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Mercedes-Benz Fined $56 Million for China Price Fixing

Clyde K. Valle
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Mercedes-Benz Fined $56 Million for China Price Fixing

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has been fined 350 million yuan ($56.5 million) in China for price-fixing as part of a broader clampdown on anti-monopolistic practices.

A pricing regulator in Jiangsu said Mercedes-Benz pressured local dealers into setting a minimum sales price on some of its car models.

Some of the luxury German carmaker’s local dealers were also fined 7.7 million yuan, regulators said.

A Mercedes-Benz spokesperson said the company “accepts the decision and takes its responsibilities under competition law very seriously”.Mercedes Benz fined in China

“We have taken all appropriate steps to ensure to fully comply with the law,” the spokesperson told the Reuters news agency.

In a statement, the Chinese regulator said: “The investigation found Mercedes-Benz and its dealers in Jiangsu came to and carried out monopoly agreements to cap the lowest sales prices of E-Class, S-Class models and certain spare parts.”

In 2014, the Xinhua news agency reported that Mercedes had also been found guilty of manipulating the prices of after-sales services in China.

China is the world’s largest car market and foreign automakers have been under scrutiny for allegedly reaping high profits by overcharging customers.

In 2014, Chinese regulators fined the local units of Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler a combined $46 million for price-fixing.

They also levied a record fine totaling 1.24 billion yuan on 12 Japanese car parts companies including Sumitomo Electric and Mitsubishi Electric for price-fixing.

Chinese authorities also conducted investigations into foreign business practices in the pharmaceutical, technology and food sectors.

Doug Parker to Be Paid Entirely in American Airlines Stock

Clyde K. Valle
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Doug Parker to Be Paid Entirely in American Airlines Stock

American Airlines Chairman and CEO Doug Parker has decided to give up his cash salary and annual bonuses opting to be paid entirely in shares.

Doug Parker, 53, was paid more than $12 million last year, 40% of which was in cash, according to regulatory filings.

Google chief Larry Page, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Kinder Morgan’s Rich Kinder are also paid solely in shares.

“I believe this is the right way for my compensation to be set – at risk, based entirely on the results achieved, and in the same currency that our shareholders receive,” Doug Parker said in a letter to employees.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

Under the new deal, 54% of Doug Parker’s payout will tied to performance targets.

Doug Parker has helped transform American Airlines into one of the country’s most successful companies.

Shares of American Airlines have more than doubled in value since the company merged with rival US Airways in 2013.

Both carriers had undergone bankruptcy but their combination has since created the world’s largest airline company based on passenger traffic.

American Airlines also posted a record profit of $2.9 billion in 2014, helped by cheaper fuel prices and reduced competition.

Experts: Physical Activity Has Little Role in Tackling Obesity

Kathryn R. Bown
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Experts: Physical Activity Has Little Role in Tackling Obesity

According to international specialists, physical activity has little role in tackling obesity and instead public health messages should squarely focus on unhealthy eating.

In an article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, three experts said it was time to “bust the myth” about exercise.

They said while exercising was a key part of staving off diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and dementia, its impact on obesity was minimal.

Instead excess sugar and carbohydrates were key.Exercise and obesity

The experts blamed the food industry for encouraging the belief that exercise could counteract the impact of unhealthy eating.

They even likened their tactics as “chillingly similar” to those of Big Tobacco on smoking and said celebratory endorsements of sugary drinks and the association of junk food and sport must end.

The experts said there was evidence that up to 40% of those within a normal weight range will still harbor harmful metabolic abnormalities typically associated with obesity.

Despite this public health messaging had “unhelpfully” focused on maintaining a healthy weight through calorie counting when it was the source of calories that mattered most – research has shown that diabetes increases 11-fold for every 150 additional sugar calories consumed compared to fat calories.

The experts pointed to evidence from the Lancet global burden of disease program which shows that unhealthy eating was linked to more ill health than physical activity, alcohol and smoking combined.

Chile: Calbuco Volcano Erupts After 42 Years

Nancy Clayson
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Chile: Calbuco Volcano Erupts After 42 Years

Chile’s Calbuco volcano has erupted for the first time in 42 years.

The volcano erupted twice in the space of a few hours.

Chile’s Onemi emergency office declared a red alert following the sudden eruption at around 18.00 local time, which occurred about 625 miles south of Santiago, the capital, near the tourist towns of Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt.

Footage from the area shows a huge column of lava and ash being sent several miles into the air.

More than 4,000 people have been evacuated within a 12 mile radius.

The Calbuco volcano is one of the most active in Chile, but its eruption took officials in the area by surprise.Calbuco volcano eruption 2015

Alejandro Verges, an emergency director for the region, said Calbuco had not been under any special form of observation.

The inhabitants of the nearby town of Ensenada – along with residents from two other smaller communities – have been ordered to evacuate their homes.

Schools in the area have been shut and some flights cancelled.

The nearby city of Puerto Montt – a gateway to the popular Patagonia region – has already been blanketed in a cloud of ash.

TV footage showed traffic jams in the city and long queues at petrol stations. The nearby town of Puerto Varas was also under a state of alert.

Mayor Gervoy Paredes said residents were “very, very frightened”.

Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo called on people affected to “remain calm and stay informed”.

Neighboring Argentina has also put emergency measures in place for the city of Bariloche – about 65 miles from Calbuco – where ash clouds are expected.

Residents there have been warned to stay indoors.

Chile has the second largest chain of volcanoes in the world after Indonesia, with about 500 that are potentially active.

Ebola Experimental Drug Cures Monkeys Infected with Makona Strain

Kathryn R. Bown
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Ebola Experimental Drug Cures Monkeys Infected with Makona Strain

A new Ebola drug has cured monkeys infected with the virus, US researchers announced.

Experimental drug TKM-Ebola-Guinea targets the Makona strain of the virus, which caused the current deadly outbreak in West Africa.

All three monkeys receiving the treatment were healthy when the trial ended after 28 days.

Three untreated monkeys died within nine days.

However, scientists cautioned that the drug’s efficacy has not been proven in humans.

Currently there are no treatments or vaccines for Ebola that have been proven to work in humans.Ebola drug cures monkeys

Thomas Geisbert from University of Texas, who was the senior author of the study published in the journal Nature, said: “This is the first study to show post-exposure protection… against the new Makona outbreak strain of Ebola-Zaire virus.”

Results from human trials with TKM-Ebola-Guinea are expected in the second half of this year.

Thomas Geisbert said the drug, produced by Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, could be adapted to target any strain of Ebola and could be manufactured in as little as eight weeks.

TKM-Ebola-Guinea works by blocking particular genes, which stops the virus replicating.

The two-month production time compares with the several months needed to make ZMapp – another experimental drug, which cured monkeys with a different strain of Ebola than the one in the current outbreak.

Since March 2014, more than 10,602 people have been reported as having died from the disease in six countries – Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, the US and Mali.

The total number of reported Ebola cases is more than 25,556.

Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus Recall Escape from Cleveland House on 20/20 Special

Nancy Clayson
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Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus Recall Escape from Cleveland House on 20/20 Special

In a special edition of ABC’s 20/20, Amanda Berry recalls the moment she and two other women escaped from Ariel Castro’s Cleveland house after 10 years of imprisonment.

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped from Ariel Castro’s house of horrors in May 2013.

“When the cops had gotten there, I told them, <<there’s two other girls in the house>> … they put me in a car and then that’s when they ran upstairs to get them, and once I saw that, I’m like, <<This is it. I think we’re free now>>,” Amanda Berry says.

Amanda Berry, 29, and Gina DeJesus, 25, co-authored a book and confirmed to People magazine that they are no longer close with third victim Michelle Knight, who also chose not to appear in the ABC special.

Photo ABC
Photo ABC

“I think we all did like each other at one point, then [Ariel Castro] played us against each other so we couldn’t trust people,” Gina DeJesus told People magazine.

Michelle Knight, now 33, who has since changed her name to Lilly Rose Lee, was 21 years old when she was the first to be taken captive in 2002.

Amanda Berry disappeared in 2003, a day before she turned 17. A year later, 14-year-old Gina DeJesus also went missing.

Thus began an unbearable decade of beatings, abuse and imprisonment inside their torture-chamber bedrooms.

ABC’s 20/20 special will air on Tuesday, April 28th, at 10/9c.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg-C00-Re_A

Rumer Willis Admits She Had a Crush on Ashton Kutcher

Lisa.Felice
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Rumer Willis Admits She Had a Crush on Ashton Kutcher

In an interview with Howard Stern on Sirius XM, Rumer Willis has opened up about her mother Demi Moore’s marriage to Ashton Kutcher.

Rumer Willis, 26, admits Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore’s May-December romance was awkward given that Kutcher was one of her celeb crushes when she was younger.

“He was one of many on the wall, but I totally did,” Rumer Willis said about hanging Ashton Kutcher’s poster in her bedroom.Rumer Willis crush on Ashton Kutcher

“I feel like I told my sister that, <<Man, ugh, alright, gotta cross him off the list>>.”

The Dancing with the Stars contestant said the awkwardness didn’t last very long, and she quickly accepted Ashton Kutcher’s role as stepfather.

“It was definitely weird for a minute but I have to commend him, he was a really great stepfather and the perspective shifted very quickly,” Rumer Willis said.

“That’s when you open up your Teen Beat and then you just take him down, find someone else and put him up.”

Demi Moore, 52, and Ashton Kutcher, 37, were married in September 2005, but separated in 2011 following an Us Weekly report that he cheated on her with a woman named Sara Leal in San Diego.

However, Rumer Willis said she didn’t feel any skepticism about the relationship despite plenty of naysayers given the former couple’s age difference.

Earlier this month, The Longest Ride actor Scott Eastwood dropped a bombshell during his Watch What Happens Live appearance, when he claimed that he was actually dating Sara Leal when she allegedly cheated on him with Ashton Kutcher.

Ashton Kutcher filed for divorce from Demi Moore in December 2012, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized on November 2013. He is now married to Mila Kunis and they have a daughter together.

Willie Robertson Celebrates 43rd Birthday

Sonia Pantiss
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Willie Robertson Celebrates 43rd Birthday

Duck Dynasty reality star and Duck Commander CEO Willie Robertson celebrates his 43rd birthday on April 22.

Willie Robertson is the third son of Duck Dynasty patriarch and millionaire entrepreneur Phil Robertson.

Photo Facebook
Photo Facebook

He grew up hunting ducks, and earned a business degree from Harding University.

Willie Robertson was the main narrator on the Duck Dynasty reality series, which chronicled the lives of the Robertson family members.

He had five children with Korie Robertson, who he married in 1992.

Willie Robertson and his sister-in-law Missy Robertson share the same birthday.

Missy Robertson Celebrates Her 44th Birthday

Sonia Pantiss
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Missy Robertson Celebrates Her 44th Birthday

Duck Dynasty’s Missy Robertson celebrates her 44th birthday on April 22.

Missy is the wife of Jase Robertson and they have three children together – Reed, Cole and lovely Mia Robertson.

Photo Facebook
Photo Facebook

The reality star married Jase Robertson on August 10, 1990.

She has her own clothing line called Missy Robertson by Southern Fashion House that she launched in 2014.

Missy Robertson has a love for vocal music and volunteers as a music teacher at her local school.

Since the late 2000’s, Missy has assisted crafts at Camp Ch-Yo-Ca, a local Christian camp.

Missy Robertson and her brother-in-law Willie share the same birthday.

Lindsay Lohan Botches Arabic Message Insulting Everyone

Lisa.Felice
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Lindsay Lohan Botches Arabic Message Insulting Everyone

Lindsay Lohan wanted to send an inspirational Arabic message, but she botched the phrase insulting everyone.

On April 21, Lindsay Lohan shared an Instagram picture of a phrase in the foreign language, along with her own translation: “You’re beautiful.” Lindsay Lohan Botches Arabic Message Insulting Everyone

A number of Arabic speakers said that Lindsay Lohan’s phrase actually translates to: “You’re a donkey.”

Her own Instagram commenters began to point out the mistake.

Dubai-based reporter Jenan Moussa tweeted a picture of Lindsay Lohan’s gaffe and wrote: “Next time @lindsaylohan, let me check b4 u post 🙂 Arabic words don’t mean ‘U are beautiful’ but ‘u are a donkey.’”

Bruce Jenner Pictured Wearing Striped Dress

Lisa.Felice
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Bruce Jenner Pictured Wearing Striped Dress

Bruce Jenner was shown wearing a striped dress on CNN.

The photos, obtained by the New York Daily News, and broadcast by CNN on April 21, were reportedly taken outside of Bruce Jenner’s Malibu home.Bruce Jenner in dress

In a panel discussion, anchor Don Lemon asked HuffPost Live host Marc Lamont Hill what Bruce Jenner’s reported transgender revelation means for the transgender community.

Marc Lamont Hill supported Bruce Jenner by using female pronouns she and her, and said it’s exciting for such a major celebrity figure to be transitioning publicly.

Bruce Jenner’s exclusive interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer set for April 24 has been hotly anticipated, with little information known about what the former Olympian will say.

The two-hour exclusive interview airs on Friday, April 24, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWCXIHn-RhU

Freddie Gray: Baltimore Protests over Police Custody Death

Diane A. Wade
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Freddie Gray: Baltimore Protests over Police Custody Death

Baltimore protests have increased day by day since April 21 after last week’s death of Freddie Gray in police custody.

Freddie Gray, 25, died a week after being chased and arrested from a fatal spine injury under unexplained circumstances.

The US Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation.

A thousand people gathered on April 21 at the site of Freddie Gray’s arrest, kicking off seven days of protests against what they believe is excessive police force.

Photo AP
Photo AP

As people raised their hands, Pastor Jamal Bryant, one of the demonstrations organizers, said the gesture was not an act of surrender.

“It’s a sign of strength, of one unity and one commitment that we will not rest until we get justice for Freddie Gray,” he said.

Freddie Gray was arrested on April 12. Officials said that he ran away after he “made eye contact” with officers on patrol.

Officers pursued him and took him into custody minutes later. The officers’ reasoning for detaining Freddie Gray is not clear.

“There is no law against running,” Police Commissioner Anthony Batts told reporters on April 20.

“Running while black is not probable cause,” Billy Murphy, a lawyer hired by Freddie Gray’s family, said.

Mobile phone video shows police pinning Freddie Gray to the ground before a detention van arrives to transport him to a police station.

In the video, officers are seen dragging Gray’s limp body into the van. It is not known whether Freddie Gray’s body was limp because of a deliberate act of defiance or because of a medical condition.

Freddie Gray was in the van for approximately 30 minutes. At one point, police stopped to put Gray into leg shackles after determining he had become irate.

He asked officers for medical care on multiple occasions, Anthony Batts said.

Freddie Gray was eventually rushed to hospital where he lapsed into a coma and died a week later.

A national debate over the use of police force has been going on since August 2014, when black teenager Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri.

Hercules and Leo: NY Judge Recognizes Chimpanzees As Legal Persons

Nancy Clayson
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Hercules and Leo: NY Judge Recognizes Chimpanzees As Legal Persons

A writ of habeas corpus has been issued by a New York court in a case brought by animal rights activists on behalf of two chimpanzees.

The order means the university holding the chimpanzees will have to respond to the activists’ petition in court.

The activists said the court had “implicitly determined” that the two chimpanzees are legal “persons”.

Other experts say the writ may simply be a way for the court to gather more information at a further hearing.

The case concerns two chimpanzees – Hercules and Leo – being held at a research facility at Stony Brook University in New York State.

The Nonhuman Rights Project originally filed a lawsuit on behalf of the chimpanzees in 2013 with a view to having them transferred to a sanctuary in Florida, but in that instance the courts refused to issue a writ.Hercules and Leo become legal persons

On April 20, Judge Barbara Jaffe of New York’s state Supreme Court issued the writ, meaning a hearing will now be held on May 6 in which the university’s lawyers will have to explain the legal basis of the chimpanzees’ detention.

Habeas corpus – Latin for “you may have the body”- is a writ which traditionally requires a person detained by the authorities to be brought before a court of law so that the legality of the detention may be examined.

“The judge may merely want more information to make a decision on the legal personhood claim, and may have ordered a hearing simply as a vehicle for hearing out both parties in more depth,” law professor Richard Cupp told Science magazine.

“It would be quite surprising if the judge intended to make a momentous substantive finding that chimpanzees are legal persons if the judge has not yet heard the other side’s arguments,” he added.

David Bookstaver, a spokesman for the New York State Courts, also rejected the activists’ claim that the judge had conferred personhood on the chimps.

The judge had merely signed an order to show “cause”, he said, and the hearing in May would determine next steps.

The Nonhuman Rights Project says the ruling is the first of its kind and can be used as a precedent in future litigation.

The group argues that New York law does not limit legal personhood to human beings.

The state has previously conferred legal personhood status on domestic animals who are the beneficiaries of trusts, the campaign says, as well as extending rights to non-human entities such as corporations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys80-opseAA

DEA Chief Michele Leonhart to Resign After Party Scandal

Diane A. Wade
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DEA Chief Michele Leonhart to Resign After Party Scandal

Michele Marie Leonhart, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will resign following allegations that agents attended parties funded by cartels.

Michele Leonhart’s retirement was announced by Attorney General Eric Holder.

The move follows a justice department report last month alleging that drug agents attended parties with prostitutes, some funded by local drug cartels, in a foreign country.

The DEA said the incidents had happened in Colombia.DEA Chief Michele Leonhart resignation

Correspondents say Michele Leonhart, who has run the agency since 2007, had been under pressure to resign since testifying to a congressional committee last week.

Following her appearance, a majority of the committee said they had lost confidence in her.

“Michele has led this distinguished agency with honor, and I have been proud to call her my partner in the work of safeguarding our national security and protecting our citizens from crime, exploitation and abuse,” Eric Holder said.

Eric Holder added that Michele Leonhart would leave the agency in mid-May.

According to the justice department report, the sex parties were held at government-leased quarters where the phones and laptops of agents were present.

It said that DEA investigators at the time had not reported the allegations because they “did not believe that the special agents’ conduct rose to the level of a security risk requiring a referral”.

The report said that several agents were also provided with money, expensive gifts and weapons.

One DEA official told investigators: “Prostitution is considered part of the local culture and is tolerated in certain areas called <<tolerance zones>>.”

Seven agents who admitted attending parties were given suspensions ranging from two to 10 days. One was cleared of wrongdoing.

The investigation had been instigated by Congress following reports from 2012 that Secret Service agents had hired prostitutes while protecting the president during a summit in Colombia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AksWTCbfTI

John Hinckley Jr. Wants to Be Released from Mental Health Facility

Diane A. Wade
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John Hinckley Jr. Wants to Be Released from Mental Health Facility

John Hinckley Jr.’s lawyer has told a court his client should be permanently released from his mental health facility.

John Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan, who survived, and three others outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington in 1981.

He was found not guilty by reason of insanity but was sent for treatment to a Washington hospital.

Currently, John Hinckley Jr. spends 17 days per month at his mother’s home in the nearby state of Virginia.

John Hinckley’s lawyer, Barry Levine, told a federal court on April 22 that the would-be assassin is “clinically ready” to leave St Elizabeth’s Hospital permanently because he has been in “full and stable remission” for more than two decades.John Hinckley Jr mental health

The lawyer is asking a judge to grant his client “convalescent leave”, which would allow him to live outside the hospital with regular visits to mental health professionals.

Prosecutor Colleen Kennedy disagreed and said more restrictions and conditions are necessary to keep John Hinckley Jr. and others safe.

His mother is 89 years old and lives near Williamsburg, Virginia.

While living with her, John Hinckley is allowed to live a normal life that includes unsupervised shopping and dining out, and occasional contact with the US Secret Service.

Ronald Reagan was just 69 days into his presidency when the attempt was made on his life.

The former president suffered a punctured lung, but survived after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

Three others were wounded, including White House aide James Brady who was shot in the head and suffered brain damage and partial paralysis.

A Secret Service agent and a police officer suffered lesser wounds.

A gun control law passed in 1993 was nicknamed The Brady Bill and the White House press briefing room bears James Brady’s name. He died in August of last year at the age of 73.

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

Are Estate Agencies Making High Profits From The Housing Markets This Year?

Dana R
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Are Estate Agencies Making High Profits From The Housing Markets This Year?

Ever since the global financial crisis hit in 2007, the housing market in the UK has been in somewhat of a slump. As most people didn’t have much cash lying around, they chose to stay put in an attempt to make themselves more secure. However, things are looking up in 2015, and so more people are buying and renting new properties now than at any point in the last seven years. Does that mean estate agencies are once again making a mint from the housing market? We did some research in an attempt to find out. Of course, one of the main benefits of a better financial climate is that property prices are climbing steadily. That usually means more people are willing to buy, sell, or rent.

Home Buying

When it comes to helping people find their ideal property, estate agents tend to make a decent commission. As more people are looking to make a purchase this year, business owners in that industry are rubbing their hands together. While they only take a small percentage from the sale of a home, that could be thousands of pounds depending on the price. Some smaller firms simply add their fee onto any sales, but they are also doing pretty well at the current time. One of the country’s leading estate agency groups recently announced their profits for the first quarter of 2015 look set the break all previous records.

Housing Markets

Alan Cleaver

Home Leasing

When finding out a little more about Hamptons International, we discovered that rental rates were also soaring this year. A lot of people simply cannot afford to purchase a property because their wages are too low. While most high street banks are more enthusiastic about lending money these days, you still have to meet certain criteria for a mortgage. That has helped to boost the rental market considerably since the end of 2014. The average rental price in the UK now stands at just over £500 per month. However, people who want to live in the most desirable areas now have to pay a lot more than that.

Home Selling

It stands to reason that most estate agencies will be making more money from the sale of homes this year. If more people are buying, it will encourage more people to sell. When there are more buyers than sellers in the marketplace, prices tend to rise pretty quickly. That means estate agency firms make an even more substantial commission when the sale finally goes through. If you were looking to start a business in that field in the near future, now is the best time to get on-board. Like it or not, there is no way of knowing how things will progress moving forward into 2016.

To answer the question posed in the title of this post, yes, estate agencies are making high profits from the housing markets this year. While it is impossible to work out how things will change over the coming months, most people in the industry are very positive about the future. So, maybe now is the best time to get involved?

Gazprom Charged with Abusing Dominant Market Position in EU

Clyde K. Valle
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Gazprom Charged with Abusing Dominant Market Position in EU

Russian energy giant Gazprom has been charged by the European Commission with abusing its dominant market position in Central and Eastern European gas markets.

The EC said its preliminary view was that Gazprom was breaking EU anti-trust rules.

It added the company may have limited its customers’ ability to resell gas, potentially allowing it to charge unfair prices in some EU member states.

Gazprom rejected the EC’s objections, calling them “unfounded”.

“Gazprom strictly adheres to all the norms of international law and national legislation in the countries where the Gazprom Group conducts business,” the company said in a statement.

The company now has 12 weeks to respond to the Commission’s allegations.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

The move could further sour relations with Moscow, which are already strained over the Ukraine crisis.

Brussels began investigating Russian state-controlled Gazprom in 2012, but Moscow says the Commission’s allegations are politically motivated.

The EU’s new anti-monopoly chief, Margrethe Vestager, said the Commission had found that Gazprom “may have built artificial barriers preventing gas from flowing from certain Central European countries to others, hindering cross-border competition.

“Keeping national gas markets separate also allowed Gazprom to charge prices that we, at this stage, consider to be unfair.

“If our concerns were confirmed, Gazprom would have to face the legal consequences of its behavior.”

Brussels’ competition authority has the power to impose fines of up to 10% of Gazprom’s global turnover.

The EC questioned the formulae Gazprom used to come up with the different prices at which it sold gas to individual countries.

“Gazprom’s specific price formulae, which link the price of gas to the price of oil products, seem to have largely favored Gazprom over its customers,” it said.

The Commission said that, in its preliminary view, Gazprom was hindering competition in the gas markets in eight Central and Eastern European member states – Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia.

Russia supplies about a third of the EU’s gas requirements, with half that amount going through pipelines that cross Ukraine.

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

Joan Collins Denies Being Arrested in Republic of Ireland

Lisa.Felice
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Joan Collins Denies Being Arrested in Republic of Ireland

Joan Collins has denied that she was arrested in the Republic of Ireland.

Irish politician Joan Collins was arrested at a protest against new water meters in Dublin on April 20.

Actress Joan Collins has taken to Twitter saying: “No I am not the Joan Collins Who was a rested (sic) yesterday At a Dublin protest meeting !!! The very idea !!”

United Left TD Joan Collins said she was taking part in a “peaceful protest”.Joan Collins denies arrest

The politician later tweeted that she should not be confused with the British actress.

“For the record I’m not @JoanCollinsOBE as I’d never take an honor from a monarch nor did I wear shoulder pads in the 80s. The very idea!”

Joan Collins, 81, was made a dame in the Queen’s New Year’s honors list in 2014.

She was previously a patron of UKIP, but said that does not mean she would vote for them, and has declared herself an admirer of former PM Margaret Thatcher.

Irish parliamentarian Joan Collins sits on the opposite end of the political spectrum.

Joan Collins was among 13 people arrested at the demonstration, which was part of continuing protests against the introduction of water charges in Ireland.

Gwyneth Paltrow Files for Divorce from Chris Martin

Lisa.Felice
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Gwyneth Paltrow Files for Divorce from Chris Martin

Gwyneth Paltrow and her estranged husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, have filed for divorce.

The actress cited irreconcilable differences in the documents, which were filed in Los Angeles on April 20 after 11 years of marriage.

The divorce documents request joint custody of their two children, Apple and Moses.

Gwyneth Paltrow, 42, and Chris Martin, 38, announced their separation in March 2014, describing it as a “conscious uncoupling”.

Her lifestyle blog Goop.com crashed after the couple posted a joint statement about their decision.Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin divorce

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin said they had “come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much, we will remain separate”.

The couple said they had been “working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us”.

“We are, however, and always will be a family, and in many ways we are closer than we have ever been,” their statement said.

“We are parents first and foremost, to two incredibly wonderful children and we ask for their and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time.

“We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and co-parent, we will be able to continue in the same manner.”

Their divorce’s confirmation comes after days of speculation the actress had filed the papers.

The documents do not list any details about how Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin will divide their assets, but asks that both sides pay their own lawyers’ fees.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin married in secret ceremony in December 2003, days after they announced Paltrow was pregnant with their first child.

Jeremy Clarkson Will Be Back on BBC

Sonia Pantiss
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Jeremy Clarkson Will Be Back on BBC

Jeremy Clarkson will return to the BBC”, Kim Shillinglaw, the head of BBC 2 and BBC 4, has said.

Kim Shillinglaw, who has the task of finding Jeremy Clarkson’s replacement after he was dropped from Top Gear, said he had not been banned by the BBC.

“It’s serious and unfortunate what happened but there is no ban on Jeremy being on the BBC,” Kim Shillinglaw said.

“It’s a big deal what happened and Jeremy, as any human being would, needs some time.”

Jeremy Clarkson, 55, was removed from Top Gear on March 25 after assaulting producer Oisin Tymon.

Kim Shillinglaw said it was an “open book” on who might replace Jeremy Clarkson, following rumors it could be a woman.

She said: “We’ll definitely look at some women but it’s not a driving priority.” Jeremy Clarkson BBC return

Kim Shillinglaw also confirmed Jeremy Clarkson’s final Top Gear scenes would be screened later this year

“No way would I want the available material not to be seen by viewers,” she said.

However, there is not enough footage to piece together the three remaining episodes of Top Gear, which was pulled off air in the aftermath of the altercation with Oisin Tymon on March 4.

Sue Perkins, the host of BBC One’s The Great British Bake Off, was named the bookmakers’ favorite to replace Jeremy Clarkson two weeks ago.

She was the front-runner for the job, followed by Dermot O’Leary and Jodie Kidd.

The news prompted a barrage of abusive tweets for Sue Perkins, whose Twitter timeline was filled with “blokes wishing me dead”, including threats from someone who “suggested they’d like to see me burn to death”.

Sue Perkins later quit Twitter, leading Jeremy Clarkson’s co-presenter James May to suggest those who sent the abusive tweets should “do the world a much bigger favor by killing yourself”.

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

Rolls Royce CEO John Rishton to Be Replaced by Warren East

Clyde K. Valle
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Rolls Royce CEO John Rishton to Be Replaced by Warren East

Rolls-Royce chief executive John Rishton will be replaced by Warren East after his retirement on July 2.

John Rishton, who has been at the company since 2011, said it was “time for a change in lifestyle”.

Warren East was head of UK chipmaker Arm Holdings between 2001 and 2013 and has been a non-executive director at Rolls-Royce since the beginning of last year.Rolls Royce CEO John Rishton to Be Replaced by Warren East

He helped turn Arm into a leading developer of chips to major technology companies such as Apple.

Warren East said he was “delighted” to be appointed as the new chief executive.

“[Rolls-Royce] is well positioned in growth markets, with world-class engineering skills and a proud record of innovation and delivery.

“The markets which Rolls Royce serves and the technology it deploys are fascinating. This is a wonderful opportunity and I am very much looking forward to leading this remarkable company.”

John Rishton said: “We have made good progress transforming Rolls-Royce and have a strong team in place. While there is clearly more to do, the company is better placed to face the future.”

Tesco Reports Worst Results in History

Clyde K. Valle
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Tesco Reports Worst Results in History

British retailer Tesco has reported the worst results in its history with a record statutory pre-tax loss of $9.5 billion for the year to the end of February.

That compares with annual pre-tax profit of $3.35 billion a year earlier.

It is the biggest loss suffered by a UK retailer and one of the largest in the country’s corporate history.

Around $7 billion of the losses were the result of the fall in property value of its UK stores, 43 of which it said would close earlier this month.

The decline in the value of its property portfolio comes as a direct result of falling footfall in many of its out of town superstores.Tesco annual loss

Tesco CEO Dave Lewis admitted it had been “a very difficult year for Tesco”.

He added: “The results we have published today reflect a deterioration in the market and, more significantly, an erosion of our competitiveness over recent years.

“We have faced into this reality, sought to draw a line under the past and begun to rebuild, and already we are beginning to see early encouraging signs from what we’ve done so far.”

Dave Lewis added that he expected conditions in the coming financial year to remain challenging.

However, investors reacted positively to the results.

Tesco’s share price rose by more than 1% in early trading on the London Stock Exchange.

The results cap a tumultuous year for the supermarket giant which is still being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) after it overstated its half-year profit forecast in August by $389 million.

Annual group trading profit, which counts sales through the supermarket’s tills was also down 60% at $2 billion, compared with $4.9 billion a year earlier.

Tesco company said the performance of its European stores disappointed as a result of “strong competition from discount retailers” which held back its sales performance, particularly in Ireland which saw a like-for-like sales fall 6.3% in the year.

In Asia, Tesco said trading profit was $836 million, once currency fluctuations were stripped out, 15.3% lower than a year earlier a result of sales falling in South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Tesco said it had also agreed a plan with the trustees of its pension scheme to pay $400 million a year to help mend its $5.75 billion pension deficit.

The company has started a consultation with staff to replace the current defined benefit pension scheme with a cheaper defined contribution scheme.

Hair Pulling John Key: New Zealand Prime Minister Apologizes to Auckland Waitress

Nancy Clayson
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Hair Pulling John Key: New Zealand Prime Minister Apologizes to Auckland Waitress

New Zealand PM John Key has apologized to an Auckland cafe waitress for repeatedly pulling her hair.

According to the unnamed waitress, the prime minister had tugged her ponytail on several occasions, even after she had asked him not to.

John Key’s office said on April 22 that his actions were meant to be “light-hearted” and he apologized.

The incident has sparked criticism from an opposition party and the public.

The waitress wrote on the Daily Blog that the hair-pulling started during last November’s election campaign, when John Key’s National Party was re-elected.

The woman said that she had begun avoiding John Key whenever he came into the cafe, and had told his security officers that she didn’t like her hair being pulled.

She said she finally told John Key in person to stop in March, but he continued to do so.

John Key later apologized and gave the waitress two personalized bottles of wine.Hair pulling John Key

His office said in a statement: “His actions were intended to be light-hearted. It was never his intention to make her feel uncomfortable and he has apologized to her.”

John Key told reporters on April 22 that he had “a very warm and friendly relationship” with staff at the cafe where “we have lots of fun and games there, there’s always lots of practical jokes and things”.

One of the leaders of New Zealand’s Green Party, Metiria Turei, said his actions raised questions about workplace bullying.

“As politicians our job is to make people feel safe at work, not bullied… We should expect higher standards of behavior from our prime minister, not this weird hair-pulling,” Metiria Turei told The New Zealand Herald.

New Zealanders have been discussing John Key’s actions on Twitter with the hashtags #tailgate. and #ponytailgate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kv5nnXeDQU

Earth Day 2015: Pledge to Plant One Billion Trees

James J. Williams
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Earth Day 2015: Pledge to Plant One Billion Trees

The Earth Day is observed in more than 190 countries on April 22 each year.

The annual event is celebrated with outdoor performances, where individuals or groups perform acts of service to earth.

Typical ways of observing Earth Day include planting trees, picking up roadside trash, conducting various programs for recycling and conservation, using recyclable containers for snacks and lunches.

People are encouraged to sign petitions to governments, calling for stronger or immediate action to stop global warming and to reverse environmental destruction.

TV stations frequently air programs dealing with environmental issues.Earth Day 2015

The April 22 Earth Day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson and first organized in 1970 to promote ecology and respect for life on the planet as well as to encourage awareness of the growing problems of air, water and soil pollution.

Some people prefer to observe Earth Day around the time of the March Equinox.

In 1978, American anthropologist Margaret Mead added her support for the equinox Earth Day, founded by John McConnell. She stated that the selection of the March Equinox for Earth Day made planetary observance of a shared event possible.

Earth Day 2015 will be a global “give back to Earth” event, as an “offering” for all the planet gives us.

This year’s Earth Day goal is planting of a billion trees worldwide

Earth Day is not a public holiday and public life, with regard to transport schedules and opening hours for schools and businesses, is not affected.

Flawless white diamond fetches $22.1 million at New York auction

Sonia Pantiss
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Flawless white diamond fetches $22.1 million at New York auction

A flawless white 100-carat diamond has fetched $22.1 million at Sotheby’s auction house in New York.

The emerald-cut diamond, originally mined by De Beers in South Africa, has been bought by an anonymous buyer after only three minutes’ bidding.

The gem had taken more than a year to cut, polish and perfect.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

Only six perfect diamonds weighing more than 100 carats have been auctioned in the past 25 years, according to Sotheby’s.

The diamond had a pre-sale estimate of between $19 million and $25 million.

Gary Schuler, the head of Sotheby’s jewellery department in New York, described the diamond as “the definition of perfection”.

“The color is whiter than white, it is free of any internal imperfections and so transparent that I can only compare it to a pool of icy water,” Gary Schuler said before the sale.

The gem was the highlight of a sale of more than 350 jewels expected to sell for a total of more than $50 million.

In 2013, a flawless pink diamond known as the Pink Star set a world record price for a gemstone at auction when it sold for $83 million in Geneva.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6q762LjadQ

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