the bridge project suggested a cost of around $3-4 billion, but no further information has yet been released for the latest plan.

King Salman is currently on a five-day visit to Egypt, where he is expected to announce more trade and co-operation agreements.

Panama Papers: Mossack Fonseca’s El Salvador Branch Raided by Police

Clyde K. Valle

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Apr 9, 2016

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Panama Papers: Mossack Fonseca’s El Salvador Branch Raided by Police

Mossack Fonseca offices in El Salvador have been raided by police, the attorney general’s office says.

The Panama law firm is at the center of a recent massive data leak, known as the Panama Papers.

Documents and computer equipment were seized from the Mossack Fonseca office, officials said on Twitter.

The attorney general’s office said the Mossack Fonseca sign had been removed a day earlier and quoted an employee as saying the company was moving.

The leak showed how some wealthy people use offshore companies to evade tax.

The raid was overseen by El Salvador’s Attorney General Douglas Melendez.

Mossack Fonseca’s El Salvador branch was able to provide “back office” functions for the company’s clients all over the world, according to a document posted on Twitter by the attorney general’s office.

Local news website El Faro reported that Salvadorans had used Mossack Fonseca to buy property in the country without declaring the purchases to the Salvadoran authorities.

Mossack Fonseca has denied it has done anything wrong and says the information is being presented out of context.

Mossack Fonseca offices in El Salvador have been raided by authorities, the attorney general’s office says.