Facebook releases long-secret rules on how it polices the service
Facebook Inc on Tuesday released a rule book for the types of posts it allows on its social network.
It's the first time the social network has done this and it gives more detail than ever before on what is permitted on subjects ranging from drug use to inciting violence.
Published April 24, 2018
Reuters
Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a combined Senate Judiciary and Commerce committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC.
Zach Gibson
Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a combined Senate Judiciary and Commerce committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC.
Facebook Inc on Tuesday released a rule book for the types of posts it allows on its social network, giving far more detail than ever before on what is permitted on subjects ranging from drug use and sex work to bullying, hate speech and inciting violence.
Facebook for years has had "community standards" for what people can post. But only a relatively brief and general version was publicly available, while it had a far more detailed internal document to decide when individual posts or accounts should be removed.
Now, the company is providing the longer document on its website to clear up confusion and be more open about its o
perations, said Monika Bickert, Facebook's vice president of product policy and counter-terrorism.
"You should, when you come to Facebook, understand where we draw these lines and what's OK and what's not OK," Bickert told reporters in a briefing at Facebook's headquarters.
Facebook has faced fierce criticism from governments and rights groups in many countries for failing to do enough to stem hate speech and prevent the service from being used to promote terrorism, stir sectarian violence and broadcast acts including murder and suicide.
At the same time, the company has also been accused of doing the bidding of repressive regimes by aggressively removing content that crosses governments and providing too little information on why certain posts and accounts are removed.
New policies will, for the first time, allow people to appeal a decision to take down an individual piece of content. Previously, only the removal of accounts, Groups and Pages could be appealed.
Facebook is also beginning to provide the specific reason why content is being taken down for a wider variety of situations.
Facebook, the world's largest social network, has become a dominant source of information in many countries around the world. It uses both automated software and an army of moderators that now numbers 7,500 to take down text, pictures and videos that violate its rules. Under pressure from several governments, it has been beefing up its moderator ranks since last year.
Bickert told Reuters in an interview that the standards are constantly evolving, based in part on feedback from more than 100 outside organizations and experts in areas such as counter-terrorism and child exploitation.
"Everybody should expect that these will be updated frequently," she said.
The company considers changes to its content policy every two weeks at a meeting called the "Content Standards Forum," led by Bickert. A small group of reporters was allowed to observe the meeting last week on the condition that they could describe process, but not substance.
At the April 17 meeting, about 25 employees sat around a conference table while others joined by video from New York, Dublin, Mexico City, Washington and elsewhere.
Attendees included people who specialize in public policy, legal matters, product development, communication and other areas. They heard reports from smaller working groups, relayed feedback they had gotten from civil rights groups and other outsiders and suggested ways that a policy or product could go wrong in the future. There was little mention of what competitors such as Alphabet Inc's Google do in similar situations.
Bickert, a former U.S. federal prosecutor, posed questions, provided background and kept the discussion moving. The meeting lasted about an hour.
Facebook is planning a series of public forums in May and June in different countries to get more feedback on its rules, said Mary deBree, Facebook's head of content policy.
From cursing to murder
The longer version of the community standards document, some 8,000 words long, covers a wide array of words and images that Facebook sometimes censors, with detailed discussion of each category.
Videos of people wounded by cannibalism are not permitted, for instance, but such imagery is allowed with a warning screen if it is "in a medical setting."
Facebook has long made clear that it does not allow people to buy and sell prescription drugs, marijuana or firearms on the social network, but the newly published document details what other speech on those subjects is permitted.
Content in which someone "admits to personal use of non-medical drugs" should not be posted on Facebook, the rule book says.
The document elaborates on harassment and bullying, barring for example "cursing at a minor." It also prohibits content that comes from a hacked source, "except in limited cases of newsworthiness."
The new community standards do not incorporate separate procedures under which governments can demand the removal of content that violates local law.
In those cases, Bickert said, formal written requests are required and are reviewed by Facebook's legal team and outside attorneys. Content deemed to be permissible under community standards but in violation of local law - such as a prohibition in Thailand on disparaging the royal family - are then blocked in that country, but not globally.
The community standards also do not address false information — Facebook does not prohibit it but it does try to reduce its distribution - or other contentious issues such as use of personal data.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Carrie Lam: Textbook revisions ensure accuracy and Hong Kong people should not overreact - Hong Kong Free Press
Carrie Lam: Textbook revisions ensure accuracy and Hong Kong people should not overreact
24 April 2018 16:32 Kris Cheng2 min read
FBTwitterFlattrRedditDonate
Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said that people should not overreact to a recent review of textbooks by the Education Bureau, saying that the review served to ensure accuracy in the material.
Broadcaster i-Cable found last week that a textbook review group at the Education Bureau had criticised phrases in textbooks, saying that they used inappropriate wording or unclear concepts. The phrases found to be problematic included: “Hong Kong is located south of China” and “the Chinese Communist Party’s one-party rule.”
Lam said the review was done by a committee, and was not conducted by the government or by her. Lam said she did not see any problems after reading the committee’s report.
“You can say that we have always used these phrases, so we should just continue using them. But if we can use more accurate words, especially in textbooks, there is no excuse not to,” she said ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting.
“I have every confidence that these experts are doing this very important task with that one single objective in mind, and that is to ensure [a] high degree of precision and accuracy in our textbooks.”
She cited former Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang, who said the phrase “China took back Hong Kong’s sovereignty” was incorrect.
“China has never given Hong Kong’s sovereignty to a third party. The preamble of the Basic Law also states that the People’s Republic of China will resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong – this is more accurate,” she said.
“I just feel that some people have overreacted to this very important exercise to ensure that the descriptions that we use – especially when we use [them] in textbooks – are accurate.”
Lam said Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung has explained the issue and the public should not view the issue “through coloured spectacles.”
Last week, Yeung also said that the sentence “Hong Kong is located at China’s southern side” in textbooks should be changed. His comments led lawmakers to accuse him of conducting political censorship.
“[The phrase] is unclear, as there could be different interpretations from the wording,” Yeung said.
“It could mean the southern side outside China, it could mean the southern side within China’s borders – this is unclear from the wording, so it has to be changed,” he said.
24 April 2018 16:32 Kris Cheng2 min read
FBTwitterFlattrRedditDonate
Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said that people should not overreact to a recent review of textbooks by the Education Bureau, saying that the review served to ensure accuracy in the material.
Broadcaster i-Cable found last week that a textbook review group at the Education Bureau had criticised phrases in textbooks, saying that they used inappropriate wording or unclear concepts. The phrases found to be problematic included: “Hong Kong is located south of China” and “the Chinese Communist Party’s one-party rule.”
Lam said the review was done by a committee, and was not conducted by the government or by her. Lam said she did not see any problems after reading the committee’s report.
“You can say that we have always used these phrases, so we should just continue using them. But if we can use more accurate words, especially in textbooks, there is no excuse not to,” she said ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting.
“I have every confidence that these experts are doing this very important task with that one single objective in mind, and that is to ensure [a] high degree of precision and accuracy in our textbooks.”
She cited former Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang, who said the phrase “China took back Hong Kong’s sovereignty” was incorrect.
“China has never given Hong Kong’s sovereignty to a third party. The preamble of the Basic Law also states that the People’s Republic of China will resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong – this is more accurate,” she said.
“I just feel that some people have overreacted to this very important exercise to ensure that the descriptions that we use – especially when we use [them] in textbooks – are accurate.”
Lam said Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung has explained the issue and the public should not view the issue “through coloured spectacles.”
Last week, Yeung also said that the sentence “Hong Kong is located at China’s southern side” in textbooks should be changed. His comments led lawmakers to accuse him of conducting political censorship.
“[The phrase] is unclear, as there could be different interpretations from the wording,” Yeung said.
“It could mean the southern side outside China, it could mean the southern side within China’s borders – this is unclear from the wording, so it has to be changed,” he said.
Singapore's Lee Names New Trade, Industry Minister in Reshuffle - Bloomberg
Singapore's Lee Names New Trade, Industry Minister in Reshuffle
By Michelle Jamrisko
April 24, 2018, 6:49 PM GMT+10
Lee Hsien Loong Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong named a new trade and industry minister in a cabinet reshuffle, further preparing his party for a leadership transition sometime in the next few years.
Chan Chun Sing will be Minister for Trade and Industry from May 1, taking on duties currently shared by Lim Hng Kiang, who will step down, and S Iswaran, who will become Minister in Charge of Trade Relations. Chan, who turns 49 this year, will relinquish his position as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Chun Sing ChanPhotographer: Gian Ehrenzeller/Getty Images
Chan will play a key role in an economy that is forecast to see solid growth in 2018 after an export boom last year gave the country its fastest expansion since 2014. Inflation remains within the government’s forecast range while its labor market is strengthening, but officials face longer-term challenges such as rapid aging and adjusting to the digital economy.
Lee, 66, is devolving more responsibilities from older ministers to the younger ones. Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will take on the additional job of assisting the prime minister on National Research Foundation matters from Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. Chan will take over responsibility for the Public Service Division from Teo.
Read about who to watch in Singapore’s Cabinet
There was no movement in the finance minister post, which last changed hands in 2015, when Heng replaced Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam shortly after the government won a landslide election victory. Heng, who turns 57 this year, was part of a younger team of officials Lee promoted to show that the ruling People’s Action Party was preparing for succession.
Ong Ye Kung will remain Minister for Education with an expanded portfolio overseeing the entire ministry, from higher education and skills previously. He will relinquish his job as Second Minister for Defence. Josephine Teo will be Minister for Manpower, and Indranee Rajah will be promoted to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for Education.
— With assistance by Keith Zhai
By Michelle Jamrisko
April 24, 2018, 6:49 PM GMT+10
Lee Hsien Loong Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong named a new trade and industry minister in a cabinet reshuffle, further preparing his party for a leadership transition sometime in the next few years.
Chan Chun Sing will be Minister for Trade and Industry from May 1, taking on duties currently shared by Lim Hng Kiang, who will step down, and S Iswaran, who will become Minister in Charge of Trade Relations. Chan, who turns 49 this year, will relinquish his position as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Chun Sing ChanPhotographer: Gian Ehrenzeller/Getty Images
Chan will play a key role in an economy that is forecast to see solid growth in 2018 after an export boom last year gave the country its fastest expansion since 2014. Inflation remains within the government’s forecast range while its labor market is strengthening, but officials face longer-term challenges such as rapid aging and adjusting to the digital economy.
Lee, 66, is devolving more responsibilities from older ministers to the younger ones. Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will take on the additional job of assisting the prime minister on National Research Foundation matters from Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. Chan will take over responsibility for the Public Service Division from Teo.
Read about who to watch in Singapore’s Cabinet
There was no movement in the finance minister post, which last changed hands in 2015, when Heng replaced Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam shortly after the government won a landslide election victory. Heng, who turns 57 this year, was part of a younger team of officials Lee promoted to show that the ruling People’s Action Party was preparing for succession.
Ong Ye Kung will remain Minister for Education with an expanded portfolio overseeing the entire ministry, from higher education and skills previously. He will relinquish his job as Second Minister for Defence. Josephine Teo will be Minister for Manpower, and Indranee Rajah will be promoted to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for Education.
— With assistance by Keith Zhai
Harvard's longest study of adult life reveals how you can be happier and more successful - CNBC News
Harvard's longest study of adult life reveals how you can be happier and more successful
Zameena Mejia 9:58 AM ET Tue, 20 March 2018
Why the secret to your success is who you marry Why the secret to your success is who you marry
The United Nations is celebrating the International Day of Happiness today and if you've ever wondered how to live a long, successful and happy life, Harvard researchers may just have your answer.
"The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health," Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist and professor at Harvard Medical School, told The Harvard Gazette in 2017. "Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too. That, I think, is the revelation."
Waldinger, the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, said in a viral 2015 "TED Talk" released in 2015, that "good relationships keep us happier and healthier."
The ongoing Harvard study is considered one of the world's longest studies of adult life, having started in 1938 during the Great Depression.
"Our study has shown that the people who fared the best were the people who leaned into relationships, with family, with friends, with community," Waldinger said in the TED Talk.
The study aims to shed light on how "psychosocial variables and biological processes from earlier in life predict health and well-being in late life (80's and 90's), what aspects of childhood and adult experience predict the quality of intimate relationships in late life and how late-life marriage is linked with health and well-being," according to the study's website.
"Most of what we know about human life, we know from asking people to remember the past, and as we know, hindsight is anything but 20/20," Waldinger said. "We forget vast amounts of what happens to us in life and sometimes memory is downright creative."
In the past 79 years, the researchers tracked the lives of 724 men, following up with each one on an annual basis to ask about their work, home lives and health.
They not only received questionnaires, Waldinger said, but they were also interviewed in their homes, provided their medical records from their doctors, got their blood drawn, their brains scanned and let the researchers talk to their children.
Albert Einstein used this mindset shift to be happier and more successful Albert Einstein used this mental shift to be happier and more successful
The participants were broken up into two groups: The first group started in the study as sophomores at Harvard College and finished college during World War II, with most heading off to serve in the war. The second was a group of boys from Boston's poorest neighborhoods, selected specifically because they were from some of the most troubled and disadvantaged families in the Boston of the 1930s, Waldinger said.
After gaining tens of thousands of pages of research data based on these participants, Waldinger said, the clearest message from the study is that "good relationships keep us happier and healthier."
Here are the three lessons you can learn about relationships from the study, according to Waldinger:
Social connections are 'really good' for you
Waldinger said the first lesson you can take is that "social connections are really good for us and that loneliness kills."
"It turns out that people who are more socially connected to family, to friends, to community are happier, they're physically healthier and they live longer than people who are less well connected," he said.
On the contrary, keeping to yourself and experiencing loneliness is toxic. Waldinger points out that people can even feel lonely in a crowd of people or in their marriage.
"People who are more isolated than they want to be from others find that they are less happy, their health declines earlier in midlife, their brain functioning declines sooner and they live shorter lives than people who are not lonely," Waldinger explained.
Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope in "Parks and Recreation."
Colleen Hayes | Getty Images
Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope in "Parks and Recreation."
When it comes to relationships, pick quality over quantity
Just as a parent or teacher may have once warned you, Waldinger said that when it comes to friends, it's not about the number of friends you have, but "it's the quality of your close relationships that matters."
Waldinger adds that you should also make sure your relationships are healthy because your willingness to commit to a person or people is not enough to reap the benefits.
This simple exercise helps you figure out what to do with your life and career This simple exercise can help you figure out what to do with your life
"It turns out that living in the midst of conflict is really bad for our health," Waldinger said. "High-conflict marriages, for example, without much affection, turn out to be very bad for our health, perhaps worse than getting divorced."
Good, warm and close relationships, on the other hand, have the ability to "buffer us from some of the slings and arrows of getting old," Waldinger said.
Eighty-year-old men and women who were happily partnered reported that on the days when they had more physical pain, their mood remained just as happy. Meanwhile, those in unhappy relationships had their physical pain magnified by being in more emotional pain.
Good relationships actually protect your brain
Waldinger explained that in addition to positively affecting your physical and emotional health, good relationships have the power to sharpen your memory.
People who are in relationships where they feel they can count on their partner in times of need actually have a sharper, longer-lasting ability to remember things.
All the same, those who were in a relationship where they felt they couldn't count on their partner experienced early memory decline.
To clarify, it's not that the researchers found that people in good relationships were flawless or had to be easygoing all the time.
"As long as they felt that they could really count on the other when the going got tough, those arguments didn't take a toll on their memories," Waldinger said.
If you want to be happier and have stronger, positive relationships, Waldinger recommended "replacing screen time with people time," "livening up a stale relationship by doing something new together," such as long walks or date nights, or "reaching out to that family member who you haven't spoken to in years."
"Relationships are messy and they're complicated and the hard work of tending to family and friends, it's not sexy or glamorous," he said. "It's also lifelong. It never ends."
Zameena Mejia 9:58 AM ET Tue, 20 March 2018
Why the secret to your success is who you marry Why the secret to your success is who you marry
The United Nations is celebrating the International Day of Happiness today and if you've ever wondered how to live a long, successful and happy life, Harvard researchers may just have your answer.
"The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health," Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist and professor at Harvard Medical School, told The Harvard Gazette in 2017. "Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too. That, I think, is the revelation."
Waldinger, the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, said in a viral 2015 "TED Talk" released in 2015, that "good relationships keep us happier and healthier."
The ongoing Harvard study is considered one of the world's longest studies of adult life, having started in 1938 during the Great Depression.
"Our study has shown that the people who fared the best were the people who leaned into relationships, with family, with friends, with community," Waldinger said in the TED Talk.
The study aims to shed light on how "psychosocial variables and biological processes from earlier in life predict health and well-being in late life (80's and 90's), what aspects of childhood and adult experience predict the quality of intimate relationships in late life and how late-life marriage is linked with health and well-being," according to the study's website.
"Most of what we know about human life, we know from asking people to remember the past, and as we know, hindsight is anything but 20/20," Waldinger said. "We forget vast amounts of what happens to us in life and sometimes memory is downright creative."
In the past 79 years, the researchers tracked the lives of 724 men, following up with each one on an annual basis to ask about their work, home lives and health.
They not only received questionnaires, Waldinger said, but they were also interviewed in their homes, provided their medical records from their doctors, got their blood drawn, their brains scanned and let the researchers talk to their children.
Albert Einstein used this mindset shift to be happier and more successful Albert Einstein used this mental shift to be happier and more successful
The participants were broken up into two groups: The first group started in the study as sophomores at Harvard College and finished college during World War II, with most heading off to serve in the war. The second was a group of boys from Boston's poorest neighborhoods, selected specifically because they were from some of the most troubled and disadvantaged families in the Boston of the 1930s, Waldinger said.
After gaining tens of thousands of pages of research data based on these participants, Waldinger said, the clearest message from the study is that "good relationships keep us happier and healthier."
Here are the three lessons you can learn about relationships from the study, according to Waldinger:
Social connections are 'really good' for you
Waldinger said the first lesson you can take is that "social connections are really good for us and that loneliness kills."
"It turns out that people who are more socially connected to family, to friends, to community are happier, they're physically healthier and they live longer than people who are less well connected," he said.
On the contrary, keeping to yourself and experiencing loneliness is toxic. Waldinger points out that people can even feel lonely in a crowd of people or in their marriage.
"People who are more isolated than they want to be from others find that they are less happy, their health declines earlier in midlife, their brain functioning declines sooner and they live shorter lives than people who are not lonely," Waldinger explained.
Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope in "Parks and Recreation."
Colleen Hayes | Getty Images
Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope in "Parks and Recreation."
When it comes to relationships, pick quality over quantity
Just as a parent or teacher may have once warned you, Waldinger said that when it comes to friends, it's not about the number of friends you have, but "it's the quality of your close relationships that matters."
Waldinger adds that you should also make sure your relationships are healthy because your willingness to commit to a person or people is not enough to reap the benefits.
This simple exercise helps you figure out what to do with your life and career This simple exercise can help you figure out what to do with your life
"It turns out that living in the midst of conflict is really bad for our health," Waldinger said. "High-conflict marriages, for example, without much affection, turn out to be very bad for our health, perhaps worse than getting divorced."
Good, warm and close relationships, on the other hand, have the ability to "buffer us from some of the slings and arrows of getting old," Waldinger said.
Eighty-year-old men and women who were happily partnered reported that on the days when they had more physical pain, their mood remained just as happy. Meanwhile, those in unhappy relationships had their physical pain magnified by being in more emotional pain.
Good relationships actually protect your brain
Waldinger explained that in addition to positively affecting your physical and emotional health, good relationships have the power to sharpen your memory.
People who are in relationships where they feel they can count on their partner in times of need actually have a sharper, longer-lasting ability to remember things.
All the same, those who were in a relationship where they felt they couldn't count on their partner experienced early memory decline.
To clarify, it's not that the researchers found that people in good relationships were flawless or had to be easygoing all the time.
"As long as they felt that they could really count on the other when the going got tough, those arguments didn't take a toll on their memories," Waldinger said.
If you want to be happier and have stronger, positive relationships, Waldinger recommended "replacing screen time with people time," "livening up a stale relationship by doing something new together," such as long walks or date nights, or "reaching out to that family member who you haven't spoken to in years."
"Relationships are messy and they're complicated and the hard work of tending to family and friends, it's not sexy or glamorous," he said. "It's also lifelong. It never ends."
Analysis: A tale of two Hannitys - CNN
Analysis: A tale of two Hannitys
by Brian Stelter @brianstelter
April 23, 2018: 2:57 PM ET
sean hannity seth rich
Fox News host Sean Hannity probably wouldn't like this guy Sean Hannity.
On camera, Hannity rails against "elite" media types who have inappropriately cozy connections with the rich and powerful.
Off camera, that's who Hannity is.
A pair of stories in the past week have highlighted this on-air, off-air contradiction. First came the revelation that Hannity has been a client of President Donald Trump's attorney Michael Cohen. Now there's a story in The Guardian that shows just how wealthy he is.
The Guardian reviewed public records that "link Hannity to a group of shell companies that spent at least $90 million on more than 870 homes in seven states over the past decade."
According to the paper, "the properties range from luxurious mansions to rentals for low-income families. Hannity is the hidden owner behind some of the shell companies and his attorney did not dispute that he owns all of them."
Hannity defended his investment strategy in a statement issued on Monday.
"It is ironic that I am being attacked for investing my personal money in communities that badly need such investment and in which, I am sure, those attacking me have not invested their money," Hannity said. "The fact is, these are investments that I do not individually select, control, or know the details about; except that obviously I believe in putting my money to work in communities that otherwise struggle to receive such support."
The attorney did not respond to a request for comment from CNNMoney. (Hannity's attorney in these matters, Christopher Reeves, is married to a CNN executive.)
Last week Hannity was widely criticized for not disclosing his Cohen connection to viewers.
Hannity downplayed the legal relationship by saying it "dealt almost exclusively about real estate."
That gave The Guardian a reason to investigative Hannity's real estate investments.
The revelation about Cohen and the paper's reporting about 870 homes calls to mind this infamous Hannity quote: "Now, my overpaid friends in the media, well, they have their chauffeured limousines, they like their fine steakhouses and expensive wine lifestyles."
Hannity's disdain for his fellow members of the media is one of the dominant themes of his nightly show.
To Hannity's credit, he has counted himself in the "overpaid" category in the past.
But his consistent message on Fox, repeated ad nauseam, is that TV anchors and other journalists are woefully out of touch.
He frequently claims journalism is "dead," even though he invites conservative journalists on his show to attack Trump's perceived enemies.
Hannity was all smiles at a recent party thrown by The Hollywood Reporter. He hobnobbed with guests like CNN's Don Lemon and Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti.
Then he headed over to his Fox studio for a monologue about "abusively biased so-called wannabe journalists."
One of the graphics on screen referenced a "fake news eruption."
The following week, when the Cohen relationship was revealed, he bemoaned the media's "obsession" with him and said he deserved privacy.
His comments "were certainly as hypocritical as spectators have come to expect," Time magazine critic Daniel D'Addario wrote.
"Hannity has made a career of hounding public figures, some of whom are now private citizens; Hillary Clinton and James Comey are unlikely to hold office ever again," D'Addario said. "So Hannity promoting the idea that a public person should be able to keep an essential fact private is surprising."
by Brian Stelter @brianstelter
April 23, 2018: 2:57 PM ET
sean hannity seth rich
Fox News host Sean Hannity probably wouldn't like this guy Sean Hannity.
On camera, Hannity rails against "elite" media types who have inappropriately cozy connections with the rich and powerful.
Off camera, that's who Hannity is.
A pair of stories in the past week have highlighted this on-air, off-air contradiction. First came the revelation that Hannity has been a client of President Donald Trump's attorney Michael Cohen. Now there's a story in The Guardian that shows just how wealthy he is.
The Guardian reviewed public records that "link Hannity to a group of shell companies that spent at least $90 million on more than 870 homes in seven states over the past decade."
According to the paper, "the properties range from luxurious mansions to rentals for low-income families. Hannity is the hidden owner behind some of the shell companies and his attorney did not dispute that he owns all of them."
Hannity defended his investment strategy in a statement issued on Monday.
"It is ironic that I am being attacked for investing my personal money in communities that badly need such investment and in which, I am sure, those attacking me have not invested their money," Hannity said. "The fact is, these are investments that I do not individually select, control, or know the details about; except that obviously I believe in putting my money to work in communities that otherwise struggle to receive such support."
The attorney did not respond to a request for comment from CNNMoney. (Hannity's attorney in these matters, Christopher Reeves, is married to a CNN executive.)
Last week Hannity was widely criticized for not disclosing his Cohen connection to viewers.
Hannity downplayed the legal relationship by saying it "dealt almost exclusively about real estate."
That gave The Guardian a reason to investigative Hannity's real estate investments.
The revelation about Cohen and the paper's reporting about 870 homes calls to mind this infamous Hannity quote: "Now, my overpaid friends in the media, well, they have their chauffeured limousines, they like their fine steakhouses and expensive wine lifestyles."
Hannity's disdain for his fellow members of the media is one of the dominant themes of his nightly show.
To Hannity's credit, he has counted himself in the "overpaid" category in the past.
But his consistent message on Fox, repeated ad nauseam, is that TV anchors and other journalists are woefully out of touch.
He frequently claims journalism is "dead," even though he invites conservative journalists on his show to attack Trump's perceived enemies.
Hannity was all smiles at a recent party thrown by The Hollywood Reporter. He hobnobbed with guests like CNN's Don Lemon and Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti.
Then he headed over to his Fox studio for a monologue about "abusively biased so-called wannabe journalists."
One of the graphics on screen referenced a "fake news eruption."
The following week, when the Cohen relationship was revealed, he bemoaned the media's "obsession" with him and said he deserved privacy.
His comments "were certainly as hypocritical as spectators have come to expect," Time magazine critic Daniel D'Addario wrote.
"Hannity has made a career of hounding public figures, some of whom are now private citizens; Hillary Clinton and James Comey are unlikely to hold office ever again," D'Addario said. "So Hannity promoting the idea that a public person should be able to keep an essential fact private is surprising."
Hong Kong Approves Dual-Class Shares, Paving Way for Tech Titans - Bloomberg
Hong Kong Approves Dual-Class Shares, Paving Way for Tech Titans
By Benjamin Robertson
April 24, 2018, 6:38 PM GMT+10
Companies including Xiaomi and Ant Financial may choose city
Applicants can file under new rules starting April 30
Photographer: Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg
Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. approved the biggest change to its initial public offering rules in two decades, putting it in a position to battle New York for some of the world’s hottest companies.
Technology firms that have shares with different voting rights will now be allowed to go public in Hong Kong, overturning rules that barred the likes of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. from considering the former British colony. Businesses will be able to apply under the new regime starting April 30, HKEX said Tuesday.
The new framework is a victory for the exchange and its Chief Executive Officer Charles Li, who championed the changes after losing Alibaba and other tech titans to venues in New York, where dual-class shares and similar structures have long been permitted. The step could be a landmark for Hong Kong’s efforts to be the leading home for international Chinese listings and builds on Li’s vision for a trading hub that rivals the U.S.
Some of the world’s largest and most influential technology companies, from Facebook Inc. to Google parent Alphabet Inc., have share classes with different voting rights to protect their founders’ influence after going public. The structures are contentious because they reduce the rights of other shareholders, and investors including BlackRock Inc. opposed HKEX’s plan.
Read more: Why investors are upset -- A QuickTake on dual-class shares
The city lost to New York and Shanghai in the global IPO rankings last year, with funds raised down 33 percent compared with previous year to $16.9 billion, the lowest level since 2012, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The payoff for HKEX could come very soon. Xiaomi Corp., Ant Financial Services Group and Lufax, the peer-to-peer lending unit of Ping An Insurance (Group) Co., are among a number of Chinese technology giants preparing to go public. Smartphone maker Xiaomi is considering listing in both Hong Kong and Shanghai and targeting a valuation of about $100 billion.
By Benjamin Robertson
April 24, 2018, 6:38 PM GMT+10
Companies including Xiaomi and Ant Financial may choose city
Applicants can file under new rules starting April 30
Photographer: Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg
Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. approved the biggest change to its initial public offering rules in two decades, putting it in a position to battle New York for some of the world’s hottest companies.
Technology firms that have shares with different voting rights will now be allowed to go public in Hong Kong, overturning rules that barred the likes of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. from considering the former British colony. Businesses will be able to apply under the new regime starting April 30, HKEX said Tuesday.
The new framework is a victory for the exchange and its Chief Executive Officer Charles Li, who championed the changes after losing Alibaba and other tech titans to venues in New York, where dual-class shares and similar structures have long been permitted. The step could be a landmark for Hong Kong’s efforts to be the leading home for international Chinese listings and builds on Li’s vision for a trading hub that rivals the U.S.
Some of the world’s largest and most influential technology companies, from Facebook Inc. to Google parent Alphabet Inc., have share classes with different voting rights to protect their founders’ influence after going public. The structures are contentious because they reduce the rights of other shareholders, and investors including BlackRock Inc. opposed HKEX’s plan.
Read more: Why investors are upset -- A QuickTake on dual-class shares
The city lost to New York and Shanghai in the global IPO rankings last year, with funds raised down 33 percent compared with previous year to $16.9 billion, the lowest level since 2012, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The payoff for HKEX could come very soon. Xiaomi Corp., Ant Financial Services Group and Lufax, the peer-to-peer lending unit of Ping An Insurance (Group) Co., are among a number of Chinese technology giants preparing to go public. Smartphone maker Xiaomi is considering listing in both Hong Kong and Shanghai and targeting a valuation of about $100 billion.
Chinese Uber competitor Didi Chuxing reportedly in talks to launch $80 billion IPO - CNBC News
April 23, 2018
Chinese Uber competitor Didi Chuxing reportedly in talks to launch $80 billion IPO
Didi wants to reach a valuation of between $70 and $80 billion through an IPO, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources.
Didi said Tuesday that it was expanding its service to Mexico, a move that pits the company directly against Uber.
Ryan Browne | @Ryan_Browne_
Published Updated Moments Ago
CNBC.com
Jean Liu, president of Didi Chuxing
Michael Short | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Jean Liu, president of Didi Chuxing
Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing is holding talks about an initial public offering (IPO), according to a report.
Didi Chuxing was last valued at more than $50 billion in December, after raising $4 billion from investors including Japanese conglomerate SoftBank. It now wants to reach a valuation of between $70 and $80 billion through an IPO, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources.
The company could go public as early as the second half of 2018, sources told the WSJ, but as talks are in the early stages a set date for the listing is not entirely clear.
Didi Chuxing declined to comment on the report when contacted by CNBC.
Didi said Tuesday that it was expanding its service to Mexico, a move that pits the company directly against Uber. Didi has also said it wants to enter Taiwan.
The company has previously partnered with international rivals to expand its reach to markets beyond China. But its move into Mexico marks the first instance of a direct expansion outside of its home market.
Didi Chuxing bought Uber's business in China in 2016. Uber has been planning its own IPO, but CEO Dara Khosrowshani has said this will likely not take place until 2019.
Toronto van killings: Police officer hailed as 'hero' after arresting suspect who begged to be shot without firing gun - Independent
April 24, 2018
Toronto van killings: Police officer hailed as 'hero' after arresting suspect who begged to be shot without firing gun
Video shows police officer staring down suspect at gunpoint in the middle of a road while he pointed what appeared to be a gun and shouted 'Kill me'
Jon Sharman
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A police officer has been praised as a “hero” for calmly confronting the suspected Toronto van crash driver.
Video footage showed the police officer staring down the suspect, later identified as Alek Minassian, at gunpoint in the middle of a road, while he pointed what appeared to be a gun and shouted, “Kill me”.
Images broadcast by Canadian media showed the suspect pulling an object from his side a number of times, and aiming at the officer.
As the suspect shouted “Kill me”, the unnamed officer replied, “No, get down”. When the suspect then said, “I have a gun in my pocket,” the officer responded, ”I don’t care. Get down”.
Picture of suspect emerges after van ploughs into crowd in Toronto
Eventually Mr Minassian was seen to turn around with his hands in the air, and then to lie on the ground.
The 25-year-old suspect was arrested “without incident”, authorities later said, and the non-violent end to the confrontation won praise from viewers.
Mr Minassian is believed to have been behind the wheel of a rented white van which mowed down pedestrians in Toronto on Monday afternoon. Ten people were killed and another 15 injured.
He is due in court at 10am local time, when police said they would reveal further details.
toronto-van-attack-police-hero.jpg
A lone police officer (R) confronts the man suspected of driving a van into pedestrians in Toronto (L) as he points an object that looks like a gun (rayy0889/Twitter/Screengrab)
One Twitter user said “Thank you to the officer who showed composure, courage and ethics”, while Lauren Ash, an actor, added that the officer “showed the world that he could do his job effectively without immediate deadly force”.
Mike McCormack, president of the Toronto Police Association, told The Globe and Mail: “This officer looked at what was going on and determined he could handle it the way that he did. People are right, this guy is a hero.”
Gary Clement, a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police superintendent with 34 years’ experience of policing, said it was “quite clear” Mr Minassian wanted to goad the officer into shooting him.
“I would say this individual met the right police officer,” Mr Clement added. “Nobody knows how they’re going to react. In this situation a lot of it comes down to muscle memory. This guy reacted in a very mature manner.”
Toronto van killings: Police officer hailed as 'hero' after arresting suspect who begged to be shot without firing gun
Video shows police officer staring down suspect at gunpoint in the middle of a road while he pointed what appeared to be a gun and shouted 'Kill me'
Jon Sharman
Is hypnobirthing the secret to Kate Middleton's 'effortless' births?
UK public finances show first current budget surplus in sixteen years
New Venom trailer offers first actual look at Tom Hardy's monster
US Border Patrol agent who shot teenager dead acquitted of murder
A police officer has been praised as a “hero” for calmly confronting the suspected Toronto van crash driver.
Video footage showed the police officer staring down the suspect, later identified as Alek Minassian, at gunpoint in the middle of a road, while he pointed what appeared to be a gun and shouted, “Kill me”.
Images broadcast by Canadian media showed the suspect pulling an object from his side a number of times, and aiming at the officer.
As the suspect shouted “Kill me”, the unnamed officer replied, “No, get down”. When the suspect then said, “I have a gun in my pocket,” the officer responded, ”I don’t care. Get down”.
Picture of suspect emerges after van ploughs into crowd in Toronto
Eventually Mr Minassian was seen to turn around with his hands in the air, and then to lie on the ground.
The 25-year-old suspect was arrested “without incident”, authorities later said, and the non-violent end to the confrontation won praise from viewers.
Mr Minassian is believed to have been behind the wheel of a rented white van which mowed down pedestrians in Toronto on Monday afternoon. Ten people were killed and another 15 injured.
He is due in court at 10am local time, when police said they would reveal further details.
toronto-van-attack-police-hero.jpg
A lone police officer (R) confronts the man suspected of driving a van into pedestrians in Toronto (L) as he points an object that looks like a gun (rayy0889/Twitter/Screengrab)
One Twitter user said “Thank you to the officer who showed composure, courage and ethics”, while Lauren Ash, an actor, added that the officer “showed the world that he could do his job effectively without immediate deadly force”.
Mike McCormack, president of the Toronto Police Association, told The Globe and Mail: “This officer looked at what was going on and determined he could handle it the way that he did. People are right, this guy is a hero.”
Gary Clement, a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police superintendent with 34 years’ experience of policing, said it was “quite clear” Mr Minassian wanted to goad the officer into shooting him.
“I would say this individual met the right police officer,” Mr Clement added. “Nobody knows how they’re going to react. In this situation a lot of it comes down to muscle memory. This guy reacted in a very mature manner.”
Toronto van attack: How is the suspect not dead? - BBC News
April 24. 2018
Toronto van attack: How is the suspect not dead?
The calm actions of a police officer who arrested the Toronto van suspect without firing a shot have prompted praise and, in some quarters, astonishment.
Video from the scene shows suspect Alek Minassian pointing an object at the officer and shouting: "Kill me!"
The officer tells the man to "get down" and when the suspect says he has a gun, the officer repeats: "I don't care. Get down."
Minassian is then seen lying down and the officer arrests him.
Many in North America are asking how the suspect did not end up dead in a hail of police gunfire. It contrasts with incidents in the US where police have shot and killed unarmed people.
However one US-based academic told the BBC the officer had had a "duty" to kill the suspect.
Toronto police quiz van attack suspect
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders told journalists the officer had done a "fantastic job" to understand the "circumstance and environment" and get to a "peaceful resolution".
He said police in the city were "taught to use as little force as possible in any given situation".
Media caption"Anybody in his way, he would hit": Witnesses recall Toronto van incident
Mike McCormack, president of the Toronto Police Association, told the Globe and Mail newspaper that the officer was a "hero" and could have justified opening fire.
"This officer looked at what was going on and determined he could handle it the way that he did," he said. He said he had spoken to the officer, who had told him: "I just did my job. What I did was no big deal. But look at these poor people."
Canada's Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale praised the "brave and professional" police response.
Some on social media have praised the officer's "extraordinary restraint".
Author Viet Thanh Nguyen also highlighted the apparent contrast with the behaviour of some US police.
"What is wrong with American police training? Shoot to kill? This Canadian officer arrests a mass murderer without firing a shot," he said.
How often are US police killed on duty?
Are US police too quick to shoot knife-wielding suspects?
However, Michael Lyman, professor of Criminal Justice Administration at Columbia College of Missouri, told the BBC that the officer may have had a "duty" to kill the suspect.
"Assuming the suspect is holding a gun and pointing it toward officers, it is concerning that the officer is not engaging the suspect with deadly force," he said.
Professor Lyman said that the officer might not have opened fire out of fear of public criticism after the event.
"People died as a result of the suspect's actions. Can we assume that the officer knew this? If so, this changes things a bit in that the level of public threat is higher. Under this circumstance, it would seem that the officer had a 'duty' to respond with deadly force - assuming what he was holding was a firearm," he said.
US cop kills unarmed man with pants down
US police video shows unarmed man shot dead
Professor William Terrill from the Arizona State University School of Criminology & Criminal Justice said the officer may have judged that the object held by the suspect did not pose a threat.
"It's possible the officer thought the object in the person's hand was not a gun, or not a real gun. The fact that the officer left the cover of his car and exposed himself out in the open would further support such a supposition," he said.
"It's also possible the officer recognised a potential suicide-by-cop incident and chose not to engage with deadly force. The only remaining option I can posit is the officer simply froze."
David Klinger, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St Louis said the video did not show enough detail for an informed assessment of the officer's actions.
"If the cop could clearly see what was in the suspect's hand, and that it wasn't a gun, then it's a simple matter of a cop doing his job correctly," he said.
Toronto van attack: How is the suspect not dead?
The calm actions of a police officer who arrested the Toronto van suspect without firing a shot have prompted praise and, in some quarters, astonishment.
Video from the scene shows suspect Alek Minassian pointing an object at the officer and shouting: "Kill me!"
The officer tells the man to "get down" and when the suspect says he has a gun, the officer repeats: "I don't care. Get down."
Minassian is then seen lying down and the officer arrests him.
Many in North America are asking how the suspect did not end up dead in a hail of police gunfire. It contrasts with incidents in the US where police have shot and killed unarmed people.
However one US-based academic told the BBC the officer had had a "duty" to kill the suspect.
Toronto police quiz van attack suspect
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders told journalists the officer had done a "fantastic job" to understand the "circumstance and environment" and get to a "peaceful resolution".
He said police in the city were "taught to use as little force as possible in any given situation".
Media caption"Anybody in his way, he would hit": Witnesses recall Toronto van incident
Mike McCormack, president of the Toronto Police Association, told the Globe and Mail newspaper that the officer was a "hero" and could have justified opening fire.
"This officer looked at what was going on and determined he could handle it the way that he did," he said. He said he had spoken to the officer, who had told him: "I just did my job. What I did was no big deal. But look at these poor people."
Canada's Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale praised the "brave and professional" police response.
Some on social media have praised the officer's "extraordinary restraint".
Author Viet Thanh Nguyen also highlighted the apparent contrast with the behaviour of some US police.
"What is wrong with American police training? Shoot to kill? This Canadian officer arrests a mass murderer without firing a shot," he said.
How often are US police killed on duty?
Are US police too quick to shoot knife-wielding suspects?
However, Michael Lyman, professor of Criminal Justice Administration at Columbia College of Missouri, told the BBC that the officer may have had a "duty" to kill the suspect.
"Assuming the suspect is holding a gun and pointing it toward officers, it is concerning that the officer is not engaging the suspect with deadly force," he said.
Professor Lyman said that the officer might not have opened fire out of fear of public criticism after the event.
"People died as a result of the suspect's actions. Can we assume that the officer knew this? If so, this changes things a bit in that the level of public threat is higher. Under this circumstance, it would seem that the officer had a 'duty' to respond with deadly force - assuming what he was holding was a firearm," he said.
US cop kills unarmed man with pants down
US police video shows unarmed man shot dead
Professor William Terrill from the Arizona State University School of Criminology & Criminal Justice said the officer may have judged that the object held by the suspect did not pose a threat.
"It's possible the officer thought the object in the person's hand was not a gun, or not a real gun. The fact that the officer left the cover of his car and exposed himself out in the open would further support such a supposition," he said.
"It's also possible the officer recognised a potential suicide-by-cop incident and chose not to engage with deadly force. The only remaining option I can posit is the officer simply froze."
David Klinger, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St Louis said the video did not show enough detail for an informed assessment of the officer's actions.
"If the cop could clearly see what was in the suspect's hand, and that it wasn't a gun, then it's a simple matter of a cop doing his job correctly," he said.
Toronto van attack: Suspect quizzed after 10 pedestrians killed - BBC News
April 24, 2018
Toronto van attack: Suspect quizzed after 10 pedestrians killed
Suspect Alex Minassian is due to appear in court on Tuesday morning
Canadian police are questioning the suspected driver of a rented van that ploughed into pedestrians in northern Toronto on Monday, killing 10 and injuring 15.
Alek Minassian, 25, was not previously known to authorities, police said.
The incident appeared to be deliberate but the motive was not clear, officials added.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the "tragic and senseless attack" had brought him "great sadness".
Meanwhile, an officer has been praised for not opening fire during a tense standoff with the suspect, who claimed to be armed.
Video broadcast on CBC News showed a man pointing what appeared to be a gun at officers and shouting "kill me".
The officer tells the man to "get down" and when the suspect says he has a gun, the officer repeats: "I don't care. Get down." The suspect was then arrested without shots being fired.
How is Toronto attack suspect not dead?
Minassian is due to appear in court at 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
How did the incident unfold?
Police said the white rental van mounted the kerb on Yonge Street between Finch Avenue and Sheppard Avenue at about 13:30 local time (17:30 GMT) on Monday and drove into pedestrians along a 2km (1.24 mile) stretch.
Reza Hashemi, who owns a video shop on Yonge Street, told the BBC he heard screaming on the other side of the road.
He said the van was repeatedly mounting the pavement and running into people.
Media caption"Anybody in his way, he would hit": Witnesses recall Toronto van incident
'It was awful': What eyewitnesses saw
One witness told City News that the driver was "hitting anything that comes in the way".
"People, fire hydrants, there's mail boxes being run over," said the unnamed man, who said he was driving behind the van during the incident.
As the van continued, the man said he sounded his horn to try to warn pedestrians. "I witnessed at least six, seven people being hit and flying in the air, like killed, on the street," he said.
Skip Twitter post by @JustinTrudeau
Justin Trudeau
✔
@JustinTrudeau
Replying to @JustinTrudeau
The @TorontoPolice and first responders faced danger without hesitation today, and I want to thank them for their courage and professionalism. We’ll continue working with our law enforcement partners as the investigation continues.
11:48 AM - Apr 24, 2018
Pictures from the scene showed bodies covered in orange sheets along the van's route. Debris and items of clothing were scattered across the pavements and road.
The van was brought to a halt by police several streets away and was quickly surrounded.
The suspect was arrested 26 minutes after the first emergency call was made to the police.
What is known of the suspect?
Police said Minassian was from the northern Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill and was not previously known to authorities.
"The actions definitely looked deliberate," said Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders.
Public safety minister Ralph Goodale said there "would appear to be no national security connections" and Canadian broadcaster CBC cited government officials as saying he was not associated with any known terror groups.
Minassian had previously attended a school for students with special needs in north Toronto, former classmates said.
He would be seen walking around Thornlea Secondary School with his head down and hands clasped tightly together making meowing noises, Shereen Chami told Reuters.
But she said Minassian had not been violent.
"He wasn't a social person, but from what I remember he was absolutely harmless," she told Reuters.
Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
Investigators have sealed off the damaged rental van
Another former student, Ari Bluff, told CBC Minassian did not seem to have many friends.
"I remember seeing him probably just walking down the halls, usually by himself, or in the cafeteria by himself," he said.
Minassian went on to attend Seneca College in the North York area of Toronto, where the van incident took place, CBC reported.
Reporter James Moore, with Newtalk 1010, told the BBC he had heard reports that Minassian was regarded as being "quite brilliant".
Canada's Globe and Mail quotes a fellow student as saying Minassian was good at working with specialised computer chips used to process images.
What else is known?
Van rental company Ryder System Inc confirmed that one of its vehicles was involved and said it was co-operating with authorities.
The incident happened while foreign ministers of the G7 leading industrialised nations - Canada, the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan - were holding talks in Toronto.
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the G7 meetings would continue on Tuesday as planned.
Emergency services flooded the area along Yonge Street
"The work of the ministers obviously goes on. This is a very sad day for the people of Toronto and the people of Canada," she said.
City Mayor John Tory urged residents to remain calm.
"This kind of tragic incident is not representative of how we live or who we are or anything to do with life in the city on a day-to-day basis," he said.
The White House issued a statement saying the US "stands with the Canadian people" and offering "any support Canada may need".
Toronto van attack: Suspect quizzed after 10 pedestrians killed
Suspect Alex Minassian is due to appear in court on Tuesday morning
Canadian police are questioning the suspected driver of a rented van that ploughed into pedestrians in northern Toronto on Monday, killing 10 and injuring 15.
Alek Minassian, 25, was not previously known to authorities, police said.
The incident appeared to be deliberate but the motive was not clear, officials added.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the "tragic and senseless attack" had brought him "great sadness".
Meanwhile, an officer has been praised for not opening fire during a tense standoff with the suspect, who claimed to be armed.
Video broadcast on CBC News showed a man pointing what appeared to be a gun at officers and shouting "kill me".
The officer tells the man to "get down" and when the suspect says he has a gun, the officer repeats: "I don't care. Get down." The suspect was then arrested without shots being fired.
How is Toronto attack suspect not dead?
Minassian is due to appear in court at 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
How did the incident unfold?
Police said the white rental van mounted the kerb on Yonge Street between Finch Avenue and Sheppard Avenue at about 13:30 local time (17:30 GMT) on Monday and drove into pedestrians along a 2km (1.24 mile) stretch.
Reza Hashemi, who owns a video shop on Yonge Street, told the BBC he heard screaming on the other side of the road.
He said the van was repeatedly mounting the pavement and running into people.
Media caption"Anybody in his way, he would hit": Witnesses recall Toronto van incident
'It was awful': What eyewitnesses saw
One witness told City News that the driver was "hitting anything that comes in the way".
"People, fire hydrants, there's mail boxes being run over," said the unnamed man, who said he was driving behind the van during the incident.
As the van continued, the man said he sounded his horn to try to warn pedestrians. "I witnessed at least six, seven people being hit and flying in the air, like killed, on the street," he said.
Skip Twitter post by @JustinTrudeau
Justin Trudeau
✔
@JustinTrudeau
Replying to @JustinTrudeau
The @TorontoPolice and first responders faced danger without hesitation today, and I want to thank them for their courage and professionalism. We’ll continue working with our law enforcement partners as the investigation continues.
11:48 AM - Apr 24, 2018
Pictures from the scene showed bodies covered in orange sheets along the van's route. Debris and items of clothing were scattered across the pavements and road.
The van was brought to a halt by police several streets away and was quickly surrounded.
The suspect was arrested 26 minutes after the first emergency call was made to the police.
What is known of the suspect?
Police said Minassian was from the northern Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill and was not previously known to authorities.
"The actions definitely looked deliberate," said Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders.
Public safety minister Ralph Goodale said there "would appear to be no national security connections" and Canadian broadcaster CBC cited government officials as saying he was not associated with any known terror groups.
Minassian had previously attended a school for students with special needs in north Toronto, former classmates said.
He would be seen walking around Thornlea Secondary School with his head down and hands clasped tightly together making meowing noises, Shereen Chami told Reuters.
But she said Minassian had not been violent.
"He wasn't a social person, but from what I remember he was absolutely harmless," she told Reuters.
Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
Investigators have sealed off the damaged rental van
Another former student, Ari Bluff, told CBC Minassian did not seem to have many friends.
"I remember seeing him probably just walking down the halls, usually by himself, or in the cafeteria by himself," he said.
Minassian went on to attend Seneca College in the North York area of Toronto, where the van incident took place, CBC reported.
Reporter James Moore, with Newtalk 1010, told the BBC he had heard reports that Minassian was regarded as being "quite brilliant".
Canada's Globe and Mail quotes a fellow student as saying Minassian was good at working with specialised computer chips used to process images.
What else is known?
Van rental company Ryder System Inc confirmed that one of its vehicles was involved and said it was co-operating with authorities.
The incident happened while foreign ministers of the G7 leading industrialised nations - Canada, the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan - were holding talks in Toronto.
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the G7 meetings would continue on Tuesday as planned.
Emergency services flooded the area along Yonge Street
"The work of the ministers obviously goes on. This is a very sad day for the people of Toronto and the people of Canada," she said.
City Mayor John Tory urged residents to remain calm.
"This kind of tragic incident is not representative of how we live or who we are or anything to do with life in the city on a day-to-day basis," he said.
The White House issued a statement saying the US "stands with the Canadian people" and offering "any support Canada may need".
Monday, April 23, 2018
Mark Zuckerberg survived Congress. Now he has to face Wall Street - CNN Money
Mark Zuckerberg survived Congress. Now he has to face Wall Street
by Seth Fiegerman, Danielle Wiener-Bronner and Nathaniel Meyersohn @CNNMoneyInvest
April 22, 2018: 6:47 AM ET
These are the most confusing questions Congress asked Zuckerberg
1. Facebook faces Wall Street: Mark Zuckerberg survived 10 hours of grilling by nearly 100 members of Congress this month. Now, Facebook's CEO must confront a group that could actually punish his company in the short-term: investors.
Facebook (FB) is set to report its first-quarter earnings after the bell on Wednesday. Zuckerberg will then field questions on a conference call with analysts for the first time since the Cambridge Analytica data scandal upended the company and shaved tens of billions of dollars off its market value.
Much is at stake. GBH Insights analyst Daniel Ives called this earnings report a "pivotal barometer" for investors in a research note Friday. It will be a "key step for investors to either boost their confidence in the Facebook story going forward or raise further red flags," he wrote.
The consensus estimate among analysts is for Facebook's sales for the first three months of 2017 to hit $11.4 billion, up more than 40% from the same period a year earlier. But that only tells part of the story.
Analysts are concerned about how much an ongoing backlash among users, advertisers and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic could slow down a company once viewed as unstoppable.
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New generation of employees have a thirst for speedy feedback at workplace
Cambridge Analytica, a data firm with ties to President Donald Trump's campaign, accessed information from as many as 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge. The data debacle came to light late in the quarter, meaning the impact may be felt more in the quarters to come.
Brian Wieser, an analyst with Pivotal Research, predicts there will be "an ongoing erosion of usage throughout 2018" due to "reduced trust" and "increasing awareness of toxicity of the platform," among other factors. He also expects marketers to rethink the upsides of advertising on Facebook because of the potential privacy concerns from consumers.
Ives thinks the "worst case scenario" is that as much as $2 billion in ad sales could be "at risk" for the company this year.
So far, Facebook executives have played down concerns. Zuckerberg said an online campaign to delete Facebook has not had a "material impact" on the company. Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said only a "few" marketers have paused their advertising on the platform.
Expect them to be grilled about both points on the earnings call — as well as how much Facebook is spending to make things right.
Zuckerberg has said Facebook will conduct a costly audit of thousands of third-party applications and hire more security and content review staff. The cure could end up being worse than the disease — at least for Facebook's bottom line.
2. Starbucks fallout: Facebook isn't the only company that will have to answer for a major scandal when it reports earnings this week. Starbucks (SBUX) will probably face questions about the uproar around the arrest of two black men who were waiting for a third person at one of the coffee chain's Philadelphia stores. CEO Kevin Johnson said the arrest "should not have happened," and the company has planned racial-bias training for 175,000 employees next month.
Related: Starbucks has a bold plan to address racial bias. Will it work?
3. First quarter US growth: The Commerce Department will release its initial estimates for first-quarter economic growth on Friday, and expectations are pretty low. Analysts surveyed by FactSet are expecting just 2.2%, down from 2.9% at the end of last year. Barclays (BCS) last week cut its forecast to just 1.5%.
This may have something to do with what the San Francisco Fed once called the "puzzle of weak first-quarter GDP growth," suggesting a statistical problem with how the government measures growth early in the year. The problem leads experts to believe that growth could rebound in the following quarters.
But Barclays and others are also predicting low growth because Americans just haven't been spending as much. Consumer confidence hit a 17-year high in February, but retail sales were disappointing in January and February. They picked up a bit in March.
Related: What boom? The economy is off to a 'meh' start to 2018
4. Market calm: The stock market has settled back down.
Wall Street's anxiety about a trade war with China has faded for the moment, allowing investors to focus on healthy corporate profits and the boost from corporate tax cuts.
"It's one of the gifts we get from earnings season," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley FBR.
The Dow gained 0.4% last week, its smallest move in either direction in two months. The S&P had its quietest week since the end of last year. But the market may soon have to worry about an old nemesis: inflation.
Commodities, including oil and aluminum, are spiking, putting pressure on business' costs. Tariffs may be playing a role, too. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury bond, which had been falling as expectations of inflation eased, is back up to a three-year-high of 2.96%.
Related: Fed official worried about recession indicator
5. Tariff and tax impact: Two big trends to watch this earnings season are tariffs and taxes. As first-quarter earnings roll in, watch for what companies have to say about President Trump's tariffs and about the benefits of the corporate tax cut enacted late last year.
A slew of large companies should give us some idea when they report this week: Alphabet (GOOG) and Whirlpool (WHR) are coming on Monday. Caterpillar (CAT), Coca-Cola (KO), Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Verizon (VZ) follow on Tuesday. AT&T (T), Boeing (BA), Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TWTR) report on Wednesday. American Airlines (AAL), General Motors (GM) and PepsiCo (PEP) are on Thursday. And ExxonMobil (XOM) is reporting on Friday.
6. Coming this week:
Monday — Alphabet, Hasbro, Kimberly-Clark and Whirlpool earnings
Tuesday — Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, Jetblue (JBLU), Lockheed Martin, Restaurant Brands (QSR), Southwest, Verizon and Wynn Resorts earnings; Conference Board's consumer confidence index
Wednesday — Boeing, Chipotle, Comcast, Dr Pepper Snapple, Facebook and Twitter earnings
Thursday — American Airlines, Dunkin' Brands, General Motors, PepsiCo, Starbucks and Southwest earnings
Friday — Exxon earnings; Q1 GDP
by Seth Fiegerman, Danielle Wiener-Bronner and Nathaniel Meyersohn @CNNMoneyInvest
April 22, 2018: 6:47 AM ET
These are the most confusing questions Congress asked Zuckerberg
1. Facebook faces Wall Street: Mark Zuckerberg survived 10 hours of grilling by nearly 100 members of Congress this month. Now, Facebook's CEO must confront a group that could actually punish his company in the short-term: investors.
Facebook (FB) is set to report its first-quarter earnings after the bell on Wednesday. Zuckerberg will then field questions on a conference call with analysts for the first time since the Cambridge Analytica data scandal upended the company and shaved tens of billions of dollars off its market value.
Much is at stake. GBH Insights analyst Daniel Ives called this earnings report a "pivotal barometer" for investors in a research note Friday. It will be a "key step for investors to either boost their confidence in the Facebook story going forward or raise further red flags," he wrote.
The consensus estimate among analysts is for Facebook's sales for the first three months of 2017 to hit $11.4 billion, up more than 40% from the same period a year earlier. But that only tells part of the story.
Analysts are concerned about how much an ongoing backlash among users, advertisers and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic could slow down a company once viewed as unstoppable.
On-demand experience is entering the workplace
New generation of employees have a thirst for speedy feedback at workplace
Cambridge Analytica, a data firm with ties to President Donald Trump's campaign, accessed information from as many as 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge. The data debacle came to light late in the quarter, meaning the impact may be felt more in the quarters to come.
Brian Wieser, an analyst with Pivotal Research, predicts there will be "an ongoing erosion of usage throughout 2018" due to "reduced trust" and "increasing awareness of toxicity of the platform," among other factors. He also expects marketers to rethink the upsides of advertising on Facebook because of the potential privacy concerns from consumers.
Ives thinks the "worst case scenario" is that as much as $2 billion in ad sales could be "at risk" for the company this year.
So far, Facebook executives have played down concerns. Zuckerberg said an online campaign to delete Facebook has not had a "material impact" on the company. Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said only a "few" marketers have paused their advertising on the platform.
Expect them to be grilled about both points on the earnings call — as well as how much Facebook is spending to make things right.
Zuckerberg has said Facebook will conduct a costly audit of thousands of third-party applications and hire more security and content review staff. The cure could end up being worse than the disease — at least for Facebook's bottom line.
2. Starbucks fallout: Facebook isn't the only company that will have to answer for a major scandal when it reports earnings this week. Starbucks (SBUX) will probably face questions about the uproar around the arrest of two black men who were waiting for a third person at one of the coffee chain's Philadelphia stores. CEO Kevin Johnson said the arrest "should not have happened," and the company has planned racial-bias training for 175,000 employees next month.
Related: Starbucks has a bold plan to address racial bias. Will it work?
3. First quarter US growth: The Commerce Department will release its initial estimates for first-quarter economic growth on Friday, and expectations are pretty low. Analysts surveyed by FactSet are expecting just 2.2%, down from 2.9% at the end of last year. Barclays (BCS) last week cut its forecast to just 1.5%.
This may have something to do with what the San Francisco Fed once called the "puzzle of weak first-quarter GDP growth," suggesting a statistical problem with how the government measures growth early in the year. The problem leads experts to believe that growth could rebound in the following quarters.
But Barclays and others are also predicting low growth because Americans just haven't been spending as much. Consumer confidence hit a 17-year high in February, but retail sales were disappointing in January and February. They picked up a bit in March.
Related: What boom? The economy is off to a 'meh' start to 2018
4. Market calm: The stock market has settled back down.
Wall Street's anxiety about a trade war with China has faded for the moment, allowing investors to focus on healthy corporate profits and the boost from corporate tax cuts.
"It's one of the gifts we get from earnings season," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley FBR.
The Dow gained 0.4% last week, its smallest move in either direction in two months. The S&P had its quietest week since the end of last year. But the market may soon have to worry about an old nemesis: inflation.
Commodities, including oil and aluminum, are spiking, putting pressure on business' costs. Tariffs may be playing a role, too. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury bond, which had been falling as expectations of inflation eased, is back up to a three-year-high of 2.96%.
Related: Fed official worried about recession indicator
5. Tariff and tax impact: Two big trends to watch this earnings season are tariffs and taxes. As first-quarter earnings roll in, watch for what companies have to say about President Trump's tariffs and about the benefits of the corporate tax cut enacted late last year.
A slew of large companies should give us some idea when they report this week: Alphabet (GOOG) and Whirlpool (WHR) are coming on Monday. Caterpillar (CAT), Coca-Cola (KO), Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Verizon (VZ) follow on Tuesday. AT&T (T), Boeing (BA), Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TWTR) report on Wednesday. American Airlines (AAL), General Motors (GM) and PepsiCo (PEP) are on Thursday. And ExxonMobil (XOM) is reporting on Friday.
6. Coming this week:
Monday — Alphabet, Hasbro, Kimberly-Clark and Whirlpool earnings
Tuesday — Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, Jetblue (JBLU), Lockheed Martin, Restaurant Brands (QSR), Southwest, Verizon and Wynn Resorts earnings; Conference Board's consumer confidence index
Wednesday — Boeing, Chipotle, Comcast, Dr Pepper Snapple, Facebook and Twitter earnings
Thursday — American Airlines, Dunkin' Brands, General Motors, PepsiCo, Starbucks and Southwest earnings
Friday — Exxon earnings; Q1 GDP
Palestine files complaint against Israel under anti-racism treaty - Guardian
April 23, 2018
Palestine files complaint against Israel under anti-racism treaty
Exclusive: complaint claims Israel maintains ‘system of discriminatory measures’
Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem
Mon 23 Apr 2018 20.00 AEST Last modified on Mon 23 Apr 2018 20.21 AEST
Palestinian diplomats in Geneva have filed a complaint against Israel for what they say are breaches of its obligations under a UN anti-racism treaty, triggering what may be a lengthy and high-profile investigation.
The complaint, handed in by the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Ibrahim Khraishi, to the body that monitors the implementation of the UN convention, accuses Israel of policies and practices that have “the common aim of displacing and replacing the Palestinian people, for the purpose of maintaining a colonial occupation”.
Violations in the occupied territories, which the complaint defined as the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, sought to maintain “a Jewish demographic majority in the entirety of historic Palestine”, claims the 350-page document, of which the Guardian has seen a summary.
“Not only is the purpose of the settlement regime discriminatory in itself, it is further maintained by a system of discriminatory measures, severely depriving Palestinians of their fundamental rights,” it adds.
Israel ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in 1979 and, Palestine, which gained UN observer state status five years ago, signed in 2014. The submission is believed to be the first interstate complaint filed under the treaty.
The convention is monitored by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a body of 18 independent experts that is now tasked with assessing the complaint.
Although the committee has no enforcement mechanisms, Israel will now be required to submit written explanations within three months, including any remedies it has taken. The committee could then move to investigate the claims.
“It does not reach the level of a court order,” said Ammar Hijazi, from the Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs. But he said a finding that Israel had breached the treaty would oblige other signatories to the convention, which include the US, to “ensure that such practices are not continued”.
The complaint claims Palestinians are severely limited in their freedom of movement compared to Israeli settlers and are subject to “confiscation and seizure” of their land, including home demolitions.
It says Israel violates the right to equal treatment before tribunals by using separate legal systems for Palestinians and settlers, and points to higher maximum sentences for Palestinian defendants.
It claims Israel has violated article 3 of the convention, which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid. “It is clear that Israel’s acts are part of a widespread and oppressive regime that is institutionalised and systematic; that accords separate and unequal treatment to Palestinians,” the summary says, calling for the dismantling of all existing Israeli settlements.
The Guardian has contacted Israel’s ministry of foreign affairs for comment.
All countries are required to submit regular reports to the committee on how rights are being upheld. Israel’s most recent report, presented in 2017, said it condemned all forms of racism and “maintained a consistent policy prohibiting such discrimination”.
Palestine files complaint against Israel under anti-racism treaty
Exclusive: complaint claims Israel maintains ‘system of discriminatory measures’
Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem
Mon 23 Apr 2018 20.00 AEST Last modified on Mon 23 Apr 2018 20.21 AEST
Palestinian diplomats in Geneva have filed a complaint against Israel for what they say are breaches of its obligations under a UN anti-racism treaty, triggering what may be a lengthy and high-profile investigation.
The complaint, handed in by the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Ibrahim Khraishi, to the body that monitors the implementation of the UN convention, accuses Israel of policies and practices that have “the common aim of displacing and replacing the Palestinian people, for the purpose of maintaining a colonial occupation”.
Violations in the occupied territories, which the complaint defined as the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, sought to maintain “a Jewish demographic majority in the entirety of historic Palestine”, claims the 350-page document, of which the Guardian has seen a summary.
“Not only is the purpose of the settlement regime discriminatory in itself, it is further maintained by a system of discriminatory measures, severely depriving Palestinians of their fundamental rights,” it adds.
Israel ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in 1979 and, Palestine, which gained UN observer state status five years ago, signed in 2014. The submission is believed to be the first interstate complaint filed under the treaty.
The convention is monitored by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a body of 18 independent experts that is now tasked with assessing the complaint.
Although the committee has no enforcement mechanisms, Israel will now be required to submit written explanations within three months, including any remedies it has taken. The committee could then move to investigate the claims.
“It does not reach the level of a court order,” said Ammar Hijazi, from the Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs. But he said a finding that Israel had breached the treaty would oblige other signatories to the convention, which include the US, to “ensure that such practices are not continued”.
The complaint claims Palestinians are severely limited in their freedom of movement compared to Israeli settlers and are subject to “confiscation and seizure” of their land, including home demolitions.
It says Israel violates the right to equal treatment before tribunals by using separate legal systems for Palestinians and settlers, and points to higher maximum sentences for Palestinian defendants.
It claims Israel has violated article 3 of the convention, which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid. “It is clear that Israel’s acts are part of a widespread and oppressive regime that is institutionalised and systematic; that accords separate and unequal treatment to Palestinians,” the summary says, calling for the dismantling of all existing Israeli settlements.
The Guardian has contacted Israel’s ministry of foreign affairs for comment.
All countries are required to submit regular reports to the committee on how rights are being upheld. Israel’s most recent report, presented in 2017, said it condemned all forms of racism and “maintained a consistent policy prohibiting such discrimination”.
John Oliver is getting the ultimate revenge on Sean Hannity - Independent
April 23, 2018
John Oliver is getting the ultimate revenge on Sean Hannity
Posted about an hour ago by Greg Evans in news
UPVOTE
Talk show host and political commentator John Oliver have been firmly on the offensive for the past few months.
The 40-year-old has been using his show Last Week Tonight to take very elaborate shots at the Trump administration.
This includes writing and publishing a children's book about a gay rabbit just to troll Mike Pence's book about his family's heterosexual rabbit.
Now he's turned his attention to Donald Trump and his new best friend Sean Hannity, who last week was revealed as the 'mystery client' of Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen.
It was also revealed that Hannity is almost in constant contact with the president and is practically considered to be a White House staff member.
This is problematic for numerous reasons that we won't list in their entirety, but the fact that Trump is potentially getting a lot of his advise from a Fox News journalist is worrying.
Now to the point. Trump has a big decision to make in the next few weeks as by 12 May he will have to rectify the Iran Nuclear Deal.
The deal was struck by the Obama administration in 2015 along with the British, Chinese, Russian, French and German governments and allowed Iran to trade on the open market. In exchange, they would not enrich their uranium to weapons for 15 years.
However, Trump is famously not a fan of the deal and has tweeted about it on more than one occasion.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Iran was on its last legs and ready to collapse until the U.S. came along and gave it a life-line in the form of the Iran Deal: $150 billion
21:39 - 2 Feb 2017
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!
00:25 - 29 Dec 2016
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Never gotten over the fact that Obama was able to send $1.7 Billion Dollars in CASH to Iran and nobody in Congress, the FBI or Justice called for an investigation!
22:02 - 18 Feb 2018
Needless to say, it doesn't look like Trump will be attempting to improve this deal. Furthermore, some of his top advisers, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton and - you guessed it - Sean Hannity aren't supporters of it either.
Noticing that there could be a problem here, Oliver has stepped in and is attempting to sway Trump's decision with an advert that will run during Hannity's show in the DC area, which Trump watches religiously.
Oliver said:
Two of Trump’s top advisers are, like him, dead set against this deal, and they’re getting backup from Sean Hannity, whose show the president watches so much, advisers refer to him as the ‘shadow chief of staff'.
Hannity hates this deal too, so there is not really a way for us to get a moderating voice into this conversation short of buying time on Hannity’s show this week and running an ad like this.
Cut to an ad of Catheter Cowboy, a recurring character on the show, interrupting a family meal to explain why protecting the Iran deal is actually a pretty good idea for most of mankind.
John Oliver is getting the ultimate revenge on Sean Hannity
Posted about an hour ago by Greg Evans in news
UPVOTE
Talk show host and political commentator John Oliver have been firmly on the offensive for the past few months.
The 40-year-old has been using his show Last Week Tonight to take very elaborate shots at the Trump administration.
This includes writing and publishing a children's book about a gay rabbit just to troll Mike Pence's book about his family's heterosexual rabbit.
Now he's turned his attention to Donald Trump and his new best friend Sean Hannity, who last week was revealed as the 'mystery client' of Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen.
It was also revealed that Hannity is almost in constant contact with the president and is practically considered to be a White House staff member.
This is problematic for numerous reasons that we won't list in their entirety, but the fact that Trump is potentially getting a lot of his advise from a Fox News journalist is worrying.
Now to the point. Trump has a big decision to make in the next few weeks as by 12 May he will have to rectify the Iran Nuclear Deal.
The deal was struck by the Obama administration in 2015 along with the British, Chinese, Russian, French and German governments and allowed Iran to trade on the open market. In exchange, they would not enrich their uranium to weapons for 15 years.
However, Trump is famously not a fan of the deal and has tweeted about it on more than one occasion.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Iran was on its last legs and ready to collapse until the U.S. came along and gave it a life-line in the form of the Iran Deal: $150 billion
21:39 - 2 Feb 2017
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!
00:25 - 29 Dec 2016
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Never gotten over the fact that Obama was able to send $1.7 Billion Dollars in CASH to Iran and nobody in Congress, the FBI or Justice called for an investigation!
22:02 - 18 Feb 2018
Needless to say, it doesn't look like Trump will be attempting to improve this deal. Furthermore, some of his top advisers, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton and - you guessed it - Sean Hannity aren't supporters of it either.
Noticing that there could be a problem here, Oliver has stepped in and is attempting to sway Trump's decision with an advert that will run during Hannity's show in the DC area, which Trump watches religiously.
Oliver said:
Two of Trump’s top advisers are, like him, dead set against this deal, and they’re getting backup from Sean Hannity, whose show the president watches so much, advisers refer to him as the ‘shadow chief of staff'.
Hannity hates this deal too, so there is not really a way for us to get a moderating voice into this conversation short of buying time on Hannity’s show this week and running an ad like this.
Cut to an ad of Catheter Cowboy, a recurring character on the show, interrupting a family meal to explain why protecting the Iran deal is actually a pretty good idea for most of mankind.
Nikki Haley's "I don't get confused" comment captures attention- CBS News
April 21, 2018, 11:41 AM
Nikki Haley's "I don't get confused" comment captures attention
NEW YORK — The public split between the White House and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley this week over Russia sanctions threw a spotlight on her at-times uneasy relationship with President Donald Trump, even as her deft rebuttal bolstered talk about her own future political fortunes.
Haley's rejoinder to a putdown from a close Trump adviser about message confusion — she declared that "I don't get confused" — was seized as a rallying cry among some women and echoed the audacity the former governor displayed while upending the old boys' club in the South Carolina Statehouse. But the episode also called into question her standing on Mr. Trump's national security team ahead of tough decisions on North Korea, Iran and other fronts.
"What distinguishes her from the star-struck sycophants in the White House is that she understands the intersection of strong leadership and public service, where great things happen," said Rob Godfrey, a spokesman for Haley when she was governor.
Haley, now considered to be on the shortlist of future presidential candidates, has consistently taken a harder line than Mr. Trump on Russia. While that, at times, has drawn Trump's ire, her hawkishness on other occasions has been appreciated by the president, who has allowed her to reprimand Moscow while he works toward a friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
That dynamic broke down this week. Trump was angry Sunday when he saw Haley on television discussing new Russia sanctions that she said would be announced the next day. He blasted her for being out of step with the rest of the administration, according to two White House officials. They were not authorized to discuss private conversations and commented only on condition of anonymity.
Despite Haley's comments, which she made on CBS News' "Face the Nation," no new sanctions were imposed.
Asked for an explanation, Larry Kudlow, the president's new economic adviser, told reporters that Haley "got ahead of the curve" and he added, "She's a very effective ambassador, but there might have been some momentary confusion about that."
The next day, Haley hit back, releasing a statement to Fox News that read: "With all due respect, I don't get confused."
Kudlow apologized but Haley's differences with the White House had already pushed into the open.
At the United Nations, responding to a shouted question about her relationship with the president, she simply said, "It's perfect." But the White House was left scrambling to explain.
Haley's allies insist she always consults with the West Wing, and sometimes the president personally, before speaking publicly. White House officials said the plan about the sanctions changed after she was briefed and she wasn't told before she went on television. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin further muddled the narrative Thursday when he told Fox Business Network that the administration "refined the strategy after Nikki made that announcement."
He said, "She wasn't left twisting in the wind, this was a fluid situation, the decision changed."
Haley's pushback struck a chord, becoming something of an instant feminist motto in the way it rebelled against what some saw as a patronizing comment from a powerful man. The words carried additional resonance considering Haley's place as one of the few prominent women in Mr. Trump's inner circle. Her comment was compared in some quarters to the way Sen. Elizabeth Warren had appropriated "Nevertheless, she persisted" as a rallying cry after the remark was delivered by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after he tried to silence Warren on the Senate floor last year.
"I feel sorry for Nikki Haley," said former Secretary of State Madeline Albright. "She has been very tough up there making points. She makes very clear that she's representing the president. And all of a sudden she's put into this ridiculous situation of looking as though she is out there by herself on something."
Mr. Trump has vented to confidants about the media attention the dustup has received, but he hasn't given any signal that he wants to dismiss his ambassador, according to White House officials and outside advisers. Her footing on Mr. Trump's revamped national security team remains unclear: She is tight with Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo, but lost an ally when H.R. McMaster was replaced by John Bolton as national security adviser.
All the attention has restarted some wary West Wing whispers about Haley's ultimate goals.
Her rebuttal stood in stark contrast to the conduct of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who largely remained silent when they were undermined by Trump. She did not support Mr. Trump in her state's primary election, was viewed by many as gunning for Tillerson's job last fall, and has been floated by some Republicans as a possible running mate for Pence if he makes his own White House run.
One West Wing aide joked recently that the only question was if Haley's name would appear on a ballot in 2020 or 2024.
And on Tuesday, her office mistakenly blasted an email containing a series of press clippings that mention Haley — a message meant for the ambassador herself — to a number of journalists. Among the headlines highlighted, one cited MSNBC "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough and read, "Scarborough: Nikki Haley would beat Donald Trump if she ran in 2020 GOP primary."
"She has an incredibly bright future and will be a major player for the Republican Party in the years ahead," said Newt Gingrich, former House speaker and informal Trump ally. "I think she's a future secretary of state and vice president. And remember: this president learns a lot from television. She is a remarkably effective presence for the United States of America on television and the president likes that."
Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, grew up enduring racist taunts during her childhood in a small South Carolina town. She is accustomed to defying political expectations.
In her first campaign in 2004, she defeated the longest-serving member of South Carolina's House. One of only a handful of women in the Legislature, she showed the tough political skin she said was needed to make political progress.
"I don't know how to be intimidated," she declared.
She faced her biggest challenge in 2015, when a self-avowed white supremacist gunned down nine black worshippers in a Charleston church. Haley sat front-and-center for weeks at the funerals and later backed removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse grounds, where it had flown for more than 50 years.
Says former spokesman Godfrey: "She's not afraid to stand up to people who are bullies, whether it's a thug dictator on the next continent, or it's a thug state senator in the next county."
___
Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Additional reporting by Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Catherine Lucey in Washington and Edith Lederer at the United Nations.
Nikki Haley's "I don't get confused" comment captures attention
NEW YORK — The public split between the White House and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley this week over Russia sanctions threw a spotlight on her at-times uneasy relationship with President Donald Trump, even as her deft rebuttal bolstered talk about her own future political fortunes.
Haley's rejoinder to a putdown from a close Trump adviser about message confusion — she declared that "I don't get confused" — was seized as a rallying cry among some women and echoed the audacity the former governor displayed while upending the old boys' club in the South Carolina Statehouse. But the episode also called into question her standing on Mr. Trump's national security team ahead of tough decisions on North Korea, Iran and other fronts.
"What distinguishes her from the star-struck sycophants in the White House is that she understands the intersection of strong leadership and public service, where great things happen," said Rob Godfrey, a spokesman for Haley when she was governor.
Haley, now considered to be on the shortlist of future presidential candidates, has consistently taken a harder line than Mr. Trump on Russia. While that, at times, has drawn Trump's ire, her hawkishness on other occasions has been appreciated by the president, who has allowed her to reprimand Moscow while he works toward a friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
That dynamic broke down this week. Trump was angry Sunday when he saw Haley on television discussing new Russia sanctions that she said would be announced the next day. He blasted her for being out of step with the rest of the administration, according to two White House officials. They were not authorized to discuss private conversations and commented only on condition of anonymity.
Despite Haley's comments, which she made on CBS News' "Face the Nation," no new sanctions were imposed.
Asked for an explanation, Larry Kudlow, the president's new economic adviser, told reporters that Haley "got ahead of the curve" and he added, "She's a very effective ambassador, but there might have been some momentary confusion about that."
The next day, Haley hit back, releasing a statement to Fox News that read: "With all due respect, I don't get confused."
Kudlow apologized but Haley's differences with the White House had already pushed into the open.
At the United Nations, responding to a shouted question about her relationship with the president, she simply said, "It's perfect." But the White House was left scrambling to explain.
Haley's allies insist she always consults with the West Wing, and sometimes the president personally, before speaking publicly. White House officials said the plan about the sanctions changed after she was briefed and she wasn't told before she went on television. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin further muddled the narrative Thursday when he told Fox Business Network that the administration "refined the strategy after Nikki made that announcement."
He said, "She wasn't left twisting in the wind, this was a fluid situation, the decision changed."
Haley's pushback struck a chord, becoming something of an instant feminist motto in the way it rebelled against what some saw as a patronizing comment from a powerful man. The words carried additional resonance considering Haley's place as one of the few prominent women in Mr. Trump's inner circle. Her comment was compared in some quarters to the way Sen. Elizabeth Warren had appropriated "Nevertheless, she persisted" as a rallying cry after the remark was delivered by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after he tried to silence Warren on the Senate floor last year.
"I feel sorry for Nikki Haley," said former Secretary of State Madeline Albright. "She has been very tough up there making points. She makes very clear that she's representing the president. And all of a sudden she's put into this ridiculous situation of looking as though she is out there by herself on something."
Mr. Trump has vented to confidants about the media attention the dustup has received, but he hasn't given any signal that he wants to dismiss his ambassador, according to White House officials and outside advisers. Her footing on Mr. Trump's revamped national security team remains unclear: She is tight with Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo, but lost an ally when H.R. McMaster was replaced by John Bolton as national security adviser.
All the attention has restarted some wary West Wing whispers about Haley's ultimate goals.
Her rebuttal stood in stark contrast to the conduct of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who largely remained silent when they were undermined by Trump. She did not support Mr. Trump in her state's primary election, was viewed by many as gunning for Tillerson's job last fall, and has been floated by some Republicans as a possible running mate for Pence if he makes his own White House run.
One West Wing aide joked recently that the only question was if Haley's name would appear on a ballot in 2020 or 2024.
And on Tuesday, her office mistakenly blasted an email containing a series of press clippings that mention Haley — a message meant for the ambassador herself — to a number of journalists. Among the headlines highlighted, one cited MSNBC "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough and read, "Scarborough: Nikki Haley would beat Donald Trump if she ran in 2020 GOP primary."
"She has an incredibly bright future and will be a major player for the Republican Party in the years ahead," said Newt Gingrich, former House speaker and informal Trump ally. "I think she's a future secretary of state and vice president. And remember: this president learns a lot from television. She is a remarkably effective presence for the United States of America on television and the president likes that."
Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, grew up enduring racist taunts during her childhood in a small South Carolina town. She is accustomed to defying political expectations.
In her first campaign in 2004, she defeated the longest-serving member of South Carolina's House. One of only a handful of women in the Legislature, she showed the tough political skin she said was needed to make political progress.
"I don't know how to be intimidated," she declared.
She faced her biggest challenge in 2015, when a self-avowed white supremacist gunned down nine black worshippers in a Charleston church. Haley sat front-and-center for weeks at the funerals and later backed removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse grounds, where it had flown for more than 50 years.
Says former spokesman Godfrey: "She's not afraid to stand up to people who are bullies, whether it's a thug dictator on the next continent, or it's a thug state senator in the next county."
___
Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Additional reporting by Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Catherine Lucey in Washington and Edith Lederer at the United Nations.
Michael Bloomberg Pledged $4.5 Million to Uphold U.S. Commitment to the Paris Agreement - TIME
Michael Bloomberg Pledged $4.5 Million to Uphold U.S. Commitment to the Paris Agreement
Michael Bloomberg in Washington, D.C. on April 19, 2018.
By ELI MEIXLER 5:48 AM EDT
Michael Bloomberg has pledged $4.5 million to support the Paris climate agreement, as the administration of President Donald Trump retreats from the landmark accord.
The billionaire philanthropist and former New York City mayor announced on CBS’ Face the Nation Sunday that his personal donation would contribute to meeting America’s commitment to the pact.
“America made a commitment and as an American if the government’s not going to do it we all have responsibility,” Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg, who has been a vocal critic of President Trump’s climate policy, said that the U.S. was currently acting as “part of the problem” under the Trump administration. “America is a big part of the solution and we should go in and help the world stop a potential disaster,” he added.
Last year, the Trump administration announced its intention to withdraw from the pact, but hinted that the U.S. could honor its pledge if the agreement was renegotiated to better benefit American workers.
Michael Bloomberg in Washington, D.C. on April 19, 2018.
By ELI MEIXLER 5:48 AM EDT
Michael Bloomberg has pledged $4.5 million to support the Paris climate agreement, as the administration of President Donald Trump retreats from the landmark accord.
The billionaire philanthropist and former New York City mayor announced on CBS’ Face the Nation Sunday that his personal donation would contribute to meeting America’s commitment to the pact.
“America made a commitment and as an American if the government’s not going to do it we all have responsibility,” Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg, who has been a vocal critic of President Trump’s climate policy, said that the U.S. was currently acting as “part of the problem” under the Trump administration. “America is a big part of the solution and we should go in and help the world stop a potential disaster,” he added.
Last year, the Trump administration announced its intention to withdraw from the pact, but hinted that the U.S. could honor its pledge if the agreement was renegotiated to better benefit American workers.
The US is losing an unassailable $600 billion trade case - CNBC News
April 22, 2018
The US is losing an unassailable $600 billion trade case
With their growing surpluses on American trades, China, Japan and the European Union are defying U.S. trade policies — and getting away with it.
China says it is "locked and loaded" to "fight to the end" on its trade issues with the U.S.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's upcoming visit to Washington should be used to make an example-setting deal for a new architecture of fair and reciprocal trade.
Dr. Michael Ivanovitch | @msiglobal9
CNBC.com
Before coming to Florida last week to talk trade, plan out East Asian security and play a round of golf, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kicked off in Tokyo a series of meetings with China's visiting State Councillor Wang Yi.
The meetings were set to strengthen the Sino-Japanese "strategic relationship of mutual benefit," to expand a $300 billion bilateral trade and to increase further the flow of 7.3 million Chinese visitors to Japan.
Abe also welcomed the impending visit to Japan of China's Premier Li Keqiang to (a) set up a trilateral free trade area with China and South Korea, (b) conclude the agreement on an East Asian Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, (c) join China's erstwhile shunned Belt and Road infrastructure projects, (d) promote multilateral trade and (e) fight trade protectionism.
Clear messages, aren't they?
And then, while in Florida, Abe insisted on keeping the U.S.-Japan trade in a broad multilateral framework, fearing that President Donald Trump's preference for a bilateral deal would make a big dent in Japan's $68.8 billion trade surplus on American trades.
China should golf instead of spoiling for a fight
Promising to Trump an "honest trade relationship," Abe asked him to include Pyongyang's short- and medium-range missiles in the forthcoming disarmament negotiations, and to get back to Japan the people North Koreans allegedly abducted.
I wonder whether he also told Trump that Japan's high-ranking officials from foreign, defense and other government agencies were conducting consultations in Sendai, Japan last Thursday and Friday with their Chinese counterparts on contested maritime borders in the South China Sea. That comes close on the heels of a similar meeting in Shanghai last December, showing that a Sino-Japanese "strategic relationship of mutual benefit" may be heating up while Tokyo feels secure under the U.S. defense umbrella and enjoys full access to American markets.
China is not interested in the bourgeois game of golfing. No, Beijing says it is "locked and loaded" to retaliate and "fight to the end" in what it sees as an unfolding "trade war" with America.
That is an interesting negotiating posture for a country that ran a $375 billion trade surplus with the U.S. last year. And this year could be much worse. The American trade deficit with China in January and February was running at an annual rate of $391.2 billion — a 20 percent increase over the same period of 2017.
In spite of that, there is nothing in China's official statements to indicate that Beijing intends to bring those surpluses down. One can only see a belligerent defiance, promises to open up, to cling to multilateral trade and to pursue a "win-win cooperation."
Will Washington settle for that? Or is Trump ready to make good on his promise to give China a pass on trade for help with North Korean nukes?
Merkel for a Mar-a-Lago weekend
If true, that would be a huge mistake. There are no trade offs here. Beijing will not sell North Korea down the river in exchange for Trump's leniency on large, and growing, trade deficits with China. And neither will China suffocate Pyongyang for Washington's favors, whatever those might be.
Pyongyang said it is suspending nuclear and ballistic missile tests on a site that had reportedly become unusable. It also claims that no further tests are necessary — presumably for now. What will follow — if all goes well — is a long negotiating process where China will support North Korea's demands for iron-clad security guarantees and the dismantling of the sanctions regime in exchange for gradual measures of nuclear disarmament.
There are no ultimatums for quick fixes here. There is only a devilishly difficult, long and uncertain high-stakes bargaining among actors deeply suspicious of each other's sincerity and intentions.
But let's get back to the trade issue. Even on a heroic assumption that the expected U.S.-North Korean summit, midwifed by China, is a resounding success, Washington still could not ignore the size and the pace of increase of its trade deficit with Beijing.
The European Union, for its part, is also threatening retaliations in spite of a $151.4 billion trade surplus with the U.S. last year.
The silver lining is that German Chancellor Angela Merkel knows better. She dispatched her vice chancellor to Washington last week to talk trade and prepare the ground for her one-day visit to the White House on Friday, April 27.
Trump would do well to show more understanding for EU trades and more warmth for Merkel. About one-fifth of American exports go to the EU. In January and February, the U.S. sales to the EU were growing at an annual rate of 9 percent — while falling 1.5 percent to China. Over the same period, American exports to Germany soared 12 percent.
Germany may not oblige its estranged cousin Trump with Chevys on its autobahns, but show more courtesy and extend Merkel's Friday visit for a Mar-a-Lago weekend, and you might see a flood of sun-starved Germans to Florida. Also, keep in mind that Germans believe "alte Liebe rostet nicht" – old love does not rust.
Investment thoughts
China, Japan and the EU are defying Trump's trade policies — and are getting away with it. Last year, on Trump's watch, they ran a combined $595.4 billion surplus on their American trades — a 5.8 percent increase from 2016.
And things are now getting worse. With the U.S. domestic demand revving up a bit, America's trade gap this year could be much wider. In January and February, the U.S. trade deficit with those three large economic systems, accounting for about 40 percent of world's demand and output, was running at an annual rate of $612.3 billion, a 3 percent increase from the same period of 2017.
What can Washington do?
First, stop threatening. But do make sure that everybody understands the U.S. won't be the dumping ground of the world, with systematic losses of wealth, jobs and proprietary technology.
Second, make a deal with Germany to cut U.S. trade deficits by boosting American exports to the EU while replacing a significant part of imports with products generated by European companies in their U.S. production facilities.
Japan would follow suit by stepping up supplies from its U.S.-based manufacturing outlets. But whether Tokyo will open up its markets to American goods and services will depend on Washington's implementation of rules of reciprocity.
Third, watching all this, China would understand that it has to cooperate, provided Washington stops linking strategic security issues with what Beijing should normally do as a responsible world trader.
Remember, the Chinese realize that no trade concession on their part can wish away acute U.S.-China questions, such as Taiwan, contested maritime borders in the South China Sea, the sequels to the Korean War and "strategically competitive" issues in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
Talk reciprocal nickels and dimes with Beijing, and make sure that the people we call our friends and allies are following the same approach. The U.S. can't have monumental trade issues with China while its closest allies are flocking to Beijing for lucrative "golden era" relationships. If that continues, Washington will be left holding the bag.
The Chinese are in an untenable situation where they live off their main trade partners while advocating globalization, multilateralism and the empty shell of "win-win cooperation." If they continue on that path, they will discredit China's remarkable achievements accomplished over decades of hard and smart work to save, produce and sell to willing buyers around the world.
Commentary by Michael Ivanovitch, an independent analyst focusing on world economy, geopolitics and investment strategy. He served as a senior economist at the OECD in Paris, international economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and taught economics at Columbia Business School.
The US is losing an unassailable $600 billion trade case
With their growing surpluses on American trades, China, Japan and the European Union are defying U.S. trade policies — and getting away with it.
China says it is "locked and loaded" to "fight to the end" on its trade issues with the U.S.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's upcoming visit to Washington should be used to make an example-setting deal for a new architecture of fair and reciprocal trade.
Dr. Michael Ivanovitch | @msiglobal9
CNBC.com
Before coming to Florida last week to talk trade, plan out East Asian security and play a round of golf, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kicked off in Tokyo a series of meetings with China's visiting State Councillor Wang Yi.
The meetings were set to strengthen the Sino-Japanese "strategic relationship of mutual benefit," to expand a $300 billion bilateral trade and to increase further the flow of 7.3 million Chinese visitors to Japan.
Abe also welcomed the impending visit to Japan of China's Premier Li Keqiang to (a) set up a trilateral free trade area with China and South Korea, (b) conclude the agreement on an East Asian Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, (c) join China's erstwhile shunned Belt and Road infrastructure projects, (d) promote multilateral trade and (e) fight trade protectionism.
Clear messages, aren't they?
And then, while in Florida, Abe insisted on keeping the U.S.-Japan trade in a broad multilateral framework, fearing that President Donald Trump's preference for a bilateral deal would make a big dent in Japan's $68.8 billion trade surplus on American trades.
China should golf instead of spoiling for a fight
Promising to Trump an "honest trade relationship," Abe asked him to include Pyongyang's short- and medium-range missiles in the forthcoming disarmament negotiations, and to get back to Japan the people North Koreans allegedly abducted.
I wonder whether he also told Trump that Japan's high-ranking officials from foreign, defense and other government agencies were conducting consultations in Sendai, Japan last Thursday and Friday with their Chinese counterparts on contested maritime borders in the South China Sea. That comes close on the heels of a similar meeting in Shanghai last December, showing that a Sino-Japanese "strategic relationship of mutual benefit" may be heating up while Tokyo feels secure under the U.S. defense umbrella and enjoys full access to American markets.
China is not interested in the bourgeois game of golfing. No, Beijing says it is "locked and loaded" to retaliate and "fight to the end" in what it sees as an unfolding "trade war" with America.
That is an interesting negotiating posture for a country that ran a $375 billion trade surplus with the U.S. last year. And this year could be much worse. The American trade deficit with China in January and February was running at an annual rate of $391.2 billion — a 20 percent increase over the same period of 2017.
In spite of that, there is nothing in China's official statements to indicate that Beijing intends to bring those surpluses down. One can only see a belligerent defiance, promises to open up, to cling to multilateral trade and to pursue a "win-win cooperation."
Will Washington settle for that? Or is Trump ready to make good on his promise to give China a pass on trade for help with North Korean nukes?
Merkel for a Mar-a-Lago weekend
If true, that would be a huge mistake. There are no trade offs here. Beijing will not sell North Korea down the river in exchange for Trump's leniency on large, and growing, trade deficits with China. And neither will China suffocate Pyongyang for Washington's favors, whatever those might be.
Pyongyang said it is suspending nuclear and ballistic missile tests on a site that had reportedly become unusable. It also claims that no further tests are necessary — presumably for now. What will follow — if all goes well — is a long negotiating process where China will support North Korea's demands for iron-clad security guarantees and the dismantling of the sanctions regime in exchange for gradual measures of nuclear disarmament.
There are no ultimatums for quick fixes here. There is only a devilishly difficult, long and uncertain high-stakes bargaining among actors deeply suspicious of each other's sincerity and intentions.
But let's get back to the trade issue. Even on a heroic assumption that the expected U.S.-North Korean summit, midwifed by China, is a resounding success, Washington still could not ignore the size and the pace of increase of its trade deficit with Beijing.
The European Union, for its part, is also threatening retaliations in spite of a $151.4 billion trade surplus with the U.S. last year.
The silver lining is that German Chancellor Angela Merkel knows better. She dispatched her vice chancellor to Washington last week to talk trade and prepare the ground for her one-day visit to the White House on Friday, April 27.
Trump would do well to show more understanding for EU trades and more warmth for Merkel. About one-fifth of American exports go to the EU. In January and February, the U.S. sales to the EU were growing at an annual rate of 9 percent — while falling 1.5 percent to China. Over the same period, American exports to Germany soared 12 percent.
Germany may not oblige its estranged cousin Trump with Chevys on its autobahns, but show more courtesy and extend Merkel's Friday visit for a Mar-a-Lago weekend, and you might see a flood of sun-starved Germans to Florida. Also, keep in mind that Germans believe "alte Liebe rostet nicht" – old love does not rust.
Investment thoughts
China, Japan and the EU are defying Trump's trade policies — and are getting away with it. Last year, on Trump's watch, they ran a combined $595.4 billion surplus on their American trades — a 5.8 percent increase from 2016.
And things are now getting worse. With the U.S. domestic demand revving up a bit, America's trade gap this year could be much wider. In January and February, the U.S. trade deficit with those three large economic systems, accounting for about 40 percent of world's demand and output, was running at an annual rate of $612.3 billion, a 3 percent increase from the same period of 2017.
What can Washington do?
First, stop threatening. But do make sure that everybody understands the U.S. won't be the dumping ground of the world, with systematic losses of wealth, jobs and proprietary technology.
Second, make a deal with Germany to cut U.S. trade deficits by boosting American exports to the EU while replacing a significant part of imports with products generated by European companies in their U.S. production facilities.
Japan would follow suit by stepping up supplies from its U.S.-based manufacturing outlets. But whether Tokyo will open up its markets to American goods and services will depend on Washington's implementation of rules of reciprocity.
Third, watching all this, China would understand that it has to cooperate, provided Washington stops linking strategic security issues with what Beijing should normally do as a responsible world trader.
Remember, the Chinese realize that no trade concession on their part can wish away acute U.S.-China questions, such as Taiwan, contested maritime borders in the South China Sea, the sequels to the Korean War and "strategically competitive" issues in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
Talk reciprocal nickels and dimes with Beijing, and make sure that the people we call our friends and allies are following the same approach. The U.S. can't have monumental trade issues with China while its closest allies are flocking to Beijing for lucrative "golden era" relationships. If that continues, Washington will be left holding the bag.
The Chinese are in an untenable situation where they live off their main trade partners while advocating globalization, multilateralism and the empty shell of "win-win cooperation." If they continue on that path, they will discredit China's remarkable achievements accomplished over decades of hard and smart work to save, produce and sell to willing buyers around the world.
Commentary by Michael Ivanovitch, an independent analyst focusing on world economy, geopolitics and investment strategy. He served as a senior economist at the OECD in Paris, international economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and taught economics at Columbia Business School.
TSB apologises after customers complain of online banking 'data breach' Some customers say they can view other people’s accounts through app after bank completes technology upgrade - Independent
April 23, 2018
TSB apologises after customers complain of online banking 'data breach'
Some customers say they can view other people’s accounts through app after bank completes technology upgrade
Ben Chapman @b_c_chapman
The bank said it was 'working as hard and as fast as we can to get these up and running' PA
TSB has apologised to customers who could not access their accounts through the company’s app and online banking service on Sunday night and Monday morning.
A number of customers complained of a "data breach" and said that they were able to view other people’s account information through the app.
The problems came after TSB carried out planned upgrade work to its technology over the weekend. The bank had warned that some services would not be available from 4pm on Friday to 6pm on Sunday but customers found that problems persisted beyond this, leaving them locked out of their accounts.
Major companies pull advertising from Facebook over data breach
One customer told the BBC that he had been credited with a large sum of money that was not his once he managed to get back into the app.
“My balance, because of my overdraft, is in minus, but my balance was showing at £13,000,” said Laim McKenzie, from Paisley in Scotland.
In a statement on Monday morning, TSB said that there were still “intermittent issues” with its mobile and online banking services and that it was “working as hard and as fast as we can to get these up and running”.
TSB customers will be able to access accounts using an eye scanner
UK retail banks’ reputation improves but RBS, TSB and HSBC lag
Questions of Cash: 'Our TSB dividends seem to have disappeared'
Don't blunt our sharp teeth, warns TSB boss Paul Pester
The announcement came after TSB's social media team faced a series of complaints from customers on Sunday evening.
Craig Malcom tweeted: “TSB I currently have access to £20k+ of other peoples money.
“I suggest somebody answers the phones as iv been on hold for 45 minutes!
“This is a MASSIVE breach of data protection! If i have access to their account they could have to mine as well!”
bex
@Bec_701
.@TSB so go to my app and have someone else’s accounts there!!!! Serious dpa breach! Want to speak to someone now and a half an hour wait!! What would the FCA say about this!!! Might just inform them a bank is giving away other people’s account numbers
4:06 AM - Apr 23, 2018
Another Twitter user called Bex wrote: “@TSB so go to my app and have someone else's accounts there!!!! Serious dpa (Data Protection Act) breach!”
“Want to speak to someone now and a half an hour wait!! What would the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) say about this!!! Might just inform them a bank is giving away other people's account numbers.”
The problems apparently stemmed from a switch to a new online banking system. TSB had rented the technology behind its app and online banking from Lloyds Banking Group since the two companies split. Over the weekend, TSB moved customers to a new platform which experienced some teething problems.
TSB apologises after customers complain of online banking 'data breach'
Some customers say they can view other people’s accounts through app after bank completes technology upgrade
Ben Chapman @b_c_chapman
The bank said it was 'working as hard and as fast as we can to get these up and running' PA
TSB has apologised to customers who could not access their accounts through the company’s app and online banking service on Sunday night and Monday morning.
A number of customers complained of a "data breach" and said that they were able to view other people’s account information through the app.
The problems came after TSB carried out planned upgrade work to its technology over the weekend. The bank had warned that some services would not be available from 4pm on Friday to 6pm on Sunday but customers found that problems persisted beyond this, leaving them locked out of their accounts.
Major companies pull advertising from Facebook over data breach
One customer told the BBC that he had been credited with a large sum of money that was not his once he managed to get back into the app.
“My balance, because of my overdraft, is in minus, but my balance was showing at £13,000,” said Laim McKenzie, from Paisley in Scotland.
In a statement on Monday morning, TSB said that there were still “intermittent issues” with its mobile and online banking services and that it was “working as hard and as fast as we can to get these up and running”.
TSB customers will be able to access accounts using an eye scanner
UK retail banks’ reputation improves but RBS, TSB and HSBC lag
Questions of Cash: 'Our TSB dividends seem to have disappeared'
Don't blunt our sharp teeth, warns TSB boss Paul Pester
The announcement came after TSB's social media team faced a series of complaints from customers on Sunday evening.
Craig Malcom tweeted: “TSB I currently have access to £20k+ of other peoples money.
“I suggest somebody answers the phones as iv been on hold for 45 minutes!
“This is a MASSIVE breach of data protection! If i have access to their account they could have to mine as well!”
bex
@Bec_701
.@TSB so go to my app and have someone else’s accounts there!!!! Serious dpa breach! Want to speak to someone now and a half an hour wait!! What would the FCA say about this!!! Might just inform them a bank is giving away other people’s account numbers
4:06 AM - Apr 23, 2018
Another Twitter user called Bex wrote: “@TSB so go to my app and have someone else's accounts there!!!! Serious dpa (Data Protection Act) breach!”
“Want to speak to someone now and a half an hour wait!! What would the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) say about this!!! Might just inform them a bank is giving away other people's account numbers.”
The problems apparently stemmed from a switch to a new online banking system. TSB had rented the technology behind its app and online banking from Lloyds Banking Group since the two companies split. Over the weekend, TSB moved customers to a new platform which experienced some teething problems.
Millennial millionaire: The 8 steps I took to make my first million - CNBC News
Millennial millionaire: The 8 steps I took to make my first million
Bryan M. Kuderna, Contributor 4:12 PM ET Fri, 16 Feb 2018
Since releasing my 2015 book "Millennial Millionaire," I have enjoyed speaking alongside icons of the business world and sharing my advice on all things related to money. As fun as this journey has been, I realized there never was a chance to look in the rear-view mirror, a habit this usually forward-thinking millennial happens to frown upon.
Then, during a recent radio interview with Forbes host Gregg Stebben, he put me on the spot by simply asking, "How did you do it?"
So enough of the grandiose wisdom of macroeconomics and high-flying business heroes. Here are the eight steps a twenty-something took to make his first million!
Graduate college fast
I entered college in 2005 at The University of Tampa. Despite attending four different colleges, I met my goal of graduating in four years from The College of New Jersey in 2009 with a BS in Finance and a minor in Economics.
Walking into a career in insurance and investment advising three days after graduation gave me a huge head start on my peers and, of course, it eliminated the need for more student loans.
Be an entrepreneur
The subtitle to my book, "A Guide to Becoming a Millionaire by 30," has provoked the hardest question I've been asked over the past two years: Is there a prerequisite? The honest truth is yes, and the prerequisite is capital. Without an advanced degree, the most common way I've seen to generate a high early income is sales and/or entrepreneurship.
Only three days after graduating from college, I jumped headlong into a position as a financial sales representative. The first two years were a real struggle, long hours and low income based 100 percent on commission. Coming from a family that relied on a steady paycheck (my dad worked for the army and my mom was a paralegal), this volatility caused a lot of friction on the home front. My parents couldn't understand my working crazy hours, studying for so many licenses, and then hardly getting by.
But I believed the hard work would pay off and began building my own practice right out of the gate.
Here's how this college grad saved $47,000 Here's how this college grad saved $47,000
Live at home
Recognizing that capital is the precursor to wealth, a financial plan becomes feasible by either earning more or saving more. A combination of the two provides the best odds. You might land a great job out of school only to watch much of your early earnings go to rent and living expenses. I lived at home until age 25, which made a nice income seem enormous.
For the first six months of my career I did nothing but put money in the bank. This allowed me to zero out my credit cards every single month. One of my proudest achievements is never paying a penny of interest while collecting some nice rewards along the way.
By age 24, my income, generated by financial advising, began to surpass that of most of my peers. From there it snowballed almost month by month as I accumulated more clients and bigger accounts. I parlayed these earnings into the same investments and financial planning strategies I teach my clients and watched my wealth grow. I added book royalties and speaking gigs on top of my day-to-day job as a CFP.
With some real estate thrown in during the second half of my 20's, I made my million during my 29th year!
The definitive guide to retirement savings plans The definitive guide to retirement savings plans
Fund the 401(k) to the match
After my first year of employment, I was eligible for a 3 percent company match on my 401(k) contributions. I immediately began investing 3 percent of my compensation to the Roth 401(k) option, allocated to 100 percent equities. This quickly went from 3 percent to the IRS maximum after the next three steps were met.
Buy individual disability insurance
Knowing that income is the engine which makes any financial plan run, I purchased the maximum amount of "True Own Occupation" disability insurance with options to increase throughout my career. I've since added a second individual policy and maxed out our Group Long-Term Disability. This makes me feel invincible.
Tony Robbins shares why being a millennial homeowner isn't the smartest move Here's how Tony Robbins suggests millennials approach buying homes
Buy real estate
With capital at my disposal and the leverage of a conventional mortgage, I bought my first property at age 25. Such a large purchase was a frightening progression, but, like anything else in life, you adapt and continue moving forward. Two more properties have since been added, which yield additional rental cash flow while paying off my mortgages.
Open a brokerage account
Once I settled into home ownership and restored my "rainy day fund" to adequate levels, I searched for greater return on my money. A moderately allocated, tax-sensitive ETF account allowed for growth opportunity without sacrificing much liquidity. Any extra, un-earmarked funds quickly find their way here.
By no means are these steps direct recommendations for the masses; they're a biographical sketch of my 20's. Your goal might be $100k, $1 million, or even $1 billion. But I hope a look behind the curtain at a CFP and fellow millennial might help you make the most of your early years.
Bryan M. Kuderna is a CFP, Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow, and Investment Adviser Representative with Kuderna Financial Team, a New Jersey based financial services firm. He is the author of the best-selling book, "Millennial Millionaire: A Guide to Become a Millionaire by 30."
Bryan M. Kuderna, Contributor 4:12 PM ET Fri, 16 Feb 2018
Since releasing my 2015 book "Millennial Millionaire," I have enjoyed speaking alongside icons of the business world and sharing my advice on all things related to money. As fun as this journey has been, I realized there never was a chance to look in the rear-view mirror, a habit this usually forward-thinking millennial happens to frown upon.
Then, during a recent radio interview with Forbes host Gregg Stebben, he put me on the spot by simply asking, "How did you do it?"
So enough of the grandiose wisdom of macroeconomics and high-flying business heroes. Here are the eight steps a twenty-something took to make his first million!
Graduate college fast
I entered college in 2005 at The University of Tampa. Despite attending four different colleges, I met my goal of graduating in four years from The College of New Jersey in 2009 with a BS in Finance and a minor in Economics.
Walking into a career in insurance and investment advising three days after graduation gave me a huge head start on my peers and, of course, it eliminated the need for more student loans.
Be an entrepreneur
The subtitle to my book, "A Guide to Becoming a Millionaire by 30," has provoked the hardest question I've been asked over the past two years: Is there a prerequisite? The honest truth is yes, and the prerequisite is capital. Without an advanced degree, the most common way I've seen to generate a high early income is sales and/or entrepreneurship.
Only three days after graduating from college, I jumped headlong into a position as a financial sales representative. The first two years were a real struggle, long hours and low income based 100 percent on commission. Coming from a family that relied on a steady paycheck (my dad worked for the army and my mom was a paralegal), this volatility caused a lot of friction on the home front. My parents couldn't understand my working crazy hours, studying for so many licenses, and then hardly getting by.
But I believed the hard work would pay off and began building my own practice right out of the gate.
Here's how this college grad saved $47,000 Here's how this college grad saved $47,000
Live at home
Recognizing that capital is the precursor to wealth, a financial plan becomes feasible by either earning more or saving more. A combination of the two provides the best odds. You might land a great job out of school only to watch much of your early earnings go to rent and living expenses. I lived at home until age 25, which made a nice income seem enormous.
For the first six months of my career I did nothing but put money in the bank. This allowed me to zero out my credit cards every single month. One of my proudest achievements is never paying a penny of interest while collecting some nice rewards along the way.
By age 24, my income, generated by financial advising, began to surpass that of most of my peers. From there it snowballed almost month by month as I accumulated more clients and bigger accounts. I parlayed these earnings into the same investments and financial planning strategies I teach my clients and watched my wealth grow. I added book royalties and speaking gigs on top of my day-to-day job as a CFP.
With some real estate thrown in during the second half of my 20's, I made my million during my 29th year!
The definitive guide to retirement savings plans The definitive guide to retirement savings plans
Fund the 401(k) to the match
After my first year of employment, I was eligible for a 3 percent company match on my 401(k) contributions. I immediately began investing 3 percent of my compensation to the Roth 401(k) option, allocated to 100 percent equities. This quickly went from 3 percent to the IRS maximum after the next three steps were met.
Buy individual disability insurance
Knowing that income is the engine which makes any financial plan run, I purchased the maximum amount of "True Own Occupation" disability insurance with options to increase throughout my career. I've since added a second individual policy and maxed out our Group Long-Term Disability. This makes me feel invincible.
Tony Robbins shares why being a millennial homeowner isn't the smartest move Here's how Tony Robbins suggests millennials approach buying homes
Buy real estate
With capital at my disposal and the leverage of a conventional mortgage, I bought my first property at age 25. Such a large purchase was a frightening progression, but, like anything else in life, you adapt and continue moving forward. Two more properties have since been added, which yield additional rental cash flow while paying off my mortgages.
Open a brokerage account
Once I settled into home ownership and restored my "rainy day fund" to adequate levels, I searched for greater return on my money. A moderately allocated, tax-sensitive ETF account allowed for growth opportunity without sacrificing much liquidity. Any extra, un-earmarked funds quickly find their way here.
By no means are these steps direct recommendations for the masses; they're a biographical sketch of my 20's. Your goal might be $100k, $1 million, or even $1 billion. But I hope a look behind the curtain at a CFP and fellow millennial might help you make the most of your early years.
Bryan M. Kuderna is a CFP, Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow, and Investment Adviser Representative with Kuderna Financial Team, a New Jersey based financial services firm. He is the author of the best-selling book, "Millennial Millionaire: A Guide to Become a Millionaire by 30."
Banking royal commission: AMP advice led to loss of quarter of super account - Guardian ( source : Australian Associated Press )
Banking royal commission: AMP advice led to loss of quarter of super account
AMP says advice at odds with customer’s interests and man has not been compensated
Gareth Hutchens and Michael McGowan
Mon 23 Apr 2018 16.38 AEST Last modified on Mon 23 Apr 2018 17.38 AEST
An AMP financial adviser told a man to consolidate his superannuation benefits into a single fund, which caused the loss of 25% of his super. Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images
A man lost 25% of the balance of a superannuation account after being advised by an AMP financial adviser to consolidate his super benefits into a single AMP-owned fund.
AMP admits the advice was detrimental to the man’s financial interests but says he has not been compensated, nor even contacted about the issue.
The fourth week of public hearings for the banking royal commission began on Monday, with AMP back in the witness box.
• Sign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noon
AMP’s former chief executive Craig Meller was stood down immediately after a company executive admitted in the royal commission last week that the company had repeatedly lied to the regulator about charging customers fees for no service.
On Monday the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan said it was considering a possible class action against AMP, looking to hear from shareholders who have seen the company’s stock plummet in the last week.
AMP shares lost more than $1bn in market value last week after the damning evidence presented to the financial services royal commission.
On Monday, AMP’s head of compliance, Sarah Britt, appeared as a witness at the royal commission to respond to questions about the behaviour of a former AMP financial planner.
Rowena Orr, the senior counsel assisting the royal commission, asked Britt about a financial adviser called “Mr E”, for legal reasons, who advised a husband and wife couple to rollover their non-AMP super accounts into a single AMP-owned fund, My North Super, in 2016.
The husband was advised to rollover and consolidate his super benefits from two non-AMP funds, TAL Super and MLC MasterKey Superannuation.
The husband had $68,000 in TAL Super and $73,000 in MLC Super, and was advised to put the balance into My North Super.
In doing so, he had to pay TAL Super an exit fee of $16,189, meaning he lost roughly 25% of his TAL Super balance ($68,000).
A document tendered to the royal commission showed the husband was informed he would lose $16,000 in exit fees because he had not met certain TAL Super conditions but he was told his super benefits would be invested in My North Super’s “Xenith Model portfolio”, which would “provide you better performance so that you could earn more”.
But the financial adviser made no attempt to compare the likely returns from remaining in the TAL Super with the likely returns from moving to My North Super.
Orr asked Britt: “So the advice to the husband from Mr E was to sacrifice close to 25% of the balance of the fund so it could be transferred to My North Super?”
Britt replied: “Yes”
Orr said: “Would you agree that unless the TAL’s funds returns had been, or were likely to remain very significantly lower than the likely My North Super returns, it could not have been in this client’s interest to lose a quarter of their superannuation fund?”
Britt replied: “Yes, that’s right. So unless there were significant benefits that would outweigh the exit fee, um, then yes, correct.”
Orr then asked: “And were there significant benefits that outweighed the exit fee?”
Britt said: “Based on the documents I’ve seen … I couldn’t identify what those benefits were.”
The royal commission heard Mr E was first audited by AMP in September 2016, two months before he advised the husband and wife couple.
Australia was conned by financial regulators. And now we'll pay the price
Lindsay David
Read more
That audit resulted in a C rating, meaning the adviser met all of AMP’s major quality advice principles while some areas of improvement were identified.
He was audited again in March 2017 and given an “E” rating – the worst rating possible – because he failed to meet the minimum standards required for providing advice, but he was not sacked.
The licensee that employed the adviser did not want to sack him, saying he was relatively new and junior. AMP agreed to continue using him, with some restrictions in place. But the adviser’s employer sacked him in August 2017.
The husband and wife client of Mr E have still not received compensation, nor been contacted by AMP to be told they received bad advice.
Britt said that was because the case has been moved into their “remediation program” with every other client on Mr E’s book, along with clients from other advisers.
Britt said AMP had remediated clients of 14 advisers so far. She said she didn’t know how many advisers were subject to AMP’s remediation program.
Britt said AMP blamed Mr E and his employer for giving bad advice.
Orr asked: “Does AMP accept any responsibility for the provision of inappropriate advice by Mr E, its authorised representative?”
Britt did not answer the question directly, saying the adviser had been picked up by AMP’s risk controls.
“In that sense, we would say that we’ve discharged our monitoring and supervision obligations with respect to this adviser,” she said.
Orr asked: “So do you maintain that there was no failing in AMP’s systems and processes?”
Britt replied: “We would maintain that we have a robust system of detecting and if necessary terminating advisers who are providing deficient advice.”
She admitted AMP had made no changes to its processes as a result of Mr E’s conduct.
With Australian Associated Press
AMP says advice at odds with customer’s interests and man has not been compensated
Gareth Hutchens and Michael McGowan
Mon 23 Apr 2018 16.38 AEST Last modified on Mon 23 Apr 2018 17.38 AEST
An AMP financial adviser told a man to consolidate his superannuation benefits into a single fund, which caused the loss of 25% of his super. Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images
A man lost 25% of the balance of a superannuation account after being advised by an AMP financial adviser to consolidate his super benefits into a single AMP-owned fund.
AMP admits the advice was detrimental to the man’s financial interests but says he has not been compensated, nor even contacted about the issue.
The fourth week of public hearings for the banking royal commission began on Monday, with AMP back in the witness box.
• Sign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noon
AMP’s former chief executive Craig Meller was stood down immediately after a company executive admitted in the royal commission last week that the company had repeatedly lied to the regulator about charging customers fees for no service.
On Monday the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan said it was considering a possible class action against AMP, looking to hear from shareholders who have seen the company’s stock plummet in the last week.
AMP shares lost more than $1bn in market value last week after the damning evidence presented to the financial services royal commission.
On Monday, AMP’s head of compliance, Sarah Britt, appeared as a witness at the royal commission to respond to questions about the behaviour of a former AMP financial planner.
Rowena Orr, the senior counsel assisting the royal commission, asked Britt about a financial adviser called “Mr E”, for legal reasons, who advised a husband and wife couple to rollover their non-AMP super accounts into a single AMP-owned fund, My North Super, in 2016.
The husband was advised to rollover and consolidate his super benefits from two non-AMP funds, TAL Super and MLC MasterKey Superannuation.
The husband had $68,000 in TAL Super and $73,000 in MLC Super, and was advised to put the balance into My North Super.
In doing so, he had to pay TAL Super an exit fee of $16,189, meaning he lost roughly 25% of his TAL Super balance ($68,000).
A document tendered to the royal commission showed the husband was informed he would lose $16,000 in exit fees because he had not met certain TAL Super conditions but he was told his super benefits would be invested in My North Super’s “Xenith Model portfolio”, which would “provide you better performance so that you could earn more”.
But the financial adviser made no attempt to compare the likely returns from remaining in the TAL Super with the likely returns from moving to My North Super.
Orr asked Britt: “So the advice to the husband from Mr E was to sacrifice close to 25% of the balance of the fund so it could be transferred to My North Super?”
Britt replied: “Yes”
Orr said: “Would you agree that unless the TAL’s funds returns had been, or were likely to remain very significantly lower than the likely My North Super returns, it could not have been in this client’s interest to lose a quarter of their superannuation fund?”
Britt replied: “Yes, that’s right. So unless there were significant benefits that would outweigh the exit fee, um, then yes, correct.”
Orr then asked: “And were there significant benefits that outweighed the exit fee?”
Britt said: “Based on the documents I’ve seen … I couldn’t identify what those benefits were.”
The royal commission heard Mr E was first audited by AMP in September 2016, two months before he advised the husband and wife couple.
Australia was conned by financial regulators. And now we'll pay the price
Lindsay David
Read more
That audit resulted in a C rating, meaning the adviser met all of AMP’s major quality advice principles while some areas of improvement were identified.
He was audited again in March 2017 and given an “E” rating – the worst rating possible – because he failed to meet the minimum standards required for providing advice, but he was not sacked.
The licensee that employed the adviser did not want to sack him, saying he was relatively new and junior. AMP agreed to continue using him, with some restrictions in place. But the adviser’s employer sacked him in August 2017.
The husband and wife client of Mr E have still not received compensation, nor been contacted by AMP to be told they received bad advice.
Britt said that was because the case has been moved into their “remediation program” with every other client on Mr E’s book, along with clients from other advisers.
Britt said AMP had remediated clients of 14 advisers so far. She said she didn’t know how many advisers were subject to AMP’s remediation program.
Britt said AMP blamed Mr E and his employer for giving bad advice.
Orr asked: “Does AMP accept any responsibility for the provision of inappropriate advice by Mr E, its authorised representative?”
Britt did not answer the question directly, saying the adviser had been picked up by AMP’s risk controls.
“In that sense, we would say that we’ve discharged our monitoring and supervision obligations with respect to this adviser,” she said.
Orr asked: “So do you maintain that there was no failing in AMP’s systems and processes?”
Britt replied: “We would maintain that we have a robust system of detecting and if necessary terminating advisers who are providing deficient advice.”
She admitted AMP had made no changes to its processes as a result of Mr E’s conduct.
With Australian Associated Press
Maverick to Maverick, Macron Seeks Common Ground With Trump - Bloomberg
Maverick to Maverick, Macron Seeks Common Ground With Trump
By Helene Fouquet
April 23, 2018, 5:28 PM GMT+10
Europe looks to Macron to sway Trump on trade, Iran deal
French leader plotted tactics with Merkel before visit
French President Emmanuel Macron lands in Washington Monday aiming to use his rapport with Donald Trump to take the edge off the latter’s “America First” foreign policy, for Europe at least.
As 40-year-old Macron arrives for the first state visit of Trump’s presidency, the U.S. leader is threatening to upend the global trading system with tariffs on China, maybe Europe too, and to ditch the Iran nuclear accord, a key plank of western policy for containing military tensions in the Middle East.
Macron has been building bridges with Trump for a year. Now he’s looking for something in return.
“Both of us are probably mavericks,” the French president said in a Fox News interview taped in Paris on Friday and broadcast Sunday. “We have a very special relationship.”
While Macron has had more success than most in getting through to Trump, his record of securing policy concessions is patchy. He pointed to this month’s missile strikes against Syria as a victory for French diplomacy, but he failed to keep the U.S. in the Paris climate accord and his aides last week played down expectations that he might persuade Trump to change course on other issues.
“This visit will promote the narrative that the two men have a good relationship, but it may not make much of a difference,” said Jeremy Shapiro, research director at the European Council on Foreign Relations in London. “A personal relationship is great, but Trump doesn’t remember it once you’ve left the room.”
State Dinner
On the first night, the two leaders will have dinner with their wives at George Washington’s estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia, overlooking the Potomac River. Macron will present his host with an oak tree from a forest where U.S. troops fought to defend France during World War I.
Tuesday night will be a state dinner at the White House at which Brigitte Macron may wear a gown by Louis Vuitton, her designer of choice. The rest of the guest list has been closely guarded so far, though LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault may make the cut as the only French business leader to have shaken Trump’s hand. On the final day of his trip Macron will address a joint session of Congress -- in English -- and meet students at George Washington University.
“He has been one of the few Europeans who has pulled off the trick of building a close and strong working relationship with President Trump while also not shying away from criticism,” said Jeff Rathke, deputy director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington and a former State Department official. “We’ll probably see some of that.”
Doing Business
Macron’s chance to turn the bonhomie into policy substance comes during extended talks on Tuesday.
French officials say they’ve been briefed by their White House counterparts that Trump still hasn’t decided whether he’ll stick with the Iran nuclear deal. The agreement was the signature foreign-policy achievement of Barack Obama’s presidency and perhaps the most intense U.S. diplomatic push since the aftermath of World War I. Trump, 71, is a long-time critic of the accord.
Macron said he hopes Trump upholds the agreement because it serves as a hedge against a “North Korean type of situation,” of prolonged threats between nuclear powers.
“I think the U.S. today has a very strong role to play for peace in different regions of the world, and especially the Mideast,” Macron said in his Fox News interview.
Read more about how Trump wants to reshape the Iran Nuclear deal here
Trump’s experience sending his forces into combat alongside their French allies this month may strengthen Macron’s chances of making progress on other issues, analysts said. France’s position as the EU’s foremost military power gives Macron an advantage over Chancellor Angela Merkel, who’s derided by the Trump administration for Germany’s reluctance to join military action, its low defense spending, and its trade surplus with the U.S.
Read more about Trump’s relationship with Macron here
Trade will be Macron’s other challenge. He was in Berlin last week to coordinate his arguments with Merkel before the German leader visits the White House on Friday.
European manufacturers are already worried about the knock-on effects of Trump’s trade policy, with the blacklisting of Russian aluminum producer Rusal threatening to crimp supplies to companies such as carmakers further down the production chain. On the broader concern of China’s trade surplus, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin hinted Saturday that he sees a chance for the U.S. to reach a settlement and said he’s considering a trip to Beijing.
Macron and Merkel will both argue that unilateral moves on trade policy are destructive, as they try to persuade Trump not to sabotage the World Trade Organization’s rules-based trading system. Trump wants the Europeans to ease the barriers to U.S. exporters seeking access to their markets.
“I hope he will not implement these new tariffs and he will decide for an exemption for the European Union,” Macron said on Fox. “You cannot make a trade war with your ally.”
— With assistance by Toluse Olorunnipa, Jonathan Tirone, and Ben Brody
By Helene Fouquet
April 23, 2018, 5:28 PM GMT+10
Europe looks to Macron to sway Trump on trade, Iran deal
French leader plotted tactics with Merkel before visit
French President Emmanuel Macron lands in Washington Monday aiming to use his rapport with Donald Trump to take the edge off the latter’s “America First” foreign policy, for Europe at least.
As 40-year-old Macron arrives for the first state visit of Trump’s presidency, the U.S. leader is threatening to upend the global trading system with tariffs on China, maybe Europe too, and to ditch the Iran nuclear accord, a key plank of western policy for containing military tensions in the Middle East.
Macron has been building bridges with Trump for a year. Now he’s looking for something in return.
“Both of us are probably mavericks,” the French president said in a Fox News interview taped in Paris on Friday and broadcast Sunday. “We have a very special relationship.”
While Macron has had more success than most in getting through to Trump, his record of securing policy concessions is patchy. He pointed to this month’s missile strikes against Syria as a victory for French diplomacy, but he failed to keep the U.S. in the Paris climate accord and his aides last week played down expectations that he might persuade Trump to change course on other issues.
“This visit will promote the narrative that the two men have a good relationship, but it may not make much of a difference,” said Jeremy Shapiro, research director at the European Council on Foreign Relations in London. “A personal relationship is great, but Trump doesn’t remember it once you’ve left the room.”
State Dinner
On the first night, the two leaders will have dinner with their wives at George Washington’s estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia, overlooking the Potomac River. Macron will present his host with an oak tree from a forest where U.S. troops fought to defend France during World War I.
Tuesday night will be a state dinner at the White House at which Brigitte Macron may wear a gown by Louis Vuitton, her designer of choice. The rest of the guest list has been closely guarded so far, though LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault may make the cut as the only French business leader to have shaken Trump’s hand. On the final day of his trip Macron will address a joint session of Congress -- in English -- and meet students at George Washington University.
“He has been one of the few Europeans who has pulled off the trick of building a close and strong working relationship with President Trump while also not shying away from criticism,” said Jeff Rathke, deputy director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington and a former State Department official. “We’ll probably see some of that.”
Doing Business
Macron’s chance to turn the bonhomie into policy substance comes during extended talks on Tuesday.
French officials say they’ve been briefed by their White House counterparts that Trump still hasn’t decided whether he’ll stick with the Iran nuclear deal. The agreement was the signature foreign-policy achievement of Barack Obama’s presidency and perhaps the most intense U.S. diplomatic push since the aftermath of World War I. Trump, 71, is a long-time critic of the accord.
Macron said he hopes Trump upholds the agreement because it serves as a hedge against a “North Korean type of situation,” of prolonged threats between nuclear powers.
“I think the U.S. today has a very strong role to play for peace in different regions of the world, and especially the Mideast,” Macron said in his Fox News interview.
Read more about how Trump wants to reshape the Iran Nuclear deal here
Trump’s experience sending his forces into combat alongside their French allies this month may strengthen Macron’s chances of making progress on other issues, analysts said. France’s position as the EU’s foremost military power gives Macron an advantage over Chancellor Angela Merkel, who’s derided by the Trump administration for Germany’s reluctance to join military action, its low defense spending, and its trade surplus with the U.S.
Read more about Trump’s relationship with Macron here
Trade will be Macron’s other challenge. He was in Berlin last week to coordinate his arguments with Merkel before the German leader visits the White House on Friday.
European manufacturers are already worried about the knock-on effects of Trump’s trade policy, with the blacklisting of Russian aluminum producer Rusal threatening to crimp supplies to companies such as carmakers further down the production chain. On the broader concern of China’s trade surplus, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin hinted Saturday that he sees a chance for the U.S. to reach a settlement and said he’s considering a trip to Beijing.
Macron and Merkel will both argue that unilateral moves on trade policy are destructive, as they try to persuade Trump not to sabotage the World Trade Organization’s rules-based trading system. Trump wants the Europeans to ease the barriers to U.S. exporters seeking access to their markets.
“I hope he will not implement these new tariffs and he will decide for an exemption for the European Union,” Macron said on Fox. “You cannot make a trade war with your ally.”
— With assistance by Toluse Olorunnipa, Jonathan Tirone, and Ben Brody
Coca-Cola announces its first-ever alcoholic drink - CNBC News
Coca-Cola announces its first-ever alcoholic drink
3:50 PM ET Wed, 7 March 2018 | 01:22
Coca-Cola is launching the first alcoholic drink in its history with a canned liquor product in Japan.
The drinks giant will experiment with a canned beverage called Chu-Hi, made up of distilled Japanese drink shochu, sparkling water and flavoring.
"This is unique in our history. Coca-Cola has always focused entirely on non-alcoholic beverages, and this is a modest experiment for a specific slice of our market," said Jorge Garduno, president of Coca-Cola's Japan business unit, in a post on the company's website.
Japan is a fiercely competitive market, Garduno added, with Coca-Cola launching 100 products a year in the country. "Experimentation is almost like a day-to-day ritual here. You can't fall behind the rapid product cycle in Japan," he said.
The Coke ON app being used in Japan. The app allows consumers to collect points and exchange them for drinks.
Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Coke ON app being used in Japan. The app allows consumers to collect points and exchange them for drinks.
The company's sodas only made up about 25 percent of product sales by volume in Japan in 2016, while tea made up 27 percent of Japan's overall beverage consumption in the same year.
Coca-Cola also owns Georgia Coffee in Japan, which it claims is the world's highest-grossing canned coffee drink, making more than $1 billion in annual sales. The country has a Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) government certification, in light of its ageing population and fiber-fortified drink Coca-Cola Plus was FOSHU-approved in 2017.
Having certain drinks at particular times of day is more of an entrenched ritual in Japan than in other part of the world, said Khalil Younes, EVP of marketing and new businesses for Coca-Cola Japan, in a blog post. People might drink green tea with sushi, but opt for oolong tea with fattier Chinese food, for example.
Because of the nature of the Japanese drinks market, it's unlikely Chu-Hi drinks will launch in other countries, Garduno said. "While many markets are becoming more like Japan, I think the culture here is still very unique and special, so many products that are born here will stay here."
3:50 PM ET Wed, 7 March 2018 | 01:22
Coca-Cola is launching the first alcoholic drink in its history with a canned liquor product in Japan.
The drinks giant will experiment with a canned beverage called Chu-Hi, made up of distilled Japanese drink shochu, sparkling water and flavoring.
"This is unique in our history. Coca-Cola has always focused entirely on non-alcoholic beverages, and this is a modest experiment for a specific slice of our market," said Jorge Garduno, president of Coca-Cola's Japan business unit, in a post on the company's website.
Japan is a fiercely competitive market, Garduno added, with Coca-Cola launching 100 products a year in the country. "Experimentation is almost like a day-to-day ritual here. You can't fall behind the rapid product cycle in Japan," he said.
The Coke ON app being used in Japan. The app allows consumers to collect points and exchange them for drinks.
Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Coke ON app being used in Japan. The app allows consumers to collect points and exchange them for drinks.
The company's sodas only made up about 25 percent of product sales by volume in Japan in 2016, while tea made up 27 percent of Japan's overall beverage consumption in the same year.
Coca-Cola also owns Georgia Coffee in Japan, which it claims is the world's highest-grossing canned coffee drink, making more than $1 billion in annual sales. The country has a Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) government certification, in light of its ageing population and fiber-fortified drink Coca-Cola Plus was FOSHU-approved in 2017.
Having certain drinks at particular times of day is more of an entrenched ritual in Japan than in other part of the world, said Khalil Younes, EVP of marketing and new businesses for Coca-Cola Japan, in a blog post. People might drink green tea with sushi, but opt for oolong tea with fattier Chinese food, for example.
Because of the nature of the Japanese drinks market, it's unlikely Chu-Hi drinks will launch in other countries, Garduno said. "While many markets are becoming more like Japan, I think the culture here is still very unique and special, so many products that are born here will stay here."
South Korea turns off loudspeaker broadcasts into North - BBC News
April 23, 2018
South Korea turns off loudspeaker broadcasts into North
South Korea's speakers were blasting pop music and propaganda over the border
South Korea has stopped broadcasting propaganda via loudspeakers along the border with North Korea, ahead of top-level talks later this week.
The South has dozens of loudspeakers along the border area, which blast everything from K-pop music to critical news reports of the North.
The broadcasts can be heard by the North's troops stationed along the border and civilians in the area.
Seoul said turning them off would help set the tone for Friday's talks.
North Korea has its own system of speakers along the border, playing reports critical of Seoul and its allies.
It's not yet known whether it will follow suit and silence them too.
What do North and South Korea shout across the border?
South Korea said the speakers, which play propaganda over the border at high volume, were turned off in the early hours of Monday morning.
The broadcasts are designed to sow doubt among North Korean soldiers about the official message on the South
The move aimed to "ease the military tension between the two Koreas and develop a peaceful summit atmosphere," spokesman Choi Hoi-hyun told reporters.
"We hope this decision will lead both Koreas to stop mutual criticism and propaganda against each other and also contribute in creating peace and a new beginning."
North Korea announced at the weekend that it was suspending nuclear tests and closing an atomic test site. The surprise announcement came as the country prepares for historic talks with South Korea and the US.
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has called it "a significant decision towards total denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula".
Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong-un is due to meet Mr Moon next Friday at the truce village of Panmunjom, marking the first inter-Korean summit in over a decade.
Mr Kim is also due to meet US President Donald Trump by June. It will be the first ever meeting between two sitting leaders of North Korea and the US.
South Korea's propaganda broadcasts have been running on and off since the Korean War. The idea is to persuade North Korean soldiers to doubt what they are told by their leaders.
Their use has been increased and decreased over the years, following the diplomatic mood on the peninsula.
In 2004, the broadcasts were stopped as part of a deal negotiated between both countries.
But in 2015, after two South Korean soldiers were severely injured by North Korean-planted mines in the demilitarised zone (DMZ), the South turned its speakers back on. It was later halted again in 2015 and re-started in 2016 in response to the North testing a hydrogen bomb.
South Korea did not say whether it planned to restart the broadcasts once the summits are over.
South Korea turns off loudspeaker broadcasts into North
South Korea's speakers were blasting pop music and propaganda over the border
South Korea has stopped broadcasting propaganda via loudspeakers along the border with North Korea, ahead of top-level talks later this week.
The South has dozens of loudspeakers along the border area, which blast everything from K-pop music to critical news reports of the North.
The broadcasts can be heard by the North's troops stationed along the border and civilians in the area.
Seoul said turning them off would help set the tone for Friday's talks.
North Korea has its own system of speakers along the border, playing reports critical of Seoul and its allies.
It's not yet known whether it will follow suit and silence them too.
What do North and South Korea shout across the border?
South Korea said the speakers, which play propaganda over the border at high volume, were turned off in the early hours of Monday morning.
The broadcasts are designed to sow doubt among North Korean soldiers about the official message on the South
The move aimed to "ease the military tension between the two Koreas and develop a peaceful summit atmosphere," spokesman Choi Hoi-hyun told reporters.
"We hope this decision will lead both Koreas to stop mutual criticism and propaganda against each other and also contribute in creating peace and a new beginning."
North Korea announced at the weekend that it was suspending nuclear tests and closing an atomic test site. The surprise announcement came as the country prepares for historic talks with South Korea and the US.
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has called it "a significant decision towards total denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula".
Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong-un is due to meet Mr Moon next Friday at the truce village of Panmunjom, marking the first inter-Korean summit in over a decade.
Mr Kim is also due to meet US President Donald Trump by June. It will be the first ever meeting between two sitting leaders of North Korea and the US.
South Korea's propaganda broadcasts have been running on and off since the Korean War. The idea is to persuade North Korean soldiers to doubt what they are told by their leaders.
Their use has been increased and decreased over the years, following the diplomatic mood on the peninsula.
In 2004, the broadcasts were stopped as part of a deal negotiated between both countries.
But in 2015, after two South Korean soldiers were severely injured by North Korean-planted mines in the demilitarised zone (DMZ), the South turned its speakers back on. It was later halted again in 2015 and re-started in 2016 in response to the North testing a hydrogen bomb.
South Korea did not say whether it planned to restart the broadcasts once the summits are over.
North Korea bus crash kills 32 Chinese tourists - BBC News
April 23, 2018
North Korea bus crash kills 32 Chinese tourists
The bus crash killed 32 Chinese people and four North Koreans
A tour bus has crashed in North Korea, killing 36 people including 32 Chinese nationals, Chinese officials say.
The crash, which also killed four North Koreans, happened in North Hwanghae province on Sunday night.
Chinese state media footage showed the blue tour bus completely flipped over, with part of its body broken.
Experts estimate that Chinese tourists make up 80% of foreign tourists to North Korea - providing an important source of currency for Pyongyang.
China is also the secretive regime's main political ally and largest trading partner.
Earlier, Chinese state broadcaster CGTN tweeted that more than 30 Chinese nationals had been killed after the bus plunged off a bridge - however, the post was later deleted.
There are no official tourist numbers for North Korea, but it is estimated that about 100,000 foreigners visit the country each year.
Tourists are subjected to tight restrictions - most visitors must be escorted at all times outside their hotels by guides employed by the government.
North Korea bus crash kills 32 Chinese tourists
The bus crash killed 32 Chinese people and four North Koreans
A tour bus has crashed in North Korea, killing 36 people including 32 Chinese nationals, Chinese officials say.
The crash, which also killed four North Koreans, happened in North Hwanghae province on Sunday night.
Chinese state media footage showed the blue tour bus completely flipped over, with part of its body broken.
Experts estimate that Chinese tourists make up 80% of foreign tourists to North Korea - providing an important source of currency for Pyongyang.
China is also the secretive regime's main political ally and largest trading partner.
Earlier, Chinese state broadcaster CGTN tweeted that more than 30 Chinese nationals had been killed after the bus plunged off a bridge - however, the post was later deleted.
There are no official tourist numbers for North Korea, but it is estimated that about 100,000 foreigners visit the country each year.
Tourists are subjected to tight restrictions - most visitors must be escorted at all times outside their hotels by guides employed by the government.
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