Pristine sound quality • Eerily quiet noise-cancellation • High-quality construction
The Bad
Mighty empty your wallet and then some
The Bottom Line
The Beoplay H9 headphones are exactly as advertised, but the price point makes them hard to recommend to non-enthusiasts.
⚡ Mashable Score4.0
😎 Cool Factor4.5
📘Learning Curve4.0
💪Performance5.0
💵 Bang for the Buck2.0
One of the world's biggest unfixable problems is that it's loud everywhere. All the racket that the world generates can be distracting when you need to put your head down and get some work done. Read more...
Bluetooth speakers allow us to experience music no matter where we go. Whether it's listening to classical pieces from Mozart or Halsey's newest single, you shouldn't have to miss out on enjoying your favorites. But with so many great Bluetooth speakers to choose from, how do you know which ones are the best? Read more...
We all want homes that are safe and secure. Yet, according to the real estate listings we definitely skimmed, fortress inventory is at an all-time low. Additionally, the landscape architect we totally interviewed informed us that moats haven’t been en vogue since the Middle Ages. Fortunately, we remembered that we live in the 21st century and have access to some remarkable technology including home security cameras. Read more...
Robot vacuums are a hot item right now and although they could obviously make your life 100 times easier, there's a hard part to the process: picking the right one.
With so many brands, features, and app capabilities out there, deciding which vacuum you're going to drop a hefty load of cash on can be overwhelming. No worries. We hate cleaning just as much as you do and have laid out a simple, comprehensive list of all your best options, sorted by price. Read more...
If you're looking to do something to benefit your health, juicing could be a great place to start. A fresh juice allows you to get the most out of your fruits and vegetables, extracting vitamins and nutrients that would otherwise be depleted through other cooking methods. Not to mention, of course, they can be delicious and refreshing.
If you're looking to get into the home-juicing game — good for you! You're doing something great for your health and will also probably save a ton of money on store-bought juices that can cost up to £8 for just a little bottle. However, when it comes to making your own juices, the kind of juicer you use can really make or break your experience. Don't worry, we're here to help. To start, we compiled a list of the top-rated juicers according to Amazon reviews. Read more...
Wellness is a buzzy word lately. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a surge in all things health, wellness, and spirituality. Juice bars are popping up, boutique studios are becoming more accessible, and essential oils are chilling all of us out. Self-care is becoming more of the norm too, but amidst all this hype, it can be challenging to find the right routine that promotes good exercise, sleep, vitals, and mindset. Read more...
There are genuinely thousands of different headphones, earphones, and earbuds out there to choose from. That can seem like a great thing initially, but when you are faced with all those options, the prospect of picking the perfect set can be pretty daunting. All have the same idea at heart — to provide you with music without having to play it out loud for everyone to hear. But some achieve this result so much better than others. Read more...
“I’m up in East Harlem, I’m down in the Financial District, I’m signing papers with clients in my Park Avenue office,” Palmieri said. “I’m all over the city every day, and I need to be connected.”
The brand-spanking-new Beats Powerhouse Pros hit Apple store shelves earlier this month, and according to Mashable's own Ray Wong, "they're the most well-rounded wireless earbuds you can buy."
High praise, to be sure, but nevertheless we couldn't blame you for balking at their $249.95 price tag. (FYI, that makes them a whole $100 more expensive than Apple's AirPodsYeesh.)
So, what's a deal-seeking audiophile to do? Well, as far as affordable alternatives go, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more comparable option than the Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones from Beats' Neighborhood Collection. They look just like the Powerhouse Pros, only with an additional cord linking the earbuds, and they're currently on sale on Amazon for 50% off their normal retail price. Read more...
If you’re a habitual video game player and haven't yet picked up a Nintendo Switch, now is probably one of your best chances to get a good deal. Out of all the bundles currently available, this one most likely holds the most value.
For $299 at Walmart, which is the usual price of a Nintendo Switch just on its own, you can score two bonus controllers in addition to the console — wired and wireless options are currently available.
With the Nintendo Switch, gaming is at its most versatile. There are multiple ways to play, including handheld mode, tabletop mode, and TV-docked mode — so you’ll never have trouble finding access to your video game library. The Switch is also home to some of the hottest games of the past few years, like Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and too many others to name. What’s more is that with your two bonus controllers, you can invite some friends to join in on the fun with you. Read more...
Staring at a computer screen all day can seriously strain your eyes, but a curved monitor can ease that a bit by eliminating distortion. Curvature reduces your eye movement across the screen so that you can work more comfortably for longer.
The curved screen improves your field of view, reduces reflections, and creates near-uniform visual focus, which is better for working and for watching video.
Microsoft is trying to prevent the outbreak of a computer worm by urging those running older Windows systems to patch their machines.
Redmond has discovered a serious flaw in Windows 7, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 and 2008 systems, which can be exploited to create malware capable of automatically spreading from one vulnerable machine to another.
"While we have observed no exploitation of this vulnerability, it is highly likely that malicious actors will write an exploit for this vulnerability and incorporate it into their malware," Microsoft said.
The vulnerability deals with the Remote Desktop Services function in Windows, which can allow a user to take control of the machine over a network. Enterprises often choose to activate the feature on PCs and servers as a way to control them remotely. Read more...
Sous vide has been used in upscale steakhouses for a while, but if you're even somewhat into cooking, you've probably seen those recipe videos on social media about doing sous vide at home.
If you're not confident in your abilities, a Bluetooth sous vide device with a connected app can give you an extra hand with watching the temperature and water circulation in your pot. The Anova Culinary Nano is one of the best, and it's $20 off at Amazon.
Unlike pressure cooking, sous vide actually takes longer than your average cooking time (say, if you were grilling a steak or boiling chicken). The Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano uses a 750-watt motor to pump up to 1.2 gallons a minute (pretty standard for most devices on the market). With around 0.1-degree Fahrenheit precision, the Nano and its app can help you control your temperature over the entire cooking time and start dinner before you even get home. Read more...
Let's just state the obvious real quick: Dating can be an absolute nightmare.
Blind dates are awkward, people become disinterested and ghost, and dating a close friend can end awkwardly. This is probably a pessimistic outlook, but sometimes, it genuinely seems like your chances of finding a match dwindle by the day.
If you're one of those people who has simply succumbed to the idea of being alone because "real love isn't out there," listen up: Match wants to change your mind.
Unless you're brave enough to strike up a conversation in person and don't care about rejection, we can all agree that the serendipitous, waiting-for-the-right-person-to-appear-IRL type of dating isn't all that successful. That's why online dating exists, and you're seriously not alone in wanting to try this. Read more...
They say sex sells itself, but vibrators? Not so much. In fact, shopping around for the just-right "personal massager" can be intimidating as hell. It’s definitely not a task to take lightly — after all, you’re buying something that’ll go inside, around, and on top of all your most intimate nooks and crannies. You want to make sure it’ll get you off, obviously, but you also want to make sure it’s a high quality product that’s easy to clean. (For more masturbation-related content, check out our Feeling Yourself series.)
Samsung's Galaxy Fold might be ready to rise again.
According to Yonhap News (via CNET), the Korean electronics giant has reportedly solved the problems that led to review units breaking ahead of the $2,000 foldable phone's launch in April.
Per the report, Samsung has reportedly addressed at least two major flaws that broke devices and forced the company to delay the Fold indefinitely.
The first issue relates to the "polymer adhesive" covering the plastic foldable display. On initial review units, the layer resembled a pre-installed screen protector. As a result, some reviewers peeled off the the layer only to find it destroyed the Fold's display. Read more...
Gaming is an expensive hobby. First, you need to drop at least a couple of hundred pounds on a console, and then the games are likely to set you back about £30 each. We don't need to tell you that it quickly adds up.
Even if you're smart and opt for bundle deals or wait for sales, you are still going to be out of pocket before too long. That is unless you go old-school and purchase a classic games console like the Atari Flashback 8.
This machine comes with 105 built-in games, including some of the Atari 2600's most popular titles. You can play the greatest hits, like Pitfall!, River Raid, Kaboom!, Frogger, Space Invaders, Centipede, Millipede, and so many more. You also get two wired controllers (styled after the Atari 2600 original) and two legacy controller ports. That's a lot of fun, for under £20. Read more...
Work is no longer something you just do in the office or classroom anymore. Whether that's a good or bad thing is very much up to you, but work is definitely a more fluid concept nowadays.
It's a fact of life that you will be expected to work on the train, at home, or just about anywhere these days. If you are working remotely on a regular basis, you'll need a laptop that can keep up.
You can get your work done wherever you are with the Microsoft Surface Laptop. It’s extremely portable, with a lightweight design and an impressive 11 hour battery life. Whether you are heading to the library or coffee shop, you can slip it into your bag and off you go, without any worries. Read more...
10 years is an awfully long time in the tech world. Instagram wasn't even a thing a decade ago. Nor, was Tinder, the PS4, or 4K TVs. A lot can change in 10 years.
If a service has survived for 10 years in this business, you can feel pretty confident that it works, because if it didn't, it would be long gone. ExpressVPN is one of these services, and has stayed true to its mission to make it easy for everyone to use the internet with privacy, security, and freedom.
You can celebrate ExpressVPN turning 10 years old by saving on the service. The 12-month plan is now reduced by 35 percent to just £6.48 a month. This deal saves you over £40 in total, and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read more...
The app revealed a redesigned version of its Explore page, the section of the app where you see recommended content from accounts you don't follow.
Explore is "the home for Instagram's big bets," explained Instagram's product lead for discovery, Will Ruben. "These changes signal the future strategic direction we're taking with Explore." In this case, that means a lot more of two potentially lucrative areas for Instagram: shopping and IGTV, both of which are now featured at the top of Explore.
Europol has dismantled a global cybercrime network that used the GozNym malware to steal approximately $100 million, the agency announced on Thursday.
Five members of the network have been apprehended in Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia, while five remain on the run. All ten have been charged in Pittsburgh, U.S. with conspiracy to infect victims' computers with malware, steal login credentials and use them to syphon money out of victims' accounts.
The criminals targeted mostly businesses and financial institutions, using the sophisticated GozNym malware to infect victims' computers. The malware allowed them to steal login credentials and gain unauthorized access to victims' online bank accounts, steal the money and then launder it through U.S. and foreign bank accounts. Read more...
As more states pass restrictive anti-abortion bills, with Alabama leading the way, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is here to put the men who pass these laws on blast.
In a scorching segment called "Sex Ed for Senators," Bee takes aim at the predominantly old white men in the states' legislatures who keep passing these laws and their complete lack of knowledge of, well, biology.
Besides laying down how these bills ignore everything about the actual science of pregnancy, Bee uses these ignorant lawmakers' own words against them to unfold a withering, and sadly obvious, point: these guys don't know what the hell they're talking about. Read more...
LEGO is just the best, isn't it? We'd struggle to think of any other toy that has been going for decades and still enjoys a similar degree of popularity. It doesn't matter how old you are, or what you're into, because we bet you've played with some LEGO at some point in your life, and we're confident you liked it.
The Lego Group started pumping out the famous little bricks in 1949. That's a whole 70 years ago. That's before the internet was a thing. We didn't even have seatbelts in our cars until 10 years later. The fact that LEGO has actually grown in popularity is a testament to both the genius of the initial idea, and how the brand has continuously reinvented itself. Read more...
This selection of deals is all about health, fitness, and self-improvement (not that you need it). We have tracked down the best fitness and grooming deals from top brands like Oral-B, Philips, Huawei, Honor, and eufy.
This is your best chance to save on a wide range of smart scales, protein powders, fitness trackers, and more from leading brands. If the idea of being more active is not something you want to consider, we have also lined up a bunch of more relaxed deals. These include Amazon devices, speakers, and headphones.
These are the best deals from across the internet for May 16. Read more...
Discarded cigarette lighters, toothbrushes, and useless plastic water bottles have piled up on the Cocos Islands' white sand beaches, a balmy tourist destination surrounded by aquamarine waters.
Marine scientist Jennifer Lavers and her research team traveled to this tropical paradise, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, for a couple weeks in 2017. They knew many beaches were littered with plastic trash, but after giving the coast proper scientific scrutiny, discovered the human-debris problem to be substantially worse than anyone knew. Their research, published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, found an estimated 414 million pieces of trash — much of which were the broken apart scraps and shards of plastics, deteriorating as they drifted through the oceans, before finally coming to rest on the white Cocos' sand. Read more...
May is National Masturbation Month, and we're celebrating withFeeling Yourself, a series exploring the finer points of self-pleasure.
For a kid, there are few things more awkward than sitting in a sex ed class and learning about masturbation. For a queer or transgender kid, the experience can be simultaneously uncomfortable and painful.
That's because, as some sex educators argue, sex education often fails to address masturbation in an inclusive way. In fact, it may not even be discussed at allLess than half of American high schools and only one fifth of middle schools teach all 16 sex ed topics from the Center for Disease Control's recommended list. Masturbation isn't even on that list, much less inclusive masturbation education. Read more...
If you haven't heard about VPNs then we can only assume you've been living under a rock for the last few years. If that's the case, then please vacate the rock and listen in.
VPNs are becoming increasingly popular because they can safeguard your security and privacy when browsing the web. This is a pretty hot topic at the moment, and something we didn't really appreciate a decade ago. Nowadays, we are all too aware of how our online activities can be monitored.
Another big reason that more and more people are interested in VPNs is because they can provide access to Netflix content that might not be available in your area. A VPN can unlock a treasure chest of content, currently just out of reach. You can make the most of your Netflix subscription and get access to even more great movies and TV shows by tapping into another region's service via any of the VPN services listed down below. Read more...
As has been made all too clear in its eighth and final season, Game of Thrones delights in giving us wild twists we never saw coming. Putting the communication-challenged Three-Eyed Raven Bran Stark on a throne he never sought, and isn't even in line for, would certainly qualify as "wild."
But would it be unforeseen?
Not according to the betting markets, which have taken an oddly pro-Bran turn in recent days. Indeed, one of them — a bookie with its roots in the Iron Throne's real-world home, Northern Ireland — has suspended betting on Bran altogether.
“The betting has been in favor of Bran Stark for quite some time," writes Lawrence Lyons, a spokesperson for BoyleSports, an Ireland-wide gambling franchise. "but it became relentless in the past couple of weeks and we had to act ... it seems that punters [gamblers] believe the winner is all but crowned." Read more...
Toe Beans - 10/10/10 (New - March 2019) Expect smooth and superior latency if you're playing from a country within the South East Asian Region! Revo Classic 2-1 & 2-2
Message from Head GM: First of all, thanks for checking us out! Personally, the time you spent to just do that is valuable to us. Give us a try and maybe we can start from there. We are fairly new and our community is just beginning to grow. Lets play Pomch RO!
Note: Gravity had closed the kRO Sakray server, you will no longer be able to patch your Sakray client. The Renewal server is now the new Sakray server. This means you will need to download the latest ready-to-play RO folder below. You should follow the instruction below and don't forget to run the Ragnarok and Renewal rsu patchers (as replacement to the original patchers Ragnarok.exe and Ragnarok_RE.exe) to patch your client to the latest.
With this change, we no longer serve the installation EXE anymore. We now provide a download of the RO folder which is the result of a full installation and it is patched up to the date of release. Please remember to follow the instruction given by your server, if the server specifically tell you to get Sakray then please scroll down to download Sakray 0325 (and the BGM & DLL packages). There are servers that are using the old Sakray client exe and might not work with the new Ragnarok/Renewal grf.
Name [Download Links]
Source
06-29-2017 kRO Client Folder (If any file is corrupted or link dead please contact us or report it in our forum, thanks)
Usage Instruction:
These downloads contain content of a ready to play RO folder. There is no installation needed.
1) Download all 8 files: data.grf parts 1-5 (or the full data.grf in one file if available), the BGM pack, rdata.grf.rar and the dll pack which also contain the RSU patchers.
2) After you got all the files, put them in one folder and extract all the .rar files (normally at C:\Program Files\Gravity\RO\). They should all be at the same level, see screenshot for example. When extracting the dll package, if you get errors, try extracting it with 7zip.
3) Run the two RSU Patchers in the RO folder (rsu-kro-rag-lite.exe and rsu-kro-renewal-lite.exe by Ai4rei) to patch your kRO and kRO Renewal data. You will need to run these two patchers regularly to keep your client files up to date. Especially when you get sprite erorr or crashes during game-play.
4) Now you can install the client from the server you are going to play and then start playing.
Never Installed RO: If your computer have never had a copy of any version of RO installed, you will likely missing some registry entries such as the default width and height of the game window (result). If this apply to you, please try the solutions outlined here.
File Repair: a 2%~4% recovery record is included in each of the part 1-5 data.grf rar. If any part of your file run into error during extraction, you can try to repair it by double clicking the erroring rar -> Tools -> Repair Archive. The resulting file will be prefixed with "fixed", you should rename it to redo the extraction process. (screenshot)
All files are the same in the following mirrors below, you can download different parts from different mirrors to minimize the delay from each sites.
Links for data.grf in one file (this is the same as the part files put together) [ DepositFiles: data.grf ] [ 4Shared: data.grf ] [ Mega: data.grf ] [ FileFactory : data.grf ]
FileFactory - DO NOT download any EXE file from this host. [ Link ]
FileFactory
Links for data.grf in one file (this is the same as the part files put together) [ DepositFiles: data.grf ] [ 4Shared: data.grf ] [ FileFactory : data.grf ]
Hitfile file folder - Select Free of charge on the left menu. [ Link ]
Hitfile
Links for data.grf in one file (this is the same as the part files put together) [ DepositFiles: data.grf ] [ 4Shared: data.grf ] [ FileFactory : data.grf ]
Links for data.grf and rdata.grf each in one file (this is the same as the part files put together) [ DepositFiles: data.grf ] [ DepositFiles: rdata.grf ]
Various
Name [Download Links]
Source
04-14-2012 kRO Client Folder
Data.grf 1.5gb in one file (this is the same as ro04142012_data.grf.part 1-8 rar together) [ DepositFiles ]
Various
Name [Download Links]
Source
Older downloads of Ragnarok and Renewal Installation exe
Here we bring you the latest Ragnarok Online kRO and kRO Renewal Clients whenever they are available (the Sakray line of client ended after the 03-25-2009 release). Don't forget to review the server you are playing or you are going to play after you have tried it.
If you have other working mirror(s) or you are hosting the latest clients on your server. Please let us know by using our forum or email us the URLs. Also let us know if you spot any broken links. Thanks!
Other Feature Highlights: Unique Reward System, Orphanage, Vanilla WoE, Resting System, Mining, Minigames and way more!
Player Commands: !arealoot (replaces autoloot, picks up items in 3x3 range of the one you clicked on) !autotrade !duel !hominfo !main !nodrop !noks !points !rates !request !showexp !time !whosell. @commands work as well.
Episode 16.2 Terra Gloria: Rock Ridge Sky Fortress Central Laboratory Charleston Crisis Sarah and Fenrir Temple of Demon God Geffen Magic Tournament Horror Toy Factory Faceworm's Nest ET and Endless Cellar OGH and more!
Other Feature Highlights: Active WoE, Starter Items, Daily Rewards, Loyalty Rewards, No Renewal Drop Table, Monster Hunting, Quest Boards up to 175, Login Settings NPC, Stat and Skill Build Manager, Vending Map, Automated Events, BG Consumables, Dead Branch Room
openings in the careers page of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth (SLBSRSV). The SLBSRSV firm is going to recruit 52 talented persons for filling teaching positions namely "Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professors and Guest Faculty". So Master's and Ph.D passed candidates can utilize this employment opportunity.
The applications will be accepted only through ONLINE mode. In Veda, Sahitya, Education, Jyotish, Vastu Shastra, Dharmashastra, Vyakaran, Sociology, Advaita Vedanta and Environment Studies etc subjects the current vacancies are to be filled. Go through this complete article and submit applications before the last date.
SLBSRSV Vacancy 2019
52 teaching jobs are to be filled in Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth. They are listed below.
Professor – 03 Jobs
Education: 01
Sahitya: 01
Veda: 01
Associate Professor – 13 Jobs
Vyakaran: 02
Education: 02
Veda: 01
Jyotish: 01
Vastu Shastra: 01
Advait Shastra: 01
Advait Vedanta: 01
Vishishta Advait: 01
Yoga: 01
Dharmashtra: 01
Sahitya: 01
Paranthas: 01
Assistant Professor – 33 Jobs
Education: 12
Vyakaran: 01
Paurohitya: 01
Sahitya: 01
Sociology: 01
Dharmashastra: 04
Advait Vedanta: 01
Environment Studies: 01
Yoga: 01
Vastu Shastra: 02
Prakrit: 01
Sarvadarshan: 01
Mimansa: 01
Women Study: 01
Guest Faculty – 03
Political Science: 01
Vastu Shastra: 01
Dharmashastra: 01
SLBSRSV Teaching Jobs Eligibility Criteria
Educational Qualification
Master's Degree/ Ph.D holders from a recognized university in a relevant subject can apply for these mentioned jobs. Contenders must have minimum post qualification experience.
The qualification for Guest Faculty jobs is as per UGC norms.
Professors Salary in SLBSRSV
In the pay level 14, the selected candidates for professor post will get as their monthly income.
The associate professor post recruited candidates will have pay in the level 13 per month.
Assistant Professor post selected aspirants will have monthly remuneration in the pay level 10.
For Guest faculty jobs, the pay will be Rs.1500/- per lecture.
SLBSRSV Recruitment Selection Process
The engagement of candidates by the selection will be made through an Interview session.
Application Process
Submit applications for SLBSRSV Recruitment 2019 through ONLINE mode. 14th June 2019 is the last date to fill www.slbsrsv.ac.in online application form.
Syndicate Bank is hiring young professionals to fill up its Specialist Officer vacancies in various verticles/ scales. JMGS – I scale posts selected candidates will be under probation for a period of 2 years and MMGS II scale job holders will be in probation for one year.
Postulates must be willing to work at any place in the country. The selection of aspirants will be through online test/ group discussion/ interview session. 22nd May 2019 is the last date for submission of applications for Bank Jobs. https://www.syndicatebank.in/ is the official website to download complete job notification.
Syndicate Bank SO Vacancy 2019
The total number of Specialist Officer vacancies to be filled in Various verticals/ scales are 14. They are
JMGS – I Scale vacancies
Assistant Manager (Certified Ethical Hacker) – 02 Jobs
Assistant Manager (Cyber Forensic Analyst) – 02 Jobs
Assistant Manager (Application Security Tester) – 02 Jobs
MMGS – II Scale vacancies
Manager (Application/ Web Security Personnel)- 02 Jobs
Manager (Computer/ Digital Forensic Specialist) – 02 Jobs
Candidates those who are having below given eligibility conditions can apply and settle your career in the banking sector.
Educational Qualification
BE/ B.Tech Degree/ Post Graduation holders in relevant discipline from a recognised university can apply for SO Vacancy 2019.
Age Limit
Assistant Manager
The minimum age for applicants is 20 years.
The maximum age for applicants is 30 years.
Manager
Lower age limit for participants is 25 years.
Upper age limit for participants is 35 years.
The age relaxation for Scheduled caste/ scheduled tribe candidates is 05 years.
For OBC category applicants the age relaxation is 03 years.
Salary
Contenders those who recruited for JMGS I scale posts will get pay in between Rs.237000-42020/-
For MMGS II Scale posts selected candidates will get pay in between Rs.31705-45950/-
Selection Process
The complete selection of candidates depends on their performance in Online Test/ Group Discussion and or interview session. So, aspirants be prepared to crack the Syndicate Bank SO Recruitment 2019.
Application Process
Mode of applying for Syndicate Bank Specialist Officers Recruitment 2019 through ONLINE. From 08th May 2019 to 22nd May 2019 the online portal link will be active.
Candidates have to clear the SO Online test of 200 marks. The duration of the exam is 2 hours 30 minutes. Aspirants should note that there will be a penalty for the wrong answer. The exam paper will be in English and Hindi languages.
Candidates should cover the below given topics to attend the exam successfully. The topics are as follow
Running a business involves a constant learning curve. And that applies whether you're a rookie entrepreneur just starting out with a great idea for a new business or a more established small business owner with a quickly growing business that needs to expand. You should always be learning as a business owner, no matter where you are in your career—there's always a new tool to master, new problems to solve, and new vocabulary to understand.
In order to not get totally overwhelmed, it's helpful to take things one segment at a time. For instance, feeling confident when discussing the business's financial needs should be a priority for every small business owner. After all, you represent the heart and soul of your business in the marketplace. So knowing the "language" of business finance is an integral part of your job as the owner.
The good news is that you don't have to be an accountant or a financial planner to negotiate in the world of business finance. Here are some business finance terms and definitions that will help you find your way to successful small business funding.
Business Finance Terms and Definitions to Know
From accounting, to business loans, to general business financial operations, here's the ultimate list to all the business finance terms and definitions you need to know:
1. Accounts Payable
Accounts payable is a business finance 101 term. This represents your small business's obligations to pay debts owed to lenders, suppliers, and creditors. Sometimes referred to as A/P or AP for short, accounts payable can be short or long term depending upon the type of credit provided to the business by the lender.
2. Accounts Receivable
Also known as A/R (or AR, good guess), accounts receivables is another business finance 101 term that means the money owed to your small business by others for goods or services rendered. These accounts are labeled as assets because they represent a legal obligation for the customer to pay you cash for their short-term debt.
3. Accrual Basis
The accrual basis of accounting is an accounting method of recording income when it's actually earned and expenses when they actually occur. Accrual basis accounting is the most common approach used by larger businesses to record and maintain financial transactions.
4. Accruals
A business finance term and definition referring to expenses that have been incurred but haven't yet been recorded in the business books. Wages and payroll taxes are common examples.
5. Asset
This business finance key term is anything that has value—whether tangible or intangible—and is owned by the business is considered an asset. Typical items listed as business assets are cash on hand, accounts receivable, buildings, equipment, inventory, and anything else that can be turned into cash.
6. Balance Sheet
Along with three other reports relating to the financial health of your small business, the balance sheet is essential information that gives a "snapshot" of the company's net worth at any given time. The report is a summary of the business assets and liabilities.
7. Bookkeeping
A method of accounting that involves the timely recording of all financial transactions for the business.
8. Capital
Refers to the overall wealth of a business as demonstrated by its cash accounts, assets, and investments. Often called "fixed capital," it refers to the long-term worth of the business. Capital can be tangible, like durable goods, buildings, and equipment, or intangible such as intellectual property.
9. Working Capital
Not to be confused with fixed capital, working capital is another business finance 101 term. It consists of the financial resources necessary for maintaining the day-to-day operation of the business. Working capital, by definition, is the business's cash on hand or instruments that you can convert to cash quickly.
10. Cash Flow
Every business needs cash to operate. The business finance term and definition cash flowrefers to the amount of operating cash that "flows" through the business and affects the business's liquidity. Cash flow reports reflect activity for a specified period of time, usually one accounting period or one month. Maintaining tight control of cash flow is especially important if your small business is new, since ready cash can be limited until the business begins to grow and produce more working capital.
11. Cash Flow Projections
Future business decisions will depend on your educated cash flow projections. To plan ahead for upcoming expenditures and working capital, you need to depend on previous cash flow patterns. These patterns will give you a comprehensive look at how and when you receive and spend your cash. This info is the key to unlock informed, accurate cash flow projections.
12. Depreciation
The value of any asset can be said to depreciate when it loses some of that value in increments over time. Depreciation occurs due to wear and tear. Various methods of depreciation are used by businesses to decrease the recorded value of assets.
13. Fixed Asset
A tangible, long-term asset used for the business and not expected to be sold or otherwise converted into cash during the current or upcoming fiscal year is called a fixed asset. Fixed assets are items like furniture, computer equipment, equipment, and real estate.
14. Gross Profit
This business finance term and definition can be calculated as total sales (income) less the costs (expenses) directly related to those sales. Raw materials, manufacturing expenses, labor costs, marketing, and transportation of goods are all included in expenses.
15. Income Statement
Here is one of the four most important reports lenders and investors want to see when evaluating the viability of your small business. It is also called a profit and loss statement, and it addresses the business's bottom line, reporting how much the business has earned and spent over a given period of time. The result will be either a net gain or a net loss.
16. Intangible Asset
A business asset that is non-physical is considered intangible. These assets can be items like patents, goodwill, and intellectual property.
17. Liability
This business finance key term is a legal obligation to repay or otherwise settle a debt. Liabilities are considered either current (payable within one year or less) or long-term (payable after one year) and are listed on a business's balance sheet. A business's accounts payable, wages, taxes, and accrued expenses are all considered liabilities.
18. Liquidity
Liquidity is an indicator of how quickly an asset can be turned into cash for full market value. The more liquid your assets, the more financial flexibility you have.
19. Profit & Loss Statement
Refer to "Income Statement" above.
20. Statement of Cash Flow
One of the important documents required by lenders and investors that shows a summary of the actual collection of revenue and payment of expenses for your business. The statement of cash flow should reflect activity in the areas of operating, investing, and financing and should be an integral part of your financial statement package.
21. Statement of Shareholders' Equity
If you have chosen to fund your small business with equity financing and you have established shares and shareholders as part of the controlling interests, you are obligated to provide a financial report that shows changes in the equity section of your balance sheet.
22. Annual Percentage Rate
The business finance term and definition APR represents the yearly real cost of a loan including all interest and fees. The total amount of interest to be paid is based on the original amount loaned, or the principal, and is represented in percentage form. When shopping for the right loan for your small business, you should know the APR for the loan in question. This figure can be very helpful in comparing one financial tool with another since it represents the actual cost of borrowing.
23. Appraisal
Just like your real estate appraisal when buying a house, an appraisal is a professional opinion of market value. When closing a loan for your small business, you will probably need one or more of the three types of appraisals: real estate, equipment, and business value.
24. Balloon Loan
A loan that is structured so that the small business owner makes regular repayments on a predetermined schedule and one much larger payment, or balloon payment, at the end. These can be attractive to new businesses because the payments are smaller at the outset when the business is more likely to be facing strict financial constraints. However, be sure that your business will be capable of making that last balloon payment since it will be a large one.
25. Bankruptcy
This federal law is used as a tool for businesses or individuals who are having severe financial challenges. It provides a plan for reduction and repayment of debts over time or an opportunity to completely eliminate the majority of the outstanding debts. Turning to bankruptcy should be given careful thought because it will have a negative effect on the business credit score.
26. Bootstrapping
Using your own money to finance the start-up and growth of your small business. Think of it as being your own investor. Once the business is up and running successfully, the business finance term and definition bootstrapping refers to the use of profits earned to reinvest in the business.
27. Business Credit Report
Just like you have a personal credit report that lenders look at to determine risk factors for making personal loans, businesses also generate credit reports. These are maintained by credit bureaus that record information about a business's financial history.
Items like how large the company is, how long has it been in business, amount and type of credit issued to the business, how credit has been managed, and any legal filings (i.e., bankruptcy) are all questions addressed by the business credit report. Lenders, investors, and insurance companies use these reports to evaluate risk exposure and financial health of a business.
28. Business Credit Score
A business credit score is calculated based on the information found in the business credit report. Using a specialized algorithm, business credit scoring companies take into account all the information found on your credit report and give your small business a credit score. Also called a commercial credit score, this number is used by various lenders and suppliers to evaluate your creditworthiness.
29. Collateral
Any asset that you pledge as security for a loan instrument is called collateral. Lenders often require collateral as a way to make sure they won't lose money if your business defaults on the loan. When you pledge an asset for collateral, it becomes subject to seizure by the lender if you fail to meet the requirements of the loan documents.
30. Credit Limit
When a lender offers a business line of credit it usually comes with a credit limit, or a maximum amount that you can use at any given time. It is said that you reach your credit limit or "max out" your credit when you borrow up to or exceed that number. A business line of credit can be especially useful if your business is seasonal or if the income is extremely unpredictable. It is one of the fastest ways to access cash for emergencies.
31. Debt Consolidation
If your small business has several loans with various payments, you might want to consider a business debt consolidation loan. It is a process that lets you combine multiple loans into a single loan. The advantages are possibly reducing the interest rates on the borrowed funds as well as lowering the total amount you repay each month. Businesses use this tool to help improve cash flow.
32. Debt Service Coverage Ratio
The business finance term and definition debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) is the ratio of cash your small business has available for paying or servicing its debt. Debt payments include making principal and interest payments on the loan you are requesting. Generally speaking, if your DSCR is above 1, your business has enough income to meet its debt requirements.
33. Debt Financing
When you borrow money from a lender and agree to repay the principal with interest in regular payments for a specified period of time, you're using debt financing. Traditionally, it has been the most common form of funding for small businesses.
Debt financing can include borrowing from banks, business credit cards, lines of credit, personal loans, merchant cash advances, and invoice financing. This method creates a debt that must be repaid but lets you maintain sole control of your business.
34. Equity Financing
The act of using investor funds in exchange for a piece or "share" of your business is another way to raise capital. These funds can come from friends, family, angel investors, or venture capitalists.
Before deciding to use equity financing to raise the cash necessary for your business, decide how much control you are willing to share when it comes to decision-making and philosophy. Some investors will also want voting rights.
35. FICO Score
A FICO score is another type of credit score used by potential lenders for evaluating the wisdom of entering a contract with you and your business. FICO scores comprise a substantial part of the credit report that lenders use to assess credit risk. It was created by the Fair Isaac Corporation, hence the name FICO.
36. Financial Statements
An integral part of the loan application process is furnishing information that shows your business is a good credit risk. The standard financial statement packet includes four main reports: the income statement, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flow, and the statement of shareholder's equity, if you have shareholders.
Lenders and investors want to see that your business is well-balanced with assets and liabilities, has positive cash flow, and will have capital to make expected repayments.
37. Fixed Interest Rate
The interest rate on a loan that is established in the beginning and does not change for the lifetime of the loan is said to be fixed. Loans with fixed interest rates are appealing to small business owners because the repayment amounts are consistent and easier to budget for in the future.
38. Floating Interest Rate
In contrast to the business finance term and definition fixed rate, the floating interest rate will change with market fluctuations. Also referred to as variable rates or adjustable rates, these amounts may often start out lower than the fixed rate percentages. This makes them more appealing in the short term if the market is trending down.
39. Guarantor
When starting a new small business, lenders might want you to provide a guarantor. This is an individual who guarantees to cover the balance owed on a debt if you or your business cannot meet the repayment obligation.
40. Interest Rate
All loans and other lending instruments are assigned the business finance key term interest rates. This is a percentage of the principal amount charged by the lender for the use of its money. Interest rates represent the current cost of borrowing.
41. Invoice Factoring or Financing
If your business has a significant amount of open invoices outstanding, you may contact a factoring company and have them purchase the invoices at a discount. By raising capital this way, there is no debt, and the factoring company assumes the financial responsibility for collecting the invoice debts.
42. Lien
This business finance term and definition is a creditor's legal claim to the collateral pledged as security for a loan is called a lien.
43. Line of Credit
A lender may offer you an unsecured amount of funds available for your business to draw on when capital is needed. This line of credit is considered a short-term funding option, with a maximum amount available. This pre-approved pool of money is appealing because it gives you quick access to the cash.
44. Loan-to-Value
The LTV comparison is a ratio of the fair-market value of an asset compared to the amount of the loan that will fund it. This is another important number for lenders who need to know if the value of the asset will cover the loan repayment if your business defaults and fails to pay.
45. Long-Term Debt
Any loan product with a total repayment schedule lasting longer than one year is considered a long-term debt.
46. Merchant Cash Advance
A merchant may offer a funding method through a loan based on the business's monthly sales volume. Repayment is made with a percentage of the daily or weekly sales. These tend to be short-term loans and are one of the costliest ways to fund your small business.
47. Microloan
Microloans are loans made through nonprofit, community-based organizations and they are most often for amounts under $50,000.
48. Personal Guarantee
If you're seeking financing for a very new business and don't have a high value asset to offer as collateral, you may be asked by the lender to sign a statement of personal guarantee. In effect, this statement affirms that you as an individual will act as guarantor for the business's debt, making you personally liable for the balance of the loan even in the event that your business fails.
49. Principal
Any loan instrument is made of three parts—the principal, the interest, and the fees. The principal is a business finance key term and is the original amount that is borrowed or the outstanding balance to be repaid less interest. It is used to calculate the total interest and fees charged.
50. Revolving Line of Credit
This business finance term and definition is a funding option is similar to a standard line of credit. However, the agreement is to lend a specific amount of money, and once that sum is repaid, it can be borrowed again.
51. Secured Loan
Many lenders will require some form of security when loaning money. When this happens, this business finance term and definition is a secured loan. The asset being used as collateral for the loan is said to be "securing" the loan. In the event that your small business defaults on the loan, the lender can then claim the collateral and use its fair-market value to offset the unpaid balance.
52. Term Loan
These are debt financing tools used to raise needed funds for your small business. Term loansprovide the business with a lump sum of cash up front in exchange for a promise to repay the principal and interest at specified intervals over a set period of time. These are typically longer term, one-time loans for start-up expenses or costs for established business expansion.
53. Unsecured Loans
Loans that are not backed by collateral are called unsecured loans. These types of loans represent a higher risk for the lender, so you can expect to pay higher interest rates and have shorter repayment time frames. Credit cards are an excellent example of unsecured loans that are a good option for small business funding when combined with other financing options.
54. Articles of Incorporation
This is legal documentation of the business's creation, including name, type of business, and type of business structure or incorporation. This paperwork is one of the first tasks you will complete when you officially start your business. Once submitted, your articles of incorporation are kept on file with the appropriate governmental agencies
55. Business Plan
Here is your tool for demonstrating how you want to establish your small business and how you plan to grow it into good financial health. When writing a business plan, it should include financial, operational, and marketing goals as well as how you plan to get there. The more specific you are with your business plan, the better prepared you will be in the long run.
56. Employer Identification Number (EIN) Certificate
In order to be more easily identified by the Internal Revenue Service, every business entity is assigned a unique number called an EIN. When you start your small business, an EIN will be assigned and mailed to the business address. This number never changes, and you will be asked to furnish it for many reasons.
57. Franchise Agreement
For a small business entrepreneur, entering into a franchise agreement with a larger company can be a way to enter the marketplace. The agreement made between you and the larger company gives you the right to operate as a satellite of the larger company in a certain territory for a given period of time. This lets you, the business owner, take advantage of a brand name that's already familiar in the marketplace and a process or operation that has already been tested.
58. Net Worth
This business finance term and definition is an expression of your business's total value, as determined by your total current assets less the total liabilities currently owed by the business. With your business's most recent balance sheet in hand, you can calculate the net worth using a simple formula: Assets – Liabilities = Net Worth.
59. Retained Earnings
Just like it sounds, this term represents any profits earned that are retained in the business. This can also be referred to as bootstrapping.
60. Tax Lien
If your business fails to pay taxes owed to the designated government entity, namely the IRS, you may find your assets seized by the claim of a tax lien. The government can not only seize your assets for liquidation to resolve the tax debt, but they can also charge you penalties on the amount you owe.
Tens of thousands of students and teachers protest across Brazil in "defense of education" following a raft of budget cuts announced by President Bolsonaro's government https://t.co/KFhViAy86Hpic.twitter.com/NQmQSB3Ybw
A statement from the White House on Wednesday said Conrad Black has made "tremendous contributions to business, as well as to political and historical thought." https://t.co/Esx2oLzEx5
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Do not miss this. <a href="https://t.co/sV3MrDDtvw">pic.twitter.com/sV3MrDDtvw</a></p>— Brit Hume (@brithume) <a href="https://twitter.com/brithume/status/1128306657979719680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> WNU Editor: OK. I am impressed. Hat tip SmallDeadAnimals for this link.
Rubble and damage in the Notre-Dame Cathedral is seen one month after the fire, in Paris, May 15. Philippe Lopez/Pool via REUTERS
WNU Editor: The above picture came form this photo-gallery .... Inside Notre-Dame Cathedral (Reuters). A personal observation. I am surprised that a lot of the rubble has not been removed.
It is vulnerable because it is a much poorer country with more fragile political institutions.
With the U.S.-China trade talks now at a halt, odds are that the recent U.S. tariffs on China will continue — and perhaps even rise and multiply. So it's worth considering what effects those tariffs will have. One prominent argument, which can also serve as a criticism of President Donald Trump, is that the U.S. consumer is the loser. Yet in reality, China is probably in the more vulnerable position.
To be clear, there are well-done studies showing that the recent tariffs have translated into higher prices for U.S. consumers. I am not contesting that research. The question is whether those studies give sufficient weight to all relevant variables for the longer run.
Ali Nasiri, a former brigadier general in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), previously head of this entity's counterintelligence apparatus. Iran Commentary
The surprise announcement came from the State Department.
Do not travel to Iraq due to terrorism, kidnapping, and armed conflict.
U.S. citizens in Iraq are at high risk for violence and kidnapping. Numerous terrorist and insurgent groups are active in Iraq and regularly attack both Iraqi security forces and civilians. Anti-U.S. sectarian militias may also threaten U.S. citizens and Western companies throughout Iraq. Attacks by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) occur in many areas of the country, including Baghdad.
Per news sources, the United States told people to 'bug out" of Iraq because of "specific and credible" intelligence that Iranian forces and/or their proxies were planning to target U.S. forces in locations including Iraq. That was behind the Pentagon recommending a carrier strike group be moved to the region, and Secretary Pompeo's rush trip to Iraq last week.
Talks on moving Sudan towards civilian rule have been suspended for three days by the country's military leaders, who demand protesters clear roadblocks.
In a televised statement, the Transitional Military Council (TMC) said barricades outside a designated zone in Khartoum should be removed.
The setback comes hours after the TMC and the opposition agreed a three-year transition period to civilian rule.
Shots were fired on Wednesday as soldiers tried to clear barricades.
Protesters in Khartoum said at least nine people were wounded, but that figure could not be verified. Similar violence on Monday left at least six people dead and protesters say those responsible must be held to account.
Americans are slowly but undeniably facing a new reality in global great power relations that will define the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy for the foreseeable future. The 2017 U.S. National Security Strategy and 2018 National Defense Strategy mark an acknowledgment by not only the current administration but also a broad, bipartisan swath of government and private sector entities that China's increasing swagger as it emerges on the world stage warrants a more confrontational approach toward the country.
* President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared a national emergency over threats against American technology, the White House said. * The move, done via executive order, is expected to precede a ban on U.S. firms doing business with the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. * The announcement comes as the U.S and China remain locked in a trade dispute.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared a national emergency over threats against American technology, the White House said.
The move, done via executive order, authorized the Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, in consultation with other top officials, to block transactions that involve information or communications technology that "poses an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States."
As troops and hardware are on the move in the Gulf, diplomats signal that no one is eager for war.
TEL AVIV: In a rapid-fire series of events, Iran has reportedly rolled large numbers of missiles into the open, potentially signaling to American forces they can overwhelm them if necessary. Elsewhere, its drones have reportedly attacked Saudi Arabian oil facilities, and American B-52s were shown yesterday taking off from a base in the Persian Gulf. Back in Washington, plans for moving up to 120,000 troops to the region are leaked by seven Trump administration officials to the New York Times.
President Trump, reacting to the Times report, said today the US has not "planned" to send troops to Iran. "I think it's fake news, okay? Now, would I do that? Absolutely. But we have not planned for that. Hopefully we're not going to have to plan for that. And if we did that, we'd send a hell of a lot more troops than that," Trump told reporters at the White House.
That's the current state of play between the US, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia and her regional allies.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials believe Iran encouraged Houthi militants or Iraq-based Shi'ite militias to carry out Sunday's attacks on four tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, two U.S. government sources said on Wednesday.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity and who are familiar with U.S. national security assessments, said they viewed the attacks as a serious provocation by Iran which posed a significant threat to shipping.
Iran rejects the allegation of Iranian involvement and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that "extremist individuals" in the U.S. government were pursuing dangerous policies. No one has claimed responsibility for the tanker attacks.
German chancellor also shares views on Brexit and climate crisis in interview
Europe must reposition itself to stand up to the challenges posed by its three big global rivals, China, Russia and the US, Angela Merkel has said before her final European election as German chancellor.
Facing challenges that range from Russian interference in elections to China's economic clout and the US's monopoly over digital services, Europe needs to get better at putting up a united front, Merkel said in a wide-ranging interview shared with the Guardian.
"There is no doubt that Europe needs to reposition itself in a changed world," Merkel said in a conversation in her office in Berlin. "The old certainties of the post-war order no longer apply."
WNU Editor: The poll numbers for German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Christian Democratic Union party are in the 20s. Her message is not being listened to.
Путин прилетел в Ахтубинск, где осмотрит образцы перспективного вооружения. Борт номер один на подлете сопровождало звено из шести истребителей Су-57 pic.twitter.com/lrUPtlquLB
— Кремлевский пул РИА (@Kremlinpool_RIA) May 14, 2019
The Russian leader very publicly inspected some of the country's most advanced aircraft and air defense systems.
Russian President Vladimir Putin flew to the country's southwestern region today on board his IL-96-300PU presidential plane with an escort of six Su-57s, roughly half of the total number of the advanced fighter jets that the country has in total. Putin made the grand display as he traveled to the region to inspect various military units before departing for Sochi to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Putin arrived at the 929th Chkalov State Flight-Test Center in Russia's southwestern Astrakhan region early on May 14, 2019. The facility is the Russian military's largest research and development site for advanced aircraft, as well as air defense systems.
An Atlas 5 rocket carrying the U.S. Navy's second Mobile User Objective System satellite launches at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on July 19, 2013. U.S. Navy photo courtesy of NASA by Patrick H. Corkery
The latest front in a return to Cold War rivalry is the effort to build an all-American rocket for military launches.
As Russia and China increasingly threaten U.S. interests on land and in orbit, the space race that so defined the Cold War is once again becoming a focus for the U.S. Defense Department.
The latest front in the emerging scramble for dominance of the stars is the U.S. government's attempt to develop a domestic source of rocket engines to boost military spy satellites and other sensitive payloads into space—an industry that even now still depends on Moscow.
For almost 20 years, the United States has relied on the Russian RD-180 engine to power national security space launches. But Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Crimea in 2014 and Moscow's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election brought an end to the tentative post-Cold War truce. The U.S. government now increasingly views Moscow as a source of instability worldwide and the U.S. military's reliance on the RD-180 for access to space as a liability.
* Concession comes as US presses its allies not to include Huawei as they build their 5G networks * US State Department official confirms Washington continues to regard Huawei a national security risk: 'We have to protect our information'
Huawei Technologies is prepared to include provisions in its government contracts not to facilitate "back door" espionage by Beijing, the chairman of the Chinese telecommunications giant said on Tuesday.
"We are willing to sign no-spy agreements with governments, including the UK government, to commit ourselves to making our equipment meet the no-spy, no-back-doors standard," Liang Hua said at a company-sponsored business conference in London.
* He urges more openness and cooperation in speech at Beijing's Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations * US State Department's Kiron Skinner had provoked criticism by calling competition with China 'a fight with a really different civilisation'
In the latest sign that the confrontation between China and the United States is escalating, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that one civilisation forcing itself on another would be "stupid" and "disastrous".
Xi's remarks, delivered at the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations, where Beijing demonstrated its soft power, did not mention the US but were regarded as the highest level response yet to tough rhetoric from Washington.
WNU Editor Chinese President Xi is trying to unite Asia against the West along racial and cultural lines. And he is doing this by accusing the U.S. and the West of being engaged against Asia in a "clash of civilizations" conflict. It is not going to work with the other Asian countries. Asia is a continent that is culturally and racially diverse, and I would say more so when compared to Europe and the U.S.. And the argument that the West wants to impose its civilization on Asia is convincing no one But it will work in China, and that is probably President Xi's real goal and objective. Mind you .... China's Muslim Uighur population may have a different point of view .... Satellite Images Expose China's Vast Network Of Secret Re-Education Camps (October 31, 2018).
More News On Chinese President Xi's 'Clash Of Civilizations' Rhetoric
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln transits the Strait of Gibraltar on April 13, 2019.U.S. Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Clint Davis / Reuters
A U.S. aircraft carrier is headed to the Persian Gulf, B-52 bombers have been deployed to the region and the U.S. military has made plans for a possible war with Iran. President Donald Trump has been anti-Iran since he entered the Oval Office, but with some of his more moderate advisers out and more hawkish advisers in, the U.S. has been flirting with the idea of a new military conflict in the Middle East.
When National Security Adviser John Bolton announced the new deployments last week, he told reporters that the U.S. had intelligence suggesting Iran or its proxies were preparing an attack on American interests.
"The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime," Bolton said. "But we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces." For its part, Iran has denied the American suggestion and warned that Washington was operating on false intelligence.
Senator @TomCottonAR tells Firing Line if it comes to war with Iran, he is confident the United States would win, and would win swiftly. "Two strikes, the first strike and the last strike," says the Senator. pic.twitter.com/twTdrFTwHu
— Firing Line with Margaret Hoover (@FiringLineShow) May 14, 2019
Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton predicted in a recent interview that the U.S. would win a war against Iran in "two strikes."
Comments by Cotton, an arch critic of the Iranian regime and the nuclear deal from which the Trump administration withdrew last year, coincide with the increasing escalation between the two countries.
"Could we win in a war with Iran?" PBS' "Firing Line" host Margaret Hoover asked Cotton during a recent interview.
"Yes, two strikes," Cotton said. "The first strike and the last strike."
WNU Editor: U.S. Senator Cotton does qualify his remarks by saying that he hopes there is no war, and the U.S. should only wage war if the Iranians attack. As to what is my take on an Iranian war. To begin, the conflict would not be isolated in the Middle East. Iran's allies like Hezbollah and others will wage terror strikes worldwide, while assisting Iran in the Middle East. Iraq will be in the cross-hairs of both countries. Afghanistan's Taliban will also be receiving a lot of military supplies from Iran to escalate the war there. As for Iran itself, they will not only be facing complete sanctions, but they will be engaged against Saudi Arabia and its allies, as well as the U.S. military. China and Russia will stay out, but they will give Iran some limited political support.
* U.S. officials are pointing the finger at elite Iranian military forces for the sabotage attacks on oil tankers near the Persian Gulf. * A week after claiming Iranian "preparations for possible attack" on U.S. forces in the region, the U.S. has ordered most State Department personnel out of neighboring Iraq. * U.S. and Iranian officials insist nobody wants a war, and President Trump has denied plans to send 120,000 troops to the region. * The U.S. military has refuted a senior British commander's assessment that there has been "no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria."
U.S. officials have said they believe Iranian combat divers were behind the attacks on four oil tankers near the Persian Gulf over the weekend, and they tell CBS News senior national security correspondent David Martin there's still no sign Iran is backing off purported plans to attack Americans in the region.
Germany's Bundeswehr has halted its military training exercises in Iraq amid heightened tensions in the region. The US has put troops on high alert and removed nonemergency diplomatic staff from Baghdad and Erbil.
The German army has suspended its training operations in Iraq as regional tension grows, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
"The German army has suspended the training," ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff said. There was "generally heightened alert, awareness" for soldiers currently operating in the region, he added but said training could be resumed within a few days as there was "no concrete threat" at the moment.
Germany was "orienting itself toward our partner countries, which have taken this step," Flosdorff said.
At some point, the Chinese military will need to test its new capabilities – and Vietnam is likely the preferred adversary.
In mid-April, China conducted a series of fresh military flights through the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait, on the south and north ends of Taiwan, respectively. As has been the case many times in the past, these new activities were clearly meant to signal Beijing's resolve to resort to force against the island and its U.S. and allied defenders if necessary. But there is another, less often discussed reason for these drills. Repeated transits through the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait offer the People's Liberation Army (PLA) the opportunity to train over future potential battlefields.
Indeed, practice makes perfect. And this is especially true when the PLA is playing from behind. During his address to the 19th Party Congress in October 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the PLA "to be fully transformed into world-class forces" by 2050. An apparent reference to reaching on par status with U.S. forces, "world-class forces" would be nearly impossible to achieve without realistic training. According to a recent analysis by long-time PLA watcher Dennis Blasko, the PLA has been highly critical of its warfighting capabilities internally and even, to some extent, publicly. These shortcomings prompted Xi this year to order the PLA to engage in intensive rounds of realistic combat training scenarios.
WNU Editor: The Germans did the same thing before invading Poland in 1939. They tested the political and military resolve of the West when they moved military forces in the Rhineland in 1936, followed by the takeover of Austria and the Republic of Czechoslovakia in 1938.Vietnam has no formal security alliances. They are alone, and will not be able to call on other countries to assist them if their maritime border dispute with China becomes a military one.
CHINA is preparing to invade Taiwan after increasing its military power in the South China Sea, according to the US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Tensions erupted between the two countries after both laid claims in the disputed seas. The bitter rivalry has seen Taiwan accusing Beijing of infiltrating the island and attempting to gain influence. China's navy has recently expanded from two to six brigades while Taiwan's 2028 defence budget was 14.5 less than China's.
The DIA's 2019 report to Congress on Chinese military power has said China will compel Taiwan to abandon independence and join forces with the mainland.
The report said: "The People's Liberation Army (PLA) continues to prepare for contingencies in the Taiwan Strait to deter, and if necessary, compel Taiwan to abandon moves toward independence.
WASHINGTON — As the Trump administration draws up war plans against Iran over what it says are threats to American troops and interests, a senior British military official told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday that he saw no increased risk from Iran or allied militias in Iraq or Syria.
A few hours later, the United States Central Command issued an unusual rebuke: The remarks from the British official — Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika, who is also the deputy commander of the American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State — run "counter to the identified credible threats available to intelligence from U.S. and allies regarding Iranian-backed forces in the region."
The rare public dispute highlights a central problem for the Trump administration as it seeks to rally allies and global opinion against Iran. On Wednesday, the State Department ordered partial evacuations of the American embassy and a consulate in Iraq, despite skepticism from Iraqi officials over American intelligence showing a heightened risk.
Over the last year, Washington has said Iran is threatening United States interests in the Middle East, encouraging aggression by Shiite militias in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, shipping missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen and allowing its naval forces to behave belligerently in the Persian Gulf.
* All 'non-emergency' US government employees told to leave Iraq immediately * Comes after US said it had detected threats from Iran and proxy forces in region * UK embassy staff are 'operating as normal' with 'no plans' to withdraw them * Relations between Tehran and US have drastically deteriorated in recent days * President Trump has warned Iran would 'suffer greatly' if it enraged Washington * Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels would not be a difficult task for the country
America has today ordered all of its 'non-emergency government employees' to leave Iraq immediately amid escalating tensions with Iran.
The U.S. State Department ordered the pullout of the employees from both the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Erbil, the embassy said in a statement.
'Normal visa services at both posts will be temporarily suspended,' it said, recommending those affected depart as soon as possible. It was unclear how many staff would leave.
British Army Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, deputy commander for Strategy and Information Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), speaks before a gathering of Coalition forces at the Armistice Ceremony at Union III, Baghdad on Nov. 11, 2018. (Phillip McTaggart/U.S. Army)
A British two-star general had to eat his own words on Tuesday after contradicting the White House, which has warned that Iranian-backed forces could attack U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq.
"There's been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria," Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika, a deputy commander for the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, told reporters at a Pentagon news briefing. "We are monitoring the Shia militia groups carefully and if the threat level perceives to go up them we will raise our force protection levels accordingly."
But after being pressed by reporters on the matter, Ghika engaged in verbal gymnastics to try to say he was on the same page as the White House by saying the coalition monitors a range of possible threats and it raises and lowers security levels appropriately.
Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong, one of the student leaders of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, was sent back to prison Thursday after losing an appeal against a contempt of court conviction.
Wong, 22, was sentenced to three months in prison in January 2018 for defying a court order to leave a demonstration site during the 2014 rallies. Wong, then just a 17-year-old student, was at the forefront of the sit-ins that brought major roads in Hong Kong to a standstill for nearly three months as demonstrators called for greater political autonomy in the semi-autonomous Chinese enclave.
After initially being held for six days, Wong was released on bail pending his appeal.
Wong, who had sought to have the conviction overturned, now faces a reduced, two-month sentence to be served immediately, according to court documents.
On Twitter, the activist confirmed that he will be “returning to jail for five additional weeks.”
Wong was previously convicted of unlawful assembly and sentenced to six months in prison on a separate unlawful assembly charge. After spending two months, including his 21st birthday, in a prison cell, Wong was released when an appeals court threw out the sentence.
Over 100 people have been convicted for their involvement in the 2014 protest movement, according to a local activist’s count. Most of the convictions were for non-violent offenses.
Last month, eight Hong Kong activists were handed sentences of up to 16 months for their involvement in organizing the demonstrations, a verdict that some fear reflects a bid to quash dissent after the protests proved a formidable challenge to Beijing’s authority.
Thursday’s sentence also comes amid mounting concerns over a controversial extradition bill that would allow the transfer of fugitives to mainland China to stand trial. The bill, which has incited thousands to take to the street in protest, stokes further fears that the city’s freedoms and legal protections could be compromised by Beijing.
(DUBAI, United Arab Emirates) — Iran’s foreign minister on Thursday slammed mounting U.S. sanctions imposed on Tehran by the Trump administration as “unacceptable,” even as he insisted that his country is committed to an international nuclear deal that has steadily unraveled amid rising tensions in the Mideast.
Recent days have seen allegations of sabotage attacks targeting oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a drone attack on a Saudi oil pipeline claimed by Yemen’s Iranian-allied rebels, and the dispatch of U.S. warships and bombers to the region.
Early Thursday, residents in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa said a wave of airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition hit rebel Houthi targets, as well as a residential house in the city. There were casualties, including civilians, the residents said without providing details. They spoke on condition of anonymity fearing for their safety.
Saudi Arabia has been at war with the Houthis since 2015, leading a mostly Arab coalition that’s launching near-daily airstrikes in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. The drone attacks on a Saudi pipeline Tuesday that were claimed by the Houthis marked one of the rebels’ deepest and most significant strikes inside Saudi territory since the conflict began.
At the root of the recent spike in Persian Gulf tensions appears to be President Donald Trump’s decision a year ago to pull the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, embarking on a maximalist sanctions campaign against Tehran to cripple the country’s economy.
In response, Iran’s supreme leader issued a veiled threat Tuesday, saying it wouldn’t be difficult for the Islamic Republic to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels. He also said that while his country would not negotiate with the United States, Iran is not seeking war.
On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department ordered all nonessential government staff to leave Iraq, and Germany and the Netherlands both suspended their military assistance programs in the country in the latest sign of tensions.
The movement of diplomatic personnel is often done in times of conflict, but what is driving the decisions from the White House remains unclear. Iraq is home to powerful pro-Iranian militias, while also hosting more than 5,000 US troops. The U.S. military’s Central Command said its troops were on high alert, without elaborating.
Last week, U.S. officials said they had detected signs of Iranian preparations for potential attacks on U.S. forces and interests in the Middle East, but Washington has not publicly provided any evidence to back up claims of an increased Iranian threat.
But a senior British officer in the U.S.-backed coalition fighting the Islamic State group appeared to push back against the U.S. claims, telling reporters earlier in the week that there’d been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria. Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika’s comments exposed international skepticism over the American military buildup.
On a visit to Tokyo on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif told his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono that his country’s response to the U.S. actions — America’s pullout from the nuclear deal last year and the imposition of U.S. sanctions — is within Iran’s rights.
Iran recently threatened it might resume higher enrichment by July 7, beyond the level permitted by the current deal between Tehran and world powers. The U.S. pulled out of the deal last year, re-imposing sanctions that would penalize countries and global companies that do business with Iran.
Kono expressed concern over the rising tension in the Middle East, and urged Zarif to use restraint and keep implementing the nuclear agreement.
Though Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, scientists say the time needed to reach the 90% threshold for weapons-grade uranium is halved once uranium is enriched to around 20%.
Late Wednesday, Anwar Gargash, the UAE minister of foreign affairs, said the Saudi-led coalition would “retaliate hard” for attacks on civilian targets, without elaborating.
However, he also said the UAE is “very committed to de-escalation” after the alleged sabotage of oil tankers off the country’s coast on Sunday. Gargash declined to directly blame Iran for the attack, though he repeatedly criticized Tehran.
(MANILA, Philippines ) — The Philippines is recalling its ambassador and consuls in Canada over Ottawa’s failure to comply with a deadline to take back truckloads of garbage that Filipino officials say were illegally shipped to the Philippines years ago, officials said Thursday.
Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. tweeted that the Philippines “shall maintain a diminished diplomatic presence in Canada until its garbage is ship bound there.” The drastic move is the latest strain in Philippine relations with Canada under President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte threatened last month to forcibly ship the containers of garbage back to Canada and dump some at its embassy in Manila if Canadian officials don’t take back the waste. Officials later set a May 15 deadline for Canada to comply.
Locsin said in his tweet that letters for the recall of the Philippine ambassador and consuls in Canada have been sent and that they were expected back in Manila after about a day.
“That recall shows that we are very serious in asking them to get back their garbage otherwise we’re gonna severe relations with them,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo told a regular news conference.
At least 103 containers of household trash, including plastic bottles and bags, newspapers and diapers, were shipped in batches from Canada to the Philippines from 2013 to 2014. Most of the shipping containers remain in two ports in Manila and northern Subic freeport, sparking protests from environmental activists. Philippine officials say they were falsely declared by a private firm as recyclable plastic scraps and have asked Canada to take back the garbage.
Duterte raised the garbage issue in a speech last month while officials from both countries were already discussing a resolution to the issue. The volatile president said he was ready to “declare war against” Canada over the issue.
“I want a boat prepared. I’ll give a warning to Canada maybe next week that they better pull that thing out or I will set sail to Canada and pour their garbage there,” Duterte said, adding he would ask Canadian officials to “prepare a grand reception.”
“Celebrate because your garbage is coming home,” he said. “Eat it if you want to.”
The Canadian government said through its embassy in Manila after Duterte’s provocative remarks that it “is strongly committed to collaborating with the government of the Philippines to resolve this issue.” It said it was aware of a Philippine court ruling that ordered a private importer to ship the waste back to Canada.
A group of officials from both sides “is examining the full spectrum of issues related to the removal of the waste with a view to a timely resolution,” the embassy said in a statement.
A Manila court ordered the private importers in 2016 to ship the waste back to Canada. Of 103 shipping containers that entered the Philippines, the waste from 34 has been disposed of locally.
Philippine Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrerro has said ” bureaucratic red tape” in Canada slowed the return of the rest.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in 2017 that regulations preventing the return of the garbage had been resolved.
Last year, Duterte ordered the cancellation of a multimillion-dollar agreement to buy 16 helicopters from Canada after its government decided to review the deal due to concerns the Philippine military might use the aircraft in counterinsurgency assaults.
(CARACAS, Venezuela) — Representatives of the Venezuelan government and opposition traveled to Norway for talks on resolving the crisis in the South American country, officials said Wednesday, opening a new chapter in a political stalemate after months of street demonstrations and a failed opposition call for a military uprising.
The development appeared to reflect a recognition that neither side had been able to prevail in the struggle for power, leaving Venezuela in a state of paralysis after years of hyperinflation and shortages of food and medicine. It was also a policy reversal for the opposition, which has accused President Nicolás Maduro of using previous negotiations to play for time.
Senior members of both sides will be involved in the exploratory discussions in Oslo, said members of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled congress who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. Delegations from the two opposing camps had received separate invitations from a group of Norwegians, one official said.
The representatives include Information Minister Jorge Rodríguez on the government side and Stalin González, a leading member of the National Assembly, the officials said.
Maduro did not directly comment on the talks during televised remarks, but he said Rodríguez was on a “very important” mission outside Venezuela.
The planned talks seemed likely to dampen speculation that the United States, the main backer of the Venezuelan opposition, might be considering military action as a way to end the crisis in the near term. U.S. officials have previously said they are focusing on diplomatic and economic measures to force out Maduro, though opposition leader Juan Guaidó said his Washington envoy will meet with the head of the U.S. Southern Command on Monday.
The two sides are currently far apart on many issues. The opposition has insisted that Maduro was illegitimately elected last year and that he must step aside to make way for elections. Maduro, in turn, accuses the opposition of being U.S. stooges intent on illegally seizing power.
The Norway dialogue comes as a mostly European group of nations prepares to send a high-level delegation to Venezuela to propose solutions to the country’s protracted crisis. The International Contact Group consists of eight European countries, the European Union and four Latin American countries.
The group formed after Guaidó, the head of the National Assembly, declared himself Venezuela’s interim president early this year in a direct challenge to the rule of Maduro, who says his government champions the socialist principles of his predecessor, Hugo Chávez.
The opposition, which is backed by the United States and about 50 other nations, say Venezuela’s dire economic state is the result of years of corruption and mismanagement. Maduro blames the country’s problems on U.S. sanctions that were imposed more recently.
Also Wednesday, the United States suspended all commercial passenger and cargo flights between the U.S. and Venezuela, saying the political unrest and tensions there pose a risk to flights.
The announcement by the Department of Homeland Security affected a dwindling number of flights between the two countries, since U.S. airlines no longer fly to Venezuela. The measure reflected the increasingly sour relationship between the Venezuelan government and the U.S.
Conditions in Venezuela “threaten the safety and security of passengers, aircraft, and crew,” the department said. It said the flight suspension will continue indefinitely, though the decision will be reviewed if the situation in Venezuela changes.
Maduro criticized the suspension of flights, saying the measure was an attack on freedom of movement.
American Airlines stopped its flights in mid-March after union leaders told pilots not to go there due to safety concerns. Some other international airlines quit flying to Venezuela years ago because of the country’s deteriorating economy.
Some Venezuelan airlines had been operating commercial flights to and from Miami, though those were already affected by the upheaval in the South American country, including after a failed call for a military uprising by the opposition on April 30.
Also Wednesday, the National Assembly returned to its chamber a day after security forces prevented legislators from entering the building for a debate. Guaidó and other legislators gave speeches denouncing Maduro’s government.
The National Assembly has come under increasing pressure from Maduro since the opposition’s failed uprising April 30. The body’s vice president, Edgar Zambrano, was arrested May 8. He is among 14 lawmakers placed under investigation for allegations of treason and other crimes since the failed rebellion.
In Washington, the Rev. Jesse Jackson delivered food to American activists who have been occupying the Venezuelan Embassy the past five weeks.
The activists, who have ignored trespassing warnings, consider Maduro to be Venezuela’s rightful leader. The U.S. and other countries backing the opposition contend his presidency is illegitimate and recognize Guaidó’s claim to be interim president.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump issued an executive order Wednesday to help protect the United States against foreign adversaries that are taking advantage of technological vulnerabilities to threaten U.S. communications systems.
The order, which declared a national emergency in response to the threat, does not name specific countries or companies. But it appears to target Chinese tech giant Huawei, the world’s biggest supplier of network gear used by phone and internet companies. Huawei has long been seen as a front for spying by the Chinese military or security services, but the company has denied the allegations.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai applauded Trump’s executive order, saying it would safeguard the U.S. communications supply chain. “Given the threats presented by certain foreign companies’ equipment and services, this is a significant step toward securing America’s networks,” he said.
The Trump administration has been trying with only some success to persuade allied nations not to use Huawei equipment. Last year, Trump signed a bill that barred the U.S. government from using equipment from Huawei and China’s ZTE Corp.
The U.S., which is embroiled in an escalating trade war with China, also has sounded warnings about Huawei’s efforts to expand into Europe. The U.S. worries that China could use Huawei gear to gain access to private, commercial or other information that could compromise NATO and allied intelligence operations.
Early this year, the Justice Department unsealed criminal charges against Huawei, a top company executive and several subsidiaries, alleging the company stole trade secrets, misled banks about its business and violated U.S. sanctions. The sweeping indictments accuse the company of using extreme efforts to steal trade secrets from American businesses — including trying to take a piece of a robot from a T-Mobile lab.
The executive charged is Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Canada in December. The U.S. is seeking to extradite her.
(PARIS) — The White House is not endorsing a global pledge to step up efforts to keep internet platforms from being used to spread hate, organize extremist groups and broadcast attacks, citing respect for “freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”
The statement came Wednesday after world leaders led by French President Emmanuel Macron and executives from Facebook, Google, Twitter and other tech companies gathered in Paris to compile a set of guidelines dubbed the “Christchurch Call,” named after the New Zealand city where 51 people were killed in a March attack on mosques. Much of the attack was broadcast live on Facebook, drawing public outrage and fueling debate on how to better regulate social media. Facebook said before the meeting that it was tightening rules for livestream users.
In a statement, the White House said it will “continue to be proactive in our efforts to counter terrorist content online” while also protecting free speech.
The Christchurch Call “is a global response to a tragedy that occurred on the shores of my country but was ultimately felt around the world,” said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinta Ardern, who has played a leading role pushing for globally coordinated efforts to eliminate online extremism.
“Fundamentally it ultimately commits us all to build a more humane internet, which cannot be misused by terrorists for their hateful purposes,” she said at a joint news conference with Macron.
The French and New Zealand governments drafted the agreement — a roadmap that aims to prevent similar abuses of the internet while insisting that any actions must preserve “the principles of a free, open and secure internet, without compromising human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
The call was adopted by U.S. tech companies that also included Amazon, Microsoft and YouTube, along with France’s Qwant and DailyMotion, and the Wikimedia Foundation. Countries backing France and New Zealand were Britain, Canada, Ireland, Jordan, Norway, Senegal, Indonesia and the European Union’s executive body. Several other countries not present at the meeting added their endorsement.
The meeting in Paris comes at a pivotal moment for tech companies, which critics accuse of being too powerful and resistant to regulation. Some have called for giants like Facebook to be broken up. Europe is leading a global push for more regulation of how the companies handle user data and copyrighted material. The tech companies, meanwhile, are offering their own ideas in a bid to shape the policy response.
Unlike previous official attempts to regulate the internet, “the Christchurch Call is different in that it associates all actors of the internet” including the tech companies themselves, Macron said.
He said he hopes to get broader support for the agreement in coming months, with technical questions to be discussed by June.
In Wednesday’s agreement, which is not legally binding, the tech companies committed to measures to prevent the spread of terrorist or violent extremist content. That may include cooperating on developing technology or expanding the use of shared digital signatures.
They also promised to take measures to reduce the risk that such content is livestreamed, including flagging it up for real-time review.
And they pledged to study how algorithms sometimes promote extremist content. That would help find ways to intervene more quickly and redirect users to “credible positive alternatives or counter-narratives.”
Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter issued a joint supporting statement, outlining in further detail actions they would take individually or together to combat abuse of technology to spread extremist content. They include making it easier for users to flag up inappropriate content, using enhanced vetting for livestreaming and publishing transparency reports on material that’s removed.
Facebook, which dominates social media and has faced the harshest criticism for overlooking the misuse of consumer data and not blocking live broadcasts of violent actions, said separately it is toughening its livestreaming policies.
It’s tightening the rules for its livestreaming service with a “one strike” policy applied to a broader range of offenses. Activity on the social network that violates its policies, such as sharing an extremist group’s statement without providing context, will result in the user immediately being temporarily blocked. The most serious offenses will result in a permanent ban.
Previously, the company took down posts that breached its community standards but only blocked users after repeated offenses.
The tougher restrictions will be gradually extended to other areas of the platform, starting with preventing users from creating Facebook ads.
Facebook, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, said it’s investing $7.5 million to improve technology aimed at finding videos and photos that have been manipulated to avoid detection — a problem the company encountered with the Christchurch shooting, where the attacker streamed the killing live on Facebook.
“Tackling these threats also requires technical innovation to stay ahead of the type of adversarial media manipulation we saw after Christchurch,” Facebook’s vice president of integrity, Guy Rosen, said in a blog post.
The Christchurch Call was drafted as 80 CEOs and executives from technology companies gathered in Paris for a “Tech for Good” conference meant to address how they can use their global influence for public good — for example by promoting gender equality, diversity in hiring and greater access to technology for lower income users.
Ardern and Macron have insisted that the Christchurch guidelines must involve joint efforts between governments and tech giants. France has been hit by repeated Islamic extremist attacks by groups who recruited and shared violent images on social networks.
Free speech advocates and some in the tech industry bristle at new restrictions and argue that violent extremism is a societal problem that the tech world can’t solve.
Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, a member of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that while “a higher level of responsibility is demanded from all of the platforms,” it is necessary to find a way to not censor legitimate discussion.
(LONDON) — British broadcaster ITV on Wednesday canceled a popular, long-running daytime reality show after the death of a guest who failed a lie-detector test during a recording. ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall said The Jeremy Kyle Show was being scrapped “given the gravity of recent events.”
The case has renewed debate about the ethics of tabloid television, and sparked a parliamentary inquiry into the regulation of programs that put members of the public under intense scrutiny.
The tabloid-style talk show, which had run for 14 years and specialized in emotive, confrontational showdowns, was pulled after 63-year-old Steve Dymond was found dead at a home in Portsmouth, southern England, on May 9. British media reported that he had killed himself. Police said the death was not suspicious, and a post-mortem will be held to determine the cause.
On an episode filmed earlier this month, Dymond took a lie-detector test to convince his fiancee that he had not been unfaithful, but was told he had failed.
The episode has not been aired.
Dymond’s death has heightened concern in Britain about the stress put on people appearing on reality television and online shows, and program-makers’ duty to protect their guests.
It’s a debate that has raged, off and on, for close to two decades since Britain began making home-grown equivalents of sensationalist U.S. programs like The Jerry Springer Show and putting ordinary people under a microscope on reality shows such as Big Brother.
ITV was already under pressure following the deaths of two former contestants on reality show Love Island, Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis. Gradon’s 2018 death was ruled a suicide at an inquest. An inquest has not yet been held for Thalassitis, who died in March.
Lawmaker Damian Collins, chairman of the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said his panel would consider whether there was adequate regulation of reality TV.
“Programs like The Jeremy Kyle Show risk putting people who might be vulnerable on to a public stage at a point in their lives when they are unable to foresee the consequences, either for themselves or their families,” he said. “This kind of TV featuring members of the public attracts viewing figures in the millions but in return for ratings, the broadcasters must demonstrate their duty of care to the people whose personal lives are being exposed.”
Simon Wessely, a former head of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said shows like Jeremy Kyle were “the theatre of cruelty.”
“And yes, it might entertain a million people a day, but then again, so did Christians versus lions,” he said.
(DUBAI, United Arab Emirates) — Iran’s supreme leader issued a veiled threat in the same speech in which he stated that “no one is seeking war,” saying it wouldn’t be difficult for the Islamic Republic to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels amid rising tensions with the U.S., state media reported Wednesday.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, meanwhile, ordered all non-essential, non-emergency government staff on Wednesday to leave Iraq immediately amid escalating tensions with Iran. Washington did not publicly provide any evidence to back up claims of an increased threat from Tehran.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s comments late Tuesday came after Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a coordinated drone attack on a critical oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia. A satellite image obtained by The Associated Press shows one of the two pumping stations attacked by the drones apparently intact.
The drone assault is just the latest incident in the Mideast to shake global energy markets, as authorities allege oil tankers anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates were targeted by sabotage. Benchmark Brent crude prices remained around $71 a barrel in early trading Wednesday.
The United States also is deploying an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers into the region in response to the still-unspecified Iran threat, further ramping up tensions a year after President Donald Trump withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
Speaking Tuesday night in Tehran at an iftar, the traditional dinner Muslims have when breaking their daylong fast during the holy month of Ramadan, Khamenei’s reported comments first focused on him downplaying the chances of a wider conflict in the Mideast with America.
He reportedly told senior officials that his country won’t negotiate with the United States, calling such talks “poison.” But he also said, “Neither we, nor them is seeking war. They know that it is not to their benefit.”
In Wednesday’s edition, the state-run IRAN newspaper carried his comments on the nuclear program, his first since Iran announced it would begin backing away from the accord itself.
Tehran is threatening to resume higher enrichment in 60 days if no new nuclear deal is in place, beyond the 3.67% permitted by the current deal between Tehran and world powers.
Iranian officials have said that they could reach 20% enrichment within four days. Though Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, scientists say the time needed to reach the 90% threshold for weapons-grade uranium is halved once uranium is enriched to around 20%.
“Achieving 20% enrichment is the most difficult part,” Khamenei said, according to the newspaper. “The next steps are easier than this step.”
It was a telling remark from the supreme leader — Iran is not known to have enriched beyond 20% previously and it’s unclear how far Tehran is willing to go in this process. Khamenei has final say on all matters of state in Iran.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are at war with Saudi Arabia and are believed by the West to receive weapons from Iran, said earlier Tuesday that they launched seven drones targeting vital Saudi installations. That included two pumping stations along its critical East-West Pipeline, which can carry nearly 5 million barrels of crude a day to the Red Sea.
Saudi Aramco, the government-controlled oil company, said that as a precaution, it temporarily shut down the pipeline and contained a fire, which caused minor damage to one pumping station. It added that Saudi Aramco’s oil and gas supplies were not affected.
An image from San Francisco-based Planet Labs Inc. that the AP examined on Wednesday shows Saudi Aramco’s Pumping Station No. 8 outside of the town of al-Duadmi, 330 kilometers (205 miles) west of the kingdom’s capital, Riyadh.
The photo, taken Tuesday after the attack, shows two black marks near where the East-West Pipeline passes by the facility. Those marks weren’t there in images taken Monday. The facility otherwise appeared intact, corroborating in part Saudi Arabia’s earlier comments. The website TankerTrackers.com, whose analysts monitor oil sales on the seas, first reported about the black marks.
Details around alleged acts of sabotage to four oil tankers, including two belonging to Saudi Arabia, off the coast of the UAE’s port of Fujairah remain unclear. Satellite images obtained Tuesday by the AP from Colorado-based Maxar Technologies showed no visible damage to the vessels, and Gulf officials have refused to say who they suspected was responsible.
The MT Andrea Victory, one of the alleged targets, sustained a hole in its hull just above its waterline from “an unknown object,” its owner Thome Ship Management said in a statement. Images of the Norwegian ship, which the company said was “not in any danger of sinking,” showed damage similar to what the firm described.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, has said the other three showed damages as well.
In Baghdad, the U.S. Embassy published its order telling all non-essential, non-emergency government staff to leave the country. It comes after Washington last week said it had detected new and urgent threats from Iran and its proxy forces in the region targeting Americans and American interests.
That contradicts what British Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika, a senior officer in the U.S.-backed coalition fighting the Islamic State group, said Tuesday, insisting “there’s been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria.”
Later, in a rare public rebuttal of an allied military officer, U.S. Central Command said Ghika’s remarks “run counter to the identified credible threats” from Iranian-backed forces in the Mideast. In a written statement, Central Command said the coalition in Baghdad has increased the alert level for all service members in Iraq and Syria.
Germany said Wednesday its military suspended training of Iraqi soldiers due to the tensions but stressed there was no indication of any specific threat to its own troops. Defense Ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff said Germany was “orienting itself toward our partner countries” though there are “no concrete warnings of attacks against German targets.”
(BAGHDAD) — The U.S. on Wednesday ordered all nonessential government staff to leave Iraq, and Germany and the Netherlands both suspended their military assistance programs in the country in the latest sign of tensions sweeping the Persian Gulf region over still-unspecified threats that the Trump administration says are linked to Iran.
Recent days have seen allegations of sabotage targeting oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a drone attack by Yemen’s Iranian-allied Houthi rebels, and the dispatch of U.S. warships and bombers to the region.
At the root of this appears to be President Donald Trump’s decision a year ago to pull the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, embarking on a maximalist sanctions campaign against Tehran. In response, Iran’s supreme leader issued a veiled threat Tuesday, saying it wouldn’t be difficult for the Islamic Republic to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels.
The movement of diplomatic personnel is often done in times of conflict, but what is driving the decisions from the White House remains unclear. A high-ranking British general said there was no new threat from Iran or its regional proxies, something immediately rebutted by the U.S. military’s Central Command, which said its troops were on high alert, without elaborating.
Last week, U.S. officials said they had detected signs of Iranian preparations for potential attacks on U.S. forces and interests in the Middle East, but Washington has not spelled out that threat, and an alert on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said that all nonessential, nonemergency U.S. government staff were ordered to leave Iraq right away under State Department orders.
The U.S. in recent days has ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf region, plus four B-52 bombers.
Germany’s military said it was suspending training of Iraqi soldiers due to the tensions, although there was no specific threat to its own troops in Iraq. Defense Ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff said Germany was “orienting itself toward our partner countries” though there are “no concrete warnings of attacks against German targets.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer expressed concern over the tensions and said it welcomes “any measure that is aimed at a peaceful solution.” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said the German government has not reduced its embassy staff in Iraq or Iran.
In the Netherlands, state broadcaster NOS said its 50-person military mission in Iraq was halted “until further orders,” quoting a Defense Ministry spokesman as saying he couldn’t elaborate on the threats. It said the Dutch forces primarily train Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State militants.
The remarks about Iran’s nuclear program by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came Tuesday night in Tehran at an iftar, the traditional dinner Muslims have when breaking their daily fast during Ramadan. His comments first focused on playing down the risk of a wider conflict with America.
He told senior officials that his country won’t negotiate with the U.S., calling such talks “poison,” but he also said, “Neither we, nor them is seeking war. They know that it is not to their benefit,” according to the state-run IRAN newspaper.
Tehran is threatening to resume higher enrichment on July 7 if no new nuclear deal is in place, beyond the 3.67% permitted by the current deal between Tehran and world powers.
Iranian officials have said that they could reach 20% enrichment within four days. Though Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, scientists say the time needed to reach the 90% threshold for weapons-grade uranium is halved once uranium is enriched to around 20%.
“Achieving 20% enrichment is the most difficult part,” Khamenei said, according to the newspaper. “The next steps are easier than this step.”
It was a telling remark from the supreme leader — Iran is not known to have enriched beyond 20% previously and it’s unclear how far Tehran is willing to go in this process. Khamenei has final say on all matters of state in Iran.
On Tuesday, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launched a coordinated drone attack on a critical oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia, Tehran’s biggest rival in the region. It was the latest incident to shake global energy markets, as authorities allege oil tankers anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates were targeted by sabotage. Benchmark Brent crude prices remained around $71 a barrel in early trading Wednesday.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are at war with Saudi Arabia and are believed by the West to receive weapons from Iran, said they launched seven drones targeting vital Saudi installations. That included two pumping stations along its critical East-West Pipeline, which can carry nearly 5 million barrels of crude a day to the Red Sea.
Saudi Aramco, the government-controlled oil company, said it temporarily shut down the pipeline and contained a fire, which caused minor damage to one pumping station. It added that Saudi Aramco’s oil and gas supplies were unaffected.
An image from San Francisco-based Planet Labs Inc. that The Associated Press examined Wednesday shows Saudi Aramco’s Pumping Station No. 8 outside of the town of al-Duadmi, 330 kilometers (205 miles) west of the kingdom’s capital, Riyadh.
The photo, taken after the attack, shows two black marks near where the East-West Pipeline passes by the facility — marks that weren’t in images from Monday. The facility otherwise appeared intact, corroborating in part Saudi Arabia’s earlier comments. The website TankerTrackers.com, whose analysts monitor oil sales on the seas, first reported about the black marks.
Details remain unclear around alleged acts of sabotage to four oil tankers, including two belonging to Saudi Arabia, off the coast of the UAE’s port of Fujairah. Satellite images seen by the AP from Colorado-based Maxar Technologies showed no visible damage to the vessels, and Gulf officials have refused to say who might be responsible.
The MT Andrea Victory, one of the alleged targets, sustained a hole in its hull just above its waterline from “an unknown object,” its owner Thome Ship Management said in a statement. Images of the Norwegian ship, which the company said was “not in any danger of sinking,” showed damage similar to what the firm described.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, has said the other three showed damage as well.
The unspecified threats reported by U.S. last week from Iran and its proxy forces in the region targeting Americans and American interests contradicted remarks by British Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika, a senior officer in the U.S.-backed coalition fighting the Islamic State group. He said Tuesday that “there’s been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria.”
Later, in a rare public rebuttal of an allied military officer, U.S. Central Command said Ghika’s remarks “run counter to the identified credible threats” from Iranian-backed forces. In a statement, Central Command said the coalition in Baghdad has increased the alert level for all service members in Iraq and Syria.
(SEOUL, South Korea) — North Korea says it is suffering its worst drought in nearly four decades amid concern about a food crisis in the country.
The official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday that an average of 54.4 millimeters (2.1 inches) of rain fell throughout the country in the first five months of this year, the lowest level since 1982.
It says the drought is expected to continue until the end of May.
Earlier this month, U.N. food agencies said in a joint assessment that about 10 million people in North Korea were facing “severe food shortages” after the country had one of the worst harvests in a decade.
In February, North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Song, issued an unusual appeal for urgent food assistance.
You are subscribed to email updates from World – TIME. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.
Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States
RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin showcased six state-of-the-art Su-57 fighter jets as he arrived for his meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday in a conspicuous display of military might.
THE European Union would be plunged into chaos if populists are used as kingmakers to decide his successor, top eurocrat Jean-Claude Juncker has warned.
NEW YORK Mayor Bill de Blasio's planned announcement to run for the US presidency in the 2020 election has been widely condemned by his constituents who label his decision "ludicrous".
In U.P. village, dog menace keeps farmers off the fields No contractor to dispose of cattle carcasses in Pisawa, where stray dogs had mauled a girl to death
First-time pilgrims get preference for Mansarovar Yatra The selection is a fair computer-generated, random gender-balanced selection process, the MEA said in a statement
Eamcet resulton Saturday Chairman of Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) S. Vijaya Babu will release the result of the Engineering Agriculture Medical Co
Enforce ban on acid sale in U.P., says NCW The National Commission for Women on Wednesday asked Uttar Pradesh DGP O.P. Singh to enforce a ban on the sale of acid while noting that it is "distur
Manoj Hangal dead Manoj Hangal, advocate and founder of Dr. Gangubai Hangal Music Foundation, and grandson of legendary vocalist Gangubai Hangal, passed away at a priva
http://www.pomchro.com 
Healer
