France is testing the world’s largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas.
Thousands of people gathered to watch in the port of Saint-Nazaire, in western France, as the 230ft high vessel was guided out to sea by six tugs on March 10.
The €1 billion ($1.1 billion) ship is being built for the Royal Caribbean International (RCI) cruise company.
Photo Royal Caribbean
Harmony of the Seas, a 120,000-tonne vessel, is expected to be delivered to the RCI in two months.
The sea trial will continue until March 12.
The 16-deck Harmony of the Seas is 362m long – 50m longer than the Eiffel Tower is high.
After completion, Harmony of the Seas will be able to accommodate more than 6,000 passengers.
About 2,000 crew members will cater for their needs.
Asian stock markets largely recovered in late trade, with trading volatile in the wake of the ECB’s latest stimulus measures.
On March 10, markets had initially cheered the European Central Bank’s move to cut rates and expand its quantitative easing plan.
However, hints later that the ECB might not cut rates further saw European and US markets go into reverse.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index fell 1% at first, but then recovered to end the day up 0.5% at 16,938.87.
In China, investors were looking ahead to some fresh economic data expected out of Beijing on March 12.
Analysts said retail sales may show some improvement over the combined January and February period, but that they were expecting industrial production and fixed-asset investment numbers to support the outlook for a continued overall economic slowdown in China.
March 12 numbers will combine January and February activity on the mainland in order to avoid any irregularities that could appear due to the Lunar New Year holiday.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index closed up 1.1% at 20,199.60, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.2% to 2,810.31.
In Australia, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 fell at first, but then recovered to close up 0.3% at 5,166.39.
South Korea’s Kospi index ended the day 0.1% higher at 1,971.41.
Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdogan has described the harem of the Ottoman era as an “educational establishment that prepared women for life,” reports say.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s wife was speaking at an official event on Ottoman sultans in Ankara, say Turkish TV stations.
Emine Erdogan’s comments came a day after the president said a woman was “above all a mother” in a speech to mark International Women’s Day.
Family members, servants and concubines all lived in the imperial harem.
The sultans who ruled the Ottoman Empire had a harem at Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace, which has been a museum since 1924.
The sultan spent his domestic life in the harem, where his wives lived, as well as female family members and concubines, who numbered into the hundreds. Male staff were eunuchs.
Emine Erdogan said the harem was a school for members of the Ottoman dynasty.
Traces left by harem women in the empire’s six centuries of history could be “an inspiration”, the first lady said, according to Turkish media.
Concubines kept in the harem did receive some training and were well fed. However, they were not free to leave the palace if they wanted to.
Some Turks were quick to criticize Emine Erdogan’s comments on social media.
“Receiving education in harem doesn’t make it a school. This is nonsense,” tweeted @GaziCaglar, saying there would have been about 400 concubines in the sultan’s harem.
“If the Ottoman harem was a scholarly institution then why were the men who worked there castrated?” asked @anlam75.
“Those who mention harem do not send their daughters to anything less than American universities,” tweeted @kizmonot, a reference to the fact that both the Erdogans’ daughters studied at Indiana University.
However, some – including pro-government journalist Ceren Kenar – pointed out that Emine Erdogan is correct to say that women were educated in the harem.
According to a recent study, some people with high levels of supposedly “good” cholesterol are at much greater risk of heart disease.
A bloodstream tussle takes place between “bad” cholesterol dumping fatty material in the arteries and good cholesterol taking it away.
The Cambridge University study published in Science showed more “good” cholesterol was not always better.
It is thought the findings may help find new ways to protect the heart.
Eating olive oil, fish and nuts raises levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) – which is more commonly known as “good” cholesterol.
HDL is one of the things doctors test for when predicting your risk of a heart attack.
However, repeated trials that raise HDL with drugs have flopped, leading doctors to think something else is going on.
Some insight has come from studying rare mutations that leave people with high levels of good cholesterol.
Trials showed people with a mutation in a gene called SCARB1, which affects one-in-1,700 people, had very high levels of good cholesterol.
They also had an 80% increased risk of heart disease – that is roughly the same increased risk as for smoking.
Further experiments showed the mutation was preventing HDL from dumping the fat it had collected in the liver for processing.
There have been huge efforts put into drugs to raise HDL in the hope they have the same impact as statins, which lower the bad cholesterol.
While the researchers have questioned the importance of boosting levels of HDL cholesterol, they insist it still remains a valuable tool for predicting the risk of a heart attack.
In a TV debate held in Miami, Republican Marco Rubio has attacked rival Donald Trump for saying that Islam hates America.
Marco Rubio, who faces a do-or-die contest in Florida on March 15, said Islam had a problem with radicalization but said that many Muslims were proud Americans.
“Presidents can’t just say whatever they want. It has consequences,” he said, to cheers from the audience.
The four Republicans heeded pleas from party leaders to have a civil debate.
Unlike in the last TV event, which was littered with personal insults, this one was more substantive with a focus on policy.
Photo Reuters
“So far, I cannot believe how civil it’s been up here,” Donald Trump observed at one point.
However, on the issue of Islam, there was clear distance between Donald Trump and the others. The billionaire stood by comments he made earlier in the day when he said “Islam hates us, there’s a tremendous hatred”, and railed against political correctness.
Marco Rubio said: “I’m not interested in being politically correct. I’m interested in being correct.”
All three of Donald Trump’s rivals distanced themselves from Trump’s statement in December that in the fight against terrorist “you have to take out their families”.
“We’ve never targeted innocent civilians and we’re not going to start now” Ted Cruz said.
When Donald Trump was challenged on the legality of targeting civilians, he said that America had to be able to fight on “an equal footing”.
“We have to obey the laws, but we have to expand those laws,” he said.
On March 15, five large states will vote for presidential candidate in each party, with Ohio Governor John Kasich and Marco Rubio, a Florida senator, under pressure to win their home states.
Donald Trump picked up a key endorsement of Ben Carson, who last week dropped out of the race before the debate.
The candidates also clashed over President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Cuba next week.
Marco Rubio, whose parents were Cuban immigrants, said he was opposed to efforts to restore relations until Cuba improved its human rights record.
However, Donald Trump said he was not opposed to a US-Cuba deal, but it should be on better terms for the US.
The other Cuban-American candidate on the stage, Ted Cruz, accused Donald Trump of supporting the Obama-Clinton policy on Cuba.
The European Central Bank’s main interest rate has been cut from 0.05% to 0% as part of a package of measures intended to revive the eurozone economy.
The ECB will also expand its quantitative easing program from €60 billion to €80 billion a month.
The bank also decided to further cut its bank deposit rate, from minus 0.3% to minus 0.4%.
The measures, including the decision to cut the main interest rate, were more radical than investors had expected.
The stimulus measures announced three months ago have largely failed to drive economic growth higher or boost inflation.
ECB president Mario Draghi told a news conference in Frankfurt that it had cut eurozone inflation projections to reflect the recent decline in oil prices.
The bank now expected inflation to be just 0.1% this year – substantially lower than the previous estimate of 1% and underlining the need for the bank to go further than expected.
Inflation should rise to 1.3% in 2017 and 1.6% the following year, according to its estimates.
“We are not in deflation,” Mario Draghi stressed.
He also warned that risks to economic growth across the 19 countries that use the euro remained “tilted to the downside”.
The ECB cut its growth forecasts to an increase of 1.4% in 2016 – down from 1.7%; 1.7% for 2017 – down from 1.9%; and 1.8% for 2018.
The governing council expected the bank’s key interest rates “to remain at present or lower levels for an extended period of time, and well past the horizon of our net asset purchases”.
The bond-buying program will continue at least until the end of March 2017.
As well as government debt, the ECB will now be allowed to use its newly printed money to buy bonds issued by companies as well. That scheme will start towards the end of the second quarter this year.
The euro initially fell 1% against the US dollar, but soon recovered to be trading higher and was also up against the yen. A weaker euro makes European exports cheaper, so the rise will not be welcomed by manufacturers.
European stock markets also rose sharply following the announcement before losing much of those gains, with Frankfurt up 0.6% and Paris rising 1%, although the FTSE 100 in London fell 0.2% and Wall Street was flat in morning trading.
Shares in European banks posted gains, with Deutsche Bank rising 4.8%, Societe Generale adding 2.7%, Santander up 5.5% and Italy’s UniCredit adding 6.8%.
Currency values are always fluctuating, so the US dollar, like any other global currency, can rise one day and fall the next. Gold, on the other hand, will hold its value, so it’s why people invest in gold if they want to be sure they’ll have something valuable tomorrow.
Recently the US dollar weakened as the price of gold continues to soar and people continue to buy and sell gold on sites like Global Intergold. Continue reading to learn more.
Massive Gains in Gold Value
Early 2016 has proven to be very good for gold prices, which posted a huge one-day gain in February. Compared to the previous 14+ months, the prices were higher than before, and with the continuous troubles facing global financial markets, gold is continuing to be a safer asset to invest in because its value has been steadily growing ever higher while currency values decline.
A Closer Look at the Financial Markets and Their Worth
In order to truly comprehend the modern financial systems that are in place, you have to first acknowledge that these markets are based upon several types of money that are competing. These are also referred to as liquidity, and most of these are actually created privately.
You also need to consider shadow banking and repo markets, which are also referred to as wholesale lending and are increasingly driving the global economy. These markets are concentrated heavily within various private monies. And the value of these monies could significantly fluctuate from one day to the next. When understanding credit flows and capital flows, you have to also go ahead and focus upon the alternating qualities of these monies.
Why Gold Has a Higher Value According to Global Intergold
Many people wonder why paper currency doesn’t hold its value, while gold does hold its value and continues to grow in value. First, you need to split private sector liquidity from central bank liquidity. Central banks will boost the supply of a particular currency, but this ultimately and inevitably results in the devaluation of that currency. In the private sector, on the other hand, when you boost private sector liquidity, it produces a signal of strong economic growth, resulting in increases in industrial profitability and expansion of credit. But no matter what, when you print more money, it devalues a currency.
Gold, on the other hand, is the opposite of paper money. When paper money is weaker, you can expect that gold prices will be stronger. And when paper money is stronger, you’ll also find weaker gold prices. The recent and consistent rise in gold prices, therefore, means that paper currencies are suffering and no longer holding the same value. The US dollar is a prime example of this, as it has weakened at the same time that gold prices have soared.
By having a better understanding of the value of paper money versus gold, and how they affect one another, you can make wiser investment choices so that you can watch your money grow. Right now, if you have the money, you should consider investing in gold.
Elvis Presley’s estate has sued the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino in a dispute over the late singer’s memorabilia.
Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc is seeking to retrieve items including stage outfits, jewellery and the singer’s high school yearbook.
It says the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino is holding the items “hostage” as part of a dispute with the operators of an Elvis exhibition.
The Graceland Presents Elvis attraction closed abruptly earlier this month.
Billed as the largest exhibition of Elvis Presley memorabilia outside his Graceland home and museum, the attraction opened last April to great fanfare.
However, the doors closed at the beginning of March, with The Westgate claiming the show’s operators, Exhibit A Circle LLC, had defaulted on their 10-year lease.
Exhibit A claimed the Westgate violated the contract first, but declined to elaborate.
Elvis Presley’s estate responded by filing legal papers filed in Clark County District Court, Las Vegas, on March 9.
It claimed it had been denied access to a security camera that allowed it to monitor its items, and asked the court to order that the memorabilia be returned.
Elvis Presley Enterprises declined to comment further on the legal action, but previously said Westgate aggressively seized the valuables without a legitimate legal basis.
Westgate’s COO Mark Waltrip declined to discuss the case.
The dispute centers on the same casino where Elvis performed several hundred shows, in the days when it was known as the Las Vegas Hilton and The International.
The 28,000-square-foot exhibition featured the $1 million-a-year contract Elvis Presley signed on a tablecloth, agreeing to perform at the casino; and the single-button black suit he wore for his first performances there.
Meanwhile, it has been announced that Elvis & Nixon, a comedy about the 1970 meeting between the rock star and President Richard Nixon, will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York next month.
Elvis & Nixon stars Michael Shannon as Elvis Presley and Kevin Spacey as Richard Nixon.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have clashed over immigration and other issues during the Democratic debate in Florida.
The Miami event took place just days before the next round of primaries, including Florida.
With 246 delegates at stake, the southern state is the biggest prize.
Bernie Sanders had a surprise victory in Michigan on March 8, but Hillary Clinton increased her overall lead with a big win in Mississippi.
In the Republican race on the same day, Donald Trump won three more states (Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii) in his bid to win the Republican nomination. Rival Ted Cruz won a Republican-only race in Idaho.
Photo Getty Images
The states were the latest to choose candidates to compete in November’s presidential election.
During the Miami debate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for voting against an immigration reform back in 2007.
“Just think, imagine where we would be today if we had achieved comprehensive immigration reform nine years ago,” she said.
Bernie Sanders responded by saying he had concerns about the treatment of guest workers. The proposed program was “akin to slavery”, he said.
The Vermont senator also said that Hilalry Clinton was against allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.
Nearly two million Hispanics live in Florida, and their support will play a big role in the 15 March primary.
Florida is home to nearly 1.8 million Hispanics, including about 15% of the state’s Democrats.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders also discussed job creation, education and climate change.
They both attacked Republican front-runner Donald Trump, with Hillary Clinton saying that his “trafficking in prejudice and paranoia has no place in our political system”.
Hillary Clinton said Donald Trump could not even decide “whether to disavow Ku Klux Klan”.
Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders said: “I think that the American people are never going to elect a president who insults Mexicans, who insults Muslims, who insults women, who insults African-Americans.”
According to South Korea’s military, North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea.
South Korea said the missiles, launched off the east coast, flew some 300 miles and fell into the water.
Shortly after the launch, Pyongyang announced it “nullifies” all inter-Korean cooperative projects and will liquidate South Korean assets in the country.
Most South Korean assets in North Korea are in the jointly-operated Kaesong industrial zone.
South Korea pulled out of the Kaesong complex in February, after North Korea’s latest long-range missile launch of a satellite. At the time, the North called the shutdown “a declaration of war” and designated Kaesong as a military zone.
On March 9, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un also claimed scientists have developed nuclear warheads small enough to fit on ballistic missiles.
However, South Korea’s defense ministry said it thought North Korea had “not yet secured miniaturized nuclear warheads”.
Photo Reuters/KCNA
The claim is critical, as without miniaturization Pyongyang cannot put its nuclear weapons on missiles – an ability many analysts think could still be several years away.
In response to the miniaturization claims, State Department spokesman John Kirby said of Kim Jong-un that “the young man needs to pay more attention to the North Korean people and taking care of them, than in pursuing these sorts of reckless capabilities”.
The two missiles launched on March 10 were fired from Hwanghae Province, the South Korean military said. It added that the missiles later fell into the sea off North Korea’s east coast, without providing further details.
Japan promptly lodged a protest to North Korea via its embassy in Beijing, over the latest launches, reported Kyodo news agency.
The missile launches are seen as North Korea’s response to the UN imposing some of its strictest sanctions, after the North conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and last month launched a satellite, both in contravention of existing sanctions.
Tensions have been especially high this week as US and South Korean forces hold their annual joint military exercises known as Key Resolve and Foal Eagle.
This year they are the largest ever, with about 17,000 US personnel and around 300,000 South Korean troops participating – both significant increases on 2015, in addition to increased naval and air force assets.
Second Matrix director Andy Wachowski has come out as trans named Lilly.
Lilly Wachowski shared the news in a statement released to the Windy City Times.
The 48-year-old says she is making the announcement after claiming she was “threatened” with being outed by The Daily Mail.
“Yeah, I’m trans. And yeah, I’ve transitioned. I just wanted – needed some time to get my head right… but apparently I don’t get to decide this,” says the 48-year-old.
The Daily Mail has denied trying to coerce Lilly Wachowski into revealing her gender transition.
Lilly Wachowski’s 50-year-old sister Lana, formerly known as Larry, is also trans.
The Wachowski siblings are well known for directing The Matrix series and have been involved with movies such as V for Vendetta, Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending plus Netflix’s Sens8 TV series.
In her statement, Lilly Wachowski says that a Daily Mail journalist arrived at her house asking her to tell her story to them.
“[He said] that I really had to sit down with him tomorrow or the next day or next week so that I could have my picture taken and tell my story which was so inspirational.
“And that I really didn’t want to have someone from the National Enquirer following me around, did I?
“It began to dawn on me where I had heard of the Daily Mail. It was the ‘news’ organization that had played a huge part in the national public outing of Lucy Meadows, an elementary school teacher and trans woman in the UK.
“Now here they were, at my front door, almost as if to say – there’s another one. Let’s drag ’em out in the open so we can all have a look.
“We continue to be demonized and vilified in the media… We are not predators, we are prey.”
German and French prosecutors have broadened their investigations into VW emissions scandal.
French authorities have opened a formal probe into “aggravated fraud” over the use of diesel engine devices that gave misleading emissions results.
German prosecutors said the number of VW employees now under investigation has increased from six to 17.
Volkswagen, which said it is cooperating with all inquiries, had about 11 million cars fitted with the emissions devices.
Europe’s largest automaker is carrying out its own investigation, and has warned that the cost of car recalls and compensation was likely to run into billion of euros.
Paris prosecutors started preliminary inquiries in 2015, and confirmed on March 8 that three magistrates had been assigned to a formal probe.
Serious fraud office chief Nathalie Homobono said investigators had established that VW had cheated “with intent” by installing so-called engine software that reduced emissions under test conditions.
Meanwhile, German authorities said they had increased the number of VW employers under investigation to 17, but added that no former or current board members are involved, said Klaus Ziehe, from the state prosecutors office in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony.
Also on March 8, Reuters and the Financial Times were among media reporting that German insurer Allianz Global Investors, a VW shareholder, was close to filing a lawsuit against the carmaker following the fall in VW’s share price.
In January, the US Department of Justice filed a civil suit against VW, and the automaker faces a string of claims from customers that lawyers are likely to consolidate into a class action suit.
VW says it will not comment on specific details of the investigations.
Spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan told the AFP news agency: “As previously stated, Volkswagen is not commenting on ongoing discussions with regulators. We are committed to regaining the trust of our customers and dealers and will continue to cooperate with all relevant government agencies.”
Macedonia has announced it will close its border with Greece, effectively blocking the Balkan route north.
The decision came after Slovenia barred access to refugees transiting Macedonia. Croatia and Serbia then said they would follow suit.
Some 13,000 refugees are now stranded at the Macedonia-Greece border.
The moves come after the EU and Turkey set out a plan to ease Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since World War Two.
Under the plan, still to be finalized, all refugees arriving in Greece from Turkey would be sent back. For each Syrian returned, a Syrian in Turkey would be resettled in the EU.
Announcing the plan on March 7, European Council President Donald Tusk, had said there would no longer be a path to Europe for migrants.
“The days of irregular migration to Europe are over,” he said.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees have travelled through Macedonia over the past year, heading north.
However, Macedonia began to limit the numbers, first to Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi refugees, then recently to just a trickle – mainly Syrians from areas it considered conflict zones.
This created a bottleneck, with some 13,000 refugees now living in a sprawling camp at the Idomeni crossing.
Macedonia’s announcement came after Slovenia said on March 8 that it would allow in only migrants who planned to seek asylum in the country, or those with clear humanitarian needs.
Slovenian PM Miro Cerar said the country’s move meant that “the Balkan route for illegal migration no longer exists”.
Serbia then said it would close its borders with Macedonia and Bulgaria to those without valid documents.
“Bearing in mind that the new regime is implemented by a member of the European Union (Slovenia), Serbia cannot afford to become a collection centre for refugees,” it said in a statement.
Croatia announced similar measures. Interior Minister Vlaho Orepic said this was a “new phase in resolving the migrant crisis”.
Sebastian Kurz, the foreign minister of Austria, which itself has introduced caps on the number of refugees allowed through, welcomed the moves.
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has won three more states – Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii – in his bid for the White House nomination.
In the Democratic race, Bernie Sanders had a surprise victory in Michigan, but Hillary Clinton increased her overall lead with a big Mississippi win.
Republican Ted Cruz won in Idaho.
The states are the latest to choose candidates to compete in November’s presidential election.
Photo AP
It was a terrible night for Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who came in a distant fourth in both Michigan and Mississippi, a week before his must-win contest in his home state.
Donald Trump, a businessman with no experience of elected office, leads the polls in Florida, from where he delivered his victory speech on March 8.
“One of the things I am most happy about is the turnout has been just massive… I think it’s the single biggest story in politics today,” the billionair said at a press conference in Jupiter.
Donald Trump also said he would be more presidential than anybody except Abraham Lincoln and that “no one is more conservative than me”.
The Democratic opponent Donald Trump is most likely to face if he gets the Republican nomination, Hillary Clinton, addressed voters in Ohio after her Mississippi win.
“Running for president shouldn’t be about delivering insults,” said Hillary Clinton, in a thinly veiled dig at the outspoken Donald Trump.
“It should be about delivering results.”
Bernie Sanders’ win in Michigan came as a shock after weeks of polling that suggested Hillary Clinton was well ahead.
“I am grateful to the people of Michigan for defying the pundits and pollsters and giving us their support,” Bernie Sanders said in a statement following his win.
“This is a critically important night. We came from 30 points down in Michigan and we’re seeing the same kind of come-from-behind momentum all across America.”
Analysts say conservative firebrand Ted Cruz appears to be the only candidate capable of stopping Donald Trump, who has been fiercely criticized by the Republican establishment.
The party’s 2012 nominee, Mitt Romney, described Donald Trump as a bully and a fraud who would lose a general election because of his extreme positions on immigration and Islamic State.
A central plank of Donald Trump’s campaign is to deport 11 million undocumented migrants and build a wall on the southern border, paid for by Mexico.
The primary and caucus elections determine the number of delegates assigned to each of the candidates.
The delegates then endorse their candidate at the party conventions in July. To secure their party’s nomination, a candidate must win a majority of delegates.
Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) DeepMind AlphaGo program beat the world Go champion, South Korean Lee Se-dol, in the first of a series of games in Seoul.
Last year, AlphaGo beat the European Go champion, an achievement that was not expected for years.
A computer has beaten the world chess champion, but the Chinese game Go is seen as significantly more complex.
Throughout most of the game Lee Se-dol seemed to have the upper hand but in the last 20 minutes, AlphaGo took an unassailable lead.
After that, Lee Se-dol forfeited, handing victory to his opponent.
The two sides will play a total of five games over the next five days for a prize of about $1 million.
The five-day battle is being seen as a major test of what scientists and engineers have achieved in the sphere of artificial intelligence.
Go is a 3,000-year old Chinese board game and is considered to be a lot more complex than chess where AI scored its most famous victory to date when IBM’s Deep Blue beat grandmaster Gary Kasparov in 1997.
However, experts say Go presents an entirely different challenge because of the game’s incomputable number of move options which means that the computer must be capable of human-like “intuition” to prevail.
Go is thought to date back to ancient China, several thousand years ago.
Using black-and-white stones on a grid, players gain the upper hand by surrounding their opponents pieces with their own.
The rules are simpler than those of chess, but a player typically has a choice of 200 moves compared with about 20 in chess.
There are more possible positions in Go than atoms in the universe, according to DeepMind’s team.
It can be very difficult to determine who is winning, and many of the top human players rely on instinct.
Google’s AlphaGo was developed by British computer company DeepMind which was bought by Google in 2014.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claims North Korea’s scientists have developed nuclear warheads small enough to fit on ballistic missiles.
State media published images showing Kim Jong-un standing next to what it said was a miniaturized weapon.
The claim is impossible to verify from the images alone and experts have long cast doubt on such assertions.
North Korea has stepped up its bellicose rhetoric in response to the UN imposing some of its toughest sanctions.
The move by the Security Council came after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test and launched a satellite, both of which broke existing sanctions.
In recent days, Pyongyang has threatened to launch an “indiscriminate” nuclear strike on the US and South Korea, as they began their largest ever round of annual military exercises.
The drills, known as Foal Eagle and Key Resolve, routinely generate tension.
The claim from Kim Jong-un was made as he inspected a nuclear facility on March 9.
“The nuclear warheads have been standardized to be fit for ballistic missiles by miniaturizing them,” state news agency KCNA quoted Kim Jong-un as saying.
“This can be called true nuclear deterrent,” he added.
Kim Jong-un also inspected nuclear warheads designed for thermo-nuclear reaction, the type used in a hydrogen bomb, KCNA said.
If the claim is true and North Korea can put nuclear warheads on to the tips of its ballistic weapons, it would represent a clear threat to the North’s neighbors and the US.
In October 2014, the commander of US forces in South Korea, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, told reporters that he believed North Korea had the capability to miniaturize a nuclear device.
In May 2015, the North Korea’s National Defense Commission said the country had succeeded in miniaturizing nuclear weapons.
However, the validity of the nuclear boasts has been widely questioned. Experts also still doubt North Korea’s claim that the nuclear test it conducted in January was of a hydrogen bomb.
In addition to the new UN sanctions, which target luxury goods, financing and trade, South Korea has also announced its own measures against North Korea, which includes blacklisting individuals and entities it believes are linked to the weapons program.
The US and South Korea are currently discussing the possible deployment of a US missile defense system to the peninsula, a move strongly opposed by North Korea, Russia and China.
Brazilian billionaire Marcelo Odebrecht has been jailed for 19 years over a corruption scandal involving the state oil company Petrobras.
Marcelo Odebrecht was convicted of paying more than $30 million in bribes to Petrobras officials in exchange for contracts and influence.
The Odebrecht group is Latin America’s biggest construction conglomerate.
The Petrobras inquiry has led to proceedings against dozens of business executives and ruling party figures.
Last week Brazil’s ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, also from the governing Worker’s Party, was detained and questioned for his alleged role in the affair.
Marcelo Odebrecht
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 70, is suspected of receiving about 30 million reais ($8 million) in speaking fees and donations to his charity, the Lula Institute.
The party has held the Brazilian presidency since 2003, both under Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his successor Dilma Rousseff.
Marcelo Odebrecht was one of Brazil’s richest and most powerful businessmen – with close relations to many top politicians.
He was found guilty of money laundering, corruption and taking part in a criminal association.
Marcelo Odebrecht had been in prison since June 2015 and stepped down from the company in December 2015 – which was founded by his family.
His company built major projects across the continent and in Africa and before the scandal had 181,000 employees in 21 countries.
The corruption scandal has cost Petrobras over $16 billion, including $2 billion that went straight to corrupt executives and companies.
Petrobras’ investments alone represent 2% of Brazil’s GDP, and its downturn has harmed a national economy struggling as a result of low commodity prices.
Most businesses can’t survive without manufacturing. Manufacturing is the process of creating your products to sell to make money. Whether you provide a small service or a huge one, you need that service to keep a constant balance between supply and demand. As a novice in manufacturing, you probably won’t be confident taking responsibility for the process. That’s fine because they are specialists that are happy to do the job. The only problem you have is finding one that suits your needs. Here are a few pointers that will come in handy.
Consider Consistency
There are plenty of factors to consider, but consistency is at the top of the list. As a brand, you need to produce products or services at a high level every time. If you don’t, you will develop a bad reputation that could cripple your success. In fact, it could cripple your shelf life in the industry. The best manufacturers can complete the same task to the same standard almost every time. A good way to spot a consistent contractor is their track record. Also, the technology they use is a good sign. Contractors with the best tech can set the specifications and churn out as much as they need.
Understand Your Needs
Because there are lots of manufacturers to choose from, there is also lots of confusion. Confusion is the enemy as it makes you make choices that are not good for business. The best example is picking a contractor that doesn’t suit your needs. For example, if you are a supplier of small goods, you need a manufacturer in that sector. However, if you provide building services, you need to see MDTI to discover more. Don’t choose a firm that isn’t going to be able to deliver.
If you have an existing relationship with a contractor, choose them over anyone else. Relationships are a great thing because they are mutually beneficial to both parties. For instance, you get the services that you need for your business to thrive. And, they get paid for performing those services. Plus, they get the added benefit of customer loyalty. Any relationship will do, even if it seems insignificant. This is a good tactic to keep in mind for the future. For those of you that don’t have a bond, try and forge one. That way, you will have someone you trust for the future.
Price Comes Last
Don’t let the money dictate who you do business with as money is the least important factor on the list. At the moment, it might seem like the most important because you don’t have much money. But, if you cut corners, you will destroy your brand and your business. Before you sign on the dotted line, look for the more important issues first. Then, you can start to think about the cost.
Don’t Go With Your Gut
The term ‘just go with your gut’ gets a lot of credit – it shouldn’t. Your gut instinct isn’t a good way to judge a company’s character or ability. All you have to go off is the statistics and information that you can find.
China’s February exports dropped sharply by 25.4% from a year earlier, while imports fell 13.8%.
The weak data comes on the heels of Beijing registering the slowest economic growth in 25 years.
China’s National People’s Congress, currently underway in the capital, has just revised the 2016 growth target down, predicting a “battle for growth”.
Photo Xinhua
The last month trade figures are likely to raise new fears over China struggling to maintain economic growth while implementing reforms and trying to shift towards more services and domestic spending.
Customs figures showed exports fell to $126.1 billion in February. That was down 25.4% from a year earlier and worse than an expected fall of about 15%.
The poor trade data marks the worst performance since the height of the global financial crisis in May 2009.
However, analysts cautioned that the data might have been affected by the longer-than-usual Chinese Lunar New Year holidays.
Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto has likened Donald Trump’s rhetoric to that of Adolf Hitler.
In an interview with Mexican daily Excelsior, Enrique Pena Nieto called Donald Trump’s rhetoric “strident”.
The Mexican leader added that “that’s how Mussolini got in, that’s how Hitler got in”.
Enrique Pena Nieto also said that Donald Trump had hurt US-Mexico relations.
The Republican presidential hopeful has said that if he is elected he will build a wall along the US-Mexico border to keep immigrants from crossing into the US illegally.
Donald Trump has also insisted that Mexico would pay for the border wall, which President Enrique Pena Nieto dismissed out of hand.
The president said there was “no scenario” under which Mexico would ever pay for such a wall.
Donald Trump, who has made the fight against illegal immigration the main plank of his campaign, outraged Mexicans last June when he called undocumented Mexican immigrants “criminals” and “rapists”.
Enrique Pena Nieto said Donald Trump offered “very easy, simple solutions to problems that are obviously not that easy to solve”.
“And there have been episodes in human history, unfortunately, where these expressions of this strident rhetoric have only led to very ominous situations in the history of humanity,” he said.
“That’s how Mussolini got in, that’s how Hitler got in, they took advantage of a situation, a problem perhaps, which humanity was going through at the time, after an economic crisis,” he added.
Enrique Pena Nieto, who had up until now avoided commenting on Donald Trump’s candidacy, insisted he would be “absolutely respectful” of the US political process.
Maria Sharapova’s sponsors have moved quickly to distance themselves from the tennis champion after she admitted failing a drug test.
Nike has suspended its relationship with the five-time Grand Slam tennis champion, while Tag Heuer has cut its ties.
The sportswear giant said it was “saddened and surprised” at Maria Sharapova’s admission that she tested positive for a banned substance at the Australian Open in January.
The former world No 1 said she had been taking meldonium since 2006, on the advice of her family doctor.
Photo Facebook
Maria Sharapova, 28, is one of the highest paid female athletes with earnings of over $30 million 2015 from winnings and endorsements.
In addition to the moves from Nike and Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer, automaker Porsche said it was “postponing planned activities” with Maria Sharapova until the situation became clearer.
Maria Sharapova’s relationship with Nike dates back to when she was 11 years old.
The sportswear giant said: “We have decided to suspend our relationship with Maria while the investigation continues.
“We will continue to monitor the situation.”
In 2010, the Russian tennis player signed a new eight-year contract with Nike worth $70 million as well as a cut on sales of her own branded clothes.
Tag Heuer was in talks to extend its deal with Maria Sharapova, which ran out at the end of last year.
The Swiss watchmaker said those talks had now been suspended and the company had decided not to renew the contract.
In 2014, Porsche named her as its first female ambassador and she signed a three-year deal with the car company.
That contract is due to end at the end of this year.
In a statement, the carmaker said: “We are saddened by the recent news announced by Maria Sharapova. Until further details are released and we can analyze the situation, we have chosen to postpone planned activities.”
Maria Sharapova is also the face of Avon perfume, Luck, and the water company Evian. They have yet to comment on the matter.
She tested positive for meldonium, a substance she said she had been taking since 2006 for health issues.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Maria Sharapova would be provisionally suspended from March 12.
Everyone wants to lower energy costs. But it’s not always so simple. What if you could make changes that not only kept you comfortable, but added up to real savings on your energy bills?
It’s possible! There are simple, free things that you can do that will save you money immediately. Did you know that something as simple as keeping closet doors closed can save you $50 a year? Unplugging electronics that you rarely use can save you another $100 a year.
One of the quickest and easiest changes you can make is your lighting. Using an Energy Star LED lightbulb in place of a traditional incandescent lightbulb will save you almost $4 a year – per bulb. Although Energy Star LED bulbs may costs a little more up front, they last 50 times as long as an incandescent bulb, so you’ll more than recoup your money over time.
Energy Star appliances, although more expensive than non-Energy Star appliances, will also save you money over time. Energy Star appliances can save you 20-30% on your energy costs and can make you eligible for tax rebates and utility credits.
In the following infographic published by Griffith Energy Services, you will learn that there are more home energy efficiency ideas that involve making just a few personal changes that either don’t cost anything or cost very little, but can help you save significant money in the long run.
Egyptian student Emadeldin Elsayed has agreed to voluntarily leave the US after posting on Facebook that the world would thank him if he killed Donald Trump.
The 23-year-old student pilot was not charged with a crime but the authorities sought to deport him, his attorney, Hani Bushra, said.
Immigration authorities said they would allow Emadeldin Elsayed to return home voluntarily as long as he departed by July 5.
Emadeldin Elsayed is being held in a jail in California after his visa was revoked.
Photo Facebook
Hani Bushra said on March 7 that Emadeldin Elsayed’s detention was illegal.
“He’s being detained, I think, primarily because he’s a Muslim and he’s a Middle Easterner,” Hani Bushra told the AP news agency.
“This kid is going to become a poster boy for hating America.”
Secret Service agents interviewed Emadeldin Elsayed in early February after he posted a photo of Donald Trump on Facebook and wrote he was willing to serve a life sentence for killing the billionaire, and the world would thank him, Hani Bushra said.
Emadeldin Elsayed had said earlier that he never intended to hurt anyone. He said he wrote the post because of Donald Trump’s comments about Muslims.
Donald Trump, a front-runner in the race for the Republican nomination for the presidency, has promised a crackdown on immigration. He has vowed to build a wall along the entire Mexican border and called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Your domestic e-commerce business is doing well, and you’re ready to look at international markets. Expanding globally is a large project that takes great planning, but it’s also an exciting opportunity to grow your business, make new connections, and reach people around the world with your products.
Discover Your Target International Markets
If you run an online store, you probably already have customers, or at least website visitors, from other countries. Check your sales data to see if any patterns exist; maybe one of your products is doing great in the London market, and another is popular in South Africa. You don’t have to have customers from a specific market to look into it. Expand your search into other markets to see if you have a product line that might do well.
Focus On a Few Initial Test Markets
Once you’ve researched potential international markets, begin your global expansion by focusing on the one or two markets that have the most potential. Research your test markets extremely rigorously, from the local economy to labor costs to taxes, to decide whether it’s a suitable place to focus your global business expansion. You should also do market research so you know which products to make available, and which ones to push.
Use Online Software for Money Matters
Expanding globally means taking other currencies as payment. Accept as many forms of payment as you can through your website. Having the right software is immensely helpful when it comes to taking payments; when you automate the process online, tracking payments from other countries becomes easier. The best payment software directly connects with accounting software, which is what Sage’s intuitive electronic payment systems do. Electronic payment software helps protect you from fraud, too, for which the business can now be held liable.
Image via Flickr by ganderssen1
Get a Feel For the Country
The best way to explore an international market is to visit in person. If business travel is possible for you, then visit your target markets with the intention of making business connections and finding out more about how the local population makes purchasing decisions. When an in-person visit isn’t possible, use professional social media sites to connect with business people from those regions. Connect with potential customers, too. A few tweets or blog comments can go a long way.
Think Logistics
Learn the laws and regulations about importing to the countries you want to reach. Think about whether you’re going to manufacture goods overseas, or ship them to the destinations. In either case, you need a plan in place. Customers want to know how long they must wait before their orders arrive. Think about local taxes in the regions you’ll be reaching, and get the right information about exporting from the U.S.
Advertise Appropriately
The advertisements you use for domestic audiences aren’t going to work internationally, sometimes for reasons as simple as language barriers, and sometimes for complicated cultural reasons. Research how your industry does its marketing. Learn from other industries’ marketing, too. Both your advertisements and your web presence should change based on who is on the other end of the connection. Take, for example, makeup trends in the U.S. versus Japan. Ads for something as simple as a black eyeliner crayon will differ drastically based on each country’s fashion trends.
Create an Infrastructure
You’ll be starting small, but that doesn’t mean you want to stay small. As you’re doing your research and planning your entry into a new market, create a plan for expansion, complete with growth stages. Make it as general as possible, so you can do it again in other markets by filling in the required data. If you have the steps laid out, and a basic infrastructure set up for entering into and expanding within a new international market, you’ll be able to repeat the process much more quickly next time.
Remember that research and planning is key. You’ll need more research than you did when you started selling locally, because these markets and cultures are unfamiliar to you. Though the process is time-consuming, by following these tips you can absolutely expand your e-commerce business globally.
