Fine-tuned acoustics fill your ears with sound that has incredible clarity, breadth, and balance. Because these headphones are wired, you never have to worry about a dead battery killing your jam sesh. The remote cable allows you to take calls and control your music.
These headphones are built to withstand whatever life throws at them. They are tough with a durable frame reinforced with stainless steel. But they’re still lightweight and comfortable. Read more...
Wireless earbuds are quickly becoming a thing and leading the pack is Apple's AirPods.
A new Counterpoint Research report estimates about 12.5 million "hearables" (as the firm calls them) were shipped worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2018 with Apple sitting pretty at the top with 60 percent of the global market share.
According to Counterpoint Research, North America was the largest market for wireless earbuds, followed by Asia Pacific (excluding China).
With a 60 percent global market share, AirPods are were way ahead of the competition, which consisted of wireless earbuds from brands such as Jabra, Samsung, Jlab, and Bose. Read more...
Kitchen appliances can really run up the bill, so it’s best to find something that can kill a few birds with one stone so you’re not constantly dipping into your savings account. That's easier said than done, though, because so many appliances are very specific in their purposes. Fortunately, we found an amazing all-in-one device from Cuisinart that’s on a huge discount right now.
The Cuisinart Griddler Multifunctional Grill is currently $105 off of its retail price at Walmart — you’ll only be paying $79.95 for what would usually be $185. For all the things this kitchen companion can do, this price is more than worth it. Read more...
There is no escape from Duo the Duolingo Owl. So you better open the app and hit your target language goals... or else.
Recently the Duolingo Twitter account shared a teaser image for an upcoming app update that the internet thought was uh, pretty ominous for a cute little owl that just wants you to learn French.
Calling all dads/aspiring models: There's a fun new meme out there just for you.
After Twitter user @coolcat_collin introduced followers to his dad by sharing four snazzy photos of him pursuing a modeling career at the age of 45, people were inspired.
"My dad is 45, pursuing a modeling career, and I’ve never seen him happier. He told me he’s just waiting for a chance to blow up. So, Twitter, meet my dad," @coolcat_collin wrote alongside the professional shots.
My dad is 45, pursuing a modeling career, and I’ve never seen him happier. He told me he’s just waiting for a chance to blow up. So, Twitter, meet my dadpic.twitter.com/zYSmZGbPCn
This video captured by researchers shows a kangaroo rat kicking a snake in slow motion. High-speed cameras were used to record this captivating footage of the rodent and its predator. Read more...
Waiting until Black Friday to buy something is a great idea — unless it's the beginning of April and the next Black Friday is seven months away.
If an Instant Pot is one of the things on your radar, you can stop putting it off now: The 6-quart Instant Pot Duo is $30.96 off on Amazon today, making it just $68.99. That's less than $10 more than its lowest price on Amazon ever, which happened this past Black Friday.
One of Instant Pot's best-selling models, the DUO's combo of function, simplicity, and price is to blame for the hype. It's a step up from the budget model (the LUX), making it the cheapest Instant Pot to have the yogurt feature. It makes yogurt, cooks rice, sautés, pressure cooks, slow cooks, steams, and warms, and has 14 built-in smart programs to take the lead on common recipes. Read more...
This might be hard to believe, but before satellite navigation devices existed, you either had to use a map, or just know exactly where you were going.
Thankfully, we have moved on from these dark times, and sat navs can now save us from navigational disasters and map-induced meltdowns.
One of the top names when it comes to these clever devices is Garmin, and the Garmin Drive 51LMT-S is one of the best in the business. The easy-to-use sat nav with 5-inch dual-orientation display comes with driver awareness features including alerts for dangerous curves, speed changes, railroad crossings, school zones, speed cameras, and more. Read more...
Apple's AirPower just wasn't meant to be — the wireless charging mat was cancelled at the last minute. But doesn't mean you shouldn't buy a beautiful cover for your non-existent AirPower.
Dbrand, a company that sells skins and covers for a variety of Apple products, says it decided to sell AirPower skins despite the product not being available.
The idea, it seems, is to spend some money ($4.01, to be exact) on an AirPower skin, have it delivered to your doorstep, randomly throw it onto any flat surface, and weep quietly. I mean, you can just start weeping right now, without the skin, but where's the fun in that? Read more...
We have finally reached the month of April, and it is now officially safe to go outside again. It's time to put away your big coat, gloves, and woolly hat, because spring is here.
There's one big problem with this process though, and it becomes very clear when you start to reorganise your wardrobe. Sure, it's easy pushing all your winter gear to the back, but what about your spring/summer clothing? We're not exactly sure what happens over the six months since the summer ended, but all your clothes suck now.
Easter is still a few weeks away, but the sales have already begun.
Amazon has dropped an early Easter treat with a code that saves you 25 percent on accessories for Kindle, Fire, and Echo devices. It's probably not the first Easter deal of the year, and it definitely won't be the last.
You can save on cases, adaptors, chargers, screen protectors, stands, and more by using the code EASTER2019 on Amazon. It couldn't be easier to save. At the checkout, enter the code into the 'Gift Cards and Promotional Codes' field, and 'Promotion Applied' will appear in the order summary.
This offer is valid until April 21, and it's always worth checking the terms and conditions to make sure you don't miss out on a great deal. Read more...
It's April Fool's Day, and you could be forgiven for thinking that some of these deals are too good to be true.
We have tracked down the best deals on kitchen appliances, personal care devices, and more. The prices might look like a joke, but we can assure you that it's all real. We wouldn't lie to you.
You can save on juicers, coffee machines, kettles, water flossers, electric toothbrushes, and so much more. You can pick up heavily discounted products from leading brands like Philips, Garmin, Bosch, and Amazon.
These are the best deals from across the internet for April 1.
Best of the best
Save on a wide range of products including sat navs, Amazon devices, vacuum cleaners, and more. Read more...
Today is April Fool's Day, so why not celebrate this day with the brand new Google Tulip. It's a service that allows your Google Home to speak with your tulips. If that's not your thing, then why not try out the new Roku Press Paws remote. Allowing your dog to flick through channels while you're at work. Act fast though, as these are only available today.
Not interested in the new product Google and Roku has to offer? No problem, keep scrolling as those aren't the only deals today, as we have gathered the best deals around the internet. Ranging from video games, TVs, smart home products, and more. Here are the best deals from Amazon, Walmart, BuyDig, Adorama, Best Buy, Home Depot, and more for Monday, April 1: Read more...
In case you were looking for a metaphor for the shambolic state of UK politics, look no further.
In a swift, crab-like motion Sky News correspondent Tamara Cohen appeared to shuffle sideways into view during a shot of 10 Downing Street — before ducking out of shot again.
It's a vanishing act to rival that of any magician. An act that most journalists covering British politics would likely love to be a part of. In fact, make that the entire population of Britain.
The company accompanied the announcement with a short teaser video, and by the looks of it, it appears that the OnePlus car will consist of many, many curves and little else. Just look at the thing.
The OnePlus #WarpCar is coming. Are you ready to say goodbye to gasoline? #NeverSettle
OnePlus says that today, April 1 (AKA April Fools' Day), is the day you can say goodbye to gasoline — but there's no information on availability of the car — all we're told is that it's "coming soon." Let's just hope it arrives on the market faster than a certain company's $35,000 mid-sized electric sedan. Read more...
Yes, it's April Fools' Day, but Burger King assures us this is no joke.
The burger chain will offer a version of the Whopper featuring the Impossible Burger — the disturbingly meat-like plant-based patty that's made appearances everywhere from trendy NYC restaurants to White Castle.
According to a press release from the company, the sandwich will be offered at 59 Burger King restaurants in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. (If you don't like it, you can chalk it up to St. Louis' apparently very disturbing food culture).
Burger King is testing out a Whopper featuring the Impossible Burger.
It’s impossible to overestimate the cultural impact of the original The Twilight Zone.
So many lovable elements of current TV — like anthology formats, twist-based plots, and cerebral moral plays — became popular through its success, and they continue to pervade some of the medium’s best efforts to date. Unrelated movies are said to have “Twilight Zone-ish” twists, and its tone is so well known that simply humming its theme song is universal shorthand for “shit’s getting spooky.” Not bad for a show that premiered in the 1950s.
Google has been gradually adding and, more quietly, removing features from Gmail over the past few weeks. That momentum continued on Monday when Google announced some extensions to the popular email ciient's Smart Compose feature.
Desktop and Google Pixel 3 users know Smart Compose as the Gmail feature that completes sentences for you on occasion. Google is enhancing it so it can supposedly emulate your writerly voice, meaning it can better adapt to informal ways of greeting email recipients now.
It will even suggest subject lines now, according to Google. In addition to that, Smart Compose will now work in Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese alongside English. Read more...
Wrestling, as John Oliver makes clear in the video above, is ridiculously fun to watch. It just is.
But it's not without its problems. In a 20-minute monologue for Last Week Tonight, Oliver breaks down the issues faced by those working under billionaire Vince McMahon at the WWE.
"The shocking thing about McMahon and his company is the extent to which he's shielded himself from responsibility for his wrestlers' welfare," says Oliver, before launching into a breakdown of the many things wrong with the company — from the fact its wrestlers aren't technically classed as employees to the WWE's failure to care for the health of those working for it. Read more...
Remember how millennials killed everything? Well, add to that ever-burgeoning list the gainful employment of one beloved Mr Potato Head.
On April 1, 2019, also known as April Fools' Day, Hasbro announced the termination of our spud-like pal's contract to make way for his millennial replacement, Mr Avo Head.
"It’s no guaccident that the avocado was chosen to replace the carby potato," reads Hasbro's statement. "Hasbro has announced that Mr Potato Head will no longer be a star carb character and will be replaced with his soon to be Insta-famous rival, Mr Avo Head." Read more...
Statistics don't lie. According to Tinder, most guys who state 5'10" as their height on Tinder profiles are actually 5'6". This is just plain unfair to dudes who are actually 5'10" tall, and Tinder is determined to put a stop to it.
The company has launched a new feature called the Height Verification Badge (HVB), essentially requiring all users to state their actual height (AH) instead of dream height (DH) on profiles.
The verification process is simple: All users will have to upload a screenshot of them standing next to any commercial building. Tinder will then verify it (it's a little known fact that Tinder keeps a database with exact heights of all buildings in existence), and make sure it matches your input height. Read more...
How many times have you sat in front of the telly and thought to yourself: Man, I wish I could just let my dog flip through the channels? Zero times, right?
Still, Roku's got a new remote called Press Paws, ergonomically designed to make it easier for your dog to use.
Roku claims the remote is actually designed for your dog to use when you're not at home. It's got paw-shaped buttons (adorable!) and buzzwords such as "Bark Assistant Technology," with commands such as "bark to play," "bark to volume" and "bark to mute."
The Roku Press Paws will be available for purchase on the company's website on (*cough*) April 1, 2019, Roku said — coincidence? We think not. Read more...
How's that possible, you ask? Well, Google says it's using "geometric dirt models" and "haptic micromovement generator" to remove dirt from the screen. And after the screen has been cleaned, Google once again uses haptic technology to form a "long-lasting" dirt shield around the phone. Remember how Superman can just burrow through matter without touching it when moving at super-fast speeds? This is similar. I think. Read more...
Flowers are hard to talk to. You tell them about your day, you read them poetry, you complain about the ineffectiveness of the political system, but all they do is just kinda stand there and do nothing.
Well, no moreGoogle Tulip is a new service that lets Google Home communicate directly with tulips.
Google says advancements in AI have allowed Google Home to understand what tulips are saying as well as translate between Tulipish (what, you thought that all flowers speak the same language?) and "dozens" of human languages. Read more...
Commissioned as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Louvre Pyramid, the work is a giant paper collage surrounding the structure.
Although the museum itself dates back to the 12th century, the Louvre Pyramid, designed by Chinese-born U.S. architect I.M. Pei, was officially opened on Mar. 30, 1989. Read more...
It's perhaps an unspoken rule that you're meant to look excited on the red carpet of an awards show.
That doesn't apply to legendary gothic rock band The Cure, and especially its frontman Robert Smith, who were inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Friday.
Smith has become of the talk of the internet, thanks to how utterly unexcited he was during an interview on the red carpet.
After interviewer Carrie Keagan enthusiastically greeted the band, asking "Are you as excited as I am?" Smith offered up a pretty blunt response. Read more...
Facebook is adding a feature to its News Feed in an effort to be more transparent.
The social media giant is introducing a tool to help you understand why posts from friends, pages, and groups appear in its News Feed — and to some extent, control their regularity.
The tool will appear as a clickable question, reading "Why am I seeing this post?" It's similar to the "Why am I seeing this ad?" tool, launched in 2014 to address concerns related to targeted advertising.
According to Facebook's blog post, it's the first time the social network has included information about how ranking works on the platform. Read more...
Amid all the lame April Fools' jokes, Google has added a cool easter egg to Maps.
You can now play the classic game Snake in the Google Maps app, just by hitting the top left menu button in the app, and selecting the option to play. If the option doesn't show up for you, try closing and reopening the Maps app.
Once you're inside the easter egg, you can select between different cities you'd like to play on, including Cairo, London, San Francisco, São Paulo, Sydney, and Tokyo.
A neat touch is that each city features a snake which is coloured like the trains from that particular location (except San Francisco, which is a tram), and objectives which are shaped like famous tourist destinations. Read more...
Government regulation is coming for Facebook — and Mark Zuckerberg has some ideas about how it should all go down.
Over the weekend, the Facebook CEO published an op-ed in the Washington Post outlining the kinds of regulation he thinks Facebook and other tech giants should face, likely with the hope it could guide lawmakers who are calling for new rules.
What he's proposing
Zuck's suggestions, which aren't all that different from what Facebook execs have been saying over the last year, focus on four areas: harmful content, election security, privacy, and data portability.
For harmful content, the CEO says there should be a set of rules that govern what types of content companies like Facebook should consider harmful. Read more...
Depending on your view, today is one of the best or worst days on the internet, where half the things you see are fake and most of the jokes are pretty dumb. It's April Fools' Day!
In a world where the experiences of shopping for high-end cell phones, high-end mates, and high-end sperm cells are hauntingly similar to each other, isn't it reasonable to question the value of a legal contract that involves disastrously punitive terms of dissolution?
Xfyro has made the first-ever fully waterproof wireless earbuds. They're comfortable, secure, and magnetically connect to the battery case so you can enjoy a total listening time of 20-30 hours before having to recharge your case.
March came in like a lion and out like a lamb... or something like that. Anyway, here are the nine most important things that tell the story of the third month of the year.
The third numbered entry in Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series cemented a formula and a set of expectations that are still alive and well today in games like "Fallout 4" and "The Witcher 3."
The money shot comes around the 10-minute mark, but it's more than worth watching Mark Rober and Destin Sandlin whole process to figure out how to maximize their rocket club's power.
In 1999, a PC game turned millions of kids into virtual theme park designers. Twenty years later, it holds up as a symbol of creativity and the power of online community to change lives for the better.
Nothing's more frustrating than a spotty Wi-Fi connection when you need to work — NetSpot Home for Mac/Windows helps you get the best connection possible, with a mapping feature to view dead zones and help you optimize hotspot placement. There's even a troubleshooting feature to identify major issues.
In Hollywood lies "Psychiatry: An Industry of Death," a bizarre — free — museum where teachers take kids to learn about the evils of mental health care.
A series of new studies sheds light on the population crash and extinction of the giant birds, lemurs and more that roamed the island until around A.D. 700-1000.
"His image was too much overwhelmed by his death," Goldberg says of what inspired him to share his own memories of the late icon in new book "Serving the Servant."
Something about this clip is oddly reminiscent of the animated film "Sausage Party." Which seems especially odd for an ad for one of the biggest companies in biotech.
"'Se7en' balances along the boundary between raw, untouched, tangible realism and the subjective, emotional reflection of what fear, horror and moral panic has done to the world.
Hundreds of miles of levees in the Midwest have been overwhelmed by the floods, leaving "Swiss cheese" infrastructure and reigniting a flood control debate.
Neal Mohan discusses the streaming site's recommendation engine, which has become a growing liability amid accusations that it steers users to increasingly extreme content.
The celebrity lawyer and Trump foil faces federal extortion and financial fraud charges. He seems to be trying the case in the court of public opinion.
A couple has been tearing apart and restoring their 100-year-old farmhouse, room-by-room. Now, they've finally gotten started on the room where the washing and tumbling happens.
As the Emmy magnet begins its lame-duck season, 18 key talents open up about behind-the-scenes chaos, that shocking showrunner handoff and the devastating diagnosis that prompted a wholly new ending.
The U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp in March 2019 deployed to the Indo-Pacific region with no fewer than 10 F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters on board. An assault ship usually embarks just six F-35s or older AV-8B Harrier jump jets. In sailing with nearly twice as many vertical-landing fighters than is normal for an assault ship, Wasp is helping to prove a concept the Marine Corps seriously has been mulling over for years now -- transforming amphibious ships into light aircraft carriers.
The U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp in March 2019 deployed to the Indo-Pacific region with no fewer than 10 F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters on board. An assault ship usually embarks just six F-35s or older AV-8B Harrier jump jets.
In sailing with nearly twice as many vertical-landing fighters than is normal for an assault ship, Wasp is helping to prove a concept the Marine Corps seriously has been mulling over for years now -- transforming amphibious ships into light aircraft carriers.
WNU Editor: The sentiment in the Pentagon is to limit the number of super-carriers, so maybe the thinking is that they may accept a lot more "smaller carriers" as an alternative.
.... It is the longest war in United States history and there is still no end in sight for the combat in Afghanistan. While talks between the US and the Taliban are making progress, a controversial new film is getting all the attention. Filmed by US Marines in Afghanistan, Combat Obscura gives viewers a more realistic look at life on the front line.
"The nones are growing," we hear all the time, a reference to the huge increase in people who check the "none" box in documents that ask about religious beliefs. In the U.S., at least, the response to this news seems to be fivefold: fear, denial, anger, celebration, and speculation that can seem to go beyond what the data warrants. National Geographic, for example, trumpets "The World's Newest Major Religion: No Religion," though it's not exactly clear what no religion means.
Disguised weapon turns freighters into warships, ports to missile bases.
China is building a long-range cruise missile fired from a shipping container that could turn Beijing's large fleet of freighters into potential warships and commercial ports into future missile bases.
The new missile is in flight testing and is a land-attack variant of an advanced anti-ship missile called the YJ-18C, according to American defense officials.
The missile will be deployed in launchers that appear from the outside to be standard international shipping containers used throughout the world for moving millions of tons of goods, often on the deck of large freighters.
Two Marine pilots were killed as a result of an AH-1Z Viper helicopter crash in the vicinity of Yuma, Arizona, at approximately 8:45pm on Saturday (file photo)
* Two Marine pilots were killed as a result of an AH-1Z Viper helicopter crash in the vicinity of Yuma, Arizona, at approximately 8:45pm on Saturday * Both pilots were conducting a routine training mission as part of the Weapons and Tactics Instructor course * The cause of the crash is currently under investigation * The names of the pilots are behind withheld until next-of-kin have been notified
The U.S. Marine Corps reports two pilots have died in a helicopter crash near Yuma, Arizona.
A statement from the Marine Corps Air Station that was posted on Facebook says the crash occurred at about 8:45 p.m. Saturday.
The Marine Corps says the pilots of the AH-1Z Viper were conducting a routine training mission.
Seven countries and over 2,000 military personnel join together for exercise #AfricanLion2019. African Lion is hosted by the Moroccan armed forces 🇲🇦 and is an annual exercise to promote counter-terrorism training and increase regional stability. #KnowYourMilpic.twitter.com/EzGxWbQD9o
* It is highly unusual for Chinese jets and warships to cross the so-called median line in the Taiwan Strait, a widely agreed upon boundary * Taiwanese news media said the last time Chinese jets had crossed the line was in 2011
Taipei hit out at China on Sunday for what it said was a "reckless and provocative" incursion by two fighter jets across a largely respected line dividing the two sides in the Taiwan Strait.
The Defence Ministry said Taiwan scrambled its own aircraft on Sunday morning and broadcast warnings after two J-11 fighter jets crossed over the "median line" within the waters that separate the island from the mainland.
A soldier returns fire during a training exercise at Kelly drop zone in San Antonio, March 23, 2019, during the Joint Forcible Entry Exercise, an annual large-scale airborne drop and mobility mission. Army Spc. Jeffery Harris (US Department of Defense)
The US hasn't sold advanced fighter jets to Taiwan since 1992, primarily because it has been wary of antagonizing China. In the eyes of Beijing, of course, Taiwan—despite its democratic elections and self-governing status—is part of China.
Earlier this month, however, the Trump administration gave its tacit approval (paywall) to Taiwan's request to purchase 60 F-16V fighter jets. A formal request would still need US congressional approval, but the news has already rattled Beijing.
Addressing the issue on Thursday (March 28), defense ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said that China "resolutely opposes" such sales to Taiwan and that any words or actions that undermine the one-China policy are "extremely dangerous."
As first reported in English media by Beirut-based Al Masdar News, the US Air Force dropped a bunker buster bomb on a cave in eastern Syria this week while wrapping up coalition operations against ISIS in the area of Baghouz, in Deir Ez-Zor province of eastern Syria.
The massive impact and explosion on the side of the Baghouz Mountains was caught on video as the coalition massive bomb targeted a cave reportedly used by Islamic State fighters who escaped the nearby US and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) successful liberation of Baghouz town, ISIS' last small territorial enclave.
A new bloc is emerging in the greater Middle East with the declared objectives of dominating the entire Arab world, confronting and containing the US and its allies; and controlling and benefiting from the entire hydro-carbon economy, from production to transportation.
The leading members of the new bloc are Turkey, Iran, and Qatar; with Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan submitting to the new bloc.
Russian experts call the new bloc "the Middle Eastern Entente".
In this Nov. 7, 2018, photo released by the U.S. Army, U.S. soldiers gather for a brief during a combined joint patrol rehearsal in Manbij, Syria. U.S. ARMY PHOTO
If U.S. military commanders were unsure of their mission four years ago, it's even muddier today.
TAMPA — Last year, Gen. Joseph Votel, America's top general in the Middle East walked through the bombed-out remains of Raqqa, Syria, and saw a trickle of surviving men, women, and children reclaiming their liberated city from ISIS. They were beginning to repair a massive scene of destruction, piece-by-piece, with their bare hands. On streetscapes reduced to skeletal buildings, children picked up concrete chunks from the rubble and banged them to the ground to extract the metal rebar. It was a daunting scene, and a foreboding one.
Hours later at a secret base in Northeast Syria, a visibly upset Votel pounded a table before reporters, pleading — all but ordering — the international community to get in there and get to work. It was time, he said, to rebuild that which his U.S.-led coalition of fighters had just destroyed to liberate innocent Syrians from the Islamic State, time to bolster a hard-won foothold against Syria's Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian sponsors. Meanwhile, he said, his forces would hold the land until a Geneva peace process could solve Syria's civil war.
WNU Editor: The U.S. presence in Syria (and elsewhere in the Middle East) is a work in progress. I agree with President Trump's instincts that the U.S. should get out of Syria. The region has known nothing but war and conflict for centuries, and I do not see the U.S. changing that anytime in the future. So why stay? But politics and geopolitics is now playing a role, and my prediction is the following. The U.S. military and intelligence community will stay in Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere in the Middle East, but their role and mission will be minor and "behind" the scenes.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's main opposition party said it won control of Ankara in Sunday's local elections, defeating President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party in the capital for the first time, and challenged his party's claim to have held Istanbul by the narrowest margin.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), said CHP candidates took Turkey's two main cities from the AKP and also held its stronghold of Izmir on the Aegean coast.
Defeat for Erdogan's party in Ankara would be a significant setback for the president, who campaigned relentlessly for two months ahead of a vote he described as a "matter of survival" for Turkey. Losing Istanbul, Turkey's largest city and a platform for his own political career, would be a greater blow.
With more than 92 percent of ballots opened, the mayoral candidate of the CHP, Mansur Yavas, had secured 50.6 percent, giving him a 3.4-percentage-point lead over his AKP rival.
The maneuver makes the Hind look even more menacing than it already does and that is really saying something!
Helicopters are amazing machines that we usually associate with vertical takeoffs and landings, but under some conditions, and especially with certain helicopters, vertical takeoffs and landings just aren't in the cards. Russia's Mi-8/17/24/35 family of helicopters, which includes the utility-oriented "Hip" and the attack-focused "Hind," often use running takeoffs and landings to their advantage. The video below, that shows a Polish Mi-24 Hind taking off in Afghanistan, is an extreme example of this.
An apparent CIA poster appealing to Russian speakers to join US intelligence has been derided for failing to reconcile Russian and English grammar and mismatching fonts. The poster allegedly popped up in Washington, DC.
The poster was spotted by Reuters' David Brunnstrom at Foggy Bottom station in Washington, which is home to many government agencies, including the State Department, the Department of the Interior, as well as George Washington University.
The tracked robot could haul an infantry squad's heavy equipment, freeing soldiers to move more quickly.
The modern solider is overburdened, so defense researchers have been trying to invent new ways to lighten the load, such as wearable exoskeletons that shoulder some of the weight. Now, here comes the latest possible solution, a tracked robot designed to operate with Army ground forces, carrying important, heavy gear.
The Grizzly, developed by Textron Systems, could carry extra small arms ammunition, anti-tank weapons, mines, medical equipment, and other gear. Having a rugged robot carry this cargo could make ground forces more heavily armed but more agile on the battlefield.
* China's massive missile forces could savage US air and naval forces in the Pacific, lighting up ports and airfields, and blowing up F-35s, F-22s, and possibly aircraft carriers before they could respond. * War-gaming experts point to this as a persistent problem with US forces in the Pacific, but it's far from a clear-cut win for China. * The US has a number of ways it can predict, prevent, or blunt a missile attack, and once the US military and its allies kick into gear, China will face a mighty wrath.
Experts at the cutting edge of simulated warfare have spoken: China would handily defeat the US military in the Pacific with quick bursts of missile fired at air bases.
The exact phrasing was that the US was getting "its ass handed to it" in those simulations, Breaking Defense reported the RAND analyst David Ochmanek as saying earlier in March.
"In every case I know of," Robert Work, a former deputy secretary of defense, said, "the F-35 rules the sky when it's in the sky, but it gets killed on the ground in large numbers."
WNU Editor: The blow-back against a Chinese surprise attack may take some time, but it will be massive. Unfortunately, as this blog has pointed out in the past few years, there are many in China who feel confident that they could win such a war .... China Thinks That It Can Defeat The U.S. In A War (February 4, 2014)
Russia's specially equipped Tu-154M Open Skies aircraft is doing a grand tour of America's most sensitive military installations out west.
The Russians are operating their Tu-154M aircraft configured for surveillance flights sanctioned under the Open Skies Treaty that allows member countries to conduct surveillance flights over each other's territory relatively unimpeded. The aircraft are equipped with imaging equipment with specific limitations and monitors from the country being surveilled are onboard the flights to make certain the party complies with the parameters of the treaty. This latest series of Russian Open Skies flights are being conducted out of Great Falls, Montana and are covering a slew of strategic points in the western part of the United States, including the highly secure Nellis Test and Training Range (NTTR) in southern Nevada, home of Area 51.
Those who are leaving blame a lack of job opportunities, an ongoing war against Russian-backed separatists and a failure of political will.
KIEV, Ukraine — Kateryna Filip was a certified English teacher in her homeland. She now works abroad as a cleaner.
It was a tough decision but one she is convinced will ensure her three children have a brighter future.
The 34-year-old is among the millions of Ukrainians who have left the country as part of a devastating brain drain.
She says the lack of well-paid jobs, rampant corruption and a war with Moscow-backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine made her and her husband, Vasyl, decide to seek a better life in the Czech Republic.
"There is nothing waiting for our kids here," Kateryna Filip says while sitting in a pizza joint in the heart of Kiev. "We love Ukraine, but it doesn't love us back."
WNU Editor: Last week two of my cousins and their three kids visited me from Ukraine. My cousins still live in Ukraine, but two of their kids are working in the U.S. and the third one was accepted this year by Canada to become a citizen (he applied in 2014 when the Maiden revolution broke out). All three are highly educated and multilingual. One worked as an IT specialist for an Austrian bank in Kiev (and who is now a Canadian citizen), his sister is a veterinarian who wants to complete the necessary requirements to be certified in the U.S., and the third one has a Masters in Civil Engineering (with 10 years work experience) who is now working in Florida.
WNU Editor: According to Russian TV, Comedian Vladimir Zelensky is ahead in the exit polls. He has over 30% of the vote, and the runner-up is incumbent president President Petro Poroshenko with 17.8 %. In third place with slightly over 14 percent is Yulia Tymoshenko. Kyiv Post is also confirming these numbers .... First exit polls arrive: Zelenskiy leads with 30 percent (LIVE UPDATES) (Kyiv Post). The final results will be announced on Monday, probably at the end of the day. As to what is my take on these exit polls. Vladimir Zelensky is doing better than what I had expected. He is now well positioned to form a coalition with other defeated candidates that will put him over 50% when Ukrainians go to the polls for a second and final round on April 21.
* Protesters took to streets to stage 'Act 20', the 20th consecutive anti-government protests despite bans * Police have so far struggled to contain violence by highly-organised demonstrators since protests began * There were again outbreaks of violence today as riot police with batons and shields clashed with protesters * President Macron reacted to protests by embarking on cross-country tour as part of a 'Great National Debate'
French 'yellow vest' demonstrators clashed with baton-wielding riot police during the 20th consecutive week of anti-government protests despite bans in hotspot areas.
The Gilet Jaunes took to the streets for a protest dubbed 'Act 20' as banks called for an end to violence against branches, cash machines and personnel.
Iconic sites such as the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris and the centre of Bordeaux, in southwestern France, were declared off limits to demonstrations, with police enforcing the bans in the areas.
In the southern French town of Avignon, violence erupted as police with riot shields and batons forced protesters out of the narrow streets of the medieval city centre.
WNU Editor: My friends in France are telling me that President Macron has embarked on a cross-country tour as part of a 'Great National Debate' on his policies. But according to them these events are tightly controlled and the participants are screened. So much for having a debate.
Fresh off his success in stopping another Middle East regime change in Syria, Vladimir Putin is now setting up shop in Caracas. It's not as simple as saying Russia has financial assets to protect. Rosneft, the state oil behemoth, has been throwing money down a black hole in Venezuela for years. So has China. The recent move to bring in more military support is designed to protect Nicolas Maduro from what Russia surely sees as an orchestrated coup against him.
Russia's Foreign Ministry confirmed that it sent military personnel to Caracas this weekend. Unlike the U.S. military, which was never invited by any government official into Syria, the Russia military at least has been. Maduro is now surrounded by his own military, Cuban revolutionaries and gangsters. And now some Russians.
WNU Editor: Venezuela is not Syria, because if a civil war was raging in Venezuela right now, it would involve every country in the region including the U.S.. What Russia is trying to do is protect the Maduro regime on the cheap. Advance loans with the hope that it will be paid-off in the future, green-light Cuba's military and intelligence support of the Maduro regime, and provide diplomatic cover on the international scene. I think this policy is going to fail. Venezuela is now a failed state, and the situation on the ground is getting worse. Deploying a few hundred Russian military contractors may help to boost the morale of Maduro and his supporters, but it is going to take a lot more solders and a hell of a lot of more money to rectify the mess that is Venezuela today, something that the Kremlin is not willing to do right now.
Afghanistan's controversial Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum has escaped unhurt from a suspected Taliban attack that killed one of his bodyguards, police said.
A regional police spokesman said attackers ambushed Dostum's convoy on March 30 on the way from Mazar-e Sharif, a city in Balkh Province, to Jawzjan Province in northern Afghanistan.
Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor of Balkh, said on March 31 that Taliban militants attacked the convoy at two points, in the Char Bolak and then Faiz Abad district.
JEAN-CLAUDE JUNKER has mocked the Italian populist government, claiming Brussels had "foreseen" Rome's economic growth would not be as outstanding as announced by Italy and that he "isn't sure" the country will crawl out of the financial crisis it plunged more than 10 years ago.
EMMANUEL MACRON is risking his entire political future crushing Yellow Vest demonstrators by force, drawing accusations of "authoritarianism" and parallels with another French leader, Charles De Gaulle, a French politics expert said.
POLITICAL novice, activist and lawyer Zuzana Caputova has become Slovakia's first female President, defeating the vice president of the European Commission.
THE HEART-STOPPING moment an enormous green meteor blazed through the night sky above Florida on Saturday night was caught on camera by drivers around the area.
PRESIDENT Tayyip Erdogan has lost control of Turkey's capital, Ankara, but both his AKP party and the opposition claim to have won the mayoralty of the largest city, Istanbul.
(ISTANBUL) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party led Sunday’s mayoral elections but suffered setbacks as the opposition regained hold of the capital Ankara and made significant inroads in other parts of Turkey. The elections, which the Turkish strongman had depicted as a fight for the country’s survival, were largely seen as a test of his support amid a sharp economic downturn.
Both the ruling party and the opposition claimed victory in the neck to neck race in Istanbul.
Erdogan’s conservative, Islamic-based Justice and Development Party, or AKP, took 44 percent of the votes in the elections after 99 percent of the more than 194,000 ballot boxes were counted, according to the official Anadolu Agency. The secular, main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party, or CHP had 30 percent.
The CHP’s mayoral candidate for Ankara, Mansur Yavas, however, won control of Ankara after 25 years of rule by the AKP and a predecessor party. The 63-year-old lawyer received nearly 51 percent of the votes, according to Anadolu. The CHP and its allies also posted gains elsewhere, increasing the number of city mayoral seats from 14 in the previous local elections in 2014 to 20, according to the preliminary results.
“History is being written in Ankara,” said deputy CHP leader Haluk Koc, while thousands of supporters celebrated outside the party’s headquarters in Ankara.
Former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, the ruling party’s candidate for mayor of Istanbul declared victory even though the race in Turkey’s largest city and commercial hub was too close to call. Yildirim garnered 48.70 percent of the votes against the opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu’s 48.65 percent, according to Anadolu, which drew criticism for failing to update results in Istanbul after Yildirim’s declaration.
CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu rebuked Yildirim for declaring victory in Istanbul “in haste” and claimed his party had now control of Turkey three largest city: Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Imamoglu said he had won Istanbul by more than 29,000 votes, according to results tallied by his party.
Erdogan attaches great importance to Istanbul where he began his rise to power as its mayor in 1994. He has said at campaign rallies that “whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkey.” He refrained from declaring victory in the city of 15 million people.
Ankara was considered the main battleground of the race, where a former government environment minister, Mehmet Ozhaseki, ran for mayor under the banner of Erdogan and his nationalist allies. The ruling party accused his opponent Yavas of forgery and tax evasion. Yavas said he is the victim of a smear campaign.
“Ozhaseki and his dirty politics have lost,” Yavas said in a victory speech.
Sunday’s elections were a first test for Erdogan since he won re-election under a new system of government that gave the presidency expanded powers. Erdogan campaigned tirelessly for AKP’s candidates, framing the municipal elections as a matter of “national survival.” He also portrayed the country’s economic woes as attacks by enemies at home and abroad.
“Those who have tried to bring our country on its knees by damaging our people’s unity and togetherness, have once again been dealt a blow,” Erdogan said, noting that the party had emerged as the winner nationwide by a large margin.
The voting was marred by scattered election violence that killed at least four people and injured dozens of others across Turkey.
Years of economic prosperity provided Erdogan and his party with previous election victories. But the race for 30 large cities, 51 provincial capitals and hundreds of districts were held as Turkey grapples with a weakened currency, a double-digit inflation rate and soaring food prices.
The high stakes of the local contests were brought into stark display with the deaths of two members of the Islamic-oriented Felicity Party, a small rival of the president’s Justice and Development Party. Felicity’s leader, Temel Karamollaoglu, alleged a polling station volunteer and a party observer were shot by a relative of a ruling party candidate.
The killings weren’t caused by “simple animosity,” but happened when the volunteers tried to enforce the law requiring ballots to be marked in private voting booths instead of out in the open, Karamollaoglu tweeted.
Two other people were killed in fighting in the southern city of Gaziantep. Fights related to local elections in several provinces also produced dozens of injuries, Anadolu reported. Election campaigning was highly polarized, with Erdogan and other officials using hostile rhetoric toward opposition candidates.
Erdogan’s ruling party had renewed an alliance with the country’s nationalist party to increase votes. Opposition parties also coordinated strategies and put forward candidates under alliances in an effort to maximize the chances of unseating members of the AKP.
Erdogan’s supporters expressed dismay at losing the capital.
“We did not think that we would lose Ankara in this election,” said Mehmet Akcam, 18. “Ankara will see the consequences of what it did.”
The pro-Kurdish, People’s Democratic Party appeared to have regained seats in several districts in Turkey’s mostly-Kurdish southeast region where Erdogan’s government had replaced elected mayors with government-appointed trustees, alleging that the ousted officials had links to outlawed Kurdish militants.
However, the party lost control of two key cities in the region.
The pro-Kurdish party had sat out critical mayoral races in major cities, including Istanbul and Ankara, with the aim of sending votes to a rival secular opposition party to help challenge Erdogan’s party.
(BEIJING) — China said Monday it would begin regulating all fentanyl-related drugs as a class of controlled substances, in a change U.S. officials had long advocated as a way to stem the flow of lethal opioids from China.
The sweeping change in the way China regulates drugs that mimic fentanyl takes effect May 1 and could help end the game of regulatory whack-a-mole with chemists who can manufacture novel opioids faster than they can be banned. It could also facilitate prosecutions of opioid merchants in China, who until now have skirted the law by manufacturing and exporting fentanyl variants that were technically legal in China.
“We firmly believe that listing the entire class of fentanyl substances will completely block the loopholes that enable law breakers to evade punishment by simply modifying one or several atoms, functional groups or other groups,” said Liu Yuejin, vice-commissioner of China’s National Narcotics Control Commission. “It will effectively prevent the massive abuse of fentanyl substances and illegal drug trafficking and smuggling activities, and contribute to global drug control with China’s wisdom and power.”
China already controls 25 variants of fentanyl, plus two precursors used to make the drug. Data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration have shown that when China bans a variant of fentanyl, seizures of that analog in the U.S. fall.
U.S. officials have repeatedly pointed to China as the main source of synthetic opioids shipped into the country directly by mail or transported via Mexico. China on Monday again denied that claim.
“China’s control over fentanyl drugs is very strict,” Liu told reporters. “It cannot be the main source for the United States. The U.S. accusation lacks evidence and is contrary to the facts.”
In 2017 and 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted the alleged kingpins of three opioid distribution networks in China. Liu chided U.S. officials for bringing cases against Chinese nationals without first informing their Chinese counterparts.
“Until now, we haven’t found that the relevant people infringed on Chinese laws, the U.S. also has yet to present evidence showing that they have breached our laws,” he said. “The two sides are still progressing with cooperative investigative work. The U.S., however, now takes some measures like indictments without informing us beforehand. This undermines the sound atmosphere of two sides’ cooperation. We express regret for this.”
Monday’s announcement from China’s Ministry of Public Security, National Health Commission and National Medical Products Administration makes good on a pledge Chinese President Xi Jinping made to President Donald Trump during the G-20 summit in Argentina late last year.
At the time, Trump said China’s new regulations could be “a game changer” for the United States, where tens of thousands of people die annually from opioid overdoses.
(SHAH ALAM, Malaysia) — A Vietnamese woman who is the only suspect in custody for the killing of the North Korean leader’s brother pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in a Malaysian court on Monday and her lawyer said she could be freed as early as next month.
Doan Thi Huong had faced a murder charge, which carried the death penalty if she was convicted, in the slaying of Kim Jong Nam, who died after being accosted by two women in a Kuala Lumpur airport terminal. Huong nodded as a translator read the new charge to her: voluntarily causing injury with a dangerous weapon, VX nerve agent.
High Court judge Azmi Ariffin sentenced Huong to three years and four months from the day she was arrested on Feb. 15, 2017. Huong’s lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik said his client is expected to be freed by the first week of May, after a one-third reduction in her sentence for good behavior.
“I am happy,” Huong, 30, told reporters as she left the courtroom, adding she thought it was a fair outcome.
While handing out a jail term short of the maximum 10 years the new charge carried, the judge told Huong she was “very, very lucky” and he wished her “all the best.” Vietnamese officials in the courtroom cheered when the decision was announced.
Huong is the only suspect in custody after the Malaysian attorney general’s stunning decision to drop the murder case against Indonesian Siti Aisyah on March 11 following high-level lobbying from Jakarta. Huong sought to be acquitted after Aisyah was freed, but prosecutors rejected her request.
Prosecutor Iskandar Ahmad told the court that the attorney-general offered the reduced charge to Huong following pleas from the Vietnamese government and her lawyers.
The original charge had alleged the two women colluded with four North Koreans to murder Kim with VX nerve agent they smeared on his face as he was passing through the airport on Feb. 13, 2017. The women had said they thought they were taking part in a harmless prank for a TV show.
The four North Koreans fled Malaysia on the same day Kim was killed.
The High Court judge last August had found there was enough evidence to infer that Aisyah, Huong and the four North Koreans engaged in a “well-planned conspiracy” to kill Kim and had called on the two women to present their defense.
Lawyers for the women have said that they were pawns in a political assassination with clear links to the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and that the prosecution failed to show the women had any intention to kill. Intent to kill is crucial to a murder charge under Malaysian law.
Huong’s lawyer told the court Monday that her guilty plea to the lesser charge showed she “has taken responsibility” for her actions. In asking for a lenient sentence, he also told the court that her move saved judicial time.
Hisyam had urged the judge to take into account Huong’s honesty, her acceptance of responsibility and the acquittal of her co-defendant.
“She is neither a criminal nor has the propensity to commit a crime,” Hisyam said.
Huong, the youngest of five children, has a promising future with a degree in accountancy but she is also “naive and gullible,” he said.
Hisyam said four North Korean suspects still at large were the “real assassins.”
They “exploited her weakness and manipulated her to carry out their evil designs under the camouflage of funny videos and pranks,” he said.
The judge said he had taken into account the gravity of the offence and also the fact that Huong was remorseful and a first offender. He said the sentence “would serve the interest of justice.”
Before the sentencing, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Quy Quynh said he expected Huong to be freed immediately. After the sentencing he said: “I am highly appreciative that she will be released very soon but I want to emphasize that she is a victim like the Indonesian.”
Hisyam told reporters later that Huong wasn’t being fairly treated compared to Aisyah but that she pleaded guilty because she wanted to walk free as soon as possible.
Huong’s father, Doan Van Thanh, who attended the hearing, said he was delighted that she will be soon be free.
As Huong was being escorted out of the court building, she shouted to reporters: “It’s very good. I love you.” She told reporters earlier that she wants to “sing and act” when she returns to Vietnam.
Malaysian officials have never officially accused North Korea and have made it clear they don’t want the trial politicized.
Kim Jong Nam was the eldest son in the current generation of North Korea’s ruling family. He had been living abroad for years but could have been seen as a threat to Kim Jong Un’s rule.
(KIEV, Ukraine) — Early results in Ukraine’s presidential election showed a comedian with no political experience with a sizable lead over 38 rivals but far from a first-round victory, while the incumbent president and a former prime minister were close contenders to advance to the runoff.
The strong showing of Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Sunday’s voting appeared to reflect Ukrainians’ desire for new blood in a political system awash in corruption and a new approach to trying to end the war with Russia-backed separatists in the country’s east that has wracked the country for nearly five years.
With 20 percent of the polling station protocols counted, Zelenskiy had 30 percent, while incumbent President Petro Poroshenko was a distant second with about 17 percent and Yulia Tymoshenko with 13, the elections commission said early Monday. The results were closely in line with a major exit poll.
The top two candidates advance to a runoff on April 21. Final results in Sunday’s first round are expected to be announced later Monday.
The election was shadowed by allegations of widespread vote buying. Police said they had received more than 2,100 complaints of violations on voting day alone in addition to hundreds of earlier voting fraud claims, including bribery attempts and removing ballots from polling places.
Zelenskiy stars in a TV sitcom about a teacher who becomes president after a video of him denouncing corruption goes viral and his supporters hold out hope that he can fight corruption in real life.
“This is only the first step to a great victory,” Zelenskiy told reporters after the exit poll was announced.
“Zelenskiy has shown us on the screen what a real president should be like,” said voter Tatiana Zinchenko, 30, who cast her ballot for the comedian. “He showed what the state leader should aspire for — fight corruption by deeds, not words, help the poor, control the oligarchs.”
Campaign issues in the country of 42 million included Ukraine’s endemic corruption, its struggling economy and a seemingly intractable conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine that has killed 13,000 people since 2014.
Concern about the election’s legitimacy have spiked in recent days after Ukraine’s interior minister said his department was “showered” with hundreds of claims that supporters of Poroshenko and Tymoshenko had offered money in exchange for votes.
Like the popular character he plays, Zelenskiy, 41, made corruption a focus of his candidacy. He proposed a lifetime ban on holding public office for anyone convicted of graft. He also called for direct negotiations with Russia on ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
“A new life, a normal life is starting,” Zelenskiy said after casting his ballot in Kiev. “A life without corruption, without bribes.”
His lack of political experience helped his popularity with voters amid broad disillusionment with the country’s political elite.
Poroshenko said “I feel no kind of euphoria” after the exit poll results were announced.
“I critically and soberly understand the signal that society gave today to the acting authorities,” he said.
It is not clear whether he would or could adjust his campaign enough to meet Zelenskiy’s challenges over the next three weeks.
Poroshenko, 53, a confectionary tycoon when he was elected five years ago, pushed successfully for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to be recognized as self-standing rather than a branch of the Russian church.
However, he saw approval of his governing sink amid Ukraine’s economic woes and a sharp plunge in living standards. Poroshenko campaigned on promises to defeat the rebels in the east and to wrest back control of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 in a move that has drawn sanctions against Russia from the U.S. and the European Union.
Speaking at a polling station Sunday, the president echoed his campaign promises of taking Ukraine into the EU and NATO.
The president’s priorities persuaded schoolteacher Andriy Hristenko, 46, to vote for him
“Poroshenko has done a lot. He created our own church, bravely fought with Moscow and is trying to open the way to the EU and NATO,” Hristenko said.
Ukraine’s former prime minister, Tymoshenko, shaped her message around the economic distress of millions in the country.
“Ukraine has sunk into poverty and corruption during the last five years, but every Ukrainian can put an end to it now,” she said after voting Sunday.
During the campaign, Tymoshenko denounced price hikes introduced by Poroshenko as “economic genocide” and promised to reduce prices for household gas by 50 percent within a month of taking office.
“I don’t need a bright future in 50 years,” said Olha Suhiy, a 58-year-old cook. “I want hot water and heating to cost less tomorrow.”
A military embezzlement scheme that allegedly involved top Poroshenko associates as well as a factory controlled by the president dogged Poroshenko before the election. Ultra-right activists shadowed him throughout the campaign, demanding the jailing of the president’s associates accused in the scandal.
Zelenskiy and Tymoshenko both used the alleged embezzlement to take hits at Poroshenko, who shot back at his rivals. He described them as puppets of a self-exiled billionaire businessman Igor Kolomoyskyi, charges that Zelenskiy and Tymoshenko denied.
Many political observers have described the presidential election as a battle between Poroshenko and Kolomoyskyi.
Both the president and the comedian relied on an arsenal of media outlets under their control to exchange blows. Just days before the election, the TV channel Kolomoyskyi owns aired a new season of the “Servant of the People” TV series in which Zelenskiy stars as Ukraine’s leader.
“Kolomoyskyi has succeeded in creating a wide front against Poroshenko,” said Vadim Karasyov, head of the Institute of Global Strategies, an independent Kiev-based think tank. “Ukraine has gone through two revolutions, but ended up with the same thing — the fight between the oligarchs for the power and resources.”
(CARACAS, Venezuela) — Another day, another blackout.
Power went out across Venezuela on Sunday, just as it did on Saturday, and the day before that.
But while some electricity had returned by Sunday afternoon, jittery Venezuelans weren’t so much celebrating the lights coming on as wondering when the next outages would flick them off.
“No one can put up with this. We spend almost all day without electricity,” said Karina Camacho, a 56-year-old housewife who was about to buy a chicken when electronic payment machines stopped working. “There’s been no water since (last) Monday, you can’t call by phone, we can’t pay with cards or even eat.”
As the latest blackout unfolded, many took to balconies and building windows to bang pots in protest and shout curses at President Nicolas Maduro, who they consider responsible for the power failures.
Others responded to a call by opposition leader Juan Guaido to demonstrate against the government, blocking roads and burning rubbish until “colectivos,” or frequently armed government supporters, appeared to arrive on motorbikes. Some of the protests occurred near the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, in a direct challenge to Maduro.
The ongoing blackouts now mark another point of tension in a country paralyzed by political and economic turmoil, compounding a humanitarian crisis and deepening a prolonged standoff between two political parties vying for power.
Netblocks, a group monitoring internet censorship, said network data showed just 15 percent of Venezuela was online after the latest power cuts struck, while water supply, phone service and internet continued to be shaky and unreliable.
On Twitter, Guaido reiterated his claim Sunday that government neglect and corruption had had left the electrical grid in shambles after years of mismanagement.
“There is no sabotage,” the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly wrote. “They brought the electrical system to a collapse because they are corrupt and now they can’t resolve it because they are incapable.”
Maduro alleges U.S.-led sabotage is the cause, citing “imperial aggression” without offering up clear evidence. On Twitter, he encouraged supporters to refer to a bulletin which explained the electrical failure as a result of an international effort to have Venezuela considered a “failed” state.
The United States and dozens of other countries support Guaido’s claim that Maduro’s re-election last year was illegitimate. The U.S. has imposed oil sanctions and other economic penalties on Venezuela in an attempt to force him out of power, but he has yet to show signs of backing down
The latest outage comes just weeks after Venezuela experienced nationwide blackouts on March 7 which shut down schools, offices and factories and paralyzed nearly every part of the once oil-rich country of 31 million.
(TOKYO (AP) — The name of the era of Japan’s soon-to-be-emperor Naruhito will be “Reiwa,” the government announced Monday.
Emperor Akihito is stepping down on April 30, in the first abdication in 200 years, bringing his era of “Heisei” to an end. The new era takes effect May 1.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Monday the name draws from the 7th century poetry collection “Manyoshu.”
Suga said that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would explain the meaning of the name later at a news conference.
It is believed to be the first time the era name, or “gengo” has been taken from a Japanese document, a break from more than 1,300 years of using Chinese classics.
The new era’s name was kept strictly secret ahead of Monday’s announcement.
“We hope (the era name) will be widely accepted by the people and deeply rooted as part of their daily lives,” Suga told reporters showing the name, written in two Chinese characters in black ink calligraphy on a white background.
Abe said earlier that he hoped the name would “lead to a new era brimming with hope.”
The announcement allows only a month ahead of the switch for government, businesses and other sectors to adjust to the change that still affects many parts of Japan’s society, even though the system is not compulsory and the emperor has no political power under Japan’s postwar constitution.
Under the 1979 era name law, Abe appointed a panel of experts on classical Chinese and Japanese literature to nominate two to five names for top officials to choose from. The names had to meet strict criteria, being easy to read and write but not commonly or previously used for an era name.
Japanese media scrambled to get scoops out of a new era name. Rumors included “Ankyu,” which uses the same Chinese character as in Abe’s family name.
There had been speculation that Abe’s ultra-conservative government, often hawkish on China matters, would choose the name from a Japanese document, breaking with the tradition of using Chinese classics as references.
The name selection procedure started in mid-March when Suga asked a handful of unidentified scholars to nominate two to five era names each.
Several nominations were presented at a first, closed-door meeting that included nine outside experts from various areas, including Nobel prize-winning stem-cell scientist Shinya Yamanaka and award-winning novelist Mariko Hayashi, to present their views and narrow the selection before final approval by the Cabinet.
While a growing number of Japanese prefer the Western calendar over the Japanese system in a highly digitalized and globalized society, the era name is still widely used in government and business documents. Elders often use it to identify their generations.
Discussing and guessing new era names in advance is not considered a taboo this time because Akihito is abdicating. Era name change is also a time for many Japanese to reflect on the outgoing and incoming decades.
Akihito’s era of “Heisei,” which means “achieving peace,” was the first without a war in Japan’s modern history, but is also remembered as lost years of economic deflation and natural disasters.
Heisei was the first era name decided by the government under the postwar constitution, in which the emperor was stripped of political power and had no say over the choice. Still, the government, with its highly secretive and sensitive handling of the process, is underscoring that “the emperor has power in an invisible, subtle way,” says Hirohito Suzuki, a Toyo University sociologist.
Era name changes are creating businesses for both the outgoing and the incoming. Anything dubbed “last of Heisei” attracts Akihito fans, while others are waiting to submit marriage certificates or filing other official registration until the new era starts. Analysts say the era change that expands the “golden week” holidays to 10 days on May 1 could buoy tourism and other recreational spending.
(KATHMANDU, Nepal) — A rainstorm swept through villages in a farming region of southern Nepal on Sunday, and the government said the 25 reported deaths and hundreds of injuries were likely to increase.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli said on Twitter he had received a report of 25 people killed and 400 injured.
He said security forces were alerted. Rescue helicopters with night vision capabilities were waiting for the weather to clear to help bring the injured from the villages to medical facilities.
Government administrator Rajesh Poudel said the number of deaths would likely increase as the storm had hit many villages in the Bara district, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of the capital, Kathmandu.
He said police and army rescuers were fanned around the district trying to reach the villages, but rescue efforts were difficult at night.
The injured were being brought to a hospital by cars and ambulances, but roads in many villages had been blocked by fallen trees and electricity poles.
Poudel said most of the deaths and injuries were because of flying objects, falling huts and trees. Most people in the district are farmers.
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — The Arab League rejected the U.S. recognition of Israeli control over the Golan Heights and other Trump administration policies seen as unfairly biased toward Israel at an annual summit on Sunday, showcasing unity on one of the few issues that unites the regional bloc.
Arab leaders also reiterated their commitment to resolving the conflict based on the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, in which they would recognize Israel in return for a full withdrawal from the Golan Heights as well as east Jerusalem and the West Bank, lands occupied in the 1967 war.
This year’s Arab League summit, held in Tunisia, comes against a grim backdrop of ongoing wars in Syria and Yemen, rival authorities in Libya and a lingering boycott of Qatar by four fellow League members.
Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir skipped the meeting as they contend with mass protests against their long reigns. Syria, a founding member, was expelled in 2011 during the early days of the uprising against President Bashar Assad.
Representatives from the 22-member league — minus Syria — jointly condemned President Donald Trump’s recognition of Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights and his decision last year to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
In their final statement after the daylong summit, the leaders affirmed that the Golan, a strategic plateau once used to shell northern Israel, is “Syria’s occupied territory.”
At the opening of the summit, King Salman said Saudi Arabia “absolutely rejects any measures undermining Syria’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights” and supports the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with east Jerusalem as its capital.
He added that Iran’s meddling was to blame for instability in the region. Saudi Arabia and Iran are locked in proxy wars in Yemen and Syria, and back opposing groups in Lebanon, Bahrain and Iraq.
Calling the meeting “the summit of resolve and solidarity,” Host-country Tunisia’s President Beji Caid Essebsi decried “regional and international interventions” in Arab affairs.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said Iran and Turkey have “worsened some crises and created new problems,” calling on Arab leaders to “unite as one force under one umbrella against the regional interventions.”
One of the few things that have united the Arab League over the last 50 years is the rejection of Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights as well as east Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories that the Palestinians want for their future state.
The international community, including the United States, largely shared that position until Trump upended decades of U.S. policy by moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem last year and recognizing Israel’s 1981 annexation of the Golan earlier this month. U.S. officials say both moves recognize reality on the ground and contribute to Israel’s security.
The Arab leaders meeting in Tunisia condemned those policies but did not announce any further action.
That’s in part because regional powerhouses Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have cultivated close ties with the Trump administration, viewing it as a key ally against their main rival, Iran. Both face Western pressure over their devastating three-year war with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, and Riyadh is still grappling with the fallout from the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents last year.
In Syria, small protests against Trump’s Golan move were held and state media criticized the Arab summit. “The Golan is not awaiting support from the Arabs, and not a statement to condemn what Trump has done,” the Thawra newspaper said in an editorial that accused Arab leaders of taking their orders from the U.S. and Israel.
The Arab League had been expected to consider readmitting Syria, but there was no reference to the subject in the final statement.
The United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus last year, and other Arab states have voiced support for restoring relations. But Saudi Arabia and Qatar have actively supported the rebels trying to overthrow Assad, and other states view his government as an Iranian proxy that should continue to be shunned.
Some countries were represented by their heads of state on Sunday, while others sent lower-level delegations. The UAE sent the lesser-known Fujairah ruler Hamad bin Mohammed al-Sharqi rather than the powerful Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed or Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the meeting, along with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and African Union Commission chair Moussa Faki.
Guterres reiterated international support for an Israeli and a Palestinian state “living side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders, and with Jerusalem as capital of both states.”
“There is no Plan B: without two states, there is no solution,” he said.
In a rare sign of easing tensions, King Salman and Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, sat at the same sprawling table at Sunday’s opening session. It was the first time the two leaders have appeared in the same room since Saudi Arabia led the boycott of Qatar nearly two years ago over Doha’s ties to Iran and its support for regional Islamist groups.
But Qatar’s emir left the summit after the opening session and did not address the summit or attend the closed-door meeting later in the day, according to Qatar’s state-run news agency.
It did not give a reason for his early departure.
___
Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb In Beirut contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (AP) — Cities around the world marked Earth Hour on Saturday by turning off lights at 8:30 p.m. local time in a call for global action on climate change.
Earth Hour, spearheaded by the World Wildlife Fund, calls for greater awareness and more sparing use of resources, especially fossil fuels that produce carbon gases and lead to global warming. Beginning in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has spread to more than 180 countries, with tens of millions of people joining in.
The Empire State Building participated as clocks hit 8:30 p.m. on the U.S. East Coast with a dimming of the skyscrapers’ lights.
In Hong Kong, major buildings along Victoria Harbour turned off their non-essential lights and the city’s popular tourist attraction known as the Symphony of Lights was canceled.
Over 3,000 corporations in Hong Kong signed up for Earth Hour 2019, according to the WWF Hong Kong website. Iconic skyscrapers including the Bank of China Tower and the HSBC Building in Central, the city’s major business district, switched off their lights in response to the global movement.
The City of Lights also turned off the Eiffel Tower’s nightly twinkle to mark Earth Hour. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo dimmed the lights Saturday on the city’s most famous monument for an hour.
In Italy, public buildings and historical monuments in 400 cities participated in Earth Hour. Lights were also switched off at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
Some of most emblematic architectural treasures in Spain participated, including the Alhambra palace in Granada and Barcelona’s La Sagrada Familia basilica.
In Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, the island’s tallest building, Taipei 101, joined surrounding buildings in shutting off the lights as part of the Earth Hour event.
In coal-reliant Poland, top tourist sites also turned off their lights when local clocks hit 8:30 p.m. In the country’s capital city, Warsaw, the spired landmark Palace of Culture and Science turned off its night illumination, along with some churches and Old Town walls.
Lights were also switched off in several landmarks in the Greek capital. The Acropolis, Athens City Hall and Lycabettus Hill, towering above the Athens center, went dark and the Parliament building joined in. However, the Athens mayor’s calls for the people to join in by turning off the lights in their houses went mostly unheeded.
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US appreciates India's efforts to cut oil imports from Venezuela The United States on Sunday appreciated India's efforts adding to Washington's sanctions to restrict exports of Venezuelan oil in the global energy market
Kurla firing case: 2 half-brothers held, 2 on run The accused quadruple have been identified as Vinod Pawar, Baba Pawar, Raju Pawar and Dhanbaba Pawar.
Ahmedabad: Infant abandoned by parents at Civil hospital The parents of the baby had brought her to the hospital for treatment after she was had troubles in breathing. She was kept under observation by the doctors.
Maharashtra: Awareness goes up, so does the demand for state-run 108 ambulance service According to the 108 ambulance authority, awareness of the emergency service among the public has increased due to which they were able to respond to a huge number of cases.
Thane Catholics demand cemetery Thane houses a population of over 2.62 lakh Roman Catholics but has only two burial sites - one at the Teen petrol pump and another on forest land in Wagle estate.
Expect rupee to depreciate over next 6-12 months: Edelweiss Securities For FY20, we expect markets to be rangebound as earnings recovery is likely to be delayed owing to slowing global growth and after effects of liquidity tightness seen in 2018
Housing.com parent firm acquires home rental platform FastFox for nearly Rs 100 cr With this acquisition, Singapore-based Elara, which is backed by News Corp and Softbank, has entered the online-to-offline home rentals space that has a market size of over Rs 20,000 crore.
#39;Marubozu candlestick suggests bullish tone in coming sessions; 11,740 crucial#39; Nifty index trading above 11,640 will accelerate upmove taking it higher towards the target of cup and handle pattern formed on a lower time frame which comes to 11,740 mark.
Lok Sabha poll tracker LIVE: Congress-NCP alliance is like Kumbhakarna, says PM Modi at rally Keep track of latest developments in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.
Mumbai: The BSE Sensex on Monday touched a record high and crossed the 39,000 mark for the first time. Around 10.15 a.m., the Sensex hit a fresh record of 38,993 points. At 10.27 a.m, the Sensex traded at 39,015.26, higher by 342.35 points or 0.89 per cent from the previous close.
The Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange also crossed the 11,700 mark for the first time since September 3, 2018. It traded at 11,710.25, higher by 86.35 points or 0.74 per cent from the previous close of 11,623.90 points. A rise in the Asian indices, along with healthy buying in the auto, capital goods and metal stocks supported the gains in the domestic indices, analysts said.
Visakhapatnam: Terming Pulwama terror attacks as a failure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu launched a scathing attack on him by questioning the outcome of Balakot air strike and accusing the Prime Minister of lying about it.
Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Naidu said, "Pulwama is your (PM Modi) failure. Earlier you criticised the then Prime Minister now you want to take credit. This air strike you gave a big statement- 300 terrorists killed, destroyed, all terrorist over. No international media confirmed, then you are blaming us. As a Prime Minister there is a stature, how can you lie, is it good? You cannot lie to the nation. India has prestige, it is a proud nation. I cannot lie, my conscience won't permit."
He also accused the BJP led Central government of taking a U-turn on according special status to Andhra Pradesh. "One should have respect. Give respect take respect. You (Modi) are taking U-Turn not me, why should I have alliance with him. Our alliance with BJP was to achieve special status but they ditched us. I went to him 29 times, I approached him, his colleagues, everybody. I am standing with my people. You have taken U-turn, I am taking right direction as this is my people interest. You cannot abuse us," said Naidu.
Speaking further on BJP dubbing Special Status for Andhra Pradesh a political agenda by TDP government, he said, "Why they (BJP) demanded it (special status) on the floor of the house? BJP demanded, Prime Minister Accepted. Are you playing, they don't have any credibility. All political parties at the national level, they are in agreement to give special status to Andhra Pradesh. Why are they not accepting? I am asking directly to the Prime Minister. You have cheated our people."
He also asserted that people of Andhra Pradesh are very clear about their choices and they are anti-Narendra Modi and anti-BJP. "I am very clear. People are with us. Even 2014, Jagan Mohan Reddy played all dirty politics but people are with us. We have done so many things in spite of so many problems," added Naidu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had referred to Telugu Desam Party president as "U-turn Babu" at an election rally in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool recently. Later, Naidu also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra, saying latter's speech in Kurnool was "full of lies".
Wellington: New Zealand will crack down on firearms ownership this week after the Christchurch mosques massacre that claimed 50 lives and the Kiwi gun lobby, for the most part, is okay with that. In stark contrast to the United States, where even the most minor curbs on gun ownership meet ferocious opposition led by the National Rifle Association, New Zealand gun owners agree action is needed.
The March 15 rampage by a white supremacist gunman has been a shock to the collective system. "We want to support our government in any changes to prevent a terrorist attack from happening in New Zealand again," Nicole McKee, secretary of the Council of Licensed Firearm Owners said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's government announced an immediate ban on military-style semi-automatic rifles (MSSAs) after the shooting and will put laws to parliament formalising its action on Tuesday. Finalising such legislation can often take months but Ardern says the matter is so urgent it will be done by April 11.
Further curbs potentially including a gun register, tighter vetting and stricter gun storage rules are set to be passed by the end of the year. In a move that would be unthinkable in the United States, one of New Zealand's largest gun retailers, Hunting & Fishing, voluntarily stopped selling MSSAs and halted online firearms sales. "Such weapons of war have no place in our business — or our country," chief executive Darren Jacobs said.
New Zealand has its own National Rifle Association, but since the shooting, it has been at pains to point out it is a small sporting organisation, not a wealthy political lobby group like its American counterpart. "Our members shoot with single-shot bolt action rifles at paper targets," president Malcolm Dodson said. Another office holder has told media the New Zealand NRA is considering changing its name to avoid any association with the American body.
On the surface, New Zealand and the United States share many historical similarities, but they have a fundamentally different attitude towards firearms. Both are former British colonies that fought bitter wars against indigenous populations and forged an individualistic frontier mentality.
However, statistics highlight the difference. In 2016, New Zealand, with a population of about 4.7 million, had nine firearms-related homicides. In the United States, population approximately 327 million, there were 14,415, more than two hundred times the per capita rate as New Zealand. There are approximately 393 million guns in private hands in the United States, or 1.2 for every person, whereas New Zealand has about 1.5 million, or 0.3 per person.
The New Zealand government believes there are 13,500 MSSAs in the country, while estimates put the number in the US at 15 million. Philip Alpers, a gun policy researcher at the University of Sydney, said the crucial difference between New Zealand and the United States was the US Constitution's Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to keep and bear arms.
Alperts, himself a Kiwi, said countries such as New Zealand viewed gun ownership as a privilege, while in America it was seen as an inalienable right. "We have a population who, when they travelled to America would get off the plane and be absolutely horrified to see people walking around with a gun," he said, adding that safety was at the centre of New Zealand gun culture.
Journalist Dawn Picken covered scores of shooting deaths in the United States and once had bullets lodged in her bedroom when a random gunman opened fire on her apartment building in Spokane, Washington state. She said she had found a different mindset since moving to New Zealand in 2011.
"It was quite refreshing as an American to come here and hear Kiwis who own guns say 'I don't think they should be easy to get and it's not my right, they should check I'm not predisposed to violence or going to go off the rails," she said. However, like anywhere, New Zealand has a vocal fringe element. "Tyrant Prime Minister Kills Sports Shooting," screams the headline on one prominent pro-gun website.
But former police minister Judith Collins had a blunt message for the US NRA and any other gun lobbyists who tried to inject themselves into New Zealand's gun control debate: "Bugger off." The difference in gun cultures has played out on social media since the Christchurch shooting.
When a right-wing US website tweeted that "armed government thugs" were carrying out door-to-door gun confiscations in New Zealand, dozens of Kiwis left mocking replies. "I had a self-saucing dessert in my pantry," said one. "The cops came for it in the dead of night — apparently we aren't allowed semi-automatic trifles."
Los Angeles: Filmmaker Jordan Peele has made it clear that he will never cast a white person as the lead in his films. During a visit to east Hollywood's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, where he addressed a room of around 20 students, storytellers and fans, the Oscar-winning director said his aim is to put "black faces on the screen in leading roles", according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"The way I look at it, I get to cast black people in my movies. I feel fortunate to be in this position where I can say to Universal: 'I want to make a USD 20 million horror movie with a black family.' And they say yes," he said.
"I don't see myself casting a white dude as the lead in my movie. Not that I don't like white dudes. But I've seen that movie," Peele added. The filmmaker, who broke out on the Hollywood scene with his critically-acclaimed and commercially successful 2017 feature "Get Out", is currently promoting his latest project "Us".
The filmmaker believes a renaissance has taken place in the industry where all the "myths about representation" have been proven wrong. "Us", featuring Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke in the lead, is about a family who are confronted by their doppelgangers. It released in India on March 29.
Palghar: In a bid to increase the voting percentage, the Palghar district administration in Maharashtra has roped-in school children to convince their parents to exercise their franchise in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Around four lakh students from nearly 3,000 schools in Palghar are a part of this campaign, the district information office said in a release issued on Monday.
Last week, the children, under the guidance of teachers, took an oath in their respective schools to convince their parents to vote in the elections, it said. District Collector Prashant Narnaware said this will go a long way in ensuring maximum voting in the upcoming and other future elections.
"Students and children are the best messengers and ambassadors of this mission," he said. Lok Sabha elections to total 48 seats in Maharashtra will be held in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29 and the results will be declared on May 23. There are 8,73,30,484 voters in Maharashtra comprising 4,57,02,579 men, 4,16,25,819 women and 2,086 transgender voters, an election official earlier said. The Thane constituency, which is neighbouring Palghar, has 23,07,232 voters, the highest in the state, while Mumbai South Central seat has the lowest number of 14,15,605 voters, he said.
For FY20, we expect markets to be rangebound as earnings recovery is likely to be delayed owing to slowing global growth and after effects of liquidity tightness seen in 2018
With this acquisition, Singapore-based Elara, which is backed by News Corp and Softbank, has entered the online-to-offline home rentals space that has a market size of over Rs 20,000 crore.
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Nifty index trading above 11,640 will accelerate upmove taking it higher towards the target of cup and handle pattern formed on a lower time frame which comes to 11,740 mark.
Keep track of latest developments in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.
