The National Park Service mission statement breathes some grand words, as the conservation agency intends to preserve the country's natural resources "for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations."
But the Park Service can't keep out air pollution.
A new report published by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) concluded that a whopping 85 percent of parks contend with unhealthy air. The problem is a respiratory toxin regularly created and found in U.S. cities, called ozone. The NPCA found ozone to be a "significant" concern in 87 parks, and a "moderate" issue in 267 parks. Read more...
We don't know if Daenerys Targaryen will ultimately sit on the Iron Throne when Game of Thrones is over, but the Houston Rockets certainly stan.
Dany actor Emilia Clarke attended the Game 6 showdown between the Rockets and the Golden State Warriors at Houston's Toyota Center on Friday evening. And with courtside seats, she was one of the more visible celebs in the house — perfect for a jokey photo opp.
That's exactly what happened at one point when Clutch the Rocket Bear, the local team's mascot, strolled by clutching a to-go coffee cup. You know, like the kind you'd get at, say, a Starbucks. (Clarke herself was not evidently in possession of coffee, despite what the Rockets tweet said.) Read more...
This isOne Good Thing, a weekly column where we tell you about one of the few nice things that happened this week.
CGI, when done well, blends seamlessly into the environment of a TV show or movie. When it's bad, though, hoo boy.
Good or bad, the fact that it's an art you're not meant to notice often leaves VFX artists in the dust in terms of recognition and appreciation. Even the most horrendous examples of VFX have an insanely huge amount of work behind them.
But that doesn't mean we can't roast them a little.
Professional VFX artists Wren Weichman, Clinton Jones, and Niko Pueringer for the digital video production team Corridor Digital took a stab at reviewing some fantastic examples of flawless CGI and some uh, less than stellar results (especially when it comes to a certain blue hedgehog.) Read more...
Whether you're taking the whole family out for celebratory brunch or sending flowers and a card to your long-distance mom, it's never too late to sneak a movie or show into your Mother's Day plans.
Streaming now, here are 15 movies and series about the magical art of mothering, perfect for watching with your mom this weekend.
Note: Many of the films and shows on this list are not suitable for all ages, so we've marked the kid-friendliest options with an asterisk (*) for your knowledge. Enjoy!
1. Mamma Mia! (2008)and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
You haven't lived until you and your mom have belted "Waterloo" as a team. Read more...
The following is a spoiler-free review of Netflix's Easy Season 3.
Sometimes the best ending is no ending at all.
Fans of Joe Swanberg's brilliant Easy are in for a bittersweet binge this weekend, as the series' third and final season begins streaming on Netflix.
Throughout the show's first two installments, viewers watched as the lives of dozens of characters shifted in and out focus of the anthology format. We saw families form, relationships change, altercations unfold, and businesses begin. There were episodes that reminded you of yourself, moments that reminded you of someone else, and narratives you'd never previously considered. Read more...
Always wanted to join the PC master race, but not to sure on where to start? Well getting a gaming laptop is an excellent starting point. With gaming laptops being portable than desktops, gaming on the go couldn't be easier. But if portability isn't what you're looking for in PC gaming and you're confident in building PC yourself. Well, my friend, i have good news for you.
With PC component prices coming down, building a better desktop is so so tempting. Such as this AMD RYZEN 5 2400G quad-core 3.6GHz desktop processor, normally retails for $162.99, but you can get this for $119.99, and it comes with Division 2 Gold Edition & World War Z game. What makes this processor so great, is that it has a built-in graphics processor. Meaning you won't have to buy a separate graphics card. Perfect for people that are new to PC gaming or thats working on a tight budget. Read more...
It sounds like someone accidentally hit adjacent keys on a xylophone. The understated double ping hits me with a jolt of excitement, a swooping stomach, and even a bit of relief.
Whenever I hear the now-retired Facebook Messenger notification, I'm transported back to 2013, when I happily, gratefully, giddily got a message from someone I liked, who would later become my partner. Back then, we talked almost daily on, of all chat platforms, Messenger.
As devices, software applications, and apps become omnipresent, the User Interface (UI) sounds they emit — the pings, bings, and blongs vying for our attention — have also started to contribute to the sonic fabric of our lives. And just as a song has the power to take you back to a particular moment in time, the sounds emitted by our connected devices can trigger memories, thoughts, and feelings, too. Read more...
If you want to get your head in the game, you need a stellar pair of headphones.
No, really. It's imperative for hardcore gamers to invest in the right headset, not only to avoid drawing the wrath of roommates you may potentially disturb with your game's sound effects, but also to elevate your gaming experience to an entirely new level.
The gaming headphones you decide to glue to your head for hours at a time have to a) offer a soundstage that'll suck you into the virtual environment so you feel like you're actually in the game, b) improve your situational awareness and heighten your auditory senses, and c) not cause any sort of discomfort during intense, lengthy gaming sessions. Read more...
You know what they say: A marathon of back-to-back Chopped episodes does not a culinary wizard make.
There's a more effective way to step up your cooking game, and it's by upgrading your kitchen's arsenal with a nifty new tool or two.
Start channeling your inner chef by taking advantage of the following five deals on knife sets, pans, and — get ready for it — meat claws. Here's what's on sale:
Featuring five layers of Granitec nonstick coating; a heavy-duty, die-cast aluminum body; and a stainless steel underside that allows for even distribution on virtually kind of surface (including induction), Ausker's premium grill pan is the real deal as far as stovetop cooking's concerned. Plus, thanks to its detachable bakelite handle, it can do double duty as a baking or roasting pan for when you fire up the oven. Read more...
You know that notification that keeps popping up on your phone reminding you to back up your files to the cloud? It's there for a reason, and not just to annoy the heck out of you.
Migrating your data to the cloud helps keep it extra secure and frees up space across your devices so you have more storage to load content.
In the simplest of terms, businesses and enterprises operate virtually in the same way. By shifting their systems to the cloud, they allow for enhanced security and ease of management. Plus, hiring cloud architects is friendlier to their bottom line than having to maintain expensive data center infrastructures. Read more...
Whatever you use a 4K TV for (gaming, watching Game of Thrones, etc.), I think we can all agree that there are some clunky looking televisions out there.
But The Frame from Samsung is a diamond in the rough. It’s designed to look like — you guessed it — a picture frame. While you’re not watching the TV, you can set it to display photos and artwork.
The Frame is available in multiple sizes and the PCMag Shop has the 55-inch and 65-inch models on sale for $1,099.99 and $1,699.99 respectively. (That’s a savings of $900 and $1,100, BTW.)
The TV boasts a 3840 x 2160 4K LED display and has a built-in 2.2-channel speaker system that incorporates Bluetooth audio. It comes with a separate box to connect components rather than connecting to the back of the TV, so The Frame sits flush against your wall. Read more...
AncestryDNA® is having a huge sale for Mother's Day this year, saving you $40 off one of their testing kits. (Got two moms? Looking for an early Father's Day gift? Buy two AncestryDNA® kits and get free shipping.)
At-home DNA and ancestry testing kits are *the* hot gift item this year, and if your mom isn't already one of the 26 million people spitting into a tube in the name of science, then now is the time. (Read our guide to what each testing kit does here.)
An AncestryDNA® kit will provide your mom with a pie chart that breaks down the percentages of her ethnographic make-up, maps showcasing migration patterns, and info about the regions from which her ancestors hailed — sometimes down to the city. Read more...
Why do we say "this weekend is a great time to buy a new 4K TV" every weekend? We genuinely think everyone deserves one, that's why.
The difference between 1080p and 2160p will change the way you watch anything. Whether you're controlling an episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt or having a massive Star Wars marathon to prep for the new ones in 2022, UHD's lifelike contrast is an immersive experience that you never knew you needed.
Models ranging from 40 inches to 86 inches are on sale this weekend, from brands like Vizio, LG, and Sony — but our favorite deals come in the form of Samsung's The Frame TV. Through May 12, the 55-inch model will be on sale for $900 off, while you can save $1,100 on the 65-inch model. Do not miss this, y'all. Read more...
We live in a time where tech giants are consistently releasing complex gizmos at an alarming rate, and it’s simply impossible to keep up with it all — sometimes being “in the know” about tech is too much of a chore. Instead of rolling the dice on a device that hasn’t yet reached the level of integrity you’re usually comfortable with, why not get something that’s tried and true? Something you know isn’t going to burst into flames upon boot-up.
That’s why getting one of these laptops or tablets that are on sale is even more beneficial than you originally thought. Yeah, you’re going to save some money, which is great, but you’re also getting a product that has already been bought and tested by the masses. Check out these deals we found with confidence, including big savings on iPads, Chromebooks, Amazon Fire tablets, and many other options that are great for both work and play. Read more...
Elon Musk will soon find himself in court once again thanks to his tweets.
According to court documents filed on Friday, a judge is allowing the defamation lawsuit filed by British cave diver Vernon Unsworth against Musk to proceed to trial. Unsworth sued the Tesla CEO after Musk referred to the diver as a “pedo guy” in a tweet.
Musk engaged in a public spat over the rescue of a Thai boys soccer team that was trapped in a cave last summer. Musk was upset that the professional cave diver knocked his plan to rescue the soccer team via a specialized submarine as “a PR stunt" that "had absolutely no chance of working." Read more...
A video of a couple having sex in a moving Tesla Model X has sent users scrambling to Pornhub in search of kinky, self-driving car porn.
According to Pornhub, searches for "Tesla" on the site started climbing at the beginning of May when the video began circulating. But then the searches spiked on May 9 and May 10 following some tweets from Musk on the video.
Tesla: not just for the tech-savvy driver anymore
Image: Pornhub
Overall, Pornhub projects more than 3 million searches for "Tesla" between the video's upload date on April 30th and the end of the day Friday, May 10.
The couple claims that the car was in Autopilot and driving down the road when the film was made. Read more...
If you're in the market for a new pair of headphones, you'll likely be tempted to pick up a pair of the latest wireless earbuds à la Apple's popular AirPods. After all, that's the direction in which the tech world's been gravitating lately.
Still, you'd be remiss to not consider a pair of on-ear headphones as an option. They tend to have longer battery lives than their bud counterparts and are comfier for everyday wear; plus, they're far less easy to lose amid the subway tracks. (That's a thing, apparently.)
On the flip side, on-ear headphones tend to be way more expensive than earbuds — as in, *hundreds of dollars* more expensive. Read more...
Pilots flying at high altitudes need extra oxygen, or they'll start to lose vision — and eventually pass out.
Similarly, creatures dwelling in the oceans also require oxygen to see. Unfortunately for them, the seas are now gradually losing oxygen, a problematic marine event known as deoxygenation. Recognizing that this loss of oxygen could also cause blindness in sea organisms, scientists at the Scripps Institution for Oceanography tested how reduced oxygen levels impacted the vision of squid, octopus, and crab species. Their results, published in the Journal ofExperimental Biology, showed that these organisms did indeed experience varying degrees of blindness, including near total blindness. Read more...
Imagine the IRS sitting on a vast database of unique voiceprints collected from millions of citizens.
That's basically what happened in the U.K., but at least the country has an agency to fix the problem. The U.S. has no such safeguard — and one of its agencies has already started collecting face scans.
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs office (HMRC) has been instructing customers to submit "voiceprints" since 2017, and it may not have received proper consent to do so.
Now, the nation's data protection enforcement agency, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has filed an official order that the HMRC must delete the Voice ID data of 7 million citizens. It has 28 days to comply with the May 9 order. Read more...
The "unhinged" (not our words!) moms of Monterey are back for Big Little Lies Season 2, to deal with the fallout of a murder and – more importantly – relentless gossip.
Big Little Lies continues the story that concluded in Liane Moriarty's 2014 novel. Madeline, (Reese Witherspoon), Renata (Laura Dern), Celeste (Nicole Kidman), Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz), and Jane (Shailene Woodley) share the treacherous truth of Perry's (Alexander Skarsgård) death, but they can't risk any semblance of peaceful life.
Gossip they can deal with – Madeline delivers some delicious sass by sardonically unwrapping a cupcake. But that's nothing compared to the arrival of Perry's mother, played by Meryl Streep in a role so obviously set up for an Emmy that you have to respect it. Read more...
Whether you're an illustrator, designer, or just getting started; there's plenty of tablet options for digital art-making. Mashable illustrators Bob Al-Greene and Vicky Leta give us the rundown on 3 different tablets and compare features to help you figure out which is best for you. Read more...
Netflix's assortment of young adult dramas are successful to varying degrees — from the creatively superior Sex Education and American Vandal to the passable Insatiable and 13 Reasons Why. The streaming platform's latest offering, The Society, lands somewhere on the higher side.
It's a fairly simple story but it still emerges as somewhat victorious in its quest to tell the law vs. anarchy trope through the optics of the high school graduates left alone in a town that resembles their own.
The teenagers of West Ham, a town plagued by a mysterious smell, return home from a school trip cut drastically short. When they return, they have their lavish homes and cars, but what’s missing are their parents, pets, and basically any other human beings. Even that pesky smell is gone. Read more...
An easy to navigate and intuitive interface • Simple • straight-forward training guides from heralded dog trainer Sara Carson • Flexbile package options
The Bad
Few additional options as part of the pricey premium package
The Bottom Line
Puppr is a great app designed to help make training your dog manageable, from basic commands to more advanced agility training. Relatively cheap a la carte options offer a convenient flexibility in selecting which tricks you want your pup to learn.
Uber’s business model is incredibly simple: It’s a platform that facilitates exchanges between people. And Uber’s been incredibly successful at it, almost eliminating the transaction costs of doing business in everything from shuttling people around town to delivering food.
In a television environment that includes shows like Bob’s Burgers, Rick and Morty, and Bojack Horseman, it’s impossible to argue that cartoons are just for children. The medium of animation has always been about using art to further creativity in storytelling, and it’s increasingly clear that the freedom and whimsy of animated shows are valuable tools that, in the right hands, enhance the message of their creators.
Tuca & Bertie on Netflix is one of those shows that uses the wackiness of its premise and animation to effectively portray the instability of its characters’ lives. Tuca is an irresponsible toucan whose overconfidence and codependence are only just starting to affect her carefree lifestyle. Bertie is an uptight, loving songbird whose anxiety issues make it difficult for her to achieve her goals. They live in Bird Town, a city populated by bird-people, plant people, and other animal-people, and are trying to figure out their lives in a place where cartoonish happenstances are commonplace. Read more...
After a long and bumpy road, Uber is officially a public company.
The company started publicly trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday morning. Notably absent at the bell-ringing ceremony was the company's controversial co-founder and ousted CEO, Travis Kalanick, who wasn't invited.
It looks like current CEO Dara Khosrowshahi doesn't want to relive Uber's early days, when it earned a nasty reputation for its cut-throat, sexist, and harassment-riddled corporate culture. Now, Khosrowshahi is pushing a "do the right thing" mentality, as he looks beyond ride-hailing toward food delivery, bike- and scooter-sharing, and even flying taxis. Read more...
If you’ve been really suffering this allergy season, put the Claritin down and stop religiously vacuuming in hopes of clearing allergens. It’s time to start at the source. Allergens like pollen float through the air and make their way into your nose and eyes to wreak havoc, so start tackling them where they are with an air purifier.
Dyson is a huge name in air technology — their vacuums and hair products are top-notch — so, obviously they’re in the air purifying game. Dyson even takes it a step further to make their air purifier act as a heater and cooling fan. Right now, the Dyson Pure Hot + Cool Link air purifier is $121.75 off at Amazon. Read more...
It's exactly the conversation you would hope is happening inside corporate boardrooms as scientists calculate the catastrophic impacts of continuing to burn fossil fuels. There's just one problem. Time.
Fulton & Roark practically invented solid cologne--the premium alternative to traditional sprays. Now you can try all 8 fragrances for just $16. Plus, each sample pack comes with a $16 credit for your next purchase.
Seattle resident Nathan Gregg was at a waste facility, about 15 minutes south of the city's downtown area, dumping construction materials at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday when he discovered a nearly 6-foot-high pile of prepared meals still in their Amazon Go packaging.
This handy SendPilot Social Media Automation tool basically operates like a social media manager: it writes posts, curates interesting content based on your niche and even automates your drip campaigns. Get 97% off lifetime access with this special deal.
The artist gained international acclaim making sculptures out of the wreckage in his neighborhood. Now he must effectively destroy his work in order to save it.
If the first two "John Wick" movies gave Reeves's *other* famous action role serious competition, now "Chapter 3 — Parabellum" has to stick the trilogy landing. Is this another great Wick outing, or more of a "Matrix Revolutions" vibe? Here's what the reviews say.
It all started when Sean recruited his close friend and roommate Haley to create a Tinder profile. Once finished, Sean ran two rather mischievous programs.
In the first of BBC Culture's new series on fiction that predicted the future, Hephzibah Anderson looks at the work of John Brunner, whose vision of 2010 was eerily accurate.
People turn to Esther Wojcicki because her daughters are off-the-charts successful: Susan is CEO of YouTube, Anne is CEO of 23andMe, and Janet is an anthropologist.
The figures nevertheless cement Uber, alongside Alibaba and Facebook, as one of the most valuable tech IPOs in history, and a major beacon for breaking ground in a new area of tech, transportation.
Benedict Cumberbatch, Letitia Wright, Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie put their heads together while Director Joe Russo pulls the strings (and drops hints).
French lawmakers approve a controversial law for restoring Notre-Dame within five years, after the famous Paris cathedral sustained major fire damage last month https://t.co/SDWVNuqSZtpic.twitter.com/VO1Dc3a8bR
"It's time to go back to the moon, this time to stay," says Jeff Bezos. The Blue Origin founder unveiled Blue Moon, a lunar lander that's designed to land on and bounce back off of the moon's surface https://t.co/tJACq3ms35pic.twitter.com/7sT1CYlNZj
Havana says it will extend the rationing of food and other products in the face of hardened US sanctions. The political and economic crisis in Venezuela is also partially to blame.
The Cuban government will widen the wholesale rationing of staple food items and other basic products in the face of a grave supply crisis, Commerce Minister Betsy Diaz Velasquez said Friday.
She said some items, such as chicken, would be limited to a fixed amount per purchase or per customer.
Other items, including eggs, rice, beans and sausages, would only be available to buy with a ration card, and would be limited to a maximum monthly amount.
The DMZ is a 160-mile-long zone north of Seoul and was established at the end of the 1953 Korean War to divide the two nations. Pictured are the vibrant blue Military Armistice Commission Conference Rooms, which straddle both North and South Korea
* First of three hiking trails has opened on the Korean Peninsula with tours running twice a day, six days a week * Pictures have emerged of the first hikers to tackle the trail, which is surrounded by barbed wire and mines * The DMZ is a 160-mile-long zone north of Seoul and was established at the end of the 1953 Korean War
A hiking trail where walkers can spot some of the world's most endangered species has opened inside the Korean Peninsula's heavily armed demilitarized zone (DMZ).
The Goseong-area route has opened on the eastern side of the DMZ in the first phase of what's known as the 'Peace Trail' project.
It is one of three trails set to open on the peninsula, with tours running twice a day, six days a week.
The "Baker" explosion, part of Operation Crossroads, a nuclear weapon test by the United States military at Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, on 25 July 1946. Wikipedia
Marine organisms increase spread of carbon and use it to build molecules within their cells.
Radioactive carbon released into the atmosphere from nuclear bomb tests has reached the deepest parts of the ocean, a study has revealed.
Researchers found the first evidence of radioactive carbon from nuclear bomb testing in muscle tissues of crustaceans that inhabit Earth's ocean trenches, including the Mariana Trench, home to the deepest spot in the ocean.
Organisms at the ocean surface have incorporated "bomb carbon" into the molecules that make up their bodies since the late 1950s, the discovered.
Soldiers from 546th Area Support Medical Company and 181st Chemical Company (Hazard Response), Task Force Ops, Joint Task Force Civil Support bring a simulated patient through the mass casualty decontamination line during Exercise Guardian Response at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, Indiana, on May 4. (2nd Lt. Corey Maisch/Army)
Two simultaneous nuclear explosions detonate, one in Detroit the other in Phoenix. Police, fire and local emergency workers scramble to respond.
What happens next?
Right now, a group of 3,500 soldiers, a mix of Army National Guard, active-duty soldiers under U.S. Army North and batches of reservists and other services are working on that very problem.
They've set up tents outside Detroit and are crowding 200 or more troops into command posts to coordinate how exactly you respond to thousands of dead, tens of thousands needing decontamination or rescue and perhaps a million or more citizens who must be moved out of the impact area.
From Wikipedia: Beachhead! is a 1954 Technicolor war film based on U.S. Marine Corps Captain Richard G. Hubler 1945 novel I've Got Mine about World War II. It was filmed on Kauai island in the Hawaiian Islands chain in the mid - Pacific Ocean by Aubrey Schenck Productions, released through United Artists studio and directed by Stuart Heisler.
Dispute between economic powerhouses is reminiscent of cold war standoff in Cuba
The economic conflict that has been simmering between the US and China has entered a new and dangerous phase. Without question, the world is closer to a full-blown trade war than it has been since the 1930s.
The issue now is whether the two sides can step back from the brink. So far, financial markets think the standoff is akin to the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962, the closest the US and the Soviet Union came to nuclear conflict during the cold war.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has approved a new deployment of Patriot missiles to the Middle East, a U.S. official told Reuters on Friday, in the latest U.S. response to what Washington sees as a growing threat from Iran.
The decision further bolsters U.S. defenses and comes after the Trump administration expedited the deployment of a carrier strike group and sent bombers to the Middle East following what it said were troubling indications of possible preparations for an attack by Iran.
The Pentagon has approved a plan to spend an additional $1.5 billion to build 80 more miles of wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a U.S. defense official confirmed to Fox News Friday.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan approved the re-allocation of funds, which were originally earmarked for support of Afghan security forces and other projects, to help pay for the wall along the southern border.
WNU editor: Illegal migration on the U.S. - Mexico border is totally out of control .... Southwest Border Migration FY 2019 (US Customs and Border Control).
More News On Reports That Funds For Afghanistan Will Be Shifted To Build The Wall On The U.S. - Mexico Border
Ayatollah Yousef Tabatabai Nejad warns Iran's supreme leader could order attack on American forces 'if they attempt any move'
An Iranian cleric close to the country's supreme leader warned Friday that Iran could destroy a US naval force destined for the Persian Gulf with just one missile, further escalating tensions between the countries.
"Their billion [-dollar] fleet can be destroyed with one missile," Ayatollah Yousef Tabatabai Nejad was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency during prayers in Isfahan, according to Reuters.
* Mike Pompeo is making his first trip to Russia as secretary of state next week * He'll meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin for face-to-face talks in Sochi * Trump is looking to move past the special counsel investigation into Russian election meddling and alleged collusion and spoke to Putin by phone a week ago * He claimed Putin 'smiled' and Trump said they 'didn't discuss' the 2020 election * State Department signaled that Pompeo plans to have a frank converstion * 'Russia has taken a series of aggressive and destabilizing actions on the global stage,' a senior State Department official told reporters on Friday * Meeting could serve as a precursor for a Trump-Putin summit
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is making his first visit to Moscow as America's chief diplomat next week to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin for face-to-face talks.
Trump is looking to move past the special counsel investigation into Russian election meddling and alleged collusion and spoke to Putin by phone a week ago on Friday.
If Trump's call was the carrot, Pompeo's coming with a stick, the State Department signaled on Friday.
'The starting point we have to have when we discuss our policy toward Russia, and this is part of what diplomacy does, and the secretary's trip, is to acknowledge frankly that Russia has taken a series of aggressive and destabilizing actions on the global stage,' a senior official said Friday.
New figure brings total number of people living as IDPs due to violence and tensions to 41.3 million, an all-time high.
Conflict forced more than 10 million people to flee their homes to live elsewhere within their own country last year, bringing the total number of people internally displaced by violence to a record high, monitors say.
The new figure brings the total number of people currently living in internal displacement due to violence to 41.3 million, an all-time high, according to a report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Thousands of Nigerian refugees still fear Boko Haram violence (2:29)
"It is really a mind-boggling figure," NRC chief Jan Egeland told reporters in Geneva.
Negotiations are in trouble, and that could cause serious problems for the global economy.
rade talks between the United States and China appear to be in serious trouble after China reportedly walked back some of its commitments and President Trump launched a tirade against Chinese negotiators on social media. This marks a sharp turn from last week, when Mr. Trump said talks were "going along pretty well." As with most negotiations, the most intractable issues have been left for the final stages.
But this round of trade talks, which are to resume on Thursday, is different from those that have come before. If these negotiations fail, there is no going back to the status quo and waiting for another day to re-engage. Further tariff increases and other punitive measures, from both the United States and China, are likely to follow with little restraint.
Among the most difficult questions still on the table are the so-called structural issues that are at the core of the Chinese economic model. These include subsidies and other financial assistance provided to state-owned businesses, which make them unfair competitors. So far, China has reportedly agreed to more transparency on subsidies, an important first step, but there has not been enough progress on controlling them. Mr. Trump will need more than that to placate his political base. The president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., Richard Trumka, has already warned, in a recent interview with The Financial Times, that he will consider any deal that fails to reduce industrial subsidies "inferior."
* US Customs and Border Protection imposed the new 25 percent duty on affected US-bound cargoes leaving China after 12.01am on Friday * The hike comes in the midst of two days of talks between top US and Chinese negotiators to trying to rescue a faltering deal to end a 10-month trade war * China's commerce ministry said 'necessary countermeasures' would be taken * Mike Pence said the administration is working 'hour by hour' to reach agreement * Economists and industry consultants have said it may take three or four months for American shoppers to feel the pinch from the tariff hike * They say retailers will have little choice but to raise prices on a range of goods
China has vowed to retaliate with 'necessary countermeasures' against US tariff hikes on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.
President Donald Trump's tariff increase to 25 per cent s took effect on Friday, ratcheting up tensions between the United States and China as they pursue last-ditch talks to try to salvage a trade deal.
China's commerce ministry said today it 'deeply regrets' the tariff hikes but did not elaborate on what specific measures Beijing would take.
WNU Editor: China's options are limited. The U.S. exports to China a fraction of what China exports to the U.S., and what the U.S. exports to day is already under tariffs and numerous restrictions.
More News On China Saying It Will Hit Back On U.S. Tariffs
* US Customs and Border Protection imposed the new 25 percent duty on affected US-bound cargoes leaving China after 12.01am on Friday * The president said talks continue in a 'very congenial manner' * The talks resume after Thursday negotiations failed to stop the U.S. from imposing tariffs * China has vowed to retaliate * Global markets rose Friday on hopes of a potential deal * Trump is promising to have the U.S. government buy up U.S. agriculture products and ship them to 'starving' countries * He also used the trade war to attack Democratic rival former Vice President Joe Biden * The hike comes in the midst of two days of talks between top US and Chinese negotiators to trying to rescue a faltering deal to end a 10-month trade war * China's commerce ministry said 'necessary countermeasures' would be taken * Mike Pence said the administration is working 'hour by hour' to reach agreement * Economists and industry consultants have said it may take three or four months for American shoppers to feel the pinch from the tariff hike * They say retailers will have little choice but to raise prices on a range of goods
China trade talks in Washington broke up for the day Friday after President Donald Trump said there was 'no rush' to complete them and hailed new tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese products as a boon to the U.S.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin declared Friday afternoon that trade talks were done for the day. Mnuchin called the talks 'constructive' after meeting with Chinese negotiator Liu He and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, CNBC reported.
The talks between U.S. negotiators and the world's second-largest economy came hours after the Trump administration slapped a 25 per cent tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, from bikes to TV monitors and orange juice.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday Tehran will not negotiate with the United States and denied any U.S. attack was likely, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump urged talks and said he could not rule out a military confrontation.
Trump on Thursday urged Iran's leadership to sit down and talk with him about giving up Tehran's nuclear program and said he could not rule out a military confrontation given the heightened tensions between the two countries.
American B-52 bombers sent to the Middle East over what Washington describes as threats from Iran have already arrived at a U.S. base in Qatar, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
A MH-60S helicopter hovers in the air with an oil tanker in the background as the USS John C. Stennis makes its way to the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. commercial ships including oil tankers sailing through key Middle East waterways could be targeted by Iran in one of the threats to U.S. interests posed by Tehran, the U.S. Maritime Administration said in an advisory.
The U.S. military said this week that a number of B-52 bombers would be part of additional forces being sent to the Middle East to counter what the Trump administration calls "clear indications" of threats from Iran to U.S. forces there. The Islamic Republic has dismissed the U.S. contention of a threat as "fake intelligence".
The face-off between Iran and the United States continued to escalate on Friday as the Islamic Republic's elite Revolutionary Guards goaded the Trump administration with a dare, just a day after American B-52 bombers landed in the region. CBS News senior national defense correspondent David Martin said Thursday that all four B-52 Stratofortress bombers ordered to the Persian Gulf by the White House had arrived at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar.
The White House deployed the bombers to the Gulf, along with the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its associated vessels, over the weekend. While the Lincoln was deployed to replace a different U.S. carrier that was rotated out of the Gulf last month, there are few more irrefutable and visible demonstrations of U.S. military might than the deployment of a carrier strike group.
One Marine was killed and six others were injured Thursday when a light armored vehicle rolled over during training at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, U.S. military officials said. It was the second fatal crash to occur at the military base since last month.
The seven Marines were a part of the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division and were conducting training exercises at the camp located north of San Diego around 9 a.m. when their vehicle rolled over. The identity of the deceased Marine will not be released until 24 hours after the next-of-kin are notified, as per Defense Department policy.
A US woman was among four hostages rescued in Burkina Faso, West Africa on Friday as France revealed two soldiers were killed in the mission to free them.
The two soldiers died in a military operation to rescue the woman, a South Korean woman and two Frenchmen in the Sahel region of Africa overnight on May 9.
The operation took place in a bid to free two French tourists, Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas, who had disappeared in the remote Pendjari National Park in Benin on May 1.
A former spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) revealed a level of cooperation between Iran and al-Qaeda which previously remained under wraps, Al Arabiya reported.
Said Qasemi, now retired, said Iran sent IRGC soldiers to Bosnia and Herzegovina disguised as humanitarian workers from the Iranian branch of the Red Crescent (part of the International Red Cross) to train al-Qaeda fighters who ran an operational base in the Balkan country.
Just last month, the Trump administration designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization.
WNU Editor: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards were finally labelled as a terror group by the U.S.. Why it took so long is something that I will never understand.
Crushing sanctions from the United States have sent Iran's economy into a "tailspin," ex-CIA director David Petraeus told CNN Business.
Petraeus, who was also America's top general in the Middle East, warned that Iran's economy could continue to nosedive "as we tighten the screws a few more turns."
Despite soaring tensions between Washington and Tehran, the former CIA director isn't overly concerned about an all-out war breaking out.
"Certainly, if Iran were to precipitate that, it would be a suicide gesture," Petraeus said from the sidelines of the SALT Conference in Las Vegas. "It would be very, very foolhardy. And they know that."
WNU Editor: I do not think the concerns in the U.S. intelligence Community is on what Iran will do directly. I think the focus is on what Iran told its proxies to do.
The Canadian government will allow a "flexible approach" in determining industrial benefits for the new fighter jet program, making way for Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government to bid on the project.
Suppliers are being informed of the new approach that comes in the wake of a threat from the Trump administration to pull the F-35 from the competition to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force's CF-18 jets. If Canada insisted that industrial and technological benefits must be linked to the outlay of $19 billion for a new fighter jet fleet then Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth jet was out of the race, the U.S. government noted in letters sent to Canadian procurement officials.
FREXIT – France quitting the EU - really could happen, with "surprising" levels of Euroscepticism among the French which are only likely to get more pronounced, a UK-based expert in French politics has predicted.
EUROPEAN Union leaders have finally conceded Jean-Claude Juncker was undemocratically parachuted into his top Brussels job – and will change the rules to appoint his successor.
THE European Union will not pressure the Italian Government into tackling huge economic issues over fears Brussels' intervention could provoke a bloc-wide financial blow, eurozone expert Eleonora Poli suggested.
DONALD TRUMP has increased tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods from 10 to 25 percent, further escalating the battle between the two economic powers. Can the year-long trade feud be resolved?
AUSTRALIA could end up ditching the Queen in just three years as the Commonwealth nation revealed it has squirrelled away £30million to push for the country to become a republic.
A little over a month ago, Turkey held local elections. For the first time in more than twenty years, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lost the mayoralty of Istanbul, the city where Erdogan himself once presided as mayor. Erdogan took the loss hard and refused to accept the results. Earlier this week, Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Board annulled the results and ordered the race to be run again on June 23rd.
Why It Matters:
While this is not Erdogan’s first attempt to bend Turkish democracy to his will after nearly two decades in power, it is his most brazen. Facing party term limits, Erdogan pushed a referendum in 2017 to rewrite the country’s constitution to create the executive presidency he currently holds, one much less accountable to Turkey’s parliament. Critics decried that move, lamenting the erosion of Turkey’s democratic institutions; you’ll be hearing lots more about the state of Turkey’s democracy between now and June 23rd.
The results of the March 31 election were extremely close, but the opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) pulled out the victory by a slim margin of 13,000 votes. This was despite Erdogan using his control of Turkish media to limit the exposure of opposition candidates and a concerted messaging effort by the AKP to convince voters that a vote for any non-AKP candidate was a vote for Turkey’s enemies. In the wake of the loss, Erdogan and his party accused foreign conspirators of appointing the people who worked at the polling stations to insure the AKP lost Istanbul’s mayoralty.
The country’s electoral board annulled the election results for Istanbul’s mayor’s race based on the AKP’s claim that not all the people who were charged with overseeing election at the polls were civil servants, even though that’s common in Turkey. Interestingly, the Electoral Board did not order a rerun for district and provincial council election results which were overseen by the same people… but were races that the AKP and its coalition partner won. The reaction of international markets was swift—within 24 hours, Turkey’s currency plunged more than 3 percent to a 7-month low and the yield on government-issued bonds ticked upward.
Europe was not pleased by the development, either—in a striking joint statement, the EU’s Foreign Affairs and Enlargement Commissioners stated that “the justification for this far-reaching decision, taken in a highly politicised context, should be made available for public scrutiny without delay. Ensuring a free, fair and transparent election process is essential to any democracy and is at the heart of the European Union’s relations with Turkey.” They are now calling for international observers to oversee the rerun—let’s just say they don’t have much confidence in Erdogan’s commitment to a democratic result that doesn’t go his way. They’re not wrong.
What Happens Next:
Erdogan purposely framed March local elections as a referendum on himself in anticipation that would swing things in his party’s favor… only to see the results go the other way in a number of cities, including the capital of Ankara. But while the loss of Ankara was no doubt a blow to Erdogan and his supporters, it was the loss of Istanbul—Turkey’s largest and most important commercial center, and a key center of patronage for Erdogan and his allies—that was too much to bear. And now thanks to the Supreme Electoral Board—stacked with political appointees—Istanbul’s mayor race will be rerun with a level of intensity and scrutiny not seen in years.
In the runup to those March elections, polls showed that Turkey’s stumbling economy was the key factor behind the AKP’s eroding political support. Expect more populist measures from Erdogan that will boost his party’s political chances in the short-term but will seriously harm the country’s economic prospects over the long-term. But while Erdogan looks set to do whatever it takes to win back Istanbul, Imamoglu has now become a rallying figure for those opposed to Erdogan, which may in fact boost his support and overall voter turnout. Indeed, it’s looking like the smaller opposition parties won’t field their own candidates and will instead throw their support to Imamoglu as the winner of the last election. Buckle up.
The Key Quote That Sums It All Up:
“This is a very risky move. If [Erdogan] loses the elections, the loss is going to be even more difficult to swallow. His image will be shattered. And if he wins, it won’t be a real win,” Gonul Tol, director of the Center for Turkish Studies at the Middle East Institute in Washington.
The One Major Misconception About It:
That the AKP, a party that Erdogan turned into a political juggernaut, is in lock-step behind this drastic move. There are plenty within the party that think Erdogan should have accepted the loss of Istanbul and just moved on, both for the sake of the party and for the sake of Turkish democracy. Win or lose on June 23rd, controlling the AKP will become much harder for Erdogan going forward.
The One Thing to Say About It at a Dinner Party:
Erdogan will do whatever it takes to secure his desired outcome. The question is whether “doing whatever it takes” jibes with holding free and fair elections. Let’s just say I’m skeptical.
(PARIS) — Two French soldiers have been killed in a military operation in the West African nation of Burkina Faso that freed four people from the U.S., France and South Korea who were kidnapped in neighboring Benin.
In a statement Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed condolences for the two soldiers killed in the overnight operation. He thanked authorities in Burkina Faso and Benin for their cooperation in the mission, and promised them support in fighting terrorism in the Sahel region.
Two of the hostages were French tourists, one was an American and the other a South Korean, Macron’s office said. It did not identify the hostage-takers.
The French tourists failed to return from a visit last week to the Pendjari National Park wildlife reserve. Their African guide was later found dead.
Macron’s office did not immediately release information on the American or the South Korean.
Islamic extremists have become increasingly active in Burkina Faso, raising worries the militants could be infiltrating northern Benin and neighboring Togo as well.
France has 4,500 troops in a military force in the Sahel aimed at helping local governments fight Islamic extremists.
Pendjari National Park is part of a vast wildlife area that stretches across the countries of Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. The entire area is home to most of the world’s remaining West African lion population.
President Donald Trump said that the U.S. will boost its purchases of domestic farm products for humanitarian aid in an effort to offset lost demand from China as trade tensions flare between the nations.
Trump said on Twitter on Friday that the U.S. will use its money from the tariffs to buy American agricultural products “in larger amounts than China ever did” and send it to “poor & starving countries” for humanitarian aid. The president indicated potential purchases of $15 billion from farmers. Soybean and grain futures held mostly steady after the announcements.
“In the meantime we will continue to negotiate with China in the hopes that they do not again try to redo deal!” Trump said on Twitter. “Our farmers will do better, faster and starving nations can now be helped.”
….The process has begun to place additional Tariffs at 25% on the remaining 325 Billion Dollars. The U.S. only sells China approximately 100 Billion Dollars of goods & products, a very big imbalance. With the over 100 Billion Dollars in Tariffs that we take in, we will buy…..
….agricultural products from our Great Farmers, in larger amounts than China ever did, and ship it to poor & starving countries in the form of humanitarian assistance. In the meantime we will continue to negotiate with China in the hopes that they do not again try to redo deal!
Soybean and grain futures plunged this week as U.S. trade talks faltered with China, the world’s top oilseed buyer, and the Asian nation vowed retaliation as the U.S. boosted tariffs on $200 billion in goods. On the Chicago Board of Trade, soybean, corn and wheat futures for July delivery were little changed at 8 a.m. local time.
In the 2017 fiscal year, the U.S. gave 3.12 million tons of foreign food aid valued at $3.62 million, according to a report from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Trump’s tweets didn’t provide details on which government agency might be involved in purchases from farmers or aid.
‘Not That Simple’
“To buy humanitarian aid is not that simple,” Louise Gartner, owner of Spectrum Commodities in New Richmond, Ohio, said in a telephone interview. “I’m sure the market has seen those tweets, and they’re not thinking much of it.”
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in April that he wasn’t aware of any additional aid under discussion for farmers. In 2018, the U.S. administration said it would deliver as much as $12 billion to farmers after Beijing slapped retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural products.
Last month, the the World Trade Organization ruled that China didn’t follow proper procedures when it imposed trade restrictions on agricultural imports.
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The board of Oracle Financial Services Software on Friday approved to divest the foreign direct investments in the company's stepdown subsidiaries - M Source: BHT
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The Securities and Exchange Board of India has promoted 62 of its assistant general managers (AGMs) as deputy general managers (DGMs) in the latest d Source: BHT
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Facebook sues South Korea data analytics firm Facebook suspended apps and accounts associated with Rankwave, and asked the court to order Rankwave to abide by its rules for applications, according to Romero.
Despite challenging Q4 earnings, these 5 stocks may give 13-34% return Finance, FMCG and auto companies suffered from volume growth and delivered disappointing results.
Navjot Singh Sidhu in fresh EC trouble for his remarks against PM Modi The poll panel had received a complaint from the BJP that Sidhu, during a rally in Madhya Pradesh on April 29, had made disparaging comments about PM Modi.
Lok Sabha election LIVE: BJP govt based on lies, hatred, says Akhilesh Yadav Live updates of the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign. Phase 6 of polling will happen on May 12.
ITC Chairman YC Deveshwar dies at 72 Born in Lahore on February 4, 1947, Deveshwar is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and Harvard Business School.
Most of debris generated from India#39;s anti-satellite test has decayed: G Satheesh Reddy India#39;s Ministry of External Affairs, too, has said the test was done in the lower atmosphere to ensure that there is no space debris.
Investing in gold: Stay on long side, demand likely to go up According to a latest update from the World Gold Council in April, holdings in global gold-backed ETFs and similar products fell across all regions by 57 tonne.
Sensex, Nifty post biggest loss since October 2018; 20 stocks lost 10-20% in 5 days Analyst advise investors to keep their shopping list ready as volatility could increase, they suggest that investors should avoid high beta names.
Eye on polls: Will Nifty 50 move above 12,000 level post election outcome? Markets may continue to remain volatile and weak as hardly 5 trading sessions are left ahead of the exit poll which is scheduled for 19th of May.
Facebook suspended apps and accounts associated with Rankwave, and asked the court to order Rankwave to abide by its rules for applications, according to Romero.
Finance, FMCG and auto companies suffered from volume growth and delivered disappointing results.
The poll panel had received a complaint from the BJP that Sidhu, during a rally in Madhya Pradesh on April 29, had made disparaging comments about PM Modi.
Live updates of the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign. Phase 6 of polling will happen on May 12.
Born in Lahore on February 4, 1947, Deveshwar is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and Harvard Business School.
India#39;s Ministry of External Affairs, too, has said the test was done in the lower atmosphere to ensure that there is no space debris.
According to a latest update from the World Gold Council in April, holdings in global gold-backed ETFs and similar products fell across all regions by 57 tonne.
Mobile-only insurance policies could be a reality in a few years.
Analyst advise investors to keep their shopping list ready as volatility could increase, they suggest that investors should avoid high beta names.
Markets may continue to remain volatile and weak as hardly 5 trading sessions are left ahead of the exit poll which is scheduled for 19th of May.
