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Latest World News, World News, Current Affairs, Daily Current Affairs

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 04:55 AM PDT

Latest World News, World News, Current Affairs, Daily Current Affairs


Picture Of The Day

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 10:00 PM PST

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler, attends a rally in Caracas, March 9. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado

WNU Editor: The above picture came from this photo-gallery .... Protesters, police clash amid Venezuela blackout (Reuters).

We Are Still Far Away From Any U.S. - China Trade Deal

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 09:00 PM PST

President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., on Friday. PHOTO: CARLOS BARRIA/REUTERS

Zero Hedge: Beijing Demands Its Own Enforcement Of Any Trade Deal

Now that President Trump's insistence that he and President Xi would need to meet to finalize a sweeping US-China trade deal has been exposed as empty talk - since Beijing absolutely refuses to send Xi all the way to Florida only to risk him returning empty handed - traders are finally being forced to accept the harsh reality: That a US-China trade deal is far from assured.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: China's demand that the U.S. must first lift sanctions on $200 billion of Chinese goods and that a mechanism must be in place to insure U.S. compliance before China delivers any of its promises (and that is all that they are, just promises) is a non-starter. Especially in view of China's long history of breaking previous trade and economic promises. So what is China's strategy? I am becoming more and more convinced that China is playing the waiting game, and they are betting (and hoping) that President Trump will be defeated in 2020, and an incoming Democrat President will return everything back to the status quo. Bottom line. There is going to be no trade deal now, or even in 2020.

With The U.S. Defense Budget Up, How Come There Are No New Weapons?

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 08:00 PM PST

An Air Force B-1B bomber flying above the Pacific. Looks impressive doesn't it? Unfortunately, the last one was built over 30 years ago. The entire Air Force fleet is aging faster than it is being replaced.Wikipedia.

Loren Thompson, Forbes: Pentagon May Come To Regret Prioritizing R&D Spending Over Weapons It Needs Now

Over the last two years, President Trump has made good on his campaign promise to raise military spending. Between 2016 and 2019, U.S. annual defense spending rose $100 billion, an amount greater than the entire military budget of Germany. And the biggest increases are in the weapons accounts—R&D is up by nearly a third, procurement by over a quarter.

This sounds a lot like the Reagan years, when a new president committed to "peace through strength" inherited a debilitated military from his predecessor and pledged to modernize it fast. What followed was the last great military buildup of the Cold War, an investment in new warfighting technology so profound that even now, three decades later, the joint force continues to rely on the weapons Reagan bought.

Read more ....

WNU Editor:  R&D is important, but why the focus on developing new weapons at the expense of buying weapons. Like the above author I follow these developments closely, and I do not have an answer.

U.S. Will Surpass Saudi Arabia Later This Year In Exports Of Oil, Natural Gas Liquids And Petroleum Products

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 07:00 PM PST


CNN: America is set to surpass Saudi Arabia in a 'remarkable' oil milestone

Move over, Saudi Arabia. America is about to steal the kingdom's energy exporting crown.

The United States will surpass Saudi Arabia later this year in exports of oil, natural gas liquids and petroleum products, like gasoline, according to energy research firm Rystad Energy.

That milestone, driven by the transformative shale boom, would make the United States the world's leading exporter of oil and liquids. That has never happened since Saudi Arabia began selling oil overseas in the 1950s, Rystad said in a report Thursday.

"It's nothing short of remarkable," said Ryan Fitzmaurice, energy strategist at Rabobank. "Ten years ago, no one thought it could happen."

Read more ....

WNU Editor: And this U.S. growth shows no signs of slowing down .... U.S. Oil Production To Surpass Russia And Saudi Arabia By 2025 (February 3, 2019).

Is Venezuela's Power Blackout Due To A Cyber Attack?

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 06:50 PM PST



Kalev Leetaru, Forbes: Could Venezuela's Power Outage Really Be A Cyber Attack?

As Venezuela endured one of its worst blackouts in recent memory this week, the government repeatedly claimed the widespread outage of power, phone and internet was due to a foreign cyberattack attempting to unseat its president. While the reality is that Venezuela's blackout was most likely due to chronic underfunding of its electrical infrastructure and deferred maintenance, the idea of a foreign nation state manipulating an adversary's power grid to force a governmental transition is very real.

In 2015 I explored the concept of "cyber first strike" in which governments would increasingly turn to cyberwarfare either on its own or as part of hybrid warfare to weaken an adversary prior to conventional invasion or to forcibly and deniably effect a transition in a foreign government.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Venezuela's power grid has been on the fritz for a long time, and a complete collapse has also been predicted for a long time. This is also not the first time that it has happened .... Power outage plunges most of Venezuela into darkness (Reuters, December 2, 2013). But is this week's power blackout due to a cyber attack? The Venezuelan government has so far shown no evidence to prove this point.

Massive Power Outages Continue In Venezuela

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 06:00 PM PST





Reuters: Venezuela's Guaido calls for massive protest as blackout drags on

CARACAS, March 9 (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Saturday called on citizens nationwide to travel to the capital Caracas for a protest against socialist President Nicolas Maduro, as the country's worst blackout in decades dragged on for a third day.

Addressing supporters in southwestern Caracas, Guaido - the leader of the opposition-run congress who invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January - said Maduro's government "has no way to solve the electricity crisis that they themselves created."

"All of Venezuela, to Caracas!" Guaido yelled while standing atop a bridge, without saying when the planned protest would be held. "The days ahead will be difficult, thanks to the regime."

Activists had scuffled with police and troops ahead of the rally, meant to pressure Maduro amid the blackout, which the governing Socialist Party called an act of U.S.-sponsored sabotage but opposition critics derided as the result of two decades of mismanagement and corruption.

Read more ....

More News On Venezuela

Venezuela: Thousands join rival rallies as power cuts continue -- BBC
More blackouts hit Venezuela as opposition, government rally -- AP
Power Still Flickering, Venezuelans Take to Streets to Protest -- The New York Times
Huge power outage leaves most of Venezuela in darkness -- CNN
Thousands of protesters take to the streets of Caracas amid nationwide Venezuela power outage -- The Telegraph
Venezuela: Maduro and Guaidó's supporters return to the streets -- The Guardian
Here's what the Venezuela blackout looked like from the ground -- The Washington Post

Are Forces Form Eastern Libya Ruled By Khalifa Haftar About To Depose Tripoli’s Internationally-Recognized Government

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 05:30 PM PST

Khalifa Haftar. Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters

Reuters: Libyans fear showdown as eastern commander eyes capital

TUNIS (Reuters) - Forces from eastern Libya who have swept through the south and taken control of remaining oilfields in recent weeks have now reinforced a base in the center of the country and signaled to the capital Tripoli that it may be next.

The United Nations, stunned by the southern advance, is scrambling to mediate between eastern commander Khalifa Haftar and Tripoli's internationally-recognized government led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, Western diplomats say.

They fear it may be the last U.N. attempt to unify the rival administrations and end the chaos that followed the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 with free elections.

Haftar, a 75-year-old former general, is increasingly taking the situation into his own hands, backed by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, which see him as a bulwark against Islamists and the man to restore order.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: If eastern commander and ruler Khalifa Haftar continues his military advances, this is probably not going to happen .... Tripoli PM: Libya to Hold Elections By Year End (VOA).

Blue Angels To Get 18 Early Production Super Hornets

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 05:00 PM PST

The U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, perform during the Vectren Dayton Air Show in Dayton, Ohio. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Timothy Schumaker

Warzone/The Drive: Blue Angels To Get 18 Early Production Super Hornets And Revised Routine For 2021 Season

The Blue Angels' Super Hornet routine will be shorter and its maneuvers modified to reduce airframe fatigue and increase safety.

The Navy is hard at work preparing the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, aka The Blue Angels, to transition from legacy F/A-18 Hornets to Super Hornets. With a new mount comes a lot of work and planning, as well as some significant changes to the Blue Angels iconic routine and to the 'new' aircraft themselves.

The transition, which will occur between the end of a shortened 2020 season and the beginning of a shortened 2021 season, will include providing the team with a whopping 18 Super Hornets. All of these jets will be low-rate initial production (LRIP) units—among the oldest around—that are not equipped for front line combat and are presently either in storage or being used as trainers or test airframes.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is quite an upgrade.

U.S. Air Force Gets Its First Upgraded AC-130J Ghostrider Block 30 Gunship

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 04:30 PM PST

U.S. Air Force MC-130J Command IIs assigned to the 17th Special Operations Squadron fly in formation Feb. 17, 2016, off the coast of Okinawa, Japan. The 17th SOS conducted a unit-wide training exercise which tasked the entire squadron with a quick-reaction, full-force sortie involving a five-ship formation flight, cargo drops, short runway landings and takeoffs, and helicopter air-to-air refueling. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Peter Reft/Released)

Task & Purpose/Military.com: Air Force gets first upgraded 'Ghostrider' gunship

The Air Force has received an upgraded version of its Ghostrider gunship.

The 4th Special Operations Squadron, 1st Special Operations Wing, at Hurlburt Field, Florida, received its first AC-130J Ghostrider Block 30 gunship this week during a ceremony at Bob Sikes Airport in Crestview, Florida, Air Force Special Operations Command said in a news release Thursday.

The 4th Special Operations Squadron currently operates and maintains the AC-130U Spooky.

The Block 30 model marks "a major improvement in software and avionics technology" over the original Block 20 software AC-130J, the release states.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. This gunship is going to be used a lot in present and future wars.

Somali Terrorist Group al-Shabab Have Banned Plastic Bags

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 04:00 PM PST

A file photo of Al-Shabaab militants parading new recruits after arriving in Mogadishu. Photograph: Feisal Omar/Reuters

Business Insider/LobeLog: The real reason terror group al-Shabaab banned plastic bags

* Somali terrorist group al-Shabab said last year that it was banning plastic bags.
* The prohibition attracted derision, especially from Western media.
* But given the group's recent setbacks, the ban makes sense as an act of self-preservation.

Terrorism is no laughing matter. But the notorious Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab managed to become the subject of derision in the news media when it declared last year that it was banning plastic bags.

Al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, claimed that plastic bags presented "a serious threat to the well-being of humans and animals alike." Websites from The Daily Caller to The Small Wars Journal tweeted their mockery about the terrorist group's peculiar edict while a photojournalist for the magazine National Geographic had to clarify his own tweet about the phenomenon as "not satire."

Al-Shabaab remains far from the first associate of al-Qaeda to try tackling environmental issues. Osama bin Laden spent several of his last days fretting over climate change, and the reclusive leader of the Taliban encouraged Afghans to plant more trees in a bizarre "special message" in 2017.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: There is a reason behind this ban.

Editor's Note

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 08:00 AM PST


WNU Editor: Going skiing with the GF today. She is a former ski instructor who did ski patrols and rescues .... and I am the type of person that she always had to rescue. Blogging will return later (if I come back in one piece).

Russian Car Dash Cams Are Providing A Treasure Trove Of Videos That Document Military Accidents On The Road

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 07:54 AM PST


Warzone/The Drive: Fender Bender Russian Style Leaves Four Cars Smashed Between Two BTR-80 Armored Vehicles

This is why everyone in the country has a dash cam.

Absolutely no one likes getting in a fender bender for any reason whether you're responsible for it or not. But recently, in Russia, where everyone seems to have a dash cam for good reason, four motorists found themselves in a particularly bad situation when what might've been a minor accident left them all sandwiched in between two 15-ton BTR-80 armored personnel carriers.

Video from a dash cam and a passerby on their cellphone appeared online after the accident occurred in the city of Kursk in Western Russia on Feb. 27, 2019. Exactly what happened isn't entirely clear.

The dash cam clip comes from the first car to be caught in the incident and the footage begins with them sitting a red light at intersection. Two BTR-80s turn onto the street before the light turns green and the car drives up behind them. Additional BTR-80s, a BRDM-2, and various trucks are seen driving in the opposite direction.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: A confession. My car in Canada does not have a dash-cam. My car in Moscow does .... and they are essential if you want car insurance.

This Is How You Raise A Sunken Norwegian Frigate (Video)

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 07:46 AM PST



Popular Mechanics: Watch Salvagers Raise a Sunken Norwegian Frigate

The Helge Ingstad collided with a commercial ship last year and sank.

A team of salvagers has raised the Norwegian guided missile frigate Helge Ingstad, which sank after a collision with a commercial tanker in November 2018.

A time-lapse video shows the warship slowly being raised by a team of salvage cranes. The ship emerges from the shallow water with clear signs of rust and algae growth on the hull. Despite the lack of corrosion inside, the Norwegian government will almost certainly scrap her, reducing the Norwegian navy's frigate fleet by a whopping 20 percent.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: That is a lot of cranes.

The Pentagon Wants The Next Generation Of Nuclear Missiles To Be Developed Quickly

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 07:38 AM PST

An unarmed U.S. Air Force Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test May 3, 2017, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Daniel Brosam)

FOX News/Warrior Maven: Air Force fast-tracks new nuclear missiles

The Air Force is building a new generation of nuclear-armed Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) using cutting edge "digital engineering" methods intended to fast-track development of the new weapons system and fire off initial prototypes as soon as next year.

Digital engineering, using advanced computer programming, design work and engineering software enables Air Force developers to analyze a wide range of realistic weapons designs without having to build them all. Naturally, this streamlines weapons development and potentially circumvents some lengthy or more cumbersome elements of the traditional acquisition process - to bring powerful new high tech weapons to the force on a faster timeframe.

"With digital engineering, we can look at 10 to 20 designs," William Roper, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, told an audience recently at an Air Force Association Symposium.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Modernizing America's nuclear arsenal is not going to be cheap .... It Will Cost The U.S. $1 Trillion To Upgrade It's Nuclear Triad (April 20, 2017).

China Is Worried That President Trump May Walk Away From A Trade Deal When He Holds His Summit With Chinese President Xi

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 07:33 AM PST


CNBC: Beijing is worried that Trump may walk away from the table, like he did with North Korea

* Nuclear talks between Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un were cut short after the two sides failed to reach an agreement.
* That diplomatic snafu led Chinese officials to grow worried Trump could do the same in trade talks, a senior administration official told CNBC on Friday.
* "You don't want to send Xi to Mar-a-Lago and have Trump walk away. That would be a diplomatic catastrophe," the official said.

After last week's fumbled nuclear summit in Vietnam, Beijing is worried President Donald Trump might walk away from the negotiating table.

Nuclear talks between Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un were cut short after the two sides failed to reach an agreement. The collapse of the Hanoi summit came as a surprise as many experts had predicted that both leaders would try to reach a deal on smaller items.

That diplomatic snafu led Chinese officials to grow worried Trump could do the same in trade talks, a senior administration official told CNBC on Friday.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The Chinese have always underestimated President Trump .... until now. So when both leaders do meet, the Chinese are going to make sure that all the details have been agreed upon. My prediction .... both sides are still far apart on the major issues, and they only way they are going to be resolved is if both leaders and their entourages meet. The Chinese have a decision to make, and I know from my contacts in China that they are not happy with their options.

Satellite Images Indicate Possible North Korean Launch Preparations

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 07:23 AM PST



BBC: North Korea 'preparing rocket launch', images suggest

Satellite images of a facility near Pyongyang suggest that North Korea may be preparing to launch a missile or a satellite.

The increase in activity is around a site known as Sanumdong, where North Korea assembled most of its ballistic missiles and rockets.

It comes after reports earlier this week that North Korea's main rocket launch site at Sohae had been rebuilt.

Work to dismantle Sohae began last year but stopped as US talks stalled.

On Friday US President Donald Trump said he would be disappointed if North Korea was to resume weapons testing.

"I would be surprised in a negative way if he did anything that was not per our understanding. But we'll see what happens," he said.

"I would be very disappointed if I saw testing."

Read more ....

More News On Reports That North korea May Be Preparing To Launch A Missile Or Satellite

Activity At 2nd North Korean Missile Site Indicates Possible Launch Preparations -- NPR
Satellite photos indicate North Korea preparing for possible launch -- Times of Israel/AFP
Analysts: Normal operations restored at NKorean launch site -- AP
Satellite images suggest North Korea planned space launch even before Hanoi -- The Washington Post

Power Blackouts Continue In Venezuela

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 06:09 AM PST





BBC: Venezuela power cuts: Blackouts continue as protests loom

A widespread power cut affecting much of Venezuela continued throughout Friday ahead of planned protests on Saturday.

President Nicolás Maduro and the US-backed opposition trying to oust him have blamed each other for the outage.

Hospitals struggled to cope and at least one hospital patient died when her respirator stopped working.

The power cuts, which started on Thursday, have been caused by problems at a major hydroelectric plant.

Venezuela depends on its vast hydroelectric infrastructure, rather than its oil reserves, for its domestic electricity supply. But decades of underinvestment has damaged the major dams, and sporadic blackouts are commonplace.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The internet and other communications networks are still down .... Venezuela's power outage threatens information blackout as internet collapses (Miami Herald). There are also competing rallies today in Caracas. As for the government's response. Maduro has not been seen in public since the start of the blackout, and his defense minister is blaming the U.S. .... Venezuela blackout caused by 'US attack', defence minister claims (The Guardian).

More News On Venezuela's Power Blackouts

Venezuela buckles under massive power, communications outage -- AP
Venezuela power flickers after worst blackout in decades -- Reuters
Venezuela: 'country has stopped' as blackout drags into second day -- The Guardian
Much of Venezuela in Darkness Thanks to Massive Blackout -- VOA

Islamic State Fighters Still Hold Onto Their Last Scrap Of Territory As U.S.-Backed Fighters Prepare To Launch Their Final Attack

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 05:52 AM PST





Daily Mail: From caliphate to car park: ISIS fighters hunker down in makeshift camp beside battered vehicles on their last scrap of territory as US-backed fighters prepare to move in

* ISIS fighters hunker down in a patch of waste ground surrounded by battered pick-up trucks, cars and tents
* US-backed forces have forced the militants into the last scrap of land as they are pushed out of the 'caliphate'
* Trapped militants camped alongside a sea of small pickup trucks and caravans scattered across a riverbank
* Families gathered in cluster of vehicles and tents on water's edge as they were cornered on last piece of land
* Head of US Central Command, warned many of those evacuating are 'unrepentant, unbroken and radicalised'

ISIS fighters hunkered down in a riverside camp surrounded by battered vehicles and makeshift tents in eastern Syria today as US-backed forces pushed to expel the militants from the last scrap of their dying 'caliphate'.

Thousands of men and women have poured out of the pocket of territory in the village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border in recent days, their wounded, and dust-covered children, in tow.

The extremist group created a proto-state across large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014, ruling millions of people, but has since lost all of it except a tiny patch in Baghouz by the Euphrates River.

The last IS fighters and their families were cornered on Friday among a dense gathering of vehicles and tents on the water's edge, caught between advancing US-backed forces and Syrian regime fighters across the river.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: They may have been defeated, but this radical ideology lives on .... To the bitter end, IS militants remain organized and brutal (AP). More here .... 'Blood up to your knees': defeated IS jihadists still defiant (AFP)



More News On The War To Defeat ISIS In Syria

New battle looms for Islamic State's last Syria enclave -- Reuters
Islamic State extremism on show at 'miserable' Syria camp -- Reuters
'Never-ending' numbers in last IS scrap shock US-backed fighters -- AFP
Abandoned tents, foxholes left behind by IS in Syria -- AP
Chilling footage inside ISIS' last Syrian stronghold where die-hard fanatics are staging their bloody final stand -- The SUN
Victory Over Islamic State Remnants Proves Elusive -- VOA
As caliphate crumbles, ISIS fighters rage over absent leader al-Baghdadi -- FOX News
Exclusive: Rare testimony from jihadi brides in Syria as IS group 'caliphate' crumbles -- France 24

U.S. Citizens Will Soon Need A Visa To Visit Europe

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 05:38 AM PST

CNN: United States citizens will need a visa to visit Europe starting in 2021

US citizens traveling to Europe without a visa will be a thing of the past come 2021.

The European Union announced on Friday that American travelers will need a new type of visa -- a European Travel Information and Authorization System or ETIAS -- to visit the European Schengen Area.

The Schengen Area is a zone of 26 European countries that do not have internal borders and allow people to move between them freely, including countries like Spain, France, Greece, Germany, Italy and Poland.

Currently, US citizens can travel to Europe for up to 90 days without a visa.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The Americans are not the only ones being targeted .... ETIAS Visa for Canadians. So why the visas? The usual reasons. Illegal immigration, screening out threats, extra money for the EU coffers.

Tweets For Today

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 08:39 PM PST






World News, World News Updates, World News Headlines, Latest World News, Current Affairs

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 03:36 AM PDT

World News, World News Updates, World News Headlines, Latest World News, Current Affairs


Venezuelans Rally in the Streets of Caracas Amid Power Outage

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 01:12 PM PST

Thousands of Venezuelans poured into the streets of Caracas to support National Assembly leader Juan Guaido as the capital lost electrical power again amid rising anger and frustration.

“I lost all my food,” Paula Alvarez, a 42-year-old nanny, said before the rally. “I’m tired of living in misery.”

Tempers were fraying. Police in riot gear scuffled and fired tear gas at protesters loyal to Guaido, who’s recognized as interim president by about 50 countries, including the U.S. Electricity had been partially restored on Friday night after about 19 hours. The capital remained mostly calm during the power failure.

Power went out again Saturday morning, though, as supporters of Guaido and the man he seeks to oust, President Nicolas Maduro, gathered for dueling rallies.

Maduro to Reappear

Maduro, who’s been president for almost six years and is accused by some of stealing last year’s election, has been silent and out of public view for nearly two days. He was scheduled to speak at Saturday’s rally.

When power first went out on Thursday, Maduro alleged sabotage and blamed the U.S. for the outages, which affected nearly the entire nation.

Work and school were suspended on Friday after thousands were forced to walk home on darkened highways and avenues in urban centers the night before. Flights were grounded and doctors and nurses at hospitals worked to coax power from unreliable generators.

“It’s important to know who’s responsible for this disaster,” Guaido said in a video posted on Twitter on Friday. “They keep looking for a guilty party when it’s corruption that has caused this mess.”

“The solution to this is to stop the usurpation,” he said.

On Saturday, public transit remained stalled and most businesses were closed. The international airport near Caracas, the country’s largest, suspended flights.

Guaido returned to Venezuela last week after secretly crossing the border into Colombia on Feb. 22 to oversee a delivery of aid provided by the U.S. The effort failed and sparked fighting at border crossings.

While Guaido has appealed to the armed forces to recognize him as the rightful head of state, only hundreds out of the thousands of Venezuelan soldiers have deserted Maduro’s regime. Over the past week, he’s focused on calling for partial strikes backed by unions representing some of Venezuela’s estimated 4.5 million public administration workers.

No Signs of Violence as France’s ‘Yellow Vest’ Protestors March for 17th Consecutive Weekend

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 11:27 AM PST

(PARIS) — Thousands of French yellow vest protesters marched for a 17th straight weekend in Paris and other cities, with tensions at times but no signs of the serious clashes or violence that was a hallmark of some past demonstrations.

Police fired tear gas and using water cannons at the end of the Paris demonstration. Some in the crowd had their faces covered in black and carried black flags, refusing to leave the Champs-Elysees, the capital’s main avenue where a peaceful march began hours earlier.

Some sang in defiance at the lines of riot police. But there was no rioting like that seen during the height of some past protests when demonstrators burned cars, hurled rocks and even bicycles at police officers and smashed storefronts.

The Interior Ministry put the number of Paris demonstrators at 7,000 — higher than the 5,600 a week earlier, BFMTV reported. No figure was immediately available to count protesters in cities around France. Overall numbers had been steadily diminishing recently.

The Paris protest started with a festive note with women, some carrying pink balloons, leading a calm and orderly march while advocating for equal rights and equal pay a day after International Women’s Day.

The march, which began at the Arc de Triomphe, at the top of the Champs-Elysees, looped through both sides of the Seine River before ending at the top of Luxembourg Gardens on the Left Bank.

Marches were also held in numerous cities around France, including Bordeaux, which has a strong contingent of yellow vest protesters, Lille, and Le Puy-en-Velay, in south-central France, where hundreds joined from other regions. Many shopkeepers there boarded up their businesses in advance. Protesters had burned the regional prefecture in the town in especially violent protests on Dec. 1. President Emmanuel Macron later visited Le Puy-en-Velay.

Polls have shown support by the French fading because of violence and damage that has marked some protests.

The movement, named after the fluorescent emergency vests the French are required to keep in their cars, held its first nationwide protest Nov. 17. The main complaint then was fuel tax hikes, but that long ago expanded to an array of demands to maintain pressure on the government to reverse policies they see as favoring the rich. Calls for a citizens’ referendum is now among top demands on the list.

The grassroots movement has been a major challenge to Macron, who has organized national debates around the country — many of which he attends, responding to questions. He has also offered a multibillion-euro package of measures to appease them.

But determination hasn’t flagged for many, and a larger showing is widely expected at next week’s protests marking four months of marches and coinciding with the end of the president’s two months of debates.

“The people don’t want more of this financial globalization,” Paris protester Yannick Caroff said. “The French people will not back down.”

Newborn Son of British Teen Who Joined the Islamic State Has Died in a Refugee Camp

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 08:07 AM PST

(OUTSIDE BAGHOUZ, Syria) — The newborn son of U.K.-born teenager Shamima Begum who left her London home to join the Islamic State group in Syria died Friday in a refugee camp, an official said.

Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, confirmed that the infant died at a camp in north Syria. He didn’t provide further details.

In a day of conflicting reports about the baby’s fate, lawyer Tasnime Akunjee tweeted that he had “strong but as yet unconfirmed reports that Shamima Begum’s son has died. He was a British citizen.” He declined to provide further details.

Then, Bali tweeted that the reports were “fake” and the baby “is alive and healthy.” But he later deleted the tweet without explanation, and shortly after confirmed the baby’s death.

The British government couldn’t confirm the reports.

Begum was 15 when she and two friends left London to marry IS fighters in Syria in 2015, at a time when the group’s online recruitment program lured many impressionable young people to its self-proclaimed caliphate.

Begum recently resurfaced in a refugee camp, and gave birth last month.

Begum, now 19, told journalists that she wanted to raise her son in Britain, but the government revoked her citizenship. Begum told reporters that she had lost two other children to malnutrition and disease.

Her Dutch jihadi husband Yago Riedijk, who is in a Kurdish-run detention center, said last week that he wanted to return to the Netherlands with Begum and their son.

British Home Secretary Sajid Javid said last month he had revoked Begum’s citizenship — even while saying he wouldn’t make a decision that would render a person stateless. Javid also confirmed that Begum’s son was a British citizen, though he said it would be “incredibly difficult” to facilitate the return of a child from Syria.

Begum’s parents are from Bangladesh but her family says she isn’t a dual citizen. The family has said it plans to challenge Javid’s decision.

Russian Internet Trolls Are Apparently Switching Strategies for 2020 U.S. Elections

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 07:38 AM PST

Russian internet trolls appear to be shifting strategy in their efforts to disrupt the 2020 U.S. elections, promoting politically divisive messages through phony social media accounts instead of creating propaganda themselves, cybersecurity experts say.

The Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency may be among those trying to circumvent protections put in place by companies including Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. to find and remove fake content that hackers created to sow division among the American electorate in the 2016 presidential campaign.

“Instead of creating content themselves, we see them amplifying content,” said John Hultquist, the director of intelligence analysis at FireEye Inc. “Then it’s not necessarily inauthentic, and that creates an opportunity for them to hide behind somebody else.”

Other hackers are breaking into computing devices and using them to open large numbers of social media accounts, according to Candid Wueest, a senior threat researcher at Symantec Corp. The hacked devices are used to create many legitimate-looking users as well as believable followers and likes for those fake users.

While covert efforts to amplify divisive content originated by others isn’t a new technique, hackers and trolls seem to be embracing it heavily in advance of the next U.S. presidential election.

Wueest said he observed a decrease in the creation of new content by fake accounts from 2017 to 2018 and a shift toward building massive followings that could be used as platforms for divisive messages in 2020.

FBI’s Concern

FBI Director Christopher Wray, speaking at the RSA Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, said social media remains a primary avenue for foreign actors to influence U.S. elections, and the bureau is working with companies on the problem.

“What has continued virtually unabated and just intensifies during the election cycles is this malign foreign influence campaign, especially using social media,” Wray said. “That continues, and we’re gearing up for it to continue and grow again for 2020.”

Yet removing foreign influence campaigns remains a slippery task for social media companies.

Nathaniel Gleicher, the head of cybersecurity policy at Facebook, said policing those efforts is “an incredibly hard balance.”

Companies must “identify ways to impose more friction on the bad actors and the behaviors that they’re using without simultaneously imposing friction on the meaningful public discussion,” Gleicher said.

Armed Assailants Attack Ebola Treatment Center in Eastern Congo, 1 Killed

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 06:45 AM PST

(KINSHASA, Congo) — Armed assailants again attacked an Ebola treatment center in the heart of eastern Congo’s deadly outbreak on Saturday, with the mayor reporting one police officer killed.

The early-morning attack in Butembo came less than a week after the treatment center reopened following an attack last month that forced aid group Doctors Without Borders to suspend its operations in the city. Security forces repelled Saturday’s attackers, one of whom was wounded, Butembo Mayor Sylvain Kanyamanda said.

The latest attack occurred hours before the World Health Organization director-general visited the center, which remains open. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus encouraged health workers to continue their fight against the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, which is spreading in a region that health workers have compared to a war zone.

Dozens of armed groups are active in eastern Congo, though some have allowed health workers access to administer Ebola vaccines and track contacts of infected people after delicate negotiations.

In addition, some residents wary of outsiders after years of deadly rebel attacks have shown hostility to health workers in a region that is facing its first Ebola outbreak. Misunderstandings have been high, especially over the need to conduct safe burials, a highly sensitive issue. Ebola is spread via bodily fluids of those infected, including the dead.

On Thursday, the Doctors Without Borders president warned that Ebola containment efforts face a “climate of deepening community mistrust” seven months after the outbreak was declared.

Congo’s health ministry, which on Sunday tweeted a photo of smiling health workers reopening the Butembo treatment center, says 853 Ebola cases have been confirmed in this outbreak, including 578 deaths.

Another Ebola treatment center in Katwa was attacked late last month, with one person killed. Doctors Without Borders also has suspended its operations there.

For those trying to contain the outbreak, the attacks are occurring in the worst possible locations. Butembo and Katwa made up more than 86 percent of new confirmed cases over the past three weeks, Congo’s health ministry said Monday.

This outbreak, declared in August, is second to the one in West Africa that killed more than 11,300 people during 2014-2016.

World News Updates, World News, Current Affairs, Daily Current Affairs, World News Updates

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 03:05 AM PDT

World News Updates, World News, Current Affairs, Daily Current Affairs, World News Updates


Fiji earthquake: 6.2 magnitude quake ROCKS Pacific Island - 6,000 people affected

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 01:20 AM PST



A 6.2 magnitude earthquake has rocked Fiji affecting 6,000 people.

Ethiopian Airlines plane crash: Disaster on flight to Kenya as multiple deaths reported

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:31 AM PST



AN ETHIOPIAN Airlines plane carrying 149 passengers and eight crew members has plunged to disaster, according to official reports.

Macron under MORE pressure as yellow vest protests into 17th weekend - 'SHAME of Europe!'

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:58 AM PST



EMMANUEL MACRON is under increased pressure as the so-called yellow vest protests continue for the 17th weekend in a row as hundreds of protesters took to streets across France on Saturday.

Ethiopian Airlines plane crash: Kenya flight crashes, multiple deaths- How many have died?

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 01:00 AM PST



ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES flight to Nairobi has crashed this morning and had 149 people and eight members of crew on board, but how many have died?

Justin Trudeau crisis: Expert REVEALS why Canada PM meddled in SNC-Lavalin's affairs

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 07:57 PM PST



JUSTIN TRUDEAU, who is facing allegations of political meddling with SNC-Lavalin, could have got involved to gain votes, an expert has claimed.

Iran demands Pakistan CRUSH terrorists and 'take decisive action' against Al-Qaeda group

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 06:27 PM PST



IRAN wants Pakistan to "take decisive action" against Al-Qaeda terrorist groups following a car bombing attack on February 13 that killed at least 27 people.

Trump CRISIS: President accused of committing impeachable crimes ‘in broad daylight’

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 06:19 PM PST



DONALD TRUMP has been accused of committing impeachable crimes "in broad daylight" by MSNBC host Chris Matthews.

EXTRAORDINARY Melania Trump ‘body double’ conspiracy sparks FURIOUS White House response

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 05:44 PM PST



BIZARRE online conspiracy theories about Melania Trump employing a 'body double' to carry out her public engagements have sparked a brusque White House response.

Venezuela crisis: 15 people die during nationwide blackout says NGO

Posted: 09 Mar 2019 04:29 PM PST



A TOTAL of 15 dialysis patients have died as a result of a nationwide power cut in the troubled South American nation of Venezuela, an NGO said.

Plane crash HORROR: Chilling video captures doomed Texas flight nosedive into bay

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:57 AM PST



TEXAS police have released chilling video footage which captures the final moments of a cargo plane before it nosedived into a bay in Texas, killing all three people on board.

Lalu to have final say in candidates’ selection

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:06 AM PST

Lalu to have final say in candidates' selection
RJD authorises party chief to hold parleys with others for alliance

Source: TH

H.P. avalanche: another soldier’s body recovered

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:06 AM PST

H.P. avalanche: another soldier's body recovered
Two still missing; search operation on

Source: TH

Anti-drug campaign a major success, says Tripura CM Biplab Deb

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:06 AM PST

Anti-drug campaign a major success, says Tripura CM Biplab Deb
The media interaction event was organised on the occasion of the first anniversary of the BJP-IPFT coalition government

Source: TH

Rajasthan govt. identifies 10 lakh farmers for loan in next crop cycle

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:06 AM PST

Rajasthan govt. identifies 10 lakh farmers for loan in next crop cycle
'Cooperative debt structure being strengthened, loans to be given without mortgage'

Source: TH

North Bengal gets HC Circuit Bench

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:06 AM PST

North Bengal gets HC Circuit Bench
CM attends ceremony to mark its operationalisation

Source: TH

Lalu Prasad authorised to select party candidates for Lok Sabha polls

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:06 AM PST

Lalu Prasad authorised to select party candidates for Lok Sabha polls
Seat sharing among Grand Alliance partners to be finalised in a week

Source: TH

Former Odisha CM’s daughter joins BJD

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:06 AM PST

Former Odisha CM's daughter joins BJD
Sunita Biswal, daughter of former Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Hemananda Biswal, joined the Biju Janata Dal here on Saturday.Ms. Biswal

Source: TH

Nirav extradition to start soon: ED

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:06 AM PST

Nirav extradition to start soon: ED
Request referred to U.K. court, says agency; no information on case, says MEA

Source: TH

In Rajasthan, 10 lakh farmers identified for loans in next crop cycle

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:06 AM PST

In Rajasthan, 10 lakh farmers identified for loans in next crop cycle
The farm loans will be disbursed in two stages during the next crop cycle of kharif season from April 1 to August 31 and rabi season from September 1 to March 31

Source: TH

BJD will give 33% of Lok Sabha tickets to women: Naveen Patnaik

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:05 AM PST

BJD will give 33% of Lok Sabha tickets to women: Naveen Patnaik
I have announced 33% reservation for women in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik said.

Source: DI

PM Modi on Pulwama attack: Enough is enough, we cannot keep suffering till eternity

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:05 AM PST

PM Modi on Pulwama attack: Enough is enough, we cannot keep suffering till eternity
Referring to the terror attacks in Pulwama and Uri, PM Modi said "we cannot keep suffering till eternity."

Source: DI

Jammu and Kashmir: Pak violates ceasefire in Poonch, Indian Army retaliates

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:05 AM PST

Jammu and Kashmir: Pak violates ceasefire in Poonch, Indian Army retaliates
Pakistan violated ceasefire in Krishna Ghati Sector of Poonch district early Sunday morning.

Source: DI

Election Commission to announce Lok Sabha elections schedule at 5 pm today

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:05 AM PST

Election Commission to announce Lok Sabha elections schedule at 5 pm today
The Election Commission will announce the schedule for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections at 5 pm today.

Source: DI

Madhya Pradesh govt issues ordinance to increase OBC quota to 27% from 14%

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:05 AM PST

Madhya Pradesh govt issues ordinance to increase OBC quota to 27% from 14%
The move is being seen as the ruling Congress' efforts to woo OBCs in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Source: DI

Delhi: Air quality improves to 'moderate' after light rain, thunderstorm

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:05 AM PST

Delhi: Air quality improves to 'moderate' after light rain, thunderstorm
The Air Quality Index was docking at 152 at 8:00 am in the morning. The minimum and maximum temperatures were recorded at 14 and 28-degree Celsius respectively. The relative humidity will oscillate between 80% to 89%.

Source: DI

'Looks like a terrorist': Cong's star campaigner Vijayashanti makes controversial remarks against PM Modi; BJP hits back

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:05 AM PST

'Looks like a terrorist': Cong's star campaigner Vijayashanti makes controversial remarks against PM Modi; BJP hits back
Speaking at a rally here which was also addressed by Rahul, the actress-turned-Congress leader Vijayashanti claimed that people are scared of Modi as they don't know when he would throw a "bomb".

Source: DI

BJP-led NDA to emerge as single largest bloc in LS polls but may fall short of majority, predicts Zee 24 Taas survey

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:04 AM PST

BJP-led NDA to emerge as single largest bloc in LS polls but may fall short of majority, predicts Zee 24 Taas survey
According to the survey, the BJP-led NDA is likely to win 264 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha elections while the Congress-led UPA may get 165 seats.

Source: DI

BJP chief Amit Shah attends RSS convention in Gwalior, meets Mohan Bhagwat

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:04 AM PST

BJP chief Amit Shah attends RSS convention in Gwalior, meets Mohan Bhagwat
Sources said Shah, in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, "submitted" a report card of the BJP to the RSS, considered as the former's ideological mentor.

Source: DI

Arvind Kejriwal calls Congress arrogant, says its candidates will lose deposits in LS polls

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:04 AM PST

Arvind Kejriwal calls Congress arrogant, says its candidates will lose deposits in LS polls
Days after the Congress said it would go it alone in the general elections, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday termed the party "arrogant" and claimed that its candidates would lose their deposits in the polls.

Source: DI

Ahmedabad: 67 cases of swine flu come to light

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:04 AM PST

Ahmedabad: 67 cases of swine flu come to light
Swine flu death toll in the current year stands at 114, the second highest in the country after Rajasthan, while total number of cases this year rose to 3,830.

Source: DI

Gujarat govt ups incentives to Rs 75 lakh for Gujarati films

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:04 AM PST

Gujarat govt ups incentives to Rs 75 lakh for Gujarati films
Reel Initiative: Will improve quality and increase the number of films, say stakeholders

Source: DI

Maharashtra: Cyber crimes on rise, detection rates low

Posted: 10 Mar 2019 12:04 AM PST

Maharashtra: Cyber crimes on rise, detection rates low
According to police records, 451 cases of cyber stalking, which includes cyber bullying of women and children, were registered in the last year; of this, only 285 cases were detected.

Source: DI

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