| Comey Calls GOP-Led Probe On Russia A 'Wreck,' Slams Trump's Credibility Posted: 29 Apr 2018 11:10 AM PDT  Former FBI Director James Comey on Sunday derided the Republican House
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| Controversy after fatal police-involved shooting in Georgia Posted: 29 Apr 2018 09:05 AM PDT  Ricky Boyd, 20, was shot and killed in January by Savannah police when they went to his home to question him in connection with a murder case. At first, authorities said he was armed and initiated gunfire.
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| Israeli says 3 Palestinian infiltrators from Gaza killed Posted: 29 Apr 2018 02:08 PM PDT  Israeli troops fatally shot two Palestinians who infiltrated the country from Gaza and attacked soldiers with explosives Sunday night, and in a separate incident killed another Palestinian who tried to ...
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| Space tourism could be possible in near future Posted: 29 Apr 2018 09:41 AM PDT  Blue Origin had a successful test-launch on Sunday, part of a growing industry hoping to ferry civilians into space, with the company's goal to start sending tourists by the end of this year.
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| A look back at the work of slain AFP photojournalist Shah Marai killed in Kabul Posted: 30 Apr 2018 10:56 AM PDT ![A look back at the work of slain AFP photojournalist Shah Marai killed in Kabul]( "A look back at the work of slain AFP photojournalist Shah Marai killed in Kabul") Agence France-Presse's chief photographer in Kabul, Shah Marai, who was killed covering a suicide bombing on Monday, was a charismatic, courageous journalist who was dedicated to reporting on Afghanistan's wrenching conflict. The 22-year veteran of the agency leaves behind two wives and six children, including his only daughter, born earlier this month — an event that brought him great joy and was celebrated with cake at the Kabul bureau just over a week ago. Marai's versatility and easy camaraderie was demonstrated in a message moments before the second attack, in which he reassured an AFP video colleague who was stuck in traffic and could not reach the scene.
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| US top court to consider use of gas on death row inmate Posted: 30 Apr 2018 10:56 AM PDT  The US Supreme Court agreed Monday to rule on whether the state of Missouri should use gas as an alternative to a lethal injection to execute a convicted murderer-rapist with a rare congenital disease. The top US court has halted Russell Bucklew's execution twice before, most recently last month after his lawyers argued that a lethal injection could cause intense suffering. The US Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, and a series of botched executions with lethal injections has spurred debate over the constitutionality of this most common method for putting inmates to death in the United States.
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| Emmanuel Macron turns to Iran to propose widening nuclear deal as Trump wavers Posted: 29 Apr 2018 10:33 AM PDT  Emmanuel Macron and President Hassan Rouhani of Iran on Sunday night agreed to work together to preserver the Iran nuclear deal, in a marked signal to the US. Less than a week after the French president implored the White House to stick with the agreement during a state visit to the Washington, Mr Macron suggested that the deal could be widened. In what appears to be the latest attempt to prevent Donald Trump scrapping the agreement, the Elysee Palace said Mr Macron proposed in an hour-long phone call with Tehran that discussions should close loop holes in the deal, which have angered the US president. The Elysee said that Mr Macron raised "three additional, indispensable subjects" not covered by the current deal with Mr Rouhani, citing Tehran's ballistic missile programmes, its nuclear activities beyond 2025 and Iran's destabilising influence in the Middle East. It comes after the UK, France and Germany jointly reaffirmed their commitment on Sunday to sticking with the deal, but said that there were "important elements that the deal does not cover, but which we need to address". Mr Pompeo warned over the Iran deal during a visit to Saudi Arabia on a tour of the Middle East Credit: Amr Nabil/AP Mr Macron's intervention came after Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, called Iran "the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world," on Sunday in a further signal that America intends to pull out of the nuclear deal. Speaking at a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during his first visit to the Middle East since being sworn in last week, Mr Pompeo struck a hawkish tone as Donald Trump's deadline for a decision on the deal looms on May 12th. However, he offered hope of some compromise to the UK, France and Germany. "We will continue to work with our European allies to fix that deal. But if a deal cannot be reached, the president has said that he will leave that deal," Mr Pompeo said. But he added: "Unlike the prior administration, we will not neglect the vast scope of Iran's terrorism. It is indeed the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world. In fact, Iran has only behaved worse since the deal was approved. Iran detabilises this entire region." Downing Street on Sunday announced Theresa May has had separate discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel over the weekend in which they solidified their stance in support of the deal. FAQ | Iran nuclear talks In a nod to Mr Trump and in the wake of visits to the US last week from Mr Macron and Mrs Merkel, the three leaders acknowledged there were key issues that needed to be addressed inlcuding the question of Iran's ballistic missile programme and what happens when the deal expires. A Downing Street spokesman said: "They discussed the importance of the Iran nuclear deal as the best way of neutralising the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, agreeing that our priority as an international community remained preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. "They agreed that there were important elements that the deal does not cover, but which we need to address." "Acknowledging the importance of retaining the deal, they committed to continue working closely together and with the US on how to tackle the range of challenges that Iran poses." Number 10 said the three European leaders had also spoken about the "vital importance" of their steel and aluminum industries and their concern about the impact of US tariffs. Iran nuclear talks They pledged to work together to obtain a permanent exemption from the tariffs. There is less than two weeks to go before the May 12 deadline for Mr Trump to decide on the Iran deal. Iran has threatened to restart nuclear activity should Mr Trump scupper the agreement, with President Hassan Rouhani calling Mr Trump a "tradesman" who lacks the qualifications to deal with a complex international pact. On Sunday Mr Rouhani told Mr Macron in a telephone conversation that the Iran nuclear deal was "not negotiable". Speaking on Fox News on Sunday John Bolton, the US administration's new national security adviser, said Mr Trump had yet to make a decision Mr Bolton said: "He has made no decision on the nuclear deal whether to stay in or get out.There is no decision on that yet." A wider question remains regarding North Korea's response to reimposing sanctions on Iran just as negotiations are underway for an historic meeting between Kim Jong-un and the US leader. But Mr Pompeo said yesterday: "I don't think Kim Jong-un is staring at the Iran deal and saying, 'Oh goodness, if they get out of that deal, I won't talk to the Americans anymore,'" "There are higher priorities, things that he is more concerned about than whether or not the Americans stay in the [agreement]."
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| Former CIA Acting Director: House Russia report is a ‘wreck’ Posted: 29 Apr 2018 11:20 AM PDT  Former CIA Acting Director John McLaughlin said the way in which Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee handled their Russian interference investigation shows a "new level" of partisanship.
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| Authorities recover body of 4-year-old boy swept out to sea while walking with mother on beach Posted: 30 Apr 2018 11:41 AM PDT  Authorities recovered the body of a 4-year-old boy who was swept away by a
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| Florida police officer signs off after 30 years of service Posted: 29 Apr 2018 08:18 PM PDT  Sarasota Police Officer Andre Jenkins got emotional as he signed off for the last time after 30 years of service.
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| South Korean trust in North jumps after feel-good summit Posted: 30 Apr 2018 03:07 AM PDT  By Hyonhee Shin and Haejin Choi SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean trust in North Korea has surged since last week's feel-good summit at which their leaders declared an end to hostilities and to work towards denuclearization of the peninsula. A survey taken on Friday, the day North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met South Korean President Moon Jae-in, showed 64.7 percent believe the North will denuclearize and keep peace. Many South Koreans were struck by the live TV images during the summit of a smiling and joking Kim.
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| Joy Reid's Defenders Praise Her Apology — But Ignore Her Apparent Cover-Up Posted: 29 Apr 2018 03:18 PM PDT  Joy Reid has apologized for writing anti-LGBTQ posts on her old blog, but she
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| Golden State Killer Case: Is Suspect Joseph James DeAngelo Pretending to Be Sickly Old Man? Posted: 30 Apr 2018 12:29 PM PDT  Police believe DeAngelo is acting in a bid for sympathy from the court.
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| Drivers facing most expensive driving season in years Posted: 30 Apr 2018 02:15 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Get ready for a little bit more pain at the pump this summer.
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| Sen. Marco Rubio Admits There's No Proof Tax Cut Is Helping American Workers Posted: 30 Apr 2018 04:01 PM PDT  Marco Rubio may have committed the ultimate heresy for a Republican: The
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| Tributes pour in for AFP photographer slain in Kabul Posted: 30 Apr 2018 07:59 AM PDT  Friends and colleagues of Shah Marai have reacted with shock and grief to news of the veteran AFP photographer's death in Kabul on Monday.
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| Evacuations ordered, structures destroyed as over 8,000-acre Tinder Fire explodes in Arizona Posted: 30 Apr 2018 06:13 AM PDT  More than 500 homes are under threat from the rapidly expanding Tinder Fire in Arizona, which exploded from 500 to 8,000 acres in the span of a few hours on Sunday.
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| America Rejected A Muslim Ban. Now The Supreme Court Must As Well. Posted: 30 Apr 2018 12:42 PM PDT  As I sat in the Supreme Court's gallery last week, I recalled the morning
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| These 5 Habits May Help You Live 10 Years Longer, Study Says Posted: 30 Apr 2018 06:32 AM PDT  Alcohol may have a place in a long life
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| Iran leader: U.S. pushes Riyadh to confront Tehran, stirs crisis Posted: 30 Apr 2018 05:29 AM PDT  By Parisa Hafezi ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader on Monday hit out at the United States a day after new Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Riyadh, accusing Washington of trying to stoke a "regional crisis" by provoking its ally Saudi Arabia to confront Tehran. In remarks broadcast on state television, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated longstanding calls for the United States to "leave" the Middle East, which he called Iran's home, and said any power seeking to challenge Iran would be defeated.
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| Waffle House shooting hero James Shaw Jr. raises $197k+ for victims' families Posted: 29 Apr 2018 11:58 AM PDT  James Shaw Jr. was hailed as a hero, but he's making sure that the focus stays on the victims and their families.
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| Court documents: Deputy was shot in the head by assailant Posted: 30 Apr 2018 02:58 PM PDT  AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A Maine man confessed to a friend after shooting a sheriff's deputy in the head last week, investigators said in documents made public Monday.
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| Toyota Preparing For Next Corolla: $170M Investment, 400 New Jobs Posted: 28 Apr 2018 10:09 PM PDT  The production lines at the factory in Mississippi will be completely replaced.
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| Paul Ryan Tries To Act Cool In White House Correspondents' Dinner Video Posted: 28 Apr 2018 08:34 PM PDT  House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) really wants people to think he's cool.
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| Harley-Davidson Confirms LiveWire on Schedule for 2019 Release Posted: 30 Apr 2018 10:04 AM PDT  Harley-Davidson Confirms LiveWire on Schedule for 2019 Release Harley reports its debut electric model is on schedule for a release next year, but will the MoCo's foray into ebikes right the ship? At this point it's common knowledge that things in recent
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| Lava pours from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano in mesmerising timelapse video Posted: 29 Apr 2018 09:29 AM PDT  It was filmed after an eruption on Monday following a period of increased seismic activity. Lava can be seen overflowing onto the crater floor. The largest of these flows was from approximately 06:15am to 10:30am, which is around 19 seconds into the video above, covering 90 acres.
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| Kim Jong-un: North Korea to allow foreign experts to witness nuclear site closure in May Posted: 28 Apr 2018 08:56 PM PDT  North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has said that he will dismantle his country's main nuclear testing site in May and invited South Korean and US experts, and journalists to view the process. The dictator's pledge was made to Moon Jae-in, South Korea's prime minister, during their historic talks on Friday, according to Mr Moon's spokesman. As well as promising to close the Punggye-ri bomb testing site Kim said he would change North Korea's time zone by half an hour, reverting it to match South Korea's. Reports of the pledge came as senior White House figures spoke optimistically about hopes for full North Korean denuclearisation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who held secret talks with Kim in Easter when he was still head of the CIA, said the US has an "obligation" to pursue a diplomatic solution with North Korea. In an interview with ABC news, he said the US must "engage in diplomatic discourse to try and find a peaceful solution so that Americans aren't held at risk by Kim Jong Un and his nuclear arsenal". Rocket man: How Kim Jong-un emerged from his father's shadow to silence the doubters Kim and Mr Moon, meeting in a 'truce village' between their countries' borders on Friday, pledged to work towards the "complete denuclearisation" of the Korean peninsular. The meeting, which some analysts have criticised for not producing a timetable or firm plans for denuclearisation, came ahead of Kim's scheduled talk with US President Donald Trump, expected within the next few weeks. According to a team of Chinese geologists the Punggye-ri site may not be usable anyway, having suffered a land collapse following North Korea's sixth nuclear bomb test in September 2017. However, Yoon Young-chan, Mr Moon's spokesman said that Kim claimed that the site still had new tunnels "in a very good condition". On Sunday Mr Yoon quoted Kim as saying: "Once we start talking, the United States will know that I am not a person to launch nuclear weapons at South Korea, the Pacific or the United States… if we maintain frequent meetings and build trust with the United States and receive promises for an end to the war and a non-aggression treaty, then why would be need to live in difficulty by keeping our nuclear weapons?" Analysts have cast doubt over the meaningfulness of Kim's pledges. Before Friday's talks Jeffrey Lewis, director East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said that Kim did not need the Punggye-ri site, and could "shift big tests to neighbouring mountains". Korean detente How did we get here? Professor Tong Zhu, fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at Beijing's Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, told The Telegraph: "There is no way that North Korea is going to give up its nuclear deterrent capability." "North Korea worked so hard to obtain that capability in the first place. Its primary objective is to keep its nuclear capabilities, then the next priority is to address the negative consequences resulting from its nuclear development. Then to develop a normal relationship with the rest of the international community." On Sunday John Bolton, the US National Security Adviser, was asked by Fox News if the US making concessions to North Korea, such as easing sanctions, would require Kim to fully give up his nuclear weapons. "We have very much in mind the Libya model from 2003, 2004," he replied. Mr Bolton was referring to Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi allowing US and UK weapons inspectors to view and help dismantle the Libya's nuclear and chemical weapons programmes around that time. Gaddafi's move followed years of sanctions against Libya, but many US government officials claimed that the 2003 US invasion of Iraq was the biggest influence for him denuclearising. Analysts have argued that Kim sees the fate of Gadaffi, who was toppled from power then killed in the Libyan civil war in 2011 after US forces attacked troops loyal to him, as a cautionary tale. Others have said that Mr Trump's recent threats to scrap the Iran nuclear deal, will make North Korea nervous about US promises. Addressing the concerns, Mr Pompeo said last night/SUN: "I don't think Kim Jong Un is staring at the Iran deal and saying, 'Oh goodness, if they get out of that, I won't talk to the Americans any more,'. There are higher priorities that he is more concerned about than whether or not the Americans stay in the [Iran deal]." With the clock ticking towards the historic Trump-Kim meeting, on Sunday Mr Yoon also suggested that Kim's decision to alter North Korea's time zone to match South Korea's was made when he saw two wall clocks in a summit room showing different times for the two countries. Mr Yoon said that Kim found it "heartbreaking" seeing the un-matched clock hands. In August 2015 North Korea announced a new 'Pyongyang time' zone for the country, which was half an hour before Japan and South Korea's time zone. The move was made to symbolically distance North Korea from Japan, which occupied the country from 1910 until 1945. Pope Francis last night/SUN lauded Kim and Mr Moon for their "brave commitment... to follow a sincere path to peace towards a Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons."
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| That's quackers! Mesmerizing overhead footage of hundreds of ducks following the leader Posted: 29 Apr 2018 02:00 AM PDT ![That's quackers! Mesmerizing overhead footage of hundreds of ducks following the leader]( "That's quackers! Mesmerizing overhead footage of hundreds of ducks following the leader") These photographs of hundreds of ducks following their leader down a river are truly mesmerizing. Rafeur Rahman of Bangladesh climbed a high bridge and saw hundreds of ducks apparently playing a game of follow the leader. More than 500 ducks live on the river, where the mosses and snails provide the perfect habitat. (Caters News)
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| Exclusive: Democrats lose ground with millennials - Reuters/Ipsos poll Posted: 30 Apr 2018 05:56 AM PDT  By Chris Kahn MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) - Enthusiasm for the Democratic Party is waning among millennials as its candidates head into the crucial midterm congressional elections, according to the Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll. The online survey of more than 16,000 registered voters ages 18 to 34 shows their support for Democrats over Republicans for Congress slipped by about 9 percentage points over the past two years, to 46 percent overall.
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| Fugitive suspect in killing of deputy captured, arrested Posted: 28 Apr 2018 07:04 PM PDT  NORRIDGEWOCK, Maine (AP) — A man accused of killing a sheriff's deputy was arrested Saturday outside a remote cabin, ending an intense manhunt in its fourth day in the woods of central Maine.
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| Porsche Exclusive Builds Custom 911 S Cabrio With Crimson Cabin Posted: 30 Apr 2018 06:01 AM PDT  The mix of GT Silver Metallic on the outside and Bordeaux Red inside is a classic looking combination.
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| Kim Kardashian Explains Why The Name Chicago ‘Kind Of Messes With Me’ Posted: 30 Apr 2018 11:32 AM PDT  Chicago is a lot of things -- a city, a style of pizza and the name of Kim
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| NRA Convention Will Allow Guns, Except When Trump and Pence Speak Posted: 30 Apr 2018 11:05 AM PDT  Some students at the Parkland, Florida, high school where 17 people were killed criticized the NRA on social media for what they see as hypocrisy
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| This Is the Last JK Jeep Wrangler Posted: 30 Apr 2018 09:00 AM PDT  With JL Wrangler production fully up and running, it's time to say goodbye to the JK.
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| Draft EPA memo freezes fuel economy standards at 42 mpg through 2026 Posted: 30 Apr 2018 06:00 AM PDT  After announcing its intention last month to roll back emissions standards that require cars to get higher fuel economy, the EPA is now circulating a proposal in Washington to freeze the standards at 2020 levels through 2026. The story was first reported by the Los Angeles Times, and confirmed by Reuters. The proposal so far is a draft, which officials at the EPA and the NHTSA are discussing among others.
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| The world's oldest recorded spider built herself a hole, then just stayed there till age 43 Posted: 30 Apr 2018 06:17 AM PDT  Just how many walking sticks would an elderly spider require? SEE ALSO: 5 common groceries made from microorganisms Researchers in Australia monitored what is most likely the world's oldest spider on record, who died at age 43, outstripping the previous record-holder, a 28-year-old tarantula. The lead researcher, Leanda Mason, said of the spider in question, "to our knowledge this is the oldest spider ever recorded, and her significant life has allowed us to further investigate the trapdoor spider's behaviour and population dynamics," according to a press release. A sedentary creature, the female Gaius villosus trapdoor spider builds itself a tunnel in the ground and stays there, seldom wandering too far from its hidey-hole. Sounds pretty ideal to be honest. Some people online were confused as to how the researchers knew the spider's age. HOW DO YOU KNOW IT WAS THE OLDEST SPIDER, HAVE YOU ASKED ALL THE OTHERS THEIR AGE? https://t.co/b5ls7v4p31 — Christine Best (@tinajaneb33) April 28, 2018 You just have to look it up on the web. — Ryan Evans (@DoNothing69) April 30, 2018 Spider census. Every spider took it. Although apparently a few of them lied about their age to get into bars, allegedly. — matthew marsden (@matthewdmarsden) April 29, 2018 Named "Number 16" (affectionate pet-names were notably absent from the paper) the female trapdoor spider was first documented as a spiderling in 1974 by a study initiated by Barbara York Main. The study monitored individuals using tagged pegs put next to their burrows. Trapdoor spiders never re-use the disused burrow of another spider, so the researchers can be fairly confident that they were monitoring the same spider for 43 years. Number 16 probably didn't die of natural causes. On Oct. 31, 2016, the researchers found that her burrow had been pierced by a parasitic wasp. Her burrow fell into disrepair thereafter, meaning that poor Number 16 was probably eaten from the inside out by a spider wasp larva. What a way to go. WATCH: Go on a tour of the moon with these 4K images
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| In central Alaska, U.S. missile defense stands ready Posted: 30 Apr 2018 10:50 AM PDT  Even as North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un seeks diplomatic engagement with South Korea and the United States, National Guard troops in remote central Alaska maintain the U.S. missile defense system and its devastating weapons ready to launch at a moment's notice. Justin Mitchell reports
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| Visit These 16 Eiffel Tower Replicas Located Outside of Paris Posted: 30 Apr 2018 02:47 PM PDT |
| Danish citizen jailed under new Malaysian anti-fake news law Posted: 30 Apr 2018 01:57 AM PDT  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Malaysian court on Monday sentenced a Danish citizen to a week in jail after he pleaded guilty to maliciously publishing false information, the first person to be punished under a controversial anti-fake news law.
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| Watch Land Rover's 70th Anniversary Celebrations Posted: 30 Apr 2018 01:27 PM PDT  Update: the full 30-minute anniversary broadcast has been added.
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| US 'Burning Man' festival founder dead after stroke Posted: 29 Apr 2018 02:01 AM PDT  Larry Harvey, the man who founded the popular Burning Man countercultural festival, died Saturday after suffering a massive stroke in early April, event organizers said. Harvey died surrounded by family members at his San Francisco home, the official online Burning Man Journal said. "Larry was a visionary, a mentor, a philosopher, and a passionate advocate for Burning Man's culture and principles," a statement on the website said.
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| Britain, France and Germany agree on support for Iran nuclear deal Posted: 29 Apr 2018 11:46 AM PDT  Britain, France and Germany have agreed that the nuclear deal that U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to scrap remains the best way of stopping Tehran getting nuclear weapons, British Prime Minister Theresa May's office said on Sunday. May had phone calls with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel where they agreed the deal may need to be broadened to cover areas such as ballistic missiles, what happens when the deal expires, and what they consider Iran's destabilizing regional activity, a statement said. "They committed to continue working closely together and with the U.S. on how to tackle the range of challenges that Iran poses – including those issues that a new deal might cover," the statement said.
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| Cloth Roof, No Back Seat, More Money: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster Driven Posted: 30 Apr 2018 08:46 AM PDT  Bask in all the fresh air this plug-in supercar preserves.
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| Thais rally against officials building homes on sacred mountain Posted: 29 Apr 2018 04:27 AM PDT  Around 1,000 people rallied in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai on Sunday to protest the construction of homes for officials on forested land flanking a revered mountain, in one of the largest shows of dissent under junta rule. Public frustration has been mounting over the project since aerial images of several dozen officials' homes -- carved into the green foothills of Chiang Mai's Doi Suthep mountain -- started circulating on social media earlier this year. On Sunday, a sea protesters, many wearing green and waving flags, called for the demolition of the buildings as they marched through Chiang Mai, the biggest city in Thailand's mountainous north.
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| EU considering 'freeze' on subsidies for illiberal member states Posted: 29 Apr 2018 04:42 AM PDT  EU member states that fail to live up the European Union's democratic values could find parts of their EU subsidies being "frozen" until they mend their ways, The Telegraph understands. Under proposals to be unveiled in Brussels this week by Guenther Oettinger, the EU's budget commissioner, Eastern EU states like Poland and Hungary could feel a financial squeeze if they were deemed to have failed to live up to the founding values of the EU. The moves comes after pressure from liberal groups in the European Parliament and leading western powers like France and Germany, who want to find a mechanism to put pressure on recalcitrant member states. "The precise details are still to be worked out, but the proposal will include the temporary freezing of funds in order to motivate a change of behaviour among states," said an EU source briefed on the document. Poland and Hungary are both major recipients of EU 'structural funds' which are designed to narrow the gap between rich and poor member states, each receiving €5.5bn and €2.7bn respectively a year. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is on a collision course with the EU after his emphatic election victory Credit: REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo Sources said the threat to freeze access to funding for projects could also include agricultural subsidies, but would not include student programmes like Erasmus to avoid punishing citizens for the misdeeds of their governments. Reports also suggest that new formulas for calculating payments will mean that southern EU states, who tend to adhere closer to liberal values, will receive higher payments when the next 7-year budget cycle begins in 2021. The decision to link EU payments to 'good behaviour' is highly controversial and risks deepening the stand-off between western Europe and the populist governments in Warsaw and Budapest. Tensions have deepened over the last two years after eastern EU countries refused to accept refugee resettlement quotas following the 2015 migrant crisis, and Poland introduced judicial reforms judged anti-democratic by the EU. The recent re-election campaign of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, which was marred by anti-semitic rhetoric, corruption scandals and warnings from OSCE election monitors about a lack of free media, only deepened concern in Brussels. Poland is currently battling Brussels over an 'Article 7' disciplinary procedure for breaches of EU commitments to maintain the 'rule of law', but is protected from serious punishment by a Hungarian promise to veto any sanctions. EU sources said the plan to explicitly link EU payments to democratic standards was in part driven by a French and German desire to have a less draconian and more flexible mechanism for pressuring states that were falling short. They added that the Commission would have to negotiate a system for deciding when payments would be frozen - but leading western states, like Germany, want it based on majority voting to avoid the kind of protective vetoes that have neutered the Article 7 process. FAQ | Article 7 of the Treaty of the EU However an Eastern EU diplomatic source said that any attempt to connect funds to the "proper functioning of the judicial system in a member state" would be a matter of serious concern, raising questions about fairness and due process. "Who would assess the state of the judicial system and on what grounds? Wouldn't there be a risk of political pressure and arbitrariness in such an assessment? Our position will depend on the shape of the proposal, but the budget must be governed by the law, not by arbitrariness," the source said. Liberal forces have become increasingly agitated that states like Poland, Hungary but also Bulgaria and Romania - who joined in 2007 - are flouting EU norms with impunity, revelling in what Mr Orban has called "illiberal democracy". When former Soviet-bloc states joined the EU in 2004, they signed up to values founded on "freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities." Now Mr Orban has talked openly about pursuing the "Hungarian model" which contests western interpretations of the EU's statement on values. Guy Verhofstadt, the leader of the liberal ALDE grouping in the European Parliament and a trenchant critic of Mr Orban, welcomed the Commission proposal. "It is grotesque for EU tax-payers' money to be spent propping up the vanity projects of illiberal ruling elites who politicise their own judiciaries, erode democratic safeguards and systematically attempt to undermine NGOs and the free press," he told The Telegraph. "From 2020 onwards, it is essential that cohesion funds are made conditional on full compliance with the rule of law and our European values of democracy and freedom." A spokesman for the Commission declined to comment on the forthcoming proposal which will cover the EU budget for 2021-2027, which has already been complicated by the €10bn-€15bn a year shortfall left by the UK's departure from the EU. Reports suggest that the Commission will propose a budget between 1.1 and 1.2 percent of the bloc's gross national income - an increase from the current 1.0 percent which results in a seven-year 1 trillion euros budget.
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| AAPL Stock: What to Expect From Apple Inc. Earnings Posted: 30 Apr 2018 05:04 AM PDT ![AAPL Stock: What to Expect From Apple Inc. Earnings]( "AAPL Stock: What to Expect From Apple Inc. Earnings") Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) stock is limping into the company's fiscal second-quarter earnings report expected out after the market close May 1. Investors are likely most concerned with iPhone sales and guidance, but there are several other key metrics and trends that analysts will be watching closely. Analysts are expecting Apple to report second-quarter earnings per share of $2.69 on revenue of $60.9 billion.
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