Stormy Daniels' interview holds a mirror up to Trump and the picture isn't pretty
Michael D'Antonio
By Michael D'Antonio
Updated 0451 GMT (1251 HKT) March 26, 2018
Stormy Daniels details affair on '60 Minutes'
Trump hits back at 'vicious' groping allegations
Donald Trump accuser speaks to Anderson Cooper
First lady Michelle Obama speaks during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Michelle Obama gets emotional discussing Trump tape
barbara res newday
Former Trump employee: He is a blatant sexist
OCALA, FL - OCTOBER 12: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Southeastern Livestock Pavillion on October 12, 2016 in Ocala, Florida. Trump made multiple campaign stops in Florida today, a key battleground state in the upcoming election. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
Reports: Multiple women accuse Trump of groping
tasha dixon former miss arizona intv donald trump walking backstage naked sot lemon ctn_00003313.jpg
Ex-beauty queen: Humiliating for Trump to be backstage
This image released by CBS News shows Stormy Daniels, left, during an interview with Anderson Cooper which will air on Sunday, March 25, on "60 Minutes." Now Playing
Stormy Daniels details affair on '60 Minutes'
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 14: Summer Zervos, a former candidate on The Apprentice season five, who is accusing Donald Trump of inappropriate sexual conduct, speaks to the press with her attorney Gloria Allred October 14, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. This is the first time the accuser has spoken publicly about the alleged incident. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Analyst: Trump should worry about Zervos case
'Apprentice' star: Trump treated me like an object
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Why WH response on alleged affair jumps out
Stormy Daniels appears on Jimmy Kimmel
donald trump sexual assault accusers me too bts_00002605.jpg
Trump falsely claims he doesn't know accusers
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends his campaign rally at the South Florida Fair Expo Center on October 13, 2016 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump continues to campaign against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton with less than one month to Election Day.
When responding to his accusers, Trump turns to looks
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the South Florida Fair Expo Center on October 13, 2016 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Tapper: Tell me what 'look at her' means
Trump hits back at 'vicious' groping allegations
Ex-contestant: Trump nowhere near our dressing room
miss north carolina samantha holvey looked us up and down sot _00001122.jpg
Ex-contestant: Trump inspected each contestant
donald trump accuser jessica leeds anderson cooper intvu sot tsr_00004026.jpg
Donald Trump accuser speaks to Anderson Cooper
First lady Michelle Obama speaks during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Michelle Obama gets emotional discussing Trump tape
barbara res newday
Former Trump employee: He is a blatant sexist
OCALA, FL - OCTOBER 12: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Southeastern Livestock Pavillion on October 12, 2016 in Ocala, Florida. Trump made multiple campaign stops in Florida today, a key battleground state in the upcoming election. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
Reports: Multiple women accuse Trump of groping
tasha dixon former miss arizona intv donald trump walking backstage naked sot lemon ctn_00003313.jpg
Ex-beauty queen: Humiliating for Trump to be backstage
This image released by CBS News shows Stormy Daniels, left, during an interview with Anderson Cooper which will air on Sunday, March 25, on "60 Minutes."
Stormy Daniels details affair on '60 Minutes'
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 14: Summer Zervos, a former candidate on The Apprentice season five, who is accusing Donald Trump of inappropriate sexual conduct, speaks to the press with her attorney Gloria Allred October 14, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. This is the first time the accuser has spoken publicly about the alleged incident. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Analyst: Trump should worry about Zervos case
'Apprentice' star: Trump treated me like an object
haberman intv
Why WH response on alleged affair jumps out
Stormy Daniels appears on Jimmy Kimmel
donald trump sexual assault accusers me too bts_00002605.jpg
Trump falsely claims he doesn't know accusers
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends his campaign rally at the South Florida Fair Expo Center on October 13, 2016 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump continues to campaign against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton with less than one month to Election Day.
When responding to his accusers, Trump turns to looks
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the South Florida Fair Expo Center on October 13, 2016 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Tapper: Tell me what 'look at her' means
(CNN)It was not about Stormy Daniels, it was about Donald Trump.
With a huge TV audience watching Anderson Cooper interview her on "60 Minutes" on Sunday, the adult film star who said she was paid to keep silent about her 2006 sexual encounter with the married man and future president served as a mirror that reflected Trump's dishonesty and disrespectful nature for all the world to see.
"He knows I'm telling the truth," declared Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. She then went on to describe a mutually exploitative relationship consistent with the Donald Trump known by many. As in so many things, Trump apparently approached his time with Daniels as a transaction, and he used Trump-like superlatives -- he called her "special" she reported -- to sweeten the exchange.
Stormy, don't worry about violating your NDA
Stormy, don't worry about violating your NDA
Like the Playboy model Karen McDougal, who told of an affair with Trump in another interview with Anderson Cooper on Thursday, Daniels said Trump spoke of how she reminded him of his eldest daughter Ivanka. And like McDougal, Daniels mentioned that Trump dangled a reward for the sex. McDougal said she was offered cash, which she said she refused. Daniels said Trump suggested she could appear on his TV show, "Celebrity Apprentice."
Although she said she doubted the TV gig would materialize, "at the same time," she added, "maybe it will work out." It didn't. (Trump's spokespeople have denied the allegations of affairs.)
In calmly responding to Cooper's questions, Daniels gave the lie to anyone who would dismiss her intelligence. Unlike the President, who often speaks in a disjointed way that is full of emotion and devoid of meaning, she offered declarative sentences that left no doubt about her meaning
Why the Stormy Daniels interview should scare Republicans
Why the Stormy Daniels interview should scare Republicans
Yes, she had an affair with Trump that began shortly after his wife, Melania, gave birth to his youngest son.
Yes, the man who would be president did not practice safe sex.
No, she's not willing to be silent.
None of what Daniels told Cooper about her experience seemed inconsistent with what we know already about Trump and his team. The affair is what we expect from a man with his record of scandal and heedless self-indulgence. The hush money aligns with his transactional nature. Lawyer Michael Cohen's claim to have paid it himself out of personal concern for his boss is consistent with the cult-like devotion common among longtime employees of the Trump organization. Enabling seems to be in the job description for everyone who seeks to remain in Trump's service.
Her tale of an attempted cover-up had elements familiar to seasoned Trump-watchers. First there was Cohen, his longtime lawyer, serving as the aide who sought to make something unpleasant go away. Then came the alleged effort at intimidation, which is something I experienced personally when Cohen was concerned about my book about Trump and threatened to sue if I didn't do what he wanted. (Cohen said to Vanity Fair, "I have never threatened her in any way, and I am unaware of anyone else doing so.")
The interview, and Cooper's additional reporting, did not leave Daniels unscathed. She had to account for three statements she made denying the affair. However, unlike Trump, who seems incapable of taking responsibility for any of the thousands of distortions he has made, Daniels copped to her deceptions. "I was concerned for my family," she said convincingly, "and for their safety."
The lawyer Trump wants to represent him has been dead for 32 years
Although some seem willing to grant Trump endless mulligans for his sins against his family, and the basic tenets of human decency, the much-awaited Daniels interview undoubtedly turned even some ardent supporters against the man in the Oval Office.
How did Daniels come to play this role? Proud to identify herself as an adult entertainer, she is invulnerable to the President's usual methods of counterattack, which involve degrading others who present themselves in conventional terms -- remember the names he called political opponents? -- and attempting to make them seem hypocritical. No one is in a better position to call out Trump than the woman who came forward to name herself as his partner in infidelity and note that it was he who pursued her.
Daniels offered a direct and credible account of how, just before the 2016 election, Cohen paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about Trump, who by then was the GOP candidate for the presidency. Cohen has said it had nothing to do with the campaign, but the timing suggests it did. More recently Cohen sought to enforce a nondisclosure agreement, but Daniels defied him and his client by speaking out.
Besides Daniels' candor, one can't help but be impressed by her tactical brilliance.
Outplaying Trump at his own game, Stormy Daniels showed that she knows the media-savvy world hates hypocrisy and lies. A stripper and porn star by trade, she has never pretended to be someone she's not and has a reputation for demanding respect. Recent press profiles suggest she set high business standards for herself and others. Unlike the President, who pretended to fire people on TV but won't do so directly in real life, Daniels is known for dismissing those who fail her, and she does it face to face and on the spot.
The political impact of the must-watch interview will develop over time. It speaks to the current state of politics in the era of Trump that an interview with a porn actress can be as influential as this one is likely to be.
Should the fever of fear, confusion and acquiescence that has marked the Trump era begin to break, we can thank Stormy Daniels.
Monday, March 26, 2018
Apple Has Big Plans for Its March 27 Event - Fortune
Apple Has Big Plans for Its March 27 Event
APPLE AND IBM WANT TO MAKE APP MAKING EASIER
By DON REISINGER March 24, 2018
Since announcing plans for a press event on March 27, Apple has remained silent about what it will unveil. But that isn’t stopping the rumor mill.
Over the past several days, news reports, including one from Bloomberg, suggest that Apple will introduce a budget-friendly $259 iPad at the education-focused event. There’s also talk that a cheaper MacBook notebook that costs less than $1,000 will be unveiled.
But the press event isn’t expected to include any major announcements, like a dramatically redesigned iPhone or iPad. Still, it should offer insight into Apple’s efforts to appeal to students, teachers, and consumers on a budget.
This is Fortune’s latest weekly roundup of the biggest Apple news. Here’s last week’s roundup.
But there was more to Apple’s week than talk of education. From rumors about a possible foldable iPhone to talk of trouble for the company’s iPhone X, it was a decidedly interesting week for Apple fans. So read on for more about some of the biggest Apple headlines from the past severa
Apple is working on a foldable iPhone that it could release in 2020, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts said in a research note on Friday. The analysts talked with Apple suppliers in Asia who said the company is exploring developing an iPhone with a screen that would fold over itself. When the iPhone unfolds, the screen would expand tablet size, according to the report. Apple was previously rumored to be working with LG on a foldable iPhone.
Apple is rapidly expanding its self-driving car testing. According to a Financial Times report this week, Apple now has permits to test 45 self-driving cars in California That’s more than the 39 permits for Tesla and 29 for Uber. General Motors’ Cruise division has 110 permits—the most of any company. Apple is believed to be developing self-driving car technology and not actual cars. That technology would be sold to carmakers.
Tesla this week updated its iPhone app to integrate Siri virtual personal assistant with its Model 3 sedan. Siri availability in the app allows Model 3 owners to give voice commands to lock their doors, review how much charge is left on their batteries, and more.
In a note to investors this week, Longbow Research analyst Shawn Harrison and Gausia Chowdhury reported that Apple’s iPhone X didn’t sell well during the holiday season. The analysts cited sources who said Apple has ordered fewer units from manufacturers than it had initially forecast due to lower-than-expected demand for the $999 iPhone. Nomura analysts Anne Lee and Jeffery Kvaal followed that note this week with their own, saying iPhone X demand “is flagging” because of the hefty price tag.
Apple is developing new screen technology for future products, Bloomberg reported this week. That technology, called MicroLED, makes for slimmer and brighter screens than those that use other technology, like liquid crystals or organic light-emitting diodes. MicroLED displays are also more energy-efficient, which should translate to longer battery life on Apple Watch, iPhone, and other products. It’s unknown, however, when Apple may add MicroLED to future products.
One more thing…Apple Watch and iPhone owners are mistakenly calling emergency services, according to reports. Apple Watch owners who sleep while wearing the smartwatch are accidentally calling 911 because the device’s crown is set to automatically send for help when it’s pressed for several seconds. IPhone owners who mistakenly press buttons on the side of their phones too many times also mistakenly call emergency services.
APPLE AND IBM WANT TO MAKE APP MAKING EASIER
By DON REISINGER March 24, 2018
Since announcing plans for a press event on March 27, Apple has remained silent about what it will unveil. But that isn’t stopping the rumor mill.
Over the past several days, news reports, including one from Bloomberg, suggest that Apple will introduce a budget-friendly $259 iPad at the education-focused event. There’s also talk that a cheaper MacBook notebook that costs less than $1,000 will be unveiled.
But the press event isn’t expected to include any major announcements, like a dramatically redesigned iPhone or iPad. Still, it should offer insight into Apple’s efforts to appeal to students, teachers, and consumers on a budget.
This is Fortune’s latest weekly roundup of the biggest Apple news. Here’s last week’s roundup.
But there was more to Apple’s week than talk of education. From rumors about a possible foldable iPhone to talk of trouble for the company’s iPhone X, it was a decidedly interesting week for Apple fans. So read on for more about some of the biggest Apple headlines from the past severa
Apple is working on a foldable iPhone that it could release in 2020, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts said in a research note on Friday. The analysts talked with Apple suppliers in Asia who said the company is exploring developing an iPhone with a screen that would fold over itself. When the iPhone unfolds, the screen would expand tablet size, according to the report. Apple was previously rumored to be working with LG on a foldable iPhone.
Apple is rapidly expanding its self-driving car testing. According to a Financial Times report this week, Apple now has permits to test 45 self-driving cars in California That’s more than the 39 permits for Tesla and 29 for Uber. General Motors’ Cruise division has 110 permits—the most of any company. Apple is believed to be developing self-driving car technology and not actual cars. That technology would be sold to carmakers.
Tesla this week updated its iPhone app to integrate Siri virtual personal assistant with its Model 3 sedan. Siri availability in the app allows Model 3 owners to give voice commands to lock their doors, review how much charge is left on their batteries, and more.
In a note to investors this week, Longbow Research analyst Shawn Harrison and Gausia Chowdhury reported that Apple’s iPhone X didn’t sell well during the holiday season. The analysts cited sources who said Apple has ordered fewer units from manufacturers than it had initially forecast due to lower-than-expected demand for the $999 iPhone. Nomura analysts Anne Lee and Jeffery Kvaal followed that note this week with their own, saying iPhone X demand “is flagging” because of the hefty price tag.
Apple is developing new screen technology for future products, Bloomberg reported this week. That technology, called MicroLED, makes for slimmer and brighter screens than those that use other technology, like liquid crystals or organic light-emitting diodes. MicroLED displays are also more energy-efficient, which should translate to longer battery life on Apple Watch, iPhone, and other products. It’s unknown, however, when Apple may add MicroLED to future products.
One more thing…Apple Watch and iPhone owners are mistakenly calling emergency services, according to reports. Apple Watch owners who sleep while wearing the smartwatch are accidentally calling 911 because the device’s crown is set to automatically send for help when it’s pressed for several seconds. IPhone owners who mistakenly press buttons on the side of their phones too many times also mistakenly call emergency services.
Doctors Say They've Found a 'Game Changing' Stem Cell Treatment for MS - Fortune
Doctors Say They've Found a 'Game Changing' Stem Cell Treatment for MS
By HALLIE DETRICK March 19, 2018
Doctors have found what could be a “game changing” treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS).
Interim results from an international trial of a stem cell transplant treatment showed a much higher success rate than the control group, which received a drug treatment. MS is a disease that affects the brain, spinal cord, and immune system, leading to a number of disabilities. The stem cell treatment uses chemotherapy to wipe out a patient’s immune system and then “re-boots” it using stem cells from the patient’s blood and bone marrow that are unaffected by the disease.
Just over 100 people participated in the study in four cities: in Chicago, Sao Paolo, Sheffield (U.K.), and Uppsala in Sweden. They all had relapsing remitting MS, where periods of symptomatic “relapses” alternate with periods of remission. A year after the treatment, only one patient who received the stem cell treatment had relapsed, compared to 39 people in the control group.
In a follow-up an average of three years after treatment, the stem cells had failed in 6% (3 of 52) of recipients while the drug treatment had failed in 60% (30 of 50). The results were released at the annual meeting of the European Society for Bone and Marrow Transplantation in Lisbon.
A neurologist at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in the U.K. told the BBC this was the best result he had seen “in any trial for multiple sclerosis,” though he included the caveat that the results were only preliminary.
This study is the largest of its kind, and it bolsters results from smaller trials that have also showed stem cell transplant to be effective. The treatment has been controversial in the neurological community because it has proved more dangerous than drug treatments in the past. In an earlier trial, eight of 281 participants died.
By HALLIE DETRICK March 19, 2018
Doctors have found what could be a “game changing” treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS).
Interim results from an international trial of a stem cell transplant treatment showed a much higher success rate than the control group, which received a drug treatment. MS is a disease that affects the brain, spinal cord, and immune system, leading to a number of disabilities. The stem cell treatment uses chemotherapy to wipe out a patient’s immune system and then “re-boots” it using stem cells from the patient’s blood and bone marrow that are unaffected by the disease.
Just over 100 people participated in the study in four cities: in Chicago, Sao Paolo, Sheffield (U.K.), and Uppsala in Sweden. They all had relapsing remitting MS, where periods of symptomatic “relapses” alternate with periods of remission. A year after the treatment, only one patient who received the stem cell treatment had relapsed, compared to 39 people in the control group.
In a follow-up an average of three years after treatment, the stem cells had failed in 6% (3 of 52) of recipients while the drug treatment had failed in 60% (30 of 50). The results were released at the annual meeting of the European Society for Bone and Marrow Transplantation in Lisbon.
A neurologist at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in the U.K. told the BBC this was the best result he had seen “in any trial for multiple sclerosis,” though he included the caveat that the results were only preliminary.
This study is the largest of its kind, and it bolsters results from smaller trials that have also showed stem cell transplant to be effective. The treatment has been controversial in the neurological community because it has proved more dangerous than drug treatments in the past. In an earlier trial, eight of 281 participants died.
Egyptians begin voting in contest set to hand Sisi second term - Reuters
MARCH 26, 2018 / 6:21 PM / UPDATED 39 MINUTES AGO
Egyptians begin voting in contest set to hand Sisi second term
Mahmoud Mourad, John Davison
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians began voting on Monday in a presidential election set to deliver an easy win for incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, with turnout the main focus after all serious opposition withdrew complaining of repression.
Egyptians cast their votes at a polling station during the presidential election in Cairo, Egypt, March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Polls will be open for three days and Sisi, a former military commander, has urged Egyptians to go and vote, hinting that he sees the election as a referendum on his four-year rule.
While many Egyptians see the U.S.-allied leader as vital to stability in a country where unrest since 2011 has hurt the economy, critics say he has presided over Egypt’s worst ever crackdown on dissent and have dubbed the vote a charade.
Sisi, 63, who led the military’s overthrow of Egypt’s first democratically elected President Mohamed Mursi in 2013, has cast his bid for a second term as a vote for stability and security.
But a lower-than-expected turnout could suggest Sisi lacks a mandate to take more of the tough steps needed to revive the economy, which struggled after the 2011 revolution drove away tourists and foreign investors, both sources of hard currency.
Early on Monday, dozens of people queued up to vote in and around Cairo, but not in great numbers. Reuters correspondents saw voters waiting outside schools converted into polling stations.
“We’re coming to support President Sisi. Anyone who doesn’t participate in the vote is a traitor,” 76-year-old Saad Shahata, a civil servant, said at a polling station in Monofiya province north of Cairo.
Sisi’s sole challenger in the March 26-28 vote is Moussa Mostafa Moussa, a longtime Sisi supporter widely dismissed as a dummy candidate: Moussa’s Ghad party had actually endorsed Sisi for a second term before he emerged as a last-minute challenger.
Moussa dismisses accusations he is being used to present a false sense of competition, and the electoral commission says it will ensure the vote is fair and transparent.
An editorial in state-owned newspaper al-Ahram acknowledged the narrow choice for voters but suggested the mere holding of the ballot signaled Egypt was regaining its strength in the face of current domestic and foreign threats.
“The importance of presidential elections this time is not fierce competition or a real (electoral) battle, but a message to the world that Egypt is on its way through a recovery phase,” it said.
MUZZLING OF OPPONENTS
Critics say Sisi’s popularity since his 2014 election has been hurt by austerity reforms and a muzzling of opponents, activists and independent media. Courts have passed death sentences on hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters since 2013.
Sisi’s backers — who include Western powers and most Gulf Arab dynasties — say the measures are needed to keep the country stable as it recovers from political chaos and tackles an Islamist insurgency focused in the Sinai Peninsula.
Neither candidate has done much campaigning, appealing instead for a high turnout. Sisi won nearly 97 percent of the vote in 2014, but less than half of eligible Egyptians voted even though the election was extended to three days.
In remarks earlier this month that suggest Sisi may see the vote as a referendum on his performance, he said: “If (all Egyptians) vote and a third say ‘No’, that would be a lot better than if half that number turn out and all of them say ‘Yes’.”
Several opposition figures called for a boycott of the vote after all major opposition campaigns withdrew, saying repression had cleared the field of credible challengers.
ARRESTS
Sisi’s top opponent, former military chief of staff Sami Anan, was arrested and halted his presidential bid after the army accused him of running for office without permission.
Even before campaigning officially begun, the United Nations, rights groups and opposition figures criticized the run-up as compromised by arrests, intimidation of opponents and a nomination process stacked in favor of the incumbent.
The Civil Democratic Movement, an opposition political coalition, sharply criticized Sisi on Feb. 2 for a speech in which he warned off anyone seeking to challenge his rule and said the events of 2011, which toppled longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak, would never happen again.
The movement called the speech an attempt to spread fear that undermined the integrity of electoral competition.
In a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy team, the Working Group on Egypt, a bipartisan group of U.S. foreign policy specialists, said the “sham election” would take place against a backdrop of massive human rights abuses.
“We urge you not to treat this election as a legitimate expression of the Egyptian people’s will and to withhold praise or congratulations,” it said.
It said Sisi was expected to have his supporters in parliament propose amendments to the constitution to remove presidential term limits. Sisi has said he will not seek a third term in office.
Editing by William Maclean and Gareth Jones
Egyptians begin voting in contest set to hand Sisi second term
Mahmoud Mourad, John Davison
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians began voting on Monday in a presidential election set to deliver an easy win for incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, with turnout the main focus after all serious opposition withdrew complaining of repression.
Egyptians cast their votes at a polling station during the presidential election in Cairo, Egypt, March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Polls will be open for three days and Sisi, a former military commander, has urged Egyptians to go and vote, hinting that he sees the election as a referendum on his four-year rule.
While many Egyptians see the U.S.-allied leader as vital to stability in a country where unrest since 2011 has hurt the economy, critics say he has presided over Egypt’s worst ever crackdown on dissent and have dubbed the vote a charade.
Sisi, 63, who led the military’s overthrow of Egypt’s first democratically elected President Mohamed Mursi in 2013, has cast his bid for a second term as a vote for stability and security.
But a lower-than-expected turnout could suggest Sisi lacks a mandate to take more of the tough steps needed to revive the economy, which struggled after the 2011 revolution drove away tourists and foreign investors, both sources of hard currency.
Early on Monday, dozens of people queued up to vote in and around Cairo, but not in great numbers. Reuters correspondents saw voters waiting outside schools converted into polling stations.
“We’re coming to support President Sisi. Anyone who doesn’t participate in the vote is a traitor,” 76-year-old Saad Shahata, a civil servant, said at a polling station in Monofiya province north of Cairo.
Sisi’s sole challenger in the March 26-28 vote is Moussa Mostafa Moussa, a longtime Sisi supporter widely dismissed as a dummy candidate: Moussa’s Ghad party had actually endorsed Sisi for a second term before he emerged as a last-minute challenger.
Moussa dismisses accusations he is being used to present a false sense of competition, and the electoral commission says it will ensure the vote is fair and transparent.
An editorial in state-owned newspaper al-Ahram acknowledged the narrow choice for voters but suggested the mere holding of the ballot signaled Egypt was regaining its strength in the face of current domestic and foreign threats.
“The importance of presidential elections this time is not fierce competition or a real (electoral) battle, but a message to the world that Egypt is on its way through a recovery phase,” it said.
MUZZLING OF OPPONENTS
Critics say Sisi’s popularity since his 2014 election has been hurt by austerity reforms and a muzzling of opponents, activists and independent media. Courts have passed death sentences on hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters since 2013.
Sisi’s backers — who include Western powers and most Gulf Arab dynasties — say the measures are needed to keep the country stable as it recovers from political chaos and tackles an Islamist insurgency focused in the Sinai Peninsula.
Neither candidate has done much campaigning, appealing instead for a high turnout. Sisi won nearly 97 percent of the vote in 2014, but less than half of eligible Egyptians voted even though the election was extended to three days.
In remarks earlier this month that suggest Sisi may see the vote as a referendum on his performance, he said: “If (all Egyptians) vote and a third say ‘No’, that would be a lot better than if half that number turn out and all of them say ‘Yes’.”
Several opposition figures called for a boycott of the vote after all major opposition campaigns withdrew, saying repression had cleared the field of credible challengers.
ARRESTS
Sisi’s top opponent, former military chief of staff Sami Anan, was arrested and halted his presidential bid after the army accused him of running for office without permission.
Even before campaigning officially begun, the United Nations, rights groups and opposition figures criticized the run-up as compromised by arrests, intimidation of opponents and a nomination process stacked in favor of the incumbent.
The Civil Democratic Movement, an opposition political coalition, sharply criticized Sisi on Feb. 2 for a speech in which he warned off anyone seeking to challenge his rule and said the events of 2011, which toppled longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak, would never happen again.
The movement called the speech an attempt to spread fear that undermined the integrity of electoral competition.
In a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy team, the Working Group on Egypt, a bipartisan group of U.S. foreign policy specialists, said the “sham election” would take place against a backdrop of massive human rights abuses.
“We urge you not to treat this election as a legitimate expression of the Egyptian people’s will and to withhold praise or congratulations,” it said.
It said Sisi was expected to have his supporters in parliament propose amendments to the constitution to remove presidential term limits. Sisi has said he will not seek a third term in office.
Editing by William Maclean and Gareth Jones
Students Flip the Script on Gun Violence - Bloomberg
Students Flip the Script on Gun Violence
Young people haven't just taken the lead on this issue -- they've created a playbook for other kids to follow.
By
March 26, 2018, 7:00 PM GMT+11
Wayne LaPierre's worst nightmare. Photographer: Bilgin S. Sasmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
On Saturday, students from the Florida high school that was the scene of a mass shooting in February inspired more than 800 “March for Our Lives” rallies demanding better gun laws. The marches came on the heels of national school walkouts organized by students on March 14. Of course, Americans have been talking about the need for gun reform for a very, very long time. But the way young people have now taken the lead, demanding that the shooting result in change and creating a playbook for other kids to copy, is likely to finally force lawmakers to take action.
Here’s what’s different this time. First, while we’ve seen many similar marches in the Trump era, this was the first major one largely organized by kids. While they undoubtedly garnered support from adults and celebrities, children were the most prominent voices calling on people to participate and speaking at the march in the nation’s capital, which was the focus of much media coverage. It’s also the first time that youth have had such prominent voices on the issue in the media. After past school shootings, we’ve typically heard more from parents.
“To those politicians supported by the NRA that allow the continued slaughter of our children and our future, I say get your resumes ready,” David Hogg, a student from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, said at the main rally in Washington.
The internet activist and author Eli Pariser told me that he thinks these students have “shifted some norms regarding what’s appropriate in the aftermath of that kind of violence.” After future school shootings, he expects, “We’ll see the next group of students move very quickly to make their views known, and we’ll see the media looking for those students.”
That’s important, because kids tend to articulate their views especially forcefully.
“To the leaders, skeptics and cynics who told us to sit down, stay silent and wait your turn, welcome to the revolution,” Cameron Kasky, a student at the Parkland high school, said on Saturday. “Either represent the people or get out. Stand for us or beware.”
“It is very natural to high school students to say what they believe, and they tend to say it in a pretty clear and no-holds-barred kind of way,” Pariser said. The message that young people are now sending -- that adults have failed in their duty to protect kids -- is especially powerful.
A second big change, Pariser said, is that the students who have spoken out after the shooting haven’t generally been accused by mainstream political figures of politicizing the event. That’s probably because adults typically do not see kids as having political agendas. In the past, people who have been vocal about the need for gun reform after massacres have often been charged with trying to take advantage of a tragedy to promulgate their beliefs. This was another norm that needed to change before such events could finally force lawmakers to do something.
Third, Pariser said, these kids have given other students a playbook to follow the next time young people are targeted in a shooting. Future victims are likely to copy the Parkland students in speaking out about the violence, being direct about the political failings that led to the events, vocally demanding that lawmakers fix the problem, and knocking down conspiracy theories.
Pariser said that all of this is what will give the movement staying power. He compares it to Black Lives Matter. In places such as Ferguson, Missouri, and Los Angeles, victims of police violence developed a script that others used after similar episodes: causing an immediate outcry on social media using the Black Lives Matter hashtag, and organizing protests which led to media coverage. “It was something … any community could do the next time it happened,” he said. “Each time it did, more people were watching and affiliating” -- and that’s how the movement grew.
The movement started by the Parkland students is likely to grow in the same way. “Organizations like the NRA typically depend on being able to duck and cover and weather the storm [after calls for gun reform], and wait for Twitter headlines to focus attention elsewhere and then continue its agenda,” Pariser said. But if the country’s children keep this up, the calls for change won’t die down. “If people are louder, and this issue is on the agenda more frequently. That puts politicians in the spot of needing to have more serious answers than they’re accustomed to needing to provide,” he said. “That can create legislative change.”
Or, as Leslie Chiu, a graduate of the Parkland school, put it at the rally in Boston: “This is not a moment. This is a movement.”
Young people haven't just taken the lead on this issue -- they've created a playbook for other kids to follow.
By
March 26, 2018, 7:00 PM GMT+11
Wayne LaPierre's worst nightmare. Photographer: Bilgin S. Sasmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
On Saturday, students from the Florida high school that was the scene of a mass shooting in February inspired more than 800 “March for Our Lives” rallies demanding better gun laws. The marches came on the heels of national school walkouts organized by students on March 14. Of course, Americans have been talking about the need for gun reform for a very, very long time. But the way young people have now taken the lead, demanding that the shooting result in change and creating a playbook for other kids to copy, is likely to finally force lawmakers to take action.
Here’s what’s different this time. First, while we’ve seen many similar marches in the Trump era, this was the first major one largely organized by kids. While they undoubtedly garnered support from adults and celebrities, children were the most prominent voices calling on people to participate and speaking at the march in the nation’s capital, which was the focus of much media coverage. It’s also the first time that youth have had such prominent voices on the issue in the media. After past school shootings, we’ve typically heard more from parents.
“To those politicians supported by the NRA that allow the continued slaughter of our children and our future, I say get your resumes ready,” David Hogg, a student from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, said at the main rally in Washington.
The internet activist and author Eli Pariser told me that he thinks these students have “shifted some norms regarding what’s appropriate in the aftermath of that kind of violence.” After future school shootings, he expects, “We’ll see the next group of students move very quickly to make their views known, and we’ll see the media looking for those students.”
That’s important, because kids tend to articulate their views especially forcefully.
“To the leaders, skeptics and cynics who told us to sit down, stay silent and wait your turn, welcome to the revolution,” Cameron Kasky, a student at the Parkland high school, said on Saturday. “Either represent the people or get out. Stand for us or beware.”
“It is very natural to high school students to say what they believe, and they tend to say it in a pretty clear and no-holds-barred kind of way,” Pariser said. The message that young people are now sending -- that adults have failed in their duty to protect kids -- is especially powerful.
A second big change, Pariser said, is that the students who have spoken out after the shooting haven’t generally been accused by mainstream political figures of politicizing the event. That’s probably because adults typically do not see kids as having political agendas. In the past, people who have been vocal about the need for gun reform after massacres have often been charged with trying to take advantage of a tragedy to promulgate their beliefs. This was another norm that needed to change before such events could finally force lawmakers to do something.
Third, Pariser said, these kids have given other students a playbook to follow the next time young people are targeted in a shooting. Future victims are likely to copy the Parkland students in speaking out about the violence, being direct about the political failings that led to the events, vocally demanding that lawmakers fix the problem, and knocking down conspiracy theories.
Pariser said that all of this is what will give the movement staying power. He compares it to Black Lives Matter. In places such as Ferguson, Missouri, and Los Angeles, victims of police violence developed a script that others used after similar episodes: causing an immediate outcry on social media using the Black Lives Matter hashtag, and organizing protests which led to media coverage. “It was something … any community could do the next time it happened,” he said. “Each time it did, more people were watching and affiliating” -- and that’s how the movement grew.
The movement started by the Parkland students is likely to grow in the same way. “Organizations like the NRA typically depend on being able to duck and cover and weather the storm [after calls for gun reform], and wait for Twitter headlines to focus attention elsewhere and then continue its agenda,” Pariser said. But if the country’s children keep this up, the calls for change won’t die down. “If people are louder, and this issue is on the agenda more frequently. That puts politicians in the spot of needing to have more serious answers than they’re accustomed to needing to provide,” he said. “That can create legislative change.”
Or, as Leslie Chiu, a graduate of the Parkland school, put it at the rally in Boston: “This is not a moment. This is a movement.”
Stormy Daniels claims she was threatened over alleged encounter with Donald Trump - Telegraph
Stormy Daniels claims she was threatened over alleged encounter with Donald Trump
Rob Crilly, new york Samantha Herbert
26 MARCH 2018 • 6:54AM
Stormy Daniels, the adult film star who says she had an affair with Donald Trump, has claimed she and her daughter were threatened when she first tried to go public with the story of their alleged affair, it emerged last night.
In a much-anticipated interview Miss Daniels said she had sex with Donald Trump in 2006, recanting a statement denying the affair that Trump’s personal lawyer issued under her name in January.
She said she and her young daughter were physically threatened by an unidentified man in Las Vegas in 2011 if she revealed the affair.
Earlier that year, Cohen threatened to sue In Touch magazine if it published an interview with Clifford in which she detailed the relationship, according to “60 Minutes.”
“I was concerned for my family and their safety,” she said. In her first television interview discussing the alleged affair, Miss Daniels said she signed a non-disclosure agreement drawn up by Cohen in 2016 in part because she was afraid of potential physical harm.
“A guy walked up on me and said to me, ‘Leave Trump alone. Forget the story’,” she said. “And then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, ‘That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.’ And then he was gone.”
Daniels – whose real name is Stephanie Clifford - declined to answer questions about whether she had any text messages or videos documenting the relationship after her attorney, Michael Avenatti, had hinted at the existence of such evidence in a provocative Twitter post last week.
Michael Avenatti
@MichaelAvenatti
Note: (a) not all of our evidence will be mentioned/displayed tonight – that would be foolish; (b) we are not sure what CBS will include but we know a lot from the full interview will have to be cut bc of the time allowed; (c) tonight is not the end – it’s the beginning. #basta
10:33 PM - Mar 25, 2018
Ahead of the interview’s broadcast, Miss Daniels said her years in the porn industry would help her cope with the scrutiny she expects to face in the wake of speaking out.
“Being in the adult industry, I’ve developed a thick skin and maybe a little bit of a dark sense of humour,” she told The Washington Post at the weekend.
Miss Daniels refused to answer questions about any evidence she may have of the alleged affair
Miss Daniels refused to answer questions about any evidence she may have of the alleged affair CREDIT: CBS
“But nothing could truly prepare someone for this.”
It emerged earlier this year that Daniels was paid $130,000 (£92,000) by Michael Cohen, Mr Trump’s personal lawyer, as part of a non-disclosure agreement that she signed before the 2016 US election, leading to allegations that the payment may have violated United States campaign finance laws.
She has previously spoken about the alleged affair, including tweeting recently: “Technically I didn’t sleep with the POTUS 12 years ago.
There was no sleeping (hehe) and he was just a goofy reality TV star.”
However, Mr Trump’s opponents will pick over her words to see how much more they can learn about the episode.
President Trump's personal attorney said he paid $130,000 from his own pocket to Daniels
President Trump's personal attorney said he paid $130,000 from his own pocket to Daniels CREDIT: AP
The anticipation was heightened further yesterday by the fact that CBS abandoned its usual practice of releasing excerpts of the interview in advance.
Christopher Ruddy, chief executive of the Newsmax website and a close confidant of Mr Trump, played down its significance.
“This is politically motivated to hurt or embarrass (President Trump) in some way ... I think the American people are really dismissing this as political witch hunts,” he told ABC News.
The White House has denied any sexual encounter took place.
Rob Crilly, new york Samantha Herbert
26 MARCH 2018 • 6:54AM
Stormy Daniels, the adult film star who says she had an affair with Donald Trump, has claimed she and her daughter were threatened when she first tried to go public with the story of their alleged affair, it emerged last night.
In a much-anticipated interview Miss Daniels said she had sex with Donald Trump in 2006, recanting a statement denying the affair that Trump’s personal lawyer issued under her name in January.
She said she and her young daughter were physically threatened by an unidentified man in Las Vegas in 2011 if she revealed the affair.
Earlier that year, Cohen threatened to sue In Touch magazine if it published an interview with Clifford in which she detailed the relationship, according to “60 Minutes.”
“I was concerned for my family and their safety,” she said. In her first television interview discussing the alleged affair, Miss Daniels said she signed a non-disclosure agreement drawn up by Cohen in 2016 in part because she was afraid of potential physical harm.
“A guy walked up on me and said to me, ‘Leave Trump alone. Forget the story’,” she said. “And then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, ‘That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.’ And then he was gone.”
Daniels – whose real name is Stephanie Clifford - declined to answer questions about whether she had any text messages or videos documenting the relationship after her attorney, Michael Avenatti, had hinted at the existence of such evidence in a provocative Twitter post last week.
Michael Avenatti
@MichaelAvenatti
Note: (a) not all of our evidence will be mentioned/displayed tonight – that would be foolish; (b) we are not sure what CBS will include but we know a lot from the full interview will have to be cut bc of the time allowed; (c) tonight is not the end – it’s the beginning. #basta
10:33 PM - Mar 25, 2018
Ahead of the interview’s broadcast, Miss Daniels said her years in the porn industry would help her cope with the scrutiny she expects to face in the wake of speaking out.
“Being in the adult industry, I’ve developed a thick skin and maybe a little bit of a dark sense of humour,” she told The Washington Post at the weekend.
Miss Daniels refused to answer questions about any evidence she may have of the alleged affair
Miss Daniels refused to answer questions about any evidence she may have of the alleged affair CREDIT: CBS
“But nothing could truly prepare someone for this.”
It emerged earlier this year that Daniels was paid $130,000 (£92,000) by Michael Cohen, Mr Trump’s personal lawyer, as part of a non-disclosure agreement that she signed before the 2016 US election, leading to allegations that the payment may have violated United States campaign finance laws.
She has previously spoken about the alleged affair, including tweeting recently: “Technically I didn’t sleep with the POTUS 12 years ago.
There was no sleeping (hehe) and he was just a goofy reality TV star.”
However, Mr Trump’s opponents will pick over her words to see how much more they can learn about the episode.
President Trump's personal attorney said he paid $130,000 from his own pocket to Daniels
President Trump's personal attorney said he paid $130,000 from his own pocket to Daniels CREDIT: AP
The anticipation was heightened further yesterday by the fact that CBS abandoned its usual practice of releasing excerpts of the interview in advance.
Christopher Ruddy, chief executive of the Newsmax website and a close confidant of Mr Trump, played down its significance.
“This is politically motivated to hurt or embarrass (President Trump) in some way ... I think the American people are really dismissing this as political witch hunts,” he told ABC News.
The White House has denied any sexual encounter took place.
Economic decline and President Sisi's internal policies have led many to call for a boycott of this year's election. - Al Jazeera
Egypt 2018 presidential 'election': The economy at a glance
Economic decline and President Sisi's internal policies have led many to call for a boycott of this year's election.
Alia Chughtai | 21 Mar 2018 16:54 GMT | Middle East, Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
As Egypt gears up for its third election since the Arab Spring, Al Jazeera takes an in-depth look at the country's economy.
The vulnerability of Egypt's political system has greatly determined the day-to-day life for its citizens, directly affecting their disposable income.
Widespread condemnation over the decline of the economy and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's internal policies led many to call for a boycott of this year's election.
But how will the economy shape the decision-making process of Egyptians, who are expected to vote starting on Monday?
Over the last two decades, inflation in Egypt has seen some highs and lows. Since the military coup in 2013 and the election of President el-Sisi in 2014, inflation has increased from about 12 percent to its peak at around 33 percent in mid-2017. It is currently around 15 percent.
For years, it has been a policy of the Egyptian government to subsidise the cost of living of its citizens. It has ensured that the basic needs remain affordable for all, while reducing incidents of infant mortality and malnutrition.
Since 2013, the minimum wage has been fixed at 1,200 Egyptian pounds. But its equivalent value in dollars has dropped from $174 in 2013 to $68 in 2018.
Meanwhile, unemployment in the country has gradually decreased since the Arab Spring, even as it remained in the double digits. According to a study by the Brookings Institute, the country's unemployment is driven by population growth. From 17.4 million youth population (ages 15-29) in 1998, it has increased to 22.2 million in 2006.
There are an estimated 10 million Egyptians living overseas, and their remittances have helped the country stay afloat. Dollar remittance hit a record high amount at the end of 2017, up almost 40 percent compared with the previous year.
The literacy for women remains far below men, with an almost 20 percent difference between the two genders. The overall average literacy rate at the end of 2015 which is approximately 75.8 percent, based on the Trading Economics report.
Economic decline and President Sisi's internal policies have led many to call for a boycott of this year's election.
Alia Chughtai | 21 Mar 2018 16:54 GMT | Middle East, Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
As Egypt gears up for its third election since the Arab Spring, Al Jazeera takes an in-depth look at the country's economy.
The vulnerability of Egypt's political system has greatly determined the day-to-day life for its citizens, directly affecting their disposable income.
Widespread condemnation over the decline of the economy and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's internal policies led many to call for a boycott of this year's election.
But how will the economy shape the decision-making process of Egyptians, who are expected to vote starting on Monday?
Over the last two decades, inflation in Egypt has seen some highs and lows. Since the military coup in 2013 and the election of President el-Sisi in 2014, inflation has increased from about 12 percent to its peak at around 33 percent in mid-2017. It is currently around 15 percent.
For years, it has been a policy of the Egyptian government to subsidise the cost of living of its citizens. It has ensured that the basic needs remain affordable for all, while reducing incidents of infant mortality and malnutrition.
Since 2013, the minimum wage has been fixed at 1,200 Egyptian pounds. But its equivalent value in dollars has dropped from $174 in 2013 to $68 in 2018.
Meanwhile, unemployment in the country has gradually decreased since the Arab Spring, even as it remained in the double digits. According to a study by the Brookings Institute, the country's unemployment is driven by population growth. From 17.4 million youth population (ages 15-29) in 1998, it has increased to 22.2 million in 2006.
There are an estimated 10 million Egyptians living overseas, and their remittances have helped the country stay afloat. Dollar remittance hit a record high amount at the end of 2017, up almost 40 percent compared with the previous year.
The literacy for women remains far below men, with an almost 20 percent difference between the two genders. The overall average literacy rate at the end of 2015 which is approximately 75.8 percent, based on the Trading Economics report.
Pope tells young people to 'keep shouting' - Independent
25/3/2018
Pope tells young people to 'keep shouting'
'The temptation to silence young people has always existed,' says 81-year-old leader of the Catholic Church
Chiara Giordano
Pope Francis has urged young people to keep shouting and not let older generations silence their voices or “anaesthetise” their idealism.
Drawing on biblical parallels in front of tens of thousands in St Peter’s Square, many of whom were young people there for the Catholic Church’s World Day of Youth, the Pope urged youngsters to not let themselves be manipulated.
The Roman Catholic leader’s message came just a day after hundreds of thousands of students and activists marched in rallies across the US to demand greater gun control following last month’s Florida high school shooting, which left 17 people dead.
Car deliberately driven into group of children in Glasgow
“The temptation to silence young people has always existed,” the 81-year-old said.
“There are many ways to silence young people and make them invisible. Many ways to anaesthetise them, to make them keep quiet, ask nothing, question nothing.
“There are many ways to sedate them, to keep them from getting involved, to make their dreams flat and dreary, petty and plaintive.”
“Dear young people, you have it in you to shout,” he said, urging youngsters to be like the people who welcomed Jesus with palms rather than those who shouted for his crucifixion
“It is up to you not to keep quiet. Even if others keep quiet, if we older people and leaders, some corrupt, keep quiet, if the whole world keeps quiet and loses its joy, I ask you: will you cry out?”
The young people in the crowd shouted “yes”.
Carrying a woven palm branch known as a “palmurello”, the Pope led a procession to commemorate the day the Bible says Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was hailed as a saviour, only to be crucified five days later.
While he did not mention Saturday’s marches in the United States, he has often condemned weapons manufacturing and mass shootings.
Car deliberately driven into group of children in Glasgow
Smith banned for one Test for role in ball-tampering scandal
Jeremy Hunt’s plans for more midwives and nurses will not save the NHS
Strange ‘orange snow’ phenomenon reported across eastern Europe
Palm Sunday marked the start of a hectic week of activities for the pope.
On Holy Thursday he is due to be at two services, including one in which he will wash the feet of 12 inmates in a Rome jail to commemorate Jesus’ gesture of humility towards his apostles the night before he died.
pope francis vatican.jpg
A view of St Peter’s Square as Pope Francis celebrates Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican, urging young people not to be silent and let their voices be heard (AP/Angelo Carconi)
On Good Friday, he is due to lead a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession at Rome’s Colosseum.
On Saturday night he will lead an Easter vigil service, and on Easter Sunday he delivers his twice-yearly ‘Urbi et Orbi’ (to the city and the world) message.
Pope tells young people to 'keep shouting'
'The temptation to silence young people has always existed,' says 81-year-old leader of the Catholic Church
Chiara Giordano
Pope Francis has urged young people to keep shouting and not let older generations silence their voices or “anaesthetise” their idealism.
Drawing on biblical parallels in front of tens of thousands in St Peter’s Square, many of whom were young people there for the Catholic Church’s World Day of Youth, the Pope urged youngsters to not let themselves be manipulated.
The Roman Catholic leader’s message came just a day after hundreds of thousands of students and activists marched in rallies across the US to demand greater gun control following last month’s Florida high school shooting, which left 17 people dead.
Car deliberately driven into group of children in Glasgow
“The temptation to silence young people has always existed,” the 81-year-old said.
“There are many ways to silence young people and make them invisible. Many ways to anaesthetise them, to make them keep quiet, ask nothing, question nothing.
“There are many ways to sedate them, to keep them from getting involved, to make their dreams flat and dreary, petty and plaintive.”
“Dear young people, you have it in you to shout,” he said, urging youngsters to be like the people who welcomed Jesus with palms rather than those who shouted for his crucifixion
“It is up to you not to keep quiet. Even if others keep quiet, if we older people and leaders, some corrupt, keep quiet, if the whole world keeps quiet and loses its joy, I ask you: will you cry out?”
The young people in the crowd shouted “yes”.
Carrying a woven palm branch known as a “palmurello”, the Pope led a procession to commemorate the day the Bible says Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was hailed as a saviour, only to be crucified five days later.
While he did not mention Saturday’s marches in the United States, he has often condemned weapons manufacturing and mass shootings.
Car deliberately driven into group of children in Glasgow
Smith banned for one Test for role in ball-tampering scandal
Jeremy Hunt’s plans for more midwives and nurses will not save the NHS
Strange ‘orange snow’ phenomenon reported across eastern Europe
Palm Sunday marked the start of a hectic week of activities for the pope.
On Holy Thursday he is due to be at two services, including one in which he will wash the feet of 12 inmates in a Rome jail to commemorate Jesus’ gesture of humility towards his apostles the night before he died.
pope francis vatican.jpg
A view of St Peter’s Square as Pope Francis celebrates Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican, urging young people not to be silent and let their voices be heard (AP/Angelo Carconi)
On Good Friday, he is due to lead a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession at Rome’s Colosseum.
On Saturday night he will lead an Easter vigil service, and on Easter Sunday he delivers his twice-yearly ‘Urbi et Orbi’ (to the city and the world) message.
Buying the yen to protect against a trade war is ‘pretty peculiar,’ wealth manager says - CNBC News
Buying the yen to protect against a trade war is ‘pretty peculiar,’ wealth manager says
On Monday morning, the yen was close to a 17-month high against the dollar following the U.S. decision last week to impose new tariffs on China worth $60 billion.
Japan could suffer from a deterioration in the trade ties between the U.S. and China, given its proximity to the latter.
Silvia Amaro | @Silvia_Amaro
Published - March 26, 2018
CNBC.com
Why buying the yen as protection from a trade war is 'pretty peculiar'
Choosing to buy the Japanese yen as protection against a potential trade war is "pretty peculiar," one wealth manager told CNBC Monday.
The Japanese currency has been mostly on the rise against the U.S. dollar as investors look for a safe haven amid fears of a global trade war. On Monday morning, the yen was close to a 17-month high against the dollar following the U.S. decision last week to impose new tariffs on China worth $60 billion.
"Buying the yen because of a trade war in which Japan was going to be hit pretty badly, and Japan hasn't been exempted from the steel tariffs by the way, that seems to me pretty peculiar," Giles Keating, managing director at wealth manager Werthstein Institute, told CNBC.
Prior to imposing new tariffs on China for allegedly stealing intellectual property rights, the U.S. announced tariffs on steel and aluminum products. The EU managed to get a temporary exemption from the latter tariffs last week, but Japan didn't.
Japan US currencies
Toru Hanai | Reuters
With fewer imports to the U.S., the Japanese economy could be hit and the currency could depreciate. More importantly, Japan could suffer from a deterioration in the trade ties between the U.S. and China, given its proximity to the latter.
According to Tobias Harris, the vice president of advisory firm Teneo, the economic impact of the metal tariffs should be small on Japan, but they could signal something much more important.
"The direct economic impact on Japanese producers may be limited — only 2 percent of Japan's steel exports go to the U.S. — but Tokyo's failure to convince Washington to spare it from the new measures could be a sign of a more contentious turn in the bilateral relationship," he said.
"After a year of broad discussions in the U.S.-Japan Bilateral Economic Dialogue … The U.S. administration appears to be increasingly determined to press Japan for concessions to open its market and reduce its bilateral trade surplus with the U.S.," Harris added in a note Friday.
Data from the Japanese government showed last month that the country's trade surplus with the United States narrowed in January, dropped 12.3 percent from a year ago to 349.57 billion Japanese yen ($3.32 billion). Japan has announced that it would look to be exempted from the metal tariffs, though they came into effect on Friday.
On Monday morning, the yen was close to a 17-month high against the dollar following the U.S. decision last week to impose new tariffs on China worth $60 billion.
Japan could suffer from a deterioration in the trade ties between the U.S. and China, given its proximity to the latter.
Silvia Amaro | @Silvia_Amaro
Published - March 26, 2018
CNBC.com
Why buying the yen as protection from a trade war is 'pretty peculiar'
Choosing to buy the Japanese yen as protection against a potential trade war is "pretty peculiar," one wealth manager told CNBC Monday.
The Japanese currency has been mostly on the rise against the U.S. dollar as investors look for a safe haven amid fears of a global trade war. On Monday morning, the yen was close to a 17-month high against the dollar following the U.S. decision last week to impose new tariffs on China worth $60 billion.
"Buying the yen because of a trade war in which Japan was going to be hit pretty badly, and Japan hasn't been exempted from the steel tariffs by the way, that seems to me pretty peculiar," Giles Keating, managing director at wealth manager Werthstein Institute, told CNBC.
Prior to imposing new tariffs on China for allegedly stealing intellectual property rights, the U.S. announced tariffs on steel and aluminum products. The EU managed to get a temporary exemption from the latter tariffs last week, but Japan didn't.
Japan US currencies
Toru Hanai | Reuters
With fewer imports to the U.S., the Japanese economy could be hit and the currency could depreciate. More importantly, Japan could suffer from a deterioration in the trade ties between the U.S. and China, given its proximity to the latter.
According to Tobias Harris, the vice president of advisory firm Teneo, the economic impact of the metal tariffs should be small on Japan, but they could signal something much more important.
"The direct economic impact on Japanese producers may be limited — only 2 percent of Japan's steel exports go to the U.S. — but Tokyo's failure to convince Washington to spare it from the new measures could be a sign of a more contentious turn in the bilateral relationship," he said.
"After a year of broad discussions in the U.S.-Japan Bilateral Economic Dialogue … The U.S. administration appears to be increasingly determined to press Japan for concessions to open its market and reduce its bilateral trade surplus with the U.S.," Harris added in a note Friday.
Data from the Japanese government showed last month that the country's trade surplus with the United States narrowed in January, dropped 12.3 percent from a year ago to 349.57 billion Japanese yen ($3.32 billion). Japan has announced that it would look to be exempted from the metal tariffs, though they came into effect on Friday.
Russian trolls attempted to manipulate view of Salisbury poisoning - Telegraph
Russian trolls attempted to manipulate view of Salisbury poisoning
Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia remain in a critical condition
Hayley Dixon
26 MARCH 2018 • 12:01AM
Russian Twitter trolls have been attempting to show that the British public do not believe Vladimir Putin is behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, it has been claimed.
The potentially fake accounts, which experts say could be linked to the bot factory in St Petersburg, retweeted a poll by a British user which ended with more than 15,700 votes.
Less that two weeks after the former double agent and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with a nerve agent in Salisbury city centre, Twitter user Rachael Swindon asked if people thought Theresa May "has supplied enough evidence for us to be able to confidently point the finger of blame towards Russia?"
77 per cent voted no, leading the blogger, who is a vocal supporter of Jeremy Corbyn and has more than 57,000 followers, to conclude that "the mood of the British public is starting to shift".
However, an analysis by the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, showed that some of the most influential retweets originated from pro-Kremlin accounts which seemed to be organised.
It comes amid outrage over the Russian Government's use of troll or bot factories, which are organised groups of anonymous political commentators which use trolling and disinformation campaigns to promote pro-Putin and pro-Russian propaganda.
Ben Nimmo, a senior research fellow at the lab, concluded that the retweets of the poll appeared to be an "attempt by pro-Russian users to influence the online poll, and thus to create the appearance of greater hostility towards the UK government than UK users themselves showed".
One of the users who tweeted the poll, @malinka1102 normally focuses on Russian politics and Kremlin disinformation operations, such as the annexation of Crimea and the shooting down of the MH17, whilst another @znaetymka is a Russian language account said to interact at a bot-like rate of 285 times a day.
Researchers also suspect that one of the most retweeted accounts mentioning the poisoning of Mr Skripal could be linked to the troll factory, which "shows the power which anonymous trolls with demonstrably falsified profiles continue to wield online".
Mr Nimmo added: "The large-scale amplification by Russian accounts of a UK Twitter poll demonstrated the ease with which connected accounts can amplify and, most probably, manipulate online debate, even from far away...
"Together, they show the aggression, coordination and impact with which pro-Kremlin accounts, often anonymous and polemic, continue to operate."
Researchers have estimated that there are up to 150,000 accounts operated by Russians that meddle in British political and cultural life.
Police in protective suits and gas masks work to remove the bench where Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned
Police in protective suits and gas masks work to remove the bench where Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned CREDIT: LONDON NEWS PICTURES
Twitter, which did not respond to a request for comment, has faced increasing pressure to deal with trolls and bots and say that they suspend accounts which are found not to be genuine.
Russian trolls have previously been accused of meddling in both the US Election and the Brexit campaign.
It comes as Mr Skripal, 66, and his daughter, 33, remain in a critical condition in hospital.
Questions have been raised about whether he was still working alongside the British intelligence services as a member of the community told Channel 4 that in recent years he had visited Poole to give a lecture to the UK Special Forces, at Special Boat Service headquarters.
Mr Skripal was know to regularly dine with a well dressed man believed to be his MI6 handler in the Côte Brasserie in Salisbury and gave lectures at military academies on the GRU, Russia's foreign military intelligence agency.
Sir Andrew Wood, former British Ambassador to Russia, told Russian Spy Assassins: The Salisbury Attack, which will air tonight (MONDAY) at 10pm on Channel 4, that it would be "unusual" for a handler and a spy to stay in touch.
He said: "It's essential to the person who has taken refuge with us that he is not seen to be acting against his former service on a continuing basis. I suppose its conceivable a deep friendship would have sprung up between them but you're also exposing the handler and you don’t really want to do that."
Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia remain in a critical condition
Hayley Dixon
26 MARCH 2018 • 12:01AM
Russian Twitter trolls have been attempting to show that the British public do not believe Vladimir Putin is behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, it has been claimed.
The potentially fake accounts, which experts say could be linked to the bot factory in St Petersburg, retweeted a poll by a British user which ended with more than 15,700 votes.
Less that two weeks after the former double agent and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with a nerve agent in Salisbury city centre, Twitter user Rachael Swindon asked if people thought Theresa May "has supplied enough evidence for us to be able to confidently point the finger of blame towards Russia?"
77 per cent voted no, leading the blogger, who is a vocal supporter of Jeremy Corbyn and has more than 57,000 followers, to conclude that "the mood of the British public is starting to shift".
However, an analysis by the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, showed that some of the most influential retweets originated from pro-Kremlin accounts which seemed to be organised.
It comes amid outrage over the Russian Government's use of troll or bot factories, which are organised groups of anonymous political commentators which use trolling and disinformation campaigns to promote pro-Putin and pro-Russian propaganda.
Ben Nimmo, a senior research fellow at the lab, concluded that the retweets of the poll appeared to be an "attempt by pro-Russian users to influence the online poll, and thus to create the appearance of greater hostility towards the UK government than UK users themselves showed".
One of the users who tweeted the poll, @malinka1102 normally focuses on Russian politics and Kremlin disinformation operations, such as the annexation of Crimea and the shooting down of the MH17, whilst another @znaetymka is a Russian language account said to interact at a bot-like rate of 285 times a day.
Researchers also suspect that one of the most retweeted accounts mentioning the poisoning of Mr Skripal could be linked to the troll factory, which "shows the power which anonymous trolls with demonstrably falsified profiles continue to wield online".
Mr Nimmo added: "The large-scale amplification by Russian accounts of a UK Twitter poll demonstrated the ease with which connected accounts can amplify and, most probably, manipulate online debate, even from far away...
"Together, they show the aggression, coordination and impact with which pro-Kremlin accounts, often anonymous and polemic, continue to operate."
Researchers have estimated that there are up to 150,000 accounts operated by Russians that meddle in British political and cultural life.
Police in protective suits and gas masks work to remove the bench where Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned
Police in protective suits and gas masks work to remove the bench where Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned CREDIT: LONDON NEWS PICTURES
Twitter, which did not respond to a request for comment, has faced increasing pressure to deal with trolls and bots and say that they suspend accounts which are found not to be genuine.
Russian trolls have previously been accused of meddling in both the US Election and the Brexit campaign.
It comes as Mr Skripal, 66, and his daughter, 33, remain in a critical condition in hospital.
Questions have been raised about whether he was still working alongside the British intelligence services as a member of the community told Channel 4 that in recent years he had visited Poole to give a lecture to the UK Special Forces, at Special Boat Service headquarters.
Mr Skripal was know to regularly dine with a well dressed man believed to be his MI6 handler in the Côte Brasserie in Salisbury and gave lectures at military academies on the GRU, Russia's foreign military intelligence agency.
Sir Andrew Wood, former British Ambassador to Russia, told Russian Spy Assassins: The Salisbury Attack, which will air tonight (MONDAY) at 10pm on Channel 4, that it would be "unusual" for a handler and a spy to stay in touch.
He said: "It's essential to the person who has taken refuge with us that he is not seen to be acting against his former service on a continuing basis. I suppose its conceivable a deep friendship would have sprung up between them but you're also exposing the handler and you don’t really want to do that."
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